Ryan's Mom~LOVE IT!

Ryan's First day of School

2009-08-25T13:37:00.004-04:00

Today was Ryan's first day of 3 year old Kindergarden. I was sad but I got over it. He was just his usual happy go lucky self. I called Aunt Mer at 1:15 to check and see how he did. I don't know why I am so worried this year! But Aunt Mer said he did fine!

Of course he did pack blanky in his bookbag and tried to fit Lucky in there!

My summer is over!

2009-08-05T12:57:00.003-04:00

It is official...I am back at work. It wasn't too bad but I missed being at home with my child. I spent the whole day cleaning....my office was a disgusting mess is the best way I can put it. But the best part was 3 o'clock when I got off and got to go get my little boy and go home and rest. But as my mom put it yesterday.....1 day down and only 194 more to go till my next summer vacation...but who's counting?

Wedding Photos

2009-07-21T18:12:00.006-04:00

Here are just a few of the pictures from the wedding. I think I have over 500 pictures just from that day. It really did turn out well. There is no order to them b/c it takes so long to load them here.

Jamie, Summer and the kids
Sam's brother Sebastien and his wife Melanie

Me and my daddy

The ceremony

Sam and Ryan coming downstairs and seeing me in my dress

The cake which was FABULOUS!!! My cake topper wouldn't stay put.

Me and my two moms

Micheline and Raynald

Sam's sister Sophie and her family

This is my FAVORITE photo. It will be blown up when I get home.

Mimosa's!!! Need I say more! It was 10 o'clock in the morning.

As soon as I get home I will publish more. I think I can blog for the next year with all the pictures I have.

Day 2 & 3

2009-07-17T20:10:00.007-04:00

We pretty much did nothing but relax! It was FANTASTIC!!! We would wake up...eat breakfast...piddle around....and then head off to the beach for a couple of hours. Come back to our room, eat lunch and rest then go swim again. It was great. Here is Ryan below one morning after he woke up. We are so lucky he is a morning person. He always wakes up with a BIG smile on his face. I just hope it continues as he gets older!

Friday night Papa got into town and we went and had dinner with them at Benjamin's Calabash buffet. It was nice to be able to spend time with Papa and Grandma Dianne.

This is Ryan one day after lunch. I don't know what it is about sun and water that drains kids but he took some very long naps after being out on the beach. It was nice. While he slept Mommy played on facebook and blogged as you see below. Isn't the hair nice? Who feels like doing there hair on vacations right?

We really are having a great time! Very relaxing!

The Beach Day 1

2009-07-16T15:34:00.005-04:00

Travel-Not the most exciting part of a vacation but it has to happen. Ryan and I drove Sam to work this morning so we could pick him up and hit the road. We dropped him off around 7:15 and headed back to the house to finish packing the car. I got everything loaded and about 30 minutes to 1 hour later while I was doing a last load of laundry I saw that I had forgotten to put in the car Sam, Ryan and my wedding outfits. I laughed. I could just see us getting down here and everybody being dressed nice for the wedding and Sam, Ryan and I all have on bathing suits. Anyway, Ryan and I left about 10:30ish b/c we had to gas up the car and stop at Target to get a couple of things and get some lunch before we picked up Sam. We finally made it to pick him up a little before 12. I still could not believe it was finally here.

So, this was my first time ever traveling with a potty trained child and I really didn't know what to expect. Ryan still waits till almost the last minute to tell us he needs to go potty so I was a little worried. We get going and he is doing good. We are trying not to give him too much to drink so we don't have to make too terribly many stops. We made the first one in Canton so the side of an exit ramp. I hope it is not illegal but we just let him rip it on the side of the interstate. YES, I took a picture! I can't wait till he starts dating and bust this out!

So, after this we hit the road again and ended up stopping 3 more times. Which in my opinion was not too bad. We finally made it here around 4:15ish which wasn't bad either. We got checked in and hit the beach. We didn't stay too long b/c we were all hungry and tired. After the beach we checked out the swimming pool and went to change to go eat. We went to one of my favorite places when I was a teen and used to play on a traveling softball team...Fazzoles! I was so excited b/c I had not been to one of these in years BUT I was a little disappointed. It was not as good as I remembered but it was food and we were all hungry. After that we went to Wal-mart (I know I go on vacation and just to go to Wal-mart) but Sam needed a new pair of crocs b/c he's broke as soon as we got here and we needed a beach chair b/c we could not find ours either. We left Wally World and we back to the hotel and walked across the street to a little ice cream shop. We all got a cone and some how I ended up with Ryan half melted mushy cone of soft serve chocolate while he ate my waffle cone of strawberry. I think I got the robbed! But oh well. We went back up to our room and cleaned Ryan b/c he had ice cream everywhere and needless to say we sat down and it was over! We were ALL in bed a little after 8! I think we were tired! We are just happy to be here! All and all it was a good day!

And the countdown begins...

2009-07-14T14:51:00.003-04:00

Less than 24 hours from now We will be on the rode heading to the beach for fun, relaxation, sun and oh yeah...a wedding!I just finished cleaning the house and packing! I am SO tired right now BUT no nap for me! I have been giving Ryan naps here lately and he hasn't been going to bed until almost 10 everynight so I decided today not to give him a nap and see how that goes. I am really not ready for the nap phase to be over! It is my favorite part of the day! It is when I do my workout and get ALOT of stuff done without interuptions. Oh well...they have to grow up sometime don't they?

It's Official...I am a slacker!

2009-07-07T09:38:00.004-04:00

I am officially the biggest summer slacker. I have not blogged in forever! We have been very busy! Potty training, swimming, family visits from Canada, working and my personal favorite...NAPPING! But here are some pictures from Freedom Weekend Aloft. Sam's parent live in Simpsonville and from their front yard we can watch the hot air balloons. Ryan LOVES it and this is the 3rd year we have gone. This year Sophie, Sam's big sister, was here to enjoy it with us.

Ryan with Papie's binocular's

Daddy and Ryan relaxing

The balloon's in the air

Mamie

Papie

Sophie

Now, the next set of pictures of of Ryan and him swimming all by himself. We were so proud of him. Normally, when we go swimming he hangs onto Sam or I for dear life. I had gone to the beach with Nana to finish up some wedding details and found some spider man floaters. We called them his BIG MUSCLES! Now, he can swim all by himself! He is the cutiest thing. He will even flex them and kiss each one of them like he is macho man! It is hilarious.

Well, hopefully I will do better. The countdown is on. Two weeks from yesterday and I will be a married woman again. Scary thought! Hope everyone is having a great summer!!!

My First week of summer vacation...

2009-06-09T16:12:00.003-04:00

And I am loving it!!! Potty training is going GREAT!!! I can't believe it. Ryan has done great! We have had very few accidents. As long as we are home I don't have to do anything. He knows when he needs to go to the potty and he does it all by himself. I was shocked! He has done pretty good when we go out too. Today we went and had lunch with Sam and he actually used a BIG person potty! It was amazing! Hopefully we will keep up the success!!!

On another note, Nana and I are going down to the beach on the 19th to "finalize" everything for the wedding which is 1 month, 1 week and 4 days away. I am so excited!

I hope everyone is having a GREAT summer!!! I know I am!

The last full day of school!!!

2009-06-01T10:42:00.002-04:00

I have been waiting for this day since DAY 1! I knew it was going to be a crazy year when you expell a kid the very first day of school. If we can get past today only two half days and we are out! I am ready for the summer. Mainly b/c it is Potty Training 101 at my house. I have to get Ryan going potty before school starts back. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Wish me luck!

