Budget

Okay - I am the first to admit in these hard economic times that I am not doing my fair share in "budgeting" our family expenses. I am sure if Walt is reading this he is shocked (heavy on the sarcasm) that I am admitting this.

I stink at budgeting. I have the best intentions in the world to make a budget and really follow through with it. I grasp my mind around it and put on my brave face to try and make the budget work. But something always falls through.

My first priority is to start re-establishing my emergency fund. We were doing pretty well on it and then when I got sick and was off work in April I was not paid for that time so we pretty much used up our 1 months worth of expenses we had stashed in a savings account. This was a real eye opener for me. Since I am still fighting my work's insurance company I have no guarantee that I will be able to replace those funds quickly.

We are back to square one. I got out my Dave Ramsey books and have been thumbing through them again. I do enjoy the stories of how people got out of debt and I think it would be nice if someone would write a book just about the success stories and how they did it! I would buy it! Those stories are inspiring!

So wish me luck as I start tackling my budget again....no more weekend runs to Schlotsky's....no more Friday runs to Starbucks.....no more once a week eating out...

By cutting out these items alone we should be able to save up quickly. *Heavy sigh*

Moral of this whole story? You can't prepare enough for the unexpected. Try to have at least 2 full months of expenses and I mean every expense saved up. This will give you enough of a cushion to float you by for a while. I didn't expect to get sick and be off of work. I truly believe that God was watching over us. If we hadn't been so focused on saving up then we wouldn't have had any money saved and I would have attempted to go to work and probably made myself sicker.

Check out the above website as they have a ton of great advice on the importance of having that emergency fund.

I HATE BUDGETING!

TTFN

New products I can't live without

With summer time just around the corner and living in this dry desert I have a couple of new products that are must haves.

We went camping about a month and a half ago in Utah. And our tradition is we always stop and eat at the Cracker Barrel on the way back into Vegas. Well besides loving that down home food, we also love to shop inside the Cracker Barrel. This last time I notice they had a bigger selection of "organic" or "natural" products for home and body. The first usual ingredient in most natural or organic body products is Sunflower oil. Well everyone that knows me, knows that I am allergic to Sunflower oil. (Do you know how much stuff contains it! Like most potato chips, lip gloss and body lotions....they even make Sunflower milk!) Sorry - digressed a little there....

Well there was one body product I came across called Badger and you can view their products at www.badgerbalm.com. The product I got is called Foot Balm and with summer around the corner I don't want any "crusty" feet when I am walking around with my sandals on! Everything in the balm is Organic. The best part - the first ingredient is EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). I have been using this product for about 2 weeks now and it has made a WORLD of difference! I love it. It's not too greasy, I can put it on and put my sandals on and my feet aren't slipping around. It's a very good product. I am only bummed that I didn't get more of them!

They have products for stress relief, troubles with sleeping etc. and they are all balms that you would use to rub into pressure points. I think this is brilliant. It's amazing how much a certain smell can take away stress. Like everyday smells or the smells of the holidays can make you smile because you are relating it to a particular memory. (heavy sigh - having one of those moments now!)

So please check out their website when you get a moment.

The second product I really love is Cibu's Therma-Shine protector. It's called Sashini and it's great for protecting your hair from heating elements. What I've started doing especially since we have been hitting some hundred degree days here in Vegas, is putting this on my hair daily. Prior I was only using it in conjunction to my flat iron. Now I am using it daily and have seen a big difference in my hair. The ends are not dry at all and my curl is better when I let it dry naturally. This product is similar to Chi's heat protector but I think Cibu's smells better. Check out Cibu's website under my Fav's or at www.cibuinternational.com.

TTFN

Losing Teeth

The kids have been losing teeth like crazy!! I believe Owen has lost 7 teeth total and Keelee has lost 5. They started losing their teeth in April 2008 so they were 4. They are going to be 6 in a little over a month. This picture was taken right after they lost the tooth next to their top front right tooth <- wow that was a mouthful! They both lost this tooth the same day! Keelee actually pulled hers out herself because it was irritating her! This is the second time she has done that. She is so brave!

Owen is a little more challenging. He's normally very much a boy. He can fall, smack his head, scrap a arm or leg and get up and just dust himself off. But when it comes to teeth oh man he is not so brave! I have so much video of the "drama" of pulling his teeth! He refuses to do it. Every tooth that has come out of Owen's mouth has been because of me! He won't let Walt get near his mouth, which is strange because Walt has never done anything to make him scared of pulling his teeth.

