All About the Baby

Seems to me my life, blog and emails, all seem to be focused on Allison Olivia lately. I guess I have officially turned into one of those grandmothers who adores their grandbaby so much it pretty much is all she can think about. Noticed I said "think about". I don't bore people with Allison stories unless they bring her up and even though I do have a grandmother's 'brag book' - I don't even have it up to date with the latest pictures and it is not in my purse to pull out and show off.

I do think about Allison and when it comes time to share my life in blog form, or when I email my mom she is mentioned but our Alli is just about the sweetest blessing since the birth of my own daughter almost 25 years ago. So for those of you who read this blog, please know I do have other interests but right now it just so happens my main one is...Allison.

So now to other updates, Chuck is doing well and keeping busy with the Fire Station and all his classes. Work for him is good and he was even given two accounts to take over. My job is going along but they did lay off 7 people from my office yesterday and I don't think they are done cutting the budget. I will just say that if I don't get laid off in the next few months I will be more surprised than if I do.

My mother in law, Betty, will be coming to visit in March and staying with us. She is looking forward to seeing everyone and of course our newest addition to the family will be here sometime around March 8 (Stephanie is having our great niece), so that will be a special time for sure.

Our warm weather seems to have already returned - in fact we went from having the heat on to cranking up the A/C. We just can't seem to shut off the HVAC and save some money. Our winter was about 2 weeks long this year but it did freeze long enough to kill the grass and plants and one morning our well was frozen and the water stopped. Luckily I had finished getting ready (sorry Chuck for using all the water up!) Poor guy had to go to work to shave that morning. So yes we do get a winter here in FL but two weeks is just not long enough for me.

Hope all is well and everyone is doing the best they can. Until next time.

All is Well

Everything in life is going along great - this week we still have our jobs, our health and our family. I really just need the basics in life to be happy. I also find that the more I have the more I have to clean, so in the past I have really gotten into simplifying.

Chuck and I are going to be looking into possibly refinancing and taking advantage of a lower interest rate. We meet with someone next week to see if this is a good idea... I am all for lowering monthly payments and maybe even trying a 15 yr. mortgage which would make us 62 or so when the house would be paid for. Ugh that sounds so unbelievable. Have you noticed that time seems to be going faster and faster.

Lauren, Ben and Allison have been spending the weekend with us. Our Alli is sick with some type of bug. She had her shots on Wed., so her fever and lack of appetite may be from those shots but it really seems more like a bug. Poor baby is so out of it. She and I took a nice nap together and basically we all have been taking turns holding her and trying to keep her comfortable. I can't wait till she is back to her normal active self and ready to wear that pink headband again!

We Will Miss Him

A special man: Chuck's father, my handsome father-in-law, Lauren's Grandpa and Allison's Great Grandpa passed away on January 7. Thankfully Chuck and I, were able to drive up (really fast) to North Carolina to be with him for his final days. Lauren and Allison were already up there staying with the Mestas Family and her husband, Ben, was up there for a week visiting and Ben had literally just driven home to FL the day before he passed. The passing although devastating for our family brought relief to a man who suffered with so much pain in his life. He is now in Heaven pain free.

The time we spent in NC was bittersweet, as we leaned on one another and enjoyed the company of each other immensely. Laughter and tears flowed freely and stories were shared by all. Walter 'Babe' Farrell was a special man and I for one can honestly say I never met a man like him before!

Other than the above sad news, we have been getting back into a routine here in Florida. We have enjoyed having Allison (Lauren and Ben too) back over on the weekends and we even went to the zoo yesterday with her - she slept through the whole thing but when she woke up...she was one happy girl. It was a gorgeous day here in Central FL and it was a pleasure to be outside with no humidity hanging around.


Allison is enjoying food - so far just sweet potatoes and peas, oatmeal, rice cereal and apple juice but I think we may have a great eater on our hands. She eats with gusto and pretty darn neatly even if I am bragging just a bit.




