Please keep my family in your thoughts tomorrow evening. We have had a trip to Pensacola Beach, FL planned for several months and we are leaving tomorrow after work. We've changed our route to avoid going through Mobile and we will be spending the night in Brimingham, AL. Greg called today and the hotel assured us we will still have a room. I am hesitant about going, especially since Greg's aunt, who we are going to stay with in Florida, called tonight to tell us that they are running out of gas in places. We should be fine as long as we fill up before we cross into Alabama. If we could get time off from work at a later time, we would cancel, but it's now or never. I'll try to check in when we get there. Pensacola never lost power and they opened the beach back up today.
If they were letting people into New Orleans, we would be going there to help this weekend. We were just there in May and love the city. The hotel chain that Greg works for sustained moderate damage at the New Orleans location. The lobby and lower level meeting rooms are flooded and several windows were blown out. He may volunteer to help with the clean up when the city is drained. The Mobile, AL and Jackson, MS locations are without power and are booked to capacity. We had reservations at the Jackson location for tomorrow night. We changed to Birmingham on Sunday when we could tell the hurricane was going to be bad.
Anyway, I realize my problems pale in comparison to what the hurricane victims are going through, but if you have a minute tomorrow night, please send up an extra prayer for my family's safe travel and comfort for all of people suffering in the gulf states. Thanks! -Amy
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Who's Your Daddy?
I received the following note from Carson's teacher today. It recounted a conversation between her and Carson.
Teacher: What's your mommy's name?
C: Mommy
T: What would I call her?
C: Amy
T: What's your Daddy's name?
C: Daddy
T: What does your mommy call him?
C: Poopybutt
That's my boy!
Teacher: What's your mommy's name?
C: Mommy
T: What would I call her?
C: Amy
T: What's your Daddy's name?
C: Daddy
T: What does your mommy call him?
C: Poopybutt
That's my boy!
Monday, August 29, 2005
The annual "visit"
Today was my annual gynecolgical exam and I am happy to say that it was rather pleasant, overall. Not the actual exam, of course, but the visiting with my doctor in St Louis is great. She is so down-to-earth and genuinely concerned. I was sweating bullets after they placed me in the exam room because a rather handsome young medical student was lingering in the hall. I had my speech prepared as to why I was not going to allow him to be the room, even for the sake of teaching, when a cute, fashionably dressed female medical student knocked on my door and asked if she could do my exam. Absolutely. Sigh of relief! My doctor looked at my photo album of Carson from birth to present and chatted with me during the exam. I love these people! Dr. Stephens informed me that she would like to get us started on "Carson II" next fall. I'll think about that.
My appointment lasted 2 hours, so Mom and I didn't get as much shopping in as we had planned. We managed to make it to Value City, Trader Joe's, World Market, and Target Greatland. I got some great deals on clothes to wear in Florida this weekend. We are still planning to make the trip to Pensacola. We've rerouted our trip and will be staying in Birmingham, AL, rather than Jackson, MS. We are hoping to avoid the 1 million people who will be trying to get back to New Orleans. What a mess. Thank goodness the clean-up efforts can begin.
Yesterday we went to visit a friend in the hospital. She is 31 weeks pregnant and having preterm labor. The doctors were going to turn her magnesium sulfate off at 5:00 yesterday and hope her contractions didn't return. We haven't heard anything today, but please keep Christa and baby Kanon in your prayers. We also went to my friend Holly's son, Peyton's, birthday party. Carson had a fun time playing with the other boys and eating cake. His face and hands were stained with green icing.
Tomorrow it's back to work! I'm counting down the hours until Thursday at 3:00 when I'll be headed to the beach!
My appointment lasted 2 hours, so Mom and I didn't get as much shopping in as we had planned. We managed to make it to Value City, Trader Joe's, World Market, and Target Greatland. I got some great deals on clothes to wear in Florida this weekend. We are still planning to make the trip to Pensacola. We've rerouted our trip and will be staying in Birmingham, AL, rather than Jackson, MS. We are hoping to avoid the 1 million people who will be trying to get back to New Orleans. What a mess. Thank goodness the clean-up efforts can begin.
