Thanksgiving

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving day, I thought I would let you know some of the things that I am thankful for.

1.) I am thankful for my family, they are my heart and soul and the reason that I am on this Earth.
2.) I am thankful for the many friends that I have and the many good memories that we have shared.
3.) I am thankful that Christ died on the cross so that I could be saved and live in Heaven with him someday.
4.) I am thankful for the many mistakes that I have made that have helped me to be the person that I am today.
5.) I am thankful for the gift of being able to love everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, and having so many blessings from this in my life.
6.) I am thankful that my daughter still loves me and still talks to me and wants me to know what is happening in her life.
7.) I am thankful for my husband and how hard he works for our family.
8.) I am thankful for my neighbors, they are so good and have become such a part of our extended family.
9.) I am thankful for the time that I was able to spend with my parents, and the lessons and morals that they taught me.
10.) I am thankful that I have a good job and great hours, and that I am able to help provide for my family.
11.) I am thankful that I have a warm place to sleep and food on my table.
12.) I am thankful that my family still loves each other enough to get together for the holidays and that I am a part of that.
13.) I am thankful for the many opportunities that I have to help those less fortunate than me.
14.) I am thankful for love, most of all Gods undying love for us......... what gift could be better than to have a glad heart?
15.) I am thankful for you. If you are reading this, you are my friend, and I love you, and wish you the Happiest Thanksgiving ever!!!


Happy Turkey Day everyone and don't eat too much, although I know I will!!!! Love you guys!

Warning... camera bogarting going on. :)

Okay, so as I was going through my camera to download some pics to put on here, I discovered that my daughter and her friend Adriana, had gotten ahold of my camera and left some silly pictures for me. Thought you guys might get a kick out of it. Enjoy!

They so totally look deranged in this one.

Wish I would have had this kind of confidence when I was this age.

Okay, so this one is a bit more stable.

This is Adriana, Lacey's best friend and my other kiddo..... We have been thinking about adopting her since she is at the house so much, but her parents might not like that. We love her like she is our own and feel priviledged that she feels the same way about us.

Hope you guys enjoyed these as much as I did. I will have some new ones on here after Thanksgiving. Hope you all have a wonderful Turkey day!!!

This is scary.

Okay, so on Sunday night about 10:00 p.m. Lacey calls me into her room and says "Mom, please make sure all of the doors are locked, I think I heard something outside of my window." She is a little paranoid since we were broken into when we lived above Dover, so I usually give into this bit of paranoia and double check the locks, and the wind was blowing, so I just chalked the noise up to the crape myrtle bush outside of her window scratching on her screen. I go into the bedroom, get ready for bed, and then go into the kitchen to put the remaining dishes into the diswasher. The dogs were in their bed in the kitchen corner as usual, sleeping. I got the dishes done,and then turned off the light and headed to bed. Our older dog, Daisy started barking. I was like "Hush, Daisy!!!" , but she did it again and again. I was a little bit perterbed, but she finally stopped, and I settled into bed to read my book. About 10 minutes afterward, Cailem comes in the bedroom and says "Kim, you have to get your clothes on and come out the front. The cops are shining spotlights in this area again, and they are at Liz's(our neighbor across the street) house talking to her. Needless to say, I get dressed and go out looking just beautiful with no makeup and hair already messed up from laying down for a bit, in a hurry. I got outside just in time to call Liz to make sure she was okay. She said that she had heard someone outside her house and then heard some glass break, so she called the cops, but that they had walked around the perimeter of her house, and all looked safe. So, the cops left. The other neighbors had came out of their houses also, and Jacob, a 19 year old neighbor, took off around the house to do a double check. As he reached the corner of Liz's yard where the porch light did not hit, he spots this guy and they take off running. Anyway, the guy got away. The cops searched for about an hour, to no avail. So now, we have a black guy going around our neighborhood dressed in black peeping in people's windows and now trying to break in..... needless to say, Lacey had a hard time sleeping last night. Please everyone say a prayer that they catch him, so that we can all get back to normal again and feel safe and sound in our own homes. The question I keep asking myself was "What if that guy was at my back sliding door watching me do the dishes?" - this is my scary thought for the day. Hope you all have a great day guys-- and watch out for black guys in black outfits in the black of night.

