Dear blogspot, I have missed you so! I have been absent for quite a while and I am ready to get back into the swing of writing regularly. My recent hiatus was mostly due to the fact that we tried another IVF and I was just trying to lay low, stay off the radar. Of course I stayed up with facebook (minus posts about IVF as we didn't tell anyone) but for the most part, I didn't do anything. Literally anything. I took time off of work and just hung out.

I've now got a couple of options. We can try IVF again, after a couple of tests OR we can look into adoption. I think we will kind of be doing both at the same time, since both seem to be drawn out processes! I'm not sure when we'll start all of this again, but soon after the holidays I am hoping. I'm not ready to give up!

I've been enjoying time with my family and am very excited about the holidays! Since I seem to have a love/hate relationship with almost everything, I thought I'd make a couple of lists for you!

5 Things I LOVE about Christmas
1. Lights. There's something magical about the twinkle of Christmas lights! I will be sad come January when I have to strip my living room of them!
2. Presents. What?! I'm not gonna lie! I love getting presents just as much as the next person!! But more than getting presents, I LOVE....
3. Giving presents. We donated presents to a family this year who's garage was broken into and presents that were hidden from the kids were stolen. I am very grateful that we are able to help out someone in need. I also love giving that perfect gift to someone that you know they really want. Makes me very happy!
4. Christmas music. Most people get tired of it very quickly. I can listen to it from Thanksgiving until New Year's. Fa la la la la la la la laaaaaaaaa!!!!!
5. The 3 F's....Family, Food, and Fun!! I'm looking forward very much to seeing everyone, eating myself plum silly and playing some Catchphrase!

5 Things I HATE about Christmas
1. Rude shoppers.
2. Trying to find a gift for someone who has everything. Ahem, Dad.
3. The baked goods that are bought in by very old patients. I have a phobia about this. I know they have very good intentions, but I cannot force myself to eat food baked by women who smell like pee and can't see very well. I'm sorry.
4. That my 9 year old's written letter to Santa included things she will surely not get. A cell phone and laptop -- I don't think so.
5. That I don't have a kid to wake up and enjoy Christmas morning with. Each year I hope that it will be the year that I will have Christmas with my own kid (Grace is never here on Christmas morning).


Okay, okay enough of that. I'm not sure if I'll blog again before Christmas, though I just might surprise you! If I don't, have a very Merry Christmas and remember to count your blessings! I'll leave you with a few pictures of Grace....

So much to do, not enough time.  Seems like this is the way it is, but that would be a lie.  I seriously need to delegate my time better.  I need to spend less time on the computer (as I sit here typing this) and focus on what I think needs to be done.  I have plenty of time, as we all do, theoretically speaking.  Every day I'm given the same amount of hours, minutes, and seconds -- and at the end of it I feel I haven't done enough!  I have a floor that needs to be mopped, pictures that need edited, laundry that needs done, yadda - yadda - yadda.  Please tell me that I'm not the only one!!! 

On another note, all of my pre IVF tests came back great, so when we're ready to go, it's a go!  Not sure when I'll be ready for that, we'll see.  I'm relieved in a sense that nothing is wrong with me but on the other hand, I was hoping something (fixable) was wrong so I would at least have a reason why the last 2 did not work.  I guess we're not always supposed to know everything....

Need to go, for the above mentioned tasks have not miraculously completed themselves while I have sat here typing.  *Sigh*

The legend of the birthday card...

Many, many years ago in a land far, far away.....wait, wrong legend.

Ahem, let's try this again!

Many, many years ago (in 1999, we think) my sister gave me a card for my birthday. The card was cute and funny and as you will see instructed me to save this card and give it to her on her birthday. Of course, most people would not have actually done that, but I did. It was what I was told to do, and you always listen to my sister; or you pay. I kid, I kid. Kind of.

So, my birthday is in August and I hold onto this card until June. Her birthday comes around and I have saved this card all of these months and I give it back to her, same envelope and all! She holds onto the card for a mere 2 months before passing it back to me and I realize that we are making a fun little memory here. Every birthday since, this little card has passed back and forth. When you read through it, you can follow the timeline of our lives over the last several years. There have been times that the day before her birthday I am scrambling around looking for it; it has been through several moves since we started this! But, I always find it and it manages to make its way into our birthday gifts! Every year when the card comes out my dad always says, "Is that the card you guys have been passing back and forth?!" No, dad, we buy the same one every year. He thinks it's funny. I think it's great!

