The Gone Again Smiths

Model Behavior

2011-10-28T10:48:00.001-05:00

I consider myself the anti "stage mom". I have never had any intention to push my kids to doing anything in the spot light.

My kids are in karate. Angelique has tried a multitude of other things, and both have a list a mile long of other things they want to try. Both have things on their list that I find worrisome. For Christian, it's football. Mainly because Clint played and the likelihood of injury (and ones that can follow you though life) are not uncommon. Clint can't even tell you how many times he dislocated his jaw playing.

The one that I am struggling with the most, however, is Angelique's desire to model. It is not an uncommon occurrence for us to be stopped and a stranger to tell me how beautiful she is. We were even stopped in the mall once to see if she wanted to model. She was only 4 at the time and had clothing issues and really didn't want to. See me doing a sigh of relief at that.

Lately we have had several people tell us that we should get her into modeling. That she would be great at it, etc. This list includes the professional photographer that we use. Only now, she wants to.

This has me breaking out in cold sweats.

I don't want to be the parent that tells their kids that any thing they desire is out of their reach, to dangerous, or anything like that. I even had Christian on a dirt bike at 4. Anything is possible if they work hard and apply themselves.

But modeling? Scares me! Not just the disappointments I know that will come, or some jerks telling her she is not (blank) enough, but that it is an industry that is know to take advantage of people desperate to get into it.

The little research that my husband has done has found that the companies around us that specialize in modeling are money pits that require you to go to their classes, use their photographer for head shots, use their makeup, us their makeup artist, etc. In other words, they require you to pay for all these things while building you up to believe they can get you a job they don't ever deliver on.

Another concern is the attitude that some (a lot) in the industry have. The Beautiful People. I am not saying that everyone in the modeling industry is stuck up and holier than though for having the good graces to be born with an appealing face and body, but it is also not uncommon. I really don't want any of that rubbing off on my daughter. It is already difficult enough trying to teach children to be humble and non judgement of others when they grow up in an area where nearly everyone is privileged.

Does anyone have any advice? Am I worrying over nothing? Should I just ignore this pursuit all together or bite the bullet and let my little girl follow this dream?

10 Months

2011-09-12T22:50:00.000-05:00

It amazes me the changes that can occur in such a short amount of time. I can't tell you how many times within less than 1 year my life has seemed like I've known what my future holds, only to have everything turned on it head. Even when logic has told me, this is too good to be true, I wouldn't allow myself to go there.

The last time I posted to my blog, my son was in preschool and my daughter in 2nd grade. It was the 8th anniversary of my marriage. We had been in our home for almost 5 years and while we knew we were in a place too small for us, we had no plans for making a change.

In that time my son started school (for me was wonderful having both of my kids in the same place rather than sad that I had passed a milestone for the last time). We picked out a piece of property and started negotiations to buy and build our dream home. My father-in-law purchased property and began building the home of his dreams.

This is a home he saved for. A house he waited for retirement to build. Is paying cash to have built. A house he will likely not see finished.

On December 29, 2006 he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. It had been caught too late and was give 6 months without treatment. 5 years (if he was lucky) with the best medical treatment available. If you do the math, apparently luck has been on our side. We are just 4 months shy of the maximum life expectancy given. Other odds have been beaten. In 2008 he spent 6 weeks in the hospital to have 1/2 of his liver removed to remove a tumor that could not be treated in a traditional sense. This surgery on its own only had a max life expectancy of 2 years. However, it does not appear we will beat the initial prognosis.

Well, it appears after 4 years, 8-1/2 months, time is drawing to a close. We live close enough that my husband can spend time with him daily. There has been a lot of stress involved since my FIL is a planner and one who takes care of others. A month ago, we were given a time line of 2 to 6 months. That started a planning session. Wills have been revised, conversations about taking care of Grandma had, plans made, photographs scanned, video cameras purchased so he can give his own statement at his funeral, acceptance of Christ in his heart.

I am in a place that I don't know what to do. I work a full day (and sometimes after I get home) and take care of our children, while my husband spends as much time with his father as he can before he dies from the horrible disease. I am glad for the time he was give to fulfill his dreams knowing the end was coming and knowing that these last years we have spent some amazing time together as a family.

I know we don't have a choice in life. But, I would rather not know when the end will come.

Our Happy Ending (and Beginning) in Pictures

2010-11-17T04:35:00.002-06:00

My aisle of Motorcycles

The Boys

The Girls

Trading heels for Harley Boots

Sitting on our Bike

Everyone Together

Wedding Day Circa 2002

2010-11-16T04:04:00.008-06:00

What you may have missed...

Love at First Dance?
The One That Wasn't Meant to Be - Cara
Photographic Evidence
The One That Wasn't Meant to Be - Clint
So We Meet Again
Starting Over
1200 Miles From Home

Clint and I approached our wedding the way we do most things in our lives. This was our special day, and if someone didn't like that we were having a wedding while I was 7 months pregnant, well then they could just suck it and not come. Our wedding was to be a reflection of us as individuals and as a couple. We would never have pulled it off however, with out the help of family. Especially Clint's mom who made both my dress and all my bridesmaids dresses. And since they were all in a renaissance style, I convinced Clint and the groomsmen to wear puffy shirts. I stopped short at the tights though and let them wear black jeans. It would have been really funny though!

Clint and the boys spent the morning cutting up and generally annoying Clint's sister Misty (who helped out so much and did most of the decorating with the help of my bridesmaids) by throwing roll of tape across the pavilion. They got so out of hand she finally told them to leave! They ended up coming to the house to pick up the flowers. When Jeremy (groomsman and Clint's childhood friend) opened the door to the house, the cat Pepe ran out. So he called to my mother-in-law..."Your pussy's loose!" He has yet to live that one down.

While all this was going on, I was in the final stages of getting myself ready. I was starting to worry a bit since my bridesmaids had not made it back yet from setting up (and didn't until 45 minutes until it was time to leave). I really started freaking out when everyone was getting ready to leave and my dad, my ride hadn't made it there yet. Of course I started crying and make up had to be re-touched, but it all worked out. My dad made it there and we were off to make my grand entrance. I arrived in style in a Z-28 T-top Camero and walked down an aisle of motorcycles to my love waiting for me in his puffy shirt.

The ceremony itself was my least favorite part of our day. We had decided to keep it short and it was only 15 minutes long, but during that 15 minutes the pastor talked about giving money to the church no less than 4 times. We had chosen to use a pastor from Clint's parents church since we weren't established at one at that point. This was one of those mega-churches and they were in the process of breaking ground on a bigger and better facility. We were not impressed and my in-laws stopped going to that church shortly there after.

When the ceremony was over it was time to have a party! We had brisket and turkey legs for everyone to eat. We danced with each other, our parent and our friends. And then everyone at once. I probably didn't sit down for more that five minutes the entire evening and that was to eat.

We left to go to our hotel around 10 happy and exhausted (and starving). We ordered room service and watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding while Clint spent a good 30 minutes pulling pins out of my hair.

We didn't get to go on a honeymoon, we had to be back to help Clint's sister move the next day and I had to be back at work on Monday. We have since made up for it with all of our trips and travels.

Clint, I just want to let you know how much I truly love you. We have hit some bumps along the road in our 8 years of marriage, but nothing like the obstacles we faced in the beginning. I cannot imagine what my life would be like without you in it. I would certainly be less fashionable and likely would have buckled under with many of the issues from my family.

You are my provider, lover and best friend. I cannot wait to see what the next years hold in store for us.

I love you!

1200 Miles From Home

2010-11-15T03:33:00.002-06:00

Not caught up yet? I'll give you a minute.

Love At First Dance?
The One That Wasn't Meant to Be - Cara
Photographic Evidence
The One That Wasn't Meant to Be - Clint
So We Meet Again
Starting Over

Ready?

My time there was filled with experiences I never expected to have. Like being a waitress/beer tub girl in a country bar, getting to know and actually considering an ex-convict a good friend, owning my first motorcycle and the one and only Bike Week. It seems like there was so much that happened in just over a year. I have picked just a few moments out of time to share.

Labor Day weekend of 2001 saw me moving to Florida on my own. Clint wasn't quite done with his job and I was transferring within my company to another apartment property that needed an assistant manager a month ago. No big deal. It would be an adventure. I hopped in the truck with the dogs, my mattress and 19" TV and not much else.

I had been adjusting to my new surroundings for exactly one week when as I was opening up the office, making the Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and coffee, I turned on the TV in the resident lounge area. The top news was that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center buildings. Everyone was scrambling to find out what was going on when on live TV I saw the second plane circle around and purposefully fly directly into the other tower. The news continued to unfold the most devastating news of my lifetime over the remainder of the morning until the owners of our property decided to send us all home for the remainder of the day.

The next several days filled me with anxiety. I was all alone in a new place with no cell phone service. I was a nervous wreck until Clint showed up unexpectedly. He had decided to leave a week early, just one day before the tragedy to surprise me.

In late November of that year our friends in Texas called to let us know they were having a baby. We were on our way to the airport when we got the call as I was going to Atlanta on a business trip. I started counting as soon as I got off the phone. Then, I check my calendar when I got on the plane. I had the whole flight to worry about the possibility. When I finally reached the hotel, I checked in and then went in search of a store. I needed a pregnancy test. My suspensions were confirmed. We were having a baby. I was not sure whether to be excited or scared. I was definitely worried about telling Clint. I shouldn't have been. Somehow he knew the second he got on the phone.

Just a few weeks later I started spotting at my company's Christmas Party and miscarried later that weekend. The way Clint supported me through the emotional aftermath confirmed what I already knew deep down. Clint was my future.

My doctor advised after the miscarriage to wait at least 3 months before trying again if that was what we wanted to do. So we sat down in April and had the conversation. Yes, we did want children, but our situation at that time wasn't right for it. We knew we wanted to get married when we got back home to Texas, about a year later and we wanted to be surrounded by our family and friends. So we would wait. I got pregnant with Angelique the same night of that conversation. We decided to wait a little while to tell anyone this time mostly because I was nervous. That changed Mother's Day weekend. I received a package in the mail from Clint's mother. She had started making a blanket as soon as she found out about the first pregnancy. She had said in her letter that she knew there would be another baby someday for us. At that point we had to call her up to let her know that should would be a grandma sooner than later.

We also called Clint's grandma to let her in on the news. Her response was my absolute favorite ever. She told him, "Well honey, I knew if you kept trying, you'd get it right someday".

We also got engaged in May. We had gone to the mall to look at rings and try to figure out what to get. I was looking at a 1/4 carat princess cut while he was pointing out a 1 carat marquis. I told him I could never wear anything that large. I would be happy with something smaller.

When we got back home I was laying down, contemplating a nap when Clint told me he had a surprise for me. It was hidden somewhere in our apartment and my clue was moo. I spent the next half hour looking under bells, checking the milk, cheese and yogurt in the fridge, looking in jacket pockets and shaking shoes. I gave up and he told me I had a one point been close. So, I started my search again only to come up empty handed, again. I was frustrated and crying on the bed when Clint took me into the closet, picked up one of his dress shoes and pulled out a box.

Clint proposed to me in our bathroom while I was bawling and getting on to him for being so mean to me. He had bought the ring in March and was waiting for us to go home Memorial Weekend to have all our friends around us, but with my emotional state figured it was better to do it with just the two of us. Oh yeah, it was a 1-1/4 carat marquis that I had told him was too big. I got over that though.

I moved back to Texas and in with Clint's mom and step dad 6 months into my pregnancy in order to keep my job (gotta keep the insurance when you're having a baby) and plan our wedding. Clint stayed in Florida to finish his last month of school. We were getting married one week after graduation!

Starting Over

2010-11-12T02:26:00.001-06:00

Not up to date on the story? Missed one? Go check it out...here, I'll make it easy for you:

Love At First Dance?
The One That Wasn't Meant to Be - Cara
Photographic Evidence
The One That Wasn't Meant to Be - Clint
So We Meet Again

After all of the events that transpired over New Years, I was bound and determined to start anew. No more staying in a relationship because it was familiar. I went out on a first date for the first time in nearly 3 years and it felt good. I hadn't not been in a relationship since my senior year of high school and I was less than 2 months from my 21st birthday. I was embarking on finally taking my mother's advise and "sowing my wild oats".

Clint did finally talk LJ into giving him my phone number. When he called he brought up the fact that I failed to give him my number himself. I had to remind him that he failed to tell me he had a live in girlfriend. He then filled me in on parts of their story (which is far more extensive than he shared here) and that the fact they were still living together was just a matter of her finding somewhere else to live. If they had still been together they would have been at the same New Year's party. He had a point, but I was still sceptical. So, I would talk to him when he called, but there was no way I was jumping into the middle of that kind of mess.

That January, I spent a lot of time hanging out with LJ at her house and going out with large groups of friends. Safety in numbers type of thing. Then, Clint started showing up for these group outings. I had a feeling LJ was helping Clint along behind the scenes, but I was having nothing of it (well, almost nothing). One night - in January (yes, even in Texas it gets cold in January), he rode his motorcycle across Houston in 32 degree weather. Everyone at the house went out to check out his bike and ohh and ahhh over how nuts he was. I kept my happy ass right there inside where it was warm. His attempt to impress had failed (I know I was being bitchy, but he kinda deserved it after New Years).

It was probably about the 3rd week in January when he finally broke down and officially asked me out on a date. I've told that story in detail before and if you want to read it go here. It was a great evening, if not a bit odd, but I felt truly embraced (literally) for who I was, not only Clint but also his friends. I lost all mine in the break-up...it was one of Bryan's provisions.

I think it was one weekend after that when Clint stayed the night with me at my apartment. We were woken early in the morning by something hitting my window. I lived on the 3rd floor! Clint looked out the window and informed me some goofy asshole was throwing rocks at it. Well shit! The goofy asshole was Bryan and he definitely knew I had an overnight guest. I went down stairs to see what he wanted. He was livid and made some threats along the line of a video he had made of us together, that I was unaware of while it was being taped, would find its way to the Internet. He didn't really have to worry about his part in the video since he made sure his face was never on the screen. He left me to "think over" what he had said.

