Christmas 2011

 We had a wonderful Christmas. On Christmas eve, we closed so we didnt get off work until 8pm. Well, I got off at 8, Jess got off at 7. It was a Saturday night so I had extra stuff to do to close out for the night, as well as for the week. But I was done on time. :)

Jess rushed home to finish packing and walk the furbabies. She loaded the car and got everything ready so that when I got home, we could get on the road. I have the best wifey :)

We got to my mom's around 10pm and of course we opened all of our gifts. Why you ask? Because I have always opened presents on Christmas eve.. not all of them, but most of them. Seriously, I always had Christmas as soon as I woke up whether it was 4am or 9am.... lets be honest, it was rarely 9am ;) Santa must have woken me every year on his way out!! Ha Ha.

Well, Santa mom did not disappoint!!

drumroll please....

Oh yea... I got a Kindle Fire baby!

I also got these... ok let me explain...

1.  Anyone remember the Pizza Hut glasses with the Flintsones Kids on them from 1980s?? Well, me either. I think maybe my Aunt Kathy had some, but thats the extent of any kind of memory. One day, the family (me, mom, Aunt Kathy, and Jess) were hitting up the antique stores they love, oh so much, we I spotted a Freddy glass for $2. It was too cute to pass up... plus it was 50% off. SCORE. Fast foward a year, and I found the Barney glass at antique store but it was $18. Uh no thank you! I was crushed. I wanted it sooo bad. Well, Mom found a good deal on one... so I got it for Christmas. :)

2. OK.... I may have had a bit of an obsession with Blue's Clues. Ya know, the toddler show on Nick... Well, maybe not the show so much... but the little dog is just so dang cute! One year, Mom found a plush Blue's Clues blanket and pillow for $40. I still have it... and it traveled to New York with me on a high school chorus trip. No Shame! Anyways... I have had the plate/bowl set for years!!! And last time mom was down to see us we noticed it had a crack in it. So sad. I decided not to use it anymore... and actually threw it away about a week ago. Guess what else mom found for a good deal??? Yep. A brand new Blue's Clues plate. :) Awesome.

Along with all our antique store finds, Mom found a gumball machine a while back. Jess loves it! She eats so much gum every time we visit. So mom found her one too. She also got my niece and uncle one too! It was the Year of the Gumball! Ha Ha.

She also got Jess some new Paula Deen dishes, not the cook set she got that last year, but some baking dishes. And some new PD utencils. Mom gave us an awesome canvas picture that she actually made! Lots of other cool stuff.

The babies had Christmas when we got back to our apartment on Monday. They were excited... although Kiwi appears a bit stuck up in the pics but really she found a chewy bone on the floor!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!!

Thanksgiving & Black Friday

I love the holidays. And I love being home at my mom's. We were off 3 days from work and spent it all at moms. Love that!

[caption id="attachment_674" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Thanksgiving 2011 (Idk why its so blurry!)"][/caption]

This year, Black Friday shopping started at 10pm. I was really excited about this because I hate getting up early. Although, I didnt realize it would interfere with my nap after Thanksgiving dinner. We got to Walmart around 530pm. We were on a mission to get the new blue Wii. We already have a Wii in our bedroom that we use mostly to stream Netflix. But we needed Netflix in the living room as well. So instead of buying a streamer for $60-$80m, we decided to just buy the new Wii. We also wanted some of the $20 600 threadcount sheets, which Jess got trampled over. But after elbowing her way back up.. she got our sheets! ;) Some guy tried to take them out of her hands by reaching over her and she BIT HIM! haha kinda gross but hey dont put your hands in someones face just because you are bigger than she is! Asshole. Mom wanted the 19" tv for $100 to go in the guest room (mostly for us :) ) so she stood in line in the freezer section for 7 hours to get one! She was number 1! But turns out they had plently and the next morning they still had over 100. She was pissed. Ha Ha.

We got great deals on dvds, and Wii games. So thats always a plus for me. (seriously addicted to dvds.)

DVDS- Pretty Little Liars (dont hate!), The Vampire Diaries 1 & 2 (2 sets for gifts), Planet Earth, The Big Bang Theory Season 4. $10 each!

