What is a Mother to do?

What can you as a parent do to protect your child when they aren’t around?

As a parent of an allergy child, I live in constant fear when she is not around me. You see, my daughter has a severe allergy to peanuts. Now, when I say severe, that does not just mean she breaks outs in a rash when she eats them. I mean we have 2 minutes to get her the epinephrine shot or things get ugly fast. She is one of those special ones who is also an airborne risk when anything peanut is floating around near her.

So what is a mom to do?

I could quit my job that I have worked hard at and sit at home with her all day while acting like we live in a plastic bubble. Boy, what a life that would be!

Or, I can take larger steps, make louder noises, and work harder to ensure her constant safety when she is at school or in the general public.

This past week we had our first “episode” of the school year. My daughter was sitting behind someone who decided to bring a nutty bar for snack into a “peanut free” school zone. All the other child did was open the package. That set off my child’s allergic reaction and before she even knew what had happened her skin looked like a thousand mosquitoes had attacked her. Thankfully the students noticed and she was able to get medicine in time.

The most important question is…what can I do to be around when I am not?

Thankfully, Texas has passed regulation that will allow the schools free EpiPens®. That’s a start! But what about the ones who need them nearby at all times? Should I trust my eight year old to be able to keep up with her medication at all times?

These are questions and fears that constantly haunt and plague me. I can only hope that eventually everyone will be on board to follow the rules outlined in schools and in other areas. Until then, I will continue to be diligent in keeping a close watch over my one and only.

http://www.expressnews.com/news/politics/texas_legislature/article/House-approves-bill-allowing-schools-to-stock-6261888.php

There's no place like home

Well, we are moved and settled into life as we know it in Kansas.

Oh yes, that's right. We moved to Kansas!! :)

This has been one whirlwind summer. From making the initial decision to up and leave the life I knew and loved, to being where we are now.

It has surprisingly gone well. In all aspects of things. It rained on us the entire time we were driving through Texas. I kept telling Scott it was because Texas was crying watching me leave. Then we got to Oklahoma. No story there. It's just plain old Oklahoma. It was cloudy and drizzled a bit. After 3 hours of flat lands, Kansas. Kansas had blue skies and fresh air. We had little to no traffic the rest of the way and made it safe and sound.

The next morning I had an interview scheduled. Talk about just throwing myself out there! I was a huge ball of nerves. Will they like me? Will they understand me? (People up here tend to talk a tad bit differently than we do :)) I breezed through it and eventually got word I got the job! Not only did I get the one I wanted but I was able to start next week! Great success! My nerves were going 100 miles an hour down a winding road.

Wednesday I was reunited with my sweet daughter and puppy. The parentals and Hannah my sister came along also. We enjoyed a small time together then they were gone and reality set in. Instead of " I don't think we're in Kansas anymore" it was " I am in Kansas". This is a phrase I swore I would never say.

Y'all know what's associated with Kansas? Tornadoes. Yup. I declared when I was about 8 or 9 years old that I would NEVER and I repeat NEVER move to Kansas. Once I got word that's where tornadoes were I was done. I exclaimed I would never date someone from Kansas, visit Kansas or even drive through!

Never say Never.

Scott landed a nice job for himself and we are able to see a glimmer of light at the end of our tunnel. Basically God has made sure we know we did the right thing. Now I get to have my husband home every single night. I prayed for it. I just never envisioned it would be 800 miles from where I was praying for it.

My job is awesome. I am an inventory management specialist and I get to be in charge of all the equipment inventory within our company, Monday two part time people start and I have been informed that they will report to me.

ME? I am responsible for delegating tasks? I am actually working in corporate America. This is cool! I always saw myself as a hip 90's business woman when I was younger. Box cell phone, shoulder pads, farrah hair. So this fits me. I love to Network. haha.

Emily starts school in two weeks and she is thrilled. She has already made some friends down the street. It's so weird. They actually play outside together. Ride bikes, go down to the park, and all the parents are totally okay with it! I need to get used to mid-western suburbia.

Well, that was my update. I must have clicked my heels too many times younger wishing to be home, because now, I am. 

Weekend preparedness...

So this weekend is Memorial weekend.

A weekend of BBQ, lake trips, family, and friends.

I decided this was going to be the year I do something about my chronic whiteness. Meaning I am usually the whitest person wherever we are and I am tired of people covering their children's eyes for fear of permanent damage due to the sheer brightness that my skin radiates once sunlight hits it.

I figured a spray tan would be the best option. No risk for melanoma and should be fairly easy. I talked with my boss about it who told me to make sure and rub everything down fast and also wash your make up off before you get in. Got it. Little did I know how much I did not "get it"

After an intense kickboxing work out, I was super pumped to get my "tan on". I had completed the "G" in "GTL" and now I was going to do the "T". I was on a euphoric high. I was about to be a different color than translucent and I could not wait. I get to the tanning salon and explain my dilemma. The girl from the front desk was super nice. She explained everything to me and I went into to the spray room like a champ. After telling me how impressed she was with my courage, she let me be to undress and begin the process. I began looking for a sink to wash my face off. No such luck. "Oh well" I thought, and began to lotion the areas and apply the gloves and booties. Just before getting into the machine, I thought "This is simple enough, why was she so impressed with me?" and then I closed the door and pushed the button.

