Mom's Place!

Hey all,

Made it safe and sound to Mom's on Saturday, early evening.  We've been having a great time and it's always so nice and relaxing to come here!

I had a great birthday yesterday! Thanks to everyone who send me messages or cards, etc.  I truly appreciate it.  Mom, myself and Jon all went to lunch at Glory Days restaurant and we just took our time and hung out and chatted and ate.  I got a free sundae when we were finished!  Mom and I then went to Hollywood Casino in West Virginia.  We actually go thru a couple of states and only takes about 45 minutes to get to.  I came out $10 ahead and she came out $35 ahead!  We did well.  Then, we headed back to Frederick after a short drive through a couple of small towns that Mom wanted to show me.  We hit up the movie theatre and saw "The Dark Knight Rises".  Excellent movie, but long!!  lol  We really enjoyed it.  Took a quick stop at Walmart and then headed to Jon's for a tiny birthday celebration with Jon and fam.  We stayed about an hour and then headed back to Mom's. 

Today, Mom worked so she left me a list of chores to do around here for her.  I just barely finished it all and took a shower and it's after 2:30!  I should add I took my time getting it all done, plus putting the curtains back on their rods took forever!  Darn things didn't wanna work correctly!!  We are gonna watch a DVD tonight and I'm sure we will see Jon etc at some point today. 

The rest of my trip consists of finding a beach, eating at a waffle house, eating seafood at a "local" establishment, stopping by Kohl's and watching a couple more movies.  Should be a fun time.  I've also been running every morning, which I love doing, cuz then I don't get behind on my workouts!!  Running at sea level is so much easier than the mountains!!

Tyler made it back from Ireland just fine and had a wonderful time!  While he was gone, Kalyn had to have her gall bladder removed so she missed some school, but is feeling so much better!!  She actually graduated on Saturday, but just has to keep going to school for two weeks to get all her time in.  She will be moving to Kansas at the end of the month and is really looking forward to that.  She wants to come to Maryland to visit her Gram and also wants to come to NM. 

Tj and Diana will be in Los Alamos when I get back!  They will be there for a few weeks.  Ellen and fam will also be coming for a visit so I will get to see their new baby boy, Turner. 

That's about all the news for now...i plan to step these up and/or send out family newsletters again.  I will have to gather email addresses and get working on that!  I'm finding that my Dad and Gram Shirley are being left out of the "loop" on some things that are going on and so Mom suggests I get back with the newsletters.  Sounds good to me!!  Talk to you soon and until next time...  :)

Happy July!!!!!

Hey all,

Where to begin??  One must always begin....AT the beginning....  :)

Lots going on....

First off, Mike and I are doing really well. Taking our relationship extremely slow, so I suppose that is a good thing.  He turns 50 on Friday the 13th, so he has some family flying in this week and I will also get to meet his oldest son, Dustin, who lives in Denver.  Mike's mom, Jan, turns 80 on the 12th, so I suppose the family is also coming to see HER!  :)  They are going to have a combined party this coming Thursday evening and then not sure what the rest of the weekend will hold.  I took next weekend off (and also the next several weekends) so that I could join in on any activities they might do.  Plus, we didn't know for sure when the party would be, etc.  Mike also has his class reunion this coming weekend, but we may only go have cocktails one evening.  Mike has been competing in several golf tournaments this summer and this weekend is no exception!  He played on the 4th, yesterday and now today is the final leg of it.  He's pretty busy so I find myself home early a lot, so that he can go to bed.  We went to an Isotopes game at the end of June and that was a lot of fun.  He had never been to a game like that, so he really enjoyed it.

I ran the Firecracker 5K this year and finished in my goal time of 30 minutes!!  I was soooo proud of myself and have to say I ate very conservatively the last couple of weeks and did some outside running and that helped a lot!  They have this run yearly on the 4th of July.  It was a gorgeous, cool morning and perfect conditions!  Mike's brother in law came and watched me and took some pics.

