Poor Jay

Jay and I celebrated out 23rd wedding anniversary yesterday, and on Saturday we went out for the evening. Before leaving I enlisted Ashley's help in taking a picture of us. Anyone that knows me knows that I can't stand having my picture taken. I have been this way for as long as I can remember (no matter what age or size), so you are getting a rare treat to see the pictures taken.

The main reason I am sharing them is because you have got to see what my poor husband has had to deal with almost every single day of his life since he said "I Do" all those years ago.

For starters, I hate always being the shortest one in pictures, so I decided to have Jay sit on my stool that raises and lowers. Bad mistake. As we worked to get the height just right, one height became just right for me to say "Hey look...we're a totem pole!"

Ashley had us pose like that again so she could get a picture, and when she showed me Jay's expression, it set off a fit of never ending giggles. No matter what I tried, I could not stop giggling.

Ashley suggested trying a more serious pose to see if that would stop the giggles. It would have been a nice picture except for the fact that it's a little blurry, and Jay appears to be studying a game on tv instead of enjoying this special bonding time we're having. *Not to mention the fact that my forearms appear to be channeling my inner Popeye - what is up with that???*

The giggles finally ended and just as Ashley went to snap the picture, Chelsea said something and the giggles returned. This picture shows Jay thanking her for helping the situation. By this time I had tears running down my cheeks.

I tried to stop, I really did. But as you can see here, I was not having much luck, and poor Jay kept saying "what is wrong with you?" Even Ashley was cracking up by this time, which is why this shot is so blurred.

I finally pulled it together for one last shot. It's not the greatest picture of us, but if you look closely at my expression, I am just about to lose it again and Jay was not about to let us keep trying.

Happy Anniversary Jay. Thanks for putting up with me all these years!  He really does deserve a medal. LOL

Laugh At Yourself-I Do It Often

I recently made a banana bread from a GF mix that was un-be-liev-able. It was so moist and yummy....just like a "real" loaf of banana bread. I was delighted to find they also sold a mix for pumpkin bread, plain bread, and a mix for apple pancakes/muffins. I bought 2 of each....that's how sold I was on the product.

This morning I was wandering around the kitchen after the guys left, trying to decide what to fix for myself for breakfast, and I decided on the apple pancakes.

I start mixing up the pancake mix and was a little disappointed that I couldn't detect the apple smell, but decided to withhold judgment until I actually tried them.

I got my skillet ready and went to scoop up some of the mix. Wow...it seems awfully thick. I don't really care for pancakes that are 3" tall. hhhmmm....let's try adding more milk.

After adding 3/4 of a cup more of milk they seemed better, but my excitement was dwindling. It got worse as they didn't set up like pancakes would. Flipping them was a nightmare and they stuck to the griddle horribly, and tasting them was equally disappointing. Blech!

While the banana bread mix was a hit, these were obviously a miss, and I was sorry I had purchased 2 packages.

I cleaned up the kitchen and grabbed the pancake mix package to throw away....and that's when I saw the big "oops". By mistake, I had grabbed the plain bread package mix out of the pantry instead of the pancake mix.

I laughed at what I'm sure is something only I would do, and then I laughed harder at the thought of the look Jay will give me when he finds out. They say it's good to laugh at yourself. Well, if I could earn money by doing that, I'd be a millionaire, because goodness knows I get the opportunity to do it often.

Ok, excitement was over, but I was still hungry. Do I reach for the right package? Nah, by then my interest in cooking anything was over. I reach for the box of corn chex and go check my emails instead.

I loved It!

I had a great night last night. I got a "little girl" fix and I loved it! Chelsea was home and wanted Austin's girlfriend "K" to come over, but she was at home caring for her little sister "E". We, of course demanded, uh I mean requested, that she come over and bring E with her.

E is adorable! She is very tiny and petite and reminds me so much of my girls at that age. She has this tiny voice and the cutest giggle and her laugh is contagious...and I loved it!

Chelsea, K, & E played with the dogs and to say the noise level was high is an understatement. Between the barking, squealing, laughing and shouting, the noise level was deafening...and I loved it!

Then we got out the boxes of artsy craftsy stuff that I have. It includes construction paper, rubber stamps, markers, glue, and glitter. We all made pictures - even me....and I loved it!

