KMac AKA McKenna's area!

What’s it like to be ten?  Well, it’s been an interesting time!  This year McKenna has been continuing with the Distance Learning School….like homeschooling with a real teacher to answer to.  However, she is seriously considering transferring to the local school just up the street for the next semester.  She thinks it’s time to be around some other kids.  We shall see how this goes since her anxiety sometimes gets in the way of her wants…..but we’re excited to try it out!

Kenna is completing her first novel with a yearly competition to promote creative writing.  She challenged herself to write over the 5,000 word goal that most fifth grader’s strive for….and it closing in on 10k as I write this.  It’s due in a few days.  The tiny excerpts we’ve been allowed to read have us yearning for more!

McKenna still enjoys blogging and photography and is beginning to like make up and has had blue and pink hair this year so far.  She’s very much her own individual and is very politically involved!  She has decided to become a full time vegetarian and is trying to get us to come along on the journey. ( See picture with black bean burger!)

 

Winter

Shining and twinkling
It’s cold outside but my joy is keeping me warm inside
Tonight I’m an insomniac
 Joy shining bright inside me, I  run down the stairs
My ear to ear smile will never fade
I’ve got a note from you
Tonight my brain might explode
I miss the ghost of believing in you
I smile as I rip open the box
Everyone’s alive with cheer
Tonight my dreams will be colored white
and they’ll taste like peppermint
and when this cheer fades away
I’ll think of the golden dream months  I'll see in a few years
As days turn to weeks I know it’s coming to an end
But I’ll just look forward to   the  next lovely wonder that I’ll see.

McKenna

Who knew old dogs could learn new tricks!

About a year and a half ago I gave up soda.  Dennis was close behind me and McKenna joined in afterwards.  We started changing our eating to be healthier as each of us was diagnosed pre-diabetic and finally Dennis had to start taking medication for it. 

This year I found out that I have Celiac Disease and cannot have anything containing Gluten.  This means no wheat, barley, Rye and so forth …. I’ve had to learn eating all over again!  It’s been an interesting journey but one which has been good for me.  The good news is that I feel much better after years of having all sorts of symptoms which kept me from leading a regular life. 

We have completely revamped our eating patterns and have embraced things like salads, veggies and fruits.  I’ve learned to live without a lot of bread products and it’s so difficult to explain but

 

gluten is in so many things that it’s difficult to trust other’s to prepare your food.  Dennis was awesome and made me gluten free stuffing and gravy for Thanksgiving! I even had my own peanut butter brownie!  (Made with rice flour!)

Den and I have both lost a lot of weight with many more pounds to go.  We have burgers (mine with a gluten free bun, Mac’s a veggie burger!) at our favorite restaurant every Monday night and then I try to eat no more red meat for the rest of the week. 

I continue to be the companion and household manager.  We are really looking forward to the coming year and enjoying new adventures!  We have a few doozies in store for the coming year so you’ll have to stay tuned for our journey!  Happy New Year!

Christmas Newsletter Online! A Year of Big Changes...

2011 has turned out to be a pivotal year for our family.  On January 18th, Wes died after a long journey through dialysis and diabetes.  He got a blood infection and due to complications decided to quit dialysis and go to Hospice of the Valley.  He died two weeks after being admitted there.  During this time we were able to be with him and offer support.

We decided to have a Memorial Service in May and held it in Lincoln, NE.  It was a week filled with memories for both Dennis and Barb.  Dennis was able to meet up with a bunch of his high school and college friends and I got a chance to meet many of the people I’d only heard about!

It was nice to be able to be with family from both the Dripps and Standiford sides.  McKenna enjoyed getting to know her cousins better and we all enjoyed the gorgeous spring weather!  We even took in the smell of lilacs for the first time in several years!

Den’s ankle injury from his long-ago parachuting accident caught up with him and he was told he will eventually need to have his ankle joint fused to his foot.  He’s had a special prosthetic boot made for the time being and is

learning to deal with it.

