Independence Day

For everyone that lives in South Carolina and don't have plans for the 4th of July, let me suggest the Torchlight Tattoo at Fort Jackson. They put on quite a ceremony and definitely in keeping with the spirit of Independence Day. Tom and I went to it for our first 4th of July together and then we moved to Louisiana and now that we have moved back, it is our favorite thing to do for the 4th. Here is some information on it, in case you are interested:

Torchlight Tattoo 2006 Set

Fort Jackson, S.C. – Fort Jackson’s annual celebration of America’s independence, the “Torchlight Tattoo” is scheduled for Monday, July 3, 2006 at Hilton Field.
This years’ formal ceremony begins at 8:30 p.m. and features a cannon salute to each state and territory of the United States, music by the 282nd Army “Victory” Band, and a 30-minute fireworks display.

The tattoo is deeply rooted in military history and signifies the time of the musical call for civilian establishments to turn off the taps, and for soldiers to make their torch-lit walk back to their encampments to retire for the evening. In this usage, the word tattoo comes from the Dutch “doe den taptoe” meaning “to turn off the taps.”

Fort Jackson’s neighbors are invited to share in the evening’s festivities, and should plan to arrive early for the best seats and parking. Non-DOD registered vehicles should enter post through Gate 4 (Percival/Boyden Arbor Rd.) or
Gate 5 (Leesburg Rd.) and follow signs, directions and parking instructions given by traffic control personnel. Gate 1 and 2 access will be strictly limited to DOD-registered vehicles.

Food and drink concessions will be available at Hilton Field starting at 5 p.m. Pets, alcoholic beverages, and personal fireworks are not permitted. Guests can bring lawn chairs and blankets, but plenty of bleacher and main grandstand seating will be available this year.

The evening’s festivities will conclude at approximately 10:30 p.m. On leaving Hilton Field guests should pay close attention to departure directions as traffic routes to the various gates will be tightly controlled and once on a specific gate route there will be no means to take a different route. For more information call (803) 751-1742.

I think the photography talent runs in the family

Tom's daddy has a real talent for photography and we all know Jenny and Jessica do. Well it seems Brittanie is developing a flare for it also. She loves photography.

Brittanie took Katie outside to play and they were playing with bubbles and Brittanie saw it as a photo op. So she came in and grabbed my camera. Check out these pictures. The last one Brittanie thought would look good in black and white so she changed it to black and white and though I'm not at all a fan of black and white pictures, I have to say, it looks good.

Buyer beware!

A month and a half ago, our microwave that we had for 12 years died and we went to Wal-Mart and bought an Emerson 1.1 cubic foot 1100 watt microwave. Well this morning, it died. We were quite unhappy because we paid over $80 for that thing (with taxes) and it didn't even last two months. Katie saw that I was NOT happy and you know drama queens....they make a mountain out of a mole hill. She said "Oh we're never gonna eat again!" I told her of course we are going to eat again. We will just heat stuff another way until we get a new microwave. I also told her to PLEASE not tell anybody that we will never eat again because we don't have a microwave. That makes it sound like all I feed her is microwave junk! lol But the moral of this story....stay away from this microwave!! Unfortunately, we had thrown away the box and receipt so we couldn't even return it. Tom ran to Fred's this afternoon and bought a Sharp microwave that is 1.4 cubic foot and 1100 watts and it was $10 cheaper than the Emerson. Now we just pray this one lasts longer than the Emerson. But this time, we kept the box and receipt!

By the way, Katie isn't just a drama queen, she is a smart mouth too. Today, that smart mouth got her in trouble. She was screaming for no apparent reason and Tom told her to stop screaming and she said "Read my lips, poo poo head." Needless to say, that didn't go over well. lol Where does she come up with that stuff???

She's back at Grandma and Grandpa's house for a few days because the election run off is Tuesday. Oh! By the way, that reminds me....Brittanie drove down to Hampton County with Joe Wilson's gang to pass out stickers at the Watermelon Festival parade. Unfortunately, that place was loaded with democrats so it wasn't the friendliest place to pass out stickers but she had a good time.....as good of a time as you can have walking 3.5 miles in 100 degree heat and then turning around and going back to your car that same 3.5 miles. But I'm proud of her for getting involved in the political process. I want her to realize the importance of electing good people and Joe Wilson is one of the best!! Anyway, everybody in South Carolina, don't forget to vote Tuesday in the runoff!!

Oops!

Tom started to trim his goatee this morning and didn't check the setting and shaved a couple of streaks to nothing before he realized it. So he ended up having to shave it all off. When Katie saw his face clean shaven she said "Daddy! You look like Grandpa!" LOL Here's the after picture.

Katie's got her daddy's rhythm

Katie LOVES the movie "Big Fat Liar." At the end of the movie, they play music and Katie likes to get up and dance to the music. Unfortunately, she has her daddy's sense of rhythm. It is so funny to watch her dance that today I grabbed the camera and took pictures of her dancing.

