A Little Bird Told Me Today

That Donkey is planning on marrying Wench. However, no one knows when. This came as somewhat of a shock because the two were "engaged" before he threw her out in December, but I'd heard nothing of it being back on since she'd moved back.

Seems that ever since FIL (Father In Law) had his near death experience in February and had a "come to Jesus" meeting with himself followed by going to church regularly for the first time since he was born... that he has taken it upon himself to insist that Donkey and Wench are living in sin and need to "do the right thing."

Oh. My. Goodness.

Are you friggin kidding me? This is the same man that banned Wench from the family store because she was stealing out of the cash register to feed her drug addiction... which she still has. Now he wants Donkey to marry her? The man has obviously lost his mind... he went all Baptist on us. Go figure.

Sidenote before I end this post: I can't remember if I ever posted this or not, but when Mr. AFRo and I found out that Donkey and Wench were engaged originally... back in the fall, I thought it would be nice to take them out to dinner to celebrate. So, I called them up and invited them and said they could pick the place, to just let us know. Guess what she picked?

Chuck E Cheese.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

I Put On My Big Girl Panties

Since the majority of you told me it was the right thing to do and well, we all know I don't have the audacity to get ghetto in front of people outside of the internet, I prepared to put on my big girl panties today and enjoy myself.

Tuesday, I called the doc and had the happy pills script filled, just in case I needed them. Those suckers work absolute wonders in emergency situations such as this, however they make me somewhat sleepy so I try to avoid them if possible. They are my last resort.

Last night, after Big Kid's ballgame, I hit up the grocery store and found this new mango Hawaiian Punch that sounded like a yummy mixer for a toddy on the lake. Upon leaving, I stopped in at the liquor store and picked up a small bottle of vodka. This was my first plan of action for today. Just drink a little and relax. Right?

Well, at about 10:30 last night I text Donkey to see when they'd be arriving and guess what?

They weren't coming.

Go friggin figure. I should've known better. That's how it always goes down. I get all anxious and whatnot about this stuff and let my entire week get ruined trying to plan a way out and they don't even have the decency to show up. No. Really. I was glad. Seriously.

It was a wonderful day! We played on the lake for hours and despite my numerous applications of sunscreen, I look like a lobster right this second. The kids rode the inner tube while Mr. AFRo chauffeured everyone around on the Pontoon boat. By the way, Mr. AFRo had a mole removed from his leg Thursday, so he has 6 stitches and couldn't get in the water. Poor thing.

I really do love Mr. AFRo's family. My favorite is his baby cousin Lea. She is adorable and so fun to be around. I spent most of the day chilling with her... and she would've totally played the "mean girls" thing with me if wench had been there. Lea just found out she's pregnant with baby number 2 so it was wonderful to catch up since we haven't talked in at least a year.

I didn't take any pictures today. Shame on me... I know, but I was too busy sunning and floating and boating and drinking. Maybe someone will email me some and I'll post then. That's all for this one. I've got one that deserves its own coming right up.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

Ghetto Fabulosity

If you're in a reader, click through and take my poll. I'm not so excited about the way it's coming out thus far. For more info and in case you missed it, read this.

Since we've got a couple of days leading up to it, I think we should make up another story about what I could do... not what I'm going to do when I finally have to be around the Wench.... I want to do a ghetto fabulous story like the one you guys put together when I found out Donkey had taken the wench back. Remember? Complete with babies video taping in 8 day old diapers and smoking cigarettes? I would link it, but I deleted it. Sorry. Whatever.

Terrible, but entertaining nonetheless. Let's start at the beginning. With the first thing I should say to her... because she will not speak first. She's rude like that.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

We're Going To Need This Today...

Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar

While you are here though, please check out my many posts below and vote in my poll that I need advice on before this Saturday!

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

And This Week's Drama Begins

If you have not read my post about Donkey and his wench... it is necessary to understand where I'm going with this post. So... click here and read... then come back and comment on my situation. If you cannot at least comment, you better vote in that cute little poll that I put up for you all to help me decide how I'm going to handle it.

Next weekend is Mayfest... this is Mr. AFRo's family reunion with his mother's side of the family. I LOVE his mom's side of the family. There will be roughly 40 people there and MIL (mother in law) lives two doors down from me. Tonight we had dinner down there and just before I left, the subject of Mayfest came up and who all would be there. Every single time that we have had this conversation before now, she has told me that Donkey would be there, but not his wench.

Well, guess what? The wench is planning to come.

I'm somewhat angry about it because I DO NOT want to be anywhere near this skank whore. She is gross. She insulted me and my cooking. She had the nerve 6 months ago to say F-you to me and there has been no apology from her. Not to mention the fact that I'm pretty sure she still has a drug problem that we're supposed to overlook. Skank.

Anyway. I really was looking forward to seeing everyone. Now, notsomuch. It's all overshadowed by my extreme dislike for the wench.

I'm almost hurt that she was even invited. Back around Christmas when the words were exchanged, I was assured my MIL that she would not be welcome at the family get together for that holiday. But, right before Christmas, Donkey got smart and sent the wench home to her mom and dad along with all of her stuff.

But, remember right before Valentine's Day? She returned and he took her back. Now, things are supposed to be forgotten and everything peachy. Whatever. They just don't know me very well and my whole issue with holding grudges. I'm gripping this one with a fist too.

I am NOT over it and I will NOT get over it until a sincere apology is made for her behavior towards me that was spurred by nothing more than her psycho drug induced rant the week before Thanksgiving. I have done no wrong here. None.

I have chosen not to be around her. It is my choice and I thought that MIL was with me on this choice, but for some reason, wench is invited to Mayfest and now I don't want to go.

We only have 5 days to make a decision so you guys need to tell me what you think.... I could use a little advice on dealing with the wench, then answer my poll up there to the right to help me decide what I'm going to do for Mayfest.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

Dear Number 1 BFF,

I will most certainly be sappy now because we are not sitting face to face and we've done enough crying together over this whole move thing. So, we'll cry separately on this.

Here we go...

I will never ever forget the first time we hung out. Traveling south to the river city to pick up my new glasses in my oh so hot red Chevy Beretta. I was all worried about me and Mr. AFRo's move and who was going to take care of Cuz. It was a great day and who knew that 9 years later we'd have all of the wonderful memories that we've had during that short amount of time. Thank God you came to dinner a couple of nights after our trip...

There is no specific order to my memories and this is by far not all of them, but I want to tell you how much I appreciate...

1. You going to Taco Bell or whatever fast food venue we went to at 2 a.m. the first time you came to visit me in Jackson (circa 2001) and I was fat pregnant with the first child that any of us had. Only a BFF would drag her butt out at that hour to get food with me because Mr. AFRo sucked and refused to do it for me.

2. All of the WSP memories that you will forever be a part of. From the night I KNEW I was a fairy to the last show where we hit up Waffle House in the wee hours of the morning. Also, be sure to tell Cuz that the bathroom stories and "Homepage" from the New Orleans show are yet to be over...

