Well, it's certainly been a long couple of weeks... month.... year... It's hard to believe that small fry will be 3 in January and tater tot will be 1 in December! Along with all the big birthday excitement, we are in the process of moving - and all of the "joys" that go along with that, and of course, the holidays are directly around the corner. The last few weeks have been a little stressful, to say the least, and I'm more than ready for our move to be done and the holidays over; I hate to sound like a scrooge, but I'm really just ready for things to settle back down! Things are stressful enough this time of year with Thanksgiving preparations, Christmas shopping, traveling, and in our family, baby birthdays! Not to mention, the additional cost that comes with all of that... That being said, I have been trying to pack as much as possible with 2 small children clinging to me the whole time, trying to line up new services like telephone and internet, and transferring other services such as gas and electricity, all the while, the nagging thought of all of the extra expenses on top of the holidays - birthdays, moving costs, double utilities, deposits for new services, etc. I know that this time of year is stressful for most people, especially in light of the current economy, but that doesn't make me feel much better right now! Knowing that we have a lot more than some, however, does make me feel better :)

I called AT&T this morning. We currently have AT&T U-verse and we love it, however, only the AT&T U-verse internet is available at our new address. The telephone and television will follow, but just aren't available right now. I spoke with Jason at 1 number, made an order for u-verse internet and regular AT&T telephone. I was then given a 2nd number to call and confirm the orders. I spoke with Ricardo. Ricardo wanted to charge me $100 for the modem and Jason had told me that b/c we already had att u-verse, that we could just use our same modem. Ricardo then took off the hundred dollar charge for equipment. I proceeded with Ricardo to get our home phone set up. Well, Ricardo didn't have the ability to "port" our same phone number, so he gave me another number to call... At this point, I had been on the phone for an hour. I called the 3rd number and got to speak with Tony. I had to explain everything from phone call 1 and 2 with Tony. He was confused as well. I told him that Jason had told me that we could use our modem that we already had for the internet and that Ricardo waived the $100 equip. fee. "Oh dear, well, that's not how that works... Because you have a bundle package, your equipment is leased - it's not yours - you have to give it back. Which means, Ricardo "waived" your equipment fee and at the same time, "waived" your equipment." Okay, so am I going to have to pay the $100 equipment fee? You know what, if that's the case, I don't want to do this today, because quite frankly, I don't have the money to spend on that right now - the ONLY reason that I went on ahead and signed up for this particular internet service was because we enjoy the service, and the equipment fee was waived.... SO, let's just go ahead and cancel this order! "Well, since you were told incorrectly, I'll go ahead and fix this for you, but it will take me a while to do. I have to e-mail Ricardo and get him to change the order and fix it himself. Once he fixes the order, you'll have a new confirmation number and he will call you back within 24-48 hours. Can you hold please?" Okay, so Tony was super nice and was obviously dedicated to helping me out, but I had been on the phone forever, I had 2 kids that were beyond restless, and I was really tired of talking to them. In spite of all that, I stayed on the phone to give them the chance to fix it (we hadn't even gotten to the telephone issue yet)... Tony gets back on the phone and says that Ricardo will get back with me and that he noted everything in my account. Okay, now on to the telephone - which should be pretty easy, right? WRONG. All that needs to happen with the telephone, is that Monday, November 22nd, the day that I requested, a tech would come out and turn the box on on the pole in the backyard and I would plug my phone in. My current phone service at the house that I'm currently in, would be "suspended" and on Tuesday, after my home phone number is switched over to my new address, I call and cancel all services. That shouldn't be anything difficult!! I guess I couldn't be more incorrect on this issue. He got me set up for Monday set-up at the new house and said that he would personally call on Tuesday or Wednesday (as soon as the information cleared my current account) and that we would cancel the rest of the services at my current address. Great!! Thanks Tony for straightening everything out! yeah, not so much... Charles calls me about 20 minutes later, saying that someone called him on his cell (which is not the primary number listed) and wants to confirm our telephone service at the new address on Thursday the 18th... NO!!! What is so difficult about all of this?!?! I then call att back, and talk to somebody - I didn't even listen to the name. I try to explain the entire situation to "somebody" and he's confused as well. He then proceeds to tell me that he can't look up the order for the telephone at all, because he only deals with U-verse, even though it was the same number that I called when I talked to Tony, who supposedly set up my u-verse internet order and my regular att telephone order. Okay, fine "somebody", if you can't help me with that, can you at least tell me if my internet order is correct and go ahead and confirm the set-up date with me? "Yeah, let me pull that up... well... all I can see is your current bill." What do you mean my current bill? You mean for the services that I *currently* have? at such-in-such address?! "Yeeeeeeeeeesssss..." NO!!!!! I'm not calling to ask about my current set-up, I have an ORDER that's supposed to be processing!!!!! What is going on here?! He said that the system was undergoing an update and that he was having problems pulling things up... I get the joy of calling them back when my husband gets home. At least then I won't have kids hanging on me, and I can yell at these idiots in peace! Oh, to top it all off, I was going to call and pay some bills this afternoon, and my oldest daughter, God love her, stole my wallet and hid it. I found it, but it's too late to make my calls now. I'm just done today, and probably for tomorrow as well, but I've just got to keep on keepin' on! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day; GOD, I hope tomorrow is a better day!!

