Busy, Busy Christmas

Whew!...I was glad to get back to work.

We were busy all four days and we said we needed a vacation from our vacation. We also agreed that we were not going to travel that much next year.

Our first trip was Saturday to Cullman (Eva). Chris' cousin got married so we went and helped with Ashley and William. We didn't stay long due to them taking pictures and us wanting to get back home. Since William has taken up with his Uncle Chris, he wanted to go home with him. We really had to sneak out of the house.

Sunday we had Christmas at granny's. We first went to church with Joyce and Danny, then drove over to granny's house. Granny always has coffee going, so we bought her some nice coffee mugs. She got us a Trifle Bowl. So, now we have two of them. One she got us is currently holding all of our holiday candy and so I think I will make it our candy dish.

Monday we drove down to Ashland and had Christmas with my family. It is beginning to feel very different from what it used to be. I know we are all grown and have families of our own, but it is just not any where close to how it used to be. Most of the men were outside during gift time and it was more of a women talking ordeal. I wish we could have all been inside and just sat around for a small amount of time, but anyway...those that wanted to be there, were!

Tuesday we drove up to Cullman to have Christmas with Chris' mom and dad. Joyce always cooks a good breakfast! We all opened gifts and watched the kids open theirs. (The way it should be and not like my family). After gifts we celebrated Chris' birthday, by singing Happy Birthday to him and eating cake. He wanted a Red Velvet and Cream Cheese cake....it was good! The weather was yucky with rain, cold and fog. So driving home was not the best. I am really excited to use the gift card to Applebee's!

Christmas Memories :)

I thought I would do a post about my Christmas memories. Not that they are all that exciting, but I just want to have them down, so when I get Alzheimers or something like that I will have them. I am not going to do them in any order just as I think about them.

•I remember the first time I found out there was no Santa Claus :( When I woke up the next morning I had the same amount of gifts I had the night before. Talk about thinking Santa missed you! I was bummed.
•I had a relative, Aunt Cora Lee, and she had to guard my grandmothers tree one year from me and my cousin, Chanda. My grandmother had bought us a pink ice ring and we could not look under the tree.
•I had wrote Santa a letter one year and when I got up Christmas Day I could tell that the letter was from my dad. It pays to pay attention to your parents handwriting!
•One year I gave my pawpaw a 2x4...wrapped! It might sound crazy, but his work shop was hit by a tornado earlier in the year.
•I remember one year getting a Barney stuffed animal.
•One year I got a bunch of Star Wars stuff from a friend.
•When I got older, we started having Christmas on Christmas Eve night. That way we could sleep in on Christmas Day.
•The first year my parents and I bought a real Christmas tree. It was huge...we had no sense of judgement. Our cat stayed under the tree.
•We  had the Coca Cola Village. With about nine houses, people, train, trees, cars, benches...a whole bunch of stuff.
•Chris and mine first Christmas - We got up early and exchanged gifts. His family had gotten us a "Our First Christmas" ornament.
•I love when Chris and I put up our decorations. We play Christmas music! We also play music on Christmas Day when we open presents.
•The Christmas my pawpaw was sick. Was a very hard Christmas, we didn't go down to my grandmothers and so Christmas was just not Christmas.
•My grandmother always gives $. When our family was small we got $40, now that our family has grown she has cut in down.

Concrete Sidewalk Attack

Lets just say that a concrete sidewalk + me =

Yes, it hurt.

Yes, I cried (a little)

Yes, there are more scrapes!

I was walking Bear Saturday afternoon and he saw another dog in the next yard. That dog was coming our way, so Bear took off and down I went.

Update on me

I went to the doctor yesterday and everything is good. I have to keep taking my vitamins and get one that has a little more folic acid. The one I am currently taking has 400 mcg of it and I need 800 mcg. So I can either get a prescription (which cost less), buy a single bottle of folic acid, or buy the Women's One A Day Prenatal (which is around $14). So I may just use up what I have and then check on getting a prescription for it.

Some of this may be TMI, but I wanted to write about it so I will not forget it in years to come.

She told me to give my body one or two periods, to make sure things are going great in that department.

When I do have a positive pregnancy test. She wants me to call and come in for blood work and the typical pregnancy confirmation stuff. If I have a positive result she will start me on some medicine. I am not sure what it is or will be, but I assume it is something to keep things going good. She also wants to take blood work for a couple of days to make sure my hormone levels are going up and not down (miscarriage).

So, it was basically a good visit. I kinda figured she would tell me all this anyway.

Other news:
We finally got our rock bed finished. It looks so good. I do have two pictures to post, but those will have to wait until I get them off my phone.

We have been needing a new ADS sign. So I contacted them and they actually sent us two! They are very nice and fast people.

Our parents and Chris' sister (and family) came on up on the 10th. Chris grilled steak and we had potato salad and black eye peas. We all had a good time, except for Alabama losing against Texas A&M.

I am so ready to start putting our Christmas stuff out, but we need to celebrate Thanksgiving first. We like to start putting stuff out the weekend after Thanksgiving. Since our rock bed is done, we may put our lighted, spiral Christmas trees out. I do want to change our lights in our windows. I have been using a single candle in each window, but Chris likes the tier ones. So, I may be changing those...not sure.