Tom is home!!

Tom's flight got in at 9:15 last night. I got there at 8:50 and was driving around until that time. I was running low on gas and decided to park and wait for him to call me. Well I forgot that Tom never learned my cell phone number. I called home at 9:30 and asked Brittanie if her dad had called because he wasn't in yet. Well I decided to go get gas so I could ride around some more. When I passed again, he still wasn't outside. Well evidently he had just went inside to call me. Needless to say, he was a little warm when I finally picked him up.....after waiting 40 minutes. Blame it on the Taliban because had they not bombed the towers, I would have been able to park against the airport and he would have seen me immediately. (Sounding like a democrat blaming everyone but myself. LOL) But he got over that soon enough and was thrilled to be home. We cooked jambalaya from scratch for him. He ate a little bit but his stomach was still on Ireland time so to him, he was eating at 3am....even though it was only 10pm. He unpacked our souvenirs and we gave him his Father's Day gift.....a Carolina Panthers steering wheel cover. He bought Brittanie a stuffed bear that said "Ireland" on it....Brittanie collects teddy bears. He bought Katie this cool sheep purse. He said he saw LOTS of sheep while in Ireland so he just had to get that for her. She loves it. He bought me a snow globe with sheep on it. I collect snow globes. It is so cute. He bought Randy a hat with "Ireland" on the front and an Irish flag on the side. And he bought Brittanie's best friend, Miranda, a shot glass that has Ireland on the front and then a clear circle above the word "Ireland" and you can see the Irish flag through the circle. Miranda collects shot glasses and I think she is going to love this one!!

We slept until 11am this morning. It is so wonderful having him home. This morning he got up and told us some stories. He really likes the staff in Ireland. He said one of the engineers there, named Mark, kept them laughing and he really liked him. He was telling us the police there have no guns. Can you imagine??? That's like a security guard. They went to the dog track in Donegal and he brought back the program. There is an ad in the program that says "Lifford Greyhound Stadium. We don't mind children, we expect parents to!" I LOVE that!! I think I am going to make a sign like that for our house. That would offend liberal Americans who prefer to let their kids run wild and make us put up with it. I'm not a liberal American and thought it was great! He also told us about him getting an extra search in London. Guess they thought he looked like a Taliban or something. LOL But he carried that heavy laptop around so much yesterday that last night he had striped bruises on his shoulder from the strap.

But we love having him home!! We didn't tell Katie he was coming home last night. I went by myself to pick him up and when I got home, I came in first then he walked in. Katie was in the playroom and Tom stood at the door of her playroom, not saying anything, just looking at her. She turned around with arms full of toys, saw him and dropped everyone of them and ran up and hugged his leg. He stooped down to give her a hug and she said "Oh daddy I missed you!" It was soooooo sweet! She was stuck to him like glue the rest of the night and even today!

So that's our update. I have a tracker on my blog and noticed that I had loyal readers checking several times today waiting for an update so I thought I better get one done. Can't keep my fans waiting. hehehe

Tom comes home today....YAY!!!!

Well as I'm typing this, Tom is on plane headed for the US. We are so excited! He won't be home until almost 9pm tonight. I can't wait!

Katie is still sick. Monday night, I put her to bed at 8pm since she didn't have a nap that day and she woke up at 11pm and wouldn't go back to sleep. I was going to type all night but with her up and hyper all night, I gave up around 4am and made her get in bed with me and she finally went to sleep but was back up at 9am. So I took her to her pediatrician Tuesday afternoon and she gave her an antibiotic shot. She slept all the way home from Lexington and then for two hours after we got home. When she got up, she felt much better. When I put her to bed for the night, she went right to sleep. Hopefully she will be improved tremendously by the time Tom gets home. She has taken it harder than Brittanie and I that Tom isn't home. I didn't tell her he was coming home tonight....mainly because I don't want her asking me all day long when he is going to be here. But I also wanted him to surprise her.

Well that's the update today. Have a good day yall!

New addition to the family.

Brittanie has been wanting a hamster since she was 10. Well now she has her own money and bought one at the flea market this weekend. I have to admit, he is a cutie. I had two hamsters when I was in high school and loved them. Anyway, she named him “Randy” after her boyfriend. Now she has two pets upstairs…Randy and Little Eddie, which is her red eared slider turtle that she has had for two years. But she knows to keep it upstairs because Tom doesn’t like hamsters…or rodents of any kind. But here are a couple of pictures of Randy and Little Eddie.

More Ireland pictures!

