Seeking Camelot: Family Stories

Something's Wrong With This Picture

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:44:15 GMT

Tonight's going to be another busy night...like when is it ever NOT around here. lol I've got to manage to find some time to shop for some jeans for N. Since he's been going to PT with the Marines twice a week, he's dropped from a size 34/34 to a 30/34. All his pants are just literally hanging off of him. And, considering he's about 6'1", he's just a skinny twig of a kid...but what he DOES have is solid muscle.

Anyway, we have to buy some jeans tonight because tomorrow, he's leaving with his JROTC unit and going to the National Drill Team Championships...

...in ORLANDO!!!

I've tried to convince him that a 17 year old boy shouldn't be travelling that far away by himself...

...that he should REALLY take his mom along...

I don't think he's buying it! lol

Anyway, he's leaving tomorrow morning. He has to be at the airport by 11. We're still not sure how he's getting there. I don't have a vehicle and tomorrow's the first day of school so M is going to be SWAMPED at work and won't be able to get away. I told him that he needs to make some phone calls and see if any of the other guys who are going could swing by and pick him up.

He'll be gone for 6 days. They're going to hit Disneyworld while they're there. It's a crazy kind of irony. N has never been all that interested in going to Disneyworld and is still kind of "whatever" about it, but A would LOVE to go.

Isn't that usually how things work out?

lol

I can't believe it....they've been growing up sooooo fast.

Guinevere

PS to my Scrabble buddies. I am so disappointed that I haven't been able to play Scrabble with all of you lately, but I have just been so overwhelmed by my work schedule and so many other things going on in my life (including outside activities and other non-tangible things) that I don't know if or when I'll be able to get back to it any time soon. Whenever I make the attempt to get back into it, I just can't. I'm too tired...mentally and physically. But I think about all of you often and I'm glad that I had the chance to play with you the time that I did.

Cha-Ching!!! Another Happy 16 Year Old...

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:48:17 GMT

This afternoon, my daughter called me to let me know that she had a 1:30 interview for her first job ever. She was sooooo excited! She asked me what she should wear and how she should wear her hair, so, between the two of us, we got her spiffied up pretty good...well, at least as well as we could do with her at home and me at work and both of us on our cell phones. lol

About an hour later, she called me and told me that she got the job! Yay for A!!!

The funny thing about her calls is that she RARELY calls me on my phone....most of the time, I get texted. So, when I got the first call, I answered it this way:

"So you're not texting today???"

lol

She said, "Oh, Mom! It's because it's something important!!!"

lol

When she called back to let me know she got the job, I knew before I answered it what she was going to tell me. If she didn't know if she was hired or not, she would've texted me. She's so predictable...just like me. lol

Anyway, she said they would add her to the new schedule and let her know within a couple of days when she'll be working. Of course, she forgot to mention that she's working at VBS all week, so I'm thinking I'll have her call them tomorrow morning and let them know that before they start tweaking their schedule.

Oh, and the name of the place she's now working at?

Well, I won't tell you the name of the place, but I will tell you that it has a 'D' and a 'Q' in its name.

Guinevere

Sweet 16 Party Pics

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:26:14 GMT

Sorry to disappoint, but there won't be any pics of my daughter on here. Once I finally (someday) have my own domain and decide who can see what, then maybe I'll get pics up of the kids.

But, for now, here are pics of the party room...sans people. lol

Overall room view:

Individual party table:

Pictures from baby to now. We also had awards and projects that she had won/completed on a table.

And, finally, the cheesecake table:

Everything went really well, like I posted yesterday, but I finally remembered to move the pics to my flash drive so I could get them posted today while I'm at work.

And, yep, the cheesecakes were all yummy....I outdid myself! lol

Guinevere

Sweet 16!

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:23:53 GMT

Well, the Sweet 16 party for my daughter went off without a hitch! Yay me! I took Friday off work so that I could devote the day to baking cheesecake and working on decorations. A helped me most of the day with the decorations, so it didn't take as long as it could've.

We cut out circles and circles and more circles out of different, bright colored paper to scatter on the tables. (She wanted a "dot" theme.) It took both of us 2 hours to cut out all the circles. Ugh. We were so glad to be done with it! lol After the circles were cut out, I started working on the centerpieces for the tables. I had bought some dotted, metallic gift wrap and used that to wrap pop bottles, then we stuck ribbon covered dowel rods in the bottles with balloons attached at the top. They turned out really cute, I think.

