More

Just thought you'd like to know that we're in for some more bad weather. Oh heavens- joy.

In the meantime- Quinlynne has said some pretty funny things lately.

Quinlynne is already planning her birthday party. Keep in mind her birthday is in August. She was making lists of "good" & "not so good" kids. The kids that make good choices are the kids she is apparently going to invite to her birthday party. She would take a scratch pad and write each kid's name on a piece, then tear it off. She then tried to stick postage stamps on each piece of "addressed" paper. Well- these piece of paper were all over the living room & it was driving me nuts. I asked her several times to throw them away. She did not comply. I couldn't handle it any longer. I finally MADE her throw them away. This apparently just broke her heart & ticked her off. She confronted me in the hallway and said "When your mother gets home, I'm telling her you made me throw away my birfday lists!"

Today, Quinlynne got up before either mom or myself. Quinlynne had apparently helped herself to a small little chocolate shake I had made for her the night before & placed in the refrigerator. She came into my bedroom & told me she had spilled it & I told her to clean it. So, a few minutes later I get up and I see the mess. I squirt cleaner on it. It is really time that Quinlynne needs to get to school, but I don't want to take her. I tell her to go wake up Grandi & ask her to take her to school. The kid stood in front of me, pointed to the mess on the floor and said (with eyes as big as saucers) "I don't want her to see THIS!"

OK, one more.....Last week I was running late for the time I wanted to depart the house. I was not planning on taking Quinlynne to school, but mom assumed I was so...... I was trying to bark orders to get Quinlynne moving more quickly. I said "Hurry Quinlynne! We're running late. We've GOT to go!" She was standing there doing something at her dresser. She said "I'm hurrying. I can't run late to school, or else I'm gonna get fired. Dang it."

This kid, I tell you what!

Crap, Crap go away (sung to the tune of Rain, Rain go away)

I try to not gripe too badly about weather. I mean, what can I do to change it, really??? But here's the low-down....I like it very mild. I don't enjoy tons of winter weather & I do not enjoy it being 112 with 765% humidity. Now don't think the only winter weather I've ever been exposed to is the winter weather Oklahoma has to offer. No, no, my friends. I spent two LOOOOONG winters in Minnesota. I have had my snot freeze coming out of my nose, I have seen spit freeze before it hits the ground. That crap just is not natural.

Anyhow, Oklahoma is having more than its normal share of Winter weather this year. I've always heard that the longer it's below freezing, the more nasty bugs & insects are killed off for the Summer months. Is there any truth to this? I don't know. And frankly, I don't feel like looking up that information. You see, my friends, we started with the Winter precipitation again yesterday. Ice storm, then snow. We (at my home) did not get as much ice as we anticipated, but more snow fell than we thought. I think we got something like 6-7 inches. No drifts this time. Just snow on top of ice. The trees are all weighted down. Poor trees.

Schools were all canceled. My daughter does not handle being cooped up very well. I do not handle being cooped up with her. I don't know what I'm going to do to get us through the rest of the weekend. Prayer- that's what I'm going to rely on I think. I'm going to pray that I'm not too mean, and she isn't too "cabin feverish".

Romance

So, ladies (& maybe gentlemen...I'm not sure)...I was thinking about romance. I personally like to still believe in it and hope for it. I was reminiscing about romantic movies that I've seen, and perhaps some romantic moments I've experienced. So here's the deal...I'll tell you about my most romantic moment & you tell me about yours. If you want to blog about it and then leave me a link, that'd be fine. Or if you want to write about it in a comment...whatever. It's up to you!

OK- here's my scenario:

I was in Myrtle beach, SC. I had been staying with a friend of mine who lives an hour west of the Beach. She was seeing a guy I was not crazy about, and I didn't want to be home when he came over. So, I decided to head to Myrtle Beach for the evening. I went to a club there that my friend and I had discovered called Revolutions. (If you ever get a chance to go- do it. It is a seriously fun place. They play music from the 50s- present. It's a blast. It's one of those places where you dance and dance and dance till you're disgustingly sweaty & you say to yourself "I am definitely going to sit the next song out"; then the next song comes on and you look at your friend and yell "I LOVE this song!!!" and you keep on shakin' your groove thang. Seriously- GO if you get the chance!) Anyhow- I was at this club by myself. This is not something I would dare do here in Oklahoma. So, I was kind of on the edge of the dance floor dancing by myself. I noticed this handsome man looking at me. I was not upset he was looking at me. Finally, I just looked at him and said "I know you wanna dance with me." (Where did I get the nerve??) He smiled & came and started dancing with me.

