Identity Crisis and Attitude Problems.....

Identity Crisis.............

Ok, lets just say for the sake of argument that you are a roll of toilet paper and you have an attitude problem. Well, this is what will happen to you if Flufflee gets tired of your attitude....

Consider yourself warned.....

Ten Wonderful Things About......

My pops!!!! Since this past Sunday was Father's Day, I figured Pops should be my next blog victim...uhhhh recipient, yeah, that's it. Again, random order here!

1. He loves his family and is not afraid to show it. He is always full of hugs and kisses which I think is really cool. A lot of men are reserved when if comes to outward shows of affection. Not pops....you ever need a hug, look him up!
2. He loves animals. I get my "Elly Mae Clampet" gene from him.
3. He is really really smart. He can do the NY Times crossword puzzle in just minutes and is done before I have figured out 1. across...... He knows so much stuff it just blows my mind!! (I think I am fairly smart but not near as smart as pops. I certainly did not get the crossword puzzle gene.....)
4. If he has a job to do, he does it right. No half way stuff. You can rest assured that no matter how big or small, it will be done well. 4.a. - He has an awesome work ethic. Very fair and honest and highly respected. I know this because whenever I would run into someone he worked with, they always had high praise. They would say things like, "he is a great man" and "I really miss working with him" and "I learned so much from him" and ....well you get the picture!
5. He is a great teacher. Whenever I needed help with something I didn't understand, he would find a way to teach me so I could get it. I have to admit that there are a couple of things I still don't understand but those are things I will NEVER understand and not because he wasn't teaching right......like, how does the radio in the car work......I will NEVER get it. Many people have tried to explain it to me but it just doesn't make sense to me....all with the waves in the air that you can't see.....PULEESE....how is that supposed to make sense I ask you!
6. He is loyal. He was in the Navy as a sub sailor for over 27 years. He is loyal to his country and his fellow sailors. He has been married to my sweet mom for over 47 years now. I'd say that's loyalty (OK, and love and stuff too). He is loyal to family and friends and most importantly, his is loyal to our God.
7. He is FUNNY! He has great facial expressions to accompany his humor and could probably make a living as a stand up comic. His mind is so quick and he can really come up with some zingers but that's not the only way he is funny. He has long standing funnies. To explain, here is an example..... For as long as I can remember, he has jokingly and lovingly referred to my mom as "what's her name" For some reason, this really cracks people up and they never forget it. When we left Chicago, the church bulletin read: We will miss Tom, Robin and What's Her Name.....I'm not kidding!
8. He is good with nature stuff. He knows what that bush is over there and that the crows have a lookout dude and that when the clouds are moving in that direction it means rain is probably coming in this direction not over there....huh? I didn't get that gene. My plants that do end up living in spite of me, well, they really don't like me very much. They have to beg for water and stuff.....
9. He is a wonderful "Poppy" to Noah. When together, they are inseparable. They play together, watch movies together, do computer stuff together, read together, go for walks together.....GET INTO TROUBLE TOGETHER.....that is another blog for another time! :-)
10. He is a wonderful example of what a man should be. He is honorable, loving, loyal, knowledgeable, respectful and respected, playful, funny, courageous, curious, humble, talented (side note: he plays guitar really well, has a great singing voice and is very good at woodworking to name a few of his many talents). He is a man of very strong faith in our God. My husband has said that he often uses my dad as an example. I really hope our boys do that too. It would be such a great thing if they grow up to be like their dad, who is striving to be like.....my dad!

Honey, Did You Just Put A Quarter In The Bed At 2:30 a.m.....

No. Wait. We don't have that option on our bed. Why is it vibrating? Gene, why do you have a black furry pillow on your head? OHHHHH, Ok, that's just Jack (the medium size dog weighing in at about 40 lbs) Why is he shaking? Is it thundering? Nooooooo, don't hear anything. Wait. What was that? Honey, did you just raise the head of the bed with that automatic thingy? No. Wait. We don't have that option on our bed. Why is the foot of the bed lower than the top? OHHHHH, Ok, that's just Cozmo (the very large dog weighing in at about 100 lbs) Why is he shaking? Bee-doop.....what was that noise? Stop. Listen. Bee-doop. C'mon Cozmo. Let's go investigate. Ok mom, but I'll just stay behind you in case anything sneaks up from the rear.....Bee-doop. Is that my cell phone? Yep. Low Battery. I CAN NOT BELIEVE YOU GUYS ARE AFRAID OF MY CELL PHONE!!!!!!! To quote my husband..."I don't even know why we feed you!!"
Side note: if you feel the need to break into our home and steal our $93.00 DVD player or our Thomas the Tank Engine collection, just bring some chicken and a tennis ball and our dogs will be your new BFF. I would however, be very worried about the cat.....

