My awaited return

Hey there Blogland!

....crickets....

Anyone still out there that reads my blog or even wanders where I am or what happened to me???

.....more crickets.....

It's good to be back in blogging I have missed sharing stories with you and reading yours. I can't believe it has been an entire year since I have posted!! Holy Cow!
It's been so long I don't even know where to begin or if I will ever catch up...prolly not!
So I will just cut to the chase if what is happening right now in my life...if you guys still care to know !
First off I have started running and LOVE it! I have always heard people say that once you start running you get addicted...addicted to boob sweat and blisters and breathing so hard you hear your heart pounding in your ears...NEVER! Well I ate those words! I am addicted! I am not fast by no means but I get the job done. My fastest mile is 11:23 and I hope to get it to within 10 mins on my race Saturday.

So if anyone of you are still out there listening say a prayer that I don't cross the finish line last!

Hugs and Blessings!
T

Hey...My Names Trish....

Oh ladies, do you guys still remember me????
I know several of you follow me on fb but for the rest of you...yes, I am still around...some days more saine than others....
Things have been pretty much the norm around here lately, nothing extra special to tell you.
Bubba is still driving and getting better with each month.....8 months of driving with his permit and Chris not killing him...I say we are doing GREAT! We have him a white Chevy pick up ready and waiting at his Nana & Papas house til July 27th(the day he turns 16) It has always been the truck of his dreams since he was just a toddler pushing hotwheels around on the carpet. But alas, we have to keep it at the grandparents, you don't take me for an idiot do ya...leave a 15 year old boy home alone with a set of wheels like that calling his name from the drive way????

.....I THINK NOT!!!!!!......
we already busted his hind parts for taking a spin around on the ole' 4 wheeler this past summer when Chris and I were both at work. MAJOR NO...NO...in the Owens household.
In 4 short months he will behind the wheel unattended and I will be on a high doses of the most current nerve pill!


If you do follow me on fb you know that I have started selling Initials Inc. and I LOVE IT!!! If you have never heard of it, stop now and log on to the website. They have the CUTEST purse, tote, beach bags and baby items....and the best part...ALL personalization is FREE!!!!! So, if you see something you like just email me and I will get it ordered and shipped out to you in a jiffy! meandmyboyz@hotmail.com
or you can earn your stuff for free by hosting your own catalog show. I will mail you a few catalogs, you pass them around to your friends and coworkers and you earn free product of your choice!

I also have so many project I want to do around the house. We have not even been in the house 6 years and I have already repainted the Master Bedroom, Kyle's room and now just a few weeks ago the laundry room. No I am currently in search of a new color for the front door...any suggestions????

Skin Cancer SUCKS!!!!

and hurts like heck too!
Yep, I went to the dermatologist a few weeks ago for a nasty spot that was in the middle of my back. It started out as a really raw spot and then just would not heal(or so I thought). It has been there for a year and we have been watching it close. It never got better and never went away so I broke down and made an appointment.
Too make a long story short it was cancer and I had it removed yesterday and let me just say....OUCHY!
Chris was allowed in the room with me to "watch" and he said "Babe they took a hunk out of your back!" ....geez thanks!
The Dr. took out a piece of MY meat that was as long and thick as my pinkie finger and a little wider!!!
Now I am all stitched up a sore as crap...they put 6 stitches on the inside that will dissolve and did a running stitch on the outside that I will have removed in 10 days.
So now that I have sworn off tanning beds forever I am looking for a good spray tan place...and hopefully I won't come out looking like an Umpa Lumpa!!!

Brain dumpage!

I have several things running around in my brain lately so I thought I would drop a few to make room for more...

School starts back in a week and I so am not ready for all this..... early to bed, pack lunch, picky teachers, fuss, do home work, yell, do projects, check homework, more home work, do you have a ride home, stomp feet, no you can't wear that shirt with a Rebel flag to school, eyes roll, early to rise...and repeat!!!!

Celebrated my 16 year wedding anniversary last week and it seems like I just married him yesterday...and I almost have him trained just how I want him :O)

Hate all the things kids post on face book, the cuss words, girls pictures with those shorty butt showin shorts on, flippin off the camera...geez...and you want your parents to treat you like an adult...ummmm NO!

Sick of people sending me friend request on FB that I don't even know...just cause your a friend of a friends Aunt on her Daddy's side 2nd cousin to Grandma Bertha don't feel the need to friend me cause it's gonna be a BIG FAT ignore!

I still need to find more jeans for Kyle....KILL ME NOW!

So stoked about my new oil rubbed bronze kitchen faucet I won on ebay last week. Although my boys think it doesn't match the kitchen but then again what do they know about style & fashion...NOTHING cause they still ask me if their clothes match on Sunday mornings for church!

I am so ready for Fall I can almost taste it!

Kyle driving is going to cause me to age 100 times faster than I already was.

Bringing to mind my next thought...my hair really needs to be done due to all my gray showing.

Wine always taste better when you are drinking it on your back porch while on the phone with your BFF who is hundreds of miles away and she is drinking hers on her back porch but the conversation is just like you are sitting side by side at the same table.

Kyle let Chevy in the house and he scratched my hardwood all to heck and back again...although he still denies it with every breath he takes...and last I checked Chevy doesn't have thumbs, therefore he didn't open the door and let his self in!


thanks for listening!!!!

I hate Back to School!!!!

I hate back to school shopping...especially with a teenage boy in tow. Not that he is that picky but lets just say...clothes are not cheep!
I took Kyle to Raleigh Saturday to shop for jeans.....I would rather have been horse whipped! The day did not get off to a good start when we had already been in 5 stores and none of them had his size(either every teenage boy in North Carolina wears 29X34 jeans or it is a very abnormal size and no stores carry them.....I am leaning more toward the 2nd choice!) The poor salesman at Belk's tried to help us and asked what size we were looking for(he must have noticed the frustration on my face after digging through shelf after shelf of Red Camel jeans that were on sale for $15.99 a pair) When I told him what size I was looking for he gave me a puzzled look like "lady you can't be looking for that size" then about that time Kyle turned the corner and walked up and the sales guy loudly said "oh my gosh, look at the length of his leg bone!"...my poor Bubba is all leg I tell ya!
After leaving about the 4th store with no jeans in hand Kyle turns and says "Mom, you can just by me Wranglers from Walmart, really I don't mind" Bless his heart, I then told him I already tried that and they didn't have his size either.
It was then that an idea popped in my head to just chop his feet off at the ankles and then he could wear his 30X32's from last year!!!!...and that would save me more money by not having to buy new tennis shoes!
We finally scored big in American Eagle. They had a few pair of jeans in 30X34's (he will just have to wear a belt) a shirt and 2 pair of boxers and cost me $107.00! Then we headed to Hollister and got 2 more shirts for $34.00. For those of you who know me, you know how much I love to say money and shop the clearance racks...well that didn't happen that day but at least he won't have to start school naked.......or without his feet!

