Mixed Emotions

Shock.

Amazement.

Disbelief.

Happiness.

Pride.

LOVE.

Astonishment.

Amusement.

Enjoyment.

Wonder.

All of these, I have felt today.

On the day that my firstborn son turned 18 years old!

Happy Birthday Tim....I love you!

Wrapping Up the Weekend

I'm taking a break from unpacking to check in & do a weekend wrap-up!

The March for Babies walk was wonderful. We exceeded our $200 goal, raising $225. $90 of that was from blog friends! Thank you all SO much.

My son Tim's friend Zack walked with us too. The weather was wonderful & we enjoyed ourselves.

This year for the first time, we had a sign placed on Memory Mile for Johnathon Wayne. It was really touching to see that.

{I remembered to bring my camera to the walk. However, I forgot batteries! So these are cell phone shots.}

After the walk, we went to my parents' house and had a birthday celebration for my son Tim, my husband, & my Dad. Both Tim's friend Zack and Tim's girlfriend Jessica came, along with my best friend (who is like family) Danielle, her daughter Ashlee, & Ashlee's boyfriend. My whole family was there too, so it was a nice crowd. We had some fantastic food, including a layered ice cream cake that I made. I got the recipe from my friend Debi's blog, Who Says 8 is Enough? It was a BIG hit, and super-easy to make.

Sunday was the Big Move. Some of the guys from church came over with two trucks & two trailers and had them loaded in no time flat. Then we came to the new house and they unloaded them almost as quickly. My sister, niece, & her fiance also came over to help out. We had a good time hanging out with them & unpacking.

There are still a few things left at the old house but we're almost done there. Now I have the job of unpacking, which I don't mind much and I can't really relax until it's done, so it probably won't take me long.

I worked for two & a half hours this morning and then ran errands and came home. Love it!

We just got our satellite transferred over so now I can enjoy my TV shows, and since I have great internet service here, I can make an attempt to catch up on my blog reading tonight!

I hope you had a great weekend too!

If you blogged about your weekend, link up below!

I Don't Know Whether to Scratch my Watch or Wind My Butt!

{Anyone know what movie that's from?}

TGIF!

I am very glad to see Friday roll around!

This was my first week at my new job. I only worked two days, but today was a busy one and it kicked my butt! This job is great because I basically set my own schedule. I can be home when the kids get home from school, but on days that they're not home, I can work later (and make more money!).

On Thursday, my Littles (Elayna & Andrew) went to Saint Augustine on a school field trip. They had a blast and Elayna took about a million pictures. I'll be posting them here soon! Well, some of them anyway. I won't subject you to all 983,276.

Thanks for all your concern & sweet words about my burn. I have 1st and 2nd degree burns. Mostly first though. They're healing well and not very painful any more. In fact, the fingernail I broke way down deep today hurts far more!

We have a crazy busy weekend ahead. Tomorrow is our March for Babies, and tomorrow night we are all getting together to celebrate my husband, father and oldest son's birthdays. They were all born in March! Which I think is kind of interesting.

Then on Sunday, we'll be moving all day. A bunch of guys from church are coming with trucks & trailers to help us out. Have I mentioned lately how much I love our church family? They are AWESOME.

Speaking of love. I can't even explain how much we love our new home. After looking at homes in other school districts, one total dump, and even considering an apartment, we found this absolutely amazing little home out in the woods. Instead of being bummed about the move, we're all excited now. One of the things I'm most excited about? There's a chicken coop there, and the landlords are going to give us some of their laying hens! WOOHOO Fresh Eggs!

Next week is my kids' Spring Break. My kids will be with their Dad, and Andrew will be with his Grandma. It's going to be so weird for them to be gone for a whole week! But I have a feeling I'm going to stay very busy & it will fly by.

Time for the Song of the Week! I love this one. Enjoy & have a great weekend!

And don't forget to visit Mrs 4444 for more Friday Fragments.

We March Again.

This Saturday is our town's March for Babies (formerly known as March of Dimes).

Those of you who are new to my blog may not know the story behind our support of the March for Babies.

Not long after I met my husband in 2004, he poured his heart out to me. He told me of the birth, and then the death, of his first born son, Johnathon Wayne. He was born prematurely and only lived for 22 days. My heart just broke to see the pain that my husband felt over this loss.

In time, I started wondering what I could do to help him somehow. Obviously, I knew I could never take the pain away. But I wanted to help him honor his baby's memory, and prevent others from going through this pain. So I suggested we join the March for Babies.

