AngelaW

Hey Ya'll. Michelle, I hate that things turned out the way they did on the job front. You gotta do what's right for you though! Cindy, Zach ended up failing the TAKS Test by a few more questions this time. There is a really odd loophole (according to the principal) that they can use to promote a child even if they fail one of the required tests. He explained to it to me like this: a child can master the reading and writing...then bomb the math and still get pulled through to the next grade if the combined score of all three required test meets a certain number. I don't think that is right. In Zach's case, I had a meeting with the principal and a couple of teachers from the school (including Zach's math teacher) who recommended to me that we go ahead and place him in the 9th grade. His grades were decent all year in that class, he didn't miss too many days and they said he was not considered "high risk". The next big test will be in the 11th grade. He has to pass the exit TAKS Test to graduate. I was told they have many opportunities to test and re-test before graduation. I hope we made the right decision but it bothers me because it goes to show that the school system is broken. How can you have a mandatory "must pass" test and then turn around and have exceptions to the rule? Sorry....got on a rant! I am in a funk today anyways. The half-sister who is bi-polar has made it clear that she does not want to try to establish a relationship. While I know it is not personal (Hell, she doesn't even KNOW me!!) it still hurts. She told one of the other siblings that just because I wanted a relationship with my dad did not mean that she had to have one with me. Nice. I will remain cordial if I see her again but I hope it's not anytime soon. My feelings are raw :cursing: . Mike didn't want me to get hurt and now I feel like a fool. Oh, well...life goes on, right?? Sorry to be so poopie today. Have a good night.

Happy Birthday, Michelle!!!!!!!!

Good morning! Kat, I know that alarm system has got to be a relief! I'm with you...I do not want another car payment. I am going to drive my cheap ("Jeep") until the wheels fall off! Jenn, good for you...sticking up for your daughter! Forensics is cool. My mom is 55 years young and is currently in college working towards forensics. She has heard some less than positive comments about her age and why now. She just answers "Why not?". I love her and her attitude!! Tracy, good for you! This journey has not been gravy for any of us, I don't think. You have to do what feels right in your heart. My step-son had gastric after the lap-band and has been really successful so far! I will have to bring you pics. Terri...hang in there. The gas will go away!! Suzie...ready to get back in the pool yet? I remember you were saying you felt water logged, lol! Have a good day! Angela

Morning! Literally morning. Like 1:00 am! I can't sleep. Cindy, glad to hear your DD is doing well! That is heart wrenching about your mother. Kat, glad to hear your spirits are up again! I am still hoping they catch the neighborhood bandit. Aside from stepping on each other in conversation, your parents sound adorable. A story for each item...that is cute! While it might be annoying to some I would have enjoyed hearing the history. Tracy, those prices are ridiculous!!!! I think it is a lot of the reason we stay away from major league ball games, the rodeo and other public events now. Who can afford drinks and food at those prices? I'm not sure about Macy's party yet. I know we have someone coming to lay floor in the next week or two (weekend) in Palacios. I need to check with Mike and get the specifics then get back to you. He has worked the last couple of weekends and if this trend continues I will be the one to drive down and monitor the laying of the floors. Michelle, I hope work is cutting you some slack now. Things looked like they were getting better on Friday for us (we were limping along...)and then we had a complete system failure at 3:00 pm. I finally left at 7:30 and the managers were still in meetings!! They were sooooo proud to bring this new system to us. I think it should have been tested a while longer! How is the dog situation? Jenn, how did your walking go? I really need to get back out there myself! Suzie? Where are you? I hope things are ok... Well guys, I don't want to get too detailed but I drove a couple towns over and helped my dad unpack today. I think I mentioned before that he was moving closer? Anyhow, one of my sister's was acting very rude and bizaar. I found out today from the other siblings that she is bi-polar. I understand that it is a medical issue but sadly, she won't take meds for it. She was pissed that I was even there and wanted to know who invited me and why she wasn't told. Long story there but it really hurt my feelings. I actually wrote her an email and told her so. The other siblings are all in an uproar about her rudeness today. I hate being in the middle of drama but I didn't create this mess!! I seriously think she belives I am out to take her "daddy" away from her (did I mentioned that she is 28 freaking years old??). No chance...I didn't have a relationship with him for 35 years. I am just trying to get to know the man and build some sort of bond, you know? Mike told me to be careful from the beginning and not get too emotionally involved. I told him that if I had a choice of running around and not doing things to protect my "feelings" or living and getting hurt on occasion, then I'd take the hurt! So, here we are. I knew she was a little weird acting the first time I met her but today was really obvious. Sad stuff. I am going to try to get to bed! Angela

YAY Terri!!! I am glad you are a bandster now! Kat...H.O.L.Y. Crap!!! That would scare the mess out of me. Stay safe and keep us posted. I hope your van is fixable. Suzie, I know you are just lovin' that pool time! I am glad you are relaxing. I am equally glad that your BIL is doing better!! I cannot seem to eat right either. With all this work stress...and they have been buying our lunch all week because they need us all here ALL day, nothing has been a "healthy choice". I have eaten more ice cream and cookies this week than all month! Self sabatoge right here!! I am pooped!

