CURTIS CHICKS

things have changed

2010-10-05T13:39:00.000-07:00

LAST YEAR:

THIS YEAR

Waters (Melissa) First Family Photo

2009-11-20T13:30:00.000-08:00

Emma Jean Waters

Parents: Melissa (my little sister) and Clint Waters

Born: 4:13 am, Friday November 20, 2009

8lbs 7oz

20 in

Memories

2009-07-20T10:10:00.001-07:00

My sister, Becky and her husband Chad went through Snowflake. She sent me some pictures and man did it bring back memories!!

Eds Market:

We lived 3 blocks away. This is where my brother spent all of his quarters in the arcade games and I would ride my bike to spend all my money. It didn't look like this when we lived there!

The Church with the green roof

Who knows why they made it green? But this is where I spent 3 hours out of every Sunday then would race my brothers home. That is until Tyler got mad and pushed me down in the parking lot and scarred my knees for life :)

The Little League Field:

Man we spent SO much time here during the summers! Between my mom announcing, my brothers playing and me in the concession stand!! THIS was my summer

Pioneer Park:

We'd go here to play, it was a quick walk or even quick bike trip. Here's where we'd spend "Thursday Night in the Park" (I think it was Thursday lol) on our lawn chairs (or our case blankets) watching people from around town show off all their talent.

Last but not least my house:

I barely recognize it anymore but I'm glad its at least standing. Far left hand side behind the lilac bush is my bedroom window. Ahhh the memories ... :)

GUESS WHAT?!

2009-07-13T06:46:00.000-07:00

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I am NOT pregnant ... LOL!

Moving on .... the company I work for has an amazing website called www.redplum.com. If you haven't checked it out I suggest you do! Its an amazing place to find awesome deals on EVERYTHING. We're talking groceries to vacations. Oh and if you live in a state where they have "coupon sense" then you BETTER know about this site. I work for Valassis ... the company that puts all those awesome coupons in your mailbox and your newspaper. Well now we can put them in your inbox or you can just go online.

I have been chosen to represent Texas on the "Redplum Pit Crew". Basically its my job to not only promote the website and drive traffic there, but also let everyone know about the amazing deals and contests. Now these aren't just regular contests where you fill out a ballot and you win something. Now we have those also, but this contest I'm talking about its actually fun and you can win awesome prizes. Back in January they asked for the best ideas for Valentine's Gifts. Then it was your best idea for a superbowl party spending only $43. Anyone can enter, then they pick a certain amount of finalists and post them on the website. Then its up to the public to decide who wins.

Well its that time again. This time the contest is all about summer and cooking out. We're asking for your most delicious rub or marinade recipe. Recipes must be able to be made in under 10 minutes. Send your submissions to corporatecommunications@valassis.com by this Friday the 17th. Three winners will be announced the week of July 27th and receive a $50 Omaha Steaks gift certificate.

If you don't want to enter, that's fine. Just send the recipe to me, I'll enter it and then when I win I'll send you a PICTURE of the gift certificate ... haha!

Seriously though, check out www.redplum.com. It is an amazing website and it helps me out. Definitely enter the contest if you have a good recipe!!

Where have I been?

2009-06-12T11:41:00.003-07:00

I'm around, just haven't posted in FOREVER. Leaving in a few hours for that WONDERFUL drive to Arizona!

Only GOOD part is I get to bring Ayanna home YAY!

oh and Eric will be meeting the family ... dun dun dun.....

New Site

2009-05-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

I've started listing my jewelry on another site in addition to my blog. Click here to see my page!

I miss this kid!

2009-05-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

Ayanna has been in Safford with my mom since right after Christmas. She was having trouble in school and we thought a new environment would help. Its definitely helped her grades but I cannot WAIT until she comes home in June! I miss you!

Franklin Dos

2009-05-05T15:26:00.001-07:00

Since we never found Franklin, Eric felt bad and promised Ashlee he'd get her a turtle. On Sunday she collected on that promise.

I don't think she believes he's really going to get it.

She got so dressed up and all ....

Ashlee strikes a "sexy pose"

This time on the car .... (don't ask me)

Gangsta's outside PetsMart (that's how we roll)

"No Eric pose sexy" ...

Buying "Franklin Dos"

Eric had no idea how expensive a turtle can be ... lol

Oh yeah ... don't forget the turtle ...

So excited

Franklin Dos in his box

Close-Up

Setting up his new home:

He likes it

Ashlee "playing" with Franklin .... lol

I finally did it!

2009-04-30T17:57:00.001-07:00

So I finally made a blog specifically for my jewelry. Check it out and place an order for Mother's Day or your Mom's B'day or heck even one for yourself!!

Quick Update

2009-04-27T19:50:00.003-07:00

I forgot to mention Franklin .... was never found. He was last seen wearing red Nikes.

My Ring

2009-04-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

Has been found!. Thanks for all of those that prayed for me ..... lol!!!

More Jewelry

2009-04-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

Pink & Black Bracelet

Green Necklace

Blue & Yellow Necklace & Bracelet

Close-up of the bracelet

My Ring

2009-04-25T16:56:00.001-07:00

Is missing ... please pray for me!

Black & gold

2009-04-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

GREEN

2009-04-25T12:15:00.001-07:00

BLUE

2009-04-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

Little Girl's Red

2009-04-20T12:51:00.001-07:00

Turquoise with Silver Butterflies

2009-04-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

Road Trip

2009-04-20T09:23:00.001-07:00

On Sunday we drove to Trinity to visit Eric's Grandma. Its about an hour drive and out in the country. Reminded me of home! Ashlee went with Eric to his sister's house real quick and she found a turtle by the graveyard and named it Franklin. They let it go and then I told her she could have kept it so she insisted we go try to find him.

Eric Driving:

Ashlee Sleeping:

The country!

Eric and MiMa:

Ashlee playing on the Go Cart.... yes she's wearing a crown.

My niece Tamaya - look at those dimples!

Ashlee & Tamaya

Eric's Dad's headstone:

Looking for Franklin:

Ready to go home!

It was nice to get out of the city and it was such a beautiful day.

White girl + too much sun =

More Jewelery - place your custom Mother's Day order now!

2009-04-17T08:58:00.001-07:00

Yellow & silver necklace w/earrings

Sea blue & silver, necklace, dangle bracelet & earrings

Clear & silver necklace & bracelet

Purple & Black

2009-04-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

I really need to get a better camera. I just take these with my phone and they look SO much better in person!!

Sell my jewelry? -- Need your feedback please!!

2009-04-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

I'm contemplating creating a website to sell my jewelry. Just curious what your thoughts are.

Would you buy it? Is it good enough to sell?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Frosted Blue & white with silver.

2009-04-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

Green, Clear & Black with Silver Butterflies

2009-04-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

Necklace, Cuff bracelet & earrings

Family Affair

2009-04-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

Even Eric's son EJ got in on the fun. We don't get to see him as much as we'd like to so when we do we try to have lots of fun. Eric helped EJ make a necklace for his mom.