Kalyn is moving to Kansas!!  She will be continuing her schooling in Manhattan, KS and go to a cosmetology school there.  I believe Shane and Stephanie will be picking her up around the weekend of August 11th.  She is pretty excited to go live with them and finish school.  I think her plan is to return here afterwards and figure things out!  K went to Eau Claire this past week to hang and say goodbye to everyone!  She won't get another chance, so she decided to go now while she had the week off from school.

Tyler is leaving early Monday am for Ireland with his girlfriend, Sydney and her mom!!  He is very pumped about it too!  He gets back Friday the 20th, I believe.  Tyler plans to live here until next August.  He wants to pay off his car, student loans, bills, get his car fixed before he moves on.  He told me that moving back home was the best decision he made so that he can get all this stuff figured out.  He thanks me all the time, so that's nice!!

I plan to stay here since I have good jobs, etc and just see what life brings me.  I love it here and have lots of friends, so I would hate to leave it just yet.  The scenery isn't too shaby either!!

Our beloved church had a fire on the 4th of July!!  The entire sanctuary is gutted.  They are thinking that arson was involved and it happened about 10:15am on the 4th!  I had JUST driven by the church when a saw a post on my phone that the church was on fire!!  I was like.."what?  I just drove past it and it was fine!" Very crazy stuff....the ATF is involved and now our services for Sunday will be held at the church next door at 4pm.  Everyone pulled together and boarded it up and then the next day, they took food over to the firefighters for their hard work!  I stopped over there (I was on my way to Santa Fe when the fire broke out) when I got back into town on the 4th, to offer my support and hugs.  Everyone was in complete shock...very sad!

My plans for the next few weekends are as follows:
14/15th- Mike's party---family here
21/22nd- Mike has golf tourney in ABQ that we are both going to attend.  
28th- fly to Baltimore to see Mom and Jon and his family for my birthday!  I fly back Friday the 3rd of August.
In between all that, I will be working away!  :)  Hope you all are well out there and please keep in touch!  Until next time!!  :)

June!

Hey all,

Finally caught up from vacation and am able to get on here and post!!  Had to work a lot of days in a row at the gym at the end of May to catch up and make some money before the payroll ended.  We get paid once a month at the gym, so for the month that we work, we get paid the next month around the 5th.  I only got about 1/2 of what I normally make, cuz I was gone, but it all worked out just fine!  Thank goodness I have vacation pay at the bank!  :)  It's been good to be back...everyone missed me and everyone loved the beer I brought back for them! 

Been seeing Mike Lippiatt a lot!  He's a great guy and we have a lot of fun!  Last weekend, we went to the casino and we danced and played a few slots.  Got home about 2:30 am and then he had to be up to deliver a paper route at 5 am, so he barely got any sleep that night.  We try to get together as often as we can and things are going really well.  Taking things very slowly!!  He got to meet a bunch of my friends last night at Chamber Fest events and also today, so its nice to show him off.  He calls me a "celebrity" in town, cuz everyone knows me!  lol  He grew up here and then left for 30 years and moved back almost 2 years ago now, so he hasn't been around consistantly, but still knows a lot of people around here.  We went out last night cuz his youngest son, Patrick (who lives here also), is leaving for Army basic on Monday am.  His basic is in Ft. Leonardwood and he will be going to AIT training for satellite communications, like Jon did!  Patrick is 22 and a real sweetheart!  Mike's family is throwing him a party at their house today, so when I am off work, I will head over there.  Mike's other son, Dustin, lives in Denver and is working and going to school.  He is 25.   

Kids are doing well! Tyler leaves for Ireland on July 9th!!  I gave him his birthday money early so that he could do his passport thing and so he was happy about that.  Tyler's girlfriends mom paid for the airline ticket.  He is saving what he can for food, etc, while he is there.  He's going with his girlfriend Sydney and also her mom.  Kalyn is doing really well in school and I couldn't be more proud of her.  She is out buying a waxing system so she can start doing waxes on the side for cash. 

