Tough times

It's really hard to have no money. This is the second time that we have been is such dire straights. Bill got hurt at work and hasn't brought home a full paycheck in over 4 weeks and his next one won't be a full one either. I hate that we don't have any money for anything. I know there are people worse off then we are and I do count my blessings. I'm just having a particularly hard time at the moment.

At least Andrew's football team one today!

New baby beagle

Meet our new baby - Hunter! As you all know we lost Taffy and Kipper recently and that left Ellie all alone. Ellie has had some separation anxiety lately and we thought she needed a new companion. Ha! She is afraid of him! But they will get used to each other and become buddies. He wants to play with her so bad too! She runs away from him and hides. Silly girl.

Welcome to the family Hunter!

Once upon a time...

In 1963 a baby boy was born in St. Louis, Missouri

William Budding, Jr.

In 1965 a baby girl was born in St. Louis, MO

Lynette (Pulliam) Sekarski

This is what they each looked like in the 2nd grade (two years apart of course)....

My mom made my dress by the way.

Bill went to his prom...





Lynette went to her prom...








Bill partied with a friend...









Lynette partied with a friend...

Then one day the two met, fell in love and had the ultimate party together...

Our Wedding Day, 7/30/04

Not exactly like my friends post, but her post on "school days and studs" had me thinking and a rummaging I went through old photos and came up with these. I couldn't find a small enough photo of Bill playing hockey for CBC to post on here like I wanted so I could post one of my cheerleading pictures (maybe another time) but it's strange how much I loved hockey back then and our paths never crossed it wasn't until 1999 when we lived on the same street!

First Football Game

Andrew had his first football game on Saturday, August 29th and his team, The Cowboys beat the DeSoto Eagles 19-0! Drew played defense and in the pictures above he is #38. He is wearing black pants because his grey pants were too small. They ordered him some new ones and hopefully they will be in by the next game on 9/12. All the uniforms were either too big or too small, this is why the boys unforms do not all match.

Friday night we went to the Fox High School game and they also beat DeSoto! It was a lot of fun and the first time I have been to a high school football game since I was in high school! We hope to go to more this season - so many of the boys from Drew's league go to the games.

Next game they play the JCYA Chargers.

New pictures of Athan

He's getting bigger and I hate that I can't see him more often! Athan is 6 months old now! He can sit up and crawl! He is such a sweetie and he is a great cuddle bug. I miss him already! Come back soon little buddy!

Now you see them, now you don't!

Drew got his braces off today! Yeah! Starting the 7th grade this Thursday without braces on his teeth!

Lake of the Ozarks Vacation

We just got back today from our camping vacation at Lake of the Ozarks. We got down there Thursday afternoon and got set up in our campsite. The camp grounds at Lake of the Ozarks State Park are huge! It was quiet when we got there and we were starting a campfire when we noticed two fawn just a few campsites away. I was able to get pretty close before they took off. We saw quite a bit of wildlife this trip, I had an encounter with another raccoon, this one jumped up on the dumpster Thursday night just as I was walking away after putting trash in! He was trying to get inside the dumpster. We saw herds of deer besides the two fawn in camp, squirrels and chipmunks. Another camper told us that Bobcat's were in the park on Thursday night but fortunately I didn't see any!

Friday we went over to my parents Lake house which is so nice and about 200% better than the old trailer they used to have! We went out on my parents boat on Friday and since we brought Ellie with us we thought we would just leave her in my parents house. As you know we recently lost Kipper and Ellie is our only dog now. She is house broken and other than getting into the trash she is a good dog until we left her in an unknown place! When we got back from "coving out" we found that she had chewed up the couch! There was foam everywhere. Needless to say my parents were not happy! Friday night we went out to dinner and had to leave Ellie tied up outside at my parents. When we got back to camp she literally when straight to bed because she had such an exhausting day.

