Farther Along

I absoloutely LOVE this time of year. The department stores and the mall are a couple of the joys I find in Christmas time. I love the hot apple cider and the smells coming from Starbucks. I love the little kids sitting in Santa's lap..they are always so cute. I have to admit that I love dressing Gavin in cute little Christmas outfits (even though I swore that I would never be one of "those" moms). My mom used to make me wear Christmas turtlenecks with candy canes and gingerbread men and I hated it! Oh well, I'm going to enjoy it while I can!
One thing that has really been on my mind lately is my uncle Steve. Steve was like an M&M. He had a tough shell but a soft and sweet inside. I have been missing him more than ever lately. I think it's true that you never know how much you cared for someone until they have left. Steve earned his angel wings 2 years ago this Christmas. It seems like it was so long ago, but in a way it seems like it was just yesterday. I went by the cemetery today just to visit with him for a while. He had some beautiful flowers. They were in shades of blue with a little dove in a nest. It reminded me of a Winter Wonderland. I have been wondering lately why God takes the ones we love from us. I wonder this because Steve was just 45 years young. He had so much to live for. Sometimes I would just like to know why he had to leave this world so suddenly without warning. I think that when we lose someone we love, we keep a piece of that person in our heart. I also think that that person takes a piece of us with them. Our family feels a little less whole without Steve. I think I've got a small spot missing inside of me. I wasn't that close to Steve the last year or so of his life, but I loved him more than he will ever know. I also think that this did happen for a reason. Our family has changed so much since Steve became an angel. There are things we don't say now, and some things that we do. There are awkward moments and painful times. Christmas is hard. The memory I will always think of at Christmas Eve is sitting at UAB Neuro ICU pleading with the Lord to help Steve and praying relentlessly for our family. There were times among the 23rd, 24th & 25th that I didn't think we were going to make it. Hearing the news right before Christmas dinner is something that replays over and over in my head from time to time. I don't understand why God took him from us on that day, but I know it's nto for me to understand. When I hear that hymn, "Farther Along" it reminds me that we don't understand why, but that we will one day. If there is one thing I have learned from losing him, it is that we truly do not know what the future holds or when the last time we see the ones we care about.

We miss you
1/11/61-12/25/06

Weight Watchers

Ok, I've started it. On Monday, I started Weight Watchers. My mom had great success on it, she started in January 08 and by April or May (not sure which month exactly) she had lost 20 pounds! And she didn't have to eat any kind of yucky foods or anything..she just had to watch her portions and do some LIGHT exercise (walking mainly). Well, Mom kind of got off her program a couple of months ago and gained a couple of pounds. She decided to start back at it. I decided to join her. I really would like to trim down a bit. I am 5'4 and weigh roughly 138-140 lbs. When I graduated high school in 2005, I weighed in at 109 lbs, so this weight I am now makes me feel like a big fatty. I just want to lose about 10 pounds and would LOVE to by the end of this year! My ideal weight is 120 lbs. so I'm hoping to get there by February 2009.

So, anywho--I started Monday. I had a bad experience because I was so gung-ho that I didn't pack enough to eat for that day. I felt so sick by dinner time that I could hardly eat my dinner. So basically I got a fresh start Tuesday. Now, for those of you not familiar with WW..it is based on a points system and I get 21 points for the day. So, I have to be careful about snacking and how much I eat of something. Monday and Tuesday I just about starved but yesterday, I really got the hang of it. I had a WW snack bar for breakfast and a Diet Mountain Dew, then a SmartOne meal for lunch (spaghetti..yum!) and some cantaloupe. I had a light snack @ work then grilled chicken, green beans and broccoli for dinner. I had a WW piece of candy later that night. I felt full all day Wednesday and still stayed within my points! I've done well so far today, too. Let's see how I do this weekend in Pigeon Forge!

Our American President

Well by now everyone knows that Obama was elected as our country's 44th President. He is scheduled to take office on January 20, 2009.


