I'm TOO Old For This !!!

First of all let me say that I love my job. I do. I work in the Mother-Baby Unit here in Cartersville. I may complain about it sometimes but all in all I love what I do. I work with some great girls and the patients can be really sweet. Part of the job is that I work 12 hour shifts and I work every other weekend. While the 12 hour shifts allow me to work less days, it's 12 hours. (hello?) Anyway, not always but a lot of the time our work is busy. We walk in to a busy situation and don't sit down, eat or pee for the entire 12 hour shift. The start of the shift is always the busiest. Then it usually settles down by 2pm ish. By then you have to catch up on all your paper work.
What is crazy about the 12 hour shift thing is that most of the work force still operates on 8 hour shifts and get 1 hour for lunch. They also work Monday through Friday. This is true for most of my family. I always get these comments "you are so lucky, you get to be off on Monday." What people dont realize is I am off Monday because I just worked the weekend.(now in all fairness I work most Fridays and everyother Saturday and the occasional Sundays, I like to go to church) but I call Friday/Saturday my weekend. So I am not "getting Mondays off", Monday is like my Saturday. My other work girls can relate I'm sure. Right girls?
I worked nights when I started at CMC. I did that for about 4 years ( and 2 kids). Night shift REALLY screws you up. I am glad to be on Days now, even though they are usually busier. My night shift friends may dissagree. but the grass is always greener ya know. When I started at CMC I was 25. Such a baby. I could do 3 nights in a row and then be off for a couple of days and start the process over. Well I just finished 2 DAY shifts in a row and I am exhausted. I am getting to old for this S--t. I don't have the stamina I used to have. We have a couple of new young girls and they work the same schedule I used to and I realize I have become the senior of the unit. I am now the older "mom" type who can't keep up with the younger girls. Don't feel bad for me I am in good company. Right Dana, Angie and Michelle? HeeHee. (love you).
I guess I just want everyone to know working 12 hours is hard work. And sometimes our Mondays and Tuesdays are our Fridays Saturdays or Sundays. So if we want to lay areound the house all day in our PJs like some people do on the weekend then that is our right.

Lucky Lucky Girl

I love my mom. She has given me everything I need in this life and more. She is coming over today for lunch and I am really looking forward to it. She is my sounding board. I vent to her. I bounce ideas off her. I tell her my worries. Everything.

She has always been my biggest cheerleader. A word of approval or encouragement from her means more to me than getting a medal or honor from the President of the United States.

She has had to be the mother and father for my brother and me. She has done an awesome job. My dad is very proud of her.

My wish for her is that someday she will be as proud of the mother I have become as I am of the mother she is to me.

Thank you God for this Blessing. I am one lucky, lucky girl.

Rainy Days

Who wants to get out of bed on a rainy day when this is what you wake up to?

NOT ME!!!!!!!

Our Crazy Life

Whats going on with us you ask? Craziness. This is CRCT week. When I was in school it was just CRT's. I hate this week. Gotta make the kids get in bed early. Try to force Grace to eat Breakfast (which she never does) give them encouragement, blah blah blah. Anyway it will be a long week. I think the kids secretly like it because they get to play the rest of the week and no homework. ( I am secretly happy about that last part).



I did hear back from Abbys lab results. All test were normal except one of the Mono titers came back high. Seems she has had mono in the last few months. This explains the tiredness. I am so glad to have a reason and she seems to be better everyday. We still struggle in the mornings. She gets that from me. I was horrible when I was younger. Ask my mom.



Gracie is going for Neuropsych testing in July. She had it right after the surgery. It is exhaustive. She is there all day. This is just a follow up before going to middle school. We had to fill out all this paper work. Crazy questions. Then her teacher had to do the same. I hope she continues to do well in Middle school. I just cant believe my baby is going off to middle school. Keep her in your prayers



Like I said last time we played in the yard all weekend. I spent like 300.00 at Lowes. I know Star the outside lawn and garden girl well. We planted bushes all along both sides of the house and spruced up the back yard some. I think it looks fabulous. So we totally ignored the inside of the house this weekend. Then this morning Derick calls me and says did you get my msg? Someone wants to show your house between 1230 and 2pm. WHAT!!!! OMG MY HOUSE LOOKS LIKE DUMP!!! I am in the middle of my Monday trip to 3 grocery stores and I have 2 hours til I pick up MP. So of course I rush home and clean the house. I am not having anyone come into my house when it looks like that. So I did it, they came to see the house. And like usual we will probably never hear from them again. At least my house is clean.



