Meanwhile in Missouri...

I just got off the phone with Reese. He's a neat kid.
That boy is having an absolute blast at camp in Arkansas. Some people thought it odd that Reese would even want to go to camp since Bridgette backed out, plus he doesn't know the other kids very well.
But I wasn't surprised at all. Reese loves meeting new people and this was just another exciting adventure to him.
Hmmmm...he's not so different from me.

Last night we had a fish fry. Donnie, me, Bridgette, Nick, Max, Greg, and Peterson were all in attendance. It was nice to be home at a decent hour and get back to some sort of normalcy.

Seventeen years ago, I myself was just seventeen. Brad and I lived at the East
Plains, which happens to be one of the places I felt the most at home. It is peaceful and quaint, and full of family history. If only those walls could talk...
At that time, I was working at Producers Coop Elevator in Floydada. Although I was obviously pregnant, everyone in the family, including me, seemed to be in total denial of the impending birth. All of us except for Ma.
She busied herself with making me maternity dresses to wear to work, which without I would've had absolutely nothing to wear. She also forced me to drink milk everyday for lunch. And when she was out of milk, she mixed up some powdered milk and tried to force that down me. Back then, this drove me completely crazy, but now I've come to appreciate immensely all that she's done.
Moving on...
June 29, 1992....
I left work mid-morning because what I thought were contractions had worsened considerably. When I arrived home, Brad was in the yard doing yard work. He had just been stung my a wasp and was convinced that his pain was much more severe than mine.
Nonetheless, he drove me to the hospital. I ate a bag full of plums on the way.
Alexis Sage Fulton was born that afternoon around 2:45pm. She arrived in this world the same way she's always seemed to move through her life...absolutely effortlessly.
I wasn't sure about her name, but Brad was adamant that she be called Sage. I'm so glad he was.
When Sage was born and they placed her in the bassinet next to me, she turned her little head toward me and started cooing and making all kinds of baby noises. She's been a gifted speaker since day one.
To borrow a popular phrase...I was in shock and awe of the child. And to this day, I still am.
Happy 17th Birthday, Baby Girl!
I love you.

We have been slammed here at the hotel. Last night, Bridgette and Reese were helping me do a last minute cleaning of a room. I told them I was going to change our last name to Patel.
No one gets my humor.
When we were done, Bridgette went to Cheyenne's house and spent the night with her. Reese was up early this morning, and he went to work with me.
That boy worked his butt off. He watered all the landscaping and then helped the construction crew. I was stressed out and about half pissy, and I felt bad that I was like that when Reese was here. Thankfully, he still loves me in spite of my faults.
This evening, the kids went to the Sullivan Fair and then Don plans to take Max and Reese 'jugging' at the lake for the remainder of weekend.
Guess what I'll be doing...

My babies are coming! My babies are coming! My babies are coming!
I wish Sage and Reagan were coming, too.

Tonight, I'm spending my first night at the hotel. After working another long day, I was too tired to drive home. Needless to say...it's kind of a wierd feeling. The brand new beds have never been slept on.

Well, I survived day one.
Every available room we had was full, which was quite a pleasant surprise. Especially on a soft opening and on a Monday. The only drama of the day was when I returned from the bank...a couple of maintenance guys met me in my office and the first words out of their mouth were, "Now don't freak out...but..."
Not a good sign.
It wasn't a big deal though. They had accidentally broken the glass in a door and already had the glass company there to replace it. I told my guys that it takes more than that to freak me out....a trait I inherited from my father...
There has to be blood involved before I get too worked up...in which case I then get totally spastic...a trait I inherited from someone else.

My family sent me these beautiful flowers today, and I appreciate them so much. I'm really cheese'n it up with that smile!Thanks, Mom and Dad. I love you.

Today is the day!
Days Inn & Suites of St. James, Missouri, is officially open.

I spoke to my dad this morning...he is so sweet. He's the best.
Donnie and Max are catching a bunch of fish, so I know Don's enjoying his Father's Day.
I hope Jon has a good day with the kids, too.
Happy Father's Day!

Say the word "mirror" out loud and in a sentence.
I never knew this about myself until people here brought it to my attention, but I pronounce it "mirr-uh".
How do you say it?

Ricky Richardson, a Marine from Sullivan, was killed in Afghanistan last week. I never met him, but his younger sister is a friend of Nick's, and she is often at our house. There were flags all over town, as the funeral was this morning. People were even lined up on the overpasses holding flags. I took this picture from my car while driving. It was so much more impressive in person.
So very sad.

I'm missing my babies more than usual today.
I need a fix...and soon.

After figuring out that no one around here knows what Juneteenth is...(they weren't getting my watermelon jokes)...I called my mom to make sure I wasn't crazy. She explained its history to me and told me to Google it to get all the details...and then she suggested I educate these northerners.
So...in the midst of the madness I have done my civic duty by educating anyone who walks through the door about the history and significance of Juneteenth.
They'll appreciate it one day.

