Ice Ice, Baby

What a week!! THis week has felt like a year.

Sunday, after getting home from Ruidoso, I went to bed exhausted. I got up about 10, like 20 minutes after turning the lights out to go to the restroom. Only, I couldn't go. UGH! I went back to bed, but not for long. About 10:15, the pain came attacked in full force and effect. I rolled around, groaned, wanted to scream but didn't, and just about lost my mind for almost an hour. Then I woke up Joey and told him I was going to the emergency room. He woke up from a dead sleep, saying, "Wait! Let me call your mom." Nope, not waiting. By the time my mom could get to my house, I could have drugs. I was outta there! I'm not sure HOW I got myself to the ER with the pain I was in. It was literally making my eyes cross. At one point, I set the cruise and literally stood up in my seat trying to ease the pain. After a three shots of morphine, a shot of tramadol, and an amazing nurse, the pain eased enough for a CT scan. Kidney stones. The doctor kept me at the hospital for pain management until the stones had traveled into my bladder. So at 5 in the morning, I headed home. The morphine and tramadol let me sleep until 5 in the afternoon. I was SO worried I wouldn't be able to sleep that night, but sleep I did. Tuesday I went back to work feeling so much better. I even passed the stones at work, but it was nothing compared to the pain of them moving.

The talk of the town Tuesday was the weather, how cold it was going to get, how everything was going to shut down, blah, blah, blah. I believed not a word of it. Blaine even came home with a note from school to check media outlets for word of late school starts or closures. So Wednesday morning, I turned on the news before I even got out of bed. School not starting until 9:45. Awesome! I went back to sleep. For about 15 minutes. Blaine comes running in asking if I watched the news and did he have to go to school. We turned the news back on, only to see that school was not getting a late start. It was closed. The courthouse was closed. LOTS of stuff was closed. WOW. Gotta see this.When I saw this, I thought, This is like a light sprinkle to the Wilhites (my mom's family) who live in the Artic, also known as Clovis, NM. Then I stepped outside to get firewood. It was like jumping into a freezer while you are soaking wet! C ! O ! L ! D! Y'all, it was THREE degrees. The wind chill? BELOW zero. Single digits in the desert, people. This was definitely history. Let me tell you how cold it was. My kids didn't even go play in it. It was THAT cold. You couldn't stand it. History making low temps, ya'll. Only it was just the beginning.

Our desert electric company couldn't handle the single digits. We're talking all kinds of problems. There were rolling blackouts, busted water lines, and basically a total city shut down...for THREE DAYS! That's right, folks. No school or work Wednesday, Thursday OR Friday. It wasn't that the streets were icy or so bad either. It was simply the temperatures.

So for three days, we were in the house. We didn't even play outside in the snow. This iswhat itlooked likeat our housefor three whole days! The city was asking us to conserve electric and water, too, so I couldn't even do laundry. We literally layed around for three days. Joey even got to stay home two of them.

I am not complaining one bit, either. I will say one thing: I have a new-found respect for the Wilhites in the Artic. I'm not sure I could stand it for weeks and months on end, but I sure did enjoy the Ice Ice, Baby for the three days the Artic visited the desert.

Joey's 2nd Annual Ruidoso Trip

This weekend, we went to Ruidoso for Joey's birthday. I did it last year for his 40th, and although his 41st isn't a "milestone" birthday, it's what he wanted. At Christmas, while talking to Angel and Carrie, Joey's cousin and husband, they offered to go with us and we could stay at their cabin. Great! We had also planned to take Estradas and the Hayes, but at the last minute, Chris and Shawn both had work commitments come up they couldn't get out of. So we and the Reyes family headed up. They got to leave earlier in the day, though, so we met them there.

As we passed the check station on the way up, like we always do, the Border Patrol agent asked us to roll down the back window. It was dark, and I'm sure he was just checking. As we drove away, Blaine said, "I don't know why he did that, like we haven't been here before. He must be new!" I laughed all the way to Alamogordo.

Before I go any further, let me explain Angel's job. He takes care of Troy Poe, Dick Poe's son. Dick Poe owns several car dealerships here in El Paso. Troy has cerebral palsy. The only thing not handicapped about Troy is his mind. I was a little concerned about how my kids would react to him. I'm not sure I've even been prouder of these kids. He was one of us, period. They loved him, and he loved them. Of course, Kylee was all about Cole, the baby, but Blaine totally treated Troy like his bud.

