Hello all. I hope this finds everyone healthy & happy. It's Saturday night, 7:45. Tancy's eagerly anticipating the Ohio State Game.

I didn't get to blog yesterday, so let me catch you up on everything.

We got up yesterday morning. I got in the tub and did all my usual prep for my ultrasound and blood work. Tancy ran through her usual paces getting ready for her day. She left the house just before me. It was fairly dreary looking, but only misting rain. Got to REACH, picked up my orders, upstairs for blood, downstairs for my ultrasound. I was outta there by 8:45. Then I headed back toward the house. I ran by CVS to pick up some prescriptions and then home. It was about 10:15 when I got to the house. I took the pup out and then back inside. I let the puppies out and get there breakfast ready for them. I fed them and then starting unloading and reloading the dishwasher. I had some things in the house I needed to get done. The pup pissed in the floor (he peed outside, I don't know what happened), so out we went and then he went back to his kennel because he didn't pee outside. Tancy called, passed her first I.S.S. test, they were on their way home. I picked up the pace with what house work needed to be done. They got here about 10:45 I guess. I had a 1:30 hair cut, but we had plenty of time, so we decided to go to Goodwill. We both needed some jeans and t-shirts. We were both able to find a few things! From there we were going to go to the aquarium place in Cherryville, but they weren't open yet, so to my hair cut appointment we went. I was early, but she fit me in during  color. She botched it! I don't like my hair cut at all. It's too short in the front and longer than that in the back. So, I guess I need to stop going to her.

I got the call from REACH, my Estrogen was at 29 (anything under 60 is good for day 3) and my Fsh was 6 (right where it should be). So I am good to go and started the Femara as soon as she said I could. Also, I had her call in the Ovidrel shot to the local CVS pharmacy due to a disagreement in business practices between me & Medco (mail in prescriptions) which resulted in me telling them I would NOT use their services if at all possible.

Then it was home & wait for the lady who was buying the gecko. She was suppose to be here between 3:00 and 3:30. At 5:30 she got here, which kept us from going to see our aquarium guy who closes at 6:00. She and her 3 kids were here a while. When they left, about 6:30, we were deciding on dinner, we landed on Tacos and Tequila. It's yummy! After dinner we headed home and honestly went to bed. I was asleep by 8:30. I had been hurting so bad all day and that just wears my body out so badly. I took my night time dose of Ibuprophen and muscle relaxer and to sleep I went.

We were up this morning around 7:00. Got ready and headed to Jenn's & Tabetha's. We got there around 8:30, had breakfast, coffee and then started loading up. One of her friends is dating a guy who has a box truck... it was a godsend! We made three trips with it and we were done by 4:30. I think we were all amazed. We even had a lunch break in there! We stayed a bit and hung out and then we headed home.

We stopped by CVS to pick up my Ovidrel and got a call from Sandy; she, Angie & Crystal were going to "The Hole" and wanted to know if we wanted to join them. We finally said yes and headed to Cook Out to get a bite for dinner instead of our planned trip to the frozen food isle at BiLo. Once we got home & ate we decided that neither of us were really up for a night out. So we called and told them we would have to take a rain check.

We got baths and Tancy went under the house to check on a possible leak we have. Sure enough, we have a leak in the plumbing to the tub. So, she shut off that water and we'll work on that tomorrow. She then waxed my eye brows for me. She's good like that!! LOL. I needed to take something for the increasingly intense cramps that I was having, and really could just go to sleep as I type. It has been such a long day.... and again, an uncomfortable one. The discomfort has eased at this point, but I am left completely exhausted.

Tomorrow we need to cut the grass and work on the leak. Outside of that we have been invited to watch the Panthers game at Heather and Sonias and have some burgers on the grill. I don't know if we will make it, it will just depend on the leak issue. My #1 plan for tomorrow is to sleep in! I get up during the week with Tancy, and the days that I have to go to REACH are long days, I get up at the same time... but I hit the ground running. The weekends are my time to sleep in and I surely didn't get my nap out today.

