My Baby Brother's Baby....

I don't know when it happened... but I blinked and suddenly my daughter is 6, I've somehow become 31, and my baby brother...the one Dori and I were torturing just yesterday (or so it seems)... is taking home his own baby boy.

Caden John was born this past Wednesday to my little brother Michael and his wife Shawn. Caden chose their wedding anniversary to make his arrival, and I'll be darned if he isn't the cutest little thing I've seen in a long time! This afternoon Mommy, Baby and Daddy were well enough to all go home, and I couldn't be happier for them!

Try and tell me that this little guy doesn't tug on your heartstrings?!

My brother, affectionately called Ratboy by myself, is 4 years younger than I and has taken more than this fair share of grief from his older sisters. He has been dressed up, picked on, embarrassed by, and blamed on for more things than he could have possibly done!

What I'm not sure he knows though is that he is also loved like crazy and terribly missed by this sister here... I am proud of his success in his profession, his growing up to become a decent man, a decent husband, and having the courage to enter into the world of becoming what I believe will be a great dad. 

So tonight is the first night at home with both his wife and his baby boy (who will from here on out probably be called Ratboy Jr. lol) - I hope Caden won't give him too much grief tonight.

Congratulations Shawn and Mike- I'm so proud of you, and the family you have started!

Dad's a Nurse, Mom's doing triage

I did not sleep well last night (again!).... the monkey wasn't "feeling right" as she put it. It took about 3 hours of 20 questions just to try to figure out what was going on, and by then it was near 2am. It's like some kind of Mommy Tradition, every time a new illness or problem comes to light with the kiddo, it's always me, the mommy on shift for triage and treatment. What's the matter? "I don't know". Where does it hurt? "somewhere around here" (as she moves her fingers all over her stomach and around her back). What does it feel like? "It hurts, momma... I told you that!". Don't get me wrong, I love my kiddo and would give up all sleep just to make her feel better... I just wonder how it always happens when I'm home and my husband, the nurse, is away at work?? Just my luck I guess.

Yesterday was just a long day in general, and I'm feeling really tired lately. I'm looking forward to tonight, where hopefully the kiddo and I will just fall onto the bed, sink into the memory foam mattress, and sleep like our lives depended on it. Yeah, I know... not likely, but a girl can dream, can't she?

Day Trippin.....

What a day!

This morning Jocelyn and I awoke early, drove over to my sister's house, and took a nice, adventurous day trip to several locations.

We started at an African Safari Park, where we had the best time watching Jocelyn feed the multitude of animals, including Buffalo (all of which are named Buffy according to Jocelyn), Llamas, Deer, some Alpacas, Longhorn Steer, and... of course, a Giraffe (!) and a Zebra! Also, we got to go see an animal show, where Jocelyn got to pet a hedgehog and a racoon, and then we both proceeded to hold a HUGE Burmese Python while it poured down rain!

After this adventure place (and 2 runs through the Safari), we drove over to see the Marblehead Lighthouse, which was unfortunately closed to tours because of lightening and bad weather. We did get to enjoy the beautiful coastline view, including all the roller coasters at Cedar Point!

After this, we ran over to the Prehistoric Forest and Mystery Hill. Mystery Hill is hard to explain, but a sense of unbalance due to strong gravity forces is at play here...and yes, Jamie the clutz somehow managed to fall UPHILL (unfortunately, no photo, but it would have been a hilarious one I have no doubt). After that, we went to the Prehistoric Forest, where we knew the dinosaurs were fake, but didn't know that the prehistoric mosquitoes were VERY real, and apparently immune to OFF bug repellent, because I was eaten alive by these monstrous things!