So I have guilty Mommy feelings because my girl just yanks them out in 2 seconds before I can even get the video camera on or my camera ready. Then my boy has like 10-15 minutes of video for each tooth! Go figure!

They have been consistently losing the same teeth but in opposite orders. Except for their 2 front teeth and now these side teeth. It's just crazy how big they are getting. I can't believe they are going to be 6! I don't know where the time went!

Well - we have some ambitious plans for yard work tomorrow. Walt is putting in a pond by our Pecan tree! I will post up some pics later.

TTFN

April - the worst Month EVER (Contains Sensitive Natural Body Processes)

So what is the point of having work insurance if you can't use it?

Let's see this all started around the end of February this year. I was not feeling well upset stomach, diarrhea (whoa I am sounding like a Pepto-Bismal commercial) etc. All the goriness and I don't need to provide details. Well this lasted for about 2 weeks. So naturally I thought I just ate some bad Sushi (Dang you Spider Roll!) so I just dealt with this off again, on again explosion from my behind.

Needless to say by the 3rd week I was starting to think that I had a parasite. Something was definitely wrong. So first week of March I make an appointment for the Dr. She's an awesome lady, very thorough with the exam. Gives me some Cypro and Bentyl for my tummy aches and tells me to take a few days off work since I am literally leaking from my bum.

Start taking the Cypro and within 2 days all my joints are killing me. Especially in my hands! Okay this sucks really bad now. Not only does my butt leak, now it hurts to wipe my leaky butt. Can life not get any worse? So get to do some blood work and Dr says my white blood cells are elevated which could be infection AND I have Mediteranean Enemia. Seriously? Not just regular enemia? You have to put an official "name" with it. Mediteranean? Huh.

So get to stay on meds and come back in a week. We will repeat the bloodwork and determine our next step. Okay Dr! Not a problem. So I get to spend the next week still spewing from the nether regions but learning how to deal with it. POPCORN! Oh yes, splended Popcorn. My little life saver. Little known fact - Popcorn tends to plug you up. Well it did for me at least. So I am living on Popcorn and bread, following the BRAT diet to a "T". I do get some relief with this diet. But man or woman can't live on BRAT alone.

The next week at the Dr's office we re-run my bloodwork, still elevated with the WB's and still having stomach and you know (the other stuff). Alrighty Dr says - let's go ahead and stay on the Cypro for another week (by this time my stomach has also started to burn) and we will check back in a week. Oh yeah - let's try and get you an Upper GI to rule out any ulcers. Great I say. Also tell her that I am starting to miss some more time from work and we decide to fill out FMLA paper work.

Paper works complete. I am all covered at work and I won't get fired for my absences. YEAH I am so lucky to have FMLA. So towards the end of March while trying to deal with this and going to work to collect money from people I have my upper GI. It's really not as bad as everyone was telling me. The only thing that was really annoying was the crushed alkaselzer with a shot of water they make you take. Yeah you have to HOLD IN YOUR BURP! Do you know how hard that is? Holding in a BURP? That was the worst! So I get the GI results a few days later and the Dr says "You have Diverticullum - so this means you have little pockets in your small instestine that fill up with food - like popcorn and nuts - so stop eating those things". I am crushed. POPCORN?? The only thing that has been plugging me up? POPCORN? This is a cruel joke. She's kidding right?

Needless to say I cut out the popcorn and the bursting from behind continues - I am literally on the toilet singing the poop song - "when your sliding into first...and you fill a great big burst". Yeah I know...gross...juvenile...ewww. WELL WELCOME TO MY WORLD!

So as I am missing more time from work, trying to use as many vacation days as I can, taking VTO (Voluntary unpaid time off) and feeling worse with no relief, the Dr says "Let's send you to a GI specialist". FINALLY - I will get some reflief! Oh yes - and my Dr tells me she is possibly leaving this office and that she doesn't know when she will be working there any more! I swear - can my luck get any worse? But the new Dr is very nice so I am not too upset.

So I go and see the new GI. Nice guy...I wait 1 hr in the waiting room...15 minutes in the exam room and he spends a total of 7.5 minutes with me and tells me we are going to have a colonoscopy to rule out Crohns disease. Seriously? So I leave shocked. No description of what Crohns is, no telling me there are tests he wants to perform first to rule out certain things. I am not happy. I decide next time I see him I am making Walt go with me.

