The Shook Family

Sami's 5th Birthday.

2011-02-09T17:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my baby girl. I still can't believe that she is 5. It seems like yesterday I brought her home from the hospital. We had a mini party for her this evening. The Calbos' came over to help us celebrate. Only thing that would have made it better would be if Deryn would have been home. But he'll be home on Saturday. He'll be able to be at her party next weekend before he heads off to the Bahamas.
I'm feeling a little bummed. I was feeling a little emo a little bit ago. Between my baby turning 5 and some people that usually call on her birthday didn't call. They told me that they sent her something for her birthday. But I think that she should have gotton a phone call too.
Anyways, Sami got a Rapunzel doll from Alex, clothes and lil furry frenzies from Deryn and I. Money from Grandma and Granpa and a sleeping beauty doll set from the Calbos. She just won't put Rapunzel down lol.

A little vent. (some quote courtesy of Mandy)

2011-01-19T10:52:00.001-08:00

Earlier this week I ordered a scentsy warmer and some wax for it from a friends Scentsy party. Seening that she lives in Oklahoma I had to have it shipped to my house. Anways It came in yesterday and I posted how excited I was to get it on my facebook. I recieved a reply from a friend of a relative on her facebook. This person asked me why I ordered from Scentsy when its cheaper to get the warmer and wax from Wal-mart. This person had ordered from scentsy one time and their order got lost in the mail. Yeah I would be mad too if that happened to me. My reasoning for ordering from scentsy, is yes its more exspensive but its higher quality. (Which I love my product btw. Michelle or Kimmy thank Madison for me). I would rather spend more money on an item that will last than by some company that sells the same thing at a cheaper price but won't last as long. I have not had any luck with Wal-mart the last year or so. I am very disappointed in the products they sell,their customer service sucks. Everything in there is bunched up. You can barely walk in there without bumping into someone or something. Wal-mart isn't always the cheapest.
My friend Mandy took a politcal science class in school. One day they were talking about major corporations. This is what they talked about.

"Friday, October 15, 2010
It's not a love/hate. It's just pure hate.
Walmart. In my mind, it's such a dirty word. I know many people that experience the love/hate relationship with Walmart. They love the prices, the convenience, yet they hate they cannot go into Walmart without spending a bundle.

I was washing dishes earlier and this is what came to mind. Many people ponder random things while they do mundane tasks. It was brought to mind as I mulled over the issue my best friend Kari is having with Walmart. They broke her oil pan during an oil change and have yet to send her the money to refund her for this problem. (I asked her if she would buy clothes from a mechanic or groceries from an oil change place......so, why would she buy an oil change from Walmart?....LoL). I'm not faulting her. She's a good gal, just trying to save a few bucks.

I learned about the evils of Walmart while I studied Political Science. I adored this professor I had. The man has one of the most brilliant political minds I have ever encountered. (I often wished he was in government, because things would make a lot more sense with people like him). He showed us all how corporations with such large power can be so dangerous to countries. Let me explain in plain terms.

The idea of capitalism is a fantastic one. You have an idea/product/service and can turn it into a living. It is a fair playing field. You want to do something, you open a business, and you have a go at it. There should be nothing stopping you. That being said there is nothing stopping Joe Blow down the road from coming up with said similar ideas and making a competing service. All is fair, right?

When you have a corporation like Walmart, you don't stand a chance. Walmart has become too large. I get their concept. They wanted to provide a neat one stop shop for all to pick up basic goods. When Sam Walton opened Walmart he envisioned an American Company. He bought and sold only made in America goods. People had jobs in the United States. When Sam died and his children took over, they wanted bigger profits (never mind the fact that Walmart was a constant growing company with plenty of income as is). The children found that they could buy and import from poorer countries for a fraction of what they paid for American goods.

Is it their right? Sure it is. Walmart can do whatever they want. However, around the time they started outsourcing goods, guess what? People lost jobs. (Let me note, obviously Walmart was not the sole company doing the outsourcing thing.) Factories decided that since places like Walmart wanted foreign products, they would do the same. Get cheap labor there to do what they had been doing here. It started a trend that is partially to blame for where we are now. Extremely high unemployment, cheap products on the market that have little to no quality, and an alienation that makes the Mom and Pop shop feel of connection with the community a distant memory.