Arizona State University followed through with the privatization of the bookstore and in July, Dennis became an employee of Follett’s.  The transition has been anything but smooth and he was transferred to the West Campus and just recently was moved to the Downtown Campus (which he likes better!)  It’s been an extremely difficult transition but Dennis is fairing better than those whom have worked in the University setting alone and have never tasted “Retail”!

Due to many factors including the second story issue with Den’s ankle and the location of our home we decided to move to a single story home.  We found a beautiful house centrally located to all the things we love!

It was completely remodeled and had a very open floor plan.  We have 2,500 sq. ft and a finished backyard!  (much nicer than the dust lot we formerly occupied!)  This area of Phoenix is grassier and greener than where we were previously.  We were told we had an orange tree, but after observing this week the size and color of the fruit, we’ve determined that it is grapefruit instead!  This made Barb’s day!

We’ve been slowly selling and acquiring furniture that better suits the new home.  It’s been a fun project to keep people from falling into melancholy moods. 

Wes’s passing has been very rough on everyone.  We miss his dry sense of humor and his wry wit.  Barb has been learning to be on her own for the first time in over 50 years.  She’s working hard at learning this new life.  We’ve even got her trying Cuban and other foods which she’s never tried!

The house has a large family/dining room and then a big room all along the back, which is “Barb’s room”.  She’s got her chairs and television out there as well as her desk and a twin day bed.  We also have an additional counter/sink area like a second kitchen as well as a breakfast table. 

She also has a pretty new bed and we found a mid century chair for her bedroom!  It’s a beautiful room of blue and chocolate brown with hints of silver!

Besides the daybed we have a very nice guest bedroom available for anyone who wants to travel this way.  We’ve got some great cooks ready to entertain!

One of Those Things Which Could Have Been Very Bad.......But Wasn't!

Yesterday, Barb, McKenna and I had many errands to run and left the house around noon.  Dennis met us at my parent's house after work and we ate dinner there.  Den drove home first and I followed close behind. I got a call from Den saying not to bring Mac home because when he pulled in the driveway he saw the front door open.  He said he was going to call 911.  At this point I was already in our subdivision so I continued on to the house.

I wanted to go into the house.  I was concerned about the animals and whether they had been hurt or gone out the front door but Den was afraid someone might still be inside. I did go up and shut the door so if the pets were still there, they'd stay.  I heard Gracie somewhere in the hous but not near the door.  Luckily, Den called Mom and Dad after he called 911.  They made the decision between themselves to come take Mac back to their house so we could enter and find out what was wrong without her having to see anything. (Glad they were thinking because apparently I wasn't!  Amazing how that works when something like this happens!)

Mom called Amy and the girls and they decided to come to take Mac to their house so she could hang with the girls..........my family just rocks!

We waited over an hour for the police to arrive in 104 degree heat!  We did meet the neighbors across the street and our next door neighbor came out as well.  We were offered restrooms, water and cool homes to sit in............so that helped a bit!  The wait seemed eternal but the police finally arrived and apologized for their response time.  When it's hot in Phoenix violent crime rates sky rocket.  Unfortunately open doors doesn't rate real unless you see movement in your house.  I understand.

We told them the dog's names and that they would not enjoy someone entering the house.  So they went in and we called for the dogs.  Gracie came right outside but Gimlie was not having it.  The police yelled at me to stay back so I continued calling for Gimlie from the front yard.  He finally came out.  I shut the door so the cat wouldn't escape (still hoping she too was inside.)

It took a long time for the police to come out but they finally did.  The ironic thing is that nothing appeared to be wrong inside.  The lights we left on were no longer on and the front door was open..........but NOTHING was taken and no other entry was seen.  Locked up tight other than the front door.  The police asked if maybe the dogs knew how to unlock the door as that has happened before.  Well, they are smart dogs.......

We always lock that door and don't even use it for anything other than guests.  We enter and exit through the garage.  Because of home invasions it is ALWAYS locked.  Ironically, even though the front door was open, both dogs and our kitty Izze were all still in the house.  They may have gone out and come back in......it was very hot!  We most definitely air conditioned Laveen for a while but that is the worst thing that happened.  Well, that and there seem to be all sorts of flying bugs in the house today!

