WINTER WONDER SLAM....

ON SUNDAY DILLON AND I WENT TO SEE TOBY MAC. WE LEFT THE HOUSE AT 6:15PM AND ARRIVED A TTHE NOKIA THEATRE IN GRAND PRAIRIE ON 7:10PM.

BEFORE WE LEFT THE HOUSE, JESSICA TOLD DILLON TO WAER EARPLUGS. HE DIDN'T LIKE THE IDEA, BUT SAID OK WHEN HE HEARD ME SAY I TOO WAS GOING TO WEAR EARPLUGS.

NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE'RE 20 MINUTES DOWN THE ROAD (GET READY - KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS) AND DILLON SAYS "DAD. YOU AND MOM ARE FREAKING ME OUT. WHY WOULD I WEAR EARPLUGS TO LISTEN TO MUSIC? I WON'T BE ABLE TO HEAR. NOBODY LISTENS TO MUSIC WITH EARPLUGS."

20 MINUTES LATER, WE PULL INTO THE PARKING LOT AND I HAND THE ATTENDANT $20 FOR THE $15 PARKING FEE. SHE HANDS ME BACK A $5 AND A RECEIPT. DILLON SAYS "HOLY COW! SHE JUST GAVE YOU MONEY! THEY PAY YOU TO COME HERE?" OBVIOUSLY, HE DIDN'T SEE ME GIVE HER THE $20. I EXPLAINED TO HIM THE $5 WAS CHANGE FOR THE $20 SINCE THE PARKING WAS $15.

SO, THE SHOW STARTS AT 8:00PM. B. REITH COMES OUT AND PLAYS, THEN FAMILY FORCE 5, THEN RELIENT K. ALL FILLERS AS FAR AS DILLON AND I WERE CONCERNED. FINALLY AT 10:15PM TOBY MAC AND THE DIVERSE CITY BAND COME ON STAGE. THEY WERE AWESOME! 3-4 SONGS INTO IT DILLON SITS DOWN (EVERYONE WAS STANDING FOR THE WHOLE SHOW). I ASK HIM IF HE'S OK AND HE SAYS YES, HE'S JUST TIRED. ONE SONG LATER AND I LOOK DOWN AND HE'S ASLEEP; AND I MEAN O.U.T.!!! I'M ENJOYING THE SHOW SO I LISTEN TO A COUPLE MORE SONGS. THEN, I DECIDE I SHOULD DO THE RESPONSIBLE THING AND GET HIM HOME....PLUS, LEAVING BEFORE IT WAS OVER WOULD SAVE US A LOT OF TIME GETTING OUT OF THE PARKING LOT.

I TRY TO WAKE HIM AND IT'S NOT HAPPENING. HE IS OUT LIKE A LIGHT! I FINALLY GET HIM TO WAKE UP ENOUGH TO PICK HIM UP AND CARRY HIM. WE GET OUT OF THE CONCERT AND INTO THE HALLS. HE WAKES UP LIKE THE LIGHT SWITCH WAS TURNED ON THE OTHER WAY AND SAYS "DAD, WHAT ARE WE DOING? WHY ARE WE LEAVING? THE MUSIC IS STILL ON." I SAID "BECAUSE YOU WERE ASLEEP." HE SAYS "NO I WASN'T." RATHER THAN ARGUE I SIMPLY SAID "OK, GREAT. SHOULD WE GO BACK IN OR SHOULD WE GO HOME AND GO TO BED?" HE SAID "LET'S GO HOME."

I CARRIED HIM SOME OF THE WAY AND HE RAN SOME OF THE WAY. WHEN WE WERE RUNNING, WE RAN AS FAST AS WE COULD. IT WAS SO COLD.....WHEN WE GOT THERE IT WAS 71 DEGREES OUT AND WHEN WE GOT HOME IT WAS 37 DEGREES OUT. QUITE A DROP FOR A 5 HOUR DIFFERENTIAL.

SO, WE GET HOME (NEARLY MIDNIGHT) AND I PUT HIM INTO HIS BED AND GET HIM OUT OF HIS CLOTHES. HE'S GONE....

