From http://www.vt.edu/tragedy/

Not much to post today. I'm back home for the weekend but will be traveling back to Pulaski on Monday. I did get this blonde joke in my e-mail... too funny Hope everyone has a great weekend. Nothing much planned for here except clean house and catch up on sleep. Pregnant Blonde The other day my neighbor, who is blonde, came running up to me in the driveway just jumping for joy! I didn't know why she was jumping for joy but I thought, what the heck, and I starting jumping up and down along with her. She said, "I have some really great news!" I said, "Great. Tell me why you're so happy." She stopped jumping and, breathing heavily from all the jumping up and down, told me that she was pregnant! I knew that she had been trying for a while so I told her, "That's great! I couldn't be happier for you!" Then she said, "There's more." I asked, "What do you mean 'more'?" She said, "Well, we are not having just one baby. We are going to have TWINS!" Amazed at how she could know so soon after getting pregnant, I asked her how she knew. She said.... (You're going to love this!) "Well, that was the easy part. I went to Wal-Mart and they actually and home pregnancy kit in a twin-pack. Both tests came out positive!"

No Thursday Thirteen today - First of all let's just say that I was moved last night while watching American Idol. The amount of money that was raised was outstanding. If memory serves me correctly when they went off the air had raised $30 million. The performances where outstanding. You know, you hear about this stuff all the time but it really doesn't sink in until you see if first hand. I wish that I could do more... but I can't. All I can do is donate what I can, that I did. I'm going to jump out on a limb here and make a challenge. I donated $50... I'm challenging all bloggers to donate as well. I know that some can't give $50, but if you can just give a little that will help. It all adds up in the end. Here is the link where you can donate - https://www.idolaid.com/ Yesterday my Wordless Wednesday was some pictures that I had taken in Pulaski, TN of Sam Davis. I had several say that they did not know who Sam Davis was. So here is a brief history of him. This statue is on the town square in Pulaski. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sam Davis (1842–1863) is called the Boy Hero of the Confederacy. He was executed by the Union Army for espionage during the Civil War. Davis was born in Smyrna, Tennessee and educated at the Western Military Institute which he attended from 1860-1861. While there, he came under the influence of headmaster and future Confederate General Bushrod Johnson. He was recruited by Confederate scout forces early in the Civil War. He signed up as a private in the First Tennessee Volunteer Infantry in 1861 and his regiment marched off to war first at Cheat Mountain next in the Shenandoah Valley then at Shiloh and Perryville. Wounded slightly at Shiloh, Davis suffered a real wound at Perryville but soon was in a very active saddle as courier for Coleman’s Scouts. He was captured in Middle Tennessee (more particularly, near Minor Hill, Tennessee) on November 20, 1863 wearing a makeshift Confederate uniform and in possession of Union battle plans. He would not give the name of who gave him the items. For this reason, he was arrested as a spy, and sentenced to die by hanging unless he was willing to divulge the name of his contact. He is purported to have said, "I would rather die a thousand deaths than betray a friend." Another famous quote, reminiscent of Nathan Hale, was, "If I had a thousand lives to live, I would give them all rather than to betray a friend or the confidence of my informer. Davis wrote a letter to his mother before the execution. "Dear mother. O how painful it is to write you! I have got to die to-morrow --- to be hanged by the Federals. Mother, do not grieve for me. I must bid you good-bye forevermore. Mother, I do not fear to die. Give my love to all." There was a postscript for his father, too. "Father, you can send after my remains if you want to do so. They will be at Pulaski, Tenn. I will leave some things with the hotel keeper for you." He was hanged by Union forces in Pulaski, Tennessee on November 27, 1863. As he was trundled along to the hanging site atop his own coffin, Union soldiers alongside the bumpy wagon road shouted out their entreaties for his cooperation, lest they have to watch the grim execution. Supposedly the officer in charge of the execution was discomforted by Davis' youth and calm demeanor and had trouble carrying out his orders. Davis is alleged to have said to him, "Officer, I did my duty. Now, you do yours." Davis' story, and its obvious parallel to that of Nathan Hale during the American Revoltion, became a rallying point for the Southern cause in the waning days of the Confederacy. His boyhood home is preserved in Smyrna as a museum, and the spot of his hanging in Pulaski is likewise marked by a monument and a small museum which, as of 2004 was open by appointment and request only. A statue of Sam Davis was erected on the grounds of the Tennessee state capitol at Nashville. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Davis"