Saturday we went back to my parents and hung out there for the day. Bill and Drew did some fishing and we all enjoyed some swimming off their dock. It was so hot too on Friday, Saturday and Sunday! Figures because all of July was so nice. Bill cooked some ribs and we all enjoyed some BBQ (not to mention the chicken wings we had earlier in the day).

Sunday we went out on the boat again and this time Ellie went with us! She wasn't too thrilled with her boat ride but she did good. The best thing was Drew's first time ever on a inner tube being pulled by Papa. The facial expressions that kid made were hilarious! Both Bill and I laughed so hard we were crying and I nearly peed my swimsuit! If only I had a video camera to catch all of that. I got several still pictures but a video would have been priceless. After all of that fun we went down to the Strip and went to Dogpatch gift shop and Grandma's Candy Kitchen. Drew and Bill rode go-carts where Bill takes it very seriously! One would think he was racing on NASCAR!

Monday was suppose to be our last day at camp but it rained hard all morning and we didn't really want to leave. So we talked to the camp host and we stayed another night! The guys went fishing while Ellie and I went on a long walk. We did a lot of long walks throughout the park the whole time we were there. One walk was really pleasant, though rather long, because as we walked along the trail we came upon a doe and Bill said "her baby is close by." He was right, only she had two babies! I'm pretty sure these were the two we saw in camp the first night. It rained off and on all day Monday but it was cool and very relaxing. We played cards (Uno) after dinner and then went to bed to get up early this morning to head home.

Now we are back home, mostly unpacked and laundry going. The pictures above are the photos I took while on vacation. I'm not in too many because a) I take the pictures and b) don't really like my picture taken anymore! We got home in time to go to 7th grade orientation at Fox Middle School. Drew will be on the green team (whatever that means) and he is in all advanced placement classes. He didn't get German but instead got 2 band classes (regular and Jazz). We found his locker and he is excited about going to middle school.

Now I think I'm going to get ready for bed so I can get up early for work tomorrow, then football practice in the evening!

All Dogs Go To Heaven

Today Kipper joined our Taffy in dog heaven. Ironically he had the same cancer Taffy had and followed her just three months after she went. We will miss you Kipper so much.

Almost 10 years ago, Drew and I were ready for a pet dog so we headed down to the City Shelter. I wanted a female dog and was looking at this Shepard mix when Drew said to me "mommy, I like this one" I turned around and saw that he was male and I said "I wanted a girl dog, look at this one." So Drew turned around to look at the dog I was looking at and the male dog started barking and whining to get our attention. I thought he is a cute little dog, so we asked the attendant about him. She put him on a leash and we went outside and she told us this is a good dog, he is leash trained and house broken. We decided to get him but there was a 5 day hold on him because the dog catcher found him and they had to wait to see if he was claimed by a family. They told us that he was trapped in an abandoned building where the stairs had collapsed behind him. The dog catcher thought he was so sweet that he rode up front in the truck cab with him instead of in the back with the other dogs! We waited and hoped that "our" dog would come home to us. Just before Halloween 1999 we got the call that no one had claimed him and he was ours! He came home to us the first week of November. Because we got the news on Halloween we thought we would give him a Halloween name. We tried different names but the dog never looked up. Well some of you might remember a television program for kids called "Kipper the dog" and that video tape was sitting on top of our TV, so I said "what about Kipper?" and he lifted his head and wagged his tail! That was his name from then on.

Once not long after we got him we were having White Castles and Kipper stole one right out of Drew's hand! We figured he remembered them from living on the streets! Kipper has been a great dog. Sometimes a little neurotic but he was loyal. He loved us as much as we loved him and our house will never be the same without him in it. We will miss you old man!

Sidelined already - football

Last night was the first night of football and half way through practice Andrew was limping. By the end of practice he could barely walk and was in a lot of pain. He said the inside of his foot hurt really bad and it did look like the bone was sticking out. Well he went to the doctor's this morning, had an x-ray and the doctor said that because he has grown 5 inches in 12 months and he has flat feet that he either has tendonitis or a torn posterior tibial tendon. Because he plays football the doctor ordered an MRI. Andrew has that tomorrow morning. The doctor put a walking boot on his foot and told him that he couldn't practice tonight or tomorrow night. If the MRI reveals that he has a torn tendon then he can't play football for 3 weeks! He will have to wear the boot for 3 weeks. If he just has tendonitis then he can't play football for 1 week and only has to wear the boot for 5 days. So tonight he is on the sidelines. But at least it isn't broken and he isn't out for the season!

