ChristmasWeek

Well, it was an interesting start to our "vacation"... 
The kids were suppose to go up Sunday morning with my grandparents... BUT, snow had hit and my grandfather found it best to wait for me and Stacy.
Soooo....  We all (including Josh) headed out Monday morning, Christmas Eve. 
The sun rise that morning was beautiful!

Once we were all packed up... we went back in the house to double check everything.  That was when my phone rang... it was my Dad.  My stepmother had passed away just a few hours earlier.  Needless to say, I felt pretty bad about leaving for the week.

We loaded up, kid's with tears in their eyes, and headed out.
It was a fairly easy and normal trip up... Until we got to the road back to the cabin... 
Josh didnt even make it onto the road!

Josh's car got taken back to the Black Forest Inn to sit!  AFTER we ripped his bumper off and I hurt my back and knee trying to get it unstuck.  I wasnt very happy... because I had told him to leave his car back there in the first place!  Does he ever listen...???  NO!

We all managed to make it back to the cabin.  It was "iffy" for my grandfather... but, he too is pigheaded.  When we first walked into the cabin... it was a VERY chilly 20 degrees!!  Even my big dogs were shivering!  LOL!!  We got the fire going... and put lunch in the oven... I think we saw 65 degrees before bed time! 

It was a very awesome Christmas Eve!!  We followed our tradition of reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas"... and I had all 4 of my kids together again to enjoy it!!  THAT made me happier than I could put into words!!

Stacy also did a great job putting up some lights for us...

It was a perfect first day... if you ask me!  Even with Josh getting stuck, freezing our butts off, and the usual drama when we take the kids anywhere with my grandparents... AND adding our dogs to the mix!

Christmas day started out with PRESENTS...of course.  Like I said before, we did a "Christmas Lite" this year, since a ton of money went into the trip and boarding Gunner.  But it didnt seem to bother anyone!  We even had a tiny Christmas tree... supplied by Grammy Graff!

After presents and breakfast we took care of cleaning up, burning all of the wrapping paper... THEN... out to snowmobile!!!  Since even more snow came down over night!!  :-)

The day after Christmas... 
Stacy, Britt and I headed out to do some hunting!  Britt and I saw some great sights!!!  The snow made it sooo much easier to track the deer!!  BUT, no luck with getting anything.

Later in the day we decided since a HUGE snow storm was about to bear down on us... we better get my grandfather's car out to the Black Forest Inn.   Yep, you guessed it... he ended up stuck too!!  Good thing I have a truck that can handle these types of things!!  LOL!!

 We ended up waking up to 12 more inches of snow the next morning!!!  I was BEAUTIFUL!!!

Pictures just dont do it justice... it was amazing... and wonderful... and beautiful... and soooooo much FUN!!
This day was also me and Stacy's 4 anniversary!!  :-)
Needless to say... we spent A LOT of time out in the snow with the kids and the dogs!  Sprocket LOVED it!!!  We wrapped him in orange and let him run!  Our only mistake was when we let him AND Sakari off leash at the same time... They got soooo involved in a game of "chase" that they took off down the road and we lost them for a few!  Brittany and I took off after them... and they eventually realized that they couldnt see us and turned around!
By this point Brittany was pretty sick.  She was having an allergic reaction to something...I am pretty sure it was the wood we were burning.  She broke out... her mouth, lips and tongue swelled up at one point... her eyes swelled almost shut... Good thing we had benedryl!!!  She always seemed to feel better when she was outside... soooo, we tried to get her out as much as possible!!  She is a trooper... she hung in there and made the best of it.
Stacy also took another shot at hunting... I wanted an "anniversary deer"... LOL
He used the snow to track down a doe... and came face to face with it!!!  Aimed, fired... well, at least tried to... the gun wouldnt go off!  LOL!!  He tracked down that deer and tried to shoot it 6 times... and his gun would just not fire.  Too much snow and moisture, I guess.  I felt pretty bad for him... but he had a  nice story to share!  After that... he was DONE hunting...LOL

Stacy and I also took a ride... We wanted just a few minutes of "alone" time on our anniversary...  BAD IDEA!!
See what happens when I let Stacy drive my truck.....

Yea... that was a big ditch on the side of the road.  Good thing there was that embankment... or we may have ended up on our side!!!
And dont think for a second that the come a long you see Stacy hooking up was in fact operated by Stacy!!   Nope... I was the one out there cranking on that damn thing for an HOUR trying to get us out!  Stacy got to "drive".  Let me tell you how scary that sight is!!!!  Wheels spinning in that HUGE ass truck... aimed right at me!  UGH!  ( I am pretty sure I saw Stacy's deer wander by, laughing at him... AGAIN!  LOL)
I am still paying for that day.  I really hurt myself there.  But, it was an adventure.  He never did get me up to the Vista that day... LOL!
Once me managed to get back to camp Stacy and the kids got out on the snowmobiles again.  It wasnt easy, because of all of the snow we had... but they managed to make the best of it!!

