canvas, cleats, and tiaras

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-24T14:10:00.001-07:00

Kenleyisms

2009-05-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

I got in trouble from my hubby because I haven't posted a blog since last week. I'm not sure why he was complaining. He is here in this house and sees the things that I type about firsthand. I guess he just enjoys reading my stories....awwww, he's such a sweetie!! Okay, truthfully it's probably because he would rather read them than actually listen to me tell them. :)

I know that my last post was about Kenley, and possibly the post before that one, as well. Before anyone thinks that I pick favorites or love her more, rest assured that is not the case. It's just that lately she has been extremely funny...and she can't read yet like my other two so she doesn't know that I am talking about her. Seriously, I have decided that she is either going to drive me insane or keep me young from laughing so much. She is just like my sister, which is a really scary thought. I have said that many, many times, but it is completely true. It's gotten so bad that if you were to ask Kenley who she acts like she will say Aunt Kem without even thinking about it. Here are just a few things that Kenley has done that has kept us entertained for the last few days.

* She has learned to belch. Loudly. My sister is famous for this. She finds it extremely funny. I guess it's just the shock factor of this really loud noise coming from such a small person. In the past, whenever Kenley would burp she would get really embarrassed and politely say excuse me. Not anymore. Maybe after staying two nights with Momo in one week with Aunt Kem, some of Aunt Kem's habits rubbed off on my little Kenley. The other day, she got a drink of Dr. Pepper (and you know what Dr. Pepper does) and out came this really loud noise. I looked at Kenley to see if she would get embarrassed because let me tell you that one was a doozy! She laughed. She rolled in the floor and laughed. I walked into the living room this afternoon to find her taking little sips of a soda and opening her mouth really wide just hoping a loud one would come flying out. When I told my sister of this her reply was, and I quote "Haha! I taught her that. I love her."

* Kenley came home Saturday after spending Friday night and most of Saturday with my mom. She had a new phrase. I was eating this stroganoff stuff that Krista had fixed and Kenley wanted to know what I was eating. I told her what it was and showed it to her. Then, I asked her if she wanted some. She wrinkled up her nose and said, "ewww...ethnic food. I don't like ethnic food." She learned that one from my mom.

* This year at church we stared a new program called Team Kids on Wednesday nights. It's a really cool program. They learn bible verses, play games, different little things. They also get play money for doing different things....wearing their Team Kids shirt, bringing their bible, saying the verse, bringing a friend, etc. Then, they get to spend their money at the Team Kids store. Tonight, was store night. Kenley racked up! She had missed the last time we had store night so she had lots and lots of money to spend. She picked out a baby doll. Well somehow while they were playing, the baby's head got pulled partially out of it's little body. Kenley ran into the room where I was and she was all upset. The words just flew out of my drama queen's mouth, "Someone RIPPED her head off. She's RUINED. She's just RUINED!!"

* Tonight before leaving for church, she was looking around for her phone. I told her she didn't need it and that it was time to go. She looked at me very serious, held up her hand, and told me to wait. She needed to send a text.

Did I mention that she wants a belly ring? She is serious about this, too. She also wants a tattoo (a real one) just like Aunt Kem, and also some lipstick of her very own. My mom gave her some lipstick of her very own. I'm afraid to find out what my sister gets her. It might be something permanent.

Partially Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

I was going to do another Wordless Wednesday 'cause I am just covered up with work. Then, I decided I wanted to say a few words instead. Imagine that! I woke up this morning to Kenley knocking on my bathroom door. It seems she had locked herself in there. The door wasn't too hard to get open (thank goodness) with the use of one of Kenley's hair barrettes. While I was getting it open, she informed me that she had "borrowed" my lipstick. I was a little worried on what I was going to find....

It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but she had this brownish color all over her face and hands. I am not sure what make-up she used for this exactly. She had drawn her some lovely eyebrows and had this really pretty red smile...all around her mouth. She was a sight, let me tell you!

Pirate King Nate!

2009-04-23T12:06:00.001-07:00

Got this picture text today from Bro. Mike which was a pleasant surprise! It's Nathan performing in the 2nd grade musical for the high school. He's the king pirate...or pirate king, whichever you want to call it. They needed an older boy to play the part, so Mrs. Wallace (his music teacher) asked Nate to help them out. Performance for the "public" is tonight and elementary school tomorrow!

Shhhh...She's Not Saying!

2009-04-23T10:58:00.001-07:00

Kenley-girl has a secret. So far, she hasn't spilled that secret like most 3-yr-old kids would do. In fact, she is very tight-lipped about it and will only let us know it is about rainbows and it is a secret she has with my mom. I am very intrigued by this....mostly because my mother has NO IDEA what the secret is!!!

Kenley spent the night with my mom and dad Tuesday night. Shaun is trying to go back to school and needed to run to Memphis on Wednesday to visit a school. I had to work, and Kenley-girl has been wanting to spend a "Momo night" so off she goes with my parents. She woke up early Tuesday morning and the first thing out of her mouth was..."I'm going to have a Momo night today!!!" Mom and dad had some errands in Jonesboro and were not real sure on when they would be by to pick her up. I can tell you this, my girl is not very patient. At one point, she took my face in her hands and calmly asked me, "When are they going to get HERE???" Finally, they arrived to pick her up and off she goes with her Going To Grandma's suitcase and princess backpack full of toys and books.

She got home Wednesday and informed me that she did not miss me and she wanted to go back. I think I would be a little hurt by this if I didn't love it so much! This is how a grandchild is supposed to be with the grandparents! I remember spending so much time with my own "Momo" and those memories are some of the best that I carry with me to this day.

It wasn't long after her arrival back home that I learned that she had a secret. I was a little concerned at first when I couldn't drag it out of her...I mean when I calmly asked her if she would like to share with mommy. I tried to get her to tell me, but she would only tell me NO! I called my mom to see if maybe she could clue me in. She had no idea what the secret might be. I asked my mom if Kenley had spent a lot of time alone with her Aunt Kem and frantically tried to check her belly button for any piercings. I asked Kenley if her Aunt Kem told her the secret....no. Uncle Derrick.....no. Did Momo? YES, was her reply with a very devilish grin. She never would tell me what her secret was, only that it had to do with rainbows. When I ask her if she is ready to tell me, the only answer I get is, "Not yet."

Someday, I might find out what her secret is. For now, I guess she is going to leave us all in the dark....even my mom, her secret sharing pal.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

Getting To Know Me Made Simple

2009-04-21T22:02:00.001-07:00

I started a MySpace shortly after Kenley was born, but very seldom ever even looked at it. Bit by bit, I got hooked. I was on it all the time. That's not really a bad thing because I reconnected with my best pal on there. At one point, I posted a blog. Months went by and I posted another. Sometimes, it would be posts right after the other and then other times it would be a couple of months between each one. I finally got pulled over to the Facebook crowd and in the process I pretty much lost interest in MySpace.

However, I learned something from MySpace....I love to blog. I love to talk....on and on and on about silly little things that most people probably wouldn't find interesting. I just have this really odd sense of humor. I admit it. Some of the funniest things I can think of, most people just find weird, not funny, but weird. With blogging though, I can "talk" and "talk" and "talk" until I run out of words. Unlike with real conversations though, if I realize afterward that I shouldn't have said something...I can just go back and delete my post. That fits me perfectly because a lot of the time, I say things that make no sense and wish I could just go back and delete a conversation I had. I know when most people have a conversation with me they wonder what in the world I am talking about and most of the time I probably do not seem to be the brightest bulb in the shoebox. This just eliminates me feeling like a goofball later on when I am thinking about what I said.

I had some blogs on Myspace that kind of explain a few things about my life. I thought at first I would just post a link to my MySpace profile and those that were interested could check out my past blogs, but then I realized not everyone has a MySpace and well, to be honest that would just be kind of weird. I didn't want to take the time to type out the important stuff again....again, I will be honest and just say that I am too lazy. So, I thought I would just copy and paste the ones that I thought might have information that would kind of explain some things later on with this blog. See....I told you, if you get me talking, I prove that I am not the sharpest tack in the classroom! That is my reasoning for posting the last several post....one quick way of getting to know me.

