Mamabrock Self proclaimed Townie and Diva extraordinaire

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

2010-02-27T17:55:00.003-06:00

We are only into March and i have already started off the year with a miscarriage, so i am wary about what lies ahead. But i can tell you one thing, what i have been thru so far doesnt even begin to compare to sitting in jail, on death row for 16 years, for a crime you did not commit.

I take to this blog to please ask you to watch 48 Hours Mystery tonight and make your own mind up, and act up, speak up, stand up and lets get these boys out......

for more info see www.wm3.org

Gluten free gurl

2010-01-06T11:57:00.002-06:00

Dear Gluten,
When i was 18 i had my gallbladder out, and ever since than i have been plagued by gas, bloating, stomach cramping and diarrhea on a daily if not hourly basis. I have been afraid to leave my house at times and once upon a time my friends thought i was bulimic because i always got up from the table during a meal. My mon and mema both have the same problems, so i figured just learn to live with the pain.
So recently i have been suffering from severe exhaustion, so much to the point that it is sometimes difficult to get out of bed. So i started reading, and reading, and i came across gluten intolerance. I remembered how i always feel better when i am on Atkins, and avoid carbs, so i decided to do a 21 day experiment...
After 4 days of being gluten free, i have had only one episode of symptoms, when i licked and envelope (gluten is used in glue). So, needless to say i am passing on what i have learned with my family and others....So, bread, and pasta, i love you....but you have to go....Cake, i will miss you the most...Gluten, you can suck it...Love, Shea

2010???

2009-12-30T21:44:00.001-06:00

How can 2010 possibly be any better than 2009....I am skeptical...

Have a funky funky christmas

2009-12-08T16:12:00.002-06:00

Break out the eggnog and the Peppermint Mocha coffee creamer and lets celebrate. Get out your copy of The New Kids on the Block Christmas and put up the tree....

Ddub in ATL

2009-11-08T10:56:00.002-06:00

You would think that 7 shows in 7 cities in 7 months would be enough, right? Hell no. I have decided to travel to ATL in less than 2 weeks for Donnie's record release party. Can i get an "amen". Amen

Shootout at CEC

2009-11-02T12:37:00.005-06:00

And the best part of the night??? The shootout at CEC..... So much for not letting my kid play with guns???

oh....And the moms had fun too...

Turning 5 is awesome

2009-11-02T12:03:00.003-06:00

So, yesterday was coens 5th birthday...I know i know, i cant believe he is 5 either. We made a fabulous volcano cake, had a blast doing slime and bottle rockets at the Discovery Center, and ended the evening a Chuck E Cheese with some of our neerest and dearest....Chhheck it out..
The cake

Moo and TT playin

Making Slime

Getting wet

Riding bob

This is HAlloween, This is Halloween

2009-11-02T11:55:00.005-06:00

Mimi and Bopah

The Mt St Coen

Baby J

Washing out the red

A night full of laughter, and chilly temperatures made it feel like Halloween again. Hot chocolate, rice crispy treats and family....Nice

5 years ago

2009-10-31T23:16:00.003-05:00

Five years ago today i was snuggled up in bed on the labor and delivery ward at MTMC with an iv and a bedside commode, being induced, watching Fargo, and awaiting the birth of my first child.....
Sweet boy, love of my life, greatest thing i have ever done, I love you a million trillion, more than life itself.....

Here's to another great 5 years

Mt St Helens Coen

2009-10-28T22:30:00.003-05:00

So, when i asked Coen what he wanted to be for halloween, he said volcano......So i made it happen

Movin out

2009-10-28T22:24:00.002-05:00

So much has been going on lately around here, with my health and back and pneumonia and the whole mess with the swine flu. I havent had a whole lot of time to deal with a very large change that has been going on in my life.
While we were in Florida, mema had a "stroke" or what the docs thought was one and went into the hospital and later rehab. Everyone decided she could no longer care for herself on her own, so she decided to move into the Stones River Manor. We all got together the other night to pack her up and clean out the apartememnt. I realized, coen would no longer be going over there, which he has done every wednesday since he was born, and never would mema fix me a lunch or ask me to sit a spell....And it makes me extremely sad.... I know she is making friends and getting taken care of, but it is sad, and a little big for me to wrap my head around.

And it was difficult that i couldnt help my mom anymore than i could, being as sick as i was.....

Here piggy piggy

2009-10-24T22:05:00.002-05:00

Ok, so last Sunday i was admitted to the hospital, and spent 3 days there with Pneumonia and suspected swine flu..Woohoo. Just let me tell you it sucks...I am a week out, tomorrow and i am still just barely making it. I went to Walmart last night and managed to walk to the mailbox today, and let me tell you, these are no small feats.

I dont think i really realized how sick i was. It's bad when you call the docs office to make a follow up appt and the nurse actually says, "wow you were a really sick girl." I have a hard time not asking for help and being really independant, so it has been really really difficult to just stand back and let the house go, and the laundry go, and the dishes pile up, and just expect denton to pick up most of the work. He keeps saying, in sickness and in health, and you would do it for me, but i still feel bad. Thank god Coen had plans in McMinnville this weekend, it has given me a chance to really rest.

Now i just gotta finish his costume, get ready for Halloween and plan the week....Yah

Pimp my wagon

2009-10-15T19:54:00.002-05:00

Okay i had 9 months worth of stuff for Lil H, so the usual gift basket wouldnt do....so i got a wagon and TT helped me paint it, and we aunts had a blingin out the wagon party

She's crafty

2009-10-15T19:52:00.002-05:00

So here are some pics of the stuff i did for Lil h...all the emroidery is hand done, and the quilt is hand quilted...snatch

Fashion diva

2009-10-15T19:15:00.001-05:00

letting him pick out his own clothes is getting, rather interesting

Sweet boy

2009-10-10T13:34:00.003-05:00

Coen has been soooo sweet the past few days, so far i am liking 5

Oh my aching back

2009-10-02T13:44:00.002-05:00

Ok, so i have decided this will be the first, and last post i will do concerning my back (or will try to do.)

Anyway, somewhere in the middle/end of July i woke up one day in excrutiating pain and i couldnt get out of bed. I went to my PCP and he diagnosed muscle strain, sent me home with muscle relaxers and pain pills. I healed up after 2 weeks of meds and rest. No one knows if this was triggered by the Physical Therapy i was receiving for my feet or not.

I woke up again around the 24th of August in severe pain once again and couldnt get out of bed. Thursday night I ended up in the er and recieved muscle relaxers and pain pills and sent home. Saturday night i couldnt stand it anymore, nothring was helping. I wasnt sleeping and was in one constant spasm. So we headed back to the er. The xray was clear and after 16 mg of Morphine, and a little stronger pain med i went home. The following Tuesday i went to see a new doc, Dr Newton. He basically told me to suck it up, refused to do and MRI and sent me home, telling me to come back in 2 weeks. I went back the next Friday to get a refill on my meds and he told me to take Tylenol.

So this went on for 3 weeks. The cocktail of pain meds and muscle relaxers, accupuncture, and not even being able to get out of bed to make my son breakfast. So, Coen went to McMInville one weekend and i woke up completely covered in hives. My hands looked like sausages and were completely swollen so bad i couldnt write. Tuesday i had an appointment with a Chiropractor and and appt at the Neck and Back pain center. Both docs susspected a disc injury and Dr Moran's PA sent me for a MRI. The same test Dr Newton had refused a month before.

They discovered i was allergic to the Percocet and started me on a new med, the physical therapy finally started and the chiropractor trips seemed to help. The Monday after my birthday i went in for the results of my MRI. The PA, gave me an exam and kept asking if i had leg and hip pain. He told me i had Degenerative Disc Disease, involving 2 discs on the right and 1 on the left. He told me he believed i was in alot of pain, and probably would always be in pain. He told me that my discs involved really wouldnt let me have any kind of surgery, and basically i would have to live with this the rest of my life. He said nurses have the worst backs...

So here i am. I missed the entire month of September, because i was in pain. I am in pain, varying degrees, every day. I am trying to comes to terms with this, yes i know it could be worse, but for right now, i pretty much sucks for me. I dont know what i can or cant physically do. I dont know if i wll be able to nurse the way i want for the rest of my career. I dont know if i will be able to hoop. Everything is up in the air...I had steroid injections in my spine, my next step and so far cant tell a difference. We will see

Daddy got out the clippers, and mama almost cried

2009-08-27T23:20:00.002-05:00

What do you think....it is cute, shows off his big eyes, but i like it a little longer, to cover the 8 head he got from his mama

Punkin!!!!!!!!

2009-08-27T23:07:00.005-05:00

Ok, so we compost in this house, yes we do. I save up my veggie, fruit, and coffee scraps and feed them to my lil wormie friends downstairs. While Denton, he likes to "compost" his own way, and by "compost" i mean open the door and throw things out into the yard... Well sometime last fall Denton took the rotten, falling apart pumpkin off the front porch and hurled it to the side of the house where, we totally forgot about it....

