Layout

For the last couple of days I've been playing around with the layout
here. I've been wanting to add the banner with pictures of Ian for a
while.
Thanks to those who had already noticed that I was doing some updating.
Please let me know what you think.
TTFN
Pamela Lynn

Pet Peeve - Recalls

This morning my Mom called me to warn me of a recall. She was just being the concerned Grandparent which was nice, different but nice! She heard on the news this morning that Magnetix sets were being recalled and she knows that Ian loves these. Several of his sets have come from her because for some reason it's easy for her to remember that he likes these.
Here is a link to the CPSC article: Child’s Death Prompts Replacement Program of Magnetic Building Sets

Now for why this has hit a nerve, the toy is meant for children who are six or up (to 100 is what it lists) and the children who are listed in the article were 20 months and 5 years. I'm sorry that they died but they should have been supervised. I know that may sound cruel. But recalls that really, at least in my humble opinion, boil down to something that should have been a parents job just irritate me.
Ian has been playing with these since he was 3. When he plays with them we are watching knowing that they are a choking hazard, at the very least. I know that this discovery of multiple ones being swallowed is not listed on the box as a hazard, but the choking hazard is. So shouldn't these children have been supervised and made to take them out of their mouths before they would have been swallowed? And if they didn't take them out shouldn't they have been taken away? When does or should the responsibilities to be a parent fall back on the parent?

As I said I'm sorry if this has been mean but it's just my opinion and it just hit a nerve that made me want to write about it.

List

OK, I guess this really should have gone with my "quirks" but here it is anyways.
I keep a running list of things I need to do. It goes in the back of my steno book. I can add things to it as need be or I can cross them off so I get the feeling that I've accomplished something. The list helps me to stay on track and remember stuff.
Well lately I haven't been keeping up with it, so I've been more scatter-brained and out of it. My friend at work even commented on it the other day and asked me why I haven't been keeping it because she knows it would help.
So I'm going to start my list again, especially because with a retreat next weekend there are several things I need to do over the next week.
Off to find my steno book.
TTFN
Pamela Lynn

How Quirky Are You?

Your Quirk Factor: 42%

You're a pretty quirky person, but you're just normal enough to hide it. Congratulations - you've fooled other people into thinking you're just like them!

How Quirky Are You?

Toemi posted they other day about 5 quirks, so I thought this was cute after the fact.
I really at the time couldn't think of many but here are a couple...
--->I must be the driver. Can't stand being the passenger and if you put me in the back seat I'll get car sick.
--->When I read I won't pay attention. Once I'm reading my book you'll have to yell to get my attention away from it.
--->My desk must be cleaned at the end of each night.
--->I work better under pressure although I will stress about it I do work better this way.
--->I'm anal about many things - scrapbooking order of pages must be chronological, colored items must be in rainbow order, where/how things are put away, and many many more... About the only thing I'm not careful about is where I put my keys away, for some reason that is one thing that always slips my mind.

Some Pictures To Share

On Monday and Tuesday night I organized 5 months worth of pictures to get prints made. I have a retreat coming up next weekend and I want to make sure I have them to work on. I ended up ordering 256 prints - about 100 of them are from a retreat I went to back in November and the other 150 or so are of Ian since November (not to bad only about 30 per month).
Here are several of my favorites of Ian from that time frame, can't wait to work on some of the pages.
These two are of Ian in the Crepe-Myrtle Tree in our front yard. It is perfect for climbing in. He gets higher each time he climbs it.


This one is of Ian at my in-laws church. The one stairwell has what Ian calls a "Harry Potter" closet. He loves that closet.

Even though Ian is mostly buried in this leaf pile I just love this picture. I guess it's probably because I love the fall, I love the color of the leaves and I love Ian, so 3 of my favorite things are in it.

This is from when Ian had the flu a couple weeks ago (hard to believe it's been a couple weeks ago already). I was the mean mom and asked him to put it on again so I could take this picture. I was actually surprised that he did it willingly - can you tell that he is smiling underneath that mask?

Ian is getting to the point where he does not like his picture taken as often as I would like to take it. We went to the bowling alley for a birthday party and I was told just one more picture.

Each day after school Ian likes to call Jeffrey to tell him how his day was, he especially likes it on days that he has not had a pin pulled at school. Took this picture while he was on my phone walking around the front yard while talking.

Still learning the in and outs of my new camera from Christmas, Jeffrey got me a Canon S2IS, I love it but I really need to learn how to use it more. I'm not exactly sure how I managed it but everything in the background of this one is clear but Ian is not, I still think it's a neat picture it's just not what I intended to do.
This one is a bit better, I love that you can see his shadow clearly on the tree (as he peeks around to see which way his friends went).