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY EDITION #21

Well I made it to Pulaski yesterday around 1:30 pm. I find my way to the office that they have set up for me. I begin to look through what they call their Document Control Center and am ready to pull my hair out. So I decided that since I was up at 5:30 am, got the kids off to school, went to my office to make sure that everything was ready for visitors and then traveled for 3 1/2 hours that I was tired. So I left around 4:15 pm, checked into the hotel and got my things in order. Went to dinner at this place called Sarge's - food was good. Went back to the hotel, tried to get on line, but couldn't. I made a quick trip to Wal-Mart for snacks and my Diet Dew then back to my room to settle in for the night. Pulaski is most well known for being the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan. The group was founded in the law office of a local judge. The building the KKK was formed in is still standing and bears a plaque commemorating the event. Many in the town have distanced themselves from the town's historical association with the Klan and the plaque announcing its formation has since been turned around and bolted to the wall backwards. However, each October, Thomas Robb's Knights of the Ku Klux Klan holds a White Christian Heritage Festival in the town square in Pulaski. These Klan members can not cover their faces. Pulaski is also the place where Sam Davis was captured. Sam was a member of "Coleman's Scouts," a group founded by his older half-brother John. By 1863, the Union Army occupied much of Middle Tennessee. Sam and his fellow scouts worked behind enemy lines disrupting communications. Even though they wore Confederate uniforms and traveled with passes signed by Confederate General Braxton Bragg, the Union army considered them spies if captured. There are also some very old cemetaries here. I thought that there was just one but I found out yesterday that there are four. I do plan on checking these out. Hopefully, the rain will move out and I will get to one this afternoon. I would love to have a pic from one of these for my Wordless Wednesday tomorrow. I'm just giving a really brief overview as I've got to get back to work. I'll catch y'all later! I am hoping that I will be able to catch up on my blog reading soon. I haven't forgot y'all. Real life has just got in the way. Smooches!

Not much time to post today. I'll be traveling to one of our sister plants about 3 1/2 hrs from home and will be there all week. This is probably gonna become a ritual for the next month or two. The person that does the same job as I do at our plant quit in November and the position has been vacant since then... boy oh boy am I gonna have some FUN!!! Will play catch up for them for 5 months... will I have any hair when I'm finished... we shall see. One good thing about this trip, I love to walk through old cemeteries and there is one there that is pre Civil War. I'm taking my camera to take pics... I should have plenty of daylight left in the evening to do this. There is a lot of history in this small Tennessee town. I should have some good stories to tell. I will try to post tonight from the hotel room later tonight. FYI - Madea DID NOT.. I repeat DID NOT have to make an appearance this weekend. So it made for a wonderful weekend. SMOOCHES!!!