E helped me with my picture, which was 3 goofy stick figures (that were to resemble my kids lol) and some rubber stamped pigs with a cut-out sun and a horrible drawing of what was supposed to be a pine tree. E said in her sweet tiny voice "I know how to draw birds. I could draw a bird for you." So I passed my picture over to her and she drew a cute purple and pink bird. It was larger than the pigs LOL....and I loved it!


After we were done with our pictures, I was so excited to have a little girl who loved doing crafts (like my girls used to) that I wanted to keep her forever. Since I knew that'd be slightly illegal, I decided to indulge her (and myself) and teach her the fine art of making a paper plate bird feeder. She kept saying "this is cool" or "Do you know other things to make?" And I loved it!



The funniest part of the evening was when K showed us her finished picture. She used rubber stamp alphabets to make it. In case you can't read it, it says "My boyfriend said I had to pick between him and golf. I better get my clubs." LOL The funniest part of that is the goofy attempt at a sad face Austin has in this picture. They both love to golf, so no worries on having to choose.

When they left for home, I asked E if she'd come back over again sometime and she said she would...and...you guessed it - I loved it!

Help! I've Turned Into My Mom!

Those are the words I heard followed by a long "aaaarrrrggghhh! I'm too young for this!"

Chelsea called me this morning since we knew we had both talked to Ashley after she landed in Hawaii and we compared notes.

Both of us agreed that she sounded off-the-charts hyper, which is how she gets when she's super excited.

Both of us agreed she also sounded super happy as well, and "L" sounded happy too when we each talked to him.

When Ashley landed in California and had a 2 hr layover, I told her "make sure you use the bathroom - airplane bathrooms are even nastier that airport ones." I also said "Get something to eat so you don't waste your snacks (in case there was another delay - which there was). Plus, if you were to buy something on the plane, it's going to be ridiculously expensive."

Funny part is that after we were done talking, she called Chelsea. Chelsea told her "hey, remember to eat something. If you buy it on the plane, you'll pay a crazy amount. Oh yea, and go to the bathroom before you board the plane so you don't have to use the one on there."

Ashley said to her "Ok, ok. MOM. She just told me the same thing. Stop repeating her."

Chelsea called me this morning "Help! I've turned into my mom!"

I was rolling!! LOL

God Bless My Friends

I have some of the best friends ever. They are caring, loving, fun, supportive, and let me whine and complain when I feel the need. They don't judge or criticize. They are just there with open arms when they're needed, or even a swift "kick in the behind" to get e back on track when needed.

I belong to a weight loss forum for women, and have for a few years now. Over the years people have come and gone, including the one who started the forum, and her successor. But a strong core of ladies has remained. Some of us now help moderate the forum and we talk daily. The best part is that we literally range from coast to coast regarding where we live, and there is approximately a 20 year age range between us. But the age and location differences don't even matter.

I've been pretty down since all my thyroid troubles have started, because I can't seem to lose a single ounce, no matter how hard I try. Then I've been dealing with a lot of pain, different uncaring doctors, different diagnosis that get canceled out, and it's just been a long, long year.

I had considered stepping down as moderator. I felt by not being able to lose weight, that I wasn't doing my job as being a good role model for new members. They encouraged me to stick it out, because others will have struggles like I do and I can set the example of not giving up. So I've stayed...and I'm so glad I did. I really do love these ladies and count them as friends...even though we've never met in person.

I've been feeling pretty stressed lately, because we got my latest test results back and while we're not totally sure what they are saying, we feel we have a pretty good idea. I meet with my family doctor later today to find out for sure.

The ladies know what I've been going through and they have been great. They've been just as frustrated as I have been with everything and are praying for answers as much as I am.

Today a box was delivered. Now I realize that "brain fog" is one of the symptoms of Hashimoto's Disease, but this was a bad case of it, because I honestly couldn't remember ordering a single thing. I had no idea what it was. I opened the packing slip and the name was the same first name as a woman who lives down the road about a mile. Frustrated, I figured the mail carrier made a mistake. But then I looked at the packing slip again and it said it was to be delivered to me.

Huh? Why would that lady send something to me? I opened the box and there was a small robot and a voodoo type doll. Ok, now I was REALLY confused!

More reading of the packing slip helped me to find a note at the bottom. It said "Doctors being a pain? Stick 'em with a pin! And when you're not feeling well, let your little robot friend give you a hand. From your friends at BBC" (one of the ladies has the same first name as that lady that lives down the road, so that's who sent the box!)

