The BIG Audition

So, as most of you know, Deven auditioned for - well, I don't know how long we're bound into not saying the name of the show or the "results", or if these results even matter - so for the purposes of this post --- he auditioned for the "show". Also, as most of you know, he didn't make it far at all. We're okay with it... he's only 15, and this is his first big audition. We had an AMAZING time. AMAZING!

First, let me tell you about Sunday. We arrived at 3am to an already growing crowd for 7am registration. He brought his guitar, so there was definitely something to do. It became a huge conversation piece, and we ended up with our own little group of "friends". Singing, being silly, learning new things about the guitar... nice way to spend 4 hours with strangers. Deven was interviewed on the news, and he made up a song about "the show" for the cameras. Registration was VERY quick, and we were home in time to celebrate Father's Day with Lawrence before he went to work.

Tuesday, we got there at 2am. There was a much smaller crowd, and we got to sit comfortably. Deven saw Matt (in the video), and he pretty much hung out with him and a few others while waiting for the doors to open. I made Deven schmooze it up for the news cameras... hey, why not?

Then it was time for all the crowd cheering you see at the beginning of the show. We did all the "Welcome to Charlotte" and some other phrases they made us say. Then the Host came!! He is SOOOO nice! I was so close to him that I COULD HAVE kissed him... I wouldn't have, but I could have... lol!
Then we did he cheering with him. Then we went to our seats and cheered... then it was time.
There were 12 tables in the middle of the arena. You go to a table as a group of 4, and your group sings one at a time. Then the producers tell you whether you went to the second of 3 rounds or you went home. Deven held his shirt, folded his arms - tightly, twisted his lips... he was visibly very nervous.

His review after he sang: You have a phenomenal voice, but you are too timid.
His nerves did him in.

We both just shrugged and schmoozed for the cameras again. There's definitely always another audition... this experience ends nothing.

One great thing that came out of it - he is now going to rehearse weekly again!! He didn't want to do it anymore, but now he's decided to rehearse with me recording him again! He needs to get over those nerves. He's going to be great!!

Of course, this is the CONDENSED version of the story... but if I went into details, there would be too many pages!

I'm TIRED... 5 hrs of sleep in 2 days... tomorrow's going to be interesting.

Thanks for following our mini-journey!

Until next time!

True Love

I've been thinking about marriage these days - more than I have in a while. With so many marriages in turmoil, it makes me think about mine just so much more.

If you know me, you know that Lawrence and I have had struggles in our almost 18 year relationship. Everyone has struggles in a marriage. If you haven't, then you need to sit and think about that.

Anyway, back to Lawrence and I. We've had some serious struggles. There have been times that I have wanted to leave. I've told others I was going to leave, I've told Lawrence I was going to leave. I know he has had times where he was fed up with me. But even with everything that has happened in these years, we've stayed together.

Most couples would break up. Most people - if I told everyone what we've gone through (no, we're not physically harming each other) - would call us both stupid for staying together. We are that man and that woman that you whisper to your friends about... "Giiiiiirrrrrlllll, I don't EVEN know why they still together! Did you hear what he/she did to him/her? If that was my man/woman, I woulda been left." *insert random neck roll and teeth smack wherever you see fit*

I can't really speak for Lawrence, but you want to know why I stay? Love. True love. God has given me my life partner, and I have learned to treasure that. It's not loyalty, it's not stupidity, it's not selfishness. It's not even the fact that neither of us believe in divorce. It's just love.What I feel for Lawrence is something I don't think I'll feel for any other person.

I think it takes more strength to stay than it does to give up and go. Not that I don't understand others when they have to end a relationship - especially if it's a toxic one - but it really says something about the love you feel when you can forgive and continue to love each other as much as you did the day you fell in love. If you know our story, you know Lawrence and I fell in love hard and fast. So fast it scared us. But now that we're old, married, and with kids, it still scares me how much I'm in love with this man.

There. I needed to get that off my chest. I'm praying for marriages every day, and I hope you pray for ours.

Until next time!

