Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Awwwww.....

Mike was push mowing the lawn over the weekend and saw something move around his feet.  He thought it was a SNAKE and TOOK OFF!  Upon further investigation...when I came outside...he then thought it was a nest of baby mice.  Then, Brave-One, puts his heavy duty gloves on and picks one up, only to discover it was 5 baby bunnies!AWwwwww

Notice how their ears are still flat against their head?
Here is one...still with it's eyes closed....
Awwww...
Mike covered them back up like he found them and I put a small piece of string across the top of the bunny nest.  By yesterday morning, she still hadn't been there to feed them, so we called the wildlife rehab place of Greenville.  Mike and Britt put them in a box and took them to the rehab people so they could feed and take care of them.  They will eventually be released into the wilds of Paris Mountain.  Awwwww.....
In addition to all this excitement, being Memorial Day, Courtney sang at Woodlawn Cemetary for their annual Memorial Day Service.  There was the most people there ever for this.
During this ceremony, people can have their former or current military family members name called out and the family can step forward, receive a flag and a salute. Ashley was supposed to come home this weekend, but ended up having to work, so she couldn't come home.
 So, Dad had Ashley's name called out and Courtney went forward to receive her flag and salute...

The strangely dressed man is, if your are familiar with my blog, will recognize him from the "Battle of Canebrake" reinactments ceremony that I've take pics of.  Courtney ususally sings during that too. That's always held in December.  Anyways, this man was here yesterday to represent the Revolutionary War component that is still felt strongly in Greenville and surrounding areas. So, Dad's name was called and he went and got his own flag....
Mike's mother had his Dad's named called out and Deanna went forward to receive his flag...
Here is a picture of Mike and Court...and BEFORE YA'LL TALK ABOUT THE POOR FRAMING of this picture, note that I had my long range lens on and Mike and Courtney wouldn't back up, so this is what I got...
**NOTE TO DAD**- YES DAD, I KNOW.
The POW's were also represented here... 
as always, they are never forgotten!

Dad was fasinated by Courtney's feet...he took this pic AFTER he saw ME taking a picture of her feet...
I took this next picture...notice the better quality of the photo?  hee
GEEEEze, we're weird!  HAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Oh well, it's my blog!!!!
Courtney sang 2 1/2 songs there...
the half song is, she sang the first part of "Amazing Grace" at the end of the ceremony and the bagpiper came in and finished it up...it was beautiful.
I like this picture too....
To be the fair and honest (humble tooooo) person I am, I will give Dad credit for SOME of these pictures.  He had a better angle than I did, NOT better skills.
Here is his link to his pictures:


Here is a pic of Silker, Deanna and Grandma Terry...

In addition to all this, it was also Donna's birthday weekend and there was, of course cake and ice cream.  Donna asked me NOT to take any pictures of that, so, poutingly, I didn't. She HATES having her picture taken, which is beyond me since she is SOOOO pretty! whatever.
That's it as far as I can remember!  Our weekend was also filled with Saturday night going to Guadalajara's till midnight too!  We had a great weekend!
have a good one!
Joan

Saturday, May 23, 2009

GUESS WHAT MY BABY DID???

O.M.GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

So, here she is in the hanger getting ready.  Shaun, her friend, went with her..
Here they are fixing to get on the plane...
That's her on the PLANE getting ready to FALLLLL!

So, It was finally clear and beautiful up there in Virginia so my baby fell to the earth with a man attached to her!


It IS beautiful from up there.
Look how HAPPY she is!
I think she smiled the whole way down!


Here she is checking her altimiter-sp?? At 6000 ft. she was instructed to pull the cord.

Here she is after she pulled the cord...WHICH I'm glad she remembered to do...I'm sure "Attached-Man" would have remembered-

Here she is landing...notice all the people running to them!  WHY??

She went with her friend, Shaun and he jumped too...

Here's the link to all the pics that was taken...


I'm just glad it's OVER WITH and her Daddy didn't have the aneurysm that I was sure he was going to.  I've never HEARD someone's blood pressure explode over the phone, but his sure did. 

Ashley has figured him out.  If she waits till RIGHT before doing something, then calls ME to tell ME to tell her Daddy, she then hangs up and I get to EVER so gently tell him...V-E-R-Y slowly.
THAT'S when the fun begins.... hee hee....
of course, I don't tell him EVERY thing cause 
I- 
ain't- 
stupid. 

