Lauramay's Blog

The Year of Graduation

2010-12-23T05:57:00.000-08:00

2010 will be remembered as the year of graduation! David graduated from high school in May and Mark graduated from college with a degree in Youth Ministry Dec. 2010. As a mom, it has been a proud year as the boys move into different stages of their life.

David is attending the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. He is unsure of his major and is exploring different option with different classes he is taking. He lives on campus and seems to enjoy the college life. He was in the surf club the first semester (yes, he has his surfboard at college, but the beach is only 15 minutes away). No, he is not playing football there, one main reason is that UNF does not have a football team. David has also been on a health kick and has lost 100 pounds since last Christmas.

Brian is still taking classes at Hillsbourgh Community College in the criminal justice program. His goal is to be a cop. He has a parttime job as a security guard which helps greatly. We will be celebrating Christmas later this year because Brian works Christmas Eve and does not get off until 4 am Christmas morning. We are thankful that Brian has a job and as long as the whole family can be together...well, Christmas is when we are together. His girlfriend Chelsea is doing great in her classes at University of South Florida. Between her classes, her job, and her volunteering at the Tampa Aquarium Chelsea keeps quite busy.

Mark is still in shock that he is done with college. He now will be sending out resumes in hope of finding the right church for him and Janel. Janel will have to go back to Oklahoma to finish her last semester. She will be busy doing her student teaching in a 2nd grade class and then a 5th grade class. She lights up when she talks about it. She will be a great teacher. I think right now Mark & Janel are glad to be home...a long two day drive back to Florida and now it is the whirlwind of getting ready for Christmas, visiting with family members, and seeing old friends. Besides working on wedding plans (May 28th will be here before we blink an eye).

Niel and I are doing great. We are excited that we will be down to only 2 in college. Niel has been busy with work and myself, as a teacher, I am always busy. To me there never seems to be enough hours in the day. I am also working on my masters in education and I have three more classes to go (not that I am counting or anything). Niel and I have been trying to be more health conscience as well. Niel has lost 20 pounds and I have lost 40. I will say I feel better. I still have 15 more to go to get my goal weight.

Are we ready for Christmas? Well, the ride back from Oklahoma wore me out some but I am almost ready..been moving at a slower pace this week. I will say, I am looking forward to what the new year will bring our way!

If I have not said it before, Merry Christmas my friends!

June 21, 2010

2010-06-21T08:33:00.001-07:00

David Graduated on May 21, 2010...so he has officially been a high school graduate for a month now. It has been a busy month. We had family in from out-of-town for graduation and then for the party on Saturday. On Sunday of graduation weekend we also a special service for the seniors of our church. It was a great service and fellowship after the service in their honor.Here is a picture of the class of 2010 from our church (three different high schools represented)

It was a fun fill family weekend. David had both sets of grandparents at graduation, it was amazing!! After graduation the next weekend we went to Jacksonville for to the University of North Florida for orientation. David was able to sign up for his summer classes and then his fall classes. He heads off to UNF this Tuesday! Yes, the 22nd!!! He will be at UNF until July 30th...then he is home for three weeks and then back to UNF.

After orientation, I went to an AP workshop and graded AP Govt Free Response Questions. It was a busy 8 days, a lot of work, but very informative. Hopefully I will get to do that again next year. We have also traded David's green truck in for a 2007 Saturn Auro. David was tired of only getting 10 mpg when driving and wanted something a little better on gas. The car looks great!

Brian & Chelsea are still over in Tampa. Chelsea has been really busy this summer. She is doing an internship at the Tampa Aquarium, taking a class on line, as well as teaching gymnastics to little kids. Brian is still at the community college in Tampa and has also taken a security class. He is hoping to get a security job. Please keep that in your prayers. The job market is so hard and so far he has not been able to find a job at all.

Mark is home for the summer. He is doing an internship at our church with the youth group. It is a paid internship!! Right now, he is in West Virginia with the youth group painting houses. He will be back on Saturday. His fiancé Janel has a summer job working with a local day camp. She is having a great time with the kids (guess that is why she wants to be an elementary teacher). She is also getting excited about planning their wedding. Last weekend we went to a bridal show and had a ball. Mark and Janel have set the date, it is May 28, 2011. They will get married at the church but are looking around for a venue.

Niel and I are just busy but totally enjoying any time we can spend together. I am still working on my masters. This is my week off. I just finished a class this past Friday and I start back up next Monday. On Monday's I am volunteering at our church's thrift shop so I don't find projects around the house to do. Even though looking around the shop I come up with ideas.

This past weekend Niel helped move his brother from a Ft Lauderdale nursing home to one here in Brevard County. It is in Titusville, about 30 minutes from our house but it is much closer than 3 1/2 hours. It will also be handy enough that Stoyell (Niel's dad) will be able to drive up and see him as well. For Stoyell it will be about an hour drive. It was a busy weekend, getting Eric up here in Brevard County and celebrating Father's Day but we did manage to do both. After church on Sunday, we took Niel's dad out-to-eat. My dad is in Maine right now. Him and my mom went to Maine to see Little Calvin graduate from high school. So they have been busy grandparents....one graduation in Florida on May 21st and then another on June 6th in Maine. I guess they could be called the traveling grandparents.

Memaw & PopPop

Missy & Granddad

I hope everyone's summer is going great. we have been busy but that is part of the life of a mom of three growing boys. I feel totally blessed with a wonderful boys and a wonderful husband.

Spring Break is over

2010-04-11T14:09:00.000-07:00

Spring Break is over and it is finally feeling like Spring (now that we are back to work and school).

Mark is looking forward to the semester to be over. He will be driving home the end of the month. He has about two weeks of heavy school left to finish before summer is here for him. Mark is planning on taking some classes at the local community college and helping out at the church again. His plan is to be totally finished with his BA come December 2010.

Brian just spent a few days with us. He has signed up for one of his summer classes. He will also take a week of training for security this summer as well. He can sign up for his fall classes come April 15th. This past weekend he came over to see the oral surgeon about getting his wisdom teeth out (which is happening next weekend) and he caught a few fish.

David is counting down the days until graduation. He is at 40 days and counting. He still has prom, grad night, and his last concert to complete...besides tests, papers, and exams. David has been excited that spring is here because he gets to mow the lawn each week. He is getting really excited about attending UNF this summer. He moves in the dorm on June 22. He will be getting his wisdom teeth out on June 10th. Here are some pictures from his senior trip:

I too am in the school is almost out mode (so are my students). My students are getting ready for their AP exam and their senior projects. There is a lot of stuff going on and yet the clock seems to be going faster than before spring break. When school gets out on May 21st, we will be going to orientation with David the following weekend and then I have the opportunity to grade AP Government Free Response Questions. It is a great opportunity and I am really excited about it.

Here is a picture of the antique that Niel and I found in our church thrift shop.

Niel has been busy with work and with projects around the house. He has finished his wall around the pool area which really looks great. Right now he is working on a project in the garage.

Enjoy your spring...spring break is over but spring is here until summer arrives. Looking forward to the pool warming up so we can enjoy it. With the cold winter and spring, it still is too cold for this Maine girl to get in.

Spring Break 2010

2010-04-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

Spring Break of 2010 is almost over. Today is Easter Sunday and then tomorrow back to work and back to school but we have totally enjoyed our break...except that I need a break from my break. This morning we started with Easter Sunrise Service in the village, it was really nice.

I, with the help from Niel, repainted my bedroom (including the furniture) besides moving other articles around the house. We did the "spring cleaning" as we ventured through the house on this Spring Break. Most people come to Florida to enjoy the beaches...we live here, so we worked on Spring Cleaning and changing up the house. Here are a few pictures:

David basically had two weeks of Spring Break. His senior class went to Puerto Rico the week before we had Spring Break. He had a great time.During his offical spring break he worked many hours at Chic-Fil-e. He is saving for a motorcycle.

Brian was on Spring Break as well and he spent his time helping Memaw & PopPop in Ocala. He did manage to get some fishing in when he headed this way. We want mention how he got his truck stuck fishing but will mention he did catch some keepable trout.Chelsea and Brian's spring break was on different weeks but she was able to head this way with Brian to enjoy Easter with us and her family.

Mark stayed in Oklahoma for Spring Break with a trip to Kansas City to see his Aunt Laura and Cousin Amanda. They had a great time visiting and Amanda showed the the local jazz clubs. Mark even had a huge snow storm during his spring break when he made it back to Oklahoma. Janel was able to come home to see her parents during her Spring Break. We were able to have lunch with her and her folks one Sunday when she was home. It was nice.

Niel really did not have a spring break. He took a few afternoons off and a day as well but I managed to have a list of things I needed help with.He purchased this piece of furniture I was wanting in our church thrift store,it has found a home where the old desk used to set. It is nice. He helped me with the molding around the room and he was able to finish the retaining wall around the pool. I think he needs a vacation from my vacation.

It finally feels like Spring is here! If we had time, it would have been perfect beach weather but it was perfect weather to spring clean as well.

Christmas Holidays

2010-01-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Holidays have come and went. The tree is down, the lights are down, but the memories of the fun we had will last for a lifetime.

We started the holiday season listening to David sing at Epcot in the Candlelight Processional. It was a damp day but it was the best performance we have seen in 3 years. Memaw, PopPop, Brian, & Chelsea joined Niel & I for a wonderful Family experience at Epcot. Did I mention that Woopie Goldberg was our narrator and did a marvoulous job? Well she was.
Chelsea, Memaw, Poppop, & Brian

David Singing:

When we got home from our time at Epcot we were welcomed with hugs from Mark. He was home from Oklahoma...ready for the Christmas Holiday. On Saturday, the 19th of December we went to dinner with Janel's family to celebrate Mark's 21st birthday and then had a few friends over to help him celebrate. It was good to see the house full again. Monday the 21st we were part of David's Senior Class Progressive Dinner. We were the host for soup and salads. We had 33 people over for that part. It was a fun time to be part of David's Christmas Celebration:

Tuesday I got hit with broctius but went to the clinc to get meds to help with that issue.

Christmas Eve we had our annual Christmas Eve dinner with friends and family. We had a total of 15 for dinner. We ate at 3:30 to not interupt other celebrations that might happen later in the evening. Our guest that came the farthest would be Chen from China (okay, I know he came from Oklahoma but orginially from China).

Mark, David, & Brian:

Brian, Matt, Chen, Mark Tim, Mark:

Brian & Chelsea:

Mark & Janel:

Me & Niel

On Saturday...the boys & Niel decided to take down the dead tree in the back yard. The tree had caught fire on my birthday and then got struck by lighting in August or September.
Here is the tree crew at work. Mind you I kept thinking "How much do professionals cost?"

I got sick again, even had a trip to the ER but after more meds and me whining really bad.. I did get out of putting up the shed in the back yard...I slept most of the day on Monday. It rained on Tuesday and now...well, I am back to normal. The boys & Chelsea took a trip to Gainesville to see Missy & Granddad on Wednesday. They even surprised them because they got up and out of the house here at 6:30 am.

News Year we celebrated with friends and then came home for our annual campfire in the firepit and fireworks display by Brian & Chen. It was a nice New Years Eve celebration. New Year Day was a rainy day but a nice day. Niel went to see his brother with his dad and the boys & I stayed home and watch movies on tv and play the Wii.

I wish you and yours a Happy New Year. May God bless you and watch you into the New Year.

The End of the Season

2009-11-07T17:47:00.000-08:00

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Dave & Tim (Score Board in the background)

The Last Senior Game for David ended with a great victory: 56 - 41. It was a great last game. It was a great week leading up to the game. It was homecoming week.The students at MICS started out the week on Sunday working on their floats for the Friday Parade. Monday was Gilligan's Island theme day (guess who was the skipper?) Monday night was their homecoming dance on a river boat (yes, it was a 3 hour tour).

