It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas*

Tucked snuggley into bed under the tree Madeline, is awaiting Santa's visit. It has been tradition for her to sleep here on Christmas eve.

Every year, I buy her an ornament that she gets to open befor bed. I started this the year she was born. The plan is when she grows up and has a tree of her very own, she will have a tree full of ornaments that she has saved over the years.

The process (backwards of how it happened)
OUR TREE:

It looked so much smaller before we cut it down.

Good News... Bad News

The good news is that I am still in school.

I haven't been slacking on my blog because of my identity crisis depression but rather, I have been extremely busy studying for my final exam.

The Friday post about my identity crisis was no small exaggeration. I truly believed the fat lady was singing. In fact, I had come up with an alternate plan over the weekend. On Monday morning, I was almost ready to leave the house when I got a call from the school and was asked to bring in what medical release I did have, and they would try to work with me. Shocking? It was for me, too!

I called the Dr. right away and was able to get a release with the only restriction being that I should not lift my arm to a 90* angle while applying pressure. Okay, who does that?

Although not nice about it, the director of the program said she was willing to let me back into clinical. However, she will need a "no restriction" release by February. Gee, I hope my Dr. can give me one by then. Plus, I have to make up 30 hours by the 3rd of January.

So, I took my final yesterday and scored a 90% on it. I finished the the first 1/3 of the program with an 88% overall average. I'm TOTALLY okay with that.

Now, for the bad news...

All of the clinical make-up time is when my sisters are going to be in town, and I will not get to spend as much time with them as I would like. Sorry Rachael and Lori. I am planning to spend the weekend with you guys though. I should be out to Mom's by Friday, early evening.

Identity Crisis

So, now what? I just found out that I will not be able to finish this semester at school because of my shoulder injury. In order to go back to clinicals, I had to get a "no restriction" release from my Dr by today and my Dr. could not do that. When I left her office earlier this week, she had promised to call the director of the program I am in and explain that she can release me with a "limited restriction" but one that she felt I could do clinicals with.

Well, the director made it clear today when she called me at home. She would not let me into clinicals without a full medical release and she would not discuss the situation, my grades or any medical concerns over the phone with my Dr. I will bring in the full release or I will not complete this semester.

BTW: My shoulder injury happened a month ago and it is as good as it is going to get. I have almost 90% range of motion back and unless I elect to have surgery, it isn't going to get any better.

Guess I'm not a student any more. Now what.

Someone Has Hairy Legs!

Tonight at dinner, Madeline, was rubbing up against my legs with her foot. She didn't know it was me, though.

"Oh, someone has hairy legs."

"No", I said. "Those are my socks."

"No they arn't. Those are not socks. These are hairy legs."

As I'm mentioning that they are socks (my alpacka socks), madeline looks under the table and says...

"Those really arn't daddy's legs. Are they?"

At least she didn't think they were mine like I thought she did.

Nothing new, just updates

It has been just over a week since returning from our vacation to MI, for the Thanksgiving holiday. It was a fun visit with all 4 of my sisters who I don't get to see as often as I would like to. Lori is cute as a button with her big round belly that is due to expire today (her official due date), Rachael was busy with her new found hobby of sewing, Francie was generously filling my car with things she has decided to retire and Natalie shared her pottery so we could all paint together. There was more to the long weekend, like eating, shopping, eating, and... Well it did snow on Thanksgiving day. (I really hope I am not offending anyone here.)

Madeline spiked a high fever the last night we were there and it was the strangest thing. Uncle Adam stopped by Walgreen's and picked up some Motrine (and a stuffed dog, a barbie, a pretend cell phone)... let's hope he has boy's Natalie, or you might go broke, ha. Once Maddy took the medicine, she started to feel much better and by morning, you would have never guessed she was ever sick. The strang part is Jack did almost the same thing 2 days later. Only his started at school and lasted just 4 hours.

Yesterday was our first weather related day off from school this season. At first I was thinking how much stuff I was going to get caught up on. Then I remembered that Madeline was off from school too and I had a Dr. appointment for my shoulder injury.

I didn't get much done around the house because it took forever at dr.'s office; not including the time it took me to get myself and Madeline dressed for the weather, and clean off the car with one arm. She played in the snow at her cousins while I found out that the chances of my shoulder dislocating again is about 75% unless I have surgery. Yikes! Sucks for me. Thats another post though.

