From Inmates to Playdates

Posts Tagged ‘My Time In Jail’

Each week I try to come up with something creative and intriguing for Thursday Thirteen and each week I wonder if I’m hitting the mark. While I have a whole list of Thursday Thirteen ideas to choose from, the fact is, I’m not in the mood for any of them. It’s been a difficult day and my nerves are shot, so I’ll keep this short and sweet.

Remember last week when I mentioned that me and my van had some sort of disagreement on the big honkin’ hill?

Well.

While driving home today (at a high rate of speed on the interstate mind you) the van and its gas pedal decided it might be fun to play a trick on this ole’ gal and it got hung up somewhere between 68-70 mph.

Shut Up.

I’ll give you a minute to re-read that sentence to make sure you read it correctly.

Yes. You. Did.

Two words for you.

Scared. Todeath.

The cruise control was set at 70 mph and I had just hung up with McDaddy who was headed home from his second home Pennsylvania where he was been working 3-4 days each week for the better part of 2010 when I tapped the brake to disengage the cruise and change lanes.

Only the cruise did not disengage and the van did not slow down even though my foot was attempting the shove the brake through the floor board.

Within seconds I became keenly aware of every vehicle around me. I assessed how much room I had to get stopped, how close the vehicle behind me was and the fact that ten seconds or so later the van was still not slowing down.

Quickly I ran through my short list of options, which included, throwing it into park, throwing it into neutral, and freaking out. I can tell you that freaking out seemed like the easiest option. Which is exactly what I did shortly after getting into the emergency lane and throwing the gear shift into neutral.

The conversation with McDaddy on my beloved iPhone went something like this.

ME (WITH HEART RACING): Hey, the brakes on the van went out and I’m sitting on the side of the interstate in the emergency lane.

MCDADDY: Did the brakes go all the way to the floor? Is the cruise control still on? Is the van in park? Did the idiot lights come on? Can you drive it at all?

ME: Um, I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know and I don’t want to at all because ITS NOT SAFE AND I MIGHT DIE!

MCDADDY: We’ll its obviously time to trade that thing in on a Jeep.

ME: Um, okay. As long as it runs.

MCDADDY: Keep your foot on the brake and start it up.

The engine ran as if it were still going 70 mph.

MCDADDDY: Keep your foot on the brake and push the gas pedal.

The engine returned to normal and I watched the tachometer (or whatever its called) decrease from 3 to 1.\

It is worth mentioning that a situation such as this would not have been a challenge for McDaddy. He possesses the wherewithall to take charge of emergency situations and make quick decisions. I, on the other hand, require a list, a sharpie, a calendar, and at least a 24-hour notice.

This was seriously one of the scaredest (yes, its a word!) events in my life and no, before you ask, I do not drive a Toyota.

I am happy to report that the van is now tucked safely away in the garage and as is always the case in a situation like this, the thing ran perfectly normal for McDaddy as he brought the hunk of junk thing home.

So, with that being said, I do hope you’ll excuse the fact that I am walking down Random Road tonight.

1. One of my favorite iPhone APPS is Words With Friends. It’s a Scrabble type game and if you are a member of the iCult, er, I mean iClub, you can do a search for JulieWV and we can get a game started. Oh, and if you’re looking for about 72 points, play the word Jeep on the triple letter, triple word spaces. YeeHaw!

2. My heart is heavy for my BFF, Becky and her family, who lost their aunt earlier in the week. Death is so stinkin’ tough. Cancer, you suck!

3. While I really love watching American Idol, I do not have a clear favorite this season. I like Big Mike and I think Crystal Bowersox rocked it out tonight!

4. My McDaddy is the original McDaddy. 

Just sayin.

5. While she would not have been my first choice based on her lack of musical experience, Ellen is doing a pretty good job as Judge #4 on Idol.

6. And speaking of crazy words, I learned a new one today – encopresis.

I’ll give you a second to look that up. Never heard of it before but saw it on the Facebook and did what I do when I’m on the hunt for something. *coughgooglecough*

7. Apolo Ohno will be on Jay Leno tonight. I will have to DVR it because sadly I’ve spent one too many late nights in front of the TiVo watching my boyfriend Apolo Ohno go for the gold, which he looks good in by the way.

Well, he does!

8. Some girlfriends are coming over tonight to decorate my newly remodeled basement walls. I have purchased some really great stuff but have no idea how to make it all work and pull it all together. So, weather permitting, I might have some pictures to show you very soon! (Hi, Susan!)