The next 30 seconds were sheer terror. The spray went into my mouth, up my nose, and into my eyes. My mascara began to run and burned like the fire of a thousand suns. Once the spray "torture" tan was done, I opened the door and emerged sliding around like a newborn calf does after birth. I couldn't see anything, I had this stuff in my mouth and I was panicking thinking I was going to have brown teeth. I had to find a place to spit and the towel. As soon as began rubbing the towel over my body I realized I had made a grave mistake. I looked like I had just been dropped in a giant bucket of molasses. Kinda like Cruella Deville. It was awful. As much as I rubbed the lotion and tried to figure out what I had done wrong, it still streaked. Dark brown streaks... After 5 minutes I conceded and called for help.

The salon worker knew what to do and began getting to work. Luckily she was able to salvage what had gone horribly wrong. It was at this point I realized this gunk was in my hair.  My beautiful platinum blonde hair. Panic hit again. I had to get home. I. Had. To. Get. Home. I told her I am sure everything would turn out fine, felt the hives starting to form as anxiety took hold, and bolted out the door. No shoes, no bra, just ran to my car and took off.

Luckily, it washed out. And after waiting 5 hours I took a shower and the streaks that ran down my butt cheeks washed off. I am now not "as pasty' as I was before. I will probably NEVER use the machine again and will stick to having someone spray me themselves or just remain white. Either way this was a learning experience. And boy did I learn.

I am now prepared (somewhat) for laying out on the lake.




*I want to give a big THANK YOU to the troops for all their service and all they do. Thank you for fighting for my freedom to be able to experience everything.

Til next time :)

Oh my oh my

The time sure flies by when you're having fun!

Or not having fun, either way, since no matter what you do time does not and will not ever stop for you while you are alive.

Whoa. That was mildly deep.

So I think I may also make this blog about critiques over the restaurants in this area. Since there are quite a few that need a good heads up on what is proper and what is not...Especially Chili's in Port Arthur and everything they do. It's awful.

Last night Emily had a small rash form on her face. We immediately knew it was from her coming into contact with someone or something that had peanut oil or residue on it. We gave her some benadryl and sent her to bed. After checking on her numerous times for over two hours, I finally went to take a bath to soak my knee. While I was in the bath it hit me about just how severe her allergy is. The things I go through on a daily basis protecting her come second nature to me. Being "that mom" at a birthday party that asks if I can go through the candy to take out everything peanut or nut oriented, reading all the labels at the store, or anytime she is given some food to see if there is a chance it would contain trace amounts of peanuts, which is enough to send her into shock and need some type of medical assistance. The fact that if she EVER eats anything with peanuts or traces of it I have exactly two minutes to get the epi-pen into her and call 911. These truths became so overwhelming I almost broke down into tears and panic. I started questioning what her future will be like. Mommy can't always be there. That is a terrifying reality. Not because I am an overly attached mother, but because I feel I am the only one who has her back when it comes to this. What if she gets around people who offer her food and they don't know what is in it? What if they "think" it's peanut free and ends up not being. I have read too many times online about the death of children, and even some teenagers, who were told it was safe and lost their lives. I just have to continue to educate, pray, hope that we are making her as knowledgeable about her allergy as we possibly can.

Off of that super serious subject for now..

I fell down a week ago and smashed a glass into my hand. The cut itself is healing however I am having very tender moments and other times when my hand feels like it's on fire. Quite intense actually. I cannot put any pressure on it at all which sucks since I am used to working out and doing a lot with my hands. UGH

Today would be the day I am completely out of Zyrtec and my nose is itching like no other. RIDIC

Enough about my complaints/worries. Hopefully something hilarious will happen at my next outing and I can blog about that. Toodles! heh.

2013

Well friends it has been awhile.

Happy 2013!! 

As I type this I feel like I have literally been thrown through a washing machine on super spin cycle. Yes, that's right. I joined a gym. There are muscles on me that are sore that I didn't even know I had. It's always amusing to myself when I go to the restroom and literally have to act like I am climbing down a mountain to sit on the toilet. Also the typical heave/ho when getting back up is always interesting. Especially since I've slammed back down numerous times. Jeez. I did buy the hype and got a super low calorie and no fat protein shake mix. No worries, I did my general hour long google search to make sure it was the right one for me and that it worked the best for the money. I am happy. I won't be supplementing all of my meals though as I do still obsess over cupcakes and hot sauce. There are certain things I will not let go of. A good hot sauce is one of them. So this journey shall be continued (I hope) and I will update more about this again later in the month. I am looking forward to being able to type more without my hands muscles hurting.

In other news, we had an amazing holiday in Kansas for Christmas. Emily is now officially labeled as spoiled and has more gadgets than I have ever had in my 25 years. I do make sure that most of the games are educational though. If she's going to be staring at a screen it needs to be enriching her mind. She received one game and spent an entire 2 1/2 days until she beat it. When she finally looked up I don't think she even realized we were sitting around her. We enjoyed lots of family and friends time, did a ton of shopping, and ate at a lot of fun places. It was fantastic and just what our little family needed.