I am also doing the Marshall County Christmas Coalition buying again this year. It is such a blessing to be able to go and buy for others.

Miscarriage

I thought hard about how to title this post, but nothing came to mind except the truth.

On October 28th I took a home pregnancy test and it came back positive. I stayed in the bathroom for about 10 minutes just walking, thinking and thanking God for our blessing. Chris was still asleep and I kept trying to get him up to tell him to good news. At one point I just sat there on the bed and thought, "If he knew what I was about to tell him, he would get up."
So I did a few things around the house until he got up. When I heard him up my heart starting beating so fast, I just knew a heart attack was coming on.  So I let him sit down. He had no more sat down in his recliner until I told him the news.
That day was a special blessing to us. Excitement, joy and tears! I was going to have a butt!

Monday came and went. That night as I went to bed I knew something was wrong. I had started bleeding. (TMI!) It was a sleepless night. As soon as my doctors office opened I called and they told me to come down as soon as I could. After several test, it was determined that I was either real early or it was a miscarriage.

I called Chris to let him know what was going on and what the doctor had told me to do. So for the rest of the day I layed on the couch and prayed that everything would work out. I kept asking the Lord to please let everything be okay. So around 4:30pm I just could not take the emotions anymore and I asked the Lord for His will to be done. 30 minutes later the bleeding was worse (TMI...sorry). I called my doctor and she said it was probably a miscarriage. I still had blood work that needed to be done later that week and we would confirm it then.

Chris came home Tuesday evening and stayed for the rest of the week. He went with me to my doctors appointment on Thursday morning for bloodwork. I needed to compare my levels to make sure they were going down (miscarriage). I went into work, to try and get back on a normal schedule, but Chris had to come and get me. My sugar had dropped, I was throwing up (TMI) and shaking. So after two phone calls to my doctor we still had no idea what was going on. I started feeling better once I got food in me.

Chris and I both took the rest of the week off to just be together and make sure I was going to be okay.

I will probably be changing doctors. I didn't receive the type of care we thought I should have received. I know doctors are busy, but nobody called us back or called to check on me. I even had to call and get my bloodwork results. Them being busy is not a reason to let your patients be scared or worried. I understand this happens just about everyday. But a little care would go a long way.

So we are both back at work and just taking things one day at a time.

I could not have asked for a better husband during this time. He kept saying he was spoiling me, but I just brushed it off. Now that he is back to work...I can agree with him.

I came across this Bible verse a couple of days after I came back to work.

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV)

Mom's surgery

Mom had vascular surgery done on her left leg yesterday at UAB Hospital. She previously had her right leg done at the same place. One of the nurses or doctors came out and explained to us what all they did and how things went. Mom will have four scars on her leg (Just like her right leg). Shorts are out of the question! But mom never really wears them anyway, so maybe it will not be a big deal to her.
She done great. Had some small bleeding, but that was to be expected due to the medicine she is on.

When we all left last night around 7:45pm she was still in la la land. Here are some crazy things she did:
•Put a bedpan on her head, then she threw it in the floor.
•Kept talking about her dad who passed away several years ago.
•Said they were supposed to take her to CCU. (Still not sure if she was correct on that or not)
•Kept talking about a scanner and there being a 10-50 (which is police code for a wreck)
•She said some more things that are private, but she was funny to say the least

Oh and I got her on video, so she can see what she was like. I just wish I had caught the bedpan incident!

So thank you to Dr. William Jordan at University Hospital in Birmingham!

Fall Wedding!

Saturday Chris and I went to his cousins wedding near Fort Payne. This may sound crazy, but it was the first outdoor, fall wedding I have been to and I really enjoyed it. They got married at a place overlooking a pond. The reception was held nearby.

Some of her decorations were so nice and fall looking! She had her aisle decorated with Mason jars with different fall color flowers inside, hanging from iron hangers. Her reception tables had the same Mason jars and flowers but they were sitting on Burlap and wooden pieces. The dance area was surrounded by hay bales and mums.

Sunday we just laid around and watched television and did our normal laundry.

One more thing...I have been helping our neighbor cut his grass. He is having some health issues, so Chris and I agreed we would help him with his yard. He is a nice guy and helps us keep the road clear of trash.

One thing that bugs me is people who just throw trash out while you are out there working. I was mowing Friday and some nut, came down the road and threw a coke can out the window! I mean...can you get anymore less respectful? Stop being lazy and throw your own trash away.

Weekly Tidbits

Loving this cool weather! How about you?

Time for chili! Well, at least I think it is.

•I have been getting my fall decorations out. We had to do some remodeling to our entertainment system and I waited until it was done.

•Tried this last night for supper and I was hot! I obviously can't read the packages. It was good, so I will probably buy another flavor. Just not this flavor!

•Dad came up Saturday and picked up our old television. We didn't mean for him to work all day, but he ended up helping us move some wires and fix our entertainment system. Chris cooked out hamburgers and I made homemade french fries.
•I have been thinking about volunteering with United Way of Marshall County. A lady from the office called me today and asked where I would like to volunteer. She gave me a list of places, so I will be thinking about them and getting back with her.

