The Man I Call "BIG DAVID"

Again, this is a catch up post, but I took some pictures down at David's dad's (weekend before last) that I really want to put on my post. Mainly because Stuttgart is so much a part of our lives. David's dad lives there & although we go there often, sometimes it still doesn't feel like often enough. We'll be leaving tomorrow at noon & be down there until Sunday night, remember it's "Wing's Over The Prairie" time! Can't wait. Anyhoo, I got a few shots of "Big David" and even one of him & his dog Trucker! I've known David's dad since I was 14. And just like with David's mom, to him, I am just as much a part of his family as the 3 boys. I am his daughter. I can (and have) ask him for anything, and he'll do his best to make sure I have it. I realize, as I spend time with him, that my husband is very much this man's son. And, watching him is like a glimpse into the future. He's "mellowed out" a lot as the years go by, and that's a good thing. He was a wild one (an "outlaw") in his younger days (remind you of anyone?-my husband). But- I love him in spite of it (or maybe because of it), and I wouldn't trade him for anything! me

The Arkansas River in Ozark

So, I'm really behind on my blogging, at least on the documenting things we've done lately. This is a mini-catch up post. On our way home from Stuttgart (weekend before last) David & I decided to drive back a different way. Of course I can't remember which highway it was we took, all I know is that it definitely was NOT Interstate 40! I know I-40 from here to Little Rock like the back of my hand. I can tell you which mile marker each town is, where the rest area's are, where EVERY Cracker Barrel between here & there is, you name it. Anyway, we took our time & did a little sight seeing when we got to Ozark. And let me tell you, it was WELL WORTH the extra time. We found a new place to camp next year, a new place to fish, a whole new get-a-way. All in the tiny town of Ozark, AR. Here are some of my pictures from that day.

I LOVE a Productive Weekend!

We actually got so much accomplished this weekend it was unbelievable! I took off at noon on Friday and the weather was so beautiful & fall like that David & I decided to work in the yard. (It was also badly in need of mowing!) So we spent the afternoon together weeding, mowing, weed-eating.. everything! We have the best lawn on the street (for now) & I love it. Saturday morning we got up & did our garage sale thing. We found 4 neighborhood sales, and walked them all. I got a pair of "duck boots" for down south, a few picture frames-nothing really to write home about. But - it was a fun inexpensive way to spend the morning. We were both really really tired by noon. Saturday afternoon...hmmm, other than doing some laundry & cleaning, ??? We took Desiree to Lin's for Chinese for dinner Saturday night...yum! Sunday we slept in, I made breakfast, then finished with all my laundry & cleaning. We are leaving Wednesday for Wings Over The Prairie in Stuttgart, so everything had to get done this weekend. David & I are SO excited-we both really REALLY need a mini-vacation. Anyway, we finished yesterday by grilling outside since the weather was so great! Today - it's back to work. Another day, another dollar. me

HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY PUDGE!

