Weekend Update With Angela B.

My mom was up to visit for a few days and as usual, the time flew by. She would make the best Nanny ever....I truly wish I had the money to pay her a BIG salary and hire her on full time. My life would be a million times easier but one caveat would be....my kids would be a million times more spoiled. When she is here, I usually try to spend my free time with home improvement projects and that list is growing rampantly. Most of these projects involve the outdoors 1. Killing the clover/fertilizing the yard, 2. Rearranging my entire back flower bed which will involve tons of digging ( I love to dig, the more dirt under my nails....the better), 3. Pressure washing the patio, 4. Mowing the yard. But, since it was raining outside Saturday....I had to cross things off my indoor list 1. Tiling the garage wall (only the first 3 feet from the floor), 2. Tiling my backsplash in the kitchen, 3. Painting my bedroom with Sherwin Williams (walls: Portabello; Ceiling: Rainwashed), 4. Painting my son's bathroom with that uber resistant scrubbing paint, 5. Recovering the cushions of my dinette set. Seeing as the later of the five involved the least amount of mess, I chose it. Now, I have never recovered anything.....much less attempted any type of upholstery project but why not. If I can install dimmer switches and light fixtures, how hard could it be to slap one type of fabric over another.....oh, and adding more padding. My butt requires more cush for the tush since I don't have enough of my own.
Well, not to brag or anything but the chairs turned out GREAT. I am so pleased. Obviously, if one were a professional...they could tell. But, you all know my theory......if you don't like something in my house, you may exit the same door you entered. Needless to say, my Saturday ended with me being satisfied. I actually accomplished something on my list. The cherry to my Saturday sundae was watching Dwayne Johnson host the Kid's Choice Awards on Nickelodeon. Michael enjoyed the awards.......mommy enjoyed The Rock.....abs, guns, back....my Lordy!!
To further cement my Dwayne Johnson 'bifecta'......I decided to take Michael to see Return To Witch Mountain for a Sunday matinee. Removing any bias for an extremely muscled man...this was a really good movie. Sarcasm abounded, which I love. Based on the poll taken from the kids that attended with me.....4 out of 5 stars.....highly recommended. All and all, a great weekend. It was too fast as usual....but great.

Friday Fill-lns

Wow, this has been a wild week. I have been extremely busy working three different places and my age is definitely showing. I was so tired last night, it was a struggle to form a sentence much less sit upright. My mom is staying at the house through Saturday to watch the kids during Michael's last two days of Spring Break. Thank goodness! I was able to sit and veg when I got home yesterday. I worked at the hospital from 6:30 to 3:15 then I had two home health patients to see. Of course, they both had ancillary things that needed to be done and the office closed at 4:30 so I could not complete ANYTHING. I hate having all those irons in the fire without pulling at least one out and people keep adding more and more and more. Alright, enough of my pity party.

1. "In a hole in the ground there lived a tiny village of peaceful and loving earthworms."

2. " Life is sometimes not fair but that ain't no matter."

3. "After dark the rain began to fall again, I opened a window and snuggled up with a cup of coffee and a good book."

4. " The sound of clanking chains and a scream came from the hold of the Spanish galleon."

5. "There was a hand in the darkness, and it was frantically searching for the light switch."

6. "Accidents ambush the unsuspecting, careful planning rewards the enlightened."

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to spending time with my mom and crossing things off my to do list, tomorrow my plans include getting little Marshall together with his girlfriend and Sunday, I want to do whatever comes my way.

Our Second Day of Vacation in the Wilderness

Now, don't get me wrong, this a great place to go for vacation but in moderation. Friday through Sunday morning was plenty satisfying but, as everyone knows, I am easily pleased. I hate to use the over stimulated phrase again but I feel it was applicable to all of us. LOUD LOUD LOUD. Oh, and for all of you guys who don't know, I am a hotel snob and the room was rather small which stirred up just a hint of claustrophobia in me. Two queen beds, a vanity, makeshift kitchen consisting of a bar sink/microwave/dorm room fridge/2 burner stove, a vanity, two person table with chairs, love seat, and a dresser with rather large LCD television . I know that sounds wonderful and it was. BUT, when the closet in your home is almost as big as your hotel room.....there is a problem. I barely felt as if my arms could stretch out. Since the hotel room face time is limited, I let all of this slide!

The fact that I am an only child and grandchild....I tend to be a little demanding with a touch of compulsion. Like most of you did not know that fact. So, on Friday night I was already conjuring up a plan....a strategy, if you will.....on proper lounge chair preservation based on the sun and the axis of the earth. As soon as the park opened, I had Mike take down two beach towels and reserve two different lounge chairs in juxtaposition from each other. This way I could get optimal sun time regardless of the position of the Earth in respect to the sun! However, that was not good enough for me. When Marshall and I arrived down there, I threw my tank top over the back of a poolside Adirondack chair. I know, I know extremely selfish but that is how it is sometimes. We stayed at the park until four and headed up to the room to get cleaned up. When everyone was ready, we headed to the go-cart tracks. The place we went to was really neat. They had several tracks based on age and a miniature kiddie amusement park. It was perfect for Marshall. While the two big boys rode, Marshall and I hit the toddler rides. He had a blast and so did the other two. We were going to go out to eat after that but everyone was so dang tired we opted for Krystal's. Yes, I know it sounds strange to be a hotel snob but not a food snob but that suits me to a tee. I have a secret place in my heart for those baby burgers!