***I should mention here that I keep forgetting to put the party pics on my flash drive so that I can upload them on here once I'm at work...I never have time to get on here at home anymore. lol***

I'll get some pics posted of the decorations hopefully tomorrow.

For just a second, I'm going to rant. For the most part, the party went very well and everyone enjoyed the cheesecake and the time to just sit and visit...BUT...

...BUT...

why don't people RSVP????

Seriously!!!

I sent out BEAUCOUP invitations...and only heard back from like 3 people.

So, here I am planning on potentially 150 people...and guess how many showed up?

Maybe 25.

Why???

Seriously.

Where food is concerned, why wouldn't you RSVP???

I always RSVP...because I understand the point behind it.

Sooooooooooooo.....

think about what that means for a second....

Ready?

I made cheesecake for 150+ people.

Only 25 showed up.

I gave away 4 WHOLE cheesecakes.

And took some home myself for later.

When I look at how I stretched my budget a little past what I was hoping to have to spend...and then I actually gave stuff away, it just makes me mad.

I just don't get it.

But I kept me cool at the party and A had a great time. She got a few gifts and we gave her the gift we got her.

Oh, that's what I needed to post! lol I almost forgot that I left you hanging!

We had her make a list of everything she wanted for her birthday and prioritize the list. We had an idea what we wanted to get her, but we wanted to know what her priority preferences were. Well, they were the same. At the top of her list, she had written:

"1. Purity Ring"

So, that's what we got her. Here's a pic of the ring we picked out.

It's very delicate and dainty. It's white gold and, yes, that's a real diamond...small, but real. When she saw it, she just oohed and ahhed over it.

So, all in all, the party went great. Oh, and we even had a bonus. We had the party in the fellowship hall of our church and, while we were decorating, the associate pastor came in and asked if he could use the centerpieces that we had on the tables for a family reunion the next day. I said, "Sure! Would you like us to leave the tablecloths and polka dots for you too?" He said, "Sure! Why not?" So, that meant that we didn't have to clean up and rearrange the fellowship hall when we got done. We just swept up, grabbed our stuff and left! BONUS!

Anyway, I'll get some pics on here tomorrow!

Guinevere

Memorial Day Thoughts...

Tue, 27 May 2008 02:23:29 GMT

I hope everyone had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend! We did. I have been soooooo lazy all weekend. On Saturday, I was supposed to wait tables, but I had only been there an hour when the scheduling manager realized he over-scheduled, so he asked me if I wanted to go home (since I should've been off anyway). Of course, I said yes!!! lol I was home by 5:30. Nice surprise!

On Sunday, our best friends ordered pizza for lunch and brought a cake over so they could celebrate our 18th anniversary with us. We did the same thing on their 17th anniversary...3 weeks ago. I can always remember when theirs is...it's so close to ours! lol

Then today...I've been SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO lazy. Literally, have not done anything productive...except work on some crocheting. I've been prepping plastic grocery bags for crocheting into reusable shopping bags. I have one done already. I guess I should post a pic later, huh? I will, but I'll just need to find the camera first. lol Just my contribution to the "green" effort.

Anyway, Sunday evening, we went to my parents' house for dinner. We always BBQ hamburgers and have all kinds of goodies to eat. We had a nice dinner and visit...and pulled out my grandpa's war memorabilia. It's always a little sobering to look through his things. And every year, we pass around his purple heart. Wow. Mom told me this visit that she wants N to have all of Grandpa's war medals, including his purple heart, when she's gone. N is the only military member in the family now.

Anyway, Mom has been filling out forms requesting information about Grandpa's service during the war. She said she's gotten some information, but she just keeps sending out more and more requests. You never know what we'll find. It would be interesting to know exactly where he was at different times. The only things we know absolutely for sure is that he was in a tank destroyer and was part of the second wave at Normandy.

My grandpa died 21 years ago this coming July 1. His funeral, complete with 21 gun salute, was on July 4. Kind of fitting, huh? His was one of the biggest funerals my hometown had ever seen. But, the July 4 celebration that year was more somber than it had ever been before.

Even more sobering was that Mom said M's grandmother has also been sending requests for information on M's grandfather. And she keeps getting the same response, "I'm sorry. We don't have any information on that person." The scary part is we know why...

