Number Three

Surgery that is. In a 13 month time span that is. The Doc says my gall bladder must come out. Soon! Very Soon! I many small gallstones and apparently I am passing them. So he is afraid they might get lodged. Going to see surgeon on Tuesday. Can you believe it? My body is falling apart. I'm just trying to catch up to Marlene, HA! So, I guess it's a no big deal surgery, but it's just the whole process of getting the surgery. Unbelievable!

Homecoming Dance

Last nite was the Swartz Creek Homecoming. Niki's first and Katie's last. It was a beautiful day. Pictures at 5:00 p.m. at our house.

It's the first day of fall, and it's supposed to be 80 degrees! I wanted to go to the cider mill, but it's still too warm. I like it to be cool and crispy. Besides the Bees are wack if you go when it's warm. I told my little sis Alyssa that we would go in a few weeks. I remember going to the Franklin Cider mill with mom and dad every year. You could watch the cider being made inside and then go outside and watch the huge water wheel that powered the machinery. Those were the days!

What's Next?

My doctor's medical assistant called to tell me that my bone scan results were fine. And, oh yes, my abdominal ultrasound shows I have gall stones! I need to make an appointment to see the good Dr. I'm not sure what he is planning but I can tell you this, I am not being cut open again this year!!
By the way, my stomach pains have already subsided since I stopped taking the Evista. (Marlene)

It's been a busy week. Homecoming week in the Creek! Monday was powder puff football. Katie played of course. Wednesday was Pride and Spirit. Went to watch the neighbor girl Elissa because she is in Poms. Last night was the parade and the Homecoming game. Tonight is the Homecoming dance. Niki is all excited because this is her first "formal" dance. They are doing nails and hair and all that stuff.

HI

So, I just thought I'd say "hi" to ya'll. That is southern speak for everyone! Lisa are you still alive? Call me sometime. Kristen and Karen and Marlene have all signed up for some new fangled something or another called "Facebook." I haven't even had time to check it out. Maybe I will do that tonight.
I made Shrimp Creole tonight with fresh shrimp from Donlan's Seafood market. It was pretty good, very spicy. Work is very busy with trying to get last year's mentors back in the schools, and at the same time recruit new mentors. whew!
Nothing else much new...

Totally Unmotivated

That's what I am. I can't believe it's already 9/5/07 and I haven't written for days. Back to work and all that, I guess. Well, over the weekend Sarah and I took the camper out to Holly Rec. area for a relaxing couple of days. We cookded some awesome steaks and then chicken kaboobs with the Renee's tripod grill. The girls were at their dads....... :-) Then we came home and cleaned and winterized the camper and completed other odd jobs. Of course I didn't cook all weekend!! I've been quite busy at work the last couple of days. We are scurring to get the mentors back into the school, PLUS recruiting new groups and individuals. Tomorrow we have a big meeting with several local pastors. That should be interesting. I bought a new outfit so I could look SASSY!
Looking forward to Renee's scrapbooking birthday party on Saturday. It's going to be wild and last into the wee hours of the night I bet. I think I might start a new book. Either a vacation book or the "mom" book I've been wanting to make. Stay tuned.

Scrapbook Extravaganza

Late yesterday afternoon, Renee (my neighbor) and I drove to Marlene's to sort through Marlene & Karen's scrapbook stuff before they took it to the resale shop. We sorted through the piles, picking out armloads of goodies. We both ended up with a trunk load of goodies for a very fair price. Marlene said that she set garage sale prices. After driving through Fenton (see next para.) and stopping at Subway for a quick sub, we arrived home and quickly decided to reorganize my scrapbook materials. I dragged my stuff across the street and the fun began. Renee helped me organize and set up my "stuff" so I can better access my things. We then did a few pages. I pooped out about 11:00 p.m. I have to go get my stuff today because I was too tired to drag it home last night!

Even though the signs on the expressway said, "all exits to Fenton closed," we decided to see how far we could get. We were actually able drive right down into Fenton. It was devastating. Roads were closed to neighborhoods that had massive trees down in the streets, and on rooftops. The downtown area had a massive amount of trees twisted and broken. We couldn't really see the worst part of the damage because those areas were blocked off with yellow tape. It was pretty scary stuff!

p.s. Thanks for sharing the paper, Renee!

