Just a catch up

Sorry that this blog is so plain unlike my usual color and variety. For some reason my blog won't give me my variety anymore. Last time I blogged I had just gone out on a date. When since then I've figured out that at this point in time... nnnooo I'll just stay single.Don't get me wrong cause I had an absolute blast going out, but I found out that at this point, I've just got to much to do in my life to worry about making more time for yet something else. I think maybe in 5-10 years I might have everything done to make time for another date. LOL




Well this is a picture of me on the date. Just received it last night via e-mail. This is me signing the guest book at the quaint little Inn at Holister, MO. He kept snapping pics when I wasn't looking. Curse cell phone with camera built in!!1!!






This is a better picture of the Inn that we ate at. I seriously wouldn't mind having that as my house. Unfortunately didn't get any pics of the rest of it. It was huge--3 story. If you stay in there long enough I'd believe that you'd end up with a British accent.


At the beginning of August Rob and Lora (the kids' dad & step mom) took the three of them on a cruise down Mexico.I was so proud of my little international water hoppers until I got the pics from the trip. After these these no way they are gonna ever leave my sight again LOL







To come clean, it was non-alcoholic beer, after that though, Courtney has sworn off drinking. She told me that she thinks that toilet water would probably taste better than that stuff. Fingers crossed!!


Well, as you can tell, I've learned to something new on this so yes you are going to get bored to death with pictures. Remember the trip that my youngest boy made to Brazil back in June well here's a couple of pics of his trip down there. Don't let the pics fool you, he was almost half that size when he got back from the trip.



This one was a yard sale in Brazil.Alex is in the grey/black shirt at the back of the table.





This is what happens to you when you hit mid-life and your friend just gets her corvette redone. You lose your mind and buy a motorcycle.Now these I just got last night.





No seriously now--- the person I had my date with bought this the day before and of course, like any other person out there had to show off his new toy. Now he drove it over to my place from the other side of Harrison (at least a good hour trip)and without fail the first words out of his mouth was "get on". Like a wimp I couldn't say no. Until that moment, I've not been on a cycle for almost 23 years. Cars scare me bad enough ( just ask anyone that has to have me as a passenger) and they have more to them to protect you than a cycle, so needless to say I really didn't wanna. Finally my worst reasoning won out and it seems like the moment my leg touched that bike I got the living fire burned out of the side of my right calf on the exhaust pipe. Next time better judgement will prevail! Plus this has made me realize why its been 23 years since I've been on one!!! :-)

Wild Weekend

Boy has this been a nonstop weekend. Well not just the past three days but since last Monday it has seemed to be nonstop. During the first part of the week, it seemed like it was neverending trying to get the kids ready to go on a cruise with their dad and stepmom.( They have been blessed enough to take a cruise along Mexico )I still cannot fathom how in the world they can get their stuff strung out around what seems like the entire town. After they left it seems like its been non-stop. Friday night I got to go dinner in Eureka Springs and then drove around the historic part, then Saturday I went on my first real official date in over a year. ( yes I'm talking about it again Jen :0 ) Talk about every emotion hitting you at the same time. I was so nervous,excited,scared,happy. To tell you though, it ended up being one great day, Started out at Branson Landing--Bass Pro first--And you want to talk about testostorone just oozing out of the walls, I think the only thing that saved that trip was the fact that they had shoes.Then I was taken to a quaint little out of the way place called The Lions Den in historic Hollister for lunch and ate some really good fish & chips, then just kinda ran around Branson,Olvey, Harrison, then (finally) home.And want to talk about being spoiled rotten!!!!! He'd gotten me some really beautiful butterflies for my house ( not real of course) and all around just spoiled me. It felt really nice just getting out of the house without either kids or being the odd wheel.I always seem to be hanging with the same three married couples everywhere I go.Not that I'm complaining, they are the three most amazing couples that God could have sent me too. Then today had a really awesome service and Sunday school class--even w/ being called crazy :)-- at church. Then I was taken to Harrison by my church parents (one of the three couples) to get to watch The Mummy 3. It actually turned out to be a pretty decent movie. Also the fact that there's about a 30 minute scene w/ Brendan Fraser shirtless didn't hurt. Then had a really awesome and spirit filled prayer service at the church after the movie. Hope fully though I'll be able to have my day of rest tomorrow. God willing.

