Will you marry me?

I can't believe I am still going on Mama M's blog hop. I thought surely I would drop out after a day or two...but this is fun! It's like fun assignment for school - and I love fun and I love school!

SO, do you know what today's "assignment" is? Do you, do you? Did you read the post title? I wasn't asking you to marry me...I already have a husband. It was a clue...today's topic is engagement stories.

Now, my engagement story is not all that romantic...but the end result is what matters the most. I obviously said 'YES!!'

Cap'N Crunch had been out of town for about a month...we were missing each other big time. Everyone kept saying "Distance makes the heart grow fonder." I think if one more person had said that to me I would have knocked them out. (Hee hee! Sorry, that would have never happened. I am so not a violent person. But it's what I felt like doing.)

Okay, okay, back to the story. So, Cap'N Crunch was gone, but he was about to come home for the weekend. I had a pretty good feeling that he was going to propose. I had my nails done and went shopping for a new outfit! I picked him up at the airport. And it was my birthday....21! This was way back when...before all the security stuff that the airports have now. I was able to go to the gate.

As I was waiting for him to get off the plane, scenarios of the proposal went through my head. I was sure that he was going to propose in the airport. I envisioned him on one knee as soon as he saw me, roses were strewn all over the floor. Then I pictured each passenger giving me a rose as they got off the plane and Cap'N Crunch getting off last and proposing...

Time to wake up from the fantasy....none of the above happened. Not even close. Well, I did get beautiful red roses...but not from each passenger on the plane. (I'm giggling as I re-read what I just typed. How would every passenger on the plane know what I looked like? Silly Jilly!) Oh, well a girl has to have her fantasies.

Cap'N Crunch got off the plane and hugged me, kissed me, and gave me roses. Then we headed to the car.

"Hmm? What is he waiting for? What if I'm wrong...and he's not going to propose!" I might have started to get a little upset...of course I didn't let it show.

We get to the car, he puts his bag in the trunk. But then I notice he's getting something out of his bag! Woo hoo!

It was a card...this boy is driving me crazy. A card? Ugh.

But inside the card....it's all ooey and gooey and lovey dovey! It's one of those tri-fold cards. So I read the front, open it, read the second page, then open it once more...he tells me how much he loves me and that he wants to spend the rest of his life with me....and then....

"Will you marry me?"

Tears are rolling down my face at this point and I say yes. Then the ring comes out. I could not have picked a more perfect ring. What a great guy I am blessed to have.

Okay, so I take it back...that was romantic. Or maybe it was my story telling? Nope. It was the proposal. I have a great guy. It's been almost 11 years since he proposed....awe! Thank you for letting me share my story with you!

Favorite Date Story

So today's topic over at Mama M's Valentine's Day Extravaganza is your favorite date story (good or bad).

It's been awhile since we were dating...so I had to really think about this one. I have three that stick out in my head. I won't go into too much detal, but here they are:

1. Our very first date - because that was the beginning of the best thing! Dinner at Chili's for four hours! We just talked and talked...can't remember what we talked about?
2. Horseback riding - we packed a picnic lunch and went riding at the barn I took lessons. Keith had never really riden before. It was a very fun date. And very romantic.
3. A road trip up to Tennessee to see good friends of mine. This really wasn't a "date" but it sticks out to me because it was the first time I remember thinking "I can really see myself with this guy." I used to get annoyed with people so easily, but not Cap'N Crunch. We spent the whole weekend together and I didn't want to throw him out of the car, not even once...now that was a good sign!

Cap'N Crunches favorite date:

Well, he was going to tell me what his favorite date story, but I think the tv won...maybe later?

How I met Cap'N Crunch....

Mama M is doing a Valentine's Day Extravaganza this week. Since I *HEART* Mama M and since I do not blog about Cap'N Crunch nearly enough, I thought I would join in the fun. If you would like to participate, head on over to Mama M's and check out the schedule for the week.



Today's assignment is telling the story of how you met the love of your life....

I first met Cap'N Crunch in September, 1998, at Bombay Bicycle Club in Jacksonville. Right away, I knew that he was the boy for me...not really love at first sight, but just something in me knew he was special and he was for me.

One of his friends knew one of my friends so we were sitting at the same table. Another girl was putting the moves on him - and suddenly I felt very territorial. I am not the kind of girl to get territorial or jealous...so I just knew something was up.

We ended up hangin' out that first night. We talked a little, danced a little, flirted a little...

