So many things to say

For once I actually have SO much to say...but not enough time to say it. I'm still at work & it's almost time for me to get out of here...so I was sitting at my computer & thought..I'm gonna make a list on my blog...of things I want to blog about - when/if I ever have the time. It'll be a list of random things I want to mention...or things I may end up writing a book about. Who knows? But here goes...
1. I had 7 sales this week! Count them S.E.V.E.N.! That is wonderful & God is SO good.
2. Desiree' is having "lap band" surgery next week. On the 4th! Pray for her please
3. David, Eddy, Hunter & I went & had lunch at Brittni's Subway Tuesday. It didn't go as I'd hoped it would. More on that later
4. Toyota is putting a new motor in the kids car...for the grand total of $50. Yes, I said fifty. It's some kind of deductible they have to pay. Again, God is so good.
5. I will have the house to myself tonight once David leaves for work. So much to do, so little energy. (Maybe I'll blog) HA!
6. Facebook has proven itself to be a GOOD thing (I always wondered about that). Will talk more later about it too.
Well, that's not even close to all that's on my mind lately, but hey, it's a start. Gotta run, the grocery store awaits! Til next time....me

I have "The Fever"

What a great weekend we had! Last night after David went to work, Eddy, Des, Hunter & I all went to Hickory Creek & had dinner with my mom & sister. They've been camping there for the past 2 weeks and are going home today. Last Sunday David & I took Boogie & Bam & drove down & went swimming with the girls (our nieces). And worked the dogs of course! Bam loves the water. But last night, after we took David & Keithon some pizza at work, it was too late to swim. I have this aversion to swimming in a lake after dark. I KNOW there are snakes in the lake & I have to be able to see. So we all just sat around the campfire, ate & visited. It was really nice & relaxing. There is only one problem. I now officially OFFICIALLY have "the fever"...camping fever that is. David & I bought a new camper last summer. We traded our little one in & got a much bigger, much nicer one. And guess what? WE HAVEN'T USED IT EVEN ONCE! For those of you that don't camp - let me just tell you, it is a lot of fun! It's something we've done with the kids since they were little. We swim, tube, fish, play, relax. It is amazing. And - it is a LOT of work. Our little camper was decked out. I had everything I needed packed in it always. There was no need to load up dishes, pots, pans, sheets, NOTHING. All we had to do was buy some food, pack a few clothes, hook up & take off. I have NOT done that with the new camper yet. And just so you know, our idea of camping isn't "roughing it" at all. We have air conditioning, tv, bathroom, all kitchen appliances, we have all the comforts of home. I wouldn't enjoy it at all if we didn't. And that's where the problem lies. I really need David to go pick up the camper at Mr. Dick's & bring it home for a couple weeks. I need to clean it again from top to bottom. I need to see what I can part with here at the house & what I actually need to go out & buy. (Yard sales are AMAZING for that). I need it hooked up here at the house to make sure the A/C gets as cold as we need it to. I need to get "black out" curtains for all the windows so David can sleep in the daytime when he has to work. I also need to see how big the closets are-ha! And there's one other thing I'm worried about...yes - it's Boogie and Bam! They are, of course, part of the family, so "kenneling" them is not an option. But I'm not sure how they will do at camp for 2 whole weeks. We have a pretty good schedule going here at home. It goes something like this.... I come home at lunch & feed them & take them out. Basically, during the part of the week when David has to work, I take care of the dogs. And Hickory Creek is too far away for me to drive down at lunch. So we'll have to figure something out on that. But I am confident that we will. Because I have decided that we will not let this summer sneak away without going camping! me

I am good to go!

It's late, and I'm tired, but I wanted to take a minute & give an update on my dentist appointment today. It looks like I am good to go. No extra surgery should be needed unless I develop an infection somewhere down the road. He said I will hurt, & should expect to hurt - for quite a while. The broken bone will heal itself. So that's great news! (Other than the hurting part, and that's what the pain pills are for ha!). I'm just glad to know the worst is over, I'm feeling better every day, and by Monday, I should be able to go to work & WORK...like normal.
I babysat my little Hunter-man tonight while the kids went to the clubhouse & worked out. We had lots of fun & just sat & talked & talked. Sure wish I knew what that little guy was saying!
Anyway, David's at work, I just finished up all the laundry, and I'm about to crack open a good book & call it a night. Til next time.....me

Back to work......