Oh, I go back to REACH on 9/21 for my day 12 ultrasound and blood work. From there we will know that I am either ready to go, or need to come back and do the blood work again the next day.

I've been missing/needing my Mom lately. I don't know if I just didn't get enough time with her in Georgia or what... but I think about her everyday. We have talked quite a bit lately. I know I have kept her from things she needed to be doing even. I just miss her. I can't wait till she's here in October. I only wish that Casie was able to come too. I miss her alot as well. It's different, of course, but I miss her... I don't think you ever get enough time with those you love and live far away from.

Alright, I think that does it for me tonight. Aunt Jan, you are slackin'! Missy, Daniele, Tonya.... ya'll are slackin' too!!

Love to all!
Me

Good morning all. I hope this finds everyone healthy and happy on this Thursday morning. So close to the weekend you can reach out and touch it!

I am dopey this morning. These cramps have been pretty rough so far. If I am not hurting, I am about to fall asleep from the meds. But, I usually only have a few really bad days, so I will live. I am still nauseous, how messed up is that?! I've just been keeping crackers on hand... and gatorade (orange to be exact) is my close friend.

Tancy made me scalloped potatoes last night, just what I wanted, and boy did they hit the spot. I also reheated a pork chop from Monday night, that was pretty yummy too! It was a low key evening. We took our water to get it checked... looks good, but we are going to wait to put anything in. I'll take another sample in on Friday. Tancy's going to make a refugium for the tank. Basically its another holding tank that algae grows in and eats all the nitrates. So it becomes even more of a self contained system. The algae also grows these little critters called copapods (is that right?), anyway, they live in the tank and help keep the tank clean and they are also a food for some of the other things in the tank. Again, a self contained system.

We were going to go by and see Jenn & Tab last night, they closed on their house yesterday evening. But I was just hurting way to bad to do anything but come home and take some medicine. She totally understood, so I didn't have to feel guilty about it.

This morning I want to go back to sleep. But so far, this puppy training has prevented me from doing so. I really need to get some house work done today... but honestly don't know if that is really gonna happen.

Oh, we are going to look at that farm this afternoon. I don't know what, if anything, will come out of it... but we both agreed we wanted to see the inside. We are also going to have someone come out and tell us what we could list our house for should this become really serious. I want to have all the information I need to make an educated decision.

Tancy's first I.S.S. test is tomorrow. So far it is all mechanical so she's got this in the bag! Then she's home early, half day!! Yay. It will feel like a long weekend for us. Long & short since we will be helping Jenn & Tab move. But that's alright too. We are happy for them.

I am so tired. My eyes want to roll back in my head. So, I think I am going to wrap this up. I hope you all have a great day!

Love to all!
Me

Good evening all. I hope this finds you all healthy & happy!

I know you have been waiting on me to update and let you all know how things are going. The blood test was negative. So, we are definitely not pregnant. Everything looked good though. So we move forward from here. We are going to keep on the same track with the medicine we are on. I go back on Friday for my ultrasound and blood work (typical day 3 routine). That will give them a base line for my hormones and let them know what my "follicles" look like. Then I'll go back on day 12 for another ultrasound and the same blood work. This will tell them how close to ovulation I am and how many eggs I'll have ready for fertilization.

We have to order more "swimmers". Hey, anyone willing to donate to the "Help Jodie & Tancy have a  baby fund" just let me know! Those little bastards (the swimmers) are expensive!! LOL. Oh well, what ya gonna do, right?! I've had several people, you know how you are, suggest a drunken night would be cheaper... sorry, no can do. There's not enough alcohol in the world to get me drunk enough to be able to go through with that one. Not to mention, that isn't the kind of "donor" I would want... ewwww.

