I get so consumed with songs on the radio that have to deal with death, dying and/or leaving. The Calling has a song out there, even A Thousand Miles, but today, I heard Walk On, which I've sung with a million times. The part of the lyrics that actually sent chills to my body today were these:

You're packing a suitcase for a place
None of us has been
A place that has to be believed
To be seen

You could have flown away
A singing bird
In an open cage
Who will only fly
Only fly for freedom

Walk on
Walk on
What you got
You can't deny it
Can't sell it or buy it

Walk on
Walk on
You stay safe tonight


About an hour before my dad passed away, he said, in a clear voice, admist his gargling and mumbling, "I have to stay safe"

See why I have chills......just little things like this keep happening and I still can't believe that when I go to the cemetary, that my dad is buried.....

So, I get myself all psyched up to do an apheresis donation this morning, and because of my itchy eyes and slightly scratchy throat and somewhat clogged/runny nose, they told me it would be better to come back next month. UGH...I told my father before he died, that I would take the place of him in the donation pool, but so far, I haven't been able too. It seems that if you are not 100% healthy, it is not a good idea. I am so bummed, cuz it looks like May is out, since John will probably be in Boston, and I'd have to find a sitter, and June is on Father's Day, although, maybe I could work that in some how, since it would seem so appropriate.

Wow If I felt it all the way down here, wonder what it was like in NY???

No *official* word, but NBC just said that they are fielding a TON of calls about the earth shaking from all over the NY/NJ area...

Waiting to see what the official word will be. It was pretty intense, yet short, imo, but I have NO idea how it would compare to a CA one, or where the epicenter was. Stay tuned.

So......was that an earthquake this morning that woke us all up???

So, here I sit amidst a busy Spring calendar.....

I'll try and check in when time permitting, but it's just the normal hub bub around here, who wants to hear that, LOL...

.....need to redesign....

We went to Lakota Wolf Preserve yesterday with our Wolf Scouts.......Oh my GOODNESS.....this place was SO cool!!! The boys were so entranced with everything there was NO room for misbehavior, LOL.

Today we have our nephew's 1st Communion. The weather is supposed to be in the 70's all week. I need to really put the house in order tonight, for the whole week, LOL, so I can stay outside all day!!

Have a good one!

Ah.....now that Spring is here, there is SO much I want to do....everywhere.....but I am so confused as to where to start, that I end up doing nothing. On to Friday in Philadelphia......

We woke up and went down to breakfast, and my kids were in hog heaven......Johnny ate 2 eggs, 2 pancakes, 2 sausages and 2 pieces of bacon.....Steffi had the same dish, but didn't finish her pancakes.....Tommy had 4 pieces of French Toast. I had 2 eggs, potatoes and bacon and couldn't even finish. How the heck can my kids eat SO much, LOL. From there, we went back upstairs to check on Amy's status, and she needed to work and didn't have a car, anyway, so I told her no problem...we'd make plans for later.

We trekked on over to the Liberty Bell. The line was HUGE as their were several school groups in Philadelphia that day. The group in front of us decided that the 90-105 minute wait was too long, so they decided to get something to eat and come back in an hour. Thank goodness they did that, as the line moved 1/2 block up and around the corner. I thought they were a small group, but when I saw about 100 people get off line, we were stoked. When we first got there, I was nervous because there were news vans and cars all over, but then I realized we were across from CBS's Philly station and all there fleet was all parked on the streets, LOL. I'd have to say that my 3 children did VERY well waiting on an hour line to get in to look at a bell. We had to pass through metal detectors, and get ourselves and our stuff searched before entering the bell area. From there, we listened to a brief lecture, and to my surprise Stephanie knew almost all the answers to various questions. I later asked her how she knew all the stuff and she just shrugged her shoulders, LOL.

The line for Independence Hall was just as long, and there was NO way my kids could go another hour just waiting, so we headed over to Ben Franklin's grave. This is right across from the US Mint, which unfortunately is closed for public tours now. Damn terrorists...

From there we decided to hit Betsy Ross' House, as we were already on the northern most part of the historic area. The house was so narrow and tiny......we couldn't imagine having to negogiate that place on a dark and stormy night. We headed back down south to our hotel for lunch and swimming. As we were walking, we came across Christ's Church. We wanted to go in and look around, but there was a HUGE funeral going on. So neat to see such a historic structure, still being used by the masses.

We got back to the hotel and met up with John. He was on a break, so he showed us the pool and the kids wanted to go NOW, forget about lunch, so we went swimming. We came back, took showers, went out to get a hot dog on the streets and then packed up the van for Amy's.

We got there and Steffi headed for the cats, and the boys headed for PS2. I think the kids all had a GREAT time, as did I. We ordered Chinese, Rob came home from work, and we had dinner. After dinner, the kids played more, and Rob showed us his equipment, LMAO...seriously, he has this music program and he was fooling around with the guitar and keyboards, and the computer. After sitting in traffic, in and out of the city, we got back to the hotel, but on our jammies and went to bed.

Saturday, we woke up, had basically the same breakfast, and decided to tour little houses and sites interspersed throught the historic section of town. We probably could have done a tour of Independence Hall, but we wanted to make sure we got to the Franklin Institute on time to meet Amy and the boys, again. We all boarded the Philly Phlash, which is a little bus/van, that transports people on a *loop* and the whole family got an unlimited day pass for $10. Not bad....