I guess I'll have to share photos more often so I don't have so many in one post. Hopefully they'll get better as I learn to use the camera.
TTFN
Pamela Lynn

Date Night

Jeffrey and I do much better as a couple when we can go out together either by ourselves or with a couple of friends at least once a month. We need the time to be a couple and not just parents. I've found a new sitter, one of my co-workers daughters loves Ian and he is looks forward to seeing her. I asked her to come over on Saturday so Jeffrey and I could go out for drinks/appetizers with another couple after his meeting on Saturday. Ian's first question was if she could bring over her Harry Potter "Clue" game - and he was thrilled when she said yes.
We went out to a pace here called Saddle Ridge - it's like a bar/dance club, has a separate section for dinners and they played lots of country music. We had a blast. It ended up being 3 couples. The one lady was way over dressed so about quarter to 10 we ran to Bass Pro next door to see if we could find her something to wear. She did and then kept it on and paid for it. The girls got me on the floor for one line dance which was hilarious cause I'm so un-coordinated (almost glad I don't have a picture to share ;) ). About 11:30 the one couple left to go home and then the rest of us went to another bar cause the one girls brother was there. It was a smaller place and there were lots of odd people there, way more fun to people watch, especially since I wasn't the one drinking. Drove the other couple home around 1:30 and then got home around 2. Man was I tired. But I had to shower before I could sleep (reeked or smoke, yuck can't believe I ever smelled like that). Also, I wanted to wait up for the sitter to call that she'd made it home safe.
It was a great time. I hope to have way more of these "date nights" with Jeffrey, especially now that his college days are coming to an end (23 more days, yahoo).

Ian's Soccer Game

Last Saturday was Ian's first soccer game for this season. It was an awesome game. He has a great team, they work well together.

For the first quarter Ian was goalie. He did an awesome job and stopped 3 attempted goals from the other team. I was so excited when he grabbed this ball after it went past the two defenders. Jeffrey and I were jumping up and down on the side-lines and I almost missed the oppurtunity to take a picture. The second and fourth quarters Ian played defense and did an awesome job (along with the other defender) of keeping the ball away from the goal. During the third quarter he played forward, which is not his best position, and he did an awesome job of helping to keep the ball on the other side of the field. When the game ended it was tied 2-2 and all of the parents cheered.

Ian is doing awesome this year at practices so far. Last year we had issues with him paying attention or tiring out or fidgeting on the field. I guess that all our yelling from the side-lines last year helped (ha) - it's probably just that he's that few months older.

I'm So Mean - Ha

Since Friday my phone at work has been acting weird. Occasionally I get
a dial tone and can make call out but I'm usually disconnected after a
couple minutes. Every time my co-worker hangs up his line, I hear the
dial tone over my speaker phone but nothing when I pick it up to get it
to stop. I called the phone person on Friday and today they are working
on it, great. So the guy thinks he has it fixed without calling CE over
to fix it.
A few minutes later I get a phone call from my mother. I warn her that
we might be disconnected and that I'll have no way to call her back. So
we're talking and she's being her normal irritating self.
A couple minutes into the conversation we were disconnected. I did the
happy dance!
Consequently I had to go get the phone guy, who says he's going to have
to call it in for the contractor to come fix.
Yay, I won't have a phone for a few days. See I'm so mean.

Ian's Reading

In December Ian read his first story to us that they had been working on in his Kindergarden class. Over the past couple weeks he is now reading more and more. He's even trying to sound out the really long words he sees anywhere we go (e.g. signs on the main street here or restaurant menu items). It is awesome to watch and listen to him learn.
Last night and this afternoon we did the grocery/Target/Sam's Club shopping. For each place he asked that I write all the things we needed in "not cursive" so he could read them for me. Not a problem. So I wrote out 3 different lists and at each store he read the items and then found them on the list as I put them in the cart so he could cross them off. This was he's not only wounding them out to say them he's figuring out what letters I'm saying. Pretty cool and he did an awesome job.

What Brady Are You?

You Are Marcia Brady

Confident yet kind. Popular yet down to earth. You're a total dream girl. You've got the total package - no wonder everyone's a little jealous of you.

What Brady Are You?

Sorry, I just found this quiz odd and had to post about it. OK? I'm not confident in anything I do, never have been, it's something I struggle with a lot. I've never been popular, down to earth maybe but never popular. And I seriously doubt that anyone would be jealous of me, I mean what would there be to be jealous of.
OK, now that I've written this out is seems quite whiny and I don't mean for it to be that way but I'm still going to post it anyways.

