Girls Weekend=Success!

We talked, giggled, ate too much and walked our legs off at the Cincinnati Zoo on Saturday and then walked some more at Kings Island on Sunday. We ALL had such a good time! Everybody enjoyed themselves and I can chock this weekend up to successful! Bailey was the only one who actually voiced her opinion and repeatedly said, "I don't wanna go home!" When my husband and I got transferred to Ohio, I thought it would be easy. It's only 3 1/2 hours from WV and my baby sister and her family. The middle sister Larissa went off to college and never went back. She is in South Carolina again with her husband and their son, Nate and daughter, Lillian. They are almost 12 hours drive away. It makes me wonder how she does it. How does she live soo far away from us? After a way to short weekend, I miss them both terribly. Bailey reminds me so much of Dory when she was little. Carefree, happy and always smiling. I could just hug her to death! But, her Daddy might not like that.

How do families live apart? How can a few holidays or a vacation be enough? Seems to me, the ones you love the most are the ones you want to keep close and in your back yard. That's how it used to be. Dory and I actually lived in the same neighborhood. I miss those days. We didn't visit each other daily, but having her down the street was reassuring. Seeing her car parked in the driveway and catching a glimpse of her son Drew as he flew by on his bike made me feel a peace. I miss those days. How is it that we even left?

Maybe it's because I am getting older, and my children all are grown, living their lives as adults. Of course, having Chelsea thousands of miles away on deployment doesn't help, it all just makes me miss the ones I hold close and dear to my heart, even more. Hopefully, they will read this and see, I love my family dearly, I pray for them all each and every night, and not a day goes by that I don't think about each and every one of them.
I Love them! Each and Every one!

My sister is COMING!!!!

After last weekends events, you wouldn't think I would be excited to see another weekend and a preschooler headed my way? GUESS WHAT? Your WRONG!!! My middle sister Dory and my beautiful red-headed niece Bailey are on their way!! Silly to think I am just as excited to have house guests as the owner of Holiday Inn is, but I am!!!

Of course, I won't charge them anything. Just a few hugs from Bailey, maybe a late night scary movie curled up on the couch with my sister and catching up on all the home gossip! It is the little things....having family here, sleeping in our guest bed, with warm smell good sheets, that's all it's gonna to take to make me smile this weekend!!

Look for lots more pics! Bailey will be the subject. We are headed to the Zoo and off to visit that wonderful Halloween festival at Kings Island....I'll blog more afterwards, cause right now I am waiting on them to get here!!!

The Best Grandparent Weekend to date!

Whew! Here it is Tuesday and this Mommaw Bev is still dragging. Seems we packed the weekend full of fall/halloween events and now the recovery is lagging. Mind you, I added a third Zumba class to my schedule on Fridays and I was still sore when I got up on Saturday. How is it that you can walk till your hearts content and never feel it, but the minute you add another 60 minutes shimmy and shake session and suddenly your hips feel as if you've spent 60 hours on a horse?

I did NOT let it stop me! I swallowed some naproxen and off we went. There were several things on the "to do list" and we started friday evening off with some train time. Funny, the sound of that little choo-choo running was calming? We all crawled into bed excited about the rest of the weekend at a fairly decent hour.

Saturday morning our first stop was our Co-op farm, Kruthaup Farm, just outside of Morrow. Crisp and sunny weather on tap and we were all excited. Trenton got to pick out two pumpkins from the patch that we rode out to on a hay covered flatbed attached to her beloved John Deer tractor. There were too many choices and he wandered around liking just about every pumpkin he found. After we gathered our goods it was back to the barn to go out and gather gourds. Ummmm, remind me next year to put on our wellies! Let's just say gourds like to grow in soggy muddy area's!

Three sets of muddy shoes later and we were off to the Cincinnati Zoo for their HallZOOween event. We LOVE the Zoo!!! And I must say, that's a good thing! The HallZOOween events were kinda disappointing. We did get several coupons....no real treats at this event. But, it was ok! We found our beloved Rhinoceros from Trenton's current favorite story, "Rhino, Rhino, Sweet Potato."

