ZUMBA!

Several of us from work have been taking Zumba class for the last 2 1/2 months. It is the most fun exercise I have ever done. It feels more like club dancing than exercising. We go twice a week for an hour and it is so fun, fast moving and exciting, that the hour flies by! It is like a drug, and I am addicted! As our teacher Ms Georgina says, "You either really love it, or really hate it." Well, we love it! I have missed dancing since I stopped to go to MSMS 20 years ago! This is the perfect outlet for my need to dance and exercise, and it is quite a workout! I leave class soaked with sweat!
Saturday we had Zumbathon, which was Zumba from 11am to 3pm to raise money for American Cancer Society. We had 3 short breaks (about 10 minutes) after each hour, but otherwise danced the entire 4 hours! We raised just over $1000 on Saturday. I am stiff and sore from Zumba-ing for 4 hours, but look forward to class tomorrow night.


If you haven't tried Zumba, you should! It is a blast!! Don't worry if you lack rhythm, for you will find that you are not alone! We laugh a lot, we sweat a lot, and it is a great way to blow off steam after a stressful day. Our teacher Ms Georgina teaches our class to raise money for scholarships for students of Pasco High School. She is such a giving person and wonderful teacher. I am so thankful that we have her and that we found out about ZUMBA!


I got some really funky looking exercise shoes today to exercise and Zumba in. They are called Vibram and are really neat! Robert got a pair too. They make his feet look like gorilla feet! We love them. We were only going to try them on, but ended up getting a pair because they are so comfortable.
Have a great week!! Shannon

Disney Wonder!!!

I am awe-struck and without adequate words to explain our Disney Cruise!! I'm not a big fan of letting people know when we are going out of town, so this has been a difficult task to keep from posting about my excitement leading up to the extravaganza.
This was all set in motion while we were on Robert's 40th birthday cruise in February. As a matter of fact, Robert's Mom called us about it the day we got back from that cruise. I was in shock and pretty sure I wouldn't be able to go. You see, I have been on a "every 2 month vacation plan" since February. This is VERY unusual for me. Two months after the 40th birthday cruise we went to Mississippi for my 20 year class reunion, which I am still sad that it is over! Now, 2 months after that, we had the Disney cruise.
This Disney cruise was to honor the life and memory of Grandma Doris Stenberg, who was the sweetest, most beautiful, and youngest woman in her 90's that I have ever met. She was known as Gigi by Rian and Mason. She was so kind and loving. We shared the same birth week and were quite similar in our strength and independence. She drove (and drove well) until shortly before she became ill and passed away. The Easter before she passed, she wore red, had her hair and makeup done as usual, was dressed to the 9's and looked fabulous. She never let on the she was very ill. That was Grandma Doris! Always the PERFECT hostess, looking like she was ready to go anywhere at any time. Her home was modern and young. She had wonderful taste in clothes, furniture, food, EVERYTHING. I was so blessed to know her for the 3 short years I did and only wish that she was able to be at our wedding. She sent me a birthday card when Robert and I had only been dating about 6 months. Her writing looked like my Nannie's writing! When I called her to thank her, I cried and told her that I never expected to get another birthday card from my grandmother, and I missed that. She told me that she was my Grandmother and she loved to send cards! She loved to travel, so this cruise was the perfect way to celebrate her. She was the rock of the family! We miss her so!
I will come back later and write about the cruise itself. I started in one direction and went into another more thought provoking direction and I want to sit a while and think of my 3 grandmothers: Nannie, Mamaw, and Grandma Doris. Happy, wonderful women who have given us happy, wonderful memories.

A Week Later, and Still Processing!

One week ago at this very moment, we were deeply enthralled in conversation with classmates, some that I haven't seen in 20ish years, and if Heaven is any better, I want to go TODAY! It was a cleansing of the soul for me that I have needed desperately!! My outlook on life is so much better, my mood is so much better, and I feel that my life is so much better because I spent a weekend with these amazing people. I plan on keeping my new-found positivity through much adversity that surrounds me. I am still processing, and will continue to as the photos and photo comments are posted. We are already planning the 25th reunion and a mini-reunion in a couple of years to pull Marcus out of the brink of certain despair as he turns 40! I am having some sadness/withdrawals from the fun!! I learned this weekend that I can stay up past 11pm, and I can have a lot of fun!! (Now I must rest up!) Thanks to everyone who shared a wonderful weekend with us! It was far too short!
*** I had to add another thought: We are so blessed to have each other! As a talk incessantly about our reunion, I run across more and more people who say, "I haven't been to any of my reunions and don't plan on ever going. I didn't like those people and why would I want to see them now?" Wow!! What a sad thing!! We are missing each other so much, and there are people out there (who went to other schools) who don't care about each other and have only negative memories of high school. I only wish they could love their classmates like I do!! I miss y'all!! I am so glad that we had our reunion last weekend and not this weekend! The people of Yazoo City are in my thoughts and prayers. That is so close to home!