Imagine my surprise this year when I open a *new* card, and it is the exact same thing!! We were kind of running out of space, so this new canvas was pleasure to my eyes! I can't wait to spend the next several years filling up the empty spaces of the new card!

These are some pics I took for my brother's friend Ricky...are these kids not incredibly adorable?! Miss Karsyn looks just like her daddy! Hope I'll get the chance to take their pics again!

Here's a collage of our little trip --- ya know, for your viewing pleaure!

We finished our summer with a little trip to St Louis. Oh, how I love living close to a city far enough away and with enough to do that it seems like a vacation! We began our trip with a stop at Meramec Caverns. Grace is a rock collector, so she thought this place was the greatest. It amazes me what is underground there!
















We visited the Mills Mall, which is just a neat place to go, shopping or not. It was just fun. We stayed at the Drury Plaza by the arch which I will recommend to anyone. It was one of the greatest stays I have ever had, it was just too short! Aren't all hotels stays usually too short though?! The evening wasn't to unbearably hot so we walked around the arch and walked along the riverfront. It was so nice, just some amazing alone time with my family. The next day we went into the arch and I was made to go to the top. Of all the times I have been there, I always wait at the bottom while whoever I'm with goes to the top. b.o.r.i.n.g.! Though I was semi-freaked out, this was waaaaay better! We visited the Magic House, which is always a good time. Good fun for kids of all ages!

We went to our niece Katie's volleyball game last week in Mayfield Ky. I played volleyball in school and I get a little too worked up about the games, but it's fun to watch. I will say though that Kentucky volleyball is waaaay different that So IL volleyball. They are very lax on the coaching! If we had made the mistakes that these teams did, clipboards would have been slammed! We did get hollered at, but we were good! And good players make for fun volleyball watching! Well, that didn't sound right. It was fun watching Katie's team anyway, it was just different. She has fun playing and that's all that matters! Now I feel the need to go catch some Redbirds ball!!

I have been back to the dr. in stl. and my bloodwork came back fine except for my glucose test. So, we are working on that. I had a mock transfer and endo biopsy on tuesday and am waiting the results from that. Not sure yet when we are going to go ahead with another cycle. Not soon enough for my sister though! She wants it started yesterday! I can't blame her though, I know how excited I am about Chace so I know she is ready for me to have one. I've been doing acupuncture and I am not impressed with it. Of course I don't see any improvement on the inside, um, because I can't see my insides; but I definately don't notice anything else either. It does not relax me at all! But, only time will tell.

Grace starts school today. Well, she goes to find her teacher and get papers. School really starts tomorrow. Never understand that....starting on a friday? Anyway, we're at the intermediate school across town now in the big 3rd grade! I hope she loves it! Thisgs are coming along nicely for her 9th birthday party. She is so excited, I'm so excited, we're all excited! I may be going overboard but the way I see it, I'll bet that there won't be but another year or so of actual "parties" before it will just be friends spending the night and such. Why not make the most of the parties we have left to give?!

Enjoy your day and be thankful for all that you have!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Another year has come and gone, and it was rather uneventful. I spent my birthday with Bill and Grace and then to eat and cake with my family. I got some great gifts (including Napoleon Dynamite!) and enjoyed a wonderful cake baked especially by Grace; decorated with a peace sign and everything. What could have been greater?! I'd like to resolve to myself to live the next year the best I can. Of course, who doesn't try to do that every day, but really. I can think of things every day that I could change to be better. I'd like to focus on that this year. I'd like to be a happier person all around. Next Aug 6th, we'll see how true I was to my word!

Here's a picture of me and my dad, who has proven to me that you can be anything you want as long as you believe in yourself and you try. I need to try harder on that too!


















Grace goes back to school next week so hopefully we'll squeeze in a little something fun this week. Summer will be closing in soon and the greatest time of year will be here before we know it....cooler weather!!! I will post about any adventures we take this week, so be on the lookout!!

Ten for Today

1.  I sat at the hospital for about 4 hours today for bloodwork.  They filled 5 vials and I had to do a glucose tolerance test.  Hopefully this gets me one step closer to another IVF, and soon!

