Yesterday I had a paper to write, my laptop was acting up, the girls were restless, and I had to go to a grocery store to get more baby food. So I decided to take the girls to Rugby and visit Tonya and Jeff.

I left the girls with Tonya as I ran down to the grocery store. It's pretty convenient to do that because Tonya lives right down the street from the grocery store.

The girls all played together while Tonya and I sat and had a wonderful visit. We even had a bonding moment which was really cool. Cassie played outside most of the day with Tonya's oldest daughter, Alyssa. Tonya and Alyssa had a volleyball game to go to close to 5. Cassie asked Tonya if she could go with them and Tonya asked me if she could take Cassie. I said that I didn't care because Jessie was taking a nap and I had just planned on finishing my paper while they were gone. It was wonderful!!! I got ALL of my homework done in that hour. That's more than I get done at home. I even had a little time to watch some TV and I cleaned up Tonya's living room. It didn't stay clean too long because when all the kids got back they trashed the living room in .04 seconds.

Jeff showed up shortly after Tonya and the kids left for the game. He brought over some fish that he had caught on Antelope Lake the day before and made it for supper. Jeff soaks his fish over night in a bucket of water to take the distinct fish smell and taste out of the meat. He uses Shore Lunch to coat the fish and then fries it in oil. Honestly it is the best fish that I have ever eaten. Jeff can make my fish any day. It was really good! Cassie even ate the fish over the chicken nuggets and mac & cheese that was made for the smaller kids.

Then we hung out for a little bit longer after supper and then the girls and I headed for home. I ran to my parents place for a few seconds because both the girls were sleeping. I had to pick up our Microsoft disk so that I could fix the laptop. My mom had tried to call the house when she got off work but we were gone. I supposed she is so used to me hanging out at her place that she was concerned when she didn't hear from us. My mom may finally get a break from us know that I have found a friend to hang out with.

It was a fun day. We may do it again today.

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT

The Schwan's Company was having a contest between all of their drivers over the past couple of weeks. Whom ever won the contest received a 3 night/4 day all expense paid trip for two to Las Vegas from Sept 28th through Oct 1st. Also, as part of the package, those people would attend the Richard Petty Driving Experience in Vegas since Kyle Petty is the driver for the Schwan's NASCAR.

DARREN WON!!!

I am so exciting think about the whole trip. A FREE plane flight to and from Vegas, a FREE hotel stay, FREE meals, a FREE ride in a car that goes 165 mph! I am going to also check out some of the attractions in Vegas so that Darren and I can plan and prepare for the rest of our trip. Of course we are going to have to go into some of the well known casinos and spend a few dollars. Maybe eat at a fancy place or two. You can't forget about the souvenirs we my purchase as well.

I have asked my mom if she could watch the girls for us while we are gone. I haven't gotten a definite answer back from her because she will have to put in a request for time off and then she will also have to take vacation time herself. I feel bad asking my mom to take vacation to watch them. I would ask Deb (Darren's mother) but they live a little ways away and right now they are under staffed at the hospital in Bottineau so I doubt she would get all that time off herself. If my mom can't watch them, I just may stay home and Darren will have to find someone else to go with him.

Then there is also the problem of feeding Jessie while I am gone. She still nurses. My mom and I don't have enough frozen milk between us to last a week, and even if we did, what am I going to do for 4 days while I am gone? I will probably have to pump but I hate the idea of pouring it all down the drain. I have thought of trying to freeze it at the hotel and then mailing it home to my mom by FedEx but that would be costly. I am going to talk to Mary Anne Fetterly (my lactation consultant) tomorrow and see what she says. We may just have to give Jessie formula....but I don't want to do that either......hhhmmmm. Lots of things to think about.

On another subject, I have contacted the business office at WSC and my professor because I have dropped Medical Terminology II for right now. Nothing else that I am studying involves Med Term II. I will take Med Term II in the summer so I can focus on just that class. I can not believe that class deals with 3 different books! I feel like I have failed because couldn't keep up will all the classes that I wanted to take, but I believe that I made the right decision.

WHAT HAVE I DONE

I have been doing a lot of serious doubting tonight. I have been online for two hours doing homework, trying to get pretests out of the way, and checking up on all my messages and updates on WebCT. As I am going through all the work and reading all my materials it has dawned on me how much harder this semester is going to be than the one I just got through.

One class says that the optimum study time is 12-15 hour a week, another say 5-6 a day!! At least the instructor for the third class is a little more giving. She says to try and get out assignments in as close to the turn-in date as possible but doesn't mind if it isn't handed in right on the date posted. If we need extra time all we have to do is let her know.

Since the start of classes on Tuesday, the only thing I have accomplished right now is one pretest and some homework. That doesn't include all the reading that I have in the other two classes. A majority of this work needs to be in by September 11 and I just don't know if I am going to be able to handle it.

I have been thinking about dropping one class. But then the more I think about it, the more I think like I sound like a failure and I don't want to disappoint anyone in my family by cutting a class. On the other hand, I would really be upset if I have to come back to this class and pay tuition for it AGAIN. I don't know what to do.

