Christmas Wishes!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year We're wishing you a Christmas
Full of laughter, love and light,
With delicious holiday foods
To excite your appetite. We're hoping you receive
Delightful gifts to make you smile,
With family and friends
To love you all the while. We wish you a Merry Christmas;
May your Christmas dreams come true,
And when Christmas is over,
Happy New Year, too! By Joanna Fuchs

It's All His Fault

There you have it...it's his fault that I'm so darned happy these days. His fault that I am now spoiled rotten. You see that smile on my face? Yep, that is his fault also!

Our big day is February 25, 2012. Just 67 days to go. It's going by so fast, yet can't get here fast enough.
This is the chapel we will be getting married at. It's set in a little village from the civil war era. His mom found this place and I think we both fell in love immediately. Everything out there is incredible.
We will also be able to have the reception right there. This is incredibly convenient since I have family that will be coming from out of town and won't know their way around.

This little girl (or not so little) is so much happier than she has been in a long time. I love how much she laughs these days, how much more she feels at home! Nothing makes me happier than to see everyone I love happy and smiling!

I hope everyone is prepared for Christmas. We will actually be finishing up today, I didn't really know what to get Lexi and I hate trying to go shopping for someone and not know what to get. It's just too frustrating for me. I thought she'd be the easiest to buy for...turns out she was the hardest for me to buy for.

A New Deal Every Day

Love to find a great deal every single day? How about a new deal every day? No More Rack offers new deals every day that post at 12pm, so no staying up late to get that steal of a deal. I love this site and can personally guarantee that this is not a nomorerack scam. Just recently I got a $125 gift certificate for NuMe hair style products for just $20 that's an 84% discount, better yet I had store credit that I used to pay for the gift certificate. So essentially I got a $125 gift certificate for no money out of pocket. Now that is a deal that I love!

NoMoreRack posts 8 new deals every day at noon. Discounts can range from 50% off up to 100% off and shipping is always $2 per item. Just sign up on the site for your account and like them on Facebook to keep track of new deals. They also post a sneak peek of their deals on Facebook every day.

Nomorerack offers deals from jewelry to home decor and even magazine subscriptions. One of today's offers was New York Minute Limited Edition Clock for just $38.00. The retail price on the clock was $250, giving it's members a discount of 85%. I love this site and always keep a reminder to check their deals every day. The savings alone is worth checking out. The deals are real, the savings deep and the nomorerack reviews are always positive. Shipping has always been fast and packages arrive in good condition.

All you have to do is go to the site sign up for an account and start saving money. Nomorerack also allows you to simply log in through Facebook for easy log in. You can keep track of all your orders and if you want save your information for further purchases.

To make sweet deals even sweeter, they are also offering insanity deals. The savings on these deals are simply insane! Insanity deals display in a purple box with savings up to 95%. A past insanity deal was a Canon EOS Rebel XS SLR for only $19.77. Where else can you find a deal like that?

MegaPlay.com

One of my favorite card games to play is BlackJack. There is nothing like a fun night with friends and family playing card games and I always seem to fall back on my favorite. It's a game of luck, but also one of strategy.

It's also one of the easiest to learn, and being the competitive person that I am I want to learn better techniques at kicking some Black Jack butt. Until recently I didn't know there was a website dedicated to teaching people just that. www.MegaPlay.com teaches the basics of the game and also some strategy tips. We all know that in Black Jack you need to know one number, 21 and it means everything. You must know when to play and when to stay. It's also crucial to know Black Jack lingo which you will learn as well. Knowing how to play your cards when you go to a casino or are playing a friendly game with your friends can mean everything if your competitive.

MegaPlay.com is one of the largest online poker sites and offers many different games. This site also offers a list of sites that you can play online, from pay to play sites to play for free sites. I love to play on the free sites to prepare myself for those nights of fun with the family. Be sure to also check out their current promotions!

Better Nights

Thanks for the guest post by Esteban Vinson

I love going out in the evenings after work but I never liked coming home to an empty house. Last week I ordered an alarm system from homeSECURITYfamily.COM and coming home feels like I never left. I always set it before I go anywhere—I even set it when I am at home. I did learn that I can’t leave my cat out to roam around the house if I set the motion detector. I learned that lesson the hard way when she snuck out of my bedroom one night while I was sleeping. Talk about a rude awakening! I’m not sure who was more scared—me or her. Once I determined she was the culprit and found her under the bed in the guest room and got my heart to slow down, I went to bed without the motion sensor on and haven’t had any problems since. In fact, I even sleep better. Talk about more bang for your buck! Maybe they should advertise “better sleeping habits” as one of the advantages!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I promise I'll be back to blogging soon, but for now want to wish everyone of you a very Happy Thanksgiving! Stay safe and enjoy your time with family! I will be spending this Thanksgiving with my fiance's family and can't wait to share the holidays with all of them!

