Just Checking In

To let everyone know that I am still on the planet and that the husband has not killed me for quitting my job.....YET. Ha! I'm betting that he's getting ready to though. I have to admit, I am LOVING staying at home and wish there was a way to make it happen full time. I know there isn't, but I'm contemplating a part time job as opposed to full time. Sure some changes would have to be made (like my dream house having to wait) but I'm starting to think that the reason I wasn't happy before was because I wasn't able to spend enough time with my daughter, so maybe there has got to be a way to work this out. We're looking at it from all angles and seeing what we can come up with.

Meanwhile, I'm on the job hunt. I've been on about 6 interviews, but so far nada. I think the interviews are going well, but I don't know. I mean seriously, it has been quite a while since I've been in the job market and I am not sure what to expect. I guess I'm just hoping the "perfect" opportunity comes along. And Walter is hoping that "perfect" opportunity comes along soon!

Anyway, thanks for all the love, I finally got internet at the casa and then I broke my mouse cord. Need to pick up another one soon, I feel so out of touch!

Miss you all and hope to be back online soon!

Priorities

Well, I no longer have a job. This is not a good thing actually. I'm hoping that it will turn into a good thing, in that the thing that I am supposed to be doing in life will come to me. However, right now, my ex-boss and I agree that my priorities are not what he thinks they should be. In other words, I don't put my job first. I was given 2 weeks pay, consider it a two week notice you didn't work out he said, and today was my last morning. The end. So, here's my dilema. Where do I go from here? I have to work. I have to have a job. We cannot afford to live on my husband's salary alone. For some reason though, I just feel like things are going to work out. I feel like this is what was supposed to happen and that we are going to be ok. Is that strange? I'm not as upset about it as I think I ought to be. I actually have a crazy peace about everything. I'm guessing that in the end things will work out for me.

So, I probably won't be posting for a bit, as I go out and pound the pavement, looking for that job that is "me". Pray for me. Pray for my family.

Belated Birthday Party Pics Part One

Blogger is being a whore again today, so you get the Ladybug's belated birthday party pics in 2 posts. I hate it when it does this shit. Anyway...on to the party pics!

This is her friend H checking out the slide on her new swingset. Their hineys were wet so they flew down the slide. It scared the beejesus out of the Ladybug.

How cute are these flops? Her friend J gave them to her (his aunt MADE them), Aren't they just precious? See the "A" on them? She also got a ponytail holder with the same A. Precious. I then got her an awesome lunchbox from the same aunt with her name on it. Too cute!
Here she is checking out the monkey bars on her new swingset with her soon to be uncle Scott! She loves the swingset my parents got her.
Cool cake huh? A friend of mine made if for us, carrying on the flip flop theme (and it was delicious. She made it entirely from SCRATCH. I did not realize anyone did that anymore) I just love their faces here.
So, see the next post for the rest of the party pics. I realize that I am late with them.

Belated Birthday Party Pics Part Deux

Here's the Ladybug blowing out the candles on her cake

Something was not right, can you tell that by her face? I'm not sure what it was, but she looks so serious!
Wow! Look AN"OTHER Barbie. (which by the way, this particular Barbie has a tatoo on her. When the hell did Barbie get a freaking tatoo. Yeah, that's the message I want to convey to my four year old.) Here's the Ladybug with yet another Barbie. This time, I am the guilty party, as this is what her father and I got her for her birthday.
I need a little help with this one. It's heavy.

So, the Ladybug's birthday party was a huge success. She got lots of cool stuff (read more Barbie crap than I know what to do with) and had a great time. She got a super cool swing set that is now a permanent fixture in her Nana and Papa's backyard. It took Walter and Scott almost a week to get the damn thing put together, but mind you they weren't working on it all day everyday.

