Our Trip Home

We've been home for a few days but today is the first day I have stopped running long enough to blog anything. There will be more pictures to come, but first, here is a summary of our trip home on Monday.

9:27 am: Left the cabin and headed home.

9:29 am: Stopped at the Mountineer General Store for a soda for Kevin.

9:45 am: Stopped for gas and for Kate to go to the "potty". She didn't go.

10:12 am: Stopped for Kate to use the potty. She didn't go again.

10:29 am: Stopped on the roadside so I could take some pictures. See above.

11:30 am: Stopped to ask for directions. Kevin got a pop, chips and two smoked sausages.

12:15 am: Stopped for a potty break. Kate looked at the toilet stools, said "nasty" and refused to even sit on the seats. I, on the other hand, used them.
1:00 pm: Pulled over for speeding. Kevin was driving and got a speeding ticket in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Nice.

1:30 pm: Switched drivers.

2:00 pm: Potty break for Kate...again. She didn't go...again. OH what fun it is to ride with a newly-potty-trained two-year-old.

4:30 pm: Bathroom break and switched drivers. Notice the space between stops? Everyone else was taking a nap.

5:30 pm: Stopped for gas.

6:30 pm: Home at last!

In loving memory of my Uncle Tim....

We're off like a herd of turtles!!!!

Here is the afore promised picture of our dining room floor. It still looks much the same. It will be a miracle if it ever finished. That or I'll have to call a professional. Obviously my picture reader thingee is off strike. Amazing what restarting the computer will fix. We are off to Oklahoma. This should tide you over until I get back.

Foto Friday (a day early)

I call this one "Unsuspecting"

Today's Carnage

This is what was on my front porch when I got home today. It must have been a busy evening for our little hunter. I know it's gross but I can't help thinking it is really cute how cats bring they catch to show off to their people.

Warning: the following picture is NOT for the faint of heart. I'd like to say that no animals were harmed but obviously that is not true.

Im Alive!

If you would have asked me yesterday, I wouldn't have been so sure. Not only that but I wasn't sure that I wanted to be alive.

It all started Sunday night. I put Kate to bed and a few hours later, she was fussing and crying. I went upstairs and laid down with her to get her to back to sleep. A few hours later, she was crying again. We changed beds and went back to sleep. This went on all night, until around 5 am when I noticed a strange smell coming from Kate. I checked her panties and yep, she had sharted (my word for the day, thanks to Bambi!) But the next morning she seemed fine so I took her to the sitter and went to work (Sitters, don't you just love parents like me?). That evening, the sitter commented that she hadn't wanted to eat but that was all. She looked and acted fine all evening and went to bed good.

So during the night, I wake up fussing and crying. Really I did. Ask Kevin, he'll tell you. My stomach was hurting so badly, I was trying to figure out what organ needed taken out. I toughed it out until 4 am when I had to use the bathroom. It's a long walk from our bedroom to our bathroom. I had never noticed how far it was before. But I almost made it. I threw up all over the bathroom floor.

So I stayed home from work, basically comotose on the couch all day. I feel better today but still achy and kind of dizzy. But I am alive, and that is better than the alternative.

Wish It Were Sunday

Today wasn't a very good day. I'll just leave it at that.

And in case you were wondering why I didn't post a picture of my dining room floor, it's because my computer picture card reader thing must be on strike. It does that sometimes.

Extreme Home Makeover

It has always been my dream to purchase an old fixer upper home, the bigger the better. I just love old homes. Our home was build in the early 1900's. The previous owners did a lot of work remodeling it and updating it. When we bought it almost four years ago, we immediately fell in love with it. It was an old home, but was like new inside. Slowly, we have added our personal touches here and there. The entire house was all white walls and now they are all differenrt colors. We tore up the gold carpet in the third bedroom upstairs when we found out Kate was coming. We refinised the hard woor floors that were beneath the carpet. This summer we started tearing up the carpet on the main floor. We refinished the master bedroom floor and the foyer. In September, we started on the rest of the rooms...the living room the dining room and the office/laundry room.

Which brings me to today...whose idea was this anyway????

I have been on my hands and knees all day trying to get this stuff up off of the floor so we can get it sanded and varnished before I want to decorate for the holidays. And it still looks like this...

Big Sigh!
...

Friday Fragments

I just saw this on Gayla's site and had to join. I am all about fragments. So here goes...
*************************************************
You know you are with good friends when you laugh so hard that you almost pee your pants not once, but twice in the same evening.
*************************************************
I think I'll join the YMCA this coming week. I have, have, have to start exercising.
*************************************************
Absense does make the heart grow fonder. I am really anxious for Kevin to get home from work tonight.
*************************************************
I wish I could figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I really envy those people that have their acts together. Or maybe that's just an act too????
*************************************************
It's good to be home but my house really has a stink. I can't identify it but I will be getting the bleach out tomorrow and doing some major cleaning.
*************************************************
If I were home for four days all by myself, the house would already be spotless.
*************************************************
I am now trained to train people on how to handle crisis situations. Crisis anyone?
*************************************************
This time next week, we'll be here

Join in Friday Fragments with Mrs.4444 here

Conference $1289
Lunches at hotel for four days $52.65
Drinks out with friends $64.90
Presents to bring home for girls $20.01

Seeing my babies after four days...PRICELESS!

I'm Going Home

I get to go home today! Well, this afternoon to be exact. I can't wait. I talked to both girls last night on the phone and their little voices almost brought me to tears. So sweet. It almost makes me forget that I was calling them horse's behinds before I left town Monday night.

What? You've never called your children horse's behinds? Okay, maybe it wasn't all that appropriate but sometimes they just are.

