On Reflection...

Happy birthday to me yesterday! I will be writing some of this as if it were yesterday because I wrote it on paper while I was sitting in the doctor’s office for FOUR HOURS. Yes…pen and paper, it is a bit antiquated but hey it works when you don’t yet have a laptop.

Today I am 36 years old and I have plenty of time to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the potential of next year. Many do this in January but I think my birthday is unique to me and I choose to reflect on this date.

Out of character to me I find myself becoming more and more cynical and I don’t like it one bit. Society loves to pigeonhole individuals with labels. If you aren’t cynical in this day in age you are a Pollyanna. I would like to find a happy medium. Hmmm…I’ll have to think about how to find that happy medium.

Today gas is nearing $4 a gallon; you can find $3.47 on a good day. They (I really want to meet they) are predicting it will be $4 by the end of May…good times. With oil and gas companies reporting record breaking profits I can’t help but ask WTF? The companies explain it away as money for future exploration, research and development. Question…isn’t profit…uhm…profit. I would think a company would have an allocation for future R&D taken out of the cost of doing business. I guess I’m wondering why no one is asking THE RIGHT questions. They did a dog and pony show in front of Congress and I just think that was for the American people to ‘act’ like something was being done about it. My cynical side says of course gov.t isn’t doing anything; they have their dirty little fingers in that profit pot, allegedly.

The United States is at war with Iraq and Afghanistan for just over five years now. The media is reporting that we are making progress. I can only go on what they report. Honestly I am not really sure how things are going. I only hope and pray our men and women fighting over there are doing so for a good cause and the end is sooner rather later.

2008 is an election year. The Republican nominee is John McCain and the Democrats Barrack Obama and Hilary Clinton are duking it out for the democratic nomination. It is so not pretty. A couple of obvious observations Barrack is a black man and Hilary is a woman. Neither race nor gender has before been a viable candidate for President. My take, I don’t think the world is ready for either a black man or a woman as President of the US. The race card is already being thrown down and ‘whitey’ still keeping the black man down. Hilary is promoting a socialist economy and let us just ask Canada and France how that is going for them. This country is starving for a new direction. Obama is attempting to capitalize on that platform but he is not really telling us HOW he is willing to change direction and it sounds like he says and does he needs to do to get elected. I vote we CLEAN house. Everyone out…and start over. That’s laughable I know but with special interest groups, PACS and the overall corrupt crooks that are sitting in most of the offices now I don’t see anyone stepping up and representing me; thus leading to my cynicism. I may work on a letter to my congressman. Oh…he’s prolly working on becoming client number 10. Can I vote for none of the above in November?

I wrote much more yesterday about stuff going on at work but since then I’ve decided to sit back and sees how it plays out. I had way too much time to think yesterday and my thought process turned personal when it hasn’t really got there yet. The good thing is that I’m prepared if it does. Here’s hoping the next couple of weeks find clarity and balance.

I mentioned earlier I’m sitting in my doctor’s office for my four hour glucose test. That’s a fun way to spend your birthday but necessary. The nurses are very nice and they are sympathetic when they notice it is my birthday. Honestly the time has passed rather quickly. I’ve been reading the new David Baldacci book “The Whole Truth”. It’s interesting but several women brought their kids and I’m having a difficult time concentrating.

I’ll be a new mom for the second time in ~7 weeks. I’m excited and full of anticipation of doing and enjoying the experience this time around, especially since it will be my last. No, I’m not a sadist and looking forward to being up at all hours for feedings but I know, from experience, that it won’t last forever and one day he will be sleeping in a big boy bed, potty trained and eating normal food and asking me how I slept every morning.

My first born is almost four and it is hard to believe I was having much different feelings this time four years ago. I cannot describe how much love I have for this person. It is so much different than the love I feel for my husband and my friends and family. Being a parent has its challenges but the good days and the days we ‘live’ as a family are priceless and I can’t imagine not knowing how that feels. He wished me happy birthday this morning, second thing; only after he asked where Daddy was. That’s ok…you can be a Daddy’s boy, I get dibs on your brother. Last night he and his dad sang me happy birthday and the boy sat on my lap and helped me blow out my candles. He signed his name to my birthday card…it was the best birthday ever…with my boys.

The hubby ran all over town looking for a yellow cake with chocolate icing. Awe…he found a white cake with whipped chocolate icing. VERY YUM-O!! He bought me my book that I have been wanting from Heather Armstrong, we know her as dooce. I already put the book in the mail to her for her to sign. He also bought me a book about raising boys, something for the both of us. One has been challenging and any additional insight I can receive to help with the responsibility of raising a well rounded, productive man in today’s world I will gladly read it, and twice on Sunday.

Inside one of the books I noticed a bookmark, the hubby makes fun of me because I use toilet paper to mark my places in my books, yes I have book marks but toilet paper is so much more convienent and practical. If it’s a tear jerker I don’t have to use my sleeve or pillow case. If I have a runny nose…I’m good to go. I challenge anyone to find a fancy smansy book mark that will provide that service. Anyway, I’m like…look…a book mark thinking how thoughtful and I look at it closer and it is a ticket to the Neil Diamond show coming to Houston in October. Well…it’s a fake ticket since they haven’t gone on sale yet but nonetheless we’re going. HOW FUN!! We both love Neil Diamond, it was a staple in my family growing up and seeing him on American Idol this past week just reminded the hubby and I of all the songs we truly know and love. I’m looking forward to it…I just hope the blue hairs don’t start beating us with their walkers and snickering at us like the kiddies did at our last concert outing. Oh fun…Neil D. just started playing on my iPOD.

My big boy, this year has been mostly good, REALLY bumpy at the end of the year but he makes me so happy. We constantly bring up to each other how we almost weren’t and always ask the each other why we didn’t walk away when we had every reason and opportunity to do so. Because you are my lobster…and it is totally true. We are challenging to each other. Some times are way more challenging than others but we make a point to continuously learn about ourselves and we work at it. Working at our relationship is a lesson we both learned from our first marriages. We keep it interesting and that’s the way it should be.

There hasn’t been any huge development with me over the last year. As I look down at the belly sticking out into my lap I am reminded…yes, another addition to the Wayne family is on its way, that’s pretty significant. Workwise, I had a personal accomplishment with coordinating the ‘perfect flight’ in October with 10A. I really had an opportunity to test my skillz and they proved to be very affective. Now I find myself asking what next, still mulling that one over. The hubby and I continued our quest to learn and cultivate the necessary tools for discussing issues with each other, I learned a little bit more about myself as well. We got a taste of our first family vacation and although challenging it has left me wanting more.

The shows I am watching as of today:
The Bachelor – London Calling
American Idol – 7 season
Hell’s Kitchen
The Office
Grey’s Anatomy
30 Rock
Real World – Hollywood

Yes, I love me some reality shows and yes, I admit my guilty please is the RW. I’ve seen every season since the beginning and yes they are becoming more ridiculous and immature but for whatever reasons it validates that I am so in a good place in my life right now and I wouldn’t trade places for all the money in the world.

I’m blessed and I know it. I have a phenomenal husband and a loving son and looking forward to adding another loving boy to the mix. I love my boys.

Living…it is what I plan on doing more of this upcoming year.

Excerpt from Enya’s “Anywhere Is”

I took the turn and turned to
begin a new beginning
still looking for the answer
I cannot find the finish
It's either this or that way
it's one way or the other
it should be one direction
it could be on reflection
the turn I have just taken
the turn that I was making
I might be just beginning
I might be near the end.

Rock On!

Date Night 2008

The hubby and I had a date night on Saturday and we raved! Me and my 7 month prego belly wedged into a table at the Chi Lounge in the Woodlands, this is the second time we’ve been there and it didn’t disappoint from our first experience. I had a glass of wine…two weeks in a row, I’m a rebel. The food was delectable and the company was exquisite.

There was a couple sitting sort of next to us and the hubby and I were trying to figure out if they were out on a first date or not. Conclusion they were so out on a first date and the guy was so in over his head…not to mention she was about three head’s taller than he was. It just solidifies I’m so glad I’m not ‘out there’ any longer. The agony of first dates…several first dates, the creeps and freaks, thanks hon for taking me away from all that.

The hubby and I love to watch other people…we actually find great conversation with our observations. For instance we talked about our worst first dates ever. Mine…when the guy gave me a poem at the end of our date, THE FIRST DATE! Thankfully I had met him somewhere and he didn’t know where I lived. When I told him it wouldn’t work out he kept BEGGING to see me. I get chills just thinking about it.

After dinner we went over to Market Street at the Woodlands and had ice cream. Buzzfest was going on at the Pavilion and My Chemical Romance wafted through the streets. The weather was stellar and we sat and ate our ice cream and people watched. We are never at a loss for conversation and when there is silence it is always comfortable.

We toyed with the idea of going to see ‘Baby Mama’ but we were 15 minutes too late. So…we decided to pack it in and head home. I didn’t have a ton of energy this weekend and going home and getting in my jammies sounded way more enticing that staying out until midnight just because we could. Not sad…just practical.

The rest of the weekend was uneventful. It was rough for me in the fatigue department. Yesterday it took everything I had just to go to the bathroom. We kept the boy cooped up and used the TV as a babysitter…;yes, please nominate us for parents of the year. Nonetheless he really did great.

Week 30

Wow…how the week gets away from you if you blink. A quick recap of the weekend Saturday was ‘girls night’. We raged until the unheard of hour of 11pm. Five of us met at Nic’s studio and went to town making glass jewelry. I’m totally addicted. Even though it was low key it was nice to sit around with the girls, have a glass of wine and watch us all bring to the table our different creative inspirations. The sweet nectar of the wine was delectable.

I found myself the ‘square cutter’…sorry about all that glass I ruined Nic. I think I may have found a new calling and a need for service…once I get good at it of course. We will see…I want to do some ‘technique’ experimenting. I can’t wait until we get to the cold working process in order to finish and polish everything to make ready for sale. Nic should have a good lot come October.

