FAQ's

Tonight is a HUGE night and I can barely contain my excitement. I have the "enhanced" version of last season's finale of Lost, the second episode of Gossip Girl and a new magazine in the mail (one of my 12 I subscribe too). Life doesn't get better than this. You may be wondering why I care about two shows that I have already seen, but with the writer's strike I have been having major withdrawal symptoms from good tv and those are my favorite shows. Tomorrow night is even bigger with the season premiere of Lost, so tonight is just getting me more pumped up for an even bigger night. If you are not a follower of either show, it is time to get in the game and enjoy tv at its best.

After getting the excitement out of my system, I am ready to move onto today's topic - Frequently Asked Questions. In case you don't know, after 8 years of working as a electrical engineer (and a master's degree), my hubby decided to leave his career and start medical school. Since we have started on this new journey I have received many, many questions regarding our situation. So, here are the most frequently asked questions and the answers to put everyone's mind at ease.

1. How did Jessie ever come up with the idea to go to medical school?

I really don't know. I have always told him he was smart enough to be a doctor, and he was hating his job and engineering in general. He said it wasn't challenging enough - which I totally sympathized with since everyone knows how easy electrical engineering is. His youngest brother had always wanted to go to medical school too, so Jessie started asking questions and thinking about it. He then decided to find out what pre-reqs he needed and started taking classes at night to find out if he would like them. Obviously, he liked them.

2. How were you ok with him leaving his stable, good paying job?

When the idea first started Ashley was still really young and it never really occurred to me that it might actually happen. He has expressed lots of interests and ideas through the years, so originally I thought it was just another passing thought. Then, the next thing I know he likes his classes. The next thing I know he has taken the MCAT and scored in the top 1% of all test takers in the nation. This was a huge sign for me. It was obvious to me that he had a true aptitude for the material. The final sign was when he had been accepted to UT Southwestern, which is exactly what we wanted to happen. So, really God determined that this was the right path. Everything fell into place. As for supporting the final decision, it was easy. Life is too short to spend so much time at a job you hate. Every day he would come home and complain and that made me feel bad for him and also feel guilty since he was having to work to support me and Ashley (we only had her at the time). I definitely did not want to stand in the way of something that was obviously meant to be. I told him we would make it work, and we have.

3. How long does medical school take and how much longer does he have?

A VERY long time. School itself is four years. Jessie is in the second half of his second year. This is the last year of the really hardcore academic stuff and the next two years are spent rotating in various specialties. This year and next year are the hardest years. After school, is residency. He will make a salary at this time, but it will be similar to school. Residencies last anywhere from 3-7 years depending on the specialty.

4. Has he decided on a specialty?

He changes his mind all the time but is leaning towards something in surgery. He also likes radiology. This summer he did a radiation oncology internship and did some amazing things. He probably won't decide until next year.

5. What is his schedule like? How does it affect family time?

The first semester was very tough. He had classes and labs that required him to be gone all day and study at night. I had a hard time adjusting, especially with two little kids. Since then, things have become a lot easier. He has a super flexible schedule, so that is really nice. He can watch most lectures online. He does that a lot which allows him to stay closer to home and see us more. The hardest times are right before tests. He will be gone all day and night most of those weeks so he can be prepared. The hardest thing about this year is there is a test every two to three weeks. So, we will have a good week (this week) then a week or two of harder times. One of the best perks is the vacation. He got three weeks at Christmas and will get two weeks at Spring Break. These vacations end with third year though when he will be working all the time at the hospital. I am not looking forward to that.

6. What do you do for health insurance?

We use private health insurance. It is expensive and absolutely horrible insurance, but if we have an emergency it will be good. With two little kids we end up spending a ton of money on medical stuff.

7. How do you live??? How do you pay for things? Why do you not work when you have no income?

These are the most popular questions, and a lot of people feel bad for asking. It doesn't offend me, I would want to know too. After working for 8 years, we had money saved, so we use that money (basically we have retired early!). We also qualify for some grants and loans and take as much as we are allowed. However, our goal is to graduate with zero or very little debt.

I don't work because financially it doesn't make sense. We sat down and figured out all of our expenses on a teacher's salary and I would actually bring home very little money. For a few hundred dollars a month, it is just not worth it to me. I would much rather be with my kids. I might have to go back to work at some point but I am finallyt at peace with the idea that I am meant to stay at home. It was a hard thing to come to terms with. I worked extremely hard during school to make top grades as I envisioned myself being some big time corporate executive one day. But now, I realize I am where I need to be. And if nothing else, I can be considered the CEO around here.