No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you....that's Tom wearing a jacket! It must be 40 below??? I thought that's the only temperature in which Tom would wear a jacket. In most of the pictures taken, Tom's eyes are closed. Brittanie has always done that. For her kindergarten graduation pictures, the photographer took 3 pictures and her eyes were closed in all of them. We went back and she took 30 pictures and all but one had her eyes closed. I think it is the vampire in them....they hate the light. hehehe But even though Tom has his eyes closed in this one, it is a good picture of Rod, so I wanted to post it.

Tom and Rod took more pictures this weekend and uploaded them. I am only going to put my favorites of Tom and Rod on here. The rest you can click the links to see the gallery.This looks like it was taken on a ferry/boat of some sort...but I could be wrong.Tom doesn't like water so he left the boat riding to Rod. I love boat riding. It looks like it was fun though!!

Remember, you can click on any of the pictures on this page to make them larger. Anyway, here are the links to the rest of the photos.

Link 1: Sightseeing

Link 2: These are pictures of Letterkenny, which is where they are staying

we are in the home stretch!!

3 days left and counting!! Can you tell we are anxious for Tom to come home. Katie is so pitiful. When I put her in bed at night, which is Tom's job because he does the airplane with her EVERY night, she says "momma, I miss daddy." I tell her I know, we all miss daddy but he will be home soon. She isn't feeling well either and that makes it worse because unlike Brittanie, who always wanted me...sick or healthy, Katie wants her daddy....even when she is sick. It hurt my feelings the first few times she was sick and I would be holding her when Tom got home from work and as soon as she saw him, she got off of me and went to him. But it is something I have come to accept....she just prefers him, just like Brittanie prefers me. They love us both but everybody has favorites.

Tom and Rod went sightseeing yesterday and took some pictures but as of this posting they aren't in the gallery yet. But as soon as Tom sends me the URL, I'll post it. I did get in trouble for warning the two pranksters in MIS about the mustard. You guys owe me because they seriously were going to get ya!

Brittanie took Katie to the doctor (which is not her regular pediatrician) for me Friday so I could type. I wrote out a whole sheet about her allergies and intolerances to certain medications, what meds she was taking, and what her symptoms were. I even requested that since Katie has such a hard time with oral antibiotics that he give her a shot of Rocephin and something for congestion. Evidently, he is stupid because he gave her one of the antibiotics I told him gives her severe GI problems and told Brittanie "hopefully she has grown out of it." What a moron. Both of my girls have a hard time with antibiotics messing up their stomach. Oh and by the way, he didn't give her anything for congestion. So basically, I could have kept her home and saved that $20 copay and had the same affect. Brittanie had dropped off the prescription at Walgreens before she told me what the moron gave her. So I called Walgreens and told them not to fill it. The pharmacist at Walgreens was so helpful!! I asked her to get Katie something for congestion. I didn't know what because she was already taking Triaminic and Dallergy and they weren't helping what she has now. She sent home Dimetapp and Robitussin and Katie is getting much better! She is still running a low grade temp of 99. If she is still running that by Monday, I will take her to her pediatrician myself and make sure she gets that shot. Good doctors are so hard to find! I wish my doctor saw kids because she would be going to him.

By the way, I saw a guy on the Today show doing some funny dancing and they mentioned a video clip of him on the internet that was the most downloaded clip to date. Well today, I came across the video and it is too funny!! You have to see it! The 80's dances in it really made me laugh because that's my generation but I didn't think we looked that silly at the time. lol Evolution of Dance

I LOVED the Cotton eyed Joe dance at the end. That the ringer on my cell phone. I love the song but the dance is too funny!!

Katie's sick

Katie has come down with whatever Grandma and Grandpa had. She started running fever last night so we are taking her to the doctor today. Normally when a child is sick, it is miserable for everyone in the house. Not with Katie. She is the sweetest little thing when she has fever. She is so calm....not hyper like usual. So other than jumping up with tissues everytime she sneezes, it is not bad at all having her home sick.

Tom didn't call me yesterday. He was having trouble getting in touch with the Gaston plant today so he called me to see if the phone lines in Gaston were down or something and told me that he had a migraine last night and went back to the hotel at 6:30pm and didn't wake up until 7am. I hate it when he has headaches like that. He has medicine he can take to prevent them but he doesn't take it. Men are so stubborn!!! Anyway, we are counting down the days. He will be home Wednesday night and we are so excited!! This morning, Katie was laying in the bed with me and told me that Daddy is taking too long to come home and he needs to come home NOW. I know women that would love to get rid of their husbands for a couple of weeks. I'm definitely not one of them. I feel like part of me is missing when he isn't here. 5 more days!! I can't wait!!