Ok, enough of that. So, we aren't pregnant. I am ok. I had my moment when we took the at home pregnancy test and it showed "Not Pregnant". I wasn't prepared to even think about having to place an order... but that isn't a big deal really.

Aside from all that, things did start moving along... and the cramps are currently kicking my ass! So, I am off of here to have a bite to eat for dinner and a hot bath and then crawl in bed with my current best friend - the heating pad!

I hope you all have a great night.

Love to all!
Me

Hello all. I hope this finds you all healthy & happy. It is currently 8:11 PM on Tuesday night. Tancy is sleeping. I don't know if the medicine we got for her has given her any physical relief, but it has allowed her to get some rest. So, I am sitting in the living room, unable to sleep currently.

This blog has no real purpose. I am planning on complaining about a few physical things of my own... mostly because I haven't talked about them much with anyone and I need to let it go. You all know I took a test this morning, if you read my first blog of the day, and that it was negative. I talked to the doctors office early evening (not sure what time, but it pretty much took all day before I got them on the phone) and they want me to come in for blood work based on what I do/don't have going on. So here's the run down...

**Warning: I am about to discuss physical irritations to include, but not be limited to female issues, tummy troubles and general ickyness. You've been warned.**

I'll start with current complaints! Seems logical right?! Well, lets see, I have a headache. I have had a headache every day for nearly a week now. It is never debilitating, just irritating and tender It comes and goes... it comes for too long and never goes for long enough. I am over it! Oh, I am constipated!! Yeah, that's right! Fun stuff. My stomach continues to cramp and yell at me... and yet nothing. My back hurts, has been since Saturday. It seems to bother me more if I am on my feet or stooping over (like bathing the dogs today). I still have this funky discharge (brownish to pinkish brown), doesn't that sound really lovely?! Yeah, that's been here since Saturday too. Just enough to make me think "Maybe my period is starting". But after 4 days, I would have "normally" started by now. I don't spot for days upon days. I am currently nauseous as well. That's probably been going on since Saturday too, trying to honestly remember. I think Saturday is about right. And I can't forget the light headedness that started today, the extreme exhaustion that started yesterday or the sensitivity to smells and stuffy nose that started... you guessed it SATURDAY! Then there's also been the nights of insomnia... again, since Saturday.

I think that covers it all. Well, there's the mood swings, but that really isn't physical (yet). Now I have no idea what is causing all this. I honestly would have put money on being pregnant... but if he pregnancy test is as accurate as it says it is (99%) then that can't be possible. So, what is the cause of all of this crappy stuff?! I told the doctor about the spotting, nausea and fatigue. Based on this they thought it best to do the blood work tomorrow (instead of waiting a few days). This way we will have a definite answer as to pregnancy... and they can look at my other hormone levels if the pregnancy results are negative and see if something else might be going on. They will also be able to say, based on my hormones, that my period will be starting soon, or is still a little way off.

I do want to say one thing about all these "issues". If I am, somehow, miraculously pregnant (which I still hope for) I will take all this as best I can and be happy that it means that we are going to have a baby. I know there are lots of fun things that come along with pregnancy... so this isn't a matter of thinking pregnancy will be a cake walk... it's a matter of feeling all these things for no apparent reason. Does that make any sense? I can't put the thoughts in my head into words.

Poor Tancy, she doesn't know what to think any more. Neither do I for that matter. I know what the test said. I know I haven't started my period. I know that I am going in for blood work tomorrow morning. And that's really all I got.

Currently I feel like I could puke my guts up. The kind of nausea where you get that excessive saliva production going on and the lump just in the back of my throat. Also the right side of my head feels like it might actually explode. And even as I sit here, comfy on the couch, my back aches.

Hey, I warned you that this would just be me complaining. I try not to do that too much (at least in my head I try not to complain... maybe I don't succeed at it....), but I just need to unload all of this. I have been trying not to discuss it. I guess its some stupid superstition that if I talked about it something might change.... I worry that I will be certain I am pregnant and then not be and look like an ass. LOL, too late!! I guess I still worry about perception, no matter how hard I try not to.

