More roommate drama

Brittanie got up this morning to find that her roommate, Reisha, had cooked bacon, eggs, and pancakes for her and her boyfriend this morning, ate, and then left the apartment....leaving quite a mess all over the stove, counters, and table. Brittanie wants to keep that apartment clean so she cleaned the mess for her....even washing her frying pans and putting them back where she had them, putting her food back on her shelf, and her orange juice back in the fridge so it wouldn't spoil.

Now a normal person would be grateful and say thank you. But not Reisha. Her response to Brittanie's kindness......"WHO TOUCHED MY STUFF?" That's when Brittanie lost it. She told her that it is HER kitchen too and she doesn't appreciate waking up to a mess all over it and the kitchen table!!! Reisha told Brittanie that she doesn't touch their stuff and does not touch their stuff. Brittanie said "That's because we don't leave our stuff all over the place like this!"

This girl obviously wasn't raised right or something. There is just something wrong with her thinking!

The Misadventures of Dish Network Day 3

Well two different installers came out today to install our Dish Network HD satellite. One guy was professional but let us know that his company has never installed this dish before because it just came out August 20th. But he was going to give it his best. He did it and we are now on the Dish Network. BUT his assistant, Bubba, was another story. I wasn't impressed at all. His eyes were the most blood shot eyes I have ever seen. Katie asked him why his eyes were so red and he said he didn't get any sleep last night. Uhhhh huh. He kept picking on Katie, which made me uncomfortable but I was here to keep an eye on him so I didn't say anything. While the professional guy was outside working, he sat on the sofa and nodded off to sleep. Then right before they left, Katie was in her room and the professional guy and Tom were in our bedroom so he could show Tom how to do something and Bubba got up and walked into the kitchen and I heard the refrigerator door open. My first thought was that I must have been mistaken about where Katie was and she was now in the fridge. Just as I thought that, Katie came bouncing down the hall. Just as Katie came down the hall, I heard the refrigerator door close. We were the only ones in the house so I knew Bubba had been snooping in my fridge!! When the professional guy and Tom came back into the living room, he asked if we had any questions because he was about to leave. I said "Yes. I have a question. Is that guy drunk? He just went into my refrigerator!" He was surprised....but didn't answer the question. He and Tom went outside and the guy asked Bubba about going in my fridge and of course he denied it but, again, we were the only ones in the house and everyone was accounted for! I couldn't believe the nerve of him! I'm all for southern hospitality but there is a limit! You just don't go into someone's house that you don't even know and snoop in their fridge!

But after all of that, we have HD satellite and the picture is beautiful. I'm just glad it is over. Right now we are worried because WACH Fox 57's HD is out right now. Tom will NOT be happy if it isn't back in time for the next Panthers game.

The Misadventures of Dish Network Day 2

Tom stayed home today to be here when the installers got here. I hadn't heard a peep out of them by noon, so I called the installers and was assured that they would be here today. An hour later, they called back and told Tom that they still don't have the software and MAY come tomorrow. He called Dish and told them we want different installers and they told him he could get different installers but it would put us back in the rotation....meaning it will be at least a week before someone would come out here. Tom also looked up the satellite they were going to install and figured out what the problem was. While they were here, they were saying they needed to put it on 72 but there was no 72. They tried 61.5 but that didn't work. I didn't know what any of that meant but I was telling it to Tom today and he told me that the problem was the satellite they are installing should be pointed at 110....not 72 or 61.5. That's what the problem was! So if they guys don't come tomorrow, we are going to call Dish Tuesday and ask for different installers.

Katie has been sick all week and has now given it to me. Fun fun! Tonight I peeled, seasoned, and battered 8 pounds of jumbo shrimp and Tom fried them with french fries. They were delicious. Jonathan made dessert.....my daddy's recipe for pound cake. It was delicious!! Brittanie was here earlier but she didn't want to stay for dinner. She and Courtney were supposed to have a talk with Reisha this afternoon but Reisha never showed up. So she started doing homework and made a couple of calls to get someone to go to a movie with her. She is feeling down because she really hasn't made any college friends yet and Courtney and, it seems, everyone else wants to party and drink and Brittanie isn't into that. So what is a Christian girl to do at a public university? I feel for her but am so proud of her that she isn't willing to give in to peer pressure! One of her friends from high school was supposed to come over tonight to go to a movie. But as she was leaving to meet him, she realized she locked her keys in her bedroom. Her key ring has her bedroom key and car key on it. So she couldn't go anywhere. She called maintenance....luckily she didn't leave her cell phone in her room.....and they can't get to her room to unlock it till 12:30am! So she is stuck in the living room watching TV and can't even study because her books are in her room. This is the college equivalent of locking her keys in her car when she was in high school and me having to run to Swansea to unlock it.

