Pieces of Us...

Things Are Getting Better... - Friday, September 30, 2005

So things are getting better with Skyler going to school. I guess it's just that "adjustment period" or something. So far this week, no kicking and screaming and having to physically drag her into school. So that's a good sign! And this entire week, she hasn't received one single "frowny face" on her chart. Woohooo! Things are looking up in the world in the school department.

I thought things were going so well this week until we had another blow up at McDonald's the other day. Since Skyler has been doing so well in school and going to bed for the last week or so, I thought I would take her and Chase to McDonald's for dinner and to play at the Playplace. Things went great at first. She ate her dinner before getting up to play. We stayed for about 1 1/2 hours (way too long) and she played with various kids. Then when it was time to go she walked out with no problems. She was sweating pretty badly and was asking for a drink of water. So I got her a glass of water and we headed towards the door. I asked her if she was finished with the water and she said yes, so I threw it into the trash can as we were going out the door.

When we got outside she learned her back up against the wall of the building and refused to move. So for about 3 minutes or so I spoke quietly to her asking her to please come on. Various cars were stopping to let us cross. But Skyler wouldn't budge. She also had the arms folded across her chest in the "I'm not budging, no matter what you say" stance. So after about 3 or 4 minutes of trying nicely, I just picked her up underneath her arms and threw her under my shoulder and hauled her a-- to the van with her kicking and screaming the entire way of course.

So after we get in the car she just totally loses it. She is kicking and screaming in her booster. As I drive down the road she is yelling at me to stop. She then takes her shoes off and hits me in the back of the hea with her shoes (luckily they were flip-flops and not tennis shoes). So I pulled the car off on the side of the road and opened her door and smacked her leg. (Yes I know I SPANK my child. Forgive me). She just lost her sh--. I tried talking calmly to her but she was screaming, so I got back in the van and started on my way home.

Then she starts yelling, "Stop the car Mommy and spank me!" "I WANT you to stop this car RIGHT NOW and spank my bottom!!"

I'm like what the ----? Girlfriend is going psycho on me. I very seldom spank her and it's not like I beat the ever living daylights out of her. I just smacked her leg to get her to stop kicking the back of my seat. I know by now that spanking doesn't solve anything with her. It just makes her angrier. So when we got home Jonathan and I tried talking to her, but she was so worked up, we just had to have her sit down until she calmed down which took about 30 minutes for her to stop screaming and carrying on. After she had calmed down we discussed how she acted and told her that she had lost various privileges.

Ah the wonders of raising pre-schoolers. And to think we have to go through this all over again with Chase in just a year or so. I don't know if my mind can stand it. I really hope we don't have to deal with some of this stuff with Chase. I'm sure Chase will have different issues. But Skyler just turns absolutely psycho sometimes. It really upsets my mom to no end. Neither me or my brother acted like she does. And sometimes it just seems the more you try and do for her, the meaner she is.

So anyway. That's how my day went. Nothing much else going on. Jonathan has been working pretty late all this week because it's the end of the month. So really it's just been me and the kids at home doing absolutely nothing. A little homework, some play time, dinner, more play time. How exciting is that? I will say that this new schedule of mine at work has been wonderful. I feel like I actually get to spend some time with my kids in the evening and I can actually get a few things done. Instead of leaving everything until the weekend and then trying to cram it all in at once.

Moving on to other matters, we received our confirmations from Jonathan's work on our flights and everything for our trip to St. Thomas. We leave Raleigh at 7:30 a.m. and have two stops! Yuck! We fly from Raleigh to Orlando, from Orlando to Miami and then from Miami to St. Thomas. We don't arrive in St. Thomas until 4:30 p.m. Ugh! That's traveling all day long. But I can't bitch. It is free... Well I won't say it's "free". We just got a letter in the mail from his employer saying that we were responsible for all taxes for the trip. Geeze! They get over somehow don't they? The bad thing is they tax you at like 45% on the cash portion of the prize. They say it's "special pay."

