Midnight Trip to McDonalds

Okay, so the other night after everybody went to sleep, I decided to stay up and watch a few missed tv shows. About halfway into Dawson's Creek, I started getting hungry. At first the craving was for Spaghettios and Meatballs, but it quickly went to a good old McDonalds hamburger and fries. So I get my happy tail up at 11:50p.m. and decide to sneak out of the house to satisfy my incredible need for that healthy food my baby needs. I must add that it was raining and I was wearing mismatched pajamas and no bra--but I didn't care as long as I didn't have a wreck! I just knew that McDonalds was open all night so I headed off to the McDonalds on Cloverdale road. I saw a big sign that said "OPEN UNTIL MIDNIGHT." I swear y'all that I pulled up at 11:55. They'd already cut the lights off of the menu but I waited at the speaker for somebody to say "Welcome to McDonalds. Can I take your order?" NOBODY! As if they could hear me (maybe they could..the workers were still in there.), I said, "You have got to be kidding me. FINE, I'll just go to another McDonalds." Oooooh, Scarlett. That will show them! So I drove off and went to the one in North Florence. THAT one is the one open all night. So I was so excited. I promise you that when I pulled up in the drivethrough I was the 10th car---AT MIDNIGHT and NOT on a weekend! Who knows! I got to the speaker and the guy said, "Welcome to McDonalds. Will this be cash or credit?" Okay, so a little different than the traditional greeting but whatever. I said, "Actually it's a debit card." Would you believe he then said, "I'm sorry mam but our credit card machine is down right now." I said, "How long will it be down?" He said, "about an hour". I said, "Um.....I guess I'll have to do something else." I almost cried my eyes out. I didn't have ANY cash with me. I knew the other day at Wal-Mart that I should have selected 'cash back' and gotten a 20, but I thought, nah, I won't need it. I always try to keep a little cash in my wallet for emergencies. I pulled over into a parking space and looked for change in my car only to see a little bit. I scrounged around (is that a word?) and got every coin I could find in my car. I had a total of $2.16 and one Canadian penny---which I was gonna sneak in there and hope they didn't notice if needed. I got BACK in line and waited all over again and my total came to "$2.14!" I really believe that God helped me out that night--even over a little pregnancy craving. I just don't know what I would've done without my McDonalds that night. I put my extra 2 pennies into the Ronald McDonald House fund to express my gratitude. Needlesstosay, it was an eventful night!

Another Baby Thompson on the Way

Just in case you didn't know or for the sake of making a public internet announcement, I'm pregnant! I'm 7-8 weeks. My due date is June 27th. The ultrasound says I'm due a week after that, the 4th of July, but Dr. Woodford said we'd just go by the regular old due date unless the measurements are way off later.

Anyway, we are very excited about it all. We saw and heard the heartbeat and decided to go ahead and announce the good news. I'm on natural progesterone supplements again this time because my progesterone is never high enough on its own. It needs to be 13 during pregnancy to hold the pregnancy and mine got down to 11 this time before I started the supplements. It was 7.1 with Bonnie and she's here. I am a firm believer that it works. Also, my hcg levels increased when they checked them but they didn't double like they were supposed to. Knowing all of that made me crazy up until we had the ultrasound about a week ago. I've tried to forget about hormone levels because God is bigger and more powerful than hormone levels. I've had to remind myself of that often. I almost wish they hadn't checked all of that b/c I was so upset and nervous after I knew that things weren't doing exactly what they were supposed to be doing. We waited 13 weeks to tell that we were pregnant with Bonnie and I was a nervous wreck the entire time and I just can't do that again. I feel so much more peaceful now about this pregnancy since we've heard the heartbeat. The prayers we've gotten from people and the ones we've said ourselves have really worked in letting me be calm now. We've been praying a lot....so much that at times I have felt like I'm getting on God's nerves! HA! Please keep us in your prayers that everything will go well this time and that we'll have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy full-term baby.

I also have a strong feeling it's a boy. I just knew we were having a girl with Bonnie. It's also so neat to know that so many of my close friends are pregnant at the same time. I think we're gonna repopulate the church nursery. Besides everyone from church, I also have 3 more of my good friends that are pregnant right now. Talk about something being in the water!

Bonnie's Fall Pictures

This year Bonnie's been obsessed with "kitty cats Meow" (that's what she says when she sees them). Since I am deathly allergic, she can't go near one, and last week we discovered, she's allergic to them too. So, I let her be a kitty cat for Halloween. Notice her sticking out her little tongue in the first one. I didn't tell her to do that but it makes the effect so much better! :) And, I did good to get whiskers on her at all. She kept saying "No mam Mommy". I should've had her in front of a mirror while I drew them on with black eyeliner, but I was in such a hurry I didn't think of that. She probably would've understood what I was doing better if I had!

Attitude

I want to confess right now about my habit of having a rotten attitude. I want to apologize to any of you that have had a hard time being around me because everything that comes out of my mouth seems to be linked to complaining or having a stinky attitude. I find it hard to be around people who complain all the time and I am ironically in fact one of those people. Please forgive me. I want that to be my past and not my future. My dad reminded me recently that attitude has everything to do with how you handle certain situations and how you function daily. I know this but I still have struggled with thinking positively. I want to be encouraging to others. I want people around me to know without asking me that I'm a Christian by viewing the way I act. I want to go through the majority of my day thinking about my blessings, not the things that are going wrong. The more frustrated I get, the more my negative thinking takes over and Satan completely takes over every bit of me it seems. I've been angry inside for the majority of my life and I'm tired of it. It makes me not be able to function the way God wants me to. The past month I have been trying to think positively and keep the joy of the Lord in my heart. Frank's sermon's on having a hard heart, anger, etc. have really hit home with me. I feel so much more peaceful now because I'm trying to change my thinking. Man, it's hard to undo 26 years of negativity! I know a lot of you have struggled with these same things. We just have to help each other. Please read this:

"Attitude"
By: Charles Swindoll


"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on my life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our attitudes."