Clint was ready for a beat down, but allowed me to handle the situation. Bryan called later and apologized and the video was destroyed as was anything that I had felt for him. Kristi of course created her own type of havoc. She had moved out at some point in January, so that was one issue out of the way. Then an old friend of theirs died in a motorcycle accident and the funeral was on Valentine's Day. She used their shared grief to get him to leave me at his apartment to go talk to her about their friend. Once there, she professed her love and begged for him to take her back, blah, blah, blah.

I knew that night that our relationship was different when he came home, apologized and told me all about what had happened. This was something new for me. Honesty and complete disclosure. Things were not going according to my single lady plan, but I didn't care anymore.

Then, in March, we came to a cross roads. Clint was leaving in September to go to Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Orlando. I had 3 choices: we break up and if we weren't seeing anyone when he got back, we could try again; we could try a long distance relationship and I would got out to see him when I could; or I could go with him.

I didn't hesitate. I was going.

So We Meet Again

2010-11-11T06:00:00.001-06:00

If you missed them, go back and get caught up:
Love at First Dance?
The One That Wasn't Meant to Be - Cara
Photographic Evidence
The One That Wasn't Meant to Be - Clint

After an extremely emotional start to my New Year's celebrating, I wanted nothing more than to wash away the year 2000 (and the past 3 years) with as much alcohol I could possible manage. I did wait to start on my mission until I got to my cousin, LJ's party (yep, the same one Clint and I are related to) and had every intention of staying the night. Not long after I arrived so did another ex boyfriend of mine. Joe was the boyfriend I ran back to during my relationship with Bryan. He happened to be dating another cousin of LJ (and Clint's - 3rd cousin, I think) They have since married so, I'm technically now related to an ex-boyfriend. All the more reason to get plastered as soon as possible.

I was well on my way with my bottle of Parrot Bay when Clint walked in the front door. Teasing commenced on the 2-step debacle. A challenge was issued and room was made to clear up the who was the better dancer. The consensus: He's a better 2-stepper, but I have skills.

A few drinks later Joe caught me in the kitchen and a "discussion" ensued about how since I cheated on Bryan with him, I must have also cheated on him. That and the fact I had opportunity and didn't answer the phone every time he called me at night was enough proof. He worked on an offshore oil rig and worked 2 weeks on, two weeks off. I tried to explain his flawed logic since the at the time we were dating I was in high school, participated in debate and worked 32 hours a week. I didn't have the time or energy to try to cheat on him. It was Clint who came to my rescue and told him to back off.

The night wound down as New Year's typically does. With a kiss at midnight. Both Clint and I were on our own and it made sense that we would kiss, and make out, and wow!

Due to lots of people staying the night and lack of sleeping surfaces, Clint and I shared a queen size air mattress. It was flat in the morning and you can make what ever inference from that you will.

The most amazing thing happened in the morning. We had so many interest in common and tons to talk about. He stayed at the house helping to clean while LJ and I ran to the store for stuff to make everyone breakfast. While on the way there she filled me in on the fact that Clint had a girl friend that he lived with.

Ummmm, hello! That would be something to disclose! But I didn't say anything when we got back. If anything I had a solid reason to not fall back into the same old pattern with Bryan. I had burned the bridge. FINALLY! That night as we were all leaving to go home, Clint asked if he could call me. I told him he could, then intentionally didn't give him my number.

The One That Wasn’t Meant To Be (Thank God) – Clint

2010-11-10T06:00:00.001-06:00

The next part of our story takes us to Clint's version of the one that wasn't meant to be.

If you missed them, go back and check:

Love at First Dance?

The One That Wasn't Meant to Be - Cara

Photographic Evidence

Wow, I hate this story. At least it has a happy ending. I ended up with the most wonderful woman in the world who has helped me become a man I never thought I could be.

OK… Junior year high school. My friend Wild Bill introduced me to a girl he new from his neighborhood at lunch one day. She was one year younger than me 5’4”, blonde, blue eyes about 100 lbs. Met her again at a city dance that weekend and started dating from then. It was puppy love at first sight. I should have known she was going to be trouble. On our first date her father came to a party she drug me to and caught her with a bottle of rum thrown up. I fortunately was not drinking because I wanted to make a good impression on the folks. Dad grounded her and I hung in for the next few weeks. We were pretty much inseparable.

For the next few years of High School it was a typical relationship with only a few arguments here and there. One of which is when she scared the crap out me saying that she missed her period and she might be the P word. Of course this was just a test from a silly little confused girl. After I graduated she still had one year left. I worked and went to school while she did the same. In the winter of 1998 I sold my beloved motorcycle and bought a ring. (I wish I could go back and beat my own ass for that dumb move). I remember asking her father if I could marry her. He said “You know she is going to end up just like her mother”. Kristi’s mother was a notorious head case who purposely argued with her father constantly to annoy him. His escape was making slot cars in the garage.

After we were engaged I got cold feet. I suck at math and in college it was not getting any better. So I got a tutor. Welllll long story short, I screwed the tutor and failed math. A few of my friends saw me with this girl and told Kristi. This began our demise. Shortly after she graduated I joined the Army. College sucked and I needed to get the hell out of that town. While in basic training I received a letter from my mother explaining that Kristi was dating one of my old friends. Who is still one of my close friends. I forgave him because I understood. (Her Va JJ was a man eater and he fell in love). When I took my first leave from the Army I came home 6’3” 220 lbs of solid rock. I went to a party that night to see my friends Alex, Wild Bill and Shawn Watkins (God rest your soul brother). I was showing a young lady I had just met a demonstration of how beer taste better when it is drank off of a boob. She walked in. My old friend was scared and she was jealous so she left him. Wow it sucks when it comes around to bite you in the ass.

At that moment I had ceased to care in my life. I gave up on God, my parents, responsibilities and pretty much anything else. I sank into drugs, alcohol and gambling. A few weeks later I was injured in a training exercise in the Army. One year later I came home medically retired. We were constantly on the rocks. It seems like all we did was argue and make up and my habits got worse and she got crazier. I was dating two or three girls at once and living with her.

On New Years Eve we were just about done. My best friend came home on leave from Maryland and it was time to party. He wanted to go to my cousin’s house and so I told the crazy B adios. I walked in to the party and saw this hot little number with liter of Parrot Bay Rum to her lips. This was no casual drink; this girl was on a mission to get shit faced. I looked at my BF and said that one is mine.

I love you baby. I have been clean now for over eight years. Funny thing is at those moments in my life I never thought I was going to live this long and now with Cara my babies and God I can’t wait for the rest of my life.

Photographic Evidence and A Special Day

2010-11-09T06:07:00.000-06:00

If you are just joining this saga, go back and read Love at First Dance? and The One That Wasn't Meant to Be - Cara. Clint's wasn't meant to be story should be up any day now (as soon as he gets a chance to write it, he's pretty busy working and taking care of kids while I'm working all the time).

The other day, Clint read my version of events from our first meeting on the post Love at First Dance?

His comment..."You didn't look awkward and shaggy. I wouldn't have asked you to dance if I didn't think you were cute."

And, just because I am stubborn and have to prove a point. I searched out and found a photo of my self at the right age. He has since changed his mind.

My photographic evidence (I got one of Clint too):

And, this day wouldn't be complete without saying a great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY! To my big 5 year old man.

Christian you surprise me everyday. I love watching you grow and learn and experience new things. I never would have imagined your interest would span so far. From karate to dirt bikes, fishing to friends. I enjoy the time we spend just you and me...even when some weeks its just when we are getting our shots together.

I think my favorite thing you have said recently, is that when you are a grown up, you are going to get dressed up and go to a wedding and invite Abigail (a very cute little girl in your preschool) and you are going to marry her and have 16 kids. I will remind you of this someday. And son, if you have 16 kids...mommy is not babysitting for you.

The One That Wasn't Meant To Be - Cara

2010-11-08T10:50:00.000-06:00

For those of you just joining in, I am telling the story of how my husband and I came to be. If you missed the beginning, go back and read Love at First Dance?

Now, our story wouldn't be complete without the stories of the ones that came before. You see, Clint and I were both supposed to marry other people at one point in history and both played a role in our relationship. Today, I will tell you about Bryan and I have persuaded Clint to share his story as well.

I had this terrible habit when I was a teen. You see, I continuously broke one of the biggest dating rules. DON'T DATE PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH. Then again, I was in high school, participated in extra curricular activities and worked about 32 hours a week at HEB (major chain grocery store in Texas). The window for meeting guys outside of school and work was barely a crack.

Bryan and I had our first date towards the end of my senior year of high school. I was 18 and he was 20. He had asked me out a year before, but my parents were not about to allow me to date anyone older than me, so I had turned him down. That rule changed (or was overlooked) when my parents started having trouble in their marriage and I started dating who ever I wanted while their attention was otherwise occupied.

Two weeks after our first date, my prom date called me on the Monday before prom (I was going with a friend since I didn't have a boyfriend) and informed me he did not feel comfortable taking me. You see, the plan had been for a group of us to all go together and he had a "thing" for one of my friends and her boyfriend was coming home from the Navy to take her. I did the only thing I could think of. I called Bryan and asked if he wanted to take me. For some reason he said yes with only 5 days notice to get a tux, but hey...I had a prom date and the day was saved. We were pretty much a couple from that point forward.

There were several break-ups along the road which he attributed to my stubbornness and making up my mind on things before talking it over. For me it was more about his desire to keep his life separate from me while exercising control over me. I am not about to say I was perfect and failures we faced were completely his fault, I had a lot of issues. Many stemming from examples of my parents' relationships which were anything but stable.

It was not uncommon for him to ask out of the blue if I had cheated on him. Eventually, it can be said that I did. Weather it was kissing a guy after a party, having too much to drink and making out with my roommates friend, or running back to an ex, it all occurred during break ups (or breaks if he would not get out of my damn car until I agreed to it). My biggest fault would be failure to disclose my activities during our time apart when we would get back together. For some reason in my mind, dysfunctional was better than alone.

The relationship started to wear on me and I spent a lot of time looking like this:

(If you are done lecturing me now, please get out of my truck!)

In fact I think he took that picture of me when I was already pissed off at him. We spent a lot of time fighting/breaking up just like this.

The final straw for me came Christmas / New Years Eve 2000. Bryan and I had been unofficially engaged (committed to be married with a promise ring - that was to later be replaced by a nicer one) for nearly 2 years. I went home sick from work with a wicked migraine, vomited from light sickness and pulled the covers over my head for the next 6 hours. That evening I was feeling a little better (still nauseated and physically drained) so he came to see me at my apartment to exchange our Christmas gifts since he would be leaving the following morning to go hunting for a week with his dad. He was pretty insistent on getting it on because he would be gone for a whole week, which I gave into, but the big kicker was that he wouldn't kiss me or even face me since I had thrown up because it may have been the start of the flu or "something". He just couldn't risk being sick in the deer stand. Ass!

I was left spending Christmas Eve evaluating what I was doing with a guy who would use me like that, especially when he thought I was sick. He should have been taking care of me, instead of taking advantage of me. I had the whole week to stay nice and angry. When he got home on New Year's Eve we were supposed to go to a friends party together, but I had found out my cousin was having a party as well and wanted to put in an appearance. One of my ex boyfriends was also going to be at my cousins party. It all ended with an ultimatum. "Is the other party so important to you you are willing to throw this away?" It didn't take me long to answer.

After he got done throwing a tantrum (flushing my ring down the toilet, raiding my closet and taking everything he had bought me that he could find) I left him standing in the living room of my apartment (my roommate was home) and went to my cousins party. That was the night I met Clint (again).

Love at First Dance?

2010-11-03T09:27:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid, we went camping every summer at a place called Chain O' Lakes. My mom (step mom) wasn't (and still isn't) much into the roughin' it in the great outdoors, so we would spend the week out there with her sister's family and my parents would come up on the weekend. It was heaven for us kids. We could go horseback riding (guided trail ride), swim in the swimming lake (there was only one designated for swimming...the rest were home to many alligators, and a pool with a sand bottom and a huge slide you rode a boogie board down. We were free to roam through the wooded trails on our own just as long as we checked in every hour or so. Looking back as an adult, the appeal seems a bit less. There was the occasional problem with a gator making its way to the pool, and you better not leave you little doggie tied up outdoors at night, or he might become a snack, and we had to make sure to pack the clear nail polish since our romps through the woods guaranteed chiggers. But we all loved it none the less.

My favorite thing about this kids paradise for me was the Saturday night dance at the pavilion. At 12 (with a 13 year old cousin) I was old enough to go unsupervised (the pavilion was in sight of our campsite) and to watch over my 10 year old cousin and sister.

Of course at 12, I was in a very awkward phase. Just starting to notice boys. I had grown really tall, but hadn't filled out with any curves yet, and I was growing out my hair so it was pretty shaggy looking.

Even then, I had the hots for a boy in a cowboy hat and sat giggling with my cousin over all the cute boys and avoiding eye contact with all of them on the off chance they might have looked my way. Then, these two boys that were there together came and asked my cousin and I to dance.

OK!

It was a country song, so a 2 step was in order. However, this boy was not doing the steps right. Little did I know there are several variations of the 2-step. And of course being the tallest among a group of girl cousins who danced together because there was no other options, I was used to leading - I still sometimes have an issue with this. I spent the rest of the night disappointed that my dance (I believe my first with a boy) did not turn out as well as I would have hoped.

The rest of the trip of course was awesome and filled with all the outdoor fun that I thrived on. When I got home, I called my one of my other cousins, LJ (dad's side of the family) and filled her in on my trip and my ill fated dance.

LJ: Holy Crap...Was they guy you danced with named Clint?

ME: Ummm...yeah, how did you know that?

LJ: I just talked to him. He's my 2nd cousin. He said you couldn't dance.

Now, before you start freaking out, because cousins...gross! We are not a part of the same family trees, just 2 tress that met more than once. You see...my dad's brother married Clint's grandmother's sister, making their children cousins to both of us. Complicated I know, and I get grief about it all the time.

The you don't know how to 2-step thing continued for the next nine years over the phone and was solved once and for all the next time we met face to face.

But I'll save that story for another day!

This photo was taken a few years before that camping trip, but it is the only one I have of the four of us girls that went to the dance. Can you tell which one is me?

And just for fun...the family 20 years later...there were 3 more additions and one who didn't make it for the photo.

My, It's Been A While

2010-11-02T07:53:00.000-05:00

Peeking around the corner...

Is anyone still here?

I know, I've been gone for a bit. Life kinda got hectic with work, family and other issues. So much was going on, I just didn't know where to start.