Turns out the robot is a counter top vacuum for crumbs. The doll had funny sayings on it like "feeling stressed?" "Someone giving you a migraine?"

Oh my goodness. I laughed! I laughed until I cried. I have women who have never met me in person, but have taken the time to get to know me, and to think they went out of their way to do this for me is more special to me than they can ever know. I will count these silly items as two of my treasured possessions.

So to Ali, Jane, Susan and the rest of the gang..... I love you ladies!!

We Women Are Serious & Proper

The following explains why there are so few pictures of my mother & my sisters and I...and this year our poor sister-in-law was introduced to the chaos (I hope you aren't too traumatized Melissa).


Attempt #1: They asked for tallest to shortest, so my sister Theresa and I stood in the back - guess they meant they wanted us in front.

Attempt #2 - "No really, this will be so cute". Whoever said that needs bopped. Just what I want, a picture with my big ol' balloon-sized head poking out to the side, with an "I hope no one notices I've been sneaking some wine" squinty look in my eyes. (Seriously - why is my head look so big?)


Attempt #3 - Ok, you stand here. No wait, why don't you come over here. Yank mom over here. (I get the giggles because one sister points and tells Melissa to stand over there...Melissa is legally blind. She doesn't know where you just pointed to, and at this point I'm losing it!!)

Attempt #4 - Here this'll be fun. Let's lift up our mama who's deathly afraid of heights. Yea, that'll be good times and oh so cute to have her "green" and crying like a girl in a photo!

Attempt #5 - Comments (inter-mixed with extreme laughter) were as follows:
PUT ME DOWN!

I hope she doesn't have gas!

Goodness she's heavy. How much did you eat today mom?

Oh good, Melissa's helping with the heaviest part - her feet.

Who's idea was this?

PUT ME DOWN!

Attempt #6 - Ok squeeze in close together. No closer, closerrrrrr....

Attempt #7 - Got it!! Finally!! Whewwwwwww...

L to R: my sister Debi, Me, my mom Sandi, my sister-in-law Melissa & my sister Theresa

How I Met Mr. Right

Our 22nd anniversary is coming up soon, and I started thinking back on when I first started dating Jay. Let me take you all the way back to New Years Eve 1985 when I had just turned 22 years old.

A group of friends and I went to a nightclub. We reserved a table at the club the New Years Party. I had my big 80's hair going on and I wore a cute knitted dress that of course fell off one shoulder. My hair was up in a bright red banana clip and I had sprayed sparkles in my hair. My red lipstick matched perfectly to my red hoop earrings, bangle bracelets, and my red pumps.

I excused myself to the restroom at one point and I prayed right there in stall #3 "Please God. Please let me meet Mr. Right tonight. Please!!!"

Midnite came. My friends and I exchanged kisses and hugs. We shook the noise makers and blew into the horns. We raised a glass of the cheap nasty tasting champagne the club provided to each table. In my mind I again said my prayer "Please God. Let me meet Mr. Right tonight."

A few minutes later a guy named Mike asked me to dance. We talked while dancing and he seemed nice, but there was just no chemistry. Before he left Mike handed me his business card. He said he love it if I'd call him sometime. I said I'd think about it and he left. He was nice, but not "Mr. Right" I got frustrated and angry that it appeared God had not listened to my prayers at all.

When I got home I took off my coat and pulled my keys out of my pocket. Out came Mike's business card.

Mr. Mike Wright Investments

Mr. Wright

I laughed out loud. I felt that was Gods sense of humor showing me that he HAD heard my prayer, and in a way had answered it. This WAS Mr. Wright, but not my Mr. Right.

The year progressed like previous years. While waiting at the club one night for more friends to show up, a guy asked me to dance. He made me laugh and I had such a good time with him. After the dance was over he went back to his table with his friends. They were loud and obnoxious I felt that if those were his friends, he was probably just like them, so I mentally told myself to forget about him. Over the next few weeks, I kept my distance because of his loud friends, and I declinded his offers to take me out on a date.

The last Saturday night in August he came to the club and I agreed to go on a date with him. I then realized that after all this time I didn't even know his name.

He introduced himself and said: "My name is Jay."