Scott and I will be having our one year anniversary in a little over a month. I cannot believe how fast time has flown. This time last year I was crunching out all the minor and major details with the help of my mom and friends and literally not sleeping. It just so happens that our anniversary is 4 days after Valentines day. Scott made a comment about "Valentines day is just a day for cards and roses, the real deal is our anniversary." He sometimes likes to joke with me. He also knows now not to get it twisted and that Valentines day is important just like it was before we were married. Sweet thing ;)

I need to rest my muscles now so I will update later on. Cheers!

No shave November

Hello all,


It has come to my attention that people refer to November as "No shave November."

This is crazy to me since I was under the impression it was "No shave during the entire year unless it is important or you will be in a bathing suit." Not even kidding. With a hyperactive child, a full time job, partial single parents times (when the hubby is away working), and I am sure a slight case of narcolepsy, shaving my legs has been on the back burner for quite some time. Now I am sure this mainly refers to the male species, I thought I would throw in my two cents about the hilarity of it all.

Scott is home for the next few days and this is marvelous news! I do miss him.

We had a kick ass Halloween party yesterday for work. I was Catwoman, My boss was a cat lady, and her assistant was a butterfly princess. We rocked it. Lots of adorable pictures were taken and it was all a ton of fun. I was even able to get a thanksgiving party approved for us to dress up as Pilgrims and Indians. My job really is the bomb for someone who refuses to leave childhood school parties alone and only for ages 2-9.

As Christmas draws near, I am becoming super antsy in the pantsy with wanting to buy gifts. If anyone knows me, they know I LOVE TO BUY THINGS. And I especially LOVE to give gifts and see the looks on peoples faces when they receive them. I suppose since that's part of the whole Christmas deal, I get a golden star on that one. Don't fret if you were wanting to suggest Walmart layaway. I hit them up this week and beat you to it! Ha! It's literally like a euphoric high when I get to buy things. Or even witness people buying things. I am a big fan of giving my opinion. And if it helps you out then perfect for both of us!

This month is also Scott's birth month. Last year I threw him a surprise Batman party. Complete with masks and batarangs galore. It was awesome. This year I am at odds on what to do. For one, He may not even be here for his birthday. With how hectic his work schedule is he could be from Arkansas to Washington. For two, HOW exactly do you top a super hero party extravaganza? Any advice or suggestions would be awesome. Anyways, I better get off this thing and get back to online Christmas shopping!

Til next time! Laters baby.

It's just!

Hello!

It has been the usual chaotic non-stopness that is my life lately so here is a little 411.

After very LONG talks the hubby and I decided not to build. I am such a paranoid person about all of this and constantly fret over money and well life in general so we figured it would be easier to buy.

I am seriously having nightmares over it. I spend hours staring down at houses online and emailed realtors and it seems like no matter what, there is always something that sticks out bad. Like it is literally stabbing me in my eyeball "Hey look at me! I am something that annoys you!" Goodness.

We've also been dabbling in the whole "let's have a baby" thing. Which is cool and all but let's be honest. Pregnancy is not fun and it weirds me out. There are very few photos of me when I was carrying Emily because I looked like a beached whale. I figured now is a good time since I am still young and somewhat fit to knock another one out and then have the mommy makeover my poor stomach desperately needs. Since my skin is already in stretched out mode, it seems now is the most opportune time. Then all I have to do is get over my irrational fear that if I have a tummy tuck, I will get a blood clot and die. Sometimes this paranoia becomes suffocating. Luckily I am blessed to have an awesome husband who understands it and doesn't mind it.

Also, when we buy a house, I want to have chickens. Not like an entire group of them, just one or two. Scott thinks I am insane since I have an irrational fear of chickens. I just think it would be neat. Free eggs too. We shall see. A Llama however if definitely out of the question which was shot down so fast I did not even have a chance to explain my stance. Oh well.

I am thinking of becoming a part time Yahoo questions answerer. I answered one guys question and told him I knew the answer because I was from medieval times and he believed me! Success.

Today is also my BEST FRIEND IN THE ENTIRE WORLD's birthday. Just so you know.

See ya!

ch ch changes yeahhhh

Well hello there!!

There's been some fun and exciting news going on!

No babies! Calm it down!

However we have decided to start making the big jump to being home owners! I know, I know. We've had such a pleasant experience with our rental property why would we ever want to leave? *cough sarcasm cough*.

We cannot wait to begin this adventure. I am basically glued to houzz.com and of course the always faithful pinterest. As of this moment, we have decided to build. However, should something come up that was too good to pass we may just buy. Either way, taking this step is going to be exciting! And I cannot wait to unleash my inner craft goddess and paint up some walls.

We met with Emily's teacher yesterday for the first parent/teacher conference. Emily is doing wonderfully in school! Her teacher said there are times when she just announces how much she loves school. That was a huge relief since I was a giant wreck over her first day. Okay, I will admit, the entire first week. She is very meticulous about her coloring and writing. Everything has to be perfected and orderly. I wonder where she got this from??? Hehehe.