I'm a Mother's Day brat

Well, I'm a "celebrate me" day brat. I've had very few celebrations turn out like I want them.
I used to want a special birthday - like something really exciting - but every year, no matter if my husband tries or not, it doesn't work like I would like it to. And I feel like a spoiled ungrateful brat. But then, sometimes I say, "you know, I try my best to give what I know people want, why shouldn't I want that in return instead of a last minute thought"... so I'm a little torn.
This year however, Mother's Day was nice. I received a nice present and planted a garden, with the kids help. I even got to take a nap! If you have heard me talk about how tired I've been, you'd understand why I was so happy about a nap. All in all, a great day.

Anyway - what's been happening around here...
Well, not too much. Deven started guitar practice again, and we're pricing keyboards because the others would like to learn. I like that everyone wants to learn music.
As far as his learning, we're doing lots of review work for the finals. He has to take a national standardized test, so it's not like I can make something up, give it to him, and say he passed the 8th grade. He REALLY has to pass the 8th grade. He's great with math and language arts, so now we're working on social studies and science. He'll be ready by the end of June. I'm happy about that.

Next week, I'll talk about Deven's auditions and future theatre work. I'll also update you all on the Blumey's - the high school musical theater awards. Dianna will be all dressed up for the awards, so I'll have pictures of her as well.

Until next time...

The ball

Ahja's first dance

So the kids went to the homeschool ball on Saturday - none of them danced!! Lol!
Well, Dianna and her friend (who we met there) danced. They learned some old English style dancing - it looked fun.
I didn't stay. I took Janiyah home... she wasn't behaving well all week, so she was grounded. Which unfortunately meant I was grounded as well. We will definitely go back next year - and I will stay.

Last week was quiet - other than Janiyah getting caught lying to her teacher and me. Struggling to keep her on timeout is real... man! You can easily tell there was a lack of structure for 5 years. We hope it breaks soon.

Dianna

Deven and Kate

Next week, Deven starts guitar lessons again. He's trying to play a song for his final. He's really close, but he needs a little help. The studio is right down the street, so it's very convenient. He had one lesson there and liked it. We'll see what happens this time.

I'm trying to record him singing and playing. He's so nervous singing in front of people... he needs to get out of that. Dianna sings as well, but she just doesn't feel like it. It's annoying to have such talent surround you and they don't want to use it. I've asked them to perform a song together... it hasn't happened yet. They don't even rehearse. It's going to happen....

Anyhow - I'm tired, and I have a LONG day of work ahead of me tomorrow.

Have a great night!

How's homeschooling going?

It's coming to the end of the second week of homeschooling, and I have to say that it's going surprisingly well. Deven is really enjoying himself - we get down to business at 7:30am starting with bible study, there's no ten to fifteen minute break between classes, and he loves the lessons. We are doing a lot of work, but he has time to think about what he's doing and we know what he needs to work on. These are the subjects we're teaching him:

We have learned that he didn't absorb much Algebra, so we're teaching refresher lessons; which is fine for me, because I actually enjoyed Algebra in school (well, Algebra 2... my Algebra 1 teacher was an ass, and I had to take it in summer school, where I passed with an A). He should be back on track and ready for Algebra 2 in the fall.

Social Studies - he was working on the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark in school, so that's where we're picking up, and we're going to trudge right on through the 1800s.

In Science, we're going to complete small experiments and he's going to start studying the periodic table.

Language Arts - we're finishing a refresher course on punctuation. He also has vocabulary, journal entries to complete, and stories to read. He finished reading Flowers for Algernon (by choice) before we pulled him, so we gave him a test on that. He'll start a new book next Monday.

Spanish - there's this GREAT conversational Spanish website that Deven LOVES! It's Conversational Spanish - Basics for Beginners. It's really fun... I might even work on it, myself! We're not that worried about how he does in Spanish, because he'll have more structured lessons in the fall.

Music Appreciation - Deven is learning to play the guitar. He has to learn and perform a song for his final.

Home Economics - We're teaching Deven basic cooking and baking skills. He has to prepare a dinner and dessert for final.

Health is about nutrition and healthy eating, and he has Physical Education twice a week.