Congratulations to our nephew, Jonathan and Lindsay on their engagement. Good Luck to our nephew, Gary and Heather in their move to Virginia and Heather's new job as a nurse in VA. We are anxiously awaiting the news from our niece, Melissa and Randy on the sex of their unborn child. We are looking forward to a baby shower for our niece Stephanie and on and on. So in life there is death but there is also great joy in the blessings that God gives us daily. I for one, am so very thankful for all things great and small.

Chuck is doing well, he has been awarded a "Rookie of the Year" certificate from his fire station. He passed his physical agility test and he is also on the Board of Directors for the Volunteer Fire Association. He has been so busy and I am so proud of all of his accomplishments.
He is busy enough for the both of us. Besides my joy is my home (however boring that may sound) as I have said before I am happy homebody.

Tomorrow the United States of America gets a new President and I ask God to Bless America.

Happy New Year

It is now 2009 and may God bless us all. I just wanted to to wish my family and friends a wonderful new year. It was a quiet new year's eve for Chuck and I. We watched a movie, kissed each other at midnight and called it a night! No more parties for us and believe me...I am perfectly content.

Chuck left for NC this evening to go visit his Dad who is not doing well and may not be around much longer. Dad is a strong man but it looks like pneumonia has set in and he just can't get around anymore. Hospice has brought a bed into their house to make him more comfortable. Chuck is joined by his sisters Linda & Debi, his nephew Gary and niece Stephanie and if traffic is minimal and they make good time they should be up there after midnight. It will be a nice surprise for his Dad and for his Mom. I hope the visit is a good one and they spend some quality time together.

I will enjoy the quiet here and use it to catch up on some cleaning and reading. I miss my family when the are not around but I use the time wisely to regroup and have some "me" time.

Lately I have been enjoying catching up with some of my old classmates from high school. This year is our 30th Reunion and the reunion committee has already begun to make contact and there is a website to go to and see all the 'found' classmates. It is fun to read what we are all up to. High school seems like another lifetime ago and I for one am no longer the same person but I doubt very much any of us are.

My best to you all and again Happy 2009!

Summing it Up

It has been a while since I have written anything to post on my blog. My excuses are that I have been distracted, busy spending time with my family, lazy and just plain old not in the mood to sit still long enough to write. I can blame some of it on my laptop, it has reached the stage where I should not have been paying for high speed Internet when all it could handle was dial-up. Ben has tried to work his IT magic on it and we replaced the fan and I deleted as much garbage as I could but still it lagged behind. I am happy to say for Christmas, my wonderful husband bought me a new laptop and I am ready to try and commit to at least bi-weekly (monthly?) updates. Not that my life is that interesting but it is fun to look back and read how things go down or up!

Since I last wrote:

~ I have fallen even more in love with Allison Olivia. She is the highlight of our weekends and Chuck and I literally fall over each other just to hold her. My daughter, son-in-law and Allison come over every Friday and we eat together and hang out or lately we have been playing Wii. Lauren and Allison usually spend Sat. and Sun. afternoons with us too. It is a win-win situation for all - We get to enjoy Allison, Lauren gets to relax and Allison gets lots of hugs, kisses and attention. My son-in law either stays and visits or gets stuff done around his house (or steals a nap I am sure). We all get along and enjoy each other so it is a blessing to live close enough to see them often.


~ Chuck has been busy with his volunteer duties at the fire station. He passed a few more tests for his certification as a Firefighter. Even though he is a Volunteer Fireman - he still has to go through all the training and testing just as if he did this as a full time occupation. He really enjoys the crew of men he works with. Chuck has always been an adrenaline junkie and one to help others so this fits him perfectly. Unfortunately he hasn't been hunting this year at all and our camper up in Georgia has been neglected and I am sure needs a good cleaning. Normally by this time of year he has been up to Georgia a few dozen times but things just haven't worked out that way. I would normally join him too just to get away and enjoy the great outdoors (No, I DO NOT HUNT) but it has been nice to wake up to the crisp cold weather and be all nice and snugly in the comfort of our camper. I usually read and catch up on naps and of course keep the camper clean.

~ I am happy to say we still have our jobs and we are blessed to have paychecks coming in. We know things are fragile out there and the outcome of the election, the economy, the stock market, etc. has us a tad concerned. Chuck was recently told that in the new year if things remain slow for his company that they will need to put him on a 32 hour work week. We both know first hand how fragile employment is. Nothing like being unemployed for 5+ months to keep you looking over your shoulder for the Unemployment Reaper.