Been awhile

Been awhile since I've blogged, just had alot going on since May. First of all my youngest son went to Brazil on a missionary trip for 30 days. I am very proud of him for taking on that type of responsibility and that calling at the age of 16. I have to admit though that was the longest month of my life. It's completely diffrent when the go to grandma's house w/ their siblings and when they leave the country by themselves. He made it back though in one piece and with lots of goodies ( I got my real Brazilian coffee)






My oldest has been doing pretty ok also. Still at the same job ( he loves it there) . He decided last month that he was going to finally get the mohawk that he's wanted since he was 10, I'm happy to say that it only lasted for two weeks before he cut it off.







My daughter is really siked though. Three days ago she finally got contacts. Now we've just got to work on the fact that she doesn't have to wear so much eyeshadow. She doesn't have the glasses hiding it anymore.
This is what we ended up with---without the glasses. Can you say 'get the shotgun'?!







As for me, been really sick for the past four weeks. I've had to start some new medicine for some long-standing ailments and so far it has knocked me on my rump. I've gotten five weeks of treatment out of the way, now only nineteen weeks left. The joyous part about this is that when the treatments are complete I have an 85-90 % cure rate. Yeah!!!>

A New Experince

Once again I get to go some more new experinces with my awesome child. Now he is starting to pay for things for me ( This I could seriously get use to :) ) But also starting tomorrow I get to start helping him fix up his own home. Its gonna take ALOT of work, but I know the end result it going to be worth it. It means that my house will stay clean now, plus his dad & stepmom now get to have an actual dining room.
Another wonderful thing that is happening with my children is my next oldest son is going to be leaving for a 30 day internship in the country of Brazil. It's gonna be a very new for the entire family because he will be going this all alone. He's not going to have any type of family around him ( blood or church). I am very nervous about this but I also now that it's going to be a wonderful growing experince for him. I know in my heart that I'm not going to get back the same boy I send off. Also he leaves on the 30th, which happens to be Zach's 18th birthday.According to Zach he couldn't ask for a better present---to ship his brother off to a diffrent country for a month. (Zach also keeps bugging me to add that he is now hatching dino's for a living--better dinos than babies I say). As for my beautiful girl, she's just perservering along to finish school. She's very excited that she only has 3 days left. It still blows my mind that in 3 days my youngest child will officially be a freshman in highschool. I swear just yesterday I was her whole world and now it's her best friend, boys, and yahoo messenger. All and all though I am getting very excited to see the next steps that I go through with them!!!

An overwhelming day

This is my baby boy,Zachary T. Jackson right after getting his diploma !!!!!




WOW!!!!Today the emotions that I felt was something else. There are so many steps that you go through with having children. It starts when the doctor puts the baby in your arms, then comes 1st step, words,day of school, dates, but today I was so overwhelmed as I watched my son walk up and receive his diploma. In that instant my breath was taken away. I realized in that instance that there was no more curling up in my lap and no more kissing boo-boos away. I now see that I am the parent of a wonderful adult. Parenthood is so joyous,even the moments when they turn your hair grey and you want to throttle them with your own two hands.Its an honor and a joy to look upon a wonderful adult that I helped shape and mold. Thank you Great Lord of mine for allowing me that honor threefold. Now I am looking forward to next year when I get to experience all of these wondrous emotions again when my next son graduates.

Today is the day

It seems like just the other day I was watching my wonderful little boy get on the bus for his first day of school. Today I am now going to watch him get his diploma. Words cannot express the pride that I feel in him ( It doesn't hurt either that he started a job yesterday either). When I first had my children everyone told me to enjoy because they grow up so fast. I thought they were full of malarky. I honestly belived that the terrible twos were going to last forever, but now I understand My oldest graduates today,my next oldest only has a year left till he graduates (plus he gets to go to Brazil for the entire month of June)and my baby girl starts her first year of high school. So when an older person tell you to enjoy them while their young Do It, because when you blink they will be off starting their own lives.

My wonderful children

Well My children have been making me so proud!! My daughter and her best friend kicked some royal butt at the concert that they had last Thursday, My oldest son is winning scholorship for school & on top of everything has been hired to go to work at Subway starting on Thursday, and finaly my youngest boy has all of his duck in a row to leave on th 30th to go on a missiomary trip all by himself to Brazil for 15 days. Even though they sometimes try hard to make me grey, My Awesome Lord could'nt have bessed me with more awesome children. I thank Him everyday for th