OH..... THANK. GOD. IT'S. FRIDAY!!! I swear that I have given birth to Dr. Jekyll and Miss Hyde, the Drama Queen, the ANTICHRIST… Seriously folks… this is definitely a child stuck in the “ME” Generation… It’s all about “HER”…. Friday, Easter weekend we go shopping… Kaitlin is the sweetest child on earth. We take her to Build a Bear, out to supper at Olive Garden, buy her an outfit, against my better judgment, at Limited Too, and what does she turn into MISS HYDE… I deal with it… pisses me off, but I deal with it. It’s late and I’m really tired… Saturday, Easter weekend we go shopping after we have pick up Tony’s niece Yanni and head off again.. … Kaitlin is the sweetest child on earth… hey, this is beginning to sound like a repeat…. but it’s not… We take her with us once again… Drama Queen transforms and begs and begs for a freakin Hermit Crab... so instead of the Drama Queen making a bigger scene, I buy her the freakin Hermit Crab. She's still in Drama Queen mode and I had already said that I would buy her a pair of really cute wedge dress shoes and her Easter dress… so I do and no scene is made... We finish our shopping and head to the car. Now it’s really cold Easter weekend and my Drama Queen, Miss Hyde, the ANTICHIRST, what ever you want to call her has decided that she wants to wear shorts and a thin t-shirt with sandals… fine I say, we’ll be mostly in the car and then in the mall… well… going to the car she decides that she wants to take her own sweet time all the time giving lip service. So….. I take the bags that I have in my hand, one being the one with the shoes in it, rare back and proceed to hit her in the butt. Remember, we are in the parking lot of the mall, security all around and people coming and going to and from the mall. I have managed to piss my child off… what else is new…. We get in the car and she proceeds to kick me in the arm… OH YES SHE DID!!! I had ALL I could take… I take my seat belt off, jump up in the seat on BOTH knees, turn around and let me tell you Madea ain’t got NOTHING on me… needless to say she was really good for the next few days. For those who do not know who Madea is ... she is Mabel "Madea" R. Simmons a fictional character created and played by Tyler Perry. She is an aggressive, threatening woman who will argue with anyone. This is reflected in her tag line, "Purnch You in the Face!" However, she is also part of a large family, with many children and grandchildren. Her name is spelled variously as "Mabel" and "Mable," probably in order to confuse government authorities and others when applying for jobs, getting credit cards, etc ... Madea is known for her part in "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" and "Madea's Family Reunion". Some of her most famous quotes are "Heluur", "Hell Naw", "All right, Mother Goose. You try to raise Chucky, Freddy Krueger, and Jason and tell me children ain't bad." Fast forward to last night… no sooner than I step ONE not both but ONE freakin foot in the door I hear “MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM”…. I don’t answer... I would like to get in the house, put down my poop load of groceries before my freakin arm breaks… “MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM”… again, I don’t answer….. I proceed to put down the groceries, my purse, take off my shoes… “MOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM”…. Ok, I’ve had it now… I stomp around the corner and yell “WHAT. DO. YOU. WANT. KAITLIN?” Oh nothing, just wanted to make sure it was you…. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR…. I change cloths and start supper…. “MOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM” I roll my eyes because I know what’s coming… “will you take me to Kayla’s softball game?” No I will not I tell her… I’m cooking supper, I have 2 loads of cloths to wash and I’m tired…. Now enter the Antichrist… I swear I thought flames were going to shoot from her mouth… “You never do anything for me… You NEVER buy me anything… You NEVER take me anywhere… You need to learn some parenting skills…. EXCUSE ME….. I NEED TO LEARN WHAT??????? I think that you need to learn children skills…… She starts to see my transformation to Madea and heads to her room….she was good the rest of the night… THIS MORNING…. THE ANTICHRIST IS BACK……. OH DEAR GOD…. I’M GOING TO WORK!!!!! Hopefully when I get home this afternoon I won’t have the antichrist in my house… however if I do I can already see my transformation to Madea… Have a good weekend all....