...to be continued

Ashley - The Sweet Wild Child

Ashley is our 19 yr old free spirit "child". She marches to her own drumb and could care less if she's all alone in that march or not. She was busy running around and having fun while I was still pregnant with her (I swear that baby NEVER stopped kicking!), and she hasn't slowed down since. She is silly and can make you laugh with just a look. She loves life and squeezes as much life out of each day as she can.

She is also very talkative. And she talks fast. So fast that most of the time you have to remind her that we don't understand warp speed, so please slow down and try again.

And she is wired. Always on the go and never sits still. Funny part is, she doesn't even drink anything with caffeine in it (could you imagine if she did?!?!?!) She is spontaneous and ready to go on an adventure at a moments notice.

She is also very sensitive to others. In the hot tub picture she has a small rubber ducky over her belly button because a host student explained that in her country showing your belly button was inappropriate. Ashley proceeded to to stick the duck on her belly so she'd be "appropriate". LOL

Ashley also has a heart that is so emotionally large that it shouldn't fit in her petite body. One of her friends at college doesn't have the best home life, and didn't want to go home over the summer. She signed up to take summer classes and planned to live alone in the dorms. Ashley talked to me about it and decided to sign up for summer classes as well so this friend wouldn't be alone. I can't tell you how sad we were to know she wouldn't be moving home for the summer, but at the same time, that's Ashley. First in line to help someone in need. And we love that about her.

The Sams Club sample ladies love her because anytime she is in there she gets a cup and lets them know they make the best hot chocolate E-VAH! She's even been known to give them hugs while I stand back whispering "Stranger Danger".

Well, Ashley's not been feeling well for a few weeks. She has had asthma since she was 6 (although she's never let it slow her down), and finally she decided to go back to her old asthma/allergy specialist since it's been a couple of years and things weren't improving. The great thing about this specialist is that he is very giving with free samples. He feels prescription prices are ridiculous and if he has samples that he can pass out, then by all means that's what he will do. He looked her over, determined she had a virus that is infecting her bronchial tubes, and Ashley left with a lunch bag full of samples.

Once back to her dorm room, she sent me this text and picture:

Holy Hitting Grandma's Jackpot of Drugs Batman!

She explained that the one on the right is an antibiotic prescription, but the rest are all samples and that she has duplicates to those in that bag. I recognized most as allergy & asthma meds, so while I was concerned, I know she knows how to deal with those things well, so I wasn't too concerned.

Then I saw it. The one thing that had me VERY concerned. So concerned that I struggled with whether or not I should warn her roommates. Check out the bottle on the left with the white label. Can you read what it says? Look closely --- PREDNISONE. Prednisone is a steroid which helps reduced the swelling and inflammation in the bronchial tubes and the lungs. It also makes you beyond hyper! For Ashley, it makes her hyper x 5.

I'm not even kidding when I say that over the years I have called the kids teachers any time any of them have had to be on Prednisone. One time I forgot and Ashley's teacher call me about 11am asking what in the world I fed that child for breakfast.

So now, do I warn her roommates that they needn't be alarmed when they come home from class and find they need to peel Ashley off the ceiling? Do I warn them that her warp speed when talking will now be tripled? Do I warn them that she will have no pupils for the next few days and she will eat enough to make a football player sick?

Nah - I think I'll just let them enjoy the "full" college experience.

She'll Appreciate This Someday

I'm pre-empting this blog post. I wanted to apologize to all the other blogs I visit and those who visit here. I haven't been around to any of your sites in days. We've been gone to the lake, and then I was knocked off my feet by a migraine, and now today I will be with my son all day long at one of his junior golf tournaments. I haven't ignored you all, I promise! I will reply to your comments and emails as soon as I get back home again.

Ok...we now return you to the regularly scheduled blog post:


I just have to share the funniest thing I've heard recently. It still cracks me up when I think about it.....although Ashley refers to it as "just plain dumb".

To the left is a picture of our Ashley in one of her college dance team outfits. As you can see, she is very petite (only about 5'2") and thin. She also doesn't look as though she can be 19 and going on her sophomore year in college, especially when you see her in person and her hair is pulled back in a ponytail...however, we do think she looks post-pubescent, although a theater worker evidentally doesn't agree.