I am now the Co-Pi.....

...oh I can't even say the word......I can't even type the word.....
but non the less, I am no longer in the drivers seat.

My Bubba turned 15 on Wednesday and passed his permit test(after the big turd slept til 10:30) and he only got up then because I went and jumped on his bed and sang Happy Birthday to him at the top of my lungs! I mean, who really sleeps til 10:30 on their birthday??????

I must say things went better than I thought they would. I was really terrified on the way to the DMV office that he was not going to pass. He did well in Driver's Ed class (well, all except that for bird & squirrel deal) but I was just afraid he would rush through the test and not take his time and make a careless mistake. But he proved his Mom wrong and only missed 2 questions on the computer test and made 100% on the sign test.....Mr. Smarty Pants!

And just that fast...it was all over and we were walking out the door and Chris was handing over the keys. I really am proud of myself that I didn't cry. Chris on the other hand said he should have taken 2 blood pressure pills that morning instead of one. Kyle hopped in the driver seat. I climbed in the back and Chris had shotgun(nothing like having a Trooper for a Dad on your first day with your permit). But Kyle did well and only made a few mistakes. I kept my head down most of the time and prayed :O)

We had asked Kyle earlier in the week what he wanted to do for his birthday and all he wanted to do was be able to drive to his weekly Wednesday night fire meeting....and so that's what he did.

Yesterday he talked his Nana into coming to pick him up so he could drive her around town to run her errands and then called to say he needed to spent the night with her so he could driver to her hair appt this morning at 8:45 the next morning......that boy is crazy!!!!

So, now we have started a whole new chapter in the Owens household. It gives me an entire new fear. He has gone through so many milestones in the past 15 years but this is the most terrifying one for me and the most exciting one for him!

Knock-knock....are you guys still out there????

WOW! I haven't been on Blogger for over 2 months....holy mother of pearl!
I am sure most of you thought I was dead or put in prison, held captive by Kyle for not adhering to his feeding schedule...or better yet basking on a beach somewhere with a fruity drink in hand....I vote for the last one!
Nope...none of the above....
However, we did go on vacation to the beach for a week and it was absolutely wonderful! I did nothing but lay buy the pool, then the beach, then the pool then....well you get the picture...
Anyhow, Kyle has finished his first year of high school and even though he barely passed Spanish by 1% point they have decided to let him move onto the 10th grade. And get this....they are even placing him in Honors English {{crickets chirp}}
I know, right...It AMAZED me too! Not that I don't think I have the smartest kid in the world like all the other moms, but less face the facts here.
1. He is 27 days shy of being 15 and still uses the word weren't several times a day.
2. If something is Beast or Nasty...that's a "good" thing.
3. He still loses his train of thought 2 words into a sentence if he sees something with dual exhaust or mud tires.
4. And spends 99% of his time looking where he has been instead of where he is going.

Which leads me to the next BIG thing that has been going on around our house......Driver's Ed!!!
He has already completed 30 hours of "class instructional time" and for the past 2 days he has been knocking out the 8 hours of "behind the wheel" training (and I use the word "knocking out" for a reason)
On the first day of driving, he called me during the break only to tell me that he had already run over a squirrel and a bird!!!! No joke, I can't make this crap up! So lets just say he is going to have to drive alot with his Dad before I get in the car with him behind the wheel. I mean, how many kids have actually killed an animal the first day of Driver's Ed....much less two! I'm not sure if he was driving, or hunting!!!!!
But none the less, he got his certificate and so now we just sit and wait for July 27th to roll around so we can head to the DMV to get his permit....and all the while, all I can think about is straining my brain trying to remember back to the last time I held him in my arms as a toddler and put him down where his feet touched the floor not even realizing that it was the last time I would ever hold him.
If I knew then what I know now, I would have had the best photographer in town there at that exact moment to snap a shot so I would have it to look back on for the rest of my life. But instead, I just have it tucked away in my heart and think about it every time I look at him growing up.

At what point did I blink?

Well, the time is almost here...in less that 2 weeks my Bubba will start Drivers Ed (some stupid driving class the school system requires here in NC). You have a certain number of hours in class and then road driving time as well. Which for Kyle is a waist of time because Chris has already told him once the class is over to forget everything he was told because he was going to teach him the "right" way (boy the advantages of having your father be a Sargent of the Highway Patrol!).....POOR Kyle! I hate driving with him in the car and I've been married to him for almost 16 years! It's always laws, and speed, and blind spots and safe following distance and blah...blah ....blah.......
So, as Kyle begins this phase of his life, I can't help but let my mind wonder back and try to piece everything back together and see exactly when it was that I blinked and missed my baby boy growing up. When did my 7lb 15oz, 19 inch long, dark headed perfect baby boy become a 5 foot 9 inch, lean blond headed mouthy teenager? Who in no way shape of form should be half way old enough and ready to get behing the wheel of a car.....REALLY!!!! Oh, Lord I can't breathe..........
These are the times in life where you have to find the humor in it all so you don't break down into that blubbering idiot Mom phase, complete with runny snot and all!
Some of my close friends are just having babies and some have young toddlers and I feel as though I am at a total different phase in life trying to survive the ever feared teenage years. I hope someday I will have words of wisdom for them as they reach this time whith their own children....but the truth is, non of have any wisdom when it comes to raising children. No matter what anyone tells you or warns you about, it simply something you learn on your own through trial and error...and yes there will be plaenty of times when you will fail and then say to your self "well that sure as heck didn't work out like I thought but it didn't kill him either"...and let me just say I have more than a few of those conversations with myself!
I could stomp my foot and grab him around the neck, dig my heels in and hold on tight but the truth is....it wouldn't help.....he would still start to drive......and ....he would still grow up.
So, as our house begins this adventure please keep us in your prayers cause I am a firm believer that God has a sense of humor and that is something that I am really gonna need to get through it all!

I took a day off.....