I saw a girl wearing a tail at our local Krogers (grocery store). I just thought it was some kind of teen statement. Goofy looking if you ask me!!!!!!!

Hi Everyone! Michelle...that sucks about the dogs. I hope you get it sorted out soon. Terri, how are you?? Update when you can. Cindy, I will be thinking about your DSD. I hear good things about the "other side". I had the Endometrial Abalation about 4 years ago and while it has helped, I wish I would have had the full monty done. Being a woman sucks sometimes! Hi!! to everyone else. Work has been hell. No other way to put it. I hate this new system and what it will eventually do to my job. I sound like a broken record, huh? Sorry. Have a good evening! Angela.

Hey ya'll! I want to go see Despicable Me too! It looks really cute. Motorcycles, pools, Chucky Cheese and flashing people??!! Where have I been? My meeting with my sibs and Dad went really well. I think my dad is going to be moving about 30 min. away from me (as opposed to about 4 hours) and my siblings live less than an hour away so I foresee many more meetings. We are a hodge podge of personalities but that is what makes it fun! I am at work today testing a system that I think will eventually phase my job out. Fun!! Have a good evening, Angela

Good afternoon! I am soooo glad everyone's news is good news (except Kat's gas). Wait...that didn't sound right. I'm leaving it because it made me LOL!!!!!! (Sorry Kat!). And NO!! We won't bury you. Terri, I am so excited for you. Keep us posted. Tracy, I will be swimming with you soon, I promise. Michelle, keep your chin up. I hope your talk with the boss goes well. I am meeting my dad and siblings tomorrow. I have butterflies in my tummy. It will be fine, I know. Just nervous. Busy here...I should be working but alas, I am surfing the net. Back to work! Have a great weekend, Angela

Absolutely Suzie. That is horrible and sad. I will be praying for him. Glad you are in better spirits, Tracy! I need to come do laps with you!! Gonna hit the sack early tonight. Was up until 2:30 this morning. My back was killing me. It has been for a while. I got a massage and now I feel like jello! Love and prayers to you all. Angela

I couldn't have said it better, Suzie. We love you, Tracy. Your weight does NOT define you. You are a beautiful person inside and out. I am close enough to come and see you...anytime! Call me. Please don't let this drag you down any further. I think Suzie is right, Maybe the doc can tweek your medicine and give you the boost that you need. Let me know if there is anything, ANYTHING I can do. Angela

Hey girls!! We are back. I am pooped. It's 1:00 am and I will certainly be paying for this tomorrow morning when the alarm goes off, lol! Kat...I will keep your MIL and FIL in my prayers. Keep us posted. I know they are grateful (even if MIL is slow to recognize) for you and Rick being there when they need you. Cindy...ditto for your dad. I hope it is not cancer. That is very scary stuff. Will you keep us posted as well? Michelle, hang in there girl! That boss-man sounds like a hoot. I agree with Suzie...you will find a groove that works for you soon and things will smooth out. Terri, woo-hoo for your surgery! I too am anxious to follow you in your journey. I need a re-boot too (no pressure or anything, k? LOL!) Tracy, hey momma!! Glad you are all moved in. Love the couch. I did run through my facebook junk the other day when we popped in but I forgot to post on here. Nice, eh? Sorry!! We had so much on our plate and a short time to get it done. What is up with all the skeeters around here?? They are big as birds and seem to be immuned to Off. I wanted the rain, but look what it has brought us! That and the ants. Grrr!!! Suzie, how are you feeling? How far did you drive on your road trip? I imagine that was rough on your incision site. Kuddos for you walking every day!! Jennifer, I think you got me mixed up with Terri. We own a boat but no motorcycle...lol! How are you? I am sooooo sore. We have been in Palacios doing some long overdue home repairs. I have learned in the past 9 days that I am not a: carpenter/painter/trimmer/primer/mover/tar(er) or plumber. My body aches!! We got so much done but still did not get the floors finished. I did pick out some carpet (a reminant? I think is what it is called. A piece of carpet that was already cut and marked down) and some linolium so it is just a matter of hiring (yep...I am not even going to help with that one, lol!) someone to do it. We did sneak in some fun. A friend of ours soaked some cherries in Everclear and holy moly! We had a couple of late nights hanging with friends. I really love the people down there. Well, I need to get some rest. I will be at my REAL job tomorrow (crap...shouldn't I say today?) and I will try to pop in from there. Have a good one! Angela

