The Plott Thickens

Gypsy Rose Lynn

2011-10-18T23:50:00.000-04:00

Once I moved out of my Grayson apartment in August, I officially declared myself a gypsy. I have to admit that it was a bit scary pulling out of the apartment complex in a moving truck with no clear direction for my future. I felt like a pioneer heading out to find my frontier . . . looking for the way to improve my life. A dear friend of mine gave me the name "Gypsy Rose Lynn." For the past two months, I have lived the gypsy life . . . just going where life has taken me. I can't tell you how many text messages I have received recently that have started with "so where are you today?"

I have been spending time with mom in Blairsville, with Haley and Austin in Warner Robins, with Hadrian in Americus, and with Hannah and my sister/brother-in-law in Snellville. I have been praying for over a year now about where to start over when the time came to start over. When my nest became empty, I knew that I was headed somewhere . . . I just didn't know where. I knew I had to be patient and just let things unfold. Oh, how hard it was to sit back and trust that everything would be okay when there was no clear plan . . . at least I had no idea what the plan was. But, God is revealing it now that it is time.

I spent some time with my mom and explored the possibilities of moving back home to Blairsville and living with her. I really enjoyed my time there, and it felt so right being back home. And, when I was staying in Warner Robins, it felt so right being there as well. Time with the kids is always great. While I was enjoying a lot of time to myself and exploring my options, I was feeling more confused than ever . . . where should I go? where should I live? what should I do? My heart felt really torn between going back to Blairsville since mom is alone now OR going to Warner Robins where there is better opportunity to rebuild my life. All I could do was talk to God and put it all in His hands. And wait.

In these tough economic times, I knew finding a job could be a challenge. I started applying for jobs in the north Georgia mountain area and also in the Macon/Warner Robins area. A lot of people have been praying for me to find a job . . . and not just any job. I needed to find a job with a company that could offer me a career opportunity with excellent benefits. Being single, and needing health insurance, I feel that right now the benefits are actually more important than the pay.

Well, after two months of gypsy life, I finally found the opportunity that I was looking for. I have accepted a job with Geico in Macon. Geico is the largest employer in Macon, and they are known to be a great company to work for. They have the best benefits out there! And, they have me on a career path that I feel is promising for advancement and future compensation. So, Macon, it is! The prayers worked! Thank you very much to all who prayed about this! I feel very blessed to be offered this position.

I knew that once the job was in place, the rest will hopefully follow. The first big piece of the puzzle has been solved. And, I am living with Haley and Austin for now . . . until I feel ready to get a place of my own OR until they kick me out . . . whichever happens first. ;)

GEICO

Where I Will Now Be Spending Most of My Time

So, I guess my gypsy life will be coming to an end. It was short-lived, but Gypsy Rose Lynn is settling into a new life in Warner Robins. And, I will settle into my working life in Macon (about a 30 minute drive to Geico).

I guess it is official now that I have changed the license plate. I am now a resident of Houston County!

The Move . . . UGH

2011-10-02T00:03:00.000-04:00

My apartment lease at Tree Corners Apartments ended July 31, 2011, and I decided not to renew it. I knew that my stay in the apartment was a temporary one . . . it was a place to live while Hadrian finished her senior year at Grayson High School. But, my nest was officially "empty" when Hadrian went to college, so there was nothing really holding me to Gwinnett County anymore.

SO, everything that I own had to be moved somewhere. And, I had no idea where somewhere was going to be! I had been praying about this since my divorce was final . . . just over a year ago. Where, dear Lord, should I go from here?? I knew that the day I got out of my apartment, I would officially be homeless. But, I had no idea where I wanted to move yet.

Even though I didn't know where to go, I did have to come up with some kind of a plan for my stuff . . right or wrong . . . but a plan none the less. And, there were three phases to this plan. I had a storage unit that I planned to move out of by the end of June (Phase 1), I had to be out of my actual apartment by the end of July (Phase 2), and I was renting a garage (used for storage) at the apartment complex. They were willing to be flexible with the garage and allow me to move out of it as soon as I could during the month of August (Phase 3). So, this was the timeline I was working with.

I decided to sell as much stuff as possible. The household stuff that I decided to keep, I decided to put in storage in Warner Robins. All of my more special and personal items such as pictures, oil paintings, scrapbooks, papers, and such, I decided to move to the best storage facility of all . . . Mom's House . . . in Blairsville. Mom graciously allowed me to take over a bedroom and use it for storage. And, I packed three suitcases with clothes . . . one with tops, one with bottoms, and one with shoes. Along with my regular travel bag, the suitcases were going to stay with me in my van at all times. The rest of my clothes went to a closet in the spare bedroom at Haley's house. Whew! What a mess! I literally had stuff going all over the state . . . north and south and in between. But, this was the plan.

I moved everything out of the storage unit first. YES! Met that deadline! Phase One done! Now, it was time to move on to the apartment (Phase Two).

Anyone that knows me knows how I feel about moving . . . I think it is the closest thing to torture that a human being can possibly go through. And, this was the third July . . . in a row . . . that I had to move my entire house . . . my entire accumulation of possessions. And, believe me, I still had a lot of possessions, even after dwindling down with each of the two moves before. With that said, I cannot describe how much fun my July was! And, on top of this, Hannah had just moved out of her "home" during the month of June, and we had her stuff to deal with while she was trying to figure out where to live.

But, it was time to get moving! I was loading my van . . . to the gills . . . and alternating trips to Warner Robins and Blairsville . . . to drop off stuff . . . one van load at a time. Austin drove his truck up, and he and Haley took another truck load of stuff to storage. Haley also drove up a few times and hauled car loads of stuff back with her. Haley also helped me sell a lot of my stuff. Facebook was great for that! And, we have had two very profitable yard sales at her house in Warner Robins!

For the heaviest stuff, I rented a truck, we got it loaded, and Austin, Haley, and Eric Ati drove this truck down to Warner Robins, and unloaded the entire truckload of stuff into my storage unit. One truckload down.  But, these three kids were exhausted.  After loading a truck all day, driving it to Warner Robins, unloading the truck, and then driving a car back to Grayson, dropping off Eric, and taking another car load of stuff back to Warner Robins. Geeze!! What a long day. Haley and Austin didn't get back home and in bed until 4 a.m.

The last few days of getting out of the apartment were somewhat of a nightmare. I was packing stuff, selling stuff, moving stuff, cleaning stuff, and trying to maintain my sanity. I never would have made it without my girls!!   And, thanks to Hannah's friends - Samantha, Luis, and Eric - who were absolutely amazing help!!! If it wasn't for Luis helping Hadrian pack and clean her room, her stuff would still be there. I was SO relieved to meet the deadline and get the apartment keys turned in by 7 a.m. on August 1st! After a couple of all-nighters, Phase Two was finally done! Yes!!

I was beyond exhausted. I went to my sister's house in Snellville and crashed for a couple of days. Thank you, Joy and Gary!! They have the comfiest bed, by the way. : )

Then, the phone call from the apartment complex came. "Ms. Plott, the apartment manager has decided that you must have your stuff moved out of the garage by Thursday morning at 7 a.m. The manager said I actually didn't have the authority to allow you to keep your stuff in the garage anytime in August, so you have to get out." What?! Seriously?! It was Tuesday afternoon. Come again?!

Yikes!! Panic mode!! I had one day to move my entire garage somewhere. And, if you could have seen my garage, you would understand why I was in panic mode. It was not humanly possible to move this much stuff in one day. Or, was it?! Well, I didn't have a choice but to try!

So, I rented another truck, and started working. And, thanks to Hannah, Eric, Samantha, and Hadrian, we got alot done. But, I couldn't see it happening. I was weary. It was hot. This was too much. But, just as soon as I was about to accept defeat, my brother-in-law, Gary, shows up to help. He worked himself to death for a few hours, but with his help, we finally got the garage cleaned out by midnight. Phase 3 Done!! Yes!! We were done! Totally out! But, it was all on a truck.

We all took showers, and then Hannah, Hadrian, Eric, Luis, and I started a caravan to Warner Robins at 2 a.m. The moving truck and three vehicles all made the trek to a new storage unit . . . that I had to call and rent that day by phone. We arrived in Warner Robins at 4 a.m. to unload the truck . . . thank you, Lord, that I had helpers!!

After about 3 hours of hard labor with all five of us working, the truck was finally unloaded. We ate at Waffle House. Eric and Luis left to drive back to Gwinnett County. We girls returned the truck. And, then, we had to regroup and drive Hadrian to Americus to move into her dorm room at college on the same day. Talk about exhausting! None of us had any sleep that night. But, somehow you do what you have to do.

The good news is that ALL of my stuff is somewhere.  And, Haley and Austin are living in their home in Warner Robins, Hannah is living with my wonderful sister and her amazing husband at their home in Snellville, Hadrian is living with all of her college friends in Americus. The goldfish (Sorghum) went to college with Hadrian. The cat, Scooter, went to Snellville with Hannah. The dog, Bella, went to Blairsville to live a carefree life in the mountains. And, I have officially declared myself a GYPSY. More to come about the gypsy life. ; )

Me driving the moving truck. I only side swiped a few things while I was at the wheel. ; )

Sorghum Goes to College

2011-08-14T19:09:00.000-04:00

Hadrian recently got settled into her college dorm room at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus. She moved in early for soccer preseason. Her roommate is Jordyn, another soccer player, and they are living in a freshman dorm.

Hannah, Hadrian, and I arrived on move-in day with all of the crap that one needs to survive in college. Hadrian actually had to head to the soccer field for training, so Hannah organized like an organizing maniac, getting Hadrian's room put together. This is right up Hannah's alley! Anyone who has ever seen Hannah's closet knows that she is the right person for the mission! She informed Hadrian . . . . "just so you know, SISTER, I am not doing this because of my love for you, I am doing this because I like to" . . . but let's be honest here . . . she would be horrified if Hadrian's room wasn't put together the way it should be. Fine by me . . . I was thrilled to relinquish the duty! I turned Hannah loose to do what Hannah does best . . . organize!

Jordyn's room is on the left. Hadrian's is on the right.

The finished room . . . we still have a few finishing touches to do . . . like add some posters. : )

When did a Wii System and a gumball machine get added to the list of things to take to college? ; )

Hadrian in her room.

Hadrian took her fish, Sorghum, to college with her! Hopefully, the little fishy will survive the move . . . this fish has amazing survival stories. Hadrian went to the Sorghum Festival in 2009, and won this goldfish. Yes, I did say 2009. Sorghum is almost two years old. And, he has survived absolutely deplorable fishbowl conditions to amazingly clean fishbowl conditions (see photos) . . . ha ha . . . this is what happens when your owner is a teenager who wavers between taking care of things and not taking care of things. Sorghum made the trip to college and survived for about 2 days in a styrofoam McDonald's cup before finally landing in his wonderfully clean fish bowl. He goes everywhere Hadrian goes. This is his 3rd move in two years. He is a real trooper!

Sorghum has been forgotten to be fed more times than it could be fishly possible. But, he is still alive . . . and still going strong! Hadrian's friends never understood why her fish had such a weird name . . . um, Sorghum?! I guess you must need some past experiences in Blairsville before you understand the name. : ) It is just interesting to me that kids have never even heard the word.

The bathroom. Sorghum is living on the counter.

Sorghum posing for a photo. Notice the very amazingly clean fishbowl conditions. : )

Now, notice the absolutely deplorable fishbowl conditions! This is how the fish bowl looked just before we left for college. Sorry, Hadrian . . . I had to sneak a picture. There is probably one inch of water in the bottom of the bowl and enough fish fungus on the sides to kill anything . . . . except the fish.

So, Hadrian is settled in at college, and Sorghum is settled in, too. I hope they both adjust well to dorm life. : )

The Final Year

2011-08-12T23:56:00.002-04:00

First Day of School Senior Year Fall 2010

Many of you know that my divorce was final at the end of June, 2010. Well, Hadrian and I moved into Tree Corners Apartments in Grayson at the end of July in order for her to finish her senior year at Grayson High School. We knew it was a temporary home, but it served the purpose of a place to be while she finished high school. And, my focus for the year was getting her through her senior year and getting her off to college. Then, my work would be done. Well, I just got Hadrian settled into college, and I am reflecting on my favorite things during the last year that we had together . . . just the two of us.

One of my favorite memories was when Margeaux was crowned homecoming queen. This picture is of Margeaux and her dad, Tony. This family has been very important to Hadrian. They have been so good to her, treated her like one of their own kids, took her on family vacations, and it was a place she could hang out and feel safe and loved. Hadrian would be at their house when none of them were even home! I cannot think of a kid more deserving to win homecoming queen than Margeaux Lacavera! I love this girl!

Hadrian and Margeaux on a snow day!

Hadrian turned 18 in February 2011. We had dinner at Provino's (of course). This was her boyfriend,

Kyle, at the time.

Hadrian and I spent the week in Panama City Beach with a large group

of teenagers. Glad my days of chaperoning spring break trips are done!

One of Hadrian's special memories was senior prom at the Fox Theater. It was a cool

venue to have prom! Oh what a night! ; )

Locker Decoration Night . . . I now have 3 of these

magnetic keepers! : )

Senior year was a special year for high school soccer. Hadrian was captain

of her team. Here she is in the state playoff game taking care of her official captain duties.

Hadrian had a signing party at the high school. She signed her letter of intent to play

soccer at Georgia Southwestern State University. Coach Terry Klinect, her high school soccer

coach, is pictured with Hadrian.

The cake celebrating all of the signing senior girls!

Senior Day for the senior high school soccer players. This is

always a fun time of recognition!

The night before senior day, someone came into our gated apartment

complex and decorated Hadrian's car. She walked out the morning of Senior Day

to find her little car had been painted and papered! And, yes, this is the

same car that was stolen earlier in the school year (out of our gated apartment

complex . . . so much for that gate!) . . . a whole different

kind of memory!!

Hadrian and Mom on Senior Night. It was really hard to

believe that my last child had just played her last home soccer

game at Grayson High School. Hadrian was injured, so Coach Klinect

allowed her to be put in for the kickoff so that she could officially play in her last soccer match.

Speaking of the injury, Hadrian injured her foot really badly in the Parkview game.

The trainer thought it was broken, so he wrapped it in something like a temporary cast.

Dr. Traub said Hadrian was very lucky . . . she barely avoided having to have surgery.

He said a break would have been easier healed than the sprained ligaments on the top of her foot.

Hadrian made it back in 4 weeks to play in Grayson's first state playoff game.

She had to ice her foot at half time. And, then in the second half of this game, she gets

a concussion. Another senior year memory. She was one loopey girl after getting her head

hit. We still laugh about how crazy she acted. Thank goodness she recovered . . . at least,

we think she recovered . . . ha ha.

Atlanta Fire United held a celebration to honor all of the senior players who played

at this club. Here is Hadrian and her club soccer coach, Craig Peter, who coached

the 93 AFU team during its final year. Hadrian loved Coach Craig!

Hadrian's senior display at the high school soccer banquet.

Hannah and Hadrian both wore the Number 16
while playing soccer at Grayson. For 8 straight years, the number 16 was owned by

a Plott. I personally think it should be retired! : )

A close up of the poster made for Hadrian by Rick Craine. Rick is just like a daddy to Hadrian!

He has taken amazing photos for the soccer teams during the years. I, for one, am in

awe of his dedication to Grayson High School Soccer.

Senior Picnic Day!

Shayna, Devin, and Hadrian

BFF's during senior year!

Hadrian received the award for the senior with the worst case of "senioritis"

at the Senior Dinner. I told her I should buy her this tee shirt, but I never did. Lol.

Hadrian and I attended her baccalaureate service held at Graystone Church.

The ceremony was very nice!

Graduation night!

Margeaux, Hadrian, and Rachel

Hadrian and Rachel will be going to college together!

Hadrian plays soccer/Rachel plays softball

Rachel and Hadrian at college orientation at Georgia Southwestern.

We just moved out of our apartment after living there for a year. And, Hadrian is now settled in her dorm room in college. What a special year . . . a year full of memories! Thank you, Lord, for allowing us to make it through the year! Mission accomplished!

