Hi From South Florida in January!!

The Difference Between A Man and A Woman

It started with an ear of roasted corn to share with Alana. He approached saying, "If you like corn, you should come back for the CORN FESTIVAL in April", then a comment on how beautiful Alana looks just like her "momma"; "oh! you're her grandma?!!"; I knew then. but when he commented that "some of us men"..."like a woman who doesnt look like a stick" I about lost it.

I'll admit that I do not, and have never been confused with a stick, but did that guy just call me fat???

ROFL

Chasing 25

(just couldn't seem to catch up)
but i did get angii sick on the rides (hehe)

An AT& T Day - for REAL!!

I was picking up another prescription for a kid. And really annoyed at how much money had been spent in the past few months for medical stuff...............in the past month, well over a month's income. savings depleted again. bills coming in. one step forward, two steps back in the finance arena that is..........

That's when it happened. Standing at the counter. a horrible, terrible, snarky IMPULSE buy. Dave Ramsey would have words for me, fer sure! The girls were confused. not typical mom behavior, not a typical mom activity. "Mom, we've never been to the SF Fair, are you okay?" "NO, but were going anyway". And a Monday off from work as well.

The teens of course, arranged to meet up with friends, So I asked her Dad if Alana could come. It may have been the best eighty-nine dollars I ever spent.

OH MY GAWSH!

MOM YOU'VE BEEN HACKED BY YOUR FAVORITE DAUGHTER!! ENJOY!!

(video deleted by mom)

Crazy K**** Girls

Playing rockstarz

The Day After Alana Moved Out

This came in my Emails today. I don't know who wrote it, but i know who sent it to me..........God's timing is perfect.

DEAR GOD:

I want to thank You for what you have already done. I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me; I am thanking you right now.. I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears ; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves; I am going to thank you right now. I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet; I am going to thank you right now. I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job; I am going to thank you right now. I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed;

I am thanking you right now. I am thanking you because I am alive. I am thanking you because I made it through the day's difficulties. I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles.


I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better.

I'm thanking you because FATHER, YOU haven't given up on me.

God is just so good, and he's good all the time. THANK HIM.

Britney Spears

Beautiful Alana wanted to help "dramma" check her Email today.

She was sitting on my lap, checking out the keyboard and pictures.........
when she pointed and said, "eegeee" (2 year old enunciation of "Angii")
I looked and there on the bottom right of the screen was some advertisy thing with a photo of Britney Spears.

lana thinks Britney is her aunt eegee.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

"Winter Break"

(weird week it was)

This past week Jhinel was away on a ski trip with high school and college aged youth from our church. Each day of skiing ended with dinner and a youth conference. The musical group Shane and Shane performed. Jhinel was especially impressed with the speaker. It sounds like she had a fun trip, I like that my kids know that being a Christian includes fun. That our faith is a part of our everyday experience, and that when other's look in.....they don't have to see perfect, but they will still know that "there's something happening here". This was the snowiest and coldest year yet.

On Monday, she'll have all four of her wisdom teeth extracted. Then she can get back to the business of being a second semester high school senior - scholarship applications, IB exams, etc. In a couple of weeks we are sending her on a Chrysalis event, a spiritual weekend where she will have the opportunity to take another step in her faith walk with other young women. I feel like A finish line is just around the bend, and I'm hurryinging to equip her with additional resources for the next leg of the race. (like seventeen years of living it isn't enough all of a sudden!!)

LOL....pieces of our bible study sneaking in. Maybe the race is an "IronWoman" event.

And while she was out, Angii and I did some girl thangs together....things that typically have been MOM and NEL stuff, my Angii is growing into. Yesterday we set out for HOME DEPOT - including the Nathan's Hotdog Stand. I got A/C filters, Angii got black light bulbs for her bedroom. From there we just happened to be in the neighborhood of a spa and Angii had her first eyebrow wax. Well, she actually had both of them done. Then we took a left instead of a right and ended up at Sephora "to browse". Earlier in the week she had opted for a new hair style. The fun part is just waiting to see how long it takes folks to notice. Jhinel was pretty quick on all accounts.

When Nel's stuff came home into the shared teenage room, the new black lights came on to reveal "graffiti" all over the walls. from "I love Nick" to "Welcome Back Jhinizzle" (laundry detergent has phosphorescence which is revealed in black lights) (Today, they'll get to wash the walls)

Of course, as I type this, they are both getting back to the business of "normal", arguing like teenaged sistahs.

(Lord, have mercy!)