"A Night to Remember"

So, I have been in a local bunco group for the past 10 years. We get together once a month to play bunco, eat and have some amazing fellowship. We normally laugh til we cry, tell secrets that only us "bunco gals" know, get a little "mommy" time, and of course...PLAY BUNCO!!

Well, we decided to do something really outside of our box last night. We pulled out the "BIG" hair, leg warmers, dark blue and pink eye shadow, puffy sleaves, taffeta....lots and lots of taffeta, and oh yea...AQUA NET!! Yes, it was an 80's Prom / Dress Night at our May 2010 Bunco!!

Oh so fun........

Just had to share some of these CRAZY pictures with you all!! I always say...step outside your box...YOU WON'T REGRET IT!! :)

Oh, and yes...after 20 years, I finally got voted as co-prom queen!! LOL!!!

100 Things to say....

My friend Kami has inspired me..... Let's see if i can do it!!

100. It's 10:00pm and I'm not even tired

99. Although I should go to bed because I have early morning ZUMBA!!

98. It's softball season and that makes me happy!!

97. Ah.....am I really already struggling?? No..JK...I am just thinking about how awesome GLEE was this week. Yes, it was all about Madonna!! (Did you watch?? ...well, you are missin' out!)

96. Every since we got our new furniture, I love haning out in my living room!!

95. The NFL Draft started out exciting....but it's starting to get old!

94. I don't really like dogs....surprise, surprise!!

93. Yes, we have an outside cat, but I don't like them either.

92. It is worth having one just to see my kids happy :)

91. CYSTIC FIBROSIS SUCKS!!

90. I recently discovered the joy of shopping at ROSS. Why did it take me so long?

89. If you were reading my blog when I posted the "Weight a minute" blog....I still plan on sharing my favorite healthy food choices with you. I have even found more since then!

88. If only I had more time in the day, I would have already done that. Don't give up!

87. Waiting on the laundry fairy to come. I just keep looking at the pile like it is going to magically fold itself.

86. One of my friends posted on FB today that she saw a guy texting while driving HIS MOTORCYCLE!! No kiddin'.....you can't make that crap up! (Well, I guess you can, but why would you?)

85. I am still looking for a prom dress too Kami!! Hmm...if only I would have kept the pretty emerald green one your Aunt made me. Ya, right...like I would really fit into it!

84. Yes, we have the coolest bunco group around. "Prom Night" at next months bunco and we're all going STAG!!!

83. My first kiss was at the skate ranch. And I was my daughter's age.....this CAN'T be happening!!

82. So far, this is going pretty good!!

81. I really need to get up and "take a little break".

80. I think I drank too much tea!

79. That little Shawnty's fire burning on the dance floor...

78. Did you know mileage reimbursement is now .41 cents?? I found that out yesterday, cha ching!!!

77. I also found out that I am the youngest Veteran's wife to ever walk the face of this Earth! Well, at least I felt that way when I was around all those other people. (At least there is someplace that still makes me feel young!) hehe.....

76. Road trips make me happy!

75. 1/4 of the way there. I think I can, I think I can!

74. It looks like 10 HUGE raffle baskets threw up in my living room.

73. I will make those kind of sacrifices because CF SUCKS!

72. Someone's got to win....Might as well be you!

71. You can't win if you don't play!! (Can you tell Rich and I have been contemplating our plans if we win the lottery??)

70. Lots more road trips!!!

69. I havn't checked FB ONE time since I started this list!! Yes, it's true...... WOW, even I'm surprised!

68. I bet someone got married, had a baby, got a divorce, became a "fan" of Michelle Obama's Arms and finished building their farm...all in the last 25 minutes!!!

67. The Aerosmith's Rockin' Roller Coaster sounds really good about now. That might give me the adreneline rush I need to finish this :)

66. My friends ROCK! Yes, I'm talking about YOU!!!!

65. Knows what the word pseudomonus means. I wish I didn't!!

64. I hate dandelions! Hoping the spray we put on the yard tonight will work!!

63. Slow, pokey drivers, drives me crazy. Why do you have to look 4 times before crossing the intersection????

62. Buble' in June baby!!!

61. Brenna made me laugh AND cry tonight!! All good, but it's amazing how our kids can effect us.

60. Do I really have 60 more to go??

59. There is a strange noise coming from my roof.

58. Missed out on a chance to go roller skating tonight. My friend Lisa, turned....well 21!! So sad I had to miss it.. :(

57. Wants everyone who is reading this to come visit me at Classroom Corner if you live nearby! We have some really cool things for your kiddos and some aweseome classes / camps to offer this summer!!