Sea Blue, Clear, Black & Silver

2009-04-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

More Jewelry

2009-04-04T20:40:00.001-07:00

Black stones with a black teardrop medallion:

Silver circles with frosted pastel color beads with white frosted bead earrings:

Black and silver choker:

Different shades of brown with matching earrings:

Black and gunmetal gray:

The perfect gift

2009-04-01T07:53:00.001-07:00

I have a 2nd job with a toy store and I saw this the other day. It made me laugh so hard I had to share it with the 2 people that read my blog.

This pictures kind of hard to make out but basically its this frog that you put in a glass of water and it magically turns into a prince. Then you put in fresh water and the prince grows over the next few days.

Purple Jewelry ... or ... I don't think anyone reads my blog anymore

2009-04-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

I made this last night, I think its pretty. Purple is my favorite color.

I don't think anyone reads my blog anymore.

Is there anything I CAN'T do?!

2009-03-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

So these are my newest creations this weekend. Ok so the top one was made by the love of my life, Mr. Eric LaRone Holley. But that's ok I'll take the credit for it.

My sister said I have too much time on my hands. I think she needs to put down the Haterade!

Bunny Bags

2009-03-27T14:20:00.001-07:00

Saw this online and thought it was SO CUTE! I'm working part time for a toy / craft store so my boss let me make one to put on display. It was SO EASY!!

Cute Crafty Clipboards

2009-03-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

Here's how I spent my weekend. I saw these on a website and saw they were so cute and new I could do them way better than the website. And ya know what?! I was right!

This one is mult-colored. I added a blue flower and butterfly stickers:

This one is girly-girl. Pink and black striped with a pink flower and different colored flowers with gemstones:

This one is multi-colored wiggle stripes with pink, orange, and green ribbon at the top with a bow at the bottom corner:

And Ashlee's favorte: Grey & creme design with black & creme ribbon, bows and rhinestone accents:

I'm going to start selling these also. They can be made like these or custom ordered. I'm thinking around $10 a piece. Or I can do the smaller 6 x 9 clipboards for probably around $7.

Whatcha think?

A LITTLE BLING GOES A LONG WAY

2009-03-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

Ugly green & Orange Vase: FREE via www.freecycle.comBlack Spray Paint: 96cents at Walmart"Bling": $3 at JoAnn's (I didn't even use half the bag)The vase modeling with the pillows: PRICELESS

Free Stuff from Jack in the Box on 3/10

2009-03-06T13:27:00.000-08:00

Go HERE for a free small fry & free small drink on 3/10 from Jack In The Box.

Arby's Coupon

2009-03-05T11:29:00.001-08:00

Go HERE for a cheap dinner from Arby's!

More Martha Stewart Moments

2009-02-28T07:32:00.000-08:00

We had bought a big black sheet to make into a couch cover but it wasn't quite big enough so I decided to use it to make curtains and cover the other 2 pillows. That way we'd have 2 white and 2 black. So we also got some white and black ribbon to go around the black pillows.

And here's what I made:

Here's the curtains hanging. You can't see real well but its the black sheet with white ribbon on the top and bottom, then I put red velvet ribbon on top of that.

Here's a close up of the top:

I bought rhinestones to go on the curtains also, but after putting them together I decided against it, so I blinged out our pillows instead.

I did each one a little differently, spacing the rhinestones out further or doubling them up just to make them all different.

Here they are all together on the ugly green couch that I'm hoping to cover soon:

Then I put them on the mantle for safe keeping until they actually match the couch and they actually look pretty nice up there!

CAN'T BEAT FREE!

2009-02-25T12:27:00.000-08:00

So I've been spending more time on www.redplum.com and I found a bunch of really cool stuff.

Free fondue for 2 from The Melting Pot .. hello?!?! CHOCOLATE!!

Free Sub from Quiznos

Free books from Harlequin ..... LOL .. hey its free!

Anyway ... I was amazed how much I found today when I was bored at work and went HERE. I'm going to be print some coupons tonight and getting free stuff .. WOO HOO

Oh and since the site is owned by my company ... the more people that visit it .. the more secure my job ... SO GO!

FREE PANCAKES AT IHOP TOMORROW!!

2009-02-23T10:40:00.001-08:00

HEY EVERYONE! CHECK OUT WWW.REDPLUM.COM AND FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN GET FREE PANCAKES TOMORROW

YAY!

More projects

2009-02-21T08:37:00.001-08:00

So now that the ottoman is done I have to start making everything else in the room match. My couch and loveseat is dark green with black background. I'm sick of the green and I'm ready for something new so I decided to start with the pillows first.

Before:

After:

I only had enough of the white left over to make 2 pillows so the other 2 will be black with white accents.

Eric even got in on the act, he's making a cover for a table that's going out on the patio:

See my cute sewing machine? I don't know what happened to my big one, but I found this one at walgreens for $20. Not the best but it gets the job done. Next up curtains!!

Our latest project aka we make a good team!

2009-02-16T17:53:00.000-08:00

The other day someone had left a table outside our dumpster. I'm not big on "dumpster diving" but my man talked me into it and we picked it up. It sat in our living room for a few days before we suddenly had an idea to turn it into an ottoman. It was too short to use as anything else so an idea was born. We had a big foam pad we weren't using and had already discussed using it for the patio bar stools so figured we could use some for this too. I forgot to do a before picture but you'll get the idea. First we cut the padding to fit the table and put it on with spray adhesive:

The pad that we cut up had a cover on it, that was in really good shape so I figured I better put my sewing skills to work and make a cover. The cover was white so we decided to make it removable so we could wash it when it gets dirty See I said when not if because I'm a realist.

Then I got out my handy dandy ruler to measure where to sew the trim.

Then it was off to Joann's, we found some really nice black satin covered elastic to go around it to help keep it on, and it was half price .. score!

Don't I look serious? Anywhooo then I made some bows with some more satin ribbon and put it on the corners to snazz it up a bit.

And here we have the finished project:

Since we "found" the table and already had the padding, the whole project cost us $12, plus we had elastic, ribbon, padding and enough of the cover left over to make matching pillows ... BONUS!

My Man's Got Skillzzzzz

2009-02-16T17:48:00.001-08:00

When I moved into my apartment back in August, there was a guy moving out who gave me these bar stools.

They weren't much to look at, but they got the job done. A place to sit when I was out on my back patio .. which I didn't do much until I met Eric. As soon as he saw them he knew just what to do.

It took a lot of sanding

But I think they turned out pretty nice.

Now we're going to make some cushions and they'll be like brand new chairs.

Yeah .. my baby's got SKILLZ YO!

The best Valentine's Day Everrrrrrrr

2009-02-14T10:21:00.001-08:00

Eric

2009-01-08T12:16:00.001-08:00

This is Eric:

Isn't he handsome?

