Football is back

Well, another season of The Redskins, lets all hope they do better this year than last year. We were at the game last week (lets not talk about that one) and here on another Friday, in the middle of rush hour traffic we will begin our trek once again up the beltway. God give me strength. You would think, when they make these schedules, they would take into consideration the fact that they are scheduling games on Fridays and people have to leave their homes at 1:00 in the afternoon for an 8:00 game because you have to get their early for all the tailgating in the parking lot. Last week it was just the 2 of us, this week there will be 8 of us. One of Rusty's friends from work is following us up there and they had an extra ticket so I am taking one of my friends that I work with. We are having ribs, hotdogs, hamburgers, chips and I'm not sure what else they are bringing. I told Rusty it looked like we were having a party for 25 people in our kitchen last night, but he never does anything little. I am leaving work at noon today so that is a plus.
There was a horrible fire out our way last night. There is a recycling place right down the road from us that makes mulch and I don't know if it was the pallets they use or the actual building but the flames were a couple hundred feet in the air. It was really kind of spooky. You know you live in a small town when your 16 year old wants to go with her friends down to watch the fire. So yes, the little red neck daughter I have hopped into a car and ran down there to watch. She said there was alot of people down there just watching. Life in a small town, I guess. I did take some pictures of it from our deck, it was around 10:30 last night so I should have some interesting pictures in the dark. I just said a prayer that none of the firefighters got hurt and thanked God that it wasn't someone home.
The kids are getting geared back up for school. They go back to school on the 6th and I was so thankful they were home until then, both Blake and Wayne have had strep throat all week. I am very blessed all of my kids are very healthy and don't get sick very often. Blake kept saying he had a sore in his throat. Thank God for pennicillian everyone is on the mend and back to their old selves.
I can't believe that September is almost here but that just brings me a little closer to April and the cruise. The countdown is on and I can't wait.
Have a great day!!
Bridget

Can you hear the weeping?

Well, we are home again. We had a great time and really hated to come home, but as all good things do, vacation had to end. We had alot of fun at Myrtle Beach, I had never been there so that was a new experience for me. If you've never been to the Aquarium there, you have to go. It's incredible!! It is the Ripley's Aquarium and it is at Broadway at the Beach, which by the way Margaritaville is also at Broadway at the Beach and they have great food and wonderful margaritas. Anyway, back on the subject, the Aquarium is a must see. Steven, Wayne, Ashleigh and I also went to the Haunted Adventure (Blake and Rusty went to the beach, Rusty wanted to go with us but I knew we would be sleeping with Blake for months if he went through the haunted adventure). That was alot of fun, Steven was the only one that didn't get scared, the rest of us were scared out of our mind. Ashleigh and Blake did the build a bear and that was alot of fun also. We went back to my Grandparents on Tuesday and then went out to a seafood buffet that night. They had all you can eat crab legs and my husband absolutely loves crab legs, so the kids were calling him Edward Sissorhands all night. I don't think he stops to breathe. Wednesday we spent the day at the beach, it was really nice, it's a part of the beach that you can drive out on with a 4x4 and you are allowed to cook out, so we did that. Then Thursday morning we pulled out and headed home around 5 am. Steven had to be back to work Friday morning at 5:30 so we wanted to get home. Luckily, Rusty and I didn't have to come back until today. Friday night was the first home Redskins game (preseason) and they lost. We have season tickets so we schedule vacation and everything else around games. We had a good time though, we grill out and tailgate and it's just alot of fun.
Well, I better get to work, after being gone for over a week there's alot to do.
Have a great day!!
Bridget

Vacation part 2...

Well, we will be heading out early tomorrow morning to Myrtle Beach for the next couple days. We have great plans of seeing the Ripley's Aquarium (so Blake can see the sharks), the Ripley's Haunted Adventure (so Steven, Ashleigh, Wayne and I can be scared to death, I went on their web site and I'm a little worried) and then to the Ripley's 4-D theatre which I thought sounded like fun. We also have to hit Broadway on the Beach for Build a Bear, Ashleigh is 16 but she can't wait to build her own bear, Hard Rock Cafe so Rusty can add to his collection and anything else there that we can get into. Steven and Wayne are dying to do the Nascar go-carts. Steven looked at me today and said "Are you sure we have enough time for everything you have planned?" I told him of course we do, stick with me and you won't have 1 minute of spare time. I'm a planner and I drive everyone crazy by trying to have everything planned down to the minute. Sorry, just one of my annoying habits.

Today, Rusty went to the beach by himself now that's what I call die hard beach loving. Ashleigh laid around and didn't do much of anything and Blake hung out with her. Steven, Wayne and I went out driving around to Wrightsville Beach and then just a lot of nothing. It was a very relaxing day.

Do any of you watch Extreme Home Makeover? I've never really sat down and watched it but tonight I did with my Grandmother and cried through the whole show. I don't think I want to watch this every week, I don't know if I can take the emotions. One of my sister in laws watches it every week and I don't know how she does it. It just about killed me.

Well, I am off to bed, got to get my beauty sleep, we are getting up early to head out. I will talk to you when we get back.

