WBRepo-Ship of Thieves-Remember the Magic Pt3

[EllaEnchanted]

Deb, I'm so glad your uncle is home and better. What an ordeal he went through!

It's good to see you feeling so positive again. I missed your optimistic outlook here every day. I'm sure it was an awful month or two for you, but am glad to see you back. You're sounding like yourself again.

WAY TO GO on still not smoking! That's a long time, and we're all so proud of you! I wondered when I saw John smoking on deck 4, but didn't want to ask either of you. You deserve extra credit for sticking to it when he's smoking. Because even though he's not smoking around you, you still know he is and that makes it harder on you. GREAT JOB!

Your new diet program sounds like a great plan! I wish I could get motivated to do something, instead of watching myself gain more and more. Just getting motivated is hard by itself, so great job to you for getting back on track!

Thanks Holly......I couldn't have stuck to it without all my diser friends. You all really mean so much to me. Thanks pal!

 

[EllaEnchanted]

Well, once again, when I picked Tyler up from his dad's, stepmom was out of sight. This makes 6 times now (twice a week, so three weeks) that I haven't seen her, or have only seen her stomping out of the room when I walk in. It makes me want to laugh more and more each time! I predict one more week of the cold shoulder before snapping out of it, because that's how long it lasted the last time. Dad, on the other hand, is nicer than ever. Smiles, laughs, lots of sharing info about Tyler, etc. I'm sure stepmom is just thrilled to hear our happy conversations in the other room.

OH.....GREAT NEWS! Tyler read his first book this weekend! He has the kindergarten through 2nd grade (I think) Hooked on Phonics at his dad's house and they started working on it about 1/2 way through kindergarten. Sometimes he brings it home to work on, but I think by that time he's ready for a break from it. Anyway, for the longest time, he couldn't even name all the letters on the letter flashcards. It was just about a month ago that he started being able to identify all letters, but still couldn't tell you what sound they made until just last week (well, most letters). This week, his dad said he read the first book in the set. He first thought Tyler may have just been memorizing the words, because of how well he did the first page, then his dad saw him stumble over a few words and listened as Tyler actually told him not to help him and then he was able to sound out the word himself.

This is truly amazing how quickly he's progressed in that area this month! And his OT has been having us practice writing for 5 minutes a day (because that's the limit of his frustration level before he wants to rip up the paper). It's tricky because his hand doesn't want to do what he knows it's supposed to. His dad said Tyler practiced for A HALF HOUR today, fully focused the whole time! I almost fell on the floor! With the help he'll be getting in special ed in 1st grade, I do believe he'll get caught up to grade level by the end of the school year!

WOW! Talk about moving forward and making progress.......it's like magic. Since Tyler got diagnosed and his specific problems addressed.......he's like a miracle child turning all the negatives around and doing great! GO TYLER!!!!!! Talk about being so proud......what a guy!

 

[EllaEnchanted]

We are in DC, watching the Olympics and waiting for Kim to arrive. Really enjoyed watching Torres swim - even if she did get two silvers- she did GREAT for 41!

I quoted Cherie because when we were about an hour from here, Alex calls us (he went to Windsor Ontario with some friends for the weekend). He said he had good news and bad news. The good news was that he was $40 up at playing blackjack . . . the bad news was that his wallet was stolen and he cancelled all of his credit cards.

He notified Casino security, who pulled up the video. His wallet fell out of his back pocket, and some guy walked up behind him, scooped it up, and left. He only had $40 in his wallet - but lost his credit cards, debit card, and driver's license. Thankfully, he has his passport with him.

The Casino says they recognize the guy and will try to catch him next time he comes in.

What a low life.

On the other hand, when I went to the ATM this morning to get some $$, the screen asked me if I wanted another transaction when I pulled up. The person before me left their card in the machine.

I pulled back around, got the teller, and sent the card to her to keep through the tube in case the person comes back for it.

Well I guess you really can never be too carefull. Sorry to hear the news about Alex's day.

Hope you have a great visit with Kim and family. Enjoy your vacation and post pictures!

 

[EllaEnchanted]

Well, I'm out of here. VERY sleepy. Gonna head off to read in bed until I fall asleep.

Good Night Holly......sweet Mickey dreams!

 

[EllaEnchanted]

Before I go, I have to share a letter my dad sent to Tyler this week. My dad and stepmom always give the grandkids $2 when they lose a tooth. They usually make their own card, but did it a little differently this time. Here's the letter:

Dear Tyler:

Grandma and I were out shopping at the mall when we ran into the Tooth Fairy. It was lunch time, so we asked the Tooth Fairy if she would like to have lunch with us. She said, "Sure, I'm starving". We went to Red Robin. She thanked us for the lunch and reminded us that we owed Tyler some money. Have a very good day!

