32

I had a great birthday weekend! I got to see friends and family, sleep in, have a delicious birthday dinner, and sing some karaoke at a gas station. It doesn't get any better than that!

Yesterday, my friend, Katie, and her boyfriend, Gary, came down from St. Louis. We had planned to go sing karaoke at a local restaurant, but found out midweek that they no longer have karaoke due to some management changes. We made some calls and the only place we could find that was having karaoke Saturday night was The Lil Country Store at Neely's Landing. We decided to give it a try. Katie is from this area, but Gary is most definitely not a country boy and he was a little reserved at first. It ended up being a hilarious evening. My sister, Juli, met us there since she is karaoke junkie. The store is literally a gas station/bait shop/diner with about 4 little tables next to the potato chip display. The food was awesome. At first it was a little strange to be singing karaoke with the liquor cooler behind us and the beef jerky display in front of us, but we rolled with it. We ended up being the only ones that showed up! It was mainly me, Juli, and the karaoke guy, with Katie offering up her version of the song "Tequila", complete with the PeeWee Herman dance. I will venture to say that very few people have had the honor of celebrating their 32nd birthday by singing karaoke in a gas station. Such is life in rural America.

Today I slept in then Greg and I went to see The Bucket List.l I enjoyed the movie. Greg didn't care one way or the other. We went to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Juli, Ashley, Rachel, Jeremy, Riley, Mom, Dad, Grandma Pat, Greg, Carson, and I well there. I got some lovely gifts, including ITunes gift cards, new flip flops, a beach bag, a rice cooker, a new purse, the movie Enchanted, a flower from Carson, and some cash. Mom cooked my favorite dinner of kettle beef, funeral corn (corn with cream cheese and sugar), mashed potatoes, rolls, and cousin Patsy's salad. Yummm-o! The best part was the fresh strawberry pie that I chose rather than cake. It was delicious!

After dinner, we stopped by Greg's Mom and Dad's where I got some cute cherry dishtowels for my kitchen and some money to put toward getting our new ceramic tile in the kitchen and bath. I think I got enough money to almost pay for the flooring. Now to find enough down time to have Greg's dad install the tile. That may take awhile. When I got home, I found a beautiful hanging basket of flowers from Becky. They are so pretty that I hung them outside our front door so we can see them from the living room.

This week is packed. I work tomorrow, although I need to try to get to the doctor in the afternoon. I am having severe allergy issues this year. I think I need a shot. Tuesday is my class filed trip to St. Louis Children's Hospital. Wednesday and Thursday are full of appointments and Friday I'll have to pack for our trip to see Carson's eye doctor in Springfield. I work in Kennett all day Saturday, then we're leaving from Kennett to drive the 5 hours it takes to get to Springfield. We're going to take it easy and see a few sights on Sunday, then head home on Monday after the appointment. I'm tired already. Have a fabulous week!

When things slow down

I have this list of things to do "when things slow down." I am coming to the realization that I am the one in charge of making sure things slow down. It ain't gonna happen this weekend or next week, but it's time for things to slow down. I like busy, but I have really pushed it lately. I'm tired.

I worked until after 6:00 tonight to get my portion of documents ready for our monitoring visit. I still have to make copies of every document, but I feel better knowing that I have at least located everything I need. My calendar for next week is so covered with work appointments and personal obligations that I literally cannot write another thing on 5 of the 7 days of the week. May has got to be slower or I'm going to start getting very difficult to get along with. I'm starting May out with a scrapbook retreat, so I'm going to try to stick with the relaxation theme for the rest of the month on into the summer. My shorter summer workdays are only 2 weeks away!

Tomorrow Carson and I will be straightening and cleaning the basement in preparation for my new BeautiControl business. I plan to keep some inventory, so we're making room. Tomorrow night is Crazy Croppers. Saturday is my BeautiControl University, and a night out with friends for my birthday. Sunday is church, then dinner at Mom's with the family to celebrate my birthday. Not much time to relax this weekend, but lots of celebrating!

I'm off to bathe Carson and get him to bed. He'll be staying up later tonight in the hopes that he'll sleep in tomorrow. I doubt it, but a mom can dream. Goodnight!

Monday, Monday

I had the most productive, quiet, noninterrupted day at the office that I have had in a very long time. It was wonderful. We have our annual monitoring visit (kind of like an audit) at the end of the month and I get several things checked off my list for that. I headed to Culvers at lunch and had the very yummy pot roast sandwich and mashed potatoes. I'd highly reccommend it.

