Happy Belated Birthday Kayla

Well, Aunt Everyday Bailey screwed up big time this week. My niece's birthday was on Saturday. I thought it was on Monday. So being the "on top of things" aunt that I am, I called her on Sunday, the day before her birthday because I wanted to be the first to wish her happy birthday!

So here's how the conversation went:

EB: Hey it's me
K: Hey what's going on?
EB: Not much...just wanted to be the first to tell you happy birthday!!
K: Huh? My birthday was on Saturday!
EB: Huh?
K: May 3rd...that's my birthday...not May 5th



I felt so stupid and I even have one of those email reminders that reminds me when someone's birthday is coming up. I guess I had it programed wrong. Those only work as good as the retards that program them. I told E, "Why didn't you tell me that her birthday was yesterday? You were there when she was born...not me!!"

Anyway, poor kid. Lots of stuff going on at home and no time to party like it's her birthday. K...putting your present in the mail today!! Love you!

Happy Mother's Day

For our families, May, June and August are the busiest months for birthdays, holidays and anniversaries in our family. May has three birthdays, 2 holidays and one graduation! So let's start with Mother's Day. Hi Mom!!

I don't think I have been home for Mother's Day in several years. So either my sisters will get together and figure out what she wants and I will chip in, or I will get something here in town and send it to her, which is what I did this year.



I bought a large bag when I went to Arkansas a few weeks ago to carry on the plane with me. I love this bag and thought my Mom might want one as well...and now I like hers better than mine. I really like the red bag better but another friend of mine already had the red one so I didn't want to be a copy cat! Happy Mother's Day Mom. I am putting your present in the mail today.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day

We are the Heroes of the Homefront!

For those of you who are military spouses, I want you to know that I appreciate and celebrate you today. I know first hand the sacrifices you have to make...most of them being your sanity...but in the end, those are the sacrifices that matter most!!


Yes, we make a big difference in the lives of our husbands, wives and children but we also make a big difference in the lives of other military spouses! Our compassion, our listening ears, our understanding, our ability to potluck anywhere, and our friendships are the only things that have kept us from falling apart on most days. For all of you who have helped me get through the tough times (and I don't have your email address), thank you for all that you do and have done in my life.


A few military spouse favorites:

-The Misadventures of a Military Wife - Excellent book and I think we can all relate in more ways than you would ever think or admit on most days.

-Milspouse Magazine - I just starting getting this a few months back and have really enjoyed reading the ones that Maggie didn't eat! Lots of good information and tips and resources as well as articles related specifically to us as loyal spouses.



-I was going to find my favorite place to get military T-shirts because I have have bad experiences in the past but I think I have it saved at home. I don't recommend Cafe-Press though. They print the decal on an iron-transferrable sheet of paper and then attach it to the shirts. VERY STIFF and very cheap looking for $20 bucks plus shipping per shirt!

-Dr. Laura - She is a hillarious talk show host who helps people solve their personal (common sense) problems. She is also the "proud mother of an American Paratrooper!"

-Seaworld and Busch Gardens - Both theme parks are still allowing military members and their families into their facilities for free. We took advantage of Busch Gardens last year and it was So much fun. We need to hurry up and hit Sea World before they change their minds and want to start charging again.

Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

Bad Days...Good Apple Dumplings!

Well folks, hopefully I will have more time next week. This week I feel like a superhero in a post apocolyptic universe. So busy and so tired. We have hosted 2 conferences this week at work and those always make for incredibly long days. I also finished planting my front flower beds since we have company coming this weekend. Tonight, we are hosting a crawfish boil at our house for our Sunday School class so I wanted to get the front yard ready and the garage cleaned out (and of course the house cleaned) before everyone started stopping in. So the days are mashing together. With my right hand in the air, "I do so solemnly swear to purpose to be a better blogger in the coming weeks."

However, I will leave you with this since I gypped you all on What's Cooking Wednesday. I had my pictures and recipe all ready but can't seem to find the camera. This recipe is SO GOOD! I have more requests for this one than anything else I make. When I was in college, I worked at our church part time. One day the piano player called to say that she was going to bring the office staff lunch. This recipe was one of the things she brought and I immediately got the recipe from her and make it all of the time.

