Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Conversations with a ten year old

Imagine my dismay this morning when I found myself taking a shower with a mosquito. Yes, a mosquito. Those little bloodsuckers are of the devil I tell ya. I currently have about fifteen bites on me which I was lamenting about getting while mowing the lawn this weekend. Now I'm thinking some of these bites came from inside my home and not while I was out under the pine trees in the front yard. Regardless of where they came from, I hate them! They itch and make me look like I've got some dreaded skin condition. Ugh!

Ironically Eddie and I just recently had a conversation about mosquito. He asked me if they were poisonous. I told him no but they could carry disease. "What kind of diseases?" he asks with a look of  concern. Drat! Things like this always slip out of my mouth before I remember I'm talking ... to a kid ... who's not mine ... who is known to take things to a level beyond dramatic. I must tread lightly here.

Well, there's malaria. It's not so common around here. There was a lot of it going around when they built the Panama Canal but we don't have to worry about it 'cause that was a long time ago and they've done a lot to prevent it. I should have known this reply wouldn't be sufficient. First question was, "what's a canal?" followed by "where's the Panama Canal? Don't they teach these kids anything in school anymore? So, we had a brief lesson in the purpose of a canal followed by a geography lesson (Panama is a country in Central America, not a city in Florida). Fortunately he was so wrapped up in the details of the the canal and what happened a million years ago he didn't ask if people still get malaria. I do however expect that question some time down the road. That's the thing about Eddie. He might not remember to bring his books home from school but by golly that kid never forgets a conversation and is prone to readdress said conversation when you least expect it.

He did ask what other diseases mosquitoes can give you. I told him, "West Nile, but again I don't think it's something you need to worry about."  Eddie: "Because people don't get it anymore?" Me: "Well, they can still get it but I haven't heard of it being much of a concern lately..." (more on this statement later). Fortunately we arrived at our destination and the conversation ended. For now anyway, but I'm sure it will come up again. He's starting a study of Ancient Civilizations in History class and I'm sure the topic will come up when they start the unit on Egypt. You know ... the ol' word association game ... Egypt - Nile River - West Nile - now, where did I hear that? Oh yeah, Miss Sherri was talking about West Nile mosquitoes killing people all over the world.

Yep, I'm 99% sure that's how it will play out.

So, we're good to go until then ... unless he listens to the news and hears like I did last night that we're actually having an epidemic that looks to be the worst we've seen yet. Yikes! Now I have something new to fret about. Excuse me while I google West Nile symptoms because I'm pretty sure I have a few of them.

 I sure wish this spider would do something about all the mosquitoes around here. All he's doing is hanging outside Andrew's bedroom window scratching to get in!

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Wonder Woman strikes again

I did it, I did it! Can you guess what?

Won the lottery? I can only dream.
Bought a new car? I wish.

Maybe I should add a word and then you'll guess.

I did it again, I did it again!

What's that you say? Sherri mowed the lawn again?! Way to go!

Now for all of you who do this on a regular basis I'm sure you're thinking, "good grief, what is wrong with this woman?" But, for those of you who know me, you know what an accomplishment it is. A little less than a year ago I mowed grass for the very first time. Now I can crow that I've mowed twice in one year ... and lived to tell about it.

We have a big yard and frankly it's a lot of work for an overweight, out-of-shape, middle-aged woman. In my eyes anyway. Feel free to agree and congratulate me on a job well done. Or, you can roll your eyes and snicker behind my back and then I'll tell you like I tell Eddie, "one day those eyes are gonna get stuck looking at the back of your skull!"

Anyway, I'm pooped and don't plan on doing much else today. Definitely no housework and I might not even cook dinner. Except darn it, the mother-in-law is visiting and if I don't feed her I'll never hear the end of it. Maybe I can talk my better half in to fixing dinner? It seems only fair if I do his yardwork he can pull my kitchen duty, don't you think?