Scott is in Baton Rouge for the next week so my weekend project is to finish the Cowboys wreath I started on and hit up Hobby Lobby for a few hours. Yes, I can spend hours in Hobby Lobby. I have been told to leave because they were closing before. Haters. There needs to be a 24 hour hobby store because sometimes the best ideas hit you at 2 in the morning. I've been slacking on my wedding scrapbooks also. Yes that was plural. Don't judge me.

I am looking forward to Halloween this year. Emily will be Poison Ivy, I am Catwoman, and Scott is Batman. I know. Talk about a "super" awesome family! Ah ha! I also cannot wait for Thanksgiving and Christmas too. Friends and family are the best ways to spend them :)

Well, fingers crossed I will have some GREAT news about what direction we will be heading in the next few weeks!

Bye!

Just keep swimming

Well hello/goodbye already to September.

It has been quite the whirlwind month! Between school, dance classes, work, and life it has been sometime!

Lately we've been having the huge stress of Scott's job. Whether he is traveling far away or not at all it seems it's one thing after another and is really testing our patience. We are keeping the faith and our heads held high so we can push on through. Eventually everything will even out.

Emily started dance for her second year in a row! She informed me that jazz is the coolest thing in the world and that is all she wants to do now. Constantly breaking it down and busting out her moves. Regardless if we are in line at the grocery store or not. The other day, I asked her how school was going and if she had any friends. She replied "Yes Mom, I have a lot of friends. I had to cut it off though because I could only handle so much." Oh, ok Emily. Who knew having a lot of friends would be so exhausting to a 5 year old! She also walks in by herself which was a bit heart breaking at first but now she requests it. *Sigh* I suppose I will let her win this one.

Yesterday I had an eventful time dropping Scott off with his work buddy. We met at the Walmart in Vidor so his friend could get the tire changed on his truck. I had to use the bathroom since I always do at the most inopportune times. When I walked in, it was dead silent. Weirdest thing ever. Went to the bathroom, and while washing my hands this woman comes in. She looks at me then proceeds to go to a stall and begin crying her eyes out. While on the toilet. I was in shock so I slipped out quietly. Since if you're gonna cry in a public bathroom, I will do whatever I can to make sure it's as private as I can....I suppose? Anyways, while walking to the front of the store to leave, everyone was up by the doors standing around and talking. So, being the ever curious/creeper person I am, I asked what was going on. Apparently some chick grabbed a bunch of beer/cigs/whatever and booked it across the parking lot with two Walmart employees chasing after her to the Jack in the Box across the street. "Oh" I said. Then exited as quickly as possible. That Walmart deserves it's own soap opera. I am not even kidding nor could I have made that up.

Scott is away in a town outside of Baton Rouge for the week so it looks like it'll just be Emily and I hanging out and doing some crafts! Til next time! <3

First week average.

PHEWWWWWWWW!!!!!!

The first week has FINALLY come to a close.

Needless to say it was pretty exciting/challenging/nerve wrecking.

I believe that between the allergy situation with Emily and the way a certain teacher treated Scott, so far I am still on the fence about how I feel towards her new school. A plus side is they have won many academic awards. Which is great for someone like me who believes in education being key to success. However they are not the cuddly type I would have wished for Emily's first public school experience. 

First day was pretty uneventful. Then came Tuesday.......and one of the biggest scares of my life. Emily's allergy is very severe to peanuts and the YMCA thought we had a close call. Thursday Scott was spoken to very rudely by a teacher when dropping Emily off for the first time at school. Friday was pretty low key except that Emily started crying after school because she thought we were coming to get her early since Scott had lunch with her that day.

I rate this week a 5. In the middle. Not great but not super bad.

However, in the silver lining of it all I have decided to go full force with bringing more awareness to peanut allergies and how serious they really are. It has been eye opening to understand what companies are allergy friendly and which ones aren't. Canada mainly operates the best factories when it comes to cross contamination and have set up separate facilities!

This week has also shown me how lucky I am to have such great family and friends to lean on when I was at my wits end with all this madness! It was one of the most hectic weeks of my life and without the help of Scott and everyone who cared and gave advice I would have lost it  and probably been banned. So thank you :)

Can't wait for week two! I say that optimisticly (I don't care if it's not a word, I like it.)

In other news, it's a Saturday and we were woken up by not only our internal alarm clocks but the awesome construction workers outside. YAY!

Happy weekend :)

Sorry for the hiatus..

Wow!!! It's been an entire month since I last posted a blog!

Let me tell you what! Not much has changed :) but with the craziness that comes along with a traveling husband and my everyday life I will gladly take 1 calm month out of the 12!

For starters, Scott has been able to work in town for the past few weeks (yay!!) and that has taken a huge stress off of both of us! Plus it's been pretty nice getting to see my sweet hubby every single day. Emily has enjoyed all the extra family time we've been able to have also!

