In the first half of 2010

I wanted to do a "Year in Review" type post with pictures, but I could only load five at a time, so my post had to be broken down into two different entries. So....here's 2010 in review--


My best friend and I turned 35. We've known each other for over 30 years. How scary is that?

Joe and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. I love you, Honey.

Pj turned 15.

Kasey and Mark were married.

Hank graduated Kindergarten.

In the second half of 2010...

Stevie & Andrew were married on a sailboat in San Diego.

Austin turned 17.

Hank played soccer.

I cut my hair.

Joe turned 40.

2010 was a great year. We had a lot to celebrate. Here's looking to 2011!

Is there anything cuter?

This picture just makes me smile. I'm not sure who has the sweeter of faces, Hankadoo or Max? I think they are both precious!

Christmas

Christmas Eve was spent visiting at my grandmother's house for a little while and then having dinner at my in-laws. It was a great night. My brother-in-law, Rick, entertained us with stories, and it was great chatting with my sisters-in-law. All the cousins hung out and played pool or Rock Band. While we were there, it started to snow. We were going to have a White Christmas, afterall.



On Christmas morning, we woke up very early to see what Santa had brought. I have to say, the ole fat man was good to everyone this year. Hankadoo got his Nintendo DSi, and was a very happy little boy. Santa also brought him a remote control truck that PJ spent more time playing with than Hank. He chased everyone around the house with it, and thought it was hilarious to see us jump. Boys never outgrow the need for toys on Christmas.





After drinking our coffee, and opening our presents, we bundled up and went to Mom & Dad's for our Christmas Day celebration. Christmas Day is always spent at their house. We get there around 9am, and usually leave around 11 that night. It's a day filled with family, food, stories, and being together. We open presents (one at a time so everyone can see!), we eat until we are about to pop, we play games, we tell stories, and laugh until our sides hurt.

It really is the most wonderful time of the year..........

'Tis the Season....

The presents are wrapped, the stocking are hung, and the boys are bickering and fussing. Yes, it's Christmas.

Who invited Foghorn Leghorn to Christmas dinner?

For the past two weeks, I've been 'making a list and checking it twice' of all the things I need to do, need to buy, food I need to make, etc, etc.
And, I kept thinking that I was forgetting something.

I was.
I forgot to get my haircut.

Well, snap.

I really had planned on it. But, I think my little ear infection/sinus infection last week threw my scheduling off. I completely forgot to call Kelly for a trim.

So, I'm going to spend Christmas with uncooperative hair. I jokingly said last week that I look like Foghorn Leghorn in the morning when I get up and before I do anything to my hair. I guess ole Foghorn is spending the holidays with us!

A little less Grinch, please.

It's hard to find holiday cheer when people piss you off.
Just sayin'....

I feel rather Grinch-ish today! Maybe I should have worn my green sweater. I shouldn't be in such a foul mood. I'm just frustrated, I suppose. It amazes me how my co-worker can drive me crazy and she hasn't even made it to work yet. And, I'm frustrated with the help, or lack there of, around the house. I know it will all get done, but I'm betting that I'll be the only one doing it. I really don't think anyone but me cares if the bathrooms are dirty, or that all the wrapping paper is still out, or that I don't want to spend my days off doing laundry.

I'm only working 1/2 day, then I'm having lunch with Maria. After that, I'll go home to check on my Hank (who was feeling much better yesterday afternoon, but became puny again before bed,) clean house (because it's a disaster!), and maybe, if I'm lucky Hank and I will get around to making our holiday goodies. We're going to dip pretzels, make peanut butter balls, two types of Chex mix, and Oreo balls. I'd like to take some goodies to the girls at the tanning bed, and our buddy, Kirb, who Hank adores. Maybe then I won't be so Grinch-like.

"You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch......."