Speaking of eating, last night we went out for Chinese. We went to Lin's Bistro and had soup, eggrolls, Hunan chicken, and sweet & sour chicken. As usual the food was delicious and my MIL seemed to enjoy it. Par for the course there was too much food so we brought home boxes of leftovers. If I can't convince my husband to cook dinner tonight maybe I'll just heat up the leftovers and call it a night.

Our fortune cookies were priceless this trip.

First mine

 Doesn't that sound exciting?

Of course my husband promptly got his nose out of joint and wanted to know what exactly was I up to. I was quick to remind him that most definitely a romantic mystery would include him, and should in fact give him something to look forward to. If either of my children are reading this I know for a fact they are writhing in pain, screaming, "no, no, no!" Sorry boys, just sing, "lalalalalala," and move along.

Dale's fortune . Yeeha! Now that's what I'm talking about. Finally recognition at work which will of course come with a big fat raise. Isn't that how it should be interpreted? I immediately wanted to post this on his bosses' facebook page, just to give him a heads up, you know. But Dale wouldn't let me. Hey, I'm just trying to cover all the bases just in case they haven't gotten the memo. Regardless, I'm sure it'll all work out 'cause we know fortunes come true ... especially the ones that promise good fortune in love and war, errr, I mean work.

I'm off now to add our fortunes to my little book. In case you're not familiar with it, you can read about it here.  Of course our little "in bed" game throws a whole new light on Dale's fortune doesn't it? Maybe I should be the one with my nose out of joint!



Friday, August 24, 2012

I've come up with another hair-brained idea.

This post may be entirely TMI but you know me ... it's never stopped me before. (Honey, if you're reading this you might want to stop now!)

I'm washing clothes today. For a good time. Not really. It's just one of those mundane things that has got to happen.

Anyway, as I was in the bedroom getting the laundry hamper I had a thought or two or twenty.

1.  where do other people keep their dirty laundry? Whenever I look at photos in magazines and on the internet I don't ever see clothes hampers. Mine is kept in the bedroom, out in the open.
But apparently I am alone in this practice. I guess some people keep theirs in the closet which I can't do because there is zero room in our closet for hampers.

Others may keep them in the laundry room but I can't because all I have is a laundry closet and again, there is no room. Besides, who wants to traipse all the way across the house just to throw a dirty pair of socks in a hamper? And while I'm on this rant, who in their right mind puts a laundry closet in the kitchen? Some dumb architect who doesn't do laundry, that's who. Dumb, dumb, dumb 70's house.

2. Speaking of closets, if you're wondering about that curtain hanging on the other side of the window ... that's my own concoction that I convinced my husband to make for me. 
As mentioned before, we live in a 70's ranch home. It was built before walk-in closets were popular. Whoever designed this house thought he was being smart by putting in a closet with two doors, thought he'd lull some buyer into thinking this was adequate space for a couple. He was wrong on both accounts, he's not smart and it's not adequate space. Therefore, I convinced my husband to "build" me a closet along the back wall of our bedroom. Now, we could have done it right and framed it out, added drywall and doors, but that would have taken time, energy and more money than we had at the time. Instead, we put up a wire closet organizer and hung curtains around it to camouflage the space. Yes, it's ugly BUT it does the job and since no one should be going in our bedroom but us, who cares how it looks? Well, it does bother me somewhat and I keep thinking someday we'll fix it up right but so far, someday hasn't come.

So, where was I? Oh yeah, doing laundry.

3. As you can see I keep two hampers for me and my husband. (The boys have (had) their own hampers which are kept in their bedrooms. From around the age of eleven or so they've been responsible for washing their own clothes so I figure they should keep their hampers in their rooms. Besides if the hampers are readily available chances are there won't be dirty clothes on the floor right??? Hahahaha, I'm cracking myself up with that one). Anyway, I digress (again). There actually used to be three hampers in our room.  I "trained" my husband early on that one hamper is for whites, one is for lights, and one is for darks. And for the most part he has "followed the rules" though I complicated things awhile ago when I switched to just two hampers. I decided to only sort by lights (including whites) and darks. For some reason this switch seemed to confuse him went it came to certain colors. For instance, is the grey shirt a light or a dark garment? I've told him just pick one and I'll handle it later. In the grand scheme of things I figured if the clothes were making it into a hamper I'd won the battle and it really isn't that big of deal.