Last weekend (8-18/8-20) we flew up to Kansas to celebrate Scott's father's 80th birthday!! I know, 80 years old and you could never tell! It was Emily's first time to EVER fly in a plane! Of course she did perfect. Laughing through the intense turbulence we had on the way there and taking pictures of everything with her iPod. When we arrived there, Kansas was having some wonderful weather. One thing I love so much about Kansas is that you can breathe. Coming from an area where we have about 9 refineries within 10 miles you would understand. It's beautiful where Scott grew up and so clean! We ate dinner at a really cool Pizza place, had ice cream with two great friends and called it a night! The next day we had breakfast with Ray and Morgan (the two great friends :)) and then it was time for Poppa B to get Emily something pink!! This seems to be a tradition... By 2 o'clock it was 2 hours until the party and we got ready. Honestly, the party was a lot of a blur to me. Emily spent most of her time up at the organ entertaining, while Scott mingled and I hung out. It was so nice to see familiar faces and also meet new ones! Ted (the father) gave a very sweet and heartfelt speech. Kelly (Scott's sister) and Patty (his godmother) got everyone who knew Ted to write him something special and put it together in a huge book! It was very cool looking through everything and seeing what all he had accomplished throughout his life! Afterwards we had a small family party at the house with our gifts and had a blast laughing and talking. Emily and I are very blessed to be a part of such a wonderful family :)

The next morning we flew out at 6 a.m. which was not fun at all. Who knew those random little sandwich stations throughout the airport would have such awesome breakfast deals ;)

Now to Emily news...

My Emily is in Kindergarten. I know. I can't believe it either but apparently somewhere along the way she grew up. I don't know who made it happen this quick but I would like to have a word with them...jeez.

Last night she was fine and dandy. Even told me to make sure not to embarrass her too much today. I conceded and agreed. However this morning she was a little nervous. She kept saying her legs wouldn't stop shaking. I asked her if she was worried or cold and she replied "nope. sometimes these things happen to me mom." alrighty then Emily.

I left her classroom this morning with her looking around and taking everything in. Walking down the hall back to the car felt like it took AGES. Everything kinda slowed down and I felt like a part of my heart missing. I am not even a stay at home mom and Emily has been in child care since she was 5 weeks old, but this was real. She HAS to go here every day unless it's a holiday. No more surprise lunch visits when Scott is off or days with her Aunt Nana (Emily's godmother) no, this is it.

Luckily, I got most of my crying out last night while staring at the computer screen tracking the tropical storm and grazing pinterest. I know. Too cool for words right?

Well, I will have an update at the end of the week. Til next time friends!

I mean....

 Hello! Sorry I took a hiatus. :(

Needed to catch up on some things and now that I am hello again!

I Had quite an eventful morning. While getting ready for work I kept noticing my lights dimming down every time the workers building the homes behind our house would use their tools, I thought this was weird so I opened my back door to check it out. Turns out they had ALL of their tools plugged into my outlets that are on the outside. I was LIVID and completely shocked!

Scott and I had just talked about how for some reason our electric bill was sky rocketing and we were spending WAY less time at home. Especially since almost every weekend he works out of town and Emmy and I drive out there....

So I looked at the worker and asked "Are you serious?" He pulled the tools out of the wall to which his boss decided to come down off of MY back porch. Turns out they were cutting down my back porch to make room for the new home. How lovely. Anyways, he popped of to me about having permission to use the outlets for work. I said you can't be serious, seeing as how I haven't seen you paying my electric bill. He called the landlord and promptly moved his tools to my neighbors house. Who also happens to be the landlords sister AND still gets to keep her backyard. hmph.

This is the SECOND time I have caught them doing this so no telling how long they have been using my electricity. I also had a run in with them this past weekend since they decided to start work at 630....in the morning....on a SATURDAY. I can only imagine how scary I was with my hair in a bun on my head, sleep pants and a t-shirt, flip flops, and NO makeup. Pretty sure that's not what they wanted to see. Oh well.

I am SO ready to be a home owner and have some type of say in what goes on around me. sheeeeeeesh.

On another note, I am now officially a top rated seller on eBay. Thank you, thank you. I sold off one of my precious Coach purses. I get all nostalgic when I think about where my goods go to. I even thought emailing the girl who bought it. Just to make sure the purse was doing ok. I know it is an inanimate object. But I have a special bond with purses. No one can understand obviously.

So this weekend Emily and I will be driving out to see Scott in Baton Rouge again. I enjoy these trips with her. She is such a little lady. At times..... heh. She cracked my dad up yesterday. He enjoys watching Fox news at 5 and told Emily that when 5 o'clock came around he would be changing the TV. Well, he fell asleep. So Emily took matters into her own hands and put the TV on Fox, climbed up into Dads lap, and woke him up. At exactly 5 o'clock. Smart little thing :)

We are going to hit up the Mall of Louisiana again because I am slightly obsessed with it. I just love the smell of stores..and shopping... firm believer in retail therapy here.

Well, that is all for my little update. I will post some more awesome pictures and another blog next week!! Hope everyone has a safe weekend!

One of those days

I am definitely having one of those funky days.

You know, the ones when you type out words the way they sound and not the way they are spelled. Yup, one of those. So if anything looks scattered please forgive me. :)

My birthday is this Thursday. I will be 25. The big 2-5. The official quarter life number.

