It's About Dang Time...

WHAT'S UP, MY LOVLIES?! First of all, I want everyone to know that I ALMOST put a bad word in place of 'dang.' Yes, my potty mouth doth run amok daily. I don't know why I felt compelled to announce that, but I did nonetheless. I realize my absence has caused many a sleepless night for some while others have rejoiced. Never fear, for I have returned to the world of all things cyber.

Let's see......it's been over a year since I put anything up here. Much has changed. We've begun a new school year, Clem's deployed AGAIN (this time to Afghanistan) and we're all a year older.

Lilly has been going through all those awful allergy shots. That's a FAN-FRIGGIN-TASTIC time for her, I tell ya what. That reminds me, I missed her shots for this week. I'm on top of things...as usual. She's in 5th grade and has the same teacher from 4th grade. That woman's a godsend. They know each other well enough that there aren't too many problems. And she isn't afraid to lay the verbal smackdown on my child as needed. (Let's face it. We all know that's a daily occurrence.)

Kay's in 3rd grade now and continues to be the voice of reason for her sisters. She's always eager to help me around the house. (No joke. She ASKS me if she can dust or vacuum or whatever when she's bored. Weird kid, but I ain't complainin'.) She reads to Alyssa every night before lights out. That's awesome. Not that I dislike reading to the kids, but there's always something that needs my attention more.

Alyssa's in 1st grade and is still the teacher's favorite. She got a 100 on something yesterday ( I don't think even she knew what it was.), and made it a point to tell her Kindergarten teacher about it. Her perspective continues to crack me up everyday. She really hates this story, but I feel it's necessary to demonstrate my point.

Back in February, I had been at Mom and Dad's hitting golf balls in the pasture. It was rather warm that day, and constant tee shots really work up a sweat. So I went back in the house when I was finished when Alyssa busted in the room while I was putting deodorant on. You know the drill. Hands up underneath your shirt while you're bent over a smidge. Anyway, the conversation proceeded as such:

Alyssa: Mom, what are you doing to your boobs?
Me: I'm not doing anything. I'm putting on deodorant. {Quizzical silence as she observes with a look of utter disgust on her face.} Why? What do you know about boobs anyway?
Alyssa: {very matter-of-factly} They are jiggly. {exit Alyssa through the door from when she entered.}


What am I up to? Started yet another year of school. Changed my major to general studies so I can transfer to TAMUCT (Texas A&M Central Texas) in the spring to pursue my BA in PoliSci. Then on to law school. I'd like to go to UT Law one of these days. We shall see.

What else is there.....?? Oh yes, Leighann got married in July. She married Skylar. They seem to be broke and happy these days in Utah. Goin' to school and workin'. Pretty grown up stuff.

Well, that seems to be all I have time for at the moment. Time for chow. Looks like breakfast for dinner. It's quick...ish, easy and doesn't warrant any whining and/or complaining from my offspring. And that's a good thing. Ciao, peeps!

Sometimes I Really Hate Life

I haven't been on here in a while for a couple reasons- school and Dewey got home in June. My last post was about the time I "knew" something terrible had happened to Dewey. He was fine, and my life continued.

Then, as I was getting ready for school Wednesday morning July 1st, I got the call that no one wants. My little brother, Joseph, was killed in a car accident in West Virginia. My little brother. Almost every memory I have in this life has him in it. What do you do when you lose someone that close? How do you cope?

When Dad uttered those simple words, I felt the world around me come crashing down. I knew there had to be some mistake. Joseph was strong and healthy. He couldn't be dead. I had just heard from him 4 days before! Even now, almost a month later, that thought seems so foreign and unreal. How can I not see him again in this life? I wanted him to be the one my kids turn to when they're older and hate my guts. I wanted him to play a very active role in my girls' lives. How can this be? Even during his funeral I was hoping he'd pop up out of his casket and yell something, in true Joseph style, like "HA! HA! GOTCHA, B*****S!!!" But he didn't. We burried him. And now he's gone for the rest of my mortal years.

I can't go into a lot of detail yet about the initial pain and grief I felt. I'll still break down, and that feeling in the pit of my stomach becomes almost impossible to bare. I found some comfort in Leighann's words in that first email I got from her, and I realized the importance and urgency of Dewey and me getting our sorry butts to the temple and being sealed to our precious children. I don't want to be caught in this situation and NOT be sealed to my kids. I'm grateful for Mom and Dad's faithfulness. Because of that, I know I'll be with my beloved brother again. And I know he's up there watching over my girls. He'll still be a part of their lives, just not quite the way I had intended. I know he'll watch them grow, and I know he's cheering all of us on down here to do our very best and live faithfully so we can all live together forever. I want nothing more than to be with my family for eternity.

What I've Learned.....

I've learned that I MUST tell those I love that I love them when they're right in front of me. I never got the opportunity to tell Joseph how much I love him, and I regret not doing so. I saved his last text message and will print/frame it with a picture of him. I know he knows NOW how much I love him, but it's not the same. I wish I had told him that I love him the last time I talked to him.

I've also learned how much people love him. His funeral was the biggest one I've ever been to. His procession was miles long. MILES! I didn't expect to see so many people, much less so many of them absolutely sobbing for him. He was truly loved and will be missed for a long time to come. BUT, I know the Lord has provided a way for all of us to be together again, and I look forward to that joyous reunion.

One of the Scariest Things EVER!

Friday night I was in bed watching "The Cosby Show" with Alyssa. All of a sudden the cable skitzed out. It flickered on and off and eventually shut itself and the TV off. I waited a minute thinking it was just this stupid digital transition thing that was unnecessary. When I turned it back on, all was well....except for the channel. See, I had been watching TV Land, but my TV was now on ESPN!!! I suppose this isn't terribly scary to anyone.

I don't believe in signs, at least not of the digitally broadcasted variety. HOWEVER, I don't watch SportsCenter, either. Only Dewey does. My first thought was of him. Keep in mind I have ABSOLUTELY no way of contacting him when I need to. I have to wait for him to call me or get online. There went the rest of my night. I was laying in bed thinking of every bad thing that could possibly happen to him. When I slept, it was restless sleep because any dream I had was a terrible one about him.

Once the sun came up I decided I didn't need to freak out yet, especially in front of the kids, so I put it out of my mind as best I could. I had intended to take the weekend off from any school stuff because I'm actually a little bit ahead...for the time being. But I can't keep away from it, it's just not in me. So I came back here and got to work on some things about 0930. Then my doorbell rang. Who would be bothering me that early on a Saturday? My heart stopped dead in my chest and I felt myself go weak. I remembered the crazy cable thing the night before and immediately assumed I'd find 2 soldiers in their Class A's waiting on my porch with some really bad news for me. Then the kids started yelling about not knowing who it was, which, needless to say, only made things worse. I finally found the courage to see who it was. To my relief, it was a girl selling candy bars for a fund raiser. THANK YOU, LORD! I bought enough for each of the kids and went back to work.

I felt SOME relief for a while. I decided not to worry about Dewey until it was about his normal time to get online. That didn't last very long. Sure, I was engrossed in my school work, so that helped. But everytime I'd take a break (for a drink of water or whatever) I'd remember and try to get back to work.

"He's fine. He's always fine. He promised he'd be fine." Always what I tell myself any time I hear something bad about what's going on over there.

Well, 1530 rolled around and he still wasn't online. After I finished my stuff, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I got comfortable on the couch and stared at my phone. Stared long and hard at it, trying to communicate telepathically with him. I only moved to help the kids with something or to make a head call. Nothing. He had been online about 1530 the day before, why wasn't he now? I waited. And I waited some more. No news from 2 uniformed soldiers is good news, right?