Some Things Do Stay The Same (20 Years Later)

**I'm going to try to summarize this past weekend the best I can. I may have to revise it often as I process everything and get over my severe case of sleep deprivation.**

September 1988 I arrived in Columbus Mississippi to the new "Mississippi School for Math and Science." We had a caravan of cars and trucks to drop my brother off at Mississippi State for his Freshman year, and continued on to drop me off in Columbus. I was scared, excited, and CLUELESS as to what I was getting myself into, but I was also determined. I wasn't running away from a bad home life or unhappy school situation. I was running to adventure and the possibility of experiencing just about anything. It amazes me still that this day even happened! Let me go back 11 years and explain how close I was to missing this opportunity. This is proof that one small decision can change your life forever. You see, back in "those days" parents had a little more flexibility in deciding when to send their children to kindergarten. I was born in November, so I would either be the oldest in my class, or the youngest. Mama enrolled me in kindergarten in 1977. When it came time to go to kindergarten Mama asked, "Shannon, do you want to go to school, or do you want to go to Jackson shopping?" Being a girl, I chose shopping, so off we went and the rest is history. I did go to kindergarten then next year, which set me up to be in the Inaugural class of MSMS!
Back to my time at MSMS: I met this wonderful guy on our first day, and he would stand by me 21 years later as my Man of Honor at my wedding. Marcus kept me sane and has continued to be a steadfast friend. Christmas break junior year I was diagnosed with a severe case of mono that was causing my liver enzymes to elevate and my spleen to be enlarge. My doctor suggested I not return to MSMS since I was so sick. Are you kidding me?? I HAD to go back! Mama came to school with me to set up my room so I wouldn't have to lift anything heavy, and I was moved to the bottom floor so I didn't have to go upstairs. I didn't miss a single day of school! I'm so glad that I fought to stay! Graduation was so exciting and difficult. I lived with these people, loved these people, and didn't want to leave these people. (I felt the same way this weekend!)
When we arrived Friday at the campus I was greeted by the same faces! I mean everyone looks the same! Oh, we may have a little more weight, or a little less hair, but all in all, not bad for 20 years! Some of our teachers look the same too. We took a tour of the campus and quickly realized that we also act the same. It was like we never left. Robert went to our small 15 year reunion in New Orleans. We had only been dating 2 months, but he felt very comfortable around my friends. It was the same this reunion. They embraced him like he went to school with us. Robert, Cass and Jason could get into trouble if they lived closer to each other. We stayed up until 4:30am Saturday morning and 5am Sunday morning. It was like we wanted to make the most of every minute! I am paying for it now. I feel smarter after spending a weekend with everyone! Just being in the same place and breathing the same air as these brilliant people makes me want to learn more. Even though everyone is brilliant, the weekend didn't become a "let me show you how much smarter I am than you" reunion. It was like we were 17 again, only with legal alcohol, spouses, and children. We have lost teachers, one classmate (Roger), and gained lots of spouses and children in 20 years. We opened the Time Capsule that we sealed at the end of junior year. Mrs Judy Morris was obviously in charge of this. She kept a lot of pictures and mementos. She and Coach Butler were missed! There were a lot of funny things and embarrassing things in the time capsule. I'm so glad we did that!
I have spent the last few days looking at pictures from the reunion, longing to be back there, laughing at the photo captions and comments, and feeling truly blessed to have such wonderful people, as Marcus put it, as my family. I feel so bad for the classmates who couldn't make it. It was an experience that has changed my attitude and outlook! I haven't stopped talking about the reunion and laughing so hard that I wheeze!!



I am having a lot of sadness about not being at the reunion, so I still need to process! I will continue to add and edit this post. Shannon

A Holy Crap Moment.

(Please don't take offense, as I realize it is Holy Week. Happy Holy week and Thanks be to God for the greatest gift to the world!)