After a few songs he asked me if I would stay where I was, he had to go find his friends. I thought maybe it was just an excuse to leave, as he was gone for quite a while. Some other guy had come up to me in the meantime & the two of us were dancing together. Well, guy #1 comes back while I'm dancing with guy #2. I thought guy #1would turn around & leave, but he waited until the song was over, and I beckoned to him. It turns out that he was in Myrtle Beach on getaway with his buddies. They were all Marines. We had a good time dancing & when the club was getting ready to close, he told his buddies that he'd meet them at the hotel later on. He and I decided to go the beach and hang out.

We got out of the car and headed to the beach. We started walking along the beach. After a while our shoes in the sand became irritating. I had on heeled sandals. We took off our shoes and he took both pair in one hand and reached out to hold my hand with the other. We walked in the water a little bit, so we could feel the waves on our feet and ankles. We talked for a really long time. We finally sat down beside one another facing the ocean. He put his arm around me. He finally reached over and kissed me. It was really nice. We sat and talked, cuddled, & kissed for the longest. We were both getting sleepy. Then, orange light started making its appearance over the water. We watched the sun rise together.

I had to get back to my friend's house because we were supposed to be going to Charleston together (which is a totally romantic city- you should go there too) the next day. I gave him my phone number as I left, but didn't think I'd ever hear from him again. I was wrong! He called me!

He was a Marine, and when President Bush started sending troops to Iraq, he was one of the first ones sent. He had been in the Gulf War in the 90s, too. He was a sniper, so I constantly feared for him. He is one of the people that goes in front of the front lines. (My dad explained it all to me; and told me that he must be really good at what he does!) I used to get satellite phone calls at random times day & night, once from a hospital bed where he sat with his rifle after the Humvee he was in had been hit. He has been to Iraq, Afghanistan, Cuba & other such locales multiple times since we first met. He is now married. So sad for me. But- isn't it a romantic story?

So hit me with 'em....give me some romance to read about & believe in!!

copy of an email

My brother sent this email to me. Too funny!

Apparently this guy had to take down his Christmas decorations this year. It turned out too real-life like!

New Year's Eve

I have never been a huge fan of new Year's Eve. Maybe because to me, it's depressing. And here's why: I never have anyone to turn to and yell "Happy New Year!!", hug & get a sloppy kiss from. Now, if you have a husband & you get put out with him....keep your comments to yourself; let me live in my little fantasy world for a while. If you were young (below the age of 24) when you got married...keep your comments to yourself. There is NO WAY you can possibly understand what it feels like to be by yourself at the stage I am at in life. I am THIRTY-FOUR years of age. No one of the opposite sex wants me to be theirs. AND, as I was discussing with one of my friends just the other day, just because you're single and this age, does not erase your feelings of sexual cravings. My friend and I included in this sexual cravings category- just being touched. Someone to touch your back, give you a quick hug, pat your arm, shoulder or leg.... and I don't need to go into what other kind of sexual cravings I have, do I? Yes, it sucks.

In fact, just this past week I met up with a man I hadn't seen since 2004, or maybe it was 2003. He and I went out a few times back then. He has since moved to Houston. He was in town for the holidays & was staying with his sister. He is a handsome man. He had grown a goatee since the last time I saw him. It was very sexy. The moustache part was still dark, but the beard part was mainly salt with some pepper. He is Native American, so he has these nice full lips. He is tall, something like 6'3". We were sitting together at a table and I had these visual images of sliding up next to his side and smooshing myself against him.....for the human contact. I fit so nicely under his shoulder, if I remember correctly. Alas, I contained myself. I didn't want the poor man knowing I was desperate. But see, how sad is it when I'm having daydreams about sidling up next to someone, to feel their body heat??

So, this is my fantasy: I have a man who desires me to be by his side because he wants me. It is New Year's Eve. We decide to go someplace where there are adults, ie. Times Square, a church dance, a club, another couple's house. We are dressed nicely and with a hint of sexiness- which means we both smell delectable. It gets close to midnight, we all count backwards from 10-1. We tell each other "Happy New Year" and he gives me a kiss I almost have to wipe my mouth after. Then, we give each other a hug.




Now see, is this too far fetched of a fantasy? Have I watched too many episodes of "Days of Our Lives"?


Instead, this is what I get.
Granted, I love the company, and the cookies were yummy.....but it's a far cry from my New Year's kiss. And yes, I cried once again.

Seriously, I'm supposed to feel safe?

On New Year's Eve, mom & I were having a rockin' good time (I had to wake her up before midnight) watching some DVRd shows. Every time I would fast forward I heard yelling. This continued for 2 hours. I finally heard a scream. This is quite unusual for our neighborhood. So- instead of getting up and looking outside (which would take energy & I"m into conserving that), I called 911. When I dial 911 it goes to Broken Arrow 911....so I have to ask for Wagoner County. They transferred me. I begin to tell this deputy about the yelling. He asks me if I can tell where the yelling is coming from...well- here...

