Post maternity bathing suit uses

I tried on the new maternity bathing suit and felt like a sleek beached whale. I always avoid maternity clothes as long as possible during preggars time because as much as they try to make cute modern clothes for us "with child", there is not a whole lot cute about the empire waists pushing your boobs up like overflowing muffins and your belly always grows into a huge round globe. No, I am not embarrased of my body when preggers, I enjoy the time and don't seem to have alot of the hormonal grumpiness I hear alot of other mommies (and their husbands) joking about. In fact, I kind of bliss out when preggars and liken it a waiting period before new arrivals and chaos. but the clothes.....

So, the bathing suit is "cute", black and low cut in front. It has room to grow during the summer as I will. Since this is a temporary condition, using old vernacular, I wonder what to do with this odd, double knitted, two-ply piece of lycra wonder.

1. The first thing I thought of was "The Big Lebowski" and Jesus and his bowling ball washer. Perfect!!!! A big fat ball washer.

2. Toting around those popular name brand toy dogs everyone has these days. Like a fashionable shiny black purse over your shoulder, it'll swing your dog to poodle heaven.

3. Carrying other items you need moving- today we stopped by the causeway so I could "borrow" some lime rocks to finish bordering our little red mulch landscaping area in the backyard. I can use my old suit to carry free landscaping such as this in half the time.

4. A watermelon holder/mover

5. A baby sling.

6. stuff it, sew it up and you have a new black pillow for your bordello.

7. For fun, bury it in the yard and in about 1000 years someone will dig it up as an artifact. It will never disintegrate...

8. Cut up and make the material into a wicked witch of the West costume hat.

9. Try to sell to a consigment store - they may give you 50 cents.

10. Wash it, save it, and take it out next time you lose all that baby weight and go
"holy cow, I was a big fat %$#@!" And then remind yourself that it may never happen again- for better or worse....

Our little rocknrolla

Ok - so Friday we finally found out we are having another son. And yes we are happy about that news. I am not one of those girls who dreamed of having a girl to send to cheerleading camp, dance lessons or beauty pageants (not that all girls do those things), so at least I can sigh relief that now I have two boys that hopefully will enjoy some of the things we like doing as a family- mostly outdoor activities such as camping, fishing, hiking, boating and sports. Now, if one of our sons enjoys interior decorating, that's just fine- he'll make loads of money here anyway from the old rich retirees, and we'll love our sons no matter what they succeed at, and hope they find happiness and peace in their lives as we have.
In another note, we had a busy weekend and this is the first morning I have had any free time. We have found alot to do without having any tv channels on, and still haven't had time to finish staining our living room furniture. Oh well....
We watched a movie called "Rocknrolla" or something like that from Guy Ritchie. It was so much like "Snatch" and "Lock Stock ...." that it was too predictable. His movies are entertaining, have fast editing, witty sharp dialogue, and insane characters that are mostly psychotic. Even his "good" guys are street thugs, junkies or gamblers (or all three). It was amusing but not fresh. I like Gerard Butler and his Scottish accent, but he was just one of many stock characters in this flick along for the crazy ride. It's very macho, very high adreneline, and so-so compared to Ritchie's other films (not including "Swept Away" of course, which i saw on cable once, and it is a really awful movie).
Ta ta for now.

the shortest blog yet?

Started this one with good intentions and, like the princess and the pea story, have a few little irritations the past few days if you couldn't tell. not to say that this week has not been outstanding- it has! But I forgot there are a few things to take care of before I can sit down to my labor of love. On a side note, I am publishing a collection of essays and shorts this year at some time, have been wanting to complete that project for years now, and I am motivated to finish it now. More on that some other time.
Give your loved ones some big hugs and no bitchin and whinin to those who take care of you best!! PS- Why is it that some people- especially women- lose their sense of humor and fun as they get older? By older, they aren't even in their 40's? Why do they feel the need to turn into little harpy shrews? No fun! Booooo harpy people - life is way too short to make everyone else miserable with your grouchiness!