I have an idea now. I may or may not go back and cover my stresses from the last month (or more) when I come to terms with it a bit more, but for now, I'm going to tread on more stable ground.

You see, my anniversary is coming up. Just 2 weeks from today. So, between now and then, I will share our story with you. I will try to include some old school pictures spanning our relationship from the beginning. Check back soon. This should be entertaining!

Ignoring Something Won't Make It Go Away!

2010-09-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

Am I referring to problems that arise in life? Most definitely!

Am I referring to my blog? Only a little.

Within the week of my last post, life took a turn I wasn't expecting. Something that had me feeling a wave of different emotions that I couldn't sort out. I was feeling stressed, angry, depressed, anxious, overwhelmed. It was like holding you breath for years waiting for the other shoe to drop and, despite knowing it's coming, it catches you off guard.

I didn't want to talk about it here. I couldn't not talk about it here. So, I avoided my blog (and most of yours in the process) so I could avoid my thoughts.

It's time to get them out.

August 19th, I was busy at work, likely ordering parts for an upcoming job, when I get a call from my cousin. My dad was staying with my Nana for a few days and had fallen and had a seizure. She was waiting to hear back from the doctor to see if he needed to go to the hospital.

After that phone call, there were several back and forth to determine if he was going to the hospital; that he had another seizure and was being transported by ambulance; that he was in the emergency room but not yet being admitted.

Clint and I made arrangements for his mom to watch the kids and headed out for the hour drive across Houston. I cannot even explain to you the shock I encountered when I walked into the ER. His head was bloodied as well as his arms and parts of his legs. His graying hair looked pink where the blood had been hastily rinsed. He was so very thin that he appeared to have not eaten much in months.

I got the overview of what was going on from my Nana. They were going to check him in, but were waiting on a room to be ready. She had picked him up 2 days earlier to come stay with her because he sounded lonely. He hadn't had an alcoholic beverage in those 2 days and started having alcohol withdrawal seizures while out on the concrete porch smoking.

I stayed several hours that night, waiting on his room. The transport. Getting him checked into the hospital. Biting my tongue when he answered the question of "Are you addicted to anything?" with a negative. They knew better. I didn't have to say it.

I spent the next several days going back and forth to the hospital every other day and to my Nana's home to try to figure out how to pay my father's bills that were coming due from his online accounts. None of my visits left me with a positive feeling. One of my visits, my younger brother (19) met me at the hospital. My dad spent the hour we were there trying to convince him to go buy him cigarettes, to take him to buy his own cigarettes, to take him home, and calling his son Tim (his name is Stuart). The next time I saw him (2 days later) he had been moved into ICU where they could monitor him more closely since he was continually pulling out his IV (his potassium was dangerously low and he was given up to 3 bags a day) and they found him once at the elevator - no where near his room. Apparently the ICU nurses had trouble keeping him under control as well and he ended up restrained to his bed. I saw him in that condition and completely out of it.

I found out this past Saturday that he had been released from the hospital on Wednesday. The only reason I found out was my husband went to help other members of my family move my dads things out of his house and he showed up. Which very obviously meant that he was also not in rehab and the doctors had been very clear is where his first stop should be.

He left me a message on Sunday about not having let me know he had been released. It really lacked any sincerity and basically laid the blame on someone else my Nana had told and figured the information would have gotten to me. I was absolutely defeated. How can this person, who I love very much, not think it necessary to call me himself.

It took me until Wednesday to call him back. Let me tell you the power of prayer is very evident in my life at the moment. I have spent quite a bit of time asking God to work in my father's heart to open his eyes to the fact that he has a problem and let him want to improve and get better for himself. During the conversation on Wednesday, I asked him what his plans were. His response was that he was doing some research into and trying to find a rehab facility. Slight weight lifted off my shoulders, but not completely. We have been here before. He entered rehab 6 years ago because the family finally wore him down enough. "That's good", I tell him, "but only if you are doing it for your self". He told me he is only doing this for himself and not for Nana or me or even his estranged wife Cassie. He know knows that if this happens again, it will kill him. And the majority of the bolder on my shoulder is gone.

I have a bad habit of looking at the "but" side of things. As in, that sounds good, but... I am really striving to focus on the positive and have faith in my dad on this. I know he can kick the booze, but it will be a long, hard road to haul. He is really going to need all of the family to stay encouraging for him. I will be continuing to pray that this is it. The last time I will hear my dad say he is quitting.

Hand to Forehead Moment

2010-08-12T11:54:00.000-05:00

I see no problem with coming home and having a beer - or glass of wine - to unwind after a long day at work or while hanging out with friends. I recently gave up any kind of drinking more than one night a week in exchange for (hopefully) a smaller number on the scale.

There is a big difference between that and what I grew up with. My dad would have 2 "tall boys" (16 oz) on the way home and then a 6 pack at home every night. Most nights ended with him passing out rather than going to bed.

Of the 3 children who grew up in my household, we all came away with different views because of it. I drink, but am careful to be respectful of alcohol, my sister drinks too much, and my little brother (who is 19) has no desire to drink...ever.

We spent much of our childhood hiding the embarrassment from our peers and teachers. Friends didn't come over to play. We went to their houses or stayed outside.

I never want to expose my kids to that kind of life.

I imagine at the moment, some of the teachers and other parents of my sons school may be looking at me or my husband the way I saw those in the know look at my parents.

Christian lost a stripe on his belt yesterday (he attends a karate pre-school). The reason...during class, while repeatedly trying to get his attention, he kept yelling "I like beer!" and "Beer Pong is cool!" Over and over again.

Regretfully, yes, he knows what beer pong is. We were at a family barbecue/baby shower. The kids were in the pool and the men were bored. The second they gathered around the table, the kids got out of the pool to witness the excitement.

Just to clarify - my children have never had an alcoholic beverage in their lives.

I am so embarrassed.

Future Fire Fighters

2010-07-29T08:06:00.000-05:00

Sorry if I've been a little picture heavy lately...I have a lot to share! I'm sure to be back to my usual "I don't have pictures because I forgot my camera" self before long.

We took our vacation in the Texas Hill Country this year. We had an amazing time, but the kids got to start their vacation a few days early with my in-laws while Clint and I were still working.

One of their adventures, I really wish I could have gone with them on.

Clint's step dad works with someone who is also a volunteer firefighter.

My kids got to go on their own private tour of a fire station, ride on the truck and even spray the hoses.

I am so jealous! At least they got some great pictures!

Mama and Daddy Bring Home the Bacon

2010-07-27T09:10:00.000-05:00

But now, maybe we don't have to.

I had a big surprise while we were on vacation.

My prissy little girl, who only wants to wear clothing from Justice, and is a diva in her own right...

Is an excellent fisher-girl. While wearing Justice!

Now, she won't worm her own hook (we will have to work on that), but she put everyone else's catch to shame. Including her Papa.

Our last night at the lake house we had a fish fry. There was enough to feed all 6 of us. Twice. And the majority of it, was Angelique's catch.

Papa caught a few, Christian caught a few. I caught 1 that was too small to keep.

She can't wait to go fishing again (as long as she doesn't have to eat more than a bite or two of her catch).

Angelique with her very 1st catch!

The biggest catch of the week - a blue cat

(that she was afraid to touch)

Christian's first catch

We actually required her to have a bite of fish for every fish she caught.

Monday Minute

2010-07-26T08:28:00.000-05:00

Kmama is hosting this week. Head over, link up.

1. Who is your "what-if" person?

My what if would be my ex. I look at how good I have it now and have to say "what if" I had actually stayed in the relationship and married him. I can't imagine it would have worked out as well as my life is now.

2. What is your nickname?

Jelly Fish Girl. You can find the story here.

3. If you could choose how you died, how would you like to die?

In my sleep

4. If you could have named yourself, which name would you have picked?

That is too hard. It's actually one I never considered when I was growing up. My kids have though. My son wants to be Cody and my daughter wants to be Ashley. At least we started their names with the right letters.

5. Who were you named after or for what reason did your parents choose your name?

My aunt baby sat for a little girl named Tara. My parents thought she was adorable and wanted to name me something similar, but not the exact same thing. So, they changed the first letter and named me Cara.
(What-if person being what if I married this person or am now in a relationship with "this" person)

How Many Times Did You Hear This Growing Up?

2010-07-22T16:08:00.000-05:00

If you friends jumped off a cliff, would you?

Well, I've officially screwed myself out of the use of this one.

We visited Inks Lake State Park Last week while on vacation. There is an inlet on the lake called Devils Waterhole that have cliffs and when the water is really up, some waterfalls.

What surprised me most, is my diva little girl wanted to climb up on the rock with everyone else there that day and jump. Christian did also, but had to work his way up from low rocks. My camera is waterproof and has a mode to take several frames in a shot. Here are my kids jumping off cliffs.

Angelique:

Christian:

Moms, my kids are the ones you need to warn your kids about.

PS: My husband, MIL, FIL and myself all did it at least once also.

New Rule in The House

2010-07-20T12:37:00.000-05:00

I must be insane. I think I created a new rule in my home to punish myself. I guess now I just need to cross my fingers and hope that it all works out for the best.

I have previously covered the fact that my daughter is particular about her clothing here.

Not only does she want to wear specific brands, she has specific requirements. Such as: no buttons, no zippers, no ties, she has to be able to put it on entirely on her own. This has been the case since before her 2nd birthday. Only in the last year did she start wearing jeans and tennis shoes.

Despite all of her limitations, the child has an overstuffed closet. Somethings that still have the tag on them even since she decided it didn't meet her criteria after we got it home and for various reasons (like I hold my breath hoping she will change her mind, or lost the receipt, or its too big of a pain in the ass to take it back to the store) they didn't get returned.

About a week before we went on vacation, Christian was playing in Angelique's room and left it in a overwhelming state of disaster. Being the wonderful, sweet, loving (is anyone else laughing hysterically) mother that I am, I decided to clean it up while she was staying over at a friends house. It wasn't her fault (entirely) that her room was trashed.

That's what I was thinking when I started.

After 3 hours of finding clothing behind the bed, under the dresser, hiding on the shelves under her clothes, in boxes on her shelves, and thrown up at the top of her closet, I was seething. It was probably a good thing the child was not around at that time. It gave me some time to cool down. And to devise a plan.

Here are the main points of Angelique's new rule:

No one will be buying her clothes but herself. (Her Nana will have a bit of leeway, but not much)
She will earn money to buy her new clothes by doing chores. Specifically, she will unload the dishwasher when the dishes are clean, she will keep her room clean, put her clothes up (correctly) as soon as they come out of the laundry, and she will be responsible for washing 1 load of clothes per week - mainly the bright colors since her wardrobe dominates that load of laundry. Dependant on her workload that week she can earn $10 to $15 a week. I think it is a little high, but she needs to earn enough for back to school clothes.
For every one thing she buys, she must remove 2 from her closet to donate, sell at the resale shop, or hand down to friends or family. Whatever money she makes at the resale shop is hers to spend on new clothes.

That is essentially it. The hope behind it is to teach her responsibility and the value of her clothing. I am thinking maybe when it comes time to go shopping before school starts again, she may just realize how much more she can buy when shopping at Target vs. shopping at Justice.

What do you think? Is 7 too young to start teaching these lessons? Is my sanity worth it if I don't try?

Monday Minute with Mommy Loves Stilettos

2010-07-19T11:40:00.000-05:00

This week's co-host is Michelle from http://www.mommylovesstilettos.com/

What's your real name?

Cara - Nothing to hide here (BTW it's pronounced Care-uh even though I know none of you lovelies would ever mispronounce it)
Have you ever fabricated a story or anything on your blog?

No...I'm not that creative. Although there may be a few things that I wished I had made up.

When in the car do you listen to the radio/CDs/iPod/etc?

Radio mostly, CD's rarely anymore, and iPod when my husband doesn't have it in his car.
Describe the 'sexiest' item of clothing that you own

Sexy as is sexy time, or sexy wear in public??? No answer until that is clarified.
Would you be willing to breastfeed your friend's three year old child?

Hell NO! I wouldn't be willing to breastfeed my own child at 3 years old. My children took over my boobs for about 9 months each and I was beyond ready for them to give it up by the time they did.

Now...quit being a slacker like I have been and go link up...

I'm Not Here Today

2010-06-30T07:50:00.000-05:00

Nope...not here. But where you may ask...

Well my Journey from Muffin Top to Skinny Jeans is up. It's over at Family of Shorts! Shortmama is the one who put this whole thing into action and I am honored to be able to guest post for her today while she is away from blogland.

So click the link, click the button, whatever! Just get over there and check it out. And if you are not already a follower of Shortmama you better take care of that while you are over there!

Cartwheeling May Not Be In Your Best Intrest

2010-06-24T08:45:00.000-05:00

I have a ton of ideas for different post floating around in my head making me crazy. The problem is that pictures are required to tell the stories properly and I moved all of my photos to my external hard drive. Which is not presently in my location.

So, you get this story instead...

Leaky is a cartwheeling fool. She has spent more time on her hands lately than on her feet. It is really a pain in the ass when you are trying to have a conversation with a child that is constantly rotating. I made the mistake recently of informing her that I used to be able to do cartwheels too. She scoffed at the idea. I took it as a challenge.

The good news is that I proved my daughter wrong and performed my cartwheel with perfect form. The bad news, I may have over stretched a muscle in my groin that I forgot was there. Let's just say I was walking a little funny for a few days.

All this action reminded me of my worst experience ever with the cartwheels. I participated in debate during my junior/senior year. We would travel to other schools to compete in tournaments once or twice a month. This particular event was being held at the school my cousins attended. I spent most of my free time hanging out with them and their friends. This meant running into someone I knew wasn't out of the question. I was done with my rounds by early evening as was on of my best friends Chrissy. We were screwing around and running from place to place in the cafeteria to catch up with everyone and see how they did. I was full of energy and a complete goof and chose the middle of the floor to perform a quick cartwheel. As I was turning through the air, I heard the loudest rip that I can ever remember hearing. I am fairly certain the sound caught the attention of the hundred or so teens BSing and playing hacky sack (who remembers that??) around my vicinity. I landed with my legs together afraid to move.

I hadn't just ripped my jeans a little along the seam.

