Morning from Hell

Have you ever had one of those days that you just wanted to go back to bed and start over? Today was one of those.

A little background first: We are keeping my cousin’s dog, Jake, while they are on a cruise this week.. Jake, I think, is a poodle. He looks like one anyway.. A white poodle. Jake sleeps in his kennel at night. The first night we had him was pretty bad. He was up all night howling, barking and screaming to get out. I figured it was just because it the first night way from his real family. And, it turns out, the next night was much better.

Heather had to be in Atlanta today by 7:30 am. Meaning she needed to get up by 4:15 and leave the house by 5:30. Since she was going to have to leave early and I was going to take Tiny Baby to Daycare, I decided to take the day off so I could get some stuff done around the house. At 3:50 am, Tiny Baby wakes up screaming. I wasn’t going to work, so I got up to check on her so Heather could get her last 15 minutes.. When Ansley saw me come into the room, she laid on the bed and rolled to far side clinging onto the railing so I couldn’t pick her up. I have no idea why she did it, but she’s done it twice in the last two weeks. Heather hears her still crying over the monitor and comes up. Ansley lets her pick her up. Ok, Mom is the soother, I can deal with that. Heather sits down in the rocker with Ansley and tries to sooth her back to sleep. Our dog, Ripley, follows me wherever I go, so I have to leave the room when Heather is putting Ansley to sleep so the dog will leave also. We both go downstairs and, in the distance, I hear Jake howling and screaming. I figured he heard the commotion with us and Ansley and wanted us to get him. Since it was only 4:00, I didn’t go in there. Around 4:15, Ansley still wasn’t down, but Heather needed to start getting ready for work, so I went up and relieved her. Ansley was tired enough where she didn’t realize (or didn’t care) when I took over her rocking. At 5:15, Heather came up ready to go and I still couldn’t put Ansley down without her crying out. Heather took her form me and said I needed to go downstairs with her. She also said there was very bad smell around the kitchen area. She went down stairs with Ansley and I went to check on the smell. It was right by the back door that went into the garage. But, that was also the bottom of the stairs that led to my office where Jake was kenneled. I went up the stairs and noticed the smell getting stronger. Ok, Jake pooped in his cage and I’ll to clean it up. I just hope he didn’t get any on him. White Poodle + Dog Poop = Not Nice. Well, I opened the door and saw it… Jake had evidently gotten into Ripley’s food and it didn’t agree with him. He had diarrhea and it was all over the cage sides, the bottom and him. It was EVERYWHERE!!! I couldn’t leave him in there, so I opened the cage and let him out. He was so grateful t be out, he had to show his appreciation by jumping on me. So, now, I have an office that smells like an outhouse, a baby that won’t go back to bed; a wife that needs to leave to go to work, a dog covered in crap running around my house and puppy poop prints on my leg. All at 5:20 in the morning. Boy, if I hadn’t decided to take today off, all this would have changed my mind.

I need to get some order in this chaos. After I had both dogs go outside to do whatever they needed to do, I put the poopy puppy back up in my office. I don’t put him in the cage, but I close the office door so he can’t run all over the house and I open a window so he can breathe. He starts to bark, but I can live with that right now. Heather has given me the baby starts to leave. As she’s getting her stuff ready by the back door, the smell overcomes her and she starts to dry heave. She makes it into the garage and opens the door before she hurls all over the garage. Of course, with all this commotion, neither of us are in a good mood now. She leaves and I take Tiny Baby back to our bedroom. Ripley comes in with us and I close the door behind us to muffle Jake’s barking. All three of us lay on the bed and Tiny baby goes right to sleep. It’s now 5:45 am.