Survey

Copied from Melissa's and Heidi's

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey
Name:	Pamela Lynn
Birthday:	June 24th
Birthplace:	Edison, NJ
Current Location:	Hampton, VA
Eye Color:	Hazel
Hair Color:	Auburn
Height:	5' 6"
Right Handed or Left Handed:	Both - Depends on what I'm doing
Your Heritage:
The Shoes You Wore Today:	Black Flats
Your Weakness:	Shy
Your Fears:	Ian Hurt/Sick/Dying
Your Perfect Pizza:	Mack & Manco's - Ocean City NJ Perfect!
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year:	Lose Weight
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger:	Lol
Thoughts First Waking Up:	This AM - Headache Slept bad
Your Best Physical Feature:	My Eyes
Your Bedtime:	12AM
Your Most Missed Memory:	The timeframe of my Granma's Death it was a bad time and I've blocked it out but would really like to remember more.
Pepsi or Coke:	Neither
MacDonalds or Burger King:	McD's
Single or Group Dates:	Group
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea:	Lipton
Chocolate or Vanilla:	Twirl - Kohr's Ice Cream at the Shore
Cappuccino or Coffee:	Cappuccino
Do you Smoke:	Not any more - quit 2 and a half years ago
Do you Swear:	Occationally - blue moon
Do you Sing:	Yes
Do you Shower Daily:	Yes
Have you Been in Love:	Yes
Do you want to go to College:	Maybe I'll go back one day
Do you want to get Married:	Already done almost 11 years ago
Do you belive in yourself:	No
Do you get Motion Sickness:	Yes - back seat of car and on the ferry
Do you think you are Attractive:	No
Are you a Health Freak:	No
Do you get along with your Parents:	No
Do you like Thunderstorms:	Not even a little bit which is hard cause Ian and Jeffrey love them.
Do you play an Instrument:	I used to play Piano but I haven't in a few years.
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol:	No
In the past month have you Smoked:	No
In the past month have you been on Drugs:	Not any illegal ones
In the past month have you gone on a Date:	Yes
In the past month have you gone to a Mall:	Yes
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos:	No
In the past month have you eaten Sushi:	Nope and this answer will never be yes
In the past month have you been on Stage:	No
In the past month have you been Dumped:	No
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping:	No
In the past month have you Stolen Anything:	No
Ever been Drunk:	Yes
Ever been called a Tease:	Yes
Ever been Beaten up:	Yes
Ever Shoplifted:	No
How do you want to Die:	Peacefully in my sleep
What do you want to be when you Grow Up:	Haven't decided yet
What country would you most like to Visit:	England
In a Boy/Girl..
Favourite Eye Color:	Blue
Favourite Hair Color:	Brown
Short or Long Hair:	Short
Height:	Taller than me in heels
Weight:	Heavier than me after I get down to my goal
Best Clothing Style:	As long as it's well put together it's good.
Number of Drugs I have taken:	Illegal - none; legal too many to count
Number of CDs I own:	70 but about 10 of them are more Ian's then mine or Jeffrey's
Number of Piercings:	5 - 3 in one ear/2 in the other
Number of Tattoos:	1 but I would love to get another (if only Jeffrey would say it's OK)
Number of things in my Past I Regret:	Many but I know I can't change them so I try not to stress about it
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

Doll House

Today someone on ScrapShare posted about a doll house that her husband had made. It reminded me very much of the doll house my dad made me as a child and also made me a little sad at how my family is. He had made it when we moved to our first house, previously we had lived in apartments, and he matched the building and paint scheme to that house.
You see when we cleaned out my parents attic a couple years ago, I asked if I could take my doll house and was told no. My sister said no because she was the one who had daughters, I only have a son what would I need it for. For the memories since I was the one who played with it. My mother said no swearing that my dad had made it for her. What!?!?! News to me anyways.
That doll house is now at my sisters and she painted it pink and with a purple roof. It's ruined as far as I'm concerned. The worst part is I don't think they realize or care that it meant so much to me. :( Reason number 77 that I hate my family.

Normal Week?

This week is going to be crazy. Yesterday I did a lot of running around for an early morning reception and a lunch time reception at work. It was a lot of running here, set this up, run there set that up, and then clean up. It was also Ian's first day back to school in a week and his first soccer practice for spring season. By 9pm when I got Ian to bed and got into bed myself I was exhausted, even though I'd had a nap earlier in the day. We both fell asleep quickly.
Tonight is the Annual Employee Awards night at Jeffrey's work. He won't be home till about 9:30 or so. I'm not sure I'll make it till then, never mind trying to stay up till 10 for Amazing Race. Last year he called at 9 to say he was going out for a drink with some of his co-workers, which I wasn't thrilled with and I'm hoping he won't pull that again.
Tomorrow is Jeffrey's branch manager's meeting. Then Thursday is Ian's next soccer practice. Friday might be free but I'm not positive because it's payday and that normally means grocery shopping at the very least. Saturday is Ian's first game this season and that evening Jeffrey has another manager's meeting for work (this one is all manager's not just branch managers).
Just thinking about this all has my head spinning and it's really just a normal week.
TTFN
Pamela Lynn