20 years ago, on September 19th, sometime around noon, our baby girl Brittni was born. She was, and is, the most beautiful, smart, funny, independent, amazing girl in the whole entire world. Britt was our second & last child. She likes to pick on me for things that I remember about Eddy's birth, but don't remember about hers. Here are some things that I remember about being pregnant with/and having Brittni ...I had absolutely ZERO morning sickness with Brittni. I actually LOST weight while I was pregnant with her...and ended up gaining only 11 or 12 lbs total by the end of my pregnancy. I worked for the State of Arkansas at the Area I Office throughout my pregnancy. I had Brittni on a Tuesday. (The Monday before was my last day at work). My office had a baby shower for me. I had an ultrasound with Brittni...KNEW she was our baby girl. Back in the old days, if you had one child by C-section, they made you have the rest by c-section too. We got to pick Brittni's birthday 9-19-89. We had to be at the hospital EARLY Tuesday morning, BUT, on our way, we stopped by Mamaw & Papa Cline's house (David's grandparents). I couldn't have ANYTHING to eat or drink, but Papa had gone down & got donuts for them for breakfast, your daddy had coffee & chocolate donuts (my VERY favorite) while I watched them all eat. We had you at Washington Regional, and EVERY ONE of your grandma's & grandpa's came to the hospital to see you (except Papa Allen, he was out on the truck). When I had you, they had to put you in baby ICU, your lungs weren't developed all the way. Your daddy got to hold you for just a minute before they took you away, I did not get to hold you until much later. My VERY first picture of you if through the window of the ICU...and all you can see is a blur-but I've kept it all these years anyway, because I KNOW it's my first picture of you. When we brought you home from the hospital, they only let Daddy have 1/2 day off. So he drove us home & had to go back to work at Cargill. That left me, you & Eddy on our own for the rest of the afternoon. Grandma Purser started coming over every weekday morning after that. She would help me with you, do laundry, make our lunch, make something for dinner for when Daddy got home from work, then take Eddy outside & let him play & run run run. That way, she could put him & you both down for a nap before she left. Grandma Carnahan (my grandma) thought you were an angel sent from heaven. You loved your "bubby" from day one. And he loved you so much and gave you hugs & kisses & wanted to hold you all the time. He was only 20 months old when I had you, you two were so close you were like twins. You wrapped your daddy around your finger from the moment he held you. He helped with you a lot more than he did Eddy. He'd feed you, hold you when you cried (which was not very often), and, he'd even change your diapers. THAT is where/when you got your nickname Pudge. One time, he was changing you & you rolled over onto your stomach. He looked at you, then me & started laughing. He said, look at that girls "pudgy" little butt! From that moment on, you became Pudge! You used to love your nickname, then when you got a little older, 5th or 6th grade, you announced you didn't want to be called that anymore (we tried not to call you that around your friend, but still did at home). Somewhere, about 9th grade, you came home with #7, "Pudge" on your softball jersey! And you've been Pudge ever since. You've had several nicknames...you used to say you were: Brittni Dianne Allen Pudge, Giggles-A-Lot, Buffalo Butt, Biscuit Butt, BB (which covered EVERY name ANYONE ever called you! I just call you my favorite - girl! I love you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! me

The Women In My Family

I've only got time for a short post tonight - I'm not feeling very well (did I mention I've been exposed to the flu?), plus it's almost my bedtime. But I have something to say. The women - or females (cuz the girls are both 20-well, Pudge will be 20 Saturday) they AMAZE me. The way they/we flock together in a time of need is just awesome. Without going into ANY detail, yesterday we had a little family emergency. One of us was dealing with something hard, VERY HARD. And with one phone call, it set off a chain of love & support that was immeasurable. It's very reassuring to know that my daughter will come at the drop of a hat - in her pajamas - to my house, without question. My mother-in-law is just a phone call away. I have a job that I can announce "I have to go home-I'll be back tomorrow!" and it's okay. My job is still there & secure that next day. That we all rally around & support one another in a time of need. The support comes from love, a kind of love that has grown over years & years. And it is endless, it knows no bounds. It's a little bit like God's love for us. And is leaves me speechless. me

Rundown Of Our Weekend

Friday started with a VERY expensive trip to the vet. $168 worth of expensive. But, all is well in Boogie's world, and she shouldn't need to go back until November-you know, right before duck season. We did learn something important too - Labs are susceptible to ear infections. And with all the retrieving she'll be doing in the water, it's good to know there's a simple wash that should prevent them. Not only did Boogie have a doctor's appt., but David did too. So we finished up the day at Dr. Earl's, where we were told David needed to come back for some tests. Diabetes is not an easy disease to control, but we're working on it. Saturday morning we got up at 5, and I fixed breakfast, then David & I took off & went to some garage sales. We haven't had much luck this year, but it gives us something to do on Saturdays. This time was different though. We found a brand new wine making kit. We'd talked about buying one online, but some of them are $200 or more. We got this one new, still in the box & plastic for the low low bargain price of just $5! Yep, five dollars! I was thrilled. We also found a brand new bassinet for Hunter. So, we had a pretty good day. Saturday turned into Sunday, and besides a trip to good old Wally World for groceries etc., that was pretty much the extent of our weekend. Britt came over to do her laundry & watch Drop Dead Diva & Army Wives (this has become quite routine). All in all, it was a nice peaceful weekend...one I can't believe is already over! me

The AMAZING Race!!!