Our Barn

2009-05-22T12:13:00.003-04:00

We finally got our new barn this past Tuesday! We were so excited b/c now we can finish our garage and FINALLY all of our projects that we have started will be finished. Isn't it cute? The best part was we didn't have to build it ourselves. We had first looked at Lowe's BUT we really did not want to build yet another thing so we kept looking and a guy from Sam's work told us he had just gotten one from "The Barnyard" on Asheville Highway. WE checked them out and bought. They come out and build it on you property....level it and everything. We ended up being able to get a bigger barn for less than what we would of paid at Lowe's...AND WE DIDN'T HAVE TO BUILD IT!!! Can you tell I was excited about that. The only thing we had to do was paint it but that only took us a few hours. Not bad at all! We could of gotten it already painted but that was extra and we knew we could do that ourself. But we are VERY satisfied!

Now onto the garage....Sam finished up the painting the ceiling last night so all we have left to finish is the floor and putting the selves up. I can't wait to show you all the pictures. I wish I had done before and after pictures b/c you would not believe the difference. I didn't realize houw HUGE our garage really is. Its amazing!

What a weekend!

2009-05-18T09:02:00.002-04:00

It went by WAY too fast! Friday night I watched Jamie and Summer's kids b/c Nana was sick. We had a blast and the kids were good as gold. I could not of asked for better kids. Then, Saturday was Sam's 32nd Birthday. We all went out to eat lunch at Sonny's Brick Oven Pizza and then that night we had some friends over for game night. It really turned out to be a good day.

Happy 32nd Birthday!!!

Sunday however, was the best. We got Ryan back. He had been with Jeremy for a week and I think Sam and I were ready to see our little man again. After last Sunday and Ryan riding around on Zachary's 4-wheeler we decided to surprise him when he came home with one of his own. So here is Ryan, who had that permanent smile on his face the ENTIRE time we were outside riding, on his new 4-wheeler or as he calls it "His Tractor!"

Computer Desk for Sale

2009-05-12T08:59:00.002-04:00

We have this HUGE computer desk for sale. When I say huge I mean HUGE. There is another table that is 2ft by 5ft that also goes with this. It has 2 filing drawers, a slide out keyboard tray and the over head cabinets. We will even throw in the mat for the floor so the chair can roll on carpet. It was orginally close to $1000 and all we want is $300. Please call me or email me if you are interested or know anybody that is interested. 864-529-8611 or gingervezina@att.net

Muffins for Mom!

2009-05-11T10:28:00.007-04:00

Since yesterday was Mother's Day the boys cooked breakfast for me! They cooked banana nut muffins. I couldn't resist these pictures b/c Ryan was the biggest help to daddy! It made my day and made the muffins so much better!

For lunch we all went over to my brothers house and ate lunch. Then we all went outside. Sam and I were amazed b/c Ryan got on Zachary's 4-wheeler that he got for Christmas and was just riding all over the place. He could stop on a dime, navigate between bubbi's truck and the basketball goal. He is 3 and can do a perfect 3 point turn. We couldn't believe it.

Next came a friendly game of front yard football...which consisted of team Vezina-Sam and I verses team Marting-Andrew and Jamie. You would think Sam and I would have the advantage right? WRONG....Andrew is fast and quick and I couldn't catch the football. Or throw it if you want the truth....I think I had 2 or 3 good throws where the ball had that perfect spiral. But my favorite is where I went to throw it and threw it right to Jamie. It was funny! But we had a great time and hated to see it end but can't wait till next year.

I got this in an email...

2009-05-06T13:06:00.002-04:00

and with Mother's Day Sunday I thought it was appropriate.

To My Awesome Mom

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom...
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom .

May you always be overwhelmed by the Grace of God rather than by the
cares of life

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there!!!

For Rhonda...

2009-04-28T07:57:00.002-04:00

Here is my entire kitchen.

I don't suggest white cabinets if at all possible. They show EVERYTHING. But you work with what you got! I think it turned out pretty good myself.

The 2 new cabinets that Ryan helped put together.

The new range and microwave.

The dishwasher

And all my counterspace that I am NOT used to having!

The kitchen is done!

2009-04-24T10:37:00.003-04:00

All of our new appliances have been delivered and installed...the two new cabinets are put together...it is a good day! The kitchen is beautiful! The white is not so overpowering now. It is great! Anyway....here are the pictures of the new dishwasher and microwave.

This is the wierdest microwave I think I have ever had. It has a turn dial to set the cook time. It is like a button for the volumn on the radio. I have never seen one like that. It is taking some getting used too. But it works great! And I have so much counterspace now that the microwave is over the range and not on my counter! I am so happy!

Now, it is on to yet another project....FINISHING THE GARAGE!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-22T09:43:00.000-04:00

Items for Sale Pictures

2009-04-20T20:18:00.006-04:00

I know it took me long enough but here are the pictures of my two wedding dresses, the ping pong table and the power tower.

This is the skirt that goes underneath the dress to make it even poofier than it already is!

The detachable train

If you know anybody that is intersted they can email me at gingervezina@att.net or call my home at 864-439-0650.

2009-04-20T08:54:00.003-04:00

Tag...Your it!

8 Things I am looking forward to:
1. school being out
2. getting married

3. spending a week at the beach
4. 3 o'clock everyday (that's when I get off)
5. Naps with Ryan on the weekends
6. spending time with Sam and Ryan
7. Nerf gun wars
8. Getting our new dishwasher

8 things I did yesterday
1. Drank coffee
2. baked a pound cake for Nana-her favorite
3. shopped for more Nerf Guns
4. Had my family over for a party with Nana
5. NERF GUN WAR
6. Ran
7. Did Laundry
8. Held Ryan

8 things I wish I could do
1. Gourmet cooking
2. own my own business
3. fly like superman
4. learn how to work on cars
5. speak French
6. Work less and get paid more
7. Make time slow down
8. Travel more

8 shows that I watch
1. Survivor
2. Biggest Loser

3. Dancing with the Stars
4. American Idol
5. Days of our lives
5. Jon and Kate plus 8
6. What not to wear
7. Amazing Cakes
8. Phineas and Ferb

Tag 8 friends
I am tagging anyone that wants to do this. It really is fun and harder than it looks!

Nana's Birthday Party

2009-04-20T07:46:00.005-04:00

Well, Nana's Birthday was April 14th and I had planned her a surprise BD party at our house this weekend. She knew it was a family get together BUT she didn't know it was a surprise party for her. I was worried at first b/c I had not talked to Nana since Friday and I had tried calling and calling her to make sure she was still coming and I could not get in touch with her. So, needless to say i was panicing there for a bit. But all went well as usual and we had a great time. Our favorite part (and I think it was my brothers favorite part too) was what Sam and I had planned for after lunch...NERF GUN WAR!!! We had gotten up that morning and gone to Target, Wal-mart, and Toys R Us on a mission for Nerf Guns...well from the looks of these pictures I would say we succeeded!

We wanted to make sure that everyone had a gun to defend themselves!

The BIG Daddy's!

SGT Martin.....at ease!

Outlaw Sam...ready to rock!

Private Martin....loaded and ready to unleash

Of course I had to get in on it!

Daddy and Ryan after everybody went home!

I really don't know who had more fun....the kids or adults. OR Nana...yes I don't have a picture of it but even Nana and Mr. Steve got in on the action! IT was Great! I know what I am getting Andrew and Zachary for either there BD or Christmas! Two guns with plenty of reloads!