I get up about 7:30 and put pillows all around Ansley so she won’t roll off the bed. I get cleaned up and get dressed. At 7:45, I wake her up and start getting her ready for Daycare. I get her changed, dressed and fed and we head out to Daycare around 8:10. I drop her off and the ladies say, “Did Daddy do your hair this morning?” Ok, so doing girls’ hair isn’t a strong point of mine. I told them to feel free to fix it they way they like and they said they would.
Now it was time to come home and tackle the Poop-Meister. I got home and let Jake out of the office and took the cage out side. Fist things first, I washed both dogs. After they were both clean, I went out and washed the caged. Once that was clean, I came in and washed the food and water bowls that were in Jake’s cage and then I threw all the towels I had just used into the washing machine. It washed once and as soon as it was done, I reloaded the soap and washed it all second time. I also lit some smell-good candles and put some kind of smell-good thing that plugs into the wall in the kitchen. Then I went up stairs and cleaned up where he had spilled poop from the cage and where he laid another puddle of it since he had been out with carpet cleaner and then I steam cleaned the entire area. After all of that and a half a can of “Oust” you can actually stay in the room again. In fact, that’s where I’m typing this up right now.

So, the morning to beat all mornings was coming to a close and I was about to sit down and watch a TV show before I balanced my check book when the phone rang. It was my sister and she preceded to tell me that we had a family member die during the night. My Great Aunt’s husband. We are a tight family and everyone is local, so it’s not like it was a “distant” relative that died. To make matters worse, my Mom and her sister (who are my Great Aunt’s nieces) and their families are on a Caribbean Cruise this week and can’t be notified.. Great. My sister will take care of the flowers and such, but with the 2 sisters gone and their families, my sister and I are the bulk of the family this week. My mom will be crushed when she realizes she missed Papa Doyle’s funeral.

Ok, so what else can happen?? I let both dogs go out back to do their business. Jake backs up to a branch that it right against his tail and precedes to poop all over himself again!!! He’s got crap everywhere again. I get a cloth, wet it down and wash out what I can so he’s not trailing crap everywhere. He’s not as clean as he was, but he’s pretty good now.

So, here I am. 2:30 in the afternoon, the poop is clean, the house smells good, the laundry is done, Heather is back in town from Atlanta and talking to me again, the checkbook is balanced and most of the bills are paid. We still have a visitation and a funeral to attend, but it looks like the morning from hell is over for me.

Although, considering what my Aunt Gunny is going through today, my morning doesn't seem that bad.

How to have your day started off on the wrong foot...

Heather had a golf tournament today and needed to be at work early. I had jobs that had to be done this morning, so I couldn’t go in late. We were wondering how to get Ansley to the daycare when Leslie, my younger sister, volunteered to take her for us. Awesome.. Thank you!!! Leslie came over this morning, picked up Ansley and took her to the Daycare after they opened. Ansley is in a new room since the last time my sister had taken her or picked her up, so when she walked in, the Daycare crew didn’t know her and she didn’t know the routine for this room. She asked what they needed her to do. They showed her where to sign Ansley in and where to place her diaper bag for safe keeping. After she was all signed in, the daycare worker asked my sister, “So, are you the Grandmother?”

Time Flies

Man.. It just seems harder and harder to get time to sit down and type anything up these days. I don't see how people can do it everyday.. I have a hard enough time trying to get it once a week. But, I wanted to do a quick up date tonight so I'm just making the time while Heather gets her clothes ready for work tomorrow.

I just noticed that Blogger lets you upload video, so I loaded one down below just to see how it works. This was taken Labor Day weekend while we were in Panama City Beach, FL. My sister wanted to take her kids diving before they went on their cruise to the Bahamas in October, so we all headed down to PCB to spend the weekend and do a couple dives with them. We stayed at a condo of a family friend. We had a great weekend. Tiny Baby went to the beach for the first time, ever. She, honestly, could take it or leave it. She did seem to have fun, but she seemed to have more fun in the Kiddie Pool at the Condo Complex more than she did at the beach.

