My sister's friend Jayma brought her twins over for a christmas picture. It was very last minute, but we got a couple of good pictures:



Aren't they cute? They were here less than an hour and I'm already worrying. These boys are 10 months old now and they are crawling and moving like crazy. WHAT am I gonna do if I end up with more than that?! I know, I know....I'll make it! But, I'm used to having only one baby around!

Christmas is just around the corner and I can't wait! I have almost everything done and that is relieving! I can't wait to spend time with my family and have a few extra days off of work! Lots of pictures to come I'm sure! Have a good night!

WANTED!

Following is an ad posted by Grace.  It was a class project, I believe to go along with a story they were reading.

WANTED  Best Friend

1.  Must love Forwerls!   

2.  Must love DS gams
     Maroieo Broses!

3.  Love hores!    *settle down, I know you're really getting a kick out of this by now!

See Gracie Immediately!!!!!


OK, now the really funny thing about this to me is that the girl can spell "immediately", but struggled with "horses".  C'mon....really?  Well, I got a smile out of it and this is definitely going in the keep folder!

Following is a picture that needs a little explanation.  Since Grace started 2nd grade, she has been sweet on a little boy in her class named Ethan.  When she was in K & 1, she had a different boyfriend every day, but this year she only likes Ethan.  We don't want her to be "in love" (she IS only 8), but it is funny to see her like a boy because he is nice to her.  Well, Ethan was the only boy she wanted to invite to her birthday party (besides family) and he got to come.  He stood up front with her while she opened her presents and blew out her candles.  When we were Christmas shopping, she wanted to buy Ethan a present.  Help me out here, what is acceptable to buy a 2nd grade "boyfriend"?  (By the way, we don't let her call him her "Boyfriend"....he's a friend.  She says "Yah right!" Anyway, it makes her daddy feel better!)  So, she settled on some Flix Trix, saying she knows he likes them.  Soooo, when I picked her up at school Thursday, I stopped to talk to Ethan's mom to tell her we had a little gift for him.  She then shows me the gift they got for Grace because Ethan wanted her to bring it so Grace could get it that day to take home.  It was a build a bear!  I was shocked!  She said that was what he wanted to get her.  So, he asked her what her favorite animal was and Grace had told him an otter.  What the heck?!  An OTTER?!  She loved them at the zoo this summer, so I guess that's why....  So, E's mom was worried they wouldn't find an otter....guess what?  They did!  He dressed it as Mrs. Claus and named it Olivia.  When the kids came out of school, he gave it to her; she was so embarassed!  When we got in the car, she was smiling so big and kept talking about how she couldn't believe he got that for her.  The whole time she was here, she kept hold of that thing and took care of it like it were a real baby!

If you're still following after that long-winded story, here's a pic of Grace and Olivia the Otter!     

Time Flies...

 When you're having fun!  Look at these 2 cuties and how they've changed!  We are enjoying the christmas season and all it has to offer!  I have pleasantly surprised myself and have gotten 98.5% of my shopping done.  It feels so good to not have the stress of shopping on Dec 23rd to worry about!  All the presents I have are wrapped, minus those from Santa, my cards are mailed out, food is planned, and the lights are glowing bright on my tree.



 Plans are coming along for my IVF.  I received all of my medicine in the mail the other day and was almost overwhelmed.  There's a ton of it!  Lots and lots of needles, pills, vials, and such.  I thought the last injections I had were a bunch!  That was nothing! I'd like to ask you to keep me in your thoughts as we go through this.  If you pray, please pray for us.  If you wish, please wish for us.  If you cross your fingers....well, you get the picture!  This has been the most emotionally draining thing I have ever been through.  I will keep you updated as we go on.

I sit here and type as floors need to be swept, dishes need to be done, and laundry calls my name.  In the living room there is a husband looking for some attention, so I must go!  Have a good night and enjoy what is left of the Christmas season because time flies!

Man, one post in alll of November, that's awful! I don't even think I could call myself a blogger!

My next favorite time of the year is already here! We've gotten our tree and inside decorations up, the outside lights are done, and the Christmas CD is in the player. It's Christmas time!! Before I get too far into that though, here are some pics from Thanksgiving:



Grace brought her Guess Who game and we declared Amy the all time champ. Aunt Patty tried teaching Chace how to make a poker face, dad cooked an excellent turkey, and Grace gnawed on a turkey leg for an hour. Seriously....she would carry it around chewing on it, lay her plate down and come get it later! Gross!