I took the day off work yesterday to get a few things done around the house(actually it was more like a long chore list of outside jobs that needed to be done with Chris's help) and since his days off are through the week, it was my only chance to get them done. We started at 8am with pulling weeds out of all the flower beds I have in the front yard. Then while Chris was gone to get a truck load of mulch(yes, we need so much we have to by it by the truck load) I put a fresh coat of black paint on the plant urns I have by the garage. Then I notices the water deverter thingy's needed a fresh coat of black paint too. So I snagged them up and did them to. Next I headed back around front and scrubbed down all four chairs on the front porch and topped them off with a fresh coat of white paint. Chris came back home and he shoveled an entire truckload of mulch while I was on the ground directing and spreading. Next he pressure washed the entire front of the house while I planted flowers in my bird bath and pots.(No my bird bath is not for birds...it is much prettier filled with waving petunias!) Somewhere in between all the chores I think we may have taken a much needed break for lunch...and by the time Kyle arrived home from school I was beat....but there was more to be done. There were still tons of seeds that needed to be planted in the garden. So off we went and spent the next 2 hours making rows and planting seeds. This my friends is were I became a tad OCD.....I planted all the veggies in my garden in ABC order....I mean, who does this crap! Sometimes I think I am going crazy! But over all I think later when the things start growing it make it easier for me to remember what is what. We planted alot this year. Asparagus, beans, broccoli, cucumber, okra, squash, green pepper, 2 kinds of pumpkins, 2 kinds of watermelon, red potatoes and zucchini. And now it's all done. I just have get ferns for my front porch and I will be able to relax and enjoy the view....and take another day off work just to rest!

~Wordless Wendnesday~

Is your dog missing????????????????

Cause if it is...it's a pretty safe bet that it was hanging out behind our house with every other dog in the world last night! All of you are very aware of how Redneck Kyle is...right??? Right! Anyway, Kyle has a second favorite past time besides riding his 4 wheeler in the mud...(since his 4 wheeler is up on blocks with a tire off waiting for a few broken parts to come in the mail) he had to resort to this 2nd favorite past time. What is this past time you ask??? Setting out trapping cages to trap animals....now,before all you PETA loving animal fanatics go all postal and hatin on my blog let me finish. We live on a river that is over taken by beavers and when I saw beavers, I mean an entire family....like 100 generations or something (too hear Chris tell it anway) No, seriously...there are alot of them and they build dams that back up the river which makes the river rise up in our back yard. Plus it keeps the water from running and it become stagnate....and you know what loves stagnate standing water????? Mosquito's!!!!! Chris and Kyle bust up the beaver dams at least 3 times a week! No kidding...those little furry boogers can haul log I tell ya. And they will put anything they can in the dams....buckets, toy ships, John Deere toys left outside....ANYTHING! Anyway, back to the cages. Kyle loves to set and bait them food(which most of the time Chevy goes back and steals) to see what kinda critters he can catch. Which he always just takes a picture of his catch and then turns them free....thank you very much! Well, we were awakened last night to dogs barking way out in the wood behind our house. At first we thought they were barking at all the beavers that were busy at working building another master piece. But then they just kept on barking. Chris decided to go check things out and see what all this fuss was about. So he grabs the spot light beside the bed(see I told ya we are redneck, we have a spot light plugged in beside our bed that is bright enough to land a commercial plane with!) A few minuets later he comes back and said the dogs we all around the cage barking at a possum that had fell for Kyle's trap.....and they wouldn't go away! They all just all layed down around it like they were gonna keep watch over it all night! No joke! Crap like this only happens around my house, right! Chris gets the shotgun and heads back outside. I didn't know what he was gonna do...shoot the possum or shoot around the dogs to scare them off our what! He was gone for what seemed like hours and when he finally came back in he said they dogs we finally all gone but he left the possum in the cage cause he was WAY too pissed off to be let loose right now and would probably turn on him when he opened the cage. He then made some smart tail comment under his breath about how he should go in and wake Kyle up and make him get the possum out of the gage, and how Kyle always sleeps so soundly through all these things....... Oh, and guess where Chevy was through all this ruckus????? Dead asleep on his warm bed in the garage!!!!!!! He is just as bad as Kyle!!!!!

"Sooooo....how ya been?"

Hey girls!!!! I bet you thought I had fallen in the deep dark black hole and would never be heard of again.......no such luck....that's like seeing a camel using a pay phone...it aint ever gonna happen!

soooo.....how ya been???

Things here have been good, just relaxing and waiting for that warm
spring weather to come and stay.

I bet you guys are wondering if Kyle passed Spanish...well, yes he did!!!! With a D non the less but he passed. He actually stayed after the final exam was over and asked the teacher to grade it while he waited :O) And you'll never guess what he has in Enlish so far this semester.....how bout a 97%.......at least there is hope for one lanaguage folks!

I have been working on redoing Kyles room little by little. Time for a "Bog Boy Bed" hahaha. Nothing like trying to fit a 5'10, 14 year old, long legged teen age boy in a twin bed.....kinda looks like a freak of nature ya know? So I was given an old headboard from a friend which I painted. Another friend gave me an almost new matterss set and I bought him a dresser from a yard sale yesterday which I painted to match his headboard. He picked out a really nice Columbia brand comforter that already matched his wall color(thank GOD) so there was no painting needed there. I would post some pictures but alas, they are still being held hostage with Nicholas Sparks in my camera....some day I am gonna get around to getting a new USB cord I guess.

Well, I promise not to stay gone for too long this time. I will never catch up on everyones Blogsbut I hope you you are all well......be back soon!!!!!

Sometimes I think I should have had a daughter....

Since we are dealing with snow and ice here in NC now, I thought I would dig out some pictures from this summer to warm me up....and I found these.

Sometimes I think to myself how wonderful it would be if I had a daughter to dress up in cute little matching outfits(Kyle's idea of matching consist of "mud looks great splattered on anything!"

I swear Kyle tries his hardest to see what kind of situations he can get his 4 wheeler into...and out off, with out hekp from us or his dad's 4 wheel driver truck...and let me just add that I have dug his 4 wheeler out of the mud by hand, more times than I can count!
I know some of you mom's are gasping now and think that I need to been turned over to social services or letting my teenager ride this death machine...but he loves it and he really is a pretty safe driver.

Kyle is fearless when it comes to riding. There is no mud or water too deep for him to try and go through...the more mud.....the better....after all, mud is his favorite color!

And on this next one Kyle's Meme screamed and drew blood from my step dad's arm....Not cool Meme!

and just think, a year from now when he gets a truck all his own....what that poor thing is going to put through!!!!!