He also has drama. We want to make sure we keep his love of the arts alive. He will be in two plays this summer, and he has to also see and write a summary about another play. This will also help with his social life.

Speaking of social life, we're attending a homeschool historical ball on Saturday. Deven, Dianna, and Ahja are going - we're all excited about it.  I might allow Janiyah to go, but she was just in trouble for something, so I may not... we'll see.

I think that's where I'll end this. I'll update once a week, and of course, I'll post pictures of the ball...

Thanks for reading!
 

So what’s this thing…

…about homeschooling????  Gotta give you lots of “back story”. My friends know how I am…

Well FIRST, let me tell you my kids’ names. If you’ve read this blog before, you know that I disguised my kids’ names. I didn’t want to expose them to too much on the internet when they were younger because I was trying to protect them from internet dangers. Now that they’re a little older, I’m giving them a little more rope…

Anyway. “Nate” is my 15yo boy, Deven. “Renee” is my 16yo, Dianna. “Bri” is my 18yo, Iyana. I also now have Ahja(13) and Janiyah(9). They’re new additions – they weren’t part of the blog in 2008 and 2009. They also had their own internet identity before they moved here, so there’s no use disguising their names.

So Deven has been struggling with school since… well, since they stopped stapling his work in his composition book. He can’t keep anything together, he’s busy, talkative, and it hard for him to concentrate on one thing at a time. He’s already failed 5^th grade. If you’re a specialized teacher or a therapist, I know what you’re thinking. Don’t worry, we think the same thing. I’ve been running into road blocks, but I’m working on it.

Last year, Deven STRUGGLED! I mean, he passed 7^th grade by the skin of his teeth. He is extremely smart, but he would not turn in his work. He would DO his work, but not turn it in. Talking to him, grounding, rewards, spanking – none of that helped. I took him to school at 7am every day for the last quarter to even get him to pass.

This year – SAME exact thing. His math teacher called me in the beginning of the school year to tell me he was not doing well. I explained to her that I was not at all surprised. She wanted to take him out of the class and put him in a lower class. She said he’s capable of the work, but he’s not completing his assignments.

Same story I heard before, and I told her that. I told her it makes no sense to put him in another class, because he’s going to do the same thing – no matter what class he’s in. I wanted to pull him from school earlier, but my husband didn’t. It’s a creative arts school, and he was flourishing in his major – musical theatre. He didn’t want to ruin that.

Skipping to the end now…

When I found out he was definitely NOT going to pass the 8^th grade, we decided it was time for drastic measures. There was serious talk about moving him to another state, moving him to his home school, or keeping him in his school and let him fail. The other options would have given him a possible chance – keeping him in his school would have guaranteed him repeating the 8^th grade.

After much debate, talking to friends, and prayer – we decided to keep him home. I create his lessons and teach him on Mondays, Lawrence teaches him Tuesday – Saturdays. He has bible study, Language Arts, Algebra 1, Science, Social Studies, Spanish, Home Economics, Drama, and Music Appreciation.

We’re very serious about his work. We are going to finish this year and all of 9^th grade. We don’t know yet what we’re going to do after that. We DO know before we make any decision, an evaluation is necessary. We’re keeping all options open.

So that’s all for now… tomorrow I’ll talk about how it’s going.

Until then!

Helloooo.... anyone out there??

*blows dust off this blog*

Good morning!!
Soooo... what made me break this thing out again???

Well, I blog weekly about my adventures with crocheting (Crocheting All Day), and when I log in, I see this sad blog looking back at me. I thought it needed some updating. Plus, BIG things are happening in this family, and I need to make sure I keep everyone in the loop.

Today, I'm not going to post much... just wanted to let people know the blog is back.
Tomorrow's topic - homeschooling. Yes, we are now homeschooling. Check back to see what it's all about.

So yeah, it's been a minute...

...I'm so sorry, friends and family. I've been working, doing schoolwork, on Facebook, and just plain old not paying attention to this site. I'll change that.

Well, what DON'T you know? Lol!
We had a good Christmas - everyone got what they wanted, and more. We played games and had a nice small meal. Just a nice relaxing day.

