Hurricane Katrina and God's Plans

I am very saddened by what I see on CNN about Katrina. I lived in Houston for many years and made several trips to Lousiana during that time. Houston is about 2 hours away from the border and New Orleans is about a 6 hour drive. I never thought I would like Lousiana but I did and I really liked the people. They are very colorful in character and spirit. Just 13 months ago my husband interviewed for a position at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. He didn't care for the town much but was dying to get into neurosurgery. Someone from Houston even called the head of the department on behalf of my husband. We were very hopeful he would get the job/residency position. He didn't get it. We were all devestated. I saw his dreams slipping farther from his reach but I went to my room and prayed. I knew God could see the big picture where we could only see a portion. It is just so hard to have faith sometimes. Then a few weeks later something did happen. Another position opened up here in Kansas. My husband was invited to interview and got the job. I am reminded now of that day I prayed asking God why did he deny Mr.Daphnewood that position. We would have nothing right now if my husband worked there. No home, no job and not much to look forward to. The hospital he interviewed at is closed or going to close. They are asking New Orlean residents to stay away. The town is under 20 feet of water. I have several friends in Baton Rouge and hope everything is okay, especially you Rachel. They have no power. I am thankful that God spared us from such tragedy but now my prayers are going for those thousands of people. Americans do a lot of charity for other countries when there is disaster but now its time we focus on home, Folks. Florida was slammed last year and now Louisiana and Mississippi. New York had 9/11 and we all dug deep into our pockets and our hearts. Lets do the same for these states. You never know when it could be your own and you would need the support and refuge from others.

A Story By My Son

My children need therapy. My seven year old son told me this story this weekend just like this:

" Once upon a time there was a very beautiful and rich zebra. She was very beautiful and clean all over and she brushed her teeth everyday. One day she was walking along a road when she came up to this nasty dirty disgusting hotdog. The hotdog called up to the zebra and said 'hey zebra! why don't you eat me!' The zebra was grossed out and said 'No way! You disgusting dirty hotdog. If I eat you I would be a loser like you!' So the zebra walked away. As she walked away the hotdog snuck up behind her and jumped up her butt. Then the hotdog crawled up to the zebra's mouth and said 'Hey zebra! Your butt ate me! Ha ha ha!' The zebra screamed and yelled 'GET OUT OF MY BODY!!!!'

The End"

Then my son said "Isn't that just a classic story Mommy?" What could I say? It didn't help matters that my husband was rolling on the floor laughing . I just wonder do boys EVER outgrow potty humor? I have yet to see it in my house.

43 Things I'd Like to Do

The ever studly and sweet Dave asked me to list 43 (or as many as I could think of) things I would like to do before I die. Here is my list:

1. Get into grad school and get my PhD in social or neuro psychology.
2. Conduct my own gender study and get published.
3. See my husband finish residency and set up his own practice.
4. Be my ideal weight for the first time in my life since childhood.
5. Get a breast reduction surgery (I so want small perky breasts!)
6. Get in shape enough to play soccer again.
7. See my children grow and start families of their own.
8. Learn to play the guitar.
9. Learn to speak Italian.
10. Visit Sicily and Tunis to see where my Daddy grew up.
11. Build my own home exactly to my design with a huge bathtub complete with a waterfall faucet.
12. Read Harry Potter VII
13. See myself be RIGHT when I say Snape isn't bad (it was a setup of Dumbledore's making, y'all)
14. Stop being jealous
15. Love myself completely
16. Stop being a total basket case when I hear about bad things happening to children and actually do something about it.
17. Get out of debt including my husband's medical school loans (yikes!)
18. Get over certain phobias such as my fear of water, fish, heights and grasshoppers
19. Meet Keanu Reeves and have him not mind me just staring at his brown eyes since I won't be able to speak
20. Hug Spencer for real
21. Meet my other blogger friends
22. Be more patient with my kids
23. See a cure for autism
24. Visit every state in America including Hawaii and Alaska
25. Have a reunion of my buddies from high school (here's to you B.G's!)
26. Get back all the Portuguese I ever learned and then some
27. Buy the turtle platter from Knottyboy's gallery
28. Visit my friend in England and hug my English babies (her kids)
29. Find a church that doesn't condemn other churches or people and centers on the love of Jesus AND have a rockin' great worship band
30. Go parasailing one more time
31. Be able to get drunk just once without getting all splotchy and red
32. Get a pair of hand made denim jeans that fit my body perfectly
33. Teach at the college level
34. Learn higher math and get really great at stats
35. Pet a tiger
36. Own a zebra
37. Plant my very own vegetable garden and peach tree ( I like peaches)
38. Win a really big jackpot just once where they take my picture and put it up on the wall under the banner "Hall of Winners" whoohoo!
39. Learn all the words to "Shine" by the Newsboys
40. Find this crazy movie called American Dreamer on DVD and buy it
41. Just ONCE not cry when Dakota fanning yells "Creacy!" in the movie Man On Fire when she is running to him
42. Stop biting my nails
43. Learn how to make coffee

