Well, my mom's yard is most of the way done. Marshall insisted that the yard kept growing, it really is quite huge. I am so excited that we are going to have the wedding there, but damn there is a lot of work to do! We didn't even get to the deck. Brittany and Marshall did most of the hard work, they hauled a ton of branches that Marshall cut down from one end of the yard to the other other. We didn't do the bonfire after all Bill said that it is too dry. It is supposed to rain tomorrow so if it does we should be able to do it then. I took a few pictures today, I'll post more as the work progresses.

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My mom's house and backyard where we are going to have the wedding.


This is the flower garden we planted yesterday,
we are going to have the ceremony in front of it, facing the willow tree.


Brittany and Marshall worked all day getting the tree's trimmed and picking up branches.
(No, Brittany didn't really use the chain saw!)


Danielle worked really hard too, can you tell?
But of course Anthony worked the hardest of all!

Marshall is making a list of what we need to buy from Wal-Mart. He only came up with two items, guess what they were?
1. coffee
2. toilet paper
LOL........it must be a guy thing. hehe

Well, I survived it! The first day of summer vacation is finally over! lol It's such a wonderful day when you are a kid, but it is hard as a mom to keep three kids amused who aren't used to being together all day with no activities planned. Anthony and I spent the morning with my mom and our neighbor Cathy buying flowers for the flowerbeds to make the yard gorgeous for the wedding. I am so happy Cathy wanted to help, I had no idea where to start but not only did we buy a ton of flowers but we got them all planted. WooHoo!! Once they start filling out a bit I will get some pictures online. It is going to be gorgeous!! I am so excited. We still have to do all of the planters but the main flower bed where we are going to do the ceremony in front of is done. Now we just have to figure out where to set up the canopy, dance floor and find enough power to set up the band. Did I mention we are getting a band? lol........so much for my small inexpensive wedding. I just sent a letter to my dad as well as a list of what everything is costing because he was nice enough to offer to help pay for it. **Note to self - call and warn Michelle that the letter is coming so that she can be prepared to revive him in case he faints** hehe

The kids all helped us plant which was fun, now tomorrow Marshall is fixing the stairs on my mom's deck and we are trimming trees etc. Afterward we are going to have a bonfire because I promised the kids that if they worked really hard they could roast marshmallows. Well, I'd better get running. Marshall has been patiently waiting for me to join him to cuddle on the couch and watch a movie. Let's hope I can stay awake for the whole thing! lol

Today was the girls' talent show. They both did a wonderful job! Brittany sang a solo of this song and Danielle did a skit she wrote with her cousin Tori. I always love this show, it is so much fun to see all of the cute stuff the kids come up with. I can't believe that tomorrow is already their last day of school!! Their awards program is in the morning. Both of the girls are receiving awards for reading and Brittany is also receiving a National Physical Fitness Award. She is really excited about that because physical education is her least favorite subject in school. Many of the kids in her class will be receiving the Presidential award.
Next year Brittany will be in 6th grade and if she keeps her grades up she will be receiving a President's Award for Educational Excellence. She has been working very hard to keep her grades up, she had straight A's this last semester. I am so proud of her! lol.....can you tell? hehe

Finally updated my archives! Sorry about that, I realize how little I have posted in the last 6 months. I enjoyed going over old posts. The girls have really changed since the last pictures I posted! As soon as I have a little more time I will post their spring pictures as well as some of Anthony, he has gotten huge! Did I tell you that he can say and recognize all of his ABC's as well as count to almost 20? I am so impressed because we have never really spent a lot of time teaching him, he just picked it up from games and Sesame Street! He is talking so much, he keeps us laughing all the time. He loves to bug his sisters. Oh and I think our cat is pregnant!! She is getting fat (she has always been very thin) and I never did get her fixed (oops) and she is sleeping and eating a lot more. I guess I should get her to a vet to find out for sure. Marshall says she is for sure having kittens but I think I want a second opinion! lol

I have really missed blogging, I have missed my online friends, I have missed playing with my website, sometimes I wonder if it would be better to just delete all of my stuff and forget about it. I have been gone for so long, I'm sure no one would notice. Well, I would notice, but that would be about it. I never meant to be offline for so long, but I still don't have permanent web access, which in a way is nice. I have much more time to spend with my family, and I don't feel guilty for not keeping up with emails because honestly there haven't been very many. When I started this blog it was for me, a way to process thoughts, and vent about daily stuff. There have been so many times that I have wanted to blog about something and couldn't because I had no way to get online, also people at work had been reading my blog and since I wanted to mostly bitch about work, I didn't feel comfortable blogging at all.