Last MySpace Post - December 30, 2008

2009-04-21T22:00:00.001-07:00

Family, Fireworks, and Beyonce
Current mood: focused

According to the title, there is not much telling what is going to spill out of me in this entry. There are lots of little things floating around in my head at the moment. It really is quite scary. It probably would not be a good idea for anyone normal to be around me at the moment. The last couple of days has not been the best for me, and I suppose this is the only way to get myself back to "ME". I hate goodbyes...simply hate them, and it seems as if I have been having to say a lot of those lately with a lot more to come in the near future. Ok, we are going to skip right over this part of my life as I am trying to cheer myself up and this is so not the way to do it.

Christmas was good. Got to see one of my cousins that I haven't seen in probably 15 years or so. Actually, it might even be longer than that. He informed me that what he remembers most about me is how our grandmother would always get me to do my Steve Erkel (sp?) impersonation. He said I would pull my pants way up, scrunch up my face, and run around saying, "Did I do that?". I don't remember that and was really hoping that he had me confused with someone else because, I mean really, who would want to be remembered like that? He thought it was quite funny. I asked my mother if I "really did that" and she informed me that no, Brian wasn't going senile, and yes, I really did that. I'm still thinking it wasn't me....then again, if my Momo wanted me to do it, I probably did. There wasn't anything in this world I wouldn't have done for her. She was the best!

I also found out that I have a new reader to this blog thingy that I do on a totally random basis. Has anyone noticed that I will go months without posting anything, and then back to back entries...Maybe that's why I could not be a real writer. If they want the moolah, they have to actually write on a consistent basis. I am totally loving it that someone is actually reading all this. Ok, maybe not totally loving it because I know some of it should probably be quite embarrassing for me. Then again, if you know me then you know there is not a lot that will embarrass me. Truthfully, it is my dream for this little blog to become so well known that I can quit my job(s) and do nothing but type out the happenings of my brain. Ohhh...I could become a celebrity blogist (is that really a word?)...yep, that's my dream. And, if you believe that one you are even more gullible than I am!! Anyway, back to my new reader. She is my cousin's wife, Kim, and has the wonderful job of trying to keep my cousin, Charlie, in line. Yes, yes, yes, I know his name is John, but he will forever be Charlie to me. Kim is a sweetie, and I love her to pieces simply because around her I don't feel so short! (Hi Kim!!! You are absolutely going to love this next part of my ramblings!)

My cousin, Charlie, is actually a cousin to me on both sides. His mom is my dad's sister and his dad is my mom's brother. That can be a little confusing, and at times I got some really strange looks trying to explain exactly how we were related, and growing up it felt like I had two brothers instead of one because they both liked to terrorize me. Charlie was always at our house. Anytime we went anywhere, he would have to sit in the middle to keep me and Kevin from fighting. Like that stopped us...Kevin still continued to pick on me and start things. I was the good one....or that's what I keep telling myself anyway. Charlie is the reason that I am so terrified of fireworks. One 4th of July, both his dad and my dad were working so Charlie and his mom came down to shoot off fireworks with us. Kevin and Charlie wanted to shoot off some Roman Candle things. Well, for some odd reason my aunt, Diane, got the bright idea that Charlie should wear an oven mitt while he was lighting it. I swear, I can still see this just like it happened yesterday...we were standing out in my front yard, Charlie had this goofy looking oven mitt on, and he lit the Roman Candle. It sort of done this little backfire thing and sparks and fire came back toward him and caught the mitt on fire. I screamed, Diane screamed (I'm pretty sure Charlie screamed....like a girl I might add) and threw the oven mitt off. Diane looks at the oven mitt lying on the ground, on fire, and starts yelling, "Oh my Lord, Oh my Lord, his hand is gone!". Luckily, my calm and cool-headed mother was standing there, and informed my aunt that it was not his hand, but her brand new oven mitt that was now on the ground, burning to a crisp. To this day, I hate those Roman Candles!

Now for the Beyonce segment of this blog...We got Nate Guitar Hero for Christmas. That was a fantastic idea....and hopefully you are reading the sarcasm because believe me that sentence was just filled with sarcasm. The kids are about to drive me crazy with that thing. They will play certain songs and I will get them stuck in my head only for them to start playing other songs. So, now I have bits and pieces of different songs playing around in my head. It might be okay if I was normal, but you know I can't say that for a fact

Nate just keeps playing Beat It, and it is driving me insane!!! Krista, on the other hand, has much better taste in music. She is the ultimate on Living on a Prayer. Kenley, bless her little heart, doesn't like any of the songs that they play. She wants to hear Beyonce so she has been running around the house singing If I Were A Boy. Here is how I heard her singing it...

If I were a boy, but I'm not I am a girl.

She kept singing that over and over...she had the tune down anyway! At least she isn't giving herself tattoos or putting lip gloss on the cat, and thank goodness it's not Michael Jackson!!!! I think we are doing pretty good!!

Okay...I'm back to my real job. After editing this, and reading it in my own "voice"...the little voice in my head that probably does not even sound like the real me, I should never, ever complain about my crazy doctors again!!!

MySpace Post - December 22, 2008

2009-04-21T21:59:00.000-07:00

My baby boy is turning 12 on Friday!!

I tend to forget how old Nathan really is. There are times, when asked, that I say he is 10 and other times when I say he is already 12, but to be absolutely correct in his age, he is 11 going on 40....a very active 40, but an "old" man all the same. If you do not know my son, well...you are missing out, let me tell you. Of course, I say that because I am his mother, but also because it is really, really true. He is just an awesome little guy. He has a heart bigger than Alaska and his love for God is totally amazing. He has a very odd sense of humor and sometimes you just never know exactly what he is thinking. There are times that I can almost see the wheels turning in his mind as he sits and thinks about things. He is also so accident prone that at times it is rather comical. It has gotten to the point that I am no longer surprised at the odd ways that he gets injured, but am rather surprised when it is something normal or when he comes home without an injury. He loves to sing, mainly Contemporary Christian, but he also has a soft spot for the old time hymns. He has also been known to let loose with some older Bon Jovi hits....I think he might get that from his mother!

I remember when he was born....he was the prettiest little boy I had ever seen. He had lots and lots of dark hair (the reason for the heartburn I had all those months when I was pregnant with him) and these huge eyes....and to this day I have never seen a baby with eyelashes as long as his! He was such a good baby...he hardly ever cried except when I left the room. Even then, he loved his mother the most out of everyone else

Nate has done some really strange things throughout his life. I think one of the funniest things ever was right around his second birthday. It was actually Christmas morning, the day before his birthday. We had gotten his cake and was going to take it with us to Shaun's parent's house and celebrate his birthday there. Well, Shaun and I were getting ready...rushing around, fighting over the bathroom. Basically Shaun getting in my way, when I heard the refrigerator door open. I didn't think anything of it. Then, I realized Nathan wasn't where I could see him, which was really odd because he hardly ever got two feet from me. I started into the kitchen, turned down the hall, and stopped. There was my little boy, sitting in the living room floor, in his brand new clothes, all cleaned up and ready to go, sharing his birthday cake with the dog!!! It was quite a picture, let me tell you...of course I don't have a picture because, just like every other time that I really needed a camera, the batteries were dead. But, that memory is captured in my head just like so many others.

Nate hated school. I'm not sure if it was actually school that he hated or if he hated being away from me. Every single morning, it was a fight getting him on that school bus. One morning, Shaun was off from work so he thought he would go stand with Nathan and wait on the bus with him, thinking he could talk him into getting on it without too much grief. Well, off they went, down our long driveway to where the kids caught the bus, a driveway completely covered in rocks. Nate was doing really well. Shaun was talking to him and he seemed to really be listening to Shaun and agreeing to go to school without any problems. Or so Shaun thought...I knew different! That school bus pulled up to our driveway, and Nate took off!! He made a beeline straight for the house! He got to the door before Shaun even got halfway up the driveway. One little tidbit I left out....not only was the driveway completely covered in rocks, but Shaun didn't wear any shoes....Of course, I was looking out the door because I just could not miss my chance to say, "I told you so." The look of pain and irritation on Shaun's face as he slowly made his way back home to get Nate, was hilarious. He didn't think so, but I did!!

