Tim McGraw - 151/365

Another busy day today!

 Nana came over early and picked up Brinkley and Reagan. They were both going to spend the day and night with her and papa, while I us ready to hit the Outer Banks with Jim’s family. I still wanted to clean and finish up the last of the packing, while Jim was at work. 

 Jim got home from work around 4:00 and we set off for Blossom Music Center to see Tim McGraw! There is always a concert the night before we leave to go somewhere, which makes for a sleepy travel day. Ron, Rachel and Laura were going too, so we were going to meet in the parking lot and have a mini tailgate before the show. As we were driving up, the skies were getting pretty dark. We were hoping they would just pass by without much rain. Rachel, Ron and Laura made it over to our car and we were just standing around chatting, when a few rain drops started falling. Then, a complete downpour came! We all jumped in the car and ended up just having an indoor tailgate. LOL! It ended up only raining for about 10 minutes and we were able to get back out. We made our way into Blossom to hear a few songs of Brantley Gilbert, not good….LOL! 

 We were walking from the beer cart down to our seats when people starting screaming! Tim ended up walking right by us! He came on stage from the back and walked down through the crowd! It was crazy! 

The concert itself was fabulous! There was a pit section, then a fence where the seats started. We were the first row by the fence, so we were able to stand and lean right on that. The pit section was barely full, so it almost felt like we were right at the stage. It was wonderful! We happened to be standing right where a camera man was filming for the show. Every once in a while he would pan the pit area and show the people on the big screen. Since we were right there, we actually were up on there, too! It was early in the show and I didn’t have my camera out yet, so I missed getting a picture. It was still cool to see us up there though! He sang for nearly 2hours and did a total of 24 songs! AWESOME! 

The photo of the day is Tim Mcgraw!

   

 I wanted to add a pic of our tailgate crew…. 

 Nana and Papa took Reagan to dinner at Tippy and Putter ended up joining them for dinner...LOL!

 

Wait, Buddy! -150/365

I admit, I got nothing today. 

It was just a typical day filled with pre-adventure chores.

 Jim's mom came over this morning to play with Reagan, while I ran around getting stuff done. I was able to get all the grass and trimming done. I also took the car up to the car wash. I got it all cleaned up and swept out. Then, I got a couple "secret" (anniversary) errands out of the way, too! 

Reagan and grandma had a nice day together and I really appreciate all her help. They played and played. They even went on a little adventure to the store, too! 

When Jim got home from work, we were all up in the bedroom talking to him while he got settled from his day at work. Reagan, Brinkley and I were laying on our bed talking about anything and everything, while he was changing in the bathroom. The three of us were all in a big pile...LOL! Reagan said, "mama, let's talk about dogs", so we talked about dogs. Then, she moved on to something else, when all of a sudden, Brinkley decided he had had enough "togetherness." He didn't go far, just moved to another part of the bed. Reagan immediately stood up, grabbed his neck and said, "WAIT, BUDDY! I need you!" It was the absolute cutest thing! She held on to his neck for like a minute after and he just let her do it. He's amazing. Luckily, I had my cell phone to capture the clutching...LOL! She just loves that dog SO much! It's so sweet!  After that, Jim, Reagan and Brinkley headed out to the park, while I finished my insane amount of chores. I think we're all set though! 

The photo of the day is Reagan and Brinkley hugging on our bed...

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Jillian's Dance & Kellie Pickler - 149/365

It was a rather busy day today! 

Jim went off to work and shortly thereafter, Reagan and Nana came to pick me up! 

Reagan had a really nice sleepover with nana and papa, but it was so good to see her little face come through the door. 

Anyway, the three of us were off to Twinsburg to watch Jillian in her last dance class of the year. The girls were allowed to have their family and friends come to watch. YAY! 

We met Adrienne and Jake right at 11:45. All the little girls were too adorable in their little dance outfits. They did some ballet, tap, and gymnastics. It was adorable and Jillian did great! We were so proud of her! Reagan was loving watching the little girls dancing. She was standing in between my chair and my mom's trying to do the same moves they were doing. LOL! 

At the end of class all the girls were awarded a little medal that said "I'm a Big Deal."They were all so proud and you could just tell they all had a great time together!