On a happier note, my mom is taking the girls and I, along with my grandmother, up to the lake cabin at Upsilon Lake tomorrow. I am going to try and bring some books with me and try to get some reading done in the car. I may even get some assignments done too.

** TEAR WARNING ** APRIL YOU WILL PROBABLY CRY A LITTLE

I still think about Tanya Broden every day. The thoughts though have changed from suddenness, pain, and anger to more joyful, happier memories thinking about Tanya up in Heaven.

April, you told me when Tanya died that I had to take you to where she is buried. We do not get the opportunity to get together a lot so when I went out to the cemetery today I took some pictures at Tanya's grave. I just happened to have the camera in the diaper bag to take pics of the girls.

I still do plan on taking you to see Tanya yourself so you can say all those things that you wish you had time to say while she was with us on earth. I go out to the cemetery frequently because I always forget to tell her something that I want her to know.

I was going to wait until October and post these on her death anniversary but I couldn't wait that long.

Here lies Tanya Broden. Beloved daughter, sister, and grand daughter. Not a day goes by that I do not think of her. 

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Tanya loved lighthouses. She was decorating her house in Colorado with them. Jesse Lee's parents bought her some really pretty lighthouses for Christmas of 2005, too bad she didn't live to see them. Her parents and Jesse each have one. 

This is the backside of the head stone. 

Tanya was so beautiful and so young. It is just horrible that she was taken away from all of us so soon. 

WHERE HAS EVERYONE GONE?

April and Karissa hardly ever post. Kevin has a magical mystery elf posting for him. It's been a week since we have heard from Mr Toast, and KSoFM has fallen off the face of the earth and probably won't be heard from again. Brandi cleared her sight. Josie and Billy Jo stopped posting all together.

Doug posts occasionally and I love to check his weekly posts on www.bonedaddycomics.com. Thank God for Tigre or I wouldn't be posting for anyone.

I shouldn't really talk. I haven't been able to post much because of classes and the kiddies. I just amazes me though how much we used to all blog so frequently. We would die if someone didn't post at least two times daily. Now we are lucky if we even get to post once a week.

I am just pointing this out because I miss everyone. I love to read the blogs because then at least I know what's going on. I really like it when people leave comments because it's proof showing that people are actually reading my blog besides Tigre.

...and April, you should have let me know that you were going to be in Devils Lake. I could have brought the baby clothes that I have for you. You will have to let us know the next time you are going to be around. I think it would be really fun to go with all of you guys out to the lake. I bet Isabella and Cassie would have fun playing together!! Sorry that I ditched you the weekend that I went to Manvel. I feel really bad about that. I hope you don't hate me.

WHERE HAS EVERYONE GONE?

April and Karissa hardly ever post. Kevin has a magical mystery elf posting for him. It's been a week since we have heard from Mr Toast, and KSoFM has fallen off the face of the earth and probably won't be heard from again. Brandi cleared her sight. Josie and Billy Jo stopped posting all together.

Doug posts occasionally and I love to check his weekly posts on www.bonedaddycomics.com. Thank God for Tigre or I wouldn't be posting for anyone.

I shouldn't really talk. I haven't been able to post much because of classes and the kiddies. I just amazes me though how much we used to all blog so frequently. We would die if someone didn't post at least two times daily. Now we are lucky if we even get to post once a week.

I am just pointing this out because I miss everyone. I love to read the blogs because then at least I know what's going on. I really like it when people leave comments because it's proof showing that people are actually reading my blog besides Tigre.

...and April, you should have let me know that you were going to be in Devils Lake. I could have brought the baby clothes that I have for you. You will have to let us know the next time you are going to be around. I think it would be really fun to go with all of you guys out to the lake. I bet Isabella and Cassie would have fun playing together!! Sorry that I ditched you the weekend that I went to Manvel. I feel really bad about that. I hope you don't hate me.

I'M SICK AND FALL CLASSES HAVE STARTED

My mom is a Saint.

I woke up this morning and felt like crap. I knew I was going to because when I went to bed last night I would get cold and then really hot. Jessie got up at 6:30 to nurse a little bit and by then I was dizzy, my breathing was funny, and I hurt all over.

I called my mom and she came over to the house for a little while to watch the girls while I took a nap. She also brought over some tylenol for me. All I had was ibubrophen and I didn't want to take any of that because I was feeling nauseous.

I got a hour and a half nap in before Cassie came in to wake me up. After my nap, I feel 50% better. I am still as little nauseous but not as bad, I don't ache, and my fever is gone.

Also today out TV gave out on us. I went to turn it on so Cassie could watch her morning cartoons. When I hit the TV power button there was this loud snap/crackling noise. It makes me mad because the TV is only 4 years old so it shouldn't have given out on us so soon. I can still get the radio through the surround sound receiver and I can also hear some the the TV stations, but there is no picture.

