My Anniversary, summer vacation and other good stuff

I haven't blogged for a long time because I have been very busy. Our anniversary was on the 27th of May. Danny and I went out on a date... you know, without the kids and everything. We went out to eat and then went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: On stranger tides. We were going to go out to dinner at the Melting Pot in Lexington but i decided I would rather have a nice steak dinner and see a movie. We ate at Reno's in Morehead, a little closer to home - so we wouldn't be wasting all our time traveling. Plus, The Melting Pot is alot more expensive than what we did . I really enjoyed our time out together and that is the most important part- being together and celebrating our love.

 Summer vacation is here. I love summer vacation. The girls can go out back this summer and swim in the pool. Honestly I haven't been this excited for summer vacation in over a year.I am back in the country. It is so nice to be able to enjoy nature again.Speaking of enjoying nature, the girls are already begging to go out and get in the pool and play in the yard. It isn't even noon yet and they want to be outside. But i can't blame them, we didn't have a yard worth playing in in Lex. I want them to spend as much time as possible in the clean, country air... Now where did I put that sunblock...

 O and I've been enjoying the adventures in parenting of 2 bluejays and their babies. I got to witness the first attempts to fly of the baby birds. I was thrilled but I was afraid to move and go get the camera or I would have pictures of the babies. I'm gonna miss them when they are gone.

Mixed feelings

Katie has been going to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Training Center for 2 months now. I am very proud of her for taking such a dramatic step and making huge progress. I praise God that she is happy and flourishing in that environment, I know this is the best possible situation for her. She is making friends , learning life skills and preparing for college. These are steps I never thought she would take 2 years ago. When she first went to CDPVTC , she made us promise to pick her up every weekend so she could come home to visit. Then she decided to come home every other weekend so she could participate in trips and functions like dances and talent shows. Now she has called and said she can't come home for her sister's birthday party this weekend . she has been gone for 3 weeks and she is loving every minute of it. I am torn between being happy for her and missing her terribly. My heartaches but I suppose I'll have to get used to it because the child I have devoted my life to has moved on. Please don't get me wrong I love Ashley just as much. But when you have an autistic child the level of attention and devotion necessary to care and protect that child becomes such a large part of your life. I enjoy everyday with Ashley but I feel like I should be doing more... the constant vigilance is not necessary while Katie is away and I feel like there is a some kind of gap in my day. I miss Katie like crazy and I just don't know how to acclimate to this new situation. Katie has matured by leaps and bounds... she is an adult now and enjoying her independence. I'm afraid that I might drive Ashley berserk trying to find something to do with myself.

Ashley's birthday and mother's day

Ten years ago, I got the best Mother's Day present a mom could get. Ashley was born 2 days before Mother's Day in 2001. Most usually we celebrate her birthday on the weekend of Mother's Day ... We clump it together into one big celebration. But this weekend , Ashley was sick. And we couldn't have her birthday party. But that didn't  stop us from giving her the present we bought for her, and taking her out to eat. We got her a swimming pool and 3 movies (the Twilight movies). Now comes the task of setting it up and maintaining all the chemicals. I did not know what I was getting into... WOW. But I am looking forward to climbing into that pool with my girls and playing all summer long. Well ok so I'll be floating and catching sun more than I will be "playing". But it will be fun .

For Mother's Day, Danny got me 2 treasure boxes, a mailbox stamp holder and a sea turtle. That is what he bought for me at Crackle barrel , Angel. He told me about calling you to tell you not to mention that your sister saw him. I love all those treasure boxes and I hope he gets me one for every holiday/special day. But some of them are kind of expensive. I guess i should have taken pics of Ashley's and my presents but I am too ornery for that . Ok I guess I'll go do some laundry now before it is time to mow the lawn. Every day is Mother's Day and today is Mother's day to do some chores.

Hubby is sick

Danny is sick again... still. I'm really worried about him. But today he is going to the doctor. He is rarely sick. When he does get sick, it lasts for 2 days at the most. This time, he has been sick for two WEEKS. He always takes such good care of me. I feel helpless that I can't take care of him. I can fetch and carry, do little things for him. But i can't make him feel better. It is very frustrating to see the one you love so sick and not be able to fix it. I hope the doctor can fix it. He is so miserable. I have a feeling that he might have the flu. He has been running a fever and his body aches and he throws up every morning and sometimes in the afternoon... maybe he's pregnant. I don't know what is going with him but I am very worried about him. It doesn't help that the weather has been crappy. When it is raining all day/week, he aches because of arthritis in his back and shoulders. I'll be in constant prayer for him today ... I just wish there was more that I could do.

So nice

I had a wonderful birthday. I spent the day with my hubby. He had to go get a new smile from Morehead. He had broken his dentures til there was no fixing them. He has a gorgeous smile and now it is even brighter... like blinding. I got some presents for my birthday. I got a thermometer from my sister and Danny got 2 birds in buckets and a knife. I've carried a knife forever but since I lost my other one when we lived in Lex , I haven't had one to carry. We also went out to eat at the Mexican restaurant in town. It was all good. I took pics of my stuff except the knife. I saw no reason to take a pic of it. Looky...

She said I was old.

Isn't that butterfly beautiful ?? It has graced my yard for 2 days. I just love watching the bees and butterflies in my yard. My ED says that is because I am old. I turned 36 today ,but I don't feel old. Some days , I do. But not today. I feel pretty and special and loved. I woke up to birthday wishes from my beloved hubby and my YD. DH said I could do anything I want to do today because it is my special day. Ummm OK. I want to go bungee jumping and I want to buy an all new wardrobe and... No really I would rather just have a nice quiet day with those that I love. I really wish I could have all my dear friends and family together But that isn't going to happen any time soon because of situations beyond our control. So I will be happy and thank God for all that I have because I am truly blessed. And I will keep a look out for more birds,bees, and butterflies - beautiful things like that.

Big ideals

 I thought I would get so much done this week ... like every other week lately. I had all these plans to Spring clean my house and finally get every box unpacked. I knew I couldn't do anything on Monday because we were taking Katie to Paintsville and that is a 2 hours drive , one way. What I didn't take into account was the effects driving/riding in a car has on the pinched nerve in my back. My legs hurt like I have ran a marathon. My back and hip hurts with shooting pains... even my fingers hurt. I can't sit, stand or lay with any comfort. So housework is out of the question for the most part. I can do some laundry and wash a few dishes. I might be able to sweep the wood chips from around the stove. But the major crap exodus I had planned has been put on hold til the pain recedes. I need to move furniture and piles of junk. I need to get the bathroom ready for remodeling. I need to heal so I can get all this work done. I also want to go to the tanning bed. I want to go for a walk every evening. And I want to do some yard work. I have a hard time calling what I do outside work . I love to mow, dig, plant flowers, even burning a brush pile gets my mojo to going. But for now I'm not doing a lot of anything except looking for relief.