Zaid's Leg

The Friday after Thanksgiving, Zaid went to the Georgia Aquarium. That night, he began to complain of leg pain. He started limping. He has had the leg pain since that day. We gave him Tylenol, that seemed to help a little. He is going to the Pediatrician tomorrow. I do not think I have ever been this concerned about his health as I am now---researching what could be wrong with him. The possibilities seem endless so I eventually gave up and will wait until his Pediatrician makes a ruling.
It broke my heart when he prayed for his leg to be better; I am so thankful he looks up for healing. I just wish he was not in any pain.

A Birthday Toast, Actually a Birthday Surgery

It has been a LONGGGG time since I last blogged on here. :-) Guess I have been either a) super busy or 2) watching too much TV. I entered the politics world recently, then I kinda left that. Then I fell in love with the show HOUSE, then I kinda left that behind. LOL Sometimes I crack myself up. I am still in school--elementary education. Eventually I'll be teaching little ones (I hope.) If I can pass this BIOLOGY ONLINE LAB. Every time I think about it; it makes me ANGRY. I neva shoulda signed up for online classes; I do not do well working from home. Nope. I guess this class will be like my High School Physics class, when I finally realized that I would have to go to the class and *cough, cough* study to pass, I WENT. I PASSED. I think I got an A in there.
The week of my Fall Break, I had to make a trip to Indianapololis and Hammond, IN (close to Chicago) with Tamer. Not really a pleasure trip. Then we get home, get unpacked and Sunday morning I wake up with terrible pain. I thought it was food poisoning. I went to my birthday lunch at The Chop House. I had been looking forward to it for awhile. Then I feel like I'M GOING TO DIE. I COULD BARELY WALK. AHHHHHHHHHHH.................I still went shopping for some things I need. :-) hehe Come home......do homework.........CRY myself to sleep. Wake up---go to school, call my friend Allison to let her know that I have some sort of tummy virus and I can't make it to her end-o-summer bbq. She said "Jennifer, it's probably your freakin' appendix." I call my Mom, then Tamer, then he calls the Dr. b/c my phone is about to die. I go to see my Dr., he orders a CAT scan, HEY, Allison was right, it's my appendix! ON my Birthday....my 28th Birthday. Ahhhhh.....
I had (1) mint and 4 (rolaids) ALL DAY LONG--I thought I had heartburn. :-) My head hurt so bad. I cried. It was awful. Why didn't I TAKE TYLENOL WHEN IT FIRST STARTED TO HURT, WHY DIDN'T I ask for medicine?????
Then I have surgery. They took out my appendix on my 28th. Guess it coulda been worse, huh?????

Sea Turtles

New York

On May 23rd, I boarded a plane for Newark, NJ for a Girls Trip to NYC!! The best thing about that trip was just hanging out with my friends. It was refreshing and wonderful. The memories will never be forgotten.

Seaglass

Finding seaglass on the beach seems like such a special little gift. You are walking along, and then you see something colorful and smooth. Zaid is fasicinated with shells and seaglass. He wants to find the "most rare" colors of red, pink and peach. So far we have found an emerald green piece, a white piece and a rather large seafoam green piece.

Plane Trip to Jupiter Island

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)it's always ourselves we find in the sea.
- e.e. cummings

We left early on Saturday morning, June 7th (Tamer's Birthday), for a family vacation to Jupiter Island, Florida. Zaid was hesitant about flying as he can not remember ever being on a plane. My Mom really talked it up to him about how much he would love it. She told him about how he would be able to see the clouds and cities. We gave him the window seat so that he could look out. We departed out of Hartsfield International, there was a long line of planes waiting to take off, so Zaid was a little antsy. Eventually, we were airborne and Zaid got the biggest smile on his face as he looked out the window, he said "Wow!! This is just like what Mawmaw said!!" He looked out for the longest time at the clouds and the earth around him. He thought the wing of the plane was another smaller plane. He smiled it seemed like the entire time. I feel so fortunate to have been sitting right beside him able to watch his reactions and share in this experience with him.