I hope that I get a call from my sister Lori today that tells me the baby is on his way. It is her 2 year wedding anniversayr as well as a special day for my sister Rachael. A year ago today, St. Petersburg, Russia, marks the anniversary of when she met her 6 year old soon-to-be daughter for the 1st time. Katya is such a special niece.

I do plan to post again soon. I just gota get going here before the big girl gets home or I'll never get anything elce done today.

And, its snowing again!!

The Tote Queen that I Am

Have you ever gone a day too long before realizing your child's room has become a danger zone? I am hyper aware of how messy Madeline's room has become over the past week or so because I have to be oh, so careful not to fall and hurt myself right now (shoulder issues). Well, this morning I had had enough. If I don't fall and re-injure myself, someone else who is healthy just might. It was out of control! (For the record though, I have had my arm in a restrictive sling for over a week now and house cleaning has not been on my priority list.) Hurt arm or not, I was not going another day without getting her room put back together.

Where to start? I looked around the room and hadn't a clue. Then I called my sister-in-law and asked her how I should go about it. She gently responded to my dilemma in a pretty direct way, so I got the clue when I heard her day "Your the Tote Queen, just put everything in totes".

With just the right inspiration I needed, I was off to Wal Mart before Madeline had even gotten out of bed. An hour later, I was full speed ahead. Madeline has way too much stuff and not enough to space to organize it.

Madeline was trying to help me but what kinda help is it when I toss out crumpled papers or the likes and she pulls it back out of the garbage bag? Or, how 'bout the McDonald's Happy Meal toys that she insists on keeping because she swears she plays with them? I wasn't getting anywhere with this kind of help. I had to take her to Auntie Lisa's house if I was going to get the mission accomplished.

Five hours later...

Her room looks great! 4 labeled and full totes in the closet, the 2 long narrow ones with wheels on em under the bed and everything else in it's place. I'm exhausted though. My arm is throbbing too. But, like I said: it looks great. A job well done.

The Organized totes in her closer:
When you first walk in her room:

Her bed:
trust me, the other 2 totes are under it.
PS: This was by far one of the most frustrating posts I have done yet. It was erased twice and I had a terrible time getting the pictures on it. They are not in the order I wanted and there were a couple other ones I liked better. I'm done messing with it.

Baby B****

In honor of my sister Lori, who is due with her 1st baby (boy), I thought it would be fun to write about how babies get their names. I'm only an expert with how my own daughter got her name, but I figured that whoever reads my blog might share their own personal insight as well.

Madeline Paige B**** is what we named our daughter 7 years ago. For the first three days she was called Baby B**** because I was so scared to pick the wrong name and had not fully decided on my choices before going into labor.

The first name I came up with was Kathrine Grace. I have a very dear Great Aunt who has this name and I liked it for that reason, but I also liked it because I love nick names and Katie was my favorite at the time.

The second name I came up with was Abigail Nicole. Lori helped me with the middle name and I really liked it but when Andy came back with Abaleen, I realized he was not fond of Abigail. I told him to be sure and tell me when he didn't like names and to not make them up. lol

Then, about two weeks before I went into labor, Lori called me and told me the name she really liked and wanted to use if she had to name a little girl. She decided to share it with me because her husband had already vetoed it just in case.

On the way to work that very afternoon, I picked up my best friend Amanda and she blurted out "What do you think of the name Madeline?" Was this a sign I wondered.

I had never heard it and it had a very nice sound to it. I kept thinking over and over in my head what I could use as a middle name. Madeline Rose? I liked it alot but wasn't completely sold. Then I came up with Paige. I loved it.

When I told my mother, she was like... "What do you think of Madeline Suzanne? Or, Madeline Louann?" Uggh! I cant please everyone and I really liked Paige. Hmm.

On the way to the hospital Andy looked at me and said "Honey, this is your baby, you name it whatever you like." That was a relief and alot of pressure all at the same time. Kina like contractions. Just kidding.

When she was born, I didn't think she looked like a Katie. I always thought of a Katie as a girl with blond hair. Hers was dark brown. That was out. Would I regret Paige?