So...David may kill me for posting this video, but I just can't help myself sometimes-ya'll know that! When Eddy came home for Labor Day, he started talking to his Dad about how he has to run 4 miles every day. Somewhere, in the conversation, David bet Eddy he could still outrun him. Not long distance or anything like that (thank God), but in a 40 yard race. And they talked about it & ribbed each other about it The. Whole. Day. (and all night). Now let me just tell you, I had issues with the whole thing. Issue #1: David has back problems...real serious back problems, so naturally, I was worried that he might hurt himself somehow. Issue #2: Even more serious than injury to himself-injury to his pride! It's one thing for him to think-KNOW- in his mind he is still super fast & can outrun his 21 year old son that's been doing PT (Physical Training) EVERY DAY since April. It's another thing completely for him to find out he can't! All things considered, David impressed ME at least! I bet he hasn't ran that fast in 20 years-maybe more. And...if I been paying more attention to David & Eddy & what they were actually doing, and hadn't been trying so hard to film the crowd & everything, I'd have got the WHOLE thing on video, instead of the last little bit. If I HAD got the whole thing on video, you'd have seen that David wasn't doing to bad in the very beginning....(but don't tell Eddy that, cuz he won't believe you anyway!) So...without further ado...enjoy my amateur video! me

Payback To The Payback

So....after Pudge shrink wrapped Eddy & Dez's car, I said they had declared war, right????Well, Dez is definitely not one to be "outdone". So last night, while Brittni was at work, Dez went & got some revenge. Evidently, she loaded Brittni's air conditioner with baby powder. And, when Britt got in her car to go home late last night, Dez got her back. Apparently, if you put baby powder in an a/c, when you turn on said a/c it blows it EVERYWHERE! So, the warning is to Desiree' this time. Look out girl, Brittni is up to something, I'm sure!!! me

More People To Thank

OOPS....so as I was reading over my blog, I realized I forgot to thank someone for helping with the clean-up. AND I forgot something else....TO BRENDA - my Amazing mother-in-law (the in-law part is just a formality-she's MY mom too, not just David's) - THANK YOU for picking up the slack & bringing not only all of Eddy's favorite apple desserts, but for bringing the meatloaf & everything. Also, thank YOU too for helping with the clean up, and letting us/Eddy use your Tahoe so Dwayne & his little family could spend another day with us & go to the lake. Eddy loves to be around his Uncle Dwayne. And to my sister Tina....THANK YOU TOO for bringing SO much food, cups, napkins, etc. I can always depend on you both to help me. Love ya'll....me