After a quick jaunt over to a store to buy some Benadryl to reduce the swelling in my alleric-to-mosquitoes bite riddled body...and finding out that we were both PROUD AUNTS and Jocleyn was a new Cousin because my brother Mike's SON WAS BORN (YAY FOR RATBOY JUNIOR!!!!).....we stopped over at a store called Cheese Haven. This store had basically every kind of cheese you could think of. Jocelyn, my own little self-proclaimed 'cheese freak' had the time of her life sampling all of the different aged cheeses they had to offer, and eventually decided on a 4-year old cheddar as being her favorite. The guy behind the counter thought she was so cute and funny, that he even cut off a huge chuck of 18-year old cheddar for her to try (about $10 worth of cheese for free), and she actually really liked it. Dori and I took a bite of it, and we don't recommend it at all- it took hours to get the taste out of our mouths! Side note: Joshua also enjoyed the taste of the really old cheese lol

Then we headed back toward home with a quick stop at Maumee Bay State Park. The view was beautiful, Jocelyn enjoyed playing on the playground, and I got stung by a bee (thank goodness I already had Benadryl on board!). 

Once home, we grabbed some dinner, and then hung out at the ugly-sister's house to wait out what could have been a much worse storm than it was... and then I headed back home without the monkey- who was Completely and utterly OUT COLD on the couch.

All in all, it was a fantastic day full of fun-filled activities, and a lot of memories that I hope all 3 of us will carry for a lifetime.


3 Cheers for Day-Tripping! Thanks ugly sister... it was a great day!

Life Lessons in Books

"Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered, a Civilization gone with the wind.''

Confession: My favorite book of all time is Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind... and even though the actors are cheesy, I just LOVE watching the movie too. In fact, I'm really fond of old movies... even the old black and white ones like "The Misfits".

I once got into a discussion with someone, I can't remember who, and this person didn't understand why I liked either the movie or the book of Gone With the Wind... they couldn't understand why you'd want to spend so much time reading such a long book that was more a romance novel than a realistic portrayal of the Civil War.  When I read it the first time, I did enjoy the love story built up throughout the book, and loved the way the scenes were described in such a way that I could almost see them in my mind.

Reading the book and watching the movie again though... I see it in a different light. I still love the tension between Rhett and Scarlett.... but I see it in a more broad spectrum of sorts, one that I think more people would relate to if they stopped to think about it.

It's the story of a girl who realizes that the world of her childhood is falling apart.... not only in society because of the war, but in her expectations of the future as well... she finds that marriage isn't always all fun and games. That sometimes you have to make sacrifices and do things that you don't want to do in order to get by. She learns that growing up is difficult and it's not nearly as easy as her parents made it look. She realizes that sometimes the best choice is the one standing right in front of her, that the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the hill, even if she fails to see it until it's too late, or is too stubborn to look at the problem head on. Basically, she learns that life is HARD...

Oddly enough, I can see this book applying to this century, this generation (and the next, and the next) - and not just to the belles of the Old South in Civil War times.... can't you?

So no, it might not be an accurate depiction of the Civil War to some...although I'm sure a lot of it comes close... and yes, it's a great love story too... but if you open your mind enough, you might find some lessons for life that you can apply to your own life.

So maybe I'll start a campaign to get people to give the book a shot....

But I'll think about that tomorrow.... After all, tomorrow is another day....

The Monkey has Arrived...

The monkey has FINALLY returned home! YAY!!!! She made it home just in time to spend a few minutes with Daddy before he had to leave for work again :o( - and is now enjoying the promises of mom. I told her tonight when she came home that we would have a "movie night", which involves movies, snacks and a sugary drink. I told her she could choose any movie that she wanted to watch at the movie store... and she picked Super Mario Brothers Episodes (WTH????) and Aliens in the Attic. She also said she wanted to watch UP, as she fell asleep during the last half of it when we tried to watch it last time. I give her her choice of snack...and what does she get? A 3-Foot- Long Gummy Snake (again, WTH???? LOL) , which she is currently sitting in the recliner, chowing down on, looking like some kind of barbarian as she bites off the head of this gummy animal (see photo below).

It was not Aliens in the Attic or Up that she was most interested in watching, the first movie just HAD to be the Super Mario Brothers shows... and some big man in a Mario Suit singing to us (using the Mario Theme Song, of course) "Swing your Arms from side to side, come on, it's time to go, Do the Mario! Take one step and then again let's Do the Mario all together now!" - I am just going to say that I'm looking forward to watching something else lol.

It was cool to actually get to see my dad on Father's day this year...which hasn't happened in a while... he's in town making preparations for the niece and nephew's big adventures (that start tomorrow).  We'll probably find a way to celebrate Father's Day for Joshua tomorrow, since he had to work last night and again tonight.... and I'd like to wish a Happy Father's Day to all of you Dads out there (or soon-to-be Dads)!

