Monday, June 30, 2008

Vacation Day 1

Last week we went to Panama City Beach, Fl for a last minute vacation. We kept trying to think of a low budget vacation due to the rising gas prices. We looked at several destinations including Chicago, Washington D.C, and Gatlinburg, but we really wanted to go to the beach. So we found a simple hotel right on the beach for 4 nights. We left for our Vacation Sunday after church, and stopped in Birmigham, AL for the night. We weren't looking for luxury, and we didn't find it. Our hotel was a place to lay our heads at night, but it wasn't anything to write home about. lol. But we did get continental breakfast with our hotel stay. We found alittle BBQ spot for dinner and the kids were our entertainment. At one point Alex gets up from the table, says I'll be back (I follow him). He walks outside to fart and then walks back in. As we headed back to the hotel, we notice a Club attached to our hotel. Looks like party central. But at least we get continental breakfast with our hotel stay. So we wake the next morning to get back on the road again, we pack the car up and go to each our continental breakfast before we leave. We saw a sign that said Continental Breakfast served Tuesday-Sunday. It was Monday. We just laughed and headed to Burger King for a yummy breakfast. We stopped at the Alabama Rest Area to stretch our legs, and they had some fun stuff for the boys to look at. We had a detour in Alabama that took us about 1 hour out of the way. I love the scenic drive threw Alabama. There are old homes on the side of the road, and small towns that take you back in time. I love being on the road. All joking aside..there is something about being away from home that take all your cares away. We spent time as a family, at the bad hotel, and on the 1 hour detour, and in the long car ride, we were together.

Coming Soon...We arrive at the beach.



Friday, June 20, 2008

Chase

I got to meet Chase last night and hangout with Cyndi for a while. He is so adorable. He was awake for a while too.

Here are some Pics

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Today is a Beautiful Day!

If you have read my blog, you know that today marks 5 years since Adam's car accident. Today a miracle is happening as a type this blog. My friends Cyndi and James are having a baby. I meet Cyndi 13 years ago when I walked into Moby Dick to get a job at the age of 15. Cyndi is little Adam's God mother, and a wonderful friend. Cyndi and James have been together since I have known her. They have been trying for the past 10 years to have a baby. About 1 year ago, they decided to stop trying to have a child of there own, and to adopt threw the foster parent program. They so wanted to be parents, and we all knew they would make great parents. about 9 months ago, Cyndi called me and asked me to meet her (she worked at GE as well). So I meet her outside the building, and she showed me the picture of the positive pregnancy test. They were pregnant!!! I was so excited, and couldn't believe it. Not to give out TMI, but the previous month was Cyndi's first normal cycle in forever. Everything has been fine with the pregnancy. Last week they scheduled the induction for the 17th because they estimated that Chase is already over 9 lbs. So yesterday I went to the hospital to visit Cyndi, and as soon as I walked in I started crying. I thought she would have him yesterday, but she had a long night, and looks like she will have him today. She is 9cm, and 100% right now. I sent out an email, and my sister replied back telling me, "God gave us a reason to be happy today, he gave us a good memory for June 18th." That made me tear up. I know this baby is Cyndi and James blessing, but he is a blessing to all of us. Then she sent another message, and said, "Think of this, not only did he use a baby, but he used a miracle baby! That really got me. Of all the days these past 10 years, they have there miracle baby today. Chase is a baby of Hope, for parents who have been trying for years, that God's timing is perfect. God had perfect timing for Cyndi and James, even when they didn't know if it would happen. It happened in his timing. I couldn't think of a better birthday for Chase. June 18th, 2008!! Happy Birthday Chase, hurry up so we can meet you!

A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.
-- Anonymous

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Why Didn't Anyone Help?

This Past Sunday my Pastor started his sermon talking about the Bystander Effect. He read the Newsweek article below, and talked about how some of us have the bystander effect with church. We come and enjoy the worship, and preaching, then some of us leave only to come back again the next Sunday to enjoy it all over again. But we really don't engage. Some of us don't get involved and volunteer, or some of us don't even engage in an intimate relationship with God. I have to admit, I need to get back to that place I was in serving and in my eagerness to be in his presence. The sermon was an eye opener for alot of people, including myself.