Ok, I think I have bitched and moaned enough for one night. These things really are very small in the grand scheme of things.

I hope you all have a great night, if you aren't already asleep. Tomorrows hump day!!

Love to all!
Me

Good morning all! I hope this finds you all healthy and happy on a fine Tuesday morning.

Ok, I know you are all waiting, with baited breath.... "Did you test?" "What did it say?"
Well, we did test. It says "Not Pregnant". Still the same symptoms though, still no period, still spotting... so I called the doctors office this morning to let them know about the test and symptoms. They will tell us what we do from here, probably wait if I had to guess. I know there's a good chance that we aren't pregnant, but I would have bet money that we were.... and if we aren't, then I don't guess I'll ever know my body well enough to KNOW when we are actually pregnant. So, we wait. Sorry I don't have more to report. No worries, I am fine. I had a hard time at first, but at this point, it is what it is. If we are, that's just freakin-fantastic. If we aren't, we live to fight another day.

Not much else to report. Tancy seems happy with her new set of instructors for I.S.S. They have actually been NLO's! Novel idea, that someone has done what they are training others to do!!

We had dinner last night, hung around the house. Tried to make it an early night. We were in bed early... but didn't go to sleep till around 9:30 - 10:00. Not too bad, but not exactly "early" either.

Today I am keeping Kenny's puppy, helping to house train him. He's a Korgi and a sweet little puppy, but he's skiddish around our dogs. So far we have successfully pottied outside!! yay. But I am pretty sure it is going to be a long day!!

Alright, I gotta go! Our dogs have been fed. I need to get them water and try to bathe them today. Plus keeping an eye on the little guy!!

Love to all!
Me

Good morning all. I hope this finds you all healthy & happy. It's Monday, so no doubt you had to use force to get yourself out of bed!

I had a hard time getting to sleep last night. When I finally did I slept like a rock, just not long enough. This morning I am crabby, nauseous & crampy. What a fun combination. Tancy's already off for her first day of I.S.S. training. She's so excited (not really)!!

We went riding around yesterday and ended up looking at some land. When we got back home we looked at the GIS for the property. It is huge, lots of potential. We could have a "camp" spot, a place for Mom & Dad and a place for Nana & Poppy and we'd never know the other was on the place. The house probably needs some cosmetic work, we haven't seen the inside... but it has 2 kitchens. The normal kitchen inside & a canning kitchen outside. We'll see. I do like the land. GIS is a wonderful thing, you should check it out for your county/parish, its easy to use and it shows you all kinds of stuff about the land itself.

Anyway, I have some house work to do today. Tancy wont be out of class today till 4:30, these 12 weeks will be 4 - 9's and a 4 on Friday (Test day). She should enjoy having a half day off on Friday. So I have plenty of time to get things done, provided I get moving and get it done... which I am not ready to do just yet!! LOL. Hey, give me a break, it's only 6:46... I have all damn day!

Watching Ike. Looks like he's going right up the same path (possibly) that Gustav did. The span is from Orange, Texas clear to the pan handle of Florida. But all the majority of the computer models show Ike hitting Louisiana near the same place that Gustav made landfall. The thought of that makes me sick. I don't wish bad things on people, I believe Karma come back around... but I really don't want Ike to hit Louisiana. I can't imagine the potential devastation they might experience, especially if the Ike hits the same, already weakened area.

Mom and Dad got power back yesterday & the home phone. I talked to them before noon. Mom sounded happy to be able to be in her own home, her own bed, etc. I called back at about 6:00 (our time) and their lights were back out! Yup, you read correctly, out! The breaker right at the property line flipped. So they are still sitting in the dark, waiting on someone to come flip it. That took the wind out of Mom's sails... and Dad's too. Although I didn't talk to him yesterday, I know that was just one more blow in a chain of blows that are rapidly approaching too much for them. Now they have Ike to think about too. I want to be able to protect them.... But there's not one thing I can do.