I had typed a sheet of paper for everyone with their name at the top with "I am thankful for you because" under it. We were to pass the papers around and list a reason why we were thankful for them. My family doesn't talk feelings well, so I wondered how much of a challenge this would be. Not everyone wrote on them, but most did and at the end of the night, you got your paper back to take home and read. I was so glad I did this. My paper made me cry with the thoughtful words (though I tend to be a cry baby anyway), but the sweetest thing was Grace. I read hers to her when we got home and she started crying (happy) because she was so touched by what Amy had said to her. We may know we are thankful for someone, but telling that person can mean so much.

I had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I have groceries in my cabinets and heat in my home. I have a comfortable bed and clothes on my back. I have a car, a job, and a little bit of talent to pursue what I love to do. I have a wonderful husband and daughter who love me unconditionally. I have 4 dogs who don't care if I look like crap or say the wrong thing, as long as I give 'em a scratch on the head. We can all find things that bring us down or that we are not happy about. But, look a little further and you will find a mountain of things to be thankful for. And not just on Thanksgiving, but everyday.

Lately...

I'm really lacking on my blogging! I have lots of pictures to share and these few collages don't even begin to skim the surface of the last month!

Raymond and Erin wanted some pictures taken, so we spent Sunday running around taking them. We had to do them in the late morning (which I never want to do again, lighting stinks!), thank goodness I had Bill and a reflector to give some shade! Here are a few of them....As far as I know, their wedding is planned for June of next year, I can't wait!


My cousin Jessica also wanted some pictures of her family. Here are a few from their day...Hayden is such a handsome little guy, and full of expressions! I'll have to make a collage of his funny faces!


I really liked doing photo Christmas cards last year, so we set out with my sister as my photographer to try to get at least one good picture for cards. While these pictures are good, I think we may try one more session this weekend for a picture that makes me happy!


Halloween was great, the kids had a good time. Grace got about 50 pounds of candy, $6.13 from my dad's change jar grab, and a blinking necklace that she broke trying to get out of the package because she couldn't wait to get home to open it! She loved her Miss America costume very much! Chace was the cutest little indian I have ever seen!


I say it every month, now I can't believe November is here! I have 3 Christmas gifts bought. That is better than in years past, but still not what I'd like to have done! So much neat stuff comes out around Christmas though, I don't want to miss out on buying a really good gift that's not out yet. That sounds like a good excuse!

I'm taking Grace around this weekend to family and friends to gather food donations to take to the local food pantry for the holidays. I'd like for her to understand that some people aren't as well off and need help and I think this will be a good thing for us to do. She already has a kind heart, but an understanding of volunteering and donating will do her good also! She seems excited about it!

My IVF consultation went well last month. We will begin the process in Dec./Jan. and the actual IVF will be in January. It would be sooner, but they do not do IVF in December. I was a little upset about this at first, because I was hoping for a Christmas miracle, but what if it didn't work? That would make for an awful Christmas gift! Maybe that is part of the reason why they don't do it then....So, I'm just going to try to enjoy the holidays without thinking of it too much. This is the best time of the year and I intend to make the best of it!

Fall

It has finally became my favorite time of the year! Yup, it's fall! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

1. It's cold and dreary....call me crazy, but I love it.

2. When I cook, the kitchen windows steam up.

3. It's time to start thinking of "holiday food". The time of year when everyone (including myself) feels compelled to make certain foods that are reserved for this time of year. Or, at least, make more of it. Pies, cookies, cheese balls, little weenies in bacon, pumpkin rolls, peanut butter balls, etc.

4. We've got our tombstones out in the yard....recall last year my tombstone that read....RIP The Mullet 1985-1990? I'll post pics later.

5. Painting pumpkins. They look prettier and last longer. No sharp knives for me, thanks.

6. Long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, jackets. All the more to hide flubber with....nuff said.

7. New episodes of my favorite shows....Gray's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, CSI, Criminal Minds....and my new fav. Modern Family. If you haven't watched, you must!

8. Not going outside and breaking a sweat. I am not a fan of sweat. Hence, the flubber.

9. Apple and cinnamon scented candles. Which I used to hate the smell of, but now I love!

10. Knowing that Christmas is just around the corner. I'm ready for the lights, music, shopping, presents, food, everything! But, for now, I won't rush myself and I'll enjoy all that I love about fall!

