The Flood

I’ve lived in Florida my whole life. Been through so many hurricanes it’s second nature. Nothing prepared me for what happened this weekend. News coverage does not begin to give the accurate details of how bad this was. People were literally driving on I 24 when a wall of water came at them. It was like something out of the Day after Tomorrow. In seconds cars were over turned, people were trapped, drowning, Semi’s half submerged. Levee’s began to leak and break. The Cumberland River began to swell. I used to love to walk first and 2nd ave downtown Nashville. My husband used to work right on it. I know how far up that water had to travel to begin flooding those buildings. It easily had to have risen a good 25 feet. Over 25 dead..more to be uncovered as the waters begin to go down. The Grand old Opry was flooded. Opryland was evacuated only hours before tragedy struck. It is now under 10 feet of water. I personally live on the Caney Fork River which the Cumberland dumps into. Minus some flooding in our basement…we were spared. But my dear friend lost her business. The whole building was under water. She could not get to it and asked me to get as close as I could to see. I wanted to throw up. She has two small children one with special needs. Her Auction house was something she started on a shoe string and worked her tail off to make success. They did not have insurance.
So many peoples lives were destroyed and changed in an instant. Please I encourage you to donate to the TN Redcross. Especially Nashville and Smith county.

Add a comment May 5, 2010

1 step forward 5 steps back

Well first the reason for my lack of postings is..I could NOT remember my login nor the email I used for it lolol.

Second things have been so up and down the past 2 months I’m surprised I don’t have whip lash.

Ok first thing I want to know..Deb..did Nestor laugh you out of the house when he saw Amelia’s Blinged out chair?? One word for you girl…FANTABULOUS!!! Love it!!

So long story short..I THINK.

Two months ago we thought we were given basically a miracle. We were put in touch with this great and he’s still great Dr who specialized in asthma, allergies and most important the immune system. He did nearly 32 viles of blood work (we wont discuss the amount of screaming and crying and the near nervous break down mommy had trying to deal with her being stuck a half a dozen times because her veins kept calapsing) He brought us back in..had great news. He could fix Eden. Not just fix her but with about 6 different medications at higher dosages..it should not just make her better but allow her to live a rather normal life…..and it did…..but stick with me here.

So the next thing that changed was…we met some friends in the music industry at Fido’s (Favorite coffee shop..if in town..have the dalmation latte or the milkbone) near Music Row (Where all the major music labels in Nashville are) I had the lovely Eden with me and this guy walks by and stops dead in his tracts. He’s like my name is Josh, I run this talent agency just down the road. Your daughter could make serious money in acting and modeling. Give me a call ASAP! Eden has done 3 commercials before she was 4 and 6 modeling jobs locally before. So it wasn’t a super shock but not a road we were thinking of going down again. I had asked around about him and after a long meeting decided ok we’ll go for it. Soon after we were courted by a few managers but have yet to really pick one. She has shot for Winter Arden knits out of New England and was lined up for 2 weeks in Florida with the possibility of a Disney shoot. I’ll post you some of her photo’s from the photo shoot with much thanks to Krista Lee photography in Downtown Nashville.

I really thought great things were happening..don’t get me wrong..they still are..BUT THEN the other shoe fell. I had begun running/walking again at our local park. Eden would go running with me..we were having a blast. There was a produce stand set up and I picked up some fresh fruit..washed it really well and handed it to Eden. She began eating the oranges, apples and berries. Then it happened…her throat began to close up….her face turned red..like fire engine red..she couldn’t breath. Luckily I had 2 epi pens with me..and it took 2 to just get her to the ER down the road. It was super close…and an emergency trip back to the Allergist…they retested her. But nothing..and I mean NOTHING I fed her…was she allergic too???!!! WHAT THE HECK??!! So they sent me on my way.  Then she went to chickale..I know I”m killing the spelling but whatever…she had a milkshake..and lemonaid…it happened freaking again!!!!??? They retested her..it didn’t show up again. So they did more blood work and now what are they saying…she has serious Chemical allergies. She’s allergic to dies…allergic to pesticides…anything that is not natural…or has any artificial color in any way shape or form…so then what the crap am I supposed to do…so tomorrow is more Dr’s..tomorrow is more blood and hopefully a good nutrtionist to shed light on this…

However I am not stopping her modeling at this time. We are still going to go to FLorida at the end of this month. HOpefully the right doors will open. We were asked by an agency in NYC to come and stay for the summer..but not knowing crap about NYC or her health at the moment…I’m kinda waiting. Hoping it’s not a bad decision but we shall see.