David and his date, Katie --> by the way, Katie wins homecoming queen on Friday

The students did make it back to shore from their "cruise homecoming dance" and were able to sleep in and go into school late Tuesday, which was M*A*S*H theme day--> a night of volleyball game and victory would be a great end to Tuesday: then Wednesday was bowling in the morning while the theme was "Happy Days". As you are reading my blog, you must be getting it, the theme for the week was TV shows of the past. Thursday was introducing homecoming court, Lip Sync competition, and "Bevelerly Hillbillies". But it was also major surprise day....Mark flew home from Oklahoma just to see David's last football game. Mark's friend Beef picked him up at the airport and he surprised me at work & then David at school. What a nice surprise. Sooo Mark was here to see David announced as one of the senior boys on the homecoming court. He does not win King...but he will always be my prince!

Mark & Dave

The seniors did a Happy Day's song and were great...they did a dance routine and looked like professionals (okay...I am the mom and this is my blog based on my view point).

Friday...the day of the game!!!First was the parade. Being on the court, David got to drive in a convertable and throw candy out to the crowd. Their float was great..it was a ship based on Gilliagan's Island.

Then the night of the game. The weather was perfect...friends came to the game. David had his own cheering section: Myself, Niel, Mark, Mr. & Mrs. Anderson, Kristen, Beth, & Chelsea. It was a great night for football. It ended the way any football player would want their senior game to end...with a victory. 41 -56...Cougar Victory. I will leave you with some great pictures of the day and night.

Dave & Ryan

Dave & Caitlin

Captains of the Game: David #79 & Ryan #32

Mark & Dave

Mark, Dave, & Kristen

Senior Boys at the end of the game: Luke, Miles, Dave, Tim, Blake, Ryan, & Spencer

Below is a picture of David & his coach...who stood in for us for David's senior night while we were gone the week before for Niel's mom funeral. The team is Dave's other family:

The last picture.....is David walking the field one last time by himself....the first steps from the football field to his future....

October 30, 2009

2009-11-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

(Above picture) Niel & Karen & Geoff
We would like to thank all of those who have sent cards and prayers our way for the loss of Niel's mom. She lived a long life and was loved by many. Even with a handicap she touch many lives by opening her home to the neighborhood children as a care giver and even to young adults as they made their way in life. She raised three wonderful children as a single mom and did a wonderful job. Her daughter (Karen) has the gift of caring and helping others...her gentleness with her own children is a trait she received from her mom. Her oldest son has a heart that is thankful for what he has, and he tries when he can to help others. Niel (her youngest) also as the gift of thinking of others and helping others, a trait he received from his mother. He is always willing to help others, even when it is not convenient for him. His thoughtfulness is a wonderful gift his mother gave to him. All three loved their mother and she loved them. She might be gone, but she will live on in her children's lives and her grandchildren lifes. Again, thank all for the prayers and cards. I leave you with a few pictures of our trip to Rochester, NY.

(1999: Niel, Eric (in back) , Marge (MOM), Karen )

Oct 2009

2009-10-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

(Picture taken by Chelsea before Niel and I chaperoned the Edgewood Homecoming)

Happy Fall!! I say that totally jokingly because the past two weeks here in Florida we have been setting records high. Last week, every day was over 93 degrees. I will say, I totally miss New England this time of the year and this extra heat makes me miss it more. Fall has not come to Florida.

But since it is fall....well, we are in the middle of Football season and David's senior year. This year, with the economy down, his school's enrollment has been down, so they only have 22 guys for his football team. David is playing center and some times when needed (has happen every game) he plays Defense as well. Here are a few pictures of David:

David and his friend Luke

David Hiking the ball

David and Tim Captains for the Game

Sooo, you can see we are really busy with on the weekends with Football. This weekend David has an away game in Morehaven Florida (South Florida..about 3hours from here). We will go to the game, spend the night and since we are in South Florida, we will go see Niel's brother Eric who is in a nursing home in South Florida.

Work has been busy for both Niel and myself. Niel's work has been having some layoffs, but so far we have been blessed and he still has his job. Myself, my classes are crowded (over crowded if you asked me) but going great! I am teaching Government HOnors, AP Government, and 8th Grade US History. I enjoy my job and my students. This past week has been our homecoming and being the SGA Sponsor, it is my baby. Spirit week was great and the homecoming dance was beautiful. Our theme this year was An Evening Under the Stars. We decorated in blue & silver and of course stars. It was really nice. I am tired, very tired, but seeing the kids having a great time, well, it is worth me being tired.

Brian and Chelsea came over this weekend. It is always good to see them. Brian is still looking for work...so prayers in this area would be totally welcomed. He has completed the application process for the police academy and has passed one of the test already. If all goes well, he will be in the police academy in January or February.

Mark is in Oklahoma taking classes. He has been really busy but he still manages to call home once a week (which makes me happy). He is in on campus apartments, so he gets to cook some of his meals. He will be flying home for Christmas Dec. 18th. He will turn 21 the next day...does not seem like he will be 21.

David will be singing with his choir at Epcot on the 18th of December for the candle light procesional. So, if you live in Florida and want to see a wonderful Christmas Concert, I highly recommend this one. You need to book special tickets through Disney for this (you can always google Candle LIght Processional to get more information).

I hope and pray that all is well with eveyone and that you are enjoying time with family, because in the whole whelm of it, family is the most important part of life. I will leave you all with David's senior year picture...yes he is a senior....he will turn 18 on December 4th ....time sure flies when you are busy with life.

July 2009

2009-07-22T05:51:00.000-07:00

Wow...the summer is almost over and somehow I just feel like it started. David has his senior picture appointment for the yearbook scheduled on Aug 3rd. First I can not believe that is already happening. David a SENIOR in high school. Time sure does fly. I am looking forward to watching him play CENTER for his football team. But SENIOR year, not so sure I am ready for that. As you can see from the above picture, he is taller than his older brothers.

July 4th came and went with some fireworks but the best part, we were all together as a family. Brian & Chelsea came over for a few days and we all had a great time. On the 4th we went to a church picnic....all of us went...all of us had a ball. On the 3rd, we did our own fireworks in the back yard. Yes...I broke down and Brian & I got the fansy fireworks that go up in the sky. No hand ones for anyone. ;o) I am glad I did that, after spending time with friends and family at the July 4th party I was totally over heated...so I was asleep on July 4th by 9 pm....but I had my show on the 3rd, so I was okay with it. I will say, this is when I miss Maine the most. I love Maine in July and I love the Rangeley fireworks. Sure wish Maine was closer than a 3 day ride. ;o) Brian and Chelsea had to head back to Tampa for thier jobs. Brian is working at Midas and Chelsea is working at the water park for Bush Gardens.

We had some friends visit us from Austrial and Mark got to go wakeboarding:

Niel's Uncle Joe came over for a visit and we met Uncle Joe and Niel's dad (Stoyel) for lunch after church one sunday. It was a nice visit. Niel's dad seems tired all the time, that worries me. So please pray for his health.

David went on a mission trip to Cincinati to teach VBS in the inner city. He was in a skit and played the jailer:

They had a great time. The bus broke down on their way back but otherwise it was a good trip. Yesterday, David started his first job at Chic-fil-le.(He got in from the mission trip at 11 the night before) Here is him in his new "work" outfit:

While David was on his mission trip, Memaw and PopPop came down to Florida for their doctor visits. PopPop got the all clear from his doctor to do what he wants but if he gets tired, he needs to rest. This is good since he has been already doing what he wants to do (like mowing the lawn). Mark and I made a trip up to Cracker Barell to have dinner with them...it is a half way mark for both of us. We had a good visit with both of them. Memaw seems to have a cold that will not go away. PopPop looked good but looks like he needs to gain a little weight. We had a good visit. They are already back in NC and I think planning a trip to Maine to see the other grandkids and great grandkids. Did I mention that my niece Connie is pregant with TWINS. Yes TWINS! She is due in Jan or Feb.

My knee is healing and I am feeling better. Therapy in the pool is the best thing. I have a few more weeks of vacation left. Go back to work on August 3rd. Niel and I went on a mini-cruise for a mini vacation. We went out of Fort Lauderdale which was nice since we got to visit with Niel's brother Eric who is in a nursing home in South Florida. We got to see him on Thursday before we left and then on Monday when we returned. We had a good time. We got to do some snorkling and see some historical places in Key West. But the best part of the vacation was just spending time with each other. I just like hanging with Niel. We had a great table on the cruise and ended up hanging with one of the couples a lot. The couple we hung with, lived near Uncle Joe and the guy used to work in Uncle Joe's park. What a small world. ;o) The below pictures is a picture of us before the formal dinner.

While we were on the cruise, Mark and Janel went up to Gainesville to visit Missy and Granddad. I hear through Janel, that Mark's grandmother (Missy) smoked him on a game of tenis. Guess the poor kid does not get his tenis talent from missy but me. (Sorry Missy). They were also abel to see their Cousin Jenny and her children. They had a great visit. And per Missy....Brian & Chelsea, Missy wants a visit from you two!!! I would recommend, practice tennis before you go. ;o)

I hope everyone is enjoying their family this summer. Family is so special and I enjoy every minute with mine. Part of my family is growing up but that is part of life...sometimes I just wonder where all the time went but then I remember, time has gone by while we have been enjoying each other.

The New Pet in the House

2009-06-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

The new addition to our family is Stormy the Cat. She is a total princess and has taken over the house.As you can see, she loves to play in boxes...so in our room we have two boxes that she totally plays with. She thinks Chewy is a weird looking cat and tries to play with him (sometimes he seems to like the attention). Cody acknowledges her but that is about it. But down deep I think he is glad she is here...a few times I have found them cuddled next to each other sleeping.

I am doing better since my knee surgery. I am up and walking and have stopped the heavy pain meds...personally, they were horrible and made the room spin. I want be running anywhere soon but even with two good knees I would not be running anywhere in this Florida heat. Therapy is going good but I am looking forward to get the okay to do therapy in the pool. I go to the doctor on Monday...so hopefully I will get that okay to drive again and permission to get in the pool. Since the surgery was on my right knee, no driving until the doctor clears me. So Niel has been my nurse and driving me around. Yesterday after therapy, he took me to the movies and dinner. The movie was great, we saw Proposal and I recommend everyone to see it. A really cute movie. Even Niel enjoyed it..it has a lot of funny spots in it. We ended the evening with dinner at LongHorn. It was nice. I will say I was tired, but it was a good tired.

Boys are doing good. Brian is looking for work again and is thinking about going to the police academy. Something to pray about. David is at Wet N Wild today with friends from school and Mark is working.

June already

2009-06-22T16:02:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I blogged. I was going to blog when school was out....send pictures of my vacation...but then my vacation did not happen and I have been basically been laid up with knee problems. It is called condramalicia. Nice name for rough and loose cartledge behind my knee cap.

So...instead of a trip to DC....I spent the time on the couch...resting my leg. The doctor says that sometimes resting the leg helps with the inflamation...so I rested. Now, I proble did not rest like I should have....but I rested as good as I could. While I was resting we got the new addition to our family. STORMY. She is a medium hair gray & white cat with the sweetest personality. She loves to purr and she loves to cuddle. She even likes the dogs...now, she has let them know she is head princess of the house. So...instead of DC...I have become friends with our new member of the house.

