Life in the Ridge

Preface: If you see my oldest child and his lips are swollen, laugh all you want. The doorknob just tried to suck them off with the vaccum cleaner attachment. I am so NOT kidding.

Has it been a whole week? Well by golly, I guess it has. My bad!!!

Monday, Joshua spent the school day at St. Mary's. I left work early to meet with him and Sr. Anne Catherine. All in all it went pretty well. He really liked it and is excited about the potential of attending for the next two years.

Tuesday, I was up till midnight doing homework. The assignment took me 4 hours. I was so tired and so frustrated, I kept messing things up or skipping things, and had to start again.

Wednesday, Kamry had church. I dropped her off and went to the pet supply store. Kashmir got a new ball that makes noise and she enjoys throwing it up in the air. As soon as it leaves her mouth, she runs to where she thinks it should land and pounces. I went back to get Kamry from church and went to Ali's to drop off around 10 bags of clothes that I could no longer wear. Her dad has been in the hospital for the last week and they thought he would be coming home on Thursday so they were trying to get furniture moved around to accomodate him. I assisted them in moving the television to a spot that would make for easy watching. Can I tell you that stinkin TV weighed about 47 thousand pounds. Goodness. Hank won't make it home till about Monday. Keep him in your thoughts. Thanks.

Thursday, I had class. My computer presentations class met for the second time. Little did I know that we would have to give an impromtu presentation. Luckily, she had predetermined the subject matter. We were split up into groups of 3. I knew one of the girls I was with. The other I didn't know. I now know enough about her to make the following determinations: cute and smart don't go together for her, she sucks at giving presentations, she wrings her hands when she is nervous, if she were bald she would have nothing to play with while talking, and she is probably not going to make the greatest grade in this course. Now, I know what you are thinking..."That Kathy sure is hateful". Well, maybe you are right. But after 3 hours of hair twirling, sugary giggling, and way to much whining, you would say the same things. Praise God that our final presentation is individual and I don't have to count on her for part of my grade.

Friday, work was slow. Very slow. So slow, that it gave me ample time to complete my music appreciation concert report. I am curious as to what that grade will be. I don't know if I gave her what she wanted, but I know I hit the word count. It had to be at least 2000 words. I came in at 2140. I had a final to take for the computer presentation class and it had to be done by midnight. I got it done as one of my classmates was pulling in the driveway. She was having computer issues and needed to use mine. There was 6 tutorial exams that had to be done before you could take the final. Careena hadn't started hers. We had 4 hours to get 7 tests taken. She got done about 1045. It wouldn't have taken that long, but we talked way too much.

What did we do today? we met Ali and the kids at Sagebrush (or stagebrush as Sara called it) for lunch. After that, Josh went with them and the rest of us did yard work.

Joseph mowed

Kamry blew the leaves

And when Joseph was over it.....

....she mowed for the first time.

My yard looks great. My kids are worn out. And we are going to bed.

Peace, love, and vaccum hoses...Supervisor Whim (notice there is not a picture of me working)

Another interesting day...

I guess I shoulda said, Another interesting 24 hours.

About 24 hours ago I was driving home from work. It was suddenly as if some force had come and sucked every bit of energy out of my body. Shortly there after I arrived home, plopped down on the couch and proceeded to sit there for the next few hours, gradually feeling more and more sick to my stomach. Ali had come over while Brandee was at soccer practice around the corner and I don't think I moved the entire time. Well, by about 11 I was face first in the toilet and can now tell you that lettuce eaten at noon is still in your guts 11 hours later. I think I freaked the boys out. Joseph wouldn't even look at me when I asked him for a wet wash cloth. I laid down and attempted to sleep the gross feeling away only to wake up an hour later with it coming back to visit via the south end. This happened every hour on the hour until about 3 am.

My alarm went off at 8 as Maddi and Kashmir had their vet appointment at 9:30. Joseph got up and went with me. Good thing he did. Those two puppies are a handful. Maddi managed to chuck in her Mommy's car just as they pulled into the parking lot. What didn't get in the seat hit the parking lot. Better luck next time with the timing. Our girls wrestled in the waiting area until they were called back. Joseph picked up Kashmir and we hoped Maddi would follow him down the hall. No such luck. In typical fashion, Miss Maddi not only bowed up at the door, she sprawled out and laid down. It was really funny. Especially when Carol didn't notice right away and she dragged her part of the way down the hall.