I had torn the entire crotch out of my jeans. At the same time in life I had started experimenting with wearing thong underwear. I was completely frozen with mortification. Chris thought quickly and threw me her sweater to tie around my waist. If I walked really carefully that would help maintain the shred that was left of my modesty and my pants.

If any of you are aware, you are required to dress professional while competing in debate. The would have saved me with having a spare set of clothes. Except, I had forgotten my stuff at home that morning and had borrowed another friends during my debates and she had left already with her parents, while I would be taking the bus back to our school.

I spent the next few hours standing very still and awkwardly as to not expose myself (again) until it was time to go. I was never so excited to make it home in my life.

Contradictory???? Nah!

2010-06-22T06:22:00.000-05:00

My husband took this photo last week while driving through Houston last week.

I'm not so sure the themes of the window stickers really go together.

On another note...I am going on vacation in a few weeks. July 12th to be exact. I don't want my little piece of the Internet to go stagnant while I'm away, so if any of you would be interested in doing a guest post, I would love you forever!

Not that I don't already!

Monday Minute

2010-06-21T07:15:00.000-05:00

1 - Have you ever had any feelings towards one of your teachers back in the day?

No...I had not hot teachers!

2 - What's the most embarrassing thing that happened while at work? (If you never worked then make something up)

I really try to avoid doing things that will lead to embarrassment at work, but if I had to say something...it would relate to dating someone you work with. It was my first job and most of our friends were co-workers...most fights were carried over into work.
3 - When was the last time you crapped yourself?

I'll just say it wasn't long ago enough not to be mortified by it. At least it happened at home!

4 - What is one thing you have always kept a secret and why have you kept this a secret for so long?

I try not to keep secrets...they eat at you an make you insane.

and finally...

5 - What's your best advice for us habitual coffee drinkers as to not have to poop right after drinking it?

Ummm...Go before

Cara Has Crabs!

2010-06-15T08:04:00.000-05:00

This is what I heard all weekend long. From the kids, my dear hubby, friends, and even at church!

Why, oh why, would the people I care about go around in public making this declaration?

Because I had a crab...but it was funnier to say it in the plural.

We went out on the water this weekend. A little wakeboarding and playing on FIL's new supercharged jet ski (that thing boogies!)

To get back in the boat from the jet ski, I just dove into the water. While sitting back in the boat, talking and just hanging out, I start to feel this little stinging on my side. Almost like a little bee sting.

The fist time I thought I was imagining something. The second time was, "What the hell is that?!" I pulled out the side of my tankini top and out drops this little fellow.

The kids decided to keep him and put him in an empty Dr. Pepper bottle with some of the lake water. He survived the weekend. Even after the kids switched out his brackish water (combination of fresh and salt water) for water from the sink.

Sunday afternoon he was released back into the creek.

So, I guess I really can say now that I have had crab(s).

Monday Minute

2010-06-14T12:46:00.000-05:00

1 - What's the specs of the first computer you owned?

I have no clue. I don't even know the specs on the computer I am using now.

2 - Are you on Twitter/Facebook/etc, if so link it/them up

I'm on facebook - at least I think I still might be.

3 - Who's more to blame for the oil mess in the gulf - BP or the Gov't and why?

BP hold the majority of the responsibility. There are maintenance and safety protocols in place as well as inspection requirements that were ignored. The government holds a partial responsibility for turning a blind eye on what is going on in these drilling platforms and failing to do governmental inspections.
4 - What's your favorite Dr. Suess book?

I spent so much time holed up reading when I was a kid and during my elementary years, I must have read One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish over 1,000 times.

And finally...

5 - What did you want to be when you grew up?

A genetic researcher focused on childhood diseases.

Uhhhh....Noooo!

2010-06-10T05:29:00.028-05:00

This was the best that I could come up with. Should I have seen this coming. What the "F" are you thinking.

This does not even begin to touch the things that were going through my head when a co-worker came into my office on Tuesday afternoon. "Can I have your number" in the whispery *wink-wink type thing is something I might expect to hear from a stranger in a club. But at work? From someone I see daily, but rarely speak with? Who knows I am married (and I believe to be married as well)? Seriously?

I was in the middle of responding to a blog comment on my blackberry and was completely thrown off guard. One of you may have received a completely non-sensical reply on Tuesday...sorry...off my game.

Here is the back story (and there is very little to be told). I have been working in this chemical plant as a contractor for 8 months planning maintenance shut downs. He is employed by the plant and works in the same building. His group meets in the dining area every morning at 6 to discuss that days work and any issues that may need to be addressed. I go in and get my coffee at 6. Smile politely, say good morning, grab my coffee and off I go. He would occasionally pop in my office to say hello or put his hand on my shoulder while I was working at the copy machine. I am not a touchy feely person, so this bugged me, but at the same time there are a lot of people who do that kind of thing so I just shrug it off. A few months ago, he came into my office and asked how the planning was going and gave me his number in case I needed something. Little yellow flag went up, but I would be planning work that fell into his discipline, so just for work stuff. Never had to use it.

Is this more common than I thought and I am just naive? I mean I work in an industry that is (at least) 95% male dominated. I have had my job for 3-1/2 years. And while there have been some off color jokes - mostly from people I trust and I know for certain they are jokes - I have never had anything like this happen before.

Of course, I called Clint and told him. Very quietly since our walls are paper thin. He laughed and said it was because I am hawt! Then asked if it was one of the "higher ups".

I had to be a smart-ass and reply..."Should I have said yes if it was?"

His actually thought process behind the question was if I need to put into action something to protect myself/job if they had that kind of power. Nope...nothing like that. My job is safe. I just have to suck it up and act normal when I go to get my coffee in the morning and pass in the hall. I am certainly not going to hide in my office because some ass over stepped a line. Hopefully, he will realize my uhhhh...noooo! was a firm NO!

What would you do?

Muffin Top - Recipe Share

2010-06-09T06:46:00.000-05:00

This weeks assignment was to share our favorite healthy recipe. I may be in trouble here. My husband cooks the majority of our meals and while I do cook, mostly it's a lot of experimenting to make normal meals more exciting. I do have my specialties, but those are definitely not on the healthy side of life. Just ask anyone who has eaten Tex Mex Sheppard's Pie (recipe from Ed's grandma). I usually have to make 3 casserole dishes of the stuff to satisfy everone's over indulgence in it.

Today I will share my chicken and rice recipe.

You will need:

3-4 chicken breast (dependent on size)
spices (this is where the experimentation comes in)
2 bags of boil in bag brown rice
steamed broccoli
Healthy Selection Cream of Mushroom Soup
2% Shredded Cheese

The first thing to do is season up you chicken. My go to spices and herbs are garlic, Tony's (old bay will work too), Italian seasoning, rosemary, pepper, and usually a light Italian dressing. If I run across something that strikes my fancy in the fridge or spice rack - I add that too. Broil the chicken until it is cooked through. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken and they oven you use (I like to use my convection toaster over - less energy and cooks faster). There are also times I cheat this part and just buy a preprepared rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.

While you chicken is cooking away, throw your rice bags into boiling water for 10 minutes and steam your broccoli. I also cheat on the broccoli steaming. I will either use the green giant frozen steamables or fresh and use Ziploc steam bags. I don't know how those things work, but they are amazing and I wash them out and use them multiple times when I'm just steaming veggies.

When all of your cooking is completed, cut up your chicken and mix it with the rice, broccoli and mushroom soup. Pour it all into a greased casserole dish and bake it in the oven at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle on the cheese (if you want it) about a minute before pulling it out of the oven.

It took me a few times of making this before coaxing my picky eaters to try it, but once they did they loved it!

On another note. I haven't weighed in this week, but when I did last Friday, I found I was down 8 lbs from starting. I set a new goal to loose 10 lbs every 2 months so I don't have to beat myself up on the times I don't resist temptation. This will also put me at my ultimate goal weight by early December!

Playing Catchup

2010-06-08T09:21:00.001-05:00

We have so much going on lately, that I have missed sharing some of our great experiences with all of you. All the way back to May 27th. I know, I am bad. So today I am going to catch you all up on random little tidbits that have been exciting my world.

May 27th

Both the kiddos had a belt test (karate) scheduled for that week. Christian's was Thursday at 5:15 and Angelique's Friday at 6:00. Problem, we were going out of town for Memorial Day Weekend and leaving Friday morning. Angelique's school (they go to different locations since the one closer to our house doesn't have a preschool) graciously agreed to test her on Thursday at 4:30. It was a struggle to get to the other school in 15 minutes, but we made it. We couldn't be prouder of our Green Belt and Tiny Tiger Yellow Belt. I think it was all Christian talked about for a week. And that kid talks...a lot!

June 1st / 2nd

As soon as we got back from our fun River Trip it was time for the end of the year festivities for miss Leaky. Tuesday was the end of the year Pizza / Class Party and Wednesday was the Poetry Celebration / 1st Grade Assembly (note to administrators - make it easier on us working parents and do these things on the same day). Since there was no way for me to possible take off 2 days of work, I went in super early on Wednesday to go to the Poetry Celebration. It was a ton of fun to see all the kids read their original poetry. I tried to video Angelique's reading, but she started reading before she got in front of the class and was walking before she was done again. My pictures didn't turn out very well either. But super duper congrats to my ~~baby~~ big now 2nd grade girl.

June 5th

We got off for the evening when Clint's mom decided to watch the kids overnight. So I managed to drag Clint away from his laptop and we joined Crew over at Johnnie's new house. We were early, so we helped paint the first coat of primer in the living room. With the work out of the way we grabbed a few drinks, barbecued chicken and played in the pool. Apparently, the only reason I should do energy drinks in not just that they keep me up for ever, they also make me channel my chatterbox son. And to anyone who knows me, that is way out of my norm.

June 8th

Yep, that's today. JennyMac at Lets Have a Cocktail is hosting this amazing giveaway for Bubble Beach Bags. These things are super cute and deflatable. I wonder if this means they will float too - you never know when the tide will come in - unless you pay attention to that stuff.

Monday Minute - The Kid Edition

2010-06-07T09:19:00.000-05:00

Here was our assignment: This week you need to take these five questions and ask your kid to answer em. Or ask all your kids and provide multiple answers. Don't have a kid? Make one up.

I have 2 kiddos and I was planning on doing this for both of them, but our weekend was so busy that I only managed to corner one of them. Below are Christian's answers.

1 - What's your favorite book/story?

Big Green Tractor / Cars

2 - What do you want to do when you grow up?

Be a cowboy and have guns and knives

3 - What is your favorite game?

Dance Dance Revolution on Wii

4 - What's your favorite food?

Chicken

5 - Insert your own question to ask your kid - What is your favorite song?

Chicken Fried

Raising Awareness Thursday - HPV Virus

2010-06-03T10:15:00.000-05:00

Lee from Headaches, Hormones and Hotflashes and Tami from Hearts Make Families are using their Raise Awareness this Thursday to discuss the HPV Virus. Help out the cause, tell your story or just get the word out and link back up at Lee's blog!

These are the facts that Lee had up:

*an estimated 75% to 80% of males and females will be infected with HPV in their lifetime

*about 6 million new cases of genital HPV in the United States each year

*74% of cases occur in 15- to 24-year-olds

*affects both females and males

*transmission can happen with any kind of genital contact with someone who has HPV—intercourse isn’t necessary

*the virus often has no signs or symptoms

*in women, 2 types of HPV cause about 75% of cervical cancer cases, and 2 more types that cause 90% of genital warts cases

*in men, HPV can cause genital warts

*GARDASIL is the only human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine that helps protect against 4 types of HPV

Another one not listed here...you can get HPV orally and is it has been linked to throat cancer. So all the proponents of oral isn't sex or there aren't as many risk that way out there, here is another mark to the contrary.

My story began when I was 18. I was in my first semester of collage and was in a serious relationship. I was on the pill. We didn't feel the need for any more protection than that since both of our experiences prior had been few and protected. I went in for my second ever pap smear that fall. I got a call back a week later requesting that I come in with in the week for a biopsy. The pap had come back with a positive for HPV and typically that meant warts, but it needed to be examined further. It was a strenuous week and a lot of fighting and blaming occurred in the relationship.

I think it was one week later when we found out it was pre-cancerous cells and I would need to have the freezing done.

I broke off my relationship after that due to feelings of confusion, stress and uncertainty about what would happen. I was unaware what it meant to depend on someone, and wasn't able to do it in this situation. I didn't even tell my parents. Knowing now how insurance statements work, I know they found out since I was still on their policy. But they never said anything.

I scheduled the procedure for 3 weeks later for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I ended up calling the boyfriend because I would need someone to drive me home after the procedure.

Everyone says that childbirth is the most painful experience a woman will ever endure. But that memory fades because you get this wonderful gift in return. I won't say the cryosurgery (nitrogen freezing) was more painful, but the memory is more prominent.

I have often been in conversations with a parent who is against vaccinating their daughter against an STD, and one that is so prominent, thinking that this will give them the green light to be sexually active. I have a several arguments to the opposite.

My children have no clue what their immunization are for
Even if they never have sex till they are married, they can still get this from their future spouse
Do you want to take the chance you child can get something that can kill them and you have the ability to prevent it?

There are other companies working on more vaccines and even ones that are targeted to boys.

If you do share with you child that you are immunized them for this, please make sure they know there are over 100 strains of HPV and this vaccine only protects against 4.

Memorial Weekend

2010-06-03T09:04:00.000-05:00

My entire adult life, Memorial Weekend has been an adults only weekend on the Guadalupe River for the crew. The only children that ever participated in our group weekend parties were the ones some of us ladies were hosting in our bellies. Chunky Dunkin' (skinny dippin' for those not rail thin), alcohol, tent camping in sweltering heat, and at least one torrential downpour were all a part of our normal one hedonistic weekend a year.

This year that all changed. We actually had to include our own children in our Memorial Day escapades...something about our collective parents not wanting to babysit. Pshhh!

Since we had to include the Little People this year, we changed it all up. We planned well in advance to rent cabins on the Frio river (tamer than the Guadalupe in many ways). There were 2 cabins and 5 couples along with all our kids. Only one couple didn't have kids, but another in the group brought along another friends kids, so it evened out. All together we had 10 adults and 11 kids (1-1yr old, 1-4yr old, 2-6yr olds, 3-7yr olds, 1-8yr old, 2-11yr olds and 1-12yr old). Right now I am really wishing I had gotten a big group photo of all of us. But the one here is most of the group breaking for lunch.

