These past four months have been absolutely insane. We closed on our house on Friday, May 30...but could not move in that weekend. Instead, we drove down to Richmond, VA to participate in the MS150. For those who are not familiar with the MS150, it is a bike ride to raise awareness and money for Multiple Sclerosis research. We had a great time that weekend. On Saturday, Brent rode his bike 75 miles from Richmond, VA to Williamsburg, VA…while Chris and I drove down to meet him, and the rest of our team, in Williamsburg. We stayed overnight in Williamsburg and the next day Brent was supposed to ride back to Richmond. However, due to having ZERO chance to train this spring because we were house hunting and I had more surgery, Brent opted to drive back to Richmond and do the Family Fun ride with Chris and I. We had a so much fun. However, this was the last weekend of worry free fun for a while. The next week found us in Hell!

By Hell, I mean it was hot, it was sticky, it was humid and there was NO air conditioning. Our new house had a busted A/C, inside and out; and we had to wait for the parts to come in. Meanwhile, we wanted to get started on the house. So, for the first week of June, we painted in a house where the internal temperatures were about 100+ degrees and humid. It was miserable; however, at the end of the night (more like midnight or 1am) we would head back to the townhouse.  That didn't last though, because that first weekend in June, we started moving all of our stuff in. Brent's parents came down and helped us pack and suffered through the heat and humidity with us. I swear, at one point, I thought his dad was going to suffer from heat stroke or something. I was keeping a very close eye on him and was pumping him with water. From that night on, we stayed in the house…although it was on air mattresses in the basement where it was much cooler. We had fans everywhere and even had to buy and borrow window a/c's so we could start sleeping upstairs until our A/C was fixed.

Ah, yes, repairing the A/C. The parts were finally in, the repair man comes out. We are ready to bow at his feet and swear fealty when he says that he was the original repair man that came out and examined the unit…and recommended to the owner that she replace…not repair, REPLACE the unit. She told him she wanted to go the cheapest route because she was selling the place. AAAHHHHHH!!!!! He told us that he could put the parts in and it MIGHT start up; and if it did start up, it MIGHT last a minute, an hour, a day…who knows how long? His recommendation…again, was to replace. We, being the smart people (and cool air deprived) we are, opted to replace. Well, the money she had put towards repairs (and thought she would get some back) now went to replacing the entire internal and external unit. The upside…we have a KICKASS air conditioning unit now!

Needless to say, those first few weeks, not a whole lot got done in the house because we were just plain miserable. However, once that A/C got fixed, we got rocking. By August 1^st, we were completely moved out of the townhouse. I must say, DAMN, we have a lot of shit!! When we moved in together, it was not like we had nothing. It was two full households blending. He moved from a 900 sq. ft. apt that he had full into my 1100 sq. ft. townhouse that I had full. Now, we were moving into a single family home with 2196 sq. ft. We had just doubled the space we had, as the new house is two stories along with a fully finished basement.

August was spent doing most of the work, along with starting to entertain. We had friends over for dinner and we really enjoyed finally being able to show off the house. We were so proud of it. (I will be taking some "completed" pictures soon and posting them.) As a matter of fact, starting the weekend of my birthday (August 16^th), we started a habit of having people over. Labor Day weekend, my brothers and sis-in-law were in town for a wedding. They were able to stop by, on the way to the parent's house, to see mine. There was a bit of hookah smoking going on…Brent loved that. The following weekend was our Open House and that damn Hurricane/Tropical Storm Hanna came. Needless to say, our party wasn't that large, but those that did come had a nice time. It worked out well and we had just the right number of people, since we had to move everything inside. We had a break the next couple of weekends and then we had Chris's birthday.