If that isn't enough to make you think twice about Walmart, think about this. Walmart employes a HUGE staff of political lobbyists. What does this mean? Walmart buys their way through legislation or to get huge tax breaks or whatever cause they are after at the moment. These lobbyists have huge allowances to wine and dine Congressmen and political people of the like. I mean seriously, if you're buddy buddy with half the Senate, do you think they are going to pass anything to negatively impact Walmart? Guess what else this lovely team of lobbyists can do? Get something declared as imminent domain or some other nonsense. They have turned beautiful places into nothing more than a large building, parking lot, and constant stream of people. The typical small business doesn't have a chance in hell against a corporation like that.

A dirty little not so well known fact about Walmart. They have the purchasing power. They bully companies that supply them to accept their prices, not the other way around. Hence, many believe that is the number one reason so many jobs go overseas. Let's say you own a toy corporation that supplies to Walmart. With an account that large, you bet your ass you'll be doing whatever you can to appease them, even if it means outsourcing. Let me repeat:
Wal-Mart has the power to squeeze profits from vendors. To survive in the face of its pricing demands, makers of everything from clothes to toys to food have had to lay off employees and close U.S. plants in favor of outsourcing products from overseas. Walmart is not only the world's largest retailer, it is one of, if not the the world's largest company. It is bigger than Exxon Mobile and General Electric.

The reason I explain this is people don't understand why I have such hatred of large corporations. I go out of my way to avoid Walmart. I frequent privately owned independent shops and services as much as I can. I want my money to go to the good of my fellow neighbor, not some foreign country. It's a sense of pride for my country, for my neighbors that keeps me away from the likes of Walmart. I understand my friends when they say they have to shop there for the prices. I hope they understand when I say that I don't shop there for the long term negative impact it is having on our society."

After hearing this I agree 100% with her. Thanks you Mandy for letting me quote this and teaching me about large corporations. I couldn't have said this better myself. Wanna debate about it? Take this up with her she has the Political Science degree. LOL.

Happy New year

2011-01-04T17:50:00.000-08:00

Well its finally 2011. I just hope it goes better than 2010 did. This year has a lot going on. Next month baby girl will be 5 already. Seems like yesterday she was born. I'll be a year closer to 30. March brings the beginning of Ds deployment. He'll be gone til about Sept/Oct. In June we head to Oklahoma/Texas. For how long? I'm still debating on that. I can't wait. I miss my family and friends. I especially wanna see Mandy before she moves. August marks 1 year til we PCS again. Ahhhh this has gone by fast. D looks for orders in December. Its gonna be a busy year.I can't believe that in 2 weeks marks the halfway point through the school year. Next year Alex will be in 2nd grade and Sami in Kindergarten.

Christmas went well. The kids got most of the things they wanted from Santa and family. They both got coats, hats, gloves and robes from Grandma and Grandpa. Nintendo DS' from Meemee and Pawpaw. Games from Great Gamma. Clay art from Great Grandma Ellis. New Pjs and clothes and of course a couple of toys as well from me and D. I got new books, True blood season 2, Victoria's secret lip gloss and perfume, and new Pjs. D got games to take on his deployment, and clothes.

This I want to get back on the wagon and lose this weight. I want us all to eat healthier and for me to get back to the gym. I know I can do it.

B.C. Clark Jingle - Santa Animation

2010-12-23T15:51:00.000-08:00

Christmas Memories

2010-12-23T14:56:00.000-08:00

Wow I can't believe that Christmas is already upon us once again. I always get a little emotional this time of year (particularly this year). I'm eager to say goodbye to 2010. A lot has happened to me, my family and friends in our lives. I think they agree with me when I say 2010 sucks.

Anyways back to the memories thing. Now I was making some Christmas candy the other night with the kids. It made me remember the Christmases of when I was a kid. I remember after thanksgiving, helping my Grandma Ray make her peanut brittle, fudge,chocolate covered pretzels and etc. It was something that was really special to me. So, I wanted to bring that tradition back for my kids. I really miss her this time of year. I prefer to think back on those days before she got sick.

