Luna is sick!

One of my 3 babies (Karlen, Jac and Luna) is sick!! It's our sweet little cat, Luna. She has been sneezing and suffering from a cold for almost a week. I called the vet and as long as she is eating, they really can't do anything. We hope she gets over it soon.
As you can see from the pictures, the cat and dog are best friends!

Downtown Disney

My friend Roberta came down from Valdosta, GA this weekend with her 3 kids so we ventured out to Downtown Disney. We wanted to eat at T-Rex, but there was a 2 hour wait. So we tried Rainforest Cafe and they had a 2 hour wait as well... so we ate at Earl of Sandwich with dessert at Ghiradellis. Here are some pics:

God's Promise...

It's Christmas Day, 2:45 in the afternoon and we're driving to my brother's house for dinner. There is a BEAUTIFUL full rainbow, with every color shining so brightly. I pulled the car over to take a picture. (the picture does not show the beauty of the rainbow). Karlen said the rainbow is "God showing us His promise". I love her!

Hollywood Studios

On Sunday afternoon, I got together with my parents and my sister & her family and Karlen to go to Hollywood Studios to see the Osbourne dancing lights. It was fun! We all have annual passes to the Disney parks so we go about once a month to a different park. Fun!

Winter Concert

Karlen had her Winter Concert on Friday night. There was a lot of work put in for it, congrats to her teacher Ms. Owens and former teacher Mr. Redding. I can tell they have worked hard to prepare the kids for the concert.
The kids had a lonnnngggg day! They were at school and stayed straight through until the end of the concert, which was 9:30pm!

Christmas is almost here!

Karlen did a great job decorating our Christmas tree. She is the crafty one and decorates so nicely! This year we didn't go crazy decorating, no lights or reindeer outside, because we are taking a trip up to Sugar Mountain, NC 2 days after Christmas to do some snow skiing/snow boarding with my sister and her family.
Notice some of the lights are out on the tree, my dog AND cat are both chewing on the lights!!!!

I'm back at school!

It's been a long time since I blogged, but I have been back at work for 2 weeks now, which means BUSY. Trying to adjust my schedule to fit everything in with work. I was getting used to being home, able to take care of errands, etc with lots of time on my hands. Now I can't fit everything in... I know it will soon balance out, but it's been a busy 2 weeks.
And yes, the kids remembered me!! Everyone asks me that... thank goodness I was there the first week of school, so they know exactly who I am. :)
And the picture is the kids behind their Grinch masks that they made at the Media Center.

Halloween.... yes, my daughter is 14 and STILL likes to go trick or treating. I have to say, there were lots of older kids out trick or treating this year. So she wasn't one of the only ones. We went over to Marilyn and David's and walked around their neighborhood. Karlen was a 60's girl, Christie was a "pajama girl" and Calee was a princess, of course!

Cardboard Testimonies...

Here is another video that I love... it's called "cardboard testimonies". Each person has a story of how their life was BEFORE Jesus, and then how life is AFTER.

Everything...

Have you ever seen this skit, it's usually performed to the Lifehouse song "Everything"? This is one version of it... I love it. It shows how our walk with God starts so wonderful, but then we can get pulled in different directions, but He is always pursuing us.

Kobe!

Have you ever been to Kobe? We love it! We went with 11 others last night, my friend Roberta was in town all weekend, and her EX-husband drove into Orlando with the kids yesterday. Yes, EX-husband. They were divorced about 2 years ago, and God promised he would restore the marriage. She has had extreme faith and believed it -even when he was ENGAGED to his new girlfriend. Wedding was set for September, it was cancelled at the end of July! So... they are actually working things out. I pray that God will continue to work in Bryan and Roberta's life and that they actually get married again and enjoy life together with their 3 kids!
Karlen and I went with Roberta/Bryan and kids, and another friend and his wife that we went to High school with, plus Roberta's sister Joanne, Keith and son Parker.
Enjoy pictures...

EPCOT!

My friend Roberta came in town this weekend so... my sister and family had invited us to go to the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. I knew I couldn't walk the whole park, so we got a wheelchair. I walked some and rode some. :) The only advantage was going to the front of the lines on most of the rides, except Sorrin! (my favorite ride there!)

Can you find Karlen in this dark picture?

Yes, the pictures came out a little dark. Karlen had her first Women's Glee chorus concert tonight. It was great! West Orange had bits of all the musical groups performing (band, chorus, piano, drama). Thank goodness I pushed very hard to get her out of the Parenting Class and Child Development, and into Chorus. Not that those classes aren't necessary, but just not right now. She is taking 4 honors classes, and Chorus goes along well with that. (she is in the middle, the 2nd one up from the bottom)

Girl Scouts...