The following day we packed up, cleaned up, and headed out!  I managed to get about 400 pictures by the end of the week!  LOL
It was an absolutely amazing trip... and I am sooo glad we did it!!

Thankful!!

Before I write a long drawn out blog about out week... I want to take some time to just be thankful!!

Dear God,
Thank you soooooooo very  much for our amazing week away!!!
You gave us the snow that we wanted...you gave us good times and awesome memories.  I took over 400 pictures to prove that one!
Our basic needs were met the entire week... and we all managed to live!  LOL!!

Everyone stayed safe.
Everyone had fun.

I heard great giggles from my kids as they had TONS of fun on sleds, the snowmobiles, and just being knee deep in snow playing!

We had a great hunting adventure.. and got to see some pretty cool things!  And even tho Stacy didnt get that deer... I am glad he had the chance to hunt  in knee deep snow and track that deer all over the mountain... too bad his gun didnt fire any of the 7 times he was face to face with that lucky deer!!  ;-)
(By the way... I LOVE Mtn Laurel... It is beautiful... but geez, that stuff really grabs ya and pulls ya down!!  LOL)

I had all 4 of my kids together, with us, on Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

My grandparents were able to share in our traditions for this Holiday....and they both seemed to enjoy that.  Neither of them imagined they would be up in that cabin with their GREAT Grandchildren!

I am very grateful for Carol taking Gunner for the week... he had awesome care and I didnt have to worry about him at all.  (Although I did worry if he was having a nervous break down because we left him...lol)  I am also thankful that they openly give us advice about him... because I just dont know!

I know there are TONS of other little things I am forgetting to mention here...  But I know that I made sure to say "Thank you" as they happened! 

~Amy

So much...

So much is going on... I dont know where to begin!  And really... I'm not even sure where my head is at.

I am still waiting on MRI results for my knee... the good thing is, it hasnt been bothering me as much as it was before.  I have been really careful about what I do.

I have seen my pain management Dr... I have been in to see my PCP... I have been to about every Dr I have!!  Just trying to cover all bases.  LOL

We are at a stand still with getting Courtney into HGA... which really pisses me off!!!  The person in charge of doing her eligibility  seems to have her thumb up her ass and is taking her time.  I am losing hope on an April start for Courtney.

We all (us, the kids, Josh, his g/f, and Stacy's parents) went to Christmas Village last weekend.  It was amazing to see!!  It was a really good time... and even getting lost on the way home!  LOL

It is getting close to our week away for Christmas!!!  The next few days I will be packing and preparing.  They are calling for snow up there... this weekend!!!  I am hoping it dumps enough on us to make our trip FUN!  Stacy and Brittany have plans of doing some late season muzzle loader hunting while up there.  Maybe they can get a deer yet!  :-)

Yesterday was a long day.
The kids went to the CCA sponsored Science Day.  They LOVED it!
While they were doing that... I went to visit my Dad and Linda.  Unfortunately, Linda is back in the hospital.  :-( 
It was really hard seeing her the way she is right now.  Soooo bruised from ppl touching her too hard and trying to get IV's in and blood taken.  I dont understand how those in the medical field cant be a little more gentle!!! 
I guess when you do these things day in and day out... you just get numb to the fact that your touch could be causing someone else pain and bruising. 
Whenever they use tape on her... it just peels her skin away right with it.
I will say that her Aid for at home (Lucy) is AMAZING!!  They are lucky to have someone that truly does care!  When Lucy came in, she got more of a reaction from Linda than anyone else!!!  BUT... there I was trying to be quiet.  NOT Lucy.  Her loudness and positive energy filled that room real quick!!! 
I guess I dont have to be so quiet...LOL!

