rainy saturday

I had a sports trip this morning.  For the past few months I've been getting nice 4 hour short trips with either the boys fresman or boys JV basketball teams.  The guys usually listen to CD players or sleep the trip away.  Today though I had the girls JV team.  AND BOY are they loud.  The talk the whole time, screech and at one point during the trip a bunch of them scream YAH!  I am not used to such high pinched noise.  Oh well pays the same.  Plus another driver was there and we went out and had breakfast.

I read in the paper today that American's pets are getting fat.  This includes cats.  I have four including the $500 cat.  This big boy is fat.   His name is Newton and I am thinking he weighs 16 pounds.  He is no longer a man hasn't been one in a long time so he has that pocket of skin that hangs when he runs.  Every since he's had that problem peeing and he had to have a hospital stay last summer I had to change his cat food.  He gets the expensive stuff now, which means along with the three other cats they eat more.  I guess because it tastes better.  Now I can see how you can get a dog to lose weight, just walk them more, toss a ball or run with them.  A cat?  Newty would look pretty embarrassed walking down the street with a harness 'exercising' his love handles, don't you think?  Or maybe I should get a taboe tape!

re-posting alerts not working! this is too happy not to share~

My husband's brother called him very, very excited today.

The following article was in todays Rockford Illinois local paper.  Erin is my neice.  There are pictures but they are under copyright, so I couldn't lift them----

This is just so darn cool!

 

Local News: Rockford
Mission accomplished on the home front

By CHRIS GREEN, Rockford Register Star

OAS_AD('300x250_1');  ROCKFORD — U.S. Army soldier Trevor Schultz returned home Tuesday on a two-week leave from his deployment in Iraq.

But the 20-year-old Belvidere resident wasn’t exactly home for R and R.

Tuesday night, he embarked on the most important mission in his young life. In front of family and friends at the Old Chicago restaurant on East State Street, Schultz, decked in Army fatigues, dropped on bended knee and proposed to his high school sweetheart.

His unannounced visit, let alone the rock he slipped on his girlfriend Erin Gossett’s finger, was a total surprise to the 20-year-old who leapt into his arms and wrapped him in a bear hug.

Gossett, who also wore matching military pants, insisted she had no idea a proposal was forthcoming. “He’s been telling me for months that he had a present for me,” she said. “I just wanted him home.”

Gossett was invited to Old Chicago, her favorite restaurant, by Schultz’s parents, Chris and Rick Tenhagen, to celebrate her birthday. Gossett, who turns 21 Sunday, said she wore the fatigues only as a way of remembering Trevor since he would not be there to celebrate her birthday with her. Or so she thought.

Schultz, an infantry soldier with the 101st Airborne unit, is a 2004 graduate of Belvidere High School. He enlisted in the Army in June 2004, went to boot camp in Fort Benning, Ga., and is stationed in Fort Campbell, Ky.

Gossett, 20, of Byron also is a 2004 graduate of Belvidere High School, where the couple first met. Gossett was recently hired as an assistant manager at the new Riverside Boulevard Wal-Mart store.

“He’s been planning this since September,” Trevor’s mother said of the proposal. “He bought the ring in November, but he just told me about a month ago that he was coming home.”

Gossett’s mother, Lynn, who was also on hand, said, “I just found out today. I could barely keep it in inside.”

Schultz’s 14-day leave of absence officially began at 12:01 a.m. today, and his mission is far from complete. The couple plan to marry Monday at the Boone County Courthouse.

Chris and Rick Tenhagen are offering a honeymoon in Jamaica when Schultz returns from Iraq in September.

 

My husband's brother called him very, very excited today.

The following article was in todays Rockford Illinois local paper.  Erin is my neice.  There are pictures but they are under copyright, so I couldn't lift them----

This is just so darn cool!

 

Local News: Rockford
Mission accomplished on the home front

By CHRIS GREEN, Rockford Register Star

OAS_AD('300x250_1');  ROCKFORD — U.S. Army soldier Trevor Schultz returned home Tuesday on a two-week leave from his deployment in Iraq.

But the 20-year-old Belvidere resident wasn’t exactly home for R and R.

Tuesday night, he embarked on the most important mission in his young life. In front of family and friends at the Old Chicago restaurant on East State Street, Schultz, decked in Army fatigues, dropped on bended knee and proposed to his high school sweetheart.

His unannounced visit, let alone the rock he slipped on his girlfriend Erin Gossett’s finger, was a total surprise to the 20-year-old who leapt into his arms and wrapped him in a bear hug.