So I actually went to work today....and stayed ALL day! It was awful. I can't even describe how hard it was trying to talk to dealers on the phone & get contracts in with a broken jaw! But I did it. (The talking part...no sales this week, but I guess that's what happens when you're out sick all week). Tomorrow at noon I go in for my next x-ray to see what's going on & if they're going to have to put me in the hospital to fix my jaw. Hopefully, everything will be ok & I'm good to go.

Tonight is going to be all about trying to get my house back in some semblance of order. The kids did the lawn this evening & it looks really good. Too bad we can't just sit outside & pretend everything looks good on the inside too. That's what happens when I'm down & out for a few days. I'm gonna spend the next hour trying to speed clean everything. I hate a dirty house...especially on the weekend. Wish me luck! me

Mid-Week Update

I have been off work since noon on Friday. Yes, I know it is Wednesday night. What you don't know is this: I went to the "oral surgeon" on Monday for that little toothache I had. See, Dr. Combs decided that he couldn't pull it, and since he was sending me to an oral surgeon anyway, there were a couple OTHER teeth I needed to have taken out. Sounds easy, right? Go in, they stick a little needle in your arm, you go to sleep & when you wake up...ta-da...it's over & done with, right? WRONG! Because for starters, when I woke up - THEY WEREN'T DONE! Oh, and did I mention that he broke my jaw? Oh yes he did! And I am miserable. I have to go back on Friday afternoon for x-rays, because evidently, there is a high risk of infection. And, should an infection set in, he has to put me in the hospital, and they'll go in from the outside and take out the piece of jawbone he broke! It seems I didn't respond too well to the anesthesia, and he had a hard time keeping me "under". All I know is this...I am sick of hurting...I am sick of the pain pills (who'd have thunk it, right?), and I am sick of staying at home. So, I am going to try to go to work tomorrow! David has been his usual wonderful self. He's actually taken pretty good care of me. When they wheeled me out to him after the surgery & the Dr. wanted to talk to him the very first thing he said was..."Before you say anything, can you tell my why my wife is CRYING?" Evidently I was pretty emotional - ha! The doctor told him it was a side effect of the anesthesia...but I don't know if he believed him or not. One thing David can not stand is for me or one of the kids to be hurting and him not be able to fix it. So, when we left he did the only thing he felt like he could do to help...he stopped at Harps & ran in & bought EVERY package of Jello pudding they had! I kid you not. 43 four-packs of Jello! Then, he went to the pharmacy & picked up my meds, went through the drive thru at McDonald's & bought me a large vanilla shake, brought me in the house & set me up in HIS recliner! And, he's taken care of me ever since. He even stayed awake & woke me up every 4 hours the first night so I could take my pain medication, and wouldn't start hurting. I know I've said this before but I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. He's not even upset that I'm wasting my last week of vacation at work for this! Ha!

In other news....we found the RING! Yes! And it wasn't the way you're thinking. Yesterday I was laying in bed and Bam jumped up on the bed & laid down beside me. I could tell he had something in his mouth, so of course I went fishing for it & pulled out Eddy's deployment ring! I guess he didn't swallow it after all, but hid it somewhere instead & had just found it again! Makes me wonder where/what else that crazy dog of mine is hiding.

The kid's car is still at Toyota. They called yesterday & said they were NOT going to fix it under warranty & the kids needed to bring back the loaner car & come up with $4500 or come pick up their car. This afternoon Wendall (Des' dad) went with them to take the loaner car back & had a talk with them. It seems he's bought 8 cars from them & referred 23 people to them, and he had a few choice words for them & the way they do business there, especially with young kids that don't know what they're doing. Now, they are re-evaluating their decision, and will have another loaner car for the kids to pick up first thing in the morning. I think it was cool that he went with them & talked to them. David usually has to do all that kind of stuff, so I'm glad he jumped in to help this time.

And on a last note, the Brittni thing is still ongoing. David sent her a text telling her he loves her, I've talked to her a couple times...told her I loved her too. But - she is doing her own thing right now. I still believe she owes us an apology...and I'm sure she still believes she does not. David said we are just gonna leave it like it is, and not bring the subject up when we talk to her. She's got to sort things out on her own & I can't make her see things our way, no matter how hard I try. So I'll continue to do the only two things I know to do in circumstances like this, LOVE her, and pray for her.