House is finally transferred over to my landlord, Bruce.  He had to have me and Shane sign two documents for title transfer, etc, but finally got that back in the mail from Shane and then went and got it registered.  It's nice to be done with it all.  Only took 14 months to finish...sheesh!

I'm planning to upgrade my phone in July, so with all my b'day money, I plan to get the Iphone and then a carrier for running for my arm!  I'm very excited and can hardly wait!  My contract is up on the 24th of July, so that will be great timing!

Well, that is all the news for now...keep in touch and love to all!!  Until next time....

Wisconsin Trip 2012....

Hey all!!  I'm back from my trip and it was a wonderful time seeing family and spending time with everyone!  Loved being with Kalyn and Sasha very much also!!  Here is a day by day depict of our activities...this is a LONG one!  Enjoy and until next time....

Road trip to Eau Claire, WI- May 2012

Me and mom left Sat. am and pulled out of the driveway at 5:59 am!!  We had great talks and only stopped about 3-4 times that day.  We drove over 900 miles and spent the night in Omaha, NE.  The next day we were on the road by 7 am and got to EC at 2:30pm.  We met Kalyn at the gas station by Gram's place and then drove over to Gram and Gramps.  Jenni and Trent showed up and we all ate a delicious Mother's Day meal of boxed lasagna!  We took some photos and then it was time to get over to Dad's place to see Sasha and Dad and Lori.  We had a good evening and got to sleep around 10pm. 

Mon the 14th...

Woke up about 8am and decided to finally get up about 8:30.  I got ready for a run and took Sasha with me.  It was a long one and wore Sasha out.  I then got stuff out to scrub the front of the cars and get all the bugs off.  I also fixed a part under K's car and attached it so it wouldn't drag/fall off!  Then, Kalyn and I got ready for the day and left the house about 11:20.  We drove over to Pizza Del Re and had lunch buffet!  It was delish!!!  Then, we drove both cars over to Gram's as Gram as a surprise guest for us!  We got there and Dianne from Gram's old job was there. She's a short, cute lady and very nice!  Mom and Gram had gotten Culver's for lunch so they were all eating and chatting.  Dianne left and so K and I got ready to go wash cars.  As we were leaving, Auntie Jean showed up, so we got to see her.  We took K's car and got a carwash and vacuum done and then drove back to Gram's to wash windows and dry it off.  Kalyn and I took my car next and just vacuumed it.  Then, Kalyn and I drove to Farm and Fleet to get Sasha's flea and tick stuff.  Next, we drove to Petsmart and Walmart and got a few things there and printed a few pics of Mother's Day.  Drove back to Dad's house to spend a bit of time with Sasha and got ready to go meet Tj and Diana as they were in EC for night!  We picked up Mom and us three met them at Azul Tequila for dinner!  We had a wonderful time chatting/drinking and snapping photos.  After 2 and a half hours, we headed out and said goodbye.  We drove over to North High School and watched a band concert!  We sat next to Jamie and Bev and Babe and Gram.  It was wonderful music!  We took pics after with Bruce and Jamie.  Drove Gram back home, got to say hi to Gramps and also dropped Mom off.  Came back to house and got ready for bed.  This time didn't get to full sleep until about 11pm. 

Tue the 15th...

