Happy Heavenly Birthday, Dad

My Dad would be 71 years old today.  But, today he is celebrating his second birthday in heaven.  Look at that his smile.  He always smiled, he was funny, a great husband to my mom, a dad to me and my brothers, he was the BEST dad, he was a father in law to my best sister-in-laws and most of all he was a papa.  He sure enjoyed being a papa and loved his grandkids.  He would do anything for you.  You are so missed.  I love you, Dad and would do anything to hear your voice and see your smile again !!

My mom and I will be going to the butterfly garden today.  He was cremated and his ashes were spread around the butterfly garden at the church.  Again, Dad, your whole family misses you so much.  I love you!

"The BOOBS are out of the bag...I mean bra!"

Hey everyone!  This is Jane, Dawn's SIL.  She asked me to update you all.  As you can see from the title, yup, the boob surgery is a secret no more! It is all good too!  From the moment that Dawn arrived in FL, she was wondering how, when and if she would share the news.  She had been talking to Roy on the phone on several different occasions since arriving and he kept asking her "did you tell her, yet?"  "when are you going to tell her?"  Of course, with Dawn's mom standing right next to her, Dawn's answers could only be "not yet," "not now,"  "I don't know."  So, it was inevitable and time to tell her...her responses were making her mom uneasy.  Dawn simply said "Mom, on Sept 1, 2010, I had my breast reduction!"  "Do you want to see?"  Her mom wasn't mad or upset.  She actually said "I thought your shirts looked bigger."  I am sure that Dawn is relieved to have her mom know the procedure was done and that she is healing well.

Dawn is settling in for her Florida visit too.  I know that she is glad to be with her mom and to assess how she is doing.  From the sounds of things, Sharon is independently mobile, and has been working really hard on her therapy and has lost some weight too.  They will enjoy mother/daughter time.  I told Dawn on the phone a few minutes ago that now that they both have lost so much weight, that they could spoon in the bed.  Ha! Ha!

I usually view Dawn's blog on internet explorer and as of today, I am not able to view the new design/blog etc.  I have no problem viewing it through Firefox.  Just an FYI.

Motivaton Monday

I am back to doing this !  Jeannette and myself are the only ones that I 'know' that are participating in the Virtual Biggest Loser Contest !  I get an email with a list of everybody else participating, but I don't 'know' them !!  haha

So, this week:  I am drinking more water and less coke zero.  Wow, the headaches I am having from caffeine.  But, it is all worth it for me to be more healthier.  I am also going to go back to the gym when I come back from Florida.  I can rock my world there.

Start packing today !!  :)  I am really looking forward to going down to see Mom.  I call her everyday, but I called her several times yesterday while I was at Wal Mart to see if she needed anything else.  I asked her if she needed deodorant, toothpaste or anything like that and she said she was fine.  I have to trust her.  

About Face Book yesterday, I just checked it quickly.  I am doing pretty good, but I do feel an addiction.  I guess you could say that I am more nosy that anything !  LOL

Busy.. busy day !!  Florida bound Tuesday morning.  I have to be at the airport at 7:00 am.  I live an hour and a half from the airport.  We are leaving at 5:30.  What time am I getting up ?!?!?!  Can you say 4:30 !!  Oh, it is a new experience for me, too.  I am changing airplanes this time.  I am not flying direct.  I know, sigh.  I fly from St. Louis, to Chicago Midway.  (Flying Southwest).  Change planes, Southwest terminal.  From Chicago to Ft. Myers.  Then on Wednesday, when I fly home.  I don't fly direct.  I fly from Ft. Myers to Orlando.  From Orlando to St. Louis.  I went the cheap route.  But, with Southwest you don't have to pay for your luggage.  I am doing some blog posts that are already are scheduled.  But, I will let you know what my mom says about my breast reduction as soon as I can get to the computer where she lives !!  :)  Until then... good bye !!  :)

Hi

I almost did it !!  I was off of face book until last night.  I was doing laundry and got my suit case out.  I kept texting Roy and sending him pictures of Pedro.  He replied back, Mommy is bored."  I have been running like a chicken with my head cut off and I am in the lull where it is too early to pack and I have done everything there is to do that needs to be done before I go.  I actually closed my eyes when Roy left work at 5:30 (he is working nights this weekend) and when I opened them it was 6:00.  I was pooped!

Here is my baby, Pedro !!  :)

 

I guess, it is going to be a long Sunday, but I did get an extra hour of sleep !! :)

Are You Getting Tired Of My Long Updates ?