Chris…wow! I can't believe that my baby is 13 years old now! It seems like it was just yesterday that he was this little being that depended on me for everything. He is growing up so fast and he is such a great kid. He and I have been through so much shit over the last 10 years or so. With everything we have been through, I can't believe that he isn't screwed up. Don't get me wrong, he has his issues. He has low self-esteem, high anxiety, he suffers from bouts of depression; he also has learning disabilities and developmental disabilities, but he tries so hard to succeed at what he does…and gets so frustrated when things don't work out. For so long, his only real "father figures" were my dad and two brothers…and those three men have been absolutely amazing. Chris adores his grandpa and uncles; they mean the world to him. Yet, I know that the one thing he has truly missed has been having a dad there for him, every day. Even when we were together, his father was distant. Honestly, I think he just didn't know how to be a dad. Some men are born meant to be fathers, they have no problem bonding with their kids. While other men, just don't have it…they may have good intentions, but it just isn't there. My ex, while he and I don't get along (and that is putting it mildly), I will always be grateful to him for my son. However, now my son has a man in his life who is a dad to him, in every sense of the word. They refer to each other as dad and son; I honestly think they couldn't be closer, even if they were blood. Brent and I have only been together for 2 ½ years, but the relationship that those two have built is amazing…and to me, a miracle. My son has needed that. People who see pictures of them together swear that they look so much alike, that they could be natural father and son. Someone once told me that sometimes things happen for a reason; that perhaps I was always destined to be with this man that could so easily blend in with our lives.

Looking back over the years, I have to feel like I have been blessed. I have been through some rough shit! I have been cheated on, abused, dealt with an alcoholic, dated some real nut cases and made some mistakes; however, instead of letting that define my life, I made the decision to break the mold. I consciously looked for a man that I could trust (with both myself and my son), love and share my life with. I wanted a man with similar family values, a man that could not only be my lover and protector, but my best friend. And I can say, happily, that I found him. Like any couple, we have our ups and downs…if things were perfect and we never had disagreements, I would be worried. However, we work through them.

I can say that despite all the shit I have been through, I am happy. All of that crap was worth going through to get where I am now, they were excellent life lessons.

Ok, so I must have the worst luck! So, yesterday I spent 6 hours at Calvert Memorial Hospital in the emergency room. First of all, aside from the doctor at the Urgent Care I went to that did x-rays, the three doctors (including St. Mary's Hospitals) I had already seen didn't do any tests...no blood work or urine checks. The first thing CMH did was to get me changed into a gown, hooked up to an IV to help me get rehydrated and get a blood sample for testing. A little later they took me for an ultrasound of my abdomen (no, I'm not pregnant) because they wanted a better look at my liver.

Now, mind you, when I went in I gave them a list of complaints and some of them were: neck pain * back pain * headache * nerve pain in elbows, knees, legs and other joints * yellowing of the eyes and skin * less appetite and so on. For the most part, they were focused on the yellowing, or better known as jaundice. When they did the blood work, my bilirubin count (something with the liver) was 3.2...normal range is 0.2 - 1.3; needless to say, it was more than double the safe number. They believe this is a result of the one of the medications I was on as a result of the work related injury I have. Joy!!!

After they got past the liver issue, they were a little concerned that I am still not recovered from the neck injury; now there is the added issue of the problem I am having with my nerves. When I am standing, after about 1 or 2 minutes, the nerves in my legs get so tight and hurt so bad that I can barely stand up.

And on top of everything else, I have a bladder infection! UGH!!

They took me off the medication that was causing the jaundice and put me on something else and an anti-biotic for the bladder infection, gave me more time off of work (yay! more time to stare at walls with nothing to do but watch tv and play on the laptop...that all gets boring after a while) and instructions to see the GI doctor and see a family doctor if there is no improvment by the middle/end of the week.

I am getting so sick of tv and looking at all the boxes that still need to be unpacked. There is so much that needs to be done and that I wish I could do. But if I try doing anything, either my legs hurt so bad that I can't walk or my back and neck hurt from lifting something. So, I am bed/sofa-ridden. AAHHHH!!! MY LUCK SUCKS!!!

10 Weird/Random Facts/Habits/Goals

1)     Travel - I hope to go to Ireland and Scotland someday. Being of Irish and Scottish heritage, it would be a dream come true to be able to visit those two beautiful, charm-filled countries. Just don't expect me to be kissin' the Blarney Stone – it is said local Irishmen pee on it to mess with tourists! Ah! The humor of the Irish!

2)     Self-Worth - My self-confidence/esteem is below par – well, at least below my standards. Before my first marriage, I was a naieve (sic) young woman, who found myself in a position where I was being controlled. That control eventually became abuse – starting as verbal & mental until it finally became physical. By the time I gathered the strength to leave, I believed myself to have no value or worth to myself or men. After 7 years, I have regained a large amount of my self-confidence/esteem back. I am not at 100% yet, but someday I will be…of that, I am confident.

