My mom called me today to tell me that Brittany was driving Marshall's truck! She (my mom) was totally freaking out. Well, to be honest with you it freaked me out too, but I didn't let her know that! lol Marshall and Brittany were working in my mom's yard and while Marshall was cutting tree's he let her drive his truck from one end of the yard to the other to dump all the stuff in back. My mom thought for sure she would hit a tree, but I guess she did really good.
*~*NOTE TO MARSHALL*~* I'm glad you and Brittany are bonding and stuff, but don't encourage her to start driving already......she's only 11!! Sheesh, before you know it she will be stealing the car! lol

Tomorrow we are taking the kids to the AirSho. Anthony is going to love it. He loves airplanes. I just hope it isn't too loud for him. I hope you all are having a great weekend! ~HUGS~

Well, I've made my rounds to my favorite blogs, drank two too many cups of coffee, and have answered most of my emails. I think I'd better quit stalling and get to work getting my house clean. Having the kids home all day sure creates a lot more work! More dishes, more clothes (why do girls have to change two or three times a day?!), just more messes! I want to have it done by this weekend because I'm sure most of it will be spent at my mom's house working once again on her yard. I really don't care or think anyone will notice they way back corners of trees that need to be trimmed but can't seem to convince my mom, so it's easier just to get it done! lol

I think I need to clean my desk. I have three coffee cups sitting here and only one of them has fresh coffee. I haven't as of yet drank out of the wrong cup but as time progresses the chances of that increses! Ick. Although I can tell which cup Marshall left here, his cups have Jack Daniels written on them, mine have Winne the Pooh. LOL....that pretty much sums us up wouldn't you say?

Well, the driving yesterday went ok. Joe never did call back....he'd better not do that on the 4th because he is supposed to drive us that day! lol Anyway, Marshall didn't want me to go through a day of nerves without actually driving so we went for a drive last night after dinner. I was so nervous but it wasn't as bad as I thought. You have to take turns slower than normal but for the most part it was ok. I'm still nervous about driving in town mostly because of all the construction/detours going on right now. I would hate to end up in a place where I have to back up. That still scares the shit out of me and I refused to back it up into the shop when we got home. Next time we drive I'm going to make him sit in back so he can tell me how it feels from back there. I want to drive a little more before I go order my tuxedo and NO I will NOT wear one of those stupid hats! lol

Today is the day, I learn how to drive a limousine. Everyone keeps telling me that it isn't hard, it's just like driving a car, only bigger. I don't think they realize that that is what scares me.........the bigger part! I can just picture myself taking a turn and leaving the rear half of the car behind! Joe thinks I can learn in an hour, I think he is crazy! And of course they will expect me to back them into the shop which I don't even want to think about! Ok, I'm making myself a wreck. I think I need another cup of coffee! lol

Last night we spent another night working in my mom's yard. This damn wedding had better be the most gorgeous wedding ever! lol And oh my gosh, if it rains I am not going to be happy! All of the wedding books (yes I have bought a few isn't it pathetic?!) say that you need a backup plan for an outdoor wedding. Here's my plan: it will NOT rain! lol My mom's friend from the Windbreak offered to let us hold it there because he is going to be closed for the day. But I really don't want to have it there, besides when it rains on the 4th it usually doesn't last long. So everyone can just huddle under the canopy I am renting. lol Okay, I'm getting stressed again.