So Im’ back..now that I know my password lolol

Add a comment March 30, 2010

at a loss

I’m sick, I’m exhausted and I’m really at a 100% loss at this time. Sorry for the lack of updates….I’m just too tired. I will post soon…

1 comment January 6, 2010

 I appologize to anyone who read my earlier post. I THOUGHT I put it under private, just something I wrote to get it out of my head to sleep but OPS! Guess that’s what I get for writing at 3am..lol. Hope I didn’t offend anyone.

So I put 2 toaster struddles in the toaster. They came out a bit well done..yet..still cold in the middle? WHAT THE HECK??!!

If you have not yet head the Christmas song “Winter Snow” by Audrey Assad. Go find it on I tunes or whatever you listen too! It’s amazing! She’s our dear friend. Met years ago, she’s so talented as both a song writer, muscian and song writer. I was  beyond blessed to have her not only write the music for my wedding but have her sing as well. Too bad she didn’t stick around for the reception but that was back during her I do too many weddings stage lol. Now she’s all grown up in so many ways, such a beautiful women. Many changes have come her way this year and many more to come in the next. She has signed with EMI as a writer and now as a recording artist. Her first CD will come out this Spring..I believe in April. So go check her out!! You will not regret it.

Ok that was my little blog informercial lol.

I have almost all my gift wrapping done. Eden’s second to last gift came in last night, the Handy Manny tool bench. Just to pick up the puppy Christmas eve and we are all set. For some reason it still does not feel like the holidays to me but I’m giving it my best Ho ho ho attempt!

I’m enclosing a photo I took the Christmas I was pregnant with Eden. we had just moved out of our townhouse in Palm beach and were living with Hubbies uncle until after Eden was born. We didn’t have a Christmas tree but Hubby went out and bought me lights. SOOOO I did what any creative artist would do…I decorated the DOG! This is Booboo. Her real name is Sahara..I call her pain in the butt! After 16 years of her being our always bitter, disgruntled dog, we had to put her down the past September. It went fast, she was literally healthy earlier that day, that night she went into liver failure. As much as I miss her, this photo makes me laugh, she literally let me do just about anything to her, was always by my side or under my feet..hense why I called her Pain in the Butt…She was a good doggie.

And I just had 6 cars pull into my drive way chasing down the UPS truck that was delivering something here??!! That’s how country I live…you can randomly pull into people’s drive way and have the UPS guy start giving out packages lol.

3 comments December 22, 2009

Christmas

I’m doing a few back updates. Hubby has been working major OT for HSN so I don’t get the computer very often. This takes us back To last Friday and the weekend festivities.

We have alot of medical bills and hubby as I said has been working all the OT he can. 1. For Christmas money, 2. for a possible trip home to Florida to see my parents who aren’t doing well, 3. To get caught up. Hubby swore he’d take one full day off so we could get Christmas shopping done and just spend time together. That day was Friday. I struggled to be “Present” in the moments but it was a good day. We went to Mt Juliet about 40 mins away, that has an open mall (We have no mall where we live..it’s Walmart or nothing) Hubby discovered they had an NY pizza place. OHMYGOODNESS we have hit the mother load. See Hubby is from Philly and for some reason he KNOW”S NY pizza. We used to be able to get it occassionally at a few places in South Florida but since moving to TN..no chance. OH MYGOODNESS we were little oinkers..soo good..just soo good!! YUMMY! So we started out day there…they were all in love with my little girl and she loved that they gave her dough to play with. NEXT was PETSMART. Eden struggles with being lonely and various other behavioural issues..her Dr suggested a Pup of her own. SO “Santa” is bringing Eden a puppy for Christmas. I think it’s really going to help her out alot with some of her difficulties. Problem was we had so much to buy for the pup, but didn’t want Eden to know. So Hubby and I took turns taking her all over the store while the other hid things under our coats. I finally took a run for the check out line and the Petsmart employee’s were more than willing to get in on the fun of keeping her in the dark and helped me out to the car. I was back before she discovered I had left lol.

Next we were off to JCPENNY to do some shopping for Abuelo..check done with that. I wondered into Old Navy to pick up some scarves and found the cutest dog outfit on clearance..check that off my list. Then into Target to find something to place the doggie in for me to wrap..check found it..and good storage for later…5 hours later..we were beat. It was so cold (“I”m from Florida..remember that when I say I’m cold) so we stopped at Red Lobster for a bit of regrouping. I love lobester..yummy but Eden decided to get crab legs for the first time. Seriously??!! I do not know who on earth at Red Lobster corporate who thought putting crab legs on a kids menu was a great idea..but it’s not. Mommy sat there cracking them..Eden didn’t eat them..and by the time I was done..my food was cold and everyone else was finished..SERIOUSLY??!! Luckily she finished daddy’s linguinie and her potato..mommy was happy.