I hope that answers any questions you may have. Feel free to email me if you have any more. The bottom line is - follow your dreams and your heart, it is really worth it. It has been for Jessie and me too. He gets to do something that is rewarding and exciting to him and I get to see someone I love be happy.

Finally, here is a picture of the day Jessie got his white coat - it was very exciting. If we are having a hard day, I like to look at it and be reminded of how handsome he looks as a "doctor" and I definitely know the decision is worth it!:-)

Sad Day

Today my BFF Ashley (I always designate her as BFF since we also have a little Ashley around here too) left to go home. She has been here for two months and I have really loved having her and Landen's BFF Jackson around. As you get older you realize how important good girlfriends are. Through the years I know I have often neglected friends for some guy and I now know how stupid that was. Of course hindsight is 20/20 but I really wish I could go back and spend more time with some of my friends that I don't get to see anymore. Now, we are scattered around the country and have families of our own so time is very limited.

There is nothing like a good friend, one to laugh with you, cry with you and most importantly vent frustrations with you. Ashley is just that kind of friend. Just in these two months we have run the spectrum of emotions as I cried with her at her beloved GiGi's funeral and also laughed as we watched our boys play together. I can only hope that our boys will grow up to be the kind of friends we are.

I don't know about other stay at home mothers, but I get very lonely. It is hard to believe when you have two kids crawling all over you all day that you can feel such loneliness but I do. We stay very busy with various activities but I still feel isolated. I attribute it to the fact that I don't engage in one on one adult conversation very often and my main source of connection to other people is the tv and internet. I have been fortunate to meet some wonderful neighbors that have made me feel a little more connected but the reality is, it is just not possible to totally eliminate my feelings. That is where Ashley came in these past couple of months. We have always had such a deep connection, she knows my thoughts before I do. So, having her here made me feel not so lonely during my weekdays. I always knew I would be seeing her in a couple of days and that would make me smile. I will miss her terribly.

Here is a picture of the newest generation of BFF"S.

A Special Fish

One of my favorite things to do in this world is go to a wedding. Nothing excites me more than an evening of drinking, dinner and dancing all for free. Last night I got to indulge in my favorite pastime and went to my BFF Ashley's mom's wedding. Ashley had planned most of the wedding and had decorated everything. It was beautiful, she did an amazing job. It took place in a gazebo overlooking a lake just as the sun had set. Christmas lights were strung everywhere and tiki torches lit the path. It was outside, but you didn't even notice the cold weather because it was so serene. Afterwards, we went inside for hot chocolate, dinner and of course cake. As the dance floor heated up there was even some really awesome dancers strutting some funky moves (oh wait that was Ashley and me). What more could you ask for?

Even as a child I loved weddings. As young as 1st grade I would have my mom buy wedding magazines and I would cut out pictures of wedding items and collect them in a book. I called it "My Wedding Album" - I know, I have always had a knack with creative titles. Back then my taste leaned a little more towards the Civil War era as most of my gowns sported big hoop skirts and large, floppy hats with enormous bows. Some might call this behavior a little odd, but I prefer to call myself "gifted" in the ways of wedding coordination. Beethoven had his piano, I had my wedding knowledge. As I got older my fascination with weddings did not end. I only made my dreams bigger. I even had a subscription to Modern Bride for many years - LONG before I even had a engagement ring.

So, all this talk of weddings got me thinking about what it is that I love so much about weddings. Could it be all the love in the air or the vision of happily ever after? I did mention the free dinner, dancing and drinks, but I think it is more than that. Since my first grade wedding album I have had the pleasure of going to numerous weddings and even having the honor of being in the wedding party of several. At one point, we literally had a wedding if not two or three to attend every weekend. It was great! At all of these weddings the memories of the ceremony and reception are kind of a blur but what I always remember the most are the times outside of these events, like the rehearsal dinner, or going out for the after party. The wedding itself is only part of the equation, the real event is everything but the wedding.