Amy and I took the kids to Breezy Hill Farm the other night. It was great going at night because there was no crowd and the kids could just play and play! I thought I'd put together a little collage of them last year vs. this year....WOW! They have grown so much!! Grace is growing up so much and Chace isn't such a baby anymore!

I recommend everyone to go to this place! I'll post more pictures of it in a bit...but it's a fun time for the kids. G & C loved playing in the corn the most....they have hayrides, slides, a little petting zoo area, bonfire pits, teeter totters, bean bag toss, corn and straw mazes.....it's just fun. Their website is breezyhillfarm.net. And NO, this is not a paid endorsement! Haha!



That's it for now, laundry and vacuuming are calling my name! I called them a few names too, but they don't seem to mind....*sigh*.....good night!!

On our way to the store last night as we pull out of the drive, Grace says to me while wearing her Hannah Montana concert headband with a microphone attached:

G: "Even without singing lessons, I'm a good singer."

Me: "Oh yeah?"

G: "Yeah"....*turns up the radio*

G: "I ruuuuuuhhhhh oooooohhhhhhh ughhhhhhh ooooonnnnnhhhh ooooooo"
*You know, the words we all use when we don't know the words, but we know how it should go?*

G: "See?"

Me: "Oh yeah, that's really good"

Now, the funny thing is that the girl cannot carry a tune to save herself, but she thinks she is the greatest thing since Hannah! I think I'll just let her believe that!

There's a little story behind this set of pictures, so they deserved a collage of their own! When I was little, I'm gonna say maybe 4ish?, my Grandma Kopec made this dress for me. She also made one for my sister and cousin in different colors. SOMEwhere there are pictures of us in them, I'll have to see if I can get a copy. Anyway, my Aunt Patty has had them put up and gave them to us a while back. I got to looking at the dress, and thought it would fit Grace like a shirt. Lo and behold, it did! So, with a tank underneath, I got some pics of my not so little girl in my little girl dress!

It's been a while since time has been able to work out when Grace was here and we didn't have anything going on to be able to take pictures. Well, this weekend before the rain started, we got to do just that! She loves to have her picture taken (thankfully!) Here's a little collage from our sunday afternoon...



Things have been good around here. I have an SIS test scheduled in Evansville for the 29th and if everything goes ok with that, I will get my IVF protocol. YAY! Really, it makes me so nervous I could be sick, but I'm trying to think positive here!

Today marks the first day of fall! I've been waiting for this all summer! Ha! Pumpkins, straw, and corn stalks OH MY! It's the most wonderful time of the year! Well, this and Christmas. I love the cooler weather, the outside bonfires, and long sleeve shirts. Fall is going to be great!

Infertility Sucks!

Life is full of heartaches and disappointments. I don't think anyone can say that they haven't had their share of both. Sometimes I wonder though, why some of us have to struggle with it more than others that we think are more deserving of it. That may sound heartless to say, but really, I think we all have had something happen and wonder why it couldn't have been someone else. I'm not saying it has to be someone you know....just someone else.

For instance, infertility. I've had surgery, I've taken more hormones than someone my age should have to take. I've taken countless pills, injected myself with needles, and wasted more money on home pregnancy tests than I should have. I've heard tons of comments from well meaning family/friends telling me that they know it will work this time. Well, this time comes and to no avail, it was not this time. I've endured countless baby showers while wearing a smile. Though I am happy for them, can you really expect me to not have a feeling of envy. If you were in my shoes, you would understand. And I don't expect you to understand....just think about it. To get back on track, I've dealt with all of this and then I hear on the news of a woman who delivered her baby and put it in a trash bag and threw it in the dumpster. Of course I don't know her, but why couldn't it have been her who was plagued with infertility? I could have loved that child and given it a life it deserved.

Don't get me wrong, I know I have a good life otherwise. I am blessed with a wonderful husband and stepdaughter. I love Grace and would do anything for her. We have fun and I know she loves me. But, it's not the same as a bio child. She's not here all of the time and she has her own mother. I want to know what it's like to wake up every couple of hours to feed a crying baby. How exciting is it to take them for their first haircut? People tell me these things are not that exciting, but they've not had to face the reality that maybe they'd never do that stuff.