Poor, Peanut

Hank went to stay with the aunts this past weekend. They were going to watch Christmas movies, and make cookies. On Saturday, he had a little cough, so I sent his cough medicine with Andrew when he came to pick him up. Yesterday, my sister sent me a text and said that Hank was puny, and that he should probably get into the doctor. She said he sounded like he had pneumonia. And, since she's a pediatric nurse, her guess is a lot better than mine. Hank's had pneumonia the past three years, so I picked up the phone and made him an appointment.

When I came home from work yesterday, he was just pitiful. I could tell he was running a fever, and that he just didn't feel good. His eyes were red, and he sounded bad. We spent most of the night on the couch watching 'The Simpson's'.

Joe took him to the doctor earlier this morning. His doctor said that it was just a severe head cold/sinuses, and that his chest was clear, it wasn't pneumonia. I was surprised considering how his cough sounds. The doctor also said that with having pneumonia several years in a row like he has, that's it's more than likely some sort of allergy that is the beginning factor, and the pneumonia is the end result.

He prescribed a Z-pack, and some eye drops. I'm not a fan of the Z-pack. It seems like there's JUST enough medicine for them to feel better, but it doesn't kick it completely. And, I'm not totally convinced that Hank doesn't have pneumonia. I told Joe that I wouldn't be surprised if we are back in there in a few weeks.

I'm hoping Hankadoo will get better by the weekend. There's nothing worse than feeling bad on Christmas.

Christmas Memories

I'm a firm believer that Christmas is a time for nostalgia. A time to look back at years past and smile from warm, heartfelt memories. A time to talk about family traditions, and where they started. A time to remember the loved ones that we've lost, and to honor their memory.

My grandfather, Papaw Bill, was the most festive, full of holiday cheer, person that I've ever met. He loved Christmas, and he would just shine the whole month of December. He and my Grandmother were square dancers, and on Christmas Eve, my grandfather would wear his square dance vest that was full of bling and sequins. When I say he shined, I mean he SHINED!

I miss him terribly. Yesterday, my mom and I were talking about how Hank is all about decorating for Christmas, and making goodies, etc. I told her I wish Papaw was still with us, how he and Hank would have the best time together. She agreed that they would be quite the pair together.

My favorite memories of my grandfather center around Christmas. Every year, we'd spend one day together right before Christmas. It was just me and him, the 'little' kids couldn't come. My sisters hated it, and I would just smile and wave as we drove off. We'd run errands for my grandmother, we'd do last minute shopping, we'd deliver fruit baskets to people from the church that were less fortunate, we'd have lunch together, and then we'd go back home to make candy. We'd dip pretzels, peanut butter filled Ritz crackers, Oreos, and pretty much anything that he thought chocolate would be good on. He'd tell me stories of when he was a little boy, when he was a soldier, and when my dad and his siblings were kids. It was always the best day of the year.

The picture is of my grandfather, and my sister, Stevie, when she was a baby.

I love his handlebar moustache, and to this day, I can smell Captain Black pipe tobacco and see him.

A Sleepless Night

There's always something scary about the phone ringing in the middle of the night and waking you up. You don't get to wake up gradually, it's instant, the same as if someone dumped cold water on you. You're awake, wide awake. And, it scares you! When the phone rings in the middle of the night, there's something wrong.

My phone rang at 1:33 a.m.
Caller ID showed it was Austin.

My heart was beating so fast, I thought it was going to jump out of my chest. And, when I answered, there was noone there, just a little noise. I jumped up, and ran into his room...his bed was empty! I think I had a mini heart attack right there in the hallway. All kinds of thoughts go flying through my head. He's out with friends, they had a wreck, he's hurt, he's in trouble, etc, etc. I'm not very rational in the middle in the night. I come flying down the steps, turned the corner, and Austin is sitting at the computer. He looks up at me like I'm a crazy person and says, "Mom, what's wrong?"

Thank you, God! He's home and he's safe! I told him that he called me. He looked confused, and started looking at his phone to see how he managed to send his mother into cardiac distress. He's still not sure how he called me. He gave me a hug, said, "Mom, I'm fine. I've been here since I came home from work".