One hour before I was discharged to go home I had to give the official name. I chose Madeline Paige. Andy made me look up the spelling, but I was glad to know he liked the name.

Anyway, that is how Madeline got her name. And, my mother actually likes it too.

How about any of you who read my blog? How did you come up with you're children's names? If it is a long story, then you can post your own blog about it, just please let me know to check your site.

My Right Arm

I wish I could think of an interesting story as to why I had to give up my right arm but truth-be-known, the story is actually boring. I was laying in my bed waking up from a nap and the next thing I knew, my shoulder has dislocated. OUCH! This wasn't the first time it has happened though. At least the other times came with good stories. (Like the time I was driving down a ridge cut in Tn and I dislocated my shoulder reaching for a pacifier.) I had surgery 6 years ago in hopes that it would never happen again. Unfortunately for me though, it did. It was out for over an hour and now that it has been a week... I still feel like I got beat up.

Andy has gone above and beyond in trying to be helpful and patient with me. I have yet to go to bed with dishes in the sink, he gets Madeline ready for school and packs her lunch, and hasn't uttered the first complaint of a messy house. Impressive? or what?

I have a few other posts I've been wanting to write about, but with my arm stuck in some contraption that is more restrictive then a sling, it takes longer to type. Plus, even though I finally found my pictures from Halloween, I cant seen to find the cord to get them into the computer.

I took Madeline to get her hair cut a few days ago. She looks like Auntie Nay-Nay now. She had 12 inches cut off and she is sporting a stacked bob. Pictures of the new look are also stuck on my camera with no cord. Her hair was just getting so hard to brush through and I was tired of fighting with her every morning before school. She looks cute. She doesn't think she has to brush the back anymore now that she doesn't have much hair. Will I ever win on this one? Speaking of brushing hair... You should see mine. I haven't been able to brush it myself for a week so Madeline has done it for me. It looks quite cute. HA! lol at least it is brushed. I think her favorite part is telling me to be still and don't cry,

Sweatn'...Not to the Oldies Though

Oh how I would have hated to be wrong this time!

About 6 weeks ago I bought a brand-new mattress and box spring set. Okay, Francie, this is for you... It was a $1500.00 set that I got on a great deal: lets just say it was a really great deal because I was able to pay cash. And to all of you who know me, you know it had to of been a GREAT deal! Anyhow, I finally got delivery confirmation for tonight and Andy kept telling me how it was not going to fit up the stairs and my great deal was going to be a waste of money if we couldn't get it up to the bedroom. I so knew it would fit, he just needed to see my skills. Well, I was confident it would fit until it actually got here. Ummh, how come it is so much bigger then I imagined? (It should be the same size as the one we already have.) Not that I made mention of my concern though because come hell or high water, I was not going to be wrong.

Well, Andy is asleep right now on our new mattress set and I am downstairs wondering how in the heck I am going to get the banister put back up. I made Andy and the delivery guy take it down because they just couldnt figure out how to turn the unbendable box spring just right and it kept getting stuck. Yes, although I did sweat just a bit, the new bed did in fact, make it upstairs.

On another note:
I have some of the cutest Halloween picture and others of sorts that I have been wanting to blog about, but I cant figure out how to get them from the file they are in, onto a CD. It should not be that complicated, but for some reason, it has really been a time waster for me. Maybe I'll ask for help from someone who knows more about PCs then I do (which shouldn't be hard).

School is still going well. Madeline is about to loose her front tooth and Andy has a wisdom tooth coming in and it seems pretty painful. He is so stubborn. I gave him some Advil yesterday and he finally "tried" taking one today. I say he "tried" because he wont take any more since it didn't help. He only took one 200mg pill. Not sure they should even sell them in such low doses. I guess it makes it look like you got a good deal when you buy 100 at a time. Not so much a deal when you gotta take 4 at a time though. Right? I should tell him that acute pain is really bad on the cardiovascular system and scare him into taking a higher dose so that if not for nothing...at least I might get some relief.

Well, thats it for now. Hopefully it won't take another 3 weeks to make my next post. Once I change the laundry, I'm off to sleep in our new bed. I really hope it is comfortable after all that work. G'night.

Some Survey...

My sister Lori sent me this survey. It seems like good blogger foddle, so here goes...