Talked to Pops this morning, he's a crabby patty, I would be too! Sitting looking at the neighbors lights on while you it in the dark, that has to just be a kick in the pants. Mom was just getting up and there's an unusual amount of prep to "getting ready" with a generator, so I opted to get off the phone with him. I hope their day gets better. Pops will go in to work, so its likely to get worse... and Mom will be at the house, so that could go either way.

Tomorrow is test day, if my period doesn't start before then. I have had some spotting, but so far no period. We shall see. I honestly think I am pregnant, even when I know I am already spotting, maybe it is denial... not sure to be honest. I don't usually lie to myself. LOL. No matter how much I want it, I still manage to live in reality. But the closer I get to Tuesday the harder it becomes to think about anything else. I work really hard at not focusing... but then I am just focusing on it in a different way. I haven't even thought about having to order more swimmers or how we would pay for that at this juncture. I haven't thought about whether or not we stay this course, or up the game. There's so much I just haven't even thought of. Now, if it has to do with being pregnant, I have more than likely thought of it. This month will most likely be the hardest if I am not pregnant. And of course the best if I am. We will just have to wait and see.

Alright kids, I am sure that you are bored to tears!! LOL. I hope you all have a great day today. I am sure mine will be full of cleaning, whenever I begin that process. FUN!!

Love to all!
Me

Good morning all, barely! I hope this finds everyone healthy & happy, enjoying a lazy Sunday... Recharging batteries before Monday.

We had a great time last night. Wow! It was 3:30 before Tancy and Sandy came to bed (Tancy to our bed, Sandy to the front bedroom... just for clarification!). Which means it was 3:30 before I went to sleep. I think she got to blow off a fair amount of steam... she didn't show her ass, so there are no pictures of anything. Oh well!

Today we are just chillin' at the house. Tancy & Sandy are playing a video game. I am sitting here blogging and playing on the computer.

I have been cramping and nauseaus for 2 -3 days now. One thing is for sure, something is happening. LOL. But that kinda goes without saying. Tuesday is the day and the closer I get to Tuesday the harder it is for me not to focus on the unanswered question. As we speak I fight the urge to TEST!

I am keeping an eye on Ike. I am worried about it. Mom and Dad just got power back and just got the phone back... now they are looking at another storm, more compact, more organized and seemingly more brutal knocking on their door. I can't even tell you how concerned I am. They just can't take another storm. The ground is still saturated, power hasn't been restored to most, the damage hasn't even been repaired for a large percentage. Here are some good sites to check, if you want to know what it looks like currently for Ike:

www.wunderground.com

http://www.ih2000.net/ira/bmt-wth.htm

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Those are all good sites that give pretty good information. Hopefully this helps any of you who are worried and/or looking for information on the hurricane.

Aunt Jan, I sure hope DJ is feeling better. That sucks! Keep us posted on how she is feeling & what you find out. I wont tell her I know. LOL.

Casie, I am missing your updates!!

Missy, still waiting on you honey!!

Everyone else who has a site and isn't writing... get to it!

I don't have too much else to report. Today is going to be a lazy day, I hope!

Love to all!
Me

That's right, she passed it! With a 92!! So proud of my baby!!

Good morning all. I hope this finds you all health & happy on this wonderful Saturday morning.

The weather here is surprisingly nice. They thought we were going to get a bunch of rain from Hanna. So far, not so. We haven't been up long... first time we have slept in in I don't know how long. It's was great to sleep in!!

Last night neither of us wanted to cook, so we went to "the china man" near the house. We were so close to Lil Jenn & Slo Jen that we called to invite them to dinner. Slo Jen was working, but we ended up picking up our dinner and going over there to visit with Lil Jenn & Mack. We had a great visit and didn't leave there till about 9:00. I could sit and visit with Lil Jen for hours. We never seem to run out of things to talk about.