well there you go. boring as usual. sorry but I am not very ambitious in life. I am quite content actually. I would like see SunGrooveTheory's list as well as Rowan and Kimanada but I won't pressure you gals. I know you have a life and many more years ahead of you than I do to complete these things. I finished it Dave!

Parents, It's Raining Outside!

I do not understand this town. This morning I saw DOZENS of kids walking to school or waiting for buses in the rain. This is no big deal as some people do not have cars or money for buses sinces they charge to ride the school bus out here. However, I object to seeing these DOZENS of children walking or waiting without an umbrella or rain gear. One boy was covered up with a hooded sweatshirt. Yeah, that will be a nice soggy mess by the time he gets to school. One little girl (no older than 9) had jeans and a long sleeve shirt only. Don't they realize how cold they will be inside the classroom? It isn't cold outside, just wet. An umbrella cost $3 at Wal-Mart. I know this because I bought 3, one for each kid. The plastic ponchos were only $1.68. I feel like going and buying $30 dollars worth and handing them out at the bus stop. Please parents, cover up your kids! Am I crazy to feel horror at this? Please blogger buddies tell me if I am way off base here.

Bingo Calling Days

I used to be a bingo caller. I must say that I really loved my job most of the time. I had to deal with a few dishonest workers and some really crappy bosses but overall it was the players that I enjoyed being around and made it worthwhile. Most people would think that only lonely old women play bingo but I saw all sorts of people playing. Some funny people I remember most were the Chinese grad students. I think bingo was the only english word they knew. They got so excited and yelled bingo too soon EVERYTIME. There was this big huggy black man named Bobby who would yell so loud everyone would need to change their batteries in their pacemakers after he won. I loved him so much. He was always so supportive and kind. Then one time this whole group of late 30 somethings came in with a birthday boy. This guy had just turned 40 and for his birthday they took him to a cemetery, a retirement home, Luby's (the local buffet frequented by senior citizens), to play bingo and then bought him geritol and Depends undergarments. Nice 40th b-day present eh? I miss watching old ladies fight over chairs (thats my seat! you know I sit there!) and showing me pictures of their grandkids. In particular, I miss one player that died. She was married to an old actor who was in a lot of James Bond movies and John Wayne movies. He died over 20 years ago but she still dressed to impress. Such a cute little red head and sweet as honey. She was 81 when she died. She brought me homemade chocolate covered strawberries and pretzels. She also shared my love for See's candy. It was more than a player/ worker relationship because we did things together away from bingo. I am glad she had a full life though. She deserved every bit of happiness. When I get old I want to be happy and pleasant to be around just like her. She never talked about her "ailments". She was always ready for a party. I do miss meeting people like the ones I just mentioned but at least with my new job I can work at home and not smell like I just smoked 10 packs of cigarettes. This is important for a non-smoker.

blessing for the day: rain

Pondering Recent Airline Crashes

Do you think it is possible that recent airline crashes have anything at all to do with the age of the planes themselves? I mean with the Space Shuttles, age is a big factor and even one's own car can be dangerous if too old. Classic cars are awesome to look at but not the perfect vehicle for long road trips no matter how many new parts are installed. I know the reports say "wind shear" or "air conditioning problems" but really I wonder if there is more to it than is being presented. I would be curious to know if those planes were new or old.

