Great Balls of Fire!

The details aren't necessary when all I hear is Jaycee scream "MAMA!!" Michael and I came running from our room to see what was going on. We could hear in her voice that something was up and even more so in Darren's when he yelled too. Our door, not even shut but maybe leaving a 6 inch gap before, flew open. All I can remember is I see Jaycee. Okay, just her face. Her body was swallowed in smoke and all I could see was her face, lit up, orange. The entire living room and kitchen was filled with black smoke. I grabbed Jaycee and Darren and brought them to the garage, the only place at that point that didn't have any smoke. Michael grabbed the pan, bad idea but the answer to the flames, opened the sliding door in the kitchen and threw the burning pan outside. And just then, all the smoke detectors went off, scaring the kids even more than they already were. A grease fire. Yep! It happened to us. And what is more ironic? My aunt Cindy, also a victim of a grease fire just over a year ago had sent me an email that same day, video included on what to do when you have a grease fire in your house. Let me tell you, although insightful, unrealistic. Your head goes a million miles an hour and from listening to the radio that same morning about survivors I remembered this: "a survivor doesn't have time to think, they just do." Now let me tell you, you bet I would have thought. I would have thought first, that something like that would never happen to us and second, that I would never grab a hot, burning pan. But Michael did. He didn't think, he just did. And thank god for that! Our microwave, or whats left of it (mostly melted plastic) can still tell time. Too bad it was needed for more that a time piece! haha. That is replaceable. All we can do is laugh about it now knowing that everyone was safe and besides tons of cleaning everything but the microwave is okay. -oh and Michael's arm hairs too. All I can see if Jaycee's face lit up from the flames and Darren screaming when the alarms went off. If it weren't for them, it may have been too late. Michael and I talked to both of the kids about what had happened. Darren was told he was a hero, and he gladly took on the title. When we talked to Jaycee about it, all she could say was "Fire care me, it care me." (translation: "the fire scared me, it scared me!") So sad, but so cute. Both "hero firefighters" were awarded with McDonald's for dinner partly for their good work and the rest because dinner was ruined. Man, what a night! Bad things happen in 3's and that made tres!

Release

I'm tired, its late, yet I feel like I needed to release some thoughts. My mind is reeling. I cant stop thinking about my family. I wish I could explain to them what exactly they mean to me. I am thankful for what I had, have and will have. I am appreciative of Lisa for the relay and her role as Sweden. For being the voice when I can not speak. For never taking a side, being there - an ear. I question myself and I question others. I appreciate genuine thoughts and suggestions. I want to describe my feelings but cant. My intentions are good but perceived differently. That doesn't change that my intentions ARE good. I am not a selfish person. This works to my advantage sometimes. Sometimes not. I am fair. I am genuine. I am willing. I will not be finagled. I will do whats best. Things happen for a reason-sometimes with out the answer to why? Everything makes sense-eventually. I am not a manipulator. I will make good decisions and never harm. For now, I am going to bed. Tomorrow, ?

Kids

Kids. My kids. They crack me up! I love how they play together! And believe it or not, they were actually sharing this little wagon/bucket on wheels. They are both getting to the age where they either love each other or hate each other. Luckily for me, they love to hug. When I look at these pictures, I cant help but burst out laughing. In the first picture, Darren looks like he is ready to dump Jaycee right out of the wagon. But my favorite has to be the second picture. I love both of their facial expressions! They both keep me going. They both make me laugh. I couldn't imagine having one and not the other. They definitely belong as brother and sister. All in all, I just love the heck out of these two! I couldn't ask for better kids.

Just for laughs

Just some funny signs and sayings that caught my eye! Thought they were worth sharing a laugh!

Michelin Man

I really think that we should purchase stock in Michelin tires. Why you ask? Well, Michael fractures his wrist in softball last Sunday and his hand swelled nearly double its size. He is out of work for a while and we are waiting until we get results back from a specialist that is reviewing his x-rays. Michael was in a lot of pain but is feeling much better. His hand still swells but the brace he has to wear has been really helpful in stabilizing his hand and relieving him of some of the pain. I am sure that the Vicodin is doing its part in that too! I think his hand shows a striking resemblance to the big Michelin Mans, don't you?

Good Ol Days

Every year my dad makes caramel corn for my sisters and brother and I to take home with us around the holidays. Every year I try to eat it all before Michael or anyone else can delve into it. Every year I have been succesful. So the other day I was craving this caramel corn and decided that I couldn't wait until Thanksgiving or Christmas for it. You know the holidays are near when I am getting a hankering for it and willing to make it myself! hahaha. So I asked my dad for the recipe. Today, I am proud to say that I can officially make the same dessert that my dad has made for so many years. I was so happy about that! Or so I thought. I tried it, and yes, it was good. Yes, it took a while to make. Yes, I could easily make it again no problemo. So whats the deal? The deal is that even if it does taste the same, my dad didn't make it. He didn't put everything together, plan on sending us kids home with it knowing that we would all cram it down our gullets before our spouses and kids could their mitts on it. No, it just isn't the same. Not the same at all. I have realized a couple things here recently. The best food never tastes the same as when someone else makes it in comparison to you. That's a given. But the hard part is knowing that I am getting older. Pretty soon, I will be the one making it for my kids and having them wake up on Christmas morning asking if they can have that before breakfast. What I am trying to say is that I miss my dad, his baking, the little things like that he used to do for us that would bring me back to my days as a kid. I know I am older and nothing will change about that. I decided that although I followed his recipe, I think I will leave the baking to him. It was more fun, more significant to me to have to fight for the damn caramel corn with my sisters and brother over who gets the bigger bag, with or without nuts. Me and Marisa always without. Danny and Ash with. I am making a quick pit stop on my way home from work tomorrow. I am going to leave some for my deserving sister in her house. Hopefully she can get to it before the kids get home from school. aww the good ol days.

Latest and Greatest

At the end of August, my car lease was up. I have been dreading this moment for 3 years now, on the day that I signed the papers to it. I used to work at Ford Credit as a recovery specialist as well as lease end customer service. In other words, I knew what I was getting myself into, and I knew about what happens at the end. Well, really it didn't turn out all that bad. I had been driving the truck for 4 months prior to turning the car in trying to spare the mileage on my car. It took me until the day before I turned it in to realize what I had actually been spending on gas the past 4 months. I was filling the dodge 3 times a week at $85 a pop! Do the simple math on that and you get $1020 a month on gas! Holy hell! What was I thinking? It would have been cheaper to go over the miles than to fill the tank as much as I did! Bottom line, I needed a gas efficient car, end of story! We traded the truck in, turned my Altima in and bam! Out we walk with a fuel efficient Nissan Sentra. 33 road, 37 highway miles. Best thing yet? I am paying less on this car than I did on the lease! Wahoo! I was sad to see the truck go. We brought both of the kids home from the hospital in that truck, many camping trips later, scouting for deer hunts, high centering, stuck in the mud, shooting and teaching Darren to drive, all done in that truck. Shoot, both kids were made in that truck! haha just kidding. But you get my drift! We had tons of memories in that truck and we both were sad to give it up. Michael had a hard time until I promised him that in a couple months when we recover from the over 4k I had spent in gas, we will go down and get him the 4x4 of his dreams. That was all it took. I am one to keep my promises and cant wait to make new memories. Here are some pics of the new rice burner! haha