I waited even longer, sending him a "Where are you?" message every 2 minutes. I finally got up and sat at the computer and signed into Yahoo Messenger and Skype thinking he'd be at either place. I waited some more. Nothing. I turned on the TV in here trying to relax a little. Didn't help. Everything was silly women who were completely out of touch with reality that had nothing to worry about but gossipping or something. Still nothing.

FINALLY, at 1803, he logged in. OF ALL THE DAYS FOR HIM TO WORK LATE!!! I was still so worried about him even though I was looking at him and could see how ok he was. I could see him smile and laugh and scratch his head and adjust in his chair, but I was still scared to death.

He finally calmed me down, and I was ok-obviously. Still scary. I'm not one to freak out everytime he doesn't call or log in when he says he will. And I'm certainly not one to think, "Oh my gosh, it's a sign. Something terrible's going to happen." either. But HO-LY COW that was definitely the scariest thing to ever happen when he's been gone. I'm so happy he's ok. I don't know what I'd do without him.

The Last Month.....

The last anyone heard from me was when Dewey came home last month. Wow. There’s so much to tell, so we shall start from the beginning.

I didn’t tell the girls Daddy was coming home last month. Well, that’s not entirely true. I told Kay only because she had an exceptionally bad day and WOULDN’T calm down. So I ruined the surprise by telling her. Surprisingly, she kept it secret from her sisters. Anyway, when it came time to pick Daddy up from the airport, I told them we were picking up my good friend, Tracy, so she could spend the holidays with us. Mom didn’t understand why I didn’t tell the girls. Maybe I’m the most selfish person ever, but I wanted to see their utter shock and excitement. There aren’t very many things in this world that can surprise the kids like seeing their dad when they least expect it. We had a night where the girls cried and cried and cried some more because they realized Dad wouldn’t be home to spend Christmas. Needless to say, I got EXACTLY what I wanted.

I was late to the airport-and it’s only 20 minutes away!!! It was rainy and about 45. Poor Dewey. He’s acclimatized to about 135!! When I got out of the car to throw myself on him, his poor nose was like ice. I wasn’t late because I just didn’t leave on time. I was late because his flight got in right as everyone was getting off work. The fasted way over there is down 190…RIGHT PAST THE MAIN GATE ON POST!! Oh well. He got home safely, and we had an awesome visit.

While he was home, he BUILT me a new TV stand. BUILT it. Like from the ground up. Like we spent hours at Home Depot figuring out EXACTLY what we wanted-stain, wood, legs, etc. We spent 2 days staining it, and it turned out beautifully. He didn’t make any doors for it, but he will when he gets home. While Dewey built me a TV stand, I painted the girls' bathroom. I wanted to paint it yellow, but Clem wanted to paint it green. So we found a shade we could agree on. IT DIDN'T TURN OUT LIKE THE SAMPLE!! It's so bright that when the nightlight's the only light on in there it looks like something stratight out of "Ghostbusters." It looks like a neon green fog is flowing out of the bathroom. I call it Atomic Vomit green. Here's why...

It's not this light. It hurt my eyes at first. Holy cow.

Here's the TV stand from far away.....

And up close....with all our mess for the world to see.

He had to leave on the 2nd. That was a terrible day, but at least he got to come home. And I had someone to kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve. When I got home from the airport, the girls and I went immediately to my neighbor’s house to be sad. Then we had to come back to OUR house. That was hard. As soon as I walked through the door I saw the dishes in the sink-the same dishes he had eaten off of that morning. Then I found his glass sitting on the coffee table, right where he left it that morning. THEN I turned on the TV for the kids…and it was on football. Again, right where he left it that morning. So I went back to my room to be alone and sad, and it smelled like he had just gotten a shower!!! And my sheets still smelled like him. I called the same neighbor, and she came over. Keep in mind I’m not a terribly emotional person…unless I’m mad about something. So for her it was a shock to see me so completely devastated. One of her favorite movies is “Napoleon Dynamite.” So she looks at me and says, “Knock it off, Napoleon. Make yourself a dang quesadilla.” I can always count on Rocio to make me laugh. So we loaded up the kids (my 3, her 3 and her 2 step-daughters) and went to the park. Then we all came back to my house for pizza and movies.

While he was home, we also did something that I feel is not only necessary, but long overdue. We bought a gun-a Ruger P-89 9mm. Yup, I’m officially a gun owner. Don’t worry-I’m also very careful with it. We got it from Academy. On the way in, Lilly told me I was weird for wanting a gun. I told her that I’d rather be weird than to ever have anyone come into my house and hurt her. She seemed ok with that response, so she dropped it.

Last weekend we went up to Mom and Dad’s so I could shoot Pete-that’s what I named my gun. (HA HA Pistol Pete) Anyway, I did ok with him, especially once I quit jerking the trigger. He came with 2 magazines, so I can keep a few rounds in each one and hide them somewhere in the house. Dad and I had our date at The Shootin’ Place. He threatened to smack me if I jerked the trigger anymore. Dad’ll do it, too. It’s the anticipation. You always SQUEEZE it. You can tell where I jerked it-under #1. The rest are just where I didn’t do so well. I'd at least let someone know they were in the WRONG house. School started for me again on the 12th. It’s only 1 class right now. My nursing class starts on March 9th. I like my instructor, and I think I’m following pretty well. At least for the time being. I actually have to go up on campus for this one, which helps. Dewey’s always on me about getting out of the house to do something other than run errands. But for now, this is my break. I get out of the house 4 mornings a week and am engaged in stimulating adult conversation. AND I’m being challenged. I’ve never been very good at math, but I absolutely have to be this time. It’s done wonders for how I feel about myself. AAAAAAAAAND I’ve lost some weight, but not because of school. Obviously.

That pretty much sums up the last month. OH, and Christmas was awesome. Santa brought the kids bikes and waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much candy. Silly Santa HAD to go to Sam’s for the candy. We had some friends over and Matthew came up from Austin. I LOVE Christmas, especially when we're home. We didn't go anywhere only because Dewey's time was SO limited. We didn't want to spend it driving everywhere. So everyone came down on different days and visited. I enjoyed that, but hopefully we'll go see everyone THIS Christmas.

This is Zeppelin. He was a stray that one of my neighbor's found in the flower bed. So I took him and he made himself at home in my Christmas tree. This was at eye level for me-I'm 5'10".

Here's Lilly before her first choir concert. It turned out to be a play!! I wasn't very happy because the choir hardly sang!!!

I realized I didn't have any pictures of Kay up here this time, so I found this one. She's so beautiful. They all are. Maybe I'm just biased.

And I just thought this was too cute not to post.

Tagged

I've never been tagged before, so here it is. I suppose I should do an update for the last month. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much to tell.

TAGGIE TAG-From Carli

4 THINGS I DID TODAY
1. WOKE UP (That's an accomplishment by itself.)
2. GOT LILLY TO SCHOOL
3. GOT KAYLAN AND ALYSSA TO THE DENTIST AND THEN TO SCHOOL
4. SHOWERED (Thanks goodness, right?!)


4 THINGS ON MY TO DO LIST
1. FOLD THE BASKET OF WHITES (I hate the whites.)
2. CLEAN BOTH BATHROOMS
3. TALK TO DEWEY
4. HANG OUT WITH THE GIRLS TONIGHT


4 RANDOM FACTS
1. I LOVE TEXAS
2. I'M GOING TO BE THE GOVERNOR OF TEXAS ONE DAY
3. I LOVE ALL THINGS POLITICS
4. DEWEY WILL BE HOME IN JUNE INSTEAD OF SEPTEMBER!!!

I TAG

Whoever wants to do it!

TODAY'S THE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HE'S COMING IN TODAY!!!

I was hoping it would be tomorrow just so we could have him through New Year's, but coming in today still means I'll have someone to kiss on New Year's Eve!!! He leaves on the 2nd, the Friday before the kids go back to school. It's always hard to say good bye again, but the next time he comes home it'll be for good. Well....until the next deployment anyway......