Sunday became productive in the chore department. The hubby finished the plywood in the garage ceiling and we now have a ton of extra space. The boys and I worked in the backyard tidying up and FINALLY planted the lilies, I love progress.

This week has been a chalk full of activity. Work has been crazy with pre-flight prep. As of today I’m in good shape. Tuesday I got bad news regarding my glucose test. I freakin failed by 1 point and Tuesday was so not the day I needed that news. The day started out fine and I shrugged a couple of incidents off but then things just started piling on and on and on. I was done.

When I got the call I had to apologize for taking the news out on them, like it was there fault. I really don't have room in my schedule to give help more than half a day. I knew my diet has been crap this time around and I’ve been pounding a TON of sugary whatever I could get my hands on. I tried to cut back the day before my test but alas…I failed. I’m a failure and now I have the privilege of spending four hours on my birthday in the doctor’s office not eating, drinking sugary stuff and getting poked with a needle once an hour for three hours. Happy Birthday to me!

The rational side of me totally understands this is necessary and will protect myself and the monkey for the remainder of my pregnancy but the selfish side of me says “COME ON”!!

It is what it is and I’ll load up the IPOD with podcasts and bring a book and I will look on the positive side, our cleaning lady comes on Wednesday so I will be out of the house. I will just plan on spreading out what I wanted to get done that morning between now and then. Really…it’s all good and I’m sure I won’t have any issue with passing the next round but here’s hopin.

Update on the boy…he’s moving up to the next class at school. Thank goodness. They were supposed to wait until next week, well…what’s a few days early and I think everyone is happy about it all around. Initial reports are good, he’s adjusting perfectly and all is right in the world, this hour. In a month when the rest of the ‘misfits’ from his class get moved up we will be bracing ourselves for repeat offenses. I hope and pray not.

On that note, this weekend is officially by birthday weekend. The hubby and I have a babysitter and we’re going to dinner. I’m way excited. A new outfit and shoes are in my near future; other than that I will be working on some stuff on ‘my list’ to get done in the next seven weeks.

That's about all I got...wishing a couple of friends luck in their upcoming races this weekend. A Jod is doing a half marathon in Oklahoma and a Melyssa is doing a Triathalon in Louisiana. Mosey on over and wish them luck.

LOVE HIM!

The boy: “Mom…you look beautiful.”

One of those unplanned moments I will remember always.

Stripe 2

The boy had Taekwando last night and he totally rocked it. He is one of the smallest guys in his glass…perhaps by an inch or two, most are 5+ years old and he is the loudest. YES SIR!

Tiger testing is next week and they are trying to get everyone ready to move to the next belt, you have to have your three stripes in your current belt color in order to test to move on to the next belt. I don’t have high expectations the boy will master the third level on Monday, but I don’t count him out either. I watched a boy test for his third stripe and I’m like…holy punches and kicks batman. It was great to watch. Go lil man.

I have to note…when the older kids were getting their stripes (they go in belt color order) the boy was not happy. When his named was called his face just lit up. Oh man did he get my competitive nature. Now I have to explain you don’t get a stripe EVERY time you come to class now. Although if he wanted it bad enough…he prolly would try.

What’s on tap for the weekend? Workin on console late tonight; which I haven’t done in prolly 4 years now. Tomorrow we have a neighborhood BBQ. I’ll make a brief appearance then head out for a girls night at Nic’s house. She has an art studio and it is a wine and jewelry night. I won’t be partaking in the wine part…unfortunately but I sure am going to enjoy the girl time.

That’s about it…I’ll squeeze in planting some lilies that have needed to planted for sometime and perhaps some more organizing in preparation for the monkey. Gots to get my Disney stuff on ebay!!

Happy Friday to all and to all a good weekend!

Real Genius

The family met with the counselor yesterday afternoon and received a tremendous amount of coaching and encouragement. Our son is not a bad seed, we’re not bad parents, and we’re not screwing him up. Whoo…that’s all I needed.

Seriously, the boy was in true form yesterday afternoon. We walked into the doctor’s office and he sat in his own chair, he didn’t obviously feel he needed to be protected by his parents, and began answering questions the doctor asked him. He answered all of them very articulate and to the point. Then the doctor turned to us and asked who the intellectual was in our family. I immediately turned to the hubby and said it sure didn’t come from my side.

In a nutshell what was confirmed is that our son has advanced critical skills but is lacking socially. CHECK. He doesn’t like circle time because he doesn’t want to conform, he wants to lead. CHECK. The biting, spitting and hitting is a form of acting out because he is bored and not stimulated which frustrates him. CHECK. Taking TV away and sending him to his room is not affective at his age because he is unable to think abstractly and understand he did something 5 hours ago and mom and dad are mad and disappointed. The only thing that he sees is that we are disappointed and he wants to fix it and will say and do anything to rectify the situation at that moment. CHECK.

Solution: Look for a Montessori school. They tend to have smaller classes and focus on the child’s needs and skills. Also it was suggested that we get the boy into something to do with the arts; music, dance, or piano lessons in order to allow him to explore his creative side.

We gained some insight and we will try it out. The hard part is the Montessori school. There is one somewhat close to our house but the hubby and I need to decide when the right time would be for the move if we do decided to go that route. I’m thinking the fall since the baby is coming this summer and that is going to be enough of an adjustment for the boy.

I think the hubby and I need to sit and talk with Seth’s teacher and principle so we are all on the same page and perhaps can agree on some adjustments to make all of our lives a bit easier.

All in all I’m glad we took the boy in and received some helpful advice on how to handle behavior and adjustment situations; sounds like he is going to keep us on our toes for the next 18 years.

I can see clearly now…the rain is gone

So I’ve been working on something rather difficult the last few months, a letter; perhaps one of the most difficult and poignant letters in my life. I think I got it right. I’m not going to go into the gory details because it is not really something I’m proud of or want just anyone to know about me.

The high level summary: an ‘event’ occurred a couple of years ago and that event was dealt with poorly or should I say…never dealt with at all. I’ve struggled, put it on the back burner, sought professional help and hoped that the situation would rectify itself (sums up how I handle most difficult situations). I finally realized or accepted that this situation was not going to go away without action from me. Of course not any ole action would do, especially if I wanted to consider those that I care immensely for.

I prayed, sought advice, listened to what others had to say, internalized everything and finally I figured out what my problem was; I was focused more on how to ‘handle’ them instead of me. (Angels singing)

Once I figured out the crux of my blockage the clouds parted and I gained instant clarity. This ‘event’ is about me and those that I care about. The question I had to ask myself is “what actions do I need to take in order to move on for the sake of happiness and living a more fulfilling life?” “How can I make peace with all of this?”

FORGIVENESS

That is such a powerful word to me. It is a word I believe some people use to ‘sweep things under the carpet’. In my opinion many offer forgiveness but cannot or will not deal with the hurt, pain and disappointment to prevent a similar occurrence.

I thought about that, this event cannot be swept under the carpet but two things are key…1. I now know I am not responsible for other ADULTs behavior. 2. I cannot make ADULTs do things they are not capable of doing. Because I now know and accept this I can forgive because anger and bitterness just make you a victim and I refuse to become one.

I also pulled the ole “Dr. Phil” and asked myself how the current situation is working out for me…it’s not. I’m angry and bitter. A different path for me it is. I wrote a letter, voiced my concerns, and offered forgiveness in the purest form. I have made it clear that I don’t condone the actions that were taken and I still hope for some kind of recovery process but I do not expect it. It is up to them to decide to reconcile, not me. I’ve made peace with the fact that may never happen. If it does then we are better off that we all are now and we will take it as it comes with the well-being of the family in the forefront.

The best thing is…I didn’t cry when I composed the letter for the second, third, fiftieth time. That is so not like me. That could mean one of two things: 1. my heart is hardened and the bitterness has taken over (I don’t believe this for a minute) 2. I am doing the right thing and saying the right words because they are the truth, non-accusing and I am not seeking/expecting action and I’m ok with that. I’m choosing to own the power of happiness. (Dang…Tyra Banks is going to come around the corner at any minute yelling ‘panty party’.)

The clouds are still hovering because I haven’t talked the letter over with the hubby but I do currently have a sense of relief and a viable plan for possibilities if they chose to show themselves.

Lesson learned from all this. You are in control of your dreams, your happiness and well-being. There are obstacles that may get in the way but it is up to you to redirect your path in order to move forward toward a rewarding and fulfilling life. It’s never too late to redirect. Those redirections are what open our eyes and make us stronger.

Life, Love and Happiness…have a new meaning to me than just something you see and read on a wall décor plaque hanging in a store.

Updates: Me and the Boys…

The boy: Got into trouble AGAIN yesterday, spitting on a classmate. Seriously…I have no idea where he gets this crap. Wednesday cannot come soon enough. We are at our wits end. Defiance, sure, attention seeking, ok, no respect for the teacher, yeah I get it but DUDE…even those those are all things I understand could go on in a three year old I constantly ask myself, in our obsession with doing everything right did we do something to screw this kid up? I guess we will begin finding stuff out tomorrow.

The monkey: Already in position and uncomfortably moving around. Loves to play kickball with my ribs and I thought he was going to fall out entirely last night. Dude…

The hubby: Down 8 lbs but of course it looks like 15. Men suck when it comes to losing weight...they make it look easy. He has been working hard and I am very proud of him. Fixin fresh veggies, healthy dinners and lunches and cutting his portions down. Last night I asked him if I could buy two tickets to the gun show...hubba...hubba.

Weight: I’m up to 185 with 9 weeks to go, scary, the most I’ve ever weighed. I know I’m prego and I should just roll with it. Whatev, I still gotta loose all that crap AFTER the baby is born. So, I went to the store for lunch and got stuff for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, all organic, whole wheat and low sugar, pink lady apples, reduced sugar oatmeal and healthy nutty snacks. I can still eat but I’ve decided to make better choices.

Me: I said earlier I went to the doc today found out they FORGOT to give me the yucky sweet stuff on my last visit for my Glu.cose testing. I of course ate because I wasn’t instructed not to, so my prize…I get to come back on Friday. Whoo hoo!! I’m a bit frustrated because I have no vacation and I was reminded yesterday that negative vacation should only be used for emergency (I’ve been negative going on 8 of the 9 years I’ve worked here). I’m attempting to manage my time better but life has had other plans. I’ll roll with it and do what I can.

