Reba's Ramblings

2 fer 1 party!

2009-01-14T02:37:00.002-06:00

Lynn and Gabe celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary as little Kaelin celebrated her 1st birthday. Stef and I ? We just celebrate! hehehe

Kaelin wore several outfits during the evening. This one is stunning on her!

People gawking at the anniversary tiered cake with a fountain underneath.

Happy 1st Birthday Kaelin !!

Sisters

2009-01-14T02:30:00.001-06:00

Reba and Lynn

Fun.....

2008-12-28T19:26:00.000-06:00

Really, it was funny! I only have to jerk him around every few weeks!
Bwwahahahaha

Love

2008-12-28T19:19:00.000-06:00

Happy Holidays!!!

2008-12-28T19:15:00.000-06:00

I love my men!!!

2008-12-28T19:13:00.000-06:00

Christmas Smiles !

2008-12-28T19:12:00.000-06:00

More pictures?

2008-12-28T19:03:00.000-06:00

Ryan is beginning to tire of posing. Cody, however, is doing much better!
Do you know it takes 25 or more pictures to be taken to get ONE decent looking pictures?
ARRRGGGHHH ~~

Ryan, Rebecca, Jackie and Cody-Butt

2008-12-28T18:59:00.000-06:00

The Montgomery Clan !

I got scarves too!

2008-12-28T18:57:00.000-06:00

He is a beach fan!

2008-12-28T18:43:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas ! Click photo for larger view, you can see the framing better!

Who loves the Titans?

2008-12-28T18:38:00.000-06:00

ME, ME, ME !!

Scarves, Gloves and Coats, oh my!

2008-12-28T18:35:00.000-06:00

Jackie received several scarves and a pair of gloves, from me. The naughty vixen also bought herself a cool jacket...one I had already bought her! Why do people buy themselves anything after Thanksgiving?!? She will be on Santa's naughty list next year!

Ahhhhhhhhh......

2008-12-28T18:31:00.000-06:00

Be still my heart!

Ryan a NON Bush fan

2008-12-28T18:30:00.000-06:00

A fun full years worth of Bush apology notes to the American people. This had Ryan rolling on the floor!

Gifts !!

2008-12-28T18:26:00.000-06:00

Is this the last one?

Thank you Stef!!

2008-12-28T18:24:00.000-06:00

Love can be shown in different ways!

2008-12-28T18:17:00.000-06:00

Rusty.....My main man !!

2008-12-28T18:15:00.000-06:00

I am the most spoiled and beloved cat of all. I have my mommy wrapped around my little declawed finger. She loves me more than she loves Sanibel. Can you believe that? Time to go shine my crown and make my mommy pet me and give me more kitty kisses. Maybe she will post more photos of me in the future!

2008-12-28T18:09:00.000-06:00

It's hard to diet during the holidays!

Wow! Catnip!

2008-12-28T17:43:00.000-06:00

Who tore the catnip bag open? Santa is good!

Cliff, that's not your cottage

2008-12-15T16:13:00.002-06:00

This year has flown by at an incredibly fast rate! Unbelievable that the tree is is glittering, the fireplace is cozy, the cats are laying on gifts and stocking are hung. Wasn't it just yesterday the leaves were falling from the trees?

Let's see... October... An MRI ruled out any spine problems, other than what I already contend with. Some arthritis has set up in the disks that are degenerating. Neurosurgeon suggest body pain is fibromyalgia. God, it's painful.

So, my N.P. had Rx'd muscle relaxers, no relief, I've had massages, temporary relief, and I stretched and stretched, which provided some momentary relief.

Finally, when we discuss pain medication (it's about damn time!), she tells me we should try Lyrica. Now, at this point, NO ONE will diagnose me. The rheumatologist suggested fibro, but doesn't diagnosis it. She orders blood test and for me to return in FEBRUARY 2009! Geesh! Anywho, I left my N.P's office, in great pain, and assumed no one would provide any relief for this pain.

Following the September Sanibel trip, I came home and experienced so much pain that I was in tears, I walked the floor, I couldn't move without my arms, legs and especially my shoulder blades hurting so badly, and for 2 1/2 weeks there was a horrible burning sensation in my back. Every muscle felt like it was on fire.

Lyrica! Though no one has written down fibro as a diagnosis, "I" know this is what I have. My sister suffers from it as well, and has for over 10 years. She is on different meds, and has some of the same pain I have, but she has pain in other places, and has worse symptoms than I.

Browsing information online, regarding fibromyalgia, I have found an array of information and the experiences people are going through. Many people live a fairly normal life and control their symptoms on a daily basis. On the other hand, many are housebound, in constant pain and suffer a great deal. Wow, what a difference between the two! I measure my pain in numbers 1-10, as is done in a hospital or doctor's office. However, WHERE the pain is can be different each day.

And with fibro, comes tiredness. Not tired, as felt after a hard days work. This type of tiredness feels as though one cannot go on, an exhaustion type of feeling. And ordinary shower can be exhausting. Errands and daily housekeeping can be overwhelming, and many just do not understand.

Sometimes I believe I have been given this syndrome as a payback for not believing in it 10 years ago. See, when my sister first began having the symptoms and was diagnosed, I told her it was hogwash. For example, she could cook 3 meals one day, do all of her laundry, pick up the house and go to church. In one day! The following day, she may be in bed in pain and exhausted. In a few days, she felt back to normal, did her daily duties and then WHAM, back in the bed. This was NOT her. I couldn't understand why she didn't get up. What does she mean she is "too tired", heck she could have ran a marathon for goodness sakes.