4. However, what is a big deal are the clothes that don't make it into a hamper. That, and sleep clothes. This is today's conundrum.

First of all, the subject of sleep clothes. Yes, I know this is a very personal subject. But yes, I'm going there. Assuming you sleep in something, whether it be pajamas, underwear, or an old t-shirt and shorts, the question that bears to be asked is ... do you sleep in something clean and fresh every night or do you sleep in the same clothes multiple nights? At our house we roll with multiple times so every morning my sleep clothes go on a hook in the bathroom and my husband's go on a chair beside the bed.


 Each of us is responsible for tossing them in the hamper when it's time for them to be washed. I bet you can guess where this is going. I love him more than life itself  but bless his heart, while he can change clothes and put them in the hamper he doesn't seem to be able to move dirty sleep clothes from the chair to the hamper. They pretty much stay on the chair until I, being the loving wife I am, grab them up when laundry day comes around.

Most of the time.

Some of the time.

Whenever I manage to remember.

Sadly it usually gets ignored until it starts piling up. And, it does pile up because in addition to sleep clothes there's also usually a random t-shirt, a couple pairs of socks, and who knows what else. Sitting in the chair. Setting in the chair. I don't know, I'm not the English major in this house. I guess that's what makes it all ok. He's the one with the college degree. He's the one who works hard, keeps a roof over our heads and food on the table. So, who am I to bring up a pile of dirty clothes?

and, now that I've talked in circles I'd like to bring up the main topic of today's blog. Aren't you glad I'm finally getting to the point?

5. You want to know what my dream room is? What I'd really like to do with the empty bedroom across the hall? The room that I refuse to let become a shrine to the son who's flown the coop? The room I'm just itching to do something with? I want to make it into one big gigantic closet! In addition to hanging space, there would be drawers and such that would eliminate the need for dressers and chest-of-drawers in the bedroom. There'd be plenty of room for clothes hampers and the crowning glory would be .... the washer and dryer would be in there too. Isn't that a grand idea?? Can't you just envision it now?

If you live in Gwinnett County and just heard a long, and woeful wail ... that would be my husband who didn't heed my advice and continued reading. He would NOT be as excited by this plan as me, and I'm willing to bet is running around now, coming up with 5843 reason why this would NOT be a good idea.

Chill Babe. It's okay. I know I'm just dreaming here so don't get yourself all overwrought. I'm not really going to to do it, BUT ya gotta admit, the idea is pure genius!

Back to earth. Back to laundry day.

Now let's talk towels. Do you use a clean towel everyday or do you use one multiple days before washing?
And, the most important question of all ... who does the laundry in your house?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

It's not just the elderly who are forgetful

Seven weeks ago my eldest son packed up his most important belongings and moved to Tennessee. He had an apartment to crash in but no job and very little money. Since then he has acquired gainful employment and is settling in to living on his own. For the first time in twenty-three years of life he doesn't have parents to tell him what he can and can't do. After four years at a school that had very stringent rules and regulations, he no longer has to toe a line that has been drawn for him. In addition to making up his own rules, he's learning all kinds of  "hows" -  how to cook, how to budget, how to deal with unexpected costly emergencies ... welcome to the world of adulthood son.

A day after he moved out I immediately began making changes to his room. While I've been adamant that should he ever want to return home he can do so, I've made it perfectly clear that "his" room is now "my" room and I will do with it as I wish. So far the changes have been subtle but they are there. While I don't want this room to become a place for junk I am currently using it for items that need a new home ie. my torture machine and Andrew's drum set.