Pardon my grammar, but ain't it the truth, my friends? I love this quote and need to post it on my bathroom mirror so I can start the day right.

Good Report

I just got back from Dr. Woodford's office and he said the calcification around my ovary is probably a little ovarian cyst from an corpus luteum egg that was released that was filled with blood. He examined me and everything was normal in there and he's gonna do an ultrasound in 4 weeks to make sure the cyst doesn't "grow". If it does grow, it could be a dermoid cyst and it would have to be 6 mm before they would need to remove it--but that's probably not the case. So, that's all good news. Dr. Bailey scared me to death about that cyst!

I'm gonna work on losing some weight to see if that helps the acid reflux from the haital hernia and keep taking the medicine and hopefully the pain I've been having will slowly diminish. Thanks for your prayers.

Some test results...more to follow

I had to go back to the ER for the third time early Sat. morning b/c I was in so much pain. They did a CAT scan of my abdomen to rule out any other problems I could be having. Those tests results revealed NO problems with kidneys, pancreas, diverticuli, NOR any presence of tumors, so that relieved me a lot. However, they did find calcifications on my ovaries and a possible clot in a vein near my ovaries which I was instructed to follow up with Dr. Woodford to see what's going on there. Before my endoscopic procedure this morning, Dr. Bailey saw the CAT scan reports and told me to make an appointment with Dr. Woodford soon so that he can look into what they found on the CAT scan. Dr. Bailey told me that I might have to have that ovary removed which made me cry when he said that because I want to have another baby. I'm trying to think positively. It's just scary when there's something they found and you've got to have it looked into further.

Anways, I had the endoscopic procedure done today. It wasn't bad at all. I don't even remember them doing the procedure. It turns out that I do NOT have an ulcer. I have a hiatal hernia which is when the upper part of your stomach goes through to the chest cavity. I do have some acid reflux which is most likely caused from the hernia. The crazy thing is that hiatal hernias are "fairly common in 25% of people 55 or older, and is more common in women and people who are overweight." (according to the research I've done). I also had to have my gallbladder taken out the first year John and I were married at age 22, which is pretty young to have that problem. I guess my body parts think I'm old or something! :)

I'm still having some pain. My appointment with Dr. Woodford is today at 2:00---they worked me in and John's gonna take me since i'm still loopy from the medicine from the procedure.

I'll post again when I find out more.....

Gotta Have that EGD test done

I had another sick spell with bad abdominal pain again last night and was up all night. The medicine is not working as we had hoped it would. I called my regular medical doctor and talked to his nurse and she said they could get me in with a gastrointestinal specialist in 3 weeks and then I could schedule that EGD test with that doctor. I was about to cry on the phone and I told her I could not wait that long. I told her something had to be done now because something is going on with my stomach and it could not wait. So, I had to get her to refer me back to the surgeon that took my gallbladder out 4 years ago b/c he could possibly get the test done quicker. I had to make a few phone calls this morning while exhausted from being up all night just to try to find a doctor who could get some tests run immediately. I have never in my life been so frustrated with the health care system. We're paying $900 every 2 months for health insurance and my doctor won't order the test because a gastro-whatever doctor has to read it so he sends you to the gastro-whatever doctor first. But then you have to wait almost a month before you get any help? I never realized how things worked until today. You have to go higher on the totem pole to get anything done around here. I really think I may change medical doctors even though I have loved mine up until now. I think after the third episode my doctor would realize the seriousness of how much pain I've been in. I just want to feel taken care of by my doctor. John said, "What? Do they just want to see well people?" Anyway, John took me to the surgeon and he said I needed to have the EGD test done soon and we scheduled it for this Monday morning. I'm dreading it but I know it's the first step we need to take to find out what's going on. Dr. Bailey said they'd give me some medicine that would make me not even care if they chopped my head off so that's good. I'm just freaked out knowing that they'll put a tube down my throat while I'm still awake. Please pray that they'll find out what's going on and that it won't be anything serious. The doctor said I could have some bacteria in there and that can be treated with antibiotics. Let's all pray for the best...Thanks

Thank God I'm not Diabetic!

I just got a call from my regular doctor's nurse and she said my blood work was totally normal for my blood sugar. One of the tests they did checks my blood sugar average from the past 3 months (don't know how it does that but that is pretty cool). Everything was right on target, so no diabetes to worry about. I'm taking 2 different medicines for 7-10 days and if the stomach pain/acid reflux pains don't go away, I'll go in for an EGD (Esophagogastroduodenoscopy)test where they put a tube down your throat. I hope I won't have to do that. If the symptoms go away, that means the medicine is working to heal the ulcer and I'll continue taking one of them for 8 weeks. Hopefully by then things will be much better. I will have to change my diet for a while--maybe for a long while, cutting out fried, high fat and spicy foods, caffeine, chocolate, etc. That's gonna be hard, but I've been drinking nothing but water for the past 2 days and I feel more hydrated than I've been in a while. What a good way to get healthy and lose weight!

The Longest Story and Title Ever (the equivalent to how long I spent in the ER) aka My Trips (yes, plural) to the Emergency Room

