End of a GREAT Crazy Year

Goodbye 2007. HELLO 2008!!
It was a good year.
2007 was a year filled with lots of laughs and tears.
My son started Kindergarten and turned 6 years old. He is
becoming such a loving little boy filled with giantic dreams of
grandure. It has been a pleasure to watch him grow this year. It hasn't been
easy, for him or myself. Watching him learn life experiences so early is hard for any parent to go through. I can say that I see why my mom was the way she was.
Morgan started Gymnastics this year and also started day school this year. She has grown right before my eyes. Literally!!! Two week ago, I purhcased a pair of pants size 3T. Yesterday...she is wearing 4T's. I about flipped out. All of her pants are high waters. There is only 2 more months of winter here...and I'm hoping that we will just deal with the high waters until then.
She is my little diva and the more and more time I spend with her the more I see so much of myself in her. Poor thing. ;)
Both my kids are so different. 2007 has presented those differences in good and not so good ways. We made it through! No scraps or bruises. And now I'm looking forward to the new year. I'm looking forward to making new memories and seeing what else these munctions can throw at me. I've got a new job...and will start work again on Jan. 14 2008.
I'm a little sad and happy at the same time. The kids are very happy and excited about me starting a new job. Which makes it so much easier to deal with.
My plan is to stay for 2 years until Morgan starts Kindergarten then quick and stay home for good. Plans may change...but for now...I couldn't be happier.
2007 was also the year I was saved and finally let Jesus Christ into my heart and life. I couldn't have made it through this year without him.
2007 was the year my Nanny turned 80.
Looking back...my life is pretty boring. I don't have a lot of friends that hang out with me. It's hard to find parents my age that don't work and want to hang. I'm not complaining, I've had a lot of time to myself and to my children. I've learned so much about all of us and we are really looking forward to making more
memories together next year.
My hope/wish for next year...is that Daddy/Kirtus will be able to share more time with us. We are looking forward to Daddy staying home this year!!! (I'm crossing my fingers and praying to God that my wish/prayer/hope is answered.) We really need you Kirtus!!!

Good Bye 2007
Hello 2008!

Christmas

HOpe everyone had a Merry Christmas. I'm a little busy...so I won't be posting until this weekend...like Sunday night.
I'll get pictures of our christmas uploaded. We didn't do much...but it was nice spending some special time with just the kids and I. We made Christmas cookies and hot cocco...the kids call it hot chocolate. EVer seen The Polar Express!!! So, yeah...we watched that a million times. And then we read the night before Christmas. When it got dark we went out side on the back porch and looked for Santa's sleigh..when we saw it...we all ran upstairs and straight to bed to get ready for Santa!
The kids had a blast.
I hope it made up for Dad not being here.
We miss him.
Can't wait for him to be home.
I'm going back to work. Yep...you heard me. I'm going back to work on Jan. 14th. I've talked to Kirtus and the kids...and well...I'm going a bit stir crazy with no me time...so...I'm going back to work. I got a really great job...and it pays very very well. so...daycare will take about 1/2 of that. ;) He He!
I thought the kids would be upset about being away from mom. Nah!!! They love being in "daycare" I was so totally different. Makes me going back to work much easier.
So...anyway...I'm off to get the kids. Yes...I already have them in...because I want them to get use to being there and well...they seem to really like it. It will be an adjustment...but Kirtus will be home on Jan 10th or sometime around then. He will be working from home...so he will be able to run kids around for cheerleading and gymnasstics and soccer.
yippee!!!
I'll give more details later.

Tomorrow

Well...tomorrow is the big day.
Yep...my birthday.
I'm proud to announce that I am 36...but still feel like I'm 17. Why is that the mind stays young...but the body doesn't? Obviously, I'm more mature than 17, but I still have the same attitude that I can do anything anytime anywhere. I wonder when that goes if I'm nearing the end?
;)
Well...don't cry for me. It's only 4 years until the big 40. WOW. That sounds so old. I remember when my mom turned 40 and my dad turned 40. Man!!

