Southward Bound!

It all seems to have come together nicely over the last couple of days. We found someone who wanted to watch the puppy until we get back, in the event the owner calls, or just adopt him should too much time elapse. Jenn and I are both sad that we are unable to keep him, but he would be a big expense as well as a lot of time and energy.

Ryan is all situated with where he will stay here in NC while awaiting for his former boss to call about his going back to work at the gas station. Whether he works while I am gone or not, I am sure he will have fun. Why not? He will be spending the week with his best friend and his family.

Jenn is going back to VA with Lisa and Steve later today after their visit with Grandma and Grandpa. She will be spending time with them until sometime after the first of the year. She wants to meet up with her brother Ted while she is there and they are all planning a trip in to Washington, DC to do some site seeing. Sounds like fun to me!

I'm packed and ready to go, will head into work shortly until 4 pm, and then I'll stop by here for anything I may have forgotten before heading west on the first leg of our trip south. All we'll have to do in the morning is load up the van and head south to GA to see "Mr.D" children. It's going to be a great visit I can just feel it!

Whooshing away now ... :)

Homemade Gifts for Christmas

We have decided to make some of the gifts we are giving to each other for Christmas this year. Before Pamela arrived we purchased a large stocking, various stocking stuffer items, and supplies to make a special gift for her new apartment. Jennifer decorated the stocking as part of her gift for her sister. Then she helped me frame some photos we had taken from a previous visit, and a couple others from more recent times as her gift from all of us.

Pamela's Stocking
(design by Jenn)

Here Pamela's is trying to sneak a peak
into her stocking, imagine that!

Pamela is wearing her part of her scarf and glove set
while opening some of the stocking stuffer items.
Although she doesn't have a microwave she says
she can fix her hot cocoa on the stove. Her stocking was
filled with all sorts of goodies including fruit, gum,
tootsie roll bank, a small calendar, and a small framed
photo of her boyfriend.

This is the finished framed gift of photographs.
Beginning with the top left and continuing clockwise:
Ryan (the rock star); Pamela and Jenn;
Pamela (a model photo); and Pamela, me, and Jenn

An Early Christmas Visit

Yesterday my second eldest daughter came to town for an early visit for Christmas. This is the first Christmas in seven years that we have been together. The timing is kind of odd, but I think she had a two-fold reason for her visit being so early. We have just started to decorate for the holidays, but she really didn't mind. We met in town, headed over to the local department store to pick up some supplies, and then stopped to pick up dinner for all of us before heading home

We had planned on spending the evening together but I got a call from work reminding me that I was scheduled and was two hours late. OOPS! My days have been running together so much lately, and for some reason I thought I had to go in on Wednesday, not Tuesday! Pamela stayed here with Jenn and Ryan watching movies. By the time I got home after work, the kids were in bed as they had school today, and Pamela was awake and ready to talk for a while. We managed to get to bed around 2 a.m. making for a short night's rest for me ... :/ stuff happens ... :)

Today she headed to Fayetteville, NC to see one of her high school friends. He is in the military, stationed in Hawaii, and was home this week to visit his family. Pamela has stayed in touch with her friend and apparently had made plans to see him during our visit. So, she will return tomorrow to spend the evening with us and then head home until some time in January of 2009.

If all goes as planned tomorrow, we will head to my parent's for a brief visit, then head over to my brother's before heading home. Then sadly, she will head north to return to her home and get ready for work on Friday afternoon. These visits are not nearly long enough and hard to orchestrate when we are on different schedules. This is not an unusual thing though, my boyfriend's children are also on overnight work schedules, so we have learned to make adjustments when visiting.

Visitors, Work, & Celebrations

This weekend Jenn's older sister and her husband will be coming down for a visit to spend time with Jenn in celebration of her sixteenth birthday. I'm not sure what they have planned for her, but I think shopping is on the list, and what girl doesn't like to go shopping? Jenn loves it! I'm hoping they have a really nice time no matter what they end up doing together.

On Saturday I'll begin my new job at the local grocery store. They have me scheduled for just three hours and since Lisa and Jenn will be busy most of the weekend, my working and any other plans shouldn't interfere with their fun. Apparently the manager who hired me decided that he needed me more hours per week than I had originally been given last week. I'll have another partial day Sunday night for four hours and then nine hours on Monday. Whew!