3. All of the delivery stories. Hard to believe that there are 5 of them between the two of us, but my favorite will forever be you telling me the story about that kid that was in your house the day you went in to labor with Baby. I laugh every single time I think about the full 8 hours and the Demerol crazed time that it took you to finish your story... and how crazy everyone thought you were when you'd wake up from the drugs and start telling me the story right where you'd left before you passed out and I was the only one in the room who knew WTF you were talking about. Crack me up... I'm laughing so hard I'm crying.

4. The one million phone calls that took place in the wee hours of the morning between you and I about the random lists that I struggle to maintain. Those will not stop, ever. (the calls nor the lists)

5. The only two baby girls I will ever have. Thank goodness you were able to do that because we tried twice and I'm calling it quits. For now...

6. Introducing me to Ashley's Closet. If it weren't for you and the email about the Golden Compass post, I would have never found blogger and I would never have learned all the amazing things I have about blogging... which we all know is very important to my mental well being.

7. You are the only one who encourages my (doctor prescribed) drug use when we both know it's necessary and the one who reminds me when it's not. Like don't take Ambien before you're done talking to people on the phone...

8. That you are the ONLY friend that I have that I KNOW I can always say anything and everything to without the negative repercussions that always come from letting skeletons out of their closet.

9. You are the one who makes me "karaoke" with others even though you know the thought of doing so sometimes makes me hyperventilate. Bee-otch.

10. You are such a beautiful and wonderful friend, Aunt Babecca. I have no doubts that my life would be so very different if you'd not been in it. You're an amazing mother... doing things that I'm afraid I would always be too selfish to do. You're an amazing wife... God only knows that no one else in the world could handle Cuz the way you have for years. (This comes to mind from your class reunion - "We can go in separate cars... give me the Mustang keys and we'll take care of that right now.") LOL.

I'm still not saying goodbye to you because it's not the first time we've lived hours away from one another. Even though it pisses me off when people tell me how it's not that bad... the more I think about it, it's really not that bad. I can still be there before noon if I ever need to bring a shovel. You know?

I love you girl and I promise this adventure is going to be best of all blog subjects 10 years from now... just think how we started it... red bull and vodka and a pallet on the floor. It's destined for greatness.

I'll talk to you tonight.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

Memorial Day

Don't you dare forget to remember every one of those who have died to make sure that we are safe to sit in our living rooms and blog with one another. Don't forget the mommies and daddies and grandparents who are raising little ones who's parent was lost while protecting you and me. Don't forget the thousands who are standing in battle for us right this very second... and willing to make that ultimate sacrifice for our safety.

Don't you dare forget them.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

He Really Is Honest

Little Kid LOVES to tell "stories." We don't refer to it as lying unless necessary in my house, but LK is the best story teller there is. However, he's a very easy child to catch in the act because of his sideways glances while telling his stories, or his biting his fingernails while telling his stories, etc.

I convinced him months ago that God gave his mom the power to know when he's telling a story. All I have to do is look in LK's eyes and God will tell me if he's telling the truth or not. This tactic is still working as of today...

This weekend, my #1 BFF had a going away party for her little boy and both of my boys went. BFF is crazy.... she had 9 little boys spend the night at her house the day before they moved. Anyway, LK had a bit of a scuffle with another little boy. This is the conversation as it was told to me between BFF and LK following the fuss:

BFF: LK were you fussing with such and such...

LK: No.

BFF: LK are you telling me the truth?

LK: Probably not.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

There Is A Mouse In My House

This is unacceptable. Remember? I just adopted two kittens. Don't mice smell cats and get scared? Obviously not because that nasty little rodent ran across my kitchen floor while I was cooking dinner tonight and proceeded to eat one of the french fry crumbs under the bar. (Yes, I need to sweep. Whatever.)

So, I played the total weenie roll because you know I am the ONLY female in my house. (Even the kittens are male.) I ran out of the kitchen and proceeded to instruct my children to find their animals and take them to the mouse. As they ran about obeying my instructions... for the first time today... I told Mr. AFRo he needed to handle this.

He went in and got one of the kittens... Max Power... the orange one... and put him down right behind the running mouse. I think the mouse was slow or something because he was not a runner. Max Power was all over that mouse. He had him cornered in no time and then was OCD for a while about getting him out from under the washer.

The other cat went and got in BK's bed and went to sleep. He couldn't care less.

Later, the boys and I were having a conversation and I told BK how proud I was of Max Power because cats were supposed to catch mice. That's why I agreed to keep them and Max Power was certainly going to be here to stay. (Even though the mouse is still running around somewhere in my laundry room.)

"What about Jonah?" said BK.

"Well, he better learn to catch some mice or he's out of here." I replied.

Is that a terrible thing to tell a child?

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

My Nephews

My nephews live two doors down from us and are mostly the same ages as my children. Really, they are stair stacked in age... LK is 5, BK is 6, LN is 7 and BN is 8. They are all BFF's and I LOVE it.

So, yesterday my nephews come over to take my kids out to play and the Little Nephew (LN) says this: "Aunt AFRo, how come this room is always so dirty?"

I was taken aback at his statement and then I was outraged and then I realized that at his home they have a maid... for goodness sakes, the boy was wearing pressed khaki shorts to romp around in... I should realize that he has no idea what it's like to live in a house that is less than perfect.

So, I tell him that his comment was rude and that he should never EVER tell someone that their house is dirty. EVER. I then explained to him that I work all day and that sometimes I can't get everything cleaned up like it should be. But, I was somewhat hurt by his statement.

He didn't apologize and I didn't make him. He's 7 and I really feel like he's one of my own for the most part and the boy was just being honest. Between the baseball gear and the random shoes laying in the middle of the floor and various items that haven't been moved to their home in the house from where they were put down when we walked in the door... Yes, it's somewhat messy, but I assure you it's NOT dirty.

I would make a comparison here to the home that my LN lived in prior to him being adopted at the age of 6 months old by my MIL, but we're doing better about building people up, not tearing them down. Right?

ANYWAY... today the nephews came back over and the BN wanted to play the PlayStation. I told him that was fine as long as he didn't talk about how dirty my bedroom was. I was halfway being serious.... But, I failed to remember that this one is the most sincere and compassionate of all 4 boys at my house.

He got this serious look on his face and said, "Aunt AFRo, I don't talk about other people's houses. It's not very nice." I was just about to reassure him that I wasn't upset with his brother when he added...

"But, it looks a lot better than yesterday."

I couldn't help but laugh and hug him tight. It was the best compliment I've received in a month. Someone finally recognized that I'm busting my ass over here.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

Ephesians 4:29

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. -Ephesians 4:21

Wow. I decided earlier today that I was going to post about anger for my church post this week because it's an issue that I've been struggling with lately. For all you Veggie Tales/Larry Boy fans, think... "The Angry Eyebrows." But, as I went in search of a verse to quote, I read this one a few lines down from the anger verse.

