January 2009 – Bless Your Heart

Mother Clucker

January 23, 2009January 24, 2009 Shannon

So, this has been a tough week. And I’ve had tough weeks before. Hell, I’ve had a tough few years. But this week, with Sara’s health. And something else happened. There’s this thing I’ve been working toward. We’ll call it the chicken. So for the last almost 2 years I’ve been trying to get this chicken. I’ve put in countless hours, spent lots of money, jumped through hoops, all for the chicken. Well this week, a day after finding out Sara’s bad test results, I found out that the people who are in charge of giving me the chicken won’t give me the chicken. They changed their rules and are now completely out of the chicken business. And there’s nothing I can do. Nothing. The chicken company won’t budge. And this is a life changing chicken. I mean, this is the motha cluckin chicken of all chickens. At least for me. So the last couple of days have been full of lots of poultry tears and worry and stress and loss.

And now I’m tired. I know that this is my blog. And I can write whatever I want on it. And I started it as my journal. But it is depressing me to think oh, I need to blog today and then think I have nothing good to say. Nothing good has happened to me in so long. Don’t get me wrong, I count my blessings. I thank God every night for CSP, my family, my friends (including y’all), my pugs, etc. But not one goal or hope or dream has worked out for me in YEARS. And this chicken business is almost enough to push me over the edge. I need a break. I’m on Facebook and I have email and I’ll check all that a couple times a week. But I need some time to just be unplugged. Step back and focus on small things. Like organizing my linen closet perhaps. I need to create small victories for myself.

I’ll be back. I haven’t been keeping this blog going for over 7 years to abandon it now. I won’t be back tomorrow. I’m not one of those drama queens who declare blog breaks only to be back in a day. No, fixing up this old bird is gonna take a good while. In the meantime, take care and thank you for being there for me.

*Just a quick edit to say that the Chicken has nothing to do with our adoption. And thank you for all your supportive comments and emails. xoxo

family, health

Sara update

January 21, 2009January 22, 2009 Shannon

From Sara:
I had labs today but did not see the dr so this is only a partial update. My levels have gone down and my riticula (sp?) count is still high (meaning my red bloods cells are still being destroyed and the prednisone treatment didn’t work again). SO, I’m not sure where we go from here. I will let you know more next Tuesday which is when I go to see the dr again. Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers. And don’t worry, we’ll figure this thing out. I have the best dr I could ask for, so it’s only a matter of time. 🙂

From me:
Please continue to pray that this is fixable.

family, fun, health

Viva la Excema!

January 20, 2009 Shannon

So at Joey’s party, the funniest exchange happened just as we were leaving. Ok, first you need a little background. Momo is dating a waiter from one of the local Mexican restaurants. It’s all because of me by the way. One day at the end of November, beginning of December, Gigi, Momo & I were all out at the nursing home then afterwards we decided to get something to eat. So I voted Mexican. They fought me and fought me but I won. Papa joined us at the restaurant. Throughout our meal every waiter in the joint peered in our dining area to get a look at Momo. Then the bill came and our waiter said that Momo’s dinner was paid for. We asked by who and they said Oscar. So Momo said thank you and introduced herself and we left. A couple weeks later Momo and I went to dinner there. I made sure to spend a long time in the restroom after dinner so Momo would have to loiter in the lobby, giving her time to talk to Oscar. Next thing you know, they are dating. He was born in Mexico and speaks Spanish in that fabulous accent that makes all the girls swoon.

When Momo brings boyfriends around we all seem to turn into cougars in the den. Her boys are getting older so it’s not as creepy as it would have been when she was in high school! 😀 Well Oscar came to Joey’s party. When we were all leaving, Oscar said to Sara thank you for inviting me, etc etc. About the same time I was telling her that she didn’t look so yellow that day (her disease makes her jaundiced). We were talking about that and how was she feeling while Morgan explained to Oscar that Sara is sick and has a big spleen. So he said goodbye to her with a nice hand shake.

Then it was my turn. Oscar gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. I leaned back and told Sara about my hug and peck from the yummy smelling Mexican chico and pointed out that she just got a handshake because of her big spleen. So Sara yelled out to Oscar: Well… she’s got excema! I wonder if we’ll ever see that young man again.

birthday, family, pugs

Birthday weekend!