So April rolls around and I have about 6 days of misery. Actually the whole month of April was a miserable month but the first 2 -3 weeks were a blur. I couldn't control the *biznass* called in for like 4-5 days, finally saw my regular Dr again - she saw how miserable I was and we talked about taking some time off of work. I agree. I am spending my day miserable with no energy, stomach hurts 24/7, it burns all night long and I am pooping out everything. The only beneficial thing is that I lose 16 lbs in the process (yahoo). That was the worst month of my life. Even being pregnant with twins in the middle of the hottest month of the summer and having P.U.P.S was more manageable then this.

So the work Insurance company calls and they need medical records and all test results and the Dr needs to fill out another form. And it's just crazy. Get all the stuff to them and they start reviewing my "approval". Um pardon me - the Dr wrote me out - that's all the approval you need. Apparently not....more to continue on that

The day before the colonoscopy I have to be in a liquid diet and take magnesium citrate (natural laxative) - OH MY HEAVENS. As if I wasn't pooping enough. It was ridiculous. I was running to the bathroom all day/night before the procedure. When I got to the medical office I was still going to the bathroom. When they had me hooked up to all my IV's I was still going to the bathroom. It was ridiculous. So my colonoscopy happens, I wake up from my anethesia and I am crying like a baby ( I always do) and the staff is like freaking out. I am calling (screaming) for Walt - they won't let him come back because of other patients - I always do that. It's just how I react to the medicine they give you to knock you out. 30 minutes later I am calm, dressed and ready to leave. The Gi comes out and says " You don't have Crohns, but I took a biopsy for colitis and you have internal hemmoroids". Well Duh - I have been crapping my brains out of course I have internal hemmoroids - doesn't take a genious to figure that out. Then he tells me to increase my fiber and sends me on my way.

In the meantime Walt has been racking his brains. He has been spending at least an hour everynight on the computer looking at different things and trying to "self-diagnose" (you know you all do it from time to time - WebMD is awesome). So Walt gets me convinced to stop taking my Metformin. I am not diabetic but I take Metformin because it helps with my PCOS (polysystic ovarian syndrome). I am really against stopping. I am finally after 20 years of never having a normal period, starting to get them again. I DON'T WANT TO STOP.

So a few days later I stop taking my Metformin WITH the agreement that I see my Gyno so I can prove to Walt how wrong he is. Mid April we see my Gyno. And she's like the best Dr ever. We go into her office I tell her everything that has happened in the past couple of months. I tell her I still don't have a diagnosis and then I tell her how Walt made me stop my metformin and then I sit back and wait for her to start yelling at him. She looks at Walt.....and says... "I agree with you - it won't hurt to stop it for about 2 weeks just to make sure. But since she's been on it for almost a year the likely hood of having a side affect or adverse reaction is a small percentage. Even Lactid acidosis at this point would be highly unlikely. What I would also consider based on your description of pain is to start cutting out Dairy. You may have developed Lactose intollerance." I then proceed to pick my jaw up off the floor, dust it off, and then look at Walt who is grinning from ear to ear with that "I told you so" look on his face. We have a nice conversation with my Gyno and I feel more relief in talking with her then I have with all the tests I have had so far.

The next day I see the GI again for my biopsy results. Negative on colitis (yea) but I am still having pain. I have been trying to eat more fiber. He said I was eating the wrong kind. Walt asks him if we can supplement and with what kind. Dr gives the info tells me to schedule an appointment for a HIDA scan since most of my stomach pain seems to be on the right side under my rib-cage. I mean the guy is practically running out the door and the only reason he is staying is because Walt is asking him questions. I once again leave the Dr's office feeling disgusted and answerless. Oh wait - I did get an answer " Since we have been unable to find anything specific this is what we would class as typical IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome". Really? IBS is the catch all when you can't figure out anything. OH Yeah - and we tell him that we are going to start taking out Dairy products and he goes "Oh yeah - that's a great idea". HE should have told me that not my Gyno! I am going to be having a second opinion. I really am not liking this guy.

The Hida scan is scheduled for a couple of days later. Can't eat or drink 6 hours before. The scan itself isn't bad. Besides the fact that you have to be perfectly still for about 1 hour while you are getting x-ray'd it's not too bad. Until they can't find your Gallbladder! YES! After 1 hour the technician asks me if I have ever had my gall bladder removed? "No - I think I would remember that". "Hmm" he says, "Hold on a second". He leaves the room and comes in with another guy. I can hear them whispering and then the new guy says "Did you eat before you came in here"? "No - I followed the directions just as you said". "Hmm" he says. "Did you have your gall bladder removed when you were a child or an infant"? By this time they are driving me crazy. What is wrong with my body? Is this my problem? Can you be born without a gall bladder? "No" I tell him. "Well it appears that we are unable to locate your gall bladder and we can't do the second scan where we have the gall bladder contract. We are going to send you home for an hour, please go and eat something and then come back". I then ask "Can you be born without a gall bladder"? "Well I guess, but that would be pretty wierd" he said. I think I died a little on the inside when he said that!