Our time with Jonathan is unfortunately getting short. We are going to miss him so much! Today, I wanted some pictures of him and Brittanie in their ACU's. So he put his uniform on for me to take pictures and as he was walking by me, I noticed he hadn't shaved. I rubbed his beard and said "you're out of uniform, scruffy." He said "AWWWWW" and went and shaved. No day off of shaving for him. He loves me so he didn't complain too much. But here are the pictures we took today:

Brittanie's hat is way too big. She has already exchanged it once but it is still too big. She tried on Jonathan's and realized she needs the same size he wears. So she is going to get one that is the same size as his when she gets back to class Thursday.We didn't tell her to pose like this. This was all Katie. She's such a ham!Jonathan was trying to do something with her hat but even he couldn't make it look right. It was just too big.

She isn't pretending to smoke. She is never around anyone who smokes. This is her doing her fingers like Brittanie and hamming it up sassie style for the camera.

Jonathan is showing her his boots so when she has to replace her Army issued boots, she will know the best ones to buy.I still can't believe Jonathan and Brittanie are all grown up now! Not only grown but he's in the Army and she is training to be in the Army. Where did the time go? I'm VERY proud of both of them!Brother and sister!Brittanie stole Tom's Barq's root beer. She not only drank this one but she shoved a couple in her ACU pants pockets. hehehe Hey college students are supposed to raid their parents' house for food and drinks!Brittanie wants a picture with her little sister. I thought this was adorable with Katie wearing her ACU hat! Katie looked like a ragamuffin because she desperately needed to brush her hair. But I'm posting it anyway cuz it was cute.
Katie and our dog, Belle.

Louisiana Hurricane Preparations

If you're new to the area, you're probably wondering what you need to do to prepare for the possibility that we'll get hit by 'the big one'.

Based on our experiences, we recommend that you follow this simple three-step hurricane preparedness plan:

STEP 1. Buy enough food and bottled water to last your family for at least three days.

STEP 2. Put these supplies into your car.

STEP 3. Drive to Nebraska and remain there until Thanksgiving.

Unfortunately, statistics show that most people will not follow this sensible plan. Most people will foolishly stay here in Louisiana .

Therefore, we'll start with one of the most important hurricane preparedness items:

HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE:
If you own a home, you must have hurricane insurance. Fortunately, this insurance is cheap and easy to get, as long as your home meets two basic requirements: (1) It is reasonably well-built, and (2) It is located in Nebraska .

Unfortunately, if your home is located in Louisiana or any other area that might actually be hit by a hurricane, most insurance companies would prefer not to sell you hurricane insurance, because then they might be required to pay YOU money, and that is certainly not why they got into the insurance business in the first place.

So you'll have to scrounge around for an insurance company, which will charge you an annual premium roughly equal to the replacement value of your house.

At any moment, this company can drop you like used dental floss. Since Hurricane Andrew, I have had an estimated 27 different home-insurance companies. This week, I'm covered by the Bob and Big Stan Insurance Company, under a policy which states that, in addition to my premium, Bob and Big Stan are entitled, on demand, to my kidneys.

SHUTTERS:
Your house should have hurricane shutters on all the windows, all the doors, and -- if it's a major hurricane -- all the toilets.

There are several types of shutters, with advantages and disadvantages:

Plywood shutters: The advantage is that, because you make them yourself, they're cheap. The disadvantage is that, because you make them yourself, they will fall off.

Sheet-metal shutters: The advantage is that these work well, once you get them all up. The disadvantage is that once you get them all up, your hands will be useless bleeding stumps, and it will be December.

Roll-down shutters: The advantages are that they're very easy to use, and will definitely protect your house. The disadvantage is that you will have to sell your house to pay for them.