My Car

So all week I've used Jeffrey's car since he was home with Ian. Jeffrey didn't mind and even said we didn't have to switch the order of cars when I asked him to the other night because he didn't mind me using his.
But last night he asked me to switch cars because Ian is feeling better and now has "cabin fever". Poor guy just doesn't know what to do with himself. So Jeffrey is going to take him out of the house somewhere this afternoon.
My car was not happy last night after not being started for four days. It was dang near impossible to get it in gear and when I did it grinded something awful.
My car has had issues for several months now. I'd taken it somewhere cheap to get the oil change done and unbeknownst to me they had not put oil back in, at least that's what we think because a month our so later I brought it to a friend of ours and he said it's overheating and stuff cause there's no oil in it. But there was no leak, so it would have been nearly impossible to burn through the oil in that month. (That'll teach me to go to a cheap place to get the oil changed.) Also, the friend said the transmission is slipping but it's really not worth repairing because my car typ eis known for major transmission problems once it starts going down hill it just isn't pretty and not worth the money it would take. So I've been driving it even though when stopping it sounds like a siren (not loud enough really to hear outside the car but noisy enough to get annoying). Then this morning it took me two tries to get it to start. The whole way to work (thankfully ony 2.5 miles) it was very difficult to change gears and basically not a fun car ride. Same thing when I went home for lunch.
So I told Jeffrey about it and he actually said what I'd been thinking... I hope the clutch isn't shot. I'll call the repair guy and see what he thinks but it sure seems like car shopping is somewhere in the near future.

Cool as a Cucumber

My mom would always say this when a fever broke. Don't know where she got it but it's just what she said. Also don't know if it's common or not. I've never really heard anyone else say it.
Any how, that's what Ian was this morning, cool as a cucumber. He was still asleep when I left for work this morning but I had to go in and check on him before I left.
Jeffrey said he's doing great today except for the congestion and sneezing. He slept until 10, which is fairly late for him. Jeffrey was already up, showered and dressed before Ian woke up.
I'm so glad he's doing better today.

How Lucky Are You?

Your Luck Quotient: 32%

You have a low luck quotient. You've had a few lucky experiences, but overall, you feel like a pretty unlucky person. Good luck can come your way, but you have to be more trusting in the world. Have some new experiences. Meet some new people. You never know where luck can be lurking!

How Lucky Are You?

Update on Ian

Update on how Ian's doing... Jeffrey called - I didn't call to bug
aren't you proud of me? lol

His temp is normal and it's been 4 hours since he last had Motrin. We're
going to hold off and see if he can make it till bed time without more
Motrin. He's still coughing a storm and sneezing. He ate 3 more pancakes
for lunch... the kid is going to be tired of pancakes. It's like because
it was the first thing he ate after being so nauseous it's now the only
thing he'll eat? Poor guy I know I do the same thing when I'm sick to my
stomach.

They've done 6 pages of the school work and Jeff asked if I'd help with
a couple more tonight (at regular homework time). No problem.

Then he took a two hour nap. I think he's trying to catch up with some
good sleep.

After nap they played Battleship and Ian won. Ha. Then he proceeded to
remind Jeffrey that the game is for 7 and up. Jeffrey's the up and he's
not even 7 and he won... what a little smart butt he is.

TTFN
Pamela Lynn

What Color Green Are You?

You Are Olive Green

You are the most real of all the green shades. You're always true to yourself. For you, authenticity and honesty are very important... both in others and yourself. You are grounded and secure. It takes a lot to shake you. People see you as dependable, probably the most dependable person they know.

What Color Green Are You?

Not so sure about the grounded and secure part but I think the rest fits.

4 Things

Saw this on Melissa's blog and on ScrapShare. Since I'm not sure what to post today I figured I'd share it here.

May have to post on my blog too cause I'm not sure what to put today...

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Baby sitter
2. Life guard/swim instructor
3. USAF - Airman
4. USAF - Civilian

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Pretty Woman
2. Beaches
3. The Princess Bride
4. Pretty in Pink/Sixteen Candles/The Breakfast Club

Four places I have lived
1. Plainfield, NJ
2. Lancaster, PA (only a few months)
3. Newport News, VA
4. Hampton, VA

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Survivor
2. Amazing Race
3. West Wing (man willl I miss this show)
4. 24

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Ocean City, NJ (every year)
2. Orlando FL (going again in 7 months for Ian's 7th bday)
3. New Hampshire
4. Greenville, SC

Four websites I visit daily:
1. Scrapshare.com
2. Blogger.com
3. My Yahoo
4. MSNBC

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Tacos (according to Ian)
2. Hamburgers/French Fries
3. Italian
4. Steak

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Home with my guys
2. Scrapping Retreat
3. Beach
4. Spa

