With Thanksgiving around the corner, it has me thinking... What I'm thankful for? I'm thankful for the 2017 to begin... because 2015-2016 has probably been the worse time in my life! :(
Where to begin?
Summer of 2015. My uncle, who I hadn't seen in a few years because he lived and worked in Africa, comes home to the states because he's experiencing extreme pain. Goes to the hospital. Finds out he's dying of cancer.. all over his body. He passes away not long after coming back... I never had the chance to see him. So, we go to his funeral in Mississippi. My sister comes down with her kids. Her oldest, Arielle, comes down with her then husband, Dustin, and their son, Elijah. That was a highlight, since we didn't get to see him very often. They stay at my sister, Angele's house, in Thibodaux, along with us.
School begins in August 2015. Wyatt restarts 3rd grade :-/ Yay for common core... highlight: we went to the Cracklin Festival in Port Barre for the first time. Kids had a great time.
Thanksgiving 2015: Jeremy made another Thanksgiving Dinner and we had family over. Had a good time! Friday; we, the adults, are drinking and having fun. At some point, Jeremy decides he needs to go get more alcohol. He doesn't come to a complete stop at stop sign on his motorcycle. And the only other vehicle on the road is a cop! Jeremy has a brain fart and decides to outrun the cop. He speeds for a few miles and then comes to his rational state of mind and pulls over. They bring him to jail :( This incident eats up a lot of our money :( And Jeremy had only started drinking again shortly before this... he had quit for like 5 years :-/
Christmas break: Last day before Christmas break, Ursula's best friend and off/on boyfriend for a few years, Jean Todd Duos (14 yrs old), dies instantly in a 4-wheeler accident :( We go to his wake and funeral. He's buried on Ursula's 13th birthday :(
New Years: Highlight. We go to Angele's house and Aimee and her kids are able to be there as well! We had a great time but miss not having Arielle and Elijah there :( We make quite a few YouTube videos... of the kids doing contests and singing.
Mardi Gras 2016: We, once again, go to Angele's. There's a parade that passes on both ends of the street she lives down! Great position! We're preparing to have a great time that week! My kids have that Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off; and I think we left Friday, after the kids got home from school. Aimee came down, alone. Arielle and Dustin are going through a divorce. No one knows if/when she's coming or what. There was talk about her friend, Christine/Tina coming along for the ride if she decided to make the trip. Early Sunday morning, February 7th, we get a devastating call from Arielle. She's been in an accident and Elijah is dead :( We make 2 trips back and forth to Georgia in a week. He's buried on Calista's 17th birthday :(
Jeremy's work: Not sure when it began (but, its before summer break), but the company he works for I.P.S. (a Turner company) has 3 waves of lay-offs. He makes it through them and remains a pipe-fitter. However, everyone who's left, can only make 40 hrs/week :-/ This move leaves our bank account bleeding. It's only since the last few weeks that he's made some overtime and our bank account is on the mend.
To top off this wonderful year; I've put on a ridiculous amount of weight :( :( :( So, we're the poorest we've ever been and I'm the heaviest I've been excluding pregnancies...
So, HOPEFULLY, 2017 will bring about POSITIVE changes/vibes!!! PLEASE!!!
Sometimes, I listen to talk radio via iHeart radio in bed. I set the sleep timer. I don't use iHeart radio to wake me up though; I use my phone's clock alarm for that (so I can wake up the kids for school). However, on two different occasions, iHeart radio has come on AFTER going off from the sleep timer! The other day, I think it was Monday, it came on at 4:30 am. Last night, it came on at 1:14 am. WTH? What does that mean? Maybe a dearly departed trying to let me know they're still around? I'll post again if it happens again...
After not going regularly to the gym since Christmas (maybe even
since Thanksgiving) holidays, I am trying to make it a habit to go 5x a
week.
Flashback... I had gone down to like 143lbs thanks to
Slim-Vie (also working out regularly). I was so happy! But, after like
3 mths, it just stopped working! I kept taking one a day for months,
hoping it would start working again... but, nothing. So, after months
of nothing and even slight weight gain, I upped it to 2 pills a day.
Well, after about a week, I got my first ever case of heartburn (that's
what I think it was anyways). Hurt sooo bad! Started around 2 am.
