I DID IT!!!

I had to mark this date and tell everyone that I finally touched my toes today! I've been working out, trying to get my body back (pre-medical-B*S*-fiasco) and I was just able to bend over completely to touch the tips of my toes. Yea! Next goal is to touch the floor.

Shame on me!

Look how long it's been since I last posted! Life is good for us right now. The boys are doing well in school, Matt's off in Louisiana hauling sweet potatoes (yuck!) and livestock. I'm finally working part-time, the point of which was to have time to do more at home but so far I've only really caught up on my favorite TV programs!

Here's a pic of our recent trip to Virginia for Matt's late father's family reunion. In order: me, Jason, Aunt Kay (Matt's dad's sister), Grandma holding the most spoiled little poodle I've ever met, Matt and Alex. Looks like Jason's almost taller than Alex in this pic. I don't think he really is, though....yet. And look! I'm finally wearing jeans! yea!! I'm feeling very heavy right now so I'm still wearing big clothes but I'm working on it. Yesterday I did aerobics in the morning and in the evening the boys and I went to this very nice park with a lit, paved walking path. We walked a bit over a mile. We would've gone another round but I hadn't changed into proper walking shoes. Maybe tonight we'll go again.

It's finally starting to feel like autumn. I went to let the dogs out and the air was crisp and cool. You could smell the changing of the season. Poor Matty is missing it again. Maybe next year.

Good News!

Jason got into the Early College High School program for the coming year! We're all very excited and proud. :)

beach pics

playing hookie...

I played hookie from work today and went to the beach... walked about 2 miles down and 4 miles back....I swear, it really was twice as far coming back! Got pics of a washed up jellyfish, a little crab that looked like it's pincers were ripped off and had a little bite out of it's side but it was still kicking. I got 2 FULL sand-dollars and then won 35.00 on a scratch off lottery ticket! Not a bad day at all!

Summertime!

Yes, summer is upon us once again. Yea! The sun is shining (well it's overcast today)the birds are singing and I finally get a day off. Oh, well, I have to run the boys up to get haircuts and I've got about a billion projects going here but.... I live for it. I'm trying to get some goats to help out around the yard as I can never seem to keep a lawn mower running for any length of time and it gets very expensive to keep paying the gardener. Will let you know how that goes.

I've added a link on the right over there for y'all to see Craig, Trish and the kiddies.... ALL the little kiddies! I keep telling them we know what causes that! http://rndllfam.blogspot.com/ (I didn't know I could add that in my blog! cool!

Also you can BUY AVON FROM ME over there. Please buy avon from me!!

I'm finally re-doing the bathroom floor. It's been bare fiberboard since one of the Hurricanes (Bonnie I think) about 9 or 10 years ago. I was filling up the tub and walked away from it for just a sec and then in typical-Kari-like fashion got distracted and completely forgot about it. Only to discover a while later my bathroom floor completely flooded and the carpet ruined. (who puts carpet in a bathroom anyway???) So I'm laying pretty little sticky tiles of vinyl. It was only 20 bucks so if I screw it up at least it's better than what it was and I can always have it done professionally later....much later....like when I win the lottery! ha! Or maybe I can convince my stinky baby bro to come out here and help me. Matty's a great guy but I 'bout have to beat the hell out of him to get any laborous help around the house. He's just not a fixer-upper kinda guy. What's a girl to do? Do it my damn self, that's what! ha again!

Update

We're fine here. Just waiting around for vacation. We're all very excited about it. We're going to try to leave Thursday night (april 5) after work and Matt's just going to drive straight thru so we should be there sometime Friday night. He'll probably just want to eat and go to bed but he'll be fine by morning. He's used to it.
I'm looking forward to showing off all 3 of my men to Grandma and Dad, Aunt Sue, Uncle Ted and hopefully a cousin or two. They won't recognize the shorter ones! I almost feel weird calling them boys now because when I say that I think of them as being about 3 and 5. Jason will be 15 on Wednesday and I just can't believe it! Just yesterday I was carrying him around on one arm and I must've blinked because he's about 3 inches taller than I and is just starting to get the first little fuzz of mustache. Speaking of facial hair....Alex....my gawd!! I don't know where he gets it from but he is the hairiest teenager I've ever seen! Thick, dark hair everywhere! Even on his back! And he gets a 5 o'clock shadow! He's thinned out alot but you can't tell because he's still self-conscious of his weight and wears baggy clothes. They're both just so adorable and are turning into just the most incredible people, in spite of their parents!.....maybe because of? lol

More pics

So I guess it goes Anna, Bekah, Craig, Trish and Kaid.

My new nephew: Quinn Michael Randall

Pics in order...I hope.

You should see mama Trish, papa Craig (my baby bro), sis Bekah,

sis Anna, bro Kaid.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Howdy y'all. I know it's been a while since I sat down and actually wrote something. I could say alot has happened but it's really just the daily struggle of being on my own again because Matt has gone back over the road trucking. I think I said that in a previous post. It's difficult but it's definitely time for us to finish what we started before I got sick. It'll be worth it because when he comes home for good we'll be in a much better place financially which will allow us to concentrate on us instead of the constant worry about money. And we'll be getting ready to get the kids out on their own so that will be a whole new adventure altogether!

