Toothless...

Look at this precious TOOTHLESS grin!! Last night, Emee lost not just one, but 2 teeth at once! She has already lost her 2 front, bottom teeth (not at the same time & there was already teeth there to replace them), but there is just nothing like that big gap!! The Tooth Fairy came and brought TWO DOLLARS!! Too bad it won't last forever...

Daddy

Today marks the day that my father passed away 2 years ago. As Dave said it just doesn't seem like it has been that long. Yes, I always remember the day because it is the day after my mother's birthday - doesn't that stink for her? The strange thing is that I miss him at the weirdest times. I have the occasionally stirring memory in church (it's always the songs) not just for him, but other things too --I always think of him on a good 'ole song with a bass lead in the chorus. But I think of him the most when I am preparing for something at my house. I know that sounds weird, but it is because I never vacuum unless something gets spilled or I am having guests/a party. Other than that, I let the cleaning lady do it when she comes! He would ALWAYS do the vacuuming -- even until the very end he always wanted to help. There weren't too many things he could do, but he could always vacuum. It didn't matter if he went over the same spot 752 times, eventually he got most of it and even if he didn't get everything, it still had the tracks so it LOOKED newly vacuumed (looks can be deceiving!!!). The night before he passed away, Mom & I were at the assisted living facility with him and we were able to meet the night-time nurse/caretaker. Most of the people there slept through the night so there was just one lady and she also cleaned up. She told us that many nights he would get up & wander to where she was cleaning and wanted to help her -- so she put him to work VACUUMING!! How ironic is that?
The other day, I came home from the gym & Emee was eating breakfast. I greeted her and she was just kind of gloomy -- I asked her what was wrong and she said, "I miss Papa..." I don't really know where that came from since we hadn't been talking about him or anything, but I was able to tell her a story about how he was the one that always ate peanut butter on his pancakes (which she eats EVERY morning) and told her that I missed him too but at least we had good memories of him. He wasn't the perfect parent -- who is?? I know I am not...but I am choosing to remember the good times for they far outweigh any others...thanks for all the memories, Daddy!!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Today is my mom's birthday and in typical MiMi fashion, she met us at Addi's basketball game earlier. She taught high school here forever and is retired now, but ALWAYS busy. She NEVER stops - I don't think I ever even saw her watch TV growing up - the only time would be a Cowboys game and she would be behind the ironing board doing the ironing!! Obviously, I take more after my Daddy since I do NOT have trouble sitting down!! :o) She also goes to Southlake to see my brother and his family as often as she can - usually at the busiest time for them so that she can go watch as many of their activities as possible. I really don't think she ever missed an event that my brother or I were in and still goes to EVERYTHING that the girlies do! Even when my Daddy was in the last stages of Alzheimer's (before we had to put him in assisted living), she would come & bring him with her so she could see their games. She took care of him absolutely as long as she could (probably a little longer than she should have) and then has taken care of my Grandma every since she retired. She is without a doubt the most given person I have ever met and the most incredible role model for me. She has taught me that you just take care of people, whether it is the little old person at church that needs you to carry their purse or someone very close to you - it doesn't matter who. She helps me so much to get the girlies from one place to another. I always tell her that I certainly appreciate her help, but she doesn't have to do it -- I really think she just wants to and that is the way she is wired. I think she thinks, "Why should Kay have to do so much when I can help?" Whatever the reason, I don't tell her often enough how much I appreciate EVERYTHING she does. We LOVE you, MiMi!!

Basketball

We just got home from Addi's first basketball game of the season. She did SOOOO great (OK, she could have done better getting rebounds, but we have to have something to work on!) and played the whole game, except about 2 minutes. They had games last weekend, but since we were in Houston, we missed them. Our team was really not "on" yet in the 1st half, but did MUCH better in the 2nd and came back to win 19-12. WOO-HOO!! On the way home, I was telling her how proud I was of her and how awesome she did and she said, "Basketball must just be in my genes!" She knows that I used to play & that basketball is probably my favorite sport to play, watch or coach. However, I didn't have the heart to tell her that I wasn't that great - she will be MUCH better than me. She has that natural ability (but doesn't really work at it) - I did NOT have that, but I worked my tail off to get what little I had!! I can't even imagine what she would be like if she did have that "burning desire" to do better!! It will be interesting to see how it all turns out. She has already been asked to join a "club" team so I guess she will decide real quick this Spring if basketball is something she really wants to pursue. I will take some pictures and one of these days I will figure out how to put them up with the posts...Julie, help (once again)!! Actually, I think I may have just seen the icon - I'll do some experimenting (in my spare time - HA)!
Hope everyone has a super Saturday!

