Momma and Aunt Jean are safely home!

Momma dropped Aunt Jean off in Macon and then headed to FL. They had a safe trip and done very well with the drive. We enjoyed them being here so much. I am so much like my mother it is not even funny and every time I am around her I see it more and more. My aunt is just like my grandmother. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful mother and role model. Aunt Jean is also a huge role model for me and I’ve always said she was the next best thing to Momma.

Rewind to Tuesday...On the way to our house.......I had told them about the Russell Stover store that is about an hour from our house and of course they had to stop on their way in for some fresh chocolate. Momma bought a few things but Aunt Jean bought A LOT! We teased her but in her defense she bought some as gifts. (Or so she says) They arrived on Tuesday and we didn’t do a whole lot. They of course were tired and went to bed a little early.

Wednesday we went to Lee’s Summit and Independence to do a little shopping. Larry was our chauffer. We went to old Time Pottery, JoAnns, Wal-Mart, the beauty supply place (To buy momma a supply of hair products to last her for quiet a while!), I don’t remember where else but we had a good time! We drove back home which was about a 45 min drive…let Molly out to potty, freshened up and out the door we went on our next journey. We drove just over 2 hours to Springfield, MO for dinner. Yep, for dinner! On the way we stopped in Oceola at Oceola Cheese. As you can guess they sell…cheese! Any kind of cheese you can think of, they sell. The best part was that they had samples. They also have different snack crackers and such and of course we sampled them too. I wish we had thought to take a cooler but we didn’t. However we all bought snack munchies that would not spoil. Then on to Lamberts restaurant which is also known as “Home of the Flying Rolls.” It is SOOOOOOO yummy and they give you way more food than you could possibly eat. We each ordered an entrée which was a meat and 2 sides…PLUS…they have ‘pass arounds.’ That is large bowls of side dishes that someone brings around and offers you a helping. I think that there were 6 pass arounds but I’m not totally sure. Of course we didn’t get all of them but my goodness, it was crazy! I guess you have guessed about the throwing rolls part. Well, they do just that. If you want a roll, you have to catch it! Yep…catch it! When the rolls are hot out of the oven a guy walks through the place and if you wave at him the throws you a roll! Oh, and they are SO good! They are homemade yeast rolls and absolute delicious. Then, a girl comes around with sorghum syrup and drizzles it on your roll if you want. Mmm, mmm, mmm…that was a tasty meal.

Thursday I went on a field trip with Marissa and Larry went to work. That left M & AJ alone with Molly. Molly gave Momma a scare. You see, sometimes Molly has running fits where she just runs and runs and runs as fast as she can. Momma took her out to potty and she had a running fit. Momma freaked out and she said all she could think of was that Molly was going to run around to the front of the house and into the road. She finally got Molly to stop running and gave her a “stern talkin’ to! Ha! Later Momma was out in our yard picking up walnuts and AJ left Molly out to potty again. Molly almost never goes into the front yard but she must have known Momma was out there and she took off for the front yard. Momma looked up and there was Molly running for her. Momma panicked because she had no idea how Molly got out. I so wish I could have been a bird in the tree for all of that! I had a roast, potatoes, onions and carrots to cook for that night and they put it on to cook while I was gone with Marissa. When I got home the house smelled SO good and I felt like a kid coming home and smelling the good scents from the kitchen. The taste was just as good as the smell. Also while I was gone they picked up walnuts from our yard, emptied the dishwasher and I’m sure there are things I am forgetting to mention. Did I mention that it was nice coming home to mommy and auntie taking care of me/us! Hee Hee!

Ok...Pause...it's time for intermission. This is a long blog and I know that you guys are ready for a break. To be continued.....

Updates Coming Soon...

Before I get into trouble with a select few I need to acknowledge that I am behind on bloggin’…
Well, Momma and Aunt Jean left today, Sunday. I will be reporting to you soon about their visit. Also, I have to report on the field trip that I went on with Marissa on Thursday. While Momma and Aunt Jean were visiting I was somewhat slack on my bloggin’ so I’ll try to catch up within the next few days.

Speaking of M and AJ, at the moment (Sun. night) they are in a hotel in Chattanooga, TN. They will travel on in the morning to Macon, GA and them Momma will go to her new location in FL. Safe travel to them!

I think I will begin a “Prayer Request” section to my blog. There are always family and friends that are in need of prayer. So I think I will add that to the end of each of my blogs. If I leave anyone off please don’t be upset. Just email me and I will add your request. I am human and sometimes I make human errors.