~ My mom came to visit and meet Allison. Her visit was as always enjoyable and we were able to spend quality time together and take pictures of the four generations of females which was special. She enjoyed Allison and is looking to come back out here from California soon.

~ My nephew and his wife are moving to Virginia. My niece and her husband in NC announced they are having another baby. My other niece here in FL is having a baby. My nephew in NC got engaged over Christmas. Lots of happy events.

I have hopes and prayers for 2009, as I am sure you all do. I have a grateful heart. I have a will and pride that I need to keep working on and of course the ever present extra pounds I would like to lose but I never make resolutions as I am honest enough to know I am weak. I want to tell my Husband that he is still my best friend and I love and admire him. I want to tell my daughter that she makes me proud and I think she is a wonderful mommy. I want to tell God that I am so humbled and grateful and filled with gratitude that His Son died for my sins and without Him in my life I truly would be lost.

May good health and happiness be with us all in 2009. Happy New Year.

Baby is Growing and Life is Settling

So above is the latest picture of my most favorite baby, Allison Olivia, you make Grammy very happy.

I find myself exhaling and relaxing the shoulders a bit. Chuck made a decision after much prayer and thought and we will not be relocating to North Carolina for the job offer. I am glad of course, since we can stay in our comfortable "perfect for us" home but most importantly, we remain minutes from our precious granddaughter, daughter and son-in-law. There is a small part of me that is a bit disappointed - I so want to leave this State's heat and humidity (I still hope to someday) but as much as I hate that part there are too many other parts that are great.

Life is settling in other ways too: Chuck is enjoying his volunteering duties over at the firehouse; our granddaughter is growing and becoming a happy person; I feel closer to my daughter and I so enjoy watching her become a wonderful mommy to Allison. Chuck and I are making the way back to our whacky sense of 'normal'. Chuck and I have good jobs (for today at least). Paying bills with a paycheck instead of unemployment benefits is nice.

During our period of unemployment, I knew without a shadow of a doubt we would be okay - although I am the first to say there were days of complete fear. I know that the sense of peace I was blessed with came from our Lord. I also knew if I remained faithful, HE would provide and deliver us to today. Thank you God for so many reasons.

My How the Days Fly By

My beautiful daughter Lauren and her beautiful daughter, Allison have been visiting us almost every single weekend since Allison's birth. This has been such an enjoyable and precious time for both Chuck and I. Of course we enjoy visiting with Ben and Lauren too but kissing, loving, holding and just enjoying Allison has been a TRUE and COMPLETE BLESSING!

It seems hard to believe that this Sept. 22, Allison will be 2 months old already. Time literally runs at fast speed around here. I am always telling Lauren to enjoy every single moment with Alli, even on the days she is exhausted from lack of sleep and lots of breast feeding because time has a way of flying.

I know a big time culprit is my full time job... I feel like I am either driving to or from it, ironing clothes to wear to it, making a lunch for it or actually at it! The job is going well and I have no complaints what so ever - well except that I even need to have a job at all. Ha-ha.

Right now Chuck and I are at a crossroads. We have an opportunity to move to NC with a job offer for Chuck. On one hand it is our ticket out of this hot and humid state but on the other (very heavy hand) it moves us away from our daughter, granddaughter and son-in-law. Not to mention Chuck's two sisters and their families, good friends, a beautiful house, and so on.

I am not really open to this move, but as a supportive wife, I will make the most of it for my husband. I just can't bear the thought of not spending weekends with my girls and being 9 hours away from them. I feel like they bring me some of my happiest days. I have decided that I am leaving it in God's hands. I pray and I ask Him to please guide us and put us where He wants us. I am so not capable of a decision without His guidance.

I end this update grateful as always and loving my new role as grandmother. My thoughts and prayers are with those that have been and are about to be affected by this summer's hurricanes. There has been some very bad flooding in our very own city and on our very own street. We are so fortunate to have suffered no problems and for that and many other reasons, I thank God!