Isn't that funny how God told me exactly what I needed to hear? This was the verse that inspired me. One, because I think that some of the ladies who patrol the mommy blogs have issues with tearing each other down instead of building one another up... and I know that you ladies over at the BabyCenter Boards have serious issues with this.

I understand this verse to say, "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all."

Honestly, this is very personal to me because I work in a bank (Duh.) with a LOT of other women. At every level in my organization, I encounter "Negative Nancy's." You know the ones I'm talking about. The woman who can do no wrong and believes that every time one calls her, they are only doing so to hear the latest horrible thing that another person has done or about how the company is really screwing this or that up.

Seriously. It gets annoying.

As the Public Relations Officer, when I hear these things, all I can think about is how this person... my co-worker... is a PR nightmare because if she's fussing to me about internal stuff every single time she opens her mouth, I am 99.9% sure that she is fussing to people externally about the same issues. I see this in women from the teller line all the way up to our corporate office.

But, look at what I just did. I spoke ill of all of them in my last paragraph. Isn't that crazy how quickly I did the same thing I am saying we shouldn't do? I never even realized that's where I was headed. And I know that I do this in daily conversation. It's very hard as a woman not to fall into a conversation of being negative.... at least it is for me.

This kind of behavior is exactly why I needed a vacation from work though. I don't want to be that person. However, the more I'm around it and the more I hear it, the more I fall into the same habits, then I end up pissed at myself later on for lowering myself to that level. (Can one say pissed in a "church" post? Whatever.)

So, I'm going forward from here with the verse above in mind and also the wise words of Eleanor Roosevelt, "Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."

Does this mean you won't get any more blogs ranting about individuals from time to time? Absolutely not. Because I'm human and I'll need to vent on occasion. It just gives me and hopefully you some food for thought when you're perusing blogs, talking to co-workers or hanging out with friends.




© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

Sweet Freedom

***Note to Readers Subscribed via Email - If you are not getting daily updates, check your junk mail folder and make sure you flag the "Feedblitz" emails as "not spam" so that you can read me everyday.... I know that you want to.***

I DON'T HAVE TO WORK TOMORROW!!! I'm so excited about my days off! I have a ton of stuff that I'd like to pack in to the precious few days, so in true AFRo fashion, I'll be listing. Yes, I've already taken the Ambien.

Before I start, I have to share my funny crazy story from today. I talked to BFF this afternoon and just before we hung up, I apologized for not calling her back last night and began explaining how my phone was almost dead, blah blah blah. She stopped me halfway through my apology and reminded me that I did call her back last night at around 12:30 a.m.

When she told me what we had talked about, I did remember talking to her. But, I swear all day I had been feeling guilty because I did not remember talking to her. I blame the Ambien. It will be the reason tomorrow that I don't remember this list I'm about to write.

1. I have to remember to tell the bloggers that I bumped into Marilyn at the ballfields today and she said that she didn't think she ever told me what she found out was wrong with her while she was at Banking School. She's pregnant.... about 3 months along. I felt a little guilty for dogging her so bad in my roommate post... but whatever. She was a crappy roommate, pregnant or not.

2. The bathrooms have GOT to be cleaned.

3. The boys rooms are getting new blinds.

4. Maybe I can even get my closet finished. The rehanging of my racks is still not complete from the Great Closet Collapse of February 2008. I've got to get the pile of clothes off the bathroom floor though and they just need their home to go back to.

5. The laundry has got to be caught up because the washing machine broke over the weekend. Mr. AFRo got it fixed on Monday, but no washing has been done.

6. The kittens need to get their shots.

7. Mr. AFRo needs an appointment with a doctor to see about a mole on his leg that looks weird. I wonder if he has to go to a general practitioner to be referred to a dermatologist or if he can just go to the derm? I'll call the insurance folks and ask.

8. The boys need to go to the dentist or I at least need to get them an appointment.

9. Big Kid and I need to do a little shoe shopping. While we're at it, we'll need to do a little clothes shopping also.

That's where I'm going to stop for now. We'll see how much I do tomorrow before we plan anymore. I'm sleeping in before we do anything though.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

My Goodness...

I'm still reeling from this weekend and all of the activity. I am one of those people who has to have my day of rest... literally vegging out all day... either in bed or on the living room couch or I feel like I haven't had a weekend. Luckily, I'm off work for 6 days starting WEDNESDAY!!!

Did you guys notice that the weekend following my first "church" post that I totally missed church at my own blog? Isn't that pathetic? I'm going to try to have Wednesday night church here this week to try to make up for it. I don't know what to talk about though and I think I got off kind of easy with the first one since it was Mother's Day and all. If you feel so compelled I would appreciate some topic suggestions.

Chris, our resident smart ass, said he was going to help me with my church posts, but he has yet to put up on that. I'm just sayin...

I have nothing interesting to offer tonight. I do plan to list in a bit if the Ambien doesn't work. Today was an especially crappy day at the office and I'm not sure that the drugs will even help me sleep tonight. Only one more day though and then freedom for 6 full days! The boys' last day of school is tomorrow so I'll have some fun time with them (hopefully) while we enjoy our down time.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

Can One Have Too Many BFFs?

I think this topic is debatable based on your definition of BFF. My definition is something like this... I do think that a BFF is a friend closest to you. However, I only had friends that were closest to me. I never kept an entourage of acquaintances because I always felt that was a huge waste of time. Sometime in the middle of Junior High I realized that sure I'd run with a crowd, but my BFF was always my clique.

Once you're a BFF you stay that way for eternity. Therefore it is only logical that a woman could accumulate several BFFs throughout the years. As a matter of fact I have at least one from almost every stage of my life. I'm a very loyal person, so even if we had the occasional fallout, I mostly got over it and moved on. It takes years of a close relationship with a girl though before I can call her a BFF.

This is Gretchen. She was actually one of the first BFFs I ever had in the Dirty D. We met when I was 12 and were inseparable for most of Junior High and High School. However, I spent a brief stint of my high school years at boarding school and when I came home, things weren't quite the same. We graduated and many years (almost 8) went by without the two of us speaking...we'd simply lost touch until MySpace last year. I have so many wonderful memories of life with G and we've actually begun making new ones recently.

Last night was one of those nights. We were the smart kids back in JH/HS who went to "Project Pass" (the gifted program) and there were a couple of guys in our class who we always treated like the dork little brother.... until they hit high school and didn't look like dorks anymore. Whatever. One of our dork little brothers got married last night and Gretchen and I went to the wedding together.

It was so much fun. I swear, ever since we reconnected about a year ago, I don't feel like it's weird. It was easy and comfortable for me to fall back into conversation and catching up on life with her. I'm a poor listener if I've been drinking, because I get a little ADD, but I hope that she has enjoyed our get togethers in spite of my OCD ADD. I think she does. Being able to reconnect and pick up like you never left off is a really important thing for me when I choose a BFF.


