Happy Thanksgiving - 2009
Murphy is trying to get a Modeling Contract and needs YOUR vote! Please vote for the little rascal at:
Have a very Blessed Thanksgiving today!!
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Thursday, November 26, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Who Is This Guy Matt??
Have I ever mentioned my nephew, Matt, before? Actually, I'm not so sure he would like you to think he's my blood nephew.....he would probably prefer you know he's my nephew by marriage to my niece, Jacque. See, I'm considered the "crazy" aunt of the family......a title I'm quite proud of actually, and I think Matt thinks I'm just a little "out there" if you know what I mean..... I see the eye rolls.....the slight tilt of the head to the right that says, "Who is this chick and whats wrong with her??"....
Matt is a kinda quiet guy...at least, around me he is....I "think" there's another side of him, but I haven't seen it yet.........he loves motorcycles, is a whiz at computers and electronic gadgets, and is a SUPER husband to my niece, Jacque. He tolerates this crazy Calloway family pretty well..... He and my niece Jacque have been married a little over a year, but Matt's been coming to family get-togethers for years now. Bless his heart......how many years did we make the poor guy sleep on the floor in the Media Room with the family pets? He was never really that interested in any of the lake activities like jet-skiing or boating, but he would come because Jacque wanted him there.....and we did too! He would bring a couple good books, find a nice quiet spot, and he was a happy camper. Sometimes he would hang out in the garage with Chuck, which is where all the "Married-To-A-Calloway Woman" men hung out. We'd see him again as they were getting in the car to leave.
But you know when I knew; REALLY KNEW, that Matt was the right one for Jacque?? About 3 years ago, the family was at the lake as usual for some holiday; can't remember which one.....and we had found a spot for Matt other than the Media Room floor with Callie the stinky, shedding dog and Kittie Kruger, the one claw-cat. Our neighbors weren't down that weekend and offered to let Matt stay at their house. It was late one Saturday night; Jacque had already gone to bed at our house and woke up scared from a bad dream......all she wanted was her Matt. I walked her groggy self over to the neighbor's house where Matt was still up reading his book. As soon as he saw her, he quietly took her in his arms and knew instantly what was wrong. He "knew" just how to handle her; how to make things right in her world.....and just like that; she was happy and safe.....It was like something out of a romance movie......This was HUGE for me........HUGE!
So, why am I blogging about Matt tonight?? Well, we had our Calloway Thanksgiving this past weekend and had such a wonderful time......Matt fixed homemade stuffing; didn't yell or even get upset when Jacque had him put frozen green beans in the backseat of his new BMW that spilled on the trip to the lake; he reminded Jacque to eat something when she hadn't eaten in 6 hours......this guy is in love with my girl, Jacque, and this one crazy aunt couldn't be happier. I may not fully "know" Matt, but one thing I do know is Matt is one AWESOME nephew......Calloway blood or not!!
So, there you have it. I'm not real sure what Matt thinks of Jacque's crazy, unpredictable, horrible cook Aunt Liz, but I can tell you Aunt Liz sure thinks the world of Matt.........AND....its not because he said "Aunt Liz isn't quite as crazy as Jacque made her out to be" as his favorite memory during Family Memory Time this past weekend.
Love ya, Matt!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEK
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
What? You Want To Stop for Ice Cream??
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Have I mentioned my hubby, Chuck, is hard of hearing?? Well, bless his heart, as if having Multiple Sclerosis isn't enough, he suffers from loss of hearing most likely from the MS. Well, over the last few years, we have had many, many interesting conversations......unfortunately, they usually aren't about the same thing. Here's a typical conversation as we're driving down the road: LIZ: "Did you put the trash out by the road this morning?" CHUCK: "Yes, I'd like to stop at Dairy Queen for some ice cream." Hummmm...as I turn and stare at him with that rolling eye "I'm not believing this" look, he looks back at me and says, "What???".....At first, it was kinda funny, but now; it's just irritating. This happens EVERY SINGLE DAY.
About the time it went from funny to irritating (3 years ago), I forced him to the Audiologist who said he needed hearing aids. DUH! So, we got him the very best hearing aids that didn't take away from his handsome ears. They were state of the art; barely noticeable, matching skin color and very small. We were so excited!! No more weird conversations; no more strange looks at each other!! Knowing my hubby, I thought it best if we take out the replacement insurance "just in case" he lost one....or two. I remember that day well. We were sitting in the audiologists office waiting on her to fit him with his brand spankin' new "very expensive" hearing aids.....Chuck was assuring and promising me he would be careful and not lose the hearing aids and we would be living in a new world from now on! Oh, life is good!!