We have walked every year since 2006. This will be the second time that my oldest two kids, Tim & Shelbie, will join us. The first time it was when we did the shorter walk. This walk is 8.6 miles. I love that they want to walk with us; I don't pressure them at all, I just ask them if they want to, and they do. My son took the day off of work for this. His girlfriend was going to walk too, but she has to work at her new job. It's going to be a good family event. I am still sometimes amazed that my teenaged kids actually want to spend time with their parents! And then I think....this 'baby' that we're walking for, he would be turning 13 this year. Would he want to hang out with us too? What would he be into, at thirteen years old? What would his life be like; what would our life be like with him in it?

Every year we see the Memory Mile signs, honoring children who did not survive, and then we see many survivors & parents who help to support the cause. It's a very moving experience.

Can you help us help with our March for Babies this year? Truly, every little bit helps. It all adds up to help give babies a fighting chance at life. If you can help with even a very small donation, or by sharing this post, we would be so grateful! Just click HERE or click the March for Babies widget in the right sidebar.

To read more about my husband's son Johnathon Wayne and the story of his short life, please click HERE.

{Linking up for Pour Your Heart Out with Shell @ Things I Can't Say,

and Wordful Wednesday with Seven Clown Circus & Parenting BY Dummies.}

The Stupid Thing I Did Today, Volume IV

Ah, good old Stupid Things. I can't believe this is only Volume IV. Oh, it's not that I've only done four stupid things since I started this blog. Not by a long shot!

It's just that I've only done four stupid bloggable things.
Also, I sometimes forget about them, because, ya know, that whole Stupid thing.

(if you want to read about Stupid Things I, II, and III, click the tag at the bottom of the post.)

So here's the latest.
It was St Patrick's Day, and I wanted to make an Irish meal. So I got a corned beef brisket, which I made with cabbage, potatoes, and onions. It was delicious.

I was in a time crunch, it was a soccer practice day, and I needed to get the corned beef in the crockpot, but first I put it on the stove in water and brought it to a boil.

Then I began to transfer it to the crockpot. But somehow, in that process, I dropped the pot, and boiling water splashed all over me.

John yelled "Take your clothes off!" And I'm like "Seriously? This is SO not the time for that, you perv!"

Then I ran into my room, stripped and jumped into a cold shower. When I was done, I shoved John in, because clearly he needed one too.

Anyway. I did a pretty nice job of burning my lower abdomen and leg. And some sensitive areas in between.

I told John "It's not THAT bad." Then he looked at it and said, "Yes it is, look right there!"

And I said, "That's a STRETCH MARK!"

Geez. I have no dignity. And I apparently also have a husband who has a fetish for burn victims.

My Happy List

I have some ~*Happy*~ to share with you today!

So I'm joining in with Mamarazzi's Happy List.

~* I think we've found our house. I don't want to jinx anything, so I'm not going to say much....but I'm crossing everything crossable!

~* My parents invited us to go out for dinner with them tonight - their treat! This is a rare occurrence, so it definitely goes on the Happy List!

~* I won an adorable Coffee Cozy from Cream No Sugar via Mamarazzi's Taking Back Mondays. It came in the mail today (so fast!) and I just love it! Thanks, Sue & Mamarazzi!

~* One of our cats scared us very badly this week. I was certain we were going to lose her. Now - she has made a full recovery! I will post the whole story next week. But I am SO happy that she is okay!

~* I start my new job on Monday! Happy happy happy!

~* After a run of some bad luck, it seems like maybe things are turning around for us. What a relief!

~* I have a giveaway up at Southern Loving. Giveaways make everyone happy!

~* Mamarazzi makes me happy. I'm so glad I found her blog; she is one of the sweetest bloggers I've ever "met"!

Hope you have a ~*HAPPY*~ weekend!

Philly Cooking Creme Giveaway at Southern Loving

I'm giving away a Philadelphia Cooking Creme prize package over at

Southern Loving - Click here to check it out!

Blame in on the Little Guy.....

Y'all know what time it is: Friday Fragments time.

I just have a few tidbits for you this week.

One of my friends posted this on Facebook this week, and of course, I reposted it too:

FIVE DEADLY TERMS USED BY A WOMAN: (1) FINE-this is the word women use to end an argument when they know they are right and that you need to shut up. (2) NOTHING-this means SOMETHING and you should be wary. (3) GO AHEAD-This is a dare, not permission, DO NOT DO IT. (4) WHATEVER-is a woman's way of saying F*** YOU. (5) THAT'S OK-She is thinking long and hard on HOW and WHEN you will pay for your mistake....