Although he has gotten into some crazy situations and can leave me wanting to just lock him in a closet a lot of the times, Nate really is a great kid. It makes me a little sad to think that my baby boy, my favorite son, my unloved middle child (family joke) is going to be 12. My llittle guy is just growing up way too quickly.

Happy birthday, Nathan!! I love you more than I could ever tell you. You are a wonderful son. I am so glad God loaned you to me. I am not sure exactly what I did to deserve it, but I am so thankful he chose me to be your mom. I am so glad you are mine and I am extremely proud of the person you have turned out to be. Just promise me something, my son....this year, please don't share your cake with the dog!!

MySpace Post - July 31, 2008

2009-04-21T21:58:00.002-07:00

Yes...I am awake!
Current mood: ditzy

Just to let everyone know before you start reading this, I am NOT crazy. I have been up since (what day is this?)…I have been up since Wednesday morning around 7:00ish. Needless to say, when I am awake for this many hours at one time I tend to get a little loopy *smiles*. Usually, I am good if I get three or four hours of sleep a night. Then, I can function somewhat normally, or at least as normal as I can get. My brain tends to run in 372 (and I totally just made that number up) different directions when I have gotten at least a bit of sleep, when I am going on absolutely no sleep just take that number multiply it by 20, add 15, and divide by 1 and that is how many separate directions my small little brain will wander.

Are you still with me or have you wondered as far away from this as you can possibly get? I have one faithful reader, I know, so Julie….since you are my up-all-night pal from way back when, you get a little glimpse into the way I handle myself after staying up all night now that I am just a smidgen (teeny-tiny-bit) older.

Why am I awake? Well, actually I should be awake now because this is a normal time for people to be awake, no? Why did I stay awake, I have no idea. Lately, whenever I do finally go to sleep I have really odd, off-the-wall, strange dreams, even for me. I wake up and wonder if they are real or not, and then can't get back to sleep. So, last night I came to the conclusion that I wasn't tired enough to even try to have one of those strange dreams so I decided to work. I realized it was 2:00 in the morning, but I really thought I was close to being done with my crazy doctor for the day….so I kept at it. Shaun got home and I talked to him for a bit, and then still didn't feel very sleepy. By 4:30, I knew that if I went to sleep I would sleep until noon which would completely throw my day all out of whack. Shaun went to sleep…I stayed up. I guess around 5:00, I went and sat out by the pool and looked at the stars through the trees, which are lovely by the way. Then, I got the bright idea to go for a walk. Off I go, I grab Krista's MP3 player (after waking her up long enough to get instructions on how to work the thing) and head off with songs in my head and my phone in my hand. I didn't think to grab my car keys or my bottle of OFF, which is what I took with me the last time I was up and went for a walk….you just never know who is going to be at that ball park waiting to grab some crazy lady out for a walk in the middle of the night! I am not real certain what I was going to do with just a phone to use if someone decided they just really needed to kidnap me….Shaun probably wouldn't even roll over if I managed to call him, and if he did he would tell me to call him back later! So, really who was I going to call to come and save me??

Well, when I got down to the track I was glad to see the same little man that was there the last time I was "up all night." This time though, he had a friend. Now, when I say little man, I really mean a very OLD man. This guy had to be pushing 80 and his friend was pretty close behind. Do you know what these men had the nerve to do??? They passed me!! I thought about jogging just to pass them, but didn't want to be completely embarrassed by having them stop the next time they got around to me just to help me up off the ground. Finally, the oldest guy left. I decided I was going to walk more laps than "little guy" even if it killed me. He passed me again….and then to top off THAT insulting behavior, he started waving his arms around in circles and almost running. I noticed what he held in his hands…WEIGHTS! This little old guy was walking circles around me, almost running, waving his arms like a loon, holding weights!! I thought about tripping him for one brief moment, and I will say an extra prayer about that, I promise, but then before I let that happen I realized that this little old guy would probably have himself up off the ground and catch me before I could even make it around the first field! I finally realized he was going to his vehicle so I decided I could wander home…did I mention that before I left I had two very large cups of water?? No? Well, I did…which means I really, really, really had to make a pit stop. I was really glad that little guy stopped when he did or I might have had to run into the cornfield!

Got back home, and to keep myself awake I learned a few dances (that was a sight, I'm sure) and sang a few songs…at the top of my lungs. So, I am pretty sure my family wishes I would not have crazy dreams anymore because you know that's why I'm awake.

Kenley finally woke up which meant I had someone to play with. I was quite disappointed though... all she wanted to do though was watch cartoons. Tommy and Gary (Tom and Jerry) was on and there is no way I can compete with Tommy and Gary for my baby girl's attention.

MySpace Post - July 18, 2008

2009-04-21T21:58:00.001-07:00

Our journey back home....

Krista informed me the other day that we have been "back home" for eight months now. At times it seems much longer, and then at other times it seems like just yesterday we were packing that U-haul & leaving Mt. View behind. No matter where I was living, I have always considered Bay to be my home. This was where I grew up, went to school, got into trouble, had lots of fun along the way, and started my family. I was heartbroken when we left here. I had always said my kids were going to grow up here. Krista sort of did, she got to start out here anyway. Nate, bless his heart, had about two years here before we moved him away from his Momo & Popo.

It seems so long ago when we packed that first U-haul and moved not only out of this town, but out of this state. That trip was such a long one....I remember being excited about the house (that WAS a beautiful house!) and I can remember being excited that I was finally going to see my husband again, but I can also remember bawling my eyes out when mom & dad pulled out of our driveway. I had no idea when I would see them again, and it just felt like I was being pulled away from my family.

To say it was an adjustment for us would be so understated, because not only had we left our family behind, but we had left our church behind, as well. Broadway was such a huge part of our lives. The people at that church were our family. I got saved there, Shaun and I both got baptized there, we got married there. It's where Krista got saved and baptized at. We spent the majority of our time outside of work and school at that church.

After getting to Camdenton, we joined a church, but it never quite felt like home to me. I don't know if it was because Shaun worked so many hours that he didn't get to go with us like before or if it was simply because it wasn't Broadway, and me being hard-headed and stubborn possibly wasn't going to give this new church a chance. I still haven't quite figured out what it was...We did make some friends there that still mean so much to us. They sort of "adopted" us into their family at a time when we were just sort of lost.

I do have to say the move to Camdenton did teach me a little. It made me grow up some and depend on my husband and not so much on mommy & daddy. While there is good that came out of that move, there is also the bad. That move took a toll on a part of us, that I am not sure we have really ever recovered from. Shaun worked so many hours and was away from home so much that sometimes I felt like that store was slowly pulling us apart. I had to be both mother and father, and I know it didn't help the kids. Looking back, I know he regrets those couple of years even more than I do.

Now on to the next big move....This one I think had a few more "ups" to it than the previous one. Shaun was needing a new job. His dad offered him one at the Co-op in Mtn. View. I remember exactly where we were when we decided that was the move we needed to make. We were standing out on our porch, walking around and around, discussing another "major" in our lives. The kids had just gotten settled in a new home, Nathan had started school already and made some friends, but oh how I was missing Arkansas! I will be the first to admit that moving back to Arkansas was probably more for me than for anyone. I would like to say I did it for the kids, but honestly I think most of it was for me. Oh, the kids played a part in it, but Missouri was never home to me. (Too many times people talked about my "Southern" accent. I would look at them so strange, because everyone who knows me knows I do not have an accent.) Anyway, back to my story...there we were, once again living without Shaun. He had to take that job then so he moved in with his parents for a while. I couldn't bare to drag the kids out of school with only two months left so...we stuck it out and saw Shaun from Saturday evenings until Monday mornings. That was always so hard....watching him drive away. I really grew to hate our driveway! Finally the day came, we packed up yet another U-haul, shed a few tears with our "Camdenton family", and off we go.