'Hurricane-proof'' windows: These are the newest wrinkle in hurricane protection: They look like ordinary windows, but they can withstand hurricane winds! You can be sure of this, because the salesman says so. He lives in Nebraska .

'Hurricane Proofing Your Property: As the hurricane approaches, check your yard for movable objects like barbecue grills, planters, patio furniture, visiting relatives, etc. You should, as a precaution, throw these items into your swimming pool (if you don't have a swimming pool, you should have one built immediately). Otherwise, the hurricane winds will turn these objects into deadly missiles.

EVACUATION ROUTE:
If you live in a low-lying area, you should have an evacuation route planned out. (To determine whether you live in a low-lying area, look at your driver's license; if it says ' Louisiana ' you live in a low-lying area.) The purpose of having an evacuation route is to avoid being trapped in your home when a major storm hits. Instead, you will be trapped in a gigantic traffic jam several miles from your home, along with two hundred thousand other evacuees. So, as a bonus, you will not be lonely.

HURRICANE SUPPLIES:
If you don't evacuate, you will need a mess of supplies. Do not buy them now! Louisiana tradition requires that you wait until the last possible minute, then go to the supermarket and get into vicious fights with strangers over who gets the last can of SPAM.

In addition to food and water, you will need the following supplies:
• 23 flashlights.

• At least $167 worth of batteries that turn out, when the power goes out, to be the wrong size for the flashlights.

• Bleach. (No, I don't know what the bleach is for. NOBODY knows what the bleach is for.

But it's traditional, so GET some!)
• A 55-gallon drum of underarm deodorant.

• A big knife that you can strap to your leg (This will be useless in a hurricane, but it looks cool.

• A large quantity of raw chicken, to placate the alligators. (Ask anybody who went through A hurricane; after the hurricane, there WILL be irate alligators.

• $35,000 in cash or diamonds so that, after the hurricane passes, you can buy a generator from a man with no discernible teeth.

Of course these are just basic precautions. As the hurricane draws near, it is vitally important that you keep abreast of the situation by turning on your television and watching TV reporters in rain slickers stand right next to the Gulf and tell you over and over how vitally important it is for everybody to stay away from the Gulf.

Good luck and remember: It's great living in paradise! Those of you who aren't here yet, you should come.

The curse is broken!!

Tom attended a football game and the team he was cheering for won!! The curse is broken! hahaha I was not at all a happy camper when Spurrier chose Beecher to be the first string QB. I wanted Chris Smelley to be the QB last year and I still want that this year. Well he started Beecher and Beecher stunk it up. Smelley came in and lead them to a 34 to nothing victory over NC State!! Chris Smelley is AWESOME! He and Brittanie don't know it yet, but he is going to be my son-in-law. He is a Christian, graduated valedictorian from a Christian high school, and has been on the Dean's list every semester since he got to USC, and is a great football player. Yep...he's gonna be my son-in-law! I can't wait to see how the rest of the season goes!

*By the way, I made the alterations to that picture myself. hehehe

The Misadventures of Dish Network Day 1

Tom and I have had DirecTV for years and have been very happy with them. But we are tired of waiting for them to get local channels in HD so we can watch football in HD. So we looked at Dish and they had the same package we have with DirecTV except they have local channels in HD, as well as many more channels in HD, for the same price we pay DirecTV for standard definition. So we called and scheduled them to come out today and install our Dish Network system today between 8 and noon. They showed up at 12:05 and told us that we are the first ones to get the new dish that they got in last Wednesday but that there was no software available to download for their "birddog" this morning before they left but they were going to try to install it anyway. It didn't work. So plan B was to install two old dishes but they wanted to install it on the front of our house on the roof. Tom said NO! So they tried different things to make the new dish work but they couldn't. So they are going to come back tomorrow with their manager and get it done. I asked what time they would be here tomorrow but they didn't know and said they just hoped I would be here tomorrow. To me, we should get priority after what happened today. But tomorrow Tom will be here and he will find out what it going on.

