Thanks to God

I really liked this and wanted to keep it. I hope you like it too.

THANKS TO GOD
I pray that this will bless you as it blessed me.

Hello God,
I called tonight
To talk a little while
I need a friend who'll listen
To my anxiety and trial.
You see, I can't quite make it
Through a day just on my own..
I need your love to guide me,
So I'll never feel alone.
I want to ask you please to keep
My family safe and sound.
Come and fill their lives with confidence
For whatever fate they're bound.
Give me faith, Dear God, to face
Each hour throughout the day,
And not to worry over things
I can't change in any way.
I thank you God for being home
And listening to my call,
For giving me such good advice
When I stumble and fall.
Your number, God, is the only one
That answers every time.
I never get a busy signal,
Never had to pay a dime.
So thank you, God, for listening
To my troubles and my sorrow.
Good night, God, I love You too,
And I'll call again tomorrow!


The man whispered, "God, speak to me"
and a meadowlark sang.

But, the man did not hear.
So the man yelled, "God, speak to me"
and the thunder rolled across the sky.

But, the man did not listen.
The man looked around and said,
"God let me see you."
And a star shined brightly.

But the man did not see.
And, the man shouted,
"God show me a miracle."
And, a life was born.

But, the man did not notice.
So, the man cried out in despair,
"Touch me God,
and let me know
you are here."
Whereupon, God reached down
and touched the man.
But, the man brushed
the butterfly away

and walked on.

I found this to be a great reminder
that God is always around us in the
little and simple things
that we take for granted...
even in our electronic age...
so I would like to add one more:

The man cried,
"God, I need your help!"
And an e-mail arrived reaching out
with good news and encouragement.

But, the man deleted it and continued crying...

Don't miss out on a blessing
because it isn't packaged
the way that you expect.


Expect the unexpected.....

Have A Blessed Day!

Christmas Parties

Well, I didn't forget to go to the annual Ratliff & Sommerville Christmas Party this year! Yeah! Last year I COMPLETELY forgot about it. I mean, when Elaine called and asked me what I was doing and when I was going to be there because they were about to serve dinner, I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. So, Charlie and I grabbed some gift cards and ran over there in our jeans. Not pretty. This year I remembered to get gifts for the gift exchange, and actually got ready for the party. Charlie and I had a great time... we especially loved Shannon's stories!

Today is Michael's class Christmas party. Charlie is going to attend that with him since he is on vacation through the 26th. Michael and I went to school early this morning to put his teachers' gifts in their boxes. He was very excited about doing that.

Today is Tabitha's cheerleading Christmas party. I don't know where it is or what time to be there but, I'm bringing food and helping out... sounds about normal.

I'm almost finished with my Christmas cards. I should have the last of them finished up pretty quick. I think the hardest thing besides finding addresses, is having everyone sign the card. It isn't very often that we are all in the same room together. Our Wednesday night "Family Night" has been messed up these last 4 weeks with Tabitha in driving school. We should be able to get back on track next year.

I've taken my car back to the dealership 5 times now for the wind noise issue. Looks like its Lemon Law time. I printed the information off the internet, and talked to my service tech about it. He has been through the Lemon Law with one other customer. He said it took about 3½ months to resolve the issue. I've been driving with this annoying sound for 12 months now... I can handle it a little bit longer... let's hope.

Does anyone know of a good, free online address book? I've created my address book more times than I care to remember... them my computer crashes and I lose it all. I'd appreciate any feedback on this.

School's Closed

Maybe I can get my desk cleared off today... that's a big maybe.

I tried to upload the pictures of the poor (20 year old) crepe myrtle tree Tabitha killed on her first driving excursion with her permit last week. She jumped a curb to get to the tree. I was really surprised she didn't take out the stop sign next to the curb. There was minimal damage to my car, and she is driving much better now. The couple who live at the house have been very gracious about the whole thing. They have been shopping around to get us the best price so we can avoid filing an insurance claim. Of course, "everyone" at school knows about it now and is teasing her about it. "Tabitha, do you really drive THAT bad?!?" John - the pictures are in my phone and I keep sending them to my email address, and the phone keeps putting them in my outbox... stupid repititous circle... very frustrating. Let me know if you have a clue about this.

I have been able to get quite a bit of Christmas shopping done. That's a big shock. I usually haven't even started yet.

Karen came over last week and held a garage sale for me Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. That was a great idea! This would explain why I got so much Christmas shopping done already... money helps!

Michael was having a real hard time for a while there. But, after MANY conversations and emails with his teachers, we have finally gotten to a good place at school. I was getting notes just about every day concerning his behavior. We moved some kids away from him in class, that helped. His writing teacher is letting him write in his journal everyday about what is going on in his life. That is helping them to understand his viewpoint. And he is now going to and coming home from school with a child down the street named Preston. Those two get along so well! It has been wonderful!!!

I've been trying to upload a picture of a dragon that Michael drew, but I keep getting errors. Maybe another time.