Catching up

This is going to be a load of my random thoughts and things we have been up to!
Ready?

•I  had a great birthday and turning 32 was not that bad at all. My friends gave me a big surprise at work. After work Kim and I ordered chinese and watched "What To Expect When You're Expecting".
•Bear needed a new rope, so when I went to purchase it the lady told me they were not making them anymore. WHAT! So I found a place and ordered everyone they could send me. Here he is enjoying it right after I gave it to him.

•We have finally put down the wiring and landscape fabric for our rockbed. We still have not given it a formal name, so we are just calling it our rockbed. Because basically that is what will be put in it.

•Our satellite went out Saturday evening. So, we went to Radio Shack to get a USB to USB cable (to hook our computer up to our television) only to be told that it would not work unless we bought a $100 box. Or we could buy a monitor. We decided to just purchase a new television. Since we have been talking about it for awhile now. So after the Alabama game (which went off at 11:30pm) we went to Walmart in Boaz only to find out the television we wanted was not instock. So we went to Walmart in Guntersville and got it. I think I went to bed around 3:30am! Sunday we spent cleaning around the entertainment set and getting things ready for the Dish Network people to come and install our new HD box. They came Monday morning and got everything fixed and set up.

•Had to call animal control because of our new neighbors dogs. They keep coming in our yard and doing their business :( I was worried last night they would do something to Bear because I had called.

•Friday Chris and I and his parents went to Madison to Ashley's family picnic. It was real nice and Ashley has a little boy that she is friends with. She said he has a cute face!

•I was actually able to buy ladies shoes that fit my small feet!

Best Friends!

Do I have the best friends or what?

This was waiting on me this morning when I got to work.

The dream catcher is an inside joke. It goes back to when Kim, Sherrie and I went to the Comedy Club in Birmingham earlier this year. When I first realized what the dream catcher was, I busted out laughing.

The miniature cupcakes are delicious! They are strawberry! I also got three (3) gift certificates to get a manicure, pedicure and hair cut and style.

Neighbors....ugh!!!

Don't we all just love getting new neighbors? Why, why, why?

Neighbor #1
We have been living in our current home for the past five years. When Chris first moved in we had a family living next door. They would be up all times of the night, with lights and music on. We honestly thought they were doing illegal stuff. One day I honestly saw a baby (with a diaper on) on top of a truck walking. Well they stayed for about two to three months and then they moved and the home has been empty ever since. Someone had come and did some remodeling to the outside of the home and they have a young guy who comes and cuts the grass. But other than that, it has been empty and quite.

Now after five quite years we have new neighbors. When I got home Thursday there were people outside and two vehicles parked in the yard. I am not sure about them, but I believe the couch on the porch and the cups sitting outside speak for themselves. Saturday when Chris and I got back from visiting his parents, there was a boat and truck parked in the yard. The truck was really parked in our yard, but we didn't say anything. If it happens again we will be speaking our minds!

Plus Bear really is not happy about it. He can hear them but he can't see them because of our fence. Poor thing!

Neighbor #2
Again, since we have been living where we are currently living, there has been an empty home diagonally from ours. We believe it is an old home place, because the only time we have seen people over there has been when they have mowed the grass. It is a nice house and would be better if someone came in and remodeled it.

Saturday night while Chris and I were relaxing and watching the NASCAR race, we noticed an 18 wheeler was parked in the road. So of course we had to go see what all the commotion was about. Can you guess what it was?.....IT'S A MOVING TRUCK! Yep, someone is actually moving into the old house. They have been working trying to get stuff unloaded and sorted out. Plus they have two cute puppies! Which I believe are going to be problems, because they were in our backyard Sunday evening. Bear actually peed on one of them. You know dogs have to meet and greet and I guess that was Bear's way of saying, we don't won't you!

But over all they both have been good neighbors....so far!

TWO NEW NEIGHBORS IN ONE WEEK! I just found it odd that we have lived in the same place for five years and never had a neighbor and now in one week we get two.

Prayers for Louisiana

Hurricane Issac...

I have been glued to The Weather Channel for the last three days. Watching and waiting for Hurricane Issac to come ashore. Weather fascinates me. No, I don't like when homes, businesses or lives are lost but there is something about bad weather that intrigues me. Tornadoes and hurricanes are right up there on my list. Call me crazy or whatever...I just love weather!

I feel so bad for the people who live in southern Louisiana. I realize they made the choice to live there, but I feel bad when they lose their homes and businesses. I am so thankful for the Army Corps of Engineers who have installed the water pumps. They have helped tremendously and have saved many homes and business. Possibly even lives.

Would I ever want to live there? Probably not. The same reason I would never build a home on the Gulf of Mexico. It seems to me, you are just waiting for a disaster to happen.

One thing I don't understand and probably will not unless I am put in their place, is why they don't leave when they are asked or even told to. With Hurricane Issac coming ashore this week, people were told days in advance to leave and get to higher ground, but some chose to stick it out. Thinking it would not be bad. I watched a short video yesterday on The Weather Channel where people were being rescued along with their 4 dogs.

On a good note there are hotels in Birmingham that are making it known that Louisiana residents can stay there. Is it not great to know there are people who are that nice!

Lets all say a short prayer for those in Louisiana.