Fargo---Our New Puppy

Meet Fargo!

Observation Journal

It is 4:25 am and I am still up working on my journal that is due in......ummmm, a little less than five hours. I think it was about 3:00 am that I realized there would be no sleep tonight. :-)
When I graduate, huge celebration at my house. Undergraduate....1st. :-) Then I start my Masters. In Kentucky, teachers have 5 years to start their Masters and 10 years to complete it.

I remember when I first started talking to teachers when Zaid went to Kindergarten and everyone had their Masters, I just thought everyone here was highly motivated. I didn't know it was a requirement. :-)

Back to work I go, hi ho, hi ho, hi ho.

Zaid's Spring Break

Zaid is visiting his Nona and Geddo in Atlanta for the week. He is on spring break and just generally having a wonderful time there. They are spoiling him down to his tiniest tutter. I know they have bought him two Nintendo DS games within three days. :-)
It is hard on me with him being away. I felt lost on the first day, then I realized how many tasks I needed to complete. So now I'm a busy bee working along. I found this poem, I remember when Zaid turned five years old, I was five kinds of crazy and this poem got me through. I'm such a sappy Mommy, I know but I truly feel blessed and privileged to be a Mama, Mommy, Mother, Mom. I miss all his questions. I miss that little guy.
Tamer's Mom said that she took him to the library and he got a library card there, he checked out a book on Atoms (he wants to know why they split) and the librarian asked him if it was for a project. He said no, it was not for project and Nona said that the Librarian was impressed with him. :-) Then last night he reasoned out that yes, it was 10:00 pm in Atlanta, but that it was only 9:00 pm in Kentucky so therefore it wasn't time for him to go to sleep yet.

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)
i am never without it(anywhere i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)i fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart) ee cummings

Super Saturdays

During the month of February, Zaid had the opportunity to participate in a program at Western called Super Saturdays. It is a program for gifted and talented students. Zaid was able to pull the DNA out of a strawberry on the last day of the program.

This was also the day of his Birthday Party at ChuckE.Cheese's.

Friends Over

Zaid had a friend spend the night a couple of weeks ago. They had a blast! They put to

gether a bionicle kit (from Aunt Rim for Zaid's birthday) and played keyboard on TV and DS right beside each other on Zaid's beanbag. He loved it!! :-) Then for bed, we let them watch TV until they fell asleep well...until the friend fell asleep. His friend was a little scared so I layed down on the couch so he would know I was there if he needed anything. Zaid would stay up all night long if the TV is on, so when his friend fell asleep I turned it off and he slept at the other end of the couch. :-) When they woke up, they were back at playing again until it was time for church. I am glad they had fun.

Colored Paper Clips in Glass Jars

I am going to California in less than two day, quite by accident. I had an emotionally draining week about a month ago, hmmm...who am I kidding every day is emotionally draining for me. I digress. Anyway, a friend sent me some pictures of her friend's who lives in LA. The mountains, the ocean and Santa Monica Pier. I called her and said "Let's go to LA tomorrow!" And so the search was on for tickets, unfortunately or fortunately depending upon how you look at it, we were not able to find tickets on a shoestring budget SOOOO......we scheduled the trip for a month later. The positive side of going a month later is that we have been able to really psyche ourselves up for this trip....we have countdowns and are just generally staying in tip top condition, with haircuts, pedicures and well, the likes of all that. I even cooked in the ultra bronze yesterday. I hate the smell of that. You would think that I would have the sense to not tan after my Mom has had skin cancer twice. What can I say, in the infamous words of my darling nephew once upon a time ago "Some people are stupid."

At one point, I saw a picture of LA and realized that ummm, this was not the California I knew. I only knew San Diego and I had fallen in love with the place, however for some reason I was thinking more of San Diego when we bought our tickets! I actually like more serene places like San Diego. But who am I to say I won't fall head over heels for LA, you never know.......