She then calls him AFTER she's done whatever and by then, he's worn himself calling me 80 hundred times WORRYING and FUSSING and...he shouldn't ever have blood pressure issues because he vents all his frustrations...TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! 
Now that her feet are on the ground, un-broken and un-splinted, he's very happy once again. 
Until next time.

Well, that's it for today, I think.  I'll be taking loads of pics tonight...Court is singing the National Anthem at the Bi-Lo center for the Greenville Force tonight and then, immediately after she hits the last note, we're off to...ya'll ain't gonna guess...GUADALAJARA'S! Geeeze. PeeeJ is back in town this weekend, so hopefully Britt and PeeeJ will join us all there.  
I wanted to add here that Britt passed her Phlebotomy exam yesterday and now she's off to begin her clinicals...AT HILLCREST HOSPITAL where I work!  HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!  That will be SO nice to see her there!  WOO-HOO!

Have a great day!


Friday, May 22, 2009

Memorial Weekend!!

It's upon us!  AND....I'm OFF WORK for it this year!  I have to work ON Memorial Day, but that's OK since all our celebrating will be over.  Courtney will be doing her annual Memorial Day service at Woodlawn Cemetary with the Veteran Service Corps. on Sunday. She'll be singing the National Anthem Saturday night for the Greenville Force again at the Bi-Lo Center.  Arena Football is pretty neat to watch...for about 10 minutes...then it's time to get some chicken wangs and move on!
Just my opinion.
Mike and Miss Courtney Arnold went to, where else, Guadalajara's last weekend and I did manage to capture this pic with my cell phone...

Typical.

I don't have any new pics to add here today because I didn't do anything this week but work and sleep and read the FREAKISHLY LONG Twilight books.  Geeeeeze.  I'm on the 3rd book and got one more to go, which would be the longest of the 4.  The books are GREAT, but time consuming and I can't seem to but them down!  Hope nobody wants anything cooked around here!  hee
I did scramble the dog some salmon and eggs this morning, bless his heart!  ha!!  Britt read them in like 8 days...the first books she's ever read...AND SHE'S 20!! That's my girl!

Well, I do need to go do something around here so I'll look like I did something around here!  ha
More soon-
Joan


Monday, May 18, 2009

Momday...

I'm off work today and I ain't nothing to post!  ha
Actually, Mike is off work today because he hurt his foot yesterday and can't walk well.  It's better this morning he SAYZ, but sure can't tell it by listening to him groan.  Geeeeze.

I'll post on here maybe later today once I get Mike settled...in his recliner, remote in his left hand, a can of peanuts in his right hand and wrapped up in a blanket.  whatever.
Joan

Thursday, May 14, 2009

THURSDAY!!!

I'm off work yet ANOTHER DAY!  WOO-HOO!  BUT, all things will come to an end tomorrow when I have to work the next 5 days....awww....don't that just sound AWFUL!  haaaaaaaaa
I was going thru some of my incredible pictures I took while Ash was home last week and wanted to add them here too...
I like this picture....
Ash said something about her getting this T-Shirt while on her last patrol last month.  
I like this next picture too.  It's hard to believe they are sisters, one being darker with nearly black eyes and very serious minded, and the other blonde, light eyes and NOT serious minded...at all!
WHICH leads me to this next picture....her truck with her fishing pole...
BAH-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!  i LOVE it!  She's such a red-neck!
I love this pic of Britt and Donna...They both are so pretty!
I know I've had this picture on here berore, but I LOVE it of Britt...
Looks JUST like her Daddy, only purty-er!

So what did they look like BEFORE flat irons?All these were taken at Cad...

WOO-HOOOO!ImageGEEEZE!
Easter day!  The Easter bun...heeeeee
I won't add anymore for fear for my life!  
That's about it today.  
Have a great day!
jOAN

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Day Off!

NOT that I work that many days anymore since beginning my new 3 days a week (12 hrs. a day) work schedule, it's still awfully nice to NOT be at work! 
Thankfully we didn't get any swine flu at the hospital I work at, but enough people THOUGHT they had it and wanted testing for it. I wished they had put a BIG sign by the road to the hospital that said, "Stomach Flu ain't SWINE FLU ya'll"!  haaaaaaaaa 
Ashley left back to Portsmouth Saturday morning and Sunday morning, she went to Busch Gardens there in Virginia.  I thought they had hippo's there, but she didn't see any.  The one in Tampa does.
She's going sky diving this Saturday of which I AIN'T happy about at all.  nope.  And she knows it too.  Alot of good that does! She's getting her decent back to earth video taped for my mothers day present. Ain't that just special.