So we stay in St. Thomas from Sunday until Thursday and then on Thursday we fly from St. Thomas to Ft. Lauderdale. We spend two nights in Ft. Lauderdale and then on Saturday we are off on our 8 day cruise! I secured our room in Ft. Lauderdale from Priceline.com. I had originally won the Sheraton Airport location for $45.oo for one night back in May on Priceline and when I called to try and add a night they wanted $229.00 for the extra night! Yikes! So I just went back online and tried to get another room. I knew I may not get the same hotel because you don't get to actually choose your hotel when you bid for a hotel on Priceline. But I was lucky and got the Sheraton again. So $90.00 for two nights instead of like $500. Um, hello, that is an awesome deal. This was my first experience with Priceline, so I'll have to tell you how it went after we actually stay there. Do you think they might put us in the basement with the laundry or something? ;-)

We've decided to rent a car while we are in St. Thomas. I just hate being stuck at a hotel. When I travel, I like to get out and see the towns and the locals. St. Thomas is a very small island, but I still like to have my own transportation and cabs are pretty expensive. Just wish us luck as they drive on the opposite side of the road. Jonathan says he won't have a problem with it, but I don't think I will be doing any driving while we are there. I'll just be the "backseat driver."

They have a Tiffany store on the island, so I am picking out several pieces that I like and hopefully will be able to find one at their store. One of the girls from work is also going to give me some money to bring her a piece back. It's about 25% cheaper in St. Thomas than the Tiffany stores on the mainland.

Well I guess I better get some things done. Hope everybody has a great weekend!

Things Are Getting Better... Monica; 7:45 AM 4 comments

- Tuesday, September 27, 2005

*TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey*
Name:	Monica
Birthday:	June 22
Birthplace:	Kingsport, Tennessee
Current Location:	North Carolina
Eye Color:	Blue
Hair Color:	Depends on the month - currently reddish blonde
Height:	5'4"
Right Handed or Left Handed:	Right
Your Heritage:	German (way back)
The Shoes You Wore Today:	Clark's Sandals
Your Weakness:	Prioritizing
Your Fears:	Not having enough money
Your Perfect Pizza:	Pepperoni, hamburger, sausage, onions & extra cheese
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year:	Spend more time with my kids
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger:	Don't use IM that much.
Thoughts First Waking Up:	What all do I need to get done today?
Your Best Physical Feature:	Eyes
Your Bedtime:	11:00 p.m.
Your Most Missed Memory:	My grandmother
Pepsi or Coke:	Pepsi
MacDonalds or Burger King:	Burger King
Single or Group Dates:	Single
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea:	Nestea
Chocolate or Vanilla:	Chocolate
Cappuccino or Coffee:	Neither
Do you Smoke:	NO!
Do you Swear:	All the time.
Do you Sing:	Not in front of anyone
Do you Shower Daily:	Uh yeah!
Have you Been in Love:	Yes
Do you want to go to College:	No
Do you want to get Married:	Already am
Do you belive in yourself:	Sometimes
Do you get Motion Sickness:	No
Do you think you are Attractive:	Not really
Are you a Health Freak:	No
Do you get along with your Parents:	Yes
Do you like Thunderstorms:	Yes
Do you play an Instrument:	Piano
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol:	No
In the past month have you Smoked:	No
In the past month have you been on Drugs:	No
In the past month have you gone on a Date:	No
In the past month have you gone to a Mall:	Yes
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos:	No
In the past month have you eaten Sushi:	No
In the past month have you been on Stage:	No
In the past month have you been Dumped:	No
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping:	No
In the past month have you Stolen Anything:	No
Ever been Drunk:	Yes
Ever been called a Tease:	No
Ever been Beaten up:	No
Ever Shoplifted:	No
How do you want to Die:	Peacefully in my sleep
What do you want to be when you Grow Up:	A better person
What country would you most like to Visit:	Australia
*In a Boy/Girl..*
Favourite Eye Color:	Blue
Favourite Hair Color:	Black
Short or Long Hair:	Short
Height:	6'0"
Weight:	Doesn't matter
Best Clothing Style:	Casual
Number of Drugs I have taken:	Not many
Number of CDs I own:	200
Number of Piercings:	1
Number of Tattoos:	0
Number of things in my Past I Regret:	Too many to list
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