Apparently, this is not the day for pictures...

Hello There!

Yep, I've been very busy.

Charlie has been feeling ill for a couple of months. He FINALLY went to the doctor yesterday. They said he needs to see an Allergist. They also said his blood pressure was WAY TO HIGH for someone as skinny as he is. What the hell does THAT mean? Anyway, they made him wear a blood pressure cuff all day and all night. He took it back this morning, and when they read it, they called and told him he needed to do 3 things... 1. avoid salt (easy enough), 2. exercise (maybe he'll join me), 3. avoid stress for 3 months... I know what you're thinking, because I'm thinking it too... he needs to get his affairs in order because he's a dead man. Anyway, he goes back to the doctor in 3 months and if his blood pressure is still high, they will put him on medication.

This has been a little bit of "Hell Week" for Tabitha. She woke up Sunday morning with yet another allergic reaction on her face. It looked like poison ivy on her eyes. Yes... it was gross! But that afternoon was her first Karnival (group of kids sign up to go to two gatherings during the school year hosted by parents of the kids). So, by the time we left the house she had taken 4 Benadryl tablets... and discovered concealer. She had a pretty good time. I stayed and chaperoned so I wouldn't have to drive so far back and forth (bfe Mansfield). She took two more Benadryl tablets before going to bed. Monday morning, her right eye was so swollen that her bottom eyelashes were imbedded in her skin. Some of the red bumps had white crusts on them. Needless, to say, I kept her home from school and took her to the doctor. Guess what? The doctor said she needs to see an Allergist. Sound familiar? The doctor gave her a prescription and a note for school (thank God). She had cheer practice for Homecoming from 3:30 to 5:30 that afternoon (you miss school... okay, you miss cheer practice... you don't cheer). She didn't want to get hot and sweaty because she was afraid the bumps might flare up again on her eyes, so she told her sponsor she needed to take it easy. She didn't get a comforting response from her sponsor. (You know how Tabitha reacted to that.) Oh, and did I tell you she didn't have a top for Homecoming yet? She decided she could wear the top she bought in San Marcos... that is strapless. Strapless or less that two finger width straps are against AISD policy. So, we spent the rest of the evening hunting for ribbon to sew onto the shirt that would match... yeah, that was fun. The next day she went to school. The rash looked better, but still pretty bad. Another cheer practice for Homecoming from 3:30 to 5:00, followed by regular tumbling class from 6:00 to 7:00. "Oh, and can we fix my shirt tonight?" No. Wednesday brought mandatory Homecoming practice after school, at school, until 4:45. When I picked her up she said all the sponsors did was yell at them and not try to help them at all. We pinned her shirt with the straps and Charlie sewed them on for her. It looks pretty good. I'll post a picture after Homecoming. Today is Thursday. She is at the football game cheering her little heart out in front of all the parents and her dad. Homecoming is tomorrow... pray for us all!

Michael has been coming home with notes from the teacher just about every day. The notes always say he's talking, and he always says, "It wasn't me.". Who do I believe??? Anyway, it has had such an ill effect on him that he's coming home angry, throwing stuff around and wanting to be home schooled. I had been letting it slide, but I finally wrote a note to the teacher. First of all, he has already asked her to move him to another table because the other kids are disruptive and he can't hear her and doesn't understand the lesson. She moved him today... after I sent the note. Secondly, I explained to her that Michael believes she hates him and that if she continued to push him regarding any disciplinary action on a consistent basis (every day), it would undermine all the therapy he has been through already. We didn't get a note home about him talking today. Amazing. Michael has started a tumbling class at the gym where Tabitha takes tumbling. He is doing really well. His coach is funny and that helps a lot.

Now me... I have got to get this school directory finished by the end of October. I have to have it published and in the mail to Texas PTA by November 15th. Nevermind that my hard drive is crashing (Dell sent me a new one and is waiting for me to call for installation instructions), and all the files are on my hard drive. Nevermind the constant chaos in my everyday life. I spent last Monday through Thursday in constant panic mode and crying at the drop of a hat. I had an appointment with my nutritionist this past Monday and she said, "Good, you're ready for the next phase. You're detox is over, and now you know how to eat for your body. Now you're showing signs of fatigued adrenals." WTF??? So, I now have a new pill, a new liquid and a new book to read on the way. Also, I got her cell in case I feel like I'm going insane again so she can assure me she knows what is happening and tell me how to fix it.

Monday morning my dad, brother, sister, and I are going to Moody to bury my grandmother's ashes. It has been almost a year since she passed away, but the funeral home has not been cooperative. We didn't want to bury her ashes until the headstone was engraved. I received a picture of the finished product July 31st. I started calling to arrange the burial, but no one would call me back. My dad finally called them every two hours, several days in a row until they let him schedule it. Send a prayer with us Monday morning.

