Whatcha Up To Kaaren?

It's been a busy month, but not so much that I thought it was exciting to post. But here goes anyway.

We drove up in May to Lookout Mountain, Georgia for my father-in-law's retirement party.  He worked 22 years at the same church as a music minister and we drove up to celebrate with him.

They had an entire evening service dedicated just to him and my mother-in-law, with a reception afterwards.

David joins the choir to sing along to his father's last conducting of the choir.

Looking at a slideshow of pictures

It was a quick (tiring) up & down trip for us.

The VERY next day after arriving home, I greeted  a new Seattle trainee who was sent to me for further training.  Tuesday through Friday was spent training a lovely lady.

We took her to Universal Orlando and ate at The Hard Rock there one night.

Dude.  I left work and we went straight here, looking like poo.

Isabel was chosen as one of two "Young Authors" for her class and we went to a presentation at her school for it.

On the last day of May, with a fever, cough and sore throat, I headed off to work because it was the LAST DAY OF THE MONTH.  That's "Go time" at my work and I could not call in sick, especially with my boss in Charlotte. So I'm there, working and hacking up a lung and I hear a knock on my door.   My big sister Brenda drove up from West Palm to spend the weekend and surprised me at work.

UGH. I am always taking horrible pictures!

She had been lamenting not having gone to any backyard cookouts for Memorial Day, so we had a belated Memorial Day feast.

Oh. THIS one's better, right? 

"Oh my ribs!"

Just us gals went to church on Sunday and Brenda then treated us to breakfast at IHOP. The boys did not go because "you snooze, you lose."  We went shopping afterwards (she found 3 jeans at Ross.  Color her excited) and then she drove home.

I've been sick for like 5 days now.  I did go to the doctor's office. Not strep, just a viral infection.  Blah.  Hoping I get better soon.

And that's what we've been up to.

I'm going to pinch you, Mom!

My mom.  I LOVE my mom.

My mom raised us to be HARD workers.  Left with 3 daughters and sporadic, if NO, child support [dad was a deadbeat (true, but we're over it now), mom did not fight it in courts like she should have and had his wages garnered so his kids would NOT have to be in the projects while he and his "new" family - his words back then, not mine -  were in a house with a pool.  But I digress.], mom taught us nothing is free. Nothing is owed to you. You EARN it.

She hated food stamps.  Back then, it was actual paper stamps in a book, not these debit cards moms get today.  When you handed those coupons to cashiers back then, you would get looks of disgust.  I kid you not.  The looks my mom would get.  We needed those food stamps.  Four women and one of them making $15k a year before  taxes.  We needed those stamps.  Mom eventually refused them.  She was tired of the embarrassment   What did she do? She took on a second job.  We took on fast food jobs to have money for ourselves.  I smelled like a Whopper for most of my high school evenings.  Burger King gave me a job and a scholarship.  Love them.

I sit in Walmart now, watching a woman in high heels, jeans, full makeup, nails done to the nines, Coach purse, handing the cashier her WIC Debit card and I do not get it.  What the hell?  Sell that purse and buy some respect.  See, no one cares anymore.  No one cares if you "get over" on the system. That's sad.  Mom taught us if you want something, you EARN IT.  No one owes you $%^+.

This is one of David and my favorite skits, by the way.




I'm digressing again, back to mom.  She raised 3 very different girls.  Very different, but we share the same work ethic.

When Mother's Day comes around though, SHE KILLS ME!!  She sends me a card, with money in it!  A check or money order for $50 or $75 will show up in the mail every year.  And I want to PINCH HER.  STOP buying me a Mother's Day gift, I tell her.  You're OUR mom, we do stuff for you!

She sends the card and then I'm all "Dang!  Now I have to make sure I buy her stuff equivalent to this!" I laugh.  We're just exchanging money for goods.  She is one tough cookie to shop for, especially since she lives on an island and I can't see what she needs for her home, what size she's wearing, what article of clothing she's needing.  I scour the stores and end up buying her something, hoping it'll work for her.  Some times, the shoes won't fit, the pants won't fit, etc. etc.  UGH. Pinching her the next time I see her.

I love my mom.  Happy Mother's Day, Mami.  Te amo muchisimo.

That Patch Blanket

I have not taken a picture of our patch blanket since 2007.

Here it is then.

And here it is now.

Crazy, huh?  We've had this since Jake was a Tiger in 2000.  I love seeing the progression of his scouting and then just the progression of places we've been to.  The last ones on here are from a video game from 2012 and Busch Gardens Tampa from 2012.  We have not had any for 2013.  I need to remember to get them when we go places. 

The Sexiest Thing Ever

Watch until the end.  You'll see why.

The Tiffany Aching Adventures (A Disc World series)

I started reading Terry Pratchett because he wrote a book with one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman.  Together they wrote "Good Omens" which was just hysterical, witty, clever, smart.  Everything you'd expect from Gaiman.  About a week after finishing, I read a review over on Epbot for Pratchett's "The Wee Free Men" and thought I'd check it out.

What a fun book it was!  I didn't know the series was set in an already-established universe called Discworld.  Pratchett's been writing Discworld books since 1983, but you don't need to read those to get into the Tiffany Aching stories, about a young girl who is a witch-in training and her protectors, the Nac Mac Feegles or the Wee Free Men, little blue fairy folk with a love of fighting, cursing, fighting, stealing and fighting.  They also like to fight.

Full of funny Scottish-sounding talk, sheep, ointments, and thieving Queens, this book was an incredibly fun Young Adult read.

"A Hat Full of Sky" was the second book and I was charmed by it. It's not often I can say that I found a second book actually better than the first.  Tiffany's growing up a bit and learning that witchcraft really isn't about magik with a "k" (the hocus pocus, boiling cauldron, bells & whistles type) but about how you deal with others less fortunate.  How you attend to their needs and their wants, even if they never thank you.  How you respect them even if they're poor and ignorant.  It was wonderful fun, with a moving message.

In "Wintersmith," an almost 13-year old Tiffany accidentally garners the affections of "Winter" himself, and has to deal with inept witches, cranky witches and clumsy wooing attempts by two different suitors.  Oh, and the Nac Mac Feegle are around, helping take care of Tiffany and adopting her Lancre Blue cheese named Horace.  (I pretty much busted out laughing at the living cheese wearing tartan.)

Now the fourth book, "I Shall Wear Midnight" I have not read yet, and Jen over at Epbot was not happy with it.  At all.  I have about 15 books in a pile I still need to read, but when I get around to it, I'll get the 4th book and hope it's every bit as good as Pratchett's first 3.  *crossing fingers*