Up way too early

I've been up since 5:00.  That's very early for me.  Today would have been a good day to start my couch to 5K program...but the storm prevented that!

I've been thinking lately so just bare with me here...

1.  With all the issues I've been having lately I really need some health insurance.  It's so expensive to get an individual policy, and they don't offer it where I work (I work for a very small company) so I've been thinking about job hunting.

2.  Maybe with this new Thirty - One business I can make the extra money to just pay for an individual policy, and keep the job I have.

3.  I have spent the biggest part of my life struggling and feeling sorry for myself, now I realize it's just life.  something is always gonna happen, something is always gonna surprise you and you are always gonna be stressed.  The question is how are you going to deal with it?

4. I love thunder storms.  But I wish it would happen at a better time, maybe on a day that I have nothing to do and I'm not in bed trying to sleep :)

5. woke up with a scared dog in my bed, scared kitten in the living room and scared child  walking into my room.  the joys of storms :)

6. Now when it's time to start getting ready for work..I'm tired and the thunder stops.

7. I love Christmas time...it's almost that time of year again!!!!!!!!!!!!

True Story Tuesday - Open Mouth insert Foot

It's Tuesday and you know that Tuesday is True Story Tuesday....my favorite blog hop is today!  If you have a true story to tell just link it up with Rachel and Mr. Daddy!


To start with you must know that I don't approve of making fun of people, and I cant sing.  These are two very important points.  We attend a small church here in town, and the music director is ..his voice hurts my ears.  Seriously.  He tries to carry a tune out like an opera singer, but he drops his voice to a whisper and it truly ruins a song.  My husband and my son start giggling as soon as he stands to sing his solo, and he always has his mic turned up so loud that you can hardly hear the music for his voice.  Even when he sings with a group his mic is louder than all the others and you can only hear him. 

Last year at my step grandmother's funeral, he stood up to sing "My Chains Are Gone/Amazing Grace" by Chris Tomlin.  I LOVE THIS SONG!!!!!!!  LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!  Well he ruined it.  At a lady that was like a grandmother to me - at her funeral.  I was disappointed, but the worst part was trying to keep Cameron from laughing.  He is giggling and making the pew shake, my brother was beside him with his mouth gaping open..because it is really that bad.

After it was over and we were at the house I asked out loud...WHO ASKED HIM TO SING?  And my step-mother said "I did, mama loved to hear him"  I really didn't mean to ask it that loud, I didnt' mean for anyone to hear me..but one more example of opening my mouth and letting the wrong thing fall out!

Miscellany Monday - 09/27/10

One  My dance student that I think I told you about has started eating.  So glad that she has finally come out of this!  Maybe she can come home soon, it's only been 2 months!

Two  Dance class tonight....wow I sure hope my body starts to adjust to this.....or it gets easier one.  How did I do it as a teenager.

Three Anyone know a good way to re-train a dog?  I have a rat terrier that's about to drive me up the wall. She is such a sweet dog, but seriously the midnight barking in the house has to stop!

Four Shopping for a truck is hard, why does it have to be so difficult to find something in your budget, and why is it so difficult for the sales people to understand that there is a reason we have picked a payment amount to stop at.  We didn't just imagine up that number!!!!  HELLO people there isn't a money tree in the back yard and I refuse to have a truck payment that would equal a house payment!

Five I just remembered last week how much I LOVE high school football. 

Six We just signed up for trash service pick up, they picked up for the first time this morning, and I must say it is nice not to have to worry about taking the garbage off!

Seven We were out driving around Saturday looking at trucks, and passed a family (mother, father very small child) standing at a stop light with a sign that said "Family needing help" So we went by Bojangles bought them an 8 piece chicken dinner and gave them some cash.  In the process we asked what church they attended, and they just so happened to say our church. After introducing ourselves, and telling them to find us on Sunday morning and we would see what the church could do to help with their power bill we left.  I've never seen them at church, but I don' go around looking at everyone either!  But I was a little disappointed that they were not there Sunday.  I sure hope that they were not just using the kid to play on heart strings....
I guess even if they did..that's their burden to carry..

Eight  I hope all you bloggy friends have a wonderful week!