Family Foto

Lauren sent this to me. She took it Labor Day weekend, the morning we left Bill's house. I think it looks pretty good... except for Michael's fake smile :)

Coordination - or the Lack Thereof

So I'm driving down the road. I just finished up with a client and I need to get gas before I go home. I decide to multi-task. I can do this, I do it all the time. Drive and talk on the cell. I need to check with another client about an issue she had the day before. No big deal. So I'm talking on the cell, I'm driving, no problem. Well, now I'm at the gas station. Still talking on the cell. Okay, so I can sit here and talk... or... I can get out and pump gas while I'm talking on the cell. Sure, I can do this. If there were cameras rolling, someone is going to make a bundle...

First, I pick up the handle, but the line from the handle to the top of the gas pump is twisted, so I spin around and I'm tangled in the line. So I spin a little more to get free from the line. Still talking on the cell. No problem. I let the pump rob me for a while. Full. Still on the cell. Okay, now all I have to do is put the handle back up. Hahahahaha! All I can remember is the line going around my head and spinning me again. Suffice it to say, the pump ended up on the ground with a loud "THUNK", wrapped around my leg. I didn't even look around. I just stepped out, picked it up, put it away, got in my car, and drove away.

Look for me on "America's Funniest Gas Station Videos".

Open House

Monday is not an extraordinarily busy day for us. Unless you add something to the evening. Like Open House. Tabitha's Open House was tonight. She was so excited to come home so she could tell me, "Here is my schedule. You're supposed to go to school tonight and go to all my classes. I'm not supposed to go with you. You get 5 minutes to get to each one of my classes." Giggling the whole time she's talking.

Well, as you would expect, I had a comment about this. "First of all, if you're not going to Open House, I'm not going to Open House." (Not so much giggling now.) Secondly, I'm not playing some stupid game with your teachers trying to get from one class to the next. Do they think I didn't go to high school? Do they think it's funny to send parents to a school they don't know, on their own, and give them 5 minutes to get from place to place?"

Tabitha's reply, "Yep!" (Unusually big smile.)

Well, the students received a tour of the school before it started. Each one got to walk their schedule, and they have 7 minutes to get from one class to the next. But they want to play games with the parents. I'm not amused.

So the whole family went.

First Lamar Game

It was Tabitha's first time to cheer at a Lamar football game. They played Dallas Carter and lost 20 to 52. But our cheerleaders looked fabulous! Especially one cheerleader we all know and love!

September Already?

Where did the rest of August go? I guess it was more than just a busy day!

That computer from Tennessee? No file. I took it back to the client and we decided to have the girl in the office who actually worked on the file talk to the client so they could determine which account number was the same so the client could change the number on her file and upload the Accountant's Copy. Worked like a charm.

More later...

Labor Day Weekend

Aaron, Taylor, and Grant.
Big brother Dylan giving little brother Aaron a ride around the deck.
Taylor playing peek-a-boo with Aaron. Actually, you can see Aaron's hand on the zipper. He intended to zip Taylor up in the trash can!
Michael flipping off the slide.
Dylan cruising down the slide to the comfort of Daddy and a floatie.
Charlie and Aaron chillin' in the pool.
Tabitha, Michael, Aaron (would not smile no matter what), & Taylor in the back row.
Grant (why do I have to sit here) and Dylan in the front row.

Viking Fest!

No problems with Michael this morning.

Taking DayQuil in the morning and NyQuil at night is really helping me to feel better... the capsules, John.

I worked at the CPA office today. I had 6 voice messages on my phone! I have been working there for a year and a half and I have only had 3 total until today. 3 were from one person and the other 3 were from one person... so does that only count as 2 messages? Anyway, a ministry client of Elaine's wants me to help them get set up on QuickBooks... can they come in today? I tell them yes, but I leave at 3:00. That kind of interferes with somebody's golf game, but I stand firm... they decide to call me back. Another client is in town from Tennessee and needs me to fix her Accountant's Copy. She is in Grapevine. So I make arrangements to pick up her computer.

Now the first client calls me back. "How about 11:30 and we bring you a burger for lunch?" That would sound really good if I wasn't already sick. (Allergic to wheat, can't eat the bun, etc.) So I say, "No, how about 1:00?" They agree. Gulp. I've never had one of Elaine's clients come into the office for training. What if I make a fool of myself?

So, when they get to the office, I'm kind of intimidated, because they look so professional. I found out really quickly they are not accounting minded, so I look like a genius! I can handle this! 2 hours later I'm ready to get out of Dodge and away from these people. I don't know if they'll ever understand what to do!

Now I have to book it home before Michael gets home from school.

Mary took Michael home to play with Matthew while I run to Grapevine to pick up the computer. Tabitha and Heather went with me because I promised to pick up food on the way back home.

After we got the computer, we stopped by Wendy's to pick up dinner, then stopped by Mary's to pick up Michael, and went home.