Then I didn't see him again for a while. Ugh. I knew where a friend of his lived...so one day I went a knocking, which is not something I would have ever done. Except that it was Cap'N Crunch. He just did something to me. His friend didn't have a clue...he didn't invite me in and I left having not talked to Cap'N Crunch and thinking that's that. I tried to put Cap'N Crunch out of my head...didn't work.

I ended up seeing him out again in December. We talked a little, danced a little, flirted a little...

Then nothing again. I was not happy this time. I decided I was done getting all silly over this boy who couldn't get it right.

Well, obviously he got it right, because here we are...over 11 years later!

One day in January Cap'N Crunch showed up in the store I was working in....all cute and smiling. I was melting. Luckily I had worked all day, but I still had an hour or so left to work. I called in another girl to work a little early and I left....

We went to Chili's...ate and talked for over four hours. FOUR HOURS!!!! And that is how I met Cap'N Crunch....the love of my life!


I thought it would be fun to have Cap'N Crunch tell his side of the story, so in his own words...

Twas the first night of autumn in 1998....gosh, has it been that long? I was at a fine drinking establishment with my friend E. E was seeing his lady friend T.(lady friend? really?) T brought her girlfriend Jill ( that's me!). Jill was tall, had long curly hair, a beautiful smile, too cute to pass up (Cap'N Crunches words....remember! Isn't that sweet?)

I found Jill interesting considering the fact that she had just turned 20 and there we were drinking at the BBC. We all knew the bouncer! So, legally I should've never crossed paths with the love of my life. Call it destiny, call it divine right intervention, heck, call it fate, Jill and I hit it off great on the first night we met.

She was an assistant manager of a shoe store and I was unemployed at the time driving an S-10 pickup as my bachelor sleigh. (isn't he silly?) So I wasn't making money, had no job, and drove a truck (I have to interrupt again...I know, let the man tell his story, but I think it's important for you to know that the truck he's talking about was purple. PURPLE!). What does this woman see in me? I must have been good-looking back then or something because I didn't have a whole lot going for me.

Jill and I didn't meet again until a few weeks later at the BBC. I had been seeking out Jill so I was glad to see her, but something was wrong. It bothered me to see her upset, but she wouldn't tell me what was wrong. Then she left. (Wow! I had completely forgotten about this...My grandfather had just passed away and I was really upset. My friend T thought it would be good for me to get out...nope, not so good.)

I didn't see Jill again until Christmas night. Jill told me what was going on in her life - why she left last time so upset. Then Jill invited me to a party at her house in St. A. the next night. (My memory is so bad...I had forgotten about this too! And just for the record, I hadn't planned on having a party but I wanted to see K again...so a "party" was invented and an invitation was put out.) I wasn't sure about the party, so I brought a chaperone with me. (Oh, yes...I was such a wild girl that K needed a chaperone! He's so silly.) It was a fun party. So fun that word got back to J's parents and she got in trouble...(They were out of town and I didn't really think about asking or telling...I was 20 and at 20 I guess I felt "old enough" to make my own decisions....ah, young and stupid!)

I didn't know it, but I met the love of my life numerous times in a three and a half month span.

So there you have it...both sides of the story and they were totally different! I am so glad that I asked Cap'N Crunch to tell his side to.

Stay tuned for tomorrow when we tell you our favorite date stories.

Flapjack Friday and Five question Friday!

Last Friday, Flapjack Friday was 'born' at our house. Cocoa Puff would eat pancakes everyday of the week if I would make them everyday of the week...but I won't because well, obviously cereal, cold and hot, is a staple in our household because it's easy and I love it. (Whoa! That was a seriously long run-on sentence! And I call myself an English teacher! )

Okay, back on track...Flapjack Friday! I really do love Fridays because it's the only day of the week I am not committed to something. No teaching, no tutoring, no dance class, no bible study, no MOPS, no commitments! Don't get me wrong - I don't dislike my commitments. I really enjoy all that I do, but sometimes it's nice to just be a stay-at-home Mommy!

Last Friday I made banana flapjacks (I really do call them pancakes...but I'm a sucker for alliteration!) This Friday I'm making blueberry flapjacks! Yummmmy!

I was going to do a separate post for how our week went, but I just haven't had the time or the energy, so here it is:

My week started out very scary and ended up very thankful. Monday night/Tuesday morning Cheerio had a febrile seizure. Let me say that I don't handle medical "stuff" well and I tend to over-react. This case is no exception. I was a sobbing mess when the EMS team finally arrived at our door. It seemed like it took them four hours to arrive...it probably only took 15 minutes. Once they got in the door - they were fast! I have never been so scared in my life. Seeing my sweet little 16 month old on a stretcher with tubes and an oxygen mask...and this is after holding her while she had a seven minute seizure...complete with eyes rolling into the back of her head, stiff body, and convulsing arms. I am not going to detail the rest of the night/morning, because I will never forget it and I really don't want to focus on it. The big thing is that I feel so thankful that Cheerio is okay and will be okay. She is likely to have more febrile seizures, but not more likely to have regular seizures. The studies that have been done show that there are no lasting effects from febrile seizures. So, I am thankful.