We are very lucky that our house stood open and nothing was taken.  Amazing if you think about it!  Though I'm pretty sure the dogs would not welcome anyone who tried to enter!  Who opened the door?  Who turned out the lights?  I think it shall remain a mystery!

Happy 4th Aunt Helen!

Growing up there were so many things I could count on in my life.  I had great parents, I had a great extended family and we had traditions that made life pretty predictable.  We went to Grandpa and Grandma Martin's every Sunday after church.  There I cavorted with many cousins (Dad being one of eight kids made for LOTS of cousins!), caught garter snakes, was dared to eat raw rhubarb stalks and not ripe grapes, and got yelled at by one of the adults if we got too near the road!

Another Grand Tradition in our family was 4th of July at Ron and Helen's.  I loved spending time with Ron and Helen because they were such an awesome couple.  Talk about connected!  My Aunt had so many quirks that she was just "Epic" (Mac says that's the new awesome!).  The first thing I remember about their house is the smell of Pine Sol and cigarettes as you walked in the front door.  In fact, I've never smelled that exact combination anywhere else in my life!  Then you were instantly in a whirlwind of people and hugs and the day had begun!

Helen was a tiny woman.  I remember any time she ate, she would cut everything on her plate in half and only eat that half.  I don't think I ever remember her eating a whole plate of food. She had a rough life growing up and I think that was the reason she was so family oriented.  Every Holiday meant "games with Aunt Helen" and she'd have us rolling eggs across the lawn with our noses on Easter or passing balloons between our legs on the 4th!  There were always prizes for these games. 

The 4th was her day.  We would swim in the lake and either have a picnic which was a potluck or a cook off of some sort and I never remember a boring day at her house.  Then the final event was watching the fireworks over the lake!  If you were lucky, you got to take the pontoon out; but it only sat so many people and there were always a ton of people there.  One never knew what family or friends would show up that day. But all were welcomed, hugged and fed!

Aunt Helen became ill and we would visit with quiet voices......the life of the party slowed down and it became apparent that she wasn't going to make it.  How appropriate that she left this earth on the 4th of July.  It was her day and she owned it!  My memories of her include her dressing up for Halloween in a chicken suit with a tail.  She wanted my Mom to see her so she road over 15 miles to my Mom's school to show her, and she had to ride the whole way on her knees backwards in the car due to that tail!  Another time I remember that she hated cheese with a passion.  The day she found out that her beloved fish sandwich from McDonald's had cheese on it was the last day she ate one!  We were always secretly putting cheese in recipes to see if she'd eat it!

I know these thoughts are a bit scrambled but I wanted to honor her today with my memories............to a great, grand woman!  I know she's in Heaven organizing all of the events today and Uncle Ron is smiling at her and still loving that ball of energy!

Phoenix

I have let the anger go………rebirth, in a way. 

Not allowing the all consuming anger to define me anymore.

Now I strive to piece together an existence that makes sense

 of the new-found Freedom I feel.

 I am learning to care for my new self.

I am finding that I AM worthy, I AM lovable, I AM significant, I AM present in each moment.

Letting go of that which held me prisoner is awakening me.

Like a baby bird, I am finding my wings.

Like a Phoenix………..I rise from the ashes and take flight.

I am the mother of a ten year old girl!

McKenna's birthday was yesterday.  She is a decade old.  I guess that's kind of a big milestone.  I remember back to her birth........barely remembering some details.  Some will be etched in my mind forever, like seeing her blond head for the first time and thinking, who's child is that and where is mine? (The drugs hadn't worn off yet and I just wasn't expecting a towhead!)  Or being upset that when she had been cleaned up and bundled neatly into a blanket, before I had even had a chance to meet her, Den whisked her outside to meet both sets of Grandparents and her aunt Kari.