BIG Fat TEAR!!!

oh how much I love you girls...really I do! I know I will never get the chance to meet most of you in person but you ladies touch my life and my heart everyday. It has really made me tear up reading your comments here and the ones some of you left to me on Facebook...you gals are just too sweet to me.

....NOW...enuff sappy stuff...onto a new year...right!

So what the heck have I been up to the past few weeks????

Well, for one...... Christmas...but who hasn't been busy with that! We had a wonderful time celebrating with family and even though Kyle is 14 and some of the "Magic" is gone, seeing Kyle's eyes still sparkle on Christmas morning melts my heart.

The day after Christmas we woke up to a butt load of snow!!! No kidding...we got 6.5 inches!!! Which for my little crack in the world is ALOT! Not to mention it put a huge damper on my day after Christmas shopping!!!

Kyle is back to school and next week will finish up his 1st semester of High School...MAJOR croc tear here!!! I can't believe his Freshman year is half way over....and the fact that if he doesn't pass Spanish I may be childless!!!

So, I know some of you have missed my Kyle stories so I thought I would close this post with a few of his Facebook post...I really wish you guys knew him cause if you knew his personality they would we much more comical.....

Kyle: Chores done...mud here I come!

Kyle: since when did my hand get too big to fit in the Pringles can????
(this cracked me up at work and I almost spit my tea all over my desk!)

Kyle: here ducky ducky ducky......
(he had got up early to go duck hunting behind the house)

...about a hour later he posted this....

Kyle: stupid ducks, i'm going back to bed..
(guess he didn't see any!)

Thanks for stinking with me....many hugs to you all!!!!!!

Welcome 2011 and welcome back too me!

Hey there bloggie chicks....missed you guys a ton over the holidays!!! I hope each one of you had a very special one with family and friends....I know I did.
I am sorry to say that I still can't find my USB cord thus leaving Nicholas Sparks and all my holiday pictures hostage inside my camera.
I hope I have not lost too many of you as followers during my much needed break. Things have been crazy at work trying to finish up year end and then with me being in charge of directing the children's play at church...and then trying to keep up with Kyle....which by the way we have 3 weeks left to pass Spanish....ugh... I have been pulled in so many directions!
I have also been working hard redoing Kyles room and putting his twin bed up in the attic and getting him a larger one to fit his ever growing teenage boy body. If you remember the scene from Elf where Buddy is trying to sleep in the tiny Elf beds with his legs from the knee down dangling off, well....that's Kyle trying to sleep in a twin bed!!!!
And of course I am still trying to get the rest of my house back to normal, whatever normal is.
Thanks again for being patient with me...I promise I will do better in 2011. Hugs to all of you....

Yes I am still here.....

And will return after the holidays with plenty of stories and pictures for you guys. Sorry for being AWOL for the past few weeks...just busy busy busy this time of year.

Hope you all have a VERY merry Christmas...see ya in 2011 girls!!!!

...now I gotta run and pull two lanky legs out from under my tree....hugs!!!!!

I think there is a mouse under my tree....

A 14 year old, 113 pound, 5 foot 6 blond headed one!!!!

Ever since I put the gifts out under the tree he has stay camped out there...and for the rare occasion he does venture off to eat something (like every 20 mins) and I stick another present under there he is on it like flies on crap!

I swear,I will have to get a picture for you guys, you would crack up when all you saw was 2 long lanky legs sticking out from under that huge 12ft tree...it's a trip!

He is shaken and tossing and reading names (the ones without his name are quickly and carelessly tossed to the side!)....heaven forbid there are any breakables under there!

He is so keen on the wrapping thing now, it has become hard to camouflage gifts(he can pick out a box with clothes or shoes in a milla second!)....so that leaves ole Santa to be creative....and boy can I be creative........ you just wait and see........

:O)

So, do any of your little ones snoop around the tree?????

on the road again....

Tonight I am loading back up on the bus and heading to New York City with some girlfriends. I am really excited this time. This will be my 5th time going to NYC but I have never seen it during Christmas. I can't hardly wait to see the tree in Rockefeller Plaza.....oh....and we have tickets to see The Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall!!!!!!!

See you ladies on Monday(if I don't freeze my kawhokus off in NYC!)

"Big Mama" and the Bubba Tree

well, it's over and done...THANK YOU JESUS!

Our annual tree raising(yes, raising...you don't call it "putting up a tree" when the tree in question is 12 ft!) is complete.....whew.....

Here is Chris in action. It takes all three of us plus 2 huge ladders and 3 hours of prayer and patience to finish......

....but.....

when she is all done she is just beautiful......see!(sorry the picture is kinda leaning...oops...I was so tired!)
This year Kyle didn't want to make her "too junkie" according to his words and forced me to stop adding more ornaments...geez...like when did he become all Martha Stewart on me!

This was our 5th year using this tree and I think we are finally getting the hang of it and doing it faster each year. Even Chris said he thought it was easier than he remembered.

Now, on to the "Bubba Tree" a.k.a Kyle's personal tree that he puts up in his room every year...and decorates himself**shutter**. You never know exactly what he will put on his tree as "ornaments"

Take a look and you'll see what I mean....

Empty shot gun shells he saved from hunting, John Deere Tractors and fishing lures make his tree complete. Told ya he is one redneck boy!

...I think we have decided once Christmas is over we are just gonna throw a huge sheet over Big Mama and leave her there til next Christmas...ya think anyone would notice?????

The moment my heart stopped....

....was when I saw this picture.

That is Kyle, my one and only child, my Bubba, my baby boy, my heart outside my body.... He is the person on the left with the air tank on his back entering this burning house.
****key HUGE ball of vomit in my throat, while my heart falls into my big toe*****

His Daddy said Kyle made 4 good "runs" through the house and did and excellent job. Even better than some of the grown men that have been on the FD for years.

Kyle has dreamed of this day since he was 4 years old, when his Daddy joined our local Volunteer Fire Dept. Since Kyle was 4 he has sat and sulked every Wednesday night as Chris would leave to attend the weekly fire meeting. Kyle could not wait til the day he turned 14 and could take his test to become a Jr. Fireman (note****he aced his test***)

Kyle loves fire, I think I have shared that with all of you before. He lives, eats & breaths the Fire Dept. Kyle has ADD & ADHD but Chris said when he enters a burning house it's like the hyperactivity melts away. He said Kyle is so calm and relaxed and has never even paniced.(they have guys that are paid Fireman in real life that have freaked out before during training and Kyle just goes on in with the hose and puts the fire out)

This is the group picture. Kyle is in the top row far left. Chris is top row far right.