Eric and I have been friends for a few months now. Then I received a HORRIBLE phone call that Eric's mother had passed away on Christmas Day. Because of the kind of person my mother raised me to be I immediately called him up and told him if he needed ANYTHING I would be there. He told me he just needed a hug. So I jumped in my car and I gave him just that. And we've been inseparable ever since.

We had this shirt made in honor of his mother. On the front it says

"In Loving Memory of Alice Johnson January 19, 1959".

And on the back it says

"R.I.P Mom December 25, 2008"

Her favorite color was navy blue.

If you do the math that means this woman was 49 years old when she passed away.

That is way too young!

Luckily I had 8 days off so I was able to be with him everyday. He is the only son so everyone expected him to be the strong one. He is a very strong man but no one should go through something like this alone.

This is us just before the funeral. He is so handsome and even more so in a suit!

This is us after the funeral. Everyone go together at his sister's house and we ended up standing outside playing music way too loud and making way too much noise. But it was an amazing experience getting to know his whole family. They made me feel like family, which according to Eric is a miracle in and of itself.

So there you have it, I am defying fate and blogging about my new man. But this time I have no worries, I know he's not going anywhere. He is the most amazing man I have ever met and here's a few reasons why:

#1 - he loves me just as I am

#2 - he thinks I'm the most beautifulest woman on earth

#3 - he cooked me dinner --- yes i said it

#4 - he cleaned my house and refused to let me help -- yup again I said it

#5 - he has an amazing family that he's close to and welcomed me with open arms

#6 - everytime we leave his mom's house to go to my house he makes sure we have take something home to eat for Ashlee

#7 - he has a 4 year old little boy that he is an amazing father to

#8 - he has a heart the size of Texas

#9 - he always tells me whats on his mind and even talks about his feelings (seriously!)

10 - Hes Hawt

And there you have it folks!!

It really is true what they say, its when you stop LOOKING for a man that they find you. And if you don't love yourself first you will never allow someone to love you. So after 6 months of learning to be ok with Amy and learning to love Amy, God brought me Eric and I am happier than I ever imagined possible. We were friends first and it has made a huge difference in our relationship. I think he's a keeper :)

Blast from the past

2008-12-16T20:42:00.000-08:00

A girl I went to high school with posted these on facebook. I HAD to steal them. I was laughing so hard it wasn't even funny. I have tons of pictures from high school, I need to get a scanner so I can pay her back :)

Some of my BFF's from High School

Remind me why we thought these guys were hot again???

Tera Dunaway, Derrick Larson, Dustin (I think), Melissa Larson, can't remember the other 2 .. lol sorry
Graduation, Wendy Hiatt, Jenny, Melissa Larson

Lots of people ... LOL
Alicia Brimhall, Raechel Reidhead, Megan

Jenny, Melissa & Myself -- around 1990 I think

Rachel Lyman, Melissa Larson, Tera Dunaway (on top), Steffanie Rencher (on bottom), me, Jeaninne - JV Cheer, 1989 - 1990

Too many to name, I'm in there and you might recognize a few others. - MORP (I think) 1990

I've been elfed!

2008-12-08T19:37:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

This is too cool

2008-12-02T08:08:00.001-08:00

My Ashlee

2008-11-25T16:32:00.000-08:00

This is my Ashlee.

She is my first born and she is 15 years old.
Ashlee and I are pretty close, we've been through a lot together.
Ashlee was my rock with Butter died.
She went to school the next day and her teacher was shocked to hear she had lost her brother she was so composed and even-tempered.
Ashlee has always been a pretty cool chick.
She has an amazing personality and is a talented artist.
Ashlee can't draw people and that bothers her.
But put Ashlee on the computer and she can make the coolest pictures I've ever seen.
To me that makes her extra special, she could be a graphic artist and work for Disney!!
Then she could fly her mom out to Cali and we could see Mickey together.
Ashlee loves being different and expressing herself.
I love my Ashlee and how much she helps me and cares about others.
She is a good big sister and TRIES to help Ayanna be a better daughter.
This is my Ashlee.

I'm horrible

2008-11-24T08:46:00.000-08:00

At updating my blog :(

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2008-10-31T21:58:00.000-07:00

So, this year for Halloween, Ayanna decided to be a 70's go go girl. We got everything but the boots because .. well .. she's only eleven and I'm not going to buy boots she'll only wear once! At least we got the costume for a fairly good deal at Party City.

Here is the complete outfit. It came with a hat, the dress and a really cute belt that you can't see very well in the picture ... sorry

Of course we love the hat and had to pose with it.
Strike a pose

And a close up of the makeup.
Now for the amazing part. I was doing her makeup when I realized just how LONG and THICK this girl's eyelashes are!! Seriously, once I put mascara on them they looked fake. There are a lot of women that pay good money for lashes like these!
And we can't forget about the lips. This girl has beautiful lips and will never have to get a collagen injection!

MY AYANNA

2008-10-31T07:24:00.000-07:00

This is my Ayanna. She is 11 years old and has the funniest sense of humor of anyone I know. She loves to test me on a daily basis, but is fun to be around.

She loves to dance

She loves to sing

She loves to talk on the phone about "who's hating on who" at school

And she is convinced that everyone is jealous of her.

And who wouldn't be? Look at that smile!

My favorite part of this picture? The scar on her knee. Because it shows she takes after her mother who as my mother told me time and time again "will never be Miss America with knees like that!"

I love my Ayanna

Update ... sorta

2008-10-17T18:32:00.001-07:00

Ok so I promised I'd update. I have nothing new to say.

And that just about updates it.

My Birthday

2008-10-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

So I went out with some friends from work for my birthday. We had a lot of fun but the batteries were dead in my camera so I didn't really get any pictures that turned out. They were all really dark. I did take one when I got home. My friend & Co-Worker Kelli got me a gift that I had to take a picture of .....

Enough said.

I'm a little bit creative

2008-10-03T09:28:00.001-07:00

We're having a baby shower today at work for 2 co workers. Celena had a boy and Jeff's wife is having a girl next week. Here's the diaper cakes I made. I'm kinda proud of myself.

First .. here's one I found on the internet:

And here's my version:

Not too shabby eh??

More birthday goodness

2008-10-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

Like my crown?

Chocolate .. heck yes!!

Poem by Melissa

2008-10-02T18:56:00.001-07:00

Here's a poem my youngest sister, Melissa wrote about my son.

It's pretty amazing.

Baby Butter
Two short months you spent on earth
Our grieving's just begun.

It feels like mere moments since your birth,
But now your work is done.

Too perfect for this world were you,
Life's lessons needn't you face.

Though your death has left us blue,
God needed you in His grace.

It doesn't hardly ever seem real,
Seven years have gone so fast.

But oh how great the joy we'll feel,
To see your smile at last.

So on this troubled earth I'll wait;
And when my time is Nye,
I'll meet you at the Pearly Gates
Never again to say goodbye.

