Worryless Wednesday

JP called last night and is doing fine!! Yay!! He said they were only out of power for 6 hours and out of phone service until yesterday. I'm surprised they got power back so fast, but even without it the jails have generators to keep the lights on, but no a/c. I guess you want to get the power back on fast when you have 4,000 inmates in each of your buildings. He sounded good and was happy to hear that my friend, Lesley, and I are planning an October road trip to visit him. Thank you to everyone for your thoughts, support, and prayers!! Having a child in jail is a tough thing to have to go through, but having support makes it easier, even if it's just having someone to listen or ask how things are once in awhile!

The steak restaurant that Cameron picked for his birthday was Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. I say "was" because we talked him out of it!! It can get so expensive there and he has never been there before, so we asked him if he was really set on going there and he said no, that Las Palmas would be good too! So yeah, we will take the boys there this weekend and try to get my step-son, Sean, & his girlfriend to come too since we haven't taken Sean to eat for his birthday. Sean's birthday was in August, but we haven't seen him lately. He didn't get a birthday present since he didn't pay us back for getting him home from Thailand last year when he went there alone for several months with no money just cause he wanted to. But that's a post for another day!

Walter & I both weighed this morning and after 2 days of dieting, I lost 4 lbs. and he lost 3 lbs.!! We were both very excited. It was hard resisting our nighttime snacking last night, but we both had some sugar free jello and did fine. My friend, Chelle, asked about my stir fried pork chops. Really, I'm not much of a cook and totally uncreative, but here's what I did. I sauteed a cut up onion & bellpepper in olive oil, then cut pork chops into bite size pieces and threw that in to cook once the veggies were tender. I put some salt & season-all and ate some of it in a low carb wrap and some just like it was. It came out good, but was certainly nothing special. Tonight, I cooked a roast in the crock pot again since we both like that and Cameron will eat it too. Cameron wont eat rice, so I just didn't cook any at all. We can put some roast beef in a low carb wrap or just eat the roast (with onions & mushrooms) by itself. And no, we did not make it to work out!! Walter was very uninterested and I was barely interested, so it didn't happen. I'm pretty sure he has a board meeting tonight for the homeowner's association and tomorrow night is steak night, so yeah, I don't see working out in our near future. And for anyone who remembers (or cares), we did win the small claims suit against the crazy neighbor who wont pay his homeowners dues (which are $80/year), so if he still doesn't pay, our Constable is planning to seize a piece of his property and auction it off at a sheriff's sale. I think it would be pretty funny if they seized his boat and we bought it and all cruised past his house in it! That's really funny if you remember the post about him yelling, cursing, and staring at us when we passed by his house in our boat! Ok, well, anyway...

I got the 2nd book in today of the Twilight series, New Moon. I am anxious to start reading it tonight!! It is another big one, like Twilight and has about 560 pages. I'm sure work will interfere with my reading, so it may take me more than 2 days to read it!!

Speaking of work, today was really busy. I am trying to set up a few meetings that have me running in circles. It's important to note that I have NEVER set up meetings or led meetings before. I am the type of person who will figure it out as I go, but I feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew lately!!

I am excited about the "my favorite things" swap that I participated in!! I mailed my package off to my swap partner & new friend, Marla this morning and can't wait to get a package from her! I am so excited just to get mail, so the things inside are just a bonus!!! I just realized when I re-read the page that I was supposed to WRAP the items that I sent! DOH!!! I'm sorry Marla!!! Please forgive me!

My supervisor sent me this link to an incredibley inspiring video! It's 8 minutes long, but you should watch it!! It's awesome!!! http://www.webertube.com/mediadetails.php?key=fb8f1eda792ae6471f8f

Alrighty then, that's all I've got for today! I'm off to read some blogs and then dive into my new book!!