Small business Owner

Guest post by Gerard Mcdaniel

Being a small business owner wasn’t something I saw in the cards for myself but when my art career really took off during college it just made sense to go this way. Now I own a small art gallery right in downtown Chicago and business has never been better. I’m definitely learning as I go since I don’t have any formal business training (I went to art school) but I feel like I’ve made more good decisions than bad at the end of the day. Everything from credit card services to the utility bills to hiring for the spring season is in my hands and that’s a really scary but freeing feeling. I love having so much responsibility and knowing that the choices I make directly reflect in how much I earn – not to mention going to work everyday and working with art, which is my true love! I’m so happy to have found my dream career at such a young age and to know where I’m going in my life.

Getting On With Life

Well time has flown by and I have been so extremely busy. We had a great summer and did a lot. I have a lot of BIG news to share with everyone!

I did leave my husband and we have divorced. It was the best decision for everyone involved and it went smoothly. Though we attempted to maintain a friendship that didn't work out well. 8 years was hard to walk away from but I am in a much happier place now!

Now that you know I am divorced I have even bigger news...I am getting married!!!! After leaving my ex I started dating a co-worker who treats me and the kids wonderfully. I didn't know there was this kind of happiness out there. It's a fairy tale! He makes me happy. After a few months of dating he asked me to marry him and I said yes. So the date is set for February 25, 2012! I'm so excited to spend the rest of my life w/ such a caring and considerate man. He has truly shown me what it means to be loved unconditionally. His family is equally as amazing as he is.

As you can see from the picture Lexi has learned how to ride a horse and volunteered her time at the horse farm. She does the volunteer work there for the love of the animals and her merits in ROTC. She has been doing extremely well and is a much happier little girl. I did not appreciate her turning 16 in June though.

Braydon on the other hand just had to go and have a birthday just yesterday and turned 13! All my babies are growing up. Now all the kids are teenagers and it's killing me. We had a great time celebrating his birthday with my Fiances family.

So there is a little of what has been happening. Still so much to say but I'd be writing all day. Anyway the good news is, I am back to blogging! Yay! Can't wait to catch up with all of you!

It's Been A Long Time...

It's been a really long time since I've posted and life has changed so much and been very busy. So let me give you a quick run down of what's been going on and hopefully I'll be back to posting away.

June:
I took my camera out a lot and took pictures. Really am working on getting better with it and I think I'm improving. These are also in a post from June.

These were 2 of my favorite shots.

July was a busy month. I had several visitors and really enjoyed my time with them.

August flew by in an instant, but I did get a really cool new phone that I love btw!

Two last favorite pics of mine!

My little girl who makes me so proud!

My handsome son who makes my mommy heart swell so much!
Many more updates to come. Life is getting back on track these days!

Advertising Made Easy

If you are looking for a company to advertise your business or your product then this advertising agency may be exactly what you are looking for in and advertising company.

This company is budget friendly and knows what your company needs. This advertising company is very knowledgeable when it comes to the digital media, and they are experts at leading you and your business in the right direction.They will track your advertising campaigns to make sure you are getting the most for your money and make sure that you are using effective campaigns.

Their site is very user friendly and easy to navigate. It has all the information on it that you need to make an educated decision. You can check out work they have already done to see their effectiveness with other campaigns, so you can be sure. There is plenty explanation about why internet marketing works. See the numbers and results! Learn about mixed media marketing and see if that is right for you. Either way their team will help you make the right decision.

Their team is highly very talented when it comes to creating an advertising and marketing campaigns that will work for your specific needs. Let this advertising company help you make the best profit for the best income. They are trained, they are skilled, and they are highly knowledgeable in their expertise. Get a fully understandable about the marketing you are using now, and see if it's effective for you. Then choose to work with them because by then you will know they are the best out there.

