Mikayla went back to school on September 8, 2009. She had a great first day of school. She certainly has matured some since 3rd grade. She has Mr. Wickering this year. Mikayla said he is a strict teacher. I am glad to hear that thought because her 3rd grade teacher was much more lenient. I took Mikayla to school for her first day. She wore her pink skirt with a pink shirt with butterflies on it. She looked very nice. After school, we went out to lunch at Culver's. She enjoyed that.
Today, was Joshua's first day of school. He has Mrs. Perry again this year. He is in Kindergarten. He went to school today like an old pro. I took them both to school today. Josh wore a pair of jeans and a green shirt with a soccer ball on it. They both ate a good breakfast in the cafeteria. Josh has 15 kids in his class this year. He will go MTh full days and Wed AM. He really is ready for 5 full days but nothing can be done about it now.
After I picked Mikayla up from school, we went to Subway for dinner. Then, it was back home. The kids played outside for about an hour. Joe did some laundry. I tried to do some reading but it didn't work out too well.
Today was Joshua's first day of K. He got up this morning and was ready to embark on a new, exciting day of K. I took both kids to school this morning, as I usually do for the first week of school. I took some pics of them before we left. Mikayla seemed more relaxed today. I walked in with them to the cafeteria for breakfast. Joshua had a good breakfast of cereal, cheese stick, applesauce and milk. I was so proud of him. Then, the bell rang so I walked him to his classroom. The K teachers had them all line up and each of the 3 teachers called off their students. There are only 15 kids in Joshua's class (If I counted correctly.). They each had to find their names on the desks and sit down. After they got settled in, I left. I actually didn't cry. He is so ready this year. Part of me really wishes he could go 5 full days because he is ready for it this year. Oh well, he'll go MTh full days and Wed AM session. I went to pick him up at 11:50 am and then we headed home. He had a really great day. Here are a bunch of pictures from his first day of school. I will be uploading many more to facebook so feel free to check them out there too. :) Thanks!
Joshua outside our apartment complex:[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v423/jenmikayla/First%20Day%20of%20School%202009/FirstDayofSchool2009034.jpg[/IMG]Joshua on our deck:[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v423/jenmikayla/First%20Day%20of%20School%202009/FirstDayofSchool2009031.jpg[/IMG]Mikayla and Joshua:[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v423/jenmikayla/First%20Day%20of%20School%202009/FirstDayofSchool2009037.jpg[/IMG]Mikayla and Joshua in front of the school:[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v423/jenmikayla/First%20Day%20of%20School%202009/FirstDayofSchool2009041.jpg[/IMG]Joshua eating breakfast:[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v423/jenmikayla/First%20Day%20of%20School%202009/FirstDayofSchool2009043.jpg[/IMG]Joshua will the Kindergarteners before they split them up:[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v423/jenmikayla/First%20Day%20of%20School%202009/FirstDayofSchool2009048.jpg[/IMG]Joshua waiting in line to go inside:[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v423/jenmikayla/First%20Day%20of%20School%202009/FirstDayofSchool2009047.jpg[/IMG]Joshua sitting at his seat:[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v423/jenmikayla/First%20Day%20of%20School%202009/FirstDayofSchool2009050.jpg[/IMG]Joshua walking to the car after school:[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v423/jenmikayla/First%20Day%20of%20School%202009/FirstDayofSchool2009052.jpg[/IMG]
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Trip to Marquette, MI
We went to Marquette, MI to visit Joe's sister Cindy and nieces Becky Jo and Tonya Sue. We were in Marquette from Aug 26-Aug 27, 2009. We wanted to take a mini trip with the kids before they went back to school. It was really nice going up there. We didn't see Tonya Sue because she was having some problems so we just saw Becky Jo and Cindy. We had a really great time visiting with her. I'm gonna break down the trip to the best of my recollection. Here's how it started:
We got up at 2 am on Aug 26th. I took a shower and then we left around 3 am for Marquette, MI. The drive wasn't too bad. There were few cars on the expressway. We made a couple of pit stops on the way and made it to the Mackinaw Bridge around 6:30 am. It was so nice to see the sun rise. It was very beautiful. We crossed into the Upper Peninsula and spent the next few hours driving. The drive was pretty along Hwy 2 but as we got more inland, it because very boring. We were so ready to be there. There was only one detour so that wasn't too bad. It was so nice to get to Munising because we knew we were almost to Marquette by then. The view was spectacular. I took lots of scenic pictures. We stopped off at a scenic view so the kids could get out of their pajamas and go down to Lake Superior. The kids were having a blast wading in the water and splashing. The really didn't want to leave the water. It was so fun to watch them enjoy it so much.
Ten minutes later, we arrived in Marquette, MI. I think we stopped off at a gas station to get something to drink first but I can't remember exactly. Anyway, we checked into the Super 8 Hotel around 10:30 am. I had a little scare at first because I took all the money off my debit card and they weren't going to let us check in. I told them that I only had cash to pay for the room. So, after talking to the manager, she let us stay as long as we gave her copies of our driver's license. I was relieved. It was just under $80 to stay there. We brought all of our stuff in the room and relaxed for a little bit. I think we stayed there until about 12:30 or so. Then, Cindy met us at the hotel and we followed her to her mom's house to meet Becky Jo. Becky Jo was a very, quiet girl at first. She didn't really talk to us that much while at her Grandma's house. Her Grandma, Sue, seemed to be a pretty nice lady. She was very warm and friendly. After staying there for about 20 mins, we headed to Cindy's house. Once there, she showed us the house and Tonya's room. Tonya loves Michael Jackson and has her room all decked out in Michael Jackson memorabilia. Then, Becky Jo took us to her bedroom and showed us her bedroom. She loves Twilight and has her room totally decorated in Twilight stuff. Both girls had very nice bedrooms. I wish I was a decorator so that I could decorate my kid's rooms. Anyway, we stayed there for quite a while just talking.
After visiting there for a while, Becky Jo went to her Grandmother's house to meet up with a friend and Cindy, Joe, I and the kids headed up to Big Bay. First, we went to the graveyard where Joe's relatives are buried and then we went to a little park across the street from the Big Bay post office so the kids could play for a bit. Then, we decided to go to Lake Independence for awhile. The kids waded in the water. I guess the water was pretty warm so Josh ended up swimming in the water with a little boy that was there playing. He was having a wonderful time. We probably stayed there for about an hour or more. They were having a great time playing on the playground and in the lake. Then, they rode their scooters for a little bit too.
We took a picture next to the Big Bay sign before heading back to Marquette. The traffic was a bit backed up though because they were painting white lines on the pavement. That was a little aggravating but oh well, at least it was a nice drive back to town. We went out to dinner with Cindy at Yang's Hong Kong Buffet. By this time, it was already 7:40 pm. I really enjoyed the food there. It was very good. We decided that we would go back to the hotel to go swimming. Cindy said she would see if Becky Jo and her friend Kira wanted to go. So, we went back to the hotel and got suited up so we could go swimming in the pool. It seemed like they weren't going to come because it was getting later but they finally came, including Sue, Cindy's mom. It was nice to have the girls come there. I took a fair amount of pictures of everyone in the pool. It was very nice to have a great evening. I think we swam until about 10 or so and then it was time to head back to the room and Cindy, Sue and the girls left. Josh was running on the pool deck and fell and scraped his arm so I think that is what prompted us to go sooner.
We got back to the room and basically went to bed. I think everyone was tired. We woke up the next morning around 8 am. Joe was up first and went down to get breakfast. I had the kids get dressed and I took a shower. We ate breakfast, gathered our things up and then checked out of the hotel around 10:30 am. We headed to Cindy's house so that we could begin our day with her and Becky Jo. We mostly spent the day with Cindy though. Becky Jo was more interested her spending time with her friend Kira. But, that's okay. It was the first time we met her. We went to visit Cindy's grandparents first. They were very nice, laid back people. Very sweet and warm to us. It was so nice to visit with them. I think we only stayed a short time because Joshua and Mikayla were getting a bit impatient. They rode their scooters a little bit and then we said our goodbyes and left to go to Presque Isle. Presque Isle was very beautiful. We went to the cove so the kids could find and collect some rocks. They really enjoyed that. Then, they both climbed the rocks. After that, we left so we could go to a beach for them to swim in. Lake Superior is known for being extremly cold but my kids went in the lake anyway. They really had a great time swimming in the lake. There was a small little "pool" formed on the other side of some rocks so the kids swam in that and I guess it was warmer than the lake. It was also safer because they weren't around the waves, which scares me with little kids around. As usual, I got over-heated on the beach and had to sit in the shade. I did take some pics of the kids but it was from afar because I knew I had to stay put as to not pass out on the beach. They really enjoyed the swimming there. Finally, we told them that we had to leave because it was almost 3 pm by this time.
We ended up heading back to Marquette near the downtown area to go to the Seafood festival. They had music, food and some fun activities for the kids to do. Cindy was nice enough to purchase some tokens for the kids to have some fun. They had a play structure there as well so the kids really enjoyed that. This is where we met up with Becky Jo. So, basically, we only spent about an hour with her at the festival. She wanted to go off with her friends. I was a bit sad about it but what could I say. Anyway, we finally gave our hugs around 6:30 pm and tearfully headed home. We first stopped at the gas station to fill up and then headed home. We were looking for a cheap place to eat dinner but didn't find anything in the direction we were heading. We made a stop in Christmas, MI so we could check out the store and they had some cute little things for the kids to look at. I took a few pictures of them next to the signs. We got to Munising and ended up eating dinner at Hardee's. The kids were really getting tired. We took too long leaving Marquette that it started to get dark as we were leaving Munising so the whole ride home was dark. It was not a fun drive home. We made a couple of stops to use the bathroom and stop at a gas station along the way. I think we got to the Mackinaw Bridge around 11 pm or there abouts. The bridge looked very pretty on the way home. I tried to take some pictures but they were too dark and didn't turn out. Oh well, that's okay.
We switched driving positions while in St. Ignace before we crossed the bridge. Joe drove the rest of the way home. The drive home was okay. We got a little lost as Joe stayed on I 75 too long so we had to take some back roads to hook up with 131 in Reed City. It was okay though. We had to stop at a gas station though to make sure we were heading the right way. I think we pulled in the driveway around 3:30-4 am. We were all very tired. We all went straight to bed.
It was a wonderful trip to Marquette, MI. I cannot wait to go up there again in 3 weeks.
We got up at 2 am on Aug 26th. I took a shower and then we left around 3 am for Marquette, MI. The drive wasn't too bad. There were few cars on the expressway. We made a couple of pit stops on the way and made it to the Mackinaw Bridge around 6:30 am. It was so nice to see the sun rise. It was very beautiful. We crossed into the Upper Peninsula and spent the next few hours driving. The drive was pretty along Hwy 2 but as we got more inland, it because very boring. We were so ready to be there. There was only one detour so that wasn't too bad. It was so nice to get to Munising because we knew we were almost to Marquette by then. The view was spectacular. I took lots of scenic pictures. We stopped off at a scenic view so the kids could get out of their pajamas and go down to Lake Superior. The kids were having a blast wading in the water and splashing. The really didn't want to leave the water. It was so fun to watch them enjoy it so much.
Ten minutes later, we arrived in Marquette, MI. I think we stopped off at a gas station to get something to drink first but I can't remember exactly. Anyway, we checked into the Super 8 Hotel around 10:30 am. I had a little scare at first because I took all the money off my debit card and they weren't going to let us check in. I told them that I only had cash to pay for the room. So, after talking to the manager, she let us stay as long as we gave her copies of our driver's license. I was relieved. It was just under $80 to stay there. We brought all of our stuff in the room and relaxed for a little bit. I think we stayed there until about 12:30 or so. Then, Cindy met us at the hotel and we followed her to her mom's house to meet Becky Jo. Becky Jo was a very, quiet girl at first. She didn't really talk to us that much while at her Grandma's house. Her Grandma, Sue, seemed to be a pretty nice lady. She was very warm and friendly. After staying there for about 20 mins, we headed to Cindy's house. Once there, she showed us the house and Tonya's room. Tonya loves Michael Jackson and has her room all decked out in Michael Jackson memorabilia. Then, Becky Jo took us to her bedroom and showed us her bedroom. She loves Twilight and has her room totally decorated in Twilight stuff. Both girls had very nice bedrooms. I wish I was a decorator so that I could decorate my kid's rooms. Anyway, we stayed there for quite a while just talking.