WOO HOO!!!! I'M TOTALLY STOKED!!!

Not Enough Hours......

I finished my last final for this semester yesterday. Apparently while I was walking into the testing center, Clem called. I got his message when I got back out to the car. I wasn't terribly heart broken over it because he was online yesterday afternoon. I had to remind myself that this time around is MUCH better than it was 5 years ago.....and 60 years ago. At least now I have the luxury of online communication and letters that will get to me in 8 days. My poor grandmother. I'm always reminded when I talk to her how hard it was when my grandfather was in WWII. I don't think I could've done it back then.

I'm not much of a morning person (I'm sure that comes as a shock to most people), but yesterday morning was an exceptionally bad one for Lilly and me. I felt so terrible after I got the kids to school that I decided I'd surprise Lilly by picking her up early from school and having a "date." Needless to say, she was completely surprised. We had hot chocolate and spent a long time just talking. She's really an awesome kid-very smart, very aware. I had fun with our one-on-one time. I thought Dewey might be a little upset with me when I told him yesterday afternoon, but he wasn't. I think I need to make more of an effort spending special time with each kid. I think it would help everyone. I felt better after spending time with Lilly. I think by spending quality time with each of them it'll help with all my feelings of guilt and inadequacy as a mother. Dewey and I had a long talk the other night about how I feel about being a mom.

Since I finished my final a day early, I decided to spend the whole day catching up on my housework. So what do I do instead? Get on here. I have a kitchen, 2 bathrooms and PILES of laundry screaming at me. It never ceases to amaze me how little time I have when school's going on to do simple, necessary things like folding laundry. It often kills me that I don't have someone here to share the load. Good news, though. He'll probably be home Wednesday or Thursday (17th or 18th) for R&R. WOO HOO!! We actually get 2 Christmases in a row with him!!! It's purely coincidental that he'll be home this year. I've even lied to the kids telling them he won't be home until January or February. It would be nice if I'm forgiven for that little fib, but I think the kids' reaction will be worth it in the end. I think that's what I'm MOST excited about. How often do we get to do something for our children that will bring them so much joy? He'll only get 15 days home, but 15 days is better than no days. I'll just be left with almost 9 more months without him. That's ok. It'll pass eventually, and then we'll get him home for next Christmas, too. HOLY COW! 3 CHRISTMASES IN A ROW??!!

Well, I really should go get my stuff done. It's already 1130. I only have 3 and a half more hours until the kids are home. Toodles!

Busy, Busy, Busy

This is Matthew looking holy and "blessing" Lauren since he somewhat resembles Jesus here. No blasphemy intended.

I've been asked a bit lately about my absence. Fear not. I have been remarkably busy.

First, there's the issue of my arthroscopy. Obviously, I made it through. It was some MUCH needed time off. They left the cyst, which I've since named Gordon Baker. Baker's cysts usually arise from almost any form of knee arthritis and cartilage (particularly the meniscus) tear. One night, while strung out on percocet, I decided that I should welcome my cyst into my life. I decided that if I must live with it, I should at least name him. Alas, Gordon Baker was born. It turned out that he was farther back in the joint than was originally thought, therefore he stayed. That's fine with me, as long as he doesn't cause me problems.

Post-surgery was a bit more than I anticipated. It was great the weekend Mom was down here. Lilly went camping with Dad, so it was just Kay, Alyssa, Mom and me. At one point over that weekend, Kaylan and Alyssa were on the bed with me while we had a tea party. Then Kaylan looked at me and we had a brief conversation that went something like this:

Kay: Mom, I like when you have your medicine.

Me: Yeah? Why's that?

Kay: Well, because you get really happy and you smile a lot.

I know what you're thinking, "Out of the mouths of babes...," right???

(And this is Joseph doing his best Blue Steel while doing his best Captain Morgan.)

I spent the week prior to surgery making sure I had everything done for this latest psych course since the day of surgery was also the last day of this class. I did and managed a B.

The week of recovery was a &*$@#. My knee was so swollen and it itched under the bandage. The itch was almost worse than being bed-ridden for a couple days. But I managed and now it's better. The follow-up was awesome. The stitches came out, and I got the green light to continue my life. WOO HOO!!! That meant simple things that I had taken for granted, like driving, were ok. Dr. Ditzler said "moderate activity." Funny, I suspect that MY idea of moderate and HIS idea are very, very different.

Then came the rush to get ready for Thanksgiving. The kids got out of school the Tuesday before and we went straight up to Mom and Dad's. It was nice getting everyone together. I don't think I've laughed that much in years. Everyone got along and there was much laughter-mostly making fun of Veronica and Joseph and all the stupid songs they used to make up when we were kids. Then there was the issue of Lilly being SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much like I was when I was a kid. I swear someone should've punched me back then. I was watching some OLD, OLD, OLD home movies from when I was about 8 (Lilly's age). Dad should've stopped the camera and then turned it back on with me in tears holding a steak over one eye. Justice.

(Mom, Joseph, Hailey and Alyssa with Heleman.)

So, now I'm back, getting registered for next semester. I've officially decided to finish my current degree plan, and then I'll go back to major in poli sci. At least I have something for fall back on should politics not turn out the way I want, and I have a funny feeling that everything's going down in a hand basket. But that's just me.

That's the update since a few weeks ago. It still feels stiff and swollen most of the time. I guess that's to be expected since it hasn't even been 3 weeks and I have arthritis. Now the other leg's starting it even more than it was before. Perhaps it's just compensation pain. Whatever. It's dinner time and I'm starving. Laters, lovely people.

Battle Hymn of the Republic

If you haven't seen this, you MUST. It got me a little choked up, and I'm not crier.

http://www.greatdanepromilitary.com/Battle%20Hymn/index.htm

The Republican Creed

I am a Republican Because.....

I believe the strength of our nation lies with the individual and that each person's dignity, freedom, ability and responsibility must be honored.

I believe in equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, sex, age or disability.

I believe free enterprise and encouraging individual initiative have brought this nation opportunity, economic growth and prosperity.

I believe government must practice fiscal responsibility and allow indviduals to keep more of the money they earn.

I believe the proper role of government is to provide for the people only those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations and that the best government is that which governs least.

I believe the most effective, responsible and responsive government is government closest to the people.

I believe Americans must retain the principles that have made us strong while developing new and innovative ideas to meet the changes of changing times.


SUCK ON THAT, LIBERALS!! (Ok, so I added that part. But it really should be in there.)

Judgement Day

Before I begin my rant, I want to make it clear to anyone who reads this I'm a capitalist-loving, anti-abortion, anti-same-sex ANYTHING, staunchly conservative Republican. With that being said, hold on to your hats.

Judgement Day has come and gone. This is NOT a "sour grapes" tirade because I knew this was going to happen. Therefore, it's more of a warning and mild education, because, apparently, so many of you are lacking it.

First of all, if you chose not to vote, that's entirely your right. It makes you retarded, but it's still your right not to exercise the right so many men fought and died for. If you're a convicted felon and can't, well, that's your problem. Whatever the reason for not voting, you have no no no NO right to bitch. ABOUT ANYTHING THAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE NEXT 4 YEARS!!!!

Second, if you voted for Obama in a state that McCain took, know this, YOUR VOTE DID NOTHING IN THE WAY OF OBAMA'S VICTORY!!! Sure, you have the right to be happy and celebrate. But you didn't do a single thing to contribute to his win. Get over yourself.

Third, if you did vote for Obama, do NOT blame Reaganomics or Bush or anything or anyone else when the economy REALLY crashes or your small business goes under. Blame your precious "messiah." Blame yourselves for your ignorance in electing him. Do NOT blame the Republicans. If you pay any attention at all you'll know that the dems have had control of congress since 2006. Now they've gained 30 more seats AND they're in the White House. Blame your liberal Democrat counterparts that promise you the world but make EVERYONE pay for it. You think the Great Depression was bad, you ain't seen nothing yet, honey. Just remember who did this to you, because it sure as hell wasn't me.