There have been an overwhelming number of clients I've counseled with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, and I just couldn't imagine what they were experiencing, though I was a believer in the syndrome, finally.

Now I understand. I don't want this. It hurts. It is exhausting. I miss out on family time. But thank God, and I do, for medications that can help me diminish the symptoms as much as possible.

The pharmacist provided hope, telling me the Lyrica and Celebrex combo I would be given, has helped so many people, especially those with fibromyalgia. Lyrica was first approved as a seizure medication, but as many of us know, there are tons of medications out there that help with other illnesses as well!

They were out of Lyrica, and promised to have it the following day. I took a Celebrex that night. The following day I picked up the Lyrica and took it, along with the Celebrex at approximately 10 pm that night. In the middle of the night, I awoke and felt ...well, I felt "good". The constant pain had diminished. This was a pain I was enduring 24/7, and was considering getting medications "elsewhere", if you get my hint.

On to the bathroom I go. Realizing there was no moaning and groaning as my body got out of bed, there seemed to be a little pain relief and I wasn't stiff as a board. I returned to bed and actually eased back to sleep. The following day was Saturday. Shockingly, I was 99% pain free. 12 hours after taking 100 mgs of Lyrica, I was making breakfast, went to town, out to eat, enjoying my family! OMG, this was freaking me out. I wanted to whine about how long I was in pain and here this medication could have helped me long ago. Rather, I rejoiced the fact we had found the right medication for me!

The following weekend, Steve, Rebecca and I wheeled our luggage into the Nashville Airport, heading to Florida. It felt like a miracle, me walking normally, pulling luggage and going on vacation.

Ahh, Sanibel and the Blue Dolphin! Stef came down from Illinois and stayed at the Blue Dolphin as well. What a week we had. Shelling, walking, visiting, hanging with The B's. Rebecca went to the Sea School during the morning sessions on Wed-Fri. Next time, I think we will consider her attending all day, all week. It seemed to be her favorite thing to do and she was very well taken care of.

Rebecca revealed a side I had never seen before. The hilarious side! Oh, how funny she was. I laughed until I cried so many times! And the funny sarcasm as she talked to Stef was knee slapping funny!

Stef and I had nice morning walks on the beach. Coffee was made in her cottage, and she either called or just popped in to wake me up, carrying the pot of coffee. She was thrilled I was feeling good and was able to hop up, drink coffee and head to the beach for our morning walk!

The days seemed so long and the vacation seemed to last twice as long. Mr B tells me it is amazing how long the day seems when you don't sleep until noon! I must really enjoy sarcastic people! hehehe

The day after we arrived (Stef didn't arrive until Sunday evening....late evening)Ms B and I went overseas so I could experience the new Tarjay. Rebecca came along, and we had a great time! The new Tarjay was spotless, with wide aisles and items in their places. Ms B declined a marvelous hat and scarf that made her look like she just arrived from Paris. Why didn't I take a picture! ARRRGGHHH I had my camera. I usually have my camera. Don't know why I carry it since I don't take pictures!

When we left Ft. Myers we were hungry and decided to eat on Sanibel, possibly at Gramma Dots. However, as I drove by Pinnochio's I noticed they were opened. Having promised Rebecca several Pinnochio trips, now was as good as time as any. Why not? So, all three of us decided to eat dinner at Pinnochio's, and let me tell ya, there is nothing like fresh cookie dough ice cream for dinner. Hey, it's vacation!

One evening, Stef, Steve, Rebecca and I were hanging in our cottage, sitting at the table in our little kitchen when suddenly our front door opens and in walks a man with groceries. He looks up, rather quickly, and begins backing out, apologizing profusely. I told him no problem, and asked if he had anything good in his grocery sacks. Now, I had been on Lyrica for a week, and food had become my best friend. Weight gain, as a side effect, was pouncing on me! I walked outside onto the cottage porch and on the path was a couple, watching this man. The lady looks at me and says, "I keep telling him, 'Cliff, that's not your cottage'". That became a great line for us the rest of the week. Even now, in December, I may suddenly yell, "Cliff, that's not your cottage".

We saw Cliff on the beach, fishing, all week. He would speak to us, but always seemed shy and apologetic. LOL What fun that was!

Shelling was awesome. Shells rolled in not long before we arrived that weekend. We were fortunate to have HUGE piles directly in front of Blue Dolphin, many that no one had picked through. I finally found my dream shell, a gorgeous, whole, lion's paw. I will add photos here later. Anyway, I shelled less after finding the lion's paw, but Steve shelled mercifully. He found a shell graveyard on the water's edge and brought home some of the most amazing shells. I dug my hand into the sand and just grabbed whatever I felt. I pulled my hand out and it's full of shells, and my index finger even clipped a tulip and it was just hanging onto me. Gorgeous shells. However, I was trying to preserve my back/body and didn't want to overdo. I let him continue. The shape of the beach there was changed that week. HAHAHAHA Oh, and he found the most cutest cowry! Oh, I must get pictures taken and post!