Needless to say, Trenton napped on the way home. I, myself cranked up the seat warmer and we all crawled into the house, got our snugly jammies on and I threw together dinner and then we had a blast cleaning out the "Icky Pumpkin Guts!" for our jack o'lanterns. Trenton admitted to us that this was the first time he had done this and he was very fascinated and extremely happy with the outcome.

Sunday morning came and slowly we all got ourselves moving and we were off to Kings Island for their Trick or Treat with the Dinosaurs and the Halloween Festival they put together for children. Can I just tell you....This was the best part of the weekend! Kudos to Kings Island!! They really did  a wonderful job! Of course, I was naproxened up, but, the Trick or Treat was delightful. Several trick or treat booths that had not only candy, but spiders and snakes, apples and a mini pumpkin. Loot bag filled we headed over to the festival. There were 3 mazes, a john deer tractor (pedaling)maze, petting zoo,where Trenton got nipped on by a donkey, children's games that you ALWAYS won a prize at, he got to make a Halloween mask, could ride on a pony and dance in a foam pit. The two of the later we skipped.And then we managed to get in some actual park rides, and Trenton rode the Pumpkin Coaster with his hands raised high the entire time!And the boys took one last seasons trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We closed out our Kings Island season well!

David commented that when we left the park and headed to the car he noticed that for the first time we all were content. Not once did Trenton say he didn't want to leave, or pout, and he actually looked forward to getting home to see Emma, and other than being worn out from keeping up with a preschooler, we were both smiling as we wandered off into the parking lot to find the car. You guys know we get every other weekend with him, but honestly after 6 months of visits, this was the Best One Yet! I'm glad I took a lot of pictures, cause we will all want to remember it forever!

Things that make an Enlisted Momma smile

There is just something very reassuring about seeing your loved ones smile and hearing their voice from thousands of miles away, that makes your heart melt. Being the Mommy to any child is a trying and worrisome job. It's just part of the job. But, you send that child off to fight a war that shaped the way we look at our world in a more suspicious and cautious way is harder than this Mommy thought.

Going into the Air Force was her decision. We supported her 100%! She wanted to see the world, make a difference, and earn a little college money (on her own).  Knowing that staying home, working a mundane job just wasn't what she wanted, she committed to the Air Force in December 2010, 5 months before her High School graduation. I was hesitant....concerned.....yet proud and encouraged that maybe our youth is proactive not reactive.  Never once did we try to talk her out of it. It wasn't the thing to do. We just prayed, and continue to do so for her night and day.

Chelsea was deployed in September and will be at her deployment location until March 2012. This will be the longest six months ever. We knew there was always going to be the potential to be deployed, but less than one year's duty was way sooner than we thought.

Since she has been gone, which has only been seven weeks, we have gotten very good at keeping in touch. There is no cell service where she is and using facebook and the internet are very good choices. Before she left our country we both got signed up for Skype, and let me just tell you, it is a godsend! Some days all we managed to get from her is, "long day, exhausted, going to bed, but I am fine", and I send something like, "Hope you have a superdedooper day!" She is 8 1/2 hours ahead, so the time difference sometimes interferes. But, on her day off....we catch up!

Nothing warms my heart or makes me feel better knowing she is a thousand miles away fighting in a war started by radical, judgmental, and, in my own words, crazy-loco-misguided-godless people, then seeing her video call pop up on my computer. Just seeing her face, that smile, her cheeks and eyes, hearing her voice as she tells me how her week has gone, all the boring and sometimes not so boring (to her) events of the days that have passed. It is pure heaven hearing my little chatter box go on and on!

