Julie's Joint

Not Again!

2011-03-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

So Friday night we were at the Varsity Lacrosse game and it was not a pretty game. The referee's were making bad calls and the other team was playing dirty. There are certain rules that need to be followed in all sports and one of them in lacrosse is that you can't slash at someone or hit them in the legs. WELL.....My Shawn was going for a ground ball and the other team #17 slashed him in the legs and it sounded like a gun shot going off. He it Shawn in the leg with his stick and down he went screaming. I jumped off the bleachers and was on the field before you could say boo!
Now he has a broken leg where he was hit on the shin so hard that it broke in pieces.

Now you would think that if a child is screaming his head off that one would call 911 when asked if he could move and he replies no it's broken. I then told the trainer to call 911 and she continued to try to move Shawn. I again told her to call 911 and she asked you want me to call 911? I just looked at her and said "isn't that what I just said twice??" So off we go to the hospital again for another broken bone. Mind you he has already broken his shoulder, separated his shoulder and broken his two forearm bones in his right arm. He gets some drugs to make the pain more bearable, off we go to x-ray and all I can hear is Shawn screaming and crying while the technician is x-raying his leg. It was all I could do to not burst into the room and smack someone.

Back to the ER and his leg gets put in a splint and we are told to call an orthopedic Dr., well since we already have one it was a no brainer on whom to call. son in the mean time the Bishop shows up and one of Shawn's good friends who is doing all he can not to cry in front of Shawn. Darien considers Shawn a little brother, so I was not surprised to see him at the ER. We get Shawn a blessing and then the coaches show up to help us get him home.

On Saturday through out the day all the boys on the lacrosse team stop by to see how he is doing. I found out that one of the players got kicked out of the game for sticking up for Shawn and also from the next game as well. I can see why they call each other lax bros as they all look out for one another.

We got in to see Dr. Dreese on Monday and now he is in a cast from the bottom of his toes all the way up to his thigh. He will be in this type of cast for at least 3 months. We have to go back to Dr. Dreese on Monday to get more x-rays done to make sure the bones have not moved. If they have then that will require surgery and we do not want that to happen. We are thinking he needs to have a bone density test to see if he is missing something since this is his third break in 1 1/2 years.

Please keep Shawn in your prayers that he does not have to have surgery and he can continue to play sports.

Curiosity gets me.

2011-03-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

I have been curious about this for some time now and for the life of can't seem to figure it out. People complain all the time that they can't make friends no matter what. The way I look at it, if you scowl at the world then the world will scowl at you. I have heard this saying before that to have a friend you need to be friendly to others around you then you will have friends. Sometimes I feel like i don't have any friends but then I look back at what has happened to me and who I have done things with in the past and know that I have friends.

What also makes me curious is the people who say they are Christians yet they do not show up for church or any church activities. I used to be that way a long time ago but realized that when I did not attend church (even before I became LDS) that when I did not attend church regularly that life was difficult and yucky most of the time. But when I did attend church and actually participate in worship and practiced what I was taught that my life was rosy.

I am curious at how the teenage mind work sometimes as well. For instance my son did not want to play Varsity Lacrosse and was quite happy to be on the JV team for another year. Now that they pulled him up to Varsity he was quite happy on Saturday, but come Sunday he had doubts as to whether he was good enough or experienced enough to be on Varsity. He wants to make a deal with the coaches. I told him obviously they feel you are good enough to be on Varsity so just do it. I think he is afraid that he won't play a lot or that he will get hurt again. I suggested he pray about it and let God give him the answer. We will have to see how it goes today after he talks with his coaches.

I finally found it!

2011-03-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

If any of you have heard me talk about my cruise then you know that they served this wonderful dessert called Chocolate Molten Lava Cake. Well, my husband fell in love with this dessert and I have been trying to find a recipe that is exactly like the one from the cruise. I have seen so many different ones and tried a few but last night I found one that is just like the one on the cruise and he was in heaven. My youngest son liked it but had to have a glass of milk with it because it was so chocolaty. I have not gotten my oldest sons take on it yet so I am sure he will like it as well.

One of those days, weeks, months or years

2011-03-03T08:54:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks have been tremendously hectic and crazy not only at work but at home too. You know the saying when it rains it pours? Well it is pouring in my life right now and soon to be flooding me out. I think I may be on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Work is and always has been crazy but it seems to be getting more so. But that is typical of a service industry that I work in so no big deal.

Home life is just insane with two kids that don't seem to want to do what they need to, i.e. chores, picking up after themselves, general up keep of their rooms. I have one who thinks he can do whatever he wants and gets angry when he gets caught and then things get taken away from him. He is not making good or right choices in life and I don't know how to help him. He hates seminary, church and life in general. We give him a little freedom and he goes hog wild. One thinks that he can just do as he pleases because in the eye of the law he is an adult but he is living in my home and can't seem to understand that when you live in someone else house you need to abide by their rules and regulations especially when you are not paying room and board. How do I get them to understand my perspective on things and not have an anxiety attack that I am on the verge of having???

Bueller, Bueller, Bueller.

WHEW!

2011-02-24T08:14:00.000-08:00

So I had my quarterly visit to my endocrinologist Dr. Argento (who I love to pieces) and it was a fantastic visit. My blood sugars are where they should be in fact they are just about where they are supposed to be for a normal person. YEAH ME! The only thing is that I need to up my vitamin D for a few months as it is a 27 and they want it to be between a 30-60 range, but with the winter months it is not uncommon for anyone to have low vitamin D levels. I guess that is why I have been a little depressed lately, I NEED the sun. I can not wait until spring and summer to be able to be outside again. My A1C was a 6 which is great for someone with diabetes anything above a 7 is bad it shows that your liver and pancreas is not functioning as they should. I have been seeing Dr. Argento for about 2 years now and my health has improved so much since seeing him. I decided that I needed to be more active in getting rid of this disease within my body and have started reading the book The Diabetes DTOUR Diet. I will let you know how it progresses.

Wonderings

2011-02-16T11:02:00.000-08:00

I am amazed at how many people seem to have "good" friends that they can talk to be with and do things with. I feel that I really don't have one of those friends. I also wonder why people feel that they have to post every little aspect of their life on Facebook. I am going to put a post on my FB page saying that I am going to take a 30 day sabbatical from it. Maybe that is why I don't feel any spirituality in my life right now. I thought by going away with my husband and just the two of us being with each other would help me regain my spirituality but I was wrong. Don't get me wrong we had a great time and are planning on another trip. I need to get back to the basics of life and reflex on what really matters to me. I may be posting on what I am currently reading in my scriptures and how it is affecting my daily life. I am going to just open the scriptures and where ever it falls open is where I will start my reading for the day. Does anyone else have these feelings or wondering's or is it just me?

Rejuvenation

2011-02-09T07:47:00.000-08:00

Well, I have talked my friends to death about our leaving on a cruise to the Bahamas and it has finally come to fruition. We leave tomorrow morning. I just hope that I don't forget anything (I do obsess about these things overly much), I know make a list but then I forget what I did with the list. Yikes! But we need this mini vacation to rejuvenate ourselves and the stress of having a ready made family and to get away from the boys who can at times stretch us to our limits. I think they need to be away from us too so they can see that yes my parents do a lot for me and I did not realize how much.

We leave at 10:05 AM on Thursday February 10, 2011 to arrive in Jacksonville, Fl at 12:00 PM. We are then supposed to go to the baggage area and look for our Carnival Cruise Guide to take us to the ship. We then set sail at 4:00 PM to arrive in Freeport, Bahamas at 12:00 Pm on Friday. We will be in port until 7:00 PM then onward to Nassau, Bahamas to arrive at 12:00 PM on Saturday where we have until 10:00 PM to explore the island. Then on Sunday we have a fun day at sea to arrive back in Jacksonville at 8:00 AM on Monday to board the next plane at 2:00 PM to arrive back in cold Baltimore at 4:00 PM Valentines day.

I will expound on my travels and fun when I return and hopefully have pictures to share as well. Until we meet again TTFN!

