Heeeeeeeeerrrrrreeeeeeeeee's Johnny

We lost one of our very best friends a few weeks ago, he was in our wedding & in our lives since Hubby and I have been together. "Taco", one of his many nicknames was 38 and he died on his birthday & was from near Pittsburgh, PA. He was drinking with some friends celebrating, & as he was en route to another bar he had a heart attack and died before the ambulance ever made it to the hospital. A heart attack?? 38???? On his BIRTHDAY?? What??? my point exactly! Thats like, unheard of right?? We got the phone call around 4am and you know those are the worst kind of calls to get. Our other very close friend up there "Ebo" called & all I remember is waking up in a daze feeling Hubby grab my arm telling me Taco was gone, Taco was dead. I dont know how some people react to news that a loved one is gone, but for me I start thinking of moments together with that person & relive the memories in my mind. Every thought & moment he was with us was a smile the guy was the king of fun times!

He & Hubby met at work a year or so before we got together and he said they instantly became friends. Taco was one of the funniest, make you smile kinda guys that always had something smart ass to say. He moved down here with a few friends and he lived here until about 4 years ago when his Dad was going through throat cancer. In all those years he lived here he became a part of our family, the guy that was always around. Christmas, birthdays, any day he & Hubby would be side by side. For my birthday one year Hubby bought us tickets for the Family Values Tour & I was happy, then I figured out my birthday included our two tag-alongs Taco & Ebo. We ended up having a blast, and we didnt get kicked out for once. He loved the Steelers, the Pirates, hats, beer, women, Britany Spears, ER, UFC, beer, partying, traveling, having fun, smiling, his family, his friends, money, his dog, beer, women, smelling hair (which my poor best friend found out first hand during our wedding getaway), women, feet, beer, and enjoying his life. He was such an awesome guy, I never once saw him get mad or heard him raise his voice, and his laugh & smile would take over any room. On top of some of the smiles were lots of beer and drinks but whats a bachelor to do? Since he moved back to PA Hubby talked to him almost everyday, & I talked to him on occasions,but the very last time we saw him in person was the day after our wedding when everyone went back home, October 1, 2006. That made this anniversary very difficult for Hubby & I both, and I know its going to be "attached" to the celebration of our lives together from this point forward. There has been alot of tears shed in our house the last few weeks, alot of whys, and what-ifs. He had planned several trips down to meet KC and stay with us, but none of them ever panned out. Tacos funeral was 2 days after he died in Pittsburgh, and Hubby & I and 2 other friends rented a car and drove over 1000 miles & 15 hours one way to get there in time for his funeral and to say goodbye to our best friend. Its weird to even sit here & think hes actually gone, & I will never see him again in this life, he wont ever find "the One", he wont have children, we all wont grow old together & talk about the good 'ole days, and I will never see his beautiful smile again here on earth. In the last 2 years there have been alot of loved ones lost unexpectedly, a very very lot. And the saying the older you get the more people you know that die is becoming a truth, and not just a saying anymore. All this makes me appreciate my life, my health, my hubby, my son, my family, and just my heartbeat so much more. Tomorrow is not guaranteed, so tell the ones that you love, that you DO everyday!

I love you & will miss you everyday Taco, Jklu, Fatboy, Pollock, Big'un....Johnny....


Our friend Johnny
John R. Kuklinski Jr.
9/25/71 - 9/25/09

Gone, baby gone

KC & I are gone on a road trip this week with Nan & Pop to Alabama. This is when its fun to not be strapped down to a 9 to 5 job, and to be able to enjoy life. This will make 3 times this year we have made this trip except this time its just the 4 of us, and this trip is for nothing special except to enjoy each others company....I hope anyways! Im really glad Im able to share these special times with my grandparents and my son, because you just never know what life holds in store. But for now Im living in luxery at the Hampton Inn in a king size bed with free cable and free wi-fi.

Aliceville here we come!

***My aircard may, or may not work in the boonies, we shall soon see***

My Belated Anniversary

Hubby & I were married for 3 years on 9-30-09, and it for sure seems like longer to me. We've been together for 10 years the end of this year so maybe thats why it seems like forever. We were married in Townsend, TN in the mountains which is by far my most favorite place to be! Living in Florida I always said I'd have a sunset beach wedding, then I wanted to be Cinderella at Disney World, and finally at age 27 I decided the best place to get married was far away from where I was. The whole 300 guest wedding no longer appealed to me so I wanted a small, intimate place that we both loved, where our family & close friends could be with us to share our day. I found a place where I could get everything in one spot, wedding/reception site, cabins, food, flowers, cake, everything! We rented 4 cabins total for us & family, but ours was the party pad! Four stories with a big screen, game room with bar & pool table, and balconies on every floor. The view was something out of a storybook, it was a amazing place. Several of our close friends stayed with us in our cabin, and we made the most of the place, it was a blast! Everything was simple, I made our invites myself, I got my dress from David's Bridal on sale for $200.00, the entire cost of the wedding including some plane tickets, all wedding party attire, cabins, rental car, etc. was under $9000.00. That didnt include our rings though, I had nothing to do with the ring part, Hubby picked out what he wanted me to have. It was at a point where we had extra money so he gave me some bling! Our bands match, I have 3 rings, a wedding band which is white gold, engagement ring that is yellow gold, & a anniversary band that is also white gold. Hubby has a very heavy and solid smooth band that has the same combination of colors. After the wedding we went back to my moms cabin for a get together, then our close friends & us went back to our cabin where we partied until the sun same up! I only had one disaster with our wedding cake, which was thrown in the floorboard of the van by the baker. Still, I cannot believe how perfect it was, I was relaxed and calm, there wasnt any chaos or last minute fires. We were able to enjoy ourselves, family, friends, and just be in the moment. I am so thankful for that day, thankful for the Hubby that is by my side everyday, thankful for the family that supported us, and thankful for the very special friends that were a big part of our lives together. Having the pictures from that day and seeing everyones smiles just solidifies it even more that it was a great day! A day I will always remember year after year.

Since our baby boy was sick, he stayed with Gigi while we snuck off to dinner to celebrate. We ate dinner at a resturant in the Hard Rock Hotel close to our house. We exchanged some sweet cards and watched a movie later...nothing to fancy. Ahhhhh if every day could be a anniversary!

Has finally arrived from the depths of hell.....feels that way anyways

My mom broke down & got me a aircard for my laptop so I finally can reconnect to my online life. Ive been missing so much the last several months not having a computer, no Perez, no ebay, no shopping! Not much of anything good has been going on for us, boy how not having extra money like youre used to will make you re-elvauate things.

Man how time flies...its been months! I have missed you all!!!

:-)

In the red

I dont have internet at the moment....why you ask? Because Im broke as a joke!! Hopefully I will return soon :-(

I know, I know Im not being a very good blogger

Birthday ideas and more swimming lessons

KCs 2nd Birthday is next month & me and the Hubby have been bumping heads on themes, I say Oswald he says Wonder Pets. I say Im doing this thing so your vote doesnt count! I like doing different things, and KC does like Oswald the best so Oswald it is. I have already talked to my cake lady about a Oswald cake and I have some ideas for favors & some decorations but Im looking for some help here. If anyone has and birthday ideas, or anything that you do to make the day easier please share your tips. I have been searching the internet high & low for ideas, and so far I have come up with centerpieces for the tables, and thats about it. I know I can tie a sea theme in there but hmmmm I dont know. Last year was a Fun at One theme with basketballs, firetrucks, & planes. I did the colors all primary colors and it turned out really cute. I got some cute Teleflora firetruck planters off ebay and made signs fir the bed area of the truck with KCs picture and the #1. I made homemade basketball cookies for favors. I love decorating and party planning, I made all my own wedding invitations and I make alot of the decorations for all my parties and events. I need to be paid to be a planner, that would be my picture perfect job!

KC started another week of swim lessons today, and hes the only boy in the whole class. Hes surrounded by girls!. He was a little upset but I think it was from all the drama queens that were sitting next to him. Once again he was the youngest there, but he swam better than any of the girls in his group. One little girl didnt want to get in at all, so she kept getting up and running away. One time the little girl kept running circles around the pool & Mrs. Jeannie couldnt catch her so Mrs. Katie had to get out so the could corner her, and then she took off through the grass. Once she was finally corralled she kicked and screamed the whole way in the pool, and then some more once Mrs. Jeannie put her back on the side. Shes a firecracker for sure, so this week should be a hoot.

Hope everyone has a great week! And please send me any birthday tips, Thanks!

That's a wrap!

Friday was #6 of Hubbys BCG treatments, #6 is the last, final one that he has to do! And the crowd goes wild! I was beginning to think I wasnt going to make it to the last one, literally last week I was ready to get th big D. The emotional roller coaster ride you get on when someone you love has cancer is a hard thing to endure. We have had a tough battle the last few weeks, he has felt like crap, I have felt like crap, its all been crap. I had to take a few days to regroup and so did the Hubby, things just get overwhelming sometimes. Now we have one more hurdle left hopefully, another surgery in August at Moffitt again. The best news possible being when they do the surgery they dont find any tumors at all. If everythings all clear in August, he doesnt have to go back for a check-up until November, then continue the 3 month checkups. This has really been tiring on me, not only am I dealing with KC my spunky, typical 2 year old boy, I also have a needy 38 year old Hubby who thinks he should be treated the same. I know that sounds horrible, but being at home most of the day with them both is taking a toll on this mama hen. I need someone to cook, clean, and pick up after me too damnit!! Atleast KC doesnt come back with any smart comments like his Dad, I think we can blame that on the fact hes not talking. Im sure that he will end up being a mini-me version of his Dad in more ways than I care to think about,

We stayed at homebase for the 4th, Hubby has a sweet hook up for fireworks and we get the good stuff! No sparklers and roman candles here, mortars and TnT baby! The mosquitos were terrible, I mean pick you up and tote you off terrible. We dunked in Off before we went outside, and poor KC, and KAS had bites where I didnt get it good. KAS had them on her feet and ankles, and KC had them on his fingers, ear, and neck. We had a few friends over and grilled burgers and dogs. I forgot to charge my batteries for the camera so I didnt get one picture, not one! Nothing fancy schmancy, just a regular holiday weekend.

Heres Hubby giving me the thumbs up for his last treatment. I think he was faking it, what do you think?