Update on Tom

I haven't updated in a couple of days because of the election. I'm a poll manager for Gaston District #2 so Monday I had to get the machines and Tuesday was a LONG day. I was only able to talk to Tom for a short while Monday because he was exhausted and Tuesday they were having problems getting calls through to the US....plus I was at the polls until 8pm.....which is 1am in Ireland. But I talked to him today and he said he and Rod worked really late yesterday and because of that all of the restaurants were closed when they left work. So they went by a store and got sandwich stuff. They bought a tube of English Mustard because it was small and inexpensive and that's all they really needed. When they got back to the hotel, they made their sandwiches and Rod took a bite of his first. Tom said he made a face like a little kid would make when they ate spinach for the first time. Tom thought he was exaggerating so he bit into his and he quickly realized Rod wasn't exaggerating with the face he was making. He said the mustard tasted like gasoline or turpentine. He said it made like fumes up your nose. hahaha He said there are things that he won't eat but he can understand other people liking....like sweet potatoes. But he said he can't imagine ANYONE wanting to eat that mustard. I can't wait till he gets home with it so we can check it out. (By the way, let that be a warning to the two pranksters in MIS....he's bringing it home!!)

Tom's parents kept Katie for me so I could do my election stuff and they had her from Sunday afternoon until tonight (Wednesday). She came back with a new shirt (Grandma loves buying clothes for her granddaughters....always has!) and telling me what a great time she had. That's nothing new because she LOVES going to Grandma and Grandpa's house. I really appreciated them keeping for me. It made it so much easier for me to get all of my election stuff done without having to worry about what she was getting into when I wasn't looking. They take her to Chuck E. Cheese's just about everytime they have her because they know how much she LOVES it! This time was no exception. She had a blast at Chuck E. Cheese's. She also enjoyed herself at their house, riding the golf cart, petting the dogs next door, and just spending time with Grandma and Grandpa. My girls are lucky to have grandparents who love them so much!!

Tom in Ireland.....day 7

Tom worked some today and did a little bit of sight seeing but forgot the camera. I'm a little fuzzy on the time frames but he and Rod did have a meal with the other Ireland guy that was in Orangeburg training but are now home. His name is Dermott (I believe that is how you spell it?) . When they were down here, Tom mentioned how much he liked Dermott because he was so talkative and outgoing. John and Dermott and their wives have really opened their homes to Tom and Rod and made them feel welcome in Ireland. These ladies obviously are good cooks too because he has told me how delicious their food was. But just like John, Dermott has a beautiful baby girl. Dermott's baby is about a year and a half old and reportedly doesn't like men....other than her daddy. Well she warmed up to Tom. They were quite surprised that she took such a liking to Tom. That doesn't surprise me. Children always love Tom. Tom is a wonderful father. He gets that from his dad. My father-in-law is a wonderful father, grandfather, and father-in-law. My girls have always adored my father-in-law from day one. I can't tell you how many children over the years have become attached to Tom. For you guys that work with Tom and are reading this, bet you didn't know that about him, huh? He seems so gruff and "matter of fact" but there is definitely another side to him and that's the side that he shows us at home and kids also get to see.

Anyway, I'm hoping he gets recipes from John and Dermott's wife so I can cook that stuff. He loved it and it sounds delicious! The funniest thing he said today was that everyone drinks either coffee or hot tea after meals. Well Tom doesn't like coffee. He kinda wanted to try the hot tea but he was afraid of looking "girly" because you know in America, drinking hot tea is a woman thang. Well when Dermott's wife offered them coffee or tea after their meal and Dermott said he would like tea, Tom accepted tea too. He figured if Dermott drinks it, it isn't girly. hehehe But I still had to pick at him about it.....wondering if he lifted his pinky. hehehe I miss giving him a hard time!

They are planning on going back to the same place they went today and will take pictures then. I'll post more pictures as I get them!

By the way, you Zeus guys....if I'm spelling Dermott's name wrong, please let me know so I can correct it. Just email me at MrsTallTomm@tuxyturvy.com.

Tom in Ireland....day 6

Here is Tom and Rod in front of a beautiful lighthouse. Is that a beautiful backdrop for this picture or what???

Tom went sightseeing Saturday in northern Ireland. They took pictures and uploaded them to Tom's gallery. There are 124 pictures. So instead of putting all of them on here, which would take forever, I'm just going to give you guys the link so you can check it out. Here is the link.

If you click on the first thumbnail, it will get bigger and then you can scroll through the rest as bigger pictures. I love his gallery feature. He is going to have to set one up for me. By the way, if you are looking for a digital camera and you like these pictures, it was taken by Rod's Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT. He liked his camera so at Christmas time I bought one too and I LOVE mine.

They went to a McIlhenny Castle. Anyone recognize that name? I'll give you a hint.....That's right! It's the same family. If I'm not mistaken, I think Tom told me the the McIlhenny son left the castle and went to Louisiana and created Tabasco! Is that cool or what? I can't imagine growing up without Tabasco. It is like a religion in Louisiana. (By the way, this picture wasn't taken in Ireland. Brittanie took this picture when they toured the Tabasco plant over spring break this year. That bottle is a computer. That's Tom next to it. To give you a perspective on how tall it is....Tom is 6ft 2in.)

