Happy Birthday Candice!!

Our Candice is really growing up...she is now 24! Sorry I don't have a picture of her, but I am posting this from work. Also sorry I still don't have the 4th of July post up....between the wedding and Vegas planning...ONE WEEK AWAY!!!!!... I have no free time! I promise it is coming soon!

Anyways, lots of us got to celebrate her birthday last Saturday. We all (all being me, Nick, Boo, Chris, Rhi, Patrick, Trent, Davis and of course the birthday girl herself) met up at her new place to see how great it is, had a couple of drinks and headed down to the Dame. We had so much fun!! There were two really great groups that played, and that always helps in making something fun! They also have a new hot dog vender right across the street...GENIUS!!! Between all of us we ate about a dozen hot dogs. Tarp met up with us, along with a couple other of Candice's friends. The night was a HUGE success!!

Tonight the birthday girl will be down at Redmon's with Davis and Lauren. I know they will have a blast! Candice, we all hope this is your very best birthday ever...that is, until next year!

If It Ain't Broke...

That's right folks...for the June meeting of ZPO the girls gathered once again at the Kelsey household. Let me tell you, there is no place we would rather all come together! We met last Friday for dinner and drinks and it was wonderful! We did miss Candice and Missy who both had to work late!

Boo, Liz(not pictured...oh NOOOO! Sorry Liz, I will do better next time!) and Rhi all arrived a little earlier that me due to the fact that we were working hard on the back yard to get it ready for the 4th of July party (another HUGE post....but I thought this one should come first since it was back in June and the next ZPO meeting is tomorrow!) By the time I arrived they had made their way through a fair amount of wine and food! Of course we were also joined by our junior member, who is always great to have around! We were going to order Jimmy John's, but it turned out that Charing made enough appetizers to fill us up!

We had a wonderful time sitting on the deck until late laughing and talking. Eventually we made it in for some desert....which was by far Carter's favorite part of the evening! His official first word (according to the ZPO's) is Mmmmmmm......any time you give him something sweet he nearly yells it! It is so cute(yea...can you tell I like to take his picture??)! On top of that, he is crawling around like a mad child! Can you believe how big he is?? Now...Carter says Goodbye to all of you ZPO readers...so I guess that is all for now!(really I need to get into bed for the yard sale in the morning!!)

Happy 4th of July!!

Well, I am here at work (poor me) and thought I would do a quick post wishing everyone a great 4th. We actually had a cookout at our house last night and there will be a post about that as soon as I have time (plus a post about the June meeting). I will say it was a great party and we all had a blast! Anyways, I know the ZPO's all have different plans for the day, but I hope whatever you are doing you are having wonderful time!! Happy Independence Day ZPO's (and fan's of the ZPO's)!!

Way to Go!!!

I am so excited and proud to tell everyone that our little Missy has made the Dean's List for her very first quarter! She has been working so hard at school and is doing awesome (clearly by her wonderful grades!). Missy we are so proud of you! Keep up all the good work. It will really pay off in the end!

A quick reminder to everyone that our June ZPO is tomorrow night at Charings. I can't wait to see everyone there!

Also...hope you all are liking the changes I am making to the site! It is still a work in progress, but it is getting close to being done. I think it is really looking great with it's new face lift!

Splish, Splash, We're Havin' A Bash!

Come join your fellow ZPO sisters for a much needed day of relaxation and fun in the sun at Lake Cumberland! We are renting a Pontoon Boat for the day and are sure to have a fabulous time! Just imagine laying on the top deck of the pontoon with a drink in one hand and a hot dog in the other while laughing hysterically at each other! Not to mention utilizing the best aspect of the boat, its slide...That's right!!

Day: August 26th

Time: All Day!

Cost: $60 includes your portion of the boat rental and your portion of the food supplies (meat for the grill, chips & dips, plates, ketchup, drinks, etc).

Guests: Let's make this a bit more interesting and invite some guests! You may bring one person, be it friend, boyfriend, husband or some shabby chic stranger off the street! The choice is yours!

Food: Everyone can bring a side dish or two and our bellies should stay full for the day! We'll have some requested favorites, I'm sure, but we can work out the details as the time approaches.

We are really excited about the entire day and hope everyone can join in the fun! The price listed above is assuming all our sisters can attend, if not the price will change.

ps-If you didn't notice...ummm...how could you not...Liz made a new picture for the site and put all seven ZPO's in it! She really did a great job and I love it so much!

Good Bye Josh!

By Rhiannon

Well my little brother Josh is leaving tomorrow. Josh is leaving with his National guard unit to head to Mississippi for training for about 4 months and then he is off to Iraq. Josh has been in the National guard for a little over a year, he had basic training at Fort Benning Georgia and he also spent some time helping out in Louisianna after Hurricane Katrina...He is so dedicated.
On Friday night Josh had a good-bye party and Jennifer, Chris, and Candice came to help with the send off. Josh is one of the craziest/funniest people I know but he is also very sweet and loyal to everyone.

I am very proud of him and his service to our country. I know all the ZPO's wish him a safe tour and a quick return.

A Sister's Love

Small hands grip mine
Walking along,
Slowly, Slowly
Little feet can trip too easily
Questions asked with complete innocence

A few years later
Small bodies clamber into my lap
Bedtime cannot come without a good story
I watch until they are peacefully sleeping
Perfect innocence

More time passes
Angry voices, tears force us together
The little ones cling to me
The older one and I lean together
Who is comforting who?

