Zoooooooooooooo

Gosh the days just seem to fly by lately! I'd better get the zoo pictures up before Alex starts driving! In NO particular order.

Here we've just arrived in Omaha--have to say John did a much better job finding a hotel than the last time. I'm sure my friend, Debbie, will agree that this is much nicer than the icky icky hotel room we shared in Columbia! John got a suite almost identical to the one we got five years ago when we took the kids to Disneyland. Can you tell Alex is happy to be out of the car?


This is the end of the zoo day and we're in the fantastic jungle building...the waterfalls were very cool. The air? Not so much, they kept the weather...well, jungle-ish. But still very impressive.+
Of course he had to sit on the gorilla--it was almost calling his name!
John shaving before the zoo. You're welcome, honey.
A little more of Alex's tour of the hotel--this was his 'room'--the pullout couch.

The first place we went into was the desert dome--I think we wound around that giant dome building for over an hour--the basement had an incredible area where they kept the gators--we walked around in the dark on plankboard, praying one didn't jump up and grab a foot for lunch. And vampire bats, we saw vampire bats feeding on blood. That was my favorite part of the day!

After a long long day, the boys are down for a movie. Alex is hanging out with his new penguin buddy. THAT was very fun, the penguin area. We saw something similar at Sea World, so I was very surprised to see it in a regular old zoo! At the end of the penguin feature you can sit in a glass dome that makes it appear as if you're in the water with the penguins. You had to wait a little bit for your kids' turn to climb in for the photo op--to the lady who mistakenly thought her five children were ahead of Alex--you're still wrong, Alex was next. If you were nicer about it, I'd have let you go ahead of us, I really would have! But, sigh, you were a meanie mommy, and I don't like meanie mommies at the tail end of a very long day at the zoo. So...yeah.

On the road again.....I seriously could move to Omaha. It's one very cool city. Who knew?!

What're You Doing This Weekend?

I'm not a video lover either, but I love me my Glenn Beck in the morning and on CNN in the evening. This video seriously brought tears to my eyes I was laughing so hard!

AND if you're not a vid person, no worries, I'll be back soon to post some of the 'much awaited, I am sure' photos of last week's zoo trip. Have a blessed Friday, I know I'm ready for a good one. Doing NOTHING I don't wanna do. Okay, that's not realistic. But no plans laid out for me. I can't remember the last time I've said that!

The Girlie Garage Is Ready For You

All I have to say is....I have the best blog friends in the whole blogosphere. I'm coming around to each of you tonight, but still wanted to thank you for your caring right now. It was absolutely amazing to know I have such genuinely caring friends. So thank you. This, too, shall pass.

And, because I hole up and get creative when I'm down and out, I put together a QP of the Girlie Garage Kit....head over to the digi if you want it. For FREE. I figured Niki's first car photo fit in here nicely...I'd show you mine if I had photos...and if I thought an orange Pinto would look sassy up there! Mom, do you have any orange Pinto photos for my friends? Or the red Pinto Wagon?

You know, when the evil not-the-step-momma insisted we three Poirier girls were too spoiled, she wasn't kidding...all the kids coveted our Pintos...all of them. One had to learn to be quick with the elbow and able to continue lighthearted conversation with one's friends while walking down the halls. At least until one finally got a red Chevette. Oh I have me some red Chevette stories.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((you)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Home Again Home Again Jiggety Jig! And a CT Call.

I'm back--I had a fantabulistic time at the zoo with John and Alex....don't worry tons of photos! And tons of catching up with all y'all to do. It was a tough day today. This would have been graduation day for Nicole. We drove in from Omaha hoping we wouldn't run into the parties, but the neighbor boy was having his party today rather than yesterday. So....I stayed inside as much as possible, trying unsuccessfully to forget about the mess before us.