Anyway, every so often I have a "Holy Crap" moment. Usually this happens when I hear something, and it makes me think about my age, which leads me to think about what my parents were doing when they were my age. What caused this particular moment was something I heard on the radio. They were talking about how having your parents at each of your sporting events, or how not having your parents there affected you. Honesty, I had never really thought about it. It was a given that Mama was going to be at everything. She always was. I didn't think it was an option. Daddy was at a lot of stuff too. That lead me to think about what was going on when she was 38 (which made Daddy 41). I was 11, which meant Joey was 13, and Dana was 15 (which was driving age in Mississippi when we grew up.Let's see puberty + puberty + new driver = hell) Daddy was farming through the rough years, and working at Cottonwood in Louisiana, but still made it to every dance recital, Catfish Festival and as many games as he could. He also taught us math and helped us with our math homework, which was his expertise. Mama was into every aspect of our lives. She was "Room mother" to one of our classes EVERY year. She was at every football game (pee wee, junior high and high school), every Little League, Pony League, and High school baseball game, every cheerleader competition, every dance show, and every lame "tom turkey"/pilgrim class play, and made the costumes too! When I was in junior high she was working at the bank and Daddy was working in Vicksburg full time. She still didn't miss anything, plus she ran the farm while Daddy was away working 16-20 hour days during farming and hunting season. She literally came in from the bank, stripped off her pantyhose and high heels and threw on her jeans and tennis shoes and went out into the field. (Yes, prissy Scarlet O' Meme ran the farm, got in the dirt, and did it all with style!) Their sacrifice takes my breath away. We didn't have drive-thru Wendy's or McDonald's, we had real homemade food. We went to dance seminars each summer, and went to Vicksburg to see Daddy almost every weekend. He would take me out fishing or riding every time we were down there, no matter how tired he was. I don't know how they did it. I think of how tired I am after work, and how I truly DREAD the idea of running any errands and I wonder "How DID they do it?" Mama was everywhere, and had a smile on her face, or what I could see of it poking out from behind the video camera that was the size of suitcase. Daddy would come in from the field covered with dirt and dinitro (yellow chemical) and sit down with us to teach variables. Mrs. Guy couldn't get any of us to understand how in the world you could add an "X" to a "Y", but Daddy did! They were and are an integral part of our lives academically, emotionally, and athletically (not so much athletically anymore!) They molded us and continue to do so. I feel like I just expected it as a kid and didn't appreciate it or think it was a big deal. They never acted like it was a big deal or a sacrifice, which is even more amazing. I appreciate what they did so much. They went above and beyond what parents are called to do, and for that I am forever grateful and indebted.
It is so good to have a moment like this to remember what is important, and it is quite appropriate for Holy Week too, as we think about Jesus, and God's sacrifice as a parent, and how He is with us all the time and continues to be no matter how old we get.







I am so blessed! Love, Shannon

One Month!

Wow! I am bad! I can't believe it has been one month since I posted anything! I can't say "Oh, we've been so busy, I just can't find time to write." That would be a lie. Actually, we are just plain boring.
Right now we are both "under the weather." I shy away from the word "sick" because I don't FEEL bad, I'm just tired and SOUND sick. (OK, that could be a little denial, but I don't feel as bad as Robert did.) I love oranges, HATE orange trees! For anyone who has been around orange trees in the early spring, they have a sickeningly sweet pollen that covers EVERYTHING for miles and turns my sinuses into ground beef that free-flow a river of snot. I am about to the point of taking "feminine hygiene products" (the bullet shaped ones) and sticking one up each nostril. The only reason I haven't: I don't want my nose holes so stretched out that it's like looking into 2 caves of drippy snot. I know: Vanity!
My 20 year class reunion is coming up, and I can't wait to see everybody! I can't believe it has been 20 years. Any other day I would say, "I don't feel like I could be old enough to be going to MY 20 year reunion" but today I do feel it.
Almost 2 weeks ago we bought a Wii. I have been hearing what good exercise it is and how much fun it is. WE LOVE IT!! The first night we played every game at least once on the "Sports" and "Sports Resort." I beat Robert at boxing. It is quite the workout. My arms were sore for 3 or 4 days. I'm so glad we got it.

Tomorrow I have my first ever jury duty. I'm a little freaked out. I guess this could make for a great post!! The last time we went to this courthouse was to pay a speeding ticket for Robert 4 years ago, and we laughed so hard. The people watching was fabulous! I wasn't sure if I wanted to be the lady behind the glass or not. The excuses people came up with for why they got their citation and why they didn't think it was fair was hilarious! The lady just sat there quite robot-like and repeated "That will be One hundred eighty-two dollars and fifty cents" ......... "But I had to get my dog to the vet! She was having puppies all over the back seat and the officer wouldn't listen, and they said to take it up with courthouse, and what would you do if your dog was having puppies all over the back seat! You would drive 82 in 55 too! They said to take it up with the courthouse!"......."That will be One hundred eighty-two dollars and fifty cents" and on, and on. Each person that walked up had a great story, and felt that THIS was the place to state their case. We got to the point where we started playing "Guess the infraction, guess the excuse." You would have thought they had Judge Judy behind the glass. They actually had a lady that was probably making slightly above minimum wage, and really didn't give a $hit sitting behind the glass. Everybody had their crying kids and their excuses recited like a soap opera. I could see the logic: Multiple crying children under the age of 3 + GREAT story= I get to keep my One hundred eighty-two dollars and fifty cents. WRONG AGAIN. That equation may work IF you fight the ticket IN THE COURT, but it doesn't work AT THE GLASS WINDOW. Maybe I came up with an idea! Zephyrhills has a drive thru "git er done" marriage place, maybe I should open a drive thru "git er done" court. Just an idea. I do think that the "lady behind the glass" should write a coffee table book of good and not-so-good excuses for speeding and other traffic violations. *** I had to add this one: We were at a local outdoor mall and a well dressed blond lady driving a BMW was complaining that she was getting a ticket. The meter was empty. She said, and I quote: "I thought the meters were for DONATIONS." I am not making this up. She is either A) a BAD lair B) REALLY dumb C) not a charitable giver or D) All of the above.