Poor me, I know! I am very thankful that there is nothing major wrong with me. God forbid, there could be a serious illness in our family. So, in a way, I am thankful that this is all I have to worry about. But, it's still hard and it sucks!

So, we start a new journey. I'll get a protocol for an IVF cycle. I never thought it would come to this, yet it has. There will be weeks of more medicine and waiting. Lots of 2 hours there and 2 hours back drives to the RE. It will be agonizing and fretful. I have researched it and was not impressed with the success rates. However, I have heard from several women who tried IVF and it worked on the first time. So, again, I am hopeful. I feel like I'm setting myself up for another letdown, but I need to change my mindset. I need to think positive. But the "what if's" weigh heavy on my mind and heart. It is very expensive. Thank goodness insurance will cover a very small portion. Aside from that, I am thankful for my dad who is willingly helping us out with the rest. He said it would be worth every penny to have another grandbaby and to see me happy......thanks, dad.

So, in other words, infertility sucks! I hate feeling alone and am ready for some good news! In the meantime, I'll keep enjoying the good life that I do have!

Time to post the birthday blog! Grace's 8th birthday party was a success! Friday morning I took her to school and she wanted to go out to eat for lunch. So, I picked her up at lunchtime and we went to Mike's Drive In so she could get a root beer. She likes these because they serve kids root beer in a very tiny frosty mug and she thinks this is the greatest! On the way back to school, we picked up dixie cream donuts and juice boxes for her to take for a treat at school. She said everyone liked the donuts and she liked being the star student for the day. When I picked her up from school, Ethan's mom let us know that he was going to be coming to the party. He is Grace's new love interest....this made her very happy! We went home and changed and rested a bit for the party. After a trip to the party store to pick up the balloons and Larry's for cupcakes, we were finally at Extreme Sports. After a thousand times of answering that everyone would arrive in a little bit, finally people started to show up. The kids bounced their hearts out! I think everyone had a great time....pictures below show it! After cupcakes, soda, and presents it was time to head home for a little sleepover!


These girls had so much fun! We ordered pizzas and had caramel apples and cupcakes. There was a high profile fashion show and a dance party. They played flashlight tag and colored on the front porch with chalk. It was a very late night, but a fun one! I think every birthday is going to include a slumber party!

The next day was Grace's actual birthday, so she got her presents and was surprised with an electric guitar, which she has been going on and on about forever. She was beyond excited! We took a nap after everyone left from the slumber party and Grace visited with her mother for a few hours. When she got back, we went to Fujiyamas. I am not a fan of chinese, so I assumed that I would not like it, but we thought Grace would like it. Come to find out, the food was not all that bad! We went with Amy and family and it was so much fun! I have never been so entertained during dinner. Grace thought it was great and talked about it the rest of the weekend!

I wish someone would please tell me why/when it's OK to:

Wear your pajamas to the store?

Talk about your life in front of customers you are waiting on (i.e. parts of your life that should be kept private)?

Curse out the office manager at your dr. office because you skipped your last appointment and showed up on the wrong day for your new one?

Stand right outside the door to the business you work and smoke? (Whether it be Wal Mart, Subway, or wherever!) Why can't you go out back? I don't care if you smoke, I just think it's unprofessional....

Take your 1 year old to Wal Mart with ONLY a diaper on?

Go to the dr. in your PJ bottoms and a t-shirt with NO bra on?

OK, so I don't know anyone personally who does these things, but these are a few things I ahve observed that really irk me. C'mon, we all have irks, right? I know I'm not the only one....what are yours?!

On a different note, Grace's party is tonight and a few that I thought were coming have canceled. I hope we have a good turnout and she has a good time! I'll post more on that later!!

I had to do this just to prove that not every picture that I take of this handsome little boy is...well, handsome! Haha! Who am I kidding, of course they're still handsome; just funny! Chace will laugh and smile at me constantly until I get the camera out, then he knows I want him to look at me and smile, so he won't!