I think I'll stop while I'm ahead. I haven't thrown around any terribly naughty words yet. And if anyone feels it necessary to challenge me, BRING IT ON.

Joke of the Day

A pirate walks into a bar with a paper towel on his head. The bartender looks at him and asks, "Why do you have a paper towel on your head?" Says the pirate, "AAAAARRRRRRRRR!! Me gots a bounty on me head!!!"

Ba Dump CCHH!


I love pirates.

Obama, Arthritis & a Cyst.....OH MY!

First of all, I thought this picture of Alyssa was hilarious.
She got into the fudge pops one day after school.

{GROAN} Obama. A friend of mine sent this to me. It's a Howard Stern clip. No, it's not dirty or inappropriate. It's perfectly clean...except for the morons being interviewed. Just watch it. You'll see what I'm talking about. I'm even more convinced now that people are sheep and even more stupid than I originally thought. That's a generalization, so don't take offense if you think I'm calling you those things. But if you ARE concerned that I might think that of you, reconsider your opinions and ideas. More than likely, I would've already told you that you're retarded. Just watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyvqhdllXgU

Why can't anyone say anything about Obama's race? He isn't even completely black! He has a white mama! If you mention anything about it, or the fact that THAT'S the reason he's doing well in the polls, you're racist. But Sarah Palin's fair game? It's perfectly acceptable for anyone to question whether or not she'll be a good mom, but you can't say a damn thing about Obama? REALLY??!!!!! Can he still be a good dad with 2 little girls running around the White House? Oh yeah. I forgot about his smug wife. And what about Biden? Did anyone bother to question his ability to be a good father and still pursue his political aspirations in DC when his wife was killed in a car accident? OF COURSE NOT! Sarah Palin will be an excellent VP AAAAAAAAAAAND still be a better mother than a lot of women out there. I guess I'm racist for accusing Obama of getting the numbers he's got because of his race. Hey, if the shoe fits..........that's all I'm saying. Just for the record, I'm not racist. But I don't feel the need to defend my statements, either, because what I said is the truth.

Now that you've watched the clip and discovered what I already knew-and listened to my rant, I'll fill you in on my MRI. So the nurse at Dr. Howell's office called me yesterday to give me the results. Apparently I'm innocent in this one. It wasn't the result of my grace or coordination or balance in general. They found some arthritic tissue and a small cyst. They're not sure if the cyst will be removed or if it's causing any discomfort. I still have to go see an orthopedist. Now I'm convinced I have bone cancer, and my prognosis is rather grim. I've also made up a new specialty. I think I should see an orthopedic oncologist. Maybe it's a real specialty, I don't know. I'm waiting for Tricare to approve my referral so I can find out what I already believe.

Ok, so maybe it's not bone cancer. Maybe it's just a silly little cyst that can be easily removed. Maybe I'm just a bit over-dramatic. But now I have to hurry up and wait....again. I'll keep you posted.

I Just Suck

I'm not the best at keeping up with things that aren't exactly a priority. Blogging does NOT fall into that category. I was going to use this as a way to keep Clem in the loop, but we talk everyday, sometimes twice a day. So this one might just be for the rest of you that are interested in the goings on in the Clemons household.



I've been to see my dr. twice in the last month for my left knee. Don't know what I did to it. He sent me for an x-ray the first time, but it only showed everything to be in perfect working order-no ligament or tendon damage. There was a little excess fluid in the joint, but not enough to drain. I went back about a week later because my knee would just stop working. For those of you who know me and my grace, imagine me carrying a huge basket of laundry and all of a sudden my knee stops working. It just wouldn't bend, not to mention the swelling and pain. I was scrambling, falling all over myself to keep from going head first into a wall and busting my forehead open. THAT'S what I need, right? So, my sweet Dr. Howell sent me for an MRI. I went yesterday morning, and it was longer that I had anticipated. It was open, so I was exposed from about my waist up. It was loud, and I was terrified I'd move and have to start the whole thing over again. I tried to breathe as little as possible. Anyone who's the least bit familiar with the inner workings of the human body knows that's a bad idea, especially when you're in the middle of an MRI. Needless to say, I got the yawns. And I was cold and my arms fell asleep. I stared at the ceiling for almost 45 minutes waiting for it to be done. I guess my biggest problem was boredom...and the moving business. It was finally over, and I got to get dressed again. It was weird. They let me keep my wedding ring on but made me take my bra off. ?????????? Neither of which would've been in the way. Whatever. It's done, and I should have the results next week sometime. According to Dr. Howell I might have some cartilage damage (hence the knee not working suddenly), and that will require surgery. SAY WHAT?! He tells me this at my second knee appointment. I was expecting something along the lines of "Well, let's do an MRI and go from there." But this is how the rest of that conversation went.



Dr. H: It sounds like you've got some torn cartilage that's getting in the way of the joint. Let's get an MRI done, and then we'll schedule your surgery.



Me: Surgery?! WHY?! I don't have time for surgery! I'm in school, I have 3 kids that are in school and my husband's gone...AGAIN. I don't have time for anything to slow me down! I'm supposed to start nursing school next fall. This is going to screw everything up!! I can't stray from my plan-even for my stupid knee!!



Dr. H: You don't have to have it. I'm just suggesting your best option. It could come back as something benign, but then you'll just have to suffer with it the rest of your life. (then he said something about arthritis)



Me: BENIGN?!! NOW I MIGHT HAVE CANCER?!!



Dr. H: {laughs} You don't have cancer. Benign just means something that I really can't do anything about.



Me: I know. But you can't throw words around that are usually associated with cancer without giving me a heads up first. I'm having a hard enough time dealing with the possibility of a simple surgery.



Dr. H: It will be orthoscopic, so, yes, it would be simple surgery. Calm down, it'll be ok. Let's get through the MRI first. One step at a time.



Me: Can I at least have some versed?



Dr. H: What, NOW? No, you have to drive home.



Me: Not now. Before the surgery. I LOVE versed. And demerol. I've only had versed once, and it made me think I was superman when they told me to roll onto the operating table.



Dr. H: {laughs again} I'll see what I can do. I'm not even sure yet if you'll need surgery. It just sounds like that's what's going on in your knee, so maybe you'll need it. Maybe you won't.



Me: I just want the drugs. I'd probably be a junkie if I didn't know better or didn't care enough. I'll agree to anything and do anything you tell me to as long as I get the good stuff.



Dr. H: {laughs yet again, he does that a lot when I see him} Just go get the MRI done. Then I can tell you exactly what's wrong, if anything. I'll put you on the list for the referral right now. You should be hearing from someone within the week. And keep icing it. And keep taking the celebrex. And TRY to stay off of it as much as possible. Don't mow your yard for a while.



Me: We'll see. I'm not making any promises. But I have to mow my yard. You don't understand. I HAVE to do these things. It bugs me if everything isn't just so. I have to have the lines in my carpet when I vacuum or I start all over again.

Dr. H: Don't mow your yard and vacuum ONLY when you must. Take the meds and get the MRI.

Me: I suppose, if I absolutely must.

Dr. H: You must.

Me: Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. blah blah blah...end of the conversation.

I don't think other people really understand everything I have going on right now. I know I'm not the only one, far from it. But I mowed my yard last Friday. I don't edge because the weed eater made me mad. So it sits in the garage. I know, I'm the WT of the neighborhood. That's right-no, I'm not!! I haven't told you about my neighbors across the street. She's the living example of why you don't chain smoke and incorporate alcoholism into your life. Blech. Gross.