After dance class, we decided to go over to Hudson to grab lunch and hit Gymboree. We wanted to check out the new rainforest line! We had lunch at a yummy place called, Tomato Grill. It was Italian style and delicious! The salad was phenomenal! 

 After the relatively quick stop in Hudson, we headed home to get Reagan her nap. She found a new favorite song on the way home. She was jammin' to Darius Rucker, Wagon Wheel. She knows almost the whole chorus! 

This evening, Jim got home from work and we did baby swap, he got home and I headed out. My mom and I were off to see Kellie Pickler tonight at Stambaugh Auditorium. We stopped first at the Phoenix to have some dinner. It was delicious as always.

 Our seats for the concert were in the 3rd row and beer was three dollars! Talk about a great night...LOL! 

Brett Eldredge opened for Kellie. We didn't know much about him, but he was pleasant to listen to. Kellie Pickler came out and was fabulous! She looked so different from the last time we saw her perform. Dancing with the Stars sure agreed with her! She chatted a lot with the audience and was just so sweet and humble! I loved listening to her stories about the songs. She did all her hits and a lot of new stuff, too! At one point, she came down off the stage, walked up both aisles and started shaking hands. She shook both my mom's and my hand! It was AWESOME! 

We got out after the show with no problems and were home by 10:30. Can't beat that! 

Jim was still up watching TV, so we chatted about Reagan and his evening. They played outside with Brinkley, threw the ball, went for a walk, blew bubbles and played in her house on the deck. She made hamburgers and ketchup for daddy. I heard she even mowed the lawn with her little pink mower! That means I don't have to do it tomorrow! LMAO!  I guess they had a pretty fun night, too! I have three photos for today... 

The first is Jillian at her dance class....

The next is Reagan and Jillian before class....

And last but not least, Kellie Pickler! 

 

Gloomy Day - 148/365

It was a rather gloomy day today. It was a lot warmer than the past few days, but there were off and on sprinkles all day. 

 This morning, Reagan, Brinkley and I played outside in the sprinkles. She loves playing with her Mickey umbrella. It was BARELY raining, so it was a nice time to let her play. She walked all around the front yard with her "brella" and we looked at all the flowers. 

 This afternoon, my mom Reagan and I just ran a few errands. We went to Target, Walmart and lunched at Olive Garden! YUM! 

We finished up our errands, then Reagan went for a slumber party at my mom and dad's. They wanted to spend some time with her, since they won't see her next week. They went to Stonebridge for dinner and then played with Nyah on the roller coaster. They had a great time!

 This evening, here, I cleaned and shop vac'd the garage, while Jim and Brinkley went for a walk and cooked up dinner! They also did some laundry, too! It was quite productive here this evening! 

The photo of the day is Reagan and Brinkley playing "brella" 

I wanted to add this one too, just because I liked it! It's just raindrops on our Daylilies.

 

Memorial Day! - 147/365

Happy Memorial Day! 

Thank you to all those who have fought, and continue to fight, to keep our country safe and free. You are all amazing!

I started my day, by uncovering my plants YET AGAIN! I also put all my pots back out to where they will live this summer. Hopefully, last night was the END of the frost! I'm not covering them again, nor, am I dragging all those pots back in the garage. DONE! LOL!

We started our day at the Boardman Memorial Day Parade. We went last year and really enjoyed it, so we decided to try it again this year. It was A LOT chillier this year, than last, but we still had fun! Reagan just loved collecting all the candy and suckers that people tossed out from the parade! She had quite the pile at the end! It was a long parade, too, lasting about 45 minutes. 

After the parade, we stopped home for a little bit to visit with Brinkley, then we went over to Jim's mom and dad's for a little cookout. They cooked up a yummy lunch for us! We had chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, grilled pineapple, and crusty bread. It was all super yummy! After we ate, we sat and watched some of their videos from their recent Italy trip. It was so interesting to see how different Italy is from the USA. They get along, and are so happy, with MUCH less than we are. It's amazing. They were nice enough to bring us some fun souvenirs home, along with some stuff that Guarino, sent for us, too! We got calenders, books, aprons, shirt, a mail holder and a clock. It was quite the haul! Thank you so much, we love all our treasures. 

We had a really nice visit and Reagan of course, enjoyed playing with Timmy. 