Happy Birthday....I miss you

My first day at Jr. High School in 1986 is not a day that really stood out in my mind.  I can't tell you exactly what happened because nothing monumental did happen.  I'm thinking of this day because I met you in Mrs. Bowers, 7th period Science class.  You sat right behind me, and I didn't know then that you would become my best friend, and a person that I would never forget.  Sure we were close for a while, then we drifted apart and back together again.

I will always remember that trip to the beach before we found out you were sick.  I will always remember the call I got at work that day in May of 1995  "Kelly it's Celeste, can you come home?" "I'm not sure, what's wrong?" "I have cancer, I'm leaving in an hour for Columbia and I'm not sure when I will be back"

I remember walking into your grandmothers house on Suttle Road and looking at you...you didn't look sick, other than the sore throat you'd been complaining with.  It never entered my mind that you wouldn't pull through.  This was cancer, but you were young, you were strong and you would beat it.

Three months later you were in remission standing beside of me ..my maid of honor...at my first wedding.  That black wig looked so weird on you, and those dresses were so ugly..but I was trying to hide heart cath's and chemo ports, (and flatter an over weight person).  I remember you standing beside me that day forcing that smile on your face.  You really hated him :)  You were the first in shorts and sandals when the wedding was over, and you were the last to leave.

By the time I was home from my honeymoon, you were back in the hospital. More chemo, remission no longer.  I will never forget that call, Tommy's voice still makes my skin crawl.  When I called to check on you, no one was there to tell me, except him.  Those words will haunt me forever.  I literally crawled into the bathroom and laid on the floor.  I couldn't breathe, I felt so alone.  That's the coldest November day in the history of my life, not so much the weather, but my heart.  It just felt so dead, so alone, so hurt.

It will be 15 years in November since you passed, and it still hurts like it was yesterday.  I miss you more than you will ever know.

I think of you when people ask me if it was hard to turn 35..did I get depressed.  No, I didn't. I have had all of the opportunities that you never did.  I've been married twice, the love of your life had to marry someone else because life goes on.  I have a child, you never had that chance.

I often wonder what the years would have done to our friendship.  Would we still be close, or would we be like Mary and I are now..call sometimes, talk sometimes, but really dont' see each other much.  Would you have married Mike? I think we would still be friends, maybe not as close because life is like that, but still friends.  I think you would have stood beside me at my second wedding (with Mary), I think you would have been beside me at Marys wedding.  I think you two would have fought to be the first in the room the day Cameron was born, and I think that we would have been side by side waiting on Mary to have Breanna.

I wish I knew the answers to that.  I still talk to your mom.  Sometimes I call that number by accident because it was just natural to call you.  Sometimes I call it just to hear your moms voice, because you two sound so much alike. I see Mike and I have to walk away, because my heart hurts to see him with someone else. Not because I don't think he should, but because I know you loved him and he loved you.  It should be you standing there with him at the ball field watching those boys play ball.

All of this to say that I think of you everyday.  I miss you everyday.  It's not a hurt that ever goes away, it's a hurt that you learn to live with.  It doesn't get easier or numb, you just deal with it. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of you, that I don't swallow that lump in my throat.  I see your smile when I close my eyes, and sometimes I swear I can hear your voice.

 I know that today Heaven will rejoice and celebrate the day you were born, forever 20 years old.  I love you..I miss you...Happy Birthday.

True Story Tuesday -

I love True Story Tuesdays!  Not because my stories are so interesting, but because I LOVE to read all of the other stories!  If you have a story to tell, something crazy, something funny go ahead over to Rachel and Mr. Daddy's and link up!






My husband is not a small man.  He is 6'3" and he weighs in around 280 pounds.  When we met he was around 230.  His brother was married to the OTHER Kelly back on May 5, 2001.  Being that it was Cinco de Mayo there was a lot of celebrating going on.  Kelly's mother was quite the stick in the mud, so there fore drinking was not allowed at the reception. This is a crowd of drinkers (no I'm not proud of that), that likes to have fun, so as soon as the cake was cut and they spoke to all their guests the Bride and Groom broke out of the reception like a convict breaking out of jail!  We all headed over to another friends house (Debra & Kevin) to start the party!  I personally don't really drink (much), so I remember this night a lot better than everyone else!