Yesterday we went to visit a friend in the hospital. She is 31 weeks pregnant and having preterm labor. The doctors were going to turn her magnesium sulfate off at 5:00 yesterday and hope her contractions didn't return. We haven't heard anything today, but please keep Christa and baby Kanon in your prayers. We also went to my friend Holly's son, Peyton's, birthday party. Carson had a fun time playing with the other boys and eating cake. His face and hands were stained with green icing.
Tomorrow it's back to work! I'm counting down the hours until Thursday at 3:00 when I'll be headed to the beach!
Friday, August 26, 2005
Katrina Can Kiss My Keister
Look at this crap:
Katrina better leave some sand on Pensacola beach since I have been telling my son for weeks that we are going to build sand castles next weekend. Hopefully, the storm will lose steam and just dump rain on Pensacola. We're still going unless they lose power or the damage is really significant. By next weekend the forecast shows sunny skies. That won't do me much good if there is no beach. I'll be watching closely. If we don't go, there is a Labor Day family fish fry we can go to here. It just doesn't sound nearly as fun as building castles in the sand.
Katrina better leave some sand on Pensacola beach since I have been telling my son for weeks that we are going to build sand castles next weekend. Hopefully, the storm will lose steam and just dump rain on Pensacola. We're still going unless they lose power or the damage is really significant. By next weekend the forecast shows sunny skies. That won't do me much good if there is no beach. I'll be watching closely. If we don't go, there is a Labor Day family fish fry we can go to here. It just doesn't sound nearly as fun as building castles in the sand.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
So Sad
I got to experience firsthand just how terrible childcare in Missouri has gotten and how little we value our children. I visited what is quite possibly the worst childcare facility I have ever seen. I went to rate them for an accreditation program they want to be a part of. There is money involved if they get accepted. They had known for weeks that we were coming today. It was horrible. I'll spare the details to protect my job, but I will say that I have never seen a sorrier program in my life. Children were literally being humiliated and neglected in front of me and the other evaluators. The equipment in the center and the playground posed serious safety threats. The teachers had little, if any, knowledge of child development and appropriate practice. Imagine what they do when we're not there. This is a licensed facility. It will do little, if anything, to contact the licensing rep. The reps are so bogged down, thanks to drastic layoffs of about 50% of the licensing reps this year, that child care centers in Missouri now get one visit a year from the licensing reps. Our illustrious Governor is to thank for that decision. Way to protect our kids, Matt! I thank God that I do not have to rely on a childcare provider for care for Carson. What a sad day.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Home from Music City
Our trip to Nashville was typical. We had fun and barely saw my brother-in-law and his wife and son. We went to the fair together last night and even then they didn't stay with us. It's really better that way because we have very different marriage ans parenting styles and we just don't see eye-to-eye on too many things. Greg's parents try their best to keep us all happy and things usually end up with us doing our own thing, which is fine with us! Anyway, here's what Greg, Carson, and I did this weekend:
On Saturday afternoon we went to the Parthenon. This is the only full scale replica of the Parthenon in the world. I think it's weird that it's in the country music capitol of the world. It was very big (that's me and Carson standing in the middle of the picture) and didn't really have too much to look at inside, other than this:
You can't begin to imagine how big this statue of Athena really is. Her robes are plated in actual gold. It's even more gaudy than it looks in the picture. Carson thought "Aunt Thena" was pretty cool.
Greg took this cool picture of Carson on the steps of the Parthenon.
That night we went to the Wilson County Fair. It rained just before we got there and the heat index was 106, so the rain made it more like a sauna rather than cooling things off. We saw pig races, ate yummy grilled corn on the cob and funnel cakes, and the boys had a blast riding rides since it was bracelet night.
Saturday morning I got to shop at 2 scrapbook stores. The Creation Station, which was awesome, and The Crop Shop, which was ok. The Creation Station is in a neat renovated factory building in Franklin Tennessee. The factory is full of neat, artsy shops. I could spend the whole day there. Greg wasn't as impressed. They have an animal adoption center, so Carson was thrilled to get to pet all the cats in the cat room. I started sneezing within minutes. No cats for us.
Tomorrow it's back to work. I'm switching cubicles this week, which I am very excited about. I'll be getting a flat screen monitor and new computer and hopefully a little more air circulation. It's hot in the corner I've been in! Have a great week!
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Strange things happen when you Google yourself
I came across this while Googling my name this evening. Subtlety is not this guy's forte. Poor sap. I wonder if the other Amy ever said "yes"?