After my visit I ran back and picked up the kids... then headed to my grandparents for a bit before I had to pick Stacy up from work.
My grandfather told me he has mesothelioma.  He said it so calm and carefree.  Well, it hit me like a ton of bricks!!! 
My grandfather makes me freakin crazy.  He is hyper and sometimes just plain nutty.  BUT... he raised me.  He was the closest think to a father I had.  He always made sure I had everything I needed and he was always the one to come through when I needed someone the most.  He paid my way through Catholic School... helped me buy my first car... helped me establish credit of my own...  EVEN when I was tossed out by my mom and grandmother!  He would sneak behind everyone's back to make sure me and my kids werent suffering without some basic needs being met.
Even still...   When we clearly dont need his help... it makes him feel better to buy the kids a pair of shoes or hunting gear... or anything their little hearts desire to spoil them. 
And it means the world to him to have been so involved in his GREAT grandchildren's lives.... hunting, watching them grow up, taking them to camp every year even tho there is fighting and bickering and he stresses so much about meals... LOL!  (We were just arguing yesterday over his need to plan out every single meal for next week!!  He stresses about this shit WAY too much!!! It will all come together... we camp all of the time...we got this!)

He may be a nut case... but he is the most selfless person I have met.  Even approaching his 80's... he is STILL taking care of those around him.... Neighbors, sister in law... my loser, piece of shit mother who sucks the life out of EVERYONE she can.  NONE of those ppl care about him or his needs.  Even with a DX of mesothelioma... the phone still rings at his house... people wanting him to help them in some way or another.  (Mostly my asshole mother)  I am sure she is looking at this as an opportunity for him to get more money... so he can continue to pay ALL of her bills.  (I HATE HER)
Even my grandmother treats my grandfather poorly.  And it pisses me off.  (Dont get me wrong... the man does get on a person's nerves... rather quickly.)  Her solution is for him to just shut his mouth.  But, I think she is in denial.  Or they just have no clue what this disease really is.    Well, I know my grandfather does... because he was a bit choked up when he started talking about getting the kids out hunting with him next year... he wants to get them out for the youth seasons... so he can say he hunting with 3 of his great grandchildren!  (Thank God for my awesome husband... who is going to see what we need to do to get him a senior license, so we can get him more places in the truck... and he wont have to walk as much, since he has been falling in the mountains more)

So yea... I am pretty devastated.  And I have to find a way to explain all of this to my kids. And stay strong for them.  And myself.
I know I dont talk to him every day... but I know he is there.  I cant imagine a point in life when he isnt.  He raised me.  He is the closest thing to a father I have ever had.  And he was the only grandfather I ever had.

I guess I should go start packing and cooking for our Christmas at camp...

Quick run down

It has been a busy week around here!

I had the "joy" of going through a hip arthrogram... wouldnt recommend you adding that to any bucket list!!  LOL!
Had another Ortho appt... to be told my hip is fine... but my knee is messed!  (GO FIGURE... I think I have been telling them my knee is far worse).  Now the Dr wants to do knee surgery ASAP! 
I am no on his surgery schedule until Jan 23... but they insisted on putting me on the cancellation list.  BUT...I am tellin ya ... there is NO WAY I will be having surgery before our Christmas week at the cabin!!!!!!!!! 

I go see my pain management Dr today... and my Chiropractor.  Between the 2 of them I am sure we can find a way to get me through to the end of the year! 

I also have an MRI of my knee tomorrow. 

Courtney managed to get a stomach bug.  The girl NEVER gets sick... so this was a real learning experience for her!!  She is doing better today...  Just gotta get some food in her now.

I am hoping the complete disinfecting of our house will keep that germ from spreading to everyone else in the house.

Other than that...
We are just counting down the day until we head up to camp!  :-)
Next week I will start my portion of the cooking and baking.  And then packing. 
I am pretty excited!!  We even figure out a way to rig up heat in the out house!  LOL!! 
NOW... if it will just SNOW... all will be good!!!!!!!!

I am still hard at work on my photography classes!!  I LOVE them!!!!  I am glad the sun is shining today... I have some assignments to get done.... in between Dr appts.

Well... that is the short and sweet version of what is going on around here.  I gotta run... gotta get some things done before I have to head out!

Going ons...

The time sure is flying by me!  It's as tho in a blink, 3 days have past!!

We did our "mini" decorating this year.  Since we wont be home the entire week of Christmas, I didnt want to go full bore, like usual.  So instead... we bought a small potted  tree with little red bows from WalMart, and added battery powered lights!  It is cute... and gives us the feeling of the season.  I also put out my small ceramic tree and of course, Stacy put up some outside lights.  Just not is typical display.  We are taking some to camp with us to decorate some of the outside pine trees!!  :-)

Stacy got the snowmobiles mostly cleaned off.  It was pretty sad that they were stored like they were and completely covered in shit!  Once we get them registered and legal to run on state game lands... they are gonna be stored in our garage.   Buck's buddies will have to find other snowmobiles to run... since Buck surely doesnt need them.  He has 2 new ones... and only 1 ass to sit on them! 