Items for Sale

2009-04-17T12:56:00.002-04:00

We are "Spring cleaning" at our house and we have a few items for sale. Either comment on my blog and I will get in touch with you or if you know somebody who is interested either refer them to my blog or give them my contact info. Anyway, the items for sale are: drum roll please....

1. Ping Pong Table-$50

In great condition

2. Body Champ Power Tower VKR System-$50
A complete upper body workout machine
Pull-up, dip, vertical knee raise, and push-up stations

3. Wedding dress-$300

This dress is a A line dress. The top bodice is beaded with small straps and a scoop neckline. The skirt is plane satin material with a detachable chapel length train. Size 8

4. Wedding dress-$300

This dress is the classic Cinderella dress. It is strapless with a sweetheart neckline. They back is a corset with a chapel length train. It has beads and tulle....it is beautiful. Size 8

If you want to email me directly my e-mail address is: gingervezina@att.net

I am going to try and get some pictures posted of these items this afternoon so you have a visual. Who knows...I may get home and find some more stuff to sell!

Ryan and a Hammer

2009-04-16T10:48:00.002-04:00

Scary thought right? Well, yesterday Sam and I bought two new cabinets for our kitchen b/c ours needless to say are full and running over. So, we start putting them together last night and Ryan comes over and starts playing with the tools. He is such a helper that when we got to the stop of hammering in the wooden doles we decided to let him have a try and surprisingly he did quiet well. Here are some pictures of him hammering away.

You see where Sam has his fingers...

Sheer Determination!
Why is it things work better when your tongue is sticking out?

Towards the end he would let Sam finish but I thought for a 3 year old to have that much determination and coordination I was shocked. He did so good we may let him put the last one together himself. LOL!

Hooky Monday

2009-04-16T10:44:00.002-04:00

Ryan and I were supposed to go on a field trip with his class Monday to Hollywild Zoo. Well, needless to say it got canceled and we played hooky. I had the choice of taking him to school and going to work or staying home with him on a rainy Monday...Well...you see what I chose....

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T08:55:00.002-04:00

Here are some pictures from Easter. We had a blast. Nana cooked lunch and everybody came over to my house to eat. Nana out did her self as usual. After lunch, we had an egg hunt for the kids. After all the eggs were found the real eggs turned into baseballs and I know have bits of broken eggs all over the back yard but its okay b/c we had so much fun! Anyway, here is Ryan first thing going trough his Easter basket the Easter bunny brought him.

Mommy and Ryan cheesing for the camera!

Ryan hunting eggs!

Daddy and Ryan-he fell and scraped his leg :(

All the kids with their baskets

Ryan checking out what kind of goods he scored!

Our New Stove!!!

2009-04-13T08:44:00.003-04:00

It Came!!! We got a call from Lowe's at 7:14 am Saturday morning letting us know what time they would be there to delivery our stove. I don't know who was more excited....me or Sam. But they got to our house at 10 and they brought it in and set it up and hauled off the old one. If anyone is thinking of getting new appliances I suggest doing it now b/c Lowe's has a rebate promo going on now where you end up getting free delivery and haul off. But anyway here is our new stove and it is wonderful. It heats up fast unlike our last stove and it cooks fast too. And this was the first thing we baked in the new stove! It baked in 24 minutes for 2 nine inch round cake pans...I couldn't believe it! That was the lowest amount of time the box said which on any other stove would not have been enough time but for this stove....not a problem. Can you imagine if I had used the convection speed bake option? I am in Love!

TGIF!!!!!

2009-04-10T09:21:00.002-04:00

I never thought this day would come! I don't know ifi it is just me or what but this has been the longest week ever!!! I am still not back in my groove! Definately looking forward to the weekend. It's Easter! Nana is cooking (which means you know its going to be good) and Sam and I are hosting. We love having all the kids over! They go outside and play on the playset and enjoy themselves. Ryan loves having the company too!

Nana gave me a task this Easter....she always makes a bunny cake for Easter and this year she has given me the job! (I'm in trouble). But I am excited at the Challenge never the less. Sam and I just bought a new stove, dishwasher and microwave and the stove should be here Saturday so this is going to be the first thing I am going to bake in the new oven! We are so excited! It is the first steps at making our kitchen pretty! IF you have never seen our kitchen it is not the prettiest thing ever. It is all white cabinets and white appliances and a whiteish gray floor....It is TOO much white. So, we got black appliance to hopefully offset some of the white. Our next project will be tiling the area between the bottom cabinet and the top cabinet. I think it is called a backsplash? Maybe? Should be interesting considering Sam and I are do-it-yourself people and we have never down what we are about to do. I will take plenty of pictures to show off how it does or does not turn out. But for sure I will have pictures of the new stove on here by Monday! Can't wait.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-08T13:27:00.000-04:00

2009-04-07T10:07:00.006-04:00

I finally got my pictures to load!!! I am so happy! So here is our trip! This first one is us waiting to board our first flight to Detroit.

Ryan looking at planes!

Playing in the street...Yes it is actually safe to do that there!

A shot of the street where we played

Laurianne and Ryan

Yes...you see right....that is Sam trying to use the "Skip it" I didn't know they still made them.

Ryan out cold at 6 p.m. He had only been up since 4:30a.m. without a nap!

This is the only picture I got of Sam's brother Seb and his wife Melanie and their daughter Molly

This is at the mall we went to. Ryan was enjoying throwing money into the fountain.

This was the night we went to Old Deluth. All the girls were getting their hair done and he had to have his done. Doesn't he look handsome?

His favorite spot...hiding in the cabinets in the kitchen.

They made him a birthday cake...and again...I had to blow out the candle.

This is Emilie.

This is Ryan and mine's first ever subway ride.

Sophie (Sam's sister) and her husband Patrice

Sam and I on the subway

A beautiful church in Montreal

Ryan and Xavier in the stroller as we walked in Montreal

A building in Montreal

Ryan on the way back to Laval on the subway or as they call it....the Metro.

Home Sweet Home

2009-04-06T10:40:00.002-04:00

You never really know how much you miss it till your home again. We got back Saturday night around 9 and we were so happy! I was just happy to be back in a place where the signs are in English and the menu's are in english. I think the biggest joke while we were there were the stop signs....which I still argue are not stop signs....at least not if I had been driving. They are red but they don't say stop. They say, "ARRET." Thank goodness I wasn't driving...of course nobody there stops for them either....they have so many that most everybody does a rolling stop. It was very different. Anyway, It is nice to be home. I tried to post our pictures again but it still would not let me so I don't know what the deal is there but I will try again in a little bit. We really did have a wonderful time. The only snow we got to see were the HUGE piles that had been scraped in the parking lots and they were covered with dirt and salt and who knows what. But I still got to taste snow that was covered in fresh and hot maple syrup. That is probably the highlight of our trip. We went to the Sugar House (don't ask me the french name...I couldn't tell you) and it is there country style restaurant. The food was wonderful and for dessert they bring you sugar pie with a side of ice cream or crepes with maple syrup...so you get good and sugared up inside the restaurant and then you head out to this other building where they make home made maple syrup and they have these truff set up that have snow packed into them and this guy gets a pot with maple syrup and pours you a line on the snow and then you take a popsicle stick and start and one end and just start rolling and you make a lollipop from it and it is sooooooooooo good. Needless to say I was in sugar shock by the time we left!