This is Katie!!! I met Katie when Mr. AFRo and I moved back to the Dirty D after Big Kid was born. I've told you guys how he went back to school full time and we lived in family housing on campus. Katie was my very first neighbor. She now has 2 little boys, but at the time only had one who was a few months older than Big Kid. We became fast friends and haven't ever lost touch with one another for a really long period of time.

She was at the wedding last night because her husband is an attorney and the partner in his law firm was marrying Gretchen and I's dork little brother. Before last night, I had not seen Katie in almost 2 years. But, just like with G, we picked up right where we left off. It was such a fabulous night because these two women were there.

Just thought I'd share these two with you guys... and so you could all see how fabulous I looked despite the sunburn that was a bit bothersome all night long. I may post more about the wedding later. But, I am thrilled that I went and didn't chicken out the day before like a dork.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

What A Weekend

I spent the day at mom's today. First thing this morning (noon for me) we shaved my boys' heads. Check this out... it is all of the hair we shaved off... Eck.


Don't they look adorable with the summer cuts? I think so...

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

Late Night Blogging. Duh.

Finally. I can compose some thoughts. Unfortunately, because I have no real anonymity locally, I cannot spill my guts. So, I'm going to smoosh some random stuff together and you all can use your imagination to put the pieces together.

First. My retreat was fabulous. I almost wish I was still on this mountain secluded from real life and feeling like I was accomplishing something that would actually make a difference long term. I had met most of the 8 women who were there prior to this trip, I had just never spent any real time with them and was dreading the whole bonding thing that is inevitable on these types of deals.

It went really really well though. It's amazing how much work we got done on a "retreat" that I really kind of expected to be a waste of time. I came out of it feeling honored that I had been one of the few invited to be a part of the project we are working on because I am a baby in comparison to the majority of people that I work with and as you all know, I'm not a real banker yet. I learned a hell of a lot while I was there though and I'm smart enough to realize that the opportunity is presenting itself for me to learn from the best and I am soaking it up while I can.

I'll post later on Generation gaps in the workplace and the effect it will have on us in the years to come because if you don't know about it, you should and I'm a marketing dork that loves researching that type of shit.

Sorry. I got off topic. Whatever. If you're still with me...

I got a call from the office right before I left the mountain today. Apparently, they actually cannot survive without me and while that is flattering, if you've ever been in any type of management situation, you should know that it is a terrible problem to have. I do not measure success by how well people work when I'm there, I judge by how well they work when I'm not there.... because that is a true testament to the job I'm doing. Judging from this afternoon's drive home, I'm not doing a very good job. (Remember that bold statement for eternity. It will help you no matter what your profession... even SAHMs)

Technically, I'm not a manager though. I'm an officer. In the banking world I think that means something. However, I'm not real sure exactly what aside from upper management being able to nail your ass that much harder when you F-up.

ANYWAY...

I am having an EXTREME flare up of the PMDD and I've been out of Ambien for 2 weeks. I could not get my script filled before I left town because you cannot make people work faster than they want to in the medical profession and you should never try. I know this. So, I'll be picking it up tomorrow at lunch. But, I need sleep or I have issues. Obviously.

I wish I could take the day off tomorrow.

One of my dear friends from high school is getting married this weekend. I cannot miss this wedding. It's going to be like a high school reunion... one year short of our 10 year mark. (Seriously.) My face is completely broken out... just like it did in high school. Ironic? I think not.

Whatever. I'm going. It will get its own post tomorrow night or this weekend...

I set Lost up on DVR tonight, but haven't watched it yet because I've been settling back in to the reality of life at home and catching up on things like blogging. I found a new one today and it was EXTREMELY fitting around the time of my last post. It made me feel somewhat normal.

Surviving the InLaws... Go check it out.

Goodnight. I missed you too. Thanks for reading my crazy ramblings. It does make me feel better.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

Have You Ever Had A Day...

...where you felt like you were:

Betrayed
Made a scapegoat
The maid service
In Over Your Head
Too young to feel so old
Spinning your wheels
Wasting a lot of time
Used

Suffocating?

Yes? What does it to you? How do you deal?

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

I'm Having A Moment

My goodness. It's 11:00 on Monday night and I'm having a bit of anxiety about my work "retreat" that begins tomorrow. If I don't work it all out, we all know my attempts at sleep will be futile, so here we go again with my listing. However, this will stay subject specific.

1. I'm going to be in the middle of nowhere in the Arkansas mountains with a bunch of women that I barely know.

2. All of the bad weather that has come through our area (including a tornado that landed less than 5 miles south of my home) managed to reek havoc on Arkansas and especially Little Rock which will be the closest to civilization that I will get and it's more than an hour away.

3. Is very similar to 2... all of the forecasters are predicting strong thunderstorms in the area for the entire 3 days that I will be there.

4. I'm not even sure this place has electricity much less internet. Seriously.

5. All of the "activities" on the agenda require some sort of physical ability. I'm not that kind of girl. I prefer lounging. Thank goodness I do the My Coke Rewards magazine subscriptions. The foot high stack of backlogged magazines will be in my suitcase. (with the candles... just in case)

6. Mr. AFRo will be home alone once again for a few days taking care of the boys... all of them... even the kitties, who have to get shots soon (and they started purring for me tonight. Finally). Luckily we don't have anymore games until Thursday night and if my last meeting ends at an appropriate time, there's a chance I'll be back in time to see it!

7. Did I mention no internet?

8. The attire is listed as casual. I'm only bringing jeans... and tee shirts. That's how I roll and being a banker means that 98% of the time, jeans are blacklisted.... so I'm going to wear them while I can.

9. The last time I went on a trip in the Arkansas mountains, I got carsick. Bad. Carsick. I'm riding with my role model to the event but she's pretty hardcore and will probably just tell me to suck it up. To which I might cry.

10. I'm out of happy pills and sleeping meds. I must call the pharmacy in the morning and make sure to get those scrips filled. I may not make it if I don't. Drugs = okay retreat.

That is all. Please try not to miss me too much. I will be thinking about you guys often and hoping I don't get too far behind on my blog reading. I'll post again as soon as it's possible. Oh and if you see on the weather that there are tornadoes in Arkansas you better say a prayer for me because it's guaranteed I'll be flipping out over there without Mr. AFRo to keep me realistic.

ETA: The weather just so you guys can keep an eye on it. Mitch, it will update anytime the AccuWeather folks post a new webcast. So, it's not the wine... the meteorologists do change from one hour to the next. (That cracked me up.) And I know you will be the one saying a prayer for me...

Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

Dear Danza Johnson,

I heard about the Mississippi earthquake this morning and was immediately curious about what happened over there so I googled "Tupelo newspaper." This sent me to the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal where I found your piece.

While I understand that it is a weekend and you don't want to put a lot of effort into work, we really need to talk about this. Are you a journalist? Seriously? Do you realize that there are hundreds of thousands of eyes focused on your little area because hello... earthquakes don't exactly happen in Mississippi everyday.