Woke up early, but fell back to sleep.  Got Sasha going again for a shorter run as the weather didn't look the best out there.  I've got an oil change set up for the car as I wanted to have all that done before the long drive back next week.  Toyota took care of the car and got fully serviced!  Oil changed, tires rotated, etc.  Went back to Dad's and helped K finish her laundry and ate.  Around 12:30 we finally headed out for the day.  We drove out to the Oakwood mall and stopped at a few shops and then got a snack of ice cream at DQ and some Rocky Rococo pizza to share.  We tried to use the photo booth, but it was broken!  We stopped at a few Auto shops looking for a steering wheel cover for K and then stopped at the $1 store and got a few items.  We noticed my front license plate broke, so went to Gram and Gramps cuz I knew Gramps would fix it for me!  Got over there and sure enough he fixed it for me!  Hopefully it holds for awhile.  We chatted with them and then it was time to head back to Dad's to play with Sasha before Trent's ball game.  Kalyn dropped her phone in the couch and we helped her retrieve it, but for some reason it fell WAY down into the couch and so we all had to tip the couch over and eventually, Dad had to actually take the couch apart on the bottom to retrieve the phone.  I don't think Dad was very happy about this, but we apologized over and over and hopefully he's ok with it.  We ended up being very late for the game, but did make it down there and watch Trent's team win!  We got hugs from Wade and chatted with him as well.  Afterwards, we were Mom's ride back to Gram's so we stopped at Milwaukee Burger Co on the way to eat since we hadn't had dinner yet.  It was very delish and I had my very first deep-fried cheese curds!  Yummy!  We took Mom back to Gram's and went inside for a few to chat.  K and I were also looking for a lanyard for her, so we stopped at Mega before heading back to Dad's.  No luck, so got back to Dad's and got ready for bed. 

Wed the 16th...

Got up about an hour early as we are meeting everyone at Gram's at 10 to go shopping, etc.  Jenni, Trent, me, K and Mom are all spending the day together.  Jill and Tim will be in town later so there will be a party from 4-8 at Gram's.  Took Sasha for another run, this time it was a long one!  Got ready and we were at Grams before 10!!  Jenni and Trent arrived about 10:45, so we were already running a bit behind.  Jill, Tim and Michelle all showed up about 10:15, so we got to sit and chat with them for a bit before heading out.  Finally headed out and went to Walmart first to get some pictures printed up.  Went to Fazoli's for lunch and Mom paid!  Went back to Walmart and picked up pics.  I bought the movie "New Year's Eve" too.  Headed over to Oakwood and got a few items and took pics in the photo booth with Kalyn.  My mom did too as she has never done that before!  We thought we lost Trent as we were leaving the mall, and Jenni was a bit concerned, as we all were for a few minutes!!  A nice sales lady brought him to us and all was well after a few tears were shed.  We headed back to Dad's and let Sasha out and then drove to Chippewa to the Leinenkugel's brewery!  I had one beer and bought souvenirs.  Then, we drove over to a liquor store so I could purchase the beer I had wanted to bring back to New Mexico with me.  We then headed back to Gram's and there were several peeps there for the party.  We got there right at 4, so that was good.  Jacque's friend Jane was there as was Jill's friend Sandy.  Hadn't seen either of them for quite awhile.  About 20 people were there.  Very good snacks were served.  Right before 6, Kalyn and I needed to head out and get ready to drive to Minneapolis for the night.  Kalyn already missed two days of school, so I came back with her for one night.  I also had a facial scheduled with her too.  We got to Dave and Heidi's house right around 8:30.  Brought in all her stuff and our bags and then chatted for a few with D and H and then got settled in for the night.  Mom had texted that someone broke into Bev and Babe's house and come to find out it was their grandson, Tommy!!  Quite an exciting night!  K and I finally went to sleep about 10:30 after watching Army Wives.  I sewed a button on her pants and put her new fan together, so all my motherly duties were caught up!!

Thurs the 17th....