Viking Fest starts at 6:30. What is Viking Fest? That's when all the clubs get to sell their stuff! Key Club & PTA are selling memberships. Football team is selling t-shirts, flip-flops, hats, etc. Choir is selling t-shirts, discount dining cards, etc. Cheerleading is selling t-shirts and phone number magnets. You get the picture. Man was that place crowded! Tabitha wanted me right beside her the entire time. I really expected her to run off and leave me standing there, but she didn't. She kept telling me to walk beside her, not behind her. It was just so crowded in the halls, I had a hard time doing that. She didn't run off until I stood in one place talking to one parent. Then she just went around talking to her friends waiting for me to be ready to leave. She is just such a good girl sometimes. I love these moments. We left around 8:15 and dropped Heather off on our way home.

When we got home I decided to take a look at the computer from Tennessee to see if I could get that issue resolved right quick. Yeah, right. The file isn't even on the computer. I called and left her a message to have it emailed to me... we'll see what happens.

Busy day tomorrow!

Sensory or Acting Disorder?

Michael was dressed... shirt, underwear, pants... and in the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

"Yea... can you fix me some mini tacos?"

"Michael, you know I prefer you eat breakfast food for breakfast... is there anything else you could possibly want this morning?"

"Ummm..... no."

"Okay, I'll make them for you then." Once again, I aim to please.

Then we go through the regular questions about taking medicine, lunch packed, backpack ready to go, waiting for the breakfast of champions to beep from the oven.

After he eats, he says he's still hungry. I told him I was sorry, but he needed to go brush his teeth and finish getting ready for school. He heads off to his room and I clean up the "breakfast" dishes.

I go to his room to check on him and he is on his mini trampoline looking in the mirror and crying.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"It hurts to tuck my shirt in. Why do I have to tuck my shirt in? The teachers don't have to tuck their shirts in. It's not fair!"

"Does it really hurt?"

"Yes!"

"Then let's try another shirt."

"Okay."

4 shirts later he starts throwing the shirts around the room.

"Michael, where is your brush?" (The surgical brush I use to help his skin accept the clothing.)

"I don't know!"

"Okay, why don't you jump on your trampoline a little while and maybe do some flips to see if that helps." (A therapy thing having to do with muscle and joint sensation.)

"I don't want to!"

"Well, I don't know what else to tell you... do some jumps." I walk out of the room... need to get away for a minute. Suddenly, there's a loud bang on the hallway wall and a scream from Michael's room.

"Michael, don't jump so far... you're trying to hurt yourself on purpose."

"No I'm not!!!" He then jumps over the crash pads, picks up a video on the floor and chunks it into his game console, then he picks up a book and throws it toward me.

"Do I need to call your dad to come home and whip your butt?!?" (I call Charlie because I can't stand the thought of spanking him when I 1. have been ill for over a week and 2. don't know if he's having a sensory problem or just being a butthead.

"NO!"

So I leave his room. Then I leave the house. I decided to go across the street to see if Diana (his therapist) had an extra brush lying around so I could brush Michael. Emily answered the door and went to ask Diana for a brush. Emily came back without a brush and said they would find one and bring it over. I went back home.

Michael was in his cubby hole we made for him in the bottom bunk.

"Do you think maybe it's the underwear that's causing the problem and not the shirt?" I asked.

"Maybe." Much calmer voice than before.

"Do you want to try some other pair, then?"

"Okay."

He came out of the cubby hole, grabbed some underwear and went into the bathroom. None of the underwear felt right... so he put on his bathing suit and dove back into his cubby hole just as Diana arrived.

She brought some oils with her. She has used them before in some of his therapy sessions to change his moods.

She crawled into the cubby hole with him and started talking to him in a really low voice. Almost a whisper. I felt useless, so I started picking up all the clothes off the floor. Found the brush!

So after some brushing, a Tylenol, some oils, Diana talking her talk with Michael, and me watching, we were out the door and on our way to school at 9:15. (School starts at 8:20.)

Charlie had a talk with Michael when we got home from work that night. I don't think I'm going to have a problem with Michael in the morning anymore.

I feel so bad...

First of all... I wrote a long post on Monday and it disappeared... I'm not happy about that.

Well the kids have been back to school for 3 days now. Michael is loving it and Tabitha is hating it. Funny, I thought it would be the other way around.

Michael is so excited that Amber B. is not in his class this year. He and his friend Jonathan call her "The Enemy". He got his block schedule today. Gordon called and they are going to be in 3 classes together on the block schedule. Another reason for Michael to be happy.

I'm not sure about why Tabitha isn't liking high school. She hasn't pinpointed any one thing. I'm guessing it's just overall much harder than junior high was.

Charlie said their new company name is now Arc One. Whatever that's supposed to be. They are still making changes and we are waiting to see how that affects his job. They are looking for cost saving measures at each branch first, so lets hope it doesn't go any further than having the hot water cut off. (Yes, I know I'm dreaming... let me have that for a little while.)