stuff

So the news on Daily Beast, Gawker (which is no more news than the Comdey Channel's Daily Show), CNN, and the other dozen I cull from is a lttle of this and that. Our culture is seemingly entranced by what celebrities, especially actor/singer types, have to say about politics. It drives me crazy. I first noticed it during Clinton's 1991 run and it has grown to a ridiculous level. Who out there believes that these people are any more educated than ourselves? If college education matters at any level, most of them did not a complete a degree, or have any type of specialized learning in the area of social sciences, Government, History or Literature. What does one learn after making your first million on a motion picture besides where to get a security guard, poolboy and local hookers in LA??
The news is always fun to read until someone commits suicide like the latest "victim" of our economy. I love that term being thrown around- like the ECONOMY is a big bad monster that makes us unwilling and mute citizens do things we cannot control. I feel horrible when these men with such high pressure jobs feel so bad that they have to remove themselves from their world- do they think their children really care about how much money they may have lost, or do you think their children would rather just have their father around a little longer...it is very very sad. Men have a high suicide rate compared to women because of their need to prove themselves, competitively, and the pressure to win at all costs seems to sometimes beat out any common sense such as realizing that sometimes- you have to just suck it up and admit you messed up real bad, and then start your life over whether you're happy about it in that moment or not. It's so easy to generalize all this, and there are usually underlying issues with people who commit suicide, but it just gets to me when someone's house of cards falls, they don't just pick them back up and move on.
This a beautiful morning anyway. There were alot of things going on this morning to write about but I'm out time for now.
Count your blessings, and your pennies 0)

start over

I started a post this morning going on about how people in our country these days are crucified over sharing opinions that are not of the current majority's liking. But, we all know that this trend ebbs and flows with every new adminstration and it comes and goes with whatever new news pundit is getting the latest high ratings, so it doesn't really matter does it?
Ahh...apathy...setting in after all these months. This must be what those people feel like when they just stop caring- total underwater weightlessness....sinking, sinking. Blissfully unaware of any problems....
Anyhoo. Had a great time at Ft. De Soto among the mangroves and Australian pines that were blowing around like crazy. My parents are so much fun to be around when they aren't trying to visit every one else in Clearwater and they can just hang with their own little clan for a while and be the normal, fun-loving folks we know they really are. We were there all day until around 8:30 after dinner (they don't allow ground fires there so no traditional family fire toddies last night for most of us) then we took our little bundle of energy home to sleep. However, as they move onto the Keys, Phillip and I decided to start tent camping again next weekend.I have missed doing that the past two years and we've been waiting for a good nice weather weekend. Luckily, we have accumulated alot of camping gear and have tons of experience growing up wit parents who took us camping and registering during our wedding for camping gear that we still have and have used all over the Southeast. (Haven't made it camping north of Kentucky yet or West of AL). During college I went on a few trips up to NC and SC camping along the way and had a blast, and my folks took us out west for a two week rv camp trip through 12 states. It was Griswald heaven.
Ready to get out of the house for a while and see what's going on out there. I'm staying out of the sun today and trying to take care of biz here but unmotivated and my child is going mmamamamamama over and over again.
have fun tator tots...life is pleasurable these days.

GREAT AFTERNOON

POP QUIZ FOLKS:
what does a good parent do when you accidently lock your keys, purse, cards, cell phone, and 2 YEAR OLD CHILD in your car while it's not running with a/c and no windows are down (in mild but sweaty FL weather)???

A. Pull up your top and run down nearby HWY 19 hoping to snag some hot AAA motorclub sevice truck driver going 70 mph because your cell phone and AAA club card ID are in your LOCKED SUV?

B. Run around the walmart parking lot screaming "my baby! my Baby! He's frying! Someone save him!"

C. Frantically knock on your child's window while pulling our your hair and cry in front of him, so that he may also share your panic and start wailing like a banshee.

