And Just Like That..........

I can remember growing up in NJ and living for the summer. Summers meant going to my most favorite spot in the whole wide world--the ocean!!!!! Every year during the winter we would head to Ocean Beach and select the perfect rental home to spend our beloved vacation time in. You always had to make sure the house was big enough to sleep the family/friends that inevitably came to visit. I can remember packing up the car with everything but the kitchen sink. I always got new sand toys and toy cars to play with in the sand. My days consisted of waking, getting ready for the beach, walking to the beach, playing in the ocean, returning home for lunch, returning to the beach, returning home for dinner and finally going to the boardwalk for our nightly entertainment. I should add in that another highlight of being at the beach was the ice cream man that walked around on the beach with a cooler strapped around his neck. Ahhhhh, now that was a treat!! Oh, I can still vividly remember the boardwalk at night and all the rides and treats I would partake in. You haven't had real salt water taffy until you've had it fresh made on the boardwalk. And just like that, those memories will really now only live on in my mind. When I saw this picture of the boardwalk I loved compared with the boardwalk that is there today, I cried. One storm, one tidal surge, one place of memories--gone. Just like that.

It's been awhile..........

Wow, a little thing called life has gotten in the way and I do not know where the time has gone. Summer is coming to a close and it feels like it just started. Our first summer back in the south was hot, hot, hot! Luckily we joined a swim and tennis club which helped us stay cool on those really hot, humid days. The boys enjoyed the diving board and just being able to relax at the pool. I of course LOVED being in the sun, but even this sun worshipping mama had to spend a lot of time in the pool during those really hot days. It was just too hot to lay out on the lounge. We were able to get two trips in to Florida and one trip, sans kids, to Hilton Head/Savannah. In July Jen got engaged. These 4AM start times sure are no fun and I go back and forth asking to move to a different department. On one hand I like getting off at noon, but on the other hand I am ALWAYS exhausted. Overnites was much easier. The problem with the 4AM start time is that you are just in the middle of your REM sleep and you have to get up. I guess time will tell. We have finally been able to turn off the AC. Now mind you, it is still in the 80's, but the humidity has broke and that is a huge help. We also have a whole house attic fan (LOVE) that pulls the air through the house and keeps it cool. Well, that's about all for now. We are alive and well for the most part.........will try to update more often.

Tears

A little boy asked his mother, “Why are you crying?” “Because I’m a woman,” she told him. “I don’t understand,” he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, “And you never will.” Later the little boy asked his father, “Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?” “All women cry for no reason,” was all his dad could say. The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry. Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked, “God, why do women cry so easily?” God said, “When I made the woman she had to be special. I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort. I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children. I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining. I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly. I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart. I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly. And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed.” “You see my son,” said God, “the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides.” Author: Unknown

Sad

There is no way to hide it.......I am very sad right now. Losing Martha has been hard......very hard. I don't understand why she had to go so soon. I lost it last night........I cried for two hours straight. I come home from work and immediately look to her room like this is all a bad dream and I will see her waiting for me to go outside. Oh, she could be such a pain in the ass, but what I wouldn't give now to have that pain back again. Martha, I am so, so, sorry you got so sick. The doctor assured us we were making the right decision because you were in a lot of pain. Your daddy was by your side as you drew your last breath. We loved you Martha and wish you were here. Tony is having a tough time without you here, too. I hope Millie and Daisy and Ollie and Clyde and Sheba and Dino are running through the fields with you. I hope you got a chance to meet your sister Lilly, too. You are healed now Martha and free to run. We will never forget our Miss Martha May.

Priceless

I received a phone call yesterday from Jeff. He was calling to tell me that he had signed the two of us up to do a volunteer event today. I asked what we would be doing and he said, "I don't know, it is an Easter event at an elementary school." My first thought was, "I hope it rains." It has been a long, difficult week and the thought of giving my time to benefit somebody else was nothing I was looking to do. When I went to bed it was pouring. When I woke up at 6, it had stopped raining. Still not really feeling like going, I thought of telling him I was going to stay home. I heard him jump into the shower and started viewing this as an opportunity to have some one on one time with my son. We pulled up to the school and I was amazed. The event was a city wide park and recreation event designed for children up to age 7. Lots of peope everywhere and even cops directing traffic. We eventually found where we needed to be and got our assingnment. I was so thankful when we were NOT assigned to do face painting. Our assignment was the 6-7 year old egg hunt. We reported to our field and helped lay down about 2000 eggs. We were soon alone in the field and left to "guard" it until the race began. We answered many questions during that time. About 30 minutes before the race started a mom approached me and asked if she would be allowed on the field with her autistic son. My first reaction, having autistic children myself was to say yes, but then I remembered the director specifically telling us "NO PARENTS". I explained to the mom that I totally understood where she was coming from, but I would have to ask. She told me she would be back in 10 minutes. I sent Jeff to ask the director and the answer was "of course she can!" Jeff came back with a smile on his face and I didn't even have to ask what the answer was. The mom returned and I gave her two thumbs up. The smile on her face was priceless. The hunt began and I quickly scanned the field for that mom and son. I located them and the smiles on their faces were once again priceless. After only 5 minutes all 2000 eggs had been picked up. Our next assignment was to help give out prizes at the prize booth. I was thrilled to see my autistic buddy had found an egg that earned him a prize. While they were walking away, the mom turned to me and and now she gave me two thumbs up. I know the smile on my face as well as the smile on my heart was priceless. On our way home I thanked Jeff for signing me up. I need to get out and do more of this. I probably will never see that mom and son again, but the site of them and their smiles will be etched in my mind and heart forever.