This was your chance to gain national recognition for your writing ability and judging by the 3 inches you managed to put out... you totally blew it.

Where are the first hand accounts from the citizens who actually experienced it? You told me about a liquor store. WTF? A liquor store... and I really could not even see how they played into the story other than they were the only people you could get on the phone without having to actually get in your car and try to interview someone in person. Laziness is written all over this thing.

You open with first a tornado, now an earthquake. Sure, it's been a bad weather week, but you obviously do not realize how monumental an earthquake in Mississippi is, because the tornado part is completely irrelevant to this story. An earthquake is not weather and should not be put into the same category unless you want your ignorance right out there for everyone to see... which obviously you're none too concerned about.

Sure it was a minor earthquake, but in case you missed the last 40 or so times I mentioned this... it was an EARTHQUAKE in MISSISSIPPI. Do yourself and your newspaper justice and revisit this story. Get in your car, take your voice recorder and go to Beldon and find out exactly what happened. Paint the rest of the world a picture... that I can feel like I'm looking at as I read your story.

STOP BEING LAZY or find another profession.

I don't know who your editor is, because I didn't bother to look that up, but shame on him for allowing such garbage to not only be published, but to actually be put online where anyone and everyone can read it and laugh at our MS journalism abilities. There wasn't even a photo for this history making event.

Seriously people... it's a disgrace and you've got to get with the program. I'll be watching for an actual news story on the event. I hope you won't disappoint us again.

Sincerely,
AFRo

ETA: Look how the Jackson TV reporter (WJTV) totally plagerized the newspaper reporter's story...

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

This Struck Me As Kind Of Funny

My dad called me at noon to remind me to call and wish my mom a Happy Mother's Day.

Like I was going to forget.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

Psalm 127:3

Sons are a heritage from the Lord,
children a reward from him.
-Psalm 127:3

I'll never forget the day I found out I was pregnant with either of my children, but especially Little Kid. It was April 1, 2002 and I brought Big Kid, who was only 8 months old at the time, to the doctor's office with me. I really and truly thought that they doctor was playing a bad April Fool's joke on me when he announced that I was indeed pregnant again. I already had a baby. What in the world would I do with another? So, I cried and cried and cried and cried... for weeks. Literally.

You see, three months prior to this, Mr. AFRo and I uprooted our lives and moved home to the Dirty D. Mr. AFRo had quit his job and gone back to school full time and I had gone to work at the first full time job that I had ever been depended upon to hold for a significant amount of time. Our health insurance wasn't even in place yet. I was our sole stream of income and I could not see how in the world we would ever survive. This could not be happening. Another baby?!?!?!

People would tell me all the time that, "everything happens for a reason." Duh. But I was having a real hard time trying to understand exactly what God's reasoning was. I've never been the one who could just have the blind faith in Him that some Christians survive on. I wish that I could question less and live more, but I'm not so sure that I will ever be that person. I'm a mom and I have to be in control of the situation... most of the time.

Little did I know that God was looking out for my children and myself when he gave us another baby. The years that have passed since Little Kid joined our family have been years of many life changes... from jobs to homes to schools and more... but through all of that, my boys always leaned on each other. Especially when mom was too caught up in her "trying to control" the situation that I wasn't the mom that I think I could've been.

So, I realize now that God was actually blessing us. It wasn't a curse after all. Even though I do wonder some days... No, seriously. I thank God every day for my boys.

That concludes my Sunday "church" post. I googled a daily Bible verse and got the one at the top so I ran with it since it's Mother's Day. I posted and had to re-type it and post it again because the formatting was driving me insane. Once I get better at it, we will begin taking an offering. *Wink* I want you all to feel right at home.

Please feel free to discuss it among yourselves. You gathering here with me is what will make this a real spiritual thing. You know the verse, "Where two or more are gathered together, there He will be also..." I can't remember where it comes from, but it's in the Bible somewhere.

Happy Mother's Day to you all!!!

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

Newest Additions

We added two new members to the AFRo family today. They are both tomcats and are now the only animals that we own. Our dog never returned home back in January and we assume that our cat at that time went in search of his BFF... the dog... and never returned either. So, we've been without pets for about 4 months. But no longer...

They've been lovingly named Jonah (left, belongs to LK) and Cap (right, belongs to BK).

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

The Principal's Office Story

Tuesday was an especially stress filled day at work. I'm still not actually a real banker and I run into things daily that my OCD makes me have to learn not only how to do, but why it is done that way. The boys had a ballgame that afternoon, so I was going to leave a little early so that I could have them dressed and at the field in time to warm up.

Well, I left 15 minutes early and was rushing because really, the warm up would start at 5 and the game at 5:30. When I arrived at the daycare, the director was talking to the mom of one of Little Kid's BGF's. (Best Girl Friend) BGF's mom threw me one of those looks like OMG before she got in her van and the director began approaching my car. Crap. WTF? Why today?

Big Kid got in the car and Little Kid was inside changing clothes with Mr. AFRo when she approached my window. (Notice that BK is sitting in the backseat and YES, he can hear us.)

Director: Mrs. AFRo, we've got a problem.

Me: Okay. What's going on?

D: LK and BGF are playing together all of the time.

Me: Okay? And...

D: Well, the other day, LK put his head on her stomach.

Me: Did he pull her shirt up or something?

D: No. He just laid it on her stomach to hear her heart beat.

Me: I'm not seeing a problem.

D: Well, today they were sitting together and she put her head on his shoulder and he put his hand on her leg.

Me: Um. Okay, was this inappropriate in some way? I think I'm still missing what you are trying to imply.

D: We just think that we should separate the two of them from now on because we don't want one coming home and telling their mom about things they did with the other and the mom getting all freaked out that we're not watching them.

Me: (Confused and annoyed with the conversation) Let me talk to my husband and we can talk about this tomorrow. We need to go.

D: Okay. Sounds good.

So, we go play our game and when we got home, I called BGF's mom. She was thinking the same exact thing I was.... which is that this daycare woman has lost her friggin mind if she's implying that 5 year olds are exerting some sort of sexual behavior towards one another in their innocent shows of affection or even in play. I was pretty pissed about it after we hung up the phone and we both agreed that our children would not be separated under any circumstances and that it was time to discuss the matter with Principal.

After all, this is the same woman that punished my child for saying taliwhacker last semester.

I went at 8:30 the next morning and met with Principal. I informed him of the situation and my conversations with both of LK's BGF's moms. (I had talked with the other one later in the night. She also has two older girls that totally had the scoop on daycare.) I told him about the Director's grand plan to separate not just my child, but all boys from all girls. She would not let boys and girls be in the playground jungle gym's together at any time and had claimed this was Principal's rule.

Principal was a bit surprised by the whole ordeal. He seemed to share my view which was that if you call attention to something like that with children that are 5 years old, you may as well go ahead and teach them sex education for goodness sake. They have no idea how their actions can be construed by others and the fact that the daycare Director took it upon herself to construe it into something that is just sick in my opinion, greatly disturbed me.