The Flu

Well it's been a busy weekend here taking care of Ian. For only the second time in his life he's running a fever. I mean in all the times he's been sick (strep, many many ear infections, tonsilitis) he's only run a fever one other time. I'm not dealing with it well. I'm stressing about it and cant' sleep cause he can't sleep cause he's too hot.
This morning I took him to the doctor's office and they did the nasal test to see if it was the flu. I'm thankful though that it wasn't a blood test because I wouldn't have been able to hold him still alone. Jeffrey happened to be at the doctor's but it was for a physical so he would have been busy getting his own stuff done. Any how the nurse (Ms Kathy) told him it wouldn't hurt and through his tears she was able to get the test done. Ms Kathy felt awful, I felt awful and Ian sat there crying. Almost immediately the line turned blue to indicate that in fact he does have the flu. So Ms Kathy put a mask on him, which he wasn't thrilled about, and for some strange reason he liked it better when the elastic pieces went over his ear rather than above it. We went to Target to get all the prescriptions because the doctor put Jeffrey and I on the medicine to as a preventative measure. Of course Target didn't have his medicine only the adult dose. But the pharmacist was very helpful, she called five or six other places until we found it. So I went through the drive through at Walgreens to drop off the prescription and will go to get it in about an hour.
Ian will be home all week, which if he were feeling better he might be happy about. He didn't even perk up when I told him that it would be daddy that would stay home with him. Although that is also because he's mommy's boy when he gets sick. I'd give up having my mommy's boy back if it would just make him feel better. For now he's relaxing on the couch playing Nick Toons Unite on the Game Cube.

Strange Dream

The other night I had a very odd dream. I drempt I was chewing bubble gum. It had no flavor left so I kept taking it out and putting it on a napkin. But I would no sooner take it out than I would dream there was more in my mouth. So I would take more out and put it on the napkin. This kept happening over and over in my dream and it was so real that I expected I would wake up to a wadded up napkin with tons of ABC gum.
After I woke up, it dawned on me why I'd had such a strange dream. That was my first night with my new night guard for my teeth to help me stop grinding them in my sleep. And it does literally feel as if I have gum stuck to all my upper teeth. I'm thankful for my new night guard because my teeth are already not hurting as much as they were. But I sure hope I don't have anymore of those strange dreams.

FW: 2 Choices

This story just gave me goose bumps so I had to share.
TTFN,
Pamela Lynn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What would you do? You make the choice! Don't look for a punch line;
there isn't one! Read it anyway. My question to all of you is: Would you
have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled
children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that
would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school
and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

"When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does
is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is
the natural order of things in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. "I believe, that when a child like Shay,
physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity
to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the way
other people treat that child." Then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew
were playing baseball. Shay asked," Do you think they'll let me play?"
Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like
Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were
allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and
some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay
could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around for guidance and
said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the
ninth inning."

Shay struggled over to the team's bench put on a team shirt with a broad
smile and his Father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in his
heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning
from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the
bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs
and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was
scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win
the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit
was all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat
properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing the
other team putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able
to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and
missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball
softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and
hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up the soft grounder
and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would
have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first
baseman, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and
both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in
his life had Shay ever ran that far but made it to first base. He
scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!"

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and
struggling to make it to second base. By the time Shay rounded towards
second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their
team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time.
He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he
understood the pitcher's intentions and he too intentionally threw the
ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third
base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward
home.

All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay"

Shay reached third base, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and
turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third!
Shay, run to third" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and
those watching were on their feet were screaming, "Shay, run home! Shay
ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit
the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.

That day, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
into this world.

Shay didn't make it to another summer and died that winter, having never
forgotten being the hero and making his Father so happy and coming home
and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND, NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to
sending messages about life choices, people think twice about sharing.
The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but
public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools
and workplaces.

If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that
you're probably sorting out the people on your address list that aren't
the "appropriate" ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person
who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all
have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the
"natural order of things." So many seemingly trivial interactions
between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little
spark of love and humanity or do we pass up that opportunity to brighten
the day of those with us the least able, and leave the world a little
bit colder in the process?

A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least
fortunate amongst them.

You now have two choices:

1. Delete

2. Forward

May your day, be a Shay Day, sunny today tomorrow & always!

Nervous Today

Not sure how my day is going to go. This may sound silly but mother instinct is telling me that I should have kept Ian at home. The last three nights we have had to clean ouot his ears cause there was major gunk, a good thing that it's draining but bad because it means there is fluid built up. Then last night, he went to sleep in five minutes, so not normal for him. He's usually up for a good hour talking/playing in bed or calling us for water or another book. This morning he woke up and was all congested and complaining of a sore throat. No fever, I checked it but he doesn't normally run one when he's sick. I'm so hoping I don't get a call from the school. Jeffrey said he'd be fine but I'm just not so sure.
TTFN
Pamela Lynn

My Mom - Skiing???

OK, I don't know about this... I just don't know.
My mom for most of her life was extremely over-weight (400+ on several occasions; her smallest size was a 14 even in high school). She would diet and then gain more back than she'd lost, very repeated cycle and she would always blame someone else for her weight gain - me for leaving home under bad circumstances, Scott (my brother) for being himself (we never figured out why he was to blame), Doren (my sister) for her bad divorce and moving home with two kids. None of us really should have been blamed and we all knew it.
Then she was diagnosed with Type II diabetes, not surprisingly. When the nutritionist recommended diet was not helping enough she made the major decision to have gastric bypass surgery. Over the last two years she has gotten down to a very surprising 120 pounds, actually scarily skinny.
With her new found body, she has decided to try several things - bungee jump, roller coasters, parasailing, etc. Her newest feat? Skiing. She was doing so well with her lesson that the instructor decided to take her to the higher slope. She was doing great until the last 10 yards and hit a patch of loose snow. Her skis stuck, she kept going and hurt her knee. She was able to ski the rest of the way down and will probably go again. I just hope she realizes that even though she's lost the weight she isn't invincible.