Graduation from Gwinnett County Public Schools

2011-07-02T18:18:00.003-04:00

May 28 was a BIG day! The baby daughter, Hadrian, graduated from Grayson High School! My kid who hated school the very worst of the three . . . has finally made it! Hadrian finished her thirteen years of torture by graduating with her classmates at the Gwinnett Arena.

Hadrian - Ready and Waiting

Grayson High School Class of 2011

Hadrian was one of 8,921 graduates who graduated from Gwinnett County Public Schools this year

Enjoying the Ceremony

The ceremony apparently became boring in a hurry. Is there any wonder Hadrian was nominated for the senior superlative for the "Student Most Likely to Fall Asleep During Class?" She didn't win this prestigious title, by the way. She instead won the "Worst Case of Senioritis" award.

Time to Get the Diploma - Yay!! (Apparently, someone woke her up for this part . . . Lol)

Hadrian had to stop and chat with Mr. Gilbert while waiting for her diploma. Mr. Gilbert has been the assigned counselor to all three of my girls during high school. He has had a Plott girl in his care for the past ten years . . . bless his heart. I think I saw him doing the happy dance after Hadrian walked across the stage . . Lol. I told him that his job just became a whole lot easier! :)

Yippee!! The Tossing of the Caps!!

Celebrating After the Ceremony

Haley, Hadrian, Mom, and Hannah

I felt like I should be celebrating as well! This night marked the end of an era - my stint as the parent of a Gwinnett County Schools student was officially over. Twenty years of parenting school aged kids is done. My oldest, Haley, enrolled in Kindergarten in 1991 . . . and my youngest, Hadrian, finished in 2011. Thinking back over the past twenty years is mind boggling . . . a blur of PTA meetings, open houses, buying school supplies, school parties, sporting events, sports banquets, carpool lines, endless homework, STRESS, sad times, and happy times. I chose this school district for my girls, and I feel they received the best education that public schools has to offer. And, I did my very best to be at every event, be involved, and not miss a minute of it! While the ending of an era is somewhat sad, what a wonderful sense of accomplishment . . . WE MADE IT!! :)

Thank you, Lord!! Now that I am through living it, maybe I can tackle those storage containers full of pictures and memoirs. Hopefully I can get these things scrapbooked before twenty more years pass . . . I better get busy!

*A special note of thanks to Bryan's wife, Paula, for sharing her photos - a few of these were used in the blog.

May 7th - Celebrating the High Achievers

2011-06-23T20:16:00.003-04:00

May 7th was a very special day! The two high achievers in the family graduated on the same day. How very appropriate! The only problem was that our family had to split ways. Joy's family traveled up to Tennessee to celebrate with Joy, and my family traveled to Atlanta to celebrate with Hannah.

I SO wish I could have witnessed Joy being "hooded." She has worked so hard for years to earn her doctorate degree. I am not sure how we all survived . . . yes, Joy was doing the hard work, but we were all stressing with her . . . every step of the way. Thank goodness that she has a saint for a husband who was patient enough to endure such a feat. Everyone in our family was literally singing "hallelujah" the day we learned that she would be earning her degree! My dad was very proud of Joy's accomplishment. I am really happy he saw her achieve this goal before he passed away.

Dr. Joy Collins Kitchens

Doctor of Education, Executive Leadership

Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate. Tennessee

Joy was the first person EVER to walk across the stage and receive a doctorate degree at this university!

Joy's Family

Daniel, Dr. Joy, Alaina, Gary, and Sarah

While Dr. Joy's family was celebrating in Tennessee, my family was celebrating in Atlanta. It was a full day! It all started with a brunch to celebrate the honor graduates at Georgia State.

Hannah received her Honor Graduate cord at the morning brunch!
Hannah graduated Summa Cum Laude - impressive!!

Hannah got ready for graduation after her brunch. My gosh! What are all those cords for??

This is our favorite graduation picture! While the graduates were marching in, everyone in the audience was trying to spot their graduate. Hannah turned the tables and zoomed in on us while we were looking for her!

All in a row: Me (holding my camera), Hadrian, and Hannah's friends (Mariella, Samantha, and Eric - in the yellow shirt). We were all in a row.

At least we weren't waving like the man in the green coat behind us! LOL

Graduation was at the Georgia Dome. There are A LOT of seats down there!!

Jimmy Carter was the commencement speaker. His speech started out great but quickly deteriorated when he went off on a political agenda. He lost me on universal health care.

The most fun part of graduation! The massive explosion of streamers!

Hadrian, Hannah, and Mom

Hannah is an official graduate of Georgia State University! Yay!!

Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and International Business

Last photo opp with the Panther!

What a long day!! After the graduation ceremony was over, the celebration continued with a fun graduation party, but that is a blog for another day!!

I am VERY proud of our May 7th graduates!

The Grandest Grandfather!

2011-06-16T00:18:00.001-04:00

Many of you already know that I lost my daddy on June 11, 2011. He died at 3:09 a.m. surrounded by the girls in his life - my mom, my sister Joy, and me. I had been in Americus all day with Hadrian at college orientation, so I had a long drive back to Blairsville once I got the call. I didn't arrive at his bedside until 1:15 a.m., and I was SO hoping he would still be alive when I got there. Joy said that he was waiting on me, and he may have been. It reassured me to see him, to touch him, to hold his hand, and to watch him breathe his last breaths. He went very peacefully, praise God!

Joy and mom jokingly told me that he couldn't die without his favorite one there. They have always said he spoiled me . . . that I got much more favor and attention. What can I say?! :)

My dad wasn't perfect by any means. But, he was my dad. He was one of a kind! And, I know without a shadow of a doubt that he loved his girls. There is no question in my mind that I was loved. I remember my dad laying with me and singing to me, when I was little, to help me fall asleep. I now know that he would have probably done ANYTHING to get me to fall asleep (including singing Ten Little Indians over and over) because he was probably exhausted . . . I am sure I was a handful.

My dad was fun. He played with me. He took me camping, fishing, shopping, on long Sunday drives, taught me how to play cards, throw frisbees, and so many other things! I was his constant companion. He taught me about gardening, cutting the grass, driving his truck with a stick shift, and about sports. We would sit and watch ballgames, and he would tell me everything about the game, the coaches, the players . . . and I loved every minute of it. He would take me anywhere I wanted to go. And, when we would go to the store, he would always let me buy something! How great was that!? I have great memories of my dad . . . I am blessed beyond belief. He had been at every event in my life until his health prevented him from doing so.

Now, fast forward to the grandkids. If anyone thought I was the favorite, that totally ended when the grandkids came along . . . and rightly so. He had five grandchildren and he would say they were all special in their own special way. This is how he described it . . . Sarah was the first grandchild, Daniel was the only boy, Haley was born on his birthday (and that was really special), Hannah was the only redhead, and Hadrian was the baby. So, each of his grandkids had a unique feature to be loved for! And, he SO loved these five babies.

He was a great PA to these kids. He was totally hands on. He played with them, tickled them, massaged them, watched movies with them, and spent quality time with them. He took them to the Huddle House, to the store where they got to pick out whatever they wanted to eat, to the lake, to the swimming pool, for rides in the back of his truck, and took them on many travel adventures! My girls never missed a year at the Georgia Mountain Fair. Talk about brave grandparents . . . . taking babies to the fair!! Now, I must admit that Pa would disappear to the music shows while most of the fair rides were taking place. But, who could blame him?!

After the funeral, the kids were talking about their favorite pa memories. And, there were a bunch . . and lots of laughter! Anyone who knew Pa, knew that he was always the jokester, and always had a nick name for everyone. He was never at a loss for words . . . as this was so eloquently pointed out at his funeral. :)

Dad's casket had a memory drawer in it. We let the grandkids be in charge of putting things in the memory drawer just before they closed the casket. These kids wrote Pa heartfelt letters, gave him a Fathers Day card, Haley put in a birthday card and wrote him a special note about sharing a birthday forever (sniff), the kids thought he needed his favorite hat, there were pictures, and a few other very special tokens.

At visitation, the kids were amazed at how many people came to pay respects to their pa. He was just "pa" to them. I don't think they had ever given much thought to how many people knew him and loved him. They told me the only thing missing at visitation was the music. We all know how much he enjoyed people and loved hosting parties . . . complete with live bluegrass music. And, the kids were right . . . pa would have had a blast at his own visitation.

After visitation on Monday night, I told the kids they needed to stop by Mom's house because there was plenty of food. They informed me they were all eating at the Huddle House in honor of their pa. They knew how much he ate there before he got sick, and he always took them there! So, I said, "what a great idea!" and off they all went to the Huddle House. Well, the next day, they had pictures of themselves all outside the Huddle House (already developed!), and they somehow had gotten Pa an official Huddle House employee name tag with his name on it. These all went in his memory drawer. How cute! :) I loved this!

Pa's Pride and Joy

The picture above was taken at Pa's graveside. From left to right: Stevie (Dan's wife) whom Pa nicknamed "the little one," Daniel (the only boy), Hadrian (the baby), Hannah (the only redhead), Haley (the shared birthday girl), Sarah (the firstborn grandchild), Alaina (the only great grandchild - Pa was SO proud of her!), and Adam (Sarah's husband) whom Pa didn't miss an opportunity to affectionately insult. Haley's husband, Austin, was in California on Military TDY (and sad he couldn't honor Pa). We remember Pa calling Austin "a bucket of trouble."

These kids would not have missed the opportunity to honor their Pa - Garnett Talmadge Collins. Their pa loved them to pieces, was so proud of them, and invested his time and energy into their lives. He showed them how to be a fantastic grandfather. These kids will always carry special memories of their times together. And, it could definitely be debated who had the most fun . . . pa or the kids. : )

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-30T21:33:00.000-04:00

What a great family-filled weekend!

Haley and Austin arrived Friday night. It was decided that we would all head to the movies. So, Haley, Austin, Hannah, Eric, Hadrian, Kyle, and Mom (notice I was the odd man out here . . lol) head to the theater for a 10:30 movie. We watched The Hangover, Part II. My personal opinion is that the rating should be R for Raunchy. Enough said. : )

Saturday morning, Haley and Hadrian went to the nail salon for mani's and pedi's. So, I tagged along. I had planned to just get a manicure, but Haley insisted that I get a pedicure. She said that it was just wrong that I am almost 50 years old and have NEVER (yes, never) experienced a pedicure. And, just for the record, I have been to the nail salon many times, but it has always been to take my girls for pampering sessions. So, this time, I actually participated in the fun. Haley said I MUST get the Deluxe pedicure because it is just SO worth it. So, Haley, Hadrian, and I were lined up side by side in chairs getting our feet done. And, I must admit that I now know what bliss truly means. It was wonderful! I am hooked!

I HATE my feet (Hadrian calls them little Chinese feet), so I can't believe I am actually showing a picture of them. But, this was such a special occasion . . . my FIRST pedicure EVER!!

Saturday night, Hadrian graduated from high school!! YAY!! I will devote a full blog to this joyous occasion VERY soon!! So, Saturday night was another late night with us not getting home from graduation until about midnight.

Sunday morning, we all got up, got ready, and took off to Blairsville. My mom had made lunch reservations at Brothers Restaurant in Young Harris for our entire family. So, we all gathered at Brothers for a family meal. It was yummy!! And, we had a cake to celebrate all three of our family graduates. Our family was blessed to have three graduates for the spring of 2011!

My sister, Joy, received her doctorate degree from Lincoln Memorial University.

Hannah graduated from Georgia State University.

Hadrian graduated from Grayson High School.

After having lunch at Brother's, we all arrived at Union General Hospital to visit my dad. He has been sick for the past couple of years, but he is now in the hospital with pneumonia. So, he received a special visit from his entire family! How special . . . lol. : ) It was quite the scene with 14 of us getting on the elevator at once, and all traipsing down the hospital hallway to my dad's room.

In the photo: Joy's family . . . Gary, Joy, Sarah, Adam, Alaina, Daniel, and Stevie

Becky' family . . . Me, Haley, Austin, Hannah, and Hadrian

The fourteenth visitor was Hadrian's boyfriend, Kyle, so we had him operating the cameras to take pictures of this momentous occasion. It is seriously rare these days that we get every member of our family together at one time. This was truly a special day.

We spent the night in Blairsville last night, and came back home today. Haley and Austin left to go back home to Warner Robins, Hannah went back to her home for the summer, and Hadrian went out for another graduation celebration. So, Mom took a nap . . . : )

What a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!!

2011-05-30T21:24:00.001-04:00

Number One Mom Award

2011-02-14T20:50:00.003-05:00

All of my friends and family know that I have been totally ambushed with emotion this past week. It seems like months of healing since the divorce totally digressed to feelings of anguish and despair. Without going into the events that led to this downward spiral, let me just say that I appreciate every message, every phone call, every card, every care package, and especially every prayer!! I am overwhelmed by the love and support shown to me this week!!

So, after a week of flowing tears, my baby daughter walks in tonight and hands me my Valentine's present. She said that she wrote this essay as an assignment at school a few weeks ago, and she wanted to give it to me on Valentine's Day.

Wow. Thanks, Hadrian, for keeping the tears flowing this week! ; ) Hadrian's essay so touched my heart that I have to share. I have to be the most blessed person on the planet . . . hopefully soon I will move on from my own grief and start acting like it!!

The Essay:

Number One Mom Award by Hadrian

Appreciation means to be grateful or thankful for, to value or regard highly, and to be fully conscious of. I feel all of these things, but I do not always show it. My mom is an amazing and beautiful person. She takes care of me, protects me, fights for me, always supports me, and never judges me. Frederick Keonig once said, "We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." I sometimes find myself unhappy, but then I have to realize I have great people in my life to appreciate and they make me happy. My mom makes me happy.

My mom is my role model and my best friend. Of course, she has her flaws, but who doesn't? I do not like that she will let herself get upset over a man, or when she puts embarrassing pictures of me on Facebook, but that does not bother me because she does too many things right. I respect her in many ways and I appreciate the small things even though she may not always receive a "thank you." She wakes up in the middle of the night just to do the laundry that I forgot to ask her to do - and I will need to wear the clothes to school the next day. She may complain, but she always seems to get it done somehow. She is SUPER MOM. I wake up in the morning expecting not to find any clothes to wear because I would have never thought she would wake up (considering how much she loves sleep), but the clothes will be folded neatly on the couch waiting for me to put them on. I appreciate that even though I probably would not have told her. She deserves a "thank you" for everything she does for me, but I do not always give her one. Possibly because I assume she knows. I sometimes take her kindness for granted.

When I am upset, she worries more than I do. Taking care of me makes her happy. I can see it every time she has a smile on her face. Even when I do something wrong, which is more times than not, I know she will always be there for me through thick and thin, I will always have a shoulder to cry on, and I hope she knows she will always have mine. I appreciate her in every way, shape, and form. I would give her the whole world if it was possible. The last time I truly prayed, harder than I have ever prayed before, it was about my mom. I prayed that she will truly find happiness in herself, because sometimes she only sees her own flaws. I want my appreciation to show her the good things in herself, and how grateful the ones around her truly are.

She is the best mom anyone could ask for, and I am inspired to be a mother just like her. She sits up all night just to talk to me because I can't sleep. She drove me to and attended every single soccer game, and she knows exactly what food to buy me specialized to my taste buds. I notice these things, but a "thank you" never comes out of my mouth because it has just become a routine. I love that we can yell at each other at the top of our lungs, and then be best friends less than twenty minutes later. It proves our love and connection to each other. Mom is a beautiful person, and she deserves the Number One Mom Award.

WOW. I am totally speechless. Seriously?? I need another box of tissues . . . ; )

Thank you, Hadrian. How did you know that I have been questioning my worth all day? When I wonder about my reason for living, I have to look no further than my children. Thank you, God, for these wonderful blessings who give me a reason to hang on even when I don't feel like it. I needed to be reminded of my purpose today . . . my three beautiful Valentine's.