Love Grandpa & Grammy Bea


Cute, huh?

Thanks for sharing Holly......that is so creative and unique. Very Cool!

 

[EllaEnchanted]

Good evening everybody! Its been a good day here. We got the new tile laid in the entry and put the grout on. Looks like we weren't generous enough with the grout so we'll put another coat on tomorrow. I got all the trim primed, and I'll paint it tomorrow, and by the end of tomorrow we'll have a usuable front entrance again
I also dove back into webkinz today and bought a penguin and manatee to go with my polar bear and tiger snake. Although I'm scared of snakes, so I've told the kids its really a pretzel (they think I'm crazy)

Cherie - the whole credit card thing is weird, but at least they figured it out very quickly.

Deborah - Congrats on your small lottery win! Enjoy your wine, you deserve it after your crazy week!

Deb - That's fantastic that you've gone so long without cigarettes especially considering all the stress you've gone through. Good luck with the weight loss

Thanks Shannon, I'm going to give the weight loss everything I've got because it has to get done. If I can do the cigarettes, I can do the weight loss......I'm ready and determined!

 

[EllaEnchanted]

Long posts are fine. You have stored up a lot and need to share. That is what the group can be good for.

Hang in there.
One day at a time--for everything--smoking, food, decisions, grieving, etc.

Some days it is "one minute at a time"

Glod your Uncle is better Does he live nearby?

Jan

Thanks Jan......I refuse to waste any more time feeling bad. I've been there and done that......enough!

My uncle lives on Long Island. The whole extended family still lives there. Just me and mom moved away to PA. It takes between 2-3 hours to get to his house depending on traffic and route taken. I told him today that me and John will come and visit him again and go out for a meal together when he's feeling a little stronger.

 

[EllaEnchanted]

.
Home now.

We'll check the mail, get showers and hit the hay.

Church in the morning and a Cardinals game on TV in the afternoon.

BUT

It's the last day of the State Fair, so we may go there for a while. Tom's Department has a booth and he likes to stop by and thank the volunteers.

When we were there last Sat for the 2+ mile walk for Women's Heart Health with the First Lady (that's her project), the Natural Resources building was packed so we did not go there even though we wanted to.

Tom will decide--I am OK with whatever he picks.

Jan

Sounds like an excellent weekend for you and Tom, Jan. Hope you both enjoy yourselves. Good Night and sweet Mickey dreams.

 

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

Way behind and too tired to read any more tonight...

I missed Ian's birthday...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, IAN!

I think it's Michelle's birthday today (Sunday)...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICHELLE!

How exciting that Tyler is starting to read!

Deborah, my condolences to you..

Hi Marilyn! Sorry I couldn't stay up to greet you in person!

'night all!

 

[granmaz]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE
HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY




​

Today is a very good day......my uncle is home from the hospital. YEAH! What a rough month July was......mom's birthday and anniversary of her death and her baby brother, my favorite uncle, ends up in ICU. He was at a doctor's appointment and walking up a curb with a walker.....the wheel slipped on the curb and he fell flat on his back. Initially they said he only broke a rib and put him in the hospital, but then he kept fading in and out of conscisousness and they put him in ICU. He had partially collapsed lungs, kidney failure and an infection. But he's home now and he's all better today. I'm so thankful.

I'm working on weight loss now. I have started my new diet food from bistromd.com and I really like it. The food is sooooooo much better and the company seems to be better at customer service. I only get the 5 day plan with snacks and then on weekends I'm on my own to slack a little, but still keep my calorie count. I think I can do it long term if I stick to this plan. Soon I'll start back at the treadmill and ballet barre again.

I still have not smoked a cigarette since New Years Eve 2008!!!! I'm so proud of myself for keeping my committment. That's because I knew I could call Angie anytime and gain her support to keep me strong. It made all the difference in going the distance. Thank you so much Angie. I miss you and hope that you're well on your way to hitting the road and enjoying retirement.

John still smokes everyday, but not nearly as much as he smoked before we quit. He started at about 2-3 a day four months ago and I'm not sure how many he's up to now, but it's not 3 packs a day like it used to be. He doesn't smoke in front of me. He keeps saying that he knows he has to quit again, he'll do it when he's ready. He didn't have Angie as his supporter and mentor to keep him honest.

I'm so happy to be past the one year date of mom's death. It's a great relief. I was so depressed and grieving. I couldn't even get motivated to get up to hit the bathroom if I needed it. I would lay around and sleep alot and not get up. It was horrible. But like Nan says, you cry your tears and then pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again. I'm back to being busy and productive again. I have a lot of issues to deal with and many dilemmas to fix. It's good to be moving forward again instead of being stuck in one place.