Prayer Request: Jeff W. lost his job last week, please pray for a job opportunity for him that is even better than his last, Safe travel for Momma and Aunt Jean, The sell of Mike and Shelly’s house, The healthy birth of baby Essary, Safety for Tim M. while deployed to Iraq, Safety for all military men and women in combat zones, those preparing for deployment, the families of deployed soldiers and those in the decision making jobs, For the upcoming election, For Angie Grahams mom who is in the last stages of cancer, For 2 businesses that Larry and I are trying to build, For the sale of our house.

Love to all,
kdp

Momma and Aunt Jean arrive in MO

Well, my mom and Aunt Jean arrived today. Momma drove up to Macon, GA on Sunday and spent the night with my Aunt. They left Macon on Monday morning and stopped in Forsyth, GA to get breakfast…and to pick up a hitch hiker. When Momma opened up the door of the car a frog jumped in! She could not find it so as of now it is still in the car. I talked with them several times during the day and they were laughing the entire time I was talking with them. They made it to Mount Vernon, IL where they stayed the night in a hotel. Up early the next morning they headed on to our house and arrived early afternoon. Aunt Jean got a tour of the house and Momma got to see the things we finished since her last visit. Of course Molly was excited and could not wait to give them loves.

Later I began to prepare dinner. Larry got home from work and soon after dinner was ready. We had chicken casserole, dirty rice and a salad. We went outside to throw the ball for Molly to fetch. We watched a little TV, chatted some more and now Momma is off to bed and Aunt Jean is showering and then off to bed too. They were very tired from the drive although I think they enjoyed the time together and I think they laughed most of the way. Also, they are on Eastern Time and an hour is a big difference for them…you know…at their ages. HA, just joking you two!

We are so glad that they are here. The kids are excited too, their G-Ma is here!

More later and I’ll let you know if we find Kermit in her car. Now that was funny!

They grow up SOOOO fast!

When the kids came home today from school the fun began! Laura’s friend Chelsea is spending the weekend with us while her parents are out of town. Tonight is the Home coming game so of course they wanted to go. The dance after is VERY casual. (Not at all like the ones in my day!) I was joking with them and asked “Do y’all have hot dates for the dance? Thinking the answer would be no I was shocked when Laura said, “Yea, I do”. I stopped what I was doing and turned to her and said, “Don’t hold out on me. When did this happen and WHO is it?” Her friend Rebecca knows this guy (from another school) and wants to introduce them. In shock and letting it absorb, I started giggling quietly. I was making a fall wreath for our front door and Larry walked over to me. I whispered to him that Laura has a date for the dance. Oh the look on Michaels face! His eyes got BIG, he made a sound and walked away. Within a minute or so he came back to me and said you have got to tell me what is going on! I laughed out loud!! I got to a stopping point with my project and motioned him into our bedroom. The look on his face was priceless…funny yet sad. He sat down on the bench at the end of our bed and I knelt down in front of him. He asked what was going on. I am ashamed to say that I laughed. Yes, I did. I know, that was not nice but I am telling you, his expression was indescribable. I got serious and told him that it is ok. And, that yes, she is just 14 and NO she is not old enough to go on a date but she is old enough to have a date for a school dance. He said, “I know your right but this is hard”. I gave him a big hug and within a few minutes he was feeling better about the whole thing.

Wow, did this remind me of my teen years! I remember homecoming and being on the homecoming court. I remember my daddy walking me out on the field in his suite and tie with a goofy grin on his face. Oooh, and I do remember the dance!

I don’t know the conversations between my Momma and Daddy during my teen years but I feel sure I repeated some of her words tonight. I know that more often than not, she did some smooth talking with my daddy when it came to me. Daddy would not say much to me but he would tell momma to tell me something. Funny huh? You know, I love both of my parents equally but there are such different bonds between mother/daughter and father/daughter. A girl wants to be her daddy’s princess that never does wrong, wants him to be proud of her and goes to him for love and money. (Ha ha on the money part) On the other hand a girl wants her momma to be a friend, someone she can confide in. Plus, she needs nurturing and guidance from the mother. Her mother is truly the one she does NOT want to let down! After all, when she is all grown up, she will become her mother.

