Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas

From the Wigge's

Rejoice! A Savior is Born!

May your Christmas be

filled with joy!

make ya laugh....'the strange christmas scene...'

The strange Christmas scene

In a small southern town there was a "Nativity Scene" that showed great skill and talent had gone into creating it. One small feature bothered me. The three wise men were wearing firemen's helmets.Totally unable to come up with a reason or explanation, I left. At a "Quik Stop" on the edge of town, I asked the lady behind the counter about the helmets. She exploded into a rage, yelling at me, "You stupid Yankees never do read the Bible!" I assured her that I did, but simply couldn't recall anything about firemen in the Bible.She jerked her Bible from behind the counter and ruffled through some pages, and finally jabbed her finger at a passage. Sticking it in my face she said "See, it says right here, 'The three wise man came from afar.'"

Poor Pitiful Me. . .

Today I am feeling sorry for myself. I don't usually do this but today I feel weak, helpless, and full of self-pity. Sometimes getting my feelings out, even if it is on the keyboard, helps me to feel much better afterwards. So here it goes. . . I am so tired of carrying the cross that I have to carry. So tired of the burdens that go along with it. I'm referring to being a mother to a disabled child. I sound harsh, I know. What kind of mother would complain about being tired of taking care of her handicapped child? That would be me. I am so so so tired. Please understand though, that I am not tired of Wil, just the responsibilities that he entails. I was trying to stay motivated on cleaning my 'always' trashed home, when the familiar words of, "Mom I'm leaking" ran through the house. Those words are as annoying to me as fingernails down a chalkboard. Wil has an ostomy bag and is also incontinent. When he says that he is leaking, it means that his bag is leaking. Today I walked into the living room to see a puddle of liquid fecies next to him and his shirt and pants were soaked. I go and get the supplies, cutting out a hole in the 'wafer' large enough to fit his stomah. I grabbed the diaper wipes, a new bag, and a new diaper and begrudgingly headed towards the living room. Now I must disrobe him, starting with his shoes, braces, socks, and so on. I must carefully take his pants off so I don't cover him in his own waste. All the while more fecies is pooring out onto our woods floors. Taking his shirt off can be quite tricky too. I do it like it a pro not letting one drop get on him. I start to peel off the old bag and continued to clean him up, putting on the new bag and diaper. Now I get to clean up the floor and take the mess to the garbage and the soiled clothes to the dirty laundry pile. I realilze that this doesn't sound that bad, there are worse things to clean up after; however, this is the fifth time this week. Twice was somewhere between 2:00 and 4:00 in the morning. All of his blankets, soft chairs, and his spiderman couch get soiled. Last week we finally had to throw out the couch because it had been washed so many times it was falling apart. The Scooby Doo and Batman chair are not far behind. My upstairs bathroom and the kids' bedroom always smell of dirty diapers and ostomy bags. I am so tired of that smell. I'm tired of constantly washing soiled blankets and clothing. Wil also has a feeding tube (peg tube) in his stomach and this week the plug part tore off. He is fine but now his gastric juices keep coming out. They did this before too, when it would come unplugged, but now it is all the time. Let me tell you that if you thought grease stains were hard to get out of clothing, try gastric acid. It's almost impossible, Wil has many a stained shirts. My solution until we get to the doctors is a band-aid covering it. I'm tired of giving out meds everyday and before every meal. I'm tired of tube feedings several times a day. I'm tired of carrying him when it is too far to walk. Is it so bad that I just want a normal life. I want my 6, soon to be 7-year-old, to be able to the things that his peers can do. It breaks my heart that I will never see him run or climb on things as his brothers do. A couple of weeks ago I took all three of the boys to the mall to go Christmas shopping for their dad. As we were leaving Saige raced to the car, Asher was playing and climbing on the 'handicapped' parking sign, and there was Wil with his crutches trying to figure out how he could walk on the curb. He had one crutch on the curb and the other on the street, trying really hard to get his left leg onto the curb while his right leg stayed on the street. After several attempts he gave up and continued to walk to the car. I wanted to start crying right then and there. It can be quite difficult sometimes to just do the daily work that comes with a handicapped child, but to know that there are so many things that he will never be able to do, the things that so many other children can do and they take it for granted. I will never look at a child walking the curb the same way again. It will always bring me to the memory of watching my son, trying to act like all the other children, and unable to do the task. There are so many memories of instances such as this. I remeber the first time that I heard him say 'I can't'. He was three and we were coming back from a vacation in Tennessee with some friends. We had stopped at a reststop and all of the kids were running around playing tag. Wil was sitting by a tree. My friend asked him why he wasn't playing and his smiling response was, "I can't run." That memory can make me cry in an instant, as I type the tears are forming and dripping down my cheeks. Last year was the first time that he asked me why God made him with spina bifida. He told me of all the things he'd like to do as he gets bigger and is able to walk and run. I sat down with him and explained to him his condition and the expectations of it. I also told him that God does perform miracles but we don't know what His plan is for Wil and that God may be able to use him better from a wheelchair than on his legs. I also told him that when we die here on earth, we leave behind our imperfect bodies and we will live with Christ forever in our new glorifed bodies. Now all he talks about is dying, because when he dies he will be able to run and fly. I've never in my life met a young child that is excited about dying. He's excited to get a new body that works right. As a mother it breaks my heart to see my son unable to do the simple things that we all do and take for granted. As the kind of mother that I am I will also never indulge these things to my son. We want him to be as independant as possible and to never give up. He can get quite tuckered out with walking and many times will whine and want you to carry him. Bryan and I try to stick to our guns and tell him that he is a big boy and is able to do it on his own. Of course he always throws in the 'You don't have spina bifida, I do' line and trys to guilt you into it. I know that there will always be obstacles for our family and things will always be difficult for Wil. There is never a dull day in our home and always something to do conerning Wil. Normally I don't feel sorry for him or me, but once in awhile my flesh takes over and all I feel like doing is weeping for our 'sucky' situation. I weep for Wil, for myself, for Bryan, and for Wil's brothers. All of us carry a cross, all of us are burdened by this situation, Wil more so than the rest of us. My 'mother's dream' is to see my son restored physically to wholeness, but I don't know the Lord's plan. Through all of this I have seen highs and lows in myself, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. I have grown in ways that would of never been possible if not for this situation. I've also seen myself at my all time lows too. Life is like a rollercoaster, the ups and downs are thrilling and can sometimes fill you with nausea. My cry is over, along with my self-pity. Only about once or twice a year do I feel this way, all caught up in my own sorrow. I'm so glad that I don't live this way on a daily basis. God has blessed me in every situation and with everyone that he has placed in my life. I have a great husband and great children! It would be nice for things to be easier, more 'normal', but I honestly think that if our situation would change then so would we and the direction that God wants us to go in.

Just my luck. . .

There are some people that just don't have any luck. I am one of those people. If a car drives through a mud puddle and there are pedestrians standing on the sidewalk, I am the only one to get hit by the water. If a sidewalk is uneven, I am the one to trip on it. If there is food on the chair of a restaurant I am the one to sit in it. If there is one hamburger not fully cooked I am the only one to get it. Today my luck struck again.
I have a pair of jeans that had a tear by the left rear pocket, and me being the cheap, penny pinching woman that I am, decided that they could still be worn. Not to mention that jeans with holes in them are quite stylish, so my 'wear it until it falls apart' attitude is now mainstream. My mistake. I had to take Wil to his Christmas program rehearsal at church today. I decided to wear these perfectly worn jeans not suspecting anything. Once at the church I sat down in the pew and felt the slight tear near my bum. I checked and it wasn't bad. Just a half inch slit. I'm still stylin'. Then during rehearsal I left with my friend to go to Wal-Mart. As I was getting into her car . . . 'RIP'. They tore all the way down to the bottom of my bum. Of course me being me, I got into the car and said let's go. As I got out of the car I noticed there was quite a bit of a draft. I held my shirt down as low as possible as we walked into the store. I went immediately to the clothing department, found a pair of jeans, and then briskly walked. . . no . . . it was more of a gait. It's hard to walk and hold something while trying to hold down your shirt to cover your rear. I am not a multi-tasker. The wonderful thing is that at the new Wal-Mart (out south) you can pay for items at the fitting rooms. So I put on the jeans, paid for them, and gave the lady my ripped ones. I'm sure she got a laugh out of it. It's a good thing that I'm used to my luck. I don't even get embarrassed anymore. I must admit though, that it does frustrate me when I see other people wear clothing that is vintage or ripped all up and nothing ever happens to them. Come to think of it I've had new clothing do the same thing. When I was 18 I went to semi-formal with my boyfriend and the strap to my dress broke. That was a lot of fun! Thankfully someone there had a safety pin. I've had heels on shoes break before too! I think maybe that is why I'm not into fashion. Clothes just don't like me, not only do they not flatter me, but they don't even like to stay on me. . . that is, in one piece.