This year I had to say goodbye to the woman who became my grandmother. She was special to me. She was always there when I needed her. She came to all my sports games when I was in school. She was there when I had my babies. She even threw me a babyshower along with my friend Krystal (whom has also passed) and my mother. We used to spend Christmas eve with my dad's (step-dad's) family. She made it worth it to go in the later years. I will never forget how she took care of me after I had a tooth taken out. She took care of me so my mom could go back to work. She made me chicken soup. It was from the can but she still made it special.

1991. I was 8. That was the last time I remember seeing my father. Though not to be confused of the last time I talked to him lol. This was my best and yet saddest one. My mom took me up to Heritage Mall (back when it was good) to see him. We walked in to the food court area. I remember seeing this guy with long dark curly hair, a cowboy hat and an earing. Turned out it was my father. (at this point I hadn't seen him in a while). He took me around all the stores to pick out presents. Just me and him while my mom went and done her own shopping in the mall. I remember waking up the next morning. I walked up to the door then froze when I saw my Father and mom were alone. I hated the feeling after all that happened while they were married. I turned to go back to bed, but mom saw me. "Kari its alright come on in here." Well I opened my presents from my father and they were all the ones I had picked out. The like "make-up" case, the snoopy diary and earrings. None of which I have now. Mom and I got dressed. Since my grandparents were still in bed we thought we would meet them over at my Aunts house. We piled into my Father's beater truck. My dad had plastic where his back windshield should have been. It was so cold that morning, not even the heater kept me warm. We get to my Aunt's house and of course I make a bee-line for my cousin,Kat to play with the game she got. Then my Father had said "Pumpkin I gotta go. Come give me a hug and kiss." So I did and he left. That was the last I saw of him. I didn't hear from him from that day til I turned 18. I last talked to him in 2001. Found out 7 years later that he passed 9 months after our talk.

Now I remember staying up all night Christmas eve after I had A (2004) and S(2006). Because I was so excited it was their first Christmas'. We got to spend it with Family for A's first Christmas. Unfortunatly we had moved to Maryland when S' came around. But it was still the best Christmas yet. It was our first one as a completed Family.

This feels good to get this all out. Funny how you find things to blog about when you're driving in your car. I'm looking forward to making more Christmas memories. Especially for the kids. Now to close. here is a link to one of my favorite jingles. It just isn't Christmas if you don't hear this at least once LOL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LJBB65r-9o

A Mandy inspired post. 20 things about me and then some.

2010-11-08T08:43:00.000-08:00

1) I've come to believe that emails are impersonal. I'd much prefer to write a hand written letter. I only use my email now for my newsletters and PTA info.

2) I truly believe that a woman should have a man that wishes he had her, one who lost her and one her has her. (or however that saying goes.)I once had a boyfriend that broke my heart. I thought that I loved him. Now that I'm older I realize that wasn't true. He wanted to be with me but I no longer felt the same way.

3) I really loathe men who beat women. I believe they are cowards.

4) 2 things I don't like to talk about. 1 is religion and the other is politics.

5) I don't like caricatures. I don't know why. They just freak me out.

6) I love to read about the past. Everyone should learn from it.

7) I used to be jealous of my friends who's parents were still together. But then I got a wonderful step-father who is my Dad.

8) I am very proud of the man who has become my Dad. He has been sober for nearly 6 years now.

9) I love my besties, Cass and Mandy. I don't know what I would do without them.

10) I do believe in past lives.

11) Yes I believe in ghosts and other supernatural phenomena.

12) I once had a friend whom I considered one of my "sisters". She decided to leave this life a few years ago.

13) My father was killed by a drunk driver in 2002. Never drink and drive. You could kill yourself or someone else.

14) I never hold a grudge or stay angry at someone just because of something they said or did. I feel I'm above that. You can only pray for the strength to forgive and move forward.

15) I am an animal lover. I can't stand to see animals in trouble.

16) I completed a year of college. I couldn't finish my degree because I couldn't afford it. I do plan on going back once Sami is in school.

17) My mom is the strongest person I know. She is my inspiration.

18) I love songs that tell a story.

19) I can't stand the crunching sound people make as they are eating. Drives me up the walls.

20) I can't stand people who complain about how bad their life is. People who think they are owed something. Guess what people!!!! It won't happen unless you make it happen. Think your life sucks? Go out there and fix it.

****** AND NOW THE BONUS ROUND******

21) My hubby makes the best chili and ribs. My dad makes the best cheeseburgers.