Bragging Rights

I just have to brag about my musical genius aka my son. His orchestra teacher told me that my son can tune his instrument by ear. His said on the very first day of class my son said "hey Mr. M my G string is out of tune" and sure enough it was just slightly so. Then the teacher had a violin he played a note on for the class to copy and he said "okay that was a B note" (I am not sure this was the note he said as music is a foreign language to me) and my son started laughing and said "no it isn't Mr. M it is a D note" (again I am not sure what letters went where). So the teacher was intrigued and went to the electronic tuning machine and sure enough my son was right. The violin he was playing was out of tune. I just had to brag about my musically talented son who is practically deaf in one ear. whoohoo!

Dieting and Work

I have started back on my diet. It's not really a diet and nutritionsts are ALWAYS appalled when I tell them my secret but dammit, it works. It works for me anyway. And for Mr. Daphnewood who has lost 80lbs and kept it off. It is just next to impossible to stay on it though. But we'll see. I need to shrink my physique in a major way. But all that is depressing talk. Just know it is going well and I feel healthier already.

I could not blog or read any blogs at all yesterday. I was so busy with work. I need to get a full 40 hours in and my kids do not make it easy. I complained about my schedule already to Rowan but I want to complain some more this morning. I have 3 children who go to 3 different schools. They start school at 7:40, 8:10 and 8:45. That takes up my entire morning from 6 am until 9 am. Then in the afternoon they get out at 2:40, 3:10 and 3:45. Another hour and a half shot. The one that starts late will soon be riding the bus but until then I just wanted to whine. Thanks for listening.

Blessing of the Day: Lower electricity bills and good friends

The Dumbing Down of Daphnewood

I have been out of school since May. It is amazing how easy it is to let your mind slack. I find myself forgetting the names of psychologists who conduct certain studies. Like who is the woman that does all those poverty studies usually centered in WV? I think her name is Mary something-or-other. I hate that I cannot give her proper credit. How am I ever going to get into grad school if I have already forgotten a modern psychologist that has shaped current trends? I suck. And I can tell that if I had to write a term paper I would not be able to do it in one sitting. That is a Daphnewood trademark! I can always push out a righteous first draft in one shot. Then revision is so minor but now, I know I would fail miserably. I had to take off this year though. I could not afford the out of state fees just in case I got into a Master's program instead of the PhD for one, but the main reason is that my son needs surgery. It is intensive and skull based and very dangerous. I'll blog about it some other time. He cannot hear very well in one ear but hopefully by the end of this year his hearing will be completely restored. So I guess dulling my mind is a very small price to pay for the health of my son. I feel better now and not so dumb. I made a very wise decision.

The Cost of Being a Bass Player

My autistic son plays the bass. He is a very talented musician and loves music. One time he heard some classical music at NASA and they actually sent him a CD of the music that streams through the Space Center. Music fascinates him more than lyrics which tickles me because until him, I never really cared for classical music. I cannot tell you the pride I feel for him when I see him with the rest of the orchestra all dressed in black and white handling that monster of an instrument. Violin players cover the floor but there is always only a handful of bass players. That just makes his skill all the more special to me. We both were happy to find out that bass was recently added to the orchestra in this new school district. At the old school we just wrote a check for $180 and it covered insurance and everything for the entire year because the school owned the bass. Kansas is different. Orchestra isn't that well funded. It will cost me $680 a year to pay for my son's bass rental and an additional $8 monthly to cover insurance. This is the up-front cost too. Otherwise it will be $280 every four months plus $8 for the insurance. So because I do not have the $680 I will end up spending $936 for him to keep that bass year round. I cannot tell my son "no", either. It is one of his few pleasures in life. Please feel sorry for me.

