Summer Plans

Started Monday, I have the kids and myself, riding our bicycles... at least once to the end of the street and back.  I've been going 3 times which equals 3 miles.  Calista joined me Monday and Tuesday but went back home after the 2nd time yesterday.  Ursula & Wyatt just go once and come back home.

Then, they have to read an hour a day!  I really needed to implement that a LONG time ago :( 

My dad texted me last night and will probably come this weekend because there's a dance thing going on in Baton Rouge over the weekend.

Allison Offshore, where Jeremy is currently working, is very slow :(  They laid 8 guys off a couple weeks ago and at least one other guy quit soon after.  Jeremy has 2 weeks of vacation... so, we will go up to Arkansas to visit Jason at the end of this month... not for 2 weeks though!  LOL  He told the guys at Allison that if work didn't pick up by the time he came back from vacation, he was leaving too.  A superintendent at IPS, where he worked twice before, called him.  Said, I heard you were looking for another job?  :)  They pay $30/hr.  Jeremy will probably go there... even though it's an hour more a day that he's driving... but, I don't think he cares too much about that since he loves riding his motorcycle.

Vacation... well, we have 3 Pitbulls.  Titan is 18 mths old, Zelda is 8 mths old, and Veya is 2 yrs old.  What I had suggested, and Jeremy liked, was that we bring Titan with us to Arkansas... only because if we need to get our neighbors to make sure our dogs are ok (they have an automatic feeder - just need to make sure they have water), Titan could knock them down (only because he's excited; not because of meanness).  The females will be happy to have others here and I don't think they'll do any harm... just can't run around Zelda because she likes to grab shoelaces...

My only Great-Nephew, Elijah, will be turning one this month!  I wish we lived closer!  The last time I saw him was his birth and few days afterwards :((

Oh, of course, all the kids passed... Calista's going to 9th, Ursula's going to 6th, and Wyatt's going to 3rd.

Stockings

So, we let the kids have their stockings last night :-)

Let's just say that the best parts were the CANDY and bouncing putty (both from The Dollar Tree)!  Need to keep that in mind for next year... :-)

They want to open one present tonight and 2 tomorrow and the rest on Wednesday (which is Christmas Day); guess we'll see...

Jeremy just asked if I wanted to sell Zelda for $200... I'm like... why and to whom?  His friend's wife or something like that... I was like,  well, we kind of like her... even though she's a tad bit fiesty... He said it was cool and we didn't need to sale her.  Plus, the kids would be upset...

Thanksgiving

Jeremy took it upon himself to make a Thanksgiving Feast all by himself :)

He succeeded!  He did an excellent job!

How did this come about?

Well, ever since I was a child, we did Thanksgiving with my paternal grandmother.  It was great!  My uncles and aunts and cousins would all usually be there... which was significant because even though we all lived within an hour of each, we barely ever saw them :(  We lived a mile down the road from my grandmother, so, we saw her practically daily.  Its the only holiday we somewhat celebrated.  We were brought up Jehovah's Witnesses.  We couldn't do any other holiday or birthdays.  But, with this one, not only did everyone have off work and school, but, it was ok to do, kwim?  No pagan origins.

Well, she passed away in April of 2005 (I wasn't aware I was pregnant at the time of her death) from pulmonary fibrosis.  Ever since then, there's been no family Thanksgiving lunch/dinner.

Jeremy & I got together Dec. 31st, 1996.
I'm not sure if that first Thanksgiving together we went to his parents' house or not, but, more than likely, we did.  And so, from then on, we'd arrange it (until my grandma's passing) so that we were able to be with both sides of the family during this holiday.  It worked out well and great to be able to see relatives you don't get to see very often.

Jeremy's father passed away in January 2010.

There was no Thanksgiving Dinner.

This year, no notification or indication of any upcoming dinner; from either side.