Apparently, Ashley and a couple of her college friends went to go to a PG-13 movie this past week and the person selling tickets asked Ashley for her ID. Ashley looked at her and said "I didn't bring it. I didn't think I'd need it" and the worker said that she needed proof Ashley was old enough to see this movie. That meant the worker thought she was 12 years old! LOL

Of course Ashley's friends had a great laugh with that, and they were good sports when they had to change their plans and see a different movie that was only a PG, so that Ashley could go see it with them.

Give her 20 years or so, and she might finally be able to look back with fondness at this, but for now, I can just see the look on her face, and fondness is the not the word I'd use. LOL

Feed This Man A Fish

This past weekend, we went over to the lake that is about a mile from our house and Jay & Austin decided to go fishing. While this isn't their first time ever fishing, it is their first time ever fishing alone - just the two of them - clueless - with brand new poles they have to put together.

I'm not even kidding when I say this was like an Abbott & Costello routine.

Dena: Um, Jay, do you know what your doing?
Jay: Nope.

Dena: Uh, ok so how do you know you're putting that together right?
Jay: I have a pliars. It'll work.

Okay then.

Dena: Austin, why are you sitting on that rock?
Austin: Because this is how you fish.

Good to know.

(Note how his pole is facing straight down. That water is very shallow right there. Now I'm no fishing expert, but don't you need to have the tip of the pole off the bottom of the lake to up your odds on catching anything?)

Jay: Caught anything yet?
Austin: No. You?
Jay: No.
Austin: I think I heard one time this is the worst spot at the lake to fish at. The fish don't come around here.

About that time, someone about 20 feet from us let out a "woohoo I got one!" I chuckled when I saw the look on Jay's & Austin's facec, but I didn't say anything.

It took all of about 3 minutes and they decided to move to a different spot along the lake. I ran home for a few minutes to get a couple of things and while I was there I got the text I had been expecting to get....

"Austin and I are going golfing."

Gone With The Wind

See our new hammock? Isn't it colorful and pretty? Won't it make for relaxing afternoons, soaking up the sun and enjoying the great outdoors?



No!


Why not?


Let me give you some helpful advise.....


When you buy a hammock, make sure your husband is around to help you should you need assistance with the assembly.

However, it is equally advisable to make sure your husband is out of the county when you attempt to lay on that hammock...especially if it's windy.

Jay took one look at the hammock and said "There is no way on this earth you will ever lay in that thing. It's gonna flip you right over! The wind out here has no mercy. I suggest you put it on the grass or in a pool to cushion your fall, or forget about it."

Oh, is that a dare?

Another piece of advice....don't accept a dare unless you've really thought it through.

After 4 attempts and a bump on the head, I cried "Uncle". That darn wind flipped me out of that hammock faster than you'd flip a pancake. Of course "Mr. Helpful" (Jay) was on the ground laughing so hard he could hardly breathe. Once he was calmed down enough to speak he said "Wait, before you do that again, let me call some people. I think we can make money selling tickets for this!"

Happy May Day!

Did/Do you and your children deliver May baskets? Do people do that anymore?

When my kids were younger, we made May baskets every year. Some years we used the plastic little baskets that strawberries came in. Some years we used large styrofoam cups with pipe cleaner hangers. We'd lace ribbon through the strawberry baskets or tie ribbon around the foam cups, and we'd also add stickers to the cups. Then we'd tie a "Happy May Day" note on the handle and fill it with popcorn and candy.

When the kids were little, they took the baskets to Sunday School, Preschool & Kindergarten. As they got a little older we delivered baskets the fun way....the sneaky way! They would put a basket with their friends name on it at the door to their home. Then they'd knock on the door and run away, trying to be sure the friend didn't see them. There was several girls the same age as my daughters who did this, which made it even more fun.

I really miss this. We had so much fun on May Day! I always parked like a block or two away from the particular house they were delivering to, and I had the most fun watching the huge smiles on their faces as they ran back to the car.

I remember one year Ashley set the basket down, rang the doorbell and took off like a shot behind the houses to run through the back yards. When she got to the road, she saw a 3' fence between her and our car. No gymnast has ever gone over the vault as quickly as she flew over that fence! I laughed so hard!