Caution: This will only be appreciated by my liberal buddies
There is a democrat version of this floating around the net. I didn't find it too funny. Go figure. My Repub friends (yes, I do have a few) will probably find the Dem version hysterical. Oh wait, does the GOP find anything hysterical?!? Gotcha! I'd stop reading now if you consider yourself conservative. This is funny stuff if you're not. :)
You Might Be A Republican If...
You think "proletariat" is a type of cheese.
You've named your kids "Deduction one" and "Deduction two"
You've tried to argue that poverty could be abolished if people were just allowed to keep more of their minimum wage.
You've ever referred to someone as "my (insert racial or ethnic minority here) friend"
You've ever tried to prove Jesus was a capitalist and opposed to welfare.
You're a pro-lifer, but support the death penalty.
You think Huey Newton is a cookie.
The only union you support is the Baseball Players, because heck, they're richer than you.
You think you might remember laughing once as a kid.
You once broke loose at a party and removed your neck tie.
You call mall rent-a-cops "jack-booted thugs."
You've ever referred to the moral fiber of something.
You've ever uttered the phrase, "Why don't we just bomb the sons of bitches."
You've ever said, "I can't wait to get into business school."
You've ever called a secretary or waitress "Tootsie."
You answer to "The Man."
You don't think "The Simpsons" is all that funny, but you watch it because that Flanders fellow makes a lot of sense.
You fax the FBI a list of "Commies in my Neighborhood."
You don't let your kids watch Sesame Street because you accuse Bert and Ernie of "sexual deviance."
You scream "Dit-dit-ditto" while making love.
You've argued that art has a "moral foundation set in Western values."
When people say "Marx," you think "Groucho."
You've ever yelled, "Hey hippie, get a haircut."
You think Birkenstock was that radical rock concert in 1969.
You argue that you need 300 handguns, in case a bear ever attacks your home.
Vietnam makes a lot of sense to you.
You point to Hootie and the Blowfish as evidence of the end of racism in America.
You've ever said civil liberties, schmivil schmiberties.
You've ever said "Clean air? Looks clean to me."
You've ever called education a luxury.
You look down through a glass ceiling and chuckle.
You wonder if donations to the Pentagon are tax-deductable.
You came of age in the '60s and don't remember Bob Dylan.
You own a vehicle with an "Ollie North: American Hero" sticker.
You're afraid of the liberal media."
You ever based an argument on the phrase, "Well, tradition dictates...."
You ever told a child that Oscar the Grouch "lives in a trash can because he is lazy and doesn't want to contribute to society."
You've ever urged someone to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, when they don't even have shoes.
You confuse Lenin with Lennon.
You Might Be A Republican If...
You think "proletariat" is a type of cheese.
You've named your kids "Deduction one" and "Deduction two"
You've tried to argue that poverty could be abolished if people were just allowed to keep more of their minimum wage.
You've ever referred to someone as "my (insert racial or ethnic minority here) friend"
You've ever tried to prove Jesus was a capitalist and opposed to welfare.
You're a pro-lifer, but support the death penalty.
You think Huey Newton is a cookie.
The only union you support is the Baseball Players, because heck, they're richer than you.
You think you might remember laughing once as a kid.
You once broke loose at a party and removed your neck tie.
You call mall rent-a-cops "jack-booted thugs."
You've ever referred to the moral fiber of something.
You've ever uttered the phrase, "Why don't we just bomb the sons of bitches."
You've ever said, "I can't wait to get into business school."
You've ever called a secretary or waitress "Tootsie."
You answer to "The Man."
You don't think "The Simpsons" is all that funny, but you watch it because that Flanders fellow makes a lot of sense.
You fax the FBI a list of "Commies in my Neighborhood."
You don't let your kids watch Sesame Street because you accuse Bert and Ernie of "sexual deviance."
You scream "Dit-dit-ditto" while making love.
You've argued that art has a "moral foundation set in Western values."
When people say "Marx," you think "Groucho."
You've ever yelled, "Hey hippie, get a haircut."
You think Birkenstock was that radical rock concert in 1969.
You argue that you need 300 handguns, in case a bear ever attacks your home.
Vietnam makes a lot of sense to you.