Wish me luck at work tomorrow...it really hurts when I talk very much, so I don't know how long I'll make it, but at least I'll get out of the house & start to get back on track & back to normal. me

Sleepless in Centerton

Whoever said that you'll sleep the entire day away after you just had oral surgery has NEVER LIVED INSIDE MY BODY! Because I should be snoozing away right now -but I'm NOT. I had 3 count them THREE teeth cut out today. I have a mouth full of stitches AND A BROKEN JAW...but alas I can not sleep. Yes I am taking all the many medications prescribed to me, but still no sleep. Guess I'll go watch some more T.V. Hopefully Criminal Minds is on. me

Toothaches & Heartaches

I'm off to the dentist in about an hour. Pray for me please! I absolutely hate hate hate going to the dentist. Although I really like the dentist I go to. He knows enough about me to know that I almost won't open my mouth without the aid of some "happy gas" first. And that's crazy since "the dentist I go to" seldom gets to see me. I would call him "my" dentist, but that would insinuate that I go there on a regular basis instead of only in a drastic emergency situation like right now, when I can not take the pain a second longer. And since I always wait so long...it's always too late to save it & the only thing left to do is an extraction. Thank goodness most of my problems are way in the back of my mouth. Unless something changes however...today he is only going to "evaluate" my problem. He can't fit me in long enough to actually pull it. So, hopefully, he'll hop me up on some pain meds until early next week. And..this way, he gets to charge me for TWO office visits instead of one. Yes, the hydrocodone I jacked from David is beginning to make me a little bit cranky!

Now on to the next thing. I tell David this at least once a week, and I don't know if I've said this before in my blog or not, but either way, it bears repeating since it is 100% how I currently feel. I wish our kids would either do EVERYTHING I SAY...or that I could live their lives FOR them. Don't get me wrong, I am NOT saying I am perfect, or that if they did everything I said their lives would be perfect because believe it or not, I am not always right. I know I do not know everything, and that I am not always :-) perfect. Sometimes I'm even wrong! However, I feel like IF they'd just be my little puppets & follow my lead, then at least when something went wrong in their lives, I would be the one that screwed it up. Not them. Then I could take responsibility for my mistake, instead of thinking (and sometimes saying)..."If you'd have just listened to ME you wouldn't be IN this mess in the first place". I've often said..by the time I'm in a position to say "I told you so" or "I told you this was going to happen" to my kids...it's usually so screwed up or so bad, that I can't in good conscience actually SAY THE WORDS! Ha!

Anyway, all of this is leading up to me blogging briefly about something that's happened inside my little family that has caused some very hurt feelings. And it involves one of my children that has an "You can't tell me what to do cuz I'm an adult" kind of attitude that has escalated said problems. Remember back in the day when you thought your parents were so stupid & that they didn't know anything? Remember back when you thought you were SO much smarter than your mom & dad? That's where we are. And unfortunately, I don't think this will be resolved without an apology. An apology that, I might add, said child doesn't believe, or can't/won't see, is very necessary. It is so hard as a parent to let your children go. And grow. And this parent has been accused of hanging on too tight in the first place - David & our parents have told me that on numerous occassions. Words like..."they are grown up now, you have to let them go out & live their lives on their own, you have to let them do it on their own, you have to let them FAIL on their own - you can't live their lives FOR them" those words are ringing in my head. I remember clearly telling my dad, "But Dad, if I don't loan them the money or help them out or do it for them or whatever it was- then they might not have...gas in their car to go to work, food to eat, tires on their car, electricity, insurance, whatever"...and he said, "Tammy, they might not. But NEXT time when they have to decide whether to or not go out to eat, see a movie, buy those new shoes, clothes, whatever...they might make the decision NOT to, because they now know what it feels like to do without, and they know they have to take care of themselves" I can't tell you how much it hurts me to think about them "doing without", or having to learn life's lessons the hard way. And this particular situation doesn't even involve money or anything like that. But it does have to do with a lesson, and one that I'm afraid, will be hard for her to learn. So again I find myself turning to God, asking Him to protect my children, watch over them, keep them safe. And then I say a little prayer for David & me...Please God, give us peace. me