Off and Running

The kids are at school! Today started the school year and except for a minor hate of my son's junior high, everything went okay. The high schooler was happy and eager to begin her day. My second grader was a little overwhelmed by a school with stairs but took a fancy to his teacher the minute he met her. He gave us a thumbs up as we left. The 7th grader had to wait in this huge long line that was more disorganized than a mosh pit just to get a schedule that was incorrect. Let's just say it was a very trying time for a person with autism who needs order and rules. Mr. Daphnewood said he was just about to yank our son out of the school if this chaos continued. However, in the end our son was happy and skipping off to class. I guess sometimes we parents make it worse than it needs to be. One thing I did notice was that SEVERAL boys were wearing pink shirts. Is this a new color for boys? Please tell me because I am sooo not the fashion girl.

Faith, Banana Bread and Chocolate Cake

It's Sunday and I did not go to church. I stopped going to church services when I moved to Texas nearly 8 years ago because of personal reasons despite a burning faith in Jesus. Please never think that my decisions in life are not weighted by my faith. It is an important aspect to my personality. I am not really a Holy-Roller. I am not saying those are bad just that it's not me. I prefer to sit on the outside and hang with the riff-raff. God's Kingdom is diverse enough for all sorts of people. I am thinking about starting back up though. ANYWHO, because I was able to move around I made banana bread and chocolate cake for the week. The kids start school and I am so happy about that and scared at the same time. Everyone send good vibes to them and especially to the autistic one. They seemed to want to put him in a lot of special ed classes which I fought. It would be a step backward. He intellectually is fine and superior in some areas so why put him in special ed? He just needs help remembering to not blurt out answers and such. Or quit rocking back and forth when nervous. So the banana bread was for him. It is his favorite. The chocolate cake was for me. It was my favorite. But I'll share.

I wanted to say I added a couple new links to my blogroll. One is Sangrocito's World who is a fantastic author with moving stories and memories from his life. The other is Boozie who I have read from Day One but only recently got brave enough to start leaving comments on her blog. She is one hilarious kid and so dang smart I can barely keep up with her. I didn't ask either of these bloggers if I could link them so click quickly in case they make me take them down! Have a fantastic week everyone.

My Digusting, Verbally Graphic Medical Post

I have been away from blogging for a couple of days. This hasn't been by choice. I got an ouch-ie. I am not diabetic but prone to developing boils and skin infections that get out of control. This week I got a boil on my inner thigh that was HUGE. I could barely walk or sit. Finally when I found myself in bed the entire afternoon I confessed to my husband what was the problem. Husbands are curious creatures. Some are handy with automobiles, some can fix appliances but mine just happens to be expertly trained in surgery. He knows I am a wimp. So my dear sweet hubby took a look at my nasty disgusting swollen red thigh and shot it full of lidocaine (I cannot spell medical terms so these may be incorrect). I cried at first. Then my sweet dear husband took a scalpal and cut my leg to bits. Apparently I had let it go a little longer than I should have. He had to cut my leg, drain all nasty pus filled pockets then pack my leg with medicated gauze. So here I sit at the computer, practically pain free but with gauze gaping from a hole in my leg. I walked down the stairs, I cooked dinner, and I sat in the hard wooden chairs at the diningroom table. I will be taking darvocet shortly so I sense a great night's sleep is coming my way. I just sort of laughed to myself because God is so amazing by giving us what we need in life. I do not care for doctors or hospitals. I would have let my leg rot off before going. Instead, God gave me a husband who can take care of these little emergencies which reduced my stress tenfold. I trust Mr. Daphnewood, not just any old white coat wearing surgeon. Thank you God for blessing me in this way. And thanks to my husband who I owe, BIGTIME!