Well a few months ago, while mowing the lawn, Denton stopped and ran in, dragging me into the yard to look at what he found. It was a huge plant, with beautiful orange blooms and a little round "melon" of some kind growing. We all threw in our 2 cents, i said pumpkin and Denton and Coen said Watermelon. well it ws a pumpkin, obvious when it turned orange, that we had to pick the other day...

Funny thing is it is now Coens best friend, "punkin friend" actually. He plays cars with it, sleeps with it and even took it to memas, how cute. He said it is hard on the outside to protect it's "babies" and when it rots we are gonna dig out the seed babies and plant em... awe

I cant plant things that grow, but my husband farms by accident....nice

Good times, good times

2009-08-23T17:36:00.002-05:00

Lemme tell you, it has been a pretty schweet weekend here at the Brock household. Mother nature has decided to let us have a "sneak peek" at autumn and let me just say, if i could have dragged my bed outside and would have had the assurance that i would NOT be eaten alive by mosquies than i might have just lived put there. You almost had to have a little cardie on, it was a lil breezy. The days have been in the 70s with a nice breeze. Heaven....
Friday night was Passion Party night, and we hooked up the Stripper pole in the living room and had some dranks, some lil weenies and boob cupcakes and talked sex. It was too much fun.
Around 2 am Angel, Dusty, Michelle and i decided to head for, where else, Waffle House, and that is where the night took a different, yet hilarious turn. (Angel blogged about the night on her blog, but left out alot of the dirtay stuff because her family ACTUALLY READS her blog, but since no one reads this anyway, i am gonna get dirty.)
So as we open the door and walked in these 2 rowdy rodeo guys yelled "woowee were'd you ladies come from? Can i come over there and make out wid cha." He was obvously BLASTERED, so we laughed along with everyone else in the WH and headed to the booth. We overhead him and his friend talking about going to the rodeo, and they were all decked out in Stetsons, belt buckles the size of a dinner plate, and really tight jeans. So we were all laughing, when Dusty thought it would be a good idea to give him a boob sucker we got from the party. Michelle begged us not too certain it would not be a good idea, but we thought it would be hilarious.
So after the waitress handed him the sucker he yelled out, "ooh are those titties? I'm gonna get carpel tunnel from sucking on these titties." At that point he thought it would be a good idea to come over and chat with us.... Nice. And instead of joking with the whole table, he targeted in on Michelle, the only one who didnt want to do it. She was soooo emberassed. He kept hitting on her, and she politely said no, and he replied "well i just wanted to eat your pussy for 45 minutes and buy you breakfast." We lost it. I just laughed behind my menu. He eventually got the hint and walked back to the counter to join his friend.
So we hysterically laughed, ordered and ate our food and were quite pleased to see him and his friend leave. The rodeo cowboys walked out, and than after a second the drunk one walked back in. He said "women got some excuses for turning me down, like i didnt shave or i got my menstraul, and cause my trucks dirty. But let me tell ya i'll ride in mud and f##k in blood." and walked out....
Menstual, who has had there menstrual since 1950???? We laughed for hours over that.... I drug my drunk ass in about 4am and passed out.
Saturday i slept till noon and did a lil work on the computer than i picked up Coen and Mimi's and headed to the Hoke' household for my lil man Kendans 2nd birthday.The weather was gorgeous and we played and laughed all afternoon with some great friends.
Sunday found us getting up and working on crafts. Spending some time playing at Camous school playground .....
I hope the weather stays as good

A Day in photos

2009-08-20T14:28:00.008-05:00

This is last Sunday in pictures

Morning of making paper

Hey i got a room full of toys but let me beat holes in this box

Lunch

Following dad on the mower (best pic of the summer)

even my cat likes to hoop

They fucking forgot my birthday, and other summer ramblings

2009-08-20T08:54:00.016-05:00

All righ, all right. I havent blogged in awhile. Every time i type that i am going to deffinately blog more, i just dont. I dont know if i get to busy, or if i get performance anxiety or what. I am currently pointing fingers at a certain quilt i have been busting out.... Anywho, quick recap. So what do i think about when i think of John Hughes. I remember the summer of maybe 86. We had just gotten a our first vcr (yes i am old) and we had 2 movies. Sixteen Candles and Nightmare on Elm Street. My friend Brandy and i watched those 2 movies over and over, I guess somehwere that says alot about me. John Hughes would go on to be responsible for many other great movies from my youth, Breakfast Club, Some Kind of Wonderful, Pretty in Pink, National Lampoons Vacvation, Ferris Beuller and Weird Science. But Sixteen Candles was, and always will be my favorite. It was a little bit of Molly's natural beauty, her goofy parents, her hilarious grandparents, her ridiculous brother, her sharp best friend friend and her love Jake. I love the fact that the geeky girl got the guy, and got worshiped by the geek in return. I loved how he knew exactly what teens were thinking, and he introduced us to so many talents, including my love John Cusack. He shaped the way i think about movies, inforced a love of comedy, and just really stood out as an iconic figure to me. I Loved John Hughes........

Ah, what can i say, i am a lucky girl. My summer was bookended by some of my favorite boys. Started with Donnie and ended with Adam. A kind of ironic mirror image of my youth, hmmm. Let me think about that.... SO, anyway. A rainy night a few weeks ago me, Dave and my brother Luke headed on up to my fave place in Nastyville. It was sold out so the venue was packed and at 8,all 16 members of the 3 bands that would play that night took the stage and rocked out the opening with a cover of Van Morrisons "Caravan," and i knew i was in trouble. Frontman Adam Duritz decided instead of opening acts, the 3 bands and friends would play together in a big jam all night. And thats what they did for four straight hours, nearly blowing the roof off the Ryman.

So, Michael Frenti and spearhead took the first solo, and kicked it up with their mix of reggae and funk, and even threw in a cover of Michael Jacksons "Billie Jean", frat boys dancing and sloshing beer. It was a bit of a welcome back for Michael who had suffered a ruptured appendics, weeks in the hospital and a close brush with death to have his return debut at the church the Opry built.

So, i was kinda excited to see Augustana. I was a big fan of their hit "Boston" last summer and i knew they were big fans of the Crows, so i was psyched. They were really little guys, i kept wondering if they were even old enough to grow facial hair. They looked a lil emo, but when the lead singer Dan opened his mouth, mine hit the floor. Dave and i looked at each other with huge eyes and just said, wow. He sounded nothing like he did on the radio. The pop sound was replaced by a flawless voice, love child of Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin. And about halfway thru the show, the band gathered in the middle with guitars only and said they were gonna do an acoustic tribute to the Ryman, and did so with their song "Sweet and low." It was so eerily quiet you could have heard a pin drop, and the beauty of it brought me to tears.

The Crows were awesome as usual. Adam was his usual emotional self
.
At one point jumping off a speaker and landing on his knee, that he had injured a few weeks ago and had cut open and drained at Vandy the day before. Never phased him, he continued to rock out.

All the guys were so hapy to be playing the Ryman, all appeared to be close friends and just looked like they were having the best time ever. They played my fave song which i have never heard live, just the way i always pictured it, as a huge jam session.

And as usual, it became a sing along, to Rain King and Mr Jones, just as it should be. It wouldnt be summer without an influx of Crows. Love that man. Stupid blogspot will never upload my videos, so you can check them out, along with more photos on my facebook page...

Saturday Night and Sunday mornings

2009-08-09T18:56:00.002-05:00

Hmmmmm... What to blog about?
I dont know, and thats why i guess i havent blogged in a while. Nothing really to say. Not ready to talk about the end of the reunion, and not really anything else to add...
So, what have i been up too? Working, school-work, trying to keep my sanity, trying to keep my almost 5 year old constantly entertained, as to avoid lokking him in the compost kennel, or say, leaving him at whatever gas station/store we are at and make him earn his living. This summer has gone by fast, which is weird considering how it has seemed to drag on and on.....
I am bummed that i hurt my back, cause it makes it damn near impossible to hoop, and that is like therapy for me. I tried to the other day and ended up eating muscle relaxers and chasing them down with wine, all whil managing to keep the house together, raise a child and balance my big ass on a heatin pad. Priceless.
Anyway, we got our DREAM beach house and will be with Sarah at the end of September...Woo hoo, late bday for me and a baby shower for her.....
Anywho, the Counting Crows concert is in 2 days at the Ryman, so i am sure i will blog about that.....
until than, stay cvool my lil penquins

Daydreamin

2009-07-31T22:00:00.002-05:00

Dream trip #2

Physical therapy?

