My sister came down for the weekend...

I was pretty worried how it would turn out. She has been out of her 90 day rehab for two weeks now. One of the biggest issues is keeping her away from Hobbs, and the people in it that help trigger and encourage using. I know that their are various opinions about drug use and addiction out there but...I can tell you...what this crap has done to our family is absolutely the most terrible thing I have ever been through.

Someday I will tell the whole story, for now, I am still waiting for the "final chapter" to pan out. I will say though, she's doing better...maybe not as well as we had hoped, but she has gotten a job and is living in McKinney, TX. She came home to get her cloths and to buy more because she has to wear professional cloths to work. You know the whole hose, closed toe shoes, skirts, pant and blazer combos (ewww) lol

She drove all the way in her car with no air conditioning and when she got home she pretty much crashed from heat exhaustion...and slept for hours. It ain't healthy do do that in 105 degree weather. So, I decided to let her borrow my car, until they can fix hers. Yea, I will probably regret it...I DID give her two rules #1 don't f'ing crash it, #2 not to smoke in it. We spent the whole day washing and cleaning it, Dave fixed the little pump that moves the windshield wiper fluid...it all took forever..THEN a friggin' EGG falls out the tree in lands on the hood. We had to laugh about that one, but we got her all set up and ready to head back tomorrow. Not only will she look like a pro, but she won't be in a death trap! She starts work on Tues. and we are praying that she continues to move forward and be able to be completely on her own soon. A little prayer back-up would be much appreciated!

it's all fun & games until someone cancels the fireworks!

Lawdy, what I week I had ladies!

I really DID do two weeks worth of work in one...and one of those weeks happened JUST this afternoon!

I have this Summer Recess Program that we do in the summer. We serve about 300 kids a day. To do this I need employees. So I asked for more. Then the Human Resources dept. stepped in...or like I like to call them INHUMANE Resources. It was a pure battle of wills and wits to which they pitifully came unarmed. I had to march up there and have a "come to Jesus" meeting with this poor girl who: JUST. WASN'T. GETTING. IT. I was frustrated, gave her the what for and then went down stairs and thought to myself, "I could have handled that better, not as beeochy". So I e-mail her and she tells me that even as I was getting onto her she had the thought that "man, even when she is frustrated she's nice". LOL Good to know. (I think)

Anyway, I got my way. Then I have to figure out this firework situation. The Casino, who usually pays for the brunt of the bang...doesn't want to. If you guys haven't noticed, July is JUST around the corner! There is NO WAY IN GOD'S green EARTH that Hobbs can't have a July 4th celebration. We are the biggest City in the county...all the other towns do theirs the day before so they can come see ours...

That being said. If I have to pick up this event, I have give up my end of summer concert, it screws up my budget, is a logistical nightmare to move and to TOP IT ALL OFF makes me miss my son's BIRTHDAY! SOOOO after preforming nothing short of a miracle in the making ("rush a miracle get rotten miracles" - Miracle Max, The Princess Bride) We are well on our way to having an AMAZING July 4th Celebration this year in Hobbs. I am talkin' Free Games for the kiddos, awesome food, Diaper Derby, Bike Parade, tribute to the Veterans by the NMJC band and choir, declaration from Steve Pearce, a FLY over from some sort of aircraft...AND if all goes well, a concert right before the concert by the one and only Lee Greenwood(Proud to be an American guy)!

I had a huge "to do list" for next week and many of the things that I needed to do, either contacted me or fell in my lap after lunch today...odd.

Which brings me to my 10 Year High School Reunion. (the local version) It got dumped on me. I spent toO much mula and if people don't show I am gonna cry and have waaaay too many burgers on my hands! LOL

In closing, mainly because I choose to spare you guys more grueling details, although I have been unsettled because I have all of this responsibility, when it comes to crunch time...things take care of themselves.

...I'm thinking

You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it. ~Neil Gaiman

I have so many ideas that I don't know what to do with them. I have ideas for businesses, books, paintings, work that I want to do at the house. Ideas for events to bring joy to people in the community. I come up with ideas in my sleep...dreaming of ways of making things better: more fun, more beautiful, more interesting and more exciting. What does it matter that I have them if I don't start putting them into action? I want to put these into action, I want to watch them grow and succeed into something more than just a simple passing thought.

Sometimes, I just don't know how.

Sometime the want to is more than the how.



...yea...and none of this made sense.

Ready for commitment?

So, Dave and I are ready to take our relationship to the next level! Yes, That's right, we bought a work-out program! We are going basically because Dave made a bet with a co-worker. It has the added benefit that we can do this together, and not have to pay a gym membership! We are going to do the "Insanity" 60 day program and I am going to go back on my Nutrisystem as well. I am sick of being outta shape and let's be honest if we ARE gonna ever take our relationship to the next level of commitment, I sure don't want to do outta shape! :o)

"I got my Flippy Floppies"

Fashion Report: I have 4 pairs of black flip flops and I can ONLY find the LEFT shoe out of all four pairs...I think there is a conspiracy going on!