The tech took Maddi to be weighed. The verdict...15.4 pounds of pure feisty. She is almost 3 months old, so all in all not too bad. When they gave her the dewormer stuff, they squirted it in her mouth and she handled it like a champ. She sat like a proper little lady (just like her momma would have) and daintily lapped up the yummy yellow liquid. She got her shot and hardly said a word. What a little trooper!!

Then it was Kashmir's turn. Her weight 3 weeks ago, 9.7 pounds. Today's weight, 15.6. So nearly 6 pounds. At this rate she's gonna be a stinkin horse in 3 more months. She too is just like her momma, who can't eat a meal with out getting something on her. When they went to give her the stuff, she got it all over her face. I couldn't see her from where I was sitting, but Carol said she looked like she had been playing in yellow paint. Then came the shot. The little drama queen yelped like a big wuss. Kashmir's bonus prize was a doggie biscuit. Puker Maddi didn't get one as there were chunks of her breakfast nestled deeply between the seat and the console of her momma's car.

Upon checking out and paying our bills, I noticed that my car keys weren't in my purse. Dammit, you have got to be kidding me!!!!!! Two Saturdays in a row??? How is that possible??? I'll tell you how. I am not dumb and like to lock them up for shits and giggles. Both times I was completely distracted. Really! It's true. This not an excuse.

Last weekend Steven was gracious enough to allow me to use their AAA service. He saved my bacon (and some cheddar) last weekend. This weekend, Tammy was home and so Carol ran me up there to get my spare key. So Carol and Tammy saved my bacon (and more cheddar) this weekend.

I think I am going to put my keys on a leash, tie them to my wrist, or quit locking the car.

Carol wanted to go to Kohl's for some spring/summer wear. She left to take Maddi home and we met at the Kohl's in Farragut. We searched the clearance racks and found her some really cute capris and a couple of pairs of pants. She found some cute tops, some of which weren't on the clearance rack. She was searching high and low for a cute/pretty/girly something which she could wear for Easter as well as the other important upcoming events. She found the perfect dress, well almost perfect. She needed a size bigger, they didn't have it that store. But they had it at west town. It is really pretty and she absolutely loves it. I love it on her, but more than that, I loved the look in her eyes when I walked back in the dressing room. Her eyes were literally dancing. It wouldn't have mattered what it looked like, she was thrilled. Actually, at first I didn't notice what she had on. I noticed the look on her face.

I had a really good time hanging with her and best part of the day I will take away is a very simple line I will leave you with....Dang guurrll, you look like a hamburger on a hot dog bun!!!! No offense intended!!!

Love peace and pale pink fi-fops....Shopping Whim

P.S. Alison went to court yesterday. Everything is staying the same for now. The judge set a date for the final hearing on May 30. This is the last date that will be set and whatever decision he comes to then will be final. Say lots of prayers and have lots of good thoughts. I don't even want to think about what will happen if the judge doesn't use his brain on this one.

Love ya much!!!

Well crap, I guess things can only get better????

If you read my last post, then you know that last week was not the best week in the history of the world. You would think that this week would have to be an improvement, or would you???

My lovely babies are on Spring Break this week. I knew it was going to a long week when Monday started with the first of 47 (being sarcastic here) phone calls. What could be so important? Apparently the fact that one child had the audacity to breathe another child's air, or be in the same room, or any number of such offenses was grounds for an immediate call complete with whining. All calls ended the same way. Is anyone bleeding? throwing up? dying? No??? Then I have work to do. Buh-bye.

I learned this week that unless you tell your 14-year-old to tell his 9-year-old sister to get dressed and brush her hair, that you will come home to find her still in her pajamas, hair as big as Diana Ross, and without any shoes on. Did I mention she was outside this way? Yeah, uh huh, she was. This is a true story. No names have been changed to protect the innocent. They are hardly innocent. I wonder sometimes what planet my kids came from. They can be as dumb as a box of rocks sometimes.

I learned this week that the squeaky wheel gets the oil, and that sometimes, the wheel gets promoted and put on a classy car that can really get it where it wants to go. With this lesson came the realization that the old car takes things personally and can get quite bitchy. But, in "squeaky wheel world", the old cars issues are not the squeaky wheels problem. The squeaky wheel has to consider all the possibilities the classy car has to offer. Now the wheel doesn't want to go and do something stupid like throwing off lug nuts that it might need later, but the wheel does have to look out for itself. Now, the wheel has not gotten moved to the classy car yet and there is no time frame along with no guarantees. The offer of the classy car is unofficial at this point and has merely been talked about by the classy car. However, the classy car is very highly thought of and so the chances of it actually going through are quite high. I guess we will have to see how the tread wears and what kind of gas mileage we get.