2.  I have ants in my CAR.  Yes, you read it right, my car.  Though Bill would beg to differ, my car is really not all that messy.  How in the world do you get ants in a vehicle?

3.  We took the kids to Ya Ya's Island in Paducah Sunday and they had a really good time.  It reminds me of a chuck e cheese, only better.  There are some arcade games and a lot of bounce/climb things.  My only complaint was half of the games didn't give out tickets like they were supposed to so they had out of order signs on a lot of stuff.  I would still recommend it to anyone for a fun indoor activity.

4.  How is it that I can go to Wal Mart and leave with $130 in groceries and not want to fix any of it for supper when I get home?!  Please tell me I'm not the only one who does this!

5.  We've been soaking up the sun on the boat and having a great time!  Grace is loving tubing, and getting more brave at it.  She still likes to go slow, which is a good thing, but I have a feeling in a couple of years she will be wanting her Daddy to make the tube ride a little rougher!  My dad did the same thing when we were younger.  I have so many great memories from the boat when we were young, including the time I flipped of the tube about 20 feet in the air!  Ok, I don't really know how far, but I was thrown high.  My sister can vouch for me, se saw it!

6.  I bought a new (old) chair at an antuque store yesterday for photo props, can't wait to paint and re-upholster it!

7.  I should be editing pictures right now, which I will be doing as soon as I finish this post!  I have taken pictures of 2 adorable babies this week and have moms wanting pictures.  I'm excited I got some good pictures, I think they will love them!

8.  What's up with Brangelina's little girl looking like a boy?  You can see it here.  I'm lal about kids expressing their style and all, but really?

9.  There's a Fujiyama's Japanese Steakhouse coming into the Marion mall soon!  Yummm!!  Oo Oo!  That is supposed to sound like the noise the Japanese guys make when they are making your food.  It didn't?!  Well, use your imagination!

10.  Here's a picture of my cousin Jessica's baby, Rilynn.  Born the same day as Jaden, in the picture on the previous post.

I took some baby pictures for my cousin Chrissy yesterday. I don't think it went too bad considering the only other baby I've photographed was Chace. This is one of my favorites:

















I get to take pictures of my cousin Jessica's baby tomorrow, can't wait to see how girly pictures come out! I took maternity pictures of Jess a few months ago, you'll remember them here.

More pictures to come after I'm done editing, but for now, we're getting ready to go out on the boat!  Have a great day!

Random Picture!

My blog last night reminded me of how lax I was on my random picture posts. So, my husband picked 2 numbers for me and here it is! This picture is from early last week, at my dad's house. Dad has decided to put a pond in, so we went out to look at the equipment he has to do it with. While the boys were busy playing, I caught my shadow!

























I'll be taking pictures of some babies this week, so be on the lookout for some not-so-random picture posts!

Ten For Today

My grade school friend, Jaclyn, has a blog on which she writes posts titled "Ten on Tuesday" in which she blogs about ten random (and sometimes not so random) things.  I really like this idea because I like to skip from subject to subject.  As we all know, I am very random on my publishing dates (though I strive to be better) so the thought of me pulling off a "Ten on Tuesday" post every week seemed heinous to me.  Ok, maybe that's a little dramatic.  Let's just say I don't think I could be faithful each and every Tuesday to blogger.

With that in mind, I thought I had a major idea and I would just call mine "Ten for Today", so as not to be tied down to a specific day.  How absurd.  Well, come to find out, my friend Jaclyn already thought of this too!  It must have been the superb teaching we had once upon a time at Thompsonville Grade School that made our great minds think alike!

Dum du dum dum dummmmm.....here it is, my first ever Ten for Today!!  I wonder if this will be as short lived as my Random Picture Posts?! 

1.  I am really wanting to get an Amazon Kindle, or something of the sort.  But, I'm not really sure if this would be cost effective for me.  I refuse to purchase books since I can rent them from the library.  I think  there are some books that are free to download, but probably none that I would want.  So, if I refuse to buy paper books, what are the chances that I would buy an ebook?  Any advice on the subject would be appreciated!

2. We went out on dad's boat this weekend for the first time this summer.  I opted not to tube, as things hurt more the older wiser I get.  I think this was a smart decision, after listening to my husband complain of a sore neck and shoulders! 