Tuesday

I must clear up the birthday confusion! Cameron did know that his birthday was on the 16th, however, his dad told him before school Monday that it WAS the 16th, so he just assumed his father knew what he was talking about. I had to laugh at everyone's comments about how odd that he doesn't know when his birthday is!! He says that today he "kept it on the down low" and didn't mention that it was really his birthday today. He's a cool dude. He's outgrown birthday parties and all that, but we gave him some cash for his birthday and told him he can pick a place to bring a friend and we'll go to dinner this weekend. Of course, being my child, he picked an expensive steak restaurant that he's never been to, but has heard about, so we'll go this weekend. And yes, the friend is Bryce. My mom sent him a card with a check in it as she always does and it was really funny. For some unknown reason my mom has always sent my 2 nephews and my older son $25 for their birthdays, but sends Cameron $50. I have no idea why, but she always does. If you're a new reader to my blog, Cameron & his 2 best friends got into some bad trouble a few months ago - the first time they've ever been in trouble for anything. Cameron was opening the card and said "I wonder since that happened if i'm one of the bad ones and only get $25?" As soon as he said it, I realized he just might be right, and he opened the card and the check was for $25!! How funny, and how funny that he would have thought about that beforehand and been right. Crazy!

The diet went well yesterday and today. It's really easy for me to stick to once I start. I had my low-carb Slim Fast for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and will stir fry some pork chops & veggies for dinner. I didn't weigh this morning, but plan to weigh tomorrow morning. I had some comments about me not looking like I need to lose weight. I am in no way "over weight" for my height (5'9), but I do think the right weight depends on the person and how they feel about themselves. I am happy in a size 8 or 10, but right now, I need to decide if I'm going to lose 10 lbs or buy a size 12! Being tall and having extra weight only in my hips and stomach makes me look really funny, so I go back on my diet if I get up to 160. I have tried other diets, but nothing has ever worked for me except Atkins. I'm sure South Beach would be great, but their initial phase says NO RIBEYES and I can't do that, but I will probably switch over to South Beach in a couple of weeks. I like the fact that they have lunches that you can buy to make my life easier!

I had a good day at work today. I just see 1 student at one of my schools, so I went there today, then on to my busier schools. I saw several students there and then went to meet with our behavior team to look at a computerized social skills program that we want to try with some of our students. The day went by fast, so that works for me!

Decisions...decisions...do we go work out tonight or not? Sure, I know we should, but will we? Who knows!!! I am going to plan to do it, but we haven't been since BEFORE the cruise in June and it's so hard to get back over there!!!

Monday

I received this sweet award from Patti at Nonna's News today! It is so pretty and the meaning behind it is really what blogging to me is all about!!

To translate the gift from Portuguese to English, it means:"This blog invests and believes, the proximity"[meaning, that blogging makes us 'close' -being close through proxy] How awesome is that??

"They all are charmed with the blogs, where in the majority of its aims are to show the marvels and to do friendship; there are persons who are not interested when we give them a prize, and then they help to cut these bows; do we want that they are cut, or that they propagate?"

Then let's try to give more attention to them! So with this prize we must deliver it to 8 bloggers that in turn must make the same thing and put this text:

So, here are my 8 bloggers who will receive this award from me:
1. Anissa at Home Where They Belong
2. Tam at Momma Song
3. Amy at Escape Into My Thoughts
4. Mere at The Babblings of Mere
5. Susie at Bienvenue
6. Lizzy at The Journey to The Hot Tub
7. Lula at Lulaville
8. Tulsi at The Family Awaits

Day 1 of our diet went good! For breakfast I just had a low-carb Slim Fast because I'm lazy. Walter boiled a bunch of eggs last night, so he had boiled eggs & bacon this morning. For lunch we both brought a salad to work. I also sent him with some beef jerky and pork rinds for snacking. I get off work at 2:30, so I didn't need to do any snacking until I got here. I ate some cheddar cheese and steamed some brocolli so Walter can snack on that until dinner, which is a pork roast and pretend potatoes. I don't mind saying my weight because I do not have all that much to lose. I weighed 161 this morning and I am quite neurotic about weighing, so I plan to weigh every day. I know I shouldn't, but I really can't help it, and on the Atkins diet, it's usually good news as long as you aren't cheating. I wont say what Walter's weight is, but as he loses, i'll say how much he's lost. I really hope he'll stick to the diet and exercise plan with me!! Cathy is planning to go to the gym with us too, so between all of us, maybe we'll get there!

Work was good today. I met with several of my students and 1 parent, so the day went by pretty fast. I've been trying to set up several different meetings, so that has been keeping me busy.