January 19, 2009 Shannon

Sunday was Joey and Molly’s birthday! Joey turned 4 and Molly turned 3. Saturday was Joey’s birthday party. I wish I could show you pics from the party. But my big camera is still in the shop and I loaned my purse camera to Papa & Gigi to take with them to Asheville this weekend. I did take a few pics at his party, but I’ll have to wait til I get the camera back to show them to you. Joey had SO much fun at his party. He kept singing Happy Birthday to himself. He LOOOVED unwrapping each present, I think more than the presents themselves!

Molly’s celebration was more low key. Basically we just told her Happy Birthday and gave her lots of kisses.

bloggy stuff, techno geek

Technical Difficulties

January 15, 2009 Shannon

So this weekend was supposed to be Winter Photo Bloggy Days, but my camera is in the shop. What about my purse camera you say? Well Papa & Gigi are going out of town to celebrate Gigi’s birthday and they are borrowing my purse camera. That means I would have no way to take pics of my weekend. So I’ll reschedule.

Right now I’m working on a dvd for Joey’s birthday. He wants a “movie” of all of his pictures. Nothing like waiting til the last minute! His party is Saturday!

csp, events, family, friends, travel

Via con Dios, Gigi

January 14, 2009 Shannon

While we were on the cruise Papa & Pete talked all about Pete & Lisa’s Mexican vacation in 2007. CSP was there and heard the whole talk. Well Gigi & I didn’t hear anything about this talk until just recently. The whole subject came up again because Papa has decided that him and Gigi need to experience the same vacation Lisa & Pete did. Down to the last detail. So they are flying into Tucson, renting a Mustang, and driving to Mexico. My mother is terrified. She is convinced that she will be murdered by crazed banditos on this trip. I have received numerous frantic phone calls about the trip. “I’m so sorry we have so much stuff in this house that you’ll have to sort through upon our deaths.” and “Have you told Lisa that I hold Pete responsible for my murder?”

So I sent the following email to Lisa & Pete:

My Mother wants you to know that she is really peeved that Peter has laid out the plans for her death in Mexico. Papa is so excited that he’s making them fly into Tucson, drive for hours across the border in the middle of the night. Mom is convinced that she will be shot in the head while driving in the rental Mustang. Of course he had to rent a Mustang and not something low key. But she’s not going to shave her legs so at least if she’s raped by banditos then it won’t be as fun for them. Apparently they are staying in the same hotel y’all did. The one with no phone. So now she’s worried that we won’t know they are dead for days and days. She’s upping her life insurance and sending you the bill.

Lisa responded to the email and replied to my Mom and me. She thought my email was hilarious and expressed that she was jealous she couldn’t join Papa & Gigi on their trip.

Mom replied:

Lisa Dear, This is not a joke. You know we’ll be murdered and not a soul will know about it until days later because there are no phones! (Thanks Pete!) Yes, and Hale wants us to show up on death row in a mustang! All the drug cartel will see us coming for miles. I told Shanny that I’ll have to check in hour by hour so she’ll have a more accurate time of death. I don’t even have enough time to drop a few pounds much less learn Spanish AND get our affairs in order. I’ll just have to verbally let them know my wishes and you’ll have to come and help Shanny clear out our house! Pete can have Hale’s cigars. Looks like we won’t be making the anniversary cruise!

crocs

Why does the universe torture me so?

January 13, 2009 Shannon

Every year I buy the boys Crocs for their birthdays. They love their Crocs. I ordered them their Crocs again this year, and went up a size like I usually do so they can wear them all year. Well, I don’t have kids yet so I’m not familiar with the size charts. And since I don’t make bronze casts of their feet every year I don’t know exactly what their sizes are. Sara told me what size they are now, so I just went up one from that on the little pull down menu. Well, Joey’s shoes arrived just fine. But look what they sent me for Jacob. The tiniest Crocs ever! OMG I want to chew them or hang them from my rear view mirror in my car. They are SO cute. Of course I have to send them back. And I will. Tomorrow. I can’t have such tiny shoes in my house. Hurts my heart a little.

birthday, events, family, food, fun, health, kids, movies

Happy Birthday Gigi!

