Sunday, Sept 9th, 2012

Today was spent watching Brian play on his new baseball travel team. RBA 16 Elites played the RBA Showcase 17/18's. It was LONG! 1pm-5pm ish! He played shortstop the whole time. He is using a new glove and has been trying to break it in. He doesn't get all the balls he normally does so we will see how it goes. It's different than the one he has now. Different brand and a teeny bit bigger. It was a day of ups and downs for plays and hitting. We have our 1st tournament in 2 weeks, so hopefully it will be broken in by then or he will want another one just like the one he has. Who knows. Tonight I am doing laundry, hoping to download some pictures from my camera and play on the computer a bit. I am packing my gym bag for my 5:30am Monday morning cycle class. I do that on Monday and Thursdays and I really enjoy them. Tuesday and Fridays I do 10 mins on the elliptical and then I do a weight routine. Wednesdays I take off and sleep in a bit and fix the twins a good breakfast. Last Friday, a friend of mine, Jolie Bannister (Lynch) passed away. She was absolutely beautiful. Her son, Daniel, plays baseball with Brian. They were on the Raiders, Titans and most recently, RBA 15 Elites (Daniel moved up a few months into the summer season). She had skin cancer years ago and had some surgery as evidenced by some scars on her arm. She then began having headaches years later...and it was actually the cancer and it had spread to her brain. Brian is going to the Memorial service for her on Tuesday, to show support for his good friend, Daniel. Also, today, I learned that another good friend, has skin cancer and it is in her lymph nodes. I wont mention her name yet as her children don't know. I doubt anyone reads this, but I don't want to take any chances. There is much more to this story and unfortunately, it is a very sad story. Major prayers are needed. Oh yes...and today is me and Jimmy's 18th anniversary. We spent it watching Brian play baseball. I think that is what both of us would have chosen to do if given the choice. We love watching him play baseball. Okay...for now, off to do all the things I need to do tonight! SLS

O.M.G. It has been awhile!

Sept 8, 2012 WOW! It has been a long time since I have posted! I think my new goal should be to be a tad bit more consistent with my blogging! LOL Oh wait...is that one of the abbreviations that "mom...no one uses that anymore"??? Oh well, I use it still, so...whatever! Well, let's see, cant really start and fill in everything so just a few quick notes and then I will just begin from today and maybe fill in every now and then with something from the past that happened. *Brian and Brittany are now 16 and have just started their Junior year at Godwin High School *Jamie is a Senior (5th year, whatever!) at VCU after 2 years at MIZZOU *Chris is living with my mom still, is working at Einstein's Bagels and continues to grow up a little more everyday. I have noticed a maturity growing in him (even though he gave up his car....ugh) and a much kinder, gentler side to him. He no longer seems so angry all of the time...and I enjoy spending time with him. Okay, this will have to be a blog somewhere down the road. *I am still working at RPD and continue to enjoy my job *Jimmy is still at Loveland *Dizzy Dean will be 7 years old this December *Ralph Lauren (Jamie's Min-pin) has joined our family and he is 2 *Tiger and Rocky do not enjoy him and have been living as outdoor cats since his arrival. We keep a warm spot in the shed for them as well as a little house on the deck. Lots of warm, fresh blankets for them and try to love on them as much as possible. *Jack and Sissy continue to live inside, but one of them pees everywhere (and has for a couple of years) and one of these days I will have reached my limit with that and they will not be here long after that. If I could find homes for them now, they would be gone. LOVE my animals...but you deal with cat pee on everything from clothing, to blankets, to counters and my stove...repeatedly. Yes, gross. *I have an Iphone now that I love and my newest thing is my MacBookPro that I bought for $300 from a friend For tonight that is all. Tomorrow is a baseball game with Brian at RBA for his RBA 16 Elite team, playing the RBA 17 Elite team. I am looking forward to that. Maybe I will even post a picture! Goodnite...

Summertime!

Time for an update.....and wow....some big changes! The first would have to be Christopher! He has found a job he likes, working outside (who knew!) doing irrigation work! He has been doing it for about a month, and so far really seems to like it. The best part is the change in attitude. I think because he is getting some physical exercise, has a job and so his own money and independence....his attitude has gotten awesome! We hang out a little, going to the pool or playing yahtzee which is really nice. I enjoy the time we have together. Fingers crossed that this is for good!!!! Second: Jamie! She has moved back home and is through with the nasty roomates, thank God! It isnt as bad as she thought it was going to be so she is adjusting. It is up and down with her right now. She has a new boyfriend which is nice for her and she is doing some housesitting for the summer. She will go to St Louis for a little bit and then school starts back in August and her babysitting job will start back when school does. So, alot going on for her...fingers crossed here too! Brian: has had his first girlfriend and first heartbreak! He is hanging out with his friends alot these days, tons of baseball and even went to the pool last week. He continues to be rude and fingers crossed for that too change plz!!! Brittany: doing well, still swimming for now but is thinking of not swimming for Nova next year. She is tired of the early mornings and doesnt want to swim in college, so not sure she needs to be practicing as much as she does. She is running around a bit too much for me lately, so fingers crossed that we can settle her down a bit.
Me: the same basically...started the C25K and am struggling with that but really want to do it, so cross those fingers for me too!
That's enough for now....fingers are tired! LOL

Drama, drama and more drama.....