And since it is Friday, I am also going to participate in Five question Friday! Mama M hosts FQF every week. I love it...it's a fun way to blog hop. Head over to Mama M's for all the details and to participate!

1. What are you most afraid of?

Death....my own, my children's, my husband's, my family's, my friend's...

I'm so freaky about it. Cap'N Crunch will try to bring it up...not in a creepy way, but in a "let's plan" way....nope. Don't want to talk about it. I'm not even 'talking' about it here. Next question, please.

2. Do you use a flat iron or a curling iron?

I use a curling iron to flatten my hair :) I don't have a flat iron, so I make do with a wide barrel curling iron...it works!

3. Hands-free or phone to the ear?

Phone to the ear! Even though I do think about what they say can happen when you talk with a cell phone to your ear....that's another thing I don't talk about. I know I'm in denial.

4. Do you have a matching bedroom set?

Nope. And I love it. We have a hope chest and a side table that belonged to my great-grandmother, a dresser that belonged to my grandmother and a dresser that I got for a great deal at Pier One...the older pieces match, but the thing from Pier One doesn't...it's got to find a new room to call home, but we need the space. One day...

5. Do you believe in the paranormal?

Umm? This is a weird question. I haven't ever really thought about it. Yes. No...Maybe?

Well, that's it! I hope you all have a great weekend. Remember to be thankful!

Five Question Friday

It's Friday again! I'm so ready for the weekend! How about you? It was a particularly long week for me....I chipped a tooth on my way to bible study on Tuesday and cried because I thought I was going to need a crown (lots of money), went to the dentist on Wednesday and sighed a sigh of relief because I don't need a crown..just a super-dupper filling, dealt with a sick kiddo on Tuesday/Wednesday - Cocoa Puff had a small fever for about two hours and lots of diarrhea, had a surprise visit from Gigi and Papi on Thursday - and I will just say that the house was a wreck and I was horribly embarrassed. I got over the embarrassment and enjoyed their short, but nice visit. So, what's in store for today? Well, it's Mama M's five question Friday and I think I will take the girlies to the library. And right now, Cocoa Puff wants pancakes for breakfast...so I'm off to flip some flapjacks!

From January

My view from the dentist chair...do you see the deer?

1. Would you ever vacation alone?

Why? I mean really? What fun would a vacation be if I were alone? I would like a few hours on a vacation alone....that would be fun! I would go to the beach or park or some place peaceful and read a book...preferably in a hammock. Now that I would enjoy, but a whole vacation, alone? NO THANK YOU!

2. Do you go the speed limit?

I am not as much of a speed demon as I used to be....I was once pulled over (and ticketed) for going 88 in a 60 MPH zone. I was 17. I cried all the way home. Then I tried to hide it from my parents and take care of it myself. My advice to you: Tell the truth! It was not pretty when they found out....and they were dissappointed which was the worse part.

Now I have kiddos in the car with me...so I am more careful....I still occassionally go faster than the posted speed limit, but it's only to get by those (BLEEEEP) who go 20 MPH under the speed limit. There is such a thing as going too slow.

What's that? You think I have road rage? Nope, not me. Okay, maybe a little....but I wouldn't if people would just drive right!

You got more than you bargained for on this question, didn't you?!!!

3. Why did you start blogging/following blogs?

Long story short....Ana, my bestie from high school, lured me in. She dangled blog "candy" in front of me until I was hooked! It started with funny stories from MckMama to sad stories from Bring the Rain, and Harper, Kelly's daughter (Kelly's Korner) to yummy recipes from Bakerella and The Pioneer Woman. Then Ana started her own blog, Ana's Antics, and I loved reading her blog - even though I saw her on a weekly basis. About six months later, I started my own blog...partially because I wanted to join in on Not Me! Monday (MckMama) and Show Us Your Life (Kelly's Korner). I have enjoyed blogging more than I thought I ever would....I hope our friends and family are enjoying it too!

4. Where do you shop for yourself?

Target, Old Navy...I don't shop for myself very often...and that's okay! I really enjoy shopping, but now is not a time in my life that I get to shop freely. One day we will have more money...but for now my job is loving on my girlies...give and take!