I go get something to eat. Come home and proceed to excrement my lunch and whatever radiation they put into my bloodstream. I head back to the Radiology center to finish my testing. Here I am back on the table and 35 minutes later the technician tells me the radiation has already gone through my system and they can't inject me with anymore or continue any testing. I am thinking...well Duh...I just went home and crapped it out...that's the whole reason for this test. So I am sent on my way with no feeling of comfort.

The only thing at this point that is working is that I am taking 10 fiber pills a day so that I stay regular with solid poops. I go back to the GI a few days later and by this point I have actually had a few good days where I am feeling about 70% better. Mostly because I am just eating bread and water and taking a ton of fiber pills. The GI asks how I am doing, I relate the above, then I mention about the fiber pills. He's a little surprised I am taking so many but if it helps he says to keep taking them.

We talk about my scan and he mumbles off something generic about a "over stimulated gall bladder" and we talk about pain. For the most part the pain in my stomach is only noticeable after I eat. So generally speaking I do have decreased pain. He doesn't want to do an ultrasound and he goes back to his original diagnosis. I have IBS. Deal with it. He wants to see me back in 4 months or sooner if my pain persists. I don't ever want to see him again. I feel bamboozled and want a second opinion.

I am still having pain and discomfort. I am 100% convinced that I have developed lactose intolerance and have been learning to avoid dairy or take my lactase pills to not feel discomfort.

So my next battle is going to be my works insurance company. They are denying me for payment while off of work for 28 days. They claimed that my symptoms were never noted in my medical chart from my doctor that I was feeling worse then my first visit about this issue. I feel torn about this. I understand the insurance companies have protocol. On the other hand I have no control what a doctor writes in my medical chart. I have 180 days to dispute the decision in writing. At this point I want to tell them to read my blog! LOL.

I will of course dispute what they say. I have been at my work for almost 13 years. The only other time I received Short Term Disability payments was when I was pregnant with twins and unable to perform my duties. I am not one of those employees who takes advantage of this benefit from my company. I actually like going to work. I would never leave that place. Even though my position was down sized last year from an Analyst to a phone job, I still showed up everyday to do my best. I am feeling a little discouraged that I am now going to have to go back to my doctor and tell her that she wasn't clear in her notes or by not noting my symptoms were getting progressively worse. She was already irritated by having to fill out paperwork for my leave. She felt that she could just write a note saying I needed to be off until I got better or at least got a treatment plan going.

So this will be my new battle. If you read this whole post I want to say thank you. This took me two days to write!

TTFN

Cibu Order Arrived!

Okay...I am going to try to make this a short post. But I have to sing the praises of Cibu. I was first introduced to Cibu via Youtube by Fafinettex3. I was watching one of her Makeup Organization videos and saw that she had a post for Cibu products on her site. At that time Cibu was actually doing one of their Liter shampoo specials where you could get that awesome Water bag holder with your Cibu purchase. Needless to say I got 2 of them and 1 was supposed to be for my sister in law but then I ran out of Shampoo and had to steal one of hers! LOL ! Sorry!

So when I got home from work on Thursday I saw my Cibu Package sitting on the kitchen table. I was so excited! I got my order of
* "Wok this Way" sculpting sauce
* "Mousse Lee" foaming volumizer
* "Sashini" thermal shine solution
* Travel bag with "Shang High" products in it

I was so excited and of course they also sent me 2 free samples of conditioner for my hair! If you have a minute check out youtube for any product reviews. For myself I love Cibu. I get my hair cut every 3 months since I am trying to grow it out and the last time I was at the salon my hair dresser thought I had my hair cut by someone else since my ends weren't as damaged as they usual are. I then told him about Cibu and how awesome it was. He said he could tell I was doing something different because my hair had very few dry areas like it normally has.

I can tell a difference with my hair. I am trying the Mousse Lee for the first time (Don't you just love the names!) and I really like it. It really does lift my roots and make my hair feel thicker. I have naturally curly hair that is fine. So it tends to look thicker then it actually is.