My girls come to me when they need “girl talk”. They are comfortable talking with me. Laura will tell me her thoughts or feelings before she will tell anyone else. Last Saturday the children were at their mothers and Laura called, Larry answered and she asked to speak to me. I got on the phone and she said that Marissa is crying and she won’t tell anyone why she is crying and she said that she only wanted to talk to me. I talked with her and calmed her down but it was nice that she wanted ME! (Hee hee)

Of course I have funny stuff to tell that the kids said but for now I must say goodnight. I’ll fill you in…maybe tomorrow. Right now, I am waiting on Larry to come home with the girls. He went to pick them up from the dance. I’m sure there will be stories!

Surprise...Momma's coming to MO!

Molly got a new baby today. It’s a stuffed flea. On its back it says Bite Me! Too funny because I say bite me all the time!

This morning I got a shocking phone call from my Momma. She and my Aunt Jean are coming to visit us this coming Tuesday! We are excited they are coming. They are driving which will be interesting. Ha! I spent a while talking with her about directions. Momma didn’t give me her menu request this time…YET. I’m sure it’s coming!

I cut grass today, oh joy. I don’t mind really because it gives me thinkin’ time.
My hubby stayed with a friend at Ft. Leavenworth last night and tonight. I miss him but he will be home Friday.

Remember our friends Connie and Tim in prayer. Tim will be deploying soon. Pray for Connie to have peace, safety for Tim and for the time to pass quickly for them.

kdp

My funny kids...

Today started with an ever so exciting visit to the dentist. Yippie! After that I had to go by Marissa’s school to sign a form allowing her to go on a field trip and to pay for me to go with her. She is SO funny! I have to step back a little. Larry and I got new cell phones yesterday. Well, anytime you get a new phone it takes time to get it programmed and ‘learn’ how to use it. This one is rather hard for me to get the hang of. Of course it’s only been a day but normally I do pretty well with the learning process. Back to today; I was standing outside Marissa’s class room and put my purse on a table while I completed the permission form. Missy saw my phone sticking up and she pulled it out and with wide eyes said, “You got a new phone”! I said, “Yeah, if I can just learn how to use the darn thing”. She replied, “OK, when I come over I will help you with it”! She just turned 10 and she wants to help me learn my cell phone with Palm! Of course she has no clue beyond using the camera and games but “she will help me”. The way she said it was SO cute!

Sean called when he got off the bus. He was just chatting away. He said, “So, you’re going to Arrow Rock with Marissa”? I said, “Yes, like me and Dad went when your class went”. He said, “Yeah, but I had both of you”! It was one of those…HA!...moments that only a brother and sister share. Not that Tim and I had/have those moments. Unless you count when I remind him that I’m “the baby” of the family. Ok, we ‘sometimes’ have those moments but now that we are all grown up…well, we still have those moments sometimes. Ha! Love you Tim!

Princess Molly had a visit with the groomer today. She did not trim her as short as she normally does…not sure why. When I went to get Molly she went nuts! She was so excited trying to get to me that Jackie, the groomer, could barely hold her. I got her and put her down at my feet while I wrote a check and she was whining and whimpering like crazy! She wanted her Mommy!

Of course the day contained more than all that but it’s time for me to say goodnight. So Goodnight!

Have a great day!

Monday...

We started our morning off with about a mile or so walk. After days and days of rain and gloom, today was beautiful and a typical fall day…which I LOVE! I love fall!

We did a few errands had lunch at Subway and off to home we went. Larry used the weed eater until it broke! Yep, of course now we have to buy a new one. We have the one with interchangeable ends so we just have to buy the adaptor. Walnuts have started falling so we picked some up. We were SO hoping to have the house sold before leaves and walnuts started falling. What a job they are! We have 2 huge weeping willow trees beside our pond and they were really ‘weeping’. They got a hair cut today. Ha! Well, that’s what is seemed like…giving a hair cut.

I made a new dish tonight. I made Thai Chicken Satay. It was really good and the chicken was very tender. Along with it I baked sliced squash, zucchini and onions of course with my special sauce to make it yummy. I also made a cucumber and tomato salad summer salad. Don’t you wish you had dinner with us?

Well, tonight we watched the last episode of The Closer season 1 disk 3! Season 1 disk 4 should arrive in the mail on Tuesday, disk 5 on Wednesday and disk 6 on Thursday. (We are on the blockbuster online thing where they come in the mail. It’s a really cool deal!) We are still really into the show and can’t wait to get the next disk! We go to the mail box and we are like kids at Christmas!