Matt is 4th from the left Tuesday night, April 17 was the Annual Family Night for all future Marines. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. So we get to the VFW Post, sign in and Matt goes over to where some of his other buddies are sitting. Kaitlin follows him and stays with him until it’s time for the guys to head up front. No problem… she does the annoying typical little sister thing. I thought Matt was going to crawl under the table…. Finally the night is called to order…. The recruiter from the Jackson area welcomes all of us and then calls for all future Marines to come to the front. So here they go…. Ok… let’s rewind about 45 minutes. We are in the car and since Tony and I have quit smoking we are chewing the heck out of some gum so Matt asks for a piece. Gladly giving it to him but not know what was to come. Ok… fast forward…. To 7:10 pm…. All the guys are in formation …. From the picture you can see that Matt was front center. I’m sitting in the back so I have to stand up to really see what is going on. I stand up to take a few pictures and get a clear view of what they are to expect. To my horror, disbelief and embarrassment Matt is standing there not chewing but chomping the hell out of the gum that I had given him earlier. Oh god… I thought I was going to have to crawl under the table. What was this child thinking or better yet what was he NOT thinking??!!?? So the Drill Sergeant starts this yelling… and the guys start screaming Aye, Aye Sir which of course sounds like “ICER”… in a few post back I told y’all what a friend of our had told Matt about the Marines… anyway… Matt is screaming “ICER” and chomping the hell out of the gum. CHOMP, CHOMP, CHOMP on the left side of his mouth… CHOMP, CHOMP, CHOMP on the right side … back to the left… back to the right… BREATH…… when he came up for breath he would stick out between this front teeth, he would take a deep breath and then CHOMP, CHOMP, CHOMP on the left side of his mouth… CHOMP, CHOMP, CHOMP on the right side … back to the left… back to the right… BREATH…… you get the picture… The Drill Sergeant would scream for them to go this way, go that way, sit down, stand up, sit down, stand up, go this way, go that way, go this way, go that way, sit down, stand up, sit down… oh this went on forever and all the time Matt chomping his gum as fast as he could chomp. After they sat down, the Sergeant told them the correct way to sit… to me it was kind of Indian style with their hands on their knees and back straight. I’m still standing up watching and look directly as Matt and mouth “Swallow your gum”… he gives me a really weird look and I mouth again, this time slower… “SWALLOW. YOUR. GUM”… another weird look, he’s not getting it … so I take a piece of gum out of the pack, show is to him, put it toward my throat and for the final time say “SWALLOW. YOUR. GUM”….. FINALLY….. HE GETS IT!!!!!! Do you know how hard it was for me to not go up there, grab him by the chin hair and yell at him SWALLOW YOUR GUM!!!! I probably would have scared the Drill Sergeant…. Actually, I was waiting for the Drill Sergeant to say something to him about the gum but he never did. I know he saw it. I just hope and pray that he is not Matt’s Drill Sergeant at Parris Island. I know that he will probably remember that gum chewing kid at Jackson in the center of the front row. So he finally swallows the gum… now its Kaitlin’s turn. She get up, no problem… goes over to the food table, which by the way was just right behind up… not far… about 5 steps… fills her plate up, heads back to our table and I hear “SPLAT”…. I look around and she is flat on her face. I need to tell you that she is wearing a pair of sandals with a slight wedge heel and really doesn’t walk very well in them…. But her excuse was there was a grape in the floor and she slipped on it… anyway… one of the Drill Sergeants from Parris Island, not the one screaming, but another one is standing there and actually gets to her before me. Even though all I would have to do is turn around and help her up…he’s right there at her… Can I interject here and say that I truly have a Drama Queen on my hands and she knows exactly how to milk it for all it’s worth. She won’t let me help her up… she wants the man in uniform to help her up… drama, drama, drama… she wants the man in uniform to get her an ice bag for her knee… drama, drama, drama… There is not ONE FREAKIN SCRATCH ON HER FREAKIN KNEE… NOT ONE I TELL YOU!!!! But she is our Drama Queen and a damn good one too. Finally, the guys are allowed to go back to their families. Kaitlin wants to go back over to where Matt is sitting but I won’t let her. God forbid if she should get up again and fall….PUL-LEEAAASSSEEE….. The Drill Sergeants from Parris Island and the Recruiter tell us what we can expect when our boys go to boot camp. They guarantee us that it in no way will be like Full Metal Jacket, that the recruits will get 3 square meals a day and 8 hours of rest at night. They have a question and answer time, which was very interesting. Every question that I had, there was someone before me who ask it so I didn’t have to raise my hand. Thank god because I had already had enough drama for one night. I did not want to be remembered as the Mom of the Marine Recruit who CHOMPED HIS FREAKIN GUM and THE DRAMA QUEEN. By the end of the night, I just wanted to go home…. You may be asking yourself where is Tony… Tony is sitting right there next to me LAUGHING HIS ASS OFF!!!! Things like this just don’t bother him… I guess they shouldn’t bother me either but they do. Reminder… next time I won’t be handing out any gum and Kaitlin sure won’t be wearing those shoes!

STICKY POST!!! If you have a minute, go by Pia's blog and give her a hug ... You will understand why when you see her Wordless Wednesday. http://stochasticruminations.blogspot.com/ We now return below to our regulary scheduled daily post.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY EDITION #20

Prayer of St. Francis Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred . . . let me sow love Where there is injury . . . pardon Where there is doubt . . . faith Where there is despair . . . hope Where there is darkness . . . light Where there is sadness . . . joy O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek To be consoled . . .as to console To be understood . . .as to understand, To be loved . . . as to love For it is in giving . . .that we receive, It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned, It is in dying . . .that we are born to eternal life

My future Marine and some De-Stressers... What a cold, rainy weekend we had here. Was suppose to be a "Kid Free" weekend but Matt played sick and did not go this his Dads. We slept late Saturday, cleaned the house a little then Matt and I went shopping. Yup, a mother and son day. We haven't had one of those in so long. So tomorrow, Tuesday, April 17th the Marines are having their annual family day. Drill Sargents from Parris Island will be there and the future Marines will be able to show us what they have learned in their Delayed Entry Program. It also gives the parents the opportunity to ask the Drill Sargents questions. I will post about this on Wednesday. I really looking forward to it. Matt will have to continue his monthly pool until he leaves in July. Here Matt's graduation pic... my future Marine. Here are a few "De-Stressers" for the day... I immediately thought of Mrs. Bee when I saw this one... and finally.... SMOOCHES!

