Update...

Alyssa made it through her surgery just fine. The dr said that her heart has already begin to return to the normal size. She still has a long road with a lot more surgeries, but she is ok for now. Thanks for the prayers!

Apparently, after I left last night at my designated 'curfew', my cousin and her friend decided to stay... in fact they closed the place down. When our friend got home her husband kicked her out of the house. Keep my friend and this situation in your prayers. We went over there tonight to try to work some stuff out, but he is so full of anger that there was no discussing it. It's hard to see another couple right in the middle of what Rt and I just went through. I can see the mistakes they are both making... because let's face it... no one is perfect... but they are both so angry. I guess this is what happens when you ignore the problems in your marriage! Ugh... anyway, they have 4 kids and the kids do not need to deal with this!

Lot's of prayers going up...

jw

A first...

Last night, I went to BWW with my cousin Kim and our friend Shannon... on Wednesdays at BWW it is Karaoke night! I have never in my life done Karaoke... not that I can't sing, just that I refuse to make a fool of myself, which means I need to practice the song before I would be brave enough to sing it... but last night the girls took me up on the stage to sing "girls just wanna have fun." I would have to say it was actually fun... and since neither of those girls could actually sing very well it worked out over all.

My neice, Alyssa, is having her open heart surgery today. It started at 8:30am. Keep her and my family in your prayers. She is only 7mth old and this is all quite scary!

jW

Oops!

Just got a phone call from the church... no church tonight due to the fact that the building flooded last night! The rain came down hard last night and apparently the corridor between the two buildings flooded and there is much to fix. I was just up there yesterday to get something out of my music minister's office and his office floor was full of papers/music that he had in piles, I'm guessing all of that got wet! ugh!

On a side note, can someone please explain to me why when my children eat nutty bars they feel the need to separate the bars instead of eating the bar whole. All this manages to do is make a huge mess, but when I say something they freak out like the bar are not edible any other way!

jess

oh and the Kelly Clarkson CD is great... I couldn't handle the pressure it was on sale at WM for 9.92... so I HAD to... I mean, I NEEDED it! haha!

Summer Blues

I love summer... I love the long lazy days, the feelings freedom, the staying up late and sleeping late the next morning. What I don't love about summer are the limited funds to do the things I want to do. I mean, my kids want to go to the movies, skating, and bowling quite often... and all I have been able to say is no. Last summer I had no salary and things were not fun... so I really thought this year would be different... so far it hasn't been. It seems that although I still have a paycheck coming, things are just like before! There are bills, unexpected expenses, and the feeling of dread every time I look at the checking account balance. From talking to my friends, I know I am not the only one who feels this way... but I am quite frustrated because I thought it would be different this summer. I have taught a Summer I course, so my July 1 paycheck will have some extra money on it, but every time I think about that extra money I see the bills that are due! UGH! I don't want to be a grown-up anymore!!!!!!!

jess

P.S. Did you realize that Kelly Clarkson's new album comes out today??? I soooo want to rush to the store to purchase it... but I know that would not be wise... so Friday it is!!!!

Mosquitos

Heard this on the radio this morning:

God did not create anything without a purpose... but mosquitos come close!

I would say I have to agree. Does anyone know of a purpose for the little things? We had a 1/2 bd party for Kali at the pool on Friday night and my legs are all kinds of eaten up! I want them to go away!

I am trying to upload some bd pics, but blogger doesn't like me this morning! Kali is our Christmas baby, but we have decided to 'move' her birthday to June. We of course still acknowledge the real date, but the party comes later. I guess someday she may choose to move it back, but for now I'm thinking a party in June is way cooler!

I really, really, want my hand back!

Well, the stitches came out yesterday, and the dr gave me 10 days to regain movement of my fingers or I will be attending daily physical therapy sessions. So... in order to not have physical therapy I was good and really worked at making a fist. Well, um... this morning I looked down at my finger and the entire cut has reopened. It hasn't opened as far down as they cut originally, but it is opened enough that my cousin who is a nurse handed me the phone and said call the dr... I called the dr and will be sitting in his office in the morn. What I would like to know is if I should be expecting stitches again or what? I mean, what can they really do about it? I have to bend my finger, right? The scar goes across my finger. So... in a nutshell, every time I bend my finger I will be opening the cut. Hmmm... any suggestions here? Here is a pic of it (sorry if it grosses you out). The cut goes across the finger (this way the scar is not visible was the original logic)... the holes below are from the stitches. And no, my knuckle isn't normally that big... hubs says it is swollen. I would just like to mention again that THIS IS RIDICULOUS! It was a thorn for crying out loud! The most frustrating thing for me is that a stupid little thorn has caused havoc in my life and all around me people are suffering from potentially life threatening things... I mean, Jack has a brain tumor and is in the hospital, Alyssa is having open heart surgery in a week, and my Aunt Diana has a wound in her back from a post-surgery spine infection that is requiring her to live in a hospital for a couple of months (I'll explain in a minute). All of these seem way more important than my stupid finger...