3)     Fitness - One of these days, I want to be one of those crazy people that has a real home gym – and actually uses it. I love going to the gym; the way I feel after a kickass workout – well, there are no words to adequately describe that feeling. However, travel time to and from the gym can add up. It would be nice to eliminate the crappiest part of an excellent workout.

4)     Children – A month after I turned 18 (& 4 months after I graduated from high school), I was blessed with a beautiful and healthy baby boy. However, here it is, 12 ½ years later and I still have just the one child. Growing up, the one thing I wanted most was to be a wife and mother; a mother of several children. It is my hope that, in the not-too-distant future, I will be blessed with more children…perhaps two or three more.

5)     College – MANY years ago, as in when my son was a baby, I started for my college degree. Well, I have yet to finish it. One of these days, hopefully, starting in the near future, I will be back in college. I want to get a degree in Human Services, perhaps go even further. My dream job would be to counsel pregnant teens.

6)     Organization – That is something I have yet to truly accomplish. I have all of these great ideas, but finding time and space has been my biggest challenge. Hopefully, if we can find a home, with a basement, organization will be reality, instead of fantasy.

7)     Friends - Over the years I have had the pleasure of meeting some really good people. Unfortunately, I have been terrible about keeping in contact and nurturing those friendships. I pray that in the very near future I will be able to become re-acquainted with old friends and acquainted with new ones.

8)     Prime Size – Over the past year, I have come to realize that health and appearance is not about a number. It is about how you feel about yourself and how your clothes fit. Over the next few months, I plan on working towards and achieving my prime size.

9)     Family – My family is EXTREMELY important to me. I have the two best parents in the world. They took three children into their lives and raised and loved them as if they were theirs biologically. My brothers, who are twins, are precious gems to me. When we were young, we were out to kill each other. However, as we have grown up, we have grown extremely close. They are not only my brothers, but my friends. My son is my shining joy – there is nothing in my life, no accomplishment, better than him. My wonderful boyfriend has expanded my family even further and I look forward to it becoming permanent – he is from a wonderful family himself. As for extended family, I have two beautiful sisters-in-law; one is from my first marriage (Penny) and one through my brothers' marriage (Yesica). Through Yes, there is her wonderful family. I have been truly blessed to have such a large immediate and extended family.

10) Adoption/Heritage – I am adopted. I was adopted when I was 2 months old. When I was 22 months old, my parents adopted my brothers – who were 2 months old at the time. I am an European mutt – Irish/Scottish/German/Austrian/Spanish/Dutch/French/British; my brothers are Venezuelan/Irish. I am very proud of my heritage – well, maybe except for the Dutch. I want my heritage to be a large and important part of my future and my family. After all, out heritage is what made us – it is our history.

And now for whom I TAG and why:

Chris: My youngest brother, the world-traveler. He is wonderful a treasure to know.

Yesica: My sister-in-law. She is beautiful and smart…she is the other half of Chris.

Mike: My other younger brother. He is so talented and I am so proud of all he has done.

KC: Someone I have developed a friendship with; but would like to become better friends.

Loni: My girl-the sister of my heart! Our friendship can only get deeper.

Penny: My sister and I want to remain close.

Cristina: Yes's sister; friend and sister to me. She is a wonderful mother & I feel blessed and honored to call her family and friend.

Jeannie: We go way back and have been out of touch for too long. I would like to rediscover that friendship.

Margaret: Old-school friend; would like to redevelop this friendship.

Allison: Same as with Margaret; bonus…they are the best of friends.

You know, it would be nice if for just a few weeks during the holidays people could be declared temporarily insane. Then maybe, just MAYBE, the holidays wouldn't seem so chaotic. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, it just may be my favorite holiday. It is just that everything is so AAAHHHHH!!!!

Brent has been having to work insane hours...for example, he has been working since 7am today, and it is currently about 11pm. He probably won't be home until after midnight and then has to get back up at 4am to leave again at 5am. Things with my job are cool, just busy.