I went to see my babies after work, then headed home to get my stuff ready for class tomorrow. Praise God that tomorow is my last night to lecture. This has been the craziest semester with all of the unusual weather and two flu bugs I went through. I feel like this class never really got good and started and now it's almost over.

I decided to undertake a new venture and signed up as a BeautiControl Consultant today. I am in love with their face products and decided to join to get my products at a discount. I'll be attending BeautiU on Saturday with several friends/relatives who are also joining. I'll be booking spa shows for anyone who is interested. You get lots of pampering and great products at great prices. I'll post more details after Saturday. I'm not interested in doing this full force like I did with Pampered Chef, but I'd still like to do a few parties a month. Fun stuff!

Tomorrow I'll be working at a child care home in Zalma. It's a very small town about an hour from Jackson. I'll be completing a rating scale for the environment, which is a nice break from evaluating kids with special needs. It should be a good day!

Thanks to Becky and Rebecca for the menu tips and to Dawn for checking in with me after my little hiatus! I love you guys!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Be the hero of your own life story.-Alex Rover in Nim's Island

Weekend Update

I've been back for a week and I'm still trying to get back in a routine. This week will be super busy, so hopefully things will slow down eventually.

Friday night, Becky and I went to the late show to see 27 Dresses. It was very cute, but definitely a chick flick. There were 8 women in the theater. There were no men. It was a fun night out.

Yesterday, we went to Messy Morning, a community event that has free activities for young children. Usually I have to work in the booth that my office sponsors, but I was able to skip working this year and just enjoy visiting all of the booths with Carson. Greg's cousin, Amy, and her twin girls met us there. The kids had a great time getting messy together.

After Messy morning, we went to Shogun for lunch. I had it in my mind that it would be so much cheaper to go at lunch, but it was still $40. Not exactly a frugal decision. Oh well, it was really good and Carson has a blast watching the chef cook on the hibachi grill. After lunch we went shopping for ceramic tile. We want to put tile down in our dining room and kitchen. I have 4 tiles chilling out in my kitchen floor, just waiting for me to decide which one is my favorite. I change my mind every time I go into the kitchen. We also want to pull our carpet up and refinish the hardwood flooring in the living room, hallway, and bedrooms. I think we'd probably better wait until the tile is done before we start another project.

I'm out of the office 2 days this week. I have 2 parties to attend. I have class on Tuesday night. My birthday is on Sunday. I'm already tired.

My class is winding down and while I'll miss the extra money, I can't wait to have the extra time to get my house really organized. I want to take a few days off soon to really declutter and get things in order. Life seems to run so much smoother when I'm not fighting piles of clutter.

I have stocked the house with tons of groceries in an effort to quit eating out. I need to menu plan, but that may have to wait until tomorrow. Anyone have any menu planning tips or yummy recipes to help motivate me? I also need to convine myself that I like leftovers again. We used to eat them all the time when we first got married.

A little update on my mom: she got sick about a week after her 2nd round of chemo, but her doctor is convinced she had the stomach flu, since my dad was also sick. She had another round last Thursday and was feeling well enough to go with my dad and grandma on a little trip to Gatlinburg, TN. She's lost most of her hair, so she alternates between her wig, turbans, and hats. She can no longer feel the tumor from the outside, so hopefully, it's shrinking. Keep up the prayers!

Thanks for checking in! I'll try to post more often this week, but I'm not making any promises.

Day 4 in DC

Today was another awesome day! We had sessions this morning and afternoon, then we were off for some more sightseeing. I was with a different group of Missouri girls because my other buddies flew home today.

We took the Metro to The White House. It was my first subway ride! It was surprisingly clean and easy to navigate. The White House was much smaller than I had imagined and literally sits in the middle of the city, surrounded by office and government buildings. We talked to a Secret Service agent for quite awhile, but we couldn't take his picture. He said his job is very boring and that the only time he gets any excitement, it means that something is very wrong at The White House. It was interesting to talk with him, and several of the girls thought he was cute. He was way too short for my taste. :)

We then walked to the WWII Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Wall. I had seen them on Day 2, but it was nice to see everything in the daylight, since our tour was at night. From there, we walked around the Tidal Basin, which is where most of the famous Cherry Blossom trees are blooming. We then walked to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, but they were out of tickets for the day.