D. Run into Walmart fast and get what you came for...knowing it's not July so it' s not that hot anyhow..he'll be fine.

E. None of the above- ask a stranger if you can use their cell to call your husband at work since he's got a set of keys, then get an outside Walmart person to call the fire dept or Clearwater police to help jimmy open your car door- which they did within 10 minutes. And they gave Dominick a plastic firemen's hat. My husband made it halfway down the causeway and was relieved that we were all ok so he went back to work.
After this we're chilling in the a/c- my first accidental locking a child in the car, thankfully not forgetting he was there- just a soft push of wind and the door closed on us! Whew! Glad that's over.

I'm still waiting for a good panic stricken moment to give me the excuse to run down HWY 19 with my top pulled up but that's not it. And it just sounds like fun.

upon review of earlier post

I realized that post about Hulk Hogan didn't convey enough of my utter distaste and general "uggness" about his OJ comment. Upon reading it again, I thought it seemed I was letting him off the hook too easily or giving him outs. That is not the case. I think he was irrational like people can be when they make emotionally driven statements. I don't have a real opinion of him personally since we're not friends. Like most celebrities, their stories infiltrate our lives like seething tentacles of uninvited slime that we don't want to pay attention to, but sometimes we hear their stories without asking for them.
That's it, about that ;)

Sweet dreams

The sun just sank into the horizon, getting bolder and hotter every day, little by little. It's 8:28 and we're on Eastern time down here in this part of Fl, which I still find so weird, having lived most of my life next door in Central. I spent a great day getting a good solo beach walk in early this morning, followed by an afternoon with both sets of grandparents, my parents and an aunt and uncle thrown in for good measure, I've decided it's a great time to do something I haven't done in a few weeks - going to bed early.
The past few years we've done this occasionally, getting into bed early for different reasons such as colds, early morning plans, and wine drowsiness. Also, I learned that when I work full time my brain waves were sharp and full loaded when I had at least eight hours sleep. Since I always read for at least an hour, some nights creep into the 11 pm hour, after we've watched some favorite show, then reading, then planning for the next day, then walking the dog one last time...blah blah blah.
So, since not so newly pregnant, the urge to get to bed early has struck again. Enjoying the silence of night - no tv lights, no voices in my head saying all the things that didn't get done that day, and no second child, just yet- needing to be fed every two hours. What did people do one hundred years ago when there weren't alot of man-made distractions? They worked their hineys off until they collapsed into their straw filled mattresses. They slept until that first dull purple streak shows in the morning sky. The one we see almost every day when Nick wakes up and need Cheerios and a banana. But oh- the difference it makes when I've got that sleep behind me.. no dragging of the feet, no wishing I had been smarter, nothing but looking at the early humid air and thinking "this is a going to be a darn good day."
Besides, don't those doctors say it's good to get enough sleep? True true, just like eating an apple a day....
enough preaching to the choirs for now...ya'll know what's good for and what's not. Tequila with salt and lime only on every other Wednesdays after 5 pm, and ending before 8 so that you have enough time to fall into bed peacefully after drinking your two glasses of water. Doctors say that's really good for you too.
night.