9. At this very minute, McDaddy is sitting on the couch with his laptop looking at used cars on the internet because that’s what he does at the first hint of a car situation. He’s found a copper colored Mazda 6 that is a six-speed. Oh, and it is a front wheel drive that will “do just as good as your van if not better on the big, honkin’ hill!”

Can you say Saturn Sky?

10. This post is at 1,011 words, so much for short and sweet.

11. My nephew, Isaac Cade is 2 years old today (as of this writing on Wednesday). Happy birthday, buddy!

12. The random isn’t flowing as easy I thought it would. Of course American Idol and Words With Friends are battling with the randomness, but still.

13. More snow today, are you kidding me? Enough already!

I hate to end things on such a cold note, but, that’s just the way the random rolls, I suppose.

Care to share something random today?

Ten years ago, I walked the halls of South Central Regional Jail counseling inmates about their behavior and incarceration.

Today, I walk down our hallway here at the McResidence counseling two little boys about their behavior and punishment.

—

Ten years ago, the only cell I inspected was a twelve by twelve concrete cell.

Today, I inspect my cell daily for e-mails, blog comments, and facebook statuses.

—

Ten years ago, I scheduled visits for inmates and their family members.

Today, I schedule playdates for my boys and their friends.

—

Ten years ago, I daily spoke with mamas who were at wits end with their children for the latest, dumbest stunt.

Today, I AM the mama at her wits end with her children for their latest stunt which is usually something like jumping from the top bunk.

—

Ten years ago, I ordered inmates to their cells, and scheduled their in-house hearings.

Today, I order little boys to their beds and cancel their daily television programming.

—

Ten years ago, I carried a walkie-talkie with me and called for assistance when the inmates got rowdy.

Today, I carry my iPhone with me and I’m the one called for assistance when the playdate gets rowdy.

—

Ten years ago, I spent time in the booking department calculating release dates.

Today, I spend time booking playdates and calculating how long it’s been since our last potty break.

—

Ten years ago, I was swamped with jail paperwork and inmate files.

Today, I am swamped with PTA paperwork and insurance files.

—

Ten years ago, I worked with folks charged with all a host of crimes.

Today, two little fellas charge at me in Batman and Superman capes as they fight crime.

—

Ten years ago, I found myself sitting in court waiting to take the stand.

Today, I find myself sitting courtside, screaming like a crazy person in the stands.

—

Ten years ago, I thought I was living the best years of my life.

Today, I KNOW I’m living the best years of my life.

It is almost midnight.

We had an impromptu Christmas get-together after church. And by impromptu, I mean we had about twelve minutes between the time we walked through the door until our first set of friends showed up. Which meant that objects were thrown willy nilly into our bedroom, baskets of laundry were shoved in our closet and the pile of debris from the kitchen counter-top was tossed onto our bed. I’m sure our friends were not coming over to see if our house was tidy which is good because clearly, we had no idea that we were having a get-together until I invited the first couple, and then another and another and then another. There were fourteen of us total. We feasted on chips and cheese, cookies from the cookie exchange and some sweet treats I made with a couple of gals for Christmas. As always, we enjoyed fellowshipping with our buddies.

Anyway, I said all of that to say that this will be short and sweet.

If that’s possible.

I thought I’d share with you 13 ornaments from my tree. They are not necessarily my favorites because 98% of them are my favorites. There is pretty much a story behind most of them and if I studied my tree long enough, I could probably tell you which one was missing if you were to remove one.

Please keep in mind that my tree sits in (on ?) a rotating Christmas tree stand, so that might explain why a few of the pictures might not be crisp and clear. About half-way through my picture taking extravaganza, it dawned on me that turning the rotator off would be a good idea.

Anyway.

1. This first one is truly one of my favorites. I purchased it at a little gift shop at Snowshoe which is a ski resort. It was the same year the guy in the room next to ours died. 

2. Another favorite. Stevie made it during his first year in pre-school. It makes me smile.

3. This next one is pretty obvious. I love it because it reminds me “our trip to Europe.” (Spoken in my best English accent, or as English as you can get when you talk like a hick!) You know because I come from royalty and all. (Which explains why there are crowns all over my blog!)

4. This next one was a gift from my friend, Billy Gene (whom I really need to write about someday because OH MY WORD, the story is so sweet, I need to share it someday very soon but for now I’ll just show a picture of the ornament because afterall it is almost midnight!) who sent it the first Christmas after I married McDaddy. (I could go all crazy and photoshopphotobucket edit McDaddy’s name onto it, but that would take time and energy. Neither of which I have right now!) Oh, and did I mention that I love snow snowmen?