He patted me on the head, and sent me back to bed.

It took me a long time to settle down and go back to sleep. I truthfully don't know if I ever did. It's funny how your thought process can be in the middle of the night. I started thinking about all kinds of random things.... What kind of goodies to make for Christmas? Am I a bad mother? I wonder if Kohl's will have that sweater for Mom? Should I really let Hank play on the computer as much as he does? I really, really need to lose some weight. Where are my dark brown pants? Am I a sucky friend? Those are just some of the thoughts I had in the wee hours of the morning. Ugh.

I think my sleepless night wasn't just from Austin's phone calling me, but from the Sudafed I took before bed. I remember one time before that Sudafed kept me restless and awake most of the night. I took it on Thursday night, and slept just fine. So, who knows.
Hopefully, I can get in a nap today. But, who am I kidding? That won't happen.

Sick Day for Momma

My trip to the doctor Wednesday afternoon ended exactly the way I thought it would. Sinus infection, double ear infection, heavy duty antibiotics and a work excuse. I spent yesterday curled up in bed with two of my favorite Brits. Colin Firth & Hugh Grant.

I watched "Love Actually", part of "Music & Lyrics" and almost put in "Mamma Mia".
There's just something about seeing Hugh Grant's little dance to The Pointer Sisters' "Jump" that makes me smile and giggle, regardless of how sick I am. And, Colin Firth trying to speak Portuguese. Love it.

When, I wasn't indulging in a movie fest, I was sleeping. I didn't get out of bed or off the couch all day. I just didn't feel like it. The boys were out of school due to ice. They did an excellent job taking care of their puny momma.

I feel somewhat better today. Not great, by any means. I probably should have stayed home again today, but I didn't want to miss our Christmas Party. And, my co-worker would have flipped out if I wasn't here. She's just like that. Yes, I got sick on purpose, just to make things difficult for her. Please!

Sniff, Cough, Sniff, Cough

I don't have time to be sick! Yet, here I am...stuffy nose, runny nose, congested pounding head, clogged ears, and no voice. It's great to be me!

I'm off to the doctor today, where they are going to tell me that I have a sinus infection and an ear infection. They'll give me a prescription for antibiotics and send me on my merry way. I still believe that life would be so much easier if I could just pick up antibiotics in bulk at Sam's. I mean really.. wouldn't it be nice? 48 rolls of toilet paper, 36 pounds of laundry detergent and a gallon of Amoxicillian. There's nothing wrong with that.

Snow Day

Today is the first snow day of the season. All the local schools are closed, and a lot of businesses are on a delay. The boys were tickled to death last night when the call came saying school had been cancelled today. I would love to be home today w/the boys. My throat is kinda scratchy, and I'm just not feeling 100%. Today would be a perfect couch, and Christmas movie kind of day. And, even though we are on a one-hour delay for work, I'm already here. It's not dedication, it's just scheduling with mine and Joe's work hours. On the bright side, I'm the only one here, and everything is quiet. I think I'm going to go make some hot chocolate and read the paper.

Argyle, Rudeness, & "Dukes of Hazard"

Last night, Joe and I has a mini-date. We had a very nice dinner at Rafferty's (they have the best Honey Mustard/Hot Bacon dressing!) and watched part of the UK basketball game. Then, we went and and shopped. Luckily, I have a hubby that doesn't mind to shop. And, he actually does it quite well. The mission last night was to pick up everyone something new to wear on Christmas Eve. Joe found a great argyle sweater vest! I've been trying for two years to get him to wear an argyle sweater, and he has refused every time. Maybe because he found it on clearance was the key factor in buying one last night. I personally think he will look great. Some people can pull of sweater vests, or argyle. But, if you can pull of the combination of the two, then that's even better. I jokingly refer to his brother as Wilford Brimley when he wears a sweater vest. He just looks like him. He has a big belly, wears the glasses and looks like he's about to chow down on a bowl of oatmeal. C'mon, it's funny!
I grabbed a nice purple polo for Austin, and an oxford and black sweater for PJ. Hankadoo told me he wear a long-sleeve oxford. That's what I brought him home, and well, we are taking it back today. He meant a long-sleeve polo.