Another year, Chelsea wanted to deliver to a friend who lived on a farm...with a loooooong lane. There was no way she was ever going to be able to run from their door to our car without being seen, so she had to be sneaky. This friend had 2 rows of trees that were in a line along one side of the house and they went all the way to the road. After she set the basket down and knocked on the door, she took off and ran inbetween the trees. She seemed to have vanished. We couldn't see her and had no clue where she was. All of a sudden we saw her...or should I say the evidence of where she was. Each of those trees was full of dozens and dozens of birds. Each time she'd run to a tree, all these birds would come flying out. Next tree, more birds, and so on until she made it to the road. Oh my goodness, it was so funny. The mother who lived in that house called me later and said she and her husband stood at their window and watched Chelsea trying to be so sneaky and hiding from tree to tree. She said it made their day.

My girls still talk about how much fun it was to make May Baskets and I'm so glad we did that. Austin, being a boy enjoyed it until he got to about 2nd grade. Then he was not cool with it anymore, but I'm still glad we had a couple of years of fun with him.

If you haven't done this with your children, I really recommend it. You'll be so glad to have those fun, silly memories!

Veggie Tales...Well, And Fruit

For Easter last Sunday I had mentioned I was going to "bedazzle" some veggies and fruits to take to a family gathering at the home of Jay's Aunt & Uncle.

I tried, I really did. But what do you bedazzle some celery with? How do you make Kiwi sparkle? And how do you get it to stay? And not be poisonous? These are the things you really need to think through before you open your trap and declare "It's On".

During the sunrise Easter service, I started thinking about all that I had to do in a fairly short amount of time to get the centerpieces done and right there in the balcony I started to freak out. I leaned over to Chelsea and whispered "I just want to say thank you very much." She smiled and said "Your welcome. (pause) For what?" I said "For the help you're going to give me when we get home."

See how nicely I slid that in without her barely even noticing? Novice moms take note. THATs how you get kids to help. To heck with the whole "please" and "giving of yourself" stuff. You have to be sneaky!

Once home, we all changed and I started pulling out all the veggies and fruits I had prepped the day before, including the one I had cut in to flowers using cookie-cutters (cute, right?). It also included the mushrooms I had dyed like Easter eggs (there's something you don't see every day).

Austin informed me the fridge reminded him of one of those clown cars....I just kept pulling more and more and more out of it in a seemingly never-ending line of food.

I had printed pictures off the internet of edible centerpieces and we decided which one we were going to attempt. "Attempt" is the key word here. It didn't take long and we decided an original idea is always better than a copycat, which actually meant ours was looking nothing like the pictures.

Then, as happens quite frequently in our house, the giggles started in. We laughed and laughed and the harder we worked, the sillier we got, and the more we laughed.

With the fruit, we decided the thrill was starting to dwindle rapidly, so we made a bunch of fruit kabobs and arranged those. It still turned out looking ok and cute (in my opinion).

To finish things off, we scooped out the innerds of a couple of different bell peppers and put 2 kinds of veggie dip in them. Simple, but cute.

When all was said and done, Ashley declared herself the "Most Tiredest Of Them All" and took a quick nap with Tucker before we had to leave.

So here they are....our fruit and veggie Easter baskets. Except for the baskets and a couple of flower & egg adornments, everything is edible.

Alligator Shoes

This was shared to me by a friend, and even though I'm blonde, it's just too good to not pass along.....

Scene: Local shoe store where a blonde is shopping for shoes

After becoming very frustrated with the attitude of one of the shopkeepers, the young blonde declared, 'Well, then, maybe I'll just go out and catch my own alligator and get a pair of alligator shoes for free!'

The shopkeeper replied with a sly smile, 'Well, little lady, why don't you go on and give it a try?'

The blonde headed off to the swamp, determined to catch an alligator. Later in the day, as the shopkeeper was driving home, he spotted the same young woman standing waist deep in the murky water, shotgun in hand. As he brought his car to a stop, he saw a huge 9-foot gator swimming rapidly toward her. With lightning reflexes, the blonde took aim, shot the creature and hauled it up onto the slippery bank.

Nearby were 7 more dead gators all lying belly up. The shopkeeper stood on the bank, watching in silent amazement as the blonde struggled mightily and barely managed to flip the gator onto its back.

Then, rolling her eyes heavenward, she screamed in frustration.....

"CRAP! THIS ONE'S BAREFOOT, TOO!"

