What Was Your First Job?

It's official. Ashley-Anne has landed her first job!

She's a summer counselor and office helper. She was given a choice. Use scholarship money that she'd earned to pay for her Elite Chorus trip to Disney this year, or work for the Boys and Girls Club and earn it.

She chose the job.

My BABY! Has her first job. We spent this afternoon filling out applications, W-4's and I-9s! MY BABY FILLED OUT AN I-9!

She is officially employed.

Going to cry now!

Seriously.

I lied on a job application (about my age) so that I could work at her age......for Mrs Fields Cookies.

What was YOUR first job?

Makeup, Hair and Little Girls

My heart stopper this week:



Ok, that's it! I am so over this whole "growing up" thing.

STOP IT NOW! Both of you!

Love,

Mom.

A Red Head, a Blonde and a Brunette

I get no! Respect. LOL

Isn't She beautiful?

Never thought We'd make it here. FIFTEEN!

And such a beautiful young lady you have become. Inside, outside and upside down

HAPPY Quinceañera MY ANGEL!

"Ghetto" Tour Guides

This is just too funny not to share. My girls giving you a tour of where they live. (and, NO, we do NOT live in the ghetto, Ash is just a wanna-be snob)



When she is more interested in the mailbox than what her VERY SERIOUS (read cute) Sister is saying.........HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM.

Anyone else see a TV star in the making?

BTW, Yes, there is a foster home in the neighborhood, that isn't it. And the white building is NOT their school, it's someone else's house.

Wait! THIS is the one of Tay telling her sister.....YOU'RE the cameraman, YOU don't talk unless I TELL YOU TO!



Cut, cut................CUT!

Hah............what can I say? HAMS!

The Kitty Hawk Air Society (KHAS) is the Honor Society for the AFJROTC program. The purpose of the KHAS is to further instill cadet Leadership and Teamwork qualities. In a manner similar to other Honor Societies, "Kitty Hawkers" are required to maintain a 3.2 weighted GPA. Specific KHAS objectives are: to promote higher academic standards; be of service to the school and community; promote excellence, integrity, and initiative; develop leadership ability; encourage academic excellence, and further educational development in post high school years.


Guess Who???????????

I will be posting pictures this weekend, but YES! It's Ashley-Anne!

(for those that don't know what a "weighted GPA" is, it means that they take Honors, or Advanced Placement classes, and have received an "A" in that class, versus an "A" in a regular HS class. Hence ..."weighted")

How this child went from the 8th grade drama queen to this very self-possessed, responsible, hard working, etc etc etc ......kid, is beyond me.

But tonight she was inducted into the Kitty Hawk Air Society. She has a 3.8 WEIGHTED GPA. Made it through "basic training" and is ready to start her SOPHOMORE year as one of the best of the best.

and ........

YES I CRIED!

See you this weekend with pictures!

Oh, and PS....She has a "meeting" tomorrow with her Chief to discuss her future. Where she wants to go to school, and what it's going to take for her to get there. Anyone know the Air Force Academy's Fight Song?

That Flying Thing

The military presence here in NW Fla is HUGE. We have Eglin AFB, Duke Field, Hurlburt Field, Wright Field, Tyndall AFB and Pensacola Naval Air Station. I don't have many neighbors that don't work for the Air Force in one way or another.

That influence spills into every facet of our live, including the kids schools. Ashley is deeply involved with AFJROTC and Taylor..........well, Taylor just loves airplanes. She is in a special program at her school that is Math/Science intensive. Their Focus..........YUP, you guessed it......Aeronautics.

Taylor in one of the Blue Angels

She has visited every aviation museum within 200 miles, and lives to see our glorious fighters in the sky.

We have a new dilemma, and of course, Ms Taylor is following the news like never before.

Have you ever seen one of these?

This is an F-35 and a whole multi-national training wing is coming to Eglin AFB this year.

It would be a huge boost to our flailing economy here on the coast.

Maybe.

Right at the end of the North Runway, there is a sleepy little town called Valparaiso. And they are SUING (yes you heard me right) the Air Force because they are afraid this plane will make too much noise. You can read about it here, and here. And now.............The County is suing the City of Valparaiso because the City of Val-P is suing the Airforce!

What a mess! And Taylor is not happy at all. Her fear? They won't come and she won't get to be able to watch them fly, see them in person on the ground, and maybe even some day be part of their training force.

OH THE HORROR!

The economic boon to our area just is not all that interesting to her. Her comment: "Tell Val-P to sit down and shut up".

She wants to get her little grubby hands on that plane!

Lucky for her, they will be here next week and her class has been invited to see them, up close and personal! And maybe, just maybe, we can convince the City of Valparaiso that they are not any noisier than the F-16's and F-18's that fly in our beautiful blue skies already. They built their homes at the end of an Air Force runaway, what did they expect, no airplanes?