This week has been pretty eventful for me. John had diarrhea last weekend (I'm sure he wants everybody in the blogging world to know about that) and Bonnie threw up twice last Saturday, so on Tuesday night when I started to feel sick, I suspected a virus too. I was in such a great mood for Bunco and had such a good time eating Chinese food with the girls , but about 30 minutes before it was time to leave, my stomach started hurting. It got progressively worse by the time I got home and I thought if I threw up I would feel better, so I tried to throw up. That didn't work well, so I drank two sips of Alka-Seltzer and that REALLY made me throw up but the pain was continuing to worsen. (and no I'm not pregnant, for those of you who are thinking that's the direction this is going) After 3 1/2 hours of pain, I decided I needed to go to the emergency room. John's dad took me b/c John now has a cold and he'd taken Nyquil and I didn't think he needed to drive, so anyways, we got there and stayed there for a total of 6 hours. I thought I was gonna die before the doctor saw me. They were SO slow! A really nice nurse came in with an strong African/Jamaican dialect (very much like Dorian Flynn's)and gave me Phenergan for nausea. I told the nurse that I wasn't really that nauseated but I had made myself throw up at home b/c I thought that would make me feel better. She looked at me with confusion and concern and with that accent, she said, "You MADE yoself throw up???" I said, "I didn't MAKE myself..I'm not bulemic, I just thought about it really hard and tried to tell myself to throw up so that I would and I thought that would make me feel better." I don't know if she understood at all or not. They had taken a urine sample earlier and the doctor FINALLY came in and told me that there was sugar in my urine. Okay, I thought..what does that mean? The doctor said either I ate --and yes these were his exact words-- a "butt-load" of sugar or I'm diabetic. Well, I didn't eat a "butt-load" of sugar--just a mini ice cream sundae at Gena's with extra chocolate syrup but that wasn't THAT much sugar. I started to freak out a little b/c I started thinking.....what am I gonna do if I'm diabetic? I'm gonna die. I'm just gonna die from diabetes and my arms and legs are gonna fall off and my kidneys are gonna shut down. I just wasn't prepared for the doctor to say that. Well, they took my blood and my blood sugar was 196 (double than normal). Being that sick can raise your sugar but it shouldn't have raised it THAT high. I found out that when there's sugar in your urine, it's called "spill out" and that means that your body has so much sugar running through your body and eventually it can't handle it all, so it "spills out" into your urine, which is a bad sign. The doctor, whose real name was Dr. Marlon Florida told me to see my regular medical doctor today or tomorrow and if he couldn't see me, I should come back to the ER and not wait around. He was pretty concerned about the sugar thing. The stomach pain he determined was probably just viral. He gave me a Darvocet at 6 that morning right before I left to go home and I slept all day Wednesday. My stomach wasn't hurting at all on Friday. So, I went to the doctor yesterday and had blood work done and I find out on Monday what my blood work says. My doctor mentioned something about an ulcer but he was in such a hurry, I didn't have time to discuss my previous stomach pain with him that much.

This brings me to the second portion of the story: The 2nd trip to the E.R.

Since I was feeling better, John and I went to Applebees for lunch after my Dr.'s appt. and I got the Roasted Turkey and Bacon Ciabatta sandwich with tomato basil soup--my newest favorite lunch. Right afterwards, my stomach started hurting and I had diarrhea. I guessed that I just wasn't over the virus or something or my stomach just wasn't ready for the food I ate. At 5:00 my stomach pain returned and it felt like my chest was slightly burning and it hurt to talk or breathe. I drank Alka-Seltzer, took Pepto-Bismol and Gas-X, took a hot bath--nothing helped. By 7:00 I was really hurting and crying hysterically and I told John to go upstairs and get his mom to get me a Fleet enema (never done one of those but I thought maybe I needed one to cure my stomach pain)Something had to be wrong for me to be hurting that badly. She'd thrown all of the enema's away, so I cried some more and finally decided to go back to the emergency room. We got in quicker this time and my nurse just so happened to be one of my sister's friends from high school. I looked as ugly as homemade sin and was kind of embarassed but I was hurting so badly that I decided it didn't really matter. The doctor came in almost immediately and saw my chart from the other night and noticed that my white count was up and he pressed on my stomach and said he thinks I have an ulcer based on where and how I was hurting. He also mentioned something about GERD which I think is the same thing as acid reflux which can cause an ulcer to form. He said he was gonna give me some IV pain medication and Phenergan and he was gonna treat it like an ulcer. That pain medicine made me not even be able to hold my head up but once it went through my IV the pain literally disappeared. I have to say, it worked quicker than my epidural did! The doctor also said I needed to reduce my stress. Stress doesn't CAUSE an ulcer, but it contributes to it if you already have one. How I'm gonna do that I'm not sure. So that's the longest story ever. I'll let y'all know what my test results are about my sugar. I find out Monday about that. Please pray that I am healed soon and that they figure out exactly what all's going on.

Oh, and not that I am a believer in fortune cookies being right and all, but I'm pretty sure God was trying to send me a message that Tuesday night at Bunco---through the fortune cookie. I wish I had saved it, but it said something like "Be patient. Look for heeds and signs" You see, John and I were gonna start trying to get pregnant this month and he had been sick but he was feeling some better so we were gonna start trying that night after Bunco because that day of all days was the day I'd be ovulating. (Sorry if I'm giving TMI...we're all adults here) I was gonna rush home after Bunco but I ended up having to rush home for a different reason--my own sickness. I guess God CAN talk to you through a fortune cookie. I'm convinced I didn't just grab that one out of the pile by accident! I'm gonna have to be patient with the whole baby thing. I think I got my "signs" that this month was just NOT the right time!

Marley's gone....

I guess some of you already know this but our dog Marley has been missing for a week and a day now. We're pretty sure he's gone for good. He evidentally ran off because of the storm last weekend and we haven't seen him since. We've had him for about 7 years. We've put an add in the Courier and in the Times Daily for a week and have had a few calls but none of the people had found our dog. I'm sad.....I just want to know where he is. Not that want somebody else to have him and just be keeping him, but I'd rather that be than him off hurt or worse somewhere. I know he's just a dog but he was my first real pet ever, so it's hard for me to completely stop thinking about it all. If you see him out wandering around Florence, let me know, but I'm pretty convinced we won't see him again because it's been so long. :(

East to West

Just how far is that really?

I have been feeling like I'm in a total state of forgetfulness when it comes to taking time out of my day for God. I hate it when I get like this. I long to stay on a permanent spiritual high, but I just haven't been able to maintain that. Nobody does. I have just started back praying on a daily basis. I have to say there was a pretty big gap between then and now. I have also been battling with feeling saved or not depending on where I am spiritually. It scares me that Jesus could come back any time and I don't want to be caught in a rut. I just want my thoughts and my actions to be pleasing to God. I have to remember that I don't have to be perfect all of the time or any of the time for that matter. I have to remind myself of the awesomeness of God's grace. I condemn myself because I feel so guilty that I'm not where I need to be. Why do I forget about God's grace so much and tell myself how bad I've been? The answer has to be Satan. He knows just how to make me feel weak and not good enough. He creeps in slowly and grabs me when I'm not paying attention.
Oh, how I despise him!