One night, Steve, Stef, Tom and I went to Timbers for dinner. We took Rebecca to the B's as Rebecca was going to babysit Ms B while the adults were out. Timbers is an excellent place to eat and visit. Perfect ambience and it was a very nice evening. Upon returning to the B's we learned Ms B behaved very well for Rebecca, and the two of them had a grand time. Both are spoiled! LOL

Another evening the B's joined us at Doc Ford's, our all time favorite place. Seated next to the aquarium, we enjoyed the meal and company. The laughs we have when relaying our tales of the day...oh, so much fun!

Stef enjoyed the week and had a good time on the several nights she was with her Rent-A-Date (long story). Rebecca said her favorites were the Sea School and babysitting Ms B. Steve, obviously, enjoyed his many hours of shelling. One day he shelled at least 8 hours all together. Me? My favorite part is always visiting with Stef & Ms B and driving West Gulf Drive, watching Steve pick through his finds, shell by shell and the salty air. The food ain't too bad either!

No panther siting this trip. Phooey.

In November I then went to see Tony and Lynn. Tony had a procedure done in Indianapolis, and I went to Bloomington and stayed several days before going on to Lynn's for several days. Flossy and Lynn were at Tony's for the first night, and we had so many laughs! Lynn and I changing clothes back and forth, trying things on, discussing her special dress for the upcoming party. Tony comes around the corner, asking what was going on and tells us to get a room. Fun night that was!

At Lynn's it's always great to see my nephews, but oh to see Kaelin. She is so adorable and huggable. The cutest little girl ever! My bias is showing. Lynn made pumpkin pies that were so wonderful, I came home and made 6 within 2 weeks. Apparently my family likes her recipe as well!

Thanksgiving. Yummy turkey, the parade and lots of pumpkin pie. When you have that with your family at your side, Life is good!

Did I mention our new Walmart opened in October? I am a regular there. Typically arriving anywhere between 9 pm to 10 pm. The latest I have gotten home is 1:15 am. However, that was a shopping trip for "things" plus groceries. It's great to finally buy socks and milk at the same time. Bwahahahaha! And in this one horse town, there is never anyone in the store that late at night. I get front row parking and the entire store to browse without running anyone over!

I went to all of Ryan's academic meets, with the exception of 3 I believe. The medals and trophies that team has won this season is amazing! Can't wait to see how they do at the state competition! Very proud of Ryan! Speaking of Ryan, after 3 years, he had his bottom braces removed last week, with the hope the top braces will be removed next month. His teeth look so fantastic and STRAIGHT ! After all these years, hopefully we will get family portraits made soon. I wanted to wait until his braces were removed, so he wouldn't shoot me when he is an adult and looks at the photos. HAHAHAHA!

Rebecca? Longer hair, and even longer legs. She looks like a blond colt. And she is stunning! She arrived to double digit years, as she says. 10 years old and is now saying, "He's hot!". And she has EXCELLENT taste!

Fall is nearing!

2008-09-11T18:43:00.002-05:00

Unreal how time goes so quickly and fall is almost here! Steve and I made a mad dash for Sanibel on Labor Day weekend. The first day was miserably hot, but it didn't stop Steve from shelling for hours. Day 2 brought in some Gustuv clouds and better shelling. Steve found his largest alphabet cone ever and hasn't shut up about it since. Sunday was a decent shelling day until mid afternoon when the surge was up and over the beach. The entire beach! Monday was another great shelling day. We love the early flights down there and the late flights back. Gives us mucho extra time!

I wasn't able to shell but a little while this trip (pain), although I walked a lot and found excellent goodies what little time I did shell! We came home with only 7 cones, vs. the numerous cones we found in March. Our first day there, we were on the beach by 2 pm and we found 14 juvenile horse conchs in less than 2 hours. And that was just on Friday. We kept finding them, as well as MANY perfect orange scallops and orange jingles. It was just and orange kind of weekend! The biggest keyhole limpet I now have was found on Saturday. There are over a couple dozen in my collection now, but this one is HUGE!

On Sunday we ate at Schnapper Hot's and I have to say, it was better than the 2 Doc Ford meals I had. Unbelievable good! *I won't eat the fish tacos ever again*

Back at home, soccer continues, work continues and this frickin' pain continues! Hurry up October!

Tony (my brother) and his son visited earlier this week. They were on their way home from Myrtle Beach (where TStorm Hanna had just visited) and they stayed a night here. Tony and I sat and looked at photos for hours. I was given "keeper of the photos" when my mom died in '94, and my brother hadn't seen the photos since before that date even. Lots of laughs ensued and I always shed a few tears and wish mom were here.

Lynn and family had their family photos taken and they are great. Lynn's false teeth have helped her face shape so much and they look so pretty in the pictures. Her granddaughter was GORGEOUS in the photos and the big Pebbles ponytail was too darn cute! We celebrate Lynn and Gabe's 25th wedding anniversary soon. Lots more planning to do UGGHH!

Few more weeks until we head to Sanibel AGAIN. Steve's weekly vacation and Rebecca's fall break. I just want to sit and look at the water. I'll watch Steve shell, and maybe send Rebecca off to the Sea School for a day or so. I so wanted to ride bikes (damn pain!).

So much for chaining myself to the blog!

2008-07-29T23:55:00.003-05:00

September marks a year that Steve has been working with the new company. He even became the Medical Director several months ago! Woo-hoo! He has an apartment in Western KY and is home on weekends. It is tough! The kids and I miss him very much. At this point we have no plans to put this house on the market, nothing is selling around here these days.