A Decade of Plottdom

2011-01-25T13:23:00.012-05:00

Hadrian just tried out for high school soccer yesterday, and she made the team . . . yay!! The legacy lives on for one more year. This is the tenth year in a row that a Plott has been on the varsity roster at Grayson High School. A decade of Plottdom . . . . or Plott dominance . . . lol. And, just a little history about Grayson . . . 2000-2001 was the first year the school was in operation. So, this is the eleventh season Grayson has been in existence. And, there has been a Plott on the varsity team for every season except the first.

Haley played 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.
Hannah played 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007.
Hadrian played 2008, 2009, 2010, and now 2011.

We have played for every coach that has coached at Grayson . . . Stacy Kenyon, Christopher Wilson, and Terry Klinect.

Wow . . . the memories!!

Haley caught the program when it was new. The first couple of years, we played a non-region schedule, and I remember sometimes driving two hours to a game, playing soccer for thirty minutes before it was called for the mercy rule, and then driving two hours back home. Even though Grayson was a new program, it was good from the start. There has been an enormous amount of talent come through Grayson High School.

The year that Haley was a junior and Hannah was a freshman (2004) the team scored 129 goals. And, my friends, that is alot of goals for one soccer season.

Hannah played in the "glory year" that Grayson won its first and only state championship for 5A. Hannah's senior year, 2007, was the most decorated in school history. The 2007 team won 18 games, lost only 2, had a 15-game win streak, and of course won a state championship. Hannah has THE ring. And, I will never forget when her coach stood at the All-County Soccer Banquet and proclaimed that Hannah deserved the honor of being the Gwinnett County Player of the Year. Wow . . . she didn't win the honor, but what an honor it was to be considered!!

Grayson Wins State . . . oh, what an amazing night!!

Hannah and the State Championship Trophy

Hug from the Coach

And, let me say, that Hadrian wants a ring. She feels that last year was the year it got away . . . and she was helpless . . . struggling through games while crying from the pain of her Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome.

Grayson was SO close last year. The team feels strongly that they were one PK away from a state championship. IF Grayson could have gotten past North Gwinnett . . . . Grayson and North Gwinnett met up in the quarter finals, and both teams felt strongly that whoever won this match would ultimately be playing for the state championship. What a battle . . . tied after regulation, tied after two overtime periods, went through a complete round of pk's, and started over with the shooters in the second round of pk's. Nobody had ever witnessed this happening!! But, North Gwinnett won the match . . . Grayson missed on the 11th pk. And, yes, North Gwinnett won the state championship. And, congratulations to them . . . we have alot of great friends on this North team!!

Hadrian wearing her Game Day shirt on her way to the Grayson/North Gwinnett match.

And, Hadrian was SO frustrated because she had to watch this match from the sideline in her wheelchair. She feels strongly that if she could have played in this match - and marked the amazing Danielle Au - that things could have turned out differently. And, I believe her. I felt badly for her. She had just had her surgery for compartment syndrome days before this match, and I know how painful it was for her to sit this one out. The text messages were coming at me from across the field . . . I was getting a play-by-play of her frustrations . . . and how badly she wanted to be out on that field. And, I will never forget that when the teams met out on the field for PK's, Hadrian was there . . . sitting on the field in her wheelchair.

Just the game before, Grayson stunned Harrison in the first playoff game. The Gwinnett Daily Headline was "Rams Stun No. 4 Harrison." It was an amazing win. And, it was amazing because Hadrian got to participate. Coach Klinect allowed Hadrian to enter the field during both halves of this great game . . . and she was allowed to play for as long as her body would let her. She made it about ten minutes of each half. It gave me goose bumps to hear the Grayson fans cheer for her as she entered the match . . . speaking of those great memories!!! : ) She had surgery between the Harrison and the North Gwinnett games.

So many of you followed Hadrian's progress and gave us SO much support!!

http://hadrianscompartmentsyndrome.blogspot.com/

All three of my girls have played for some amazing club and high school coaches, been trained by the best trainers, played with and against the best players in the state, have made the most amazing friendships that anyone could ever ask for, and it is all coming to a close. This is the last year that a Plott will be on the varsity soccer roster. I hope my baby daughter, Hadrian, has an amazing senior season at Grayson High School!!!

And, just an update on my soccer girls:

Haley played at Middle Georgia College after leaving Grayson. After two seasons, she blew out her knee. Her college playing days were over, but she continues to play in various adult leagues (and the knee still swells . . lol). Haley has been a soccer trainer and coach at Central Georgia Soccer Association for the past several years. Haley is now coaching soccer at Veteran's High School in Warner Robins . . . a brand new high school fielding its first soccer team ever. She just returned from a grueling week in Ft. Lauderdale where she was pursuing a National Coaching License . . . results pending.

Haley and her team received medals at the Sugar N Spice Tournament in Nov 2010.

Hannah played at Jacksonville State University after leaving Grayson. After one season, she retired from playing college, but she continues to play in several different adult leagues. She still kicks butt . . . lol. Hannah is a licensed coach and coaches at the Blue Springs Soccer Association in Loganville.

Hannah's team won a BIG (lol) trophy at the Frosty Balls Tournament . . Jan 2011

Hannah has really enjoyed taking her soccer to the mission fields . . . Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Hadrian . . . well . . . is considering several different colleges . . . a major announcement will come as soon as her decision is made!! We are just thrilled that her legs are well enough for playing in college to become a reality!!

PLOTTDOM!! ; )

2010 New Additions

2011-01-03T09:06:00.005-05:00

Continuing on with my reflections about the blessings of 2010 . . . there were two wonderful additions to our family.

Most of you know that I gained a new son-in-law . . . I did blog about this . . . Haley got married in March to Austin Walker. Austin is from the Warner Robins area. He graduated from Warner Robins High School, Mercer University in Macon, and he is now an engineer at the Warner Robins Air Force Base. Even though he comes with impressive credentials (ha), the most important one is that he is a great guy who loves my daughter . . . and she loves him . . . and they are a great match!! I am thrilled that he has joined our family!! : )

Austin, Haley, Tommy, and Carly

The second amazing addition to our family in 2010 was Stevie! My nephew, Daniel, got married in April. Most of you know that my sister, Joy, has a daughter and a son. And, with me having three girls, Daniel has been the only boy in the clan . . . and, we have enjoyed him SO much I might add!! ; )

Daniel married Stevie Lynn Kaspriskie . . . someone he has known since middle school. It seems they have been best friends for as long as I can remember! So, Dan truly married his best friend . . . and what a great addition she is to our family!! Stevie is loved by Dan's sister, Sarah, and by my three girls. When a girl gets the stamp of approval from four other girls, that says something . . . ; ) . . . . she is beautiful, smart, sweet, and she is now part of us. We all love her dearly!! She is exactly the person we would have chosen as a wife for Dan. Stevie is a nurse in the cardiac unit at Northside Forsyth . . . hopefully none of us will have the misfortune of visiting her at work . . ; )

Wedding in Antigua!

Austin and Stevie join Adam as the mates of the kids in our family. And, let me say they all three fit in perfectly . . . all 8 (5 kids plus 3 mates) love each other . . . they all can't wait to see each other . . . family time with these incredible kids is always full of joy . . . life doesn't get any better than when our entire family is together . . . what a blessing!!!

2010

2011-01-02T00:29:00.003-05:00

I will always remember 2010 for the coldest, most miserable winter in memory for me. Maybe it was SO long and cold because I was also dealing with a divorce right slap dab in the middle of it. Two very long and cold things coinciding at the same time result in misery. But, in the midst of being miserable, there were some amazing things that happened in 2010!! I have to admit that while it was hard to focus on my blessings, there were definitely blessings!! Looking back through the year, my biggest regret is that I didn't savor these blessings like I should have . . . it seemed as if I somehow just couldn't look nor feel past my own pain and grief. The joy for life just wasn't there . . . my motivation went somewhere . . . life as I knew it had ended . . . and I was floundering . . . desperate to regain my footing . . . and struggling for life to feel normal again.

One of the things that suffered was my blogging. My lack of blogging has not been due to a lack of time . . . it simply has been a lack of heart.

So, as I have reflected on the year, 2010, I am trying to focus on the positive . . . on those wonderful blessings that occurred . . . but I was just too miserable to enjoy. I will be blogging over the next week (or weeks) about the things that should have been fabulous blogging material through the year, but it just didn't happen.

I will start this blessing acknowledgement by first mentioning my parents and my sister . . . I would NOT have survived 2010 without them. Let me repeat, I would not have survived. How can I be so blessed to have continuous, unconditional love in my life? I have a family who has sacrificed in unbelievable ways . . . just to make sure that I have everything I need. I have a family who cries with me, prays over me, supports me, loves me, and has never questioned my worthiness for such things.

Seriously? Wow. You can't get more blessed than this!!

Grand Theft Auto: Grayson

2010-09-15T21:58:00.005-04:00

Tuesday Morning

As I do every school morning, I heard the door close as Hadrian left the apartment for school. A few minutes later, I heard her come back in and announce "mom, my car has been stolen." Huh?! What?!

Again, huh?! What?! It took me a while to wake up and absorb what I was hearing. This couldn't be real. Not happening!! I am dreaming, right?! Someone pinch me please.

This required action!! I jumped up out of bed and threw on some clothes before I went out with Hadrian and stared at the empty parking space. Sure enough, Hadrian's car was gone. GONE. Not there. NADA. No car. Not where she parked it the night before. I kept trying to kick my brain in gear and think what really could have happened here?! But, it wasn't kicking in gear.

I have to admit I was looking around the parking lot making sure the car hadn't rolled somewhere. And, I had to think of all the possibilities that could have happened IF Hadrian had possibly had one of her blonde moments.

I told Hadrian I would drive her to school and then I would "deal" with it. So, on the way to school, I am interrogating my youngest . . . did you owe somebody money? . . . . who have you pissed off? . . . . . you are not involved in drugs, are you?!!!

Wow. The things that ran through my mind! Then, I asked if this wasn't possibly some goofy butt senior prank?!!! Of course, she is saying, NO, MOM!! None of the above!!

So, Hadrian and I were trying to absorb the loss at hand. Her car, which is not so great, but it is a car . . . that runs . . . and gets her where she needs to go. And, we knew we didn't have the money to replace this car!! All of her school books were in there . . . probably $500 or more to replace them. Her school binder was in the car . . . irreplaceable! She had just put gas in her car - of course! And, she had $15 cash in her console. None of this sounds so bad . . . but, when you can't replace these things, it is worse than bad.

So, I got home, and the fun begins . . . calls to Gwinnett County Police Department, calls to the apartment complex office, text messages to the sisters and dad, phone calls to the grandparents, talking to all of the neighbors, meeting with the apartment police, calls to insurance agent, etc. etc. etc. And, of course, texting Hadrian constantly with updates while she was surely paying full attention in class. ; ) As soon as I picked her up from school, she had to file her own police report since she is the vehicle owner.

About 5 p.m., Hadrian got the phone call from the police department. They had located her car!! Yes!! Yeah!! Yay!! So, even though we couldn't get cash out of the bank in time to pick up the car that night, Hadrian and I took off to Lilburn to check out the car. She felt better seeing it and just knowing that it was still in one piece. And, she was at least allowed to get her stuff out for school the next day! I am not sure how long Hadrian's teachers were willing to accept the "my homework was stolen" excuse. ; )

Wednesday morning, we retrieved the car . . . thanks to her Pa and Babelle who gave Hadrian the money to get it out of captivity.

Without going into the details of what happened, who did it and why, where the car was found, etc., let me just say that Hadrian is just a little bit freaked out. Management from the apartment complex sent someone out immediately to change our locks so Hadrian can sleep at night! The person who stole and made a copy of her car key probably copied her apartment key as well.

I cut and pasted the following quote from a blog I was reading:

Waltraud Carter blogged about being robbed:

If you have never been in this situation – and I hope you haven’t and never will be – it is the most intense and sickening feeling I have ever had! You feel so violated, powerless, and helpless! And you go through all those emotions, ranging from being angry to being mad, or sad or scared or helpless, and everything in between.

Thanks to Hadrian's sisters who helped us get through the day and brought Hadrian SO much comfort. It is great that Haley watches SO much CSI . . . as she assured me . . . she has GOT this. Haley and Austin have got us covered and protected from any future incidents. And, Hannah prayed so hard that I am sure this is why the car was recovered in the first place. : )

Sometimes we just have to wonder why things happen. I sometimes look at Hadrian and wonder how much more one kid can take. But, she continues to hang tough. She has a couple of guy friends who tell her that she is their hero. She just keeps getting knocked down and getting back up!

She is my hero as well. Without a doubt.

Lucy Lip Ring

2010-07-10T00:23:00.006-04:00

Many of you have probably read my blog in the past and know that my youngest, Hadrian, has a "thing" for piercings. I have blogged about our trips to the tattoo parlor before. Well, since that blog, we have made at least two more trips to that wonderful place that fascinates me. It fascinates me because this place is always SO busy! And, just FYI, the Georgia law has recently changed. Any minor has to show their original birth certificate with the seal on it before they are allowed to be serviced. We found this out the hard way when we showed up without it!

The latest piercing that Hadrian just HAD to have was in her lip (which is actually a tiny bit below her lip). She had her belly button pierced a while back. Well, her latest piercing, the lip, took place about a month ago. Things were progressing along like normal, and I had not particularly given this hole in her lip a second thought. Hadrian went to the store and got a new piece of jewelry, and she put it in her lip on Wednesday night. She showed it to me, and asked if I liked it. It was a tiny little diamond - cute enough.

Well, when she woke up yesterday morning, you couldn't see the diamond. The jewelry had disappeared into her lip - no longer to be seen. She and Cory, her boyfriend, tried and tried to get the jewelry out of her lip with no luck. So, I called the tattoo parlor to see if they could take a look at it. Of course, they took a look and did everything they could to get the jewelry out of her lip. No success at the tattoo parlor, either.

So, last night, here we go to Eastside Medical to the emergency room to get this piece of jewelry cut out of her lip. So, I started calling Hadrian "Lucy Lip Ring" when I realized we were definitely in a dilemma! It is better to laugh and make fun of the situation as opposed to crying, I suppose. It was a very proud moment as a mother when I wrote the cause of her visit on the emergency room form - "jewelry stuck in lip." I definitely laughed out loud when I handed over the clipboard at the window. Only Hadrian could get herself into such a predicament.

Seriously, Hadrian felt really badly about causing the trip to the emergency room. It wasn't like we needed to be home packing up to move or anything! ; ) But, she was a brave girl getting the shot in her lip and getting this thing cut out. This was a first for Dr. Jolle in the ER. He had to be amused. After a round of antibiotics, Hadrian should be as good as new!

Again, let me say, only Hadrian. She makes life worth living.

The New Piercing

Hadrian and her boyfriend, Cory

Yes, he has something in his lip, as well!

Summer Update

2010-07-07T17:50:00.007-04:00

It has been a really long time since my last blog! Alot of things have happened since then, and I probably will not remember half of it. But, I will do my best to update what the Plott's have been up to! Life has been challenging, but I am hoping for better days very soon!!

My divorce was final on June 28th. I will make no comments about this except that it is over. And, I chose to leave my last name as Plott. It just seems easier since I have kids with the same last name. Let me just say that divorce court is an interesting place. ; )

Hadrian has been a very busy girl hanging out with her friends and her boyfriend. She is back to work part-time at KFC. She has spent a week in Florida, and she has been spending a lot of time at the pool and the lake. And, Hadrian had her senior pictures made at the high school. We only did these so her picture will be in the yearbook, but she will have her "real" senior pictures done soon with the same photographer who did Haley's and Hannah's.

Hannah came home from Argentina and hit the ground running right into summer school. She has proclaimed how hard it is to study in the summer! Hannah is working 2 days a week at the Gwinnett County Schools warehouse. This is either her third or fourth summer working there, and they always work with her schedule. So, between her full load of classes and work, she barely comes up for air.