If all goes as planned this weekend I should be able to pull off a surprise of my own! ;)

Productive Labor Day Weekend

This weekend was a very productive one. Jenn and I went to visit "Mr.D" with a dual purpose, first to fulfill her commitment to mow his grass, and to spend some time visiting a loved one. We got up early Saturday morning to get the things done around our house before heading out. As soon as those things were done we headed to town to go by the bank, pick up some lunch, and then headed to my brother's house to drop off Ryan. When we arrived at our destination "Mr.D" took us out shopping for supplies for the weekend, and though we picked up food to cook for the weekend, our host insisted on Chinese take-out for dinner. We spent our first night dining and watching movies, one of which was "Multiplicity" starring Michael Keaton. What a riot!!!

Jenn's plan for the weekend was to mow the yard Sunday morning, and then wash the car on Monday morning. Unfortunately when Jenn woke up on Sunday morning she was feeling a bit under the weather, so our host assured her that it was fine if she did what she needed to the next day as long as she was feeling better. She knew that if she needed my help that I was there for her. Meanwhile I tended to drying and folding our laundry, and helping with the dishes.

Bright and early this morning after a delicious breakfast, Jenn and I started with our chores for the day. I started the mowing by cutting close to the house and outlining the area she needed to do first. There is a section where some roots are partially exposed so I like to mow there to avoid any injury to Jenn. She is not yet confident to get to close to the roots without hitting them which cause the mower to stop. After that she took over the mowing and I started on trimming the tree branches.

Next thing we knew our host had fixed all of us a delicious lunch ... Angus bacon cheeseburgers, complete with a side order of potato chips and a tall glass of iced tea. "Mr.D" you are too sweet! After lunch we finished our tasks, cleaned up, packed the van for the trip home, and said our goodbyes. It's really nice getting to visit, but equally as important that we had things to keep us busy while our host worked on things he needed to accomplish before he heads into work tomorrow.

Thank you both, Jenn and "Mr.D" for making this a most productive and profitable weekend!

PS Ryan finished sanding the chairs over the weekend, so they are ready for delivery and payment!

Happy Birthday, Kids!

Today we celebrated three of the four birthdays we share together in our combined families with a Mexican style dinner, followed by cake and ice cream. The day started with my oldest daughter and her husband bringing my youngest daughter home from her visit in Virginia. Since they share a birthday this month with two of our sons, we thought we'd fix a special dinner. I had already baked the cake earlier this morning, so all we had to do was pick up the ingredients and supplies for the dinner.

Then about noon my daughter called to let me know they were just leaving to head our direction, and that they would be in around dinner time. We had just pulled up at the store to get what we needed for dinner when she called again to says she had called my parents and asked if they could spend the night with them. This is a good thing since they rarely get to spend time with them. So, my mom suggested she call me and ask what our plans were for dinner.

I let her know our plans to cook them a special meal for their birthday, and mom said she had let it slip that I had fixed them a cake ... lol ... it really didn't matter if they knew. So, I called mom to ask if they would like to be treated to dinner, and if they minded if we prepared it there at their house. She asked what they could do and I asked if she could provide some ice cream for the cake. No problem as she had plenty of vanilla on hand.

We arrived with food prepped to begin cooking the meal. Since most of it was stir-fry ingredients for hot burritos, and soft and hard tacos, it was an easy chore. The guests arrived, we all enjoyed a great home cooked meal topped off with cake and ice cream, and an evening full of conversation. Surprisingly enough there were plenty of compliments from the toughest critic in the bunch, my son-in-law. Though we weren't trying to bend over backwards to please any one person, we were happy that everyone was satisfied with their dinner and the visit.

We finished cleaning up the kitchen, packed the leftovers, said our goodbyes, and headed on home for some quiet time. It was nice to spend the rest of the evening together relaxing before the hectic week ahead. My special thanks to "Mr.D" for all his great ideas, his expertise in Mexican cooking, and the time he enjoys spending with all of us. Goodness knows, I love spending time with him!