The kids are doing fantastic and have grown so much. Ryan is 15, his hair is very long and he has mastered his electric guitar. Rebecca continues to grow like a weed, has started wearing clothes that are actually for girls (!), and she is so intelligent it's scary!

As usual, I have health issues going on, but am currently undergoing testing and hoping to get some news about it and some relief soon.

I have been to my favorite place on earth, Sanibel, several times in the past year. I went last October and stayed a few weeks. Jackie, Ryan and Rebecca joined me for several days, and the day they left, my friend Stef arrived and stayed with me. A blast was had by all!

In March, Steve and I went back down and stayed with our friends, The B's. We were invited down to attend the Shell show. OMG, sea shells of all sorts, sizes, colors and crafted. It was amazing and I would love to see it again next spring!

Being a very lucky lady, I returned for two weeks in May. May is simply a perfect month to visit Sanibel, as the traffic and tourism is down. I love, love, love visiting in May and it was the 3rd year in a row! I got to cat-sit a favorite furry friend of mine and we bonded even more! Our friends, The B's, are such truly wonderful souls. Steve and I hold them in a special place in our hearts. I believe we have known each other in another life. Call it fate if you must.

Fall break will soon be here, and school doesn't even start until August 7th. However, Steve is ready for another vacation and his favorite destination has become Sanibel, as well. We discussed going in September, in order to meet up with some other dear friends of mine, however, Rebecca wants to go down as well, and we could hardly say no when there were only 2 or 3 weeks difference. Ryan prefers to stay home and sleep. I did mention he is 15! So, yippee, we are heading down in 2 months for another week, and I don't know who is more excited, Steve or Rebecca!

Actually, me! tee-hee!

Been a while, eh?

2007-12-16T17:04:00.000-06:00

I have so much to catch up on, so I won't give too much detail!

Steve hunkered down at a hotel in Madisonville in September. He is still staying there at this time. Nothing has worked out for him regarding rentals or buying something small.

For now, and who knows for how long, he will commute and come home on weekends. I am going to stay here and shuttle the kids and enjoy seeing them as much as possible. It is amazing how they have thrived and grown since my last blog entry!

Anyway, Steve is looking for a small house to buy, as hotel expenses are astronomical when staying 20 or more nights per month!

I have been busy with the kids, their schedules, and with home improvement issues. We HAD to get a new roof (and we have a LOT of roof)as the other had bit the dust and was leaking. In turn, now I have to have some ceiling sheetrock replaced and painted. While we are at it, we are having the ugly pink carpet taken out and replaced with laminate flooring with some vinyl or tile possible in some areas.

The cats and us humans are missing Tim-Tim very much. It is very difficult for Rebecca, and she immediately tears up as soon as Tim is mentioned, but she does love talking about him... remembering and reminiscing.

Ryan and Rebecca has a music recital this fall and it was very successful. All of the children, of all ages, did an amazing job. Everyone played the piano, except Ryan. Ryan played his electric guitar and sang a few songs by Green Day. If you have never seen little old ladies eyes bug out in church, you should watch them when they see a long haired teenager sing an alternative pop/rock song while playing an electric guitar IN A CHURCH! I grinned the entire time. I think he gained a huge following, as everyone, minus little old ladies, seemed to cheer and clap and truly enjoy his music! Both of his teachers, for vocals and guitar, feel he has come such a long way in the short 2 years he has been playing. The guitar teacher feels he will be "a major player in the future". He plays HOURS each day, so he definately loves it. He is now playing acoustic, as well as his electric guitar.

I was given a lesson several weeks ago. Ryan has attempted to rid my southern accent and has helped me pronounce guitar correctly. Gih-tar. Not Git-taaar. I would say Git, as if I were talking to a goat. hehehehe Then I would add "are". So, my recent lesson on stripping the accent has been successful. Each time I pronounce it my way, I correct myself and Ryan has said, "Thank you, I appreciate you correcting yourself!" This kid is 14, remember? Ahhh.....

Rebecca ended her soccer season and is now playing Little League Basketball. Now basketball I know something about! I boo the referees, I know when someone double dribbles, gets a foul, steps out of bounds and walks with the ball. The Louisville Cardinals and Kentucky Wildcats have made quite a few ball fans in Kentucky! I love it when Rebecca looks up toward the bleachers and sees her two moms clapping and cheering her on.

OH! Speaking of two moms..... After a weeknight ballgame, Jackie and I took Rebecca to Dairy Queen for blizzards. Ryan was at a meet with the Academic Team and we hung around town waiting for his call that he would be arriving at the school soon. While in DQ, an acqaintance and master carpenter came in with his wife. He roofed Jackie's house, and patched my leaky spots until I had someone roof my entire house. I digress. He and his lovely wife were talking to us about his recent hand injury, church, the children and such. Suddenly he says, in almost a secretive voice, "By the way, I told my wife about your relationship". He says this to me. I blink a few times and am thinking, "Wahhh?" Suddenly I look at Jackie and it comes to me. I said, "Oh, you mean Jackie and I?" and he says yes, and how wonderful it is for the kids. I jokingly look at Jackie and back and him and said, "Well, yeah, but we are friends too, we get along okay."

