just a wee one

This is a picture of my sweetheart when he was just a wee one.  How cute is that pic!  I had to scan it & put it on my computer the first time I saw it.

I'm sure when he see's my blog & me posting his childhood pictures... he might flip a little.  I just can't help it though, he's just so daggum cute!

Anytime your in a relationship, you always wonder what they looked like as a baby & growing up.  In this case, Fred & I have known each other for a long time, we actually went to middle school together but met & started hanging out together in high school.

In all the years that Fred & I have known each other, I don't have one bad thing to say about him... not one. In high school, we definitely had some good times together & I'm sure he could tell several drunk stories about me to.  He's always been such an all around good guy to be around.  Anyone that knows him will say the exact same thing too.

In high school he was always so quiet & shy.  I remember some girls saying he was an asshole, because he was so quiet, which never made any sense to me... why would you call someone an asshole for being shy & quiet?  Idiots, thats my personal opinion.  He's never been shy or quiet with me that I can remember.  We've always talked & been comfortable with each other.  After high school we kind of kept in contact off & on, or ran into each other here & there.

I remember one instance several several years ago that me & my friend Tanja had gone to the Wolf Trap for a few drinks while she was in town, then Eric & Fred showed up & I remember thinking "DAMN he's hott". I hadn't seen Fred in a few years at that point, but oh my... he looked really good that night.

Well we lost touch for awhile, then back in April 2008, I was talking to Kelly (Fred's best friend & my friend too) on the phone & I decided to ask for Fred's phone number again so I could see what he's been up to the past few years.  I gave him a call & we talked for a few minutes & I told him to give me a call next time he's in town & maybe we can meet for drinks sometime.  As it turned out, a few weeks later after I called him, he text me & after a few text messages back & forth, we decided to meet for drinks at the Wolf Trap the next weekend & well... here we are still today.

I won't say that the story ends there... because well the story is still going for us.  I think that its a little ironic that neither of us after all this time have gotten married or had children.

We both have the same family values & to me thats very important for a foundation of a relationship.  And seriously, just look at these pictures of him as a child, just think for a minute... my future children could potentially look just like these pictures.  If thats the case, then I'm in serious trouble because those eyes kill me. I know I would be a sucker & give into anything with some of these looks, geez.  And... not only does he have pretty eyes, but he has long eye lashes to go along with the pretty eyes.  What a combination, just makes you melt.  I've always had a thing for long eye lashes.
 
We don't have some crazy love story where he rode in on a horse or me wearing a long flowing gown or anything wild like that, but in my heart I feel like someone higher up had a hand in putting our lives together & we are a perfect fit for each other.

I only chose a few photos to share, but trust me, there are so many cute ones to choose from it was a hard decision which ones I was actually going to post.

Check out this facial expression he's got going on in this last picture on the right!  Just for the record... he still makes this facial expression still today... I know because I've seen it!  LOL!  Just adorable, isn't it?

I love you honey, please don't tackle me for posting these pics.

abigail's xmas pics

I can't help it... every chance I get I have to take pics of Abigail especially at Christmas time.  She's just the cutest in her Christmas outfits.  I know she dreads every minute of it, but seriously just look how adorable she is.  Her wonderful behavior only lasts for so long before I have to break out the cookies to encourage her to hang in there a little longer so we can switch a few outfits & capture several poses.

I know if she could talk, she would probably be cussin' me for putting her thru this torture.  Abigail should be used to it by now though, she knows how I am about taking pictures.  I probably have over a million pictures of her that started when I brought her home at 6 weeks old.  Some people might think I'm crazy... but to me... she's my baby!  I treat her as if she was my child.  My dad's exact words are "Abigail doesn't even know she's a dog because you treat her more like a human".  Well I can't argue with him, he's 100% right.

She can be pretty onry at times, but unfortunately I'm at fault for most of her bad behavior.  I've learned allot of lessons raising her & I won't make those mistakes again raising another four legged baby that's for sure.

I love animals in general... cats not so much... #1 because I'm highly allergic to them.  If I was rich & could afford to rescue dogs, I probably would.

It kills me to see so many dogs in kennels or adoption places with no loving homes to live in.  Abigail is spoiled absolutely rotten without a doubt.  She's very much loved & is treated like a princess to put it lightly.

I have many more pics to post of her with stories to go along.  This will come at a later date when I have time to sit down & write more.  But I just had to share her Christmas pics for this year, for now.

Merry Christmas to everyone from Abigail Elizabeth

kimberly doll

When I was growing up, my brother gave me a Kimberly doll for obvious reasons.  I loved her & she was well played with & my mom still has her at their house & most of her original outfit is still in tact.  My Kimberly doll took many baths, played outside in the dirt, the whole nine yards.  So needless to say she's seen her days & she went through allot.

For many years now I've always dreamed of collecting the Kimberly dolls, but of course they don't make them anymore.  Although I have found some out there for sale... if only I could afford to buy them that would be a dream come true.  I have no idea how much they cost back n the day, but nowdays they're going for around $50.00 depending on the condition.