You point to Hootie and the Blowfish as evidence of the end of racism in America.
You've ever said civil liberties, schmivil schmiberties.
You've ever said "Clean air? Looks clean to me."
You've ever called education a luxury.
You look down through a glass ceiling and chuckle.
You wonder if donations to the Pentagon are tax-deductable.
You came of age in the '60s and don't remember Bob Dylan.
You own a vehicle with an "Ollie North: American Hero" sticker.
You're afraid of the liberal media."
You ever based an argument on the phrase, "Well, tradition dictates...."
You ever told a child that Oscar the Grouch "lives in a trash can because he is lazy and doesn't want to contribute to society."
You've ever urged someone to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, when they don't even have shoes.
You confuse Lenin with Lennon.
Workin' 9 to 5
Actually, more like 7 to 5. I finally got to start working regular office hours this week. I leave at 3 and go see one of my therapy babies each afternoon for my First Steps jobs. On Fridays, I'll be working First Steps all day. I love the girls in my new office. It's very relaxed and easy to feel comfortable. So far, so good!
Friday we're leaving to go see Greg's brother, sister-in-law, and nephew in Nashville. We'll be going to a huge county fair on Saturday. It was a lot of fun last year. We haven't seen Andrew, our nephew, for several months. Carson talks about him all the time and is so excited to go visit. Greg and I always stay at the Drury hotel when we visit and his parents stay at the house. There is a long history around why we do this, which I will go into detail about at a later time. I'm too tired tonight. I'm hoping to get to swim while we're there. I haven't gotten to go to water aerobics for several weeks and I'm really missing the water. I tried a new ball class with my buddy, Lisa, Monday morning. The class was killer and I ended up throwing up and getting a migraine that lasted all day and night. Think it may be a little out of my league right now. I've fallen off the exercise wagon and I'm really struggling to get back on. Same with the eating healthy wagon. I feel like crap and really need to get my self back on track.
Mary Catherine has decided on my matron of honor dress. I think it's pretty, but I am scared of what my butt is going to like in this dress if I don't lose some serious poundage. Another incentive to get my butt in gear. How much weight can a person possibly lose in 8 months? I have to order the dress soon and I am really worried about what size to order. Should I be optimistic and try hard to get the weight off or should I just order the size I wear now, and hope that I can have it altered to fit when I lose weight? Decisions, decisions! Your opinions are welcome now. :)
I'm off for a First Steps training in Sikeston all day tomorrow. Tomorrow night we have back-to-school night for Carson and I'll be packing for the weekend. Take care!
Friday we're leaving to go see Greg's brother, sister-in-law, and nephew in Nashville. We'll be going to a huge county fair on Saturday. It was a lot of fun last year. We haven't seen Andrew, our nephew, for several months. Carson talks about him all the time and is so excited to go visit. Greg and I always stay at the Drury hotel when we visit and his parents stay at the house. There is a long history around why we do this, which I will go into detail about at a later time. I'm too tired tonight. I'm hoping to get to swim while we're there. I haven't gotten to go to water aerobics for several weeks and I'm really missing the water. I tried a new ball class with my buddy, Lisa, Monday morning. The class was killer and I ended up throwing up and getting a migraine that lasted all day and night. Think it may be a little out of my league right now. I've fallen off the exercise wagon and I'm really struggling to get back on. Same with the eating healthy wagon. I feel like crap and really need to get my self back on track.
Mary Catherine has decided on my matron of honor dress. I think it's pretty, but I am scared of what my butt is going to like in this dress if I don't lose some serious poundage. Another incentive to get my butt in gear. How much weight can a person possibly lose in 8 months? I have to order the dress soon and I am really worried about what size to order. Should I be optimistic and try hard to get the weight off or should I just order the size I wear now, and hope that I can have it altered to fit when I lose weight? Decisions, decisions! Your opinions are welcome now. :)
I'm off for a First Steps training in Sikeston all day tomorrow. Tomorrow night we have back-to-school night for Carson and I'll be packing for the weekend. Take care!
Friday, August 12, 2005
My trip to the the capitol...
was a blast! So far, I am loving this new job. Heather and I scrapbooked in my hotel room every night. I got all 22 pages done for a swap I'm in tomorrow and I finished 12 pages for my cruise album. It rocked to have all that uniterrupted time to scrapbook without anyone needing me.