Our "Muppet" Family

Last night Jeffrey Ian and I were talking about this test and I told Jeffrey that I'm Scooter. He wasn't surprised. ;( So then I said he's probably Fozzie Bear. He said no way I'm Animal! Animal! We had a good laugh. Then Ian wanted to know why we were calling each other names, it was cute. So we explained we were just being silly and trying to figure out which character we were. After dinner all three of us went down to the computer so Jeffrey and Ian could take the quiz. Here's our Muppet Family.

Me...

You Are Scooter

Brainy and knowledgable, you are the perfect sidekick. You're always willing to lend a helping hand. In any big event or party, you're the one who keeps things going. "15 seconds to showtime!"

The Muppet Personality Test

Jeffrey...

You Are Fozzie Bear

"Wocka! Wocka!" You're the life of the party, and you love making people crack up. If only your routine didn't always bomb! You may find more groans than laughs, but always keep the jokes coming.

The Muppet Personality Test

Ian...

You Are Gonzo the Great

"Is something burning in here? Oh, it's just me." You're a total nutball who will do anything for attention. The first to take a dare, you'll pull almost any stunt. You're one weird looking creature, but your chickens don't mind!

The Muppet Personality Test

Traveling - Going Home

The trip home was not as easy. It was raining, not hard but enough to be
irritating. We took it slow, which caused Ian to ask more often if we
were there yet.
We stopped after about an hour for bathroom, snack and gas for the car.
Ian was starving since his lunch had not been all that healthy. So he
had chicken tenders and a soda. I just had a drink. Then we stopped to
fill the car up and Ian asked for some Pringles (he likes these in the
car) so we ran in to get some and I got a cappuccino.
It ended up taking me four hours to get home which is really an hour
longer since I started from the college and it was half an hour into the
trip. Ian watched 2 more movies - Star Wars Episode 1 and 4. He doesn't
watch them in order just based on what he wants to see - pod races,
Jango Fett, Boba Fett, Darth Vader being made, Ewoks, or whatever. He
loves his Star Wars, you can ask him anything about it and he'll know
the answer.
We made it home just in time for dinner, although Ian and I weren't
really hungry, just tired. I tried to go to bed early but just tossed
and turned. Guess I'll catch up on the sleep as the week goes on.

TTFN
Pamela Lynn

Traveling - Lunch with Grandma

Mom had to go to work on Monday morning; she works at a cafeteria at a
local community college. Since it was on the way home for Ian and I she
asked that we stop by to say good-bye. Dad went too and led us there.
Ian was a little uncomfortable because of all the big kids but I just
said they were just the age of some of the kids in our neighborhood who
he gets along with. Everyone was really nice. All the ladies were
thrilled to meet Ian since they'd heard so much about him. The kids
thought he was cute, although Ian didn't like hearing the girls say
that.
Grandma spoiled him for lunch; he ate two bites of his grilled cheese
but was still allowed chips and chocolate chip cookies. Lunch was very
nice but it was sad to leave.

TTFN
Pamela Lynn

Traveling - Evening Church

Dad had a couple new families to do membership class with on Sunday
night, so we went back over to the church. Each of the families had a
set of twins that mom and I would watch along with Ian. One of the boys
introduced himself and his brother. Then a little later when the girls
warmed up to being there with a new person, the one said we are twins
you know. And I said oh really, she said yes, we were born on the same
day. It was very obvious that each set was twins, fortunately one boy
had jeans and the other had army pants, and the girls had their hair
done differently. All four were impressed when I remembered their names
and attached them to the right child.
The five kids were very wound up, so we let them run a bit in the Sunday
school room, and then they painted and did some mazes. Mom and I were
impressed when we got all five of them to sit and watch a 20 minute
movie.
After they left, we walked back across the parking lot to the house and
Ian was very wound up, jumping and tumbling on the lawn in the cold.
Then we went inside and he ran laps around their kitchen, dining room,
hallway and living room. After a few minutes, I looked at mom and dad,
shook my head and said man am I glad he isn't twins. They just laughed.