Sorry to ramble, but lately I've just been thinking about how precious life is and I just want to live my life every day without taking for granted the really important things. Those are just some of the things I'm having trouble with right now. I just needed to confess. Please keep me in your prayers as I pray for all of you each night--my friends whom I am blessed to have in my life.

I heard this song on the radio the other day for the first time and it really spoke to my heart. It reminds us that our sins really are forgiven. It's so hard for me to believe sometimes. Please read the words and really listen to them in the video posted above this post.

Thank you God for casting my sin as far as the east is from the west..........(Psalm 103:12)


East to West
By: Casting Crowns

Here I am Lord,
And I'm drowning
In your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest
I don’t want to end up where you found me
And it echoes in my mind,
Keeps me awake tonight

I know you cast my sin as far as the east is from the west
And I stand before you now as,
As though I've never sinned
But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away
From you leaving me this way

Jesus can you show me
Just how far the east is from the west
Cause I can't bear to see the man I've been
Rising up in me again
In the arms of your mercy I find rest,
Cause you know just how far the East is from the West
From one scarred hand to the other.


I start the day the war begins
Endless reminding of my sin
And time and time again your truth is drowned out
By the storm I'm in
Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away,
From you leaving me this way


Jesus can you show me,
Just how far the East is from the West
Cause I can't bear to see the man I've been
Rising up in me again
In the arms of your mercy I find rest
'cause you know
Just how far the East is from the West
From one scarred hand to the other.


I know you've washed me white,
Turned my darkness into light
I need your peace to get me through,
To get me through this night
Can’t live by what I feel
But by the Truth your work reveals,
I'm not holding on to you
But you're holding on to me,
You’re holding on to me

Jesus you know
Just how far the East is from the West
I don't have to see the man I've been,
Come rising up in me again
In the arms of your mercy I find rest
'cause you know just how far the East is form the West,
From one scarred hand to the other.

Just how far
The east is from the west


From one scarred hand to the other

No One Mourns the Wicked

A week ago, I got back from a long weekend trip to Chicago. We went to see the broadway musical Wicked. It was SO awesome! It's about Glenda the good witch and Elphaba, aka the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. It told of how they got to know each other and became friends prior to the events occuring in The Wizard of Oz. You also find out how the scarecrow, tin man, and lion got to be who they were. I just can't describe its awesomeness in words. The music was absolutely phenomenal. I really wish I could see it again!

Okay, I feel like I just wrote a synopsis paragraph like what you have to write in 3rd grade after a field trip. Anyways, I had a lot of fun but was glad to get back home.

I hope everyone is having a great Monday!

Update on the Moving Experience

I'm currently at the public library checking my email because we don't have a computer set up right now. Living with the in-laws has been okay. Everything is insanely insane and nobody has any time to talk to each other so that means no disagreements for now. John is moving his office right now. His office will be at the Alpine Village Clubhouse effective Monday--which will be good because it's nicer than the old office that is infested with mold and mildew. Also once we're in our new house he can still walk to work. His dad created a path from our new house to the new office. To sum it all up, there has been a WHOLE LOT OF MOVING within the week. I finished up my part of the moving yesterday. John still has to go through the stuff in the basement and move it and then we can turn in our keys to our first home at 2246 Chisholm. It's weird not really having a place that feels like home right now. I know we're so blessed to have a place to live rent free at his parents, but it's still not home. I can't wait until the house is done.

I miss blogging so much....hopefully we'll have our computer set up soon (but we will be on dial up :( If anybody wants to come swimming, please call me anytime and you can come over. I'll make snacks and lemonade or whatever you want. Just come see me! Maybe John's parents will go out of town soon and we can have people over for games. I'll just be sure to let someone else bring them besides Melodie. I'm afraid she may forget! (love you mel :)

Well, I'll talk to you guys soon. I'll be leaving Wednesday night to go to Nashville b/c our flight leaves Thursday morning for Chicago. Me, Bonnie, and John's Memaw are going to Chicago from Thurs. to Mon. to stay with his family and see the Broadway play, Wicked. When I planned this trip, I had no idea so much would be going on. I'm glad it all worked out that I could get away for a few days. Seriously, call me anytime if you want to swim.

We're Moving earlier than we thought

John came home from work on Friday and said, "Well, pack your bags 'cause we're moving." We will be moving any day now. To wrap it up in a nutshell, the business has been split and the house we're living in now is not part of that half. We are going to be moving in with John's parents until our house is done. We'll be busy so I don't think we'll get in each other's way. Anyways, I've been packing up things since Saturday. There are gonna be some major changes for us in the next few months--more than I think I've ever had to deal with at one time. Please pray that the transition of John's job and our move (or moves plural) will be as smooth as possible. I'm just overwhelmed right now, but we've made some good progress in packing. It seems like so much to do when you look at what all has to be boxed up. I need to just quit getting frustrated and just get as much done each day and not think about it being this huge overwhelming process. I've never gone through a big move before until now so it's a lot to get used to! Moving makes you realize how materialistic we all are because we accumulate SO MUCH STUFF! I've got a ton of stuff to take to the Friendship Center and I can't tell you how many bags of garbage we've thrown away!

Tired

I woke up so tired this morning. I have been trying to go to bed earlier so I feel better in the morning, but the hours between 9:30 and 12 are the only ones I have time to myself. I stay up on the couch with my favorite throw and watch friends reruns or just look up things on the internet. I love this time and I feel so wide awake at the time, but in the morning I feel like I've been hit by a truck as I listen to "momma, momma, momma". I told John this morning that I was exhausted and I wished I wouldn't stay up so late sometimes. I told him that was the only time I have for myself. His response was, "Maybe one day you'll realize you need to stop taking "me time". I don't ever get to." I told him that I NEED that and I realize he needs it too, but oftentimes I think that mothers need it more. I told him that. I told him that being a mother is a different kind of stress that I can't explain. Now, he didn't mean anything ugly about what he said, and I know he needs time to himself but he functions without it. The difference is that I don't function well without it. Am I way off about mothers needing it more? or is it just that we care more about taking care of ourselves because we know how crucial that is to our function AS a mother? or do men just not get it at all?