I've always been upfront with you about not wanting to blog much about Niki's personal life, because it isn't my story to tell, really. But I think it's okay to share she's taken off again, nearly three weeks ago. And left her online courses incomplete. It's so hard to make sense out of what doesn't make sense at all....and she is apparently engaged now. Something apparently some of the family knew about, but we (John and I) were left in the dark. I'm still working on this 'let me try to be your daughter's friend' game people play. It stuns me when I hear about it. As if they would be able to do what we clearly were not able to.

Only John and I know the truth, that we were good parents and our daughter is a good girl....who isn't where she needs to be right now. This will only come with time and by the amazing graces of God, who can absolutely set this right, and I know He will...I just need to let it be in His time. Sadly, we very much like her boyfriend and we would have been thrilled about this...after she finished school. She would have been done after summer school and then we would have supported her completely.

Anyway, that's the down low, and in part that's why I've been a little detached lately. Alex suffers the most, he breaks down out of the blue sometimes.

Alright, enough negative, I know this will all be okay one day, don't feel sorry for me, just pray with me, that's all. AND if you're a digi scrapper, one of the stores I'm in is looking for a CT member. If you're looking for access to some very cool designs and if you're wanting to find a laid back, no hassles CT to be involved with, this is there place to go! Just let me know you're interested, I'll shoot you all the details asap.

Here's an example of a primo kit you'd be working with (how cool are the fuzzy die I ask you?):

Pictures Of My New Mop--Oh, And My Baby Sister Too!

I had the nicest surprise happen upon my front door yesterday--my baby sister, Antoinette, was in the city and stopped in unexpected (and all the embarrassing very dirty house that goes along with that!). It's far too long and far too much water under the bridge to go into, but I haven't seen my sister in three and a half years. We only live an hour away, and over the past several months we've been emailing and a few phone calls. So three years means I've never met my two nephews, 2 and 1. She brought them along, her daughter is in school. I don't have her permission to post their photos, but if she gives it to me later, I'll show ya, they're extremely adorable.

The visit was far too short for me, hopefully she'll come again and I'll have the house better prepared (and baby proof!). I do have a few photos of us (It's very hard for me to post photos of me with NO eye makeup, but Antoinette looks beautiful, so here you go):

She was making fun of my photos on my blog, so we're posing for a blog shot up there--I don't know if she understood I'm not serious when I take those shots!

And here is where I see how ginormous my head is, I inherited my father's head. She didn't. BUT I did get the good nose, no doubt about it.

Y'all have been cracking me up with the mop comments. I really did get a mop! For Christmas too, but John broke it and bought me a replacement. What I didn't tell you (oops) is that I also got the ENTIRE series of I Love Lucy DVDs (OMGoodness I'm in heaven!) and flowers were delivered the Friday before. So don't hit him just yet, wait and see what he gets me for my birthday!

See? How happy am I? I've yet to mop anything. I will, but first I need to find the floor.

PS--I've been AWOL so much this is getting old, I know, but it really truly is going to get better. I'm taking several weeks off typing (if I even do go back, I don't know yet). That combined with school almost out, will give me plenty of time for BOTH digi and Jamee blogs.

I'll be over....and won't likely post again for a few days. John, Alex and I are going to the Omaha Zoo for some R and R...and room service and relaxation. JenGi, she'll be camping out with Ms. Aunt Bea. Have fun with that, ladies. Muahahahahahahahahah!

It's Getting A Little Steamy In Here

I never thought the day would come when I'd do this, but go Hillary! I want her to win...I really really do! Because I'd much rather smoke a stogie while running, glancing behind, running, running, going airborn and hitting the ground for cover than hang out in the chicken coop. It's just how I am.

And if she does win and nomination (oh please please please)? I'm not giving away any obvious secrets when I say I think I know who her running mate will be...

Alrighty I'm off to use my new steam mop I got for Mother's Day. The one John gave me to replace the one he broke. The one he broke is the one he gave me for Christmas. Hey, wait...there's something very wrong here...John! Johnnnnnnnn! GET IN HERE!!!!