I borrowed this from Mary

Monica; 8:42 AM 2 comments

Not Much Going On... - Monday, September 26, 2005

Not much going on around here this past weekend. I have started cooking more. I made meatloaf for dinner last night. Of course Skyler won't touch it with a 10 foot pole, but Chase ate it like there was no tomorrow. Of course, he eats pretty much anything. For now he does anyway. I'm sure as time goes on he will become pickier like his sister. Let's hope not! You may think, making a meatloaf is no big deal. But this is from a sister who doesn't know how to cook. I mean I've never enjoyed cooking and I'm so picky there isn't much I even like to eat. My step dad did all of the cooking while I was growing up. And since he and I didn't see eye-to-eye while I was a teenager, I basically never learned to cook. So websites with recipes have become my best friend. I'm "trying" to learn. But it's just too much damn trouble people! But I am trying.
Anyway, on Saturday we decided to head to Concord Mills to do some shopping. It's a massive mall with lots of outlets. I got the kids a few clothes (like they really needed anymore). Chase didn't get a single pair of "plain" overalls for his birthday. So I went to the Osh Kosh outlet and they were having a massive sale. I got a pair of Osh Kosh overalls for $7.95. Not bad. Heck, I would have probably paid more than that for them from the consignment shop I usually go to. That consignment shop has gone sky high! What is their deal! I think they have become so popular they think they can just charge whatever they want.

We also wanted to take Skyler to this place called Jeepers in the mall. It's like this indoor entertainment complex with rides and little roller coaster, games, etc. She loves it. So she and Jonathan spent a couple of hours in there while Little Man and I hit the mall. Not buying much or anything, but mostly just browsing. Little Man has this habit of grabbing onto everything he can reach as he strolls by. It drives me absolutely bonkers. Skyler never did that. She just cruised along. Difference between girls and boys I guess.

After that we headed to a restaurant across the street called Razzoos. They have Cajun food and that stuff will tear your stomach up! Skyler didn't eat hardly anything as usual. However, Little Man commenced to tearing some Cajun food up! He had a whole piece of catfish, a chicken tender, 3 shrimp, countless french fries and even some of my dessert! I tell you that child will eat almost anything you put in his mouth and keep screaming for more. The only thing I hate is you can't stop and take a bite yourself. He barely breathes in between bites. And if you put some food on a plate for him, he just ends up swiping the plate off the table onto the floor. It's very frustrating. I'm hoping he will outgrow it soon.

We didn't do jack squat yesterday. Little Man and I went to return some headphones for the DVD system in the car. Then I came home and made the meatloaf for dinner.

Skyler is still giving Jonathan a hard time when he drops her off for pre-school. I'm hoping she will get over it soon. But we are going on week 4 of school. At least he didn't have to drag her in kicking and screaming this morning. He said she just cried, but walked in on her own free will. I guess that's a step forward anyway. The teacher did tell Jonathan this morning that after he is gone she is pretty good the rest of the day. I just don't understand. Girlfriend goes to bed at night fretting about getting up and going to school the next morning. Last night she told Jonathan she wanted to go back to her old school. It's kind of pitiful really. But we don't always get what we want in life and the sooner she learns that, the better off she will be. But that's kind of hard to explain to a 4 year old.

Skyler decided last night that she wanted to get started on her "Santa Claus List." Um, hello! We just had a birthday where both kids received entirely too much! Girlfriend is already thinking ahead to Christmas?!? I just want to know where in the world we are supposed to put any more toys! She has decided she wants a guitar. Like she will probably play all of 3 minutes with that one.

