big changes!

I haven't had time to write in a bit. I am slacking on this New Year's resolution.

We're about to make some big changes in general (no, I'm not pregnant). We are going to be redoing our house - painting, finishing up a linen closet, more painting, possibly re-carpeting, new look in the bathroom. That's just the beginning. We won't be moving to a bigger house for at least 3 more years I would say, so we're going to make what we do have a lot better! In the yard - whoa. yeah... it's getting scraggly back there. There are a lot of things I would like to do back there to make it more kid friendly. Mallory kicks her soccer ball around back there a good bit (and over the neighbors fence) but there's really nothing for Julia to do back there. Plus it's the time of year we need to go ahead and treat for ants before they come back & get out of hand.

I also hope to completely redo my blogger page and add some pictures, tickers, headers, etc. I'm working away on my scrapbook for Julia. I'm trying to get her first year of life done before she turns 2! In my defense, I did not start scrapbooking or learn this stuff until the month before Julia was 1. So there!

We have so much to do - I'm trying to peck away at it slowly. I'll try to be better about updates!

See ya soon!

Valentine's Day...

Valentine's Day ...

The girls will get theirs next week when Mallory is here. We had a pre-Valentine's dinner with the kids on Tuesday at Fuji because it was Mallory's last night at our house this week.

Tracy made me a valentine on his computer. If you know how our desks are set up, this is funny. My desk is right beside his - I had no clue he was making it. He had turned his monitor towards him - I really thought he was just playing free cell again. And then he got up and said, well, I'm off to the shower and our printer started printing. The printer is on my desk - so he's in the bathroom by the time it prints out and I realize what it is. It was awfully sweet.

We had agreed not to get each other anything this week for specific reasons. He went to the office to pick up his check for the week and came home with new cell phones for both of us. Now, if you know us, you know ours are beat up, his wasn't even holding a charge, and we were both overdue for upgrades. He didn't bother to tell me that he got an extra check at work for a clean-out we did on a house in November. He got us matching phones that have EVERYTHING on it. I was surprised to say the least. He's been planning this for close to 2 weeks without my knowledge. He got a really good deal and they're neat phones. His is silver and mine is "champagne". I'm excited more about the mp3 player on it than anything I think. I'm such a music junkie.

We went to Monterrey's for dinner last night with 2 people I hope we'll be seeing more of in the future. Julia had a fit the first half of the meal - she wasn't done with her late nap and only wanted me. They got Julia a Curious George book and a Veggie Tales coloring book for Julia and were sweet enough to pay for our dinner. I enjoyed it. I think we all did. So we had a pretty good evening too.

Hope you had a good Valentine's Day!!

50 Things to Know About Me...

I saw this a while back on several friends' blogs and I have meant to do this.

I think I can think of 50 things. I had one friend that went back and posted ANOTHER 50 about him the next day (wow is all I can say Jed!). I'm not sure I could do that! So here goes and in no order of importance:

1. I have a sister who is 11 years and 363 days older than me.
2. I was the worst birthday present she ever got in her whole life. ;)
3. I have a nephew who is almost 9 years younger than me and a neice who is 11 years younger than me.
4. I love the color navy blue.
5. I love any shade of purple second best.
6. I am not a big fan of pink - if I own/wear anything pink - you should be surprised.
7. I love lasagna.
8. I love mexican food almost as much as lasagna.
9. I like hot and spicy foods.
10. I am afraid of needles and razors.
11. I really don't like to see blood.
12. I watched Alfred Hitchcock with my parents when I was younger - could the needles, razors, and blood (oh my!) have anything to do what that fact? I think yes.
13. I really like to read true crime books.
14. I hate romantic fru-fru books (no thank you Nora Roberts).
15. I hate opera music - and yes, I gave it a chance when I went to Converse.
16. I went to Converse College for 3 years.
17. I went to North Greenville College (university now) for 3 years.
18. I have no college degree.
19. I am 1 1/2 years (perhaps less) away from both a business degree and a biology degree - as in 2 separate 4 year degrees that have NOTHING to do with each other.
20. I don't know that I want to complete either of those degrees now. :(
21. I met one of my best friends at North Greenville - Andrea.
22. I really got to know one of my other best friends while at Converse College - Angie (see? something good did come out of college attempts).
23. I worked for Bi-Lo for almost 9 years.
24. I worked at Barnes & Noble for 2 1/2 years of those 9 at Bi-Lo.
25. I worked for 3 other grocery chains briefly as well - Harris Teeter (3 months), Winn-Dixie (1 summer when I got desperate for a job), and as an assistant manager at Ingles (3 months and I ran far, far away). I was hired at Fresh Market but never started.
26. I don't recommend working in grocery stores to anyone.
27. I was a member of Boiling Springs First Baptist from 1990 until 1996.
28. I attended Second Presbyterian Church (across from Wofford) from 1996 until 1998 with someone who shall not be named at this time.
29. I was a member of Powdersville First Baptist Church in Powdersville/Easley for 5 years. 1999-2003.
30. I was baptised 2 times - once by sprinkling at Second Presbyterian and by good ol' immersion at Powdersville First Baptist. ask me about that some time!
31. I go to an awesome church now (since 2004) called Hope Point Community Church - www. hopepoint.org !
32. I won 4th place in the state Beta club spelling competition my senior year of high school - that's a really nerdy fact for you.
33. I still love biology, zoology, and science in general, but I'm not sure what I'd ever do with a degree in it.
34. I hate chemistry and calculus and that was a big hiccup in that ol' Biology degree.
35. I have done many things I would not like to revisit, but God is good and I am forgiven.
36. I have been married for 4 years,2 months, & 11 days.
37. I am married to a wonderful fellow named Tracy - yes, it's true Tracy and Tracey.
38. I dated him my senior year in high school.
39. I have a stepdaughter, Mallory, who is 8.
40. I have a DAUGHTER, Julia Grace, who is 1 1/2.
41. I play several instruments : clarinet, trumpet, baritone (euphonium) and guitar.
42. I am not sure I would say I play any well since I've not practiced in a while. However, there are 1 of each of those in my house right now (actually, 2 clarinets, 1 trumpet, 1 marching baritone that needs to go back to NGU, and 2 guitars).
43. I was a band nerd. I still am at heart.
44. I like Nintendo games - any Mario or MegaMan.
45. I still have my Atari 7800 pro-system and it works.
46. I broke my leg in the 5th grade on Christmas day - brand, new 10 speed bicycle and I fell off of it.
47. I went to Mrs. Mabry's Busy Day daycare from 2 1/2 to 12 years of age.
48. I used to be able to draw really well. It's a talent I am wasting and trying to pick up again.
49. I think this was easier than I thought. maybe I will do 50 more.
50. I love theatre, but I HATE real-life drama. save it for the stage, sister!

Wow. That was easier than I thought. I already have thoughts for another 50, but not today. I have company coming this weekend and I need to get prepared. Tracy is working all day in Gaffney at Bob Shelton's BPO boot camp - it's sort of a big deal. www.bobshelton.com . I guess we'll see him this evening when they get done.

Take care and I'll post again this evening.

The Giants win the Super Bowl!

and for that I am happy.

I didn't get to watch much of the Super Bowl, but I'm glad the Giants won. I know a lot of people were wanting the Patriots to be the second team to win all season and the super bowl, yada yada yada. I just like the Manning brothers - seem to be good, upstanding, All-American guys. Someone you'd want your kids to look up to as a role model.

So there you go. I don't have any deep-rooted loyalties to any particular team, much less football. And I always seem to like the underdog which in my opinion was the Giants going into today. I watch football on Sundays by default because it's what's on in my living room or my in-law's living room.

So yay for the Giants!

sick children 2

Julia's test came back negative, but I didn't get to talk to the doctor so I'm not sure what this means. She still sounds horrible - getting better about doing the nebulizer treatments, still NOT liking the prelone. I know we're not dealing with the common cold - that's for sure!

Tyler had a brief hospital stay - he is home with his mom now.

Thanks for your thoughts, advice, and prayers! I'll keep you posted!

Oh, and Julia finally ate Grandma's oatmeal cookies today while watching, what else? Curious George. :)

Sick children...