Working A Lot

This guest post from Edgardo Rosa

I work a lot, and my husband is out of town 4 out of 5 days of the work week, so we have a lot of babysitters for our girls. Our favorite is Mary, who treats our children like one of her own. She’s actually a teacher at a local elementary school, so she helps the kids with homework while she’s with them, too. Now don’t get me wrong. We do NOT take Mary for granted. We pay her 25 dollars an hour, which when I think about the 3 dollars an hour that I used to get seems like an absurd amount. However, it is so nice to know that she’s there with our kids- I mean, they’re our most prized possession! We feel better about when we have to leave the kids overnight knowing that we’ve checked out http://Homesecurity101.COM/ . We’d obviously like to be there ourselves, but with Mary and our new alarm system we feel confident (although not good) about leaving our kids at home without us.

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid, one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Love

“There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart...pursue those.”

Daisy

"Each flower is a soul opening out to nature."
Gerard De Nerval

My 1st Garden!

So we decided to try our hand at growing a garden this year. It's not a big garden since it's our first, but a garden none the less. We have tomatoes, jalapenos, poblano, banana pepper, red and yellow bell pepper.

My banana pepper...it's actually grown a lot more since I took this picture. The only one so far, but one means more right?

My little bitty jalapeno....isn't it so cute!

One of my many tomatoes that are growing. 

I honestly didn't think that I'd be able to grow anything. I don't have a green thumb at all so yes, I'm really excited that it's growing.

WWTK

Ok so I see Heather links up with this all the time and I was jealous, so this is my first time linking up. Also make sure you visit Impulsive Addict, Mamarazzi, Janette and Shawn.


{1} If you could choose a Super Power, what would it be?
I'm greedy...I want them all!!

{2} What would be your first frivolous purchase if you were awarded a million dollars, tomorrow?
What ever my childrens hearts desire. I suppose I'd buy PC a bigger airplane as well cause I know he'd love to have a bigger plane.

{3} What would be the hardest current luxury for you to give up?
Internet for sure. I swear it's like oxygen to me.

{4} If you were given a choice between being given great wisdom and great wealth, which would you choose? Again greedy...why can't I have both? If I have great wisdom wouldn't I be able to obtain great wealth with it? So I guess if I HAD to choose it would be wisdom.

{5} If you were to be stranded on a deserted island for 100 days what 5 THINGS would you pack?
My dog Guapo, he's a must have. My laptop because there will be internet right? My toothbrush/toothpaste, hand sanitizer and some books. I would have said my family but heck lets be honest, if it's 100 days, that's like a vacation and I want to enjoy it. I'm also assuming there will be a cook and maid there for me as well as a luxurious hotel.

Muscle Pain?

Do you suffer from muscle pain? There may just be a solution for you in sight. Visit LGMedSupply Online and see what their products can do for you!

LGMedSupply offers offers TENS Units, Muscle Stimulators and many other products to help relieve your pain. you can get these same treatments at a rehabilitation center but pay a lot more money out of pocket. If you want to read some testimonials be sure to check out their online customer blog.

Some examples of products are the LG-TEC Dual Combo TENS Unit and Muscle Stimulator maximizes pain relief by combining TENS pain relief and muscle stimulation at the same time. This combination allows you to receive instant pain relief.  

 You can also treat wrinkles and pain with their DSL handheld deep penetrating light therapy skin care tool. This is FDA approved and has so many benefits! I love that it treats fine lines and crows feet as well as blemishes and acne. 


Make sure to check out LG Med Supply and see what they have for you!

Looking for Identity Theft Protection?

For those of you who have had your identity stolen, or even the scare that someone has stolen it will know exactly what I'm talking about.

Identity theft is real! It effects people every single day and the thieves are finding new ways to steal it every day. New scams come in and we are blinded by them I think in part because we always want to trust people. Those emails, yeah that tell you to log in to your bank account from their link, that's a scam and people fall for it all the time.

What most of us need is identity theft protection. To have someone watch and protect our good name. I think we fail to see the benefit in having an identity theft protection service. These services can help reduce your risk drastically and believe me having your identity stolen causes a lot of heart ache and it's a long and hard process to fix.

IdentityHawk provides indentity protection that we all need. Protecting our good names, and making sure that we don't fall victim to these thieves. As smart as we would all like to believe we are, there is always a thief who has figured out a new scam.