I remember the look of awe/disgust in Chelsie and Brit's faces as she emerged from the birth canal (great birth control for pre-teens!) and how my sister was awesome in keeping me calm and helping me push.  Dennis was great too but it really was my show.  I was lucky to have a terrific doctor.  The thing that amazed me was how well I did!  I guess I was expecting to be a big wuss and I did a pretty hard labor and survived it.

I remember how my emotions were all over the place the weeks following the birth.  I remember the awe I had over this new being I had helped create!  I have enjoyed every moment of being McKenna's Mom!  I have learned so much from this journey through Motherhood and suspect that I have much left to learn.  I am so blessed that God and a few choice relatives in heaven picked her little brilliant soul out for Den and me to raise.  So blessed!

Lincoln, Nebraska Thursday!

We came in last night for my Father in Law's Memorial service which will be held Saturday.  Mac was blown away by the revolving door at the airport!  Glad to see the little things can still thrill her!  Sometimes I think we just go through life not noticing them.  Today we saw fresh lilac bushes.  I made Den stop so we could go smell them.  They were in a public area so we took a sprig and I have them next to me in the hotel.  The smell brought back so many memories!  Mac had fun playing with a ladybug as well.  I am loving the REAL grass and NOT having to look for scorpions, etc!

We took a stroll around Den's old neighborhood and he pointed out his old schools to Mac.  Real bonding moment for them which made it important.We're scheduled to go out to Misty's steakhouse tonight which is a landmark here in beef country.  They have the most amazing French Onion soup there.  The Prime Rib is succulent as well.  Apparently lots of graduations happening this weekend so everything will be very busy.

I am so excited that we have many people to see. The food is forefront at the moment.  Den has his list of favs ready to go through.  Since I really wish I had a Pizza from Shelby Pizza Factory I can hardly complain.
Hopefully pics soon.  Enjoy your day!

Mixed Emotions

When I first heard that we'd killed Osama bin laden yesterday I was overjoyed!  "Yea, we GOT him!"  I praised!  Then as the evening wore on and I began to think it through I have to say that first I liked a facebook pot:  An Eye for an Eye.  Right on!!!  But then I began to think.......well now there will most definitely be more terror hits.  Don't Americans know how these people work?  They now have a big Martyr.  More Americans will surely die.  And as I continued to sit in silence on this subject I began to think of the fact that I don't believe that violence is the answer to a violent action.  

I am an American.  I saw the buildings crumble and the ensuing result of the effects of 9/11 amongst my family.  My husband Dennis was working in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada where many planes were sent after finding out they could no longer get clearance to land stateside.  We were on the phone constantly that day because we had NO idea what being out of the US meant for getting him back in!  Firstly, all the planes which landed there didn't have enough fuel to get back out once they could fly back to the US.  They had to wait for fuel to be brought in.  

Luckily, he'd driven to Toronto and his car was parked there.  So he kept his rental car and drove the long trip back to Toronto to pick his car up there.  Kudos to National Car Rental for allowing him (and scores of other stranded passengers) to drive through to other provinces with no fees (you aren't allowed to go from one province to another in rental cars in Canada without major fees and permission). National was the only rental car agency to void all driving restrictions and fees (upwards to $1,000 for those not so lucky!)  It took him two days to drive back and then to get his car and make for the Michigan border (I was still in Michigan for our retail season.)  We weren't sure at that point how long or IF he'd be able to cross.

Den sat for over 18 hours at the border waiting for clearance to get back into Michigan.  So this journey back to us was long and fretful.  I remember him telling me that he was glad McKenna and I were in "Podunk, MI" because he figured we were as safe as we could be at the moment.  Those were the days when we thought every sound was more stuff waiting to happen.  I likened it to the stories my Mom used to tell of the blackouts during WWII in Lansing when she was very young.

My generation until that point had been pretty left out of war.  Other than Desert Storm (when Mom, Dad and I were in Cancun, Mexico and wondering what would happen if they wouldn't let us back into the US and THAT was more disturbing than being in Canada let me tell you!)