Well enough for today. I've got a lot to take care of. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Not Much Going On... Monica; 7:31 AM 2 comments

The Pre-School Blues.... - Friday, September 23, 2005

Ah the wonders of starting pre-school. As everyone knows from my journal, Skyler has been going to a private Christian school for almost two years. So when I signed her up for the county pre-school program, I just automatically assumed that it would be a smooth transition. I mean she has never been with me 24/7 or anything and she adapted to the Christian school so well. She actually loved going 99% of the time. There was the occasional morning when girlfriend threw a fit and didn't want to go to school. But that is kind of expected from a 3 year old. But all-in-all, she did a really good job going to school and behaved pretty well.

Unfortunately, I was actually at convention when her first day of school rolled around. I was able to take her to a "test" day the week before. And she seemed to like it well enough. She was excited to be going to the "new school" as she calls it and to make new friends. Well just let me tell you, things are not going so well.Well things aren't going so well at the "new school." As a matter of a fact, Jonathan just now called and said that he had to physically drag her into school this morning. She hates it. And I mean she hates it with a passion. She hates the teacher, she doesn't like the other kids, she doesn't like the assistant. She just plain ole doesn't like it at all.

I think I know one of the reasons she doesn't like it is because basically at her old school it was still kind of like daycare. I mean they had some things they had to do, but for the most part, it was all play. Now at the new school they are really trying to prepare the kids for kindergarten. It is so structured. I won't even begin to go into details of how structured this program is. And it seems Skyler isn't adjusting very well.

The teacher has this reward system where she gives the kids frowny faces every time they do something they aren't supposed to. I.e., talking out of term, etc. So if you get 3 or more frowny faces in a day, you don't get your afternoon treat and sticker. Well so far, Skyler hasn't come home with a treat or sticker yet! It's all very puzzling to me considering she was so good at the other school. And I'm not sure why she is getting frowny faces. The thing is, your not allowed to speak to the teacher when you pick her up or drop her off. The teacher says she is too busy to talk to parents. If we have any questions, we must write them down on a note. Well first of all I think this is ridiculous. I think we should be able to ask a few questions about our kids. Or she should at least allow us to set up an appointment to discuss the matter. I'm just not really happy. And obviously Skyler isn't happy.

She hates it so much that she feigns sickness at night and in the mornings. She will even try and make herself throw up! Geeze, the things I have to look forward as girlfriend grows up, huh? I think she still isn't comprehending that there are consequences for her actions. She is really upset that every single day she doesn't get a sticker or a treat like the rest of the kids. But she isn't putting two-and-two together that it's because of her own actions that she isn't getting the treat. She just thinks that the teacher doesn't like her or something.

I just hope things get better soon because Jonathan is not taking it well. Since I now have to be at work at 7:00 a.m., he has to take Skyler to school and Chase to the babysitter. I used to take Skyler to school and then pick both of them up. So all he had to do was take Chase to the babysitters. So he isn't handling having to take her to school very well. He has to get Chase out of his carseat and take him in with him. Well this morning he had to physically drag Skyler into school while carrying Chase. He said we are going to have to think of something else. I explained to him that he could take Chase first and then drop off Skyler, but he doesn't want to get stuck in the school traffic. He just doesn't deal with things very well.

He thinks I am supposed to solve everything. He can't figure things out for himself. I explained to him that I cannot drop off Chase because I have to be at work at 7:00 a.m. and the babysitter won't let us bring him until 7:30 because she goes to work out at the YMCA. So he just gets pissed off and hangs up on me. This is his answer every time he gets pissed off at me. It's not "Let's discuss this." It's just "click." Does that not totally piss you off? It's pretty bad when your 35 year old husband acts like his 4 year old. So when I tried to call him back, he doesn't answer his phone. Geeze.