Slept pretty well at Kalyn's but had to wake up early and drive K to school, so that I knew how to get there for my facial!!  It was pretty simple finding it and after dropping her off, I came back to the house and showered and got ready to go back over there.  Arrived at Aveda and checked in, then they called my name after a few minutes and showed me upstairs.  Kalyn came and got me and gave me a very wonderful, relaxing facial!!  Her instructor came in twice to check on things and all turned out very well!!  I bought a couple of products and then we had a nice little lunch together, right there at the school cafe!  I left and stopped at a bank to pick up K's parking quarters and then got back to D and H's house.  I put on my makeup for the day and then decided I was bored and thought I would clean the house while I waited to go pick up Kalyn at 4:30.  I did dishes, scrubbed the bathroom shower floor, cleaned the stove, cleaned bathroom sinks, swept K's room, hall and stairs, then swept kitchen, bathroom and living room.  It is a cloudy and windy day today in Minneapolis!  I will be driving back to EC tonight.  I picked up K from school and we drove out to Roseville, where she used to work, and had Arby's for dinner.  We drove back over where she lives and stopped at Target for a few items and then the grocery store to get her some food for a couple of days.  Got back to the house and put her new steering wheel cover on and also a sticker for her car, saw Sasha, didn't see Dave or Heidi, but sent them a text saying "thanks", and then it was time for me to get on the road!  I got thru the cities just fine and made it back to Gram and Gramps about 8:15, after stopping at the gas station to scrub my windshield clean.  Mom showed back up at Gram's about 9-ish so we all chatted until almost 10.  I drove back to Dad's and did my nails and then fell asleep with the tv on.  Didn't sleep too well, but it was ok.

Fri the 18th...

Woke up on and off, but finally got up at almost 8.  Organized my suitcase and threw a load of laundry in the wash while I went for a long run!  Got back about 9 and then ate, showered and finished laundry.  About to head over to Gram's and then on the road to Madison!!  Should be nice to see the Aunties!  Drove over to Bud's hair salon and saw Gram and Gramp while she got her hair done.  Then, stopped at St. Pat's cemetary and visited Gram and Gramp Wilson graves.  I also snapped a pic.  Drove over to Gram's and we chatted and ate a quick lunch (gramp made me a grilled cheese) and then we finally hit the road to Madison about 12:30.  Had a nice drive and got there at 4 pm.  Chatted with the Aunties and Julie made margaritas and chips and salsa!  Finally had pizza and then watched "New Years Eve".  I fell asleep but woke up towards the end.  Me and mom slept in Jacque's bed.  Went to bed at midnight. 

Sat the 19th...

Woke up about 8 and chatted with the ladies, then got in the shower while Julie cooked French toast, eggs, sausage and fruit.  We all ate and chatted.  Finally got ready and snapped pics and said goodbye and then I was on the road back to EC at noon.  Got back at 3 and filled up with gas, etc, grabbed a Burger King burger and headed over to see Gram before meeting Kalyn back at Dad's house.  Gramp arrived before I left for Dad's so got to see him quick.  Drove over to Dad's and K arrived with Sasha. We unloaded her and then waited for a call from Ann to hook up with them for the evening.  In the meantime, the bathroom door got locked with no one in there, so had to deal with that chaos.  K finally got a hold of Ann, so we met up with her and Haley and Lori at Azul Tequila for snacks and drinks.  Matt, Haley's boyfriend, joined us and then later, Jenni and Trent showed up.  We had a great time with our waiter, Chi, as well.  We were all pretty sloshed from the margaritas, so went to play some drunken bowling at Wagner's.  The guy had us play a game where he would have one fluorescent pin and if it was in the 1 position, and we bowled a strike, we would win a $2 bill.  Both K and I each won one and Haley and Matt did too, but as a spare.  It was a great time of fun and drinking.  We got back to Dad's at midnight.

Sun the 20th...

Got up late and took Sasha for a long run/walk.  K got in shower and we just hung around the house for a bit.  K and Lori went to Starbucks and then me and K headed to Chippewa to see Cousin Becky.  Had a nice visit with her for an hour, then hit up Burger King and then stopped at Jenni's for a bit. We then drove to Gram and Gramps and hung out for awhile before the bbq at Dad's.  Got to Dad's right at 4...Dad got things ready to grill and Jenni and Trent showed up!  Had some delish burgers and talking.  Sasha disappeared and we figured out she opened the kitchen door and ran outside!  We thought we had lost her, but she was right across the street playing with the dog over there.  Got her under control and got rid of two ticks on her and then Kalyn and I said our goodbye's to Jenni and Trent and then K and I headed out to see the movie "The Lucky One".  We stopped at Walgreen's after and then headed back to Dad's.  Lori was still up so we chatted with her and I made a list for the things to get done for Monday.  Kalyn drives back to Minneapolis on Mon, eve...so gotta get her laundry and shopping taken care of. 

