laugh-often

A can of beans...

2008-02-06T13:50:00.000-05:00

It has been months since I've blogged. Technically I've had the time but I just haven't been in the right frame of mind. Several weeks before Christmas I was directing a Christmas musical for our children's ministry at our church. During the final dress rehearsal a day before our big debut - I had a "Sara attack". The stage was filled with our props for the play and during a small break I noticed the children were getting restless. So I went on the stage to help them get their wiggles out. I counted to three and with the children screamed and jumped around. Of course I didn't notice the can of beans (one of our props) that was sitting on the stage behind me. I landed on it with my left foot and slid just enough that my left knee popped out to the side. I grabbed my leg and fell off of the stage. Between the ER visit, orthopedic surgeons visit, and an MRI, we discovered that when my knee popped I had shredded my ACL in my left knee.

I hobbled around for a month, through the Holidays, not being able to walk well and not being able to bend my knee, it was a very painful time. I had surgery on January 29th, in which my surgeon reconstructed a new ligament for me out of cadaver tissue. I had holes drilled through both my leg bones and this new ligament attached. They also discovered, during surgery, that I had chipped some of my cartilage in my knee. All of this over a can of beans.

I go back to get my leg checked on Thursday (2/7) and will then, hopefully, be able to take off this immobilizer and will be able to start hobbling around again. They won't allow me to shower or to take off the dressing until Thursday. Needless to say, not only has this been some of the worst pain I've experienced, but I have had to count on everyone around me to do everything, cook, clean, take care of the kids, shop.....everything. Some might think it to be a nice break, but since I'm a control freak and like to do things on my own, it's been very humbling. I haven't driven a car since the beginning of December and I don't get out to often. Aside from the fact that I smell and that I am stir crazy, it hasn't been too horrible, I've had a good excuse to watch a lot of movies, read books, and crochet. Bryan took off the week of my surgery and his sister Kim took off of work this week and has been staying here and looking after things. Our parents and friends and been very helpful too.

The next month or so I'll have to go through physical therapy and hopefull by this summer everything will be normal again. I can assure you all....I'll never look at a can of beans the same way again!

30 days until Christmas...

2007-11-26T19:55:00.000-05:00

Can you believe that we only have 30 days left before Christmas? It's insane! We've just begun our shopping and I hope that we get it done in time. I've never waited this late in the year to shop. I'm usually done by the first or second week of December. Oh well, I guess I get to shop with all of the procrastinators.

I know that I've been gone lately, but I do have a good excuse. I'm directing our church's Christmas Musical for the Children's Ministry Program. It is called 'Bows of Holly'. Everyone is invited. Bring the family, it's free, gets you into the Christmas spirit, and it has a good message. However, I must warn you all, it is not your traditional Christmas play - there are no wisemen or pregnant virgins.
It will be performed on December 9th at 10:00 am and 6:00 pm. It's free, but we are asking if people would like to bring a non-perishable item to donate to the church's food pantry. Saige and Shelby Oswald (Jen's niece) are starring in it. Kids from the 5th grade all the way down to pre-school age will be in it. There are some great songs and dances too! Don't miss! Vineyard is located on U.S 27 south past the new Wal-Mart and Menards.

Hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving. I managed to gain 5 pounds in three days. Oh yes, it can be done. Okay....okay.......I'll write a self-help book on how to gain weight. There are so many 'How to lose weight' books out there (that don't work very well, I might add). I might as well monopolize on something that I'm so gifted at. Share my secrets with the world!!!

Football....

2007-10-20T12:53:00.000-04:00

The PAL Football season is over for us! Saige played Junior Varsity for the 49ers. Of course his team didn't win one game this year, but they improved so much over the season. I enjoyed watching him play and practice, but I am so glad that it's over. Three days a week for several hours each day he would have practice on the Snyder practice field, and every Saturday from 8-12 at alternate highschools, would be game day. It would of been much more fun for me if I didn't have to drag the little ones to every practice and game. Wil and Ash are clearly not into sports at this point of time in their lives and they let me know that at every practice and game.
They weren't bad just bored. The picture above is from his last game vs the Vikings. They lost but when my boy played he looked good. Saige is #80 and he's running the ball in the photo. The poor kid was so beat up this season that I actually think that he's glad it's over. He wants to play for PAL next year instead of playing for middle school. We weren't too sure about that, but he has been pretty insistant about it. The coaches asked Bryan to let him back. If he does, he'll be on Varsity. JV is 9 & 10 year olds and Varsity is 11-12 year olds. This year over 3/4 of their team were first timers, they really need a lot of the kids to return so they have a team that has been working together and already knows how to play. Hopefully the 49ers have a better year next year!

It has to be Him.....

2007-10-10T09:10:00.000-04:00

The last five days have been a whirlwind....I just now feel like I'm settling down from the weekend. This last weekend our church held a women's retreat, 'Captivating - Unveiling the mystery of a women's soul'. The women's minstry team puts the whole thing together, and since I'm a part of the women's ministry team--well, need I say more? Thursday we spent all day decorating, putting together the games, and making sure that everything was going to run smoothly. Our conference started Friday night, which I was the speaker for the evening. It was the first time that I ever taught a lesson for adults...it wasn't too bad. We met back at the church Saturday morning for another session and I was in charge of the games for Saturday morning and had to help another lady go pick up our lunch (chinese - it was soooo good). We had our last session Saturday afternoon and then left the church together. The women went to Samaritan's House for a tour and then we met at Chari's House at 3:30 for another tour and to see what all these places do and what help they might need. Around 4:30 the women left for their 'Adventure'. My friend Lisa and I put together a Downtown Adventure for the ladies. We had around 30 women and put them on teams of five. Each team had a quote that they had to solve, there were ten clues prompting them to go to ten different locations to find there word -the library, Summit Square, Lincoln Tower, the Court House to name a few. We had them decoding messages and looking up information. We ended the 'Adventure' at the bus station where they had to do an act of kindness to a stranger. It was very hectic but overall went over rather well. They had a lot of fun and Lisa and I were exhausted! We then all walked to Don Hall's on Superior and we had a fabulous dinner!

So far it sounds like a fun weekend huh? Yeah....well what I didn't mention was that ......let's start on Friday morning.

I watch a little girl in the morning (she goes to school with the boys) and she gets to my house around 7:15. Of course the night before I was trying to finish my lesson for Friday night and didn't get to bed until 2:00 am - setting an alarm when you're exhausted - you're bound to mess it up. I accidently set my alarm for pm and I woke up late at 7:45 - I was freaking out thinking that I'm going to have to call her mom and really apologize. I run downstairs to the phone and I see her sitting on my couch. Evidently Bryan never locked the door (he's up all night now because of his shift change) when he came to bed at 5 or 6 in the morning. That poor little girl had been sitting alone on the couch all morning. I felt terrible. Of course now I'm scrambling to get all of the kids ready and feed them breakfast and get them to school on time. Wheww!! That's out of the way, now I can focus on finishing my lesson.....phone rings.....it's the school....no one is there to change Wil and he's leaking.....okay.....I get there and he has leaked all over his clothes, it was a mess. I noticed though that he seemed to be stooling out (it would be similar to when normal people have diarrhea). He was looking pretty lethargic too -----NOT THIS WEEKEND---NOOOOOO! I clean him up and then pick up the little girl that I watch 3 days a week from the pre-school at the boys' school. I tell her that I'll take her to McDonalds for lunch. I figured that before lunch I'd stop by the bank and deposit some money, plus I needed to order some checks. When I get to my bank they tell me that normally they could give me checks but that my account was in a negative balance. WHAT!!!!!!! IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!! I had just been online two days before and I had plenty of money in my account ---Oh wait---snap-----there are several bills that I pay that come out automatically every month - it's a good system unless you forget - which I did! Of course I was only $10 short and I should be thankful that we have overdraft protection - of course we keep our bulk savings at another bank so we don't spend it -- it's not helping me now---We had over $90 of fees for this 'little' error! I've been kicking myself over and over and over. It's one thing if you don't have the money but entirely another when you do but you forget about your automatic withdrawals and then forget to cover them you must deposit the money you have! I make it back home just wanting to cry - I pick the kids up from school - Wil isn't looking too good. My parents come over around 4:00 to pick up the boys and take them to their house for the night. I send some powerade with Wil and tell my parents to make sure that he drinks it. After they leave I go into the computer room to finish my lesson that I have to give in about 3 hours! When Bryan got up for work I told him about my error and of course he's not happy - but he's not mad at me. He's a typical male - well if I made more money we wouldn't ever have to worry about little errors like that. Between lack of sleep, wondering about Wil, not being prepared, and kicking myself for the financial error - I did what any other woman would do ----I started crying----I couldn't stop----great, now my eyes look like I've been in a boxing match and I have to get up in front of women and speak. As always, God comes through and lightens the load, which He did. My lesson went rather well and it was all Him. As the women's conference was coming to a close Saturday evening I called my parents to tell them that I was on my way to pick up the kids. My mom said that Wil had just vomited. NOOOOOO!!!! It's bad enough when he stools out, and usually we can monitor it and get him back on track but once he vomits while stooling out, well, there is nothing we can do. I pick the kids up - Wil looks terrible - he lost about 2 pounds in 2 days, his eyes are sunk in and he's super weak. I call my sister-in-law and tell her meet me at my house and take Saige and Asher with her for the night. On the way home Wil vomits all over himself and the truck. Poor guy! I get home pack the boys bags and pack a bag for me and Wil and we truck into the ER at 10:00 pm. We got into a room around 2:30 am. He was dehydrated - though ironically his levels weren't that bad-his sodium was the lowest.
Bryan came up to the hospital when he got off work and stayed until about 10:30 Sunday morning - he had to go home and sleep because he had to work that evening. Sunday morning my sis-n-law brought the boys to the hospital and did a switch with me because I'm heading up a Christmas musical in Children's Ministry and that Sunday happened to be our first rehearsal and I was the only one who had all the scripts and CDs. On Kim's way to the hospital she picked up breakfast for the boys and to make all of our lives just a little more interesting, Asher vomited all over her car. YEAH!!!!!! I LOVE BEING ME!!!! Wil was released Sunday night and today was his first day back at school. He's still not up to par but is doing much better, Asher too.