OOOpppppsssssss.......long post......sorry, I stored it all up I guess!

It's great to see you back and so positive and I am sure this will help you move forward in these areas Deb!!! Soooo well done with the smoking - that must still be hard.

 

[iankh]

Jackie: Did any of your family or friends go to Camp Goodfellow? That is where the Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center is.

Ian: Kids from Chicago and Indiana go there for environmental education.

The site used to be the camp for children of US Steel emoyees. It is now part of the National Lake Shore.

Jan

Sad to say, I have lived here since 1983 and have never been to the Dunes.

 

[iankh]

Happy Birthday Michelle!!!







​

 

[granmaz]

We had a fun time at church this morning. It is the Holiday Bible Club this week, and it began this morning. What a laugh. The theme is Ronnie's Rock n Roll Diner - all 50's style with the opening film copying Happy Days, but with the leaders. So well done. The church, which is a typical Anglican building(but a very informal Anglican 'church') was all decked out like a diner. We learned the theme song with actions, watched the first of their brilliant sketches and listened to a children's message etc. Going to be a brilliant week for the children I think.

 

[HollyTyler]

WOW! Talk about moving forward and making progress.......it's like magic. Since Tyler got diagnosed and his specific problems addressed.......he's like a miracle child turning all the negatives around and doing great! GO TYLER!!!!!! Talk about being so proud......what a guy!

Well, he's still having trouble keeping his hands to himself at school most days. They just don't report it to me because compared to how he was, this is minor stuff. However, on Friday another kid punched him, so Tyler immediately did a self-defense move on him that he learned in karate class. The other kid got scared, and told his mom when she picked him up that Tyler hurt him. The mom took her son home, then went back up to the school and confronted Tyler. She was yelling and telling him he'd better keep his hands off her son. The teacher ran over, put Tyler behind her, and told the other mom she's not allowed to confront the kids and that if she has a problem, she needs to talk to a teacher or the child care administrator and told her she has to leave immediately. The mom was FURIOUS and says she's going to demand to be given my phone number.

I can understand another parent's point of view for sure, if their son comes home constantly saying, "Tyler did this, Tyler did that." BUT she has no idea how hard he's been working, how far he's come, what he used to be like compared to now, that he's receiving treatment, etc. The school won't give her my phone number, of course, but I told them they're free to tell her he's got issues that are being addressed as best as we can.

The teachers told Tyler not to worry about what she said. I told him that it's never OK to use a karate move just for no reason, but that he definitely can defend himself and that I wasn't mad at him at all because I don't think he did wrong. Good grief!

 

[HollyTyler]

We had a fun time at church this morning. It is the Holiday Bible Club this week, and it began this morning. What a laugh. The theme is Ronnie's Rock n Roll Diner - all 50's style with the opening film copying Happy Days, but with the leaders. So well done. The church, which is a typical Anglican building(but a very informal Anglican 'church') was all decked out like a diner. We learned the theme song with actions, watched the first of their brilliant sketches and listened to a children's message etc. Going to be a brilliant week for the children I think.

That sounds so fun! What a neat idea!

 

[HollyTyler]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE!


​

 

[granmaz]

I feel a bit emotional about the Magic setting off on her return trip though the PC.

 

[Jhalkias]

What a great guy you are.

What a world we would have if everyone did as you and Cheri did. Alex would have been handed his wallet and not had the hassle of canceling the cards and worrying about his license. By the time that guy is back in the casino, who knows where Alex's license will be.

(Who is Kim?)

Jan

Kim is Kimerinc - Savannah's mom, the little girl in the photo with Sophia that I posted.

This is Kim, Steve, and Savannah

I feel a bit emotional about the Magic setting off on her return trip though the PC.

Me too . . .

 

[granmaz]

John, do you know anything about the whereabouts of Angie and Dennis?

 

[scottishwee35]

I feel a bit emotional about the Magic setting off on her return trip though the PC.

Marilyn

me too I was asking my husband what time Magic go off as he think 8 hours mean 9 pm or 11 pm tonight our times?

And about your church sound fun

Holly

I went to bed about 1.30 am and wake up oh my head but fine now and I feel very tired i think must be busy all last week now I am relaxing and watch tv olympic - more GB won this morning

Oh I love to watch cycling racing this morning and pleased that GB won again

I will catch up all the pages later on

ps I have not heard about my uncle - about the funeral etc - his wife died last two years ago so trying to contact my cousins as my brother and ex wife don't know yet. My brother is away to Poland with his friends for a week on Wednesday.

Scottishwee35