All will be happy to know that Hootie Bootie (Arissa) was released from Children's late morning on Tuesday. Praise the Lord!! I know that Anne was glad to get home and if nothing else, sleep in a real bed, her bed. We are very thankful that our girl is feeling better and got to come home. As much fun as it can be to have complete control over a bed that moves 62 directions, there is no place like home and your own bed, even if it only has one direction -- flat!

My psycho puppy has a vet appointment on Saturday. Carol and Maddi will be joining us for Maddi's first round of baby shots. This should be fun as the only thing these two puppies like to do when they are together is wrestle and chew. I wonder if Maddi will bow up in the door way like her sister. Kashmir sat her butt down literally in the doorway and refused to walk any further. She had never been to the vet before. How did she know what was waiting for her on the other side of the door??? My mom insists they have a sense about it. I am pretty sure she's right.

Kamry is spending the rest of the week and weekend with her dad. I didn't even have to ask if she wanted to go. She couldn't get packed quick enough. I think she needed to get away from her big brothers and go be the big sister for a little while. I guess it is much easier to boss then to be bossed. Can't say that I blame her.

I am very grateful that tomorrow is Friday. This week has been very trying.

I feel like the only thing I do is get on here and whine about my kids and my awful life. My life isn't awful and neither are my kids (most of the time). Without my babies, my life would be boring and I wouldn't have anything to write about. Life is good. It is what you make of it. I choose to make mischief and drama. Just playing. Every one that I know can always use a little more peace, a lot more time, and a little extra cash in the bank wouldn't hurt either.

The Chain Gang at the Aquarium

Please keep my friend, Alison, in your thoughts and prayers. She goes back to court tomorrow about the kids. Nothing is guaranteed and anything can happen. Pray that the judge uses the logical and compassionate parts of his brain and gives the kids what they need most. The love and stability of Alison. She is a shining example of nurture over nature. Biology does not make a parent, DNA does not bind a family. A true parent loves their kids enough to do what is right and realize its about the kids, not the adult.

I need to go to bed. I have phone calls to receive, oil to be applied, and prayers to say tomorrow.
Thanks for tuning in again.

Peace, love, and classy cars.....Squeaky Whim

Oh My Mercy

Ever had one of those weeks? You know the one I am talking about. The one that starts way too early on Monday and then seems to take forever to get to Friday. The one that doesn't have enough hours in it at the same time it seems to have too many. The one where anything that could happen, does. Well, not me. This week zoomed by. Everything got done that needed to. The house got cleaned. The laundry got done. I cooked dinner every night. Every one did their homework, got a bath, and were in bed by 8.

Yeah, right.

That is so far from the truth, it's on a different planet. As I am typing this, Kamry is folding clothes. The first load out of the 8 (minimum) loads that need to be done. Joseph is cleaning the front bathroom. Joshua is cleaning the back bathroom. The floor hasn't been touched with a vacuum. And yes, they are busy doing all this stuff and I am on the computer. This is the greatest reason to have kids. Give them a scrub brush and a toxic chemical and sit back and watch. Life is good. But seriously, my kids are very thorough when it comes to this sort of thing. That is, when I can get them motivated to do it. Usually, it takes 5 or 6 times of asking, ending up in me yelling at them before they oblige.

This week consisted of my middle child gaining himself a "mini-vacation" (or so he thought) via a 2 day suspension from school. The offense...being a butt head. Doesn't sound like a reason for a suspension to you? Consider this, my child had spent as many days in ISS as he has in the classroom. He has ran completely out of options as far as discipline. I don't blame the school at all. Now, I do not like his geography teacher. He doesn't like me. He doesn't like my child. At least we are on the same page and there is no miscommunication there. The rest of the teachers have cut him as much slack as they can. He hasn't been sent to office as many times as he should have been. This time, he went to class unprepared (habitual offense). Was sent to his locker to retrieve necessary items. Decided not to go back to class. Next period, instead of going to class, he went to the gym. HELLO!!!! What is that all about? He has it in his head he can do what ever he wants when ever he wants. I would have sent his butt home too.

He completely thought that when I got him up Wednesday morning to take the dog out, that when he was done, he was going back to bed. Hardly!!!! I had made him out a list of chores to do that day. He started out at 6:30 am washing clothes (apparently we make more laundry than we wash). By time I got home, windows were windexed, dishes were washed, floors were mopped. Thursday, I got picky. My pickiness saw the kid wiping down baseboards and cabinets with Murphy's Oil Soap. I love that smell.

