Details

Lol, sorry, I guess I did kinda leave out the meat of the story! So here ya go.

I took a chance and decided that I wasn't as happy as I thought I was alone. Don't get me wrong, being single has its really strong points, but they started to get old.

If you log onto my myspace page, the # 3 person on there is Jered. I've known him for over a year now and it was nothing more than friends. Never really thought about him in any other way. All that has changed. We started really talking and realized we had a lot in common. Both of us have been married before, and although he doesn't have any kids, all his friends' kids love him to pieces. He's just a good ol' country boy who works hard a plays hard, where as I'm just a redneck who works hard but doesn't really get to play all that much. Anyway, starting to get carried away here. lol, sorry. We started talking more and more and the chance I took was going to spend the weekend with him and moving our friendship to a different level. Mind you, before this point I was pretty much done dating. My last relationship was a very unhealthy one for me and I needed time to rediscover my self and just got used to being by myself. I was worried that by taking this chance I was going to ruin a friendship and regret putting myself back in the dating pool. Well, I didn't screw up a friendship, :) yaaay for me, things are going REALLY well with us and I don't, not even for one minute, regret putting myself out there in the dating pool. Looks like I'm back out of the dating pool, but for entirely different reason. :p so there you go, the details. lol, if I left anything out, let me know. Oh, and sorry for such the late reply.

Taking chances

Wow, I don't even know where to start and not really sure I have the words to express this. But here goes nothing.


Through out life we are faced with millions of decisions to make, things to ponder, and chances to take. Not all decisions are good, not all the things we ponder are worth the time spent on them, and some of the chances we take were not the brightest of things to do. We've all been there. 'Do I make this career move, or that one?' Or may favorite worthless thing to ponder, and please try not to laugh too hard, why does the word towel look and sound SO weird? Hey, quit laughing. :p And some chances we take are painful. From stitches to broken bones and broken hearts.


I'd pretty much decided I was going to quit taking chances. Why bother with the pain some of them may cause? I'd dealt with it too much in the past to want to put up with it now or in the future. I have my kids to think about, not myself. All these thoughts went through my head as I wrestled with the decision on whether or not to take a chance. Well, I took a chance this weekend and wasn't really sure how things would turn out. I've been hurt a lot as far as taking chances goes, yes to stitches, no to broken bones, big fat yes to a broken heart. Not to mention thousands of bumps and bruises along the way. But I have this to say. MAN am I glad I took a chance on opening up to someone this weekend. Yup, still waaaay to early to tell where it will go but I am willing to take the chance to see what happens next. That gut feeling we all get right before we do something, you know the one, its either this was a good idea go for it feeling, or the oh I'm not so sure this was such a good idea sinking stomach feeling? Yeah, all weekend it was the this was a good idea go for it feeling, so I went with it. Ok, getting a little long here so I'll bring us to the moral of the story. Never give up on taking a chance. Listen to your gut and your heart when it comes to taking those chances, but don't QUIT. If you get the sinking stomach feeling, back pedal as fast as you can and take a good look at what you're about to do, and if you get that go for it feeling, then by all means, GO FOR IT. I am so glad I did.


Gabrielle

Work

So as you all know, the auto industry, especially for full size trucks, sucks right now. Since August 8th, we haven't built a single truck at the plant. Thankfully, they didn't show us the door and we still have jobs. You guys also know that I work a rotating schedule, 2 weeks days 2 weeks nights. Which kinda sucks. Ok it more than kinda sucks. They made an announcement yesterday that they are putting the night shift on hold till April. 1st shift will be from 6:30am to 3:15pm and 2nd shift will be from 8:30am to 5:15pm. So for the next 6 months I will actually be able to have a life outside of work. I have know idea what to do with myself and the almost normal work schedule. What's going to suck is going back to a rotating shift in April, but hey, I've done it for almost 3 years now, so it shouldn't be too bad.

Just to clear up a few things

I know I haven't posted anything in awhile, but I'm back on nights which means if I'm not sleeping, I'm getting the kids off the bus and then bookin' it to work. But there is a comment that was posted that kinda irked me a little so I wanted to clear things up.