All is well with school. My psych class this semester's waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than the one last semester. I made an 82 on my test yesterday. Not the greatest, but not bad, either. There were some questions on there that didn't have the right answer anywhere to be found. Perhaps I'll get a bit of a curve. I made an 88 on the 1st test I took in there, so an 82's still pretty good. If I can manage at least a B, I'll be happy.

This whole school thing with my kids being in school all day's pretty awesome. I don't see how anyone can be sad when their kids start school. Veronica said she'd be one of those moms you see on the first day in tears because they have to say good bye. Me, I'm doing a happy dance all the way out to the car. I'll admit, the 1st day this year was a little weird for me. I've had at least one constant companion for 8 years, and suddenly I have 8 hours to myself. Before my classes started again, my house was never so clean. Now it's looking like it did right before my finals last semester. We live out of laundry baskets when I'm in school. I guess I should really be doing that instead of blabbering on here. That's a fan-freakin'-tastic idea. Then I can start MORE laundry.

On that note, I bid you adieu. Toodles, lovely people.

September 11, 2001

Like most, I remember where I was and what I was doing.

I was 3 months pregnant with Kaylan. We were stationed here at Ft. Hood, and I was making breakfast. Dewey had just gotten home from PT and had showered. I think I was making Mom's sausage/egg burritos. Dewey was getting dressed and yelled to me to come look. When I got in our bedroom, he had the news on and they were talking about a plane that had just hit the 1st tower. I thought it was an accident of some sort or some terrible hoax. I just stood there and watched in utter disbelief. When what was really going on hit me, I instantly knew Dewey was leaving.

They closed down Post. All civilian employees were sent home and all active duty had to stay. At some point Dewey came back home and we (all 3 of us) flopped on the couch and napped a little. Then the phone started ringing and Dewey had to go back up there. I didn't see him again until late that night. Not knowing was the worst, but I had to count my blessings. At least I had my husband. I knew where he was and what he was doing-sort of. For the next week I was in front of the TV, absolutely glued. Poor Lilly. She had to watch the news, too. But she was so good. She just played and snuggled with me. Then I started thinking about my other baby. What kind of a world was I bringing it into? What would my children have to deal with? I felt the worst kind of guilt.

Eventually, all the flags came down and life went on. And they took all the 9-11 footage off the TV's. That really made me mad. They should show it everyday as a reminder of what's out there just waiting for us to let our guard down-even a little. It should serve as a reminder of the hatred other nations/cultures feel toward us. Now we have these jackass celebrities (Maggie Gyllenhaal) saying things like the U.S. government was "responsible in some way" for the 9-11 attacks. Really?? That's funny because in the last 7 years we've been "attack free" and they've stopped several plots to try to hurt us again. But they're still responsible in some way, right? Maybe Dewey's partly to blame because he's in the Army. You know, those warmongers that defend our country everyday to give dumb#&*^% like Maggie Gyllenhaal the right to say whatever ignorant thing she wants. But, who am I to judge?

We don't really ever hear about the plane that went down in the PA field. Where would it have hit had those brave men and women NOT been on that plane? What would've happened if it had been a different group of people? I'm grateful to those people everyday because that plane could've come here-to the largest military installation in the U.S.

We went to D.C. over Memorial Day Weekend in 2002. I have the coolest pictures of the Pentagon. I took it when we were driving by and it was still being repaired. It was awesome. If any of you have been to D.C., you know that you either take a cab or already know your way around. You don't try to do it on your own. (By the way, this was when the infamous "squirrel attack" happened to Lilly.)

I don't think Dewey likes Darryl Worely, but I do. He's very conservative and doesn't get the credit he deserves for his work. He came to Ft. Eustis a couple years ago, so Dewey and I had a date to see him. His show was great. If you aren't familiar with him, you should be. He's a country singer, and he writes some of the most patriotic songs I've ever heard. He wrote this song, "Have You Forgotten?," a few years back. I'd heard about it, but I hadn't heard it until I was going from Dewey's mom's house back to my parents' house. I had to pull over because I just started balling, like a big, fat titty baby. When Darryl (we're on a first name basis) played that song at Ft. Eustis, it was one of the most incredible experiences. He changed up some of the lyrics, but I'm not repeating them right now. Since it was on Post, there were all soldiers and their spouses there. You could tell there was an enormous amount of pride among everyone, yup, even my Clem. I think that has to be one of my favorite songs. He also wrote a new one for his last CD, "I Just Came Back from a War." Holy cow.

So this morning I've been watching all the memorial services. And they even put some of that original footage back on. Before I got in the shower I went through Dewey's drawers. My wardrobe has doubled since he's been gone. When I got to the very bottom one, it was empty. It only had a couple pairs of socks. This is the drawer where Dewey keeps his uniform stuff-all his brown t-shirts, socks and PT's. It broke my heart and *&$#^@ me off all over again because he's back over there because of what happened 7 years ago today. So I threw myself a good screaming cuss fit. I hadn't opened that drawer until this morning. Don't know why I did, either. I knew what was in there. I guess I just expected to find it full, like it usually is. Until this morning I've only opened 1 drawer, and it was really fast just to grab a shirt.

I thought I'd include Darryl's lyrics to "Have You Forgotten?" It's appropriate today.

I hear people sayin'.
We Don't need this war.
I say there's some things worth fightin' for.
What about our freedom, and this piece of ground?
We didn't get to keep 'em by backin' down.
They say we don't realize the mess we're gettin' in.
Before you start preachin' let me ask you this my friend.

Chorus
Have you forgotten, how it felt that day?
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away
Have you forgotten, when those towers fell
We had neighbors still inside goin through a livin hell
And you say we shouldn't worry bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

You took all the footage off my T.V.
Said it's too disturbin for you and me
It'll just breed anger is what the experts say
If it was up to me I'd show it everyday
Some say this country just out lookin' for a fight
Well after 9/11 man I'd have to say right.

Chorus
Have you forgotten, how it felt that day?
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away
Have you forgotten when those towers fell
We had neighbors still inside goin' through a livin' hell
And we vow to get the ones behind Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

I've been there with the soldiers
Who've gone away to war
You can bet they remember just what they're fightin' for

Have you forgotten
All the people killed
Yes some went down like heroes
In that Pennsylvania field
Have you forgotten
About our Pentagon
All the loved ones that we lost
And those left to carry on
Don't you tell me not to worry 'bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?
Have you forgotten?
Have you forgotten?!

Politics & American Idol

I've been watching the news here and there lately when I get that itch (which is pretty constant these days). I know, I know-Clem told me not to, but I just can't help myself sometimes. I feel so stupid and completely ignorant if I don't know what's going on. After I mowed the yard this morning, I came inside to cool off and....I watched Fox News-the only one I'll watch. Of course, since the DNC's going on, that's pretty much all anyone's covering. Needless to say I could do without that coverage, but at least I know what the enemy's plotting, at least what they SAY they're plotting. So I was sitting there watching it and someone was out on the street briefly interviewing people about who they're voting for-if they're even aware of the upcoming election in 69 days-and why. They're mostly young, maybe in their 20's-and I can say that now that I'm not in MY 20's anymore. All I heard spewing from their mouths was petty, ignorant and, most of all, uninformed BS. "I like Obama because he's just so confidant." (Because THAT'S what makes a good president) "I like Obama because I think he really cares about this country." (Nevermind the ridiculous taxes he'll impose or the fact that he won't render honors the flag) "I'm voting for Obama because he has really good stage presence"(No joke, that's what that stupid girl said) "Blah, blah, blah................................." It sounds like they're voting on "American Idol" and not for the next president. Is that what this nation's coming to? Does ANYONE care about something besides the next stupid reality show that'll be on or what they're wearing to prom? Am I just retarded for caring about what's going on in D.C. instead of from what 3rd world country Pretty Boy and Hemorrhoid Lips are adopting their next kid(s)? Am I stupid for caring about what's going on socially in this country instead wasting my time saving the whales or adopting more "green" ways of living? (By the way, "global warming's" a joke and I'll argue that to my death. I think Al Gore and the big auto manufacturers are conspiring together, and Gore's making a HUGE profit. But that's just the tip of the iceberg for me.) Why can't all these people take a more active interest in for whom they vote? And why doesn't Obama-siah allow anyone to talk about his big ears or his wife or his WHITE mother or his middle name or his voting record or anything else that's the least bit questionable and/or relevant? Why is everything racist if it's something he doesn't want to talk about? How in the hell are his ears a racial issue? I've seen PLENTY of white people with ginormous ears......RON HOWARD!! I don't care what color your skin is, just be a decent person.