On to my Aunt... Aunt Diana had back surgery about a month ago... something about a nerve. Anyway, she went in to have the stitches removed and apparently it hurt like nothing she had ever felt. She left the office and went home only to wake up in the middle of the night with her would open and oozing. It oozed allllllll night and into the next day and she finally went back to the dr. Well, her back was infected and she was rushed into surgery. The dr's cleaned out what they could but the infection was so bad that they left the wound open to be cleaned out and packed several times a day. The wound is deep enough that when the nurse cleans it her hand and wrist disappear inside. (It is pretty wide as well.) The nurse walked in yesterday and opened the wound to repack it... she looked at my aunt and said "Wow... I can see your stomach!" Aunt Diana is on some pretty strong antibiotics and pain bills. Her spirits seem high (or maybe it's just that she is high). Yesterday she joked that she would need drug rehab from all the Oxycontin they have been giving her. We really have no clue what the future holds... I mean, an infection that deep and large could easily cause sepsis and she could die. (Not that we couldn't all die at any point in the near future... but who wants to go that way?)

Anyway, with all that said, I do know that the future is totally in God's hands and there are some massive prayers coming from our house for the people mentioned above. Please do the same in yours.

jess

I want my hand!

Ok... I supposed to go to the dr on Wednesday to get my stitches removed... I know it is only two days away, but this is getting ridiculous! I am just about sick of being without my left hand. I am also tired of flipping off the world (it's the middle finger that's all taped and splinted out straight). Not to mention how ridiculous I feel every time I have to tell someone the story behind my injury!

For those who have been reading my blog for a while... my niece Alyssa is having some serious issues. She was born in Sept with lots of problems (cleft palate, skull prematurely fused, heart not functioning right, blind in one eye, etc). My brother and his girlfriend went to the dr last week to schedule the skull surgery. They took sweet Alyssa in for a sonogram of her heart, just to make sure nothing had changed, and they realized that her heart was way more serious than her skull. In fact, the sweet baby is due to have open heart surgery on the 28th of June and my the family has pretty much been told that she may not make it. Basically, the left side of her heart is not functioning... putting all the stress on the right side. If they had done the skull surgery, the stress would have made her heart explode. I really struggle with the questions of quantity of life vs. quality, and the longer baby Alyssa is with us, the more we learn about how difficult things are going to be for her. Please keep my family in your prayers... specifically my brother and his girlfriend.

jess

Left hand

for all of you who have a difficult time reading things with poor editing, i'm sorry, but typing w/one hand is hard. Cap letters are the most difficult.

I had surgery on Friday to remove the stupid thorn. surgery took about 25 min, and the dr said I would be quite irritated if i saw the size of the thorn. They did let me stay awake, so I got to chat with an old friend who was my nurse anethesist. all in all the surgery was no biggie and i thought all would go back to normal by today. Can I just say how difficult it is to do things with one hand? I can't get dressed, take a shower, type, spank my kids

;) (they are not complaining about that), and I cannot drive. I like to be waited on, but I know the family is getting tired of it. I did have a most embarrassing moment yesterday. We decided to come to town for dinner, so I took my pain pill before we left the house. Bad idea. We got around winter's freeway, exited southwest drive, and Rt pulled over in the parking lot of a car dealership so I could puke my guts up. Now, that is not one of my favorite things to do to begin with, but to have to puke in front of the cars that were speeding by... ugh! I just keep waiting to get a phone call from someone I know saying they saw me.

I included a picture of my hand... who would've thought that two fingers stuck together could make a difference! I guess it wouldn't be so bad if it didn't hurt so much. I don't like pain pills, but I sure am taking them every 4 hrs... if I don't I can't handle it. I feel like such a wimp. My cousin tried to make me feel better by explaining the amount of nerves in my finger... but come on....

oh well... hope everyone is having a good weekend...

jess

Thorns...