Identity Theft Scare

I got an email today from Ebay stating that my account had been compromised. Somebody somehow guessed my password and was sending out fake emails with fake items for sale or something and Ebay restored my account's security. I changed my password and my email password to something nobody would guess. I thought my old password was sufficient and secure. I later could not log into my email or blog account b/c it said my email didn't exist. I was about to completely freak out. I just knew my identity had been stolen! About my email....I had changed the password and just could not remember the password I'd changed it to. I have been in complete freak out mode and have considered deleting all my accounts and starting over. I was even about to delete Myspace and my blog. (I don't need to spend as much time as I do on it anways). I have gotten everything reset and everything's okay now. I'm just glad nobody bought anything with my information, but it could have easily happened if they hadn't notified me in time. I'd hate to have to pay for thousands of dollars on items from say some superstar's personal collection that some hacker-stealer bought using my identity!


I just wanted to let you guys know so you could be sure that your passwords are something nobody could guess easily. It's scary that somebody got into my Ebay account. Once they hack into one, the rest of your personal information can be at risk. Just be careful everybody.........and change your passwords to something more secure........man, I have a tension headache now!

Updates on our house

I'm finally caught up with the latest on our house. I've done 4 more posts in one day to catch up! --just to let you know.

http://littleculdesac.blogspot.com

What Hurts the Most

Jordin Sparks and Chris Richardson's duet

Sanjaya skipping around

Sanjaya...here's how you make me feel: sick to my stomach!

Synopsis of an American Idol Experience (Year 3)

Last night, the girls (me,Jessica,Gena,Amy,Cortney B.,Bridgett,Erin,Meredith, and Cortnie M) went to this year's American Idol Concert Tour in B'ham. We had a great time! They put on a good show, but the first half of the concert was excruciating: The sound was too loud and it sounded like we were listening to people screaming. I was gonna be mad if the whole concert was like that. They sort of fixed it after that. Here's a picture of the lady in front of us who stayed in this position the first half of the concert. It was hilarious to see!


My favorite performer was Phil Stacey. He is absolutely amazing! I could hear him sing all day long! Blaze of Glory: Incredible!

Hailey Scarnato still wore the least amount of clothing possible and was shaking it like a Poloroid picture up there. She'd be a great model/possible actress but not singer.

Oh, sweet Sanjaya.....he is such a flaming idiot! I just can't tell you how often he skipped across the stage thinking he was "All that". I am SO thankful we weren't sitting by a bunch of 12 year old girls all night. That would have been a nightmare!

Jordin sent chills down my arms with her "I Who Have Nothing" song. I hope she puts that one on her CD. AWESOME!

Blake's beat-boxing was so cool. He is so talented! Blake, you give love a "Ba-a-a-a-a-ad name"

Melinda was phenomenal as usual.

I don't have anything really special to say about the other people. They were good but I just didn't feel like my socks were knocked off last night, except for "Blaze of Glory" and "I Who Have Nothing".


Last year when I wrote this post, there was a lot to say about our night. The concert this year was good, but not anything in comparison to last year and the year before. It was just a slightly dead year this year, kind of like the Fantasia year. The concert arena wasn't even full. It wasn't crowded when we left. We just walked out without any trouble keeping up with each other. I think part of it had to do with the fact that we weren't in anybody's hometown like we were the past two years. Maybe next year will just blow us away!

Oh, and I'm posting videos above that I made of a pretty good duet of Chris Richardson and Jordin and of Sanjaya's trying to be as cool as Michael Jackson performance. My camera will only record for 1 minute so you get a little taste...

Girls, it was fun hanging out with all of you! I can't wait until next year! Here are some more pictures.








Hey, is that Jack Osbourne up there? HA!

How I Felt Today

How to get your child to sleep late

I just learned something. If you put up a big dark sheet over your child's windows and throw in a perfect rainy morning, you get to sleep later. Bonnie just woke up (8:51 a.m.). She usually wakes up at 7 or 7:30. Gotta go, she keeps hollering, "Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama,....."! :)

Why is it that you KNOW these strategies, but there are so many little simple ones, you always forget about them and try the complicated ones or just stress that you don't know WHAT to to when the answer is RIGHT THERE LOOKING AT YOU!

Oh the joys.........keep it simple Scarlett, keep it simple.

New Blog

I just wanted to let anybody who cares know that I've started a new blog about the construction process of our new home. I found some stranger's blog on the internet that did this and it was neat to see it from start to finish.

The blog address is: http://littleculdesac.blogspot.com

You can read it if you're interested.

I lift my hands to thank Him

Praise God, Thank you Jesus, Hallelujah for this wonderful food, Amen.


For some reason, this is what came into my head after I saw this picture!

50 Things About Me

Meredith--I'm gonna get you for this! :)

*By the time you finish reading this post, you're gonna either think I'm gross or actually relate to what I'm saying. See for yourself.

