Where have I been Lately?

Well, besides having renovations done on our house, which by the way, is coming along so very nicely, and going to endless doctor appointments, which are all so stupid and for nothing because they don't tell you anything and charge you a fortune, right? So, to take my mind off all of that, I have been playing this game online called Evony. Oh my gosh, I can't get enough of it! It is just a game, you build a fort, it has soldiers and resources and it is all in real time and you have an alliance you join and chat with them online and they help you. I am so addicted. Anyway...that is where I have been. I have met peeps from all over the world. I have friends in Australia, Alaska, Ireland, all over here in the states, Canada, but my favorites are my Irish buddies. Anyway....if you online games, this is one you need to check out, I'm on there. Well, until we meet again, my lil bloggin buds, just wantin to let you know where I had been. I will keep you updated.

The blocks and foundation have been laid for renovations. Tomorrow they are coming to move the air conditioner and put up the framing. So little at a time, but its going. I may have progress pics soon. If I can get my camera to work. Off to bed with me now.

YEAH THEY ARE HERE!!!!!

they have arrived!! yes. no rain, no delays, they got permits and the workers are digging and pouring the cement foundation. so....it is happening peeps. im so excited. it should be done in like a month. whoooo hoooo, my stuff should be out of storage and i cant wait!!! well, i will keep you updated.

TO DAD'S EVERYWHERE...YOU ARE LOVED!

if you havent told him, you need to do it quickly. it is almost over!! your daddy needs to be told he is the most important "man" in your life! go quick, before its too late. i'll wait....

dad's are the ones that go out early in the morning and shovel the walks so we can have a clear walkway. they are also the ones that go get ice cream when mom was pregnant with you. or taco bell, or whatever she was craving. or he would change the flat tire when we all sat in the car when it was pouring rain. he would go and get all the boxes out of the attic or garage to set up all the Christmas decorations. he is the one that does all the yard work when it is 90* out or more. he is the one that puts his life on the line when no one else will, and goes to iraq while we wait for him to come home. he goes out in the field and plants all the corn or hay and harvests it in the fall. our dads do it all, kids.

yes, i know, some of us dont have our dads anymore. i dont. and i know some of you were raised by your moms. i was. but those of you who do, GO!!!! i just spent my 1st fathers day with my father-in-law. it was not anything spectacular on my part. but we (my husband and i) gave him a card and a shirt and pj's. he read the card and it brought him to tears. we wrote that it was the 1st time we were together for this holiday, and we were so blessed by it. he was so moved by. you just dont know how you will touch someones heart. SO GO RIGHT NOW, TELL THAT DAD OF YOURS, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. Jo

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY!!!

Well, we thought we were getting on with renovations, but when the rain comes every dad gum day, how are we to get foundations poured? How are we to expected peeps to come work in the rain? HOW AM I TO GET MY ROOMS DONE WITH THE RAIN HERE!!!! ok, i didn't mean to yell there, i just thought it being friday, and construction was starting LAST monday, well....it hasn't. because of RAIN!! every single day. today it didn't rain. but still no construction guys came. do they have to wait until the ground is dry now for them to come and start? cuz if they do....chances are, its gonna dad gum rain again for another whole month!! at this rate, it will be christmas before they get here. it was only supposed to take 3 weeks to do this. well one stupid week is gone already. anyway.....i will keep you posted in soggy, wet, drippy NC.

Another Renovation Again...but this will be NICE!!!

looks like tomorrow is the big day
for renovations to start. we are putting on an almost 900 sq ft addition on the back of the house to make room for um, US, i guess. this will be 2 extra LARGE bedrooms, one huge storage room, plus of course, all the closets to go in the rooms. we have no room now. so i guess it is for our things, mostly. they have been in storage now since march. and i guess the sad thing is, i dont really miss them. oh yeah, there are certain specific things i am looking for in the kitchen that mom in law doesn't have, you know, that gadget that you got at a pampered chef party, or your favorite knife, or some
thing like that. and OH, all my pictures, i really miss those. oh yeah, my comfy recliner....i kinda would like to ease into that baby again. and our big screen? haven't seen nor heard from it since march, he dont call or write....oh!!! MY BOOKS!! i wish i had them here too. we did get our bed out, THANK GOD! my back couldnt take any more of the other bed. i am just so afraid things might get taken, broken or worse, moldy. we already had some mice get into some stuff. ewwww, nasty. all in the garbage. apparently, someone packed some food items into some other boxes, and well, need i say more?

