Tuesday, June 30, 2009

2 days and counting

Thursday can not get here fast enough! I only have to get thru one more day at work and we leave for our vacation. I'm not sure that Alex is going to settle down between now and Thursday. All he can talk about is going to the Live Tarantula Gallery and holding a tarantula and snake and getting his picture taken with both. I may have to sit that one out.

All Skylar can do is moan and groan that she's not going to see Blaine (the current boyfriend) for 5 whole days. Somehow, I think she'll live.

Off to start packing....

Monday, June 29, 2009

Vacation Countdown 3 Days

Ok, so I don't really love the hospital. But, I did just spend 4 hours there with my mom. She called me around 10:45 this morning to tell me that her blood sugar was so high that it would not register on her meter. This is the exact opposite of what we normally have to deal with. Luckily, my aunt was in the store where my mom works and was able to drive her to the hospital, where I met them.

In the triage section, her blood pressure registered at 210/116 and her blood sugar was 494. Those numbers were pretty scary. Luckily, her blood pressure was somewhat easily brought back down to earth. Her blood sugar levels, on the other hand, were not so easily tamed. After 4 hours and numerous units of "fast acting" insulin, the doctors finally got her blood sugar down to 250.

Then, at about 4:30 this afternoon, the underwire in my bra broke. My last flipping bra. Ain't that just grand? Luckily, the Yellow Mall in Gaffney is very close to where I work so I had Tommy and Alex pick me up from work and off we went. Since it has obiviously been quite a while since my last expedition for a new bra, I decided to have a fitting. (We won't discuss those numbers/letters.) The saleslady at Bali was very helpful and I soon found my arms full of potential purchases. I am now the new owner of 3 new lovely brassieres.

Hurry up Thursday! I need a vacation!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Holy Cow!

I can't believe it! Billy Mays has died.

Is this the start of the next 3?

Vacation Destination: Helen, Georgia

For the first time since my son was born (he's 7), we are going on a family vacation that does not revolve around a softball tournament schedule. I.AM.SO.FREAKING.EXCITED.

Skylar has played Gold level softball for the last 8 years. She loves to play. And, she is good at it as well. But holy moly, is it ever expensive to play. Her last team played every other weekend. In the heat. In the rain. In the snow (yes, we played on tournament in the snow!) I love being with her at tournaments and supporting her and her team, but the practice schedule (Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays) held at a field 1 hour from our home, and the tournaments, we never had the time or the funds to go on a real vacation.

We would make weekend trips with the team to out of town tournaments, and call it a vacation. Especially if the hotel had a pool. There was always the end of the year tournament held at Myrtle Beach. It was held the weekend before Thanksgiving. Not the prime time to be at the beach. And, there was no time to enjoy being at the beach especially if she played until 11 pm and had to be back at the field the next morning at 6 AM. We got to look at the beach from our balcony and that's about all.

I know that we chose to let Skylar play travel ball. I take that full responsibility. I did whatever it took to afford for her to play (and still would, if she wants to play again in the future). I know what all Skylar has missed out on because of her crazy schedule. Things like family reunions, Easter egg hunts, church youth activities, sleep overs with her friends, vacations.

Skylar was 8 when she first started playing travel ball. Her first tournament was in Dalton, Georgia. THE.HOTTEST.PLACE.ON.THE.PLANET. All cement and black top everywhere. She was also 8 when her baby brother was born.

Alex was due on June 2, 2002. Which also happened to be the weekend of Skylar's first ever softball tournament in Dalton. I did not have the easiest of pregnancies with either of my children, and could not fathom the thought of sending Tommy and Skylar to her tournament without me. I finally convinced my doctors to induce labor on May 23 so that Skylar would not miss the birth of her only sibling and I would not miss her very first softball tournament. Alex was 8 days old when he went to his first tournament. His summers have ever since revolved around which complex we were playing and the proximity of the playground to the field that Skylar's team was playing on. Not to mention what goodies he could find at the concession stand on an hourly basis. There were some concession workers who would let me give them $20 as a credit for him.

Going from a two income family to a single income, has really taken a toll. Cuts had to be made. Skylar agreed to take a year off of travel ball. It was a huge sacrifice for her. However, it has allowed our family to plan a real, honest to goodness vacation. We leave on Thursday. I.AM.SO.EXCITED.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Passings

What a week for celebrity passings! First Ed McMahon. Guess I should stop waiting for him to arrive with my Publisher's Clearinghouse check for $10 Million.

Next was Farrah Fawcett. One of my big-haired, gun toting Angel Heros. She fought quite a battle with her cancer. God bless her soul.

And now, the sequined gloved King of Pop. Michael Jackson has died. He was my first crush! I distinctly remember receiving the Thriller album for Valentine's Day when I was in the 3rd grade. I was so excited! I took it to school and all of my friends gathered around to stare at Michael staring out at us.