I sit here trying to finish up some paperwork while I listen to Julia breathe. She's asleep in the playpen to my left (as several of you know, she refuses to sleep in the crib - only our bed or the playpen). I'm relieved that she is sleeping peacefully at the moment. Our family doctor, a wonderful man named Aydrian Thomas, believes she has RSV. I will know for certain when he calls me back in the morning to tell me so.

In the meantime, I listen to Julia wheeze, and strain to catch her breath, then breathe like she's run a race, and listen to the deep, crackly cough that takes my baby's breath from her. It's treatable at home, but it sounds serious and can be serious stuff. I just pray that it doesn't turn into anything more like pneumonia and that she does not become dehydrated. I'm having a really hard time getting her to eat or drink. She'd lost 1.25 lbs. today from last wednesday and went 26 hours without eating - we're talking not even Grandma's oatmeal raisin cookies that she was scarfing down like no tomorrow on Saturday!

I hope that she gets well soon - this certainly hasn't taken her spunk away. Even as bad as she felt this morning in the doctor's office she was very friendly,waving hello and saying hey, to people in the waiting room and at the front desk.

I just hope that you all would keep Julia in your prayers this week that she gets better instead of worse. I have been told it will get worse before it gets better. And that we're out of commission on activities and playdates for 2 weeks because we might make her little friends sick and we wouldn't want that!

Also, if you would, keep Mallory's brother, Tyler, in your prayers too. He also has RSV and pneumonia and was admitted to the hospital today. I love this little guy and hate that he's feeling so rotten right now. I'm fairly certain that Julia got this from him - not upset - just hope he gets well soon too.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I hope that Julia does not get to the going in the hospital point and that we fiend this off at home. I also hope Tyler gets to come home soon and get back to being a normal, rowdy boy.

Take care!

Sometimes I want to say something...

and don't know how to express my feelings.
And then I hear a song that says it exactly.
I purchased Linkin Park's Minutes to Midnight this past week. I'm a fan of some pretty dark sounding music - not sure why I like it - I just do. Anyhoo... I was listening in the car while I drove to Shelby, NC for work and track 7 just really hit me hard. I had tears come to my eyes as I listened because it explained all that I've felt about our nation's current situation with the military and the war. All that I've not been able to explain, all that I have tried to explain that only made others mad was encompassed in 2 verses. It was refreshing to know that someone out there was feeling the same and angry too at the situation.

Here are the lyrics (FYI - the f- word is used a few times) :

Hands Held High by Linkin Park

turn my mic up louder i got to say something

lightweights step it aside when we come in

feel it in your chest/the syllables get pumping

people on the street they panic and start running

words on loose leaf sheet complete coming

i jump in my mind and summon the rhyme i'm dumping

healing the blind i promise to let the sun in

sick of the dark ways we march to the drum and

jump when they tell us they want to see jumping

fuck that/i wanna see some fists pumping

risk something/take back what's yours

say something you know they might attack you for

cause i'm sick of being treated like i have before

like it's stupid standing for what i'm standing for

like this war's really just a new brand of war

like it doesn't cater the rich and abandon the poor

like they understand you in the back of the jet/when you

can't put gas in your tank/and these fuckers are laughing

their way to the bank/cashing the check

asking you to have compassion/have respect

for a leader so nervous in an obvious way

stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay

and the rest of the world watching at the end of the day

in their living room laughing like

what did he say?


in my living room watching/i am not laughing/'cause

when it gets tense i know what might happen

the world is cold/the bold men make action

have to react or get blown into fractions

ten years old/it's something to see/another

kid my age drug under a jeep

taken and bound/and found later under a tree

i wonder if he had thought the next one could be me

do you see/the soldiers/they're out today they

brush the dust from bulletproof vests away

it's ironic/at times like this you pray

but a bomb blew the mosque up yesterday

there's bombs in the busses/bikes/roads

inside your market/your shops/your clothes/my dad

he's got a lot of fear i know

but enough pride inside not to let that show

my brother had a book he would hold with pride

a little red cover with a broken spine

on the back/he had wrote a quote inside:

"when the rich wage war it's the poor who die"

and meanwhile/the leader just talks away

stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay

the rest of the world watching at the end of the day

both scared and angry like

what did he say?


with hands held high into a sky so blue

as the ocean opens up to swallow you