At the training, I learned so much about how to teach adults, which is what I will primarily be doing in my new position. I love children, but I am so glad that in this job I get to teach adults about children, which is what I truly love to do. I've thought many times before about finishing my PhD and I may end up doing that sooner than I thought.SEMO offers a decent incentive program for completing a PhD. We'll see how things go during my first contract year as Inclusion Specialist.
I'd only been to Jefferson City once before, and I really didn't pay much attention then. The town is getting better,as far as more large retailiers and chain restaurants, but there are still so many dumpy areas. I wasn't expecting The Emerald City, but I just thought things would be nicer. My training was in the Governor's building, located across the street from the Governor's Mansion. Matt wasn't there. I walked by several times hoping to find him lounging in his swing or walking on the grounds. No luck. Probably best, given that I'm really unhappy with our fair governor at the moment, as I have been since he was elected. Apparently, I'm not alone. I read last week that his apporval rating was at 35%. I don't know how accurate that is, but given the comments I heard at my training meetings, everyone's pretty diappointed with how Missouri legislators are treating our children. I'll be in Jeff city fairly often with the new job, so there will be plenty of opprotunities for protest on the capitol steps. I've got some buddies who will either be in jail with me or be happy to bail me out (hi Clubbs family!)
The mall sucked. We ended up making one quick walk through last night and heading back to the hotel to scrapbook. We did spend a fair amount of time in TJ Maxx, where I got Carson the coolest magnets, that he is in love with. I also snagged some great Christmas gifts on sale.
Heather and I were overjoyed to find the only scrapbook store in Jefferson City. It was decent and located next to a nice Target, which made the evening even better. We were able to feed the scrap supply addiction and get some actual snack rations right across the street.
Greg and I ended up taking Carson to Homecomers tonight. He had an absolute blast. He was very disappointed to find out that he couldn't keep the boat he selected out of the "Pick a Duckl" pond, and was very reluctant to put it back in the water and select a plastic horn instead. That horn is obnoxious and may find it's way to the trash can one night next week. He and I rode the Ferris wheel and the flying pink elephant ride together and he and Greg went down the giant slide together. He had so much fun.
I am off to shower and go to sleep in my own bed! Yay!
At the training, I learned so much about how to teach adults, which is what I will primarily be doing in my new position. I love children, but I am so glad that in this job I get to teach adults about children, which is what I truly love to do. I've thought many times before about finishing my PhD and I may end up doing that sooner than I thought.SEMO offers a decent incentive program for completing a PhD. We'll see how things go during my first contract year as Inclusion Specialist.
I'd only been to Jefferson City once before, and I really didn't pay much attention then. The town is getting better,as far as more large retailiers and chain restaurants, but there are still so many dumpy areas. I wasn't expecting The Emerald City, but I just thought things would be nicer. My training was in the Governor's building, located across the street from the Governor's Mansion. Matt wasn't there. I walked by several times hoping to find him lounging in his swing or walking on the grounds. No luck. Probably best, given that I'm really unhappy with our fair governor at the moment, as I have been since he was elected. Apparently, I'm not alone. I read last week that his apporval rating was at 35%. I don't know how accurate that is, but given the comments I heard at my training meetings, everyone's pretty diappointed with how Missouri legislators are treating our children. I'll be in Jeff city fairly often with the new job, so there will be plenty of opprotunities for protest on the capitol steps. I've got some buddies who will either be in jail with me or be happy to bail me out (hi Clubbs family!)
The mall sucked. We ended up making one quick walk through last night and heading back to the hotel to scrapbook. We did spend a fair amount of time in TJ Maxx, where I got Carson the coolest magnets, that he is in love with. I also snagged some great Christmas gifts on sale.
Heather and I were overjoyed to find the only scrapbook store in Jefferson City. It was decent and located next to a nice Target, which made the evening even better. We were able to feed the scrap supply addiction and get some actual snack rations right across the street.
Greg and I ended up taking Carson to Homecomers tonight. He had an absolute blast. He was very disappointed to find out that he couldn't keep the boat he selected out of the "Pick a Duckl" pond, and was very reluctant to put it back in the water and select a plastic horn instead. That horn is obnoxious and may find it's way to the trash can one night next week. He and I rode the Ferris wheel and the flying pink elephant ride together and he and Greg went down the giant slide together. He had so much fun.