Oh…heard something on the radio this morning that was rather profound. “Stop DOING and start LIVING.” I know I’ve heard it before but for some reason it stuck this time. The statement came from a man that was saying he was old enough to be a grandpa and all of the things he wished he had done as a younger man such as pay attention to nature, take more trips, work less and worry less, enjoy more. Good words to live by in order to achieve a fulfilled life, IMO.

Cleaned out the medicine cabinet yesterday after work, the only reason I mention it is because 1. I can’t believe the amount of EXPIRED crap we had in there (about ¾ of the crap). 2. Need a band-aid…we’ve got Dora, Cars, Shrek, Scooby-Doo, Spiderman, Clear, Brown…small, medium and large…you got a favorite I’m sure we own it. 3. I rock at organizing. I wouldn’t say I have full blown OCD but maybe I suffer ~25%. I am way “Sleep.ing with the En.emy” when it comes to labels on cans and bottles. MUST FACE FORWARD, the beatings are only given if I have to remind the hubby more than once a week, it just makes since. I bought shelf stands for the cabinets and various sizes of take away tupperw.are and labeled them, magnificent work if I must say.

A little bit of crazy to go with your fruit loops…

From Jodie: “Sandy went in to labor, so Nicole and I went with her to the hospital. When we got there, we (nic and I) were telling the doctor that we'd been tired and were gaining weight…so he put us in beds by Sandy and gave us a shot in our foot, well, the shot was pictocin (sp?) and then Nicole and I gave birth to boys and Sandy had a girl. And I was thinking, dang no wonder I was so tired, I was pregnant. “

“So then we were like, oh man, we have to go let Mike Hurt know that Nicole and I will be out for maternity leave. So we came back to the office and they were going to make an announcement about gold badges, Sandy and I saw the list and it was 4 people, but not nicole! It was Tom, Tanya, Lamar and someone else, so we were trying to go warn nicole before the announcement. But then we had to take a test to see how much maternity leave we got…it depended on how much your baby slept and how much you had to nurse, so they only gave me 2 weeks off.”

LOL…I’ll have whatever she’s having.

Lucky Stripe

The boy got his first stripe for self defense last Thursday. Of course I’m the proud, competitive mom and noticed there is a boy that is older and started about a week or two before the boy and HE doesn’t have his first stripe. Don’t let me paint a picture of being that overbearing mom that only sees her son as an overachiever and he has to WIN at everything cause that’s not me…on the outside. I would only admit this to my hubby and my blog. BUT…you go son.

Week 29…Jeepers only 9 more weeks to go.

Friday the hubby and I took off work. We did a ton of stuff, our donations were picked up, I was able to take back the toy room and get it under control and as organized as it could be. The rest of the day was bevy of errands. It was nice to have the day and even though we were not able to spend ‘quality’ time together we made the most of it.

Saturday seems just a blurry. The boy and I went to his school for a couple of hours for the Spring carnival. It was nice, thankfully we went early because I heard it got crazy in the afternoon. As crazy as a day care carnival could get; I picture socs and the greasers challenging each other to a mean game of dodge ball. First rule of playground dodge ball…there are no rules. Heavy stuff…

After naps we headed down south to our friend Nicole’s BBQ housewarming. It was very nice; she even thought ahead and got a moon walk for the kids to keep them occupied. There were babies and food a plenty. It even got chilly out so we broke out the fire pit. We headed out around 10 but I heard they raved until 4. Yeah…I’m too old for that crap.

Sunday the boy woke up with a horrible cough and he and I had a jammie day. I was nice but I was a bit irritable as well…don’t really have a good reason why…oh yeah…I’m pregnant and that is a good enough reason. He and I slept a lot and tried to keep it low keep so he wouldn’t get full blown sick. This morning he seemed to have recovered nicely.

The behavior chart worked for a couple of days then he lost it on Friday. This weekend was ok…better than last but not stellar. Holding out until Wednesday, come on…have a good day today.

Doc appointment tomorrow.

The Soundtrack of My Life

Do you ever hear yourself saying...”That song reminds me of…” or if I had a soundtrack that song would be on it.

Well, I finally put it to paper. This is still a work in progress but I think I got a pretty good start. The last decade is way easier to put music to than the first 2. If I think about it music wasn’t a big part of me when I was young. I used sports to escape instead.

Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
I Say a Little Prayer For You - Natalie Cole
Take Me Home Country Roads – John Denver
Rocky Mountain High – John Denver
Seasons in the Sun – Terry Jacks
Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On – Mel McDaniel
Coward of the County – Kenny Rogers
Little Sister – Elvis Pressley
These are the Days – 10000 Maniacs
Sweet Dreams – Eurhythmics
Borderline - Madonna
The Chauffer – Duran Duran
Your Love - Outfield
Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield
Sister Christian – Night Ranger
And She Was – Talking Heads
Everybody Wants to Rule the World – Tears For Fears
Blame it on the Rain – Millie Vanilli
Don’t You (Forget About Me) – Simple Minds
Crazy For You – Madonna
Lovesong - Tesla
Seventeen - Winger
Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin Another – Journey
Take My Breath Away - Berlin
School’s Out – Alice Cooper
Summer Nights – Van Halen
I’ll Still Be Loving You – Restless Heart
Argue- Matchbox Twenty
Hang- Matchbox Twenty
Beautiful - Flickerstick
Should I Stay or Should I Go – The Clash
Rest Stop - Matchbox Twenty
Angel – Sarah MacLaughlin
Independence Day – Martina McBride
Rocket Man – Elton John
The Distance - Cake
Stay – Dave Matthews Band (DMB)
Crush - DMB
Ant Marching – DMB
Dancing Nancies – DMB
Santeria – Sublime
Girls Just Want to Have Fun – Cindy Lauper
All By Myself – Eric Carmen
Anytime – EVE6
Telluride – Tim McGraw
A Girl Like You – Pete Yorn
Bright Lights - Matchbox Twenty
She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5
Back in the USSR – Beatles
Burrito – Pete Yorn
Red Rain – Peter Gabriel
Anywhere Is – Enya
I Had the Time of My Life – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warner
Listen to Your Heart – Heart
2 Find You – Jewel
Major Tom – Peter Schilling
Do…Do…Do…Da…Da…Da – The Police
Chapel of Love – Dixie Cups
Californication – Red Hot Chili Peppers
She’s Having A Baby -
Problem Girl - Rob Thomas
100 Years – Five For Fighting
Lose Yourself – Enimen
Everyday - DMB
Open Road Song – EVE 6
Surfing on a Rocket - Air
Fins – Jimmy Buffet
Undeniable – Mat Kearney
Balance Beam – Blue October
Camera One – Josh Joplin Group
Best In Me – Sherwood

It’s funny to look how mainstream my picks are until recently, I can thank my hubby for that. He totally should have gone on Rock N Roll Jeopardy, he knows EVERYTHING. Obscure crap, who sings what and if I had half of his knowledge I would be rich with all the money he bets that I would know an artist or a song. I’m like…huh. I have begun to share his passion for music and really enjoy when we can make it to a show every now and again.

Picasso I'm not...

Week 28

The monkey’s room is painted and it looks great, it took 2 men and 6 hours later…best 170 bucks ever spent. I scheduled Goo.dWill to come do a pickup on Friday so that put us in declutter mode. The hubby got a new desk and book cases for his office (he put it together…that won’t be happening again…manual labor and him do not get along). I have to give him credit he did well. His hands are sore but the office looks great.

I washed a lot of the monkey’s stuff, mostly left over from the boy. I also started putting things where they belong, not necessarily setting them up but just storing them out the open versus the garage or the monkey’s closet. I only have 10 more weekends and the next two are going to be packed pretty full. Next weekend we will go to a friend’s house warming BBQ and the following week another BBQ and girls night. Hells yeah I’m going to girl’s night. I will be my last for awhile.

Back to Goo.dWill the next big task to tackle between now and Friday is the boy’s toys. Holy cow there is so much. I was proud of myself for throwing away the Mc.Donald’s toys he got in our happ.y meal the other day. The toy room is overflowing and 50% is mostly crappy pirate, robot, whatever the theme for the week is toys.

Speaking of the boy, we had a rough weekend behavior wise and Monday did not bode to well at school either. So…we’re calling in a professional. The prof. already made the assessment that the boy sounds like he does not listen to people he doesn’t respect; totally true. Also he initially confirmed one of my concerns at this age that the boy can’t rationalize how his current actions are going to get him in trouble later on during the day. I thought that may be the case.

So, to try something different I made up a behavior chart for him (i.e., downloaded a free one online) we decorated it and we/he decided on what to work on for the week. Every two days that are full of stickers he gets a treat, that he picks and it can’t be a toy or something that costs money. The first round of reward he picked chocolate milk at dinner. We are working at sitting and listening during circle time, yeah…he just wonders. Dressing himself in the morning and at night, this will help when the monkey arrives. Practice writing his name at night, we send his chart and his name writing practice to school with him so his teacher can see.

The hubby and I have been so frustrated with him we’ve lost our patience with the entire situation more than enough times. The professional isn’t someone just for the boy it is also help for us to learn tools to deal with the unfavorable behaviors. I think, as most parents do, we expect a lot because the boy is smart and he looks older than he is. So...we’ve decided to stop the yelling, be more positive and teach rather than scold. Oh he still doesn’t get to watch his shows nor does he get to play if he has had a bad day but we now turn to talking about what happened, talking about the right choices and motivate him with rewards that he chooses. We see the professional for the first time next Wednesday. I’ll report back in.

I’m getting bigger by the moment it seems. Today the monkey was playing footsie with my ribcage, that’s always fun. I’m still tired. I have to take at least a small nap during the day to carry on. My concentration level sucks, I don’t want to do anything but sleep and bitch it seems lately. Oh well. Only 10 more weeks then it will all be over right…HA…I’m not naïve enough to believe that. But I do think I’m armed emotionally to handle what is thrown my way.