2009-07-30T10:53:00.002-05:00

Sooooooo.....
I went to my first Physical Therapy appt yesterday. I expected a big room with lots of exercise equipment, the cast of Cocoon and some crotchety old lady named Helga inflicting constant pain on me. Let me say i was pleasantly surprised. I found the exercise room large and new and clean, with flat screens on the wall and nice plush tables to lie on. Not to many old foggies, and my therapist was named Matt, was a few years older than me and completely hilarious. We chatted and laughed the whole time, joking that flip flops were not my friend.
After i walked what i call "The catwalk" so he could see how my feet moved. After that he massaged my feet with a hot ultrasound, wrapped my feet in hot towels, massaged my feet some more, and than i stretched....
So That's PT....You need to see me twice a week, OK, sign this bitch up

Invasion of the Browns

2009-07-27T20:40:00.005-05:00

So...this is what happens when Dusty and i have a "playdate"

We sit around the table, in the kitchen, upstairs

While the kids make a fort, and than go and help them build a "tunnel"

Than Lola does something freakin adorable, and makes me really want a lil girl....

I love having the Browns over..

Coen vs the Volcano

2009-07-25T13:55:00.003-05:00

Here in my house it reeks of vinegar, and not from cleaning. Coen wants to be a volcanologist, and since i am all for helping him live his dreams we bought a little "Build your own volcano" kit at Cracker Barrel that kicks ass. It comes with a mold and plaster so you can build many, many volcanos. Yah!!!
Come on over, we will make volcanos

Ode to a Croc

2009-07-21T11:37:00.003-05:00

So, today i visited my podiatrist and he infromed me, the girl who hates to wear shoes, that i ahd to wear tennis shoes for almost 24 a day for the next 3 weeks. No flip flops, no crocs, and absolutely NO GOING BAREFOOT. Seriously, just shoot me. I mean come on, it is summer, and i am known to even wear flip flops with toe socks in the winter. What in the F am i gonna do, and what have i done to my feet....

My heels have been hurting off and on for years and the past couple of weeks it has just gotten almost unbearable, so i went and saw Dr Toy. I knew what was going on, Plaantar Fasciitis, but i didnt know how bad. Well it turns out it is bad. The ulstasound revealed a heel spur in my left heel and extensive damage, scar tissue, swelling and fluid buildup in both heels. So for the next 3 weeks in am to wear tennis shoes almost 24 hours a day. I can take off my shoes to sleep, but they must be beside the bed and i have to put them on before my feet touch the floor. The only time my barefeet can touch the floor is when i take a shower.....Ouch, harsh.

I am also to take steroids and attend physical therapy....FUN

Fallen Princess series

2009-07-08T12:30:00.003-05:00

I find thid fascinating, and awesome
http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/11918
By Dina Goldstein
8 June 2009
These works place Fairy Tale characters in modern day scenarios. In all of the images the Princess is placed in an environment that articulates her conflict. The '...happily ever after' is replaced with a realistic outcome and addresses current issues.

The project was inspired by my observation of three-year-old girls, who were developing an interest in Disney's Fairy tales. As a new mother I have been able to get a close up look at the phenomenon of young girls fascinated with Princesses and their desire to dress up like them. The Disney versions almost always have sad beginning, with an overbearing female villain, and the end is predictably a happy one. The Prince usually saves the day and makes the victimized young beauty into a Princess.

Fun with Sparklers

2009-07-07T22:48:00.006-05:00

C

O

E

N

She's Crafty

2009-07-07T22:38:00.008-05:00

Pictures from the craft day
The Sewing table

My desk

Lil Seats quilt

Brown Bear and the Batcave invade

Brown Bear painting

Finally quilting

A Sad day for Nashville

2009-07-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a sad day for Nashville as I still cant get over it. My parents have been PSL holders since the team was still the Oilers. I cant remeber how Sundays i have sat in that stadium. How many days i got sunburnt, just on one side of my face. How many times i worked night shift on Saturday and did all i could to struggle thru the day. How many times i yelled and chanted "Eddie Eddie" and "Steve" at the top of my lungs. How many times did i watch Steve pass it down the field to let Eddie run it in..... I dont know, too many times to count.

What i remeber about Steve was his relentless when it came to the game. How many times did he play with a hurt toe, hip, knee, shoulder, whatever, The man NEVER gave up and NEVER gave in. He was an inspiration and a hero to this town. He will be missed.....

Best Year Ever

2009-06-29T22:11:00.000-05:00

Where to begin, i dont even know

7 shows

7 cities

5 road trips

15 plane rides

15,178 miles travelled

3 best friends doing it together

Best effin year ever....heres to celebrating 20 years of friendship the best way we know how

Thursday cant come soon enough

2009-06-29T22:04:00.000-05:00

The last New Kids show for awhile...Balls to the wall....Get the bail money ready, we are gonna blow up this joint

The End of an Era

2009-06-26T11:25:00.000-05:00

Before I turn on "Michael Jackson" tv, before i gaze at Perez or TMZ regurgitating what little tidbits of gossip they know, and before all my magazines come flooding in with tributes and diatribes about his death, i think i will sit here a minute and reflect on my personal tribute to the "King of Pop."

I remember sitting in my Strawberry Shortcake flannel nightgown holding my own copy of "Thriller." I remember trying to do the Moonwalk, and failing, miserably. I remember wanting my own red "Beat It" jacket, coveting my dads work glove, and yes, owning a pair (or 3) of parachute pants. I remember "Thriller" both scaring the shit out of me, and my wanting to be the girl in the video at the same time. I remember Sam getting a case of Michael Jackson trading cards and attaching a pack to everyones christmas present, and the taste of that stale, break your teeth hard gum that came in the pack. I remember Bubbles the Chimp, and the start of Neverland. I remember the outrage of him taking Brooke Shields to the Oscars.

I dont think i have owned a Michael Jackson cd since "Thriller", but i know every word to every song. I have seen every video, every interview and read every scandelous rumor. "Man in the Mirror" still makes me cry, and is one of my fave songs of all time. "We are the World" still gives me hope after 20 something years. And "Thriller" still makes me want to get up and shake my ass. And yes, i am old enough to remember, with vivid detail, that kiss. The one between him and Lisa Marie at the MTV awards, still one of the best "Kiss my ass" moments ever caught on tape. But along with most of the general public the words "Michael Jackson" are more synonimous with pedophile, child molestor, messed up childhood, and plastic surgery. And that saddens me. What the media and public in general can do to a person is truly frightening.

So i am gonna try and not think about what his life turned into, or what the public and the media thurned him into. I am just gonna think about his legacy. Without him there would be no New Kids on the Block. No justin Timberlake. No Ne-Yo, or any other r&b act to come about since the 70's. He is a member of the musical elite, a group so small that their numbers fit on one hand.

I am gonna remember the chubby faced member of the "Jackson 5". The badass that was too cool for 2 gloves, and the musical visionary that set the world (not to mention his hair, sorry i couldnt not do one pun) on fire. You'll be missed Michael, more than i think even you would have ever guessed.

Jellyfish

2009-06-23T16:57:00.000-05:00

OOOHHHHH

Post ATL blog lil late

2009-06-23T16:42:00.001-05:00

Here are some of my fave pics from the trip

Lunch at Johnny Rockets

Our fam

Drinkin coke

naked coke mixing

Olympic Fountains

Jellyfish

Whale Shark

Momma and brown bear

Big tank

MMMMM. What can i say. Perfect vaca. Hotel, awesome. Pool, awesome. World of Coca Cola, rooms full of coke, awesome. Aquarium, I have been to them all over the world and this is now my fave, Sorry New England. Awesome. Finished it up at the Varsity introducing my brood to the Frozen Orange. Sweeeet

Sunday Morning

2009-06-14T11:39:00.001-05:00

Sunday morning

2009-06-14T11:28:00.000-05:00

mmmmm. enjoying a few precious quiet moments in the ol Brock household. Something that is completely foreign since school let out a few weeks ago. For some reason Coen insists on rising at ungodly hours, aka 6:45, making it even harder for me to fill the days with ways to keep him occupied. It really is a daunting task.

I awoke again, at 9:30, after dozing during Disneys morning shows to find that Coen had not replaced the gate and winston had peed in front of the stove and shat in front of the front door. Aghhhhhh. He has had a year sans doggy door to get adjusted to his new life. Seriously, give a bitch a bark or something.

MMMM, what else is new. Had a nice few days in ATL, actually liked the city this time. Got called out on my poor additude (thanks jules) but i still hate to talk on the phone. Found out Sarah is having a girl, whom i lovingly call lil' seat. Proceeded directly to Old Navy to find clothes for aforementioned bundle of joy. Am trying to get knocked up, with no success. Hangin with the momtourage, and trying to enjoy the summer. Trying to make my own iced coffee (damn you Starbucks) since we are in a bit of a financial bind. Wanting to do sooooo many things, but finding that i have neither the patience, nor motivation to get anything done. And my sewing machine is being a douche bag. Coen is enjoying his days with the swim nazi, and i really could use a cocktail.......

The New Kids are trying to make me crazy

2009-06-01T08:57:00.000-05:00

Ok...So....
The 3 of us decided because of money, or lack there-of, J's broken car, and S's being all knocked up and all to not do ATL or B'ham leg of the Full Service summer tour, and stick to Memphis. So when the ATL date was postponed i really didnt think much of it. Denton and i decided to take his 4 days off and go to ATL to finally see the aquarium, go to World of Coca Cola and just relax by the home-tell pool for a few days...