It kind of sneaked up on me this year. One minute I was just grooving along still thinking I was 20 then BAM. You're now 25. Most people don't use this number in age to reflect on life. However, I am not most people, so I will.

The past 25 years have been....unique. To say the least. My childhood was awesome. I miss nap time daily. And climbing trees. It's just not hip when you look like a creeper. I've got a handful of good, amazing, friends. Some of them came along for the ride. And I appreciate it. The rest jumped on at different stages.

That's how I see life. Everyone has their own private crazy train. It's just up to you on how crazy you make it.

Back to reflecting. The teen years were intense and the beginning adulthood stage was thrown at me with becoming a parent. That part right there was the highlight of the past 25 years. My daughter. I remember the first time I saw her. She had a beautiful glow around her. I don't care what anyone says. She glowed. And I knew that my life was now for her.

The few years after that were filled with the usual. Mom time, school, work, etc. I had a few ugly bumps in the road but braved through it all. Especially since I had family with me through the rough parts. That also includes my friend family :)

Then, at 23 I met the amazing man I now call my husband. It started out as an innocent friendship with this funny guy from Kansas and bloomed into the most amazing love story ever. He is my soul mate and the most wonderful father. I am so honored and blessed to be his wife. 

 As I near 25, I can proudly look back and say I am happy where I am.

Now on to the next 75 :)

Vacay

This past weekend was definitely one for the memory books!

Friday after work, I went by Walmart to pick up all the little things I needed to get started on Emily's awesome road trip tackle box. Of course in my excitement of finding the only pink one they had there, I bought the one with no separaters in it :/ Being the one who can usually adapt, I was able to solve this crisis by placing small bowls in the box instead of fighting Walmart crowds to exchange it.

Meagan- 1/2 Walmart- 1/2 (I can't take full credit. Walmart still kinda won)

Later that evening, I went to go see the much talked about movie "Magic Mike" with my two friends Brooke and Breann. Of course I went to see what the hype was about....and watch some guys prance around  shaking their money makers for once. I did not expect to be completely let down and wishing I was at home scrapbooking. This was by far the worst movie I have ever seen in my life. I mean Crossroads with B Spears would have won an Oscar if it went against this movie. No plot line and a lot of empty space. This made Scott laugh when I was explaining it to him since he hates Channing Tatum as an actor. Whatevs.

Saturday I woke up at 6:45. I don't even do this on a work day so you can clearly tell I was somewhat excited to drive and see my hubby! Emily was marvelous as always when something cool is going on and helped finish packing and got her "travel tackle box" ready in a snap! The night before Scott and I were joking that I would endure a rain storm on the way out. Little did I know it would completely jinx us and I would! I felt like I was driving in a hurricane. Emmy and I stopped in Sulphur and Lake Charles to wait for the rains to die down. After another two hours of "Are we there yet?" and blasting Michael Buble' and Beyonce', we made it to Baton Rouge. First stop on the list, The Louisiana Arts and Science Museum. Scott was still at work when we got in so I figured we would make the best of our time! I was very impressed with the spaces they created for children! They had two separate work areas for them and all the people working were incredibly nice and helpful. Once we got some play time out of our system it was on to the Planetarium to watch "Weather in Space". Emily thought we were spinning around the whole time and didn't understand why we weren't being hit by the rocks coming at us. I have to applaud the museum. They made our few hours left until Scott got off work well worth it and enjoyable! Plus I wasn't sweating...I like that.

When Scott was off from work we met at the hotel and I immediately went to smashing things into my smash book. I am a sucker for anything that has to do with scrapbooking and made use of my time while he was in the shower :) We ended up eating at this really good Cajun place called The Chimes East. Very happy with the food and service. Then it was back to the room for some much needed family time!

Sunday morning I got up and went to the bathroom. I know it is personal but keep reading and you will see why I needed to add that information. Emily was still in her bed sleeping and Scott had left for work around 4:30 in the morning. I am the only one awake in what I thought was my own private room. As I am sitting there I hear voices from the room and Emily screaming. I lean over to my left and there is a woman standing with my door open asking if I am leaving at 11 or staying. At first I just stared because I was like I said, in the bathroom, and this was MY room. I screamed at her I was leaving at 11 and to get out. She never knocked or anything! Just opened the door to my room and demanded answers. This momma was one hot headed lady now. Not only was my privacy intruded on but they scared Emily awake. I've stayed at many hotels in my life but I have never had someone just walk in before. Usually they knock several times and announce themselves before they enter. I had left the door open since it was MY room and that's how I heard them talking and Emily screaming. We got dressed and packed quickly and I marched myself down to the front desk in a fit of furry. The hotel manager was incredibly nice and understanding. He got onto them at once and apologized profusely. I was satisfied and Emily was calm so we headed out to our next adventure.