What time is it?
7:33PM

Your full name?
Shannon Louann B****

What are you most afraid of?
The unknown

What is the most recent movie that you have seen in a
Theater?
Honestly, I cant remember... was it Knocked Up?

Place of birth?
OKC, OK

Favorite food?
Cold cereal

What's your natural hair color?
Blond

Ever been to Italy?
Nope


Ever been toilet papering?
No


Love someone so much it made you cry?
Yes!!!


Been in a car accident?
Yes 7 times or else I lost count somewhere -not all my fault though. The first one was two days before my sister Rachael's wedding and it was in her car. I pulled out onto a two lane highway and got T-boned by a small truck. She helped me pick glass out of my face just hours before she got married. None of the rest were my fault. I learned my lesson.

Favorite day of the week?
Friday. I love Friday night because I spend it quietly at home with my family and my house is usually clean.

Favorite restaurant?
Bamboo Garden in Seattle WA they have the best vegetarian food ever!! It is my sister Lori's favorite too.

Favorite sport to watch.
Gymnastics and cheer leading. They get me every time.

Favorite drink?
Diet Coke


Favorite ice cream?
Chocolate almond


Ever been on a ship?
Yes, I went on a cruise to the Bahamas last year with my best friend that I joined the Army with. It was so my idea (joining the Army). We didn't even know each other before then either. I just happened to work with her and while we were on break on day, I just said, "Hey, I'm thinking about joining the Army, want to join with me?". And, her reply? "Okay, sure." We've been best friends every since.

What color is your bedroom carpet?
I don't have any.

How many times did you fail your driver's test?
The written test? 3 times. My sister Lori and I passed our actual driving test on the same day though. I passed it the first time. As far as the written one... Who knew a bicyclist has the right of way. Lori clearly stated the "duh" that day and I never forgot it: "Well, its not like you can just hit em!"

Before this, from who did you get your last
email from?
Lori


Bedtime - Around 11:00pm

Favorite TV show –
It's a toss up between Desperate Housewives and Gray's Anatomy.


Last person you went to dinner with - Andy and Madeline just took me out to dinner tonight (It is my Birthday!)

What were you doing at age 31 and 32 –
I'm in school again.


What are your favorite colors –
Pink and brown


How many tattoos do you have ?
My mother reads this.


How many pets do you have?
None


Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Chicken


What do you want to do before you die?
Be in a family portrait with at least 4 generations under me.


Have you ever been to Hawaii?
No, but I did go to Alaska. That is worthy of mentioning, Don't ya think?

Have you been to countries outside the U.S.?
Yes, Canada, Mexico, El Salvidor, Bahamas, Jamaica.

Time this survey ended?
– 7:52pm

Okay Francie... You're next. Oh, and Adam's mom.

YEA FOR ME!

I'm not sure if it was a fluke that will never happen again or if it is the beginning of a new trend, but for the first time EVER, I got the highest test grade in our class today. The Unit exam was on Growth & Development and Immunizations. I'm still in shock with the 98%. Woo Hoo!

We started clinicals a couple weeks ago in long term care and today we moved on to acute care. Its really exciting, but at the same time it is a bit intimidating. I might consider working Med Surge for at least a year or two as an LPN while I finish the Associate program, (just for the experience though) because I haven't changed my mind about working in long term care. Eventually, I hope to get into administration, but that is a ways off.

THE BRAIN: AS DUMBED-DOWN AS POSSIBLE

Tonight while I was putting Madeline to bed I asked her to give me her gum so she didn't choke on it. Then she asked me how her jaw knew how to move up and down so she could chew it. Uh, that is really quite simple... It gets a message from the brain and just moves. HUH?!

Okay, I told her. Think of your head as an upside down bowl. Inside the bowl is your brain. In order to send messages, your brain has to be plugged into the rest of your body kind of like a power chord.

How does it get plugged in?

It uses your heart like a battery charger and it just stays charged up. Then your brain sends it's power chord down the pipe in your back (the spine) and that is where all the plugs stay so they don't get all mixed up and tangled.

Then she started wiggling and doing all kinds of crazy stuff to see if her brain charger was working and she had enough power to tell her body what to do.

Poor kid. Think she'll have crazy dreams tonight?