Anyway, I cannot believe that my precious little girl is now four. (what the hell? No one asked me if she could be four already. Surely I would have protested!) Sorry it took me so freaking long to get these pictures up, shit I've been busy lately!

~~~~

oh, and after a wee bit of a scare on Saturday (why, why, why do you do this shit to me Bama?) My Alabama Crimson Tide is 2-0. Woo-hoo!

OMG! I forgot to tell Ya'll.....

That...my sister and her boyfriend got ENGAGED over the weekend!

He is a great guy and I am super happy for her! Congrats ya'll! I love you!

Some Mail Love & Beach Trip Pictures!

So, yesterday was a somber and quiet day. I chose not to post about anything other than my tribute so as to keep the day right. I hope that each of you had a moment to reflect on things that happened that day and where we are today. I was shocked to wake up and find out that there had been a terrorist attack on the US Embassy in Damascus this morning. Just a somber reminder of the world we live in.

Now, on to better and happier things. On Sunday night I went to the Post Office to check our mail box and lookie what I had in there, some mail love from my sweetie Veronica!

Lookie! Candles! Yay! I love candles. And seriously, I wish this was a scratch & sniff blog because they smell HEAVENLY. I've already been burning one. The smell is amazing. And lookie! A Dr. McDreamy tee. I love t-shirts! And check the sweet card. Veronica, you rock honey! Your beach goodies will be heading your way soon!

Now, on to pictures from our beach trip with the kiddos this weekend. We had a BLAST! The kids were worn out from all the swimming and playing and we ate like it might have been our last meal EVER. Seafood is just so so so much better at the beach.

This is J and his daddy. I love how I caught him mid throw.

Here's J & the Ladybug checking out the boats near the marina where we ate supper on Friday night. Ya'll I had some grilled shrimp here that was FABULOUS.

Saturday morning the weather was not so hot, so thank GAWD that the condo had an indoor pool. Here's J and the Ladybug in their cool goggles (or gaggles and J calls them) playing in the indoor pool. Their daddies had taken the morning off and were out playing golf, so thank goodness for the indoor pool or KT and I would have been going crazy trying to find a way to entertain these two! By lunchtime though, the sun was out and things were looking up (and their daddies were back from their golf outing!)

This is sweet little C. The water was a little chilly for him Saturday afternoon so he hung with his mom and I. He is such a sweetie!

Here's J and the Ladybug playing in the sand at Lulu's, which is owned by Jimmy Buffett's sister Lucy. The atmosphere at this place is amazing! They have a little band and a great beach area for the kiddies to play in while you are waiting to be seated, because it is ALWAYS crowded. We got there at 10:45 (they don't open til 11:00) and still had to wait. We ate here before heading home.

The Ladybug and her daddy playing in the pool.

Feeding the fish by where we ate dinner. They had these little things EVERYWHERE at the marina where you could pay a quarter and get some fish food. The kids loved it.

So I guess that was my last beach trip for the year. I'm always sad when I come home from the beach because I love it so much. I always forget that people actually live and work there.

So, what about ya'll? How was your weekend?

In Remberence

I have joined forces with other bloggers to remember the tragedy of September 11, 2001 by paying tribute to each person that lost their life on that fateful day five years ago. I remember

David LaForge

David was 50 years old and was a member of the New York Fire Department. He was confirmed dead either in or at the World Trade Center. A member of Ladder Company 20 on Lafayette Street in Manhattan, he drove the front of the ladder truck for his Company. He was survived by his mother and father, Ethel & James LaForge as well as a sister Jane and a cousin Dr. Robert Malokie.

He is described as a "quiet fireman with a thick mustache" who was living a childhood dream to be a firefighter, starting as a youngster peddling a miniature fire engine across his family's home in Staten Island. A job with North American Van Lines followed where he traveled the country driving a big rig. He joined the department 24 years prior to September 11 and was the "chauffeur" for the team.

His sister, Jane A. Schewerd said that he "liked to go fast" adding that his off duty choice of transportation was a Pontiac Firebird.

David was 50 years old when he died trying to save others in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on our country. He was forever helping neighbors. His sister said that he was "the one everyone called upon. And he always answered the call".

