Welcome to Holland

I really have begun to think about how my life is blessed this week. Several things have happened to others and I have just thought thank goodness that was not me. So I started thinking about how my life has been blessed in so many different ways. One was is the way our family has been blessed with a special little boy. I refer to him as "THE BOY" and he refers to me as "The goddess of the universe". Yes people - I always thought I was a goddess but now it has been confirmed. The boy belongs to my cousin and her husband but I like to think he has a little part of me in him. He is a special boy and God has chosen to make him different from alot of others. He has what is commonly called Aspergers syndrome. I like to think of it as he just sees the world in a different light than others do. He has taught me how to be brave when we are scared and how to learn to control one's self. Although sometimes he might not say the most politically correct thing, it is usually what we are all thinking but because of our political correctness we cannot say it. He just has the most loving heart in the world. You just cannot believe how "THE BOY" has blessed not only our family but so many others that he comes in contact with. Different is not a bad thing, sometimes it is wonderful.

I found this poem online and it is just so true. Although I am not his mother sometimes I feel like I am on the journey with him.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

lazy days and Elvis.

I have to admit that I love the beach but I have enjoyed my time off just as well at home. I have not had an alarm set except for Wednesday when I took alittle trip down to Atlanta with my friend for her Doctor appointment. I know , it is sad now that trips to Atlanta are planned around our doctor's visits. Oh the joy of getting old. But it was a very enjoyable trip. We stop by IKEA and I just love to look at the setups - who knew you could live in such same places, you might only be able to have 2 pairs of shoes, 3 blouses, 1 pair of britches and a few pieces of underwear but it is livable, Amazing. I come home from there with these big ideas, walk into my house, look around and decide that things look fine. So the big ideas are just that big ideas. We also went to a wine lovers heaven although I cannot remember the name of it, Heavens if you needed a certai wine they had! I got one called the angry housewife!!! Wonder when I will pop that cork? And after I drink it will I be angry? I don't think so!! What I think will happen is I will for go any housework that needs to be done, pop open that bottle, pour myself a glass and if I have company over 21 of course offer them a glass.

It ain't pretty!!!

I have seen the future and sugar, it ain't pretty!! This past Saturday night DaddyBoy, myself, Princess and AngelBaby took off on a shopping expedition. We went to one of my favorite stomping grounds, Target to look for a few things. Well honey if we are having money problems in this country you cannot prove it by me. Target had EVERY checkout lane open and the customers were lined 5 to 6 deep with buggies full (yes I am from the south and we call them buggies!) After leaving Target, going to eat at the Olive Garden (where I cannot believe our bill was over $70.00 for the 4 of us, no wonder we eat at home) we headed to Ross's and it was there I saw it. A moo-moo! Now you gals know what I am talking about. The long flowing gowns that Maude ( who by the way was Archie Bunker's cousin) wore in the 70s. Right then and there I saw my future. Daddyboy and I will be living in the retirement village (probably a trailer park) in Florida and there I will be going to the shuffle board tournaments, covered dish dinners, bridge games and so on in my moo-moo!!! And the scariest part of this whole scenario is all I could thing of was how comfortable I would be, how many different colors I would need and what shoes I would wear!!!!! I mention this to AngelBaby because she was shopping with me or rather following me around telling it was time to go home and she almost fell to the floor at the thought of me opening the door with an animal print moo-moo on!! I can just see if now!!! And my friends, IT AIN"T PRETTY.

Enjoying Spring Break!!

As I have posted I work for the school system and this week is spring break. In my younger years when I was off from work that meant that I had to go somewhere, anywhere, just not stay at home!!! But as I am gracefully aging I have found I truly enjoy staying in Lippyville and doing nothing!!! Just read my books, catch up on TV shows, sleep in, stay up late and whatever else I decide to do. I don't know why this is. Most of my friends have gone away for the break but I am not jealous - I am just content. I guess that comes with age, contentment. I no longer look at what others have and try to think of a way I can get those things, I am basically just happy with what I have been blessed with. And I have to say it is a good feeling. I know that my life is far from perfect, but I know I have been blessed. I have a good husband (who is in the bed at this moment SNORING!!!!), 2 beautiful but high demand daughters, a house that is nothing special to anyone else but I love it, 3 adorable dogs and a family that supports each other. I read on Facebook and other places about people that only complain about their lives, their jobs, their house and everything else. I want to say "Honey, be glad you are alive with a job and have a house". The older I get the more I just do not want to hear the pitiful me stories these people have. They never seem to have ANYTHING positive in their lives as far as they can see. And yet I look at their lives and think that really they have been blessed. I really feel sorry for these negative people. So I have decided I am no longer going to be supportive of this type of attitude. Don't get me wrong - I am not a Polly Anna but I think that we should try to find the positive in our lives. And I will be there for my friends in their times of need and hope they will be mine. But from here forward I am not going to listen to the whining and moaning of negative people. I am making the choice to be positive and be around positive people that don't drag me down. I had a friend that never had one nice thing to say about her husband. The man did not one thing right except he brought home a big paycheck. Finally I told her after listening to this for years that when she talked so ugly about him she did not make him look foolish but rather herself because she was the idoit for staying married to this man that according to her had no good qualities!!!
Can you tell I am on a soapbox? Well I will step down now but I do encourage everyone to look at what all positive you have in your lives and if you look around (and it will not take you long) you will find someone in much worse shape than you.