4:00AM - HE OPENS THE DOOR TO OUR BEDROOM AND SAY "I'M SICK. I THREW UP ALL OVER MY BED." I MADE HIM A BED ON THE FLOOR NEXT TO OUR BED. (WE DIDN'T WANT HIM IN OUR BED IN CASE HE THREW UP AGAIN.) I THEN WENT UP TO HIS ROOM TO SEE THE DAMAGE...................C R I M E S C E N E IS ALL I CAN SAY. THE POOR KID REALLY WAS SICK. I THEN WENT BACK DOWNSTAIRS TO OUR ROOM TO GO BACK TO BED. HE'S NOW IN OUR BATHROOM VOMITING AGAIN.....

FINALLY, AFTER A LITTLE MORE BARF, HE FELL ASLEEP ON THE FLOOR WITH A BOWL NEXT TO HIM. THIS WAY, IF HE HAD TO THROW UP, HE WOULDN'T MISS THE TOILET - HE COULD THROW UP RIGHT THERE IN THE BOWL.

WELL, THIS MORNING HE WAS STILL SICK. HE WAS SO QUIET - WHICH IS NOT AT ALL LIKE DILLON....

JESSICA TOOK HIM TO THE DOCTOR THIS AFTERNOON (WHICH WAS THE SOONEST THEY COULD GET HIM IN) AND HE'S OK. IT'S A COLD. THEY SUGGESTED LOTS OF GATORADE AND REST. THEY ALSO SAID HE COULD GO TO SCHOOL TOMORROW.

AT LEAST WE NOW KNOW WHY HE FELL ASLEEP WITH 1000 DECIBELS ALL AROUND HIM.

OH, IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING - NEITHER ONE OF US WORE THE EARPLUGS......ROCK ON!!!!

RENDER UNTO TRINITY MEDICAL CENTER THE COST OF A C-SECTION

HOLY COW!!! Can you beleive the cost of medical care? Attached is the statement from my insurance company showing the nearly $40,000 it cost to deliver her. This doesn't even include the many thousands of dollars paid by the insurance company to the OB/GYN for pre-natal visits and the Pediatrician, labs, etc. I am so thankful to have a great job at a great company where benefits like this still exist. So often Hobart people complain they want to make another buck or two an hour.....I know this piece of paper was a reminder to me that there's a lot more to our wage than just the hourly rate and we need to remember this! Thank God for a good job!!

THANKSGIVING 2008

WHAT A WAY TO SPEND THANKSGIVING.....ME AND MY SON, THE COWBOYS, THE JONAS BROTHERS, MICHAEL IRVIN AND MORE.....

FOR MONTHS I HAVE BEEN WISHING FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO A COWBOYS GAME THIS SEASON. TICKETS ARE RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE - IF YOU CAN EVEN GET THEM.

DILLON AND I WATCH EVERY GAME TOGETHER AND EARLIER THIS YEAR I MENTIONED TO HIM THE JONAS BROTHERS WOULD BE PERFORMING AT THE HALF-TIME SHOW ON THE THANKSGIVING DAY GAME. WE BOTH AGREED IT WOULD BE REALLY COOL IF WE COULD GO. NEVER THINKING IT WOULD ACTUALLY HAPPEN - WELL, THE TICKETS SHOWN WERE OURS! :-)

I HAD BEEN SNIFFING AROUND EVERYWHERE FOR TICKETS, BUT NO LUCK. THREE DAYS BEFORE THE GAME I WAS SPEAKING WITH A FRIEND AND TELLING HIM HOW BADLY I WANTED TO TAKE DILLON TO THE GAME. HE MENTIONED "STUB-HUB"...HE SAID STUB-HUB USUALLY HAS GOOD TICKETS AND THEY'RE NOT TOO EXPENSIVE. WELL, "TOO EXPENSIVE" IS RELATIVE WHEN YOU'RE BUYING $150 WORTH OF FORMULA AND DIAPERS EACH MONTH. SO, NEEDLESS TO SAY I GAVE UP ON THE IDEA THAT DILLON AND I WOULD ACTUALLY GET TO GO. I HAD (MENTALLY) SETTLED ON A FRONT-ROW SEAT AT THE HOUSE WITH JESSICA'S "EAT-SO-MUCH-YOU-GET-SICK" 7-LAYER DIP. IN ADDITION, I CONTINUED TO PRAY FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO AT LEAST GO TO A GAME THIS SEASON. IF IT COULDN'T BE THIS ONE, AT LEAST IT COULD BE ONE OF THEM.