The kids are out of school until 1/4/2010, but I have 2 more days of work this year. It's not bad - I love my job. We do lots of good stuff for good people. Since the office will be pretty much empty - only 2 of us in our department - I'm going to get alot of work done.

We just adopted some soldiers. We're sending care packages, cards, and letters. I'm thinking about starting a FB group so others can help... I've asked for help with other charitable causes, but I don't get too many responses. Doesn't matter, I'll still do what I can.

Well, that's about it. If there's anything you want to know, please contact me - I'll let you know!

Be blessed!

Leslie

What we're getting into

Now that I have my car back, the kids and I have been able to get moving. We went to the library, the park, the mall, and church. We've been trying to get to some eateries that my niece and nephew haven't been to yet. So far, we've been to: Sonic, Grampy's (an ice cream parlor), CiCi's and Cook Out. I'm thinking about taking the kids to the Pancake House.

Things have been okay with the extra kids around. They've been getting into several different arguements here and there, and there was one fight. Other than that, they've been pretty good. They all know they have to be, or I won't take them out with me.

My niece and nephew have already started asking my sister to move here. They love the peace and quiet, the central air, and just the ease of it all living down here. She's going to try to get here to visit, and I hope she feels the same way they do. It would be nice to get all of them out of the city, but I don't see that happening any time soon.


I'm trying to get this blog updated on a regular basis, but it seems that I'm the only one interested in keeping it up. I'm going to ask the kids to add their thoughts of how the summer's been treating them, so hopefully, they'll to that soon.

Thanks for reading, and God Bless!!
Leslie

I have extra kids

I was able to go to Philly last weekend and pick up my niece and nephew. They'll be here for all of July, and maybe some of August.

When we got here, they were NOT used to the heat at all. We went to Target as soon as we got to Kannapolis, and when we walked outside, they both recoiled from the heat. It was the funniest sight! Now, it seems like they're getting used to the weather. They like going outside - although they don't stay out as long as they would if they were in Philly...

Yesterday, we went to the pond. They got to see the ducks, geese, and a swan that decided to make an appearance.

I received my official offer call from Habitat for Humanity (yaaayyy!). Now I'm waiting for the letter. I am the Assistant Homeowner in Process Coordinator. Helping people get their paperwork together and make sure their finances are in order. Maybe I'll get my own finances in order... lol!

So I'm looking for a financial blessing - need it. I know God will provide, so I'm thanking him in advance.

Anyhow, there's not much to talk about, so I'm signing out.

Thanks, and God Bless!
Leslie

UGH! School's out...

...and we are not going to have any food. The kids don't understand how NOT to eat someone out of house and home, especially how not to eat all of the snacks... We're going to work on that, or they will be some hungry kids.

Grades are in! Bri and Nate has B's and one C, Renee has an A, B's and 2 C's. They did okay. Not as good as I wanted them to (yes, they could have done MUCH better), but I'm proud of them anyway. Nate has finished 5th grade. It's about time! He had a "ceremony", it was PACKED, and I wasn't able to take pictures, because he was on the opposite side of where we were sitting. He had two lines to read in a poem, and he did good with that. Bri is still going to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays for JROTC leadership training. She wants a leadership position next year. I hope she gets it. She's been working hard.

Lawrence and I? We're doing good. He's still working hard. Next month will mark a year of us being here in Charlotte, and a year for him being at his job. He's excited about the milestone. I am pouring myself into volunteering now. Since I don't have a job, I thought this would at least give me something to do, and I can help people. Also, when someone looks at my resume, they'll see that I've been keeping myself busy. That's what I was planning on doing when I started this whole blog - be a mom and volunteer - but I let myself focus on finances, and didn't allow God to step in and take care of that situation. Now that I've moved over and gave it back to God, things are looking up for us.

Next week, I'm supposed to be driving to Philly to get my niece and nephew so they can spend some of their summer in the south. It depends on if my sister is sending the funds for me to get the rental car.

Well, that's all the updates for now. Pray for our health and strength.

Thanks, and God Bless!
Leslie

It's been a while

I've been neglecting my project. So sorry to my followers. I'm back now, here we go!