Pictures from the Welcome Home Eddy Potluck! Looking back at these pictures I realized several things....for starters, I forgot to take a picture of the banner that my work made for me. We hung it from the top deck of the clubhouse, it said "Welcome Home Eddy!" and was in digi- cam (the Army's newer version of camouflage). I also realized that the only pictures I had were of MY family. There is a reason for that though, my family got there earlier than most everyone else. And before everyone arrived, I was not very busy. Everyone from our house went to the club house extra early, so I could start getting ready. David & Dwayne even snuck away & went & picked up the cake & hung the banner at like 10 a.m. So for the first little bit, I had camera in hand snapping pictures like crazy. Then, when everyone showed up I was trying to maintain some control (I have control issues I know), make sure everyone had a plate, make sure I spoke to & spent a little time with everyone...all that good stuff. It seemed like in a blink of an eye it was over & everyone was hugging & saying their goodbyes! All in all, I think it turned out VERY well. There are a lot of people that love Eddy, and everyone showing up really touched him I think. To Dez, my sister-Tina, Miss Sharon and Brittni....THANK YOU for all your help cleaning up! I really appreciated it, and it let me get out of there a lot faster, which gave me even more time to spend with my son! Will we do it again when Eddy comes home next time??? Probably not. It was a lot of fun, but a little much for him I think. He too tried to make sure & visit with everyone for at least a little bit, a did a good job of it. But next time, I think we'll just let him decide how & who he wants to spend his time home with. He did get one extra day at home. The airlines overbooked his flight. He wasn't able to fly out until yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. And his flight was delayed in Charlotte. It was late late when he got back to base. No word yet on his punishment (if any) the Army will dole out for getting back a day late. Will let ya'll know. me.

The Great Flood

Since we live in NWA, in a nice little subdivision in the big old city of Centerton, you may think flooding is not so much of an issue. NOT TRUE! (Well, really it IS true, but not last night). Somewhere around 2 a.m. this morning I was roused from a very deep sleep by David saying something like "What the (not nice word) IS that?" When I pulled myself out of my slumberous stupor, I heard it too. It wasn't a nice quiet little beeping noise, it wasn't a telephone ringing, or an alarm clock accidentally set to TWO A.M. & blaring...nor was it the fire alarm. I crawled out of bed, tried to find the light switch, tripped over Lady the sleeping dog, about killed myself in the process & finally, finally got the lights on. Now this sound was similar to something between a tornado siren & what I believe the air raid system from my grandparents days might have sounded like. I could NOT figure out what it was or where it was coming from. I did however determine that it was definitely coming from inside our bedroom, and not another area of the house. Finally after MUCH investigation (and yes it was VERY loud, but remember, I just woke up) I found the source of the problem. A couple years ago the city gave everyone a handy dandy little weather radio. We realized real quick that thing would go off for anything & everything, so I unplugged it, turned it off & shoved it way back on the computer desk & forgot about it. Someone must have moved some books or papers around & accidentally turned it on. (Those are some REALLY REALLY good long lasting batteries, don't ya think?). Anyway, our weather radio was sounding the alarm! And when I looked on the screen, the warning was....FLOOD - FLOOD-FLOOD! So, without further ado, I promptly turned it off, removed said amazing batteries, and took myself back to the bed & tried to go back to sleep! (But not before I went outside to make sure the patio furniture wasn't floating away). Me

Our CRAZY Kids!!!

What a weekend! Eddy made it in, we had the potluck/party...everything went great!! More on THAT later. What I absolutely HAVE to get on here today is this... Now I know everyone is asking...what in the world??? Let me tell you! Our children are crazy! Really. They both have a streak in them that no amount of talking to them about it will fix. They LOVE to play pranks/jokes on each other. This time, Eddy started it. (THIS time-Brittni's just as bad as Eddy-maybe worse). So the story goes like this. Last night, Eddy & Dez went to Brit's apartment to "visit". When said visit was over, Eddy jacked her keys without her knowing it, and left. Dez took him back a little later & HE STOLE HER CAR!!!! (Stole is such a strong word - let's use "borrowed without her knowing" instead). Anyway after he drove away in her car, he then proceeded to call his little sister, wake her up, and LIE to her & tell her he had a flat tire & needed her to come get him. She walked out of her apartment on her way to rescue her brother & discovered her car was missing!!! By the time she called & woke us up (late, late last night), she had at least figured out her brother was playing a little prank on her. Now, fast forward to this morning & the pictures featured in my blog. Brittni will NOT let Eddy put one over on her. And last night was no exception. This is what we woke up to this morning. Somewhere, around 2 in the morning, my daughter made a trip to Wal Mart to purchase 10 rolls of plastic wrap & a bottle of shoe polish. She then drove to our house & proceeded to wrap BOTH Eddy & Desiree's vehicles in plastic wrap...then write all over them in shoe polish! The messages ranged from "Thanks for Serving...love ya" to "Pay back's a Bitch!" (Who knew my daughter used that kind of language?) Anyway, it made mine & David's morning! We laughed so hard...not used to laughing like that at 6 a.m., let me tell ya. David's only comment was, "she's her daddy's daughter!" My thoughts were..."that's comforting, knowing that somebody can be out in your driveway for 45 minutes in the middle of the night, and us not have a clue til the next morning". Anyhoo...I'd say Brittni won this round, except..well Eddy & Dez have declared WAR! So...look out Pudge!!! me