Many people will probably disagree with me and trust me I am not saying the ceremony and reception are not important (trust me I spent enough on mine that it better be important). But, when I look back on our wedding weekend what I remember most is the day before the wedding. I woke up sick with worry and my closest friends Darby and Kristen took me to the mall for an Aquamassage, oh yes, we went all out. Then we had my bridal luncheon in our very own private room at Maggiano's where I could look out and see all the most special women in my life all in one place. Afterwards, we continued the party at Elizabeth Arden getting our nails done. That night, after the rehearsal and dinner everyone gathered at a friend's apartment where we had a huge party. Everyone was relaxed and I even had time to sit down unlike my real reception. So, when I think of weddings I do enjoy attending the wedding itself but I really love everything else even more. I wish I had really thought about all of this before I spent so much time worrying about every little detail of my wedding. If people only knew the stress and anxiety I had leading up to the big day, everyone would vote to have me committed to an institution right away. In the end no one remembers what they ate, or what my flowers looked like, they remember all the fun we had spending time with each other.

You are probably asking yourself where the fish factors into a discussion on weddings. Well, my party favor from the wedding is a new fish. BFF Ashley had put Beta fish in all the flower vases, sixteen to be exact! Little Ashley has been wanting a new pet fish ever since we killed her last ones, so we gladly took one. FiFi, is now resting peacefully in her bowl. May she live longer than the three days Bella and Madeline lived.

Hamburgers and Snow Boots

I normally don't get to see movies at a real movie theater (for you other moms a movie theater is a big place where they show first run movies and usually you can go there on a date or with other friends minus children). So, it was a treat to go see Juno with my friend Ellen a couple of weeks ago. I heard good things about it and it did not disappoint. It had the three elements I consider to be essential to a quality movie experience: good writing, good acting and good music. Now, I will say good music goes a long way with me. I will often enjoy a movie that has good music even if the other two elements are missing. Almost Famous is an example of that. Anyway, I thought all the top elements were in Juno, so that is saying a lot.

One of my favorite scenes takes place at the beginning of the movie. Juno (the teenage girl) is calling an abortion clinic to schedule an abortion. I hope this doesn't spoil the movie for you, even if you haven't seen it, I assume the picture of a pregnant girl gives the main idea away. When she calls the abortion clinic she is calling in her room on her Hamburger phone. Now, i am not trying to make light of abortion, that is a whole can of worms in itself, but in this scene it isn't necessarily about the abortion but the fact that a person is having such a serious discussion on their silly, childhood phone. Of course, the actress, Ellen Page, is absolutely brilliant and her conversation is hilarious too.

The reason this scene struck me was that as a mom I kind of feel the same way sometimes - talking "grown-up" talk while still using my hamburger phone. I know I am 31 and often physically feel even older than that, but mentally I still feel like I should be 16. I look at my kids sometimes and think - "this is sure one long babysitting gig, when are their parents going to come and get them." It is just so hard to believe I am the one responsible for everything about them - what they eat, their safety, their education, their morals, and basically everything about their entire well-being. I don't know about you other moms but I feel pretty incompetent when it comes to thinking I can handle all of that. Like Juno in the movie I am having to make a bunch of big decisions but am a little out of my league. I keep looking around for someone else to tell me what to do.

So, with all these thoughts of phones I can't help but remember my first "cool" phone I got for my bedroom. I was in junior high and spotted what I considered to be the most awesomest, raddest phone ever in Spencer Gifts at the mall (by the way, awesomest and raddest were real words in junior high). At this point those of you who are familiar with Spencer's know all about the high class merchandise that can be found here. Those of you not familiar will just have to imagine a very elegant store that had tons of neon lights, beer signs, trashy posters, whoopie cushions, and even the occasional vibrating penis gag gift. Yes, we are talking the finest of the fine gift shops in Midland. Anyway, this phone was bright red and actually lit up with bright red neon whenever the phone rang or whenever you talked. Now, at the time I didn't think I could dare to dream of such coolness but lo and behold my sweet dad got it for me for Christmas. Woo-Hoo!!! I was set to talk and talk I did. I got that phone and don't think I got off of it until I went away to college. It turned out to be especially handy when I started getting those late night calls - ladies you know the ones I am talking about. I would go and turn all the other phones on silent very sneakily and wait for my phone to light up. So, maybe you see why I really liked that scene in Juno. Phones have always been important to me. It makes me sad I can't talk as much as I used to because certain kids make it harder, but every once in awhile I still like to sneak off where no one can see me, and just talk away. After all I still feel like I should be that same teenager talking on their red, neon phone.