We ended up leaving on Sunday after only two hours of water frolic. Like I said earlier, one can only take so much of this place. Here are some Saturday night pics and Sunday morning pics. Notice the look on Marshall's face on the last picture. That says it all in regards to the stress level.

Where To Begin, Our Vacation Day One

This is going to be a really long blog therefor I am apologizing ahead of time for all the rambling and poor grammar!!

We finally arrived in Sevierville at one and our room was ready early. Thank goodness. We go upstairs, unpack and get our bathing suits out. I hear Michael say, "That's great". I knew immediately what that meant....he forgot to pack swim trunks. Yes, I am mean and make my 8 year old pack his own bag but I am all about early responsibility. When you will be 9 in three months, you should have the ability to pack your own bag for a two day trip. Ok, back to the story. I put normal clothes on, called the concierge desk and headed to Kmart after he gave me directions. Water fun......on hold!

We were able to grace the waterpark with our presence around three. It was soooo loud. Imagine this....1. The roar of all the people, 2. The thunder sound one ride made every minute, 3. The metal fire bell sound that alarmed when the 750 gallon bucket was getting ready to tip, 4. The buzzer that went off every 15 minutes to let everyone know the waves were starting up, 5. Helicopters flying overhead constantly giving tours of the mountains. I was overstimulated to say the least. I felt like I was in Grenada!

Alright, we stay at the park for three hours and the kids had a blast. Michael's favorite part was a tie between the surfing thing and the water slides. Marshall LOVED the wave pool. I personally was surprised. Here are a few pics of the surfing and the wave pool.

We finished the day with dinner at Ruby Tuesday. I know we should eat somewhere different when on vacation but I am leary of doing such. Michael took pictures of everything in the restaurant, including our food. Here we all are at RT chowing down.

The Fun Begins, Well Sort Of

We started out from the big town of Cookeville an hour later than I had wanted. No sweat, I didn't want this vacation to be regimented, I wanted it to be fun. It is our tradition to eat at IHOP to officially kick off Spring Break. I have included a pic of Meanness and I before we ate. We were able to check in 3 hours early which was wonderful and we have already played in the surf for 2 hours. Michael did the surfing thing and was impressively skillful. Nothing exciting going on right now. I am just killing time while Marshall sleeps and the two big boys are at the pool. The peace and quiet is wonderful.

Friday Fill Ins

Well, another week under the belt and here it is Friday, again! I am writing this entry rather quickly because I need to get my butt upstairs and pack. Yes, we are leaving for vacation in 2 hours and no one is packed except Mike. Does that surprise you? If you knew me and hubby at all, you would know that is about par for the course. Mike is the uber prepared, always early guy. I am the wait until the last minute, fly in at the last minute (usually the last minute is late) kind of girl. That's just how I roll! So, I am standing at the kitchen counter typing this thing and getting absolutely nothing accomplished. You can tell it is really bothering me. Must be because I have this great tan. Bronzed and ready to don a bathing suit and play at the waterpark. T minus 6 hours until it opens. Even though this is a mini-vacation, I am still looking forward to it. Michael still thinks we are going to Chattanooga instead of the waterpark in Sevierville. I cannot wait to see what he thinks....furthermore, I cannot believe I did not blow the surprise!

Without further adieu.......it is time for Friday Fill Ins......

1. Why do we have to make tough decisions during our lifetime?

2. Subtle tics are now habits.

3. I have the best spray tan going on right now!

4. I had never heard the phrase "Buckle Down" and it not making me mad! (My mom used to tell me this all the time when I was not 'performing well' in school!

5. Reading too much into things the way I always do.

6. How was I to know how everything would turn out.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to chillin' poolside, tomorrow my plans include reading, relaxing, waterpark frolic and Sunday, I want to play in the wave pool a little longer followed by a safe drive home.

Girl's Night Out

I love Girl's Night Out. Yes, it is capitalized because it is an event of notoriety. I am not talking about a drunk fest of women around a table needing a taxi ride home. I am speaking of a group of intelligent, wonderful women who have incredible insight into life's weird eccentricities. Well, that may be going too far. However, I can assure you the conversation is never dull and time flies at warp speed when we are all together.
I used to want these gatherings to be huge...the more the merrier. Now, I prefer a small, more intimate group of girls. The conversation flows better and no one feels left out. I hated to do it on a Sunday night but Spring Break officially started last Friday and one has to take what one can get. With everybody's vacations overlapping, it seemed to be the best time.
We didn't get any world issues settled, no transcendental moments or speaking in tongues. However, we were able to get the ball rolling on a girl's summer vacation. One of my friends has a family member with a condo close to Palm Beach. SWEET. We're there! Everyone felt this would be something they would not only like to do......it was something they deserved to do. Hee Hee!