Weekly Tidbits

Whew...it has been a busy week and I am so glad it is Friday!

•We have been busy at work with political and football season. When those two are together it calls for a busy couple of weeks. The politicians are picky and some will drive you crazy with their ads. Everything has to be perfect! I love football season and when we start doing the ads it really makes it real. It can be a hectic time, but it is fun! I really want to go to a football game at the new school in Clay County. Not sure when I will be able to go, but I can't wait to see the whole facility.

•We have gotten a virus on our computer three different times and have had to have it fixed. I am sure the repair guy loves it, but it is frustrating when you are computer less! Chris thinks he has narrowed it down to a certain website. We have agreed to not visit that website again! I will just bring him a paper home from now on. (If that gives you a hint as to which website we think it is!)

•I am loving this cool weather we have been having in the mornings (60 degrees)! That means one thing to me....FALL IS COMING! I have officially made Fall my favorite season. It used to be Summer, but now it has just gotten really hot and miserable outside. I can't wait to start putting up my fall decor! The only thing I dislike about the weather changing is my allergies. They have been going crazy this week. Thank goodness I have some antihistamine to take.

•Chris' mom and dad had a stray dog that took up residents at their home for about two weeks. Chris and I had started looking for it a home, but one day it just left. We would have taken it, but Bear is not fond of other animals. Most animals shelters were full or not taking any animals at the time, so I posted a picture of it on Facebook at a local shelters page. I actually received a call yesterday asking about the dog....to bad it had left. Chris thought it was an Australian Cattle Dog.

•Last Saturday (8/18) Chris and I went and watched our niece play youth soccer. She did a good job, since this was her first organized game. Her only issue was kicking the ball into the wrong goal. Once she realized where to kick it....SHE GOT TWO GOALS! She also came off the field in the middle of the game to get some water. We were all telling her to go back in that she was not able to just come get water when she wanted to. This was a small melt down, but after she got some water she was fine.

•I finally got my car fixed. The mechanic had put a wrong hose on. Which caused all my transmission fluid to leak out. Plus he damaged my radiator when he was putting in on, so we had him to install a new one. I believe we are done with this mechanic and will be looking for a new one. I hate to be that way, but this is not the first thing we have had to redo.

My Love Of Dallas (the show)

DALLAS!

I never watched Dallas when I was younger, but I wish I had. I remember my parents and grandparents watching it and hearing the theme song. I knew who J.R. Ewing was, just by hearing his name when people talked. I have even done the thing with your fingers about, "Who Shot J.R."

I started watching the new Dallas and I LOVE IT! It is so much drama!!! I'm like can we just all get along, but that would not be fun television to watch! Every episode leaves you wanting more. So I can't wait until January gets here! 

I think Julie Gonzalo (Rebecca) is adorable. At first I really felt bad for her, but after the season finale she is devious. I had to look up Cliff and see that he did in fact have a daughter. Jesse Metcalfe is nice to look at :) Can't say they casted the wrong type of men. So glad they brought back Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray and Larry Hagman. They really tie the old episodes and new ones together. I went back and read about the older episodes, so I would know a little about what was happening. Who was married to who and who the children belonged to. 

What is up with Larry Hagman's eyebrows? Have they always been that way? 

Weekly Tidbits

So I started this post last week and never got around to finishing it or posting it :) Let me try one more time!

Monday and Wednesday I went to revival at Bethany Baptist Church in Horton. A friend of mine goes there and I have visited a few times myself. It is a nice church with super nice people. One of the speakers had a very interesting topic and I am not sure how it went over with the older people of the church. He said that we can't keep doing what we have been doing in the Southern Baptist Churches. Church in which the population is mostly older individuals are shrinking and new more contemporary churches are growing. So I kinda agree...and disagree with him.

Tuesday, me and two other friends went to the Stardome Comedy Club in Birmingham. We had a great time laughing and having girl time. We ate at Moe's Southwest Grill and let me tell you, we loved the coke machine. It had over 1000 flavors of coke products. I guess we were a little out of our element! One of the comedians, Mike Gardner, was so interesting and funny. I would love to see him again. The main comedian Shaun Jones was very good. I know if I ever go back, I don't want to sit in the front rows, because they get picked on. Chris has never been, so I am trying to get tickets again and maybe he can go.

Chris and I had to take my car to the shop Monday. It had a cracked radiator and needed new struts. I followed him to Cullman and brought back my new ride for the week. The mechanic did call and let us know that my car was ready about Thursday. We decided to wait until Monday to go and get it.

Monday of this week we went and picked my car up....$390! Wow! I am so thankful for Dave (the mechanic) he does good work and is real good about prices.

Tuesday I had some business I needed to take care of in Ashland, so I took the day off and went down. Just as I got into the area where I have NO CELL PHONE SERVICE my car starts to stop. Now at this point it is raining. So I get my car pulled into a driveway and ask the lady if I could use a phone. Well, with my luck...she has no long distance on her home phone, no cell phone and no computer.
So for a few seconds I was like, I am stuck here until someone comes looking for me. GREAT! The lady finally remembers she could call her husband and he could call my mom. So that is what we did. Mom called back after about 10-15 minutes and I told her where I was. Her and dad got there and we think it is a transmission hose. We went and bought some fluid and when we put it in and cranked up the car, the fluid poured out. We then came back to Ashland and borrowed a car hauler from my uncle. Went back and got the car and brought it back to Ashland. It took mom and dad five tries to get in on the hauler. Mom actually did some manual work! So that is where it is now. Chris and I plan on going down Saturday and letting Chris look at it and see if we can get it working. If not we are going to haul it back to Boaz and take it to the mechanic again. After a long day, that was not planned, Mom and mawmaw brought me back to Boaz.