That day last month that Logan didn't get off the bus was something that I do not wish to repeat, ever. And yes, I have used my imagination because I am blessed/cursed with a very active one, so I know worse things could have happened. But to clear the air, Logan didn't lie, he got confused. The boys had a doctor's appointment that morning, so their regular routine was screwed up. Mind you, the kids hadn't been in school for more than a month when this happened and this is Logan's first ever experience with anything like school. I couldn't afford the $300 a week to put him in day care and since I am the only income supporting these kids, I took advantage of the fact that Granny is here during the day.

Because the boys had that appointment that morning, obviously they couldn't ride the bus to school. I had to take them to school, sign them in, then walk them to their classrooms. I completely understand how Logan got confused and thought that I was also going to pick them up. I really don't appreciate the comment on how he lied so he wouldn't have to ride the bus. To him, riding the bus is FUN, why would he lie? And for cryin' out loud, the boy is 5, can we cut him a little slack here folks? The bottom line is the school officials f****d up. And if I hadn't been home on nights, Logan would have waited at the school until after 5 pm before anyone could have picked him up. And the school officials NEVER called to tell me Logan was in the office. I had to call them.

Help!

So I'm starting to realize that I am NOT technically savvy. I want the cool photo slide shows like what Jennifer has on her page. And I want a more original looking page. Can someone please explain to me how I'm supposed to get all this onto my page? I mean seriously, you would think I could figure this out on my own, but apparently I am having one LONG blonde moment. No comments from the three stooges. You know who you are! :)

Logan and the bus

So here's what happened.

Brody told the bus driver that his little brother wasn't on the bus, right? Since you have the older of the two boys telling you that his brother is missing, you would think to check into it, right? Well, not this bus driver. She still left the campus. The next day she said that Brody never told her anything like that. So I'm thinking 'Maybe she just didn't hear him', Brody sits directly behind the bus driver. They have assigned seating so his seat never changes and Brody can be a very loud child. I don't think that she didn't hear him. I think because she has another route to run after the elementary route, that she pretended not to hear him.

I was on nights that week, so dad helped me out with this a lot. We contacted the Super for transportation as well as the super for the district. The story we got is that again the bus driver says that Brody never told her anything like that. Apparently they have a roll call list they are supposed to check off after the bus is loaded. Needless to say, she got her butt chewed. I don't think the bus driver likes me anymore.

The super for the district chewed the principal out because the aides failed to check for a note from the parent stating that he was a car rider for the day. The principal then chewed the aides and his homeroom teacher for failing to check for a note and for approaching me about Logan's class room behavior when both he and I had just gone through a very stressful situation. I've been assured that it won't happen again and that even if there is a note from me saying that I'll be picking them up, they are still going to call my cell to double check.

I hope this doesn't happen again because I don't think I could handle it. That day Logan didn't get off the bus, my stomach literally hit the sidewalk. With the way the world is today and all the threats to a 5 year old that are out there, if it does happen again I may just go ballistic.

Eye opener

I just wanted to pass on a very recent (as of last night) experience. Most of you know or have heard me talking about my best friend Charly. She and I have grown up in each others pockets. We've been friends for going on 12 years and I love her and think of her as my sister.

I got a phone call last night around 8 PM from our mutual friend Andie. She wanted to let me know that Charly was up at the hospital with her family. Now just a few weeks ago Charly was in the hospital due to an allergic reaction to penicillin. No one knew she was allergic. So before Andie could finish talking I immediately thought Charly had gone back into the hospital due to further complications. Come to find out her dad had a full blown stroke. Not good. It was a left-brain stroke so it affects the right side of his body and his speech. Apparently he had been having the stroke all day yesterday but didn't throw the actual clot until roughly 6 pm or so. He woke up yesterday with the complaint that he just didn't feel good. He didn't know exactly what was wrong other than that he was tired and really had no appetite.