Haley has been at home this summer looking for jobs. Of course, she was hoping to find a teaching job with Houston County schools, but she just accepted a preschool teaching position today. She was in that proverbial rock and a hard place where she didn't know whether to keep waiting for the teaching position she wanted or to take a job that was offered to her. With the economy and the effect this is having on public school teachers, she decided this may not be a good year to wait around for that teaching position that may never open up. So, now she has committed to the preschool position just to assure that she will have a job. Those student loans are coming due! : ( And, she will still be doing her soccer training/coaching as well. Haley was offered the assistant coaching position for the girls soccer team at a new high school opening this fall! So, she will be going in a million directions this next year!

I just finished up a typing class at Central Gwinnett. This is a community school class which I have been teaching for about 25 years now. I am off this week, and we start another class next week. My youth class had the sweetest kids ever! They made me really miss my kids being that age.

The most difficult thing I am dealing with right now is the fact that I have to move again. We moved into this rental house last May/June, and we were told we could stay here until Hadrian graduates from high school. So, we should have been set. Well, I just got notification that the builder who we are renting our house from has given the house back to the bank. So, I am dealing with another foreclosure. Two in two years!

Bryan and I went to court this morning (another very interesting day), and I have until next weekend to pack up and move my entire house. They will give me $500 if we get out by next Friday night. The house will be auctioned on Monday, July 19th, and they want the weekend to get it ready for people to look at. They are holding the auction right here in the neighborhood. There are only 16 houses in this neighborhood, and 8 of the houses became rental properties when the builder couldn't sell them. All eight houses will be auctioned, so there are eight families scrambling for other housing options. Ugh!! So, starting tonight, I will be packing like a maniac. Nine days to move everything. Can I do this? Hmmmmmm.

On a more fun note, the girls and I have really enjoyed watching the World Cup this summer! And, the girls and I went to Blairsville for the 4th of July weekend. We had wonderful family time! The annual picnic was fantastic and fun!!

At Babelle and Pa's house
4th of July Weekend

Boot Camp Casualty

2010-06-02T18:35:00.013-04:00

Many of you know I signed up for "Get In Shape" Boot Camp. I think I told everybody I know simply so I would have some accountability. The more people who knew, the more likely I would be too embarrassed to quit!

Since I am going through a divorce, and the winter has been really rough, I desperately needed to jump start my body and get in shape. Also, I wanted to regain my focus mentally by doing something that would be a challenge. I knew boot camp would require discipline just for me to get out of bed every morning at 4:30! I don't do mornings. ;)

I made it through the first week fine. It was hard, but I made it! Yay! Then came the second week. Well, on Monday, I was running with weights, and I felt something pop in my knee. It seemed to be fine. On Tuesday, we had to do something our trainers called "house of pain." We had to do a lot of sideways and backward stuff. My legs were really hurting after training, and this is the first day I felt like I was crawling back in the house when I got home. Ouch. LOL. I made it through Wednesday fine. Then, Thursday, we ran the whole training session. We had to do suicides, and my knees would hurt so badly when I would try to lean over to touch the line that I couldn't do it! So, of course, I got yelled at, but I told Dell that I couldn't physically get there. By Thursday night, I was dying!!! Oh, my gosh!!!

Well, it helps having a sports medicine specialist in the family! Joy's son, Daniel, is a licensed sports trainer (correct me, Dan, if I didn't get this right!) To say the least, he knows a lot about sports injuries. And, I think he is dead on with the diagnosis of patellar tendonitis. The cause of patellar tendonitis is doing too much work too soon. My knees totally rebelled. My dominant right knee definitely hurts the worst, but my left knee hurts, too.

I may be misquoting Dan here, but he told me something to the effect of "I might have been too old for all of this running, etc. and basically, "what was I thinking?" LOL And, Dan, I totally agree with you and am now wondering the same thing! ; )

So, here I sit on the sofa in excruciating pain. I have been miserable today! The pain has gotten gradually worse since Thursday night. I am icing and taking ibuprofen, but I am wondering how long it will take for me to be able to walk around the house without reeling in pain! I have a new understanding for people who have bad knees!

I made it through nine days of boot camp, and I actually arrived early all nine days! That is a miracle in itself! But, my body wouldn't let me do any more. That really stinks, and I am disappointed that I am sidelined and can't finish right now. Now, it is just one day at a time with the rest and recovery. : (

About boot camp:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhv5G1hUzlc

The trainer in the video was my trainer, Dell. He was a drill sergeant in the army for 26 years. One thing I thought was funny about boot camp was that they made us run from our cars all the way to the spot where we would warm up. And, after boot camp, we had to run all the way back to our cars even though we were dead tired! And, they held our car keys during the training session. So, we couldn't escape without them knowing! LOL

On a more positive note, I had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend in Blairsville! Family time is always the best time! :)

Haley's Bridal Shower at the Lake

2010-05-25T17:10:00.010-04:00

Haley had a bridal shower on Sunday. Yes, I am aware that she is already married, but we are doing things a little bit backwards! Things are working out well, and Haley is still getting to do all of the things she missed out on before the wedding. Her wonderful friend, Michelle, whom I call Magnificent Michelle, hosted a shower for Haley and invited all of their college friends. So, it was basically a Macon State shower!

Michelle's family owns a big farm, and they have a lake house that they use just for entertaining. (How nice!) Well, the road to the lake house washed out, so we all had to drive through the cow pasture to get there! It was so fun! Hadrian loves cows, so she was thrilled with the whole situation. And, I was busy dodging gigantic cow patties while driving through the pasture! : )

We came to the end of the pasture, and there was a sign telling us where to park. And, then, we had a golf cart to take us down through the woods and to the lake house. What an adventure! It was actually really cool, and it is a beautiful place!!

Driving through the cow pasture!

There were obviously cows everywhere!

This was the end of the pasture where we left our cars.

A load of guests coming in to the shower!

Haley and Hadrian

The other sister couldn't make it because she had other plans - in Argentina!

Haley received a lot of wonderful gifts for her new married life!

And, the food was scrumptious!!

And, after it was over, we all golf-carted back up the hill!

Michelle is driving Haley back to her car.

The shower was a huge success! Magnificent Michelle did her normal "magnificent" job! And, it was a whole lot of fun. I am glad Hadrian and I got to be there. Earlier on Sunday, we met Haley at church for graduate recognition. It was a very special day for Haley, and it was great to share the day with her!

Hannah to Argentina!

2010-05-16T19:31:00.002-04:00

Thursday night I dropped Hannah off at the airport to fly to Argentina! Our world traveler is at it again! She is the only one in the family with a passport, and she uses it often! This is her longest trip yet with her being gone for a month.

She was really tired after two tough finals on the same day, and then she had to start packing and getting everything done before she left. She was running around like a maniac for two days, but she was finally ready to go! We zoomed straight to the airport with no traffic (yay!) and I dropped her off with her luggage. She was worried her suitcase was too heavy (over 50 pounds), but she called me as soon as she weighed in, and it was 49 pounds! (yay, again!) She had no trouble getting through security, and made it to the gate an hour before takeoff. Perfect. Hannah was flying with a buddy pass, so you never even know if you will get on the plane. She and I could tell you horrid stories about sleeping in airports, but that is a whole different blog. But, she called when she boarded the plane and told me she got a first class seat! (Another yay!) She slept a lot through the night, and the next morning, she woke up in Argentina! : )

I have talked to her more than I talk to her when she is home! We have learned the beauty of skype! Hannah is studying abroad so she will be taking a class studying about Argentina's government for three weeks. She will be staying in a dorm/hotel with other students while she is officially taking her class. But, Hannah loves to submerge herself in other cultures, so she wanted to stay with a family and get a genuine feel for what it is like to live in Argentina. So, she thought of a soccer friend who is going to college here, but he is from Argentina. So, she contacted Marcos, and he hooked Hannah up with his family, and they invited her to stay with them for as long as she wants! Cool!!

This nice family met Hannah at the airport holding up their little sign with Hannah's name on it! (I've always wanted to do that)! So, she found them, and they took her home with them! They live right in the city in a victorian apartment, and when I talk to Hannah on Skype, I can even hear the horns honking and the sound of traffic. She said it kept her awake the first night because it was so loud all night!

It is fall season (winter next month) in Argentina, so she had to pack warm clothing. She has gone sightseeing, and the first night, she ate dinner at the pool hall connected to the apartment building. She said it looked like a typical American bar with pool tables. But, the twist is they all speak Spanish. Hannah said they were speaking spanish but they were playing American music! And, no, they do not understand the words! Apparently, they like the "Black Eyed Peas" in Argentina the same as Americans do!

Last night, Marcos' sister invited Hannah to a bachelorette party. Hannah said they got together and ate, and about 3 a.m. they all decided to go dancing. They stayed at the club until 5 a.m. and they were continuing the party, but Hannah told them she needed to go to bed. So, she went to bed, and she said the rest of the girls stayed together and continued the party all day today as well! They probably think American girls are real party poopers! ; )

Marcos is going home to Argentina for his summer college break, and they will be picking him up at the airport early in the morning. There might be a slight problem when he gets home since Hannah is sleeping in his bed! lol

She will be staying with Marcos' family for another whole week before moving on to the school for her class.

And, I have to add that Hannah made her usual straight A's at Georgia State University spring semester. She finishes her junior year with a perfect 4.0 average. And, since she is studying in Argentina, she will complete the requirement to get her international business certificate along with her sports marketing degree. I am amazed at how much she has accomplished in her 21 years! If only I had half of her drive and determination . . . . speaking of drive and determination, I hope I make it through my first day of boot camp in the morning! I have to get up at 4 a.m. so adios!

Haley's College Graduation

2010-05-09T23:58:00.009-04:00

My oldest baby girl, Haley, graduated from college Friday morning! She now has a dual degree in early childhood and special education. I am SO very proud of her!

I hope I don't embarrass Haley by saying this, but school has not always been easy for her. She has always struggled with math, and we have jokingly said that she is genetically challenged and her brain rejects anything mathematical. And, her first grade teacher called me one day and told me that she thought Haley suffered from "test anxiety." Her teacher said she would go over material with Haley and was sure Haley knew the material, but when it was presented to her as a test, Haley would get nervous and go completely blank. So, to make a long story short, Haley then started going to another room for her tests where she got to eat snacks while she was thinking, walk around the room, or do whatever she needed to do to relax herself. This made me laugh that she was allowed to do this, but it seemed to work. I was thinking she would never get over her test anxiety if she was getting this kind of treatment! (lol) And, even though testing did get better for Haley, taking tests were always a concern for her.

I fully believe that my children were created by God and were made just the way God wanted them to be! But, when Haley was growing up, I know that she felt "less than smart" sometimes. She struggled with school more than her sisters, and I know she noticed that. And, sometimes, I would wonder why she was wired this way, and what could we do to make things easier for her? But, Haley always worked very hard and did her very best. She was a smart girl but just had to work hard to get good grades. And, I knew that even in a class that was difficult for her, she was giving her best effort. That was all any parent could ever ask for!

I think Haley was a sophomore in college when she decided she wanted to become a teacher. She has worked really hard in a very difficult education program at Macon State. She received glowing reviews by her professors when she was evaluated in the classroom. One of her evaluators told her she was "born to be a teacher!" Wow. How cool is it to find out what you were truly born to do!? When Haley told me this, I thought back to her classroom struggles.

I now see that when Haley has her own student who doesn't "get" math, she will truly know that it is not lack of effort but lack of understanding. Or when a child struggles with "test anxiety," Haley will see this and be able to say "I was just like you when I was your age." Sometimes kids just need someone to make a connection and accept them just the way they are. And, Haley does this with kids! With her living in Warner Robins, she will be teaching a lot of military kids. Military kids come with challenges because they move a lot. Or, these kids have emotional issues and sadness when daddy or mommy get deployed. Haley will be a very patient, kind, and kindred soul for these kids. And, I see God's calling on her life to be used in this way.

When I watched Haley walk across the stage and receive her diploma, I felt very proud of her accomplishment. But, I also felt amazed by what she has to offer the world. God has a plan and a purpose. And, Haley was created for His plan and purpose. During the times when Haley was struggling in school, God was preparing her to teach kids who will be struggling in school. But Haley has always given her best effort, and I think she will expect her students to give their best efforts as well. She will be a magnificent teacher! And, even better, she is an amazingly sweet and wonderful person!

I am thankful that Haley's sisters and I were able to share in her special day!

Hannah, Me (Mom), Hadrian, Haley, and her husband, Austin

My Girls - Hannah, Hadrian, and Haley

Me and Haley! : )

Part 2 - Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome

2010-04-18T13:08:00.005-04:00

Well, Hadrian has been resting her legs for about three weeks now. She doesn't feel that resting is doing her one bit of good. So, we were hoping to get a second opinion from a doctor who might be a little bit more aggressive with treatment.

Friday, we saw Dr. Cullen with Georgia Sports Medicine. He told us that for Hadrian to rest for six weeks waiting to see if there is any improvement is a total waste of time (which we were feeling!) He said after six weeks of rest, there would be an absolute zero chance of seeing improvement. He said after resting her legs for six months, there might be a twenty percent chance of seeing improvement. But, Hadrian is in a time crunch. Next year is her senior year. Waiting around doesn't do her a bit of good since she wants to try to rehabilitate back to play club and high school soccer again.

Dr. Cullen totally agreed with Dr. Traub on the diagnosis of the "dreaded" compartment syndrome. He was so sure that he didn't feel the need to put Hadrian through the testing which is very painful in itself. So, yay for that! He said that all of her muscle compartments are involved which means more extensive surgery and a bigger incision. And, he thinks she needs to have surgery right away. Ok! This is what Hadrian wanted to hear!

So, the surgery date is April 29! She will have surgery on a Thursday, and must stay home for ten days. After ten days, she should be able to walk on crutches and get back to school. Dr. Cullen told Hadrian that this will not be a pleasant experience, and there is a risk of cutting nerves during surgery which could cause problems later. But, the chances for a full recovery are 80 percent. Eighty percent, hhmmmm. Not perfect, but Hadrian wants to take the chance. Really, what choice does she have?

They will cut both her legs like the picture shows. They cut into some muscle, so therefore, it can be very painful after the surgery. Hadrian is just really glad she will be asleep! : ) I am wondering if we can keep her asleep for the ten days following surgery! ; )

So, we will be preparing for surgery! I will move Hadrian's stuff to our guest bedroom downstairs, and she will be busy getting things in order at school so she won't fall too far behind. There is never a good time to fit in a surgery, but we will just have to make it work. I think we are ready to just dive in and get it over with! We will keep you posted!

Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome

2010-03-24T18:14:00.006-04:00

Ever since high school soccer season started this spring, Hadrian has been having excruciating pain in her lower legs. I kept listening to her compaints, and kept thinking hhhmmmm. Ok, Hadrian. I took her seriously, but at the same time, I am thinking these are some really weird symptoms you are having! I was hoping her legs might just heal on their own. You know, one of those miracle cures where it just suddenly all feels better! The sports trainer at school has been working with her. She has been getting stretched, and pulled, and massaged, and taped and iced all through the day at school. All by our young, amazingly cute, sports trainer. It has been making me wonder if she wasn't somehow enjoying this pain!? : )

But, watching her play soccer has just about been too much for me. Grayson was playing Parkview (biggest game of our season!) and Hadrian played so hard - all the while dying!! I could tell every single minute of the game was pure torture because her legs were hurting so very badly, but she played right through the pain. And, she played amazingly well. What a girl! I love her for being such a trooper!!

Well, we had an appointment scheduled yesterday with the sports doctor. The PA first came in and checked her out, and he said he had seen this problem only once before in a girl who had sickle cell anemia. And, since Hadrian doesn't have sickle cell anemia, he wasn't sure if he was correct with his diagnosis, so he went to get the real doctor.