22) One of my favorite quotes, "If you wanna be somebody, if you wanna go somewhere; you better wake up and pay attention". I so <3 that movie.

23) I love my husband with all my heart. He is my rock. I'm really gonna miss his chili while he's gone. Oh yeah him too. LOL.

24) I have 2 of the sweetest kids in the world.

25) I hate the sun coming up at 6am and down at 5. I say screw fall back. Make daylight savings time the new standard time.

Changes

2010-10-14T06:06:00.000-07:00

Lately I've come to believe that I needed to make a few changes in my life. Lets say that I've grown up a lot the past couple of months. I've recently had to cut ties with someone whom I thought was my friend. Not to go into a lot of detail, basically they are a negative person. Said person probably thinks I cut ties with them because they tell me like it is. Which is not the case. I have another friend whom is the same way only she doesn't make me feel like the guilty party and puts all the blame on me. (Love you Mandy thank you for being so understanding.). I have no hard feelings for this person it was just time to let them go.
I'm the type of person who really doesn't like confrontation. (really who likes getting into arguments?) I used the be the kind of person who didn't take crap from anybody. I wonder what happened to that girl. I sat in my bedroom last night fuming and crying over something D decided that he apparently didn't want to do since he had something better to do. As I sat there venting to Mandy (thanks again hun you made me feel so much better), I came to the realization that I needed to find the old Kari. There's got to be some changes around here and I'm ready to make some sacrifices. I'm tired of feeling like people are walking all over me. So today I've done something that would piss off D. But I don't care; I want things to change around here. I'm tired of having to same argument and nothing getting fixed.
I really hope that check from the Wal-Mart claims department comes in today. I miss having a car. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate feeling dependant on other people. Leanne has been taking Sami to school and picking her up for me. I really appreciate it. I just hate feeling like I'm a burden. It comes so easy for D to ask his family for help. Again I appreciate it. It just drives me nuts. Again that shows how differently we were raised LOL.

Holy late update Batman!!!

2010-10-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

Well better late then never LOL.
Since Christmas quite a few things have gone on.
Alex graduated Kindergarten last June. He done so well, he recieved many awards. Such as getting E's all year, perfect attendance, citizenship,reading, etc. He started 1st grade in August. He's having a little trouble with his math and telling time. Other than that he's doing real good. He and his best friend, Gabriel are in the same class again this year. He was happy to see that. His teacher is Mrs. Tolbert. She's really nice and her husband is retired military. Which is awesome. I love his school. It is military friendly. They are willing to work with military families when it comes to leave and school breaks, moving, etc. I'm gonna having to transfer them to another school when the time comes for us to move.

Samantha started Pre-k this year. I can hardly believe that she's old enough for school already. She's doing really well. Only thing is she's the loud kid of the bunch LOL. Her best friend is Cheyenne. Sami has been missing her the past week b/c Cheyenne has been sick. She also has a boyfriend. His name is Ivan. Everyday after school she asks to go play at his house LOL. She's learning how to write her letters and numbers. She has learned how to write her name. When she writes it, she writes it on 2 lines LOL. Can't say that I blame her. She does have a long name LOL.

I am doing fine as well. I finally found out what has been going on with my body. It's nothing major. Because of my family history I have to have an ultrasound done every 6-12 months. I've noticed that some vitamins and exercise has really helped me out with that area. I've lost 10 pounds so far since I've started going to the gym with Leanne.

Deryn is doing great. He's getting ready to leave us for a few months here soon. So I've been mentally preparing myself and the kids for this deployment. Deryn hasn't gone on a deployment in 4 years. So yeah. LOL.

This past summer we took the kids to Disneyworld. We had a blast even though it was overly crowded and hot hot hot. Our friends, The Wards came down from Oklahoma and came with us. There was never a dull moment with me and Mandy together LOL. I think we drove the men nuts. Oh well. They survived LOL.