Tonight I met with my small group (11-12 grade girls) from OLC. This group is such a blessing. I am a leader with Suzy Jordan. She is just an awesome God loving woman and I am honored to know and work with her. We also have some really great girls. Girls who love God and are sincerely trying to live their lives for Him. Listening to these girls make me so jealous. I wish I had half the smarts they do as a teen. Not just in school but in the ways of the Lord. They just genuinely seem to have it all together and I am blessed every time we meet.



Well enough rambling for tonight. Talk to you soon....

Great Weekend

Wheeeew! I am tired. This weekend we worked in the yard both Saturday and Sunday. It looks great but it was hard work. Mary Paige comes in and ask for "A" band aid. So I sit the box on the counter and say here. This is what I see next. "mommy this is my broken leg" says Mary Paige. Love her!!!!


Finished up with 2 great services at Oakleaf Church. One of the songs we sang really gets me everytime " I stand with arms high and heart abandoned in awe of the One who gave it all, I stand my soul Lord to you surrendered, all I have is Yours..."

"You are Holy, we cry with everthing thats in us, sing the praises of our glorious our hearts are bowed before your majesty we worship you our King."

Thank you Lord for all the blessings you have given us. Amen

My AH-HA Moment

Before I get too carried away with my crazy life I want to share my testimony with you. I do not have one of those big flashy testimonies where I did drugs or spent time in jail or what not but every person has a testimony for a reason. And mine might be meant for you.

I grew up in a christian family. We went to church every time the doors were open. My mom taught Sunday school and Both parents were invloved in the youth activities. I went to Christian camps, my friends were my church friends, I was just always into church...I could tell you the right things to do when I was growing up and most of the time I did the right thing. I prayed the prayer of salvation when I was younger and recieved Christ. But it never clicked.

In 1988 my dad died of cancer. He was 39. I was 16. What a heart break. How could that happen. He was so young. So was I. My brother was even younger. This is when I started to question God. I knew in my heart that my daddy went to heaven. However I just wanted to know how a God that good could let something that bad happen. I remember laying in bed at night talking to God. Why did you take my daddy? Why did you do this to my mom and brother? I just don't understand. I had soo many questions.

When we were married Shannon and I continued to attend church. God had so richly blessed us with 2 beautiful healthy children, a loving supportive family, good jobs. Everything! We even had our 1st two girls Dedicated when they were infants. But we never fully turned our lives over to Christ.

As I mentioned before in 2007 Grace was diagnosed with a brain tumor. We were devestated. The tumor was operable and she was admitted to Scottish Rite for surgery. We were there 15 days. Our family and friends were AMAZING. Strangers were amazing. We were truly blessed throughout the whole ordeal. We had people in 5 states who were praying for Grace. I began praying earnestly. "God heal my baby. Dont take her from us. She has a purpose on this earth." I bargained with God. "Take me instead" or "if only you will heal her I will go to church every Sunday and read my Bible like I am suppose to". Well I dont know whose prayers God was listening to (probably not mine I was so selfish), but he answered them. Grace did wonderful. She was back in school a few short months later. and Now is like any other kid. Shannon and I started back to church immediately. We would go to Cedartown FBC on my weekends off. This was still not enough to make it click. We would quiz Abby after church. "What did the preacher speak on?", "Name 1 song we sang". Nothing, she had no clue. We just were not "feeling it."

In 2008 Abby was invited to FUEL. A student ministry of Oakleaf Church in Cartersville. She was on fire. She would come home and say "Oh my gosh momma Michael talked about Blah, Blah Blah or we sang this song and it was awesome". She was really getting the message now. Shannon and I thought "Ok we have to see what this is about." We attended our 1st service in the movie theater in January 09. It was and eye opener. Michael was an awesome "teacher of the Word" things started to make sense. In one service Michael talked about why God allows suffering. This really struck a cord with me. Why had God allowed some bad things happen in my life? I jumped in with both feet. I started scheduling my self off as many Sundays as I could. I wanted to hear more. I needed answers. And thats exactly what I got.

Sitting in Church one Morning I had an AH-HA moment I needed to accept Christ into my heart because I knew of the price he paid for my sins. Not because someone told me it was the right thing to do. All my life I had been living the Christian life my parents had raised me to follow. Never did I attend church because I was eager to learn about Gods Sacrifice or because I wanted to praise God for his blessings. Now that was changing. I made a decision that day to be Baptized publicly. I wanted my family and friends to know of the choice I had made. Abby and I were baptized in July. It was awesome to experience this together.