Bri's trip was nice, I posted pictures on http://thewanderingnomadspics.shutterfly.com for everyone to see. We went to the Citadel, toured an aircraft carrier that was transformed into a museum, and took a boat over to Fort Sumter. We had a great time. The kids were very respectful, so I didn't have to pull out my Philly hood attitude to get them in line...
Soon after that, Bri's JROTC group had an awards ceremony. I left my camera, but she didn't get any awards anyway. I told her next year I didn't want to just sit and clap for other people's kids.

Renee had a concert at her school. She's in Chorus club. It was a complete music concert - the string orchestra, the band, and the chorus club participated. It was very nice - until the chorus got up to sing. They didn't know the words, you couldn't hear the words that they did sing, and everyone started falling asleep. I didn't have my camera for that either, and I was happy I didn't.

Nate had his Karate Graduation to Orange belt, and those pictures are on the photo site as well.
He's looking forward to going to summer class, and he's happy that he's going to be moving up, so he'll be practicing with the older kids.

We're no longer homeless! We joined a church!! Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church, it's not far from us - about a 5 minute drive. We went last summer when we first moved here, but most of the members went to visit another church. We went to several other churches, but we weren't comfortable - then we went back to visit Oak Grove, and it just felt like home. So, we made it home! Come visit us!

We had a great Memorial Day weekend. You'll see those pictures, too. We went to Kevin and Nadine's on Friday, then we had a barbecue here at home on Sunday.

What's happening next? Well I'm still looking for work, but I am starting school in August. Nate's hopefully going to a performing arts school next year for theater (I tried to get Renee to go, but she wants to wait until high school), and my niece and nephew are coming down for the summer.

I have to post a couple of recipes that I've tried.

Enjoy the pics everybody!

Thanks, and God Bless!
Leslie

Man, I'm tired...

... but I have work to do. My room is a MESS. I have to get it cleaned.

Nate's school is having a dance on Friday, from 6p - 8p. Parents HAVE to go. I think that's a good idea, instead of trying to find chaperones, and the chaperones don't want to do their jobs, anyway.

Monday, Bri and I are going to Charleston with her JROTC group. We're going to Ft. Sumpter, then hang out at the mall. We're staying the night at a hotel, then going to the Citadel on Tuesday. There's only 9 students going, and 5 parents - and the teachers are going. There's going to be more adults than kids!! This will be my first trip to Charleston. I hear it's very nice.

So what's been going on? Well...

Renee's friend and family took her skating and then they had barbecue back at the house. She said she had a great time, and now her friend is probably going to stay over Friday night.
Since she was out, Bri, Nate, and I went to the mall and Steak and Shake.

I have to do hair. Don't feel like it. Renee's hair has a mind of it's own! She may be going to Carowinds tomorrow for a singing something or other. I told her no, because she told me SO late, but we're trying to scrape the money together to let her go.

Anyway, back to hair. BLAH!!

Thanks, and God Bless!
Leslie

12 years ago today...

I was rushed to the hospital, contraction after contraction, at 10pm - on TAX DAY! Ugh!!
That was NOT the best time to be on the road. Lawrence and I were in the back seat, the driver (a neighbor) was trying to get through the thick traffic on 76, and none of us could figure out why there was so much traffic.
That is, until we got to the 30th Street exit - then we saw almost everyone get off at that exit. We all realized that they were all going to the post office. I wasn't working the year before, so I wasn't even thinking about taxes. Lawrence and our neighbor had filed theirs early, so they weren't thinking about it, either.

When we got to the hospital, I knew this time I was just going to get some Demerol at the start, instead of waiting for more pain later. I'm glad I did. With Bri, I had NO drugs at all - didn't want or need any. With Renee', I had something that was lighter than Demerol - but only about 30 minutes before she was born. This time, I said, why wait.

At about 12:30am, the doctor said, "Okay, time to push." Push?? Push what? With the last two kids, I have only pushed 3 times, and that was with Bri. Didn't have to push with Renee', she did it herself! So I start pushing, and an HOUR later (whew!), Little Nate was born. Big ol' eyes, and looked JUST like his daddy. I was upset. I had no babies that looked more like me...