We hopped back on the Metro, switched trains at Metro Center, (aren't you impressed that we managed to figure out the subway routes?!?), and got off at the China Town exit. China Town was bustling with people and not nearly as impressive as we had hoped. Instead of neat shops of imported goods, they had Bed, Bath, and Beyond and McDonald's. We ended up eating at the Chop House in our own private dining room. It was awesome!

Tomorrow is the last day of the conference. We'll be in session in the morning, then catching our flight at 3:30. It's been a great trip!

Days 2 and 3 in DC!!

Discalimer***I am exhausted and have chosen to ignore my typos. If you love me, you'll do the same.

Yesterday was great! We had conference sessions all day, then went on a Trolley Tour last night. It was awesome to see the monuments lit up at night. The tour pics are in the slide show. We had a fantastic tour guide and a fun group of tourists on the trip. I was absolutely in awe of how big all of the monuments are. The Lincoln Memorial blew me away.

We had limited time at each site, so my new friend, Becky Kircher, and I literally power walked at every stop to make sure we saw every possible sight. I was exhausted at the end of the night, but glad I got to see so much on the tour. The only thing I still really want to see tomorrow is The White House. The forecast is cold and rainy, so we'll see.

Today we met with our Senators and Reps on Capitol Hill. What an eye opening experience. I try not to get too political on the blog, but the Republican congressmen where very good at glad handing and offering a photo op, while the Dems took notes and listened to our comments. A certain Republican candidate literally told me that the way to solve child care issues was for women to stay home with their children. He was a scary, scary man. I did take a pic of John McCain's office, but unfortunately, I didn't have time to find Hillary or Obama's offices. Capitol Hill is a truly gigantic place and took lots of time to travel to our various appointments.

Late this afternoon, Becky and I toured the National Air and Space Museum, where the Treasures of American History are temporarily housed while the American History Museum is being renovated. I say lots of cool things, including the hat Abe Lincoln was wearing when he was shot, Dorothy's ruby slippers, Babe Ruth's baseball, R2D2 and C3PO, and lots of other fun stuff.

Unfortunately for us, we could not find a cab back to the hotel when the museum closed, so we got to walk 15 blocks in the pouring, freezing rain to get back to the hotel. Did I mention I was in a windbreaker with no umbrella? It took 30 minutes for my arms to thaw. We took cabs to and from dinner to avoid catching our death.

Tomorrow is more meetings and more sightseeing! Thanks for checking in!

Day One in DC

I arrived safe and sound! Security took forever in St Louis, but the flight was great and we got to the hotel without any problems. After checking in, my roommate, Penny, and I met up with several of the other girls and walked many blocks to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. We mad a very quick run through since we had 30 minutes until closing time!

After the museum, we met the rest of our group at the hotel, then walked to Union Station for dinner at America, then did a little window shopping. I ordered Thanksgiving on a Roll, which was turkey, stuffing, creanberry sauce and gravy on a huge roll. It was delicious! Union Station is beautiful inside. Actually, everything has been clean and beautiful so far, with tons of friendly people everywhere. The cherry blossoms are blooming and they are gorgeous!

Today we're in conferences all day, then tonight we're going on an evening tour of DC. Tomorrow is our day on Capitol Hill. So far, everything has been great!

Leaving on a Jet Plane..

and I'll be back again on Saturday. I'm taking the laptop, so watch for updates! I may not update every day since I'll have to pay for internet access. This time tomorrow, Ill be in DC! Have a fabulous week!

I'm back!

I survived the virus. I went back to work today and stayed the whole day, although I did have have a few queasy moments. I'm not really eating yet either, but that should help my weigh-in on Monday. :)

We got our taxes done tonight and we have to pay in yet again. It could be worse, but it's very frustrating to work 3 jobs and still have to pay in each year.

I am working tomorrow, then I'm off until Tuesday when I fly to Washington D.C. for a conference! I am so excited!!! I've never been there and while I'm the only one going from my office, several of my state buddies will be there. I'll be visiting Capitol Hill and delivering materials about the importance of quality child care to my senators and representatives in the Capitol Building. Cool stuff!

I'm exhausted and ready for bed. Have a great Friday!

Sick

Warning: You are about to be supplied with way too much information.

I have lost 7 pounds since 3:30 am. It is now 11 am. My new diet involves sitting in the bathroom with my head in the trashcan.

I feel terrible.

I'm going back to bed.