I'm sure I left out a ton of information and probably

IT'S ME AGAIN... BACK TO BLOGGING

Yeah, I decided to get back on the band wagon. I month ago or so, I though it would motivate me if I posted about stuff I wanted to get done. It so did not work! It just made me avoid blogging.

I did finish the bathroom project I was on a mission to complete. It took forever and made a huge mess though.

Madeline started first grade this year. She is doing really well.

I started the Nursung program after a year of pre recs at the community college.

I plan to write more and add pics, but I had to at least publish a new post before I drove myself crazy thinking about what to write about. Talk about pressure relief!

Until then...

A RED LIGHT AND THE TOOTH FAIRY

Back in June just the week before Auntie Nay Nay's wedding, Madeline came to me and told me that her front tooth was loose. "let me just check it out" I told her. I couldn't really tell, so I told her not to play with it too much because we should try and make it stay in until after the wedding. It never did come out, so I guess I am not one to estimate whether or not a tooth will be coming out soon or not.

Well, a couple weeks ago, she came to me again and told me her two bottom teeth were loose and asked me to check them for her. Hmm, I said as I wiggled the first one. Then, before she knew what was happening, I handed her a tooth. She gave me a very funny look that turned even funnier when she placed her tongue where her tooth once was. Then she freaked out... "IT'S BLEEDING!".

She calmed down enough for me to tell her about the Tooth Fairy but would not even consider letting check the other tooth that she said was loose. I let it go, and that night the Tooth Fairy left money for her under the pillow. "I didn't even feel the pillow lift one bit" she said the next morning.

The next morning, she was very careful not to let me get close enough to check it because she thought I would pull it out the same way. She is rather squeamish about blood.

That same afternoon, Madeline and her friend were talking from the back seat of the car and her friend told her the second tooth doesn't hurt as bad when it comes out and she should just pull it out. "No Way!" Madeline said. So, I said she should just let me check it again. Surprisingly, she let me. Maybe because I was driving the car and she was in the back seat? Well, I'm good! I timed the light on red which gave me the extra second I needed. Within no time at all I was handing her the 2nd tooth.

Of course, she went through the "IT"S BLEEDING!" routine. I handed her a tissue and told her the Tooth Fairy would be back again after she went to sleep.

She hasn't told me about any more loose teeth. I can't imagine she will let her guard down the next time. What could be less threatening then having someone "check" a loose tooth while driving?

How does the Tooth Fairy stay in buisness? I used to only get a Quarter. Kids these days are getting between $1 and $5.

ON A MISSION

Haven't posted for a few days, but I'm on a mission. I'll have alot to write about in the next few posts. Briefly though, because of my sisters, I've been inspired by all the talk of paint, so I went to Lowe's and bought some for myself today. I'm painting the bathroom.

What was I thinking?

I took pictures of the "before" and when I'm done, I take some of the "after". I had no idea it was going to be such a project.

SPELLING AND GRAMMER

This is a disclaimer that regards both past and future posts.

I realize that I have a few spelling errors in my posts. I also realize that I may not always be grammatically correct either. I just learned how to spell check so that should help. If I think about all the errors I have made and add them to potential errors... I don't think I could continue posting.

I think blogging is a fun way to document life and share it with others. If what I write is understandable, then I'm okay with that. If you personally know me and there is an OBVIOUS error... Will you please email me at my hotmail account?

I'm not excusing sloppy writing, I just want this to be fun, not stressful.

SURPRISE PACKAGE

We live across the street from the Post Office so naturally we opted for a PO Box vs. a mailbox. It is just easier to get the mail in a more timely manor rather then waiting on the mail carrier. The only draw back is that we are in such a small town (maybe 35 houses, small) that when the Post Office is closed, so is the lobby. Its fine Monday thru Friday, but I hate to miss the noon closing time on Saturday's because then I have to wait until Monday morning.

I ran across the street this morning before leaving for church. Amongst the regular weekend junk mail, I found a yellow slip that usually means there is something for me to pick up behind the counter. I couldn't imagine what would be too large for the box, because I wasn't expecting a package from anyone inparticular. It was kind of exciting.

The Postal worker traded me the yellow slip for a white envelope. It had my old address on it and nothing more; it didn't even have the city where it originated from stamped across the top like an envelope usually does. Humph!...