Comrade Found

Yesterday while having a day all for myself, I found some great thrift stores and met a few people. One lady running a store got to talking with me about local music and gave me some great radio stations to listen to for progressive, blues, or world music and suggestions for live music- finally! Phillip and I always have at least 4-5 places we hang out in for music and this being a new place for us to live, are looking forward to mingling with some new crowds and finding new friends afer this summer. One thing led to another, and we shared Nashville stories and went into the realm of how friendly the people in Florida are, in general.
"Except for"- this lady said," election time."
I about fell out. We went onto discuss how crazy it got during this election, how frenetic, angry and smug alot of the Democrats were that crawled out of the woodwork. She also mentioned that Dunedin was not a very friendly place to be as a conservative minded person- like myself, she has always been a hard worker who doesn't think a larger government full of fat programs helps people learn to help themselves, and that alot of the programs are racist and insulting to human beings and their capabilities. We also talked about how alot of the media and Democrats gleefully lumped Republicans into a category (done on both sides of course) that included religious fanatics and other fringe groups. Thank goodness there are some new movements out there that are trying to regain the true nature of conservatism, which should really leave the whole religious moral compass issue alone, including abortion, gay rights and evolution arguments to private families and not on the public candidate's platforms in 2012. (But that won't happen with Palin and I personally can't stand Mitt Romney- he's like Al Gore's smug twin brother. )
So, we giggled at the fact that she runs her little radio with NPR on it for her thrift store customers, although she, like myself does catch up on it for news while also picking up on the talk radio (but can't put that on- Dennis Miller is just too right wing for most- wink wink). She was super cool, and what a breath of fresh air. We talked about how we hope the next election isn't as ugly and how embarrasing it got for our country, and how so many people could be seeing the exact same event but yet have such opposing emotions.
Ahhh...but that's why we have such a wonderful country...so that we can vent our feelings and though we may not agree with others, we tolerate the outcome of our system because it's done without bloodshed, and done with the people's voices as they change their every whim.
So..nothing else on that topic....good thing huh?

need coffee...have lots going on this weekend. It's beautiful outside !!!!

Celebrity TMI

Our very own local Clearwater celebrity, Hulk Hogan, has recently gotten into some hot water over his statement that he basically feels some sympathy for OJ Simpson and his angry feelings for his ex-wife. Hmm.. not a good move, Hulkster. Even if you put these kind of irrational statements into context- he was referring to the fact that his wife drives his old Escalade around with her 19-year old boytoy, and they play and live in his old house, not to mention hang out among whatever type of C-list celebrity crowds down here that they use to share as a couple- it still is a really crappy insensitive thing to say. He has apologized,and further explained himself, and I think most people with agree simply due to his reputation as a pretty normal level-headed family man, that he's not going to kill his wife like OJ.
But- why do people say things that they know will be printed, and that they know will make them look really really bad? Celebrities say dumb things all the time, and they know that the press is always waiting for that next dumb staement, that next fall from grace, and they wait with open arms and fresh ink.
Then, then....I was reminded of a great standup routine by Chris Rock (either Bigger and Blacker or one of those 3 great shows he did circa 1999-2004. ) During his outstanding and intelligent routine, he got that crazy look in his eye and said something to the affect of "I don't agree with what OJ did, but I understand". In context of that part being about crazy relationship moments and emotional women, it was funny simply because it was shocking that a man would actually say that...all with a witty "wink wink" of course, to let the audience know he wasn't really serious.
Hhhmmm...double standard? or simply that The Hulkster isn't a great comedian that can pull off some off -the -cuff statement like that without some people going- is he serious? Does Chris Rock look less menacing in his slim, younger, intelligent image than this newly divorced, muscle bound and bronzed man who actually has real anger and emotions going on? Who is scarier when they say that they can relate to OJ and knife-wielding revenge? Who is just stupid for even saying it? What all goes on in people's minds that they don't say outloud? That is even scarier, I would venture to say.
I hope Hulk's family is ok after all this mess, and I hope his daughter doesn't have to live down that ignorant statement for the rest of her life..how screwy would that be?

How lazy and Un-American am I?