A week later it popped into my head the way he said it sounded like we were gay. It was funny. I laughed and laughed. Then, wondered if others think this way. Steve wasn't able to go to many soccer games, hasn't been to any basketball practices, and only 1 game, due to his out of town work. And Rebecca does say she has 2 moms! Hahahahaha This cracks me up! I laughed to myself when I think about it!

Speaking of Rebecca, she went shopping with her mom and brother a few weeks ago at a Super Walmart (we will have one next winter!). She told me she had 2 ten dollar bills to spend. Ryan borrowed one of them while they were in the store. She didn't find anything she wanted, so she kept her tucked in her pocket. They walked outside and she was the Salvation Army kettle with someone ringing the bell. That cute little, now 9 years old, took her ten dollar bill out of her pocket and placed it in the kettle. She said it made her belly feel good. She tells the story so much more eloquently than I am telling it now.

During a recent ballgame, half time came around and Jackie and I were talking. She pulled out a paper and told me to read it. She said Rebecca wrote it and asked her mom to read it to the church congregation, because she was too shy. Rebecca wrote a story about their recent music recital. Peter John is a sweet young boy who is legally blind, has difficulty with his speech & physical movement and has the spirit of an angel. Peter John can play the piano beautifully. During the recital, he and the piano teacher played 2 duets. Rebecca wrote about this with great detail and described how the teacher "messed up" several times, yet Peter John played perfectly. However, Rebecca's emphasis on the story was how she felt during Peter John's performance. She described feeling God inside her and how everyone was beaming with smiles and felt the presence of God during the recital. I am having difficulty typing this, as tears gleam in my eyes regarding this special little girl. To hear her tell her story gives goosebumps. She emphasizes words and gives such great detail. She would do wonderfully on NPR's Prairie Home Companion's radio show. Actually, she would probably sound much better on the commercials on our local radio station, than the woman who currently does the ads. Blech.

In October I took yet another trip to Sanibel. It was even more special, as the kids were there for their 2nd trip and their mom joined them. I stayed 2 weeks, they stayed with me for 5 nights. A great time was had by all. Jackie now understands my obsession with Sanibel and Rebecca would readily move down there if all of her parents were there. Ryan, eh, he enjoys it, but isn't as crazy about beach life like the rest of his family.

Jackie and the kids befriended my wonderful friends, "The B's". The B's quickly adopted my family as part of theirs. Rebecca has always felt shy and awkward around new people until she warms up to them. Well, it sure didn't take her any time to warm up to "Nana-Anna"! I don't know who adores whom more! Rebecca or Nana-Anna!

We went to the B's one afternoon with the intention of staying a SHORT few hours. I wanted them to meet my family and especially for my family to meet the B's. Steve and I have mentioned them repeatedly and Jackie and the kids agreed, the B's sound like wonderful people.

Our few short hours turned into a long afternoon and evening. We shelled, we got caught in a downpour on the beach, we munched goodies and had lemonade. She basked in the glow of the evening on the beach porch where the rain smelled wonderful on the pine trees and the scent of the gulf teased our noses. We laughed hysterically during the craziest game of Scrabble I have ever played. According to Nana-Anna and Mr. B, at their house on their Scrabble board the kids could spell anything they wanted. Thus, "Judevanboot" was the teaser of the night! We had delicious cookies, with a special cookie for my special girl, we had laughs, hugs, a tour of the art room, a tour of the cottage I have dubbed "The honeymoon cottage". Rebecca vows to live in the cottage, or at least stay for a summer and dabble in art, she says.
Ryan had interesting conversations with Mr. B while watching 60 Minutes. Politics. Blech. Jackie and B's discussed Texas and Tex-Mex food. Rebecca had a special peanut butter and jelly sandwich made by Ms. B.

Did I mention we only intended to stay less than a few hours? One can hardly do that with family! And we did gel like a family. When Ryan hugged Ms B upon our departure, I knew Ms B was even more special than ever. Ryan does not hug people. Sometimes his mother, and even less often with me. To hug Ms B said many things. She is someone very special. Rebecca mentions Ms B almost every time I see her, as we discuss Sanibel frequently (I did say I was OBSESSED!). She mentions how "cool" it was that Mr B and Ryan got along so well. Ryan enjoys talking to intelligent people!!! She mentions the special cookie Ms B had just for her. She mentions Spirit and how Spirit loves my shoes. She mentions the porch and the view of the water. She GLOATS on the fact she spotted sharks in the gulf and we doubted her, believing it was probably dolphin. Several days later an afternoon feast occurred where a multitude of shark were in the shallows of the beach right where Rebecca spotted them.

It is my hope that frequent visits to Sanibel will cause Rebecca to continue visiting when she grows up. It is beautiful and safe there. And she deserves that!

Thanksgiving came around slowly and Steve was home for an extended weekend. I loved it! I had stayed with him the week prior, so I felt joyous to have him around for the holiday weekend! One never realizes how much one can miss a certain person, until they are not around!

Jackie and the kids were here for the day, along with Cody, their doggy. We ate lots and played a Harry Potter game. The cats were napping, Steve was napping, Ryan opted our after a while and hid in his room. Us girls were wrapped around the coffee table in front of the fire enjoying ourselves. It was a good day!