I'm not a big John McCain fan, but since he isn't Obama I'll defend him till the end AND I'm going to vote for him. When did Obama EVER serve in the military? Dewey said one day in a political debate, before the primaries, that the Commander in Chief of all the Armed Forces should be required to have some military experience. I agree to a point. I don't think it should be required, but I think that between the Prez and the VP one of them should have some experience. That just makes good sense. And I like Cindy McCain, she's an all right lady. Johnny-boy isn't conservative, but at least he kinda-sorta pretends-even if his nose is squarely up Teddy K's rear end. He's certainly more conservative than Obama-siah and his nasty wife.

OBAMA WON'T EVEN HONOR THE FLAG! THE FLAG OF THE COUNTRY HE WANTS TO RUN!!! HOW CAN ANYONE VOTE FOR SOMEONE LIKE HIM??!!! And Michelle-can we say Marxist? (HA HA HA!!! Marxist Michelle! Michelle the Marxist!! I love consonance!) There's no place for that in this country, the Marxism not my use of the alphabet-just to be clear. I can't even begin to go into that right now, but let's take this little nugget, example of Marxism or not. Just a sample of her character, I guess. She said that for the first time in 22 years (or however many) she's really proud of her country. Ok, that's like saying "I've been married for 20 years, and I just discovered that I love my wife." REALLY??!!!!!! Are you freakin' kidding me?! You've lived in this country your whole life and enjoyed the benefits of Affirmative Action so you could go to Yale or Harvard or whatever it was, and you're JUST NOW proud of your country? Are you just plain stupid?! Or are you selfish? I think both and some other really terrible things. There's no taking a comment like that back or saying that it was taken out of context. You meant what you said, every word of it.

And I get so sick of hearing all these people complaining about the economy and the excessive spending by the pres. NEWSFLASH!!!! The DEMOCRATIC-MAJORITY CONGRESS approves any spending by the president!!!!!!!!!! He can't spend a penny without their consent. So if anyone wants to blame Bush for spending so freakin' much money-START BY BLAMING CONGRESS! Blame your precious Nancy Pelosi. Blame Joe Biden. Blame Teddy Kennedy. Blame Hillary. Blame your messiah, Barack HUSSEIN Obama and his big, stupid ears. While you're at it, blame CONGRESS for sending our troops to ANYWHERE in the world, not just Iraq or Afghanistan. I don't think I heard anyone complaining about Bush's stimulus package back in May. I was more than happy to get that money, and I'll freely admit it. It was awesome. You can also blame CONGRESS for our gas prices. We could drill in Anwar, but CONGRESS isn't letting us. The poor little animals might be displaced and inconvenienced a little. BOO FREAKIN' HOO!! The poor little animals will adapt. They might actually appreciate the warmth of the pipes running through that frozen wasteland. At least, that's what CONGRESS will have us believe their reasoning is. Maybe something more ridiculous like it'll cause cancer will be next. We could be drill off the coast. But the libs want to maintain their ties to the Middle East. That's pretty much what it boils down to. If you don't like what CONGRESS is doing.....DON'T VOTE FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT KEEP GETTING RE-ELECTED!! If you HAVE voted for any of the aforementioned people, DON'T COMPLAIN, about the economy or the cost of gas or the war or anything else that CONGRESS votes on. Keep in mind my husband's in Iraq for the 2nd time. I want him home more than anything, but I know that if they were to be pulled out right this second it would be monumentally disastrous. So I'd rather have him there for a while longer to keep anything potentially devastating from coming over here to hurt my kids or anyone else I love. And I'm not saying don't blame Bush for anything, that he's totally innocent. I'm not in love with everything this administration has done, but he has only so much power. It's called checks and balances. But he IS better than Gore and Kerry and any other jackass that's against him. Let's not even get me started on Edwards and his recently come-to-light indiscretion.

Before the stimulus checks hit, I heard this one guy on the radio-admittedly a filthy, dirty hippie-talking about it. He was "explaining" what it'll do to our taxes (and what will Obama do, dummy??) and how it won't stimulate the economy at all. He said people will put some new floors in their houses, the economy won't really be stimulated. Let's look at that. I go to the flooring store off of 190. I pay the guy and that money goes toward his business. Now he has an additional $1500-that he wouldn't have had otherwise. Now he can go buy some new supplies to help run his company. That money goes to another company that wouldn't have otherwise had it either, and so on and so on. HHHHMMMMM......I think that's like a chain reaction or something. I'm pretty sure that's stimulation. And I'm fairly certain that's the intention of the stimulus package. That's the typical mentality these days, and it's sad.

Here's something else that eludes me-Hurricane Katrina. Check it out: the city of New Orleans knew looooooooooooooooooooooooooooong before the threat of Katrina that their levees were in bad shape. And did anyone do anything about it? Nope. That's the city's responsibility to maintain them, not the Federal Government's. So, Mayor Ray Nagin, maybe you should've done something about the levees beforehand instead of blaming everyone else when they broke! Besides that, they had a week's notice. If they couldn't afford a bus ticket out of town-GUESS WHAT! They've got feet! The only ones I felt bad for were the ones that couldn't physically do anything. Let's say I was stuck in NO when Katrina came up. If I had absolutely no other way out of there , I'd be stealing me a Wal-Mart basket and loading my kids up and walking. Jump on I-55 and go north. Walk 10 miles a day (give or take) and I could be plenty far away so my kids would be safe. But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! They get put up in Texas and bitch and moan about everything. They stole from each other or anyone else they could. They behaved like animals. My dad says it's the mentality of living in that area and never getting out, from one generation to the next. It's learned. I agree that the mentality is learned, but I disagree that they don't know any better. They're aware of laws regardless. And I'm so sick of STILL hearing about it. I'm not saying no one in that city did what they could, it was just the vast majority that sat back and let it happen. We didn't hear about the ones that actually helped themselves. Instead we saw dumb@%$ Sean Penn with a camera and a little boat go in there. That's good, Mr. Penn. Why didn't anyone else think of going in there with a camera? Because obviously that solved everything. Where was all the complaining and blaming when Iowa and where ever else were slammed with the tornados? Who ran to help them? What retarded celebrity brought his camera crew to help those people pick up the pieces? Who did the people in those states blame? That's right, that's right. They were decent about it. My aunt took some of the Iowa victims in and I'm sure she took excellent care of them.

Well, this one certainly didn't turn into "Love Letter Wednesday." It was more like "Hate-Filled Wednesday." I just had to complain. I'm so tired of stupid people that don't think. Politics is one thing that I can go on about for days. Even if my opinions are way off, at least I'm making an effort to inform myself, which is way more than some people, like the ones that take the general election as lightly as they do "American Idol."

The First Day of School

So, today was the first day of school. I remember Lilly's first day of Kindergarten. She already went through Pre-k, so I was already ecstatic. Someone stopped me in the hall after I had deposited Lilly to the appropriate classroom. This woman told me there were coffee and donuts in the gym for a "Boo Hoo Breakfast." Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. My husband was in Korea and I had 2 other kids waiting at home with Jane. I wasn't about to waste my time with all the cry baby moms just because my child was doing something that was LEGALLY REQUIRED!! So off I went to start my day.