Cameron is home for the week from his dad's. He's been doing the 1 week here, 1 week with dad for 12 years now, so you'd think I would be used to it, but I'm always a little uneasy when he's gone. We live on the line of 2 parishes (most people have counties) and I work in 1 parish and Cameron's school (5 minutes away) is in another parish. My parish cancelled school Friday, but his didn't. Thankfully, his dad was concerned about the weather and kept him home. It was a really nasty day and I was relieved that he wasn't out in it. Interim report cards came out Friday, so he got his today and it was GOOD! He has 4 A's, 1 B, 1 C, & 1 D. The D is 1 point from a C, so he can bring that up with a little effort. His dad did not support me last year in insisting he spend time on his homework, but agreed to this year, and it really made a difference. Cameron's 15th birthday is tomorrow and he came home today and had "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" written on his hand, no doubt by some girl at school, and I said, "oh, you started celebrating your birthday early?" He said, "today isn't my birthday?" I said, "no, it's tomorrow." He said, "oh, well dad said it was today and that's what I told everyone!"

My sister, Donna is doing ok - still out of power, but they have a gas generator. I have asked them to come here if they want, but I don't know if they will or not. Donna works from home, so she could realistically work from whoever's house she is at. However, her husband decided to raise homing pigeons, so yeah, he can't very well bring them with him. I'm not sure what you do about that. Leave him there and come enjoy some electricity? Still no word from JP, so I am still just trusting God to keep him safe. I've tried calling Elizabeth but haven't heard from her. That isn't unusual because we generally talk every couple of weeks, but with the high water at their house last week, I want to make sure they aren't flooded again this week. I haven't seen Landen since school started in August and i'm missing him, so I hope to maybe have him spend the night this weekend. Mack is still too much for me to keep for a long time, but I will try to get him to come over for a few hours or something! Landen is like my kids always were. They would play quiet and entertain themselves or sit with you and read books, etc. Mack is a fitting name for Mack! He is like a Mac Truck!!!

Well, nothing much else is going on. I hope you all had a nice Monday!

Sunday

Walter & I went to eat at Albasha's last night, which is a Lebanese restaurant about 20 miles from our house and it is soooo good! I could eat there every day!! We've been doing good with eating at home more (partly because no restaurants had electricity for awhile - but still), so we decided to treat ourselves last night. Tomorrow we are starting back on the Atkins diet. I have been on the diet off & on recently, but Walter hasn't tried it in years. He agreed to try it with me now AND we are going to exercise at that gym that we're paying for absolutetly no reason because we haven't been there in months!!! I went to Walmart today and got Atkins friendly foods and there aren't a whole lot, but I've learned to be creative. The only unhealthy item I picked up to make snacking easier for Walter is pork rinds, but otherwise everything we'll be eating will be a healthy mix of grilled foods and salads. I want to lose 15 lbs. and hope to do that as well as keep it off afterwards.

We made the decision today to postpone Walter's 50th birthday party until October 18th. The party was scheduled for next weekend, and our backyard will smell horrible because of all the dead fish in the river for a week or two and that just isn't going to cut it. Once I re-sent the invitation to everyone, my mom emailed me to say that the invitations are going out this week for my step-niece's wedding (to a guy she has been dating 6 months) and the wedding is that same day, so they wont be able to make it. I am fine with my parents not coming because they are recovering alcoholics and there will be a drinking at the party, plus if i'm invited to my step-niece's wedding, now I don't have to go! I barely know her and the drama is out of control in my step-dad's family, so this worked out pretty good, if I do say so myself. My parents want to take us to dinner sometime next week for Walter's birthday, so that will work out just peachy.