Morning! Suzie, sorry to hear about your minor setback. I am glad they were able to take care of it quickly and get you back up and running (well, walking?), lol. Kat, I hate bullies!! Good for you guys in taking a stand. That little girl needs a good ol' country butt whoopin! Spitting?......sheesh. Tracy, I know you gotta get moving, but take it easy, k? I am so happy for you guys though! The doctor said we could put off the final (hopefully!) surgery until Christmas break. That way, he won't miss any school and he can still play football this season. I know, football?? but he lives for it. Michelle...work drama. It's everywhere and it sucks!!! I hope things work out for you. I am on vacation this coming week! We are going to be in and out of town (did I tell you this already? Not sure...) so I will pop in when I can. I hope you all have a wonderful Independence Day. Stay safe! Angela

Hey guys, Thank you all for thinking of Zach today. I can't see his arm yet because of the bandaging, but the doctor says it looks great. Zach woke up smiling because he got to see the cutie nurse Tara that seems to be working everytime we are there. Those were his first words to me..."Mom, I got to see Miss Tara"...lol. He is doing fine, I think! The point of all these surgeries now is to slowly remove the skin graft from his arm and pull it back in to give his arm a more natural shape. I really thought he would get it all done today, and he was hoping to, but it wasn't to be. He said it wasn't "loose" enough on one end so we still have about an inch and a half that will need to be pulled in at a later date. Sorry guys, we had to be up and running at 4:30am so I will post more tomorrow. I was trying to read back, but I think I am just too tired. Have a good evening... Angela

Good morning!! It is really black outside! I guess we are starting to see the rain bands from TS Alex. I just hope we don't get a lot of "training" storms. That can cause major flooding. I do wish for some rain though. Suzie, I wish I was closer to you! I love to walk as well. Good for you to get so much in, but be careful not to overdue it. Have you heard from your friend with the young boy-toy? I hope things have calmed down there. Kat, lots of prayers for Jarred. How is your friend holding up? As a mother that has got to be horrifying. You got my interest with that paint story too. I would have never thought of that. Michelle...that is just too darn hot! Is the humidity bad as well? I got a little visit in with Tracy yesterday! We bought a few things from her and got to meet her hubby. Moving sucks...no two ways about it, but I know she will be happier without that electricity bill. Well guys, Zach is taking his TAKS (re-take of the state test) today and we are crossing our fingers for him. He also has surgery on Thursday (this time it IS on the schedule!) so he is calling this a "bad week". Life's terrible at 14, right? He just doesn't know how blessed he really is. We are going to try and go to the place we have in Palacios this weekend. Mike and I are both on vacation for a week and decided that we could use the time to get some painting done that is long overdue. That is not my idea of "vacation", lol but it needs get done. We will be ping-ponging back and forth between houses all week. Tracy, we are talking about having a BBQ on the 10th with a bunch of family and friends. I know you are busy with the move, but we would love to have you guys over. It is all tenative right now, so I will keep you posted. Also, Tracy...I asked Mike that fill question as we were leaving your house yesterday. He does charge the same, fill or unfill. It's $120.00! We only paid $30.00 for a year or so and then they came back and said that they were not billing our insurance correctly. When we pull up an explanation of benefits through our insurance, it shows the doctor's office bills them $1500.00 for a doctor visit, flouro (sp) and your fill or whatever. $1500!!!! The sign on the window for cash-pay patients when we got our bands in 2008 was $100.00. HIGHWAY ROBBERY!! Our co-pay is suppose to be 20% but somehow when it is all said and done, it states on our EOB that we owe $120.00 (and I had to fight them over that and fax an EOB in to them). Oh, well. Could be worse, right? Where is Cindy?? To anyone else I missed....HI! Have a good day! Angela