Disappointment

2011-01-06T07:17:00.000-08:00

Each year I like to go to the Temple Visitors Center and see the Lights I think they are fabulous and I like to go inside to see all the Christmas trees and displays. But for the last two or three years I have not gone due to my family not wanting to go. So I made a promise to myself that this year I will be going if I have to go by myself or not. It give me a renewed sense of peace within myself and another testament as to why I joined the church in the first place. I also made a promise to myself that I will put my needs ahead of my families for the first time in my life and do what I have to do to make myself happy. I have not been to happy in the past few years due to the fact that I have always put their needs first. My boys are big enough to make do for themselves once in a while.

We are going on a cruise in about a month and my boys think they are going to be staying home alone, but they have another think coming if they think I am going to allow that. I do trust them to a point but to be home alone for 5 days I DON'T THINK SO! So I will have to find someone to keep an eye on them for me. Any volunteers???

Sadness ;o(

2010-12-20T11:46:00.000-08:00

On Saturday it would have been my dad's 72nd birthday. I tried not to think about it to much but couldn't help but do so and realize how much I miss him. Even though there were a few years that we did not have a relationship I still loved him because he was my dad. I can still remember his stupid, silly jokes and sayings and they still make me laugh today. He was a great cook and he loved to garden as well.

He passed away about 9 years ago and I still remember the day because I had just moved into a new apartment and he was admitted into the hospital so my sister and I decided that we would go up to see him. We did not even get to start on our way before he passed. We ended up going and helping with the funeral and all. It was a very nice service and I got to see a lot of my relatives that I had not seen in a long time.

I will always have fond memories of my dad and have forgotten the bad ones. I miss you daddy and I love you always.

State Champions

2010-12-03T08:46:00.000-08:00

Well it has been since 1997 since we were Football Class 3A State Champions! The football team did an amazing job last night beating the Franklin Indians from Reisterstown, MD 21-14. The boys were so excited after the game with tears of joy running down their tired and exhausted faces. It was a rough season going into the play offs with an 8-3 record, but we persevered to beat Atholoton Raiders, then on to beat Riverhill Hawks whom both had great seasons with only 1 or 2 losses each. Then onward to VICTORY against the Damascus Hornets with a 21-14 win to the #1 one team in the 3A division with a 12-0 record. After that game our wonderful Wilde Cats knew they could win states with the positive attitude they had going into all the games. In the end they did what everyone thought they could not do, Wilde Lake was and always has been considered the underdog in football for the past few years, but now they are back on top. Coach Harrison deserves a great pat on the back for believing in his team that they could do what they needed to do to win the Championship game. My hats are off to the boys and their well deserved win. GO CATS!

WOW--what changes

2010-11-30T06:17:00.000-08:00

Well, since my major melt down a few weeks ago things have changed around my home for the better to. The boys have been doing better with picking things up and putting stuff away. Although they have not improved on doing their chores on their own but they are starting to get the hint that I am not their maid.

I was hoping that football was going to be over when we played against Atholton but nope we won that game. Then when we were slated to play River Hill I just knew that since we had not beat them in years that we would surely lose-----Nope we beat them too. So when we were facing the #1 team in the 3A East conference I knew (since we lost to them big time about 3 years ago) that there was no way that we were going to beat Damascus High School. But that was the third strike and I lost that bet too. So now we are on to the State Championship Playoffs on Thursday December 2, 2010. The last time we were there was in 2007 when Steven was a sophomore at Wilde Lake now that Shawn is a sophomore at Wilde Lake we are going again. I hope we win that would be amazing since this is our Varsity Coaches 2nd year as Head Coach. I will keep you updated.

Ron and I have been attending marriage classes taught by a great couple in our ward that the church is encouraging people to attend and I for one can say that it has improved our relationship a lot since we started this class. We are communicating better and able to control our anger towards each other better as well. I can see the changes in our home life as well as our relationship with each other as well. I guess I just needed a kick in the butt to realize what I needed to work on as much as what we each needed to work on.

Well, I will try to post more on the changes that are happening in our family as we go on this path of life. Here's to starting the CHRISTmas season with a good feeling and lots of love to all my friends and family.

Major Melt Down

2010-11-09T06:44:00.000-08:00

So last night I got home and once again no one had done anything to help around the house but yet they were all watching TV, playing video games or on the computer. I left the house at 5:30 and did not go home until 9:30 PM took my insulin shot, got ready for bed and have not spoken to anyone since 5:30 PM the night before. I am still mad about how lazy everyone has gotten in my house. I work hard and for them not to help out is just not right. I may have to run away from home for a few days just to get my sanity back.

Teenagers

2010-11-08T11:44:00.000-08:00

UUGGHH! I am having so many difficulties with my youngest son right now that I just want to SCREAM! He is pushing his limits with me to the very end of a short rope right now. I have gotten so many emails and phone calls from teachers about his performance or lack of in class, or his clowning around in class, not doing homework, making inappropriate comments or just being disruptive. What am I going to do??? He hates seminary, church, boy scouts, school, me, his life. I know that each child is different and we need to treat them as so, but why was Steven so easy and Shawn so difficult? He talks to me as if he is annoyed that I even have the audacity to speak to him. He has not respect for anyone but himself, he is very chauvinistic in his thoughts and actions (where he picked this up from I haven't a clue), it is beneath him to do anything that I ask and he feels that I should be his maid, chef and whatever else he deems beneath him to do. What can I do, say, what? When I tell people about it they are shocked that Shawn would be like that and I tell them you only see what he wants you to see. I am at my wits end with this child.

Rainy Days and Mondays Always Gets Me Down!

2010-10-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

Well to start off this was a MONDAY and it was Raining. Then someone hit my car and I find out that a "High School Coach" was not man enough to tell my son something to his face that he had to have some of his peers tell him. What kind of person does that? In my opinion it is someone who is not coaching material. All due respect to my son I will not confront this person about his mistake in handling something that should have been done in private or just kept his mouth quiet about it until that season had come about. I don't think that I want my son playing for that type of coach. Any suggestions?

Going Private

2010-09-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone--

I am going to make this blog private so if you want to be added to my list please let me know and I will add. I will make this effective in 2 weeks.

Thanks for understanding

Myths

2010-08-19T06:15:00.000-07:00

There are some myths that go around about people with DII. One is that you can't eat anything with sugar in it----NOT SO! People with DII can eat anything that other people do but in moderation. I need can eat cake, cookies, chips, pumpkin bread and any other crazy thing I want, but I choose not to over indulge. DII people need to eat more fruits, vegetables and proteins than other people. We need to really watch our Carb intake that is what makes you have a spike in your sugar levels and is the main thing that produces to much insulin in your body.

Like the Health Care Providers are telling people you need to get back to the basics of life and eating a more well balanced diet is the truth. I can remember back when I was growing up we grew our own vegetables and canned them to last through out the winter months and they usually did. We would have frozen beans, corn, canned carrots, my mother even one year made her own ketchup which was spicy but it was good. Canning these days is almost a lost art. We didn't have cookies and cakes and chips every day available to us we had fresh fruits, vegetables the other stuff was for special occasions only. I had forgotten how much I love vegetables and fruit until I was diagnosed with DII and now am getting back to loving to eat these things. I wish I lived in a house with a large yard to be able to put in a garden.

So if you see me eating a cookie (although I mostly choose not to these days) don't sweat it it's OK to have it in MODERATION as with all things. I do need to start drinking more water though and am working on it but with lots of years with out forcing myself to drink it I have to retrain my body and mind.

The average persons blood sugar reading in the morning should be between 70 and 100. Mine was 110 which having DII is pretty darn good. Also, after you eat your sugar levels (if you eat properly) should only raise 20-30 points. Most days I do good but there are stress days that it doesn't. We will touch on that another time.

Changes

2010-08-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

Well I decided to change up my blog a little bit. I have diabetes II and for the past two years I have been watching what I eat and exercising more than I have in the past. If you don't know what Diabetes II is it is also called Adult Onset Diabetes but even teenagers can get it as well. With DII (diabetes II) your body produces to much sugar and your liver and pancreas don't know what to do with it so it stays in your blood stream. You can become very drowsy and sleepy all the time, not much energy, have to go to the bathroom a lot and it even cause sleeplessness at night. It is not a fun disease to have. Most people think that only overweight people have it---NOT TRUE! I went to a diabetes education class and there were people of all shapes and sizes in the class. Some you wold look at and think they look like they could not have it at all, but it is a quiet disease and people you think might have it don't and people you think couldn't possible have it do. It is not picky about who it contracts itself with.