Lasted for a few hours. And it happened every night for like a week. I
think it was Slim-Vie that caused it because during the heartburn week,
I stopped taking it and concentrated on taking other things that would
alleviate the pain... baking soda and water, apple cider vinegar and
water, Galvascon, apple juice, apples, etc... Anyways, it finally went
away. And I started taking Slim-Vie again and next thing you know,
heartburn! So, I stopped taking it and put it high on a shelf.
Heartburn went away. So, that's why I think they're connected...
Well,
then the weight really started piling on.. even though I said up there
that I wasn't going to the gym regularly, I was still going... 2 to
4x/week... maybe miss a week here and there... wasn't going like I had
when I first started - 5x/week.
So, yesterday, Monday, February 29th, I started going back with the intent of going 5x/week again.
I
also decided I'm going to do more cardio. Start with 20 minutes of
elliptical (both yesterday and today) and then do circuit training in
the women's workout area... doing all body parts everyday that I go.
Using heavier weights. I've done 2 circuits yesterday and today. I
plan on doing 3... maybe next week. Then, afterwards, more cardio.
Yesterday and today, I did 20 minutes on the recumbent bike. Today, I
also did 20 minutes on the treadmill.
Today, I did 3 sets of leg presses with 30 crunches in between each set.
Jeremy
and I were discussing our weight gain... he's over 190lbs... I'm over
160lbs! :-0 So, I told him that perhaps we need to lighten our dinner.
So, last night, we ate breakfast... I had 2 eggs, 2 toast bread, and 2
pieces of ham. Drank Super Dieter's Tea both last night and the night
before. I plan on drinking that every night too... at least, for now.
I hate having to write this. My heart grieves so much for him. My Great-nephew, Elijah is no longer with us. Only 2 1/2 years on Earth :(
Let me back up... tell the story...
The first weekend of February and 3 days following were going to be such a fun time for our family! As it was the time that Mardi Gras fell on this year, the kids had 3 to 5 days off of school; depending where you live. My kids had 3 days off while my sister's and brother's kids had the whole week off.
I had made arrangements to bring my 3 children to Thibodaux; my sister's, Angele, house. She lives right in between where 2 parades pass... easy walking distance; not even a block. And since she and Shane live in a big house, we weren't the only ones that would be staying there. Racquelle and Mason are already living there since they attend Nicholl's State University; which is also walking distance away from Angele's house. My sister, Aimee, had already been down from Georgia for a week. It was possible that Hal would be bringing the 4 kids he had (he hadn't given us a nay or yay yet). And Arielle had planned to come down too... possibly with a friend or two and Elijah. Mom was already there as was Margie, Shane's mom.
I left our house Saturday, after lunch, to head to Angele's. It's over an hour away... about 120 miles away. Got to her house. Relaxed for a bit... they already had some provisions for the weekend... chips, chicken to BBQ, sides, and even some drunk gummi worms and bears! It was going to be a great weekend! Oh, and before I left my house, I had emptied all my pictures off of my Canon Rebel XT... I was prepared to take lots of pictures; or let my kids take pictures... it was going to be great!
Saturday evening, Angele, Aimee, Olivia, Ursula, Calista, and I went to Big Lots to see what else we could get... and also since I don't get to go to Big Lots too often (there's one in Lafayette... but, I hate going... traffic sucks most of the time out there). Wyatt stayed at Angele's so he could play on their Xbox. The girls were having a good time in Big Lots... making funny videos with these funny Valentine bears that talk... Angele bought 3 of them (all that they had left) so we could continue making the videos. She had intended to bring them back the next day.