Well...resting did not heal the problem, so last Thursday, the doctor did surgery on my knee. Basically he went in and cleaned up the cartledge. Now, in my mind, once he did that, I thought I would be okay. Everyone I bumped into this past month, said, I had knee surgery and I was up and about....I guess they forgot about the pain from surgery. I am not up and about yet. It has been 5 days and to be honest....it hurts. My leg is swollen and I do not feel like getting up and about. Now, I will say, Niel had warned me. He said this would happen but then he said, well, when I had knee surgery 25 years ago....so I thought, things had change. The lady in the line at Walmart had knee surgery and she was back to work in three days. I guess they only let the fast healers to talk about their surgery....three days. I took a shower and thought being dirty was not all that bad if taking a shower was as painful as mine was. I will admit, our friend Bill did mention on the 3rd day I would feel like a ton of bricks landed on my knee...I feel he discribed it totally correctly. So imagine, a ton of brick pain and I am trying to take a shower. OKay...now I have brought humor back into your life.

Today...day 5: Physical Therapy. You know they make you exercise and work out your pain while you pay them. What is that all about. Okay...in reality, it was not all that bad...but today was the first day. I have physical therapy on Wednesday and then Friday. Niel went with me today...he went to see what I am suppose to do at home. Yes...not only do they expect you to pay them to make your exercise, you have to do homework. Do they not know I am on summer vacation. Now I have homework...and it is not fun homework, it is stretching exercises. Does this mean I have made it to the big time with my own trainer.

On a good note. All three boys were home these past few days. Brian & Chelsea came over to see me but also to celebrate father's day over here. The reason they had the extra time, well, Brian lost his job. So he is job hunting again. This is a tad bit discouraging but I know he will find the right fit for him soon. Please pray for that. So..while they were visiting, Throttle got hurt. He got a huge gash in his back and had to get about 8 staples. Poor little guy. He took it better than I did with my knee but him & I spent the day resting on Sunday. We could have put a sign out front: rehab for all. They headed back to Tampa today...hopefully Throttle will heal fast and that Brian will find a job.

Mark and David were at summer camp two weeks ago. Mark was a counselor and David was a camper. They both had a great time. David even earned the award Mr. I (some award for the best guy camper). He is back at doing Iron Claw (football conditioning). This past Friday, Mark(as acting intern) took the youth group to Rock Springs. They had a great day tubing and relaxing. Funny though, when both Mark & David came home at 5, they both went to bed for the rest of the day...so how much relaxing did they truly get.

Niel....I think he needs a saint award. He has been the chief nurse through all of this....he is so sweet and takes everything with stride. Did I mention the new kitty Stormy likes to play with his legs at midnight. The boys did take him and his dad out to eat on Sunday...I was not up to it...but then Niel brought me leftovers home. He is so sweet. I feel so blessed to have Niel.

Guess that is it. I will not be running any marthons soon (okay,even without this ingury I would not be running any marthons...but that does sound good).

I hope you have enjoyed your June and July will be here before we know it. Summer will be over and I will be back at work. Then I will say, what did I do this summer? Oh yeah....knee surgery and physical therapy.

Mother's Day Weekend

2009-05-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

I will say I had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. All three boys were home for the weekend. We all went to church, David played in the Praise Band and then sat with us, afterwards we all went to lunch at Fujamias (Japanese Steak House). After the wonderful lunch we headed to the movies and saw Star Trex. It was a great movie and a great time. The rest of the afternoon I watched home improvement shows.

Besides Mother's Day weekend...David had PROM on Friday night. His school does a Junior/Senior Prom. We took pictures down by the River Front before he was off with Friends to dinner and then Prom. For some unknown reason he did not want us to follow and take pictures. But we did get a lot of pictures at the River Front.
Here is David at the house before we went to the River Front:

Here is David with the football boys:

Here is David with his friend Donna:

Here is David with his friend Taylor:

Mark is home from college. He is going to take 4 classes this summer besides work a part time job. His old job at Florida Seafood hired him back for the summer. He will also be helping our youth leader at our church this summer as well.

All is well in Cocoa Florida. It has been unbearable hot lately. I will say it has totally wiped me out. I had an MS attack on Friday but I am doing better. I am trying to take it easy and avoid the heat as much as I can.

I hope all had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend as I did.

Happy Easter & the End of Spring Break

2009-04-12T06:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! Today will be a fun relaxing day ..go to church, have Easter Dinner, and then work on work for tomorrow because Spring Break is OVER! I am cooking a New England Boiled dinner, something I used to do when the boys were younger. It is your typical ham dinner with vegitables. I am having apple pie and ice cream for desert..so it is all Maine today! Niel's dad Stoyel will come over for dinner as well. We are going to eat at noon..so Brian & Chelsea can have time with Chelsea's family and David has to go to work.

Back to work tomorrow for Niel & Me, but as the time flies out of Spring Break it does bring Mark closer to home, he will be headed home on May 1st, so it will be good to see Mark again.

Brian & Chelsea have been here for Easter Weekend. It has been good having them over, along with Throttle. He has grown so much, he is much bigger than Cody now, but Cody is still the alpha dog or is it Chewy. All three love to play together. Of course Throttle likes to play longer but the other dogs let him know when enough is enough. Brian has enjoyed his time by fishing and Chelsea has been studying...it is near the end of the semester so she had a lot to do. I think yesterday she was working on her studies and I was working on AP Government stuff.

Our College trip seemed to have been a success. We visited 5 colleges in Florida and David has found the one he wants to attend. He really like University of North Florida. He loved the "not tropical feel" which he was trying to get away from. The campus is beautiful, the academics are top notch with many different majors to choose from. He is looking into Marketing/Business which they have a great program. He has mentioned education which they also have...and they have pre-law, another idea that he has tossed back-n-forth.
University of North Florida Jacksonville:

He has decided he will apply to four colleges, hoping to get accepted by Univ.of North Florida. He will apply to UNF, New College, USF, and UCF. The New College does not offer as many major as other colleges but they are high academics and they do have an Economic major. Here are some pictures of our travels:

Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft Myers, Florida:

The New College of Florida, Sarasota, Florida:

University of South Florida in Tampa:

Florida Southern College in Lakeland:

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter Day...I love this time of years...the flowers are out, it still is not too hot. Yesterday we had a youth yardsale and it was a perfect day for a sale. The youth group made about 1400 toward their summer mission trip. David had fun holding the sign by the road and acting crazy to get people to come into the yardsale. We had a lot of big stuff so a lot of the youth group boys were also delivery guys with their trucks.

Day FIve College Tour

2009-04-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

Well...we have finished our College Tour! Today we saw University of North Florida and David loved. We all loved it. It is not a large college yet not so small (it has 14,000 students)...no football team. It sits outside of Jacksonville about 10 miles to the OCean, yet it does not feel like a beach college...more like a college in the north or in the middle of the state.

So...now this summer, David will take another ACT test and hopefully have higher scores then before, work on his resume and essays for colleges. He plans on applying to 4 colleges: UNF (his fist choice), New College (2nd choice), USF (3rd choice), and 4th choice UCF.

TOmorrow Niel plans on working in the yard...I will break down and work on AP stuff and update my new school lap top. Right before spring break (2 hours before), our computer tech guy came and replaced my old lap top with a newer one...so now I have to play with and get things accomplished on it. That is my plan for tomorrow.

On Saturday, the youth is having a yard sale, so as a parent of the youth, I will be busy working it. If you want any junk, come to the yard sale (US 1 and Michagan Street)....Niel is excited about getting some of the junk out of the garage here.

I also want to wish everyone a HAPPY EASTER...I serve a risen Savior!

College Tour Day 4

2009-04-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

Okay...we have arrived home for the night...sleep in our own bed! YEAH!!! and do laundry ;o( okay...part of traveling is doing laundry when one is done...so it is now done.

This morning we went over to see Florida Southern which is located in Lakeland Florida. It is a beautiful campus. I think David really liked the campus, not sure on how much he liked the college part of it. He still wants to keep it on his list. He is starting to think he wants to stay at a small or medium college.

The dogs were glad to see us. Or should I say glad to see Niel, they have been by his side since we got home.

Well...off to church, tomorrow we need to get up early to go see our 5th college.

College Trip Day Three

2009-04-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

It is 9:46 and I am tired. We had a busy day and saw TWO, yes two colleges.

Last night we did eat at Yoders and we also saw some of the Ringling Brothers Circus Museum. We got back to the hotel...David went and spent an hour in the hot tub..Niel and I rested.

Tuesday: The morning started eating breakfast in the hotel and then hitting the road to visit The New College of Florida. I will say that it is one of the best kept secrets in Florida. Part of the campus has beautiful old buildings and the other part new. The college is located in Sarasota right on the Bay. We were there from 9:45 - Noon. We had a great talk with the admissions specialist and then a tour of the campus. The New College of Florida population is only 800 students. I will say I loved this college and if I was 17, this is where I would want to go. David also wants to keep it on his list.

After we had lunch, we headed to Tampa to help Brian purchase his new 2000 GMA Sierra 1500 SLT, it is white and he is happy. He traded his Mustang in and it looks good. Niel test drove it with him and sat with Brian as they wheeled and dealed.

After the purchase, we headed over to USF (Universit of South Florida), where we had the sweetest and prettiest guide yet, Chelsea showed us around. The campus is HUGE. David liked it though and it is on his list. He has taken off Florida Gulf Coast (the college we saw on Monday) off his list.

We are now in Lakeland. We checked into the hotel and went to find the college (Which we did); then we had some dinner (Steak & Shake). Did you know they no longer have the berry cobbler? But their steakburgers are still good. We are now all back in the room. This hotel does not have a hot tub and with the temperatures at 50 outside, David has chosen to stay in the room and watch some tv and play on his lap top.

Tomorrow our tour starts at 10 am. Tomorrow night we sleep in our own beds...i will say I am looking forward to my own bed.

College Trip Day Two

2009-04-06T12:33:00.001-07:00

Well we have visited the first College: Florida Gulf Coast. It was an interesting experience this morning--> I had the wrong map quest address and Niel punched in the wrong address to the college...so instead of making our appointment at 10; we showed up at 10:20 and ended up doing a self tour ourself (which really was not that bad). Did I mention the college ended up only being 5 minutes from our hotel yet it took us an hour to get there with the wrong directions.

Florida Gulf Coast was okay. Nothing to truly write home about. It is small which I liked and the dorms were great (yet no one could truly answer the problems with getting dorms ones Sophamore year...which we knew personally had happened to one of Mark's friends).People did seem very friendly and both David and Niel noticed there were a lot of pretty girls on this campus.

The campus was very tropical and looked very similar to the Cocoa Beach Area, just more expensive. David did not like the fact that the college seemed to be very similar to the area we already live in and he felt it was in the middle of no where (which in reality it was but go 20 minutes in any direction, one would find the masses). Traffic was horrible though.....I do not think they know how to drive in this area.

We ate lunch at a place called Red Robbin. That was nice.

Since we are already at the new hotel...we are going to adventure out and see where the college is (we would like to make this tour). we are also going to try an Armish Restraunt for dinner: Yoders. we have heard wonderful things about it, so we are going to try.

Guess that is it for now. I will blog more about our adventurous college tours.

Spring Break College Tour Day One

2009-04-05T18:52:00.000-07:00

Okay...we have officially started our spring break college tour. We left Cocoa after church around 1:30. We headed to Tampa and stopped for a visit with Brian and Chelsea. We had a great visit....of course the grandpuppy loved seeing me. He just gets larger and larger...but still so loving and gentle. After we took Brian and Chelsea out to dinner...we headed to Ft Myers....we arrived at the hotel around 9 pm. I will say....I am tired. David has headed to the pool and Niel just finished bringing in the suitcases. Tomorrow we will look at our first college: Florida Gulf Coast. The Hotel Clerk did make a note that we are here to see Florida Gulf Coast, yet I have a University of Central Florida T-shirt on and Niel has a University of South Florida t-shirt on....hey we are on a college tour.