Slow Start

Well we are slowly getting things back together at work. We had to attend a district meeting on Monday morning. Then yesterday a meeting from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. Today, another meeting from 2:00 pm to probably 4:00. Maybe by next week we will be back in full swing. There is some talk about moving our office down to the admin. building. We're hoping to stay put at the lovely Zimmerman building. You know the one where the alternative ed. classes are. With the lovely children. But at least no bosses breathing down our necks! We have computers that need to be installed. Data lines, etc.
On a more personal note, I am reading John Grishom's latest novel and we are watching the HBO movie series "band of brothers." It's a war movie, which I don't normally like but it's pretty good. It makes me wonder if that's what dad went through during the war. Probably so. In case you didn't hear Nicole made the JV squad in volleyball for this her freshman year. Pretty good!! Can't wait till they go back to school. Can you feel me on this issue?

Update Your Blog

everyone has been saying. Well, what if I really have nothing to say? Which is the case for why I haven't written. This is my last day until I go back to work. I haven't even heard from my boss as to what the schedule is for tomorrow. So, maybe I won't even go....... ha ha
Got up early today (7:30) and straighten up the house, did some e-mail, stuff like that. Hopefully I will be tired enough to go to bed at a decent time. But, I still doubt I will sleep. I never do on Sunday night. I am making tacos for dinner tonight. Now there is something exciting!

Now Can I Start the Count Down?

So, I have to go back to work next Monday. I'm trying to make the most of my last week, but I seem to keep getting caught up in the mundane. Tasks that must be completed before I'm too busy to do anything about them.
Two Dr.'s appointments
Pick up my new glasses
Take the dog to the vet for shots and heart worm
Get an oil change in the Blazer
Call the insurance company about the crack in the windshield
Get my tire replaced (ARGH! There was a nail in it, and it was non-fixable!)
Wait for the mattress people

However, on a much "brighter" note, Monday night we stayed up late with the Aurands to watch the meteor shower. It was touted to be the biggest and the best because of the New Moon. (No light to interfere) We saw a fair share, we "ohhhhhed" and "Ahhhhhed", but nothing prepared us for what happened next. There was a bright flash in the sky, we all screamed. (yes, even Tom!) We saw the hugest meteor, complete with firey ball and swooshing tail. It even hung in the sky for several seconds. Even Bailey saw it. :-) It was really worth the yawns the next morning! We all decided it was a once in a life time event!

Having Fun At The Cottage

Well we are having the usual great time at the cottage. The Aurands (our neighbors) were here Tues. and Wed. It was a bit crowded but we managed quite well. We did lots of boating and tubing. It was almost too quiet when they left! Last night we had a grilled dinner. Chicken, veggies and "JohnnyCheck" corn all on the grill. Yumm-O! The corn was awesome as usual. Should be great for Marlene & Don & Karen and Riley next week. It's a cloudy start to the day today and there is a small chance for showers. I'm thinking of going into Boyne for some good coffee and maybe a small pastry at the Boyne City Cafe...

Leavin Early

So we are all packed up and ready to go. Just waiting for Nicole to get done babysitting. Chris gave me the lowdown last night when we took them out to show them how to run the boat. Which by the way Rob, Chris and Abbey seemed to thoroughly enjoy. The neighbors, Tom, Renee, Elyssa, Evan & Big Girl will be joining us tomorrow. That should be fun. We will do lots of tubing and maybe even skiing. Me of course, I'll be driving. If I can even get up in the boat--don't want to rip my incision! By the way I like Marlene's new blog setup. I might be changing mine upon return from vaca.

Nothing Much New

Just washing, packing, shopping and getting ready to go to the cottage. We are leaving Tuesday morning. I have a major sinus headache today. Hmmmm, what else? Don't have to cook tonight because we're going to the neighbors for 2 of her kids birthday parties & she's having subs. Can't think of much else...

First Day of August

No, I'm not counting down, Lisa. I got up early so as I could get out while it was still cool. I took my Lil Sis Alyssa to a mini water park. It was called a "Splash Pad." It was pretty cool. They had water coming in all directions. Out of the ground, out of poles of various shapes and sizes, dumping from buckets and shooting from towers. Needless to say we got wet and it felt good. Channel 12 news was there, but apparently we were not photogenic enough. ha ha We went out for lunch at Burger King (her choice)... It was probably about 90 already by the time I dropped her off at around 1:30. Good thing the air was on at home, because I made hot roast beef sandwhiches for dinner. Just chillin now...

Last Day of July

Hot, Hot, Hot. So hot I turned the air on early. I'm stayin inside and doing "light" housework and phone calls etc... Yesterday I had my annual eye exam. Doc says my eyes are healthy, no signs of wear and tear from the diabetes. I ordered new glasses. The good news, I saved over $400, the bad news: I still had to pay $224. Go figure.

Where has the summer gone? I have to go back to work in 20 days! I must admit I'm getting used to being home. :-( Next week we're going to the cottage. Can't wait!!

Camping

We went camping at Myers Lake Campground in our new (old) little pop-up. The neighbors went also and stayed in the next lot over. Good thing because we were missing lots of stuff! Probably would have starved half to death or eaten raw food without them. A good time was had by all! We played in the sandbox, pushed the little ones on the fwings (swings) I probably shouldn't have done that because then I was sore. Swam in the lake and toasted marshmallows around the campfire while listening to a story about 4 neighborhood kids who saw a ghost. I still owe them chapters 8 thru 10!! They seemed to like it even tho I was making it up as I went along!! Anyway, here are some pics from our adventure.

Grande Iced Carmel Macchiatto

From Starbucks! I think this is my new summer brew. (thank you for this one Marlene!) By the way does that count as coffee? You know as in, will it cause the same kind of heartburn? Anyway, it is yummy-licious! I had to go to the sec. of state so I decided to stop and get a Starbucks with my gift card. When I got there I really didn't want a hot coffee. So I decided to try something iced. Glad I did!

So last night they were giving "Severe Thunderstorm Warnings" for Genesee Co. We were in the garage waiting for the show. It never came. Just a few lightning strikes and some rumbles of thunder, and a moderate rain. Well, this morning on the news they said that Durand, MI (10 miles to the West) got slammed with a storm that Hung over the area for 45 minutes. There was golf ball sized hail, apparently there was allot of damage to glass. I think the storm then went North of the Creek, which it so often does--THANKFULLY! My car was in the driveway, along with all the other cars come to think of it. We probably would have received damage if the storm had come our way. The ole Taurus was spared!

Jergens Original Scent

MmMmMmMm! Can you remember? It brings back many childhood memories. Smells can do that. I think I read somewhere that scents can evoke powerful memories. Well, i received some Jergens "Original" scent lotion from Jan in my surgery care package.

Ok, so I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It only took me 4 days. Don't worry I won't give away any secrets. J K Rowling is really a good author. The hype is a bit much but I have really enjoyed the series. I am not even normally a fantasy reader.

Well, that's about it for now.

P.S. I forgot to report the unthinkable. It actually rained (stormed even!) on my birthday and the temp dipped below 80. But the sun did eventually come back out.

Still Forty Somethin'

I can say that for 1 more year. Happy Birthday to me! I am Queen Bee for a day. Went out to breakfast at Bob's. Had a QPee Jr. (minus the olives cuz Katie forgot) for lunch. Going out to a new Seafood restaurant for dinner. Now that is the life. I bought a new spice rack and a MP3 player with my birthday money. The weather forecast says rain today, but I keep telling everyone it won't rain because it never (almost) rains on my birthday. I drove for the first time in 2 weeks today. It was slightly painful but not too bad.

Hangin' Out

That's what I did today. I did wake up early (6:00) and balance the checkbook, check websites, clean up the kitchen.... as well as I could in my condition. Had Blueberry Toaster Waffles for breakfast.
Then I sat outside over at "the Renee's" for several hours. We even had a makeshift picnic right in the driveway. There was bologna sandwiches, chunks of cheese, chips and dip and mini "Three Musketeers" for a treat! Came home and grilled Chicken w/ a homemade marinade that was tasty, with grilled veggies and grilled corn on the cob. Yum-O. It was like a clip from BBQ University or Bobby Flay!

Tonight I started a new Debbie McComber book, did a Sudoku puzzle and even took a 30 minute power nap. All in all a rather satisfying day.

Care Package

Today the mailman was walking up the driveway (in the rain) yelling, "package, package I have a package!" I think Sarah and Bailey were outside. Inside the box was a very cute care package jammed with fun things. A customized pair of comfy shoes, word puzzles, paper, bubbles (For me and Sydney) and other assorted cool items. All in a deco paint can that will look awesome in the bathroom!
Thanks Jan - Very cool.

P.S. Happy Birthday Kevin