Apple Dumplings

At our house, we make it for dessert, breakfast, and if E had his choice, he would have it for lunch and dinner too. I don't have a picture of the end result...Sorry...I just got so darn excited about eating them that all other thoughts were shunned from my mind! But I do have a few pics of the process. Enjoy!

Boring Day! Interesting Site!

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing interesting is happening? I have had several of those days. Mostly because I live, eat and sleep work lately. However, I do want to share a website with you. I added it to my favorites list for you all yesterday.

Hulu.com

With this website, you can watch lots of television episodes and clips as well as movies online. They do put a few commercials in there but it's FREE!!!

P.S. I forgot the picture of my Wednesday recipe and will have that tomorrow once I find the camera!

Getting Pumped

Now that life "seems" to be calming down a bit and I am finally feeling better, it's time to hit the roads again. Running is not about keeping fit and trim...it's about staying mentally stable. Whenever I am stressed out about things at work or at home...I run until I don't remember what was bothering me. I was able to get out of the house once last week and get a small run in with Maggie and boy did that feel good. But I can feel my blood pressure starting to creep up and it's time to detox in a pair of running shoes. So for all of your that live in town and have been consistantly telling me that you want to run in these races with me, here's your chance.

The Searim Striders are having a Summer Series of 5K race around town and I would like to hit a few of them. But they aren't as fun by yourself so check your calendars and come out in full force. It's seems that almost every Monday night during the summer, there is something going on!

2008 Summer Series

June 9 - Orange Northway
June 16 - Pt Neches Park
June 23 - Claiborne Park
June 30 - Beaumont Tyrrell Park
July 21 - Claiborne Park
July 28 - Beaumont Tyrrell Park
August 4 - Orange Northway Park
August 11 - Pt Neches Park
August 18 - Claiborne Park

E, I, and Maggiepie

Since I have a rough week coming up next week with lots of long hours, and since I have been sick this week, I stayed home a few days to rest up. Here are a few pics from my quality time spent with Maggie!

While I napped on the couch, she took a seat in the back den and curled up for a nap!

I think all dogs have a born desire to take off with their owners undies. E thought he would take it one step further and actually put them on her. She was so confused.

Then we taught her how to catch the ball in the air last night. She repeatedly jumped up into the air after the ball until she was too tired to move. I never did get a good picture of her catching it but this one was rather funny.

E had just cut the grass when we started playing with her so everytime the ball hit the ground, a few more grass blades stuck to it. By the end of the night, this was what Maggie's tongue looked like.

Hot Springs

Don't you love it when you end up with a swanky room at a super hotel that you didn't have to pay for? I know I do! I had a suite all to myself with a king size bed and 36 inch LCD TV with a separate living room/kitchen area that looked out onto the Hot Springs National Park. It was so nice. And for breakfast, none of that skimpy continental fruit. It was the big daddy. There was a cook-to-order chef who would make you pancakes, omelets, fresh bacon or sausage... MmmmMmmmMmmm. So good. But do you think I was able to partake in any of that? Ah...NO!! And that's a big fat NO! I was barely in my room long enough to enjoy it. And as for breakfast, they didn't open until 7am and we had to be out the door by 6:30. So much for getting all of the perks!!

We used the Hots Springs Convention Center for 2 of our sessions and another hotel in town for the third session. The convention center was very classy. Lots of art, photography, and modern furniture everywhere. However, the hotel we used for the last day did not compare to the convention center one bit! When we first met with the event managers, they scrambled desperately to find our file, and then notified us that they had to squeeze our event into a smaller room because the air conditioner in the building broke. The room they moved us to had A/C though. Their new A/C wasn't going to arrive for another 3 weeks. They were in the middle of renovations. Stained wallpaper, faded carpet, broken lights, dusty old chandeliers, holes in the walls, oh yeah...and this...

Luckily, the duct tape was only there for our preliminary tour and not the conference. But the stained carpet and walls weren't going anywhere.

Here's Viki performing "Delta Dawn" in front of our INCREDIBLY chipped podium.

This is me posing with some guys I met that let me go fishing with them. Look at that big fish I brought home!!

Here I am with Shannon, another conference helper, at the Hot Springs National Park.

In this picture, I am retrieving my purse that I dropped off of a cliff. After making my way down the mountain in flip-flops, I finally found it resting in a holly bush. OUCH!