What Makes My Heart HAPPY

In case you didn't know....THIS is what makes my heart happy right now. And I don't imagine that is gonna change for the REST OF MY LIFE! And I am more than okay with that! I figured it was about time for a little Hunter-Man update. He is already 7 months old! He is not crawling yet - not that he doesn't try, but he gets his knees up under him & rocks a little bit, then face plants right in the carpet! His Papa says it's because his head is SO big-ha ha! But, speaking of that...when he went in for his last check-up they said he's in the 99th percentile for the size of his head. I asked Eddy what that meant...and he said, "Duh mama...it means he's super smart!"...then Desiree laughed & said actually, it means that he's got a bigger head than 99% of babies his age! I can tell you one thing...it's the most beautiful "big head" I have ever seen. He rolls over all by himself now too. If you lay a blanket on the floor, he'll roll all over the room. He can sit up by himself and hold his bottle by himself. He's still not quite to the point where he will hold his arms out to you to get you to pick him up, but he's working on it. And yesterday, when I came home for lunch, I got my very first "on purpose" kiss! As soon as I picked him up he grabbed my face with both his little hands & pulled me to him & licked me right on the lips! It was awesome, and SO sweet. And I can't get him to do it again for anything in the world. I think he's learning this kissing - licking thing from Bam. His most favorite thing is to grab Bam by the ears & pull him to him & let Bam lick him all in his face. He just giggles & laughs & laughs. I think it is too cute - but it makes David crazy...he says get that dog out of that baby's face...you don't have any idea what all he's had in his mouth...and, as usual, he's right.

The kids took him back to the doctor today & they took some blood. They are pretty sure he just has a viral infection of some kind, but he's still feeling really bad so they wanted to make sure he wasn't getting worse. I had chalked most of it up to teething, but the doctor says that's not it. We'll hear tomorrow how the lab work went & if he's got to get on some more meds. That's it for the grandbaby update for now... I still need to get a picture of him in his Sombrero we bought him in Mexico! me

4th of July Pics

I've always heard "Better late than never"....hopefully that is true...because these pictures are from the 4th of July party we had at my Grandma's house. There is Hunter with his "Great-Great" Grandma, Hunter with his Papa Bill (my dad) and the bottom one is Hunter with MY mom & Eddy. (Just to clarify things...we are at my dad's mom's house...and yes, my mom & dad are divorced, but my grandma & her family still love & include my mom in most everything). So the bottom pic is my momma, with her grandson & great grandson. It's evident that I am NOT a very good camera-woman, but hey - I try! And, to be completely honest, I "borrowed" the one of my dad from my Aunt! Thanks Bev! me

What's Going on at my house....

So here is what's been going on in "The Allen's World"...Friday, the kids car blew up. Yes...I said "blew up", and yes, it's the new car we helped them get right after they got married. It's 5000 miles out of the extended warranty we purchased. And..the Toyota dealership said the lifetime warranty on the drive train is void if they didn't get it serviced there every time. Never mind Eddy was on active duty in another state. It's an issue that we're dealing with and I'm afraid David is going to have to get involved.
And, Hunter is sick. He has a horrible cough that just breaks my heart every time I hear it. And he looks up at me with those big blue eyes, like "Grandma, can't you fix this?". They have a doctors appointment scheduled for this afternoon.
We all went & saw my mom Saturday night. It was awesome to watch her play with Hunter. And my sister was on her best behavior, we actually all talked & got along. They've even invited us to come to the lake & visit them while they're on vacation for the next two weeks. I'll have to make a point to drive out & see them.
And last but not least....still NO RING! Although I am NOT going to be the one searching for it. Bam is doing just fine, so now I'm wondering...did he even swallow it? Or did he just pick it up & hide it somewhere at the house? We may never know, but at least there wasn't a $2000 surgery required.
And that's about all I've got for now...there is of course, a lot more I could write about, but once again I am blogging at work, which is a big no - no...and I've got work to do...so until later...me

What a Day!