Todays letter is the letter H . . . .

As the years have gone by during our child rearing many questions have come to my mind. Is Sesame Street really a good thing? Are liquids damaging to children? Do people really believe that children look peaceful while sleeping? Over the years of pondering these questions I have come to some conclusions. Whether they are right or wrong or whether you agree with me or not these are my answers.
1. Is Sesame Street really a good thing?
conclusion: Sesame Street is a classic, we all grew up watching it and we want our children to watch it too. One has to wonder though, what are we really teaching our children? Do they really need to know their letters and numbers at a young age? After raising three boys, our youngest only weeks away from turning five, and having all of them watch these educational shows such as Sesame Street I have come to a conclusion that these shows are not really necessary and they will only allow you to have sleepless nights. This has been proven to me over the course of the last nine years. Each one of our children have crawled into bed with us to sleep at night, the reasons have all been different but the end result is the same . . . dad & mom have a sleepless night. Many times our dreams are filled with things that we have done or seen during the day. If you allow your children to watch Sesame Street and the letter of the day is H more than likely your child will ( in their sleep ) make the letter H by turning sideways shoving their head into your ribs and shoving their toes into the ribs of your spouse. The Letter D is always fun too! Of course you are at the edge of the bed and your child has their head on your shoulder, their bum is shoved out just far enough to touch the other parent, and their cold feet are on your shins. The letter N will find both parents at the edge of the bed, each on a side, with the child at an angle. Their head touching one parent and their feet touching the other.
2. Are liquids damaging to children?
conclusion: My findings have led me to believe that yes, liquids are damaging to children. I know that liquids are essential to our diets and our lives. So with that in mind we should only allow our children to drink the amounts that are essential to sustain their lives. I would say that 80 percent of the liquids your child takes in are wasted almost immediately. Thirty percent is usually spilled onto the floors of your home, tables at restaurants, or the devastating red punch on a friends beige carpeting. Spill proof cups are a waste of the American dollar. Considering at some point during there use they will not work, especially when thrown or dropped. The other 50 percent of liquid waste will usually happen while potty training. A toddlers body seems to know when they are potty training and it will more than likely allow extra fluid out of the body and more frequently.
3. Do people really believe that children look peaceful while sleeping?
conclusion: Most people do agree that children look peaceful, sweet, and innocent while sleeping. I believe, however, that it is a conspiracy between children to mislead adults. They may appear to be angelic but in truth they are recharging themselves to cause more destruction to your home for the next day. This is also the time when all of the pillows get their mysterious stains. When their teeth are ruined from the grinding and also when you awake to find that someone has gone to the bathroom somewhere other than the toilet. It may be in a corner of the room, a register, or even the hamper.

I love all three of my sons and though it has been exhausting it has also been joyful to learn from them. They give me so much to laugh about and cry about! To be quite honest I do enjoy watching them sleep, I just know that my nights are not as peaceful as theirs! Being a parent is hard work but the benefits are unlimited. To all of you parents out there, cherish your children no matter how young or how old. Laugh at the sleepless nights and be grateful that you were able to have them. It makes me sad to know that some day my husband and I will no longer be woke up in the middle of the night with someone crawling in our bed, or a bad dream, or even a wet bed. Wait a minute . . . .what am I saying . . . yeah right . . . I doubt that I'll be sad. I enjoy my sleep and will probably be in heaven when I can get a full 8 hours of non-interrupted sleep. I won't be sad to watch my children grow either. The current age of each one of my children is my favorite. When they are 19, 21, and 24 that will be my favorite age for them. I will always cherish the memories of their youth but will always enjoy them at their current age. I think that is another lesson I have learned over the years. Let your children know how adorable they were when they were babies and toddlers but more importantly let them know how wonderful they are at that very moment. I hope my recent findings will leave all of you with a smile on your face, as was intended. Happy parenting!!

Rant & Rave . . .

I must vent to somebody . . . before I go crazy. How is it that you love your children so much that you would die for them and yet you'd like to kill them too. It just doesnt't seem right. It makes absolutely no sense. If anyone ever tried to hurt my babies I'd come unglued and spend the next 30 years in prison. Yet on the flipside I feel like slamming their heads into the wall, shoving full bars of soap into their mouths, tying their hands together, and locking them in a room far, far, far away from where I am. Every day I wake up in a rather good mood, and within the first five minutes of my children being awake I feel like a monster. My muscles are tight and my back is hunched over, my eyes have become thin little slits, I have foam and druel oozing through my teeth, and my voice is several octives lower. I feel like a mad-woman. This is not the mom that I envisioned being. I realize that my children are all the same sex and very close in age, but I was hoping that it would make them closer, not fight every waking moment of the day. I pray that when they are older this closeness will happen. As of right now they can't seem to breathe the same air without a disagreement that turns into a huge battle. Of course Asher has absolutely no sympathy that his older brother is handicapped, he'll push him off chairs, drag him around by his legs, and take something from him and start running knowing that he can't be caught by his brother on the crutches. Then again will uses everything as a weapon. Asher has been hit many times by remotes and crutches. Wil likes to pinch him and I think Wil has run over his toes (on purpose) with his wheel chair too. Not to mention Wil is older and smarter and does very well manipulating Asher to do things for him or get things for him, especially the 'off limits' things. When 'busted' it is Asher at the scene of the crime not Wil. For the most part Saige is out of the picture with the little ones, but once a day you will hear him yelling at one of them. Saige's issues are primarliy with me. He wants to be independant and have the freedoms of a 16 year old and he doesn't like to hear the word no. Once the word 'NO' is uttered in our house by a parent you would think that world stopped spinning.
Don't get me wrong, my children have more good traits than bad. There are so many things that I love about them. So many things that make them individuals and special. Lately though, the sibling rivalry has been getting to me. This morning I felt that I was at the end of my rope, and it took everything inside of me to stay calm while disciplining them. I think I need a spa day or maybe just a day and night - 24 hours- without any of my children. Go to a hotel and sleep without being woke up by a child getting into our bed or Wil's ostomy bag leaking, soak in a bathtub that I don't have to clean first and empty out toys. Order room service so I don't have to cook. I could have the t.v. all to myself and I wouldn't have to watch any cartoons. I could . . . I should . . . I should probably get my head out of the clouds and back to reality. I have dishes, laudry, and cleaning to do and Asher will be home soon from pre-school. Whewww!!! I do feel better now , getting all of that out. Thank you for letting me vent and realizing that even though I may get fed up with things from time to time, you all know how much I really do love my children.

Thanksgiving...

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! On the actual 'turkey' day we went to my mom and dad's. All of my family and Bryan's family (except his sister-she had to work) was there. Bryan's brother Scott and his wife Tara and their little son Eli came up from Georgia for the holiday. We stuffed ourselves with all sorts of yummy food. Then on Friday we had another dinner at Annette's, Bryan's mom. More yummy food and alot more family. Saturday we had Bryan's dad and his wife over and ate some more. I just recently recieved my 'ribbon' from weight watcher's stating that I lost my first ten pounds . . . well . . . I found it this weekend. I feel so bloated and huge. Oh . . . but how I enjoyed the food. The company too! It was a really great Thanksgiving. There are so many things to be thankful about. I'm just glad that the whole family was able to get together. At Bryan's mom's we had an early Christmas for the kids. Scott and Tara won't be here so they brought gifts for our kids and Annette, Kim, and our famiy gave our gifts to Eli. We renamed Thanksgiving to 'Eli's Christmas'. That boy is so spoiled. Everyone went hog wild buying him gifts. He should have enough clothes and toys until we see him again, or at least until we ship them his 1st birthday gifts in May. I'm going to download some photos on my bebo site later this week. Eli is such a doll, I'll also have some new pictures of Haley. You'll have to check them out! I hope everyone else's holiday was as enjoyable as ours.