anyhoo, i was saying that we needed room for all that junk. but you know what? when it comes down to it, we have lived just fine without it all for all these months, except for personal pictures and family heirlooms, i really am worrying for nothing. it is just stuff. so if it is ruined, by golly, it isnt the end of the world. i have my life, my love, and my so called, somewhat health. my family is safe, and we are all loved. what more can we want? ok,
in like 3-4 weeks i will have my STUFF!!!! yes mamam!!! and if alls well that ends well, the house will hold it all!!! yup....all our stuff, and us. minus what the rats ate.....ewwww.

Ladies...It is time to be Squished!

It is time for your annual boobie squeezing ladies and this is your reminder. Don't wait.....don't hesitate. Go get squished now. And if you go DIGITAL it doesn't hurt as much! I didn't know that. I went for mine and the techncian told me because the digital was so sensitive, they didn't have to squeeze the "girls" in so hard. It captured all the tissue, it was that sensitive. So, don't wait like I did. I waited 5 years. Now I have to go for another part, they found a spot on my right breast, and I have to go for an ultrasound and another mammogram next week. But this is your reminder, ladies. I am sure this will probably be nothing. So let's all do this together and be healthy. Remind your mom's, sisters, daughters, friends, grandma's everyone that should have one. It woke me up. What ever comes from this, good or bad, I know God is in control of my life. But I felt like I also needed to do my part in letting others know to do what they need to also. GET CHECKED! Also, don't forget your annual pap smears either. Get the whole nine yards done all at once. You won't be sorry. If you are diagnosed with something, you would regret not having it done sooner. Heaven forbid for any of us to have such a disease. May God bless each of you. Jo

After 27 years, you would think we would be bored with each other!

We met rollerskating in 1982 in Bellevue, NE. 3 months later we got married. Many said it was a mistake and it would never last. Well, we did have a few rocky moments, but we did survive it and made it we did!!

We have two wonderful children who would die to know that I still call them kids. They are grown now and have married and their own kids. I am proudly the "Nonna" of 3. The oldest is Jordan, 3, she is Jonathan's and Jessica's. Then there is Molly, 1, she belongs to Jennifer and Matt. And the baby is Samuel, 8 months now, he is Jonathan's.

Our marriage started out rocky, and I don't profess it was an easy road. I owe it all to God and my husband because if it was not for them, this marriage would of failed a long time ago. Many times I was ready to give up. I married the most patient and loving man. He has put up with so much. I have many moods, and boy I am not afraid to use them!! Like I had control over it! lol Anyway, each time I was ready to give up, God changed my mind. I have such a loving husband and thank God he hasn't not given up on me. I did walk out on my family one time, and started driving from our house in CA to my sister's in NE. Well, on about halfway, I was beginning to get in the desert. I got out of my car. Started walking in the sand, no special direction, just started thinking about my life, my kids, my husband. At this time, I believe God spoke to me and told me to go back home. Not an audible voice like he did to Abraham, just a very strong impression on my mind that I should not have left. When I got back to the car, I called home crying, and my loving husband understood that I needed to get away. He told me to go on to my sisters and just have fun and come home when I was rested. I did go, but only stayed about 5 days. I couldn't wait to get home to my wonderful family!

Anyhoo....this man has made my life complete. I have known many guys, and none have even measured a fraction to the integrity of my baby. I know I am carrying on like a gushing new bride. What is my point, you ask? I do have one. I have read some blogs and in them see how many wives and husbands, and partners too, don't appreciate each other. Some others rave on about their spouses too. That inspired me too. (Granny! Thanks, love ya!) I don't have all the pics that went along like she did, but i did include two romantic ones.

Tomorrow will be 27 years. We plan to go to a Japanese Steak house. Tepanyaki is one of our favorite places. So, my bloggy buddies, please tell your spouses how much you love them no matter how long you have been married. It is never to late to start. You never know my friends, you just never know.