Seven years to the day, my little nephew Vinson Curtis Jr. passed away of a disease called SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). I miss him so much at times it breaks my heart. But I know he's in a better place. Rest in peace Baby Butter. We all love and miss you.

Nothing says "we appreciate you" more than confetti & streamers

2008-10-02T08:35:00.001-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

Not much to say really

2008-10-01T17:03:00.000-07:00

Don't really have much to talk about today. 7 years ago today Butter passed away.

But I know he's in a better place and he's hanging out with Grandma Mac, Gus, Uncle John, Uncle Hy, and my friend Sarah's cousin Shelby. They're having WAY more than than we are!

So I'm fine, I really am. And tomorrow's my birthday ... so we're going to concentrate on that.

SOOOOOO what did you get me??

60% off gift cards thru Tuesday the 30th

2008-09-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

I emailed this to most of my friends and family but in case you didn't get it you can go HERE.

Find gift cards for restaurants and a whole lot of other things. Use the discount code FALL. And get 60% off!

That's a $25 gift card for $4!!!!!

You can't beat that!

I'm sorry!.... NOT!!

2008-09-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

Ok so I got in trouble for my last post. Apparently it hurt someone's feelings. Well here's what I think about that:

Ok so maybe that doesn't make things better. But I could have sworn this was MY blog and I can post what EVER I want!! I mean seriously ..... if you don't like what I have to say DON'T READ IT. This blog isn't for you!! And if you think thats mean well I think:
And to my sister just remember:AND
And now I wonder how long it will be before she gets a phone call and gets cussed out and then she calls me and returns the favor :)

Sorry I'm just:Peace out!!

Happy Birthday to my LITTLE sister!

2008-09-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

I didn't know what to get my sister BECKY . Because she OBVIOUSLY has it all. But I saw this on another friend's blog and thought I would post it for her to steal. I think she'll really like it :)

This one's for you Becka-Sue-Lou-Lou!!

A few pictures of the Ike aftermath

2008-09-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

If you look at one of the posts below you can see pictures of the sky before the storm, probably around 5-6pm that night. Here's a picture of the sky just before it got dark and just before we lost power, around 7-8pm:

Isn't it beautiful? You can't see it but the clouds are moving REALLY fast, it was an amazing site. Who know this would be the sky just hours later:
This was taken out my patio window in my bedroom with my cellphone so its not the best quality and you can't really see the gusting but trust me, it was skeery! Then once the sun came out and the hurricane had all but past we had tons of rain and tons of wind. The drainage ditch for our little area (in the picture above) is RIGHT outside my patio. It was getting clogged up with leaves & tree branches so the girls decided to go out and help clean up. I should get mother of the year award for letting my kids play in the hurricane!!
Of course Ashlee had to give the "thumbs up" sign so Grandma would know we were ok :). Then we decided to take a walk around the complex to see what kind of damage was done. We got lucky and had none but I knew that wouldn't be the case for everyone.

This tree was snapped in half and landed on a person's balcony:
This tree was uprooted and landed on the building. I can only imagine how LOUD that was at 2am!!

Another tree snapped in half, luckily it didn't damage any property just a b*tch to clean up I'm sure!

This is our pool, so much for a pool party for Ayanna's birthday!
anyone for a swim? YUCK!!
So then we decided to drive around a little bit and see what was going on around town. (shhh don't tell the Mayor he said we should all stay home .. SUUUURE).
More snapped trees:

This tree is blocking one of the entrances into work. Darn no work today!

This parking lot was completely flooded in the middle. Notice the "Waterbed" sign ... LOL

This is what's left of a gas station canopy. Its completely turned inside out with the pumps somewhere underneath:

The we come to the lines for gas. Funny thing is, Whataburger opened on Monday and I swear their line was longer than the gas lines. LOL

Then when we got back home we started to settle into what would be our rountine for the next 4 days without power. Spaghettios (out of the can), Checkers & Friends what more could we need?

Monday I finally was able to get to WalMart and get a VERY small charcoal grill and a local grocery store got some fresh meat. We had no ice to keep it cold so we had to eat it that night. Was the best meal EVER after turkey sandwiches!!

So there you have it, straight from the camera of an Ike Survivor :)

Help out Houston - spread the word!!

2008-09-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

Mayor Bill White has established the Houston Ike Relief Fund to aid those affected by Hurricane Ike.

The fund will address the immediate needs of the community, according to a spokeswoman with the mayor’s office.

Money may be used for water, medicine, diapers or something like repairing a hole in a roof.

To make a check donation, send to:

Houston Ike Relief Fund
c/o Greater Houston Community Foundation
4550 Post Oak Place, Suite 100
Houston, TX 77027

Another Update

2008-09-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

So now its Tuesday afternooon. Still No power at home :(

They have power at work so my boss asked whoever could to come in so here I am! I went ahead and came in because we have a huge kitchen with a big screen TV so the kids hit the snack machine and are watching TV.

Still no idea when we'll have power at home but at least its not hot. We've been very blessed with the weather. Its been low 80's with very little humidity getting down to mid 50's at night so we can sleep with all the windows open and actually get a little cold at night. HUGE BLESSING. I can't imagine how horrible it would be if this cold front hadn't come in!! It would be SO humid and SO hot. Literally an inside sauna.

I took pictures mostly with my phone so once i have power at home I will upload them and post all my pictures.

Everyone keeps asking me if its as bad as it looks on TV. YES IT IS!! Acutally if you are IN IT its WORSE.

Just imagine waiting on line for 2 hours just to get a bag of ice, knowing that if you DON'T get it, you have to throw out even MORE food.

Sitting on the highway for 2 hours waiting to get a tank of gas hoping they still have some by the time you get there.

Driving around for hours (burning that precious gas) looking for ice & gas only to have them be OUT by the time you get there.

Cellphone service is spotty at best. So you are glued to your radio and text your friends with ice / gas information.

Is not fun people. Trust me YEAR SUPPLY!!

I really had no idea how much its affected me until about midnight last night an ex-boyfriend dropped by to check on me and see how we were and I had a complete break down. Guess I've been holding it all in to hide it from the kids but yeah ... worst experience of my life.

Once we're out of this and have time to collect myself I'll put together a list of MUST HAVES. And I expect EVERYONE OF YOU to go out and get EVERYTHING on this list!! lol

Update

2008-09-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update as to the happenin's over here. Hurricane Ike was no joke. We have had no power since Friday night at 9pm. We finally went to sleep around midnight. I think we slept thru the worst of the storm. I was woke up at 5am on Saturday when someone called to see how we were.

The kids were asleep so I wandered around the house making sure everything was still standing. The storm was still going full force. Everything was still standing and we were ok. I went into the girls' room to look out their window (Ayanna was sleeping in my bed and Ashlee was on the couch) and the floor next to their exterior wall was soaked. It seems to be seeping up through the foundation. Unfortunately that's where Ashlee keeps ALL her "crap" so I woke them up quickly and we worked on getting it all up and were able to save everything.