I hope the rest of the week is quite!

50 Shades of Grey!

Why did I start these books? I keep telling myself that I am not a reader, but these books have caught my attention.

Why has it caught my attention? First off, I started hearing about them from random friends on Facebook and Twitter. Never knowing what they were really about. So I picked them up and have not been able to put them down. Oh my that Mr. Grey....!

When I started reading them, I was like...no man will ever treat me that way. He is a sorry man and should not have all his man parts! Then I got into 50 Shades Darker and I got more interested in this man...not so much what he was doing, but his person. He is so intriguing! So...now I am addicted. Plus three of my friends have started reading it and we all laugh everyday about....Christian Grey!

Star Dome Comedy Club

Yesterday I was notified that I had won 12 free tickets to the Star Dome Comedy Club in Birmingham! I have been there twice before with friends and family. The last time I won 12 tickets we saw Henry Cho. He was hilarious!

So my friends Kim, Sherrie and I are planning on going next Tuesday to see Shaun Jones. His show starts at 7:30 p.m. To be honest, I have never heard of him until now :( I have been looking him up and seeing what all he has been a part of and I can't wait to see him. If you want to check him out click here.

Weekly Tidbits

Life has been kinda blah here lately. Not much going on!

•Now that my power steering is fixed, the shocks need replacing. My car is becoming a money grabber.
•Chris worked more on our new gravel spot in the front yard this past weekend. He put down some more top soil to fill in some low spots.
• We had a good 4th of July. Swimming, being with family and eating homemade ice cream.

Cutest Kids Around!

•Speaking of homemade. I made Chris and I a homemade Oreo milkshake this weekend. I believe that will be my new treat for us. It's easy and cheap. I don't have a recipe, because I just added a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Until they tasted good.
•I have started watching the show Shark Wranglers. It comes on Sunday nights after Ice Road Truckers. Watching how they catch the sharks and tag them is interesting.

New Electrical Lights

So we have decided to go with the electrical lights for the outside area by our front porch. We went Saturday and purchased them from Lowe's. They had two different sizes of these, but we went with the bigger ones. They will cover more area with light. We also had to purchase a few more things to go with them, since they are electrical. (Wire, outlet, matting).

We still have a few more details to work out before we install them. Plus we have to get prices on Pea Gravel, which is turning out to be harder than I thought it would be. I will be glad when we finally get to see the finished product. I know it is going to be nice out there and we wont have to worry about mushrooms anymore.

Weekly Tidbits

• I love Staples! Don't know why other than it makes me feel professional. I can go into that store and look for hours. If you get tired, you can sit on one of their many chairs in the back!
•Finally got my 4th of July garden flag out. For the past 3 years I have forgotten about it until after the holiday has passed. I found some cute things on Pinterest the other day that I want to try out for next year.
•The weather has been HOT this past week. Temps have been above 100 degrees with no rain. I believe this week it is going to be in the upper 90s. So not much of a change, but still it is not above 100. Thank goodness I work inside. Plus I am tired of seeing everyone take pictures of their car temps and posting them on Facebook.
•I have been looking for a new bathing suit. One that is a little more age appropriate for me. I mean, I don't want a one piece, but something a little more appropriate.
•I believe Chris has fixed my car. For the past two months it has made this awful noise when the A/C was on. Plus the power steering was messing up.
•Bear has been uncomfortable in this heat. I have given him water twice a day. Plus he has started being my alarm clock around 7:00 every morning. I believe with the heat, he has not taken a good day time nap. So at night he is sleeping good.
•I have started reading the book, "50 Shades of Grey". I have heard a few stories about the content being bad....so we will see. I didn't know it was a trilogy until I found it on Amazon.
•So thankful to have dental insurance! I want to keep my teeth for as long as I can. Dentures just seem to creep me out.

Adoption Story

I can never figure out how to start these post! So here goes...

My dad was adopted when he was around 2-3 years old. He has known for many years that he was adopted, so it is no secret to talk about it with him. As like some other people do, dad wants to find his birth mother and a brother he was told he has. There are a few things we are not sure about. Some things people have said and we have proven them wrong, so it is a weird situation.

Chris did a lot of research and we were able to request dads adoption records from Montgomery. Most of the information we thought would be new to him, wasn't. So we were kinda in a holding place until we could request more information. Well we didn't have enough information to get the stuff we needed and had hit a brick wall. Plus the lady at Alabama Vital Statistics was rude to me. Telling me 5 times what a sealed record was. I believe at this time in the game, I know what a sealed file is. Then came the 1940 census and my knowledge of the website familysearch.org. I started doing more research on the website and came across a name and birthday that might be his mother. (As you notice, I put might, because we are not 100% sure). There were many late nights searching the Internet. From there it has taken me to a family which could be his mother's family. I have found so many possible family members until it is unreal. We are at another stand still until more concrete information (marriage, divorce, death records) is found.