[caption id="attachment_678" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Black Friday Shoppers"][/caption]

While we were eating our dinner, I told my brother all about my nursing expenses and how much I had been spending on vaccines and physicals etc. When dinner was over, and he was leaving, he handed me $100 and told me to get my shoes ($60) and stethescope or whatever. I was super excited, hugged him and told him I loved him :) Even though, he gave me the money for shoes, I also had $115 nursing kit to buy to I put the money up for that instead. He called mom later to tell her to make sure I didnt spend it on Black Friday shopping. She informed him I already put it aside for my nursing kit because it cost more. Well he said for me to buy both and he was send me more money in the next week. YAY! I never ask him for money. I try to do it on my own, because I know if I ever get into a bind he will be there for me. Im super excited he is helping me out.. one less thing I have to worry about. :)

Random Facts #1

Recently I read, on my absolute fav blog, that if you want people to read your blog, you have to be real. Well, I don't think many people read this.. at.. all & this makes me very sad. So in efforts to be real and raw, we are going to do try some posts with random facts about us. Ya know, the kind of things you try not to tell people, like singing obnoxiously loud in the car pretending you are in your own music video.. or dancing randomly throughout the house when no one is home. Having full conversations with your dog, or yourself (which ever you prefer).

We will start with weird things we eat.. This will mostly be about me I guess.. Jess is pretty  normal in the food department. In my defense, I am allergic to most fruits & vegetables. I dont eat salads or anything that goes in the salad, well except the meat, cheese, & dressing. ;) Terrible I know. I eat green beans, corn, & potatoes, but lets be honest.. if it comes out of can, it probably isnt healthy anyways. While I like some fruits, I cant eat them because it makes my mouth & throat swell, while causing ulcer-like bumps that hurt like hell for days. That being said, sometimes I cant resist frozen grapes (yes i put them in the freezer which makes bite-size popcicle grapes. YUM!) & will suffer through the pain.

So here's a list of weirdness..

- Let's start with my lunch today, which inspired this post.. Hot Dog Salad. Much like a chili cheese dog, except I cut it up and mix it up. I put corn on top and crush a few plain chips on top, I am not really sure why except thats how my momma made it. :)



Continue with list, I eat...

•  mustard in my grits (with eggs of course)


•  mayo on my cornbread


•  mayo on my crackers for vegetable soup


• bbq sauce in my corn


• ranch dressing on spaghetti (I dont eat it often, but I like it.)


• honey on fried chicken


• strawberry jelly on hashrowns

When I was younger, my mom made peanut butter, mayo, & sugar sandwichs. Wow thats digusting, but it tasted good.

Just FYI, My Aunt puts mayo in her mashed potatoes.

Even I think the stuff I eat is weird, but as I recalled these things, I remembered watching someone else do it, which I why I tried it. So I guess I know at least one other person who does these same things.

For fun, but not weird.. I LOVE CAKE BATTER & BROWNIE BATTER... more than the actual cake or brownie. :)

Jess cant think of anything weird she likes, so we may have to continue hers another day.

Have a Great Day!

 

 

>Day 26 of 30.

>Picture of Your Family

not the best picture because its very difficult to get squirming chihuahuas to be still :)

And my family before Jess.

I believe I was seventeen (so young) in this picture.

My brother, me, my niece, and my momma.



>Day 5 of 30.

>Your Siblings

I have one brother and he is 11 years older than me. We aren't that close because we grew up almost separately, as he lived with my dad in one town and I lived with my mom 2 hrs away. But I don't see this as a bad thing... I don't have to talk to him everyday to know that he is my brother. Should I ever need anything, I know I can call him and he will be there to help anyway he can and vice versa. I really think age difference and distance is the only obstacle but not a big deal to me.

My mom is afraid that when she is no longer around, ya know 100 years from now, that we won't keep in touch. One day she began her pleas for us to talk more, first with my brother.
His response: why? if anything happens with her, you'll let me know. :)
They both laughed and she left it at that.
But she had to still try to persuade me to call him more.
My response: why? if anything happens with him, you'll let me know. :)
We laughed about it and she told me those were his exact words and said she could definitely tell we were her kids. :)

I admit I was worried about his reaction to me being with Jessica, but he just took it in stride. This past year her name was actually on his Christmas list. Normally, some of our family members just address a gift card to us both. It meant so much to me that he got her her own gift (even if mom picked it out for him! Lol)

I have always been proud of my brother and this unique bond we share. Distance and time just doesn't matter.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

>Day 4 of 30.

