Holy cow - it's been forever...

I realize that it has been forever since I have posted anything on my blog - I apologize profusely! It has been a busy past 5 months and since discovering Facebook, well....... I am still at Target, still doing the whole pricing thing. I am doing well personally, still dating and living with my man Jason - my child Marshall has just finished the fourth grade, hard to believe (they grow up so fast). We have gained a new roommate (our previous roommate Natosha moved to Augusta, GA to live with her boyfriend Craig), his name is Mike and he is a really great guy - very similar to Jason in personality (no problem getting along with him). Mike has been living with us for the past month or so, very unobtrusive...Jason's ex-wife is getting remarried in the near future and my ex Philip (and Marshall) is happily living with his girlfriend Tammy and her two boys...we need a reality TV show or something, because we all get along with each other fairly well (not just for the kids sake either)! I have gotten to see my sister twice in the past month as Katie is in a transition period between FL and NY - so she came here to visit and save some $. Katie and mom came to visit for a weekend and we went through all our old photo albums (what a trip down memory lane - mom needed a little help at times). Jason and I are starting a new venture in life - we are getting a dog!! It is a boxer puppy named Thor, his previous owner is moving to FL (her name is, get this, also Katie) and she can't take him with her - so we offered to take in the puppy. It's cool as we are getting all of his stuff (crate/bedding/etc.) and he is up to date on his shots as well as neutered already - we just have to feed, walk and love him for the next few months until his next check-up! Otherwise nothing else to new going on here, I will try to be more proactive on here as well as get some photos up for those of you not on Facebook as of yet.

Christmas...

Mom came to visit for Christmas first (Marshall was here too)...

I baked a bunch of Christmas cookies, gave most of them away to friends and family...

Marshall and I unwrapped gifts Christmas Eve morning from all missing family members...

Jason (boyfriend), Natosha (roommate) and Craig (Natosha's guy) opened stockings and gifts Christmas Eve night...

Christmas was great all around, I enjoyed seeing everyone and spending time with all of you. Missed those of you that I did not get to see personally...

Promise...

I promise the Christmas update will be coming soon...

Christmas is coming...

November 28th:

We have managed to survive BLACK FRIDAY...I went in at 5am, at least I didn't go in at 4am like some of my counterparts! We opened our doors at 6am - no one got trampled, but it was a mad dash to the Electronic and Toy departments for the deals. I hid in the CD aisles, as no one was going to head there - at least not first thing. We got numerous credit applications back at the Electronics counter and even more Extended Service Plans as a team we did what our store management expected of us. At 11:30 I went and found our manager to ask if I could go home (things had slowed down and I was bored). He looks at me and asks, "Who will cover your area?" I laughed at him and told him that ten people back in Electronics should be able to handle it without me! I got to go home, so did Jason...he took a nap and I broke out my Christmas tree! It's brand new, right out of the box...my mom gave it me as she got a new one last year from the Christian radio station. It took me awhile to get it all fluffed out and then even longer to get it all decorated (I was done by Sunday afternoon). I also worked on Marshall's quilt a little bit - got all the segments sewn together, now I just have to put those pieces into squares and try to be completely done by Christmas (we'll see if that's possible or not). Here is a picture of the tree all lit up at night, isn't it beautiful? I can't wait until there are gifts under it, it will look even better then (not that I will be getting much for gifts as I had a big birthday - I got a Wii and that ate up much of my allotted Christmas gift fund too).

National Smoke Out Days...

So, mom came on the 8th, she got here at 10:30am and we just caught up, etc. until it was time to go see Marshall. We left my house at 12:30 and had been in the car about 7 minutes and my cell phone rings...it's Tammy (Philip's girlfriend), "Where are you?" I know that I'm not late because we had until 1:00 to get where we were going..."I'm on my way". Big sigh of relief, "Can you stop and pick up Kat (Philip's mom) and the mac and cheese?" Sure why not...we had to do this because the Rec Center that we were going to was not open for our event and they were frantically calling everyone to come let them in! We got to the center safe and sound by 1:00 and then we all stood around until someone came with keys - the lady who booked it forgot to write it down and then took off to Florida for the weekend! The football banquet was a lot of fun, trophies for all the kids and a few got perfect attendance awards too (practice and games) - Marshall got each...good food from Sticky Fingers (BBQ), and the sodas/cake were donated by grocery stores (the kids sent thank you cards to them). After the banquet Marshall, mom and myself went out Christmas shopping - I got all the cousins ornaments, and am almost done with the rest of my shopping too (I know you all hate me)! Then it was home to order pizza and work an Marshall's essay. He had an essay due the previous week and decided not to do it and as a courtesy the teacher gave him the weekend to do it - awfully nice of her! It was the "National Smoke Out Essay" he had 4 questions to answer and it was to be a minimum of 200 words. What fun he and my mom had as the only non-smokers in my house coming up with all sorts of ways to "discourage" people from smoking. :-)