1. I'm nervous about having to start potty-training soon (Bonnie...that is)
2. Chucky Cheese's pizza is my favorite.
3. I love to sing and play piano.
4. I wrote the music for a song I was planning on having played at our wedding as a
surprise for John.
5. Every time I tried to write the words, they were nothing but Mr.Rogers cheesy
phrases.John still doesn't know about all this. Please don't tell him. I may
finish it one day.
6. There are days when I look at the clock at 9:00 p.m. and realize I haven't had a shower or brushed my teeth all day.
7. I have a tendency of rambling from my mouth and when writing in order to state
my point.
8. Wendy's fries dipped in a chocolate Frosty makes an AWESOME snack! Try it. The
sweet/salty combinition is incredible! It's no more weird than chocolate covered
pretzels except you have the cold/hot combo as well.
9. The weirdest thing I've ever eaten was octopus suckers on a trip to Mexico. They
were chewy like rubber and not very good.
10. I love using similes and metaphors.
11. I have trouble making even the simplest decisions.
12. I am a perfectionist in an imperfect world which leaves me chasing my tail all
the time.
13. My parents are still unhappily married after 26 years.
14. I refuse to EVER get to that point.
15. I have a major crush on Pacey from Dawson's Creek.
16. I jumped off of a cliff and landed on my bottom in the river when my baby was 6
months old.
17. I bruised my whole backside and legs and I don't know what I was thinking! I
just wanted to do something rebellious since I never have before.
18. I love discovering new music artists and downloading all their songs.
19. I swore I'd never gamble, but two weekends ago, I lost $26.oo at a casino in
Biloxi. I actually just spend $26 for my entertainment for the night! :)
20. As a child, I set up a lemonade stand and tried to sell coloring sheets that my
friend and I worked so hard on. Nobody was interested.
21. I hate getting all sweaty in the summertime. No humidity would be AWESOME!
22. You get what you get with me. I'm very blunt and honest and I don't mind
sharing what's on my heart.
23. I have a temper, but have learned to control it. (most of the time)
24. I am clumsy and seldom finish a meal in public without spilling something on
myself or someone else. I trip over things and bump into walls a lot.
25. My feet REALLY stink!!
26. I am extrememly insecure about my body.
27. I want to have another baby when God lets me know it's time.
28. My favorite part of high school was show choir and cheerleading.
29. I still wish I could start up an adult show choir, if people would participate!
30. Orange juice made me horribly sick when I was pregnant with Bonnie. I have not
drunk it since.
31. We're building a house and will hopefully be in it before Christmas.
32. I love rollercoasters. I wish Opryland was still around.
33. I want to spend more time with my grandmothers while I still have them.
34. My priorities get out of wack way too often.
35. I love using shampoo that makes my head tingle, like mint shampoo.
36. I have never broken a bone.
37. I have never had a cavity.
38. I think I might be good at real-estate or marketing.
39. I want my mom to become my friend.
40. I love watching movies.
41. I am a certified scuba-diver.
42. I have a strange desire to become a nurse, a photographer, and start a hair
salon called the "Scarlett O' Hair-a" salon. (not at the same time)
43. When I was little, I used to pray to God every night to let me dream that I was
the Little Mermaid so I would know what it felt like to swim and breathe
underwater.
44. I worry too much about what I think others are thinking about me.
45. I have tried to not talk as much, but I just can't stop!
46. I would eat ice cream all day long if I could!
47. I can't imagine my life without God, John or Bonnie in it.
48. I woke up with the chickenpox on my 9th birthday.
49. I love children's books. I hope to write some one day.
50. I messed up numbering this dumb thing and I had to think of another thing:
I have laughed so hard before that I peed in my pants!
51. One more--just for the over-achiever in me: I want people to comment on my blog.
I like knowing who reads it.

OKAY NOW, I Tag Bevin and Jill to do this thing. Come on, you can do it! -And Cortnie, if you still read this, I challenge you to actually set up a blog and start writing! :)

Is Alli really your "ally"?

I told you there'd be something soon that got me rambling.......here it is:

There's a new diet pill (or I should say "weight loss aid") out there now called Alli. It's called that because it's supposed to be your "ally" to weight loss. It is the only diet pill over the counter that is FDA approved, which makes it sound awesome! It is the half dosage of the same drug as prescription Xenical which is used for weight loss and to reduce cholesterol. Alli is selling out in drugstores everywhere and there's even a cookbook to help you along with your diet. Alli actually prevents one quarter of the fat you eat from being absorbed. You just pass the extra fat and it doesn't go to your body.

Sounds great, huh? Well, it causes side effects that half of people taking Alli will experience. These include: gas with oily discharge, inability to control bowel movements, and oily or fatty stools. Sounds fun! The more fat you have in your diet, the more these treatment side effects will occur. A lady at the drugstore said to wear pantyliners when using Alli because of leakage that can occur. Also, it's about $50 for a month's supply. The company recommends carrying an extra pair of pants with you until you're used to the drug. You can't take Alli if you have had an organ transplant because it interferes with the medicine taken to prevent organ rejection. Alli blocks absorption of some vitamins, so you need to take a supplement if you are taking it.

One study of Alli showed that dieters who took the drug along with diet and exercise over a year lost about three pounds more than people who only dieted and exercised. NOT WORTH IT to me! :)

Read up on Alli before you decide to try it. I'm not saying it's a bad drug, just a little scary to think you might be having greasy farts throughout the day when taking it! You're supposed to only take Alli if you plan to follow a reduced fat and calorie diet and if you plan to exercise. You're suppposed to only eat 15 grams of fat per meal. If you eat more than that you're in for, well, let's just say some messy reprocussions!

"Let's Give 'Em Something to Blog About"

Alright, I am beginning to think I need to quit blogging. I'm running out of things to blog about and I'm not sure who even reads it anymore. My life is not really dull right now, but most of the stuff going on I wouldn't want to share for the whole internet world to read! :)

Just give me a few days and I'm sure there will be something that gets me rambling.......

Seen any good movies lately?

Okay, so John and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary on Friday night! YEA!!! We left Bonnie with my parents for the night and went to the Olive Garden and then rented "The Holiday". I liked it, but John thought it was just okay. It was just so nice to actually have a date for once in I don't know how long! :) I think the last movie we saw together was "The Departed" at the theater however long ago that was(which turned out to be full of potty mouth language!---okay that sounded like a 3 year old! ) Anyway, It got me to thinking.....we REALLY have missed some good movies since Bonnie's been here. There's just no time to rent one and watch it without falling asleep! Yeah, we're old fogies now! :) We are going to try to sit back and relax and watch a movie more often. So, I need everyone's help. Have you seen any good movies lately? I'm making a list of the ones I want to see on the side of my blog. Any suggestions would be great! :)

Jesus take the wheel

This little girl can't be more than two. How precious!

Are you struggling?