TTFN
Pamela Lynn

Traveling - Shoe Shopping

Ian needed new shoes. So while we were within 30 minutes of two
different outlet malls what better time to go shopping for his new
shoes. None of his shoes at home fit him. He hadn't told us, he never
has. We only find out when we start seeing blisters on his feet.
We went to the Hagerstown outlets. So we had to go over the mountain.
I'm not sure what mountain but it's pretty big and a very winding road.
Ian loves it, says it's peaceful looking and loves to watch for deer. On
the downside of the mountain we could see another mountain in front of
us and there were 3 sections of snow for a ski resort. Ian wanted to
know if that was where Oma had gone skiing since she had just gone the
weekend before and I had to tell him no that it was not because she went
to one closer to her house.
At the outlets we went to Stride Rite because they have a good variety
of sizes and usually carry the wide width kids shoes. I had the girl
measure Ian's feet to be sure we got the correct size. His feet had
grown two sizes. Poor guy, I felt awful. So we bought 4 pairs of shoes,
two in this size and two in a size up. They were buy one get one half
off and I had a 10% coupon so we only spent 80 dollars for all four
pairs; not bad at all.
Ian did not like the ride home back over the mountain as much because he
was on the creek side so there was a pretty big drop off on that side of
the road.
Once we were back in Thurmont we stopped at Burger King again so he
could have a snack and play on the slides.

TTFN
Pamela Lynn

Traveling - Church

My father-in-law is a pastor, which was actually what moved them to the
area. Grandma teaches one of the younger classes and wanted to know if I
thought Ian would go with her or his friend Ethan. I said he would
probably want to stick with her since he was such a Grandma's boy and
she thought he would go with Ethan.
Then she asked why he was so worried about seeing her. So I told her
truthfully it was because he was worried about her from her last
hospital stay. She went in because her pancreas was acting up. Then she
tried to eat solid foods too soon and ended up there for an extra week.
Well Ian had overheard a conversation between Jeffrey and I that it
wasn't good and that she should basically know better than to push
herself. She said she just wanted to go home. So I told her I realized
that and that I was sorry and didn't mean to sound mean but she needed
to take care of herself, better to wait a day and stay in the hospital
then push it and risk dieing. She really hadn't looked at it that way
although she knows death is a possibility all she could think about was
going home. We hugged and I reminded her how much we all love her and
want to see her better. She said she would try to remember this
situation next time because she doesn't want to have Ian so worried
about her. All I could say was thank you. I'm so glad I have a good
relationship with my mother in law.
Church service was very nice, the first Sunday in Lent so there was a
long liturgy and communion too. But Dad's prayers weren't as long as
usual and his sermon was only 3 pages long. Dad was very happy that I
accepted communion. It's been 10 years of marriage and I hadn't done
that. He asked last time why and I said that it was because I felt
awkward since I wasn't a member there. He told me that as long as I
believe I should accept it. So I did and it put a smile on his face.

TTFN
Pamela Lynn

Traveling - The Park

Ian loves to go to the park when we visit his grandparents. The have
several very nice ones in Thurmont. There is the one downtown by Cozy (a
restaurant, shop and hotel), Loys Station (near a beautiful covered
bridge) and now Grandma wanted to bring us to the new one on Rt 15 at
the renovated rest area and information center.
I have to tell you though that for the life of me I couldn't figure why
there would be an info center there, I mean we were already an hour into
MD at that point on Rt 15. It dawned on me why when we did a u-turn to
get on the other side onto 15S. Where my in-laws live they are only 20
minutes from the PA border near Gettysburg. Silly me, it's the new
information center/rest area is for the people traveling south bound.
When we got there though, the park was roped off with caution tape
because it wasn't complete. Ian was very disappointed but we told him it
would probably be ready by the summertime when he visits. So we asked
where he'd like to go. His choice was Burger King; that way he could
have a snack and play on the slides outside. OK, whatever makes him
happy and he had a blast because he had the whole thing to himself.

TTFN
Pamela Lynn

Traveling - Pancakes

Mostly I'm putting this because I want to remember the brand of pancakes
my mother in law used. We both felt for sure we wouldn't remember so now
I'll have this to look back at. When we got to the house it was
lunchtime. Grandma and Grandpa wanted to have eggs and pancakes for
lunch which was fine by Ian and I because neither of us had been hungry
for breakfast before we hit the road. Mom tried a new (to her) brand of
pancake mix, it was Hungry Jack Buttermilk. They were awesome; the
batter was very airy and created wonderful pancakes. I'm definitely
going to have to switch to this brand.

TTFN
Pamela Lynn

Traveling - The Ride

The ride there was great, no traffic, not a lot of trucks (which I'm
deathly afraid of) and good weather. There was however a lot of cops. I
counted 20 cop cars and that was just the ones I could see, I'm sure
there were more. It didn't dawn on me until about halfway through the
trip why there were so many - spring break. I don't know about other
schools but several big schools here started spring break last weekend.
Even still I made good time the 238 mile trip only took 3.5 hours. Not
bad.
Ian asked every 30 minutes if we were there yet. It was cool because
he's starting to recognize landmarks on the trip to Grandma's (Busch
Gardens, King's Dominion, Cracker Barrel in Fredericksburg, The big
bridges and construction near DC, the "cool" buildings on I-270 and
Mountain Gate restaurant). So he knew when were getting closer but
didn't actually understand that was 30 minutes between each of those
things. Thank goodness for the portable DVD player. He watched two
movies on the way Star Wars Episode 2 and Sky High. It's weird though
listening to a movie while driving.