Well, it's Juneteenth and I have a watermelon arriving on a truck here shortly. Old habits die hard.
I will be at the hotel today and tomorrow learning the new software system. Sunday night I'll be spending the night in the "Schaefer Suite" so I can learn how to do the night audit. I anticipate this being a long weekend. I am encouraging Donnie to go fishing this weekend for two reasons. First of all, it's Father's Day weekend and he needs to spend time with the boys, and secondly, I'm not sure he can handle the stress of the pre-opening drama that'll be taking place at the hotel. And I know I can't handle the stress of all that and Donnie.
I talked to the girls last night, and I'm looking forward to Reese and Reagan's return from camp today so I can hear all about that.
Enjoy your Juneteenth!
Here's a couple of pictures...
Here's Donnie and the Woessner's taking a break last night with our software trainer, John.Needless to say, they weren't here at 5am this morning to unload the truckload of Thomasville furniture that arrived.

With the opening of the hotel only days away...it has been CRAZY around here. Frustration levels are high and people are scurrying around like ants. After being on my feet all day, I took off my high heel shoes this afternoon and ran around barefoot. Employees were shocked...why I don't know. It's just feet. Anyway...
Don's been able to spend some time on the project for the past several days, which has made a significant difference. He knows how to get things done.
On the home front...
All the kids are situated either at camp or at Watson Farms, so I'm sure everyone is having a big time.
I talked to Ma this afternoon and she sounded good.
That's all for now...I gotta get back to work.

I return from a trip to the post office and Matt tells me I just missed my boyfriend. We then proceed to have a smack talking conversation about this salesman, the Elvis impersonator, that hits on me all the time. And guess what? Unbeknown to me, this man is sitting outside my office waiting for me the entire time...with a box of my cereal in tow. I'm sure he heard the whole thing. I was so embarrassed.

It's been raining all morning and the forecast shows rain throughout today and into tomorrow.

I spoke to all of my babies except for one...Reagan. I just missed her. She left for basketball camp today and Reese leaves for church camp tomorrow. Bridgette is sick and she sounds awful. Sage and Aaron are at home scrap booking.
Now that all my babies are accounted for and doing well...I shall sleep good tonight.

Acting like a city girl... that's where!
We went to the farm Friday night to do some work and fertilize our crop circles (food plots).
Saturday morning Don drove the tractor from the headquarters to the 440, another farm down the way. Donned in shorts and flip flops, I opted to go the opposite direction to buy groceries and pick up some breakfast. We agreed to meet back at the house later on.
When I got back, I decided to go check on Don...not having a clue where he was. Keep in mind this is not flat ground. It consists of hills and hollers and woods with some farmland in between.
So I was riding around jamming to the radio when low and behold I got the 4 wheel drive pick-up stuck in the bottom ground. The front wheel fell off into a muddy ditch that I didn't know existed. Now what? No cell phone service...no one knows my whereabouts...no neighbors in site...I'm smack dab in the middle of 440 mosquito and critter infested acres...wearing flip flops.
And the sky is looking ominous...it could storm any minute.

Bridgette and Reese at the airport.Skeeter already misses those kids.

It rained again last night...hailed a little, too. My tomato and cotton plants looked a little rough this morning. There's rain in the forecast throughout the weekend, as well.
Reese and Bridgette are flying out this morning to spend a couple of weeks in Texas. I'm excited for them, but I'm also sad they're leaving. The kids are the heartbeat of this house and family, and I'm kind of lost without any children. I'll be working, so Don and I won't be able to go anywhere, either...bummer.
I 'll do my best not to cry at the airport this morning, I think there have been enough waterworks for now...but I'm not making any promises.

Here's an excerpt from an email Reagan sent to me, as well as to a couple of her friends:

i have 2 tell u somthing hilarious!!!ok i love dr pepper ok!!my parents never buy any!!but this week they got me a 6 pack of glass bottels instead of cans!!!well it turned out the lids dont twist off!!! we didnt have a bottle opener!! but my grandma did!!! she lives half a mile down the road!!i didnt have any pateince!!!so i ran down there!! it was barley sprinkling when i took off!!the farther and faster i went the more it rained!!!i was almost there when zachs dad stoped and asked if i needed a ride i said no!!!i kept going!!when i got there i was soaked!!!my grandfather was sitting on the back porch!!he started laughing!!! we went in the house and i got dried off!!after i got dried off my grandma took me back home with a bottle opener!!my gfather didnt know what i came 4 we told him he burst out laughing!!i got home and had a dp!!!IT WAS SOOOO WORTH IT!!!!!

Gotta love it.
She is definitely my child with the exception of the actual running part.