Gossett, who also wore matching military pants, insisted she had no idea a proposal was forthcoming. “He’s been telling me for months that he had a present for me,” she said. “I just wanted him home.”

Gossett was invited to Old Chicago, her favorite restaurant, by Schultz’s parents, Chris and Rick Tenhagen, to celebrate her birthday. Gossett, who turns 21 Sunday, said she wore the fatigues only as a way of remembering Trevor since he would not be there to celebrate her birthday with her. Or so she thought.

Schultz, an infantry soldier with the 101st Airborne unit, is a 2004 graduate of Belvidere High School. He enlisted in the Army in June 2004, went to boot camp in Fort Benning, Ga., and is stationed in Fort Campbell, Ky.

Gossett, 20, of Byron also is a 2004 graduate of Belvidere High School, where the couple first met. Gossett was recently hired as an assistant manager at the new Riverside Boulevard Wal-Mart store.

“He’s been planning this since September,” Trevor’s mother said of the proposal. “He bought the ring in November, but he just told me about a month ago that he was coming home.”

Gossett’s mother, Lynn, who was also on hand, said, “I just found out today. I could barely keep it in inside.”

Schultz’s 14-day leave of absence officially began at 12:01 a.m. today, and his mission is far from complete. The couple plan to marry Monday at the Boone County Courthouse.

Chris and Rick Tenhagen are offering a honeymoon in Jamaica when Schultz returns from Iraq in September.

it's a good saturday

Woke up to a winter wonderland.  The kind of heavy, stick to the trees glorious stuff that makes the world like a picture postcard.  Beautiful this morning after it stopped, messy and slippery last night for driving.  We did go to the game, went in to rain, came out to snow.  I behaved during the game, the girls got beat, beat bad, but in their defense their school is still without a Senior class until next year.  The school is only 2 years old, opened with 9th and 10th grade added 11 this year and will be all 4 grades next year.  Which makes for many, many one sided sports events.  I know some of the girls, they are Liz's age, I feel bad for them, they try so hard. 

On the way home, I was still crabby and kept up my attitude as my dear hubby drove to fast (my opinion) on the way home.  The snow was the slippery kind that comes down quickly way too fast for the snow plows to keep up with. 

I woke up in a better mood.  We went to Jeremy's, first picking up some bricks that he needed for his basement.  I kept my good mood especially after spending some time with this little face------------->

We had a great time playing in the snow until he took a dive face first into the snow and being that it was past his naptime he screamed his head off.  Jacob lasted longer and we had a snowball fight.  No snowman...the snow wasn't good for packing. 

Now I am home, to relax...over my mood...enjoy~!

did my time-----now snow!!

This was a hell of a day.  And since I usually try and control my swearing (at least online) it must of been one.  Let put it this way, it just was hard and very tiring...

So........my husband has been off for 2 weeks now, and he's begining to get on my nerves.  Now I know the reason way God made men the breadwinners.  So they could do something all day and come home and be too tired to get into trouble!

Today is Matt's birthday so Mark decides as a birthday present we will go with him and his mother in law to watch the girls high school basketball game, because Brandy is the assistant coach they always go.  To  me, I did my time with my own kids, I don't need to spend a perfectly good Friday night watching girls run up and down the court, or listen to obnoxious cheers of teenage girls.  Or worse yet, the screams of fathers at the refs, I spent way to many years listening to my own husband screams and sometimes get kicked out of games.  I don't need to listen to someone elses.  The only good thing going for the games is as a district employee we get in free.  I like Matt's mother in law, she's a nice lady, but we have very little in common.  Besides the band plays so loud you can't hear to gossip.  Besides she never has any good stuff.

 

::::SIGH::::

 

Also, being laid off gives Mark more time to complain, usually about Liz.  Poor kid's the last one at home so she gets all of it.  You know how it is, "she doesn't do this, she doesn't do that, why is moping around the house, why is gone all time."  At least before he had more to complain about.  One just isn't fun.

All day long the weathermen have been calling for snow.  1 to 8 inches.  We went into the game to rain, came out to snow.  I bet we only get a couple of inches.  It'll be 40 Sunday so it will at least melt.

But I do have to go out, Liz is at a fund raiser at school. She's a really cool, good kid.  I'll keep her.  And I'll keep the husband too we all can't be perfect!

 

Have a great evening, I going to brew some tea!

did my time-----now snow!!

This was a hell of a day.  And since I usually try and control my swearing (at least online) it must of been one.  Let put it this way, it just was hard and very tiring...