Sounds like my house shouldn't be so bad today, huh? Well, his list barely touched what needed to be done. The little angels are on Spring Break this week. Sounds like prime time to get even more cleaning out of them.

Friday night, one of my best friends, Delauna and I went to the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. We saw the POPS series featuring the Motown group, The Contours. We had so much fun. We sang along, danced in our seats, and just laughed a bunch. Personally, I do not remember the Contours, but I do remember some of the songs they performed. They did some by the Miracles, the Temptations, so on and so forth. One thing I did learn about them...they were the ones that sang, "Now that I can Dance" and "I had the time of my life" from the movie Dirty Dancing.

After we left there, we went to the Downtown Grill and Brewery. They had a three piece band playing what I would call Hillbilly Rock. But it was pretty good music. We sat there till about 12 talking and laughing. We knocked on girls that shouldn't have been wearing that dress. Oggled the boys with nice butts. And briefly felt sorry for the poor long haired guy sitting at the corner of the bar...all alone...the whole 2 hours we were there...the only person talking to him was the bartender.

I have been ripping and running all weekend. Joseph had a meeting. We went to Isaiah's basketball game. Kamry and I went to get her an Easter dress and to Target (where I locked my keys in the car). 6 hours later. We got home. Alison and her kids came over and Ali colored my roots (praise God). I tried watching basketball and fell asleep about 930.

Arissa got admitted to Children's last night due to complications post surgery. She got her tonsils out Friday and seems to have had a bad reaction to the anesthesia in conjunction with the pain meds. She puked everything she had in her all day Saturday, and then some. She was so dry that even after 4 bags of fluid, I think she had peed only 2 or 3 times. I took Isaiah up there to see her this afternoon.

I am so ready to go back to work. I need to rest.

Not much more to say. I need to take a Music Appreciation test before it gets to late. Hopefully I will get a chance to update more this week than last.

Peace, love, and windex....Whim

Petsmart, Wal-Mart, Will you be my mommy

As we have discussed before, we have a fairly new puppy in our house. She turned 2 months old on the 3rd of March. Kashmir was one out of a litter of NINE. Jessica had great luck finding homes for all but one lonely little girl. Enter Aunt Carol.

Aunt Carol apparently caught the puppy bug and commenced to questioning Aunt Anne about said canine over lunch at Ruby Tuesday's. Anne assured Carol she would persue the availability of the puppy. They parted ways and Carol waited anxiously to hear one way or the other. Anne got to me before Carol and informed me that if Carol were to call, that the puppy had already been given away. She told me to call Jessica about the puppy and arrange for pick up or delivery of her. Jessica agreed to bring her to me when I got off work.

I'm getting a new Mommy. I can hardly contain my excitement.

We left my office and the puppy and I were off to Petsmart for some essentials. We picked out chew toys, a harness, food and water bowls, and a retractable leash. After much doting by most of the staff, we were off to pick up Anne. Well, as we all know, Petsmart is way more expensive for dog food than Wal-Mart. So a trip there was in order.

No-Name and Arissa waiting outside Wal-Mart.

Anne and Isaiah went in to get the remaining needed items while Arissa and I tried in vain to get No-Name (merely a temporary title) to use the bathroom. Well after nearly 2 hours riding in cars, she couldn't be bothered. Anne and Isaiah came out with treats, shampoo, a brush, and a VERY large bag of Puppy Chow. Oh, I almost forgot, the be all end all of her purchases, a puppy t-shirt. For No-Name, not Carol.

Off to Harriman we go. We knew that Carol would be home and definitely not expecting us, so the plans were working out perfectly. Anne had brain stormed and devised the most effective way to assure it was a complete surprise. We pulled in the drive way in "stealth mode" I turned off the lights and then the car and sort of coasted in. Anne had me make a sign to put around No-Names neck. Well, since little Princess No-Name wanted no part of standing up, we had Isaiah lay down the sign and place her on top of it. He knocked on the door and stood were she could see him. As she opened the door she saw Anne and I standing there with camera's posed to catch the moment Carol saw her new companion. She looked down to see the sweetest black puppy with a note that posed the question, "Will you be my mommy?"


Well, I believe the answer was a resounding yes! Carol picked up her new baby and was blissfully happy, not to mention completely stunned.