Than i found out the guys had re-scheduled the ATL show for the Thursday after we leave. I tried to finagle D to let me put him on a plane and C and i stay and see the show. But the thought of being there without my girls and wanting a new laptop i decided not to, to just wait on Memphis...

So this morning as i was waking up with my coffee and trying to start packing, i got a twitter, from Donnie. He was already in ATL, at the Waffle House having breakfast. I soon got to digging and found out that all the guys are there, and will be rehearsing all week for the show on Thursday....

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WTF??????? Seriously......How am i suppose to have a mild mannered family vaca knowing Donnie is "somewhere" in the vacinity. Am i gonna drag my son to every WH in the ATL area......
Seriously.... I hope they go to the aquatrium...:) Maybe they will be staying at our hotel... (even bigger :) )

Sunday morning rants

2009-05-31T10:33:00.000-05:00

Life can change in an instant. We all know that. But what would you do????

You wake up to the sun shining thru cracked mini blinds as the hard hospital chair pinches your back in all the wrong places. The beeps of machines and the whirl of ventilators brings you crashing back to reality. You get up cross the room, grasp the hand of your loved one, and push back the damp hair stuck the sweaty forehead. Your fingers travel down the nose and onto the lips, before settling on the cheeks giving them a soft brush with the palm of your hand as a nurses shoes squeak into the room. She fiddles with the liquid feeding that is snaking into your nose keeping you alive. You havent stirred in days, the doctors pronounced you brain dead hours ago. You were an organ donor, you had an advance directive, you never wanted to live off machines, never wanted to be fed by a tube shoved down your nose. You always said, "When i turn down a good steak, letme go." We made important decisions together, live and death decisions, decisions that no one will now pay any attention too. We had been together for over a decade. We had a home togehter, children together, a life together. We were planning a vacation, starting a business, enjoying just being a family, being in love, having it all.

But all those dreams died when your brain did. As a same sex couple we are not recognized by the government. I have no say so in your health decisions, so instead of allowing me to honor your wishes, the doctors do what others want, people who had no clue who you were. Our children, not mine, they will more than likely be given to your family. Remember them? The ones who turned their backs on you when you announced you were gay. The house? Not mine either. We cant own property together. I will loose that too. The life insurance? Not mine. It will likely also go to your parents, the same people who threw you out on your ass when you decided not to play by their rules.

Everything we worked for, this life we had built together....Gone, just because we are of the same sex. Just because we live this "Life" that so many people dont, or wont choose to understand. There is so much hate and evil in the world. How is love in any capacity wrong. There are so many children in foster care who need homes, where they are protected, safe, and loved. But only if the parents are of the opposite sex. We wouldnt want them confused, rather neglected, starved for attention , and turned out when they turn 18.

Heaven forbid people use the word "marriage." The word holds so much ammunition. So the bible says " a marriage is between a man and a woman." The bible also says "do not judge less you be judged." Judgung is gods job, not mans. God asks us to love one another.

I was raised in the Church of Christ. I never knew anyone who was gay growing up. I dont have any close "gay" friends, but i do have aquantances who are. I was raised by parents who allowed me to find the world as i chose, who knew i was smart enough to make my own mind up. I quit the church because we had to many conflicting views. But i still believe in god. I have a more spiritual relationship now than i ever had just filling a pew. I believe in a loving god, who wants us all to be kind to one another. But i also believe in a strict god who doles out his punishments. But that is HIS job, not mine. And i will raise my son that way.....

Anyway, thats how i feel..... Thats what is on my mind today

Hello Summertime, i did not think you would show

2009-05-30T14:08:00.000-05:00

Well....what do i have to say for myself????
Not much....Ever since i got Violet a week ago i have been catching up on my "computer" time. AKA, cyber-stalking the New Kids, planning a family trip to ATL next week and lanning craft ideas. Challenging huh?

Summer started and i am now deep into "keep Coen entertained" mode. We have already been to the lake, the zoo, twice, and the splash pad. Oh and dont forget the Discovery Center. Been there too, more than i can count. We are getting to spend some good time with friends. Hangin with the gang at Lola Browns birfday and setting up Google calendars to kkep in touch. We even got to spend a few hours with the "Ever elusive Hartley clan" which is always a blast.

Anyway, in a different world, i would be in Birmingham on a hot pavement somewhere. Oh well. Back to crafts and ANTM marathon............

Coffee zombie

2009-05-26T11:22:00.001-05:00

my husband lovingly refers to me as this now....nice

Marvelous

2009-05-24T12:53:00.001-05:00

I am so over the media right now..... Miley Cyrus fat? Really? Seriously? I think she is fabulous. I would looooove to look like her....Here are a few more chics who i think are fabulous....What do you think?

New Baby

2009-05-24T00:11:00.000-05:00

A big ol welcome to the family, my new laptop, aint she a b-e-a-u-t-y

Let the battle of the boys begin

2009-05-24T00:08:00.001-05:00

Hoop-erapy

2009-05-13T20:21:00.001-05:00

So, i closed my pity party and headed to Campus school playground to hoop while Coen played....Now my fave place in the 'boro to hoop..... My wrists hurt, my thighs ache and my hands are once again black and blue; but my soul feels good, and that is what i was after all along...ps, the boot is off, and i hoop better now than before i wore it. I guess all that hooping while wearing pirate boot paid off. Though i will miss Sunny calling me the 'lil pirate in class.

A post- mothers day blog

2009-05-11T12:37:00.001-05:00

I dont know why, but for some reason, every mothers day has been a bust. The first year i had to work, the second year D got horrible poison ivy all over his face and i had to drive home from Alabama with my own private version of the elephant man. I dont remember last year. And this year, i woke up to Coen throwing a card at me and yelling "Happy moms day" while he ripped open said card and flung money all over me.

I did get money for my mani/pedi, and i did get a cute flower cup he made for me at school. And i know it's the thought that counts, but i think it means more to me than anyone else. I remember D saying on my first mothers day, when i asked what he was going to get me, "Your not my mom." I think he was kidding but i dont know.

I always feel like it is a day for me and Coen, since he is the reason i am a mom. And i love him more and more every day.

Anyway, Happy Day after Mothers day, which is always better for me......

The Pirate of Rutherford County

2009-05-05T19:51:00.000-05:00

Wow. What a week it has been.....
Last weeekend my Lil Bro Luke came over to help me build the raised beds for our garden. When i say help me build i mean he pretty much built them as i helped. What can i say he is stronger and hammers alot faster. Anyway Monday I was in the yard finishing the beds as Coen helped, and by helped i meant taking the boards from me and building an intricate set of ramps or "bridges" we had to cross. Well i set out across the yard and fell, flat on my face. A large hole was now swallowing half of my foot and my ankle was flipped over. Nice visual huh? So after Coen quit laughing and i got up, i limped back to the beds and kept working. I know, i was stubborn. So, i couldnt go to hoopd cause i couldnt drive the stick to nashville. So we hung out in town, with ankle wrapped.

Well come Thursday my foot still hurt, but i decided to take Coen to the park to play, and so i could hoop. About 20 min in I could take it no longer and we headed to see Dr Seth at the ER. When he pressed down on the spot on my ankle i didnt know whether to hit him or throw up on him. I did neither. The diagnosis posterior tibial tendon tear/pinch. Look at the inside of your ankle, the side of the big toe, find the "ankle bone", now press into the fleshy area right below that. Thats the spot. Now imagine feeling a sharp pain every time you wiggle your flows or go up and down steps, going all the way back to that spot.Ows right. I was told to wear the boot for 2 weeks and take 800mg Advil every 6 hours.
Well, by Thursday, the cable and on demand went out. By Sunday it had rained since i put the boot on and i was soooo bored i was ready to shave the cat just to see if she would look like Mr Bigglesworth for Austin Powers. My ass literally hurt from sitting on the sofa and i could not find a Americas Next Top Model marathon on to save my live. Oh and i have constant heartburn from all the ibuprofen so i had to stop that.
So yesterday, 1 week post "Mole hole" insidence. 4 days since i started clumping around my house like a pegleg pirate, i grabbed Betty and headed off the Nastyville for Hoop. Thank god... My zen....
We rocked it out to Willie, Lynard Synard and the Spice Girls. Sunny even called me a rock star. Well into week 2 as "hobbly" as d calls me, and ready for a vaca.
So if you will excuse me, me and my peg leg are gonna go eat a clamwhich and watch the finale of "The BIggest Loser,"

Bummed

2009-04-25T22:28:00.000-05:00

I am bummed. My laptop has died. I reapaired it by reformatting and relaunching windows but i cant get my external hard drive to sync.... I have no idea what i just said, or what it means....Techies help?????

Hoopgals

2009-04-25T22:27:00.000-05:00

Congrats to all my hoopgals that hooped the marathon today. You are an inspiration to us all. Thank you for bringing breast cancer in to the forefront, and for lookin so damn cool as you did it.

