Rejuvenation

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

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(

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

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

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

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

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.