Moving on to other matters. We finally found out where we will be staying on our trip to St. Thomas. It's the Frenchman's Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort. It looks really nice. But you know me and my pre-planning... As soon as I found out where we were staying I started doing my research. I.e., looking the place up on tripadvisor.com, etc. It seems it's VERY expensive to eat there. I'm not sure yet if it's an all-inclusive that he has won or if we are going to have to pay for our own food. But most reviews said it was basically $100 to eat dinner. Yikes! They also said that a soda was $3.25 and a bag of doritos from the little market was $5.95!!! So now we will probably starve while we are on our trip.

I think we will rent a car while we are there. This way we could make little runs to a local market that is a few miles away to stock up on snacks and maybe bread and sandwich meat. Not to mention I hate nothing more than being stuck at a hotel with no way to go places other than cabs. I've also already found out it's an approximate $40 cab ride round trip to go into town to do any shopping. The only thing that scares me about driving in St Thomas is they drive on the opposite side of the road and I heard the drivers are absolutely crazy. It couldn't be worse than Korea I'm sure.

I also must head to Borders to purchase my travel book on St. Thomas. I never go anywhere without a Lonely Planet or Frommers. I'm such a nerd. I just want to make sure I don't miss something really exciting while we are on our travels. My Lonely Planet Korea book was like our Bible while we were living in Korea. I still have it. It is so worn and torn and dog-eared. But I used it almost daily while we were there. It had the subway routes, places to eat, places to stay, things to see, info on cabs, etc. It was just great!

After the way Jonathan has been acting here lately, I'm not sure if I want to spend two whole weeks, 24 hours a day with him. He has just been plain ole pissy here lately. I know things are stressful at work, but he just seems to come home and take it out on us sometimes. And there is no reasoning with the man. If you try and talk to him he is all "We know your the PERFECT mother..." Um oh hell no, I don't think that and I never say that. As a matter of a fact, I think both of us are pretty crappy parents most of the time. And that's sad to say. But some people are just better parents than others I guess. I seriously think we both need some counseling in the parenting department.

Well enough bitching and moaning and groaning for one day. That's how my day went. How bout yours? Hope it was better than mine.

The Pre-School Blues.... Monica; 7:26 AM 3 comments

Bet Gone Bad... - Wednesday, September 21, 2005

I just had to put up this photo of Jonathan and some of his co-workers... Apparently they are all into this "male competition" thing and love making bets against other locations. Seems Jonathan is in a little competition with one of the Virginia locations. They had this bet that one would hit a certain sales number before the other one. So whoever lost the bet would have to wear a pink "Loser" shirt and wash the other one's truck. Now call me crazy, but how crazy is that! Men and their bets and competitiveness! Geeze!

So anyway, the Virginia location beat Jonathan out by a few thousand dollars, so Jonathan's location lost the bet! He and his General Manager had to travel to Virginia (on one of the days I was at convention no less) and partake in a pig-picking (paid for by the NC location of course), wash the Virginia location's service truck and basically muddle in their loss. He he he he

Jonathan actually took it all in stride and proudly wears his pink "Loser" shirt as you can see. I guess that might teach him to make any more bets, huh? Not! They already have another one going on. Men and their male egos!

I can't remember if I've mentioned this or not, but now that Skyler is in public school, they do not have a daycare service for the Pre-K students. So she gets out of school every day at 2:15. My work was graciously kind enough to allow me to change my hours (yeah for my work helping out a working mom). I now work 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Tues.-Fri. and work 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Monday. This allows me time to get in my hours (without a lunch though) and still leave early enough to pick up my daughter from school. On Mondays Little Man's babysitter picks her up since she only lives a couple of miles away from the school.

So yesterday was my first day of picking her up. I didn't walk out the door until 2:04 and was booking it to get to the school on time. Luckily, I found out it only takes me approximately 10 minutes to get to her school, so I made it on time. Whew!