>Your Parents

My parents began dating around 1974-ish, when my mom was 18 and my dad was 28! ShOcKiNg, I know :) They got married and had my brother, Chris, very, very soon after that. They were married for 2 short years, when they divorced.

My mom went on to marry another man, who turned out to be more of a nightmare than a life-long love. When my brother was 5, her husband hit her. Now my momma is an extremely strong woman and is by no means a "victim". She, of course, hit him back!! She called my dad to come get my brother because she didnt want him there to witness any arguing or fighting of the sort. She had planned to have my dad take my brother for a few days, while she packed their stuff and found a place closer "back home". However, when she called my dad, he knew something was up. And all he said was "That son-of-a-bitch hit u didnt he?!?" (excuse the cursing) My mom said "Yes! But I hit him back!!!" His reply was "Well hell, I knew that" That part of the story still makes me smile today everytime I hear it, or even just think about it. He begged her to let him come get her and Chris, and that he would help them get settled somewhere. Being the stubborn woman she is, she said no that she just needed him to get Chris. When my dad arrived to get Chris, he asked her one more time to come with him. She said she looked around and realized now was the time to go. She threw everything she could into garbage bags and loaded up his truck and headed back toward their hometown, this was quite a long drive. I always say he rescued her, even though she has never needed that. :) Sometime passed and they got back together and got married.... again. They tried continously to have another baby, but the doctors said that she would never have anymore children. *cue the tears*

However God had a different plan for them & 5 years later they were blessed with a beautiful baby girl :) When my mom realized she was *late*, she called my *AUNT KATHY* (who was mentioned in the crafty blog posts!) and all my aunt could say was "OMG YOU'RE PREGNANT!!" My mom did not think this was so because "she couldnt have anymore." But sure enough she was.

My parents divorced when I was 3, but did their best to remain somewhat friends. My mom remarried her true prince charming a few years later. My stepdad was a wonderful man who loved us more than anything. He promised my mom he was always take care of us. 16 months after they were married, he passed away from past Air-Force injury & complications. But he kept his word and he has always provided for us, and even now with college. As if our world was not already turned upside down from his death, my dad passed away 16 months later from lung cancer. We knew he was sick and she knew it was pretty bad. One Sunday afternoon, my dad's "wife" called my mom and said he was not doing good, and she should bring me down to his house. Of course my mom packed up, and we were on our way. I spent the whole day with him. She knew this would probably be the last time we saw him. She made sure to tell my brother that now was the time to say whatever he needed too, because he might not have the chance much longer. We left Sunday evening to head back home, my brother called my mom around 1am to tell her that he had passed.

I was going on a camping trip with my school, and my daddy's last words to me was "I love you & have fun on your trip!!" My mom knew she couldnt tell me about my dad because he wanted me to have fun and not to miss out. When I woke up for school, she said I asked about him, which I didnt usually do. She had to look me in the face and lie. The courage it took for her to do that is simply amazing. For 4 days, she talked to me on the phone from camp and pretended eveything was ok. When I got home from camp, she told me the truth. There was very little time before we were on the road for the funeral.

My mom raised me by herself. She is incredibly strong, loving, open-minded, and accepting. She is truly my best friend. I have always talked freely with her about ALL aspects of my life. I dated guys for quite sometime before realizing I was a lesbian. The first girl I dated my mom just smiled and said "Well, at least you wont get pregnant ;)" We thought it was a phase. When we realized it wasnt, she embraced it and never judged. She welcomed Jess with open arms and treats her just like her own kid. My mom even came to several bball games :)

I read so many blogs about families turn apart when someone coming out. I consider myself truly blessed to have such an accepting mom/family.

>Thanksgiving 2010

>

I am thankful for a wonderful family and a loving girlfriend to share

the holidays and everyday with.

We had Thanksgiving with my mom this past Sunday

because she has to work today.

So today, we made our first Thanksgiving just us.

We made a turkey, homemade mashed potatoes,

homemade mac & cheese,

green bean casserole,

and dressing from Publix ;)

We didnt even wanna try to make our on dressing.