I could give you a play-by-play of the weekend, but mostly everyday would be the same...Play in the river, barbecue, hang out on the patio with a few drinks and let the kids run wild until they wore themselves out. All in all it was a wonderful weekend and we actually do understand that even our parents need their weekend of hedonism every now and then!

Blond Moment, But It Wasn't My Fault

2010-06-02T06:39:00.000-05:00

Have you ever run out of gas? Not figuratively speaking. Literally, run out of gas in your car? Well, I have done it twice now. I know the few men who read this are now rolling their eyes, but I swear it is not my fault.

Both occurrences have been in my car. A 1997 Cobra Mustang. This is what it looks like (minus the snow...I really don't take many pictures of my car unless something out of the unusual happens...like snow in Houston)

It is a really sweet ride and gets lots of looks when it's all shined up and the top is down. The only problem is its an older car and it is starting to have a problem or two. All fixable, just need the mechanic every once in a while. It's a pretty fair trade off given we have never had a payment on this vehicle.

It got a lot of looks yesterday stalled on the side of a desolate highway about 2 miles out from my job.

Now you may be wondering what kind of idiot runs out of gas. Well, I took a photo of the gas gauge when it happened...unfortunately I can't load the picture from my Blackberry for some reason this morning, so you will just have to take my word for it. The gauge was sitting pretty at 1/4 tank. Seriously? Let me excuse myself to shout in bleeps for a minute!

Okay, I'm done (for now). When I left work, I decided at 92 degrees it wasn't too hot to put the top down and cruise. With a quarter tank I would stop at the gas station on my way home, about 10 miles down the road. No biggie. Well the pretty 92 degrees at 60 mph was sweltering stopped on the side of the road. I called my hubby, who luckily was home, to come help me. Did I mention my commute is 45 minutes. And the kids had to be picked up first. I killed a little time playing with my ipod, messing with my phone that had nearly no signal, and calling my friend Rachel. I was really lucky I had brought a bottle of water with me when I left work. Usually, I just use a large tumbler for water when at work, but had grabbed a bottle when in someones office that afternoon. If I hadn't I would have been dehydrated after sitting there for an hour.

Wait a minute, didn't I say this isn't the first time. Yes, yes I did. The first happened about a year and a half ago when I was rushing home from work on a rainy morning after getting a call from the school nurse that Leaky was sick. That day it stalled at 1/8 tank. So I stared being really careful to refill once I got to 1/4. I guess that I am going to have to change my strategy. Any ideas. I can't go by the mileage because Clint drives it like the sports car it is and it runs through the gas faster that way. So anything else you got, just let me know!

Tears to Shed Today

2010-05-27T05:51:00.000-05:00

I got an e-mail from my best friend Rachel last Tuesday:

Her brother-in-law and his wife had delivered their triplet baby girls at 28 weeks (this was the goal they were trying to reach) on the 18th. They were all in excellent condition, none on ventilators and they had even been approved for breast milk. All huge milestones for preemies in the NICU. A huge welcome to the world for Payden, Allyssa and Temperance!

I got an e-mail from my best friend Rachel yesterday morning:

Please Pray! The call had come in from the NICU that Payden needed some medicine for her heart murmur. Nothing serious, but something they wanted to start. One hour later another call. Payden developed and intestinal virus. It would be several hours before the severity would be determined, and they put her on a ventilator to help her tiny body focus all its energy to fight the infection.

I got an e-mail from my best friend Rachel yesterday afternoon:

Payden's bowel was also perforated along with the infection. She was being transferred to the Children's hospital for surgery.

I got a phone call from by best friend Rachel yesterday evening:

Payden pulled through the surgery. They had removed her colon and part of her intestine. They were not sure yet how far the infection had gotten into her intestines, so it was still a wait and see situation. They would be keeping her at the Children's Hospital and they didn't know yet if they would be able to transfer the other babies over to keep them in the same place.

I had an e-mail from my best friend Rachel waiting for me when I got to work at 5 this morning. It was sent at 1:27 am:

Payden has passed away.

My heart dropped. I'm not sure what to say or do, other than offer my support and be there for my best friend who is expecting twins herself. Rachel and her husband made the trip up to Austin to be with their family.

Please pray for the Harrell family. Pray for health for Allyssa and Temperance. Pray for healing in their hearts for the loss of Payden. Pray for Clarissa and Rustin as they share the news with their 6 year old daughter. Pray for baby Greyson that passed away last spring after being born at 21 weeks. This family has suffered unimaginable loss already. Please pray for them!

What a Weekend!

2010-05-26T08:27:00.002-05:00

Man alive it was busy! So busy in fact, it has taken me till Wednesday to re-coop and get my act together and get the pictures loaded.

The parties went off well. I had to keep reminding myself to relax and not to stress over little things.

R and I ended up cancelling our mani/pedi appointments on Friday since she didn't have anyone to watch her daughter and holding a wiggly 15 month old is not very conducive to having pretty nails. So we went shopping instead. We found some really cute jewelry, swim cover ups, shoes, and a shirt that I ended up wearing out to the concert.

Everyone met up at a pub called Boondoggles on Clear Lake for drinks and snacks before the concert. The place was packed, so we sat on the picnic tables out on the patio. Let me tell you May + Houston = Too effin' hot to sit outside to eat. My hair, that I actually took the time to fix (the one time this month) was flat within minutes. We were lucky enough to find a table right in front of the fan though, so at least we were not pouring sweat. We passed a good part of the time making fun of bossman's (R's hubby) new haircut. It was very metro looking and gelled, which is not at all his style.

We got to the concert around 10 and had about 30 minutes to kill before crowding in front of the stage for a great show. Stoney rocked the house with several new songs and lots of favorites from The Red Dirt Album. If you enjoy a rougher sounding country you should definitely check out Stoney LaRue.

Saturday morning we got up early to go out on the water. We had to go pick up our kids and R and bossman's kids (they had a sleepover) from my in-laws house and then we were ready to go. We were meeting a couple from our small group at the dock and they were bringing their 3 girls also. It was really fun seeing all 8 kids interact with each other and play in the water. The best thing for the day though was watching our small group navigator go flying off the tube and catching it on freeze frame with our camera. We even considered going back to Boondoggles for lunch since it is right there on the water with docks, but we didn't want to take a break from our water play time.

The only bad thing is Clint and I got sunburned pretty badly. Here is a helpful tip. If you plan on using the spray type sunscreen that is now very popular, do not apply it when the wind is blowing. It is not really making it to your skin and you will end up looking like a lobster, as I do now.

We got off the water around 3 and had to haul booty. The BBQ was supposed to start at 4 and we still had to drop off the boat at home, get cleaned up a little, stop at Party City and get across town. We were late, but were also only the 2nd ones there so it was ok.

The kids spent the entire time in the pool. We couldn't even convince them to get out long enough to eat dinner. Despite Leaky being a really strong swimmer, I had to restrict her to the shallow end a few times because she was so tired from a full day and staying up late the night before with her friends.

Overall the party weekend was a success. I hope all my friends enjoyed their Birthday Weekend and a big thanks to all those who helped out with the planning.

Monkey Minute - for Daffy

2010-05-24T07:12:00.001-05:00

1 - Do you *snort*?

Not very often. I am more known for my ability to "burp like a man"

2 - Our friend, has a nickname and it's Daffy. What's your nickname?

Jellyfish Girl. You can find the story here.

3 - Do you know sign language?

I only know the first verse of Silent Night. I learned it for a Christmas pageant in the 3rd grade.

4 - What's a sample convo from your hood?

Uh...He just hung up on me. That silly boy. (My son "talking" to his friend on the Ipod - not phone - Nano)

5- Do you sleep with electronic devices - i.e. laptop, Blackberry, iPhone, etc?

I do sleep with my Blackberry, but only because it is my alarm clock. Don't judge.

Wordless Wednesday - Photo for Future Embarrasment

2010-05-19T09:17:00.000-05:00

I Am A Crappy Party Planner

2010-05-18T09:46:00.000-05:00

I have been a bad blogger. I got awarded then abandoned my blog. I really tried to keep up with all of you for a while, but alas, even that fell by the wayside. I won't make excuses for my bad behavior, other than life just got in the way. We are gearing up for a busy summer, so I won't lie to you all and say it won't happen again, but hopefully I will be soooo excited about all our adventures that I won't be able to wait to share them will you!

It is not only you, my bloggy friends, that I feel like I have been neglecting, by my live in person friends as well. You see, I have 3 great friends with birthdays in May. We will call them L, R and S. L and R are turning 30, so big deal celebration, right? I mean they took me to Austin to have a huge blowout bash. So, what are you going to do for these great friends you may ask. Not as much as I would like to. There are a few barriers in the way.

1. We are going camping Memorial Weekend (with the kiddos) and renting cabins as a group, so the money we would have spent on a party for them is going toward this trip.

2. L is preggo with twins, so no bars or drinking for her.

3. S is married to L so he's on a tight leash.

So here's what we are doing. We all went out for lunch last weekend for L's B-day. We are going out to a concert (Stoney LaRue) on Friday for R's B-day, and we are trying to get the whole crew together to BBQ and swim on Saturday. I am also taking R to get her nails done on Friday.

I feel pretty lame in the party planning department (especially considering most of what we are doing was not my idea). What to you all think? Do you have any ideas I can claim as my own? Only R will know the truth because she reads my blog. Hi R...you ready for mani pedi pampering on Friday?

You like me...You really like me!

2010-05-10T10:54:00.000-05:00

Last week I was the lucky recipient of not 1, but 2 awards! Can you believe it, Me! I am still in shock!

First, Pam at Live, Laugh, Love with the Pondering Princess bestowed upon me the Happy 101.

These are the rules:

1. Display the award on your blog.

2. Link to the awarder's blog.

3. List 10 things that make you happy.

4. Pass the award along to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know about the award.

10 Things That Make Me Happy

Handmade gifts from my children. They are the best and the ones that I want to keep forever!
Taking the time to get a mani pedi with my daughter. Hopefully we will be doing this together for many years to come
Date night
Spending time on the water
Hanging out with the crew
Family Dinner
Kissing my babies good night
Serving in the wigglers (babies) in PeeWee Ville (0-5 year old church)
Clint
Getting to spend time with Ed

Then, Miss Fit was kind enough to pass the Honest Scrap my way. For this one, I'm supposed to share 10 random things about myself and pass the award on the 10 other bloggers. This may be tough, since I did 7 things about myself not to long ago here. Really, it's hard to think of all these things about myself!

10 Random Things about me:

I think Friday the 13th (the day, not the movie) is the bomb diggity, but I want to hide under the covers on Saturday the 14th
I was one of the few kids in school that managed to fit in with the jocks, band, book worms, sk8ers and kickers
I think a bag of popcorn is an acceptable lunch (my waistline disagrees)
I hate to shop...I end up way to frustrated and stressed out
My heritage is mostly Scandinavian and Italian to which I attribute my proud quiet nature and my ability to hold a grudge.
I had absolutely no communication with my bio mom from age 5 to 19
My son and my nephew were born 5 days apart
I HATE mayo and will only use it for tuna salad
I ran track in HS, but now have trouble keeping up with my 7 year old
I only talk on the phone when I have to. I go nowhere near half the 450 minutes on my phone plan and don't have a home phone.

Now to share the love! I'm only going to do three because ~~I'm feeling lazy~~ I really like that number. You are welcome to pick just one or you can do both...Your choice.

Mimi @ Living in France
Lisa Marie @ Domestication of a Party Girl
Tenny @ Simply a Mom

Let's Hear It For New York* - Sunday

2010-05-06T06:27:00.000-05:00

Move over Alicia Keys - I'm taking it from here. Oh wait, I'm going home. Never Mind.

Sunday:

7:30a - Uuuuhhhhhhhh. Shut up alarm clock. I don't want to get up. I didn't sleep in one single day of my mini vacation.

7:45a - I'm dressed. Clint...It's time to get up. We have to pack and get to the airport. While he's in the bathroom, I unpack what he packed in my suitcase the night before and re-pack it my way...shoes at the bottom, everything folded (even dirty) and belts and accessories in the small compartments. I know its sounds ridiculous. I think I might be just a little OCD. Shhh, don't tell anyone!

8:10a - Checking out of the hotel and it's raining. Stare outside for 5 minutes to see not one taxi go down the street. Ask the receptionist if she can call for one. We end up being picked up 5 minutes later in a Navigator that looks exactly like our own Expedition.

8:45a - Holy flying monkey balls. We are already at the airport (Laguardia). I wouldn't know...I can't open my eyes. Dude drives just like Clint. Scary!

9:00a - Um, okay. We are already through check-in and security. Where is everyone. We were expecting that to take at least 30 to 45 minutes. Whatever, I have coffee on the brain.

9:30a - No Starbucks here, so I settle for Dunkin' and a bowl of cereal. Clint got the same and somehow our total was no less than $25. I don't know if this is the norm for the donut chain, but I drink my coffee in a chemical plant most days of the week, and that stuff was stout! We settle in for just over an hour wait to board. Clint watched "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" and I caught up on my reading "Crazy Love". It is a eye opening book about faith by Francis Chan. One I recommend. The flight is overbooked and they are asking passengers to volunteer to be bumped for compensation. Tempting, but I'm ready to go home.

10:40a - Pack into the to Chicago Midway like sardines in a can. Clint sleeps on the flight. I don't. For some reason, can't, despite being exhausted.

1:30p - (Time Change accounted for) Eat and kill time staring out the window for an hour till our next flight.

2:45p - Time to go...back in line. We are a little ways back with our boarding number and it is once again a packed flight. While waiting in the line, I scope everyone out to determine who it would be the most fun to sit next to (Southwest does not assign seating, just boarding order). There is a nun! Sweet! I tell Clint we need to sit next to her and watch "My Best Friends Girl" without the headphones. In case you are not aware it is a Dane Cook movie with lots of cursing and some nudity. Yes, I can be just a weee bit evil at times. I'm workin on it. A few minutes later Clint sees someone we know further back in the line. We agree we should try to sit somewhere so he can sit with us. Damn, no nun torture today.

I think we did end up watching "My Best Friends Girl" on the plane, but we wore the headphones and sat in the last row, so no one else was offended by the movie.

4:30p - Back on Houston soil. Grab some kids, some dinner, and agree (reluctantly) not to unpack tonight.

I think it took a full week to catch up on sleep and for my feet to recover. We had a great trip and I would tell anyone it is a trip that you should make at least once. When my daughter is older, I am going to try to take a mother-daughter trip with our best friends.

So far, the only thing we can think of that we forgot do is food related. We forgot to go to the original Katz's Deli.

A word of advice. DO NOT get on the scale as soon as you get home from a trip like this!

Wordless Wednesday - There's A Reason We Call Him Bubba

2010-05-05T06:21:00.000-05:00

My Muffin Top will have to wait for me to actually spend some time at home.

This is either Christians idea of a pedicure or he was trying to see how far he could push me by playing in the water when he shouldn't be.

Let's Hear It for New York* - Saturday

2010-05-04T07:26:00.000-05:00

sang in my best Alicia Keys impersonation (little off key, but I rockin' it now!)

If you missed it, go back and read about Thursday and Friday.

This post may be a little light on the pictures, our camera died Friday night so everything on Saturday was taken with my Blackberry.

Saturday:

6:30a - Stupid ass internal alarm clock...I hate that bitch. I'm going to lay around for 2 hours and watch crappy TV until my husband wakes up.

8:30a - Shower, dress and discover my eyes are so blood shot that I look like I have pink eye (I have severe eye allergies). We have to stop and get some eye drops NOW! Now, where was that pharmacy again?

9:00a - Sit down for breakfast at Ben Ash and wait for our friends to join us. Sneak off twice to administer more eye drops. The food was okay (Clint thought it was excellent, but the snooty waitress got his order right). We discuss seeing another show since the one the night before blew us away. Decide that if we do see one we will go to the Cirque show.

10:30a - Yes, breakfast, took that long! We decide its time to hit up the central park zoo! My favorite are always the seals. One was sunning and the other was swimming in circles around the rock formation in the center of their enclosure. We went around to take a look at all the different exhibits. Stepping into the tropical enclosure was like being home in the middle of summer. Hot and sticky. We all got a kick out of watching the penguins too (none of those photos came out well). Overall, its a pretty cool little zoo, but it had nothing on Houston's.

11:30a - Since we are already there, we decide to walk around Central Park for a while. While it was getting a little warm for my jacket, I never expected to see anyone laying out in the park in a bikini. Sorry guys, she was too far away for a picture. We climbed a rock formation and around musicians by a pond where there were miniature sail boat racing. Most of this time, I spent on the phone with my daughter back home trying to figure out where the invitation for a party I didn't RSVP for went, because here Nana said she would take her.

12:30p - Clint spies row boats on a lake. Totally something he wants to do. I don't say anything, but really it has alarms going off in my accident prone mind. I must have ESP or something, because as soon as we got to the gate to go in, he looks at me and says, "This might not be a good idea. Cara will probably end up wet." Sadly, he's right, I would have ended up wet. Instead we watch everyone working out in the park, and ~~laugh at~~ critique some from a far.

12:45p - We are all getting pretty hungry, and we have yet to try New York pizza yet. So the phones come out to determine where the best place is to have authentic New York pizza. It was only a few blocks from Central Park so, we could walk it. We had no clue how long that would actually take us. It felt like we walked forever. We even ended up walking through a benefit walk for Parkinson's.

1:30p - Famished and dehydrated we finally make it to Angelo's Coal Oven Pizza. I'm not certain if the pizza was really that good, or we were just that hungry, but the 4 of us made good work of 2 large pizzas.

2:15p - Fat and happy we make our way to Time Square to see if we can get tickets to the show we want to see. It took us about 15 minutes to decide that we didn't want to deal with the hassle of seeing the Cirque show (subway, ferry and bus), we would just have a really nice dinner and spend the evening hanging out. Plus, all that time not spent in line, gave us time to shop.

We shopped in the Hershey's and M and M stores in Time Square where we bought the kids some really cool ice cream bowls, super huge bags of pink and blue M and M's, and Angelique a tank top. We got Christian a T-Shirt from Bubba Gump Shrimp Co since Bubba is one of his many nick-names.

FAO Schwartz and Tiffany's are our only other 2 must stop places. FAO was insanely packed. I felt like I was shopping in the Galleria at a day after Thanksgiving Sale. And I have never before in my life seen a stuffed animal for $3,000. Lucky for us, my son's allergies do not allow him to have stuffed animals.

Tiffany's was quite the experience also. Jen looked like she was right at home. It was awesome to go there, but due to my cheap tendencies, I could not buy anything. I have to say time flew by just looking at all of the beautiful things in that store.

5:00p - We decided to head back towards the hotels to get cleaned up and dressed for our nice dinner. I was seriously hesitant about putting my high heels on my swollen feet. Unfortunately, my only other option was to wear my Nike's or my flip flops (not repeating that mistake) with my dress. So, I sucked it up, put on my make-up and crammed my feet into my killer - in more ways than one - pumps. Thankfully, after walking the 3 blocks to meet back up, everyone decided the best plan of action for the evening would be to take a cab. Thank the heavens above!

6:45p - We arrive at our destination. Bond St Japanese. If we didn't know the address, we would have never known it was there. I have to say, every bit of our meal was amazing. I'm not much on sushi (I have some food texture issues), but I did try the seared scallops and a few other things that were wonderful. I ordered New York Strip and despite never using chop sticks before this trip, I did a pretty good job of keeping my food off myself while eating with them at this upscale establishment. It took two hours of good drinks, food and conversation for us to be ushered out the door.

9:15p - Finally snug back in a cab directed in the general vicinity of our hotels, CJ pulls his phone out to search for a bar for us to enjoy the rest of our last night together. He finds one called McGee's that is just 1 block between our hotels and is said to be the inspiration behind Mclarens (sp?) on How I Met Your Mother. Hell yeah, that is where we are going.

9:45p - The bar looks nothing like the one on the show, but it looks cool anyway so we find a booth and kick off our shoes under the table and settle in for lots of drinks. While enjoying our beverages we bs about everyone back home and watch our home teams play ball on the TV over the bar. Baltimore got their asses handed to them and the Astros actually won one. We spent the next 3 hours drinking Firefly Vodka* and listening to the boy - and yes by this point they were reverted to boys - retell old stories.

1:00a - We hug goodbye at the corner and as we make our way back to the hotel it starts to rain. Running in heels after 3 days of walking was not happening, so we got a bit wet. We threw somethings in the direction of suit cases. It was time to get some sleep, we needed to be on our way to the airport by 8 the next morning.

Find out about our trip home on Thursday...

*Firefly Vodka is this amazing concoction that is vodka that taste like sweet tea and is even made with real sugar. If you are a sweet tea junkie (see Southern) you have to try this stuff!

Monday Minute - Get You Stomach Turning.

2010-05-03T06:13:00.000-05:00

It's time to play along with Ian at DDoR again. To join in click on the button below and link on up!

1 - How much would you have to be paid to eat a human cadaver's finger?

You could not pay me to do this. EVER!

2 - Describe the worst physical fight you've ever been in.

Considering there has only been one, that's easy. It was with my little sister (by 3 yrs) She had to take summer school and wanted to go with me to register her, which I had to do since my mom couldn't take off work to do it. I wasn't going to take her because it was my first time driving on the freeway alone, and I definitely wasn't taking our 5 yr old brother who we watched during the summer. She got pissed and charged me (she was a regular fighter at school). I flipped her over, pinned her on the ground, punched her 3 times in the arm and told her if she was such tough shit to get me off her. She gave up.

3 - Name one song that if you never heard it ever again, you'd be thrilled.

Anything by Keisha

4 - Describe the "drunkest" situation you've ever been.

Halloween 2004. By midnight I was bawling and yelling at Clint that he didn't love me because he wouldn't take me home (he was drunk too and couldn't drive). A friend drove us home and trying to make it up the stairs, I slipped and hit Clint in the nose. He claims I broke it.
5 - What's your biggest regret?

This would take way too long to cover, but to make this short...My relationship with my extended family.

Also - Prec over at Sand and Starfish is hosting some pretty cool giveaways. You should go check her out (even if you don't want stuff). She's cool, and crafty, and does things like sing to her garden.

Let's Hear It for New York* - Friday

2010-04-30T05:57:00.001-05:00

sang in my best Alicia Keys impersonation (doesn't sound any better, but I'm getting more confident)

If you missed it, you can find Part I here.

Today's edition will chronicle day two of our New York adventures...

Friday

5:30a - I am mother truckin' tired of that damn a/c noise. Stupid hubs can sleep though any damn thing. I get up, turn the bane of my existence off, open the windows, and lie in bed staring at the ceiling for the next 2 hours.

9:00a - Clint joins me in wakefulness, and we head down to meet CJ and Jen at Starbucks (we weren't in the same hotel because of some booking issues...apparently the draft was in NYC the same weekend)

9:30a - Coffee in hand, Advil kicking in, we head off to the one and only must do thing on our list. The waffle guy (seen on "Throwdown" on the Food Network 1 month prior to our trip). As fate would have it, they were parked literally around the corner from our hotel Friday morning (they have a website where you can find their location at any time). We wanted to take a picture, but just after we placed our order, a burly man comes out of the building behind us and provided us with the catch phase of the weekend. (In a bad NY accent) "I got better things to do with my day than chase down waffle guys". Apparently the building occupants (looked to be a photography gallery) did not want the truck there and had told them to move the week before. Whooops! At least we got our kick-ass waffles first!

10:00a - After a quick stop in Time Square to see if available shows are posted yet, and popping into Toys R Us to see the indoor ferris wheel, we were ready for the MET. I think I could have spent an entire week in this place and not seen it all. Greek, African and Asian, Oh my!

1:30p - Lunch break for some hot dogs in the park from the street vendor. I never understood, until then why people say they love tulips. After seeing them in the park, I am reformed.

2:00p - Back in the MET to see King Tut's Funeral and the art wing. Jen spent a bit of time searching for the perfect place to have dinner on her phone (thanks again Jen), and Clint spent a lot of time taking pics of her doing so.

3:30p - Oh crap, we are running late. We need to get to Time Square and get in line for tickets to the show we want to see. Now, being the classy folks we are, you might think we were desperately trying to get tickets to the Cirque du Soleil "Ovo" show or Chicago (these were actually or back up choices). No, we desperately wanted to see, wait for it...."Rock of Ages". You see, CJ and I are only slightly obsessed with the 80's and our spouses put up with it, they are really fans to. Did I mention Constantine from American Idol fame was the "star" of the show. Didn't really amount to a hill of beans to me, but some people love their American Idol like I love my Hair Bands.

4:30p - Tickets in hand, Jen wanted to change before the show, so she and CJ headed back to their hotel while Clint and I went to the Hard Rock for some pre-dinner drinks. We were sitting next to a large group who were trying to avoid their responsibilities of being in a wedding they were in town for. They were also Dr. Pepper lovers, so when Clint ordered his usual Jim Beam and DP they were all over it. Apparently this was new to them, so he passed his glass for them to sample his chosen concoction. He now has some converts from the Jim Beam and coke crowd.

5:30p - We ate our pre-Show dinner at a wonderful little Italian restaurant called Fragolino Trattoria. The food was wonderful as was the service. But the kicker comes when I look across the street to see this little gem. It takes everyone else 30 minutes to see it because of the traffic going by each time they look. But it is there. And it has my name (that's not my middle name BTW, but is what I was name for, It means Dear One in Italian). Next time we are in NYC we are eating there. I have put my foot down on that one. Hell, I was ready to leave the restaurant we were in just to see if we could even get into the place...is that bad of me?

7:15p - We have a few minutes to kill before the most rockin show on Earth, so we stop at the place next to the theater Trattoria Trecolori for dessert and drinks. We ordered 3 different things, tiramisu, cannoli and some other thing that I cannot remember for the life of me. They were sooooo yummy!

8:00p - Broadway here we come. The show was awesome and we had an awesome time singing along to our fave '80's tunes. I was sad when it was over, but I can replay just about every song the show featured on my iPod since I already have them.

11:00p - We figure this is a good a time as any to go check out the Statue of Liberty. We were told in advance (by Clint's parents) that actually going to the Statue is an all day affair, but you can see it at night from the Staten Island Ferry. I don't think it was be an experience we would like to have again. At least not late at night. The hum of the ferry for 30 minutes there and 30 minutes back nearly put us all to sleep. And we did not get very good pictures. These were the best ones...

1:30a - Ah, sleep, I am coming for you now. But I learned my lesson. No a/c. Windows open, blinds down (no one wants to wake up to pigeons sitting on their bed). I will leave you with one last photo, that I'm guessing Clint took because of the Sweet Action drink. Not sure where it was taken though.

Tune in on Tuesday to find out what all we managed to squeeze into Saturday!

Let's Hear It For New York* - Thursday

2010-04-29T09:51:00.003-05:00

*sang in my best Alicia Keys impersonation (which to be honest is worse than bad)

This past weekend was an absolute whirl wind. We fit somuch into about 2.4 days that we possible could. I'll break up the trip into days so the page will actually load with all the pictures.

Thursday:

5:30a - Neither of us can sleep, so we decide to make some good use of quiet time

6:30a - Get the kids up - bribe them with Donald's Donuts (best place around) if they hurry up and get ready

7:30a - Leaky drops chocolate milk all down the front of her clothes and we have to haul booty home to change and get the kids to school on time

8:00a - Drop kids off

9:30a - Leave for the airport

11a-1:30p - Flight to Chicago Midway

1:45p - Flight to NYC is delayed by 3 hrs (WTF)

2:00p-3:00p - Eat lunch at Harry Carey's in Airport

3:10p - Back to terminal to to discover flight has been moved back up 2 hrs and get on plane 20 min later

3:30p - 6:30p (allows for time change) - Flight to NYC

6:45 - Friends from Baltimore who took bus up, meet us at airport, grab bags and hire a car to take us to the Da Vinci Hotel on 56th and Broadway (which the driver had never heard of)

7:30 - Drop crap and head for some dinner in China Town. Where you ask? Joe's Sichuan. Family style Chinese restaurant known for their pork and crab steam dumplings (I actually preferred the pork). But I have to say, it was the best Chinese I have ever eaten. Oh yeah, did I mention I don't know how to eat with chopsticks. Well it was either learn or wait till Clint was done eating and convince him to feed me. I decided it was time to learn. I did OK.