I am excited and nervous at the same time. Chris and I are excited to hopefully give dad a great gift. I could have an uncle and grandmother still living. Plus there could have been more children born after the adoption. A whole new family could be just minutes away.

Flower Bed Makeover

When we first moved into our house the flowerbed out front looked nice. It had small shrubs and red mulch. Over time the mulch started getting dull looking and we noticed there was carpet around the shrubs. :( Yes...who ever lived here before us, put the old carpet in the flowerbed. So we took up the shrubs and gave them to my parents. We replaced the red mulch with more red mulch. About $100 worth!

Over a year or so we started having these mushrooms to come up. So, after doing some research online, we decided to replace the mulch with pea gravel. This past weekend we started cleaning out the flower bed and getting it ready. I think we picked the hottest weekend of the year to do it, but we got it ready to put down poison. Here are some before pictures.

We are nowhere to being done. After the poison, we have to figure out the lighting we want to go in there. Saturday evening we went to Lowe's to price accent lights. We are still deciding if we want Electrical or Solar Lights. I think we are leaning more towards electrical lights, because they are brighter.

Clay County High School

Since they have started removing my old high school today. I thought I would list some of my memories. To be fair I am not going to list my high school boyfriend by his name just going to put "Hangman". These are in no order.

1.Trying to make sure I was not tardy for class. I spent the whole summer before 7th grade rehearsing unlocking my locker and getting my books out. DORK!!!
2.Eating Sugar Cookies that Hangman brought me a break time. They were warm and just fell apart when I would try and eat them. We always stood outside with several other friends during this time.
3.Friends: Amy, Kim, Pam, Hangman, Chris, Robert.
4. Yes we made fun of the smart people! We would scream Dork Alert when they would walk in a room.
5. Drivers Ed Fred. KILL, KILL, KILL!!!
6.Trying out for danceline and making it. Two years in a row. I wish I would have tried out my senior year, but I thought getting a job was more important.
7.Mr. Calabro (sp??). He was a fun principal. We had a club called "Explorers Club" and we would go camping. Hangman was the president. We went to Cheaha State Park and Gatlinburg. The camping trip to Cheaha was a true adventure. My friends Amy and Kim and I stayed in a tent and of course we had no idea how to put a tent up, so Hangman and Chris had to do it for us. Kim and I froze that night, due to Amy stealing all of our covers. No we didn't have sleeping bags.
The trip to Gatlinburg was fun from the start. It was pouring down rain when we got there and I had a brown paper sack full of food from Piggly Wiggly. Well it got wet and food was everywhere on the street.
8.Being an aide for Mr. Mitchell.
9.Getting sick while taking my math final exam.
10.Going to both proms with Hangman. My senior year I wanted one rose. He got me half a dozen!
11.My worst memory was my mom volunteered me to go to the prom with a other guy at another school. I was in the 8th grade and he was a senior. Ohhhh, I hated that night! We went to Hardee's after the prom.
12. Mr. Hattaway standing on his desk making a weird noise that everyone could hear in the junior high wing.
13. Mr. Tucker's class was the easiest. I don't know who said this in his class but someone said, "Goat cheese is good".
14.Dissecting a frog in Biology and finding a beetle in its intestines.
15.Skip days! I only went on one and it was a disaster.
16.Traveling with the band during championship games.
17.Trying to learn to sew and cook.
18. Going out to eat after our senior prom and my cousin Adam telling the waitress that he was racist because he wanted white ranch on his salad. She was confused!
19.Getting in an argument with Pam and crying at lunch.
20.Getting in an argument with Daphne and called her "Daffy Duck"
21.Rolling yards with Kim. We rolled our coaches yard every Friday night.
22.The cheer, "I bought me a rooster..."
23.Mrs. Thompson and her point that "The wheels have fell off the wagon..."
24.Getting to see my grandmother everyday at lunch.
25.Sitting in Hangman's truck before school. Even though we were not supposed to, teachers let us.
26. Hangman bringing his stepdads old truck to school. It was not even street legal.
27.Carrying a rocking chair to the band room on a truck with no breaks.
28.Singing our Alma Mater after each pep rally.
29.Doing nothing in PE
30.Trying out for cheerleader. That was a bad mistake.
31.Forgetting my shoes one day for band practice. Marching in rocks is not fun!
32.Eating lunch outside on the tables.
33.Pam coming to my house on Fridays to get ready for the ballgames.
34.Having a boyfriend (Hangman). All of our fun times together.
35.My dad coming to the school with a walking cane. I was so embarrassed.
36.Coming to school after seeing a man die the night before.
37.Getting all the books that Hangman had the year before me.
38.Getting voted Class Cutie and my picture looking horrible.
39.On Friday nights my friends and I would hang out at Hardees. One side was for the country folks the other was for the non country folks!
40.My friend Amy having a CB in her car and between her and Hangman and Robert we all could talk away from school. This was before we had cell phones.

I am sure there are more and I will try an add to this list as I can.