This year saw some loss. My grandmother Lois passed away in January. Then in February my cat Precious passed away. I've had her since I was 10. She wasn't doing well the last couple of years of her life. I'm glad she's in a better place. In August we lost another kitty, Skittles. This one was a blow to us. We didn't see it coming. He got sick after we came back from Disney. We took him to the vet and there wasn't anything we could do. This was so sudden, that I was crying for days. Poor D it drove him nuts. Skittles and Precious were the best cats I've owned. Well I've only owned 2 so yeah LOL.
We were blessed with a new addition a couple of weeks after Skittles' passing. We went to petco just to go see the cats they had. We weren't planning on adopting for a while. Well we walked in the door and there was Cheetah. He saw us walk in the door and he started to climb his crate wanting to get our attention. So was walked closer and he got down and went for the door LOL. So we asked the lady in charge of the adoption if we could see him. And he took to us right away. So we adopted him. More like he adopted us. LOL. I wasn't planning on adopting another cat. But I believe that the Lord had made me leave the house that day to meet Cheetah. I know its weird but its like Cheetah knew we were coming that day. Cheetah is a 4 months old brown tabby cat. He's cute as a button and smart as heck LOL. We've already got him trained not to scratch us and to come running when we shake his jar of treats. Even Blackie knows that sounds LoL. Cheetah loves to sleep on our pillows. If he wants the whole pillow he will push our heads off and take it over. He know when its time to get up in the morning also. He'll come bat us on the face or constantly meow in the morning till we get up.

Hopefully I'll get around to updating more often. I'll admit that things have been a little hectic since school started. But what can u expect with 2 kids that go to different schools at different times of the day? LOL.

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-25T19:32:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas all. Hope you all had a nice one. We all had a pretty good Christmas. We all woke up about 8 and opened gifts. It was pretty cool seeing the looks on the kids faces when they got what they wanted for christmas. Check out my pics on facebook. www.facebook.com/karebear220. I say that b/c I am on my laptop and I don't have the pics on it LOL.
We had Christmas dinner at our friends. The Linsley's house. It was so nice to get together with friends. Which we haven't done in a couple years. Thank you Nichole and Noel for inviting us. We had a wonderful time. Then we came home and put together and played with toys. I put together a Tinkerbell tent for Sami. She loves it so much she's sleeping in it with her new baby doll.
We don't have any plans for the weekend except for munching on the leftover that Nikki sent home with us LOL. Have a great weekend all.

Wow sooo time for an update.

2009-12-20T18:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas all!!
Yes it;s been a while since my last update. I've been quite busy with real life.
Back at the end of June and early July the kids and I went to Oklahoma to visit with family for a couple of weeks. All we really did was go to the zoo and visit all our relatives. Then Deryn met up with us once he was out of school and we drove to Texas to see his family.
This past August Alex started Kindergarten. His teacher said that he has adjusted well. He got his 1st nine weeks awards in October. He got one for citizenship and perfect attendance. We are all very proud. I can not believe that we are already half way through the school year. June will be here before we know it. On Thursdays i volunteer in his class. Whenever I walk in (or see his classmates outside of school) I get a big " Hi Alex's Mom!!!" LOL.
Sami is doing pretty good. We are still potty training. We are at a stand still because she's scared of pooping in the toilet. Everyday when we take Brother to school she asks if she can go to school too. I've told her that if she starts going in the potty that I would put her in school next year. So far she's not holding up her end of the bargain LOL.
I'm doing pretty good. I've lost 7lbs so far this year. I havent been to the gym in 2 months because someone in my house gets sick. Usually me ( haha).
D is doing good also. He checked into his squadron back in July and likes it a whole lot better than his last command. He recently took his E-6 test. He missed it by 10 points. He'll take it again in March so wish him luck.
I got a pretty awesome Christmas gift this year. Terry bought Mom tickets to come visit us. We had a wonderful 5 days. We took her shopping, and too the beach (5 times). I swear she would live at the beach if she could. (Ha).
I am so proud of my cousin Kathleen. She is serving on a 2 year mission for her church in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Please keep her in your prayers for a successful mission. You can follow her blog at redheadsarethebest.blogspot.com. Feel free to sign up for her newsletter.
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas. God Bless you all!!