There are still some of Ian's belongings in the room. Things he couldn't fit into the car, he will eventually need to either claim or give me permission to toss. Realistically there are a few boxes of stuff I don't see him getting until much later in life, after he establishes a more permanent home. If he's like his dad it might be quite awhile and the outcome could be impacted by a significant other in his life. Speaking from experience here, I've been none too happy with some of the "crap" my mother-in-law has foisted on us over the years.  I guess time will only tell how all this plays out.

So, back to the day after he moved out - I was looking  in the closet to see what was left. Hmmm. What is this dress shirt still in the plastic? It wasn't something I'd seen before and frankly didn't look like something he would choose to buy. And then it dawned on me. I bet it's for the wedding he's supposed to be in in a couple of weeks. And that shoe box with dress shoes on the shelf? Bet those are for the wedding too. I shoot him a text and moments later get a reply, "oh crap! yes those are for the wedding. I guess I forgot them." No kidding.

There were other important things that got left behind in his haste to flee the nest. Like his social security card that was locked away in the safebox, and his diploma, both of which were needed in order to find gainful employment. Fortunately it was a problem easily fixed via USPS. Mom to the rescue! It's good to know that my boy still needs me :)

Here's a photo of Ian and another groomsman at the wedding. He cleans up pretty good, doesn't he?

Last Friday my youngest son left home for his final year away at college. This is my meticulous OCD child who plans and packs like a fiend. He had so much stuff I wasn't sure we were going to be able to fit it all in the van. But we did. I should have known better than to fret about it. This kid ... I don't have to worry about. He's always got his act together. 
The day before he left - all the stuff, minus the cat, made it to Knoxville.

Or so I thought ... until I got this text last night.


 I like how it took him five days to fess up! I guess I'll be making another trip to the post office soon. Meanwhile, it's nice to know BOTH boys still need me!

Also. I totally snatched this photo off Johnson's Facebook page.

Looks like they're just coming from the bookstore. Andrew doesn't look too happy, guess he's not too pleased with how much money he just dropped. Austin on the other hand doesn't look sad at all. Maybe it's because he got more than books? While we're here, can I have a mommy brag moment? Did you know that my son is the SGA President at Johnson University? Yep, he's the BMOC.

I always knew he'd be president one day! So, does that make me First Momma??

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Every August for the last five years we've traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee to deposit offspring at college. While the mission was the same each of those years, every one was unique both physically and emotionally.

Year one was probably the hardest. It was something new for all of us. Leaving our first born behind in a strange place, a four hour drive from home, was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I'll never forget how forlorn he looked walking alone across campus as we drove off. My heart was broken and there were tears. But, while there were tears of sadness, there were also tears of joy. My son was embarking on a whole new adventure. Besides, we still had a kid at home - no empty nest for me and Dale, and finally Andrew gets his wish of being an only child.

Year two rolled around and again we embarked on the trip north, this time dropping off both sons. Driving away was a little easier because we knew what to expect for them and ourselves. It was also comforting knowing the brothers had each other. But it was hard letting go of my baby and once again there were tears. While I was happy for the adventure Andrew was starting, these tears were purely selfish as I knew I would be returning to a very quiet home. The nest was truly empty.

Thank goodness for winter and summer vacations!

Year three was probably the easiest. I was getting to the point of not worrying so much about my boys and Dale and I were getting the hang of living alone as a couple. And, yes we were liking it!

Year four came with a little sadness. Ian had spent the summer working at a camp in Seattle, Washington and we only had a couple of days with him before he returned for his senior year.  Reality was beginning to hit him and us. The end of school was on the horizon and things were ripe for change.

Sure enough, graduation came and right behind it moving out and moving away. One son has officially flown the nest. However, until he's married I won't say it's final. My boy knows he can always come home ... as long as he plays nice and follows Mom's rules!

And here we are now ... back where we were five years ago, dropping off one son at school. This time we're looking at the final year of school for Andrew and truly the end of an era. Graduation will come in May and we will no longer be the parents of college students. No more August trips to Knoxville.

Ack! Where'd the time go?

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Just another Saturday

It's been a busy and product day today ... for some of us, anyway.