Maybe.

Have a great day everyone!

All Grown Up

And we FINALLY get the picture!



Oh how hard is it to be a mom and watch your baby grow up? Just yesterday, Ashley was my little chubby tow-headed angel and today........she is all grown up.
My Ashley's first ball!

Tonight is the Military Ball. For those that don't know, Ashley is a flight commander in the Air Force JROTC program. Tonight is her big night. She is also, just for tonight, her Flight's (sort of like an Army Platoon) Sweetheart. Her Delta Flight Sweetheart sash and her escort in Full Air Force Blues were amazing.
I was speaking to her JROTC leader Chief Chambers today and after a whirlwind day, of Ashley serving pancakes for the Lions Club at 7 Am and then all the prep for the Ball, he gave her THE PERFECT compliment. He told me that she is "Very well respected among her peers". It may seem like a simple compliment. But in this day and age where respect, specially in High School, is such a rare word, it was.......the PERFECT compliment.

The Ball is held on Base, and has all the pomp and circumstance that is the ceremonial Military.

So, we had to do this right. Including the $80.00 "up-do".
Do you have any idea..........how long that took? And the hairdresser was a PSYCHO! After making us wait for an hour, she finally got her seated, then took off to wander the parking lot and chat with friends. When she was working on her hair, it took twice as long because she would not stop talking! I was STEAMED.

But all that aside, isn't she just a vision? (weeping into my iced tea).

I want my baby back!

But this vision, I can live with it. Not bad my angel. 4.0 Grade average, Flight Commander, Sweetheart, Girl of the Year, and still the sweetest kid I know. You are headed to a great future. May all your dreams come true!

Surgery for Taylor

It's time for an update. Yes, Taylor has to have eye surgery. BUT, I want to tell you about what your prayers have done.

Our last visit to the eye doctor was disheartening. We thought we would be able to get around the cataract in her eye with glasses, at least for a bit of time. That isn't going to happen. The best that her eye is correctable is to 20/200 WITH glasses. The cataract is too much of an obstruction. Added to that, Miss Invincible, who thinks she can do anything, is damaging her left eye due to the strain that she is placing on it.

Something had to be done.....NOW.

The hope was a new lens. A MANMADE lens. And a surgery that will cost upwards of $5000.00.

I have been a single mom for ever and I do not have medical insurance. The eye doctor has been kind enough to allow me to make payments but this was daunting.

And then...........A miracle................YOUR miracle. The one that so many of you praying out there made happen.

I got a call yesterday from the office manager at the eye doctor's office and she was elated!

The news:

The eye surgeon will be donating his time.

The Children's Volunteer Health Network (for those of you looking for a good charity) will be paying the surgery center .

And the Manufacturer of the lens:
Will be donating the lens.

And it's not any lens! It's a brand spanking new type of lens!

In the past, when people had lens replacement surgery, they still had to wear glasses for seeing things near to them. The lens didn't expand and retract with the eye. This one does.

Tay will have approximately 48 hrs of discomfort and when that is over, she will have 20/20 vision again! There aren't even any sutures!

The only possible downfall is, that maybe by the time Taylor is 50 or 60, she may develop glaucoma. That is a chance we are very willing to take. She will have most of her life that she will be able to see, and possibly by then, they will have a cure for that too!

All this....................from prayers.

Isn't God just amazing???????

And so are all of you!

And the Winner Is........

Congratulations Ashley!!!!!!!!!!!

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF THE EMERALD COAST

2008 GIRL OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




You ROCK Ashley!

What a beautiful young woman you have become. I am so very proud of you.

All of your accomplishments, your grades, your desire to be the best you can be. And all of your hard work.

You will always be my baby, but I look at you now and I see the the amazing woman you will be.

I love you with all my heart!

Amazing Weekends

How many things change in a weekend.

Not many of you know, that I am a DIE HARD Steelers fan.

SIX RECORD BREAKING SUPER BOWLS BABY!

I also love spending the weekend at the beach............In FEBRUARY!

And watching my babies get chased by seagulls on the beach:


That'll teach them to keep Cheez-its in their pockets!


And this great weekend (sorry to all of you buried in snow) took place here:




It was still a bit chilly, but I just don't think any of us felt it.

There are so many facets of beauty. The laughter of children, Making Bob uncomfortable(inside joke) , the color that our worlds are, the genuine smile of true affection. The OYSTERS!~

There is one picture I missed, and it would have been perfect. Yesterday, we went to Seaside (Truman Show was filmed there).............

The day was beautiful. The skies were blue, the water was Emerald and the girls were rolling all over the kelly green grass.