Hello again! For the cleansing of my soul (and more likely, my brain), and a little bit of reminiscing, I am already writing again! We've had several very busy weeks! My hubby's family was in town for almost a week at the end of June, we celebrated my hubby's birthday and my dad's birthday the following weekend, and we went out of town for the 4th of July. It was rather nice to have some vacation time! Charles took 1/2 day off on Friday, had off Sat., Sun., and Mon. with holiday pay, and took off thatTuesday as well! So, we had a 4 1/2 days off with only 1 1/2 days of vaca filed - AMAZING!!! As I mentioned in my last blog, vacation time, evenings home, and weekends off are a new thing for us and we will not take it for granted!! At the last job, the schedule changed daily and weekly, was spiratic, hectic, stressful, and I'll just put it out there - stupid. One day's schedule was noon to 10 pm; the following day was 7am to 6pm; the next day was 4am to 1pm; next day off; no, wait, nevermind... That was the norm with the "old job" and we are certainly enjoying new-found freedoms :)
On another note, our oldest daughter will be 2 1/2 on the 23rd, and our "baby" will be 7 months on the 24th! It's hard to believe that they are that big already and that Charles and I are getting ready to celebrate 7 years of marriage.

I knew when I was a young girl that I wanted a husband, and I wanted a family! I've always kind of wanted a large family (we're reevaluating that now, lol), but a family - me, with the love of my life, a dog, and a few kids... I never had any idea what kind of impact these things would have on my life, and they continue to surprise me and leave me in awe, everyday of my life.

I remember asking my mom when I was little "how do you know you've met the right person? the one you're supposed to spend the rest of your life with?" and she always gave me the same answer - "you'll just know." "BUT HOW DO YOU KNOW?" "you just will..."

When I met Charles, I was not looking for a boyfriend, nor romance of any kind, or anything else in particular, but he showed up in my life when I needed him most...