Seriously though. Check out Cibu...your hair will LOVE you for it! www.cibuinternational.com


TTFN

Catching up

I never got to tell how wonderful mother's day was! I had one of the best weekends ever! There was no pressure to cook or clean. I was taken care of like a queen.

We celebrated on Saturday because my brother in law had a Family lunch planned for Macaroni Grill on Sunday for my mother in law.

My Saturday was awesome! Kids were in great moods I was catching up on items online while watching the kids and Walt play in the back yard. *Sigh* It was awesome and relaxing.

I got treated to dinner at Outback via the Thomas Family living room! I literally was in bummy clothes all day long and was starving but didn't want to cook. Well Walt took care of that by getting some Outback to go and we were happy as Larks!

And then j ust before putting the kids to bed....I got this. Yes it's another new Dooney and Bourke! I was so excited! My Walt thinks these purses are ridiculous! He doesn't understand the beauty of these purses. The smell of the leather, the longevity and the fact that they

NEVER go out of style. These are purses that I will eventually give to Keelee and they will still be awesome. They are like art! This one is perfect. It has little Lady Bugs crawling around on it! I almost died...cause everyone knows how much I love Lady Bugs. It was a perfect gift.





So needless to say...My mother's day was awesome. Then on Sunday it was also a nice treat. After church we all went to Macaroni Grill and had a wonderful lunch with the whole family. Uncle Aaron treated all of us to our meals so that was a nice surprise. Uncle John got us mother's cards which was sweet. Mom in law got me a bunch of girly lotions and a movie I have been wanting....but the best gift I got....Was a framed picture of Nerissa's Great Grandmother and her husband in Tennessee I believe sitting on a horse drawn wagon! The picture is in black and white and it's amazing! I have seen this picture in mom in laws house for YEARS! Since I started dating Walt 18 years ago. I almost cried.

Larry and Nerissa have always made me feel like I am apart of the family so don't get me wrong when I say this. But that picture made me feel like I REALLY was now an official part of the family. Isn't that crazy?

Ahhh...so that was an awesome weekend. I will treasure those memories forever!

TTFN

Chick Bait

Okay girls - if you have a man in your life that loves fishing and hunting and camping like my man Walt....then I have the best new accessory for us girls! So me and the kids were at Bass Pro the other day getting some new hiking boots for keelee and I of course had to shop around a little!

Well in the jewelry section I found the most unique and beautiful earrings! They are from a company called Chick Bait (www.chickbait.com). Please check out the website when you have time. They have these beautiful "fly fishing" earrings in a ton of colors. More importantly they are made from real fishing gear. I bought a teal pair of earings *not badly priced either* at $19.95 and put them on as soon as I got in the car. Well low and behold that was the first thing that Walt noticed when he got home!

I can't wait to get another more neutral pair for every day wear! I wore every possible teal shirt this week just to wear those earrings! They are totally unique and different. The website is awesome and the pricing there is great! I will be putting another order in soon.

I will post pictures of the earrings soon...they are sooooo cute!

TTFN

Books - Bone Crossed and Dead and Gone

So my lovely friend Crista told me the best news about 2 weeks ago about our favorite author Patricia Briggs and her new book Bone Crossed. I could have just kissed Crista because I have been dying to read more about Mercy and the men in her life.

So I got it a week ago and didn't put it down for 2 days. It was SOOO good. I love the fact that my favorite Vamp Stefan didn't die...I was so worried! And of course that my other favorite "rogue" alpha Samuel is alive and well. Then of course there is Adam....

Now this book is amazing....I felt it really put some of my questions into perspective and was absolutely intriguing with all of the "ghost" activity. I think this is by far one of my favorite of the Mercy series...in my heart I still kind of want Mercy and Sam to hook up..but at the same time I know Adam is meant for her. I love the "love triangle"...Bless you Patricia Briggs for writing such a great book! Can't wait to see what Mercy does next....

My other favorite Author of the True Blood series Charlaine Harris has written another book about my favorite little country hick - Sookie Stackhouse....

Let's see...I got the book on Tuesday thru my pre-order at Amazon and I finished reading it tonight. I know I am a little slack on this...but in my defense I have also started a new job and was also reading the rough copy of Edward Cullen's story off the Stephanie Meyers Website..."Midnight". Check it out when you have a second....it's very good!

