Haleys Heart Part 2

Well on Sunday morning at 9am we were on the road for about 9 hours. My family and I have made this trip so many times I swear we could do it with our eyes closed.

Finally after about a hundred pit stops and about a hundred rockstars later, we arrived in Miami, Ok, which is where we had to stay since there were no hotels in Joplin. However Miami is only a 25 minute drive, so no biggie. We got a much needed night of rest and some much needed showers.

Monday morning came way too quick if ya ask me, but at 8am we were on our way to Joplin to deliver all the donations that we received.

When we finally pulled into Joplin, my mouth dropped. I couldn’t believe the way it was, It’s so much different seeing it in person then on the news. Everything that I knew and grew up around was flattened or needed to be flattened, the old Victorian style houses that I swore one day I would own were gone, almost all of their schools demolished. Its devastating, no words can describe what my daughter, my husband and I saw. I’m sure it was different for all the other volunteers then it was for us. To them it was just a city but to us it was so much more.

If I could show you pictures of what it was before I think that would help, but I can’t so if you could just imagine, tree covered streets beautiful homes on every block, and I’m talking about the kind of streets where you can’t even see the sky because the trees arch perfectly over the entire street, a very beautiful and peaceful place. Gone.

Well we spent mostly all of Monday trying to find a place to unload one of the semis, which is in it’s own way a very good thing. But one church, out of the many many that are in the area, said that we could unload it there no matter what was in it. The pastor of that church said that he wanted to meet the amazing 7 year old that started all of what we’ve done, he said that she is one amazing girl with one big heart. Which I must say, I agree with 100%.

We didn’t get to unload that semi that day, because it was almost 6 pm when we found the place. So we called it a night, but Haley did get to meet some of the people that she is helping as well as hear their stories and that was the greatest feeling, to know that SHE is making a difference in someones time of grief. She definitely put a smile on alot of faces that Monday.

Haley's Heart (part 1)

As many of you know(well those of you that watch the news) there was a devastating F5 tornado that hit my hometown and our oldest daughters birthplace of Joplin, Missouri on Sunday May 22.

That Sunday will forever remain in my mind. As my family and I watched the devastation unfold on the news and social networks from Lubbock, TX, My thoughts went to worrying about my many friends and family up there. For a few hours I could not get hold of hardly anyone, my heart was honestly in the pit of my stomach. We did finally find out that everyone was okay. But the town however was not.

That same night that almost 200 lost their lives, almost 10,000 cars destroyed and almost an entire city of businesses and homes flattened to foundation, My daughter Haley Walker went to her closet and started taking out her own clothes.

She filled up a trashbag and said that she wanted to give them and some toys to some little girl in Joplin who needed them now more then she did, then of course it went from her cleaning out her closet to me cleaning out everyone else’s in the house. Then it spread to friends and family, Then the next thing I knew all three of our local news stations contacted me to speak with Haley.

That Monday night on the 6 & 10 o’clock news Haley’s story aired. Then Tuesday morning my phone started ringing like crazy with people wanting to donate whatever they could.

Then one man called with some very unexpected news, he owned a trucking company and wanted to donate a 53ft trailer and the time and gas to get it to Joplin. With tears streaming down my face I called every business that I could to try and find a spot to place this semi. When I finally found a spot, thedonations came in. It took only 3 days to fill that semi then we needed a second one, then after that A BUS!!

On Sunday morning, exactly one week after the horrible devastation hit we were on our way to Missouri, with 3 cars full of volunteers and 2 semis and a bus full of donations.

A little rant by me...Please enjoy

Ok well I guess that I should just come out & say it, We are currently living with my mother in law.  We had our own place but the owners sold it right out from under us(which is a whole different post).  Let me start off by saying that this isn't the easiest or best situation but hey it's better then nothing (somedays). 

Let me paint a pretty picture of my mother in law for you.  She hangs over me everytime I cook, she constantly tells me that i'm doing something wrong with my kids,  oh & also manages to let me know that I can't go to school & that I don't need to be a stay at home mom. 

I recently mentioned to my husband that I wanted to go back to school & of course she says that I can't do it. Then today I mentioned that I got an offer to review books(which I do read alot), she manages to of course throw in her opinion that I can't review books. 

Oh my gosh PLEASE tell me that I am not alone when it comes to having a monster in law?  I honestly think we should start a support group. HELP

New Design

Ok I am in the mood to re-design my blog, So if anyone knows of anywhere that I can get a really nice theme or background & stuff for my blog please let me know(I really prefer it to be free, since I am not a blog pro yet) Thanks :)

Finally after 18 years...