This evening, we were playing with some of Reagan's toys when she said, "Dolly has to go to a baf-room!" She got up and took her doll into the bathroom and held her over the potty and then wiped her with toilet paper! It was hilarious! She'll be a good mom some day! 

Overall, it was a really nice, relaxing day! Perfect way to spend the holiday. 

 I have three photos for today, too... 

The first is Reagan at the parade... 

The next is Reagan with grandma and papa....

The last is Reagan taking Dolly to the potty...

 

Picnic & Pots - 146/365

This morning, I had to go out yet again and uncover the plants. I got everything situated and decided to finally get the patio furniture out of the garage. Jim took Reagan and Brinkley for a walk, while I wiped it all down. We got it all set back up and it looks great! I checked the Weather Channel app on my phone to see what the low temperature was going to be tonight and it said 41. I figured at that temp, it would be safe to put some of my stuff back outside, so I carried some stuff back out. 

This afternoon, we headed down to grandma and grandpa Downard's for a picnic. It was so nice to see everyone! We had yummy hot dogs and hamburgers, potato salad, pasta salad, fruit salad...all your traditional Memorial Day fare. After we ate, we went outside to enjoy the scenery and fresh air. Mike and Belinda brought their dog, Mabel down for a visit. She's an English Bulldog and around a year old. Reagan had the best time playing with her. She was a little apprehensive at first, but came around quick! She loves playing with granddad's dog, Zeke, too! 

We had a nice visit with everyone and headed home. On the way home, we checked the Weather Channel app again, to find that there WAS, in fact, another freeze advisory for tonight. I could have cried! We have never had this much frost late in May that I can remember. I haven't had to play "hide the pots" this much ever! We had also put Reagan's house and grill back on the porch, so Jim and Reagan played with that stuff, while I walked around the yard and covered everything up YET AGAIN!!!! UGH! Hopefully, this is the last of it!

 The photo of the day is Reagan and Mabel....

And... my covered begonia's for the THIRD night in a row...

 

Thomas the Train & 50 is Nifty! - 145/365

It was a busy day today! It started with uncovering all my plants. They all seemed to fair well, even the hydrangeas which really hate the frost. I was so happy!

 Next, we headed up to "Day out with Thomas the Train" at the Boston Mills station. We met, Adrienne, Jake, Jillian and Evan. Adrienne & Jake's, two friends, Hugh and Alicia also came along with their son, Desmond. 

It was a bit chilly, but not uncomfortable. We got there around 9:30 and had plenty of time to check everything out before our ride. They had 6 or so tents set up with different things in each one. One was an enormous souvenir tent and another was a snack tent. The others had different kid friendly things going on in them. There was story time, a magician and a band, coloring and legos, and the last one had a giant working train set in it. It was really cute and the kids loved it! They even had a couple large bounce arounds, too! 

We headed over to see Thomas up close, before our ride, since no one was over there. Reagan ended up being first in line to get her picture taken. He wasn't there when we got in line, but she was just SO EXCITED to have a front row seat to watch him come down the track! She was waving, saying, "Hi Thomas! Here come Thomas!" 

After we took her picture, we boarded the train and met the rest of our crew. There wasn't much going on, on the train, but the kids had fun. They each got a little certificate for being a Junior Engineer. 

We got off the train and went back over to the tents. Reagan wanted a tattoo, so she got one of those. Jillian and Evan both got cute Thomas balloons. Poor Jillian's wasn't tied tight enough to the string and floated away. The guy was nice enough to give her another one, which was nice. 

All in all, it was a really nice morning. 

We came home, took some naps and got ready to head over to Raymond and Jennifer's to celebrate Raymond's birthday! This year he turns the BIG 5-0!!

 It was just a small party with Jenny's mom and dad, my mom and dad, Jim, Reagan and I, and even Ed and Pam came home for the party! It was really nice! 

Jennifer had the tables decorated so cute. Raymond loves video games, so she used 80's style video game table cloths. She also made yummy baked Ziti with salad and crusty bread! It was delicious! She had lots of yummy desserts, too! One of Raymond's favorite desserts in pistachio cake, so she had one of those, along with, coconut cream pie, chocolate pie and a huge fruit salad! We were all so stuffed by the end of the night! Reagan had a great time playing with Dexter as always and even put on a little concert for everyone with a blow up microphone Ray and Jen had. It was too cute! Her main song was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! 