M's grandfather was involved in all of the atomic bomb testing that the military did way back when...which we believe was directly related to all of his later health problems. M said the most interesting (and suspicious) thing about all of that was that all of the paperwork on his grandpa and the other guys he worked with was "mysteriously" destroyed in a fire...along with alot of information about the work that they were doing...supposedly. It's sad that these men were serving their country in the military and, afterwards, the military "erased" them.

But the families remember. We remember.

M's grandpa died 10 years ago of a heart attack...the last of many. It was actually a relief. Unlike my grandpa, who suffered a massive heart attack and died quickly and suddenly, to everyone's shock, M's grandpa suffered one heart attack after another after another after another...slowly having his life and energy drained away. Until he could do nothing without suffering pain.

This weekend, we took time out to reminisce about our grandpas and honor their memories. I'm honored to have known them...and even more honored to be able to call them family.

United States Marine Corps - Oorah!

Tue, 20 May 2008 13:50:41 GMT

Yesterday turned into an interesting evening for me. As a mom.

As most of you know, N has been talking about joining the Marines since he was 9. There was just no talking him out of it. Recently, while putting gas in his car, a guy at the next car asked him what he was going to do after high school. N, without hesitation, said, "Join the Marines." The guy at the next car said, "Really? Well, I'm a Marine recruiter. Nice to meet you." lol

They've been talking off and on ever since...about N enlisting.

Then N invited him to come and talk to M and I.

It's interesting talking to a recruiter. Sgt. Romero was a very nice guy. Young, with a family. It was easy to chit chat and keep things light, but... He's a Marine recruiter. That was dangling around in the back of mind.

Ultimately, it was decided that N would participate in DEP (Delayed Entry Program). He could sign up now, go through MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) and ship out to San Diego for boot camp next summer.

One advantage to DEP is that twice a week, the recruit (my baby boy) will meet with other recruits and go through some PFT (physical fitness training) to help them start getting into physical shape for basic training. They'll also be instructed on what to expect at basic training, i.e. how to respond to the drill sgt, how to act and react so they stay out of trouble, etc. It turns out that this is going to be huge benefit for anyone going into the Marines. Another thing they do is that every 2nd Saturday, they pull recruits from all over and have a game day. Of course, I'm sure they aren't going to be playing Scrabble or Yahtzee (lol), but it will be more physically demanding games and it's supposed to encourage camaraderie and participation among the recruits.

N is on pins and needles.

I wish I could say I was.

I told him 2 nights ago (it was just him and me sitting in the living room) that I'm being torn in half. One half of me is soooooo proud of him, that he knows what he wants to be and do, that he's motivated to see it happen, that he's committed and responsible about meeting his goals. And that he's so honorable. N has grown into such an honorable, respectful, and kind young man. I'm sooooo proud of him that the reason he wants to be a Marine is so that he can serve his country and so that he can be a champion for the innocent and those who can't protect themselves.

But then I told him that the other half of me is the mom. And that no matter how old he gets, he will always be my little boy. And that his joining the Marines scares me to death. Especially right now.

The coolest part was that while I was telling him how proud I was of him, he smiled and I could see how he was being encouraged and feeling very good about who he was. And then, when I told him that it scared me, he smiled at me and nodded. And said, very seriously, "I know, Mom."

N also doesn't say thank you much. BUT, in place of the words, he'll do a tight, close-lipped smile, close his eyes and nod. That's "thank you".

Before saying, "I know, Mom."

He "said" thank you.

But, last night, Sgt. Romero showed up to have N sign and initial the rest of his paperwork. (There's no end to that stuff!) Then, one of the other recruiters (can't remember his name to save my life!) showed up to double-check the paperwork. It turns out that everything's going to be ok with N's homeschooling records too.

Anyway, after N was done initialling and signing all the paperwork they needed, they asked him if he had his bag ready. Then he left with them to go to the office to take his ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) and then on to the hotel where he would spend the night and get up bright and early this morning to have a physical and go through everything they need to do to get him enlisted.

He's at MEPS right now.

And, when he comes home somewhere between noon and 2:00, he'll officially be a Marine...even though he won't be shipping out to basic training until next summer.

Oorah!

Wow.

I didn't think it would hit me this hard...but watching him walk out of the house with 2 Marines (one in full uniform) and carrying his overnight duffle was hard.

Lord, give me strength.

