Something wicked this way came...

So this is the backyard at my house now...

and this is the backyard at the new house...

so as you can see we had a fun night, Hope everyone else fared ok.

Holy blowing metal Batman !!!!!

So some pretty wicked storms rolled through my area AGAIN last night. At the start of the storm we were at the soccer field for Megs soccer practice and watched as the ominous black clouds started to roll in. The wind kicked up from just a gentle breeze to 55-60 mph winds in a matter of a few minutes. The girls had just been pulled off the field when the skies opened and the deluge of rain started. So we were trying to get home during the worst part of the storm. Trees were whipping and branches and leaves were blowing everywhere. The rain was coming down really hard and the wind was causing it to come at us sideways. I felt a little like Forrest Gump. About this time my cell started ringing and it was my neighbor telling me that our carport roof had ripped almost all the way off and was flapping in the wind. Right above my car and into the weather head on the side/top of the house !!!!! Needless to say we came home to a mess. We have tree limbs and leaves everywhere not to mention the metal that's twisted up onto the roof. So instead of working in the house today getting things ready to move I will be outside cleaning up mother natures mess. Yay Me :-)

I got them....

Ok so I just drove over tho the house and took two quick pictures so that I could share.
So without further ado....

and my favorite part  :-)

Big changes and belly laughs

As if things aren't crazy enough for me right now. We went and bought a house. I am super excited that we have found a place to call our own, but am crazy nervous about all the changes and work that it means we have to get done in the next 30 days. 

I think the house will be perfect for us and our fur kids. It's in a nice older neighborhood that John and I have always loved and secretly wanted to live in. It's an all brick ranch with 3 bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths. It has a one car garage and a fenced backyard. But what you might ask are my favorite parts of the new house ? 

Well it will be ours (well in 30 or less years) it has a HUGE deck across the whole back of the house and it has a garbage disposal !!!!!!!!!!!!! I have always wanted a garbage disposal and now I will have one :-) 

If I wasn't so lame and could figure out how to snatch pictures off the MLS website I would post a picture but alas I am the queen of the lamers and can't figure it out. It's been to crappy and rainy to take a good picture myself but I may take one in the rain anyway  :-)

Oh and I wanted to mention how much fun the other Bad Beavers had last Tuesday night at Side Splitters. We went and laugh our beaver butts off at Einstein Simplified. They are fabulous and I can't wait until we get to go back and see them again.

Hopefully I don't get in too much trouble for snatching their logo and picture from their page.

If you are in Knoxville and need a laugh I recommend that you check these guys out. They are GREAT at what they do. The show is fast paced, smart, and never dull. 

The Bad Beavers are already trying to plan our return visit !!! 

Back again

So here I am again...

I am trying to get back into the swing of blogging. I miss it, I miss getting to express myself however badly and grammatically incorrect. I like that I have a place to rant and vent. (read bitch and moan) I am hoping that if I make myself do it for the first little bit the bug will bite again and I won't be able to miss a day. 

So what can I say about my life right now....

Right now I am so stressed about things that it's not even remotely funny. I have found that I am a serious stress eater. To the point that I have taken to eating my own fingers.

Megan is training super hard right now for high school soccer, which means I am doing a lot of driving and sitting. That's ok though I really don't mind. So long as she is having fun or at least happy with what she's doing it's worth it. 

I have several things that are going on that I need to keep quiet at least for a bit longer. I can say that I am both excited about them and horrified all at the same time.

I am fast approaching my 19th wedding anniversary. I am still amazed that after all this time I am still hopelessly in love with him (well most days anyway). Hard to believe that a decision I made at 16 has worked out so well. Who would have thunk it....

Well I think that was enough excitement for one day don't you ?

Back in the saddle ????

So I have been away for a good while now. I'm not sure that I will be back for long this go around either but I feel like I need a place to vent and rant about work and life. Not sure that this will be the venue I use but maybe.

So what have I been up to ?

Well I have gone back to work full time. I have quit roller derby. (somewhat begrudgingly, more on that later.) I am currently out of work for the summer. Which means that Meggo owns my time. As I type this I am sitting in the parking lot at morning SAQ for Megs soccer team. Later we are going to Young Williams Animal Center, then we get to go to lunch at Big Eds pizza in Oak Ridge with my friend Sarah form Vivid Tattoo. 

As for the work thing. I am now a special education teaching assistant for our local school system. I work in a high school classroom in a mostly male class. I was at this school before for about 5 years before I quit to be a SAHM. So going back was kinda like putting on those jeans that you keep in your closet... you know the ones. The ones that are really too tight but that you can on a good day squeeze your arse into but you can't sit down or bend at all. Yeah going back was kinda like that.

Roller derby....

I truly LOVE this sport. It makes me happy to my core. I got pretty seriously hurt in a practice back in Feb. (I tore a meniscus in my back, bruised my liver, kidneys and bowel, and fractured my hip) I'm still not totally back up to par from that little fiasco. What really sucks about it is that even though I damn near ruined myself I would totally be back at it now if not for the politics and ass backwards set up of our local derby team. I maybe just a sour grape but I was really hurt by the lack of give a shit I was shown by my "derby sisters" and most importantly the team captain and the coach. Neither of which so much as called me when I got hurt. Perhaps I am being petty and I wasn't at that point a rostered skater on the team but I was a very active member of our team. Putting forth a tremendous amount of effort and giving up a shit ton of my time trying to help the team. I organized a Hallowienie sale for the team, I worked my tail off gathering stuff for the benefit yard sale that helped pay to send the team to Regionals in Ohio. I put together and got the items donated for the VIP box that was at the bouts. I came early and stayed late at our events. I was just really hurt by the lack of concern that I was shown by my "sisters". Again that may just be sour grapes on my part. I think that the team has the potential to be great and do a lot of good. I just think they are missing the mark on a few key things.