We all know the joke about who invented the internet...right? Well, I guess I own Mr.Al Gore a humongous THANK YOU!!!! Without internet, we would go weeks waiting on letters and who knows exactly how often Chelsea could or would make time to run to the USO tent to call home. And, how weird would it be for her to be there at midnight...the time we are usually knee deep in conversation? I highly recommend anyone with family far away, enlisted or just separated due to life. Jump on board and load it to your computer and try it. Honestly, it's keeps me sane and reduces a lot of my worrying! I LOVE my LAPTOP, because it is my connection to my Airman Bennett far away and defending our country!

Feeding my culture needs!

Yes! I am a geek! I will be the first to admit it. On a day when most people are donning their college colors, eating tailgate favorites and swigging beer, I sat in a theater, with a small crowd of "Seniors". We all had one common interest and a need to be enlightened and full-fill our cultural needs.

One of the great things about living in this city is access. There are several theaters in the area that offer Fanthom Events. What are Fanthom Events you ask? Well....since 2006 cinema audiences world wide have been provided with live exclusive cinema events. The events are usually a live feed from The Metropolitan Opera houses in New York City and London. This years events are: Anna Bolena, Don Giovanni, Rodelinda, Faust, The Enchanted Island, La Traviata to name a few. The ticket price is a little steep. But, spending $22.00 on a saturday afternoon to watch a live four hour performance by professionals, in one of the two prestigious  theaters is well worth it. At first I was hesitant to spend the money. But, after seeing Anna Bolena today I do not regret it. I am hooked! What a wonderful opportunity this provides for audiences wishing to attend. I know I will never get the opportunity to attend an Opera in the London Metropolitan House, but today, I was there.


Of course, I did my homework and looked up information on Anna to get a general idea of what type of storyline they would use. Her story was scandalous.  The second wife to King Henry VIII.  We all know that once your a cheater your always a cheater, right? Well, that would be King Henry. He annulled his marriage to Catherine to marry Anna. Together they bore one child, Elizabeth I of England, and after Anna couldn't produce a male heir Henry began courting her lady in waiting Jane Seymour. Wanting Jane and needing Anna out of the picture he had her investigated for high treason. She was sent to the Tower of London, was tried by a court of her peers and, found guilty. She was beheaded, as was her secret betrothed Henry Percy.


That's pretty much what happened, we started with the discord between Anna and Henry, the lusting he had for Jane and then Anna's demise, turmoil, her maddening scene in the tower just before her beheading and ultimately, her death. The music was beautifully written by Donzetti, they sang in Italian, and the aria's were stoic and gripping. The actors portrayals were top notch. And the orchestration as performed by the orchestra led by,  Marco Armiliato was phenomenal!

The ill fated queen Anna was played by Anna Netrebko. Her portrayal was beautiful, gut wrenching and maddening. In my opinion she nailed it! The other cast members held your attention, hit every note and stayed within character. Why wouldn't I have expected this from an Opera being fed live from The London Met?

If you love classical music, opera's and need your fix. Find a theater that offers these. It will now be my little taste of culture, the thing I set my mad money aside for. The next one on the schedule that I am interested in is Don Giovanni. I am definately seeing it and I'm gonna drag Colleen with me. She shows and interest and maybe she will love it to. Don't get me wrong, I don't love all opera's. There are plenty of them that I don't understand, can't focus on and just have no interest in seeing. But, if I get the chance to see one I know, love or am curious about the staging, and costuming, I am in!

Long story short, I spent the most wonderful Saturday afternoon, in my local movie theater with a big huge popcorn, a 1/2 gallon sized soda pop, and a bunch of people no younger than 70 years old, watching Opera Live from The London Metropolitan Opera, and I loved it! It was just what my restless soul needed.

Learning the Lingo while I worry.! ;(

It's no secret, I am 44 years old. I don't always feel it, but someday's I feel like a second grader learning a new math problem. Can you say, 'deer in the headlights look"? Technology is a wonderful, powerful tool. You might say I am not completely technology challenged, but, I am tech term illiterate.