Nashville earth day

2009-04-19T18:33:00.000-05:00

Okay so yesterday Coen and i headed (okay i dragged him against his will, he wanted to go to the lake) to Centennial Park in Nastyville to hit up the Earth Day celebration. And while i knew we couldnt stay to see my beloved Susan, I thought, this will rock. I can test out some new products, learn some more about composting and farming, get some info about safe cosmetics, and generally just get my semi-green ass groove on.
Wrong, the celebration was far from that, Nashville i was dissapointed, Lame. Here are my top 5 of the day.
1. My hoopgirls, Sunny and Yvonne. You and your bright pink hoops brighten any day.
2. The free bags (damn you Whole Foods and your elusive stand, you were out of everything when i finally found you)
3. Painting with pat, who taught me how to make awesome recycled paper....I cant wait to have THAT playdate at my house
4. The cardboard Bus bank, Coen loved it
5. The chics selling the organic cupcakes. They were awesome, some of the best i have had, organic or not, to bad i forgot your names

Snail Sunday with Nature Boy

2009-04-19T18:04:00.000-05:00

So Coen is just like his daddy. He will stop in the middle of the street to move a caterpillar and has spent hours today collecting snails.... And just like me in the fact that he loves his worms and believes that spiders are for outside only and are just asking to be stomped on when they are in my bedroom, or shoes

In moms boots

The snails

New House

Recycling is fun

The Pizza Mission- Post tornado

2009-04-19T17:51:00.000-05:00

So, on Easter sunday my cousin Kim and I bought 10 pizzas and 48 bottles of water and took off into my old/her present neighborhood to pass put a warm meal and some water to the people cleaning up. It really makes you appreciate what you have.....

The Pizzas

Kimmie ready to go

Looking down Kims street

Round the corner

My friend Dave Gobers business on Thompson Lane

Snapshots of spring

2009-04-19T17:46:00.001-05:00

Including skating, easter, and recycling fun

A year (almost) in the life of our Wiggies

2009-04-19T11:04:00.001-05:00

Ok, so it was almost a year ago that we invited about 2500 red wigglers, or wiggies as Coen calls them, to help introduce us to Vermicomposting. Here we are a year later and we have expanded form just a rubbermaid tub to our Worm Condo, and cant wait to actually get to use all the compost we have made when we start the garden next weekend....So here are some pics of us moving the wiggs to their new condo and some first looks at our gorgeous compost....As always, ask me about the wiggs or come and have a look.

Small town

2009-04-12T00:27:00.000-05:00

I am Murfreesboro. I was born here, and raised here, and aside from a 2 month summer camp stint, have lived here all of my 33 years. I work at the hospital I was born in, met my husband there, and had my son there. I have seen this town transform from a sleepy little hollow into a booming college town. But never have I seen the magnitude of sadness as I have these past 2 days.
How do I feel about life after the “Good Friday Tornados?” Roght now it is hard to say. I go back and forth between anger, sadness, gratitude, and the feeling of being violated. I am takeb aback at the wrath of mother nature on the only place I have ever called home.
The aerial footage of destruction are playing with my memories of childhood, as I spot the building I recognize, and than all of a sudden, with the shift of camera angle I a confused and mistake my surroundings for a war zone.
My family moved into Regency Park when I was 12. We watched the foundation being poured and helped design our rooms. We planted almost every tree on the barren lot and built that empty polt into a sanctuary. My aunt and uncle settled in a few streets away, and so that was that side of town always brought a sense of safety and security. I always felt a sense of warmth when I turned into Regency Park drive, passing the big white house on the corner.
I drove those streets too many times to count. My first ticket was a week to the day I turned 16, on Haynes Drive, around the bend next to Tomahawk Trace. I had a wreck and ended up almst on the porch in the house directly across the entrance to the subdivision. I have set at the corner of Sulpher Springs and Haynes Drive, besides the gray clapboard, years before the idea of a turning lane was ever questioned. Working at the movie theater when I was 16, my fave back country road to take to work was Thompson Lane to Manson Pike, driving thru the battlefield, windows down, Tori Amos blasting out the windows of my Bronco.
After Coen was born we spent numerous amounts of hours on the Greenway, going out of my way to my fave trailhead on Thompson Lane so we can gaze into the gorgeous backyards of the amazing houses along Riverview that back up to the river. I know every step of the 3 miles from there to General Bragg.
We drank Boones Farm out at the Elam Road dam, and hung out at Brians off Compton Road.
So I guess you can see why I feel a little violated. This is my home. These are my streets. This isn’t something that happens here. I know that we are all lucky, that more damage didn’t occur, that more people weren’t killed. But things were destroyed, and people were killed. And it breaks my heart.
I love how the town is coming together to help each other. I love seeing the “good ole boys” throw their chainsaws in their trucks and take off. I love watching my 84 year old grandmother help pick up sticks in peoples yards she doesn’t even know. I just hope we can all get past this, and we can get back to a normal way of life………

Southern Summer Trifecta

2009-03-30T10:34:00.000-05:00

May 28-30th
Atl, B'ham, Tampa
Full Service Tour
Get at your boy......Where my girls at

I got your crazy

2009-03-26T18:27:00.000-05:00

I know most people dont mean anything by it, but i am really getting tired of people calling me, or what i have done crazy. Yes, i do realize i am a 33 year old woman with a job, a husband and a son. But i am also an individual, a woman, who also deserves things that please her, and should be allowed to follow my "passion" without being scolded or laughed at for it. So my zest for life doent come from rock climbing or running marathons but from pounding the pavement and following buses. Who cares that i would prefer to hear the crowds screaming, getting raging Hangin Tough arm and to feel like i belong surrounded by women who love to do the same thing i do.

I grew up with the New Kids, and i met 2 of my best friends due to them. We have spent so much fun doing this and i dont think that just because i am a wife and mother means i should have to give up everything because of that. I am respinsible with my "Hobby", i pay my bills, clean my house, do my job, do my schoolwork, take care of my son and my husband. I put myself on the back burner all of the time so if i take just a little time for myself to follow the New Kids, i will. I will balance my tours with my birthday parties and my soccer mom stuff with my stalking. I like my life, and i intend to do it all over again this summer. Now back to mopping....

To all the haters..Suck it.......

What a difference a week makes

2009-03-25T13:34:00.000-05:00

Yeah yeah yeah.....I suck, i know. But i am trying to pull myself out of the post New Kids tour crash. Coen being sick, myself being sick and the perils of Spring Break. It is so crazy tp get off a plane after the week i had and immediatly put the mom hat back on. It is really surreal. I was sitting in Waffle House with Coen Monday thinking, "Wow, what a difference a week makes." Last week Donnie Wahlberg, my child idol was buying me breakfast and now i am surrounded by truckers and farmers, sitting across form my 4 year old..... Anywho

So i know everyone wants to hear the Waffle House story. And before you ask, No it was no accident, we were following the tour bus from Ft Myers to Orlando with about 15 other girls, but it was awesome and an experience i will never forget....

More later....i am tired

More-Waffle-House-pics

2009-03-14T20:03:00.000-05:00

ahhhh

Hangin-at-the-Waffle-House

2009-03-13T12:53:00.000-05:00

Yeah.........Coffee-with-the-man

VOTE TODAY

2009-03-10T12:13:00.001-05:00

Vote for Coen today Kid #79 Cutest New Kid on the Block at www.1075theriver.com Thanks

Lets get this.....I need this

2009-03-09T14:08:00.000-05:00

Well, tomorrow i fly to Florida for the second round of the New Kids reunion, and boy do i need it. I have been dealing with this sinus/bronchitis thing for a week, staring at these walls, laying in my bed, and hearing mommymommymommy constantly, it is like a non stop movie repeating over and over in my head.
I am feeling a little different this time around. It is really hard to put into words, but it feels more final this time. Maybe it is Sarahs pregnancy or the fact that D and i plan to try and expand our own family this summer, i dont know. I just kind of feel that i need to move past this and get on with my life.....
I may feel differently neet week, but right now it is more about traveling and hanging out with my girls. And wrapping it all up in Nashville. I have been really reastless this week. I know it all stems from being sick, but ugh.....
Will keep you posted...... Wish me luck

One-week

2009-03-05T18:19:00.000-06:00

aaahhhhhhhhhhhh.....

Oscar 09

2009-02-22T19:02:00.000-06:00

So i have not really thought about the Academy Awards this much as i usually do, thanks New Kids.... But i am still watching with anticipation and am still counting my pics....so here they are....