So that's 

 probably enough for my return post.....

I would like to close by saying that I have missed my bloggy friends and I have checked in on you guys from time to time. :-D 

Guess who's back... Back again..

Ok so I have been busy, busy, busy lately. With lots of good things.

I have been busy with Megan's soccer, catching up and reconnecting with a great friend from high school, trying to find a job and my new love Womens Flat Track Roller Derby.

Yep you heard that right. I am in training to join the Hard Knox Roller Girls derby team. I have been working with the team since about mid June and am getting better and better skills. I'm still not quit there yet but I have passed my written skills test and have lived through 2 months of training, and training with these ladies is no joke.  We have practice on Sunday and Wednesday nights from 5-9:30 with extra practice on Tuesdays from 6-9:30. It is a lot of work but is super fun. I can be in a rotten mood and go to practice and even though I have had my arse throughly kicked and am exhausted I feel great. Plus I have made some cool new friends and you can't beat that with a stick LOL. Seriously though this is a group of wicked awesome ladies and I am so glad that they let me come and play with them.

They are currently ranked #9 and are preparing to go to WFTD Nationals in Lincoln NE in October. We are working harder in practice and also working hard to raise money to get to nationals. So if you have some extra coinage hop over to the site www.hardknoxrollergirls.com and donate it.

Or if you live in or around Knoxville come out to one of our fundraising events.

I am still working on figuring out my derby name so if you have a suggestion let me know :-D

oh and heres a new obsession of mine :-D he hasn't taken Pauls place but he makes a good second I think.....

I'm back... well sort of

Ok so it's been a while. To be honest I haven't really missed it. I have wondered how it was that I could blog almost everyday and read blogs a few hours a day before. Good grief that sounds awful but it's true. There were days that I would sit and read other blogs for a couple of hours a day. It was generally broken down into 20 minute or so sets in between other things but it totaled that much of my time.

I have been busy as of late doing things outside the house. I have stepped up my volunteer time at Young Williams, going in 3 days a week and helping out. I have also been blessed enough to get to help with the care of the dogs taken in from the south Knoxville hoarding case.

 You can check out that info here, here and here.

I have gotten to help with the feedings of these amazing animals. I am going in with Megan on Sunday to help bath and groom them all.

 I am amazed by these dogs and their incredible spirits. To think of the conditions that they lived in many of them since birth. The fact that they wag their tails and want to be held and cuddled and freely give tons and tons of kisses. It both warms and breaks my heart. These guys are so special. They seem to me to be doing amazingly well all things considered.

I know that there are those that call the people at the center killers because 28 of the 74 dogs were euthanaized. (I can't spell that and spell check can't figure it out either sorry about that) I didn't see the dogs that were put down, but I know the people at the center first hand. Both the Dr.'s that had to make the call and the others who helped take care of them. I can promise you that the decisions were made on a dog by dog basis and were made with both a heavy heart, and one that was filled with love, and sympathy for those poor animals. Some of those poor dogs were in such horrible shape it was truly the most compassionate choice. 

Those that remain have the best chance of pulling through and having a happy healthy life.

 A lot of these dogs are the product of father, daughter, mother, son and sibling breeding. Which can cause all kinds of health problems. That coupled with the conditions they were living in really put all of them behind the eight ball.

I am so proud to say that I am connected with Young Williams Animal Center and to call the people there friends.

You can see some of the centers pictures of the center staff with the dogs when they were taken into the center here.

Once the case has gone to court I will try and get permission to take pictures of the dogs as they are now so that everyone can see their progress.

I was so proud of the people of Knoxville and the support that poured into the center in the days following the intake.

However because of the strain put on the center because of the shear numbers of dogs that were taken in from this one home the center is PACKED. While these dogs are not currently available for adoption there are plenty of animals that are and the space is desperately needed. So if you are looking for a new furry family member please go by and see if that new member is waiting for you there.

 Some of the animals adoption fees have already been paid for by sponsors. Woot Woot 

 Also if you can't add to your family consider sponsoring the adoption fee of an animal that is there. You can do it over the phone at (865) 215-6599 or through their website www.knoxpets.org.

Also be sure and check out the pictures of the adoptable animals on there site. I have been helping with those pictures for the past couple of months and am so proud of how they have turned out. 

Cody the photographer does a wicked awesome job as do the rest of the volunteers that help wrangle the animals for their close ups :o)

I am currently in LOVE with these guys that are available at the center.

Lucy

Abby

Rosie

So that coupled with Megan's soccer stuff and keeping the house work caught up (for the most part) and mowing the yard twice a week (I'm crazy I know) that has taken up most of my time as of late.

Megs will be out of school for summer next Friday !!!!!!! Wooo Hoooo !!!!! so things here will slow down some. Maybe.......

I am so proud of that kid and the wonderful young lady that see is becoming.

 She amazes me and infuriates me on a daily bases.

 I wouldn't have it any other way.

 She is her own person and sticks with her ideas and decisions with a ferocity that is astounding. 

I wonder what I did that allowed me to be the mom of such a fantastic human being. 

 With her kind heart, brilliant mind, and strong convictions she will set the world on fire one day.

Just wanted to pop in and say I haven't passed away :o)
Yay me
I am just busy living life away from the keyboard.
I will probably get back to the grind at some point but right now I am just going with the flow. I hope that everyone is doing well.
I do check in at my peeps blogs now and again.
Otherwise I would miss you guys too much :o)
Oh and I am anxiously awaiting June 13th.

Happy Easter