The most wonderful thing about the last five days is that after my crying fit, I gave it all to God. Some of the things that were going on were in my control and I messed up and then some were not. I remeber praying, "God it has to be You, I can't do this, it has to be You! Keep my attitude light and my disposition cheery. I need Your help." Guess what......I haven't been stressed like I usually am during these situations. My attitude has been really good. Our finances are cleared up, the women's retreat went really well, and Wil and Asher are getting better. I say ALL this ( I just proofread and saw how much I wrote-sorry) I say ALL this to just let all of you know that; It has to be Him, you can't do it, it has to be Him.

October is here?

2007-10-02T11:43:00.001-04:00

The other day the kids just started school and summer wasn't quite over...when did October get here? Someone told me the other day that the Christmas is only 12 weeks away! It can't be....I'm not ready!! I don't want to get out the coats, hats, and gloves yet!! Autumn is my favorite season but I'm not ready for it yet!
This summer just seemed to fly by - the older I get the quicker it goes! The saying is true - time flies by! Well enjoy this fall, hopefully it won't go by as quickly as the summer did!

I'M DONE......

2007-09-19T10:31:00.000-04:00

I think I may change my blog name from 'laugh-often' to 'vent-often'!

My children can aggravate me so easily and so often. I recieved a call from the school at 10:15 am. What could they possibly want now? Let me rephrase that, 'what could my children possibly want now?

As most of you know, last year the school couldn't find an assistant for Wil until about three to four months into the school year - so I had to go down to the school twice a day to do his toiletry and feeding jobs. It caused a lot of frustration for me, plus Asher was half day pre-school and I had to cart him with me - not fun! So this year I have relished in the fact that all of my kids are full time students and I would not be needed to care for Wil during school hours. Now I have the time to finish my online schooling and can hopefully start working at home this fall. YEAH RIGHT!!

This year all Wil needs is changed once a day - no more tube feedings - which has made things much simpler. The nurse is there all day on Monday and on Wednesday afternoons. Mrs. 'C', the special ed teacher, is changing him the rest of the time. Well, this week is ISTEP so Mrs. 'C' is unable to change him, which I'm fine with. So for this week only I have to go the school Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday.
I get a call from the school this morning....let me start over. I was in the middle of taking a typing test online - it was timed - when my phone rings - I let it go - then my cell rings. I realize that it is probably the same person and I better answer it. It was the school. Wil went to the office and said that he needed dumped. I just changed him two hours ago! He shouldn't even need checked for another couple of hours. I stop all that I am doing to be a 'good mom'. The whole way down to the school this was in my head -@!!*@*!! you better be leaking Wil! Ofcourse his ostomy bag isn't even half full. I just looked at him with that 'I am so going to hurt you look' and tell him when he gets home.... go back to class.

Granted a lot of my frustration stems from this morning with my children. Saige and Asher wouldn't get out of bed and were running a half an hour behind schedule. Saige is a safety guard this year and has to be at school at 8:15, lately he's been there about 8:25. Not good! He wants to quit....yeah right.....we told him you quit that you quit football. He wants to stay up later than his brothers because he's older. So every night it's a fight to get him in bed and then ofcourse he never wants to get up. Tonight it's 8:00 - I'm done!
Wil doesn't get homework every night so I don't always check - besides he's in the second grade and needs to be responsible. This morning 10 minutes before we leave he announces that he had homework he didn't do. I was furious! Obviously playing the computer and watching TV are more important! Oh..did I mention that his fingers were almost healed and this week he started chewing them again?! He is also refusing to take all of his meds. I'm done!
Asher - well he's just Asher. This morning it was 'wash my hands until I overflow the sink' and let's 'accidently spill a full glass of water all over the table and floor.' I'm done!

So tonight after school the kids are getting a talkin' too. No more computer, TV, or playstation during the week. Three nights a weeks Saige has football and once a week Wil has a music program at Turnstone, other than that they will be bored out of their minds and will be forced to do chores around the house that they will not get paid for because it needs to be a normal responsibility, get their homework done EARLY, and if they want to play something they can play cards or board games together. Not to mention until they can get out of bed the first time they are awoken with a smile on their face and saying with a bright & cheery disposition 'Good Morning Mom' their bed time will be no later than 8:00. I'M DONE!!!!

My kids are going to hate me; but guess what - don't care - why? - because I'M DONE!!!!

Texas....

2007-09-15T09:40:00.001-04:00

Our trip to Texas was great! Our friends Brandi & Aaron live in Lewisville, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Brandi & I have been best friends since our highschool freshman year. We also lived together for almost four years in our late teens and early twenties! They've lived in Texas for the last nine years and I've missed them sooo much! Aaron's immediate family have lived there for 14 years and his sister and I are great friends too. She and I graduated highschool together from a small christian school. Saige had such a good time, he wanted to stay and told us several times that we need to move there.....someday......maybe....who knows what all God has in store for us. It was seven years since we've been out there last, actually it was for Christine & Dan's wedding - almost to the day! (their pic is below). Brandi & Aaron come back to Fort Wayne once or twice a year to visit their family that still lives here and we when we see them it's a very short visit. This is the most we've been able to sit around and talk for seven years (face to face)....I think we might try to save the money every year so this will be our annual trip!! They all have such beautiful families too - and they all love the Lord so much - it shows in every thing that they do and how they live! It was great to see how God's worked in all of their lives and how faithful they are! We visited their church on Sunday and it fit us so good, along with all of their friends! Below are some pictures - I posted quite a few but in reality I took over 200! I miss my B! I miss Christine too! I cried pretty hard when we left...God has blessed me with such great friends! Downtown Dallas - from The Dallas World Aquarium parking lot.

We went to Medieval Times - we were cheering for the red/yellow knight. There is one in Chicago too!
Saige and Asher at the Aquarium
Belle (4), Sami (1), Saige, Asher, & Wil at the Dallas Aquarium - Belle & Sami are Brandi & Aaron's daughters.
Aaron & Sami in the pool in their backyard.
Brandi & Sami - she is such an angel - always smiling

Aaron & Sami at the Aquarium Pool party - almost every day!
Kenna - Dan & Christine's daughter
Bryan & Tori - also Dan and Christine daughter - Tori & Kenna are 21/2 and are twin sisters
Dan & Christine - she hasn't aged since highschool!

Aaron, Belle, & Brandi @ Medieval Times - Belle was tired - that's a wierd pic of Aaron but Brandi looks hot- so I put it in anyway
Brandi and Wil at the Spaghetti Warehouse - downtown Dallas
Belle & Asher - they are two peas in a pod - they either got along great or fought
Our knight won!!! He was a cutie - the green knight was pretty hot too! Then again so was our bar wench (server) according to Bryan and Aaron - course I don't have any pictures of her - oops! lol

Belle & I at the Aquarium - she was such a little princess and she took to me very well - I loved it!

Ever wonder.....

2007-08-30T15:40:00.000-04:00

Since I'll be gone for the next week, I thought that I would leave you all with something that would leave a smile on your face!

Only in America.....do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in America......do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

Only in America......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

Only in America......do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

EVER WONDER ...

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?
Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?
Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?
Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?
Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?
If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

6 more days...

2007-08-26T13:19:00.000-04:00

We only have 6 more days until we leave for Texas! Woo-hoo!! We are going to be taking off when the kids get out of school Friday. It's a 16-18 hour drive - Wahh! We've only been there once before and we flew, so with my kids, this will be an adventure. Last spring when we went to Florida, it was over 20 hours and they didn't do too bad - so let's pray and hope!! My best friend, Brandi, has lived there for nine years now - I can't wait to see her and have a whole week with them. I've known Brandi's husband Aaron for a long time too - as a matter of fact - I'm the one who introduced them back when we were 15 & 16. Just call me the match maker!! Okay the chemistry was all them but I do believe that I played an important role in the outcome. They have two daughters, Belle & Sami. Belle is so hyped about the boys coming - she is a female Asher - needless to say they get along 'really' well. Aaron's family all live there too! I'm anxious to see his sister, Christine, she and I have been friends since high school, we actually graduated together from a private school - just her and me - she was the valedictorian and of course that left me with the 2nd place, salutatorian. Anyway, whenever we get together we call it our high school reunion. She now has twin little girls, they are so cute! I'll post after we get back and will try to post some picks too! My kids are stoked!

Saturday night we might go with them to a Def Lepord concert - yeah - I know! The good ole days. Anyway, Bryan has been looking around at the Good Will for tight jeans or leather pants. He is going to wear a tight t-shirt, a suit vest, a cross dangling earing, and to top it off a mullet wig. That's my man! We aren't going to let them know of course - he's just going to come out of the bathroom and say,'Let's rock and roll!' with his taking hanging out! I'll laugh if he goes to all of that work and we end up not going! Bryan is odd - but that's why I love him!

Freedom....