Lead Actor- Sean Penn (academy could go with Rourke althoug it would be a fluke vote)
Supporting actor: Heath Ledger (posthumous or not the bastard earned it)
Lead Actress: Kate Kate Kate Kate and Kate.....nuff said
Supp actress- I want Amy Adams bc i asore her, but they will prob go with Marissa Tomei, but she hoops and i like her too
Animated feature- Walle
Art direction: Dark Knight
Cinematography: Slumdog
Costume: Bejamin Button
Director: Slumdog...Love me some Danny Boyle, but i also love GVZ
Picture: Slumdog (could upset with Milk)
My Faves::::
Adapted screenplay: Slumdog, though Button could upset
Original screenplay: Milk

Happy Oscaring........ and GO KATE GO

catchin up

2009-02-19T20:52:00.000-06:00

Okay, so my New years resolution of blogging more, yeah, i totally blew that. So where have i been lately. Around. worrying about money, like the rest of america. Worrying about whether i was doing the right thing by going on yet another reunion tour when we are in debt, Denton assures me i am still going. And what else, you ask, I am in love. In love with what you ask, Hooping.
I signed up to take a hooping class by the incredibly awesome Sunny of Hooprama, something i have been wanting to do for years, and instantly fell in love. Yeah it took me 5 weeks to learn to keep the hoop up for longer than 10 seconds, but know i am up to 45 min to an hour of practice a day and am getting better and better. I have signed up to repeat the first series again and couldnt be happier. So if you see me hoopin at the park say whats up....and check out my girl at www.hooprama.com sponsor a hooper for the marathon and join me wed night in Franklin

Balentimes

2009-02-19T17:01:00.000-06:00

Some pics from our Valentines Day sushi and bowling experience.....too fun

NK pic of the week

2009-02-14T23:26:00.000-06:00

Donnie pic of the week....

Forget previous post

2009-02-05T15:49:00.000-06:00

This is the New Kids pic of the week....Welcome to your moment of zen, via Scotland

Pic of the week

2009-02-05T15:39:00.000-06:00

Your weekly Donnie shot......You're welcome

We got tickets

2009-02-01T00:26:00.001-06:00

So Iw as in my car Thursday night on the way to hoop class listening to the radio, something i never do, when the add for the New Kids concert came on. Tickets were to go on sale the next morning. Thank god i heard, i got my days confused and thought the tics went on sale saturday. Woopsie.
So Friday morning, butterflies a flutter in my tummy, i got on the computer at 9:30 and waited till 10. I hit refresh at exactly 9:59 and punched in my request for 4 tickets. We ended up with section 104, row KK. Why not floor seats you ask? Let me explain.
There are 4 of us going to the show, the 4th person being my 4 year old son Coen. Am I crazy, you ask. Why on earth woukd i take a 4 year old to a concert. This will be his first concert and i am so excited that he gets to experience it with me, and his beloved aunties. And i am also psyched that it is the New Kids. Not only are they precious to me, but they are also his favorite band. The pic above is him jamming out to the Today show. He insisted on having his own cd and knows most of the lyrics to all the songs (even if they are made up.) I cant wait to walk aroung with him and show him to all the fans. I cant wait to show him all the things that go on at a show and am prepared for the million of questions he will ask. I cant wait to see the look on his face when his "New Guys" take the stage. I cant wait to hear him sing and watch him dance. I think i am more excited for him than me.
So in part that is why we di nt get floor seats. They werent available for 4, and i just felt safer having Coen a little out of the craziness......He is so excited. He cant wait...

Hoop hands

2009-01-30T09:45:00.001-06:00

aFTER A NIGHT SPENT LEARNING A TRICK I COULD ACTUALLY DO, WELL...i WOKE UP WITH "HOOP HANDS"...OUCH, THE BRUISING HURTS, OH WELL

Ready,Set.......

2009-01-28T19:26:00.001-06:00

New Kids blog number 44,444 or something like that....So, last saturday the lovely Miss Sarah-Beth purchased our tickets for the Fort Myers show. 18th row baby, wootwoot. Raise the roof....We have decided to play the Orlando show by ear. It seems like we heard constant stories last tour of people buying awesome tics the day of the show. We even did this at the Tampa show, ended up 15th row with ticks we got that am. Snoochie.
I purchase my plane ticket to Tampa yesterday, swing. And tics for the Nashville show go on sale saturday. Ahhhhhhhhhh, everything is falling into place.
Last week, after 2 days of insomnia, night time tossing and turning i sent the girls a long email with my concers about the weekend. You know, black ops stuff. Anywho, Operation " I got your crazy" is in the early planning stages, but so far so good. We are balls to the wall since we will be celebrating our 19th anniversary that weekend doing what we did when we met, seeing the boys.....Cant wait. FacE Time will be mine betches!!!!!!!

1-year

2009-01-22T20:50:00.000-06:00

In-Remembrance

obama

2009-01-20T18:20:00.001-06:00

"What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government."
President Obama

So i guess it was about 2-3 years ago i was sitting in my quiet little house on August Circle at 4 pm watching Oprah, like i do everyday at that time, when i was introduced to a young senator from Illinois by the name of Barack Obama. He was there to talk about his book "The audacity of Hope," and while i dont remember what he said that day, i do remember the feeling i had watching him. I remember thinking, now that guy has it. He has that "thing", it radiated from his pores and flowed in his voice. He had that "thing" that made me, almost, audacious to hope.
I sit her today in a new world, in a new America. In an America i actually believe in, for the first time in a really, really long time.
Denton and i had only been togehter for a little over a month when Gore "lost" the election to Bush. We sat on my couch and watched, our relationship growing, over those few weeks when we really had no President. Fastforward 4 years,I am sitting in a hospital room holding my son, as Bush won yet again. I remember saying to Denton, "can you believe he will be 4 years old when we finally get Bush outta the White House." And finally today that day has come, and i have never been so relieved to see a man board a helicoptor in my life.
I am not going to sit here and bad mouth Bush, he stood up after 9/11 and tried to patch this country back together, and for that i will always be grateful. But everything he did after that, from Katrina, Iraq, and Gitmo; well i would just as soon not discuss. I stood by him because he was the leader of our country and i supported the troops although i felt it was not the right fight. Today is not about George Bush, he has taken up enough of my time.
Today for the first time since just after 9/11 i feel a real passion for my country. I feel a pride and a sense of togetherness. I hope that people who did not support Obama can stand behind him, hope with him, and help us change this country.
So what is it I see when i look at the face of our new president? I see a family man besotten with his daughters. A father who thinks of his children when making decisions, a man who will not take lightly the effect of our changing world on his girls. A father who wants to teach his kids to not expect for things to be given to them without giving something back in return. A man who thinks that all children deserve a decent education and a positive start in life. I see a man so in love with his wife that he just has to touch or kiss her whenever they are together. I see the glances and smile, I witness the laughter and love that radiates between the 2 of them. In him i see her strengths as well. I listen to the stories of how they met and it seems so real to me. It could be the love story between any man and any woman, not the tight lipped love of someone as unaccessable as the President of the United States of America. I see a man with a vision of a world he thinks he deserves, that we all deserve, where the color of our skin or any of the other prejudices we can create for one another are washed away, because really, who needs all that. I see a a leader who does not want to just accept things as they are, but someone who really wants to fix things that are broken, and find a new way of retooling America. I see a man who thinks that all Americans should have the basic fundamentals we all are deserving of, a job that can pay the bills, a future after we retire, and affordable healthcare for every American.
So tonight I will lay my head down on my pillow and go to sleep in a quite different world than the one i woke up in. I will have a little more pep in my step, and a little more pride in my heart. And yes, a little more Hope that change can, and has come to America. And i can rest just a little easier knowing that Texas is once again complete, for the village idiot has returned home........

Today

2009-01-20T10:55:00.001-06:00

So-it-starts

My space

2009-01-19T19:51:00.000-06:00

How does Myspace know i am fat. Seriously? Do they have some little guy sitting in a box lloking thru peoples photos going "here's a live one." why is it that any time i log onto "my space" there are various photos of stretch marks and diet pills and ads for big beautiful women. come on. Does this happen to anybody else. And if it really were "MY space: would i have ads like that pouring thru... NO. I would have ads for relaxation sites and people screaming "you are fabulous just as you are" or "wow you were a super mom today."
Next time i log on i just wish it would say "looking good bitch!"
welcome to my world, or Myspace it would seem

Here comes my man

2009-01-17T17:29:00.000-06:00

So as most of you in the area might have already heard, my boys are comin to Nashville. 2 Months from yesterday to be exact....Woohoo, that means i wont have to fly anywhere right, right? Wrong. The New Kids reunion Part deux (or duh as Sarah calls it) goes like this:
Wednesday fly to Tampa
Thursday drive to show in Ft Myers
Friday drive to show in Orlando
Saturday fly home to Nashville
Monday Show at Sommet Center
Tuesday have Sarah at airport at crack of ass
I know what alot of people think and i can hear your snickers but you know what, suck it. I have been a fan since 89 and trust me by now i can handle it. I know it is a little different, and i know it is a little extreme, but you know what it is no different than going to a football game every sunday, following your team religiously, and going to playoffs or the superbowl. It is no different than going to Bonnaroo and sweating your balls off for 3 days. Everyone has there THING, that something that puts the sparkle in their eye.

I am so fortunate that my life and my family let me have this life. I am so glad i have best friends who live in Florida and Louisiana so we can travel and see shows with a smaller price tag than some might have. I am fortunate that my husband lets me have my little "jaunts" and i am glad i have family that helps take care of Coen when i need help.