After visiting there for a while, Becky Jo went to her Grandmother's house to meet up with a friend and Cindy, Joe, I and the kids headed up to Big Bay. First, we went to the graveyard where Joe's relatives are buried and then we went to a little park across the street from the Big Bay post office so the kids could play for a bit. Then, we decided to go to Lake Independence for awhile. The kids waded in the water. I guess the water was pretty warm so Josh ended up swimming in the water with a little boy that was there playing. He was having a wonderful time. We probably stayed there for about an hour or more. They were having a great time playing on the playground and in the lake. Then, they rode their scooters for a little bit too.
We took a picture next to the Big Bay sign before heading back to Marquette. The traffic was a bit backed up though because they were painting white lines on the pavement. That was a little aggravating but oh well, at least it was a nice drive back to town. We went out to dinner with Cindy at Yang's Hong Kong Buffet. By this time, it was already 7:40 pm. I really enjoyed the food there. It was very good. We decided that we would go back to the hotel to go swimming. Cindy said she would see if Becky Jo and her friend Kira wanted to go. So, we went back to the hotel and got suited up so we could go swimming in the pool. It seemed like they weren't going to come because it was getting later but they finally came, including Sue, Cindy's mom. It was nice to have the girls come there. I took a fair amount of pictures of everyone in the pool. It was very nice to have a great evening. I think we swam until about 10 or so and then it was time to head back to the room and Cindy, Sue and the girls left. Josh was running on the pool deck and fell and scraped his arm so I think that is what prompted us to go sooner.
We got back to the room and basically went to bed. I think everyone was tired. We woke up the next morning around 8 am. Joe was up first and went down to get breakfast. I had the kids get dressed and I took a shower. We ate breakfast, gathered our things up and then checked out of the hotel around 10:30 am. We headed to Cindy's house so that we could begin our day with her and Becky Jo. We mostly spent the day with Cindy though. Becky Jo was more interested her spending time with her friend Kira. But, that's okay. It was the first time we met her. We went to visit Cindy's grandparents first. They were very nice, laid back people. Very sweet and warm to us. It was so nice to visit with them. I think we only stayed a short time because Joshua and Mikayla were getting a bit impatient. They rode their scooters a little bit and then we said our goodbyes and left to go to Presque Isle. Presque Isle was very beautiful. We went to the cove so the kids could find and collect some rocks. They really enjoyed that. Then, they both climbed the rocks. After that, we left so we could go to a beach for them to swim in. Lake Superior is known for being extremly cold but my kids went in the lake anyway. They really had a great time swimming in the lake. There was a small little "pool" formed on the other side of some rocks so the kids swam in that and I guess it was warmer than the lake. It was also safer because they weren't around the waves, which scares me with little kids around. As usual, I got over-heated on the beach and had to sit in the shade. I did take some pics of the kids but it was from afar because I knew I had to stay put as to not pass out on the beach. They really enjoyed the swimming there. Finally, we told them that we had to leave because it was almost 3 pm by this time.
We ended up heading back to Marquette near the downtown area to go to the Seafood festival. They had music, food and some fun activities for the kids to do. Cindy was nice enough to purchase some tokens for the kids to have some fun. They had a play structure there as well so the kids really enjoyed that. This is where we met up with Becky Jo. So, basically, we only spent about an hour with her at the festival. She wanted to go off with her friends. I was a bit sad about it but what could I say. Anyway, we finally gave our hugs around 6:30 pm and tearfully headed home. We first stopped at the gas station to fill up and then headed home. We were looking for a cheap place to eat dinner but didn't find anything in the direction we were heading. We made a stop in Christmas, MI so we could check out the store and they had some cute little things for the kids to look at. I took a few pictures of them next to the signs. We got to Munising and ended up eating dinner at Hardee's. The kids were really getting tired. We took too long leaving Marquette that it started to get dark as we were leaving Munising so the whole ride home was dark. It was not a fun drive home. We made a couple of stops to use the bathroom and stop at a gas station along the way. I think we got to the Mackinaw Bridge around 11 pm or there abouts. The bridge looked very pretty on the way home. I tried to take some pictures but they were too dark and didn't turn out. Oh well, that's okay.
We switched driving positions while in St. Ignace before we crossed the bridge. Joe drove the rest of the way home. The drive home was okay. We got a little lost as Joe stayed on I 75 too long so we had to take some back roads to hook up with 131 in Reed City. It was okay though. We had to stop at a gas station though to make sure we were heading the right way. I think we pulled in the driveway around 3:30-4 am. We were all very tired. We all went straight to bed.
It was a wonderful trip to Marquette, MI. I cannot wait to go up there again in 3 weeks.
September 7, 2009
I always have the intention of journaling at least once a week but it has been 2 whole months since I've last written in here. Man, I really need to make better efforts to keep up with this journal. I believe journaling is a great way to remember details of events as they happen. If you don't write it down...you will forget the details. So, here goes an update for the last 2 months as best as I can remember. I'm gonna start with today and work backwards.
Today, September 7, 2009
We woke up around 11 am and just basically hung around the house for the morning. I worked on my homework a bit and held our kitty. Then, the kids and I showered to get ready to leave for the day. We left the house around 2 pm to go to the store to get a few things for our cookout with Amy and Ed. We got hotdogs, buns, Doritos, pop and baked beans. Amy and Ed had some brats and chips. After that, we went to Speedway so I could get my tea as I do on a daily basis. Then, we headed over to their house.
The first thing we did was go swimming in the pool. We love swimming in the pool. It was a lot of fun. Mikayla was doing pretty good at swimming across the pool. She just learned how to do the "doggie paddle" so that gives her a little more freedom in the pool. I still have to watch her carefully though because she is not a strong swimmer. Joshua did pretty good but I had to really keep my eyes on him. He jumped off the diving board a few times (with a life vest on) and really enjoyed that.
After swimming for a bit, we ate dinner. The kids really enjoyed the hotdogs and chips. We basically had a low key dinner. Normally, we go all out and have a major cookout with Joe's parents but they were out of town for the weekend. Anyway, after we ate dinner we had some ice-cream.
Then, the kids jumped on the trampoline for a bit. Mikayla didn't want to go swimming again so she played with her Barbie dolls while Josh and I went into the pool. Finally, after about 20 mins, she decided she did want to go swimming so went inside to get her bathing suit back on and joined us in the pool. The kids really had a great time swimming. The next thing we knew, it was 7:30 pm so we told the kids we needed to get going because tomorrow is the first day of school. So, everyone got out of the pool and got dressed. Afterwards, we went to Meijer to get some bananas and a box of cereal for the week for the kids's snacks and Josh's breakfasts.
Joshua is sleeping now but Mikayla is still up. She was supposed to be sleeping already. I think she is super excited about her first day of school tomorrow. I will be getting up early to take her to school as I do every year. I took tomorrow off as a PTO day. I will have a total of 4 days off this week! I'm super excited about that.
I'm gonna start a new post about our vacations and other happenings because this got to be a bit long.
Today, September 7, 2009
We woke up around 11 am and just basically hung around the house for the morning. I worked on my homework a bit and held our kitty. Then, the kids and I showered to get ready to leave for the day. We left the house around 2 pm to go to the store to get a few things for our cookout with Amy and Ed. We got hotdogs, buns, Doritos, pop and baked beans. Amy and Ed had some brats and chips. After that, we went to Speedway so I could get my tea as I do on a daily basis. Then, we headed over to their house.
The first thing we did was go swimming in the pool. We love swimming in the pool. It was a lot of fun. Mikayla was doing pretty good at swimming across the pool. She just learned how to do the "doggie paddle" so that gives her a little more freedom in the pool. I still have to watch her carefully though because she is not a strong swimmer. Joshua did pretty good but I had to really keep my eyes on him. He jumped off the diving board a few times (with a life vest on) and really enjoyed that.
After swimming for a bit, we ate dinner. The kids really enjoyed the hotdogs and chips. We basically had a low key dinner. Normally, we go all out and have a major cookout with Joe's parents but they were out of town for the weekend. Anyway, after we ate dinner we had some ice-cream.
Then, the kids jumped on the trampoline for a bit. Mikayla didn't want to go swimming again so she played with her Barbie dolls while Josh and I went into the pool. Finally, after about 20 mins, she decided she did want to go swimming so went inside to get her bathing suit back on and joined us in the pool. The kids really had a great time swimming. The next thing we knew, it was 7:30 pm so we told the kids we needed to get going because tomorrow is the first day of school. So, everyone got out of the pool and got dressed. Afterwards, we went to Meijer to get some bananas and a box of cereal for the week for the kids's snacks and Josh's breakfasts.
Joshua is sleeping now but Mikayla is still up. She was supposed to be sleeping already. I think she is super excited about her first day of school tomorrow. I will be getting up early to take her to school as I do every year. I took tomorrow off as a PTO day. I will have a total of 4 days off this week! I'm super excited about that.
I'm gonna start a new post about our vacations and other happenings because this got to be a bit long.
Monday, July 6, 2009
July 5, 2009
It is amazing that 2 weeks have past since I've written. We just finished a very busy two weeks. I am home from work today due to my FMLA. I am hoping that I feel better by tomorrow. Let's see if I can recap the last couple of weeks. It's going to be a little hard but here goes....
Saturday, June 27th was Mikayla's 9th birthday! It is so hard to believe that my baby is NINE!!! We celebrated her birthday at Richmond Park. We had hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill plus potato chips, potato salad, baked beans and cake and ice cream. Most of the family turned out but there were a few family members missing. We had tons of left-over food. After we ate, Mikayla opened her presents and then we had cake and ice-cream. Then, we went swimming at the pool. It was a lot of fun. Attendees included: Grandpa and Grandma Smith, Sam, Dan, Mikey, Gabe, Danny, Jessie, Trenten, Zackary, Amy, Becca, Megan, Sara, Christopher, Alaina, Aunt Wendy, Allie and Nathan, Allie Jeffers, Me, Joe, Mikayla and Joshua. Mikayla had a SpongeBob cake. I took lots of pictures from her birthday. Unfortunately, Mary couldn't come because she thought Mikayla's party was at CEC. My mom, Kathy and boys and Jessica and Danielle said they'd come but never showed up. I was a bit upset that they didn't come. My dad didn't come either because he does his business on the weekends now.
I worked from Sunday, June 28th through June 30th. I went to Kuzzins on June 30th to celebrate Leslie's 30th birthday. That was a lot of fun.
Then, I had from Wed, July 1st off through yesterday.
We left for our family vacation on Friday, July 3rd. This was the first time that we had a whole family vacation. The purpose of our trip was to meet Joe's sister Cindy and nieces Tonya Sue and Becky Jo for the first time. We left GR around 8-8:30 am. We made a few stops along the way. The trip there was uneventful. Joe's dad rear-ended a motorcycle while getting off 131 and 55. We had to wait there about 30 mins to 45 mins for the police to arrive. There was no major damage so that was a little delay in getting up there. Then, we stopped at a rest stop somewhere along the way after that so we could have a potty break. Then, we stopped at Sea Shell City which was about 10 miles outside of Mackinaw City. The kids really loves it there. They were able to play on the pirate ship while some shopped in the store. It was really a neat place that we will have to visit again. Grandpa bought all the kids a pirate hat from there. Then, we were on our way. I think we got to the motel, Sundown Motel, around 1-1:30 pm. I'd have to check my camera to be sure. The motel was pretty cute. They had little cabins that we stayed in. They also had a little picnic area with grills and a playground for the kids to play on. The kids really liked that.