Gone to the Dogs- Part 2

April 1 2006 rolled around and that was a day with great sadness - Max was 16 years old and he was in bad shape. We made the decision to have him put to sleep. It was so hard to decide but he was suffering and all of us knew it was for the best. Personally I believe that our pets go to heaven and that we will see them. I can just imagine Max entering those pearly gates and seeing my mother. See, my mama was not too crazy about about Max or really any other dog. But I think heaven changes that!!! I beat they are sitting together watching down on us. It did make it easier to come home and have my sweet little Maxwell. Well on with the story - Princess went on and on about how she wanted a Pomeranian, just like one of my friends. Low and behold - the breeder that our friend got her Sophie from was moving and had a Pomeranian that was Sophie's sister she wanted to give to a good home. So entered Sadie into our lives. Daddyboy was so mad!!! He said he did not want any more dogs and we were just disrespecting him. It was at that point that I realized when he got home and put his warm up pants on he seem to get really high and mighty!!! More on that subject later! Sadie had not been treated the best and was very timid. Well within the week, Princess decided that she was just not a dog person. What I screamed - your Daddy was made as the devil with me and now you have decided that you are JUST NOT A DOG PERSON!!! Geez - I told her - what if after I brought you home I decided Well I am just not a kid person!!! So that is how we added Sadie to my pack of dogs. So live was good at in Lippyville until this past October. Our neighbor came by one Satruday morning to deliver the popcorn I had ordered from her son's cub scout troup and a cutie pie puppy was following behind them. I ask her if they had a new dog and she said no way. It had better find somewhere to go. He was so cute and sweet. I just knew I could find him a home! So I took this dog in, gave him a bath and sent an email out along with his picture. Daddyboy came home from work and needless to say (after the sweatpants were on) he pitched a fit. He told me not to even think about keeping that dog - no way no how - in fact I could not even name him!!! Well here we are in April and "Puppy" is still with us. And he is so cute!!! And Daddyboy has calmed down about them. In fact, he loves them too. He did make that comment that he felt like 3 dogs consitutes a pack so therefore I am the pack leader!!!! Take a look for yourself. Aren't these the cutest in the world???

Way too much Television!

I think I have decided I watch far too much television. And now I have found another series that I think I LOVE!! Big Love has ended for the season and now The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency has premiered. I have read several of the books and I have to say the series is so much like the books. I am enjoying it so much. The acting is really good and love the story lines. I have found so many series I like on HBO. First there was Six Feet Under, then Big Love, then True Blood and now this one. The only thing I hate about HBO shows are they premier and have so few episodes at one time. I believe this one only has 6 episodes. I hope HBO will continue with this series since I already watch way too much TV.
By the way - I hope each of you had a lovely Easter. I know my family did. We had a fabulous lunch at our Nana's and then were lazy all afternoon. I watched alot of my shows that I had recorded on my DVR and took a lovely afternoon nap!!! With my 3 puppies by my side. Princess and Angelbaby kicked back too. Daddyboy slept in the recliner (once again snoring). And now I am on Spring Break this week. Life is Good in Lippyville. Now I must get back to the mounds of laundry. I believe that I have about 30 loads to do!!! 30 Loads !!! Can you believe that? I wonder how long this will take.

Easter Blessings

I promise I am going to finish telling you all about my dogs but I wanted to be sure to wish everyone a Happy Easter!!! Easter is a special holiday to me for many reasons, one being that is the day that my Savior (and I hope yours) arose from the grave! Wow - that was a gift! The 2nd reason is Easter of 1995 was the last holiday I spent with my mother. She went into the hospital the Friday Following Easter and went to be with our Savior on May 19th, 1995. Some might find the last holiday or special occasion spent with a loved one a sad time but I don't. Just the meaning of Easter and the fact that I have no doubt when my time on earth is through I will see not only my mother but so many of my friends and family that have gone to be with Jesus makes my heart full of joy. Take time this Easter to tell the ones you love how much they mean to you. And enjoy the time you spend with your little ones. I already miss the times we had with our girls when they were younger at Easter. My prayer tonight as I go to bed is that you will have a joyful Easter and that if there are some that do not have Jesus as their personal Savior, that you will open your heart and let Him in. He is waiting. Love to everyone!

