Husband Survey

I stole this from Sarah's blog, though I don't know how to link to hers.

What is his name? Ron

How long have you been married? 11 years on July 5

How long did you date? Dated three months when we were engaged and less than a year when we were married

How old is he? 35

Who eats more? He does

Who said I love you first? He did

Who is taller? Ron is taller

Who sings better? I do...which is pretty pathetic!!!

Who's temper is worse? He'd say mine, but I say his.

Who does the laundry? Mostly me, though he helps on the weekends when he's home

Who does the dishes? Mostly me, though he helps on the weekends when he's home

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do

Who pays the bills? I do

Who cooks dinner? I do the cooking unless we're grilling out

Who mows the lawn? He does it every weekend, and I do it during the week if necessary

Who drives when you are together? He does.

Who has more friends? He does

Who has more siblings? I do

Who wears the pants in the family? We share them.

Jacob's Newest Addiction...

Jacob asked for this for his birthday:

My parents obliged, as they always do. Jacob was THRILLED, and he listens to it all the time. He absolutely LOVES it, and I have to admit...I do, too. I was never a big fan of the "toddler" songs, though I played them and sung them with my kids all the time.

I'm glad they are moving into music that I actually enjoy listening to.

Proud Mama

Jacob turned 7 years old a week ago, and he had a "military" themed party. He's so interested in the military right now, and he keeps saying that he's going to be a marine when he gets bigger.

Imagine my surprise AND my pride when he told me that he wanted to collect things for a soldier in Iraq instead of getting presents. WOW!! What a boy. I contacted someone on SS to see if we could send something to her son, and she obliged with his address.

Well, his birthday party came, and only two people brought things for the package for the marine. Jacob was so disappointed. So, last week, I took him out shopping for things, and he used his birthday money to pay for it.

I am SO, SO, SO proud of him!!!

This isn't everything, but it's almost all of it. We did have baby wipes and some other things, but I took the picture before I brought them up.

Fun Survey...stolen from Kaye's blog.

Fun Survey
I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments. What do you buy?
1. Produce: Strawberries
2. Bakery: Pita bread
3. Meat: Steak
4. Frozen: Ice Cream
5. Dry goods: Rice cakes

Let's say we are heading out for a warm weekend getaway. You're only allowed to bring 3 articles of clothing with you. So, what's in your bag?
1. Cropped knit pants
2. T-shirt
3. Underwear

If I was to listen in on one of your conversations throughout the day, what 4 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?
1. And how do we ask for something?
2. I'm your mother, not your buddy.
3. Whatever! (Yeah, I hate that, but I say it a lot.)
4. Whose turn is it to take the dogs out?

So, what 4 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do, you probably wouldn't be in the best mood?
1. Sleep
2. Brush my teeth
3. Shower
4. Have ten minutes to lay on the couch or my bed and decompress

You're driving down the road, and suddenly you're hit with this sense of road rage. What 3 factors probably contributed to it?
1. The people who swerve in and out, cutting people off, just to make it to the red light five seconds faster than everyone else.
2. People who block intersections
3. People who drive too slow

Sweet, you just scored a whole afternoon to yourself. We're talking a 3 hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?
1. Watch a movie
2. Catch up on sleep
3. Surf the web
4. Scrapbook
5. Go to the Metro Park to walk and bike

We're going to the zoo. But, it looks like it could start storming, so it will have to be a quick visit. What 3 exhibits do we have to get to?
1. Polar Bears
2. Lions and Tigers
3. Bears

You just scored tickets to the taping of any show that comes on t.v. of your choice. You can pick between 4, so what are you deciding between?
1. Oprah - don't watch it but would love a free car LOL!!
2. Ellen - I think she's hysterical, though I only see her show on my days off
3. Dancing with the Stars
4. Brothers and Sisters

You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?
1. Chocolate
2. Peanut Butter
3. Chocolate and Peanut Butter swirl

Somebody stole your purse/wallet…in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what's in there?
1. Wallet with no money in it
2. Silver cell phone
3. Chapstick
4. Lots of receipts
5. Gum

You are at a job fair, and asked in what areas you are interested in pursuing a career. Lets pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 4 careers would be fun for you?
1. Nurse
2. MRI Tech
3. CSI Detective
4. Veterinarian

Seven Years Ago...

I gave birth to my first child. A 9½ lb. baby boy. With no pain meds. After 26 HOURS of labor on pitocin!!! Luckily, I still love him. LOL!

Jacob turned seven today. I cannot believe he is seven years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It makes me sad that he's getting older, but happy that he's healthy, strong, respectful and sweet. I'm not ready for the "boy" behavior yet - you know, where they push you away, don't let you hug or kiss them in public, start to stink like yucky boys. Blech!

But, alas, I cannot keep him young forever. I'm proud of who he's become so far, and though I want the time to go by slowly, I can't wait to see how he turns out. He is such a great kid - I am truly blessed and eternally grateful for him.