SO I have started working out at Curves after work three nights a week and I have lost 4.50 inches around my stomach and lost a few pounds (can't remember how much at this time) it is a gym for women only and I have met some amazing women there and they have told as well as showed me there weight losses and they are astounding. I feel better going there and my family notices that I am a happier person and they encourage me to keep on going. That alone is such a great affirmation to me that they want me to be happy and do what makes me smile.

In the new changes I will try to blog as much as possible about how my blood sugar reading are doing as well as my Curves workouts. They a great system there called Curves Smart where it tells you how well you are working your target areas and how many calories you burn during that session. So here's to wishing me luck!

Goodness

2010-08-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

I am at my wits end on trying to get my 17 year-old to follow my directions. He thinks because he is a "High School Graduate" soon to be "College Student" that he can just come and go as he pleases and do what ever he wants. Well sorry son you can't and if you don't like it tough! I told him if he is living in my home he has to follow my rules---well that lasted all of one day. So I told him that when he turns 18 he can start paying room and board, move out on his own or follow my rules living in my house eating my food and using my utilities. That got him to thinking that he better settle down. I also told him that he needs to maintain a 3.0 average in College or he will have to pay for it for himself. It may seem that I am being overly strict and demanding, but I grew up with no boundaries in my life and feel that if I had some that I could have done better for myself. I lived on my own since I was 18 and I want better for my kids and more for them out of life than what I had. I love my boys with all of my heart and soul but all kids need boundaries in life.

The past few months have been a whirlwind of emotions, struggles and some accomplishments but it seems the accomplishments are getting farther and farther apart. I need to just purge all the junk from my home and life and I get more frustrated each and every day that I put it off. I am going to just have to stop procrastinating and bite the bullet and get rid of all the junk. As my friend the lovely mother of all children says "I choose" and I need to choose what is best for me. Thank you oh lovely Mother of All, love you to pieces.

Graduation

2010-05-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

I still can not believe my oldest son is going to graduate High School next week. It just does not seem possible. The one good thing about him graduating is that he will be attending HCC in the fall so he will still be around. That is until he goes on his mission. Then I will be really sad to see him leave for two years with only two phones allowed a year. ***SIGH***

He is a good kid and he surely loves his momma. He is the one with the big cheesy smile but then again that is just the way he is and I love him to pieces.

Names!

2010-05-05T13:11:00.000-07:00

I know this may seem like a I am making a big deal out of something so small but it bothers and has bothered me since before my son was born. My oldest sons name is Steven, not Steve, Steveo or any other form of Steven that you can think of. I wish people would call him Steven! It start before he was born with my sister saying that "oh, you will be calling him Steve before he is one.". NOT happening and will not happen! There is someone I know who insists on calling him Steve and no matter how many times I tell him his name is Steven not Steve he refuses to stop calling him Steve. I have turned the other cheek so many times around this person that they are starting to get bruises on them. I just want to tell him how rude he is by calling him that, but I get so frustrated with this person as well as other people get frustrated by him as well for other things he has said or done to their kids as well. So how would you deal with this person?? It's not like we can avoid him since they have contact with him every day.

How's married life??????

2010-04-30T08:56:00.001-07:00

So many people have been asking me how I like being married????!!! Well it has only been 3 weeks since we have been married, but so far it's like just before except he is always around. It seems surreal to me how comfortable and easy we have adjusted to being married and living together. I mean we had been seeing each other for about say 7-8 years, even though we've know each other for 10 years this coming October. I really did not like Ron when I first met him, I thought he was rude and arrogant and just plain mean! But, once I got to know him, figured out it was just his shyness around people he didn't know.

But back to the real issue......I like being married, in fact it is nice to have someone to worry about me and my boys for a change as well as having someone taking care of me for a change. Granted I don't know how long this "honeymoon" will last but I am going to take advantage and enjoy it while it lasts.

The boys seem to have adjusted extremely well to having Ron around all the time too. Sometimes they will just go ask him if they can do things or if Ron is home they will not call me to tell me that they are home from school, practice etc., kinda makes me miss it.

It is also nice to have someone to just be able to let them handle some things and to hold me when I have had a bad day, just as long as he keeps massaging my feet for me I will be a happy woman! I told him you know the old saying....Happy Wife, Happy Life.

WHEW!

2010-04-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it, we got married. It was a very beautiful day and I was so thankful that it was a nice sunny but windy day. I was very surprised at how many people showed up to show us their love and support to us at the Temple for our marriage ceremony and for the sealing of Steven and Shawn to us for all time and eternity.

I could not look at any of my friends that were so supportive and helpful to make my day special as I would have started crying and would not have been able to stop. Kim, Laurie, Karen, Tami, Regina, Mitzi, Paloma, Lisa and Kim K., are the most wonderful women in my life. They planned every little detail and carried it out to make it run so smoothly. If I have forgotten anyone please forgive me as I was overwhelmed and still am at the love you showed for me and Ron that day as well as the days that proceeded the wedding. Kelly made a lovely cake for the reception that looked like a professional cake decorator made it, but she did it out of love for us and because she likes to do that sort of thing. My friend Ann and her husband Glenn for saying the prayer at the Ring ceremony and the Bishop for over seeing the ceremony. A special thanks to Debra and Dave for the use of their beautiful farmhouse for the reception and to Chris and Bonnie for doing a wonderful job on the landscaping, flowers and cleaning up of the farmhouse for the wedding. It would not have turned out as beautiful as it did with out all of you.

My cousin Vanessa sang so beautifully at the ring ceremony that their wasn't to many dry eyes in the place. I was so overjoyed that Vanessa's mother and my Aunt Daughn and my cousins Mindy and Gary came, as well as my mother, oldest brother Jim, his wife Bonnie, my niece Jessica and her mother Michelle and my two college roommates Lisa and Elisa.

The boys looked so handsome in their tuxedos that I couldn't help but cry a little. Ron was very handsome as well and I have never seen him smile so much in my life. The reception was amazing as I was shocked and overjoyed to see so many of my friends come that I have not seen in a long time as well as all my co-workers showed up. We are still receiving gifts that Ron is awed by how many people love us. As my friend Susan said to us on Saturday night it was the wedding of the century that a lot of people have been waiting for, for a long time (she wasn't kidding).

Thank you again to all my friends that donated their time, food and all around love and support to us YOU are all amazing and we love all you to bits.

One Week to GO

2010-04-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

Goodness how time had flown by! In one week I will be married to the man I truly love with all my heart, mind and soul. He is my soul mate, my rock, my better half (what a better half he is), my eternal love. He is started to get a little excited about it as well, but if you know Ron he does not let people that he does not know very well anyways, know he is getting excited. He is in such a good mood these days that people are commenting on it. Well you know he is getting married to me and that as Martha says, It's a good thing! The boys are getting excited to they are very happy that he finally stepped up and asked. They love him just as much as I do.

Although my cat Misty will not be happy that she will not be allowed to sleep with me anymore. She thinks she is the Queen of the castle. She was highly upset when I went to visit my mother when she was sick and Ron came and stayed with the boys. He slept in my bed, fixed a few things and she was not happy. She used to like him a lot but now she wants nothing to do with him. So it will be real interesting when he moves in.

Well I hope to see all of you at the wedding and the reception.

YIPEE!

2010-03-24T05:57:00.000-07:00

Steven just accepted at SVU (Southern Virginia University) and on top of that he received scholarships as well. The Lord has and is blessing this family in so many ways these days. He is so Wonderful! Steven was so excited that I swear he was smiling in his sleep last night because this morning he got up and got ready for Seminary and school with no grumbling or hassles and actually got to eat breakfast before he left instead of as he is walking out the door.