A thought to ponder. If you could look back at all the books and characters that you've read through your years...what character is most like your personality?
Would you like to know mine?
Scarlett O'Hara.
Not joking...I wasn't raised on a farm in Georgia...or rich...but my mother, father, grandfather, grandmother, Aunts and Uncles...spoiled me beyond belief. Anything I asked for I got. Yes...I admit. I was spoiled...I like to think my husband spoils me now. ;) But, that is not the personality that is most like Scarlett...her spunk, and the way she fought through everything...even though she didn't want to. She dug in and came out on top every time. Even in the end...when she thought she lost the man of her dreams...she still had hope!
That is just like me. I'm always clinging on to some kind of hope that everything will work itself out. I dig in when needed even if I can't stand it.
And I always seem to come out on top. I'm so blessed in my life and I thank God for giving me the strenth to make it through anything that is put in front of me.
So....who are you most like?
Can you think of one? It doesn't have to be from a classic novel. Mine just happens to be...and from my favorite book and movie of all times.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone...not a Happy Holiday..because dang it...Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Christ...it's not just a "Holiday" FYI...when people at Walmart, Target, Toys R US say Happy Holiday...I smiled and say very politely...don't you mean Merry Christmas? Or I just say "Merry Christmas!!" Okay...that's all I'm going to say about that. I'm done. :)

Merry Christmas everyone!

update

Okay, so let's see. I'm done with my Christmas shopping yippee!!! Finally.
The kids are going to have a great Christmas all by ourselves. I'm so excited to start some special Christmas traditions just for "our" family.
So...my novel/novels are coming along slow but good. I've been reading some books to help me with building better characters and how to make them more real and believable. Stuff...I'm sure that I did in college, and my creative writing class..but forgotten. It's funny the things that you remember when you start writing...like what freakin' tense...1st person, 3rd person...blah blah.
Okay..and my ideas just keep jumping off the page. I'm really good at brain storming...It's just getting it all organized in my head. Creating the world...is the hardest part...seeing it...and then my antagonist (did I spell that right?) I keep going back and forth on that. My hero...is actually a heroine. I was really having a hard time with her and then last night it hit me. Why should I struggle so much and make her like someone I don't know...instead make her like someone do know...very well...myself. Well..not exactly like me...but personalities that I have...things I've encountered in life and how I handled them during that time of my life. I couldn't believe how this got me writing again...just really cool stuff started coming out of the pen onto the paper. So...my heroine's name....Ferona. I haven't yet decided to spell it like Ferona or Farona. I think Ferona is more likely...but anyways...now...I have to figure out what she is going to do. ;) Ha ha Ha!!! I have a bunch of different ideas...but they are all over the place...so I'm going to sleep on it for a couple of days...get an idea of what she looks. Her birthday is my daughters and my brothers. 2/10. But...she turns 10 on 2/10/2010...Ferona that is...which is probably what I'm going to focus more on that time in her life....so...like I said...it's slow going...but I'm having fun with it.
The other novel is a love story set during the time of Revolution in the colony of Williamsburg.
This one...I have developed much more quickly...I think mainly because the place is real...I've been there and can see it more clearly...as well as the characters...and the time in America. Anywho....I'm rabling too much.
Need to go.
Christmas is around the corner and my 36 birthday! Uggg...4 more years and I'm 40.
It's scary!!!

GL's 6th Birthday

Well...I'm late posting these picturs. I didn't get any good Christmas pagent pics. They just suck. Garrett was on the last row...and some idiot had a brilliant idea of letting all the children wear reindeer antlers that were 12 inches tall. So, if you weren't on the front row...you didn't get seen because of all of the antlers. Or if you were lucky and got in front of someone with a santa hat. Uggg...I complained a bit...not much...just made more of a sarcastic joke to his teacher that who ever was so brilliant to make the antlers so stall...might want to re-think that next year. Hey...I said it with a SMILE! So...one more week and it's my birthday and then X-mas. I'm going to Zincs on my birthday with some girl friends. It's a wine bar. i can't wait. I need a drink...like 10 to be exact...just kidding...I'll be driving so..only 1!!!! But, it's just an awesome place to kick back and relax.
Well...hope everyone has a great weekend.