Our do-it-yourself saliva drug testing kit for employees. I passed!!! Hope everyone else does. Matt was outside smoking something funny....but it turned out to be just a cigar.

Two of the most talented guys I know. My husband, Don, and the landscaper, David.
My front bed looks much better, but the best is yet to come... David is also going to replace our existing mailbox with the mailbox stand my dad(who is the most talented man I know, as my mother kindly reminded me) made me several years ago.

Looks like I joined the ranks with Rotha and Ma.

I stayed home from work today...still sick. Nick picked me up some Advil Cold & Sinus, and Don, Reese, and Bridgette made some homemade chicken soup.
I'm feeling much better.
I received an email from my friend, Mitzi. It was nice to catch up with her.

The kids and I made it to church this morning, although I really wanted to stay home and nurse my cold.
As soon as we made it home...I made my way to the couch and haven't moved since. The kids were sweet. Reese rubbed my feet down with Vicks and Bridgette found me something to watch on TV.
Donnie took the kids fishing this afternoon so I could get some rest, but I can't sleep. I can't breathe through my nose.
Summer colds really suck.

Reese is having withdrawals from his piano keyboard. He's asked me a couple of times if I would go buy one. I keep telling him that I'm holding out for a baby grand.
He doesn't get it...he just wants to make some music...NOW.
I totally understand.
He is definitely my child.

Bridgette manhandled Skeeter into opening his mouth to show off his crooked teeth.
Braces aren't an option. Haha.
It's probably just his permanent teeth coming in anyway. He's just a pup and should be losing his baby teeth soon. Whatever the case, it fascinated Bridgette and I both.

It's Saturday morning and I should be sleeping late or at least doing something productive since I'm up, but no such luck.
I feel pretty cruddy. Seems as though I have a cold or a sinus infection. That explains why I've been so tired and cranky the last few days.
Donnie wanted me to bring Reese to the farm this weekend to help out, but I don't feel like making the drive, so looks like Reese is stuck here with me and Bridgette.
The kids have been good to help out around the house, and they are so much fun to be around. We spend a lot of time laughing.
We'll have to find something fun to do today.
Also, today is Aunt Cindy's birthday.
Happy Birthday, Aunt Cindy!!!

Several food vendors are vying for the hotel's account. I plan to purchase many of my personal groceries through the hotel's food vendors, as well.
Since my favorite cereal is so difficult to find...Wal-mart doesn't even carry it...I'm on a mission to find Grape-Nuts Flakes in bulk. Between me and the kids, we eat a ton of it.
So...I told each of the salesman that whoever could give me the best deal on my cereal...the Flakes, not just Grape-Nuts...then I would use that salesman as my main vendor.
Wow...this has turned into a circus.
Come to find out, one of these salesman is also one of the country's top Elvis impersonators, with his own band to boot. I should have known.
And of course, he's the one who personally purchased my first batch of cereal, is giving me a great price on future purchases, and therefore, has earned the business.
This is going to be interesting.

It's June 5th and I called Watson Farms this morning to see if Gramps had all his cotton planted. I do mine.
All six seeds. I'm experimenting to see if I can keep a plant alive year round, using grow lights and whatever other methods I can find. We'll see how it turns out. I'd like to eventually end up with a cotton tree.
Bridgette and Reese stayed home today. They're going swimming with Cheyenne this afternoon. I know they're worn out and I thought it would do them some good to sleep late this morning.
I've been on the verge of blowing a gasket within the last few days anyway and I really didn't want the kids to see it.
The stress and pressure is getting to me. The hardest part of it all, for me anyway, is managing this many employees. I suck at it. Always have and always will. I just want to be left alone and I don't want to have to babysit anyone...wishful thinking, right?

It's nice to have the kids working.
Sage and Aaron are working at Watson Farms, and Bridgette and Reese are working at the hotel. Due to the child labor laws, we haven't put Reagan on the payroll yet.

Pork steaks are a big deal in Missouri. I don't really know why. Don says it's a staple in this part of the world because it's cheaper than hamburger meat. Whatever the reason, it seems everyone I know talks about how good their pork steaks are....just like Texans talk about beef....steaks and BBQ ribs. It's quite odd.
Living in Texas, the only time I ate pork steaks were when I inadvertently bought them at the grocery store thinking they were pork chops. And they don't fry up quite as well as the chops either.
Anyway...
We all helped with supper tonight and we had a lot of fun. Reese was in charge of seasoning the pork steaks and Donnie cooked them out on the grill. Bridgette and I, with Reese's help, fixed corn on the cob, baked potatoes, salad, red beans, and cherry cream pie.

Working together.

The kitchen crew.

We received a delivery today of linens, supplies, etc.
I saw a familiar site amongst all the boxes.


A bale of cotton.

What???