*sigh*

Mother's Day Adventures

Tue, 13 May 2008 14:32:29 GMT

As most of you know, M was in FL on a scuba diving trip with a friend over the weekend. He got back on Sunday...LATE on Sunday...LATE as in "I've already gone to bed". So, he missed Mother's Day.

Not a biggie, though, since I knew he wouldn't be back by Sunday.

He left on his trip last Wed. afternoon, so he took A to the store on Tues. to pick out a gift.

Hmmm...after receiving the gift on Sunday morning, I questioned his sanity.

I wish I would've thought to take a picture of what I got on Sunday morning...but I didn't. Didn't even think of it until just a little bit ago...when it was too late.

See, M and A decided to get me flowers.

Fresh cut flowers.

On Tuesday.

And hide them in a closet.

Until Sunday.

See a problem with this?

What I got was a bunch of brown stalks with brown things hanging off them that I can only presume to be what used to be leaves and some strangely mutely colored things at the tops that were limp and vaguely resembled what used to be petals.

In a vase.

A apologized.

I stared.

Then laughed.

What was M thinking???

lol

I have given him such a hard time about it.

Sunday afternoon, our friends Mk and Db came over and brought me some carnations because they felt bad that I got ugly, dead flowers for Mother's Day! lol

And we all laughed.

I left them on the table in the vase until yesterday...just to make sure M saw them.

He was laughing while I was giving him a hard time, but he gave me a hug and apologized.

I just told him that he owes me some flowers! lol

Guinevere

Miss Poppy

Fri, 09 May 2008 13:43:25 GMT

When I was in 7th grade (or right around there), my sister and I were involved in the Jr. Auxiliary. My mom was an officer in the Women's Auxiliary and was one of the Jr. Aux. leaders, so, by default, we were all involved as well. Well, one evening of a Women's Aux. meeting, they were going to have a Miss Poppy contest. (You know those poppies that you see people offering for donations for the American Legion's Veterans' Fund?)

Mom told us after school that we HAD to be in the Miss Poppy contest. My sister was so excited. She made herself a poppy crown and poppy bracelets and the whole nine yards. I didn't want to do it, so I just went to my room and ignored the whole thing....thinking I would get out of it.

Well, after dinner, Mom told us to get our poppy accessories and get ready because we were going to be leaving soon. I just said, "I'm not going." She said, "Oh, yes, you are." We went round and round and I used the excuse that I didn't have anything to wear as far as poppy decorations (which was kind of why I didn't make any...I was hoping to be able to use that as a valid excuse to get out of it!). Mom proceeded to grab a handful of poppies and start "decorating" me. The skirt I was wearing buttoned up the front, so she wound poppies around the buttons. She pulled my hair back on one side and clipped poppies into a barrette. I had poppies all over me by the time she got done.

The whole time, I listened to her lecture me about how I WOULD do this, that I needed to NOT be so selfish, that everyone was EXPECTING us to be there....and on and on.... Well, we got there. There were about 12 of us girls total. All of us decked out in red and covered in poppies. We each got a turn to walk down the aisle of chairs and stand to the side facing the "audience", while the officers "interviewed" us. They asked us what our favorite subjects were in school, what were our hobbies, that sort of thing.

Well, to make a long story short, I won.

Yay me.

My sister was FURIOUS! And my mom was PROUD.

When we got home, Mom insisted that Ju and I pose for pictures....with her wearing a scowl and me wearing my Miss Poppy sash and holding my bouquet of Memorial Day poppies.

Even though, it wasn't a big deal to me, now I understand why it was to Mom. And I'm glad she made me do it...even if I did have to listen to a lecture. lol

My mom was so busy and involved in every group you could imagine when I was growing up. She was an officer for the women's group at church, an officer for the Women's Aux., our Girl Scout leader, the janitor of the church, a member of a card club, and other things that I can't even remember right now....and she also worked full time at the high school in the kitchen. Everywhere I went, there was my mom. Everything I was involved in, there was my mom. (She actually was a Girl Scout leader because my sister and I wanted to be in Girl Scouts and there wasn't a troop already in our area...so she started one.)

The funny thing about all this? I always told her and promised myself that I would never be involved in that many things and be that busy. Well....the apple doesn't fall far from the tree....because I AM. And I think it's because not only do our moms give birth to us, but they also give birth to their own passions in us. I find that everything I'm involved in is somehow related to what my mom was involved in and what she loved doing. Go figure.