Easter..Part 1

Yesterday we had an Easter egg hunt with the kids of all of my scrapbooking buddies. We met for lunch at Delmonico's, then hunted eggs inside at my church since the ground was so muddy outside. The kids had a great time hunting and playing together and the adults had fun watching and visiting.

Last night was our monthly Crazy Croppers crop. I organized our Florida vacation pictures so I'll be hopefully be able to complete my album when I go to Cropical Paradise in May. My buddies and I have rented the entire house for the weekend. We have so much fun at our monthly crops that I'm sure we'll have a blast going away for the weekend together. It's also going to be National Scrapbook Day while we're there. Fun times!

Tonight my friend, Katie, and I are going out to dinner. I haven't seen her since Christmas, so we have some catching up to do. Not sure where we'll go yet.

Tomorrow is church, then to Mom's for Easter lunch. Mom has had some chills and nausea, but has done pretty well with her latest round of chemo. She felt like hosting Easter, so off we go.

Have a terrific Easter!

Cheap Date

Greg and I had a Red Lobster gift card and some free movie passes burning a hole in our pockets, so tonight we had a very cheap date. We had a lovely seafood dinner and then went to see The Spiderwick Chronicles. The movie was ok. I'm glad we didn't take Carson. It's a little too intense for young kiddos.

My friend, Tasha, helped convince me to set up the MySpace page I signed up for over a year ago, so that 's what I've been doing for the last few hours. If you're on MySpace, check it out. I need some friends.

Tomorrow I have 2 babies to evaluate, then I'll be ordering our new cell phones since it's time for an upgrade. I'm excited about geting a camera phone again. I think I need a pink phone. I'm sure it will help me talk and hear so much better. :)

Friday I am hosting an egg hunt for my scrappin' buddies and their kiddos, getting our picture taken for the church directory, then cropping for the rest of the evening. Saturday is dinner with my friend, Kate, and her boyfriend (fiance???? not sure if that's happened quite yet), then Sunday is Easter. Not sure what our plans will be for Easter dinner. We'l have to see how Mom feels after tomorrow's round of chemo.

That's it for now. I need to get to bed!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

It needs to stop raining. We are having massive flooding all over the southeast Missouri area. My parents are staying at my grandma's house because both of the routes to their house are closed. Greg's parents had to go 2 hours our if their way to get home from Nashville. I only had 7 of my 12 students in class tonight. It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow too.

My seven-year-old nephew, Andrew, had hip surgery yesterday and he's in a lot of pain. He'll be in the hospital in Nashville, where he lives, for several more days. He has a degenerative hip condition, so he may need more surgeries in the future. Keep him in your prayers.

My mom had her second round of chemo today and had no side effects! Yay! She goes for another round on Thursday.

Greg and I had a great time at the Mark Schultz concert on Friday night. It's always fun to go to a concert when you know all the songs and everyone sings along. Here are a few pics:

Greg looks a little scared. The concert was at a huge church in St. Louis. There were several hundred people there. We had great seats because another couple was nice enough to offer us a spot next to them in the second closest section of pews. Wasn't that nice?

Here's a picture of Mark Schultz. He's funny and just an all around great guy. You should buy all of his CD's. I know you'll like'em. This was our third time to see him in concert.

We stayed at the new Forest Park Drury Hotel. It's very pretty. We slept in and then came home and got ready for our friends, The Moores, to come over for dinner and some Wii games. The boys had fun playing together and we had fun seeing how smart we were on Big Brain Academy.

On Sunday we stayed home and I surfed the internet basically all day. I got caught up on all of my blogs and read tons of info on the DisBoards for our trip. It was a nice, relaxing day.

Yesterday I worked in the office and went to see one of my therapy babies after work. I stayed home today since Greg's parents were in Nashville for Andrew's surgery and I didn't have a babysitter for Carson. We watched the rain and Carson got to watch movies in my bedroom while I worked on prep for my class tonight. He was thrilled.

It will be interesting to see if we can get to work tomorrow with all of the flooding. It looks like we're in for a wet Wednesday. Stay dry if you're one of my local readers!

It's Thursday!

Mom's chemo went well. She had a few side effects, but they were manageable. She was having "ice cream therapy" at Cold Stone Creamery when I talked to her at 4:30. She was finished in far less than the 8 hours they had predicted.