Well, Dr. Traub agreed with the PA, but he wanted to test Hadrian. She had to run until the pain started (which took all of 2 minutes), and then he checked her again. He said her legs were so swollen on the inside after two minutes of running that there was no doubt in his mind that she has the dreaded compartment syndrome. Usually, making this diagnosis is very difficult. It usually takes test after test after test, and they usually stick needles with measuring instruments in your legs to check the pressure in the compartments. But, Hadrian didn't need any of the tests! The reason this is so hard to diagnose is because the legs look perfectly normal on the outside but they swell on the inside. But, it is good we got a definitive diagnosis immediately so we know what we are dealing with here.

Since this is such an uncommon condition, let me explain. Muscles are enclosed within a tight tissue called a fascia. Normally, the fascia has enough extra room to allow the muscle to function without a problem. With Hadrian, her fascia is too tight, and it constricts the muscle during activity. This stops the blood flow to the muscle. The lack of blood flow causes ischemia which is the same phenomenon as a heart attack. So, just as a heart attack causes chest pain, this lack of blood flow in the legs causes severe leg pain.

So, Hadrian has to completely rest her legs for six weeks while taking anti-inflammatories. We will see if this helps. If not, we move on to surgery which is called a fasciotomy. Dr. Traub thinks he has performed two of these in his entire 14 year career. Seriously?!

Well, there is never a dull moment around our house. Always something happening, or in this case, not happening. No soccer for six weeks?! What will we do?!

Busy Week for the Plott's

2010-03-08T10:51:00.016-05:00

This is everybody who was at the wedding!

Including pastor, sound man, and a dear sweet family (the Jackson's) who helped Haley with the entire wedding! Haley's best friend from high school was there (Amanda), and her best friend from college (Magnificent Michelle). Bryan and me and Austin's family!

The Newly Weds!!

Haley is ready to walk down the isle!!

Marriage License

The wedding was absolutely beautiful! Haley and I, and a few others, went to the church about 1 p.m. on Friday. We decorated and set everything up. Then, it was time to get ready! We all got dressed in the Bridal Room, and we were ready for pictures at 6 p.m. Well, Haley's dad, Bryan, was running late getting there, so the photographer did as many pictures as she could before hand, but we held off on family pictures until after the wedding. The wedding was scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Bryan called and told us he had been stuck in horrible traffic near the Atlanta Motor Speedway. It was race weekend, and he had not allowed extra time for that! So, late he was!! He didn't get to the wedding until after 7:30, and he still had to change clothes. The wedding started about 7:45 - finally! whew!

Haley had been so calm until her dad was late, and then she started stressing a bit. But, we calmed her down and assured her everybody would stay as long as it took to see this wedding take place. Austin didn't see Haley on Friday until she walked down the isle in her beautiful dress. And, she had something old (old handkerchief from a family friend), something new (her dress), something borrowed (earrings from her friend, Michelle) and something blue (garter). It was the perfect wedding for Haley and Austin! And, they left Saturday night for Las Vegas. I am still in Warner Robins house sitting, but I will be leaving this afternoon. The newlyweds are having a great time and will be home on Wednesday.

I don't think I followed up with Hadrian's DECA competition. She finished 8th in the state. She was very disappointed that she didn't make it to nationals, but I think it is amazing to finish in the top ten in the state!! There are so many kids that get weeded out in county and regional competitions that it is amazing to even make it to the state competition. And, she is only a junior, so she can compete again next year if she chooses. Hadrian said the DECA competition is by far the most intense and amazing thing she has ever done! She was pumped just to make it through it! There were written tests, memorization, two presentations, and of course, being drilled by different panels of judges about her marketing plan. She said the judges seemed really impressed, so that is why she was hopeful about going to nationals. But, I am thrilled for her because this is such an amazing accomplishment! Hannah said that after her DECA competitions, public speaking became SO much easier. Presentations in college are a breeze after going through that!

Hannah is finally on her way to Haiti! If you are on facebook, you have been following the updates. But, I have some dear friends who read my blog that are not on facebook. So, sorry if this is a repeat! Hannah's group arrived at the airport early (5 a.m.) on Saturday morning. Their direct flight into Haiti was delayed due to mechanical problems with the plane. And, after waiting for about two hours, the announcement was made that the mechanics considered the plane "unsafe" to fly, so the flight was cancelled. Well, thank you Lord that they did not take off in a plane that had major issues!! But, there was not another flight scheduled for Haiti until Wednesday! So, they were scrambling for an alternate plan.

The group came home from the airport on Saturday, spent the night at home, and left extremely early for the airport again on Sunday morning! This time they got on a plane, flew into Miami, and had plans to catch a connecting flight to the Dominican Republic from Miami. Well, they get to Miami, and the airlines (American Airlines) cancelled the flight to the Dominican for no apparent reason. So, they spent the entire day and night in Miami.

Around 10 a.m. this morning, Hannah called and said they were finally boarding a plane to fly into the Dominican Republic. When they landed in the Dominican, they will be taking a bus ride to a smaller airport in the Dominican. And, then they will be taking a little plane, called the turtle, over to Haiti. They should finally be in Haiti around 5 p.m. today. I just hope the traveling goes smoothly today!!! They are already two days late getting there! But, we are trusting that God is in control and He knows best about the details of this trip!

So, these are our family updates for now. More to follow soon! : )

From Plott to Walker

2010-02-28T22:19:00.003-05:00

Big News from the Plott House!!!

HALEY IS GETTING MARRIED . . . . . . . . . ON FRIDAY NIGHT! You may ask why have I not shared this wonderful news before now? Well, it is because I have only known this piece of wonderful news for a really short time! I received a call from Haley, and she told me she had really big news. She and Austin were getting married . . . in 16 days! After I picked myself up off the floor, she proceeded to tell me they were getting married at the church, with their pastor, with only family in attendance. They are having a real wedding, complete with wedding attire, bouquets, unity candle, photographer, etc. and the only people who will be there will be her dad and I. Austin's parents will be there along with his brother. And, Haley's true friend, the magnificent Michelle, will be there as a friend and as the wedding helper!

Haley and Austin seem really excited. They had already planned a trip to Las Vegas the following week for spring break, so now the Vegas vacation will actually be a honeymoon. I thought it would be a fun idea for them to just get married in Vegas, but that idea was vetoed (ha). They didn't want a Vegas wedding, so they are getting married the Friday night before they leave on Saturday. Haley has soccer teams to coach on Saturday before they can actually leave. They are fitting this in around all of their regular commitments. Hannah will not be able to be there because she will be flying out to Haiti early Saturday morning, and Hadrian has a big high school soccer game on Friday night. So, even Haley's sisters cannot be there!

There will be pictures and a videotape of the "I do's." So, I will post some things as soon as I can after the big moment!

There are reasons that the wedding is happening this way, and they all make perfect sense. In fact, I think Haley and Austin have come up with the absolute perfect wedding plan! Without disclosing the situations that have led to this (Haley can share if she wants to), I must say that Haley and I have talked about how we are really at peace with doing the wedding this way. It is not what either of us had envisioned for her wedding day, but we know it is the right thing to do at this point in time. Haley and Austin will celebrate with friends at a later date.

So, I am the mother of the bride. My firstborn child is marrying. And, I know she has found the right mate. If I could handpick Haley's husband, Austin would be it. He is truly her completer and has the qualities I feel she needs for balance in her life. So, what a true blessing it is to feel good about the decisions Haley is making! I couldn't be happier for these two kids!!

So, Friday night, I will be in Warner Robbins at my daughter's wedding! This still just hasn't quite sunk in yet. But, let me just say, that this has been the most stress-free wedding I could have ever imagined. I can just show up and savor the moment. How truly cool is that!??!

State Competition

2010-02-24T14:29:00.002-05:00

Hadrian is heading downtown Atlanta tomorrow for the State DECA competition. She and her group will be presenting their marketing plan for a local restaurant in Grayson. This is a fantastic accomplishment to make it to the state level! Hadrian is following in Hannah's footsteps. Hannah made it to the state level and then advanced to the national competition when she was in high school.

Grayson High School has an amazing marketing program under the direction of Mr. Bob O'Keefe. Hannah took sports marketing in high school which got her involved in DECA. Through DECA, Hannah gained valuable marketing and business skills along with leadership and community service. Now, a few years later, Hannah has gone back to her sports marketing roots and has decided for this to be her major in college. I have mentioned before that Hannah is doing an internship now for the Gwinnett Gladiators and is loving it! She is now getting to drive the big Zamboni and shooting tee shirts to the fans! I want to do that!! How cool!

Well, Hannah has never left the Grayson DECA program. Even after she graduated from high school, she still volunteers with this group. She helps the kids prepare/tweak their presentations for competitions. And, she was recently a judge at the County DECA competition. Mr. O'Keefe asked Hannah to travel to the state competition tomorrow and help out. After re-arranging her schedule, Hannah will be there! She will coach the kids on things they must do to impress the judges! Being that Hadrian is in the competition, I am glad Hannah will be there. Hannah will make sure Hadrian is focused and doesn't miss her presentation time. lol

Hadrian is taking fashion marketing this year at school. Her power point/marketing presentation was picked to be the "one" to show each day at school advertising Prom Faire. Prom Faire is a group that sells prom dresses. I am so proud of Hadrian on this wonderful accomplishment! : ) Very impressive!

Anyway, I wish Hadrian and Hannah the best of luck tomorrow at the State DECA competition! Getting past the nerves is half the battle! It is a very scary thing stepping on that stage with a panel full of judges staring you down! So, I will be praying for Hadrian to remain calm so she can do her thing! And, it is a good thing I won't be there. I would be too nervous to watch!

Happy 17th Birthday Hadrian!

2010-02-16T23:57:00.002-05:00

My third child, yes, my baby daughter, is turning 17 today! Somehow it just doesn't seem possible. She is the kid who jumps in my bed and says she is going to snuggle with her mom tonight! And, I say yay!! And, then she wants to be tickled from head to toe. I love the "tickle my brain" please! She is the kid who sleeps with her cell phone in her hand and I swear, she text messages all through the night. She surely can't be conscious while she is doing this!

There is just never a dull moment with Hadrian. You never know what she will want or do next!

I received this text message from her while she was at school today. Copying exactly:

Pick me up at three thirty. With my kfc clothes. Shirt. Black jacket. Name tag. Hat. Pants. I have my black belt. Socks-ankle. Shoes. Please. Oh, and bring a little towel. Wash cloth.

A little bit later:

Oh, and dry my pants for fifteen minutes.

And, a little bit later:

And, face wash. There's some orange stuff in my bathroom.

I am just shaking my head thinking seriously??!! So, what do I do but gather up everything she needs and am sitting in the parking lot at 3:30!

Or, it is the text that says the foreign exchange student did the funniest thing!

Or, it is the text that says "I hate school. Please check me out!"

Or, I feel sick. Please bring medicine.

And, on and on. All through the day. You just never know what is coming next from her!

But, she brings so much joy and laughter to me! And, her sisters love the little twisted sister to pieces! The baby of the entire family for SO many years, the baby of all the grandchildren, MY baby, is seventeen today! Unbelievable!!

I thank God every day for her! : )

Hannah to Haiti

2010-01-30T20:43:00.007-05:00

Hannah has been planning her spring break week for a good while now. Last year, Hannah and her good friend, Leslie, went to Florida together for spring break. This year, Leslie is attending college in Hawaii. So, the spring break plan for this year was for Hannah to fly to Hawaii and spend the week with Leslie. Hawaii!! Wow!! I have been feeling so excited for Hannah to be able to spend her spring break week in such a glorious place! How often do you have a friend living in Hawaii and have an apartment to live in for a week? Hannah worked at Belk over Christmas break to earn the money to buy her airline ticket. The plans were made, the airline ticket was almost purchased, and Hannah was getting geared up for a wonderful week!

Then, the earthquake happened in Haiti. Obviously, devastating!!

Hannah came to me and said, "mom, instead of going to Hawaii, I want to go to Haiti and spend the week doing what I can to help the people there." I said, "seriously, Hannah?" But, I know Hannah has a heart for mission work and she has a genuine desire to help other people. So, I am really not surprised that this is how she wants to spend her spring break. She spoke to Leslie about her change of plans, and of course, Leslie is excited about her trip to Haiti as well.

Hannah has formed a group on facebook, so please join her group!
http://www.facebook.com/?filter=app_2361831622#/group.php?gid=271702294755

A few people have asked me if I am not worried because it seems really dangerous in Haiti right now. But, I have to trust that God will show His favor and protect this group that will be ministering to hurting people in His name. And, I know that Hannah is doing something she loves and desires to do.

So, off to Haiti she will go!

Hannah finished her fall semester at Georgia State by making her usual ho-hum straight A's. And, she has some really exciting things coming up this semester! She is now planning a month to study abroad in Argentina! I am sure I will be posting blogs about that!

Hannah is majoring in sports marketing, and she will be starting an internship this week with the Gwinnett Gladiators! She will be working the rest of the home games, so if anyone goes to support the Gladiators, look for Hannah!

Hannah has also been volunteering her time with the DECA club at Grayson High School. She just chaperoned a retreat this past weekend, and she was a judge this week for the regional DECA competition. DECA was a very important part of Hannah's high school experience as she went to National competition her senior year.

Hannah is an amazing young lady, and I am so proud of her! Please keep her in your prayers for her trip to Haiti from March 6-12th.

A Day with Alaina

2010-01-22T17:04:00.020-05:00

Yesterday, Hannah and I were allowed to babysit sweet little Alaina! So, in hopes that we might someday be asked to babysit again, we wanted to prove that we are worthy to take on the job! Hannah forfeited a day of study to hang out with her little cousin, and for those of you that know Hannah, you know that she wouldn't do that for just anybody.

And, now that Alaina is crying after her mommy, hopefully Sarah can see that Alaina was just fine while she was gone.

We made sure she was well fed!

Aunt Becky changed all the diapers. It was my lucky day! No poopy ones!

Hannah allowed Alaina to body surf on the table. We are not sure her parents allow this. but they were not there, so . . . . once won't hurt!

Hannah swinging Alaina!

Alaina seriously loved the blinds! Don't worry! We didn't allow her to tear them up!

Alaina loved Hannah's glasses. So, Hannah let her wear them. We are sure there is no permanent damage to her eyes.

Alaina showed us her new trick! She is seriously thinking about doing some crawling!

Hannah has it figured out! When the baby sleeps, she sleeps!

Aunt Becky and Alaina had some seriously fun bonding time!!

And, this is the most scrumptious dessert ever! This is Sarah's specialty, and she made it just for her babysitters! If this is how she pays her babysitters, hey, we are in! Just call us anytime! : )

The Piercing

2010-01-15T13:57:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago, Hadrian announced to me that it was time for a new piercing. And, I am thinking surely not! Just how many holes does any one girl need in her ear? Well, she decided on a Friday night that she wanted the piercing done that night. So, I am working in the house, and the longer I work, the more she pouts. It had to be done that night! And, being the wonderful mother that I am, I gave in to her pouting episode, and stopped what I was doing. So, we both get in the car, and we are off to the tattoo parlor!

On the way, I am telling her that I don't care if her ear falls off, she is not to whine or complain to me about any pain. And, I was not going to watch the torture, either! I had witnessed all of her other piercings, one painful little pierce at a time. But, I was not going to watch this one because this one surely had to hurt like no other!

Well, we drove to a reputable tattoo parlor. I know it is reputable because we used to pass it every day, and they always had business out the kazoo. So, I figured it must be a good place; otherwise, they would have no customers, right? On the way, I am telling Hadrian that I surely hoped I didn't see anyone I knew because this is just normally not my scene.

We get there, Hadrian discusses with them what she wants to do, and I sign my life away because they surely can't puncture underaged kids without parental permission! While we are doing this, I was trying to ignore the screams coming from a room in the back.

I told them that Hadrian had to come just that night to get her piercing and couldn't wait. And, they told me that this is normal. That once you get it in your mind that you want a piercing, you have to do it right away or the feeling goes away and you lose your nerve. So, it was perfectly normal for her to force me to come that very night. Oh, so there is a psychological side to getting piercings. I wasn't aware!

We get done with all of this, and I turn around only to see someone I know! How nice that we bumped into each other at the tattoo parlor! Tom was there to get more ink, but I had to assure him that I wasn't getting any ink. This was Hadrian's deal!