2007-08-20T12:58:00.000-04:00

FREEDOM!!!! This is the first time ever that all three of my children have been full time at school. I love it! My husband and I went out to breakfast this morning and we didn't have to rush back home to pick up a preschooler. They grow so fast. This is also the only time that all three of my children will be at the same school at the same time. Asher started kindergarten, Wil is in the second grade, and Saige is in his last year at Elementary - fifth grade. This morning Asher was so excited that he was running into the school and with the rain the ground and floors were wet and he biffed it. Poor kid! Of course that didn't stop him, Bryan couldn't find him after they entered the school and someone said that he ran to his class. He's ready to go! I remember the days that I loved going to school, that ended quickly, I think by middle school, I hope my kids always love school. Saige is following in my footsteps though, this morning he was depressed about going and then added with a sigh, "Yeah, and if I go to college I still have another eleven years until I'm done." Of course my response was, "What do you mean if?"

Last week Bryan's brother Scott and his family (Tara & Eli) were here visiting us from Georgia. By February he should be out of the army and they are going to be moving here to live. I can't wait, Bryan & Scott are the best of friends and I've never seen either one of them ever connect to someone else like they do. I hope my boys grow to have a brother bond like that. Scott's wife, Tara, and I get along great, she is such a sweetheart! It's weird because there are quite of few similarities between our personalities, but still quite a few differences to keep us individuals. I can't tell you how many times last week I was called Tara and Tara called Sara. Our husbands were the worst!!! Their son Eli is 15 months and boy is he a cutie! He loves his Uncle Bryan, he's always going to him. We were in Georgia a few weeks ago and Eli still remembered him. It will be great though when they move here, we're so excited.
Iwont' say when I'll post again....it always gets me into trouble!!!

I need SLEEP!!!!

2007-06-25T20:44:00.000-04:00

The last few weeks have been so busy that I haven't had time to get any good sleep. I've noticed that the older I get the more sleep my body needs to function. Lately, I've been functioning on very low levels. I don't seem to get any more than 6 hours. I know...I know.... to some of you six hours is still a lot of sleep. Five to ten years ago 6 hours could feel like ten. Now six hours feels like three. I need at least 8 hours to function; be nice, have a positive outlook, cook, clean, run errands, do laundry, read, and tend to children. I've been averaging 5-6 hours and my function level is at an all time low; I'm moody, very negative, don't feel like cooking, my house is trashed, I ran errands the other day and had to take a nap when I got home, my kids are out of clean socks, I haven't been able to read, blog, or check my e-mails, and I honestly don't know where my children are at the moment!!!!

So I am leaving my readers with something new to read! It is short and... well.... sour! But I know you all love me anyway!! It was great seeing some of you at the annual Birthday Party!! I had a lot of fun and once again didn't get much sleep! Have a great week! I'll try to blog again before the 4th of July!

Hello????

2007-06-09T11:40:00.000-04:00

Yeah...yeah...yeah...I know....I've let everyone down. I realize that I haven't blogged in such a long time. Yes, I'm still alive, no I have not been abducted by aliens, (at least that I remember), I have not been in the hospital, or been on a long extended vacation. I've just been lazy with my computer. I get on once or twice a week and I usually have 20-25 e-mails to go through.

Bryan has started a youth ministry in our neighborhood. It's not church affiliated, though he'd like all the churches in our community to come on board and work together. Easier said than done! He started out four weeks ago with three kids and now has 12-13. They meet in our house or over by the elementary school (Nebraska) every Sunday night. During the next few months they will go and do community services within our neighborhood, outreach projects, and of course share the message of Jesus.

My husband is amazing me. His faith, perseverance, determination to share the gospel is stronger than I've ever seen. He even had our children learn an acronym to help them know the gospel message - even Asher has this memorized - don't know how he did it but it's so cool to hear a five-year-old say all of this:

G - God created us to be with Him
O - Our sins separate us from God
S - Sins cannot be removed by good deeds
P - Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again
E- Everyone who trust in Him alone has eternal life
L- Life thats eternal means that we live with Him forever

I just had to have Asher come in and tell me what E and L were, because I forgot. lol A week before school let out Saige witnessed to one of his best friends at school. Of course he did it during 'silent reading time'. That cracks me up! Not at recess or lunch but during silent reading time. I'm glad he did it though. I'm proud of my kids!!!

I'll try to blog at least once a week......I may need some accountability!!!!!! Be nice, Jen!!!!

Spring Break 2007 pictures...

2007-04-23T12:38:00.000-04:00

Hey ~
Check out my other blog, wigge pics, and you can see some of our pictures from Spring Break.

Gotta a cute joke for you today! Hope ya laugh!!

Little Johnny Stands Up

A new teacher was trying to make use of her psychology courses. She started her class by saying, "Everyone who thinks you're stupid, stand up!"
After a few seconds, Little Johnny stood up. The teacher said, "Do you think you're stupid, Little Johnny?"
"No, ma'am, but I hate to see you standing there all by yourself

UPDATE: SPRING BREAK & EASTER

2007-04-20T12:53:00.000-04:00

Spring Break was a lot of fun! Me & the kids went with a friend and her family to Daytona. The kids did great on the way down and on the way back. They travel very well, especially since two of the them had to sit in car seats the entire time. Asher was constantly asking when we would get to the beach. He started in Indianapolis and didn't stop until we made it to Florida! When we got there we took him to the beach as soon as possible. Right after that we had to go to Wal-Mart and get some food, so we told the kids we'd have to go. Asher started crying and said, "But it took us too long to get here, I don't want to drive all the way back to go to Wal-Mart!" We started laughing and explained to him that there was a Wal-Mart there in Daytona. Poor kid thought that the only Wal-Mart was back here in Fort Wayne.
Every morning from our balcony we were able to the dolphins swimming, Saige really enjoyed that! He also had tons of fun body surfing. Wil had fun, but not being the water kid, he had more fun with the activities that the condo provided. Everyday they had something going on; bingo, pizza, ice cream social, pool party. He really enjoyed that. Asher tried to body surf and boogie board, it was so fun watching him try to conquer the waves. All the boys played in the sand and collected shells. I had a lot of fun just hanging out with my friend, Janice. She is so awesome! Her daughter, Bethany, and her friend, Bree, watched the kids one night so we could go out and have some 'alone' time. We dressed up and went to dinner, I really enjoyed that.
We all did miss daddy though. We talked to him everyday! He said that the first few days weren't bad but by the end of the week he was totally missing us. He said that he hated coming home to an empty house. When we got home the house was spotless, candles lit and there were homemade cookies on the table for the kids with some chocolates and a beautiful yellow Easter Lily for me. Bryan is so awesome. The kids bought him an alligator head. Doesn't seem quite as elegant but he liked it very much, it is kind of cool. I'll post some pics on Wigge pics.
Easter turned out great! The play went on without any problems and everybody did an excellent job. Everybody loved it! The message that I wanted to get out - came out! We went to my mom and dad's for Easter dinner. Bryan's mom joined us! There was food, Easter egg hunt, food, candy, food, candy......I'm sure that everybody was like that! The only thing that could of been better was the weather. It seemed more like Christmas than Easter. Today is a beautiful day though, I'm going to go out to enjoy it. Have a great week.

What a beautiful day....

2007-03-26T16:34:00.000-04:00

Today is such a gorgeous day! I stood outside for awhile today and just soaked myself in the sun! Today I went with Saige's fourth grade class on a field trip to the History Museum and the Courthouse. We ate lunch in the Courtyard at the Courthouse, the weather was absolutely beautiful!! My group was very well behaved and we had a lot of fun. I am pretty tired though and this week is going to be so busy! Every day there is something scheduled and I have a lot of little things to get done too. Me and the kids are leaving Friday (when they get out of school) to go to Florida. Hooray! A friend of mine has a time share, and every year she takes her kids to a condo on the beach in Daytona. She only has a 16 year-old left in the house and she is taking a friend. The other family that was suppose to go could not. She called me a few weeks ago and asked it the kids and I would like to go, the condo, hotel, and rental van are already paid for, so she asked that I help out with gas and food! Oh yeah!! I am so lucky to have a friend like that! She is soooo awesome! Bryan has to work so it's just me and the kids. It'll be fun and probably a little frustrating! The kids will be watched one night by the teenage girls so the 'moms' can go out! I have so much to get done before Friday......and when we get back, within two days is Easter and the 'Easter Play'. Plus I have to take midterm on my Medical Terminology. So I will be studying that and my script on the beach!! I'll update again after Easter and Spring Break! Enjoy the weather we're having and have a great Spring Break!!!

Rain, Rain, Go Away !!!!

2007-03-23T09:44:00.000-04:00

What is up with this weather? Spring is like a tease. One day the sun is out but still a little on the chilly side, the next day beautiful weather, then the next rain, the next chilly and rain, and the next day more chilly rain. I understand that with Spring comes Spring showers, but can't it be a little warmer?! I'm so anxious for 60 - 70 degree weather! I'm anxious for the Spring smell too! So far only one day did it smell like Spring! I want to open my windows and let the fresh breeze in to air out my stuffy house. The other day it did thunderstorm though, I loved it! I just don't like the continuous cold rain. Oh well! On the flipside it will make the grass greener, which is good! I should be thankful that it's not snowing like it has in the past during the months of March and April. Okay, the rain can stay, just warm up a little bit more!!

Spring is here....I think.....

2007-03-21T12:14:00.000-04:00

Spring is finally officially here! Of course this morning it was still quite cold! Wil was very disappointed that it wasn't warm and sunny. He's been counting down all week. Hopefully by later today we'll actually feel the 65 degrees that they keep talking about.

I know it's been over a month since my last blog! All I can say is Busy! Busy! Busy! I've been hopelessly trying to catch up on my homework and haven't been very successful at it! I have also been writing an Easter Play for our church. It's quite funny with my odd and warped sense of humor! For my first time at writing a play; I'm actually pretty satisfied with it! Any of you who don't have anywhere to go on Easter feel free to come and visit our church, you will be entertained!!!

Have a great Spring!!

Superbowl & Sickness...