Newsweek Article
The accident—a 78-year-old man hit by a car and flung into the air—was shocking enough. Worse, was what happened in the minutes that followed: nothing. Traffic continued to drive by and pedestrians apparently ignored the injured man lying in the street. The tape of the May 30 accident in Hartford, Conn., was widely viewed—and discussed. Why did no one help? What was wrong with those people?

It turned out that several bystanders did call 911 immediately after the accident. Still, the image that lingered was of cold-hearted indifference.

As Pastor read this article, I burst into tears. I couldn't stop myself. The article was almost identical word for word what my husband experienced almost 5 years to the day. The car Adam and Bernie were driving in was hit by a drunk driver on June 18, 2003 as they were headed to work on I-64 in Louisville, Ky. The car flipped several times, and Adam and Bernie were ejected from the car. Adam said that when he came too, he was standing in the middle of the median. He looked for Bernie who was laying in the middle of the road, and Adam saw cars that just kept driving by. He ran and tried to flag cars down asking for help, but they kept going. So Adam carried Bernie to the side of the road and waiting for help. Bernie died later that morning. The driver of the other car, a 24 year old, his blood test came back with a .12 reading, and the test was taken 8 hours after the accident. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter, and was released 6 months later. Just as in the article, people did call 911 and people did stop to help. But the images that are so vivid in Adam's mind are the cars that kept driving by. We are so thankful to those people that stopped to help, and those that stopped on the interstate to pray.

June 18th is a day that doesn't go by unnoticed in our home. It is a day to remember a friend that Adam lost. A day that really changed us. We remember June 18th when we hear of a Hit and Run on the news, or an accident caused by a drunk driver. We remember June 18th when we think of Bernie and his family. We remember June 18th when we see the scars that Adam has, or as an article is read. We remember not to dwell in the past, it was a hard day that was full of heartache, and loss. But we remember, and I blog to bring awareness. So that you can see what Driving drunk can do to a person and a family. It can take a life, and the victims deal with it every time they are reminded of it, not just when it happens. We remember to realized how thankful we are. Sometimes it takes a tragedy to give you a wake up call. I can't even pretend that I know why June 18th happened, but I do know that God has a plan. Jer 29:11 (NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

My first Blog one year ago. June 18th

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Special Email

I was blessed to get an email today from someone I haven't talked to in a while. As I read the email I got a little chocked up. Sometimes our lives take different paths, and things happen that cause us to loose touch. This person is someone very special to me and Adam. He has known Adam since he was a kid, and was there when Adam and I meet, and had little Adam. In the email he wrote...I am very proud of you both; seeing how you've grown to be such wonderful people and loving parents amid many obstacles - seeing how you have embraced God and made him an important part of your life and believing through Him all things are possible - Keep up the good work! He keeps up with my blog to see how we are doing and to see pictures. I had to Blog about it, because it was the highlight of my day. Not that he gave us a pat on the back for how far we have come, but because he saw us as teenagers wondering how we would raise a child, and how we would provide for a child, and wondering if we would stay together. He saw us threw life events, like loosing Adam's Mom, and Adam's car accident. He saw us then, and sees how far we have come now, and God gets all the glory. I believe God places people in our lives for a reason. It may be for a season it maybe for a lifetime. Those people impact who we are, and how we turn out. It is a reflection of who they are as well. That they impacted our lives in a certain way that we become the people we are today.

Monday, June 9, 2008

I am on a mission!

I am on a mission to get organized. I am starting today, to implement steps to organize my everyday events, my house, my kids, and myself. My oldest son had some trouble this year in school being organized. I was online searching for some ideas to help him get organized, when I ready a comment a mom made. She basically said it was her inconsistencies that were rubbing off on him.

Light bulb!!

My son is learning this from me. I need to work on organizing our daily routines, so that my kids can learn by example. So I am on a mission. I am going to start with baby steps. I found a website RealSimple and Flylady which I have visited in the past that I am going to put to use. Here we go.

Woohoo!