Well, we shall see what tomorrow brings. Shannon

Happy 40th To My Wonderful Husband!

We just returned yesterday from the most wonderful way to celebrate a 40th birthday! We went on a 5 day cruise out of Miami to Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas. It was amazing to spend this week together, since we have opposite work schedules most of the time.
Our vacation started out with a triple birthday party for Robert, Clint and Addison Sunday night complete with great food, great family and great friends! Dana, Clint and Ryan took us to the boat Monday, at which time Ryan informed us that he was pretty sure that the boat had a bunk bed room (hint, hint.) It was rainy and cool when we left, but there was NO WAY to dampen our excitement!! Miami is stunning from the water!! We even saw surfers at Miami beach!! I thought they were pelicans!!



We had the most wonderful dining room service from Imade, Gusti, and Samita! They sang Happy Birthday to Robert on our first night. The food was purely delectable every meal! The hot melty cake is an all time favorite!!



Wednesday we went to Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos. It was a beautiful little island with AMAZING coral reefs and snorkeling. Despite the fact that it was in the upper 80's the water was cool. It was only a few minutes before I adjusted though. Several cruisers had "overindulged" in drinks and sun on Tuesday, our "Fun Day at Sea." There were lots of half white/half red people hobbling around Grand Turk. Our snorkeling guides were so kind and wonderful. We went to 2 reefs. The last one had 2 friendly stingrays and one friendly barracuda.


We had some very rough seas due to a storm over Half Moon Cay, which caused us to skip that port. I was prepared with my Scopalamine patch and Phenergan, but it didn't help much Thursday night. I'm sure I was one of several people who were kneeling at the porcelain alter Thursday night.
Friday was SO much better. Nassau was beautiful!! There is so much more we want to do there. I hope another trip there is in our near future! We were one of 5 ships at port that day. Atlantis is breathtaking. We only wish we had more time to walk around town and go to the beach.


Now, it is back to the real world! No more naps, having my bed made twice a day, having every meal prepared for me, dishes washed, fresh towels delivered, heavenly soft bed turned down, and worst of all NO MORE HOT MELTY CAKE!! This is going to be difficult. Reality is cruel! I must say that Carnival has been such a great experience for us. Even though we had to miss a port, they are masters at making people happy. It only took us 15 minutes to get downstairs, off the boat and through customs! (It took 1 1/2 hours in Tampa!) We had the best time people watching while we waited for our wonderful chauffeurs Dana, Clint and Ryan EARLY Saturday morning. We played "What band or music artist would this person listen to?" Try it! We laughed so hard, we cried. Thanks so much Dana, Clint and Ryan for your hospitality!! It is always 4 star!! Love, Shannon and Robert

Day 6 No Fried Food, Hold the Salt.