So, I settle into watching tv and watched the streams of people coming through the door. I discovered that tattoo parlors are really busy on a Friday night! They must make some serious money in that place!

Well, Hadrian went back alone, and she finally came back out with her new piercing! We loved the guy who did her piercing. He was very knowledgeable and had a great personality. And, he told me he knew just the right place to pierce so he wouldn't hit a nerve that could cause serious damage. Seriously?! He tells me this after the piercing? But, if anyone needs a good piercer, we highly recommend this guy!

I had to stop by Kohl's on the way home, and all the way there, Hadrian is telling me she thinks her ear is filling up with blood. Well, isn't it convenient that Kohl's now has the makeup department and they just happened to have a stash of Q-tips sitting on the counter. So, while I am looking at the jewelry, Hadrian is standing in Kohl's swabbing massive amounts of blood out of her ear right in the midst of Christmas shoppers. Gross! I was truly hoping that no one caught on that she was with me. : )

Amazing Transformation

2010-01-13T00:39:00.003-05:00

I write this post out of love for my youngest daughter. I have to say that she is absolutely perfect just the way she is. But, the way she is can be a bit frustrating at times. Just ask her sisters! And, keep in mind that she is the baby of the bunch and a whole 4 1/2 years younger than Hannah.

Well, Hadrian walks into the house, and leaves a trail. Her shoes fly off and go just wherever they land. She drops her school books, her purse, her keys, and whatever else she has with her. There is never any rhyme or reason to where she might drop or throw her stuff. We have found things in the darndest places. And, she can never find things, either! I have always said that if her body parts were not attached, we would surely be in trouble. I can't tell you how many phone calls I have received through the years saying "Mom, can you bring my ??" Just fill in the blank. And, I would always take whatever she had forgotten to the school because I surely wouldn't want her to suffer. : )

Not only this, but her room has been filled with science projects. We find her food wrappers and popsicle sticks all over the house. I think you get the picture. Her sister, Hannah, who is Miss Totally Neat has tried to tell her all about the error of her ways, but that has always gone in one ear and out the other. Hannah just cleans up after her and goes on. This totally makes Hadrian become much more responsible! : )

Well, Hadrian announced during the summer that she was going to find a job. After her sisters stopped laughing and telling her that there is no way she could work, and go to school, and play club soccer, and keep up with her homework, and fit in her extremely busy social life, she did just what she wanted to do and found a job! It took a few months with the job market, but she finally landed her first job at KFC. Yes, this is Kentucky Fried Chicken. I am thinking to myself that she will be lucky to make it a month before she declares she hates it and decides that it is too much work.

Well, let me just say, that Hadrian is not only working 20 hours a week, but she is doing it with absolute brilliance. She is earning her gas money and her own spending money. She has been there almost 6 months, and is doing a fantastic job! The district managers recently stood outside at the drive thru menu and listened to her take orders for a while without her knowing. And, the managers told her she is a wonderful representative of KFC and gave a great first impression to customers! You go girl! : )

Not only the new job, but Hadrian started a new club soccer team at the same time. Her coach literally runs them to death. She would have soccer practice three nights a week (driving an hour each way), and they would always run 4 or more miles each night. Exhausting. She lost about 15 pounds through soccer season from all the running. But, she is lean and mean, let me say.

And, then we still had to do schoolwork and homework. I figured her grades would tell the real tale about taking on a job. But, I got her first semester report card today, and she maintained all A's and B's while taking honors classes. Woo Hoo! She has a 3.5 gpa which is fantastic considering how much she really hates to study.

I am so impressed! She also maintained her social life even though her weekends were filled with soccer games and work schedules. She now even has new friends from KFC who she really enjoys hanging out with.

Who is this kid? The totally irresponsible child has turned into an amazingly responsible young lady! What a miracle! : )

But, let me just say that I love Hadrian when she is irresponsible and I love her when she is responsible. She is a gift from God whom I love unconditionally. And, she brings me so much joy!!

And, to be honest, she kind of reminds me of me when I was her age. I am sure my mom remembers more than a few trails through her house as well!

Welcome 2010 Part 4

2010-01-04T21:49:00.009-05:00

More Blessings from 2009!

Pa and Babelle have five grandchildren, but the group just keeps growing!

The guys in the back are Daniel, Adam, and Austin

The girls are Stevie, Hadrian, Sarah (holding Alaina), Haley, Hannah
My girls, of course, are Haley, Hannah, and Hadrian
Haley has added Austin to the group!

Hannah and Hadrian do not have a significant other just yet! But, there is still plenty of time for that!!
Joy has Sarah and Daniel

Sarah has added husband Adam and Baby Alaina to the clan!
Daniel is engaged to Stevie - they are getting married in April

Let me just say that all of these kids LOVE each other and enjoy family gatherings SO much! It is always special when they can all be together!

OUR FAMILY IS RICHLY BLESSED WITH HEALTHY, WONDERFUL KIDS

Thanksgiving Day at Joy's House

Four generations

Babelle (mom), Joy, Sarah, and Alaina

I finally found the picture of Pa and Alaina

The first time they met!

Alaina couldn't take her eyes off of her Pa!

Welcome 2010 Part 3

2010-01-03T19:17:00.000-05:00

Continuing on with the best blessings of 2009!

I think no one in our family would argue about the greatest blessing of the year! Our sweet Alaina Brooke was born on July 31st! She is now 5 months old! She is absolutely perfect and sweet and beautiful in every way! Our family really needed something of this magnitude this past year to get us excited about life again! My niece, Sarah, had a great delivery, and she and Adam are doing a fantastic job with parenting! They are such a sweet little family unit!

I have to share about the first time Alaina met her great grandpa (my dad). We all thought she might be a bit afraid of him because he is laying down in bed and has oxygen hoses, etc. But, let me say, she looked up at her Pa and smiled, and if she could have talked, she would have given him an ear full! It was almost as if she was telling him that she was SO glad to finally meet her Pa! Alaina and Pa bonded right away and you could tell by Alaina's sweet expression that she was feeling the love for her Pa! It was priceless! You had to be there, but this was a magical moment and definitely one of the highlights of my year!

Alaina is definitely a gift from God to our family! And, what a blessing she is and always will be!

Adam, Sarah, and Alaina Emmett

Welcome 2010 Part 2

2010-01-02T21:30:00.003-05:00

Me, Melinda, Camille, and Mary Clare

I am continuing with my favorite blessings for 2009! There were SO many blessings, I could create blogs for a good while!

I have some really special college friends from my days spent at Berry College. We only get together once or twice a year, but it is always great catching up! This is a picture of us having lunch at Longhorn Steak House just last week.

These ladies are spiritual, smart, and live their lives with integrity and grace. I am honored to know them!

Me with Jane

I went to Brevard College my freshman year of college. I had a wonderful roommate, but neither of us went back to Brevard after that year. We connected for lunch in September near Orlando. This is the first time we had seen each other since 1980! This was really strange because the last time we saw each other we were teenagers, and now we are middle-aged women! This was one of the highlights of my year! : )

Welcome 2010

2010-01-01T21:36:00.000-05:00

Well, the new year has finally arrived! I have been ready to kiss 2009 goodbye for a while now. Even though 2009 was a year full of challenges, I have also had many things to be thankful for!

A few of my favorite blessings for 2009:

I have SO enjoyed reading the blogs of my niece, Sarah, and my friend, Amy. They each have baby girl's who are about the same age, and they are sharing all about their little sweethearts on their blogs. It is easy to get hooked into watching Alaina and Libbi grow and change so quickly! The "Not Me" Mondays are the best! New blog postings always brighten my day!

Spending time with my precious great niece, Alaina, is always a blessing. She is now 5 months old. I could just inhale her! : )

Living with Hadrian is such a joy! She is always loving me and making sure I am happy. And, she expects me to always love her and make sure she is happy, as well! : ) And, sometimes, that takes a lot. (ha) She is definitely one of a kind. But, she makes my days interesting. And, interesting days are a very positive thing when there aren't many positive things going on!

Having Hannah living at home and commuting to Georgia State is a real treat. She is always helpful, and she keeps me in line! She pushes me to keep moving forward even when I don't feel like it. And, I have my own personal laundress! I always put the clothes in the washing machine, and she always moves them along to the dryer and then folds or hangs them when they are dry! And, let me just add that when Hannah folds clothes, they are perfect! If there should ever be a contest for folding clothes, she would win first prize! She saves me from putting a load of clothes in the washer and leaving it sitting in there for days before ever thinking about it again. (I have done this ONLY a few times - ha) How wonderful is it to have help like this?! Hannah is a true blessing.

Even though Haley doesn't live at home, she never forgets about her mom. She is so great to call me every day to check up on things. She is always concerned and lets me know that she cares about me. I miss her very much, but it makes her absence so much easier when she makes the effort to connect! And, it makes me feel much better knowing that her boyfriend, Austin, takes good care of her while she is living in a town without her family. Austin's family has been great to take Haley right in! This eases my mind knowing she is surrounded by good people (and two good dogs - ha). Haley has carried me through this difficult year by allowing me to cry and talk things out with her. She is definitely the caretaker of the family which is a big burden to carry for a 23 year old. What an amazing child!

I have loved every precious moment spent with my mom, dad, sister, and her family! Nothing compares to the love I feel for my family! They are true examples of unconditional love, and I couldn't make it right now without them. I can't even begin to describe how much they have helped me get through the year. And, this past year, they gave and gave and gave so that my girls and I were taken care of. How could anything compare to having a supportive family?

Well, these are just a few of the amazing blessings I have in my life. There has been so much to be thankful for in the midst of the most difficult year of my life! I have many more blessings that I could share about, but these will have to wait!

Welcome 2010!!
Becky

Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T22:26:00.000-05:00

Well, this is one different Christmas Eve for me. I think this is the first time ever that I have been sitting at home on Christmas Eve. Our family has always been in Blairsville in years past, but not this year. With the girls having work schedules this holiday season, it is hard getting everybody in sync with days off. We already celebrated our family Christmas by going down to Byron to Haley's house this past Sunday. She and Austin cooked a lovely dinner on Sunday night, and we opened presents and had fabulous family time! We needed to do something different this year, and this was a great plan. I have always felt that Christmas should be celebrated when the entire family can be together - no matter what day it is.

My girls and I will be heading up to Blairsville on Saturday to celebrate Christmas with my parents and my sister's family on Sunday. There is nothing that compares to going "home" for Christmas. My mom has already started cooking, and she feeds us SO well! I can't wait for the feast! : ) But, the most important thing is that we will all be there together. What a blessing that will be!

This is the first time to see my family since the decision was made to end my marriage. They have been amazingly supportive. There are no words to describe how much I appreciate my parents and my sister's family. Without their love and support, I could not get through each day. My fear is that I will melt like a snow man when I see them. I have tried hard to hold back the tears, but I am afraid the flood gates may open!

I was reading a Joyce Meyer book the other night, and I was reminded that Paul did not pray for people to be spared trials or troubles. Instead, he prayed for people to see what God has already done. He also prayed that they would be able to endure whatever they encountered, they would live in the power of the Spirit, they would be steadfast, and they would be walking testimonies of God's grace.

This is my prayer for myself. Since losing a job, our family business, our home, and my marriage, all in one year, I think it is a bit late to be spared trials and troubles. But, in the midst of my trials and troubles, I see what God has already done. And, God is giving me the strength to endure and hold on. And, through God's grace, my troubles are becoming my testimony. Even though I may not understand the purpose of everything happening, I believe wholeheartedly that God has a purpose. Shattered dreams are never random.

I wish all of my friends and family a very Merry Christmas! And, on a random note, I heard on the radio today that only 44 percent of 10 year olds know that Christmas is the birthday of Jesus Christ. Wow! That means that the families of 56 percent of these kids do not know the true meaning of Christmas. My Christmas prayer is for these kids to come to know Jesus on Christmas Day.

Becky

Protect What You Already Own

2009-12-12T22:10:00.000-05:00

I have been one of the worst bloggers ever this year! My posts have been very sporadic and few and far between. I guess the condition of my blogging reflects the condition of my life right now. Disheartened and disappointed are two words that immediately come to mind. I keep thinking of an Amy Grant song that she wrote while going through her divorce:

I give you my heart broken and bruised
But still beating strong and wanting to trust you

etc. etc.

I will be faithful
Help me be strong
'Cause you will protect what you already own
You still protect what you already own

I am trusting God right now to protect what He already owns.

More to come later! Hopefully, I will do better! : )

My Little Family

2009-09-08T23:07:00.000-04:00

I have always enjoyed seeing little people stuck on vehicle windows which represent the family that owns the car. Apparently, I oohed and aahed so much over these little people, that my girls picked up the hint and surprised me with a set this past Christmas. I was SO excited when I saw them! I couldn't wait to put them on my van!

You can see that the Daddy has tools and is wearing a tool belt (just like our daddy), and the Mommy is carrying a shopping bag (which is something this mommy loves to do!), the first girl child is holding an apple and a book which represents a teacher (Haley is majoring in education), the second girl is wearing a whistle which represents coaching and refereeing (Hannah does both), and the third girl is dressed like a soccer player (Hadrian is actively playing soccer), and then the sweet little cat represents our family pet, Scooter.

Well, this past weekend, our van was at Disney World in Orlando. We had to laugh at how amused people were with our little family. No matter where we went, foreign people would walk by our van and carry on conversations while pointing and looking at us. (By us, I mean our family stuck on the car). Of course, we had no idea what they were saying, but it was obvious they were chatting about our little family. The entire weekend, people were continually talking about us! Have people never seen these before? I am not sure what was so amusing, but it became amusing to us that people were so amused! I felt like we had a marked car!

One day, Hadrian and I were literally run down by a car at a redlight in Snellville. This lady was frantically yelling and waving at us! I finally rolled down my window only to find out that she wanted to know where we found our little people! Good grief! I thought something was terribly wrong for her to be so determined to get our attention! Well, we yelled at her that they were purchased "on line" just as the light changed and we all had to take off. Hadrian and I got a kick out of that.

Well, I love my little family stuck on my car. So, if you see us driving down the road, just honk and wave! We may not realize who you are, but we will realize that you know who we are by our little family stuck on our car! : )

The Task at Hand

2009-09-01T20:04:00.000-04:00

Wow, it has been over 5 months since my last blog! I just haven't felt like posting nor have I had much to say. I have been very focused on the task at hand. For the past months, I have been cleaning out about twenty years of clutter and memories. It is amazing how much stuff we have collected between Bryan, me, three girls, and our various pets. I think that I was so busy with family activities through the years, that I just didn't deal with things when I should have. I would put if off by sticking things in the attic or the basement until a better day came along to deal with it! Well, I have had 4+ months to clean out my home. I have gone through everything. I have taken loads to Goodwill, I have sold things, and I have thrown away a boat load of stuff. And, I have accumulated a trailer load of things to have a gigantic yard sale! Several loads of treasures have gone to that special storage unit in Blairsville called "mom and dad's house."

All the while I have been cleaning out our house, Bryan has had a business to clean out. He has taken an unbelievable number of "loads" to Blairsville to store at his mother's house and his own very special storage unit called "Mike's Barn." Bryan's family has worked their tails off helping him clean out the shop and move truckloads of equipment. Well, after nonstop work by the both of us, we are finally "officially" moved. Bryan is done with the business, and I am done with the house. We walked through our completely empty house late yesterday afternoon, and I must say that it was sad. I am so relieved that the moving is finally over - the chore has been an overwhelming process! But, the emotions have hit me over the past few days. All I have to do is think about my house, and the tears flow. I have been consumed with sadness.