56. It use to be hard working 4 doors down from Merrit's Bakery. Not any more...who cares???

55. Can you salsa?? Well....let me show you!

54. Oh yea...if you're not zumbaing....."You're missing out on the Par-Tay!!!

53. I like playing with corners. Even my close friends might squnit their eyebrows at this one!!

52. Summer is right around the corner...Yippee!! This is the first year I might actually buy a Big Splash Pass!!

51. 20 year reunion...Can't be possible!!!!

50. 1/2 WAY THERE!!

49. Yes, I am just as guilty as you when it comes to texting and driving!! I don't promote it....it's just a really bad habit I have!!

48. Seriously needs to take that "break" and then get me some more tea!

47. One of my favorite quotes, "I recommend going through life without the epidural" John Mayer

46. The laundry fairy still hasn't came :(

45. In one month I will be riding a charter bus to Lansing, Michigan with about 30 kids....Lord please help me!!

44. Sweet or unsweet??

43. Would you like fries with that?? Love this song.....

42. I've recently discovered, there is a strategy to everything!

41. Ah, ha....the sound on the roof was rain....imagine that....rain in April in Oklahoma!! No wonder I didn't figure that out until now....duh!!!

40. Riding a real horse is much easier than riding a stick horse....I'm just sayin'!

39. You have a chance to join the fun for 2 GREAT causes next weekend. Bunco 4 a Cure (cystic fibrosis) Friday, April 30th and Relay for Life ZUMBATHON, Saturday, May 1st. BOTH at Rejoice North Campus. COME JOIN US!!!

38. Yes, sadly this is how old I am going to be this year.....BOO HOO!!!!

37. Reality is....I am blessed to have had 38 healthy years!

36. Ok, so one of my favorite healthy food finds is the new Fiber One Cereal, Honey Clusters. I'm addicted!!!

35. I still haven't checked FB.....I am getting a bit antsy.

34. Kind of excited....well....I don't know if that's the word I want to use, but anyways..we are getting family portraits done by Brandi for the 1st time since Haley's been gone. That part makes me sad, but she has some fantastic way to incoorporate Hay Hay into these. That's the part I am excited about!

33. Ok....i'm struggling a bit now!!! More tea....back on track......

32. Oh yea...today's Thursday and I have NO idea who went home on Idol. This season has really STUNK....I just can't really waste my time watching it!

31. I went for a run with my hubby the other night. Did you all know....I HATE to run!!

30. Speaking of running....Our 2nd Annual Run to Breathe 5K in Memory of Haley will be Saturday, July 17th. Bright and early before it gets too hot!!

29. Brenna is an awesome short stop. I know...that's kind of bragging, but hey....it's the truth!!

28. My momma's birthday would have been this Sunday. I miss her :(

27. CANCER SUCKS!!!!!

26. I got the funniest e-mail from my cousin. She told me that Saturday all women were to run through the streets naked to help weed out the terrorists. You know that it is a sin for Muslim males to see any woman other than his wife naked and if he does he HAS to commit suicide!! And by the way....the government appreciates your efforts to rid of these terrorist!! HEHE....

27. Wonders if any of my friends has and iPad???? I want one really bad...they are really KEWL!

26. Happy Earth Day!!

25. Ok, I broke...I checked FB. I had 10 notifications....I feel much better now. Breathe....

24. I broke my arm once. Well, my friend Angela broke my arm playing soccer. It wasn't any fun!! I am thinking if I would have went to that skating party tonight, I could have broken it again. Man it's been a long time!

23. Did you ever do the speed skate races?? I did, but I never won. I always had a better chance at the dice game. Now, don't get me wrong....I could do some "mean" shuffle skating and skate backwards like there was not tomorrow. Man I'm cracking myself up. Really, I could!!!!

22. Flicka, The Blind Side, Friday Night Lights....what do they all have in common???

21. Rob Thomas' song Someday.....ROCKS!!!

20. I went to see the Last Song over the weekend. I wanted to cry....but didn't. Good movie!

19. Whoo hooo...remember how glad we were to be a teenager....you know....like 13! Well, I am glad I am a teenager right now, but I am working my way backwards. Almost there :)

18. My husband has fallen asleep, have you????

17. Have you been Geocaching lately?? If not, you should try it!!

16. Our good friends are moving to Owasso this weekend. yippee!! Look out Owasso....here comes Parry...oh, no!!!!

15. I just rememberd that Eclipse is coming out in June....I better mark my calendar!! I can't believe all the CRAZIES who go to the midnight showing of these movies :-/

14. This was always my favorite # when I played sports. How corny....it's the day of my birthday, couldn't I be more original???