Turns out, I wasn't the only parent to have this kind of conference concerning Director and a new Director had already been hired. The new one starts in 3 weeks... at the start of the summer.

It's bittersweet I suppose. One should never wish job loss upon anyone, no matter how mad you are. However, I didn't do it. It had been done before my conference ever occurred. Apparently the consensus among the parents is that Director isn't cut out to work with kids and it was time for change. I'm excited because new Director sounds like she's going to be perfect for the job.

Besides... remember The ONE? Well, she's agreed to keep the kids this summer! They'll still be doing daycare 2 times a week because I think they should stay in that routine a bit, but the other 5 days... they'll be at home which is everything I'd hoped for.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

My Brother And Sister

Yes, I'm the shortest and I needed some lipstick in this pic, but it was the most recent that I could find... taken about 2 months ago.

The question was asked a few nights ago about how my brother and sister and I became so close. I'm going to try to make some sense of it because honestly, I've never thought about it in depth before.

My little brother is only about 18 months younger than me. I don't remember a time in my life when he wasn't around. He was both my closest playmate and my mortal enemy as a child. We've brawled just like the best of them, but in the end, we both knew that there would never be anyone who knew us or loved us like we love each other.

I actually haven't talked to my brother in a couple of weeks now. My parents do keep me updated on how he's doing. As a matter of fact, he just moved last weekend from Nashville to Huntsville. He moved in the middle of the tornadoes that came through the south last Friday. I was worried sick about him and seriously contemplated driving to Huntsville to help him unload because he did not have any help, he did it all on his own.

I do text him once a week to remind him of how very much I love him. But honestly, our relationship is just natural to me. I don't think my parents pushed us to love each other, but my mom always set a good example. She has 3 sisters and my entire childhood was spent watching the relationship between her and my aunts. So, I guess my brother and I learned by example.

My mother had her tubes tied after a near death experience following my brother's birth. She hemorrhaged while she was still in the hospital recovering from the delivery and mom and dad thought they had their little boy and their little girl and they were done.

8 years later, my baby sister arrived. We called her the miracle baby.

My relationship with my baby sister is different from that of my brother. I remember what life was before she came along. I remember the night she was born. (My mother's baby sister stayed with us that night.) I remember the day she came home. I remember her first steps. I remember the day she started kindergarten.

However, as she entered her teenage years, I got married and began having children. We were distant, but I usually got that call if she encountered a situation that she didn't know how to deal with. Distant as in being in totally different stages of life. She was in the midst of the high school drama and I was settled, so it was sometimes hard to relate to one another, but that never stopped us from knowing that we were there if the other needed us. No matter what.

We still have our battles with one another from time to time. Anytime that happens... even if only two of us are squabbling, all three are aware and one always steps in as the peacemaker. It's usually my baby brother because both of us girls are hard headed and always right. Sometimes our spats last for weeks, but never months. Even if we just end up pretending they never happened with no apologies, at some point, we fall back into life as normal.

Little sister just finished her freshman year of college. I talked to her today and she was at the beach with friends relaxing and unwinding from the week of finals. She'll be a counselor at a Christian camp all summer and I probably won't see her much. But, somehow I feel connected no matter where she is. The same goes for my brother.

So, I guess the only conclusion I came to in all of this is that yes, my parents taught us to love each other unconditionally. But, not by telling us to do it. They taught us by example.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

It Hurt My Feelings

I just want to point out that I poured my friggin heart out to you people last night and received only 5 friggin comments in return. Seriously my ROI is less than 3% people. THAT SUCKS. Come on. I should not have to "fish" for comments as Mr. AFRo calls it not with the amount of traffic I get. Sure, it's not comparable to some people's blogs, but goodness. It really kind of hurt my feelings.

A very special thank you to Mommy Cracked, Mamalicious, Mitch, Courtney (who's blog is private), and Bad Mommy for being supportive readers. Oh, and the Renee deserves a mention because she commented last night, just not on my "pour my heart out" post. It really meant a lot to me that you responded to my "worry" post about my daddy... even if it was nothing more than one word. It made me feel like someone out there is paying attention when I kind of needed some attention.

I was going to post the Principal's Office Story tonight, but I think I'm just not feeling motivated anymore.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

It Just Got Here

No hope of sleep tonight. The storms just arrived and the wireless is in and out. I'm about to resort to the dial up, but first I'm attempting this, just for you guys.

Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

Update On My Daddy

Two years ago this June, my daddy was diagnosed with Stage 4 (terminal) T-Cell Lymphoma. This diagnosis came on the heels of many months of trying to battle something that we knew was making him really sick, but certain doctors believed to be an infectious disease. They treated his cancer with antibiotics for 9 months before one night he began running 104 fever and turning yellow.

At this point, my mother took him to Vandy in Nashville and he began the battle of/for his life. When he arrived, his liver and kidneys were failing and the doctors did not expect him to make it. Nashville is approximately 6 hours from home for us, but my baby brother lived on the outskirts of that beautiful city at the time, so mom and dad did have one of us close.

My daddy was very clear from the beginning. He was not going to lay down and die. He would fight and my God did he. Months of chemo ensued... with every treatment that killed off his blood cells, came blood transfusions. It's all kind of a blur to me, because although my sister and I drove up VERY regularly, my mama kept us very sheltered from my daddy at the time. They did not want us to see him in the state that he was in.

After months of chemo, my daddy was able to receive a stem cell transplant. The doctors used his own stem cells that were extracted from his bone marrow (I think, but can't say for sure where they came from, just know they were his.) My parents rented an apartment close to Vandy for the duration of the stem cell transplant. They knew they would be there for 100 days.

As I write this, I cannot help but cry because it was a terrifying time for my family. However, our small community rallied around all of us and lifted us up like nothing I've ever experienced before.

To this day I am grateful and I will forever remember the many acts of kindness towards not only my mother and daddy, but to me because I was in the midst of finals and FINALLY graduating from college with two kids in tow and trying to do all of this during the weeks that daddy was being diagnosed at Vandy; and the acts of kindness toward my baby sister who was completing her senior year of high school while my parents battled this disease many hours away.

Through the entire battle, I sent regular emails out to a list of well over 100 people in our community which in turn were forwarded on and on and on... You can imagine. This was before I discovered blogging, but I would like to tell his story in more detail one day... based on all of those emails that I sent during the course of 2006.

On January 5, 2007, my daddy was released and allowed to come home. His cancer was in remission. He beat it despite all of the odds being stacked against him. My daddy turned 50 six months later and returned to Nashville for a check up which he must do every 6 months so that he can be monitored to make sure that the cancer stays in remission.

My parents arrived back in Nashville today. They are at the Hope Lodge tonight and I could tell in talking to him earlier (to brag about BK) that although it is not home, they are definitely back in a place that is close to their hearts and mine as well. His pet scan was done this afternoon and we are waiting on results.