Then Kaylan started Pre-K in VA. I met with my next door neighbor and another friend at IHOP to celebrate. That began Alyssa's 2 years alone with me. Kaylan had some behavioral problems. In fact, I started to think that she was possibly autistic because her behavior was so similar to my brother's, who really is mildly so. The summer before she started school, I started taking her to a shrink, not because I wanted the wildly popular diagnosis everyone else was getting or because I thought I could get some magic pill to cure her. I wanted to find out what was wrong with her, if anything, and get her the help she needed. I liked her shrink, Dr. Berry. I'm not crazy-religious, but it was a Christian-centered therapy center and everything revolved around God. He was HUGE part of anyone's treatment. That was comforting because it wasn't typical but it wasn't ridiculously alternative either. Anyway, Dr. Berry decided that there wasn't anything wrong with Kay. She just didn't know how to control her emotions, so they took over everything and overwhelmed her. It didn't matter what emotion is was, good or bad. I thought Pre-K would be a ginormous challenge for her, especially since her teacher, Mrs. Myrsten, looked like she had just graduated. She turned out to be a Godsend. She was absolutely WONDERFUL with my Kay. It got to the point that Kay wanted to please her with almost everything she did. It was awesome.



Today began the next phase in Alyssa's life. I was at Mom and Dad's last week for Granana's Camp, so we missed Meet-the-Teacher Night. I went by the school yesterday and found who went where. I thought this morning would be a nightmare. I got up and 0545 and turned the dryer back on to de-wrinkle the uniforms I had left in there over night, brushed my teeth and peed. And then I woke up the kiddies. Alyssa slept with me last night only because she wasn't going to sleep by herself. So I gave in. I thought for sure she'd be the worst of them all. While they were brushing their teeth and peeing I ran around and got uniforms together. They were so cute this morning. Dewey was supposed to be online (if he could be) by about 0630, so I made sure I had hair fixed and everyone dressed by then. He didn't get on, but I had everyone ready a little ahead of schedule. I even made all their lunches last night so all I had to do this morning was pull them out of the fridge and give them to the appropriate child. I decided to walk them in this morning since we weren't here last week. THAT won't happen anymore this year. As I came around a corner with all 3 in a single-file line behind me, so teacher yelled at them and told them that starting tomorrow morning we wouldn't round corners like that anymore. SERIOUSLY? On the FIRST day, when everything's already chaotic as it is? REALLY? I almost said something to her, but decided to let it go. Their teachers would take care of transporting the kids from one place to another, so there probably wouldn't ever be any mention of it again. Dumb &*(@#. THAT wasn't the way to start my day. We had a pretty good morning and then that. Whatever.



I dropped Alyssa off at her class first so Lilly and Kay would know where to go in the morning when I drop them off. I talked to her teacher and filled something out and kissed her good bye. She was a little sad when we first got to the school and didn't want to stay, but when she met her teacher she was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited. Then her teacher gave me a gift. When I got finished there I discovered Lilly and Kaylan were gone, so I had to track them down. They had gone to their own classes already. So I filled out a couple more things for each of them and came home. I should be doing my pilates or putting away all the laundry that's piled up since I started school this summer. Instead, I thought I'd tell you how quiet the house is right now. Besides the keyboard and the a/c, all I hear is.....nothing. The TV was constantly on before Alyssa started school, now it isn't. The TV in here isn't even on. I prefer the silence. I never thought I'd have time to myself. When I got back here I read what Mrs. Rich had given me. It was a ziploc with a cotton ball to remind me of the tender little spirit I had just left in her care and a tea bag so I could put my feet up and relax a little. Kinda cool.



So what will I do with myself now that I have 3 school aged kids? Should I sit back and relax and enjoy my time alone? Should I take up a relaxing hobby like crocheting? Should I just go back to bed only because I can? NO A CHANCE! What does Evelyn do with spare time? I'M GOING TO TAKE ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY THIS SEMESTER!!!!!! I figured I need to make the most of my uninterrupted time and add even more stress to my life because THAT'S what anyone needs. If I don't take that, I'm taking at least 3 courses to make up the difference. How's THAT for time management? I'm not entirely sure yet. It's getting late. It's already 0830 and I haven't even showered. I need to get up to CTC and figure out what I'm doint this semester.

Right AFTER Finals.....

Again, it's not Wednesday. It's been a busy week, but I think I've done rather well. I crammed for 4 straight days and finished finals on Thursday. I walked away from Psych with a 74 and an 89 in Govt. AN 80-FREAKIN'-NINE!!

I checked my grades the morning before I took the finals and I had a 90.25 in Govt. Slightly above where I had been, but still a perfectly wonderful surprise. My final was 50 questions worth 6 points each. I pulled an 86, dropping my grade to an 89. I'm a McCorkle. Government and politics is our thing! And all I could do was a B?! That's crap! So I called Mom and told her the bad news. Maybe I'm harder on myself than anyone else could ever be, but Mom was so happy. I was still pretty unhappy about it...to say the very least. I was so close to that A, and I was furious that I was only getting a stupid B. I talked to Clem when I got home a complained to him. He said he only got a C in govt, so my B was pretty awesome. I agreed and said that it made me feel a little better..........................like A LOT better. I NEVER do better than Dewey at anything. EVER. That still makes me smile when I think about it. He's Mr. Wonderful and excels at everything he ever does.

Psych was completely different. I had the worst time with that course. I did everything I could think of to do well in that retarded course, and I only pulled off a C. I guess it's better than a D or an F. My instructor's tests were so freakin' hard. The class average on everything was either a high D or a moderate C, with the exception of the paper and that was a B-which I got. Even her open-book tests only averaged C's. (One of them averaged a D!) I was more than happy to get out of there with only a C, even though I could've done much better. The good news is I NEVER have to take that crappy course ever again. So much of it was, I think, entirely made up by a 5 year old. And the book focused WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too much on that sick #*^@%^$ , Freud. I don't know about any other parents out there, but I NEVER witnessed my children fascinated with their behinds. EVER!!! But, according to Freud, that's one of the stages ALL children go through. Maybe mine are just weird, but I never saw any indication of such a phase. Nasty, nasty man. He makes my skin crawl. Gross. I think I need to take a shower now. I feel so violated just thinking about him. One good thing that's come from this course is my decision NOT to major in psychology. I'm sticking with my original plan and pursuing nursing.

Enough about school, there's PLENTY more of that to come. Veronica and her kids came down Thursday afternoon. Poor Ethan. I think he was disappointed because all of his cousins were girls. I WOULD say that Bevo made up some of the Testosterone difference, but he's gay and is fixed. So Bevo didn't really help. In fact, Hailey was the only one of the Andrew kids that really like Bevo. So much so he was pretty irritated with her. But he's such a good boy he took it and never even growled at her. That's why he's my best friend, besides Clem, of course.

Yesterday we hit up Schlitterbahn. We got there late, which really bothered me because I'm not late. I'm on time and completely ready. I'm not always bright-eyed and bushy tailed. I don't think I'm EVER that happy or awake, but I'm fairly reliable. Mom was waiting for us at the front with our wrist bands and everything else was already waiting. So Veronica and I dropped the kids off and found some baby boats for the kiddos. Then the fun began.....until about 5:00. Mom, Veronica and I took all 6 kids over to the huge kiddie area where it started sprinkling. After a while of that, the thunder and lightning started and everyone stayed in the water. Strange. But we got the kids out and headed back to our tables. By that point it was pouring, and that isn't even really the right word for it. It was more like sheets of rain. Everything was soaked but we managed to get out of there by about 6:30. I didn't even get home until about 10. I didn't even get the pictures I wanted. I got a few, though, so I'll take what I can get. The girls fell asleep on the way home, so they were a joy once we actually got inside and they started getting ready for bed. There was some crying about Alyssa and a toothbrush. I'm still not quite sure about it. But we got home and everyone eventually settled down and went to sleep just to get up early and go to church this morning.