Go Sami

2009-06-01T19:23:00.000-07:00

Hey all. Not much has really happened lately. We've got Alex fully potty trained and Samantha has started with hers and she's doing really well. Deryn got the results from his E-6 exam. he passed but didn't make rank. He'll do much better next time.
Me , I'm looking into going back to school. The military will pay about $6k for me to go to school. Which is awesome. How can I turn that down. Only problem is the school I'm interested in attending is on the other side of Jacksonville. I don't like to drive that far very often. So I may just look into online courses if I can. And also the school isn't on the list for militaryonesource and i cant figure out how to get it added LOL.
The kids and I are heading to Mom's for a couple of weeks then to Texas to see D's family. I hope D is able to take leave during his down time from school cus i rly don't want to drive back by myself. But i will if i have too LOL. My plans keep changing by the day. It's starting to get irritating LOL.
I leave u with this quote from Samantha. She says it to me every morning like I don't know who she is LOL. "Good morning Mommy. It's me Samanther's" Girl is too cute for her own words.

We made it

2009-04-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

Wow long time no post. Everything went fine on our move. We left Maryland on the 27th a couple of hours ahead of schedule. Which is awesome. I love housing up there LOL. We got to Cass's house that evening. She blamed us for bringing the rain with us. But yeah like we really planned that lol. We spent the weekend at her house. We went to the aquarium and the beach. Most of the time we just sat around and enjoyed the company while the kids played. Lily my "niece" told me that she and Alex got married. And she went chasing him all over the house trying to give him kisses. So cute.
We got to Jacksonville Tuesday evening. Picked up our keys to the house on Wednesday. We've only been in this house for 2 weeks and the chain on our toilet snapped, sami broke an electric outlet with her poster ( don't ask me how she did it cus i dont know lol) and theres a clog deep in our pipes so the dishwasher hasnt worked right for the past 2 days. You just gotta loved remodeled homes. My washer finally died. The motor decided that it didnt want to spin anymore. So we just bought a new one. We've made numerous calls to the repair man for the past 2 years to come fix it but they came once to look at it. and have been making excuses since not to come back to fix it. Course that was back in Maryland and 2 days after we get here. My washer dies. I just decided that i was done with it. Tired of messing with effing retards that dont want to do their jobs. Believe D and I did rip them new ones.
Anyways, I am loving Florida. The people dont seem as crazy as they are up north lol. Much more friendlier anyways.
Next week D starts his school and Alex gets enrolled in Kindergarten. I drove by the school today and its really nice.
Dude to some circumstances that have come up I've had to delay my trip to Oklahoma til June. Which is no biggie. We are just waiting on D to get his cars registration paperwork in. I dont feel comfortable leaving him here without a car to drive to and from school. Hope all is well.

Moving

2009-03-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

Well the movers came and packed us up and will be back on Monday to pick up our stuff. As of Monday or Tuesday we won't have internet so it wont be til after the first when I can post again. Our phone will be turned off Monday as well. If u need to get ahold of us call the cell. If we don;t answer just leave a message and we'll call back as soon as we can. Cus our signal here at the house sucks. Next weekend we'll be at Cass' house in North Carolina for a wee mini vacation. Then on Monday or Tuesday ( depending on if we can get our keys early) will be heading to Florida.

Another busy week.

2009-03-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday the kids and I met up with some friends at the Jumpyard out in town. We all had a great time. As usual the kids didn't want to leave LOL. We spent Sunday cleaning so we could get ready for our pre-inspection on Monday. Well the guy didnt show up. D called and was told that the appointment was for Tuesday. Tuesday comes no show. D calls again and someone didnt put us in the book for the day. Wednesday the movers came over for a little survey to see how many boxes and what not that they'll need for the 20th. Thursday the maitenance guy finally comes and stays 5 mins just to tell us to clean the appliances, floors and baseboards and not to worry about the walls. Im like wtf you could have called and said it over the phone instead of wasting the gas to come by LOL. We also got a new dining room table from a friend of Deryn's who is also moving to Jax, FL. Saved us a 100 bucks. Today the kids and I took down all the pictures and went through our kitchen and threw out some appliances and pans that we haven't used in forever. No point in keeping 3 sets of pans lol. Anyways the highlight of the week... ( drumroll pleae) WE GOT A HOUSE!!!. Housing called Monday afternoon and said that they had a 3 bedroom open up and already put our name on it. She gave us the address and all we have to do on the First is come sign paperwork and grab the keys. Everything is starting to fall into place. Im so effing excited. Then whats even better is that I found out that a friend of mine and her hubby is also moving to Mayport. Nothing much going on this weekend besides putting aside what we'll need for the week that we'll be in the house with no furniture and at Cass' place.