Mon the 21st...

Got up around 8 and started K's laundry and take Sasha for her final run with Gramma. Got back to the house and did dishes and a load of laundry for Dad, then after a bit, we got ready to run errands.  Kalyn filled up her car first and got most of the car packed so that she was ready to go.  We found another bag of dirty laundry so decided to take that to Gram's since we were going there for dinner (roast!).  First we drove out to Olive Garden and used my gift card I had won at the gym.  Then, we went to Petsmart and I bought Sasha a "kong" toy for her for while she is in her crate.  Then, we went to the $1 store and the grocery store so I could get a few items for my trip back and to make copies of a letter that Gram had typed up about Aunt Flo's life.  We did all that and then took everything back to Dad's and sat around there since Lori came home.  Then, we headed over to Gram's and ate a delicious dinner and did laundry.  Kalyn said her goodbye's and then her and I headed to the store again to get her some groceries!  Drove back to Dad's and she got loaded up and left!!  I hung around with Dad for a bit and then headed back to Gram's so Gramp could put that plate cover on my car, but it ended up not working out.  Gramps gave me meat to take home and Gram's friend was over at their house too.  We had a good goodbye session and then I went back to Dad's right before 10.  I went to bed and had everything ready for the am to just get up, dress and leave!

Tues the 22nd...

Got up at 5:30 and left Dad's house right before 6am.  I filled up with gas and was on my way.  I drove 17 hours this day and got all the way to Canon City, CO, to stay with Jill, and I'm glad I went!  No issues along the way at all.  I did miss the turn for the shortcut to Jill's, but oh well!  Got to her house about 10:15pm and I was beat!

Wed the 23rd...

Didn't sleep too well, but got up and got ready and then chatted with Jill and Tim and then Jill escorted me out of town (we had to pull over to hug goodbye!), and then I was on my way again!  I stopped for gas in Pueblo and cleaned out the car a bit and then headed off!  No issues at all....stopped in SF for gas, food then in Pojoaque for a car wash and then had to stop at Bruce's office to sign something, then pick up a pizza and then finally home!  I mowed and clipped the lawn and watered, cleaned up house, watered plants, got laundry going, ate, chatted with the neighbor, dishes and floor mopped. 

Awesome 12 day trip!!!

Vacation starts in a week!!

Hey all,

Thought I would post on here one last time before my vacation!!  Me and Mom leave from here next Saturday!  Should be a great time out on the road!  Mom gets here Wednesday afternoon, so I will leave work at 1 and drive to ABQ to pick her up.  I only work today, Monday and Tuesday at the gym and then I am off from there until the end of the month!  I work all week at the bank and then off until the 30th.  Should be a fun time off!  I'm glad Mom will get to spend a little time with Tyler and will also get to meet his girlfriend Sydney!  We also plan to go to Gabriel's (probably Thurs eve) with Kevin while she is here only a few days.

We get to Gram's house on Mother's Day so that will be nice to be with my Gram, Mom, daughter and sister all on Mother's Day!  Gram will have a lasagna dinner ready for us.  I will be staying at my Dad's with Kalyn and Sasha!  Lots of little things planned and a trip down to Madison to see the Auntie's down there too!  Trent has a baseball game one night and then of course myself, Jenni, Kalyn and Trent will all spend Wednesday together going to the Mall and having lunch. 

That's about all the news I have!! Can't wait to see everyone and wish us safe travels!!  Love to all and until next time....