Well, tomorrow is Nate's 12th birthday, and he's so excited. We're not doing anything special, and he knows this, but he's excited that he's almost a teenager. We're actually going to Bri's ROTC program. I also have to go to the doctor in the morning. We're still going to make sure the day is special for him.

Anyway, that's it for now.

Thanks, and God Bless!
Leslie

Trying to help my villiage

Okay, don't think I'm crazy (crazier, anyhow) -
This is a little long, too.
I was sitting here watching the Trumpet Awards - I hardly EVER watch award shows, but for some reason I was drawn to watch this tonight. So there's this preacher that I've NEVER heard of, Pastor Paula White, and she does all of this humanitarian stuff. I know, so does alot of people.

God touched me. Made me stop watching and reading my book, and I had to get up and formulate my own plan. This is what I have to do:I am going to ask my son's school if I can sponsor a class. I don't want to do my godson's class, and I'm not going to start this until next year, then my son won't even be in the school - so people won't think I'm doing this for him. I want to buy bookbags and books for each child in the class. I also want to assist the teachers in getting their supplies. Eventually I want to have this catch fire, and be able to do this for the entire school.

This is not done in my area. I believe people think that because of where I live, we can afford the essentials. There are TOO many forclosed homes in the area that tell me they're wrong. They had the programs in other schools in the area - giving out bookbags and books, but not up here. I also see how the teachers need so much - they have to pay for so much themselves, because budgets are being snatched from under them.

This is where, of course I need help. I'm going to do this if I get assistance or not - I know God will provide either way. If you DO want to help, you can send paypal funds to me at offthecoffee@yahoo.com. You can also email me, and I'll give you my address. From 10 cents to millions, everything helps.

Thanks, and God Bless!!
Leslie

The week of children...

Man, when we had spring break, we were OUT!! Didn't hang around the house. If we had the chance, we would go SOOOO FAR away from the house, and wait until the streetlights were just coming on to even show our face on the block again.
My kids, they're here. In the house. Well, one had the sense to get out. She went to her friend's house - he has a trampoline in his yard, so all the kids go there. The boy is here, playing video games, of course. The oldest - her boyfriend is here, and they're playing games in the living room, where I can keep my eye on them...

Anyway. Nothing else is happening. I posted pics from this weekend on my shutterfly site.
Enjoy!

What's new?

Nothing. Nothing at all. Days have just been going by - everything the same. No excitement.

How about you guys?

We were supposed to go to Philly for spring break, but we just couldn't make the trip. Money, of course, but also just tired from the last trip still. It was just two weeks ago, and I really don't feel like driving on Philly streets again right now. They are so SMALL! It was just different being there after living here for 7 months. We would have stayed at Shirley's house this time, which would have made the trip a little cheaper, but still...

Nate's birthday is coming up real soon. He's counting down. 13 days. I don't know what we're doing, but he's excited. As long as he has cake, he'll be happy.

The kids are doing good in school. A's, B's, and C's for all. Nate's ready to go to middle school. He just brought the form home to choose what classes he wants, and he says he wants to be in honors classes. I hope he gets them - and does well.

I'm still weighing all of my decisions. Need to figure out what I'm going to do - where to work. Getting harder, but I'm pretty sure I can find something.

Well, I need to get myself some coffee and breakfast. I haven't been getting up early lately, but Lawrence did some OT, and he's only been home for 3.5 hours.

Pray for us. We're praying for you!

Thanks, and God Bless!
Leslie

Ugh! I got "the letter"

The dreaded "thanks, but no thanks" letter. The police don't want me. I think I have a bad reference, and I think I know where it's coming from. Now I'm back on the hunt.

The trip was nice. Although it was for a sad occasion, we had a great time. Saw lots of family, took loads of pictures. Was able to get a cheese steak (yay) and go to our favorite eateries.