Did everyone get a chance to read the comment section from my post, titled "The Long Route"? My sister Lori made a comment about trying to pass the Canadian border without a drivers license, a birth certificate or a pass port. Well, here is why...

I didn't have a drivers license or anything else for that matter. The wallet you are looking at was left on the top of our car after leaving the Cracker Barrel in the Detroit area. OOPS! I was pre-occupied with Madeline being in a car seat again (MI requires more weight for children then NY). In efforts of strapping our 7 year old into a car seat, I mindlessly placed the wallet on top of the car and forgot about it. We found out soon enough though; say about 40 miles down the road and past the point-of-no-return for escaping Canadian (or was it American?) customs. What a mess. We never even left the country and couldn't get back in. Go figure.

Why are you traveling between two countries with 3 passengers and 1 drivers license? Where are you comming from? Where are you going? Registration? Why does the only licensed driver have a FL license if you all live in New York? All these silly questions. Didn't we just mention I LOST my wallet? Where were you born (California and Oklahoma)?

That was it for questions at the main gate. We had to pull over, leave the keys in the ignition, and go into the white building to our left. Did I mention what mess it was becoming? Comm'on now, do we not look American? Andy has on his Boston Red Sox hat, I have on the same hat (the pink version though), and Madeline is chill'in with her Walkman player half on/half off. (We are not native to NY, and I am only a Boston fan by default of my husband. He lived a good portion of his youth in New England states and has been a fan since he was really young. I guess it did look kinda weird though.)

So how come we didn't fill out a police report? DUH! If I had known I lost my wallet before we crossed the bridge, we wouldn't have gone this way. Duh! I JUST REALIZED that my wallet was somewhere in Detroit. So, Why didn't I fill out a police report? IDIOTS! Isn't it a given?

Well, I eventually filled out a police report once customs released us and we back tracked to Detroit. I figured it was a good idea since I had my MC/DEBIT card in there along with our checkbook. Not a whole lota cash: thank goodness.

The most upsetting part of this ordeal for me was that fact that it was my Coach wallet and I couldn't justify replacing it anytime soon... Looking back though, that should have been the least of my concerns. Have you ever tried to replace the contents of a wallet? It SUCKS!

Anyway, the package I received today was the wallet I had lost back in Detroit some 4 months ago. And yes, I got my Coach wallet back. Don't think I'll be using it again. Did you see it? It wont even stay snapped. I think I'll save it for a while though. It was a nice surprise.

OH, PLEASE BE CAREFUL!

Madeline has always been such a good "Little Helper" and the kitchen seems to be one of her favorite places to help me. I cant count the times I have rewashed dishes after bedtime, or gagged down egg shells with breakfast. I will tell you this though... it is worth it! She gets so excited when she suprises me with washing dishes or fixing breakfast, that I just cant tell her to do better yet. I really think she is doing the best she can do. Especially, since she is only 7.

A couple of days ago, the two of us decided to do something special with all the fresh produce we have from grandma and grandpa's garden and the lady who sends a basket home with Andy every few days. We agreed on making homemade spagetti sauce. Before we started though, she informed me that Grandma in NC taught her how to use a sharp knife and she wanted to cut the zuchinni. YIKES!

I relunctantly agreed to let her cut the squash, (oh my!) I was a nervous wreck. I thought for sure she was going to cut her thumb off, if not all her fingers, for that matter. I was so jumpy that she eventually called me on it. She held the the knife up as she matter of factly said "Mom, if you dont stop scaring me, I AM gona cut my fingers off. I'm doing a good job, now stop!". Yep, thats my 7 year old helper girl.

She didn't cut her fingers off, and the spagetti sauce turned out really good!... So, we were told.

It wasnt done by the time were supposed to eat and Andy wasnt home eighter. We decided to save it for when we could all eat it together. Then, we made zuchinni bread. It turned out SO GOOD! (I grated it though).

The next evening, I thought I would go ahead and pre make dinner because once a week, Andy and madeline are home all by themselves for an evening. Can you guess what I put out? Spagetti!

When I came home, Andy raved about how good it was. In fact, he said it was the best he had ever had. Then he asked me what I had thought of it. UM... I didn't try it yet. Poor guy! He thought Madeline and I had already eaten and because it was so good, he just finished it off.