The Kimberly doll I had was the cheerleader one.  I found some pics online so I stole copied them to post them on here in case someone doesn't remember this awesome doll from back n the day!

There are several different ones out there, but they are hard to find.

I don't really collect anything & haven't ever really, but I would like to someday be able to have these few Kimberly dolls if possible.

My picture is... to have a room with all my scrapbook, sewing, crafts stuff & have one shelf along the top of the wall with these dolls displayed.  Sounds crazy maybe, but that's just my small wish & dream.

With Christmas just a few days away, things like this pop into my mind.

Xpress Redi-Set-Go - update

If you read my blog awhile back about the Xpress Redi-Set-Go, then you know that I was adding this to my wish list for Santa this year.

Well guess what?
Oh I'm so excited about this... after noticing that Fred's mom had this sitting on her counter I was so jealous I couldn't stand it!  Then low & behold on Sunday, guess what appeared on my counter top?  I noticed a brown box that wasn't there before & when I peaked inside, it was the Xpress Redi-Set-Go!  OH WOW MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME!  I barely refrained from jumping up & down!

Fred's sweet mom gave me her Xpress Redi-Set-Go!  How incredibly cool & awesome is that!  I'm in heaven... now I can't wait to use it & play with it.  I'm thinking omlet!  It has a recipe book with it so I will have to experiment with that too.

Some might think I'm crazy & yeah... maybe I am, but it doesn't take allot to make me happy, I'm just a simple kinda person.

I LOVE YOU MOM & THANK YOU !!

myxer.com

I'm all about anything "free"... so I thought I would share a website I found a long time ago.

Here's the link:  http://www.myxer.com/

This is a website where you can dowload free ringtones & you can even upload music from your computer & create your own ringtones... which is just way to cool if you ask me!

There are also ringtones you can purchase also, if for some reason you can't find the free version on there.

I love not having to pay $2 - $3 everytime I want a new ringtone on my phone.
I would highly recommend this website to everyone!

things only a mother could teach

I got this in an email & I just loved it so I had to share...

My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION: “Just wait until your father gets home”

My Mother taught me about RECEIVING: “You are going to get it when we get home”

My Mother taught me to MEET A CHALLENGE: “What were you thinking? Answer me when I am talking to you… Don’t talk back to me!”

My Mother taught me LOGIC: “Because I said so, that’s why.” & if you fall out of that tree and break your neck you’re not going to the store with me.

My Mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE: “If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they are going to stick like that.

My Mother taught me to THINK AHEAD: “If you don’t pass your spelling test, you’ll never get a good job.

My Mother taught me HUMOR: “When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.”

My Mother taught me about SEX: “How do you think you got here”

My Mother taught me how to BECOME AND ADULT: “If you don’t eat your vegetables, you’ll never grow up”

My Mother taught me about GENETICS: “You’re just like your father”

My Mother taught me about WISDOM OF AGE: “When you get to be my age, you will understand”

My Mother taught me about JUSTICE: “One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you, and then you will see what its like.

My Mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL: “If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week.”

My Mother taught me FORESIGHT: “Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you are in an accident.”

My Mother taught me IRONY: “Keep crying and I will *give* you something to cry about”

My Mother taught me about STAMINA: “You’ll sit there until all that spinach is finished.”

My Mother taught me about WEATHER: “Your room looks like a damn tornado hit it.”

My Mother taught me about PHYSICS PROBLEMS: “If I yell because a meteor is coming towards you, would you listen then?”

My Mother taught me about HYPOCRISY: “Do as I say not as I do”

My Mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE: “I brought you into this world and I can take you out.”

My Mother taught me BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION: “Stop acting like your father”

My Mother taught me about ENVY: “There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don’t have wonderful parents like you do!”

aunt adelina

Here's how the headline read a little over a year ago on September 16, 2008.

September 16, 2008 - NewsOK.com Main Headlines

EDMOND — A 90-year-old Edmond woman is in critical condition this afternoon after being hit by a car while getting her mail, police said. Adelina Benne was hit about 1:30 p.m. by a car driven by Delbert Maxwell, 84, Edmond Police Department spokeswoman Glynda Chu said. Benne was walking across Bryant Avenue when she was hit. Maxwell tried to stop, but couldn’t, Chu said. Benne was taken to OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City. Maxwell did not receive a ticket.

My mom called me at work at 2:25pm that day. My dad had driven my Uncle Earl to the hospital behind the ambulance & mom had ran home to close up the house & to call me. I immediately left work & went to pick her up then we headed to the hospital.  Oh what a day that was... it was just a blurr in a way. A bad dream... a really really bad dream. Not that I would ever tell my mom this, but I honestly don't even remember driving us to the hospital. My body was driving but my mind was scattered somewhere else.  Seeing Aunt Adelina laying on the stretcher in the trauma room covered in blood, screaming in pain... I just wanted to collapse.
I've been to the emergency room & hospitals for many many different family members & friends over the years... but this time felt different for me. My Uncle Earl & Aunt Adelina have been very close to me my entire life. They built a house directly behind my parents house when I was around 8 years old. Even before they moved, I would spend the night with them & go to church with them on Sundays. They've always treated me like their very own child. When they moved, I pretty much lived at their house as much as I lived at my own.
Aunt Adelina started teaching me how to play the piano when I was 7 years old... she was an extremely good teacher, but after years off & on of playing, the piano just wasn't for me. I can still play, I learned allot from her, but the violin always had my #1 interest. She was originally from Venezuela & speaks fluent Spanish & even tried to teach me Spanish when I was growing up... but... the Spanish didn't really stick with me. I regret that now, I wish I would've tried harder to learn, studied more.  Uncle Earl & Aunt Adelina are extremely special people in my life, they mean the world to me. They've been like parents to me my entire life.

