Our bandmates, Todd & Susie...

Last October we did a gig in Bowie, and there was another band there; that's when we met Todd, the lead singer in that band. He started playing and singing with us since then, and has joined our band. Susie I met at Mark's b-day party in September, my Mom brought her over to meet all of us, they had been friends for awhile. Over the last few months Susie and I have become BFF's, and Mark and Todd have done the same. We all believe in the same things, have the same spiritual beliefs; we all pray for each other, and have helped each other in ways that we now see was the plan all along. We all met last fall for a reason... and now our little band feels complete. We have a gig in April, and we have been practicing so hard, and we are all doing what makes us the happiest, make music!! With friends that love to make music...it's very cool...

My very first guitar, Blondie....

Quickie Update...

So much going on lately...Valentine's weekend was so much fun!! Mark and I went to dinner and dancing with our very bestest friends in the whole-wide world; our band-mates, Susie and Todd. Then the boys came over Saturday morning. I made about 30 chocolate-covered strawberries for everyone to enjoy, and then Susie came over and made us a special V-day cocktail. Of course we played guitars and sang! Paige sent me a pic from her phone from about three years ago for V-day. She was blond, and I had SHORT-SHORT hair- YUCK!! I hope I never cut it that short again, I look weird... Mark gave me flowers, a rock-n-roll t-shirt, a tear-jerker card, and my favorite gift, a BRAND-NEW real-live professional microphone!!! He said I'm finally good enough to upgrade from our karaoke mic... I gave him new overalls, a Charlie Robison CD, a new Carhart hoodie, and a couple other things that you can just imagine ~wink~wink~ ... then we took the boys home Sunday evening, and Paige rode with us; we went to dinner at the Smokehouse in Lindsay; B-B-Q !! YUMMY!!! We hardly ever get to have dinner together, alone with her, it was a nice way to end the weekend.

My new love...

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, my new guitar; my VERY own; don't have to borrow one of Mark's anymore...isn't she beautiful?!?!?!?! She's a blondie!!

SnowCrazy

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Victoria's Tour...

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Maddie Powerlifting...

OMG! I had NO idea what this power lifting business was all about! Victoria and I got to go to Nocona yesterday and watch our first meet; all of the others until now have been too far for us to go see. It was very uncomfortable for me to watch this; first of all, the suits they wear are SO extremely tight, the circulation in their arms and legs is cut off tremendously, and Maddie was crying from the pain, as were several other kids there;there arms and legs were PURPLE; she says it's just part of it; I'm thinking I wanted to grab her and run away!!! She says it's supposed to be tight so their muscles don't POP OUT OF THEIR SKIN!!! SERIOUSLY??? Then they wrap their knees so tightly, they can't even walk; it just struck me as so FUNNY; not HA-HA funny, but so strange and weird. Maddie was crying before, during, and after each one of her lifts; but she performs so GREAT! It's just part of her anxiety, and how she deals with stress... but I noticed after a few minutes she gets very still, and stares off into the distance, and her breathing slows, and she becomes very calm. I kept telling her at the beginning, when she was crying and hyperventilating, to just disconnect herself from her body, told her that's what I did during childbirth. So she did say it helped, and she just pretended she didn't need to breathe. I just cannot believe how STRONG she is. She bench pressed 105 lbs., and squatted 225lbs. She placed 3rd in her class, and the whole Bowie team brought home the 1st place plaque!!! After her meet in Nocona, she had to go to Lake Dallas for the softball tournament. She missed the first two games, but when she and the other two girls showed up, they WON their last game, which made them win 1st in their tournament!!! Maddie made the varsity softball team, and she is back-up hind-catcher, and plays 3rd base the entire game!!! So, SO proud of her!!!

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Victoria's birthday dinner party...

Victoria's birthday was yesterday, the 1st. I took the day off from work, and I started her favorite dinner; roast with potatoes and brown gravy, french bread, and spinach salad. I then went to McDonald's and took Sofie lunch; Mamu, and Gigee joined us as well. Then it was time to go back to McDonald's to pick up V's lunch, and we all went to her school; Paige met us there too! Mamu brought her a balloon and roses, and I brought her a cookie, Gigee brought her two presents; she was in HOG heaven! THEN- I went back home to finish the cupcakes I made to take to her classroom later in the afternoon. When I went back to her room to pick her up at the end of the day, the teacher said all of the students LOVED the cupcakes, said they were the BEST EVER, and they wanted to hug me and tell me 'thank you', that made my day! We then had to go to the dentist office, I almost forgot the girls both had cleaning appointments! Then home to finish up decorating for the party. Paige and Mark hung balloons ALL OVER the house, inside and out. Mamu & Susie had blown them all up on Saturday!!! The cake was leftover from the HUGE one I made for her Dad's party on Saturday; he was kind enough to give us the bottom portion back, because they didn't eat it all; so we made some more decor for it and got to enjoy it last night with ice cream. Mamu, Grandma Brenda, Captain Ron, Paige, Madison, Sofie, Victoria, Mark and I all squeezed around our little dining room table and had a feast; sang happy birthday several times, V made a wish and blew out her candles. Oh, and I forgot to mention the most beautiful prayer she gave before dinner, she thanked God for all of her family, and all of her blessings, and I think we all got a little choked up, she is such a mature 8-yr-old. She read every one's cards out-loud for all of us, and opened her presents, and was full of joy and thanks. She told me it was the very best day of her life. After dinner she sat at the bar with Mark, and I told her the story of the day she was born; the picture of her profile, Mark took as she was listening to me ...it was so sweet. The picture of the little green guitar, is her b-day present from us, and Ron was playing 'Happy Birthday' on it... she said is so excited to have a 'real' guitar. She has already written a song with the chords she has learned so far; I will get that recorded ASAP, and get it posted SOON!!! Cannot believe my baby is 8!