Then, we decided that we wanted to get some lunch and cross the Mackinaw Bridge. So, we all left to cross the bridge. That was a neat experience. The kids loved it! We got into St. Ignace and ate at the McDonald's there. The kids played for a bit and then we headed into historic downdown St. Ignace so we could check out the museums there. First, we went to a store called Indian Village. They had all kinds of neat stuff there. The kids picked out some gifts for themselves. Mikayla wanted rocks and Joshua got a spear. I took some pictures of them next to a teepee that was there.
Then, we headed over to Father Marquette Park and the Ojibwa Museum. That was a pretty neat place. It was a lot of fun. They had a Huron Longhouse there along with a teepee. It was really a neat place.
Afterwards, Joe wanted to head back to the motel. I know I didn't want to. Of course, that's how I am. When I go on a vacation, I like to be on the go and see everything I can while there. This didn't happen this time around. Oh well, there's always next time.
So, we headed back over the bridge to our motel. The kids played for a bit. I took a nap. I was tired. Joe's mom, Sam and Jessie went to the store to get some stuff for dinner. They had hotdogs, macaroni salad, potato salad and chips for dinner. I slept right through dinner so I got to eat just as the food was being put away.
Then, I wanted to head to the strip to look around. Nobody really wanted to go. Joe, Jessie, Me and Trenten went. It was a lot of fun to window shop. It was a great way to see what was there so I could plan to get some stuff the following day. We got back to the motel around 9:30-10. I had to get some pictures of the sunset over Lake Michigan first. That evening after the kids were in bed, Joe and I went outside and had a couple of drinks with Sam, Dan and Jessie. I had Watermelon Pucker with Sierra Mist. That was actually really good. Joe had a few beers. We were having a great time. Then, we all went back to our cabins to go to bed.
We woke up around 7:30 am on Saturday, July 4th. We got showers and then headed to the fort around 9ish. Once we got to the Fort, the kids had to go down to the lake first. They liked that. The kids really had fun. Joshua didn't want to listen to me though so that was a bit frustrating. We took a few pictures at the lake. Then, we all headed into the fort. I think we got into the fort around 9:45 am. It was a lot of fun. We didn't stay at the fort too long though because Joe's sister Cindy and niece Tonya called to say that they had arrived. So, we headed out of the fort and met with them.
It was so exciting to meet them. We had hoped that Becky Jo would have come but she didn't, which was disappointing. She's at the age where friends are her life. Hopefully, we will be able to see her in the future.
We sat around the fort for a few moments to take some pictures. We certainly didn't take all the pictures that we had intended on taking but at least we got a few. I think we were going to go back into the fort but then a few of us stated that we were hungry so we headed to Burger King to get a bite to eat. After that we went to a local park so that the kids could play and we could sit and visit. That worked out really well. Then, we decided to go shopping to the Mackinaw Crossings Mall. I got Mikayla a tee-shirt and a shell necklace. Joshua didn't want anything so he didn't get anything. Joe and I didn't get anything either.
After shopping for a while, we went to our cars and basically just hung out there until about 5 pm. I was hoping that we would have done more together but I guess for a first meeting, this was good enough. Sam and Dan left first, then Joe's parents and Jessie and the boys. We said our goodbyes to Cindy and Tonya and headed to the beach so the kids could play in the lake.
The kids really enjoyed the lake. They collected some cool rocks and enjoyed wading in the water. It was such a beautiful day. Afterwards, we decided to get something to eat. We ended up going to B.C. pizza and had the pizza buffet. It was very good pizza. We were planning on having some ice-cream but opted to just head home instead. We made a few stops along the way so we could fill up on gas. We missed the fireworks because we weren't home in time but we did manage to see some from the highway. We got home around 10:30 pm.
We had a great time meeting with the family. I only wish it could have been longer.
Sunday, we basically stayed home for most of the day. We did manage to visit Joe's parents for most of the afternoon. Then, we headed home around 9:30 pm. Mikayla spent the night with them.
I guess that's about it for now. I'm trying to upload pictures but FB is being difficult so I will just try later.
Saturday, June 27th was Mikayla's 9th birthday! It is so hard to believe that my baby is NINE!!! We celebrated her birthday at Richmond Park. We had hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill plus potato chips, potato salad, baked beans and cake and ice cream. Most of the family turned out but there were a few family members missing. We had tons of left-over food. After we ate, Mikayla opened her presents and then we had cake and ice-cream. Then, we went swimming at the pool. It was a lot of fun. Attendees included: Grandpa and Grandma Smith, Sam, Dan, Mikey, Gabe, Danny, Jessie, Trenten, Zackary, Amy, Becca, Megan, Sara, Christopher, Alaina, Aunt Wendy, Allie and Nathan, Allie Jeffers, Me, Joe, Mikayla and Joshua. Mikayla had a SpongeBob cake. I took lots of pictures from her birthday. Unfortunately, Mary couldn't come because she thought Mikayla's party was at CEC. My mom, Kathy and boys and Jessica and Danielle said they'd come but never showed up. I was a bit upset that they didn't come. My dad didn't come either because he does his business on the weekends now.
I worked from Sunday, June 28th through June 30th. I went to Kuzzins on June 30th to celebrate Leslie's 30th birthday. That was a lot of fun.
Then, I had from Wed, July 1st off through yesterday.
We left for our family vacation on Friday, July 3rd. This was the first time that we had a whole family vacation. The purpose of our trip was to meet Joe's sister Cindy and nieces Tonya Sue and Becky Jo for the first time. We left GR around 8-8:30 am. We made a few stops along the way. The trip there was uneventful. Joe's dad rear-ended a motorcycle while getting off 131 and 55. We had to wait there about 30 mins to 45 mins for the police to arrive. There was no major damage so that was a little delay in getting up there. Then, we stopped at a rest stop somewhere along the way after that so we could have a potty break. Then, we stopped at Sea Shell City which was about 10 miles outside of Mackinaw City. The kids really loves it there. They were able to play on the pirate ship while some shopped in the store. It was really a neat place that we will have to visit again. Grandpa bought all the kids a pirate hat from there. Then, we were on our way. I think we got to the motel, Sundown Motel, around 1-1:30 pm. I'd have to check my camera to be sure. The motel was pretty cute. They had little cabins that we stayed in. They also had a little picnic area with grills and a playground for the kids to play on. The kids really liked that.
Then, we decided that we wanted to get some lunch and cross the Mackinaw Bridge. So, we all left to cross the bridge. That was a neat experience. The kids loved it! We got into St. Ignace and ate at the McDonald's there. The kids played for a bit and then we headed into historic downdown St. Ignace so we could check out the museums there. First, we went to a store called Indian Village. They had all kinds of neat stuff there. The kids picked out some gifts for themselves. Mikayla wanted rocks and Joshua got a spear. I took some pictures of them next to a teepee that was there.
Then, we headed over to Father Marquette Park and the Ojibwa Museum. That was a pretty neat place. It was a lot of fun. They had a Huron Longhouse there along with a teepee. It was really a neat place.
Afterwards, Joe wanted to head back to the motel. I know I didn't want to. Of course, that's how I am. When I go on a vacation, I like to be on the go and see everything I can while there. This didn't happen this time around. Oh well, there's always next time.
So, we headed back over the bridge to our motel. The kids played for a bit. I took a nap. I was tired. Joe's mom, Sam and Jessie went to the store to get some stuff for dinner. They had hotdogs, macaroni salad, potato salad and chips for dinner. I slept right through dinner so I got to eat just as the food was being put away.
Then, I wanted to head to the strip to look around. Nobody really wanted to go. Joe, Jessie, Me and Trenten went. It was a lot of fun to window shop. It was a great way to see what was there so I could plan to get some stuff the following day. We got back to the motel around 9:30-10. I had to get some pictures of the sunset over Lake Michigan first. That evening after the kids were in bed, Joe and I went outside and had a couple of drinks with Sam, Dan and Jessie. I had Watermelon Pucker with Sierra Mist. That was actually really good. Joe had a few beers. We were having a great time. Then, we all went back to our cabins to go to bed.
We woke up around 7:30 am on Saturday, July 4th. We got showers and then headed to the fort around 9ish. Once we got to the Fort, the kids had to go down to the lake first. They liked that. The kids really had fun. Joshua didn't want to listen to me though so that was a bit frustrating. We took a few pictures at the lake. Then, we all headed into the fort. I think we got into the fort around 9:45 am. It was a lot of fun. We didn't stay at the fort too long though because Joe's sister Cindy and niece Tonya called to say that they had arrived. So, we headed out of the fort and met with them.
It was so exciting to meet them. We had hoped that Becky Jo would have come but she didn't, which was disappointing. She's at the age where friends are her life. Hopefully, we will be able to see her in the future.
We sat around the fort for a few moments to take some pictures. We certainly didn't take all the pictures that we had intended on taking but at least we got a few. I think we were going to go back into the fort but then a few of us stated that we were hungry so we headed to Burger King to get a bite to eat. After that we went to a local park so that the kids could play and we could sit and visit. That worked out really well. Then, we decided to go shopping to the Mackinaw Crossings Mall. I got Mikayla a tee-shirt and a shell necklace. Joshua didn't want anything so he didn't get anything. Joe and I didn't get anything either.
After shopping for a while, we went to our cars and basically just hung out there until about 5 pm. I was hoping that we would have done more together but I guess for a first meeting, this was good enough. Sam and Dan left first, then Joe's parents and Jessie and the boys. We said our goodbyes to Cindy and Tonya and headed to the beach so the kids could play in the lake.
The kids really enjoyed the lake. They collected some cool rocks and enjoyed wading in the water. It was such a beautiful day. Afterwards, we decided to get something to eat. We ended up going to B.C. pizza and had the pizza buffet. It was very good pizza. We were planning on having some ice-cream but opted to just head home instead. We made a few stops along the way so we could fill up on gas. We missed the fireworks because we weren't home in time but we did manage to see some from the highway. We got home around 10:30 pm.
We had a great time meeting with the family. I only wish it could have been longer.
Sunday, we basically stayed home for most of the day. We did manage to visit Joe's parents for most of the afternoon. Then, we headed home around 9:30 pm. Mikayla spent the night with them.
I guess that's about it for now. I'm trying to upload pictures but FB is being difficult so I will just try later.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
I woke up this morning at 5:30 am. I still had the kink in my neck. It is pretty painful to say the least. I've been taking ibuprofen all day long. I'm thinking it will take about 3-4 days to work itself out. In the meantime, I'll just keep taking ibuprofen until the pain subsides.
I had HERO training today at work. It went pretty well. I am not looking forward to taking new auto claims tomorrow with it though. I'm sure it will go okay but I'm just worried about it. It did feel good to be off the phones today though.
Mikayla had her doctor's appointment today. I suppose it went okay. She gained another 4 lbs. She just keeps packing on the weight. It is becoming a severe problem now. We have to go back in 4 months again for another weight check. I've got to do something for her because it is way out of control. The doctor thinks she is an emotional eater and suggested counseling for her other issues going on. We think she may have anxiety just like me. She goes on July 1st for her 9 year well child check up. We'll talk about things more then.
Joe picked me up from work today. Boy was it a hot one out there today! By the time I got home, it was still 89 degrees. I'm enjoying the nice cool a/c at home. Joe made dinner tonight. We thought we had a good can of cream of chicken soup but it was old so we had to improvise. We had egg noodles with chicken and spaghetti sauce. It actually wasn't too bad. I made green beans and corn to go along with it.
Then, I went to Sam's Club to make a CD for my 1300+ pictures which I intend to get tomorrow. Finally, I went to Wal*Mart to get a few groceries, which came to $10. Now, I'm back home for the evening.
Not much going on. Joshua is aggravating us again, as usual. I don't know what's wrong with that boy. He just doesn't know when to quit. He keeps wiping his apple on my arm and then throwing stuff down the stairs. I'm trying to ignore it though because I think he'll continue to do it more if I pay too much attention to it. I've already gotten after him a few times and right now, he has stopped.