Well, it has taken me 6 days to "get it together" enough to write about this. I had a dose of harsh reality Wednesday of last week when I tried to exercise my "duty" to give blood. I have always felt strongly about blood donation, and since there are so few who can and will, I try to do it when the blood mobile comes by our office. This time was really important, because of all the suffering people in Haiti! I used to give every 2 months, until I pushed myself when I was borderline anemic and went ahead and donated, and ended up barfing up oreo cookies on a patient and passing out in his house. All I could say was "I ate oreos. It's not coffee grounds" (meaning, "I don't have a GI bleed, I just ate oreos, which can look a heck of a lot like the crap you barf up if you do have a GI bleed.") Anyway, I went in the bus, and did all pre-donation stuff, then she took my blood pressure. 176/110!!! Yep, that's where you are when you can have a stroke, and end up REALLY messed up!! They made me wait and took it again: 150/108! Bingo! Still too bad to donate, still REALLY bad. Well, as a nurse and a perfectly manipulative and in denial one at that, I figured that my BP would be up when I went to my yearly Dr appointment later that afternoon, so having a pint of blood drawn off that day would drop my blood pressure for that visit, but they wouldn't take it. Long story short, I'm now on a strict diet of low salt, low cholesterol (no fried food), and low calorie. I'm also on BP pills twice a day. My thyroid was worse, my BP was bad, my cholesterol sux, I'm having sleep apnea (I'll talk about that in a minute), and my weight has gone up ridiculously since I was there Oct. 2008. Yes, I got married AND became the supervisor all at one time, but I am so irritated with myself!! Yes, I have a very stressful job, but I should have more control than this!! She also broke it to me that I will be "high risk" if I get pregnant. Not what I wanted to hear. I want to be "low risk" and use a midwife in a birthing center in a tub! I'm not a hospital person. They give me the shakes!!
(Back to Sleep apnea) I have always been a sleep talker/walker, no biggie, as a matter of fact, Robert has really funny stories about some of my shenanigans. He even finds it funny depending on the amount of sleep he has had. Well, the last few months, Robert has noticed that I quit breathing. He used to wake me up saying "Are you ok? You aren't breathing. That freaks me out!!!" Well, he knows I will start back breathing, so he doesn't wake me as much. He said I go 15-20 seconds without breathing (apnea.) This can increase blood pressure and cause weakness, irritability, weight gain, feeling of fatigue all the time, swelling of the ankle, etc. All of these are me. I went for a sleep study Friday night and I'm waiting for the results. I didn't sleep well, so I'm not sure if they will find anything.
I have been eating sensibly for a week now, and I'm doing really well with it. I thought going without fried food would completely go against my Southern system, and in some ways it has, but I'm dealing with the emotional part of dieting really well this time. I think the whole idea that "it's do or die" helps. Also the "over achiever"/OCD part of my personality kicked in because I WILL be "low risk" if I get pregnant.
Anyway, our house is on a diet! I'll keep y'all update on it! So far, I don't feel homicidal, or even depressed. I actually feel better. I cried all the way home from the Dr Wednesday night, but I'm great now. It's amazing how much better I feel since I had my head pulled out of my ass with my well-timed dose of reality. Thanks for all of your support!!! Love, Shannon

Let's Talk About the Weather!!

Can I have a little global warming please? This super cold weather is definitely the yin to our sweltering hot summer's yang. I know I am NOT going to get any sympathy from my northern friends, but y'all have to understand, much like people acclimate to living on the equator, y'all have acclimated to living in super cold. I HAVE NOT ACCLIMATED TO COLD WEATHER. 60 is great to me, 30 sux! The hair on my legs is growing at a feverish pace. I have to MOW my legs daily! It is like an expose' I saw on the fur industry. (You know, the one where they take rabbits and fox and other animals and force them to live in really cold enclosures to make them grow thicker longer fur.) I could grow my own fur coat! It is supposed to dip into the upper 20's here in the Tampa area through the weekend. A cold snap here and there is great, but this is going to be over a week of freezing temps! We went to Target tonight and I bought the last pair of knit gloves in the store. They are absurdly ugly!! They look like your great aunt Myrtle knit them for Christmas! At this point, I don't care. They will keep my hands warm! It is so cold that when Robert rides his bike to work, within 3 minutes he is sleepy and seeing Jesus. Thank goodness we have extra padding on us for insulation. The really great part of this is thinking that in the spring and summer, we should have a lot less bugs around and the fact that this is perfect snuggling weather! Everybody snuggle up and stay warm! Love, Shannon

Christmas and a Couple of Interesting Movies.

Christmas has come and gone once again. The older I get, the closer together they seem to get. I worked Christmas day, and it wasn't bad, all in all. Someone has to do it, and this year was my year. Robert came with me to keep me company. I made it through the day without setting off the alarm. We brought the TV and DVD player into the "bullpen" and watched the most awesomely ridiculously awful movie called "The Happiness of the Katakuris." It was SO awful, that it was hilariously funny. It is a Japanese subtitled movie that the box describes as "The Sound of music" meets "Dawn of the Dead" which is a zombie movie. I found this gem at the library. It caught my eye because it did look like "The Sound of Music" with Japanese characters. I laughed so hard I wheezed. Robert, Tammy and I watched it between phone calls. Lorie was in the office some of the time, but I'm pretty sure she thought we were crazy. The movie had music/dance numbers in it, mixed with zombies and such. We may have a new Christmas tradition. I wonder if some Japanese family was watching "A Christmas Story" and laughing at it and thinking it was awesomely ridiculously awful.
We went to Brandon to see the "little Kimseys." There is nothing like seeing kids with new presents to make Christmas feel like Christmas. They were so cute and sweet. I wish it could have been like the wedding, where we had all of the Outlaw-Pezoldt-Kimsey little ones together in one place. Our nieces and nephews are so special to us. It is crazy to think that Nicole was 6 and Rian was 4 when we started dating. Now they are growing into little ladies!
Today we went to eat at Yamatos for a late nice Christmas dinner, then went to see "Avatar." It was really great, BUT let me say that if you have ANY inner ear problems or tendency to have motion sickness, either don't see it in 3D, or get there so early that you can sit in the very top row. We saw it today and got there 5 minutes after it started, so we had to sit in the 2nd row!! Barf fest!! It was so close and so fast action. I can't wait to see it again at home and not in 3D.
Well, I hope that everyone had a great Christmas and I'm looking for a great New Year!!