The Hunger Games

I am going to try and give my view on The Hunger Games. I can't do a review from the beginning until the end, so I am going to randomly post my thoughts.
First let me say I never would have read these if a friend had not asked me to read them, but I am glad she did.

Here we go...


The Hunger Games
•What first drew me in was just the anticipation of what was going to happen next. I never wanted to put the book down. I spent every minute I could reading.
•First you had a story about a young girl (Katniss), who lived with her sister and mother. She would sneak out and crawl under an electric fence that was sometimes charged and sometimes not.
•Katniss' relationship with Gale was something that I loved from the beginning. I was just waiting for their relationship to take off and maybe get a kiss out of them. The stuff they ate was just gross! But you have to think that they are hunting for their food. They are not just going to eat a McDonald's hamburger!
•Then you had this crazy idea of the annual Hunger Games come up. It just seemed crazy to make the people pay for what they did years ago, by this type of game. I was glad when Katniss stepped up for Prim. I could not imagine Prim, so young going into those games. She would have never made it.
•I hated to see Rue being killed.
•This Peeta dude, just never sat well with me. I wanted Katniss to love and be with Gale.
•Their prep teams reminded me of something that you would see in Hollywood on awards night.
•I kept relating the actual games to a camping trip. Except for someone trying to kill you.
•I was glad Katniss and Peeta both made it back home safe. Well Peeta only had one leg, but he was alive never the less.

Catching Fire
•I almost stopped reading, because it was getting boring.
•I wanted the visits to each district to be exciting, but the only people excited were the individuals who lived there. They loved seeing "The Girl On Fire".
•I hated that Katniss and Peeta had to act like they were in love. Peeta loved Katniss, but she had a while to go. She kept thinking about Gale and their days in the woods hunting.
•For some reason Haymitch reminded me of my pawpaws brothers. They were always drunk! So I pictured him to be a talk, slinder, dark tanned man.
•Effie would have gotten on my nerves with her "Big, big, big day" talking.
•President Snow was just evil!
•Then you have the "Quarter Quell". I was like...what the heck....They just got done going through war and now you want them to go back and fight until death AGAIN! But this time it would be Peeta or Haymitch going. Peeta volunteered for Haymitch, so he and Katniss were going again.
•This time it was like who cares, we done this once we can do it again.
•The arena was awesome! I loved the tick, tock quote. And the way each disaster would come like a clock was pretty good. Glad they figured it out.
•You know I was not upset when Peeta was not breathing. All I could think of was that it was one less person for her to kill and that she could finally be with Gale.
•I love the force field. I would be fun to throw things at.
•I am so glad that someone on the inside was trying to over throw the Capital.
•There is no District 12! But the important people are alive

Mockingjay
•Mainly this book is about payback.
•Everyone from the districts now lived in District 13. Which they said earlier was not there.
•Hated to see Prim die. I wish we could have known a little more about her.
•Katniss should have shot an arrow through Snow's head when she had the chance in the rose garden. Then when she gets the chance, she kills Coin.
•NOOOOO!!!! I wanted Katniss to be with Gale!
•The last part was really sweet. When Katniss was talking about her kids with Peeta. Something she never wanted.

Real or Not Real? These books are good?
................................Real

Meeting an old co-worker

A couple of my girl friends and I had lunch at Mill Street Deli today. We try and go out once a month to just get away from all the work craziness. Oh...and to gossip!

While on our way out a lady came up and was about to ask a question, when I was like...I know her. I rudely interrupted her and told her, her name (like she didn't know it) and mentioned that I worked with her at Houston Cole Library in Jacksonville while I was a student there. She said that I looked familiar and we chatted for a couple of minutes to get caught up. She was doing some shopping...at what stores we have left.

The reason I post this is because I have thought about her a lot over the past years. She was an older lady, so I always wondered how she was doing. She was always nice and someone that was easy to talk with. Her nephew was into the civil war reenactment stuff. I believe they played music and actually won an Emmy. She once thought I should go out on a date with this guy that I really didn't think was cute. I got up the nerve and did it, but I hated the whole date! She retired my last semester at JSU and another lady was brought in. Thank goodness I had my internship to do and didn't work much, because she was not nice.

I am just thankful to God that I got to meet her again.

Ain't it weird how things like this happen. It's God doing what he does best!

Cold Water & Redneck Island

Do you remember when you were young and cold creek water never bothered you?
I remember going to a couple of creeks with my dad and cousin during the summer months. We would slide down rocks into ice cold water. Probably had critters that I never knew about in it. Never did it bother me, but man does it now. It is torture!
No, I haven't been in creek water, but this past weekend we had a family birthday party to attend. There was also a pool! Something I had been looking forward to for a couple of weeks. The whole day was nice and sunny...until we got in the pool. Clouds were heavy and the water was cool. We were praying for the sun to shine through the clouds, but no luck there. The more we moved around the better the water felt. :)

Sunday we watched a new reality show on CMT called, Redneck Island! Of course there has to be a guy from Alabama on there.

It is similar to Survivor, but with a bunch of rednecks! 

We didn't do much Sunday, but our normal laundry and NASCAR race. It has been a rainy couple of days.

The weekend

Look what I found!