Joe's watching cage fighting....again. I can't stand it and wish that he wouldn't watch it all of the time. Mikayla's in her room watching her shows. I'm online relaxing. Joshua is still bugging us all.
Well, I'll close for now.
I had HERO training today at work. It went pretty well. I am not looking forward to taking new auto claims tomorrow with it though. I'm sure it will go okay but I'm just worried about it. It did feel good to be off the phones today though.
Mikayla had her doctor's appointment today. I suppose it went okay. She gained another 4 lbs. She just keeps packing on the weight. It is becoming a severe problem now. We have to go back in 4 months again for another weight check. I've got to do something for her because it is way out of control. The doctor thinks she is an emotional eater and suggested counseling for her other issues going on. We think she may have anxiety just like me. She goes on July 1st for her 9 year well child check up. We'll talk about things more then.
Joe picked me up from work today. Boy was it a hot one out there today! By the time I got home, it was still 89 degrees. I'm enjoying the nice cool a/c at home. Joe made dinner tonight. We thought we had a good can of cream of chicken soup but it was old so we had to improvise. We had egg noodles with chicken and spaghetti sauce. It actually wasn't too bad. I made green beans and corn to go along with it.
Then, I went to Sam's Club to make a CD for my 1300+ pictures which I intend to get tomorrow. Finally, I went to Wal*Mart to get a few groceries, which came to $10. Now, I'm back home for the evening.
Not much going on. Joshua is aggravating us again, as usual. I don't know what's wrong with that boy. He just doesn't know when to quit. He keeps wiping his apple on my arm and then throwing stuff down the stairs. I'm trying to ignore it though because I think he'll continue to do it more if I pay too much attention to it. I've already gotten after him a few times and right now, he has stopped.
Joe's watching cage fighting....again. I can't stand it and wish that he wouldn't watch it all of the time. Mikayla's in her room watching her shows. I'm online relaxing. Joshua is still bugging us all.
Well, I'll close for now.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Monday Ponderings
I just thought I'd recap the last week. It ended up being a pretty busy week.
Monday, I just went to work like usual. Nothing special happened.
Tuesday, Joshua had his last soccer game of the season. The kids had a pretty good time even though they lost the game. The coach gave them their medals and they each got a goodie bag. It was a great way to end the season. Afterwards, we decided to go to the drive in to celebrate Joe's birthday. We saw "Land of the Lost" and "Night at the Museum-Part II". It was pretty fun going to the drive in. We had to deal with the rain a little bit but overall it turned out fine.
Wednesday, I had the day off. Joe turned 35 today (6/17). I slept in for a while due to being out late the night before. We went to Tequila Willy's for lunch around 4 pm. That was pretty fun. Megan spent the night. I made Joe a cake for his birthday so we had cake and ice-cream. It was an odd day. We didn't have a whole lot of money to do much else so that is about all we did.
Thursday, Joe had an interview in the morning. He got home around noon. Then, we went to Richmond Park with the kids for a few but it wasn't that fun. We then headed to his parents house for a little bit but then I had to take Joe to work for the World Mission from 3-7 pm. I was going to visit my Aunt Ginger but no one was home so the kids and I headed back home. I made them mac & cheese for a late lunch and I ate the left over burrito from Wed. I called my Aunt Ginger and she was home so we went to visit her from 3-6:30 pm. Then, I went to get gas and then we picked Joe up. Afterwards, we took the kids to CEC for a little bit but then headed home. I can't remember if we did anything else. Something tells me we went to Meijer. Mikayla spent the night at Mary's house on Thursday.
Friday, I worked like usual. After work, I went to Bio. I got $30, which was cool. Then, I went to pick Mikayla up at Mary's house. Then, we came home to begin our family fun night. We had spaghetti for dinner. We watched a movie, "Meet the Fockers". It was a laid back evening. I think I went to bed around 11:30 pm.
Saturday, I had to work from 7-3:45 pm. After work, we went to Richmond Park for a Father's Day picnic. It was pretty fun to get together with the family. My grandparents, Aunts Sharon, SanDee and Wendy, cousins, Nate, Lonna, Laura, Stacie, Bill were there in addition to Amy and Ed. It was a potluck picnic. The kids played pretty well together. Afterwards, I took Joe to his friend's house for a party. The kids and I went to the Walker Festival. The kids really had a great time there. After the festival, we went to Marie's house and watched the fireworks and had s'mores. I think we left her house around 10:30 or 11:30 pm, I can't remember. I had to go to sleep right away since I had to work on Sunday.
Sunday, I worked from 7-3:45 pm. Work went okay. I was in one of my off moods. I was pretty upset about Natalie. The day before, Amy told me she was mad at me so that just really upset me badly. I got home from work to take a bit of a nap and then dropped Joe and the kids off to his parent's house while I went to Red Lobster to meet up with my Dad, Amy, Ed, girls and Natalie. The meeting didn't go so well. I was so hurt and upset that I just had a very difficult time meeting with Natalie there. I couldn't look at her and I just felt really uncomfortable based on how she treats me and basically ignores me. I kept getting up so fend off my hurt and tears. Finally, I just decided it was best to leave. So, I went out to my car and called my dad to explain what was going on. The tears just started rolling down my cheeks. I really couldn't handle it. It was horrible. So, when my dad got there, I just told him "Happy Father's Day" and then hugged him and left. Then, I called my Aunt SanDee to talk to her. She comforted me and basically told me to go back in there because it was my dad too and not to let Natalie ruin it for me. So, I went back into the restaurant. I tried to be in better spirits but it was still very tense. Natalie is just not a nice person. She is very self-centered, selfish and a spoiled brat! I tried to act like nothing happened. When it was time to leave, I took a couple of pictures and she hugged me and said bye. It was very short and sweet. She didn't even say anything else to me. However, she told Amy that what I did makes her pull away further. Oh fricken well. I am so sick of her acting like she's all that and life revolves around her. I'd love to just have a face to face meeting with her and just tell her exactly how I feel. She really needs to grow up. I admit, I made an ass out of myself but I was hurt. I wish I never would have known that she was mad at me. I wish things were better. I wish I could see my dad more often. I really crave a close relationship but it's just not there. After the restaurant, I went to Joe's parents to pick him and the kids up so we could come home.
Monday, I woke up this morning but didn't feel right. I was so emotionally drained that I just couldn't go to work today. I spent the whole day basically sleeping and in bed. I never even went outside today. I really hope the rest of the week goes better.
Tuesday, I have to work.
Natalie is here until Thursday. I highly doubt I will see her for the rest of her time here. I really don't care if I do or don't. She doesn't like my kids and it's obvious that she doesn't care for me either. I hope she enjoys spending time with her friends. I think she is going to spend time with my dad on Wed.
Anyway, that's about it. It was an exhausting week last week. I'll have to try and write more this week. Mikayla's birthday is on Saturday. I am planning to have the family birthday party for her at Richmond Park. Well, that's about it for now.
Monday, I just went to work like usual. Nothing special happened.
Tuesday, Joshua had his last soccer game of the season. The kids had a pretty good time even though they lost the game. The coach gave them their medals and they each got a goodie bag. It was a great way to end the season. Afterwards, we decided to go to the drive in to celebrate Joe's birthday. We saw "Land of the Lost" and "Night at the Museum-Part II". It was pretty fun going to the drive in. We had to deal with the rain a little bit but overall it turned out fine.
Wednesday, I had the day off. Joe turned 35 today (6/17). I slept in for a while due to being out late the night before. We went to Tequila Willy's for lunch around 4 pm. That was pretty fun. Megan spent the night. I made Joe a cake for his birthday so we had cake and ice-cream. It was an odd day. We didn't have a whole lot of money to do much else so that is about all we did.
Thursday, Joe had an interview in the morning. He got home around noon. Then, we went to Richmond Park with the kids for a few but it wasn't that fun. We then headed to his parents house for a little bit but then I had to take Joe to work for the World Mission from 3-7 pm. I was going to visit my Aunt Ginger but no one was home so the kids and I headed back home. I made them mac & cheese for a late lunch and I ate the left over burrito from Wed. I called my Aunt Ginger and she was home so we went to visit her from 3-6:30 pm. Then, I went to get gas and then we picked Joe up. Afterwards, we took the kids to CEC for a little bit but then headed home. I can't remember if we did anything else. Something tells me we went to Meijer. Mikayla spent the night at Mary's house on Thursday.
Friday, I worked like usual. After work, I went to Bio. I got $30, which was cool. Then, I went to pick Mikayla up at Mary's house. Then, we came home to begin our family fun night. We had spaghetti for dinner. We watched a movie, "Meet the Fockers". It was a laid back evening. I think I went to bed around 11:30 pm.
Saturday, I had to work from 7-3:45 pm. After work, we went to Richmond Park for a Father's Day picnic. It was pretty fun to get together with the family. My grandparents, Aunts Sharon, SanDee and Wendy, cousins, Nate, Lonna, Laura, Stacie, Bill were there in addition to Amy and Ed. It was a potluck picnic. The kids played pretty well together. Afterwards, I took Joe to his friend's house for a party. The kids and I went to the Walker Festival. The kids really had a great time there. After the festival, we went to Marie's house and watched the fireworks and had s'mores. I think we left her house around 10:30 or 11:30 pm, I can't remember. I had to go to sleep right away since I had to work on Sunday.
Sunday, I worked from 7-3:45 pm. Work went okay. I was in one of my off moods. I was pretty upset about Natalie. The day before, Amy told me she was mad at me so that just really upset me badly. I got home from work to take a bit of a nap and then dropped Joe and the kids off to his parent's house while I went to Red Lobster to meet up with my Dad, Amy, Ed, girls and Natalie. The meeting didn't go so well. I was so hurt and upset that I just had a very difficult time meeting with Natalie there. I couldn't look at her and I just felt really uncomfortable based on how she treats me and basically ignores me. I kept getting up so fend off my hurt and tears. Finally, I just decided it was best to leave. So, I went out to my car and called my dad to explain what was going on. The tears just started rolling down my cheeks. I really couldn't handle it. It was horrible. So, when my dad got there, I just told him "Happy Father's Day" and then hugged him and left. Then, I called my Aunt SanDee to talk to her. She comforted me and basically told me to go back in there because it was my dad too and not to let Natalie ruin it for me. So, I went back into the restaurant. I tried to be in better spirits but it was still very tense. Natalie is just not a nice person. She is very self-centered, selfish and a spoiled brat! I tried to act like nothing happened. When it was time to leave, I took a couple of pictures and she hugged me and said bye. It was very short and sweet. She didn't even say anything else to me. However, she told Amy that what I did makes her pull away further. Oh fricken well. I am so sick of her acting like she's all that and life revolves around her. I'd love to just have a face to face meeting with her and just tell her exactly how I feel. She really needs to grow up. I admit, I made an ass out of myself but I was hurt. I wish I never would have known that she was mad at me. I wish things were better. I wish I could see my dad more often. I really crave a close relationship but it's just not there. After the restaurant, I went to Joe's parents to pick him and the kids up so we could come home.
Monday, I woke up this morning but didn't feel right. I was so emotionally drained that I just couldn't go to work today. I spent the whole day basically sleeping and in bed. I never even went outside today. I really hope the rest of the week goes better.
Tuesday, I have to work.
Natalie is here until Thursday. I highly doubt I will see her for the rest of her time here. I really don't care if I do or don't. She doesn't like my kids and it's obvious that she doesn't care for me either. I hope she enjoys spending time with her friends. I think she is going to spend time with my dad on Wed.
Anyway, that's about it. It was an exhausting week last week. I'll have to try and write more this week. Mikayla's birthday is on Saturday. I am planning to have the family birthday party for her at Richmond Park. Well, that's about it for now.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Happy Monday!
Today was very busy at work. It actually flew by pretty quick though. I had later breaks and lunch so that helped out a lot. I have to admit I was happy to see 4 pm. I worked an extra 30 mins. I cannot leave work early much anymore. I am really broke right now because I have been leaving early way too much. So, now it has caught up with me and I'm hurting now.