Needing a Little Christmas Spirit.

I'm having difficulty finding my inner elf. It is bothering me too. I am so blessed in so many ways, but this year I'm not feeling like it is Christmastime. Maybe it's the weather. Considering it is 85 degrees outside, that is a good possibility. (My plants are starting to bloom; the grass is growing like summer!) Maybe it's because I have to work Christmas day. Maybe it's because I won't be able to see my family on or around Christmas. We were able to spend Thanksgiving with them, but that wasn't enough for me. (Give me an inch, I want a mile!) I've watched more Christmas shows lately than I ever have. Maybe I need some of those "Ronco" commercials like when I was little! That let me KNOW it was Christmas. My Christmas tree is fabulous! I even bought a space heater that looks like a fireplace (fake logs and flames, and all!!) It looks perfect, but I sweat when I look at it, even though the heater isn't on. I thought I was going to have a heat stroke getting it into the car! The people at Home Depot were looking at me like I was crazy. I'm working really hard to get in the spirit! I should have it in a week or so!!! Merry Christmas to all! Love, Shannon and Robert

Wonderful Birthday!

We spent Wednesday to Friday in Orlando celebrating my birthday. We met Cher on Wednesday night and had dinner at Landry's. It was wonderful. We came back to the room and watched Modern Family and laughed so hard we wheezed!! Thursday I got in free to Disney, so we went to EPCOT for the food and wine festival. The day was PERFECT, not too hot or too cool. We tried different foods and it was such a great way to spend my birthday. (It brought back memories of my 20th birthday, which I spent there during my CO-OP semester.) I had many calls from family singing "Happy birthday!" It was wonderful. On Friday we went to Sea World and walked around and rode the rides. It was warmer and we got some sun. They have some beautiful aquariums! We left early afternoon because I was becoming weak and sluggish (forgot to bring my thyroid med, so I went without for 3 days. Not a good idea.) It was such a nice break. Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes!! Love, Shannon

Joey Turns 40!!

OH MY!!! Doey is 4o!!!! We had a wonderful birthday party for him Saturday! It was a mixture of a 40th birthday, Halloween Pumpkin carving, and all out "battle royale" between the Dawgs and Gators! What a great day!! Joey wanted fried catfish for his birthday, so I drove up for the day and made fried catfish, french fries, slaw, and hush puppies. I listened to the game on the way home, which was STRESSFUL!! I had to set the cruise control to keep from speeding! WOW!! I'm so blessed to have a brother like Joey!! Happy birthday!! Also, Joyce and Nicole had the place decorated SO ADORABLE!! Thanks for a great day!!! Love y'all!!

1st Anniversary/Vacation!