Almost vacation time!!!

Hey all!!

Another wonderful day in New Mexico!!  Love living here and very thankful for my 3 jobs!!!  A lot of people cannot say that right now and it's so sad out in the work force these days....

Well, I am anxiously counting down to seeing everyone in Minn and Wisc!!  15 days!! Woo!  Kalyn is VERY excited to see me and I cannot wait to see her!  It's been 7 long months since I've seen her last.  We talk just about everyday on the phone, but not seeing her is different, to say the least!  Mom arrives here on the 9th and then we head out on the road, the morning of the 12th.  I'm sure we will have a couple of good days here (eating at Gabriel's) with Tyler and Mom getting her NM fix. She loves it here!!  We will arrive on Mother's Day in EC and Kalyn plans to already be there, so it will be good to be together for Mother's Day.  Should be a really great time!

Things here are good!!  I'm keeping busy with work and working out and stuff around the house.  I've got some really good friends here that keep me busy too, so there's always a house gathering or movie to go see. I'm truly blessed all the way around!

Kiddos are good...cats are good...what else could I want!?  ;)  This is short and sweet, until next time....

it's me finally!!

Hey all,

Been super busy, as always! Just working away and working out are my life right now. I'm very thankful for my family and friends and jobs and thankful to God that he made all this possible!

Kalyn had to have a ton of work done on her car! I got approved for a credit card with the Napa place she went to so most of that went on that card. Now I gotta work on paying that back! Kalyn helped a little and also cancelled her gym membership, so she can help too. She's glad the car is running great now, so hopefully that was that for awhile! Kalyn is loving school and doing really well! Can't wait to see her in May!!

Tyler is having car issues too. His car has a violent shaking at about 65-80 mph. We had the tires rotated and balanced and it still does it, so we are gonna have to have someone look at the drive shaft, etc and see whats up. Kevin offered to have his buddy work on it at a discount and then Tyler's boss, Brian, will let Tyler make payments if we go to him at his auto shop and do it. So, we shall see....I can't afford anything else right now, so he might have to be on his own for this one. I like to help when I can, but boy things have been crazy with money again. Oh well! He is working on getting a passport, etc as him and his gf and mom are all going to Ireland (??, I think??) in July/August. He's trying to save money up for that too.

Just had Jesse's one year death anniversary on Thursday! What a rough/sad day! I cried the evening before, just thinking about him and then Thursday morning while getting ready for work. It is just a shame how a life can be gone! We were so close to Jesse and had just seen him two weeks prior to his suicide! Tyler was extremely close to him, especially when they both lived in ABQ together. Very sad and we will always miss him so much! He was so smart and talented. Pure shame...

I did go see "The Hunger Games", not just once, but twice!! Great movie! I am reading the book, but have been so busy lately, I'm still at the beginning. I have the 2nd book on hand too, for when I'm done with the first.

Catrina and I went out last night. First, we went to the High School Rugby game and then over to the Canyon. She had to leave early, but I had friends there so we shot pool and stuff. She is seeing a new guy, Jeff, so we've been going out the past couple of weekends! I haven't had to buy any of the beer yet! We keep getting our drinks bought for us! lol

Really looking forward to vacation to Minnesota/Wisconsin! We leave from here Saturday, May 12th, get to Wisconsin the evening of the 13th/Mother's Day and then I will drive back on the 22nd and 23rd. I'm excited to see everyone and just get away. I finally told Tyler about the trip last night, but he can't afford to miss 8 days of work, so he will stay home and cat-sit for me. :) I had thought about going to Wisconsin Dells, while we are there, but decided against it. After helping K pay for her car, I just don't have the extra funds, like I thought. So, maybe we will jaunt down to Madison and see Auntie Jacque since I haven't seen her in forever!! :)

Well, I am working at the gym, but wanted to catch ya'all up on the happs. Not much, but we are all doing well, which is the important part! Until next time....