After work, I went and paid the rent, with money that I don't have. Basically, I am depressed now because I am so broke. It's all my fault too. I am going to a Cash Advance store tomorrow to try and help cover for my bills that need to be paid. It's going to take a month to catch up.
Joe made pork loin for dinner. Then, I made the green bean casserole and baked potatoes. I think we had a healthy dinner. I also had cottage cheese with my dinner. I feel pretty good about that. No more out to eats until things settle down. I've got to save all of my money for gas for the next 2 weeks. It's going to suck but I think we'll be okay. I go to Bio on Wed so hopefully that $20 will help.
Now, we are working on laundry. We have so much to do around this house. All three bedrooms need to be gutted out and cleaned. They are extremely messy and in disarray.
I think we'll spend the next few days organizing some things around here.
Well, that's about it for now.
After work, I went and paid the rent, with money that I don't have. Basically, I am depressed now because I am so broke. It's all my fault too. I am going to a Cash Advance store tomorrow to try and help cover for my bills that need to be paid. It's going to take a month to catch up.
Joe made pork loin for dinner. Then, I made the green bean casserole and baked potatoes. I think we had a healthy dinner. I also had cottage cheese with my dinner. I feel pretty good about that. No more out to eats until things settle down. I've got to save all of my money for gas for the next 2 weeks. It's going to suck but I think we'll be okay. I go to Bio on Wed so hopefully that $20 will help.
Now, we are working on laundry. We have so much to do around this house. All three bedrooms need to be gutted out and cleaned. They are extremely messy and in disarray.
I think we'll spend the next few days organizing some things around here.
Well, that's about it for now.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Weekend Updates
The weekend is nearly over so I thought I'd recap our weekend.
Friday: We had family fun pizza night. We enjoyed watching the Red Wings play the Penguins. The Penguins won 2-1. It was a bit disappointing because the Wings weren't playing as well as they could have been. Oh well, at least we were able to watch the game.
Saturday: We had a very busy day. The day started out with Joshua having a soccer game at 10 am. It was a bit cold and wet to start out with but I guess it cleared up by the time the game was over. Joshua made a goal so we are proud of him for that. I missed most of the game because I had to take Mikayla to a birthday party.
I dropped Mikayla off at the birthday party aound 10:45 am. I hung around for a little bit but then left to go pick up Joe and Joshua from Alpine Baptist Church where they were playing. After the game, the kids had a snack of grapes and a juice box. We quickly went home so that we could gather all of our things for the day. Then, we headed over to Sam's Club.
I ended up renewing our membership and buying a few things. Afterwards, we went to Taco Bell to get a little lunch. Then, we went to CEC to pick Mikayla up from Jessica's birthday party. Mikayla had a great time so that is all that matters. From there, we headed to Speedway to get some drinks for the kids.
Finally, we went to Sam's and Dan's house for Mikey's birthday. Mikey is six! It is so hard to believe. He has really matured a lot over the last year. Sam made hotdogs on the George Foreman Grill along with bacon ranch pasta salad and potato chips. The hotdogs were really good for a change. We've had so many hotdogs in recent weeks that I am starting to feel hotdog'd out (if that's even a word, lol). Anyway, after we ate, Mikey opened his presents. He got some nerf dart boards with guns, couple of Ninja Turtle action figures, another action figure that I can't think of right now and his big present...a skateboard. Oh, he also got some activity books. It was just our family there this time. Dan's parents had another event going on so they were going to get together with them on Sunday. After presents, we had cake and ice cream. The cake was kinda cool with cupcakes surrounding it. I took a quite a few pictures but most were with my regular camera since my digital camera's battery was almost dead.
We stayed at their house until about 6 pm. Then, we headed home. The kids played outside for a little bit and then Joe decided he wanted to go to Meijer to do some grocery shopping. So, Mikayla stayed home to play with Kacie. Kacie's mom, Chris, said she would watch her while we ran to the store. Mikayla ended up eating dinner over there. They were having a BBQ. We got home just after 8 pm. Then, I did 4 loads of laundry. It was very tiresome going up and down 3 flights of stairs. Doug came over just after 8 pm to watch movies with Joe. It was nice to have some company.
Mikayla was behaving just fine but Joshua's behavior was horrible. Joe made a pot of spaghetti, which was very good. I think I finally went to sleep around midnight.
Sunday: I woke up at 5:30 am to get ready for work. I packed my lunch (leftover spaghetti and the Green Giant veggies/cheese side) and then I went to Speedway to get my tea, like I always do and then headed to work. I got to work right at 7 am to begin my shift. It was a very busy day at work today. They had HERO training going on for one of the teams so we were pretty busy due to them being off the phones. They did offer OT so that was nice to have a few extra people in to help with the call volume. I got out of work at 3:49 pm. I then started to head home.
I found out how much my check was for and wasn't too happy about the amount. It's my own fault though because I keep leaving work early. Joe got really mad at me for such a small check. I met Kathy at Speedway to get the $10 that she owed me. She only had $9.80 but that's okay, at least she paid most of it back to me. Then, I went to Sam's Club and got gas. It was just about $39!
Joe decided to get p'zones again tonight so that is what we are having for dinner. I really didn't want to spend extra money. Oh well, life goes on.
So, that's my weekend update. They just got back so I better go for now. I'm playing a game of Trouble with Joshua.
Friday: We had family fun pizza night. We enjoyed watching the Red Wings play the Penguins. The Penguins won 2-1. It was a bit disappointing because the Wings weren't playing as well as they could have been. Oh well, at least we were able to watch the game.
Saturday: We had a very busy day. The day started out with Joshua having a soccer game at 10 am. It was a bit cold and wet to start out with but I guess it cleared up by the time the game was over. Joshua made a goal so we are proud of him for that. I missed most of the game because I had to take Mikayla to a birthday party.
I dropped Mikayla off at the birthday party aound 10:45 am. I hung around for a little bit but then left to go pick up Joe and Joshua from Alpine Baptist Church where they were playing. After the game, the kids had a snack of grapes and a juice box. We quickly went home so that we could gather all of our things for the day. Then, we headed over to Sam's Club.
I ended up renewing our membership and buying a few things. Afterwards, we went to Taco Bell to get a little lunch. Then, we went to CEC to pick Mikayla up from Jessica's birthday party. Mikayla had a great time so that is all that matters. From there, we headed to Speedway to get some drinks for the kids.
Finally, we went to Sam's and Dan's house for Mikey's birthday. Mikey is six! It is so hard to believe. He has really matured a lot over the last year. Sam made hotdogs on the George Foreman Grill along with bacon ranch pasta salad and potato chips. The hotdogs were really good for a change. We've had so many hotdogs in recent weeks that I am starting to feel hotdog'd out (if that's even a word, lol). Anyway, after we ate, Mikey opened his presents. He got some nerf dart boards with guns, couple of Ninja Turtle action figures, another action figure that I can't think of right now and his big present...a skateboard. Oh, he also got some activity books. It was just our family there this time. Dan's parents had another event going on so they were going to get together with them on Sunday. After presents, we had cake and ice cream. The cake was kinda cool with cupcakes surrounding it. I took a quite a few pictures but most were with my regular camera since my digital camera's battery was almost dead.
We stayed at their house until about 6 pm. Then, we headed home. The kids played outside for a little bit and then Joe decided he wanted to go to Meijer to do some grocery shopping. So, Mikayla stayed home to play with Kacie. Kacie's mom, Chris, said she would watch her while we ran to the store. Mikayla ended up eating dinner over there. They were having a BBQ. We got home just after 8 pm. Then, I did 4 loads of laundry. It was very tiresome going up and down 3 flights of stairs. Doug came over just after 8 pm to watch movies with Joe. It was nice to have some company.
Mikayla was behaving just fine but Joshua's behavior was horrible. Joe made a pot of spaghetti, which was very good. I think I finally went to sleep around midnight.
Sunday: I woke up at 5:30 am to get ready for work. I packed my lunch (leftover spaghetti and the Green Giant veggies/cheese side) and then I went to Speedway to get my tea, like I always do and then headed to work. I got to work right at 7 am to begin my shift. It was a very busy day at work today. They had HERO training going on for one of the teams so we were pretty busy due to them being off the phones. They did offer OT so that was nice to have a few extra people in to help with the call volume. I got out of work at 3:49 pm. I then started to head home.
I found out how much my check was for and wasn't too happy about the amount. It's my own fault though because I keep leaving work early. Joe got really mad at me for such a small check. I met Kathy at Speedway to get the $10 that she owed me. She only had $9.80 but that's okay, at least she paid most of it back to me. Then, I went to Sam's Club and got gas. It was just about $39!
Joe decided to get p'zones again tonight so that is what we are having for dinner. I really didn't want to spend extra money. Oh well, life goes on.
So, that's my weekend update. They just got back so I better go for now. I'm playing a game of Trouble with Joshua.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Family Fun Night
Tonight is family fun night. We went to Wal*Mart to get some snacks and then went to Pizza Hut to get P'zones. They were yummy! Then, we started to watch the Red Wings vs Penguins game. So far, Penguins are winning 2-0. It's a bit disappointing. They are in the 3rd period now so I hope they pull something up but I'll losing hope.
Well, the games back on so I'll come back later.
Well, the games back on so I'll come back later.
Monday, June 8, 2009
It was a very busy weekend! I am so glad that the chain of events is about to end. Mikayla has her performance tonight at 7 pm. This is the last event until Saturday. I am so glad because I am extremely exhausted.
Kids had a great school year. I cannot believe that Mikayla will be in 4th grade and Joshua will be in Kindergarten. It is amazing how quickly time flies by. I have about 2.5 months left of summer break before I start the new semester. I definitely am trying to enjoy some time off.
There's really not much else to report.
Kids had a great school year. I cannot believe that Mikayla will be in 4th grade and Joshua will be in Kindergarten. It is amazing how quickly time flies by. I have about 2.5 months left of summer break before I start the new semester. I definitely am trying to enjoy some time off.
There's really not much else to report.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Mikayla had a great turnout for her birthday party. She had 15 kids come plus Joshua. Mikayla chose a Pirates of the Carribean theme. We had it at the local park. They had hotdogs and chips for dinner and Hawaiian Punch to drink. After they ate, they played a bit on the playground. Then, they played water balloon toss. Afterwards, they played a bit more and then I organized a Scavenger Hunt. They were divided into two teams. They had a lot of fun with that.
Then, it was time to do cake and ice cream. After that, they had a little bit more water balloon fun. Then, it was opening presents time. That went by pretty quickly. I passed out their goodie bags and then the party was over.Overall, the party was a great success. There were just a couple of things that happened that really bothered me. I've kinda been fuming about it for about 30 mins actually. I know I need to drop it but it's kinda hard to.
First, I must say that I really tried to make it easy for her classmates to come to her party so I volunteered to pick up a few of the kids. I think I picked up eight kids. I will NEVER do that again. I wasted 1/4 of a tank of gas doing that and was 10 mins late to the party.
However, my friend was nice enough to help me take some of the kids home. I took 5 kids home. Well, this is where the second think just really pisses me off. I think I have a right to be pissed off too. Upon dropping everyone off home, I get home to unload the car and find out that one of the girls that I took home stole a Pirates of the Carribean pail filled with candy. It was for Joshua because he didn't get a goodie bag and everyone else did so I thought that it was good for him to get the pail. Well, Joshua has been crying for almost an hour now over it. How could someone do this to my FIVE year old son? I am just livid! Well, I called one of the parents and said that I was calling all the parents to find out if someone took it. She could hear Josh in the background. I made it clear to her that I was not accussing them but someone definitely took it. Joe sat it right on top of all the stuff in the back and there were three girls sitting in the back. I know for sure it wasn't one of them because I dropped her off last and she didn't have anything in her hands. The parent that I called is who I suspect it is.