Dennis had a very hard time with 9/11.  I think many, especially men, had issues with processing it.  Watching television with bad news every day.  Watching the towers fall again and again and again.  It was ingrained.  Then the politics of it.  The searching.  The off course happiness with going after Iran and Saddam.  (Say what?  Why???? Stupid!)  Now almost ten years later we find and kill Osama.  Osama, not Usama FOX NEWS!  Quit trying to make it Obama you assholes! (little rant).

So I am an American.  I feel sooooooo bad about the thousands of people who died in the towers and planes,they were  Heros, they mattered.  I am not discounting their lives.  I think that justice should have been served and  I'm sickened that Osama wasn't taken alive and made to live every day in a small cell. But I'm kind of sickened too about people shouting and partying in the streets with news of his death.  Are we no different than those who did unto us?  Doesn't that bring us down to their level?  That is NOT a place I want to be.  I want to be the better person.  The better nation.  I want to be proud to be an American again.

In the word of Martin Luther King:  
The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral,
begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy.
Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
Through violence you may murder the liar,
but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.
Through violence you may murder the hater,
but you do not murder hate.
In fact, violence merely increases hate.
So it goes.
Returning violence for violence multiplies violence,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness:
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.




He said it much better than I did.  Please just think of these words and their meanings.  We might all learn again from them and go forward with less negative and more positive.  More light and less dark.  I choose not to be like Osama bin laden.  I choose to be in the light.

The Thing I'm Letting Go Today!

As I sit here listening to The Gaither's I am allowing the music to wash over me.  I am listening to it and trying for it to not have the usual effect it has on me.  I really don't know how my Mom can listen to it...or go to their concerts....but I've decided that I don't want to hold anything against them anymore for something THEY did not do!  They are not responsible for my decisions to no longer go to church.  They are NOT responsible for the horrible, horrible things which were done to me as a child.....and yet, the association with them to THE ACTS is irrefutable.  At least in my mind.  Today, I have decided to let them off the hook for making me feel like vomiting every time I hear them.  I don't know if I'll ever be able to really enjoy them again (and I really used to), but I'm going to try really hard to not let them have this HOLD on me.

This story is one told time and again by way too many girls in our world.  It's really nothing special.  Some say one in two women will be sexually abused at some point in their lives.  I secretly wonder if it's that few.  So I am really not special in that I have been abused.  I'm not very unique in the circumstances either.  Someone big in a church forced me to do despicable things.  The other thing that does not make me unique is that this person was also my grandfather.  What makes it unique MAYBE is that nobody else in the community would EVER believe he was capable of such things.  I'm fairly sure the only other people who would be able to believe it are his other victims.  Based on statistics on pedophiles, I should imagine there are some more out there.  I know a couple so I know I was not alone in his abuse.

What is amazing is that he would admit his sins right in front of everyone at church often and then ask forgiveness for these sins........and they all thought so highly of him!  Now, of course I know that this is just MY truth.  Maybe he really did feel bad.  Maybe he really did believe that Jesus forgave him for making me touch his body and pleasure him.  Maybe Jesus did forgive him.  I don't know what went on between him and his God when he made it home.  I only know that what he did to me made my life pretty messed up.  I have given him power over me for way too long!  Even in death.  So I denounce you today.  I take back my power and I forgive you!  I forgive the Gaither's for their unknown link to my pain..........and I am letting go of my ANGER and my resentment of you; you Asshole!

In letting go I must at last tell people how horrible it was to hear you sing out in church:

Shackled by a heavy burden, 'Neath a load of guilt and shame. Then the Hand of Jesus touched me, And now I am no longer the same.
Refrain He touched me, Oh, He touched me, And oh the joy that floods my soul. Something happened and now I know, He touched me and made me whole.
Since I met the Blessed Saviour, Since He cleansed and made me whole, I will never cease to Praise Him! I'll shout it while eternity rolls.
Refrain He touched me, Oh, He touched me, And oh the joy that floods my soul. Something happened and now I know, He touched me and made me whole. (repeat the refrain 2 times) He touched me and made me whole. 
Words and music by William J. Gaither

And of course this is the one that got me!  The Gaither's:  He Touched Me



Yes, you had a sin and you shouted out your need for forgiveness often.  I wonder if anyone other than me listening to it quite understood your words.  I know it will take more than this post to make the journey back to myself.  I keep getting caught up in this and I just can't anymore.  I just can't.  I want to be done with you.  I will not give you power any longer!  You don't own my soul..............and MY GOD loves me unconditionally.  I hope you found peace wherever it is you went.  It's time for me to find mine here on earth.

