Filed under: Everyday Chatter
Saturday morning, around 7:20, I got a phone call. Tim, on the other end, sounded strange. A little upset, a little dumbfounded.
“Celeste…can you believe that somebody broke into my house while I was still in it???”
My very first thought was “Please don’t let him tell me that he has shot somebody for breaking in his house…please.” But, he didn’t. Turns out, he was in the shower about 7:00 and he heard a noise. So he got out of the shower and came downstairs asking “Who is that?” He thought it was just one of his friends who had a key.
Not. Dood was in the house and when he hears Tim he just grabs the laptop and all the cords and takes off out of the window — that he had broken by throwing two bricks in — to get in the house. Meanwhile, Tim’s neighbors behind him have seen all of this. From the time he threw the bricks in to the time he came flying back out of the window — and they were on the phone with the police. It was a neighborhood kid, they knew him. He’s in jail now.
He can’t bond out because he’s already on bond for another burglary. At 15. How you already got a felony at 15??? Tim says his mama came outside yelling about how her son didn’t do this and blaming Tim cause he didn’t try to get the kid in the Navy. The kid is in the back of the cop car hollering “Mr. Tim…it wasn’t me!!” Dood. They saw you. In broad daylight. Shut the hell up. Your mama, too cause she knows you’re a thieving hoodlum stupid.
Now, what if Aidan and I had been in Memphis and he busted up through the house and my baby was downstairs playing? The kid would be dead. Tim would have shown no mercy. Ya’ll know I loves the kids, but this one right here? If I had my way, he’d be about 18 before he saw the light of day.
Oh, the rest of the weekend was fine. How was yours?
Filed under: Everyday Chatter
A little Black History. Wouldn’t you like to learn today? You all know that Aidan’s most favorite restaurant ever is Red Lobster. This morning I read a rather interesting fact about the restaurant:
Each week tens of thousands of diners eat at an Olive Garden or Red Lobster restaurant.. Few of these diners know that the CEO heading these large restaurant chains is a black man.
Clarence Otis Jr. is the CEO of Darden Restaurants Inc., the largest casual dining operator in the nation. The firm operates nearly 1,400 company-owned restaurants coast to coast serving 300 million meals annually. Darden employs 150,000 workers and has annual revenues of $6 billion.
Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Otis moved to Los Angeles when he was 6 years old. His father was a high school dropout who worked as a janitor. The family lived in Watts at the time of the 1965 riots. In the post-Watts period, Otis recalls being stopped and questioned by police several times a year because of the color of his skin.
A high school guidance counselor recommended him for a scholarship at Williams College, The highly selective liberal arts institution in Massachusetts. Otis graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Williams and went on to earn a law degree at Stanford. Otis landed on Wall Street as a merger and acquisitions attorney for J.P. Morgan Securities. He joined Darden Restaurants in 1995 as corporate treasurer. He became CEO in 2004.
**Source of this information: http://dallassouthblog.com/2008/01/10/the-story-of-clarence-otis-jr-darden-ceo-leads-red-lobster-and-olive-garden/
So, the CEO of Red Lobster is a Black man from Vicksburg, Mississippi. Who woulda thunk it?
I’m going to make sure that every time we go into Red Lobster, I tell him that one day he could have his own Red Lobsters. I have big dreams for that little dood–Aidan, that is.
Filed under: The Mommy Files
“Mommy”, he said, “What will I be when I grow up?
“Why, you can be anything you want to be!” she replied.
You’d be a fantastic football player!
Or the perfect policeman….
You’d be a fabulous fireman!
Or you’d make the most darling dentist!
You can have the starring role in a movie!
Or spread the word of God…
Just reach for all your dreams, and never consider them odd. Remember that you can be whatever you desire. But whatever goal you set, always reach higher. No matter where you go, or what you think you’ll be, you’re Mommy’s little boy…always a star to me.
Filed under: Psonya & Tim
Since Tim was last given three options, all of those have changed. Thanks, Navy, you’re the best.
At this point, only one thing is confirmed. No Memphis, no overseas duty. That’s two things, my bad.
Which brings us to the place we least wanted to be…on a ship*. I’m ride or die, so I’m prepared to ride. So, as it stands, we’ll either be on the East Coast or the West Coast — either San Diego, Seattle, or Norfolk. Neither of those three make me jump for joy, but Aidan said the other day that he’s going to move to San Diego. From the mouths of babes, huh?
More details and perhaps a final decision to come next month. Until then, we prepare to move forward to destination: unknown. This is so fun.
*This doesn’t mean that anyone actually lives on a ship. It just means that Tim goes to work on the ship daily, and when the ship leaves, he leaves. When the ship is in port, it’s life as usual.
Filed under: The Mommy Files
I thought he was sleep when I kissed him on the forehead and said “Goodnight, Scoody. Mama loves you one hundred.” Then, without opening his eyes he said “Aidan loves Mommy one hundred and one.”