When I first met this man he scared the living you-know-what out of me. He stands at least 6'2" or 3" and has the air of authority about him. Needless to say he is a very strong man. The proverbial "rock" of the family. As time went on, he became like another father to me, one I hated disappointing and thought of as "dad". Standing in the hospital room last night as we waited for the test results, it hit me. That could be my father in that bed. I haven't always believed in the saying that life is short. If you think about it, life is the longest thing we will ever do. But it came to me last night not to think of that saying in the literal sense. No, life isn't short, but it can be cut off when you least expect it. It was a great shock to see Charly's dad in that bed. It scared me. Here I am in a hospital beside a man that I think of as dad, one I thought nothing could happen to and would always be the way he always was. That could have easily been Dad.

I guess I'm just rambling now, but there is a point to all this. Let the ones you love and cherish KNOW you love and cherish them. Tomorrow might not come for you or them and there are no guarantees that if it does, it will be the same as yesterday.

Thankfully the doctors say he is showing some good signs. His legs are strong and even though there is some paralysis on the right side of his body, he should be able to walk again with aide of a cane. As far as his speech goes, it will be like teaching a child to talk, but he will be able to talk. A lot of what he says is jumbled right now, but that is because he is extremely tired due to the stroke. He understands what you're saying and some of what he says is understandable. These are all GOOD signs. Say a prayer for him and his family and then let the ones in your family know how you feel.

McCain in 2008

So after reading Jenn's post about John McCain, I decided to follow in her footsteps.

This is the first election in a while that I am actually excited about. I love George W. and I think in his position, he has done the best damn job he could do. I do not believe that going into Iraq was a mistake. I do believe that if we pull out now, before the Iraqi people are ready, that WOULD be a mistake.

I think the McCain/Palin ticket is the strongest one we've had in a long time. I'm not against Obama because of his name, his color, his age or his lack of experience. I'm against him because I don't think the man has what it takes to run a country of this size and power. Besides his "Time for change" speeches, the man has nothing going for him. Have you ever heard him answer a question directly? I sure haven't, but then again maybe I missed that one interview where he did actually answer a question without beating around the bush and changing the subject all together. Anyway, this was not supposed to be me getting on my soap box. I just wanted to express my support for McCain and my concern with Obama. I borrowed this clip from Jenn, so thanks!! Please watch all the way through. Its only a couple minutes long.

Hurricane

So Ike decided to unleash his fury on the Houston/Galveston area. That means I can go untie the lawn furniture and un-batten the hatches. We may get some gusty winds and a little rain, but that will be about it.

9/11

This is in memory of all of the people who lost their lives that fateful day. Many have forgotten, yet some will never heal. In honor of our service men and women who are in the line of fire every day and who have selflessly given their lives for us to remain safe at home, THANK YOU. I will never forget what happened that day or those of you who have made the ultimate sacrifice on America's behalf. May God be with you and your families each and every day.

Logan

I'm working my night shift rotation right now and yesterday afternoon after I got ready for work I went to meet the kids at the corner as they got off the bus. Our subdivision is the first stop on the school bus route but still doesn't get here until around 3:40. School lets out and the buses start loading at 3:15. That's 25 minuets between. So, Brody gets off the bus yesterday afternoon and comes running across the street, no Logan. A couple of seconds go by and Brody starts telling me that Logan missed the bus. He didn't get on the bus at school. Now I'm thinking to myself, 'How on earth could the aides not put my 5 year old on the bus?' Man was I pissed! Not to mention scared to death. So I run back to the house grab my car keys and wallet and book it to the school. The whole time Brody is apologizing because he forgot Logan at school. Now that made my heart ache. Here's a 6 year old child apologizing for something the adults at his school are supposed to take care of. The boys are bus riders. Its in their file at school. If that changes, say I need or want to pick them up after school, I have to send a note in to the school to the teacher and the office letting them know.
As I'm on the way to the school I make a phone call. I had to call the school twice, back to back, before I could get anyone to answer the phone. Its not yet 4o'clock yet they're already letting the answering machine pick up the phone calls. I finally get someone on the phone and I tell her I'm calling because my 5 year old Logan did not get off the bus at home and want to know why that is. She replies, 'Because he told us he was a car rider.' A 5 year old little boy tells you something, and no note was sent to the school and no phone call was made to the school letting the school officials know and you don't call the parent to confirm. My cell phone is on file at the school. My work phone and my parents cell phones as well. Yet no call was made. To top it off. Brody tells me he told the bus driver, before she even left the school, that his little brother was not on the bus yet. Why would I only pick up one of my children from the school yet let the other one ride the bus home?? Does that make any sense to any of you? Because it sure as heck makes no sense to me! Anyway, I get to the school and to the office, and once I calm Logan down, who at this time was in tears, his teacher and one of the office aides start trying to change the subject and turn it to Logan's behavior in the classroom and in the cafeteria. I know Logan and I need to work on his behavior, but because this is his first school experience, I expected some adjustment issues the first month of school. What I don't appreciate is that the two that were in the office decided that was a good time to try to discuss it. Why? So that I wouldn't be thinking about how my child got left behind due to a slip up at the school, that's why. I know Logan told them he was a car rider, but as adults, they should have double checked that especially since Logan had no note saying that he not supposed to get on the bus. INTO BATTLE I GO. I'll be contacting the super over this now.