It wasn't always the best in Mtn. View, but I grew to love that little town. We once again made some friends there that just adopted us into their families. Nathan made such good friends, several once-in-a-lifetime friendships that are so special. He has some awesome memories from there...some that are going to be one of those "when I was younger" moments that he gets to share with his kids and grand kids on down the road. We also had some MAJOR issues there that still are really hard to forget about, but I also learned quite a bit in that little town not only about myself, but about how sometimes you just can't make people want to be a part of your life for whatever reason.

The very best, absolutely BEST, thing to happen while we were living there was our precious girl, Kenley! No words that I can think of can describe what a blessing she has been to us. So, no matter what kind of hurt we went through in that town, I know I still got the best out of it that I could have possible gotten!

What made us move back here....once again, it was me. I missed HOME! I hated the thought of Kenley not getting to be a part of my mom and dad's life as much as the other two were. Those major issues that I mentioned also played a huge part in our decision, but I guess the biggest one was the fact that I could not stand to think of someone else living in "my" house....the house I grew up in. It was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. So there we were, one more time, packing up a U-haul, shedding some tears with our "adopted" family, and leaving another town behind.

Here we are back in this little town of Bay. Back to where you can ride your bike all over town (as an adult) and no one looks at you funny. Oh sure you may get the occasional comment such as, "Look, Shannon can ride a big girl's bike" (Love ya, Bro. Mike!), but you can still ride down the field row and not have to worry about some farmer coming out to shoot you (or I hope not anyway 'cause if so we are going to be in big trouble). We are back to this town full of mosquitoes as big as birds, and waiting on trains to pass through VERY SLOWLY. Back to where I always said my kids were going to grow up.

I don't think there was ever really any question of where we were going to go to church. We might have threw out some possibilities, but I think deep down Shaun and I both knew where we were supposed to be. Broadway has never left our hearts. No matter which church we were going to while we were away, nothing quite compared to "our church." A few things are different than they were before we left, not necessarily bad, just a little different. For one, they have a different preacher there now, but we have grown to love him just as much as we did Bro. Joel, and his kids are now a part of our family. There are some that are no longer there (Miss you, Mrs. Willean!) and there are some new faces to add to "our family", but it is still the same Broadway. It is still a family that we feel so blessed to be a part of.

So, here we are finally back home. We had to leave this town to realize this was where we were supposed to be all along!

MySpace Post - May 13, 2008

2009-04-21T21:57:00.000-07:00

I’m sure it made quite a picture....

Krista has been wanting a bicycle for about four months now. She had the bicycle pictured in her crazy brain, and decided that she wanted this certain kind of bicycle to ride all over Bay on. We made a special trip to Tuckerman just to try to buy a bicycle. We saw one at this flea market once on the way to Mtn. View, but when we stopped they weren't open. So one Saturday, we made the trip back up to Tuckerman to try to get her that bike and they still weren't open! We happened to be driving down one of the streets by our house, and there it was....the bicycle she had been bugging us about forever (okay, four months isn't forever, but it is when you have a 15-year-old whining in your ear). So, Krista got her bike. They had two of them, a girl's bike and a boy's bike. Shaun went back and got the boy's bike for himself (he's thinking about riding it to work, I'm thinking he's crazy).

Well, Sunday evening Shaun and I decide to go for a ride. I hopped on Krista's bike (and almost fell over by the way) and off we go. This bicycle is one of those old looking bicycles. They call them beach cruisers (and, you were right Krista I DIDN'T know that's what they were called) although I don't know why they would call them that....I just cannot see myself cruising along on the beach on this bicycle. Sorry, it just ain't gonna happen. Okay, got a little distracted there...back to the story. Shaun and I are riding all over Bay on these very "cool" looking bikes. I am sure it was a sight. I could not figure out why I was in so much pain. I used to ride bikes all over this little town. We used to ride out to Lunsford, to the Indian mounds, places that my mother still probably doesn't know about! Then, I realized...not only is my butt three times bigger than the seat on that thing not to mention being three times (or more) bigger than it was 20 years ago, but I'M OLD!!! Old, old, old. It's true. It finally happened...I am the age that my mother was when I thought she was old (did that make sense to any one but me?).

It was fun though even if I threatened Shaun and tried to get him to ride all the way home, get my vehicle, bring me the vehicle, and then he could ride my bike (yes, Krista I know...it's YOUR bike) back home. He wouldn't do it though, and made me ride all the way home. The nerve of that man....after all the things I have done for him...he just smiled and said, "You can do it". He just didn't ride by himself in the dark, that's what I think. The big chicken!!

So, if any of you Bay people are driving around and see a butt-hanging-off-the-seat, OLD person on a bicycle, please do not run over me. Just stop and offer me a ride....and do not even THINK about taking a picture!

Another MySpace Post - February 14, 2008

2009-04-21T21:56:00.002-07:00

Hoola Hoop Queen of the World!!

That is so going to be me...just give me a few years and a lot more practice!

My mother, my crazy, wonderful, slightly warped in the brain mother (ok so maybe my kids do get the crazy gene from my side of the family!) decided to buy a hoola hoop. Now, if she would have kept that info to herself I would have been just fine, but noooo...she has to tell me that she got one and then proceeds to tell me how much fun it is. So, the next thing I know I am shopping around for a hoola hoop....who would have thought you would have so many choices when it comes to buying a hoola hoop. They now have one that lights up!

Anyway, Kem is supposed to get a hoop of her own as well. My mother has decided that all of us "Walker" girls will get together and "hoop" out in her yard since they have no neighbors to stare at us...and laugh at us...and watch us make complete fools of ourselves. I know my competitive nature will totally make me want to tie Kem's hoop to a tree or something, but I will do my best to resist the urge.

When I was little, I could hoola-hoop really well. Now...well, I think they make the hoops much smaller or something because they just do not work that well. Kenley is just hilarious when she "hoops". She holds the hoop with both hands and then runs around in a circle...it is really hard to describe how she does it, but trust me it is very funny!

If anyone would like to join in our Hoop-A-Thon, just let me know!!! I am sure it will be loads of fun!!!

MySpace Post - February 11, 2008

2009-04-21T21:56:00.001-07:00

It’s not safe anywhere I go....

I promise, my son really is smart. He is a great athlete and seems to get along with just about anyone. If you ever have a conversation with him (most of the time) he gives the impression that he really does have some common sense, but.....here's the thing, after last night I just have to stop and wonder if his"smartness" is all an act. At about 9:00 last night, he informed me that he was going to take a bath. That really wasn't anything new....he has his routine at night down pretty good, just like every morning. It is always the same conversation....

Me: Nathan, get up.

Me: Oh Nathan (in somewhat of a singsong voice) it's time to get up and go to school.

Me: (again) Nathan, get up, now!

Nathan: I don't feel good.

Me: What's wrong this morning.

Nathan: My throat hurts.

Me: Ok, you are still going to school.

Nathan: But, my stomach hurts.

Me: Just a minute ago it was your throat...you will feel better when you wake up.

Nathan: I don't feel good.

Me: Ok, that's fine. You are still going to school.

Nathan: I am going to take a bath.

Every morning is the same thing, just like every night is the same. Anyway, last night I hear the jets in the tub running...I thought that was a little weird because he hardly ever turns them on. A while later, I hear him say, "Mom, stick your head in the door". I got up, opened the door, and peeked in...not sure what to expect here. What do I see but a bathroom full of bubbles!! There are bubbles going up the walls, over the tub, and a trail of big, fluffy bubbles going across my floor. There is this blob of bubbles standing in front of me. All I can see is white bubbles and two huge brown eyes staring at me. I explained to him (in a very reasonable tone) that he was making a mess. At which time, I see this small opening of bubbles about the size and location of his mouth and hear words coming from this mass of bubbles that sounded like "I didn't mean to". Ok, it seems that he used a whole tube, bottle, some type of container of bubble bath, turned on the jets and let the bubbles rise. After this, he decided he was going to traipse across my floor and look in the mirror so that he could see if he was entirely covered in bubbles. When he realized he was, he had to share this wonderful find with me. But, he didn't mean to make a mess.