He said one of the guys from Ireland that came here to train, John, took them sightseeing with his wife and 4-month-old daughter. Tom had told me before he left that John was a nice guy. He has met his wife now and thinks the same of her. He couldn't get over how adorable their baby was. We love babies. It is when they grow up that they get annoying. lol

He and Rod are really struggling with the lack of cold...even the refrigerators are barely cold. I think the first thing he is going to do when he lands in America is get an ice cold Mountain Dew (They can't seem to find any Pepsi products there. Sounds like my kinda country!)

By the way, Rod gave me permission to post the story that I found so funny. I guess I found it funny because I say things all the time without thinking it through. Anyway, Rod and Tom were talking to the guys in Ireland that they are working with and I don't know what they were talking about but Rod said "treated like a redheaded step child." I found that hilarious because Ireland is known for their redheads (although Tom said there aren't really an over abundance of redheads as is the perception). The guys from Ireland just looked at them and said "Is that an American expression?" LOL

Tom has been working so much that he really hasn't had time to think about missing us. Well he wasn't working yesterday and when he called, I could hear it in his voice that he is homesick. I had mentioned that we had never been apart this long. He reminded me that when my dad died, I stayed with my mom in Louisiana for 3 weeks. I had forgotten about that because I was in autopilot mode doing what I had to do to settle dad's business and taking care of my mom. But I do remember the last week I was there was the worst because things were all done and the homesickness hit me hard. In my case, I called Tom and he came and picked me up. Unfortunately, he can't do that. I feel for him. But hopefully they will get everything done and never have to go back and now he can say he has been to Ireland. That's so cool!!

Tom in Ireland......day 5

Tom called me tonight and he is feeling much better. They have made alot of progress but will still have to stay in Ireland nine days longer than originally thought. I really hate that but it is better than having him come home on time and then going back a week later. The guys from Ireland that were in Orangeburg training are back in Ireland now and Tom and Rod were happy to see them. They are going to be taking Tom and Rod to a Gaelic football game this weekend. He really hasn't had time to miss us this week because he and Rod have been working so much. He is sure this weekend it will hit him how much he misses us. It hit us the day he left. Knowing I won't see him for another two weeks is rough. But hopefully they will never have to go back there again.

I asked him what the hardest thing to get used to was....besides the obvious aversion to anything cool/cold. He told me they are still having trouble ordering food. They are learning but it is so different. He told me that the best meal he's had so far was at a place called "The Yellow Pepper." (That's an odd name for a restaurant but not down right weird like Lizard's Thicket.) Anyway, he had beef medallions on mashed potatoes and corn and he said it was delicious....actually the best meal he's had since he's been there. He said the portions in Ireland are smaller than what you get in America so he and Rod had room for dessert. Rod had something with hot fudge that sounded delicious but Tom gets an instant migraine from chocolate so he ordered a dessert that had ice cream, caramel, toffee, and a biscuit (which is what they call cookies) for the crust. I can't remember what he called it but it sounds sooooo good! He said the restaurant experience is so different there. In America, waiters just about hover over you waiting to refill your drink the minute you finishing taking a sip. Not in Ireland. I guess Americans not only eat more, they drink more too. He said the Coke is not fizzy enough. He said it is almost like it wants to taste flat because there isn't enough carbonation. I thought it may be because it isn't cold enough. But he thinks it is just more syrupy there. He and Rod found the ice machine in the hotel and were going to just cool their Cokes off by adding ice. Well the aversion to cold is even evident in the ice. Now I thought ice is ice. Apparently not. Seems they freeze it just long enough to call it ice. So basically when you pour the warm Coke over it, the ice is immediately gone. In America, we freeze it hard so that it lasts a long time to keep our drink cold longer. But we like coldness in America. hehehe He seems to really be enjoying learning about the differences in culture.

At first he couldn't understand why he and Rod were having a little trouble understanding what people were saying because of the accents but yet the locals never had trouble understanding them. Then he figured it out. They have American TV shows there so they are used to the way we talk. The other night when he called me Desperate Housewives was on. I guess I never thought about our shows being broadcast to other countries. There is a story he told me that would go in this paragraph but he has to ask the person it is about before I blog it. It is so funny and I hope he gives me permission to blog it because I know you guys will enjoy it. If I do get permission, I will blog it as soon as I get off the phone!

That's the update of the day. Tom is better and they will do some sight seeing this weekend so hopefully I will have some pictures to post soon.

By the way, to all of my readers who live in South Carolina, please don't forget to go vote Tuesday. The primaries are every bit as important as the general elections. If we don't nominate the right person, it really messes up the general election. I don't care who you vote for....just vote on June 13th!

