Amber Update

I am so super happy to report that Amber is CANCER FREE! She got her biopsy back and all is well. She has to go back every three months for the next five years for checkups. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. I love ya'll!

Sometimes 1 phone call can change your life

I just got off the phone with Duck. She called and it was so nice to hear from her. We did the usual "how are you" "what's up with you". I told her that nothing exciting was going on with me. I was pretty much just making up stuff to tell her. Mentioned that Wade had a flat today and that was about as exciting as my news got. I asked her what she had been up to and she said nothing much and then said "I had surgery on my leg" I am of course SHOCKED. I talked to her last week and she didn't mention anything. Come to find out she had surgery last Thursday to remove the area around a mole she had removed a week earlier and that came back as Melanoma. That's right. My best friend has Melanoma. For everyone as dumb as I am, Melanoma is skin cancer. I asked why she didn't tell me sooner and she didn't want me to worry. I am just so in shock right now. She lives so far away and she has been hurting and I didn't even know. She told me she cried everyday last week. How did I not know she was hurting? I always thought I would just "know" there was something wrong and be able to fix it. But I can't fix it and I can't even give her a hug. She is going back to the doctor tomorrow because they think her incision may be infected. She said she would give me a report tomorrow and if she doesn't I am so going to call her myself.

Duck - I know you will never read this but there are somethings I need to tell you.
1. I love you!
2. I miss you!
3. I think about you everyday!
4. You are my best friend!
5. It amazes me that you know EVERYTHING there is to know about me and you love me just the same. The best part is that you don't have to love me or be my friend and you do.
6. No matter how far away you are you are always in my heart.

ok - now that I am crying - I think I will go to bed. Tomorrow is another day.

NKOTB

OMG! I am so super excited! New Kids On The Block are going back on tour. They are coming to Dallas on October 19!!! I am SOOO going to be there!!! Who wants to go with me? Tickets go on sale June 9!

Komen Race For The Cure 2008 - Tyler, TX

You know you're in the country when...

instead of toilet paper in the toilet paper holder there is a bird's nest!

This photo was taken Friday night at Ashley's softball game. The restroom was surprisingly clean. There was even toilet paper, paper towels and hand soap.

JamesNinjaTurtles.com

Hi, my name is James. I am in kindergarten. I found a turtle one day. And it was laying eggs. And then my Dad moved the turtle out of the way for a minute and got the eggs. And then he pushed it back on its hole. And then it layed three more legs and my Dad grabbed the other three eggs. We put the eggs in a bucket and then we put dirt on top. Mommy says we should wash our hands really good after touching turtle eggs or turtles because it can make you sick. And you could die cause the turtle eggs have salmanilia. The End.

My Mom got slimed by my friend, Cody. Pastor Russ and my Dad got slimed, too. Becuase we raised over a thousand and four at our church. we got over 4 thousand almost 5 thousand or maybe 6 or 7 or 8 or 9 or 10 or 11 or maybe 12 or 13 or 18. for money for our church. Here is the video of the sliming: The End.


The above post was written by my 6 year old nephew. I told him a while back that I was putting him on my blog. He came over today with his family for Mother's Day and started talking about his website. He told me that he has picked out the name and was ready to make his bog. I was so confused. I asked him when he got a website and he told me that I was going to make him one. He wanted to name it "James Ninja Turtles Dot Com". He didn't understand that I was posting pictures of him to my blog not actually making him his own website. So... I told him he could post to my blog. He sat next to me and I typed exactly what he said. He also asked me how his friends should find his website and his sister, Ashley said I should write down the address so we wouldn't forget it. I still don't think they realize that James doesn't have a website.

This post can also be viewed at James' personal blog: www.jamesnijaturtles.blogspot.com

Ashley's Aunt Sam

Tonight was Ashley's 1st game of the season. I missed most of the game (and her single that she made right before we got there) because we were at James' Kindergarten Program. She played right field and was doing an awesome job backing up first base. She runs hard and plays her position. She struck out when she was up to bat the last time. She was very sad so I didn't think I was going to get a smile for my t-shirt picture. I knew I had posted my James' shirt and knew everyone would want to see my Ashley shirt. I am very proud to be Ashley's Aunt Sam!

just a note: the ONLY way I could get her to smile was to tickle her belly as I was telling her that I needed this picture for my blog. Her little brother, James, wanted to know what a "bog" was and why I needed pictures for it. :)

The Duck Smile

The ORIGINAL DUCK SMILE

The BABY DUCK SMILE Baby Duck looks so much like his mom. Last time they came down from Wyoming I took about 100 pictures of Baby Duck just to get ONE DUCK SMILE. This one was taken the first night they were here. I took him a stuffed duck. He didn't like it until Duck showed him that the stuffed duck quacked. I think she probably regrets it now, but it sure did make him smile.