The decision was made and its final(at least until 2012). He was elected, as he won the popular vote and the electoral votes. He is the man that 63,484,527 Americans wanted to see put into office. For the other 56,132,935 of us that voted for McCain, there's nothing we can do now, except pray. I believe that everything happens for a reason. There is a reason for this, even if some of us don't understand what that reason is just yet.

Regardless of what your political status is (R or D), please pray for Obama and for our country. I hope and pray that Obama will lead this country in the direction that it needs to go and that good will come out of his time in office.


I hope there will be positives come out of this and I hope that we, as Americans, will stand up and support our leader, regardless of who we voted for. If we tear our leader down, what does that say for us? And what good does that do for our country?

I encourage everyone to pray for our country, our leaders and for ourselves. Pray that our country will prosper and that things will get better, pray for wisdom for our leaders and pray that we, as citizens, can provide for our families and that we can continue to vote and contribute our opinions to the issues in our country.

Remember, God is in control and he works in mysterious ways. Prayers work wonders.

Voting Rights

Be glad you have the right to vote.

EXERCISE THAT RIGHT!

To me it's not only a right, but an obligation.

If we don't vote, we can't change anything or complain about who's in office.

Here's a few quick facts about the history of voting rights.

-The 15th Amendment was adopted in 1870, five years after the American Civil War ended. It prohibited the states from denying a citizen the right to vote because of race.

-Women were not allowed to vote in most states until the ratification of the19th Amendment in 1920.

-The 23rd Amendment, ratified in 1961, gave citizens living in Washington, D.C., the right to vote in national elections.

-In 1971, the 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18 for all state and national elections. Before then, only 10 states had allowed citizens under age 21 to vote.

Be grateful of your right, and USE it! GO VOTE!

Taggy Tag Tag

I don't know if I'm doing this right or not but I'll try!! I was tagged by my cousin Donna and this looked like fun!


7 Random things about me.....let's see.....


1.) I have dyed my hair more than 30 times in the past 8 years..seriously.


2.) I have a double jointed middle finger that I can do this really freaky popping thing with.


3.) I am ridiculously afraid of mice. I will go to extreme lengths to avoid them. I once slept on the kitchen table because I was afraid it would crawl in my bed. (We had a small mouse at one time)


4.) I can't handle it when I step on a wet floor. I freak out and get someone to mop it up or bring me some shoes (even when I get out of the shower!)


5.) We have a P. O. BOX and, when I was pregnant, I craved the smell of the post office so much that I would go in sometimes when I knew we didn't have any mail.


6.) I love popcorn and m&ms together..its like the best thing since sliced bread!


7.) I have seen all 296 episodes of Beverly Hills 90210



Now it says I am supposed to tag some other people to do this! I'm going with Amber, Amanda, Kara and Gaye!