I'm just really disappointed that we didn't get it installed today because I was really looking forward to watching the Gamecocks play in HD. Tom, Jonathan, Brittanie, and Brittanie's roommate, Courtney all went to the game but I stayed home with Katie. She isn't feeling well. (Every time school starts there is always a sick kid in the class that gets everyone sick! grrrrr)

Roommate problems

Brittanie and Courtney's roommate, Reisha, seems to be a real piece of work. She acts as though the apartment is hers and she allows Brittanie and Courtney to stay there and follow her rules. Reisha puts her stuff all over the fridge and if Courtney and Brittanie move things to fit their stuff in there, she gets mad. Brittanie told her in no uncertain terms that the fridge is for ALL of them and if they have to move her stuff to fit in theirs, they are going to do it! Yesterday Reisha left for class leaving clothes in the dryer. Courtney needed to wash and dry her clothes. So when it was time to dry her clothes, she took Reisha's out of the dryer, folded them neatly and put them on the dryer. Reisha had a fit that her clothes were taken out of the dryer. Brittanie told her that she is lucky that it was Courtney that needed the dryer and not her because she wouldn't have folded them because of the way Reisha has been treating them. She would have just plopped them on top of the dryer. Brittanie and Courtney got a small double aquarium and each a fish and put it on the bar between the kitchen and the living room. Reisha told them to take their fish to their room. Brittanie told her that they pay rent there too and two of the three people in that apartment that pay rent want those right right where they are and that is where they are going to stay. Reisha fussed at Courtney for leaving her cigarettes on the coffee table because she said if her parents come in, they will think those cigarettes are hers. Brittanie told her "Well you must not be too trustworthy because if my parents walked in and saw cigarettes on the coffee table they would know they aren't mine because I don't smoke!" Courtney told Reisha off this morning over the same tired griping over the stuff in the fridge. It is going to be a long year but I told Brittanie that she and Courtney need to present a united front and always stand up to her and let her know that she is outnumbered. If you give her an inch, she will take a mile. She is treating them like children and Brittanie HATES that. But she has met her match in Brittanie. Brittanie will never cower down to her. Should make for an interesting year.

My math whiz!!!

Brittanie just got done with her first College Algebra class. On the first day, everyone is required to take a test that covers all of the material they are going to learn throughout the semester and then they take it again at the end of the semester to see the improvement. The professor told everyone they don't expect anyone to pass that test. Brittanie got 94 out of 100. Her professor told her there was no need for her to come back. She passed. But she said she paid for that class and the book for it and wants to brush up on her math skills because she doesn't know if she will have to take more algebra classes in her last 3 years of college. By the way, she had the highest grade on that test. The next highest was a 75. It's in the genes! Tom and I are both good at math. Tom's mom has an accounting degree and my biological mom was an accountant while my biological dad is a math teacher! So she gets it honestly. But I'm very proud of her!!!

Katie's computer

Katie inherited Brittanie's computer after she moved out and got her laptop. Tom stripped every trace of Windows off of it and loaded it with Ubuntu (Linux). He is going to start her off right! Well she is used to using my laptop, which has a trackball mouse. That is the only mouse she has ever used. Well now she has a regular mouse with her computer and absolutely hates it. She has been growling and sighing in frustration because she hates that mouse. I can't help but laugh everytime she said "UGHHH STUPID MOUSE!!" But she is really enjoying Ubuntu. It has lots of games, including a typing tutorial game, that she enjoys playing. She has been to hubbabubba.com and leapsterworld.com. But I think we are going to have to end up getting her a trackball mouse so she can play effectively.

What's funny is that almost every adult that has tried to use my mouse has told me they hated it and usually end up making me use it for them because they can't get it. Katie doesn't want to use the "easy" mouse. She wants the trackball. She is doing something many adults can't. That's my baby!

Brittanie's apartment

Brittanie sent me pictures of her room and bathroom in her apartment today. I LOVE her bathroom. She is all Gamecocked out! The picture of the bed is blurry and she told me she will send me a better one tonight.

Brittanie will be blogging about her ROTC experience. So for those who are interested, you can find her blog by clicking here: Brittanie's Blog.

Katie is definitely one of a kind

We have always picked at each other in this house and Katie has learned to do it too. Today I was in the kitchen cooking and she drew a picture and showed it to Tom and said, "Guess who this is." Tom guessed everyone but me. Katie finally said, "No! It's mama. See? Doesn't it look like a retard?" Yep, she fits in perfectly in this house!

I cooked beef roast, rice and gravy, and a broccoli and potato casserole. Katie loved the roast. She ate what we gave her, asked for more, ate that, and asked for even more. We told her no. She said, "But I love the meat! It's delicious, delectable, and deLIGHTful." (Delightful was sang with LIGHT sang with a higher note.)