About midnight I found my hubby sitting in the hot tub with a beer in each hand semi passed out...the bride was sitting beside me and we were talking and she was quite drunk already.  All of a sudden My hubby jumped out of the hot tub and went inside.  He came out wearing a whole piece bathing suite that belonged to Debra (we were at her house) and the next thing I knew he was running around the block with the other Kelly on his back wearing her veil from the wedding.  They ran up and down the street maybe three times before he fell onto the front lawn.  Just imagine a grown man in a black bathing suite with hot pink flowers on it.....nice :) 

He doesn't remember that night...but I have to tell you it's one of the memories I pull out when I need a good laugh!

Miscellany Monay

1.  Update:  Camerons' surgery was finally approved by the insurance company and was done last Wednesday.  Everything is looking good and we are thankful that it all went according to plan.

2. Because of the surgery he has antibiotic ointment inside his hear, he can't hear anything at all in his right ear...and his left ear isn't that great either.  Now he is constantly saying "What" and "Talk into my good ear"  Hope this is over with soon!

3.  Well the hubby's truck decided to die over the weekend, it's only 10 years old and only has 182K miles on it.  I don't know what the problem is :) .  I do know that I wish I had listened to Dave Ramsey 4 years ago and been putting a car payment into savings all this time...

4.  I'm thinking if we really buckle down we can have my car payed off in 6 months (or maybe 8), so I am going to finally sit down and read Dave's Total Money Makeover and apply it to my finances.  Let's see if I get all our debt taken off in 2 years (wouldn't that be nice?)

5.  I went to a Thirty One party last week, and decided to become a consultant :)  I'm really excited...now if I can just book a couple of parties.......

6.  I'm really exhausted, and I skipped tap class last week.  Now I'm behind (but lucky for me that's my strong point and I will catch up quickly) and will have to stay late tonight to catch up :(

7.  I have gained all the weight that I lost back...now I'm back on my Weight Watchers diet, and cutting out the soft drinks....again. 

8.  I will miss Coke (wiping a tear)

9. Looking back through all this maybe I should change my blog to The Not So Simple Life!!!

TST - The new addition

Thursday's are very long days for me.  I leave the house at 7:30 to take Cam to school, then I head to work. After work I go straight to the dance studio and teach until 8:00 (but I don't leave there until almost 8:30) then I stop usually at either Chick Fil A or Taco Bell for some healthy food for the family :o).  When I got home on Thursday night of last week, Cam met me at the car and grabbed the food and was in the living room eating when I walked in.  Honestly I really wasn't paying attention, it was dark in the house and I just dropped my dance bag on the counter so I could run and get my food from Cam and Wes before I had to go to bed hungry.  When I dropped my dance bag a MOUSE jumped off the counter and landed on my foot!  At first I freaked out...what the heck was that?  Then I looked at my husband in disbelief...I'm getting a cat tomorrow!

 

Meet OREO.  She is my defense from the mice!

Isnt' she just cute?

When I brought her home on Friday I was sure that the hubby wasn't going to like her...we are dog people.  So I had to buy everything and even ask people how do you take care of a cat?  Do you train them like you do a dog or what?  I finally got her home on Friday and everything set up for her.

When my hubby got home he sat down on the couch and was listening to his ipod.  Oreo jumped up on his shoulder and started listening to the ipod with it.  It was so cute that I just had to take a picture to share with you :o)

Need another True Story?  Link up with Rachel and Mr. Daddy!

Video Helper

http://kellysvideohelper.blogspot.com/

this is the blog to help out the older women at the dance studio - this is only a tap helper but you are welcome to look :)

Good Saturday Morning!!!!!!!!

Good Saturday Morning to you!!!!!

I want to introduce you to our new addition!  Her name is Oreo..... :)  I have a True Story that comes along with this little addition...I live on a farm and I'm sure that you can guess what this story is about!

Have a great weekend!

Kelly

TYVM - 9/09/10

Whoo....it's Thursday which means some free therapy AND only one more work day until the weekend!  I'm so glad..now that I am getting older I really need those restful Saturdays.

To the punk that almost rear ended me:

I gave you plenty of notice with my turn signal that I was turning.  The reason I missed my turn is because YOU were not paying attention, and YOU almost rear ended me.  If I had not punched the gas and went past my house YOU would have hit me.  So imagine my anger when I went to turn into the building down the street to turn around and go back home when YOU laid down on the horn and yelled out the window at me.  If YOU had put that phone down and paid attention YOU would have seen me turning and this whole thing could have been avoided.  If I were your mother I would take your car and your phone until you could use better judgement. 