Finger cramps...

I use to love sitting down at my computer and blogging. Lately typing anything extra makes me tired. I've been trying to get thru my basic keyboarding course and let me tell you, my hands, wrist, and forearms are getting cramped all of the time. Not to mention my mom and I have been scrapbooking. Not just any scrapbooking either. My mom has pictures dating back to the 1890's and not just with one family. We have both sets of my grandparents, their parents, and their parents...needless to say we have about 90 hours into it so far and we still aren't out of the 1930's. I get to type name and story tags on each picture. It is a lot of fun though. I love learning about our family history and origin. My mom is a die hard geneology nut. She has been tracking down family history since the 80's and in the last decade (since retiring) has worked on it almost daily. She not only has a ton of pictures but also the information on each person. It's really neat, we are ready to do my grandparents (both) wedding albums. They were both ( dad & mom's parents) married in 1937, I think? So far we have enough pictures to fill two albums. She comes over on Wednesday mornings and we spend a couple of hours trying to date, name, and arrange each picture on pages. During the rest of the week, when I have time, I get on the computer and make up the tags. Print them, cut them out, paste them to black paper, cut it out and then it is ready to paste onto to the photo page. (I like to border my tags) One page takes me about a half an hour. So far we have 78 pages completed and I still have another 6 to do before tomorrow morning and guess what? I decided to update my blog instead. lol That's ok I completed almost 20 this last week. I'll try to update more than just weekly but lately it's been too difficult. I still try and read everybody elses though. lol Have a great week.

I'm back...

First I'd like to apologize to my readers...I'm sorry that I haven't been a very good blogger! Since right before Halloween I've been very busy.

Those who might of read 'Hick Heaven' will already know that we had a Halloween 'alternative' party. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work. I wasn't too prepared but all went well. The kids had fun and that is what mattered the most. We had some games for them and every family that came brought candy for every kid, my kids are still finishing their candy off. We went trick or treating 'old school'. We went to the same houses that I did as a kid. All farm houses, where the ladies don't bring the candy to the door. You must walk in through the house to the kitchen where they can have a good look at you and talk a bit. It took us an hour and a half to go to 9 houses. lol Four of the houses had women who are 'shut ins' , so we decided to treat them this year with fruit baskets and homemade apple butter ( thank you 'Hick Heaven'). The ladies loved it! It was my favorite part of the night and next year that will be my main focus with kids - treat others!

A week ago my online school materials arrived. I'm taking a medical transcription course. Of course it's been so long since I've done anything especially typing that I opted to take a basic keyboarding course for medical assistants too. Which I'm in the process of right now. Let me tell you my wrists and fingers are killing me! I have only been averaging 45 words per minute. Of course I'm at the beginning of the course. Hopefully I'll get my speed up to 70 words per minute by the time I finish the course. Once I'm done with the basic keyboarding I'll start the medical transcription course and hopefully be working from home by next summer. Bryan would then like to start college probably something to do with art.

I feel as though the year 2007 will be a good one for us. Our son Wil will be on Bryan's insurance by January and we will no longer need medicaid! Praise the Lord! I'm thankful that we've had it all this time but I'm ready to move on. The next raise that Bryan gets will push us over the income limit, as it stands right now, if Bryan makes an extra $200 a month we'll lose it anyway. Which is why I'm taking this course, we can finally have a larger income. Once I start working it should hopefully double our income if not triple it. I so can't wait!

Also today Wil finally got his school assistant. For those of you who don't know since school started in August I've had to go to his school erveryday to do his changings and feedings. I feel as though I live in that place. It was suppose to be temporary......four months later........I 'm still doing it. It wasn't the schools fault, there was no one to hire. As of today I finally got my relief! Yay!!!! Tonight Wil had 'power soccer'. He did great! My parents went to watch his practice and they really enjoyed it! Wil was showing off and having a blast. It's neat to see him in his niche.

Saige made student council at his school and last Saturday went to (I think) Hammond, Indiana to a student council gathering. He learned more of what the student council does and he had a lot of fun. I'm so glad that he is getting involved in extra school activities. Not to mention he is an assistant coach on Wil's soccer team. The coach calls him 'Coach Wigge', Saige is eating it up!

Life has been good but very busy! I will try not to neglect my blogging duties anymore. I don't want to recieve any 'hate' mail. lol

make ya laugh....'quick thinking'....

Here is a story about a new clerk in a supermarket. A customer asked him if she could buy half a grapefruit. Not knowing what to do, he excused himself to ask the manager.
"Some nut out there wants to buy half a grapefruit..." he began, and, suddenly realizing that the customer had entered the office behind him, continued, " ... and this lovely lady would like to buy the other half."
The manager was impressed with the way the clerk amicably resolved the problem and they later started chatting. "Where are you from?" asked the store manager.
"Lancaster, Pennsylvania," replied the clerk, "home of ugly women and great hockey teams."
"Oh, my *WIFE* is from Lancaster," challenged the manager.
Without skipping a beat, the clerk asked, "What team was she on?"

It's been 10 years.....

I find it quite humorous that my friend Jen posted today, celebrating her third year Anniversary. Happy Anniversary Paul & Jeni. I had planned to post today that October celebrates when Bryan and I first got together. We will be married for nine years this coming January. However, the other day Bryan and I were talking and I said you know we've been together for ten years now and have known one another for fifteen? Unbelievable!!! Time sure does fly. These pictures were (ironically) taken by my friend Jen in her home ten years ago. I laugh at the pictures because both Bryan and I had long hair. He shaves his head now and my hair is only a few inches long. =) We look soooo young. It seems like just yesterday....then again it seems like ages ago. I remembered the first time we kissed, it was on the couch in the picture. Wow!! It gave me butterflies in my stomach, it was really good. I never once thought at that time that we would be married and living the life we are right now. I'm happy to say that my husband still gives me butterflies when he kisses me! We've grown so much, inside and out! lol Bryan was 19 in that picture and I was 21. I was also two months pregnant with Saige. I never would of thought then that Bryan would choose to be his father. I'm am so thankful to God that even though we ( me & Jen) made choices that didn't benefit us at the time, God still prevailed to make sure that we would end up with the 'perfect' matches that He had picked out. I know that Bryan and I being together was divine (Same with Paul & Jeni). Bryan is my soulmate. It's been an honor to see him grow as a father and husband and even more of an honor to see him grow in the Lord. His excitement and dedication for Christ is so awesome. He leads our family as a man ought too. He's an excellent father who unconditonally loves all three of his sons. They have such a role model in him. He's a wonderful husband, he makes me laugh until my sides hurt and tears are coming out of my eyes. He is strong and I feel safe with him. He's a very hardworker, most of the time. lol He desires to be the man that God wants him to be. He can also be quite romantic. Every year I get some surprise, either on my birthday, anniversary, Mother's day, or Valentines Day. Whether it be a candle light dinner in the woods by a pond, hotel room filled with rose petals and candles, candle light dinner at home, (boy there sure are a lot of candles*lol), taking me on an excursion to a winery, a scavenger hunt which led me to getting a facial and lots of chocolate, and even a spa day. Not to mention all the things he does to help me with the kids. He can work a twelve hour day and still find time to help the kids with their homework and read to them. Not a day has gone by during our marriage that he hasn't called me from work, just wanting to know how I'm doing. He usually doesn't leave the house with out giving me a kiss. Wow!!! I have such a wonderful husband. How blessed I am!! It's been ten years.....I can't wait to see what it's like after twenty!!! lol

On to the pictures....I know that it looks cruel but we (Jen & I) use to put panty hose on Cody's ( Jen's dog) head. It was hilarious to see him try to take it off. He looked like a seal. Personally I thinked he liked it. lol Also, don't make fun of my 'scrapbooking'. These are pages that were done ages ago and I'm still trying to update all of my photo albums, I haven't gotten to this one yet. lol Memories.....I love them!!!

Cell Phone saved my life......

Friday the 13th ....what a day! It was by far the scariest day of my life.