Well, I quit my job, it was pretty much unbearable, (a very long, boring story) so I am now job searching, planning a wedding, raising three children of my own - as well as dealing with future step children issues, trying to keep some romance alive with my future husband, and we are still thinking about building a house. Damn it! I think I need somewhere to vent! lol Okay, so no one is probably reading this anymore, and I'm sure most online have forgotten I was even around. I guess that is ok, I know it is here and hopefully I can continue blogging on a regular basis. So enough about that! :-)

We went to the lakes this weekend with Marshall's family. The kids had so much fun fishing and playing in the lake. Anthony refused to wear a life jacket at first but once he realized he couldn't fish without it finally gave in. The way he was running up and down the dock I thought for sure he would fall in, but surprisingly he didn't. He didn't catch any fish either, lol we had to cut the hook off of his line because he wouldn't let anyone help him cast it and the way he was swinging his pole around it was safer for all involved! hehe Brittany caught quite a few fish but they were all little so she threw them back, and Danielle didn't have the patience to sit still long enough to catch anything. They had fun with Marshall's nephews and I enjoyed visiting with his sister. It was nice to get away from all of the chaos at home. Wedding plans are going good. I have to get my dress fitted today and I also have a job lead to follow this afternoon, oh and Brittany has a play at one o'clock. I guess I should get off my ass and get moving!

If by some odd chance someone is actually reading this, have a great day and I promise I'll be around a whole lot more. I'm unemployed so what else am I going to do? hehe

Hmm, I started my last blog last Tuesday and just got around to publishing it today. Sorry about that.
Lot's going on around here. We might be building a house!? We almost bought a house but it turned out to need too much work. So this is plan "B". I'll keep you posted on how it's going

Marshall and I finally set a wedding date (did I mention that already?), we will get married on the 4th of July. Everyone keeps asking me how the planning is going. Honestly, I haven't done much. I was consumed by wedding plans for my first wedding, I want this one to be a lot more relaxed (and a lot less expensive!) Somehow, when I start to plan on paper it keeps getting out of hand. You know the, "well, we should invite them and maybe we should serve this..." blah, blah, blah. I just can't seem to get into it without it turning into this big production that I DON'T want. That is the reasoning behind the wedding on the 4th of July. Have a small wedding early on and a big party afterward with tons of fireworks, music, and twinkling lights. But then you have to add a cake, and food, and a dance floor (the wedding will be on my mom's back yard) and now we are planting flowers, and painting the deck, .... shit, maybe we should just head to Vegas? LOL

Ummm...can you belive I'm still at work? I am tired and want to go home but have to wait for some pictures to finish downloading before I can go. I am going to be completely exhausted tomorrow!

Brittany got her solo, she is so excited. At the begining of the show she is going to walk out and stand in the center of the stage and sing her solo before anyone else sings, then the rest of the school will join in. She is very excited, as of course is this very proud mommy! :-) Both my girls have solos.....I can't wait to hear them. It always amazes me because I couldn't carry a tune to save my life. The program is May 2nd, so now we've just got to find costumes. Fun :-)

I just called home. The kiddies are tucked into bed and Marshall is patiently waiting for me to get home. I usually work late on Tuesdays, the girls are busy with piano, and it's a nice time to catch up on work here and get in a few extra hours.

Took Brittany to the dentist today, (did I mention that she got braces on March 11th?), she has to get four teeth pulled on Friday (the 19th) to make room in her mouth for her teeth to adjust. I'm not sure who's more nervous, her or me?!

Sorry for not posting more often, still no internet at home. The visit with my brother went way too fast! We had so much fun! He will be home for a week or so in July and then he will be off on his 6month deployment to the middle east. I am very proud of him, but it is so hard to have him so far away. I can't imagine what it would be like to be a military wife! Sheesh, I yell at Marshall if he spends too much time in the shop at night! lol

The girls are getting ready for their spring music program. Danielle got her very first solo! She is very excited, she is singing the intro for the "Do Re Mi" song from the Sound of Music. Brittany hasn't heard if she has a solo yet, but because she has had several already, she doesn't think she will get one because some of the girls have been complaining that they've never had one. The program is music from different musicals such as Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, Annie, etc. They are both very excited.

I hope you all have a great weekend! And I can't wait to get my candles!!