I am so excited that the boys will be back here, in my town, on my turf, where i know my way around....Now if the backstage pass fairy can just remember my address and blow some of her magic my way maybe all of my dreams can come true.....

March 16.....Let's Get This

Somewhere....beyond the sea

2009-01-14T14:13:00.000-06:00

As if i needed another dream dashed, here it goes down the drain. My dream of being trapped on a boat in the middle of the ocean with Donnie Wahlberg has just been set, and booked by Carnival cruislines. And yes, i have mixed feelings about this. A small part of me, the fifteen year old part, would LLLLLLurve to be able to do this, with my best friends. Drinkin, and sunning, and caravanting around the high seas. Hell even my 33 year old self wants to do this. But i still have my misgivings, and here they are in no particular order.
1. Prices start at $900, yep, your read it right. Almost as much as my mortgage (something i did not have at 18.)
2. I cannot, no matter how hard my alter ego tries to convince me, leave my husband at home with my son to sail the high seas with the New Kids (although if someone else was paying i could probably force myself.)
3. I got motion-sickness on the Star Wars ride at Disney, so a big ol boat is prob not a good idea.
4. $900......
5. Of all the people in the world I really dont want seeing my fat ass in a bathing suit I think Donnie-freaking-Wahlberg is right up there at the top. I got diet myself down a hundred pounds by may but i would probably be in a hospital with a feeding tube when the boat set sail, or close to dead.
6.Being trapped on a boat with thousands of other crazy "blockheads" does not really seem like a good idea, possibilities of being thrown overboard in a rysh to get to your fave guy are a real probability.
7......$900
8.I am still hoping that there is a summer tour where i can get in my "Facetime" with a lesser threat of death or bodily harm.
9. I amfraid it will turn into a Rock of Love cruise ship version with skanks at every corner, and that mixed with the alcohol and rocking of a boat is surely to shoot up my hurl factor.
10. And lastly, $900
But the private concerts, meet n greats, and facetime would be sweet...So for all of you, like me, not going, i am with you. And for all of you who are going, i will try and not be a sore loser, but Suck It!!!!

Inspiration

2009-01-11T16:29:00.001-06:00

THIS cracks me up

The-photo

2009-01-11T16:15:00.000-06:00

Okay, so this is the photo that has started this new weight loss endeavor in my life..I had ordered a new dress for Terras wedding, and it was too tight (imagine that) so Juli and I went out t find dresses. I found this really cute tshirt dress that i thought looked really cute on me. It was comfortable and it hid all my jiggly bits. I thought i looked tooooo cute, it wasnt until i saw the photos that i really realized what a FAT ASS i was.
I can hear you now, "How did she Not Know,".... I know I know, i dont know. Even when i had to buy a maternity shirt for work to cover my gut, i really didnt know.
Now i know....I am past the depressed part, and the why did i do this to myself part, that took a few weeks. Now i am onto the angry, motivated, doing something about it.
I have been eating healthier this week and started hooping and we joined the gym, so i am on my way.
I really want to get pregnant and refuse to do that at my present weight, so that is a factor, as is the impending reunion tour this summer....
so keep me and my fat ass in your prayers.....

Hula hooping kicked my as

2009-01-08T21:39:00.000-06:00

Wow.....
So tonight i decided to step outside the box and do something i have wanted to do for years. So, me, a cup o joe and phil valentine headed up to Nash-vegas to atten my very first hula hoop class. Yes, i said hula hoop. Hooping was never something i could do growing up, and i had seen it done a few years ago, so i wanted to give it a try.
So i put my virgin hooping skills in the habnds of Sunny Becks, AKA Hoopgirl, hula hoop extroidinaire. She made me find my "boom boom" and after an hour i was able to keep my hoop up for about 15 seconds, to the cheers of my classmates, until it clattered to the floor.
When the hour was over I was shaky and dripping with sweat. And grinning, and laughing. I had never sweat so much at the gym, or laughed so hard working out. I wish i could go back tomorrow. I cant wait till next week. I ordered my own hoop and i am ready to go.
I think hooping might have just saved my life.....

Disney-isms

2008-12-30T18:37:00.000-06:00

So, sitting around last night at yet ANOTHER, christmas function, we ladies got to chattin about Disney, our recent trips and trips we are planning. This seems to be the pinnacle of mom talk, when are you going, where are you staying, are you getting the dining plan? I find it humorous, like a mom version of Gossip Girl. Anywho. it got me to thinking and reminiscing about the trip we took in September. I will share with you a few topics i rememner........

-The year of a thousand ass cheeks.... why is it that every foreigner, yeah i am talking to you specifically Germany, come over here and literally SHOW THEIR ASS. I know Americans are very prude when it comes to what we show, (we really are, I couldnt believe how many nipples i saw in London) , but come on people.....These shorts were cut up to there, and pulled down to here , good lord, spare our childrens eyes

-The year of a thousand ass whoopins.....kids, sun, long days, breakdowns, not listening. I am not a good mom, i dont know how many times i asked Coen if he wanted a disney style ass whooping....

-Sugar, a moms best friend.....So normally i try to not give Coen too much sugar, but Disney was an exception. On every street corner is a store with candy of somesort, and nothing will sooth an ovetired overstressed child like sugar. And no candy was more available than the gigantic Goofy sugar machines. It resembled a soda fountain, but instead of cokes and Dr Perppers you chose from different flavors of sugar. A pixie stix addicts wet dream,,,,Refillable plastic tubes of Root Beer flavored yumminess

-I paid $80 a person to get into this place and you can only afford to pay 1 freakin Mickey Mouse per park, yeah right.

-"Do you people get off on parading these characters out for a few minutes and yanking them back while children stand here and cry," or more calmly referred to as, Why Winnie the Pooh has more handlers than the Jonas Bros

-Magic express rocks, except when you expect to get your luggage on time. Me to front desk, "Hi, This is my 3rd call, we arrived at 4pm and it is now 11pm, and i was just wondering when my luggage was gonna get to my room, and who exactly i needed to call to change my bed because my son pissed in it because his bedtime pullups are IN MY LUGGAGE"

And my favorite memory of Disney, the one thing i couldnt even explain....... "Mommy what is that bat doing?"?" How do you say, he is giving himself a blowjob honey in Disney???

Game-play

2008-12-28T17:15:00.001-06:00

OK, so let's assume that you woke up tomorrow, able to afford the things in life that you really want. I'm not talking about winning the lottery and buying a Ferrari. I'm talking about realistic things that you'd like to have should you gain some personal long term wealth. Things that are realistic purchases, though not necessarily affordable to you right now. I would love to see your own list posted on your blogs! Let me know if you do it!

- okay, first of all i would persuade the people who own the land next to our house to sell it to us. I went fence it in and turn it into my garden. I would also build a garage with a apartement over it that could serve as a kind of stuido amd guest house...

-I would buy a new jeep, with 4 doors.

-I would buy a camper so we can take off and go camping, (and my girls and i could more easily stalk the New Kids this summer)

-i would screen in both porches

-i would hire a trainer and a life coach

-i would buy one of the little shops on the square and turn it into my Ben and Jerry's, right next to Dusty's so we can holla back and forth at each other like good southern women should

- i would finish my schooling

it's over

2008-12-27T18:27:00.000-06:00

Whewww.... we have had sooo much fun this holiday season, but i am soo glad it is over. Last night Coen spent the night with Mimi, i turned off my phone and just vegged out. So nice, and so quiet.

We started the week off monday with a cookie decorating playdate at our house. We did some cookies and as always we moms ended up at the kitchen tables while the kiddos tore thru the house. It was nice for Coen to get some energy out and always cool to hang with the ladies.

Wednesday we went to Nannie and Grandaddys to eat an open presents. Denton ended up having the night off so that was great. We ate till we were stuffed, opened some presents, played with baby jacob, and Denton fell asleep. Hilarious...

Santa came and Thursday found us opening presents and than heading to Mimi and Bopahs to open some more. Coen is OBSESSED with outer space so most presents revolved around planets, including his telescope and revolving solar system. Thursday night we went to McMinnville to eat and do the present thing with Dentons dad and stepmom.....

whew, here are some shots

Awesome

2008-12-21T10:47:00.000-06:00

Recap, and why i havent been blogging much

2008-12-19T19:29:00.000-06:00

So, my mom was giving me a hard time about a christmas list a few weeks ago. She was not happy with the length of my list, she simply said "Shea, i need more than a rolling pin, a wine opener and rain boots." But i have realized, i really cant ask for much, my plate is full. I have almost everything i could ever want. I have tried to live my life by giving to others and i try and be thankful for everything i have and everyone i have in my life.

So in lew of presents this year, i am gonna list all of the gifts I have been given throughout the year.... In no particular order.