Tonight I taught the kindergarten and 1st grade class at church. I had to tell you what one of the little girls said that was visiting. We were talking about Job and I was telling them that he was just going through a hard time and he had all this bad stuff happen to him in his life and I said, "He was just...." and the little girl said, " like he was struggling?" I said, "Yes exactly." Then she said in a soft sweet voice, "Struggling means you had a bad day and you can't go over it by yourself."

I was totally touched at the words she used to explain "struggling". It was just awesome coming from a five year old. Kids are so honest and understanding and they just have such incredible ways of explaining things without any bias behind their words.

The truth is we're always struggling with something and we can't "go over it" by ourselves. We need to get better at sharing our struggles so we can get through them, don't you think?

Jordin Sparks WINS AMERICAN IDOL 2007

For those of you whose Tivo/DVR didn't record the actual annoucement of the winner last night, here's the video.

Cheers to Jordin...........Pooey on Fox for running behind and making me wait until this morning to see the rest of last night's show! ;0

Daughtry's Make-up and Elliot's Teeth

I woke up this morning to the sound of John's radio going off and the guys on there were talking about Chris Daughtry's make up last night. My tivo had stopped recording after the American Idol finale and I didn't get to see him sing at the end. The guys on the radio talked about how he looked like a drag queen with all that eye makeup on, but after finding pictures and watching the video from last night, I didn't think it was as big of a deal as what they were making it out to be.

I also want to comment on Elliot Yamin's performance a few weeks ago. He is AWESOME! (By the way, did you know Elliot is 90% deaf in his right ear?) I think I'm gonna go buy his CD. I always said throughout last year's competition that he'd fix his teeth once the show was over and boy did he! Those things almost glowed in the dark. He looks much better now and I loved his curly hair!

What do you guys think?

How well do you know me?

Okay, I'm gonna do this too...................

Take My Quiz on QuizYourFriends.com http://www.quizyourfriends.com/quizpage.php?quizname=070519174139-264458" target="_blank"> Can you Ace my quiz? Yes! No Let's Find Out!

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Time Management

http://www.uclick.com/client/sea/ca/2007/05/06/index.html

I'm hoping this comic is large enough for you to read. (If not, go to the link below the comic)

I feel like "Cathy" right now and probably will until I hit 80 years old! :) I am really trying to exercise time management right now, but I've always been in a hurry, late everywhere I go, and frustrated in the process! I'm sick of it and I'm working on changing my bad habits. I know it will take a lot of stress off me once I figure out how to manage myself and my time. I need more patience and calmness in my life. I think I bring a lot of unneccessary stress upon myself. Oh, and if anybody has any recipe suggestions for quick and semi-healthy meals, let me know. I am running out of ideas!

I think I may be a weirdo

Someone told me the other day (Ok, it was Krista) that I change my blog design more than anyone else she knows! It's true. I am so weird. It made me start thinking about all of the quirky things I do that make me who I am. I may be setting myself up to be made fun of by doing this, but it was time for a new post. Here are some of my odd habits. Call it OCD if you want......it is what it is.........

1. I constantly crave change. I guess I get bored with the same old stuff more quickly than others do. I used to change my hair style and color just on the spur of the moment. I just get in these moods where I have to do something new right then.

2. I can't stand it when pictures on the wall are crooked. I must fix them immediately.

3. The toilet paper has to be over the roll. I feel the urge to change it if it's not, even if it's not in my own house.

4. I only eat small candies or snacks in even numbers. The television volume or air conditioner in the car has to be set on an even number. It actually bothers me when if I see that it's set on an odd number. I can't stand it! I'm not superstitious, I just like even numbers. We got married on 6/8/02 for that reason...........

Okay, why am I telling you all of this? You're probably thinking I'm more than just a little weird. I think I may need therapy! I probably shouldn't even post this to my blog, but I'm going to anyway.



What are some of your weird and quirky habits and behaviors? Humor me! Come on, please comment. We all have something.........

Casting Crowns - Praise You In This Storm

"I'll Praise the God Who Gives and Takes Away"

I'm not trying to depress anybody. I just have to get out everything rambling in my head at the moment. Some of these statements may be pretty blunt, but you all know me and I have to get it out, and I am long winded, so if you get bored, I'm sorry....................................

Most of you know, we had another miscarriage. I hate saying "We've lost the baby". It sounds like I don't know where it is.......but I do. I believe that little baby had a soul and is with God. It isn't lost by any means. It's strange how when this happens we don't know what to say and nobody else does either. It's just one of those tough things in life that we have to depend on God to get through. My faith has been pretty strong this time, more than it was the last time. I pray that it continues to be because I will not allow Satan to make me mad at God for this. I went through a lot of anger the first time and it damaged me for a time.

I had a D&C yesterday and everything went well. I have had a virtually pain-free recovery so far which is a blessing. My throat is hurting the worst because I found out they have to put a breathing tube down you when you "go under" that far during anesthesia because you stop breathing. I'm glad they waited until it was over to let me know that or I would have had a panic attack before surgery!

The biggest recovery will be emotional. I got really depressed after our first miscarriage and then during my pregnancy with Bonnie because I think I was so scared we'd lose her too. I don't want to go through that again. I'm gonna fight it as hard as I can and try to remain at peace through this and when God does bless us again. It will do me no good to worry all the time about something happening again, but I can't help the fact that those negative thoughts still linger in the back of my mind.

I feel like I've been stronger this time in ways but weaker in others. I was just out of my first trimester, which has brought more shock than the last time. My mind fills with those "What ifs" that I am convinced are put in our heads by Satan himself. What if this happens again and again? What if I didn't take my progesterone supplements long enough? What if they were wrong and missed something on the ultrasound and I've just gone through a procedure and killed my baby? Crazy thoughts I know, but I'm just being honest. However, my logical side is CONVINCED that God knows best and he saved this child from a life of pain and suffering if it had been brought into this world.