Breakfast was on my mind since we weren't able to eat the complimentary one so Cracker Barrel it was. Once that was all said and done with, we headed out to the "Big Ship" as Emily called it; the rest of us adults refer to it as the USS Kidd. A military war vessel that was now retired and a museum. Emily was one happy camper during the tour. I was a nervous wreck being as there were wasps everywhere and I am positive I start the melting process as soon as the sun hits me. We did the tour in about 20 mins and went back inside to the rest of the museum. It was lovely and interesting to read about all the men and women who fought from that area. I always see the Texas side of things so it was refreshing and new to read the Louisiana ones. We ended up walking and doing a mini tour of downtown since a train blocked our crossing to the car. So much sweat. However, Emily got some awesome model shots done. Then it was time for cupcakes, gossip, and before we knew it dinner with Scott. Of course we ate at Olive Garden. I was too exhausted to try to research any other place. The time just flew by during that and we were on the road home.

The trip was much needed for not only Emily and I, but for Scott. These times that he is away for work make it hard when he misses out on things. I would totally do this again if he happens to be working close by and we can afford it, of course. Only thing different is probably locking that top lock on the hotel door. Just in case ;)

Here are some pics!

Meg

Emily and I are awesome ;)

Off topic. This was my daughter and I last night playing around until bedtime. She is my mini-me for sure <3

Lottery

So, last night I played the lottery. I have played once before and had no such luck. However, yesterday I really felt like lady luck was on my side.

I played the pick 3 and not even one number I had was correct.

It seems lately that is how my everyday life has been. A luck of the draw so to speak and luck hasn't been taking too kindly to my side. Whether it is with money issues, or life in general, I seem to always fall short.

It is during times like this that I begin to ask the proverbial question, "Why?" I do nice things for others, I give when I can afford to give and I am always trying to look out for the ones I love. But I suppose that is not enough is it? When do I get my break and get to enjoy life? I have been mulling over this for some time and I can't seem to find an answer.

At one point in time I was actually considering changing who I am as a person. You can only be put down so many times before you decide to just "join" them. But I was quickly shaken awake and away from that notion. So I figured, might as well make the best with what we've got and be thankful. We have a  home, my personal life is loving and honest, my daughter is one of the funniest, sweetest, most talented little 5 year old I have ever known, and my family takes on a whole new meaning to the phrase "blood is thicker than water", and God has blessed me with being healthy and alive. So things are good.

When I do think back to time when I was taken advantage of I start to break it down to see where I went wrong. For example: my wedding decorations. I decided to have a year long engagement so I could relax and have no worries in the world. Boy was I wrong. This decision led to me being charged outrageous amounts for the simple things I wanted and the week before being shown the complete opposite of what I had decided on. Talk about stress!! Then to find out I could have bought ALL of it myself and in time done it for way cheaper? I was one upset bride. The day before the wedding I was even making extra center pieces with my son-to-be mother-in-law! Moral of the story, I should have sat down, done a better budget, and really took the time to decide, instead of getting caught up in the wedding atmosphere and paying out in the end. The place I went wrong was jumping at the first chance to have someone else do the worrying for me. When I am the type who feels no one can see what is in my head but me ;) 

My wedding was still gorgeous however :) Especially since I married the best man alive!

In closing, I want to know opinions and ways that you've gotten through hard and trying times. Everyone has that day when things couldn't get worse, then they do, and you're stuck kicking a brick wall. So how do you manage? What do you consider your "winning strategy" to be?

 Until the next time! Meg.

Hurrications

It would make sense now that everything is running smoothly in our life that an impending storm would be coming.

And my parents bought new furniture. Which in our family means even more of a reason for a storm to hit. We tend to not have good luck with purchasing nice, new things and then having to either ruin them or they get messed up :/

Take Rita for example. The one time my grandmother buys herself a new car. A week later we evacuate and she has to load it down with all her treasures and her sweet puppies. That also meant when we didn't go far enough, that branches and rocks would be slammed up against her nice new paint. With Ike, I had started a new job and paid off some debt. Feeling pretty good with a small savings. That was non-existent once the evacuation was said and done. Of course because I was sad and had to buy everything. Like Katy Perry's cd to bring my mood up and a trip to the Fort Worth Zoo.

So now we face yet another possible evacuation. Or as I like to call them "Hurrications". We plan on making the most of ours and visit Scott's Dad in Kansas since we can't be there for his birthday celebration in August and spending time with Scott's friends. 

For those who don't know, I am a recreational meteorologist. And I have predicted (almost) every hurricane that has hit us. If this one isn't the big "doozy" be prepared no matter what. Hurricanes are no joke. And even if staying behind worked once or twice before it might not always!

So last night, my best friend, her husband, Scott, and I decided to prove to ourselves that we aren't getting older and attempted to go out. We hit up this place called Good Times and I immediately felt off. It was a supposed Karaoke bar and all that was there was UFC wannabees and no empty seats to even try and fit in. We bailed. Next attempt, Dylan's. The place I used to work at and also where I met my loving husband :). We didn't even get inside. Or park for that much. Finally we rested at our final "party" place. Chili's. We ended up painting this bar and grill red let me tell you. We ate some appetizers, drank a few drinks, then proceeded to go home and pass out.

Point proven. We are getting older.

Well, I wouldn't say getting older. More like becoming wiser. Do we like to have a good time still? Yes. However, our version of a good time is no longer the usual get drunk and yell a lot. It's being with the people we love and enjoy the most. I do like to shake my thang from time to time. Just not every weekend. Gotta keep it on lock ya know. Since my moves can be blinding. Heh.