Kyle getting ready to mask up and go in.

Kyle & another Jr. Fireman getting some time with the hose

Kyle is the blue shirt.

Another group pic. Kyle is in the front row with the blue shirt.

I am so proud of how Kyle has choosen to serve his community but it will still make my heart stop everytime I know he goes in a house fire.....and if anything happens to him I'm gonna kill his Daddy!!!! :O)

Shopping Palooza....

shew...ya'll tired? I am!!!!

I survived the masses and shopped for 24 straight hours on Black Friday(and no that is not a type-o.) I SHOPPED ON BLACK FRIDAY FOR STRAIGHT 24 HOURS!!!!!! We left my house at 11:45 pm on Thanksgiving night and pulled back in my driveway at 11:20 Friday night...and let me tell you......

....IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!..........

I got so many great deals and only have a few more things to pick up for Chris & Kyle and I am done....I even spent all day Saturday wrapping!!!!

The crowds were not that bad( I have seen them worse) the longest we waited in line was at Hollister. And I had to wait in line for over an hour at Walmart to get one thing on Kyle's list...but I was the 3rd person in the line to get it when the clock struck 5am!

I also got some great deals at Kirkland's, Old Navy & Gap.

Now, I have to spend this week putting up all my Christmas decorations cause I am heading back to New York this weekend for some time with the girls! We even have tickets to see the Rockette's Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall......SO excited to see that!!!!!

Hope you all got some great BF deals...let me know what you got!!!!

It's almost time.....

I am So excited for Thanksgiving this year....well anything tops last years Thanksgiving celebrated at Golden Coral (no offense to my readers who eat their Thanksgiving dinner there) but for me it was a very sad day! I cringed as I forked out $47.00 for the 3 of us to eat a Thanksgiving meal with no leftovers????
I will be blessed this year to sit around the table with Mr. Fisherman(he is off on Thanksgiving for the first time in years!!!!) my Bubba and my in laws. We normally eat around 3 or 4 but have pushed it up this year so Chris & Kyle can head back out to the deer stand for the evening hunt. As my boys head out to the field to try and bring home a buck with the rack the size of China, this little lady will be heading to sleepy land with a little help from Tylenol PM by 7pm...I must get plenty of rest before my Black Friday shopping marathon!
Then at 3am I will hop out of bed, grab my sales ads, my shopping spreadsheet and my travel mug full of peppermint mocha and head out with the masses to shop til I drop!!!

Old Navy opens at midnight
Khols opens at 3am
Belk's & Target open at 4am
Walmart starts at 5am

So have I convinced any of you to head out on Black Friday for the first time? Have any of my shopping tips helped you?
I hope so!!!
I hope you all have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Another of my "mom fail" moments....

Kyle's High School played there last football game this past Friday night.

...ya wanna know what I wore to go pick him up from the game????

My multi-colored fuzzy pj bottoms!!!

Thank God he didn't disown my right there in the parking lot, plus it was dark and no one could really see me...right?

But man how I have changed! Back in the day when I was in HS, I was never seen out in public with out make up and and a cute outfit...not to mention I would have killed my mom(okay, maybe not killed, but I wouldn't have spoke to her for a least a week if she picked me up wear her pj's!)

...this was one of the those HUGE mom fail moments where my warmth and comfort were placed before my child's social standing at school!

...I have SO lost my cool factor as a Mom!

BF Tip #4

Are you getting tired of my Black Friday tips yet?

I have had a few comments that they are "cracking people up"....

I always try and shop smart and shop for sales...except for the designer skinny jean purchase I made a few weeks back, so sue me! I never bought trendy designer clothes for Kyle when he was young, trust me when I say you are wasting your money. They are gonna puke or crap on it and only wear it twice before they grow out of it!

........NOW that I have that out of my system.....let me try and save you ladies a bunch of money(and we all love to save money....well, most of us anyway!)

We have bought our newspaper.....

We have made a budget....

We have scanned & planned.......

Now for tip #4

Who are you going to shop with? (a.k.a.....your shopping buddy)

I know what some of you are thinking...Trish has really flipped now!!!!

eh? What the heck kinda difference does that make?

ALOT!!!!

Shop with someone on BF that has the same shopping "Style" as you. And by shopping style I don't mean spending the same amount of money. I am talking about speed! Black Friday shopping is not about taking a leisurely stroll through Target's dollar section just to see what you can find! Most people that are out on Black Friday are serious shoppers and on a mission...***you can, might & will get run over*****

My BF shopping buddy and I have been doing this together for years now. We have the same shopping style and make a great team. We look out for each other and we know what the other one is shopping for and will grab it and put in in our carts until we meet back up together at the registers.

YOU DON"T HAVE TIME TO LOOK DOWN EVERY ISLE ON BLACK FRIDAY!!!!

did you hear me?????

If you think you are gonna have time to go down every isle in every store then you just need to stay home in bed. The good sales only last til around 9am and if you want items at several different stores you gotta move fast! Two years ago I was in and out of Walmart in 15 minutes....pretty sure I broke a store record that year and my picture is hanging in the BF hall of fame somewhere. I grabbed the 3 Playstation games I wanted for Kyle and the movies for $3 bucks each and was out the door and on to Sears!

That brings me to point #2. If you do go with someone else on BF, don't be afraid to split up. My BF buddy Marsha and I always split up so we get everything we need on our list. I will head to electronics to get the item I want for Kyle plus grab the two Nintendo DS she is looking for. While she is in the toy isle grabbing the toy cash register...mean while I have sent my mother-in- law to grab the stand-up mixer and shop vac for me (see gals, that puts us back to the ole' scan & plan) you have to know what item you are going in each store for.

And ladies, this rule even applies to husbands. If they don't shop like you....leave em' at home in bed!!!! (personally, I leave Chris at home....he hates crowds!)....and kids!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave your kids home in bed. DON'T torture them and everyone else by dragging the poor things out that early in the morning still in their cute footed pj's!!!!

stay tuned for Tip #5!

I think I got the shaft!

Any of you mom's feel that way???

I do!

Looking back to when Kyle was small I feel like I got a bum deal! There are so many things out on the market now that would have come in mighty handy around our house.

I would have LOVED to have had one of these....