There's a hurricane acomin'!!

Ok, I know its a little twisted of me to actually be looking forward to this really bad weather headed our way, but Holy Crap!! Its a hurricane!!! Batten down the hatches, secure the lawn furniture and hold on for dear life! Even being 150 miles inland we still have a chance for tropical storm force winds, LOTS of rain and one hell of a ride. I'll take pictures of any damage and the floods after the storm comes through. Stay tuned!!

Mr. Jim

For those of you in the family that know Mr. Jim (mom & dad's neighbor & friend) he had quadruple bypass surgery on Wed. Sept. 3. The surgery went really well and in fact what was scheduled to take 4 hours to do only took the surgeon a little under 2 hours. His heart doctor and the surgeon are both very pleased with the way he is progressing and are letting him come home today. I think that is remarkable. Only 6 days in the hospital after open heart surgery. It started after his physical. The family doc sent him for stress testing and what not and he went to the same doctor that dad has for that. They noticed what looked like a pinch in one of the veins so they were going in on Tuesday the 2nd to possibly put a stint in to open that vein. When the doctor got in there he found 4 almost 100% blocked arteries and an aneurysm. and you know how the rest of it went. The heart specialist told Jim that if he'd have waited, he would have had a massive coronary within 2 months and he wouldn't have survived. Thank goodness the man upstairs was watching out for him.

The stinkin' flu

Well, both boys are sick. I really thought, and was hoping that it was just allergies, but they were both running a fever yesterday and they were really cranky. It also appears that they have passed it on to me. I really can't stand being sick and I know how the boys feel and why they're cranky. This bites the big one!!

My birthday present to myself

I got myself a birthday present Saturday. Mom and dad are not happy, of course, but that's the beauty of being within spitting distance of 30.:-) I'll be getting another one in October or November which will be my Christmas present to myself. The other one will go on my left shoulder and is an angel drawn in the same style. Matt's girlfriend is the one who did the art work for me. She drew it out on paper and I took it into a friend of mine and he put it on transfer paper and did the actual ink work. I'm really happy with the way she turned out.

1st grade text books

When did they start sending text books home in the 1st grade?? Brody came home with a science text book that needed to be covered so that he could take it back to school tomorrow to use in class. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember bringing books home when I was in 1st grade. Its so cute though. He's all excited because he feels like a big boy with actual homework. I know that attitude will wear off soon enough, but hopefully he can stay excited until 5th grade at least! :)

Link to Matt's band web site

The link at the top of the page is to Southern Syndrum's myspace page. For those of you who don't know, Matt is the lead singer in a band that is considered heavy southern rock. My non-biased opinion is that they are really good. Stop by the page and listen to the songs they have posted there. My personal favorite, which of course they have not added to their page yet, is Into the woods. By the way, Matt writes all the music for the band and they are proud of the fact that they are NOT a cover band. Let him know what you think and spread the word!

Ok Teri, here goes nothin!

Well, I did it. This is my first attempt at the whole blog thing. Any suggestions, please feel free to share!!