A Daily Dickens

In case you haven't noticed I like to use subheadings. As a journalism major we had to do this sometimes and they just stuck with me. Anyway, this will be a recurring sub-section where I will describe what we did in a particular day. By no means will I do this every day but if you see the heading be forewarned you are about to hear such excitement you might not be able to contain yourself.

On to our day. We had a pleasant day. This morning we went to our friend Amanda's house for a kid/mommy playdate. It was so much fun. The kids made crowns and Ashley and Landen both wore their pink ones with pride. The mommies made little bag tags for the kids. I loved it! They turned out so cute. Some of you might be getting them on birthday gifts in the future. Thank you Amanda for a really great time! Jessie had a test today so afterwards he was home the rest of the day getting ready for his big ski trip this weekend. He is going to Breckenridge with a high school friend. We unpacked a ton of ski stuff we hadn't seen in years and I found my pair of bright white ski boots. I don't remember buying these, but I think my rationale at the time was that white matched the snow. Now I look at them and think I look like the abominable snowman. They sure are warm and cozy though. Landen insisted I put them on, so I did, and five hours later I am still wearing them. Some people have Uggs, I have my bright white snow boots.

*Since everyone is still getting used to my writing and blog please note that like I am in person, my humor in my blog will be sarcastic at times. Please don't ever be offended at anything I write, especially about such hot button topics as abortion and abominable snowmen:)

My One Day

Disclaimer: This will be the last serious post for awhile. I hate starting one of my first posts on a more somber note but to ignore today's date would be ignoring an important part of me. This post is also very personal and it is taking a lot of courage to share some of these things, but isn't writing supposed to be therapeutic?? I will let you know if it is.......

Everyone has that one day, the one that changes everything. I am not talking about a day that may change your lifestyle, but a day that rocks your inner core and makes you question everything about yourself, everyone around you and everything in the world. My one day was today, January 24th, 2002.

Most of you probably know that I lost my father on this day, 6 years ago, it was a Thursday too. I remember because I had Friends on in the background (oh the good ol' days when we had our Must See Thursday Night TV!). Sometimes I feel like all I do is drop references to this day, but it was so defining to me as a person that it is intertwined with everything I am today. Some might say this is because I am still having trouble moving on. I think I can finally say that I actually have moved on. I have accepted what as happened - one of those "stages" of grief we learn about it in psychology. In fact, I am proud to report that this is the first year that I didn't dwell upon the approaching date with anxiety, I actually even forgot about it until a couple of days ago. Then, I realized I didn't want to forget about it so easily. It is important I remember because it defines who I am. So, I want to reflect on a few things leading up to that day because it is important I remember when I grew up. I know some of you might question some of these things because they are a little strange, but I have never thought of them as weird. I think our mind and spirit prepares us for dramatic changes and God knows what we need when we need it.

Jessie and I had been planning our wedding that fall of 2001, when I had a dream one night. I have lots of crazy dreams but usually forget them the second I wake up. It was me on my wedding day waiting in a church lobby and I remember asking everyone where my dad was. No one knew. I kept asking and asking, getting more worried by the second. Finally, he appeared out of nowhere. I felt relief and asked him if everything looked ok. He replied. "Everything is so beautiful but all the flowers are dead." At that instant I woke up in a panic and started praying that my dad would make it alive to my wedding. There was absolutely nothing to lead me to this thought. My dad was the healthiest he had ever been. He rode in a 150 mile bike marathon a couple of months before, played racquetball and golfed several times a week. There was no indication of any health problems. Even to this day that dream is as vivid as it was that night I had it.

I put the dream and the crazy thoughts out of mind, after all I was planning a wedding. Then Christmas came and I remember having the thought pop up that I absolutely needed to spend Christmas in Midland. For most people going home to their family is a normal part of Christmas but for me with divorced parents I spent the holidays everywhere. It was rare I was in Midland and with my dad on Christmas Day, but I was adamant that year. Thankfully, my instincts were right. We had a wonderful Christmas that year, the last one I would ever spend with him.