I would say Nate gets this from his father, but after the conversation I had with my sister I am a little afraid he gets it from my side of the family. I was informed by Kem that she needed to get her drivers license renewed. Ok, you are thinking that is not such a big deal, right? Well, obviously if you are thinking that you do not know my sister. She plans on wearing a crown...and a pageant dress....and a sash! I swear I have not laughed that hard in forever. I couldn't breath, my head felt like it was going to explode, and I couldn't see....scary thing about this situation??? I was DRIVING!! I think, but am not entirely sure (because remember I couldn't breath and couldn't see) but I think I stopped in the middle of the road...I'm pretty sure I was driving in the wrong lane at one point. My poor mother...I called her about another situation entirely, but still couldn't talk that good...all I could do was laugh, and gasp for air, and say over and over...she is going to wear a crown, and a sash, and a pageant dress, oh..my head, my head. My mother, being the calm mother that she is, told me to pull over before we had a wreck and then wanted to know what we had been drinking...or smoking this morning.

Ok, seeing as my day started with less than 3 hours of sleep last night, I think it is off to a wonderful start! Love to you all!!

MySpace Post - February 2, 2008

2009-04-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

Why haven’t I been told this before???

Ok...it seems that I have a weird way of walking. I just realized this yesterday....when I walk, my left foot turns in. When I informed my family of this, were they all shocked?? NO! They were not! Which tells me they have known this, but just chose not to share this information with me. Shaun just kind of mumbled something and looked away. Nathan just kind of smirked. It was the response that I got from Krista that I just love (notice the sarcasm??). She told me she has known for some time. When I asked her why she didn't say anything, she said it was because she didn't know what was wrong with me...only that I walk funny..... Lovely!! Just lovely!

This explains why I am always tripping. It is not because I just do not see objects in front of me, it's because I am tripping over my own feet!!!

So now I am going to be so concerned about the way I am walking, I will be looking down all the time, and will probably end up running into a wall or some other immovable object.

Great...just great.

MySpace Post - January 31, 2008

2009-04-21T21:54:00.000-07:00

I want to dance to the static of an AM radio....
Current mood: weird

Why MUST people throw their beer cans in my yard?? My entire life (of living in this house anyway) I have had to pick up beer cans out of the yard (and honestly...is there anything that smells worse then beer??). I could almost see why people threw them in this yard in past years...I mean, let's throw them in the police chief's yard!!! It's kinda like TPing the principals yard or something, but do people not realize that he is no longer a police officer??? Take them to the new chief's yard if you wanna, but please not ours (ok, really...don't throw them in anyone's yard, but I was trying to make a point!).

Ok...now that I have vented over that little frustration. I have nothing else to say. Right...you know that is so totally not true. I always have something to say. Most of the time, I say it to myself (or so it seems) but I always have something to say. I got to see my husband for about 30 minutes today, so I will bore you for the next little bit with everything that I have running through my brain so that I can go to sleep.

I am on a Garth Brooks kick right now. I have no idea why. I remember when I first heard (saw) him. I thought he was cute, cute, cute. Now, oh maybe not so much, but he still has one of the prettiest voices I have ever heard. So, if you are on my profile for the next few days or so you will probably be hearing a lot of Garth. Of course, it could suddenly turn to Rascal Flatts because those boys are just too cute for words. I thought about adding NKOTB because Krista had never even heard of them, but that will have to wait I suppose....just wasn't in the mood for them right now.

I was told something tonight that made me smile. Krista told me that I had interesting stories, referring to when I was younger. Ok, lets see if I can get this story out without getting you confused....Nate had a friend over tonight, and they were sitting at the table eating dinner. Well, I had just gotten my sweater out of the dryer and made the comment around the kids that I was going to be all staticky (I am sure this is not a real word, but around here we very seldom use "real" words). Matthew had no idea what "staticky" was. First, I told him his mother must be a real mother and use fabric sheets (he informed me she did) because if she didn't use them he would know what "staticky" was. Then, I tried to explain to him what "staticky" meant. To be honest, if I would have said static cling or possibly even static electricity, he probably would have understood what I meant because he is a VERY bright boy, but no...in my wonderful way of explaining things I tried to explain to him what "staticky" was. I told him it is when you rub some kind of cloth all over your hair and it sticks up, or how socks tend to end up stuck to your shirt when you pull them out of the dryer, or when you roll across the living room floor to change the channels on the television (at this point I think poor Matthew really thought I was insane because why would you roll across the floor to the t.v. when you have a remote) but anyway...when you roll across the floor to turn the television channel and end up blowing up not only the television, but some one's watch that was sitting on the television. Somehow while explaining this, the subject got switched to how you are NOT supposed to leave a flashlight on a table when it is turned on (especially when it is one of those really, really strong police lights). I then had to explain to Matthew the reason why you are not supposed to leave a flashlight turned on upside down on a table...it tends to not only melt the lens of the flashlight, but it also can burn a small hole in the table and if it is not caught in time it could set the house on fire. Yes, my parents raised a child who did this as well as blowing up our television once. Not to worry though, it was caught before it burned the house down, and as I told Matthew, I am no longer allowed to touch a flashlight. I guess it is a good thing I did not tell Matthew about the time I smacked Kevin (my brother) in the head with a chlorine dispenser in the swimming pool and then made a beeline to my mother leaving Kevin to almost drown or when I smacked him in the head yet again with above mentioned flashlight (before the lens was melted, I'm sure) or Matthew's parents may never let him come to my house again. When I finished telling these stories and Matthew was finished seeing if he could blow up our television by rolling across the floor, Krista looked at me in her "look" as if she cannot believe I am her mother and told me very seriously that I had some interesting stories from when I was little. It made me smile.

I think it is time for me to go to bed now. I apologize for any words that I have misspelled, any sentences that do not make sense, or if I confused you more than I normally do with this entry. I have some very nice drugs running through my system right now (completely LEGAL/medicinal drugs by the way that I only take very, very occasionally...don't want any rumors going around this little town of Bay ) and they tend to make me just slightly loopy. So, I apologize if this entry is junk...and Julie please do not give me a grade on it.

Good night everyone...hopefully I will wake up to some snow in the morning! Oh..and yes I do realize that the title of this blog (seriously, am I the ONLY one who finds this word very funny??) did not make one bit of sense nor did it even fit this entry, but I love that line in the song. Can anyone tell me what song it's in?????

MySpace Post - January 29, 2008

2009-04-21T21:53:00.000-07:00

Gotta love this doc!

I am sitting here listening to a 27 minute sound file....of absolutely nothing. Well, nothing that I can type anyway. I get to listen to a consultation about orthotics. For those that do not know what those are, go ahead and look it up...interesting stuff. HA! This is much better than what I had to listen to one other time he left the recorder on. He was doing a surgical procedure on a lady for an infected nail (and don't forget I do podiatry transcription, which means the feet...so we are NOT talking about a fingernail). He was going into much (disgusting) detail of what he was finding....yuck...gross...totally, totally disgusting! Anyway, this doctor is the ultimate king about leaving his recorder on, which really, really aggravates me to no end. I have to listen to the entire thing to make sure he doesn't suddenly start actually dictating. I only get paid for what I type...not what I listen to. So, for me it is a major waste of time. (I just looked...I am only into minute 7...wonderful!)

Since it seems that I have lots of time, I thought I would bore whoever happens to be reading this (and probably myself as well). Life is going wonderful right now. I have lost quite a bit of weight...go me!! HA! The pants I am wearing right now are literally falling off with every step I take, and they were way too tight the last time I wore them. It looks like I get to go clothes shopping!! Shaun's gonna love that! I SO miss my Mtn. Dew. It was one of several vices that I had/have, and it has seen me through some hard, hard times. (Ok, now I am just being an idiot, but oh well...I'm soooo bored.) It has not been easy drinking only water...I have never liked the taste of it very much. Maybe because it has no taste!! How can you describe the taste of water???? That's something to ponder. My mother tells me to drink unsweetened tea. That is SO not going to happen!!! It's like drinking dirty water....who came up with unsweetened tea anyway? When I fix tea, it is not called sweet tea it is called syrup tea....not kidding. Just ask Krista. The two of us are about the only ones who can handle my tea. There is so much sugar in there it is almost not even a liquid.