First thing, the man-child finally mowed the lawn. He'd put it off for awhile partially due to laziness and partially due to a sprained ankle. I told him yesterday if it didn't happen tomorrow the poor cat was going to get lost in the grass, not to mention his dad was chomping at the bit to get it done. Andrew caved to the pressure and did his son-ly duty this morning. I was relieved because if he hadn't I was going to have to do it myself and you all know how I feel about mowing. (And just in case you forgot, you can read the sad exciting tale here ). As for the yard work, I figure if I'm lucky I will get one more mowing out of him before I get stuck with the job. After that I'm seriously thinking about getting a second job just so I can afford to pay someone to come and take care of it for me.

After mowing, weed-whacking, and blowing off the driveway the kid (oops, I forgot. He's 21 now, I'm not supposed to refer to him as kid anymore) comes in and gives us some thrilling news. There's a problem in the backyard where the dear dogs are laid to rest. Apparently one of them is channeling their inner-zombie and is trying to escape the grave ... otherwise, known as ... there's a sink hole forming or developing or whatever it is sink holes do, right where one of them is buried. And, how sad is it that I don't remember which dog is buried where? We need to bring in some dirt before it looks like a scene from a horror movie back there. All I can say is I am NOT gonna be happy if I'm mowing back there and discover dog bones and ratty fur flying everywhere. Does anyone know where I can get some cheap dirt?

After the kid man-child cleaned up we set out to run errands. That's one of the things I love most about my boys. Neither one minds being seen out in public running errands with mom and dad. It also helps when there's nothing in the house to eat for lunch and mom is willing to spring for fast food. Mmmm, Burger King. Really that mmm is fake because I don't like BK but it was cheap and convenient. I was also out voted. But hey, at BK they'll also give you a really cool crown to wear, though the man-child really frowned on that suggestion. Geez, where's your sense of adventure kid, did you lose it when hit the big twenty-one? I guarantee you if one of his friends had suggested it, he would have been all over it!

After BK we hit up Home Depot and Walmart. Going to Walmart on the Saturday before school starts probably wasn't out wisest move, it was more of a zoo than usual. Oh well, sometimes you just do whatcha gotta do. As we were walking through the bedding section Andrew had a funny little smile on his face. When I asked what it was about he pointed to a mom and daughter, "Remember how it was that first August  before I went away to school? We had that long list of things to get for my dorm room and then I spent a week packing it all up getting ready to go?" Awwwwww, my man-child is getting nostalgic. Sniff, sniff. Me too. This will be the last year of packing a kid off to college. It all goes by so quickly.

After we got home the two guys continued on with their list of honey-do's. It's really been cool watching my husband and our youngest son bond over doing home improvements this summer. Dale's got a helper and Andrew is learning all kinds of new skills as a handyman. My one regret is there aren't enough funds in the household account to tackle all the projects I had for them. One day we'll get around to replacing the floor in the dining room, and eventually the back porch will get torn down and rebuilt, today though I'm willing to settle for the replacing of the doorknob and deadbolt on the backdoor, and installing a new diverter stem on the shower in the main bathroom.

The door was taken care of fairly quickly but as usual Murphy's law (or, as we refer to it around here, Frazier's law) kicked in and the replacement of the diverter stem did NOT go as planned. Just like the last plumbing fiasco it was apparent the stem did NOT want to replaced. After an hour or so of trying to get the old one to unscrew my husband finally said, "screw this! We're just going to leave it like it is!" So, for now, anyone showering in that bathroom will have to be content with taking a shower-bath instead of a shower. That's ok, if we win the lottery tonight we'll hire a real plumber to come out and take care of it.

Oh, who am I kidding? We're just gonna bulldoze this shack and start all over!

After putting away the plumbing tools the guys moved on to more fun stuff ... working on cars. For some reason guys really like working on their cars. Whatever. As long as the car runs ok I'm good with it but if you boys want to primp and spruce up your cars go for it, just don't look to me for help because I'm busy doing all that woman's work I have to do. Yes, while the guys were going about their tasks I was busy too. I won't bore you with the details, especially since it will quickly become apparent that some of us were working harder than others. You can wonder who.