Finally Friday!

It's FINALLY FRIDAY! Whoo Hoo! I am SO glad! I did not think this week would ever end. I'm going to do my very best to sneak out of work today at noon. I still have quite a bit to do at home before Eddy comes & before the party this weekend. It's been a rough rough week, as I'm sure you could tell from my last blog. Sales were not on the agenda for me this week unfortunately. I ended up with a BIG FAT ZERO this week! It's the first one I've had this year, (not true - I had a zero week the week I came back from S. Carolina, but that doesn't count, I wasn't even here!) And, it would be a lot easier to swallow if - IF- I was not the only person in my department that had a zero! Oh well, Se la vie (or however you spell it). Such is life. The up side to this is that next week...will be AWESOME! I just have to (and always try to) put it all in the hands of God. HE knows what I/we need, and when we need it. His wisdom is certain. And I know that. So...on my way to work this morning I had to remind myself...I can not see down the road of life...but GOD can. And he will provide all ...let me repeat that ALL of our needs! me

Blah

This week I've seemed to be in a continuous state of...."BLAH". I hadn't noticed until this morning on my way to work. How many days of doing the same thing over & over does it take to form a habit? Not sure. But the one thing I AM sure of is that I don't want this feeling to become a habit. Some reasons/excuses for my mood....we were in Stuttgart all weekend. David & I both took off at noon & left as soon as we could throw some clothes in a bag & load up Boogie & her kennel. Stayed up waaay too late Friday & Saturday night (we tend to all sit around Big David's kitchen table talking & telling the same stories we tell every time we visit, until one of us finally, FINALLY says....I'm about ready for bed). Got up waaay to early - wait - in my opinion, anything before 8 am is waaay to early. But, when we're down there we're always up by 5:30 (and that's if we stayed up past midnight the night before). Got home Sunday afternoon - late-waaay late. Until this trip, we'd kinda formed a habit of getting up on Sunday mornings around 4 0r 5, I fix a big breakfast with biscuits & gravy & all that good stuff. We eat, I clean up the kitchen, pack, we say our goodbyes (& apologize for leaving so early), and we are out of there by 10-10:30 at the latest. That puts us home before 3. That give me time to get things done, laundry, grocery shopping if necessary, and rest for both of us before our work week starts. This time however, it didn't work out that way. It was more like early evening when we got back. Our version of unpacking was dragging everything out of the truck, bringing it in the house, & dropping it wherever it fell. Have I mentioned that it's all STILL right where it fell? I don't know what's been wrong with me. At work, I'm just "Blah"...when I get home, it's all I can do to throw some supper together & unload/load the dishwasher. Laundry? Well, I did wash a load last night so David would have some clean socks. (Load's still in the dryer, I had to fish socks out of it at 5 a.m. this morning). I have SO much I need to do. Normally that in itself is the motivation I need to "get it together". I've always been a kind of last minute person anyway for the most part. I'm also one of those people that have to give myself little "pep" talks every now & then. A lot of pep talks actually. So all that being said - and YES, I know I'm rambling here - it's time for one of my pep talks. Yesterday was it. Yesterday was the last day for the blahs to be allowed in my life/mood. Today-I AM ON IT! I've got today & tomorrow til the cut-off to my next paycheck (I'm in sales-remember). My SON comes home Saturday - plane lands at noon. I've got a party to plan/finish putting together. My husband/family/house/work needs my UNDIVIDED attention. My "blah" mood is over. I don't have time for it anymore. It's done, finished, GONE! oh, did I mention it's raining????? :-) me

Have you seen this girl???

