I have a empty nest!

On May 1, 2009, my youngest daughter, Laura, moved into an apartment with her girlfriend. They moved into an apartment that was directly across the parking lot from my own apartment; however, they moved out! Ha ha.

I was nervous at the idea of living by myself because I have never lived alone as an adult before. I am finding that I do like it. I can cook dinner when I want, I can come and go as I please (without checking in), I can have company without wondering if the kids are coming home. Don't get me wrong, I love all my children. It is nice to see them grow up to be responsible adults that can take care of themselves.

Journeylite

I have struggled with my weight all of my adult life. I truly believe I have been on almost every diet out there! I have been talking with my doctors about having gastric by-pass. We have been having this discussion for a couple of years now.

If you are one of the people that know me, you know I have to research almost everything. LOL Therefore, I have been researching the different gastric by-pass surgeries and locations for having the surgery. I came across this center, lap band surgeon cincinnati during all my research. I love all the information they have on their website for prospective patients. Almost every section you click on they describe that area but also have videos so you can visually see what they are describing also. I think that would help remove some of the fears that patients may have.

They even have a section that discusses all the options to pay for this type of surgery. They provide the (CPT) code, 43770 you should ask your insurance company if they cover while you are calling. This is nice because if you have ever tried to get pre-approved through an insurance company for any type of procedure you know it can be a very tedious process. By knowing the exact code to ask for you are eliminating them giving you incorrect information.

I highly recommend looking at lap band surgeon cincinnati if you or any friends and family are considering the Lap-Band gastric surgery.

Kira's Wedding

Kira's wedding was beautiful, even if I do say so myself! :) She got married at 5:30 p.m. on March 14, 2009. Her sister, Laura, stayed with her Friday night after the rehearsal dinner. Jesus (her husband) stayed at a local hotel Friday night. Everyone in the family was just waiting for me, Ole Mom, to start the tears a rolling. My children were predicting at what time during all the festivities I would start crying. I did really well with my emotions. I only had a few tears when they were pronounced husband and wife.

I was able to sleep in (at least by my standards) until 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning. I went got a cup of coffee and some breakfast at the local 7-11. I was staying with Jim for most of the weekend and he does not drink coffee (The only downfall I have found with him is he does not have a coffee pot in his house.) LOL I have to tell everyone what a blessing Jim was to me over the past weekend. He was right there and willing help whenever anything was needed.

Then at 12:30 p.m. I went to my girlfriend's, Terry, house so she could do my hair. I ran back to Jim's so he could drive me to Kira's house so I could help her get dressed.

When I got to Kira's house all the bridesmaids were there getting their hair and make-up done. Getting Kira into the dress was no picnic! Let's just say, it took all the bridesmaids and myself to get her dressed. Then it was time for pictures and off to the church. We only had two minor mishaps for the wedding....first the heat died in the church Friday before the rehearsal and they could not get the part until Monday; and second it started to rain just as we were leaving to go to the church. The good things was it really did not down pour so it was not something that really messed anything up.

The service was beautiful and I can't wait to see all the pictures from the photographer. They had the reception at Overhill Manor in Catonsville. It is an old mansion that sits up on a hill. It was a very dignified setting to have a reception. It appears that the guests seemed to all have a good time. I do have to admit Jesus' family really does know how to celebrate and they managed to get many people out on the dance floor that never would have been dancing otherwise! :)

The happy couple left to go on a cruise and then to visit some of Jesus' family in Puerto Rico.

The best part of all the stuff is knowing "my little girl" has married a very nice, warm man. We all welcome Jesus into our family with open arms.

Getting ready for Kira's Wedding

I can't believe how fast the time has been flying by. My oldest daughter, Kira is getting married March 14, 2009. Needless to say, I have been very busy and very stressed trying to make sure everything is finished in time for the BIG DAY!

Last Saturday the bridesmaids held a surprise bridal shower for Kira. It was funny because Kira kept trying to figure out what date the shower would be on so she would try scheduling things for dates to see what all our reactions would be. What she did not know was that the bridesmaids, her fiance (Jesus), and myself were in constant contact so whoever was asked something about a date would know the "proper" response and we would all be on the same page. Kira was driving us all crazy!

The theme of the shower was "Spice Up Kira's Marriage". Everyone brought her a different spice for cooking. They played a game where there were 10 spices in different bowls around a table. The guests needed to guess what spice each was. I use spices and still found this game much more difficult than I thought I would.

As one of the activities, everyone share some advice for Kira. Once piece of advice that stuck with me was "Always remain the girlfriend." I loved it because it is so easy to become complacent with a relationship once you are married. It reminded me to never become so complacent with any relationship that you don't care enough to "be the girlfriend". The part of the shower became much more emotional than I think most of us thought it would. It was a very good thing they had Kleenex handy!!!!

This year is flying by

I have been so busy that I did not realize I had not posted on the blog since August.

Since I last wrote, I experienced the one year anniversary of my husband's death. I never had any idea just how difficult if would be to just get up and function because of what date is was. I actually remember sitting at my desk and seeing (very vividly) me opening the door and the 2 police officers standing there waiting to tell me he had been killed. At the same time I was realizing that I had come so far since that day a year before. I don't talk too much about my grieving experiences but I have been on a constant roller coaster ride. My heart was broken into a million different pieces on Sept. 15, 2007. Just now do I feel as if I have the puzzle glue that will hold it back together again. It will be almost whole. There will always be a very large piece missing. I know John is smiling down on me each and every day.

I am actually starting to want to see other people again. I miss companionship. I have enjoyed chatting with some very nice men online. I have even gone so far as to meet some of them in person. It is very different dating in your 40's than when I was a teenager. :)

Alia is getting so big. She will be three in April and very busy exploring the world. You definitely have to keep a constant eye on her or she will do things like fingerpaint with a jar of Vaseline! The picture above is a new picture of her.

I went to Vermont to see Michael in September. My grandmother and I went. It was a nice weekend away.

Kira has gotten almost everything planned for the wedding. It is now just paying for it all. :)

Well, this should bring you up to date with what has been going on with me over the last couple of months.

B I N G O....Can you say Bingo????

Does anyone else have memories of playing bingo in elementary school for little prizes like a pink pencil? I certainly do. It was a great way for my teacher to teach us whatever subject they were teaching at the time. I use to think it was great! As I got older I would go to play bingo at a bingo hall with both my mother and grandmother. Boy did things change from elementary school. Not only did you get numerous cards (not just one like at school) but you actually played for money. Lastly, you did not play traditional bingo. There were many different bingos (four corners, T, box, etc).

In today's world the children need to have a video to catch there attention. Disney has come out with Disney Bingo This is a great way to introduce you little ones to the classic game of bingo (with a twist). This game uses their favorite disney characters and a DVD to teach them how to play bingo. I can only imagine my little granddaughter in about a year playing this game. She loves princesses and Nemo. What she will not realize is that it is helping her learn her letters, numbers, colors and matching. I love games that will help her learn while she has fun. If you are interested in purchasing this game you can go to either Amazon or Drugstore.com By shopping online, you will save the gas of running to the toystore!