Tom in Ireland.....day 4

Tom didn't call last night. I assumed he must have felt really bad and crashed when he got home. I guess I was right. Here is the e-mail I got this morning:

I'm sorry I didn't call last night, I meant to, but we got in very late after a long day and I guess I was more tired than I realized.  I layed down on the bed just to relax a few minutes and actually fell asleep almost immediatedly.  The good thing is that I actually got a good nights sleep for the first time since being here.  I slept almost the entire night with only one or two very quick interruptions.

Anyway, we have another long day ahead of us today so I better get to it.  I just wanted to drop you a note and say that I love you.  I'll be sure and give you a call tonight at approximately the same time as the last few nights.

I'm glad he got some sleep.  That's the best medicine he could get right now.  I will blog more after I talk to him tonight.

On the home front, a member of Tom's family has passed away.  She would have been 99 in a couple of months.  In addition to that, Brittanie's boyfriend, Randy, called yesterday morning to tell her that his grandmother had a heart attack and died yesterday morning.  It was his mom's mom and they were very close.  So he is heartbroken, as you can expect.  Brittanie ran out and got a couple of outfits to wear to the wake and funeral.  The wake is tonight and the funeral is tomorrow (Saturday).    Instinctually, I got a sympathy card and put some money in it for her to give to them.  Then I thought about it and realized that may be just a Louisiana custom.  So I called Tom's cousin, Jenny, to ask her if that is done down here.  She said normally you just donate to the charity of their choice in lieu of flowers.  She said she had never heard of anyone giving money to the family.  I don't want to insult them but I know when my dad died, there were tons of expenses, even though the funeral was prepaid.  She still had to buy a shirt and pay for the tomb to be opened and sealed.....plus the family arrangement of flowers.  My nephew and I split the family arrangement and it was $300 total.   I guess that's why in Louisiana people give money directly to the family.....to help out with those expenses.  My mom received about $500 when dad died.  It was just enough to pay for the tomb to be opened and sealed.  Anyway, I'm glad I checked.  Jenny suggested I put a note explaining that I wanted to give them a little something so they can use it where they see fit.  That way if they need the money, they use it.  If not, they can give it to the charity themselves.  Anyway, please keep these families in your prayers.  Randy's mom is my age.  I know how hard it was to lose my dad.  I am sure it is much worse to lose a mom.

Tom in Ireland.....day 3

Tom is sick. I guess from the temperature change that he isn't at all used to, he has caught a cold....complete with fever. He and Rod went to the pharmacy to get some Tylenol for his fever. Guess what....no Tylenol in Ireland. The pharmacist didn't even know what Acetaminophen was. There was tons of aspirin but he can't take that because of his stomach. He asked the pharmacist what they take for fever and he said aspirin and Tom explained he can't handle that. So he gave him Paracetamol, which he looked up when he got back to the hotel and it is the Irish version of Tylenol. They also gave him something like Zyrtec for his congestion.

He just can't get over how expensive things are there. He and Rod ate at McDonald's today and their Quarter Pounder combo cost them $8 (US). The places they went to eat at night are like Ruby Tuesdays and Applebees. Normally two people can eat at Applebees for like $40. There, it was like $85 (US).

But he had a rough day because of him being sick. Otherwise things are fine.

Katie is having a hard time dealing with Tom not being here. Our alarm beeps when the door is opened. Today she was taking a nap and Brittanie's boyfriend came over and Katie heard to beep and came running out of her bedroom screaming "Daddy's home!" I feel so bad for her. She just can't understand no matter how much we explain it to her. She is miserable without Tom and she is acting out. Tonight Brittanie told her something and she told Brittanie to shut up. Brittanie said "What did you say?" Katie's answer?....."Did I stutter?" She is a mouthy one!

Congratulations Will!!

Our friends, Lynn and Frank, came over to celebrate my birthday with us on May 20th. Well just 6 days later, their son, Will graduated from Dutch Fork High School. Lynn sent me a picture of the three of them together and it was such a great picture that I just had to blog it.

Tom used to work with Frank at Network and he and his wife were the first friends we made when we moved back to South Carolina. They are wonderful. We just love them!! I had to laugh when I saw the face Frank is making. What is up with computer guys not wanting to smile? Or is that just men in general? Tom does the same thing....only Tom looks mean because of his goatee, dark eyebrows and eyelashes, and especially his piercing green eyes. I don't think it is possible for Frank to look mean. He is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. I guess that's why he and his wife are such a perfect couple because she is one of the nicest women you will ever meet as well.

I know they are very proud of Will. He is a great guy and has a bright future ahead of him!!