A few weeks ago, while mowing the yard (which is one of my fave things to do, seriously, it is) I was attempting to mow under a bush and this big thorn stuck into my knuckle. I thought it just went in and came back out, but it actually left behind the tip. I went to the dr and was put on antibiotics and told that the situation was pretty serious. I then went back to the dr because it still hurt and was sent off to an orthopedic surgeon. The appt with the orthopedic surgeon was today, and as stupid as it sounds I am having surgery on Friday to remove a stinkin' thorn from my knuckle. This is one of those times that I want to say Really? The dr today told me that this was very serious, as I could lose my finger (I was joking about losing my finger and got a little lecture in return). When the injury first occurred Robert made fun of me and told me that I needed to "toughin' up," so I didn't go to the dr until about a week later. Guess there will be no laughing now as he has to wait on me all weekend. HAHAHA! I will say that my children are very sad about all of this, however, it has nothing to do with me actually being cut into but instead it has everything to do with the fact that the pool won't be happening for a few days! Can you feel the love?

I have another thorn causing me a problem, but he's a student. He has filed a grievance against me for being sexist and mean and cruel to him. I have responded to his claims, but I do not appreciate the fact that he has brought in my social life as a means to show what an awful teacher I am. I'm not sure what is going to happen, but keep all of this in your prayers, please.

jess

Summer... Day One

Well, summer break has definitely come in with a bang for us...(as in thunder and lightening)... these are pics of what my driveway has turned into from all the rain. I have to go to town at 2, but I'm not sure how I will get to my car. The girls would prefer not to be stuck in the house and are running around a tad crazy. We tried to watch High School Musical, but our power keeps going out, which then requires the satellite to upload programming again. They have asked when we get to go to the pool, but I don't have the heart to tell them that the forecast has tons of rain in it.

My children refuse to sleep in pj's, so this morning, in true Kali fashion, she was running around in panties and a t-shirt. I looked over at her and thought her legs were filthy... but when I kept looking I realized that she was bruised. Apparently, when we were at church last night they were playing outside on the playground during Mission Friends and a little girl pushed Kali. I'm not upset about that... the girls are best buds and there are a lot of times that I have to get on to them for playing like the boys... but I am upset that no one saw fit to tell me that she had fallen. We have had a lot of problems with the nursery workers not supervising the children... and one of the main people complaining is the person teaching Mission Friends. It is all very frustrating to me. I know that kids will be kids... I know that they need time to play... but I also know that there is a reason that adults are there to supervise. I know that adults cannot prevent all accidents, I mean, my kids injure themselves all the time under my watch... but I really don't like finding out the next morning about her fall. UGH! Ok... I'm done venting about that... and the bruises look tons worse in person than they do in this pic.

In my post yesterday I mentioned all the pics I developed... I am soooo proud of myself... I cropped all 356 pics last night and this morning. Which means on Saturday when I scrap all day I will actually get to finish pages... yippeeeeeeeee....

jess

Not really sure what is happening to my post... sorry it's so messed up!

Long & Random

Sorry for my lack of posting... things have been quite busy for the last couple of weeks.

The kids completed their last school day today. Kali's teacher cried as she hugged them all goodbye... I'm not sure where Megan's teacher was. I have filled out the paperwork and the girls will go to school "in town" at Jackson next year. It was such a relief to fill out the paperwork and know that they would be just down the road from me as opposed to 30 minutes away during the day. I mistakenly thought it would be more convenient for them to go to Clyde, but the convenience only worked when they rode the bus... once all of the drama started and there was no more bus the convenience factor flew out the window. So... to town it is.

Our house is still for sale... this lady has come to look 3 times and has asked about a million questions but hasn't made an offer yet. It is a very frustrating process. I want to just call her and ask what we would have to do to get her to buy our house... at this point I would do it. Instead, her realtor has to call my realtor who calls us etc. etc. The difficult thing about all of this is I am actually fine with staying here if it doesn't sale, but knowing that someone might want it and we could pay off our credit cards, Rt's truck, and one of my student loans makes me want the sale to happen. The part of me that has to pack and find a new place to live (the part that doesn't like change) is perfectly content with our small debt and truck payment and would just as soon stay here. Oh well... it isn't really in my hands so I don't know why I keep stressing about it.

Last night on the news the weather guy said that this summer was probably going to be a pretty cool one... What exactly does that mean? My kids are already begging to go to the pool, but it hasn't even reached 90 degrees outside. I have no complaints about the weather... I wish is stayed about 85 all year long... but it has to warm up a little for the swim club to be comfortable. (Not that I actually make it into the water very often, but warm water makes for less whiny kids.) Oh well, anyone got any other ideas of summer fun (that doesn't cost) until the weather warms up? So far, my ideas of reading and playing outside are being shot down (in all fairness the size of the mosquitoes is quite ridiculous out here, I don't know that I blame them for not wanting to be eaten alive).