It was a really fun night and Raymond got lots of fun presents! 

 Happy Birthday, Raymond! Can't wait to continue the celebration on the big boat!! Woo hoo! 

 I have three photos for today... The first is Reagan and Thomas....

The next is Evan, Reagan and Jillian on the train...

                                      The third is Jim, Reagan and I with the birthday boy...

 

Freaking Frost - 144/365

I actually would have liked to use another "F" word in the title, but since Reagan will read this some day, I figured I would censor...LMAO! 

 It was FREEZING today! It was only in the 40's most of the day. We had to get our jeans and fleece back out! It was nuts! We ran a few errands this morning. Then, by the afternoon, I had to go into project save the plants! Yes, it's nearly June and we are under a freeze warning! I JUST planted everything two days ago and it was in the 80's! This is crazy! 

 I went around the yard and collected all the pots and moved them into the garage. This was not an easy task, there are nearly 25 pots/hanging baskets! Ay, yi, yi. I was carrying a pretty big one, that weighed a ton, and I freaking dropped it! Dirt went flying and some of the plants jumped out of the pot. It was a mess! My elbow has a minor bruise from trying to catch it and my jeans had some dirt stains. Right about then, is when I used the other "F" word! UGH! 

 After dinner tonight, I went and grabbed up all the old towels and sheets and set out to cover my three begonia borders, hydrangeas, butterfly bush and phlox. It looks awesome out there! Between the sheets all over the yard and the paint cans, shoes, garden tools, and various other items to hold the sheets/towels down! It looks like the Clampets live here....LOL! Oh, and the best part will be collecting all the wet sheets and accessories in the morning. LOVELY! 

I hope everything survives...fingers crossed! 

The photo of the day is the pot I dropped....

 Can you find the all the pots...

The rest, safe inside....

 

Stormy Day - 143/365

Today was a little bit cooler, only low 70's. 

Nothing was really going on today. Jim was at work, Nana had Reagan and I was going to spend the day catching up on my editing. I still had to finish the first birthday pictures and Alexandra's dance pictures. 

This morning, I took Brinkley to his hair appointment and went to upgrade my phone, only to find out, I can't until July 1st. For some reason, Jim, who upgraded after me, was eligible first...weird! Guess I'll have to wait. 

I got done with the errands and edited the rest of the day. Only breaking to rotate some laundry. I got it all done though! YAY! 

Today, we did get our first major thunderstorms of the Spring/Summer. They started about 2:30. The first one to come through did get a little nasty, but only lasted 5-10 minutes. It actually hailed just a little bit, too. I would say they were at least pea sized. The wind was crazy, too! It actually knocked over my freshly planted Hibiscus tree. :(   The storm came through, then the sun came out. This pattern repeated the rest of the day. It was actually quite peaceful while I edited!

 Reagan got home around 7:30 and brought me two felt butterfly place mats! What a sweetheart! 

 The photo of the day is the crazy rain, on my pots that are waiting to get transferred to the deck.

  

Planting Posies - 142/365

Today was finally planting day! 

 It was gorgeous and not overwhelmingly hot, thank goodness! 

Jim's mom and my mom both came over around nine, to lend a hand! Jim's mom was going to hang out with Reagan and my mom was going to help me plant. Thank goodness for both of them, because, they day couldn't have gone any smoother. 

 I have flowers pretty much everywhere. I do two begonia borders in the mulch beds in the front and one border in the back. I do a ton of pots with mixed flowers and sprinkle them about the porch, deck and yard. It's a bitch to water come mid-July, but it's so worth it to see all the beautiful color around the yard. I do a lot of reds and deep pinks. I just love how the red really "pops" from the street. 

We got the begonia borders in relatively quick, then, it was on to the pots. Grandma, Reagan and Brinkley came out to visit while we were finishing the pots. Reagan loved lending a hand. She pulled out her little garden cart, put on her little garden gloves, grabbed her little digger, little rake and went to work. She was having a good time! Brinkley just supervised! 

My mom and I, had everything mostly done by 12:30. I realized, I surprisingly, needed a couple more pots and a couple more plants. I was also ready to upgrade my two pots on the front porch, too, so we hit Petitti's. We also made a pit stop at Bob Evan's and enjoyed the chicken salad plate with fruit...YUM! 