Two days before his death my dad called me. We talked about once or twice a week but this call was a little out of the ordinary. It wasn't on our usual day of Friday and I had just talked to him on Sunday. So, I was little surprised to talk to him. I was in the middle of bringing groceries in the house but for some reason I stopped what I was doing and just sat there. Our conversations were usually brief. We said what we had to say, made a few jokes and hung up. That day I didn't want to get off the phone. I made excuses to keep talking. It was my dad who finally told me he had to go, which was very unusual since I was always the one in a hurry. We talked about some more RSVP's that had come in, he was keeping track of them and was always so excited to tell me the updated list. At this point in the conversation. I said, "It is going to be a great day since you will finally be free of me and won't have to pay for me anymore." He instantly replied "You will always be my baby girl no matter what." It was an odd moment, something he normally would never have said and I remember a long, silent pause before we said our goodbyes. Those were some of the last words I heard him say.

That Thursday I had lunch with a friend at Souper Salad (I wasn't working at this time) and decided to go shopping for something to wear to my planned bachelorette party in Austin that Saturday. I went to the mall and walked into Foley's. Suddenly I had a major panic attack. I felt like I couldn't walk around the store because I couldn't concentrate or breathe. I have never had a panic attack before or since. It felt as though I was suffocating in that store so I had to walk right back out and go home. I calmed down a little but still had a very high level of anxiety the rest of the afternoon. I felt very restless and agitated.

That night I was making dinner and around 6:20 I felt a sudden wave of sadness. It was so all consuming that I went and laid down in the middle of making dinner. It was dark and I knew rolls were burning in the oven but I couldn't get up. A few minutes later the phone rang and I was too scared to answer it. The caller id said "unknown" I let it go to the machine. Jessie made me get up to eat dinner, but all I could do was sit there and stare at my food. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Again, the phone rang and I was frozen. We didn't answer it.

A little after 7 I turned on Friends while Jessie cleaned the kitchen. The phone rang again and Jessie answered it. Immediately, I felt that anxiety rising in my throat. Jessie only said hello and nothing more and I noticed he was crying. In my heart I knew, but I went into denial instantly. Jessie hung up, turned off the tv and sat me down on the couch. I knew. Jessie told me my dad had a heart attack. I instantly burst out "Is he dead?" I knew. He shook his head yes. That denial is a sneaky "stage" though and I started screaming "You are lying." I knew he wasn't. Later I found out that my dad had a heart attack in the middle of a racquetball game and died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital at 6:24.

It is weird what the body does in a time of distress. Some people go into automatic overdrive and start taking control of the situation, some shut down, some just cry, I ran. I don't know why, but my first instinct was to run as fast as I could. I ran and was stopped by a wall. A literal wall, not a figurative one! I ran into a wall and tried to break through. Then I collapsed crying and continued to cry for days on end. I don't even know how many days it was, it felt like years.

There were so many wonderful people in those days, and I am sorry I never really thanked all of you. My mind was a blur. I couldn't think, I couldn't function. I still can't remember a lot about those days. As my father's sole survivor, I was in charge of everything, planning the funeral, going through his estate stuff, you name it, I did it. I don't know how I did it, since I don't remember but I know I didn't do it alone, so thank you to everyone who stood me up. People sent beautiful arrangements, people made delicious food, some people made donations to my dad's favorite charity, Habitat for Humanity and some people were just there. Many friends flew in to be there for me that day and I will never be able to repay you. I know I couldn't show you at the time, but I couldn't have made it without you. Thank you notes never got written like I wanted because my wedding was only 6 weeks away so in the midst of trying to carry that through and do all of my dad's stuff I just never did them. I have always felt so guilty about that. So, you know who you are, thank you!

Transformation does not come easy, but looking back I am glad I am different. I have learned a lot about myself and what I am capable of doing. Of course, if I had a say I would have never let this happen. I was extremely close to my dad. One day I will post more about him as a person, and I am sure I will bring up more details about this experience since it was so important to me. This one day wasn't really about him though. I know that might sound self-centered but he was done with what he had to do here, I was just beginning.

To end this serious post on a lighter note I want to share one of my favorite songs. Just so you know, I have a new favorite song every week, but this is it this week. I also think the title is very appropriate for my mood this week. It is called "I Feel it All" by Feist. Her music will not be everyone's taste but I wanted to share. Listen to at least half of it before you make up your mind. My favorite line is "I know more than I knew before."

"And the Mother of the Year Award goes to........."