The hotel is great...we are right next to a mall....but it is closed now and we will be busy tomorrow and headed to a new hotel. I think Niel is glad we got in after the mall closed. ;o)

Spring is here in Florida (March)

2009-03-14T11:13:00.001-07:00

Can you believe March is here and almost gone?! Now the weather is beautiful and it does feel like March is here yet it seemed to have sneaked up on me. I guess with all the excitement of the end of February....time just flew by.

My dad is doing good. Slowly recovering. The doctor says he needs to walk more ....so, mom has a schedule for him to follow. I talk to him every day and he has totally enjoyed the cards and phone calls. I know mom has appreciated them as well.

The fire in the back yard has not rekindled again...yet the air is very smokey. Many places in Florida are on fire. It is so dry right now....sorta scary, especially after having our back yard on fire. The last two weekends Niel has worked in the back yard cutting away the trees that had been on fire and getting rid of some brush that would be good fuel for another fire. Last weekend Brian & Chelsea were here for the weekend. (Brian still has not found a job) So Brian helped Niel bring stuff to the road; this weekend David helped in the yard. It is surely a two man job. Per Niel, he really needs a few more weekends like the last two to get a handled on the yard.

Myself...I have been busy at work and taking care of the house. At work we have had testing, which always interfers with my AP classes, so I have been having to do double time to try to get my students all the information they need. Not to mention the time I missed going to Ocala to be with my mom during my dad's operation. I have great students and they too have been working hard to stay on task.

At work, there are still talkes about layoffs and cutbacks for next year. It is just an added stress on teachers...something we truly do not need. As it is, there is never enough hours in the day to get all we want to get done. I can not remember a weekend I did not bring work home to work on. I even brought stuff to the hospital when we went to Ocala (which did make time fly by while waiting for my dad's operation).

David has signed up for his senior year classes. I can not believe he will be a senior. Time flies and knowing next year will be his senior year...that will fly as well...that year seems to go faster than any of the other. We are in the process of putting together a trip during Spring Break to look at Florida Colleges. He still is unsure on what he wants to major it or do for the future. Maybe the college tour will inspire him. We were hoping that church or school would have done a college tour like they did when Mark was a junior...but no such luck.

Speaking of Mark...he is on the road right now for Florida. He left Oklahoma yesterday afternoon....he is homeward bound. His plans (per him) is to sleep in his own bed and go to the beach. I guess we do live in the perfect spot for SPRING BREAK...20 mintues from the beach.

Continue to pray for my dad's recovery and Brian finding a job. I will say...the past month has been stressful but it did not seems as bad with all the prayers and Niel by my side. He is a tremondous guy and I am the luckiest girl in the world.

Jan. 25th , 2009

2009-01-25T18:56:00.000-08:00

First we have been really busy since Christmas has been over. Niel gave me livingroom furniture for my Christmas present so during Christmas break I took wallpaper down in the entry way and the livingroom. We then ordered the furniture and then painted the livingroom. I also took the wall paper down in our bathroom. So this weekend I painted our bathroom.

The livingroom furniture was delivered Friday....so we started setting up...I had already boxed up stuff that I wanted to go to a yard sale and stuff I still wanted to save...it is amazing how we get so much stuff in our life....I think I have too much stuff still but I am learning to perg. We are not quite finished with the bathroom so I will wait to take pictures of that, but my livingroom is done. Enjoy the pictures:

BARNEY THE CAT

Well....we get so attached to our animals...they are always here to welcome us when we come home from work and they are always glad to see us. Barney was no acception to that rule. He was a good cat. Sometimes I think he thought he was a dog, in all truth, he was the alphadog at this house. If you went for a walk, so did Barney. He loved hanging with people..if you moved from one room to another..so would Barney...but he was a CAT and loved his independence. He loved to roam outside, he loved to guard our yard from other cats, and he loved to hang with the boys. I think he thought he was one of the boys...I guess after 16 years, he was one of the boys. He would wait for Niel to come home from work at night and walk in. When Niel took the garbage to the road, Barney would follow him but expected Niel to carry him back, which he did. This weekend, our beloved Cat died. He had not been feeling well these past few weeks, I thought he did not like the cold weather we had been having. Well, on Saturday, he perked up...he helped or supervised David working in the yard, he was helping Niel in the garage and he helped Niel put my new curtain rod in the livingroom. He was helping me unpack books that I had boxed up during the move. Well, a few minutes, he walked into the kitchen..then I heard weird breathing...he was laying on the floor...I went to get Niel, he was still acting strange and less then 5 minutes he died. He went to chase mice in the beyond. So, here are some pictures of our beloved cat...he is now buried in the flower bed he loved to lay in. He will be greatly missed by this family.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T05:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas came and went so fast this year, but it was a wonderful Christmas. We had 13 for dinner for Christmas Eve..I will say it was a housefull but a nice get together. We ate at 4 so Mark could meet up with Janel's family for another dinner at 6ish. After dinner we were able to attend a Christmas Eve service. Brian & Chelsea were even better, they stayed up an attended Christmas Mass, Chelsea played her violin at that Mass. Me...sorry, a tad bit too tired. It was nice this year, Niel's dad Stoyell was able to spend the evening with us.

Christmas morning does not start as early as it did when the boys were little, they all started getting up at 9 am....I made a breakfast casserole, a frenchtoast casserole, and sausage balls. I think the smells woke them up. We ate our brunch and then tackeled the presents. I will say we all had a wonderful Christmas. Brian & Chelsea headed out about 11 ish to spend the rest of the day with Chelsea's family. Mark headed over to Janel's. The rest of us....we got ready for the 1 oclock movie: Marley & Me...which is a wonderful movie. I highly recommend it....you will laugh and cry. I think Brian & Chelsea have their own Marley...who goes by the name of Throttle:

Now...it is New Years....personally I do not know where the time went, between Christmas and now. I know one day I took down Christmas (Saturday), church was Sunday....Monday we did head down to see Neil's brother Eric. Please pray for Eric, we are also trying to get him transfered to a nursing home near here..that way we can visit him more.It is a whole day trip...3 hours down there, visit time and eating, then 3 hours back....makes for a very long day.

I am remodeling my livingroom. On Tuesday, Niel & I went furniture hunting...we had decided we needed more seating in that area (especially at Christmas) and besides, the furniture in this livingroom is my yardsale furniture...so, it is time to make it a real livingroom. But, once you decide to change the furniture you have to paint, take wallpaper down, etc....so yesterday Niel & I went and got paint and I took down the wall paper in the entry ways and packed up all the nicknacks that will now sit in the attic (need to de-cluter when you change things up as well). Niel also put another outside outlet by the pool area.....So, now thanks to Niel, this house finally has outside outlets.

Mark picked up three Chinese students yesterday at the airport...they are down to enjoy the wonderful time of Florida weather. Brian & Chelsea came over last night to enjoy New Years as a family. David...ditched us for a Youth Campout. We had a quiet evening at home (noone invited us to any parties..if anyone was having parties..we were not on their invite list) .....the kids (Brian & Chelsea, Mark & Janel, & the Chinese students, all went over to the youth campout for awhile and then they came back and joined Niel and I....Brian shot off fireworks and we all sat around the firepit and watched them.The midnight campfire..was really nice. I will say it was really nice. Family time is always really nice. Time with Niel is always really nice. Niel had also built four benches for the firepit....so it was nice to sit on these nice benches. We had the tiki-torches on and a fire in the pit and fireworks in the sky...could not have asked for a nicer evening.

Well...today...looks like we will be painting! Getting the room ready for its makeover.

Happy New Year Friends & Family!!!!

Pre-Christmas

2008-12-23T14:22:00.001-08:00

Tis the season to be busy. Let's see: December: David turned 17 on December 4th...he sang at Epcot on the 7th. The above picture is of Chelsea and Brian & then Niel and Me, we all met at Epcot to hear David sing. I must admit, I love Epcot at Christmas time...they have all the different Santas from all around the world there near their country (guess the north pole is empty during this time...because they are at Epcot)...Well, below is a picture of me and the French Santa:

While at Epcot we ate at the Land....it was wonderful. It was country diner type of food and it was all you can eat. I will say, Brian really liked the place. When you have a child in the concert, to guarantee a seat to watch the performance, you need to purchase a meal & ticket deal from Epcot. You do need to eat but it is a gimick. But it is nice to have a nice meal and then watch the show. So it was worth it. Again this year, I sat in the perfect seat...David walked right by me again.

We have been busy with Christmas parties: Niel's work party was on December 5th; our Churches Christmas party was on Dec. 13th (my parents came down and enjoyed that with us); my work Christmas party was on Dec. 20th. So...every weekend we were holiday out. ;o) I will say my favorite was Niel's....we got to eat with some of our friends and it was a nice time. Niel's Christmas party is more eliquent than the rest, everyone dresses semi-formal and it is really nice.

Mark flew in on the 19th....which he turned 20.Can you believe, Mark is no longer a teenager..he is now a man. Where did the time go? He was suppose to fly in on the 18th but the fog in Dallas had their planes in Oklahoma City grounded...so, to get another flight, they drove to Tulsa and flew out the next morning and arrived home on December 19th @ 2:30....I had him balloons and a welcome home sign. If he had made his first flight, I had arranged for a bunch of his friends to go to IHOP at 12:30 am on the 19th ...but that did not happen...but it would have been cool. Instead he got to choose where he wanted to go to dinner. He chose a place called Grills at the port. A very nice fishy place.

School is closed for winter break. We had our exams the 16th - 19th, as well as David. So, we are finished with school until January. Myself, well, I will be working on my AP Government class....they start up on January 8th. It is a very demanding class but I love teaching Government, so it is also fun. It is wonderful to totally enjoy ones job.

Brian & Chelsea arrived here yesterday evening. When they got in at 9 pm...all three boys and their girlfriends went to the movies together. They sure do have a great time together. I love having all three boys home. The house seems so alive when they are home. They love spending time together which I love to see as well. Yesterday I was able to spend time with Mark and David....it was wonderful.

Everyone seems to be stressed about the Christmas season, especially in these economic times...everyone looking for the perfect gift to give to those they love. Well, the perfect gift does not cost money, the perfect gift is your TIME. Yesterday, just having time with the boys was wonderful. TIME is the perfect gift.

Today my folks arrived in town. We all went out to lunch ...the boys love spending time with them...since I no longer have the van, we had to take two cars. PopPop road with the boys...he sure does love his boys. They love spending time with him as well. This after noon we made Christmas cookies...yes, I made Christmas Cookies...it is fun and everyone seems to like to eat them. Now mind you, they will not win any awards but they sure do taste good. Yes, we also ate cookie dough while we made the cookies.

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas...take time to enjoy each other's company.Spend TIME with each other..that is the perfect gift...your time with someone else. That is all everyone really wants....is time together. Tomorrow I will have about 13 friends and family for Christmas Eve dinner...it will be wonderful...TIME together. Enjoy your time with your family and have a Very Merry Christmas. Expect more post after Christmas with pictures.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2008-11-30T12:08:00.000-08:00

Wow...I feel totally stuffed...guess that is how one should feel after Thanksgiving.

We had a quiet weekend....Thanksgiving Day was full of friends and family. (Myself,Niel, David, my folks, Niel's dad, my friend Mike and his son Mark Tim, and Brian & Chelsea) We had 10 at our table this year. We ate about 1:00...sat around afterwards talking and watching football. I believe some took cat naps but noone admits too it. Brian and Chelsea had to head out for another meal. Around 7 pm we went to see a movie: We saw Australia....good movie but long (at least David thought it was long). Oh...almost forgot the special guest....Throttle, my new grandpuppy.