We had a wonderful time at the Institute, and again, pictures are on Amy's blog, LOL, so you've probably already seen them. We headed back around 5pm and were so hungry. We really wanted to go to Morimoto's, but decided to walk 1/2 a block to the Pagoda Noodle Cafe, and that was just fine. Close and quick!! Had we had no kids, we would have gone into Center City, but this was just fine.

After dinner, John decided to get a in room movie for the kids.....we decided on Jimmy Neutron, after various go rounds of what we could watch. I fell asleep around 7:10, and I was DONE!! The kids, however, loved the movie. We were scheduled to see that movie with the Cub Scouts, back in December, but that was the weekend that my dad died, so I'm glad the kids got to see it in this *special* way.

Sunday, we woke up, packed, got in the van, and drove home and RESTED the remainder of the day.

All in all, a GREAT trip, and there is nothing I would have changed :-)

I need to finish my Philadelphia story, but I came across a test at Emode today

On Survivor, I am.......

The Peacemaker

Your Survivor Strategy is to be The Peacemaker. You want to play the game by your own rules — with integrity, honesty and a clear conscience. You just might be the one player on the island that cares less about the money and more about the experience.

Winning friends won't be a problem though, as fellow tribe members will feel secure in your company. You are a good listener and keep the complaining to a minimum. You'll get far in the game just because you're a pleasure to have around. But in this everyone-for-themselves environment, your friendly ways could be misinterpreted as a ploy to lure people into a false sense of security.

The Big Question: Will your moral code make you an easy victim of other more scheming tribe members?

Immunity Challenge Strength: Any competition that threatens to divide your tribe.

I've heard this song a bunch of times recently and it brings me to tears each time.

My dad's quote at the end of his life was "If you see a fork in the road, take it"......by Yogi Berra

Maybe you'll see why I cry after reading the lyrics by Green Day

"Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)"

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road.
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to do.
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why.
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time.

It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind.
Hang it on a shelf of good health and good time.
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial.
For what it's worth, it was worth all the while.
I hope you had the time of your life.

I hope you had the time of your life.

I'll do this in dribs and drabs...hehe

Thursday, we went to the dentist and we all got our teeth cleaned. Unfortunately Johnny had a teeny cavity in his 6 yr molar which was to get sealed :-( so I have to make an appointment in June for him to go back and get a little filling and then seal all of his molars. I feel like it is my fault as I waited a couple of months before I made the appointment once his molars were all the way in. Then.....we were off to Philly. We arrived around 1:30/2pm and were HUNGRY. John met up with an *coworker* from Houston, so we went to Rotten Ralph's to get some beer and munchies. After that, John started his meeting and the kids and I walked over to Penn's Landing, just to peek around. Our hotel was just across the street from the entrance. By that time, after unpacking and settling in, we decided to try to find a place for dinner. We made an excellent choice at Nick's Roast Beef

While there are tables with waitress service in the back, most of the action occurs up front, where a hearty, largely male clientele with a big thirst anxiously bellies up to the bar for food and fuel. HA......maybe that is why guys were STARING at me when I walked in with the kids, LMAO

You know......searching out some of these places.....I wish I had done that before we went and I wouldn't have had to search the phone book, LOL. Anyway......I had the MOST excellent cheesesteak there, the kids each ate 1/2 rack of ribs with cheese fries. Tommy had a hot dog :-).

We then came back to the hotel room to wait for Amy. About 7:45pm the fire alarm starts going off. An announcement comes on and says they are investigating the cause, but please leave the building. Right about now, the kids start FREAKIN' out. Their father is at Bookbinder's for a meeting (can't find a good link, LOL), I remember to grab my purse and hotel key, and get their shoes and jackets on. Steffi is in her pajamas, and the boys were still dressed. Steffi and John are crying that they are gonna die, Tommy is worried about all the toys I left in the room, and I am trying to tell them that we are outside, we are fine, and to stop being silly. The firemen come in with their sirens a-wailing. They get there, and don't even go in the building and they let us back in. They did make some kind of an announcement, but I noticed a girl coming across the entrance way, carrying a heavy package. IT WAS AMY!!! I didn't have my glasses on and it was dark, so I'm glad it was her after I was calling out her name. She, at first, thought that we were just out there waiting for her, LOL.

So, in we go to watch Survivor, drink beer and use the laptop. We had to use the stairs, as the elevators were still not turned on. So, we get all settled in, sorta. John didn't take off his jacket or remove his backpack until Survivor was over. He just wanted to go home.
At this point, my anxiety stomach kicked in, and I couldn't enjoy myself fully, but made the best of it. John walked in close to 10pm, a little buzzed and the kids were tired anyway, and Amy left for the night.

More later.........

Okay...we are HOME!! I loved being away. The kids were pretty decent, although there were times where you could tell that being in a hotel room was just a little too close for comfort for them. I had a blast with Amy and her family. I'm being lazy now, so go to her blog for a little recap.

I can't wait to sleep in my own bed with one person tonight, LOL.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know......I haven't posted.....sorry. Between the Spring weather really kicking in and our upcoming trip to Philadelphia, I've been busy OFF the computer. Plus, the kids are home on break and they are playing their new ScoobyDoo CDRom that John and I got them for Easter. I can't wait to see Amy and meet her boys. Johnny has finished all his projects that are due next week, my horseback riding starts on Monday again, baseball practice starts tonight......yup Spring is HERE!!

Our tax refunds came in and John is officially going crazy with home projects. Hopefully our driveway will be paved within the month and there is other major projects he wants to undertake. He is even thinking of NOT moving, which is sorta cool, since that could be a PITA, but making the sunporch downstairs a permanent structure and building a second floor over that which could add one or two bedrooms and another bath...Interesting.....