I left my weight watchers meeting and had quite a few errands to run before I had to pick up Asher from pre-school at 11:30. As I was driving I felt 'T.O.M.' coming back for a little visit. I knew that I needed to find a restroom to check. I was going down Taylor Street and thought about running home but didn't want to fuss with the dog and parking. I just wanted a quick stop. I was passing RockHill park and remembered that the other day I took Asher there to play and the restrooms were open. When I was there with Asher about 7-10 cars came through. People on there lunch breaks, people walking their dogs, and some stopped just to use the restrooms. It's an open park and pretty spacious.

It was around 10:00 on Friday morning. I pulled into the drive and noticed that a two door black car was parked and a man was in the car. I didn't think much about it, because I knew that people parked there to eat their lunches or to take a break. I parked and fiddled around with my purse. I got out of my car and started to walk towards the pavilion. The pavilion is facing east to west, the east side is facing the parking circle and is solid stone, the middle of the pavilion is open and filled with tables, the west side of the pavilion has the restrooms. The men's is on the left, south side and the women's is on the right, north side. I parked my car on the south side of the pavilion and the black car was on the north side of the pavilion.

As I was walking I noticed out of the corner of my eye the man in the car got out and was walking towards the restroom. I got a very uneasy feeling in my gut. Something was wrong. I wanted to turn around and run to my car but couldn't. I didn't want to turn to my back. I continued to walk to the restroom but picked up my pace a little bit. When I got to the west side of the pavilion I passed the men's room and then passed the man. I had my head up high and made direct eye contact with him. I turned and went into the women's room. By now my knees were shaking and I knew in my spirit that something was amiss.

I locked the door (or so I thought) and just stood by it. I couldn't hear anything, no noise, no toilet flushing. A minute or two went by when suddenly my door swung open. I was standing right there and I grabbed the handle, I was shocked because I thought I locked the door. As I looked up the man was standing less than a foot away from me. He had opened my door. I made eye contact with him and he looked shocked, his eyes opened wide and he drew his head back a little. I scared him, he didn't expect me to be at the door. I slammed the door mumbling that I thought that it was locked. He stuttered saying he was sorry. I held on to the handle tightly while I fiddled with the lock again and making sure that this time it was latched. For about another minute or so I didn't know what to do.

Maybe the men's room didn't have toilet paper or was out of order. Maybe he thought that I wasn't in there. Reality set in and my knees and hands were shaking like crazy. I spun around the restroom looking for any kind of weapon I could find. Of course everything is bolted to ground and walls. I had nothing except for my car keys. Then it hit me, he thought that I'd be on the toilet with my pants around my ankles. He would have came into the restroom and locked the door and ...... I don't want to go any farther. I saw his shocked look when I was right there at the door. He didn't knock he opened the door. He must of known that the locks on the doors were funky. I turned my lock 180 degrees thinking that it was locked, it needed to turn 360 degrees to actually be locked. A couple of minutes went by and all I could think of was getting someone there that I know and quickly. Kim. Kim is Bryan's sister and she lived less than 5 minutes away. Thank God I had my cell phone. I called Kim, which was quite difficult with my shaking hands, and told her that a guy tried to walk in on me in the restroom and I was afraid to leave. He had a two door black car. She said she would be on her way.

During the next 10-15 minutes was pure hell for me. I felt for the first time in my life like a helpless woman. Knowing that more than likely he could over power me. I was alone. There was a brief time that I thought I was being paranoid. I debated leaving the restroom but my spirit kept saying NO. I waited and waited. Trying to listen to see if I could hear anything. I heard nothing. Kim text me to say she was on her way. I called her back and she said she was pulling into the park and yes there was a black two door car there. I heard her walking up the restroom and she said my name. I opened the door and she said that the man heard her car come in (she made a lot of noise on the gravel) and as she was walking up to the pavilion he came out from around the restrooms and tried to cover his face and went to his car. He was waiting for me to come out for 15 minutes. He was behind a stone wall where I would of been unable to see him when I left the women's room. Right then it hit me that I could of been beaten, raped, or even killed.

I went to Kim's apartment and she called the police. They filled out a report and got a description of the man. The police officer asked me why I didn't just call the police. My jaw dropped, until that moment I didn't even think about that. Why didn't I call the police? I had no reason except that I was scared and wanted someone I knew to be there and quickly. I just wanted out. To be safe. The officer told me that that would of been the best bet but the fact that I was able to get out of situation with out an incident made it a success. I said that I was stupid to use the restroom and should of just gone home or to a gas station. He said that I did nothing wrong and had every right to use the parks restrooms and should of been able to do it safely. Let's face it it was 10:00 in the morning. Things like that don't happen in the morning and they don't happen to me. Well, my thinking has now been changed. Things like this can happen at any time, any place, and to anyone. God saved my life. He gave my spirit the discernment to know that something was wrong from the very beginning. Even though when the door opened and the man was standing there I was scared to death....if that wouldn't of happened I probably would of left the restroom and been attacked. I think that even Kim at first might of thought that I was being paranoid but definitely wanted me to feel safe. She said it got her when she pulled in and saw the car I described and didn't see anyone. She was kicking herself too that she didn't call the police. I think that she just wanted to get to the restroom to make sure that I was there and alright.

Bryan left work when I talked to him and needless to say has stopped by the park many times since then to see if the car and man I described was there. I can't stress enough that a cell phone is great to have with you at all times. We will be getting some mace too to keep on my key chain and in my purse. It's one thing to hear stories on talk shows about assaults and rapes but to know that I could of been some sicko's victim still bothers me. Last night I couldn't sleep and the situation still runs through my head. The only thing that I could of done differntly was to call the police. I must admit though that I don't regret any choice that I made. I was not a victim. No harm came to me and I was able to keep myself safe. The first thing I did right was to not look like a victim. I held my head up high and looked him in the eyes as to say that I'm not intimidated by you. I was aware of my surroundings and followed my gut instinct. I got someone to come to the scene knowing that there is strength in numbers.

I still don't know if I would of fought or froze if it would of turned out differntly. I assume that my adrenline would of kicked in and I would of fought. I know enough self defense that I would gouged his eyes out and continued to stab him with my keys, but not knowing if he had a weapon, like a gun or a knife, who knows what I would've done. Kim said as he passed her the thought went through her mind to kick and knock him down, but then she to thought, he could have a weapon. It's amazing just how helpless and weak a woman can feel. I am so thankful for my sister in law and I'm so glad that I called her. I'm also grateful to my God for protecting me and for allowing the situation to play out as it did. I'm still a little freaked out and I encourage all women to carry your cell phones with you at all times, get some mace, learn some self defense, and never walk around like a victim and making yourself easy prey. Always be aware of your surroundings and keep your head held high and make eye contact with people. Scum like that man like to be in control, they like to have it planned out, they like to have victims. Me making eye contact with him at the beginning probably stopped him from attacking me the first time, then when I was at the door waiting and he opened it and saw me - it shocked him- ruined his plan of attack. Then he waited for me to come out when I thought it was safe. Of course he didn't know that I wouldn't think it to be safe until someone else arrived. I ruined his plan every time and took the control, the surprise away from him. All women who read this please share this story with your daughters, sisters, mothers, and friends. Let's all be aware of how not to be a victim and remember if you are ever in a situation like this, call the police. The one thing that I didn't do.

Just rambling....

Things have seemed soooo busy since school started. I'm not doing very well at my posting! Last night was Wil's first Power Soccer practice at Turnstone. It went pretty well. Bryan and Saige helped coach and Asher helped at getting in the way. =) Saige felt like a 'hot shot' because he has his own whistle. Actually, he is very helpful and they all appreciate his help. There were only about eight people there. With in the next few months more will show, once other activities are over. Wil had a blast and he did really well.
I have to laugh.... when Asher gets excited and is talking to other people, he sometimes jumps up and down or rocks back and forward. Wil was talking to his coach and was very excited and he kept rolling around in circles. It was a sight to see. It still makes me chuckle. It just goes to show that people do adapt to their circumstances.
Today Bryan and his sister Kim left to go to South Bend, Indiana. Their brother Scott (who is in the army) is there doing some sort of hum v training. They should be back late tonight. I'm glad that they were able to go. Last winter Scott was sent to Chicago to do some sort of combat training and when the kids got out of school we drove three hours to Chicago to eat dinner with him. We got home at two in the morning and still made the kids go to school the next day. =) Don't act like we're bad parents. lol They slept from nine on. We were the exhausted ones having to get them off to school. Bryan works tomorrow and has to get up at four and work a twelve hour shift. Poor baby.