I went with Jackie and Rebecca to several of Ryan's academic meets this fall. They boy is a genius.... well, to me he is a genius! His knowledge is wide and his personality even wider. He makes friends wherever he goes and his smile will light up even the darkest days. I am so @#$% of him and think he has gotten the best genes from both his mom and his dad. Ryan's personality isn't the only thing attracting people to him. His long flowing blond hair is his trademark at this time. He gets looks from girls who admire him from afar. Giggling girls who whisper in corners and wish they could talk to him. Some wish they could touch his hair. He has been approached on many occassion, asking if they can touch his hair. Run their hands through it. I run my hands through it at times, careful not to embarrass him, and careful to prevent him from feeling icky, that his step-mom is playing with his hair. I know when to back off!

He won a trophy several weeks ago on his team. The team took 2nd place overall in the district. He won for best overall on the JV team. He is good! State playoffs are in March, and we will travel to Louisville this year to watch him compete. 3 days of hanging out with some of the smartest kids in the state of Kentucky. I will have to watch my P's and Q's and pronounce GIT-TAR correctly! hehehe

Rebecca's 9th birthday was in late November. She had a wonderful birthday party as usual. Great gifts and lots of them. Though she was disappointed she did not get SOCKS for her birthday. Just last Christmas she dared anyone to get her clothes. Those are something you get just because. Toys, books and fun stuff is for Christmas. Now she is wanting them! She has grown up!

I have heard from Santa that is he getting her socks. Also, the cats are getting her socks. AND, her daddy and mummy are getting her socks. Hehehehehe She should be well supplied until next Christmas. I am especially proud of one gift Santa plans to bring Ryan. Ryan loves goofiness. He loves books about toilet humor, political humor, stupid things people do! Santa is bringing him a pooping penguin. Yes, this little toy penguin will walk, and as he does, he poops out little candies. He will love it more than any other gift! And listen (read) to this! He asked for t-shirts with his favorite bands on them. He ONLY wears black t-shirts. While looking for the shirts he wanted, I found a perfect t-shirt for him. It is wrapped, under the tree and says it is from ME! Not Dad & Reba, just Reba. I can hear him now, saying, UH OH! hehehe
When he opens it, he will find a black t-shirt, just what he loves! But on this t-shirt it says, "Got Guitar?" Remember the Got Milk ads? He will like it, and I will be sure to pronounce it correctly then, as well! hehehe But I am anxious for him to open the pooping penguin!

We are ready for Christmas here. Rebecca decorated the Christmas tree, and she did a WONDERFUL job! I spent many hours wrapping gifts and I ADORE shiny / foil paper. Jackie and the kids will spend Christmas here, as I am cooking again this year for them. But this year we are doing appetizers, instead of a heavy meal. We will play games, play with the pooping penguin and munch all evening!

Happy Holidays to my family and friends! Wishing all of you the happiness and peace each of you deserve!

PS, if you have pets, please don't use ribbons and such on your gifts! It can be deadly to an animal if eaten! Use cloth instead~

Additionally, ignore all the typos and stupid mistakes. I typed all this quickly. I had intended to make it short, remember?

Is there a doctor in the house?

2007-09-19T21:01:00.000-05:00

Three evenings in a row I have heard from Steve. Monday was HR day, filling out paper work and learning about their chart system. Yesterday he called me at 4:10 pm. He did have patients, but they didn't overwhelm him and he got off of work early. He was driving around the state forest area and was looking for a specific lake.

Last night I called to ask how he handled the long evening. He was eating at Tumbleweed! *having a hissy fit here* I love me some Tumbleweed food! Too, he had been to a matinee! Movies in the early evening in the middle of the week? AND, Jodie Foster's newest movie?? *having a second hissy fit here* When do I move? He walked around the mall *why does he keep telling me these things?* and browsed a few stores. Poor baby, work must be horrible, he needs time to unwind (just insert another fit!).

I talked to him tonight and he was cruising around town, winding down, don't you know? Can't say I would want to go sit in a hotel suite either. He was bragging about his dinner, "I really like that Mexican restaurant", he tells me (El Braccerro). *hissy fit*

Surprisingly, he sends me an email tonight (I taught him how to email!) and he tells me he walked/jogged 2 miles in the hotel gym. 2 miles! This is the sick man who gets out of breath walking up and DOWN our stairs!

I am really proud of Steve. He has deserved wellness and job satisfaction for a long time. If you are reading this, Steve, know that I am your number one fan and you bet your booty when I come to stay a night or two, that we will go to the mall, see a movie and eat at Tumbleweed (or the cute Italian Bistro I found downtown!).

A bittersweet kind of day

2007-09-16T17:34:00.000-05:00

Rebecca played a wonderful game of soccer today, scoring several times! The "Warriors" outdid themselves, as there were only 3 players on the team. Yes, 3. They played their little hearts out! The opposing team was able to put in fresh players, but they had a hard time winning against the Warriors. 11-8. GO WARRIORS!

Steve left a little bit ago for Western Kentucky. As it turns out, he will stay in a hotel Sun-Thu for the next 3 weeks, then will move into a cute small house less than 10 minutes south of the Mad-ville office. The condo owner turned out to be a *&^$ kind of guy. As an agent with ReMax, we won't be doing any house buying business with him!

I wonder how many days it will take before I pack up a few things to go see Steve. He teasingly said, "See you Tuesday". HAHAHAHA! I told him I would make it all week just to prove I can do it! :-)

The house is too quiet this evening without my family. No t.v. blaring upstairs. No t.v. blaring downstairs. No guitar practice occuring at the moment. No telephone ringing. No doors opening/closing. The refridgerator doors are silent.