5. This next one is just plain funny. It proves my quirkiness. And yes, quirkiness is a real word. Just ask me. No matter where I am, if there is a place to shop, I will find it! [On a perfectly unrelated note, I displayed this ornament last year on my blog. That post recieves many hits each month because apparently there are lots of folks googling the words prison and ornament. Who knew?]

6. Every year, I send about a gazillion Christmas cards complete with a letter and a picture. Each year, I buy a cute family frame and place that year’s Christmas picture inside of it. Sadly, I didn’t think to do this until after McDaddy and I had Stevie. The family pictures are among my favorites. This is the 2007 Official picture of the First McFamily.

7. Before we were married, a girlfriend hosted a Christmas shower for us. We got married in May, however, I thought this was such a sweet idea. I’ve never attended another Christmas themed bridal shower but I would love to. I treasure each gift we recieved (many were ornaments) and could pretty much tell you who each one came from. This Barbie ornament was given to me at the shower by my mama. She is usually attached to an ornament spinner, but for some reason, I have no idea where my spinners are.

8. My absolute favorite ornaments are those made by my boys in their various classes. This one was made in Sunday School at our lovely little church. He would have been 2 years old. That is my nephew Evan peeking around the corner in the silver stocking.

9. Another favorite. Another family Christmas card picture. I believe this one was 2004 although there is a pretty good chance that I am wrong.

10. Another favorite. [Begin rant] If you happen to work for one of those ornament kiosks in the mall (which by the way I would love, because I love decorating ornaments) it is a good idea that you have nice hand-writing. I purchased this from one of those kiosks and when the gal wrote the info on the ornament, it was barely legible. In my sweetest voice, I kindly explained that I wasn’t happy with the writing and she gave me a new ornament. I brought the sucker home, dug out my fine-tip Sharpie and went to town. The ornament will be even more special to Alex someday because it is in my handwriting. [End rant]

11. Each year, McDaddy’s parents buy an official white house ornament for us. Last year, we had the privilege of visiting the White House at Christmastime. I purchased this from the white house gift shop.

12. This next ornaments is one of the newest on our tree. I picked this up at an arts and crafts show. It is made from a lightbulb and I think it is adorable. Capital High is the name of mine and McDaddy’s high school – GO COUGARS!

13. And last, but definitely not least, this one is another favorite. McDaddy and I moved four times the first four years we were married until we purchased our house in 2002. We have four “door” ornaments on our tree, one for every address we’ve had since we were married. [Just in the case you are wondering, I have edited the address from the ornament to protect the safety of the people currently living at our old address. You know, just in case you are a shady character who is stalking my blog looking for a strange house address to rob. It's a strange world we live in people!]

Merry Christmas Eve, folks. That’s all she wrote.

Literally.

What better day to tell you thirteen things I’m thankful for than today on this Thanksgiving holiday.

I love Thanksgiving. I have fond memories of waking up very early on Thanksgiving morning to the smell of turkey and pumpkin pie baking in the oven. And, no Thanksgiving is complete without the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  So, yes, I will watch it even today. I will watch it while I dig through the pile of advertising debris as I plot my course for the black Friday shopping extraganza. Yes, I am one of thosepeople. I will rise at O Dark Thirty to hit Kohls, Target, Wal-Mart and probably Sears in search of bargains that likes of which we only see once a year. I’ll be lucky to come away with my sanity. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the hubbub. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Now, back to thirteen things I am thankful for, in no particular order. When I say no particular order, I mean just that. It is more a matter of how they popped into my head as opposed to order of importance.

1. My three fellas – This one is a given, but certainly worth mentioning right off the bat. These fellers are the light of my life. (And yes, we do say fellers around here!)

2. Our Home – With so many people losing their homes these days, I sure am thankful for our home and the joy that fills it.

3.  SLEEP – Sweet mercy, this probably sounds silly, but believe me when I say that I am certainly thankful for sleep. The boys rarely crawl into bed with us anymore and it is glorious to wake up at 6:40am when the alarm clock goes off instead of 3:40am when someone needs to be fed or changed. [Not sure why this picture is so small or how it will look once its posted!]

4. The Blog – The fact that The Blog made the short list of things I’m thankful for will probably leave some of you shaking your head. The fact is that I really enjoy blogging and people love me here. So, its a great place to come and blow off steam or just say hi!  I have also met a lot of people who I consider to be URL Friends (the opposite of IRL – In real life friends). [Hey, remember that princess?]