My cousin Teresa had her baby on October 2nd. She had a little girl. Elizabeth Grace, 7 lbs. 2 oz. , 20 1/2 inches long. She and my sil, Lisa, had their babies one week apart and they were both girls. Finally, the girls on a comeback. We have been out numbered by boys for so long, it feels good. Even though I'm not helping with this comeback, I'm still on the girl team. I will post her picture on my wigge pics later this week. She is adorable, I think she looks like her big sister, Emily, only with dark hair. Babies are so sweet. I love to hold them and smell them. Yes, smell them. Babies smell sooooo good. I miss the smell. I have growing boys that think its fun to smell their farts and burps. Yes, how I miss the baby smell.

Fall is here....

Autumn is by far my favorite season. Things seem more crisp and clean, the sky looks prettier and the air smells cleaner. It's not too cold nor is it too warm. Baking and cooking is much more fun and the food just tastes better. Fall brings in the holidays and the 'fun' season starts. Some look at fall as the death of nature ready to bring in the cold winter. I don't know if it's because of school starting but I look to fall like the beginning of the year. As summer draws to an end so many things start up in the fall and it becomes one of the busiest times of year. It's the time of year when families come together to celebrate the holidays and it makes the beginning of winter much more exciting. Of course once January hits I'm ready for spring. Around February I'll be just a excited for spring.

I look forward to what the year will bring and I look forward to apple pie, pumpkin pie, chili, turkey, and baked ham. I look forward to the bonfires and time spent with family stuffing ourselves and playing games. I look forward to shopping for my loved ones and decorating the house for the holidays. I look forward to watching the same old 'holiday' movies. Once fall comes I feel like a little girl anxiously awaiting for the Thanksgiving dinner, and picking out the Christmas tree while all having some hot chocolate, reading the real Christmas Story to the kids and singing happy birthday to Jesus and and having birthday cake on Christmas Eve. Watching my kids eyes light up at the sight of gifts.

How grateful I am to be able to have what we have and to enjoy what we have. We all should really examine hearts and instead of being disgruntled or depressed around the holidays realize how fortunate we are to have the freedom to celebrate them. How fortunate we are to be able to celebrate them with our loved ones. This is such an exciting time of year for me. I wish you all a 'Happy Autumn' and hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I have a niece....

Today 'Haley' was born. Mahala Elizabeth Long came into this world, 8 lbs. 9.5 oz., 20.5 in. long. She has a full head of dark hair and is sooooo cute. Lisa is doing very well also. Mark looked more tired and worn out than she did! lol During the time we visited at the hospital Haley didn't even cry, she grunted from time to time but that was all. Lisa said that she was nursing really well too. She looks very similar to Mark's baby picture, poor little girl. lol She is adorable and sweet. WE FINALLY HAVE A GIRL IN THE FAMILY!!!!!!! All of my boys were swooning over her. When we went to leave Asher asked if we could take her home with us!! He asked very politely!! I told Saige when Haley turns his age he will be graduated from highschool and starting college. Talk about an eye opener, even Mark was shocked at that reality. When Asher is 18 I'll be 44, when Haley is 18 Mark will be 53. Lisa tried to comfort Mark and told him that Haley will be quiet and calm like she was when she grew up and not take after Mark and the boys, so he should age well!! lol Christmas shopping will be fun this year, I get to buy girl clothes, dolls, care bears, my little ponies, barbies, make up, princess stuff, purses, .... well maybe just the clothes this year but for the next decade I finally get to buy something other than blue, action figures, and cars. Mark & Lisa said that the kids did well with her. Mason was interested for a few minutes then he wanted to leave but Rilee was so upset to leave his little sister that he cried. How sweet!!! Two big brothers and three big boy cousins.... need I say more. She will be the most protected little girl especially knowing that Mark is soooo old and might need some back up. He might throw out a hip, he'll need the young ones to help out. lol Check out the pics at Wigge pics or click above on Haley!!!

Truly amazing....

I recieved an e-mail from a friend and though I appreciate her compliment Bryan and I are not nearly as incredible as this man is. It's an incredible story of a father's love.


When I see stuff like this it makes me think of you and Bryan because you have done such a great job with Will and you've never let him miss out on anything.
Love you guys!
B
P.S. You might need some tissue for the video, I know I did.

Strongest Dad in the World [From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]
I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots. But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck. Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a>wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day. Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right? And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life. This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs. "He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an institution.'' But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. "No way,'' Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on in his brain.'' "Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want to do that.'' Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker'' who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. "Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. "I was sore for two weeks.'' That day changed Rick's life. "Dad,'' he typed, "when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!'' And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon. "No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year. Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?'' How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried. Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think? Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way,'' he>says. Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together. This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time'? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time. "No question about it,'' Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century.'' And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' one doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life. Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day. That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy. "The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''


Here's the video..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryCTIigaloQ

Here's another video..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D52rJd9GX10

We're back . . .

We arrived back into Fort Wayne Monday morning around 1:30, and we still made our kids go to school!!! Hey ~ they were able to sleep in the car. Our trip was wonderful! We had a lot of fun visiting Scott & Tara. Eli ( our little nephew) is adorable. He reminds me of Saige when he was around four months, his disoposition is great and he loves to coo and smile. We enjoyed meeting Tara's family too! Great people!
During the week while everyone was at work and school we took the kids to Atlanta twice, once to go to the Atlanta Zoo and another day to the Georgia Aquarium. The zoo was ok, ours is better, but the aquarium rocked. It's the largest aquarium in the world. It's only been opened since November of 2005. We had so much fun there. The kids loved to pet the sharks and the sting rays. They had beluga whales and four whale sharks. They also had a 4-D theatre, it was soooo awesome, of course the cartoon was 3-D the cool part was the 4-D part, when water splashed in the movie, we ( the audience) actually got splashed, a bubble machine poured out bubbles, when we got caught up in jelly fish ( in the movie) something went across and touched the back of our heads, air shot out of our seats in eerie moments and at the end confetti came down! Bryan and I loved it just as much as the kids did.
Another highlight of our trip was going to the Wildlife Safari. It was so awesome!! We drove a windowless van for about an hour through an amazing wildlife area. We had animal food and we hand fed zebras, giraffes, bison, texas longhorn, cattle, emus, pigs, deer, and goats. It was the coolest thing I think I've ever done. To get that close to these magnificent animals was amazing. They are soooooo huge. You must check out my picture blog and my sara on bebo and see all the neat pics.
We had a great time and except for wanting to sleep in our bed we had no desire to come home. We wish we lived closer to Scott and Tara, we all get along soooo well. Bryan and I hate missing out on Eli growing up! He's at such an awesome stage in his little life. The first year there are so many changes and we're going to miss most them. We'll cherish what we can.

A little bit of Italy.....

Friday night Bryan and I went to our friends house, Gary & Lisa, for dinner. Lisa did a remarkable job. In the kitchen dining area the table was set for the kids. Bright with color, a red cloth covered the table, wine glasses for their water, yellow napkins for the bread baskets, wooden noise makers, and even name cards for their place settings. The centerpiece was amazing. A plant surrounded with picture holders holding the pictures of each one of the kids. It was fun, colorfu,l and the kids loved it. Off to the side was a white board donned with red, green, & white. It had the menu listed along with the guest names and even a picture of the Italian flag.

When we walked in the formal dining room, italian music greeted us along with a beautifully set candle lit table. The table was set with fine china, wine glasses, candles, glass coasters with our names in them, and a splash of color was added with the red napkin holders. It looked very romantic. Dinner was delicious, Lisa made salad, lasagna, and garlic bread. We brought strawberry cheesecake for dessert and Lisa & I both had a bottle of wine to share! It was such a fun evening. We ( Bryan, I, Lisa, & Gary) are planning to go to Italy the summer of 2008. We've been looking into the 'Anniversary Trip' for a few months. Lisa thought that it would be fun to honor that trip with a little bit of Italy in her home. It was a great night, she did an excellent job.

make ya laugh....'fishing in florida'.....