13. Yes, this is an unlucky # and Friday the 13th will always haunt me. Haley went to Heaven on Friday, June 13th 2008. I wish they would take this day off the calendar.

12. Holy Cramoly!!! I've been working on this silly thing for an hour and a half!!!!!

11. I sure hope some of you take the time to read it since I took the time to write it. LOL!!!

10. Nickelback.....yes they are coming to BOK Saturday and I'm not going. Sigh.......

9. Wow....I'm glad I'm feeling better!!!! I have done very little coughing today. Yea Me!!!

8. That just reminded me of Zach and Cody....I kind of miss that show!!

7. I only have 2 1/2 weeks left of my weight loss challenge. No matter the outcome....I feel good about what I have done :)

6. One thing I absolutely hate is new car / truck shopping. I see it in my near future and it STRESSES ME OUT!!!

5. SWEET!!!!!!!! I'm almost done!

4. Shazaam.......my low battery light started blinking on this computer and I popped out of this chair like a gun went off. I would have cried for days and shut down this blog for good if I would have lost this list!

3. Who wants to win a raffle basket with nearly $500 in gift cards and a limo ride to a night out on the town? Just come to our bunco 4 a cure, and it might just be YOU!!!

2. Should I change the background of my blog or do people always keep it the same? You know....kind of like their signature look?? I see new designs and I like them, but I just don't know what's proper ;-) I'm still a blog newbie!!!

1. Life is a journey.....just keep livin' it!!

-1. "When you think it is impossible....just remember someone invented Popcorn Jelly Beans that really tast like Popcorn" ~ John Mayer

My bad....that was 101!!

Good night!!!

I Can't Imagine....

It's been a while since I have been sick, but this past 7-8 days has really taken it's toll on me!! I figured after spending months in the hospital, my body must have built up a resistance to "bugs", because I just don't get sick too often!

Well...although I just keep chuggin', this past week has really took me back to Haley's final days. I try to continue with my work day, work out routine, taking Brenna here and there, because I truly DON'T like to complain about not feeling well. I watched her suffer for months with only a smile and very rarely complained about anything!!

What started out for me as a head cold, turned in to some ugly bronchitis that truly had me coughing til my head was pounding, could barely catch my breath at times and I felt like I couldn't take much more! As bad as I felt....I just kept being reminded of the "FIGHTER" Haley was. What I was feeling for only a week, she dealt with on a much larger scale for 12 years!! I can't even begin to imagine how she handled this! I spent every waking moment with her during her illness and I truly don't know how she did it.

She is my reminder every single day to not complain about the small things, don't take your health for granted and NEVER GIVE UP!!! I love and miss you Haley Brooke Palmer.....You are Forever my Hero!!! Thank you for teaching me so much about life!!!

Geocaching for Treasures!!

I've got to tell you.....I just could NOT wait to blog about this new hobby that we have discovered!! It's the "fun" new thing called Geocaching!!!! So, what is Geocaching you ask??? Well, people actually hide "treasures" in different places throughout the World and even throughout our "small town" Owasso!! Then, with some type of hand held devise of your choice, you will log onto the geocaching site and find the "caches" nearest your current location. You will be given the coordinates and other info or hints to help you find these treasures!!

Rich, Brenna and I have wanted to do this for sometime now, but never really had the chance. Well actually, I have to be completely honest with you.....about a year ago, we bought a hand held Magellen GPS (one of the better ones) that is used for geocashing, but honestly after 2 months of trying to download the software and figure the darn thing out....we gave up and took it back!! I'm sure we were making it much harder than it was, but none the less, we were so frustrated we gave up! (Wow...did I really say that??? I don't give up at much, but this was really frustrating!!)

So, we have been talking about it for months, but wasn't sure what devise to get and then recently my friend Jennifer, told me that she downloaded an app from her iPhone! YES, there really is an APP for EVERYTHING!!!! And believe it or not, so far I have only downloaded the free "geocaching intro" app and have been perfectly happy with it!! Have I told you all how much I LOVE my iPhone??? I downloaded this app and it was ready to go within minutes!!!

The weather was beautiful yesterday, a little windy, buy hey....what do you expect for Spring time in Okla?? I decided to take off early from work, pick Brenna up and surprise her by taking her Geocaching! We invited some friends along and we had SO MUCH FUN!!! We searched for about 2 hours and found 5 "caches"!! We found one that was magnetized under a bridge, hidden in the nook of a park bench, and even some hidden in light post!! We felt like we were on the Amazing Race, as we trotted from cache to cache!!! The girls had so much fun and truly didn't want to stop!!