I feel like total caca. First the strep throat, now a totally killer cold. I did not know I could create this much mucus. I have been taking the off brand DayQuil and NyQuil. Discovered today they are expired... no wonder I don't feel any better! Karen brought some DayQuil over and I found a bottle of NyQuil that doesn't expire until October 2005. In my distraught illness head, I thought we were in the year 2006, so I threw it in the trash. A few minutes later I got a flash of sanity and dug it out of the trash. Fortunately, today was trash day so "dug" is really an exaggeration since it was an empty bag.

Anyway, I have now taken the NyQuil and will be going to bed... after I get Michael to bed.

'Twas the Night before School...

School starts tomorrow morning. I know I have a lot of support when I say, "It's about freaking time!" Don't get me wrong, I love my children.
I love to miss them sometimes.
I love knowing they won't be calling me in the middle of the day to yell at each other over the phone in my ear to have me settle an argument.
I love knowing there won't be glasses and wrappers all over the kitchen counters when I get home.
I love knowing there won't be dishes piled up in the sink because the kids don't know how to open the dishwasher when I'm gone.
I love knowing Michael will have someone to talk with about his video games that will actually understand what he's talking about.
I love knowing their brains will be challenged during the day to the point they will be able to sleep at night.
Ahh, the many pleasures of school!

I received the usual requests before heading out to the grocery store today... lunchables for Michael and sandwich meat for Tabitha. Since neither one of them can have carbonated drinks now, I didn't have very many drinks to buy (Tabitha takes 2 for lunch everyday... one everybody else drinks, one she drinks... if she only takes one, they share with her... ewww!) The wonderful cashier threw the toilet paper on top of the bread so the middle got squished. Ugh!

Michael is sleeping in his room with Kimie tonight. We told him he's a 4th grader now, he can do it. I'm not as concerned about him as I am about Kimie. I had to lay down with them so she would stay in the bed. I'll have to go check on them after this post and make sure she's still in the bed. She's still a puppy and I'm afraid she might tear something up if she gets out of the bed. Yeah, he's on the top bunk, but she's jumped off of there before. We'll see if the roadblock he put up at the end of his bed works.

GPS

We went to the Ranger vs Orioles game today. The 2nd inning was very exciting. Their pitcher let several of our Rangers walk... I mean all the way around to score! By the time the inning was over, we were up 6 to 0. It just got better from there.

I woke up this morning with a very stiff neck. Tylenol didn't help, so I decided to get one of those tall margarita drinks at the game. It didn't help either, but it tasted good!

I took Tabitha to pick up a few school supplies. She doesn't know what she needs yet, but the school gave us a generic listing of items she will need, so we picked up a few things. I didn't realize picking a binder would be such an ordeal this year! Just pick one!!! Please!!! She didn't like the ones at Office Depot, so we went to Target. She didn't like the ones at Target, so we need to go back to Office Depot to get one she "sorta" liked. Didn't happen today.

We decided to try out the GPS for our little shopping trip. First we stopped by Karen's to drop something off... the GPS didn't register even leaving the house. Then we headed to Office Depot. By the time we were on Tarrant, it still didn't register leaving the house, and at this point Tabitha asks me, "Do you have the list?". Me? Why would I have the list? So, we had to turn around and go back to the place where the GPS said we already were. Kinda confusing. Anyway, we moved the GPS lower down the windshield to see if maybe the antenna wasn't getting a clear view of the sky. By the time we got back on Duncan Perry (the curvy one), the GPS started working! So cool! It shows your direction, the street you're on, the next street coming up... pretty cool. Well, on the way back from Target we put our home address in as the destination to see what would happen. Tabitha jumped when it started talking to us. It was so funny! By the time we got home, after hearing all the chimes and .4 miles to this turn and .5 miles to that turn, she was talking back to it... she always gets annoyed at inanimate objects that talk. It was entertaining for me!

If you have time, I have a link to Tabitha's Xanga site and Lisa has started a blog.

Thanks for the comments!

I need to do laundry and clean the house... my life is so exciting.