We are wrapping up our last couple of days of vacation, which has been wonderful! This is the first time since the honeymoon that we have had 9 days off together. We went to the Smoky Mountains for 5 days and were able to meet up with Mama and Daddy as they did an impromptu tour of the southeast. We stayed in a cabin in Pigeon Forge. The leaves were changing and were breathtaking. We learned a lot on this trip, so I had decided to make of list of things we have learned:
1) A year can fly by like the blink of an eye. We had such a wonderful and fun wedding a year ago on the beach and went on a wonderful cruise to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Roatan, Honduras, so this year we went to the mountains to celebrate 1 year together.
2) Fall is the BEST time of the year. We left 102 degree heat index in Tampa and enjoyed low 70's to low 50's in the mountains. The leaf colors developed into the most magical scene between Friday and Tuesday. On the way through the Smokies to Pigeon Forge on Friday, I said "I would like to see more reds." I got much more red on the return trip! It was purely God's art!
3) Time shares are CRAP!! Especially BLUEGREEN. When I booked the cabin, I looked up "discount cabin rentals Pigeon Forge" and pulled up a great rate for a 2 bedroom cabin with hot tub, whirlpool bath, etc. When I called, I was informed that we would have to take a 90 minute tour of a time share for the discount rate. "No problem" I thought. We will be there for 5 days, we can spare 90 minutes to save over $400! It was actually 3 hours, and it was high pressure. We went knowing that we wouldn't be buying because we don't get a lot of time off together and WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY! Well, just google "bluegreen complaints" and you will see what we went through. They basically told us that the only way to have your kids or grand kids (which we don't have!) remember you is by buying Bluegreen and "insuring" a great vacation every year! "Are you willing to neglect your family by NOT buying this?" This was my 2nd time share presentation and they always get pissy when you say "If we convert units to dollars, you are saying this room is 400 UNITS per night and your price per UNIT is $3, that means we will be paying $1200 per night, right? We don't even spend 1/12 that when we go on vacation!! How is that saving money?" I feel bad for the people who bought and can't do basic math. It was a "one day only" opportunity, so they wouldn't let you leave and think about it. This was their way of preventing us from researching on the internet. (Sorry that was so long!)
4) Mama is WAY more of a mountain person than she thought she was! She REALLY loved the high parts of the mountain! We climbed to the highest point, despite the fact that we thought we were going to DIE! The only reason we went was because we saw a really old couple (80's) on their way down and figured "If they can do it, we surely can!" We got to the top and couldn't see crap!! It was so foggy!! And none of the people on the way down even bothered to tell us!! A-holes!! Robert got almost all the way up, and turned around thinking he had been gone too long, only to see me and Mama trudging our way up, so technically he went up 1 1/2 times. It was a 1/2 mile hike one way at 45 degree angle!
5) Pigeon Forge is Kissimmee with mountains!! And boy do they love their pancakes and go carts!! I have NEVER seen traffic like Pigeon Forge traffic! It is worse than rush hour in Miami! No joke! You can easily take 1 hour to go a couple of miles! That is not because of wrecks either!
6) Harrah's at Cherokee has our money. We started by walking about 3/4 of a mile to the casino, then had to get a card to play, then donated money! Mama and Daddy always win and they didn't this time! When we left, we discovered that they have shuttles to the parking lot, so we didn't have to walk all they way! We were losers in so many ways! (This was the same day as the climb up the highest point #4.)
7) There is a lot of "authentic" Cherokee stuff MADE IN CHINA! My family has always loved native American history, clothing, dream catchers, etc. so when we see this stuff, we have to check it out! I don't understand why it is being made in China! That is just wrong!
8) We found Elvis! He is in Pigeon Forge with his friends just across from the Titanic! The Smoky Mountain Knife Shop is HUGE (like the size of a mall!) If you need to cut somebody, that is the place to go to get it done! It had wonderful artifacts from all eras too! Mama thought she was turning into a dude because we spent so much time in there!
9) Christmas occurs year round in the mountains and there are lots of Christmas shops to celebrate it! We went to a huge one after the Knife shop, not as payback, but it could be taken that way. There was a room off to the side where the men could go to watch the Gator/LSU game. It was a beautiful place.
10) Trips are more fun with others. Don't get me wrong, we LOVE to go places just by ourselves, but we tend to rest a lot and become under motivated at times. We saw so much stuff and did so much, and I credit that to having Mama and Daddy with us. They love to go and see things, and that is so awesome! We went on the ski lift and gondola in Gatlinburg so Mama could experience her fear of falling! She's an adrenaline junky now! She'll be skydiving by this time next year! She wants to Zorb down the mountain!
11) ALWAYS get a place with a hot tub if you will be climbing mountains and walking a lot. This saved us!! We enjoyed our nightly hot tub time! We would sit in there and talk about the day and laugh!
12) It is nice to not check email and computer! I didn't get on the computer much while we were gone. I have been addicted to a couple of games and checking web sites, but I didn't care about it at all while I was gone. How nice.
13) Vacations are good for the soul! And fall is such a great time of year. I feel rejuvenated! Hopefully I come back to work a less stressed and better person.
***14) Afternoon naps are AWESOME!! I think we should make this a part of every day! (I forgot to add this last night and it's my favorite!)
Here's to many more anniversaries and lots of happiness and great vacations! Shannon and Robert

I Have My New Crown......

.....So that makes me a Princess now, right? I had the most thorough dental cleaning I have ever had in my life and my teeth are sparkling white. Now comes the task of starting every 6 month cleanings. Dr Norman was very impressed at the lack of plaque and buildup on my teeth. I need to get a night guard to help with my jaw clenching. I'm not a grinder, just a clencher. I've got to put out a wonderful word for Dr Norman Castellano!! I'm not sure if he needs more patients or not, but I will send everyone I know to him! What a compassionate and gentle dentist! He does perform pediatric dentistry if the child is old enough to follow directions (since the place isn't childproof.) Thanks a million Dr Norman!! You are also quite entertaining! Shannon (the almost completely reformed Dental Wimp!)

Dental visit.