5. The United States of America –  I have to say that deployment, coupled with our trip to Guantanamo Bay left a lasting impression on me. I will NEVER EVER AS LONG AS I LIVE look at the American flag without thinking about the honor, sacrifice, and courage of the thousands of soldiers stationed all over the world.

6.  My Parental Units – I am thankful that I have my parents and that they live close-by. I had a great childhood with two loving parents.

7.  The In-Law Siblings - When I married McDaddy I gained a truck-load of in-laws because he is the oldest of five children. His two sisters and two brothers (and their spouses) are also our friends. I am thankful most especially for four great sisters-in-law!

8. Deployment Is Over – I am so, so, thankful that we are done with deployment. This time last year we were preparing for deployment. We filled out a will, a power of attorney, and all the other stuff that comes with your husband being out of the country for six-months. I am THANKFUL to have him back at home!

9 . My In-Laws- I LOVE my in-laws. They are living in Florida where my FIL is serving on active duty and I miss them terribly. And I’m not just saying that because my sweet MIL, Jean  reads From Inmates To Playdates daily. She is one of my biggest bloggy fans and frequently makes references to my book. The book that she wants me to write. Someday. If the opportunity were to present itself. Not at all sure what I’d write about. I’m guessing it would be filled with crazy, crazy, and well, more crazy. [Keep in mind that it was a hot August day when McDaddy returned home. My hair kept its flip for all of three minutes in the humidity.]

10.  Our Church – The Lord sent us to our sweet, little church about two months before we were married. We have been worshipping there ever since. Most of our friends are from our church. I have no doubt that I could call any of them at any hour of the day and they would drop what they were doing to come to our rescue. I am thankful for the love I feel when I enter the church doors. I look forward to going to church for each service.

11. My new job- Okay, so its not a new job. Its a job that I’ve been privileged to hold since 2003. While there are days that I miss the craziness that happened in jail, I am so appreciative that I’m the one who is there everyday with my boys. When they are sick it’s me who holds them, when they want to make lego chapels, it’s me who gets to help them design it, when they want to play outside on the swingset, its me who gets to sit and listen to them make big plans about pretend repairs and super jumps off of the swings. I am thankful for the chance to be home with them every day.

12. My twin brothers – While I am not as close to my twin-brothers as I would like to be, I am so thankful they are my brothers.

13. A tie between my TiVo and my iPhone – I know this probably sounds silly! These two little gadgets make my life easier and happier. They save me time and just make my world a better place.

That’s all.

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!

So, it’s time for another thirteen of something.

McDaddy is home this evening and we’re watching Grey’s Anatomy. Did I mention that Grey’s Anatomy is a great show? Because it is. It really is.

Today, I thought we’d consult Google for some help with today’s Thursday Thirteen.

So, in the words of Simon Cowell, off we go! (Grrr, I can’t make the blue or the underline go away! Sorry!)

1. Southfield, Michigan arrived from google.com on “Thursday Thirteen – Thirteen Things Stevie learned in Kindergarten” by searching for Ten Things you learned in Kindergarten.

• Hello, Southfield. The good news is that I’m sure I learned more than 10 things in Kindergarten. The bad news is that I can’t remember one thing I learned in Kindergarten except that I enjoyed talking. I know that because my Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Richardson reminded me of it every. single. day. of my kindergarten career.

2. Hobbs, New Mexico arrived from search.yahoo.com on “Longaberger” by searching for wife +swarping.

• Welcome Hobbs! I thought I was the only red-neck in the world that used the world swarping. Not sure what context you meant by searching for wife swarping, but in our house it means that I’m more than likely in an agitated state and I’m cleaning. When swarping, I am probably doing the “sigh thing” to let the male members of this household know that I’d appreciate some help. Thanks for stopping by! Happy Swarping!

3. Pleasant Grove, Alabama arrived from bing.com on “Deployment” by searching for sample counseling letter floors not swept, vacumned and mopped.

• Howdy, Pleasant Grove, Alabama, I’m so glad you are here. If you are counseling people on their floors not being swept, vacuumed and mopped, I’m afraid you’d stay pretty busy around the McResidence. I’m pretty sure my floors could use all of the above at this very minute. Only instead of spreading my fabulosity doing my floors, I’m sitting on my sorry behind blogging like made to get this post cranked out before bedtime. The good news is that the floors aren’t going anywhere so there is always tomorrow!

4. Maryland Heights, Missouri arrived from ask.com on “What I Learned At The Funeral Home” by searching for Embalming a Human Body.