I honestly don't think I will get a confession but man that just pissed me off that after I sat there and provided them with a great birthday party, including a very generous goodie bag that someone would do that to Joshua. I feel so bad for him. I will most likely need to go out and buy him another pail, if I can find out and get him some candy to fill it up with. Sorry that I keep going on about this but I'm just so upset. He keeps saying, "I really want it back." "No one can find it." It breaks my heart.Well, I'm gonna try and calm him down. I've already tried but he was pushing me away but I'm gonna try again. Thanks for hearing my rant. Besides the end of the party, the party itself went really well. Mikayla seemed really happy.
Now that I am on my private journal, I will write some more on this subject. Another think that really pissed me off is that two kids came to the party and didn't even bring a card. I can u/s that they may not have money for a gift but come on! I would never send my kid to a bday party without getting the birthday kid something. I am just really disappointed in some parts of the party. I just poured my whole heart and soul into this party and basically, I felt like I gave more to the kids than they gave to Mikayla.
Maybe I shouldn't feel this way but damn it all, it's my kid that is hurting over this. I haven't told Mikayla about this. She would be so upset that someone stole something from her brother. She is having a sleepover at Mary's tonight.
Well, I should at least type the party guests names so at least I can remember who came to the party:
Mikayla, Joshua, Kacie, her cousin Hailey, Ashley, her cousin (can't think of her name), Minhquan, Rook (neither one gave a gift or card), Mandi, Kayla, Jasmine and her cousin Lydia (ones that I think took the pail with candy), Mary, Jessica, Jawuan and his sisters Azia and ? (can't think of his other sister's name).
I would love to be more detailed about the party but it is late and I am tired. The whole purpose of the party was so a classmate that was moving could come. As it turns out, she couldn't come.
Mikayla will have her family party on her actual birthday, June 27th. I hope that party goes much smoother.
Then, it was time to do cake and ice cream. After that, they had a little bit more water balloon fun. Then, it was opening presents time. That went by pretty quickly. I passed out their goodie bags and then the party was over.Overall, the party was a great success. There were just a couple of things that happened that really bothered me. I've kinda been fuming about it for about 30 mins actually. I know I need to drop it but it's kinda hard to.
First, I must say that I really tried to make it easy for her classmates to come to her party so I volunteered to pick up a few of the kids. I think I picked up eight kids. I will NEVER do that again. I wasted 1/4 of a tank of gas doing that and was 10 mins late to the party.
However, my friend was nice enough to help me take some of the kids home. I took 5 kids home. Well, this is where the second think just really pisses me off. I think I have a right to be pissed off too. Upon dropping everyone off home, I get home to unload the car and find out that one of the girls that I took home stole a Pirates of the Carribean pail filled with candy. It was for Joshua because he didn't get a goodie bag and everyone else did so I thought that it was good for him to get the pail. Well, Joshua has been crying for almost an hour now over it. How could someone do this to my FIVE year old son? I am just livid! Well, I called one of the parents and said that I was calling all the parents to find out if someone took it. She could hear Josh in the background. I made it clear to her that I was not accussing them but someone definitely took it. Joe sat it right on top of all the stuff in the back and there were three girls sitting in the back. I know for sure it wasn't one of them because I dropped her off last and she didn't have anything in her hands. The parent that I called is who I suspect it is.
I honestly don't think I will get a confession but man that just pissed me off that after I sat there and provided them with a great birthday party, including a very generous goodie bag that someone would do that to Joshua. I feel so bad for him. I will most likely need to go out and buy him another pail, if I can find out and get him some candy to fill it up with. Sorry that I keep going on about this but I'm just so upset. He keeps saying, "I really want it back." "No one can find it." It breaks my heart.Well, I'm gonna try and calm him down. I've already tried but he was pushing me away but I'm gonna try again. Thanks for hearing my rant. Besides the end of the party, the party itself went really well. Mikayla seemed really happy.
Now that I am on my private journal, I will write some more on this subject. Another think that really pissed me off is that two kids came to the party and didn't even bring a card. I can u/s that they may not have money for a gift but come on! I would never send my kid to a bday party without getting the birthday kid something. I am just really disappointed in some parts of the party. I just poured my whole heart and soul into this party and basically, I felt like I gave more to the kids than they gave to Mikayla.
Maybe I shouldn't feel this way but damn it all, it's my kid that is hurting over this. I haven't told Mikayla about this. She would be so upset that someone stole something from her brother. She is having a sleepover at Mary's tonight.
Well, I should at least type the party guests names so at least I can remember who came to the party:
Mikayla, Joshua, Kacie, her cousin Hailey, Ashley, her cousin (can't think of her name), Minhquan, Rook (neither one gave a gift or card), Mandi, Kayla, Jasmine and her cousin Lydia (ones that I think took the pail with candy), Mary, Jessica, Jawuan and his sisters Azia and ? (can't think of his other sister's name).
I would love to be more detailed about the party but it is late and I am tired. The whole purpose of the party was so a classmate that was moving could come. As it turns out, she couldn't come.
Mikayla will have her family party on her actual birthday, June 27th. I hope that party goes much smoother.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
I passed the HESI test!
I am so happy to report that I passed the HESI test with flying colors. It took me 2 hours to take the exam. I got a 98% in grammar, 88% in math, 86% in vocabulary and 87% in reading comprehension. All I need to do now is wait for everything to be reported to the Nursing Department. Once everything is reported, I will be on the waiting list. I am very excited.
I need to think and plan ahead for my four year Nursing degree. I'm searching for an university that I may want to transfer to so that while I am on the waiting list I can take some classes towards the BS.
I am so excited for my future! I feel like I'm getting a second chance at life. I have been stagnant at my job for nearly fourteen years and feel like I need to better myself.
I guess that's about all to report for the moment.
I need to think and plan ahead for my four year Nursing degree. I'm searching for an university that I may want to transfer to so that while I am on the waiting list I can take some classes towards the BS.
I am so excited for my future! I feel like I'm getting a second chance at life. I have been stagnant at my job for nearly fourteen years and feel like I need to better myself.
I guess that's about all to report for the moment.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Summer Break!
Well, I made it through my first year back in college. I am amazed that I did so well. I am very happy that I have decided to pursue another career. I am looking forward to the next four months off from school. I definitely need the break. I plan to do a lot of fun things with my kids.
Mikayla and Joshua only have four more weeks left of school and then they are on summer vacation. These next four weeks are very busy with end-of-the-year activities. Next week, May 14th, I will be going to the zoo with Joshua's class. That will be so much fun. Friday, May 15th, I will be going to Mikayla's school for Muffins with Mom. I suppose there will be other events too. Joshua has VIP day on Thurs, May 21st so that will be fun to attend as well. Then, Mikayla has her school picnic on Wed, June 3rd. Joshua's last day of school is on Thurs, June 4th. They have Field Day planned on June 4th. They will have half days. Then, the last day of school for Mikayla is Friday, June 5th. I have that day off. I'm planning to take the kids down to the Festival. The last 3 years, it's rained so we haven't gone but I'm hopeful that this year it will be nice.
I love this time of year! Cookouts, parks, swimming, etc. It's always so much fun. I'm hoping to have a funfilled summer with the kids. Of course, I will still have to work but I plan to sign up often to go home and enjoy my summer.
Mikayla and Joshua only have four more weeks left of school and then they are on summer vacation. These next four weeks are very busy with end-of-the-year activities. Next week, May 14th, I will be going to the zoo with Joshua's class. That will be so much fun. Friday, May 15th, I will be going to Mikayla's school for Muffins with Mom. I suppose there will be other events too. Joshua has VIP day on Thurs, May 21st so that will be fun to attend as well. Then, Mikayla has her school picnic on Wed, June 3rd. Joshua's last day of school is on Thurs, June 4th. They have Field Day planned on June 4th. They will have half days. Then, the last day of school for Mikayla is Friday, June 5th. I have that day off. I'm planning to take the kids down to the Festival. The last 3 years, it's rained so we haven't gone but I'm hopeful that this year it will be nice.
I love this time of year! Cookouts, parks, swimming, etc. It's always so much fun. I'm hoping to have a funfilled summer with the kids. Of course, I will still have to work but I plan to sign up often to go home and enjoy my summer.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Long overdue updates
I can never seem to keep this blog up. I need to make a conscious effort at least once a week. Anyway, not really sure where to begin so I guess I'll just start with now and work backwards.
Joe's mom had a stroke yesterday morning. She is still in the hospital. It affected 2 parts of her left brain. Oxygen didn't get to those two parts so some brain cells died. She has some loss of function so the nurse considered it a severe stroke. She had bleeding on the brain and seizures as well. It is very sad to see her in the hospital like that. She said a lot of the numbness has gone away though so that is good. They have her using a walker to build her strength up again. She has lost her peripherial vision in her right eye. Her right hand won't grasp things. She keeps telling her brain to make her hand do what she wants it to do but so far, it's not happening like she'd like it to. They want her to go to the rehabilitation hospital for a day or so so she can start physical therapy. I am so worried about how they are going to pay for the hospital bill as they do not have health insurance. I hope and pray she has a smooth recovery. She doesn't get sick pay from her job so she will be out all this pay. Who knows when she will be able to return to work.
In other news, kids are doing well in school. Mikayla seems to be a shining star at the new school. She has been chosen for quite a few activities this year. I am so proud of her. Joshua is also doing so well in school. He will be going to K registration at the end of April. He is so ready for K now. Last year, not a chance. I am so glad I decided to do another year of PK. Joshua just finished wrestling. He has his awards banquet on March 31st. Mikayla just finished her performance class on Monday. I will be signing her up for the next session and putting both kids in soccer for the spring.
I am still going to college. I have two courses this term. I am taking Chemistry and Developmental Psychology. I think I am doing fairly well considering that I am working FT plus have a family. I must admit that I am looking forward to the summer though. I need a break!
Joe is still at home with the kids and trying to locate gainful employment. So far, no such luck.
We seem to be doing better at the apartment. I am feeling really good about things getting taken care of. I am glad that things are the way they are for now. I am trying to watch what types of things I say to other people from now on though as I have been burnt one too many times. I hate it when people scold me or treat me like a junior high kid. It makes me feel an inch high. I've decided that I am just going to still to the basics and not tell anyone any more of my personal business (money, finances, relationships, intimate type things). I'm just going to stick to the basics of kids, school and life in general.
Well, I need to go for now. Hope to be back another time.
Joe's mom had a stroke yesterday morning. She is still in the hospital. It affected 2 parts of her left brain. Oxygen didn't get to those two parts so some brain cells died. She has some loss of function so the nurse considered it a severe stroke. She had bleeding on the brain and seizures as well. It is very sad to see her in the hospital like that. She said a lot of the numbness has gone away though so that is good. They have her using a walker to build her strength up again. She has lost her peripherial vision in her right eye. Her right hand won't grasp things. She keeps telling her brain to make her hand do what she wants it to do but so far, it's not happening like she'd like it to. They want her to go to the rehabilitation hospital for a day or so so she can start physical therapy. I am so worried about how they are going to pay for the hospital bill as they do not have health insurance. I hope and pray she has a smooth recovery. She doesn't get sick pay from her job so she will be out all this pay. Who knows when she will be able to return to work.
In other news, kids are doing well in school. Mikayla seems to be a shining star at the new school. She has been chosen for quite a few activities this year. I am so proud of her. Joshua is also doing so well in school. He will be going to K registration at the end of April. He is so ready for K now. Last year, not a chance. I am so glad I decided to do another year of PK. Joshua just finished wrestling. He has his awards banquet on March 31st. Mikayla just finished her performance class on Monday. I will be signing her up for the next session and putting both kids in soccer for the spring.
I am still going to college. I have two courses this term. I am taking Chemistry and Developmental Psychology. I think I am doing fairly well considering that I am working FT plus have a family. I must admit that I am looking forward to the summer though. I need a break!
Joe is still at home with the kids and trying to locate gainful employment. So far, no such luck.