Dad and I finally got a few of our pictures uploaded to our web albums from friday night. Courtney's band went to Maggie Valley to perform at the Stompin' Grounds there.  We got some great pics, OF which, mine are better!  HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Dad, I've noticed, likes to take staged, posed pictures of people and things.  I, on the other hand, like informal situations, which leads to MUCH better subjects. 
Dad's now thinking, "WHATEVER".
Here is an excellent example.
Here is Dad's pic of what he likes to take pics of...
So, you think.  Hmmmm....pretty shrubbery...YAWNNnnnnnnn ZZzzzzzzzzz..........

A picture I took of what I like to take pics of is this...
This picture makes one ponder...WHAT are they whispering and giggling over?  Could it be that their mother just finished clogging with her camera around her neck?  BAH-HAAAA!
Another example of dad's skill....
Good AVERAGE pic...Ashley dancing with semi-hottie while her Grandma, broom in hand, scopes out ANY man to dance with (this is a "Broom-Dance" where the broom holder throws the broom down during a song and everyone scrambles around exchanging dance partners.  The one left without a partner grabs the broom and it begins again.  Sort of like musical chairs).  
Silker always managed to get the broom! BAH-HAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaa! 
Here's what Ashley got - HAAAAA!
SO, not to be out done....Silker got JEALOUS! She threw the broom down and....rannnnn to HIM! GRINNING!!!!


HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Much more interesting, not to mention photographically superior than Dad's.

Here are all Dad's pics....

and here are some of mine (I'm not finished with them yet....)

Here is a pic of dad checking out his work....I think he was scared his pics wouldn't turn out out or something.  ha
Well, that's it for today unless something blog-worthy comes up!
Have a great day!
Joan


Friday, May 08, 2009

ICE CREAM!

As promised yesterday, I decided to make the Banana Pudding Ice Cream when I got off work.  
I HEART MY ICE CREAM MAKER!!!
Anyways...due to copyright violations...mainly my Dad's and my Uncle David's, I canNOT include ALLLL my ingredients shown below that I used.  I have left out a couple of things...VITAL ingredients...without them would make very bad ice cream. 

I'm SURE Dad and most of my Uncle's can immediately spot which they are, but for the rest of you...TOO BAD!  HAAAAAAAAAAA
I also see Brittany's bottle of Smart Water..She uses that to help her study!  BAH-HAAAAA....she swears it helps!  heeeeeeeeee  She must have sat it there before I took this picture!  ha
I already cooked the "pudding" mixture on the stove.  I actually FORGOT I was gonna take pictures until I had already chilled the pot.  From here, it went into the freezer to get VERY cold before pouring into the ice cream maker.
Here it is CHURNING, BABEEEEE!
and here it is POST churn....
and here is my baby EATING it....note that it looks melted BECAUSE IT IS MELTED...she had to finish texting all her buddies in Virginia first, then ran to the bathroom before she ate.  WHATEVER.
Needless to say here, it is fantastic.  
We're off to Maggie Valley tonight for Court's band to play.  Here is the bands website...


I actually just pulled it up for the first time just then and noticed Mike's picture is included here!  He plays the drums....it's VERY nice having Court and her Daddy playing together.  Mom and Dad are going too tonight as are Mike's parents, so we will have an OVER abundance of fanTABulous pictures to show!
Have a great day and I will update tomorrow with PICTURES!!!
Joan

