This is what happens when I don't write

There is too much to tell! This is what happens when I don't write to my blog for a long time. It's been almost a month. Where do I start?

Exciting news about Amanda. She has all A's and 1 B in collge - WOW! With her extra-curricular activities too, it's really a feat for her. She was on the technical team for Milton High School's Fall 1-act play, and the Technical Director had to leave unexpectedly right before regional competition. So they asked Amanda to be Acting Technical Director. She did so, and Miltion WON FIRST Place in the regionals, which meant they went to state. So there's my sweet little Amanda, Technical Director at the Springer Opera house for state competition. Then, the best news of all, they took 2nd place at state! It was all very exciting and the Springer Opera House in Columbus is WORTH THE DRIVE. I would love to go back there to see another play. Mom, Dad, Michael,Will,and I went on the day of the state competition to support Amanda and Milton, and I'm so glad we did. What a blast!

Will has completed requirements to advance to Tenderfoot. There will be a "Court of Honor" in a couple of weeks at which he will receive it officially. I can't wait! He also went on his first 'teenager' retreat sponsored by the church. I remember how much those trips meant to me and it's wonderful that he is staying so involved in the church and is getting to go on trips. He had a blast, it was a very positive experience. He's also doing very well academically at school. Behavior is another issue - we're constantly working on it. He's not mean or foul-mouthed or anything like that. His challenge is that he loves being the class clown. Every day, every class, is a party to him. Michael has started a discipline program modeled after the movie 'Holes'. Every time Will comes home with a negative report from school, he has to dig a hole. The first hole had to be 1 foot by 1 foot by 1 foot. No big deal, right? But the second hole was 2 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet. The job gets much harder as the size goes up. Michael has a PVC pipe with 1 foot markings all the way up in 1 foot intervals and keeps it right beside the shovel. Once the hole is measured by me or Michael, Will has to fill it all back in. It's really making him THINK. I think its a great idea and I hope before his holes get much larger, we stop getting discipline reports from his school.

Andrew has come back home to live with us for awhile. His job at Honda was only a 3 month contract, so he is between jobs right now. He's been very busy looking for another job and has 2 interviews next week. Michael has taken him clothes shopping to make sure he has 1 "interview outfit" to wow the prospective employers with. He also has some academic work that needs to be completed, and everyone is pitching in to support that as well. Amanda has volunteered to tutor him in Science, as that is the only area he lacks to meet the Georgia graduation requirements.

John came home from Iraq on September 6. He's now working at Atlanta National (where he worked before he left), and is also trying to get on with the Alpharetta police department. He passed the physical and written tests with no problem, and has his final test, which is an oral exam, next Tuesday. We are all excited and proud for him. He has lots of options. He has ben saving like mad because he wants to buy a house.

Michael is still doing the drive to work every day, which takes it's toll on him. His chronic Bronchitis has been very active the last few weeks, and he has to use the nebulizer a lot. But work itself is going well - he even got a bonus last week! We incorporated my business and made Michael the president. Sales have been great, and Michael does all the work while I sit )and boss him around :-). Michael has done a tremendous amount of work on his family history. He submitted his research to the Gwinnett Historical Society, and a HUGE book detailing the history of many Gwinnett Familys was released and dedicated last Sunday. Michalel's work was included in the book. We are all so proud of his efforts. I was too tired from the day in Columbus to go to the ceremony, but John and Sayra went, which was perfect. I'm really glad some of the family was there to support him.

I've had my normal ups and downs health-wise. I had this burn scar on my arm that 'exploded'. It just expanded out about an inch. None of my other scars did this, it was weird. One of my Drs. saw it and sent me directly over to Dr. Rachal, a dermitologist. They gave me around 30 cortizone shots in the puffy area and took a biopsy. The swelling quickly went down, and the biopsy was negative for sarcoid. The stiches got infected, and caused me to have to stay out of the pool for about 4 days. Then came the falls. I've falledn 3 times in the last week. The first fall was because of wet leaves which hid the edge of the walkway. I thought I was stepping on the walkway, but instead was halfway on the walkway, and halfway off. I fell forward, but only made my toes on my right foot sore. Then came a bigger fall. I was getting into my van, and my left knee just 'disappeared' from under me. My left leg twisted and made this horrible crunching sound, and I fell flat down. The pain was through the roof, but didn't last long. Soon, I was able to drag myself into the van and go on. I tried to treat my left leg very gently all day, hoping I wouldn't need to see a dr. Then, I went to get in my van and the same thing happened again, but much worse. This time, I was laid flat down in the driveway (which is very steep), with my head down and my feet up higher. I couldn't move at all. I felt like the old woman in the commercial that says "I've fallen and I can't get up!" I called and called, but no one in the house heard me. Then finally, Andrew drove up and saw me. Then all of the kids came out and helped me up. I succomed and went to the ER. No broken bones, but they fitted me with thisdevice that keeps my leg immoble and put me on a walker. I'm supposed to follow up with an Orthapedic Dr., but I really don't want to. I think they will just run a bunch of tests, charge me a bunch of money, and in the end the treatment will be no different - keep the leg immoble and use the walker until it heals.

Other big news - I received notice that my SS case has finally been APPROVED. I don't have any details about exact amounts yet. I'm talking to several attorneys locally to ensure I have an advocate because there is money to be repaid to my LTD company, and it would be foolish to take their word (the LTD company) for how much I owe them and the terms for repayment.

Well, today is turkey day and there was not even a slice of turkey at our house. Our family celebrated Thanksgiving last saturday, so everyone went their different ways today. Mom and Dad spent time with Amanda, Bo, and Marsha, and knowing them, there was plenty of good treats to eat. John and Andrew went to some of their mother's family. I expect Joel's family spent time with Regina's clan, and I don't know what Jeff's family did. I spent the day mostly laying flat on my back with my Bionicare on my left knee.

We've started bringing in the dogs at night (in crates). Our dogs are pound puppies, brother and sister, and if they can't see each other they go positively mad. So we sit the crates face to face so they can see each other all night. Our problem has been that they bark ALL NIGHT LONG. So we tried the crates. The really nice thing is that they are perfectly quiet all night in their crates. So maybe we've solved a problem for us AND our neighbors. Plus, with the weather getting cold, I know they mus feel better inside.

I finally found a solution to the cat digging in (and pooping in) my house plants. I got some rather heavy, flat river rocks from Pikes, and layed them over the soil in the pant pots. This is advice I got on Yahoo Answers. Sure enough, Garfield can't move the rocks to get to the soil, and so my plants have been in for over 1 week, and remain unmolested by my dear feline. Such a simple idea, but I never thought of it. Last year I tried Cayenne pepper and sticky tape, neither of which worked. Garfield had a heyday with my plants and the stink was, well, stinky. I think we've won the battle this year! He's such a sweet cat, the only cat I've ever known that isn't stand-offish. We all love him, though technically he's Will's cat. He loves to get on top of the bird cage and stare down at Sam and Darin, Amanda's two Cockateils. It drives the birds crazy, but he can't harm them.

Well, that's my best effort to make up for weeks of not writhing. So long and good night from the Allen house.