We seem to be doing better at the apartment. I am feeling really good about things getting taken care of. I am glad that things are the way they are for now. I am trying to watch what types of things I say to other people from now on though as I have been burnt one too many times. I hate it when people scold me or treat me like a junior high kid. It makes me feel an inch high. I've decided that I am just going to still to the basics and not tell anyone any more of my personal business (money, finances, relationships, intimate type things). I'm just going to stick to the basics of kids, school and life in general.
Well, I need to go for now. Hope to be back another time.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
It's November already!
I cannot believe it is November. I haven't been here in a long time. I was hoping to keep this blog more up-to-date. Things are going okay. A lot has happened since my last post. I will try to give a run down of all the happenings.
We moved into a new apartment in mid-August. We were fortunate to find a good deal and receive some housing assistance to boot. I am so thankful for the help we received. It was a huge blessing. Praise God for everything working out in the end. I knew it would but it was still so stressful over the summer with everything going on.
Mikayla is in the 3rd grade this year. She attends a new school and is doing well academically. She really misses her friends from her old school.. I feel so bad for her but hopefully things come along for her. She is enjoying her acting class. She wraps that up next week Wed. I am hoping that I can go to her final performance. I will have to see if I am able to go.
Joshua is in Fab 5's this year. He attends a new school and is doing very well. He has made new friends and is very outgoing. I am very thankful for that. He is learning a lot this year. I am so glad I made the decision to wait a year to put him into Kindergarten. He has a wonderful teacher right now. However, she will be moving on in about a week so Joshua will have a new teacher very soon. I hope she has the same energy and can keep Joshua excited to learn.
Joe is still trying to find a job but it is not easy. He fills out applications, goes on interviews and tries so hard to look but nothing has worked out yet. He is very frustrated about the whole situation. I feel so bad for him because I know that he feels awful about it.
I (Jennifer) keep myself very busy. I still work FT and now attend GRCC PT. I am taking Biology and Psychology. I am doing pretty well in both classes. Biology is very challenging for me. I have decided to go back to college to try and pursue a Nursing degree. I just feel that I am not in a good position in life as I had hoped so am trying very hard to make a better life for my family. I am happy to report that at the end of next week, all of my attendance points will roll off and I will have a clean slate again. It has not been an easy 6 months but I DID it!!! I am so proud of myself for staying focused and really trying to be at work sick or not. Believe me, I've had days where I wanted to stay home but forced myself to go to work anyway.
In October, we got a 1999 Dodge Caravan. The Neon was falling apart and I was just sinking money into it. I gave the car back to my sister. It was mostly paid off but just wasn't worth keeping any longer. I had to borrow money (student loan) to get this van but it became a neccessity. I put half down and owe less than $1000. My goal is to pay it off very soon so it is owned outright. I will get another Student Loan disbursement in January and plan to get things that I need and will try to make a larger payment to pay off the van quicker. The goal is to get another vehicle so that it limits wear and tear on this van. So, I am going to look into getting another vehicle from the same place in a couple of months. I just don't want to have two car payments. We'll see how it works out.
Sometime in July, my sister, Jessica, her boyfriend , Daniel and my niece, Danielle moved back to Michigan. I am so happy!!! I don't see my niece as often as I would like due to my hectic schedule but it is nice that they are here. She just turned 1 in October and I took her to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate her birthday since I had class in the evening. Jessica is working at BK right now and living at my mom's house in the upstairs apartment. My mom moved out of the house back in September so now they have the whole upstairs along with her twin, Julie.
Amy and I go to school together. We are going to try and do the nursing program together. It is fun to have class together. Joe's sister Jessie is pregnant again and is due at the end of February. She is having another boy. She plans on naming him Thomas Joseph. I think that's about all for current news.
Thanks for reading if you got this far.
We moved into a new apartment in mid-August. We were fortunate to find a good deal and receive some housing assistance to boot. I am so thankful for the help we received. It was a huge blessing. Praise God for everything working out in the end. I knew it would but it was still so stressful over the summer with everything going on.
Mikayla is in the 3rd grade this year. She attends a new school and is doing well academically. She really misses her friends from her old school.. I feel so bad for her but hopefully things come along for her. She is enjoying her acting class. She wraps that up next week Wed. I am hoping that I can go to her final performance. I will have to see if I am able to go.
Joshua is in Fab 5's this year. He attends a new school and is doing very well. He has made new friends and is very outgoing. I am very thankful for that. He is learning a lot this year. I am so glad I made the decision to wait a year to put him into Kindergarten. He has a wonderful teacher right now. However, she will be moving on in about a week so Joshua will have a new teacher very soon. I hope she has the same energy and can keep Joshua excited to learn.
Joe is still trying to find a job but it is not easy. He fills out applications, goes on interviews and tries so hard to look but nothing has worked out yet. He is very frustrated about the whole situation. I feel so bad for him because I know that he feels awful about it.
I (Jennifer) keep myself very busy. I still work FT and now attend GRCC PT. I am taking Biology and Psychology. I am doing pretty well in both classes. Biology is very challenging for me. I have decided to go back to college to try and pursue a Nursing degree. I just feel that I am not in a good position in life as I had hoped so am trying very hard to make a better life for my family. I am happy to report that at the end of next week, all of my attendance points will roll off and I will have a clean slate again. It has not been an easy 6 months but I DID it!!! I am so proud of myself for staying focused and really trying to be at work sick or not. Believe me, I've had days where I wanted to stay home but forced myself to go to work anyway.
In October, we got a 1999 Dodge Caravan. The Neon was falling apart and I was just sinking money into it. I gave the car back to my sister. It was mostly paid off but just wasn't worth keeping any longer. I had to borrow money (student loan) to get this van but it became a neccessity. I put half down and owe less than $1000. My goal is to pay it off very soon so it is owned outright. I will get another Student Loan disbursement in January and plan to get things that I need and will try to make a larger payment to pay off the van quicker. The goal is to get another vehicle so that it limits wear and tear on this van. So, I am going to look into getting another vehicle from the same place in a couple of months. I just don't want to have two car payments. We'll see how it works out.
Sometime in July, my sister, Jessica, her boyfriend , Daniel and my niece, Danielle moved back to Michigan. I am so happy!!! I don't see my niece as often as I would like due to my hectic schedule but it is nice that they are here. She just turned 1 in October and I took her to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate her birthday since I had class in the evening. Jessica is working at BK right now and living at my mom's house in the upstairs apartment. My mom moved out of the house back in September so now they have the whole upstairs along with her twin, Julie.
Amy and I go to school together. We are going to try and do the nursing program together. It is fun to have class together. Joe's sister Jessie is pregnant again and is due at the end of February. She is having another boy. She plans on naming him Thomas Joseph. I think that's about all for current news.
Thanks for reading if you got this far.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
I am extremely depressed.
I don't even know where to begin. I have so many emotions going on right now. I am physically and mentally exhausted. Everything in my life right now is so stressed. I'm at risk of losing my job because I ran out of FMLA time. I can't miss any more time until November or I'll get fired. That is enough stress already. Add that to the fact that Joe still doesn't have a job, creditors are calling wanting their money that is owed to them, having to find a place to live in less than 2 months, having little to no money to get things, pay bills and save for a new place to live. I'm about to go crazy!
Joe had an interview yesterday at Charter and was told he'd hear something yesterday or today. Well, he hasn't heard anything yet. It's not looking good. Joe even told me that there were other people in the lobby the day he was there doing testing and interviewing. So, with there only being 3 slots open, it's not looking so good for Joe. I'm just depressed by it. I just cannot believe that this is happening again. 2 months ago, he had 4 interviews with Comcast and didn't get the job. It's really taking a toll on everything. Why is it so difficult to get a job? I don't get it.
Kids are out of school now and the arguing, fighting and bickering has begun. I'm going nuts just having to listen to all the noise from their. Why can't they just get along? If I had the energy, I'd be out doing things with them on my days off. Their room is a mess. I try to get them to do something and they don't want to do anything. It's rather frustrating.
House is trashed. We have to get it cleaned up and start getting things packed up for when we move. The major stress with this is that it is so cluttered that I don't even know where to begin. I need some help to get things picked up and packed away. Then, it's a matter of where we are going to move. I don't have any money to move on so it makes it difficult all the way around. I just don't know what to do in that aspect. Granted, I get a paycheck, but most of the time, it is gone to bills, groceries, bank fees or for something fun to do.
Then, creditors keep calling about collection bills for medical and some other accounts. I just don't have the money to make any kind of arrangement. How can I pay them off when my income is limited and basically gone before I receive a paycheck. I don't even know what to do about that anymore.
The stress is building again very badly. I am afraid that if things don't change really, really soon, that it's only going to get worse.
I just want to scream!!!!!!!!!!! I have been trying to only focus my energies on my job and not worry about the rest of things but it is not an easy task. I've been doing okay but then something will come up and the stress happens all over again.
In fact, I wasn't even told that I'd only be getting a partial check for tomorrow until Tuesday. Well, that's just great. I have all of my June bills to pay, NSF checks that need to clear, plus gas for 2 wks. I am already into my overdraft protection but it is not helping. I really need some money or win the lotto, which I know will not happen. I can't really ask my family because they don't have money either. Times are hard right now. No one has money to lend. I just wish there was an easy answer.
I haven't been focusing on my health like I am supposed to. I'm supposed to be eating a healthy diet due to my diabetes but haven't been for the last few months. I haven't lost any more weight either. I have to get things in order or my health is going to take a turn for the worse again.
I guess that's about all I can write for now. I just wish I had answers. :(
Joe had an interview yesterday at Charter and was told he'd hear something yesterday or today. Well, he hasn't heard anything yet. It's not looking good. Joe even told me that there were other people in the lobby the day he was there doing testing and interviewing. So, with there only being 3 slots open, it's not looking so good for Joe. I'm just depressed by it. I just cannot believe that this is happening again. 2 months ago, he had 4 interviews with Comcast and didn't get the job. It's really taking a toll on everything. Why is it so difficult to get a job? I don't get it.
Kids are out of school now and the arguing, fighting and bickering has begun. I'm going nuts just having to listen to all the noise from their. Why can't they just get along? If I had the energy, I'd be out doing things with them on my days off. Their room is a mess. I try to get them to do something and they don't want to do anything. It's rather frustrating.
House is trashed. We have to get it cleaned up and start getting things packed up for when we move. The major stress with this is that it is so cluttered that I don't even know where to begin. I need some help to get things picked up and packed away. Then, it's a matter of where we are going to move. I don't have any money to move on so it makes it difficult all the way around. I just don't know what to do in that aspect. Granted, I get a paycheck, but most of the time, it is gone to bills, groceries, bank fees or for something fun to do.
Then, creditors keep calling about collection bills for medical and some other accounts. I just don't have the money to make any kind of arrangement. How can I pay them off when my income is limited and basically gone before I receive a paycheck. I don't even know what to do about that anymore.
The stress is building again very badly. I am afraid that if things don't change really, really soon, that it's only going to get worse.
I just want to scream!!!!!!!!!!! I have been trying to only focus my energies on my job and not worry about the rest of things but it is not an easy task. I've been doing okay but then something will come up and the stress happens all over again.
In fact, I wasn't even told that I'd only be getting a partial check for tomorrow until Tuesday. Well, that's just great. I have all of my June bills to pay, NSF checks that need to clear, plus gas for 2 wks. I am already into my overdraft protection but it is not helping. I really need some money or win the lotto, which I know will not happen. I can't really ask my family because they don't have money either. Times are hard right now. No one has money to lend. I just wish there was an easy answer.
I haven't been focusing on my health like I am supposed to. I'm supposed to be eating a healthy diet due to my diabetes but haven't been for the last few months. I haven't lost any more weight either. I have to get things in order or my health is going to take a turn for the worse again.