Several people asked me to talk more about the Twilight book. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to spoil anything for future readers, but I will give a small review for those who might want to read it. When I bought the book, I had absolutely no idea what it was about, seriously. I saw the pictures of all 4 books on every blog I went to it seemed. I have been bored with the books i've tried to read lately, so I figured I would buy the 1st book and just see what I thought. And also let me say, I would not have bought it if I thought it was about a vampire. Sorry. I would not have. As a social worker/school counselor, i've worked with a rather "odd" teenage girl who is all wrapped up in vampires and books about vampires and from what i've seen they are always dirty, a bit raunchy, unbelieveable, and the readers end up dressing in black and looking a little freakish. I have tried to work with her to keep her from being seen as "odd" for being so into vampires. I actually read the first chapters of Twilight wondering what in the world was going on with Edward, one of the main characters and was totally fascinated with him. Once I got to the part and realized what was going on, it was too late! I was hooked! I fell in love with him AND with the other main character, Bella. The author is such a good writer and the story line is so great that it really doesn't matter! I am the type of person who will watch a movie and just have to stop watching because "this couldn't really happen," or "this is so fake," but this book never made me feel like that. At some point, you realize you are totally wrapped up in the character's lives and that doesn't happen to me very often. And yes, I started the 500 page book Friday morning & finished it Saturday night, so vampires or no vampires, this is such a well thought out, well written, book that you should read it too!!! I think it opened my mind a little bit because if I was so caught up in this book already by the 2nd chapter, then I could keep reading once I saw the word "vampire" and give it a chance. Now, am I going to read the dirty, raunchy vampire books like the teenage girl at school? Oh hellllll no! But this book was so not like that! Nothing dirty, but everything beautiful! And a lot of thought provoking things about the choices that all of the characters have to make. Wow! If everyone could be open to new things and want to understand people just because they love them, what a world this might be!! Just read it!!! I still haven't had anyone ask for my copy, so if anyone wants it, i'll gladly ship it to you for free! I would hope that you would pass it on when you're done, but that's up to you!

And remember how hard we worked to scrub and hose down our dock after the river went down from Hurricane Gustav? Well, Hurricane Ike wants us to do it all again!! The good thing is that the pool isn't looking so green anymore!


Still no word about my son, but I think in this case, no news is good news. While FOX news had a reporter standing in downtown Houston reporting yesterday, I emailed them to ask if they could mention the status of the jails, but never heard anything. I am certain that if there were problems at the jails, we would be hearing about it on the news. Thanks for your prayers for my son! I really appreciate it!!

Saturday

So, it looks like Ike is slowing down and moving on through Texas. My sister, Donna, is doing fine in Pearland, Texas. They do not have power, but did not have any damage. My friend, Kimi, in Lake Charles, Louisiana is doing ok and does have power. I have no way to find out anything about the jail in downtown Houston where my son is, but I'm listening to the news to try to find out what I can. I called a nearby district and they haven't heard of anything happening there, and I assume they would have if there was damage, but that's the best I can do. It's very frustrating that there is nowhere that you can call and if the power is out, the inmates can't use the phone to call to let you know they are ok. Again, I know he is in God's hands and trust that he is ok. I sincerely hope that we will not have any more hurricanes this season, which doesn't end until November.

Ronnica at Tales of a Kansas Girl posted this "meme" on her blog and asked for anyone to answer who wanted to. And well, I want to!!

Here are the rules:
1. Write about 5 specific ways blogging has affected you, either positively or negatively.
2. link back to the person who tagged you
3. link back to this parent post
4. tag a few friends or five, or none at all
5. post these rules— or just have fun breaking them

Ok then. Blogging has affected me...

1. Positively: Blogging is a wonderful outlet for me! I am a person who talks way too much, and having this blog and my blog friends to talk to really spares my family, especially my husband, from having to go into overtime listening to me!!

2. Positively: I have met some friends through blogging who I hope to stay in touch with for a long time to come. I am developing relationships that are meaningful to me and I enjoy seeing into the lives of other people.

3. Positively: Some of my real life friends are starting to blog and I am able to be in closer contact with them and stay up to date with their lives than I was before I began blogging.

4. Negatively: I am spending a lot of time reading other people's blogs daily, so there are things I am not doing as much as I should.

5. Positively: I have been overwhelmed with prayers and support for many situations in the short time I've been blogging.

What about you?? I am tagging anyone who wants to answer the questions, so please let me know if you will be doing it too so I can read your answers!!

I've seen this book on SO many blogs that I went to http://www.half.com/ and ordered it - "twilight." I had absolutely no idea what it is about, but I caved in to curiosity, ordered it, and 3 days later, it was sitting in my hot little hands! Forget all the books I was already planning to read, I started reading this yesterday and am on page 263 already! Wow!! I'm not sure I would have wanted to read it if i'd known ahead of time what it was about, but let me tell you, i'm HOOKED! I went to half.com again last night and ordered the 2nd book in the series! I hope it comes in before I finish this one!!! I'll be glad to send Twilight to anyone who wants to read it when i'm finished, so leave me a comment and i'll get your address from you. First come, first served!!

