*Update to April 28, 2007 Post “Don’t Mess with my Chocolate“*

It seems they’ve gone ahead with the vegetable oil idea :/ I will put my taste buds on the front line and purchase some “chocolatey” hershey’s products and see for myself if the taste is as bad as reported.

For Dad’s birthday, my mom, sister-in-law and I made:

BBQ’d Steaks au Poirve. We made our own brine for the green peppercorns.

Asparagus & Sun-Dried Tomato Salad. We left out the mushrooms. This was my favorite.

Herb Potatoes au Gratin. We used just 1 cup of grated yellow cheddar and 1 cup of grated white cheddar instead of trying to find grated american, what is that anyway?

I meant to get pictures while we were cooking but there was too much chaos with the 3 of us in the kitchen, the 3 dogs trying to watch for us to drop something & Isabel was having a melt-down. Everything came out very very well though.

He was so much older than she was and at 20 she thought he was everything in this world. Thomas was almost twice Phylicia’s age, of course her parents did not approve and like most young adults her parents were talking in vain. Phylicia was with Thomas since she was 17 or at least to her that’s how it was. Thomas was a contractor who came to do some work on her parents house the summer before her 18th birthday. There were guys there around her age, but that’s not what she had wanted. There was something about Thomas that set him apart from any man she had ever came in contact with even her dad.

Thomas stood in the doorway to the bedroom as Phylicia sat on the bed. He was 6′3″ 191 lbs of lean muscle. His skin the smoothest toffee and his hair the deepest brown. She looked over at him, smiled and continued to strap her heels. His dark brown eyes had always reminded her of a deer; innocent but strong, enduring. There was something about his gaze was always able to keep her captivated and at the same time put a fear in her that made her feel like without him her life was nothing. She loved this man with enough emotion she felt like the only thing capable of keeping them from each other was death.

She chose her outfit carefully wanting to stray away from the jeans and t-shirt she would normally wear. She was petite all around standing at 5′4 and still in the featherweight division  but worked well with what God gave her. It was not often that she would go out without him and he did not like for her to be too many places without him.
“Phylicia, what time are you coming home?” He asked intrepidly.
“Around 11:30 or 12.” Phylicia stood up and walked over to where he was standing, cocked her head to the left and smiled. “I know you’ll miss me but try not to miss me too much I know where home is.”

He shook his head and turned around toward the kitchen. It was 8:15 p.m. and she was to meet her friends at Chili’s by 8:30.  She kissed him good-bye and was gone. She returned home at 12:30 a.m. She knew that those little 30 minutes had made a big difference because she did not call. When she walked in the house shoes in hand he was sitting in the chair watching sports center. Phylicia put her things down on the end table by the door and asked him if he wanted some of her food.

“That’s what you say after you come in late and don’t call…”

That’s how the argument started. She stood in the doorway a little bruised and busted lip thinking about how dumb she was. In love with a man who although he gives her everything and anything she could possibly think she wanted he had his dark side. Her breathing heavy and her pulse racing she wanted to leave and wanted to stay. She felt like she had no where else to go if she did leave. She had left her parents house shortly after turning  19 and have not really spoke to them since then. Her friends all have places but it’s rare when she does see them. It’s not that she wanted it to be that way but more like she was slowly manipulated into believing that this man was the only person she needed in her life. Now here she is living with someone who has everything she does planned for her, someone who only allows small amounts of her time to be dedicated to her. Her idea, dreams, hopes and wants all taken down to something so small and insignificant that it seems like she cannot think for herself.  As a woman she has allowed a man to break her down in the worst way.

She showered to try to relieve some of the pain in her body and crawled into bed. He was already laying in the bed and watching sports center. Phylicia lay there wondering how much longer she could continue to live like this or what would happen if they end up bringing a child into this equation and how much different life would be in either scenario. Her body was tired, her mind was tired and she felt defeated again not even a tear would pass her through the cracks of her eyes. Thomas pulled her closer to him and instantly her body tightened up. She did not want him touching her but speaking out about it would only cause further complications. She relaxed herself and instantly fell asleep within his arms. Regardless to what happens she knows that she would always love Thomas.