However, all the craziness of doing our Christmas shopping and trying to get ready for our trip is just way too much. As it is, I anticipate that I will get no, I repeat NO, sleep on Thursday night in this preparation. Tomorrow night I will be doing laundry, some packing and making a blanket for either Brent's neice or nephew. Thursday night, we have the company holiday party for Brent; then, when we get home I have to finish packing, make a blanket for the child I didn't make on Wednesday night, load the car and make Christmas cookies. You may be asking what Brent will be doing while I am up all night. With an order from me, he will be sleeping. He works so hard and he has to drive, on Friday, to his parents...and then he will be helping his dad with some of the driving that night. So, he needs his rest. Fortunately, as I have no driving to do, I can catch up on sleep. That is when my relaxation and fun begins.

We (as in me, Brent, Chris, Brent's mom and Brent's dad) will start out for Chicago on Friday and arrive on Saturday. We will stay in Chicago, with Brent's brother, sis in law and neice and nephew doing lots of fun stuff for Christmas. On the 26th we will head out and make our way to Michigan (hopefully stopping to do some wine tasting along the way) where we will visit Brent's maternal grandmother and the rest of his family. If there is time, we may even make a detour to Hell. Yes People, you read me right. We will be about 10 miles from Hell...literally. Hell, Michigan that is! I want a T-shirt from there. That way, when someone tells me to go to hell, I can tell I have already been and it was freezing! LOL! While there, we will attend the Barbour Christmas party...which promises to be loads of fun with drinking, cards, ping pong tournaments and maybe a facial.

Anyway, we will be staying in Michigan until the 30th, when we will start heading back to Maryland. We will arrive back in good 'ole MD on the 31; we will go to dinner with Brent's parents and then ring in the New Year with them. On New Year's day, we will be stopping at my parents house to celebrate Christmas with them.

The sucky part about all of this...my one brother and his wife are in Brazil, so won't be able to see them. My other brother will be flying home on the 21st, only to arrive hours after I have left. MIKE, I WILL MISS YOU! And then, our Japanese "sister", who will be visiting and arrive on the 28th, will be flying out on the 1st...again, probably just missing her by hours! Mike and Chizu will even be missing each other...again, by hours.

Ah Well! My brothers and family know I love them. I wish I could be with them over the holidays; however, for the time being, it is important we spend the holidays with Brent's grandmother. She needs the love and support...I, for one, can't wait to see her and just wish we could spend more time with her.

Love to all!!

WRITTEN BY A 15 yr. old SCHOOL KID IN ARIZONA

>         New Pledge of Allegiance (TOTALLY AWESOME)!
>           Since the Pledge of Allegiance
>           And
>           The Lord's Prayer
>           are not allowed in most
>           Public schools anymore
>           Because the word "God" is mentioned....
>           A kid in Arizona wrote the attached
 
>           NEW School prayer:
>           Now I sit me down in school
>           Where praying is against the rule
>           For this great nation under God
>           Finds mention of Him very odd
>           If Scripture now the class recites,
>           It violates the Bill of Rights.
>           And anytime my head I bow
>           Becomes a Federal matter now.
>           Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
>           That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.
>           The law is specific, the law is precise.
>           Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.
>           For praying in a public hall
>           Might offend someone with no faith at all.
>           In silence alone we must meditate
>           God's name is prohibited by the state.
>           We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
>           And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
>           They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
>           To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
>           We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
>           And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
>           It's "inappropriate" to teach right from wrong,
>           We're taught that such "judgments" do not belong.
>           We can get our condoms and birth controls,
>           Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
>           But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
>           No word of God must reach this crowd.
>           It's scary here I must confess,
>           When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
>           So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
>           Should I be shot; My soul please take!
>           Amen

I am going to be making a change in my job status. I will still be working at my job...The Center for Life Enrichment. However, I will be transferring to a new position (thanks KC)! Starting in about a little over a week (that's the tentative time frame), I will be giving up my position as a Direct Care Staff that works at the Center in a room with clients (most of whom I will miss) and will be taking over the position a friend is vacating to become an One on One. That means that I will be working with just one client and because she does not like the Center, I will be able to work off site. I am so excited about this new step. It came along just when I needed it...again, THANKS KC!!! The pay will more and I will have more hours; that will definitely come in handy.

I AM SOOOOO EXCITED!