Rich has the week off next week and we plan to spend as much time doing this as the weather will allow!! Don't tell anyone, but I think I might even pull Brenna out of school for a few hours so we can do some serious hunting!!! :) If you are looking for a fun, cheap hobby for the whole family....you have to give Geocaching a try!!

One of the rules are "If you find the cache, you must sign a log to let people know you have been there and date it" and another rule is "If you take a treasure from the container...you MUST leave something in return". We actually left our pink "Haley Palmer, Forever our Hero" Bracelets, and in return, Brenna has started a collection of items she has taken from the caches!!

To learn more about Geocaching go to http://www.geocaching.com/

What fun!! Here are some fun pics of our day!!!!

Are You Ready to Bunco?????

It's kind of funny how things work......

Although I felt like stepping down this year as far as fundraising, things are continuing to fall in to place!! I still somewhat question myself as far as continuing this fight, but again, something inside me just won't let go of urge to raise funds for a cure.

As I sifted through our mail the other night after coming in from work, I had a letter in the mail from a CB reader in West Virginia. It had the nicest letter attached with an article about a lovely 26 year old girl who passed away last week of CF. She reminded me that the efforts that our family is continuing are truly making a difference. Thank you Susie, for taking the time to send me these words of encourgement. Every word in the article reminded me of Haley....these CFers show amazing strength even through their difficult trials of life!

So with the words of encourgement I need, I am proud to say...WE HAVE A DATE FOR OUR 4TH ANNUAL BUNCO 4 A CURE!! BUNCO WILL BE HELD ON FRIDAY, APRIL 30TH AT REJOICE CHURCH (NORTH CAMPUS) ON 106TH AND HWY 169! WE WILL OPEN THIS UP TO THE FIRST 200 PLAYERS THAT RESPOND VIA E-MAIL TO ME @ jppalmers@aol.com

I have already had 100 people sign up since Monday...so don't delay ;-)

PERFECT GNO (Although we have several men that play as well!!!)

We will open the doors at 6:15pm, Dinner at 7:00 and Bunco at 8!! This is a new facility for us this year and they are more than happy to help out with this cause at no charge!! We are still in desperate need of donations!! We have got a very good start, but now that we have a confirmed date hopefully we can get more donations for this night. Here are a list of the baskets so far..

Here are some of the themes...

1. The Great Outdoors (Guy Basket)
2. Pamper Yourself (Ladies Basket)
3. Gift Cards Galore
4. Arts & Crafty
5. Home Sweet Home
6. Movies, Music, Itunes and More
7. Summertime Fun

ALSO, we will be giving out over 100 door prizes, so if you have something that does not fit in this basket we can certainly use them for door prizes!! BUNCO IS $10.00 MINIMUM DONATION PER PERSON TO PLAY AND WE ASK THAT YOU BRING ONE COVERED DISH OF YOUR CHOICE! I NEED THE NAMES OF ALL PLAYER THAT WILL BE COMING WITH YOU WHEN YOU EMAIL ME. Last year this event filled up in about 10 days, so I need to make sure we have all spots filled so we don't turn anyone away that would be willing to pay. All money will be collected the night of bunco at the door!!(

Remember, you don't need to know how to play bunco to participate! You will learn as you go)We will have entertainment for the evening and will watch a couple of videos to remind us all why we are there!! WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!! Thank for all of your help in always making these fundraisers such a success. I will be more than happy to pick up any donations if you give me a call or e-mail me!!

Also, at this point it looks like we will be doing our 2nd Annual Run to Breathe 5K, In Memor Haley. Details to follow........ Yey!!

Meet my little friend Brady......

Tonight on my "Tune in Tuesday", I thought I would cover 2 areas with this blog. First I will introduce my Artist of the week....Ingrid Michaelson! Although I have heard of her, I have just recently been introduced to her music. Beautiful voice, beautiful lyrics....

2nd and most importantly, Our dear friends Missy & Parry have an amazing son named Brady. He is 6 years old and has Cystic Fibrosis. We love this little guy and he is one of the reason I just can't stop fighting to find a cure.

Please watch the video, listen to the beautiful lyrics and hugs your kids a bit tighter tonight!!




Remember, we are still desperately looking for donations for our bunco next month!! Thank you to those who have already donated!!


If you would like to make a cash donation, you can visit Haley's Great Strides Page by cliking on this link:
http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/dsp_DonationPage.cfm?walkid=6597&idUser=114249


Love you all~
Jenn

All for a Cup of Tea!!!

Wow...never knew a cup of tea could cause such a commotion!!!

