April 24th...

for me is one of those days you never forget. You never forget where you were or what you were doing when you received devastating news. April 24, 2005 was a Sunday. Jerrad was knee deep into baseball season. We were at MLK watching Jerrads game. Steve and I were talking about houses. We had looked at a new house and were contemplating moving. I remember my mother calling but wouldn't talk to me she wanted to talk to Steve. I thought it was weird and she sounded weird on the phone. She talked to Steve just a minute and he was done. Steve then told me that my cousin Jennifer had collapsed. She was in the hospital and she might not live. I remember immediately calling my dad. It didn't sound good. Of course, I don't remember any of the baseball game after that. Being so far away all I could do was sit and wait for someone to call me back. They finally called later that evening to tell me she had passed away.

Jennifer Diane Wells was born September 1971 and passed away on April 24, 2005. She was only 34 years old. She was a really good person. She had a very loving heart. Growing up the four of us where so close. We were all two years apart. It was Jennifer, me, Andrea and Ryan. Since I moved away we weren't as close. That's what made this really hard too. I didn't see her all the time at church and different places like my mom and sister. To me I feel like she is still in OKC I just only see her when I go home. I have to make myself remember she isn't there.

If Tears Could Build A Stairway

If tears could build a stairway

and memories were a lane

We would walk right up to heaven

And bring you back again.

No farewell words were spoken

No time to say goodbye

You were gone before we knew it

And only God knows why

Our hearts still ache in sadness

and secret tears still flow

What it meant to lose you

No one will ever know

But now we know you want us

To mourn for you no more

To remember all the happy times

Life still has much in store

Since you'll never be forgotten

We pledge to you today

A cherished place within our heart

Is where you'll always stay

Jennifer, Ryan, Andrea, Darla

Shopping...

Steve and I got some shopping done yesterday for stuff around the house. I finally got a big vase for my entry way!

Steve finally found something he liked to go over our bed. He found this picture at Garden Ridge so we went ahead and got it!

I also got this plant for my room...yes, it is fake and I know that's cheesy but if you only knew my luck with the real ones! The fake one will be just fine!

The big one was PATIO FURNITURE! Yeah! Now Steve just has to build the pergola over the patio!

Boys and their toys...

Yesterday we went out to Steve's parents so he and his dad could fly the remote control airplanes they bought! It was quite funny!

This is both of them attempting to get their planes off the ground!

Mark finally got his off the ground and this is where it landed...in the tree!

Steve got his plane to take off too...

And this is where it ended up! I love the pictures. He used the fishing lure retrieving thing to get the plane out of the tree!

Last Saturday...

Staci and the boys came over. We were just hanging out and had some dinner. Steve had gotten out his RC car the week before. He ran that outside for the kids. Drew liked to chase it.

Notice only Steve drove the car! Who knows how much money he has tied up in this car. This was one of the many hobbies he has had. This one was when we first got married. Even before Jerrad was born. He got involved with this car and we use to go to this track and he'd race every weekend. The joke use to be "did you get the checkbook?". This was way before debit cards! There was a hobby shop at the track. Well, we needed the checkbook cause it never failed in one race or another something would end up broke and he'd have to run and buy a part and get it fixed before the next race! Our kitchen table was also his work bench. We never sat at it. Good thing we didn't need it. You could not see if for all his car stuff on it! It was fun but that seem like ages ago!

Growing up...

I took Jerrad to the bank on Thursday. He opened a checking account! Yes, he is just growing up too fast. I had read on my last bank statement that as of age 13 at Chase Bank you could open a High School Checking Account. I thought it would be good for him to learn how to keep his money, budget and stuff like that. He's taking some business classes next year at Martin and this will only help him. He has been mowing our friends yard and I think Steve is going to start paying him to take care of ours too. This way he can learn to keep some money, deposit some and save it but yet has a way to spend that money if he needs to. He got checks and even a debit card! When we left the bank he told me, "I feel older". He is very responsible so I am sure this will be a pretty easy thing for him.

Ordering flowers...

So, Aunt Fifee had surgery on Thursday. Mom said she is doing ok and the tumor was not cancer. Being the good niece that I am I thought I'd send her a PLANT. Why a plant? Well, I'm not real knowledgeable about flowers. The flowers die. I thought a plant would be nice and you can take it home and keep it. Also, this was only the second time for me to order something like this....myself! I had ordered flowers last year for Gary's funeral and when I saw them...I was mad! We paid quite a bit (Chrisse and I split it) and it was this little dinky arrangement! Nothing like I thought I was getting. So, back to my order I did Thursday afternoon. I had a plant picked out and went through filling out all the information. Get down to the total and it says...service charge $30.00! I knew there would be a service charge but $30! So, I go to several different sites. After all my research I figured out that they were not sending the order for the plant to a local florist. The plant was being shipped (from China I guess!) by Fed Ex, UPS or some other carrier! That's what the $30 was for! I just thought that was ridiculous. I ended up getting flowers! I used a different site than I did when I ordered for Gary so I hope they weren't horribly little!