My husband had to get his driver's license renewed last week. He had to take a vision test, and his vision is so bad in one eye that the examiner literally asked him if he was BLIND in that eye. (he's been putting off getting an eye exam for way too long.) My new nickname for him is "Mike Wazowski".

Searching for a home, especially on a time-line, is a unique and horrific form of torture.

I think I forgot to mention that last week, Elayna went back to the orthopedic doc to recheck her broken thumb. He said it's healing very well, and she was released and can go back to her normal activities. She is LOVING soccer!

I leave you with my Friday Song: I Will....But by SheDaisy, which is where I got the title to Wednesday's post, I Refuse to Be Last in Line, and I also referenced a line from the song in that post. It's a great song!

I Refuse to be Last in Line

.....but I Will, I Will, I Will be your Everything........

About seven years ago, after my first husband and I divorced, I attended some counseling classes through our local domestic violence shelter. I'm very glad I did; I learned a lot and it was really good for me. But then, something happened that made me stop going.

It was a group therapy meeting, and we were discussing what to look for in a future partner. The leader would write all of our answers on a chalkboard. We went around the circle and gave our input. The leader encouraged us to say absolutely anything that we wanted in our future relationships, from the shallow to the serious. Her own answer was that she had to have a man who knew how to dance. Another answer around the circle was that he had to have a nice butt. Others were more serious.

When she got to me, I answered, "I just want to be a priority, instead of someone to be with when there's nothing better to do."

And the group leader laughed at me, told me that I needed to start attending their relationship classes, and moved on to the next person in the circle, not even writing my answer on the board.

I was embarrassed and hurt. Is is truly too much to want to be a priority in someone's life? I didn't even say the very first priority. I didn't say that his world must revolve around me.

But I didn't want to be the last resort. The one to be with when everyone else was busy. I didn't want to be the one he stumbled home to when the beer was all drank up and the party was over.

I left that class and never went back again. I should have complained about the way I was treated. I didn't deserve that, and neither do any of the women who take her class in the future.

It didn't change my mind, though. I still wouldn't settle for being at the bottom of someone's list, ever again. I knew I wouldn't be happy, so why bother? I'd rather stay single then go through all of that again.

But in the end, I got what I did deserve. I got a man who not only makes me a priority, but his top priority. From the time we met, his world actually did revolve around me. He told me early on, "my only goal is to make you happy". And he works hard to do that even now, almost seven years later.

It's not all sunshine and roses and romance. It's day to day life, with a built in family, exes, stress, money worries, aging parents, you name it. But he is my best friend, and my ROCK. He is always there for me. If he's not working, he is with me. There is nothing that he would choose to do over spending time with me. In fact, he's turned down many offers just to sit at home with me.

So maybe for that counselor, she doesn't feel like she is worth being a priority. But I knew that I was, and now I am.

Today is my sweet husband's birthday.

I hope he knows I love him, as much as I know he loves me.

Pouring My Heart Out with Shell @ Things I Can't Say -

today is the Anniversary Edition!

Come visit!

Brain Blurbs

Linking up with Post It Note Tuesdays,

because brief random thoughts are all I seem capable of at the moment!

Visit That One Mom for more PINT Fun.

P.S. If you want to learn how to mobilize your blog, visit Jules Out Loud!

A Moving Story.

I posted earlier this month about the fact that we are moving.

Having already moved eleventy billion times, John and I kind of have a system.

He packs everything he can get his hands on. I try to find stuff. Everything I look for is not in its place. I lose my mind.

Seriously. He starts packing early. For example, he's already got a TON of stuff packed and we're not moving until the end of the month.

Last time we moved, I was trying to cook one night and literally could not find ONE SINGLE THING to stir with. I had a complete meltdown.

So this time I've laid down some rules.

The kitchen MUST be packed LAST. (I have to have my cooking stuff, and it has to be in its proper place. Otherwise, things get UGLY.)

He can't throw anything away without my permission. (I'm still missing stuff from the last move!)

He can't pack anything breakable without wrapping it up. (while looking for a flippin' spoon last time, I broke a decorative plate and totally blamed him because HELLO WHO PACKS THE ENTIRE KITCHEN 2 WEEKS BEFORE YOU MOVE??? And it was a thrift store find, therefore irreplaceable!)

Don't pack my toothbrush. (Do I really need to elaborate?)