Speaking of stressed.......my dad called yesterday. (Remember the package I mentioned a few days ago?) He said, "I got your package, that movie looks funny." and then he starts talking about the weather. He never mentions the letter or list I sent or whether he is going to help out with expenses or not. I mean, I only sent him the list because he offered to help and so I wanted him to have an idea of how much this was all costing. So we have this entire conversation and he never once brings up the money thing. And I think I was too shocked to even mention it, I mean what could I say? So at the end of our converstaion he says, "How is your mom doing......I haven't talked to her in awhile.......I think I'll call her up to say hi." So I call my mom to tell her he is calling and tell her about my conversation with him as we wait for the call waiting to click. I ask her what she thinks it means that he didn't mention the letter I sent him and she says she thinks it means that he isn't going to help out, which is just what I was thinking. So we hang up (still no call from my dad) and I call my sister. I tell her the same thing I told my mom and ask her opinion and she thinks the same thing my mom and I were thinking. So she says she is going to call him and just see if he mentions it to her. (Are you confused yet? lol I think I am!) So she calls him and they talk and he brings up the letter to her?! Now why wouldn't he mention it to me? I think I am going to scream! Anyway, he says that he wants to talk to my mom to discuss the expenses because he has no idea how much weddings cost. Sheesh........ I am telling you this is the cheapest wedding ever, and he didn't help at all with my first wedding, he didn't even go to my first wedding. So my sister told him that he was getting off cheap and since she isn't going to have a wedding (her and Jeremy plan to get married alone on a cruise ship) so he should just be glad he only has one wedding to help pay for. Somedays I think maybe we should have just got married in Reno while we were there last summer! My dad still hasn't called my mom and he never gave my sister a definite answer as to if or how much he is helping so I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Marshall is selling one of his trucks to help pay for our portion of the expenses (keep your fingers crossed that it sells soon!) and hopefully I will make lots of money driving limos to cover the rest. Speaking of which, I guess I should stop stalling and get ready to go. Joe should be here in an hour or so.Wish me luck!

Well, I'm off to an early start today. I get to be tortured with another interview. This one is at a bank, I can only imagine it would be a boring job but a boring job is better than no job and MUCH better than the job I had with the "Adams Family". lol I have stayed away from jobs like this because I just don't work well with women. Give me a place with a bunch of guys and I am happy. lol I love working in truck/auto shops, the only problem with that is that people (men and women) think you don't know anything because you are a "girl". That gets kind of frustrating, I mean, most of the guys I have worked with in parts centers know less than I do but because they have a....well.....you know....people figure they know more. lol Oh well. So I'm off to the bank to try to get a job where I have to dress up everyday and I don't get dirty.

Marshall and I are also getting our marriage license today, the time is going way too fast and I have sooo much to do! I put up the little countdown thing on my blog because I thought it would be fun, I am starting to hate that clock because I am realizing how little time I really have to get everything ready. Liz and Eden, I could really use some help with something. I had a wonderful idea, okay it was wonderful at the time, but now I am just overwhelmed by the whole thing. I'll email you with details later today and hopefully one of you can help. :-) Okay, I've really got to go this time! lol Bye

Feeling somewhat better, I just went for a drive blasting my new cd, smoked a cigarette (okay 2), and drank 2 bottles of water. The kids are playing outside and Marshall is working in the yard. I'm not in the mood to make dinner (okay, I'm NEVER in the mood to make dinner, that is why Marshall usually does it) so tonight it's frozen pizza for dinner. One of the draw backs of living in the country.....no pizza delivery! :-P Hope you all have a good night. Oh, I can't find your number anywhere?! The one I have I think is an old one. Email it to me would ya?

I absolutely hate job hunting! Why is it that the first person you have to deal with is a stupid, anorexic receptionist who has no idea what her job is much less the job you are applying for but she talks to you like you are an idiot and have no business walking through the front door. At the same time I have a sneaking suspicion that if I'm not somewhat nice to the bimbo my resume will end up in the garbage next to her box of bon bon's?! Shit! I have been told by one job that I don't have enough experience and by two others that I have too much experience! What the hell? So I guess in the mean time I am going to have to start driving limos.

What really pisses me off is that I really liked my old job, I just despised most of the people I worked with. I liked my boss but in order to keep my job I had to work with his old hag of a sister who never brushed her teeth, his asshole brother-in-law and two of his nephews. The only person I liked was my boss and his dad but everyone else there hated him so I had to listen to them all bitching and complaining about him. These people are the poster board family for dysfunctional! I have never in my life seen people so @#$%*! (<-- edited for a PG audience) up!

Okay, sorry about that, I have so needed to vent about that stupid job but didn't because I was trying to just forget about the whole experience. Oh well, time to move on. I'm sure I'll find a job, today was just such a waste of time.