Keep praying about the house. Still no nibbles. Mike and Shelly’s house has not sold either. I talked with her today and they are as stressed as we are. We are both in the same boat and feel like it’s sinking. We are ready to get off this boat and on the Ft. Riley boat! Ha!

More later…

kdp

Rain, Rain...go away......

Go DAWGS! UGA had a 14/7 Win!

Not much to report on in Missouri other than RAIN! Rain is good…until your driveway begins to wash away, your pond is on the verge of over flowing, your small landscape pond is overflowing and your yard has standing water. At that point…WHOA! It has been raining for 2 days. During the night last night it began raining solid and steady and has not stopped yet! Though it is raining we still put out the open house sign today and will after church on Sunday. Who knows, maybe someone will drive by and wont be able to resist stopping!?

I think I mentioned this in an earlier blog but I am hooked on the TV show, “The Closer”. I just LOVE it! We are starting with season 1 and working our way forward. Tonight we watched the first 3 episodes of season 1 and it is SO good! I love Kyra Sedgwick anyway. In this her character is southern, smart and funny…great qualities! Of course with her character, Brenda Lee, being from Atlanta, GA that makes her all the more wonderful. HA! Kudos to the writers of the show! What great writing! So if you are looking for something to get wrapped up in during the upcoming cold winter nights… rent The Closer, curl up on the sofa with your special someone, a bowl of popcorn and catch up on the show. Perfect date night at the Parr house!

Hope you all are doing well and we will chat more soon.

Kim

Where Were You?

9/11 seems like yesterday yet it has been 7 years. 7 years! Where does time go?

So much has happen since that day. There have been changes; some positive, some negative. There have been a lot of eyes opened to just how cruel some people can be and just how precious life is. Personally, prior to 9/11 I didn’t put much thought into war or the way people live in other countries. Of course we all know about the countries that are shown on TV where people are starving and need food and clothing. I never stopped to think that there were countries where children could not even play in their front yard due to violence. How many of you see your children play on their swing in your yard or ride their bike in the driveway and think, “Oh, I better bring them in before some kills them”? It upsets me tremendously when I think of the soldiers who have lost their lives in the War on Terror. It also upsets me to think that someone made a detailed plan to attack Americans who were just minding their own business like going to work or flying in a plane. Because of that, not only did the people in the twin towers and in the planes lose their lives but also the men and women firefighters and police officers who were trying to do their job and help and save lives.

I know that the families of the people who lost family members and friends on that day will never read my blog but that doesn’t really matter. I still want to say that I have not forgotten. Some people say we need to forget. Some say we need to remember. Well, I think we need to remember. Remember the heroic ones on the flight that knew they were going to die and unselfishly decided to save lives of others, who knows how many they saved that day. Remember the people who were killed in the twin towers that were just going about with their normal daily routine. Remember the men and women of NYPD & NYFD that were just doing their job yet lost their lives. Remember the family members of all those who lost their lives, they thought they would see them again at the end of the day. Remember the Service men and women that are protecting our country so that we ‘can’ go about our daily routine and we can let our children play outside without fear.

I’m not saying any of this because I am a wife of an Army Officer. I am saying this with conviction in my heart. My husband could be deploying at anytime, no service person is excluded. Of course I DO NOT want that at all but I also know that is part of who he is and he is good at what he does.

You know the Alan Jacksons song that says; Where were you when the world stopped turning? Well I along with many others will never forget that day and exactly where I was. I was sitting at my desk at Northeast Georgia Surgical Associates and heard it on the radio. At the same time I got a call from someone I knew and he was watching it on TV and telling me what he was seeing. My heart sank to my stomach! I felt for the families involved and I was frightened of what was to come. I started praying for everyone and especially our President. Was the war necessary? Has the military made a difference? Are things changing for the good that the news media don’t want to tell you? Yes.

Love, hugs and prayers to all who are involved including the family members who still face that sad day as a way of life.

To all the service men and women, state side and abroad, our prayers are with you and I have not forgotten you either. And...Thank You!

My honey is Home Sweet Home!