It sounds down right peaceful around here! Ahhh . . .

Goofy people I miss

RIP Tim-Tim

2007-09-11T18:51:00.000-05:00

One of our beloved kitties passed away today. He did not survive the anesthesia while having a tooth pulled.

Rebecca was his favorite human in the world.

His brother/littermate/twin will forever be looking around for Tim-Tim to come join him for play or a good mole hunt.

RIP lil' Tim-Tim.

You were loved by all!

It isn't easy

2007-09-06T21:56:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is Steve's last day of work. Bittersweet. He has come home late each night this week after "taking care of last minute patients". I am so proud of him, as he is a super doctor and his patients will miss him so much!

He has been bearing gifts each day, as well. Two out of three counties, thus far, have given him going away parties. We will see what happens tomorrow in the 3rd county on his final day. He has brought home cards, pies and homemade banana bread. Clocks, plaques, candles. . . people want him to remember them and much as they will him.

He has bronchitis and doesn't sound very well at this time, however, he is giving 200% to ensure the next fews weeks will go a little easy at the offices for staff and patients.

It hasn't been emotionally easy at all this week, yet he still states, at least daily, that he knows he is doing the right thing.

And that is my honey! Always doing the right thing!

100 +

2007-09-04T18:42:00.000-05:00

August was hottt. Yes, that is with 3 t's because our temps were consistently in the triple digits. We were as high as 106* several days in a row with heat indexes as high as 114*.

This is KENTUCKY, not the desert of Texas.

My in-laws live in Hell Paso, TX. Actually, they call it El Paso, but if you have ever been there around July 4th, you would know what I mean by Hell Paso!

While visiting, I couldn't go outside without suffocating. I had to stand outside the car and allow it to cool down from 180* to at least 140* before I got inside. And why is it there are no trees? Oh, yeah, the desert. We couldn't park under a shade tree at the mall ... there was ONE, and 4 vehicles were parked so close together that I assume the car owners in the middle would get in the car on the end, and climb through windows until they got to their car. And you think I am kidding?

The humidity in Hell Paso was 2%. If it were that high. Imagine opening your oven to remove a cake. Imagine you keep your head there, staring at the racks in the oven and not removing it for 10 minutes. Oh, and a HOTTT blow dryer is blowing on your backside and your head is in the oven. YES, welcome to Hell Paso.

Kentucky is known for its humid, very muggy summers. I LOVE humidity. It feels good, it allows us to drip and sweat properly. One can BREATHE when in humidity. But where did it go? I have had rain at my house...oh, back in June I think. The humidity was high at that time. Since then, we have been in a Hell Paso state of weather. Extremely dry. We have water restrictions and a no burning ban (duh). The leaves look like they do at the end of October. They didn't even change color. They went from green to dead. Leaves fly around all the time, because we have the HOTTT blow dryer winds. WINDS! In summer! I can remember thinking it would be nice if we had a breeze about 5 mph!

It is now September and time for a cool down. I went to pick the kids up from school today and as we passed a pharmacy their ticker sign said 103*. I told Ryan something was wrong with the ticker, that it was at least 10* less than that! I was breathing and felt cool when I was outside the vehicle. He tells me I am just use to the weather now. No, Ryan, it's the ticker! He tells me to look up at the temp gage in the van. Sure enough, it says 100* on the temp gage!

So, here in Hell Paso, Kentucky we have cooled down from 106* to 103* and it sure feels much better!

Hope the rest of you see rain, some cool temps and maybe feel a little humidity!

Welcome !

2007-09-01T00:15:00.000-05:00

I have planned on blogging for 2 years, at least. Some of you reading know my nickname.. Doc, Dr Lucy, Luce, *&^%$. Hence the name of my blog!

Want to hear something funny? Ever watched "Reba" on tv? Sure, some of you have, and laughed your butts off. Reba and her children live next door to Reba's ex husband and his new wife. I was told yesterday that my life reminded them of that sitcom.

Some of you know that the kid's mom, Jackie, and I hang out with the kids. Just this summer did we start doing things with them together. She was off work for part of the summer (she teaches at the private college here) and we had a good time! We cooked out, several times, took the kids to Louisville for a weekend and went to Six Flags, went to the famous Hwy 127 yard sale, and took the kids to music lessons, out eating, etc.....

Yes, we do get along. Are we best friends, no, but unlike the sitcom, "Reba", I am not the cause of her and Steve's divorce. If we don't always agree, okay... but we both know we are crazy about those kids and we have tons of laughs with them!

Last summer she took me to the ER to get a shot for a migraine. This summer I am dog sitting because their 12 y/o doggie can't handle the extreme heat we have had due to a heart condition.

Last week for Jackie's birthday she and the kids came over for dinner. I had a chocolate cake and a big salad made. She brought yard long green beans to steam and some fixins' for burritos. More laughs and fun. Rebecca played "Happy Birthday" on the piano and we all sang.

She and the kids were here for Christmas day dinner.

Yes, to answer those burning questions, Steve is with us at times. Especially here at our house on the weekends. But most of our times together are during the week. I know they don't especially want to hang out together! :-) They do get along and the kids must be so appreciative of our relationships! I know I am!

So, yes, we do get along and it may seem unusual. But the sitcom, "Reba", demonstrates a relationship can be had. And we get along better than Reba and Barbara Jean on the show (are they hilarious or what?)