They began putting out freeze warnings..ok..so yea I have no clue how to drive in snow let alone ice…so we began hurring up our day out. We headed to the Farm for their annual festival of lights. Eden sat up front while we drove through 5 miles of Christmas wonderlands and lights.

Last stop..Walmart to try and find her second biggest want off her Christmas list. Handy Manny work bench. Target did not have it. 3 Walmarts did not have it. Finally gave up, bought my cheesecake supplies and ordered it online. Should be here anyday.

Saturday:

Wraped Christmas presents while hubby watched tv (Big shock) Wait I take that back. He offered to help cut the direction I couldn’t. So I”m sitting on the bed and he comes over to cut and I said..just don’t cut my foot..as the last word leaves my mouth he stabs my foot with the sissors lol. In his defense he said he didn’t know where my foot was??!! yea ok so on we go. Saturday was Christmas cards and cheesecake making day. I finally realized I had a sterio in the Kitchen and found our local Christian station was playing all Christmas music. With Hubby on the computer all the time I really hadn’t been able to listen to any Christmas music so this was a real treat (Sasha is Snoring SOO LOUD right now behind me..GOODNESS) I began to blast the music and here comes my little princess! She sat on her stool while mommy fixed 6 cheesecakes and between placing them in the freezer to set, we took turns dancing to the various music.

Sunday we didn’t make it to morning service. But Eden had her first Christmas pagent that evening. I packaged up all the cheesecakes to hand out and got my little christmas Angel ready. 

so after the pagent we had great food and a time of Dirty Santa and headed home. Our christmas so far…and here is a photo just because

4 comments December 21, 2009

An early Morning

I have no clue what in the name of all that is Holy and right with this world, WHY I am up at 6:50am central time when I just went to bed at 4:30am..but I am. I am having a very difficult time sleeping of late. My body is exhausted but when I lay down, my brain will not switch off. I’m getting so worked up, my skin just crawls. Anyone who know’s me, know’s my aversion to Sleeping pills, pain meds things like that…but I’m getting so desperate to just once wake up feeling rested. There is alot more going on in my world other than just the constant of keeping up with a sick child and Father in law and it’s getting to the point where I feel numb. When I begin to feel the pain and gravity of it all, it’s like my brain hits the Numb button. I guess it’s protective but when I’m struggling to enjoy something as simple as my little girl performing in her first Christmas pagent at church, or a day out with family…it’s just not working for me. So once again I find myself up early, sitting in a very quiet house minus my pooch who is sharing the sofa with me as I type’s constant snoring lol.

So I have no idea what on earth to fix for Christmas dinner. I am a great baker…I’m an ok cook. But honestly, you’d think as many hours as I spend watching the Food network and reading cook books..SOMETHING Would rub off on me. It’s not for lake of trying or experimenting..I do it all the time…it just doesn’t always turn out the way They do it lol. I mean..how can I forget (Or anyone let me forget) the Christmas chicken and stuffing of 3 years ago! I should have been arrested for what happened to that meal! Year after that, was a green bean casaroll gone very very wrong…and then last years attempt at Lasanga…yea we wont speak of it! So to say I”m a little apprehenisve of what to do for this year..is an understatement.  I’m so over turkey..not going to happen don’t wanna see one until next year. Not gonna do the Turduken either. Chicken is not an option and neither is Ham to my hubby’s great dismay. See I married a Puerto Rican and  he loves Pig and Pig biproducts. Well not only do I not, but I’m seriously allergic! I’m also allergic to Rice..so yea a double Uh oh in the world of Puerto Rican cuisine lol. The Rice I have managed to on small portions reintroduce to my diet…for some reason it seems to be more of a White rice issue than anything else. Piggy..no..I just can’t. Wether it’s been a disguised I swear it’s an all beef hot dog that’s not or just trying a piece of ham..I can’t! So he’s dying for a ham for Christmas and I have offered..but he wont let me cook something we can’t all eat. I mean seriously..I’d be very content just eating sides lolol…after all I am ALL about the Stuffing!! So anyone have any suggestions? I was thinking Prime Rib but last time Hubby Ordered it, he sent it back soo many times to the kitchen to get it “More well done” I was beginning to worry what the chef might be doing to it back there lol.