Saturday morning, we got up and had breakfast. The kids played and laughed with Cole. Kylee even took him on an adventure outside the cabin. Blaine was checking everybody's mood on an app on his iPod. You put your thumb on the iPod, and it tells you what mood you are in. He took it right over to Troy like nothing and Angel helped him put his thumb on it. It showed he was excited. When Blaine asked him if that was true, Troy agreed.

While Cole took a nap, Joey and I took the kids sledding. We were going to sled with them, but when we got there, they asked if they could go alone. Since we could see them always, we let them. They LOVED it and thought they were so big.

When we were done sledding, we met Carrie and Angel at the bowling alley. Troy bowled with the ramp and so did Cole. All the guys had bets going, and Troy was not to be left out. When he got a strike and Blaine walked over and fist bumped him, as if nothing, my heart totally swelled.

After bowling, we ran to the grocery storeto get some stuff for supper. While we were cooking, Kylee showed off her babies to Cole.Blaine wanted to play I Doubt It with Troy, so we played. Troy and Angel were a team, and they beat us all.

The next morning while I was getting ready, Angel called to the kids that there were deer outside. Kylee took the camera and got some awesome pics.

Before we left, we had to hit the candy store, doggie treat store, and, of course, the go carts.It was supposed to be Joey's weekend, but we all had a great time. Joey hit the casino at night. We've been contemplating a house that is REALLY expensive but perfect for our family. The kids were convinced since Joey came back from the casino $200 ahead, that would make up for what we need for the house. Ah, the innocence of children. What would I do without them?

If I Could Turn Back Time...

If I could find a way....I'd bring back that LITTLE girl! She doesn't have to be a baby. She can still be a girly girl, grown up enough to wear pantyhose. Like thisone! She can still sunbathe like the big girls, but like thisone! She can even still be a dancer, like thisone! I just don't want this tween dancer, who is growing up so fast and who tried out for the SENIOR dance company and got thisfeedback from the judges. I'm not complaining that they think my girl is great! I KNOW she's great!! But you see that Y that is circled at the top of the page? You know what that means? That means Yes. My BABY is in the SENIOR jazz company!!

One day last week, after I had been sick for a few days, she tells me on our way out the door, "Mom, I'm not taking my instrument to school today." She only has band every other day, so I thought nothing of her statement. I did say, "Will you get in trouble?" She said, "Well, no." Okay. Moving on. No big deal. When I got out of court that afternoon, there was a message on phone. "Mom, don't worry about this message. They are making me call you because I didn't bring Taleah (her trumpet). They want to see if somebody can bring it to me. Please don't call Dad Dad or anything to bring it to me. I don't feel like blowing today. Just ignore this message. Love ya! Bye."

Since when is she old enough to make these decisions?

If I could turn back time...she would NOT be this big!

Newspaper Debut

El Paso Times
Monday, January 17, 2011

Darkest Before Dawn

Kylee got all new bedding from Pops and Dawn for Christmas and has been DYING to get it up. She's always been wanting her bunk beds OUT of her room. Last weekend, we finally got the bunk beds out. Since we were waiting for Mr. Garcia to come get them for his kiddos, we didn't have time to get anything else done last weekend. When he picked them up, he gave her money (that her parents wouldn't take) to do something for her room.

Tuesday morning a girl Kylee knows from dance was killed in an awful car crash. They told the girls it was Jennifer who was killed that night at dance. I'm so proud of her for handling it the way she did. She was a little weirded out, since she had just seen her the night before. She just kept saying, "Mom, I just feel like I should DO something." I was very worried about her, but she took it in stride. It was her first experience with a young person dying.

So this weekend, we spent ALL weekend on her room. The bunk beds were gone, so after two bags of trash, a bag to go to the Rescue Mission, two bags to go the consignment store, and another two bags to Mr. Garcia's kid, we went and got her a nightstand and a desk with Mr. Garcia's money. Daddy put those together for her, and we went to Kirkland's for a desk chair. She now LOVES her room.

I think she feels grown up in there now and not like a little kid.

Thanks, Pops and Dawn for the new bedding, and thanks, Mr. Garcia, for the money for her desk and nightstand!