Now comes the fun part to figure out how much grant money he gets etc. Well with him we will know what to expect when Shawn gets to this point. On another note, we finally received the date for Steven's graduation which is June 2, 2010 at 12:00 Noon. I can't believe that he is old enough to graduate from High School and then going off to College, then the next thing you know he will be leaving on his mission. Which he wants to go to Australia for.......my baby is growing to fast. Sigh. To all you parents out there don't let your babies grow up. Keep them small for as long as you can. I just know my heart is going to be breaking when I have to take him to college, of course you know I am going to cry and have many sleepless nights for a while.

Bridal Shower

2010-03-18T06:36:00.000-07:00

WOW is all I can say. I have some truly wonderful, amazing, awesome, fantastic and lovely friends. They gave me a bridal shower last night and I was truly amazed and awed by how many people came for me. I am not used to having so many people shower me with such love. I was up much later than my usual bed time (9-9:30 PM) looking at all the wonderful gifts that people gave to Ron and I for our new home that we will be making together.

Of course we played a game as I was opening the gifts and of course I was slightly embarrassed by some of the questions that were asked. By it was all in the sense of fun so it was nice. They had the most beautiful cake that was done in dark and light purple colors with a beautiful flower arrangement on top that Regina did. They had dark and light purple M&M's as well. I felt truly well loved.

I took my future MIL and she had a great time and said that she would have to come to more functions that I invite her to since she felt like a part of the group. YEAH! Thanks to all my friends for making her feel so welcome. She doesn't always feel comfortable with people but she laughed and felt at home.

Knowing what truly awesome people I have in my life makes me get more excited about my upcoming wedding than the scared feeling that has seem to be taking over. What a blessing it is to have such wonderful people in my life and in my boys life as well.

27 Days and Counting.......

2010-03-13T10:12:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we ordered our wedding bands and I went and picked them up last night and boy do they sure look pretty. I am getting more and more excited as the days get closer. This next week is sure turning out to be a busy one. Monday I have a meeting, Tuesday I am visit teaching, Wednesday, I get my hair colored, final dress fitting, Shawn has a lacrosse game at 4 so I told Ron he had to go to that, At 7 on Wednesday is my bridal shower. Thursday Steven has a scrimmage, we are supposed to spend the day at the temple, Friday Ron has a band gig and I think I want to go with him, Saturday is the start of Stake Conference and I know there is something else going on but for the life of me I can't remember what.

The boys are at Lacrosse practice now and then I think after next week the scrimmages will be over and the regular season starts. Steven is so excited that the team voted him a captain for Lacrosse, YEAH Steven! Shawn is just excited to be able to play that he thinks he may be a starter as well, GO Shawn. Life is getting busier by the minute and I can't wait until I am Mrs. Ronald Hutchison. Ron informed me today that he is cleaning out some of his stuff which is funny because he has a lot of stuff.

We want to see if friends of ours are serious about selling their townhouse and how much they are asking for it. It is a nice sized townhome and would be the perfect size for us. So keep your fingers crossed.

Not Far Now Papa Smurf!

2010-03-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

Well it is a month away that I will be married in the Temple for all time and eternity to the love of my life. On Sunday I had my interview with President Johnson for my temple recommend to get married in the Temple and I love talking to him. He is a very profound man and he is wise beyond his years. Some people say that he intimidates them, but I for one don't think that. He gave me some great wisdom to think about and adhere to before and after I am married. As each day goes by I think and reflect on what he told me and I can't help but smile as I ponder the scriptures and his words seem to reflect themselves in what I am reading.

I went and had my yearly eye exam so that I could have contacts for my wedding. I had contacts many years ago but with trying to deal with two babies it was too difficult to do on a daily basis when I could just slip on my glasses. Ron told me that I looked good in contacts and coming from him makes me feel special since he does not give compliments very easily. I text my son Steven and he said nice, I told him that "your momma looks HOT" he was laughing and knowing him he had a big smile on his face and the people around him were wondering what he was laughing and smiling about.

So back to the wedding, I can't wait I am getting more and more excited as well as nervous each day that it gets closer. One of the best things (besides marrying Ron) is that my favorite cousin, my fathers oldest living sister, my favorite brother, my niece and her mom and my college roommate are all coming for the wedding. Not to mention all my sisters in Christ are doing an amazing awesome job with helping me to prepare for the event. I am so glad that I have them in my life, they are WONDERFUL WOMEN OF CHRIST!

2nd fitting-DONE

2010-02-26T12:52:00.000-08:00

Well on Wednesday we had my second fitting and they still had to take it in a little more. My dress makes me feel like a princess, I still can not believe that I am getting married in six (6) weeks. GULP! A few things that are good about this is that some of my family from New York are planning on coming YEAH! Since joining the Church I have found out that I love my family and I sure did miss a lot of my cousins growing up after my parents got divorced and I am so thankful that I am making up for lost time now.

So the cake has been ordered and it is going to be beautiful (Thanks Kelly)! Now we need to talk hair, make-up, flowers, reception food and the list goes on and on. but I am starting to get nervous even more so than last post.

Oh yeah I also bought my shoes and they are kind of slipper like shoes and I just love them. Off to do some more planning have a great day.

UPDATE!

2010-02-19T05:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I got my shoes for the wedding which are ballet type shoes and are so cute! We picked out the wedding cake and how we want it done. Kelly really rocks on these things and I can't thank her enough for offering to make our cake and make it affordable to us. Invitations will be mailed on 2/20/10. The food I am going to leave up to my friends Aldi and Susan to decide since that will be one less thing I have to worry about. Got to get with Regina on the Flowers, Paloma on the hair, Karen on the make-up gotta buy rings, license, temple recommends........and the list still goes on and on and on and on and on...........

GULP!

2010-02-09T21:08:00.000-08:00

So it is about eight weeks until I am supposed to marry for all time and eternity with Ron. But I am having difficulties sleeping and thinking (which is really a bad thing for me to do) about all that needs to get done and will I get it done on time, why did Heavenly Father choose us to be together. We have gone through a few rough patches and he has had to deal with all the issues I have with certain members of my family and he still is sticking by me. Will I be a good enough wife for him, to him, am I good enough for him? Will this wedding turn out the way I want it to? I don't have enough time in the day for all that I need to do and yet I am not sleeping either. There are nights that I just sit in my bed and cry and I can't stop myself. I guess that coming from a very dysfunctional family and always feeling like I am not good enough is catching back up to me as well as the feeling that I will never amount to anything. I go to the scriptures and some days/nights they help and other time it doesn't. I am the type of person who will not ask people for help and that I know is a bad thing to do because I need to stop holding things in but I just can't help myself. I miss my best friend who always was there for me and I know that if she were here in Maryland she would just know that I need her without me saying anything.

I truly love Ron with all my heart and soul and can't wait to marry him but it is so hard to stop these doubts that I have. I guess I will have to continue to pray to Heavenly Father and wait for his answer. We all go through trials and tribulations and we come out strong in the end but I hate having to go through them. I can not and will not let the evil one keep these negative thoughts in my head any longer he has no control over me or my prosperity. I feel so much better now that I have let this all out. Thanks for listening.

Oh no it's almost time!

2010-01-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

Well as of this coming Saturday it will be only Three (3) months til I marry the love of my life to spend time and all eternity with him. YIKES! It sure has gone by fast. I still have lots to do like get a veil, slip, some other unmentionables, shoes, figure out the food, flowers, the cake, send out invitations gulp! I did get the invitations bought we just have to print them out. Ron has this really great printer at work that uses crayon type ink to print things and it looks great when done. I just hope that I don't forget to invite someone to the wedding, get real nervous during the ceremony and get sick or something, or cry for that matter.

Before the wedding day even gets here I have so much going on in my life that I am certain I will forget something that I need/have to do. I am starting to get really nervous about this and sometimes I ask Ron why don't we just run away and get married then come back???? He says it would upset to many people.

I know that with my Heavenly Fathers help I will survive and be able to get things done as well as a great bunch of Sisters to help. I just love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. There are so many wonder people in the church and makes me wonder why I did not search out this church before? Of course you know I grew up Methodist and in a very dysfunctional family so I only heard negative things about other religions. But then I met the love of my life and he introduced me to the church and as they say the rest is history. Now I just need to remember to breathe and everything will work out for the best. Right????