My friend Holly got me into scrapbooking many moons ago, and I have stayed caught up until the last year. I am exactly one year behind right now. I had pictures developed yesterday and I had about 400 pics. It just dawned on me that I have a 35mm camera somewhere that I know I've used this month. UGH... more to develop. I have threatened to set my stuff up on the kitchen table and not move it until I'm done... but for some reason my family thinks they need to eat... what's that about! :) Brooke, Holly and I are set to scrapbook Saturday... wish me luck!

Here's a pic of Kali's kindergarten graduation last friday night! They sang some songs and all got a diploma. Her hair is so slick that her hat refused to stay on... we have some pretty hilarious pics of her adjusting her hat through the entire second half of the program. I got a little teary watching her walk across the stage... who knew she would grow up so quickly.

New Compt...

McM is starting a new thing on campus where all the freshman will be "given" HP tablets. In order for the teachers to be up to snuff on the tablets they have given them to us as well. I have spent the last two days in training from 8:30-4... that long in training made my head hurt, but those tablets are cool. My favorite part (and the part that did not require 2 days of training) is that you can use your stylus to write on your screen, so you can send emails that are hand written. I was quite amazed by that function and sent all kinds of interesting emails. I'm pretty sure that the instructor wasn't so entertained by my friend AM and I giggling every time we opened an email... what can I say? we had to do something entertaining!

Megan handed me her math TAKS scores this afternoon... can someone please tell me why is was that she was soooo stressed by the test and ended up missing NO questions? The tears seem so wasted now!

Kali graduates from Kindergarten tomorrow night... while we were in Wal-Mart tonight she asked me what I was going to buy her for graduation. She said that our babysitter was graduating and she is getting all kinds of good stuff. Silly kid!

jess

Seriously?

Three posts in one day... wow!

I just received this email from a student:

i just want to ask how i got a d in public relations

Now, maybe I'm just crazy... but I'm pretty sure that if I were emailing my professor with a question about a grade, I might be bothered to use capital letters and punctuation. Heck, I might even use a heading and signature. How 'bout you guys? Am I silly for being irritated? Oh, did I mention this kid is a junior?

jess

Teeth

Poor Megs has an abscessed tooth. The dentist cannot see her until tomorrow and I don't really know what to do. I have a call into Dr. Martin to see if there is anything he can do... like pain management. I've never had an abscessed tooth, so I don't know of any ways to make her feel better. She has been complaining for quite a while about this particular tooth, but every time I looked it seemed to be all in her head... guess there was something going on in there we just couldn't see. If you have any suggestions as to how to ease her pain, let me know!

jess

Fingers Crossed...

We put our house up for sale in Feb. but we haven't had a lot of bites. There is a woman who has come to look at it twice and has called numerous times with questions... so keep your fingers crossed that the woman will make an offer today! At this point, she could offer us just about anything and we would accept. I have tried to be very patient in this whole process, and I know that what is supposed to happen will happen on God's time! But patience has never been one of my strong suit.

Yesterday, I got online to look for rental properties and houses for sale in town to see what options we might have if the house sales. Can I just say how ridiculous it is that the market is so inflated? I mean, really, how can a house bought 10 yrs ago be worth double its asking price today? UGH! Our realtor seems to think there will be a correction in the market soon... so I really think we will just rent until that correction happens. I mean, we could qualify for one of those ridiculously priced homes... but then I would have to quit shopping! Hahahaha! Priorities... hahahaha!

Anyway, keep your fingers crossed...

Laundry...

I hate laundry. There I said it... doesn't change that I have like 10 loads to wash. Our washer died a few months ago, so I've been doing the laundrymat thing. We could've bought a washer, but I really, really, really wanted a front loading one, so I told hubs I would save money to buy what I wanted instead of buying something I didn't want. Yesterday, I reached my limit with the laundry mat (there are weird peps there and don't get me started on germs) and I decided I would just get the top loading washer and be done with it. I went to Lowe's and was about to write a check for a regular washer until the nice little salesman told me a secret... Did you know that Thursday is the day that Lowe's puts out the appliances that are clearanced because they are scratched or repaired? Anyway, he suggested I wait and although it was difficult I did. (Have I told you that I am one of those people who gets and idea and follows through immediately? Something about impulse control!) I went to Lowe's today and low and behold (where did that phrase come from?) there was a front loading washer that had been repaired... half price... still warrantied... YIPPEE! So... I'm sitting on my couch while my laundry washes in my own house! Never thought I'd get so excited over an appliance! Just in case you didn't know... a front loading washer save 68% in water and 67% in electricity compared to a toploading washer. The other benefit is that we can now build a shelf above the washer and dryer to fold laundry on... you know, since there is no laundry room in my house and Rt doesn't think the couch is an appropriate place for laundry! Do you think this counts as a mother's day present?

jess

Tears...