And we will continue to be in sugar shock. We brought back with us 2 and 1/2 boxes FULL of chocolate. I know...we have chocolate here but not like this. They have different kinds that we don't have and it is GOOD! The suitcase we had them in when we got to the airport was the heaviest one and I had to take 7 pounds of stuff out of it so that it met the weight limit. Never realized how heavy chocolate was. But we and the chocolate made it back safe and sound. I can't believe that our trip has come and gone and I am now sitting at work. How many days till Summer vacation?

2009-04-01T07:09:00.002-04:00

Day 3-Ryan’s Birthday!

Today is Ryan’s 3rd Birthday! When I woke up this morning I just could not believe it had been 3 years since I woke up at 1 o’clock in the morning the day I was scheduled to be induced in labor. It just seems like yesterday! Where has time gone? Everyday he gets bigger and bigger. I wish time would slow down but I know that won’t happen. I will blink my eyes and he will be grown and getting married and having kids of his own.

Anyway, it is day 3 of our trip and we have continued to have fun. We went shopping at their mall. It was so different than Westgate mall. Each store’s outside is elaborate. There are no words to describe it. They have spots for husbands to wait while they wives shop. It is beautifully decorated. The architecture inside is out of this world. It really is a beautiful mall. Sam and Ryan went with us. I think his favorite part was all the fountains that were all around the mall. And the cart that you rent for kids. He liked it. They have so many different stores that we don’t have and their style is so different than ours as well. But we had a good time. I think Sophie and I are going to go back later this week.

We came back from the mall and stopped at PFC, their version of KFC, for lunch. Surprising they are very Americanized here. It was good. They don’t have the potato wedges like ours back home but it was still good. Of course their 3 piece meal is more like a 1 piece meal.

Day 4

Today we went to the old Montreal. It was amazing. I felt like I was in New York with all the tall buildings and beautiful churches. We took the Metro to get their which is their version of the subway. That was different but fun! Ryan loved it. He liked that it went fast!

That night we went over to Sam’s childhood friends house, Gustavo or Gus for short. We had a blast. I don’t know who was happier to see who. The whole time Gus was trying his hardest to talk us into moving back up here. He also showed off some of Sam’s school pictures. Yes…he busted out the old yearbooks! I don’t think I have laughed so hard in a long time. It was great!

We are in Canada!!!

2009-03-30T10:01:00.002-04:00

Day 1
WE MADE IT!!! We have arrived! And so far WE are loving it. We woke up Saturday morning at 3:30a.m. and got ready. Raynald, Sam’s father, got to our house at 4:30a.m. and we loaded up and headed for the airport. Poor Ryan didn’t know what was going on. He was not happy being woke up so early but we figured he would go back to sleep on the way to the airport. Boy were we wrong. He stayed awake the entire time. So, once we got to the airport, we pulled up to the door and Sam and Raynald started on loading or 4 LARGE suitcases while I changed Ryan into his clothes. Since we thought he was going back to sleep we left him in his PJ’s. Once that was done, we headed inside to get checked in. I must say 5 o’clock in the morning is the best time to travel. There wasn’t hardly anybody there and it was fast. Which is nice when you are holding a 30+ pound baby. So, we got checked in and our bags were off, we went and told Raynald good bye and we headed for upstairs to go through security. WE MADE IT THROUGH! Normally, Sam is the one who gets pulled aside from everybody and practically stripped searched. But we had NO problems what so ever so it was nice. So, we went to wait at our gate and we kept showing Ryan all the planes and he was loving it. He just kept looking at the saying, “Look, the plane!” It was precious! Finally, we got to start loading the plane and it was a first for me. We actually had to go down a set of stairs and WALK to the plane outside. It didn’t have a ramp like all the other planes! I have never! I thought they only did that stuff in the movies and for the president! Anyway, we loaded the plane, had to do some seat switching b/c this was the one flight we couldn’t pick out seats and of course we didn’t have seats together. But, we got settled and we were off. Ryan did so well on the plane. Sam and I were so proud. He LOVED it! He kept saying, “GO FAST!” I guess he liked the take off. Then, when we were landing he kept saying, “We going down!” It was funny! So, we arrived in Detroit ahead of schedule. We had about a hour and a half to kill. We got off the plane and found the screen that has all the flights listed to find our next gate. WE GOT LUCKY! Our next flight was only one gate down. We were expecting a 10 mile hike with Ryan in tow. We were so happy. So, we stopped and got Ryan some chocolate milk and just went walking to get him some exercise. They had those moving sidewalks (I think that is what you call them) and Ryan loved those. He would get on and for the first half he would run and then about mid way through it he would stop and let it take him to the end. So, after we burned some energy we went to our gate and waited. We went ahead and filled out the declaration form you have to fill out for customs and we were ready to go. They started loading our flight shortly after and we were off again. We like this flight b/c we were in the very back and we had 3 empty seats behind us which was great. We moved back a seat so Ryan could play and hit the seat in front of us if he wanted too. We arrived in Montreal WAY ahead of schedule. I think it was about 45 minutes early. We unloaded and headed for customs which in this airport is another 10 mile hike from the gate. We got lucky AGAIN!!! At the top of the steps there was a golf cart that is supposed to be for handicapped people BUT they gave us a ride which was nice b/c Ryan was tired at this point and we would have had to carry him the entire time. They dropped us off right in front of customs. It was nice. We went through the line and got to by pass the big line b/c we already had the form filled out and ready. We got our passports stamped and it was on to the baggage claim. As we got downstairs to it our flight’s luggage was just starting to come out we grabbed a cart, found our bags and we were heading out to meet Patrice. Well, we came out of the doors to the pick up area and there was NO Pat! No Sophie! Nobody was there. We looked around and they were not there yet. So we waited! About 20 minutes later here they come. They had all the kids wit them and they had balloons to welcome us! So we headed to the car, loaded up and headed for their house. The weather was great. It felt like we were in Spartanburg. We played all afternoon outside! Ryan never took a nap and finally crashed at 6 and slept all night. It really turned out to be a great day. Sam and both crashed about 9 that night.

Day 2
We woke up Sunday morning and it was raining. So, we just relaxed around the house and spent time with Sebastien (Sam’s brother) and his family. They had come down from Quebec City (about 3 hours north of Montreal) to spend some time with us. They left about lunch time. Sam and I went and to grab some lunch and I ate at my first Canadian fast food restaurant, Harvey’s. It was pretty good. Then, we headed back to the house watched some TV for a few minutes and then Sam took Ryan and I for a ride to show us some of where he grew up. I got to see the house he was raised in, and some of his old friends houses and where he used to hand out. He showed me the rich part of town. Obviously you have money here if you have two things….1-a lot of land and 2-a two car garage. It is the weirdest thing I have ever seen. Everybody has 1 car garages which is not that common in Spartanburg and they don’t use them. I told Sam yesterday, “The best way I can describe what it looks like here to me is a scene from a Brady Bunch movie. I feel like I am stuck in the 70’s in a Brady Bunch movie.” Just the architecture is so different here. But, like I said land is expensive so instead of building out, you build up. Most everybody has at least a two story house….and if you count the basement a 3 story house. So, it is nothing like back home. Anyway, for dinner we went to “Old Duluth.” Not sure I a spelling it right but oh well. It was good! We had Chicken skewers (the call them something different in French but I don’t remember what it was) and shrimp with rice and salad and potato wedges and soup. And that is not to mention the bread they bring out as an appetizer. I was stuffed! But it was so worth it. We came back home and put Ryan to bed and not too long after we to bed ourselves. Tomorrow is Ryan’s 3rd Birthday!

24 hours and counting...