So, the big tea-party day came ...and went. without me in the crowds chanting "Down with big mama government!", "Poor people suck!", and "Don't ask me for a penny you lazy bums!", or "You should have gone to college suckers!". Laughing to myself at how bad this sounds....
No, I'm not that mean hearted.
However, it was a lovely cool sunny day, so Nick and I went down to our favorite new spot in Florida, the Dunedin causeway, and watched the sun, the water,the few tourists out that early, and walked around for about two hours. I listened to the local talk radio station and agreed with the host of the morning show here - the tea party idea is great, and it's great that we can rally for causes and have our voices heard. Yet I do agree that sometimes these events get hijacked by certain other special interest groups that I don't need to listen to, because they already get enough air-time on tv, radio and the net. Also, there was a list of politicians to appear, (no different than at the presidential candidate's rallies) and I thought I didn't feel like listening to them basically use that time to prepare their platforms for the 2012 elections. There's plenty of time for that, isn't there?
So, we got some sun,and had family over to visit and let our kids play later on. A very good day.
And then came "There Will Be Blood," based on an Upton Sinclair short and done by Paul Thomas Anderson ("Magnolia", "Boogie Nights").
OK. Have any of you seen this? I don't know how to describe it. An allegory of the American story- industrialization vs. religious power and the battle between them, mixed in with their contribution to the disentigration of the human soul.
Now, for a gung-ho capitalist like myself, i get tired of preachy movies that hate on people that just so happen to be white, rich men who make it big- in this case a late 1800's oil magnate "Plainview", who isn't born into his money, but makes it with his bare hands in the vast wasteland/ goldmines of Texas. But this movie doesn't just pick apart his success driven, isolated and cold hearted mentality. The thorn in the side to his success is a younger preacher man who just seems to keep enough control of the locals and uses his bi-polar false prophet personality to throw up certain roadblocks for Plainview (played great by Daniel Day Lewis). It's a complicated relationship...in the end they both have to admit they are liars and cheats to each other in order to gain some power back. There hate for each other grows into a nasty bond because they need the other for personal success- the preacher needs funds for his growing church (on land that Plainview owns) and the oil man needs the preacher at certain crises. This would be redeeming if you felt like the men were sincere in their relenting to the other...but their need for power is so great that they lie to each other- one even goes to far as to say God is a superstition- that you just feel any hope for their life fade away.
It's a great movie, the soudntrack done by Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead (hope i got his name right), with eerie keyboard and string sounds ala "2001" (one of my favorite soundtracks). It's got that biblical allegorical vibe similar to "No Country for Old Men" and was even filmed in similar Texas locations. But since it takes place in an earlier century you are tricked into thinking it's going to be a rags-to-riches to destruction story similar to "Giant".
It' s just not that simple. It's long, it's dramatic, and it's tragic. If you're in that kind of mood, it's wonderfully made. Don't say you weren't warned- the ending is like a big anvil that falls from the sky and smacks your head.
Be ready. And afterwards do a happy dance or think happy thoughts real fast.

Enjoy the Silence-if you can find any

I read an article recently about how one man out West somewhere has laid out in little triangulations areas of complete natural silence. These are places in remote areas of our country's geography in which one can sit and hear absolutely no manmade noise. In a nutshell, the article states how difficult these places are to locate, because of our manufactured noises and because of the far reaches one must go to find them. The article went on to list how during our industrial age and our modern age, people are getting more stressed out due to the constant high decibles that we live with everyday, in home and out in the world. Every single thing one hears in a day, is most likely not natural. On top of that fact, is that we listen to things such as vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and radios without stopping to remove ourselves from that sound, in fact we turn music up, we like loud cars and boats, we like loud concerts, we talk louder to hear each other over outside noise all the time. My husband and I use to call this "bar deafness" and it's very common. It is medically proven that our modern noisemaking actually hurts our brains, and makes heart rates increase dramatically.
I sat outside today for a few minutes in our quiet neighborhood. I heard birds, the wind, and my dog sighing in the heat. Then, I heard the garbage truck picking up lawn trash, cars pulling into driveways, people talking in their backyards, and a distant phone ringing. It's true- I won't find that quiet spot here.
Make it your mission to find your own special quiet place- no soft new age music, no typing on the keyboard while you sit in your quiet home, no just turning off the television...but really pay attention on day to the noise around your body. Give yourself a long chance to hear yourself breathe, think and just be in total silence. It's not meditation - it's living in the world as it was before 1900, before phones, trolleys, mass electricity, televisions and high-rises.
Listen for the real things. They are there- under all our other distractions.