Have you seen this girl? No???? Me either! AND let me just say, I am missing her terribly! Seems my daughter has gone off & got her own life, and as proud of her as I am, I'm feeling a little bit neglected! Just kidding. Brittni is doing such a good job being a grown up. She loves her job & her new apartment. And, I have it on good authority that she's about to get a promotion at work. CONGRATULATIONS PUDGE! And of course, finishing her degree in education is still top on her list! So, what's a mother to do but blog about the good old days when I was her entire world? And even though we still talk to each other at least once a day, I still miss her living at home. There's something comforting about knowing your daughter is tucked safely in her bed every night...and she's just down the hall. I love you Pudge. me

Eddy's Coming Home!

Eddy is coming home - in just 3 days! (Well, not really 3 days, BUT if you don't count today, and you don't count Saturday...it's just 3 days). We are all SO excited! He called last night and I got to talk to him for a few minutes. He said, "Mama, I'm starving!" Now, let me ask you something....how can the Army, in all it's infinite wisdom & gazillions of dollars, NOT FEED MY BABY BOY! Okay, okay, I'm sure that they feed him. And, David has assured me that he's not ACTUALLY starving! But still. If there is one thing I can not stand (that I can actually do something about), it is somebody being hungry. I don't care who it is, or what the circumstances are, nobody, and I mean nobody is going to be hungry around me. David is the same way. When we were on our trip to South Carolina this summer there was a man standing by the get-on ramp where we stopped to get gas. He was holding up a sign that said something about being hungry-no food - please help. Before we pulled out, David got in the trunk, got out 2 Mountain Dews, then took a big package of cheese & crackers out, pulled over & gave them all to that man. He seemed so grateful. And, we'd done what we could at the time. Well, imagine then, how my heart broke when Eddy said he wanted some real food when he came home. I assured him that there would be plenty of "real" food at his party - all his favorites. Then he said, "I know mama, and that's good & I can't wait, but I mean I want breakfast! Biscuits & gravy, fried eggs, and all the bacon I can eat. Good bacon, and not just TWO pieces!" Well, let me tell you something, that boy is gonna get all the bacon his little heart desires! We like peppered bacon at our house, so I figure about 3 lbs ought to get it. 2 for Eddy, and 1lb for the rest of us! It does my heart good to know he misses stuff like that about home though. Once again, I find myself getting so excited, thinking about all the things we'll do & talk about while he's home. And once again, I have to remind myself that his time home flies by so quickly! And that he's married, and has a baby on the way, and that me & David have to back up, and give him and Dez time alone together too! Rumor has it that Saturday is "date night" for them! Which means David & I need to find something to do to preoccupy me & take my mind off wanting to just follow them around everywhere & drive them crazy! I'm sure I'll have plenty to do to get ready for the party Sunday-if I'll make myself go ahead & do it. And, somewhere last night on our way home from the grocery store, David snuck in that Mr. Dick wants him to go to the horse races on Saturday. I think he waited to mention it then, because my head was swimming from the visit to Harps & I was still trying to find out how in the world we'd spent nearly $100 on groceries when we just ran in to get something for supper. By the way, Mr. Dick is his boss, a very dear friend, and kinda like an adopted grandpa. The last time they went to the horse races, they left about 9 a.m. & didn't get home until about 1:00 in the morning! They were quite a few dollars richer though, so of course I didn't mind! Anyway - we'll see what Saturday brings. Until then, I'm just gonna do what I can to get through this week & be on my best behavior - oh, and try not to drive everybody crazy when I keep telling them every five minutes that Hey-guess what? Eddy's coming home! me