Tom in Ireland....day 2

Tom called me around 5pm (which is 10pm in Ireland) and told me he had a pretty good day. Things are just so different there. It seems that Irish people have an aversion to the cold. There are no air conditioners.....not in the restaurants they have been to and not in their hotel. They even bring your drinks to you in the restaurants with no ice. Last night a man at the table next to them ordered ice and the waitress brought him 4 cubes and he put 2 in his glass and 2 in his wife's glass. He said the Irish people think they are having a heat wave because it was in the upper 70's today. LOL (They should come to South Carolina in August. THAT is a heat wave!) He can't believe they wear long sleeves when the temperature is in the 60's and low 70's. He is also amazed at how expensive everything is. He saw a 2006 Honda Civic, like we bought Brittanie, at a dealership and it was 20,000 euros, which is like $27K here in the US. Their minimum wage is a little over $10 an hours (US money). The hotel TV only has 20 channels and really nothing that interests him. That's a fixable problem....thanks to our Slingbox. So as I'm typing this, he is connected to our Slingbox and probably watching Star Trek.

But I think the worst thing is the lack of air conditioning. Tom is a REAL hot natured person. His office is right by the computer room and is kept REAL cold....like in the 60's but it feels like 50's to me. When he comes home from work, he turns our AC down to 68 and that's how we sleep. So he feels like he is suffocating in his hotel room. He opens the window but the temperature doesn't get down to where he is comfortable until the sun goes down....which is well after 10pm but then it comes back up at 4:30, which starts warming things up once again. But he is making the best of it. He wasn't grouchy about it as he is trying hard to adapt. But it does make him homesick. I don't know what he misses more....his family or his air conditioner. hehehe

So that's the update of the day!

Tom is in Ireland

Tom boarded the plane for Ireland at 2pm (Columbia time) on Sunday and called me at 10am Monday morning to tell me he made it to the hotel. I felt so bad for him and Rod having to travel so long. By the time they got to the hotel, they were exhausted and starving. They are 5 hours ahead of us so they were going to grab something to eat, head to the plant to check things out, then go back to the hotel early and sleep. I got this e-mail from him this morning (I deleted the personal stuff....yall don't need to read that. hehehe)

Good morning from Ireland!! I'm about to head out to the office but I just wanted to drop you a little note. It feels weird here. The sun doesn't even set until about 10PM and it's not really dark until almost midnight, then the sun is back up at 4:30AM.
Hope you and the girls are doing OK.

I can't imagine having only 5 hours of darkness. We sleep ALOT. That would definitely put a crimp in our sleeping. We are really missing him....especially Katie. We knew she would take it harder than the rest of us because she doesn't understand what is going on and she is VERY much attached to Tom. Last night she went outside to feed Belle and came running back in screaming "Daddy's truck is outside!!" So for the 100th time that day, I explained to her that daddy is in Ireland working and that is VERY far away and he won't be home for two weeks. She will hold her two fingers us and say "this many." But she is only 3 so she doesn't understand how long that really is. After 17 years of marriage, it is hard sleeping alone. He may come home late alot but we look forward to that every night. Our family just isn't the same without him. Hopefully he won't have to go to Ireland very often after this trip. Hopefully it won't be as often as he goes to New Jersey.....and he rarely goes there...maybe once every couple of years or so.

Oh! I do have one more update! I called Bubba yesterday, who was my best friend in elementary school and high school, to tell him about Tim dying and we starting talking about his time in Iraq and he was actually in a shoot out and shot in the leg. He dug the bullet out with his knife and kept shooting. They wanted to send him to Germany for medical attention and he said he was fine and stayed and finished out his time in Iraq and was awarded a Purple Heart! He's like his daddy in that respect. Mr. Robert was one of the manliest men I had ever met and growing up, I thought he was the toughest man alive. I guess he's passed that down to Bubba. But I'm so proud that we have people like Bubba protecting us! (By the way, I think everyone is calling him Robert now that he is older but to me, he will always be Bubba!)

My ex-boyfriend died

My mom called me yesterday and told me that my ex-boyfriend, Tim, died. He and I dated for over a year when I was 12. We did more together than any guy I dated....not naughty stuff of course, but we went to horse shows together, I have a picture of the two of us on an elephant at the zoo, and he would come over just about every day because my brother was dating his mom. He even stayed over all night long a few times when my parents made sausage. They would smoke the sausage all night long so they needed to stay awake so they could check on it periodically throughout the night. We loved those nights because we would stay up and play games, watch TV and drink NUMEROUS mugs of mom's homemade hot chocolate. Our tongues had no feeling on the tip anymore after a night like that. And we still went to school the next day! We were pale and exhausted because we hadn't slept all night but we went and amazingly didn't fall asleep in class! We wrote letters to each other everyday and even had shirts made that had "Made for loving him" and "Made for loving her" on the front and our names on the back. We just thought we were hopelessly in love.....at 12 and 13! lol I haven't seen him since our 8th grade graduation. But he was still as handsome as I remembered. When I knew him, he was a wonderful guy and from his obituary, he was till the day he died.