Get together

So everyone, I really liked the idea that Michelle had about all of us getting together soon. Name the time and place and I will be there... Miss you all. I know what you all mean about being busy. I only have one kiddo, but she keeps me hopping all of the time. Between her, work, and trying to get done with school, I barely have time to get over the previous day's activities before it is time for a new one. I don't see how you guys with 3 or more kiddos do it. You are my heros!

Has It Really Been THAT Long?

Today, while going through my dresser cleaning out the clothes that I never wear to take to the Main Street Mission, I ran across something that I hadn't seen in ages, my Class of 93 senior shirt. This brought me to one certain conclusion, that being that I am not a "Spring Chicken" any longer. Has it seriously been over 15 years since we all shared so many great times together?
For some reason in my mind, it seems like we should all still be those youngsters not yet ready to go out into the real world, hanging onto our youth as tightly as we could, but still wanting to be granted the independence of adulthood. It does not seem possible to me that so much time has passed. Some of us have teenagers and are about to go through what our parents went through with us. (My dad always did say I would pay for my raising.:))
Looking at the shirt brought back so many great memories, like the Senior trip we all took to Hot Springs, all of the trips that we took with our youth group, hanging out in the locker room after a game either elated or disappointed, but sharing it together. Those were some great times in our lives. I know that we didn't understand it then, but what would we all give to go back just for one day or one week knowing what we know now. I think we would cherish those times all the more. Ang this got me thinking about the time you, Amy and I were having a sleepover at your house and were having a huge discussion about 2 in the morning about angels and devils and the phone pager went off, but your grandparents were asleep. I also thought about your 16th birthday party when we all went out cruising, and would have gotten into a wreck if your senses hadn't told you to get in the other lane when you did.
I thought about the time when we all went to Beta convention in Little Rock and had that dance, and those guys from Fouche Valley wouldnt leave us alone. lol. I remember when we were all in headstart in Appleton and would fight over the tricycles. lol. I remember in Kindergarten when we all had a crush on Dirk Hart and would fight to be his "Princess" at the top of the monkey bars. lol..... I think about Susan's little yellow "Banana" car, and all of the places that it went with how many people in in? LOL.
We all have some great memories together and are so lucky to have been able to share great times like that. I am so proud that life has been so good to us all, and that we are healthy and happy and full of love, all of us with a happy heart and great friends, no matter how far away they are. We have truly been blessed!!! Love you guys!

Lacey's First Dance

This last weekend was Lacey's first real "Boy/Girl" dance at school. They didn't have to have a date to go, and she had a blast. I think their first formal dance is this winter, and I am not really looking forward to it, but nonetheless, it is coming rapidly. :) Hope this finds you all well and doing great. My week started out slow by cleaning the carpets and cooking and doing laundry, but I work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, so here I am at work. I have my work done and can leave when I do, but it is a little quieter here than it is at home, so I choose to stay here for a while and finish up any odds and ends that are left. :) I have been busy trying to come up with reasons for her to stay home as of late, though, which kinda sucks, considering the fact that "Mom" as I know it doesnt exist anymore.... I am now just a lowly chauffeur. lol.

I thought this was cute.... Lacey did it herself.

Looks like they are having a pretty good time to me... but then Im a mom.. what do I know? :)

Those kids are such a mess!! Reminds me of another bunch of kids when we were about 13 or 14. LOL.

Are they not too darn cute? It still makes me sad every time I look at them.. weren't they just in 2nd grade yesterday?

This is Lacey and Cailem's sister's daughter Brittney. They are about 8 months apart, but they act like sisters. I love these two!!!

Not much else going on around here with the exception of her Halloween party in a couple of weeks, and the constant kiddos at the house. This is my life... at least for another 5 years or so, and then I think I will be lost. :) Hope you all have a great day!!! Love you guys!

LIVE, LAUGH, and LOVE MUCH!!!

Remembering my brother

Some of you might not know, but I lost my brother due to Hepatitis C and alcohol abuse in early August, actually the day before my birthday, which made for a great birthday(not to mention that I was another year older.:)) Sometimes, when I have time to think about him and his situation, I think about the many things I would have done differently with him if I had to do it all over again, things that I wish I would have had the courage to do when he was alive. Now mind you, I know that everyone has their own way of doing things, and that people make their own choices, but sometimes you wonder if you could have been the one to help them to turn their life around, if you had just taken more steps to do so. If I had it to do all over again, I would:

Go and visit him more often.
Not get so mad when he didn't show up for family functions, and took them to him, instead of expecting him to have the willpower to show up.
Tell him I loved him every day, whether he was happy with me or not.
Go fishing with him, since it was his favorite thing.
Saw the signs, and helped him deal with his agony.
Looked over my anger at how he took care of himself and took more time to help him to do it right.
Tell him I forgive him for things he did when he was younger.
Take the time to actually spend some quality time with him and not just an hour here or there.
Tell him how much I appreciated the things he did for me when I was growing up, such as getting me out of my house and away from our mother during the summer.
Laughed with him more.
Sang with him more.
Walked with him more.
Took more trips to Heber Springs with him.
Told him what I was feeling, not holding back just because it might hurt his feelings.
Made him feel special.