Job Change

As most of my friends and family know, I've worked at St. John's Mercy since 2004. I have been working in the Pediatric Critical Care Department as an administrative assistant but my title is Practice Coordinator. Throughout Mercy this position is typically in line with an office manager but as an hourly employee. However, I haven't had any employees to manage. I've done the dictation, billing and anything else the department wants me to do for the past 4.5 years. This is all about to change and I'm trying to stay optimistic that change is good and things will be great. Maybe I've been married to Bill too long because I haven't totally gotten my head around this concept yet. My cheerleader attitude has gotten jaded.

A little background, in my current position I am in the doctor's building known as Tower B and I work in an office that is shared with another department. Some days, I am the only person in the office but across the hall is Kathy who works for the Department of Pediatrics, down the hall is Pediatric Surgery and I have a few friends there as well. My current office has no windows and while my original office in this dept. didn't either I didn't feel quite so isolated as I do now. As a people person I was surprised that I actually liked the quietness of our office, that it was perfectly ok that I didn't necessarily see people every day all day long. Even before Kathy started working in Peds, I had Emily who I am still close to today though she moved to Seattle. But for the past year, I've been in a different office within our suite and I have felt isolated. I have often struggled to even get out of bed to go to my lonely office. I often referred to the office as my jail cell. I applied for another position within the company that was the exact same title but in a different department. I never got an interview, it was filled before I applied (stupid that they post things after they fill them). But it was enough to alert some people that maybe I wasn't happy. I love Dr. Sample, I have enjoyed working with him and I will miss working with him as there are times when I feel like Bill is working with me because they have similar thoughts and sense of humor.

Sometime in the next week or two I will be moving to the 4th floor doctor's building known as Tower A. There is a new GI (gastroenterologist)office that my new boss has found space for a department that I will now belong to but will for now, be a department of one - me. The interesting thing about this suite is how big and open the space is where I will be sitting but that I will still be alone. The GI office is just getting started and I did meet 3 people today but I'm sure that we will be kept separate. I now will no longer have my friends on the 6th floor of Tower B to run into in the hall or have stop by for a visit. I am going to be more isolated in the new department than I have been for the past 4+ years. The positive to this is I will have a window! While I won't actually be able to see trees or grass, I will be able to tell what the weather is doing and it looked like the windows opened! I can see another section of the building and if I look down I can see my friend Kristin in Pediatric Pulmonology as she is one floor down and across the way.

Oh, what is my new position? I am now the Financial Coordinator II (the II means that I'm at a higher level) for the Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Critical Care (temporarily). This is a new start up position and eventually the department will be a hospital billing department where my "speciality" will be Pediatric billing. I was told this is a lateral move but my friend in HR told me that it really isn't. I am currently a pay grade 14 and this new position is a pay grade 13, so while they won't take money away from me I'm about a $1.50 from the top of my new pay scale.

Sorry this has turned into such a long post. I just had to vent a little. I don't know for sure when I move to Tower A, possibly this Friday. I won't have a phone because the department hasn't been officially approved by upper management yet. Basically the cart is in front of the horse and while I'm told I definitely have a job it isn't certain who I will always report to or where I will be. I have to be grateful I have a job at all given the state of our economy. I do certainly thank God for that blessing. My email address will stay the same and for the most part I will keep doing what I've been doing for the past 4.5 years - billing but none of the extra little things I used to do for the department. I did mention that I thought I had many more talents that they could utilize and that they were pigeon holing me but to quote the manager telling me all of this "it is what it is" that this is what they need me to do now. So, I will start a new adventure at St. John's and hopefully I won't be lonely.