Ok, here goes !!  What a busy week !!  Remember neighbor, Cathy ?!?!?  Okay, well I am still helping she and Jason.  I spent all day with them, where my surgeon is, 90 miles round trip, on Tuesday.  She is still having 'female' problems.  The urologist wanted to do a peek and see into her bladder.  I will save you the long story and cut to the details, we left at 10:00 and got home at 8:00 on Tuesday.  All is good.  Nothing found !!  :)   On Wednesday, spent the day in St. Louis, left at 8:00 and got home at 5:30.  Roy had an appointment with the surgeon who did his head and neck surgery.  No lumps and no bumps !!  Can you say happy ?!?!?!?  He doesn't seem him for two years !!  Had 2 1/2 hours between appointments, we ran to my favorite store, Catherine's, real close to Washington University.  They had all of there 'new' end of the summer clothes, markdown and then another 40% off !!  I got a cute shirt, jacket and pair of paints !!  It is going to Florida with me !!  Thursday, I had an appointment and running around like C R A Z Y for my mom.  Buying her Christmas cards, paper, eye drops, stamps and stuff like that.  Also, breakfast bars for me and a few snacks.  She hasn't been to the grocery store since I left in August.  All of her meals are provided for her.  But, she likes to eat breakfast in her room.  I know all of the stuff that I bought for her before I left is gone and I know she doesn't go down to eat.  I do send her a box of food a month.  So, in other words, I can't wait to get down there to access this whole situation !!!!!! 

Back to Thursday, I saw my psychiatrist.  Remember, I am bipolar and was having some mania problems.  All is good and I am fine.  Just taking my mood stabilizer.  :)  But, I did say..... that he had gotten the high speed internet, and I was really... really spending tooo much time on FB.  We talked about it.  He asked how much?!?!?  I will just say... that is what a lot !!!!  So, you won't see me much on FB anymore, at least for a trial.  I really genuinely care about people and I have this 'thing' that I have to check FB to see what is happening.  We all do it right ?!?!?!?  I even check when I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom !!!  So, enough is enough !!  I am going to spend more time blogging !!  :)    I am not leaving FB, but not checking in so much or frequently.   Also, on our plan with high speed internet plan, that he currently have, I am only allowed 5 gig's of allowance a month.  That is a lot.  But, I did go over my first month !!  Too much online time !!  I have a friend who also has this and I told her, she said she never comes close, asked me how many games and movies that I downloaded and I didn't do any of that !! 

Oh, I know I am jumping around.  But, remember my Mom doesn't know anything about my breast reduction surgery !!!  What do you think she is going to say ?!?!?!?!!  Any ideas ?!?!?!  I see her this Tuesday at 3:00.  I went from a 40FF to a 40B !!!!  Okay, let's play a game and let's see who guess's what she might say ?!?!

I had a friend suggest to me to call Mary Kay to see what I could do with all this product that I have.  I did and I can return it for 90% of my money !!  I got the form today, so when I get home, I just have to take inventory, sign the paper that I am giving up my Mary Kay thing and returning my inventory.  I am so happy !!  I just have to talk to my director.  I will cross that bridge when I get home.

Ok, I have something else I want an opinion on.  I hope this works !!  When I was in Florida, I bought this wig.   Above.  See my wonderful SIL, Jane.  She met me at the airport when I got back just to take a picture of me in my new wig that I got. 

Since I have been home, I have gotten this one, above.  See, flat chest ?!?!?!  LOL  Ok, my mom doesn't know that I have this one.  She will probably hate it, that is just the way she is.  She hated the one above it.  But, anyway, I am going to take tons of pictures and I don't want to freak people out, 'if' I put them on FB, (why should I care?!?!), so, which wig should I wear ?!?!?!  (See, the least I tell my mom, the better !!  I have learned this since the last few months.)

and... least but, not last.... yesterday was the weigh in for the VIRTUAL BIGGEST LOSER COMPETITION !!  My friend, blogging buddy, and FB friend. Lauren, is hosting the contest !!  There is a monetary prize for the virtual biggest loser at the end.  I am suppose to weigh in each Friday and say if I loss/gain/or stayed the same.  But, next Friday I am in Florida and my mom doesn't have a scale.  So, I will weigh in in two weeks.  

So, to recap, you probably won't see me on FB as 'frequently' or as much.  This is really going to be H A R D !!!  I really am like a druggie with an addiction.  What do you think my mom is going to say about my breast reduction ?!?!  What wig do you think I should wear, the one my mom knows that I have, or my new one ?!?  (Remember, I am just asking because of pictures on FB) 

Thanks for your opinions on this post !!  :)  I will do a post while I am in Florida.  Oh, my mom doesn't know that I blog !!  LOLOL 

Jenn Tagged Me

This is fun.  She got asked 4 questions by another blogger.  She was tagged.  She answered those questions.  Then she was to write another 4 questions and tag 4 people.  Did you follow ?!?!?  Well, I got tagged in the end of it.

Here are the questions:  If you could be anyone besides yourself for an entire day, who would it be and why?