Do not pack anything that breathes. (I think this man would pack me, the kids, and the dogs in boxes if I'd let him. He may or may not have packed a cat in a previous move......)

I guess it's a pretty good system. He does all of the packing. I do all of the unpacking & decorating. Except for hanging stuff on the walls; he does that, and I supervise. "Nope, sorry honey, it's still a little crooked!" That, my friends, is how I get my revenge!

I feel like Juicy Fruit.

Holy Fragments, Batman!

This week has chewed me up, spit me out, then chewed me up some more. And I'm not sure it's done with me yet.

Soccer has officially started, and both kids got on the team Andrew was on last season, which is what we wanted. Yesterday, Elayna went back to the orthopedic doc, and her thumb is healing nicely so she's been released & just needs to wear her splint during sports for the next 2 weeks. She is so happy to not have to wear the splint all the time; she said it was very annoying!

I haven't been able to read your blogs much this week so I feel out of touch with everyone. It's been so crazy here, and one night we had a storm and I couldn't get online at all. Not even through my phone. AND the cable was out. It was like Little House on the Prairie or something!

In the midst of this crazy week, I managed to have a long phone conversation with one best friend and a real live, in person visit with another best friend, both in the same day! It was wonderful. I've been friends with both of these girls since high school and they are like family.

This week Andrew told us that he's ready to be baptized. He announced that quite unexpectedly on Wednesday. The girls & John were all baptized last year, but Andrew didn't feel ready. But now he is, so we're going to talk to our Pastor about it on Sunday. We're very excited and proud of him.

I don't have a whole lot of frags floating around today. I think it's because I'm exhausted. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and any other way that it's possible to be exhausted. I've got it alllll covered. Maybe I'll get to relax this weekend? Ha! Doubt it.

Hope y'all have a great weekend, and don't forget to visit Mrs 4444 for more Friday Fragments!

*ETA* Check out the awesome AMF Bowling Deal over at Southern Loving!

Hello, World

I'm joining Mama Kat's Pretty Much World Famous Writer's Workshop again this week. The prompt I chose for today is:

5.) A song with significance.

This is a relatively new song from Lady Antebellum. It's the type of song that can be interpreted in more than one way. But it really speaks to me, because it reminds me of the feeling of coming out of a dark depression, and recognizing the beauty all around us. It's always there, but depression can rob you of the ability to see it, and appreciate it.

Traffic crawls, cell phone calls
Talk radio screams at me, through my tinted window I see
A little girl, rust red minivan, she’s got chocolate on her face
Got little hands and she waves at me
Yeah, she smiles at me

Well, hello world
How you been
Good to see you, my old friend
Sometimes I feel cold as steel
Broken like I’m never gonna heal
And I see a light, a little hope in a little girl
Hello world

Every day I drive by a little white church
It’s got these little white crosses
Like angels in the yard
Maybe I should stop on in, say a prayer
Maybe talk to God like he is there
Oh, I know he’s there
Yeah, I know he’s there

Well hello world
How you been
Good to see you, my old friend
Sometimes I feel as cold as steel
And broken like I’m never gonna heal
And I see a light, a little grace, a little faith unfurls
Well hello world

Sometimes I forget what living’s for
And I hear my life through my front door
And I breathe it in
Oh, I’m home again
And I see my wife
Little boy and little girl
Hello world
Hello world

Well the empty disappears
I remember why I’m here
Just surrender and believe
I fall down on my knees
Well hello world
Hello world
Hello world

Watch on YouTube

Globetrotting

Last week the Harlem Globetrotters came to our town, and I won four tickets from our local TV station! So me, John, and the youngest two kids went to the show. Tim had to work, and Shelbie wasn't interested, so it worked out well.

The kids didn't know what to expect, but it started out with a bang and they had a blast. They did tricks, and were funny & totally entertaining. The kids totally got into it, screaming and dancing.

{I have no idea why Andrew's eyes are OPEN WIDE in this pic. He's a goofball!}

Click these pics to make them bigger & see the action.

In this first one, they are bowling using the mascot, Globie, as a bowling ball.

Strike!

Then when the show was over, the performers signed autographs and posed for pictures. So we got a ball and had it signed by almost all of the Globetrotters.

In the picture below, the Globetrotter is asking Elayna what happened to her thumb.

They are so fan-friendly and really good with the kids.

It was definitely a memorable experience & I'm so glad we got to go!

Visit Seven Clown Circus & Parenting by Dummies for more Wordful Wednesday posts.