2009-03-27T07:58:00.003-04:00

In less than 24 hours we will be in the air on our way to Canada! I still can not believe it is here! We got just about everything packed last night! I think I have just about everything packed except the kitchen sink! Just kidding. I am really proud of myself right now. I have not overpacked like I normally do. I am still have room in my suitcase for my make up and dryer and straightener. I am so proud of myself. HOWEVER.....we did have to call Sam's parents and borrow their 2 BIG suitcases b/c my one big, one medium and 2 small just were NOT cutting it last night! So, I have a BIG one with all my stuff, Sam has one with all his stuff and Ryan has a Medium one with all his stuff. Then, the last suitcase is a BIG one with all our coats and shoes in it. I have never traveled anywhere before where you had to pack so many WARM clothes. They take up so much more room that your normal summery clothes! But we will manage. We are allowed afterall 2 checked bags per person! The fun part will be when we get to Canada..... We will have 4 rolling suitcases.....a laptop bag, Ryan's toy bag, my purse, the toiletry bad, and another carry one bag/Ryan's diaper bag to carry....plus Ryan and it is going to be just me and Sam. Won't we be a sight. I am hoping we can get Ryan to ride on one of the suitcases or find a luggage cart! We shall see!

Ready for Canada...

2009-03-26T12:42:00.003-04:00

Well, Ryan is ready to go! As you can see below:

Ryan packing his toys in his suitcase!

Trying to get his suitcase zipped

All packed
Get Ready
Let's GO! I wonder if he will actually do this when we get to the airport!

Mommy's Papa and Grandma Dianne's BD Present

2009-03-26T12:31:00.005-04:00

Papa and Grandma Dianne's present came Monday and Ryan was supper excited he had another present to open. When he opened it up and saw it what it was he just kept saying, "It's a dinosaur! It's a dinosaur!" And of course it is like any other toy and hard as a rock to get into. Sam was trying to get it out for him and Ryan was trying to help. It was too cute for words. Grandma Dianne...you did good! He LOVES it! Evertime he sees it he say, "Want turn on dinosaur!" Anyway, here are the pictures of him opening it and playing with it.

Ryan's 3rd Birthday Party!!!

2009-03-23T07:55:00.004-04:00

We had Ryan's 3rd Birthday party this weekend at our house! It was a blast....well for the most....let me clarify....It was fun until I fell on my rollerblades straight on my tail bone. Very painful! Anyway, we had the whole family over....including my ex, his new girl, and the ex father-in-law. We grilled out hamburgers and hot dogs and ate cake. This was the first year that we didn't get him a Car's cake....we got him a Madagascar cake and it turned out beautiful! I was really excited! Anyway, here are the pictures from it. Sorry, but I don't have any of me busting my booty in our driveway!

I have to tell you about this one...once the candles were lite he did not like it. He clung to me for dear life and made me blow out the candles.

Besides the falling incident it went really well. We all had a good time! Can't wait till next year!

It's almost here

2009-03-20T12:48:00.003-04:00

A week from tomorrow we will be loading up and Ryan will be taking his first flight to Canada. We are so incredibally excited that there are no words to describe it! Frankly, I am not quiet sure that a week is going to be enough time to fit everything in that Sam wants to do and show us! The good new's is that I am taking my camera and a laptop so hopefully I will be able to post pic's to my blog everyday! I think the 2 things that I am most excited about are:

1-we are going snow tubing-I guess this is the correct name for it-who knows but its a single tube you go down one at a time. Never done this before so it should be fun! I get to see snow again!

2-we are going to some place where they make maple syrup...not the stuff you buy in the stores but the real thing. Anyway, at this place they take snow and pack it in this pan and then pour hot maple syrup on top of the snow and then you take a popsicle stick and just start turning it in the mix and it makes some kind of popsicle or something. It sounds good and sweet which is right up my alley!

3-shopping....come on now....who doesn't love shopping in a country they have never been too!

4-Chocolate, Chocolate and more Chocolate. and did I mention chocolate. Sam and his family have me addicted to this candy bar that you can only get in Canada. It is called a Mirage and OMG it is sooooooo good. It just melts in your mouth. So good! We got a box of them for Christmas and just finished off the last ones last night!

Okay....so there was more than 2 things there but I am just so excited. I can't wait!

Sam has told me I can't start packing yet. I am the queen of over prepairedness (don't really know if that is a word but it is today). I am so OCD that I have to have my list of everything I need, everything clean and laided out that needs to go with me and everything must be packed a week in advance! I know....I am terrible....but that is the way I am. And I over pack too! But I hate to get stuck miles away from home and not have something you need! That drives me crazy. And I am so cheap that I hate to have to go to the store to buy a new one when I know I have a perfectly good one sitting at home. So, needless to say Sam has told me I can't even start packing until Thursday! That is just not enough time. And if it is not bad enough that I do this while I am conscience but I dream about it too. I dream all the time that I am going somewhere and I am running late and I'm not packed and I forgot everything I need. It is just awful! But it gets worse....the night before I go somewhere I can not relax.....sleep yeah right. As soon as I lay down everything will start going through my mind....did I pack this.....did I pack that....oh I need to remember to get that and that and that in the morning (and usually forget everything I needed to remember to pack). Maybe I will sleep on the plane....since it leave at 6:10 in the morning. Yeah right....keep dreaming.

Ryan's Passport is on its way!

2009-03-12T14:55:00.003-04:00

I just got the best news ever....well, just about. I called to check the status of Ryan's passport and the lady told me that the book had been made and it was on its way to us! I about let out a scream of joy in my office! If I hadn't had 2 kids in here I probably would of! That was a big worry for us whether it was going to get back in time or not and it is! So, we are good to go for Canada! Only 2 weeks and 1 day!

Today is Dress Fitting #1

2009-03-11T09:14:00.002-04:00

I go today to have my 1st dress fitting. Which the dress fits everywhere except for the length. It is like a foot too long! So, I have NEVER had anything altered before so this should be interesting. Hopefully, I can go today...they will see how much they need to heem it and we will be done! Shouldn't be too hard right?

Anyway, we are now 2 weeks and 2 days away from our trip to Canada. I told Sam last night I was ready to start packing. We are still waiting on Ryan's passport. I just sent in a form that they needed so hopefully they have everything they need and we will get it within the next couple of days. We will keep our fingers crossed!

Zachary's 5th Birthday Party

2009-03-07T20:24:00.004-05:00

For Zachary's 5th family BD party we went to eat at Pizza Inn in Duncan. We had a lot of fun and as always ate way too much! Then, we topped it off with Cookie Cake. Mmmmmmmm!

Our Snow Pic's!

2009-03-07T20:08:00.003-05:00

Count down till Canada...

2009-03-06T08:28:00.002-05:00

The count down is on.....only 21 days till we leave! I am so excited and nervous. Flying is not my favorite and I don't know how Ryan is going to do since this will be his first time flying. Should be intersting. Hopefully the movies will keep him occupied. Do they make dramimine for toddlers?

I keep forgetting my camera so I can post our pictures in the snow! Hopefully, I will remember to bring it next week! We really did have fun and Ryan was so cute!

Happy Friday!!!

Dress Shopping

2009-03-05T08:07:00.005-05:00

This weekend I went dress shopping. I took my mom and my soon to be mother in law, Micheline along to help me decide. We had alot of fun! Here are some of the dresses I tried on. I am not telling which one I did decide on. That's going to be a surprise.

But it was fun even if it was pooring down rain. My mom and I always say we do our best shopping when it is raining and we really did! Now, everything is just about done and I can sit back and relax. I am so excited.