And notice on my side bar on the right there is a little place for "follow this blog." It's a new feature and it's pretty cool! If you want to be a follower of my blog, just click "follow this blog!" I'll be glad to follow your blog too!

Questions & Comments:
Lizzy asked what we do about all of the schools days missed during hurricanes here. Honestly, it's not normal that we miss many days per year due to hurricanes. They can do a few different things. We have a couple of "hurricane days" built in to our schedules that we could miss if needed, then after that the schools can chose to lengthen the school year or go on some Saturdays. The bad thing is with our standardized testing (LEAP, GEE) that determines whether your child passes to certain grades or graduates at all are given in March or April, so the kids may be missing some key lessons needed for those tests that might not be taught in time. I would bet that our holidays may be shortened, which may be what happened after Hurricane Katrinia - I wasn't working in the school system then and don't remember. We get a week off at Thanksgiving, 2 weeks at Christmas, a week at Easter, and 2 days for Mardi Gras, not to mention a few more 1 days here and there, so it may be that we'll lose a few of those days.

Laura asked about the gas prices here. The last I heard, prices had gone up about .50/gallon to about $4.00/gallon, but I haven't been out today to see. I will pay attention today and see what it looks like.

Ok, so Ike is NOT coming here? Did someone forget to tell Ike??

Because it sure feels like he's here and this is really scary to me. We woke up during the night to the worst winds we've ever heard. The wind is still blowing like crazy, but it's settled down a little. Our power is out! And the schools in my parish are closed today! My friend, Lesley, texted me last night to ask if the schools were going to be closed and I was thinking to myself that yet another rumor has been started, but then, I checked when I got home, and the schools are going to be closed! I was really confused as to why, because the storm doesn't come near us. Well, now I know and let me say this...I am very scared for those in the path of Ike because I don't think we've ever seen anything this size. I am praying that Ike takes it easy on all of us, but it's already like we're having a Category 1 hurricane at my house right now! Well, maybe not right now, but definitely during the night. Please pray for everyone in Ike's path because I think this is going to be a bad one.

My sister, Donna, and her husband decided to stay in Pearland, about 20 minutes outside of Houston and I'm pretty concerned about them. She says they were on a voluntary evacuation order until yesterday, and then after yesterday were told to "stay put." What does that mean? That you've waited to long to leave or that it's safe to stay? Donna is known to be quite dingy, so i'm scared she may have misunderstood the meaning. We offered that they could stay here and my mom offered that they could come there. She says they have a generator and gas, which is good, but after the storm and all the power is out, you can't find a store to refill your gas cans. And I think trees and power lines are going to fall like crazy. We've lived through many hurricanes here and i've never seen anything like the damage that Gustav left throughout Baton Rouge and many other areas. I feel certain this storm is worse.

So, no work for me today since the schools are closed. It's frustrating to get so far behind in what I've got planned to do with the kids. And now, for the next week or two, I don't plan to do anything with the kids except talk about the hurricane and how it affected them. My west side schools just got power back yesterday and the kids were going to go back today - some still living without power for 2 weeks now. Many of them live in poverty, some in the projects, and depend on the government for help. Food was not available to them for most of the storm, or if it was, you had to drive to a distribution center to get it. How can they do that with no car or gas? And you can say it it their fault or their problem, and maybe it is, but you still have to think about those children who are home in the dark with nothing to eat, no clean clothes, no water, etc. As a matter of fact, when I heard that the schools would open today originally, knowing much of the area doesn't have power, I wondered how the kids would get clean school clothes! It's such an eye opening experience and I'm grateful for this opportunity to be exposed to some of what this population is going through. I have every intention to make a difference there!

Anyway, i'm home today, which is nice but i'm afraid i'm getting used to not working so much!!! After having the summer off, and then missing so many days, I may be getting spoiled all over again. I do have some paper work to do and meetings to reschedule, so I'll find some productive things to do today. Steak night was DELICIOUS last night!! I wish I could grill a steak like they do! Yum!!!

I want to thank everyone for their kind words and prayers for my son, JP. That really means a lot to me. I know that some people don't like to talk, hear, or think about those types of things, but that is my reality and I really do appreciate you!