Its no surprise from my side.  Like I said, we were brought up without holidays (although, only 2 continue to attend JW meetings out of 7).  And we have a sister that lives in Georgia with her children (minus her oldest bc she just got married in August and is currently living in California).  Though, if plans were made, I'm sure she'd come down.  And then I have another sister who's husband's family all live in Mississippi.  So, they always go there... he gets to hunt while there too.  And I'm sure that even with them, if plans were made, they'd be there too... like if it was on the Wednesday before.

However, the major thing, is that there's really nowhere to host a Thanksgiving Dinner.  Our house is tiny.  Cherie and her 3 girls live with our dad.  Angele & Shane live with our mom until they get their home set up.  I guess Montegut would be the only place to hold anything, but, its not exactly a neutral zone; being that our parents are divorced and other tenions...  Although, I hope that since this past summer, things are ok and everyone would attend such a dinner if one was planned for there.  So, really, that would be our only option.

So, that's why its no surprise my side had no plans.

Except that Cherie and her girls usually do come to our house for that week; or at least she brings her kids and goes to work until Thursday.

And Jeremy's side.  Nothing.  No email.  No phone call.  No text messages.  Nothing.

I remembered one year, we were in GA for Thanksgiving and we went to a restaurant with Aimee & her family.  So, I asked Jeremy what were we going to do for Thanksgiving since we didn't hear from anyone.  I had asked at the beginning of November.  He said he didn't know, but he was going to cook a turkey.  Well, the month continues to go by and still no word from anyone.  All I know is that Cherie & her kids will be here because they usually are :)

As Thanksgiving gets closer, Jeremy brings home two turkeys along with sides and things to make desserts.  He's going to have his Thanksgiving Dinner regardless of anything else.  And if we would have gotten a call to have dinner somewhere else, he could have just brought his food...  

Well, Wednesday, I go into the ER... you can read about that in another blog entry... ha ha ha

So, we wouldn't have been able to attend anyone else's dinner, anyways... but, no one knew that until Wednesday night when I posted it in my facebook status.

Below are the finished results of Jeremy waking up at 7:30 am and having it all together by 12:00 pm!

He loves to cook and takes great pride in his work :)

Master Chef, Jeremy!

 Everyone else that was here to eat (Jeremy took pic on workout bench)

 Everyone being silly :D

End of the Year... Already??? OMG

I just can't believe how FAST this year has flown by!!! geez

My baby, my son, Wyatt will be 4 yrs old soon!!! And I'm sooo enjoying him!!! hehehe He cracks me :) He's too cute :D And being that he'll be 4 this month, I came to the realization that this has been the LONGEST time I've gone without being pregnant ever since I started having sex! lol WOW! hehehe

Ursula will be 7 this month too! Lil Ms. Bossy... ha ha ha She's doing really well in 1st grade.

I haven't even planned a bday party for them :( I'll probably just end up baking 2 cakes here for them... no biggie.

I've been using Jeremy's laptop for the last couple of weeks because something went wrong with my desktop :( I swear, everytime anyone else besides the people who live here, gets on my PC (every computer I've ever had), something happens and usually I end up having to format. It happened again... for the first time on this computer... see... I wasn't letting anyone use... I know, I probably sounded so much like a bitch... but, really, every one of my siblings has at least one laptop... so, really, no need to use mine. Well, in October, we had everyone here. My sister & her family from Georgia came in along with my sibs and mom from Houma/Thibodaux/Raceland all spent time at my house... we planned a birthday party at the local ice skating rink for the two 10-yrs old (Calista & Soleil). And even while they were still here, my PC started acting funny. Like taking forever to go through my pictures (on my hard drive) when usually it zips through them. And that progressed to other areas... severe lag... then, soon after that, it started showing errors and it shut down Windows, then the cursor would stop and control + alt + delete wouldn't work right... it would bring up another error... and then the only thing to do was to just shut it down.