Sonic In The Park

Duck and I have been best friends most of our lives. When we were in high school I would always ask her what she wanted to do or where she wanted to go to eat and she would ALWAYS say "Let's get Sonic and go eat it at the park" I would ALWAYS say no because Sonic in the park was for old people with kids. well... I guess we are old people with kids. The memorable trip was the second weekend in April 2008.

James' Aunt Sam

These pictures were taken Friday evening after James' t-ball game. His team won 30-4. I am so proud of him because he is one of the smallest boys on his team but he tries so hard. He is playing ALOT better than he did last year. He hits the ball really hard and runs as hard as his legs will let him. I am so proud to be James' Aunt Sam!

Meeting the EX

well... I met Wade's ex-wife this weekend. It was TOTALLY by accident but I am kinda glad now that it is over and we can all move on and not have to worry about the awkward meeting again. So here's the story... Wade & I were in Longview to celebrate Michelle's (my step-daughter) birthday. She wanted to have lunch at Olive Garden so of course we have lunch at Olive Garden. As we are all sitting and waiting for our table, this little boy runs out the door - Michelle jumps up and hugs this little boy. Velta (Wade's Mom) says "that is Micheal, Michelle & Brian's half-brother and their step-dad Billy." Michelle says "where's Mommy?" and then it finally clicks in my head - OH SHIT! I am going to meet Jennifer - THE JENNIFER - THE QUEEN BITCH. I have always said I wasn't going to judge her until I had met her because I didn't know her and because Wade has a jaded view of her. Well... The next people out the door are these beautiful young women (they could have been models) and I am thinking "please, don't be her - please do be her" needless to say the model girls were not her. She came out about 5 minutes later. She was NOT AT ALL what I expected. Velta introduced us and she was almost rude. She didn't look me in the eyes and she gave me this face like I was the devil and she should not be wasting her time with me. I was overly nice and told her what a pleasure it was to meet her. There were a few awkward minutes. Michelle gave her a hug - Brian didn't. And then she left. I told her it was a pleasure to meet her and that I looked forward to seeing her again. She just sort of grimaced and said "yeah, me too". The worst part about it all was that I couldn't talk to Wade about it immediately following the event. I am NOT going to talk bad about their mother in front of the kids. She is their mother and they need to form their own opinion. I don't have to like her or agree with anything she does but I do have to respect that she is their mother. I don't like the way she has raised them and I disagree with a lot of her rules but they are HER kids. Wade really isn't much of a dad to them but it didn't really seem like their step-dad was either, although they call him Daddy and Wade - Wade. They call me Sam, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I would kind of rather they called me Aunt Sam because that is what I am used to. I know how to be Aunt Sam - I don't know how to be Sam the Step-Mom. They have both told me that I am a great step-mom. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I don't discipline them. There hasn't been a situation where I needed to. I think they will be surprised to find that I am a stickler for manners and following the rules. I know it is ok to discipline my nieces and nephews. But is it truly ok for me to say things about the way Michelle and Brian act? I mean - I am not going to spank them. I don't do that to my nieces and nephews, but if they need to be told that whatever they are doing is wrong - is that ok? I sure hope so - because I am going to!

Missed Me?

I just realized that I haven't posted anything since Wednesday. As much as I think about blogging I can't believe I haven't posted anything. I think I really romanticize blogging in my head. I imagine that everyone reading this can hear the sound of my voice in their head like in movies when someone gets a letter. I imagine that my thoughts are profound and that I really have something to say. I imagine that there is no other blog in the world like mine. I imagine that there is no one in the world quite like me. I imagine that anyone that reads this blog that doesn't know me wants to know me. I imagine that getting my thoughts and feelings out of my head will help me with my depression and my insecurities. I imagine that somehow this blog is going to make my life better, and if not better it will somehow make me happier with my day to day life. I imagine that I am famous author whose thoughts and ideas will one day be quoted. I imagine that one day I will write a story so beautiful that my characters will be thought of as real people. and... then... I remember... I am Sam... I really am happy (even if I fight my depression EVERY SINGLE DAY)... and one day... I just might be a famous author and then again maybe I won't and that's ok... why? because I have a a husband who adores me, a family who loves me and friends that like me just the way I am!!! Who could really ask for anything more?