Gone to the Dogs- Part 1

As I sit in my den at 1:04 am on a Wednesday morning know that I have to be up at 5:30 to get ready for work surrounded by my 3 dogs I wonder to myself how did this happen? Not being up at 1:04 in the morning - but rather how did I end up with 3 house dogs?? I do know how it started. It started shortly after Daddyboy and I got married and we went to the mall. Stopping in the pet store my eyes fell on a beautiful dachshund puppy. The sales clerk got him out and was he ever cute. But he had a large price of $600 (this was 20 years ago) and Daddyboy said no way was he paying that much for ANY dog that did not poop gold! So we came home and I was on a mission to find myself a dachshund. And I did. I located an adorable 12 week old black and tan puppy at a dump of a pet store. He was priced at $200 but because he was getting older we got alittle better deal. Man was it ever love. Max (which I did not know at the time is one of the most popular names for a dog) came home with us. He was like our baby! I cried when we pulled away from our condo to go on vacation because Maxie boy was being left behind. The first couple of nights he was with us we put him in the bathroom on a bed to slept. And he cried. It was so pitiful that even mean ole Daddyboy's heart was broken so that began a lifetime of sharing our bed with Max. He was such a good dog. And beautiful too. A couple of years after his arrival my aunt bought his sister for her granddaughter and they named her Maxine!!! When Max was a couple of years old The Princess arrived. Everyone told us that we would probably have to find him a new home with the baby coming because he would be so jealous. Nothing was farther from the truth. He would go into the Royal Nursery and slept in front of the crib when The Princess took her naps. The moment I heard her stir on the baby monitor I would hear Max coming down the hall to notify that Her Royal Majesty was getting up from her nap. When Max was getting some age on him we added a new member to the family - Maxwell the Chihuahua. Yes I know what you are thinking - are these people crazy - do they not know any other name but Max for their dogs? Well Yes we are alittle on the nutty side but this dog came to us already named. A friend of mine had this dog and was moving to a place where she could no longer have a pet and ask if we could keep him JUST until she found him a home. Well I really thought of chihuahuas as rats on steroids and never had a desire for one but to help out a friend - I said okay without even asking Daddyboy. Angelbaby was so excited. She decided this would be her dog. Well needless to day - Daddyboy was not in the least happy with us. I assured him it was ONLY until Maxwell could be found a home. Well, we did find him a home - with us - he has been here for 6 years now. He is not Angelbaby's dog but rather mine. And he still looks like a rat on steroids but only I can say that about him because I love him so much. And guess what - he piles up in the bed with us every night. I have far more to tell you about going to the dogs but I must try to get to bed. I only have 2 more days to work until Spring Break so I must get some sleep. I will finish this up story up soon. Good Night to all from me and my 3 fur babies - we headed to the bedroom to ALL pile in the bed with Daddyboy who as you remember turns into Paul Bunyon at night. I hear him sawing those logs now.

Snow in April??

I cannot believe that the forecast for North Georgia is snow flurries tonight - April 6th!!! How can this be??

Can you believe the Princess!

I have to share the funniest thing that happened the other day at our house. The princess got herself into alittle trouble a few weeks ago and has been grounded from everything since. Spring Break is coming up and for some reason she has decided that poor ole mama has lost her memory. The very first thing I said upon grounded Princess was that her spring break trip to Florida was off! For some crazy reason she thinks she can convince me and her father (he must have old timer's too) that she can go to the beach. Long story short - she is not going - we are sticking to our guns. Yeah for us!!! So Princess tries a new approach. She tells us that all of the other girls involved were not still grounded and she did not do nearly as much as they did. Of course I said that I was not concerned with the others, she was my concern. Then she decided to tell me that I was not aware of how she had to defend me to her friends when they talked about me. Can you believe this? She thought that I would be worried about what her 15 and 16 year old friends thought. So you know I had to tell her that first of all I do not care what her friends say or think about me and secondly, how sorry I felt for her and her friends if all they had to talk about was a 42 year old fat woman who the most exciting thing in her life was the fact that she just found out she has asthma I really felt sorry for them. With that, Princess turned around on her heels and huffed out of the room. I imagine that she is now trying to come up with a new plan. What will it be? She is getting very creative in trying to convince Daddyboy and me to unground her. More to come on this I am sure!!