He is gone...6 weeks and counting

So Rick left this morning for Atlanta and might I say...it was very emotional. Why? Well Alex and Allegra cried so hard like they really understood that he was not coming home for a while and with that...Rick and I both cried...well I cried, he just had tears in his eyes. I drove away trying to console the twins and after about 5 minutes, they were back to normal. We ended up going over to Target so I could pick up some more underwear for Alex, t-shirts for them both and a few goodies for them. We then went to Windy City Scrapbooking so that I could spend some of my garage sale money. I have to be wise in spending the money I earned...got some great items. We then went to McDonalds where the twins ended up playing in there new play area filled with video games. It is amazing to watch them act like they really know what they are doing. They were so tired that once we arrived back at home, the slept until 5:30pm...not to mention that daylight savings time sprung one hour ahead this morning and they were up at 6am to get Rick off to the airport with me...they were tired.
Rick got to the ATL okay...I have spoken to him 3 times already. I hope to speak to him again before the twins go to bed...which will be really soon. I already have the alarm on the house, which makes me feel safe and Mac is out back...even though I do not spend time with him since the twins, he is a great watch dog. I have been up on 2 peas just lurking and seeing what everyone is chatting about, what trends are hot and what is happening in the world of scrapbooking...I love that site. There are daily blog challenges both SB related and NSB related and there was one that particularly caught my attention by a lady whose blog I read daily. Here is her challenge that she received for someone else:


Have you ever??? Things you have ever done
My "have-you-ever's" are in PINK.


1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds (45.5 kilograms)
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someones heart
111. Ridden a bike
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someones mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someones life

Very interesting list...at least my life is not boring...maybe I will pass this list on for my friends to do.
The twins are now in bed...not sleep yet. Talked to Rick breifly as I was putting them to bed and Allegra was having a melt down...he will talk to them tomorrow and they did not ask about him tonight.
Tomorrow will be a normal day...I will take them to school, if they are feeling better, they both have fevers but they are in good spirits. If they have fevers, they will stay home and we will relax.
I am going to stay up just for alittle bit...mess with the furnance, it is acting up. Rick showed me how to work with it and in the process messed it up...I may end up having to call his uncle to come and work on it. Wish it was April or May and heat would not matter but then again, this is Chicago and the weather is so unpredictable.

Until later
Hugs & Kisses
Me

Tomorrow...

I will be become a single parent...not in the negative sense. Rick will be leaving for Atlanta and he will be away from us for 6 weeks. I am happy in that this is a great opportunity for him and for us as a family but I am sad for I will be with the kids alone. My mother will help out some but she will be 82 this month and I do not want to wear her out. My mother in law will help out too but she is married and trying to find another job and she travels a lot. My father in law has yet to keep the twins and I am not sure if he does not want to or if his wife does not want them over there...not sure about that situation to really speak of. I know that I wish the twins would spend more time with him...maybe in time...
We will go back to normal...with me being at home with the kids full time. I will still work a couple of days a week at Windy City Scrapbooking...to support my habit and to have a outlet.
Rick is cutting Alex's hair right now. He is becoming such a big boy...he use to cry when he got his hair cut but he sits there just as calm and cool. After his hair is cut he takes on a different personality...he gets more mischievous and just acts like a little ball of fire...go figure.
Allegra likes to watch them and pick up Alex's hair and throw it away.
We are going to have a quiet evening at home for Rick's last night with us
We just ordered pizza and watch a kid's movie...probably ET or Open Season...which is the twins' favorite right now. I have to get off right now as the twins want to play with their computer program about colors...I will return soon

Hugs & Kisses
Me

P.S. Allegra just told me that she loves me...I love when she says it to me on her own...she is such a loving child

Been a Long Time...

I just can not keep up with this blog...I have good intentions but I can not committ the way I should...so I will just continue to try.

Things have been well in the Coleman household...we are preparing for Richard to leave for his new job. He leaves this Sunday, March 11 and I am getting sad...why? Because we have never been apart that long. The longest that we have been apart was maybe 4 days at the most...but 6 weeks, that is long. It is for a better job, better position and of course more money. He has been out of work for 3 months now and I am glad that we survived...financially and of course as a couple. It was trying at times, being on a strict budget...it was already hard enough being an one income family. I mostly worry about Alexandre' and Allegra missing their father. I know that it will be easy to just go to Atlanta to visit him but he is there to learn and he has to study and pass various exams so he needs to stay focused. I know I will miss him but I also know that what he is doing will benefit all of us in the long run. I will have to post again with photos...I told him that I will keep my blog updated so that he could go online and see what we are doing while he is Atlanta.

On a different note, the garage sale at Windy City Scrapbooking went very well. I was very tired but I managed to get a few things together to sell. I think everyone did well and so we were able to get rid of old items and make room for new. I just love scrapbooking supplies and the new stuff that is coming in is so cute.
That is all for now...I have to finish dinner...meatloaf, greens, mac and cheese and cornbread.

Hugs & Kisses
Me