We're Baaaaack.....

And a wonderful time was had by all!

Ten great things about our vacation.......again, not in any special order.....

1. We had a great time with family. We were able to see some but not all of the usual suspects. We sure did miss seeing A and B but I'm sure they had a wonderful time in Cancun!! We also missed seeing J,K and J but hopefully we will see them next time!
   
2. We had BEAUTIFUL weather. Not too hot, nice mountain breeze.....Ahhhhh.
   
3. We thank the Lord that we had safe travels. The trip up there was a little rough and I have to give a nice round of applause to Gene and Pops for getting us all there safe and sound. Thanks guys! Great driving! (oh. And thanks for getting us back home too....)
   
4. Aunt J and Mom did a fabulous job with the menu......YUMMMMMMM.
   
5. We were very impressed with the community theatre. They did a great job with the play "Dearly Beloved" and the future Tony winner, my stunning and very talented cousin T, provided us with enough laughs to make us tinkle in our shorts!! It also happened to be Kevin and Noah's first experience with live theatre. Kevin really liked it and Noah didn't....I believe it had something to do with the sitting still and being quiet part....hmmm.
   
6. My cousin T, introduced us to the most awesome Christian bookstore in Boone, N.C. If you ever get the chance, visit Cornerstone.
   
7. I got to take a walk in the mountain air, down a dirt road with my little guy. We picked wild daisies to present to his Nonna and Aunt J. It brought back so many good memories of when I used to do the same thing when I was little.
   
8. We had a whip-er-will sing us to sleep. How cool is that? We got to see bunnies, deer, squirrels and lots of beautiful birds without even leaving the front porch.....Ahhhhhhh again.
   
9. And from that same front porch, we could smell the rain first, hear the rain second, see the rain third, then feel the rain when it got there. WOW, WOW, WOW!
   
10. WE GOT TO SEE THOMAS.......WE GOT TO SEE NOAH SEE THOMAS!!!!!!!!

IS IT REALLY HIM???????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





Waiting for the ride of a lifetime!

This is so totally cool!!

Noah, Mr. Conductor and the big man himself, THOMAS.






Feeding the critters.
















Many thanks to Nonna and Poppy for footing too many of the bills and making this vacation extra special.
Aunt J for her hospitality. Her home is always so welcoming and comfy and nobody, and I mean nobody can do biscuits and gravy like Aunt J!! (or turkey, or green beans, or corn, or macaroni and cheese, or ....you get the picture!)
To T for spoiling both Noah and his mommy with Thomas memorabilia.
To Kevin for being such a tolerant, patient and cool big brother to Noah.
A special thanks to our new friend L who, on his day off, showed us all around Tweetsie and treated us like royalty.

And finally, to Gene for being such a great daddy, husband, friend and vacation buddy!

And We're Off!!!!

We are off to the great and beautiful state of Tennessee. We are going to be up in the mountains not far across the border of North Carolina. I am so very excited to see my Aunts and cousins. They are the main part of the trip. My Aunt J is once again opening her home to us and let me tell you, it is way better than any ole hotel. She lives on a mountain in a house with a huge front porch and the most breath taking view. I look so forward to times with my family as we ALWAYS have a wonderful and fun time. We laugh, eat, play games, eat, laugh, eat, talk, laugh, eat.....well, you get the idea.

As a side treat, we are taking the little guy to Tweetsie Railroad in Boone N.C. They just happen to be having a very special guest star visiting them this week. Yep, you guessed it! Thomas The Tank Engine!!! Little guy doesn't know about this part of the trip so if ya'll run into him, help us keep the secret! I can't wait to see his little face when he sees Thomas. I think everyone in my family is excited to see it. To give you an idea just how excited everyone really is, I purchased 1 child's ticket and 7......yes 7 adult tickets. People are probably going to think he is some sort of royalty with an entourage!

Well, I know I have made ya'll very jealous and I'm real sorry. If I could put you in my pocket and take you with me, I would.

Pictures will be posted upon our arrival back into town

Happy trails ya'll!

Feelin......Not So Groovy

Noah is sick.
He has a double ear infection.
He has mouth sores too.
He is handling the ear infection ok.
The mouth sores, not so much.
He adamantly refuses any treatment for his mouth.
No salt water, no numbzit stuff, no nothin.
He would rather just whine.....
It really breaks my heart when he is sick.
I'm taking up whining myself.
Ya'll pray for us.

Especially Gene!