Like most of you I know what re-boot means. I understand what a jpeg and a hard drive as well as a video card are. But, some of the abbreviated things I just don't get. These of course, have been developed by the generation who doesn't want us to know what they are doing. So it is cryptic, usually very blatant and, hating to sound like an old fashioned person, just not appropriate. Let's look at them, I will list them below:
(The website I found them on has a humongous list.)
 http://www.netlingo.com/acronyms.php

• *$Starbucks
• ,!!!!talk to the hand
• 02Your (or my) two cents worth, also seen as m.02
• 10Qthank you
• 1174Nude club
• 121One to one
• 1337Elite -or- leet -or- L337
• 143I love you
• 1432I Love You Too
• 14AA41One for All and All for One
• 182I hate you
• 190 hand
• 20Location
• 2B or not 2BTo Be Or Not To Be
• 2b@To Be At
• 2BZ4UQTToo Busy For You Cutey
• 2G2B4GToo Good To Be Forgotten
• 2G2BTToo Good To Be True
• 2moroTomorrow
• 2niteTonight
• 2U2To You Too
• 303Mom
• 404I haven't a clue
• 411Information
• 420Marijuana
• 459I love you
• 4COLFor Crying Out Loud
• 4EAEForEver And Ever
• 4evaforever
• 4everForever
• 4NRForeigner
• 4QF*** You
• 511Too much information
• 53XSex
• 5FS5 Finger Salute
• SMHshake my head

Ok...so I did my homework. I found out way more than I wanted to. This all stemmed from Chelsea sending me a msg via Skype this afternoon. I asked her how her day was, she said, "it was ok, got idf'ed". I simply sent back, ummm, Im not in the air force, what's idf'ed? indirect fire.like rockets. Nonchalantly, mind you! It was no big deal to her. Immediately, panic set in and I asked where was she when it happened? In the tower, on patrol, where? In the tower she responded and said no on was HURT.don't worry.

Don't worry?? Is she kidding me!!!Having a daughter, your baby daughter, thousands of miles away in a war zone is hard on you. In the past few months I have developed the worst case of insomnia I have ever had in my life. There are other things going on. But, it's her face I see when I lay down at night. Mother's always worry. It's our job. We worry what you are texting, who you are with, what you are doing with those people, and if you are ultimately safe. I am guessing I won't sleep well again tonight or for the five more months to come and, I pretty sure my prayers will be for her and all the other soldier's thousands of miles from home protecting our freedom! Could you please say a little something extra for them as well tonight?

FOOTBALL.....

 

 Soo, this is how we spent our weekend!

Setting in front of the TV with our first choice game the Mountaineers. Eating our pizza in our Mountaineer Gold shirts, knowing that during the first half that our game time rituals would surely pull them out of their messy game. Sure enough, we watched, ate and in the end we got our win. Honestly, that was the only game I was interested in, because for the majority of the time around this house, I have control of the remote. David really doesn't have any particular shows he can't miss that I don't enjoy as well. So, I let him have the remote and watch whatever games he wanted. I remember, vaguely mind you, seeing Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and glimpses of my other preferred team SC Gamecocks. Being a girl, who just likes to hang with my husband, and doesn't need the space in my head clouded with details of the game or the actual scores, I simply do not remember. I just know that WVU won! It was a good day to be a Mountaineer. 

Some day's I am attentive and pay more attention. I will shout and root for the home team like everybody else. And there is nothing like being in that stadium to watch the game live. But today I really wasn't that into it. The way I see it, I wore my shirt, got the Pizza and, I was present and accounted for, and he was happy. That's all that matters on game day. Could be, I have Mommy things on my mind and don't really have time to fret or get lost in the game. So, Take me Home Country Roads....I'm gonna try and sleep now! Goodnight, and Sweet Dreams!