The new Mommy and Maddi

We left the new family to get aquainted and to get some sleep. I hope Maddi slept well and didn't howl all night like her sister did her first night with us. I am a little doubtful though, considering that she slept for most of the evening leading up to her deivery.

I think the two of them will be very happy together. I think they need each other.

Peace, dog treats, and Puppy Chow....The New Aunt Whim

School, Shopping, and ADD...Welcome to my world

I am technically on Spring Break this week. So in honor of said vacation, I decided that instead of hitting the beach like your average student, I would observe the break in my own special way. I have a mid-term that has been available since Feb. 20. (we take our tests at our own leisure in the testing center). The last day to take it is this Saturday, coincedentally the day after Spring Break ends. I had every intention of taking this test tonight. But like I said, I wanted to observe the break, so I called Anne, and we went shopping instead.

After a leisurely dinner at Macaroni Grill, we hit West Town.


Since the only people that will be reading this already know me, I won't go into all the boring details about surgery, recovery, Adderall, and Wellbutrin. Let's just say that this receipe has left me with a bunch of clothes that look like, well, they look like shit. My pants make me look like I took a dump in them and the crotch hangs down to my knees. Anne and Carol could have worn my shirts with me. All of this since the middle of January. My previous size in pants was a 24 bordering on a 26. I bought 2 pairs of pants tonight that are a 20. I was wearing a 26/28 or 3x in tops. My purchases tonight...1x or 18/20.


Anne and I had a blast. She renamed herself Anne Klein and I assumed her as my personal assistant in charge of making me oggleable. Hey, I created a new word. Any way, I think I tried on every style of pants that Lane Bryant makes in 3 different sizes. I put on and took off more shirts than I thought they had in the store. Every time I would take one off, she was throwing one or two more over the dressing room door. I proved beyond a shadow of doubt that things on the mannequin/hanger don't always look that good on you. Maybe I should become a mannequin then I wouldn't have to worry. But, oh my, that would be completly uncomfortable. Going pee would be way difficult. You can't bend so you totally pee down your leg. And considering that you would be made of wood, you would have a raging case of rot. But since you are wood, you could just whittle away the parts that were rotten. Man, I think I need my meds adjusted. I just so went ADD on you guys. But it's funny so I will leave it there. :-)


Back to The Adventures of Anne (Klein) and Kathy (Oggle). After we were done doting on me, it was off to Ann Taylor. We practically made two laps around the store...and then....the completely witchy woman decides to acknowledge our presence in her world...ON OUR WAY OUT. Anne snipped back at her with, "Well, it's a little late now!!!!" Anne vowed to be nicer to service people during lent. She looked at me and said, "That wasn't very lent like of me." But she was completely justified. I say that the Lord understands.

As we were walking back to our store of origin, Belk, we noticed that most of the stores were dropping their gates and closing up shop. There was the momentary thought of whether or not we would be locked in the belly of the mall. But lo and behold, the loving folks at Belk took pity on us and left their door wide stinking open. We didn't even get to squeeze through and be all stealth like.


I had a blast hanging out with Anne and I am very glad she went with me. We all know that she definitely lets her opinion be known. That comes in very handy when clothes shopping. If it doesn't look good, she'll let you know it. One of the Sales lady's at LB looked at her like she was crazy. Pretty funny that she's right.

Well, after being up until 2 ish this morning listening to Kashmir sing the "my momma locked me in the crate and I don't like it" blues, I need to try to get some sleep.

Peace, love, and plaid capris in a size 12...Head Whim

blah blah blah and yada yada yada

So....things were kind of interesting today. Not anything major in my world, but interesting nonetheless.

This week brings our yearly bonus as well as our raise for the year. You will know how mine turns out by my Thursday post. I have no false illusions about my position in the company. I know where I rank. Let's put it this way, my bonus probably won't equal the 35% in taxes that some of the upper management will have to pay. But hey, really, I am not complaining. I never had a job before where I have gotten a bonus. It's gravy on the potatoes of life.



I had to stop at Target on my way home from work to pick up a prescription. My insurance covers generic drugs at 100%, so no cost there. However, I had to wander the store until the medicine was ready. You know what that means. 20 minutes and 88 dollars later, I was out the door. But let me tell you about my super cool purchase.

We got a puppy, Kashmir, about a week and a half ago. Now I find myself spending a fair amount of time in the dog aisle looking at treats, collars, and such. So on my jaunt down said aisle tonight, I came across doggy beds. They had numerous to choose from, however, the one that jumped in my cart was the Shabby Chic Round Dog Pillow. It is so stinking cute. I didn't mean it to happen this way, but her bed matches my quilt.