Our dives were in the Gulf of Mexico. We did a wreck called the "Black Bart" and one called "Bridge Span #14." Both had a huge amount of fish and lots of barracuda. The kids had a great time and my sister and brother-in-law had a good time diving with them. This was my sister's first dive since she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. After the chemo and three surgeries, she's back in full swing. She did great on her first dives in a year and a half. This was also Logan's first salt water dive in about a year and a half and it was Alyssa's first dive since her Open Water checkout dives in April of this year. They all did great. M2, a dive buddy from work that dove the "Oriskany" with me, met us down there and he teamed up with me for the two dives. Good times..

Most of the family came back on the 3rd, we stayed an extra day to miss the traffic going back to GA. We took Tiny Baby to Zoo World so she could see and pet some animals. She got to see all sorts of animals and she petted a goat, a duck and a giraffe. I had never petted a giraffe before, so that was a first for me too. Just my luck, he was dirty and shedding something awful. But, we had a good time.

Next dives aren't really dives. I'm helping with the Rescue Diver class that's being taught next weekend. My brother-in-law is in the class, so it will be fun.

Everyone take care I'll try to update quicker next time.

Can't sleep. Might as well update.

I can't sleep tonight. I laid down over two hours ago and just can't get settled down. I finally gave up and came up here to the computer thinking if I can do something up here, it will settle my mind and I will be able sleep later on. So, here I am doing something.

A lot has happened since my last post. So much so, that I haven't had the time to even sit down and write about it. First and foremost, Tiny Baby turned one year old on the 3rd. We had her birthday party on the Sunday before and had a great time. It was a family only occasion and I think she had a really good time. That year has gone by so quick. I can still remember sitting in the hospital that day waiting for everything to be over. Of course, I wasn't the one laying on the bed with patossin running through my body for 12 hours, so I had no reason to complain. But, everything turned out well and we were blessed with a beautiful baby girl who is already growing up too fast.

The 4th of July, we had another family day. Tiny Baby didn't let us sleep very late and so we just kind of lazed around the house and cleaned up a bit in the morning. The In-Laws came by for awhile and then it was nap time. For the baby and us. After everyone woke up from the nap, we all went to my parents' house for a family get together. Tiny Baby and I got in the pool together. She seemed to have a pretty good time, but she wasn't real sure what to make of it. She lasted about 15 minutes and then was over it. So, we got out and visited with all the family after that. She was passed around from person to person for the next 2 hours. She handled it like a trooper and was good the entire afternoon.

The next two days at work were pretty painful. Most of the Active Duty people took off and a lot of the civilians did also. So, those of us that were left, had very little (if anything) to do at all. I had some work I took care of, but after that, it was (twiddle thumbs, whistling...)

Heather and I have been talking about getting new cars. My Tundra doesn't have a big enough back seat for the baby seat to be in there and me to carry a passenger and she just isn't real happy with her current vehicle. It's not a bad vehicle by any means, it's not her dream vehicle and is wanting an upgrade. We've had my truck up for sale for a couple months. I haven't done a whole lot to get the word out there. I've put it in the Credit Union Bulletin a few times and I've parked it out by the street at home on the weekends, but other than riding around with a sign in the window, that's about it. We want to sell mine, use that money as a down payment on my new one and trade hers in to get her one. That's the plan anyway. Today, we decided to go to the Toyota dealership and just look at what they have on the lot. I KNOW I'm getting a Toyota and she wants to have another one, so we decided to go look today. We got to the lot and made it about half way across before a Salesman got to us. We told him we were just looking and he was cool with that. He was asking a few questions and then I told him what we were both looking for. Me, a black TRD Sport Tacoma and her a 4Runner or Highlander. They didn't have any black ones on the lot, but they had two dark blue (Indigo Ink Pearl) ones. Heather loved the color and it grew on me the more we looked at it. They got the keys, started one up and pulled it out in the lot for me to have a better look at it. Yeah, I like this. We decide to run the numbers and see what we're up against. Long story short: After crunching the numbers, looking at incentives, rebates and APR specials, I didn't get my '07 V6 TRD Sport Tacoma. But, I did get my new '07 V8 TRD Off Road Tundra. Yeah, baby. BEEFY. Love this truck. It's got the back seat I needed and plenty of other stuff. It's much more truck than I need, but sometimes, excess is a good thing. I don't have a pic of it yet, but I'll take one tomorrow or so. I do need to mention that getting the Tundra instead of the Tacoma was actually Heather's idea. We she crunched the numbers on the Tacoma with the APR we were being offered versus the Tundra with Toyota's 0% APR for 60 months, financially, it was a no brainer. I'm REALLY glad I have her when it comes to everything, but especially when it comes to matters of the pocketbook. :)