Obviously I am the only one who thinks my children are funny (last post)...

When I was at Target earlier today, I bought Megan a couple of training bras... you know, the ones that look like sports bras. When she got in the car after school I handed them to her and she burst into tears. She asked me why it didn't have cups... in my oh so sensitive voice... I explained to her that she isn't quite there yet... more tears... and I don't mean little tears, I mean big tears streaming down the face. Her next words were "I want to be older!! I don't want to be 9!" Again, in my most sensitive voice I explained how that was impossible and that she was 9 and she was going to be treated like a 9 yr old and I don't really care what other people with older kids let their children do. She obviously didn't appreciate my answer as there were more tears. Why is it again that God felt like I needed two GIRLS????

jess

Random Thoughts...

Overheard from the living room:

Megan: What do you do before you have a party in outer space?
Kali: What?
Megan: Planet...
Kali: That's not funny

Megan: Why does dora talk like that? (referring to a v-smile game in which dora speaks in sentences that are missing some words)
Kali: Cuz she has a speech delay like me...

House news: A woman came to look at our house and she really, really liked it! So here's hoping that she calls with an offer later today!

Question: Why do they put almonds in my trailmix? And what am I supposed to do with the almonds after I take them out?

Question 2: Why is it that students expect to still pass a class when they fail to give their speeches in a speech class?

Question 3: Why does Megan get soooo angry when Kali doesn't play the v-smile the way she says? I mean, it is Kali's v-smile... and it is rated for 3-6 yr olds. UGH!

Dance Lessons: Robert and I started jitterbug lessons last Monday. The lessons are 4 weeks long... but I think we might have issues since he is a foot taller than I am. Oh well, it is good exercise! Maybe I'll post a video or something when we finish our lessons!

jess

Seriously?????

Megs woke up in the middle of the night with a stomach bug... which is why I'm posting while the rest of you are in church! :) I hate that I am unable to deal with puke. I had to wake Robert up so he could do the cleaning... otherwise I was going to make a mess as well... any suggestions here?
Onto why I am really posting...
Last night Robert and I went to Matt and Amy's to eat dinner and play some cards. The weather was nice, so we let the kids go outside to play. A neighbor had set a bike ramp up, so the guys went outside to watch the kids try to kill themselves. Not to be left out... Amy and I went outside as well. There were some people siting in a driveway a couple of houses down... women that I knew from a previous church. Well, apparently they had a lot to say as Amy and I walked out of the house... which I didn't hear until we all came back inside and my husband filled me in. When I stepped out of Amy's garage one of the women asked the other why I was there because she thought we had gotten a divorce... and she said it loud enough for Robert to hear... and in a not very nice tone. Had I been the one to hear it I might've clawed her eyes out... oh, did I mention that this one particular female has never been someone I would call a friend and although I have never been rude to her I would definitely never have a conversation with her about anything of significance in my life? Anyway, here's my issue... the only people from that church who know anything are the few of you who read my blog and one of my bestest friends. I know the women who read my blog pretty well, and I know that they are not the gossiping type and since they are readers they know I'm not divorced. I have known my friend for 9 years and since she's knows every detail of my life, I know she wouldn't have told anyone we were divorced. So... now my wheels are turning... I have some theories... but Robert is insisting I leave it alone. So... just to be clear now... ROBERT AND I ARE NOT DIVORCED... WE SEPARATED TO WORK ON OUR MANY ISSUES AND ALTHOUGH OUR MARRIAGE IS NOT PERFECT THINGS ARE MUCH BETTER NOW! Pass that on please...

Ok... off to mow now... gotta work on my tan somehow...

jess

Edit: While mowing the yard I tried to chop off my leg. We have a riding lawnmower and I had it in the highest gear...hit a big rock and got popped off the seat. I had one leg on the mower and one on the ground... and of course this particular mower has had some southern ingenuity so that it has no safety stop! I managed to right myself and finish the job... but maybe I should just go back to the pus mower...

Sad News

We received a campus wide email today to let us know that one of our students had been arrested on campus... no name... no details. When I got home at 5, I turned on the news and got to see a pic of the student as well as hear his story. This student was pretty quiet, but well-behaved. He hung out with a group of kids that I watch and give advice to... and he was at the bowling night that my PR class put on Tuesday night. My friend had him in a class last semester and said she never had any difficulties. I guess this just goes to show you can never know what is going on inside someone... or what their past holds. Please keep this guy in your prayers... from the new report I'm pretty sure he has a long road ahead of him. Also, keep his friends in your prayers... had the police waited one more week no one on campus would have even known this was happening... it's going to be one rough week!

jess