It was so weird to get off so early. She and I headed to the grocery store and did our shopping. Then we came home and I gave her a bath and she watched a few minutes of cartoons. I then thought out supper plans and we headed to pick Chase up. We were back at the house by about 4:45. How wonderful is this!?!?! No more rushing home and arriving at 6:15 p.m. to a screaming and whaling 1 year old and 4 year old because they are starving. I am so happy! I really hope this works out and kudos to my work for allowing me to do it! Did I fail to mention I LOVE my job? Only on almost every post here. I know your tired of hearing it. But hey, "I LOVE MY JOB!!"

So today I think I am going to break down and go buy that micro-suede comforter I was wanting. I haven't bought a new comforter since Skyler was born and it was so comfy and luxurious. I think I deserve a new comforter. Don't you!?! I know Jonathan is going to be like, "What the hell do we need a new comforter for? The old one is perfectly fine." Men just don't understand women and their household needs sometimes. Not to mention most people spend 8 hours a day/night in their beds. So you gotta be comfy!

Speaking of comfy, do you know my lazy a-- still hasn't put those darned 500 thread count sheets on the bed yet. Where are they you ask? Why they are still in the dryer from their Sunday washing.

So we are 52 days away from our cruise! Woohoo! And now we also have the St. Thomas trip to look forward to. Seems that Jonathan deleted the original email from the company that came back in June where it originally told where we would actually be going. So we still don't know where the hell we are staying. Now this is bothersome to a pre-planner like me. I want to know exactly where we are staying and I want to know NOW so I can pre-plan people! I mean I need to make decisions like if we want to get a rental car for the trip, where we might dine, where I want to shop. I just want to KNOW!!! I don't sound anal here do I? Uh, don't answer that please. :-)

I do think it is funny that we will be in St. Thomas one week and then on our cruise the next week one of our stops is.... why St. Thomas! So we will be there twice in two weeks. I think that on the day our ship docks in St. Thomas we'll just stay on board and partake in an empty ship. We never stay on board on port days. We always get off. The spas and other areas have specials on those days because 95% of the people get off. So this will be cool to kind of have the entire boat to roam with not so many people.

Did I fail to mention that Jonathan also won another certificate for another cruise next year? It's only for one person, we'll have to pay for the other. But who can argue with that, huh? So poor us, looks like we will soon start making plans for another cruise in late winter. I just say this because someone I know kind of made fun of Jonathan's job. I mean he isn't an executive or anything and some would consider his profession a bit "redneck" considering where he works. But I work in an office situation and we don't win nice vacations like this. And neither do any of our hoity-toity members. So there!

I once heard someone in my work field say, "There are two kinds of people in this world. You have your NASCAR folks and you have your people who enjoy a good game of golf." Well my husband does both, so where does that leave him? Don't you just hate uppity people who think others are beneath them?

Ok, how I got off on that I don't know. But anyway enough yakking for today. Later!

Bet Gone Bad... Monica; 12:25 PM 3 comments

Back to the Grind - Monday, September 19, 2005

Ugh, I can't believe I have to go back to work today. It was nice having a 3 day weekend. Chase went home with my parents since Jonathan was going to be away all weekend. And I kept Skyler here with me. On Friday we had a "girl's night out" and went to see March of the Penguins. Let me just say one thing about the movie. It was not really a movie, it was a documentary. Skyler was totally bored after about 15 minutes. I mean we could have watched the same thing at home on the Discovery Channel instead of paying $15.00 to see it at the movies. It was cute and if I had seen it at home for free, then it would have been great. But it definately wasn't what I expected. Skyler was bored and kept on asking questions. She usually doesn't talk during movies, but this one did not hold her interest. At least she was asking questions about the movie. But it was still annyoing. If I take her to see a Disney movie or a cartoon or something, she sits there staring at the screen. But this one definately didn't hold her attention. Can't say that I blame her really. I had read so many reviews about it. I really didn't want to take Skyler to see it, but we had basically seen everythng else. Skyler really wants to see Chicken Little. But it doesn't come out until November 4th.