I'll leave you all with this picture.. We're getting Tiny Baby to feed herself. That works out great with chicken nuggets, peas and corn and things like that. Chef Boy-R-Dee Beef-o-Roni? Not so much.

Golf and the Single Parent

Not much to write this week. The work week was ok. Nothing spectacular, but nothing overly detrimental either, so I guess that's a plus.
Thursday, I was hired to do a cabling job (my other job when I'm not doing my normal job or my military job) up in Macon. I took the job and was hoping to get it done fairly quickly. Well, I misheard what the job was and instead of being a "one cable run to the other side of the wall" it ended up being 3 cables, run 150 feet down the hall, through a cinder block wall, across the room, down the wall and over. That was a bit more than I expected. But, I went and did it. Unfortunately, I didn't get done on the first day, so I had to go back over the weekend to get it completed. It was one of those days that I had the "Un-Midas Touch." Everything I touched turned to crap. I ran the cables ok, but then the panduit I bought wasn't big enough for three cables to run through it. While I was trying to mount the faceplate box, I broke it. While I was working in the ceiling, I slipped on the ladder and when I grabbed for something to get my balance, I pulled some supports for the ceiling tiles out and they went crashing to the floor. Then, I left my toner plugged in one of the jacks I was tracing (from Thursday to Saturday) and killed my battery. It was just one of those days. But, as I went back today, rested, refreshed, with a better attitude and more parts, it all came together quick and easy. The new cables are run and active now. I do appreciate my Dad going up there with me today. It's always nice to have some company.
I did get a bit of time away from work this week. I played in a Golf Tournament on Friday. My golf game, which is never really existent, was even more non-existent this week. It was a four person Scramble and they didn't even use one of my shots until about 6 holes into it. Once they started using mine, I was able to hit a few good ones, but I wasn't much of a team player this week. I guess playing once every month and a half isn't the best way to get good, huh?
I'm also a single parent this weekend. #1 Mom needed a Girls Weekend away, so she and two of the ladies she works with all packed up and headed to the North GA Hills this weekend to stay in a cabin and just relax. Hopefully, she's having a good time.
Tiny Baby and I are having a good time together. Since I had to do that job today, Mom came over and watched the baby while I went and did the job. My mom isn't one to just sit around while she's here (neither is my mother-in-law), so while I was gone and baby was napping, she started cleaning my house and doing my laundry. Whoo-hoo!!! Thanks Mom!! Then, when we got back, Dad wanted some time with the Baby, so I was able to run outside and cut the grass real quick. Thanks Dad!! :) They left and it was just the two of use, plus the dog, plus the parrot. It's now 9:20 pm and everyone is asleep but me. So, I decided to sit down and write a bit on the BLOG.
Like I said, not much to write about, but like always, I can take not much and still be long winded about it.
Y'all take care...

Another weekend has passed...

Another weekend has passed, and it was a good weekend. It looks like Tiny Baby is finally over her stomach bug, allergies, pink eye or whatever the heck it was she had. She was out of school all last week and will finally go back tomorrow.

