Airport Security And My Need To Accessorize!!!!

Well, we're back home and back to the real world :( Getting up and feeling the dusty, hard wood floors is not near as fun as getting up and walking out the door to feel sand between your toes!!!! I could spend all summer on the beach!!!
Before leaving home for the airport, Wendell had scolded me for wearing so much jewelry. Anyone that knows me, knows, I love my jewelry!!! I told him, politely, that I never have a problem at the court house and I wouldn't have a problem at the airport!!!! Well, for the first time ever, LOL, I was wrong!!! I had to go through the scanner several times, each time stopping to strip off a few more pieces of jewelry and then finally the studded belt, not a good accessory for airport security!!! Yesterday morning, when dressing for the return flight, I once again clipped on my 5 bracelets, two pair of earrings, 5 rings, and my watch (that I can't even see to read the time, but hey accessorizing doesn't have to be practical!!!) I did of course make sure to wear cloths that fit...thus no need for the beautifully studded belt. My plan was to take it all off before arriving at the airport and to re-accessorize before boarding the plane. After all, going anywhere without my jewelry would be like leaving my eyebrows at home!!!! I was just proud as punch to know I was going to be able to do this without holding up the long disgruntled line behind me!!!! As I approached the scanner they asked the usual questions about what you have in your purse and carry on, to which I remembered, at the last moment, thankfully, that I have a teeny bottle of hand sanitizer in my purse. Happily I removed it and with a satisfied smug grin on my face I proceeded to walk through the scanner. I made it! no beeping!!! Then I heard one man say to the other man that highly dreaded, illegal word "Aerosol" immediately my mind went to the small bottle of "just in case" hair spray, you know the one you carry for years and use maybe twice but you carry it "just in case"!!! One man picked up my purse and instructed me to get the rest of my stuff and follow him. I scammered around grabbing up my shoes, my carry on bag, my laptop, & my laptop case and hurriedly tried to follow him to a table at the end of the long line of belts and scanners. He firmly instructed me not to reach for, or into, my purse, he had to retrieve the "Item". I obediently clasped my hinds behind my back as my mind visualized me inadvertently reaching for my bag and being tackled from all sides and slammed to the floor, like a terrorist. After a long search he finally found "IT". He placed "it" and the illegal hand sanitizer in a baggie, handed it all back to me, and with my head hung low I grabbed my shoes, my laptop, my laptop case, my carry on, my purse and the rightly stored illegal products and went in search of the rest of my humiliated family. After arriving at the gate I was able to redress, get organized and finally accessorize (eyebrows in place), and boarded the plane without further incidence.
Lesson learned...It's a lot easier to go to court than the beach!!!!

Sun, Sand, Surf, & Seditary

After our trip to South Carolina, Two Parties, Bachalarque and Graduation, we drove to Knoxville on Sunday, May 22, 2011 and caught a plane to our favorite vacation spot...Destin Florida!!!! YEAH!!! THE BEACH!!!! WHITE SAND, SUN, RELAXATION!!!!!

The View from our balcony. Breathtaking!!!








After Dinner at the Crab Trap.

Dylan eating crab legs!!!

Punky, Wendell, Kiah and Dylan posing with our rent-a-car!!! We definitely never lost it!!!

I couldn't wait to get here and start our week of total relaxation!!!! We decided to fly this year because they had $44.00 fares!!!! It would have cost more for us to drive the 8 hours and 45 minutes. We were here in 1 hour. It has been absolutely beautiful every day, so pretty I haven't been able to come up with an excuse to go shopping!!!! We fly home Sunday. Only two days left, then back to the real world!!!

Bachelarque & Graduation

After our trip to South Carolina, the store graduation party, Jean's 70th Birthday party, we then had Bachelarque on Friday and graduation ceremonies on Saturday, May 20th and 21st, 2011. As I have said in my previous posts, I am having problems downloading pictures to my blog, so these are in no certain order!!!!

Two Special Graduates, Aaron Kilby, Me, and Dylan!!!




Punky, Me, Kiah, Wendell, Stephanie and Michael.

Punky, Me, Kiah, And Stephanie.