Ok, a change of subject before I try to figure out how to make sugar.... The kids are doing great. I think Kenley missed me while she was gone...couldn't really tell. All she wanted when she got home was bink (pacifier) because she had been asleep. Shaun said she asked for me while they were gone, but I think he just didn't want me to feel bad. Nate's basketball games are winding down. I thought I would be glad about it, but really not so much. I mean, what are we going to do? It won't be long before baseball starts so I guess it will be ok....it's never boring around here when his games are going on.

The weather is getting on my nerves. It either needs to snow or get warm...one or the other. I can't stand JUST cold. If it is going to be this cold there needs to be snow on the ground so that I can go out and make a snowman...or a snowball...or a nice little snow fort. My hands stay cold all the time, which makes it very hard to type. I cannot keep them warm for anything. No one will hold my hand around here because of it...it makes me sad. Will someone please come and hold my freezing hand????

Shaun is pulling 10 hour shifts again this week. He will be working until 2:00 in the morning, which means he will be sleeping until it's time for him to go in to work....and what does that mean for Shannon? Absolutely no adult conversation at all. Once again, lovely. I love my kids, no question. I would do absolutely anything for all three of them, but I need an occasional conversation that does not revolve around barbie dolls, binks, or Clifford the Big Red Dog. Krista tries, bless her heart, but between the two of us and our wonderful way of going off into five different directions when we are having a conversation, sometimes it is very hard to figure out what we are talking about. I feel for anyone who would have to sit through one of our conversations. Throw my sister in there too, and you had just better step back or else you are going to have a headache.

Finally, finally, finally....he has started dictating! You are probably glad too...that means I will stop rambling on and on about nothing. If you have actually read this far, I know it is only because you love me....hahaha....once again I will take what I can get!

MySpace Post - January 26, 2008

2009-04-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

It’s way too early

It is 9:30 on a Saturday morning. The first Saturday in a very long time that I could actually sleep in, and I was up before 9:00. Considering that it was way after 2:00 before I ever went to bed last night, this is too, too early. I love to sleep in on Saturday mornings. Any other day, not so much. During the week, there is too much to do, and it just feels weird sleeping late. If I sleep late on Sundays, I feel extremely guilty for not going to church so I end up having a horrible day all day long. So, why am I up so early? I have no idea....maybe it is because our bed is just not quite big enough for four people. At some point last night, Kenley snuck in between us. That is not such a big deal, mainly because it happens every night. However, this morning we had one extra person in there. I woke up and could not move. Kenley was on my back (again, normal) but that didn't explain why I could not move my legs. When I finally worked my way around Kenley, I looked down to find Nathan at the foot of the bed (on MY side...why didn't he get on his dad's side??). I don't have a clue as to when he came in there or even why he was in there in the first place. So, here I am awake when everyone else in the house is sleeping except Paris...I guess she doesn't like sleeping in.

Shaun and the kids are supposed to go to Mtn. View today, weather permitting of course. This will be the first time in over two and a half years that I have been by myself overnight....Is it really sad that I am somewhat looking forward to it? I am a little nervous about Kenley being away from me. I have never, ever spent the night away from her since she has been born (that I can think of anyway). I think the longest I have been away is back in July when I took Krista to Mtn. Home for some sort of Harry Potter release party.

Kem and I hosted our little skin care party last night. I had lots of fun. I got to see one of my "bestest" friends that I have not seen in forever! Julie and I were so close years ago...and we just sort of lost touch. Both of us moved away at about the same time, our lives got busy, and just sort of lost track of time. Now, we are both back in the area, again at about the same time. We both have babies the same age...Cooper is just a few months older than Kenley. It would be so cute if they ended up dating one of these days (not that I am rushing it or anything) but at least then we wouldn't have to worry about not liking each other. Julie is one of the very few people that I completely trust. I was always able to tell her absolutely anything and never have to worry about everyone else in the world finding out. She was the very best friend I ever had. She was the first person (and last now that I think about it) that I stayed out all night long with. She was the first person I told when I realized how in love I was with Shaun. She even wore a VERY hideous dress in our wedding, and never said a word (once again, Jules, I am so, so sorry about that dress!). I am so glad we found each other again! At this point in my life, I really could use a friend. Now, I am just getting sappy and may start crying...wouldn't that be fantastic! HA!

It is time for me to go to the other computer and see exactly how much work I have to do this weekend....not looking forward to it!

MySpace Post - January 25, 2008

2009-04-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

Its like looking in the mirror.

I have said numerous times that Kenley is just like my sister. She looks like her, she dresses like her (very scary thought), and until the other night I thought she acted just like her....not anymore. This scares me even more, but now I have to say she acts just like me. I went outside Wednesday night for something. Nate was asleep, Krista was upstairs, and Kenley was in the living room watching something on tv. I got finished with whatever I was doing and tried to open the door....couldn't open it. It was locked! The next thing I see is this little head in the window. There is my sweet, innocent baby girl staring out the window at me, waving and giggling like a loon. My little girl, my sweet baby girl, the one I carried for 8 months, the one that I play barbies with, the one that I do everything for, had locked me out! I was outside at 10:30 at night with no shoes on in the freezing cold. What was I going to do...I thought about just going around back, but realized I had just locked the back door so I couldn't get in that way either. I started ringing the bell. I didn't figure that would do any good because no one in this house will answer the door but me. Luckily, I had my cell phone. Just as I was about to dial Krista's number to tell her to get downstairs and rescue me...I look up to see my oldest daughter's head in the window. She is staring out at me like I am crazy. I finally get her to open the door and let me in. When I get inside, what do I see? My precious little girl watching tv. Krista asked me why I was standing out there like a crazy person, and I had to explain to her that Kenley had locked me out. Did I get a "I'm sorry, Mommy" from my youngest child? I did not. What I got from her was a shocked expression, mouth open wide with her hand over her mouth and a very innocent look on her face....then she started laughing! I stood there for a minute and looked at her. And, that is when I got scared, really, really scared. Because that child is JUST LIKE ME!!! I would have done the exact same thing that she did, except I would probably do it to this day...at 32 instead of 2.

My mom has always said that she paid for my dad's raising with me...well, I think I am about to pay for mine with Kenley!

MySpace Post - January 23, 2008

2009-04-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

I can't cry anymore. For those of you that know me well know how I cry over every little thing. If I am sad, I cry. If I am happy, I cry. If I am mad, I cry….Sometimes (ok…many, many times) I just cry for absolutely no reason at all. Here lately though, it just isn't happening, and right now I am needing to cry!!!! I even saw my mother crying the other day and I didn't even shed a tear. I just could not believe it. Yes, she was crying from laughter, but still…it has always been a huge joke with my family, if you get me, my mother, and my sister together and one of us starts crying…well the tears are going to flow for all of us. Not this time though, the biggest crybaby of the family watched her mother wipe the tears away and didn't even sniffle...

I have always been extremely proud of my talent for crying on command. In the first several years of my marriage, it served me well. If I wanted something, I cried and got what I wanted. If I didn't want to do something, I cried…I didn't have to clean the toilet once the first year Shaun and I were married! Now, it's another story. I think he has gotten so used to me crying, sometimes I think really and truly he is happy about it. At least then I am not yelling at him. Krista, it never fazed her one bit to see me cry…she actually laughed a few times. Nathan, on the other hand, is a sucker and falls for it every time (I love you, my baby boy!). Now, maybe I should not be so thrilled about pulling one over on my own little boy, but when you live in my household you take what you can get. I think Kenley may be a little bit like her sister. The past couple of times that I cried, she just patted me on the head and giggled.