3.  I have a journal that I keep for Grace, highliting the special, funny, and sometimes mundane points each year of her life.  Think baby book, but not for a baby.  I look at it every day and think of how I need to update it.  She will be 9 in Sept and I'm just finishing the year she was 7.  Good think I've kept notes through the year!

4.  I need to sleep!  I haven't been sleeping well.  I don't know if it's our matress, though it's not that old; or if it's the pillows, I can never find a comfortable one; or if it's just my inability to shut my mind off!  I think it's all of the above!

5.  It rained like a monsoon today.  I left my car windows cracked an inch.  Reh!

6.  We will be taking a *little* vacation in a few weeks.  I've narrowed a few things down, but need to get rolling and make some reservations.  We may just end up staying at Chateau La'Fralick if I don't get in gear!! 

7.  Grace has decided she wants to be a fashion designer.  I think it would be neat to get her a little sewing machine and some fabrics.  We already sew some stuff on mine (read: pillows -- what do I know about fashion?!) but she wants to make shirts, skirts, etc.  I'd have to polish up my skills, once in home ec in 8th grade, I sewed the sleeve of my sweatshirt I was making to the neck.  Oops.

8.  I've been assisting my friend Liz who owns Moments Photography with some weddings.  Though I don't really think weddings are something I have a passion for doing on my own, I've been having a great time being her assistant. 

9.   Wow, thinking of ten things is harder than I thought it would be!  Seriously.  Try it.

10.  How about a picture for my last one?  I knew you'd like that.  Watch out LPGA!!

Tell me she's not the prettiest little thing!

I had a post ready about my failed IVF and the struggles and heartbreak.  I've decided not to post it, because it really doesn't matter.  I'll just say that it failed (obviously), that I hated the nurse at Evansville's Advanced Fertility Group, and that I will NEVER recommend anyone to go there.  At first, I assumed it just wasn't meant to be there, but since I have seen a new dr. and she explained a few things to me, I have a little , um, "unlikeness" towards AFG.  Ahem.

So, my dr. referred me back to St. Louis, Washington University.  I have been there once, many years ago.  I saw a different dr. this time, Dr. Sarah Keller.  She was oh-so-nice and very thorough.  The consult we had with her lasted 1.5 hours.  The consult at AFG was 10 minutes with mostly the nurse. 

She explained so many things in greater detail than I had ever heard them.  She pointed out a few things she would have done differently, which makes sense when she explained them.  AND after reading the report on the frozen embryos we have left at AFG, only 1 is viable for a pregnancy.  There are 3, and they led me to believe all were great.  Apparently not.  Thanks AFG. 

Before we can start another IVF, I will be going through a round of lab tests.  She said the goal was to get me pregnant, but they wanted me healthy before we got there.  I am not unhealthy, but looking for hidden problems.  She wants a full hormone workup, thank goodness, because I think I am definitely out of whack.  I have PCOS and she is going to do  a full workup for that too.  I will be tested on insulin levels and iron, have a biopsy, and a couple ultrasounds.

I wish I had just chose to go here in the first place, but I didn't and need to stop beating myself up about it.  We're on a different course now, with the ultimate plan unchanged.  I am hoping to be pregnant by the end of the year, but only time will tell.  One step at a time!

What would a blog be without a picture?!  Since this is my first blog of July (I think......how absurd, I had promised to be better!) lets look at a picture from the 4th of July!  You are looking at the new Kopec 4th of July!  My dad, Raymond, and Raymond's father in law Rex took the time to set this all up and their hard work paid off.  We enjoyed probably one of the best firework shows in West Frankfort!  Hope your Independence Day was great too!

I've been trying to revamp my blog tonight and I just can't get it.  I think I'm just too tired!  Anyway, below are several collages from Raymond's wedding.  I don't think they need much explaining!  It was a great time and I'm glad it's all over!  They are back from Hawaii and had a great time.

How bad of a blogger am I?  2 posts in all of June?!  I will be better, I promise!  For now, I have a 2 year old nephew who will be beating the door down at 6:45a.m. so I'm heading to bed!!  Enjoy the pictures!

Many of you know, my IVF did not work AGAIN. Sigh. This post will not be about that (I have a whole separate post just for that!) but will just be about whatever.