I thought I had a few more years of greatness!

Okay.  I get it.  I absolutely understand now that I treated my mother like shit MANY, MANY times in my life!!  Wowzer.  I am so sorry Mom!  Remember when you told us, " I hope some day your kids put you through just a little of what you've handed me!"  Well, I'm there.

My daughter is not yet 10.  I was assuming I wouldn't be a stupid, embarrassing Mom till she was twelve or maybe even thirteen.  Nope. 9 and 3/4 is all I got!  She was embarrassed by how I ate salad today and talked while doing so at a restaurant.  Or maybe that I chomped my food.  Not sure. We've had six fights in two days over things that she insists I do grossly or disgustingly.  Or she just doesn't want me around period.

Unless she needs something.  Then I'm priceless!  But 99% of the time now?  Not needed.  Not worthy.  A failure.  I just can't win.  I guess the days of us being like two peas in a pod are kaput.  We used to enjoy spending time together and while I know that there will be a time much later in her life when we get back to being good friends I know that it's going to be a long time before that happens and the bumps are going to not only continue but get much larger.

Mom, you are awesome!  And someday I suspect I will be again.  In twenty years!  *Sigh*

And then life kicks you in the teeth once again............

So I was in such a hurry to focus on my new venture!  Got a bunch of stuff sorted and ready to work on to make my new creative focus help make me better and maybe, just maybe make a little dough in the process and BOOM.  New Year's Eve Den and I had bought a nice bottle of Vino and decided we would do a little celebrating.  However his dad had fallen twice during the past few days and he said that his chest hurt.  He didn't think he'd go to the hospital but he wasn't feeling 100%.  So...........Dennis decided not to drink in case an ER visit became necessary.  The following morning he went downstairs and called back up that they were indeed taking dad to the ER.

The ER trip showed not the cracked rib that we imagined from the fall but rather full blown pneumonia as well as a very bad blood infection.  They admitted him and started him on a few different, very strong antibiotics. A few days later, found us talking with the Kidney doctor.  He was very kind and comforting.  He pretty much laid out the facts for us:  The antibiotics were not really working.  Both the pneumonia and blood infection were worse and due to the fact that dad was having dialysis, they probably would not work.  He had also had a heart attack due to the stress on the body.  The infection had yet to hit the heart but they didn't think they could stop it from doing so.

He said that even with continuing the treatment there was very little luck at being successful.  He told dad that IF it were him, he would take himself off of everything and quit treatment because they were only prolonging his life by a little bit.  After hearing from Dad that this is what he desired as well as hearing it from Barb as well it was decided to quit all treatments including treatment of his diabetes.  The hospital social worker called Hospice and within four hours (and the help of a wonderful friend who knows this hospice well ;) we had Wes moved into a very nice Hospice home.

He's been at Hospice now a little over a week.  The best guess is that he'd last about two without dialysis.  So we spent the first few days there round the clock.  Now, he sleeps constantly and I know he can hear us as he kind of smiles when Mac comes in but otherwise he has been sedated.  He cries out "Mama" and sometimes cries for Barb but there is no more of the Wes I knew.