On Saturday we went out to eat with my friend Sam to Outback. And then we ran over to the mall to pick up some Clinique as they were having their "Clinique Bonus Time." I have no idea why I still buy the expensive makeup. I'm sure I would be just as well off with something from Cover Girl, etc. I just started buying Clinique when I was about 15 because my cousin wore it. And I've kind of been wearing it ever since.

Then yesterday we went to the mall AGAIN because dang JCPenney's didn't have their white sale until Sunday, no not Saturday, but it didn't start until Sunday. I have always wanted a set of 400 thread count sheets. I have a set of 300 and they are really nice, so I thought a set of 400 would just be luxurious. Well we get there and they have a set of 500 thread count! So we bought the sheets and sat there and wondered whether or not to buy a micro suede comforter. It was so nice and fluffy and I haven't bought a new comforter in about 5 years. We pondered and decided we would think about it. By the time we went to eat and then go back and get it, Penney's was already closed. So I guess that was my cue that I didn't need it after all. I washed my new sheets last night, but was too lazy to put them on the bed. So maybe today I'll get around to putting them on the bed.

So sounds like I had an exciting weekend, how about you?

Jonathan got home last night around 9:00 with Little Man. Little Man was too pooped to party, so after giving him massive amounts of hugs and smooches, I took him on up to bed. Skyler was excited to see her daddy. She hadn't seen him since Wednesday morning. Chase didn't seem to really care whether or not to see me. But I had just seen him on Friday morning. I think he was just excited to see his Sissy and he wanted to get down in the floor and wrestle with her.

I have a doctor's appointment this morning and everyone is already off to work and school, so I had a few minutes to myself and thought I would update the ole journal.

I received a message on myspace the other day from a fellow graduate from my old high school. I'm originally from Church Hill, Tennessee. This guy graduated in 1985, a few years before me. But how cool is it to hear from someone from your old hometown. He also has a website:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/kyandalf/

I would love to hear from some old high school buddies. I actually belong to classmates.com and have come across a few old friends. But it seems whenever I send someone a message they either don't get it or don't respond. That really sucks. I also ran across an old Army family/friends we had met in Germany. So how cool was that! We have emailed each other a few times, but I can't never seem to sit down and give her a call. I really thought I would call my old high school friend and our friends from Germany while I was at convention and had some evening time to myself. But I'll be damned if my frigging phone didn't work way up there in the mountains. Piss on Sprint! No, Verizon, Alltell, etc. everybody worked except for Sprint! Dangit!

Anyway, enough bitching for one day. I've gotta get my butt outta here and on to the doctor's office. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of updating the ole journal again. Later!

Back to the Grind Monica; 7:22 AM 3 comments

I'm Back! - Saturday, September 17, 2005

I know, I know, I bet you can't believe I am finally back! Heck, I can't believe I'm finally back! The last few weeks have just been an absolute blur!! I am sooooo glad convention is finally over with. We prepare all year for this one big hellacious event. And when it's finally over... It's just relief. I took a few photos of the hotel. It was absolutely gorgeous. Let me tell you how out of place I felt at this place. I mean they had "afternoon tea." Now please tell me when is the last time you have visited a hotel who has "afternoon tea." I hate to tell you but the local Days Inn that Jonathan and I usually stay at, barely has cable. Much less "afternoon tea." The hotel was built in 1766 and is ancient. The interior is absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures. Anyway, you can check out the photos of the hotel here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/88301815@N00/sets/963806/

Lord, I don't even know where to begin on the updating the journal here. So much stuff has happened since I last wrote. I guess I'll just have to remember it as I go along. Convention was fun. It was a lot of work, but there was some fun thrown in there to. I'm just really thankful that I enjoy my job. So many people don't. Now don't get me wrong, there are times when I'm not too happy with it. But for the most part, I'm pretty darn lucky! I mean come one now.... I get to stay at places like that! How the heck can you complain about that!

