Our company was named Run Charlie Run we ran everywhere we went. We also had a truck we drove back and forth to the mountains for the weekends or week trips. The truck was a 1977 Ford F250, a beast that would haul just about anything. That truck was one of my favorite things because I had it all to myself and got to travel with it. I wanted it badly and I talked my folks into it so bad! I think I even came home from school one day in 4th grade to present them with all my arguments about how wonderful it would be to have one. I was so convincing! I loved that truck. It was an awesome truck, I swear every time we went on a trip we were late because it was always a mess up. But if you don't stop on the side of the road or park by a stream to "tie off the boat" then we would be late. We hauled kids, dogs, tents, dirt bikes and just about anything you could think of up in that truck. On one trip out to the mountains my cousin and I were climbing up the side of the mountain (that is always an adventure with me because I have a habit of going just a bit too far) and we were going so fast down hill that we slammed into some brush on the side of the road. I don't remember if we broke any bones but it was quite painful and we couldn't walk for awhile. I also have several fun memories with that truck that makes it my absolute favorite! It has been a great addition to our family. The old girl runs great for being 28 years old and has been around a few places. She hasn't always been so dependable, but I still love her. We still do all the activities we would have when the old girl was new, we just do it different now. We camp a lot more these days. We can't take off for long camping trips because she isn't always trustworthy. We have done several big camping trips and some shorter ones but they were all awesome. We even towed a jeep on a few trips, now that was sooo much fun! She has hauled many kids, a few dogs, and more than we can remember in the seats and in the beds. She has had so many adventures that I can't list them all. However, some were pretty exciting and this is one of my favorites, our trip to the Grand Canyon when we went to see the eclipse. We had so much fun on that trip, and had so many interesting experiences it wasn't even funny. We had to back track out of our way to go see it because they did such a poor job of warning people about what to expect. It was hard to see and we went as far as Arizona but there were no real good places to stop. We ended up driving right through it and I am glad we did! I would love to do that trip again! There is something about the open road, the country and being able to get away from everything, I can't explain it but it sure is fun! Charlie is an awesome truck, she is loved by many and I hope she stays around for a long time. I am going to miss her when she gives up the ghost but if we can't fix it we won't replace it! Posted by I am an aunt! I have been for 3 years now but I don't think it is ever enough time to be an aunt. I am the favorite aunt of this little girl that makes my whole life amazing. This little girls name is Olivia and she is 2 years old. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful niece and have her in my life. This little girl has brought so much joy to my life that words cannot describe. She was diagnosed with Down Syndrome when she was born and has overcome so many obstacles since then. She had to have open heart surgery at 1 week old to correct a defect and has been under the best care of some of the best medical professionals. I was able to travel down with my mom and my sister when she had to have her second open heart surgery and it was a very interesting experience. You would think all those needles, drugs and all those people, it would be very scary but it isn't, that little girl has so much spirit you can't help but love her! This little girl is a fighter and will probably be the healthiest girl I have ever seen! She is the most energetic little girl that loves everyone and plays with anyone! She just learned to walk and that girl has been running from day one, running like a wild horse through the streets of Boston with her mom and dad in tow. I absolutely love watching this little girl grow up, she is truly an amazing little girl! I am so blessed to be able to have such a wonderful little girl in my life and I am so lucky that I have her as my niece! She is truly the sweetest little girl I know! I hope you have a wonderful day baby girl and have a very Happy Birthday! I love you! Yesterday was Mother's Day and every year that is the most stressful day of the year. There is something about watching all those sappy commercials about mothers that just sends me over the edge. Not only that, but if you look at any form of social media (Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter) the people posting on those sites are all mothers. All mothers have the "best mother's day ever", they got some new outfit, they got a nice brunch, they got more stuff then anyone should even get for a birthday let alone mother's day, they got flowers, they got to go on a hike with their family, their husband gave them free time to play on their computer all day while the kids were all occupied. The sad thing is that I get to see those posts because they are my family and friends! I love my family and friends but I don't want to feel bad because my mother's day didn't go that well. Mother's day sucks because my husband doesn't show the appreciation he should for me being a mother. It sucks because all those "special" gifts he gives me on mother's day are usually useless! It sucks because I don't know what to do for a mother's day gift that someone who hates picking out presents will like. Every year I tell him, "I want something cool, I don't care what it is as long as it isn't useless" then every year I get nothing but useless gifts! The funny thing is that those things are usually something cool that he gets for himself or something he has been wanting so its not like he picked them out for me. It is like he got the idea to get me something and thought "Oh she would like that" (that's a whole other story) then he bought it for himself or found something cool to get him for himself and is stuck with this beautiful gift that he doesn't know what to do with! A Mother's Day gift that he would have liked was a bottle of beer, I am sorry but I don't want a big teddy bear or a bunch of flowers. Just some cold beer or good wine would have been nice. Last year was the absolute worst Mother's Day! This was the year we went to our moms house for a cookout and we were all outside because it was such a beautiful day! There are so many parts of that Mother's Day that stick in my mind! My husband got me nothing for Mother's day. None of us did because we didn't have much money. He gets me nothing, tells me that I don't deserve anything and that he doesn't love me because of something he did. That is all I needed to hear on Mother's Day! So it is just me, my daughter, my mother and my niece outside in the beautiful sunshine. My mom took off somewhere and my niece is napping in the house. My mom was upset and trying to fix it so she took off. My husband got in a huge fight with me, got so pissed at me that he wouldn't even hug me when I went inside to get ready for bed (yes we were all home because we were having a cookout). I decided after that day that I would not have any more Mother's Day Days, nothing! After 20 years of living with someone you know what makes them tick and you know what they love, you just have to put it together for them. So every year since then I have given up on Mother's Day and have decided I would get myself something cool for Mother's Day, make myself a nice lunch and get to pamper myself! It usually works out pretty well. Sometimes I get just what I want, sometimes I don't. Usually I end up getting some book on how to fix this or that or something cooking related. I used to be so upset on Mother's Day because my husband would do so much less than what I thought was an adequate amount of effort to show me that he loves me as a mother and as a woman. I was doing everything right for him, taking care of everything that he needed, cleaning, doing the laundry, making food, taking care of his children so when he didn't show me that I was making him happy it made me want to give up on the man I loved and take care of myself because he wasn't showing me that I was valuable in his life. After we broke up for awhile, that's all I did! I cooked for one and took care