I want to start by saying I am a dental wimp. I have a high pain tolerance, BUT due to aforementioned dental trauma as a child, I avoid the dentists worse than I avoid patients with the plague! Well, I have found the kindest and gentlest dentist and his name is Dr Norman Castellano. I went Thursday night for x-rays and cleaning and he did x-rays and got my broken tooth prepped for a crown! The visit took about 3 hours and it was a very late night, but it saved one whole visit! Norman and Robert grew up together from 6 years old on and have GREAT stories. Norman's hours are great for me (7:30 pm Tues-Thurs. and all day Saturday). I don't have to miss any work. It was wonderful to have Robert, Norman, and Chris talking about growing up. It wasn't the quiet, uptight, awkward visit like dental visits usually are. I was really worried about how much work I was going to need since it has been 7 years since my last dental visit, and 8 years before that! I only had the one broken tooth that I went in for and a small amount of decay under a very old filling in a wisdom tooth. My teeth need a good cleaning, but he was amazed at how white and straight they are without having braces! My bone and roots are also in great shape! I still have all my teeth, including wisdom teeth. I have been so blessed to have good teeth and to be the only kid out of the 3 of us that didn't need braces. I think I will start going to the dentist like I should since Norman is so nice and gentle and his hours are so easy to work into my schedule.

On a different note, Robert went to work this morning, leaving around 3:40am, forgot his elbow brace, so he turned around down the street to come back and when he opened the garage door a guy jumped up and ran down the street. He immediately came in to make sure I was ok and no one was in the house, so he let the guy run off. He thought the guy jumped out of the tree, but later realized he probably jumped over the fern in front of his car. We found out later in the morning that the house next door and across the street had cars broken into last weekend. One lady's home was almost broken into in broad daylight last Sunday. We spent the afternoon at Lowes getting motion lights and window locks, and installing all of this stuff!! I didn't want to have to spend that much money, but it happened!! I got the chainsaw and cut down all the bushes in front of windows and cut down all the ferns and palms in the front to open up the area so it is hard for someone to hide. I feel tired but safer! All the neighbors know what is going on and we are all locked and loaded. We'll see what happens!! Shannon and Robert

Disappointed!

You know, I didn't realize how sad I would be about Patrick Swayze dying. I'm a hospice nurse for goodness sakes!! And it was expected! I guess it brings to a close the wishful thinking and dream that I would one day dirty dance and get grinded on by one of the few men who could be tough and a wonderfully sexy masculine dancer at the same time. He was just HOT!! And he could move like no other man!! I think of him crawling across the floor to "Baby" and dancing in the staff quarters in Dirty Dancing and I just get hot!! I LOVE him in "The Outsiders" which was the movie with all the HOT guys of the day in it. I love Roadhouse! (I love Sam Elliott too! His voice makes me quiver!!) Oh my!! He also made me want to play with clay!! Anyway, God bless you Patrick Swayze for having the kahunies to take dance lessons and not care what other guys thought!! You made us all smile and have lots of sexy dreams about you!!!

Rough Week!!

Whoever came up with the idea that 9-9-09 was lucky is insane!! This is how our week has been: Monday: AHHHH! First day off together in a month. So nice! We went to Busch Gardens, which was not crowded and Robert got CRAPPED on by 2 birds!! Should have been foreshadowing of events to come, but we didn't take it that way. I always heard that if you get crapped on, it is good luck, so he should be DOUBLE lucky!! Tuesday was rough. Trying to figure out what all happened at work from a 3 day weekend. No biggy. Wednesday: THE DAY FROM HELL! Starts with a very confusing call from a nurse, can't go into details, but let's say SWAT was involved in a day long ordeal. During a meeting, my phone rings, it is Robert, figure it is nothing, accidentally hang up on him, send him a text, I'll call when SWAT problems are resolved. I called later only to find out that he had been hit by a car!!!! Read previous post. CAN THIS GET ANY BETTER??? Today, totally miss an important issue on the overnight report because I was distracted and I'm just a dumb a$$, left to deal with my failure and worry about it all day long UNTIL my new best friend the friggen jury subpoena woman shows up at 4:15 pm!!! The subpoena is for a court case that has been continued numerous times since the spring and will fall right in the middle of my vacation!!!!! Tomorrow is 9-11, the anniversary of the worst disaster of our time and the one year anniversary of Robert getting laid off. Sunday is the 5 year anniversary of my Nannie's death. Nannie, I could use you now. I want you here!! You could make me laugh and help me make sense of all of this like you always did!! I miss you so bad! I just hope we have gotten this all "out of our system" and can move on to a much better week!! Oh, and next week I have to go to the dentist twice to fix a tooth that has been broken for 5 years and I have put off due to my severe fear of dentists! Thanks Dr Stratton!! Hey Nannie, can you take care of him up there for me! I'm going to need mental health counseling after all of this!! Or at the very least some ativan, haldol, thorazine, or a cocktail of all the above!!