Finally, I am able to post some pictures! As I said before, Bill just had a birthday. Below are a couple of pictures with his cake and with Grace helping him open some presents. You'll also see the cutest little shopper in the world! Bottom left isn't Grace's first day of school, but it was during her first week of school.
Though the girl can't carry a tune, she loves to sing just like she's Hannah Montana! With her birthday money from my dad a couple of years ago, she picked out a kids acoustic guitar. It's getting a bit small for her, yet she still plays it all of the time. Every time we see guitars at Toys r us, she always talks about wanting one. Sooooo, what do you think the girl got for her birthday? As you see, Bill and I both had to try it out! The pic of Bill playing is him teaching himself "Happy Birthday" on it so when she opens it, he will play it for her. Tell me that's not one of the sweetest things you've heard of?! My pic is just me *trying* to look cool. I don't think I succeeded!



Planning is going well for Grace's birthday. Only a couple of more days and our girl will be 8! She is getting so grown up so fast! All the time it seems she is saying or doing something that is way too grown up. Of course, I think kids are just growing up faster in general. The other day after school, she wanted to "tie a knot in his tail"....referring to a boy who had been picking on her on the playground. She went on and on about how he was so mean. Fast forward to Sat. when she came over, she wanted to know if she could invite Dakota to her birthday party. When I questioned if this was the same Dakota who was so mean to her, she said yes but that it was ok because he had just been having a bad day and now they were boyfriend/girlfriend. Oh boy. Then later she tells Amy that her and Dakota are going to try to go out for at least a year. Oh my. My dad laughed and talked about how funny it was when we were younger to hear me and Amy say "me and so-and-so are *going out*". I remember him telling my Grandpa that I changed boyfriends more than he changed his underwear. I was ten (?) and I thought that was so gross! I think Bill is in for it as Grace gets older!

Amy mentioned wanting to get some more pics of Chace the other day. Sunday was a beautiful day and Bill was working and I didn't have a thing to do so we took some pictures. He's such a handsome little guy! Here are just a few:


Have a good night!

For some reason, I cannot post any pictures right now. So, much to your dismay I'm sure, this will be a pictureless post!

We had another birthday yesterday...Bill turned 34! He had an EMT class, but was lucky and got out early in the afternoon so he came home and took a nap for a little bit. He got to pick Grace up and my family came over. He had decided that he wanted Italian Beef for supper, which was great with me cause there's not much prep there! He chose to have a homemade cake (pineapple with cream cheese icing), which was great also! He got some things he really wanted....a gas smoker, some kind of grinding wheel for the garage, a Menard's gift card, and the universal gift card...cash! The best card was given by my sister...the front says, "I've got a birthday story that'll turn your hair gray." The inside says, "I see you've already heard it." This is funny because if you know Bill, this is true! He's been graying since high school he says. I teased him when he got his license renewed the other day, he put brown for his hair color....Um, hello? You hair's pretty gray....do they offer that for a color?

Today was such a beautiful day out. I mowed the grass and then went with Amy and we took some pictures of Chace. When I edit a few, I'll post. I have such a hard time getting him to smile at me! But, it was fun!

Grace's birthday is next weekend. We're having a party at an indoor gym, and she's having a small sleepover. Or, at least I hope she is! She's invited a few girls so fingers crossed that some can stay! I'll post more on the party later! Going to eat supper at Amy's....have a good night!!

Trying one more time, this should work!

I've never posted a video before, so not sure if this will work...we'll see! As I mentioned a while back, my Uncle Jerome turned 50 this year. This is my cousin Jenny's father in law with a song he wrote for Jerome in honor of turning 50!

Sweet Summertime!

This summer has seemed to fly by! It seems it was just two weeks ago that Grace started her summer break and here she is back in school already. We tried to make the most of summer, while also trying to not spend it always running around. I think we had a great time, here are a few photo collages:

We went with Amy, Shawn, and Chace for C's first trip to the zoo. It was fun, he really loved the animals. Grace had a fun time showing him everything. We love going to the zoo in Evansville so much better than St. Louis; it is smaller, but you get to see the animals better and it's not as crowded! It was very hot that day, and I was dealing with a very bad sunburn from the day before; I think all future trips to the zoo will be in the spring or fall! Grace had a small breakdown as we were leaving proclaiming it as "the worst day of her life" because we wouldn't buy her a $40 toy from the gift shop. Mind you, we had already been in May and she got something then. So, she was mad for about 10 minutes, then she was over it.


In June, we took our vacation to N. Carolina. I've blogged about this a little before, so I won't go into great detail, the pictures can speak for themselves! Grace loved the plane ride, the ocean, the battleship, everything. We had a great time visiting with Bill's family some, and made great memories as our own little family.