Years ago, I wanted another baby so that when Brittanie moved out, I wouldn't have an empty nest. I'm soooooooo glad we had her. She drives us nuts when she is hyper but she adds so much fun to our lives that I can't imagine life without her!

13 things your computer person won't tell you

My Reader's Digest this month had an article from Adam Bluestein that I really liked. Being married to a computer geek, I know all of this but I know some people don't so I wanted to share it with you. (Hopefully crediting Reader's Digest and the author of the article will keep me out of copywright violations.)

1. Turn it off, turn it back on. "Nine times out of ten, rebooting your computer- and any equipment that connects to it, will solve the problems," says Aaron Schildkraut, who owns a home tech support service in the New York tristate area.

2. Just because we're "buddies" at work, don't expect me to come running every time you've got a problem. I've got a slew of IT problems to fix. (That's why Tom has two great T-shirts...one that says simply "No I will not fix your computer" and the other that says "No I will not fix your computer, GET LINUX!"

3. We're like Santa: We know if you've been bad or good. Fessing up to what really happened right before the system crashed is going to save time - and I'm going to figure it out anyway.

4. Use "strong" passwords. Geek Squad Derek Meister suggests combining letters and numbers - but not your birth date - to create a "base" password and adding a unique suffix for each site you use. If your base password is your spouse's initials and your anniversary date (say SP061789), your Amazon password might be "SP061789AM."

5. Make sure you have current antivirus and anti-spyware protection and set it to update at least once a day and run a full system scan at least once a week.

6. There is no free lunch. Downloading free music, movies, and games from file sharing sites can open holes in your system for others to exploit. Play it safe and use established services like Rhapsody, ITunes, and Netflix.

7. Remember Public Wi-Fi is public. If you don't have a compelling reason to check your email or bank account while sipping a latte at the mall, don't do it. While you're on a public network, even one that's encrypted, a nearby hacker can capture your passwords.

8. Give it a rest. Turning off your computer when it is not in use saves energy and clears out the RAM, or temporary memory, which would otherwise slow your machine over time.

9. If you can't get online, call your Internet Service Provider first. Connection problems can often be checked and fixed - free.

10. If you want to see less of me, get a Mac. That's what we use. "Macs are actually a little bad for my business," says Schildkraut.

11. No you can't use your cell phone to pop popcorn. Next time an internet rumor drops into your inbox, don't just pass it on - check it with snopes.com first. (I completely agree. I absolutely HATE getting e-mails that sound totally stupid but are usually meant to spread fear and panic. I always check with snopes and not once has one been true! To me, it makes the person that forwarded it look like a moron. So let's not be morons people....check with snopes before forwarding!!!)

12. Sometimes we talk about you - in code. If you hear "HKI error" (for human keyboard interface) or "PEBCAK" (problem exists between chair and keyboard), we're insulting you. (Tom once told me I had an ID10T problem. When he said it, I didn't think anything of it. But he told me to write it and then I realized he just called me an idiot! He thinks he's funny! ;^)

13. If you don't understand me, I'm not doing my job. Confusing tech jargon is a sign of insecurity, not intelligence. (I totally agree!! This applies to any field you are in, in my opinion. I work in the medical field and I could use the big words that are exact medical terms like esophagogastroduodenoscopy. But people would understand "going down your throat with a light" alot easier and I don't feel the need to use the big words to show off what I know. I only use the big term if I'm asked.)

Tougher tardy rules in Louisiana schools

I was reading an article on the website of the local Baton Rouge newspaper, The Advocate, about Louisiana passing a law to toughen the penalties for students being late for class. The new law allows the district attorney to fine parents $50 and 25 hours of community service if their child is late for school more than 5 times in a month. From what I have read on several sites, this has been a contraversial issue. I am curious what my friends think about it. I was bad about getting Brittanie to school late when she was at Grace. Grace gives you a day's suspension for 10 tardies....no matter how long it takes to accumulate the 10. I have to say that just lets the parents off the hook for taking the child to school that day, which saves gas! I have to admit that I would have made a much stronger effort to get her there on time if the consequences would have affected me financially. Tom would have had a duck if we had to pay $50 because I couldn't get her there on time. And I'm NOT doing community service. Obviously Louisiana is having problems with students disrupting class by coming in late and I think this is a great solution.