-Sinus surgery and Dr Bell, i still get sick, but in no way like i used too
-Finding our new house, qualifying, and buying said house, we are truly at home
-selling old house
-Jazz fest in New Orleans with Juli and Sarah, seeing Billy Joel in the rain
-hangin with my momtourage, some of the coolest chicks i know
-Disney Disney Disney
-my family for loving me, letting me be who i am and helping me live my dreams
-my husband for being wonderful and letting me follow the guy in the number one spot on my "Famous Fuck" list around the country, and not making too much fun of me. Loving me, taking care of me, and truly being an awesome person
-my sisters, my girls, for getting to travel and hang out with them, reliving the good ol' days
-New Kids on the Block---i mean what can i say, I got to travel the country and see my favorite band from back in the day 3 times on their reunion tour. I mean, come on. How can this not have been one of the best years of my life.
-Obama, schwing

My family and friends are healthy, happy and we will be together. The economy might suck, thr future might be up in the air, but we have right nowm and right now i may be broke, i may be in debt, and i might feel kinda sick, but i love my life and i am trying not to feel like i am waiting for the other shoe to drop,,,,,

So Happy Holidays to you and yours, May your days be bright and may you find yourself surrounded by love.....

Oh, and Coen spilled choc milk on my laptop so some of the keys are fried, so when i am not to lazy i hook up the other keyboard.....

R.I.P

2008-12-12T16:21:00.000-06:00

twixted

2008-12-10T20:45:00.000-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve_c5WxsP1Q&eurl=http://newkidsnetwork.ning.com/video/twixted-ill-twix-it-for-ya&feature=player_embedded

Indiana Coen

2008-11-15T13:46:00.000-06:00

Fun fun Fun.....lots of Dr Jones' running around the backyard, the Bolger cake and yummy chocolate mess on the porch....check out my myspace for more pics

enough

2008-11-15T12:54:00.000-06:00

Reunion: Tampa edition

2008-11-09T09:17:00.000-06:00

Okay, so here is the story......

Saturday: celebrated Coens birthday snuggling in bed and going to his fave restaurant, Sir Pizza. They than drove me to the airport. Arrived in Tampa and Terri picked me up and drove me to the swanky Hyatt downtown to my super cheap $86 room, thanks Hotwire. Juli and Sarah drove in from New Orleans and we all stayed the night at the hotel....

Sunday: Morning of show. Woke up at 6:30 and headed to the venue, but the busses beat us in. Headed to Dennys for some breakfast and coffee. Went back the hotel to check out and browsed the web for info...Ticketmaster decided to screw us again and released floor tickets, row 17, damn you. Sarah was on the phone forever trying to exchange our tickets, when i decided screw it, and bought them. We now had extra tickets so we called Erin to meet us. We headed to the venue to begin the all day curb sitting/bus watch. Around lunch time Joe came out with his family and walked around talking to everybody. We followed the white van when it left and caught Joe on the streetcorner outside Hooters, waiting for his fam. we left him there and followed the bus, which we thought held Donnie. We followed the bus to Target, but it turned out to be their assistant Zack some dancers and Donnies brother.

So we ended up back at the venue. Over the afternoon all the guys trickled out, and my camera, or as Erin so lovingly named it Hubble, caught all the action. Jordan gave us a little dance, Danny waved, Jon ran for cover and Joe returned from lunch walking thru the crowd and getting his son Griffin to "wave to the ladies." Super cute. Natasha Bedingfield came over and talked to us as did the guys bodyguard Robo, who confitmed a summer tour. Snap.

So everyone was getting impatient because Mr Face Time Wahlberg had yet to emerge. So we decided at 5:00 we would leave. At exactly 5:00 Donnie decided to emerge from his bus. He waved and patted his chest, and more importantly dropped pants and mooned us. Nice....

We headed to our new hotel The Westin and got ready for the show.....we got there right on time and made our way to our now row 17 seats....smokin.....The show was awesome and once again we headed to the B stage, where we were pushed literally to the front. During the B stage most of the guys paused in front of me to pose for photos, and last but not least Donnie made his way over. He stopped in front of me, pointed at me and posed. I took the shot, mouthed "Thank you." He mouthed back "Your welcome." I looked over at Sarah and she stood there mouth open, and was like "Donnie so just talked to you." I started, smoothly, to scream and jump up and down. She calmed me down, and nearly got in a fight with some guy who kept grabbing her ass and rubbing his Peen against here.....

So after the show we headed back to the busses and caught Joe "leaving" with his fam....we followed a van, and ended up back at the hotel. We went back and forth after raiding a minimart and eventually hung it up around 3am. We didnt stay too long at the venue since they hadnt been coming over and we were staying at the same hotel, needless to say i found out Donnie did come out and hug everybody around 2:30, dang....

We had a blast, crashed, and got up so Sarah could go to work.I chilled with Jules and Terri for awhile than flew home.....It was a great show, I had my moment with Donnie, and got to hang with Erin.....

Cant wait for the summer.........

Hells yeah

2008-11-04T22:28:00.001-06:00

Wow....that was fast....Am planning trip to DC for the inaguration....Woohoo go Obama

Reunion: ATL edition

2008-10-31T13:08:00.000-05:00

Well......where to start. I drove up, got Juli from the airport and Sarah drove up and met us at Juli's moms. We drove pver and checked out the venue, worst ever for bus stalking purposes. Slept a little and woke up about 10:00 to get ready to meet Mae-Ronnie and Holly, two cool chicks we met at a concert in 1990, for some old school tailgating. We had our tables set up and were drinking, playing music, and having a blast. (we would occasionally have to wander over to the "nature" to pee, but oh well) Anywho, we were by the only road that the busses could enter on so, around 4:00 pm we were chillin, when the buses started to pull in. As the first bus approached us we all just waved and i threw a peace sign, when a head popped out with mouth wide open in a "i KNOW you are not tailgating at our show" he waved and than i realized it was jon. I was like oh shit, thats Jon....Hilarious.....

So we were rockin out and the girls around us started taking our pics, we were the cool girls, it was hilarious. Anyway, we were drinkin, and a little bit after Jon, i heard screamingfrom the girls behind me and i was like, "What?" Holly said a black lincoln just drove by and someone rolled down the window, it was Donnie, and of course we missed him.

So the show was great. We had floor seats, righ by the B stage, which put us about 2 feet from the guys when they made it back there. Juli and some bitch almost scrapped. It was crazy. Jordan kept stopping and posing for me, it was hilarious. Donnie winked at me. It was too much fun.

After the show we tried to tailgate but security shut us down, she was so rude....anyway. On to Tampa.....

Busy week

2008-10-27T12:43:00.000-05:00

Okay, so i know i havent done second blog about show yet,,,,sorry. But this is my schedule....agggghhhhhhh
Monday-trunk or treat, do coens star and finish halloween costume
Tuesday-leave for atl
wed-concert
thur-home from atl
fri-halloween
sat-coen birthday, fly to tampa
sun-concert
mon- fly home
whew, i am tired already

Reunion Tour: New Orleans edition

2008-10-22T13:40:00.000-05:00

Ticket: $80

Plane: $200

Car: $90

Alcohol: $100

Spending the weekend in The Crescent City with your two best friends, drinking, staying up all night laughing, and Rockin your face off at your first New Kids on the Block concert in 14years....

PRICELESS

FRIDAY: Flew into NOLA around 8pm ( after a very easy and vomit free flight). Went to get car and met Sarah when her flight arrived shortly after mine. We headed to our fat-daddy rids for the weekend (shout out to Avis) and proceeded to sit in said car for, oh, about 20 minutes while trying to figure out how to work it....First glimpse of weekend fun happened when the speakers blared out the opening notes to "Summertime" and Sarah and i just looked at each and screamed....

"We are really doing this, it is really happening!" Sarah yelled,

" Shut up, I know..." i screamed back....And we sped off in search of Juli......

Arrived at Juli's after driving aimlessly around NOLA for like an hour, after finally stopping at McDonalds for directions (aka diet coke with big straw, i will ALWAYS find an excuse for you my beloved.) We went to eat at some very dark, very cool bar on Decatur, and ate to the sounds of The Cure, and our hottie Irish/English/Scottish waiter.....We headed up Bourbon for the neccessary Hand Grenade......woot woot, walked around and headed home, after scoping out venue for next days show....

We intended on getting a good night sleep, but after picking up J.D. on the way home we stayed up till 5:30 watching old New Kids footage on youtube and laughing our assess off. I am really surprised we didnt wake up the neighbors, or at least disturb the movie shooting two blocks away.....anywho, we dozed off to visions on New Kids dirty dancing in our heads.....

Stay tuned.....more tomorrow....(hahaha, cant shoot my wad all in one load)

Here is a peek

2008-10-21T13:14:00.000-05:00

Cant blog just yet, but heres a peek at my weekend

Tomorrow, Tomorrow

2008-10-16T21:15:00.000-05:00

Well....the day has finally come, the day i have been blogging and talking and talking and talking about for 6 months, NKOTB day...the reunion is upon us, or as a friend calls it " a cluster f**k of awesomeness".... i cant freakin wait

5 days......ahhhhhhhhh

2008-10-13T11:57:00.001-05:00

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH