If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.

So as 38 creeps up I am not sure what to really do with it.... Do I look back and think DEAR GAWD, look forward and think what the HELL, look at the present and DRINK. haha! Um. As I look back, I can honestly say I have no regrets. Mistakes, well hell yes! Regrets - umm, not so much. My bad choices were still choices that I made, of some of them with sound mind and middle age body - so, yeah, I own them all of them. Some life lessons, some just fun over the top choices that make for a darn good story even today, and some I was totally forced into and the choice was made for me regardless of my stance. As I look forward...hell, who looks forward, I can barely get through the next hour, let alone try to think about what the hell the next day, month or year will hold. I hope it continues status quo. I hope my kids stay happy, I hope my friends keep smiling, and that my family continues to put the FUN in dys'fun'ction. Beyond that I pray for sleep and perhaps more ti

I know that fathers day has come and gone; however when I think about my dad, I find it sad that we attempt to celebrate the fact that he is a father only once a year. Growing up in our little town, my father is known to most as Mr. Bates. For a long time he was the auto-body teacher, he was a father to 3 kids and then when we were all grown up (in our own mind) and ready to move out Courtney blessed his life. His dreams of Mexico, motorcycles and beer was suddenly taken up with dirty diapers, teething and dare I say it, another freaking girl! Mr. Bates from the outside looking in, is a man of few words, somewhat intimidating, big in presence and stature. He doesn't say much, that task is left up to my mother; who has enough words of wisdom for the both of them. I always wondered what it would be like to have him as a teacher. There were kids who took his class who loved him! And if you ever wondered if he was as cool at home as he was at school, that would be a yes. He

So as we contine down this path of cleft discovery. Well it is discovery for me, all paths unknown. I am sure there is a rulebook or some handbook somewhere that I seemed to have overlooked as I sorted through the self help and funny novels. Today I took both kids, 12 and 7 to for their semi-annual check up and cleaning. And of course, Ry's mouth is a freakn' disaster. A chipped tooth, a tooth that is wSorapped in with his retainer that is failing miserably. The dentist talked about crowding in the mouth, teeth missing on the top and bottom. All genetic of course. OF COURSE! How to fill the spaces, what options we have and needing to get the game plan from the ortho in order to ensure they are on the same page. Because we would hate for the dentist to pull a damn tooth that was meant to be moved via braces to fill in a gap. HELLO! The midget did great! It was her first real cleaning and sealing. On the way down there, she told me she was nervous. Then fell asleep