So........my husband has been off for 2 weeks now, and he's begining to get on my nerves.  Now I know the reason way God made men the breadwinners.  So they could do something all day and come home and be too tired to get into trouble!

Today is Matt's birthday so Mark decides as a birthday present we will go with him and his mother in law to watch the girls high school basketball game, because Brandy is the assistant coach they always go.  To  me, I did my time with my own kids, I don't need to spend a perfectly good Friday night watching girls run up and down the court, or listen to obnoxious cheers of teenage girls.  Or worse yet, the screams of fathers at the refs, I spent way to many years listening to my own husband screams and sometimes get kicked out of games.  I don't need to listen to someone elses.  The only good thing going for the games is as a district employee we get in free.  I like Matt's mother in law, she's a nice lady, but we have very little in common.  Besides the band plays so loud you can't hear to gossip.  Besides she never has any good stuff.

 

::::SIGH::::

 

Also, being laid off gives Mark more time to complain, usually about Liz.  Poor kid's the last one at home so she gets all of it.  You know how it is, "she doesn't do this, she doesn't do that, why is moping around the house, why is gone all time."  At least before he had more to complain about.  One just isn't fun.

All day long the weathermen have been calling for snow.  1 to 8 inches.  We went into the game to rain, came out to snow.  I bet we only get a couple of inches.  It'll be 40 Sunday so it will at least melt.

But I do have to go out, Liz is at a fund raiser at school. She's a really cool, good kid.  I'll keep her.  And I'll keep the husband too we all can't be perfect!

 

Have a great evening, I going to brew some tea!

my kid---tim

 

Matt and Tim

My son Tim is 23 years old, a college graduate, has a great job.  He went to school at Purdue, I was so proud and still am.  He graduated last summer.  While in school he was a member of a Frat or fraternity as I am correct by Tim.  John Kennedy even belonged to a chapter of this fraternity.  But with all groups and being in college and being male they have their habits, rituals and gatherings.  He has kept some of the friends from this time along with friends he had in high school  My son has moved to a nearby town from here which happens to be a college town.  Put it this way his roommate and he have a bar that would put most clubs to shame.  He likes the whole "group" attitude and regularly goes out with his friends or has parties. 

One of his hangouts had a contest last weekend.  It was put on by Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.  My understanding was that you got tickets to drink beer and who had the most won a bike.  Imagine my horror and shock when I saw this bike on my son's away message~I had images of my son drinking bottles and bottles of beer, getting alcohol poisoning, being carried to the emergency room puking, and passed out.

Silly mom!  It was a raffle, and the more tickets you had the better the chance of winning!  Which meant the more you had gave you a better chance to win, not the MOST you had won.

God I am getting to old for this!

Plus now my kid will get some exercise, now he can ride his bike to the bar!

PS:  I have taught my kids to never, ever drink and drive!

 

 

3rd times a charm----fingers crossed!

This will be (hopefully) my third time at doing this entry, last night my computer shut off, I have a bad driver, then today AOL wouldn't save my entry.  Enough whining, this morning I drove a sports trip, easy money for a few miles of driving.  Plus I like the coach.  This evening we took Tracey and Jeremy out to eat for their birthdays.  We went to place that on the gift card had the number for another restaurant so when Mark made the reservation it was for the wrong place.  The place was packed too.  But the hostess was a dear and took our names and we only waited a short bit. 

The food was excellent and we had a nice time.

Liz watched the boys.  Dakota only fell down a couple of times and only drew blood once.  Otherwise all was well.   Jacob and Dakota are wearing their Big Red Car Wiggles slippers in these pictures from Christmas.  If you haven't seen the program you won't know what I am talking about, but I find it very, very disturbing...4 grown men in costumes (not Barney or Big Bird either) singing and dancing or riding in the Big Car doing the same.  I guess Sesame Street and Barney are out of style.  The hip toddler must watch The Wiggles or at the very least Thomas the Train. 

Big brother Jacob is waiting for his little bro to get his slippers back on so they can race around the house and do what little boy do...act goofy!

These slippers are so wide that little Dakota has to walk bow legged!

Jeremy tells me that the doctor says Dakota is in the 5 percent for height, the 90 percent for weight and his big old head is in the 90 percent too!  Must be all the Gossett brains!!

After the dinner we stayed with the boys while Tracey and Jeremy went to a neighbors birthday party.  And Grandma got her baby fix!

The sun came out!