Last WOman Standing

Week 27

I am now the official last woman standing regarding pregnant women in my dept. Three down…one to go and that is me. The three that went before me had great deliveries, no complications and all the mommies and boys are doing fine. We’ve managed to have lunch with at least one of them once a week sense February. It’s been fun. The first of us four just came back to work today. I know she’s feeling it.

How am I feeling? TIRED! Actually, that is how I’m feeling right now. This weekend was a busy one and I’m sleeping like crap. It’s almost like I’m so tired I can’t get a good sleep in. Come on…In a few months lack of sleep will become a way of life... Can’t I just get one good one 6 out of the 7 days in a week? Please? The monkey seems to be up at 1-1:30 and again around 5. Yeah…yeah…yeah…I know he’s probably less and less comfortable as all that room starts filling up with HIM. I do love to feel him move though. Even in the middle of the night. There is something very comforting to know I’m doing my job.

Last Friday was the hubby’s birthday. We kept it low key at his request. I got him some cross trainers for working out, a couple of pair of shorts and a few shirts as well. I thought it would help him stay motivated. He’s been doing a really good job sticking to his work outs and eating plans. Hopefully it will motivate me in a few months.

Saturday we ran some errands and had lunch at Zio’s then starting watching ‘No Cou.ntry For Old Men’. We haven’t finished it yet because the boy got up from his nap…of course it’s a 2.5 hour movie and gone are the days that the boy sleeps that long (unless it is with me).

The family then tackled the garage. Moved stuff back into the house that had made its way out into the garage. Trashed stuff we hadn’t missed sense we moved 3 years ago and piled a gynormous amount of empty boxes in the corner waiting to be moved to the garage ceiling where the hubby would be installing plywood on Sunday to accommodate said items.

Man…that was some work. I was beat Saturday night and it showed as I went to bed around 9:30. But…it doesn’t matter cause my sleep sucks.

Sunday we started out trying to help hubby install the plywood but it was just as well that the boy and I stayed out of his way. Things were not going right and yeah…we went inside to escape the cussing and snearing.

In the afternoon we headed over to Landon’s house for his 2nd birthday. It started out as a Ne.mo themed party earlier in the week but he soon discovered bat.man and it was everything bat.man from then on out.

Maddox, the boy and Landon were the only true kids. Mr. Danny and Mr. Loi could also qualify with that label. The kids had a lot of fun playing in the yard, scarfing birthday cake and cheese balls. We finally said goodbye, a bit early but we were all spent. Made it home and to bed.

Yeah…nothing too exciting, we are trying to hire someone to paint the baby’s room. Our neighbors told us they would get us a number and haven’t come through yet…HELLO…do you see this big o belly. Time is something I don’t have. Hopefully they will have it by this weekend or we are going to need to do some more asking to someone else.

At this point paint is the main thing we need to check off our list. Yeah…I think I need onsies and cloth diapers to use as burp/spit up rags. Other than that we are set. In a month we’ll start ‘staging’ everything to be ready but purchasing a million things is not something we have to worry about this time. Thank goodness.

I go to the doctor in a couple of weeks for my Glu.cose test. FUN…I could have sworn last time they gave me the sweet stuff at the appmt prior to the actual test so I could drink it before hand and wouldn’t have to sit and wait for an hour. I guess requirements have changed. FUN! I must remember to bring a book.

Other than that not much else is exciting news. The hubby reminded me I need to get the boxes out of my office closet, which also doubles as the guest room before his mom comes out. Didn’t have that one on my ‘to do’ list. I don’t think it will be a problem once we get’s the monkey’s closet unpacked with the stuff we actually need for his arrival.

OH…I ate fish last week, a few times, YAY me. That is one thing that I haven’t really had the pallet for this time around. But I do want to eat healthier than I have been. Fish tacos have really been a hit at our house the last week or so.

Yeah…I got nothing else. A lot of drama at work is going on but I know better than to post it here. Things should be back to normal in a month or so.

Peace out!

Hell yeah I'm on fire...

Week 25

Went to the doc last Friday, was there all for 10 minutes. Weight is good (however a little much for me) 177. I started at 155…which was about 10 lbs heavier than my first pregnancy. I got up to 183 with the first so I’m hoping I won’t go over 195 with this one. Although I’m not really trying hard to watch what I eat, my body tells me what it wants. Sometime it is all veggie all the time (very rare) or sugar…sugar…ahhhh…honey…honey. It’s the last one…so I’m enjoying every bit of it.

I pre-registered at the hospital so we are all good to go for June 18th. I got the paint for the room but the ceilings are too high so the fam will try and tackle it this weekend. I can prolly wait until the following weekend to give the hubby a break but it will be more and more difficult the bigger I get.

We got a newborn swing or I should say a 'soothing center'. It is supposed to be awesome. I put it together over the weekend, it looks great. Can’t wait to put the lil monkey in it, hopefully he will LOVE it.

Oh…I bought a prego bathing suit and went to the beach this past weekend. Not to bad. I did feel like a cow cause my legs have gotten bigger but it was comfortable and hid most of the right things. If I could have worn something head to toe and still gotten sun and been fashionable I would have worn that. Whatev…come this time next year…I’m going to have a rockin body. That’s my goal.

This past weekend was a whirlwind but really…really fun. The hubby went to New Or.leans to meet up with a few of his childhood friends. They came from California and Florida. So it was just the boys and I left to fend for ourselves.

Saturday the boy went back to Taekwondo for the second time. This time he participated the entire time and followed most of the directions. I was VERY proud of him. I think he is going to do great and it is just what he needs to get him on the right track regarding following directions, focusing and what not. I think holding off on soccer another year will be better for him as well. Letting him focus on the Taekwondo and getting a year under his belt (no pun intended) will allow him to excel in other activities/sports.

So…we started at Taekwondo, moved on to IHOP for breakfast then went to Galv.eston to meet the Rhodes’ and the Vije’s for a day at the beach. OMG…the boys LOVED it. The water was cold but I wouldn’t get out in that pit if you paid me to. The boy ran and ran and ran, dug and dug and dug and he still kept going. We did have the unfortunate incident with the sandcastle…but we moved on and played nice the rest of the time.

After the beach we all went back to the Vije’s house for dinner, surf and turf. The kid’s played in the other room. So many toys, so little time. The girls sat in the kitchen and talked, the big boys were at the grill and the lil boys in the living room. It was perfect, a very nice adult evening with the kids.

Then came the jalapenos…and fire...fire..fire.

HOLY COW!! 40 jalapenos later and about 15 minutes after I was finished jeepers…my hands were on fire. I don’t mean minor discomfort or skin irritation type fire. I mean…5 alarm…I would peel the skin off my hands if it would make it stop fire. Just in case this happens to you the following will not work: Toothpaste, Malox, milk, vinegar, limes or baking soda. All found online. Yes, the milk, vinegar, limes and baking soda relieve the pain for about 10 minutes then it’s back to just laughing at you...you think you are going to get relief...here you go with more pain. If rubbing poo on my hands would have made it stop I would have gladly done it....twice.

Finally…we stopped with the baking soda and Mel gave me gloves to keep from making a mess. Jod and Mel kept spooning the baking soda in my gloves to make me believe I would at any moment get some relief. I was afraid to touch the boy, go to the bathroom or put my hands anywhere near anything that may hold the oil from the jalapenos. I made it home, painfully took a shower and settled in bed for a long night. Thankfully I was so exhausted a fell asleep pretty quickly and when I woke up in the morning only a light sting on my finger tips and the lingering spiciness when I licked my fingers would remind me of the previous evenings ‘ordeal’. I still felt that sting through Sunday and Monday I woke up sting free. Good grief. Moral of the story…do not offer to cut jalapenos without kevlar kitchen gloves. BTW…I’m doing a safety pitch at work from my lil ‘experience'.

Sunday the boy and I slept in, it was glorious. We got up and made it to the 12:15 showing of ‘Horton Hears a Who’. Great movie, I don’t recall ever reading the book. But it went really fast the boy was mezmorized. There was a lot of adult references and humor. Nothing crude but very subtle, the boy would look at me and ask me why I was laughing…of course he found nothing funny.

We shared some peanut M&M’s and as the boy sat on my lap the monkey in my belly started kicking him. The boy was giggling. And so it begins…don’t make me separate you two!

We picked the hubby up from the airport and he was tired. Coming and at 3:30 and 5:30 in the mornings isn’t what they used to be. Every now and again it is nice to have those lil reminders of why we don’t act like we are 30 anymore.

It was a great weekend, the kind I like, busy but chalk full of family fun and socializing. I wish the hubby had been here to enjoy. We’ll make an effort for the future.

Peas on Earth!

Week 21

Went to the doc on Tuesday, this time I got it right. I’m notorious for showing up at the doc office on days I’m not scheduled…the hubby doesn’t really like it when I do that. Anyway…we got this one right. Finally got the report on the ultrasound, all is good and normal, measurements look great. We officially set the C-section date as June 18th and now I need to register at the hospital. Doc says I’m about four weeks away from feeling extremely tired and fatigued…really…is that just something that happens the entire pregnancy cause I haven’t really NOT been tired and fatigued…do you mean to tell me it is going to get worse? FINE! I’m done with this…next.

The hubby is going to Ve.gas this weekend and the first part of next week for work. Wish him luck although he doesn’t need it. They are going to kill!!
The boy and I will be left to our own devices…Saturday night I will be attending our street Flamingo party, I’ll be the prego one raging. Whatev…10:30 and I’m pretty much done. Sunday we may take another trip to the zoo with some friends, it is supposed to be nice out and we better take advantage while the weather is bearable. We will see tho.

That’s all I got…peace out.

Pa…We’re officially OLD!!