There is a whole lot of stuff to get through in the world, and then one day.............you just "get it"..........and move on. Just because the beauty of it gives you the strength to go another day or week or month or year. Sometimes all it takes is that one memory.

And you savor the memory. You smell it, taste it and feel it.

Pam's Meme

I actually loved this Meme......and no, I won't tag anyone this time. If you choose to play...just let me know.

Pam's Meme:

Go to your pictures. Go to the sixth folder. Go to the sixth picture. Post that picture and the story that goes with it. This is fun.

Oh Boy.......Sixth folder, sixth picture:

This picture was Mother's day. The guy....is Allen, my ex (ugh)........ and I had a whole lot of girls for the day........it was HEAVEN!


The girls had so much fun!

Blasting each other with water cannons.......and here are the lovely ladies that made that day so very special!



Aren't they precious?

Thank you Pam for reminding me of this wonderful memory..


Oh alright, one more of those beautiful girls:



Alright, just one more:

IT'S GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh My LORD, I can't tell you the emotions of today. None of us slept last night, and this morning was nerve wracking.

Taylor went to see a specialist today, that specializes in the retina of the eye. There was a possibility that either the retina had become detached from her eye or that it was torn. Her eye doctor saw something there, but couldn't be sure, so he sent her to this Dr Myers (a TRULY amazing and caring man).

After checking Tay out with some very cool new technology (when this is all over, I want to go play with some of them), he declared>>>>>>>>>>>

Taylor will be fine. There is no retinal damage. She will have to wear glasses for a few years, and she will have to have surgery on the cataract, but not now.

The glasses will bypass the effects of the cataract, until she is a little older.

Her eyesight has also recovered tremendously since her last visit with the other doctor. Where before, she couldn't make it past the backwards E at the top, she can now read down 4-5 lines on the eye chart.

I cried ..yes, like a baby.

I know, with every fiber in my being, dear friends, that had it not been for all of your thoughts and prayers, she would not have advanced so quickly. YOU made her better. I will be forever grateful.

And truly humbled.

God Bless Every Single Last One Of YOU!

Taylor Update.

Hi everyone,

a real quick update on Tay. She seems to be doing much better. She starts school again tomorrow and will have all the help she needs.

On Tuesday we go to the Retina Specialist. One more doctor who will tell us exactly what is wrong with her eye, what impact that has on her future.

I will let you all know what he says. He is an excellent dr, so we will see.

Thank you all for your prayers, love and support. I don't think I would have made it thru the last few weeks without the outpouring of prayers.

It has shaken me to my very core.

God Bless and I will keep everyone updated.

Most Difficult Post of My Life

They look like real guns, don't they? They aren't. They are part of a new trend in toys.

These are "Airsoft" guns. They are marketed as safe because they shoot plastic pellets, or BB's.

Three days before Christmas, and just a few days after her 10th Birthday, My Taylor was shot, at close range, in the right eye with one of those.

It was a complete accident, no one was to blame. The gun accidentally went off.



After a trip to the Emergency Room, we were sent to the best ophthalmologist in town, actually out of town (because of the Holiday), the prognosis was a tough one.

If Taylor stayed on complete bed rest for five days, she may ..as in might, maybe.....be ok. She had severe Corneal damage. There was bleeding behind her eye, and the permanence of the damage couldn't be seen because of the trauma.

Christmas was.....horrible for her. She got a scooter she couldn't ride, video games she couldn't play with and art supplies she couldn't use. Through it all...she was a trooper. She kept telling ME it was ok, that she would rather save her eye, that the toys would still be there when she got better. My own little Tiny Tim.

Her Christmas Dinner was ......right here:

The chair where she spent 5 days. The only time she left it was to go to bed with me. Her Zoe close by. She wasn't allowed to lay flat, so I kept monitoring her at night to make sure she stayed semi upright.

Today, we went back to the Doctor. The news isn't great, but it's not bad.

Tay has a traumatic cataract. The blood is gone, she is showing improvement, but still cannot see. Her Dr gave her a referral to see a Retina Specialist next Monday. Dr sees some shadows on her retina that concern him.

Over the next few weeks, Taylor can resume activities. Slowly. She is not expected to resume normal activity for a couple of months. They will fit her for glasses to see if her vision can be corrected with them, rather than surgery.

The support from family and friends has been astounding. Nancy over at Nancy's Nonsense posted my plea for prayers. Putting her own health concerns aside for my baby.

Taylor's Grandmother is out of the country, so she doesn't know. I hope that when I do speak to her, that I have only the good news to tell her.

This is about to be a New Year...and quite frankly folks...........we need those prayers for a miracle.

Along with those prayers, we need a real good look at these "toys" and the damages they can do. If any of you know someone that knows someone, that can help either for more awareness, or education, or other parents that are going thru similar situations........let me know.