Karlen has been in Girl Scouts for many years- she started as a Daisy in Kindergarten, then on the Brownies for a few years, Juniors for a couple more, then she bridged to Cadettes last May. They are working for a few years on their Gold Award, which I hear looks really good on a college application. Here are some pictures of Karlen and the girls she has been with for many years, including her best friend Christie. The troop leader is Nancy Crites, with Rosalee Clute filling in as her assistant. I think it's a great thing for the girls to stick with it and stay involved, although sometimes Karlen doesn't want to, but I encourage it... I tell her it's good for her! :)

Free Calendar for Women

Below is a web address to order the 2009 Women's Health calendar. It's a great FREE calendar-journal, full of information about and for women.
www.womenshealth.gov/pub/2009Calendar

Jac got a new haircut...

Thanks to Brenda at Petsmart, Jac got a cute little shave/haircut. I can't stand dog hair all over the place, so I got him cut quite short this time. He's a cutie! Isn't his little underbite cute?!? We took him to the vet on Friday and he weighs 14.6 lbs now. Hopefully he won't be growing much more, he's a big boy!

My mom!

This is my mom! I will write a little tribute to my mom this time....

Thank goodness for Moms --- I could NOT have made it through this surgery successfully without my mom. She took me to surgery, brought me home by herself (now that's another story, her trying to get me out of the car with no walker, no wheelchair, and I was totally drugged up!), and cared for me 24 hours a day for the first 2 weeks after surgery. By the time she left, I could get from the bed to the couch with not too many problems, so it was ok. when she was here, she cooked, cleaned, took care of Karlen, my dog, and just about anything else that came our way. My best friend Marilyn's mom died a day after I had surgery, so my mom was able to cook them a meal, deliver flowers, make cookies for them since I couldn't.

Looking back, I never thought my mom knew anything! Especially as a teenager, I would tell her she didn't know what it was like to be young, she was too old. Now I understand that's not the truth. She did know what she was talking about. I'm so lucky to have my mom. Mom, I love you!!

Exodus 20:12
Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God will give you.

My daughter...

I blog about all different kinds of things in my life. Well, this is a tribute to my 14 year old daughter Karlen. Karlen is a pretty good girl in spite of different things that she has been through in her short lifetime - her father chosing not to be involved in her life, going through my divorce, several moves, loss of pets, etc. I have to say she is a wonderful girl with a love for Jesus, her love of children, animals. She does well in school- she is a freshman this year and taking 4Honors/Advanced classes, so she has a full load. She is quiet, doesn't like to talk too much about what's going on with her, at least not to me! She went on her first Mission Trip this summer. She is really a sweet daughter, she has helped me out so much since I had this surgery. She walks the dog every night, takes out the trash, does laundry, cleans, does dishes. I am so appreciative.

While being a single mom has been hard, a challenge, a struggle, it has also been a joy, a privilege, and a blessing and I wouldn't change a thing! I am so thankful to our God who has always provided during all times of our lives. I love you Karlen!

("A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." Psalm 68:5)

Friends forever??

This is a recent picture of Karlen and her friend Cameron at 14 years old.... they have been friends since they were babies! You see, this is my best friend Roberta's son. The funny thing is, me and Roberta are STILL best friends after all these years.

Here is my tribute to my friend Roberta... We grew up together in Pine Hills, went to St. Andrews together, got caught cheating in 1st grade (not really, we were just "comparing" answers), I moved away for a few years and we ended up back at Robinswood Middle School together, graduated from Evans together in 1990, and STILL keep in touch! She lives in Valdosta, GA and I'm still here in the Orlando area. She went to college to be a paralegal, then went back for her teaching degree, so she's a teacher too! She has 3 kids and is working on restoring her marriage right now, God is at work! She has taken a 3 hour drive down here 2 times since I had surgery just to lend me a hand, do some errands, get me out of the house - what a TRUE friend!! Thank you God for putting Roberta in my life.

It's so nice to see our children growing up together also. I like to take pictures when we all get together to compare throughout the years.

Here are baby pics of Karlen and Cameron....





and here is a picture of all Roberta's kids and my Karlen!

The Knee Scooter...

Well... I have to share info about the "knee scooter".... it's been my lifesaver since i had foot surgery. My friend Lisa suggested it, I googled it, and asked the doctor if I could have a script for one. Here is is...



Here's the description they use to sell it, it runs about $400 (without insurance).
Knee Walker's Features:

Now there's a cool (and convenient!) alternative to crutches for anyone recovering from foot surgery, breaks, sprains or other leg injuries. When getting around is a pain, the Knee Walker cradles you in comfort, convenience. Both leg and handle height adjusts quickly and easily for right or left leg support.

The Knee Walker is as simple to use as a kid's scooter. Just put the knee on the knee pad, rest the ankle on the rear support... then take off with the other leg. Steering is just as easy: Just take a step with the good leg while gently lifting and turning the handle. Easy-to-reach hand brake adds safety and control.