I went yesterday after my hair cut to pick up Sam's ring. They had to order it and they had called the day before and said it was in. Well, I picked it up and took it home and gave it to him to try on and it fell off! In the store the size 12 fit snug but the ring we bought him was a "comfort fit" and we knew it was going to be a little looser but we had NO idea it was going to fall off. So, we are making another trip to the jewelers today! Hopefully, we will get it right before July. Now, we are just waiting on mine to get back from sizing!

Snow in March???

2009-03-01T19:47:00.000-05:00

I can NOT believe that it really is snowing outside! I heard everybody talking about it but like usual....I figured it would bypass us just like it always does.....Boy was I wrong. It is beautiful. Its like a preview to Canada! We went outside and played for a little bit on the off chance that it would be gone in the morning. Ryan was too cute for words. We had a snow ball fight! And I won....of course! Can't wait for in the morning to take Ryan back out! I don't know who will be more excited..... me or Ryan?

Anyway, this has been a productive weekend. I have just about everything in place for our wedding. I have the minister, Sam and Ryan's outfits, my dress, and the cake and bouquet is picked out. Now, its chill time.

What a weekend!!!

2009-02-23T11:04:00.003-05:00

I don't even know where to begin to tell everything that happened this weekend....I guess lets start at my favorite part of the weekend.....

Sam and I are ENGAGED!

I still can't believe it myself until I look down at my hand and there it is....my ring!

This picture doesn't do it justice...it is simply beautiful! Anyway, we are planning on getting hitched Monday, July 20, 2009 at Myrtle Beach. Nothing fancy just us and our family. I can't wait.

Our 2nd good news is MY HOUSE IS RENTED!!! We signed the lease Saturday! It's all good now! I can focus my attention on getting our house cleaned and straightened up, our trip to Canada, and our course the few details for our wedding!

Going for Ryan's passport photo...

2009-02-19T12:22:00.004-05:00

Not the easiest thing I have ever tried to do. Now, he will let you take his picture anywhere EXCEPT for a posed shot by himself...I think last night we paid more for the candy then the actual passport photo. And I would not recommend you taking a young child to this place to do the photo. I ended up using MY OWN camera to get the picture b/c the lady that worked there waited till we got him still and happy and then decided to turn the camera ON...oh yes...while we were messing with him b/c he didn't want to sit....she had time to do all this but did not. It probably took us every bit of 30 minutes to get a picture we could actually use. And like I said...the good photo we got came from my camera! Anyway....here are some of the pictures.

We got this one....

And this one to take to the agency.

I wish we could of used this one but he was looking straight.

Even this is good but his little head was tilted.

So we are hoping that at least one of the two work!

Anyway...We booked our flight tickets last night....so we are for sure going! We leave March 28th and come back April 4th. I am so excited! I can't wait!

American Cancer Society T-Shirts

2009-02-18T10:15:00.002-05:00

I am taking orders for these this year. Our DO is selling them. They are really cute this year. They are brown with the line "Fight like a girl" in pink with the pink breast cancer ribbon. I LOVE mine. They are $10. Sizes Youth 6-8 to Adult 4X. If you would like one you can email me at gingervezina@att.net with your name and size and contact information. Checks need to be made out to The American Cancer Society. Thanks for all your support!

All is Good!

2009-02-18T10:02:00.002-05:00

My house is rented and I can not begin to tell you how relieved I am. I Love the tenant we chose, I think she is going to be wonderful and really take care of the property. She was so excited too! So thank the good lord this process is over! I can relax and get our house back in a livable order. I'm SO EXCITED!

I also found out that we are planning on going to Canada for Spring Break! I am SUPER DUPER EXCITED about that. And Sam it too. He is so excited he gets to show me around Canada and I get to meet his friend Gus and hang out with his brother and sister. I can't wait. AND I GET TO SEE SNOW! Yes it will be April but that is about the time it starts melting there and there will still be plenty of it! I get to see lots of snow....I wish I could describe all the wonderful things Sam has told me we are going to see and do. I just don't know where to start or how to even begin to describe them. But don't worry...I will take lots of pictures for my blog. Now, I just have to get Ryan a passport. We are going today to get his picture made...should be interesting getting a baby to stand still long enought to take a good picture. We shall see. Then, tomorrow I have to take him to the post office downtown and apply in person. Hopefully, we won't have any problems and I won't have to put a rush on it. I AM JUST SO EXCITED! LESS THAN 6 WEEKS! I am going to have to do a countdown till Canada like Summer does for their Disney trip!

IT IS DONE!!!!

2009-02-16T10:33:00.003-05:00

MY HOUSE IS EMPTY!!! I never EVER thought this day would come but the house is ready to be rented! Sam and Kyle did a wonderful job moving everything and my 10X10 Storage unit is packed from bottom to top! Ryan enjoyed driving the "Big Truck" as he called it. He thought he was one of the guys this weekend. He was the BIGGEST help to. Who would of thought a 2 almost 3 year old could carry so much stuff and come back for more? But he did. He would carry one load and then look up at you and say, "Come on, let's go get some more!" It really was the sweetest thing ever! He got his exercise this weekend hands down.

Then, we had Maksim also (which is Sam's parents dog) and since we don't have a fenced in backyard we have to take for a walk every night. So Ryan went walking with us and LOVED every minute of it. He ran the entire time. It is so cute when he runs b/c he has these littly bitty short legs and they are going just as fast and he can get them to go. And our neighborhood is nothing but hills and I'm not talking little rollings hills...I'm talking BIG hills! It was fun! If Ryan is outdoors he is happy!

Sunday, We showed the house again and they STILL love it and they faxed me the application today so hopefully we will have the house rented by this weekend!

Moving Day...

2009-02-13T09:21:00.006-05:00

Well today is the big day.....we are (I should be saying Sam is) moving everything to the storage unit tonight! I went and got a unit yesterday and might I say....if anybody is looking for a nice storage unit the one on 290....A-1 Storage....is great. You deal with the owner and he is a very nice guy. Anyway....should be fun. Then, Saturday we will be cleaning. What a way to spend your Valentine's day right? Well, I feel loved and special most of the time by Sam and Ryan so its Valentine's day for me almost all year! Especially when I get a big KISS from Ryan. But we are having Nana over and cooking some nice steaks so it will be a blast. May even fire up the fire pit if the rain holds off and roast some marsh mellows.

I did show the house again last night and she LOVED it! She wants to bring her kids back Saturday. So, hopefully everything will check out on this one! If not...keep on showing. We will have to get a new "FOR RENT" sign. I got to my house yesterday and the wind from the storm Wednesday had completely tore the sign off the holder. For now I just stuck it in the window but if things don't pan out for this lady we will have to invest in a new one.

I AM FINISHED PACKING!!!

2009-02-12T12:41:00.002-05:00

I can not believe it but I finally finished packing my house up! I finished last night and boy am I feeling it today. I forgot what it is like to climb stairs again and again. My legs are so sore today but it was worth it to finally be finished. Now, my job is done and Sam has to get to work. He is renting a truck tomorrow and he and a buddy of his are moving all of what is left to a storage building. It was a bitter sweet moment for me. I am sad b/c it is my first house that I bought all by myself but at the same time I know that it is time. I have been paying for a house that I have barely lived in and I know it is time to let go. So I start a new chapter in my life....a little scary but I am looking forward to it. Now, if I can just get this thing rented I will be doing even better. But I have a good feeling about the lady I am getting ready to show the house to tonight. So, I hope everybody has their fingers crossed and plenty of prayers. Hopefully, I will have good news for tomorrow!