Houston

We went to Houston this weekend to visit Grandma & Grandad and (almost) all the cousins! We had a wonderful time and even got some special activities in, besides spending cherished time with family! Emee had 2 "private" figure skating lessons and they seemed to really help. She has her group lesson this afternoon so we will see how she does. Addi & Dave got to go to a Rockets game with Grandad Saturday night and it was a real nail-biter -- down to the wire! The Rockets pulled it out - sorry Erica and all you other Spurs fans - and Addi had a terrific time. Dave said she was explaining BB and screaming the whole game!! This was the first time that Addi did some stuff with her older, TEENAGE cousins without us there - she's growing up on us! Thanks to them for including her. We went & got our nails painted and Grandma fixed a tea party for us. Of course, I had to get in some shopping! The only bummer was that our plane was late Monday night and so we didn't get to bed until REALLY late, but the girlies did good getting up for school Tuesday morning - even though I know that they HAD to be tired! Kendie is the "Star of the Week" this week so we had to gather "O" objects to take to school Tuesday! We all went to bed early Tuesday night!! Thanks Grandma & Grandad for a WONDERFUL weekend!! :o)

Chipmunk Music

So all of the songs sound great on my computer, but my friend, Melissa, was listening to them and some of them sound like they are performed by the Chipmunks!! She even held the phone up so I could hear...and she wasn't lying. Has anyone else experienced this?? I really am not a fan of the Chipmunks, but Kendie sure did like the movie!! Let me know...

New Community

I feel kind of strange writing this because I would not EVER want to minimize the wonderful friends and family that have supported me ALL during and since my surgery. I have the most wonderful & supportive husband and extended family and great friends -- I couldn't be more blessed! They have helped me get on with my life and overlook all my "inadequacies" like you wouldn't believe. However, now that I have been visiting the Acoustic Neuroma Forum, I must say that it is nice to be able to communicate (or just read about) with other people who have experienced the same things. That saying is true that until you have walked a mile in someone else's shoes, you don't really know what they are going through. (Kay paraphrase) No matter how much someone wants to be there for you, until they have been there themselves, they can't truly know how it feels. I can only hope that I can always remember this when dealing with others. One of the most important things that I have already learned from others with AN is that I have it really good!! I've always known that there it ALWAYS someone else who has it worse, but I needed to realize that there are a lot of people who had EXACTLY what I had and are much worse off. I feel so blessed not to have the HORRIBLE headaches that so many have to deal with all of the time -- some are even fighting for disability because they are so debilitating! Even though some would say that I haven't been that lucky, I feel like I am. I feel all of this is making me realize a few things and HOPE that I can be a better person!! :o) Thank you to all those who lift me up!!
Have a super weekend!

Jump'n'Jive!!

YEA!! We have MUSIC! I am so excited -- I figured out how to do ALL of this by myself except the very last step!! I didn't even know that you could go to a place & create a playlist for free until this afternoon. I went to my friend's blog and worked backwards from there. There were some songs that I had planned on adding that were not on that particular sight -- I am sure you could put them on yourself (I just chose from what they had), but whew, I have done enough computer stuff for one day! I called two of my more literate computer geeks, I mean friends, but they couldn't help me with this one. I'm sure either of them could have figured it out if they would have been here in front of the screen instead of me just trying to tell them! :o) One even offered to come over and help, but had plans tonight so was going to come tomorrow -- you can still come, Diane! So sweet...Anyway, we went to eat, came home & Dave immediately figured it out (I knew he just needed food to stimulate his brain). He did admit, after I gave him a big ole hug, that he just happened to hit the wrong button and got it!!! Whatever works - I'll take it however I can get it!! I better go - I have spent WAY too much time on this and I haven't even started to pack for the girlies and me (we are leaving tomorrow to go to Houston!!!

Nothing

OK...the only thing going on here is the snow outside. Yesterday, the high was 60 degrees and today it is 28!! It has been "spitting" snow most of the day but no accumulation. Really, it has been pretty yucky because the wind has been blowing and it is FREEZING!!! It is definitely not one of those peaceful, beautiful snows. When I woke up & heard the wind this morning I looked outside to make sure we weren't in Kansas! It was in the 30's when I went to the gym at 5:30, but as I learned on the morning news (I learn so much watching the news while I work out), you can't have a "HIGH" until the sun rises, so by then the temperature had dropped! I have been wearing my "Marshmallow" coat so I have stayed pretty warm going from place to place. I ordered a coat a couple of years ago and the girlies say I look like a giant marshmallow in it -- it is a darn good description!! It is long (which I love for the wind), puffy and white! I guess it is a good day to be stuck doing laundry (which is what I am doing!). Guess I'll go fold some more clothes...stay warm! :o)

Girlies...