At the end of the night, we had fun with good friends and were able to still remember it. And that's what counts. Especially since like I said my biggest fear is not remembering. I don't know when you're able to tell you've grown up or whatever. But I think ours was last night. And I am ok with that.

What are some ideas of a good time to you?

Mull it over and get back to me. While you do that I will be pleasantly reading my nook, or surfing the web. Inside with no make-up on and in my pj's. And for now, that's my idea of a good time :)

Til next blog friends. Meteorologist Meg.

End of the week

I don't know about you guys. But boy am I glad this week is coming to a close.

I think Emily felt the same way this morning when she explained that "her legs hurt to walk so she is just gonna stay in bed." I informed her that wouldn't happen since we have a busy day like we do every day and she responded by offering an invitation to get back in bed and cuddle.

Not going to lie I considered it.

But the adult (meh) part of me snapped everything back into shape and off we went. And on time at that! (hiya!)-generic ninja voice.

Lately I have been having the worst time sleeping. I am not sure if it's stress/RLS induced or the simple fact that I love to stare at the Weather Channel for hours and hours on end. Other times I lay in bed waiting to sleep and just like that meme my brain starts being all "know what we haven't thought of in awhile. Everything that scares you". Either way sleep and I have been missing each others company lately and it needs to stop. I really should put this unique talent of non-sleeping to something productive. Like making pom poms or learning a new language.

Definitely going to look into the pom pom thing. I don't know when those went out of style but this lady is bringing them back. Oh and the scrunchie.  Not slap-band bracelets though. I always felt like I was being disciplined when I slapped it on and decided it wasn't worth that stingy pain.

Isn't it weird how when you grow up everything you thought was awesome when you were a kid is no longer cool. Like baseball cards in the tires of your bike. Why did I think that was cool. I will never know.


What do you usually do when you can't sleep?


I would love some comments or tips :)

Thank you!

The first day of posting my new blog has been a success!! (Well to me at least)

I have a lot of fun ideas to keep this ball rolling and really hope to continue to entertain and help bring some smiles (or laughs) to you daily/weekly.

Please feel free to leave comments whenever you want to! Whether you're saying "Hey great job!" or would like to ask my opinion on a subject I look forward to responding and having a great time here.

***I will be moving to my own hosting site within the week so keep updated and I will post the new link***

I know most people reading this already know who I am and what my world consists of but for those who don't here are some images of my life :)

first blog!

Well, here goes nothing I suppose.

I get told all the time that I have an awesome sense of humor and how my views on life can make even the saddest person happy. So I figured why not start a blog! Seeing as how I am deathly afraid of growing old and having alzeimer's disease I might as well start now while I am fresh and not senile. Well, at least while I am fresh :)

So this past week was quite a busy one in the humble abode. We had recital madness. Which in itself should be a national week off like spring break is since you never have enough time to get what you need done. EVER. I kept my cool so that I didn't disrupt my little princess with all her lovely dance routines and her ever changing outlook on if she did or didn't want to continue with dance. On the last night everything had been going flawlessly until somehow....somewhere.....someone....some child....began acting out and whining. Then I realized it was my kid. And that was when cool and calm momma snapped. I refuse to have a brat. And I refuse to allow people to think I have a brat. So I calmly let her know that if she so much as made the smallest sound she wouldn't have to worry about what her make up looked like on stage for much longer because we were leaving. Good to know she understood and that crisis was averted. And I realized my limit was reached with recital. She finished marvelously.

The weekend was something I looked forward to all week. Seems to be a trend however. I need to win the lottery or find out a 3rd cousin down the line left me their summer home in the hamptons. I digress. We can dream eh? Anywho we had made plans to sell my old laptop to a woman in exchange for the iPhone 4 she had which she claimed she didn't need. Everything went smooth until we realized it was a stolen iPhone. A STOLEN PHONE. I mean are you kidding me. Of course my husband and I did the right thing and called the owner of the phone to let them know but now I have to live with the feeling of knowing someone who didn't deserve it has my very first laptop I ever owned/bought/loved.

Don't get me wrong. I  know it's materialistic. But it leaves a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when you get duped then realize ahhhhh should have known. She didn't have a charger with the phone, it was dirty, never trust people, etc.

So now I get to have the oh so fun time of filing charges and what not. Either way justice will be served. I need to see this is as more of maybe Karma is a raging biotch and is using me to bring these dirty people down. I like to think of myself from time to time as a Karma super hero. Too bad you don't get paid to do it. However justice will be served. Or something like that.

I think personally I should find out where she lives and blare the power rangers theme song all hours of the day/night until she is driven insane and concedes to me. I don't want to fight. I just think my version of "chinese water torture" is less droning. Very few people hate that song. And if she does then I will already have an awesome theme song playing when she comes out in a fit of rage and I whoop up Chuck Norris style. At least that's what goes down in my head with all those pointless never going to happen scenarios.

Once it's all said and done another update will be posted. I look forward to doing this. Even if I am the only one who reads it :)

Now I bid you farewell.