Dress Update

2009-12-07T12:34:00.000-08:00

Well after a trip to two different Bridal shops I saw some that I really liked, but they would have to be altered to be made modest and I did not want to have to pay for those alterations. So I decided that on a whim I would check out Ebay and guess what????? JACKPOT! I placed a bid on a very modest gown and won. Boy was I surprised at that. So I got a nice expensive dress for a VERY modest price. I can't wait to see it. It has never been worn and was a floor model in my size. So there may be some minor alterations and a dry cleaning bill but the savings I made on this dress will more then pay for them. YEAH ME!

Shopping for the Dress......UGH!

2009-12-01T08:34:00.000-08:00

You know I hate to shop as it is and now I have to try and find a dress I like to wear for the wedding. So this past Saturday we went to Columbia Bridal just to see what we could find. Good gracious are they pricey. I found one maybe two that I liked that were modest. So now tomorrow brings another round of dresses to try on at David's Bridal, nothing like being paraded around like cattle when you are trying on dresses. The things we do for the men in our lives. I would like to see him have to do this stuff as well. Oh wait he will on Saturday when we go find him and the boys Tux's to wear for the wedding I can't wait. I will update you all on what happens tomorrow and on Saturday when the boys have to parade around like peacocks. HA!

Date Change!

2009-11-18T19:28:00.000-08:00

Well, we had to change the date of our wedding to April 9, 2010 due to the Rose Ball on the 24th. President Johnson told me that I should still have it on the 24th and then just bring everyone to the ball--cheap reception the food would be provided as well as a band and everyone would be dressed right. But I can't do that I want it to be all about me! Doesn't every bride? I still feel like this is surreal, like it is a dream and I am going to wake up at any minute and someone will yell fooled you! NOT FUNNY!

I ordered my ring on Saturday and it should be here on Friday or Tuesday at the latest. What an adventure that was. I had a diamond from my mom that we has reset so all we had to do was find a nice setting simple right? Wrong! Went to several different jewelery stores and boy was there a big price difference. One tried to tell us we needed to have a platinum prongs to protect the diamond. One was totally clueless, one wanted us to wait until the big event they were having and it would be only $700.00-$1000.00 (YIKES)! But we found the perfect one at Reed's Jewelers in the Columbia Mall. The guy was funny, friendly informative and didn't try to sell me something I did not want. I guess now I need to find a dress (and money to buy it), invitations, party favors etc. anyone want to help? I guess we will have to take it one day at a time.

Wedding Date

2009-11-02T12:32:00.001-08:00

We have chosen April 24, 2010 for the wedding date. I am still in shock myself. Thanks for all the wonderful wishes.

It's really happening!

2009-10-29T06:23:00.001-07:00

Well after 7 years it has finally happened! Ron has proposed to me and we will be getting married. I am still in shock. It happened two weeks ago when we were discussing some things after a disagreement and he just popped the question. Talk about being speechless. I told some of my friends last night and boy did the heads start spinning with details or what colors, where to have the reception, a dress etc. I surely do have some awesome friends (of course this all started after they picked their mouths up off the floor). So keep tuned in and I will tell you of my adventures in getting married.

Holy Cow!

2009-10-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

Just got back from the Doctors and I thought that I was going to have a bad report on my sugar level, blood work and weight loss. WRONG! My levels have been great even with a few bad days of high sugar reading. I lost another 8 pounds bringing it to a grand total of 54 lbs lost never to bee seen again. Blood work was wonderful as well, brought my cholesterol level down, A1C was 5.9 (which is fantastic for a diabetic) and my liver functions are normal as well. YEAH ME!

As I go through this daily life changing process it is hard. You need to watch what you eat and how much. I watch my carb intake a lot and once I have had all my carbs for the day it's no more eating for me and you know what I feel great, sleep better and that is what it is all about folks!

I DID IT! YEAH ME!

2009-06-19T10:05:00.000-07:00

I lost another 9 pounds bringing it to a total of 46 pounds lost never to be found again. Another thing I found out when I went to the Doctor's was that my liver functions are back to normal, A1C is 6.7 which for someone with Diabetes is an great number. My other test were great except my cholesterol which was a tiny bit too high, but based on my diabetes medicine it was to be expected so I just need to take a new medicine to help bring it down and keep on working out, eating right and generally watching my Carb intake because it is all about the carbs in food and not the sugar. I had taken a Diabetes Education class last week and boy was it ever very informative and I learn a lot of things that I never knew and had some old things brought up to date.

Most of the people who were the educators in the class all had diabetes or have been working in this field for a long time, they just returned back from the diabetes conference in New Orleans and were able to inform us of the newest discoveries and guess what there wasn't that many. The main focal points are the same as they have always been. Diet, exercise, take your meds and lose weight.

I want to thank all my friends and family members for supporting me and loving me as they do as well as Heavenly Father for showing me that I am somebody.

This and that

2009-06-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

Well this weekend was crazy busy. First on Friday we had to take the dog to the vet, by the way in case you didn't know we adopted a Siberian Husky from the Animal Control, and he was not happy. Shawn finally got a hair cut and is much happier these days. Then we started cleaning house knowing that we would not have time to do much on Saturday. On Saturday we had to get up early because Shawn had a Lacrosse game at 9:00 Am and my mother was going to come and watch him play. She got there during the Third quarter, we lost the game so it was about 10:15 before we got done. Went back to the house so my mom could see where we lived and then she left at 11:30 AM. My mom lives in Florida and had come up to Maryland on Tuesday to see my niece graduate and she is leaving tomorrow. We then had to take the dog back to the Vet to get his shots because I forgot to take his records with me on Friday. Shawn was with Ron so Steven and I decided to get lunch and by that time I had a massive migraine. I was supposed to go to a baby shower but with the migraine I just went to sleep, got up about 4 hours later and has to take Steven to work and go to the store to get the items to make cheesecakes. Came home and made two cheesecakes one plain and one chocolate.

On Sunday got up and went to church, had lunch with some friends as we had a friend visiting from out of town. Took Steven to work, came home and took the dog on a long walk, in the mean time Shawn broke the toilet so Ron had to come and fix that, he also replaced a light fixture in my hallway that was as UGLY as sin. I think it was a model from the 60's. (Shudder) Picked Steven up from work and went to bed. I was thinking well, next weekend should be less active, but nope the next 6 weekends are going to be just as busy. I thought my life would get easier once school was out----silly me!

8 Lbs to Go! YEAH ME!

2009-05-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

So I took Shawn to the Doctors today for his physical and I decided since he goes to the same practice as I do that I would weigh myself. I was hoping to get a good number. And boy did I ever. I have lost 7 lbs in a month so that brings it a total of 37lbs since last July that I have lost. I have only 20 days to lose 8 more lbs. I want to lose 45 lbs by my 45th birthday. Think I can do it? Don't think I can? Well what do you think?

Thankful for the blessing in my life!

2009-05-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

You know life can be hard and terrifying as well. Before I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints my life was in such a spiraling down turn. There were two people in my life that seemed to want to control it and I let them (silly me). It took me a long time and a good therapist to finally break the chain that they had over me. I fell in love with a wonderful man and he introduced me to the Church. I was in such a down turn that I was looking for love wherever I could find it and it was not a nice picture either, but it did give me my two wonderful boys. They are my greatest gift I could have from Heavenly Father. My sons are handsome, polite, funny, goofy, smart, athletic and just really nice boys. I get many complements on how well behaved and respectful they are and I would like to thank everyone who tells me that it is so nice to know that.

Since joining the church my life has been blessed in so many ways--I have some wonderful sisters in the church that make my life a joy and knowing that they are there if I ever need them makes it even more special. I have been able to pay a full tithe to the church, purchase a home and provide for my family in a way I never thought possible. I love going to the Temple and being able to give all my troubles to Heavenly Father to deal with and when I leave the Temple I feel like all my burdens have been lifted and I need not worry about them anymore as they have all been left behind at his door. I love the peacefulness of the grounds at the Temple as well as i have always felt at home in the visitors center before I became a member of the True Church on the earth today. I have some wonderful visiting teachers and home teachers that truly exemplify there callings and do them faithfully every month and we love them and look forward to seeing them every month.