Someone said something tonight that really stuck with me, she said "If everybody likes you, then there is something wrong." That definitely hit home with me. That is all I have ever wanted anyone to do, is to like me. For the first time, I am realizing that it is okay if someone does not like me, I DON'T like everyone I MEET either. I have ALWAYS tried to please everyone, I am done, done, done, done, done. I can't make everyone happy. Another random thought, is that I have this awesome professor for my Literature class. I have had to miss a couple of days in there, she let me make up my exam and she was so super sweet about it, letting me take it when I was more prepared. Then today I had to give her the news that I would have to miss her class on Friday and I just told her the truth of it all. And again she was so understanding. Hmmmmm....a lot going on upstairs tonight....mainly I am just feeling so super-confident that it's okay to be me. I don't have to apologize a million times a day for myself. I do not have to live up to this image that I have of myself. It's okay to be less than perfect.

In other news, I bought a pair of canary yellow converses recently. :-) Also, another friend wants to "teach" me about music, so Tamer hopped onto www.buy.com and purchased an MP3 player for me. I think he got tired of me whining about an iPod.

OHHHHHHHH......yea for some reason I am on this SSSS list at the airport. I hadn't flown in five years until recently. Yea. It's quite lovely. They frisk you and go through your underwear while you watch. And everyone stares at you like you are going to try to do something on the plane. You just want to look at everyone and shake your head, "No, I'm not going to try anything on the plane, I promise." And then pinky swear or something like that. It's not so bad when you have suitcase full of nicely laundered clothes but when you are going back home, chances are all of your clothes are dirty and at that point you just feel bad for the attendant that has to go through your stuff.
Oh yea, in Nashville not only did I have do go through e'thing on the SSSS list, BUT some sort of sensor when off when it checked one compartment of my bag SO THAT made everyone look at me more. Did I mention I don't like people looking at me. It makes me uncomfortable. Yep. Hard for me to have conversations; I have come a long way though. I just remembered that I used to look at the ceiling and walls when I talked to people, I don't do that anymore, don't even remember when that happened.

One thing that I feel like recently is that I am free to be me again. I can just wear my little yellow shoes and sing my beatles song and not care what anyone else thinks. I can be real, not some sort of cookie cutter.

Stay tuned for more updates on LA and a blockbuster hit soon "Jan and Jen's Adventure" In Geekumentary form!

Lullabies

When Zaid was a little baby, we had a website for him to show family and friends how he had grown from week to week, one day I went to the website to update it and most of it was deleted out. I had to do a project for Literature class last week and scanned in a lot of pictures; Zaid's birth announcement was one of them.

One thing I remember most about the baby days is how much Zaid slept, he slept and slept and slept. I called my Mom probably every day, concerned that he was sleeping so much!! :-) I remember rocking and rocking and rocking him, I held him even while he was asleep in those days.

Fighting Bears

Somedays, life just seems to creep by....slowly, slowly like something out of an Eric Carle book. Then one day you look up at the date and realize that your baby is going to be seven years old in nine days. Every year, I get the same feelings of "Would you look at that? Zaid is another year older." As I savor all of the memories of the past year, I look forward to new memories and new advances in the life of my little one. Yesterday we were driving home from Target and Zaid said, "Mama, what do all the armies fight? Why are there so many? Who do they fight?" As the years go on, I begin to give the answer of "I am not sure Zaid." or "Let's look it up!"; but yesterday I had no answer for him, can I possibly expain to Zaid why fighting exists when I do not fully understand it myself? I remained quiet. So quiet. Eventually he said, "Mama, are they fighting bears?" I myself was hoping he would come to this conclusion as he did last year when one of our dear friends joined the Army; in an attempt to expain it to himself, Mr. Lee must be fighting bears, right? I chose not to correct him; I mean who is to say if a bear came a long; someone in the army could and would have the means to fight him, right?