My brother is getting married in a week and couple days. He's happy, so that makes me happy. Erin is a very sweet girl and will be a nice addition to our family. Wow, that made it sound like we are buying her or something! I assure you, we are not. Back on track. I remember the days of youth when we couldn't stand our brother. He was so squirrly at times, he would do anything to annoy Amy and I. We were mean sometimes, putting makeup on him, stuffing socks in his face, gahhhh; that's awful!! When I think of it now, it literally makes my eyes well up with tears. I genuinely feel bad about it. Wonder if he feels bad for being so annoying? I'm sure he does not! But, that's what little brothers do! Raymond had turned into a fine young man who is funny, handsome, and knows everything. Don't believe me? Just ask him. Haha! Anyway, can't wait for the wedding. I'm sure it will be a beautiful, fun day! I just hope it doesn't rain, as it's an outside wedding! We shall see.

Chace is growing so big. His vocabulary amazes me. He will tell you his ABC's and will sing certain songs, when he's not being bashful. He will be the ring bearer in Raymond's wedding, I pray that he does well! He has been going through a shy stage, but hopefully he will want to bask in his ring bearer glory that day! Amy is still putting together toys from his birthday; yes the one that was a month ago! Next year, any toys given must be preassembled!

My other little nephew Richie will be coming home next week!!! Yeah!!! I haven't seen him since he was a newborn and he will be a year old next month. I can't wait to hold him and kiss his little face. Wonder how Chace will deal with that?! He gets pretty jealous sometimes!

I was shocked to find that my dress I bought for the wedding still fits. Amy and I had been doing weight watchers and at one point I had lost 19 pounds. After going through my IVF and then the failure of it, I gained back 6 pounds. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself about it though. 13 is still good, in my eyes. Food is my grief relief. I hate that. I wish I could be one of those people that let exercise be their outlet. But I hate to sweat. Maybe one day!

What would a post be without a set of pictures?! We went on a little trip last week to cave in rock, elizabethtown, and rosiclare. Grace had never been, and she loved it. I will warn you though, when you visit the cave, wear tennis shoes. Flip flops and wet, muddy sand on rocks do not jive. We almost slipped a couple of times. No, not while we were "up" anywhere, just on the ground. Grace collects rocks, so I found the American Flourite Museum in Rosiclare. It was just a little building at an old mine, but it had a lot of neat rocks. I think Grace thought she was surrounded by million dollar gems! It was a fun day, I am looking forward to more little trips like this!




















So, that's it for now. I'm getting ready to go to Evansville for probably my last trip there. More on that in my IVF post. Have a great day!

I took some pics for my Aunt Patty, her kids and grandkids were all here, and they needed an updated faily picture. I think they turned out pretty good for 10 minutes in their front yard!

N  e  g  a  t  i  v  e

I did it.  I took a test, and my last 10 days came down to the one line that appeared on the stupid little stick that I dipped this morning.  I knew I shouldn't have done it.  It was stupid, and really at this point, negative isn't truly negative....yet.  I would not buy any tests because of this, and when they are not in the house, it is much easier.  However, my sister bought a couple and brought them here and left them.  Tempting me were these 2 little satan wands under the bathroom cabinet.  I woke this morning at 3:30 and lay for an hour trying to convince myself to go to sleep and not do it.  Curiosity overcame me and obviously I gave in.  I sat in the bathroom feeling foolish before the time was up, I knew better than this.  I couldn't help it.  They were here. 

*Sigh* 

Now, I am almost convinced that this IVF is a failure too.  I'm trying to tell myself that it was still too early.  But, I have read posts from others on the internet (reading on the net has become my worst enemy) and they got positives only 5 or 6 days past transfer.  Why was I insane enough to think maybe I would be one of the lucky ones?  Apparently, luck is not in Lisa Fralick's vocabulary.  Unless it's on scratch off lottery tickets.  I can usually bet on winning a free ticket, sometimes even $2.  I think I need better odds for this though. 

So, now I wait for Tuesday.  I will test that morning at home, just to know what kind of mood to be in when I go for my blood draw.  I am preparing myself for devastation, but would rightly pleased with happy news.  I'm not sure where I will go from here if it's a failure, but I guess only time will tell.  I sure could use some of that scratch off lottery luck that day!