BLOOD DRIVES

My classmate, Misty Heflin posted this on myspace today, just wanted to pass this along in any way possible.
JSU Blood Drive Wednesday - 10/29/08 - 10:30am - 4:00pm in the Theron Montgomery building.
Monster fest - Oxford Mall.Thursday & Friday 10/30/08 - 10/31/08 -10am-8pm.
Compassion Blood Drive in Memory of Mikey Heflin - AU/UA blood drive coming up on November 14.the Holiday Inn Express on Hwy 119, Pelham.PLEASE GIVE BLOOD.
While my wonderful Husband, was in the hospital for his Bone Marrow Transplant, he was the recipient of 92units of Whole blood and that is not even counting Platelet transfusions.
Platelets - help the blood clot.
If the number of platelets is too low, excessive bleeding can occur.Mikey had a Platelet count of 2000 on April 9th. Normal range - 150,000 - 450,000. Yes 2000 is DANGEROUSLY LOW.He was a recipient of 102units of Platelet transfusions‘.Most of my my spacer friends had the pleasure of knowing Mikey, very well and knew he was probably the most unselfish guy you could meet. He would give you his shirt off his back to a perfect stranger just to help them out. Mikey and I gave blood together, he talked me into it too, I have gave blood, every opportunity, just did not like them digging in my no Vein arms, but I would gladly give especially for the instant gratification. Speaking of Veins, Mikey had to have a Hickman Catheter for the weeks of High-Dose Chemo treatments, Blood Transfusions, IV-Drugs, and of course the Bone Marrow Transplant.I am Honoring Mikey in his Memory, with the Compassion blood drive. If you knew Mikey, he would want the blood and platelets, that was generously given to him, given back to people who gave freely. I am hoping with this Blood Drive being Annually the units of Blood given will triple each year.There were many days and nights, Mikey had to wait for blood and platelets. Post Transplant, while his blood type was changing to his donor (brother Andy) type, he would wait for hours upon hours for his blood to come in from various blood banks, since his blood had to be irradiated and CMV negative.Hickman Catheter - insertion of a Hickman line is usually done under sedation or a general anesthetic by a radiologist or surgeon. It involves two incisions, one at the jugular vein or another nearby vein or groove, and one on the chest wall.Irradiated - Blood and blood product irradiation will prevent PT-GVHD.Post-Transfusion - Graft Verses Host Disease - is one of the most severe side-effects of blood transfusion and Bone Marrow Transplants.
CMV Negative - Cytomegalovirus is a common virus carried by more than half of the population. Most people who have the virus never know it and for the average healthy person, CMV does not cause a problem. However, for patients whose immune systems are not functioning properly(premature babies, cancer patients and others who cannot fight infection), CMV can be very serious.Now that I have informed you about blood, platelets and life after a Bone Marrow Transplant. I encourage each and everyone to PLEASE GIVE BLOOD. If you cannot work around these dates and location, please visit your local Red Cross and give blood.I will be on sports talk station WJOX 690AM & WJOX 94.5FM, the week of the Blood Drive, that is November 14th. To tell Mikey's story and maybe touch a lot of giving heart s to come join us at the blood drive. Mikey was a HUGE Alabama fan and I am a HUGE Auburn fan, so sweet, right? =) Red Cross is giving out some cool t-shirts and of course some Iron Bowl tickets.That would be neat to win, Right? 10 Facts about blood needs1. Every two seconds someone in the U.S.needs blood 2.More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day 3.One out of every 10 people admitted in a hospital needs blood 4.Total blood transfusions in a given year: 14 million 5.The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints 6.The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O 7.The blood used in an emergency is already on the shelves before the event occurs 8. Sickle cell disease affects more than 80,000 people in the U.S., 98% of whom are African American.Sickle cell patients can require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives 9. More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.10. A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 units of blood.Facts about blood and its componentsWhole blood can be processed into red cells, platelets, plasma, and cryoprecipitate.The total number of units of all of these components transfused in a year is 29 million It is possible to donate specifically only platelets or plasma.This process is called apheresis Most donated red blood cells must be used within 42 days of collection Donated platelets must be used within 5 days of collection — new donations are constantly needed Healthy bone marrow makes a constant supply of red cells, plasma and platelets.The body will replenish the elements given during a blood donation - some in a matter of hours, and others in a matter of weeks I know this was a lot of information to read, but most people take hours to do bulletins with questions, like What are you listening to ? ? ? I appreciate you, for taking the time to read this and PLEASE GIVE LIFE.Please Repost Bulletin...THANKS AGAIN!

Haunted Places

With Halloween just around the corner, I thought I'd look up some supposedly "haunted" places. I was listening to the Steve & Carl show on K98 like I do every morning and they were talking about some "hauntings" around here. It got me inspired to do a little research of my own. I've included some links.

http://theshadowlands.net/places/alabama.htm
Who knows if any of these are true, but they are fun, right?

http://hauntsofamerica.blogspot.com/2008/01/haunting-of-maumee-bay-brewing-company.html
Click to see all of the eerie pictures!

Just thought this was fun for Halloween! =)

The Common Cold

I wrote this a couple of weeks ago..just forgot to actually post it!


Well, as luck would have it, this is my 2nd cold in 3 weeks! I hate having a cold, SO annoying and it seems to drag out for so long. Well, I was researching "cures for the common cold" to try and find some relief. I came upon some interesting things that I didn't know.