Well, at least I made a good sauce and Madeline has all her fingers still.

THE LONG ROUTE

Besides Lori, did anyone notice the web address for my blog? Your probably looking right now arn't you? Well I think I should explain how I came up with that saying and why I use it as my lifes' motto. Lori suggested I use it in my title, but I kina like the title as it is. The web address makes for a good post though.
When Andy and I moved to Florida in 2002, I was kinda nervous because neigther one of us knew anyone in the area. Plus, while we were there looking for the house we finally bought, I was too loopey to pay attention to my whereaouts. I had just had surgery on my shoulder and was under the influence with pain pills. So, paying attention to roads or landmarks was not on my priority list. All I knew was that our house was close to the beach and if I wanted to leave the neighborhood, I had to cross what Madeline called "The WEE Bridge".
We arrived in Fl on a Monday morning and it took most of the day to close on the house. Again, my whereabouts was not a priority. Then, two of my best friends along with Natalie (my sister) drove from TN to help me settle in. Andy still had unfinished business in TN he needed to get back to and after the four days it took to unload the truck, he headed back. I wasnt nervous about where I was yet because my friends or Natalie always drove. And, once my friends left, my mother flew in. It was all good! Until...
I was home alone in a strange land and the only person I knew, I had met at the beach with the pick-up line that goes something like... "So, are you on vacation or do you live here?". It worked well and my friend from the beach and I are still good friends. Not to get distracted from the story though, maybe I'll post about that story another day.
Anyway, I was finally home alone. (Madeline, and our dog Molly were there too, but that dosent count). I could'nt wait to start motoring. I ventured out to the mall, but didnt take into account that there might be one way roads involved, detours, and train tracks instead of interstate entrances. It took me a while to get home that evening, but I made it and I was more confident to get out again the next day. Some of you may be wondering why I didnt just get a map. Well my only problem with maps is that if I'm lost, a map does me absolutely no good. How are you supposed to locate your spot on the map if you dont know where you are? I figured out the area pretty well in record time though. There was bay water to the east, the Sunshine Skyway to the south, Franklin bridge to the north and Gulf waters on the west. How can anyone get "lost" once they figure that out? If you hit water, turn around. ha.
Okay, so by now it had been a while since we had lived in the area. Andy was driving and he seemed to be turned around. I confidently told him that I knew exactly where we were and he needed to turn right at the light and the freeway would be about 5 miles up. I could tell he wasnt convinced, so I confirmed I knew where we were by mentioning the only old fashioned McDonald's we would see if he would just trust me. Sure enough, I was right and it felt good. He asked me how in the heck I knew where we were when it was so far from home. Ah... I said "Honey, I dont get lost anymore... I just take the long route!".
There ya have it. The story behind the saying. And, it applies to more then just driving directions for me too. I'm sure for all of you who know me, know exactly what I mean. I tend to find my way alot by the trial and error technique.

PUTTZERS

It was definately a defining moment for me when Madeline casually said "Mom, we're a couple of puttzers arn't we?".
Ever since Madeline was little, I have always used the word "puttz" to define our slow moving behaviors. We seem to have a hard time getting a quick move on alot of things and it is just something I have always said.
Now, its Monday morning and I woke up at 6:30 so I could get a jump on the day. This weekend went by too fast and when it was time for bed last nignt... well lets just say it wasnt the best way to want to start the week; the house has difinately seen better days!
I find it amazing what one can get done when the house is quiet and I just get going. Now that it is 8:30am I have time to relax because the house is back together, Madeline is still sleeping and now we have the whole morning to puttz. Once she manages herself out of bed (neigther one of us seem to be morning people) we can start out on a good foot. Maybe I should really try to do the early thing more often. Especially, since school starts for the both of us in a couple weeks. No time for puttzin' once that happens!

UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY

I am fairly new to the BLOG world but, because I have 3 sisters who are already out there doing it, I didnt want to be left out. Plus, it is a fun way to document daily life and share it with friends and family.
My sister did promise to help me with getting started. Until I get comfortable with how it all works, some of you may get a bit frustrated. Not to worry though... I'll get it eventually.
Check often for future posts.