• Wow Maryland Heights, I thought I was the only one interested in watching an embalming. Can I just say that it was quite an experience to watch. And if you get all freaked out by blood and guts then you probably shouldn’t plan on watching an embalming any time soon. However, if you are a freak little different like me, watching an embalming will be quite the experience. Let me know how that goes for you, would ya?

5. Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania arrived from google.com on “The Stupid Deployment – From Inmates to Playdates” by searching for irobot roomba erratic behavior.

• Hello Beaver Falls, welcome to From Inmates To Playdates! If you are still experiencing erratic behavior, you might try taking the bottom compartments off, cleaning the dust, hair and debris from the wheels and such and then try running it again. If that doesn’t help, it’s possible you might have a feather or small object stuck in the wheel well. If the roomba is still acting crazy, you’ll have to visit google again. Hope that helps!

6. Madrid arrived from google.com on “Letters To Crazy People – From Inmates to Playdates” by searching for letters from crazy people.

• What ’s up Madrid? How are things in your neck of the woods? Can I just say that there is plenty of crazy to go around. To crazy people and any other person you can think of. Shoot, for all I know, you’re crazy! And if you are, I say welcome! Come in and have a seat!!! I suspect you and I will get along fabulously!

7. Portland, Oregon arrived from google.com on “Wet T-Shirt Contest” by searching for wet t shirt contests.

• Howdy Portland! Um, I have no idea why you are searching for wet t shirt contests, but I say party on!

8. Flossmoor, Illinois arrived from google.com on “What I Learned At The Funeral Home” by searching for tell me about the first time you watched someone be embalmed.

• Oh Flossmoor, I could tell you all kinds of stuff. I didn’t get into a whole lot of detail, but I will say that it was something that stuck in my head for weeks after watching the embalming.

9. Fort George G Meade, Maryland arrived from google.com on “Christ” by searching for Youtube Standing On The Promises-Medley By Selah .

• Welcome Fort Meade! I am so glad you are here! And Selah is one of my favorite groups! I hope you will take a second to listen to Selah’s Precious Lord and Just a Closer Walk With Me medly. It is fabulous!

10. Birmingham, Alabama arrived from bing.com on “What I Learned In Prison” by searching for how to make christmas ornaments out of fishing bobbers.

• What’s up? Birmingham? Um, I’m pretty sure that I did not learn how to make Christmas ornaments out of fishing bobbers when I was in prison, but hopefully you found something here at Inmates To Playdates that helped you out. And by the way, I would love to see a picture of your fishing bobber Christmas ornaments. We have some friends who would adore them! Oh, and if you’re new here, you should know that I wasn’t really in prison, I toured a prison gift-shop and bought a Christmas ornament which explains how you got here by searching for prison and christmas ornament.

11. Ames, Iowa arrived from google.com on “The Love Dare” by searching for does anyone think the love dare has helped their marriage.

• Hello Ames, Iowa, I’m glad you’re here! If you are thinking of doing the Love Dare, I would encourage you to DO IT! Whether you are experiencing trouble in your marriage or not, I think it can be helpful. It is a great book and I am learning more about myself than I am about McDaddy.

12. Köln, Nordrhein-Westfalen arrived from google.de on “Wet T-Shirt Contest” by searching for wet shirt contest “*.jpg”.

• Hello, Koln, Nordrhien-Westfalen or should I just say Germany? I’m happy that you’ve happened upon From Inmates To Playdates, however, I suspect if you’re looking for a wet shirt contest jpg, you didn’t stick around very long. I had to admit that I chuckled when I was your Google Search happen through my feedjit window. I get about eight or ten hits a day on my wet t-shirt post, however, you are the first that added the jpg tag in your search! This post is proof that a good blog title can send some bloggy traffic your way!

13. Bradford, Pennsylvania arrived from google.com on “Wet T-Shirt Contest” by searching for what would you think if your wife entered a wet tee shirt contest.

• W0w, Bradford PA, what is it with you folks searching for wet t-shirt contest stuff? Um, I can’t speak for others but McDaddy would probably welcome me in a wet t-shirt. He probably wouldn’t take too kindly to me entering a contest (ahem!) but I’m guessing he might think it was pretty cool. No worries though. Me and the girls like to stay dry and warm, so a wet t-shirt is probably out of the question.

Okay, that’s a wrap for another week of Thursday Thirteen. Sadly, I COULD HAVE shared 13 people who found me by searching for the wet t-shirt. There’s a lot of them out there, folks! 

And chances are they aren’t playing a game at a Ladies Retreat.

Thanks to all of you who stop by here daily and those of you who come through the front door courtesy of Google!

I thought I’d shake things up a bit.