Yay for snow.

2009-03-06T08:26:00.000-08:00

What a week. On Sunday we got a foot of snow. Which to me is a real treat seeing that it'll be 3 years before I'll see it again. The kids and daddy got to make a snow fort. then all three of them came at me with snowballs. Yeah i won that fight lol.

So with all the snow that meant that our pre-inspection with housing didn't happen.

thats rescheduled for Monday. Deryn took his E-6 exam on Thursday. He says he done good. But feels that he didn't make it. We talked to housing in Mayport. There is a good chance that we will have a house when we get down there next month. Not just any house but one of the new houses. I'm very excited about that.Deryn talked to TMO about scheduling the move. So all we are waiting on is for the movers to call us. Yesterday the kids and I went outside and played in the snow. The head fell off a snowman and alex picked it up and chased me around the house with it. Then he threw it at me, but he missed LOL.

Today we have a whole lot of nothing besides catching up on laundry to do. Tomorrow Alex and Sami have a playdate over at the Jump Yard with friends.

*update* mayport housing called and as of today they only have a 2 bedroom available. But are expecting the new 3 and 4 bedrooms to be turned over anyday now. Please keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer too.

Another day another dollar.

2009-02-27T07:31:00.000-08:00

YAY ITS PAYDAY. I went to the commissary this morning and it was actually quiet in there lol. It's supposed to be 61 today so I might take the kiddos to the park. Its exactly 30 days til our move, so that means we are putting in our 30 days notice to housing. Im so excited about that. I have lots to do to get ready and only less 25 days to do it.
Tomorrow i have to go back up north to get my new plates and tags from the dealership. Oh joy i was kinda hoping that they would mail them to me. OH WELL... We need a day to get away from the phone. Ds work keeps calling him to come in when hes off work for stupid crap. so it would be nice to be away from the phone for a couple hours. We have to put Ds car in the shop to get brakes replaced and a tune up so it will be road ready.
Alex and Samantha have actually been rather quiet the past 2 days. ( knock on wood).
Hopefully D will be back on days on Monday or I'm gonna be uber pissed.
Grats to my friend Mandy and her hubby. Their dog is the cutest dog on Tinker this month. Miss Rosie is a doll. I just might go steal her. Muahahaha. but then again my "wifey" can get really mean and I don't want to get her mad. LOL.

Busy week.

2009-02-21T19:57:00.001-08:00

My new baby, Mom got here Wednesday afternoon. It was sleeting and snowing and she wasnt wearing a jacket lol. So we took her out to Chili's for lunch and to walk around Arundel Mills Mall in Baltimore.

On Thursday mom and I had our girls day out. we went to Lenny's for lunch then out to Point Lookout to see the Lighthouse. We walked around the little beach near by where ppl have seen a ghost of a lady walking around looking for graves. We were all alone and we heard footsteps behind us. The wind wasnt blowing anything to make a crunching sound. IT WAS AWESOME. Then we went to Leornardtown and drove around for a bit before coming back to town to do a little bit of shopping,

Friday was my birthday. D got me a new digital camera. I got new shirts and pants from Mom and Terry. Peggy sent me some birthday money ( don't know what ill spend that on just yet lol). Oh and D got a cake. yeah I kicked his arse for it to. D and I had our night out. We had dinner at Lone Star. The food was pretty good. I had me a strawberry daiquri. I deserved it since it was my 26th birthday.

Today we all went to the Air museum outside the base then had lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise. The food was good. But out waiter sucked lol. we ended out day at Point lookout again so D and the kids could see it. Yeeeeah that lasted 5 minutes cus everyone else was cold and wouldn't look around with me. .. chickens... lol.

Tomorrow mom goes home. Poor Alex he didn't want Gramma out of his sight all weekend. Poor thing wouldnt even go number 2 on the potty. so we finally got him going again today. So he's all better. We thought there was something wrong with him. But we figured out that the problem was that he didnt want to leave grandma. Cus everytime we'd say go to the bathroom Alex, hed scream for her and wouldnt go unless she was with him.. Poor guy. Grandma prolly feels bad because of it. And she shouldn't. he's just a stubborn guy.