I had a long day at work. I worked in the office all day, then tonight I served on a panel discussion of resources for parents whose children have been newly diagnosed with autism. I have a pretty good idea of what these parents are dealing with and it's not a fun place to be. They still had the deer in the headlights stares and seemed to be afraid to ask too many questions. I'll expect some phone calls next week after the information sinks in. It's still weird to me to be presented as an expert on anything, much less autism, but I am so glad to help these parents get the services their children need.

I completely forgot to stop by Bunco to hand out the prizes after the panel discussion. I didn't remember until I was in my driveway! Greg's mom delivered my snacks and prizes and the girls made it just fine without me. Hopefully I'll actually get to play the next time I'm scheduled to host Bunco. Oh well!

When I got home I had a message from one of my sister's best friends, Marge. She is having Greg's mom make her wedding floral centerpiece and wanted to drop the flowers off with me. She also asked me to be a server at the wedding, which was unexpected, but very flattering. I love a party! I've got exactly three months of Operation Skinny Minnie before the wedding.

Carson and I are hanging out at home tomorrow, with a possible run to the library. I'll be dropping him off at my grandma's house, then picking Greg up at work and rushing to the Mark Shultz concert in St Louis. I can't wait!!!

Skinny Minnie Stats: no exercise today due to blisters from the previous 2 days! Weight watchers points are entered.

Change

I've decided that I can safely unveil my new plan for reaching a healthy weight. In the past, I've started telling people that I was on a new plan before I was truly committed, and then ended up not sticking to it and feeling like a huge failure.

This time, I've been at it for 4 weeks and can safely say that I'm back in the "loser" mindset. On the way home today, I realized that I was looking forward to stopping at the park for a walk. That hasn't happened in a couple of years. The exercise has been very rough, but I was noticbly less winded today. I still don't "enjoy" the actually act of exercising, but I am starting to get the craving for that feeling that happens when I push a little harder.

I have tracked my Weight Watcher points faithfully for 4 weeks. As of Monday, I was down a little over 8 pounds. I've averaged about 2 pounds a week, which is the way I need to do it to keep it off. It's amazing how my cravings for sweets and snacks have disappeared since I started journaling all my food again. It's so much easier to back away from the Cheetos when I see that one little bag will cost me five points. I could have 5 apples for the same number of points.

I've got several motivators to get the weight off this time. My mom's cancer has been a huge wake-up call. Being overweight and eating a diet high in animal fat are huge risk factors for cancer. I'm also hearing that little biological clock start to tick a little louder and I really want to be on as little medication as possible and have my blood pressure under control before I get pregnant. The last motivator is that I'll be damned if I'm going to Disney World at anywhere near my current weight. I want to be able to walk all over the parks without my feet killing me and I really want to be able to get some cute clothes to wear on our trip. I have therefore decided to call my new plan "Operation Skinny Minnie." Disney World, here I come!

My mom starts her chemo tomorrow, so please keep her in your prayers. She'll be receiving the chemo drugs for about 8 hours tomorrow. It will go more quickly the next time. She's ready to get started and get finished.


Skinny Minnie stats for the week so far:

pounds lost=2.6
Minutes walked=60
Miles walked=3.25


“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

Weekend Update

I had a fabulous time at Michele's party last night! We met at her house for predinner drinks, then headed to Port Cape for dinner and some games, then back to her house for dessert. I opted to ride the party shuttle, which was a good thing since I hadn't had that much to drink in quite a while. Those Electric Popsicles and Incredible Hulk cocktails went down pretty well. :) I am so happy that Michele has beaten cancer and is back to living life! Here are some pics from last night:
Michelle and Me

Tasha and me

The Whole Group

Scrapbook pages I made for Michele

We decided to cancel the trip to Springfield until April. It seemed a little silly for Greg to miss work without pay for a nonemergency appointment. We'll go when he gets more vacation next month. My plans for tomorrow are to stay home and get everything in order for our taxes. Fun.

Today Greg decided to clean house. (Are we in another dimension?!?!) I sat and watched him dust, vaccuum, mop, and put the laundry away. It was awesome. After that, he and his dad assembled our new entertainment center. It's actually a hand-me-down from Greg's uncle, Floyd, but it's a lot newer, nicer and bigger than our old one. Floyd is getting a new plasma TV, so he no longer needed it. It looks great and has plenty of storage for my scrapbooks, something I've never had before. I love freebies!