According to the report my mom received, he was found dead in his apartment and they don't know what caused it. I am saddened by this because of the good memories. I know this is just the beginning though. The older I get, the more childhood friends are going to pass away. That's life but I sure don't like it.

Please say a prayer for his family! I know his mom is grieving, as are his brother and sister.

Here is the obituary:

Funeral services for Timothy Dupre will be Saturday June 3, 2006 at 10:30 a.m. in the St. Anthony Catholic Church in Krotz Springs. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Fr. Mark Ledoux will officiate the services.

Mr. Dupre, 38, died Tuesday May 30, 2006.

He was a native of Krotz Springs and resided in Spring Texas. He was a 1987 graduate of Port Barre High School. He held an Accounting Degree from Remington College. He graduated in May 2000 Magna Cum Laude from Viterbo Catholic College in La Crosse, Wisconsin with a Batchelor Degree in Registered Nursing. His passion in life was animals. He was a highly profiled and highly successful person in show dogs specializing in poodles. He has many champion poodles and clients from all over the country as well as the world. He is featured in several magazines as well as winning several shows on television. He was presently employed as the Executive Director of the Divita - Houston Kidney Center specializing in in home dialysis for patients. Tim touched the lives of everyone he came in contact with. His smile and kindness will be missed by family and all of his many friends.

Mr. Dupre is survived by his mother, LouElla Ardoin Hyatt of Krotz Springs, La.; step father, J. B. Hyatt of Krotz Springs, La.; sister, Cynthia Dupre Stelly and husband Mike Stelly of Krotz Springs, La.; brother, Travis Barker and wife Heather Barker of Krotz Springs, La; two nieces, Halie Stelly and Arielle Barker both of Krotz Springs, La.; 3 nephews, Cpl. Michael Stelly, USMC, Logan Stelly and Wyatt Barker all of Krotz Springs, La.; maternal grandfather, Neson Ardoin and maternal step grandmother, Nita Ardoin both of Pine Prairie, La.; maternal great aunt, Yvonne Fontenot of Opelousas, La.; uncle, Lawrence Ardoin and wife Enola Ardoin of Eunice, La.

Preceded in death by his maternal grandmother, Lou Ray Guillory Ardoin and maternal uncle James L. Ardoin, Sr.

Visitation will be Friday June 2, 2006 at 11 a.m. and will remain open all night.

A rosary will be recited Friday at 6:30pm.

Lafond-Ardoin Funeral Home of Krotz Springs is in charge of arrangements.

Our little bully

Katie woke up in a bad mood yesterday and it didn't get better as the day went on. Well right before Tom got home from work, I was eating chicken wings and Katie always wants to give Belle (our dog) bones. Well I told her yesterday she had to wait till daddy got home because she has a bad habit of putting Belle's food and bones in her water. No matter how many times she has gotten in trouble for it, she still does it. Well yesterday Tom came in from work, grabbed the bones and took them out to Belle. Katie came in the room 5 minutes later wanting to know where the bones went. Tom told her he took them out. Katie got MAD! She told Tom "I'm mad at you! I wanted to give Belle the bones. I don't like you anymore. I don't want you to come home anymore!" Tom told her that was ugly and she is not allowed to talk to him like that and that she needs to apologize. She refused. But she tried to do what she does EVERY day....climb up on his lap. He wouldn't let her. She tried 5 or 6 times and finally got so mad she stomped off to her room saying "FINE! I'm going to my room and I'm NEVER coming back until you want me to!" That made us laugh. She is going to stay in there till she is 18? hahaha Well she came out....on her own....5 minutes later and tried AGAIN to climb up on Tom's lap. He refused to let her up there until she apologized. He looked at her, waiting for an apology. What he got was "You should have let ME give Belle the bones!" That was it for Tom. He said "Look little girl, I'M the boss...not you. I will give Belle anything I want to and I don't care what you think about it! Now you apologize or go back to your room." So she said "I apologize" in a very begrudging tone and climbed up on his lap. When she got up on his lap, she whispered "I'm the boss." HAVE MERCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She says this all the time. I don't argue with her. I tell her it doesn't matter what she says or what she thinks, mommy and daddy are the boss and that's final. I just couldn't believe after all that, she was still being defiant and declaring herself the boss! I can see it now....she is going to be the one that is always in the principal's office for her smart mouth and fighting.

Speaking of fighting, that reminds me...Katie's favorite thing to do nowadays is fight. She begs Tom and Brittanie to get down on the floor with her and fight. Tom did the play fighting with Brittanie too....still does from time to time....and it was more like wrestling. But Katie punches. She may be small and only 3, but she hits HARD. I had considered putting her in karate to teach her discipline. But she is so headstrong, I am afraid the discipline part will go in one ear and out the other and she will absorb how to hurt people instead.

She is definitely a challenge. I've never seen such a determined 3-year-old!