I had gone into Wal-Mart to grab a bottle of Advil. While I was standing in line with about ten other people, a lady decides to cut line! She had apparently forgot to pay for two items, and instead of going to the back of the line, she thought it would be okay to just cut in line because she knew one of the people standing there waiting their turn to check out. This did not settle with me, and I called her out. I wasn't very polite about it either. I said, "Seriously? You're just going to cut in line? Does it not matter that all these other people are standing here waiting, you're just going cut and not go to the back?" I guess I was rather loud, considering everyone in our line, and the line next to us turned and looked. The lady came back with, "Well, he said I could. But, if you're going to get that upset about it, I'll go to the back of the line." At that point, I laid my Advil down and just walked out of the store. Some people are just rude.
Luckily, there's a Walgreens right across the street. I went in, picked up my Advil without incident. And, as Joe and I were getting in the van to leave, someone was blowing their 'Dukes of Hazard' horn. I had the sudden urge to slid across the hood of the van, and then get in from the window. No. Not really.

A little sigh of relief

On Sunday, Mom went to an acute care clinic for fever, congestion and a few other bothersome things. I can't remember the last time she was sick enough to actually make a trip to the doctor, much less an acute care clinic on a Sunday morning. She was there most of the day (3.5 hours) and left w/the diagnosis of bladder infection, sinus infection and bronchitis. Because of the coughing and bronchitis, they did an x-ray on her chest. On Monday, the clinic called her and said that she needed to make a follow-up appointment w/her regular care physician . The x-ray had showed a spot on her lung, and her regular doctor needed to sign a referral for a CT scan on the lungs. This is when my worry factor kicked into overdrive!

I knew that it was probably nothing. But, what if it wasn't? Mom smokes. A lot. Has for years. What if something was really wrong with her? What if the smoking had taken it's claim? What if that spot was cancer? The questions and worry started building and fast.
I could tell she was worried, too. When we spent the day together on Wednesday, she would say, "I know I shouldn't be doing this" every time she lit a cigarette. I didn't say anything. It wasn't the time to get on my soapbox about smoking. She's heard me rant about it for years upon years, I wasn't going there Wednesday when we were spending our day together Christmas shopping.

She had her CT scan today, and the spot on her lung is a granuloma. Granulomas are simply scarring in the lungs that are caused by infections of the lungs with inflammation severe enough to cause scarring. She is still sick with her sinus infection and bronchitis. I know what she did, she felt better, so she shopped all day the other day, wore herself out, and is back to feeling like crap. I can't fuss, I've done the same thing. I think all women have.

I'm breathing a little sigh of relief. I don't know if she realizes just how worrried and scared I was this week. I'm glad the spot is not cancer. I'm really hoping this will be her wake-up call to stop smoking. I know she knows the dangers, and I know she knows she needs to quit. Just doing it is a different story.

Confession

I love the warm, fuzziness of holiday movies, and tv shows. They show such heartfelt emotion and everything works out in the end. Is there anything better than "It's a Wonderful Life" or "A Very Brady Christmas"?

Here's a confession.. I love the Christmas episode of "Family Guy".... I'm so ashamed! I normally hate Peter, Lois & Stewie and refuse to watch. But, the Christmas episode--LOVE IT!

Peter gives all the presents for the family to a charity (by mistake) and Lois handled it so well. They simply go to the mall and buy more. The house catches on fire, and Lois is okay. But, then when there isn't any paper towels, she loses it! And, I don't mean just getting grumpy. She goes Christmas Crazy! She pushes George Bailey off the bridge, she sets Frosty on fire, and she climbs the town Christmas tree. She's yelling and cussing. They end up shooting her with a tranquilizer gun, and Lois spends Christmas Day in a rocking chair, drooling.