For this week’s Thursday Thirteen, I’m going to find 13 entertaining pictures in my photobucket files and share them with you. I’d like to post all the pictures without commentary, but if you know me IRL (as opposed to URL)  you know that I don’t do anything without commentary.

So, I’ll be as brief as possible. This should be fun!

1. This was taken at an Air Force Base in Florida (McDaddy would remember which one and probably what we drove that day). It was the sight of Alex’s much needed first haircut.

2.  Stevie and Alex doing one of the things they love to do!

3. My last day in jail. The bars clanged for the last time. I’m sure South Central Regional Jail hasn’t been the same since. The fabulosity has left the building. (And you thought that whole ‘inmates’ thing was just a catchy title!)

4.  My very own McDaddyDreamy. Just before Stevie’s birth in 2002.

5. For those of you who miss this gal. This was the original “From Inmates To Playdates” Princess. She’s all grown up now!

6. This next one is a bit quirky. I’m a quirky gal who worked with inmates, so… the fact that I visited the OJ crime scene while visiting family in California just weeks after this horrendous crime should not surprise you. This was the front gate to Nicole Brown Simpson’s place in Brentwood, California.

7. My favorite ride showing off in Chili Pepper Red. The sexy, sleek Saturn Sky.

8. My sweet Stevie – Halloween, 2007 (I think!)

9. This picture was taken before I underwent (is that a word?) Lasik surgery.

Either this computer or photobucket is running v-e-r-y-s-l-o-w…. this is very frustrating! I just logged out of Internet Explorer and clicked on Mozilla Firefox. I’ll see if that helps.

10. This is a picture of some of my favorite people. Meet the McInlaws. McDaddy, me, his siblings and their spouses. The 2 girls beside of me are his sisters and the two fellas on the far right are his brothers. This family makes me happy!

11. I think this next picture is precious! Stevie was the ring bearer in McDaddy’s brother’s wedding. He was a cutie!

12. My sweet boys!

13. And last but not least. Here’s me and McDaddy circa 1993 in Hawaii. Please go easy on the bangs and the glasses.

That’s a wrap.

A very slow wrap, but a wrap none-the-less.

Thanks for stopping by Inmates!

With the exception of this sinus headache I have going on, I absolutely love everything about fall. I love the cool, crisp mornings and the cool evening wind. I love the changing colors of the leaves. (Did I mention orange was my favorite color?) And, I love, love, love pumpkins, scarecrows and hay. I really love the season. And, as I sit on my porch and watch my boys play, I realize how special this season of my life is.
 
As a child, I’m not so sure I paid a whole lot of attention to the seasons. I know I dug out my winter coat for snow and had to put on sunscreen in the summer before going to the pool. For me winter meant I was going to get presents at Christmas, spring meant a new dress for church and a candy filled Easter basket, summer meant school was over, and fall allowed me to dress up in my favorite costume for a door-to-door candy fest. As an adult though, the seasons indicate more than that. They mean a change of weather, a change of time, and changes in my boys.  It means I’ve made another trip around the sun and completed another personal season in my life.
 
As an awkward teenager, my high school years were filled with seemingly endless band trips, school dances that you only hoped you’d have a date for and harmless cruising on the weekends with the same group of four or five friends who laughed at each others silly antics. We’d have piles of homework and the responsibility of making sure nothing below a “C” came home on the report card. This season of my life is special because it was during this season that I met McDaddy.
 
Off to college, I experienced a new season because I now had a job with responsibilities and endless piles of term papers and tests to be taken (and hopefully passed). I wrote on index cards, covering them with notes to be studied while on the job and in my car. I remember my frustration in trying to fully understand economics and the life changing internship at South Central Regional Jail where the focus of my studies changed from child psychology to the psychology of criminal behavior. I refuse to call it criminal justice as that seems like an oxymoron to me. This season is also the season I became engaged to McDaddy and received a BS Degree in Psychology with a minor in… what else? Criminal Justice.
 
Finally, the day came for McDaddy and I to become husband and wife. He taught me and continues to teach me about respect, compassion and what it means to truly love somebody. Marriage, with all its perks has been great, but, I now found myself holding even more responsibility. There were endless tasks that now fell solely on me (cooking and cleaning) and daily tests in patience, persistance and compromise. No matter how wonderful the two people are there are life lessons to be learned and scores to be settled. There is give and take and the score is rarely tied. I am still learning the give part.
 