Muddy River K-9 Academy has agreed to take Gunner for the week we will be gone over Christmas!!  I am soooo very thankful!!  He will be safe and well taken care of... and get a bit of training!!  And I wont have to worry about him trying to eat my grandfather!  RELIEF!!  I am kinda sad that he wont be with me.  He is my right hand man for all things outside... and alot of inside too!  I will miss him.  But, the break will do us both some good!   THANK GOD, for Tim and Carol... I wouldnt trust ANYONE else with him!

The puppies will also be spending that week away!!!  They will be hanging out with one of the potential new families!  ;-)  It will be a trial run for them... and help them decide who, if any, they are up for!  AND... it will be 2 less little bodies I will have to worry about while at camp!  :-)  I am hoping that when we get back, this family decided to take them BOTH... I would really hate to see them separated... and I am ready for them to go into homes now.

I started this years ORNAMENTS!!!  OMG... they are turning out far better than I could have expected!!!  They are beautiful!!!  I LOVE THEM!!  And, 4 yrs later... I am finally finding ornaments that can use all of the big glass balls we had for our wedding reception!  ;-) 

I spent the afternoon yesterday cleaning out my truck...and washing it!!  I am about sick of ppl leaving their shit in there!  ESPECIALLY the ratchet strap fiasco that always ends up under my back seats!!!  It took me about 45 minutes to detangle and wrap them up... and put them where they belong!!  That is insane!  My husband really needs to start cleaning up after himself!  I am tired of doing.
Anyway... My truck is all pretty... for now!  Cant wait to get my new organizing pieces for in there!

The weather yesterday was wonderful!!  I was very happy to get to be outside.  I wanted to get some pictures for my classes... but I got caught up in cleaning my truck.  The sun was down before I knew it.
As for my classes...  I signed up for another through PennTech.  Which makes 2 now.  If I handle them well... I will be enrolling in NYIP full program!  I just want to make sure I can manage it all first.

I am also working on making some changes around the house... to accommodate some time without kids up my ass.  Some expectations have changes around here.  And, with the help of the therapist the kids are seeing.... I am hoping we see some positive results!! 

We are requiring Nathan participate in his skating lessons from now on!!  Not just when he feels like it... and we dont care if he likes being part of the show or not.  He seems to want to pull out of ALL things "kid"... and at 11... that just isnt an option!  He seems to think he is an adult in an 11 yr old body... and it is starting to have some negative results!  I like that he is smart... and I want him to be able to try and experience new things... but I think I want a little far.  Soooo... time to fix it!

I am still having trouble with my knee and hip.  I scored a real fun hip MRI for this Thursday!!  Cant wait... LOL!
My knee has been KILLING me tho... and all they keep doing is handing me more steroids!!  It is starting to piss me off... and cause me to blow up like a balloon!!!  NOT COOL!
It has been 3 weeks since my "slide" on the trail... time to figure this shit out! 
I guess I should be thankful it isnt my back.... and I am.  I am just tired of being in pain.

OK... I guess that about covers most of life... for now.  I gotta get some laundry done and do some sort of straightening up around here.  Clutter is taking over.

Christmas!!

I have been in a bit of a "funk" lately.  Between back and knee pain... and then all of the steroids... OUCH!  It wasnt making me the most pleasant of ppl, to say the least! 

I think it is getting better... as least today...LOL!!
I did ALL of our Christmas shopping!!  OK, MOST...LOL!!  Just a few more little things to pick up... but for the most part, the kids are DONE!  We are keeping Christmas on the smaller side this year... since we are taking a week long trip to the cabin.  I would rather put our "Christmas money" to use on the experiences and family time of that week... and pay less attention to the material side of the Holiday.  Christmas... and most Holidays really... have turned into such a money racket.  I hate the message it sends.  So, this year we are switching it up!    Let's hope it all works out for the best!! 

For our trip... I (painfully) decided to board Gunner!  My grandfather isnt too keen on Gunner... because Gunner does not like him.  Sooo... I have asked Tim and Carol to keep him.  I wouldnt trust anyone else!!!  We are working out all of the details... and I think it will do us all some good!  Even though I will be SUPER sad without him. 

The puppies had their first vet appt today!!  They received their first shots and got a clean bill of health!  They are all ready to find fur-ever homes!! 

Carrey came over this morning and gave Brittany a massage!!  Brittany LOVED it... she is still saying how "AMAZING" it was!!  She said she feels like she is floating on a cloud... no tension at all.  The best she has felt after a grueling gymnastic night! 
Added bonus... I got to hang out with Lexi!  I LOVE that she comes to me and talks to me now!!!  :-)  But Nathan is still her favorite...LOL! 
OMG... she did THE CUTEST little "skating move" today... butt first, just like the figure skaters do!!  It was pretty darn amazing... I was impressed!! 
Adult convo is always nice too... especially with the crappy mood I have been in lately.  UGH!