Sami has really enjoyed her visit. Always hanging around gramma. And gramma got to see that Sami has developed a very loud personality LOL. Poor sami got to learn that Gramma doesn;t put up with her back talk either. Sami got real mad when Grandma called her on it lol.

Let me say that it was real nice to have them crawling on someone else for a change. We are planning a visit for May once everything is settled in Florida. I could use a vacation now that i have a vehicle that i can travel in. I hope everyone had a nice weekend. Cus i know we sure did,

My baby

2009-02-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

After much debate Deryn and I have decided to add to our family. Thats right I got a new car the other day LOL. Had all u guys going didn't I? D and I felt that with the kids getting bigger and I planning on traveling more, that we needed a bigger car. So we bought a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe. We got a heck of a deal on it if i may say so. I love it. It has xm radio, automated headlights, radio controls on the steering wheel, and we added a dvd player for the kiddos. On the way home from picking it up today the kids watched wall-e and omg they were so quiet. Best 16 hundred bucks ive ever spent lol. of course deryn is finding every excuse under the sun to get out of the house just to take my car for a spin. LOL Only thing i wish i had on it was a GPS system just to drive D crazy LOL.

Mom will here tomorrow.
Deryn ordered me a birthday cake. Im scared to see what he picked out cus hes been laughing evily about it for the past 2 days.

And Alex is getting his 4 yr molars. Oh yeah thats so much fun.

First hair cut

2009-02-13T09:00:00.001-08:00

Sami got her first haircut today. I was very impressed with her. I expected her to fight it. Nope she was a big girl and sat very still for the most part lol. Ill have pics as soon as i get them developed LOL. She got her hair trimmed up and has some bangs. Girl can see now lol.
I have an appointment next Friday to get mine trimmed and highlighted. That will be a great birthday treat.

This weekend Deryn and I are planning on driving up to Salisbury to test drive a car that we've been looking at. It's the only one we seem to agree on LOL.

A nice sunny day

2009-02-11T15:46:00.001-08:00

I got lucky and the weather was 70 today. So i forced the kids outside to play just to stay out of my hair. Too bad we are having storms come in late tonight and it will be cold again tomorrow. /sigh.
Anyways I think i may have insomia. I find myself not going to sleep til almost 6 am now. I hope its just the excitement for the move. Im still gonna bring it up at my docs appoitment when i make it for my other problem.
So yeah housing at Mayport called and told D that they "didn't" recieve his paperwork. This being after he called after he sent it and they said they got it. ./sigh. Hopefully that got straightened out.
I'm not looking forward to V-day. (sorry Mandy.) I have my reasons. ( and Mandy my "wifey" made a cake without me so thats one of them LOL).

Samantha's birthday.

2009-02-10T22:02:00.001-08:00

So here it is. I finally got around to having a family blog so that our friends and family back home can keep updated on our adventures.
Samantha had her 3rd Birthday yesterday. It was good only Kari was sick and spent most of the day in bed. we didn't get any pictures because Deryn forgot to get a camera. We are planning on having another party when Mom comes to visit next week. So I promis we'll have pictures then.
Sami got a new dress and shirt from Mommy and Daddy. A mermaid barbie from Alex. A kitchen/cleaning set from Great Gamma. Princess pjs and a bear from Grandma and Grandpa. And this weekend we are going to pick out gifts from Meemee and PaPa. Thank you all for the gifts and the cards. She had a great birthday. We had pizza for dinner and Dora the explorer cake and icecream.
She is growing up so fast. Sami is talking more clearly and is going number one in the potty. Unlike when Alex started potty training, she's doing this on her own. She also knows her ABC and likes to pick out and put on her own clothes.
Alex is great. He is fully potty trained (except for the night time). He will be starting Kindergarten in August. Kari is looking forward to a quiet house during the day but also isnt ready for Alex to start school.
Kari is good. She will be turning 26 next week. She is planning on going back to school herself. Kari is starting to get real serious about losing weight. She has lost 7 pounds since Jan 1. But has slacked off in the past 2 week cus of everyone being sick in the house. She does plan on getting back on track once everyone is well.
Deryn is doing good also. He has been busy with work getting everything ready for the move to Florida.

Hopefully I'll keep this blog updated. But you all know how real life goes LOL.

Love to all,

Deryn,Kari, Alex and Sam.