And, if A was involved in a Jr. Aux. somewhere....and they were having a Miss Poppy contest....I would make her participate.

Updates with a Side of Funny

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:15:37 GMT

Yesterday when I got home, I was greeted with much good news! A was up and around and acting like she felt MUCH better. I asked her how she was doing and she smiled, did a little bounce, and said, "Good!" I went and got the flashlight and looked at her throat and it was almost completely clear!!! I could only see 2 small white spots!!! (On Sunday, it had been completely covered with NASTINESS!!!)

I had called the dr. yesterday morning to let her know that A was having a reaction to the antibiotics we got and could we please get a prescription for something different. Well, the nurse called me back awhile later and said they had called in a prescription to our pharmacy, so M picked it up on the way home for lunch. The best part? Rather than taking it 4 times a day for 10 days, this one she got yesterday is ONCE a day for SIX days! Even better! And easier to remember to take! lol

BUT I have to tell you about Sunday night....or I should say, tell you MORE about Sunday night. It makes yesterday even BETTER!!!

When N and I got home from my parents' house, A met me at the door looking VERY pasty and obviously feeling really icky. I checked her for a fever and made sure she had some fresh water in her water bottle that she'd been carrying around with her. Then I sent her to bed. I finished putting some things away (mostly leftovers from Easter dinner to the refrigerator!) and then went back into her room. She was bundled up and I talked to her for a little while....

then I decided I was going to pray for her before I left.

You know....I don't always think of doing that first thing when someone is sick. But, you know what, the book of Matthew tells us that Jesus carried our iniquities AND our DISEASES on the cross. When He died, he provided for our healing from sickness and all kinds of other things! When He rose from the dead, He showed us that He has power over everything...even illness...and especially death!

SO....doesn't it make sense to pray...with a believing heart...no room for unbelief here...for someone when they're sick???

So, the most amazing part of yesterday was that I was looking at her throat KNOWING that I had prayed for God to heal her quickly!!!

Amazing!

What an incredible Easter!!!

And what an incredible SAVIOR!!!

Ok....on a lighter note....here's a funny....

I don't know why I think it's so hysterical, but I just can't help but laugh when I look at it! lol

Guinevere

Weekend Update

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:02:55 GMT

What a short weekend! Why is it that 2 days off go faster than one day at work? It seems like I just get home on Friday afternoon, then I’m heading back to work on Monday morning. Ugh.

N had a JROTC drill meet over the weekend. He left Friday afternoon and got home shortly after midnight on Sat. I had already gone to bed (though I heard him come in and go to his room when he got home…I’m a mom), but M was up and asked him how it went. He said that N told him, “Ok. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.” Then headed straight to bed. He was beat!

Turns out that the school hosting the drill meet has been gunning for N’s unit. He said we’ve won so many drill meet trophies the last couple of years (including national competitions) that the judges just got extra picky with them this time and all they won was one 4^th place trophy…even though they had fewer mistakes than the other units. I thought maybe N was just being a little “complaining” at first, but he said one of the things the judges noted was that they had “sad faces”. He said, “You’re not supposed to have happy faces because then you get docked for not having ‘military bearing’!” From the sounds of some of the other comments, I tend to agree that they were just out to make sure they didn’t take home anything significant. Bummer for N since this is his first year. It’s not like he’s been in the group who’s done so well in the past. Oh well… I told him just to do his best and then take what comes. He said he did well and didn’t mess up once, so he was proud of himself. Sgt. even put him in one of the drills with the jr. and sr. cadets…even though he’s a first year. I know trophies feel great to win, but I’m proud of him anyway…with or without a trophy.

Now on a more “yucky” note. A’s still battling her cold that she got about 2 weeks ago. I took her to the dr. a few days ago and she told us it was bronchitis…which would explain the cough. Her head doesn’t seem to be as congested now, but her cough showed up again last night. I made her take some more cough syrup before bed…even though it makes her gag, but the benefits outweigh the taste. (I hate cough syrup too!) But, Friday night, she was complaining that her stomach was cramping. Well, as the evening wore on and she was curled up on the couch with her “puke bucket” (anyone else keep one of these handy?), I headed to the bedroom to my computer. After a few minutes, I hear her calling me from her bathroom. I said, “What?” But she just kept calling for me. I finally wandered down the hallway and asked what was wrong through the crack in the door. She had had diarrhea, and while she was taking care of that, she threw up...minus the puke bucket…on the bathroom floor. I grabbed a couple of towels and was going to clean it up, but once the smell hit me, I just started gagging…hard. So, I handed her the towels and explained how to clean it up with the least amount of YUCK. She handed the rolled up towels to me and I took care of them from there. And then I apologized for making her clean up her own mess. lol I could do it when they were little and couldn’t do it themselves…but not anymore. Ick.