My Miami Port Experience ~ Guest Post

I appreciate the guest post, Lindsay Valdez

I went on my last cruise to Jamaica with my entire immediate family. My mom, dad, husband, three kids, sister, and neice. The experience was memorable to say the least. We had to drive down from Port Charlotte to Miami, and were getting nervous about leaving the house vacant for an entire week. We set our home security alarm (Arkansas ADT home Alarm home systems) prior to going. This set my mind at ease for our long trip ahead.

Once we got to port in Miami, we had to stand in line for 3 hours before they would let us on the ship! Unfortunetly, the ship that we were going on, had just gotten back from an international trip, and the Coast Guard decided to make a spot inspection! So, we are all standing in line like cattle, with no entertainment, food or drink for three hours! This is quite a feat with four children, and your mother with you!

Luckily, we survived that and finally were able to get on the ship, hassle free. Once we were up to our rooms, we could finally sit on something comfortable and begin to plan our first night on the ship. All in all, it was a memorable experience. and one we will be taking again in another few years.

Pride...

Braydon had a soccer game last Saturday and they won! He does such a good job and is so very serious when playing.

Another block!

Always prepared for the ball to come at him.

Game face doesn't fade for a second when he's playing!

He makes me proud!

Guess Who...

Yes, I finally made it back to the human world. I still don't feel 100% but I'm doing much better. I'm starting to get my energy back, but get tired easily. My joints still hurt terribly though!

I will not however be blogging nearly as much as I used to. I used to try very hard to go to each blog I follow every day, I wasn't alway successful, but I tried. However things are going to change. I will be visiting all of you at least once a week, and I will try to read several blog posts of yours. I won't be posting nearly as often as I used to.

I have made a decision and a promise to myself to focus more on my family. I really want my marriage, I want it to work. So I need to take time to focus on us. My daughters behavior has down spiraled and I need to focus more on her and spend more time with her. Blogging just has to take the back burner.

Bouncing Back

Man I am having one heck of a time bouncing back from this illness. I laid in bed for nearly 4 days, then moved to the couch for a few days. Today is my first day back at work and I'm exhausted after just a few short hours. I feel like I've put a whole week in already! I don't know how I'm gonna get through a full 12 hours.

It was a decent weekend, I had Braydon all weekend which was a nice change. I miss him so much, but we got in a lot of hang out time. My baby boy is growing up so quickly.

My life has been pretty boring...not uneventful, but that's all a post for another day. Laying around being sick has made me a pretty boring person, but wanted you all to have a quick update and know that I am in fact still alive. Barely....but alive!

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Easter and was able to spend some much needed time with your loved ones. The kids and I didn't get to do much since I was sick, but we spent time together and watched movies and talked about stuff that will make a teenage boy cringe. Very funny thing to watch as well!

Eeeeek.....

I have always dreamed of having a day to lay in bed...or even two days. A relaxing time where I wouldn't be bothered. No troubles in the world to worry about. No husband to fight with at the moment. No kids to be bugging me for one thing or another. No work to be done because I didn't have to go that day. No chores at home to be bothered with because I was in bed and didn't have to do them.

Then comes the day that I got what I wished for. A day of laying in bed all to myself. Nobody bothering, no work, no chores....nothing! But did I think about what price all that would come with? Nope! I thought how great it would be to just lay in bed. To be care fee. Yes, I got just that...kind of. I am getting to lay in bed. I am getting plenty of rest. But the price I am paying...well that would be mono! Yes, you read that right...I have mono!

My day of laying in bed and being confined has turned into 3 days. 3 days of being by myself. Well my precious puppies are staying by my side of course, but confinement really sucks! I get bored. I sleep. I hurt. I sometimes think I laid down and allowed somebody to run me over, back up, and do it all over again....and again. This has hit every part of my body. My joints are killing me. It hurts to move, to turn over. Then there are the times I feel the need to get up and smoke. (Yes I know how bad it is for me, please no lectures) Dr gave me a steroid shot, and put me on a Z pack. Do you know what steroids do to you? They make you HUNGRY! Hungry is not exactly what I need to be when I'm in bed, or confined to one room, or when it hurts to move because then there is no getting up and doing jumping jacks.

So I will from now on be careful what I wish for. Sometimes wishes come true, but they may not exactly be in the form that you wished for.