Have any of you gal's seen this Elf on a Shelf? You set him out around the house and he watches the kids and reports back to Santa, then he moves to a different place each day...pretty cool idea. My friend has one she sets into action for her two boys and she said works pretty good. He is always disappearing and then re-appearing again in a new "watch" area. The boys always wake up each morning and run off to find him.

I bet this would have worked great on Kyle back in his younger days....I guess it wouldn't have the same effect on a teenager huh????........

probably not!

BF Tip #3

...so are you gals enjoying my Black Friday tips and taking notes????

Now that you made your spreadsheet and have budget..... and have bought your Thanksgiving Day Black Friday newspaper.....

Here is tip #3.....

Scan & Plan!!!!

Yep, grab a cup of coffe and settle in to scan your local ads and plan your day. Planning is very important on BF.

I know, I know...those cute jeans in the Khol's ad for $11.99 are just to die for but lets look at the entire picture here....okay?


The jeans in Khol's will be on sales til at least noon...right?....right! And most likely they are not going to sell out. You really need to plan your day with what type of items are on your list.


First off, if you have any type of electronics, video games, games systems, movies, TV's or hot toys on your list, head to that store first! The clothes, shoes and houseware items will be on sale longer and are not as "in demand" and you can still find them later on in the day.


***hint*** 24 hour Walmart stores will let you in before the 5am sale starts and will have a map of the store showing you where each major sale item can be found in the store....most of the time you can find the movies on sale for $3-$5 bucks in the middle of an isle and not all the way in the back of the store in electronics. Hot toy items are the same way, they will be spread throughout the store and not necessarily in the Toy section of the store*****

...stay tuned for tip #4.

My Christmas List

It's that time of year again, time for me to make my Christmas wish list....sounds like fun huh? Last year I made a list too...actually I make one every year but most the time I don't get what is one it. Most years Chris and I don't but gifts for each other and if we do, it's something small to open...BUT....we go all out with stuffing each others stocking. We love stockings at our house! We always save them for last.

You may look at this first item and wonder what the heck it is and why would I want something like that? Well, let me explain. My MIL bought me a Pandora bracelet for my birthday and Chris and Kyle got me a mother of pearl heart bead for it and this is the next charm I want to add to my collection. I know you may think it looks pretty ugly and weird but to Kyle...it looks like a mud tire! That is why I want to add it to my bracelet....this will be "Kyle's bead" and every time I look at it I will think of him and his love of mud!

This is an awesome wine refrigerator. I have new found love of wine and would love to have a separate place to store them since they should be kept cooler than the normal 42-44 degree refrigerator temp. Most wine taste better between 7-12 degrees.

And just how cute is this Pea coat from Khols??? Love the color too!

And last but not least, these two pair of CUTE, CUTE, CUTE boots from JC Penny
Chris swears I have black boots just like these but I will stand my ground that I don't. I use to never be a big "shoe person" but I guess I am becoming my mother!!!

So what's are your Christmas list this year????

Black Friday Tip #2

Make a budget...and stick too it!!!!

I know it is hard for some of you to stick to a budget, but on BF it is very important....cause all those good sales with getcha!!!!

The best way I find to do this is make a spreadsheet so you can KEEP TRACK OF WHAT YOU SPEND!

A few weeks before BF I make a spreadsheet on Excel. I make a list of every person I am buying for and the amount I am spending on them....THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!! I even set a budge for Mr. Kyle...I know...major shocker eh? In the next column, I put down their wish list item or the item I have in mind to buy them. Then, in the next column I list the store where I am buying the item(this really helps when you are rushing in and out of each store)

My list looks something like this.

Rylee $20.00 Clothes Sears girls jeans $4.99/ Old Navy fleece zip up $7.50

Tyler $20.00 Toy Nerf Gun $19.99 Target

This spread sheet will be a life saver on a hectic BF and will help you stay on track and stay on budget. Please don't head out on BF with no plans in mind or with the idea that "I will just see what I can find and what every I come across I will get" ...you will be overwhelmed and frustrated....not to mention spend more money than you expect or want to.

Stay tuned for more tips to come....

Black Friday Tip #1

Several of you have asked me to share my BF shopping tips & strategies with you. So, I have decided to give you a tip a day.

I have been Black Friday shopping for years and have gotten some great deals. You have to get up early and do a little research before hand but the money you save is well worth the effort in my book.

Today's tip....

TIP #1

Buy a newspaper!!!!

Sounds simple enough...right?

....right!

and it is! Get up on Thanksgiving and go buy your local newspaper. If you don't already subscribe for home delivery, get out early and head to the nearest newspaper stand and buy one. (don't wait til after you get your fill of turkey cause they will sell out fast!)

Now, in the computer age, browsing local ads on the world wide web is nice but come Black Friday you will want the old print ads close at hand...trust me!

Stay tuned for my next BF tip tomorrow.......

Christmas Shopping questions?

Okay gals you already know already how much I adore, crave and live for Black Friday shopping. I love getting up early and racking up on the all the great deals. I have always been a morning person so rising at the butt crack of morning doesn't bother me(especially if I am gonna save money doing it!)

So that leaves me to ask you all a few person shopping questions.

How many of you will be hitting the store on Black Friday(and I not mean strolling out to Big Lots after eating leftover turkey sandwiches for lunch!) I mean.... who is gonna set their alarm for 3:30am, spring out of bed, grab up your sales flyer's, have your route all plotted out the night before and hit the road!

ME....ME.....ME {waves hands high in the air while jumping up and down}

My next question is do you set price limits on who you are buying for or do you just buy the item the person has asked for and never even glimpse at the hefty price tag?

My next questions...do you set your self a shopping budget? I never leave home without my Christmas list spread sheet. It has everyone names that I am buying for and the budget for that person.

And my last question....how much do you normally spend on Christmas gifts for friends & family? I try and stick to a very strict CASH budget when shopping for Christmas. We have a Christmas Club at work where I have money taken out of each pay check and then the last week in October they give us a check for the amount we have put in PLUS interest...WOO HOO!!!!

So fill me in...do you have any money saving tips or tricks that you can teach me????

Do share......

The difference a year makes....

His patrol car was loaded up with clothes, food, towels, shave kit, black shoes so shiny you could see your reflection and freshly dry cleaned uniforms, complete with heavy starch(just the way he likes them) and newly added Sergent stripes.

With a hug and a few tears he was gone.....

A year ago today Chris was heading West 2 1/2 hours away from home to his new duty station. We were so unsure about anything at the time....