Please pray for the best.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

Metropolitan Readiness Test: Part II

*NOTE TO READERS* - I have several that are finding me on google by searching for the Metropolitan Readiness Test. You are only finding me because I posted once that I have no idea what it was about and was really curious, but couldn't find anything so I posted in hopes that the blogosphere could enlighten me. I'm sorry that you've been lead astray in your hunt for answers, because I really don't have any, but if you find something please stop back by and share it with me.

*NOW FOR THE POST*

Let me just say up front that I had no idea that I was raising geniuses. I like to think that I am, but I realize that I'm a bit partial.

This morning, after leaving the principal's office (I will post this story later), Big Kid's teacher stopped me and said that she needed to have a conference with me. I was not really skeptical about this request because BK has never been my troublemaker. So, I followed her to the classroom and we had our conference while the kids were in their Spanish class.

The results had arrived for the achievement tests. Something that, to be honest, I haven't really thought about again aside from wondering what they were tested on. Turns out, BK did EXTREMELY well. Therefore, I must brag a bit.

Out of 62 questions on the test, he only missed 2. Yes ma'am. 2.

He scored perfect on his math and reading comprehension and overall he is ranked in the 95th percentile in the nation. I cannot help but be so very proud of him.

BK has a July birthday. Mr. AFRo and I debated a couple of years ago about whether or not we should let him proceed into the first grade and let him be the baby in his class or hold him back a year so that he would be the oldest. Since we were in the midst of a move and new friends would be made no matter what, we decided to let him spend another year in 5K.

I've wondered many times if we made the right decision. However, this second part of this year has really made me feel like we did the best thing we could have done for our child. He is excelling and in doing so, his confidence in his own abilities is soaring. (He kind of has a big head at the moment.)

Parenting doesn't come with a manual, as we all know too well, and last night I was really wishing that it did. This morning really made me feel like maybe, just maybe, we're not doing so bad after all.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

I'm Sorry To Do This To You

I ran out of Ambien this past weekend and I haven't gotten a refill. I was hopeful that I would fall into a routine and still go to sleep at a reasonable hour without it, but alas. Here I am. Therefore, I apologize, but you are about to be subjected to a list of randomness that is swimming in my non-medicated brain. Ugh.

1. I have to go to Little Rock for 3 days next week. I'm a little traveled out still from banking school, but my efforts to get out of it were futile. I hope Mr. AFRo doesn't completely hate me when I return. Life is too busy right this second to only have one parent.

2. I have to talk to the boys' principal in the morning about some issues that arose this afternoon surrounding daycare. I am calling this meeting not the principal, but I still hate having to do this kind of thing. I feel like such a tattle tale. However, this will be my first meeting of this kind since last school year.

3. NO BASEBALL OR T-BALL TOMORROW NIGHT!!! WOOT.

4. Tomorrow night is a church night. We're not going. I think we're going back to the big church that we quit attending a year ago. It's just easier. I may change my mind again though.

5. I want to have a "faith based" post for Sunday. I think this will encourage me to get back into some kind of regular Bible study and it will force me to really think about. All in all, it can only be good for me, so I should do it. What should I do it on though?

6. My boys' announced this weekend that they love Uncle Donkey, but they are not going near that Wench because she is mean to their mom. Makes me think I may talk on the phone too much with them in the backseat. We let their comments slide because they are distinguishing between loving their Uncle and not liking his Wench. (BFF said this was acceptable.) Note to self: They can hear you and they are paying attention, contrary to what you believe.

7. Wonder what BFF is doing? It's midnight. I should call. She's moving in less than a month. What am I going to do? Stop it. No, seriously. What am I going to do? Stop it. Moving right along...

8. I used quite a few profanities in my last post. My grandmother reads my blog and I think my mother in law does too. I should be ashamed of myself. But, I'm just not because they made my point. But, I kind of am.

9. I hope my readers know that they were the only audience to a rant such as that. I'm way too passive aggressive to actually do something. I'm not a true redneck. I just like to talk a lot of shit. But, only to the bloggers who can't/won't hurt me. Not the big fat true blue redneck score keepers who I would NEVER cross in real life. Mr. AFRo would have to do that.

10. I've got to buy groceries. There is NOTHING in my house except peanut butter and crackers. Literally.

11. Mr. AFRo has to change out my car tag tomorrow before I get a ticket. They won't give me a ticket if the new tag is in the car though would they?

12. I wish I could afford a maid.

13. I miss Bad Mommy.

14. I want to do a political blog, but I'm scared Mrs. Ashley already thinks I copy her. She would actually be the blogger that inspired my political post, but I think I'll just wait.

15. My list is getting somewhat long. They're never going to read all of this. I should go play webkinz.

16. I wish that banking hours were a real thing.

17. I hope KT is loving her new job. I haven't seen her first byline yet though. I also hope that she found a new place.

18. My daddy. Uh oh. I have to post an update on this while they're away from internet access.

19. I miss my baby brother and sister so effin much. I think I'm going to plan a visit to the baby brother.

20. I have a 6 day vacation coming in 2 weeks!!!

That is all. Carry on.



© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

Dear Coach Pitch Scorekeeper,

I heard you were a little bit gangsta. Well, I'm a little bit gangsta too and if you yell at my kid again about not touching home plate and then argue his run because he beat the catcher to the plate when he ran back to do it, I will totally bitch slap your fat ass. Seriously, you don't want ANY of this.

You may think that because I'm a skinny white girl that I can't take you. FYI - we are in a baseball park and I have immediate access to metal bats. Don't think I'm above using one if necessary. However, my motto is... I will not throw the first punch. I'll just spit at your ugly ass and smear that orange makeup of yours so that I can say I DID NOT swing first.

Seriously though. Get a life or at least a kid of your own to bitch at because this is your warning. I don't give more than one before I will TAKE YOU DOWN.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

The Tooth Fairy Story

At approximately 6:15 last night, oldest came walking into the house grinning from ear to ear and put a tooth in my hand. *GAG*

I immediately had to fight the urge to call 911 because Mr. AFRo was on the complete other side of the lake fishing and this was totally supposed to be his deal. Big Kid knew I would freak a bit and told me it was okay, he didn't need anything except for me to put his tooth somewhere safe. I insisted that he let me stop the bleeding before he pranced off on another adventure.

He lost it after biting into an apple.... his favorite food. He was two doors down at his grandmother's house when this all took place and he ran home to deliver the news. He wasn't crying and he claimed it did not hurt. After handing me the tooth, he went straight to the fridge and got out another apple and proceeded to eat it while he was still bleeding! I had to take it away and make him put a rag in his mouth.

The scene in my living room floor was me holding a rag on the hole in his mouth and sticking out my tongue and gagging an awful lot while my soon to be 7 year old told me how it was going to be okay and stroked my hair. It makes me sound like such a loser, but that's really how it went down.

Mr. AFRo and I were ill prepared for the tooth fairy. Even though I bought one of these about a month ago, I guess we'd gotten a bit lax about the whole situation and I somehow expected to have much more warning. I wanted to do the whole glitter thing and I needed to research the going rate on a tooth fairy drop before we had to actually do it.