Fast forward.............1 week. Yep, first hearing aid disappeared. All we knew was he was mowing at the time and had the aid on when he started; didn't have it on when he finished. He mowed an acre of land......under trees and tall shrubs!! I was determined not to use that insurance policy one week after taking it out......so, I literally got on my hands and knees and in straight-line fashion, crawled the entire acre on my knees looking for that hearing aid..... Did I mention it was "small". Never did find the hearing aid or anything that resembled a hearing aid. However, I did find an earring I had lost 2 years prior, a neighbor's key and a couple of snake skins. We replaced the hearing aid and this time attached it to Chuck with a fish line and alligator clip, clipped to the back of his shirt.
Fast forward.........3 years. The hearing aid isn't really working for him anymore (he has Tinnitus....cricket sounds in his ears) and we are back to having strange and bizarre conversations again. He ordered the Lee Majors 6 million dollar man hearing aid via Infomercial which is an over priced, glorified amplifier.....and what a squealer it is!! His neurologist referred us to a UTSW audiologist, which is suppose to be the best of the best, in doctors. I was sooooooo excited! I just knew this was going to fix the irritating, bizarre conversation mode we are currently in. So today we went to see the UTSW Audiologist....Oh Happy Day!! They call us back to do the hearing test and determine, yep, the boys' got a hearing problem. DOUBLE DUH! As we're waiting on the doc to come in and give us the miracle cure; not to be mistaken for "Miracle Ear"; to kill the crickets, I give Chuck the "Be positive; they will find a way to fix this....you're just too negative....you must think positive" speech. I no more get these words out of my mouth, and the doc comes in and tells us there's nothing he can do about the tinnitus and, although hearing aids would help his hearing loss, he will still have those annoying crickets. I don't remember much after that except hearing these words coming out of my mouth, "I'm not leaving this place without a solution! You ARE going to kill these crickets and you ARE going to fix his hearing. We drove 2 hours here and 2 hours back so you could kill the crickets.....now; KILL THE CRICKETS!" As he started slowly backing away from me, he started spitting out solutions that some people had found to help....some "desperate" people had tried this......or that.....he said.
We did finally leave, much to the doctors relief, and discussed our next game plan on the two hour drive home. At one point, I asked Chuck if he thought we needed to pull off the highway to let Murphy pee and he excitedly answered, "Yes, I'd love to stop at Dairy Queen for Ice Cream!!"
Have I mentioned my hubby, Chuck, is hard of hearing?? Well, bless his heart, as if having Multiple Sclerosis isn't enough, he suffers from loss of hearing most likely from the MS. Well, over the last few years, we have had many, many interesting conversations......unfortunately, they usually aren't about the same thing. Here's a typical conversation as we're driving down the road: LIZ: "Did you put the trash out by the road this morning?" CHUCK: "Yes, I'd like to stop at Dairy Queen for some ice cream." Hummmm...as I turn and stare at him with that rolling eye "I'm not believing this" look, he looks back at me and says, "What???".....At first, it was kinda funny, but now; it's just irritating. This happens EVERY SINGLE DAY.
About the time it went from funny to irritating (3 years ago), I forced him to the Audiologist who said he needed hearing aids. DUH! So, we got him the very best hearing aids that didn't take away from his handsome ears. They were state of the art; barely noticeable, matching skin color and very small. We were so excited!! No more weird conversations; no more strange looks at each other!! Knowing my hubby, I thought it best if we take out the replacement insurance "just in case" he lost one....or two. I remember that day well. We were sitting in the audiologists office waiting on her to fit him with his brand spankin' new "very expensive" hearing aids.....Chuck was assuring and promising me he would be careful and not lose the hearing aids and we would be living in a new world from now on! Oh, life is good!!
Fast forward.............1 week. Yep, first hearing aid disappeared. All we knew was he was mowing at the time and had the aid on when he started; didn't have it on when he finished. He mowed an acre of land......under trees and tall shrubs!! I was determined not to use that insurance policy one week after taking it out......so, I literally got on my hands and knees and in straight-line fashion, crawled the entire acre on my knees looking for that hearing aid..... Did I mention it was "small". Never did find the hearing aid or anything that resembled a hearing aid. However, I did find an earring I had lost 2 years prior, a neighbor's key and a couple of snake skins. We replaced the hearing aid and this time attached it to Chuck with a fish line and alligator clip, clipped to the back of his shirt.