The next season – motherhood – brought even more responsibilities to my daily life. I now experience endless piles of laundry, and find myself being tested daily in subjects like patience, conflict resolution and sacrifice. During my career, I had deadlines to meet, daily interaction with inmates, mounds of paperwork, oh, and I received a paycheck. I had hoped to make a difference, but, the truth of the matter is, I probably didn’t. My job today is not much different than the one I had back then. The major difference is, I now counsel and correct my boys instead of inmates. I still have mounds of paperwork to sort through – only now they include dealing with insurance companies, utility bills and endless stacks of catalogs that need my attention. Oh, and if I don’t meet deadlines on this job, someone may be without clean underwear. And even though I don’t receive a paycheck the dividends are priceless.
 
I’m not usually one to embrace change. This time though, change has embraced me. As a mom, you don’t always have the luxury of thinking about the change, you just gotta roll with it. When all you’d really like to do is take a quick nap, you have a bottom to wipe, a belly to feed, and a boo-boo to kiss. When you’d like to take a nice, long, hot bubble bath complete with candles, all you really have time for is quickly scrubbing your body while the tub is still filling. Oh and those candles… forget that, because most days I’m lucky if I remember to turn the light on.

Even with all that, I am enjoying this season in my life. I get to race monster trucks before lunchtime and dance senselessly to “Made To Love” while my sweet boy wraps his arms around my neck and giggles as I twirl him around. I GET to do these things. I get to be the one to hold my boys when they are sick. I get to be the one to feed them each meal and I get to be the one to sit and play with them in the middle of the day.
 
I am so enjoying this season of my life. I have FALLen in love with my new job and I am so thankful to be a mom. This short season will be over quicker than I want it to be and so I will SPRING into action and embrace each change as it comes.

It’s Thursday and that means another clever edition of Thursday Thirteen.

It’s time for the Letter O.

Let’s get this thing going.

1. OLIVE GARDEN – One of my favorite restaurants. I ALWAYS order spaghetti with meat sauce. And, I always eat more salad and bread sticks than I should.

2. OCEAN – The McFamily is currently in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The water is breathtaking.

3. OFFROADING – One of McDaddy’s favorite things to do in his heap (ahem, I mean Jeep).

4. OATMEAL – Brown sugar and cinnamon please, with a piece of toast to dip in it.

5. OUTLAW – As in the Dancing Outlaw. If you have never heard of the Dancing Outlaw, I would suggest you go to YouTube and check him out. He is from wild, wonderful West Virginia. He is definitely wild, but not sure about the wonderful part.

6. OFFICE – The Longaberger Home Office is one of the most unique buildings I have ever seen.

7. OCCUPATION – Before becoming pregnant, I was a correctional counselor in a jail. This was my last day in that capacity. I miss my jail friends.

8. ORTHOGNATHIC SURGERY – Otherwise known as Operation-fix-my-overbite – When I was a senior in high school, I had corrective surgery to fix my overbite. My jaws were broken and wired shut for eight weeks. Sweet mercy, can you believe I survived? The first few days after surgery were tough, but it was worth the pain.

9. OUTBACK – I love to eat at Outback. Unless I’m feeling frisky and try something new I always order Victoria’s Filet. That Victoria sure knows how to make a mean filet. And, I love, love, love the side salad. Their croutons are delightful!

10. OLYMPICS – I am an Olympic junkie. My favorite events are swimming, gymnastics, ice skating, beach volleyball, trampoline, diving, speed skating and bobsledding. I wish they were held every year. Oh, and just in case you hadn’t heard, Michael Phelps is my boyfriend.

11. ORGANIZATION – I am big on organization. Yesterday, I made the mistake of attempting to organize all of the photos in my photobucket account into individual folders. I should have left well enough alone because once you move a photo from its original location on photobucket, the link changes and it leaves a big white “IMAGE HAS BEEN MOVED OR REMOVED FROM PHOTOBUCKET BOX” in the place where the picture was. If you are looking at Vintage Inmates To Playdates and you see the big white stupid box instead of a real picture, please bear with me. It will take me a few days to restore all of my photos into their respective posts. GRRRR….

12. ORANGES – Not worth the mess.

13. ORGAN – I hope to save a life one day. If all else fails, I am an organ donor.

*Tap-tap. Is this thing on?*

*Check. 1. 2*

*Is anyone out there?*

Oh, there you are. Okay, I wasn’t sure if there was anyone out there. It’s Thursday and you know what that means.

It’s another edition of THURSDAY THIRTEEN – The Letter I. At first, I wasn’t sure if I could come up with thirteen “I” words, but it proved to be easier than what I first thought.

And we’re off.