It's now after nine pm and they're still outside doing who know's what to Andrew's car. Whatever it is, it's included a trip to Auto Zone (after our initial trip to Walmart) and now Andrew is asking where the closest Advanced Auto Parts store is. Ay-yi-ya, see what I mean when I say nothing we tackle around here is simple?

Now where was I? Oh yeah, woman's work. Ok, I'll go ahead and admit it aloud - all I contributed to the day was a  phone call to my mother and a delicious home cooked dinner. Mmm pot roast, potatoes, carrots, and greenie beanies. The rest of my day was spent piddling. I'm the world's best piddler. Seriously. But doesn't the homecooked meal win me any brownie points? 

There was one other piece of excitement today.

Maybe it was because she was freaked out upon hearing that her canine sibling was returning from the grave or perhaps it was just taking advantage of Dad leaving her alone and unattended in the backyard, but Spunky decided today would be a good day to run away from home. Yes, the cat flew the coop. We searched all her favorite hiding spots in the yard - behind the shed, under the tree house, inside the tree house, amongst the weed pile - there was no cat to be found. I decided she must have gotten outside the fence though we still haven't quite figured out how she manages it. She's too old to jump over so either she's squeezing through the gap in the gate or climbing like a monkey. Until we figure out how she escapes she's not supposed to be left alone outside. Dad and I will be discussing this transgression later.

Meanwhile Andrew and I take off through the neighbor's yards looking and calling for the cat. After searching for hours and hours (ok, it really wasn't that long, it just seemed like an eternity, especially when all the worse case scenarios kept running through my head) we finally gave up and come home sad and dejected.

Part of me was MAD! Ungrateful cat. Didn't I just buy you new cat food today? And, treats too! Why did you have to run away? Don't you know it's dangerous out in the world? You might get run over. Or, Stupid Ninja Cat might sense your defenseless-self out wandering and stalk you like prey. You're not used to being out in the world alone, what will you do if some stranger drives up and tries to lure you into his car with promises of candy and .... ok, I've been watching too much TV again. Anyway, you get the picture. The cat is missing and I'm a mess.

Until, she appears out of the blue, coming around from the front of the house, apparently unaware of the angst she's caused.  Or maybe she is aware and just doesn't care. She is, after all, a CAT. Now that I think about it, I think she probably has been planning this for a couple of days ... ever since this affront to her dignity...

What the heck is going on here? What is this horrible green garment you've put on me?

Carp! I gotta get outta here!
Quick, where can I hide?
This is really embarrassing!
If only I can get out of this getup...
Just so you know, I AM NOT PLEASED! I won't forget this so you better sleep with the lights on baby!
She was pretty pissed but in my defense it was Andrew who thought it would be cute to dress her up in a cape, I just took the photos. I guess posting them on Facebook probably wasn't such a great idea ... but, but, but she's so cuuuuuuuuuuute!

Yep, I'm pretty sure today was her getting revenge. That's ok, 'cause Mom's final revenge is blogging about the whole dang thing. So there!

Whew! That's it for my exciting, fun-filled Saturday. Hopefully tomorrow is a quieter day and I'm able to lounge around doing nothing. Probably not though, I've still got a lot of piddling left to do.

ps. in case you're wondering, regardless of why she went on the big adventure Spunky has been put on restriction for her transgression. No TV or internet for a week. I'm sure she'll be suffering from LoLcat withdrawals before the sun comes up. Think good thoughts for her.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Today is my baby's birthday! He's twenty-one today and I guess I should stop calling him my baby ... at least in public.

My gift to him was two hours of time spent together at the DDS getting his license renewed. I wanted to take his picture there but I know my children's limits. It was bad enough that I posted our whereabouts on facebook, taking his photo would have probably resulted in me having to thumb a ride home.