I held myself together for the most part of that day, I knew I had to be strong for my mom & everyone else. My Aunt was yelling in Spanish about how much pain she was in & begging for someone to give her something, it was allot for us to handle. The Dr's only gave her a little medication for pain, because they didn't want to give her to much & her blood pressure drop. They tried explaining this to her, but since she has Alzheimer's, she couldn't remember what they had told her, so she kept asking. When my Uncle walked over to the stretcher, leaned over to try & comfort her, then started telling my Aunt how much he loved her & that we were all there... I lost it. I had to step out of the room for a few minutes to put myself back together.

I've never seen one tear fall from Uncle Earl's eye my entire life, never. The look on his face, the swollen watery eyes, I could see the hurt, the love, everything all happening at once. It tore me up, I felt like someone had put a huge weight on my chest & I couldn't breathe.

After many x-rays, cat scans & all the other tests they did, the Dr's came in to tell us exactly what the results were. Thankfully her head scan came back fine - no internal bleeding. She had a broken nose bone, but apparently it was broken in a good place, nothing was blocking her ability to breathe through her nose, so they put some stitches in it & it would heal in time. Her right ankle was broken, the bone sticking out. Her left femur was broken really bad. Her pelvic area was broken in several places along with her right hip.
After hours of debating, the Dr's finally took her to surgery for her right ankle around 10pm that night. At that point in time, they didn't feel like her body can handle to much surgery - so since the bone was sticking out of her ankle, that was their #1 priority. The surgery went fine & the Dr said her ankle wasn't quite as bad as what they had originally thought, which was good news. They moved her from the trauma unit to surgery, then from surgery they moved her into ICU where she stayed for about a week. At her age... they were afraid to do to much at one time. The Dr's have said that after her stay at the hospital she would have to be moved to a therapy unit to live for several months. They told us she will be unable to walk for awhile... if ever again. She had a long recovery road ahead of her & it was going to be a painful process.
I had to leave the hospital around 5pm that day because I had to go take care of grandma & she needed her shot. I hurried though... then ran home to feed Abigail & get her situated, then left & returned to the hospital again. I think I was gone about an hour & half.

Around 9:30pm that night I finally took mom home to drop her off. She was tired I could tell. It had been a long day for everyone. After Aunt Adelina got out of surgery, my Aunt Oneta called mom to give her the update on how everything went & then mom called me to let me know. That was around midnight.
After dropping mom off at home, I headed towards my house... I got lost, like I somehow managed to get confused about where I was at, what street I was on, everything. Then I lost it, I had a break down. I decided at that point it was in my best interest to pull over & stop so I could put myself back together. I ended up pulling over at 1st Baptist Church parking lot... weird but true. All my train of thought was gone for some reason. How does that happen anyways? I scared myself, literally. I've lived in Edmond my entire life & I was driving down Bryant & I had no freakin clue where I was. After a few minutes of sitting in the parking lot of the church when I realized where I was actually at... I just cried. The thought of me not knowing where I was when I should've known, that's just jacked up.

Well now it's been over a year... Aunt Adelina was moved to a nursing home after she went thru recovery at a special therapy hospital for several months, where she's been most of the year.  After focusing most of my attention on my grandma at the beginning of the year & then losing her in March, I found it difficult to go visit Aunt Adelina at the nursing home.  As sad as it is to say, I haven't seen Aunt Adelina since I went to visit her in the hospital over a year ago.

It's been a hard year & I will admit that I've been affraid to go see her.  I can't explain it, but it's just been hard for me.  She's always been so special to me & a special part of my life growing up.

Today we are celebrating her 90th birthday at the nursing home & having a small come-and-go party for her for family & friends.  I've debated about going since my Aunt Oneta told me about the party.  I was hoping that Fred would be here to go with me & since she hadn't met him, I was hoping to introduce them, but unfortunately he's in McAlester & can't be here.  I called my mom last night to talk with her & I told her that if she had planned on going to Aunt Adelina's birthday party today, I would take her.  So now... after over a year of not seeing her, I'm going to get to see her today.  A part of me is excited but another part is still scared about going & a little emotional.

Aunt Adelina is an amazing woman.  She's one of those happy people, who loves everyone with no boundaries.  She would bend over backwards for anyone & she's always given 150% of herself when ever she can.  She's so full of knowledge & experiences in her life, coming originally from Venezuela where her extended family still resides.  Growing up I always thought she should've been a teacher, because she just has that special way about her that you want to learn from.

Happy birthday Aunt Adelina, I love you.