10 year anniversary!!!

Joe and I celebrated out 10 year anniversary yestarday! I can't believe how fast 10 years can fly by! I feel so thankful to have him in my life. Ours is one of those "meant-to-be" love stories. Our families were close friends while we were growing up, we went on vacations together, and his Mom use to cut all of our hair. I don't really remember him, he is 10 years older than I am, and at the time I was about 10, and he was close to 20. He got married and had 2 kids before I ever graduated from High School....LOL! I ended up getting married, I had 2 great kids, and then got divorced. During this time I was a nail technician, and had a great friend who wanted to line me up with her cousins son, so I thought what the heck, and told her to have him call me. Anyway to make a long story short, we went out and totally hit it off! We had so much in common, we had basically known each other all our lives, and not even known it! while we were dating we found out that there had been 2 times during both of our previous marriages that we had been separated from our previous spouses at the same time, and I had spent some time in the hospital at the same time his Mom had been in there having treatments for cancer. I remember him bringing his Mom down to my room to see me and talk to my family. Similarities in our lives just kept happining over and over, until fate finally happened and we met. We both feel so lucky, we know his Mom was probably up in heaven putting all of this into place, taking care of our little miracle baby Jocie, until we ended up together. I know what people mean when they say they are with their "soul mate", it's a different kind of love, a special kind of bond that most people never get to feel in their lifetime. We are true "soul mates", and we both feel it. Things between us aren't always perfect, we definately have our problems, but we have this special kind of love that we know will always see us through. He is a terrific person, friend, Dad, and Step-Dad, and I am so thankful to have him in my life!!!

In 5 years will this matter?

This has become my daily saying to myself when dealing with my teenagers...LOL! I am still not in the running for "Mother of the Year", according to my kids. But just to make me feel better, my husband isn't up for any awards either. We have ruined our 14 year olds entire life by taking her cell phone away. Her whole life is "ruined"! Oh my, does she realize how lucky she is to even have a cell phone? I coulden't even convience my parents to let me have A phone in my room when I was growing up! (And needless to say....I lived!) But I have come to the realization that we need to start picking our battles with them, or everything is going to be a fight. Maybe it's time for me to release the apron strings a little, and let them start learning their lessons the hard way. But why is that so hard for us? We all lived, in fact some of my greatest lessons came from learning them the hard way, and listening to my Mom say, " I told you so..." But I have a really hard time letting my kids make mistakes, seeing them fail, or seeing their feelings hurt. Did my Mom feel this way too? I'm seeing her in such a new light now that I have kids...LOL! So from now on I'm going to keep asking my self...."In 5 years is this going to matter?"

Father's Day...I Miss My Dad

Today is Father's Day and I'm really missing my Dad. We moved to Ohio 8 years ago away from all of our family, and it's days like this that I wish I could just go to my Mom's house for coffee, and spend some time with him. A lot of people just don't "get" my Dad. To most he seems like a grumpy, negative, person who does nothing but complain about life and almost everything in it! It absolutely drives most people crazy, but he just makes me giggle! I think I am the only one (other than my Mom) that just understands that's how he is, and dosen't take things literally, or personal. We have always had a good relationship. I think I have always been someone who understands him, and he knows it. And most of all I absolutely love him for who he is. He was always a fun Dad growing up. He would give us rides on the running boards of his car, when he was coming up the road, home from work. He use to laugh at me when I would hide in his clothes hamper and scare him. He loved me to polish his shoes, and I loved to do it for him! He always had a little can of change in his car, so if we ever needed any money to go with our friends, it was there. He loved to play games, and color with me. I could go on and on, it's all those "little things", that I look back on now, that I realize are the things that matter. He was never afraid to put me in my place and set me straight when he didn't agree with my decisions. No matter what choices I made, he still loves me. He dosen't have to tell me, but I know it. I was so lucky to grow up with him for a Dad, and I thank God for my family every day. Even though he is a mystery to most people, he is a hero to me, and always will be, grumpyness, and all...LOL!!!

OH MY....The joys of teenagers!

I know this time of my life will something that someday I will look back on and truly miss, but right now in the moment, I want to pull my hair out! I also know my Mom listens to my struggles with my teens and just laughs, I think it's my payback! I just think it's so funny how they live in their own little world, and think they are so much older than they are! My 14 year old daughter is in a massive depression because we won't let her go to Cleveland with 6 of her friends for 3 days. She told me that adults were going.....(2 of her friends are 18...LOL...I guess that what she considers adults.)And there were also 2 boys going, and staying in the same hotel room, BUT only to help save money. HELLO??? NO!!! Ummmm...can she not see the whole situation here? Well she slams the door in my face, (we both get that honestly from my Mom....thank you!)while she is mumbling something she is probably lucky I coulden't understand. Oh, and that she just wishes I didn't care so much, nobody elses Mom's care what they do, they totally trust their kids...LOL! My reply was "HELLO......your 14!" Hers, "But I'll be 15 next month!" Then I had to calmly explain to her that I woulden't even let her 17 year old brother go in that kind of a situation. So she just thinks I'm the worst Mother on the planet right now! I never let them do anything fun! Oh My....I'm hoping it's just PMS, and mine dosen't start this week too!!! =)

Finally Feeling Better!

OK Where do I start? This year has started off with a BANG to say the least! Joe broke his leg falling down our stairs in February. In March, we found out he had a blood clot in his leg, and he was in the hospital for 3 days, and bed rest for a week after that. During all of this my Gallbladder started really giving me fits, so I decided to bite the bullet and just get it out! I went through that last week, and I'm into my 6th day, and finally feeling pretty good. Thank God for modern technology and the invention of that wonderful scope! Not to mention our wonderful friend Richard, and the gift of prayer, I never would have made it through that first night without him! Anyway...looks like we're getting back to our normal, uneventful life, and boy am I looking forward to it!