Have a great day!!
Bridget

Vacation

Well, we made it to the beach about 1:30 Friday morning. We are having a great time!! I've read 2 books and gotten a sun burn. It's wonderful. We spent the last 2 days laying on the beach and trying not to drown in the ocean. We have gotten to spend some much needed time with my Grandparents also, my PawPaw is 80 and my MawMaw is 75 so I like to spend as much time with them as possible. They are both is good health and we are really lucky to still have them. My children have 3 great grandparents, not many 16 year olds can say that. My mom and dad are babysitting our dog and my dad said she is driving him crazy, she follows him around constantly. She is really a people dog and she doesn't like to be by herself a whole lot except during the day when she gets on the couch (which she is not allowed to) and takes her afternoon nap.

I will write more as I get time, I think I am taking a break from the beach today to give my skin a little break from the sun. Oh, what shall I do, I think I will read some more.

Have a great day!!
Bridget

Wednesday

Well, we leave in 2 days for vacation and I desperately need one. I've been coming into work extra early every day so I can get everything ahead so when I come back it won't be behind. I need sleep!!!! ..............Oh, sorry, I nodded off there for a minute. I get into such a panic when we are getting ready for vacation, I want everything to be perfect, everyone to be happy and have a good time, I worry myself into an ulcer every time we go away. I think I need to be medicated to go on vacation, it would make me and everyone around me alot happier.

My computer is still not fixed, I haven't had time to get it to Steven and he hasn't had time to work on it right now anyway. I guess it will wait until we get back. I have 4 books and 2 magazines packed, I plan on doing alot of lying on the beach and doing nothing.

Please keep praying for Ashleigh. She is really struggling right now, and that in turn is driving me crazy. We have a really great relationship and we can talk about anything (and believe me she has made my hair stand on end with some of the things she has asked me or told me, I think she does it for shock value) but right now it's like she just won't talk to me and that is driving me crazy. She did tell me that the friends she used to hang out with are all drinking all the time and that's why she's not hanging out with them. These were the "nice" girls that I really liked. I just don't know what to do for her except pray.

Blake is still loving football and he found out on Monday that he is on the starting team. I think Rusty was more excited than Blake. Pray for no broken bones.

Wayne has been down at my Dad's for the last 2 days trying to help him paint the front porch but mother nature had other ideas and they have spent the last 2 days watching movies.

Have a great day!!
Bridget

Just a quick note

Do I hear a YEA!!!, the dishwasher is fixed and I didn't have to buy a new one. I am so excited. Now..... the computer is broke. Will the insanity never end? I don't know what I am going to do without my computer, lucky for me I have a brother that can make a computer out of a tin can so it will be getting fixed, I just may not be writing very much for the next couple weeks (I'm at work right now, sshhhh don't tell). He will have to fit me in with his work and we are going on vacation the end of this week for a week, but since we are going to my grandparents and they do have a computer, I will try to keep you updated as much as possible.
We have a pretty uneventful weekend, which is nice, it was just really busy. Blake had a birthday party to go to, Rusty worked on Saturday, the never ending mound of laundry had to be washed so we will have clean clothes for vacation, you know all the regular life stuff.
Have a great day and it's only 4 days to vacation.
Bridget

Help!

My dishwasher has died, I think. Wayne called me yesterday, said he started it and water started coming out of it. Now it won't drain. I am hoping that MAYBE it is clogged, but with my luck it won't be that easy or that cheap. Pray for the dishwasher.

On a more serious note, please pray for Ashleigh. I'm not sure what is going on with her but she has this whole "new" group of friends that she is hanging out with and she's only talking to maybe 1 or 2 of her old friends. I saw Devin in my office yesterday and it was like she didn't want to even talk to me. This is the kid that runs up, hugs me and calls me Momma. I don't understant what is going on. I don't know if it is something that they are doing or if it's something Ashleigh is doing they don't like. Ashleigh has always been such a great kid, she has the teenage attitude sometimes, but on the whole she is a great kid. I wish I could get her to talk to me about what is going on.

We made it through Chuck E. cheese, a little poorer, but the kids had a great time. Even the older 2 had fun with the little guys. My brother couldn't believe that we actually planned to go there and it wasn't something that Blake had asked for. Now Blake can't wait to go back.

Ashleigh has been gone all week, I will be glad to have her home again. She has been baby sitting for the 11 week old granddaughter of one of the girls I work with. They live in West Virginia so she stayed with them for the week. I've talked to her everyday and she's been having a really good time. My office manager has a daughter Ashleigh's age so she picked Ashleigh up last night and took her to a yard party with them. I talked to Ashleigh last night around 11 and they were on their way home, she said she had a great time with Kathy and her daughter Kristen.

Football is off and running, I'm not sure if it's Blake or Rusty having the better time. Blake is just so excited, I guess it's because he is such a busy child and doesn't sit still for long so this works really good for him. He likes baseball but he gets bored with it too easy, I think.

We all need to make sure we pray for the soldiers in Iraq and for the families of the soldiers that just lost their lives. My husband and I adopted a soldier in January and we send him care packages. Every time I hear of a soldier dying it really scares me. We have never met him and we have only recieved one email from him but we feel like he belongs to us. The National Guard from our area returned from Iraq this weekend and there was such a turnout to celebrate. We are just so thankful they are home safely.

Have a great day!
Bridget