Saturday, Heather and I cleaned up the house during the morning while Tiny Baby took her morning nap. After she woke up (3 hours later) we went to the Mall to get her Mother's Day present. Heather has wanted a bit of "bling" to wear for awhile now and I figured her first Mother's Day would be a great excuse to buy her some bling. After looking around and having my sister look for me, I never saw anything that I was comfortable getting because Heather can be very particular about certain things. As I was in one of our local jewelry places a week or so before Mother's Day, the girl working the counter told me they were having a custom jewelry show on the 19th and they could make anything she wanted. So, that's what I did.. I gave her a nice thing of flowers and a card that explained the custom jewelry thing and that we would go that day and have her something made. So, Saturday, we went to the jewelry store and she picked out her necklace and had a ruby (Tiny Baby's birthstone) added to the arrangement. She has been wearing that necklace every time we leave the house. Heather has never been one to put a lot of emphasis on material goods, but she LOVES this necklace. It's worth every penny I paid for it just in the joy she displays when she wears it.

Now, while we were shopping, we decided to stop by the food court and grab a bite to eat. There standing in line at the Chik-Fil-A was this lady. She had to be in her mid to late 30's and about 30 pounds over weight. She had bleach blond, long, curly, stringy hair. She had on shorts and a top that showed her midriff. Her pot belly was poking out further than her boobs and with the short shirt, you saw it in all it's glory. On the shirt was written: EYE CANDY... After seeing that "eye candy" you almost wanted to take one of the chopsticks from Yokohama's and jam it in your eye. But unfortunately, the image was already burned into your memory so you would accomplish nothing by poking out your own eyes after the fact.

After the most enjoyable trip to the mall, we went by my parents' house so they could spend some time with Tiny Baby and then it was back to the mall to pick up the necklace. After that was dinner, putting the baby to bed and Nextel All-Star Challenge. My man, McMurray didn't make it to the All-Star event, but he ran good in the Open and it looks good for his car in the 600 next weekend. Maybe we'll see another good run by the 26 team this coming week. For those of you that follow the Cup series, how about Busch taking out Busch???!!!!

Sunday, we decided to do some work around the yard. Somehow, last year, I managed to kill our grass. Now, when I cut the weeds out front, I have more dirt, rocks and dust flying out from under the mower than grass. So, we've decided to put in an irrigation system. It's in the planning stages, but it shouldn't take too much time or money since we have a small yard. But, even though I have no grass to work on, there are plenty of weeds in the flower beds and everywhere else. So, Heather pulled up the weeds while I FINALLY installed our front porch swing. It's been sitting on the front porch for about 9 months now and I finally got all the parts to hang it today. So, she got the weeds, I hung the swing and she and her mom planted more daylilies around the house. Maybe if we have enough flowers around the house, no one will notice the huge dirt patch that's supposed to be the front lawn. Hopefully, the irrigation system will put enough water on the lawn that our grass will come back. My Father-in-Law seems to think it will, so we'll see when we get some real water on it. You know I'll update here whether it works or not.

Now, I sit here typing my BLOG while #1 Mom puts Tiny Baby down to bed for the night. It's been a very good and productive weekend. You gotta love those types of weekends... Hope you all had an equally enjoyable and/or productive weekend.

Since I didn't have a picture that really went along with this entry, I decided to just upload a pic of the family that was taken on Easter Sunday. The post was mostly about the entire family, so I guess it's fitting.

Whoops..

I didn't realize it had been so long since I made an entry.. Sorry about that.. Been kind of busy.. My wife's grandfather died last week, so we had visitation and funeral days. Then, I went away for 3 days on a spearfishing dive weekend with some friends down in the Gulf of Mexico. The write up about that weekend will be ready in the next day or two.

A quick update about Tiny Baby: She crawls with lightning speed now. She can hold her own bottle while she drinks. She can drink from a "sippy" cup. She can stand up while pulling up on something. She has her first tooth. She can eat soft table foods and crackers with the best of them. And while we're on the subject of food: She has learned that if she drops food on the floor next to her highchair, she can see her dog when he comes to eat it. Fun times!!!!