Ok Lisa asked for it, here's bad a'ma making Jacob look at the camera from the Thanksgiving party.

Me and Dakota, after a sleep over--he likes his picture taken, but wanted the camera.

It's funny how two kids can be so very different.  Jacob sleeps like an old man.  When he's ready he goes to sleep, throws his arm over his face and snores.  Dakota on the other hand, which by the way is the one I am in charge of during the sleepovers, wakes up every 2 hours screaming his head off.  He usually goes right back to sleep, but when you are not used to a screaming 1 year old it will really jump start your heart.  It's not because he's not at home in his own bed, he does it there too. 

But I don't care it's worth it.  These two little nuts are my joy, besides they are pretty cheap entertainment too!

This weekend we are taking Jeremy and Tracey to a new restaurant for their birthdays.  Liz will be babysitting, she's nervous, but at her age she's well ready to watch two toddlers for a few hours.  I was the oldest in my family and used to babysit mobs of kids before I even got out of the 7th grade.  But Liz is the youngest, always either been watched over by big brothers or on her own.  She'll be fine.

Plus Mike is going back to college.  She will need a diversion, young love can be a pain for the parents.  They sure take a long break at Southern Illinois University, 4 weeks, must be nice.  I wonder if I can drive a school bus for them? 

I went to the doctor yesterday for my yearly groping, nurse told me my blood pressure was 110 over 60, at least my job hasn't effected that!  I really don't hold much in, pretty much a direct-no B.S. type. 

The weather here has been very, very unusal, 50's and finally sunny.  It's supposed cool off a bit and go right back up to 40's next week.  Nice!

Plus I have a 3 day weekend---can't beat that!

some pics from thanksgiving...

The rest of the Thanksgiving pictures from our Pre-Thanksgiving bash---

LIZ & MIKE

My new Daughter in Law, Brandy, with Jacob (who hates his picture taken), & my stepson Matt

Dakota and Liz

Matt and my hungover son, Tim

Jeremy holding Dakota and my other stepson Jim.

I actually raised Matt and Jim since they were 14 and 15.  They have turned into fine young men.  I am so blessed to have this awesome family!  No matter how big this group grows I will always have room in my heart for all of them!

FLORIDA!

Here's happy Rose on the BEACH in FLORIDA!

 

Mark, Liz and I spent Thursday on the Resondo Beach in St Pete.  It was a glorious day, clear, sunny with a wonderful breeze.

Mark hates to have his picture taken, but since he was actually having a good time he was actually happy! 

We had plenty of people to watch too, which is one of my favorite things to do when I am some place new.  There were plenty to see too, a tipsy housewife trying to find her hotel, joggers, kids building sand castles or trying to skim board, old people of all shapes and sizes power walking down the beach.  We even took a walk to the pier, the sad thing is that many of the beach front motels, hotels and little old homes are being torn down to build huge, expensive condos.  Luckily I have a dad who already has a place just 5 minutes from the beach.

Liz and I in the cabana, Toni sprung for a rental, which she said I HAD to have.  Actually I would have been just as happy with a towel on the beach, but she wanted me to feel special & pampered so I let her.  The next day my father was being a poop, and Mark didn't want to be in the sun anymore  so Toni, Liz and I came back to this very spot.  Toni spent every summer here as a wee one.  She is a very nice lady, I couldn't have picked a better stepmom.  And since we are close in age and my Liz can act like an old lady we all got along great.

One night after dinner we hurried to the beach to see this wonderful sunset.

Can't wait until next year...this vacation stuff is going to become a habit!

2006

2006 has started off in  fine fashion.  I did the vacation laundry, Mark cooked, I vacuumed the cat hair, Mark scraped all the mud that has built up around the back door drain (we are having a heat wave, it's 40.  I started to crochet a baby blanket for the new one, Mark played online poker...

Just a normal relaxing Sunday after a vacation...I love saying vacation!  That is a word I am going to use more often in the future! 

Florida was great, vacations are great!  Eating scallops and shrimp by the waterfront watching the sea gulls fly above is GREAT!  Sleeping in is great, being warmed by the Florida sun is really great!  Being a goofy tourist with white legs and running in the waves in the gulf is great!

People do drive  really, really fast down there, nothing like trying to cross the street and not get hit by a blue haired granny in a big caddy! 

I am a lucky, lucky girl to have a dad who picked an awesome place to retire!  And being the only daughter and the apple of his eye really, really helps!!  AND bringing the other favorite, his granddaughter sure didn't hurt either!

2006 sure is going to be great!