NOT a happy highlight from my weekend.

Guinevere

New Nascar Enthusiast?

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 02:34:06 GMT

Some of you were having trouble earlier being able to view the video. It should be fixed now. Enjoy!

N got his old race car track up and going over Christmas break (I forgot he had one!!!) and Tobi it!

Check this out!

(And keep an eye on her tail! lol)

What a hoot!

Guinevere

Mildly Bizarre Occurences

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:32:44 GMT

Remember a couple of days ago, I wrote about my sister and her husband and kids coming for a short visit? Well, despite the fact that she and I are so completely different and live in two totally different places (meaning not just geographically, but financially, emotionally, spiritually, you name it), somehow we always end up alike.

Explanation:

Every time I've seen my sister after a long absence, we ALWAYS have the same hair cut! ALWAYS.

Is that weird or what?

And I'm not talking about little trims here and there, I'm talking about going from LONG hair to SHORT hair...

This last visit wasn't any different. When I saw her, she had her hair cut exactly like mine. The only difference was that her hair is much thinner than mine.

And, aside from the fact that I wear contacts and she doesn't, we always end up buying the same style eyeglasses.

In fact, I have a picture of the 3 of us sisters when N was a TINY baby and you literally cannot tell us apart! Same hair, same glasses.

Weird.

I wonder what would happen if I got a mohawk?

Hmmm...

Guinevere

What a Fantabulous Weekend!

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:35:03 GMT

We had such a great time this past weekend! My sister and her husband and kids were here from NJ. In the past, their visits have been met with some trepidation. I mean, honestly, I love my sister and we get along fine, but her choice in a husband was someone we all had to get used to. And I'm sure he had to get used to us.

See, he's from Long Island and he's Jewish. You know the stereotypical NY Jew that you see on tv? Well, that's my BIL. Almost to a 'T'. And that's his entire family. (You haven't been to a wedding until you've been to one with these kind of people! OY!)

R is very loud. Opinionated. Arrogant.

And it's beyond his comprehension why anyone would live anywhere other than NY.

In fact, the first time any of us met him, he actually had the brass to ask us that! I turned it around and very politely asked him why anyone would ever want to live in NY.

But, as the years have marched by, he's gotten used to us and we've gotten used to him. It's quite a stretch for both. He's born and raised in NYC. We're born and raised on a farm in MO.

I finally nailed it down how to get along with him. You have to approach every conversation with him, no matter WHAT you might be talking about, as if you believe and know that NYC is the best place to live in the entire world. Once you come at all conversations with that in the back of your mind, then you'll get along great with him. In fact, it's kind of fun to play games with it.

For example, the town that we live in has Madison Ave. and Broadway. So, after dinner on Thursday night, as we were giving them directions to our house from the restaurant, I mentioned that they should take the Madison Ave. and then followed that with "Not to be confused with the Madison Ave. in NY." Then I told them that if they wanted to come in through downtown to get to our house rather than take the interstate around the city, they could just take Broadway..."but don't expect very many shows to be playing."

Sarcasm is my ally when it comes to my BIL.

The weird thing is that whenever we go anywhere, SOMEHOW I'm the one who ends up sitting across from or right next to him. Or we end up in the same vehicle. I mentioned this to M after the weekend and he said, "It's because, for some reason, you have a rapport with him that the rest of us don't."

???

I don't think so. I think it's just because that's where they stick me.

Anyway, my parents came up on Thurs. night and all of us had dinner out at a nice restaurant and called it a night after that. Mom and Dad stayed at our house that night and then, on Friday, my other sister and her daughter came up and everyone went out for lunch together, then to a "Fun Park" in the afternoon. We were the only ones there (I'm guessing because it was a Friday and all the kids were in school), so there was NO LINE for the go-carts! We had a BLAST!

Well, I was doing pretty good until I gave M a gap along one of the curves and he shot it, only to slam into the side of my go-cart and spin me around. Then of course, everyone lapped me while I waited for the kid operating the thing to come out and turn me around. Oh well....it was still FUN!