Maybelline Superstay *Review*

I was invited to join the Maybelline Superstay campaign through a BzzCampaign and I can't say enough about this product.
The Maybelline Superstay is made of a micro-flex formula that stays on all day...literally. It is a 2 step process and will not wear off. First you put on the liquid color and let that dry completely, about 2 minutes (you can apply your other makeup while you are waiting) and then add the conditioning balm to finish out the look. Go ahead, kiss something after you put the liquid color on...I dare you!
I can say without a doubt this is the longest lasting best lip coloring I have ever used. I applied it at 5:30 AM and even left it on all night just to see. Woke up the next morning and no smudges on my pillow and it was still on my lips! To say the least I was impressed. There are 30 different shades to choose from and they are all beautiful. I received 3 different colors and will be buying more.
There is absolutely no caking as some lipsticks do at the corner of your mouth and worse, the inside of your lips. No flaking off, and no feathering. It really lasts the 24 hours they promise it does. Now you do have to reapply the lip balm if you want to keep the shine, and even still putting that on doesn't make the color come off, no matter how many times you apply it. I put that to the test as well. I kissed my husband, pecked the kids on the foreheads and cheeks, and they were clean, no lipstick marks at all.
Go and like Maybelline on Facebook for coupons and updates!

It's My Dirty Laundry...

So it appears that PC feels that by my posting on my blog I am "airing my dirty laundry to the public". So since I don't like doing laundry I am going to continue to share my dirty laundry with y'all in hopes that you will clean it for me. Please...see I asked nicely!

As the story goes, PC and I have decided that we are going to "hold off" on a divorce right now. I don't like the idea of "holding off" but I guess I'll take what I can get.

The past 6 months have been very hard and very trying for me. The battle for custody of my son, my daughters crazy down spiraling behavior, and problems in my marriage. I have to admit that it has all taken it's toll on me. It's been one constant battle after another and I find myself giving up on people and my life. I'm just tired of struggling, financially, emotionally and personally. Every day feels like a battle.

I find myself falling deeper and deeper into depression. Caring less and less about life. I have failed to take my medication for the bipolar disorder...why....because I don't care anymore. Do I know this doesn't help the depression or the moods...well yes of course I do. But I feel like why should I care.

I feel like there are constant battles over the most trivial things. That people in my life choose to fight and argue over minor issues, and refuse to really see what is there. I was asked the other day is love enough? Well yes, in my book love is enough. Love is built on so many things, trust, communication, understanding, and acceptance. Without those, even just one of those I don't think you can have love. So yes...I believe love is enough. I love everyone in my life. I'd lay down and die for any one of them. I have passion for each of those relationships.

So what do you think? Is love enough?

An Invitation

Heather and I are doing a photo blog. This blog will help us to not only use our cameras more but also to learn more about out camera's and photography. So I would love all of you to come over, visit, follow and let us know what you think about our photos. Please be very honest in your opinions, that is how we will learn what is good and what is not.

The Road I Never Wanted To Take

I never imagined that after being together for 7 1/2 years, after 3 years of marriage I would be traveling the road of divorce. I am so broken right now. I can't even begin to tell you what it's like losing my best friend. I can't imagine what my life will be like without him in it. I can't imagine living away from him. I don't know where I will find this strength to go on. To put on a happy face because I have to for my children and my work.

I feel so abandoned. I feel anger and resentment. I feel hurt and broken. All these different emotions at one time is enough to make a person go crazy. It's just that after having someone beside you, loving you, and then losing them rips your heart out. Destroys your dreams of happily ever after. I thought that's what we'd be. I thought we'd grow old together and share many more memories. I thought I would always have him.

So if I am missing for a while, if I'm not posting much or visiting your blogs, please understand that once I find the strength I will. Right now I don't want to read about happy marriages, how great life is for them. I just can't after my world has been crushed and turned upside down.

For you Scott, because I know you read this, you will ALWAYS have my heart, and I will always love you. I hope you find what you are looking for.