The only sad moment of the convention was when some of our members from Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle, the Outer Banks, etc. had to leave because of hurricane Ophelia. I know some of our members lost a lot of possessions and had some damage to their homes and businesses. But at least everyone is alive and well, unlike the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The kids are doing well. We had their birthday parties at the first of the month over Labor Day Weekend. I've uploaded some pics to the flickr account of the birthday party. So please feel free to click on the link on the right to view them. I've just opened a pro account, so hopefully after my paypal payment clears, I can organize my flickr account better.

Anyway, the kids totally racked up at their birthday party. I mean these spoiled rotten younguns received so many clothes and toys that we couldn't bring it all home at once. Geeze, they are so spoiled. I counted the outfits Chase got for his birthday and I stopped at 17! Yes 17 outfits! At least I won't have to worry about buying him any clothes this winter. Skyler received more toys than clothes. Everyone knows she has enough clothes to clothe an Army.

Skyler received her most wanted gift. The Dora the Explorer Casa. Just let me tell you one thing, $60 for a house with NO furniture is a rip off! They make you pay $10 for each set of furniture. By the time we get that small thing fully furnished, we will be $150 into it. Dang it!

They received so many gifts, I can't even begin listing them. Skyler also received a Barbie bicycle. She was a little afraid of it at first because it wobbles back and forth. But once she got the hang of it, she was off. Chase really likes cars and trucks that make noise. So he received several of those. And of course, lots and lots of clothes. Lots more toys. They just got too much stuff! I don't have anywhere to put it all.

Right now, as we speak, Jonathan is in Florida preparing to go see the University of Tennessee battle it out with the Florida Gators. I personally think Florida is going to win, but I'm still holding out hope. He drove all the way to Florida with a high school buddy of his to see a 3 hour football game. The man can't drive 2 miles down the street for a loaf of bread, but he can drive 12 hours to see a 3 hour football game! Men!!! He is staying at the house of an old Army buddy we met while we were living in Korea. He just left the keys to his house for Jonathan and his friend to stay there. Pretty cool and trusting, huh? I can't say I would have probably done the same for anyone. But he is a really nice guy.

On other news, Jonathan won the tire sale at work and won a 6 days all expense paid vacation for us to St. Thomas!! Woohoo!!! The only bad thing is it's the week before our cruise. So it looks like we will be taking a 2 week vacation instead of 1. Boo hoo, I'm gonna cry. NOT! The St. Thomas trip returns the day before we were to fly out for our cruise. So 6 days in St. Thomas, fly back and then the next morning we leave for Fort Lauderdale for our 8 day cruise. We are going to be vacationed out by the time we return that's for dang sure. I'm not really happy about leaving the kids for two whole weeks and the babysitter thinks we are horrible parents for leaving them that long. But you know what, they will survive! They are going to spend one week with the babysitter and one week with my parents. They will be spoiled rotten even worse than they already are by the time we return.

Another funny thing is we were also going to be visiting St. Thomas while we were on our cruise. So now we will visit it twice in two weeks. Aren't we just deprived?!? I just wish they weren't back-to-back. But we can't get our money back on the cruise and I'm sure as hell not turning down a 6 day all expense paid vacation to St. Thomas. So two weeks of vacation, here we come.

Well enough rambling for one day. I know I have lots and lots of stuff to get caught up with. And I need to read Mary's, Caroline's, Mallard's, Allison, etc. journals to get caught up with you guys. But I did want to just drop a line to let everyone know I'm back! Can't wait to get caught up with everyone really soon! Take care!

I'm Back! Monica; 12:25 PM 2 comments

No Updates Till Mid September - Tuesday, September 06, 2005

I know, I know, where have I been.... This is just a quick update to let you know we are still alive and well. And.... BUSY. So busy that I probably won't have a chance to update until sometime in mid September.

I hope everyone had a good Labor Day and may God be with the people in New Orleans and Mississippi. I'll try and update later on in the month.

Monica

No Updates Till Mid September Monica; 8:27 PM 3 comments

about me
name: Monica
Home: Somewhere in NC
About: The life and times of a working mom with two kids who needs a break!

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