We get back to Angele's... stay up for a little bit longer... then go to bed. I slept in Racquelle's room with her 2 cats: Ellis and Romeo. They rouse me with their play time in the early morning. So, I was already awake when Olivia rushed into the room to tell me Arielle was on the phone with her mom, Aimee, and that Elijah was dead. My heart dropped. I immediately left to go see Aimee. Sure enough, she was on the phone with Arielle. She had gotten into a terrible accident and she said Elijah's head had been bashed in. :( The accident had only happened like 15 minutes prior. She was still at the scene. Aimee was also able to talk to one of the EMT's. Apparently, an ambulance was there within minutes... but, Elijah died on impact :(
Arielle had started stripping about 6 months earlier because they needed the money... she was working and going to beauty school but her husband wasn't (and hadn't the whole time they were married) pulling his weight. For quite a while, Arielle was working two jobs and going to school as well as being a wife and mom (even still nursing Elijah!)... So, Arielle, started stripping. Well, she had worked Saturday night because she hadn't made much money Friday night. I'm saying this background so that you know, she was used to the hours... her body was used to the hours. So, after working Saturday, she started driving early Sunday morning... but, by the time she got around Montgomery, Alabama, she decided she should nap. She stopped at a rest area and took a two hour nap. When she woke up, she drank an energy drink and started back on the road... the accident took place less than 10 minutes later, she said. She doesn't know what happened... just she remembered seeing 18-wheelers on the sides of the interstate and wondering why they were there when there were
at least two rest areas that she had passed... and next thing you know, she comes to, looks behind her to check on Elijah, and sees his toes... blood on them. She jumps over the front seat to go to him. He's already gone... she holds his head... said she was trying to put his head back together (I'm thinking the bones were broken in his skull and that's what she was feeling) and she thinks she felt his brains out the back of his head... :( All of that happened within just seconds... before someone was pulling her out of her vehicle. There were witnesses that stopped to help. A woman pulled her out and kept her away from her vehicle. Arielle said she was clawing the ground to go back to Elijah. :((
Arielle was brought to a hospital in Montgomery. Physically, besides bruising, both internal and external, she suffered only a broken collar bone. Aimee, Shane, and Angele immediately got dressed and drove up there. Aimee called Hal to let him know (first time she had spoken to him in probably over a year). Arielle said that Dustin wouldn't pick up his phone (she tried calling him). So, he learned of what happened via his parents. Arielle was put on pain meds. Angele said you could tell when it would stop working because she'd roll her eyes back in her head and have a pained expression and start bawling... Shane had to go back home because he owns his own masonry business and had to work Monday; so, he and Angele left. Hal and the kids went to see Arielle in the hospital as did Dustin with his parents. Hal, Donna, and the kids slept at a nearby hotel that night. Aimee stayed in the room with Arielle. Arielle begged Dustin to stay, but he wouldn't.
Lauren is Dustin's girlfriend.
Dustin wouldn't answer Arielle,
so, she texted Lauren.
Then, Dustin texted Arielle
and that's what he said!
Arielle spent one night at the hospital. Angele, Cherie, and I left for Alabama Monday (left our kids with Shane, Jared (when they weren't working), Mom, Margie, Racquelle, Mason, and Calista... we were trying to get there before Arielle would be released so that we could bring her home... they were without a vehicle... Aimee's was still in Thibodaux. Well, she was released around 2 or 3 (I forget) and we were still like 4 hours away. We were trying to decide what we were going to do. See, originally, we were going to pick her up from the hospital and turn right around and head back to Louisiana. But, she changed her mind... and wanted to be there for the funeral arrangements. She said, I just know they'll want to put that stupid train conductor's outfit on him! (Which, btw, they did want that!!! We laughed to ourselves when they stated that at the funeral home). Well, then, we decided we'd pick her up and sleep the night at her house in Kennesaw and then we'd bring her to the funeral home in morning. The hospital wouldn't allow her to stay in her room and we didn't think it would be comfortable to wait for us when her friend, Tina, was there and could bring Arielle and Aimee back to Georgia. We got Tina's moms' address and met up with them there. We actually got there about 15 minutes ahead of them because they had to stop and get her prescription filled; which took much longer than they anticipated. Hydrocodine (I think that's it).
We spent a little time at Tina's moms'... and then we brought Arielle and Aimee back to Arielle's house. We slept there. Got up early morning to be at the funeral home for 9:00 am.
Aimee, Angele, Cherie, and I joined Arielle at the funeral. We sat in while the arrangements were made. Wake and funeral was to be Saturday, February 13th... Calista's 17th birthday :( But, it had to be a day when others could be there... especially from out of state. Oh, we had Arielle's cat, Arwyn, in a cat caddy in the back of my van! lol Poor thing! It actually snowed that day (Tuesday, Feb. 9th)... lightly... but, still... We left that evening to get back to Louisiana.