It has been one week since my transfer and I am going to go insane! I am in limbo whether I want to do a HPT or not, my best bet is to NOT do it, but can you imagine how hard it is not to? Didn't think so. Seriously, I wish there was some kind of medicine they could give you to make you almost comatose for these 2 weeks. OK, not really, but not having so much anxiety would he great. It's not been as bad as the first time (yet) but I've been trying to occupy my time. We've been to a baby shower, bridal shower, my dad's birthday is tomorrow, I've worked a few days, and we have a cookout this weekend so hopefully I'll be a little less anxious. Probably not. I'll probably be a raging lunatic. My family is going to love me!

Anyway, I took a few pics at Erin's bridal shower Sunday....It was a fun time and the shower was really nice. Can't wait to have Erin join our family. Though, really she already is.






















So, for now, that's all I've got. I've got to go find something to do. I can't find any good books to read and there's nothing on tv. I can't mow or even vacuum, and I can't pick Chace up. Give me an idea of something to blog about!! Please! Anything. I promise I will try to make it entertaining. What's that? Everything I write is entertaining? Well, thank you! I'm glad you think so!

If you'll notice over to the right -----> I've posted a poll for you to take.  Fill it in and let me know what you think.  You can pick more than one thing! 

I'm a bit picture-less lately.  I've moved all of my pictures to my external drive, save a few newer ones on the computer for editing.   Since I don't have that many for a random picture, and I did so many collages earlier, I'll look for a semi-random one today.......Chace is starting to get shy sometimes now.  Here we had just started singing to him, and he was embarassed!  It's fun to watch the changes he is going through.  EXCEPT the awful tantrum throwing.  You'd never believe that from a 2 year old would you?!

One more collage that didn't make it in last time....Bill's sister and her girls came over for Easter and since the girls matched, we went for a few pictures. These girls are growing up so fast. Katie is going to be a Senior next year, so we will be doing her senior pics sometime soon!

Things are rolling along smoothly with this cycle of IVF.  It has been much easier that the first one because since we are doing a frozen cycle, I don't have to go through the whole process of growing my eggs.  I've been on a Lupron injection for the last month or so to balance out some hormones, though I've felt so nuts lately, I didn't think I had any left!   We went for an ultrasound last week and everything looked good for a go for transfer.  I started Heparin injections twice a day, baby aspirin, and Progesterone injections along with the Lupron Saturday.  The hep and aspirin ae to correct the antibody problem that I have that was reason (hopefully the only one) that it didn't work last time.  So, since Bill had to work yesterday, my sister went with me to pick up my frozen babies.  This transfer wasn't as painful as the first because I didn't have swollen ovaries.  I DID have a swollen bladder, as you are to have a moderately full one for the procedure.  I drank waaaaaay too much water and, I'll spare you all the funny details, lets just say I was in a lot of pain and peed down my leg and the floor some!  Ugh!  So, the transfer took no time, I waited my 30 minutes and we were on our way.  I'm on "couch potato" rest for 24 hours and wait the awful 2 weeks to see if it worked!  So far, I feel better about this cycle, I just hope I continue that outlook!

Ok, my first post back must have pictures. Lots and lots of pictures, so as not to disappoint you. What's that? Oh, you're welcome! I knew you'd like that. Seriously, things here are going good. I will do an update on my IVF later today, but for now just enjoy the next few collages I have made especially for you!

Chace turned 2 this year. He had a bowling party, which he loved. As you can see, he had a SS theme. The kid at the bowling alley who runs the place said it was the best decorated party he'd ever seen! I beg to differ, as my 30th surprise party was held there, and I think that was the best decorated party; but I'll let Amy have her moment. Though she was the one who decorated my party, so I guess she wins either way! OK, back on track. The party was fun, he got a lot of great gifts, all the kids had fun, and Erin beat Raymond in bowling! I took a pic of the score board, but forgot to add it. My Grandpa Kopec is probably rolling in his grave! He says he let her win. Um, ok.



My cousin Jessica is due to have a baby girl in July. I have never taken maternity pics before and she let me practice on her. It was really fun. The bottom picture has a lot of meaning right now, as big brother Hayden is obsessed with dinosaurs. I just think it's cute! I can't wait for little Rilynn to get here so I can practice pictures with a new baby!!