This week I work out of town on Tuesday and in the office Wednesday and Thursday. I somehow literally scheduled myself to be in two places at one time this Thursday night. I'll be setting up for Bunco, then walking across the street to the nursing building to be on a panel discussion about autism, then running back across the street to hand out the prizes for Bunco. Crazy! Friday night, Greg and I are headed out for a little getaway. We'll be going to a Mark Schultz concert, then staying at the newest Drury hotel at Forest Park. I am ready to get away!

That's it for now. I am determined to finish Nineteen Minutes tonight. It's a great book if you're looking for something new to read. Have a great week!

Tagged and Turkey Time

I was tagged by Brooke!

The rules: Link to your tagger and post these 3 rules on your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.



1. I would love to be a morning person. I'm just wired to be a night owl.



2. I will not eat wild game of any kind. I know it's crazy, but those animals have not had their shots and may be carriers of some crazy disease. I never said I was rational.



3. I used to have to have perfect conditions to fall asleep. After being in the hospital and living at the Ronald McDonald House when Carson was born, I can sleep anytime, anywhere.



4. I love to daydream about all the people I could help if I won the lottery.



5. If I had the money, I would be all about some plastic surgery. New boobs, butt, thighs, and a tight tummy.



6. I really want to build a house with a wraparound porch.



7. I loaded my ipod with tunes from the Go-Go's. I love'em!

I am tagging Becky, Dawn, Rebecca, Theresa Marie, Heather F, Lilian, and Shannon

I cooked a Thanksgiving dinner tonight. I slow cooked a turkey breast in the crock pot all day, then made cream cheese mashed potatoes, cheesy vegetables, and hot rolls. Yummy! So far, I've been doing ok with eating small portions of what I want and still losing at Weight Watchers. Hopefully, this will continue to work. Here's what I made:

Tomorrow I need to work on a little gift for my friend, Michele. She has just finished her chemotherapy and has beaten colon cancer!!! She is hosting a huge girl's night out tomorrow night to celebrate. Should be fun!

The ABC's of Amy

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: I am blesssed with great girlfriends
C- Cake or Pie: Apple pie
D- Day of Choice: Friday-my day off with Carson
E- Essential Item (s): computer
F- Flavor of ice cream: cheesecake from Marble Slab Creamery
G- Gummy Bears or Worms: Bears.... I'm not real big on gummy anything
H- Hometown: Jackson, MO
I- Indulgence(s): pedicures
J- January or July: July
K- Kids: Carson, age 5 and maybe one more baby next year
L - Last movie seen in theaters/DVD: I can't remeber
M- Marriage Date: May 22, 1999
N- Number of Siblings: 2 Jeremy is 28 and Julianne is 23
O- Oranges or Apples: Apples
P- Phobias or Fears: Open water-I like to see what I'm swimming in
Q- Quote(s): "I get up every morning determined both to change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes, this makes it difficult to plan my day."
R- Reason To Smile: I'm going to Disney World!
S- Season: Fall
T- Tag Four: Becky, Rebecca, Heather, Dawn
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I secretly want to be a chef
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I go through phases where meat grosses me out, but sometimes a girl has to have a cheeseburger
W- Worst Habit: Cussing..I'm working on it
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds.. I had them round the clock when I was hospitalized before Carson was born
Y- Your Favorite Food: Fattening Southern Food..Chicken and Dumplings, Kettle Beef, Fried Chicken, Pecan Pie
Z- Zociac: Taurus

My back finally stopped hurting! I went back to work today and surprisingly didn't have too much to catch up on. I was able to clean and tidy my cubicle and begin preparing for the training I have on Saturday.

Tomorrow is a luncvh meeting, then finishing the prep for my training. My laundry has gotten way out of control since my back was out, so it looks like Friday will be spent at home catching up on the laundry.

On Sunday we leave for Springfield, MO to get a second opinion on Carson's eyes. I just want to make sure he really needs another surgery. We've never been to Springfield, so it should be an adventure. It's about a 4 hour drive from here.

Carson is calling me to the bedroom to watch the Disney Vacation Planner DVD again. He's as addicted as I am! Have a terrific Thursday!

Craziness

Sunday: High of 73. Sunshine. Moderate winds.

Today: Ice on trees. Snow/sleet/freezing rain. High in the low 30's.

The power has gone off 3 times so far today. Right now it's on. Cross your fingers.

Missouri is a crazy place.

I am home today. My back still hurts and it's driving me insane. The heating pad is my friend.

I just cancelled class. My students probably wonder if we'll ever get back on track.

I'm going back to bed.