Moving on.....

I have moved my blog. Sorry guys...Yahoo has a better page!!

Blackie's close call

Well, I've been corresponding with Blackie's owner/trainer...I was right...he's definitely a handful!!! But he finally moved to a boy's camp west of Tallahassee to be obedience trained. Carol had a few problems with him in the few weeks he was with her, mainly concerning confinement of ANY kind. Turns out his first week with her, he dug out of her mom's yard and released all of HER hounds!! OOOOPS!!! Hate it when that happens.

But now all is well since he's around a BUNCH of boys. Kids are his thing and he's loving it. I still can't wait to see him again, but Carol will be out of town for 6 weeks and I won't have anyway to meet up with him. Guess I'll have to do my time waiting and see if I can't talk her into letting me hang out with him for the day or something....how cool would that be???

Oh I miss my Blackie sooooo much!!!! Who knew?

Missin my buddy, Blackie

Well, Carol came and picked up Blackie on June 8th while I was at work. For the first few days, I seriously wished I could call him or go visit or SOMETHING! I know it probably wouldn't be a good idea and not very helpful in his transition, but wishin' never hurt. After a few days, I emailed Carol to see how he was doing. She got back to me and said all was well. He's adjusting and overall being relatively "good". That was despite the fact that he escaped from her yard by digging out, and let her pups out at the same time. At least he came back to her instead of trying to find his way back here.

I truly miss snuggling with him in the morning after Tony got up. He wasn't shy one bit and would sleep on Tony's pillow or my shoulder just like a person. Quite frequently, I'd wake up with him snoring in my ear.

Now don't get me wrong, he was a real pain in the ass and part of me is glad he's gone. He had too much damn energy for us to keep up with him, that's for sure. And the realistic side of me is aware of the fact that he is definitely where he needs to be.

That said, I can barely wait to see him again. I want hugs and slobbery kisses and to see him jumping around and up and down like he doesn't know what to do with himself. It'll be much cooler to watch him doing it at someone elses place knowing that I don't have to worry that he's getting into the neighbor's trash in the middle of the night.

Blackie

Well, our time is growing short. Last week Blackie was cleared by Dr Russell as being "critter free" and non-contagious. That means it's time for him to move to Carol's. We've agreed to meet on Wednesday, June 8th. I know it's the best for him, and really the best for us, too. For starters, four dogs is a lot. Second, Blackie's a handful all by himself. And third, I know he deserves more than being a yard dog or a house pet. He has something to do in this world and it can't be done here.
Everytime I get aggravated at that mutt, I have to go and think about how lovable he truly is. He is the happiest, carefree dog I've ever met. And even though he ACTS like a knucklehead most of the time, I know that he's actually quite intelligent. Just bored, for the most part.

Earlier, Joey woke up for some reason. When he didn't settle back down after a few minutes, I got up to check on him. Blackie was right behind me. Blackie stood by Joey's bed while we talked. He licked Joey's hand and waited for a hug. When Joey wrapped his tiny little hand around Blackie's neck, Blackie gently kissed him on the face then snuggled into Joey's neck. Almost makes ya wanna cry.

Yeah, I'm gonna miss him...A LOT.

More stupid people

Would you believe that I was at the grocery store and upon seeing my boxes of Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios, the girl at the register asked me, "Hmm..what's the difference between the two?" I looked her dead in the eye and said, "hmmm...one has honey nut flavor!!". Her response, "Are they any good?" NO!! I'm buying them cause we all hate them and I have nothing better to waste my money on!!!!

GRRRRR!

People are strange

You know, if you're looking for some cheap entertainment (and BTW, you get what you pay for), go to a super walmart on a Friday nite. The variety of individuals is absolutely astounding. I asked Tony where all these freaks hid during the day, under a rock, maybe.

I think it might be a requirement if you're a dirt poor, stupid redneck that you are only allowed to take your crumb snatchers out at 10pm in filthy clothes/faces. Before anyone gets pissed off about the redneck comment, not all rednecks are dirt poor and stupid. Some are one or the other and some are just the opposite. But as an old friend put quite simply, soap is cheap...use it.

Anyway, I could barely concentrate in the proximity of some of the people I saw streaming past me. I had to wonder how long it would take the mother of a toddler boy to notice that he had a pantiliner stuck to the back of his shorts. I was so curious that I couldn't stop watching them. I wanted to see what happened if/when she realized what was going on. I never did see her notice (or care) and after ten minutes, they moved on. Sad.

Then there was the stoned looking mom, dressed to the nines, strolling around the dept we were in, pretending her kids werent with her (shopping for herself, of course). One little boy of about 5 or 6 was a particular brat who, as he ran past Tony, slapped him across the back (Tony was bent over) with the elastic used to tie shoes together. Now that may not seem like much, but first, what a freakin shit head and second, that shit can hurt if done right.

Then there was the couple in front of us in line...torn nasty clothes, filthy little girl in a basket full of potted plants that ran them about $150. They got into a truck that didnt run any better than the famous truck on Sanford and Son. I had to wonder if there was at least ONE part they could have bought for that amount that would have helped out the truck. Guess not. At least the strip of yard around their trailer will look coloful for a few weeks.

WHAT A KID!!

You know, there are few moments in the life of a parent of a teenager that make you so happy that you cry. Last night was one of those moments. I swear, sometimes I just don't know what to think of Kayleigh!