For me, that episode of "Family Guy" is the most realistic of all the holiday specials! How many women can relate? I always joke that will be me (or my mom!) in a few years.

Everything happens for a reason

...even if you don't know the reason at the time! I didn't get the position that I had put in for. And, yes, I was a little bummed at first. But, it's all good. Everything happens for a reason. So, in time, I'll know the reason. I just hope it's a good one!

I'm actually content where I'm at. I really do love my job and the people that I deal with on a daily basis. I would have hated to leave them, but I had to at least try for a position with better pay. Now, if my co-workers would just make it to work on time, things would be even better. Really, since when does 8 o'clock mean quarter after?

One boot, two boot, brown boot, gray boot..

I've been wanting new boots for a few weeks now. And, I decided to trade in the high-heeled, pointy-toe boots that I love for more practical, flat boots. Don't get me wrong, I still love the heeled boots and oooh and aaah over them every chance I get. But, they kill my back and my feet, and in icy wintery conditions, they aren't the smartest choice in footwear. I just couldn't decide what color, and style I wanted my new boots to be. Yesterday, after Joe got an early Christmas present while we were in TJ Maxx, I thought I'd walk down to Shoe Carnival and just look at their boots. I left with two pair. A gray leather pair that hits right at the knee, and laces up the back. And, a brown suede pair, w/gold tone buckles. Both are flat and kinda slouchy, and will look great with jeans! I'm actually wearing the brown pair today with brown pants.

Oh, how I love new shoes!!

Friendship

I'm convinced, I have the best friends in the world. It doesn't matter if we met in kindergarten, met in middle school, met while playing Army wife, met on a message board, or met just a few months ago. My friends are incredible, and I love each and every one dearly. We may talk every day, or we may just email a few times a month. Regardless, they are there when I need them. They have shared my laughter and my tears. I am blessed and I can't imagine my life without these wonderful women.

And, before breaking into 'The Golden Girls' theme song... "Thank you for being a friend..."
You know the rest!

Thank you ladies, for being my friend.

Happy Birthday, Goregous!

Last night, the family had dinner together to celebrate my sister's birthday. She's turning 30! And, some people haven't let her forget that, like her husband who is roughly two years younger. I will never give her grief about her age because I am the older sister. If she's older, then I am too!

My sister is beautiful inside and out. And, I'm not only lucky to have her as a sister, but my best friend. Happy Birthday, Rosie! I love you.

"Mom, it's called a singlet!"

How can wrestling be such an expensive sport? It's just a bunch of sweaty boys rootin' around on the floor and trying to pin each other? My boys do it all the the time in the living room. For free. I had sticker shock when it came to buying all the stuff PJ needs to root around on the floor. First, it was the shoes. Then, it was the 'Spirit Pack' which consisted of sweatshirt, sweatpants, tee shirt, shorts, and I bought me a long sleeve tee to wear to his matches. Next, it was head gear. Yesterday, I ordered his leotard. Oops, I mean singlet. He's told me several times not to call it a leotard. I still have to pick up a mouth guard and some compression shorts. When you add it up, cha-ching, cha-ching.
He's had a few scrimmages and they've practiced every day since October. Wrestling Season officially starts this Saturday with their first meet.
There's a girl on the Bruin wrestling team, and I've heard she's pretty good. She beat PJ in practice one day. And, the family has not him live it down! Dad and my brother-in-law have worn him out about getting beat by a girl. I just keep picturing the scene in 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' when the little boy goes to wrestle the girl and she kicks his butt. I imagine that being PJ. I'm really not a nice mother..

I'll have to take pictures of my precious boy in his wrestling leotard, I mean singlet, and post them later. My beefed up, muscular boy has come a long way since he was running around in his Mickey Mouse underwear pretending to be Stone Cold Steve Austin. I can still see those scrawny little arms just flopping around like crazy. And, that was just last year! :)

See, I'm really not a nice mother!