My brother is coming home soon!! I am so excited, I haven't seen him since July. He is stationed in Washington on the USS Abraham Lincoln. He will be here on Sunday. He will only be here a week, which means of course that his visit will go by way too fast!

Tonight we are going to a school carnival and silent auction at the kids school. They always have good stuff at the auction. I'll let you know if I get anything good. :-) Have a great weekend!!

I can't stop listening to this CD. Last Friday was Marshall's birthday (Happy Birthday honey!) and we went out to Rick's and guess who was playing? My friend Dave's band (we used to work together before he was famous hehe), who I have always wanted to see play but had never actually seen in person. I had so much fun! They were awesome! It was also nice to run into Julia so that I had someone to dance with seeing as how Marshall was "slightly" intoxicated thanks to Brian and Gene. :-)

Oh, I had this phone call from my dad on Monday night. It went something like this...

~Dad~ How have you been? How are the kids? (Etc...)

~me~ Fine, good, getting big, (Etc...)

~Dad~ Oh, by the way, I went to Reno this weekend and Michelle (long term girlfriend) and I got married.

~me~ .........

LOL.......I'm very happy for my Dad but sheesh, he could have warned me!!

Since I am doing this at work I guess I should ask you all to visit our website: Headlights to Taillights
Thanks, now I won't feel so guilty! :-)

I doubt if anyone is still reading this, but if you are, let me apologize for just disappearing. I went into shock along with the rest of this country after 9/11. I couldn't really process what was happening and everything I did other than caring for my family seemed so trivial. Shortly after that I switched banks, which closed my account that paid for my internet. I haven't had internet since and it is driving me nuts! :-)

Right now I am doing this from work so I am trying to hurry. I am hoping to have internet again soon, until then I will try to stop in every now and then and say hi. If you need to reach me you can email me at work autoparts@nbinternet.com please send "Attn: Lisa" in the subject line. I haven't had time to catch up with my regular email, so if you have emailed me and I haven't answered I am sorry. Thank you for understanding.

I plan to open Seasons of Country and Inferno Dezigns as soon as I can. Thank you for your patience and for all of the concern you have expressed about how I am doing. I miss you all very much and I can't wait to get back! Until then I will keep you posted here. :-)

Last night I knew what I was going to blog about this morning. Major excitement about the Denver Broncos winning Monday night football and bitching about stupid shit going on in my life. I spent the morning getting the kids ready for school, getting ready for work, finding shoes and signing homework papers. In the midst of all my mundane crap thousands of people lost their lives in a way that has left me speechless and in shock all day. I have cried, I have worried for my little brother who is in the US Navy, I have been mad and scared and have tried to find the words to explain to my children the how and why of something that there is no resonable explanation to. I think I am still in shock, I know that soon it will set in and I am hoping that I will be able to grieve for my country and for the loss of the security that I have always felt living in the greatest country in the world. I am proud to be American and tomorrow as I see our flags flying at half mast I will cry for those who we have lost but I will also feel a sense of pride for my great country that will overcome this tragedy. Tonight I am praying for strength for my country, for those who serve and protect it and for those who have been touched personally by these tragic losses today. May God Bless you all and may God Bless America.

Work is fun, I really enjoy it. I am learning something new every day and it is fun to be working with Marshall again. We work so well together and of course working together is what brought us together in the first place. The kids are all adjusting very well. I am running out the door because I have to fill in today for someone who needed the day off. I won't be working many weekends but I don't mind once in awhile. I just wanted to stop in and say have a great weekend!

What a wonderful day! Let's see, I wake up to Danielle throwing up at 5:30 this morning. She managed to make it most of the way down the stairs before she got sick. I didn't want to send her to school but I didn't want to miss a day of work my first week! After we gave her a shower and got her cleaned up she laid on the couch. I feel like such a horrible mother. I can deal with every possible illness or circumstance but vomit I just can't do. I had to wake up Marshall to help me clean it up otherwise I would have been sick too. Ick. Thank goodness he loves me so much! lol After she slept until 7:30 am she decided (after I got ahold of my mom to watch her for me) that she felt well enough to go to school. I really didn't want to send her but she wanted to go and she didn't have a fever so I just sent a note to her teacher and crossed my fingers that she would be ok.