Storms...

Yes it is 4 A.M.! I've never been a fan of "storms". Heavy rain is ok and nice when you can stay home. The high winds and possibility of tornadoes scare me. It always has. I'm a pretty light sleeper so storms in the middle of the night wake me up. It would probably be better if I could sleep through them.

I had just woke up and thought to myself it hasn't rained yet. Maybe the predictions were wrong again and we weren't getting any severe weather. Look at the clock...its 3:23 A.M. I've got 3 more hours to sleep...then...the electricity went out and the clock came back on flashing...and we are in the middle of a storm! Its pouring, lightening, thundering and the wind is blowing like you wouldn't believe! That freaks me out. Steve wakes up long enough to pee and tell me he's going back to sleep its just rain! JUST RAIN! I'm thinking I need to turn the T.V. on and check the weather! I need hearing enhancers for my ears cause I'm just lying there thinking was that the sirens or just the fan making noise?!

Needless to say I couldn't take it anymore. I got up to check the radar on the internet! Looks like the horrible red area is past us and its just rain behind that. Hopefully that was the only severe stuff and its over with. Oh, I'm going to be so tired in the morning!

Mom, if your reading this...you were so cold yesterday (the temperature in OKC was 49 when I talked to her Wednesday)...at 4 A.M. it is still 73 here!

Family...

I put up my quote and I love it! This is awesome! It just made my wall of black and white family pics better! I can't wait to get another one!

Painting...

It is official. I have painted every room in the house. I can't stand plain white walls. Especially when the paint is flat. There is no cleaning flat paint! Someone without children must have made that decision! I love walls with color on them. I finished the last room today...the guest room. The paint just changes the look of the room so much. It turned out really nice. I will have to give Steve the credit that he chose the green I used on two walls instead of the baby blue. I think the baby blue would've been bad. Steve choosing the green is a shocker...I had to argue to get one small strip of green downstairs in the living room and then he lets me do two whole walls green upstairs! Crazy!

The next project or search is to find something to hang over our bed! We have high ceilings in our room and a king size bed that has nothing on the wall over it. Its a huge space to fill! Steve wants something really neat. That would be great we just haven't found that neat thing yet!

AND...I got my phrase from Quote the Walls today. I can't wait to hang it and see how it looks!

Hi...

my name is Darla and I am a Grey's Anatomy junkie! I admit it! I heard about the show when it first came on but didn't watch. Thought about it but never did. Plus my DirecTV DVR only allowed me to record two shows at once. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH GOOD TV IS ON THURSDAY NIGHTS? I was limited. So, this past fall when the new season started I started watching it on Fridays on the internet. What a wonderful thing...full episodes on the internet! Didn't think much about the past seasons/episodes til I was at Blockbuster last Wednesday. On Wednesdays you get a free non-new release with every new release you rent. WOW! What am I going to get? I wondered around and ended up in the Television section. That's where I saw them...Grey's Anatomy's DVDs. I picked up Season One DVD 1 and 2. I am so bad I had to watch the first DVD straight through! Then I watched the second DVD. Saturday I was at Blockbuster getting Season 2 DVDs 1 and 2 (which by the way is only 10 of the 27 episodes in season 2!). I don't remember exactly when I watched all of them but I finished Sunday. So, I go to return them today. I could not help myself! I left with Season 2 DVDs 3 and 4! I have already watched two episodes today! It is like an addiction. I think its worse when you watch it on DVD cause you want to know what happens next and you can...keep hitting play next episode! The people at Blockbuster probably think I'm nuts!

We have upgraded to AT&T U-verse now and I can record up to 4 episodes (yes I'm a horrible mother on Thursday nights and tie up all the TVs! Sorry boys!). I don't know what I would do if I had to actually watch a TV show with commercials! Its horrible!

Canton...

Mom and some of her girlfriends were coming down on Thursday to spend a couple of days shopping. It had been so long since I'd been to Canton I asked Kristy if she wanted to go and meet mom with me. Of course she did. Even though the day started off to be really yuck we went. We had so much fun. My stomach hurt from laughing so much. I don't really even remember what was so funny!

So, everyone is pushing a cart (or buggy as we called it) around. I laughed thinking these people are crazy! After about the first two purchases I realized why everyone had a buggy! Kristy and I broke down and bought a buggy. It wasn't long before we looked like Sanford and Son with our buggy! Now the people that had the buggies or strollers with their DOGS IN THEM ARE NUTS!


I would say our buggy was full. We had to hang the tricycle planter off the the side of the buggy!


I was mostly looking for things for the house and my guest room. I bought several things. I think most of the stuff in the buggy was mine! Here are pics of my treasures I got!








It was a really good time. I can't wait to go back! I've still got plenty of empty ones space that I need to find treasures for!

My Word Cloud

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