January 12, 2009 Shannon

Busy weekend recap!

Ok so Friday night was movie night for CSP and me. We went to redbox and picked up Traitor and Pineapple Express. Traitor was serious, well acted (LOVE Don Cheadle), and really good. I was surprised to see that it was written and produced by Steve Martin! Pineapple Express was one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. We had to keep pausing it because we’d be laughing so hard I’d miss some dialogue. It had some of the best lines. Thug life!

Saturday morning we got up at the crack of dawn to meet up with the fam. It was Jacob’s first basketball game. OMG it was the cutest thing ever! A million tiny little 2 foot tall kids with those long shorts pulled up to their armpits running around trying to put the ball through the hoop. I wish I’d had my good camera because the zoom on my purse camera doesn’t cut it. Jake ran around the whole time with his arms up in the air like a redheaded orangutan. He’d get distracted by the scoreboard or would start spinning around in the middle of the court. And he could barely take his eyes off the cheer leaders. SO cute!

After the game we split up. The boys all went back to Sara’s house and us girls went out to lunch for Gigi’s birthday. She wanted to go to her favorite, Red Lobster. At lunch Sara caught us all up on her medical situation. She has been diagnosed with Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. Not fun stuff. Her spleen is still big, and she has more tests tomorrow. Hopefully she’ll be able to get her spleen taken out ASAP. She’s so pale, in a good deal of pain and discomfort, and is starting to look jaundiced. Please keep her in your prayers. She’s keeping a great attitude about it.

The staff at the Red Lobster heard it was Gigi’s birthday and brought her an ice cream and sang. Then after lunch we went for a movie. We debated between seeing the Unborn and Gran Torino. Thank goodness the ticket guy talked us into Gran Torino. The Unborn looked like it was just going to scare me into insomnia for months! I’m too old for all that public terror. Gran Torino was fantastic! I’ve always respected Clint Eastwood but didn’t really become a fan until Million Dollar Baby. Gran Torino was hilarious! And touching, and intense, and scary. We laughed, a lot (didn’t expect that), and we cried.

After the movie we went back to Sara’s then Momo went home with Papa & Gigi. She had to get ready to go back to school to start the semester today. I miss her already! But she’ll be home again next weekend for Joey’s birthday!

Today is Gigi’s official birthday. So to the best Mom & friend in the world! I love you! xoxo

it's all about me

Dream a little dream

January 8, 2009 Shannon

I know that no one really cares what other people dream about at night, but I’m telling you, this was a doozy. It must mean something!

So last night I had a flying dream. I loooove flying dreams. In this one I had to deliver a talking elephant to Savannah, Georgia. Her husband was waiting there in an underwater castle. That’s hard enough but I was being chased by this guy. 80197301DL085_THE_RICHES_SE He’d catch me periodically and sit on my legs then open this case of dildos and vibrators. Take each one out and pet it while looking at me all weird. In order to escape from him I’d have to prick my finger with a silver needle, slide through a tube out the window to the street, then cross the street to Best Buy where I could finally take off and fly again, all the while holding the needle. And every time I’d get close to a place where I could drop off the elephant I’d get a message on my headset that the bad guys were on to me. I woke up before I could get her delivered.

Very strange. In case you’re wondering, I had nothing to drink last night besides tea.

bloggy stuff, techno geek

Addict

January 7, 2009January 8, 2009 Shannon

I’m such a Facebook addict now that I sometimes forget to update my blog. It’s really fun all the people I’m back in contact with now that I’d lost touch with. That was a really poorly worded sentence, but you know what I mean. I know I’m not the only FB addict out there right? It’s not just keeping up with people either. It’s playing Scrabble and Wordscraper and Scramble. The only issue I have is that now that FB is part of my web routine, uploading pics is a huge undertaking. First upload to the computer. Then edit and crop. Then upload to flickr. Then FB. All the captions and tagging! Then post to my blog. Showing pics on all these technologies is exhausting! 😀