Top 10 Things Overheard On Trip"

These are things I oveheard during our recent Spring Break shopping trip. Most of them left me sitting there tipping my head to the side while thinking "What?":

10. Hey guys look, I bought a shirt that's ugly cute.

9. I almost choked on my pringle.

8. Drugs are only good if you use them to get off other drugs.

7. Stop! Don't flick the ceiling. Someone could get hurt.

6. Ya know....most of the time recycled water tastes pretty good. Even if it's been recycled from the toilet.

5. Hey....close your teeth, I'm takin' a picture.

4. We're not going to bed until I find my donut!

3. These Depends totally make me look like I have an actual crotch.

2. What's the time difference between Minnesota and Missouri?

And the #1 thing overheard.....

Ok, so I'm not sure how we're all related, so can someone draw me a family tree? But, don't make it like a real tree though, cuz I'll get all confused.

Happy Trails To You

Well, I'm off for a few days. Ashley & Chelsea both had Spring break plans that fell through, and both were super disappointed. So, as a last minute plan, we surprised them with a mini-trip. We are taking them and some of their friends to Minnesota for a couple of days. We have 3 hotel rooms booked. Two for all the girls, and yes, I got myself my OWN quiet room. I figure I'll need it after days filled with the noise of 8 girls. Pah-leeeeese...I was born at night, but it wasn't last night. I know I'll be ready for some down time each night.

I booked rooms at a hotel with a large indoor waterpark, and they are all beyond thrilled. It cracks me up that my girls asked if we could stay there, and I love that while they are growing up, they aren't afraid of still having simple fun, know what I mean?

We will spend one day at the Mall of America and one day at an outlet mall. Not a long trip (only 3 hrs from home), and nothing as exciting as Cancun or South Padre might have been, but I know it'll be fun nonetheless. It's a fun group that's going too - besides my girls, we have a couple of cousins going, a couple of new college friends, and 2 girls who have been friends with my girls since preschool. All are fun-loving, so I know laughter will be plentiful!

Today we will finish up our packing and loading up of the 2 vehicles we'll take. Then we'll wait for Ashley & one other girl to get off work, and we'll head out this evening around suppertime-ish.

It'll be a lot of fun, and I think I'm almost as excited as they all are, but I'm also sure I'll be ready for my bed when we get back late Saturday night. We'll see you all when we get back!

Can You Imagine Them On Caffeine!?!

This past week we celebrated Ashley & Chelsea's birthdays. I still find it not only hard to believe that they are 19 years old, but that I am old enough to be the mother of 19 year olds! I'm convinced that none of us look old enough for that! LOL

Jay, Austin & I picked Chelsea and her boyfriend up, and then met Ashley at the restaurant near her college, since it was just a couple of blocks from where she works. From the moment we sat down in the booth, the laughter started and I'm serious when I say it never stopped. Both girls were in especially silly moods, and when that happens it's a non-stop laughfest!

And they totally have that "twin thing" going on and somehow know exactly what other is thinking without saying a word. For example, we got them each a new shirt with matching little jacket. After they opened them I held up the camera and said "Ok let me see your shirts". Without a word they both showed me their shirts....however, I meant their NEW shirts, not the ones they were already wearing. LOL


Ok, that's better - kind of...?



Ok, turn your shirts around. Ha-Ha, very funny girls! Your neeeeewww shirts!


Then they just got wierd. Chelsea made the comment that the cakes looked so good. Ashley said "We should cut out our tongues so we can watch them eat these yummy cakes" (um...what?).

I wanted to get a nice picture of them (it seriously took me MANY tries!). I'd say 'SMILE' and they'd look at each other and say "I want to be sure she is smiling".

Finally they did let me get a couple of nice shots. Whewwww...a lot of work!

Then on Sunday, Jays parents said they were going out for lunch and they'd like us to join them so they could see the girls for their birthday and the craziness started again....

Yes that is Chelsea having a conversation with Ashley using a piece of pineapple (I just gave birth to them, I've never tried to explain them!)

Then they got their brother in on the act. They told him he was not allowed to smile nicely and of course, this would be one of the ONLY time he has listened to his sisters. *sigh lol* after about 5 tries, I gave up.

After we were finished eating, Austin, Jay & I went back home, while the girls took off in Chelsea's car. They decided they wanted to go ice skating together like they did several times for their birthdays when they were younger. With the goofy moods they were in, I should probably call the ice arena manager and apologize. LOL