Ok here it goes..Not too many people know this but when I was 5 my mother and father got a divorce (typical), well my mother moved to Oklahoma and my father stayed in Florida. Of course she would always say how he didn't care about me and didn't want anything to do with me(typical). Growing up for me wasn't really all that great, yes I did good in school, was in cheerleading, softball and basketball, but I also had to take care of my younger brothers. My mother was into drugs and partying and when I didn't do exactly as she wanted I would get the crap knocked out of me. She went to prison twice and myself and grandmother took care of my brothers, which wasn't easy.

Well I was 24 or 25 (can't remember) my fiancée (now husband) had decided to look up my father and sure enough he was still in Florida. I had the number right there in front of me, and of course I had no idea what to do. I mean what do you say to someone who you haven't seen for 18 years? I had all these thoughts running through my head, wondering if he even would want to talk to me, what if he even don't remember me. Am I supposed to say "Hi I'm Amber your long lost daughter, nice to meet ya", I have never been so nervous my whole life.

So I called, and no answer (thank god for voicemails haha), I left him a message and within 10 minutes I had finally got to talk to my dad after 18 years. It was a very emotional conversation, and I had found out and had proof that my mother had been lieing to me after all these years. Many Christmases he had bought me and my brothers gifts and my mother had replaced the tags on them so that it looked as if she got them and he sent money and would call, but I never knew of this.

After we talked for a couple of months Mark(fiancée) and I took a very long road trip to Lakeland Florida where I met my father for the first time. It wasn't an odd first visit either, of course there were lots of hugs and tears, but it was amazing. Now we talk on a regular basis and I have 2 younger sisters and an amazing step-mom, it's like the family that I wish I could have grown up in.

Now I look at how my life has turned out and I am just so grateful that I have not ended up like her, I have 3 wonderful girls, I married my best friend, and I have an actual family. It really is a nice feeling

And it's only Thursday...

Well today was nothing out of the usual, Kyleigh (our 3 year old) is sick, she has been sick for the past two days (poor baby). Ali (our 15 month old) is still being a monkey, she has this obsession with climbing all over EVERYTHING, from Haleys' (our 7 year old) bunk beds to the on top of the coffee table, Haleys bunkbeds aren't the normal bunkbeds either, they are solid wood with a set of stairs with built in drawers that leads to the top bunk. Anyways she loves to climb all the way to the top bunk and she will just sit there and laugh, the other day she fell (not off the bed) on her way up (she didn't get her leg up on the first stair right), she fell and gave herself a fat lip =(. Well even after that she STILL insists on climbing up the stairs LOL. She's our pint sized monkey.   I still have a basket of clean clothes waiting to be folded and put away (I know i'm not the only one), and I think that I am starting to get sick =(, but of course no one takes care of Mommy when she's sick. Haley has got all A's in school (yes I am very proud and I will brag). Well when Haley gets home from school and the hubby gets home from work, it's like the quietness (well somewhat quiet) disappears, the girls start fighting, and hubby starts whining. It don't matter what it is, but he will find a reason to gripe and whine about it.

OH and the icing on todays' cake....drum roll please......My wonderful freaking mother-in-law is going with us to Ruidoso, NM on our Valentines' weekend getaway. Why is she going one might ask, well anytime anyone in the family goes anywhere (whether it's to go eat or to go out of town) she manages to worm her way into going. So I will most definitely be taking my laptop with me (so I can vent to you all about how wonderful the trip is going). Yet no one tells her no? But not only is she gracing us with her presence while on our wonderful vacay, but she is also staying the same cabin that we are staying in (just freaking great huh?) I am really really dreading this trip now. Maybe I will get sick and can manage begging and pleading with the hubby and he will take the girls AND his mother (then it will be just me and the dogs).  Well that is how my day went and the best part, is it's not even over yet. Now I am going to drown my sorrows in a BIG bottle of wine...hmmm wonder what tomorrow will bring??

Valentines Dilemma..HELP

Ok so Valentines Day is right around the corner and my wonderful husband has decided to rent out the cabin that we stayed in when we got married (in Ruidoso, NM). I LOVE the idea, even though we have to take the girls with us(really it's not a big deal). The problem I am having is that I seriously have no clue what to get him. Yes I asked and of course as always he said that he didn't want anything (which I think he's just full of it). So I am taking ANY suggestions, ideas or even donations hahaha =) and it's ok, he don't read so i'm pretty sure he won't see this haha. I have no idea why I am lost on this idea, I usually know the perfect gift, but I think that I am losing my touch. HELP