We got back to the house and got right back to work. By this time, Reagan was napping, so Jim's mom headed home to do her own yard work. My mom and I got the rest of the pots done, but it was starting to look like some storms were trying to rev up. I wanted to try to get the grass done before any rain came. I hopped on the rider, while my mom, offered to listen to the monitor and get the last begonia border in. SWEET! 

I buzzed around the yard pretty quickly for a change, NO CLUMPS! Yee haw! After the grass, I finally sent my mom on her way, after she put in a 9-5 work day...LOL! 

By this time, I was a FILTHY, SWEATY mess, so I decided to just keep going and try to build Reagan's, Step 2, double slide, climber thing. Nana and Papa had got it for her awhile back, but we hadn't put it together. Jim took Reagan and Brinkley for a walk, while I braved the construction! I love to build stuff like that. Jim offered to help, but he doesn't have the patience and we just end up sniping at each other...LOL! I figured, I would just try it alone and if I needed help, he would be more than happy to help, but I got it together all by myself! It really wasn't that bad! It only took about 45 minutes! Woohoo! 

They got done with their walk and were nice enough to the store to get me iced tea! I was craving iced tea after being outside all day. When they came home, Jim brought me my tea and we just sat and watched Reagan play on the climber. It was a nice way to end the day! 

Thanks, Nana and Grandma for all your help today! I really appreciate it!

 You guys are the best! ♥ 

The photo of the day is the planting station....

The extra pic is Reagan on her new double slide climber....

 

How many DIRTS - 141/365

Today was dirt day!

 Nana, Reagan, Brinkley and I hit the trial early this morning, before it got too hot. Then, we hit O'Charley's for some lunch. After, we headed across the street to Lowes to gather the dirt.  I had collected all the posies I'm going to plant this year, the other day, but hadn't got any dirt to plant them in. My mom had gotten her's the other day, so we were able to fill up her car with just mine. We were able to pile 14 in her car. You couldn't even see out the back window! LOL! I probably will only use 12, but we'll see! My mom said she actually needed a couple more, so if I don't use all this, she'll take what's left. 

This evening, Jim and my dad had a work seminar to go to, so Nana, Reagan and I went to dinner. We love the little Nicolini's right by my house. It's never crowded and so close! Reagan was like the little sampler tonight, she wanted everything! LOL! It was so nice to have her trying new things, she's usually so picky! She tried, cavatelli & chicken francese! Her main dinner was buttered noodles. She loved it all! 

When we got home tonight, Reagan, Brinkley and I played outside for a few minutes before bath. She even enjoyed a popsicle for dessert.

The photo of the day are my kids sitting on the pile of dirt....

Amherst Visit - 140/365

It was a scorcher today! Hot, hot, hot! 

My mom, Reagan and I took a ride up to Matt & Nikki's. I brought all my photography stuff so I could take pictures of Ally in her darling little dance outfit for Nikki. 

We were making good time, when all of a sudden, Reagan said, "I have water in mine chair." This was disturbing since she didn't have a sippy or anything. We made a pit stop to investigate, and sure enough, her pull-up leaked ever so slightly. We scrubbed the little part of her shorts with soap and water, changed the pull-up and continued on. They dried pretty quick with it being so hot and muggy today. 

We arrived, had a nice visit with everyone, then got to work on the pictures. Ally had gotten something in her eye right before we started. The poor thing's eye was watering and red. Nikki got her all fixed up, but she was still bumming from her eye problem. She wasn't into smiling for me, so Reagan and Nikki started wearing silly hats the kids have, then she got into it. By the end, she was doing great and we got some great shots! She is such a doll baby. 

I got all my gear all packed up and we headed to lunch at Stumpy's in Amherst. It was an excellent little place! Yummy sandwiches and beer! LOL! We had a real nice time. 

We got home and Reagan was in a mood since she didn't get a nap. I thought she may nap on the way home, but no such luck. Her, Brinkley and I went outside then she seemed happy. She just liked laying in the grass with Brinkley! I think being it was the first super hot day, everyone is having a hard time adjusting. As we were just sitting in the yard, Rachel pulled in and yelled, "want to go to Austintown Bounce?" I said, "Sure" and we hopped in the car. The kids did more running around the big room and pushing buttons on a clown game, then they did bouncing, but whatever makes them happy...LOL! Reagan kept trying to hug poor Parker and knocked him down. I felt bad. She just loves her little boyfriend and wants to share the love...LOL!