How long would he have to live out of bags from a hotel room?
How long would it be before he could transfer back home?
Would he be home for the upcoming holidays?
How long would it be just Kyle and I eating dinner with Chris's empty chair in between us?
And how long would it be before I went crazy missing him?

So much has changed in the past year! We survived Chris being gone for 9 months. We (barely)survived eating our Thanksgiving dinner at the Golden Corral. We survived the holidays spent apart. And Chris survived living off of fast food for 9 months!!!

With faith and trust in God, he lead us through and we survived!!!

What a difference a year makes!!!!

The day I caved!

Yes ladies, I have to bare all my shopping secrets to you guys...(cause you gals won't tell The Fisherman" on me)....right?....right!

I went to a friends CAbi party last week....a.k.a(expensive boutique type clothes that come with a hefty price tag!) You get to try on all the clothes at the party to see if you like them before buying them....pretty neat idea huh?

.....and I caved.....

yep, I ended up buying a pair of designer skinny jeans that cost...let's just say WAY too much money!!!!!

I never thought these huge thighs of mine would ever see a pair of skinny jeans but I have to admit that I am so excited I can hardly wait until they come in. They were a tad long but with a pair of Uggs I think they will be fine.

Now I must leave you ladies to go admit my self into the nearest "Idiot Impulse Shoppers Support Group"

It's a "Boo-Bee" kinda day....

So today was our Halloween Day at work. We always have som much fun dressing up and goofing off all day...(and a little work gets done too along the way!)

That's ME on the right! I'm a "Boo-Bee"...whata da think?....cute...no?

This is the whole group with a pirate lady, Mudsa, viking women, Ellie Mae Clampet and then ME!

We ate good food like these "hacked" fingers and tons of pizza too.

We played games like dressing a Mummy with toilet paper.(my group won!!!!)

We played Putt-Putt(I won that too!!! and won an AWESOME Pumpkin Spice Better Homes & Garden Candle)

We did a little pumpkin bowling.....that's me being a big goof ball.

and I sucked at this game.....I didn't come any where close to hitting any on those stinkin pens!

Hope you all have a wonderful Halloween no matter how you are spending it!!!!!

if you were a USB cord...where would you be?

.......not in the drawer where you belong, that's for sure!
Sooooooo...... that is why there has been a lack of pictures on my blog the past few weeks. They are all safely taking a nap in my camera cause my USB cord has grown legs and jetted off to some unknown place(and not under Kyle's bed or in his God forsaken bathroom...cause I already checked there!)
I have SO many pictures to share with you guys.
Me meeting Nicholas Sparks!
My Birthday!
And of course some muddy shots of the Bubba!
So I am off to look some more....wish me luck!

And so far in my effort looking for the USB cord I have made almost a buck in change, a silly band and some stale popcorn (it's amazing what you find while digging under the couch cushions!)

Pictures on my phone

Bubba and his best buddie Chevy going for a ride(and yes, he will ride all the way to the river on the back of the 4 wheeler)

I took this picture at the corn maze. Kyle just HAD to ride the kiddie train...but he didn't fit in the seat very well with all those long lanky legs!

This was Kyle last week lighting some leaves and junk in an old milk jug...yes he loves fire and is probably a boarder line Pyromaniac.....no kidding!!!!

A teenage boys bathroom....

....should have a sign on the door that reads.

ENTERING THIS ROOM MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH

no joke! For any of you mom's of teenagers out there can vouch for me on this.
Stay clear I tell ya!

Kyle has a bathroom all his own(praise be to God!) and sometimes lets just say.... it lacks a mother's clean touch, just for the plain fact that at times I am too scared to even go in there(same thing applies to his room!)

So, I decided I would give you a quick run down of his bathroom(and there will be NO pictures, it would have broke my camera if I would have tried)

Yesterday I went in his bathroom to clean it (cause I am having a Tastefully Simple party at my house on Thursday night and thought I better tidy up in case 2 ladies happen to have to widdle at the same time AND telling Kyle to clean it consists of him letting the water run until it steam cleans the bathroom and maybe taking 2 seconds to wash the left over tooth paste spit that is stuck in the sink! ) anyhoo.....here is the list of what I found.

The hermit crab cage sitting on the side of the sink(the crab was chillin in a cool water bath in the sink....no clue how long he had been there!)
A pocket knife on the sink
His cell phone charger charging his phone laying next to the sink full of water that contains his crab...NICE way to have electronics near water Kyle!
2 old school yearbooks and 3 ATV magazines STUCK to the back toilet tank!(since he gets the bathroom so steamed up when he showers.)
His wallet
Chap stick
A black pony tail holder(that is not mine!) was on the floor behind the door. Not sure where or who he got that from.
2 pair of shorts caked in mud that he wears over & over again to ride the 4 wheeler hanging on the hook. The mud has now dried and has crumbled all to the floor.
A laundry basket right there within arms reach, yet several items of dirty clothes layed scattered all over.
And last but not least...the keys to the 4 wheeler!

I swear this boy will drive me nuts sometimes! I don't know where he gets it from. Chris & I are for the most part neat & clean people. We must have missed passing that gene down to him.

What to be, what to be?????

We always dress up where I work for Halloween and have a costume contest. So, what should I dress up as this year?

Last year I wore my comfy pj's to work.

The year before that I was Wendy.

And now I am at a loss.

I really want to dress up as a boobie......not what your thinking....get your mind out of the gutter ladies!!! I mean a "BOO-Bee" (wear a white sheet over me like a ghost and then wings and antenna on my head like a bumble bee....get it???? "Boo-Bee"

What do ya think??? Anyone have any better ideas for me?

A letter to me~

Dear Trish~

Learn how to take out a window screen before your brother locks you in your room for hours using a bike chain and no phone to call for help!

Don't wear white sweatpants to school any where close to the day you are going to get a visit from Aunt Flo!

Always read the label of any medicine BEFORE you take the wrong thing....cause when you think it cough syrup...trust me it ain't! (then you have to spend the night in the hospital while the Dr's try and decide how to counter act prescription wart remover from your digestive system!)

Don't be so mean to your brother that you make him break his toe.(It's not my fault he tried to kick me and I moved!)

Don't ever think bungee jumping looks fun and decide to give it a try cause you will almost pee your pants in fear!

Don't let a Dr. that looks younger than you try and deliver your child!

Don't make everyone rush from states away for the birth of your child....it's gonna take a while!