After that, we went out for dinner at the restaurant next to the hotel they were staying at. Then we went back to the hotel for a couple hours and let everyone who wanted to swim. On Sat., everyone went to my parents' house for an early Thanksgiving dinner. It went very well and everyone got along. Plus I got to see my uncle and his daughter, along with her son and her new baby girl (who was only 2 weeks old!!!! They are sooooo fun to hold when they're that little!).

Sunday, being as we're the only ones in the area of the hotel my sister and her family stayed at, M and the kids and I met them for a quick breakfast before they left for the airport. We got to visit for about an hour before they left.

I miss spending time with my sister and I hate that our kids don't really know one another very well, but, at the same time, I was glad to get away from my nephew. lol Oh my goodness! He's only 4, but they've given him an early diagnosis of ADHD. He screams and yells about EVERYTHING! And he throws fits ALL THE TIME! It was almost more than I could take! Their daughter used to be almost as bad and now she's very polite and pleasant to be around, so I'm hoping that he grows out of a lot of that too. Time will tell.

In the meantime, I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Nothing out of the ordinary happened....

EXCEPT...

SOMEHOW...

my mom let it slip in front of N that I was pregnant when M and I got married.

Why, Mom, why???

Once she realized what she did, she was very embarrassed and N just sat there with this confused look on his face.

Sheesh.

I gave her a nudge and said, "ANYWAY! Moving on..."

lol

Guinevere

Busy Weekend

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 18:03:10 GMT

This past weekend was quite the adventure! On Friday afternoon, me and two other ladies loaded up 8 jr. high and high school girls and went to a BIG water park about 220 miles east of here. It was our annual district Missionettes Friends and Girls Only retreat. The girls got to spend a few hours at the water park before we had to have them back to the conference room for the evening service...at 9:45.

Everyone had a great time. You know, one advantage to going to things like this with older girls is that they don't usually require as much supervision. We had a very good group of girls, so while they were playing in the water park, the 3 of us adults and one of the senior girls who doesn't like to swim went mini golfing. It was sooooo much fun and we were all nutty and laughing. I'm sure we were a sight!!! It was at night and the mini golf course was outside, so it was kind of interesting trying to line up some of the shots without blocking your own light. I'm sure if anyone had wandered out there, they would've wondered what was up with the four of us!!! lol

One of the ladies had to go back in because one of our girls hurt her foot. The rest of us finished the course (only 3 more holes). The funny thing was the score:

Me - 54

D - 54

C - 53

How much closer could we get??? lol I told C it was only because of that fluke hole in one that she got that she beat us! lol

On Sat. am, we fueled up and headed back west a ways to the church that we were hosting a harvest party at. The ladies were in a training session and the girls were hosting games and face painting for the local kids. Most of them have done this before, so they knew what they were doing and did a great job!

After that, we took off and found a Taco Bell...then got on the road. Have you ever noticed that the ride home from somewhere takes about three times as long as the ride there??? Sheesh! I was beginning to wonder when we would EVER see something familiar!!!

Then, it happened. D, who was driving, mentioned that we were extremely low on gas. I told her to take the next exit (we were very close to our own exit and I was familiar with the one we were coming up on). She did...we got to the first light...ONE BLOCK FROM THE GAS STATION...and the van died. No gas.

Can you believe it???

She called her husband, who was at our house with my husband, and he said they would head over with some fuel.

In the meantime, a guy in a truck proceeded to back his pickup up to the front of the van. He told D he was going to pull us into the parking lot and get us off the street. He had only these short kind of nylon cables...so he managed to get us into the drive of the parking lot before they snapped. That's when we told the girls they would have to get out and push us into the parking lot. Luckily, it was on a decline, so once they started pushing, we rolled right down the hill and managed to roll into a parking spot.

About that time was when the two husbands showed up with a gas can. lol They fueled us up with what they had and we drove over to the gas station to top it off.

Sheesh.

It made it exciting and, luckily, we could all laugh about it later!

But I was really glad to finally get home!!!

Guinevere

Ahhh....Teenagers....Sigh

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:05:29 GMT

A couple of weeks ago, I was informed of something I didn't know. Apparently, I was the ONLY one who didn't know. Here's what happened:

We were leaving church on a Sunday night after a special service. M took A home, so that left me, N, and my best friend, Db, and her daughter, C, at the church with our Jeep and her car. N climbed into the back of the Jeep and Db got in front. I told N to go ride with C...usually something we don't do...you know, the whole "avoid putting teenagers in potentially tempting situations...boys and girls don't ride somewhere alone together". Well, he said, kind of strangely, "Really?" I said, "Sure!"