These are just a few of the things I would have done. You would think I would have learned by now never to take people for granted, since losing both Mom and Dad at a young age, but when I look back on his situation, sometimes it seems as if that is what I did. Then other times, I look at it completely different. Sometimes I see that I was so afraid of any conflict that I was protecting myself by putting up those walls and shutting him out, so it wouldnt hurt so much when something DID happen to him. I was so wrong for doing that, but you can't take things back, and you can only move forward day by day. So, my promise to myself from now on is to let everyone in my life that I love and cherish know just how much they mean to me each time I get a chance. For you guys who read my blog, thank you for all you have done for me. Thank you for being my friend against all obstacles. Thank you for believing in me and hanging in there with me throughout the tough times in life. Thank you for hanging out with me when we were growing up, and giving me rides when I didnt have any and smelled like a big old ashtray from being in the house where both of my parents smoked inside. Thank you for being wonderful friends and loving me for who I am and who I was. I love you guys and I hope you all have a wonderful day!!! LOVE YOU!!!

What a Crazy Life

Hey everyone!!! Sorry that I dont have any photos up yet, but I will get them up as soon as I get a chance. Things are crazy here at the Hon Household lately, as the seasons are changing and moods change with the seasons. lol. We are all doing pretty well.. I am still going to college and working, but my work has changed. Still doing the social work/ psychotherapy thing, but my boss from Daysprings went out on her own, and I went with her, so the stress is virtually null and void compared to what it was. I do all of her billing and am learning a lot that I can use in my practice when I finally get out of school(whenever that is. lol..)
Lacey is getting older everyday, and she is now a teenager. This killed me when it finally happened, but then sometimes I look at her and can still see the cute little one whose grin could melt an iceberg. I am constantly reminded when I look at her to take all of the time that I can get with her, as I dont have very long that she will actually want to be around me.
I had to take her to the doctor yesterday, as she had some spots come up on her shoulder over the weekend. Staph has been going around the Jr. High, and I was like "OH NO!!!!" Luckily, it was just a case of shingles...... What in the world... I thought that Shingles was for old people, but apparently I was wrong. They can affect anyone who has had the chicken pox, and anyone who has not can contract chicken pox from Lacey... is that messed up or what?
She is in a lot of pain, but still able to go to school and still able to practice off season basketball. She is glad of this, since tryouts are next week, and she is really hoping she makes it. I am so lucky that she tries out for things. She tried out for cheerleading and drill team, but didn't make either one of them, but she kept on and didn't let it get her down. If I have taught her nothing else, at least I know that I have helped her with that.
That is always such a scary thing, hoping that you are teaching your kids right. To be honest with you, it scares me to death to think that one day she will have to be out there on her own and go off of what I have taught her. I hope that I have done a good job, as I have certainly tried very hard. I guess I will just have to wait and see. Hope you are all doing good and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kim

Missing My Kiddo

Hi everybody! If you are reading this, I will begin by apologizing for my lack of blogging skills. This will be my first attempt to try this. This week is band camp week for the Jr. High students here at Russellville schools... Yes. that is correct, my daughter Lacey is now in Jr. High, Eighth grade to be exact. If that doesnt make you feel a little old, I don't know what will. I was thinking about it the other day, and realized that we have been out of school ourselves for 15 years, and to me that just doesn't seem possible.

So, my Lacey is away at band camp, and I am not quite sure what to do with myself. I am so used to her being here to talk(or fight :) ) with me, that I am completely lost. I keep wondering what is going to happen when she actually goes away to college in a few years, and that is just what it is, a few years. She is almost 13, and I look at her and wonder where the time has gone. I just remind myself each day to cherish all of the time that I have left with her, and hope that I have taught her morals and values to carry her through the hard times in life. I will post some pics of her at band camp when she gets me some. Hope you all enjoy watching her grow like I do.