BAD MOVIE ALERT

I wasn't going to waste my time writing about how awful this movie was...but it's hard to not want to warn people. DO NOT SEE "The Ruins"- strangely...produced by Ben Stiller (who looks embarrased in bonus interviews, which I watched while trying to figure out how Hollywood people decide to throw money at really really terrible scripts, casts, and production), but then, our government does that too.
OK- so do not see this movie unless you want your brain to turn into mush. Premise- a bunch of barely dressed young adults in Mexico follow some map to an ancient Mayan ruin, find hostile natives, and of course- a horrifying singing, growing, maneating vine that drives them all crazy. See who gets out alive! See who can get naked the quickest under the camping gear! See if you can outsmart the deadly vines! Yes, this is the movie in a nutshell.
I love scary movies that are suspenseful, and the more realistic the better (The Strangers for example). This movie was like a play in someone's back yard in high school..with a plant saying "Feed me, Seymour!" and some tequila thrown in for fun and yacking. In fact, I think some old friends Trent, Raven, Byron and Micah probably made similar plays during those crazy do -it-yourself with your own camcorder days in the 1990's- only their stuff was witty, dark, sillyor hilarious depending on the mood. And it was better! Produced by high schoolers!
This movie made my husband and I go- why did we...? What was the h??? huh? and we crawled back into our caves to find the light and meaning of life so that we could return to the enlightened world the next morning.
It was so bad, I almost had a "Revolt against Bad Movies Tea Party" this month, but then thought all the fringe loonies who wanted to protest "Mama Mia" would come out-- and that was a damn good movie.

Teabaggin

Folks, there is a revolution going on...across the lovely nation of ours, a bunch of people are meeting this week, most on April 15, to protest the growing government, bad economic bailouts, and alot of other various issues that generally are bothering Americans who aren't in love with our current president. Ok- that's a bit exaggerated- it's not a revolution, and it's not new. But it is cool that we have a country that allows for groups to meet, rally, protest and display their feelings if they want without causing personal injury to others, and without being arrested (without cause we hope). So, being that I'm always curious about politics and new happenings, I am going to the Tampa Tea Party on Wednesday to check it out and will report. I am sure there will be the fringe groups, the right wing extremists who want the US to go back to complete isolationism and those who believe that there were never dinosaurs. However, I don't go to these things to make fun of others but to see what's going on out there in our country, to listen and to take notes. I also get exasperated with the pundits on tv, like John Stewart's twin brother Rachel Maddow, who spew cynicism and snarkiness with such intellectual arrogance over these events (calling the attendees 'teabaggers' is funny, but somehow not so much comming from the current liberal media), that I want to see for myself some events as to cut out that negative noise and get a clearer picture of what really goes on, not just reported by opinion. (sorry for such a run-on sentence). As a side note, we don't have cable anymore, actually not one channel, so it's easier to cut out the constant droning of the media and get involved and active without hearing the blubbering drooling swooners as of late.
So, it may end up seeming silly, or it may make sense, but I will attend the Tampa Tea Party to see what the fuss is all about. There is one today in downtown Clearwater, but judging from the small attendance list at their FB page, most locals are going to the Tampa rally on tax day, so I think that one may have better organization and turnout.
Until then, we've got alot going on this week besides politics -with family coming, appointments, Easter tomorrow with Brother John staying here, going to church, and having lunch with us tomorrow while Andrea visits PC. Who can forget the Easter egg dyeing today - Phillip was so excited he got a dozen more, in case there's not enough for me to make my delish deviled eggs with paprika. yum. I'm feeling great, fit and never better, and got to the beach yesterday for a sunny, albiet windy day.
Have a good one, folks. We love Saturday!

