If I ever get to where I don’t like to be around children, just take me out and shoot me. I don’t mean never having time without them around, just that I’ve heard some people who seem to be bitter and just plain grouchy that just don’t like kids. For me, it’s always been different. I’ve always enjoyed and loved being with children. They give me joy.

We had planned for this day. Everyone knew what time to be there. The bags were already packed. The waiting room was filled with family and friends playing games, reading books, talking, watching the clock. The proud parents had to be there at 7 in the morning to get ready for the big event. We had planned for this day, but we hadn’t planned on what happened next. The delivery seemed to be a normal birth. We all took our turns coming in and seeing – and holding the precious new life just born. Skyler Wesley Nelson was his name. He had a head full of dark hair. But within 24 hours, we knew that something wasn’t right. We began hearing words that we had never heard before like Meconium ileus (MI). The doctors were concerned that Skyler may have a blockage in his intestine and they wanted to run some tests. The x-rays confirmed that there was a blockage and they had to perform surgery the next day. So he was transferred to LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center.

Recently, my youngest grandson Skyler has a stay in the hospital. As I’m going into the gated parking area - where visitors are made to ‘pull a ticket’ and then get a token inside the hospital – I reach for my university hangtag off of my rear view mirror like I’m going into the parking garage at work. Just one of those everyday habits that make us human, I guess!

dalton spent the night with me one night a few weeks ago. Most of the time, he sleeps in the ‘boys room’ at my house. But on this particular night, he asked to sleep with me. So I let him. After a while, he woke me up saying, ‘Geenaw, you’re freaking me out because you’re snoring so loud?’ Another incident was when I stayed with my grandson Skyler one night when he was in the hospital. I know that the nurses come in several times in the night to check on the patients so I wanted to warn her straight up that ‘I snore very loudly.’ She just laughed. But I said, no really, if you hear something, please wake me up.

I have to admit that it freaks me out, too!

snoring so loud Kelly came in the room to see what the noise was…

what’s that on your face geenaw?

It was Easter Sunday. We had planned a lovely family dinner out at Spaghetti Warehouse. I mean you can’t go wrong with spaghetti and/or lasagna. Even the kids would be happy. We hadn’t all been out to eat together in a very long time. The wait wasn’t too bad and they finally called our name. I sat beside my grandmother and all of a sudden she reached over to me and poked my face and said, ‘what’s that, a pimple?’ Well no, I politely said, it’s a beauty mark.

I was literally homeless. Oh I had a place to stay, but not a place to call my own. Now I do. After the divorce, I moved into a house owned by the university I work for. The rent was reasonable compared to what an apartment would cost me and I could walk to work, I could actually see the university from my front yard. It was a 3 bedroom, 2 bath 1940′s style home, with a sunroom on the back, appliances were furnished and the university took care of the yard. It had hardwood floors, a garage, a fireplace, and attic fan with a sweet little library/office room at the front of the house off of the livingroom (which actually served as a playroom for my grandson). So I signed the lease. It was September when I moved in and the weather had turned from blistering hot Memphis season to a cooler time. The house was shaded by lots of big old trees.  At the time, only my youngest daughter was living with me… well her and one of her best friends who kind of slid in the door without me really knowing what had happened. but that was okay. They were both recent graduates from high school.

One strange thing about the house was upstairs in the attic was a working toilet and small sink. kind of eerie…

I claimed the house. Walked through it and around it thanking God for it. BEFORE I even knew for sure that I had it.

Married for 20 years – learned so much. Can’t really REGRET it because I have 2 beautiful daughters that came out of it.

It was my best friend’s wedding. After that, several of us from the wedding party went out to a club called Chevy’s on Overton Square. That’s where I met my husband.He came over and asked the girl I was with if she wanted to dance. Not me, but her. She said no and he asked me. I still can’t believe to this day that I said yes. I was second pick and I said yes. We danced all night and talked and yes, we drank. The next day, he sent me flowers. Well, needless to say no one had sent me flowers in a very long time and he kept calling so I went out again, and again. And, well, here I am.

One thing that got me through those tough times was my faith in Jesus. I would actually open my back door and sweep the devil out of my home.

I’ve been saying for the past several years (at least 3) that I’m going to start a blog. Unlike the Seinfeld show about nothing, this blog is about my life which I want to say - has not been without adventure.

Now let me give you some reference about who I am and why should you care enough to read this blog…

I’m just like you are.

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