Happy Birthday to Me

Took Tabitha to have her cheer skirt altered. All the way in BFE Arlington. Arlington is a really big city! Michael, Tabitha and I had lunch at Red Lobster, because it's my birthday so I get to choose. I dropped Michael and Tabitha off at the house after lunch and went to get my nails done. I got flowers on my toes for free because it's my birthday! After that, I went home and picked up Tabitha for the spirit stick party. Michael didn't want to go, and Charlie was still at work, so I left Charlie's cell phone number with Michael so he could stay home by himself. Charlie would be home in about 15 to 30 minutes anyway. I grabbed my Yahoo! directions and we were off! Crazy thing about those directions... they don't take into account a neighborhood putting up a gate and locking it... right on the street. Craziest thing I've ever seen. I guess if you have enough money, you can really do ANYTHING!!! So, I tried going around to the next street... gated and locked. So I tried going around to the next street... there wasn't one. I ended up going all the way around the neighborhood to find an entrance... found one... now I'm lost. Tabitha had to call Charlie at work to get on the computer to give me directions out of the neighborhood I was in and to the house where I needed to be. Thankfully, he got us there quickly. I never felt so helpless driving around a neighborhood. The streets didn't have side streets. Once you got on one, you were in it for the duration... all the way to the end. Well, we finally made it to the party. Some girls were already there working on their spirit sticks. Tabitha started out pretty slow as I had anticipated, but she really got a handle on it! She stuffed candy and rolled the napkin on and I tied the ends for her. We finished all 60 in about 45 minutes. Then we started helping Stephanie, one of the other cheerleaders, with hers. Done. So we did Vanessa's for her. She was there helping everyone else by cutting ribbon for tying on the ends, but she hadn't rolled any of her own. Tabitha, Stephanie and I did them all for her. By now it was about 7:45 and some of the girls who were working on their rolls before we got there, were still working on theirs. Tabitha looked at me with those big brown eyes and said, "I'm starving Mom." So we left. But we didn't get out the front door before the girls sang Happy Birthday to me.

When we got home, I got my birthday present. A GPS for my car! Could have used THAT earlier!

Charlie took us to Mercado Juarez for dinner. We sat there for like 10 minutes waiting to be waited on. Two tables that were seated after us already had chips, salsa and water... we didn't. That was enough for Tabitha. She went to the front to find the manager and came back with a waitress. She took our drink order and went to find out why we didn't have a waiter. About 5 minutes later, a waiter came back with our drinks and there wasn't another hitch with our meal.

When we got back home, I played with my GPS. I'm still playing with it... trying to figure it out. Hopefully, I won't get lost again!

PTA Mom

I signed up to work the spirit sales for PTA at registration today from 1 to 3 and from 6 to 8. It's not that big of a deal really. It's the second day of registration and most of the crowds hit the first day. Michael went over to Austin's house because he didn't want to go with me. It was truly uneventful. I did, however, enjoy seeing the other moms and checking in on what they did over the summer. One mom was fascinated to hear about out tubing trip because she wants to go on a tubing trip but she has a little boy starting 1st grade. She's afraid he'll drown or something. I told her that Michael wore a life jacket and the only problem we had was because the tubes were tied together (causing Tabitha great pain when she went under and was slammed into the rocks). I don't know what she was thinking when she looked at me and said, "But I only have one child, and I don't want to lose him."? Did she mean because I have two children I can afford to lose one? Is she freaking insane?!?

Tabitha got back today. She had a really good time at Freshman Camp. She worked the 6 to 8 shift with me at Larson. She wants me to take her to Lamar tomorrow so she can walk the route to all of her classes. We already have a few things planned... take her skirts to the tailor lady, a spirit stick party... what's a spirit stick party? Well, that's where all the cheerleaders get together for 2 hours and make 60 spirit sticks each. Yeah, 60 each. In 2 hours. I think it will take Tabitha 20 minutes to make 1. I've seen her do it. It's not pretty. Either that, or she took so long before because she really didn't want to help me when I was her cheer sponsor. So, we'll see what kind of experience that turns out to be.

Michael is spending the night at Austin's house tonight.

McDonald's "I'm NOT lovin it"

Another fabulous day. I took Michael to Larson to get some shirts for school. All the garage sale ones in his size were gone. It's always great to get those worn out shirts because they don't bother him like new shirts do. Well, the new shirts this year are really cool. And they're blue... Michael's favorite color, so he got two of them.

We had to hurry though, because he wanted McDonald's for breakfast, and I aim to please. So we finished up quick and headed over to the McDonald's at 360 & Green Oaks (because, as Asa found out the hard way, the one on NW 19th was torn down a while back). So we get there with 10 minutes to spare... their electricity is out. Is anything ever easy for me? "Mom? What do we do now?" asks the boy with the huge brown eyes. So I head to the closest McDonald's I can think of... Collins and Brown. Apparently, this is the only road in Arlington that needed construction today... both sides... both ways... street workers were everywhere! I think Michael thought we were in one of his video games, weaving and dodging trying not to hit oncoming cars, street cones, and workers. I promised McDonald's and that's where we were going!! Seeing how time was slipping away, I mentioned to Michael that breakfast might not be served anymore when we finally made it there. Sweet little Michael... "That's okay Mom. I'll just get chicken nuggets." Big sigh from a little bitty chest. So I finally pull into the parking lot at 10:27 and there are 3 cars in front of us. The first car pulls directly away from the ordering board and leaves. "Michael... there's a pretty good chance they aren't serving breakfast anymore." The next car pulls up, pauses, and pulls up to pay... hmmm, either that first person wanted lunch, or this person just wants a drink. Our turn. "Are you still serving breakfast?" I ask. "Some items." Are you rolling your eyes too? "How about a bacon, egg, & cheese biscuit and 2 hashbrowns?" I ask. "Bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit, but no hashbrowns." Michael responds at this point, "french fries, french fries!" "Okay, give me the bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit and a small french fry." Now, you have to know, Michael has always wanted to order a breakfast and lunch item from McDonald's at the same time, simply because they don't allow that. Got a little bit of his Uncle John in him maybe. So, he was a happy boy.