The hubby and I went on a date Saturday night. I was glorious. It’s been awhile since it has been just the two of us and it was a long time coming. The plan was for dinner then off to an establishment to see a bunch of bands play. Our favorite thing to do. Well…

Dinner was sushi…my favorite except I have had to dial it down with being preggers and all…no raw stuff for me and boy does that limit the menu. The hubby picked out Chi, a new restaurant in the Woodlands; it was superb. Great service, great atmosphere, great vibes and I haven’t even spoke about the sushi yet…YUMO-O, even the baked stuff was delightful. The sushi bar looked inviting but we chose a table instead we will definitely try the bar on a return trip.

After din we headed to the venue, some dive in Spring called JAVA.JAZZ coffee house. I’m expecting ya know…a coffee house. I immediately knew we were in for it when I saw the line outside. Put it this way when the hubby and I were standing in line I turned to him and said if I wasn’t us I would so be making fun of us right now! Why you ask…because the average age of the patrons at this ‘coffee house’ were probably 17-18. Holy smokes! I never felt so old in my life. The bands were young…yes but the headliner Sherwood wasn’t that young and their music isn’t really teeny bopper. Oh well. We still managed ‘in our old age’ to have a good time. We Shoot the Moon was good and so was Sherwood. The Higher was…eh… as was the Matrix…the Magic…whatever some M band that all the girlies lined up to get their picture with.

At one point a few band members were standing next to me and the hubby suggested I turn to one…rubbing my prego belly and ask one of them if they remembered me from Portland. Oh…priceless but I didn’t have the nads.

It was a great night but I think we’ll stick with shows at the Meridian and places like that…my teen years are so over.

Week 19

Technically I am halfway through this pregnancy; officially, I will be halfway next week. We are planning June 18th to be Sage’s official birthday, unless he or God have plans for earlier.

Halfway assessment: I get tired really easy. I cleaned the closet last weekend, got rid of my normal clothes and busted out the maternity clothes that will get me through the summer and did all the laundry, come Sunday I felt awful. I knew I had overdone it but dang it…I didn’t want to do anything super bowl Sunday. When I have busy, stressful days at work I go to bed at 8:30, just as soon as the boy is down. The good thing is the nausea has stopped and I’m no longer taking meds for it. I am very greatful for that. I purchased a workout vid I saw in Fit. Pregnancy from Gabby.Reece. I feel like a big lump from not working out and I’m hoping that will give me an energy boost.

Went to my big ultrasound today…the official one where they take a look at all of the organs and anatomy and measure. This of course was done by a tech who couldn’t tell us anything but the obvious or not so obvious, such as a tibia, fibula, kidneys and so on. It was great to see the lil guy again, movin around and I can’t get enough of seeing his little heart beating. I don’t feel him as much as I thought I would, if I would have chronicled my first pregnancy I may have some idea. But the tech said there was still a lot of fluid in there so I may not be feeling him all the time but I will. It looks as if he is trying out for an acrobat team so it is probably a good thing I can’t feel him yet.

Found out an interesting fact…the tech asked if I had had sugar that morning and I told him OJ…love me some OJ. He said that would explain why the baby was so active. I told him I had caffeine (which successfully quit) the last time I had an ultrasound and the lil guy looked liked he was trying to kick out of my stomach. The tech said it was the sugar that the baby was reacting to and not the caffeine. Evidently sugar is immediately transferred and felt by the baby, through the mouth. Good grief…I’m going to have a sugar baby.

My next prenatal appmt is Tuesday so yay, I’ll be able to get the results. He looked beautiful to me. I just can’t imagine what/who is going to look like when he is born.

On to work stuff…good grief I’m busy. We have two ladies out on maternity leave, two of my coordinators in Florida for the launch…PLEASE LET US LAUNCH TOMORROW and I’m getting the sneaking suspicion that everyone outside and inside the organization that can’t get a hold of the person they need is calling me. Well why shouldn’t they…I’m either everyone’s backup, covering or the default. It’s a love/hate relationship. I’m just tired and I really need us to launch and I’m not going to say anymore because I’ve read dooce and I know better than to talk about co-workers on my blog!

Peace out and we’ll catch you on the flip side.

Confirmed

I had my gender confirmation ultrasound today. Yep…it’s all there and still a boy. I was so excited to see the lil guy. There he was in all his glory kicking up his legs like he already didn’t have enough room, if that is a sign to come…oh good grief. Thankfully I can’t feel him yet because he was going at it. All the excitement may have been from the vanilla chi latte I had this morning. Whoo hoo…caffeine! I’ll post the pix shortly.

I was relieved to see him again moving around, from his profile it showed his full lips, piggy nose like mine and his brother. Beautiful…simply beautiful.

A friend of mine had her baby January 15th; she is the first of four of us that work together to ‘shoot one out’ as someone referred to it the other day. A few of us went to see her yesterday. That was the littlest 9lb baby I’ve ever seen. Of course I’m used to a 42 pound baby…well…boy. Luke was precious. I just wanted to eat him up.

Our new washer and dryer were delivered yesterday. Thanks hon…but I’ve noticed an interesting trend…my hubby has now become obsessed with doing laundry. He was mumbling something about knocking down walls and redesigning the laundry room last night. I left him alone with his obsessing. He is most likely having blue prints drawn up as I type. I’m not crazy…he can keep on…keeping on.

Week 16

Ready to hear the baby’s heartbeat again.

This weekend was very productive for the family. Saturday morning the hubby spent some time with the boy so I could get my home office in order. It’s been a pit for the last 6 months. In cleaning up I found my comforter from when I was in my apartment which is in perfectly good shape we just didn’t have a place for it…well now we do. I converted the futon into a bed and readied it for sleeping, complete with comforter, which gave me more room in the closet to ‘hide’ stuff as the hubby puts it. Having this available will help on those nights when I can’t sleep, i.e. the hubby is snoring to loud. Also when the baby comes I reckon I’ll spend the first few months up there so the hubby can get quality sleep to go into work and when we start trading sleep days someone will get some good rest in our bed. Bottom line…YAY! Big accomplishment!

The organization bug hit hubby as well as he cleaned out both pantries which is perfect since he again accuses me of ‘hiding’ things. This way he knows where everything is. Saturday night we had sushi…well…I had fake sushi but I tell myself it is the real thing so I won’t crave it so bad. It was good and I topped it off with raspberry zingers.

Sunday the boy and I headed down south to meet some friends at the Bayou Animal Park in Alvin. I never knew this existed. It is an animal park where the animal roam free and you get to feed them from the tram. As soon as we pulled into the park in our car we were attached by an ostrich, some Emu’s and a couple of Lama’s. I stopped to let some dear pass and an Ostrich came up and started pecking on my window. The Llama was on the other side trying to get our attention…it was really quite a scene.

After lunch we boarded a tram with our feed. The trip lasted about 30 minutes and the kids really enjoyed it. We saw all kinds of animals Lemurs, Ostrichs, Llamas, Deer, Zonkey, Rhino, I got to pet a Longhorn and a Camel. We also saw Zebras, Bison, 10 ft Alligator (which I did not pet) and various other animals. It was really nice, a bit pricey and probably only worth going a couple of times a year (Fall and Spring). I would go back. The kids were tired (except for mine).

The hubby stayed home and cleaned out the laundry room…we are getting a new washing machine and dryer delivered on Tuesday and that room was just another pit. The hubby surprised me last week by asking me to come take a look a few W/D and he said he didn’t like the fact it takes me more than two days to do a weeks worth of laundry and it was only going to worse with the little one so why not. He takes care of me. I can’t EVEN explain how much I loathe to do laundry. Well…let’s say I loathe doing more than three loads of laundry with more still waiting.

I have an ultrasound on Thursday. I am very much anticipating this appointment as we will be able to hear and see the baby. I guess because I’m bigger than last time and not yet feeling him regularly I’m getting ansy. I just want that reassurance everything is ok. Like I said last week I am still naucous and my boobs still hurt so I tell myself that’s something. I think I feel flutters every now and again but nothing regular and I don’t know if that is my mind wanting to think it is the baby moving or it really is. I think too much sometimes.

The boy is doing pretty good. We are getting better with the tantrums but he is very strong-willed and still wants to do what he wants first then he will ‘consider’ what you are asking. I don’t want to use excuses but he is three and we are seeing progress. Good days and bad days.

I also think he is warming up to the realization he is having a brother and not a sister. He did start saying good night to ‘baby Sage’ this weekend and kissing my belly. It took him a few weeks to understand it is a boy named Sage in there instead of a girl named Sydney.

The hubby is talking to the baby as well. Since my belly is becoming more pronounced it is something he can’t help but see every time he looks at me. He is happy just a lot to do between now and then. We’re an excellent team and we’ll get there.

More on Thursday after my doctor appmt.

OOOH…I think I felt him move a couple of times…he LOVES cherry limades I’m suspecting.

Week 15

I’m feeling better this week as far as the pregnancy goes. I seem to have a bit more energy and my appetite has allowed me to consume healthy foods instead of junk. That’s a good sign. I’ve been feeling flutters at night off and on. For whatever reason concern is in the back of my head, I think it is because I am feeling good that I’m wondering if I’m still pregnant. I haven’t felt the flutters in a couple of days but other than that I have other reason to feel that way. I must just have to have something to worry about. I have read that it is normal to have those feelings. I have an ultrasound on Thursday so I am very much looking forward to that and I’m going to my OB on Friday. I’m sure all is well as I didn’t take my nausea meds last night and I felt nauseous this morning and almost spewed a couple of times.

I think we have settled on a name…Sage Logan. There is not a big selection of S names but I think the hubby did good as he came up with that combination. We are a family of 4’s now.

We’ve started our list of stuff to get done. Mostly organizing rooms right now, not really having anything specifically to do with the baby but it is prep work. Man…I would love to hire a personal organizer to come in and do all of it for me. I just don’t have the motivation to do anything. Today…I want to sleep badly.

California 2007

Nothing exciting happened getting ready or going to the airport. We were shocked to see it as crowded as it was. Our place left at 7:45a. I didn’t really know that many people flew the day after Christmas…the airport was packed.

The boy was excited as it was his first plane ride. He did great. Of course it wasn’t as relaxing for me as past plane rides but we made it…relatively unscathed. Thank god for portable DVD players. That helped tremendously.