It felt pretty good getting this portion of school done, but it doesn't feel so good knowing that I'm about to start it all over again in a couple weeks. I'm already feeling the pressure. But the kids start school a week from tomorrow (ALL 3 OF THEM!!!) so maybe it won't be as bad this semester. I'm still doing it online because of Alyssa. I think I'm going to be up at the school quite a bit dealing with her. She's going through this phase right now where she won't keep her clothes on. She's naked a lot. So I'm waiting for a call from the school going something like this.."Mrs. Clemons, uh, we need you to come up to the school as soon as possible. We're having some trouble with Alyssa. She went to the bathroom and came out without her clothes on, so now we're having some issues getting them back on her. If you could help coax them back on her as our methods have proven completely ineffective.........Thanks." Yeah , that sounds about like her. I don't know what would make the school think I could do any better than they could in something like that. I guess it's because I have no problem MAKING her do something. But whatever. It's getting late and I have to be up in the morning for Alyssa's physical. That's fun. Catch yous guys next week.

Right Before Finals....

Well, I missed "Love Letter Day" again. What's new, right? I'm trying to be very diligent in keeping up with this, but I still seem to be slacking. I guess I'm keeping Clem up to date fairly well, it just seems like there's more I could be doing.

Let's see....finals start on Monday. Am I even remotely ready? Of course not. I just started on my GOVT review yesterday. I should really be doing that right now because I have 3 chapters for PSYCH that I still haven't read, much less outlined. I'm not nearly as concerned about GOVT as I am PSYCH. My GOVT instructor's awesome. He's pulled 25 or 30 questions from each of the 7 chapters this test covers for the review, and he's putting 50 of the questions directly on the test! HOW COOL IS THAT??!! I'm almost finished with this review. This last chapter's about Texas' voting system, who runs what, how often, etc, etc. So I remembered I needed to change my address on my voter registration, but I didn't want to go up the courthouse and wait. So I printed out the form online and I'm mailing it in. I love the internet.

I'll be so glad when PSYCH's done. I think I really hate that class. I made a 72 on my last OPEN BOOK TEST yesterday or the day before. How sad is THAT?! It's OPEN FREAKIN' BOOK!!! My instructor's tests are so hard. I still haven't figured out what my problem is. I did pretty well on the 2 leading up to this one. So I have a 75 in there right now. I figured I can make a 40 on the final and still pull a 71 out of the class. I'll take it. Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely NOT going to make a 40. But at least I know where I stand. That's all I'm saying, Mom.

I'm also still trying to get Alyssa enrolled in school. All I need is her shot record. Here's the problem-I thought I had it, like I had Lilly and Kaylan's, but I don't. I guess I either forgot that I didn't have it or forgot to request a copy from her old pediatrician. Or both. So now I'm scrambling to get a copy. I went to the hospital on post several weeks ago to request everything from Fort Eustis (in VA). MacDonald (the hospital on Ft. Eustis) was supposed to fax a copy of the shot record to Darnall (hospital on Ft. Hood). I went over there on Monday thinking surely they had it and just didn't call. How wrong I was. 3 weeks later and MacDonald STILL hadn't even faxed it. IT'S A FAX! How hard is it to find her records and pull out the shot record and put it in the fax machine and punch in the number and let it do its thing?? Seriously. Dewey or I are the ONLY people in the world that can even go pick it up. No one else. So Darnall sent them yet another request and now I'm waiting. Still. Yeah, it's my fault because I didn't keep up with it. However, I tracked down the guy in Release of Information at MacDonald so I could fight with him. It's Thursday now. I've called him everyday since Monday and it always goes to voicemail. What do I do now? I've left him a message everytime I've called, spoken slowly and clearly. I've left my numbers and everything else his outgoing message asks. I've heard nothing. I guess I could go sit at Darnall and wait for it to come through. But what do I do with my kids? It's a tiny office and it smells funny and my kids are loud. I'm stuck. School starts on the 25th and Alyssa has a physical on the 18th. They can't even do that without her shot record. I completely forgot that their new pediatrician didn't have it on file either. I'm just screwed. Maybe I'll figure it out. Maybe.

Being 30

Today I turned the dirty 30. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. It wasn't a bad day, at least not as bad as I expected. I've been dreading this day for a long time, but I just assumed Dewey would be here to ease me into it. He wasn't. BUT, he called me twice today.

I didn't hear from him at all yesterday. He didn't get on Yahoo Messenger like he said he would, nor did he call to tell me wouldn't be. He's very good about calling me to let me know what's going on. So I immediately started thinking the worst thing possible. I promised him I wouldn't be watching the news constantly like I do when he's home, so I feel completely out of the loop and totally socially retarded. I tried telling myself it was probably just a black out and that he's fine. When I woke up this morning and remembered what day it was, of course that feeling crept back in. Mostly because Clem's not here to help me out {I'm very dependant on him for that sort of thing}. Then I remembered not hearing from him and started to worry again. I even stayed logged into messenger on my phone so I could do other things while I waited for him to log in. Nothing. This is my first deployment where I can hear from him on a fairly regular basis, so when I don't hear anything all kinds of bad things run through my mind. So on top of all of that, I turned 30.

Scot was the first to show up, on his way home from work. Michele (Scot's wife) was supposed to have already been here, but she wasn't. So Scoty McMellow and I hung out and chatted for a while. I love Scot. He's like my brother. It's funny because I call him my second. GOD FORBID, should something happen to Dewey and Michele, I've decided to marry Scoty and help him raise his 2 beautiful daughters with my 3 beautiful daughters. I'm not sure if I've actually told them my plan. Perhaps I have, we discuss seconds a lot. But there we were, chit-chatting in my living room. Then Michele showed up with Kay and Nicci (their youngest, 6 months younger than Kay), and she came bearing gifts...like I told her not to. Does she listen? Nope, she's almost worse than I am. She was late because she stopped to shop. (Yup, I think she's as bad as I am.) Silly Michele. Then Jane (Dana to most of you so pay attention to that one, too) showed up with an ice cream cake. The group (the women, anyway) have been pestering me about today for months. I've told them no. I don't want anything. It's just another day of the week as far as I'm concerned. Then Jane says she only wanted an excuse to have ice cream cake. I, of course, agreed as long as there was no mention of the day (yeah, right. Like THAT was going to happen.), we'd call it "Happy Ice Cream Cake Day." We'd celebrate the invention of ice cream cake. And the cake was so yummy. The last piece will be for my breakfast in the morning, because that's what I need. Then Bob (Janes' husband) showed up with some KFC, and it was rather tasty. Then Tracy and 2 of her friends came over and we all hung out for a while. They brought me another cake, complete with 30 freakin' candles!! So, all in all, it was a pretty good day. I didn't do any school work, and the only real house-cleaning I did was sweeping/mopping the kitchen this morning. I sat on my butt and watched "Miami Vice" this afternoon, too. I'm such a dork for loving that cheesy, cheesy show. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE "The Golden Girls." I'm such an 80's dork.

Here it is, after midnight, and I just finished cleaning up the kitchen. Lilly and Kay went back with Scot & Michele to have yet another sleepover. Alyssa was going to go, but there was a storm rolling in and it scared the ever-loving crap out of her. Poor baby. I could hear her screaming all the way in the house. So she stayed and hung out with the remaining adults and then crashed on me with her Strawberry Shortcake blanket. I decided to tell Dewey about this one only because I may not talk to him tomorrow. And we didn't get a single drop of rain from that storm, either. Even with all that thunder and lightning. So, I'll go to bed being 30 and wake up one day closer to being 40. I guess I should just get used to it since there isn't anything I can do about it. *&#^%$ &#*$B#&^$(*&!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!