But for now, I'm off to watch some movies and spend some time with my Monkey... Did I mention she's HOME???? YAY! lol

The Never Ending Discussion.....

Times are tough all over, for all kinds of people, and we are included in that group for sure. Finding a job proves harder and harder each time I try to go out and get one, and even the ones I'm pretty sure I've got, I don't get. I know that 'this too shall pass' and that we'll get through this slump one way or another, like we always do... how is another story, but we usually figure that out somewhere along the journey of life. Whatever is meant to be will be... that's what I think.

That being said, the conversation that always comes up when times get hard has been brought back to life... Why don't we just move and find our place somewhere else? It's a conversation that we've had time and time again, and in the last 10 years, it's one that I've consented to 8 times... packing up all our stuff, loading it into a truck, finding a new residence and starting over. And now, it's back up for discussion, and I'm just... tired. 

I have friends and family here in Toledo, people that I can rely on and love deeply and love being close to. No, I don't have a great job and I'm not making any money at the moment, but that will change (it always does). Moving is not something simple that you just do because you want to... because you have the itch to pick up and go... and it's not something you jump into when you have a daughter that's old enough to know the stresses of moving... who just happens to live in a place that has a VERY good school district, as I've learned from experience. 

Do I want to live here forever? Probably not... I'm sure there will come a time when it's time to move on and explore the rest of the world... but I'm just not sure the time is now. Honestly, we've spent so much money moving in the that 10 years... that it's been 15 years since I've had a real vacation! Every time we move I know it's going to be a big ordeal, lots of hard work, lots of stress, a lot of unknowns, and another 2 or 3 years (for sure) of no vacations- and that's assuming we land on our feet whenever we reach the desired location, which doesn't always work out that way. 

I am 31 years old, I have moved 8 times in the last 10 years, it's been almost half a lifetime since I've had a real vacation... and the answer for the moment is: I'm just too damned tired.

And so continues the saga of the never-ending conversation...

Can't live with 'em

Josh has gone off to work, and Jocelyn is spending yet another night at Aunt Doe Doe's house. It's funny, because when they're home, the kiddo kicks me in her sleep after she sneaks into my bed in the middle of the night, and Josh snores like a freight train and they make me crazy. But now it's after 1am, and the house is so quiet, and the bed is so empty that I can't quite fall asleep. It's a double-edged sword of sorts... guess I understand the saying "can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em" lol.

So in the middle of the night, I sit with my computer, and a book beside me to read until I crash, which will hopefully be soon, because I'm so exhausted!

Yesterday was a bit ridiculous, and most of you know exactly what I'm talking about. The ridiculousness of some people's behavior is astounding, and what people find to be acceptable communication is baffling! All I know is that I will follow all the possible steps to make it stop, and that I really wish I didn't have to deal with it at all. And what I wonder is... who's the person who broke the mirror in the past and delivered the bad luck to us? That's just... Uncool..... whoever you are! LOL

Finding my source of calm....

Do you ever feel like you're constantly trying to climb up a mountain, but never manage to find the top? Sometimes you even get disoriented and can't figure out where the next step should go...what your next move should be? Well yesterday afternoon was a lousy one for sure... and I have found myself on a bit of a ledge, stuck trying to decide where I should go next. 


Today is a day for just sitting, relaxing and trying to reset. My mother has said so many times "this too shall pass" in my lifetime, and today I'm trying so hard to remember that... times are tough, but we can get through this... I know we can.


On a brighter note, it's amazing how much a simple hug from the monkey can help! A smile, a laugh, a hug, a kiss. Just her general silliness can make a day brighter, so when I had a bad day yesterday, I went to see the monkey - and felt significantly better by the time I got home.


So, I'll share one of my favorite photos of my beautiful, silly little girl- and use it to find the calm we need in the house today!

Another achievement that broke Mom's Heart

It's official - Jocelyn has lost her first tooth! It seems like yesterday she was just 5 pounds 2 ounces and a couple of hours old... and suddenly she's getting ready to go into first grade, reading me books at night (when she's home), and losing teeth! Where does the time go?