And to really shock you, Jackie and I are taking the kids to Sanibel Island in October during the kids Fall break. What is truly shocking is this will be my 7th trip to Sanibel since May 2006. Now THAT is truly embarrassing.

But I don't mind :-)

Big news!

2007-08-31T23:25:00.000-05:00

After 13 years, Steve is leaving his psychiatric position on September 7th. He will begin a new position in the Pennyroyal district of Western Kentucky on September 17th.

To say he is excited is too mild. Following disatisfaction for many months, he didn't have difficulty finding a new position. He interviewed with Pennyroyal and they immediately offered him a contract.

It hasn't been an easy decision, although I truly recognized his burnout with the current company back in June. He had enjoyed his time on Sanibel Island and started talking about moving to Florida at some point. He went so far as to look online for real estate and job opportunities. This, however, led to his new psychiatric position after he began looking for jobs in KY, rather than Florida!

Once he was offered the contract, he excitedly called me and told me to head that way, to read the contract and let's look for an apartment! I was out the door in less than an hour.

Two hours later I was in Hopkinsville, KY. Less than 30 minutes north of Ft. Campbell (operating military base). "Hoptown" as it is called, is home base for Pennyroyal Mental Health Centers. We stayed up late discussing his contract, his interview, the people he met and about our future. The following day I went with him to meet his new boss, er.... one of the bosses/supervisors. He handed over the signed contract off we went to find a place to lay his head at night.

Found a nice apartment, 2 bed/bath, just a street over from the strip that held all of the restaurants. Steve's favorite thing in the world is eating, and eating out in restaurants especially. The choices there were amazing, as we live in Po-Dunk.

We drove north of town and he showed me the Hoptown office, where he would work 1 day a week, at least for now. We then drove north to Madisonville. A slightly smaller town about 30 minutes away on the parkway. 'Mad-ville" has a facility that he would work approx. 2 days per week. Princeton, west of Mad-ville, is the 3rd town he will work. As with his current position, he will play the traveling doctor.

In Mad-ville, we stopped at Remax and spoke with a realtor. Having looked at tiny houses online, Steve was particularly interested in looking at a specific house. He had to see that house if we did nothing else the rest of the day! The realtor drove us out there, a beautiful country drive, and as we got near the house, we realized it was painted PINK! Remember, this is in SouthWest KY, not Florida. And, the house was not built like anything I have seen in Florida. Inside was horrible, with each room having floors about 3 inches off from their connecting rooms. Steve didn't even make it through the entire house, due to animal urine odors. My eyes burned. They had a homemade inground swimming pool. The kitchen floor was lower in the middle. A huge dip!

We returned to the office and looked at a list of apartment complexes. The realtor gave us advice on where NOT to look. We had very few places left to look and it was almost 5 pm on a Friday!

A different realtor tells us he owns some condos not far from the office, and would have an opening on a 2 bed/2 bath in mid September, if we could wait. BINGO! Steve isn't in an emergency moving mode anyway, just wanting to find something now!

To make a long story longer, haha, we saw the condo, loved it; has a wood burning fireplace, a washer dryer, storage room below him, and evergreen outside the door that smelled HEAVENLY! Steve's only problem was that is was along the highway, albeit, on the edge of town, and not IN town. He decided what little noise he heard inside, he could live with. Deal done.

We leave there, and I am looking at the city map. I try to figure out how he would go to work in Mad-ville from his new digs. We found a route, but then my eye caught what I thought might be a shortcut. I tell him to turn right out of the complex. 2 properties west I tell him to turn left. This little cut off only took us over railroad tracks and we were on a county highway. So, that road ran parallel to "Steve's road". We drove past a wonderful, gracious looking southern home that apparently came with massive farm land. I then said, "There is a sign that says Pennyroyal Center". Steve says, 'THAT'S IT!". He quickly pulls into the parking lot.

Now, I am stunned. Not only was this office on the edge of town, it was across the street from a cornfield. Nice views from the windows!!! I then look across the back field and noticed a yellow house I saw earlier that is next to the condo complex. I screamed, "There is the yellow house! Hey, there is your condo!" I then began to cry. Seems so ... meant to be, that he would find something within sight of the office. SO CLOSE!

Steve has been traveling every single workday with his current position. One town he goes to on Tues and Thur is an hour away. 2 hrs driving time 2 x per week. That isn't counting the other 2 counties he works in. We do know he spends at least 8 hours a week (a complete workday!) just traveling to and fro for work. To have 2 offices 30 minutes away west and south, and to have his 3rd office only across the highway is unreal! We can only imagine the rest his body will get and hopefully his health will improve.

At this point he will come home on weekends. The kids and I will also go over some weekends, so he won't be doing all the traveling. There will be times, probably many times, that I will go over during the week and spend some time. Though we change our minds often and nothing is completely decided, we are talking about putting the house up for sale and once it is sold, then me and the kitty kats will go to Mad-ville to be with Steve full time. We will buy a house there.

If I can live without seeing the kids as often as I do. Y'all know I am highly involved with them and see them constantly.

Are you happy?

2007-08-28T03:26:00.000-05:00

From this moment forward, I shall be chained to my computer, blogging away!

Not exactly. Hope this helps y'all to stay updated with our happenings 'round here!

And to my wonderful friend, "Flower", ARE YOU HAPPY NOW???