2007-02-07T12:10:00.000-05:00

Yeah!!! The Colts did it!! Finally Indiana has something positive to brag about! I was rooting for the Colts but would have been ok if the Bears would of won too! It was a win-win situation for football fans in Northern Indiana. Before we had the Colts the Bears were the team. The Colts winning the Superbowl was the best thing that happened to us this weekend. Sunday morning Saige started to vomit, by the afternoon Asher started, and by the evening it hit Wil. We decided not to send the kids to school Monday, letting them recuperate. Within 10 hours of Wil being sick he started to go down hill. By late Monday morning he was in the hospital. I had Bryan come home from work to stay with the other two and then he got really sick with diarrhea and vomiting. By Monday night I started to feel nauseous and vomited at the hospital. Bryan's mom had to come to the hospital to stay with Wil at 11:00 pm and I barely made it home before I started vomiting again. Wil came home yesterday afternoon and is doing great. He and Asher made it to school today, Saige wasn't so lucky. He thought he had gas and it wasn't.....it started with him and I guess it will end with him. I feel much better, though I'm achy all over. I feel as though someone took a bat to my upper body. My ribs, back and shoulders are killing me. I must have heaved really hard!! I'm sure that all of my readers love hearing about vomiting and diarrhea!!!
Bryan made it to work today and I am slowly trying to disinfect our house. Usually when the kids get sick the parents don't. Not this time....it hit Bryan and I really hard. Thank God for grandma's. Hopefully, this will be the only time this year that our family gets hit with the flu! The kids were at my parents house Sunday night....I hope that they didn't spread it there!! I pray that all of you and your families stay healthy!

Salvation & Surprises....

2007-01-29T09:13:00.000-05:00

January 20th I threw a surprise party for Bryan's 30th birthday, which he won't actually turn 30 until January 30th, which is tomorrow! The BIG 3-0!! The party went well, we threw it at our church (in the gym). Bryan thought that he was showing up for our friend's surprise birthday party. He had the idea that the party was for both of them and was shocked when he saw our friend, Gary, standing there yelling 'Surprise'! I had everything decorated in pink. Bryan has his first, and let's hope only, Princess Party. I didn't want to do the typical 'black', over the hill party, for two reasons. The first is because it's such a common theme and the second is because I'm older than Bryan and I will never admit or say that he is over the hill - where would that leave me? I thought about a theme and came up with the Princess party idea, because if I had a daughter I'd love to throw a Princess Party! Let's face it, science has proven that the male determines the sex of a baby, so it was determined for me three times to have boys, thus no pink or purple will ever exist in my household. I even bought him a cone shaped pink hat that said, 'All hail the birthday princess'. All the table coverings were in pink, and each table donned pink, purple, and hot pink balloons. My cousin had brought her daughters barbie and Dora castles for table decorations. We had cupcakes (instead of cake) that had pink and purple sprinkles on them. For dinner we had a Taco Buffet! My mother, mother-in-law, sister-in-laws, brother, and quite a few friends were such a great help! I couldn't have done it without them. I greatly appreciated their help! I also had a game, 'How well do you know, Bryan?' quiz, the top five people who got the most right came up to Bryan and dressed him up with a purple dress, wand, plastic earrings, necklace, wand, and tiara. It was great! Bryan even posed for pictures. My gift to him besides the party, was a DVD containing pictures from childhood through his current age. (my brother helped with that) At the end there were also interviews of the kids and me. Of course mine got kind of lengthy....that's not a shocker!!!:) It was a lot of fun and he really enjoyed himself. I will try to see if I can put the DVD on wigge pics, not sure if it will work-be forewarned though, it's about 30 minutes long, so make sure you look at it in your 'dead' time.

Last night was such an awesome night. Saige couldn't sleep and he came downstairs to tell me that he was scared. In church some kids turned the conversation to demons and spiritual warfare. I told him (the same as the teacher) that if Christ is in you, through him you have more power than Satan himself. Demons have to go away, when cast them out in the name of Jesus. I feel for him because I too grew up with similar fears and it took through adulthood to really overcome them (he also has a fear of death). I prayed for him, rebuked fear, and prayed that God give him a peace. He asked if he could sleep in our room. I was still up, but Bryan was in bed. I told him that it was ok. About 15 minutes later, both Bryan and Saige come downstairs in their undies. Bryan is smiling from ear to ear and Saige looked at peace. Bryan told me that Saige woke him up to pray for him, and that after he prayed Saige said that he wanted to ask Jesus into his life, that it was something that he had never done. WOW!!!! There was no prodding by Bryan, Saige asked his dad to help him do that! So they went through and did what scripture tells us on salvation and on January 28, 2007 at 10:00 at night my oldest baby asked Jesus into his life. I can't tell you how elated I am. We raise our children with the truth, but both Bryan and I know that when they hit a certain age they will no longer be covered by us spiritually, and they will have to make their own decision to follow Christ. Saige will be ten this year and he's matured so quickly! He knew it to be true and he's believed it but now he's at the age where he knows that he has to make a decision about his own life. We have some workbooks that we are going to do with him to help him better understand the commitment that he made last night. He told his dad that before he asked the Lord into his life his stomach was hurting, and after it felt better and that he was really tired and was ready to go asleep. I'm amazed at how God allowed Saige to physically feel at peace. To feel safe. I can just envision God wrapping his arms around Saige, and softly whispering in his ear that he was safe, loved, treasured, and that he was his little boy! To know that my son chose, on his own, without the pressure from mom and dad, to want the Lord in his life. In all of our parental mistakes (which are many) we did something right. We allowed God to work in our family, we gave our children over to Him, and He prevailed! From a mother's point of view - one down two more to go!! lol
Of course the road ahead of us is still a long one, Saige hasn't even gotten to the pre-teen and teen years yet. This is really such a great opportunity for us to continue to educate, pray with, and disciple Saige. To help him establish a foundation that will not be shaken, so even as a pre-teen, teen, and young adult he will continue to live his life for God and continue to make good decisions! The future always holds so many uncertainties but today I'm on cloud nine! My spirit is jumping for joy!

We have reached a milestone...

2007-01-12T11:01:00.000-05:00

The Wigge family has finally reached a milestone! We no longer have medicaid to cover Wil's medical expenses. I am filled with much fear and and even greater joy! It's funny to feel both of those feelings together. I am just thrilled to not be under the burden of making a set income and to never have to fill out all of the paperwork that having medicaid entails. A huge burden has been lifted and I know that a new door for our family is opening. The last seven years we have lived under medicaids thumb, and we are now finally free! I have appreciated the coverage that we have had. We definitely needed it during this time, but now we are able to move on. The major drawback now is that we will have to pay for diapers again. It will be several more years before the necessary surgeries are done on Wil before they are not needed. We can live with that though. Bryan's insurance coverage is going to be just great for Wil. We will have some out of pocket expenses but we are no longer held under the dictatorship of medicaid.

Yesterday Wil turned seven! Wow! Seven years ago we didn't know what the outcome was going to be with Wil. Seven years ago.... seems like forever! Our family was forced to seperate, Saige was going through a rough time, my marriage was falling apart, and we thought that our little bably Wil might not make it a week let alone seven years. Check out my other blog, perfect wil, and you will know exactly what was going on in our family seven years ago. I am so greatful and so blessed that the Lord has provided for us. He has kept our family together, healed Saiges wounds, and has given our baby Wil life. Our family and the struggles that we have endured is the best testament that I could ever give about my Saviors love. He has lifted us when we were down and comforted us in our sorrows. He has been our rock, our refuge, our source of peace, and he has restored so many things for us. Our family gives God all the glory for what has transpired in our home. We are eternally thankful.

As I was saying, yesterday was Wil's birthday. After dinner Bryan and I took him out on his 'birthday date'. We took him to Toys R Us to spend his money and gift cards, then to Build a Bear, where he made a batman monkey, named 'Ron the Monk Bat Wigge'. Anyone who has children who watch Kim Possible might have seen the episode when Ron Stoppible became a monkey... or something like that, anyway that is who the monkey is named after. After that we went to see the movie, Happily N'Ever After. It was cute. Wil kept saying that it was the best day of his life. When we got home we had our cake and icecream and Wil went immediately to the PS2 to play some of his new games that he bought at Toys R Us. We had a lot of fun! I just love taking the children out (individually) for their birthdays. Just mom, dad, and the birthday boy! They know that it is their special day! It was one of the best decisions that Bryan and I have made. The kids love it and they don't get jealous of the birthday boy because they know that the same attention will be on them when their birthday comes. Bryan and I actually are the spoiled ones, we get to go out and have at least three dates a year! lol Yesterday was great!

Happy Birthday Wil!

2007.....

2007-01-09T11:47:00.000-05:00

Sorry! I haven't been too good at blogging lately! This is the busiest time of year for us. It won't end until the end of January. Two days after Christmas was Asher's birthday, he turned five. We took him to Toys R Us to spend his $50 in gift cards, then to Chuckee Cheese for dinner and some play, then to Build a Bear Workshop. Bryan and I take the kids out for their birthdays individually, like a date! We had a lot of fun and Asher is a very thrifty shopper. He has to walk around the entire store (Toys R Us) at least twice until he has made his final decision. His decision making was quite quick at Build a Bear though, we walked in and he grabbed the frog without any hesitation. Once filled and bathed he knew exactly what outfit he wanted for him, Superman. So now Asher has 'Super Frog' and takes him everywhere.
We then had New Years Eve. We went to our friends (Gary & Lisa) where they had an 80's theme party. I'll post picks soon but you can see some on my brother's blog (go to reality check). It was a lot of fun getting dressed up and seeing what everyone else looked like.
During Christmas break, Bryan's work was on shut down, so he had a week and half off. The entire time was spent over at his mom's house. He demolished her bathroom and completely remodeled it. We still have some finishing touches to do but it looks great. New shower, new sink, new walls, lighting, ceramic tile. He did such a great job.
This Thursday is Wil's birthday, he will be seven. He will also spend his birthday money at Toys R Us, go to Build a Bear Workshop, and will pick a restaurant to eat at. He wants to see a movie so he might choose Cinema Grill.
The 17th of January is our Anniversary! Nine years! Time flies when your not paying attention. lol Then the 30th is Bryan's 30th Birthday! Every year when Christmas is over I, for a very short time, feel relieved. Then it dawns on me that 'it's not over'. So once February hits I will take a deep breath and really feel relieved. It will be the first time that we can actually rest since November.
Our Christmas was wonderful along with our New Year! It's hard to believe that it's already 2007! I pray that this year brings you all joy and prosperity!