I envy people who own their own business with their spouse. I know several and most of them inherited the business (family business) but still if only there was something Bill and I could do together. My cousin Sheri works for her husband's family business, my cousin Stephen operates his family business with his wife working with him, the same for my cousin Dean and his wife, then I have friends who in the same situation. I envy that, unfortunately Bill and I can't thing of anything we could do together to make money. If you have any ideas, I'm listening.

Summer Reading and stuff

Wow, I've been reading a lot of books lately, tired of television and really enjoy reading. I've been on a "young readers" kick of late because the library didn't have any of the selections I was looking for so I hit Andrew's book shelf! I got started on the Nicholas Flamel series and read The Alchemyst and then The Magician. I was waiting for The Sorceress while Andrew was in Kansas City. So I read Fablehaven: The Dragon Sanctuary which is the 4th book in the Fablehaven series. These books have a similar theme and remind me of Harry Potter though they are not quite as good. If you read the Harry Potter books you might remember that Nicholas Flamel is mentioned in the first book. I haven't started The Sorceress yet because I did end up getting one of my selections from the library.

I'm now reading The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb. This book is interesting and I'm enjoying it. It is fiction but it takes place during the Columbine murders and the character in the book was a teacher at Columbine High School and his wife was the school nurse. This a big book compared to what I have been reading as there are over 700 pages. I have to finish it before next Wednesday as this is a short release (Best Sellers you can't have as long).

Andrew had a great time in Kansas City and we are glad to have him home. We went camping this past weekend. It was mostly uneventful - hot and very humid. If only the last two days weather could have been the weekend weather! Oh well. Our next camping trip is a long one to Lake of the Ozarks for 5 days. Can't wait.

Speaking of Andrew he has grown 5 inches and gained 25 pounds in the past year! He is officially taller than me!

Well I better get back to reading or Facebook (my other new hobby)!

New baby pictures

My sweet little nephew was in town over the weekend and I got a few pictures. He is 4 months old now. He really is a sweetie. He's cutting teeth so he tries to bite everything, my chin, uncle Bill's arm, the table, you name it. He is just too cute and so happy. I really wish he lived closer to us and not so far away in Kentucky.

Thank God the heat has finally broke. It was way too hot for June in Missouri. We were having dog days of August in June. Not good. But today is a pleasant summer day. Thank you God.

Andrew is in Kansas City (Independence, MO) with his grandparents having a great time with his grandparents and his cousins. The house is so quiet without him and we miss him but we are glad he is having a great time.

Our next camping trip is planned for July 10-13 at St. Francois State Park in Bonne Terre, MO and again on the Big River. Hopefully the wicked heat won't return until after our camping trip. In August we are going to the Lake of the Ozarks to camp - yeah!

I finished the 4th Fablehaven book and by far it is the best in this series. While I do realize these are young reader books I find them very entertaining. Not quite Harry Potter but still nonetheless excellent. Bill is reading it now.

Well, I better end my little blog for now. Hope everyone is doing great and having a wonderful summer!

22.5 years in the USAF!

On Friday, May 29, 2009 we (Bill, Drew and I) drove to Whiteman AFB in Knobnoster, MO to watch my brother Brian's retirement ceremony from the Air Force. His official retirement date is in July but the ceremony was held Friday. We are very proud of Brian and the ceremony was very moving. Here are pictures from the day.

Tattoos and the gym

Bill and I got tattoos last night at The Enchanted Dragon. I've wanted a tattoo for about 14 years now but have always been too chicken to get one. Bill thought for sure I would chicken out last night but I didn't. What I got I like, it's the cross on my ankle in this photo. What I have always wanted and I found two that I liked last night; I couldn't get because I didn't have enough money. I have always wanted to get a flower on my foot. When I was going to Meramec I had a class with this girl who had several tattoos but they were all small and pretty. She had one on her big toe of a blue flower. She said most tattoo artist will not do anything below the ankle (this was 14+ years ago) but she knew the guy and she designed it herself. I thought it was very cool. Last night I found out why they don't like doing them on your toes and even your feet (though they will do the top of your foot) is because they won't last. They fade faster.