Always make sure you buckle your child in the carrier seat BEFORE lifting it off the ground, cause those things flip and he will fall to the floor screaming! (HUGE Mom fail moment!)

Make sure and hide a spare key to your house and car outside. That way you have a key to get back in your house when your child locks you out and then you lock him in the car with the keys while he is strapped in his car seat!! (2nd HUGE Mom fail moment!)

When you get the urge to rush out for ice cream at 9:30, fight it....you will wreck your new sports car!

Don't try and have a party with your step sister while your parents are out off town. Your neighbors will rat you out!

Don't ever go camping when there is even a slight chance of rain.

And last but not least.......

Don't ever be too busy to spend time with your family, it may be the last moment you have with them....and you'll live to regret it every day for the rest of your life.

With Much Love~
Your Older & Wiser self

Sister Wives

Have any of you watched this show yet????

Are you kidding ME!

Can you believe this freak of a man thinks it is okay to have 3 wives and one he has proposed to?



(and for those of you who live in Utah that follow my blog and agree that this practice is "okay"....then maybe you should stop following my blog!)



Anyhoo, I watched it for the first time last night and I know I have missed a few episodes so I was trying to take all this junk in a figure out what these women see in that fruit cake of a man! Everything they said to him he took as a joke, he was never serious or sincere. His first wife he has been with for 20 years!!!!! The 2nd wife 17 years and the 3rd wife 16 years. between all the wives I think I counted 13 kids (but I could have missed one or two as they ran around amuck).....does this show scare anyone else besides me?



At one point in the show, the 3 wives go to the jewelry store to buy "the soon-to-be" 4th wife a ring....um, yep...I ain't joking!



Oh, and from what I can tell they have more than one house (with a wife in each I guess) and he makes rounds between them.



And it gets even better...wifey #3 went into labor and while Dad was trying to head out the door to the hospital to be with her while she gives birth to HIS child he stops to get all lovey on the front porch with the "soon-to-be" wifey #4....and got busted by the camera man!!!



These women must have NO respect for themselves or any understanding of what a marriage should be. I'll be dag gone if I am sharing my husband with 3 other women...this world is just going crazy!!!!!!!

Why I woggel?

Trust me, several times in the beginning I asked myself the same question.

What is Woggeling you ask???
It is a slow mix between walking & jogging. I started about 3 weeks ago walking in the area we live.(thank God it is off the beaten path and main roads so I can spare everyone from seeing my boobs bounce sky high and my thighs rubbing together until smoke begins to rise!) The path is a little over 1.6 miles and when I started I walked the entire way. Then after a few days I would jog a bit, then slow back down to walk...then a jog...then a walk...and so on.

And as the days have passed I have gotten better & better at it...and then last night....I jogged farther than I EVER have...YAY ME! I jogged at least 3/4 of a mile!!!!

I was so excited and proud of myself I had to call The Fisherman right away and tell him what I had accomplished, except I don't think he could make out all of my words in between my pants & gasps for fresh oxygen!

Chris has always been an avid runner. I even tried it with him a few times but trying to run with him telling me when to breath and how to breath I thought I was gonna die.

"breath in on your left foot and out on your right"

well holy moses...If I tried to breath like that I would hyper ventilate and pass slam out!

But I have to admit, I am really beginning to enjoy it. I never in a million years thought those words would come out of my mouth. Before, I would never have said that I enjoyed running...unless it was running out for ice cream or something...but I do! I really enjoy it!!!

I am even thinking that I want to enter my first 5K soon. I know I won't be able to jog the entire thing but I would really love to do it, yay know, to be able to say that I finished a 5K race...I can't imagine how amazing that would feel.....and maybe I wouldn't come in last :O)

I am Thankful.....

I am thankful for a husband who doesn't complain when he has to get up on Saturday morning at 5:30am to help me with a yard sale after working all night and only getting 2 1/2 hours of sleep.

I am thankful for fresh picked apples to make a homemade pie on a Sunday after noon.

I am thankful for homemade chicken noodle soup.

I am thankful for the crisp Fall mornings.

I am thankful for a teenage son who will still hug his Dad.

I am thankful for a teen who prays out loud in church.

I am thankful for Southern Pecan coffee creamer to help me start my morning.

I am thankful for friends who I know will always be there for me no matter what.

I am thankful for a husband who calls me to make sure I arrive somewhere safely and checks my tire pressure and oil before I leave.

I am thankful for a family that prays together.

I am thankful for the few minutes of family time, because having a teenager makes them few and far between.

I am so blessed in life and have so much to be thankful for....what are you thankful for?????

The women, behind the man, behind the badge....

Sunday we went to a Family Day cook out for all the troopers that work with my husband. Since Chris has just been in his new district for only 3 months this was the first time I meet the wives of the other troopers.


Meeting them really opened my eyes and made me stand back and reflect on the past 13 years Chris has been in the patrol. Out of the 18 troopers that were attending, only 2 couples had been married longer than Chris & I.....boy, that'll make you feel old...and I am only 35! And one of the couples had only been married for 8 days.

I could not help wondering if these wives really understand what they are in for. What they were about to face, the long nights alone, the fear that their husband may not come home, all the over time(without the over time pay), working holidays, an empty place at the dinner table, anniversaries celebrated on another day because they happen to be working on the real day, having to fend for yourself when a hurricane is coming because your husband has been called to the coast to help with the evacuation, missing school plays and ball games, babies 1st steps, saying your good night over the phone instead of side by side in your bed.

I wonder if they even half way comprehend how their lives are going to change and how independent they will have to become to survive. Well, let me just tell you, it takes work...alot of it...and patience....alot of it....understanding.....alot of it. And I must confess, at times all this was hard for me. Are these new wives going to understand when they receive a call from their husband saying that he isn't going to be pulling up in the driveway at 6pm when his shift ends cause he just got called to a wreck and now has to go down to the court house to process the drunk and then head over to the hospital to get the victims statements that were taken off in the rescue squad. And will they be wide eyed and pleasant as they scramble to answer that 3am phone call with communications saying "Can I speak to Trooper so-in-so" all within the first ring, praying they picked up before it woke the kids?

Will they get chills while they watch their husband dress for work the same way I do, even after 13 years? And will their hearts breathe a sigh of relief when they are awakened by the sound of the Velcro being pulled apart on his bullet proof vest at 4am? Thanking God for that wonderful sound that means he has made it home.

Will they learn to hold fast to the simple things that mean so much? And how long will it take them to become the women, behind the man, behind the badge?