We still have no power. Its been 2 1/2 days. NOT FUN. Luckily its still drizzing rain and there's a breeze so we're not terribly hot. Its just boring!! We're currently at a co-worker's house that has power. Thank goodness! I have been fighting a cold and just felt like it was getting worse. That hot shower made a huge difference. The kids have no school until at least Thursday. I'm still waiting for an update at work to see when we go back to work but I'm guessing it will be a few days.

There are currently over TWO MILLION people without power. They are working 24/7 to get them up and running but say it COULD be up to 2 weeks!! We are located by a lot of major business, the mall AND a hospital so I think that's a good sign for us that we'll be have power soon (dunno when SOON is tho!). We have running water (just not hot). We have plenty of bottled water, plenty of canned food and snacks, plus stores are beginning to open up so we can restock as needed. Plus great friends/co workers that let us come over and feed and bathe us when needed :)

When I get power back I'll upload some pictures of the devastation. I'm sure everyone has seen some on the news but it doesn't even compare to being here in person. I've never been through ANYTHING like this before and hope I never have to again. We were so blessed and so lucky to come out as well as we did. So many people lost EVERYTHING!!

Waves in Galveston

2008-09-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

I have nothing better to do so I'll be blogging a lot lol

You can go HERE to see live video of the waves in Galveston.

My trip to Walmart to finish preparing for Hurricane Ike

2008-09-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

So I just went up to WalMart to get some last minute items I had forgotten. Milk, Peanut Butter, Butter and some books to read.

First, here's the sky when I left.

Not too bad, its not as dark as it looks but there's definitely a storm coming. Still just a slight breeze, nothing major. Here's what I saw when I pulled up to Wal Mart's front door.

They've put all their pallets and potting soil bags in front of every entrance, every window, every door. And the parking lot was EMP-TY!

So my only option was to try Target, across the street, I was worried they would be closed but they weren't they were PACKED and here's what I found on the shelves.

No bread (good thing I didn't need any)

No water (nope didn't need that either got some Coke tho lol)

And no flashlights, yup already got that so we're good.

Hope no one procrastinated!!

More tracking

2008-09-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

Here's another good link to track the hurricane. The purple line is the eye of the storm. Its now moved NorthEast which is a good thing for us. We'll now be on the west side of the eye which is where we want to be. If you zoom in on Houston my house sits right were 249 & 1960 meet. If you zoom into the 249 to about the city level you can see 1960, it shows up as "Deco" on the map (no clue what that means lol). I was actually able to zoom all the way in and actually see my apartment .. pretty cool LOL

The latest I've seen/heard is that we'll get about 70mph winds which obviously isn't GOOD but its not as bad as it could be. They say with 70mph winds you'll get almost no structural damage just a lot of debris from anything not secured down.

keep your fingers crossed!

It's time to ....

2008-09-11T17:03:00.000-07:00

Track Ike

2008-09-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

Well Ike is definitely going to hit us, its just a matter of WHEN and how HARD. A lot can happen between now and Friday night/Sat morning when it hits land but everyone agrees we'll definitely get a lot of wind and rain. You can go HERE to track Ike.

They're starting to evacuate the coast cities and so far no evacuations from Houston. Just an FYI unless someone comes to my house and PHYSICALLY removes me, I'm not going anywhere. Trust me its for the best. I can either ride it out in my HOUSE or ride it out in my car STUCK on the freeway. Its already getting crazy around here.

Kroger is by far the cheapest gas and there was a line halfway down the block today. I went to Wal Mart after work to load up on bottled water & canned food and they were ALREADY almost out of water so its just going to get worse.

At work they're flying some of my co-workers to Phoenix because that's our closest hub. Chances are our building will be without power so we'll need people to get our jobs out. I really wish I could go, but I can't leave the girls and my job won't pay for them to fly SOOO we'll be here!!

I'll keep everyone updated. If we lose power I'll have all our cellphones charged and we have plenty of water and batteries and canned food so we'll be fine.

.... And Another one

2008-09-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

Yes my friends it is offically hurricane season. Next hurricane up to bat is IKE ... I swear who picks these names anyway? I'ma google that and find out ... brb....

Ok so APPARENTLY there's a LIST. I knew hurricanes go in Alphabetical order alternating between male and female (and you thought I didn't no nothin). But here's a list for the next few years .. go ahead and file this under "useless information"

Names for Atlantic Basin Tropical Cyclones

2008
Arthur
Bertha
Cristobal
Dolly
Edouard
Fay
Gustav
Hanna
Ike
Josephine
Kyle
Laura
Marco
Nana
Omar
Paloma
Rene
Sally
Teddy
Vicky
Wilfred

2009
Ana
Bill
Claudette
Danny
Erika
Fred
Grace
Henri
Ida
Joaquin
Kate
Larry
Mindy
Nicholas
Odette
Peter
Rose
Sam
Teresa
Victor
Wanda

2010
Alex
Bonnie
Colin
Danielle
Earl
Fiona
Gaston
Hermine
Igor
Julia
Karl
Lisa
Matthew
Nicole
Otto
Paula
Richard
Shary
Tomas
Virginie
Walter

2011
Arlene
Bret
Cindy
Don
Emily
Franklin
Gert
Harvey
Irene
Jose
Katia
Lee
Maria
Nate
Ophelia
Philippe
Rina
Sean
Tammy
Vince
Whitney

2012
Alberto
Beryl
Chris
Debby
Ernesto
Florence
Gordon
Helene
Isaac
Joyce
Kirk
Leslie
Michael
Nadine
Oscar
Patty
Rafael
Sandy
Tony
Valerie
William

2013
Andrea
Barry
Chantal
Dorian
Erin
Fernand
Gabrielle
Humberto
Ingrid
Jerry
Karen
Lorenzo
Melissa
Nestor
Olga
Pablo
Rebekah
Sebastien
Tanya
Van
Wendy

When I think of "Ike" I think of "Ike Turner" so I sure hope this storm isn't as abusive :)

Wow I crack myself up sometimes.

Anywhoooo Ike is heading for us, supposed to hit on Saturday. Luckily there's a lot of distance between us and "him" so he could go either way. Sorry Florida but I'm voting for EAST.

Update

2008-09-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

So we didn't even get rain. Not even a drop, from Gustav. Which I am thankful we made it through ok. However, not everyone did. So much emphasis has been placed on New Orleans because of Katrina, the news doesn't seem to be showing what DID happen. Sure New Orleans got lucky also and didn't get what they expected. But there are plenty who weren't so lucky.

Cleaning up in Chauvin, Louisiana

This lady and her daughter are waiting for gas so they can get back home.

825 evacuees were housed in this shelter in Tyler, TX , with over 6,000 spread out over the city

This is in Gulfport, Mississippi

This is probably the biggest improvement since Katrina. They now make all interstates contraflo, so all southbound traffic is now northbound, doubling the amount of traffic that can get OUT of the city. During Katrina & Rita, some people were sitting in traffic for over 24 hours from Galveston to Houston .. which is a ONE hour drive.