We arrived in San Diego around 9:30ish, got our car and we were off to the hubby’s sister’s house to meet up with Nana, Papa, Mema and the cousins for breakfast. I was tired but it was very nice to see everyone and the kids immediately bonded. Stef offered to watch Seth while we went and checked in at the hotel and took a little nap. It was heavenly. So…this is what it is like to have family help. I so want to move to San Diego.

Thursday we went to Lego.land and everyone else in the city had the same plan. It was relatively crowded but it wasn’t unbearable. The hubby took lots of pictures and it was really cool to see what they can do with Le.go’s. It was a long day but finally we made it back to the hotel for a nap. Thankfully it was only 5 minutes away. That night we had dinner at Mema’s. It was nice…again the kids entertained each other and we adults got to talk. I had a nice conversation with the hubby’s mom. She’s a great lady.

Friday found us at Nana and Papa’s house for Christmas. We started with stockings, broke for breakfast and finished 8 hours later with the packages. Holy cow…talk about tired…I stared feeling icky by the end of the day. We ended up eating dinner at Claim Jumper. Do not recommend. Gnasty food and I paid for it about 1:30 in the morning when I saw it again…

Saturday I stayed in bed all day. I felt like ASS…like an asses ass. It was bad. Lack of sleep, no appetite, which is not good when you are pregnant…especially when you are pregnant cause the baby wants his food regardless. So I was forced to go to the store they had in the lobby and picked up Pringles and peanut M&M’s and a Diet Dr. Pepper. Hubby and the boy went to the hubby’s longtime friends house for brunch. I was sorry I missed it…but like I said…ASS.

It was nice of the hubby though to give me the day to recover. He spent the day with Stef then went over to Mema’s and they decided it would be good for the boy to have his first sleep over. And he did magnificently. Went to bed on time, stayed in his bed all night, woke up happy, had breakfast. Man…I wish we were in San Diego.

Sunday we went to pick the boy up then met the fam for brunch before heading out to the Aquarium. We had fun but the boy was grumpy and so was mommy. I started feeling worse and decided we all needed naps. I woke from my nap with a fever so the hubby took the boy to Mema’s for dinner to give me some more recovery time. Dinner didn’t settle right with the boy because at 2 am I was calling the front desk telling them soiled sheets were in the hallway and could they send up more. Also…doing laundry at time in the morning was stellar as well.

Needless to stay I didn’t recover very well and the boy did. It had to have been the vodka in the spaghetti sauce he had at Mema’s. Nice…Monday the hubby went to pick up Stef and they picked up some movies for me along with medicine my doctor’s office finally authorized. It was heavenly. The Waitress was a good movie, don’t waste your time with The Ex and there was one more I don’t remember what it was…forgettable obviously. But it was better than what was showing on tv. Happy new year everyone!

Tuesday we went to Balboa Park with Nana, Papa and Stef. It was really nice and finally I felt good. I still had my cold but the medicine was definitely helping to keep me going. That night we called Mema and asked if she would watch the boy so the hubby and I could go out for sushi with Stef. SHE SAID YES. Again…why don’t we live in San Diego again?

We ate at Sushi on the Rocks it was nice and pretty good stuff. Of course I could only order the cooked stuff which wasn’t as good as the real stuff in my opinion but it was WAY better than nothing as I have been craving it forever. We had great conversation and I really think Stef and I had an great chance to bond. It was really nice and I’m glad we did it.

Wednesday we had breakfast at Mema’s then took the kids to Moonlight beach. A beach the hubby hung out on as a kid. It was really nice and the boy loved the ocean. It was his first beach experience and even though the water was cold he played and played and got wet and laughed and loved every bit of it. I got such joy seeing him have his first experience. What a boy.

Wednesday night we went over to Stef’s for pizza and Nana and Papa joined us. They surprised us with a cake and an anniversary card. It was very thoughtful of them all. We were leaving the next day and wow…we were all ready to go home. I loved San Diego, would love to live there but man…home is home and it was time to get back.

Thursday was a long day. It started out very nice. It was our fourth anniversary. Happy anniversary baby. We started off to the airport and settled in for the ride home. Thankfully it was an hour less than going there so that helped. The boy did great, better than on the way out there and he actually managed to fall and stay asleep during landing. Crazy kid. We did it…our first family vacation via plane…in the books.

Christmas 2007

The holidays are here and I am not sure if it because we are leaving, being pregnant or the stuff going on with the hubby and I but I am just not in the holiday spirit. I didn’t want to put the Christmas tree up and I probably wouldn’t have if we didn’t have a three year old that would have been very disappointed.

Thankfully the hubby took care of most of the stuff for the boy. I did help with some internet shopping for his niece and nephew, the only way to go. We scaled WAY back on the boy this year but still manage to get a ton of stuff…nothing like living vicariously through your child…lol. We had tamales for dinner. We are left the day after Christmas so we didn’t want to cook a big ole meal. It was very tasty.

Christmas morning found us up and around about 7:45…late by the boy’s standards. He is usually up and around before 7. Thanks son. We opened stocking stuffers first which took over an hour. WOW! Then we had breakfast. The hubby made his French toast and I made bacon…REAL bacon. YUM-O!

With our bellies full we went commenced opening of packages. As much as we scaled back we still managed to overwhelm the boy. LOL. Whatever…this will be his last Christmas by himself so let him have fun. I gave the hubby a poster of the boy I made with different pictures taken throughout the year, an automatic wine chiller, a couple of work out shirts and best of all…drum roll please…IT’s A BOY! That’s right. I bought a boy outfit and wrapped it up. He was a bit freaked out because he really had his mind set on a girl. I had a few days to wrap my head around because I too thought it was a girl. Oh…and when we told the boy…not happy. “I don’t like boys…”. So…we will ease into that one. The hubby got me some great stuff…one that stands out was a Coach purse and wallet…uhm…WE WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO BUY GIFTS! It was awesome and they are beautiful. He is always very generous and thoughtful when it comes to gifts.

We packed the rest of the day, only to stop for tamales for dinner. We wanted something low key since we were heading out for 9 days at the butt crack of dawn. And so our trip begins…

Someone Wanted to Say Hi!

I love reading other people’s blog about their pregnancy week by week and I told myself I would be diligent in documenting my next pregnancy. Well…here I am week 15 and I’m just now starting. So…here I begin.

The hubby and I decided to try and have another baby. We have one son who is now 3 so we thought it was time. We didn’t really start trying until September when I bought an ovulation kit and dear hubby was right on target! A couple of weeks later and bam…two lines…looks like we’re pregnant.

I went to see my OB at 8 weeks for pregnancy confirmation. I was very nervous for some reason and nauseous plus the hubby and I were going through some stuff. But…we’re working on it and I’m not going to go into detail about that.

First of all I LOVE my OB. She is everything a doctor should be...personable, sympathetic, cute, knowledgeable and just an overall good person. She radiates goodness. She is only a few years older than me and it is comforting to know she has done it all…four times to be exact and she knows exactly what I’m going through.

The doc did an ultrasound and there the baby was…heartbeat a blazin. The doc said she thought it may be a girl based on the heartbeat (188). Oh man…the hubby was ecstatic. That’s exactly what he wanted to hear. I told her about my nausea and feeling tired…really tired. I just don’t remember feeling this way with my first…even though I know every pregnancy is different. The doc confirmed that ‘her ladies’ (I love that she calls them that) on their second pregnancy ‘FEEL’ everything much more than the first time. More tired, more pains…more everything. So…I must be doing it right…I guess.

Because of my age…a ripe old 35…I’m considered higher risk for a baby born with downs or cystic fibrosis and any another number of abnormalities so the doc recommended we get a neural translucency test and blood work done to analyze the growth and health of the baby and we also get an early opportunity to find out the sex of the baby through blood work. I spoke to a few co-workers that had the same test done for various reasons and they assured me it was non evasive and very helpful…just as the doc had explained so…we did it.

At 12 weeks, Dec 20th, I went in for the neural translucency test. The baby wanted to say “Hi” as shown in the pic. Everything looks good via ultrasound…everything is where it should be, all 10 fingers and toes. Now we wait for the blood work. They are going to expedite the gender testing to get us results prior to Christmas. YAY…I think I won’t tell the hubby and let him open his present on Christmas morning.

The next day I had my monthly OB appointment. I did the fun stuff that normally happens at the once of year checkup. The beauty is the doc is fast and friendly and it’s over before it begins. We listened to the heartbeat and she was happy to hear the US went well. I had more blood draws and that freakin tech butchered my arm. Gotta love when they are in the middle of getting blood from your vein and they turn the needle almost sideways. “oops” was what she said…really…oops…that’s all you can come up with. Now I have I nice purplish veiny marks on my right arm…for the next couple of weeks.

I got a call from Wendy, the lady who said she would call me about the sex of the baby around 3p and…well…I can’t tell you now…the hubby doesn’t even know yet. So I am going to the store and buy and outfit to wrap up as a gift and let the hubby find out Christmas morning. Man…it’s going to be hard to keep to myself.

I picked the boy up from school and we went to my Granny’s house to do our Christmas. We are leaving for California on the 26th and because of family tension we try to keep a low profile around the holidays. My Aunt from Tennessee is in town and I wanted to make sure we all spent some time together before we/she left.

I had told my Granny about the baby a few weeks ago but asked her to keep it to herself. I haven’t figured out a way to tell my parents since I haven’t spoken to them in a year and a half and going on six months of not speaking with my sister. I still haven’t figured it out…I guess I need to talk to my counselor about that one.

I decided to go ahead and tell my Aunt, Papa and Uncle and I showed them the US pic. They thought it was great but I hated not telling them what it was…since I knew...but I desperately wanted to tell the hubby first. We all had a great visit, I was so happy my Aunt got to see the boy and we were able to see Granny and Papa before the holidays. They all know about the issue between my parents and are supportive and hopeful we will all work it out. Ya know…I hope so too.

Starting over...Again.

I mentioned in my last post that taking a few minutes to read a few my running blogs really motivated me to make time for me and running. So...I just did.