Anne came over after Isaiah's basketball game. We were putting together a template for her to use for ID badges at her office. Once we had it the way she wanted it, we were on to more important matters....blog formatting. We had fun trying to figure out how to do certain things and changing the colors to meet her tastes. I really like the way it turned out and I think she does too. Click on "A Pea in her own pod" to your right and check it out.



To close out tonights entry, I just want to say...you better check check check yourself.



PEACE OUT...Head Whim

Oh baby...you...you got what I need....

The concert was not as bad as I thought it might be. It was very child, or in my case, mother, friendly. There were a ton of kids there. The kids around us were talking about the symphony like they were talking about spelling words. I honestly don't think I knew the words treble, viola, percussion, or conductor (unless we were talking about trains) exsisted before about the fifth or sixth grade. Kids these days, I swear.

Back to my marvelous mother. I asked her to go with me because I love her and I feel like I haven't seen her enough in the past month or so. I really needed some Mom time. I knew we would have a good time, and I was right. I think she had more fun than me though. I had the pressure of trying to listen to what I was hearing and remember enough about it to write my paper. There were a couple of times that they asked you to sing along. I was looking around noting all the kids singing "Can we build it? Yes we can, can" (no not from Bob the Builder). They were really cute. Then I look to my right and notice Mom singing along with the brightest smile on her face. It made my day. I was so worried she would be bored and that she was only going first because she loves me and I asked her, and second because she wanted to get inside that stinkin theater. As the concert was starting, I told her that if she was good that I would take her for ice cream on the way home. Well, she was more than good. So we hit the Marble Slab on the way to take her home. I had a really good time and hope that Mom can remember the parts of the concert I might forget. I really have to pass this class.

Speaking of class, did anyone notice that there are only 60 days until my graduation???? Not that I noticed or anything. May 4th will be a wonderful day for me. Graduation has always been something that was far away. It seemed so far in the future, I didn't think it would ever get here. But in less than 2 months, I will be an actual college graduate. I think that makes me an alumnus...alumni...alumnee???? Maybe we will just stick with graduate.

Not much happening today. The funny for the day came on the way back from lunch. We were listening to the radio when "Big Poppa" came on. That got us to talking about 80's rap. If you want to hear something funny, start singing Biz Markie's "Just a friend". It takes about 3 seconds for the other 3 (Chris S, Alison M., and Josh) to start singing along. It was hysterical. I love that song for the mere fact that you are SUPPOSED to sing off key. You know you are singing it now, and badly at that.

Well, I guess that is it for tonight. Please check back tomorrow for another installment of my new favorite thing to do....write about me!!!

Well...everyone else is doing it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have spent the last couple of months wandering aimlessly around the internet reading other peoples blogs. I figured that since all the cool people, including my rocking sisters, have blogs, by golly I needed one, too. I haven't a clue what I am doing, but there is only one way to learn.


















Last night was the end of season party for the Purple Peeps Biddy Ball Team. What started out as a rocking good time at Big Ed's ended up being an even more rocking good time at Endzone Ellie's. I highly recommend this place. Way less crowded, awesome food, not to mention the owners are really nice. The price is more than reasonable. If you are not from the Ridge, next time you are here, check it out!!


Somehow, upon departure from above mentioned establishment, I ended up with extra children. All was well until subject of ice cream was mentioned. The stinkin girls, Kamry, Arissa, and Sara, wore me out until I BEGGED them to please consume the contents of the Mayfield cookies and cream container. The boys, Joseph and Isaiah, camped in front of the computer and basically chilled.

At about 5:30 AM my cell rings. Joshua was spending the night with Ali. He apparently had a horrid stomachache that required him to moan, literally, for waayyy too long. Ali, being the rockin friend she is, offered to bring him home. About 6 they showed up and, upon crossing the threshold, said ailment seemed to vanish. Conclusion: the best cure for a middle of the night belly ache is your own bed. File that away for future use.

Today holds my mother and I attending a concert at the Tennesee Theatre titled "Let's build the Tower of music". This concert is a requirement for my Music Appreciation class. As is the 2,000 word paper I have to write about it. The best part of the ordeal is that I get to spend some awesome time with my Mom. I am excited about spending time with my mom...she is excited about going to the Tennessee Theatre....I see where I rank. The warm fuzzies are overwhelming.