Playing grown up :)

Funny most of us live for the weekends....or should I say, sleeping in, staying up later, setting an alarm, college football games, morning kids soccer games, eating out, and sometimes just staying in for a quiet weekend at home. Not having one single commitment, pantry stocked, pajama pants and sweatshirt clean, remote control in hand, that is what we have planned!

When our children were at home it seemed our weekends just blasted by and was always filled with a thousand and one plans. It always seemed that just when I was getting settled down to relax one of the kids would remind me of all the things Monday and the following week would hold. For most of their childhood I was a nurse. One day I woke up with two toddlers, nothing but a high school diploma and I was suddenly the head of the house with no real way to feed, clothe, warm or bathe us. Seriously, I had to do something.

Honestly, I never really wanted to be nurse. Surprised? Here's the scoop. Read some of the other posts and you will understand why this was a natural choice for me. Plus, I had the kids in my life at that point and attempting to follow my dream was not really a choice.When I was a little girl and people would as what do you want to be when you grow up a nurse was never my choice.

Being responsible and knowing we had to eat and have electricity I rushed off and enrolled. Being a single mother I knew I had to make good money and find a job with a dependable income and nursing offered that. Plus, the variety of jobs gave me options to explore and hopefully not become bored with my choice. It did that. In my nursing career I was, a pediatric nurse, did home health, worked in the major hospitals pushing that medication or treatment carts. I worked in private offices, and my favorite of all was Cardiothoracic surgery. Being the best nurse was never a choice, it was my goal. Striving to fill my head with all the knowledge and applying them practically was the only way I could be a nurse.

Now that everybody is grown and my David, who I met just shortly before I graduated and took my boards, takes care of all those extra living expenses. Lucky, yes I am and I thank him bi-hourly for doing so. I always had issues with their dad and doing his fair share. Many of you know what that is like. Seems the kids priorities just weren't his. I needed to be able to pay for their childhood expenses: book fairs, field trips, school clothes, then movie and school game ticket money and, the many more expenses that I just don't want to ramble on about.

When Chelsea the baby graduated from high school, enlisted in the Air Force, I decided it was time to put away the nursing cap, scrub pants and medication resource book. I would miss my patients and the daily mental challenges offered to dealing with the human body and all its mysteries, but, I was ready for a change. It only took 17 years. Knowing I would be bored I spent several months before investigating doing something part time, fun work. I knew I had found that in Zumba! But, allowing that to be "my" only source of income was a little scary. Being daring I gave it a try. Now, one and half years later, I dance a little, encourage a lot and give the good nutritional advise and the healthy information my students need. Getting to let off some steam and dance with a room full of ladies is awesome. Plus, I can make some grocery money while I am doing it.

Someday's I think I would like to go back to school and become what I always wanted to be? But, then I realize I am, and I cannot believe I am typing this, to old. I know I can learn all the information and would like to think I would be one of the top of the class. I am just not prepared to compete with the young, eager college graduates to get a job. Most people in my dream profession that are my age have peaked and are focusing on retirement. Why would I put myself into that position? I will just keep my Zumba certifications and keep adding to them as well continue teaching. I get to pick my playlist, set and choreograph my own numbers and I have the flexibility of traveling with my husband when I want.

Have any of you guessed what I really wanted to be when I grew up? Take a guess in the comments sections......

Sunrise, Sunset

I am sure most blogs today have mentioned the passing of the Apple visionary Steve Jobs. It saddens those of us who have grown up associating the computer age with that apple logo. The insight and ideas that this man had, and I am sure he has had a wonderfully talented think tank of people at his disposal, have changed the way our generation communicates and shares our lives.

Imagine life without microchip processing? It is the very start of everything we now do. I can remember being a senior in high school sitting in front of the old ginormous computer monitor unit and taking a computer math class. It was one of the classes other than the music ones that old Bev managed to make an "A" in. Of course I know now, that is was a ridiculously simple math class that en-cooperated the use of the computer keyboard, using the keystroke time and proper hand usage for the basis of grading. I just knew I was taking a class above the curve and it was sooo 2010.