Where did they go? Why are they missing? Who is the person responsible for these strange events?

The world may never know....

Ten Years ago today, I graduated high school....

As I watched the Commencement Ceremony for the class of 2011 I couldn't help but flash back to the day that I graduated High School. Ironically someone got some press saying that the end of the world would be today, so sitting there listening about their futures and the impending doom upon us, just struck me as interesting...

I distinctly remember sitting there next to my classmates 10 years ago thinking: "it will never be the same" (not that I wanted it to). The thought had more to do with not seeing my classmates anymore. I remember the thoughts of "who will move away?", "who will have the most kids", "who will be a total Fat A**" (that one turned out to be me). I could look at my classmates and tell you some of their destinies just by looking at them...the trouble makers that would end up in jail, the beauties that would continue to shine, the losers, the jocks, the winners and the unique who so misunderstood during high school would probably be the most successful of them all.

I also remember the pressure of people asking what I was going to DO with the rest of my life. Having being knocked up my senior year (a whole other blog entirely) that thought was then more than ever, unclear to me. I didn't KNOW what I wanted, I didn't care.

I was 18, preggers, and newly married and the weight of that seemed much more oppressive than anything school related. I can't say that I did things the "right" way, and I can't say that I didn't. I do know that had I not made the choices I did back then, I wouldn't be the women I am today.

I had to fight.

I had to fight against people judging me. I had to fight with myself over my parents being embarrassed. I had to fight when everyone else was right about being married so young. I had to fight when I found another was on the way. I fought with myself most of all. It turns out that my real education didn't come from school at all. It came from life, from struggle and overcoming it, despite it all.



You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who'll decide where to go.
~Dr. Seuss

RIP Macho Man

My heart is broken! A fun part of my childhood has passed away...I know that when he got to Heaven God said: "Hey aren't you..." and Mocho Man said "Ohhhhh Yeaaaaa!"

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/post/Report-Randy-8216-Macho-Man-8217-Savage-die?urn=top-wp98

Ready for Summer!

This afternoon I took Gavin to the Dentist and it ONLY cost me $6! So in celebration, we went to Wal-Mart and got some new summer gear for the table, some bubbles, a slip & slide, a watermelon and all the fixin's for hamburgers! Dave's grilling the kids are playing and I am blissfully waiting for my sinus meds to kick in!(..it's never ever been as rough as this year on my sinuses!)

sighs of frustration and relief...

This time of year is the absolutely most stressful time of the year for me. I would take the pressures of Christmas Shopping and cooking for the entire clan, over spring any day!

My summer programming starts on June 6th. I have 4 movies under the Stars for the summer, one each month. I had the SCARE of the century this week when at one point I was about to be tasked with having to do the fireworks by myself for the City/County with TWO months notice! On top of it all I have been hiring teen-agers, fighting for raises for my returning staff, spring cleaning my office...I just feel so stinking UNSETTLED.

Which brings me to my personal life. (Which is full of contradictions) Things have been going so well now that Dave has moved in with us. It's been amazing to be a team, to share our lives on a daily basis, to give my children honest to goodness FAMILY for the first time in their lives...

soooo let's randomly flashback: (think wayne's world dodoolallooo)


On April 15th Dave and I celebrated 6 years together, in Vegas, and we fought several times over the trip...it was the classic: "man not asking for directions" type stuff...literally. I have a strange since of direction. I go somewhere and for the most part I can remember every detail about how to get back there. Yea, I ain't the "I told you so" type but there were points that I was stinking about to LOSE it. LOL It was so bad, because he couldn't admit that he was wrong, that I told him I wished I had stayed home. I was very disappointed because we usually do so well together, home or away. We DID win $600 bucks right off the bat and we agreed to use that money to play with, it was a blast...to take pictures, explore, shop AND WIN! :o) I was secretly hoping that Dave would make a move toward commitment during the trip, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

On May 12th, the Anniversary of my 1st marriage I was reflecting a bit and I know that it was on the forefront of both mine and David's minds...we were sitting on the couch and I facebooked him a little message:


10 years ago today...I made a HUGE mistake and married Clayton "Asshole" Brumley...

I have to say, honestly say, that I am SOOOO glad that it didn't work out! I appreciate you more and more any more every day and even though I bust your chops all the time about marriage. I would much rather be happily unmarried to you than unhappily married to him.

You mean the world to me, and I need YOU to know that. I should do better to show you that every day, but it's there, in the forefront of my mind each and every day even if I am not the best at showing it.

I love you.