Now that summer is here, Tony and I have asked Kayleigh if she could babysit Joey maybe one day a week so that it will save us a little on daycare costs. Not only did she agree, but she added that she would be more than happy to keep him more often than that since she knows money is tight. The more we talked about it, the more proud I became of this great kid of ours. And when we told her how proud and thankful that we were that she was willing to sacrifice so much, her reply?? "No, thank you, Mom. I mean heck, you're the one that raised me this way." Our jaws dropped open and I will honestly admit that Tony and I both teared up.

When in the world did this cute little red head of ours come to be so grown up?? I mean, I've always known that as a whole, she's well rounded, level headed, responsible and mature for her age (well, most of the time!). But this just blew us both away. She even said that we don't have to pay her!!!

Tony and I made a point of telling her how proud we were of her and I made sure that she didn't feel taken for granted, telling her that if she ever needed a "day off" to let us know. Granted, I'll be home every Wednesday to give her a break, but still...home with a 2 year old is enough to make any one crazy!!! And on top of everything else, anytime I call home to check up on them, it's always quiet and calm.

Guess we've done something right after all!

Another day, almost a dollar

Being a grown up is so depressing. I've changed my mind. I wanna go back to being 8. It's frustrating enjoying your job and barely making minimum wage. Especially when you consider that I'm a vet tech for crying out loud!!! I could understand if I was flipping burgers or washing dishes, but gimme a break!!!

Then there's Tony. The guy who doesn't complain about ANYTHING!!! He came into this relationship financially secure and comfortable. Now, he's paying outrageous daycare fees, mortgage payments and cooking dinner every nite for all the kids. How he puts up with us is beyond me. I would've dumped me a long time ago!!

I can't stand being tired after working all day. Who am I to complain about being tired after he's busted his ass all day then come home to be Mr Mom. By the time I get home, dinner is usually on the table or damn close, homework is done and the kids chores are 90% done. I need a little bit of time to wind down from working 10 hour days and driving in our insane traffic, but I feel guilty when Tony puts Joey in the bath and in bed every nite. I've apologized to Tony countless times and his answer is always the same..."It's all right." Everything is always "all right" no matter what.

Ya know, I sat down and figured out that since we only pay daycare cause I work, that after the fees and gas to get to work, I bring home less than half of Tony's weekly pay every MONTH!!! Sometimes I wonder why I bother. But then I realize that the measly amount that I do bring home helps out and I enjoy what I do.

Life can be so frustrating. Can I be 8 again? Just for a little while? Please.

Kayleigh's Birthday

Kayleigh's 14th Birthday

Savannah's Birthday

Savannah's 8th Birthday

Our Anniversary

Kim N Tony's 2nd Anniversary

Joey's Birthday

Joey's gonna be THREE!!!

Kim is at it again

Well folks, here we go again....wait, that's my favorite tune! Anyway, I screwed up my last blog thinking I could edit the HTML. Actually, I STARTED editing my HTML, got tired, went to bed and by the time I got back to it, I forgot what I had done and I said to heck with it. Besides, it was old pics n stuff anyway. Time for the new shit.

Note to self...next time you want to edit your HTML, START EARLY!!!

Okay, so where are we now? What are we up to? What's the latest scoop?

Well lemme see...Tony is Tony. Still the same incredible, patient, loving, awesome guy I met over a year ago. And in this case, not changing is a good thing. The only thing that HAS changed about Tony is his love for me and the kids...there's more of it!!!

Kayleigh is doing terrific in school...I'm so proud of her! She was approached by her teachers to be a part of a select group of above average students in her grade level to be in a "gifted" type curriculuum. She has done VERY well in this situation...A/B honor roll since she got involved. She's turning into a very lovable, humorous and intelligent young lady. Good thing we have a baseball bat nearby, we're going to need it to beat away the lil boys!

Savannah is also doing well. Her grades are always very good and despite the fact that she tends to act up in class sometimes, she's still one of the top students in her class. She's very intelligent and quite witty when she wants to be. Having a sister 6 1/2 years older than her has allowed her to grow up and be more self sufficient than Kayleigh was at this age. She's still my little cutie baby, blonde hair, blue eyed sweetie with a heart of gold.

Joey - well, there's a post all on it's own! The kid's a riot, he just doesn't know it. He is your typical, all american lil boy! Loves his "mogycles" (motorcycles), Blue's Clues, football and trucks. If ya let him outside, you'll have to hog tie him to get him back in! For such a busy little boy, he's very loving if you can get him to sit still for a minute. He'll stop and take a moment to hug and kiss a kitty or one of the dogs. His most favorite people in the whole wide world are Daddy and Ma. I'm not sure where I rate sometimes, guess it depends if Daddy or Ma are around. But he's still my little man and he knows where to go to get a good hug.

Then there's me....wow. Always so much going on it seems. I now work for a vet in Mandarin and even though I'm the head peon, I LOVE what I do. Well, scrubbin' dog butts isn't exactly my favorite part, but I like being there and working there. I like the atmosphere and the people I work with and that always helps. The pay sucks, but at least I get some...could be worse, I suppose. This is a whole new world for me and I love being a part of it. The people I work with don't think I'm weird for enjoying watching surgery for the fun of it, or cleaning up nasty infections and all that gross stuff. My family and friends do, but that's nothing new. They just tell me to shut up cuz they don't want to hear about all of it, at least not that part.

But there's the short intro for now, I'm actually surprised that it's 3am already and I swear it was just midnight a minute ago. Since it's not shortly after midnight as I expected, I'm heading off for la-la land in a bit.

Come back soon, I'm sure I'll find the time to add more, including pics. Maybe even some really cool gross shit!!!