Friday 13th and other ramblings As everyone know today is Friday 13th , the day a lot of people associate with fear or bad luck … to some a dreaded day. We must prepare ourselves for this day. For the next several hours, millions of superstitious people will hold their breath anticipating misfortune. Many will refuse to leave the house, refuse to drive, shop or work on the ill-fated day. According to an online encyclopedia, Friday the 13th is actually unlucky for some of us. It has been found that people are especially likely to have accidents or become ill on Friday 13th, due to a heightened state of anxiety or fear on this day. But whether you're a true triskaidekaphobe (a person with an irrational fear of Friday the 13th, also called a paraskevidekatriaphobe) or just mildly suspicious, it's probably a good idea to know just where your trepidation comes from. Several Internet sites are devoted to the history of the Friday the 13th legend. And most list the same possible origins of the rumored curse. One of the more lucid sites is David Emery's urbanlegends.about.com. While the Web site explores everything from e-mail hoaxes to dubious quotes, three pages are devoted to the history of Friday the 13th. According to the site, the superstition is derived from myths about both Fridays and the number 13. Fridays, for example, are hailed as a particularly significant day in the Christian tradition. Obviously, there is Good Friday, the day Jesus Christ was crucified. But according to Christian lore, Adam and Eve also supposedly ate the forbidden fruit on a Friday, the Great Flood started on a Friday, the builders of the Tower of Babel were tongue-tied on a Friday and the Temple of Solomon was destroyed on a Friday. So a lot of people think Friday 13th is unlucky day. But is it really unlucky? Are you taking any chances today? Do you suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia? Ok, so yesterday Tony and I were going to lunch. As we pull out of the drive from work, I look over to my left and I see a new business has moved into the Industrial Park. And then the name of the company slaps me right in the face. I could not believe what I was reading. Who in their right mind would name their company this? There is no way that I could ever work for this company… especially if I had to answer the phone. There would be no way that I could ever keep a straight face… Oh my perverted mind started to wander… oh wait, I haven’t told you the name of the company yet… once I do you will understand my above statements. Are you ready? *evil grin* QUALITY SCREW & NUT…. See I told you. Yes I know I’m 42 years old and yes I know that I shouldn’t be acting like a 13 year old… but sometimes I can’t help it… ;-) I do have a little perversion and I can’t help it. There are several I could blame for this but that wouldn’t be right… they rubbed off on me.. ;-) you know who you are… I’ve never been like this before…. I was always a “good girl”…. Ok, you can stop laughing now …. *adjust halo* Hope everyone has a good weekend. I know I will…. NO KIDS… PEACE AND QUIET… WOOOOOOOOOOOO

THURSDAY THIRTEEN EDITION #19 Together Forever Y''all bore me! Is it safe to come out? Dog Tired Thank God the party is over BUSTED!!! Check Mate It all wouldn't fit Best Friends Forever Nah, Nah, Boo, Boo... Y'all can't get me! Yes, I'm the body guard... My new best friend And how fast can you run???

Sorry for the late posting, I'm recovering from oral surgery yesterday. From our fishing trip April 1, 2007. Date on the picture is wrong. Tony and Kaitlin were the only ones who caught fish. Kaitlin was the first one to catch a fish ... and it was a good size hybride blue gill... probably about 2 lbs. Tony told her that if we didn't catch anything else that he would have to be thrown back in. She so wanted to take him home. She wanted to take him home so bad that she even named him... "Bob"... Tony told her "no more fish caught, he goes back." Now get this response... "Tony, don't you remember the story in the Bible where Jesus told the fishermen where to put their nets because they weren't catching any fish where they were and they caught so many that they had a hard time pulling the nets in." Tony and I both said "yes, we remember the story." "Well, we could catch a lot more fish and if we do can we take them home." So she went and baited her hook, sat down by the pond. Tony went to the other side of the pond and guess what... caught two more fish. Kaitlin was jumping up and down and said "see I told you we would catch more fish." I knew it, I just knew it. I said "Kaitlin, how did you know".. she said "Mom, I went and prayed to God that we would catch more fish and we did." Sometimes we don't think our children are listening when they actually are. This just proves it to me.