I had to go in to the CPA office to do a billing. Yes, I'm the only one who knows how to do it. So, after Michael finished his "brunch" we went up to the office. "Do I get to play on the computers up there?" Michael asked. "No, not today." I responded. "Why not?" He asked. "Because it will take longer to turn on the computer, log on and get you going, than the time I need to do this billing." I responded. "Oh... then what will I do?" Michael asked. "I will give you some paper and a pencil and you can draw." I responded. "Oh, okay, I can do that." Duh. This is what he drew...

Pretty cool cell phone, huh?

When I finished the billing, we went to lunch at Luby's with Sandra. It's her birthday today.

After lunch we went to the movies to see "Sky High". Sorry, John. It's a really good Disney movie... we will be happy to go see it again.

Tabitha called and is doing fine. She'll be home tomorrow.

"Fantastic Four"

Shirley took us to the movies today. Not just us, but Karen, Trey, Danielle, Hudson, and Hudson's friend, Riley. We were originally going to see "Sky High". But all the kids couldn't agree on that one. Then "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", but all the kids didn't want to see that one. So, we decided on "Fantastic Four". Michael had seen it already with Aunt Lisa and Daniel while we were in San Marcos on vacation, but he didn't mind seeing it again. So we got to the theater and Shirley bought the tickets. We steered the kids AWAY from the snack bar and down the aisle to the theaters. We were instructed to go to theater 2. Well... theater to was showing "Sky High". Shirley had inadvertently asked for 8 tickets to "Sky High", the movie we discussed seeing for a week, instead of "Fantastic Four" which was decided on just a few hours earlier. Who could blame her? I would have probably done the same thing. So, all 8 of us skipped the movie we had tickets for. Of course, we didn't bother telling the kids about it. Before the movie got started, Trey's money was burning a hole in his pocket. He took Michael and Hudson to the snack bar and bought them and Riley and Danielle candy, popcorn and sodas. Generous guy, don't you think? Well, while the boys were gone to the snack bar, an entire church daycare entered the theater. We were a little apprehensive about staying. We discussed moving to theater 2... after all, that's what our tickets were for. But, the boys were at the snack bar and we couldn't go without them. So we stayed. The previews were playing by the time the boys made it back anyway. Michael was right... it was a funny movie.

Tabitha called about 10:45pm. She is having a blast. They were separated into groups so she had to move to another cabin... away from Katie. However, she is in the same cabin with Vanessa now, so that makes her happy. She is still taking her pain pills like she should and drinking water. Didn't sound like she passed the stone yet.

Lamar Freshman Camp

Freshman Camp today.

Michael didn't want to go so he called Aunt Mary to see if he could stay with her. She came and picked him up as soon as she woke up Matthew and Joshua. Sarah was with her Grandpa.