I scored a HUGE deal on my new PhotoShop software today!!!  Found a cyber Monday week promo code!!  40% off!!!  :-)  It pays to be patient and research!!!

So yeah... I am pretty happy today!  Plus tonite I have some plans... soooo all is good.  Still SUPER pissed at my hubby about the speeding ticket tho!!!  Grrr

Oh... I want to send out some love and prayers to my oldest and dearest... TINA!  The girl just cant catch a break.  She is having some surgery today... thankfully it is pretty easy and routine and she should be back home in a day or so!  Her speech is sounding so much better now, since her stroke... I LOVE hearing that voice of hers!!!  I just love her.  <3  Anyway... thoughts, love, and prayers for a speedy recovery!

Our first snow!!

Yep... that fun, white stuff is falling from the sky!!!  I am fairly excited about it... I want TONS of snow this year.  Not sure exactly why... but I do.  Just something about it feels "homey" and "peaceful".  I need as much PEACEFUL as I can get my hands on!!!
The only thing missing is my Amaruq watching it fall... and then finding all the spunk he has left in his body and going out to run in it!!  :-(  I miss him bunches.

No school delay for Courtney... I am FOREVER thankful for that one.  She was working on my last nerve, since she had off for well over a week!!!
And YES... since Courtney REFUSED to find out when her first day back at school was... way early last week when I asked her to.  I let her butt get up, get dressed and go out to wait for the bus YESTERDAY!!!  Knowing full well she didnt have school!!!!  Seems mean... I know.  BUT... it was a lesson in being responsible for her OWN life and schedule!  It did end up turning into an argument... and she wanted ME to be blamed for HER lack of being responsible!  NOT!!!
We are still having the "GET A JOB" battle too!!!  Yea, that was another messy argument last night.

Stacy got himself yet ANOTHER speeding ticket on Sunday.  2nd one in a month!!!  AND, he tried to hide it from me!!!!  WTF!?!?   I am pretty pissed off about it.  I am tired of wasting money to pay them.  It isnt a hard concept... DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT!!!  I told him... one more... and he is gonna need to find a new damn home!  I REFUSE to add "Stacy's speeding tickets" to our monthly budget... it is just bullshit now!  To think... he had the balls to bitch at Josh about speeding!!!  Hmmmm... maybe Josh learned it by watching Stacy!  I mean really... do as I say, not as I do... just doesnt cut it in the world of parenting.  GRRRR!

My knee is giving me one hell of a time.  In addition to the steroid injection I got just over a week ago... I am now on oral steroids.  I am not real happy about it.  They tend to make me crabby... and I really dont need any other reason to be crabby.  I mean really... look at my life!

My class is going GREAT!  I LOVE IT!!!  I am chomping at the bit to enroll in the other school option.  But, I am really trying to hold off.  (Gotta keep up with Stacy's fines first... the asshole). 
Anyway...  still making excellent grades and getting great remarks.  I am pleased. 

Brittany and Stacy went out hunting yesterday with Jason!  Brittany had a great time... even though she didnt get anything.  She did see a doe... and wanted it be a buck ever so badly... but it wasnt.  At least she saw something!!
She is pretty die hard!!  They left before 5 am... and didnt get home to close to 5pm.  When I talked to her at lunch, she had no intentions of giving up any time soon. 
I think she was more into it than Stacy!!  He got cold... then took a nap... then dropped his gun... and broke his backpack!    Yes, my husband curled up, on the ground, and used a log as a pillow!!!  WTH?!?!
Anyway... Brittany is ready and counting down the days to going out on Saturday!!   All ready for having 3 generations out together... Pappy will be joining them!

So I FINALLY started to use my CriCut!!!  I LOVE IT!!!  Worth every penny... even more so since I got it for $120 OFF!!!!  It is all I ever hoped and dreamed!!  I am starting on some Christmas crafts!!  :-)

I have a few more things to get put away from Thanksgiving... and Fall.  Then I guess we will decide just how much we will be decorating... since we wont be home the entire week of Christmas.
AND we need to figure what kind of arrangements we will make for the dogs that week.  I am thinking we will suck it up and board Nanuq and Sakari.  Not sure yet.
The closer we get to Christmas week... the more my grandfather is getting on my damn nerves about it!!  UGH!

That is all I have for now.  I gotta get on the kid's school work... they are already pulling out snow pants and coats!!!  They are on a mission to get out and play!  :-)