Yes, that is a baby raccoon. I found it Saturday morning while outside doing some yard work. It kept following the lawn mower, which made it difficult to cut the grass. It must not have been very old, because it was not walking good. I called my dad to see what I needed to do with it and he said just to put in back in the woods and leave it alone. It probably got away from its mother or she got killed. I went back out a few hours later and it had moved a couple of feet. I don't think it survived because it was not in the best of shape. (Not going to give nasty details)

I had plans to call the wildlife people, but Chris said by the time they got here it might have been gone. I would have loved to have taken it in the house and cared for it, but they have too many diseases and other things, for me to do that. Plus everything I found online said to put it back in its natural habitat.

I would like to send out a big THANK YOU to the Walgreens in East Gadsden. They are awesome. I had a small issue Friday night and they fixed it for me. For later reference (to me) Walgreens in Boaz closes at 8:00 p.m.

Chris and I watched the 3 part special about the Hatfield & McCoy feud. It was good, just a lot of bad words. They said a little at the end about each person but it went so fast I couldn't keep up. I felt so bad for Johnse Hatfield. He really loved Roseanna McCoy. They sure didn't mind killing anyone - young or old. The part where the Hatfields killed the McCoy boys by the trees was just awfull. Also at the end when they hung the young boy who was mental ill, was awful. He didn't have much of an idea about what was happening to him.

Weekly Tidbits

Just need to ramble a little, so some of this may not make sense.

•The high school I attended during my younger days is closing and being torn down. They have combined two schools (Clay County and Lineville High) and now we only have one big school (Central High School of Clay County) for the county. I am glad I don't live there now because there is so much drama about the cheerleaders and the school being torn down.
There is a big racial thing going on because there are no African American cheerleaders on the varsity squad. I believe (like a lot of people do) that the positions should be earned not given simply because of race. There is an exception in the rules for males. I think males (black or white) need to be on cheer squads for stunts. Just ask a cheer coach.
Another thing I hear people talking about is the fact the school is being torn down, or at least some of it is. I do hate to see it being torn down and something else put in its place. I have many good memories there and will carry them with me. Yes, they could make it a historical site like they have other schools in the county. The building is old with mold, mildew and asbestos in it. It would take more $ and time to clean it and get it up to code. I mean do you really think the school will last forever? Cherish the memories you have of the old school and be proud for the ones who get a nice, new, clean school to make memories in. It is time for a change and people hate change!

•It's summer time! I love the summer months - watermelon, grilling, swimming, being outside. I would love to go to the beach and just relax. I wonder if Bear would like the beach? Maybe we should just start with camping and see if he likes that. Speaking of watermelon. I have one at home that I can't wait to eat. Five o'clock needs to hurry up!

•Speaking of Bear. He has not killed any critters lately. He mostly sleeps and keeps the squirrels out of the yard. His poor tarp is in need of replacement. We brought him in the house a couple of days ago and gave him a much needed bath. He just was not in his normal place, so he was restless.

•Did you know they make duct tape that is about a foot wide? I didn't!

•Facebook is getting old to me. Every time I check it, it is the same stuff that I complain about. Who went where, where they are, what music they are listening to, quotes they like, what they are having for supper or what they did have for supper. I mean geeezzzz....do you not have a life other than Facebook? Is your life that boring that you would think we care what you had for supper? Put stuff on there that is important - kids pictures, updates on your family, jokes.

•I love My Coke Reward points. Getting magazines in the mail makes me feel important. HA!

•Redbox is awesome with their free codes once a month. I just watched The Vow.

•For some strange reason I am curious about the Hatfield and McCoy families. There has been a special on tv the last couple of nights about them. It is a three part special.

•I have started reading The Hunger Game books. The first one is titled, The Hunger Games; second is Catching Fire and last book is Mockingjay. Never would I have thought I would enjoy them, but I have.

I am sure I could ramble some more but my mind is only thinking about the watermelon that is at home

Have you seen Duck Dynasty?

Oh my, this is one of the funniest show I have seen in a long time. If you have not watched it, (and I highly recommend you do) it is on A&E. The show follows the Robertson family, who live in West Monroe, Louisiana. They have made their living making and selling duck calls.

No, they don't look like your normal millionaires. Which I think is one reason they are so likable. They are just down to earth folks! Some of the sayings of Si (who is Willie's Uncle) are just straight forward, no beating around the bush talk. I am not going to ramble on about the show. Just go and watch it yourself. You will be glad! And if you don't laugh, then you just don't have ANY sense of humor.

A Sad Day In The Swamp

Chris and I have been watching Swamp People since it has been on television. It follows a couple of men and women in southern Louisiana catching alligators in the swamps. It is a very unique show and something that I never really knew existed.
There are two brothers, Mitchell and Glenn Guist, who live off the land by hunting and fishing for everything that could be found in the swamp. You never saw them hunting alligators, mostly gar fish, squirrels and crawfish. Shoes were something you hardly saw them with. I have had some great laughs and a somewhat small understanding of what it would be like to live off the land. Though I  don't believe I would last too long. They were living a simple life, one in which they only knew. 
With that said I am sad to report that Mitchell has passed away. He will be truly missed.

Mitchell Guist, Swamp People