I'm Perfect

I went to the casino (I won yay!) and I had to share what transpired there. I was standing in the middle of the casino floor when I saw this man walking towards me with his head down. He looked up and stopped dead in his tracks and said somewhat under his breath "oh my God you're perfect!" Ok folks, Daphnewood is 35, short, fat and was not primped at all at this time. I said to the man in a very confused tone "excuse me, what did you say?" He sort of shook his head like his brain was working again and said loudly "I SAID YOU ARE PERFECT" All I could think was this guy had to be drunk or blind or both. I just blushed really red (hating myself for such weakness) and said a polite 'thank you' to the man then ran away. It has been a long while since I affected a man like that based on appearance only. I am still astounded at how he reacted. I figure he has to be a boob man. I did have my hands in my back pockets so no arms to hide my chest. I have had drunk, old guys hitting on me since I could walk but this guy was young and really sweet and kept walking by my machine I was playing. I could tell he wanted to talk to me. I figured I better put him out of his misery and made sure my hand, complete with wedding band, was visible. Once he saw I was married his walk-by trips stopped. Still, it was really funny to see my husband's face when I told him "hey babe, I was lucky at the casino and almost got lucky too!"

Done With Road Trips

I am done with road trips for a while. I took Solin home which means 12 hours in the car one way. I really enjoy my drives when I am alone and thankfully this time the girls slept almost the entire way. So in a way, it was like being alone. I listened to David Crowder alot and as I got nearer to Houston I was able to pick up KSBJ. I just love that station. No commercials. I am thinking about getting satellite radio because of it. Anyway, I saw the sun rise and I saw it set while on the road. I hope you like the pictures.



Sunrise



different colored cows all getting along. It's a shame people can't learn a few things from cows.



these are a great invention! the keep people from falling asleep and drifting off of the road.



sunset. it was beautiful.

Texas Sayings

I am going back to Houston this weekend and in the spirit of all things Texan I thought I would share some phrases a person might hear of they ever visited the state. Texans, feel free to add your own to this very incomplete list

How are you today? I'm as fine as frog's hair! or Happy as a hog in mud!

said to a disheveled looking person: You look like you've been rode hard and put up wet!

It sure is hot today! Yeah, it's hotter than a stolen tamale!

He is mean. Meaner than a skillet full of rattle snakes

He is stupid. About as sharp as a mashed potat-uh or He has a big hole in his screen door

That lady is fat. She is one corn fed country girl. (this has been used to describe me! God help me)

Well that is all I will write down for now but occasionally I might add more to the side bar. There are so many that just roll off the tongues of Texans and it is so amusing. They are so creative. Anyway, I could talk the ears off of a cow so I better end this blog right now. I couldn't resist adding one more.

Farmer's Bounty

We went to the Farmer's Market yesterday and got some yummy food. I personally cannot stand canteloupe but my family loves it. The smell gets to me and this certain canteloupe stunk to high heaven. I made them eat it immediately which got no argument whatsoever. The tomatoes at this market are fabulous. I have even learned the difference between some of the red ones. I know that I prefer Brandywine and Jetstar tomatoes over all others. Did you know that there were so many brands? I am a city girl so these things are a blast for me. It's like going to a foreign country without a passport and everyone speaks english. A real cultural experience that all should try once in their life.

My New Job

I have been pretty busy with my new job. It is a real cake job actually. I just sit at home and scan files into Adobe and make CD's with the scanned data. How easy is that?! I know it does not require my new found bachelor's degree in psychology to do this job but sometimes it is nice to get paid for doing mindless stuff in the comfort of your own home.

On a side note, I finally read Harry Potter VI. I liked it but have had some disagreements with others about it (such as what the final book might contain or not contain). Now I want to get take the kids to the zoo and the Farmer's Market before school starts but it has been kind of hot for the zoo. I do so love the zoo in Kansas City. It is huge and they let their kangaroos run free. I'll take a picture some time and post it.