We took a little family trip to Ferne Clyffe. I had never been before, and I am just amazed at the beauty that sits so close to me here in Southern Illinois that I never knew about! We are definitely starting to take more frequent day trips like this. It was a great time, and perfect weather to take the trip. If you've never been, I recommend the hike to the waterfall.


Bill, Grace, and I took a little trip one day to Metropolis. Again, I never knew what neat things we had just around the corner. We visited Fort Massac on the river. We love visiting historical places, and this was a neat place to go. Grace loved it and even said that she likes doing things like this because she gets to learn about stuff while having fun. A girl after my own heart. She got to see the Super Man statue and we ended the trip with a cup of Dippin Dots at their store. I see lots of fun little trips like this during the summer!


Whew, that's enough for now, don't you think? You don't? Well, I must leave something for later! I'm off to go find a dress for my brother's wedding. Have I ever mentioned that I HATE shopping?! Wish me luck!!

I'm baaaaack!!

WooHoo!  After a massive search for the system restore cd for my computer and several hours worth of organizing 10,000 pictures and moving them to an external hard drive....I am restored!  Well, my pc is anyway.  No time for a lengthy post right now, but check back in the near future for an update on things (and probably a picture or 2!)!!!!

I am STILL not able to post! I miss writing!! Check back soon!!!

Problems with posting! Please bear with me!

Time for another random picture!  I don't have a soul right now to give me two random numbers!  I know I should just pick out 2 numbers and blog the picture, but that is so much pressure.  I don't like that!  I can't even make decisions about what to cook for supper, which kind of crackers to buy, or even if I should buy the 60 load Downy April Fresh because it's $1 cheaper than my favorite Gain!  Ok, ok, eventually I do make those decisions (we do have to eat and smell good!) but it comes with so much thought!  WHY do I spend so much time contemplating such mundane things?  I don't know!  Maybe because I don't have kids yet to occupy my mind.  Maybe I'm just a freakazoid. 

Anyway, picking 2 random numbers should require no thought at all.  The point is to be random right?!  Ok, here goes.  15 and 35.  Ohhhh, that was intense!  So, without further ado, here is folder 15, picture 35:  never mind.   Can't do that.  That random picture is of a cousin and former boyfriend.  Said cousin is now happily married to different boyfriend.  I don't think that would be a wise choice on my part!  This is why I don't like making decisions!!  I'm heading over to facebook to enlist the help from a friend.

Phew, that weight has been lifted from my shoulders now!  Thanks to Shannon Knapp, I will now present you with folder 21, picture 69.  This picture is of my Maggie....spoiled, rotten Maggie.  Grace is really into sewing and making pillows, dresses, and now, dog accessories!  We had been playing with her Fashion Runway stuff she got for Christmas and some fabric we had bought and Grace decided that Maggie needed a headpiece (?).  I'm not sure what she called it, so we'll go with headpiece!  Anyway, she cut it out, attached some fabric to go under Maggie's chin, and even cut holes for her ears.  As you can see here, Maggie is thrilled about her new piece!  Look how blingin' she is with that sequence!  I know, I'm a riot.  Settle down.

I'm so glad that Grace has a creative side and is putting it to good use.  You know, making sure our dogs are always in fashion!  Now, won't you join me and find a random picture of your own?  Post it to your blog, facebook, email, or myspace and let me know!  I'd love to see yours.....and I hope you don't have as hard of a time picking one as I did!  Thank goodness for friends with the ability to make quick decisions!!

One more thing, and this is totally not random:  Grace making Maggie a princess (or a bride?) a couple of years ago!

Random picture draw tonight was picked by my wonderful husband!  Folder number 34, picture 31 is not anything special, just a picture of me!  Of the 10,000 pictures on my computer, there are probably less than 100 that have me in them!  Kind of like always the bridesmaid, never the bride!  Ha! 

This picture was taken by Kourtney in the computer room when we lived in Waltonville.  She had been playing with my hair, which I LOVE!  Bill must be staring at something very interesting on the computer!  I think it's funny that my bubble gum almost matches my eyes!