I kept this in draft......on January 18th........
I sat with my husband and my mother in law, listening to my once very proud father in law as he tried to communicate and could only moan loudly.  A few times when I spoke directly to him, he tried opening his eyes and looking for me but he was so out of it that while I knew he could hear me, he just couldn't respond in any coherent way. I knew that he wanted to pass over but he was just scared.  I told him that evening that if he was unsure if his faith was true, then he'd have to have faith on me because I told him that I knew that Patti and Kari were in the room with us and just waiting for him to make his journey over.  I told him that I'd be waiting for him to come see us again once he got over to the other side and figured out how to get back to us......I told him that he could be the most fun spirit that resides in our house. (We've got a lot of spirit activity in our home)........Wes was never a believer until he moved in with us and from his first night feeling someone sit down on his bed to the time he saw several people in his bedroom with him when he woke during the night, he became a believer!

I said in his ear that I knew he was tired of fighting and it was okay to go.  I told him that I'd take care of Barb and he needed to let go and drift off with his beautiful girls.  Then I told him I loved him and left to go get some air with Dennis.  The nurse came to get us a few moments later.  He had passed away quietly with Barb at his side.

The reason that I'm writing this today is that last night I believe that Wes made it back here for his first visit.  Or, we noticed him for the first time.  Den and I were watching a t.v. show and the air  got about twenty degrees colder which we both noted.  Then the dog started barking and looking next to Den on the sofa.  She was kind of whining and her tail was going a mile a minute.  Den asked her what was wrong and she did her "Way Wove Woooooo" talk.  "I love you."  She only does that for certain people.  Den asked her is it Kari?  Is Kari here?  And she just looked at him.  He asked, " Is it Grandpa?"  And her tail took off again.  Den asked her, "Is Grandpa here with us Gracie?"  And again she said "Way Wove Wooooooo..." and her tail was beating a note on the ottoman.  She was looking on the sofa next to Dennis the entire time.

Dennis said his hand felt really odd like it was weighted down.........and the cold air was there for about two more minutes and then it was gone.  We told Wes that we loved him and felt better than we have in a while.  I think he's figuring out his new world and how to come back and forth to say HI!  I think he's pleased that Barb is doing so well.........and so are we.  What a ride!  I'm back folks!  Hope you're ready!

I love Melissa Peterman!

You know the funniest part of the show Reba?  Barbara Jean, right?  Who could resist that funny, funny woman.  Well, her name is really Melissa Peterman and I happen to think she's one of the funniest women around.  She's been hosting CMT's The Singing Bee but now she's got her own half hour comedy! 

Country Music Television (CMT) is premiering their very first scripted sitcom "Working Class"starring TV veteran Melissa Peterman ("Reba") and Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor Ed Asner on January 28 at 8pm EST/PST, followed by a second, all-new episode at 8:30pm.

ABOUT "WORKING CLASS"

 

"Working Class" follows Carli Mitchell (Melissa Peterman), a single mom from a rough and tumble background, trying to give her three kids a better life by moving them to an upscale suburb.  She quickly finds that making the transition to “the good life” is harder than she thought.

 

 

She's unwittingly befriended by her cranky neighbor, Hank (Ed Asner), her only “career” prospect is a glorified deli job at the local grocery store, and the man she falls for not only already has a girlfriend – but he’s also her boss, Rob (Patrick Fabian). With her ladies-man brother, Nick (Steve Kazee), to help her out (when he’s not acting like one of the kids himself), Carli faces the challenges of parenting, dating, and making friends in her new community by doing more with less, staying true to herself and approaching each day with a touch of working class.

I watched the first episode, compliments of CMT and because I'm a part of One2One Network and I get great opportunities like this!  I really liked the show.  It set itself up to have some terrific ways it could flow.  I can't wait to see the relationship she develops with Ed Asner, not to mention it's just great to see him anyway!

I like the guy who plays her boss, who she hits on in this first episode!  I can't wait to see what happens next!  That he has the cute little perfect girlfriend leaves so many great ways to play that angle.  Carli's brother will keep her life pretty exciting as well.  I can't wait to see where Carli goes in her new job and her new life.  I hope you will turn in and see how Carli's life takes off in a whole new way!

I mean, I am looking for any reason to have a little "me time" and withdraw from my own life.  I feel like Carli is in the same boat I am.  Just trying to get by and make a life for herself.  We have that in common.