Apartment life

Brittanie is enjoying her apartment but it does take some getting used to. We live in the country on a quiet dirt road. She is now in the city and in an apartment....which are notorious for having paper thin walls. She had us laughing tonight telling us that she was doing homework today and had her TV on and could hear 2001 playing LOUDLY and she thought it was some of the USC Gamecock football players that live in her complex. She walked outside and realized that it wasn't coming from her apartment complex. It was actually coming from Williams Brice Stadium. They were doing a sound check. She said it was so loud that when she was in her room, she would have sworn it was in her complex. hehehe

She said last night she heard walking on the ceiling and then suddenly a thud and then lots of laughter. Evidently someone fell down and all of his friends found it hilarious. It is going to take some getting used to but hopefully things won't be too too loud once school gets into full swing and especially during midterms and finals!

YAY!!!

Jonathan's class at BNOC is officially over and he will be here with us till September 1st. YAY!!! We love having him here!

Uhhh huh....he loves me! hehehe

I'm so proud of him!! He got the Leadership Award. Isn't it pretty?

Brittanie's first day of college

Brittanie had a great first day of college. She was worried about her music appreciation class because she hates jazz. She got lucky and so does her professor so the focus of the class will be on classical. She was very happy about that. She thinks her English class will be intense but definitely doable. Her professor is a former Washington Post journalist. She is looking forward to that class because she was very impressed with how intelligent and professional her professor was. She hates University Studies. It is a required class at USC Sumter but an elective at the Columbia campus. Basically it is to get you acclimated to college life. She said it is a class to treat adult college students like babies and she resents it. She said the clocks were covered so that they won't watch the time go by. They have assigned seating and they are required to keep a log of all of their activities so that the professor knows if they are using their time wisely. That made her angry. She said "Who do they think they are? My mother????" Nope. I don't even make her report to me like that. But I took that class at Louisiana College. I didn't fight it. I thought it was stupid but I just saw it as an easy A.

The best part of her day was going to Army ROTC lab. She said the entire battalion (187 cadets) were there. She said the best part of the whole day was hearing the battalion commander say "Welcome to the Gamecock Battalion." The scholarship winners were acknowledged. Then her instructor, LTC Jameson, called her up to in front of the entire battalion and told everyone that Brittanie was the first person in the history of the Gamecock Battalion to be awarded the Civilian Marksmanship Scholarship and the Gamecock Battalion to honored to have a cadet of her caliber!! She said she nearly died. She was so happy. She was nervous before going to lab but after it was all over, she has a renewed excitement and looking forward to her first full week, starting Monday!

Because she says so

On the way home from school today, Katie told me that she has a boyfriend and his name is Nathan. She said he is handsome, polite, smart, and obedient. (I laughed that she thought obedient was important when she resists obeying at every turn!) I asked her if he knows that he is her boyfriend she said "Yes. I told him that he was my boyfriend and he told me, "Oh that's nice." So he's ok with it." She's so bossy!

She really likes her teacher but thinks they are moving at too slow of a pace. She said "Three days on the letter I....SHEESH! We get it already!" She is in the advanced K5 class. But she has some kids in her class who went to K4 but not Grace's K4 so her teacher has to make sure the kids that didn't go to Grace knows what the Grace kids, who used the ABEKA curriculum last year, know. I told Katie to be patient. It has only been 3 days. It will go faster eventually.

I stole em!

Brittanie and Jessica went to Dave and Buster's in Concord Mills Mall when they were up there on their shopping trip. Brittanie LOVED the Madden game. Her daddy taught her well how to play. She was playing as the Carolina Panthers and beat the team I hate most....the 49ers! Jessica took pictures of her playing Madden, redeeming her tickets, and a picture of both of them together. Jessica posted them on her facebook and I stole them! Here they are!