I'm looking forward to being able to bake a cake for the other birthday celebrants here shortly. Do you think the cake would survive a six hour drive? As long as there is air conditioning in the car, it should do all right. Now all I have to do is find out what their favorite flavor cake is from their dad. Oh, "Mr.Deeeeeeeee"

PS I promise not to arrange the candles on the cake backwards this time ... :P ... you had to see it to understand my thinking ... or not ... LOL!

A Sweet Weekend!

On Saturday we met Lisa & Steve in Roanoke Rapids, NC for lunch and to send Ryan off for his summer visit with his sister. Jenn and I headed south for a visiting, relaxing, and some work to earn money for an FFA trip Jenn wants to attend next week. It has been a wonderful visit! We actually got to fix "Mr.D" a home cooked meal, and since it had been so hot, we tried to keep it cool! We enjoyed a delicious pasta salad and a stir-fried squash (yellow and zucchini) and onion dish. We had tried to get all of the work done and dinner on the table before he arrived home from work, but alas, he arrived while we were out getting groceries for our dinner meal. Oh well, perhaps I'll get another chance to surprise him with some scrumptious delight soon!

;)

PS We are really proud of Jenn for sticking to her task! She earned $25 towards her trip and when I asked if she needed help, she insisted on doing it all by herself!

Adding "Ms. Plumber" to my resume ...

Today we went to visit my parents to share in celebration of my youngest brother's birthday. While we were there my oldest brother announced that the restroom had sprung a leak; the toilet tank had broken and spilled its contents on the floor as well as my brother. Thank goodness it was the top tank and not the bottom bowl!

Anyway, my parents went to the store and purchased a new toilet from Lowe's. They had hoped to simply pick up a tank for the existing bowl but they found that the larger tanks have been outlawed. As we started the repair work my mom said, "They just don't make things like they used to, after all it only lasted 32 years"! We all got a good chuckle out of that one.

So, Dad and I spent the evening replacing the toilet, a real father-daughter bonding event. Two of my other brothers even got in on the act as they were needed to tighten down the bolts holding the tank in place. It was a bit loose and was allowing a small drip from the seal where the washer was supposed to stop such activity.

I'm happy to announce that I will now add "Ms. Plumber" to my resume. I am now able to fix the insides of a toilet, replace a toilet, and clean the drains in both the sink and bathtub. It may not seem like much but it sure saves on the finances, especially when the going rate for a plumber is over $80 per hour.

Visiting Family

It was a much needed visit yesterday as we stopped by my parents for the first time in six weeks. Why so long between visits? Two reasons. Tax season began early in January and having only one day off per week to do all of those dreaded chores left unattended until that day, left no time for pleasure or play. So, with a full weekend to breathe we head down to see my parents and to shop for a few things we couldn't find in our town.

We arrived around 4 p.m. excited to see everyone, enjoyed a delicious meatloaf dinner, and an evening catching up on the events in the last six weeks. Both my parents had been sick in the month of January and Dad was still recovering as his emphysema makes for a longer road back to health. Mom said this was the sickest she had ever seen him. He said he could hardly walk from him chair in the family room to the far end of the kitchen without feeling like he was totally out of breath. Even though he has been sick, he looked really good last night.

On our way home I received a call from my second eldest daughter, Pamela, who announced that she is planning a trip down to visit in April. She will be traveling with a young man named David, who also has family here in NC. They are just beginning a dating friendship which may develop into something more in time, but for now she wants to take her time getting to know him. Good idea.

Visitors Arrived Last Night, Safe & Sound

My oldest daughter and her hubby are here for a visit this weekend. They arrived here late last night, just shortly after midnight, and will stay until tomorrow sometime. It's nice to get to see them as they live in Virginia and we don't get up there that often. So today, Lisa, Steve, Ryan and Jenn all went out shopping for clothes, while I was at work for the day. Tonight Ryan is at a birthday party for a friend, and the rest of us will eat chili and cornbread as we watch a movie. What movie? Not sure yet as Lisa and Jenn are in town picking one up while I cook and Steve plays video racing games on the television. Maybe we'll have breakfast together tomorrow, wait ... we will but where is the better question?!

;)

Your Best Friend Was Once a Stranger!