Before we ate (we had turkey and ham...for those that really want to know, and yes, I did the cooking). Everyone stood around the table (nicely decorated with paper products)and said what they were thankful for. I had so much to be thankful for, wonderful family, friends, good health....the list can go on. I am truly blessed with a wonderful husband and 3 wonderful boys. My boys are very blessed to still have both sets of grandparents still around. It was nice having my parents and Niel's dad with us.

Before people came over on Thursday I was able to get a few of the Christmas Trees up (2 out of 4)--> Niel thought I was a tad bit on the crazy side but I knew it had to get done and why not during some down time.I got the den decorated for Christmas and my bedroom. I saved the Kitchen and livingroom for Friday.

The Den:

My Bedroom's tree:

Friday morning I did not get up at the break of dawn. I slept until 7 and then headed out for a few sales. I went to Lowells, Kohls (total mistake...too many people and not really that great of deals), and then Walmart. I got a few things accomplished but not as much as I truly wanted to. When I got home, after having coffee and pumpkin bread....I worked on turning the living room and kitchen into Christmas central. Tree is up and cupboards decorated in the Kitchen, decorations and tree is up in the livingroom. The tree has lights on it but we will not decorate it until Mark is home from college. Niel and my dad had already started putting the outside lights up. The outside of the house looks like a living candycane (red & white lights).

Saturday My parents headed back to Ocala and I spent the day cleaning out the closet(finding gifts I had bought and forgot about) , looking at my Christmas lists, and wrapping presents. Basically we stayed around the house. Niel fixed some of the lights that were not working. He is also coming down with a cold. We then went out to dinner to celebrate Chelsea's birthday with her family....we had a great time.

Now...it is Sunday...Brian & Chelsea have just left for Tampa, David is writing a paper (okay, he is suppose to be writing a paper), and Niel is watching football...the house is too quiet, I know I am strange....I love the commotion of the house full of people.

I hope that everyone was able to enjoy the holiday weekend. Even when things are bleak, we always have something to be thankful for. God is in control and He knows the big picture.

Family Weekend in Novemenber

2008-11-15T04:35:00.000-08:00

Well...it is Saturday morning and the weekend in full swing. Last night David's football team had a game under the lights. Now to most people this seems normal, but David's team's field does not have lights, so usually our games are at 4 pm. But last night, being senior night (last home game, you honor the seniors) so they rented or someone donated these lights for the field. So, we had a game under the lights.

This game was great, nice cool weather (another thing we usually do not have at our Florida football games). But this game was even more special. Now, we have the lights, the weather....what more could there be...well....in the middle of the game, at 7:50 , the refs stop the game so we could see the shuttle go up. It was amazing, the glow in the distance and then the glow flying through the sky. Did I mention the sky was a beautiful background for this shuttle.....clear sky, moonlite night.

THE GLOW IN THE SKY IS THE SHUTTLE:

Still....that is not just it to make it special. So, we have the lights, the weather, and the shuttle....what more could make it special.....well, Family to watch the game. David had his own cheering center. Bob & Denise came down from Virginia to watch, Brian & Chelsea came over from Tampa, and of course David's favorit fans Niel & I were there. It was amazing sitting together and watching the game (Even though I think we stood more than sat...something you do when you watch football).Now....those that are my friends and know that my divorce with Bob totally hurt me (usually happens when someone you trust cheats on you) and those that know that, know that Denise is the one that he ran off with. So most think, how can you sit with her. Well, God is good, and we must move forward in our life. I have the most wonderful husband now who adores the ground I walk on (okay...I will not go that far because you know, I am who I am. But in reality, life is too short to be angry and upset. We need to forgive and move forward. Is that not what God tells us to do? Is that not what my faith is all about? So, that is what I am trying to do...learning to forgive and moving forward. Now, I will admit, at first when I see her, I do get a hurt in my stomach, but I will say, each time is less than it was before....I am a firm believer if you turn stuff over to God and if you do not hold it in and you talk about it to someone, you will be on the road to recovery.(this is important...you can't keep these hurts inside, you have to talk to someone about your feelings..the more you get it out, the faster you will heal)

Now back to the football game and the family weekend news:
Niel even used his Major Robbins voice to cheer some, which totally blew Brian away. I don't think Brian realize what a major in the army sounds like when they use their army voice. You should have seen his eyes,he was looking around to see who had that roaring voice. Now mind you, since I am David's number one fan and I sit next to David's number two fan....I have heard the major roar before; but I will admit that when I first heard it, I too looked around to see where the large cheering voice was coming from. Because those that know Niel, no he is soft spoken with such a tender heart...who would know he had these large sounds inside him.

Here is a picture of David, Bob, & Brian after the game.

Now, since this was senior night. After the game they had a BBQ. So we were all able to get some BBQ and sit down as a family and enjoy more one on one time with the football player. You know the coaches don't let you have one on one time with the players while they are playing. It was just an amazing football night. Oh...for you football stats guys...we lost the game, 13-12. One of those nailbiter games, we lost in the last 4 seconds of the game. Per Niel and the paper, the early turnovers is what killed us during the first half. Another factor, the team we played is one division higher than us. We might have lost, but it was a great night for Merrit Island Christian Football.

The game is over...so what is in store for this Saturday...yard work, NO, house work, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?...okay, I know those are normal weekend things we do around here...but this is FAMILY WEEKEND....so we are heading to Ocala today to visit my mom, she is 78 today.

I wanted to show you David's hair...yes, he is bald. Even though Mark was not at the game, he was still part of the family weekend. Seems like the boys are always conneceted..which is a good thing (most of the time). This week David went to see his brother in Oklahoma and to see Oklahoma Christian College as well (where Mark goes). Well, Mark, his friends, and David thought it would be cool to give David a Mohawk. Yes a Mohawk....mind you David goes to a Christian School and can not have weird hairdos (which is a good thing)...so when David got off the plane from Oklahoma he looked the picture below....hence why he now has a bald head, the pictures above:

Nov. 2nd

2008-11-02T10:17:00.000-08:00

It is a nice rainy Sunday today. Does not seem like it is already November. I will have to admit, I love autumn. It has always been my favorite time of the year. I remember my days in Maine, raking leaves and of course jumping in them. I remember my high school days at Dublin...hay rides and making

As I read the paper, watch Meet the Press, I like every American know that in two days history will be made. We will either have the first African American as President or the first women Vice President. I will have to admit that it has been an exciting year to teach government but I will also have to admit, I am ready for this election. I will not tell anyone how to vote but I would like you to vote. I try to stay neutral when I teach my students but I am passionate about people not giving up their right to vote. Yes, I have voted (I am one of those that do vote early) and I will stay up and watch the elections on Tuesday nights. I will be excited or disappointed when the outcome does come, but I will say, no matter who gets in office, I will dedicate myself to pray for that person.

Niel's dad moved down to Florida this past week. Niel was able to help him unpack his pod on Wednesday. It is amazing how we hold onto so much stuff...even when we move. I try to pudge so much of my stuff yet, I look around and I still have more stuff. I guess that is how it is with everyone. How much stuff we collect...gets overwhelming at time. I have DVD's that I still have not open or even watched. I did purge the kitchen when we remodeled, that was easy, Brian and Chelsea needed stuff for their kitchen.

I went to see my folks on Saturday. I will say, watching ones parents gets old is very hard (at least for me). My mom's health does not seem good and she only weighs 80 pounds. I so wish I could give her some of my weight. How nice that would be....it would help her and me as well. We surprised her....we just showed up. I do not think I will do that again, she almost passed out....she was so shocked to see us.

It was a good weekend for football. David's team won bigtime, 42-6. This win puts them in the playoffs. That gives him two more games, Nov. 14th & Nov. 21st. The GATORS beat Georgia bigtime as well. I even heard that Georgia Tech smashed FSU. So...I guess it was a big weekend for big games, unless you were one of the teams that lost. I really love football season....I love watching David play ball. I use to love listening to the band when Brian & Mark were in the band. Friday nights at the field...was time consuming but also really fun. I have great memories of football seasons pasts and we are making great memories for football season now.

Oct 18th

2008-10-18T16:05:00.000-07:00

I know it has been awhile since I last posted but it has been busy here in Florida. David had homecoming week worth of activities and then the following week was my week at school of homecoming activities. Then this past week...I think I was just plane worn out and I went to sleep early everynight. Guess I needed my sleep.

Last weekend a friend mentioned a book for me to read, The Shack and then another mentioned a movie to go see :Fireproof. So, on Monday I bought the book and started reading it & Friday I went to the movie (with Niel) of course.

First, the book was wonderful. I recommend it as a MUST read. It mainly deals with someone that deals with a major lost in their life and moving forward. Even if you have never lost a loved one...I recommend the book. We have all experienced some type of lost: Lost of a loved one, a friend, a divorce, loss of job....something we ask God..why me? This book helps this person get through their loss but it also opens up ones eyes that one can not move forward without forgiving those that have wronged us or even who we feel have wronged us. It also explains that forgiveness does not mean that you will forget but forgiveness means you can move forward with you life. God wants all of us to move forward in our life. I told Niel this morning, that I never could have moved forward in my life if I had not forgiven Bob for what he did to me. That does not mean I have totally forgotten the hurt he caused but I have forgiven him and as I move forward in life, the hurt does slowly disappear. I am only mentioning this to help others. If you have someone in your life that has wronged you or you think has wronged you...you need to forgive them to move forward in your life. God can use something bad that happens in our life for something good.

Second, the movie...I totally recommend this movie. At first I was really leary about it....it is about a couple thinking about a divorce and how they use this program Love Dare to slowly work it out....it saves their marriage. I was leary because those that know my past, know that Bob & I had done a type of Love Dare program through a Christian outreach. It was to save our marriage. Obviously it did not work but as I look back on it and I realize it did not work because we both were not working at it. Bob's heart had already been given to someone else. His heart was not in it...it is not all his fault, that is just what it is. But I did learn some wonderful helps to use in a marriage and this movie reenforced some of the same ideas. But in all honesty...when you put someone above your own needs, they do turn around and love you more. Mates just want to know that you love them unconditionally.You see that in older couples when they are taking care of each other. I see it when my dad goes in the bathroom to dry my mother's back because she has a hard time doing that. I see it when Dad Schmidt planned the most awesome surprise birthday party for Mom Schmidt. It is putting your mates needs above your own because you love them so dearly. In the movie the dad of the couple reminded me of Dad Schmidt...a dad that truly cares and is there for his kids. As we were leaving, Niel said, who did the dad remind you of....I said Dad Schmidt...he said me too.

Today....Niel & I went to a friend of our's dad's memorial service. I did not know Ron's dad but I knew what a wonderful man Ron was, so I knew his dad had to be one fantastic guy. After sitting through a very moving memorial service, I was right. It was really emotional, as my friend and his brother got up to talk about their dad. What great influenced he had been in their life...how he helped guide them to be the men they are today. It makes one wonder what ones own kids will say at their memorial service. All I know is I have done the best I could and hopefully they will have nice stories to tell about me...but more important, I sure do want them to play music at my service. I want Brian to play "An Old Rugged Cross" on his sax....I want Mark to do a drum solo, and I want David to sing I think "I can Fly".....I might start laughing in heavin because I will remember him doing the skit he did this year to that song...but at my memorial service I would like him to do it normal. He has such a nice voice.