We are barely out of January and I can already claim the title. A week and a half ago I was in the laundry room and the kids were sitting outside of the door. They are always trying to get in the room and mess with stuff so I had shut the door to keep them out. As I opened the door to get out, Ashley was right in front of me and Landen was sitting to the left on the hinge side. I was trying to move Ashley out of my way and shut the door at the same time. Apparently, curiosity struck Landen and he stuck his right index finger in the crack of the door where the hinges are just as I slammed it shut.

I looked down and saw that Landen was just frozen and not making any sound. I was confused at first and quickly realized that his finger disappeared into the door. I panicked and flew open the door. I picked him up and rushed to find Jessie. As I got to Jessie he asked - "Is he bleeding?' I then looked down and saw that there was blood all over me and his finger was gushing. I almost passed out and literally fell apart. I started crying. Then, Landen realizing his pain started screaming too.

He screamed like he has never screamed before and we couldn't get the bleeding to stop. So, finally Jessie agreed we needed to take him to the ER. There we had to wait forever. Landen actually stopped crying and was really good at the hospital, until the stitches. His finger was broken and it was cut all the way to the bone. They had to take off his fingernail and do stitches. This required Landen to be put in a strait jacket and receive tons of painful shots in his hand while we all held him down. It was excruciating. The procedure lasted at least an hour. Landen was crying so hard you could see the blood vessals burst in his face. Finally, he just passed out in exhaustion.

Here we are a week and a half later and he got his stitches out today. It went much better this time around. He will have to wear his splint for a couple more weeks, but has really adjusted well considering it is his right hand. Of course he doesn't like it being messed with, so cleaning it has been a hassle. I know this was an accident but it kills me everyday to know I am the one that caused his pain. The list of my "mommy guilt" just gets longer by the day.

New Year, New Blog

Why Write a Blog?

I always hated math, I never liked science. and athletics certainly isn't one of my strong suits. So, what does that leave? For many years I couldn't figure out what I was interested in. Then, in the ninth grade I won my first big prize, the PTA's West Texas Regional Arts and Literature writing contest. I wrote a fictional story about a teenage girl's dying mother (hardly light material). I don't even know where this story is anymore but at the time it became the most important piece of paper I had ever owned. Finally, I was onto something! When I was asked to read the story to a big group, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. I consider it to be one of the best days of my life.

So, here we are 15 years later and I still love writing but don't write. Yes, I was a Journalism major at A&M and worked in public relations for a couple of years, but that doesn't really count because I was never writing for myself. I have started a few journals, but I quickly get bored because my thoughts come quicker than my pen can write. Now, I find that my writing doesn't come hardly at all. Completing an email is even sometimes a challenge. My "mommy" brain has just about drained my mind and all that goes with it, so what better way to hopefully bring back something I love -a blog. Most importantly, what better way to spend some time really thinking about myself and now the current writers' strike has left a huge hole in my nightly schedule!:-)

What the heck is that silly title about?

For a long time I have been reading several friends' blogs every day ( I will post links as soon as I figure it out). They have all inspired me to do one of my own but I held off for a long time for one simple reason - I couldn't think of a title. This may seem trivial to many people but for me it has always been a real problem. Even going back to the very first essay I did, I remember fretting over the stupid title forever before I ever wrote a word. It is a real sickness, I dare say there might even be a name for it. There was never a paper I could write without a title. Maybe it gives me direction, maybe I am just a control freak. Whatever the reason, I couldn't think of a title for this blog so I stalled. Finally, it hit me this past week after I broke my precious little baby boy's finger in the door (story for another post if you don't already know it). He loves going around showing everyone his "boo, boo." Of course it is really MY BIG boo boo that he even has the broken figure. So, I started thinking how life is really just a bunch a mistakes and "boo boos"that we learn from (at least for me). What keeps me going are the little things that are so sweet and so wonderful like Bon Bons! Tasty little, chocolate covered morsels of heaven. In my mind there is no better way to sum up my life - Bon Bons and Boo Boos.

What will I write about?

Good question, I have no idea. I am thinking I will write about our daily life, give thoughts on books I read, movies and tv shows. I might throw in some juicy little tidbits about my life in general, like the UFO I saw or the ghost. You just never know what secret I am capable of spilling. Whatever I will be writing, hopefully you will leave comments sometimes and send me the occasional email, because I love hearing from everyone. So, let's get started - welcome to my blog. May your life seem a little more sane after reading about mine!:-)