Unexpected Phrase

I said something the other day I never thought I'd say.

The background: Tiny Baby was having a rough day and nothing I did would calm her down. She was tired and cranky, but, like most babies, was fighting going to sleep. So, she did nothing but sit there and cry. No amount of playing, bottles, food offerings, toys or even Daddy being an idiot in front of her was going to settle her down. #1 Mom had been recording some kid's shows on the DVR for when there was none being broadcast. As I looked through them, I saw a Barney show she had recorded. I started it up, he started singing and lo and behold, she quieted down and watched the entire show. After that, she was settled down enough to drink a bottle and go to sleep.

Then, out came the words never foreseen to be spoken by these lips: "Thank God for Barney."

Hello Charlie, Goodbye Charlie

And so, the saga of Charlie the squirrel continues; and ends. I fed and watered him and come the next morning, he was still sitting on my back porch waiting for me to come out to feed him. Anytime the dog and I would walk outside, there he was running up to greet us. After people had read about the squirrel, they started to drop by to see him. Especially concerned about him was my nephew, Logan. He came over as soon as he found out and wanted to see him.. I took them out back and Logan was, at first timid around around the squirrel. I told him he didn't need to be as I stepped down the steps right next to him and knelt down to rub his head and back. The squirrel was just sitting there letting me rub him. As soon as Logan saw that, he knelt right down and scooped up the squirrel in his hand. Even after two days with it, I still didn't feel comfortable enough to pick him up, but when Logan did, he just sat right there in his hand. All the pictures tonight are Logan with "Charlie." I was originally going to name him "Earl the Squirrel" but, as always, everyone hated my idea and Logan said he was going to be called Charlie. So, Charlie, it is. Logan really bonded with Charlie. They played for close to an hour.

They had to leave for a previous engagement, but I figured I'd see them later. And, after they were done, Logan and Brother-in-Law, Dale, (yes, my sister's husband's name is Dale) came over to check out Charlie. We all watched Logan with Charlie and started to wonder about Charlie. As I mentioned before, he has a bum foot. It was working much better on this day than it did the day before, but the two things got us wondering. Because he really trusted people and had a bad foot, was he being raised in some rehab place and was around humans already? Or, was he just a retarded squirrel that didn't have motor skills and didn't know better? No idea. But, watching Logan play him, it didn't matter. After they were done playing, the sun had gone down and it was getting chilly out. Logan had taken Charlie in his hand and started to rub an area of his back. Charlie curled up into a ball and had fallen asleep!! No kidding, he had a sleeping squirrel in his hand. Since it was getting cold, Logan couldn't stand the thought of just putting him on the cool ground, so we went in, got a box, cut a hole out for him to get in and out, Logan loaded it with grass and put him in there for the night, right by the bottom step where I had his food and a water bowl set out. We all went in for the night.


The next day, today, I stayed home with a sick baby. So, when I got time, we went outside to check on Charlie. He was no where to be found. We looked all over the yard, in the box, under the porch and he wasn't anywhere. Even the dog couldn't sniff him out. All throughout the day, each time I let the dog out, we went out looking for him to no avail. Logan even came by after school to check on him and I had to tell him he had bugged out. Of course, he had to check for himself, so he searched everywhere and Charlie wasn't around. Logan and his Dad had decided that if Charlie was still here, they were going to keep him and take him up to the Animal Rehab place in Atlanta. Very nice thought, but there was no need. I guess we gave Charlie enough food, water and attention to where he felt better and decided to go off and be a squirrel. Maybe we did some good. I just hope he doesn't come back to chew on my water pipes like his elders have done in the past.

Tiny Baby is doing better. We found out why she was running a fever. We have a tooth!! We just noticed it yesterday. This whole time, we thought she was teething, but never felt anything. Some babies will run a fever when they are teething. Then, while my sister was over here, she was playing with her and as she put her head down, Ansley opened her mouth and we saw her first tooth is on the top and not the bottom like most babies have. That's why we never felt it. So, we have our first tooth.

