NO! I WILL NOT LOOK AT THE CAMERA!

This is the two grand kids that came for dinner on Thanksgiving. (this is not my offficial Thanksgiving blog) ...Madison and Ehren. Madi loves toting around babies, but they BOTH hated having their pictures taken this day!

*notice Granny Janes "ANGEL" blanket in the background! And Ehren is wearing Grandpa Hanks cap.*

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I received cards and phone calls for my Birthday last week from all my family members, and this quote from a famous Dr. came to mind.

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and
those who matter don't mind." -Dr.Suess !

That is so true! I forget that sometimes. My brother, Billy, reminded me of that, and I realized that is a part of me that I don't want to lose. My family accepts me for what I am, and how I am, and I hope I can do the same! xoxo

ANOTHER BIRTHDAY, COME AND GONE!

Friday was my birthday, maybe the last one that I will celebrate. I got the idea from my sister Claudia. If she gets to stop celebrating, so do I! So there! Mike and I almost always go to THE RED LOBSTER for these special occasions, and Matt and Chris gave in and joined us.(HA) Then my friends Lindy and Rob joined us. Very low key until the wait staff sang to me. After 2 bites of salad, a bite of the roll, and 3 shrimps- I was stuffed! So I sat and gave Matt and Chris a hard time about what they were and weren't eating....like they were still 8 and 9! But they kept all us old fuddy duddies laughing! Too bad that I am now unable to have a nice dinner AND go out and party afterwards without falling to sleep! THAT is a sure sign of "de-crepitude" if I ever heard one!

JUST AN FYI....
Now that Thanksgiving is almost here, I probably won't post again til afterwards. And I will try to post a video of my tribute speech in honor of my Daddy, and the anniversary of his 20th year passed.(is that the correct wording?)Can't promise there won't be tears, so you have been warned.

Weight Loss Update

As of 11-18-08, I have lost my 1st 50lbs!!!! Almost exactly 3 months since my surgery. I have had some trouble with my protein intake, and not getting enough water, but other than that it has not been that hard to adjust. My new stomach will remind me REAL fast if I eat something I shouldn't. The protein drinks are a definate NO-GO. Even if I get past the smell, my tummy repels it! And I found out that others have the same problem. All my taste bud have changed. Some things sound SO good, but when I taste it...well it's just not what my tongue was longing for. I think the "buds" are actually in my brain! My goal weight is 140, and as long as I get close to that by Rachals wedding, I will be satisfied. I would prefer to be there by June...my 30 year High School reunion. But I would never have believed how much better I feel with just the 50lbs gone! So it can only get better.

We will Miss you Harley...

For you that don't know my world, I am an animal lover. I have always had pets of one kind or other-from hamsters to emus . I even had a bull calf that thought he was a dog! But my heart is the softest for dogs. They seem to touch me; maybe because they trust us so much. My dogs as an adult have mostly been dachshunds(weenie dogs). When my first one, Bonnie was getting old, and my other one, Patsy was going to be left alone soon, I decided to get Patsy her own dog! So I went and got a little applehead chihuahua. So tiny, with BIG bat ears, marked like a doberman. Harley. He was a funny looking little man. Walked kinda like a girafffe. I know...appleheads don't have long legs! But someone forgot to tell him that. He did NOT like dark haired men, except for family members. Others got the high pitched bark as he shot past them...maybe peeing a little as he went. Not a very social dog; or a cuddler. But he liked certain girls...ALOT. First my friend Tammy that lived with us for a time:Now SHE could practically hypnotize him! Then Nina would talk to "her little man". He would dance around for canned food or leftovers, but that was about the only thing he got excited over. Expect maybe Rachals dog Dixie. Even tho he was neutered, he felt an obligation when she was in heat! He never liked going outside and shivered in his bed always. His teeth had all fallen out over the last year, but he actually gained weight,due to the canned food we gave him. He ate twice a day because his Daddy Mike made sure he got HIS every morning and night. But today he really didn't want to go out, after not eating any of his food. But it was a beautiful day, and the sun was shining. I went to work and came home to see him laying in the grass in a patch of sunlight coming thru the trees. But he didn't jump up to greet me when I opened the back door. No "LET ME IN" bodyslam on the door.

We hope you enjoyed your time here with us as much as we did. We loved you - stinky little man that you were-and you will be missed. Della and Patsy are girls at large now. No Harley to nip at the girls.

THANKSGIVING

Well, I am gearing up for Thanksgiving. I have already bought most of the food, and Heather has been helping me get the house in order.

The "plan" is to have dinner at 4:00pm, but I want to take a family photo before we fill our selves to the brim! Logistics is my nemisis!

But I am also planning a memorial to my Daddy. I am not trying to make this depressing , but he has been gone 20 years at Thanksgiving , and with Mike losing his dad Hank this year, I thought this would be a fitting tribute time.

For those that won't get to attend, I will try to write out what I say at the tribute. I will also be asking anyone that wants to, to add any memories they have of their Grandfathers. My Daddy was not always the most logical, but he was loving. He was a very differant kind of man, and I assume that my taste in men can be traced to him!

When I post my tribute you won't be able to see my tears like the attendees at dinner, but please know that my heart still aches for my Daddy.

My first Blog!

My first blog. The focus of this blog will vary from time to time.It could be about my children, my dogs, daily life, me bitchin' about the Post Office, my current weight loss status after gastic bypass, friends that I have been in touch with after many years...maybe even a memorial to a lost loved one. Please be patient with me as I figure out how I want it all to look. But enjoy the view into my life-strange and eclectic as it is!