Pay attention next time!

The lady that wanted to smack you for being a jerk.

To the insurance company:

TYVM for making me stress out about the surgery pre-approval.  Yes I know that it was approved yesterday, but really did you need to add stress to my already stressful life?


To the lady from the surgical center:

Really I need to bring my whole 20% with me on Wednesday?  Seriously you make everyone pay upfront?  Really?  Sure I have cash...do you accept monopoly money?  TYVM!

Why is it that the people that refuse to work and mooch of the government are the ones that get all the breaks?


I feel better now!  Do you need some free therapy?  Click on the button at the top of the page, visit Kmama and link up!

Update on Cameron's surgery

If you read this post you know that Cam was supposed to have surgery tomorrow, however there is a long story to go along with this.

We don't have health insurance, but Cam has an individual policy that I took out through BCBS several (4) years ago.  This policy had a high deductible and a high price to go along with it...needless to say it never had to pay out.  At the end of July I decided to switch him to a different BCBS policy, that was an HMO(the other was a PPO), and it went into effect on the first of August. The HMO has a co-pay, a low deductible and is $20 per month cheaper than the PPO/high deductible plan (without a copay)  With this being said, the hospital and surgical center for Cam's Dr. is not covered by the new insurance, so we had to schedule a visit with another Dr. in the same practice, that can operate at an in network facility.

We live near the state line, Dr. A can only operate in the other state, so today we see Dr. B and schedule his surgery.  Please pray the the "new" insurance will not decline this surgery.  I know it's only a hole in the ear, and it's not life threatening, however as most people can tell you...hearing is important...sure you can live with out it, but do you want to? (no offence Rachel)

In other news, I did get the contraption for stretching in, and I will have a TST for that one next week!

TST - The Shoe

I am just so excited to link up with Rachel and Mr. Daddy for another TST - I'm so glad that it is back!!!!!!!






I have been holding this one for a few weeks now, so I will just get right to it.

You know that I have started back to dance class.  Anyone that has ever taken a dance class knows how expensive the shoes are, so when I began teaching again last year I just climbed into my attic and pulled out my old shoes (that have been stored up there for the past 6 years).  When we started the jazz class, I pulled out my old Capezio Jazz Sneakers and laced them right up.  Everyone in class was laughing their butts off because I purchased these before I had Cameron (did I mention that he just turned 12 years old in August?).  the high top sneaker went out of style about 10 years ago...but that's what I had bought at the tune of $125.00. 

So as we giggled about my shoes, Sherri got a little angry "I shouldn't be having this problem with you guys, you are old enough to know how to behave in class"  but we all know that at our age, it's more fun to laugh at yourself than to get aggravated and pout when you can't get something right.  At that point we were doing a "drop" when you stand facing the back of the room and drop to your knees facing the front.  Well after leaving my knee pads at home, I was faking it something awful trying to protect the bruises that were already forming.

So close your eyes and imagine, a 35 year old slightly overweight woman on her knees, face down (like in child's pose) then we pop up and high kick (which is actually pretty low) and then it happened.  Everyone busted out laughing and I thought I would fall down.  Actually I almost fell down when my foot went on the floor....the heel of my shoe flew off and landed across the room!  Just the heel, the rest of the high top was still attached to my foot! So when I put my foot down it was just a little off balance, because well the heel was lower than the toe.

I guess I got my money's worth out of those shoes!  (I must say that when I googled the shoe and saw that you can get them for $35.00 now, I almost got sick knowing what I paid for them)

Talking to God

I have talked a lot lately about dance class. I want to tell you a little more so that you will understand this post.




Growing up dance was my whole life. I went to school, then I went to dance, then I went to bed. This was my routine from 3rd grade when I started competing until after college. Then I began teaching full time (meaning everyday from opening around 2:30 until my last class ended at 7 or 7:30). I had always been a dancer or a dance teacher.