This weekend has been relaxing and an eye opener. Open to good things and do some deep thoughts..but that is okay. We all need some self evaluation...especially if we want to better ourselves...which I hope we all do....I know I sure do. I want to be the best daughter, the best wife, the best mother, the best friend, and most important the best Christian God wants me to be.

Weekend in NY

2008-09-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we spend in Rochester/Syracruse NY at Niel’s niece’s wedding. We arrived in Rochester on Thursday, Sept. 25th…Brian’s birthday. I think I called him four or five times during the day…still can not believe he turned 21. I have a 21 year old….am I really that old? Does not seem possible to have a child that is 21….but I guess I do & when I look in the mirror, I see that I am old enough to have a 21 year old. When did that happen?

Well…back to Rochester… We landed and headed directly toward the nursing home to see Niel’s mom….she was asleep and personally unaware that we were even there…so, we were going to stay at Niel’s sister’s house, she left us the key (she had already headed to Syracruse to help with the wedding planning). Well, when Niel was unlocking the door to the house…the key slipped out of his hand behind the cement stairs. We did try to retrieve the key but were unlucky…so off to a hotel we went. Once we unpacked we headed over to Rick & Laurie’s house (dear friends of Niel’s and now mine). We had a wonderful dinner but more important, fantastic fellowship. We love to get together with them…..such great friends. Sure wish we lived closer.

Friday after having a wonderful breakfast at the hotel we checked out to start our trip to Syracruse for the rehearsal dinner & then the wedding. Before we headed out of town, Niel wanted to help his dad with putting on a storm door. Niel said, it would take an hour or two and then we would be off to the mountains to look at the foliage. Well, 4 ½ hours later the storm door was up & we were having lunch at Applebees before we headed out of town toward Syracruse. The morning weather was beautiful, so a good time to put on the door but once we headed out of Rochester, it started to rain…so no luck in tromping through the woods and taking pictures of the foliage.

I did get some pictures from the car. Now, we arrive in Syracruse and get ready to check into our hotel…except they said our reservations were canceled by Expedia (which is strange since I book straight through them and not expedia). So….they hooked us up across the street at a hotel called the Maple Wood…we got a queen bed instead of a king…but at least we found a room. Mind you, by now…my morning blown, my hotel room blown, the weather is raining….I am wanting to head back to Florida. But..we came for a purpose, a wedding of a wonderful young lady and young man…..so after taking a nap in the hotel room….off to the rehersal dinner we head. Wow..the food was so good and everyone was wonderful. Joe (Jen’s niece’s fiancé) family is wonderful. They made everyone feel like family.

Next day was wedding day!!! It was suppose to be an outside wedding..but the rain just would not stop. The wedding was in a lodge that had the most breathtaking overlook. I can see why they picked the place and why they wanted an outside wedding here. Since the lodge was so beautiful, they were able to get married infront of the fireplace. Very romantic. I really loved how the tables were decorated. Since they both have a love for gems….each table was named after gems. Really a cute idea. Again..the food and fellowship was wonderful!!! We had a great time being with friends and family. This was the reason we came to NY…to celebrate with family and celebrate we did.

Above: Geoff, Karen (Niel's sister & husband), Jen, Joe, Joyce (Joe's mom), Stoyll (Niel's dad)

Above: Lauramay & Niel

Above: Renee', Jen, Tia (sisters...Niel's nieces)

Sunday we headed back to Rochester and on the way back we stopped off at Senica Falls and I was able to get information for my government classes. It was a nice touch. Niel saw it on our way up and thought I would love to see that. He knows me so well. Once we arrived back in Rochester….we went back to Niel’s sister’s house …this time we were able to get in, since she was home….we then visited for awhile & then headed to Rick & Laurie’s to watch the Bills play. Again…a wonderful time of fellowship.

Today…we spent time getting ready for our trip home and visiting with Karen (Niel’s sister). We also were able to go to the nursing home and see Niel’s mom again. This time she more awake and in a very good mood but again, do not think she realized who we were.

David’s team won his football game this weekend…so that was good. It is a conference game. This week is David’s homecoming week. His game is Thursday. He has the homecoming dance on Friday. I will be busy getting back into the swing of teaching again and getting ready for our homecoming the following week. A lot to do!!!

Traditions

2008-09-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

We have been busy the past few weeks so that is why I have not been able to post. Work has been busy....for me, this is my busiest time of the year. I have homecoming to get ready for, get my student government up and running, my Senior Beta club up and running, and my Model Student Senate up and running. It seems like I have a early meeting every day of the week and two in the afternoon. Part of being the government teacher and the sponsor of the student government associations. It is just busy getting all the clubs up and running. Homecoming is a major job, our Homecoming this year will be Oct. 11th....that whole week before will be a busy week..spirit week and flag football game on Friday night.

Last weekend I went to a benefit for a friend who has cancer. A very talented women who loves the Lord dearly. The benefit was an all day concert of local musicians trying to do what they could to ease the pain of the finacial burden that comes along with cancer. It was amazing the talent that was all in one room with one goal to tell this one person how much they cared for her and her family. She beemed with life that day....I know she had to be in pain but there was no pain on her face...just delight that all these people care for her. The amazing part is that I had not seen her in 10 years. I had moved to the church that I was working at and Sheryl and her family had switched to a church that Leon (her husband) could do some preaching. I connected back up with this family when Mark was a junior in high school and needed to do a project at a music studio (they have their own studio). Now again, through another friend (Gail from my church) sent out a prayer request for a person in the music industry that had cancer and local musicians were getting together to throw a benefit for her. What a small world....we might move forward in life but we continue to connect back to people we knew. The world is not as large as we all think it is.

This past week Niel's dad was here looking for a place to purchase nearby. He found a condo in Melbourne (about 30 minutes away on US 1). But in the process of finding a condo, he got sick and was put in the hospital. He is doing much better now and as I type this blog he is on his way back to NY to get his house ready to sell.

This weekend was FOOTBALL for David. His team lost but they fought really hard, they played a team from a school twice their side. They did get on the score board, 41 -14. Missy & Granddad came to the game along with my friend Patty. We all watched as Davide played really hard. I feel each game he gets better as an offensive guard. But Football on Friday afternoon or evenings is becoming a tradition at this house hold. We carry chairs in the back of the car incase the games do not have good stands to sit in. It brings back memories of years past when football games was another tradition...then as band parents....this time as football parents. The only difference between a football parent & a band parent, you really watch the game...as a band parent you are busy making sure the band has their needs met before they head on the field for half-time show. But football has been a tradition in this family and will continue on, just a tad bit different view point.

Yesterday, Saturday, Niel & I headed to Tampa to celebrate with Brian who will be turning 21 on Thursday! Their apartment is so cute! Chelsea & Natile decorated the apartment to celebrate Brian's birthday and Chelsea made him a birthday cookie cake. It was wonderful! We all went out to eat at WASABI which is a Japanese Steak House. It has become a tradition for us the past three years to take Brian to a Japanese Steak House....so the tradition continues, just at a different location. Tradtions are fun and I think it make us all feel more connected together. Here are some pictures from the celebration:

In the above picture, you will notice Brian is holding a lunchbox. Chelsea got it for him for his job...yes, Brian has a job, at a place called Tuffy. But if you look at the lunch box really close, you will see that it is a transformer called Bumblebee. The funny thing about this, when Brian was little, I made up a song just for Brian, it was called Bumblebee Brian. So...I guess tradition goes on, he might be 21 but he will always be my Bumblebee Brian.

David is doing good in school this year...intern report was outstanding (all A's & 1 B). Him and I went to a college fair at his school. I can not believe he is a junior and we are looking at colleges already. We looked at 70 colleges at the fair. It was very informative and an eye opener for me. David is a junior in high school and we need to start thinking about where he wants to go to college in just a few years...two to be exact.

Speaking of college....College Boy Mark is doing good in college. He loves his greek class and is doing wonderful in it. He is also rushing a club this year. Janel is also enjoying her time at OC and is rushing a club as well. They are both enjoying college life. This year Mark has a new roommate but is in the same quad as Chen.

Next week we go to New York to go to Niel's nieces's wedding.

I would like to leave you with this thought. Traditions....traditions can keep us connected and help us hold onto happy memories. Traditions can trigger a past memory while making future memories. The world is not as big as we think it is and people make inpacts as we go through this life....what kind of impact are you leaving on people.

Now...to end....which one is the football player or who looks meaner?

David in action

2008-09-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

Football Season

2008-09-07T11:29:00.001-07:00

David is Football player Number 79:

As you can see, football season is here. As parents, you will find us in our blue/white shirts on Friday afternoon or evenings watching the MICS Cougars Football team. So....if you want to know where Niel & I are on a Friday night.....we will be at a football game. He has had two games so far. First game 34-30 WIN; second game 28-0 WIN!!!!! David is a starter Offensive Lineman. He had some really good blocks during this last game. He played hard, his whole outfit was totally wet.

So far we have been blessed with a bypass on the storms that have been stirring in our Atlantic waters. We do have our shutters up and plan on taking them down next weekend. This gave us a time to organize them and get them labeled so both Niel & I understand my labeling system.

We have been getting a lot of rain from the storms as they stir out in the Atlantic so we are now looking on reroofing the garage. Niel has found two leaks. He gets the fun about calling around getting estimates for a new roof for the garage.

Last night David and our youth group went to Universal Studios to the Rock the Universe. It started at 4 and ended at 1. They were listening to many different Christian Rock bands. They had a ball. I was totally surprised to see so many kids up during this morning service. David slept in...I felt after Friday's night game and then Saturday night...I thought he needed the sleep. Guess I was the only parent that thought that. I knew he had homework today and I wanted him to be awake enough to do that. Well, homework is done and he is off to see two of the girls in the youthgroup play soccer.

My folks are in Maine right now visiting my brother's family. I know they are enjoying their grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Work is going well....again, what a year to be teaching Government!! It is an amazing year for politics.

Have a wonderful week!

A Historical Week

2008-08-31T17:16:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a great time to be a Government Teacher. It is amazing inspiring my students to be politically aware. Last week for extra credit I had them watch the Democratic Convention, this week they will earn extra credit to watch the Republican Convention...which is doing a first, they are basically postponing tomorrow due to the Hurricane Gustav. This year, come Nov. 5th we will have either the first African American President or the first Female Vice President. It is history in the making. The discussions are wonderful in class....any teacher's dream, students discussing the subject with passion.

What a week....I have been one tired person at the end of the each day. But I will admit, it is partly getting back into a routine...give me a few more weeks and I will be into the routine. Did I mention that I have wonderful students and I am totally enjoy teaching my students. I love what I do.

David had his first football game for the season on Friday. He is a starter this year and they won their game. (34-30) It is just a pre-season game but it does make them feel good when they win the first one. Not too bad with having a week off of school as well. I was not able to go to the game since it was 3 hours away and I knew I would not have been able to drive back at night...game did not start until 7. He got home around 1:30.

Niel was gone for a few days this week.....his first business trip away. I will have to admit, I did not know what to do with myself....okay....I did watch the convention and get my toes painted...but there were moments I had noone to pick on. But in all honesty, I sure did miss him. I like talking to him every day and I love his hugs that give me a comfort that is totally hard to put in words.

To be honest, I was really not looking forward to Friday night....David away and Niel gone as well....so I stayed at school grading papers until 6 and headed home. I was going to pick up Chinese and watch tv and go to bed early. Well, right before I called the Chinese place, Brian called and said he was in town for the weekend. Wow, what a surprise....Brian & Chelsea home for the weekend. I picked them up Chinses and we had it together. I was so happy to see them. Saturday Brian mowed the lawn for me and Chelsea washed our cars for us.....for all their hard work, Chelsea and I went and got our toes done. A girl needs to pampher herself now and then. I had a hard week at work and Chelsea had a hard week her first week of college...walking, trying to find parking....so we needed our toes done. A matter of prayer, Brian still has not found a job, so we are praying this week we will be the week.