We left Friday evening to go to The Hampton Inn in Kennesaw. We slept there 2 nights. We had 4 rooms altogether. My dad drove up with his girlfriend, Nancy, Veronica, and Sophia. They left Friday morning. Another couple of carloads left after lunch. And the last 2 carloads (which included me) left after the guys (Jared and Shane) finished working. And yes, Jared was able to get the kids a little bit earlier; had to bargain with Jessica :-/
When we got to the funeral home, Elijah's casket was open but his knit hat was covering his head/face completely. Arielle and Aimee had gone in earlier, to see if he was presentable... Well, Arielle decided he wasn't and pulled the hat down. Aimee told me that he didn't look like himself... nose was wrong, eyes weren't in the right position... like too far down or something like that... and he had fake eyelashes... just looked wrong. However, we could see the rest of him. Poor sweetie.... looked so big in that coffin. I never touched a dead person... but, they (I forget who... maybe Soleil) convinced me. I took his hand... it just felt like he was sleeping with cold hands... wasn't too rigid; too cold. Precious hands. Not long after that, the funeral people closed it for good. An hour or so later, Dustin's family came in.
So many came. I later remarked that I seriously doubt I'll have that many in attendance for my own funeral (not like I'd ever know...).
Racquelle did an excellent job singing for Elijah's funeral! So proud of her! This was her first song; requested by Arielle.
Soleil read what she had written earlier... I think the second day after his death:
Mason found this song online after the accident. It's calledMotherby Built Of The Architect. He and Racquelle practiced and practiced. She did so well... especially under the conditions... added to the fact she doesn't like singing solo in front of crowds...
Arielle & Elijah
The funeral was nice. I mean, as nice as it could be... It was my first (in my memory) baby funeral... I hope to not have to attend another one though... funerals are hard enough when death is expected...
His Obituary:
Elijah Storm Baird, more affectionately known as "Stormy," was born on
June 16, 2013 to his proud parents, Dustin and Arielle. He was a happy
child who expressed his love openly. Stormy could act shy to some
people at first, but was always quick to open up and loved giving out
kisses.
He was a very adventurous and social child who enjoyed
"bear," "choo choo," and singing some of his favorite songs including
"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," "Itsy, Bitsy Spider," and "Five
Little Monkies Jumping on the Bed."
Stormy was very polite and
made sure to say "bless you" at every opportunity. He shared everything
that of his from toys to food. Feeding times were always a group event
as he would be sure everyone else were fed as much as himself.
He
was also known to be an active child who rarely cried. He loved
running, dancing, and any game like soccor involving a ball that he
could kick or play with.
Stormy will be remembered for his
uplifting spirit and ability to spread love. Each of his family members
loved him tremendously. His aunts and uncles were very close and
special to Stormy.
Survivors include his father, Dustin Jay
Baird, and mother, Arielle Serenity Chiasson-Baird, both of Marietta,
Georgia; grandparents, Tonia and her husband Ronald Baird of Acworth,
Georgia, Aimee LeBoeuf Chiasson of Marietta, Georgia, and Harold Joseph
Chiasson Jr. of Marietta, Georgia; great-grandparents, Constance Kenny
of Muskegon, Michigan, Thomas Powell of Muskegon, Michigan, Ronald Baird
Sr. and his wife Agnes of Muskegon, Michigan, Karen Trosclair LeBoeuf
of Montague, Louisiana, Wayne Felton LeBoeuf of Thibodaux, Louisiana,
and Harold Joseph Chiasson Sr. and his wife Amie Ougel Chiasson of
Raceland, Louisiana; great-great-grandmother, Elma Pavlich of Muskegon,
Michigan; aunts and uncles, Thomas Jacob Baird and his wife Christina of
Augusta, Georgia, Roman Alexander Chiasson of Marietta, Georgia, Soleil
Rae Chiasson of Marietta, Georgia, Jasper Chiasson of Marietta, and
Eliana Juliette Chiasson of Marietta; and many other loving family
members and close friends.
The family will receive friends
Saturday, February 13, 2016 from 11:00 AM until 12:30 PM at Winkenhofer
Pine Ridge Funeral Home in Kennesaw. Funeral Services will follow at
1:00 PM at Northstar Church in Kennesaw with Pastor Mike Linch
officiating. Interment will be held at Pine Ridge Memorial Park at the
Garden of Eternity in Kennesaw. Shane Rivere, Jared LeBoeuf, Thomas
Baird, and River Baird will serve as pallbearers for Stormy.