If you're wondering why a 21 year old has his mom go to the DDS with him it's because of all the new guidelines for renewing/obtaining a driver's license. In addition to your birth certificate and your social security card you also have to have two documents that verify your mailing address. That last part is pretty hard for a college student who has no bills to pay.

So, I gathered up everything I could find and took a manila envelope full of bills and statements up there. The girl behind the counter made a comment to the effect of, "she's certainly prepared isn't she?" After hearing all the horror stories on the news there was no way I was going to come away without his new license, so you betcha I was prepared! Personally I think she was impressed at my efficiency. 

I decided while I had the attention of someone who knows the ins and outs of the new law I'd take the opportunity to ask about my own situation. It's not something I have to worry about for another couple of years but I had the feeling my case was going to be difficult and I decided it would be better to know now rather than later

And I was right.

The name on my birth certificate does not match my name on my social security card. Argh! It's all my grandmother's fault. And, mother's too 'cause she caved to her crazy demands.

First of all, my mother initially wanted to name me Deborah. Problem is my grandmother couldn't pronounce it correctly. According to her it was Dee-bore-ah. After failed attempts to get her to pronounce it Deb-rah Mother gave up and went to Plan B.

Plan B - Sherri. You can't screw that up can ya? No, but then Momie (as my my grandmother was called) really got her feathers ruffled over that selection. No way was her grandbaby going to be named after WINE! Seriously, wine? Darn tootin'!

So, Mother got creative and came up with Sheryl (to make Momie happy) and everyone else will call the baby Sherri (ironically as far I can recall I don't think Momie ever called me Sheryl). Anyway, when the time came my mother filled out the birth certificate naming me Sheryl Marie. Except, in her haste to get it over and done with Mother got carried away with her loop-d-loops and officially listed my first name as Sheryle. Sigh, never knew it was so hard to name a baby.

Commercial break:
 
So, who thinks the baby looks like his mama?

Now, back to our story ...

Where was I. Oh yeah, sign the birth certificate, take the baby home and that was the end of Sheryl/Sheryle. From that time on every other document including school records, doctor records, driver's licenses, social security card, and employment records all list me as Sherri. Which has worked out fine until now, thanks to the US Government, illegal aliens, and terrorist trying to invade our country.

According to the chick at the DDS all the records have to match when it comes to your name. She told me I had two choices. I could get my Social Security records changed back to the original first name OR I could a new birth certificate issued. Oh, what to do, what to do?

One day I hope that I will be able to draw social security (yes, I'm an optimist that it will still be around in my lifetime) so I really don't want to mess with changing that. Especially considering how many different employment records I have under Sherri, can you imagine how screwed up it could get? Besides, I never liked the name Sheryl/Sheryle (no offense to anyone with that name) and have no intention of using it now. Now one will know who I am!

My other choice, is to go through Probate Court and officially have my name changed and a new birth certificate issued. Sounds like a lot of work but I guess it's the better option of the two. Hmmm, maybe I can have them give me a new birth date too and knock off a few years. No wait, that would just put me further out claiming social security ... never mind.

I guess I do have a third choice. I could just not renew my license and give up driving. I hate driving in all the traffic around here anyway so maybe that is the way to go.

Oh well, I've got two years to figure it out so I'll try not to lose sleep over it now. Yeah, right.

Here's a photo of me and my boy a couple of years ago  Isn't he handsome? Gosh I love that boy. Happy Birthday, Andrew!!

ps - in looking for my baby picture I found all my old report cards, elementary through high school. I was wrong about using Sherri throughout. Apparently some years I was Sherri and others I was Sheryl (at least on paper, no one ever dared actually call me Sheryl). So, I have to wonder ... did I actually graduate from high school??? The diploma says so but I'm not so sure!

ps #2 - one of the dogs chewed on my high school diploma, maybe it was an acknowledgment of my fake graduation. 

Sigh, now I'm really confused. Who am I? I guess if I'm going to have to legally change my name I could just pick something totally different. How about Lola? I look like a Lola don't ya think?