TTFN
Pamela Lynn

Traveling - The Talk

When we are in the car, Ian likes to play with my work badges, they are
on a pulley type string that winds back in when you let go plus he
thinks it is just cool that I have badges to get into my work. The one
badge is older (7 years) and he asks when it was taken because he
doesn't remember my hair like that. I told him it was taken while I was
pregnant with him and that for some reason that had made my hair curly.
Ian asks "What's pregnant mean?" I honestly though he knew that it meant
a baby was in a mommy's tummy but OK so I said it just meant it was
while he was in my tummy getting ready to be born. Ian asks "What's born
mean?" So I said it was when God decides you were ready to come out and
mommy went to the hospital so the doctor could help. He asks "How does
the doctor help?" (Ian has a look on his face like I'm nuts.) Well I
said; when the mommy is ready the doctor helps by guiding the baby out.
Ian asks "How can he guide the baby out when there is no hole?" Well
without going into any details I just said that there is a hole made
just for babies to be made and be born. He says OK like that explained
it all. Somehow I have a feeling he thinks that "hole" is my belly
button. I'm so not looking forward to the real version of this talk; I
don't like talking about my own body parts to my doctor never mind my
only son. I think that will have to be a conversation him and his Daddy
have.

TTFN
Pamela Lynn

Traveling - Not Fair

When I picked Ian up from school on Friday, I asked if he wanted to know
what his surprise was. Of course he said yes. So I told him that we were
going to see his Grandma and Grandpa, just the two of us. Not Daddy? I
knew this was coming and had already decided that if he was going to be
that upset about it we just wouldn't go and I told him so. No, no I want
to go to Grandma's was the reply I got to that one. But he says it
wasn't fair. I asked what wasn't fair. Ian said it isn't fair that you
and I get to go for fun at Grandma's and Daddy has to stay home and
clean. I asked him what makes you think that Daddy would have to be
cleaning and he just shrugged. So I told him that Daddy was staying home
for two reasons, one was because Daddy had work on Monday so we wouldn't
be able to stay as long if he came and because Daddy had a lot of school
work. Then he was a little better but wanted to leave right then for the
trip. I told him that we would leave first thing the next morning.
TTFN
Pamela Lynn

Tools Of Life

Sometimes, we just need to remember what the rules of life really are:
You only need two tools: WD-40 and Duct Tape.
If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40.
If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.

Have A Good Weekend

Just wanted to wish everyone a good weekend.
I'm heading out early tomorrow to go visit my in-laws with Ian. He wants to see his Grandma. I'm so glad they get along and love each other so much. And as for relationships with the in-laws, I'm a pretty lucky person! They treat me like their own daughter, we have a wonderful relationship. Very cool.
I'll post on Monday to let you know how the weekend went.
TTFN
Pamela Lynn

What Font Are You?

Fixedsys - You are the person people go to when

they are having trouble with their computer.

Geeky but reliable.


What Font Are You? (Standard Fonts)
brought to you by Quizilla

Christian Ways To Reduce Stress

An Angel says, "Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice."

1. Pray

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S . (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough rest.

18. Eat right.

19. Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

22. Every day, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.

24. Make friends with Godly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus."

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33. Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

How Open Minded Are You?

You Are 44% Open Minded

You aren't exactly open minded, but you have been known to occasionally change your mind. You're tolerant enough to get along with others who are very different... But you may be quietly judgmental of things or people you think are wrong. You take your own values pretty seriously, and it would take a lot to change them.

How Open Minded Are You?

Back to Work

So it's Friday and after two days home sick I'm back to work. Still not quite a hundred percent though the hot tea is helping, might have to go get more from home at lunchtime.
I came back to 45 emails. Some of them I could immediately trash - like notifications for the commander's call that was yesterday. Some of them, I'm trying to reply to in an orderly fashion. Hopefully I'll get through them all by the end of the day.
Looks like Ian and I will be going to my in-laws this weekend. The weather should be OK. I won't leave until tomorrow morning because I'm pretty sure I'll be exhausted this afternoon after my day back to work.
Hope everyone has a great day.

Home Sick

Hi All. I'm home sick again today. Monday I went to the doctor cause I'd been having sinus problems for two weeks. He put me on an antibiotic and a decongestant for the sinus infection. The Tuesday night my stomach was killing me. Wednesday I stayed in bed because anytime I tried to get up an unbelievable wave of nausea would come over me. Ugh. Couldn't even drink the water that Jeffrey brought me before he left in the morning. Today I'm a little better, I made it downstairs and ate a piece of toast and am drinking a bottle of water.
I have to be better for the weekend. I'm taking Ian to see his grandparents (well mostly he wants his Grandma but we'll see them both).
Oh well that's all for now. Praying this stupid cold will go away.