While sports fishing off the Florida coast, a tourist capsized his boat. He could swim, but his fear of alligators kept him clinging to the overturned craft.
Spotting and old beachcomber standing on the shore, the tourist shouted, "Are there any gators around here?!"
"Naw," the man hollered back, "they ain't been around for years!"
"Feeling safe, the tourist started swimming leisurely toward the shore.
About halfway there he asked the guy, "How'd you get rid of the gators?"
"We didn't do nothin'," the beachcomber said. "The sharks got 'em."

Visiting, Packing, Driving, Visiting, Packing, Driving.....

The title for this post best describes what will be happening with us for the next week or so. My best friend Brandi is coming to Fort Wayne with her family (Aaron, Belle, & Sami-refer to the picture) all the way from Dallas, Texas to visit family and friends. They will be arriving Friday and hopefully Saturday and Sunday we will be able to squeeze some time in with them, they always have a busy schedule when they are in town. They both grew up in Fort Wayne and they still have quite a bit of family and friends that still live here. Brandi always has to make time to see everybody. She called the other day to fit us in the schedule. lol Her little sister just had her first baby the other day, a little girl. I remember being in highschool and her little sister was two. Now she just had a baby and I feel very, very old. lol
Sunday night ( after we have dinner with them) we will have the car packed and will take off for Columbus, Georgia to visit Bryan's brother Scott and his family ( Tara & Eli). We will be there for about a week and we have some cool things planned for the kids. So you may not hear from me at all next week. When I come back you can expect a full blog and some pictures. I feel bad about pulling the kids out of school for a week but we had no choice, Bryan had to choose his vacation in January and by the time he got the schedule of dates to choose from, there was nothing left for the summer months. We are all excited, we haven't had a 'vacation' for a couple of years. Not to mention we haven't seen our nephew Eli yet!
It's a 12 hour drive from Fort Wayne to Columbus. Columbus is about an hour south of Atlanta. We have some fun stuff planned for Atlanta too! Hopefully the kids will do well in the car. Last time we had a long road trip we had a van, this time we are traveling by way of little foreign car. If the kids don't kill each other we will do it for them. lol Bryan has been making CD 's for the boys. Wil loves his mix and Saige is suppose to make his tonight. We are going to drive at night hoping that the kids will sleep most of the time. Wish us good luck and pray for a safe trip. Talk at ya all later!!!

make ya laugh....'prison vs. work'.....

If you ever get these two environments confused, this should make things a little more clear.

IN PRISON......you spend the majority of your time in a 10X10 cell.
AT WORK........you spend the majority of your time in an 8X8 cubicle.

IN PRISON.......you get three meals a day.
AT WORK.........you get a break for one meal and you have to pay for it.

IN PRISON..........you get time off for good behavior.
AT WORK............you get more work for good behavior.

IN PRISON..........the guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you.
AT WORK............you're often required to carry a security card and open all the doors yourself.

IN PRISON.........you can watch TV and play games.
AT WORK...........you get fired for watching TV and playing games.

IN PRISON........you get your own toilet.
AT WORK..........you share the toilet with some people who pee on the seat.

IN PRISON..........they allow your family and friends to visit.
AT WORK............you're not supposed to even speak to your family.

IN PRISON.........all expenses are paid by the taxpayers.
AT WORK...........you pay all your expenses to get to work, and then they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners.

IN PRISON ........you must deal with sadistic wardens.
AT WORK...........they're called managers.

IN PRISON.....you spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out.
AT WORK ......you spend most of your time wanting to get out and go inside bars.

Have a Good Day at Work!

I'm gonna be a soccer mom....

I'm gonna be a soccer mom! Guess who's going to be playing!! It's not Saige, he's still very passionate about 'american futbol', and Ash is too young, yes...yes... believe it or not it's Wil. We went to Turnstone the other night for information and to meet the coach. It's called Power Soccer. This will be Fort Wayne's first league/teams. So far there are there are about 15 people interested. We will playing teams out of Indianapolis and Muncie. There are no age limits, there are players from age 6 to 60. There are also no limits or restrictions on each persons handicap. They can be mild to severe. All that is needed to play the game is a power wheelchair. If you link onto Power Soccer go to the 'power soccer multimedia gallery' and then click onto - power soccer-control the power- video and watch the clip. It's very interesting to see how they play. I'm so glad that there is a sport, something competitive, for Wil to be involved in. I always knew that he would sit on the sidelines and watch his brothers play sports and now they get to sit on the sidelines and watch him play. The first practice is Sept. 12th and Wil (us too) is really excited. Turnstone(through sponsorship) is going to cover the bulk of the cost ($150) to pay for the jerseys, the ball, and the hardware for the wheelchairs. Each participant only has to pay around $45. The season last from Sept-June. (long season) We are so excited to see how much Wil enjoys it, I'll keep everyone posted on 'the happenings'.

make ya laugh....'never argue with a woman'.....

Never Argue with a Woman
One morning the husband returns after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap. Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out. She motors out a short distance, anchors, and reads her book. Along comes a Game Warden in his boat. He pulls up along side the woman and says, "Good morning, Ma'am. What are you doing?"
"Reading a book," she replies, (thinking, "Isn't that obvious?")
"You're in a Restricted Fishing Area," he informs her.
"I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading."
"Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up."
"If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault," says the woman.
"But I haven't even touched you," says the game warden.
"That's true, but you have all the equipment. For all Iknow you could start at any moment." "Have a nice day ma'am," and he left.
MORAL: Never argue with a woman who reads. It's likely she can also think.

Pretty in Pink....

I must comment on behalf of my brother's post Saturday.

1) I would not brag about beating me to a post. You only post once maybe twice a month, believe me it's nothing to brag about.
2) Not once have I heard a 'thank you' about labeling my 'make ya laughs'. It was because of your whining that I had to change my system. No one else complained.
3) Having a girl has nothing to do with you. God has allowed this to happen for Lisa, mom, and me. WE need a girl or we will go insane.
4) Anyone reading this is probably thinking that we do not get along. If only they knew our sarcasm. lol

Actually, everyone is siked about having a girl in the family and I agree with my brother it was different seeing how a girl reacts to 'EVERYTHING'. Everything is different from opening gifts to playing hide and seek to blowing out candles to eating the cake. I loved it! The best part of the birthday party was watching Emily dress up like a princess.(that and kissing Andrew, he had me rolling.) I loved how dainty she was and how proper she held herself. She walks better in heels than I do. It was fun to shop for a girl too! I never go down those kinds of aisles in a store. We always avoid the 'pink' aisle. Asher wanted to get Emily a Power Ranger doll. Gotta love the boys....! It will be fun once Haley ( upcoming neice) is born and especially when she gets older. My boys and my nephews would do anything for their only girl cousin Emily! She has them wrapped around her fingers. The power of a woman! Enjoy the pics below! I only posted my two favorite pics.

Emily and her mommy! (Teresa)

Andrew and his daddy! (Joe)

make ya laugh....'friends'.....

One Spring afternoon, I came home to find two little girls on the steps of my building. Both were crying hard, shedding big tears. Thinking they might be hurt, I dropped my briefcase and quickly went over to them. "Are you all right?" I asked. Still sobbing, one held up her doll. "My baby's arm came off," she said. I took the doll and its disjointed arm. After a little effort and luck, the doll was again whole. "Thank you." came a whisper. Next looking into the tearful eyes of her friend, I asked, "and what's the matter with you, young lady?" She wiped her cheeks. "I was helping her cry," she said.

Monday... the start to many things....

This Monday the Saige & Wil start school. Part of me is relieved but I also know this will be a very hetic week. As of Thursday Wil still didn't have a first grade teacher. The principal had a hundred applications but hadn't hired anyone yet, oh yeah... we also have a new principal this year. The third principal in the last three years. Anyway, not only do we not know who his teacher is but he/she doesn't know that they will have a handicapped student either. Wil's assistant from last year (gives him tube feedings & toiletry issues) is not there this year and they haven't hired anyone yet. Once they do hire someone I'll have to go in and train them. The school nurse called me and she will be there Monday but after that I'm not sure what is going to happen. I will of course go in and help, but the school system is suppose to make sure this gets handled. Anyhow....the first week will be a bit stressful I think. Asher doesn't start pre-school until Sept. 8th. His teacher will be visiting our home on Monday to get to know him. We will take him into his class the next week to check it out and then after that we will have a 'mock' day and his classmates (& their parents) will be there too. Ahhhh.......the beginning of school......busy, busy, busy!