Now, my situation may not seem like such a big deal to most of you (how many actually read this…Julie, Laura, no one else ever says a thing about what I post in these things) and at one point in my life when I was crying (for real) every day I would have been happy with a little dry eyes. However, sometimes you just have to cry. I think it is God's way of helping you to cleanse your soul.

I can't cry, I can't sleep, I can't eat…Don't have a clue as to what it could be. I know it is not anything major, but it has been going on for several days now. I kicked the caffeine thinking that might help. I have been drinking so much water it's a wonder I don't sprout fins, but so far…no tears and no sleep.

Ok, now that I have enlightened all (what 2 or 3 of you) that read this… I am going to clean my messy, messy house. If anyone knows of a really cheap maid, housekeeper, domestic cleaning lady, or whatever the politically correct name for them is...just let me know!

MySpace post from January 18, 2008

2009-04-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

What are we gonna do??

Kenley does NOT like trains....In Bay, those trains are a fact of life that you just have to get used to. They are like the cotton gins, tractors, and mosquitoes. If you live here, you are going to have to deal with them. When we moved away, it took me a while to sleep at night...I didn't hear the trains and it didn't feel like home. In Mountain View, occasionally you could hear one as it went through (what town??) Calico Rock, I believe. Well, this morning Kenley and I got stopped by a train. It had just started moving so of course it was taking forever....Kenley screamed the entire time it went by. She kept yelling, "No..I don't WANT the choo-choo. I don't LIKE it". I tried getting her to count the cars. She did that for about four cars and then went right back to yelling. When it finally passed, she sang out " Bye, Choo-choo" as if it was her best friend in the world. I will be the first to admit this...I have a very weird child!

I got her a new dress yesterday. It was gonna be for Easter, but I have a feeling she will be wearing it way before then. It has somewhat of a "pouffy" skirt and she loves twirling it. She threw one heck of a fit when I tried taking that dress off of her. She has finally stopped wearing "shake" skirt, but that is only because she cannot find it....once it is found she will probably start wearing it everyday again.

On another note...I really wish this flu/cold/whatever season would pass. All three of my doctors have a cold. You think it is bad when you have a cold and you know you sound terrible...just try having to listen to three doctors with colds when you have to be able to hear and understand what they say in order to do your job. I am not going to go into any details of the things I have had to listen to this week...it's just not pretty. And, with that I have to get to work!

I'm So Dizzy....My Head Is Spinning

2009-04-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

Great! Now, I have that song (see blog title) stuck in my head...and I do not even LIKE that song to start with!!!

I have no idea why I am blogging. I am sick. Poor, poor me. No one else is feeling sorry for me so I am locked in my room, feeling terrible, all by myself. Okay, that was a wonderful little pity party that I just threw for myself. I am feeling slightly better now. HA! Seriously, I have no idea what is wrong with me and I hate it. It is horrible being sick on the weekend although, turns out it's supposed to rain tomorrow so I don't guess I'm gonna be missing out on any fun anyway. I also am supposed to be working all weekend so maybe I actually lucked out by being sick. Okay, now I just can't make up my mind if I am happy about this or not. Another HA!

I'm not real sure what's wrong with me. That may be the big problem. I woke up really early (or at least really early for me here lately!) so at first I just thought it was because I was tired. Nothing really hurts I just feel off. I have been soooo dizzy-headed it is hard to stand up, sit up, move my head around, anything where the upper part of my body has to move. I went to bed at about 7:00 this evening (and it is now 10:00) hoping that I would feel somewhat better. I guess I do somewhat, but I'm still dizzy and now I will probably be up all night.

I just rambled on and on for 16 lines (excluding spaces!!) about absolutely nothing. This blog should be quite enlightening, and as Kenley would say...whatever). I am such a loser...I just did a line count of my blog. Why did I do that? I have no idea....oh my word. That just made me think of the movie Miss Congeniality where Gracie is meeting the pageant specialist (or whatever) and he is cutting her down...blah, blah, blah, can't remember the entire conversation, but one of Gracie's responses was "I have no idea" in this very proper, obviously fake, British accent. Love it!!! What am I doing???? I really, really should not be blogging, that is very clear as I just reread the last paragraph. Oh well. If you are still reading this (and not asleep from boredom) I will just carry on in my half-dazed, rambling way.

So....the reason for getting up early, which I believe I mentioned way up there. The Smith family had a yard sale. Whooohooo....what fun. (Hopefully you can read the sarcasm!!). Actually, I didn't have to work very hard at this yard sale. I let Shaun do most of the work. I suppose we did pretty well. We had planned on having it for two days, but by the time we were finished realized we (notice I keep saying we? Shaun probably wouldn't agree) didn't have enough stuff for another day. That's probably a good thing, because if you were paying attention in the first paragraph you would already know that it is supposed to be raining tomorrow. You didn't realize you were going to be quizzed over what you read (or didn't read) now did ya??

During the "yard sale gettin' ready" stage, I came across Nathan's (or was it Krista's??) old life jacket. It looked like the perfect size for Kenley-girl, so I let her try it on. Big mistake there! I didn't think I was ever going to get her out of it. She couldn't bend over without falling over so it really was quite comical just watching her run around in it. She finally grew tired of it and made me "let her out of this thing....please?". Later that night, I was fixing her bath water and the two of us were looking into the tub. We were in the middle of a conversation about what all she had done during the day, when I turned around and she was running out the bathroom door. I yelled for her to get back in there because it was almost bath time. She turned around, put her hands on her hips, and gave me "the look." "Wait," she said, "I's gots to get my life jacket first." Needless to say, it was quite the battle keeping her out of the life jacket long enough to take a bath.

I think my family may be a little worried about my blog....Shaun noticed that I was "blogging" and said he would leave me alone. Then, he asked in a worried voice, "You didn't say anything about me, did you?". Yesterday, when Nate found out I had a blog he wanted to know the same thing....Maybe they shouldn't be so guilty, but then again this just might be my way of making sure they behave. A form of punishment, maybe???

You better watch what you say or do around me....you just might find yourself the topic of my next blog. :)

Have a great weekend, everyone!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

A Myspace Re-Post....December 11, 2006

2009-04-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

This was probably one of the very best blogs that I posted on Myspace. I thought I would re-post it here since it is such a great story....Some of it is a little graphic and I'm sure I made lots of typos, but overlooking all of that is an amazing story of how God worked in my life the day Kenley was born.

July 22, 2005.

I guess I should actually tell about the week leading up to the day Kenley was born. My baby sister was getting married on July 16. On a Saturday, in the middle of the afternoon, outside, in July. Well, being the wonderful older sister that I am, I ran around like crazy that whole day. Fixing the cake and other refreshments, setting the chairs up (OUTSIDE in JULY), making sure my little family got ready and reassuring my sis that my son would not lose the ring (which he did). My lovely mother did not make me stick around and help clean up afterward though. She gave me orders to go to her house and rest. At that time, I was 34 weeks along and being the wonderful mother that she is, she did not want me overdoing it. The wedding, by the way, was truly wonderful.

On to the next week, Nathan was leaving on the 22nd to play baseball in the World Series in Oklahoma City. It was a huge ordeal for Nathan, our family, Nathan's team, the whole town! We had already made plans for my parents to take him and Krista because we knew my doctor would not want me traveling that far. I had been having contractions for about three weeks already. Seeing as they were playing in this tournament, Nathan's team had ball practice just about every day that week. So, you know where I was. Outside in the middle of July. I was already down to working (at a grocery store here in Mtn View) 4 days a week and 2 of those days only about 4 hours. The other two were 8 hour days, but I was the office manager, so I got to sit down quite a bit.

July 22. Nathan, Krista, my mom, and my dad left Mountain View at about 5:00 AM. Shaun went into work at 7:00 and since I was checking that day I went in at 8:00. I was standing at my register when I had a VERY severe pain. Something just did not feel right. The lady that was working with me talked me into calling Shaun to take me to Batesville to see my doctor. We left Wilson's at about 10:45. We stopped once to call Shaun's brother and ask him to bring my cell phone, which I had left sitting on the dining room table. We also tried to call my doctor, but couldn't get through. We stopped once more when we got to Batesville to try and call my doctor again. He had told us that if I was to go into labor during the day in the middle of the week to call him and he would probably just have us stop in at his office. If it was at night or the weekend to just go to the hospital. We never could get through to him. For some reason, I decided we should just go to the hospital and if nothing happened he could send us home.