It's just been a really hard week. We just had John's granddad's funeral on Wednesday and then Friday I went to the doctor and found out my baby's heartbeat was gone at almost 14 weeks. For the last few days, I have felt like "What's next, God?" However, also during this time I've found out about a lot more trials that others around me are going through that have helped me gain perspective on my trials lately. People are hurting all around me. I hate that others are having to go through storms, but it's part of life. Even though I can only know my pain and it can't be compared to anyone elses, I'm reminded that it can ALWAYS be worse.
As Bevin's last post talked about, "I am truly blessed!" Even though I'm in pain, I am BLESSED to have a wonderful, supportive husband with a job that allows me to stay home with the most precious child I could ask for, a house to live in, enough food that I am never hungry, more clothes than anybody needs, just to name a few. I WILL get through this!

As most of you know, I am a music person. Songs help me get through things. When this all happened, I kept singing the part of "Blessed Be Your Name" where it says, "You give and take away; you give and take away; my heart will choose to say, 'Lord BLESSED BE YOUR NAME'! He does give and take away and it's hard to deal with the taking away part, but let's look at it in a way that I've just now realized through this trial: When he takes away, it's not just him allowing the good things to be taken from us in this life when he decides for those things to happen........it's him also taking away pain, suffering,and burdens from us when he knows that's best. We must remember that and that's how I've chosen to look at all this. My baby is much better off being with God than down here with me in such a crazy place where it could have lived a life of pain and suffering. Sometimes we get blessings in disguise (probably more than we realize). Every time I hear or sing that song, it will always remind me of that message. There is such POWER in song and praise! When I sing songs of praise and worship to God, it changes my heart and strengthens me in a way I can't explain. (And Amy-- the reason I love "He's Always Been Faithful to Me" so much is because it got me through another really hard time not too long ago. I'll tell you about it sometime. I understand why you got burned out on it though! HAHA :)

...Funny how those songs "just so happen" to come on the radio and leave us with exactly what we need at the time. Ya think God had anything to do with this one that came on exactly when John's alarm went off on Sunday? I've been singing it ever since, including on my way to the hospital yesterday. I was just introduced to this song at our Ladies Retreat about 8 weeks ago. It came to me through radio just when I needed it myself. It is EVERYTHING I need to hear right now. Please listen to the words. I'm posting it above.

Thank you all for being such great friends......just another one of those blessings God has given us........I love you guys!

Random Thought

Today, I was showing John's grandmother some of my friends' blogs. She could not believe that they put pictures of their kids on there. She wondered if anyone could access it. I decided to tell her I had one too and that I wasn't scared of anything happening to my child with her pictures on there. Maybe I should be more leery. We are living in a CRAZY world, but I feel like we're pretty secured in our home and in public (since I'm always with her). What do you all think? Should we be more discreet? Should we not be naive? Let me know.

I"m "Auntie Scarlett"

My sister, Heather, had her baby! John-Parker Aldridge was born on Wednesday at 5:23 p.m. He weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces and was 21 inches long! He has light brown hair and has double dimples!

Heather did awesome! (so did Justin---he pushed with her so much his face was red and the nurses had to tell him to stop because he would pass out! He helped her so much!) I was in the delivery room with her along with her fiance, Justin and our cousin, Stephanie. It was so beautiful getting to see her deliver the baby. God is so awesome! This little one is a blessing and we love him so much we can't hardly stand it! Bonnie really doesn't know what to think about him. She poked at his head today to check him out! It was so cute. I'll be posting more pictures later. Keep them all in your prayers. Heather is in love! She says, "I just LOVE my little baby so much!". Justin is doing great also.....he's changed all of the diapers and yesterday John-Parker peed all over him and the wall of their hospital room. They are in for an adventure!

My life lately

Hello Everyone!

I think many of my readers (if I have many)know that John, Bonnie, and I haven't been at our best lately. Bonnie and I have both been sick off and on for a few weeks and she's been waking up in the night crying a lot. I know--part of being a mother--,but anyways I have been feeling extremely stressed lately and unable to cope with life as much as I should be able to. We haven't been to Sunday worship in a month now. I can't wait to get back. We may just have to leave her with the grandparents every weekend until she chills out. We were putting her in our bed in the night when she would cry continually and when she had a high fever and tonsilitis last week, and NOW she wants to get in our bed every night in the middle of the night when she wakes up. We're trying to undo what we've done. She's still teething. I have almost given up on her ever getting a tooth at all--14 months and nothing yet--Maybe she'll relax a little when one pops through.

Last night, we were up again in the middle of the night to Bonnie's screaming. She had wet all through her diaper (it must have weighed 5 pounds)and through her clothes and sheets. I got her changed and put her back to bed. She went right to sleep! PRAISE GOD!

This morning she cried for me to come get her because she was awake and ready to face the day. When I went in her room, she was butt naked--clothes off and diaper in crib-- and she was pulling the crib bars back and forth and screaming. I was just waiting for the day this would happen (and I'm thankful her diaper was just wet!) I'm sure we'll have another encounter that will be not so easy to clean up! I got some pictures, but due to the sick world in which we live, I will not be posting them! It was the cutest, funniest, and saddest thing all in one (b/c she was shivering from being in the nude on such a cold morning!)

More to come later..................

Scarlett's Scoop on Idol

Throughout the American Idol competition this year, I will be beginning what I'd like to call "Scarlett's Scoop on Idol". I figured since I'm so opinionated, I should let everyone know what I think from week to week. (as if you care!) We'll see how many comments others have. If I'm totally out of line, let me know. If you agree, let me know that too.


1. Bush-baby comment (SO MEAN!He can't help how he looks but he really did look like a bush-baby )

2. Girl who said "You can teach me how to sing". Was she for real? She seemed very mental to me. I hope that was just something to get the public's attention on tv. Surely you remember her.

3. Paula Abdul seems a little mean this year. Is she on something or is she just trying to be
cool? "Try a little humble pie, dear" Whatever! Was she for real tonight when she said that guy had a good tone but he was off key? He was great!

4. I still haven't found "my person" yet on this show. I usually have picked my favorite pick for the winner after the auditions. We'll see.

5. I wasn't that impressed with Birmingham. However, they don't show a lot of the good people on the beginning auditions.