Merry Christmas!!!

2006-12-25T00:12:00.000-05:00

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...'

2006-12-19T09:13:00.000-05:00

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. . .

2006-12-17T16:05:00.000-05:00

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. . .

2006-12-16T23:04:00.000-05:00

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 . . . .

2006-12-10T15:14:00.000-05:00

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 . . .

2006-12-06T09:03:00.000-05:00

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...

2006-11-27T09:10:00.000-05:00

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...

2006-11-14T23:42:00.000-05:00

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...

2006-11-07T22:27:00.000-05:00

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'....

2006-10-25T10:46:00.000-04:00

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.....

2006-10-18T15:30:00.000-04:00

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......

2006-10-15T02:29:00.000-04:00

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....

2006-10-11T18:28:00.000-04:00

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....

2006-10-02T01:25:00.000-04:00

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....

2006-09-25T23:31:00.000-04:00

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....

2006-09-20T12:19:00.000-04:00

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 . . .

2006-09-11T19:12:00.000-04:00

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.....

2006-09-03T13:58:00.000-04:00

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'.....

2006-09-03T13:50:00.000-04:00

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.....

2006-08-30T12:50:00.000-04:00

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'.....

2006-08-30T12:47:00.000-04:00

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....

2006-08-25T18:51:00.000-04:00

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'.....

2006-08-25T14:06:00.000-04:00

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....

2006-08-22T15:35:00.000-04:00

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'.....

2006-08-22T15:31:00.000-04:00

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....

2006-08-19T12:16:00.000-04:00

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' .....

2006-08-19T11:28:00.000-04:00

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' .....

2006-08-16T17:38:00.000-04:00

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 .....

2006-08-16T17:15:00.000-04:00

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'

2006-08-14T12:03:00.000-04:00

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 .....

2006-08-14T11:40:00.000-04:00

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. . .

2006-08-12T11:16:00.000-04:00

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'....

2006-08-12T11:13:00.000-04:00

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 . . .

2006-08-08T18:07:00.000-04:00

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....

2006-08-08T18:04:00.000-04:00

rel="stylesheet">

what should I do?
Should I label my make ya laughs?

Yes, numerically
Yes, with a title
No

view results

make ya laugh....

2006-08-03T11:07:00.000-04:00

* 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....

2006-08-03T10:56:00.000-04:00

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 . . .

2006-07-29T01:09:00.000-04:00

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) . . .

2006-07-29T00:44:00.000-04:00

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) . . .

2006-07-29T00:34:00.000-04:00

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) . . .

2006-07-29T00:18:00.000-04:00

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) . . .

2006-07-28T23:39:00.000-04:00

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) . . .

2006-07-27T17:19:00.000-04:00

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....

2006-07-25T11:35:00.000-04:00

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 . . .

2006-07-25T10:57:00.000-04:00

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!

chicken noodle soup & peanut butter toast...

2006-07-21T09:46:00.000-04:00

Within the next few days I'll share with you all a much more pleasant blog ~ my *wonderful* day that happened Wednesday, but for now I must rest. Thursday -yesterday- I came down with something. I'm congested, dizzy, and very achy. I didn't get out of bed until this morning. Poor Saige had to deal with his brother's all day yesterday and he did a MARVELOUS job! Feeding them and watching them. When Bryan got home from work he made me my supper ~ the first meal of the day for me ~ Chicken Noodle soup, peanut butter toast, and a glass of milk. Whenever I don't feel good the only thing I want to eat is chiken noodle soup and peanut butter toast. I took some more medicine and crashed out again. I've been up for two hours now and I must admit I'm ready to lay down again. Bryan is so sweet ~ he leaves for work at 5:30 am ~ he knew the kids would want breakfast and knowing that they would not be up when he left for work and knowing that I may not be up to par, he made scrambled eggs and put them in the microwave for the kids - he gave Saige instructions on how long to *zap* the eggs and told him to make toast for him and his brothers. I hope this *crap* leaves me soon, I hate being sick especially in the summer!

Summer days . . .

2006-07-18T00:05:00.000-04:00

I realize that for most people the last few days have been hot and uncomfortable! For some reason the heat hasn't really bothered me this year. Our house only has two window air conditioners, but they've done pretty well this year! Not to mention going to my mother in laws to go swimming is an added bonus.

This afternoon we went swimming and the water was *heaven*, absolutely wonderful. We swam for about 2-3 hours and I loved every minute of it. It was so relaxing. . . well most of the time. I guess when you have three little boys with you it isn't that relaxing. We had fun though. Asher is a little fish, he swam under water today and held his breath for about 10 seconds each time. He took off both arm floaties too. He would stand on the ladder and jump in several feet away from the ladder and then he would swim to it ~ with no help. It's awesome because he is our first out of three who isn't afraid of the water and at four years old he can swim above and under water without any floatation device ~ but that also makes it quite frightening! We keep a close eye on him. Today he had a car and he would drop it so it would sink to the bottom of the pool ~ Saige does this and then with the goggles tries to find it~ Asher would drop it by the ladder and believe it or not he would hold his breath and climb down the ladder to the bottom of the pool and not come up until he had the car. I would watch with much anticipation, counting the seconds each time. Knowing that he has never gone past 10 . . . but those of you who know me also know that I'll let my kids try *almost* anything. After all they are boys! I don't like to *mother* them too much or let them know that I worry for them. Part of the trade I guess! I just enjoy watching them have their adventures and a few bruises, cuts, & broken bones won't kill them, it just gives them bragging rights as they get older! lol

As you can see, I've been exploring other templates for my blog and I really like this one. Mainly because I'm a *movie* addict and I love to relax on our couch and eat popcorn while being entertained by thousands of talented actors! Comedy and Romance are my top favorites ~ then come epics, action/adventure, drama, fantasy, thriller and sci-fi. Absolutely NO horror! Anyway hope everyone can adjust to the new template!

make ya laugh....

2006-07-17T23:54:00.000-04:00

Speeding Ticket

A driver is pulled over by a policeman.

The police man approaches the driver door.

"Is there a problem Officer?", the driver asked.

The policeman says, "Sir, you were speeding. Can I see your licence please?"

The driver responds, "I'd give it to you but I don't have one."

"You don't have one?"

The man responds, "I lost it four times for drinking and driving."

The policeman is shocked.

"I see. Can I see your vehicle registration papers please?"

"I'm sorry, I can't do that."

The policeman says, "Why not?"

"I stole this car."

The officer says, "Stole it?"

The man says, "Yes, and I killed the owner."

At this point the officer is getting irate.

"You what!?"

"She's in the trunk if you want to see."

The Officer looks at the man and slowly backs away to his car and calls for back up. Within minutes, five police cars show up, surrounding the car. A senior officer slowly approaches the car, clasping his half drawn gun.

The senior officer says "Sir, could you step out of your vehicle please!"

The man steps out of his vehicle.

"Is there a problem sir?"

"One of my officers told me that you have stolen this car and murdered the owner."

"Murdered the owner?"

The officer responds, "Yes, could you please open the trunk of your car please?"

The man opens the trunk, revealing nothing but an empty trunk.

The officer says, "Is this your car sir?"

The man says "Yes," and hands over the registration papers.

The officer, understandably, is quite stunned.

"One of my officers claims that you do not have a driving licence."

The man digs in his pocket revealing a wallet and hands it to the officer. The officer opens the wallet and examines the licence. He looks quite puzzled.

"Thank you sir, one of my officers told me you didn't have a licence, stole this car, and murdered the owner."

The man replies, "I bet you the liar told you I was speeding, too!"

I am WOMAN hear me ROAR . . .

2006-07-15T18:53:00.000-04:00

I am WOMAN hear me ROAR . . . or maybe GROAN! Today me and Bethany ~ our friends 16 year old daughter who stays here with us every other weekend when her mom is working and has become our own ~ moved a love seat upstairs in the boys room!

We had a chair in their room and the loveseat was in our computer room but it would function much better the other way around. Not to mention the loveseat is hunter green and would match all of Saige's Green bay stuff!

Anyway it is a rather large loveseat with lots of cushions attatched. It is also rather awkward. Bethany is tall but very tiny and I am short and not so tiny but it isnt' muscle that makes me not so tiny. I had to take the computer room door off of it's hinges and it still took us about 20 minutes and a gallon of sweat to get it out of the room. Our next feat was to get it up the stairwell and around the landing! I was on the bottom trying to lift and Bethany was at the top trying to manuever the loveseat. We were so comical! Once we got it on the landing Bethany realized that the handrail for the next set of steps needed to come off. So she proceded to take the screws out and was having trouble on the last one ~ I told her to pull really hard ~ she did and believe it or not broke the metal in half that the railing was in! She was so impressed with herself she kept flexing the rest of the afternoon! lol After 45 min. we finally conquered the loveseat! We were talking trash ~ exerting our masculine feminine side ~ and taking much needed big breaths. Bryan makes moving furniture look so easy. He probably could of moved it by himself with his pinky! Regardless, we are very proud of ourselves and pat ourselves on the back. Oh and FYI the 45 min. included our lunch break! So it probably only took us 25 min. Yeah . . . I know what you are all thinking . . . that . . . WE ROCK!!!!!!!

make ya laugh....