I woke up at 7am yesterday, got the kids off to school at 8:45am. Then I made an appointment for Vashti and Wolfie at the vets for noon and cleaned the kitchen. I called the delta lost baggage line and they said I should call back in a few hours to see if my bags were on the next flight in from JFK. G asked me for help putting all the loose items in the yard into the shed because there’s a hurricane warning this weekend.

G and I took the dogs to the vet and everyone was in love with Wolfie. He was behaving surprisingly well considering he’s usually hyper. Just taking in the praise and adoration. It took about an hour then we went home and I went back out to get us some lunch. Mmmmm 5 Guys (hot dog & hamburger place) sooo good.

I called the delta lost baggage line back and the guy was a little rude with me. He kept interrupting me everything I said, but there was no new information anyway. Then I went out to get some cleaning supplies and some replacement stuff for myself.

The kids got home at 4pm and I made dinner for 6. Everyone devoured it so I guess it was good, we were supposed to use the left-overs for tonight but there wasn’t any. After dinner I checked the delta lost baggage website and there was still no update so I asked Isabel and Mom to come with me to get something to wear. I should have taken a crash course on the assembly of Mom’s wheelchair. I’ve never done it before and I was struggling with it a bit to put it together though that was easier than taking it apart. At least I had Isabel wait in the car while Mom and I put it together, and both Mom and Isabel were in the car while I took it apart. I didn’t mind the rain. While we were out, G called to tell us that delta had found 1 bag. By the time we got home, both were updated as found! It said they’d be delivered between 8am-8pm Saturday. They actually arrived at 5am and scared the shit out of me but no one else stirred.

I had told the kids that I had a contest for them and the winner would be allowed to stay up a little longer than the other.. I gave them each a section of the low cabinets in the kitchen, and said whomever wiped them down the fastest and the best would be the winner. They were so excited about competing that they finished in like 10 minutes. If I’d known I would have made the sections bigger! LOL I called mom in to judge and she declared a tie. I said such a thing had never happened before in competition cabinet scrubbing and that I guessed they’d both get to stay up a little longer. They were so excited and begged to be allowed to do it again tomorrow. Strange strange kids but I’ll take it !

I went for a shower finally and threw my clothes in the laundry and it was so nice. It started to rain while us girls were out shopping but it started coming down harder. The kids were wrestling in Isabel’s room and finally settled down to watch the Incredibles. G and I sat down to watch The Seeker but it was pretty awful.. I never read the books but it felt like there were huge sections cut from the movie. The transitions just didn’t make much sense. Once I got the kids to bed, I pretty much passed out till the door bell rang with my bags. What a day!

Mom seems to be speaking much better. She did not seem to be feeling well from about lunch on though and she slept pretty much all day minus a few hours. At the end of the night she said her head was on fire. She said she’s felt that way before and that it just went away on it’s own. She woke up briefly this morning and said it still feels that way though. I’m wondering if it’s blood pressure related. She was doing very well in the morning which is when she takes all her medicine so maybe that needs to be stretched out over the day.

I’ve arrived in Virginia. My flight was an hour delayed in JFK but we only landed about 20 minutes late. My bags were lost though, I’m hoping they just arrived before me and were put away some where. I’ll know sometime today. My mom seems a little better but she’s having a hard time finding words sometimes. She went to get an MRI yesterday but when they arrived at the hospital they discovered that it’s power was out. Such strange occurances. There’s a hurricane warning on right now so we’ll be spending the day battening the hatches. Time to get the kids ready for school, if it’s not cancelled for the hurricane warning. Miss everyone already!

I also got a few more hours of sleep last night.. bringing me up to maybe 15 hours since 8am Monday? :/

I’m heading to Virginia Thursday evening. My mom has been really sick and in and out of the hospital. I’ll update more when I get there.