We also want to wish my Sister good luck this week. She has her first, of two, major surgeries this week. Wednesday to be exact. So, good luck and we'll be around if y'all need anything.

Long Week

So ends a long week. #1 Mom was on a business trip in Atlanta all last week and it was just me and Tiny Baby for the week. During the evenings, it was no big deal. She has a schedule and as long as your stick to it, it’s all good. The mornings, however, were a different story. I normally leave for work around 6:10 am. On most days, Tiny Baby isn’t even awake when I leave. So, for this week, I had to change up my routine. Well, in reality, I did everything the same every morning, but when I was ready to leave, I just waited for her to wake up. That ranged all week from 6:15 to 7:00. So, I did her morning stuff, got her to daycare and was anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour late for work each day. Again, no big deal. I just took that much leave that I was late each day. #1 Mom and I, both, were a bit hesitant about this week. I’ve had evenings that it was just the two of us, but never an entire day, much less a whole week. Well, I am happy to say, we blazed through the week without nary an incident. Everyone is good and I think even Heather was a bit surprised at how well we did.

Now, here’s a bit of Middle Georgia Better Business Bureau information for any of you in this area. If you need any glass replaced or repaired in your vehicle DO NOT use Safelite Auto Glass in Warner Robins. Here’s the story: I got my windshield broken on my way back from Florida back in November. After the cold/heat/cold/heat we’ve had, the crack stretched all the way across the windshield, so I figured it was time to replace it. I called every window business in the phone book and Safelite was the cheapest. So, I set an appointment with them for the coming Friday. Come Friday, the tech called and told me he had broken my windshield and wouldn’t be replacing mine that day. I was ok with that (things happen) and asked when he could do it. He said he’d be there Monday. Cool. Monday came and went with no word and no windshield. So, Tuesday morning, I called the company after they opened. I had already decided to talk to a Supervisor or Manager because I wanted to see what the excuse was and what they intended to do to keep me and any person I run into as a potential customer. When I asked for either of them, I was told they were too busy to come to the phone and what my call was about. So, I very politely told the lady the deal and what my problem was. She told me, very matter of fact-ly that no one worked on the weekend and the tech didn’t even get the windshield until Monday. I asked her how I was supposed to know that without a phone call from the company. She didn’t have an answer for that. So, I gave her my numbers (cell and work) and asked for either the Supervisor or Manager to call me. That was at 9:30 that morning. About 3:00, no call back from anyone at that time, the tech called and told me he was ready to do my truck. I told him about my phone call that morning and since his management had no concern about their customers when they had a question, I no longer needed his services. Not only did I not need his services, I would make damn sure that anyone that I had contact with would know what kind of service his company provided. (or didn’t provide, would be a better wording) The management of Safelight never once tried to call me or care about the fact that they lost a customer. It’s typical with today’s society. They figure one person can’t make a difference. Well, I’ve been telling this story by mouth all week, and now I’ve had time to sit down and type it up. Just goes to show, since they were the cheapest in town, you get what you pay for. If you want someone that cares about their customers and does great work, use Glass Doctor on Watson Blvd. 478-922-5339 And, my new windshield from Glass Doctor looks great!!

Now that I have the windshield fixed, does anyone know anybody looking for a slightly used Tundra? The backseat in my ’03 just isn’t real conducive for a baby seat. #1 Mom wants me to have a real back seat, so I need to upgrade to a 4 door. (oh darn) :) So, as soon as I get the time to wash it, I’ll be putting it up for sale, since I refuse to trade in at any car dealer.

Small Scuba Update: Dive Buddy Dee has scheduled her trip to get her Advanced Open Water rating. I’ll list her Congrats here when she passes her check dives. Good Luck!!!