I am off to shower and go to sleep in my own bed! Yay!
I've been tagged!
I've been tagged!
Dotti tagged me to:
List ten songs that you are currently digging... it doesn't matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they're no good but they must be songs you're really enjoying right now. Post these instructions, the artists, and the ten songs in your blog. Then tag five other random people to see what they're listening to.
I listen to all kinds of music and have such great memories surrounding songs.
1. Me and You by Kenny Chesney-the song Greg and I danced to after getting engaged and again as our first dance as husband and wife.
2. Push It by Salt N Peppa- my friend, Heather, busted out singing this on our drive home from Jeff City today. It reminds us of big hair and jr. high dances.
3. Georga Rain by Trisha Yearwood-reminds me of carefree young adult days and Trish looks like she's lost weight in the video. Is she ever gonna marry Garth?
4. Canon in D by Pachelbel- makes me teary-eyed thinking about my birdesmaids walking down the aisle before me
5. Stand by Me by Ben E King-love the song and the movie. Debra Ireland and I would rent Stand by Me and Top Gun every weekend we spent together back in grade school. When the movies were over, we would prank call radio dj's at 2:00 am. Now that is a good time.
6. My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music-brings back fond memories of my role as Marta Von Trapp back in '85.
7. Island Boy by Kenny Chesney. Reminds me of my husband. He would be so happy living in the Caribbean.
8. Gloria Patri-I get chills thinking about how many people have sung this song before me when we sing it in church every Sunday.
9. On Top of Spaghetti-A crowd favorite and the first song I ever heard Carson sing on his own.
10. Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland-a classic and who doesn't wish troubles melted like lemon drops?
I tag Brooke, Bob, Becky, and Dawn, a fellow Disney fan whose blog I recently found and am loving!
Dotti tagged me to:
List ten songs that you are currently digging... it doesn't matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they're no good but they must be songs you're really enjoying right now. Post these instructions, the artists, and the ten songs in your blog. Then tag five other random people to see what they're listening to.
I listen to all kinds of music and have such great memories surrounding songs.
1. Me and You by Kenny Chesney-the song Greg and I danced to after getting engaged and again as our first dance as husband and wife.
2. Push It by Salt N Peppa- my friend, Heather, busted out singing this on our drive home from Jeff City today. It reminds us of big hair and jr. high dances.
3. Georga Rain by Trisha Yearwood-reminds me of carefree young adult days and Trish looks like she's lost weight in the video. Is she ever gonna marry Garth?
4. Canon in D by Pachelbel- makes me teary-eyed thinking about my birdesmaids walking down the aisle before me
5. Stand by Me by Ben E King-love the song and the movie. Debra Ireland and I would rent Stand by Me and Top Gun every weekend we spent together back in grade school. When the movies were over, we would prank call radio dj's at 2:00 am. Now that is a good time.
6. My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music-brings back fond memories of my role as Marta Von Trapp back in '85.
7. Island Boy by Kenny Chesney. Reminds me of my husband. He would be so happy living in the Caribbean.
8. Gloria Patri-I get chills thinking about how many people have sung this song before me when we sing it in church every Sunday.
9. On Top of Spaghetti-A crowd favorite and the first song I ever heard Carson sing on his own.
10. Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland-a classic and who doesn't wish troubles melted like lemon drops?
I tag Brooke, Bob, Becky, and Dawn, a fellow Disney fan whose blog I recently found and am loving!
Monday, August 08, 2005
On the road again...
I'm leaving. I wish I was leaving on a jet plane, but alas, I'm leaving in a rental car. At least we don't have to drive the hoopty Taurus station wagon that has "Workshop on Wheels" painted on the side of it. It's the office car. It gets you some really strange looks when you're driving down the interstate. It doesn't say "Child Care Resource and Referral" or "Southeast Missouri State University", just "Workshop on Wheels." It's pretty funny really. I drove the ol' workshop all the way to Columbia, MO and back last week. Yep, lots of funny looks from my fellow drivers.
Today I got all of my errands done since I'll be gone until late Friday. I'll be missing the Jackson Homecomer's Celebration this week. I was feeling sad about it until I realized that in 2 weeks, I'll be at the Wilson County Tennessee Fair and on Labor Day weekend I'll be at Pensacola Beach. What's left of it at least. Makes me feel not-so-bad about missing Homecomers. I think Greg is planning to take Carson one night this week.