On the 9th we kind of lazed around most of the day, went to the mall and out for lunch then finished off by watching the newly released on to DVD "Kung Fu Panda". It is such a cute movie, this was my third time seeing it...but adorable just the same. Mom left with Marshall at 5pm and made her way on to the farm, I finished being lazy and got to bed as I had work the next morning.

The 10th and 11th were trying days for me at work. Our team member who had went out for surgery was back and it was difficult to get her back into the swing of things, especially since we have changed some things since her departure. Hopefully, the rest of this week and next week is all it will take to get everyone settled back in. Today is the 12th, I woke up this morning at 5am and immediately went, "What's that smell?" I looked out into the living room and it was hazy...I asked Jason if he had lit a fire or something - no. Checked Natosha's room, nothing. So definitely coming from the living room! The fire log we had lit last night had smoldered all night from the inside out - not hot enough to go up the chimney so it came into the house! I took a pail of water and poured it into my fireplace, picked up the log and threw it outside, broke into a few large pieces and sure enough...the inside was charred, but the outside was barely touched! Needless, to say - the AC unit fan is on as is every exhaust fan, so it sounds like I'm sitting in a tornado or something even as I am writing this. By the grace of my 5am wake up call we are all fine, throats and eyes a little dry, clothes and furniture smell funny but we are all okay!

Final Football Game...

Monday, October 27th was the last football game of the season. The Giants (that's us) versus another team from Indian Land (where Marshall lives)...both teams scored two touchdowns a piece, but we still ended up losing. That's right the other team scored on both of their conversion attempts - making the score 12-16 in their favor. Our coach gave a real inspirational talk after the game about how we are a young team, and that next year we will have older, bigger more seasoned kids on the team - I didn't realize how many youngsters we had. There were 10 nine year olds, 9 eight year olds, and the rest of the team were 10 year olds...most of the 8 and 9 year olds hadn't played before! So, the fact that we won any games is a miracle - we won two of our preseason games and we also won the Jamboree game (if you look at one of my earlier posts, it says that we lost) - coach explained that the other team at the Jamboree scored the last second winning touchdown with 12 guys on the field, but no one caught it until the play was over and done with...so, we would've won if they had called a penalty on it - no instant replay in pee-wee football?! Banquet is November 8th, and then it's right into wrestling - which thankfully only has practice once a week and one tournament on the weekend (easier to concentrate on homework). Marshall is enjoying himself in all that he does and is still healthy - no broken bones or severe bruises even...

Football update...

So, I know it's been awhile since my last post - but it has been really busy recently (both at work and home). Just got back from Marshall's next to last football game of the season - once again we lost :-( at least it was close: tied at nothing until OT and then each team was given 4 plays to score from their own 20 yard line - the other team scored a touchdown and we didn't! This has been a disappointing season, we did well during the preseason - but it has been a different story the rest of the season. There has been a few close ones like tonight and a few blowouts as well, this was their best played game - the line held their opponents better tonight, created holes at times - we even caught a pass! Next Monday will be the last football game and then it will be on to wrestling...which he did last year, and enjoyed so he is doing it again this season of course. November 8th is the banquet for the football team, where they get trophies and other awards...we are all hoping that one particular child doesn't get MVP, as he doesn't deserve it, but evidently the coaches are scared of the kids mom so it may happen as the coaches vote for the award. Hopefully, we can make it through the banquet without some of the other moms trying to take on this other one (she's a big woman, but not with much speed - so they could probably do it if needed)!

Work has been more of the same...we got out by 3pm today and hope to do the same the rest of the week, and not have to work on Friday. I have a project to do to help the rest of the store understand clearance and the importance of it - I hate speaking in front of groups of people, even people I know really well...so this is a personal challenge for me as well. We will be slowing down now that we are nearing the holidays, until about 2 weeks before Christmas, then we start getting busy again. I welcome this time of year as it allows me to really dig into what I'm supposed to be doing on a daily basis and just don't have time everyday to do it to the fullest extent like I should. Nothing else new here, I'll post again maybe after my weekend with Marshall if we do anything exciting? We'll see...