A Novel by Dana

Okay, I'm writing a novel. Actually I'm writing 2 novels.
I've been writing for the past year and I'm no where near done. But, mainly most of the time was spent researching and making up the world that I'm writing about.
I'm sure I will never publish. I'm writing for the pleasure. I get an itch to be creative and this is what poors out.
One is a story about a young girl sailing across the sea to the New World in 1774. Write before the dawn of the American Revolution. Her father is a loyalist and when she arrives in Williamsburg she meets and falls in love with a young man. The Governor's son who is a Revolutionary is the young man she falls for. It's a love story. I've mainly been doing the research on this one and defining the characters and their personalities. This one will take me awhile because there is so much to the timeline and history...and the stlye of dress, how things were done back then. It's pretty cool...since I've actually been to Williamsburg before and can draw from that. I'm still working on some other things too....like...do I want this to be a tragedy type love story...like Romeo and Juliet? Anyway...you get my point.
The other I'm working on is a Wizard and Witch...type fantasy novel. This one is my favorite. I'm still creating the world...haven't got a plot or even a story per say...just busy describing the types of Wizards...how they become wizards...how long they live...witches...same thing. I was thinking about making this for children...but I think I'm going to make it more adult fantasy/sci-fi type stuff.
Anyway...something that many people don't know I do...is write. I use a Thesarus a lot because my vocabulary sucks...but has gotten much better since I started doing this...
Yes...Wade...my brother writes too...but he is so much more out there than I am. We should co-author something one day. Hmmmmmmm....
I also have writeen some children stories when Garrett was a baby about horses. I used my mom's horses as the inspiration. I just need an illustrator...and a publisher.

TGIF

Something humerous...well to at least me

Okay....I use to work at this company called Walk The Talk....yep. It's called "The Walk The Talk Co." I'm not going to say anything bad in fear that they might sue me. :)
But, I was in customer service and we had this stupid ass ACD thing. "ACD...calls are in que." I wanted to strangle the thing. I mean...when that went off...the entire office would freak out. I mean...come on...there were only two people and if we were on the phone...we couldn't answer the damn phone. Then we would get...why didn't you guys answer didn't you hear the ACD go off?
Okay...well that wasn't the humerous part.
We use to have to make cold calls and we would say, "Hi, this is Dana from the walk the talk company...blah blah blah...I would then be cut off and hear this...WHAT? Walk the Sock What? What did you say? I would then have to very nicely...and very slowly...repeat WALK THE TALK. Still I would get WALK THE TALK? What's that!? Okay at this point...I want to scream and say...if you'd shut the f*** up I could tell you. I swear about every freakin' call was like this. At the end of the day I was freakin' exhausted and wanted to bitch slap some people...We won't mention any names. ;)
I soon learned to talk very slow. W A L K The T A L K!!! Once I even tried...Hi...I'm Dana from Walk W A L K.....the T H e....Talk....T A L K company...and I want to sell you some human resources books on how you should treat your employees better. Yeah...that went over real well. :)
Is my Texas accent that bad? Do I really speak that fast? I mean they treated us like we were from India or something. What's up with that? I'm glad I have a good sense of humor and was able to get off the phone and laugh my ass off at the crazy people I was having to call.
I'm not sure why I remebered that...but I thought I would share. That was a very interesting company to work for. I have a lot of funny stories about that place!!! And all the strange people. :)

I'll post GL's b-day pictures and Christmas program pictures later.

I'm tired.

This is my family. 4 Generations of women and one boy.

These are our family photos. We are so lucky to have 4 generations of women and our little boy Garrett. We took tons, but I think these are my favorites.
We did this over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Happy Birthday Garrett Lane Barton

My son is 6 today. Ahhh...can't believe it was 6 years ago I was holding a tiny baby. I remember of only thinking about what he would be like. The person he would become. And now!!! Well, so far he's a great little boy. Growing up so fast.
Here are some pictures of his journey so far.