Me: Yes, there's some yelling and screaming going on in our neighborhood. It's been going on for a couple of hours.
Deputy: Have you looked to see what's going on?
Me: Nope. But it's been going on for a couple of hours, so I decided to call you.
Deputy: Can you tell where the yelling is coming from?
Me: I'm pretty sure it's coming from the cul-de-sac behind my house.
Deputy: Is it a wooded area?
Me: No, not really. I mean, we all live on a little over an acre. There may be a few more trees in the cul-de-sac.
Deputy: OK....
Me: When you come into the neighborhood, we are the 1st house in the neighborhood. The 1st street you can turn on, you'll turn left. That's the cul-de-sac.
Deputy: OK. What's a cul-de-sac?
Me: (In complete dismay, shock, and trying to stifle laughter. I looked at mom, my eyebrows raised & mouthed the words "what the EFFF?") Ummm, it's a road that is a circle at the end.
Deputy: Oh, a circle drive. OK, do you want us to check on you when we're done?
Me: No, just see what's going on over there. I'm going to bed.

Now I ask you.....I'm supposed to feel safe with this law-enforcement officer who does not know what a cul-de-sac is? And...I did not mention to him that a circle drive is a driveway in someone's yard that is "U" shaped.

Happy New Year!

Lester the elf

So Grandi got Quinlynne this thing called Elf on the Shelf. Here's the jist: there is an Elf, you name it, the elf hides in your house & ever night, after the kid goes to sleep the elf goes to the North Pole to report to Pere Noel if said child has been naughty or nice. When the elf comes back to your house, he tries to hide in a new spot. Said child cannot touch elf, or the magic will be ruined.

I was skeptical of this little setup. But ya know what?? Quinlynne LOVES it. Every morning she comes into the living room to try to find where Lester the Elf is. She has found him every day almost right off. This morning Genevieve the kitty found Lester the Elf and knocked him down. Quinlynne was pretty irritated, but she wouldn't touch Lester (remembering the magic). Wow- can I keep this Elf out all year long??

Confession about Santa

OK, so I have a confession. I took Quinlynne to the mall, on Sunday, to see Santa. I'm terrible, and setting a bad example...I know. Quinlynne finally, after much coercion, sat on Santa's lap at Uncle Charlie & Aunt Connie's ward Christmas party. On Saturday night Quinlynne told me that she'd forgotten to tell Santa about something she wanted & she thought maybe we should head to the mall so she could tell him. The mall was already closed. The next morning she brought it up again. I decided to just seize the moment...last year we went to the Bass Pro Santa and I got a snapshot. The previous two years, I got something that looked like this:

So, we went to the mall. We got some cute pictures. Quinlynne had a tete-a-tete avec Pere Noel, and she seemed satisfied afterwards. We took some pictures of ourselves, too.

Cousins & pictures

The Saturday before Thanksgiving my SIL came down so we could take the girls to get their pictures done together. My mom has been wanting a picture of her grandkids, and she wanted them to send out with her Christmas cards. I decided the girls should wear red & black. I didn't think they should be matchy-matchy. It's hard trying to outfit kids when you don't have them with you....especially Abby; she is just a skinny little twig. Everything hangs on her, poor thing. Mandy and I ran out on Friday night to get the finishing touches for the girls' outfits, and we found this dress for Abby. We weren't sure about it since hers was red, black & white. BUT- it turned out GREAT! The girls did spectacularly...it gives us hope. You know how lots of times when you go to get pictures done- you're lucky if you get one or two you really like? Mandy & I had to seriously narrow it down. We were so proud of our girls! I'm not going to post any of the finished product, but let me post some pics of the girls in their outfits. BY the way, I can't get the pictures to go where they're supposed to go...so you have to put the correct caption with each one. I have faith you can do it.

Cadyn trying to check herself out in the mirror.

Look at that little foot. How chubby & adorable is it?

Abby & Quinlynne getting cookies for being so good.

Quinlynne & Abby watching a movie while Mandy & I made decisions.

Finally Finals are over

That's right, my friends. I took my Theory final yesterday. I finished my skill validation just an hour ago. I have now passed Level 2 of nursing school. I guess nothing's actually final until it's recorded in the gradebook for the college. BUT- I have an "A" in Issues & Perspectives & I got a "B" in my Theory class. I have passed! Woo hoo!

Unfortunately, I know of 3 classmates, thus far, who have not passed. I am very sad. They are all people I like, too! So, two down, two to go! Go Shandolynne, go Shandolynne! I just have to cheer for myself sometimes!