I thought that I would expound on why "girly" is such an important word to us and why I naturally chose it to be in the title of our blog. Incidentally, I LOVE the name and am very proud of myself for coming up w/it!! When Dave & I started dating, he called me his "Girly Girl" - which I loved! Soon, I was referring to all the girls I came across as "girlies" - mainly the ones in my classes. After we had our 1st child, I would tell Dave that "his girlies" loved him. As our family expanded, we were always blessed w/ girlies (a fact that did not bother either of us - we were just glad to have healthy babies since I had already had 4 miscarriages). One day I was driving down I-40 and I saw a bus w/ a HUGE CHICK coming out the top! You can imagine what a sight that was! Later, I found out that it was a national promotional tour for those Peep Chick marshmallow things, but of course, my happy, little brain was whirling! I thought, "I have my own little Chick Bus here!" That lead to me thinking that I should get personalized license plates that said Chick Bus (of course I had never even given a thought one to personalize plates before but now I HAD to have them). I think Dave thought that I had gone crazy -- but I know he has probably had that thought MANY times over the course of our marriage !! :o) However, when I told him about it, his response was not the positive, supportive one I had expected! First, he was not real thrilled about his wife & young daughters driving around in a CHICK BUS - nor did he relish the idea of driving in one when we went out as a family (OK, he had a point). Secondly, he wanted to know why all of the sudden I wanted vanity plates -- pardon, did you say VANITY??? That lead to a discussion on VANITY vs. (what I called) PERSONALIZED plates! (Hello, do you think you could have a face like this and still be VAIN?????????????) I stuck to my guns - I think I can be kind of stubborn when I get my mind on something - and came up with GIRLY*S. Now the teacher in me was really bothered by the fact that this was misspelled - I didn't change Y to I and add "-es" - there weren't enough spaces on the license, but I wanted those PERSONALIZED plates so bad I could learn to live with it! So that is the long & short of it...if you see (or nearly get hit by) a silver Honda van that has GIRLY*S plates - it's me. Please try to refrain from using foul language against me as I have small children in the car and by golly, I'm just doing the best I can-probably trying to put on some Polly Pocket clothes or pick something up out of the back floor while I drive!! Not really, I try to save that for stop lights! That's the story -- I think you can figure out the 3 and "curly" part on your own just by looking at the picture!!
Have a happy Monday!!

Explanation...

OK...so after giving more thought to this, I think that I need to clarify a few things. I am really excited about trying to reach out and help people that are really needing someone to talk to about Acoustic Neuroma; however, this will NOT be a blog just about that!! It will MOSTLY be about our family and the crazy, funny things that happen to us and what we are doing. Hopefully, I am not consumed with the fact that I had an acoustic neuroma (even though I am proud that I have been through all that & think I have come out of it on the other side) and my life does not revolve around that. I say all that because I realized that for someone to find my site, I have to have those words in it a lot so that it will be picked up & those really searching for information or others who have/had AN can find their way to Three Curly Girlies. I still don't understand about blogs and how they work, so any help is appreciated - especially on how I get my address out there. Please feel free to send this address to anyone that you think could benefit from it. For someone who really didn't plan on doing this, God has really been working overtime the last 24 hours to show me how I can really use this as a ministry for Him. If anyone is interested, I would like to start a group that I can send out names (all over the internet) to so that we can pray for those that are about to undergo surgery &/or treatment or making tough decisions about treatments (I have already discovered that there are different options out there which was not even a consideration w/me, but Dave & I are kind of glad that it was clear cut for us). I am a firm believer in the awesome power of prayer. So does any of that make sense?? OK, so now I have explained all of that...I don't plan on harping on the AN stuff unless someone contacts me!! :o)

Have a super day - ours will include Figure Skating lessons and a Crown Financial Small Group that Dave is starting!!

Getting Started

I didn't really plan on starting a blog - at least not conscientiously - but I guess I kind of wanted to since I did!! I actually just went to the blogspot web page to see what it was all about and here I am. Who knows if I will keep this up...anyone who knows me well, knows that I don't always stick with things too well. Especially things that take up a lot of time! I guess what really got me to thinking was that I have been reading a friend's blog and they are in the process of adoption a little girl from Ukraine. It seems that there is a whole support system out there for those that are in or have been in that process. I had a (VERY large) brain tumor - an acoustic neuroma - about 12 years ago and I have always said that it would all be worth it if I could just help one person. Well, I think I have (at least tried to) over the years, but could a blog put someone else in touch with me that has no one else to talk to? I know nothing about this or how to do links or all that, but I am open to learning because I hope that I can help someone else. I have a wonderful, full life and God has blessed me with the best husband a woman could ask for and 3 beautiful daughters. There is always something crazy going on in our lives and everybody always says I should "write things down" so I'll try it here. So there you have it...we'll just give it a whirl and see what happens!! Wish me luck!! :o)