Today was another first....our church auditorium was redone and it looked wonderfully but more than that, the whole inner works of our church has taken a major move...to live for Christ and to be Christ for the community. We have gone from an a cappella service to a mixture of instruments and a cappella. It was amazing. God is so good and God is in Control.

Today after church we went out to dinner with friends. What a great time of fellowship we had. The best part was chatting with Chuck & Diane about the trip to Oklahoma. It was fun hearing the stories. It is wonderful when people love my son as much as I do. I know Diane & Chuck enjoy Mark and treasure him like I do. Here is a picture of Mark....he had Diane take the picture since I am a government teacher and would love the picture....I agree...I love it:

Take care and have a wonderful upcoming week. Tomorrow is Labor Day...while we are enjoying a day off, Mark & Janel we will be taking classes at Oklahoma Christian...they start classes tomorrow. The college students in Oklahoma:

The neighborhood

2008-08-21T15:08:00.001-07:00

Just took a drive through the neighborhood to take some pictures. Here are some of the pictures.

Tropical Fay still here!

2008-08-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

Well, when we woke up this morning to get Mark ready for his trip to Oklahoma, we noticed that part of our yard was under water.

Our neighbors yard is a much larger lake today than it was yesterday evening:

Here is the part of the backyard that has the firepit in it:

The sad part, the rain keeps coming. Per the weatherman, the storm in stalled. On a good note on that....Mark, Janel, Diane, & Chuck headed out to Oklahoma this morning around 8:30. With the storm hanging over us, this gives them a chance to get ahead of the storm. We think it would take them about 2 hours and then they would be out of the worse of the storm. So please pray for their safety as they travel to Oklahoma.

Niel is off again today but keeping himself busy with jobs around the house. David is still sleeping...and me...well, I should be working on my class but I am blogging instead. I am tired, I did not sleep well last night, hearing the rain and knowing Mark was leaving today...so I am dragging.

Tropical Storm Fay

2008-08-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

Well...I am into my 2nd day off of work and expecting another one tomorrow because of Tropical Storm Fay. The storm that is loaded with wind and water has caused havoc on Brevard County (where we live). There has been a lot of flooding in many parts of Brevard County. As I type this we are trying to drain part of our pool...it is over flowing. I can understand....walking around our property we noticed the ditch behind our house is totally full (any more water might back it up into our yard). Our yard is on a high part of our neighborhood, our neighbor has a new lake in their front yard. Here are some of our pictures:

Personally, I will say it has been a blessing. Mind you, I was excited about my classes and would like to be in full swing of class routines and teaching. But Tropical Fay has given me extra time with Mark. Yesterday we spent the day going through his closet and getting him packed for College. While we were doing that, we got to talk...I like talking to Mark. Mark was able to work on his college papers and I was around to bounce things off. I like that...I sure do miss him when he is at college. Today I spent the day doing laundry, helping Mark get his car ready for his trip, and taking Chen to the airport. We have totally enjoyed having Chen with us for a month. He is a wonderful young man and I feel totally blessed to have had him with us for a month. I am hoping he decides to come home for Christmas with Mark. Here are a few pictures:
Niel, Me, & Chen

Here is a picture of Mark & Chen:

Tomorrow Mark leaves for Oklahoma with the Andersons' and Janel. Niel & him will pack his car later when we get in a down time from the rain...it does happen some. When we were walking around the property, that was one of those times. We have mostly everything in the livingroom ready to go...just waiting for the right time.

Niel & I both have off tomorrow (because of the storm) so we will be here to say our goodbyes to Mark. See, another blessing from this storm....otherwise I might have been at work. This is a lesson ....even when things are not what we want ( I did not want three days off of work right when school started), we can still get a blessing from it. SO, look for the positive in things.

First Day of School

2008-08-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first day back to work with students and David's first day in 11th grade. Every year since the boys were little I took a picture of them on the first day of school. It is used to start out in their classrooms and then when they hit middle school, the pictures were either inside the house or outside the house...but heaven forbid I go into their classroom and have them sit at their desk and take a picture. I know better but incase I did not, Brian & Mark told me come 5th grade...pictures at home only. So, I took my normal first day picture yesterday. Now there is only one in the picture and he is a junior. Yes, David is a junior. He drives himself to school as well. SO I thought you all would love to see how excited he was to start school:

Can you not see the excitement. Okay....he hides it well. But last night at dinner (Niel grilled cheeseburgers) he said it was okay. He likes his classes and thinks it will be a good year. He did give me a complement....he was telling the table last night (Mark, Janel, Chen, Pat, Niel, and myself) about the first day of talk I give to my students.(I taught David in 8th grade history but I usually have the same type of talk...change it up some for my 11th graders but it is my dog and pony show). He says I come across real strick but by the end of my talk the whole class usually loves me. I do make them laugh. I give my rules, what I expect from them, but I also add humor to it. Hey, I work with teenagers and I love my job....so I must survive with humor.

My first day was wonderful....I have great kids...I know I say that every year but every year I get great kids. I love what I do and I love my job. This year I teach periods 1-5 without a break, I have last lunch during 5th period, then I teach 6th period. My planning is the last two periods of the day 7th & 8th (this semester....it changes next semester). My day flew by.....by 7th period I was ready for some down time.

Well, if you all watch the news...you will see that we have a tropical storm called Fay sorta keeping us wet today. Because tropical storms can sometimes have major winds, they cancelled school today. They do that because the law states that busses can not go over the causeways when the winds get above 35 mph. So...I am being a bumb today....so is David. He is still asleep. I have dinner planned already.....meatballs in the crockpot....we are having meatball subs. The worse weather is suppose to hit us about 5 pm - 8 pm......so if we loose electricity, dinner will be ready. I just heard the news, right now, in parts of Brevard County they are clocking wind gust up to 30 mph....like I said, it is suppose to get worse as the day goes on.

Brian & Chelsea are in Tampa, near where the storm came through. I talked to them yesterday and they seemed very prepared. I knew they would be. Brian has always been a major help here when I used to get ready for a storm. He knows what to do.....it is a habit.

Niel had to go to work today but I am hoping they let him off early before the winds get to high. He has to drive 35 - 40 minutes to get home...so I am hoping he is able to leave work early. He usually works until 6 - 6:30 and that is when it is suppose to get really nasty.

Keep us in your prayers.

First Week Back to work

2008-08-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

Okay...I will admit, I am one tired person. Going back to work has been great but it has really worn me out. It has been hard getting back into the swing of things. Today my plan is to work on some government power points for my classes. Trying to get things accomplished before the first day of school. I will say I am ready, the room looks nice, lessons are done for the first two weeks, but I do like to stay ahead....it is always nice to be one or two steps ahead of a teenager...I deal with 100 aday, so I like to be way ahead!!!! Here are some pictures of my classroom:

So, the room is done...just missing the students but come Monday they will all be there. Today we played parents and went to MICS to get David's schedule and meet his parents. David is taking the following classes:
Math Analysis
English III
Life Quest
American Government Honors
Vocal Ensemble Honors
Physical Science
Weight Training

Mark and Chen are working on their college classes...time is crunching down. Niel is outside working on the yard. I am working on my government....okay, I am blogging but I am getting ready to work on my government. Well, Niel is back in so I guess I better get to my "real" work.

Back to work

2008-08-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

Well ...today I went back to work. I am really excited about being back to work. I really enjoy teaching and seeing my teacher friends. It is nice to get back into a routine. But I will admit it is really tiring. I do not get students until next week, this week is meetings, getting the classroom back to normal, and working on lesson plans. I will have to admit, I did start today tired because Niel and I had last week off doing things around the house and visiting relatives. You know how you have to take a vacation to rest up from the vacation.

Last week we worked around the yard. Niel and the boys cut down some hanging branches and tried to clean up the yard some. We made a trip to South Florida to see Niel's brother Eric. We had a nice visit. We got to go to David's football camp dinner where the players wait on the parents (one of my summer highlights). On Friday we headed to Gainesville for a weekend of suprise and fun with family.

Friday afternoon we arrived in Gainesville and then went to Heather's house for dinner and band practice. The grandchildren were putting a band together to play at Missy's surprise birthday party. We got to meet Amanda (my niece whom I have never met) and the boys got to meet her mother Laura as well. Laura is such a wonderful person and has done a wonderful job with Amanda. It was so good seeing Laura again, the last time I saw her was 19 years ago. Here are some pictures of Friday night.

Saturday was spent getting ready for the suprise party and partipating in the surprise party. It was nice. All of Arlene's children, grandchildren, and great children were able to make it to the party. Amanda and Laura coming the farthest from Kansas City. The guest that came the farthest was Chen (okay...someone try to beat China). Dave did a great job organizing it and getting everyone involved. We had the grandkid's band, I gave a story on how the Name "Missy" came about. I have the power point if anyone wants more detailed. The grandchildren talked about their trips with Missy and Arlene's kids talked about how much they love their mom. Dave gave a Missy fashion show from her many ski suits and bathing suits. Personally, a women can not have too many ski suits or bathing suits. The food was great. When the day was over, we headed over to Arlene's and Dave's to visit some more. Again, great family time. Here are some of pictures of the surprise party:

Laura & Amanda

Missy being surprised:

We had a great weekend. Sunday morning we got up and stopped by Arlene's & Dave's before heading back to Gainesville. Amanda, Brian, & Chelsea went to the nearby creek to look for shark's teeth (which they did find some). The rest of just used this extra time to visit.

But now we are back to reality. Brian is over in Tampa living....they left from Gainesville to drive to Tampa (yes, I did cry). Hopefully he will find a job soon over there. Niel & I are back to work. David has started afternoon football practices and I am trying to get him into a routine for school next week. Mark and Chen have one more week and then they head off to college (they leave on the 21st).

Tampa Weekend

2008-08-04T05:19:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! This past weekend we moved Brian to Tampa. On Friday we got the truck and packed it for the move...talk about Niel having to work hard. We got a 14 foot truck (mind you on the Uhaul website it says 2 bedroom apartment size 14 ft truck)....Uhaul did not realize we were moving three and two were girls. All I can say, thank goodness Niel can pack a truck and use everybit of the truck. Both him and Brian worked really hard that night. We should have had a contest on whose shirt was the wettest. Here is a picture:

Here is a good inside look of the truck:

The truck was packed by 8:30 PM and everyone was tired but we got up early and headed to Tampa. Niel had the truck, Brian and Chelsea in Chelsea's car, I had my car, and Mark, David, & Chen were in David's truck (which also had articles that did not fit into the truck). Natile (one of the roommates) went over with her dad in his truck (which was also packed) and Chelsea's parents went in their truck. So the caravan headed over to Tampa. Mind you, it is not that hard of a drive, unless you get on I4 and it is a parking lot because of an accident. At some points we were only going 10 miles per hour. But we made it over and had a crew to unload. Niel stayed in the truck and pushed things out to the rest of the dads and boys. The girls stayed inside and directed where things needed to go. I will say, it worked well. We also had people unloading boxes and putting furniture together. It was a great team work effort. We all went out to lunch/dinner by 4 ish before we headed to the hotel and the new apartment owners stayed in their place and finish the unpacking. I will say...a nice place. The apartment is in a really nice and in a really nice area. Here is a few pictures of the apartment:
Part of the moving crew (Brian, Mark, David, and Chen in the middle)

Here are the apartment owners (Brian, Chelsea, and Natalie....3 company comes to mind)

The Kitchen area:

All I can say the apartment is adorable.