Let me just begin by saying this - "what a day". I don't even really know if I mean that in a good way or a bad way, it has just been "a day". I didn't get much sleep last night. David's days & nights are so mixed up that I'm beginning to think we'd all be better off if he just slept all day every day, then stayed up all night every night. Even on the nights he is off. He slept most of yesterday, because he couldn't sleep on Monday night. Then last night, he actually turned off the tv around 11:30 & fell asleep - BEFORE I DID! That would be great except for the dogs woke him up around 3 this morning, and of course, he was up & wide awake then...and between him turning on the lights, taking the dogs out, trying to get them back in & settled down, it woke me up. On my way back from the bathroom I could hear my Hunter-man crying in his crib. (The kids got back from Kansas sometime after midnight last night & they are home for good). So of course, this grandma couldn't go back to bed until I went in & checked on him. And when he looked at me with those big blue eyes of his & smiled, well, what else could I do except snatch him right out of his crib & take him to bed with me & David? Except...what I know now, that I didn't last night at 3 am is IF you don't just give him his bottle & let him go back to sleep right then, he thinks it's morning & time to wake up & play. Somewhere around 4:45 or so I got him back to sleep & put him back in his crib. Around 5:30 I fell back asleep. At exactly 6:30 on the dot my alarm went off - and I've been up since!
I worked my a$$ off at work today. I've been slacking a little bit since about the week or so before we went to Cancun, and I had to have a little pep talk with myself this morning & remind "me" that if I didn't get on the ball, I'm not gonna have much of a paycheck next week. In my job in sales, the real money in in the commission & incentives, definatley not the hourly pay (that's just enough to pay the insurance, 401k & taxes usually). So I hit it hard today. And it paid off. I should have at least 2 agreements back tomorrow morning, so I'll need to pull just ONE more off to hit my incentive for the week. AND...if I can pull TWO in by 3 tomorrow, I'll be able to wear jeans all next week, leave early tomorrow & get a couple scratches on the new scratch board that's got a $500 spot waiting on me!
When I got home tonight the kids weren't here, they had some errands to run & were going out for dinner, so I got David off to work & had really planned on hitting the recliner & watching Criminal Minds & CSI until I went to bed. BUT - I started a load of laundry, cleaned the kitchen, did more laundry, vacuumed, changed the sheets on the beds, ended up finishing ALL the laundry & putting it away, swept the floors...well, needless to say I just got completely carried away by that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that I am certain I have, and now it's after midnight & here I am blogging instead of sleeping like I should be!
David told me before he left for work tonight that on Sunday him & Eddy are heading to Stuttgart to check on his dad & will be staying until Tuesday. AND - unless Desiree' can find someone to watch Hunter for her on Monday & Tuesday while she works (she got her old job back at Sonic for now), that the boys are taking Hunter-man with them down south! SO...we've gotta figure something out there because I love my son & husband very much & all that good stuff, but NO WAY am I letting them take that baby for 3 whole days. No way Jose'!
And, the last and biggest news of the day is this: My sister called me tonight. For those of you keeping up, we haven't spoken since right before Christmas. We talked for 2 1/2 hours, maybe 3. One would think after spending that much time talking, everything would be fine & back to normal. But - one wouldn't know my sister or the way our relationship is if they thought that. Basically, she called to make sure I knew that she was mad, why she was mad, and that in all reality she is still mad, but she didn't use the word "MAD". Instead she used the word "Hurt", and wanted to make sure I understood why she felt the way she did & that I saw her side of things. I did, and I do. But the problem here isn't either one of us understanding the other's "side", because we both do. The problem is that she can't or won't FORGIVE me. She won't forgive me for unintentionally hurting her feelings & making her feel like I didn't think my mom, she, my nieces, their whole family was important enough to take a day or night out & have "Christmas" together. She can see how it happened that my mom & I decided that we didn't need to have "Christmas" at my house on the night we planned, since Hunter had just gotten out of the ICU the night before and everyone at her house was just getting over a horrible stomach bug & we didn't want my 4 lb grandson to be exposed to that. She can't see that if she hadn't gotten so upset or 'hurt' by us calling it off for that next night, that I & my mom had already talked about & had EVERY intention of rescheduling our Christmas together, it just might have been the day after or the Saturday AFTER Christmas. I could go on & on & on & on about the conversation we had tonight, but at least it was civil, I listened to her & empathized with her, & understood some of where she was coming from. I even told her a little of how I actually felt about it & all the 100 other things she brought up tonight. Don't know if she heard a word or not. But I do know (and have known all along) that this was hurting my mom more than anyone else. Like Tina pointed out, I have a LOT of family. "David's" family, is MY family. I've got my kids. I have friends at work. Most importantly, I have David. But my mom? My mom has only 2 people (and their very small family's) left. She has my sister, (who has my niece Kayla-my step niece Kara & her husband Tommy) and she has me (and my little family of David, Pudge, Ed, Des & Hunter-man). THAT IS IT. We are all she has. She has no parents left, she's an only child, there are no loving aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, husband...there is NO ONE. And if Tina & I are at odds with one another, and since my mom LIVES with Tina & her family, then my momma only has Tina & her clan. And I am her oldest daughter. And somewhere in the midst of all this drama (or lack there of since I avoid any & all confrontation like the plague), I've let my sister take control of my relationship with my mom. And that is not okay. So in the end we've came to this solution. I will NOT let this rift with my sister keep me from calling my mom, going to see my mom, taking my mom out to dinner, bringing her to my house to spend a weekend, etc. And my sister will NOT use this rift between us to pressure our mom not to talk to me, or threaten my mom or hold anything over her head if/when she does. She's promised me the tension that has been there for 7 months when I call/see my mom will be gone, and I'm going to hold her to that. Like I told Tina tonight, I can not go back & change the past or any of my actions in the past. I can't "fix" this or what happened. I can't change it. I also have NO CONTROL over anything that anyone other than myself says or does. I can say I'm sorry (which I did), and that is all I can do about anything that has EVER happened before this very moment right now. And I can learn from the past. There is a lesson there, if we will just take the time & make the effort to see it. My sister & I are as different as night & day. Always have been & I guess we always will be. Where I choose (and it IS A CHOICE), to forgive & to love, she chooses not to. And here is where I will repeat myself, and end this post....I have NO CONTROL over anything that ANYONE other than myself says or does......me

