Trying to Play Catch Up!

Hey chicks! Sorry I haven't been good about staying in touch. As you read in a previous post, I ranked myself as CRAZY for going back to school while going through a divorce, going to school, and taking care of 2 kids. Definitely not looking for sympathy, but WHAT WAS I THINKING? My social life is very important to me and believe me when I tell you I have been very out of touch with it. Mainly this blog...anyways...I am back for at least a couple of paragraphs :)

Sooooo I just finished my first class. It was 3 weeks long and I thought it would never end. In 3 weeks I have written 5 papers, given 3 oral presentations, and learned more about the bible than I have in 30 years. One of those is a plus and I will let you decide which one. My next class in Management Information Systems. At this point, I am strongly considering one of those sites where you can buy a "degree". NOT!!! But don't think it hasn't crossed my mind every time I think about school at 30. I actually have 3 other girls in my class and we have gotten close so we really help one another out. Thank God for them or I wouldn't even know what my next class entails. One of them told me to just give her my passwords and she would look it up for me-thanks sista! The one positive thing I can say is I have gotten a 100 on all my papers! Don't remember much of that back in the day...

Benton and Bailey are growing like weeds. Of course, thanks to mom, they never miss a beat and don't even know their lives have been turned upside down. Bailey is talking her little head off and finally making sense. She says "thank you" to everything so at least she has that going for her. Benton is doing good too. He gathered some "twigs" out of the yard, straw from the broom, and bricks from the side of the house the other days and built the 3 little pig's house. I have attached the picture. He told me the reason he built a brick house was because our house was brick and it never got blown down. Then stuffed the twigs and straw inside the bricks to make it extra strong. Go head lil man...I added a pic of them from the pool also. Benton was tired and wanted to lay/lie (whichever) on the chair. Bailey was very concerned about him and went to lay/lie with him. She calls him Bent by the way and it is the sweetest thing.

The other pictures are from the beach trip back in July. They start with Bailey washing her feet off at the beach. Keep in mind she was carried everywhere, but because we were doing it she wanted to also. Then there is Benton who is like giving salute, blocking the sun, and pointing at a plane all at the same time. Bailey has that "I hope no one saw that" look on her face. I just happened to turn around at the right time to catch this one.

I have loved reading all of your blogs. Yall truly have amazing lives and I am so glad you all have been so blessed. I'll try not to take so long updating next time...love yall and have a good week!

1st Time Blogger-Site Still Under Construction

Hello everyone! It's Brandy (Simpson) Donahue...I have never done this before, mainly because I never have time and don't know how I found it tonight, but after reading all your blogs I feel like I have to keep coming back. It's like you are my little, individual soap operas...AND I LOVE IT! Hopefully you'll find my life as interesting as I have found yours. I guess the most amazing thing is that we all experience the same things while thinking we are the only ones that actually experience them. Know what I mean?! Anyways-I guess I'll get to the long story short version of what's been going on with me. That way we can all be caught up and focus on the present. So here it goes:

When I left Dothan, I moved to Jackson, MS. After I graduated high school, I went to college and became an X-ray Tech. I am currently doing CT scans at St Dominic Hospital. Far cry from becoming a cardiologist or lawyer, but doesn't everybody want to be a doctor or lawyer when they're growing up?! So I started working and after a year I met this wonderful guy named Brad Donahue...we actually met on a cruise, crazy I know! We got married and had Benton Tyler who is now 4 1/2. Then we moved to Monroe LA for 2 years and had Bailey Katherine who is now 20 months. We just moved back to Jackson in June of 2007. Brad is a drug rep so moving 3 times in 5 years was quite an experience.

Back in February, Brad asked me for a divorce. It is the most devastating news any woman can get. I often tell my mom it would have been easier to deal with if someone had called and told me he had died. Sounds strangely morbid, but you have know idea the hurt I felt. Anyway, 6 months have gone (not flown) by and I am much better. Thank goodness Benton and Bailey are so young and don't know all of what is going on. And I don't know what I would have done without my mom and stepdad. My mom is truely a supermom...she handled me and my children through this like it was nothing...and trust me, I was a basketcase!

So that is about as short as I can make it to bring you to the present. We are waiting on the house to sell and the divorce to become final. In the mean time, I am trying to find a house I can afford that is still in Madison (north Jackson) because the school system is awesome. Everything is pricey in Madison so I may have to move to a neighboring town. Jackson has lots of "suburbs" for those of you that don't know. You don't really know when you leave one and enter another. But some of my prayers that I wasn't sure God was listening to have been answered, so who knows what He has in store for us.

I am putting some pics of my angels on here and if I can find one that I look semi-slim in I'll post it too. Let me know what you think of the blog and if you guys have any blogging tips I am all ears. Can't wait to get started...