We had never been in the hospital at Batesville and seeing as we still had five weeks, we hadn't yet taken the tour of the O.B. wing. We had that planned for the next doctor's appointment. So, there we were. We didn't know where to go. It was almost comical. We looked so lost. We went in this door (I am not sure what part of the hospital we were in) and went up to this desk. We told the lady what was going on and told her we wasn't sure on how to get to the O.B. She got me a wheelchair and walked us up to where we should be.

We hadn't filled out all of the information (we thought we still had time!) so there I sat filling in all of the information while the nurses tried to find a room for me. Come to find out, all of the rooms were full so I got to share a room. The other people were VERY annoying! They didn't seem to care what kind of language that they used and they had this Larry the Cable guy lighter and it kept saying over and over "get r done" (to this day, that phrase is NOT allowed in my house). They finally got them moved them into their own room and for that I am still extremely thankful to those nurses! By this time it was about 11:45.

The nurse started her little exam. She was having trouble finding Kenley's heartbeat, which I thought was problems with the machine. I remember laying there and feeling this kind of chill. Then I started freezing. I asked Shaun to cover me up because I was so cold. The nurse stopped fiddling with the machine and gave me this strange look and said kind of excited "you're cold?". I don't remember much about the next few minutes. I just remember her running out of the room. Another nurse met her at the door and she told her to call Dr. Harville (that was my cutie doctor). The nurse came back in, but I think at this point I went to sleep because I really can't remember what was going on. I remember she was pushing my bed out of the room when Dr. Harville came in. He patted my foot and asked me if I was ready to have this baby.

The nurse was pushing my bed and we were FLYING down the hallway. We almost ran over this man when we went around a corner. She stopped only long enough to wait for the elevator. At this point, she asked which pediatrician I wanted (there was only two on call at that time). I told her the last one because she said the names with so much urgency that I couldn't remember the first name. We got to the operating room and I heard her ask where Dr. Harville was. I had this thought go through my head... we out ran the doctor. I remember looking up as Shaun was trying to get through the door and watching them push him out. It all happened so fast, up until then I wasn't scared. When I saw they weren't letting him in.... that is when I got a little scared. I remember them moving me on to the table and all of these people around. It was almost like looking down and seeing myself on a table. The last thing I remember was the anesthesiologist telling me, ok... I am going to put you to sleep now. There is nothing to worry about. Everything is going to be fine.

Kenley was born at 12:22 PM.

The next thing I know, I am awake and all of these doctors and nurses are staring at me. Shaun is no where around and I am no longer pregnant. I had a tube down my throat and I couldn't talk. I couldn't get any one to tell me where my baby was, where my husband was. Nothing. I just couldn't make them understand. Finally, Shaun came running in. That was such a wonderful site. All of these strangers start moving out of the way and there is my gorgeous husband. I couldn't make him understand me either, but he knew what I needed to hear. He started talking. Kenley was fine. He had her in a room. Chuck and Lisa (his brother and sister-in-law) was in there with her. She was beautiful. She was breathing on her own with no tubes or anything. I couldn't figure out why he was telling me she didn't have any tubes hooked up. I still hadn't realized how serious it was.

It had seemed like only minutes had passed, but it was 5:00 when I woke up. I don't remember a lot of the details while I was in the critical care unit. I remember the breathing tube was choking me and I wanted to see my baby. They wanted to make sure I could breathe on my own before they took the tube out, but I kept falling asleep and forgetting to breathe so the automatic thing would kick in. Shaun would try to wake me up and tell me to breath, but even then I was stubborn. Finally, they took it out! I still had to stay in ICU for a while so that meant I couldn't see Kenley. A nurse brought me a picture of her, but it wasn't the same. Late that night, a couple of the nurses snuck her into the ICU so I could see her. She was so beautiful! She was the tiniest baby I had ever seen.

I got to leave the ICU and was moved into my own room at about 12:00 the next day. As we went to my room, all of the nurses would stop and congratulate me and call me miracle mommy. I wasn't sure what they meant. I finally got to my own room where my beautiful baby girl was. Shaun's mom, dad, brother, and sister- in-law were in there. I finally got to hold my little girl almost 24 hours after she was born. I just laid there and looked at her until I fell asleep.

The doctor came in at one point and I finally found out exactly how serious the situation was. All of that time, it had felt like I was moving in slow motion or like it wasn't really happening. What happened was, my placenta erupted. The doctor told me that was why the nurse was having such trouble finding Kenley's heartbeat. It wasn't the machine, it was because her heartbeat was dropping. He told me that I was literally bleeding to death and Kenley was drowning in my blood. Both of us had only about 10 minutes before they lost us. I had lost so much blood that they ended up having to give me 4 units of blood.

Before that day, I believed in God. I was saved. I knew Jesus had died for me and my sins, and I never doubted that God could perform miracles. Now, I KNOW God can perform miracles! Kenley and I are proof! There were so many things that could have happened and we wouldn't have made it. He made sure I was working that day (I could have been home alone) and that I was working with a lady that is even more stubborn than I am who insisted that I call Shaun. He could have let us turn around to go get the cell phone, but instead He made sure Shaun's brother was going to Batesville anyway so we just asked him to bring it to us. He made sure I went to the hospital instead of the doctor's office. He put my very own guardian angel in that hospital named Jenny, the nurse who realized that something was seriously wrong (we were in the hospital for five days and not once did Shaun or I see Jenny again, she just happened to be working in that part of the hospital at that time.) He gave the doctors and nurses the knowledge to save me and my baby.

There is not a single day that goes by that I am not truly thankful for the nurses and doctors at White River Medical Center and all that they did for me and Kenley that day, but I know that it was GOD that allowed them to save us. It is because of God that Krista and Nathan still have their mother and their baby sister, that Shaun has his baby girl and still has his wife that drives him crazy, that I am here today to watch all three of my children grow. Thank you, Lord, for everything.

An Intro Into My Life....

2009-04-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

Just in case you happened to stumble in here, I will introduce myself a little. I'm Shannon. I'm basically pretty boring. Sad, but true. I am married to my wonderful husband, Shaun. We have three kids, all spread out in ages. First there is Krista (I call her Lou). She is almost 17 yrs old. She is our artist creating all kinds of artwork, music, just about anything creative. I am sure I will post some of her masterpieces on here from time to time. Then, we have Nathan (12). He is our only boy. He is so into sports....football, baseball, snail chasing, basketball...the list could go on and on. Last, but not least, we have our little miracle baby, Kenley. She will be four in July. She is the princess of our castle and loves playing with her barbies, baby dolls, and getting on the computer. She is also our little comedian. You just never know what she's going to say or what she is going to do.

I work from home doing medical transcription. I love being able to be home if one of the kids need me. While working from home can have its benefits, it can also have its disadvantages.....it never seems like I get anytime off is probably the biggest disadvantage. I started doing this when Kenley was born. She was a premmie only weighing 4 lbs and 3 oz when we brought her home. With all the stories about terrible diseases for premmies, I didn't want to take her to daycare. With three kids, there was no way we could survive on just one salary....so I took some classes and started sending out resumes like crazy! I've been doing this for almost four years and love it although, like any job, it can drive me crazy at times.

With all of that, I cannot believe that I decided to start a blog. You would think that I type enough already, but well...I love to talk. Seriously. My family, on the otherhand, gets tired of hearing me ramble so I thought this would be the best way to keep the peace. I will type and when they decide they want to hear one of my stories they can just pop into my blog. I did the blog thing on myspace for a while, but truthfully I wasn't very consistent. Months would go by before I would decide to post. Hopefully, I will be a little bit better here. We'll see.

Now that I have the introduction out of the way, I hope to keep you better entertained here on out. For now, I gotta go play Candyland with my princess!!