Fast forward.........3 years. The hearing aid isn't really working for him anymore (he has Tinnitus....cricket sounds in his ears) and we are back to having strange and bizarre conversations again. He ordered the Lee Majors 6 million dollar man hearing aid via Infomercial which is an over priced, glorified amplifier.....and what a squealer it is!! His neurologist referred us to a UTSW audiologist, which is suppose to be the best of the best, in doctors. I was sooooooo excited! I just knew this was going to fix the irritating, bizarre conversation mode we are currently in. So today we went to see the UTSW Audiologist....Oh Happy Day!! They call us back to do the hearing test and determine, yep, the boys' got a hearing problem. DOUBLE DUH! As we're waiting on the doc to come in and give us the miracle cure; not to be mistaken for "Miracle Ear"; to kill the crickets, I give Chuck the "Be positive; they will find a way to fix this....you're just too negative....you must think positive" speech. I no more get these words out of my mouth, and the doc comes in and tells us there's nothing he can do about the tinnitus and, although hearing aids would help his hearing loss, he will still have those annoying crickets. I don't remember much after that except hearing these words coming out of my mouth, "I'm not leaving this place without a solution! You ARE going to kill these crickets and you ARE going to fix his hearing. We drove 2 hours here and 2 hours back so you could kill the crickets.....now; KILL THE CRICKETS!" As he started slowly backing away from me, he started spitting out solutions that some people had found to help....some "desperate" people had tried this......or that.....he said.
We did finally leave, much to the doctors relief, and discussed our next game plan on the two hour drive home. At one point, I asked Chuck if he thought we needed to pull off the highway to let Murphy pee and he excitedly answered, "Yes, I'd love to stop at Dairy Queen for Ice Cream!!"
Sunday, November 15, 2009
We Had To Say Good-Bye......
First and foremost; HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAX! I love you more than you'll ever know!!
Now, I know you guys are all sick and tired of me wining and crying over losing our dear neighbors, Mike and Kim, but please try and stay with me through one more Blog about our loss.
Well, last night, they made their final move from the lake. After the hugs and "I Love You's", we all stood there, tears in our eyes, watching as the U-Haul drove away from the house and down the road for the final time. I know this wasn't just hard on us as their neighbors, but also on them. I could see it in their faces. I could hear it in their voices. I felt it in their hugs......
I have come to realize over time that its rare these days to find neighbors who "want" to know each other; that want to hang out together and know each others families; that want to get involved in each others life. Well, that's what we have here at the lake. Its different than living in the city where the only neighbors you usually get to know are your alley neighbors as they come and go from work or take out their trash. Mike and Kim were telling us that they have lived in their Garland (Dallas) neighborhood for many more years than they have had their lakehouse and yet, they barely know their next door neighbors.
When Chuck and I lived in Dallas in a similar neighborhood as Mike and Kim, our first house was a rental and we tried our best to get to know our neighbors. They weren't interested. We hosted a party at our house and invited all of our new neighbors and only one showed up. Six months later, we purchased a house a block away, and the day we moved in, every neighbor on our new block, ONE BLOCK AWAY, came by, brought us coolers with ice and drinks, snacks and introduced themselves. What a difference a block makes! We went on to live in that neighborhood, Woodbridge, for another 8 years and have said many, many times how truly blessed we were, and still are, to have such wonderful friends there. The Lord has always plopped us down in the neighborhoods where we could grow and gain some of the best friends anyone could ever ask for.
So, thank you Mike and Kim, for going to the BBQ joint with us on that first day we met. And thank you for cooking for us all those Saturday nights; for introducing us to all of your families who are now a part of our lives; for fertilizing our yard and treating for grubs every year when you did your own yard; for all the quietly done things you did to help Chuck and I..........you will be so deeply missed.
So folks, that's it. I won't be blogging any more about Mike and Kim moving......we are, however, going to turn the page and start a new chapter. The next chapter is going to include these wonderful friends coming to visit and staying in their very own room here at the Etheridge house where the head of Chuck's Fan Club can cook her famous meals and we can have our Rock Bank concerts on Saturday night.........and Uno can steal Murphy's monkeys and Senator McCain doll.......Can't wait!
Monday, November 9, 2009
12 More Days.....The Countdown Has Begun.....
We have 12 more days till Mike and Kim sign away their neighbors.......it's funny; I know them SO well, that when they just read that last line, they both said, "Geezzz Liz, its hard enough; stop it already!" but nope, not gonna do it!!! They will have to feel our pain........
This past weekend, they arrived at the lake as usual on Friday evening and we did what we all always do on Friday evening, and that is head to the Marina for pizza (not counting the time a few months ago we boycotted the Marina for a few months due to the increase in price on the caesar salad! Try as we may to keep up the boycott, we just couldn't; we love the pizza too much.....but you can bet we NEVER order the caesar salad anymore!!). We got our usual 2 large pizza's and for just a little while, we pretended nothing was changing. We forgot that we were less than two weeks away from not having our minimalist friends here anymore for these special Friday night get-togethers........for just a little while, things were normal.
But then Kim said she had to go to Home Depot for more boxes. You know, because they have so much "stuff" here........and we were back to reality.
BTW, they still have "stuff" to sell if you're interested......check it out at my website on LizBay at
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