Are We Sure its February?

2009-02-10T08:52:00.003-05:00

It doesn't feel like it! It was so nice we went out to play yesterday afternoon! Here are some pictures of ryan playing.

Peek a Boo....I see you!

Chillin in the tunnel!

For some reason he won't go down the slide by himself. Either Sam or I have to slide with him.

What a face! That was a new one we hadn't seen before!

We had so much fun. Hopefully we will get to do it all over again tonight!

Almost There...

2009-02-09T08:09:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it but I got sooooooooooo much done in my house this weekend. The entire down stairs is done! And there really isn't that much left upstairs. I was so happy and exausted by Sunday! Now I just have to get all the boxes and bags moved! Hopefully this next weekend we will get that done. You should see my house though. There are piles everywhere. Anybody who knows me knows what an OCD person I am...well....I have what I like to call organized confusion at my house. I have everything separated by where it is going. Whether it is going to our house in Duncan, to storage, to the dump, to goodwill, it is crazy. Now my problem is trying to make room for all the stuff I am taking to Duncan....its such a SLOW process and I am such an impatient person. Oh well, I did show my house this weekend! I was a little embarassed about it b/c it was such a mess but oh well. Got to start somewhere and let people see it. So hopefully soon we will have it rented out! Keep your fingers crossed.

Thank Goodness its Friday!!!

2009-02-06T10:20:00.002-05:00

And what a long weekend I have ahead of me....I am spending the biggest part of tomorrow packing up my house. I have had a couple of calls on my house and I really want and need to get it cleaned it out so Sam and I can start showing it and hopefully get a tenant! I never knew so much goes into being a GOOD landlord. I did/am doing my homework and stopped at Barnes and Nobles and bought two books for landlords. And I have to recommend one to ANYONE who even considers going into the rental business to get this book, "Every Landlord's Legal Guide." It is step by step instructions and is very thorough. I haven't even gotten to the second book yet. I may take it back b/c this one is so good!

Anyway, Hopefully this weekend will be more productive than last weekend. Ryan will be at his father's this weekend so we are also having our "Game Night" and Raclette. I enjoy these weekends but I do miss having Ryan. But I usually get A LOT of stuff done so this is definately a good weekend for this. I will let you all know how much I do/don't get done this weekend!

Picture Wednesday!

2009-02-04T12:07:00.002-05:00

An unexpected visitor...

2009-02-03T12:24:00.003-05:00

Nothing in the world is better than a surprise visit from you baby. I just got the most wonderful surprise/pick me up a few minutes ago. Nana had taken a personal business day to do something with my brother and picked Ryan up at school and brought him to see me! He was all smiles when he saw me and that MADE MY DAY!

Where did it all come from?

2009-02-03T10:34:00.002-05:00

This past weekend Sam and I were planning on spending all day Saturday packing up my house and getting it cleaned up and ready to show prospective tenants.....well boy was I wrong! I didn't quiet realize just how much STUFF I still had at that house. It's unbelievable. I was just standing there in my house in a daze looking at everything and wonderng Where did it all come from? How could I possibly still have this much stuff at this house. Needless to say we DID NOT get very much done! I got so overwhelmed at trying to decide what to take to the house in Duncan and what to pack up and put in storage...what to get rid of or try and give away. We did get two loads of STUFF done but thats about it. I am going to try again this weekend and just go over there by myself and go through bit by bit and just maybe I will feel like I accomplished something.

2009-01-30T11:07:00.000-05:00

This was sent to me from a school SRO. Please read.

Crucial

Because of recent abductions
In daylight hours, refresh yourself of these things to do in an emergency situation... This is for you, and for you to share with your wife, your children, everyone you know. After reading these 9 crucial tips, forward them to someone you care about. It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.
1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do : The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!
2. Learned this from a tourist guide. If a robber asks for your wallet
and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you... Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse.
RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will... This has saved lives.
4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their chequebook, or making a list, etc.)
DON'T DO THIS!
The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go.
AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF,
Repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it.
As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.
5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
A.) Be aware: look around you; look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.
B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the
passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans
while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side... If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.
IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)
6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)
7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, preferably in a zig –zag pattern!
8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked 'for help'
into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her 'Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.
10. Water scam! If you wake up in the middle of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your outside taps full blast so that you will go out to investigate and then attack. Stay alert,
keep safe, and look out for your neighbors! Please pass this on this e-mail as it should probably be taken seriously because the Crying Baby Theory was mentioned on America’s Most Wanted when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.

I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle... I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well.

Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it's better to be safe than sorry..
Everyone should take 5 minutes to read this. It may save your life or love one's life.

Future Rock Star

2009-01-29T12:23:00.003-05:00

I figured out what Ryan is going to be when he grows up...a ROCK STAR! He LOVES to play the guitar while Sam plays the drums on Rock Band. Sometimes he will even grab the mic and start singing "We Are The Champions!" (Or at least he tries singing his verion of it...He gets it from the movie Chicken Little and it really is the cutiest thing I have ever seen!) He loves the drums too. He will get the sticks and just go to town on the drum pads. He is getting pretty good....he has made something that resembles a drum roll so I thought that was pretty good for a two year old. Anyway here is the pic from him playing the guitar with Sam.

You can see the determination in his face! Rock On Ryan!

FOR RENT!!!

2009-01-27T07:50:00.007-05:00

A brand new, barely lived in 3 Bedroom, 2 bathroom house. A little over 1300 square feet living space on about a 10th of an acre lot. House is located in the Blackstock Trace subdivision. Schools-Anderson Mill Elementary, Dawkins Middle and Dorman High School. Stove/Microwave/diswasher provided. 1 year lease required. No Pets/smoking. Rent-$900 a month with a $700 security deposit. Applications will be accepted until rented. Call or e-mail me for a showing. Home #864-439-0650 or Cell #864-529-8611 or gingervezina@att.net

A weekend without Ryan...

2009-01-24T11:01:00.003-05:00

Jeremy is home this weekend and has Ryan so we have some fun planned with another couple. We are cooking Fondue (I promise Summer....we will have you over soon to try it out! This is the second time we have made it ourselves and if you want to get technical its our first b/c Sam's mom came over last time and helped us make. Who am I kidding... she made it we just stood there and watched. So I want to make sure it is up to par) and playing Knock Rummy tonight. I am making mimosa's too! I make them with peach champagne and that makes them soooooooooooo much better. We may even bust out Rock Band and if its warm enough go outside and make a fire in our new fire pit we got for Christmas and roast marshmellows and make smores! YUMMY! Okay....so I am making myself hungry right now!

But for a side note....Ryan is doing better. His little belly looked so much better this morning. He still has one little spot right beside his left boob. He does not like the new medicine. I bribe him with Nutella to get him to take it. I must admit....I tried it and it wasn't that great so I can't blame the kid for not wanting to take it. Hopefully, when I get him back tomorrow it will look even better. Till then....

Who needs a full work week....

2009-01-23T12:37:00.002-05:00

Well, my poor baby is sick again and I am home again. I am not complaining though. I do LOVE being home with my baby. I just don't like that he is sick. But the antibiotics that he was taking for his ear effection gave him an allergic reaction. We woke up this morning with BIG RED whelps on all over his body. So I guess I got my answer as to why Ryan did not like taking the "pink stuff." So, in my paniced state this morning, was the first person in line at the Urgent Care. It opened at 8 and his regular doctor doesn't open till 9 and I wasn't taking any chances. He had to get two shots...one in the leg and one is his arm. He was not happy about that but he feel asleep on the way home and needless to say hasn't woke up yet! One of the shots was Benedryl so we all know why he is still sleeping almos 3 hours later. Poor Thing! Hopefully all this medicine will make him feel better!