A story by Kaitlin ... Everyone knows how much I love my children. This is a story that Kaitlin wrote for her 6th grade English class. I wanted to share with you today. From the View of a Squirrel by Kaitlin The residents of Milledgeville slowly got up as sunrise came. Residents, meaning not just the people living in the small town, but also…other creatures. “The big oak tree” that sat in the middle of town was the home of a squirrel. He uncurled himself from the lump of fur he was in while sleeping and went outside. The sun was still rising and the squirrel watched as humans passed him, some getting on this long yellow thing that humans called a school bus, some driving cars, of many different shapes and sizes and some walking briskly in the cool fall morning air. He had no idea as to where they were going but he thought it must have been important because they were always going past his home. After a while he stopped watching them and looked for food as he usually does when it isn't winter. "WOOF WOOF!" Just great…The squirrel thought sarcastically. The dogs that walked with their humans every morning usually left the squirrels and other animals alone, most of the time. Occasionally, and unfortunately for the outdoor inhabitants, there is always the one dog that decides he wants to play around. Luckily for the squirrel, the humans kept them back before a chase would start. Up the tree the squirrel went and the human held on to the dog’s leash before it could run to the tree and try to climb up while barking. "Would you stop already?" The squirrel climbed back down once the human and dog was gone. Humans may look funny and do odd things, but moments like that made the squirrel grateful that they were around. The squirrel continued looking for food. Sometimes during the afternoon a smaller human with what looked like the mother would watch him as they sat on the park benches. He didn’t mind since the smaller human and the mother…. they didn’t bother him. They would actually sometimes try and give him nuts for the winter. He liked that as he didn’t have to go out and hunt for them. He actually enjoyed these humans. "So you want another game huh?" About twice a week, about early evening, he would hear a lot of humans talking loudly. It was coming from outside of the building near the squirrel’s home. This building had a lot of humans around during these certain times. There was a big sign on the gate with funny symbols; squirrels couldn’t read, of course that said "Milledgeville Community Park and Center." The humans would be carrying these round brown things that looked kind of like a really big nut, but was actually a ball. The squirrel watched as these humans ran to this big area, with no trees, and took the ball away from each other and threw it through the hoops that hung off the walls and fences. He didn’t find the game interesting and decided to check the other side of the Park. On the other side of the park, humans were bouncing small brown balls at the smooth surfaced walls and others were climbing the wall that had a surface like a rock. The squirrel found this interesting because humans didn’t seem like the type to know how to climb since they didn’t have claws to dig into the surface. He sat and watched them for a while, but didn’t find this very interesting either. The squirrel was getting tired and so he decided that he would gather his nuts and go back to his home in the big oak tree. As the sun started to sink, the squirrel was ready to bring all the food he found today back to his tree and sleep. A group of young humans walked out of the Milledgeville Community Center and passed him by. They come to the building at slightly different times and leave together twice a week. The squirrel wasn’t sure who they were. He heard once they were involved in a "Web". The young humans were part of the Milledgeville Youth Web Leadership Team. This confused the animal since this group didn’t look like spiders. He thought that only spiders could be in webs. He went on about his business of taking his food home to store up for the winter. When the sun was gone and the little balls of light on thick black branches sticking out of the ground were turned on, the squirrel went back to his tree, ate a few nuts, put the rest away and got ready for sleep. As he curled back into the lump of fur, he thought to himself about tomorrow. Tomorrow the humans would be back, they would be back waiting for the yellow bus to come, they would be back in their cars, and they would be back walking briskly in the cool fall morning air with their dogs. He was looking forward to the small humans who sat on the park bench with their mother in the early afternoon… he was looking forward to tomorrow evening because of the game on the very big field near his home. The humans would be back with their white balls and long brown sticks and their brown gloves that they only put on one hand. He could never figure out why they only sometimes put those brown gloves on one hand. Anyway, minus the fact that balls the size of him would crash near him sometimes, and disturb his home, he did not care. The squirrel liked the game humans called "baseball".