Today we don't have too much going on first thing. I need to pin Tancy down on what she wants me to cook  and then go get whatever I don't have and start cooking.

We are having a get together to celebrate Tancy passing her test. She's planning on "tying one on"... should be fun!

I don't have too much else to report so I will sign off at this point. I hope that everyone has a great day and a wonderful weekend!

Aunt Jan - you are SLACKING in the blogging!!

Casie - What's up?? Where's our updates?

Mom - I miss reading about your day, I can't wait till you have power back... for more reasons than one!

Missy - Come on, give me something

Love to all!
Me

Ok, this is as much for me as it is for anyone else. I have talked about this before... but recent events have caused me to feel like I need to devote a little more time to the matter.

Big girls. I am a big girl. I have only been thin once in my life... and gradually, surely, I gained it all back. Call it genetics, poor eating habits, lazy, call it whatever you like. It has become more apparent to me that I will NEVER be "thin" I wont ever look like twiggy, I might not see a size 12 again in my life. Oh well! That's right, oh well!

You see, I have decided to love myself no matter what. It isn't that I don't want to be thinner, I do. But we aren't all meant to be thin. We weren't all meant to be beautiful (though I am beginning to see my own beauty... weight and beauty are NOT related). We aren't all meant to be rocket scientists (are you catching on to the fact that these are examples??). We aren't all meant to be funny, good cooks, great house keepers, financially savy. Get the idea? So, in knowing that we are all meant to be different, you have to see the beauty in all of it. We may not be one thing, but we are certainly another!

Maybe it's approaching 30? I think that certainly must bring more self assuredness for me. I have never been confident in myself or thought myself beautiful. I have always been smart. I finally realized I was a good person, about 4 years ago! But most recently I have been accepting the fact that different or not I am my own beautiful. We all are. We just have to allow ourselves to see it.

So, to all my girls out there who got a little extra (where ever it might be).... you are BEAUTIFUL. That's right, beautiful. Weight and/or size does not determine that.

If you have had a baby and your body isn't what it used to be, or what you would like it to be, remember this... you just performed a miracle. You carried a living being in your body for 9 months and produced a healthy tiny human. Your body is going to be different, it should be! It might not ever be the same, but hopefully you will come to see that as more beautiful given the reason(s) it is different now. Your children wont care if your tummy is bigger than it was before they came along. They don't care if things are perky. They only know love.

Which means you have to pull your shit together and love yourself. Otherwise you can't truly give the love that I know you so want to give to your babies and everyone around you. Know your own gifts, your worth... which can NOT be measured by your shirt, pant or bra size! Or any other size for that matter.

I love me. Again, I'd like to be thinner... but my life is worth more than obsessing over every calorie I eat or how many hours I have spent in the gym. I intend to get my exercise chasing my kids around (one day very soon). I intend to enjoy meals with my family. I refuse to feel bad or guilty about food, exercise (or lack thereof!) or weight! I am taking my life back from that obsession I know so well. I am holding my hand out to any of you struggling with the same issues and asking you to do the same.

One thing I will say, don't get me wrong. I know there are health concerns with being over weight, but I know that I am healthier right where I am at than I would be to continue yo-yoing 60, 80, 50 pounds each time I decide to "make a change" and then my body returns to where it has been all along. I will eat healthy and move... but I wont allow the scale to be my best friend or worst enemy.

And hey,  if clothes don't fit... it's a great excuse to go buy yourself something cute. Don't let it ruin your day... its really not worth that.

Love to all!
Me

Good morning all. I hope this finds you all healthy and happy at the end of this long/short week! I am sure everyone is glad it is the end of the week.

So Tancy will take her test today, 8 AM. They should get their results today and she should be home fairly early. I am confident that she will do well. Her instructor told them that she was on of the last people he expected to have trouble on the test. But that he expected a 90%! So, he knows that she knows it!! She's gonna be so happy when she gets home, just to have that monkey off her back. She's planning on tying one on this weekend! I can't say that I blame her!