Questions & Comments:
A few people left comments about my honesty and my unconditional love for JP. I do love him unconditionally and will support him in whatever way I can if he is living a drug free life and trying to do the right things. This whole situation is even harder for me because, while i've always offered him emotional support, I did not have anything else to offer him while he was involved in drugs. We put him through treatment and tried everything imaginable to help him help himself, but ultimately, we had to cut him loose because he was affecting our family and his younger brother with his choices. It does make it hard to see where his life went from there, but help for his drug addiction was always an option but he wouldn't take it. Today, whether by his choice or not, he is living a drug free life and I have been here every step of the way. I always make sure he has commissary money, I write to him, visit him, and he knows he is always welcome to call. It is so hard knowing the right thing to do, but I truly believe that everything I've done for him was the best I knew how to do. Now God is in charge!! I think great things are going to happen! And thank you for those comments too!

My friend, Kimi, who doesn't have a blog but should, asked if the neighbor next door was the same one who brought some magazines over when Kimi & her family were visiting. YES!! And that is exactly the kind of thing I mean by overly involved!! He saw me get a "People Magazine" out of my mailbox (or could be that he checked my mail for me one day and saw it - not kidding), and realized I like the gossip magazines. Well, his wife and several relatives save theirs and pass them around to each other, so he decided that I would want to be on their "list" and receive the magazines when they finished with them. Hmmm, ok. I didn't see any harm in that and I do like some of those magazines, so I went along with it. The first stack of them I got was from 2002! No lie! Walter & I were so tickled about it and read through the magazines and got a big laugh out of it. But then, the magazines got to be a chore. I was expected to save them and give them back to pass on to other people. And I really wasn't reading them, so then i'd have to hold on to them long enough to seem like i'd read them and give them back. And the neighbor really stressed about the whole thing - calling to see if i'd found them on my porch, seeing when I'd be giving them back. I managed to politely back out of it one day when another relative wanted "in," so I just said I really wasn't having time to get to read them since I was working, so I didn't want to hold them up!! Whew!!! And yes, I'm quite sure at the exact moment that we had company, that would be when he would have decided to deliver the precious magazines!!!

Tam made a great observation about the pre-schooler that bit the teacher yesterday. Imagine how hard it would be to not speak any English and be put into an English speaking classroom. He came to the school last year too, but due to his aggressive behavior, the teacher can only let him come 2 days a week, in the hopes that he would adjust and they could increase the days. I believe the little boy is also Autistic and is non-communicative. We want to place him in a classroom where he would do better, but we have to be able to document the problems to present the case to the school board, and he doesn't come to school enough to do it. Yesterday was his 2nd time coming this year and he bit the teacher within the first 2 hours there. And yes, that is something to document, but you have to have more than that. We are holding a meeting next week and will include a Spanish interpreter to help us figure out the best setting for him. We also want to help his mother with parenting skills. She is really harming him by letting him do whatever he wants.

And yes indeed I'm taking Lesley up on her offer to visit JP with me!! We can stop and have lunch with Kimi & Shayne on our way!!! Woohoo!!! Thanks sista! I love you!

And the power just came back on!! Yay!

Yes, it's STEAK NIGHT!!!

Ok, so I'm really stressing out about the Ike/Houston thing. Yes, I prayed that Ike wouldn't come here and I'm thankful that it didn't. However, my son, JP, is in jail in downtown Houston (Harris County) and the area is being evacuated. JP called Tuesday night and we talked about the storm, but it wasn't really headed to Houston at the time. I asked him if he thought the inmates would be evacuated if the storm did come to Houston, and he said he didn't think so. The building they are in is 7 stories high and is a really sturdy, brick building. I think right now they are evacuating lower areas of Harris County, so maybe it wont affect the inmates. I can't stand the thought of something happening to him during the storm, but I can't stand the thought even more of how they would evacuate 10,000+ inmates! I know some people don't think of them as people, but they are! And they're someone's children or parents or husbands or wives and it's such a stressful thing to be taken out and put somewhere that nobody in the world wants them. I am praying for God to take care of JP in this and all situations and I really hope that the officials will feel that they are safe where they are and not try to move them.