 Jim spent the evening with his mom. They have been waiting for the new Star Trek movie to come out, so they finally got the chance to go today. They loved the movie! They followed up with dinner at the Blue Wolfe. I thing everyone had a great day! 

The photo of the day is Ally and Reagan at lunch....

I had to add this one just for the memory book, of Reagan and Brinkley laying in the grass. Too sweet! 

 

Heather's Wedding - 139/365

Today was a busy day! 

We started at the trail, then followed with chores. I did some photo editing this afternoon, for the first birthday session yesterday, while Jim took Reagan to the playground. 

This evening, we attended a wedding reception! Good friends of our family, Ron and Janie, their daughter Heather, who is also a good family friend, got married! 

Heather and Paul actually got married in Florida on the beach, a couple weeks ago in a private ceremony. Today was the reception for family and friends! Jim's mom came over and watched Reagan, so we could enjoy a night out. My mom and dad picked us up and we headed to the reception. They held it at The Lake Club which is such a beautiful setting! They had cocktails and appetizers on the back patio. It was such a gorgeous night to be outside and enjoy the beautiful view. Next, we headed inside for dinner and dancing. The room was decorated beautifully. Her colors were white and peacock blue. The rest of the decorations had a beach feel. They used sand and shells everywhere. Heather found enough seashells for everyone and used them as place cards to find your table. She wrote everyone's name and table number right on the shell. It was so cute! For dessert, since they already had wedding cake in Florida, they did fruit and ice cream flambe! It was so yummy! Instead of the traditional Youngstown "cookie table" the did chocolates. They had chocolate covered oreos, strawberries, pretzles, carmels, graham crackers, raisens...pretty much all your traditional chocolates. Everyone got a little box at their seat they could fill up with chocolate and take home. It was such a nice night and we had a great time!

Congratulations, Heather & Paul! ♥

The photo of the day is us and the bride and groom...

 

Calm Day - 138/365

Today, was not nearly as exciting as yesterday, thank goodness! 

My mind still spends most of it's time thinking about Jack. I continue to pray he's OK.

This afternoon, I got to photograph a little boy for his first birthday pictures! I took some Valentine's pictures of him, that came out adorable, so I was excited to see him again. The shoot went relatively well. Mobile, one-year-old's, aren't about pictures, but we got some good ones! 

Raymond and Jennifer stopped over and brought Reagan a little miner's hat with a light on top. It's hot pink and totally adorable! She loves it! They also gave her a tiny cow necklace, which she was also crazy about! She still loves all things farm. She didn't want to take it off for her bath! 

 After we visited with them for awhile, Jim had to head off to the Boardman Rotary District Conference in Alliance. They ended up winning three of six awards, including the Rotary District Award, for the Boardman Rotary Oktoberfest! What a wonderful accomplishment for a wonderful club. Jim is so proud to be apart of it!

While he was at the conference, Nana, Papa, Reagan and I, went down to visit grandma and grandma Downard. Aunt Barb was there for a visit, too! We hadn't gotten to see grandma Downard for Mother's Day, since we were on our way home from the beach. I had made a photobook, with pictures of Reagan for her, so we got to give her the book. She loved it! Reagan hopped up in her lap and helped her leaf through it. It was cute! Aunt Barb, got Reagan some sidewalk chalk, so her and aunt Barb went out on the sidewalk and made some drawings while the rest of us chit chatted. 

We also go to see, up close for the first time since the nice weather came, one of the trees from Ruthie's memorial service. When my grandma Zabel passed away, we didn't have traditional calling hours or anything. We held a memorial dinner with family and close friends a couple weeks later. We passed out pine tree seedlings for everyone to plant in memory of Ruthie. My grandpa Downard had two and planted them in his backyard. They are doing so good and are really growing like crazy! We had Reagan go over and stand next to one! It was as tall as her now! It's amazing! 

When we left there, we stopped for dinner at the Shale! What a fabulous restaurant!

The photo of the day is Reagan and Grandma Downard enjoying her new photobook....

Had to add Reagan and the Ruthie tree....