We all have friends and acquaintances that we have met in the usual ways, and at familiar places like school, church, the grocery store, the gym, the park, band performances, work, the daycare, and so many others. As technology has advanced so have our ways of meeting people. Since the early part of 1990 I've been learning more and more about computers.

As I began my experience online, I had the opportunity to join different discussion groups. Eventually in 2000 I joined a group on the "Oprah" website and met three women and one gentleman whom I would continue chatting with online long after our experience with the site had ended.

Two of the women; Sally and Deb, were both suffering from a disorder that kept them from enjoying their lives in the outside world. Then one year while we were all still chatting online, Sally made the trip to go meet Debbie. They had lots in common and after their trip they sent pictures. We've lost touch, but I hope they and their families are all doing well.

Next in our cast of roomies, was Coy. He was the only man in the group and a deep thinker. He was always the most quiet, but when he spoke he said the most profound things. He and I still correspond from time to time. It's almost time we get caught up. He has since we first met, divorced, remarried, had all three of his children get married, has three grandchildren and probably more by now. We had all hoped to meet somewhere in the middle of the country one day, but I'm not so sure that will happen now.

Finally, there is Sue. We are like ... best friends from afar. From our meeting in that chat room to this very day we have continued to stay in touch. We have laughed together, cried together, given each other advice, and supported each other like friends do. She is like a big sister, and we relate to so many things that go on in our lives. Though our friendship began online, we eventually talked on the phone adding a voice to the face in the photo.

As I got online last month, Sue sent me an instant message. She had a surprise. Her cousin is coming here to visit a friend of hers who lives in my town. What are the odds of that happening? It appears that she might get to come visit me April 19th through the 22nd! This would be the first time since we met online back sometimes in 2000? I can't remember ... LOL! Anyway, she should know more soon, and if she gets to come we'll have that cup of coffee!

A day at Grandma & Grandpa's ...

Friday night Lisa (my eldest daughter) and Steve (her husband) came down from their home in Virginia to visit before the holidays, since they will be spending them in the mountains to go snowboarding! How fun is that?! Will ask her to send some pictures of their trip for everyone to enjoy. When they arrived we promptly got things set up for a good night's rest.

Saturday morning, as soon as everyone was ready we headed to my parent's house. When we arrived we fixed some lunch and then headed out to work. Since my dad had surgery last week to repair a hernia he was not allowed to do anything strenuous for a while. Mom had mentioned that he had been talking about how bad the yard looked with all of the leaves on the ground, so our visit was two-fold, to visit and to clean up the yard. As you can see in the picture below we finished it off just in time for Bubby's visit.


Jennifer had been practicing with her color guard rifle when he arrived and so he just had to play with it too! Jenn and David (Bubby's dad) are in the background watching on, while Ryan and Lisa take it easy as Sheriff Bubby talks to them about his new job as an officer. He is such a serious little man! As the youngest of three great-grandchildren, he is nearly 3 1/2 years old and a very bright young man. His favorite thing to do when he comes to visit my parents now, is to ask his uncle Greg to show him his computer. Greg plays games online and Bubby thinks that is just too cool!

Before we left Mom & Dad took us out the the workshop and proceeded to pass along some Christmas decorations for the house and yard to us kids and grandkids. It was perfect timing as Lisa was about to go shopping for tins to package up her annual "Christmas Cookies" gifts. She makes the best "Pumpkin" cookies! We also picked out some boxes to store our ornaments in after the holidays are over. Jennifer showed up and chose the lighted sleigh and reindeer for our front yard this year. As we were about to leave Mom took Ryan aside and gave him the pedestal "fog lamp" out of the living room; he was so surprised! I can see it now ... black light ... fog lamp ... playing his electric guitar ... his own private rock and roll stage!


This time Lisa & Steve they managed to see not only Grandma & Grandpa, but also those uncles and youngest cousin Lisa usually misses. Today was a good one for everyone. We got to visit, share a meal, work together, play and laugh, and share our love for each other. Here in the photograph to the left are Bubby, Lisa and Sandra (Neal's fiancée), and Jennifer, Neal, Ryan, and Steve.

When we arrived home from our visit with the grandparents, we settled in for a home cooked meal, a surprise birthday cake and present, and a movie. Time for some rest, we've a Christmas parade tomorrow and it's supposed to be 70 degrees!