So, this morning after my zumba class, I decided to go to Chick fil A....just as I do most mornings, to get my daily dose of Unsweet Tea. I LOVE Chick fil A's tea and more so I LOVE their cups! I know that sounds funny....but I can keep it filled all day, with NO sweat and refill as needed. Did I mention my ice don't melt right away either?!?!?

So, I filled up my tea and left the house around noon to pick up Brenna from OM practice. I was going to surprise her and take her to Panera (which she loves) before heading off to work! When we got in the parking lot I said, "hmmm..I would really like to use this cup instead of theirs" - to Brenna-. "I think I will just take it in and buy a large tea and then I will have my "happy" cup instead of the sweaty one from Panera". Brenna follows up with.."good idea, they won't mind as long as you pay!"

So, we go in to the very packed Panera and order our food. Before I even order, I hold my Chick fil A cup up to the cashier and kindly say...."I have my own cup, but please feel free to charge me for a large tea or whatever you need to". Chris, our cashier very nicely said, "no problem ma'am!"

So Brenna and I sat down and enjoyed our lunch and our much needed time together!! As we were leaving, I decided to refill my drink. There was NO unsweet tea in the canister, so (because I had NOTHING to hide), I walked up to one of the ladies and nicely said, "do you have any tea made up behind the counter?"....as I held up my cup. She said, "ma'am, the tea pitcher is OUT THERE. I said, "yes, I know....but it is empty". She followed up with, "well, it will take 3 minutes to brew".

No problem on my end. 3 minutes is definitely worth waiting for another cup of tea before I leave. So, I go and visit with Brenna for a few....and get up to get my refill before we leave. Keep in mind....this was 12:15 on a Saturday and Panera was PACKED!! Very few tables available. So as I am standing pulling the knob to fill my cup with about 6 people standing right by me.....the manager walks right up to me and says, "MA'AM....DID YOU PAY FOR THAT TEA????". Shocked....I answered, "yes". She then says...."I'LL NEED TO SEE YOUR RECEIPT"!! (I am thinking....is this really happening and is she talking to me in front of all these people...how embarrasing!!) I again nicely said, "no...you don't need to see my receipt....you need to go talk to your employee". Then loudly she said, "NO I NEED TO SEE YOUR RECEIPT"!! Shaking, I said..in a not so nice voice..."I'm not showing you ANYTHING....go talk to your employee, Chris who helped me".

To be completely honest with you all.....I have no idea if Chris charged me for my tea, all I know is I was so cautious about being honest with bringing my cup in and going over the proper procedure with Brenna on what needed to happen, I couldn't believe she accused me of STEALING HER FREAKING TEA!!!!! I was dumb founded and completely felt like I was being treated like a hardened criminal!!!!! Did I mention for me and Brenna to eat, it cost us $17.50!!!!!!!!!! A paying customer who just spent $17.50 for me and my daughter to eat lunch there!! Oh, did I mention, I had been to Panera only 3 days prior to this!! A frequent returning customer at that!!!

So, I go sit down (for those of you who know me....when I get mad...I truly want to cry)....I had tears in my eyes and Brenna said, "mom, what's wrong??" I told her what the lady has said, and she said....."don't let her get away with that!" I thought for a minute and I realized Brenna was right......she chose to accuse a PAYING customer of stealing something in front of many other people. So I walked up to the counter and "cocky" Laren (the acuser) said, "what do you need", I (the accused) said I really just wanted to tell you how wrong I think you were with the way you handled this situation. She said, "well, I'm sorry but I have seen it happen before". I said, "well maybe you should have your facts straight before accusing someone of stealing in front of others".

Needless to say....we exchanged many words.....it got very ugly and when I turned around I had about 20 people behind me waiting to "break up this cat fight".

I just left in tears!!!!! Something I tried to be SO honest about just turned in to a big mess!!!

(I discussed this with Shelly, my business partner, and we are in shock by the way they treated their customer!! 1. If you are unsure of something......ask YOUR EMPLOYEES first instead of quickly accusing the customer. I mean, really, there were only 2 or 3 cashiers....and trust me, Chris remembered me flashing the Chick fil A cup in front of his face. 2. If it was someone in my store that was fixing to buy $25.00 worth of product and I had a very small feeling they might have stole a $1.00 ink pen.....TRUST ME.....I would NEVER accuse this person.....because they are giving me business AND, I have NO PROOF that they actually stole the $1.00 pen!)

I have lost ALL respect for Panera today and have NO plans of returning anytime soon!!!!

All the lady had to do was pull me aside, without causing a scene and nicely ask me about my cup. I would have been more than happy to cooperate at that time. Needless to say, she lost my cooperation the minute she decided to slander me in front of many other Panera guest!

And all for a cup of tea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!