So... after trying to figure it out via scans (mostly wouldn't finish any of them before it would shut down on its own), I decided I needed to get my pictures off. Generally, I had approximately 20 minutes to do stuff on my computer before it would freak out. So, I took the two usb drives I had and would transfer pics from my computer to Jeremy's. I also noticed that if I turned my computer back on right away, it wouldn't work right... its like it had to cool down for a couple hours... so, with over 35 gigs of pics on my PC (that's NOT counting the ones I had on my other computers that are saved to disc already), it took me quite a few days to get. I finally was able to buy a 1TB external hard drive and finish the process. (Able to buy because Jeremy had a gift card from Ryan Energy from last year that I couldn't figure out how to use... I registered it and all but it would never go through when I tried to purchase stuff... so, I just, pretty much, forgot about it until recently... because after a year, the card {Chase gift card} starts taking money out every month... so, I finally called the number on the back of the card - hadn't before because I loathe talking to foreign people in customer service? why? because I have a hard time understanding them!!! Anyways, I called, it was automated! woohoo! And YES! My card was finally activated!) So, to get back to my story.... hahahaha I finally was able to format my computer!

I was so happy while it was doing its job... anticipating being able to use it again! Play my games (Sims 3... lol) and have a bigger screen, a mouse, no touchpad that did crazy things bc my fingers accidently drag or touch it... etc.

Well... it was working... I put in my inital stuff... it had to start over... I noticed how long it was taking but just thinking maybe this was usual for the initial process. hmmm.... apparently it wasn't because guess what???? Errors came up and failure to boot showed up!!! OMG!!! I was soooo pissed! Every time I've ever formatted my computers, its always worked!!! ALWAYS!!! WTF???

Jeremy had already suggested our hard drive must be corrupt. And I'm sorry to say this, but, he's usually right... lol He has this intuition thing because when he gets a feeling, he's usually right or close to the target.

So, after formatting didn't work, he said it again... its our hard drive... something's wrong with it.

Well, thankfully, we have a computer tech neighbor and Jeremy went talk to him Monday night. He said he'd work on it and get running again and get it back to us by this weekend! woohoo! We will probably have to buy another hard drive... but, c'est la vie, huh? He also told Jeremy it could have been a firmware problem (we haven't talked to him since he's had it)... said that sometimes, we give viruses to our computers without realizing it... with other stuff... such as cell phones. And you know, while my family was here, we had at least 3 different cell phones connected to it... to charge them because the chargers were either forgotten at home or just in the car and they didn't feel like getting them. He said that could definitely have been the problem.

Just so you know... Jeremy has helped this neighbor in the past, with his vehicles... so... it evens out :D

Yes, I know that was boring to read! lol But, it was for my own benefit... to jot that down for future reference... I have such a terrible memory... which is the reason for the plethora of pictures, videos, and blogs.

On the homefront...!

Jeremy & I have had our best year ever (I believe)! Its amazing the changes he's made and kept!!! He stopped all alcohol and hasn't had any in at least 6 mths... no hard liquor in a year! He's more laid back. He's helping more around the house with chores, cooking, and children (hey... 3 C's! lol). He's interacting with the children WAY more in positive ways.

And when I say he's helping with chores... I'm not saying he's doing major things because, obviously he works and I don't... so, he shouldn't have to do much.... but, little things... like not leaving his clothes in the living room... and taking out the garbage once in a while... he's been cooking more but really, I don't see that as a chore because he LOVES to cook.... hahaha really he does. And he's good at it.

Jeremy & I both have unlimited texting and data on our cell phones... so, we text each other all day. He calls me on his breaks and for lunch. He's on facebook too but he isn't very active. He's taking compliments people give me MUCH better and he'll comment afterwards... hahaha Its funny :D

Another thing... we dressed up for Halloween along with the kids... we went to his brother's house and the kids trick or treated out there :D His brother and sil also dressed up :D We had a good time :) It was a first for us.... sometimes, Jeremy wouldn't even come to the house with us in the past! This time, we all walked together!