You know how I know things have changed in my life. Now when I start my prayers I praise God for all his blessings and mercy 1st. Then I thank him for all he has done for me. Lastly I bring names and events to Him and ask His will be done and for understanding if my will and His are not the same. I also know a change has come over me because I want to read His word, I want to attend as many classes at church to learn as much as I can about Him.

I want my friends to know I have made a change. I want them to see it, feel it when they talk to me. I am not the same old Nikki. I am renewed in Christ. I have been given a second chance. Christ died for my sins before I was even born.

So I want you to know. You can have your AH-HA moment too. Christ died for us all. Get yourself into church. Learn of what God did for you. Make the change now. He is everything you could need and want. I will pray for you. If you need someone to talk to call me.
I love you......

Mom of the year?

I am currently in the running for "mom of the year". Today Abby woke up with a headache, she claimed was soooo bad that she couldn't get dressed, eat, etc... I dressed her and sent her to school. She texted me around 9:45 and asked me to come get her which I promtly ignored. It is now 1:15 and she is still at school so she must be fine. Here are my thoughts... she hates getting up in the morning. I think she is just complaining cause she doesn't want to get up. Because this "complaining" is an ongoing problem, Monday I took her to see Dr. Williams (the best Pediatician in the world if you need one), they drew blood work. I really pray to God that it is all fine but if something comes back off I will officially claim the title of mom of the year.

Why is it that when we take our kids to the doctor there is nothing wrong but if we don't and they are truly sick then we feel like crap. How do we ever know what the right thing to do is? Do you think she is trying to run over me? She has like 10 absenses this year anymore and the police are going to come after me. I told her this morning you either have to puke, pass out or have a fever. Is this wrong??????

Yay Me!!!!

I got some great comments on starting this blog. The funny thing is that I worried about doing this because I don't want to copy anyones idea or look like I have all the time in the world to do this. I am also not always good at putting my feelings into words. So just bear with me.....

Cute quote from Mary Paige today- "swing me high momma, swing me high so I can touch heaven"

Where to Start?

This is my first blog post so I may seem to ramble....My goal with this blog is to take note of all the things that happen in my families life. When my 2 older girls were little I made scrapbooks. Well Mary Paiges is still in the box at the bottom of her closet. so this will probably serve as a scrapbook for her.
About my family... Shannon and I just celebrated 22years of Knowing each other. We were married 5 years later so May 1st 2010 will be our 17 yr anniversary. WOW!! We met on a blind date. It was the best blind date ever!!!! We have our ups and downs like any two people who have know each other for 22 years but I wouldn't trade him for the world. And in the deal I got the best In-laws that I now refer to as my own sisters, brother, Mother and father.

Our girls are the love of my life. I was meant to be a mom. I am not a perfect mom but neither are my kids perfect so it's a great match. Don't expect to get on this blog and read how wonderful my kids behave. Expect to hear funny stories and quotes.

Abby is 13. I am so frightened to enter this stage of her life. She has always been my "nerd". Too smart for her own good if you ask me. And she is every bit like her daddy despite their efforts to deny this. She freaks about routine changes, hates blood or anything related to being sick and is sooo picky about her clothes/shoes I have threatened to leave her in a store more than once. But I love her. She knows exactly when I need a hug. She is beautiful without even trying and Some day she wants to be a Vet and take her mom to live with her and have a maid.

Grace is 10 going on 30. She is the easy going one in the family. In 2007 she was diagnosed with a brain tumor in her cerebellum. Luckily it was a benign growth know as a JPA. or astrocytoma. We thank God for that everyday. But not to let that define her... Grace is the best speller in our family. When she tells you she loves you, you just know that she means it. She loves to snuggle. She is beautiful and has her very own sense of style. Maybe some day she'll be a famous designer. She is sporty and loves to do anything that involves "going". She is the strong one and I love her.

Mary Paige is our youngest. I am so glad she came into our lives. We only discussed having two kids, but Mary Paige was planned. We just didn't feel "finished" and I am so glad we changed our minds. She has driven me crazy most of her 3 young years, but I have enjoyed almost every minute of it. She lights up a room. She attracts attention without knowing it. She is getting so big so fast. She loves her sisters. She wants to do everything they do. She will be a constant source of my blogs. She is a typical 3rd baby. She is spoiled rotten. Thanks to her Grammy and Nana. I am so honored to be a part of her life. I look forward to watching her grow.

Come along on this journey with us. It should be a wild ride......