The world has lost 3 huge entertainers in just a few short days. I really hope that the families find comfort in their memories and that the fans of each will hold their memories dear.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

The Misadventures of Alex and Sadie


What an end to the week we have had! Alex decided to pretend to be a matador Thursday night and Sadie was the bull. No, there was not a good ending!

As Alex was swooping a red blanket thru the air, Sadie jumped up at the blanket. There was a midair collision, with Alex coming out on the loosing end. I was upstairs and did not witness the incident, however, I was summoned to the living room by the blood curdling scream. When I got downstairs, Alex was holding his hand over his right eye. There was blood involved.

After I got him upstairs and cleaned off, it became apparent that a trip to the local Emergency room was in order. He had a cut on his eyelid that looked questionable to me. I was afraid of stitches or glue for his eye. Everytime we moved the gauze from his eye, he would scream.

He calmed down marginally by the time we got the ER. But the fun had just began! I may have accidentally told him that the doctor might give him an eye-patch to wear. The admissions lady could not answer his 5011 questions of "Are you going to give me an eye patch? Do I get an eye patch? I want an eye patch."

The nurse, Darren, was really good with him. It was kind of strange for Alex, but he got over it pretty quickly. The first thing that Alex said to him was, "Hey, you look like the Big Show. Are you gonna give me an eye patch?" No eye patch for the first hour, however, there were some numbing drops applied to his right eye that did not feel very good. Then, they applied some dye to his eye to check for any scratches to his eye itself. And, oh my, what a scrath there was! Right thru the middle of his eye was a gigantic scratch.

We finally got home around 11:30 Thursday night. I had to call in to work Friday because we had to take him to a pediatric eye doctor. Luckily, the appointment went well and the scratch was shallow and should heal quickly on its own.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Pass the Prozac, please

Sunday, Tommy and Skylar drove over to the grocery store to purchase a few last minute items for dinner. Car was fine on the drive over. However, it was a completely different story on the way home. My car would not start. It would turn over, but would not fire. Great. Lovely. What an awesome way to start the week!

So, on Monday, Tommy calls the tow truck and has them take it to the garage. For $60 it was towed less than 2 miles! What? Did I hear correctly? $60 for less than 2 miles? Oh, mylanta, this is going to get ugly fast!

Garage guys are clueless! They claim that the computer system in my car is a California Emissions computer and will not "talk" to their computer. May I suggest to change the language setting to possibly surfer? Or Valley? Or maybe Left-Wing Liberal idiot speak? Garage guys finally decide that they think that the computer is not telling the fuel injection system to put the gas into the carbureator to start the car. Really? You think?

So, the Garage Guys remove the computer system from my car and take it to an automotive electrical shop to be checked. My obviously snotty compter will not talk to their computer either. Guess my CA computer doesn't go for Carolina Redneck Mechanic types. So, end of day 1, no hope on the horizon for my car. Except for the Garage Guys to "try" to find another CA Emissions Computer wandering around east of the Mississippi River, I'm sure that they would surely not overcharge me for that? Visions of cancelling our first family vacation in the Metropolis of Helen,GA began to dance around my head. Not. Pretty.

What's a girl to do? Check the 'net. See if the Garage Guys know what the crap they are talking about. And do they? Why, no, they sure don't! In under 45 minutes, I had the problem narrowed down, had talked to other owners of similar cars with the EXACT SAME PROBLEM and had found the solution, with Wiring Diagrams and step by step instructions. Surely, the monkey boys could follow directions with the pretty pictures?

I sent my FIL and Tommy to the garage this morning, armed with the information that I had found on the 'net. Guess what? I was RIGHT! I fixed my car! ME, who has not the first clue about what goes on under the hood of the car! Where the heck is my GOLD Star?

So, while Big Red was in the shop with the Garage Guys, I was cruising to work in my mom's new Saturn. Cool little car. Great gas mileage. Moonroof. A/C. Spoiler. Cute car. I looked good in it!

After Tommy had told me that he had my car in his possession, I felt soooo much better. Plus, it only cost a total of $75 to replace the spark plugs and their boots. Great day, so far. Unfortunately, it would only go downhill from there. I drove a friend to lunch at Ingle's salad bar. Mom's Silver bullet was awesome. No problem what so ever.

Then comes quitting time. Literally. When I got in the Silver bullet to go home, the blasted thing would not start! No clicking, no turning over. Nothing.

I had to call Tommy to come and jump it off because the parking lot at work was absolutely deserted. So, back to the Garage Guys. They seem to think that the battery in my mom's car is bad. So, the final question is.....Do I trust these Garage Guys when they had an epic failure with my car?

We'll see....My mom has to deal with them tomorrow. Good luck with that Garage Guys! I wish you luck....Let me know how that turns out for you!