So needless to say, I feel very lucky and very thankful and very BLESSED that in the 3 years I have been here, we haven't had to go through HALF of what these people have experienced.

Gustav

2008-09-01T10:23:00.001-07:00

Hurricane Gustav was downgraded to a level 2 hurricane. It hit landfall this morning west of New Orleans so its closer to Houston, but by the time it hits us we'll just get lots of rain and wind. So its all gravy baby!

Gustav isa comin!

2008-08-30T12:10:00.001-07:00

I found this link on our local TV channel's website. It tracks Gustav's progress. So now EVERYONE can keep up! YAY!!

Go away Gustav!!

2008-08-29T14:24:00.000-07:00

No one told me when I moved to Houston I would have to worry about HURRICANES!!

The next one, Gustav (seriously, who thinks up these names anyway?) is headed towards the Gulf (that's by Houston, just FYI). They're thinking it will hit Louisiana Sunday. Hopefully it will hit, lose speed and go the OTHER direction.

Luckily the kids are off Monday and I also took off Tuesday so either way I don't have to worry about missing work.

But either way I'm not going ANYWHERE. When I first moved here 3 years ago and Rita hit Houston, I was convinced to evacuate .. BAAAAAAD idea.

Nothing like sitting in a Yukon, with no AC on a 3 lane freeway that is now FIVE lanes bumper to bumper for TEN HOURS to make a 3 hour trip to San Antonio!

No sirreeeee we're sticking this one out baby, so hold on to your hats and buckle up cuz it just might be a bumpy ride!!

Heck yes I'm a catch!!

2008-08-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

As a 1930s wife, I am
Superior

Take'>http://www.magatsu.net/maritaltest/">Take the test!

Its coming along quite nicely ....

2008-08-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

1st day of school

2008-08-25T18:51:00.000-07:00

The summer is finally over!

Here's Ashlee & Ayanna on the first day of school.

My Sophomore Ashlee

My 4th Grader Ayanna

Here's what happens after a day at school after a whole summer off:

A Creative Weekend

2008-08-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

The girls liked my wall decor so well they decided to each make their own. They share a room, but Ayanna's favorite color is PINK and Ashlee's favorite color is PURPLE. Luckily the colors go together so its not a huge clash. But the finally have a bigger room so they have bigger walls to decorate. Here's what they came up with:

AYANNA

ASHLEE

Styrofoam Rocks

2008-08-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

Ok so I just moved into a new place last weekend. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Its much bigger and I have my own bathroom can't beat that! The girls are still sharing a room but its much larger and they have their own bathroom.

So now I have a bigger place I have bigger blank white walls. I didn't do much in my last place because there were more windows and it didn't look quite so blank as this one does. So I have been looking online for different ideas and here's one I decided to try.

First you start out with a blank wall. I chose the one in my dining room.

Then you start out with styrofoam, glue, ribbon, dental floss (yes i said dental floss) and scrapbook paper, or whatever you're going to use as your pictures.

Then you cut your styrofoam with the dental floss (seriously). But you have to be careful you don't break it (I did .. .twice ... that's where the GLUE comes in sheesh!)

Once you have your pieces cut (or before, whatever). Layout your paper and figure out how you want it to look. It took me FOREVER to do this part, so I took a picture when I was done so I could remember how to arrange it on the wall.

Then glue the papers to your foam squares and the ribbon around the outside edges.

Then start putting it on the wall! The website I used said to use the sawtooth picture hangers but since I live in an apartment I used mounting tape. The styrofoam is so light it seems to work ok (but then again we'll see if in 3 days half my wall is on the floor and the cat has mangled it).

I didn't have a ruler or a level of anything of that magnitude to make sure this was level and center blah blah. So I noticed the outlet on the wall was in the exact middle so I just centered the center piece above that and then just stepped back in-between each piece and made sure it was pretty even.

THEIRS:

MINE:

Of course, I don't have baby poop green walls but I think it turned out pretty good! Whatcha think? Not too shabby for my first time eh?

My"Prevailing Warrior"

2008-07-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

Prevailing Warrior is the meaning of Vinson Lewis aka "Baby Butter".

August 1, 2001 - October 1, 2001.

Tomorrow is his 7th birthday.

While the tears are few and far between, the pain will always remain.

I know that will be my very first question in heaven ... "why".

Why do all my brothers & sisters have sons and not me?

Why was I only allowed to have him for 2 months?

Why was he taken the day before my birthday?

Why did I never have a picture taken with him (I was always behind the camera).

Sometimes I even ask why wasn't I worthy to have him longer?

I know I'll never know the answer to these questions.

BUT there are things I am grateful for and they were even more magnified by reading a fellow SIDS mom's blog.

I was not the one that found him not breathing in his bed, therefore I don't have that picture in my mind. My last picture of him was when I left for work that morning and he was sleeping peacefully in his crib.

I was not the one that had to do CPR on him.

I was not the one that had to call 911

I never had a holiday with him, thus I don't "remember when" at holidays.

He had been to the doctor 3 days previously and the doctor described him as "perfect" so I know I was doing everything right as a mom.

Yup .. my previaling warrior will be 7 years old tomorrow.

Love and miss you Butter!

I am Finally tying the knot !!!!!

2008-07-07T18:53:00.001-07:00

Ok so I did a bad bad thing. I received an email at work one day that I couldn't help but pass on. The subject read "I am finally tying the knot!!!" and here's the email:

Hey you all; my family & good friends,

Some of you already know this, and my apologies to the others for not announcing it earlier. I wanted to keep it low key until everything was planned and in place. The people on this email are the only people I would like to know. Hope you all understand!! Anyway, after much prayer and hesitation, I am tying the knot!! It was actually planned for July 14, 2009, but due to some issues here and there and the need to wrap up some of the arrangements, the date has been moved to August 3 , 2008 . So kindly keep your calendars blocked because I would love to see you there!!

I have attached the invitation which contains the itinerary of how I'll go about this important step of my life!!

Please consider this as the Formal Invitation & bless me with your presence!!

Love you all!
Amy

Here is the attachment:

HAHAHA .. Priceless! So I sent it to friends and family alike. My sister Becky knew right away it wasn't real, but she forwarded it to her husband, later that night he says "So how about that news from Amy?" She's like ummm you didn't open the attachment did you? LOL

Here are some of the other responses:

My BFF Mel-licious:
HOLY CRAP YOU SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME!!!

My cousin Karen Sue:
If you did this to your mom … I’ll bet you got called a little shit! Congratulations on pulling that off!

My Sister-in-law Cynthia:
THAT IS SOOOO NOT FUNNY! I was pooping in my pants while I read this. You definitely got me good with that one.

My friend Jennifer:
LOL you almost had me….jack ass!