But JP did sound really good when he called. He's got a few people writing to him and he really enjoys that. If anyone out there in blog land has it in their heart to write to a 24 year old who's trying to get through a terrible time in his life, let me know and i'll give you his contact information. I asked him if my mom happened to visit him while she spent 5 days in Houston while evacuating from Louisiana, but she didn't. My sister lives 30 minutes from the jail but nobody ever visits him until I come to town to see him. She has tried once recently to visit, but there were problems at the jail that night and she hasn't been back. When the weather settles down, I want to plan a weekend trip to see him. It really makes me feel good to visit him and see how good and healthy he looks. As bad as the whole situation is, I feel so lucky to still have him and to be able to see and talk to him. I honestly don't think he would be alive today if things hadn't happened to land him in jail the way they did.

Speaking of people in Houston, my sister, Donna, is under a voluntary evacuation due to Hurricane Ike. She is actually outside of Houston in Pearland and says they were told to "stay put." I have offered that she & her husband can come stay here if needed. It's a little awkward, because I wont have her sons here who are drug users/sellers, but they don't live with her currently and she didn't mention them coming, but that's probably because i've made it clear that I wont have that in my house. I am the anti-drug. Drugs have destroyed my oldest son and I've made a stand to not allow it around my younger son. Kids come in contact with drugs all the time, but I wont welcome it in my house. Did I mention both of her kids have been arrested for dealing drugs in the last 6 months? Yeah. Anyway, she said they will probably "stay put" as they are being told, plus nobody is 100% sure that Ike wont turn and come here! And just to give credit where credit is due, for all of us who prayed that Ike would stay away from Louisiana, God has answered our prayers and sent this storm all AROUND Louisiana, but is keeping it away from us so far!!

Tonight is steak night at Hilltop! Yay! It's my favorite night of the week! Brent is out of town for work, so Walter, Cathy, & I are going. I am so ready!!!! I had a long day with a few meetings at work, so I'm ready to relax alittle bit. 2 of the kids I went to see were absent, so I didn't have a whole lot to do. One of them (pre-k) was actually sent home after he bit the speech teacher! So yeah, I have my work cut out for me with him. He doesn't speak English and really doesn't speak at all.

Have I said how wonderful my husband is lately? Not only is he the smartest man I know, but he's the sweetest man I know too! I should add the phrase he adds for me when he says things like that. He says, "Ohhhh you are SOOOO sweet - when you want to be!" He he he. Anywho, I have been really sad about the fish dying in the river. Seriously, when you look in the water, they are either already dead and floating or gasping for air. Last night I asked him if there was ANY way to help them, like, I don't know, put oxygen in the water or something. He said that there really wasn't. So, later last night I was locking the house up before we went to bed and he said not to lock the garage because he still had a hose going out to the river. I said, a water hose? He said, no, the air compressor hose to see if the air going into the water attracted any of the dying fish! Awwww!! Maybe he can save a few? I thought it was really sweet! But i'm sure they're all dead anyway!

No word from the neighbors about the missing swimming pool ladder. Good thing, because I am totally ready to defend my position and to let them know that we aren't comfortable with the little girl being in the pool anymore because of the lack of supervision, plus we are having to make repairs due to other people's use of the pool (jumping off the ladder, hanging on the sides), when all I use the pool for is to float and read my book. It really isn't the little girl's fault that she is so obnoxious, but it is still hard to be around her. Her mother is a single parent who adopted the little girl, so I guess she just spoils her and lets her do what she wants. I am sure when I tell her that I'm not comfortable with the little girl in the pool without someone watching her, she will tell me i'm wrong - she'll say something like "I can see her from the house and she's fine," or something. I will have to say, "It is MY pool and MY rules, not yours." The neighbors truly are nice people and the niece and brat don't live there - except for now until their power comes back on (please hurry Mr. Nice Electricity Man). I will say that ever since that night, her car has not been next door, so either her power came back on or they had a fight about her letting the little girl in the pool and she left. I'm just sayin...Anyway, they are nice people, but the man is just too involved in our lives. I think they think we are the kids they never had or something. But we aren't! I've already got a set of dysfunctional parents, but thanks anyway!! This is the same neighbor who called and woke me up recently to let me know I forgot to take my garbage out! I do try to be patient and we do look out for them since they are older (in their 70s), but I'm not going to put up with any craziness. A few people asked about putting up a fence, but the only thing we can really do in our neighborhood is put a fence around the pool, which would look kind of funny because above ground pools are already so tall. Our neighborhood has restrictions against fences in the yards because of the view of the river, so we can't put anything between our yard and theirs.

That's all I've got! Have a great evening!!!