It's been tough finding things for Cassie to do since I am sick and the TV isn't working. We played Hi Ho Cherry-O but that didn't last too long. Then we played Candy Land but you can only play Candy Land so long until you start to get sick of it. After the board games, while Jessie was taking her nap, Cassie and I went outside and played with the dog and fed the horses. I am trying to think of some things that we can do tomorrow. We might go and visit Tonya and her girls or I may run into Devils Lake because we need dog food.

My new classes have started and they don't seem too bad right now. I have 3 chapters that need to be completed in my Fundamentals of Medical Transcription by the 5th of September. I have finished my BIO 115 assignment already. The other class doesn't have anything posted yet.

Cassie is taking her first attempt at going up the very large slide in the York park. Well, it's not really a park. It's more like an empty lot with a huge slide, a merry-go-round that will leave a person with wicked splinters in their ass if they dare ride on it, a bell, and a wooden backyard playset that looks like it came from Menards about 8 years ago. 

The slide is pretty big. She did go down, without much coaxing, and she decided it was a lot of fun. I think we spent an hour in the park because 5 other children (I am assuming they were brothers and a sister) and Cassie had fun playing with them. Since this was the FIRST time I had ever seen kids close to Cassie's age in town, I let Cassie play with the kids for a while before we came home. 

Cassie is getting ready to head down the slide and the two boys are still bunched up in the middle. For some dumb reason the boys liked the younger kids to run into them and push them down the slide. After a while, Cassie had enough of them and just told them to get off the slide as she went down 

Cassie is always smiles when we pick up Jessie at Nana's after we have been to the pool. I must say that has to be the most beautiful smile in the entire world. 

I think Jessie may have had a full diaper during this picture. Cassie swears that Jessie did! 

Cassie really does enjoy being a big sister. She is always trying to help me take care of Jessie. 

This is Cassie with Bob's border collie named Fifi. She is a very intelligent dog and devotes a lot of her time with the horses. when the foals are born, Fifi will go into the pens and lay next to the newborn foals and keep them warm when it's cold outside. 

I think Fifi is just as excited to see Cassie when we visit. Fifi knows there will be a lot of pats, belly scratching, and treats. 

Cassie is trying to get a better look at the gelding that have come up to say hello. For those of you not familiar with horse color types they are; (from left to right) bay, palamino, and buckskin. 

Cassie making friends with a buckskin gelding. 

I thought this was a nice pick of all three horses. Too bad the darn gate is in the way. 

Here is Dobby picking up the alfalfa that Cassie dropped while feeding him. 

I also have to throw this pic in because if I had enough money I would proably buy this palamino gelding too. 

These two are a couple of my favorites out at Bob's horse barn. They are super friendly too and they are waiting for a hand out of alfalfa from Cassie. 

Palamino and Bay geldings....they are very pretty. 

Here is Cassie ringing the bell outside our neightbor's horse barn. Cassie always rings it when we get there and then again when we leave. 

WHAT AN ADVENTURE

The town meeting with the city council dealing with zoning issues yesterday was crazy. I can't believe how many people are pissed off about the town being zoned and the things they have themselves convinced will be an issue when the zoning is final.

The mayor was one step ahead of every one and had a lawyer from Devils Lake sit in on the meeting to answer any legal questions and to get crap straightened out. The most common answer from the lawyer was, "That has nothing to do with zoning."

People started to argue and fight between themselves. The city council got into some pretty heated discussions with some of the public. One city council member even started going after the other council members and the mayor.

It was the most entertaining meeting that I have been to.

Today I realized the dumb shit who parked next to my car out in the street during the meeting banged his driver side door of his truck into the passenger side of my car. He smacked it pretty good because there is a red paint smear from his truck on my car door. The scratch goes down to the metal. I don't know how he could not have know he did that. I am really pissed about it because he didn't say anything to me. I had to find it the next day. I am going to call him tomorrow and talk to him about it. I want my car door repainted so that the spot doesn't start to rust.

While leaving our house today to take Cassie to the pool, a local farmer driving a truck in front of us lost 4 bundles of baling twine right out on highway 2. Being a good samaritan, I stopped and threw them in my trunk. I didn't want to leave them out on the road because bale twine is pretty expensive and I know someone would stop and take off with it. That, and it was right out on the highway where someone could hit it with a vehicle. I was going to catch up with the farmer and give the twine back, but the farmer was cruising at a pretty good pace and Cassie REALLY wanted to get to the pool. So I just headed to Leeds.

When I got to the pool in Leeds, I called the Cenex in York and told them that I found the twine on the highway and if a farmer came looking for it to send the farmer to me. Cenex gave me the name of the farmer that it belonged too because the farmer had just been in there looking for it. So after Cassie was done swimming, we drove out to the farmers house (he only lives 4 miles south of us.) and dropped off his twine. The farmer was very grateful to get the twine back because it cost him $400 and he sent me home with two dozen farm fresh eggs from his chickens.

Along with all these activities today, Jessie figured out how to roll from her stomach to her back. Now she can completely roll all the way around if she wants to. It's funny to watch her flip herself on her belly and then whip around onto her back when she gets tired of holding her head up. I am sure that it won't be long and she will me rolling all over the house to get to things.