You'll all be happy to know that I'm doing much better physically. I'm completely off the methadone but I still take a small dose of neurontin at night and motrin thru-out the day. I can pick things up off the floor if I'm careful and I can paint my own toenails. That was a big thing for me. I really hate to say it but going back to work full-time forced me to get well. I still have a way to go but I can "see the light at the end of the tunnel" as Matt likes
to say.

So I had to take the day off Friday because Jason got into a fight on
Thursday and I had to have a meeting with the principal. He got
suspended because it's school policy but everyone, including his
teachers AND the school cop said he was in the right because this kid
has been bullying Jas and others for a long time. Jas has such a kind
heart that he holds all his anger in and it finally came out. Jas was
bumped and bruised but he got his licks in good on the other kid... and
this kid was BIG. The suspension is really no big deal because he's
already taken all of his end of semester tests, so he was off Friday,
Monday is a holiday (MLK day), off Tuesday, Wednesday (which both
teachers said they aren't really doing anything exciting, goes back
Thursday to get whatever he did miss, then Friday is a teacher work
day! He has a book report coming up so I said he'd better write one
helluva good one!

In taking the day off, I decided to run the dog to the vet to get his
nails clipped because they were out of control crazy long, way past
due. I took him to our normal place but it was full of all new girls. I
told them that they would need to medicate Buck for the nail clipping
because he has a really serious THING about it. They said, "You
mean a muzzle, right?" I said, "No, I mean MEDICATION. If you
just muzzle him, he'll come out of it and bite you." Don't listen to
me; I've only known him for 13 years and you've known him for all of
13 seconds, but you're the expert, right? I signed the paperwork
saying it was okay to sedate him but when I picked him up they said
they didn't. I was like WOW, and nobody got bit? She's all, "Well,
no, I don't think so, but next time I think we'll sedate him."
AAAAAAAHHHHHH!! Stupid girl! He's old, you know! The stress
of not sedating him might give him a heart attack! Next time I'm
going to INSIST and if they don't want to do it I'll take him some
place else.

Buon Natale!

If I'm not mistaken that's Merry Xmas in Italian. I remember we said it all the time over there this time of year. Hope all is well for everyone. I've been very busy with the kids and just trying to maintain with Matt gone so sorry if my writings are sparse. We're all doing well. Not really much to report. I hope everyone has wonderful holidays and sending y'all happy thoughts for the new year. I won't send Xmas cards this year but hopefully I'll get around to it by Valentine's! I'll try to get all 3 of my men up to get family pics by then.

Matt's new job

Matt left this evening for Indianapolis to start a new job driving over-the-road again. This time he won't be leasing so he won't have to work quite so hard and for so long and he'll actually get paid vacation time. We've decided to go ahead and finish what we started before I got sick. We had a plan. Since then we've just been trying to get by and now it's time. I've really gotten used to him being at home so it's going to be a real adjustment again but it's not like he's leaving the country, like my poor little baby bro' :( and I can call him every night. We don't see alot of each other during the week anyway because often he's asleep by the time I get home. I hope to get an earlier shift soon. Well, really, we're all doing okay. It'll be nice to get caught up on the bills and have spending money again. My love to all.

More babble....

We're all hanging in there. I had a little meltdown at work yesterday and I think we figured out it's one of my older meds so now I can make an adjustment with that and hopefully I'll feel better. I'm still sore from my surgery on top of my regular pain. Just need to find the balance between pain and meds at work.
Matt finally got his short term disability approved; we're waiting for an appointment with another neuro-surgeon to see if they can fix his herniated disc which needs to happen quick because he only gets 3 months paid backdated to July 21. The last guy didn't even want to look at the MRI. I'm beginning to doubt this entire state has any competent doctors. Better I don't get started on that.
Thankfully I'm off today and I have a therapy appointment this afternoon. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!! Okay, I'm fine now......
Hugs and kisses from me to y'all.

Me and my shadows! :)

All's well with surgery

I had my laparoscopy on Friday. Everything turned out fine. I'm healthy; no illness causing the pain that they could find. (So Grandma says, "Quit yur complaining, then! ha ha!" Thanks Grandma). Once I recover from this surgery they're going to try some physical therapy and see if we can whip my muscles back into shape. I got on some new pain meds that are working very well. They make me a little dizzy -er than normal... but they take most of the pain away and give me a sense of wanting to do things again, get my life back.

Matt's neurosurgeon was an ass and blew him off so we're waiting to hear from another one.

We're having a cookout at the park today with lots of friends. Don't worry. I won't overdo it. Just want to sit around and drink sody pops and bond with my family and buddies.

Love to all! :)

BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES!!