They continue to grow
Life swirls around us in a flurry
New friends, school programs,
Soccer games, prom
First jobs, first cars

Through it all I keep watch over them


Time keeps moving
They are small no more
They are tall, strong,…Men
But not to me
Phone calls in the evening tell me my place
One needs a place to stay,
Another advice
The oldest-money
In these questions I feel their innocence
Faintly shining in the background


Laughter ensues as we gather at my home
Warm memories hang in the air
Above us, between us, surrounding us
Two leave
I glance at the one who remains
Sleeping curled up on the couch
19 years old
Sucking his thumb

Innocence remains.

Parting Way's

For a few years now a couple of the ZPO's have been cohabitating...but that is no more! Rhi and Candice have decided at the end of this lease to move apart. I know they have loved living together and will miss each other, but it was just time to part ways.

Rhi has moved in with her dad, which works out so great because now she is about three seconds from work! On top of that she will be able to save a ton of money so she can get a house in the next year!

Candice had a new two bedroom apartment that is going to be so great! It will be the first time she have ever lived alone, and she is pumped! It will be perfect for her while she finishes up her masters.

Girls, it seems so strange for you two to not be living together, but we are all so excited for you! We can't wait to see you new places!

Get Well Soon!

I am sad to report that our Papa (that is, the Papa of Boo, Me, Missy and Liz), is really sick. We found out that he has lung cancer, plus an antibiotic resistant strain of pneumonia. We don't know much about his lung cancer yet, but the pneumonia was really causing him problems. He just wasn't getting better so they brought him to the VA for some heavy duty medications. He seems to be getting stronger and sleeping better, so hopefully he will be home soon! Mom and Aunt Jan have been staying with Nana, which is so great. Now we just want our Papa to start feeling better and come back home!

The Kelsey Kid's!

Charing's house has been full lately! Scott's parents were in town last weekend for a visit, and then Charing's sister Dara, her husband Chad and their daughter Scarlet came in over this last week. It was so great for them to see the entire family and spend some much needed time together!

Boo and I took Wes over to hang out with Charing, Dara and the rest of the clan for dinner on Friday night and we had a blast! I wish Dara and her family were here longer so she could have gotten together with all of the ZPO's!

While they were here they took all of the grandkids and had their picture made. How sweet are these!

Here is little Carter (who is getting so big!!) with his big sister Morgan

And here is the entire family looking as cute as can be!

Breaking News!!

by Boo

Yes, that's right folks! You read it here first! Zeta Phi Omega has a documented mutant among us! You'd think she was pulled directly from the X-Men movie but no, she does not simply play a mutant on the big screen, is an actual mystery of science!

Who is it, you might be asking yourself?? None other than our little Sarah!

It's true!! Sarah has had a sore throat for a couple weeks now. She went to the doctor, had a strep test (which was negative) and got some antibiotics. The doctor said it would be strange for her to have strep throat since she had her tonsils removed many years ago but it was possible. When the test came back negative the doc blamed it on drainage and said she had severe pharengitius. Well, the weeks go by and her throat is still killing her so she took a look in the bathroom mirror and saw a suspicious looking bump in the back. She decided to return to the doctor, this time heading directly to an ear, nose and throat specialist, to figure out what the heck was going on!

After some adamant persuading, she got an appointment the very next day (not at the end of July like they originally told her). She was seeing the physician's assistant but whatever! As long as someone could check this out and get it cleared up she was happy. After talking to the assistant it became clear that she thought Sarah was crazy. She gave a lot of "uuuhuu"s and "sure, sweetie"s. But then Sarah opened her mouth to let this skeptical assistant take a look. After one peek at the strange growth she quickly exited the room to get the doctor! The doctor then took a look and pronounced Sarah a mutant. Why? Because...(wait for it)...Sarah is growing back her tonsils...that's right!!!

How crazy is that!? It's not normal, I'll tell you that much. And that's not all! Sarah's body just grows extra tissue For example, they found 12 inches of 'extra' tissue (never seen before by the doctors!) down her throat when they removed her tonsils last time, she grew an extra layer of gums (which had to be removed), and we all know she has endometriosis, which by definition is the growing of additional tissue all over her abdominal cavity! WOW!!!

It really sends bad feelings to all people who have gone through the excruciating pain involved in the tonsil removal process, thinking all the time that it was worth it because once healed you would be rid of their pain for ever! Well, not Sarah. She's going to have to get them removed again!! Poor thing!

So, ZPO has officially deemed her a mutant. We like it, love it in fact! It just makes her all the more special! We are throwing around several new names for her (because as you know, all mutants need a new name!) such as 'Sarah X' (nice one, Candice), 'Baby Wolverine', 'Baby X' and my personal favorite (thanks for the research Liz!) 'Marrow'. In case you're not up to speed on all your X-Men, Marrow is a mutant who can grow new bones out of her skin and her alias is Sarah. Coincidence? I think not! I even have a picture for you...

How does Sarah (or Marrow, as her friends call her) feel about her new mutant status? Well, here's a quote directly from her:

"This is so funny and so sad all at the same time...I am now officially a freak. I guess I never should have tried to fight it in the first place. How funny that Marrow's name is really Sarah and she grows extra body parts! WAIT...I just saw the pic of that girl and she is SCARY!!!!! Oh well...I guess I must accept what I really am...the first X-man."