Happy Monday First of all, I want to thank SARGE CHARLIE for the Great American Award that he so graciously bestowed upon me last Thursday. Thank you Sarge... I truly appreciate it. Now onto the weekend... and what a weekend it was. I so tired today... my eyes feel like sand paper. And I don't even want to mention the amount of money that we spent over the weekend. We had decided Thursday that since we were off work Friday that we would go shopping... and boy oh boy did we shop. Heard the phrase "Shop till you drop" well that is what we did ... literally. Our journey began around 9:00 am Friday morning. Tony, Kaitlin and I loaded up the Mustang and off to Nashville we went. Our reason for this shopping trip was since Tony and I have quit smoking, 6 weeks smoke free, we both have gained weight. Of course, he has gained more than me... 20 lbs to be exact and all his cloths are too small for him. So we found two beautiful suits for Tony, didn't take long. The first one he put on, well, lets just say WOW!!!! Second, the perfectly classy black suit. Shopped for my Easter dress as well as Kaitlin's. Shopped for work pants for Tony... may I remind you, he can't wear his cloths comfortably anymore... Finally headed back home around 8:00 pm... home 10:30 pm.... Since he didn't take much time to try his cloths on while in Nashville he does at home and guess what.... have to go BACK to Nashville on Saturday to exchange... but that's ok, we shopped some more.. hehehehe... found the perfect stilletto's for my Easter dress... hehehhehehe Sunday was church, out to eat and home to take a nap. Of course Matt didn't want to go so he stayed at home. He spent the weekend with his friend in the neighboring town... but I don't believe he will be doing that again for a few weeks. He has really pissed me off. The Marine Drill Sgt ain't got nothing on momma.... he will be a pussycat by the time I've finished with Matt. So let me tell you what MY son did... Friday night he ask if he can stay at his friends house. I say yes as this boy and his family seem to be good people. I call Matt on Saturday morning and tell him to get up, get home, clean his pig sty room and mow the yard. He calls me back within 20 minutes and tells me that he has a flat on his truck. Fine I say, get someone to take you to the house, get the spare to fix it and get home. Do you think he did this???? Hell no!!! I call him back a few hours later and he's still at his friends house saying he can't find a way home... blah, blah, blah. Well since I'm 2 1/2 hrs from home nothing I can do so I tell him just to stay there and we would talk on Sunday. Sunday we get up go to church, out to eat... 1:30 pm... no phone call from Matt. Get home, take a nap, wake up at 5:00.... no phone call from Matt. Now I have tried many, many times to call him ... he's not answering the phone nor his is friend answering his phone. By 5:00 I'm PISSED!!! I'm worried... but getting really pissed too.... So, I deciede that I'm going to put the freakin spare tire in MY car and go find him. If I could at least talk to him and know he's ok then I'd be ok... but I can't get him. I'm so pissed that I call and leave several messages on both phones, but am actually taking it out on his friend... I tell his friend that if he knew what was good for him that he or Matt would call and that if Matt wasn't there that he needed to grow some balls and call and tell me where he was at.... yes, I know uncalled for, but I'm pissed and worried at the same time. By 6:00 pm, I have located my son... at his friends house, tire on truck flat and they are freakin working on his friends car. I pull up in the drive and the boys know that I'm pissed just by the look on my face. I get out of the car, tell Matt to get the freakin tire on his truck and get his butt home... I told him once home that once he has children, he will understand how I felt. I didn't know if he was a his friends house, dead, in a ditch, in the hospital or what. I told him that as long as he lived under my roof, no matter the age, that he was going to do what I told him. I didn't give a rats butt if he was a future Marine, a Marine or what that I'm momma and what I say is law!!! He's grounded now. He only goes to school and back home. He has to call me when he gets home from school. I know how long it takes to get from school to home so he can't fool me... Well, that was my Easter weekend. All in all a good one... but heck I'm tired!

Was looking around on the internet yesterday and found this. Sorry, no Thursday Thirteen today.... IMHO this is better. In order to be able to read, just click on picture and it will come up larger... very powerful message.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY Edition #15 Your 2007 National Champions!

STICKY POST!!! Was over at Linda's ARE WE THERE YET? and found this. Let's some how say THANK YOU to our everyday hero's. They are always there when we need them and very rarely get a Thank You. They are the hero on the other end of the line in our time of crisis. Let's now return to our regularly daily post .....