And the best one of all -- my MOTHER:
O.K. so that was NOT funny! I was trying to figure out who knew before me and by email no less! Of course,then I was trying to figure out how I would afford to fly out, etc,etc,etc. Mom

I called her after I got the email and guess what .. Karen was right .. she called me a little shit!

Sorry to everyone I freaked out but ya gotta admit it was a good one!

Grandma, can we go to the park, we won't get dirty PROMISE!

2008-05-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

HAHAHA!

Arizona Visit

2008-05-27T17:42:00.001-07:00

So I went back home to Arizona last weekend. My little brother Dustin graduated from high school and since I was going to be there we decided to have a surprise 60th birthday party for my mom.

Me & Dustin at Graduation

Me & Melissa - she likes taking self portraits

My step-dad Don -- grandkids wear him out :)

Becky's husband Chad showing Dustin how to play guitar

Becky ... nieces & nephews wear her out :)

Grandma & Becky's daughter RiKenna

Dustin & Don

Don's son Mike & his wife Denise

My niece Maci

The Morris clan at the party

Sister-in-law Janell with one of my mom's friends

Some of my mom's friends

Melissa, Maci & Melissa's "friend"

Becky's husband Chad

Tyler's son Jayse

Becky's son Cayden

Mike's son Tanner

Brian & his wife Cynthia

Tyler & Jayse

Trae's son Parker

Trae's wife Stacey & Parker

Don & my mom .. she's trying to figure out why we're all there .. lol

Mom & her friend she hasn't seen in 3 years

She cries over everything

She still doesn't get it.

Starting to piece it all together

The Morris clan

Trae

Nieces

Mom, Don & Brian

Tyler, Becky & Chad

Alison with Annie's son Wally

Annie & her husband

Becky

Stacey & Wally

Stacey & Parker

Da cake

Maci

RiKenna

Six Flags

2008-05-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

We took the girls to 6 flags in San Antonio over the weekend. It was the first time we'd really done anything like that and they had a lot of fun! I had a hard time getting Alex to take a picture with OUT sticking out his tongue .. but I got a few :)Ashlee posing by the dragon

Ayanna Cruising

Ashlee Cruising

Ashlee & Alex pretending not to notice I'm trying to take a picture

Posing by the waterfall

Ashlee & Ayanna waiting in line

Alex planning our next move

See! There's that tongue!

Awww I think he likes me :)

Ashlee's self portraitAgain with the tongue! GEEEZ

Eating back at the hotel

Mom, stop taking my pictureFine, wanna bite?Napping before the drive home
Driving home ... with the tongue .. lol
Had to sneak this one in.
Ayanna & her cheetos
Ashlee taking picture of herself.

R.I.P. Mildred Loving!!

2008-05-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

Mildred Loving, matriarch of interracial marriage, dies
RICHMOND, Va. - Mildred Loving, a black woman whose challenge to Virginia's ban on interracial marriage led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling striking down such laws nationwide, has died, her daughter said Monday.

Peggy Fortune said Loving, 68, died Friday at her home in rural Milford. She did not disclose the cause of death.

"I want (people) to remember her as being strong and brave yet humble — and believed in love," Fortune told The Associated Press.

Loving and her white husband, Richard, changed history in 1967 when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld their right to marry. The ruling struck down laws banning racially mixed marriages in at least 17 states.

"There can be no doubt that restricting the freedom to marry solely because of racial classifications violates the central meaning of the equal protection clause," the court ruled in a unanimous decision.

Her husband died in 1975. Shy and soft-spoken, Loving shunned publicity and in a rare interview with The Associated Press last June, insisted she never wanted to be a hero — just a bride.
"It wasn't my doing," Loving said. "It was God's work."

Mildred Jeter was 11 when she and 17-year-old Richard began courting, according to Phyl Newbeck, a Vermont author who detailed the case in the 2004 book, "Virginia Hasn't Always Been for Lovers."

She became pregnant a few years later, she and Loving got married in Washington in 1958, when she was 18. Mildred told the AP she didn't realize it was illegal.

"I think my husband knew," Mildred said. "I think he thought (if) we were married, they couldn't bother us."

But they were arrested a few weeks after they returned to Central Point, their hometown in rural Caroline County north of Richmond. They pleaded guilty to charges of "cohabiting as man and wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth," according to their indictments.
They avoided jail time by agreeing to leave Virginia — the only home they'd known — for 25 years. They moved to Washington for several years, then launched a legal challenge by writing to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who referred the case to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Attorneys later said the case came at the perfect time — just as lawmakers passed the Civil Rights Act, and as across the South, blacks were defying Jim Crow's hold.

"The law that threatened the Lovings with a year in jail was a vestige of a hateful, discriminatory past that could not stand in the face of the Lovings' quiet dignity," said Steven Shapiro, national legal director for the ACLU.

"We loved each other and got married," she told The Washington Evening Star in 1965, when the case was pending. "We are not marrying the state. The law should allow a person to marry anyone he wants."

After the Supreme Court ruled, the couple returned to Virginia, where they lived with their children, Donald, Peggy and Sidney. Each June 12, the anniversary of the ruling, Loving Day events around the country mark the advances of mixed-race couples.

Richard Loving died in a car accident that also injured his wife. "They said I had to leave the state once, and I left with my wife," he told the Star in 1965. "If necessary, I will leave Virginia again with my wife, but I am not going to divorce her."

Another RedPlum "plug"

2008-05-05T08:38:00.001-07:00

You might need to click on the picture to make it legible. But if you've never been to www.redplum.com ... you really should check it out :)

UHHH when did this happen?

2008-04-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

When did my baby brother grow up?!

Torrid Stuff ... 'n stuff

2008-04-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the shirts I've bought. I got them all on clearance with another 50% off so I got them for under $12 each when they were originally $50+

My mama taught me how to bargain shop :)

To all my big girls!!

2008-04-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

To all my fellow "big girls" that are tired of lame Lane Bryant that only sells "old lady clothes" and is tired of all the "skinny minnies" that wear cute clothes and we get stuck with the crap.

THIS is my new favorite store!!

They have amazing sales online.

50% off clearance!

And their clothes are WAAAAAY cute!

A Day at the Salon

2008-04-05T20:17:00.001-07:00

Ayanna was gone all day at a friend's so I took Ashlee with me to the salon and we got some well-deserved new do's. Ashlee's was a much more dramatic change so i had to take pictures throughout the process.

First you have to comb it ...

And comb it ...

And comb it ...
And then you foil it ...Then you take pictures of yourself cuz .. well you're hot!
And you wait ...

Then you condition it while sipping on a cold beverage ...

Then you dry it ... (and make faces at your mother who loves taking your picture)

And you dry it ... (holy crap she's got a lot of hair .. did NOT get that from her mother!)

Almost dry !Then you flat iron it ...

Then 4 LOOOONG hours later you look like this!
Our stylist's son .. "Sorry my mom has spent all day combing & drying Ashlee's hair, she won't make it home for dinner!"Yeah she's beautiful!

now THAT she gets from her mother :)

Yeah ... we're hot!