I guess that's about all I can write for now. I just wish I had answers. :(
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Memorial Day Week
The week started off by my return to work on Sunday. It wasn't too bad. I must admit it was a bit overwhelming but it really felt good to be back to work. Evidently, I went over on my FMLA time so cannot miss any more work between now and the end of November or I will lose my job. So, I am stressed to the max. My health problems are not going away so it will be a bit of a challenge. However, I am just going to focus on what I need to do and I am sure I'll be okay.
I got out of work Sunday at 3:30 pm. We had a cookout and invited Joe's family over. It was a very nice day and the food was great. We had country style ribs, hamburgers, hotdogs, sweet Italian sausage, corn on the cob and potato salad. Yum Yum! I love cookouts. I was able to take some pictures of the kids as well. It was fun!
Monday, was somewhat of a slow day. We actually woke up early around 8:30 am. We lolly-gagged all morning. Finally, just before noon we headed to the cemetery. I was able to pay my respects to my grandparent's. It was sad. I cried. I hadn't been to the cemetery since Grandma was buried in Sept 05. Afterwards, we took the kids to Richmond Park so they could play. Then, we headed home for a bit. After a while we decided to take bottles back to the store and get some things we needed. Then, we went to Taco Bell for some dinner. By this time it was already after 5 pm. We just hung around the house for the remainder of the evening. Joe did make a McDonald's run late in the evening to get us a snack while he was dropping off a bag of trash to his parent's house. They are so nice to let us do that.
Tuesday, I was back to work for my first real day back. It didn't go too bad. I actually did quite well considering I was gone for so long. We were steady that is for sure. I know OT is offered all week long. I can't work it though as the kids have school events that I do not want to miss out on. I had my meeting with Maria, Sean and John about the FMLA situation. It turns out I had 465 hours available and I went over. I still don't see how I went over but that is what they are telling me. So, I am still on final warning. Like I stated, I just have to focus on being there and being well. I took the bus home from work. With gas prices at $4.08 a gallon, it just makes sense. It only costs me $1.30 to take the bus home. The only drawback is that I am on the bus for 1.5 hours. I get home around 5:30 pm. It is a long ride home but it is worth it in the long run. We only have one vehicle so while the kids are still in school, I'll just have to take the bus home during the week. I'm okay with it. It's just an inconvenience. Joe decided to make hamburgers on the grill tonight. We had Jennifer, Kelsey and Kaden over for dinner. The hamburgers were really good. We had fries to go with it. I also had corn on the cob. Another yummy dinner! I practically fell asleep around 8ish so was able to get a little refresher.
My friend Jane called me. Her son Adrian has cancer and he is at the hospital for another round of chemo. Because there is something wrong with his kidneys, he has to stay there for 5 days under observation. Poor kid. He's only 19. I hope I'll get to visit with Jane next week.
Tomorrow, the kids will be busy with school activities. Mikayla has a morning field trip to the Gerald R. Ford Museum. I will be a chaperone for the morning. I am really looking forward to going. It will be so much fun. Then, Joshua has his end of the year family picnic at John Ball Zoo tomorrow from 4-8 pm. This is his last event for the school year. It will be a blast. While that's going on, Mikayla has acting from 5-6:30 pm. So, it will be interesting to go back and forth between the events.
Thursday, Mikayla has field day at school. I will be there for part of the day but will most likely miss the majority of the activities as Joshua also has a school event. Joshua will have his preschool celebration at 10:30 am. It is his last day of preschool. I can't believe my baby is growing up. So, I will have to split my time between both of them. That will prove to be interesting. Then, Mikayla will have soccer practive at 6 pm.
So, that is my schedule of events for the next couple of days. I always find it very exciting. I always look forward to their school events. It will be a welcome break though to have summer. I really need to work some OT to keep our family out.
That's it for now.
Jen
I got out of work Sunday at 3:30 pm. We had a cookout and invited Joe's family over. It was a very nice day and the food was great. We had country style ribs, hamburgers, hotdogs, sweet Italian sausage, corn on the cob and potato salad. Yum Yum! I love cookouts. I was able to take some pictures of the kids as well. It was fun!
Monday, was somewhat of a slow day. We actually woke up early around 8:30 am. We lolly-gagged all morning. Finally, just before noon we headed to the cemetery. I was able to pay my respects to my grandparent's. It was sad. I cried. I hadn't been to the cemetery since Grandma was buried in Sept 05. Afterwards, we took the kids to Richmond Park so they could play. Then, we headed home for a bit. After a while we decided to take bottles back to the store and get some things we needed. Then, we went to Taco Bell for some dinner. By this time it was already after 5 pm. We just hung around the house for the remainder of the evening. Joe did make a McDonald's run late in the evening to get us a snack while he was dropping off a bag of trash to his parent's house. They are so nice to let us do that.
Tuesday, I was back to work for my first real day back. It didn't go too bad. I actually did quite well considering I was gone for so long. We were steady that is for sure. I know OT is offered all week long. I can't work it though as the kids have school events that I do not want to miss out on. I had my meeting with Maria, Sean and John about the FMLA situation. It turns out I had 465 hours available and I went over. I still don't see how I went over but that is what they are telling me. So, I am still on final warning. Like I stated, I just have to focus on being there and being well. I took the bus home from work. With gas prices at $4.08 a gallon, it just makes sense. It only costs me $1.30 to take the bus home. The only drawback is that I am on the bus for 1.5 hours. I get home around 5:30 pm. It is a long ride home but it is worth it in the long run. We only have one vehicle so while the kids are still in school, I'll just have to take the bus home during the week. I'm okay with it. It's just an inconvenience. Joe decided to make hamburgers on the grill tonight. We had Jennifer, Kelsey and Kaden over for dinner. The hamburgers were really good. We had fries to go with it. I also had corn on the cob. Another yummy dinner! I practically fell asleep around 8ish so was able to get a little refresher.
My friend Jane called me. Her son Adrian has cancer and he is at the hospital for another round of chemo. Because there is something wrong with his kidneys, he has to stay there for 5 days under observation. Poor kid. He's only 19. I hope I'll get to visit with Jane next week.
Tomorrow, the kids will be busy with school activities. Mikayla has a morning field trip to the Gerald R. Ford Museum. I will be a chaperone for the morning. I am really looking forward to going. It will be so much fun. Then, Joshua has his end of the year family picnic at John Ball Zoo tomorrow from 4-8 pm. This is his last event for the school year. It will be a blast. While that's going on, Mikayla has acting from 5-6:30 pm. So, it will be interesting to go back and forth between the events.
Thursday, Mikayla has field day at school. I will be there for part of the day but will most likely miss the majority of the activities as Joshua also has a school event. Joshua will have his preschool celebration at 10:30 am. It is his last day of preschool. I can't believe my baby is growing up. So, I will have to split my time between both of them. That will prove to be interesting. Then, Mikayla will have soccer practive at 6 pm.
So, that is my schedule of events for the next couple of days. I always find it very exciting. I always look forward to their school events. It will be a welcome break though to have summer. I really need to work some OT to keep our family out.
That's it for now.
Jen
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Another day has passed.
Today was somewhat of a boring day. We didn't really do anything spectacular. Joe got the kids up and around for school. I just stayed home and basically was on the computer for the morning. I was playing Maj Jong Solitaire. I love that game! It is addicting.
Joe had two interviews today. I am really hoping something comes through soon. I am having a really hard time lately with how things are. It's been 10 months now since he has worked. It is so hard to believe that he hasn't been able to seek employment. He makes his weekly calls to unemployment but nothing has happened. It's actually quite frustrating.
Anyway, when he returned from getting Joshua, we decided to get some lunch at Empire Buffet. Afterwards, we went to Super Wal*Mart to get a prescription for his mom and a few things for dinner. Then, we went to Sam's Club to get the hamburger. By this time it was already 2:50 pm. I rested for about 30 mins and then had to go and get Mikayla.
I dropped Mikayla off at home and then went to Meijer to get hamburger and hotdog buns. I also went to 7-11 to get my tea.
I took a nap until about 6:30 pm. I was tired. I was awoken by the phone. I ate dinner and then just kinda sat around the house between the computer, reading books to kids and going outdoors for a little bit.
This was quite a boring day. I need to get back to work. I have been off work for 6 wks now. It is ridiculous. I will be going to the doctor tomorrow and should get my doctor's release so I can go back to work. I will feel so much better once I am back to work.
I guess that's about it. Joshua enjoyed Momma reading him 4 books tonight. He fell asleep around 10 pm. He is such a sweetheart. I love to look at him while he is sleeping. He looks so peaceful. He is my beautiful baby boy.
Mikayla did her homework but with resistance. She has been going through a mouthy stage these days. I hope she outgrows it soon as it is getting old.
Tomorrow is another day so I hope to live it to the fullest. I'll be busy tomorrow and Thursday so that's about it.
Joe had two interviews today. I am really hoping something comes through soon. I am having a really hard time lately with how things are. It's been 10 months now since he has worked. It is so hard to believe that he hasn't been able to seek employment. He makes his weekly calls to unemployment but nothing has happened. It's actually quite frustrating.
Anyway, when he returned from getting Joshua, we decided to get some lunch at Empire Buffet. Afterwards, we went to Super Wal*Mart to get a prescription for his mom and a few things for dinner. Then, we went to Sam's Club to get the hamburger. By this time it was already 2:50 pm. I rested for about 30 mins and then had to go and get Mikayla.
I dropped Mikayla off at home and then went to Meijer to get hamburger and hotdog buns. I also went to 7-11 to get my tea.
I took a nap until about 6:30 pm. I was tired. I was awoken by the phone. I ate dinner and then just kinda sat around the house between the computer, reading books to kids and going outdoors for a little bit.
This was quite a boring day. I need to get back to work. I have been off work for 6 wks now. It is ridiculous. I will be going to the doctor tomorrow and should get my doctor's release so I can go back to work. I will feel so much better once I am back to work.
I guess that's about it. Joshua enjoyed Momma reading him 4 books tonight. He fell asleep around 10 pm. He is such a sweetheart. I love to look at him while he is sleeping. He looks so peaceful. He is my beautiful baby boy.
Mikayla did her homework but with resistance. She has been going through a mouthy stage these days. I hope she outgrows it soon as it is getting old.
Tomorrow is another day so I hope to live it to the fullest. I'll be busy tomorrow and Thursday so that's about it.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Today has been an interesting day. I woke up around 10 am after a night of fun. The kids spent the night at the grandparent's house. So, we putted around the house a bit and then went to pick the kids up around noon.
We visited a little bit. Jessie had gotten Mikayla a box of clothes from a yard sale and Joshua got a helicopter. We then went to Sam's Club to get a newspaper and a can of pink lemonade mix for the kids. Afterwards, we went to the dollar store to get a pitcher for the lemonade. Then, home.
I wanted to do something besides sit at home so Mikayla and I went to see The Spiderwick Chronicles at the movies. I thought the movie was quite entertaining. It did have a few scary parts in it. However, I really enjoyed the magic and the way things happened. The Ogre was scary though.
Now, we are home. It's a pretty laid back evening. Joe made hamburgers and french fries for dinner. They were so good. Have you ever had a hamburger with grilled onions and pepper jack cheese on it? If not, you are really missing a great combination. Dinner was sooooo good.
Tomorrow will be somewhat busy so I'll probably have to retire relatively early.
Jen
We visited a little bit. Jessie had gotten Mikayla a box of clothes from a yard sale and Joshua got a helicopter. We then went to Sam's Club to get a newspaper and a can of pink lemonade mix for the kids. Afterwards, we went to the dollar store to get a pitcher for the lemonade. Then, home.
I wanted to do something besides sit at home so Mikayla and I went to see The Spiderwick Chronicles at the movies. I thought the movie was quite entertaining. It did have a few scary parts in it. However, I really enjoyed the magic and the way things happened. The Ogre was scary though.
Now, we are home. It's a pretty laid back evening. Joe made hamburgers and french fries for dinner. They were so good. Have you ever had a hamburger with grilled onions and pepper jack cheese on it? If not, you are really missing a great combination. Dinner was sooooo good.
Tomorrow will be somewhat busy so I'll probably have to retire relatively early.
Jen
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