I ran today. Ran 1 and walked 1. I didn't have high expectations, I just wanted to get my sea legs out there. Luckily I was able to do a majority of the run under some shade on the 800 meter trail at work. While I was walking I took a moment to stroll down memory lane. This is where it all began last year, mainly because I was intimidated by the long track. I worked up to four miles before I thought myself worthy to run with the big dogs...then I smoked it and got up to 11 miles on the long track. Not to mention that training led to finishing a half marathon.

I took those first steps today again, onto something bigger. Over all it felt great. I'm planning on Yoga tomorrow so I can get a good stretch and if the boy stays in his bed through the night tonight I plan to get an early morning workout as well.

Here's to first steps...

Hello...anybody out there...?

(crickets chirping)

Yes, I'm still alive and well. There seems to be too much to do and not enough time to do it. So...what have I done...stopped bloggin and runnin. Two of the things that I really like and are all mine. Sad.

So, I have some free time today and I thought I would catch up on what I've been missing for the last few months. NO...I don't really have free time I'm just taking it! So there.

Nothing truly exciting to report. Launching a shuttle every two months is really testing our resources and my sanity and I think every woman I know is pregnant.

I'll try and make more time next week. I need to get back in the saddle with running...it's funny blogging today and reading others blogs has really got me motivated. Just what I need.

Have a great weekend...make your hotel reservations now as to escape the wrath of Dean. Duh Duh Duhn....EEEEEEE.

From the beginning...of May

The fam took a our first family vacation to Seaworld May 04-06th. The trip was great. We went to the Riverwalk, Seaworld and Splashtown. I will update the boy’s blog with with the details. It wasn’t too relaxing but the time spent bonding as a family was priceless.

No running…

Mothers’s Day was great. I now have yet another Gar.min product. The hubby bought me a GPS for the car. Where has this been all my life. I even brought it to Florida with me…don't leave home without it. We visited Granny and PaPa, they become ten years younger when they are around the boy. We had a great time.

Still no running…

Memorial Weekend was sort of eventful. We had a bachelor/bachelorette party on Friday for our neighbors that are getting married on the 2nd. Us crazy couples stayed out til the break of 10:30. Oh and there was just three couples out of 7. Rockin good time. Actually...the timing was just bad…graduations and family plans took precedence, but we managed to salvage dinner.

The rest of the weekend was a wash…literally. We were planning on going to Lake Livingston Monday but the weather kept us inside. It was unfortunate…I was really looking forward to getting my jet skiing on. Someother time.

Even more no running…

We had a date! The hubby and I went to see Spam.alot on Saturday. It was our anniversary present from January. The love of my life even thought to book the restaurant where we had our first official date where we both left feeling the other wasn't interested. I guess we were wrong.

We got all gussied up and we actually got to be grownups for a night. Oh and the boy told us before the babysitter got there that he was not going to cry. OH my gosh...he may not be crying but I sure am. Slow down boy...you are growing up too fast.

Dinner was ok, the conversation was better and the show was outstanding. The hubby and I watched some of Monty Python and The Holy Grail a couple of weekends before but we didn't finish it (he knows it verbatim), I was glad I did see what I did because I had an idea of what to expect. But oh my gosh I still was surprised at the quality. I know...I know...it's a Broad.way performance but it was superb. I laughed till a cried..."BEEELOOOW me" Yeah...it looses something in print but man was that freakin funny.

No running…but planning to…

Sunday I left for Florida and that is where I am today. Drum roll please….

I RAN!

Thank you…thank you. I ran about 1.5 miles on Sunday and then walked back up the beach to the hotel. It was outstanding. Everything still worked…legs…check…breathing…check. Why had I waited so long?? I didn’t time myself because it wasn’t about that. Just revelled in the fact I was actually doing it and remembered that I want to do it more...and often.

The week has kept us busy, are portion of "stuff" was handed over for packing yesterday and our schedule has opened up considerably. Today we didn’t come into until 2p so we took advantage of a team building exercise this morning in the form of jet skiing. Oh man…did I mention how much I love to jet ski? I’ve GOT to talk to the hubby about getting one.

We ended up renting one two seater for an hour. The other two people I was with had not ridden before. I have to give it to the one that road with me, she stayed on pretty good, I only lost her twice. I wish I could bottle that adrenaline rush.

We just attending a launch briefing and everything looks great for tomorrow. No vehicle issues and weather seems to be cooperating. Everyone send good weather vibes to Florida about 6:38p your time tomorrow.

Planning to run in the AM…

We have another light day tomorrow…our “official” day will start around 12:30 in order to prep for the weather briefing at 3 then it’s “go for main engines” at 6:38.

Speaking of the hubby, he has been quite the trooper this week taking care of the boy. I am so lucky to have the support from him so I can come to Florida once a year for a couple of weeks. I’m trying to coax them into coming with me next time.

That’s all I got for now…thanks for all those still checking my blog I really appreciate the encouragement!

Have a great weekend!

I'm still here for those of you wondering. I had to post this because I refuse to go an entire month without posting something. I'm in FL next week...I will be able to catch up then.

BTW...no running. I'm kicking myself however and dadgummit I'm bringing my stuff with me and I am dragging my but out to run...even if it is just one measley mile.

Making up for lost time...

I've been too busy to post lately...I had some catching up to do before it got out of control...enjoy.

Birthday - April 30th, 2007

Another year in the books…looking back…I must say it was a pretty good year. I’m happy, healthy and loving life.

I decided to take the day off. The hubby couldn’t swing it since we are taking Friday off to go to Sa.n An.tonio. I was fine with that…I slept until 11a, had some breakfast then went shopping. I can’t think of a better way to spend the day…shopping!

I wasn’t feeling 100% before shopping and hit a wall and felt 35%. I decided to take a nap because the 13 hours I slept the night before were evidently we not enough. The hubby came home and I had dropped to 25% feeling well. Great!!!

After the boy came home we opened presents. The hubby’s Dad and Debbie sent a very nice card and some money. The hubby’s Mom and sister sent me some stuff from Old Navy. The hubby…are you sitting down…got me the GAR.MIN Forer.unner 305!! Snoopy Dance. The boy gave me a CD with MP3 of a TON of running songs. I’m sure he had help from Dad but…you never know.

I took some painkillers (not the drink) and started feeling much better.

The boys sang happy birthday and the boy got his piece of birthday cake. My man and I had sushi for dinner and had cake while watch ‘The Bac.helor’. It was a great day. (I can’t wait to run with my new Gar.min.)

Flamingo – April 28th, 2007

Tonight is Flamingo night. I believe I have mentioned this awhile back but for those who don’t know I’ll bring you up to speed.

Back in December of 2005 we had just moved into our neighborhood and one of the neighbors had a get together. I had mentioned that I had read an article about a cul de sac that had flamingo parties and wherever the flamingo landed that person would host the next party. Evidently the story stuck because the following day a flamingo was in our yard. Now that you are up to speed…

After a long sabbatical, 5 months, the flamingo reemerged a few weeks ago and boy did we get our party on. Kevin, Pam and Jane hosted a crawfish boil. It was a beautiful night so we spent the evening eating crawfish by the spool (spa/pool). One of our new neighbors, from the north side of the street, joined us. Us south siders don’t really get along with the north side...because they don’t represent. We’re not haters so we let them join in. We did take notice that they left early. It was their first one so we will let it slide.

As the evening progressed the topic of conversation seemed to have centered around the hubby and I. How we met, Russia and Finland...whether or next kid will be a boy or girl. Then…it happened. Kevin sat behind me and put his feet on my shoulders. Oh no you just didn’t…

That was all they needed and it was like vultures on a carcass. Needless to say someone has some very interesting pictures of me upside down in a chair and two of our neighbors, each with a leg in hand, one sucking one of my toes and the other massaging my other foot. GROSS. I am so the anti-foot fetish.

I had my fill around 1a…plus we’re paying premium baby sitting fees. I told the hubby to stick around and that I was going home. I think he stumbled into bed around 3a.

Needless to say he was hurting pretty bad on Sunday. We have the best neighbors ever! Except they need to stay away from my freakin feet!

Bayou Bash Relay

Hey…look at me…getting up before dawn to go to a race. As I am getting ready evidently the boy came and got in our bed, an unfortunate habit that started a week or so ago. As I come out of the bathroom I tiptoe out of the bedroom hoping to go unnoticed. Thank God for noise makers.

I make it…out of the house. According to hubby about three minutes after I left the boy figured out I was gone and he was not pleased.

I’m on my way out the door and I’m driving out to Be.ar Cre.ek Pa.rk. Funny thing…I have driven out to that park practically every weekend for 20 years. This is the first time I am returning in almost 10 years…with a different sport. A bit of nostalgia makes the ride a bit shorter. Ya know…10 years ago there was construction too. Good grief.

I get to the race…a bit later than I wanted. I make it just in time to be apart of my first official Strider picture. I then proceed to search the crowd for someone I don’t even know. I’m walking around…”Alma…Alma…does anyone know Alma…have you seen Alma?”. I’m starting to get a bit anxious because we are 10 minutes from start and I haven’t found my team.

Thankfully, I run into Steve with his clipboard and he directs me to where two of my teammates, Lisa and Janet are waiting for Alma. I run to the potty where of course there is a line and get back and Alma has arrived. Alma is running first, Lisa…second, me third and Janet fourth.

The Strider Die Chicks did ok 1:19:59…I of course have not trained and a Lisa and Janet were coming back from injuries. I’m not complaining I managed a 10:30 pace which is good for me who has not consistently trained since January. My teammates were lovely and I can't wait to see them again at another event.

The post race activities we ok…I didn’t stick around for much. The pizza had run out and I couldn’t make myself eat ice cream and cake that early. Seriously…pizza, ice cream and cake.

I did get a chance to meet follow bloggers June and Vic. I introduced myself as Sandy and blank faces were staring back at me…Reddaisy…the blog. OH…recognition at last. It was good to chat with them for a bit.

I had a great time. I really enjoyed getting out and running again.