Touchdown!!!She loves Madden....definitely daddy's girl!Aren't they beautiful? Jenny and I sure make beautiful girls don't we? (I know, I'm so humble. hehehe)

She's in the Army now! (kinda)

Brittanie went to ROTC this morning to get her gear and she called me when she got out. She was very excited that she has ACU's with SIGHTLER on it. Here is a picture of her patches. (The plain patch is where her rank goes. Obviously she doesn't have rank yet.) She has the cool windsuit for PT that 1SG always wore. She loved it and wanted me to buy her one last year but they were too expensive. I'm glad I didn't because the Army just gave her one. The one thing that unnerved her was they gave her a parachute. She was not at all happy when she saw that. She said "Kevin told me that was optional! I'm NOT using that thing. I'm NOT jumping out of a plane. I will quit today!" I told her to chill out because they probably gave her that to teach her how to pack one or in case she decides to go Airborne later. She said getting all of her gear was a real dose of reality. When they handed her the helmet, she said her first thought was "As seen in Iraq...wow!" Yep before she was just playing soldier in JROTC. Time for the real deal.

Last night Brittanie and I watched Army Wives and the story was about a woman who lost her husband in combat and got $100,000 up front and $400,000 later in death benefit. Well today she had to sign that paper to say who she wanted her death benefit to go to. She was kinda creeped out by that but she put my name down and signed the papers. That creeps me out too. I wish she would change her mind but I know she won't so I'm going to just be proud that I have a daughter that is willing do die for her country and pray that she doesn't.I was able to convince her to let me take a picture of her in her ACU's but she refused to smile. She said you don't smile in uniform for pictures. She realized after she took the pictures that her flag and ROTC patch were on the right sides. But since she wouldn't let me take another picture with them put on right, I'm keeping these pictures up. She was up late last night with Courtney watching a movie. She went to bed at 6am and got up at 6:30am, got dressed, and went to her ROTC meeting. Then she came here and had lunch with me and now she is crashed out in Tom's recliner. She is going to pick up Katie from school for me and then going to get her teeth cleaned at the dentist's office. Hopefully she will go to bed early tonight because she starts her full day of classes tomorrow!

Katie's first day and Brittanie update

Katie had a great day at school. She did complain about coming in from recess and having to sit at her desk "a million years." They have recess after lunch...which is at 11:30. So that's 3 hours of sitting at the desk. I guess to a five year old, that's a million years. I told her that when she sits at the desk, she is learning stuff, which will make her grow into a very smart big girl. So she got over that. She loved lunch....chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes and gravy, peas, and an apple. When I picked her up, her teacher told me she has been calling her "Brittanie" all day. I told her that she is used to that. That just happens when you have an older sister who went to the same school and people find they look alike. I don't see it but people tell me that all the time. Brittanie's third grade teacher asked me in car line how Brittanie was doing and told me to tell her hello and that she wishes her the best as she starts college. Over the last couple of years of me dropping Katie off at school, her past teachers have asked about her. I am always touched when they do that. Grace has great teachers. We only encountered one we didn't like at all and we found out we aren't the only ones who don't care for her. But we have a few years before Katie is in danger of being in her class so I'm not going to worry about it.

Now for an update on Brittanie. Saturday night (technically Sunday morning), she left at 12:30am to go to Wal-Mart to buy shower curtain rings. She made the mistake of going to our Wal-Mart (in West Columbia). We are in Lexington County, which has those stupid blue laws. So she went all the way over there for nothing. She was not happy at all. I didn't have the heart to tell her that if she had gone to the Garner's Ferry Road Wal-Mart, she would have been able to buy them because that one is in Richland County, which doesn't have the stupid blue laws. She was too mad telling me about it. I will tell her about it when she gets back from her shopping trip. Speaking of which, lets just hope a bad beginning means a good ending. This shopping trip has been riddled with problems. They have been planning it for 4 months. Eryka backed out because she had no money. Thankfully, Jessica and Courtney were able to go. They were planning on leaving Sunday at 2pm. Well Courtney got sick Saturday night and was up all night hugging the toilet. Brittanie called and asked me for something to give her to kill the nausea....still hoping she could just hop in the car and go. Wasn't going to happen. So I told Brittanie to leave Courtney behind and let her come meet Brittanie and Jessica when/if she starts feeling better. Concord isn't that far. So that's what they did. I printed out the directions to the hotel from her apartment using Google maps. She claims the directions were wrong but I'm thinking with how bad she is at directions, she probably got lost on her own. She called the hotel and they were able to help them navigate out of wherever they were and get to the hotel safely. She and Jessica went to eat Mexican food last night and are having a great time today. Jessica is so wonderful. I just love her! And if you need someone to shop with, she is the one. She and Brittanie definitely have the love of shopping in common. Brittanie texted me and asked how much money she had left in her account. So I looked and let her know and asked about Courtney. Courtney is feeling better and going to meet them tonight. Hopefully they will get to swim tonight after they go to Dave and Buster's.

