Hello Kitty by Madison Hunter (six years old)

Wuns a pon a tiym ther wre to littol kites. Thay livd with ther granpo and gan muther. Thay luvd to play and thay lick to do sports and akt. Then wun day ther was a strang giy in the rod. The kiteys nevr sen hem. It wus vrye dark and spooky. Wey hrd gost and bats and awols. the-end.

I thought this was too precious to keep to myself. Those without small children may need help reading this, but I think most of you will be able to figure it out.

Phonetics . . . great tool, but not quite perfect when it comes to the English language. I hope her college essays are a little better :)

Warm weather is almost here and it's time to get back in shape. Why is that even an issue? Why do I manage to "get out of shape" every year and then have to focus on getting back in shape? It's a vicious cycle. Regardless of warm weather, it's time to get back into shape because my clothes DON'T FIT ANYMORE and I REFUSE to buy a larger size!!!!

So, if you see me so much as look at anything with sugar, bad carbs, or bad fat in it, just slap me. I'm not kidding. If my gaze becomes a stare, feel free to smack me in the back of my head, stomp on my foot, pull me by the ear, or whatever means is necessary to redirect my attention away from the evil that plagues my physique.

I've been good (I mean REALLY good) for ten days now. I'm so proud. I've lost five pounds. The bad part is I started out five pounds heavier this year than last year. So, though I've lost five pounds, I'm really just now at my ground zero starting point.

No before and after pictures will be posted, but providing I get the results I hope for, I may post some summer pictures (the "after") when the time comes :)

Smack me. Just smack me. Don't be shy. I won't return the favor, I promise.

"I'm never going to get married when I grow up." Words from my six year old.

Here's how the rest of the conversation went:

Me: "You'll change your mind when you get older."

Maddie: "There's just no boys left to choose from."

Me: "What do you mean there's no boys left to choose from? You're not even grown yet. You don't know what boys will be available when you get older."

Maddie: "Well, almost the whole world is married already and there's not any boys left to choose, besides if I have a lot of children, or even if I only have one. . . that's a lot to take care of."

Me: "Madison, I promise you'll change your mind when you get older. What are you even worried about this for now anyhow? You're way too little to be worrying about who there is to marry."

Maddie: Insistent "I'm never getting married."

Me: chuckling "Well, honey, don't even worry about it right now. You're too little to worry about that kind of stuff."

It's conversations like this that remind me of the theory of old soul/new soul as taught in my 10th grade language arts class. At times, Madison seems to posses maturity and understanding beyond her years, like she's an old soul who's previously experienced a lifetime here.

Ok, ok, ok. I've been out of commission for a little while. Here's the skinny on what I've got going on. . .

The new job is going GREAT! So far, I'm really enjoying what I do, and they seem to like me too.

My final commitment to my previous employer was a golf tournament in Destin that I've organized for six years. That concluded last week. It was a HUGE success and I received a lot of love and recognition from all who attended. It was a nice way to go out.

Madison is excelling in gymnastics and seems to really be enjoying the success she feels there. She's also really enjoying her new found sight. She got to see a movie the other day in the theater and she was excited at the anticipation of catching a flick for the first time with her new "eyes."

The ex-husband is still a thorn in my side. Until the day comes that I fail miserably at life, I don't expect this to change.

The boy (term stolen from Girl) is still hanging around, and I'm still allowing him to do so.

Things are good.

Hope everyone is well.