Good to be Home

I’m finally writing one of these entries from my own computer chair. I’ve been home a week and what a week it has been. Of course, when I got home, I had a “Honey Do” list that was about as long as my arm. Taking care of a baby full time by yourself takes time away from doing other things such as changing out light bulbs, checking the mail and other small tasks around the house. Not to mention the garbage disposal went out while I was gone. So, after troubleshooting it and realizing it was, in fact, the unit that had gone bad and not the power source, I went to Lowe’s to get a new disposal. So, after installing a new disposal, changing an unprecedented number of light bulbs (2 of them I had to use a ladder in the back of the truck to reach), cutting the grass, trimming the crape myrtle, getting the mail, paying my bills, putting away all my clothes from the trip and doing my laundry from the trip, my list was about complete. I thought I was home free.

Then, I went to pick up Tiny Baby from Daycare. They told me she was starting to have the same symptoms that she had the first week I was gone with that stomach virus. It’s going around the daycare and they can’t seem to get rid of it. At the first symptom last time, #1 Mom pulled her out of Daycare and kept her out the entire week. Unfortunately, other parents are stupid and put their kids right back in when the symptoms slow down. Meaning, their kid still has it and passes it right back to rest of ours. So, the first week I was gone, Tiny Baby got it at school and then #1 Mom got it from her. They were both down for the count for the entire week. Everything was better the rest of the time until this Wednesday when I picked her up. So, I decided since she was starting to get sick, I’d stay home with her on Thursday, #1 Mom could stay home with her Friday and maybe things would get cleared up at Daycare by next Monday. As Thursday progressed, Baby showed no other symptoms and was feeling fine. So, I guess her immune system could finally fight the virus. I, on the other hand, had not been subject to it before and, Oh My Gawd, did hit me like a freight train Thursday night/Friday morning. I won’t go into gory details, but it was bad. Next thing I know, #1 Mom is going through the same motions a little later that morning. Great. We both have this virus and Baby is fine. So here we are both sick as can be and no one to help. My mom just had surgery on Tuesday, so, neither she, nor my Dad can help since he is with her. My sister and her husband are in Atlanta for the weekend and the in-laws are an hour away and both have jobs. Tiny Baby is teething and she had a bad bought of pain, so she was cranky and crying all day. Friday was one LOOOOONG day. But, we made it through it and it’s now 5:50 am on Saturday and both of us feel 100% better than we did 24 hours ago. So, all is going to be good. Fingers crossed, the worst is over for all three of us.

It’s great to be home.

I'm alive..

Sorry.. I'm alive.. I just have been so busy with the Holidays, I haven't had time to sit in here and write anything.. Hopefully, I'll get some time during the coming weekend.

A couple of quick updates:
My sister has gone through two rounds of chemo (Round # 3 this coming Tuesday) and she is doing fine. Although she shaved her hair, it doesn't seem to want to stay away, so she actually has a bit of hair right now. Still wearing the scarves and hats. But overall, she is doing amazingly well..

The other quick update was #1 Mom let me have a kitchen pass this past Sunday and I went and helped Scuba Steve out with a class during their pool session. It was a good time and I'm learning more and more about being an instructor every time I go in there with him. He is letting me do more each time and evaluates me when we finish with the Students. Being a safety diver is a great time and it lets me keep up with my skills as well as helping the students learn new ones. The picture is me (with no hair) helping a student do his "fin pivot" in the deep end. Hand up = Breathe In to lift your self off the floor. Hand Down = Breathe Out to lower yourself back down. See? Ain't I good? :)

And, last but definitely not least: Tiny Baby is getting big. She is rolling over, she is eating with a spoon and she just started squealing with delight over the past weekend. She is just a joy to be around. #1 Mom has an Office Dinner tomorrow night, so Tiny Baby and I will hanging out together, just the two of us, all evening. It will be some serious Baby/Daddy time.

Until next time..