Did it hurt? That's what I always asked people after getting a tattoo so I will answer the question. It did hurt but not nearly as bad as I thought it might. The worst part for me was the outline. The fill wasn't bad at all. Today my leg feels like I bumped it and got a bad bruise.

Will I get another one? Probably. I really liked this flower design that would compliment the cross. Purple flower with green vine. Thought I wanted a Celtic knot but man those really are expensive - lots of detail. If I get another one it would be just the one and no more after that. For me I would never get one above the ankle.

Bill got a hockey puck and stick because as anyone who knows him knows he is a major hockey fan! He saw several hockey related tattoos he is interested in but again our budget was tight and this is what he got. He has other tattoos and there is even one that he burned off himself. Crazy but I'm glad it isn't there anymore since it was a girls name! The tattoo artist, Jeff told us never to put our significant other's names on our body. It is the kiss of death. Every time he has done it the relationship ended. Said once he tattooed a guy with his wife of 30 years on there and within six months the guy was back to have it removed because his wife left him!

So, there you have it. I got a tattoo. I wasn't drunk and no one forced me. They are not just for trailer park trash, truck drivers and punk rockers. I know many professionals who have them. It's art and it is fine in moderation.

Starting Monday we are going back to the gym religiously. I hate being this fat. Drew wants to go and start working out to get ready for football. Bill and I need the exercise. I hate the way I look in my camping photos and even in the tattoo picture my leg looks huge! No more excuses - back to the gym!

Washington SP Camping/Mother's Day

We tried a new state park to camp in this time, Washington SP in DeSoto, MO. It is a small campground but a very cool park. Unfortunately, the Big River was flooded and all the trails were closed because of the flood. They canceled all the canoe trips as well. We did however go see the petroglyphs which are rock carvings made by Native Americans. It is believed they lived in the area around 1000 A.D. Some of the carvings were very easy to see and others not so much, but given how old they are it's a wonder you can see any of them.

I'm glad to report that we had no mishaps whatsoever on this particular trip. I'm sure some of my readers will be disappointed as I cracked everyone up over our last trip out! Ellie was really good though she did seem to have an asthma attack. Drew still got bored but he had a good time too. Our campsite was more secluded than the ones at Meramec SP. We are definitely looking forward to going back to Washington SP. It's less than an hour away, they have a swimming pool, 3 hiking trails, float trips and a sand bar you can hang out on in the Big River (provided it isn't flooded).

This is how I spent my Mother's Day and I'm glad we went camping. We came home and visited awhile with Bill's mom and then we went over to my mom's. It was a nice Mother's Day all around. I finally got my Missouri Bird book so I can look up all the birds. I saw my first ever Bluebird while camping! It's the freaking state bird and in my 40+ years I have never seen one until this past weekend. Awesome.

Hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day and a good weekend. Our next trip isn't until June 12th and we are going with our friends/neighbors to Meramec. Provided Meramec isn't still under water by then! I heard everyone had to evacuate because of flooding. Wow!

Nothing in particular

OK, I'm tired of the rain and clouds! Where's the sun? It doesn't have to be 80 but I would at least like to see the sun. Our grass needs to be cut in the worse way but it keeps raining! We are going camping again Mother's Day weekend and they are forecasting rain every day between now and then! Ick! It won't be much fun if we are stuck in the camper all weekend while it rains.

Joined Facebook and apparently a lot of folks my age have recently joined. It is really nice discovering old friends. I "found" my old roommate and we talked for an hour last night on the phone.

I finished two Harlan Coben books recently. It was the first two Myron Bolitar books he wrote. I liked the first one but didn't care too much for "Drop Shot". Not really into tennis and I found the book very predictable. I'm also noting a common theme in his Myron Bolitar books - men having sex with teenage girls. Hey Harlan, if you read my blog (yeah right) enough already.