1) Being "cold" doesn't actually cause a cold. Not wearing jacket when it's chilly out or sleeping in a draft do not cause colds. The actual cause are rhinoviruses that are invisible droplets in the air that we breathe in, or on surfaces that we touch.

2) Colds are most contagious during the 2 to 4 days after symptoms appear, but can be contagious up to 3 WEEKS (even when there are no symptoms!)

3) Medicine can't cure the common cold. They can relieve some symptoms, but they can't actually CURE the cold.

4) Chicken soup contains a mucus-thinning amino acid called cysteine, and some research shows that chicken soup helps control congestion-causing white cells, called neutrophils.

THE NERVE...

So, this morning Dennis went outside to get in the truck with my Dad (he was there to pick him up) and my Dad asked if the Jeep gas tank thing was open the night before. Dennis then saw the gas cap laying on the ground next to the tire. Someone stole gas out of our Jeep right from our yard! We guessed it must have been while we were sleeping. That gives me the chills :( It makes me scared to know that someone was so close to our bedroom window and back door and we never heard a thing!
They also stole the little bit of gas that we had in the gas can outside. It makes me feel so unsafe. Which I'm sure it was probably an isolated event, but still--I just feel like I was robbed of the security of being in my own home. Dennis had told me that he thought this kind of stuff would start happening with gas going so high and then so many stations being out of it around here. It's sad that people can stoop so low. What really makes my heart hurt I guess is the fact that we are struggling (Dennis pretty much is looking for a job right now because of a slow down in the painting business). We are struggling just to get by and then someone comes and steals our gas?? Dennis had just put $60 in on Thursday night and then it was stolen Friday! :(
Be careful everyone-we are investing in one of those gas caps that lock! Just be aware and keep an eye out..this is what the world has come to!

Thankful and Blessed

I just really feel touched at the moment. I honestly just want to give thanks and praise to God for everything I have. I feel so blessed. I have read a couple of sad stories today and heard a few sad things in the past few days. It really makes me realize how grateful I am and how truly blessed my life is. It just makes me feel a little guilty about how bad I sometimes think my family and I have it. In reality-we have a great life. I am married to a wonderful man that I get to see and love and talk to everyday. My fifteen month old son is healthy and happy and full of life. We have a roof over our head and food on the table. Sure, there are material things I would love to have. But after reading a story a few minutes ago, I think I can put those in the back of my mind and really focus on the positives in my life and how much God has blessed me with.

What do you think makes a good friend?

Ok. I got bored. So bored and stumped-I got this topic from a Writing Topic website. I like writing, but rarely do it anymore. In high school, I wrote a column in the local newspaper and I loved writing papers in college. So anywho..here it goes.

What do you think makes a good friend?

"A friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out." "A friend listens to what you say. A best friend listens to what you don't say." These are just a couple of quotes I've heard that stuck. Friends are amazing. Friends are there for you when you fall, when you need a hand or just when you want to talk. Throughout my life, I have had some good friends and I have had some people that I thought were my friends. As I have gotten a little older, I have come to realize what a friend is and who mine have been. I have some of the best friends a girl could have. I have a best friend in particular that has been with me through it all. Through boyfriends and fights, through family and laughs, she has stood by me always. She is one of the sweetest people I know. She has charisma and attitude. Her attitude makes her character. She can make you laugh til you cry and make you cry til you laugh. I have spent almost half of my life knowing this girl and I still feel like we share everything. We have gotten in trouble together and we have accomplished great things together. We are each our own individual person and we have done things to shape each other's lives. I think without each other, we wouldn't be exactly who we are today. I feel so lucky to have found such a wonderful person to be my friend.
One thing that makes a good friend is trust. You confide in a friend. Therefore, you have to trust them to keep secrets and not to judge you.
The second thing is loyalty. This comes with trust. A friend should stand by your side and be there for you no matter what. They should support your decisions, even if they don't agree with them.
Another quality is sense of humor. A friend laughs with you and makes you laugh. You should be able to find humor in things all the time. Inside jokes come easy.
Something else is understanding. A good friend will understand that you are hurting or you are excited about something. They should understand if you have to cancel plans or if you are having a hard time dealing with something.
Last but not least is love. I love my friends. Its impossible to be a good friend if you don't have at least some love for that person. When you care about someone, you love them. When you love someone, you are loyal, understanding and trusting.
I know I may be babbling, I'm just in a writing mood and I'm just so grateful for my best friend. She is what makes a good friend.