blah

Well, I was going to write a little about some interesting essays found in an older anthology from the 70's (made for college kids). Some of the essayists are famous now- Nora Ephron (wrote Sleepless in Seattle), Annie Dillard, and other folks who are more known for movies or long running columns these days. I love collecting old anthologies and college books of poems, short stories and novel excerpts because it really puts into perspective what issues were important at that time...and how easily things that are "relevant" now were not even on the horizon 10-30 years ago. However, I am surrounded by the nervous energy of a 2 year old who can't entertain himself and needs my full attention- sunshine and park, here we come. See you later, blogspot.
JLynn

Freaky Tuesday

Woke up to the sound of wind and goodness it's gotta be in the 5o's this morning! I like the change of weather, since it will be in the hotness for the rest of the year till Thanksgiving here. I am praying that I get used to the heat this summer during the pregnancy -when I had Nick it was nice and cool in NashVegas. Oh- the sacrifices we make for little people. I used to call children that before I ever wanted any. In fact, I never saw myself getting married or having children because I knew that alot of my big plans would just never materialize. That is somewhat true, but we still manage to have some fun as a couple, travel and enjoy friends and family. The trick is to find happiness where you are, and not think it's somewhere else out there waiting for you.
Speaking of entertainment, it's been a few days since our cable cut cut off- not even a few public channels or Spanish networks. So, in the early hours, while the dog is sniffing out the new yard adn Nick is eating toast and bananas, I put on our stereo for the news. First it's NPR, then some talk radio- so it's completely bipolar and two different views on the exact same news. Fun! Then, i've been writing a little and scanning the net for fun stuff and friends, then cleaning up, and then- the dreaded worded- unpacking. We have so much stuff in our new two car garage. Mostly stuff Phillip and I have carried around with us for 6 years- boxes of high school journals, books, old bills, old holiday decor, and random items we need to throw out. Soon! It drives me nuts to get up and see things not quite in order...but patience was never a virtue of mine. That's why Phillip is nice to have around- he could walk through a mile of rubbish and be calm, cool and collected. He helps my blood pressure go down when I get all geared up - Tinkerbell - he calls me when I flutter around trying to get a million things done in a day. I try to explaining- it's not that I'm stressed, it's that I feel satisfied when all is finished. But the problem is...things are never finished! Not when you have a 2 year old running around moving the books you just shelved and sticking his fingers in your oil palette you tried to hide and then running them over his face like Wallace in "Braveheart."
So- this week we'll get our home together. My only goal when I go back to work someday is to buy a one bedroom condo back in the panhandle- Mexico Beach is always a great spot for our family to have fun- and have a place to get away from it all.
Well, I'm off to enjoy my half-decaf coffee, which does not taste normal at all, and then we're motoring to an appointment and some errands. Have a great day kids. JLynn

The news

We're pregnant. I am. Have been since mid-january. Wanted another one before I go blind, get on Social Security, and have to use a wheelchair. If it didn't happen this year, we were going to be just fine with our one son Nick. Another excuse is that after the election I thought the conservative movement needed fresh faces for it's future :) But it happened. In four weeks we find out the gender. Want another boy, I like boys, always have. There's plenty of women in our family. Also I have two stepsons Austin and Quin who are older, yet gave me a few lessons early in our marriage about boys and what they need to be happy. In general- hot dogs, water, dirt, and money to buy toys. So - we're hoping for another boy!
We have gone over potential names...here's a few we decided against.
Bianca- has a "dancer" ring to it if you know what I mean.
Scarlett O'Hara Roosen- Roosen being my husband's last name...this name is already taken right? darn.
Aquanetta - just because.
Darcy- thought it about it because they could be my "double D's" - but that's tacky isn't it.
Josiah- or any other Old Testament name that starts with a J- because the darn Duggars already took all those.
Hemingway - this being one of my favorite authors, it's just pretentious.
Fitzgerald- exact same reason- but love it!
Sebastian- love this one, but reminds me of the bad guy in "Cruel Intentions".
Angelina- don't want to raise a blood letting, puffy lipped, Billy Bob leftover homewrecker.

well- gotta go pack more stuff and make another run up HWy 19. Looks like we're getting clouds from that storm in the panhandle but no rain- again.