Any who - back to Sookie. So Sookie finds herself back at the bar, the big reveal of wereanimals is happening and everything seems hunky-dory. Yeah right! Not with a name like Sookie Stackhouse! I find myself enjoying each of these books even more with each one released. I am a late bloomer to the "True Blood" series. I haven't watched any of them on TV, but the books are so wonderful I hate to be disappointed by the series. But I do have it on back order through Netflix..I'm sure it will be a good series (crossing fingers). This was an excellent book...Sookie and Eric hooked up alot more...Bill even came back briefly...I think Amelia is right...Sookie is going to have trouble no matter where she goes! Awesome book....read it if you haven't already! Can't wait to see which of those vampires is in love with Sookie!

Some other authors that I am really enjoying right now are: Gena Showalter, Melissa Mayhue, James Rollins and of course my favorite Christine Feehan ( I would love to see a new Drake sisters novel - heard one was coming out soon!)

I don't know if she will ever read my blogs but I do need to thank Trae for encouraging me to read other genre's instead of just historical romances. I know these books tend to be a little graphic with love scenes...but if you get past those....and can really enjoy the book for the adventure it creates in your mind it's sooo worth it! Don't be affraid to read outside your comfort zone! You never know what you will enjoy!

TTFN

Veil's Birthday Party

So my little niece has just turned 2! I can't even believe it...it feels like just yesterday that Kendell had her! So we decided to go up to Kendell and Derek's cabin to have a little celebration with Veil. It was really a nice visit. I wasn't feeling very well but we still had a good time. This IBS kicks my butt sometimes! LOL

Veil got alot of nice things for her birthday! Kendell and Derek got her a play set that my Dad put together for her and all the kids just loved it! I have some pictures of them playing on it.


Walt and Derek went for a ride on the quads and then they came back and took the kids down to the creek to splash around in the water for a bit while Kendell and I visited.

Oh yeah and I almost lost my life! Just Kidding! One of Kendell's goats totally attacked me...I have it on video!

The kids got to ride on a quad too and they had a blast. Owen was really good at it and I think Keelee was a little scared. But she still had alot of fun.

We had a good day with the Foremans! Thanks for the good times....

PS - the funniest thing last week that happened to me.....in the grocery store, on the cleaning isle...both my kids are holding feather dusters...and singing...."BABY COME BACK" from those stupid swifter commercials....I almost pee'd my pants I was laughing to hard....I took video of it with my cell phone...I could write a whole blog about that! LOL

Thomas Family Camping Trip 2009

So we went camping for Walt's Birthday in Utah. We had a blast! The wind was a little annoying but not so much that it made us want to leave.

We stayed for 2 nights and even camped in a tent! We cooked all the meals on the campfire stove. There is nothing like camping food. I don't understand how you can cook a hamburger or a hotdog out in the woods and it tastes better then anything! Could be because all your energy is wasted and anything tastes good!

We arrived on Friday and set up camp and passed out! We were tired. Kids slept really well. Walt and I slept in separate areas. He has a cot and I have an air mattress and we didn't think we would have enough room on the air mattress and we didn't want to be uncomfortable. Well the first night was so cold and I am claustrophobic so it's hard for me to sleep inside a sleeping bag. So my first night wasn't very good. So the next day we had to get our fishing licenses. Well every gas station we went to claimed their websites were down for the licensing. So we ended up having to drive all the way into St. George ( we were outside of Pinevalley) and going to the local K-Mart to get everything we needed. Then we were on our way back to camp to get our fishing gear.

We fished at a little reservoir called Baker Lake and we actually caught a couple of fish! It was really fun. I caught a fish and Walt caught a fish. Owen also almost caught one but it jumped off his line when he was really it in. It was almost to the shore and everything! He was a little sad..but he got over it quick. Keelee got bored with the fishing and just explored around the area and I got to read and relax. It was really a fun time. Very relaxing!!

That night I finally convinced Walt to sleep with me. It was the best night of sleep EVER! We should have done that on the first night. I was toasty warm all night and we both fit perfectly on the air mattress. Don't know why I was so worried.

Of course the best part of our trip was that I didn't get sick at all! I had to take my stomach medicines but other then that I felt pretty okay. Which I was pretty worried about because I have been feeling so horrible for the past 2 months and we have been planning this camping trip since February..so I really wanted to go. But we got a camp right next to the bathrooms and the bathrooms were really clean so I felt totally comfortable if I had to use the bathroom alot (thanks goodness I didn't though).

So Thomas Family camping trip 2009 was a success! This was our first time camping without Grandma and Grandpa (which the kids were really upset about at first, but got over it quickly) and I must say...Walt and I have discovered that....WE ARE TOO OLD FOR TENT CAMPING!! We are definitely going to be looking into getting a camper before we head out on another adventure!

TTFN...