Justice

Her name was Justice!
I am sure you all remember this post about the horse that has broken my heart for over a year. Watching her slim down and eventually become nothing but skin and bones. The picture honestly does not really show just how skinny and malnourished she was.
Well today I give you some history and an update:
We moved to TN in June 2007. I drive by these 2 horses on a daily basis. I would always smile thinking they must be happy and carefree. They were always beside each other, never far from the other...what better way to go through life than to have a friend always right there by your side. She wasn't always so skinny, she looked pretty healthy when we first moved here. Then one day I noticed she looked a little thinner. Then a month later even thinner. Eventually looking severely malnourished and just skin and bones. I'm sure Prince Charming got sick of hearing me complain about this horse. One who was obviously not being cared for. I couldn't figure out why someone would do that to an animal. A horse doesn't have a choice to leave and go somewhere where they are cared for. They don't have the option of getting a job to buy their own food. They are fully dependent on their owners to love and care for them properly. My neighbor called animal control last year because the horses didn't have blankets on them in the very cold weather. Animal control came out and made them put blankets on them, but they accepted the excuse that she was so skinny because of  her age. Which yes, did play a role in her weight loss, but I don't feel that they did enough to ensure that she kept weight on.

So I drove by every day, heart breaking, wishing I knew what to do for this horse. She needed a voice and I wanted to be that voice for her. I started asking people I worked with. I took the picture and put it on my FB, I posted a blog about it. Hoping and praying somebody could help me come to a solution. I even had one organization contact me from my blog post, she requested more information and I provided her with everything I could. I thought, FINALLY, we are going to be able to get this horse some help. Then....nothing!

March 30th I left work early and as I was approaching where the horses were I seen something odd. The horse was stuck under the fence! OMG! There were 2 gentleman standing there holding the fence over her. She had somehow gotten stuck under the fence. I immediately stopped and jumped out of my car to see what I could do to help. She was just laying on the ground. My heart in my stomach fearing she was dead. She looked at me and said "Well honey you are gonna sit here and comfort me!" Yes, I decided what she said when she looked at me. The owner wasn't home.

We tried for almost 2 hours to get her up. We pushed and we pulled, but she didn't even make an attempt to get up. She just laid there. We called Animal Control and was told they were closed on Wednesdays. We called the Sheriffs department and were told they would come out "when and if" they found the time because it was not a top priority. We called the Fire Dept to see if they could help us, because a horse can no lay on it's side for that long. NOBODY would help. I felt so damn helpless.

To make a really long day/story short....I sat with Justice for 5 hours on the side of the road. We were fortunate that a lady who owns a horse rescue just happened to drive by. They couldn't do anything without the owners permission because it was outside of her jurisdiction. She knew the horse was going to die. After 3 hours the owner finally got home from work and called his vet. His vet told him he didn't have time to come out. I was so mad!!!! This horse was on her side, on the side of the road and you don't have time? What kind of vet is that?

I'm making this long again sorry....long story short, her name is Justice, she had to be put down. Her head lay in my lap and I talked to her, and caressed her as she went. It broke my heart. I cried and cried. In those 5 hours Justice and I became fast friends. She was comfortable with me, and I liked comforting her. She was a beautiful girl, but she is in a better place now.

The owner surrendered the other horse "Maxine" to the rescue group where she is now learning ground manners and how to be handled by people. While she wasn't malnourished, her feet had never been taken care of and her hooves were terribly over grown and were mushrooming out. They are taking care of it but said it will be about a year before they can get them into "decent" shape. Those are not her hooves just and example of what they kind of look like. I'll be visiting Maxine and taking pictures of her progress.

Credit Score

I never really knew much about credit or credit scores but I have spent the past year really trying to improve my credit score. I had no idea what my score was, what effected it or even what a good rating was. It wasn't that I didn't care, I guess I just didn't have much knowledge when it came to my credit. I never had credit cards and only once had a car loan in my name. I never really had a reason to think about my credit.

Over the past year though Prince Charming and I have talked a lot about credit, and slowly I've learned. I have started doing a lot of reading about credit scores and am taking back control of my credit. 2 years ago was when I got my first credit card. It had a low credit limit which I was ok with. I was just learning after all. I made sure I was never late on my payments. After a year of having that card I decided I'd try for another and I got it. Then I really got excited about my credit and felt like I was going to be able to fix it.

But what was I fixing? I had never even seen my credit report to know if it was bad or good or in between. How can you fix something if you don't know if or what is broken? That of course which prompted me to get my free credit score. I did that about 2 weeks ago. I still have some fixing to do on it. I actually found several things on my credit report that should not be there. Just as bad, they've been there since 2005 and I didn't know it because I never bothered to look at my report.