So, that is how it all started. And just a little tidbit of our journey. And where we are. Hope and pray you are doing well. God bless you all.

A Good Time For All!

a good time we all had at the family reunion. the only regret...it was too short. i think we would all agree. just as we got all the cob webs and wrinkles ironed out, our time was up. it really was too short. and dennis was only there for 4 short days. i had 7 generous ones. poor denden. and him not feeling as sparky as he used to. well, we got him a "testicle festival" t-shirt, i hope that made him feel better. "fresh from a velvety sac" it says. nope, i'm not trying them. i know some like them, not this girl.
anyhoo, we also had a 70's themed disco party on saturday. he couldn't attend that either, he left that morning. bummer. but we had a big "to do" the night before with marinated steak, corn-on-the-cob, grilled garlic toast on the barbie, baked beanies, potato salada, and of course, don't let us forget all the beer! then it wouldn't be complete without the dairy queen blizzard oreo ice ~ cream cake!!! let us not forget the bottle of champagne to fete the twin's 50th. we toasted them, (not with the garlic ones :0 ) but the the champagne in little tiny plastic cups. it was so cute. even the younguns participated. it was soooo special. then we ate up their cake. when everyone departed we had an actual BAPTISM of sorts. well, kind of. sort of. well...not really. ok....we just threw someone in the darn pool!! she really needed to be in there, ok? she was just asking for it. she is chris' daughter, emily. she was bugging everyone all night. just being a pest. you know the type. so, unbeknownst to me, really, i didn't know....someone....i won't mention diane's name, asked her if she could "try on her shoes" for a second. so she lets her. then one of her cousins asks her if she can "come in the garage" for a minute to talk. walk back from the garage, right by the pool, they play like they are going to throw her in. i say STOP!! this is not nice, and go over to try and rescue her, feeling her pockets for cell phones, wallets, anything of value, without her knowing, the boys, standing by.....lol....waiting....remember....i don't know anything. all i am doing is pretending to help her. then i turn around to walk away, all i heard was a big SLASH!!! it happened so fast, i didn't have time to get my camera or anything. by the time i got it, she was out of the pool and chasing the cousins. dang, i'm always a day late and a dollar short!!

The twins, Dennis and Denise, now 50

Having fun at the Casino with my brother Chris and I blogging into the night Dinner at the Japanese Restaurant

How I wish this week could of lasted....

As my sister stated in her blog, this week has gone by way too fast. A lot of memories have been shared. Tears have been shed. Laughs, until we cried. We have eaten until we almost popped! Told many stories and old jokes! It was a week of emotions. Through all of this, we had quite a bit of drama...if you have been following my sissies "C" blog, you may know of her relationship with her daughter and our middle sister. Well, throw all that in the mix, with us, me and my brother coming up, and LET THE DRAMA BEGIN!! It wasn't much, but it was enough to make my oldest sister Chris, you all know her as "C" go into a tail spin with worry. She wanted this week perfect! She worried the whole time that something would happen almost to the point of sickness. Poor thing. But she has always been that way. Always the mom to all of us, looking out for each of us and making sure we were taken care of. I tried so hard to make peace between the two sisters, and the mom and daughter. And even Dennis tried. Between both of us, I think we did good. We patched it up, at least for the week. I don't know if it will go beyond that, that will be up to them. We have decided that life is way too short to waste it on bickering over small petty little crap. We all came together there and it is much to rare an occasion for us to argue and gripe over NOTHING major. STUPID STUFF!! So let this be a lesson to all you bloggy buddies, take a point from us. There is nothing worth arguing over, NOTHING that is so important that should keep you away from family. Now....put down that coffee, or put aside your computer, and make that call. You know the one, make up with that family member you have not spoken with for the last 10 years. The one that you don't even know WHY you are not on speaking terms with. Life is too short. Be the mature one. If something happened to you or your loved one, God forbid it, one of you would never be able to forgive the other. So please, don't wait. Do it now. While you have the time. Life is precious. Time is flying by, and love, well, tell them you love them. It is not said enough. And this time, say it like you mean it. I love you, Toone. Je t'aime.