My children and I have a great testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel and know for a fact that we have a true living prophet on the earth today. If you want to know our stories just ask we will be happy to tell you it.

411 for all who might be interested

2009-05-06T07:49:00.000-07:00

Well it has been about 2 weeks since I started insulin shots and in that two week period I have felt so good. I mean I am actually sleeping all night long and waking up in a good mood and believe me that has not happened in a long time. My kids have said to me that now I am to cheery in the morning and they can't handle it. I told to get used to it cause it's gonna continue for a long time. I have even gone back to the gym and started to work out again, I am feeling the pain of not working out as much as I used to (been walking on the treadmill at home)but it is helping me to get my sugars under control. My sugar readings have gone down and a few times it has been between 80-110 which is where a normal blood reading should be.

My son Shawn has been playing in a HC Lacrosse league through the park and rec here in Howard County Maryland and loving every minute of it. At least until Monday night when a kid from the other team tripped him up and he fell real hard and fast on his shoulder and now it is separated. I think he loves all the attention he is getting especially from the girls, but I made him sleep with out the sling on last night so that he could get some motion going to his shoulder. He woke up this morning and said that it wasn't as painful to move this morning. I told him that in order for it to heal you need to move it around a little each day so you don't lose the range of motion of your shoulder but not to go to extremes. He loves playing Lacrosse and hopes that he will be able to play the last few games (me to). He has stated that he wants to continue to go to practice and the games so that he can support his team. I thought that was very nice of him to still want to be there for the other kids and very sportsman like as well.

Now on to Steven---what can I say about him. He is such a nice kid and he loves his job working at Ritas ice in Harpers Choice village center. He had brought his grades up in school and he has informed me that he does not want to play Lacrosse next year and I told him that was his decision. He was promised lots of things but they have not been delivered so i do not blame him for not wanting to play. I can't believe that he will be graduating from High School next year and Shawn will be starting high school. YIKES.

I hope you all have a great and blessed life, til next time PEACE OUT!

Time to get real serious folks

2009-04-22T06:40:00.000-07:00

I had been diagnosed with diabetes II about 10 years ago and have been keeping it under control until recently. Even though I have managed to lose 30 lbs in 9 months my sugar levels (AC1), liver functions and cholesterol have gone wacko on me. So I went to see an Endocrinologist, which is a Doctor that specializes in diabetes. Now I have to take insulin shots at night to help bring down my fasting blood sugars. I have taken two doses so far and it has brought down my levels from 267 to 165 which is a lot considering your fasting sugars should be between 80 and 110. I have watched what I have been eating for a while and added exercising to the mix which has helped me to lose the weight. Now I am being extra careful to watch what I eat. My primary care doctor is a wonderful person and very concerned with her patients and she is a very in your face in your life kind of Doctor she takes the time to listen to you and wants nothing more than to have you be a healthy person. I have gotten calls from her as late as 8:00 PM just so she can tell you your test results or to see how you are doing. I am glad that I found her through my friend Ann and she is just the type of Dr. I need in my life.

Tomorrow I have to go have a sonogram on my liver to find out what is happening there. So for tonight I have to have a fat free dinner, no dairy and nothing after Mid-night. I can take my meds in the morning with water but that is all. So it will be a very interesting day tomorrow since my appt. is at 9:00 AM and I will not be able to eat or drink until after the test.

What is really nice about all this is that Ron is so concerned and very active in helping me to maintain and do everything that I need to do. He wanted to go to my first appointment with Dr. Argento but he could not get out of his job on Monday, but he did come over to see how to inject my insulin shots. Those of you who know me should know what a big sissy I am about shots. I hate them and I can not give my self one for nothing. So Ron, my friend Kim, Steven (my son), and my friend Lori have all graciously volunteered to give them to me. If you want to help just let me know and we will add you to the list of shot givers.

If you want to know more about diabetes II just go to www.diabetes.org and it has a wealth of information about bout juvenile diabetes and diabetes II. Thanks for all your support.

Update on losing weight

2009-04-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I went for my 3 month check up for my Diabetes II progress. But first let me back up to my January visit. I went in and found out that i had lost more weight (see previous posting) and had my blood drawn (gross) which occurs at every visit and I waited and waited and waited to hear about my results. Since I had not heard anything from my doctor I just naturally figured that everything was fine. Boy was I wrong about that! She told me that she was so upset about the results that she was scared to call me. Due to the fact that I had been losing weight my AC1 should have been going down and it was not, so we sat down and figured out what was wrong and adjusted my Actos medicine which is one of my diabetic pills. so we are hoping that with this adjustment that things will go back down. So now we wait until we get the results from this round and hoping everything is going the way it should. In case you didn't know your AC1 levels should be a 7 or below and this is how they know that your sugar levels (insulin) are functioning properly. Well back to the up date I have lost another 5 lbs so that makes a total of 30 lbs lost so far. I am hoping to lose 45 lbs by the time I am 45 in June, but that will take an intense amount of working out and eating about 700-1000 calories a day and that my friends is like just eating nothing all day. But if I can at least lose 5-10 lbs til then I will be happy. I need to start increasing my work outs more and I know I can do it but I am the type of person who has to have someone come to my house and drag me out to do more than I already do. Any volunteers? Anyone? Oh well if you want to volunteer just let me know.

Cleaning--UUGGHH!

2009-04-03T08:01:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was cleaning up around the house (you know the most favorite thing that people like to do--NOT!) and I was vacuuming under the couch and one the boys left a sock under it and swoop there it is. It killed my vacuum and I was so upset that I threw the thing across the room (can you tell I was having a bad day?) so i decided to use the mini shark that we have for minor clean-ups and swoop there goes a cat toy up into the the stupid thing. So I gave up on cleaning that day and told my boys that I will now throw out any item that is where is should not be and if they don't like tough noogies. So I went to Ron's and told him what had happened of course he just laughed and then he showed me the consumer reports on vacuums and they had one from Hoover called a Temp Widepath that was to only be retailed for $80.00 at the most. I went on line to see where I could find one in a store and the only place was a Kmart---Hello all the Kmart's around here are gone so I decided to order it on line and now I am patiently waiting for it to arrive. It was supposed to be her as of Wednesday but it still is not. The dust bunnies are starting to run rampant in my house and who know soon it may just eat my cat. Not that that would bother me in least since it is mostly her fault that we have them with all of her cat hair every where. Oh well I can't wait to get me vacuum so I can see her run for her life when I turn it on. She doesn't like loud noises so she runs every time she see me getting any large object out. Scaredy Cat. I think I will have the boys go around and pick up all large objects and move the furniture as well so all the dust bunnies will not be able to hide from me. Run bunnies run as fast as you can I am going to be the vacuuming woman.

What a name---Julie's Joint

2009-03-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

How did I come up with Julie's joint? Well last fall (2008) I was helping to run the concession stand for the Football season and the boosters club president said next year this will be Julie's Joint so I guess it just stuck in my mind. If I could have had my way growing up I would be in business for myself right now with a little restaurant or cafe and I would love to have it named Julie's Joint. Now you might ask what would Julie's Joint serve? Well, I would have some serious home cooked food like pot roast with mashed potatoes, carrots and gravy. A meatloaf, with roasted potatoes and some green vegetable, maybe a great sandwich or two with homemade salad of some kind. Who knows the possibilities are endless. I would have my friend Joanne so all the baking cause she is some kind of baker. I make a mean cheesecake, but Jo makes everything else under the sun and then some. I have tried to replicate her recipes but they just don't taste the same. I like to cook for people but just don't have the time to do it lately but when I do let me know if you want to come to dinner some time and we will make it a date!

WARNING to those who have kids that will be Teens!

2009-03-06T13:11:00.000-08:00

If you do not have any teenagers than I need to give you a WARNING about how you will end up with two extra kids that you never thought you would have. The first kids name is "I Don't Know" and the second kids name is "Not Me". They will creep up on you when you least expect it and they will take the blame for everything. I mean everything for example----whose turn is it to do take out the trash---I Don't Knows turn or who left all the lights on----Not Me. Oh and there is this---How come you did so bad on the test?----I Don't Know----well did you study?--No. Why not? "I Don't Know". Just be aware that you have all been warned and don't blame me when they show up and invade your house and you lives for how long is yet to be determined. Have a great day everyone. <3

To The First Five People Who Read This Blog:

2009-02-25T09:47:00.000-08:00

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.

The catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!

I don't actually care if you post this on your blog or not. I just thought it was a fun and cute idea. So leave a comment!

The Temple

2009-02-24T11:47:00.000-08:00

Well today the youth of our church are going to the Washington DC Temple to do baptisms for the dead. I have a few names that are going to be done by my boys of my relatives some that I had never gotten to know and a few that I did know. I also have some names that need to have other ordinances done. I love going to the Temple and when I am there it is so nice to leave all my cares at the front door, I am so relaxed when I leave that I don't ever want to go out the door. I know once I leave all the cares I left at the door will still be there, but I know that I have gained a lot of insight as to what I need to do to get rid of them. At times I wonder how I will ever get ahead and then when I do get a little ahead it seems that I have more trials waiting for me or the ones I thought I had gotten rid of seem to have grown larger. I like going with Ron but I love when I get to go with just the "girls" and we have such a great time together. I need to go more often to the Temple and I hate going by myself, I love the drive down to be able to talk to someone but with our busy lives and the fact that I can only go after 5 PM or on Saturday is hard for me to find someone to go with. But I know that I need and I have made a promise with God that I will go more often in 2009 so I just need to get my rear in gear and go! So if anyone who is able to go wants to go in the evening sometime just let me know.

I remember the first time I went to the Temple I cried after wards and was so happy that so many friends of mine came and that they showed how much they really loved me and with all that I have been through in my life it is nice to know that I have so many great friends and if you are one that cam to my first session just know that I thank you so much and love each of you dearly.

They Grow up so Fast!

2009-02-17T09:06:00.000-08:00

It seems like yesterday that Steven was just born but alas time sure flies by. He is now sixteen and yesterday he went on a job interview and he got his first job. A big SOB to me that my first born is starting to take on some responsibility in his journey to become an adult. I can remember when he used to love Barney and the Bananas in Pajamas. Then along came the Power Rangers, the red one was his favorite then legos, video games (he still loves his video game)and now it's girls, driving, a job and then comes college, a mission, more college, GULP marriage and then babies. I sure am gonna miss my baby. I can also remember my favorite photo of him, he is sitting on my bed holding his stuffed pig my friend Kim noble gave to him when he was born and he was bald headed with the biggest grin on his face (remind me to show it to you sometime). He loved his pig, which by the way he still has in his closet but don't let him know I told you about it.

Just this morning Shawn and I were talking and he asked if he could get a cell phone and I told him not until he was 16 like his brother. I jokingly told him since he was only 12 he had a long way to go. Which he promptly reminded me he was 13 and would soon be 14. Nope I said you will always be my baby and therefore you will be 12 forever not going to happen being a teenager. He drives my crazy sometime with his teenage attitude. Sigh, like I said they grow up so fast so cherish your children each and every day as one day soon they will not be around. I guess i will have to adopt everyone's kids as my own soon.

It's that time again!

2009-02-11T10:09:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it is February and it's almost half over. Thus this starts a new season of craziness in my world as I know it. First we have Lacrosse starting and if that isn't bad enough both the boys are playing! Steven of course for Wilde Lake High School and Shawn will be playing with the Howard County Park and REC League. Shawn will be starting the middle of March and going until June 6th so every Saturday from then on I will be at the Cedar Lane Fields (I think) watching him play. Then any day that Steven has a game I will be at Wilde Lake High School. Plus Steven has SATs on March 14, 2009, I am thinking about letting him get his driving permit during Spring Break (YIKES) and of course we have the usual trying to clean house, laundry, time for myself for my own working out, scripture studying and just plain down time to relax. Then comes SUMMER---Boy Scout Camp, Football Camp, Lacrosse Camp, EFY, a week in Florida at Epcot then football try outs begin on august 15th and then School starts and with that comes FOOTBALL for both boys and I am running the Concession Stand for the next 4 years at least. Anyone want to trade places???? Anyone?? Hello anyone out there in this crazy mad world we live in? Of course you know I wouldn't trade it for the world I love being busy and supporting my boys.

Thankful for Smart kids with a head on their shoulders!

2009-02-06T13:16:00.000-08:00

We went to a discussion at the High School the other night for Steven to earn some extra credit points for one of his classes. The course discussion was on Branded D.U. I. and I for one thought it was a good discussion. There was a movie about some teenagers who were at parties and they were drinking and decided to drive after they had been drinking. They all were Maryland teenagers and even one was from Howard County. They all were convicted of one offense or another and even had to do some jail time, community service, classes, one was put on probation and she even had to pay her own way for the classes she had to take. Another girl had one of the breathing machines that would not let her start her car until she breathed into it and pass the test showing that she had not been drinking and that cost her $80.00 per month for at least year and if you add that up it comes to $960.00 that she paid for not her parents. So after the movie they had a juvenile court judge speak as well as the HC police officer in charge of liquor licenses talk and we got to ask questions. During the question and answer section we were told of how that officer broke up a party of Wilde Lake students that was serving alcohol and they also had drugs at this party. One girl ended up jumping off a 2nd story balcony and breaking her foot. I talked to Steven about it and he said yeah and half the kids that were at the party were also attending this discussion session. When I found out who had the party and who was there I was quite surprised at what kids had done this. I made a promise to Steven that if he was ever at a party and those kinds of things going on that he should call me and tell me he needed to leave and I would pick him up no questions asked. He stated that he already knew that he would/could do that and that he would comply. A couple of his friends were there and I told them the same thing that they could always call me and I would pick them up no questions asked and their parents echoed my thoughts and we are so thankful that we can count on each other and that our kids were smart enough to know that they could trust any one of us parents.

All of Stevens friends know that they can always come to me with anything and that I will help them no matter what and they keep telling me that they like that fact and now their parents know that my son will be able to come to them as well and we are all thankful for having such great and responsible kids.

Boys

2009-01-28T10:08:00.000-08:00

I hate when school is not in session. It seems that the boys do nothing but call my at work and complain that they are bored. I ask them if they have done their chores and I get the standard answer-----YES! But home i go home it all looks the same as when I left in the morning. If you look at their rooms you would think a tornado had hit them. Steven does not know what to do with a hanger, much less dresser drawers I often wonder why he has a dresser since everything is on the floor, on his bed, under the bed or in the closet. It takes me back to when I told the boys that I was going to purchase the condo that has three bedrooms and they can both have their own rooms. Steven was quick to say well I guess we will see who the cleaner one is of us now that we are going to have our own rooms. Like most siblings they always blame the other when the room that they shared was trashed but it was always the other ones fault. Well, I see that Steven wasn't entirely telling the truth about him being the less messy brother since his room is always the worst of the two. Shawn's clothes (most of them anyways) are either in the closet hung up crookedly or they are neatly laid across his night stand, but I can say that he things that belong in the dresser are in the dresser but just not the correct drawers.

Well you know how boys will be boys. Don;t get me wrong, I did grow up with four brothers and they were the same way. LOL. Now since they have "grown" up you would never know that they used to be so messy. SIGH, I guess I will have to wait until they move out and get their own places before they won't be so messy, but I guess I can live with that for now. LOL.

Decisions, decisions, decisions

2009-01-28T09:59:00.000-08:00

I am having a hard time believing that my oldest son is a junior in high school and will be a senior next year. There are so many decisions that have to be made this year and many many more for next year. He is currently taking the SAT prep classes and will be able to take the SAT test on March 14, 2009. But we have to find out where the test is going to be and i just found out today that we have to register for the test by 2/11/09 but trying to figure out how much we have to pay for is very confusing, I am just going to have to talk to my friends whose kids have already taken the test to figure it out. Then coming up next year where he wants to go to college, financial aid, senior portraits, graduation etc. I guess in four years when my youngest has to go through all this I will hopefully remember who, what, where and when but I doubt it since i seem to have half-timers disease (half the time I can't remember anything).