Monday is also the start of our weight loss challenge. Bryan & I are challenging Gary & Lisa (friends of ours) to a weight loss challenge. We are not quite sure what the losers will do, maybe treat the winners to date, I'm not sure. We will weigh in Monday and again at 45 days and then again at 90 days. The highest percentage of weight lost will dictate the winners. So my goal for 90 days is 50 pounds. ( Believe me , I could lose more than that, but I need a goal.) I'm suppose to handle the food and Bryan is going to handle our work out regiment. This should be fun..... I'm joking!! This is totally going to suck!!!! Working out with Bryan might be fun, but I hate trying to come up with new things to eat, let alone healthy things. Last fall we tried to lose weight and we were rather successful, until I quit smoking and had foot surgery and couldn't walk for over 9 weeks, I ended up gaining back what I lost and then some. Anyway, we did get burned out on eating virtually the same thing all the time. It's not bad until your third or fourth week, and then , blahhhhh. So this time I am going to try something a little different. I'm not going to share it unless it works! Cheer us on!!! Not that I care if we win, I just want to lose the weight!!

I will try to weigh myself weekly or bi-weekly and keep the 'tracker' updated!

make ya laugh....'beware of dog' .....

This 'funny' is dedicated to every 'hound' owner!!!

Upon entering a little country store, the stranger noticed a sign warning, "Danger! Beware of dog!" posted on the glass door. Inside, he noticed a harmless old hound dog asleep on the floor beside the cash register.
"Is that the dog folks are supposed to beware of?" he asked the owner.
"Yep, that's him," came the reply.
The stranger couldn't help but be amused. "That certainly doesn't look like a dangerous dog to me. Why in the world would you post that sign?"
"Because," the owner explained, "Before I posted that sign, people kept tripping over him."

make ya laugh....'instructions' .....

In case you needed further proof that the human race is doomed, here are some actual label instructions on consumer goods:
- On Sears hair dryer:
Do not use while sleeping.
- On a bag of Fritos:
You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.
- On a bar of Dial soap:
Directions: Use like regular soap.
- Some Swann frozen dinners:
Serving suggestion: Defrost.
- On a hotel-provided shower cap in a box:
Fits one head.
- On Tesco's Tiramisu desert:
Do not turn upside down. (Printed on the bottom of thebox.)
- On Marks and Spencer Bread Pudding:
Product will be hot after heating
- On packaging for a Rowenta Iron:
Do not iron clothes on body
- On Boot's CHILDREN's Cough Medicine
Do not drive car or operate machinery
- On Nytol (a sleep aid):
Warning: may cause drowsiness
- On a kitchen knife:
Warning: Keep out of children.
- On a string of Christmas lights:
For indoor or outdoor use only.
- On a food processor:
Not to be used for the other use.
- On Sainsbury's Peanuts
Warning: contains nuts
- On an American Airlines packet of nuts:
Instructions: open packet, eat nuts.
- On a chainsaw:
Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands.

good ole fort wayne .....

Yesterday Bryan & I took the kids downtown. We met up with our friend Lisa and her two daughters. We took a few trolley rides around downtown, went to Coney Island for lunch, walked through the Lincoln Tower, the Summit Building, the Grand Wayne Center, and the Courthouse. Went to Freiman Square and then ended up at Franke Park to feed the geese. After the 'downtown' adventure was over we went to Bryan's moms house and went swimming. A wonderful end to an adventurous day!

FYI: 1) Weekdays from 11:15 - 1:15 ( through Sept. 1) the trolley loops around downtown fortwayne and is *free* to ride. 2) The Lincoln Tower gives tours and you may go up to the 'observation' tower and view the sky line ~ just call the Tippmann Co. and find out the schedule. 3) The Visitors Bureau has quite a bit of *free* information on activities to do in Fort Wayne. 4) Coney Island takes cash & local checks. 5) You may go up in the Summit Building to view the Fort Wayne area, the 13th floor has a restaurant and you can see the North and South sides. 6) Pick up some bread from the outlet bakeries and visit the pond at Franke Park and feed the geese, it's a lot of fun! (and it's free)

Check out my link to bebo ~ I posted some of our pictures from our adventure on it! I also added some new pics to Wigge pics - but they are not the same as on bebo!

make ya laugh....'explaining marriage'

The child was a typical four-year-old girl - cute, inquisitive, bright as a new penny. When she expressed difficulty in grasping the concept of marriage, her father decided to pull out his wedding photo album, thinking visual images would help. One page after another, he pointed out the bride arriving at the church, the entrance, the wedding ceremony, the recessional, the reception, etc.
"Now do you understand?" he asked.
"I think so," she said, "is that when mommy came to work for us?"

The wedding .....

The wedding was beautiful! Everything ran rather smoothly. All the music was performed live and they even had violinist there! The bride & groom had written their vows and that had to be the most beautiful part. It was awesome because we've know these two for about 4-5 years now, both of them were in our youth group, so we've had the priviledge of watching them grow. Of course 4 years ago they hated each other! Isn't love grand! They became adults and fell in love with each other. The groom almost fell over crying when the bride walked down the aisle. The reception was at the Women's Club at the Chamber of Commerce. It too was beautiful. Decorated elegant but simple. Genvieve & Simeon (bride & groom) have been taking Ball Room Dancing Lessons for a year now and at the reception their first dance was so wonderful. They had one of the best photographers that I have ever seen. After taking pictures at the church he had the wedding party go downtown in front of the court house and took more pictures. I keep checking his website to see Genvieve & Simeon's pictures but he hasn't downloaded them yet. The pics at his site are incredible, you must check it out.

The kids were grumpy at the end, but I don't blame them, so was I. We were at the church at 1:00 didn't get to eat dinner until 7:30 and left to go home at 9:00. It was a long day! All of my kids were dressed up and they looked so handsome. When Asher saw himself he said,"I'm a gentlemen now." I need to thank my cousin again for keeping the boys with her & her husband during the wedding! "THANK YOU TERESA" Bryan was an usher and I had to coordinate when to send the groomsmen and bridesmaids down the aisle. Everything went great, the wedding was alot of fun.

Wedding Bells. . .

Today is going to be a long, busy, yet fun day! Our friends wedding is today, Bryan is an usher and I get to coordinate when everyone walks down the aisle. All of this would normally be fine except we have three children in tow. Saige should be fine, but Wil & Ash are going to be bored out of their mind. The wedding starts at 3:30 but we need to be there at 1:00. My cousin is going to get there around 3:00 and have them sit with her and her husband. I thought about crayons and coloring books but that will not keep my brood of boys occupied for a couple of hours, especially Asher, he is a little more active than that. I pray that they all stay on their best behavior. I'll let ya all know how it turned out!

make ya laugh....'sorry, wrong address'....

A couple decided to go to Cyprus for the weekend, but because they both worked it was hard to coordinate their diaries. So they decided the husband would go a day early, and his wife would join him the following day. On arriving, the husband thought he would email his wife from his laptop, but he accidentally mistyped her email address and sent it off without realising.
A widow had just returned from her husband's funeral. He was a minister of many years who had been 'called home to glory' following a heart attack. The widow checked her e-mail, expecting messages from relatives and friends, but instead found this:
To: My Loving Wife
From: Your Departed Husband
Subject: I've Arrived!
I've just arrived and have checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was. (P.S. Sure is hot down here!)

Please Vote . . .

I need you to cast your vote! My brother complained about how I don't label my jokes. I always say 'make ya laugh' which makes it difficult to refer back to a joke that I have written. I guess that I didn't take into account that anyone would want to reference back to something. So with that said I would like my readers to vote on the poll what you think I should do? I must add that I find it funny that my brother who only blogs once a month should complain, but I know he means well! lol

Also, believe it or not, I'm trying to update 'perfect wil'. You might want to drop on over to his site, my brother would be pleased, every entry is categorized numerically! lol

make ya laugh....

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what should I do? Should I label my make ya laughs? Yes, numerically Yes, with a title No view results

make ya laugh....

* I've added some more pics to Wigge Pics check it out! *


My mom gave me these next two jokes! It's funnier when you hear her read them! lol


There was a little old lady, who every morning stepped onto her front porch, raised her arms to the sky, and shouted: " PRAISE THE LORD!"