I picked up another Jodi Picoult book, this time I'm reading "Second Glance". Too early to tell if I like it yet or not. Hey Lynne - I have on order at the library the owl book you recommended. Can't wait to get that one. Don't you just love the library?

Well, it's Friday night and I'm on the computer - no life. I'm going to get off here, channel surf and if I can't find anything worthy I will pick up my book.

Until next time....

Maiden Voyage - Camping

The first trip out always has it's surprises. We went to Meramec State Park in Sullivan, Missouri which is one of our favorite camping grounds. We pulled into our spot and proceeded to set up, only to discover that the rear trans axle has issues on our truck and trans axle grease was all over the front of the camper. We set things up and discovered we were out of gas. Funny how when we were being shown how to operate everything at the dealers there was gas in the tanks but now they are both empty! I ran to the store for gas (fortunately the gas station is only 15 minutes away). Get to the station, pay for the gas and after 10 minutes of the girl searching for the key to unlock the cage she tells me she has to refund my money - they can't find the key. Off to Lowe's (the new one in Sullivan) which was probably where I should have gone in the first place so I could use Bill's employee discount! By the time we get back it's getting dark. Bill dropped a steak on the ground, came inside to bring the rest of dinner and I went out to throw something in the trash and the steak was gone already! A raccoon had stolen it! The rest of the evening was fine. Saturday was windy and we didn't do too much. Went on a nature hike with Drew, took the dogs for a long walk. While Kipper was trying to kill me at the boat dock, he jumped into the river while I was holding his leash and pulled me into a tree where I hit my head hard enough to see stars and give myself a nice bruise and scrape. During this little outing, Drew was looking for a place to fish when he accidentally dropped his tackle box and it fell into the river. The tragedy of this was that his Ipod was in the tackle box. It was too far of a drop where he lost it to retrieve and it floated on down the river. Good bye Ipod and all the new tackle he got for Christmas. It was a very sad moment in our trip. Our awning wouldn't open and we cannot figure out what is wrong with it. Ellie was a good girl during our trip - Kipper not so much. Kipper cannot stand to be on a leash and he cannot stand to have Bill out of his site. He whined the entire weekend. Kipper - guess what? Next time you are staying at home! Despite the lost Ipod and the near concussion it really was a good time. We leave for our next trip in two weeks to Washington State Park in DeSoto, MO.

In Memorium: Taffy ~1995-2009

I'm writing this today because I'm sure I won't be able to write it tomorrow. Taffy, our oldest beagle is going to dog heaven tomorrow. She will be greatly missed and while this has got to be one of the hardest things we ever have to do in life we cannot let her suffer. She has had a wonderful life. Bill and Michael adopted her 13 years ago from Stray Rescue and she has been spoiled the way only dogs can be spoiled. Taffy could tell a dog person and she was picky about who she liked and accepted as her friend and family. When Bill and I met, she accepted Drew and I as part of her family and we welcomed her to ours. She loved to chase rabbits and roll in the grass. As she got older she loved laying in the sun on the back patio or in the grass. She was fiercely protective of her treats and you could lose a hand if you tried to take one away from her. She was our alpha dog and everyone knew she was boss. She loved to have her belly rubbed and would roll over so you could pet her. If you stopped she would paw at you until you resumed.

Tomorrow morning we will say good bye to our loved pet Taffy. We will cry and be sad but we will also know that she is peaceful and no longer in pain. We will miss her but always remember her. Good bye sweet girl.

Guess who is in town!

Athan and Shannon came for a little visit today so we all headed over to my parents for some dinner and a visit. I snapped these pictures of the little guy before dinner. Isn't he a cutie? He'll be two months old next week. I don't know if I will get over to see him again before he goes back to Louisville or not. They are heading back Saturday morning. I hope to see him tomorrow night after Drew leaves to spend the weekend with his dad.