He is VERY into anything military right now, so that's all he talks about, wants to play and wants to look like! He tells me every day that he wants to be a Marine. I was so proud of him when he told me that he wanted to collect things for his birthday that he could send a Marine. What a kid, I tell ya!!! When I get the box put together for a Marine from a SS mom, I'll post it. I am so proud of Jacob for thinking of such a wonderful thing.

Here he is enjoying his 7th birthday.

Jacob was STUNNED when he saw his new music player. I LOVE when kids are genuinely excited about a gift.
This was another gift that showed true excitement. He screamed "It's a REAL watch" - meaning not digital.
Here he is with his birthday cake, which he really liked.

MRI is Scheduled...

so Brynn, you don't have to nag me anymore. LOL!!

I'm having an MRI on Friday, June 27, and they are going to do my back and head all at the same time. I have NO idea how I'm going to make it through this - it's going to be longer than normal. I literally have an upset stomach from thinking about it again. But I know that I have to do it. So I am.

I'm Back!!!!

First my laptop went BOOM...then our power went BOOM. I've been pretty disconnected for over a week, and I hate that feeling.

But I'm back now. :)

SS Blog Challenge 20B

Tell about how you have influenced someone & made a difference in their life.

When I was 13, I went to church camp in Tennessee. We were in a very poor area, and we held a summer camp for children whose parents were on assistance and couldn't afford child care. I met some wonderful people there, both kids my own age and younger kids in the camp. One child, in particular, really left a lasting impression on me. He was extremely hyper, and he had no undesrtanding of rules. He was honest, though...he openly admitted that he had no rules at home because he's either outside playing by himself or playing inside their trailer while his mom or grandma slept. It was such a sad home environment, but despite all the "negatives" that came along with him, I saw a spark inside him.

After camp ended, a couple of the kids wrote letters back and forth with me after we left. I sent him a box, with paper, pencils and stamps. I asked him to write me when he had a chance. We kept in contact over the years. A few years ago I received a graduation announcement from him. He noted that I changed his life forever. WOW. Who knew a 13yo could have such an impact??? He's in college now, and he should graduate next year. Every year, he goes back to the same camp where I met him to work as a full-time counselor. Pretty awesome, huh???

Now, the 2nd part of this is tell about how someone has made a difference in YOUR life. The catch is that you can NOT include family members.

This is easy. Luckily, I've had MANY people make a difference in my life, but I'll blog about the most recent. Her name...is Tiffany. The few of you that read my blog know her as tsbegley. This woman has a heart of gold, and she's just plan FUN. I've not met very many people that have as strong a faith as she does that still know how to have a great time. LOL. She's a joy to be around, truly. She's easy to talk to, and that's not something I've found in very many people. I'm typically very shy and hard to get to know. But it's strange - I was able to let Tiffany in and see my at my most vunerable state--without feeling awkward or uneasy. I feel like I've known her all my life and feel no need to hold anything back.

So why is she the person I chose to say made a difference in my life? Tiffany showed me what the true meaning of Christian is. She offered to support me through a very difficult time in my life, and she expected nothing in return. She was (is) selfless. She was there to listen, watch me cry and help me get through something I never thought I could do. She's strong. And I needed to feed off that. She made me want to be a better person, and I think of her example a lot. As a matter of fact, I decided to emulate her character, and I offered to help a single mom from my church that has very aggressive breast cancer. Her kids are older and don't need a babysitter, so I offered to bring them meals a few nights a week and pick them up/drop them off at school activities. She was so relieved because her mom was going to plan on cooking and driving them each night, but now she can go with her daughter for support.

It feels so good to help others out, and I'm so glad Tiffany reminded me of this at a time where I was only focused on me, me, me. I am still full of anxiety and fear over all my life and health issues, but it's great to get back to helping others and trying to make a difference. Thank you, Tiffany. Not only for your friendship, but also for the kick in the pants. I feel closer to Christ than I have in a long time.

For the final part of this challenge, I'm challenging you to let your "hero" know how they have "changed your life". You can either write them a note, make a phone call, hey, even print out your blog entry & send that to them. Just let them know.It doesn't have to be anything BIG that someone did, sometimes it's the little things that mean the most. Whatever it is, tell about it & then let that someone know.

I sent a copy of this blog to Tiffany.

SS Blog Challenge 20 - Part A

If you were able to go on a vacation for 1 week, anywhere you wanted, & with anyone you choose, where would you go, who would you take & why would you choose that location.

If money were no object, I'd go to Vermont for a winter vacation...by MYSELF. I'd love to stay in a cozy cabin or even a resort - as long as I had a fireplace. I'd go snowmobiling, snowshoeing, go ice skating, and just spend time relaxing and enjoying the snow. I would also make sure to enjoy some spa treatments, and I'd sleep A LOT. I imagine I'd spend a lot of time enjoying the view from my room and listening to music. Oh, it sounds heavenly.

Now, if money were no object AND I could have more than a week...I'd go to Alaska. I've always wanted to see Alaska, and I'd LOVE to go there. One week just isn't enough.

Ahhhhh....a girl can dream, can't she????