I moved away to college in August of 2002. Like many new college students, I found myself being a little... how would one say... rambunctious, maybe? I had finally graduated high school and wanted to live it up, so I did! I had a wonderful time; through the 1st semester anyway. I got really sick before 1st semester was over, and had to drop a couple of classes. I had a lymph node in my groin pop up to the size of an egg, saw multiple doctors, had lots of shots and labwork done, but no one could figure out what was wrong with me. I was convinced that I had cancer and was dying, until I visited a surgeon, who finally helped me. The lymph node itself was infected and had to be "taken care of." I won't go into details, but it was very painful and there was most definitely a recovery process that has left a scar on me; both my body and my memory. The surgeon suggested that I go see a gynecologist b/c it was possible that something else was going on... just what I needed at that time... something else wrong health-wise. I found myself falling into a dark place and had told my parents that I was moving home the next semester and was going to take some time off from school. Then, next thing I know, a teacher and dear friend of mine was killed by a drunk driver, on a trip that I didn't go on, because I was sick. There were several of us students that were in Randy's vocal studio that were very close to him, and we were all asked to come and help clean out his office. Possibly one of the hardest things I've ever done... The director of the music building opened his office door, and I started to cry. I was miserable and felt hopeless. I just wanted everything to be better; and then I felt it - arms around me in a warm embrace from, in all practical terms, a stranger. I knew who Charles was, and had met him in passing, but had never really spoken to him and I certainly didn't know him very well. When his arms were around me, I felt safe, like nothing could touch me. Charles and I were inseperable after that day. I thank God everyday for Charles and how we met, because he pulled me up from the dark place that was eating me. Soon after we started officially dating, I made the visit that the surgeon had recommended, and received "abnormal results" and had to make multiple trips for biopsies, cell removal, and check-ups over the next 3 years. Charles was my rock and still is! We started "officially" dating November of 2002, Charles asked my dad on Christmas day (2002) if he could marry me, the ring was purchased in January of 2003, the proposal/engagement February 15th 2003, and our beautiful wedding was August 30, 2003! Yes, your math is right; we did not even date a full year before we were married! Everyone thought we were crazy... but, I just knew... We miss Randy terribly, but he was the one who brought us together and has made it possible for me to have everything I've ever wanted - a wonderful husband and 2 beautiful children! We've been through a lot over the last 7 years, and that's putting it mildly - the cancerous cells were only the beginning of our windy path- but I wouldn't change any of it! I love you sweetheart and I love the beautiful babies we've been blessed with! Thank you for everything!
I hope you are all having a safe and fun summer! Cherish your loved ones and remember to thank God for them everyday! He knows what we need and He provides!
Much love,
Carrie

The beginning...

Hello to everyone! I hope that this note finds you all happy and healthy! It has been a very long time since I've blogged, so bare with me; I may be just a bit rusty. Many things have changed since the last time I wrote... I'm coming up on my 7-year wedding anniversary (in August), we had our 2nd beautiful daughter this past Christmas Eve, we got a reliable car, my husband got a new job, and we have a new-found-appreciation for weekends and holidays now; seeing as they didn't exist at the old job. Overall things are wonderful; however, we find ourselves struggling to find a balance in life. One may beg the question: "How do you eliminate stress?" Simplify things... "How do you simplify things?" and that is the mother of all questions in my mind currently. How DO you simplify things? Not just material or tangible things, but everything. I look at my surroundings, and we have so much... stuff. That's all it is, is stuff! Of course, we have 2 small children, so a lot of the "stuff" that we have is not necessary persay, but it is very beneficial. We have a bouncy seat with soothing vibrations that is perfect for a baby who has been fussing for hours and won't go to sleep... we have a toddler-sized kitchen that occasionally gets played with, but is used more often for hiding food or sippy cups (we've thrown several away)... we have a cedar chest that holds keepsakes, but has toys and books stacked on top of it, so we can't be "reminiscent" on a whim... we have a coffee table, that catches dvd boxes and mail... 8 throw pillows for the couch that don't get used... and the list of these sort of things goes on and on... You could walk in my house and notice them all, but what about the things you can't "see?" Normal, everyday stress from the job (which includes stay-at-home mom for me)... anxiety about the things that always pop up at the most inopportune times (a brand-new tire needing a patch from running over a nail)... having a schedule, which is important, but it feels like it runs your life... the opportunity to plan things ahead, which, again, is a new-found-freedom, but ALWAYS having plans set... and last but not least, finding some quiet time for myself, and completely seperately, time with my husband - my best friend, who was there in the beginning, of this wonderful and crazy stage of my life. So, we can simplify tangible things in our life by purging and cleaning them out - have a garage sale! How about a garage sale for the mind... Maybe have a journal (or a blog as the case may be) to relieve some of that everyday stress from your job; have understanding, patience, and a touch of lacksidasicalness to realize that things like the patched tire are just a part of life and happen to everyone - always at the worst times; have a schedule, but throw something new in every once in a while - spontanaiety is still widely used and accepted; have plans - sometimes - but other times, just go with the flow; and most importantly, MAKE time for yourself and for you and your spouse; even if it does have to be scheduled, and always remember, to just BREATHE!! Stop and smell the roses, even if it's not in your plans - you might miss the beauty of the things that are right in front of you, if you don't MAKE the time!