I got some bad news about one of my therapy kiddos today. He will be losing his Medicaid coverage on August 18. He has to breathe through a trach tube and must have nursing care in his home at night and without Medicaid, he will not have any coverage to pay for the nursing care. Some of you may remember me talking about Colton when he was very ill. He was born at 25 weeks gestation and weighed 1 lb 7 oz. He will be 1 on August 18 and is doing very well, despite the trach. His parents did what they thought was the right thing and have been paying for COBRA health insurance coverage from her former employer. Colton's Medicaid is being taken away because his parents chose to be responsible and provide additional coverage for their child, even though COBRA is very expensive. His COBRA policy will expire in 6 months, leaving him with nothing. His family is very worried. Please pray for Colton and his family. I can only imagine how terrified they must be for their son. He is also going to see a reconstructive surgeion in Cincinatti this month to see about having his trach taken out and his throat reconstructed. This Medicaid ordeal may mean postponing the surgery. I'm not feeling uber political tonight, so I'll just say that this sucks, and I hate it when there is a Republican majority. 'Nuf said.
I'm off to snuggle with my little guy and pack for the trip.
Happy belated birthday to my buddy, Becky!!! (It's 29, right?!?)
See ya'll on Friday!
Today I got all of my errands done since I'll be gone until late Friday. I'll be missing the Jackson Homecomer's Celebration this week. I was feeling sad about it until I realized that in 2 weeks, I'll be at the Wilson County Tennessee Fair and on Labor Day weekend I'll be at Pensacola Beach. What's left of it at least. Makes me feel not-so-bad about missing Homecomers. I think Greg is planning to take Carson one night this week.
I got some bad news about one of my therapy kiddos today. He will be losing his Medicaid coverage on August 18. He has to breathe through a trach tube and must have nursing care in his home at night and without Medicaid, he will not have any coverage to pay for the nursing care. Some of you may remember me talking about Colton when he was very ill. He was born at 25 weeks gestation and weighed 1 lb 7 oz. He will be 1 on August 18 and is doing very well, despite the trach. His parents did what they thought was the right thing and have been paying for COBRA health insurance coverage from her former employer. Colton's Medicaid is being taken away because his parents chose to be responsible and provide additional coverage for their child, even though COBRA is very expensive. His COBRA policy will expire in 6 months, leaving him with nothing. His family is very worried. Please pray for Colton and his family. I can only imagine how terrified they must be for their son. He is also going to see a reconstructive surgeion in Cincinatti this month to see about having his trach taken out and his throat reconstructed. This Medicaid ordeal may mean postponing the surgery. I'm not feeling uber political tonight, so I'll just say that this sucks, and I hate it when there is a Republican majority. 'Nuf said.
I'm off to snuggle with my little guy and pack for the trip.
Happy belated birthday to my buddy, Becky!!! (It's 29, right?!?)
See ya'll on Friday!
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Honey! I'm home! (for 3 days!)
I got home around 9:30 last night. I watched a little TV and went straight to bed without even checking the email . I was whooped. Driving almost 900 miles in 48 hours tends to wear a person out. We met with Dave Ramsey's right-hand mand, Russ Carrol, in Nashville. We are the proud owners of a new budget, 13 week Financial Peace University kit, (which we will be starting tomorrow), and a new set of financial goals. It was worth the trip. Russ was a pretty nice guy. Some of what he said had already sunk in when we hit Opry Mills Mall. I found 2 great bargains on Christmas gifts and bought nothing for myself. Greg bought us each a piece of candy at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. The total was $7.95. I just about crapped. It was really good candy, but for $8, I could have gotten several packages of candy bars at home. Russ would be proud. The biggest change in our budget is the $20 a week allowance for eating out. That's not much. I love to cook, but it's going to take me awhile to get back in the swing of things as far as advance meal planning and grocery buying. We'll get started on that as soon as I get done with all of these out-of-town business trips. I leave Monday night to spend the rest of the week in Jefferson City with my friend and now co-worker, Heather M. Fisher. We'll have a blast, but I have a feeling I am really going to be ready to get home on Friday. I'll be finished training out-of-town until the first or second week in November, then it's back to Jeff City. The last week of Novmber I'll be training at the Lake of the Ozarks. As far as I know, that will be it until next year. I hope.