So, that makes this, what, random picture #5?  Won't you join me?!  Think of all the forgotten pictures you have saved.  Every picture has some kind of story, some kind of "something" to it.  Randomly pick a picture, even if it's not a good one, and tell the story about it!  It's fun, brings back memories, and is sure to make you smile!

IVF "Un"date

OK, since there's not a lot going on, I wouldn't really consider this an "up"date, so maybe it's an "un"date?  Sometimes I like to make up my own words.  

April isn't getting here fast enough!  There's not a lot going on right now, just waiting.  There seems to be a lot of that with this IVF thing, and I don't like it!  I am almost on day 35 of my last cycle, which shouldn't be the case, but I am.  I will call the Dr. on Monday and they will have to give me some medicine to start a new cycle.  Once I start a new cycle, I will begin Lupron injections.  This will probably be in a week or so, so I will wait impatiently!

Random picture draw, again picked by Grace, is folder 9 - picture 3.  This is a picture of our niece Katelyn (Bill's sister's daughter).  We were at Red Lobster in Paducah, KY for her 14th birthday and also to celebrate her being adopted by her step dad.  What a great day!  It's funny that this is the picture that Grace picked, because tomorrow is Katie's birthday -- she will be 17!  When I look at this, I realize she has changed so much and is not just coming into her teen years anymore, but is now becoming a beautiful young woman!  We don't get to see our nieces often since they live in KY, but we think of them all the time and love them very much!  So, for random picture #4, here is Katelyn!

Here is a picture of Katie now!  What a beautiful girl!

Folder 5, Picture 6 for the random picture draw was picked tonight by Grace.  This picture is from the day of my 30th birthday.  Yes, the day that I was a complete basket case because it was not going as I thought it would.  We had went to dinner at OCharley's and my family had came back to my house for cake.  Since Chace is not spoiled at all (right), he got to play in the cake first.  After this, we had some cake and everyone went home where I proceeded to cry because I had such an "uneventful" 30th birthday.  I know, right?  How horrible is my life.  Anyway, little did I know, there was a big surprise in store for me the next night..... So, here you go, random picture number 3!

Just for added enjoyment, here is Chace after the cake:

Random picture draw today comes from my Aunt Jackie and Aunt Sherry with folder number 27, picture number 50.  This picture comes from Halloween 2008.  Grace always gets a toothbrush in her Halloween bag and what better toothbrush is there than a singing Hannah Montana one?!  You will notice that she is wearing glasses.  Yes, they are real.  No, they are not hers.  They will not hurt her eyes because I popped the lenses out of them for her!  Grace always wanted to wear my glasses and I would have to get on to her because I would catch her wearing them and was afraid they would hurt her eyes.  SO, as soon as I got new glasses, I took the lenses out of these and she wore them all of the time!  You'll also notice the stunning shade of orange makeup she has under her eyes.  When we aren't going anywhere and she asks to put on makeup, I'll let her.  This is VERY tame compared to the lovely makeup artist she usually is!  I'll have to post a picture of that too.....  For now, enjoy random picture draw #2!!

Pretty as a Picture!

I'd like to start a little something on my blog by randomly picking a picture folder and randomly picking a picture out of it and blogging about it.  I have around 10,000 pictures on my computer and many have not made it to my blog, or even off of my computer for anyone to see, for that matter!  Tonight, I have asked facebook friends to pick the numbers for me and Dorie and Ami came up with folder number 32, picture number 42. 


OK, here's the story behind this picture.  One day, Kourtney wanted to do a "photo shoot".  This was long before I ever "took pictures" for people, so we were just playing around.  Well, Grace and Katie were following us around and wanted to do all of the poses that Kourt was doing.  So, first, here is the one that was randomly picked, Grace posing like Kourt had.  I would also like to point out the freakishly weird shirt that Grace has on.  Raymond bought this for her for her birthday.  It is actually a Bratz shirt, but the way it is wrinkled, it has morphed the too-big-headed-anyway doll into an alien right on my little girls shirt!

Now, just because I know you're dying to know what Kourt's picture looked like (the suspense is killing you, right?!), here is her pic:

Now, tell me that those aren't the cutest hillbilly girls you've ever seen and I'll call you a big liar!!

Well, this has been fun, and I think it's something I'd like to keep doing!  Leave me a comment with some numbers and help me figure out the next random picture!  Have a great night!