We got yummy pecan pie and pumpkin pie for dessert!!

Happy Thankgiving!

>Tomorrow 10.23.10

>

We are walking with my mom, my aunt, niece,

little cousin and all my mom's

friends and co-workers, for BREAST CANCER!!!

My mom is a 2 year survivor!!

We are walking for her

"Winky Boob"

as we affectionately call her post-cancer boob.

:)

Its a small way to make light of an extremely scary and painful time

in her life.

Well, all our lives.

My tattoo for Mom.

Her tattoo on her wrist.

that she said,

"Hurt worse than having 2 babies and breast cancer and the two cancer surgeries"

shes a bit dramatic. :D

 

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On another note...

Tomorrow is also the day my daddy passed away from lung cancer, 15 years ago when I was 9.

I was so young that I dont remember much of him.

I remember little things like riding go-karts with him

every other weekend. (my parents divorced when I was 3).

He always made steak and baked potatoes for dinner

and a BIG breakfast on sunday mornings.

Anyone that knows me,

knows that the way to my heart is through breakfast.

I am NOT a morning person by any means.

BUT!

If you offer breakfast

I'll be your best friend ;)

It has been said by many family members

that if you told me while I was asleep that you were

going to McDonalds or somewhere,

I would immediately say something like
"I want a number 3 with a Dr. Pepper"

I dont know what these people are talking about.

;)

Not much as changed in 15 years..

I still ALWAYS want breakfast!!

I have always had one song that I have dedicated to him

and even have a tattoo on my back for the song and him.

Offspring's "Gone Away"

(I believe I have posted about this before)

But the past few days, I've been stuck on

Reba McEntire's "The Greatest Man I Never Knew"

I think its just the title, really.

Not so much the lyrics.

Except the part that says

"The greatest man I thought could never die, has been dead almost a year"

Daddy's little girl

"Gone Away" Tattoo.

Us at Disney World when I was 2.

>Father's Day

>

This is me with my daddy at Disney World when I was two years old.

He passed when I was 9 from Lung Cancer.

"Leaving flowers on your grave show that I still care. Black roses and Hail Mary's cant bring back whats taken from me. "

Offspring's "Gone Away"

RIP 1945-1995

>Wisdom teeth are a Bitch!

>So today Jess had her wisdom teeth cut out. It cost more than an arm and a leg!! But I got to be with her while they put her to sleep and when she woke up. They gave her the meds to make her sleep and she fought it as long as she could before finally closing her eyes. I think she just didnt wanna be alone in there and she knew that when she went to sleep I would be going to the waiting room. But the meds took over and she went to sleep. I kissed her forehead and told her I loved her and went to sit with her mom in the waiting room. When it was over, I went back there to get her and she reached for my hand and squeezed it so TIGHT.. And through nasty gauze and swollen lips she tried to tell me she loved me. :) Thats a moment I'll never forget. I leaned down, kissed her forehead again and told her I loved her. The Dr explained the surgery to me and treated me like I was her wife and not just a "friend" there to pick her up. Of course that meant everything to me because I was afraid I wouldnt even be allowed back there. But he was great... although the nurses were rather bitchy. urrgg! But we got her home and got her settled. I felt like her personal nurse. I can understand most of her grunts and groans without her really having to speak. It makes me feel good to know that I know my baby better than almost anyone and that Im confident in taking care of her. Her mom even told me she was glad I was here and she trusted me to take care of her daughter. Thats exactly what the girlfriend wants to hear. :) Most days I feel like her wife anyways. There isnt anything gross or disgusting I havent seen. Someone once told me that if u can survive seeing your "person" have the flu or some gastro illness then you can probably survive anything. Well Ive definately been there for all that! haha I dont think that stuff bothers me as much since I want to be a nurse. But at least I know I can handle all the grossness. I think the worst part of today so far was watching her throw up in the car and it was mostly just blood. blahh... but we survived. And shes sleeping somewhat peacefully on the couch recliner.

These are the days I know that I cant imagine being with anyone but her. I guess the fact that I realized this on the hard days with all the gross junk means something rather than realizing it on the special date nights with dinner and roses. HAHA! Nothing like blood and vomit to make you fall in love all over again. =]