GOTTA GET GOALS A new meme making its way around the Blogosphere and I got tagged with it by Linda of “Are We There Yet” who was tagged by Gail of “Gem-osophy". This meme is about goals and is called "Gotta Get Goals." Linda quoted Gail as saying, "It requires you to list and write about five to ten gotta-get goals that will allow you to truly say you have achieved your wildest dreams in life -- the best, most exclusive and over-the-top goals that you can pick off your goals list. Not as easy as it sounds." Let me think about this for a while and see what I can come up with. Lord only knows… I don’t want to appear to be a blabbering nut… contrary to what some people believe… LOL 1. To successfully achieve my task of quitting smoking. As of today, I’m 4 weeks smoke free. Yes, I do love my ciggys and I do miss them but I didn’t realize how good I could feel. I am so very thankful that I wasn’t smoking last week when I was so sick… may have taken a lot longer to get over if I had been. With all my willpower I will achieve my goal. 2. I would like to be able to survive the fact that my Number One Son is leaving home for the United States Marine Corp in 3 months. I would like to know that I still have a little of my sanity left. Yes, I am a worrier and I will worry about him in boot camp. I know this is the best thing for him but it is still going to be very hard to let go of my first born. 3. I would like to survive Number One Daughter's teenage years with what little sanity and marbles that I have left. I swear to you this child tries me every day. She is now officially a preteen. She has the body of a 12 year old and the mind of a 21 year old. She thinks that she is ten feet tall and bullet proof. I will definitely pay for my raising with this child. 4. I would like to be able to help other people, specifically the poor. I do not want any recognition for this. If I have it my way, which I most always do, I will do this anonymously. 5. Retire at an early age, other than 72 like the government wants me to and live absolutely penniless. In order not to life penniless, I must start, at some point, putting more money into my retirement fund. Well, first I must start a retirement fund. I suppose this should have been the first thing I thought about instead of retiring… leave it to me to do things back asswards. 6. For mine and Tony’s pleasure, I would like to take an Alaskan Cruise. This is something that I will achieve. Since we have stopped smoking, we are saving around $180 a month. We are awarding ourselves with “treats” as I call them. After Easter, my plans are to put $60 a month into some type of “Cruise Savings”… 7. To think of 3 more realistic goals for myself. I think this is a good start. This was much harder than I thought it would be. Really gives you something to think about. So, with this, I think that I will tag Mrs. Bee, Turnberrybaby and Pia … yup, you got tagged.

Sick and Tired of being Sick and Tired...... Have y'all ever been sick and tired of being sick? I know I am. I know that the doctor said that I had bronchitis and major allergies, but I believe it was much worse. I do believe that I had strep throat too. My throat was so raw that it felt like someone had taken a propane torch and set it on fire, the glands in my throat were swollen to the point that it looked like I was carrying around 14 chins and I could not talk. I know for a fact, because it came directly from the horses mouth... 3 of them to be exact.... "We were so happy when we heard you couldn't talk, Mom"..... yup, Tony calls me Mom too... ;-) "Sorry you are sick and we will take care of you, but yippieeeeee... Mom can't talk." That's ok... I'm able to talk now... *giggles* Pay backs are tee total hell.... ;-) Well.... I've bounced back... I'm back to work today. Evidentially we have been taken off lock down and I am able to post...WOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO.... I have soooooooo much catching up to do... 275 work e-mails and 300+ personal e-mails.... I'll be busy for a while. Looking through my e-mails this morning, I found this and wanted to share.... it really means alot to me. Good Question A mother asked President Bush, "Why did my son have to die in Iraq ?" Another mother asked President Kennedy "Why did my son have to die in Vietnam ?" Another mother asked President Truman, "Why did my son have to die in Korea ? Another mother asked President F.D. Roosevelt, “Why did my son have to die at Iwo Jima ?" Another mother asked President W. Wilson, "Why did my son have to die on the battlefield of France ?" Yet another mother asked President Lincoln, "Why did my son have to die at Gettysburg ?" And yet another mother asked President G. Washington, "Why did my son have to die near Valley Forge ?" And long, long ago, a mother asked... "Heavenly Father, why did my Son have to die on a cross outside of Jerusalem ?" The answers to all these are similar -- So that others may have life and dwell in peace, happiness and freedom." IF YOU DON'T STAND BEHIND OUR TROOPS, PLEASE, FEEL FREE...TO STAND IN FRONT OF THEM !!! Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you: 1. Jesus Christ 2. The American G. I. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.