2006-07-15T18:51:00.000-04:00

This was an e-mail sent to me buy my friend Jen! It's way too cute!

THE OBEDIENT WIFE:

There was a man who had worked all of his life, had saved all of his money, and was a real miser when it came to his money. Just before he died, he said to his wife, "When I die, I want you to take all my money and put it in the casket with me. I want to take my money to the afterlife with me."

And so he got his wife to promise him with all of her heart that when he died, she would put all of the money in the casket with him.
Well, he died.

He was stretched out in the casket, his wife was sitting there in black, and her friend was sitting next to her. When they finished the ceremony and just before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said, "Wait just a minute!"
She had a box with her. She came over with the box and put it in the casket.

Then the undertakers locked the casket down, and they rolled it away.
So, her friend said, "Girl, I know you weren't fool enough to put all that money in there with your husband?"

The loyal wife replied," Listen, I'm a Christian, I can't go back on my word. I promised him that I was going to put that money in that casket with him."

"You mean to tell me you put that money in the casket with him!!!!?" exclaimed the friend.

"Sure did," said the wife. "I got it all together, put it into my account and wrote him a check. If he can cash it, he can spend it."

make ya laugh....

2006-07-12T02:00:00.000-04:00

Mountain Tech Talk
This here is for my 'hick heaven' friend who loves being a redneck!
Enjoy Jen!
1. LOG ON: Makin a wood stove hotter.
2. LOG OFF: Don't add no more wood.
3. MONITOR: Keepin an eye on the wood stove.
4. DOWNLOAD: Gettin the farwood off the truk.
5. MEGA HERTZ: When yer not kerful gettin the farwood.
6. FLOPPY DISC: Whatcha git from tryin to carry too much farwood.
7. RAM: That thar thing whut splits the farwood.
8. HARD DRIVE: Gettin home in the winter time.
9. PROMPT: Whut the mail ain't in the winter time.
10. WINDOWS: Whut to shut wen it's cold outside.
11. SCREEN: Whut to shut wen it's blak fly season.
12. BYTE: Whut them dang flys do.
13. CHIP: Munchies fer the TV.
14. MICRO CHIP: Whut's in the bottom of the munchie bag.
15. MODEM: Whut cha did to the hay fields.
16. DOT MATRIX: Old Dan Matrix's wife.
17. LAP TOP: Whar the kitty sleeps.
18. KEYBOARD: Whar ya hang the dang keys.
19. SOFTWARE: Them dang plastic forks and knifs.
20. MOUSE: Whut eats the grain in the barn.
21. MAINFRAME: Holds up the barn roof.
22. PORT: Fancy Flatlander wine
23. ENTER: Northerner talk fer "C'mon in y'all"
24. RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY: Wen ya cain't 'member whut ya paid fer the rifle when yore wife asks.
25. MOUSE PAD: That hippie talk fer the rat hole.

our camping trip . . .

2006-07-11T15:32:00.000-04:00

The camping trip was *a lot* of fun and also *a lot* of work. All in all though I'd say that it was a success! The kid's had fun, Bryan had fun, & I had fun!

Saige did not fish the entire weekend like I had assumed, he did get to fish for a couple of hours though and caught nothing! He did however pull a *jack*ss* routine. The road by our campsite was quite steep and Saige had been taking a scooter down the road, each time getting a little braver and a little faster. On one of his turns he somehow flipped the scooter, flew off and bounced off the ground twice. He immediately stood up and laughed . . . he laughed . . . I am still in awe that he laughed. We heard the neighboring campsite go 'ewwww & awwwww' when he hit the concrete and they too were in awe that he was laughing. He had major road rash on his elbow, shoulder, wrist, and knee. The elbow may even leave a scar. My brave little man, I was so stunned that he didn't cry that at first I thought he was covering up, but he was very adamant that he didn't hurt. *He didn't get that from me* As a matter of fact Saige was having a conversation with his daddy and they felt the need to share with me ~ Bryan told Saige that if he would of fallen like that off the scooter that he would of cried and Saige said, "Yeah and mom would of gone 'bleep, bleep, bleep'". How well my men know me! lol I did rub off on Saige a little though, later that night we went for a walk in the woods and Saige was running on the trail and tripped on a tree root and tumbled down a little hill on his injured side. After that he tripped at our campsite by the fire and landed once again on his injuries. That was the first time he looked as though he might cry. Poor guy! He's always been so athletic and never accident prone like me! We finally told him he should go to bed so he would quit hurting himself!

Wil enjoyed the camping trip. He loves smores and enjoyed the campfire. His favorite part of the trip was Saturday. Our friends rented a boat from the Marina at Clear Lake. Wil loved being in the boat. He smiled the entire time. He had a blast watching Bryan tube. His dad is rather impressive. lol One of our friends made the comment that she had never seen Wil smile that much! While part of our group was out skiing and tubing the other would stay at an island on the lake. My friend and I went for a walk around the island ( the shallow part) and pulled Wil in his 'little inflatable boat' around the island. He loved that too! I think he smiled the entire day! To be honest I think he enjoyed camping more than I thought he would. The next day we went to the 'Beach' and he had a blast being burried in the sand. Of course once we got home he ran straight to the TV yelling 'Can I watch TV mom, please, please!'

Asher did not turn into a native but he came very close to being eaten by the wildlife! We had several raccoons near our camp and Asher wanted so badly to pet them. He loved camping! Believe it or not he even went tubing! I wasn't on the boat that time ~ oh how I wish that I could've seen it! Bryan was driving the boat and our friends daughter (who is 16) took him on the tube with her! Bryan said that he loved it! Leave it to our little Ash not to be afraid! The rest of the time he swam in the water! He is such a little fish! Our last day we went to the 'Beach' and went swimming. Asher, as most children do, drinks a lot of the water and of course his little bladder gets full and needless to say, he dropped his drawers on the beach and started to drain his bladder. Fortunately for me, I was in the bathroom, draining my bladder the correct way, and so Bryan had to try to get him to stop in mid stream and take him to the restroom! I came out and everyone in our group was laughing and telling me about what my son did! He is such a riot!

The trip was great but of course one thing would have to go wrong! Our air mattress had a hole in it! Every night Bryan would blow it up so we could at least fall asleep in comfort, but within a few hours it would be completely deflated! If this was the worst thing that happened to us I think that I can say we had a great time, almost perfect.A lot of fun, with very good friends!

make ya laugh....

2006-07-06T13:09:00.000-04:00

An Amish boy and his father were visiting a mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and back together again. The boy asked his father, "What is this, Father?" The father responded, "Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life, I don't know what it is." While the boy and his father were watching wide-eyed an old lady in a wheel chair rolled up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched small circles of lights w/numbers above the walls light up. They continued to watch the circles light up in the reverse direction. The walls opened up again and a beautiful 24 year old woman stepped out. The father said to his son, "Go get your Mother."

going campin' . . .

2006-07-06T12:23:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow night we leave to go camping and we will not return until Monday. We are going up to Pokagan with some friends. This will be the first camping trip as a family that we will have taken. Once last year we camped for a night in the woods at my parents. Wil and I left in the middle of the night and we went to my parents to finish sleeping! LOL

I'm not sure how this will go. I have camped plenty - before I had children. I really want this weekend to go great! So I'm trying not to have any expectations! Saige will want to fish the entire weekend - he is a true fisherman - he can fish for 10 hours without catching anything and still have tons of fun! Wil hates the outdoors - maybe that is an unfair assessment. . . Wil . . . doesn't like the . . . no . . . he hates the outdoors. I can't blame him though, it's not like he can go hiking, bicycling, swimming, and fishing. He prefers his computer, TV, and playstation which are not good camping companions. Asher will probably disappear on us constantly and will become one with nature. He will end the trip with a loin cloth, mud covering his little frame, and branches surrounding his head like a crown or all of the little woodland creatures will join forces and attack him. I have no expectations . . . none whatsoever . . . we shall enjoy ourselves.

We are going with some good friends and that should be a lot of fun. Bryan has been wanting to camp as a family for years and of course I have dreaded it. Hopefully the kids are grown enough that it will not be so difficult and this is the first year that I think Wil will do well. He's walking very well with his crutches and he isn't terrified of water anymore, he still doesn't like it but he will try to swim. This is the first year that he hasn't gotten sick when in the sun on a hot day. I think that the outdoors may suit him better this year than ever before. He is quite aware that there will be no TV and he is still excited about camping. All of the kids are excited - Saige won't quit talking about it. I hope that this trip will be the start of great family adventures. I look forward to sharing our trip with all of you when we return. Be prepared to laugh . . . something always happens to my family that causes those who listen to laugh. I like to think that they are laughing with us but usually they are laughing at us.

Happy 4th of July . . .

2006-07-04T12:28:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July ! ! !

July 4, 1776 marked a day in history that will forever change men's lives! How grateful I am to be born in America and call myself an American!

Hoping that everyone has a wonderful holiday! Praying for those who are fighting for our country, so that we are able to have a wonderful holiday! Wishing that more countries in the world could have our freedom! How blessed we are and how proud we are to be Americans!

Interesting information:
July 4, 1826: Fifty years to the day after the approval of the Declaration of Independence, which they both had a hand in drafting, former presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die on the same day.

make ya laugh....

2006-07-01T11:07:00.000-04:00

Some "Senior" personal ads seen in Florida newspapers:
Who says seniors don't have a sense of humor?

FOXY LADY: Sexy, fashion-conscious blue-haired beauty, 80's, slim, 5'4" (used to be 5'6"), searching for sharp-looking, sharp-dressing companion. Matching white shoes and belt a plus.