9:15p - On to SoHo for drinks at a little Irish pub called Mc Sorley's Ale House. Opened in 1854 and full of history. Per Wikipedia "No piece of memorabilia has been removed from the walls since 1910. After the New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994, they took the cup to Mc Sorley's and drank out of it; the resulting dent caused the NHL to take the trophy back for several days.[citation needed] Famous people have imbibed at McSorley's, including Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Boss Tweed, and Woody Guthrie. Two of McSorley's most famous mottos include "Be Good or Be Gone", and "We were here before you were born". Prior to the 1970 Supreme Court ruling, the motto was "Good Ale, Raw Onions and No Ladies." The raw onions can still be had as part of the famous McSorley's cheese platter. The prime condiment is some extremely spicy hot mustard found on each table in a beer mug." The kicker of this place...you have two drink options..light ale or dark ale. For the group of 4 of us 8 half pints were brought to the table at a time. I have to say, just the 2 options were just right for us.

11:00p - An hour before midnight we found ourselves on foot again. Head towards the Empire State Building. It really takes some time just to get up to the observation deck of this builiding, even that late at night, there was still quite a few people (and some school groups) out to experience the quintessential New York tourist attraction. There is so much more going on in that little strip of land than I ever expected.

1:30a - We make it back to our little boutique hotel and are ready to crash. But, I have to clean up first. Here's a tip for anyone who has never had this experience. DO NOT wear flip flops in New York unless you want your feet to be BLACK! Seriously, it was gross. Attempts to sleep followed, but our a/c in the room sounded like Jim Carey from Dumb and Dumber making that really annoying loud noise...every 5 frikin' minutes!

Come back tomorrow to find out about our Friday adventures in the Big Apple!

Muffin Top to Skinny Jeans - 1 Month!

2010-04-28T08:39:00.000-05:00

So, I've been a blog slacker. I haven't posted in a week and I have so much to share about my trip to New York. First, I have to charge my camera so I can get the photos off of it. I guess I've been a slacker in other areas too. Ooops.

On to the weekly check in for Journey from Muffin Top to Skinny Jeans hosted by Shortmama...

How did you do on our first month of the journey? Were you able to stay on track with the 3 simple changes you chose in our first challenge? Are there adjustments that you can see you need to make in order to continue to be successful at winning this battle of losing weight?

I was doing really well with most of my small changes. The one I struggled with the most was taking my lunch with me, especially when my schedule got crazy.
This week was a bit disappointing for me. I didn't get on the scale this morning because I got on the scale Sunday evening when we got home. I was aware that my trip to New York was not going to have a great effect on my weight loss journey, but figured I would be balancing it a bit with all the walking and stair climbing we did.

That turned out not to be the case according to my evil scale. I am apparently starting over. Last week I was sitting pretty at 5 lbs lost. Now, I am back at square one. It really knocked me off the horse, so to speak for Monday. I can't say that I didn't contemplate just giving up. But that passed and I am now getting up and dusting myself back off. I am really hoping that some of the extra weight that showed up can be attributed to a sneaky little thing that is supposed to be on a 28 day cycle, but showed up on a 21 day in the middle of a Broadway show (lucky I caught on to that early).

This weekend one of our local gyms is having a grand re-opening and is offering $0 enrollment. Usually they tack on fees elsewhere to offset that cost, but I am going to go check it out.

Journey from Muffin Top to Skinny Jeans - Week 3

2010-04-21T05:14:00.000-05:00

Well, it's Wednesday again. That means its time to check in with Family of Shorts for Journey from Muffin Top to Skinny Jeans. Want to join in? Click on the button or link and get busy!

How do you handle a gain or the feeling of knowing your didn't do as well as you had hoped?

I try to prepare myself for no results. When I am mentally prepared to handle no change in my weight, it feels even better if I have achieved a loss. But if I have been working really hard and see a gain, I might spend the rest of the day eating things I know I shouldn't.

What kind of effect does this have on you?

It can be really depressing. It ends up creating a cycle where I try to make up for my bad day (or days) for the remainder of the week, and then have to face the scale again.
Is there something constructive you can do to reward yourself for small steps?

This one is tough. I tend not to reward myself to much. Just had a little epiphany...maybe I can put a couple dollars in a jar for every pound I loose, then when I reach my goal weight I will have $80 to go buy myself something nice that flatters my new figure.
And how are you doing this week?

I've been doing pretty bad the past couple of days. I am not really wanting to blog about it, but otherwise, I have no accountability for my actions. I really need accountability to change my ways.

I got on the scale this morning and I have actually lost a pound since last week. And I did exercise. I managed to get through 2 days of the 30 Day Shred before my muscles were so tight I could hardly walk.
What were your challenges?

This week the majority of my challenges have come from the hours I am working. I am getting to work at 4 am (so no morning workout) and by the time I get home at 5:30 I am so tired I want to collapse. I am also a bit worried about how I am going to do this weekend. We leave for NYC tomorrow morning and I know I am going to eat somethings that are wayyyyyy off the healthy eating plan. Maybe I can balance it out at various meals.

If It Can, It Will

2010-04-20T05:09:00.000-05:00

I am not starting my week off on the right foot.

This week I am coming into work at 4am so that I have enough hours by the end of the day Wednesday, that I am not missing any time by taking off to go to New York on Thursday.

Yesterday, I was cruising along through my work when I get a phone call from the school nurse. My first thought after seeing the caller id is "She cannot seriously be getting sick this week". Nope that was not the case. Apparently, she was hit in the eye by the corner of a piece of paper flying across the class room. Nurse thinks it looks minor, but it would be best to get it checked out by the doctor. So much for working any extra hours.

Doctor takes a look under a magnifying glass with a light and doesn't see anything. Wants to make sure, so she put fluorescent dye in her eye and looks with a more specialized magnifying glass in the dark. There it is. An abrasion in the center of the cornea. Antibiotic ointment in the eye (luckily I don't have to do this) and a eye bandage. She also has to go back this afternoon for a follow up to make sure it is healing! Once again, getting up at 3 is becoming necessary just to work an 8 hour day! Grrrrr!

Honestly, I am thanking God that is was just a minor scratch. The outcome could have been a whole lot worse. She was thankful for it because it got her out of cleaning her room and putting away laundry for one more day.

Get home to the boy throwing a tantrum the likes of which have not been seen it quite some time, the roast is not cooked due to crock pot issues, and I am exhausted. Many thanks to my husband for coming home and taking over.

This morning repeats the process of up at before the butt crack of dawn. I get to work, settle in. Go grab my cup for my morning coffee.

WHAT THE MOTHER TRUCKING CRAP! There is no creamer! If you read yesterday, I drink my creamer with a touch of coffee. This morning I am reduced to drinking it black. This is not bound to be a good day.

Monday Minute - Poppin' The Cherry

2010-04-19T04:30:00.000-05:00

Today I am going to play along with "Monday Minute" from Ian's blog The Daily Dose of Reality. Wanna play too, go steal his button and link up!

1 - Ever take a shit in the woods?

Why yes, I have. Important thing to remember...find soft leaves (and make sure you can identify poison ivy and poison oak). It also helps if your excuse is camping without any other place to go.

2 - If you won $1,000, what's the first thing you would do with it besides give me a cut?

I would put it towards hiring a contractor to finish our bathroom remodel. We have been so busy lately it has seen very little progress.

3 - What's your favorite phrase?

If I told you every time you annoy me, I would be bitching all day! (I blame that one on PMS)

4 - Fill in the blank - the world would be a better place if ______ left the planet.

Abusers

5 - How do you take your coffee or tea?

This should be phrased, How do you take your creamer...with a bit of coffee.

Randomness...

2010-04-15T06:48:00.000-05:00

Ian over at The Daily Dose of Reality has inspired me with his Story of Us. What??? You haven't read it yet??? Well if that's true, get your ass over there and read it. Here, I'll make it easy for you...Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V. Done? Ok.

Anyway, I figure Clint and I have an interesting kind of story, so I should take the time to put pen to paper so to speak - maybe that phrase should be edited to fingers to keyboard. It's a bit of a story so it may take some time to get organized, but know this...it is in your future! I may even convince hubby to take the time to share his perspective.

In the mean time we have a lot of stuff coming up. Between our weekly family dinner, birthday parties, hair appointments (any ladies who highlight their hair knows this is at least a 3 hour process), filling my need to cuddle small babies at church (this curbs my desire to actually have another), small group and getting ready to go to NYC next week. <-------Can you say runon sentence. My English teacher MIL would be so proud.

I am so excited about this trip that I am about to start suffering from vacationitis - you know, the week before you go on vacation when there really is stuff you should be getting done, but you have lost all focus. Yeah...getting there. But this trip is going to be great. Our friends who live in Baltimore are meeting us there (CJ and Clint have been best friends since they were 6 months, yes months, old. We already have lots of stuff we want to do in our 2 days/3 nights there. Any of you out there NYC pros...any suggestions for a newbie?

Who Needs Accountability?

2010-04-14T08:30:00.000-05:00

Its that time...time to check in with Shortmama over at Family of Shorts to update how we are doing in our journey from Muffin Top to Skinny Jeans.

This weeks assignment is:

1. Tell how you did at keeping up with your 3 things last week.

2. Get on the scale to get a starting weight.

3. Set some goals.

Just as a quick reminder, my 3 things were to take my lunch to work (or meal plan), eat breakfast, and get up and move around.

I did really well with the 2nd two items from last week. I ate breakfast everyday (except Sunday when I was running late for church) and I got outside and played with my kiddos and even mowed the lawn last week with out the assistance of the self propelled function. Don't judge, but I am considering that a major workout. The one thing I did poor at was taking my lunch to work. It has seemed recently that even if I plan to cook enough to have left overs, I have nothing left at the end of a meal. It was really puzzling me until we took Christian in yesterday for his check-up with his allergy and asthma specialist. The little stink has grown an inch and a half...in 3 weeks! No wonder there is no food in my house. So, last night I picked up a couple of the Healthy Choice steamable meals. I know these are not usually an ideal solution due to the amount of sodium, but they are better than the alternative cafe' here at work. Plus, these actually taste good.

I am shuddering about getting on a scale. I will do that tonight when I get home. I have a pretty good idea about where I am at since I went to the doctor a few weeks ago, so it shouldn't be a complete shock. Shortmama is not requiring that we share our weight, so guess what...I'm not going to. I know you were all dying to know right. In addition to watching my weight weekly, I am also going to watch my measurements monthly to see where (if) I am making progress on my body shape or just dropping water weight.

Goals...hmmmm...My long term goal is going to be that I would like to be back into single digit pant size by the end of the year. For short term...I want to drop 10 lbs for Memorial Day.

I think those things are within reach for me. I have the 30 day shred, I just need to get down to business and do a real workout that includes more than pushing a lawn mower around in circles.

A Case of the Mondays - Swapping makes it Better

2010-04-13T05:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a Monday. And I mean that in a string of expletives fashion. It seemed like nothing was going my way. All the factors for a no good, very bad day were lining up just perfectly.

No sleep - check
Getting up and going to work at 3:30 am - check
Allergies going bazonkers - check
Boss who needs this report NOW before a 6 am Monday meeting.
Packed the breakfast sausage left overs instead of turkey burgers for lunch - check
Finish preparing taxes - owe tons - check
Taking little man to the dentist for his first (and better be the last) filling - check

But a little light flickered on in my dim mind when I arrive home to find this wonderful package on my door step. It is from Tenny at Simply A Mom. This wonderful swap hosted by shortmama at Family of Shorts has brightened my day before I even have to fight my kids to be able to open my own damn mail.

After the kids are ushered outside - because they ~~are bugging me~~ need some fresh air, I got to ogle my pretty new things.

So many wonderful things. In the back there is a tote that is the perfect size for a beach towel and a book. A chic photo album that very well may encourage me to print some of my bazillion digital photos. The mango body butter and kiwi candle are awesome scents that I love. And the kids and I are sure to have fun decorating the green and pink paper lanterns. The water bottle is something I have been meaning to buy and now I don't have to. I actually have been using my cup from the hospital (you know the massive one they leave in your room when you have a kid). Now I can look a bit more up to date, and I love that there is a drinking spout lid. There are also 3 books and a photo book mark that are sure to take residence in the above mentioned tote: Life, Libby and the Pursuit of Happiness, Flies in the Butter and Whispers of Encouragement for Mom.

I have a feeling this will end up on my nightstand.

Now, my absolutely favy-fave thing that Tenny sent...

This cup is rockin' my day (I already used it for my herbal tea last night). It says Mercy peace and love be yours in abundance. And the combination of chocolate and caramel cannot be beat. It is my one true candy weakness.

I Can't Even Let My Kids Listen to The Radio!

2010-04-08T11:07:00.000-05:00

Role Model Material???

I am a lover of all different kinds of music. I could not tell you what my fav genre is. To say my Ipod is ecclectic would be an understatement. It is more likely confused at all the things that are mixed up in there. I just love music.

There is rarely a time when the radio is off in the car and when cleaning at home the TV is usually set to the 80's hair band channel on satelite radio.

I determined, after my daughter came home singing something inappropriate that she heard on a pop station (like Lady Gaga or Ke$ha) that we needed to switch the station to something country in the car when the kids were with us.

Last night, I discovered that I was wrong in that assumption. My 4 year old son was lying in bed, avoiding sleep and singing "Save a horse, ride a cowboy"

Nice!

I am thinking I may need to create a strictly child approved playlist for my kids spongy brains to listen too in the vehicle.

I just love his little feet haning off the bed, and had to take a picture.

Not Going It Alone Anymore

2010-04-07T17:00:00.000-05:00

Well, here I go again. Trying to loose weight and get healthy. But this time I am joining in on shortmamas Journey from Muffin Top to Skinny Jeans. It is always easier when you have someone do support you on your goals. And this way there are lots of someones.

The assignment for this week was to list 3 small things you can change to start you down the path to weight loss.

1. Pack my lunch (and breakfast and snacks) and take it to work. We have a cafe out here at the plant and "healthy" is not on the menu. My problem has been that I leave so early in the morning (usually no later than 5:20 a.m.) that I don't have time to make it. I am committing myself to set aside a few minutes each evening and put together a healthy meal that I can just grab on my way out the door.