Anyway, it's been a good week. We had dinner out last night and then came back here. We had a few glasses of wine and watched Grey's Anatomy and ER and then decided that TV has become quite a downer. They were good episodes but sad. Dead or not, Denny is still a cutie, and I love him with Izzy.

But we had some good laughs in between the angst of the television shows. My friends are funny, funny people. They make me funny and I get to show off my witty side. My wit is usually lost on the girls.

Today I have to present in class today so I am a little nervous about that. It will be fine but still a little anxious!

Emergency Room

Class was really good yesterday. There is nothing like a good presenter to liven up a four day class. I am going to have to beef up my presenting skills. The good news is that today in class, we talk about just that!

Our other friends got here last night and we went to a pub for a few drinks and dinner. Sheila wasn't feeling well so we ended up at the emergency room with her. You know you are with good friends when sitting in an ER waiting room is fun! Of course the two margaritas prior to that probably helped. Sheila had a really bad bladder infection so we were glad we made her go.

I didn't get to bed until late so am feeling tired this morning. Need. Coffee. Now.

Kansas City

Greetings from Kansas City! I made it here safe and sound last night. As I tried to pack, the girls were driving me nuts. And then I felt bad that they were driving me nuts because really all they wanted was attention. I got them over to Mom and Dad's and they started acting so sweet, I didn't want to leave.

But class today was really good. The instructor made the class lots of fun. This is a class I will be teaching at my new job so I was trying to pay close attention. I went to lunch at the hotel with the lady sitting next to me. She is an RN from Springfield and teaches this class at the hospital where she works. She has taught for four years now so she gave me some good advice. That was nice.

Enola is at class tonight so I am at her house alone. I usually like being alone but it is SO quiet. I miss my girls. Kevin too. I am looking forward to our trip to Oklahoma next weekend. We need some extended family time.

Leaving Town

Monday morning and back to work. It's funny, for so many years, I said that I couldn't do a "traditional" 9-5 job. I hated morning and liked my flexibility. But now that I have gotten into my routine, I love it. Of course, I am up every day anyway, getting Kaelyn ready for school. But I like the mornings now. Wow! That's a huge change for me.

Anywho...I am at work and have just a few things to get done then I am going to cut out of here. I leave for Kansas City tonight for a four day training for work. I have to get packed and the girls packed to go to Grandma and Papa's for the week. I am looking forward to the training and also I get to stay with Enola and that is always fun. Sheila is coming down on Wednesday so we get some girls time.

Our Saturday

It ended up being a pretty good day despite my little alarm clock waking me at 6 am. Doesn't she know it's Saturday and we get to sleep in?

Mom came over and helped me sort clothes and organize my closet a bit. I always work better when Mom helps me. Thanks Mom! Then she took Kate home while Kaelyn and I went to Columbia to get some stuff we needed. We had a nice afternoon. It's time like that when I realize how mature she is getting. She listens (for the most part) and we talk and just enjoy being together.

Kevin works tomorrow so Mom and I are going to tackle the upstairs. We need to take down Kate's crib and the diaper changing table. Sad! She is growing up way to fast too. They drive me nuts but I love them so much!

Bubbles

When Kate is being especially demanding or unruly, I will suggest that she take a "bubble" which is Kate language for a bath. This usually gives me thirty to forty mintues of peace.

I am thinking it's a bad sign for today that it's only 7:10 am and Kate is already in the bubble.

Nevermind!

Nevermind my last post...my new design is already up. Now that is fast service! Shabby Creations is that awesome!

New Look!

Stay tuned for my new holiday blog design. I know traditionally, one shouldn't decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't wait. I just purchaed my new design from here:



Which is the same place where my current design came from. I love her work...check it out!

The Atlasta

You wouldn't have found it on any historical registry, it wasn't located in a historical district and it wasn't protected by the Friends of Historic Boonville, but in my opinion they tore down a Boonville landmark this week.

The Atlasta Motel ceases to exist. During high school and my early days of college, my friends and I would rent a room and use it as a home base for our night outs. We had some great parties there. When I moved to Nebraska, and came back to town to visit, I would always stay at the Atlasta. It may not have had many amenities, but it was cheap. And it was home.

The Atlasta sat like a beacon, there on it's prime location next to Interstate 70. How many times did I drive by it and not even think about it? I had lived here for many years before I even realized what it's name stood for...I just always thought of it as the Atlasta. At Last A Motel...get it? And for many years, that is probably what many people thought as they drove that endless stretch of highway. Now the Super 8 and the Comfort Inn catch the travelers befre they reached the Atlasta, but thost motels just don't have the same appeal.

Oh the Atlasta, the stories your walls could tell, if they hadn't torn you down. Except my stories...those are best kept hush, hush. Just between the two of us, okay?

Day Out With Thomas

Yesterday we made the most of the beautiful fall weather and went to St. Louis to see Thomas the Tank Engine. It was a lot of fun. Here are some pictures of our day:
Thomas the Tank Engine. He was so cute in person!

The girls waiting to get on the big slide. Kate is catching up to Kaelyn in heighth!

Kaelyn on the train, all smiles.

The view of St. Louis during the train ride.

Me and the girls on the train.

Kate on the train, not so certain!

Riding the little train.

Tattoo time...Hey, it's Thomas on my hand!

Kaelyn's tattoo. I had to scrub that sucker off this morning before she went to school.

Kate and Sir Topam Hat...she wasn't going to get too close.

Daylight Savings...

There is no such thing as an extra hour of sleep with a two year old in the house. Kate has been up at 6:30 on the dot for two mornings in a row now.