LONG-TERM COMMITMENT: Recent widow who has just buried fourth husband, and am looking for someone to round out a six-unit plot. Dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath not a problem.

SERENITY NOW: I am into solitude, long walks, sunrises, the ocean, yoga and medita tion. If you are the silent type, let's get together, take our hearing aids out and enjoy quiet times.

WINNING SMILE: Active grandmother with original teeth seeking a dedicated flosser to share rare steaks, corn on the cob and caramel candy .

BEATLES OR STONES? I still like to rock, still like to cruise in my Camaro on Saturday nights and still like to play the guitar. If you were a groovy chick, or are now a groovy hen, let's get together and listen to my eight-track tapes.

MEMORIES: I can usually remember Monday through Thursday. If you can remember Friday, Saturday and Sunday, let's put our two heads together

MINT CONDITION: Male, 1932, high mileage, good condition, some hair, many new parts including hip, knee, cornea, valves. Isn't in running condition, but walks well.

a quick day trip for Wil . . .

2006-06-30T08:57:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we took a quick day trip to Indy. Wil had a doctor's appointment with his General Surgeon.

Wil has lost two pounds and is now 26 lbs., however he has grown a couple inches. The doctor thinks that he has grown enough to have another ventral hernia repair ( aka - tummy tuck ) . He had someone on his staff take pictures of Wil's abdomen and will be talking to Wil's Urologist and they will be giving us a call soon to schedule a surgery. I'm not so sure what the Urologist will do - they've talked about reconstructing the bladder and reconstructing the penis. I thought that those would be done when Wil was about 10-12, who knows? They will however have to break his legs (hips) again and put him in traction. Last time (Wil was 1 1/2 ) it did work very well but they will need to do it again and get his legs turned in more. Of course I have no clue what this next surgery will hold except for the 'tummy tuck'. Other than all of this (above) Wil is doing great!

Later this morning we are going to see the cows at our cousins Dairy Farm. This should be fun for the kids! Wil had us pray last night that the cows won't try to eat him. I've written before about Wil's fear of 'petting animals'. They always attack him, we feed geese, they attack him, people have puppies, they attack him, kitten's , they attack him, we feed goats and deer, they attack him! LOL None of the animals attack in a mean way, they either chew on him, lick him, play with him, or mildly bite him. None of it is malicious, except maybe the geese! LOL It's just funny to watch him he really doesn't care for animals. He will still have fun today!

make ya laugh....

2006-06-29T11:26:00.000-04:00

More Church Bulletin Bloopers . . .

16. At the evening service tonight, the sermon topoc will be "What Is Hell?" come early and listen to our choir practice.

17. Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

18. Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

19. Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

20. Attend and you will hear an excellent speaker and heave a healthy lunch.

21. The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.

22. Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - Prayer and medication to follow.

23. The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

24. This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn sing in the park across from the church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

25. Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.

26. The Pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.

27. Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.

28. The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

29. Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side enterance.

30. The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge! Up Yours!"

make ya laugh....

2006-06-28T14:52:00.000-04:00

Church Bulletin Bloopers

11. Next Thursday there will be try outs for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

12. Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons.

13. The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing,"Break Forth into Joy."

14. Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

15. A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.

Shocking . . .

2006-06-28T14:43:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I said that it was Super Cleaning Day at my house. We didn't get every room done but we came close. My children totally shocked me though. Saige without being told or asked cleaned his and his brother's room. He put every single thing away and put blankets back on the beds, not made, but who care's? Wil, by hand, mopped the entire wood floor in the living room. He was so proud of himself and everything that I asked Asher to do he did without complaint. Wil even asked me to teach him how to do dishes, we haven't had our lesson yet, but we will. OMG!!! The end of the world is near, aliens have imbedded themselves into our children, we must join forces and unite! I am totally shocked at this behavoir - I LOVE IT!!!!! LOL Oh and Jeni, I didn't teach Sami the clean up song but I did teach Zach and Josh. It originally came from the cuddly purple dinosaur, Barney! I tried to teach my kids but Bryan hates Barney. Of course then came Teletubbies and Bryan thought that Barney really wasn't so bad after all. LOL

make ya laugh....

2006-06-27T12:01:00.000-04:00

Church Bulletin Bloopers . . .

6. The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict.

7. Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.

8. don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

9. Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again" giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

10. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

still tired . . .

2006-06-27T11:35:00.000-04:00

Today is Tuesday and I am still exhausted! I woke up at 10:30 and didn't get out of bed until 11:00, two of my children (Ash & Saige) are still sleeping. I posted a blog at the beginning of June titled 'Sleep in . . . NOT' and I complained that my children didn't know how to sleep in . . . well . . . they have figured it out! I will try - tonight- to make them go to bed before midnight! lol Bryan gets irritated at how I let the kids stay up so late. It's only because he gets up at 4:30 in the morning and on his days off he has a hard time sleeping past 8:00. It's summer vacation, I am way more relaxed on schedules, once August comes I will tighten up the reigns and pull everybody (including myself) back into our regimented lifestyle.

Today I shall attempt to make our house look like the home it use too! OMG! It's the pits! My house is so trashed and I have so much laundry to do. I told the kids last night that today is super clean day! Every one will help and they will have a smile on their face while they help! lol I love saying stuff like that to my kids, they get so ticked off but they really try to smile while they're not happy! It's too funny! lol Since Wil crawls in the house ( he is suppose to use his crutches) I think I will tie some wet rags on his knees and give him some for his hands and let him clean the wood floor in the living room, Asher can put toys away, & Saige can clean all the bathrooms and dust. Sounds like a plan! Just so you all know I will end up being stuck cleaning the entire house by myself. They always bail on me! lol I'll let you know who stuck it out though!
Place your bets! Will it be my oldest son, Saige, who has an even disposition and is very thoughtful, or Wil, my middle son, who loves to help and please others, or could it be my youngest son, Asher, who has a lot of energy and likes to do things that big people do? :{ imagine a drum role here:{ You will have to wait until tomorrow's blog! Yes . . . Yes . . . I know . . .I know. . . the anticipation is killing you! You must be patient though, as hard as it is!

Hope everyone has a great day!

make ya laugh . . .

2006-06-25T19:38:00.000-04:00

Church Bulletin Bloopers . . .

1. Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at Calvary Methodist. Come hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.

2. Announcement in a chruch bulletin for a national PRAYER & FASTING Conference: "The cost for attending the Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals. "

3. The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water." The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus."

4. Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8PM in the recreation hall - Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.

5. Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Dont' forget your husbands.

busy, busy, busy . . .

2006-06-25T19:03:00.000-04:00

The last few days have been absolutely busy! I feel as though I've been on the go and my house totally looks like the pit. I haven't posted since Wednesday the 21st. So here goes the last few days! Thursday the 22nd was my 31st birthday! Yay!!!!! I said that with no enthusiasm. It was also Saige's first day at Snider for the Rod Woodson Football Camp! It went really well except that it had to be the hottest day of the year! Asher actually vomitted on the bleachers from heat exhaustion and my mother in law had to take him home with her. Believe it or not Wil wasn't that affected by the heat. First time for everything! After the camp we went to grandma's to go swimming and Asher was doing much better. That night Bryan brought home flowers for me and we (all of us) went to the Olive Garden for dinner. I love their fettuccine. It was a really nice evening. I enjoy the men in my life so much! They Rock!
Friday Saige went to camp again and the weather was much more comfortable. I didn't want to take any chances though, so Bryan's sister - Aunt Kimmie- took the two little ones for me. Friday night Bryan took Wil and Saige to Northside Highschool to watch Rod Woodson and some more NFL players compete at a basketball game with local all-star highschool players. I took Asher with me and my friends daughter watched him so my friend and I were able to go out. We went to dinner, got my hair fixed(long story) and went shopping. Girl's night out! It was awesome, I really needed it!

Saturday was even more busy. Bryan went to Saige's football camp and I stayed home with the little ones. When the guys got home Bryan had to pack for his camping trip with 'the guys'. Men from his Wild at Heart group. We left at the same time and wouldn't meet back up until Sunday afternoon. I went to my friends house for a jewelry party and then after that went to another friends for a birthday party. I didn't get home until 3:30 in the morning! Believe it or not only one of my children (Saige) fell asleep at their house. lol

Today my family celebrated a late 'Father's Day' and us women sent the men to a shooting range for a couple hours to trap and skeet shoot while we prepared a nice luncheon for them Tonight we had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows and made smores. Wheww!!! Pfff! That just exhausted me! Tomorrow . . . who know's what we'll do! Take it easy and sleep! Sounds good to me! Actually I'm going to go to sleep right now! It's already past 2:00 in the morning and my old body can't take this staying up any longer!

make ya laugh....

2006-06-21T22:26:00.000-04:00

A couple of New Jersey hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing, his eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps to the operator: 'My friend is dead! What can I do?' The operator, in a calm soothing voice says: 'Just take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead.' There is a silence, then a shot is heard. The guy's voice comes back on the line. He says: 'OK, now what?'

summer swimm'n . . .

2006-06-21T22:11:00.000-04:00

Every day this last week we've been swimming. I have been loving the weather. Bryan's mom has a pool and so far this summer we have made camp there. lol Of course I've been trying to get a lot of sun so I won't look as pale as I usually do. Either the sun doesn't like me or my skin doesn't want to cooperate. I am getting a tan just very slowly. I don't think that I'll make 'Bronze Goddess' by my birthday! lol

The kids are loving to swim everyday. Saige is improving so much in the water. I remember when just two years ago he was still deathly afraid of the pool. Now he is swimming half of pool length under water. Wil is doing better too. He hate's water yet he has swam (in his floating boat) everyday! Today Bryan even had him hold his nose shut and hold his breath and he dunked him into the water twice. Wil was fine and did a good job but he still cried. He is always improving though! Asher is just a fish, he swims with his arm floaties and this last week has been swimming under water. He lives for the pool and never wants to leave.