Well, here is my before and after photos. I couldn't get a very good before picture because there was no one here to help me this morning. Damn, I really need to invest in a web cam! lol I felt like such an idiot trying to snap my own picture! But here it is, me and my hair! hehe

BEFORE

AFTER

When I got to the salon my hair was put into a ponytail and cut off, 15 inches of hair! What an easy way to lose 10lbs! lol My hair was donated to Locks of Love through the Roger Maris Cancer Center. Larry cut my hair, he is my mom's hairdressesr. He has never done my hair before, but I think he did a great job. I don't think you can tell from the pictures but I had my hair highlighted. It looks awesome. I'll have to take a better picture in the light so that the color comes out better. I wasn't sure what Marshall would think of my hair but he says he really likes it, and Anthony said, "Mom, I reallllly like your hair cut!" Larry is going to also do my hair the day of the wedding. Usually when I get my hair cut I just sit with a magazine hoping the person cutting my hair won't talk to me. lol Today was the first time I actually enjoyed having my hair cut. Larry is hilarious and I guess he is going to go to my bachelorette party! It should be a wild night. lol Oh, and I waxed my eyebrows for the very first time........all I can say is OWWWW!!

The girls also had their piano recital tonight. They both did a great job. Before I know it Anthony will be up there playing the piano! They are all getting way too big! Well, I'd better get going. I have a ton of laundry to do and children to referee! *Nite*Nite*

Bonfire stage 1

Bonfire stage 2


Bonfire stage 2

Roasting marshmallows...the
best part!
Brittany, Danielle and their cousin Tori
We had so much fun yesterday. The graduation was fun, although there were so many people and because it was raining they were all crowded into Marshall's dad's house. Josef was adorable, I can't believe how big he is! After the party we went to my mom's house and went back to work. Bill already had one bonfire going and shortly after him and Marshall had a second one going. It was nice because there was a soft rain going at the same time which kept me from worrying that the fires would get too big. Once the fires slowed down the kids made smores and then spent the night at my mom's house to watch Harry Potter with Bill who hadn't seen it yet. Anyway, it was a nice day but now it is Monday and back to a hectic week. Today I have a few job leads to follow up on, I am getting my hair cut which has me nervous and my mom needs help cleaning limo's. Did I tell you I think I am going to drive (limousines)? I have never driven before but I could really use some extra money. I'll let you know how that goes. I am nervous about my hair because right now it is almost down to my waist and I am cutting it to my shoulders! I'll try to get a before and after photo. I have to run I am as usual running late!

Congratulations Kristy!


Graphic by Mary's Little Lamb

Today is Marshall's niece's hich school graduation open house. We are headed over there this afternoon. Lately it has been hard to get together with all of his family at one time so this will be nice. I am so happy for Kristy because I know how hard she has had to work to graduate. I am also excited to see Kristy's son Josef, he is about 10 months now, and I haven't seen him in awhile, I am sure he is huge! I will probably have to beat off his other aunts to get a chance to hold him! lol

Every time I hold him Marshall gets this look in his eye, like "please don't give her any ideas!" lol I honestly don't think I want any more kids, three is more than enough! But at the same time I don't want to do any thing final to prevent having children because I'm just not ready to completely shut the door. You know?

I just want to say that I am making this post against my free will! Marshall is making me post this because he thinks all I do is make him look bad on this site........like he really needs my help! hehe Anyway.........he wants me to make it clear that yes, he did only make a shopping list with two items on it (see my earlier post today), but I went into town and spent a few hours shopping, and I forgot one of the items. And no, I didn't forget the toilet paper! ROFLMAO

And since I am here making myself look bad, I felt like a complete idiot today! My mom and I went into town to get some stuff for the yard and we took Anthony with. He was hungry so we stopped at McDonalds to get him something to eat and my mom set his drink on the dash. I made a sharp turn and it of course spilled and spattered on my windshield. I of course say "shit" as I am trying to stay in my lane and keep the pop from running into the vents. And from the backseat Anthony yells, "Mom! Don't say that word!" Can you believe that?! I felt like an idiot, but it was funny so I apologized to him but was laughing at the same time. And my mom is of course laughing, when Anthony yells again, "It's not funny! Don't say that word!" How sad is that?! lol

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.

Click on images to see a larger photo, use your browser's back button to return.

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!!