Where is "old man winter?" Shhhhhhh!

PS We miss you "Mr.D" ;)
(((((xoxoxoxoxo)))))

Just moments before our guests arrive ...

As Jenn prepares for her first half-time performance with the color guard in full dress, her sister and her husband are on their way to the game to watch the show. This will be a busy weekend and already I'm bushed. There is still a lot to do in order to volunteer at the school during the band classic tomorrow. Lisa has baked cookies and I'll be making chili for hamburgers, hot dogs and chili cheese fries (6 lbs of "Southern Style" chili). I'm glad that Lisa and Steve will get to see Jenn's performance as she is really excited. "Mr.D" and I can hardly wait to see her tomorrow, she's been practicing really hard and I have every confidence that she will be wonderful! Bias? No, not me, never! ;)

Surprise!

We woke up this morning, ate breakfast, and packed the van to head home from our visit with "Mr.D." We accomplished all the things we needed to and had to get home and prepare for the week ahead. Little did Ryan and Jenn know that we were about to have a visitor for the week.

About three weeks ago, "Mr.D" found out that he had to attend a training class for some engineering software program his company had recently purchased. The locations where they were holding the class ranged in distance from his house anywhere from 1 hour to a flight to Texas. He had a choice of locations and there just happened to be one here in our town. So, he put in his request and it was granted!

We didn't tell Ryan and Jenn because there was the chance they might cancel the class here if there were not enough students registered in time. So, as far as they knew "Mr.D" was headed to a class somewhere in NC or TX. Just as they finished unpacking we heard Jenn exclaim, "Mr.D's here?!" Imagine their surprise as he walked through the door with something Ryan left behind and said, "you guys are hard to catch up with!" We all laughed.

His class sessions will last through Friday, and instead of him staying in a strange town or out of state, eating out every for every meal, or having to drive an hour or more to class each day, we thought staying here would be a nice idea. This way we get to see each other, he doesn't have a long commute, he can relax in the evenings and eat home cooked meals. He will still have to catch a bite out while attending class in town, but it's nice to have him come "home" in the evening. ;)

Plans for the weekend shape up ...

After my doctors appointment this afternoon the kids and I will head west for a weekend of work and play. Jenn is trying to earn some money for her activities with school this year, so "Mr.D" has offered her a job cutting his lawn. While she's mowing I'll be doing the laundry, "Mr.D" will be working on things he needs to before his class next week, and Ryan will be chillin' out playing his new PS2. What the kids don't know is what is in store for next week; a surprise for everyone! For now, its time to get ready for the day, get packed and clean house before my appointment. More later ... ;)

Relaxing on the Tennessee River

This year we spent the 4th of July weekend in Tennessee with "Mr.D" and his family. Our trip started with a stopover in Asheville, NC for the night on Tuesday. We arrived Wednesday afternoon at Simonne & Gary's early enough to relax a bit before Theresa, Ed and Celine arrived for the cookout complete with fireworks and fun. After a good night's rest, we headed into Nashville to the mall on Thursday to see some of the sites. Then on Friday we went into a nearby town to an Irish pub for lunch and to check out all of the shoppes in the historic district. Later that day we had another cookout over at Theresa & Ed's place complete with live entertainment; Celine on her slip & slide! Saturday we went out on the Tennessee River with Simonne & Gary for some relaxation. As we traveled down the peaceful waters of the river, we wondered why we had waited until then to come to the river. Next time, we agreed to make plans to stay at the camper there at the marina. Sunday came all too soon and we had to head home to NC. The trip was long but enjoyable; all in all this was a great 4th of July celebration!

Summer vacations begin ...

This weekend we drove to a small town in NC to meet my oldest daughter and have lunch. After lunch my youngest would transfer her luggage to her sister's car for her summer vacation in VA with her sister and her husband. Last year her brother Ryan spent about a month with his sister and it is Jenn's turn this summer. She is looking forward to the time together as she hopes to learn some of the secrets to how Lisa stays so slim. Jennifer should have a good time as she and Lisa have some special events planned to do while she is there in VA. Here she is with one of her friends the day before heading to VA.