Think you had a bad day, how about this guy? - 137/365

My mom, Reagan and I set out early to get our walk in. After that, we were going to hit a couple greenhouses in Columbiana to get the rest of our flowers. 

We both decided to drive, so we could load up both cars with posies. Reagan wanted to ride with her Nana, so I followed in my car, jamming to the new Lady Antebellum. 

 It was a picture perfect day for a drive, 80 and sunny! It's always nice driving through Columbiana and enjoy the scenery. Even the tractors crossing the road, with NO drivers, is something to see! Wait, what!? Oh yea, THAT happened! 

My mom was leading, because I wasn't quite sure how to get there. We were driving down Lisbon Road, when a tractor crossed the road in front of my mom. It wasn't in any danger of hitting her, but it was close enough that she slowed down. The tractor came to a stop, not quite clearing the road, when we realized it hit a telephone pole. It was even kind of uneven in a ditch. As we slowly passed, we finally realized there was NO DRIVER! We stopped both cars and kind of glanced under the tractor and nothing. 

My mom, finally looked over in the field and WAY, like literally, two football fields off in the distance, you could see a blue lump laying there! My mom screamed, "call 911!" I fumbled for my phone, dialed 911, and took off for the field. I had NO IDEA what I would find. Would he be OK, dead, without limbs? I just ran! I got up to him and his eyes were kind of open, but he wasn't moving. I was on the phone with 911 and the dispatcher was like, "where are you?" Then it hit me, I have NO FREAKING IDEA WHERE I AM! I'm holding the phone, screaming at the top of my lungs to my mom, who is with Reagan at the cars, "What road is this!?" Her being all frazzled as well, couldn't quite think of it either. Finally, another couple stopped, got out and yelled, "Lisbon road!" While the dispatcher was doing their thing, I kept trying to talk to the man. I was saying, "Sir, are you OK!?" FINALLY, he started moving and moaning. He had some pretty bad gashes all over him, and his jeans and shirt looked like they went through a shredder. The inside of his mouth looked like it was bleeding, and, he was COVERED in dust, just a total mess! I felt HORRIBLE! 

 I just kept saying, "Sir, are you OK? Can you tell me where we are? You need to help me, help them find you!?" He finally replied, "I don't know where I am?" Ay, yi, yi! 

I go back to talking to the dispatcher, trying to help them find us somewhere on Lisbon Road. After what felt like 5 minutes, which it was really less than a minute, I yelled, "What's that house number!?" I couldn't hear my mom, nor the other couple, so I begged that man, "SIR, PLEASE, where are we? I don't know where I am. We need to get you help!" He FINALLY mumbled, "corner of Lisbon and Garfield." I thought, THANK FREAKING GOD! 

Not two minutes later, I heard the wonderful sound of sirens. I just kept trying to talk to him while we waited. The poor thing was just continuously moaning. I just kept trying to reassure him, "Sir, you look OK. You have some bad cuts, but you are going to be OK. I hear the sirens now. They are coming! You are going to be OK!" 

 I think once he started coming out of his utter shock, heard the sirens and just hearing that he was going to be OK, he finally started talking a little bit. I asked him, "Oh my goodness, what happened to you?" He finally said, "the seat broke off the tractor. I fell and the damn thing ran me over." I just said again, "You are going to be OK!" He mumbled in between moans, "I can't believe I'm not dead." My heart just broke! 

I did notice, now that I'm just standing there waiting for the sirens to get closer, that there was in fact, a huge seat laying in the field. Which ironically, he actually asked, "Can you get that seat so I can lay my head on it?" I said, "SURE!" I go to get the seat and the freaking thing LITERALLY weighed 50 pounds or more. So now, I'm trying to drag this seat, while still holding my cell phone, over to the man to put his head on it. While he is still just laying there, moaning and moving around. I asked, "Do you live here, is there a house I can let someone know what happened?" He said, "I work here, not live." 

All of a sudden, a huge white pickup truck came barreling into the field. A guy jumps out and said, "Jack, what happened!?" The poor guy barely knew where he was five minutes ago. He was still moaning, so I chimed in and said, "He said the seat fell off....." I literally got that much out, when the pickup truck guy, threw both his hands up and yelled, "STOP! I'm talking to HIM!" I simply said, "You're welcome" and started my journey back to the car. I wasn't back up to the road and the ambulance and firetrucks were heading into the field. 