When Cam was 5 years old and starting kindergarten I quit dance completely. It was a very hard thing to do. It was almost like I lost my identity, my safe place this person I had always been. I had always thought that I would have a girl that loved dance. But I had this wonderful little boy, that didn't love dance :o). I wouldn't change that for anything in the world. So when school started my heart knew it was time to give up dance, time to be Kelly the mommy, and Kelly the dancer would have to go away. That was over 7 years ago.



When I was called last year and offered 1 class to teach I was reluctant to do it simply because it had been so long, and I really didn't miss teaching....I missed dancing. But I agreed and spent my first year back teaching a combo class (ballet, tap, jazz) for 1st and 2nd graders. Then I found out my old teacher had a group of "old" dancers together. People like me that life happened, and dance went from being #1 to nonexistent in no time. Over the summer we met on Saturday night, but now with the dance season upon us we meet twice a week...Monday night from 8-10:30 for technique, lyrical and jazz...Tuesday night from 9:30 until 10:30 for Tap. I live 45 minutes away from this class.



I have to tell you that getting up at 6:00 and staying up until 12 (because by the time I get home and in bed it is close to 12) is hard on a person. I don't really think it's because I need more sleep now, but because when I rested as a teenager now I have things to do ......like laundry, cooking, cleaning spending time with my husband and child. Life.



Usually instead of listening to music on my ride home I will plug in my ipod and listen (not watch) Grey's Anatomy. It clears the music out of my head so that I can go to sleep...otherwise I will be practicing in my head as I'm trying to sleep and stay up most of the night. Tuesday night my wonderful little man "borrowed" my ipod and forgot to tell me it was in the house, so on the ride home I had nothing to listen to and I didn't want to listen to the radio or my brain would just not go into relax mode. I would still be doing my dance. So I began my conversation with God.

Don't take me wrong, I talk with God a lot. It usually is to pray for something specific, not just to talk. I had never in my life just sat down and "talked" to God like I would if I had called my friend or something. Now granted I did a lot of the talking....I didn't get a lot of feedback...but the conversation started like this "God I'm tired, and it's late...I'm afraid of falling asleep if I don't have someone to talk to. I don't want to call anyone so do you think you could ride here with me and let’s just talk?"   I talked  We talked about what great parents I had, and where I thought I would be right now in my life, and how far away from that I was, and how perfect this is for me.  We talked about finances, and what is most important in my life.  We talked about the hole in Camerons ear and the insurance, my grandmother and how very much I miss her, my best friend that passed 15 years ago. It was amazing that I talked and talked and talked and never once felt tired until right before I pulled into my driveway! I said thank you and goodnight, and was out like a light.  It's amazing how spending 45 minutes talking to God will make you feel.  I advice you to do it sometime.



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I'm back - sort of :o)

So much has been going on, and I have just not had the time to blog at all.  I have been trying to read some of your blogs and comment, when I could but it has just been so busy.

I will be back on a bloggy schedule soon, maybe even starting today!  So let's catch up really quick here.

Remember when I told you all about my dance class?  Rachel asked for a video....well I have one, but at the present time I just can't figure out how to transfer it from my phone to my computer.  I have a new phone, (that I've not told you about) and I'm still learning how to work it!  I promise to upload the video soon...really soon. 

We are also dealing with (as of yesterday) some issues with Cam's hearing.  He has a hole in his right ear drum, and as a result has "significant hearing loss" in his right ear (this meaning that the little line just barley touched the chart on the bottom side).  We are scheduled to have that corrected on Thursday of next week...so please pray that the insurance approves this surgery for us, and that patching the hole restores his hearing.  They have also found that he has "some" hearing loss in his left ear.  Not enough for me to worry about according to the Dr. but well I am his mother so of course I'm concerned.  There is no hole in the left ear drum (FYI).  So we will just wait and see the outcome of that.  Hopefully it will prove to be nothing, but we will see.

So dance is in full swing, teaching dance is in full swing, and Cameron is back at school (at least until Thursday of next week) with instructions from the Dr. to sit at the front of the class so that he can hear better.

Here's praying for a good outcome from this whole situation.
I have some True Stories to link up with so I sure hope Rachel and Mr. Daddy start that up again soon. :)  These stories include me breaking a shoe in dance class, and this new stretching contraption I just ordered.  I'm sure there will be a very funny TST when I get that in!  LOL

Have a great Wednesday.