My answer is (and this is tough).  My Dad (first) because he has been gone almost two years and you will never know how much I miss him.  His birthday is coming up on the 12th.  This will be his second birthday in heaven.  Dad, I miss you so much.. and love you!!!!  Then of course, my Mom, Roy, brothers, SIL's and then of course my blog friends and FB friends.  I would love to meet in person my blogging friends !!  :)

Next question:  What is your favorite day of the week, and why?

I don't have one.  Surprised ?!?!?  Probably not.  Since Roy's weeks vary every other week, I pretty much do my stuff when he is working.  I go to bed when I want and I get up when I want.  I don't need a lecture, but we don't go to church, except holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and when I am in Florida with my mom.  So, I love each day of the week.  I don't know what day each week is going to bring because of Roy's work schedule.  When he work's days.  He gets up at 4:30 in the morning and gets home at 7:45 and is HUNGRY !!!!!!!  We eat, he showers, watch the news and we go to bed.  When he works nights he gets off at 7:00 in the morning gets home at 7:45, showers, eats and goes to bed.  Pedro and I wake him up at 3:15.  We eat between 4:00 and 4:15.  He leaves for work at 5:30 in the evening.  When he has his days off.  We stay up late, until midnight or 1:00 am.  Get up between 9 - 10 in the morning and repeat.  So, it just varies.  No special day.

Next question:  If you could change your name, what would it be, and why?

When I was around 16 and thinking of when I was married and having kids, which ended up not happening, I loved the name Samantha Marie.  Marie is my middle name.  But, I have been thinking, because I peeked at these questions last night, and I have always loved the name Abigail.  Abby for short !!  :)  Do you think I 'fit' an Abby Marie ?!?!?!

Next and last question:  What is your favorite song?

Ok.. .this is going to rock your world !!  Are you ready to bust your gut ?!?!?!  My favorite song 'was' listening to the dial tone dial in to the dial up on our computer !!  LOLOLOLOL  You all know, that has changed in the last month !!  We know have Verizon air card !!!  :)  Ok, let's get serious.  I don't listen to the radio when I drive.  I like to think.  I am a thinker.  I don't have the TV on during the day.  I don't listen to music.  But, my last favorite song was Gwen Stefani ~ Sweet Escape.


1. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why?
2. If you had $10,000 what would you do with it and why?
3. If you were granted one last meal, what would it be?
4. If you could spend one day with someone in Heaven, what would you do?

I'm not tagging anyone because I am having technical difficulties (and my awesome friend Jenn is typing right now...and I am completely amazing!) so if you want to answer these questions, either do it in my comments, or do a post yourself...just let me know so I can check it out.

Stressed? Treat Yourself to Some of these Ideas

Pamper Yourself!

Having a rough day? Try these head-to-toe at-home spa treatments to help you relax without spending a fortune!

You can find everything you need to pamper yourself at your local pharmacy. Try to find products that match your skin type and needs and look for products that are formulated to soothe and relax you!

Facial
Treat yourself to one of the great pleasures in life - a rejuvenating facial!
1. Pull your hair back and away from your face and rinse your face with warm water. Use soft, circular motions to apply a facial scrub of your choice - the motion will lift away dead skin cells while cleaning dirt and oil out of your pores.

2. Rinse the scrub from your face and apply a facial mask that is suitable for your skin (you can find this at any drug store). Find a quiet and comfortable place to lie down and place cucumber slices over your eyes for the time it takes your chosen facial mask to set.

3. Rinse the facial mask from your face, and apply a moisturizer that is suitable for your skin to maintain your fresh-from-the-spa glow!

Manicure
Giving yourself a manicure is a simple way to spoil yourself and the end result will make you feel great well after it's over.

1. Take off any nail polish you're already wearing and soak your fingertips in a bowl of warm water.

2. Cut and file your nails to the desired shape.

3. Rub a good-quality lotion into your hands and forearms, preferably one that doesn't leave your skin feeling greasy.

4. Use nail polish remover to remove any oil from your nail beds and then paint them. This will help you to apply a smooth coat of nail polish without any bubbles or streaks.

5. While your nails dry, relax and flip (carefully) through your favorite magazine!

Foot Massage
Freshen up your tired, sore feet with some quality time and a little bit of lotion.

1. Rub your feet with a thick, creamy body butter. Shea and cocoa butter are one of my favorites.

2. With firm pressure, move your fingers in a circular motion on the soles of both of your feet.

3. Hold your heel in your left hand and move your foot at the ankle joint to loosen the joint. Rotate clockwise and anti-clockwise five times. Repeat with the right foot.

4. After your massage, apply more body butter to your feet. Put on thick socks and keep them on for several hours or overnight to allow the rest of the moisturizer to absorb in to your feet. You'll wake up with soft, supple skin!

Take a few hours this week to do one or all of these things. You'll feel and look like a million bucks!