Kiah Receiving Her Diploma From Terry Armes. Mrs. Diane Smith, Oakdale School Principal and Fred Snow, Oakdale School's Assistant Principal.

More Special Grads!!! Dylan, Kiah and Blake Redmon.

Aaron Kilby, Mikiah And Dylan Cox.

Punky and another one of my favorite Grads, Tee Stienmetz.

My Favorite Grad and her sister!!! Punky and Mikiah!!!

I have no babies left!!! They have all graduated!!! I NEED A GRAND BABY!!!!!

People keep asking me if I am sad to see my last child graduate and the answer is no, not at all. I can honestly say I have enjoyed every stage of my kids lives. I just see this as moving on to another new stage, that I know will be just as enjoyable as all the past "stages". I love being a Mom and all the joy that comes with that blessed position!!! I was telling someone the other day that I played with baby dolls until I was about 12 years old!!! My big dream for my life was to be a wife and Mother. God has truly blessed me!!! I've made a lot of mistakes along the way that if I could go back I would change and do them differently, but I wouldn't change being a Mom to my four + one, for any career in this world!!!! I did, however, think Wendell and I were going to "loose it" when the graduates started marching in. All I could do was quietly praise God for letting me live to see my last child graduate from High School. Two years ago it was a little "iffy"!!!! I praise God for His marvelous Grace and Mercy in my undeserving life!!!!! One of the boys, in Kiah's class, Mother was diagnosed with cancer right after I was, and she passed away a few months later. He was valedictorian of the class. It breaks my heart to know how he would have gave anything to have had her there. I know if at all possible she was looking down proud as punch!!!! I don't know why God has allowed me to continue my walk down here but I sure am glad He has!!!!

Happy 70th Birthday Jean!!!!!

After giving the Seniors a party on Tuesday, I immediately began preparing to give my Mother-In-Law a party, in celebration of her 70th birthday, on Thursday.

Jean



I made the cakes and decorated them in fondant!!! These are the skills I learnt while taking the cake decorating class with Teresa a few weeks ago!!!

I would love to post more pictures, but with my new computer, I am having some difficulty downloading them properly. Maybe more later :(

Oakdale Class Of 2011

After arriving back home from Sue's party on Sunday afternoon, I spent all day Monday preparing for a party, for the thirty nine graduating Seniors from Oakdale, to be given at the store, on Tuesday.

My daughter Mikiah is in this class. This was the first year she had ever been to public school. She has always been home schooled or attended private Christian school. She loved having the opportunity to go to Oakdale this past year. She is the fifth from the right in the picture above. We celebrate the students of Oakdale graduating every year with a party at the store. I take lots of pictures and then make a big collage to hang on the wall. We have done this for about the last six years. It is always fun for them to come back and look at their pictures several years down the road!!!

Wendell purchasing Peaches from a roadside stand.


Breakfast at IHOP together on Sunday, before returning home. Wendell, Papaw Tom, Sue, Maurice, Bonnie, Camden, Heather, Jake, Bobbie, Ron, Me, and Teresa.





Brother, sister's and Wendell!!! Tom, Wendell, Bonnie, Sue and Bob.







Sue's grandkids: Jake, Camden, Blake, Cameron, Emily & Logan.





The Cousins + Bob.

Bob, Ron, Teresa, Me, Richmond, Heather, Bonnie, and Justin.

Wow, It has been sooo long since I have had a chance to stop and write something here!!! Needless to say it has been a very busy time in the Ruppe home. There are a lot of "things" I have been thinking on to write about here.


Last weekend some of us traveled to South Carolina for a birthday party for my Aunt Sue. We had a wonderful time. It was nice to get away for the weekend not to mention the fact that we were able to see cousins that we haven't had the opportunity to visit with in years. Teresa traveled with Wendell and I, and Dad drove along with us. Bob, Bonnie, Maurice, Talisha, Marcus, Wilson and Ron also made the trip over for the party.

We had to stop at Sam's on our way home, for me to purchase a new computer, mine had began to crash. I spent all last week trying to get my flies saved to disk off of my old computer and things set up on my new one. I could not get these pictures moved in line on this post like I wanted so I have ended up leaving them where they downloaded, sorry. Thus, the wierd layout of this particular post.