I'll admit it, I'm a little broken hearted that she lost her first tooth last night, because...well, she wasn't home. Spending yet another night with "Mimi" and "Aunt Doe Doe", playing with her cousins, 'Allie Boo' and 'Bubba'. I'll admit that I have been a bit stressed and it was nice to have some quiet in which to get some sleep, but man, do I miss her when she's gone. I was hoping the tooth would wait a while, that it could pop out the minute she got home with me, and I would finally get to experience a "first" of my own.

You see, when I had to work and Jossy was with Aunt Doe Doe, she said her first word. It was the same way with her first steps. She told Aunt Doe Doe about the first boy she thought was cute... and now Aunt Doe Doe can also claim the first lost tooth. Makes me wish that I had the ability to be a stay at home mom... I feel like I've missed so much... even though I know that I haven't. 

So there you have it, once again, I'm jealous of my sister... 

But without any further ado, here's the absolutely adorable Jocelyn, missing a tooth in that beautiful smile :o) :

Hug your children...

Today my best friend has to tell her daughter that her friend, only 6 years old, was stuck by a car and killed last night. It reminded me of a time when I had to do the same thing to my best friend many years ago, when one of our friends was killed walking down the street and I had to tell her when she came home from vacation. We were in the 5th grade, and it was hard then... I can't imagine how hard it will be to hear when she's just finished kindergarten.

In Alabama, my cousin Hadlei Grace is 2 weeks old today, and is very sick. She had a surgery 2 days ago that has left her unstable ever since. She was born with a number of medical issues, all of which are very serious, and she and her family are doing everything they can to stay strong and get through this.

On the bright side I have a whole network of family and friends, some of which I've never met, but know through other friends, who have helped my family send up prayers asking for help, strength, love and miracles. They text message me to see how my cousin is doing, and they genuinely care - and that makes me one lucky person.

I've spent a lot of time this week talking to God, and I know that he's listening to every word that I say. He might not grant all of my prayers, because it's not always supposed to be that way... but he listens nonetheless.

One message is VERY clear to me today though... HUG your children, tell them you love them every day and make sure they KNOW it's true... because you never know what will happen tomorrow, but no matter what, they'll know that they are loved.

Jamie, The Procrasinator - What's new in Toledo.

This blog has been a long time in the making... as I've been promising to update our old web page for years now and never got around to it. You can always tell when people are behind in what's going on in your life when your dad calls just to say "What's new in Toledo?"... and when this happens, you know it's your own fault.

So everyone: Meet Jamie, the procrastinator.

Yes, most of you have already met me, and already know that I have a tendency to just let things slide away from my focus never to be seen or heard from again... but I promise to try to do better this time!

So what's new in Toledo??

Jamie is still looking for work. I had what I believe to be an awesome interview yesterday, and I'm hopeful that the job will be mine. I should know by the end of the week and our fingers are crossed. She has also requested that the old boss only communicates by mail, and HOPES that she will no longer be receiving non-stop calls from him.

Josh is thinking about taking on a second job, hopefully one with health insurance this time, and has finally gotten his schedule worked out to his satisfaction for the time being.

Jocelyn remains to be the "Pretty-girl-tomboy" and has recently decided to try to enter the world of becoming a Fashion Diva like her cousin Allie-Boo (See picture below). Everyday she seems to get cuter, and a little wiser, and now wants to wear lip gloss all the time: If we're having this many problems controlling her cuteness at age 6, I have a feeling we're in DEEP TROUBLE when the teenage years roll around!


As for all of us:

We're currently sending prayers upwards and love toward Alabama for our baby cousin Hadlei Grace, who's having severe medical issues and has not been doing well.

We're in the process of trying to refinance the car for a lesser payment each month... we should hear today (hopefully) and our fingers are crossed.

We are enjoying having Amber, Jamie's Cousin, as a guest, and Jocelyn is very happy to have someone new to try to impress every day. Zappa the dog has even spent a lot of time trying to squeeze some attention out of her lol.

Other than that... the only other new thing in Toledo is this blog, and hopefully the posts will be new on a regular basis too LOL!