The hurricane's a'comin! Actually, for the most part, it's already here. It's been really rainy for the past 2 days and more to come. The scariest part is the wind that howls incessantly, knocking over countless trees whose roots are soaked and loose from all the rain. I just hope this is the year I finally get my new roof!! ha!

My surgery is tomorrow and I'm kinda freaked out but I know it will be okay. Matt has a herniated disc and we have to go to a different neurosurgeon because the first one was an idiot (shock) and blew him off. Thankfully his orthopedist and staff are excellent and got us another. Hopefully I'll be able to write again in a few days after I recover. Y'all know I'm not Christian but I do accept prayers because I think any positive thoughts you can send my way are good, however it is you choose to do it. I'll send positive thoughts y'all's way as well.

Love to everyone. :)

Feeling better...

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, y'all. Been doing alot of sitting around feeling sorry for myself but I think I'm better now. I'm having to take my own advice: get rid of some excess emotional "baggage" (Kate) and do something different in order to get a different result (stop taking in strays that just want to take advantage of my kindness). Duh!

Poor Matty is still struggling with his father's death. He doesn't talk about it much but I know he's hurting. He's an orphan now. That sounds so weird. I really can't imagine what he must be going through.

I have surgery on September 1st, an exploratory to make sure all my parts are in working order and see if that last "doctor Dick" as I call her (last name Dickerson) screwed up. I hope beyond hope that they find something but I'm sure they won't, except maybe some scarring. Maybe they can go in and just fix it. It'll be one year since my initial surgery August 18. I'm still terribly angry about it....don't get me started!

Anyway, Matt had an MRI on his neck to see if he might need surgery as well. I'll let you all know how that turns out. Between the two of us we MIGHT have one full working body! I hate aging!

Well, gotta go to yucky ol' work to pay for all this nonsense. Love to all!

A sad loss

As many of you know by now, Matt's dad passed away last weekend very unexpectedly. He dropped dead instantly of a massive heart attack. He didn't even have time to grab his cell phone which was still on his belt. I suppose if one must go then that's the way to do it....(or like my great Aunt Elsie just go to bed one night and not wake up). At least he was active to the end. He was out in the yard digging a spot under the porch where he could store his new playtoy...some sort of tractor that he could use to keep his wooded trails clear.

We got back from Michigan on Saturday but we're all still moving very slowly. Alex had another funeral to go to yesterday. His best friend's mom passed last week as well. I was going to go with him but I was not feeling well.

Sigh...I have to get ready for work now. Love to all :)

p.s. You can view his story at www.lifestorynet.com and go to Troy F. Smith, Vicksburg, Mi.

Reply to letter

Holy shit!! I just noticed that it's only been 5 DAYS since Kate went in! It feels like a month! I don't know why. I told her not to call me until she gets out and she hasn't. I guess I just feel that bad about almost hating her now but goddamitall if I wanted to take care of a crazy person I move my MOM in with me! .....and that ain't just about to happen!

Letter to one of my dearest friends about our "lost" third.

This whole thing with Kate is such a goddam nightmare! She totally does not really want to get better. She just needed me to take over where Ted gave up. I'm just not willing to do that. She's in the hospital right now; has been for about a week and a half. Tried to....let me rephrashe that...overdosed and got caught. I don't believe for one second that she really wants to die, just needs attention, more than I can, or even want, to give her. Anyway, while she was gone, this kid Chris who was supposed to be looking in on Lucky, got caught with friends in the house smoking dope. So the landlord called me and fussed me out and I had to go down and get the cat, cuss Chris out, and hope they don't kick her out. Everybody in town is calling her a lesbian crack-head because she goes around bragging that I'm her "wife" (which I just kind of laugh off and tolerate) and she's so doped up all the time (whether on actual dope or too much prescription). I'm so stupid for bringing her down here. I know, everyone tried to tell me but I always have hope for people and it's different when you talk to someone on the phone as opposed to actually seeing them in person day after day. Unfortunately, all the things she got mad at Ted and her docs and friends and social workers for fussing her out about and she denied doing (ie. being a druggie, hanging out with a bad crowd, sleeping around with the most disgusting people) I've seen her do. She brought home a guy from her last stay in the hospital whom she met in the psych ward who turned out to be homeless and a total crack-head and totally used her for a place to stay and drugs. She "claims" he stole her drugs....maybe, maybe she took them. I don't know. I don't care. I can't take anymore and it's going to really hurt my feelings to tell her all this and hurt her feelings but I have to. I tried to explain "guilt by association" to her the other day. She didn't get it. I was talking about other people talking about her (before I knew they were). Now I have to think about what other people might say about me. And not so much because I care what people think of me but we're talking about illegal sh*t!!!! I can't get my family involved in that! I have impressionable young men at home and mine will not end up like Andy! That's so unbelievably harsh but you just DON'T KNOW how MANY times I've wanted to say that to her!!!!! She's always, like, "Well, what would you do if it were your kid?" ....in such a snotty way.... and I so desperately want to say, "MY KIDS WOULDN'T DO STUFF LIKE THAT YOU DUMB SH*T!!!"

sigh.