I'm guessing that was the boss man. He was probably crapping his pants thinking "lawsuit." The pickup truck guy, had to have a scanner or something, the way he FLEW into that field before the EMTs even got there. It just seemed too weird.

 I feel bad, looking back now, that I let the pickup truck guy get to me. I just walked away after he yelled. I wish I would have said something else to Jack before I left. Oh well. 

Anyway, my mom and I stayed for a few minutes to see if they needed anything and no one came up to us. I was telling my mom about my "field trip" and we were checking out the tractor. Looking at the machine that ran him over, it is a MIRACLE that he IS alive, and wasn't hurt worse than he was. It was an unbelievable experience! I haven't stopped thinking about him this whole day. 

 I was still kind of in shock myself, that I never even thought of the news. Later in the afternoon, I checked my WKBN app to see if they had the story. Sure enough, it was on there. I called the newsroom and asked them if they wanted my pictures, since there weren't any in the story on the app. I got to talk to an old friend, Jason, who said, "sure." They ended up using the few pictures I took on the news at 5 & 6. 

 Jim and I are both used to being around the news, and preparing the news, being we both worked at WKBN. I just never thought, I would be INVOLVED in an actual news story! It was really something and not anything I want to experience again! 

Poor Jack is lucky we saw the tractor hit the pole. It was off the road far enough and close enough to a house, that people passing by, may have thought it belonged to that house. They may have just kept going. Jack, himself, was so far in the field that you could BARELY make out "the lump," let alone, see it was a person. It was horrible. He could have been there all day and no one would have known. There was only one other car that actually stopped, during the whole fiasco, besides the mean pickup truck guy. Those two people walked down into the field long enough to hear me get yelled at, then turned around. I can't believe no one else stopped! 

The news reports said that he was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital and was in serious condition. I would give anything to know how he's doing, where he lives, and what his full name is. I would love to send him a little flower or something. I just feel so bad! 

 My mom and I just tried to continue on our day to the greenhouse. We went to one and then decided it was time for lunch and an icy cold beer to calm the nerves.  

I just pray that he's OK and makes a full, speedy recovery. 

I will be thinking about him everyday for quite awhile, I'm sure. 

 The photo of the day is the emergency vehicles aiding Jack... 

(this one is zoomed)

The next one, is the tractor up against the telephone pole. The seat would have been between those two raised green pieces in the middle. I'm guessing, he and the seat fell straight back and went under that cultipacker thing. HORRIFIC!

Here is a close-up of the cultipacker. I can't believe that poor man ended up UNDERNEATH that!

Here is how far from the road he was....it was a LONG WAY.

I'm so grateful that he's OK, and it seems as though, he will make a full recovery. It was just horrible! 

On a happier note, I got all my posies! I'm ready to get things all set up and ready for summer. 

Jim, Reagan and I took a trip out to the experimental farm this evening. We discovered a cute little event called, Yappy Hour. It's a bonfire for dogs and their owners. They have beer, hotdogs, NOTdogs, smores and music. It was just getting started as we were leaving, but looked so cute! Now we want to go! Ray, Jenny, Rachel and Ron said they would want to go to! We'll have to look for the next one! 

What a day.....sigh

 

Dexter Visit - 136/365

Dexter visited today! 

He had a beauty appointment at Precious Paws this morning. My mom always picks him up for Raymond and delivers him back home. We went on a really early walk, so my mom, Reagan, Brinkley and I, all picked him up from his appointment, when we were done. Reagan was going spend the day at my mom's today, so I could work on a project. On the way to drop Dexter off, she dropped Brinkley and I off at our house. Reagan absolutely LOVES Dexter, so we decided to let them all run around the back yard for a bit. Reagan loved "walking" him around the yard. He loved chasing her, too! Brinkley kind of just took it all in. We played for about an hour or so, they were pooped! They had the best time! 

Other than that, I got some chores and my project done. Jim had a late rotary board meeting, so he didn't get home till around 7:00. 

My mom and dad took Reagan to eat at Tippy tonight, before bringing her home. She loves to go out on the driving range and play with the golf balls. Apparently, she swiped some golf tees as a "present" for daddy. She showed up with three and said "I got you a present, dada!" It was so cute! The photo of the day is Reagan and Dexter on their "walk".