Tabitha came down the stairs complaining that her bag was too heavy, so Katie brought it down for her. They loaded up the car and we went to Lamar. We were supposed to be there at 11:00, but we got there about 10:35 because Tabitha needed to meet with the cheer sponsor to trade out her cheer skirt. The parking lot was already packed! The kids were lined up outside the gym waiting to check in. We left the bags in the car and took the cheer skirt to the side entrance. There was a security guard standing there stopping people from going in, so I explained that we were supposed to meet with the cheer sponsor, who is also a teacher at Lamar, and that she was waiting for us in her classroom. She let us in. We found Jane in her room, and she took us to another room where the skirts were supposed to be. Well, now it was skirt, not skirts, and she couldn't find it. So, we left the skirt we had brought with us with Jane and went back to the car to get the bags and check in. We just thought the line was long when we got there... now it was out to the curb and curved around! It didn't really take that long to get in the door. Jane had found the Varsity cheer sponsor and had located the skirt, so she came and got Tabitha out of line to try the skirt on. When Tabitha came back, she had a skirt with her that she said was too short, but this one fit her waist. Jane had given her a piece of paper to give to me with the name of the lady who does alterations for the school district. I was supposed to call and make and appointment to drop the skirt off and have the hem let out... easy, right?
So, we finally get to the check in table and they tell Katie they still need her medical record. Katie's face went blank. I remembered seeing her mom and registration, and Arlene had the record in her hand. I asked Katie if she needed to call her mom, just as the school nurse came over. She asked for Katie's full name and said since she was already in the Arlington school district, she would print her medical record off, no problem. Whew! So we got the girls checked in and headed to the nurse's table. Since the nurse was at the check in table, I explained to the aide about Tabitha's kidney stone, gave her the meds and discharge papers from the hospital, just as the nurse came back over... so I got to explain it all again. Then we got in line for bag check. All the bags have to be opened and checked. Katie's went pretty smooth, but she kept her pillow. Tabitha's took awhile because she had so much stuff, they couldn't get the bag closed again after they checked it all. Next table... schedules. Once you get your schedule you go on a tour of the school with an upper classman. I told Katie I would hold her pillow so she didn't have to carry it all around the school. I noticed the kids going to and coming back from their tours so I knew it shouldn't take that long... yeah, right. So, I'm standing in the gym... holding Katie's pillow... all the kids are checked in... the tables are being picked up... the cheerleaders and dance team are coming in to prepare for the pep rally... where are the girls? Some of the dancers came in with pizza so I headed down to the cafeteria to see if the girls were there... passing many parents and kids asking about the pillow. No sight of them in the cafeteria, so I head back to the gym... passing many parents and kids asking me about the pillow. No sight of them in the gym. So, I sat down and called Mary's house to check on Michael. No answer. So I called Mary's cell phone. She ended up having to run errands to pick up Sarah and to Plano... Charlie beeped in. I let Mary go and talked to Charlie. I got off the phone with Charlie and called the lady about altering Tabitha's skirt. She said she would have to see Tabitha in the skirt before she could alter it, and she also had already altered a skirt for Tabitha, so what was going on? I told her they had switched so many skirts I didn't know which one Tabitha had anymore, so she agreed to alter the one I received today, but she still had to see it on Tabitha to alter it. I made an appointment to bring Tabitha by on Friday and I called and left Jane a message about the lady needing to see Tabitha in the skirt before letting the hem out, and what was the deadline to get the skirt back for the first pep rally... remember, this is supposed to be easy. Now I'm really worried about Tabitha. Her cell phone is packed so I can't call her. Where is she? I go back to the cafeteria, passing parents and kids telling me they haven't seen her. I stopped and bought her a Lamar lanyard for her school ID because I knew she wanted one, and to take my mind off not being able to find her. I got to the cafeteria just as some man blew a very loud whistle and told all the kids to go to the gym. Still no Tabitha. I was about to come to tears because I could just picture her laid out in the building somewhere writhing in pain and I couldn't help her. Just then she walked in. She said the girl who took them on the tour was very tedious and very slow about it. I told the girls to grab some pizza and a drink because it was all getting packed up... they all grabbed water thanks to Tabitha's kidney stone. I gave Katie her pillow and changed out Tabitha's lanyard while they ate and told me about the tour. Tabitha said she needed a pain pill, so I walked the girls to the gym, found the nurse, and she gave Tabitha a pain pill. I hugged Tabitha and Katie goodbye and wished them well on their trip. They went to sit down for the pep rally, and I left to run my errands... thankful that Tabitha was fine. I'm such a worrier.

Jane returned my call... she had called Linda (the tailor) and they agreed I should bring the skirt Tabitha left with Jane and the one she had just given to Tabitha to her. So now I have to find time to make it to Jane's house to pick up the skirt.... yeah... easy.

Mary brought Michael home for me... THANK YOU!!! Michael invited Matthew to spend the night. Joshua wanted to spend the night too, so he took off all his clothes (except his underwear) and got comfortable. Mary and I got quite a chuckle out of that.

Trey's Birthday

Happy Birthday Trey!

Tabitha is feeling okay, but hasn't passed the stone yet. I read the release papers from the hospital to her and she actually heard the part about not laying around. Besides, she plans to leave for camp tomorrow so she has lots of things to do. Katie is here. She is going to Trey's party with us and spending the night so I can take them both to Lamar for camp tomorrow.

Charlie had to go open the building for Carol, so we walked to Karen's house for the party. Charlie got there later.

About 3:30 the birthday party was over, so I took Tabitha and Katie to Target so Tabitha could get some items for camp. Camp Copass is a Christian camp, so they must abide by their rules. The girls can't wear cheer shorts, they have to wear shorts that are at least fingertip length. So, they opted to wear boys shorts... down past their knees. No problem. The girls say they look "getto". Whatever, just as long as they meet the guidelines of the camp.

Nothing eventful happening with me and Michael today... just laundry for me and video games for Michael.

Kidney Stone?!?

Tabitha woke up in terrible pain. I had to go to work, so Charlie took her to the emergency room. She had a kidney stone! She's only 14! They gave her 2 cc's of morphine, but all that did, according to Tabitha, was make her ears feel like they were growing. So, they gave her 2 more cc's and that helped to ease the pain. She looked like she was sleeping, but she could hear everything going on in the room. She was released from the hospital late in the afternoon and asked Charlie to go get her favorite new mexican food for her. Grandma and Pops had taken her to a place while she was staying with them and she really liked it. She asks to go there all the time now. Well, the big concern was... would she make it to Freshman Camp? Freshman camp starts on Monday.

Michael stayed with Grandma and Pops today. When they brought him home, he brought Tabitha a pretty glass rose. She really liked it. They said he was concerned about his sister and wanted to bring her something.