Well....we got a day off...

2009-01-20T12:54:00.002-05:00

It snowed just enough last night to get us the day off but I think we got ripped here in Duncan. We did not hardly get anything...a few little specks here and there. I am so jealous! I was so hoping for a nice white blanket to take Ryan out in. Hopefully we will get it soon! If not I'm going to CANADA! They have enough snow there to go around! Oh well, at least I got another day to spend with my googily bear (Ryan-we like Monsters, Inc. can you tell?)

Just Our Luck...

2009-01-19T18:22:00.002-05:00

Well, we switched to AT&T to save money a couple of weeks ago b/c Charter is the biggest rip off ever. So they came today to install the phone....they got everything outside hooked up and for some reason we asked them to check the jacks in the house b/c we were not a 100% sure that they worked b/c we have always had an internet phone. Well, the guy checks all of our jacks and not a one of them works....JUST OUR LUCK! So, the guy said he could fix them and needless to say almost two hours later....another AT&T guy and are jacks still aren't fixed. JUST OUR LUCK. Hopefully they will get it fixed soon. I must say though the guys are very nice. I am hoping Wednesday when DishTV comes we have better luck!

Keep your fingers crossed...

2009-01-19T12:12:00.003-05:00

Have you heard???? We are supposed to get SNOW! It is supposed to start tonight around midnight and last until noon. They are expecting 1-3 inches! I am so excited! I Love Snow. And this will be the first time that Ryan will get to go out and play. I'm sure it will be NOTHING like the the pictures my mother-in-law took over Christmas holidays in Canada. I don't think I have ever seen sooooooooo much snow. Anyway....my fingers are crossed....one more day out of work!

A Night with the Kids

2009-01-15T19:58:00.002-05:00

Tonight I have the pleasure of watching my niece, Karson and my nephew, Andrew. We have had soooooooooooooooooooo much fun! We have watched movies, played Rock Band (Jamie you need one of these at your house-Wonderful Noise), played Super Mario Brothers (yes...the original...I do still own an original nintendo...but this one happens to be on the Wii) and I became the AuntG-anator....aka for the tickle monster! We played baseball in the kitchen and thank the lord we didn't break anything! We fixed dinner and ate for the first time as a family at our new table. Now we are playing on the Wii fit! Karson's BMI is 16.17....normal and her weigt is 70 pounds. Her Wii fit age is 34. Her word for the night is AWESOME!!!! A little example of what I am listening to now....Can you tell one...I don't have a girl and two...my child is still young and doesn't speak in complete sentances yet?

Ryan is sleeping. AWESOME! He didn't have a nap today so he had to go to bed early. AWESOME! He is still not liking the pink stuff! AWESOME! Don't quiet understand but oh well. AWESOME! Hopefully he is getting enough of it to help his ear. AWESOME!

I am going to go to work Monday and all I am going to say is AWESOME! It almost reminds me of the movie (and for the life of me I can't remeber the name) but it was two guys and they had gotten tattoo's the night before (of course the were not in their right minds) and they were going back and forth....DUDE....what's mine say....SWEET....What's mine say....DUDE....What's mine say....SWEET! I think I am tired if I just quoted that movie....Not too much longer till bed time!

The Joys of Motherhood!

2009-01-14T14:20:00.000-05:00

Well, today I am at home with my little boy. He had a bad cough last night and it sounded even worse this morning. So we went to the doctor this morning and he has an ear infection. So we are sitting home, watching movies and doing well, nothing. It is just strange to be home all day. And to top it off, Ryan doesn't act sick (for example...right now he is jumping up and down on his bed)...he just coughs every now and then. He hasn't really pulled at his ear to much either so it really hasn't been to bad. we are now on 3 weeks worth of the "pink stuff" to try and clear it up and we go back on Feb 2nd to make sure his ear is fine. Well, I must have the only child in the world that does not like the pink stuff. I don't know about you but I still LOVE the pink stuff. Too bad they don't prescribe it for adults! Anyway....we get home from the doctor and CVS and I get the medicine in the dropper and give it to Ryan to take (usually he will take any and all medicine as long as he gets to do it). But he didn't want it so we had to do it the old fashioned way....forcefully. So I get the dropper in his mouth and squirt it in and he spits it all out! Its the pink stuff...the good stuff so I waited a minute and tried again. I figured he had gotten a taste and this time would keep it in. Boy was I wrong! So totally wrong!!! I went for the last half of this dose and needless to say had to clean up more than he got into his system. I am hoping and praying the 2nd dose goes better.

We did get our new table last nigt and it looks great! When I get back to work I will post some pictures of us putting it together and the final product. I must say it is ALOT bigger than we thougt it was going to be but we love it and it looks great.

2009-01-13T14:33:00.000-05:00

Here is our new table! WE go pick it up today! I am so excited! This is without the leaf in it!

A New Kitchen Table

2009-01-13T12:41:00.000-05:00

Last night we went shopping for a new kitchen table. I don't know if anybody else has had this problem but we have a glass table right now and with a kid you just can't keep it clean. Plus, we wanted a table with a leaf in it so when we have guest over for raclette (hoping I spelled that correctly) or fondue we have plenty of room and when its just the 3 of us we can have a small table. Our first stop was Whitlock's which is where we got Ryan's new bed but it was a bust. So we tried this place Sam knew of in Greenville named Jason's Furniture. We found a table we really LOVED but were skeptical at first. It was on sale for $899 for the table and 6 chairs but the sales guy said that sales were down and that they would give it to us for $750. We decided to go check one more store and get something to eat so we could talk. We tried Rooms To Go and found something very similar but we just didn't like it as well. We went and ate at McDonald's as a treat for Ryan b/c he was being so good. You can imagine how well it goes over with a two year old getting into the car and getting out of the car....going in this store and then that store. He really did do well. We decided to get the set we liked at Jason's. We are both sooooo excited b/c for once we are going to have a table that we don't have to cover with a table cloth every time somebody comes over. And it is going to look so good in our kitchen/dining room area. It is simple and antique/rustic looking. It is perfect! As soon as I get a picture I will post it so everyone can see!

Day 3-TGIF

2009-01-09T10:01:00.000-05:00

Well, I don't think I have ever been so happy to see a Friday. This is the first week back at school and it has been the longest week of my life! How many days until Spring Break?

Anyway, I got a picture of Ryan doing his hand stand. We had to help him this time but it still was cute. He just thought he was hot stuff!

The first time he did it we didn't have to help him. He was just like that without us holding him. He is a monkey. Well.....Happy Friday!

Day 2

2009-01-08T13:32:00.000-05:00

I wish I had taken a picture of this last night but you will just have to use your imagination on this one. We were in Ryan's room and Sam and I were trying to do a hand stand on the wall (don't ask me why b/c I really don't know). Well, Ryan decided it was his turn. He put his hands down on the carpet, put his little feet on the wall and he thought he was doing what we were doing. It was the cutest thing. He kept doing it and saying, "My turn, my turn!" It was more like a backward hand stand but he thought he was just like us. We were laughing so hard and clapping everytime he did. Priceless.

My Very First Blog!

2009-01-07T13:46:00.000-05:00

I decided to start a blog to help me remember events in Ryan's life that I may otherwise forget! I am excited about this new year! My motto for this year is "CHANGE!" I am all about change. Bring it on!

So Happy Birthday to my brand new blog!