My honey is home from HI. YEAHHHHH!!! He got home on Sunday. I got a hotel room in Kansas City and we stayed there Sunday night. We just needed some quiet time together. Once we arrive home the phone starts ringing and family are stopping by. So, we had a day with no phone calls. We even turned our cell phones off! I went early and checked us in then went to pick him up. He had jet lag of course and was drained from that and from the long hours he worked while in HI. We just chilled out together. For dinner we went to Outback. They have a new steak…OMG it is the best that I’ve ever had there. It was absolutely wonderful! After dinner we watched a little TV and were off to bed. However, out sleep time was short… we woke up to a severe thunderstorm. It was BAD! The hotel lost power! Just so you know, no power in a hotel in the middle of the night is a little spooky! The power went on and off several times for short periods. A second part of the storm came through and knocked it out for hours. The storm was so bad we could not go back to sleep. The power came back on in the morning but only for about 10 minutes. It went out again and we checked out. We didn’t even get our complimentary breakfast! Anyway, we made a few stops and then headed home. We had a day of doing much of nothing. We decided to skip cooking and had dinner at our favorite Mexican place. Larry was ready for bed kind of early so I sat in bed and read while he slept. Other than the storm and power outage, it was just over 24 hours of doing a lot of nothing but the best part is we did nothing TOGETHER!

Still no takers on the house. As of today, we have lowered the price greatly. I am very down right now. We’ll be fine I know and I know God will take care of us.
I will take pictures soon of my prizes that Larry brought me from HI and put them on the blog.

Ok Dawn…I didn’t give much info today but I did blog. I have someone other than my mother that points out when I skip too many days without an update. I was reminded today! Love you Dawn!

kdp

The Last Sleep...

The Last Sleep...
When Michael is out of town we don't count down the days, we count the sleeps. When we are apart neither of us sleep very well. So, we count sleeps and tonight is the LAST SLEEP. I pick him up at the airport on Sunday and on Sunday night I will have my snuggle buddy back. Ahhh, peaceful sleep that last all night.

I had an open house today and had no visitors. Depressing! We are SO ready for the buyer.

Later...

My Prince

Ok, My husband and I have been apart for 17 days now. I am SO ready for him to come home. He is just as ready as I am. So tonight this blog is not about our house or the kids. It's about me missing my Prince and our amazing love for each other. Honey, I love you and miss you more than I could ever find the words to say.

Some of you may think that this blog is full of mush and feel like you need to brush your teeth because of the sweetness. Well, get your toothbrush. We are the real deal.

The picture attached is one of my favorite pictures. It is from our casual fall wedding and we are dancing our first dance as husband and wife. In the background my brother is watching ! With arms crossed it seems like he is saying, "Take care of her, or else". Ha! Well, I guess that is what he is thinking. Rest assured my big brother, he takes great care of me. (Not that Tim doubted it)

{Most of you call my husband Larry. Most of the time I call him Michael. } (Michael Lawrence Parr)

Michael...I love you so very much! You are the love of my life and I am so thankful for you!

kdp

Happy B-Day Laura

Tuesday…Laura turned 14! WHAT? These kids are growing way too fast! Happy Birthday Laura! Her desert was a Rice Krispie treat cake with icing...came from Wal-Mart and was SO good!

My baby is in double digits!

On Sunday Marissa turned 10! Happy Birthday Marissa! Before Larry left for Hawaii we had early birthday dinner and gifts for the girls. They each got to decide what desert they wanted…Marissa wanted Dirt Pudding! They all love that stuff! She got Webkinz, clothes for her Webkinz, jeans and 2 shirts.

On Saturday evening, Aunt Carol came to hang out with me. We went to dinner with Sparky and then back to my house to watch a movie. Aunt Carol has never seen Jeff Dunham’s comedy routine so we watched it too. She LOVED it! Every time I watch it I laugh just as hard as I did the first time.

I’m hooked on the TV series, “Brothers & Sisters”. I’ve wanted to watch it but just never have. Aunt Carol loves it so I decided to rent season 1 episodes 1-4. I watched them…I loved it…I am hooked. I will be going to Blockbuster tomorrow to get the rest of season 1. Also, I am hooked on The Closer. Larry and I are going to rent the seasons of it and catch up on it. Actually, today I watched The Closer marathon. We record shows on the DVR so we can fast forward which means we can watch them quicker! WHAT did we do before DVR’S????? OUT with the VCR!!!!!

The house is still for sale and we have no nibbles. I must say, I am very concerned! I know that God will work it out and he has a plan. However, the human part of me is nervous and worried. I don’t want Larry to have to go to Riley without me while I stay until the house sells. Plus, we can’t afford this house and a place for him to stay in Riley. It makes me SO sad to think about it. We’ve been apart so much, it’s time for us to be together. Thanks to all that have called and/or emailed with encouraging words. Keep the prayers going up.

kdp