Friday night we had a Co-ed softball game. I got my first Home Run ever. Adam said the funniest thing about it was that as I rounded second base and looked for the 3rd base coach, they were telling me to go home, I kept saying.."Are you Serious..Are you Serious!" As I rounded 3rd, I was booking it, I didn't want to get out at home, but I know I am not a very fast runner. So Adam said it was the slowest home run he had ever seen. But he was so proud of me. It was so much fun. I was a little wore out after the game. Adam and I got home runs, and I also caught an outfield fly ball, had 2 doubles. I hit the ball every time I got up, and didn't get out once. I was so excited, it was my best game ever, and the team gave me the game ball.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Laila



Yesterday when I got home from work, I noticed that Laila had bumps all over her. We have been threw this one time before with Trinidad. It is an allergic reaction. It's very hard to determine what causes these reactions, it would be seasonal allergies like you are I get, it could be a bug bite, poison Ivy. We gave Laila Benedryl, and have been watching her. The Hives come and go. She slept with us last night, and it made for a long night. Alex is still upset from the funeral of his Puffer Fish, so he was alittle over dramatic last night. He said, "mom, I can't imagine every having another Dog as good as Laila. " When this happened to Trinidad, we had to rush him to the hospital, because his head has swollen up, and he had to have Bendryl and Steroid injections. We are keeping a close eye on Laila, and hope it will run it's course, and not have to take her to the Vet. You can see the bumps on her skin. Her skin is normally very smooth. We have to watch her to make sure she doesn't swell up, and that her airway doesn't close up.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Great Weekend

We had a great Weekend, with a few speed-bumps.

Thursday -
We left for Lake Rudolph Campground at Holiday World. We had the car packed and ready to pull out of the drive way, when the power went out to the whole neighborhood. So we closed the garage door manually, and headed on our way,Hoping the power would come back on soon. We arrived at the campground, got unpacked, and hung out with our family and some friends. We drove around the campground on golf carts, played cards, ate smores, and just relaxed.

Friday -
We woke to a country style breakfast, that was fantastic. Kuddo's to the chef!! Then it was time for roller coasters, and the water park at Holiday World. Alexander got to ride all the rides. His first roller coaster was The Legend. Holiday World was awesome to say the least. We rode rides, then spent the rest of the day at the water park. After the water park we wanted to ride The Voyage which is the #1 wooden roller coaster. The cars were stuck, so we walked all the way to the front of the park when my sister called, and said the ride was back open. My dad said what the hey, I'm going to ride it. So we walked back to the back of the park to ride The Voyage. Alex even rode it. It was the best roller coaster. The guys rode it again, then it was back to the campground for dinner. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out, and riding around on the golf carts.

Saturday - It was time to pack up and go home. As we packed up, Adam took the boys fishing. Everyone else left, and I waited for Adam to pack the car. After a little while I decided to pack the car up. I planned on driving up to the lake and picking them up, when I realized Adam had the car keys. So I waited. When Adam and the boys got back, he was very appreciative that I packed the car. So we were on the road, really not ready to go home. As we were driving along the interstate, a car passed us and were pointing at our hood. We had tied the fishing poles to the hood. So we pulled over, and checked. Everything was OK. We pulled off, and see the car that motioned to us stop aways ahead of us. Obviously they were trying to tell us something. So I got out and checked, and one of the fishing lines had come loose, and was dragging behind us. There is no telling how far behind us the hook was, so we cut the line, and headed home.

We got home just in time to unpack the car, and head to a Benefit Softball game against WAMZ. When Adam was in the outfield, he got hit in the knee with a ball, and come to find out, it was severely bruised, and he has to stay off of it for a week.

The rest of Saturday and Sunday we were worn out.

Sunday-
We went to my mom and Dad's after church to swim and my mom grilled out a pork loin that was yummy.

Over the course of the weekend, we found 6 ticks on us. Creeped me totally out. I know they are bugs, but they suck your blood. And they have diseases. Yuck. Two of them looked like freckles. So I have been so paranoid all weekend. They say ticks are bad this year, so make sure you check regularly if you are outside near trees or tall grass.

The weekend was great, and we had a blast with our family and friends. Can't wait to go back.