1. Icing – I love all kinds of icing. Especially when mixed with peanut butter to make my favorite fudge or slathered on a chocolate cake.

2. In-Laws- When I married McDaddy I gained a whole big family full of in-laws. He is the oldest of five kids and now all of those kids have kids totalling eleven (soon to be twelve!) Surprisingly to some, we are all friends as well as family.

3. Illinois- McDaddy, me and our boys got stranded in Chicago for a night while travelling on our way home from Phoenix. We got the very last room in a very busy city. It happened to be a hotel conference room and we happened to be without clean undies for the next day. We learned a very important lesson that day.

4. If - A little word with so many possibilities.

5. Isaac - Just one of our sweet nephews (We have six in all). Isaac and his family will be moving two hours away next month. We will miss them terribly.

6. Inmate- Hum…. lots of things I could say. I’ll point you to last weeks’ post about Things I Learned In Jail to read more about inmates. Oh, and during the Ultimate Blog Party I had a couple of comments from people who admitted they had avoided my blog because they were sure I found love in jail and then got married and had kids. NICE. Sorry to disappoint folks. I did spend time in jail but I didn’t find love there.

7. Ice Cream- My favorite is mint-chocolate-chip. I also love Coldstone Creamery. I wish we had one here in WV!

8. Immediately – I would love to have a Saturn Sky immediately. I caught word that Saturn may be halting production. I have not been able to substantiate the information, but it sure has me thinking it may be now or never. (McDaddy, we do have an anniversary coming up next month!)

9. Instrument - In the fourth grade, I began taking piano lessons. In fifth grade, I began playing the saxophone. I chose the saxophone because it was the prettiest instrument on display and because 90% of the girls were choosing the flute. I still love the saxophone.

10. Insect - I can’t think of one that I like. In fact, I hate insects.

11. Iguana- Not a fan of these either. McDaddy reports seeing these daily in his 6-month vacation locale.

12. Invention - Something I am thankful for. The invention of the TiVo is probably my favorite.

13. Island- I’m headed to one in 3 weeks. McDaddy, here we come! Yeah!

Before I get started on this week’s Thursday Thirteen, can I just say that I am so happy that Megan got voted off of American Idol. It was her time to go.

Two weeks ago.

But, whatever. Tattoo girl is gone now and my boys Danny and Kris are still hanging on. Adam is hot on their heels though, so they will have to step it up next week.

In the meantime, lets kick this Thursday Thirteen thing off.

1. Honey – Stevie takes his lunch 2 or 3 days per week. His first choice for a sandwich is a peanut butter/honey sandwich. I don’t even like the smell of honey.

2. Hearst Castle – I visited Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California in 1988. It is a visit that I will never forget. The castle is fabulous.

3. Hawaii - McDaddy and I travelled to Hawaii in 1993. We visited the Big Island and Oahu. I would love to go back there someday.

4. Hair – I have never been very good at styling hair. I would love to have a short, fabulous cut like this….

5. Hotdog – I love a good, hotdog, but I am very particular about it. It’s hard to beat a good hotdog with chili, slaw, mustard and ketchup. Hotdogs are actually one of my favorite foods.

6. Handcuffs – When I worked at the jail, I had to participate in and pass a defense tactics class. The class required me to handcuff another person in less than ten seconds. Yes, I did it. I practically broke McDaddy’s wrist practicing it, but I could do it. Um, in case you ever find yourself in the position to handcuff someone quickly, it is typically much easier if you have the handcuffs turned the right way.

7. Handwriting – I have always been told that I have pretty handwriting. I think that a person’s handwriting says a lot about the person. Oh, and I love, love, love fonts.

8. Heaven – Someday. Someday. I fully expect to live in Heaven with my Jesus. If I get there before you do, you can find me sitting on the Emerald Fountain eating a Little Debbie. Oh, and my mansion. It. Will. Rock! I can’t even imagine what Heaven will be like. Wow. Just wow. I smile just thinking about it.

9. Height – I’m 5′8″. All through elementary school, I was the tallest girl in my class.

10. Honeymoon – Me and McDaddy honeymooned in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We had a fabulous time. There was outlet shopping for days and we stayed in a cute little chalet called “Rebecca.”

11. Holland - Another stop on our European tour. Here we are at a cheese factory. Circa 2001. We also visited the Red-Light district, a diamond polishing factory and boarded a boat for a canal tour of Amsterdam.

12. Hyper - Um, yeah. That’s me.

13. Habakkuk – Such a fun word. Let’s just pull a verse here – Habukkuk 3:18 – Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

How about you?

Any special “H” words?