One night, Grace mentioned wanting to make a tent in the living room to sleep in. Now, when I was a kid, we used a few chairs, sheets, and a fan. We also had to sleep on the floor...straight floor, too. Well, Bill got out his homemade backdrop stand he made for me once upon a time and rigged up for their tent. Pretty genius, I think! What's better than camping out with daddy in the a/c watching spongebob? Not much, I think!


Bill's sister and her family drove over one Sat. from Kentucky and we took them on my dad's boat. Neither of my nieces had ever been on a boat, but they loved it! We tubed around Rend Lake, jumped out and swam, and enjoyed the day!


This collage turned out small, but I think you can view it bigger....Since we'd never been to Garden of the Gods before, we took off one Sunday and went. It was beautiful! It was a bit warm, but it was still fun! It's amazing to me that So. IL has such beauty. I think I see a trip back there in the fall when the leaves are changing! Grace wanted to go up the tower, so we all started the climb up there. I got about 1/4 the way up and decided it was too high for me, so I went back down and took some pictures! (I'm not sure why my arrow doesn't look right, it did when I edited it...)


We did so much more, but a post can only be so long before you get tired of reading! As I said before, some of it is in previous posts, so check it out!

More to come later, here are a few pics from my *surprise* birthday party....yes, I turned 30...YAY!

We took Chace on his first boat ride on Sunday and he loved it! He sat still the whole time and surprisingly, didn't mind wearing his life jacket at all. He loved swimming in the lake and helping drive the boat. He threw doritos out of the back of the boat (thanks to a lesson from Grandpa) so that the birds would follow us. That had Aunt Lisa a little freaked out since I hate birds, but I managed! He took a power nap for a bit while we tootled around Rend Lake. By the time we got to the beach, he was tired again so it wasn't all that exciting. We may go back this weekend if it's not raining!

Numbers, numbers!

13 - Days until my birthday

30 - Age I will be on said birthday

5 - Pieces of mail we received today

1 - Pieces of said mail that were not junk

4 - Zucchinis we have gotten out of the garden

7 - Loads of laundry I will be doing today

8 - Days until our anniversary

1 - Year we will have been married

196 - Dollars for the cost of electricity at the Fralick house last month

0 - Red tomatoes we have gotten out of the garden

7,165 - Pictures stored on my computer that need to be stored elsewhere...really!

4 - Hours until my wonderful husband gets home from work

150 - IU's a day of Bravelle I will inject myself with next month

1 - Nephew who loves his Aunt Lisa so much!

1 - New nephew who won't get to know his Aunt Lisa very well because he will live in Washington

7 - Days a week I am thankful for the life I have!

Here's a funny little set of pictures for you. When we were on vacation, Grace got some warheads and kept trying to trick us into eating them. Finally, I told her we'd have a warhead contest at the hotel that night to see who would make the "sourest" face. So, when we were ready for bed, we got the camera out and the war began! Oh my, I don't know how I ever ate those things when I was younger. Mine lasted in my mouth for about 5 seconds...that's all I could handle!! Bill lasted a little longer and Grace ate all of hers. The funny thing is that Grace had to pretend to make a sour face! When she put hers in her mouth she just sat there and laughed! She sure has what it takes to be a kid!!

Wow, it's been a long time since I've blogged! We've not been doing much, just enjoying summer. Since I had so many pictures to share, I put together a few collages for your viewing pleasure...haha!

Bill's family was here from N.Carolina and Kentucky last weekend, so we had a cookout at our house. Here's everyone (minus Grace, her mother wouldn't let her come!):


This is at Raymond's 4th on the 5th party...we had a good time playing washers, tossing the football, playing with sparklers, and watching fireworks:


Several weeks ago, I took some pictures for my friend Angie and her family. It was nice to get to see them, it was her parent's 40th wedding anniversary that weekend....wow, 40 years! I think the pictures turned out nice:


Bill has tilled up (disked up?) the backyard and planted new grass seed to try to get ready to put up a fence, but all of the rain we've had is delaying that. It has poured here like crazy! Of course, I enjoyed the rain and cooler weather, but it stinks when you're trying to get something done! My Uncle Jerome turned 50 yesterday and we had a cookout at their house and wouldn't you know it, as soooon as the food was done, it started pouring! But, I think he still had a great time.....all's well that ends well!