I drop Anthony off at day care and the day care woman's son wasn't feeling well. He didn't have a fever or anything so I didn't worry about it. I was at work maybe 2 hours when I got a phone call that the little boy had vomited and was breaking out in spots! Since it is easier for Marshall to leave work he went to pick up Anthony and thank goodness my mom didn't work today so that she could watch him. We still don't know what is wrong with him, she is taking him to the doctor tomorrow morning which means of course that she can't watch him. Hopefully he better soon and I hope it's not contagious. I had to find back-up day care for Anthony tomorrow.....thanks Jason. :-)

After work it is time to pickup Anthony from my mom's and take him for shots. He is behind and so has to catch up. He had four shots today, two in each arm. He was NOT happy! He kicked the poor nurse and I could barely hold him down. Next time Marshall gets to take him! I felt so bad, I wanted to cry more than he did! Poor baby. He was fine by the time we got to the car but I still feel bad. I have to take him in two more months for one more shot and then he will be done until he is four. Next time I take him for shots I'll be sure to not put a white shirt on him! Sheesh!

Brittany now tells me that she has a recycling project due tomorrow and she thought it was due next week which means nothing is done. My mom left her car in town yesterday so now I have to go pick it up, Marshall has to work on limo's all night and I have a ton of laundry to do. And how was your day?! :-)

Oh here's something cute I forgot to mention. The girl I work with most (her dad owns the company) is very sweet. I know I'm going to love working with her. She has been working with Marshall for some time now and he is the person she talks to when she is upset about whatever. He is such an easy person to talk to I completely understand and he has many female friends that use him as their sounding board. I guess if I was insecure in myself or in our relationship I would be jealous but I'm not because I know that I always come first. Besides most of my friends are guys so I guess it's a good thing I don't have a problem with it. lol

Anyway, this girl was so concerned that it was going to bother me that she talked to Marshall about it and asked him if I was going to be upset by her being friends with him. He started laughing because he knows that I am not jealous and of course reassured her that I was not going to be bothered by their friendship. He mentioned it to me at lunch and I thought it was funny but sweet. Later in the afternoon while her and I were working in the office she brought it up. She said as seriously sweet and sincere as she could be, "I just want you to know, and no offense to you, but he is just NOT my type, I mean he's just not my type." I really had to bite my lip so that I didn't laugh hysterically. It was just so funny. So when I told Marshall about it tonight he was like.......oh thanks a lot for crushing my ego.

It's okay honey.......you're still my type. hehe

First day was so incredibly fun. There are so many things to do there and I will constantly be busy which is what I need. The webpage stuff actually won't take up much time. The most time consuming part of that job will be taking the pictures and uploading them. Anyway the day was fun and I only pissed one person off today. Not to worry, I have a feeling she won't be there much longer. *evil grin*

Anthony's first day of day care went well other than the crying he did as I was walking out the door. I was very proud of myself, I didn't cry until I got to the car! Can you believe that I forgot my planner which had the day care number in it?! I remembered as soon as I got in the car but I didn't want to go back and ask for it and upset him more. So I had to go the entire day without calling! When I picked him up he was having fun and of course that made me feel much better! She said that he only cried a minute and he was great the rest of the day. I knew he would be! lol

So all in all it was a wonderful first day for both of us and now I am off to clean the kitchen, do a load of laundry and pass out due to a lack of sleep.

First day of work for me and day care for Anthony and I am a nervous wreck! I couldn't sleep worth shit last night because I kept laying there thinking of all of the shit I should have got done but didn't do. Yesterday was spent frantically cleaning the house. For some reason I just couldn't start work with my kitchen cupboards a mess, so I pulled everything out and scrubbed them from top to bottom. Still so much to do around here but I will have to get to it later. The girls just walked out the door to school and now it is my turn. Wish me luck. :-)

I am starting to feel extremely nervous at the thought of going to work. My list of inventory numbers I am supposed to go over are sitting on my desk glaring at me because I have as of yet to still pick them up. Beneath them is a little "quiz" to get me familiar with the most frequently used numbers. Last night Marshall asked me if I had looked at them yet and I blew up at him. I went on and on about how it is MY job and just because he happens to work there doesn't mean that it has anything to do with him. I think I said something like if I screw up it is a reflection on me and not on him so not to worry about it. He looks at me with this blank look on his face and says "where did THAT come from?" lol.....honestly I have no freakin clue. Thankfully he is very understanding and just gave me a hug and went about making dinner. I hate first days. I always have. Once it's over I will feel so much better.

Anthony and I went back to the daycare on Friday and he had a chance to play. We went in the late afternoon and I was able to meet some of the other mom's as they picked up their little ones. They all were really chatty and friendly with the daycare lady so that made me feel good. I am still nervous over that too. Please, please, please let Tuesday be over soon! lol