We got back from Philly on Monday, and we picked up two kids along the way. My friend Ayana is in the hospital, so I have her two girls. They've been pretty good since they've been here. The house is a mess, though. We still have unpacking to do, and I have lots of washing. There was no machine where we stayed, so we came home with loads of dirty clothes. Also, the 3 year old wasn't feeling well, and she made it known in a BIG way while driving home yesterday. She's feeling much better now. Lawrence cleaned the van (we have Ayana's van) very well - can't even tell anything happened.

The kids are happy to be back in school - they missed their friends. Lawrence goes back to work today, so it's just going to be me and the girls for the week.

I'm getting Bri's Sweet 16 together. I have to find a venue, then I'll send out the invites. Send me your addresses.

OH! I started a Shutterfly picture site. http://thewanderingnomadspics.shutterfly.com is the address. Right now I'm uploading pictures from the weekend, and if you're a member, you'll get updates when I add pictures. I think this is easier than trying to send invites to everybody.

Well, back to clothes washing and house cleaning. Will get back to you guys later.

Where did I go?

Why am I not on Facebook anymore?

I know lots of you have been asking what happened. Well, it's REALLY simple. I realized I was on the internet WAAAAYYYY too much, and it had to stop. I remember when I was a teen, my mom was always laying across or sitting on her bed. When I came home from school, there she was. When I first started taking pictures, every picture I had was of her laying across her bed. When I moved out and visited her, she was on her bed. Nothing wrong with being leisurely, just seemed that was all she did.

I see myself like that right now. This computer chair is my bed. Every time my kids see me, I'm in this chair. Yes, I do laundry, cook, clean; stuff like that, but I try to get it done quick so I can get back in the chair. Time to get out.

Now my laundry pile has gotten MUCH smaller, and I have more time to to other much needed things around the house. This works for me. I have also left the message board that I was CONSTANTLY on.

I feel better. I still have my blog (I'm going to post this note there, too), and I'm on Yahoo messenger. If you know me, you can still contact me, and this doesn't have to be the only way you do it.

I'm going to leave my facebook page up for a week, then I'm "unplugging" again.

Thanks, and God Bless!Leslie

Beulah Harmon, 1910 - 2009

My Great Grandmother. She finally passed away, after a long illness. She was the last "grand". She was 99. Hated taking pictures, so I always had to sneak around and snap a quick picture of her. Glad I did, because I wouldn't have any if I obeyed her. Had to eat her vanilla ice-cream with lemon juice because she thought it was too sweet. Even when she was 94, she had to tell me about her relationships, and how she wasn't "giving her man any" until she went out with him a few more times. LOL!!

Anyway, so I'll be in Philly sooner than expected. Still coming in April, too.

Well, in other news - it has been a busy week. Wednesday, I went to the rheumatologist, and I finally have a diagnosis - Psoriatic Arthritis. Steroids or Enbrel are the treatments, but I don't think I want anything just yet. I'm not in crazy pain, so I'm not stressed about it. I can call when I need meds.

Thursday, I had my polygraph test which went really well. Friday, I went for my drug test, and the nurse decided to give me a whole physical. I thought it was normal procedure until she said I was going to have to go somewhere else for a chest x-ray. What do I need a chest x-ray for, and I'm going to be on the phone? Anyway, she realized she did too much and I went home.

Friday night, we drove to Hickory for Ayana and Anthony's baby's birthday party. We had a good time, once we found the place. The place was like Chuck-E-Cheese and Happy Times put together.

Saturday, Bri had her first real date. The guy is really nice, and he has a very nice family. They went to the movies, so I took that opportunity to take the other two to the movies as well. Bri and her friend went to see Madea, I took the other two to see Coraline. Then we went to Hooters to finish off the night.

Sunday, we went to church, then I took Bri to what I thought was going to be a nice group for her to join. They were just a little to unorganized, and when I asked her how she felt about the group - and she said it was a big bunch of ghetto girls. I guess we won't be going back...

Monday, I took Nate and Nicole's son to karate, and when Nate got home, he was feeling sick. He's been home from school the last two days with a fever. If he's not any better later today, I'm going to take him to the doctor.

Anyway, please pray for the Wimes and Harmon families. We're going to need it.

Thanks, and God Bless.