1 comment December 21, 2009

me

I am really going to do the very best I can to keep this going this time. I’ve started and stopped many times in the past and usually ended every blog because of family “issues” but I’m going to do my best.

Who am I ?

Hmm..Well I’m Audrey. I’m a True Southern Bell, born and raised in South Florida (yes it is the south!!) I had a very hard child hood. Basically stupid people making even dumber choices that led to consequences no child should ever have to deal with and be forced to live out.  Then I turned 18 and wanted more than that life and those choices. I have always been a very head strong person so when I was told there was no way I could go to college. I made it happen. No was not an option. I worked at my local starbucks from 5am to 2pm 4 days a week and the rest was spent commuiting over an hour to Ft. Lauderdale where I put myself through Art School. I worked my tail off, got a degree in photographer. During that time, I did alot of free work to get my name out there. It worked. Landed myself work with Ocean Drive Magazine, Irene Marie Models and the Jameson Group. That led to me working parties at the Marlin hotel, soon I began hosting and next thing I know I’m working from New Orleans to South Beach hosting VIP events, charites and parties. It was a fun, exciting life and time.

BUT then…in 2003..I met him.

We went to the same church *yes I go to church* we hung out..talked..he told me the more he hung out with me the more he felt the need to pray for me. This of course just made me laugh lol.  Our first date was October 30th 2003 and we were married in a huge church wedding in March 2004. His name is David. I continued to shoot and sell my work but it was becoming to hard to keep up. So I semi retired.

From that time till now, I have gone from my home state of Florida, to currently living in the mountains of Tn where I promise you there are more cows than people. I have gone from being one of two children, too one of 7! I have yet to meet any of my other sibelings as they are spread out from Boston to the east Coast but I hope to one day. My real mother killed herself soon after Eden was born. Became a mommy..then took in David’s father who suffers from severe skitzaphrenia and Dementia….none of the friends I had before David are really any of the friends I have now..it’s honestly hard to even make friends. Very few understand how hard it is to have a child with different needs..constant needs..a father in law who doens’t really like you and yet you are responsible for keeping him sheltered, clothed, fed..Dr’s appointments..meds….

I’m rambeling…but seriously..why haven’t I started drinking yet??!!

3 comments December 19, 2009

Eden Lucie

This is the love of my life…my heart..my world.

Eden was born 3 weeks early in January of 2005. With in hours I knew something was very wrong. She was not eating right and she kept having this blue tinge to her face. Everyone told me I was just being paranoid and drugged out of my mind. Ok so all the above was proably true but I KNEW something was up. The next morning, the Dr’s came in and with in seconds of examing her, rushed her away from me saying something about immediate testing, something wrong with her heart. We ended up staying longer than past the normal 4 days for a C section baby. We were told by the head of cardiology to take her to Miami Childrens. We did and I was literally a wreck. Every dream I had about being a first time mommy, was just going down the drain and I could barely hang on. All I could think about was auto pilot of putting one foot in front of the other and getting through it. Miami Childrens said there was NOTHING wrong with her??!! But the head of Cardiology for all of Florida said there was..so what the heck?? This began a very long road of Dr’s contradicting each other and driving me to my breaking point. Being told 4 times in her 4 years of life that she was going to die. Watching her choke and cough and stop breathing in front of me. Years YEARS of mysterious fevers of over 102 or higher. Ear infections that have cost her most of her hearing that would not resolve on the heaviest of antibiotics and weeks in the hospital. And those very drugs doing such damage on her already frail immune system unleashing something so horrible it took 3 Children’s hospitals to even get a remote CLUE what the heck was going on. I have lived in this hellish bubble of being afraid to act and being afraid not to act. Worrying if the supposed “answers” or miracle Drugs were going to cause more harm than good. Wondering if this Dr really has a handle on what is going on or just telling me something because they’d rather say something than admitt they simply don’t know!!?? Eden has undergone Occupational therapy, speech therapy, behavioural therapy, more specialists than I can personally keep track of..literally lol.

Right now, she’ll be 5 in 3 weeks. She is on daily medications and breathing treatments, a food diet that I must alternate every day to 48 hours or risk severe reactions varying from hives to full blown asthma attacks. She contines to be monitored by Pediatric Cardiology, Vandy Speech and hearing for her hearing loss and delayed speech, behavioural therapists, speech therapists and Vandy Immunology.

Add a comment December 19, 2009