~~~~~

I want to take a minute to add that I hope this country never forgets the way we all felt that day. I remember I was driving to work when I heard the news. I got to work just in time to see the second plane crash into the World Trade Center. I remember feeling sick, knowing that this was a purposeful attack on our country. Though I was not yet a parent, I remember thinking "what kind of world will my child grow up in?". I remember the quietness of work that day. The phones rarely rang and we stayed glued to the television set. I remember coming home and sitting on the back porch of my house with my head in my husband's lap looking up at the sky. On a normal night you can see the blink of several airplanes crisscrossing the night sky above our house. That night there were none. It was an eerie sight and feeling. I remember hearing the stories of those who had lost loved ones and those who were still searching for loved ones amongst the rubble at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I remember how helpless I felt. I tried to grasp the reality of the situation. The reality that the world we lived in changed that day. Though I live in Alabama, which is far removed from New York City, Washington DC and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, I was affected greatly by this tragedy. I knew no one personally who was killed or injured in the attacks, yet I know several who have been deployed to fight for our freedom since September 11. Our world changed forever that day. Think back to the life we had before then. The words we'd never heard of: Homeland Security, the Terror Alert Level, did we really know where Afghanistan and Iraq were? We are now a Country at war. I pray that this county never forgets those that gave their lives that day. But we must also remember the heroism of the fire fighters and the lives that they saved that day.

~~~~~

So, what about you? What are your feelings as we look back five years later?

I'm Outta Here

Yep, in a matter of hours (as in I have 1 more hour left in hell, ahem work, and then I am heading to grab the little one and then grab her daddy and we are off) I am heading back to the beach for one last summer fling. In case ya'll can't tell....I.LOVE.THE.BEACH. So, tomororw while you slave away in hell, ahem your job, think about me. Cause I will be here. Enjoying the sand and the surf. Drinking an adult beverage. Basically, I will be worthless. And all the while GETTING PAID to enjoy this shit. We'll be home on Sunday.

Come on. Admit it. You are all jealous.

Later bitches. I'll send you some sand. And have a drink for you.

Tired

Yeah, I still have not caught up on my sleep so I am still damn tired. I've sucked at blogging lately, because......well.......I guess I just suck. I really don't have any other excuse. I hope to return to a "normal" (whatever the hell normal is) schedule soon. Once we get back from the beach I'll get into my groove again. The past couple of weeks have just been crazy!

I do have one question for ya'll. The Ladybug's school is closed on Monday for 1st mid term (they use a 9 week schedule) progress reports. Due to the massive amount of work I missed with the Grams, and because I am off on Friday, I really can't take Monday off. Neither can the hubs. So, I got this girl that goes to the same school to come watch her ALL day for us on Monday. At our house. My question? I've never had to pay a babysitter. So what's the going rate for them these days? She'll be with her like 9 hours. How much should I pay her? This chick has potential to be a great sitter, so I don't want to screw up and under pay her, but I don't want to over pay her either, therefore her expecting to be paid so handsomly everytime she were to watch the Ladybug. So what do you think?

and yes, I swear one day soon to post Birthday party pics.

oh, and did ya'll know that the new milkshakes from Chick Fil A are orgasmic? Who needs sex? Just give me chocolate.

One.Busy.Weekend.*

*otherwise titled...I.AM.EXHAUSTED.

So, this was a very very very busy weekend for me. Labor Day BBQ and Bama Football and the Ladybug turned 4. (damn, my baby is 4? WTF?)

Anyway, so the Tide didn't exactly "roll" this weekend, but a win is a win no matter how ugly it looked on the field. I'll take it. And the Tide is 1-0.

This is what Bryant Denny looks like on Game Day. A sea of crimson & white.

Bama players celebrating.
Bama's new QB, John Parker Wilson gets ready to pass. His debut as a starter had moments of greatness. I only expect good things from him.

So, Saturday was good. The Tide won. Sunday and Monday were, well, BUSY. I got about 10 hours of sleep between Saturday night and Sunday night. Last night, I was crashed out at 7:30. My feet hurt from being on them all weekend doing BBQ stuff. I'd have pictures if I hadn't of left my cord at home. (all pictures above, courtesy of the Montgomery Advertiser.) It was a lot of hard work, but it was fun. Before expenses we raised $25,000.00. We'll end up making about $18,000.00 that we can turn around into the community. It was a HUGE success. We were out of EVERYTHING (meat, stew, EVERYTHING) by 1:00 yesterday. We had a HUGE turnout. We have never run out of food that early. I worked my rear end off, but love doing things to help others. This was however officially my last BBQ. Joining the League is a 5 year committment, and October marks the end of my 5 years. I will continue to support them, just in a less active roll.

I know I've still got Ladybug b'day party pics to post and I'll get to them. We are heading to the beach on Thursday with the H's and their kids. Should be fun. I'm just looking forward to a little R & R.

I hope all ya'll had a great and safe Labor Day Holiday. If it is the "unofficial" end of summer, I sure wish the fall temperaturs would arrive soon! (yeah, sure....it's Alabama....we won't see fall until at least October!)

I'll try to get around and catch up with each of you soon......

One More Day!

You got it. One more day until the offical start of college football season, namely the Alabama Crimson Tide.

One more day until this stadium is filled to capacity with red. Roll Tide Roll!

One more day until the Bama boys take the field in their crimson and white.
Just for good measure, the greatest coach to ever coach a ballgame. That would be Bear Bryant. If you live in Alabama, you know who he is.
I am so excited. Football season is here! I loves me some college football and I cannot wait to see the Tide.

So, happy Friday, happy Labor Day weekend and of course

ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!!