While people tell me that a house is just a house, I am well aware that a house is simply a "thing." I know that I shouldn't worry about such trivial things in life. But, this house was my home. Bryan and I bought the spot for our house and held the property for several years before we ever started building "our" house. This gave us plenty of time to dream about it, have house plans drawn, and anticipate the day we could finally start building. Well, that day finally came, and Bryan worked during the day, and built the house at night and on the weekends. It was a whole family project. Everyone was involved. Bryan's sister, Lisa, laid our tile. She and Coot came down and helped us. Bryan's mother helped in so many ways, but her main contribution was our landscaping. She landscaped our yard, and it honestly looked like it should have been photographed for Southern Living magazine. My family helped out in too many ways to count. What amazing support we had! The house has been touched by everyone in our families! And, I couldn't go into any room without seeing Bryan's special touches. He built all of the windows to put into the house he built. I loved our house - it was perfect and it was in the perfect neighborhood. Even our home address was perfect! Our house number was 410 - the same as Bryan's birthday (4/10/60).

Well, as you read in my last post, our hut has been on fire - the business loss and ultimately the loss of our home. I have tried to stay positive and keep smiling over the past year when things ultimately "hit" the fan. God has a plan. If nothing else, I have learned how incredibly blessed I am. I knew it, but now, I REALLY know it!

I have a sister who knocked on my door and handed one of my kids an envelope with money in it. Joy has no idea that I literally did not know how we were going to eat that week. Or, I get to WalMart and find a hundred dollar bill in my purse - just after I visited her house. Joy's husband, Gary, has kept our cars running for us - saving us hundreds of dollars in repairs. My dear mother has spent entire Sunday's cooking fried chicken, baking cakes, and everything else imaginable. She would send it to us so that we would be fed for days. (And fed deliciously, I might add!) And, she just has a knack for knowing when I need grocery money. She goes without things so that my family is taken care of. And, my poor dad, from his hospital bed at home, will always hand me money just so I have a "little" running money in my purse. And, how amazing is it that my sister and my mom felt the need to fund school clothes for Hadrian. We all know that she is a diva who must be well dressed! Hadrian was really touched that they were concerned about her having new clothes.

Yes, our hut has been on fire. Our home was auctioned off today, but a house is just a thing. The fire has summoned the Grace of God to show us that we have family who loves us and supports us. So, how could I feel any more blessed?

When Your Hut's On Fire

2009-03-26T23:16:00.000-04:00

Our family and most of our friends know what my family has been through over the past year and a half. Bryan lost his business of about twenty years that he had put his sweat and blood into. This was very hurtful for him to have to "let go" employees that were loyal and faithful, and just good people. And, to be honest, they were family to Bryan. He has told me a couple of times that going to his shop and seeing the empty building almost makes him cry. He always thought that HE would decide when it was time to close the doors. But, the economy and the death of the building business decided for him that it was time to close the doors. So, we have had to accept this and try to move forward.

One day I was scanning through Craigs List and I ran across an interesting post in the "wanted" category. A gentleman had posted that he wanted anyone who was struggling with losing their material possessions to contact him. He just felt a need to share his story. He said he had never posted anything like this before, and I have never seen it since (even though I haven't really been looking for it). I thought "oh, great, this must surely be some kind of perverted weirdo, right?" But, I sent him an email and told him briefly about what was going on with my family, and he responded back with his story of loss. He (Mr. Dagel) was very encouraging and told us to walk away from it as quickly as possible and to get refocused on what God has planned for us. And, he sent me this little story that I have read several times over the past months when I needed to be reminded that God is in control.

When Your Hut's On Fire

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day, he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?" Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island. It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his 20 rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

The Moral of This Story: It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart because God is at work in our lives - even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

You never know who feels as if their hut is on fire today.

I will probably post more later about Mr. Dagel's words of wisdom.

Time Change

2009-03-12T22:56:00.000-04:00

The time change has been an adjustment this week. Isn't there something wrong with dropping your kids off at school when there is a big gigantic moon in the sky? The full moon has been beautiful, but it feels like the middle of the night when Hadrian goes to school in the mornings. She gets to school at 7 a.m. (if we are doing really well) - usually a few minutes later. It has been kind of funny watching the kids go into the school building this week. Most of them are literally sprinting so they won't be late. I think a lot of people might be having a hard time adjusting to the dark mornings!

Speaking of school and Hadrian, I must share about a wonderful award that Hadrian received last week. She was picked by the staff at Grayson High School to be the Sophomore Ram of the Month for February. I was pretty impressed since there are 861 sophomores to pick from! They pick 8 kids during the year - one for each month from September through April.

One of the reasons Hadrian was honored is because she made it to the state level of competition for the Governors Honors Program. We were so surprised that she made it past the regional level for GHP becasue there are SO many kids from Gwinnett County! One hundred kids were chosen to be interviewed at the state level, and they are picking only 14 of those kids in Hadrian's subject area of Business Management. Apparently, it is a big deal to advance this far as a Sophomore. Juniors are usually chosen for these slots. Hadrian has not heard if she made it through to the summer GHP program, but we are not really expecting it because she is just a 10th grader. But, we still are very, very, proud of our little princess!

There was an award ceremony at the school which I attended. I had to lie to Hadrian about why she was staying after school because they want the kids to be surprised. And, boy was she! She had no idea what was going on! And, now her picture will be plastered on the wall in the foyer of the school for her Respected Ram Award! : ) How embarrassing, huh?

One other note: Our Grayson Lady Rams varsity soccer team is undefeated this season! That may change after next week due to facing our two toughest opponents, but we are enjoying the season so far! Hadrian has been playing very well.

Speaking of proud, I have to mention how proud I am of Haley and Hannah and how hard they are working in school. They both are SO tired and SO ready to finish the semester, but they keep pushing forward! Hannah had spring break last week, and Haley has spring break this week. Maybe the short breaks will be enough for them to make it the rest of the way!

Well, I better go to bed since I have to wake up in the middle of the night to drive Hadrian in the morning! : )

Rejoining the Living

2009-03-01T22:21:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day in over three weeks that I have actually eaten food without being in severe pain or getting sick! Thank you, Jesus! Bryan brought me breakfast in bed this morning. He made me a pancake and a slice of bacon in hopes that I could actually eat today. It was delicious and I ate every bite. And, then I ate some pasta for dinner. Maybe I am finally getting better. This has been a very long three weeks - the sickest I have ever been with my Crohn's Disease. But, I know people have been praying for me to feel better, and today has been a turning point. Thank you very much for caring! I honestly feel like I have just rejoined the living.

I have had no cokes during this time - maybe it would be a good time to give these up permanently. : ( And, I have learned to like gatorade. I never drank it before I was sick, but I have had it every day since. I think it has saved me.

And, today was the most wonderful snow day! We just sat and watched the beautiful snow fall. The snow flakes were as big as goose feathers! This was the perfect snow. Fluffy and gorgeous, but gone in a day! I love to see one snow fall each winter, and then I am ready to move on to spring. I am thankful for the enjoyment my family received today from having snow! Haley even had snow all the way down in Warner Robins! She was so excited! But, Hannah totally missed it because she is in Florida for spring break. She is probably not really caring that she missed the snow since she is on the beach.

Today was a great day - feeling better and snow all in the same day. And, we had movie night at home tonight. Bryan, Hadrian, and I watched the Holiday. This was the first time we have seen it, and we enjoyed it.

Optimistic for better days this week . . .

The Big Flare Up

2009-02-08T23:10:00.000-05:00

On Monday night, I had a wonderful visit with two of my old college friends. First friend, Camille, was one of my roommates at Berry College. Camille flew here from California to visit with her family for a week. She now lives in the wonderful state known for its earthquakes, wildfires, and celebrity governor. Her job took her to California a few years back. She is a consultant with a fancy smancy title that I can't remember. But, the bottom line is that she is smart enough to interpret IRS tax codes for pension plans. Can you imagine? Just the thoughts of trying to interpret and implement any kind of IRS tax laws would make me run far far away as fast as I could. But, she is a rare breed with a rare job. I think she should just move back to Georgia and hang a shingle (she has a law degree). Well, maybe someday. It was so good to hear that her family is doing well.

Second friend, Mary Clare, was one of the first people I met at Berry College. She and I lived in the clinic together before we were given permanent housing. We actually slept in hospital beds which probably were more comfortable than the beds we eventually ended up with in the dorms. Mary Clare went to law school with Camille for a year. But, she then decided that instead of becoming a lawyer herself she would just marry a lawyer. You probably do not want to know her husband being that he is a federal prosecutor. She and prosecutor hubby have four children that keep Mary Clare very busy. They live in Alpharetta, and it was great catching up on her family as well.

The three of us ate at PF Changs at the Mall of Georgia on an extremely cold night. It was yummy!

And, then the dreaded flare up. I just haven't felt that well all of 2009. I have been very tired, have had oozy eyes, and I have been having more tummy problems than usual. The signs were there that a big one was coming. By Thursday, I was so sick! I should have gone to the hospital, but I was determined to deal with this at home. My last flare up cost me about $4,000 for a night in the hospital emergency room. So, not this time! Thursday night was absolutely miserable. I can't remember when I have had so much pain, and I had the dreaded night sweats. Other people with Crohn's Disease talk about these, but I have not had the privilege of experiencing night sweats until Thursday. And, I hope I never have to experience night sweats again! Good grief! Well, I lived through the night, but I am still trying to recover. It is now Sunday night, and I still have not eaten any solid foods. It will probably take at least several more days to be able to eat. And, my stomach continues to hurt so badly! Even though Crohn's people always have tummy problems, major flare ups just randomly happen. I believe the last major flare up I had was about three years ago. And, my dear sweet mom actually stayed with me and took care of our family until the crisis passed. My poor family didn't have the luxury of my mom's help this go round.

Poor Hadrian needed to buy a suit for her state governor's honors interview on Saturday. She drove me to Kohl's Friday night. I sat in the car in my pajamas while this poor baby went in Kohl's with my credit card and bought her a new suit all by herself. She did a fantastic job! And, Bryan had to drive her to the interview on Saturday because I wasn't able to go. And, the girls and Bryan have totally fed themselves for the past several days. And, they are alive and doing well. : ) And, not to mention that I haven't been able to work or go places. But, hopefully, we will get back to normal soon. (At least my special evening at PF Changs wasn't ruined)!

Things can only go up from here!

Addition to One Brave Chick

2009-01-18T16:40:00.000-05:00

If you choose to open this blog, you may have a problem seeing whole paragraphs. Well, just click on the last word that you see in each paragraph, and the rest of the paragraph will come up! Thanks!

One Brave Chick

2009-01-18T16:18:00.000-05:00

I want to share about a blog that I am following. I added the blog to my list if anyone is interested in checking it out. The author of this blog is definitely "one brave chick!"

I can't even remember how I first learned of the Schultz family. But, I have followed this mom for several years on her Caring Bridge website. As I told you before, I follow/have followed several kids over the years on Caring Bridge sites. Well, mom Katie Schultz, has had to live through more than most of us could bear. Katie has buried two beautiful baby daughters! She has mothered through two illnesses that ultimately took two of her precious children.

Katie is a wonderful writer who has shared the ups and downs of her journey. I have always enjoyed reading her posts! Katie has now founded an organization called "One Brave Chick" with two of her friends who are also very brave chicks.

Truly inspiring!!

Weary and Exhausted

2009-01-11T17:32:00.000-05:00

This is the second weekend in a row that I have hardly been able to get out of bed. My Crohn's Disease is doing a number on me right now. It frustrates me but there is not a lot I can do about it. I have to remind myself sometimes that this is normal for me. When I am feeling really down and out, I usually go to some websites and read about others with Crohn's. It just reaffirms that I am not losing my mind and others are experiencing the same thing.

From www.myheartties.com

Your Crohn's Disease Will Combine With Stress to Give You Fatigue

When you combine Crohn's Disease and stress, you get periods of fatigue. All of us with the disease go through it. It is a very important issue in our lives. People with Crohn's Disease often feel a weariness and an exhaustion, especially when we have a flare up. But even when we don’t have a flare up, our body is still fighting a war against the disease. It is in combat and that combat takes a lot of energy.

Well, it is taking a lot of energy alright! I have slept most of the weekend. And, not by choice. My joints hurt, my stomach hurts, and I can't stop the chills. Ugh!

I really want to be up doing things. Hadrian has wanted to go to the mall all weekend. But, she has totally given up on me! : ( The whole weekend has pretty much been a wash.

We are hoping for better days!

Follow Up

2009-01-02T21:10:00.000-05:00

Just a follow up to my blog yesterday. I am deeply saddened to tell you that Marin passed away this morning. This girl has amazed and inspired me.

On her website:

Dear Family, Friends, and all those who love and cherish our little Marin,

Marin passed away this morning. She was asleep, comfortable and finally out of pain. We will all miss her deeply. I will update in a few hours with more details.

It is with all your support that we are able to make it through this. We read Marin every message that was sent and I'm sure she heard all your prayers.

Marin Rose Morrison 6-19-90 through 1-2-09

Nancy, Matt, Camie, and Michael

I will be setting up a non-profit called the Marin Morrison fund. It will be an annual award of heroism along with a scholarship.

Our wishes are to have a service here in Seattle and web-cast it then fly her body down to Southern California to rest on a hill over looking the ocean.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/37018304.html

http://www.universalsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=13327&DB_OEM_ID=23000&ATCLID=1623375

http://www.komonews.com/news/27004534.html?video=YHI&t=a

2009 is finally here!

2009-01-01T23:09:00.001-05:00

2009! It is finally here! I think there are a lot of people ready to kiss 2008 goodbye. Our family is hoping 2009 is a year of positive change. We sometimes joked about how the year 2008 couldn't possibly get any worse. But, the realization is that things can always get worse! So, I am trying to focus on the positive things in our lives. And, when I sometimes slip back into my doom and gloom mode, I have to find a way to remind myself of all the blessings I truly have in my life.

I follow some Caring Bridge websites. These are websites of people (mainly kids) who are struggling daily with diseases and are in the fight of their lives. My kids know I always cry when one of these kids passes away. These amazing kids are such heroes. The strength these families show is nothing but miraculous. What could possibly be worse than watching your child suffer? Can you imagine the inner turmoil a parent must feel while watching their child leave this earth? No more suffering means losing your child. This has to be the hardest thing a person could ever live through.

One of the girls that I keep up with is Marin. I learned of her brain tumor several years ago while she was a student at Collins Hill High School. Her family moved to Washington state, but her friends and family keep up with her through her Caring Bridge site. She has suffered from a brain tumor for almost four years now. She was an awesome swimmer, and she actually got to participate in the Special Olympics in China just this past summer. I read this heartbreaking post made by her mother yesterday. Marin's time is almost up. I will copy and paste:

Our dear little Marin is still breathing yet slipping away slowly, hour by hour. Her pain medications have been over doubled in the last two days. She rarely opens her eyes yet when she does, she has looked at me with a lot of uncertainy and seems scared. I started thinking about Marin's journey she has had here on earth and what a glorious trip it has been and will be until the end. I then started thinking about the journey that she will have in heaven. Of course she is feeling scared. No one close to her has ever died. She feels she is going to be alone. I have been telling her about her relatives that have gone on to heaven and how they will be wating to meet her. I'm sure they have a lot of stories for her about when I was a little girl, etc.The best comfort I think I have given her is as always, Marin needs a goal or a job to do. I started thinking about what Marin's job in heaven could be, an the answer is obvious. Marin has always been Camie's guardian angel here on earth. Since Camie was a little girl, Marin looked out for her to make sure she was happy, safe, learning, etc. She always wanted the best for Camie and rejoiced in every accomplishment Camie received. Marin is going to be Camie's "coach" or guardian angel. Just like she has looked out for her here, Marin can guide Camie and coach her through her life journey. I talked with Marin about this and she instantly seemed to have more peace. Now she has her goal and work cut out for her. Marin is probably swimming the final race of her life and, as always, fighting really hard. Her strength is truely amazing, as any Olympian's strength would be.I ask for your prayers once again to give us, including all of you, strength to try to live as Marin has. With awesome strength, courage, hope, happiness, and pride.Happy New Year and remember to love those close to your heart.

My goodness! No problem in my life could ever compare to this! Things in life are that. . . just things. Losing a business, money, house, car, or any other worldly possession can never compare to the loss of a child.