5. What was the song that you danced your first dance with your spouse to at your wedding...or...what song would you like your first dance to be to?

From black and whites

That's it...if you want to participate head over to Mama M's blog and join the party or just show her some love....that is what blogging is all about and what makes it so fun!

Have a happy weekend!

Soap Box Time

I try really hard not to let the English teacher in me get out in public places....but COME ON! I just, literally - like two seconds ago, saw a 'professional' author use the wrong spelling of a word in an online article. My blood started boiling and I thought "J, calm down! Write a post about this so other people can avoid making the same mistake."

So, I know that I make mistakes and I don't always spell check and proofread like I should....BUT....let's talk about homophones. I won't bore you and talk about all of them. Nope. I'm not that mean. I would like people to actually read my blog! And I do realize that we learned this in elementary school and maybe in junior high/middle school. In all fairness, it's been quite a while!

Homonyms 101

The first one is the one that I see so often and really drives me bonkers!

Your and you're

Your is a possesive pronoun

You're is a contraction (shortened from you are)

A good way to tell if you're using the right one is to try to substitue *you are* in the sentence.

Take the sentence above and let's substitute * you are* for you're:

A good way to tell if you are using the right one is to .........blah, blah, blah. It works - so I did use the correct homonym.

Another example:

I'm only doing this mini-tutorial for you're own good.

Now substitute: I'm only doing this mini-tutorial for you are own good. Oops. Wrong homonym. I'll change it.

I'm only doing this mini-tutorial for your own good. Really!

Some other commonly misused homonyms:

• their/they're/there
• too/to/two
• whole/hole
• see/sea
• deer/dear
• its/it's
• know/no
• weather/whether
• by/buy/bye ( I'm sure that 'N Sync was singing about homonyms :) "I'm doing this tonight...I know this can't be right..." FYI - I had to look those lyrics up. I don't know the words by heart.)

"Seriously Cocoa Puff???"

Last night I was sitting on the couch catching up on DVRed espisodes of Ellen :) (I am a huge fan of Ellen!) I hear a noise behind me and when I turn around to look...it's Cocoa Puff. She has a little problem staying in bed sometimes...we've been working on it. For the most part, she now stays in her bed. Well, except for last night.

So, I now present you with the top ten ways to NOT stay in bed...These are in order of how they happened - and they all happened!

1. "I was practicing staying awake."

2. "I was just thinking about my new robe and how excited I will be to wear it." (I am attempting to make a robe...if I ever finish it, I think it will be pretty cute. You do know I'm a procrastinator, right?)

3. "When it rains, I cannot sleep."

4. "Thunder scares me." (Okay, let me just clarify that thunder has never scared her before and I know that she could have been really scared except that she was smiling when she said it.)

5. "My bed is not comfortable. I think I will sleep on the floor tonight." (I might have said okay to this one just to get her to go to sleep and then transfered her to her bed, except she was on the floor in front on the TV and apparently that's the only comfortable piece of floor in our whole house!)

6. "I need to sleep upside down tonight."

7. "I need some love." (I really have a hard time turning this one down. I know she's got me on speed dial! BUT, MckMama did a post recently on enjoying these times when they want you around...so I do! even if it is 11 o'clock at night.)

8. "Why are water and milk cold?"

9. "Thirsty." (I did not get her any water...I have to draw the line somewhere.)

10. And the last, longest reason...."Potty, again." (She didn't go the first time. I didn't even know she was in the bathroom until I walked into the blueberry room to check my email before bed...I saw the light on in the bathroom, so I opened the door to find Cocoa Puff kneeling on the counter. My jaw dropped and I started to chuckle at the same time....I mean, seriously?!?!?!

Oh, course she started crying because she knew she was 'caught' and she still thinks she won't get in trouble if she cries. (Does that work in any of your houses?) I got her down, saw that she went to the potty but didn't wipe..yuck, smelled her hands to see if she washed them...she hadn't...double yuck. She knows better, but she is three and it was close to midnight. We took care of bathroom business and I put her in bed.

The tears were still streaming at this point. I asked her to take a deep breathe - it usually calms her down. Then I explained why I was upset, quietly and rationally...I took a few deep breathes too! She calmed down a little to tell me, "Do you know why I was crying?"

"Because she got in trouble?" I reply.

"No, I was crying (tears start again) because...gasp...I miss...Papa...gasp...Nanny...gasp, gasp...so much."

I miss Papa and Nanny too! So, I snuggled up next to her and loved on her some more and told her some of the love was from Papa and Nanny.