What really prompted me to get my report was I started receiving calls from bill collectors telling me that I owed them money for SBC Ohio and Sprint. I didn't know who SBC Ohio was and Sprint I didn't have an account with so I couldn't figure out why they were calling me. The company on the phone couldn't/wouldn't give me the address they had for me so I refused to give them any of my info. So when I got my report I looked it over and sure enough neither of these companies or anything related to them are on there. There are 2 things on my report that I have to dispute because they aren't my accounts.

So starts the long journey of fixing my credit and actually knowing what I'm fixing!

Autism Awareness

 

**credit**

Most of you don't know that I have a nephew with Autism. So for Awareness Wednesday this month I will be doing a Q & A with my sister, who has first hand knowledge. I can't think of a better person to ask about Autism and the world inside than someone who lives with it every day.

When did you first notice signs of autism?

Zach was four months old when I noticed that he didn't make sounds or follow objects with his eyes. He didn't jump at loud noises. He didn't respond to anything. He didn't cry. I remember thinking he was either deaf or autistic.

What were the signs? 

As he got older it was more noticeable. He played along side other kids but not really with them.

How old was he when he was officially diagnosed?

Because Zach is high functioning, we didn't get an official diagnosis until he was 11 and a half years old. He was diagnosed with ADHD and High Functioning Autism.

What kind of testing did he go through for his diagnosis?

We saw a pediatric neuro-psychologist for a diagnosis. He went through 18 hours of testing. There were different tests. Some tested his intelligence, some his ability to plan what will come next, how to put things in order/groups, social situations, and still others.

Was the diagnosis hard for you to accept?

I know that it is hard for many parents to accept that something is different. I already knew. Getting a diagnosis simply told me what it was so I could learn how to treat it. So not really. The pediatrician and I were pretty sure that was the diagnosis we would get.

Was it hard for him to accept?

I am a firm believer that knowledge is power. Zach is fully aware of all of his diagnosis. He researched on the internet to learn more. He did fine after the research. He said that it explained a lot of things and his behaviors.

A really good poem for the parent of ANY special needs child:

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

What Can 30 Seconds Do?

About 2 weeks ago I left work early as I always do on Mondays to cover for the long day on Tuesday. I'm always the impatient driver who can't stand to be behind someone going under the speed limit or sitting forever after the light turns green.

A - Z All About Me

Ok y'all I stole this from Erin @ Life with the Websters! blog and I wanted to do it. If you haven't visited her little part of the internet hop on over and do that.

A. Age: 25+ maybe a few years, but I'll never tell.

B. Bed size: King.

C. Chore you dislike: For some reason I don't mind washing the laundry or folding it, but man I hate to put it away and even more I hate to iron.

D. Dogs: 2 Chihuahuas - Tequila will be 4 in June ***Had to edit this to add my favorite dog Guapo who will be 3 in May. (Side note you should not blog at work because it's not so easy to write and focus on work at the same time.)

E. Essential start to your day:Mt Dew! I feel for this world if I ever wake up and don't have any. I actually have a bottle that sits on my night stand. Uhm...wait was I supposed to say kids or hubby here? Because they are an essential start to my day.

F. Favorite color: I love pink...everything pink! But I also love anything bright.

G. Gold or silver: Silver! Gold looks horrible with my skin tone.

H. Height: 5' 5"

I. Instruments you play(ed): None...unless yelling counts as playing my voice.

J. Job title: Mom, wife, daughter, friend, sister....receptionist.

K. Kids: Lexi (15...be 16 in less than 9 weeks) Megan (15) and Braydon (12)

L. Live: Just north of Nashville

M. Mom’s name: Leila (miss you mommy)

N. Nicknames: Lissy, Lissa or when I was younger Monkey or Lizard. I don't recall where any of these names stemmed from.

O. Overnight hospital stays: More than I can count. Hubby likes to say I visit the hospital like I visit WalMart.

P. Pet peeves: I have more than I can list but top of the list is mouth noises. They drive me insane!

Q. Quote from a movie: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!" Gone With The Wind

S. Siblings:2 older brothers, 2 older sisters

T. Time you wake up: Weekdays 5:30 and weekends, whenever my dog shoves his tongue into my sinus cavity to alert me he needs to go out.

U. Underwear: Those are the things I call "choni's"  

V. Vegetables you don’t like: All of them pretty much. I only eat corn and green beans.

W. What makes you run late: Hitting snooze

X. X-rays you’ve had: I couldn't even begin to list all of them I have had.

Y. Yummy food you make: None really....I am on a quest to learn to cook.