Jim.my Buf.fet - April 21th 2007

I am no longer a “Buf.fet Vir.gin”. Oh my gosh what a good time! Here is a link to Hubby's blog detialing his personal experience. (He's a much better writer than I am...DON'T JUDGE ME!). With painkillers in hand we proceeded over to the tailgating lots. I’ve seen my share of tailgating for football games but for a concert! This was quite an experience, one that you can’t just read about…you so have to be there.

Almost immediately we ran into our neighbors Paul and Suzette. We didn’t even know they were going to be there.

We walked…and talked. I caught a guy checking me out so I went up to him and said hi. The hubby thought I knew him and wondered why I didn’t introduce him. I told him I didn’t know him…he was like…ok. LOL

A girl on crutches stopped us and asked what we were drinking “Are you drinking milk?”. Of course we are…on a warm day such as this…nothing like 64 ounces of milk to quench your thirst! Uh...mam…it’s a painkiller. What’s in a painkiller you ask…Orange juice, Pineapple juice, coconut milk and rum. YUM-O

We begin to make our way in to Min.ute Mai.d and the hubby and I stop off at the bathrooms. Well…the hubby does and I am stuck in a line halfway around Min.ute Ma.id Park. The hubby grabs my hand and says lets go...the guys bathroom is practically empty and the stalls are definitely empty. I think about it for a sec and I have had just enough to drink to agree. I put my hand over my eyes and go for it. The hubby guides me to the bathroom and I do my business tell him I’m opening the door…with my hands covering my eyes…he guides me back out and bam…it’s like nothing every happened. Apparently I got a few grins from guys coming in the bathroom. It was all good.

We get to our seats ON THE FIELD. It was awesome. We were located shallow centerfield. I had my nachos….gotta have me some nachos at the ballfield. Yeah…I paid for it later but it was worth it.

Rob.ert Ea.rl Ke.en came out and he was great. I haven’t seen him in about 6 years. I was a hootin and a hollerin…genuinely annoying the lady in front of me with the screaming. I apologized to the couple next to me and told them I’m a screamer and they welcomed to the family. Evidently the lady in front of me didn’t welcome…she kept giving me dirty looks every time I belted one out. So…I laid off a bit. REK ended up in true form with “The Road Goes on Forever” and it seems like the park erupted. FUN!

Jimmy was great…come to find out we were the opening concert of his summer tour. You wouldn’t have known it. It was awesome sharing the experience with the hubby.

We decided next year we were going to purchase tailgating tickets and make it a “flamingo” experience. Here’s to next year!

April 20th 2007

I am sitting in mis.sion con.trol manning my console and a neighboring colleague receives a phone call. There is a gunman in building 44 and 5 shots have been fired. I assumed security detained the gunman almost immediately so I didn’t think much more of it. Other than…are you freakin kidding me!

The same colleague receives another phone call and evidently there is a hostage situation, this is before the story breaks on the news. Shortly thereafter, on the loud speaker, a voice tells us to stay put and no one is aloud to leave the building. The building is not on official lockdown but we are not to leave until further notice. I immediately call the hubby to let him know what is going on and in the wake of the Vir.ginia Te.ch tragedy he is VERY concerned. I try to let him know I am fine and in no danger.

The news brakes nationally and the phone calls start coming in. I receive a phone call from a frantic mom that lives in Ohio, her daughter is to relieve me within an hour. I assure her that her daughter is ok and I make a phone call back to the office to make sure she calls her mom, they were all in the conference room watching the news.

At about 4 O’clock “the voice” comes back on the loud speaker and tells us we can now leave the building. So…I’m walking out to my car helicopters are in mass overhead and police are blocking off the parking lot that my car just happens to be in...adjacent to building 44. Because I had a clear view of the building from where I was standing, with many others, and there was something about being in proximity to a building that may or may not still have a gunman inside that didn’t sit well with me so I went the other direction and headed back to my office on the other side of campus. I made a couple more phone calls along the way to pass on info that I was fine.

I make it to my building and it was decided that I take my friend Jodie’s car home…since I live 45 minutes away it takes more of an effort to “borrow” a car. I’m about halfway home and the new reports the gunman has taken his life and the “real story” starts in unfold.

One of my neighbors came to check on me to see if I was ok.

Did I know the shooter…no.

Did I know the victim? Only in name and I attended a few meetings that he attended also.

How do I feel about what happened? It is hard to say. This world scares me. People scare me. The unknown scares me. But I have faith on my side. That faith is what allows me to get out of bed each morning, send my son to school, see the hubby off to work and finally have the courage to pull out of the driveway every morning. If I live my life in fear then “they”, “it” or whomever will have won and dadgummit…I choose to live.

Finally…I ran! Yay freakin me! Monday I ran 2.5 miles. I really didn’t time myself since I was attempting to take it easy since it’s been a couple of months since I ran. The weather was perfect and the legs felt good. I had to tell myself to slow down a couple of times because everything felt too good.

I had sushi for lunch and it seems I had a bit too much wasabi because my chest started burning about halfway through. Or was it the lack of cardio trainig in two months? I'll blame the wasabi. It really worked out to running 2 and working .5. I’m happy with that.

I also managed a quick run on Tuesday…hey look at me! Two days in a row. It was raining so I ran on the dreadmill. And it lived up to the name…every 2 miles of it. My legs were feeling a bit heavy the day before and I didn’t want to go crazy. Plus I saw my life pass before me when I was so engrossed in the handover ceremony aboard ISS that I tripped and nearly fell flat on my face. I’m such a spaz. The guy next to me even asked me if I was ok. I’m planning on keeping it to 2 – 2.5 this week and getting back on track with 3 to 4 next week. I should be good to go for the relay on the 28th.

Congrats to all the Striders that braved the weather in Boston. You are awesome.

My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the event that took place at Virg.inia Te.ch on Monday. 33 people didn’t come home on Monday; a statement that resonates rather frequently in my mind throughout the day. Figure out how we can use this tragedy to make the world a better place for the future. Pass it on…

New Do!

Ok…so I blew my challenge last week. When I had initiated that challenge I forgot I had a hair appointment the next day. And I went from this…




to this sassy thing!



Totally worth it!

The rest of the week gave way to a bevy of working late to make up hours from said hair appointment, a court date from an expected run for the boarder and I’m not talking Mexico or Canada. Finally, the day I actually had time I went to the trails, opened the back of my car only to find a lonely pair of running shoes. The hubby had taken my running bag out of the car the weekend before and I didn’t know it. I always have my running stuff…just in case I get that sudden burst of energy to pull over whenever and wherever to bust out a few miles. Yeah right…I haven’t busted out to do any kind of running since February. So I went shopping instead.

So…today I made a conscious effort to get the bag in my car…and I’m running dadgummit!

The weekend was the perfect weekend. We managed family time, couple time and some time apart…perfect.

On Saturday we went to a BBQ at my boss’s house. I have worked here for almost 8 years now and this was the first of its kind; It was ok. The weather could have been better. I made the hubby go so he could put names to the faces that I have complained about over the years. It was pretty uneventful, the ones that showed he knew plus he spent most of his time chasing around the boy.

Sunday, the boy actually let me sleep until 9 and he and I spent the morning together running errands. The hubby planted our Queen palms. YAY…they are so beautiful. No more picking them up when the wind gusts above 5 miles an hour. I worked on the curtains in the bedroom and the hubby had already hung up or new print while I was gone. It looks so good. A few finishing more touches and we’re done.

We had the babysitter come over for a couple of hours to watch the boy as a precursor for next Saturday when the hubby and I are going to see Jim.my Buf.fet. The hubby and I had a nice evening relaxing. We went to a sports bar for a couple of drinks. We arrived just at the end of the NAS.CAR race and a group of ‘necks were in the corner cheering and shouting at the TV. The hubby’s mouth dropped in awe. “I’ve never seen the likes.” Oh sweetie…I proceeded to give him a crash course in Neckcar. I can say these things as I am a 3 time Daytona 500 attendee and I have my pictures with several drivers. That was a past life…so I’ll leave it where it belongs. We finished up with our favorite…Sushi.

In conversation during our date...I totally suggested that the hubby go with the babysitter to see Bi.g D and the Ki.ds Tab.le playing at the Ware.house tonight. When I came back from bizarro world...oh my gosh...I just said you could go out with our babysitter. That is not my final answer. He just laughed. Alhtough I trust him immensly it would look really bad! He didn't even bite.

I’m looking forward to this week…being over. This coming weekend is gonna be supa dupa fun!

Good luck to those running in Boston this morning…that is some crazy weather.

Conversation held in the bathroom last night as the hubby and I are getting ready for bed:

Hubby: “So…am I taking the boy in the morning?”
Me: “Yes…I’m on console. Didn’t we…wait…we only negotiated Friday.”
Hubby: “You’re not taking him in the morning?”
Me: “I’m on console”
Hubby: “So…I’m taking him tomorrow and picking up and taking on Friday.”
Me: “Yes…does that work for you?”
Hubby: “I guess…”

Feeling guilty:
Me: “Ok…I’ll take him on Friday.”
Hubby: “No.”

Still feeling guilty:
Me: “Ok…I’ll take him on tomorrow and be a bit late.”
Hubby: “No.”

A couple of seconds later:
Hubby: “Get your boobs off me.”

Pause
Hubby “Get your vagina and your boobs off me…I’m tired.”

Then we spit the toothpaste out of our mouths.

I can’t believe I let last week get away from me without blogging. Well, actually I can. There just hasn’t been that much going on and I haven’t been that motivated to write. I didn’t get a chance to run last week because I had to work extra hours at work since I took Good Friday off. The boy’s school was closed so I took the opportunity to potty train him. I won’t go into detail here…but if you are interested you can read The Boy’s blog.

I had planned on running today however I am recovering from a heck of a stomach bug I got yesterday. I have absolutely no energy today. I can’t imagine why…I am almost sure the negative calories I had yesterday and the 300 calories I’ve made myself eat today may have something to do with it. I’m getting there. I have to since I have a race I need to be ready for in a few weeks. Thankfully it is only 2.5…definitely something I can still manage.

Challenge…tomorrow…I blog about actually running instead of why I didn’t!