We're doing sooooo much better! A year ago, I thought it was truly over. I saw no hope for us/our family. I only saw it getting worse and worse... as it had been over the course of 11 yrs we'd been together. But, as we approach our 13th year, things are better than ever. :D woohoo Hip hip harray!

Oh, going back to neighbors... our neighbor also apologized for her behavior two years ago and said we showed her what it was to be charitable and she left crying. We, of course, forgave her and I gave her hug. We haven't really spoken since... but, at least that weight has been lifted and its okay again between us.

About our neighborhood... we live in one of 4 rent houses. We keep hearing talk about our landlord wanting to sell a couple of them. We hear this from his son, who lives across from us and from a neighbor behind us. If he gives us a good enough price, we may buy. If we do, Jeremy's gonna have to add-on to this house! And we'll have to give it a makeover!

In just 3 more paychecks, Jeremy's garnishment will be over! woohoo! That's been 25% of each check, each week for a year! With that garnishment gone, we'll be able to save up for a down payment for our own place (if we don't get a good price for this house). We'd like to get a doublewide. I know the common thought about them... but, really... they're very nice. And in this area of world, they have to be built even stronger/better because of the hurricanes we get. To those of you who aren't familar with how doublewides look nowadays... you should really go check them out! There's some really beautiful ones out there! And to make the outside look better, we may have my brother-in-law, Shane, brick up the front... Also add a covered porch, and a flower garden, nice driveway, and you have yourself a good-looking doublewide!

Anyways, things are looking up :D Like I told Jeremy, I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel now! woohoo!

Blast From the Past

From almost exactly 3 yrs ago... I finally got 7 rolls of film developed from my now defunct 35mm camera. I've only scanned in a few though. I'll be bringing the rest to show the family tonight :)

Here's Xavier and Calista on Oct. 26th, 2003:

Here's Ursula and Xander, also on Oct. 26th, 2006:

(Ursula's almost the same age in these pics as Wyatt is now)

She's kissing him; isn't that sweet? Well, at least she wasn't biting him...

Here's Ursula and Olivia:

Me and Ursula on Oct. 26th, 2006:

No double chin here! woohoo! Something to look forward to!

Jeremy and Ursula:





Calista, Jeremy, and Ursula sleeping at Jared and Jessica's:








Calista and Ursula:
BTW, Wyatt does that same thing; through his arms up like that! And most of the time, after he raises them up like that, he falls foward on someone... or lunges :D Its so cute :D

Calista's hair looks so cute like that...







Ursula, me, and Olivia:
Look at my face! I like the no-fat look! lol

Visiting Cousins

This is Gene with some of our kids. Gene's a friend of the family and very helpful with watching the kids at Racquelle's soccer game... a good 'Manny' to have around :D LMAO

We went this past weekend and will be going back this coming up weekend (wow! Two weekends in a row??? Must be a record or something??? LOL).

We're going to see Racquelle's last soccer games for this season, for Jessica's 26th bday (scary Friday the 13th), and to pick up our cell phones!!! Woohoo! We're finally getting some! Everyone else I know already has one and has been having one!

Xavier (Jessica's oldest) and Calista watching TV (of course!).

Calista and Racquelle playing :D

Racquelle will be 10 next month.

Ummm.... I have NO idea why this picture won't load up the whole way... I've tried many times to get it right but it just isn't working... guess its not so bad since you can see all of the kids anyways... (click on it and you can see it fullsized)

I took this picture at the park near where my sis, Cherie, works. Just her kids and mine there with me, our mom, and Gene (a family friend).

The kids had such a good time!

This is a really nice park too!

This picture was taken by Jessica... its me and Veronica :)

Doncha just love that double chin I have??? Gosh, I need to get that thing sucked out surgically, huh? ewww...

Wyatt and Veronica - almost a month apart in age.

Jessica took these two pictures of Ursula and Olivia with my camera this past Friday when we (me and the kids) went visit.
Olivia is 4 (as of September) and Ursula is still 3 yrs old; until right before Christmas.