Once he was out of the car and getting into C's car with her, Db said to me, "That might not have been the best idea." And I said, "Well, they're more like brother and sister anyway." (They've grown up around one another...our families have been friends for YEARS.)

Db laughed and said, "You don't know, do you?"

I said, "Know what?"

Uh oh.

lol

Yep, N and C have a crush on one another.

Once she told me that, I started paying attention. We all went to our house to play cards and the kids were all going to watch movies. Well, first off, I noticed immediately that N didn't just go hole himself up in his room. He and C sat on the couch and watched a movie together...talking and laughing with one another.

Hmmm.........obvious!!!

After they all left to go home and N and A went to their rooms, I asked M, "Did you know that N and C have a crush on each other?"

He said, (GET THIS), "Well, yeah! Didn't you? It's really obvious!"

I felt so clueless!

Doy.

Guinevere

Reasons to be Proud

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 15:16:24 GMT

I'm going to take this opportunity this morning to talk about my kids. I'm proud of them. They have grown up so much and so quickly! It seems like only yesterday that I was changing diapers and giving baths! Where does the time go???

The most amazing part of being a mom to me is that I look at them now and think, "They're my legacy to the world."

Wow!

They are part me and part M. Obviously, some genes for physical traits have carried over. (It's amazing how much A looks like M...even though she doesn't want to admit it!) But, personality traits are there that tie us all together too...esp. A to M and N to me. (N and I are so much alike, it's scary sometimes...and we get along great!)

They also carry less tangible, but no less important, traits like our values, beliefs, and traditions. They are both very humble. They are helpful. They're kind and polite and respectful. They're both people of integrity. I know that I can trust both of them implicitly...maybe not to get the trash out before the garbage truck rolls through our neighborhood, but I CAN trust them where it matters.

A is creative and passionate about things she cares about...including her friendships. She exhibits character qualities that are almost non-existent in teenagers today, most notably her ability to keep and treasure a confidence from a friend. She's a great listener and, if you're in trouble, she'll pray for you and be there when you need a friend. She's been homeschooled her entire life until this year, her sophomore year. Having recently been placed in a school setting, she's excelling with a 3.86 GPA and has made lots of new friends!

I'm proud of her!

N is a quiet gentleman. He's gallant and chivalrous. How long has it been since you saw a 17 year old boy hold the door for an elderly lady at the grocery store? N is passionate about his desire to join the Marines. The reason? So he can "protect and serve the innocent and those not able to protect themselves." Pretty noble, huh? To him, the Marines are about honor, integrity, and service. I'm praying that the unit he gets into is commanded by someone with the same vision and moral character! In JROTC, he was selected as Cadet of the Month for October. He's on the Rifle Team and Drill Team and is First Sub...even though this is his first year. Recently, he spent 2-3 hours a night for 3-4 nights in a row polishing his uniform shoes for inspection...without being told. He's carrying a 3.75 GPA.

I'm proud of him!

The past few weeks have been a time of epiphanies for me. I've been recognizing the fact that our kids are our gift to the rest of the world. We need to be preparing our kids to be that gift. Wouldn't it be incredible if everyone in the world had that vision??? Can you imagine how awesome the world would be then?

I see too many parents slowly pushing their kids out the door...silently, and some not so silently anticipating the day that they'll have an empty nest.

Not me.

This time with them has gone too quickly as it is! Last night, during my quiet time, I started thinking about what it will be like when the kids are both gone...either to college, or Marines, or married...and it made me sad. I'm going to miss them!

It's tough being a mom sometimes...it's such a bittersweet journey.

But I wouldn't trade it for anything!!!

Guinevere

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Sweet 16 Party Pics

Sweet 16!

Memorial Day Thoughts...

United States Marine Corps - Oorah!

Mother's Day Adventures

Miss Poppy

Updates with a Side of Funny

Weekend Update

New Nascar Enthusiast?

Mildly Bizarre Occurences

What a Fantabulous Weekend!

Busy Weekend

Ahhh....Teenagers....*Sigh*

Reasons to be Proud

Ahhh....Teenagers....Sigh