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Thursday...5 of 7

For anyone who watched Star Trek...5 of 7 was a character on there AND today is also day 5 of the 7 Ash is home...or something like that, it's EARLY! whatever.
Yesterday, I had to work a half-day and the same today.  Courtney has school today and Britt and Ash are driving to Powdersville to get their hair done.  And I'm fixing chicken for supper and home-made Banana Pudding Ice Cream!  I may take pictures to capture the moment...for Uncle Dave, since it's his recipe!
I would, at this time, be putting pictures on here of Cinco De Mayo.  AND...we went to Cinco De Mayo at Guadalajara's AND at Anita's!  
So here's what happened. 
Mike and I show up at Guadalajara's and there's a band playing classic rock outside and karaoke inside.  The girls are clustered around their friends happily chatting away.  Not a empty chair in the entire building OR parking lot and Mike was hungry.  
Whatelse is new.  
So we stand around for a few minutes and howdy.  Finally, after 3 minutes of that, Mike decides his belly can't stand another minute, so we gotta go to Anita's so he can eat.  Off we go.  
He gets fed and watered.  
We head back to Guadalajara's.  I'm wanting to take pictures of the girls socializing..only because they do it so well!
So I go, with camera EAGARLY anticipating the warm, fuzzy pictures I will get of my babies, GLEEFULLY, up to them and their friends, GRINNING because I get to take pics of my girls fraternizing with their peers.  
THE LOOK OF HORROR WHEN THEY SAW ME BOUNDING UP TO THEM. 
Courtney buries her face in her hands and says, "OH MY GOSH MOMMMMM."  Ashley says, "MOMMMMMMMMMM, you GOTTA be kidding."  Britt ROLLED HER EYES.  
WHA????
I told them I only wanted a few pictures.  WRONG.  
I think that was a social faux pas. 
whatever.
So, Mike and I hung out ANYWAYS for awhile. I didn't take any pictures and the band was OK.
We only stayed to irritate the girls!  BAH-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
That's it for Cinco De Mayo...maybe I'll get pics next year.
More later!
Joan

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!!

ASHLEY'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't she look GREAT! 
 I'm glad her Boat-Captain and Chief and Cooks on her boat are taking good care of my baby!  I need their addresses so I can send a heart-felt THANK-YOUUUU! She's not even bruised up this time as opposed to last time when she came home BLUE from bumping up on the doors and walls of her boat!  Who the heck was driving??? heeee!!!  She's like a delicate flower, ya'll!
She has talked NON-STOP about her patrols, Coast Guard life and BOYS and her boat and GUYS and on and on and on (...but as she's talking, she has this HUGE grin on her face!)
 She is SOOO happy.  She even said she couldn't wait to go back on patrol again!  WOW! 
She is so fortunate to have a wonderful Chief who she says is the best and loves her Captain (who I am glad is a female so Ash can see what females can achieve), she loves the cooks on the boat and her fellow BM'ers.
We're all just SOOOO happy for her!!!

I guess ya'll know we're headed to Guadalajara's tonight to help our south of the border neighbors celebrate this wonderous day!   I'll have to capture the moment tonight when we go.  Last year, it was all out in the parking lot because there were so many people there!
Ash is HOME! I have taken a load of pictures so far and they are here...


But, in my usual way, I'll put some on here too!
Fist, when she came home we HAD to head to Guadalajara...here Ash, Court are with Bubba!
Of Course, the girls have to get up and sing!  So, the girls and Chelsea (their friend and Faith who is Bubba's sister) all sang!
I would say it was great, but....NAH!
Here's some waiter guy Ashley was flirting with...sort of!
Actually, I think he was flirting with her!
Donna was there too - 
Then, Sunday afternoon, after I got off work, Mike and his parents had a big cook-out and it was FANTABULOUS! It was like a "Welcome Home, Ashley" cook-out! Here are the parents/Grandmas/Gt. Grandma
Mike and made a churn of Homemade Chocolate Fudge and it was a LITTLE on the not-frozen side, so Mike's Grandma made due...
Lauren was there and we were so...SO glad to have her!
I hope she had fun, we all over-ate and was a little sleepy after eating, but we roused up!
Speaking of over-eating!
BAH-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Deanna came with her friend-boy...I forgot his name...
here Ash and Deanna are together...awwwww......I LOVE that picture!!
Now HOW'd THIS picture get in here???
or THIS ONE!!!!
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!  Told ya'll the ice cream was GREAT!
Ya'll know how Court HAS to get in as many pictures as possible... Here's a great one of P.J. in it... Now this next picture I took and for some reason, it turned out AWESOME!
I don't know why, except that I took it!  HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA (HEAR THAT DAD!)
Here is Ashley looking "Thoughtful" or "Constipated"...whatever... HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Here are some of them in the pick-up...
Dad actually took that picture...I know ya'll were wondering what happened to the quality of the picture...just an F.Y.I. ! Lauren can TEXT, Baby! She could be a model for texting!
I like this picture...I would "LOVE" it, but Dad took it. whatev.

Here's anothe OK picture...
ANYways...there are LOADS and LOADS of pictures on our web albums.  
We're enjoying the weather and everyone being around while she's home.  I'll be putting loads more pics on here thru the week!
Take care!!!