One day an atheist moved into the house next door. He became irritated at the little old lady. Every morning he'd step onto his front porch after her and yell: "THERE IS NO LORD!"

Time passed with the two of them carrying on this way every day. One morning in the middle of winter, the little old lady stepped onto her front porch and shouted: "PRAISE THE LORD! Please Lord, I have no food and I am starving, provide for me, oh Lord!"

The next morning she stepped onto her porch and there were two huge bags of groceries sitting there. "PRAISE THE LORD!" she cried out. "HE HAS PROVIDED GROCERIES FOR ME!"

The atheist neighbor jumped out of the hedges and shouted: "THERE IS NO LORD. I BOUGHT THOSE GROCERIES!"

The little old lady threw her arms into the air and shouted: "PRAISE THE LORD! HE HAS PROVIDED ME WITH GROCERIES AND MADE THE DEVIL PAY FOR THEM!"

make ya laugh....

IF MY BODY WERE CAR . . . . . .

If my body were a car, this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a newer model. I've got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish and my paint job is getting a little dull, but that's not the worst of it.

My fenders are too wide to be considered stylish. They were once as sleek as little MG; now they look more like an old Buick . . . My seat cushions have split open at the seams.

My seats are sagging. Seat belts? I gave up all belts when Krispy Cremes opened a shop in my neighborhood! Air bags? Forget it! The only bags I have these days are under my eyes. Not counting the saddlebags, of course.

I have sooooo many miles on my odometer. Sure, I've been many places and seen many things, but when's the last time an appraiser factored life experiences against depreciation? My headlights are out of focus and it's especially hard to see things up close.

My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and skid and bump into things even in the best of weather. My whitewalls are stained with varicose veins. It takes me hours to reach my maximum speed.

My fuel rate burns inefficiently. But here's the worst of it almost every time I sneeze, cough or sputter . . . either my radiator leaks or my exhaust backfires!

Gettin' er done . . .

In December we will have owned our home for five years. Friends of ours sold us the home for $28,000 and it's been a wonderful investment. Within the next few years we'd like to be finished with our home and sell it! It's hard to work on a remodeling project when you have three small children but with a lot of patience, perseverance, and an 'I don't care if I live in filth but I'll be a b*tch attitude' it is possible to make it through. lol It has been stressful for both Bryan and me but it has also been worth it! Of course the next house we buy, we'd like to not have to do much work to it! lol I've learned a lot about my husband though, he is multi-talented! He is an architect, mathematician, builder, craftsman, plumber, electrician, drywaller, carpet layer, painter, and of course a very *HOT* construction worker! He's done a wonderful job and deserves so much credit for the things he has done to this house. I have helped him a bit, but I usually just do the painting and the decorating. He gives me the great pallet to work with. We only have two rooms, one wash room, a hallway, and the kitchen to finish. All of them have been started on but not finished. Hopefully, the hallway and kids room will be done by Christmas and the office, kitchen, and bathroom will be done by next summer! The next few posts are dedicated to my husband, he's done an excellent job!

Before & After ( our bedroom) . . .

Before: The above picture is what this room looked like when we moved in. After we had moved in we painted it and had a jungle theme for the boys, complete with bunk bed, toddler bed and crib. At the time our office was a play room so the bedroom only housed their clothes and they slept in it. However, within the second year of owning the home our roof leaked, unfortunately it leaked bad enough that the ceiling was starting to bow and it finally caved in. We moved the kids into our room and for an entire year worked very slowly on gutting the room. We (I) decided to take the smaller room as our room and bunk the kids in the larger room ( our old room) so then we could have room to move their toys upstairs and I could make the toy room an office. So the work began. Bryan removed all the sheet rock and replaced the walls with drywall. He also used attic space and vaulted the ceiling, widened the closet door, put a closet organizer in, laid carpet, plus he rewired the entire upstairs. After the dry wall was finished he applied a stucco treament to the walls and ceiling. He cut & I stained and sanded all of the wood in the room. He also built me a table for the long wall in the room. I still don't have window treatments yet and we still need to put in the base trim, except for that the room is done! It's our retreat. We even have mood lighting in the room. He did a great job!




I hung bamboo for our closet door. We have a king size bed in the room and there isn't much room left. I didn't want to waste more space by having a double door or even a bi-fold door. So I opted to have bamboo, I use a shoelace to tie it back when I'm putting away laundry other than that it looks great down plus when the fan is on the bamboo moves just enough to add some soothing noise. Like a wood chime. With that and the water/rock fountain running it so peaceful. I really enjoy our room!

Before & After ( the downstairs washroom) . . .

Before: the pic above is the only picture I have of the downstairs washroom. It is a very tiny space. Bryan did replace the sink and he took out some cabinet doors for a display area it made the space feel a little bigger!

Before & After (the laundry room) . . .

Before: the above pic is the laundry room when we bought the house.

After: the pic below is how the laundry room looks now. Usually
we don't keep the punching bag in the room! lol

Before: the above pic is angled slightly different than the pic below. It is the same space!

After: we removed some cabinets to store dirty laundry, I'd like to either hang a white curtain in the space or get a laundry separator that looks good!(silver & khaki) We also need to hang a blind on the window yet and Bryan is fixing the door to the cabinet. For some reason I didn't get a picture of the floor. Bryan laid a new floor( a cobble stone look) and it brightens up the room a lot!

Before & After ( the living room) . . .

Above: This is our little living room. When we bought
the house we pulled out the carpet and discovered
a wood floor. Bryan stripped and varnished it!

After: above is the finished project with Wil on

on the love seat! lol

Before: below is the same wall as the above picture.

After: the above pic is the living room finished with

Asher and our Bassett Hound, Buddy!

Before: the below is a pic of how the living room looked

when we bought the house.

Before & After (the entry way) . . .

Before: above is an enclosed stairwell, right when
you walk into our house you see it.

After: Bryan knocked out the wall and built a pretty
railing, it was our first big project in our home.

Below: this was one of my presents last year for

Christmas, I wanted a fireplace for our stockings,

so Bryan built me one!

Before: the above is our entry way and the front door.

After: this year Bryan put in a new front door. It

was much larger than the old one, so he had to take

part of the wall out! Lots of dry wall dust!

make ya laugh....

Deer Crossing

Recently a new neighbor, a blond haired woman, called the local township administrative office to request the removal of the Deer Crossing sign on our road. The reason: too many deer were being hit by cars and she didn't want them to cross there anymore.

Flavor of Downtown . . .

I'M BACK!!! I feel much better . . . thank you for all of your concerns! I'm still a little congested but I can live with it. I still feel that I need more sleep than usual, but I'm not complaining! The day before this sickness took hold of me I had a such a wonderful day!

Last Wednesday me and a friend decided to surprise another friend with some downtown flavor. Our friend had never rode a city bus and hasn't experienced much of downtown and the wonderful things it has to offer. So we took Bus #6 (which is by my house, since I live downtown) and rode it out to Glenbrook and back to the bus depot. We left the bus depot and walked to Toscani's to eat. It's a quaint little Italian restaurant located on Wayne Street. It's been there for about a year now and has delicious food. We all split a pizza, but not any ordinary pizza! I'm not sure what the crust was but it was very thin and light, tomatoes basted the crust and it was covered with cheese and basil. The cheese is some import from New York. It was so good, I never thought pizza could taste that great with less toppings, nor did I think it could feel light and not heavy. The man who runs it is now retired from his former job and has wanted to own a restaurant for some 30 years. Friends of his said yeah when pigs fly, thus explains why there are statues of of pigs with wings throughout the establishment. His children and his mother also work there! It has some character! We then decided to walk around downtown explore some of the shops, other restaurants and buildings of Fort Wayne. One of my favorites was going into the Lincoln Tower it was beautiful! If you call and make an appointment you can go to the observation tower and check out Fort Wayne's skyline. We also walked through the new grandwayne center which was really needed and totally helps out Fort Wayne. Our friend also had some facts of Fort Wayne from the 60's & 70's, what buildings were where and about the night life. It was very interesting. We visited some more buildings and then decided to call it a day. We took the bus back to my neighborhood and my *newly cultured* friend was excited to *pull the string* on the bus to let the driver know we wanted to stop. After all this excitement we met up with my husband to go swimming and then made an Italian dinner together! It was a long but memorable day!