Tomorrow Saige starts his three day 'Rod Woodson Football Camp' at Snider Highschool. Today he registered and had his picture taken with Rod Woodson. Saige has been stoked about this, I hope that it's fun and he learns alot. We'll see tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Mark . . .

2006-06-18T17:39:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Mark!

How old are you today? A BIG WHOPPIN' 35!!!!

June 18, 1971

Look at him as a baby, he was sooo cute!

And look here, he has a bowl on his head and he's sleeping. Not much has changed, after dinner Mark still doesn't know where to put the dirty dishes and he just gets plum tuckered out!

So sweet in a sailor outfit! He was a really cute toddler!

Now if that doesn't look like Rilee . . . ! Right around this age is when Mark's biggest dreams came true. He had a little sister. His life is now complete. Aww, precious memories.

Who else does Mark share a birthday with?

Paul McCartney, English rock singer and songwriter (1942)

Bartolommeo Ammanati, sculptor and architect (1511)

Sammy Cahn, songwriter (1913)

Jerome Karle, biophysicist and crystallographer (1918)

Jürgen Habermas, philosopher and social theorist (1929)

Lou Brock, baseball player (1939)

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad . . .

2006-06-16T23:45:00.000-04:00

Today is my mother and father's 45th Wedding Anniversary! They were married in Fort Wayne, Indiana at St. John's Lutheran Church on the Cook Road June 17, 1961 at 6:30 p.m. . My father turned 21 the day before their wedding and my mother was 20. Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad, we love you! We'll throw you both a huge 50th Wedding Anniversary Party or maybe a 47th, or a 49th. Once you've been married over 40 years I think you can have a party every year if you want too!

Happy Birthday Dad . . .

2006-06-16T00:37:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Dad!

June 16, 1940

That would make you . . . I'll let you do the math!

Guess who else you share your birthday with!

Joan Van Ark from Dallas, she is 63 today!

Tupac Shakur the famous rapper, who would have been 35 today!

Stan Laurel who was born in 1890 and would of been 116 today!

We love you, Dad!

make ya laugh....

2006-06-16T00:33:00.000-04:00

A four-year-old boy was eating an apple in the back seat of the car, when he asked, "Daddy, why is my apple turning brown?" "Because," his dad explained, "after you ate the skin off, the meat of the apple came into contact with the air, which caused it to oxidise, thus changing the molecular structure and turning it into a different color." There was a long silence. Then the son asked softly, "Daddy, are you talking to me?"

make ya laugh....

2006-06-15T02:28:00.000-04:00

Leaving Miami for Ft Lauderdale, I decide to stop at one of those rest areas on the side of the road. I go into the bathroom. The first stall is taken, so I go into the second stall. I had just sat down when I hear a voice from the other stall............ "Hi there, how is it going?" Okay, I am not the type to strike up conversations with strangers in washrooms on the side of the road. I didn't know what to say, so finally I say: "Not bad............" Then the voice says: "So, what are you doing?" I am starting to find this a bit weird, but I say: "Well, I'm going to Ft Lauderdale.........." Then I hear the person, all flustered, say:"Look, I'll call you back. Every time I ask you a question, this idiot in the next stall keeps answering me!!!"

Happy 'Belated' Birthday Teresa . . .

2006-06-15T02:07:00.000-04:00

I feel so bad. My last post was on Tuesday, June 13th and I didn't mention anything about my cousin Teresa's birthday. I wrote about her children (Andrew & Emily) but didn't once mention her. So here it goes . . . Happy Birthday Teresa! It's her 29th birthday! Below is a pic of her and her husband Joe. It's hard to believe that your the last one under the age of 30 now. lol Hope your birthday was fun and We Love You!

good food . . . good husband

2006-06-13T10:22:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we went over to my parents house. We've (Bryan) been trying to lay a patio for mom & dad right past their deck. It's going to take quite a few more visits to finish it! lol We are never able to just work. Not with all the kids around. Our two nephews (Rilee & Mason) are there and our cousin's live next door with their two children (Emily & Andrew). We either have to break up fights, get something for someone, or play with them. Bryan really likes to play with them. Yesterday he got the lawn mower with the trailor out and gave all the kids a ride picking up children as he went. He ended up having all seven. The kids loved it. I think Bryan had more fun though! He's such a good father, uncle, cousin, & husband. lol It's neat to see 'the next generation' of cousins playing together just like I did with my cousins. Emily is the only girl right now and it's so funny to always see boys and then a little blonde haired, sweet, shy, cheery faced little girl bops through, it's so nice. My mom & I smile to each other, after all these boys it's a breath of fresh air.
My parents always feed us when we come over to do any work at their house and last night we were fed Steak and corn on the cob. My dad did such a good job grilling the steak it was soooo good. We haven't had steak in awhile.
One part of yesterday will always stick out to me, it will be a memory that I'll carry with me forever. It was so sweet and so funny. Bryan & I were by the 'patio' and I was trying to talk to Bryan and he was trying to *flirt*with me making my converstation quite difficult. My dad came out to ask Bryan a question and Bryan interrupted with his hand held up, " Steve . . . Steve . . . you're going to have to wait, I'm trying to flirt with my wife." He grabbed me and started kissing me. My mom and dad fell out laughing. I was half laughing and kissing at the same time, it's quite difficult to do.

make ya laugh....

2006-06-13T10:10:00.000-04:00

A little girl and her mother were shopping. The girl asks her mother, "How old are you?". Mommy says "Honey, women don't talk about their age, you'll learn later on in life." The girl then asks, "Mommy. How much do you weigh?". Mommy says, "That's another thing women don't talk about, you'll find out when you are grown up." The girl still wanting to know about her mother asks, "Mommy, why did you and daddy get a divorce?" Mommy says, "Honey, that is a subject that hurt me very much and I don't want to talk about it now." The little girl is frustrated. She tells her girlfriend about her and her mother's conversation. The girlfriend says, "All you have to do is sneak a look at your mother's drivers license. It's just like a report card, it tells you everything." The little girl and her mother are shopping again. The girl says, "Mommy, I know how old you are. You are 32 years old.". Mommy is very shocked! She asks "Sweetheart, how did you do that?". The girl shrugs and says, "I just know and I know how much you weigh. You weigh 120 pounds." The mother is flabbergasted. She asks, "Where did you learn that?" . The little girl says, "I just know, that's all. And I know why you and daddy got a divorce. You got an 'F' in sex.

make ya laugh....

2006-06-10T10:44:00.000-04:00

Top 10 things men know about women:
1.
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10.

going to the drive-in . . .

2006-06-10T10:31:00.000-04:00

Last night we took the kids to the drive-in. Cars and Shaggy Dog were playing. They were both good but it would be nice to see them again sometime when Asher isn't around. lol That child sat through the first 20 minutes of the first movie and after that he was walking around, sitting on us, going in and out of the car . . . he exhuasts me. Next time we'll park near the playground. The kids were good though, especially with it being so cold. We all sat outside during Cars and when Shaggy Dog came on Bryan, Wil, Asher sat inside the car. Saige & I pushed our chairs close together and covered up with four blankets. It was cozy.
Last year we had a van and Bryan took out the captains chairs in the middle and moved the rear bench seat facing the the back in their place. So we had half of the van to lay in plus the bench seat to sit in. When we got to the drive-in Wil asked me, "Mom how are we all going to fit in the trunk?" lol

make ya laugh . . .

2006-06-08T11:38:00.000-04:00

One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her small boy into bed. She was about to turn off the light when he asked with a tremor in his voice, "Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?" The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. "I can't, dear," she said. "I have to sleep with Daddy." A long silence was broken at last by his shaky little voice: "The big sissy."

Wheels, braces, & shoes . . .

2006-06-08T10:43:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we finally got Wil's wheelchair back* da du duhhhhh* I need some music here to celebrate this monumental occasion. The battery in Wil's wheelchair busted back in December and yesterday we finally got it. It took so long because of all the stupid paper work *medicaid*. It so frustrates me, I'm actually shocked that they decided to pay for it to be fixed. We were able to get rid of the loner wheelchair that we had, it was so heavy and bulky. I am grateful though that it was loned to us. Wil was smiling from ear to ear when he got into his chair, he missed it. Our house isn't designed for the wheelchair so he is suppose to use his crutches. Yeah . . . . he prefers to crawl. Yesterday I told him everyday that he crawls and doesn't use the crutches he will lose all computer time that day. I should of spanked him, it would have been easier. lol He cried and cried and cried. He loves the computer and if I'd let him he'd be on it all day.
He also got his new braces and shoes. This year he got red straps and motorcycles for his orthotics and he chose some cool light up shoes. His wheels are fixed and he has some new *kicks* he is ready to conquer the world! *da du duhhhhhh* this is that music part again.

make ya laugh....

2006-06-07T10:33:00.000-04:00

A drunk man who smelled like cheap wine sat down on a subway seat next to a priest. The man's tie was stained, his face was plastered with red lipstick, and a half empty bottle of gin was sticking out of his torn coat pocket. He opened his newspaper and began reading.
After a few minutes the man turned to the priest and asked, "Say, Father, what causes arthritis?" "My Son, it's caused by loose living, being with cheap, wicked women, too much alcohol and a contempt for your fellow man." "Well, I'll be hornswaggled," the drunk muttered, returning to his paper. The priest, thinking about what he had said, nudged the man and apologized. "I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to come on so strong. How long have you had arthritis?" "I don't have it, Father. I was just reading here that the Pope does".