I didn't get to talk to Mom or Dad yesterday. I got a text from Mom and replied, but hat was about it. I was feeling a little needy and they have enough going on! I have figured out that I have been feeling a tremendous amount of guilt. It's so strange, being safe when those you love are in harms way. Thankfully they weren't harmed... but that feeling has a name, guilt. Some people in/around Denham Springs have power. Mom and Dad were staying at Uncle Paul's, with some other members of the family (he's got a big freakin' house!).

I got to talk to Larisa yesterday for a few minutes on IM. That was awesome. Glad to know they are all ok. I miss her so much sometimes. She's a very special part of my life, hard to explain our relationship. We are family, but she's even more important than that to me. I talked to Steven too, her son, I can't believe the kid is growing up so fast. I still remember baby sitting him when he was just a baby (he was never what you might call "little", lol). Gosh that seems like yesterday!

Today I need to finish the dishes (they just need to be put away) and the laundry (added beding to the mix). Other than that, the floor needs to be mopped and that should take care of the house work till Monday!

I emailed and messaged with Casie yesterday. It feels good to have some line of communication with her open during the day. I know she's at work and busy, but I really enjoy our conversations when we have time. She can be so funny ("funny haha, not funny queer" - what movie is that from?!) and I enjoy her humor. There's a bond there that is unlike any other and sometimes I crave time and conversation with her. My little sister. Wow! She's a Mom!! Seems like just yesterday we had on Mom's old dresses, sitting on the picnic table and singing "Dumas Walker" at the top of our lungs!! She was the dare devil between us.. haha! Childhood memories are so much fun! Of course, we have also had our fair share of fun together outside of childhood... but I will plead the fif on that one! LOL.

I also talked to Tonya on IM yesterday for a bit. It was good to catch up with her. She was one of Casie's best friends when they were coming up. Casie, Daniele & Tonya were inseperable. I keep in touch with her through myspace as much as I can. She's a sweet girl and has a very unique perspective on life. I really enjoyed our chat.

Also talked to Aunt Jan on IM. I sure do enjoy that. I try to leave the computer up as long as I can (and still get some house work done) so I can talk to her. She's great at putting things in perspective and also has a different outlook on life. She's also hilarious!

I really enjoy talking to people who see things in this world differently. I can get so hung up on something that I need a different outlook. It is refreshing and its also great to be able to connect with people who are so close to my roots. It's always so interesting to me all the different types of relationships we have and all the different purposes those relationships serve.

The girls here in North Carolina are so great. I can't imagine not having them as part of our lives. There have been times when we (or maybe just me...) needed them and they were here. They are definitely our chosen family. They all provide different support and love. And they are all a big part of our life here. Mom always seems so happy to see what great friends we have.

Wow, I am a total sap this morning. I don't feel sappy, just appreciative.

Last night was another night full of strange dreams. Some quite disturbing! The most I can say is that my parents were with us at the Democratic National Convention... that in itself would be strange I think! Haha!

I doubt it will come as a surprise to anyone that I will be voting for Obama. I don't like McCain & his beedy little eyes... not to mention he's like 112! He's against gay marriage, civil unions... or any kind of gay rights for that matter. His V.P. isn't nearly qualified, if you ask me, and I don't like the chances of her (No, not because she's a woman) running the country when he keels over! I wont even get up on that soap box. Not to mention the only way our economy is going to get any better is with Democrats in office. "If you want to live like a republican, vote democrat!" <-- speaks of financial/economic circumstances.

Enough of that!

Any big plans for the weekend? I sure hope it is a good weekend for everyone. I am sure my family will continue to work on things around the house. I don't know how many trees they lost, but I know they will be getting them taken care of. Maybe they will get power back soon!

Love to all!
Me