Darn woodpeckers!

Alas, we have a very common looking woodpecker. A woodpecker who naturally pecks on trees. Right???
WRONG!!!!! I now present to you exhibit A:

Do you see the two holes at the top of our wood siding on our house? Yes, those would be woodpeckers holes. Do you know what it sounds like to listen to a woodpecker drumming on your house? Let's just say I want to kill the SOB!!!! We now have to hire somebody to repair not only those two holes, but the three others that he has created!!! Apparently short of shooting the blasted varmints, there is nothing else to do except hang pie tins, fake owls or mirrors from the eaves of your house. Oh, I am sure my neighbors would love to see pie tins or fake owls hanging from our house. Ok Woody, you have been warned!!!!!!

It's a golden day!

Yep, that's right somebody at our house is celebrating their golden birthday. Jeffrey is 22 on the 22nd of February. Honestly, I never heard the term golden birthday until I moved to MN. I think it is a midwest thing. Anyhow, today we celebrate Jeff and the joy he continues to bring to this family. Jeff is an amazing brother, son, friend and just all around great person. On the downest of days, I can count on Jeff to lift me up. He gives selflessly of his time to make sure he is always available for his brothers. Jeff, I can not begin to tell you how much it means to have you as my son. You are my rock and sounding board. My heart swells with pride when I see you interacting with your brothers. I know the past several months have not gone the way you had planned, but you continue to reach for the stars when others would have given up. I wish you nothing but sunshine, rainbows and unicorns (an inside joke) in this upcoming year. This is your year to show them all what you are made of and soar you will. I love you to the moon and back a zillion times. Z Okazji Urodzin, Jeffrey Peter Hunt. Don't ever change who you are. Ok, you still need work on keeping your room clean............

The Three T's

Travel: I never travel for my job. But, since our store is going through a remodel, I have had to go away from training. I did the first part of my training in Nashville and will conclude the second part in Charlotte. I have learned two very important lessons while traveling 1. I am an old lady. The majority of people I am travleing with are 32 or younger and I find everything they do to be highly annoying and immature. All I want to do is stay in my room and get the heck back home.....all they want to do is go out and party. 2. I learned everything I need to know in kindergarten. I have not gotten one thing out of this training......not one single solitary thing except for a new dislike for my boss and his boss.

Tickets: Oh yes, the Georgia police caught me. While minding my own business and driving to work one day, a very nice police officer decided to pull me over because the light above my license plate was burned out. Seriously????? Well, then he told me the frame around my license plate was not legal in Georgia. Seriously????? Then he asked how long I had lived in GA. I was honest and told him 5 months. The next question was why hadn't I changed my license yet. I tried to explain the situation with David's car and how we were still on MN insurance, etc. but he was not having it. So he was nice and only gave me a warning for my light and frame, but had to give me a ticket for not changing over my license. After he writes me the ticket he tells me how if it were him he would not pay the fine but instead, go to my court date and explain it all to the judge and he thinks the judge will let me off. Seriously????? Then why did you write me a ticket. Note: I plan to pay the fine and not waste a day of work going to court.

Tired: I have been on the go nonstop over the last several months and it is catching up with me. My schedule at work is not at all what I expected, and getting up most days at 2:30 in the morning is hard. I would rather go back to working overnights then have my sleep interrupted at that time. I am hoping once the remodel is over with I can change my scheulde. It seems like all I do is sleep, work, nap, teach school, sleep. My favorite part of my schedule is teach school.

A Rough Start

Happy 2012. We are off to a rough start here. An upper respiratory infection found its way into David's system and quickly found a new home in me. I have been sick, sick, sick. I thought I was finally turning the corner, but after dinner tonight I had such a bad cough attack I was coughing and throwing up at the same time. Sorry if that is too much info. It is a viral infection, so really nothing to do but let it run its course. David is definietly feeling much better than I am. I really hope the nasties will leave my body soon and stay away forever. I will try to update more later, but right now I am going to try and get some rest.