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Speaking of Drew - the child has grown almost overnight. In March when we went to Louisville he was about an inch shorter than me. Today he is an inch taller than me! Evidently I've shrunk because I've always said I'm 5'3" but now I'm 5'2". Drew is 5'3" and he weighs 126 pounds. At this rate he won't be able to carry the ball in football this season. Not that it really matters because he would rather do the tackling then be tackled!

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The countdown is on for our first camping trip. We are all getting excited. The weather forecast is looking good for our first weekend out too! The 10 day forecast has it at 75 for a high both Friday and Saturday and overnight lows at 50. It might be a little cooler than that because we will be right on the river but it will be perfect for camping. I'm bringing my camera so I'll be sure to get pictures.

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Shannon is suppose to e-mail me more picture of Athan that she took for Easter. Once I get them I will post them.

Good night.

What I learned today.

While I have suspected this for a while, I "googled" it today for confirmation. Chamomile is related to ragweed! This explains why every time I drink chamomile tea I can't breath afterward. I'm allergic to ragweed. So, if you are allergic to ragweed you could be allergic to chamomile too.

Springtime in Arnold

This is what I love most about where I live in the Springtime. This beautiful crabapple tree in my front yard! This is the one time of the year that it is absolutely beautiful. Don't care for the little apples that fall off in the Fall but the flowers are so pretty. I love looking out my front window at God's beautiful tree. The birds and squirrels love this tree too. We have cardinals, robins, sparrows, doves and wood peckers in this tree. I really like watching the different birds while enjoying my morning coffee. I just wanted to share my tree with you all.

Louisville Trip

Here are the few pictures I got of my sweet little nephew when we went to Louisville (by "we" I mean Drew and me) over the weekend. Whirlwind trip to be sure. We left early Saturday morning in the rain, it rained the entire trip. We got to see Athan and of course his mom and dad! He is adorable. We left Sunday morning so it was a very quick trip.

Athan is 1 month old. The next time I see him he will have changed drastically since I doubt that I will be able to make another trip down there for awhile and my sister isn't coming home for a visit until June when school is out. June! That's 3 months away.

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I saw this on my friends blog and I hope she doesn't mind but I'm going to use it because oh does it fit our household! Thanks Lynne for posting this because it is true!

If I Didn’t Have a Dog...

I could walk around the yard barefoot in safety.

My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated.

All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture, and cars would be free of hair.

When the doorbell rings, it wouldn't sound like a kennel.

When the doorbell rings, I could get to the door without wading through fuzzy bodies who beat me there.

I could sit on the couch and my bed the way I wanted, without taking into consideration how much space several fur bodies would need to get comfortable.

I would have money .....and no guilt to go on a real vacation.

I would not be on a first-name basis with 6 veterinarians, as I put their yet unborn grand kids through college.

The most used words in my vocabulary would not be: out, sit, down, come, no, stay, and leave him/her/it ALONE.

My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates or barriers.

My house would not look like a day care center, toys everywhere.

My pockets would not contain things like poop bags, treats and an extra leash.

I would no longer have to spell the words b-a-l-l, f-r-i-s-b-e-e, w-a-l-k,

t-r-e-a-t, b-i-k-e, g-o, r-i-d-e.

I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my house as outside.

I would not look strangely at people who think having ONE dog/cat ties them down too much.

I'd look forward to spring and the rainy season instead of dreading 'mud' season.

I would not have to answer the question 'Why do you have so many animals?' from people who will never have the joy in their lives of knowing they are loved unconditionally by someone as close to an angel as they will ever get.

How Empty My Life Would Be!

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Not much else is going on with us right now. Just waiting for that first camping trip. Andrew will be doing the MAP testing after Easter break. This will be a first for him. They have standardized testing in Catholic school but I don't think it is anything like the public school does. He's very smart and I know he will do well but it's still got to be gruelling to have days of these tests.

Vote for Pedro (the band)

My friend Kristin's boyfriend plays in a local St. Louis band that I want to mention. Vote for Pedro is a good band. Bill and I really enjoyed listening to them and would love to hear them again. Here's their website: http://www.vote4pedro.net/

Furbabies