I am so very sick of DRAMA! I have had plenty of it too! Let's start with Jamie. Roommate issues...they have been horrible, to the point of Jamie is probably going to move back home for the last few months of the lease. Samantha was a hateful, nasty bitch in high school and hasnt changed a bit..yes, I told Jamie that BEFORE she moved it...but, they know everything. "Mom, she has changed..." and of course, she is the same nasty bitch she always was. But, other than that, Jamie is doing great. She is doing well in her classes, there is no shortage of boys and she has a great little part-time job babysitting for a teacher's kids after school. And of course, Ralphie is the love of her life. Christopher: more of the same. Is finally getting a divorce from Amanda, but not without one last round of her which included her stealing about $3500 worth of my jewelry. Which I did get back, but only thanks to the Henrico Police Dept and Officer Thomas Berry. She is addicted to drugs, heroin and injects it. It is actually very sad and I am afraid for her. But, it has made this last week difficult with Chris. I didnt press charges, for his sake, and now that he and she are not together, he wants me too. He has turned quite mean and sent some ugly texts and phone messages to me. His lack of restraint is amazing. I have truly never met someone who can be so mean. It is just wrong. And that's where it is with him right now. Brian: is playing alot of baseball and made Godwin's JV team. At home, he continues to be rude and nasty. Apparently, he knows EVERYTHING and Jimmy and I are stupid and basically just exist to bother him. Grades arent great...he is passing everything, but at this rate will be lucky to get into a Junior College. Brittany: still swimming, but now at 4:30am which is no fun for any of us. She is still adjusting and we will see how it goes. She is doing pretty well in school and studies and works extremely hard. Couldnt ask much more from her. She too however is suffering from teenager attitude. And although she is not as mean as Brian, she has her moments.
So...for me, I would like a normal, boring life for awhile....sighhhhhhhhhh

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011

Well, what an interesting night around here! I babysat for my grandpuppy, Ralph, the min-pin. He is a puppy, so he is full of energy! And Dizzy is not a puppy and is in NO way amused, nor does Dizzy want to be friends. Instead, he prefers to growl and attack him. To which Ralph doesnt understand, cuz he wants to be friends sooooo bad! Poor Ralphie! So, I spent my evening trying to keep them apart, which was not easy. Jimmy was not in the mood for it and was less than pleasant...Happy New Year's Eve to me...NOT!
But, eventually, Jimmy took Dizzy and went to bed and me and Ralphie just hung out downstairs. Then we went to bed, in Brittany's room and he wasnt too bad. He slept most of the night with a little bit of whining. I did hear some fireworks at midnight and looked out the window in time to see a beautiful white fireworks display at the Alexander's house. It was really pretty!
So, this morning, the fun has begun. Ralph continues to try to play with Dizzy and Jack (the cat) and neither are interested in the least. Hopefully, things will settle down a little. Samantha will be picking him up today...thank you Lord. LOVE my Ralphie, but it is hectic around here with him. He is a sweetie too, I feel so bad for him!
Other plans for today include cleaning, laundry and the grocery store. Never a dull moment in my life!
135.6

New Year's Eve 2010

Oh my, look at how time flies! I have NOT kept up with this blog at all! Should I make it a resolution for the New Year? hehehe....hmmm Well, I guess it is the story of my life. I have always, since I was a kid, loved the idea of a "diary" or a "journal" and I always start them, but yea, never keep up with them! So, I shouldnt be surprised that as an adult, I have done the same thing. Okay, but let's give it a try for 2011! A TRY I said, no pressure!
So, for the big New Year's Eve around here, this is the plan: Brittany is spending the night out with friends, Jamie is in St. Louis, Christopher will probably be off with friends, Brian will be with his very best friend, Xbox...and Jimmy and I have big plans! Yep, we do! We are spending the day cleaning the house and doing laundry, while watching college football...we will be having Nacho's and Velveeta cheese dip. Then we will settle down for the evening, watching more football, having pizza and popcorn and maybe a few drinks and playing some Yahtzee and Bananagrams! Yes, we are VERY exciting people on New Year's Eve...sorry, but I have NO desire to be on the roads with all of the drunk, crazy people driving. Nope, we will stay home with our Dizzy Dean, cats and kids. And guess what? I LOVE it!
Well, off to pick up Brittany from swim practice and then get started on this cleaning stuff!

A 911 Operator's Take.....

So, today we had "In-Service" training. What that means is we spend part of the day talking about issues that we deal with every day. Part of it is playing back tapes of some of our 911 calls. It can be very eye opening. I am amazed at how we sound. Sometimes we sound downright horrible. Other times, pretty darn good. Now, let me be the first to tell you how difficult it is to take 911 in the City of Richmond. For soooo many reasons. First, we get calls that are absolutely NOT emergency. Examples: "Are the schools closed today for snow"? "What is the phone number for Timbuktu's police dept"? "A man is walking down my street, I know he doesnt live in my neighborhood, ya'll better check him out" "There is a bat in my yard"....you get the idea. Second, the true emergency calls can be tough. If someone has been shot or stabbed...the caller is upset, getting an address can be tough...they are hard to understand because they are screaming or crying, etc. They get angry when you ask details, because they think you are wasting time...they dont understand we have already put the call in, we are trying to get more info to help the officers who are on the way. All very understandable, but makes the job tough. And there are many other examples. Not to mention the fake calls....people who find it funny to call in and pretend they are chasing a suspect, or that someone has been shot...very sick people, obviously.
But, what I learned today, is that I NEVER want to be used as an example in a classroom setting of how NOT to handle a call. So, what does that mean? It means I will work harder on each and every call and try to remember each person is an individual who is trying to get some kind of help. Even if what they need is mental help, whether they know they need it or not.
Well...enough said, just know, that this dispatcher, who loves her job and tries hard every day...is going to try even harder.