Our Internet is Back

Hey everyone! Smart Guy decided to check to see if our internet was back on right before he got into bed, and it was, so here I am finally. Do any of you have Verizon as your server? We do and we are very unhappy with them. Everytime we turn around something.... satelite, phone, internet is being turned... never all at once and not for any reason that we can actually figure out. We are soooo done with them when our contract is up next month!

Well, I'm doing pretty good right now. The right seton has been really, really sore for a few days now. I have another check-up with my surgeon in Indy tomorrow. Hopefully she'll look at me and decide I'm healing and don't need anymore meds or surg. When I took my last antibiotic last week, Smart Guy and the kids took me to Red Lobster for dinner. It actually looked and tasted good. I had my usual shrimp! We picked the boys up from school and went straight there. I think we'll go out early from now on. We had the entire place practically to ourselves. It was really cool. The waitress was able to stand and chat with the kids, or should I say listen to Bee tell her our life story and wasn't rushed at all.

Friday we traveled to IL to see my mom graduate from college. It was awesome. She's been working on it for 38 years. She's such an example to me and hopefully all other women out there that life goes on during and after mothering. She was the only one who raised in her arms up in the air in victory as her named was called and walked across the stage to get her diploma. I'm tearing up just thinking about this victory for her. She had a bunch of people there cheering her on. Family and friends both. We all went out for pizza at my favorite midwestern pizza place... Monical's... afterwards. I got to see my brother and sil for the first time since the family reunion back at the beginning of November. I can only imagine how different I looked to them. I've lost 30 pounds since Nov. when they saw me. The next day, my aunt and uncle from Nashville were also in town, so we all went out to lunch together. I love being with my family. Unfortunately we are all so spread out nowadays that it's rare for all of us to be together at the same time. That's why we try to do the family reunion at least once a year and even then we don't usually all make it. Last Labor Day all but two cousins were there. It felt so good! I want my kids to have those memories like I do, but when I was a kids, ALL of us lived within a 15 minute drive from one another until I was in middle school.

Bee and I put together a little tabletop fountain for our bedroom yesterday. Right now the only sounds I hear are the click of the keyboard and the fountain flowing. It's so soothing. We actually slept with it on all night last night. I was afraid it would bother Smart Guy, but he apparently likes it too.

We cooked out tonight. Marinated pork chops, broccoli salad, (which I'm regretting), cucumber salad, and baked potatoes. Yummy! Bee was a big help while we made the salads this morning. She stood in a chair and put everything in the bowl and stirred as I chopped. I make my broccoli salad a little different than most. First I use cauliflour too and tear it all up in small, Bee size bites. Chop up red onion really fine. Then I use chopped grapes because I do not like raisins, and I use a bunch of chopped smoked ham instead of bacon. It's more filling. I'm gonna add some grilled chicken to it tomorrow and finish it for lunch if I'm not to desparately miserable all night from eating from the bowl all night. Thankfully I'm not one to put a ton of that sweet, fattening dressing on like some recipes call for, so at least it was somewhat healthy, although painful on the gut.

Well, there will be a big announcement on here sometime next week. I wish I could spill now, but we must do announcements in their proper order to avoid the possible issues that could be caused. Some of you already know what it is, but next week it will finally be public!! Goody, goody!

Guess what? Next week Inkling will be back in the states for a little while. I GET TO SEE MY BEST FRIEND IN A LITTLE OVER A WEEK! I'll get to hug her, I'm sure I'll cry. I'll get to watch her love on the Sara Orange Gang. I'll get to sit at the same table as her and have dinner. I'll get to smell her (yah, wierd I know, of course many other things about her have changed, maybe she stinks now :)). I'll get to sit in her grandparents row at church and worship with her! Hallelujah! I'm so excited, I'm giddy! I can't wait! Next Monday it will be a year since we saw each other last. We've never gone that long without seeing each other's face somewhere or for some reason since fifth grade.... oh the torture of it all! Please pray for a safe and uneventful flight for H.D. and her next Wednesday!

I must get some sleep tonight. We're dropping Bee off a friends house around 9:00 in the morning and then heading for Indy for my 11:00 appt! I hope all goes smooth!

I've missed everyone this last week or so. I'm trying to get caught up with everyone's posts. It could take a few days or so! You may have comments show up on posts from several days ago, just bear with me for a few more days. Hopefully our net will stay up now! Love you guys... hugs.... good night!