Good morning, Suzie...I would take a huge step away from that situation myself. His behavior is out of control and not a good example for her child(ren). He probably got a good idea that you don't like him. Something about that situation doesn't sound right. Maybe that blow up he had will help her to see what kind of person he is... Kat, how cool with the garage sale deals! Glad to see you are back home safe and sound. Tracy, to hell with them!!! Get in that pool anyways! If I get a vote, I think you are a beautiful person inside and out. Life is too short. Moving is not fun....let me know if you need anything. Good morning to everyone else!! I have had a productive weekend. We stayed home and I scrubbed tile, shampoo'ed carpets and dusted the heck out of this place. I love it when my house is clean! We are on the go alot so sometimes it is just a matter of keeping things picked up, keeping the dishes going and the laundry washed. I secretly appreciate sometimes when Mike has to work on the weekends ...it gives me a chance to catch up! How horrible does that sound! I found a recipe for teriyaki chicken so I made that, some vegtable rice and brussel sprouts for dinner last night. YUMMO!! (and good results for a change!). We watched "Shutter Island"...weird but better than I thought it would be. It took a little while to understand what was really happening to the guy. Again I want to say, if you have a recipe that you love...I would love to try it! Cooking is something I could stand to improve in. Today, Zach and Mike went to mow (bayhouse) and I am cleaning out our computer room (a fourth bedroom converted after Tropical Storm Allison several years ago). I have a bunch of wedding crystal that I really have no where to display right now so it is wrapped in a box in the corner of the room. I am embarrassed to admit, but laughing at the same time...that I found a huge bowl of halloween candy hidden in that box. It is at least two years old. I must have been hiding it after halloween from the kids. Our trick-or-treaters have diminished through the years and anything left my kids would attack. I guess I hid it from myself too. GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mike got tickets to "Toy Story 2" so that is what we are doing this afternoon. It has been getting five star reviews and I really want to see it. I am talkative this morning!! LOL Have a good day! Angela

Tracy, that cone of "uncertainty" looks a bit intimidating right now. I think the track will change a few more times in the next couple of days... We might have to take one for the "team". By that I mean if it comes here and keeps the oil from pushing further inland to the marshes and beaches in Louisiana and further east, then bring it on...we can handle a tropical storm. Sheesh, hopefully it will stay a tropical storm. Then again, it could do it's little spinning thing and bring us oil as well. I think it's hugely unknown...and scary. I hate the thought of it dragging that oil up to anyone. I am pooped! We decided to stay home this weekend. Mike has to work tomorrow. Sadly, Zach knocked into the ceiling fan earlier and dust flew everywhere. Guess you know what I will be doing tomorrow?? Sunday is pending the weather. Depending on the track of that storm, we may race down to Palacios and board up. Have a good night! Angela

Good Lord, I'm rude!! Congratulations on all the good news coming your way, Tracy! Those apartments look really nice!!

I think we are pretty set up, Tracy. Tell me a little about the mower...hubby makes us carry ours back and forth....THAT I could use!! Angela

Morning! Thank God Tracy!!!!! Hi Terri...counting down the days? Welcome home Kat! Suzie...did you get your walk in? Good morning Michelle, Cindy, Jennifer and Suzi! I am covering for a co-worker (day 2) and I am snowed under....be back later! Angela

Gotta go get Zach from football, but wanted to pop in and tell you good luck, Tracy! I am crossing my fingers for you guys....

Good morning everyone, Happy Birthday, Suzie!!!!! I am super ready for this weekend. Not much going on here...keeping a little eye on the Gulf. They are still leaning towards that tropical wave developing. UG! Have a good day! Angela

Tracy...that is a good picture!!! I talked plenty! I tend to hold nothing back, so I may have said too much, lol!! Cindy, we had both had a double shot of soy milk, hold the cream. Just kidding!!! We couldn't remember what you recommended so we both had a little treat tonight. For you guys who haven't had the opportunity to meet Tracy...I have to say, what a sweet soul! She is so down to earth and I was at ease talking to her. I'm thinking we could have talked all night! Macy truly is a little doll!! Such a cutie. Sorry about the slip-up on the perfume. I had a childhood friend who had a clubhouse and we would go over and pick flowers and go in the clubhouse and mix them in little containers of water and make "perfume". Macy was picking flowers and it brought that memory back...and I shared it with her (lol...my friend is now a science teacher!). Just think Tracy, she will have you smelling devine in no time!! Have a good evening... Angela

Hey, Busy day here...hope everyone is having a great day. Tracy...the rain is holding back for us. See you at 5:30! Angela

One more post before bed... Cindy, your husband is a hoot! Suzie, I was thinking your bruise looked like a person too...how funny! Michelle, 8 lbs. lost is awesome! I hope you are able to keep it!! I too (read above: ice cream before dinner) am my own worst enemy. Tracy, hey...we can go somewhere else if you'd like! Starbucks is a pretty fattening option, huh? I didn't think about that. I am game for whatever...and feel free to bring Macy if you would like. She is a little doll. I am a big tea drinker, but Sonic doesn't have an air conditioned sit-down area, lol. Whatever you choose is fine with me. I really do need to get to bed...sweet dreams! Angela