NEXT THING YOU KNOW MY PHONE RINGS (IT'S WEDNESDAY AROUND NOON ON THANKSGIVING EVE) AND IT'S A VERY GOOD FRIEND OF MINE. HE TELLS ME HE'S GOT TWO TICKETS FOR THE GAME TOMORROW. I AM SPEACHLESS.....NOW I AM TRYING TO DETERMINE IF THESE TICKETS ARE FOR ME OR FOR ME AND HIM. SO, I ASK THE QUESTION, "WHAT TIME AM I PICKING YOU UP" AND HE SAYS "I'M NOT GOING. THEY'RE FOR YOU AND YOUR SON." I THINK TIME STOOD STILL FOR THAT VERY MOMENT....I COULDN'T BELEIVE IT. I ASKED HIM "HOW MUCH DO I OWE YOU" AND HE SAID "NOTHING. SOMEONE GAVE THEM TO ME AND I AM GIVING THEM TO YOU." HE THEN SAID "BUT WAIT. IT GETS BETTER. I SAID "IT CAN'T." HE SAID "OH, BUT IT DOES." I SAID "HOW?" AND HE SAID "IT INCLUDES PARKING IN THE RED LOT. AND THE SEATS ARE IN A LUXURY SUITE." I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT I SAID AFTER THAT, BUT I SUSPECT IT MADE NO SENSE.... SO, HERE I AM SPEECHLESS AND DAMN NEAR IN TEARS. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED HOME AND TOLD JESSICA. SHE TOO WAS BLOWN AWAY...I WANTED TO WAIT UNTIL I GOT HOME TO TELL DILLON OVER DINNER, BUT I COULDN'T AND NEITHER COULD SHE. SHE PUT HIM ON THE PHONE....I THINK IT WAS THE FIRST TIME HE ACTUALLY DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING; HE WAS STUNNED. NEXT THING I KNOW JESSICA'S BACK ON THE PHONE BECAUSE HE WAS RUNNING AROUND THE HOUSE IN PURE EXCITEMENT!

SO, HERE ARE SOME PICTURES OF US AT THE GAME. BUT, BE SURE TO READ ON BECAUSE THERE'S EVEN MORE TO THIS INCREDIBLE STORY. DILLON'S BEST FRIEND MADDIE WAS ALSO AT THE GAME AND SHE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME UP TO THE SUITE BEFORE THE GAME AND VISIT ALONG WITH HER FAMILY. HOW IRONIC THAT SHE HAS ON A ROMO JERSEY AND HE'S GOT T.O. :-)

WHO'S THAT? WELL, THAT WOULD BE DEMI LOVATO IN THE SUITE RIGHT NEXT TO US ALONG WITH ALL THE CAMP-ROCK KIDS. (IN CASE YOU DIDN'T SEE THE GAME, SHE SANG THE NATIONAL ANTHEM BEFORE KICK-OFF.)

DILLON GOT TO PICK OUT A SOUVENIR. HE CHOSE A COWBOYS FOOTBALL. IT'S A YOUTH BALL AND MAN CAN HE THROW IT. HE HAS THE PHYSIQUE AND THE ATTITUDE TO BE A QB. I'M HOPING!

SO, HOW CAN THIS GET ANY BETTER?
HERE'S HOW: COWBOYS BEAT THE SNOT OUT OF THE SEAHAWKS. THEN, DILLON AND I GET IN THE ELEVATOR AND WHO AM I STANDING NEXT TO? MICHAEL IRVIN, THAT'S WHO. WHO'S ON THE OTHER SIDCE OF ME? DEMARCUS WARE'S WIFE....I GET A SANDWICH HUG BETWEEN IRVIN AND WARE...IT WAS AWESOME! THEN, THE USUAL 30-40 MINUTE TRIP OUT OF THE PARKING LOT TOOK ABOUT 3.5 MINUTES. IT WAS AN ABSOLUTELY PERFECT DAY.....DRIVING HOME I WONDERED IF I SHOULD STOP TO BUY A LOTTERY TICKET. I DID NOT. I FIGURED I HAD ALREADY BEEN BLESSED WITH MORE THAN I DESERVE. THANK GOD FOR FRIENDS WITH A GIVING HEART! IT CHANGED MY SON'S LIFE FOREVER! ...........THE NEXT DAY JESSICA MADE THE MOST WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING DINNER EVER! NO ONE ELSE PUTS A HEAD OF GARLIC IN THEIR MASHED POTATOES...WE WERE SO MEANT FOR EACH OTHER! THIS YEAR I HAVE MORE TO BE THANKFUL FOR THAN EVER BEFORE!