Now....while the kids were unpacking in their new places...the rest of us went to play at Busch Gardens (which is only 4 miles from the apartment). Here is Busch Garden pictures: The boys being forced to have fun (Mark, Chen, & David)

It was a great day at Busch Gardens....the boys ditched us or did we ditch them. Niel and I totally enjoyed the animals and the shows (the heat not so much).It also did not help, that the while we were getting our rooms at the hotel, Niel twisted his ankle (so as a trooper as he is, we taped up his ankle and we all went to Busch).We left the garden at 4 and headed back to Cocoa, while the boys waited until 8ish to head back. By 11 pm, all were home. Brian & Chelsea came back with us because they both have a few more things they need to finish here before they totally move over to Tampa (which they will be doing this coming weekend). Natile had to come back as well....her sister is getting married on Friday.

Niel is on vacation to try to get a few things done around the house....we will see what can get down with a hurt ankle.

Monday July 21st

2008-07-21T12:39:00.001-07:00

The Boys are back in town! with laundry and all. Mark and David had a wonderful time in Colorado.They climbed to summit of Mount Tweeto at roughly 13,700 feet. They and others on the trip stated that this was one of the most physically demanding activity they have done in their entire life. David said that football practice was easy compared to the "trek". I feel they left as boys and came back as men.

While they were gone, I got in a cleaning and painting mood. It is easier when most of the nest is empty. I cleaned the carpets in the rooms and then painted Brian's room. Here is the finish project of Brian's room:

I also painted the laundry room/dog's room. Here is a picture of this work:

Sooo...while the boys were away becoming men, well, I painted and cleaned. I will say that Brian was home and a wonderful helper. He worked on yard work and moved things around for me. He helped me find a very comfortable bed for the room, so he has something really comfortable to sleep on when he comes home to visit me. Yes, the move is still on. He is planning on moving out on Aug. 2nd. Sunday, Niel & I went out to lunch with him and Chelse. Sitting there talking, I have noticed the man he has become. He is a really good guy and he is a man. I guess, I still can not believe he will be 21 in Sept. He was my first baby and he has turned into a wonderful man.

Niel has still be busy with a major project at work. Even with his busy schedule he seems to get things accomplished around the house. He has now finished all the hurricane shutters for our house. No, we do not have a hurricane coming toward us but we need to be prepared. Here is Niel's handy work:

As you can see. We all have been busy this past week. It always feels good when you accomplish things. Mark and David accomplished a hard mountain experience, Brian accomplished the phases of moving forward in adult hood, and Niel & I accomplished homeimprovement projects. Family is a wonderful thing and I so adore my family. I feel blessed every day to be apart of Brian's, Mark's, David's, and Niel's life. What is a women to ask for, be surrounded by four wonderful men.

Summer Scramble July 10th

2008-07-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

Summer Scramble is a great way to describe the last two weeks here in Cocoa, Florida, or at least in my world of Cocoa, Florida.

As I type, Mark and David are packing for their trip to backpack in Colorado. Here is the web site if you are interested in what they are going to be doing: http://www.wildernesstrek.org/

My living room looks a mess right now because of the packing but soon it will be back to normal, as normal can get. In the process for this backpacking trip both boys needed physicals. David had his at the same time he had his football physical through school so that was easy. Mark, now being 19 needed to have his first adult physical with a new family doctor, he is no longer going to the pediatrician. Well, last week he went in for a full physical, blood work, and EKG. Well, while we were there they did two EKG's on him and came back and stated they wanted him to see a cardilogist. My heart of course did a few extra beats at that moment and all Mark was saying, so will you sign my physical form to go on this trip. Needless to say the doctor would not sign until he saw the cardilogist. So today, the day before the trip we went to see the cardilogist. Mark has what is known as an Incomplete Right Bundle Branch Block of the heart. Soooo what does that mean? Here is what it means: Incomplete BBB
Sometimes either the right or the left bundle branch conducts the electrical impulse more slowly than normal, but is not completely blocked. When this occurs, on the side of the slow conduction, the electrical impulse arrives in the ventricle slightly later than normal. As a result, the QRS complex is slightly wider than normal, but not as wide as it would be with a complete BBB. This slight widening of the QRS is often called incomplete BBB. (Another name for it is an “intraventricular conduction defect," or an IVCD.)
Incomplete bundle branch block sometimes indicates underlying heart disease. But, especially when it occurs on the right side (i.e., incomplete RBBB,) it often has no significance at all. So in general, incomplete bundle branch block should trigger a non-invasive search for underlying heart disease. If none is found, no further tests or treatment are needed.

The doctor feels he will be okay for the trip but Mark will be getting an ultrasound of the heart on August 6th. We also found out that Mark's blood is low in b12, so he had a b12 shot today and will have two more before they put him on b12 vitamins. That might be the reason he is always tired. But Mark got his form signed and he is packing as I type for the trip. Did I mention they leave tomorrow morning at 4:15 am from the church parking lot....yes, 4:15 am.

David passed his physical but on Sunday strained his back. I had him to see the chiropractor on Monday and after x-rays and an exam, David needs to work on strengthen his muscles but doing stretching exercises and seeing the doctor two times a week. This week he was on light duty, so no heavy lifting at "iron claw" practice at school. "Iron Claw" practice is sports conditioning over the summer months.

Brian is un-employed again. We knew it was only season since it was a firework store. The week of the 4th he did have about 60 hours of work but now he is bored. Since he is moving out at the end of the month, this coming week we will be cleaning out his room and repainting it for a nice guest room. I want something soothing and black & red is just not soothing colors for me.

Now on the 4th we did have a good time. We went to a youth 4th of July party...the kids played volleyball (so did some of the adults) and we had great food and wonderful fellowship. Niel and I stayed home that night to watch neighborhood fireworks but the boys went down to the villiage to watch the fireworks over the river. It was a nice time....I think the only ones that do not like the 4th are the dogs and even the cat seems to hide under the bed.

Sooo...as you can see I have been scrambling here and there with different doctors and trying to get supplies for the backpackers and I am working on supplies for the "I'm moving out on my own kid".

Did I mention that my air conditioner broke yesterday and the house was at least 90 inside. It is working on low power right now and the part has been ordered. The good part, it is covered under warrantee. That is good.

Niel has been busy with work, it is the end of the project he has been working on and two people of his team took vacation so he has been holding down the fort on this project. Which meant a lot of extra hours but he did manage to work on hurricane shutters and get an outside light up. I personally do not know how he seems to get so much done but I do not know what I would do without him. He is my rock.

As for me....well, I did read a book on my summer list, I have enjoyed the pool, and I have been scrambling around....next week will be better cleaning and painting.

Hope all is well with everyone. Hope everyone's 4th was nice. I do know that this week has taught me that God is in control and that I am not...but that is okay because I think I needed someone else in control of my worries.

Friday, June 27th

2008-06-27T04:16:00.000-07:00

As one can clearly see, the Kitchen is done. Wow, what a process, remodling a kitchen. I personally do not think it was as bad as some stories we have heard. At all times we always had our sink, microwave, and frig (Untill the frig broke...but it is now fixed). The end product will be enjoyed for many years to come (per Niel, 25 years to come).

What a week. Every afternoon it has rained but we need the rain, so I am not going to complain. Niel has been really busy at work, it is the end of a project so Niel has been burning the candle at both ends.(Do not try this at home). ;o)

One of the nights that Niel was working late I rented the movie the Bucket List. I have to admit, it is a really good movie and I recommend it. It is a movie that makes you laugh and cry. And for those who have watched it, yes, I have made my bucket list. Right now I have 8 things on my bucket list. It is a list that is in progress.

David (number 3 son) comes home tomorrow. I am looking forward to hear the stories of New Orleans and learn about all the work they were able to accomplish. I will most likely find most of the information from the adults that attended...David shares some but not alot (well, at least not with me). He will start pre-football practice again on Monday. It will be good for him, get him in shape for his trek in the Rockies. Yes, he is going back packing in the Rockies come the middle of the July. Mark and others from the youth group and college group are going as well. I know both Mark and David are excited, they have done many backpacking trips here in Florida. So they are excited about backpacking in the mountains.

Mark (number 2 son) had a great visit in Gainesville with his grandparents. He did not get to canoe on the Santa Fe River due to the wonderful storms we have been having. Did I mention it does not only rain but also massive lighting goes along with a Florida Rain storm.

Brian (number 3 son) has been busy at the Fireworks store, guess the closer to July 4th the more hours he will be putting in. He is planning a trip to Tampa again this weekend to look at apartments or sign a lease for an apartment in August.

Myself....I have been busy with being at the house for repair men and the tile man. I love how they give you a window from noon to four and usually show up at 3:45. Soo....sitting around waiting did accomplish a few things. THe frig and freezer are both working (we now have a working ice maker) and the tile work is done. Today I am waiting for the air condition workmen. Our house is zoned and it seems that our zone is staying open. Hopefully it will be a quick fix.

My mom has been in the hospital all week in North Carolina. She has bouts with colitis and while being in the hospital they also found out that she has diverticulitis as well. She only Weighs 90 pounds so when her colitis acts up it is not a good thing. Dehydration happens right away. While in the hospital her blood pressure went as high as 199. She is now home and hopefully on the road to recovery. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

Hot Summer Days

2008-06-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

It is summer time here in Florida and it is hot....but I guess that is what Florida is suppose to be in the summer time. I guess I do miss the summer months of Maine. It's very hot and then it rains....guess that is part of life in Florida. But I am thankful for the rains because three weeks ago we were in a drought.

School is out and I have been really busy. The kitchen is almost done. YEAH!!! But I will admit, wall paper is not fun to remove. In fact, I think once all the wall paper is removed from this house, it will never be put in again...but still more rooms to remove wall paper. Guess different summer projects.

This weekend was yard weekend. Everytime I work in the yard in the Florida sun, Condo living comes to my mind. Don't get me wrong...I love our yard and our house, I just hate working in the yard but it takes a family to keep this 1 1/4 acreas up and running. This weekend we worked on rearranging the tiles on the outside of the pool area and trimming trees ( a must during hurricane season...keep the trees trim and away from power lines). I will admit we finally took down the maple tree that was slowly dying. SO much for the haunted house effect.

Brian (number one son) is working part-time at the local fireworks store. This totally amazes, it is illegal to buy fireworks in the state of Florida unless you are using them for argiculture reason yet we have these super stores that sell only fireworks. Now, I might not be the smartest person around but I have not seen enough farms in my area to keep that store in business.

Mark (number two son) is gone to Gainesville to visit his grandparents and take a canoe trip down the Santa Fe River. He should be back in a few days. I need him to help pile the maple tree limbs for our fireplace or the firepit for the winter months here in Florida.

David (number three son) is gone to New Orleans with his youth group to help work on a church that was in the flood area of New Orleans. He should be working pretty hard all week. Here is a link if you want to check out what he will be doing:
www.carrolltonavenuechurch.org

Niel is busy working and doing my "honey do" list. He does still seem to find time to work in the yard and take me to the movies. He is such an amazing man. He even helps me with my projects.

Our frigerator died....do they really die or just stop working for awhile...but whatever you want to call it...we had ice cream soup in our freezer. The repair man came today. He was scheduled from noon to 4:00 (yes, he came at 3:45) even though I had to wait around all day.....it was worth it. The frig is now working again.

The dogs and cat...well, they do not seem to be bother by the heat or the lack of having a frig or not. They just lay around all day long and be lazy. Now tomorrow, they get to go the vet for their shots, so I think tomorrow things will bother them. THe cat hates to ride in the car and the dogs...well, they like to ride in the car but hate the vet.

Have a great day.