My next biggest challenge is to find a good tax person to help me with my taxes since I just bought a house last year and one that is not going to charge me an arm and a leg to do them. Any suggestions???? Anyone? Hello is this thing on? Oh well, just wish me luck.

Good Long Time Friends

2009-01-19T11:50:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday my friends Vivian and Dennis came to visit. I first met Vivian in July of 1985 when I moved here to Maryland and she was working in the same office as I was. We both worked for Hudson Trail Outfitters. I was the receptionist and she was the payroll person for the two companies that worked out the same office. We just seemed to hit it off and then she began dating Dennis and we have all been friends since then. If you do the math it has been or will be 24 years of friendship.

Vivian has always been like a mom to me. She was always there when I needed someone to talk to without being judged or just needed some motherly advice. She never let me down with negative thoughts or feelings no matter how much trouble I seemed to get into. Especially when I got pregnant with Steven and Shawn, she was always there for me to lean on and there were some pretty lean times but she always was just available. She and Dennis got married and they included us in their plans and all their family activities and just introduced me as their adopted daughter. They are still there to this day when I need them. My boys call them Grandma and Grandpa and they have always been tickled by that. This would mean that my boys were their first grand kids. We love going to visit them and the boys seem to have a lot of stuff to share with them and they like it when they come to their sports games or just come to hang out like they did this past weekend.

Dennis is very handy and when one of my chairs was broken he took it and fixed and you would never know that it was ever broken. They brought it back down this weekend, it will be nice to have six chairs around the table again.

They will be traveling this week to Arkansas to put the land they have there up for sale. They were going to eventually build a house there but decided that it was just to far from the kids so they are going to put it up for sale as well as their house in Union Bridge, Maryland and buy something in a retirement community and I think that is a wonderful thing for them they have worked hard all their lives and need to settle down in a place that does not need to have so much upkeep. I love going to their house and just chilling out. I feel so safe and comfortable that I don't get up there often enough. I used to go there when I need some down (before kids as well as after kids) and it would be my secret place and no one would know where I was, it was my safe place and every one needs a safe place.

I have only two other friends that I have had longer than Vivian and Dennis and they are Lisa and Ron W., they were my first friends at College and no matter how long it has been since we last talked we just pick up from where we left off and keep on trucking. Long time friends that you can be comfortable with no matter what the situation are wonderful ones to have.

i hope you have a long time friend that you can always count one. At least one anyways and if you have more, more power to you. Keep those friends close.

I'm So Excited!

2009-01-13T11:14:00.000-08:00

Well, most of you that know me know that I am over weight. Since I have seeing my new Doctor as my primary care physician she is the most awesome IN-YOUR-FACE Doctor that I have ever had. I need that kind of doctor and she will not hesitate to let me know when she is disappointed in my progress or when she is elated at my progress. She had changed all my meds about a year ago and we have finally found the right solution to my needs. In July I started this new medication call Janumet for my diabetes II and from July until October I lost 11 pounds (also being on the Columbia Association and with my doctors approval a program called Fit Beginnings where they teach you how to work out and use the machines at the gym), then I went to the Doctors today for my every three month fasting appointment and I had lost 14 pounds since October for a total of 25 pounds lost to date. YEAH ME! I love this program that got me started on my journey to losing weight the correct way and eating right really helps out as well. I will continue to keep you posted on my weight lose as I go. Drinking lots of water helps me to maintain the eating out of boredom/I think I am hungry symptoms that happen to every one.

Loving others kids

2009-01-08T06:19:00.000-08:00

I just love playing with other people's children. I can spoil them rotten and then give them back to their parents. On Tuesday night the youth of our church did one big birthday party for all the kids birthdays for the year with a white elephant gift exchange. While they were doing their opening ceremonies I was in the hallway and my friend Kelly came walking down the hall with her three adorable kids. I shouldn't have favorites but you know their is always one that grabs your heart and with her children it is Heidi. She is the cutest dirty blonde, blue eyed girl. Heidi always seems to like to play with me every time I see her and we have a great time, in fact all of her kids are great kids. They are very well behaved kids every time I see them and they are very smart as well. I think Kelly and Ed are doing a great job raising them.

I also have many other favorite kids of my friends as well and with each of them they have their own special thing about them that I love. I always seem to like the babies of the family, for instance their is my Connor, Moses, Morgan, Shannon and many many others that I just love being around and they are (for the most part) the babies of the families.

Just like adults each kid has their own special thing about them that makes then unique. Moses is very shy but flirty, Connor is rambunctious, Morgan and Shannon are very out going and will let you know when you are not paying enough attention to them. I could go on and on about many other things and kids but I think I will go on to the White Elephant exchange now.

It was so much fun to watch what the kids brought in from around their houses for this exchange, for instance there was a moose that pooped jelly beans, a green alien, fanny pack, electric socks, faux animal print fur hat and bag, cup of noodles, twizzlers, a Clint Eastwood movie, gerber gradutes microwave meal and many other thins. The looks on some of the kids faces was priceless. They even had two pinatas for the youth to hit with candy in it. I had some of the much younger kids with me watching it and when they opened the pinatas I made sure that they were able to get some of the candy and goodies from it and the kids really enjoyed that.

Try Try Try Again!

2009-01-07T05:09:00.000-08:00

Well, it is a BRAND new year and I thought I would give a try again at this blogging thing. I am hoping to post mostly upbeat things that have happened to me on a daily basis but with the way things work out you never know what can end up here positive or not!

News Years day was a very quiet day up until Steven got sick, I mean like projectile vomiting all over the bathroom. It was gross! I couldn't even clean it up he had to do it or I would have just added to the mess. YUCKO! I hate throwing up but alas it didn't last to long due to that following Saturday I was the one who was in my bathroom from 12:30 AM to 4:30 AM throwing up and on Sunday was in no way shape or form to move anywhere but from the bed to the couch and the bathroom. Then Shawn got sick as well but not as bad as Steven and I did.

Well, I came back to work yesterday and was it ever a busy day trying to catch up with just being off one day and trying to finish what I needed to from Friday. I hate that.

Let's recap some of the things that happened over this past year. Steven ended up playing Varsity Lacrosse and loved every minute that he got to play. He had a very busy summer with Boy Scout Camp, EFY, Football camp, Lacrosse camp, playing HEROS Lacrosse, going on vacation to Williamsburg, then football training starting right after we got back from vacation. All in all he had a great summer. He really loved going to EFY and it was both a very Spiritual awakening as well as meeting alot of new friends. He so wants to go again this year so I am hoping that I will be able afford it. Steven also was excited to turn 16 this year and for keeping up his grades he got a cell phone for his birthday. He wants to get his permit but I am making him wait until this summer so he can take drivers ed and so that he can keep his mind on his studies as he is taking SAT Prep classes, regular schhol work and Lacrosse practices/tryouts.

Shawn had a great summer also, he played HEROS Lacrosse, went to a Lacrosse camp, Football camp, Boy Scout camp and to Williamsburg as well. He was to young to go to EFY but he will be old enough this year but I think I am going to let him wait another year like I did Steven. Shawn has a rough time being away from me for long lengths of time yet so maybe one more year of maturing will help (I hope). Shawn is naturally gifted as an athlete and I was not surprised that he really made lasting impressions on the coaches for both Lacrosse and Football. The coaches are making plans for when he is a freshman next year so that is a positive thing for Shawn to give him incentive to keep his grades up and to give it his all.

As for me, with the boys being so busy makes it nice for me that I know what they are doing and where they are. I bought a three bedroom condo with two bathrooms this year which is so very exciting for me to be able to do that. It took me quite a few years t get my credit straightened out and I have talked to the boys about what I went through and gave the insight to hopefully not fall into the credit card trap that I did. I have some pretty awesome friends come and help me clean the condo, paint and move in to the new place as well. Ron was such a great help as he was in charge since I had to work and he made sure that everything was done in a timely fashion. My Home Teachers were also the best as they stayed and made sure that, along with Ron, all the beds were put together and the rooms set up so we would at least have someplace to rest our bodies.

I hope you all have a great and wonderful day and I will post more as I can.

Peace out!