A Few Mexico Pics

Random Update

It's a rainy Tuesday here in Arkansas and there's much going on. To start with, Bam ate Eddy's deployment ring! Yes - he ate it. Eddy left his watch & ring on the coffee table in the living room when he went to bed Sunday night. Bam walked into our room & I noticed something silver hanging out of his mouth. When I called him over & opened his mouth, there was Eddy's watch! I immediately ran into the living room & looked on the coffee table & lo & behold - no ring! I broke the news to the kids yesterday morning. The first thing Dez said was, "Great! I still owe $300 on that ring!" Imagine their surprise when David informed them that if he can't "pass it", the surgery is $2800 to have it removed. Needless to say, Eddy will have "Poop Duty" when he gets back from Kansas this evening! HA!
Did I mention that my cell phone woke me up at 5:30 this morning? It was the kids. It seems they misplaced Eddy's discharge papers & they needed me to see if they were there at our house. Know what? They were. Yup, they drove all the way back to Kansas last night so Eddy could get discharged today...and left the DISCHARGE PAPERS at home in Arkansas. Great. Anyway, I faxed some stuff to him & it looks like he will be released at 2 today & will no longer be a soldier, just a civilian like the rest of us! :)
In other news...Brittni called this morning & said her & Jeramiah are officially over, and he was moving out as of that phone call. I don't guess I need to actually post on here that...well, let me just say I think it's for the best, and in Brittni's best interest. I think she deserves someone who will bring out the very best in her, and I'm not sure he did. But, as with all things, I had already put this in God's hands & gave it to him. And if this is His will, I just hope Brittni stays strong & I know she'll be okay.
As for me...I am back at work. No more trips to Cancun or holidays or vacation on the horizon, so I guess I better get to work! me

We're Back - and I'm behind

Do you ever get SO behind on something...that you just keep putting it off & trying to put it out of your mind? Well THAT'S how I've been with blogging. I have SO much to blog about our Mexico trip. But - alas, again life has gotten in the way. So I've decided to just bite the bullet & jump on in, and I'll blog about Mexico when I get a chance.

We've had a great week. I was sick on Thursday though. Had a headache that just would NOT go away. I stayed home from work, laid in bed all day, and about 6 pm it finally let up.

Friday...the kids got home. HOME. They came pulling a U Haul trailer with all their stuff. Eddy & Dez have to go back to Kansas tomorrow to finalize everything, but they are officially here & Eddy is officially out of the Army! I am SO glad. Still, don't know what they are gonna do, but what I DO know is that Eddy is NOT gonna be sent to Afghanistan.

Saturday night we went to my Grandma's & watched fireworks. My grandma is doing AMAZING. She is weaning herself off her oxygen a little at a time, sitting at the table for lunch & dinner, and she even went outside to watch the fireworks. Thank you to everyone for all the prayers.

And we celebrated the 4th yesterday in true Allen fashion. We grilled hamburgers & hot dogs in the front yard, invited the neighbors & their kids over & some other friends, and David, Eddy & Jeramiah went to the fireworks stand & bought enough fireworks to have a BIG SHOW. It was SO much fun. It was one of those "throw everything together at the last minute" things that we are SO famous for, but it turned out great.

And today? Today is a day of rest. I'm off work and it's David's regular day off work. Not sure if we're even gonna get out & do anything. Heck, I won't even have to cook - there's plenty hamburgers & hot dogs left over!

Well, that's about all I've got for now...there will be Mexico stories & pictures to come...eventually. me