Last night, oldest fell asleep in my bed while watching Iron Chef America (it's becoming a tradition around here) and forgot to put the pillow on his door. I only had one $10 bill and two $1 bills in the house and he was NOT getting $10 for a tooth.

He was elated over his $2 this morning and the fact that the tooth fairy had hung his pillow on his bedroom door for him. Thank goodness because my kid really understands money and I just knew he was going to be pissed that the fairy didn't leave a $20 bill.

I was a bit disappointed in the end that I didn't get to make a whole ordeal out of it, but it's probably better this way because we've got at least 50 more tooth fairy visits ahead of us between the two boys and I'm glad I didn't set the bar too high on our first go round.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

It's A Church Day

If you've been reading my stuff for any extended amount of time, you'll know that for quite a while I've been struggling with our church attendance. I live in Mississippi people. It's basically a requirement here for citizen status.

We have not been to church in months now. I really don't feel guilty about it, except for sometimes. Like today. But, I feel the need to make excuses for myself and work this out in my head. Therefore, you guys will have to listen.

Baptist. That's what we are. That's what Mr. AFRo and I were raised to be. But, Baptists don't drink or dance or anything else really that doesn't involve a sanctuary or a fellowship hall. I have real issues with this.

I'm not an alcoholic, but I enjoy having an alcoholic beverage, whether it be on occasion or every single day... I think it is my right as an American to kick back and relax with a beer or a martini whenever I choose. I DON'T feel that this makes me any less of a Christian which is contrary to most Baptist doctrine, regardless of what the Bible says about moderation and whatnot.

I also love to dance. I'm not claiming that I really do it well or anything, but music drives me and my moods a lot of the time. If it's good music, I'm usually inclined to move to it. Baptist doctrine usually frowns upon this too, but I'm not really sure why. The only thing I can figure is that some provocative movements can sometimes resemble things that should only be done in the privacy of one's home, but that doesn't mean that all dancing is a sin in my mind at least.

I also value the power of curse words. Sometimes they are just what I need to express my point. Somehow I've managed to limit the use of them around my children, but in adult conversation or in my blogging I appreciate the emphasis that certain words provide for me. Does that mean I don't believe in or worship God? Absolutely not.

The problem I run into is this... and maybe it's from my upbringing... but, doing all of these things can lead to the impression that I am one who just "speaks it" and doesn't "live it" which is the single largest cause of atheism in the world today and I don't want to be that person. I want to be the person who really believes that you can do all of these things and still have a personal relationship with Christ. That sentence is totally contradictory in nature though according to the belief system I was brought up on.

My kids should be in church, I know. But they do attend chapel twice a week at school and they do study the Bible daily there as well. Which for me, means that I don't have to feel as guilty about sleeping in on Sunday morning.

I'm tired of writing on this subject and I'm not so sure I made sense out of what I was thinking, but I feel a little more justified in my thought process, although I'm not exactly less confused on what I think about the whole situation. Maybe I'm looking for validation... probably in all actuality I am. So, validate my random thoughts dear bloggers. Help me feel sane on my struggle with church and values.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

Exactly One Week Ago

I went to our very first official "Supper Club" get together and it was quite a blast with the ladies. Here's some pictures that I managed to get out of the others who were there because AFRo no longer owns a working camera. However, you can ask any of them... I'm extremely vain when it comes to the pictures.

ETA: I probably should have put my captions under my pics, but I'm done with this post and I'm not going back to redo it. So, FYI the paragraph on top of the photo describes the photo. Okay? Sorry. Picture posts are hard.

Here's a great one of me and the BFF. I love that our "good sides" are the exact opposite of one another. It's a match made in heaven obviously.


This is A.C. on the left, whom I did not meet until last Saturday, but I hope I'll be getting to know in the coming months because we've got the whole raising boys thing in common. In the middle is Lajan and Destin (my hair girl among her other many titles) is on the right. These two organized our whole deal with the help of Mrs. C whom I have no usable friggin photos of because she still hasn't emailed me any and I'm refusing to post the one of her and Lajan that I was attempting to back out of but managed to be in anyway. I still love her though.


Okay, I have no idea what A.C. is doing in this photo and she may not appreciate the gesture as much as me. But, I feel that I have some readers who will LOVE this because if you recall my banking school study group's theme... the last part was "Feel the magic" which was always done with a gesture such as this, so I had to include the picture. Please don't be pissed A.C.


Lajan picked our restaurant for this go round. This is BFF getting "laid" (I know that's not how you spell it) by Lajan which means she picks the venue for the next get together. BFF will be moving in a month, so I thought it very appropriate. We're not going to talk about that though.


Here's one with Penni in it and it's a great picture of her! (Penni likes to hide from the camera.) I grew up with Penni and this was really the first time we'd gotten to hang out since I graduated from high school.


I had a blast you guys and I can't wait to do it again!

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.

I've Got Some Catching Up To Do

Baseball season has started and with it brings a limited amount of personal time for AFRo which = less blogging and more fussing IRL. So, I'm going to attempt to catch up a bit and see if it improves my mood a bit.

Geez. Where should I start? Carpooling? Okay.

I believe that I've mentioned before that I live approximately a half hour away from civilization. I know everyone is feeling the effects of the high gas prices and our little family is feeling a bit of a pinch from the $250+ that evaporates every 2 weeks into the two gas tanks that we currently own.

So, Tuesday Mr. AFRo and I began carpooling. I'm still feeling like it was a smart financial decision, but notsomuch a smart marital life decision. Too much together time is just too much for me and mornings are NOT the highlight of my day. (SIDENOTE: that girl Alex on the Real Housewives of NYC is just a freak.)

Tuesday night I had a dream that BFF's husband (who is the closest thing I've ever had to a big brother) was standing in the middle of a baseball field lecturing me about being on time. Seriously. It's that bad, but I think I'm stuck on the carpooling thing at the moment. It's either carpool or let the bank repo one of the cars and I'm not losing my one ticket to occasional freedom.

UGH. It's disgusting. Gas prices, I mean.

The storms last night were UNfreakingBELIEVABLE. Sorry for the lack of warning because I know that you guys are checking my blog incessantly looking for weather news, but I was suffering from lack of internet access and had to resort to dial up which is IMPOSSIBLE to do anything with. UGH again.

To my newest friends from banking school that live over in New Albany, I hope that you are all okay today. I did think of you several times throughout the night as I watched the tornadoes rake through your area and I did say a little prayer on more than one occasion specifically on your behalf.

We are alive and mostly well here, despite the PMDD flare up.

I will have to cut this post somewhat short though because the oldest just walked in and handed me the tooth that we've been waiting to lose for over a month. Mr. AFRo is fishing and I'm holding a tooth and looking at a bloody hole in my kid's mouth.... OMG.

© 2008 AFRo. All Rights Reserved.