I love being his mom.
Filed under: Everyday Chatter
For some reason, I don’t like things other people like. Then people think I’m wierd because I don’t like it. For instance:
peanut butter. Ugh. I’ve had one teaspoon of peanut butter in my entire life. I’m sure I’ll complete my journey here on earth having never had another.
cake. I could do without it. Chocolate cake? The.worst. However, I love brownies. Is that strange?
catfish. I can tolerate it grilled. Can’t hardly stand it fried.
popcorn. Only when I’m sitting by Tim at the movies. And I don’t even really want it then, is just there so I get a handful. I always get a hot dog. Oooh, how I love hot dogs.
Is there anything that you don’t want that other people think is crazy?
Filed under: The Mommy Files
Yesterday we stopped on the way home because Aidan had to go to the bathroom. I mean, he must have said about 5 times that he had to go. So, we finally make it and go into the bathroom. I open the door, and he’s all shock/horror and he says “I can wait till we get home.”
Why? Because there was a drain on the floor of the bathroom. The child is so afraid of drains in the floor that I almost had to spank him to make him go in.
Aidan likes to play outside in the back yard. Until the wind blows and I hear him banging on the patio doors as if his life depends on it screaming “Mommy!! Let me in!!! Hurry!!!” What does that mean? Leaves are blowing around. He will run in leaves, jump in leaves, and play in leaves, but when they start moving on their own — he is NOT trying to be around.
Why can’t my child be afraid of regular stuff like, you know, the dark. Come to think of it, he’s scared of that, too. Aidan is scary. Mind you, when he’s with Daaaddy, he’ll be terrified of the drain, but he won’t dare speak it. He’ll carefully negotiate his way away from the leaves, but he won’t dare run. When he’s with me, he’ll holler and scream and run like there’s no tomorrow.
I’m just wondering if this is normal child behavior, or if this is him just cutting up. Are any of your kids afraid of things like that? How should I keep him from being afraid? I’ve tried talking to him, explaining to him, reasoning with him, coaxing him — but there’s only going to be so many times I’m going to be embarrrassed at the public restroom, and if you have a toddler, you know how often we must go.
Any suggestions?
After I said I was sick and you didn’t hear from me, why didn’t you losers check on me??? Winding two lane roads and mountains do not make for a fun car ride.
After we got there and I laid down for about 2 hours, I was good to go. Except go to where? We just decided to go out to dinner. Lemme tell you, Tim got this 22 oz. steak that was as big as a regular sized plate. He at the WHOLE thing. So, after that we had to come back to the room because he was…um..let’s just say that his stomach hurt.
On Thursday we went to the outlet mall, got some good deals, then we went and raced cars and played put-put golf. Aidan and I beat Tim at racing like he had stole something — but if you ask him he’ll say it went the other way around.
On Friday, Tim’s family joined us and Aidan went wild because his cousin had finally made it. We went to Branson Landing, which is like an outdoor mall/Riverwalk kind of thing, and out to dinner.
By Saturday, I was a little ready to go. We went to Ride the Ducks, and to the Titanic Museum. Both of those were pretty good. The Titanic Museum was very interesting. And we went to tour the Stonehill Winery for my first wine tasting ever! That was the best part. I discovered that I like sweet, full-bodied, red wines. Go me! We bought a couple bottles back. Just a couple. About 6.
On Sunday, we headed out after breakfast. All in all, a good time was had by all, but we probably won’t be doing Branson again. Let me just make that final, we won’t. I’m sure there were lots of things to do there that we didn’t see, like the amusement and water parks, and the river. They tell me that there is a lot of water-skiing and lake activities to tickle your fancy, but we aren’t “lake” kinda people. And it helps if you have at least an inkling of an interest in country music. There are a ton of shows and at any point, there is always something that you can go see and do. (Acrobats of China, Ripley’s Believe it or Not, Hollywood Wax Museum, Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, 2 outlet malls, The Dinosaur Museum, Wineries, Riverboat Cruises, Indoor Water Parks) So, if you want to go, it won’t be a total waste. You can definitely find some family entertainment.
So, we’re back in Memphis and getting ready to head home to get back to real life tomorrow. It seems like forever since I’ve talked to you guys, what did I miss?
Filed under: Everyday Chatter
We’re in Missouri. I’m sick. I’ve never had motion sickness, but we’ve been going up and down and around curves and I’m now spitting in a cup like I’m pregnant. Tim had mercy on me and stopped to get me some water.
Oh, we just passed by a lady who flipped us the bird for passing her. Loser. I shoulda threw up on her.
Filed under: Everyday Chatter
Damn that GPS! We’re on the 2 lane road from hell. Tim just said “People live out here..bless their hearts.”. I gotta pee. 2 more hours.