I had no idea how much it was going to change my life. I would much rather email, text or post a message on a profile page than make a call, any day. Life has broadened the introverts horizon. We can now be social without any physical or contact whatsoever. That being said, I have discussed with previous doctors that I have worked with in the teaching field and even offered to be the first clinical trial of surgically inserting my iphone to my non-dominate hand. I would approach each new class of residents offering my hand and iphone, allowing them on the cusp of new and exciting medicine. Knowing that this was the way that I would never be separated from my phone. Trust me when I say, I am SOOO addicted to it! It is the first thing I look at each morning and the last thing my eyes see before I go to bed at night. Noone every took me up on it, and if by some strange chance there is a surgical resident reading this and he wants to attempt it, I am still game! Give me that chance to give a piece of me to medicine? I will be the best patient ever, I promise!!

Seriously, consider the wonderment of it! I have ALL my email, my facebook, words with friends, twitter, text messaging, google +, my college football scores, farmville, bejewelled 2, AP mobile, Fox news, and many more annoying to my husband, but necessary to me, ap's or applications if you want to be technical. Why wouldn't it be the first and last in my day.

Thanks and gratitude for how Mr. Steve Jobs has completed, complicated and replaced joy in my life? Oh yeah, he gave me and my children a wonderful gift and I know it is insignificant in the world of Mr. Jobs, but it is important that it be known that we appreciate it all. Every little detail he handed to us. We will always be in love with Pixar Studio's and the Toy Story trilogy, as well as A Bug's Life, but I just feel the need take this moment to say "Thank you, from the bottom of my little stinking heart!" You will be missed, your vision and dreams will continue because you have been inspirational to the next generation. Asking then to dream bigger, try harder and never give up on their vision.

Go check out this video of his life with Apple/McIntosh. He will always be tops in our book! God Bless and Keep you, Steve Jobs.

http://youtu.be/G0FtgZNOD44

Twisted but true

Everyday I learn new and interesting things. Some of these things are useless knowledge, twisted trivia, some are pure gossip, twisted talk and some are the simple twisted truths of life.

With all the birthday events here the past weekend, I have been coming across all of these wonderful, foot pain inducing, twisty ties that held all the boy toys in place.

Each one of us has played with them. Trenton twisted up his fingers. David just twisted them together to form longer, more complex instruments of torture for the feet that ran across them and I being the artistic one, seeing something crafty in it, twisted my two of them together to form the fat girl. Notice she is thicker in the middle, her legs all twisted together, feet long and gangly and of course her arm are raised high and they imply, "Enough already!".

Sometimes it seems our (emotional)plate gets so over loaded that that's exactly what we feel like doing. Maybe this was my way of artistically attempting to make my stand known. Many of you may not know, but I am the oldest in a family of three girls. I was always the take charge sister. I jumped to the front of the line, made sure things got done, and was as my grandmother would put it "Your the shoulders of the family." It was my job. I never really complained, I just did it.

Asking for help or any assistance is hard for me. The alpha, go getter, first born Bevy just can't allow it. I smile, pull on my boots and trod right through it. Maybe that's where Chelsea gets it. There she is overseas, fighting a war, being the brave one, the shoulders of our country. Honestly, even I don't think I could do that.

Twisted truths, be them for simple trivia knowledge such as: There are four cars and eleven light posts on the back of a $10 dollar bill and that a rat can live longer without water than a camel. May not win me a million dollars, but I fill my head with the stupid facts, at least every other day. The other twists, that occur in life, well....I can't stop them, nor can I change them and most days I can not even untwist them. Just seems some day's I am better at ignoring them and letting fate or the power's that be take care of them. Sometimes just getting it off your chest and blowing off some steam helps, and I am sure that's what I am getting from this blog.

So today...I feel as twisted up and confused as that poor fat girl twisty tie, it's true. (but, I will survive! I always do!)