Katie's first day of K5

Today Katie starts full day Kindergarten and I couldn't be happier. 3 years of getting her ready in the morning and leaving at 11:30 to pick her up has finally come to an end. I should be able to accomplish more during the day now. I cooked her eggs and made her strawberry milk and she was in heaven and told me it was her lucky day and she was excited about starting K5!

We had a wardrobe malfunction. The skirt Brittanie bought that would have been perfect with the shiny shirt (which Katie LOVES), was way too big. Brittanie told me if I put a belt with it, which she bought, it would fit just right. So we grabbed the belt and guess what? The belt is too small. so the skirt is huge and the belt is tiny so we had to change skirts. Then Tom kicked into daddy mode and thought the skirt I did put on her was too short. I told him the dress code is top of the knee. This skirt goes to the top of the knee. Well he went and got a pair of shorts to put under it. Men! If they dressed daughters, they would look like Arab women with just their eyes showing.

But here she is on her first day of school complete with the yucky masculine name tag. I did straighten the skirt after I took this picture. But we were rushed so I didn't notice it was not right until after I took the picture.

She's all moved in!

Brittanie moved into her apartment today. It was rough on all of us....including Katie. But we are proud of her. Tom took the checklist and went through the apartment with a fine tooth comb marking down things that were wrong so that we aren't responsible for them when she moves out and also things that need to be fixed now.....like the doorstop in her room is broken and thus the doorknob busted the sheetrock....again. You could tell it was patched and the knob was allowed to go back into it before it dried. It is a nice apartment but it is not well kept. The carpet needs shampooing. We are going to loan her our shampooer so she can do that Wednesday. There are tons of dead bugs in the fluorescent light in the kitchen. But considering college students live there, it is pretty nice. It is much nicer than the two dorm rooms I have lived in when I was in college. We met her roommate. She is African American and seems nice. One of her friends (maybe a family member) was very nice and friendly to us. Tom and Jonathan were already done helping Brittanie get all of her stuff in when the roommate started moving in so they helped her too.

On the way in, we were seeing people everywhere with burgundy shirts on that said "I like to move it move it." I asked Brittanie where everyone is getting those shirts from. She didn't know. Before she finished unpacking, we were all hungry so we went to Ruby Tuesdays. On the way out, we saw them again and noticed they had a tent set up. Tom said that after they were done moving Brittanie and her roommate in, and were on their way back inside, a group of them wearing that shirt asked if he needed help moving in. They told him they were from a church and that is one of their outreach missions....to help college students move into their apartments. I thought that was so nice!!

Before we left Brittanie's apartment, she went to the office to turn in her vehicle registration form and got her "clicker" that will open the gate for her to get in and out of the complex. Nice!! I love that she is in a gated complex like that. Makes me feel a little bit better.

Anyway, here are some pictures I took before the battery in my camera died.
The kitchen
The living room. The brochure and the tour guide told us that every room had a big screen TV. That's not a big screen TV. WE have a big screen TV. That's not even close.
Walking into her room. She has a black down comforter, burgundy sheets, down pillows, and Gamecock pillow shams. She has a Gamecock valance for the window but she has to buy a curtain rod to put it on.
She was smiling big in this picture but the window behind her makes it impossible to see.
Her chest of drawers, Gamecock laundry basket, and protection (a wooden bat with her name carved in it.)Posters on the side of the bed.
Carolina Panthers night light
Her desk. She doesn't have the laptop and docking station on it yet.
This is over the desk. It is the autographed poster that she got at the Steve Spurrier Ladies Football Clinic. It has the 2008 football schedule on it.
Another shot of the poster, her lava lamp, and her JROTC top shooter plaque.The window. I love the camouflaged bag that says "Cadet Sightler" in pink.
I have to admit I got teary eyed when I saw that she took this frame with her. She has been having it since she was little. By the way, the crystal on the side of her has a Carolina Panthers helmet, Panther logo, and "Panthers" in it and the base lights up and makes the crystal turn a bunch of pretty colors.