My kids are healthy. Bryan and I are still kicking - which is good at our age. I still have my parents, my sister and her wonderful family, and extended family and friends. So, life is good. I just have to remind myself of that sometimes. I visit the Caring Bridge site about once a week to check in. I can't possibly do this and come away without feeling a little bit more grateful for what I have.

I am praying for Marin's family as they prepare for her journey to heaven.

And, I am praying for a better year for all in 2009.

Christmas is Over

2008-12-29T22:13:00.001-05:00

I have loved every minute of Christmas.

Our celebrating started the weekend before Christmas with Haley and Austin coming home for the weekend. Bryan and I had a wonderful family Christmas with all of our girls (and Austin). And, we met the new addition to the family for the first time. Puppy Carley spent the weekend with us, too! She is just as sweet as Haley says she is. She was very well behaved, and I think she enjoyed her visit. Our cat was totally freaked out, but we kept any major confrontations from happening. It just took Scooter a day or two after Carley left to get over the shock of being temporarily dethroned.

We traveled to Blairsville on Christmas Eve and stayed until last night. Five whole days of continuous eating. We were all waddling when we got home! We have never been so stuffed! It was a real blessing having such wonderful home-cooked food, but it was definitely time to come home. Any more time in Blairsville and we probably would have exploded. But, visits with the family are always special. Each and every Christmas is memorable, and I know how truly blessed our family really is!

For those that might have been expecting a Christmas card from the Plott's, I apologize. The Christmas cards just didn't materialize this year. With the year we have had, my heart simply was not in to writing the traditional family Christmas letter. Sorry, friends. No Christmas pictures, either. I will definitely try to do better next year.

It was actually nice to get back to routine today. Bryan and I worked while Hannah and Hadrian enjoyed another day of vacation!

Thanks, family, for a wonderful, wonderful, Christmas! As fast as the years fly by now, hopefully we will recuperate before we get to do it all again. Maybe my food will be digested by then! : )

Ready or Not, Christmas is Here!

2008-12-16T22:40:00.000-05:00

Christmas is coming sooner than I will be ready at our house! We are celebrating Christmas on Saturday, the 20th. It is so hard to make the rounds and see everyone in such a short amount of time that we have decided to celebrate early. I am really excited that all of our family will be together for the weekend. (We will be meeting puppy Carley for the first time as she makes her first visit to our house!) And, we will have the whole weekend to hang out and chill! Fun!

Last year, Haley and Austin came home. We opened presents. We packed the car and left for Blairsville. It was just way too rushed. And, though we love our time in Blairsville, it seems that we have been cheated out of our own family time at home. So, this year, we are trying the "early Christmas" thing. I think we will all like this better. It will be special time at our house just for us. But, the problem with celebrating early is that I have to be ready early! So, I am frantically trying to finish shopping, wrapping, cleaning, decorating, etc. for the "early event!" Ready or not, here it comes! : )

Haley and Hannah are finished with their classes! Yippee! I am so relieved that another semester is over. I know Haley is busy in Byron getting ready for Christmas. It is so nice to talk to her without the subject of school coming up. I know she is loving it! She had forgotten what it felt like to be free!

Hannah has been so busy with her volunteer work that we barely saw her for days after she finished classes. She has been wrapping gifts outside of WalMart in the freezing cold, staying up all night serving pancakes to students at UGA while they studied for exams, gathering gifts for a needy child, and cooking and serving meals to the homeless in downtown Atlanta. This kid never stops. And, once she finally found some free time, she started wrapping my gifts and helping me with things at home! It is so nice to have her home. I miss Haley being home on a regular basis, but I know she has her own life to attend to. Obviously, this just makes her visits even more special!

Hadrian starts final exams tomorrow through Friday. She is ready to be done with school, but she is really excited about the idea of "early Christmas!" I think her friends are a bit envious that she gets to open her gifts a few days early. What a wonderful reward for getting through those final exams!

I have to mention some wonderful news that we received about Hadrian. She made it to the next round - the state level of competition for the Governors Honors Program. Wow! The competition is so strong in Gwinnett County that we are amazed that she advanced out of the regional level. The Governors Honors Coordinator at Grayson High School spoke to Hadrian today and told her that the judges were extremely impressed. Double Wow! So, on to state competition we go! We will keep you posted, but either way it goes, it is an amazing accomplishment for our baby girl.

Well, considering all I have to get done in a short amount of time, I better quit blogging and start "doing!"

Watch Out for Falling Prices

2008-12-05T12:38:00.000-05:00

Wow! I just passed the QT and gas is under $1.50 a gallon. Wasn't it just a short couple of months ago that we were paying over $4 a gallon? Were we not just waiting in gas lines here in Atlanta and didn't care how much we paid as long as we found some gas?! Did we not all think that once gas hit $4.00 a gallon that there would be no turning back?

I have to say that this is a bright spot in my world right now. With everything going wrong with our economy, who would have guessed that gas prices would turn out to be the best thing happening? It is amazing how things can turn around in such a short amount of time. Once the prices started to drop, we would give reports at night about who had seen gas for what price? Each day, the prices have fallen lower and lower! And, they seem to still be falling! I can actually fill up my car without feeling depressed! Hallelujah!

While on the subject of the economy, I have become a fanatic about searching the web and finding great deals and freebies. I didn't know so many deals were available online. I have printed out numerous coupons and have searched daily deals, etc. to do my Christmas shopping.

I will share a couple of things I have found over the past couple of days:

Arby's - Free Regular Roast Beef w/any purchase
Posted 2 days, 22 hours ago
Although we didn't find this deal in time for lunch today, there's still 12 more days to enjoy it. Take this printable coupon to participating Arby's restaurants to receive a free Regular Roast Beef sandwich with any purchase. Valid through 12/14/2008

Office Depot - $10 off $30 in-store purchase coupon
Posted 3 days, 3 hours ago
Stop by your local Office Depot armed with this printable coupon to save $10 on orders of $30 or more. It's valid on most office supplies, and furniture. It won't work on include gift cards, tech or electronic products, postage stamps, and HP ink and toner. Expires 12/08/2008.

New: HP Smart Buy 2-Button Laser Mouse for $4 profit after rebate + free shipping
CostCentral.com offers the HP Smart Buy 2-Button Laser Mouse, model no. GW405AT, for $16.26 with free shipping. This $20 mail-in rebate yields a net profit of $3.74. That's one of the best mice deals we've seen.

Barnes & Noble retail stores have several printable coupons available. For instance, get a free cookie with beverage purchase via this printable coupon.

New: Clinique.com coupon: Free sample gift set with $30 purchase + free shipping
As part of its 10 Days of Happiness Event, Clinique.com now offers a free sample gift set with any $30 purchase via coupon code "TRIO". With free shipping, that's one of the best deals we've seen from Clinique in recent weeks. The set includes a Repairwear Intensive Night Cream (0.21-oz.), All About Eyes Rich (0.17-oz.), and Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss (0.17-oz.). Deal ends today.

Papa John's Pizza offers a free medium cheese pizza when you sign up for its email list. While not as good as the Facebook-based coupon which expired last month, it's still among the best discounts we've seen from this merchant. Deal expires January 7.

Now, on to personal stuff. All of my girls are winding down their semesters, and we are all a bit stressed with tests, finishing projects, etc.

And, No Shave November is over and done with! : )

Good Luck to our Grayson Rams Football Team tonight as they play Peachtree Ridge in the state semi-finals. Look for Hadrian on TV! (she will be at the game)

Until the next blog . . .

My Soccer Coaches

2008-11-25T07:40:00.000-05:00

Well, I was afraid of this . . . long periods of time between blogs. We have been very busy at the Plott house.

This past weekend was really special because I had all of my girls home together. Haley came home for the weekend, and she brought her friend, Michelle. They are both in the education program. So, they do homework together, and they cry together, and they just spend lots of time together. Well, we all love Michelle. She blends right in. It was very nice to meet her, and I now call her Magnificent Michelle. Bryan was deer hunting, so it was nothing but girls at our house.

Haley was hired (meaning she gets paid! woo hoo!) back in the spring to coach in the academy program at Central Georgia Soccer Association. She went through the tryout process, picked her teams, did summer camps, and has worked with these girls all fall. I know she has taken these duties very seriously and has worked really hard. Well, she brought a team to the Forsyth Fusion tournament over the weekend, and they did well by coming in second place! This was their first tournament, and Haley was SO proud of her team. If you click on Haley's blog, you can see a picture of her sweet little team.

I only got to see her team play one game because I still have mom duties with Hadrian. But, it was so fun seeing Haley as coach instead of player. My how time flies. Hannah has been volunteer coaching this past year as well at Blue Springs Soccer Association. She coached a U6 team in the spring, and she had a U8 team this past fall. How cute are they!

I have to say that watching my girls coach is such a pleasure. They have transitioned from soccer players into responsible, organized, and talented coaches with great ease. I could not be more proud of my soccer coaches!! Haley and Hannah both earned their National License D certification over the summer. This was really hard work, and you have to perform extremely well to get the national certification as opposed to being state certified.

It is just so amazing how soccer has been and still is such a huge part of my girls' lives. Haley and Hannah still play on adult leagues, and of course, Hadrian is still playing club and high school soccer. And, Hannah and Hadrian have been refereeing this past fall season. So, they are earning soccer related money, as well.

It is a beautiful game! : )

Honor Societies

2008-11-12T12:11:00.001-05:00

Our middle child, the red head (as she is so affectionately known), has been getting all kinds of letters and post cards in the mail recently from different honor societies. Since I have collected a small stack of these, I wasn't sure what to do with them. Should she join? Should she not? Which ones should she join? Of course, they all want money, so we can't join all of these. And, since I was never a member of honor societies, I do not know anything about these. Well, thank goodness for the internet. I embarked on a little journey to research college honor societies and hopefully to learn more about these. The only thing I knew was that they all have such words as "Kappa," "Delta," "Alpha," "Sigma," etc. in their names. What does this mean?? I am feeling really stupid about all of this.

Well, lucky for me, I found the Association of College Honor Societies website. Apparently, this is the "honor societies for dummies" handbook. If the honor society isn't recognized by these people, then it apparently isn't good. The ACHS is the certifying agency and only promotes the credible honor societies. Thank goodness I found this! It answered all of my questions! And, we surely don't want to join a society that doesn't carry any clout - especially since they are taking our money to join! So, now I have the information I need to know which mail to throw in the trash.

As I said, this is all new to me. Hannah certainly isn't following in her parents footsteps on this one. No one ever invited her dad nor me to join their honor society. We were just average students. Nothing special. We thought just getting through our classes was special enough.

But, when you have a 4.0 grade point average, people suddenly take notice and want you to join their elite group with other high achievers. Hannah was recently chosen to be in the Honors Program at Georgia State. They showered her with GSU goodies, and now she gets special treatment while taking her classes - like early registration, special services, etc. Well, while we are ever so proud of how hard Hannah works, she is the exception at our house. None of the rest of us have the same drive for perfection as she does.

Hannah is just like her Aunt Joy. My sister, Joy, has these same qualities. It is funny how genetics work. Joy and Hannah - two peas in a pod. And, they even share the same numerical birthday - they both were born on the 4th day of their month. So, I claim that Joy's daughter, Sarah (my favorite niece on the planet), is just like me. Becky and Sarah - two peas in a pod. And, yes, we share the same numerical birthday, as well. We were both born on the 27th day of the month. So, there!!

All kidding aside, I am very proud of all of the academic accomplishments of Hannah and Joy. Joy just completed her Specialist degree (6th year) this past summer and will graduate soon. And, yes, she graduated with a 4.0. Like I said, two peas in a pod. : )

No Shave November Week 2

2008-11-09T21:47:00.000-05:00

No Shave November is progressing nicely. Hadrian makes me feel the results on her legs on a daily basis. Ugh!

We have had a very busy week, and I have had trouble finding time to blog. And, I really haven't had any revelations about something to write about. I think I will just resort to giving an update on the girls.

Haley has been SO busy with her education classes. She has never been as stressed as she has been this semester. Friday, she went with a group of fellow students to a teachers conference in Savannah for the weekend. I know this was a nice break from the routine, but it took her whole weekend.

Hannah had an accounting exam yesterday. All of the accounting students (around 1000) in Accounting I at Georgia State take the same exam at the same time. So, their exams are always on Saturday's. Hannah is always pulling all-nighters when she has an accounting exam. She finds them to be very hard, and the class average is never really good. Hannah has a study partner (Anna) for accounting and they always meet at the mall one day a week to do their homework together. This is really helpful.

Hadrian has had a busy week as usual. She made the JV basketball team at school, so she has had basketball practice every day. Yesterday, we went to the high school for "Meet the Rams." It was a fun day of meeting the teams and watching short scrimmage games. Hadrian went to a birthday party last night for a friend (Casey) from her soccer team. They went to a fancy smancy house at Lake Lanier and spent the night. She really enjoys hanging out with her soccer friends! '

Hadrian had an interview this week for the Governor's Honors Program. We were busy getting her resume ready and her clothes ready, etc. And, then I had to drive her to the interview early Wednesday morning and hang out for the whole morning until she finally got finished. We stopped at Frontera for lunch since she missed lunchtime at school (yummy). Hadrian has been stressed out about school as well. She so hates homework. She is just very unmotivated right now.

I will be glad when this semester is over for all of my kids! I am tired of them being in school. We all are very ready for a break. Thanksgiving is just around the corner - yippee!

No Shave November

2008-11-02T21:38:00.000-05:00

November has arrived!

I had the pleasure of driving to my mom and dad's house in Blairsville yesterday afternoon. Hadrian had a soccer game on the south side of Atlanta at noon, and we left from there to go to my dad's birthday party. I knew we would be a little bit late for the party, so we were trying to hurry. But, once I saw the beautiful fall leaves on the mountain, we just had to slow down. Even Hannah and Hadrian enjoyed looking at the leaves. Hadrian said she doesn't ever remember seeing the fall leaves on the mountain. And, I am immediately thinking of one more way I have allowed my children to be deprived because we are always just too busy. And, I honestly think she may be right! I can't remember driving through the mountains with her at the peak of leaf season! How sad!

But, for this day, we had the wonderful opportunity to enjoy the leaves. And, I suddenly turned into my dad. He always pointed out the beauty of nature (and made us look) when we were kids. And, I was doing the same thing to my kids. The red leaves were amazingly beautiful! So, I felt very blessed to experience this day with two of my girls, and it honestly relieved some of the stress that I have been feeling all week.

Now, to "No Shave November." My kids never fail to enlighten me. Hadrian explained to me that November is "No Shave November." This means that she and most of the kids at the high school do no shaving in November. And, I am thinking, "what the heck?!" Who came up with this wonderful idea?? I learned that this is kind of a universal concept and it is not just limited to her friends. And, yes, both girls and guys participate in this November experience. Where have I been? I have never heard of such a thing! But, now, I am thinking how cool Bryan has been all of these years. He has never shaved in November because he has always grown a beard in November for Thanksgiving week deer camp. Maybe he is actually the founder of the "No Shave November" ritual! And, to think that this idea has caught on and is actually being experienced by teens all over the planet! Amazing! : )

Being a New Blogger is Scary Stuff!

2008-10-27T08:13:00.000-04:00

I have been thinking of starting a blog for a long time. My niece, Sarah, blogs regularly and our family and friends thoroughly enjoy her updates! And, while I enjoy reading other peoples blogs, I am thinking that no one could possibly be interested in reading mine! And the confusing part is that I am not so sure I want anyone to read my blogs! This is my life we are talking about! How much does one really want to share about their family life? It seems that it could be a bit overwhelming deciding what to say, how much to say, and when to say it. And, there is always the embarrassment factor while blogging about the kids. I can already hear the complaints about why I wrote such and such about them.

So, I have decided to just jump in and go for it. I am looking at this blog as a journal. I don't care if no one reads it, but on the other hand, I don't care if someone does read it. Hopefully, others can relate to the joys and sorrows that come with being a family. So, here I go with my first blog in "the plott thickens." And, as scary as it is to click on the "post" button, I am going to do it and not look back! : )