Eggs 'n stuff ...

2008-04-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

My mom sent the girls some of these things to color easter eggs with ....

They're actually pretty cool. They look like Q-tips. You snap one end and the color goes to the other end and then you can draw on your eggs with them. Much less mess then the whole dunk the egg on the metal hanger lookin thingy and hope you don't knock over the color water. :)

Here's what they came up with:

MY BFF

2008-03-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

I'd like to introduce you to someone. Her name is Melissa and she is my BFF. Yes, my best friend forever! Let me tell you our history. We met approximately 6 years ago online. Yes.... I meet women online .. LOL. We were playing a game called The Sims Online or as we affectionately refer to it "TSO". Without completely boring you with all the details and having to go into an in-depth description of how this game works basically what happened was thss. I made a smart ass comment that made one person mad and "Julia Tims" aka Melissa whispers "i thought it was funny". And our relationship grew from there. We have been through so many things together. My cheating husband, my divorce, her two children's births, my constant grieving of my child's loss and on and on and on. What makes our relationship even more special and unique is we have only seen each other in person MAYBE 3 times in the 6 years we've known each other. She lives in Albuquerque and I'm in Houston. We met in Phoenix once and I drove to NM twice and that's all we've ever seen each other. We've only talked on the phone maybe 10 times. All of our conversations have been held via chat on the computer!! - She tells me what i need to hear not just what i want to hear. Even if she knows it hurts me. She helped give me the strength to get out of an abusive marriage. In fact, I think she cried about it almost as much as I did!!

Here is why she is my bff:

- We can tell each other EVERYTHING, the good, the bad, and the ugly...and there has been SOME UGLY! And we are better friends than EVER.

- I'm the first one she calls/texts/IM when she's super happy or super mad about something, or just to tell me something trivial that happened.

- If either one of us died tomorrow, we would be the one people would go to to find any information about anything.

- I can text or call her day or night and she is there. And if she can't talk, she tells me so and tells me WHY she can't and when she will be able to and VICE VERSA

- If one of us hurts the other, we acknowledge it, talk about it, apologize if necessary, and move on.

- We never go two days without talking to each other unless we are out of town and then MAYBE its 3 days.

- She doesn't have to lie to me, or if for some reason she does, she admits, tells me why she did, and we move on.

- She tells her man that I'm her BFF and to DEAL WITH IT and VICE VERSA.

- We always know where each other is at, and if we haven't heard from one another, we contact them, and neither one of us thinks its weird.

- We never have to worry about how crazy we may look to the other person, but are able to show our true feelings and selves, without judgment. ANd we support each other through our weakest moments (even
times when its almost annoying lol).

So why am I blogging about this? Well I was going through some old emails and I found one she sent me quite a while ago and it made me realize just how long we've been friends and just how much she means to me. I mean I blog about my kids, I blog about my job, I blog about my men, why not blog about one of THE most important people in my life?

Here's the email:
Hey girlie...I just wanted to tell you (in case you didn't know) some things... I wanted to tell you that I have never had a friend as great as you...that I can truly tell you anything and you will still be there to listen no matter what. That you can make me laugh and cry (sometimes at the same time)...and that without you I would be more crazy then I am already. You are the only one that will be honest when I need you to be and make me feel better when I'm being stupid without calling me stupid lol. I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate you and our friendship. Sometimes I get so caught up about how many shitty people I have in my life that I forget to recognize that I do have someone truly special. So here is me recognizing lol.

Thank you for always being there for me no matter what. I love you girl!

So now the world knows all about Melissa, and Melissa knows all about Melissa :)

I love ya girl!

How NOT to use spray-tan ....

2008-03-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

This is how we do it ....

2008-03-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

Every year there's a huge St. Patrick's Day parade on 1960 (a major street close by our house). They shut down about a 5 mile stretch for 3 hours. There's easily 60,000 people there.

Here's Ayanna and her 2 friends. And this was after only an hour! I had had enough of the wind and how many beads does one need .. I mean really!!

So ..... what do ya think? Is this me?

2008-03-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

Your Dominant Intelligence is Interpersonal Intelligence

You shine in your ability to relate to and understand others.
Good at seeing others' points of view, you get how people think and feel.
You have an uncanny ability to sense true feelings, intentions, and motivations.
A natural born leader, you are great at teaching and mediating conflict.

You would make a good counselor, salesperson, politician, or business person.

To blog or not to blog

2008-03-06T08:05:00.000-08:00

Ok so I did something this weekend that really meant a lot to me but will probably shock and be controversial to others. I wasn't sure if I would blog about it seeing as how my mother doesn't now. But whatever, here goes!

I got a tattoo. Yes, I put something on my body that will remain there FOREVER. I've contemplated doing this for a really long time. I wanted to get something in memory of my son. But I wasn't sure what to do. Here was my dilemna:

#1 - he has his father's name, which i OBVIOUSLY do NOT want on my body so I couldn't do his name.

#2 - his nickname is "Butter" which also would be a little strange on my body.

So I was talking to my new man who has a few tattoos of his own and told him the situation and immediately he said "that's easy, get a BUTTERfly". Genius!

So that's what I did. He told me I needed to get 3, one for each of my kids, but I decided against it. My girls are here, I see them everyday. I wanted something specifically for him.

So here's what I got. This was taken the next day so its still a little red but I love it:

To answer a few questions:

NO I don't regret it

YES it hurt

YES I cried, but not because of the physical pain, because it made me think of him.

I don't know if I want more .. but possibly. However they will always be somewhere that I can cover them.

I KNOW I KNOW

2008-03-05T13:10:00.000-08:00

My mother was kind enough to remind me that I haven't posted since Feb 5th. I guess I just don't have much to say! There is a new man in my life but everytime I blog about them they go away so I'M NOT GONNA!!

The girls are great. Ashlee is almost finished with her freshman year and Ayanna is finishing up 3rd grade. She started school late because of her birthday and had to repeat 2nd grade so I sometimes forget she's almost 11! Oh and Ashlee will be 15 and driving soon. Ugh!!

That's all for now.

What Makes 100%?

2008-02-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%.
How about achieving 103%?

What makes up 100% in life? Heres a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then: H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

And, B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T 2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

AND, look how far ass kissing will take you.

A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G 1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%

So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that While Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, its the Bullshit and Ass kissing that will put you over the top.

REMEMBER SOME PEOPLE ARE ALIVE SIMPLY BECAUSE IT IS ILLEGAL TO SHOOT THEM

Becky's Wedding

2008-01-30T15:47:00.000-08:00

Finally got some pictures!

Becky, Chad, Morgan, Cayden & RiKenna

Becky & Chad

Becky's daughter RiKenna

Chad & Morgan

Becky & Chad

Becky's son Cayden

Becky & her kids with Chad & his family

Check out this website

2008-01-03T08:24:00.001-08:00