I had a blast at the training in Columbia. I got to rate the neatest child care center I have ever seen. It was a home daycare and the owner/teacher was absolutely wonderful with the kids. I cannot say enough about her. She said she makes very little money because she puts everything she makes back into the school. You could tell. I have never seen such wonderful cultural diversity in a center. The children were listening to a mix of Zydeco, West African music and Brazilian music on the CD changer that morning. They try recipes from around the world and the parents get copies of the recipes. The children sit under an art tree, (a huge branch covered in their own artwork) and read books that they have made themselves. Amazing. I love Ms. Phyliss. I'm actually going to see if Heather wants to stop in and see her center on the way to Jefferson City. She will go nuts since she's the trainer for childcare providers and offers technical assistance to providers. If I didn't need money, I would quit tomorrow and open a center like Ms. Phyliss. She only has 10 kids enrolled and has 4 computers. That's unheard of here. Here are some pics of her school. It's just 2 rooms in her house, so it's very cramped, but very organized. I love it!
Cool, isn't it? Makes you want to go play there, doesn't it?!?! There were no discipline issues while we were there and I have never seen happier kids than the kids at this center. They love Ms. Phyliss. Me too!
This afternoon we took advantage of Missouri's tax-free weekend and bought Carson's school supplies. He wanted so badly to go to Andy's Frozen custard when we were done shopping, but he fell asleep while I was in Hobby Lobby. Greg and I got custard, but he sleeping so soundly that we didn't get him any since we weren't finished with all of the shopping. Greg stayed with him in the car while I finished up at Target. Carson awoke as we were leaving the parking lot and screamed, "When are we gonna get ice cream?!?!?" He got a little dish at the Jackson Dairy Queen and we called it a night. He ate about 3 bites before declaring that he would rather have fruit snacks. Typical.
I'm off to work on scrapbook projects that are due for a few upcoming swaps that I'm in. Heather and I are taking are scrap stuff with us to training next week and I'd like to be able to work onthe cruise album the whole time rather than my swap stuff. We'll see how much I get done. Have a super Sunday!
I had a blast at the training in Columbia. I got to rate the neatest child care center I have ever seen. It was a home daycare and the owner/teacher was absolutely wonderful with the kids. I cannot say enough about her. She said she makes very little money because she puts everything she makes back into the school. You could tell. I have never seen such wonderful cultural diversity in a center. The children were listening to a mix of Zydeco, West African music and Brazilian music on the CD changer that morning. They try recipes from around the world and the parents get copies of the recipes. The children sit under an art tree, (a huge branch covered in their own artwork) and read books that they have made themselves. Amazing. I love Ms. Phyliss. I'm actually going to see if Heather wants to stop in and see her center on the way to Jefferson City. She will go nuts since she's the trainer for childcare providers and offers technical assistance to providers. If I didn't need money, I would quit tomorrow and open a center like Ms. Phyliss. She only has 10 kids enrolled and has 4 computers. That's unheard of here. Here are some pics of her school. It's just 2 rooms in her house, so it's very cramped, but very organized. I love it!
Cool, isn't it? Makes you want to go play there, doesn't it?!?! There were no discipline issues while we were there and I have never seen happier kids than the kids at this center. They love Ms. Phyliss. Me too!
This afternoon we took advantage of Missouri's tax-free weekend and bought Carson's school supplies. He wanted so badly to go to Andy's Frozen custard when we were done shopping, but he fell asleep while I was in Hobby Lobby. Greg and I got custard, but he sleeping so soundly that we didn't get him any since we weren't finished with all of the shopping. Greg stayed with him in the car while I finished up at Target. Carson awoke as we were leaving the parking lot and screamed, "When are we gonna get ice cream?!?!?" He got a little dish at the Jackson Dairy Queen and we called it a night. He ate about 3 bites before declaring that he would rather have fruit snacks. Typical.
I'm off to work on scrapbook projects that are due for a few upcoming swaps that I'm in. Heather and I are taking are scrap stuff with us to training next week and I'd like to be able to work onthe cruise album the whole time rather than my swap stuff. We'll see how much I get done. Have a super Sunday!
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