Tres, Cinco, Quattro,

So I just felt like blogging. I'm going to make lists of random things. Yay.

3 Things that have happened to me today:
1)Dennis made me breakfast. YUM.
2)I have found a king size bed to buy!
3)I got a nice email from a friend.

5 Things I'm thankful for today:
1) breakfast
2) my husband
3) my son
4) my grandparents
5) my job

4 Things I have to do today:
1) Pay my tuition
2) Go to the bank
3) Pay bills
4) Go to the post office

Ok, so not much. I just wanted to write something.

Mamma Mia!

So, Gavin said MAMA for the first time last night :) It was the sweetest thing. We were at my in-laws and we were about to sit down for dinner. I was holding him and trying to set the table. He went "mamamamama" and a split second later he said "M A M A". I clapped for him and cheered. LOL. I LOVED IT! He started smiling and he put his little hands together and lapped for himself. Of course, I haven't been able to get him to say it since then, but still, it was just so sweet. So in other news, I'm trying to get ready for the Fall semester @ school. 2 of the classes I HAVE TO TAKE this semester to graduate in May are FULL!! I am hoping someone will drop them SOON so that I can take them. If not, I will have to take them in the Spring which means I won't graduate until next December =( That CAN NOT HAPPEN! Pray for me please....

"Bye-Bye"

Gavin has a new obsession-"bye bye". He says it probably 200 times a day! Not only is he obsessed with saying it, he really wants to go "bye bye"! He has started grabbing his bag and pointing to my keys and saying..you guessed it "bye bye". And he gets FURIOUS when we don't leave. LOL ..its so funny though. Right when he wakes up, he looks at me and goes "bye bye." I think that stems from our routine. He sleeps in until I'm ready to go and then I get him straight from bed and leave for work. His other new thing is throwing things in the trash can. Everything. I found a dress of mine that I had layed out in the little trash can in his room! And he also knows now to take his diaper to the trash can. HaHa- it is so cute to see him do that. He throws toys, anything he can find in the trash. Its funny, but I really have to watch what he puts in there...LOL. wouldn't want to lose anything important....

My First Blog :)

So, I'm not really sure what to write about right now. I have just seen alot of people with these and it looked neat so I thought I'd try it! It looks like a good way to update the fam on things. Gavin is now 13 months old! WOW! I can't believe it! He has just grown so fast. It's unreal. He is the sweetest thing. He has started walking, saying a few things and picking up on alot really quickly! He does the cutest things, like the other day, he drank all of his milk in his bottle and I shook it and said"Its all gone gone" and he went "gah gah". I knew he was trying to say gone gone. It was adorable. As for Dennis and I, we have been staying pretty busy. Dennis has been busy with work and fishing sometimes. I have been working and keeping up with Gavin. Plus, I am taking 2 classes for school. I am lucky though, I get to do my math class at home. I take 2 tests this semester for math. I made an 84 on my first one. Not too bad considering I didn't look over 4 of the lessons! My other class only meets twice a month to do presentations. I have a partner for them and on this last one, my partner didn't show up. I was slightly irritated at this. I made a 90 on my first one. Maybe I made a good grade on this last one. My next one is on Patients' Rights--woo hoo! fun, huh? I am enjoying the class though. Not so much the Math. I have been thinking about getting my hair cut. Still contemplating-I want the Victoria Beckham bob, but I'm not so sure it's going to look good on me?? i'll let you know what I decide to do-I also want a new color! Don't know what yet? I'm gonna let this be all for now.