2. Eat breakfast. Not just breakfast, but a high fiber filling one that will last me till lunch time so I am not tempted to go grab a sugary snack from the vending machine or grab a kolache (sausage stuffed sweet bun) that someone brought in. I am trying to stick with oatmeal or whole grain toast with Greek yogurt.

3. Get up and move. After a 10 hour work day and nearly 2 hours commuting, I want to kick off my shoes, grab an adult beverage and veg out for awhile. I need to get my butt outside and run around with my kids. It will make us both happier have the benefit of burning a few calories.

There you go. Today is the start of a new me. Nah, not really, but it is the day I am going to start trying to take better care of the me I already am. And maybe, just maybe I will let my self control win over the Easter candy tonight.

7 Things?

2010-04-06T12:31:00.000-05:00

It appears I have been given an award from one of these meme things. Thank you Zack over at Zack's Hot Tub.

So the rules go 7 things about your self blah, blah 7 people you want to join you in this. A few of you have already done it, so those of you left feel free. Or feel free to ignore me too. Your choice!

Here goes...

1. I am afraid of ducks. Seriously! When I was about 15, I took my 4 yr old brother to feed the ducks at a pond in our neighborhood. They started chasing him when he ran out of bread, and me after I managed to scoop him up trying to peck at my legs. They still freak me out to this day!

(This had me completely freaked out)

2. I am very quiet until I have had a few drinks, then I will talk your ear off and you will know all the things about me that I worry people will judge me about.

3. I am the oldest child of 6 (biologically - though none full) plus 1 step- its actually more than that now, but I stopped counting additional siblings after I was grown.

4. I like to sew, but I haven't had the time to do much in several years.

5. I met my husband the first time when I was 12 at a dance at a campground where we danced together and then ended up complaining to the same person (we didn't know that we both knew this person) that we had danced with someone who didn't know how to 2-step - who knew there were so many ways to do the same dance.

6. I am a chipaholic. Salty snacks are my vice.

7. I hate shopping! At least for myself. I end up frustrated and give up most times.

Cara + Conflict = _____________

2010-04-05T06:37:00.000-05:00

I am CONFLICTED! To me that should be a 4 letter word. Conflict and I don't get along well. In fact I tend to avoid it at all cost. I spent the first 21 years of my life in conflict and chaos and would rather not have any of it for the rest of my life. If any of you have figured out the secret, please (please, please, please, puh-lease!!!) let me in on it.

I have been in and out of feeling down (I should just call it as it is - DEPRESSED - another 4 letter word) lately. I can't put my finger on the exact cause of it. I can name some factors in it, but not the root of the issue. Clint wants nothing more than to help me, but when I think about telling him its the house and the kids and never stopping and having enough down time to take a breath, I start feeling guilty and my withdraw deepens.

Clint and I are pretty much opposites. I crave order and neatness, while he thrives on chaos and disorder. We kind of have an unspoken (or occasionally spoken) agreement that he cooks, I clean. For the most part I am ok with this arrangement that we have. When it overwhelms me is when I want to get on to the kids for leaving their laundry folded in the chair, or their shoes on the living room floor, or their dishes on the table and I can't. Why? Because, Clint's clothes are sitting in the chair, his shoes are in the middle of the floor, and his work shirt he just took off is hanging over the kitchen chairs.

Some nights, he will recognize my rising frustrations and tell me to relax, "I'll handle it". You would thing that would put my mind at ease, but I still can't relax. Because, I will most likely end up doing what I sat down from doing the next day. And I have things to do the next day!

Clint, I know you are reading this, and it may sound like it is you. That is not where I am trying to go with this. I think what frustrates me most, is my inability to set these small things aside. I start to feel angry that I have all this on my shoulders, then guilty because I already leave a whole lot to you. Especially with the kids. When I am feeling like an inadequate parent, not being able to get though to the kids and a terrible person for yelling at them so much, you are able to get them going in the right direction. Or distract them (and me) when I am on a rolling tangent (goose-fraba huh?).

I am trying desperately to pull myself out of this funk. I know that the biggest part of solving a problem, is recognizing there is a problem. That is done, now I have to stay focused. Overcome this monster that tries to over take my life every now and then. I can do it. I have done it. I will do it again.

Passover Debate In the News

2010-03-30T08:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday when I was looking at news sites on the internet, I saw the same type story on two different sites. It a nutshell, the headline was Jewish leaders upset that Christians were celebrating Passover. Before opening the articles to investigate this further, my first thought to this was "Are they being protective over "their" holiday because we have Easter?" That concept seemed ridiculous. I mean, our messiah was Jewish. He would have partaken in the Passover feast. I have never been to a Seder, but I do acknowledge the Passover and don't believe any faith should be able to tell another "You are not allowed to believe in what I believe, because all our views are not the same".

Then I investigated further. What I found within the articles didn't really reflect what the headline did. In fact it mentioned that some rabbi's will hold a community Seder in which individuals of all religious backgrounds can attend and learn more about the history and traditions.

The headlines were more directed at Christians that have the Seder feast and take the other traditions with in the feast and mold them to fit a Christian perspective. Such as the matzot (used to symbolize the Jewish patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). The Christians referred to in this article re-purpose the symbolism to be representative of Jesus in the birth, death (the broken matzot), and the resurrection.

I do believe the Last Supper was a Passover meal (depending on the source may have been one day before). What I don't believe should be happening is taking the sacred traditions of a group and molding them to fit what you want it to. Christians believe in Abraham, Isaac and Jacob so why not let that symbolize what it was originally designed for?

What is your opinion on this? What side do you come down on?

*Disclaimer: I am a Christian. I believe that Jesus is the savior. That said, I also believe in the rights of every person to be able to persue the faith of their choice.

Video Monday Makin' Momma Proud

2010-03-29T07:53:00.000-05:00

Angelique participated in her very first karate tournament over the weekend. The school we attend hosted the event and competition was handled in a very positive manner. Angelique competed in kata, which is a set sequence of karate moves organized into a pre-arranged fight against imaginary opponents (thank you wikipedia) which she earned 2nd place in her age group and in pinning where she took 1st place.

I am so proud of all the effort and practice she put in. Ironically, I am now looking forward to her not winning so I can show her how proud I am of her then too!

Wordless Wednesday - Mostly

2010-03-24T12:28:00.002-05:00

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!!

Anything Goes in Austin

2010-03-22T08:52:00.000-05:00

The link below is for the absolutely classic SNL skit featuring Justin Timberlake. Come on, I know you know all the words to Dick In A Box. Don't be embarrassed if you find yourself singing along.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhwbxEfy7fg

Why should you not be embarrassed for singing along. Well, my dear friends, you should not be embarrassed because I was actually serenaded this song publicly at my birthday celebration in Austin.

Apparently after 8 shots of who knows what, you loose some inhibitions. 8 shots will make this quite, timid southern girl caress a "dick in a box" sitting on a piano in a bar full of people.

What, you don't believe me. You want proof, you say? Well, I have no video of this insanity, but there are pictures so here you go.

Isn't it great having friends who are not only nice enough to pay someone to do this to you, but to at least liquor you enough that you don't really care. Oh, yeah they are all turning 30 in the near future as well. Pay back is a bitch.

Left Cheek or Right?

2010-03-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

All right, which one of you is responsible for giving me the funk. I know it could not be my precious angel children that would pass on some school yard bacteria. I sit here now with a splitting headache a sore throat and wheezing. On the day I had planned to be off work, going to the dentist, getting a massage free of charge thanks to a gift certificate (Thanks Ed), and shopping for a killer pair of strappy sandals to take my family pictures in. But noooooo. I am here at home, catching up on my DVR, trying not to cough my lungs out of my chest, and weeping over the repeated $25 co-pays being deducted from by bank account. Seriously, from the duration of the past 2 and a half weeks, we are nearing $400. After my sons allergies, asthma, and now an ear infection, I just couldn't stay healthy myself. UHHHHHH!

I guess the one thing sticking in my mind over the whole sickly ordeal is having to get a shot in my bum yesterday. When the nurse walks in she asked me which cheek. Left or Right.

(*crickets)

Right it is then.

Is there a correct answer to this question? I don't sit on one side more than the other, kinda not how this sitting thing works. Then again I thought maybe someone might answer:

"You better stick me on the left. The right is the side my husband prefers to smack me on"

Sex Talk - Puppy Style

2010-03-18T08:25:00.001-05:00

I hadn't intended to post a blog today. That was until I check my e-mail. I had one from a friend telling me how her weekend went. That poor, poor mama. She's got some explaining to do.

Margaret was spending the weekend with her Grandma and Grandpa. Now, Grandma and Grandpa have 2 little dogs. One is male, the other female. They have already had 2 litters of puppies and the female was showing signs of going into heat again. So, no wanting anymore pups, they separated the dogs. Feefee* was outside and Butch stayed in. Problem averted.

Sunday, Grandma needed to run to the store. It was at this point that Margaret became desperate to go outside and play with Feefee. Well, little 5 year old girls don't understand the way to get out the door while keeping a hyper, determined little horny dog inside. He high tailed it right to Feefee and got down to business. For 30-45 minutes!

Margaret was flipping out not understanding what was going on. Our wide Grandpa decided to be open and honest with Margaret when she asked what was going on. "Well...that is how babies are made." Her wide eyed response, "I never see mom and dad bump butts!" Did I mention to you all Margaret's mama is pregnant? Grandpa "Well, I think you need to talk to your mother when you get home."

I am not sure I how I would have answered the question, but you can bet money one of my dogs would be in a kennel. Not that it matters since both of mine are fixed. Now, mommy gets to have an awkward sex talk with her 5 year old about how babies are made know that she already has a mental image.

*Names have been changed to protect innocent canines.

Health Insurance Bill

2010-03-17T06:13:00.002-05:00

We have a special suprise today kids. Today I have a guest blogger. He is one of my best friends husbands, one of my husbands best friends and high school football and MY BOSS! I told you on Friday he wouldn't have it ready by Tuesday. Ironically it is not a post about me wasting time at work blogging. He doesn't have his own blog, so he wanted to hi-jack mine for the day. Here goes...meet Jeremy.

I have an issue with the way that “our” government has been treating us lately. The insurance bill is the latest in these. I receive emails from the Obama organization regularly telling me to get behind this change and to volunteer time to support it, but I have yet to see any actual details about the proposal. All I get is what I would call marketing info. Give us some details about what you want me to be in favor of. This is the problem we have.

They want to allow uninsured people to obtain insurance. I don’t think people should be able to add and drop coverage as they find they are sick and in need of insurance, if that is the case, I will do the same! That can’t be supported financially for long if that is what is meant by allowing folks with preexisting conditions and no current coverage to obtain insurance. There is a reason the current systems discourage this and believe me, just as all government programs are abused this one will be too. Those people will stop paying when they don’t need it anymore, that’s why many don’t have it now. Who will be left with the bill?

They want to prevent big companies from “picking on the little guy” I am not saying that I like the way things are going, but how well do you know that the government has run anything? Everything they control is in debt and rising in costs. They couldn’t run the VA hospital system effectively, so we should let them have the whole thing?

Also what about riders to the bill, how can the American public think that anything in Washington is honest if a bill like this has riders that no one talks about, they just get through as negotiating tools. That doesn’t benefit any voter but it happens on every major bill. They stuck it to us on the Bail out bill, whether or not you were in favor of it, there were many riders that were never discussed that weren’t good for the country, but they snuck through.

What I haven’t been able to figure out is why they want this so bad. The public already said they didn’t want this when Hillary tried it. What is the benefit to them? I didn’t ask for this. I would rather insurance go away except for major coverage, and I still don’t want the government deciding if I can go to MD Anderson and instead send me to Bayshore, I would work harder for that decision. I haven’t felt like I am being represented in a long time, I can’t correspond with my house rep or even one of his assistants. Just get auto replys when I send a question. They don’t vote the way I think. I think it’s time for a major change.

And I better not forget...I want to participate in the Spring Swap over at Family of Shorts. It looks like lots of fun and I already have a few ideas of what I want to send.

The (Little) Wicked Witch of the Smith Home

2010-03-16T08:45:00.001-05:00

Here on my blog I feel I can say just about anything at all. If it pops into my head, I can empty it out here. Some of you my judge, but you are nice enough to not say so (at least so far).

In real life, however, I tend to be quiet and conservative and not very talkative (until I've had a few drinks). I also tend not to worry much about my appearance in regards to wearing makeup or wearing the clothes that are the latest style.

My husband is my polar opposite. He likes to talk to new people and manages to make new friends where ever he goes. He is well suited for sales. He is also usually the one who has to talk me into letting go of my favorite T-shirt from the late 1970's.

My sweet blue eyed, blond haired daughter takes after him in that aspect and then takes it much further than that. Here is a snippet of our conversation from my bathroom vanity this weekend while getting ready to go somewhere.

Leaky: Mom, why do you have so many wrinkles and don't do anything about it. I don't have any wrinkles.

Me: Of course you don't have wrinkles...you are only 7 (mental note...start using wrinkle cream).

Leaky: Why don't you do Weight Watchers?

Me: Um, because I don't want to.

Leaky: But, you're on a diet right??? Weight Watchers can help you.

Me: Ok...I think I will keep working on it my way.

Leaky: Why does your belly hang out over your pants.

Me: Because I'm bloated and have PMS and if you ask me one more question, I might just have to take your pretty no wrinkles head off. (I didn't really say that. What I did say) It's not nice to point out things like that.

Leaky: It's okay! We're not in public!

Me: You're right. Don't ever say those things in public, now go tell your brother to brush his teeth (so I can have myself a nice little cry all by myself.)

I guess that it was appropriate that she was a witch for Halloween last year.

Video Monday - Fatt Buttz

2010-03-15T08:23:00.000-05:00

The video for today is just one that emphasizes the differences between my sense of humor and my husband's. He got a huge kick out of this one and sent it to me (they guy rapping is a friend of his).

My thought while watching was not that it was funny, but that the white girl in the video has a tiny ass. Then again my husband is weird like that. He is in love with a song called "Whooty" (white girl with a booty). I know, right! It may have something to do with him having the no-ass-at-all syndrome.

Fantasy Friday

2010-03-12T09:41:00.000-06:00

Today my boss was going to guest blog for me, but he got busy actually working and doesn't have the time to do the finishing touches until this afternoon. This means you are going to have to wait for that till Tuesday. Assuming he actually gets it done by then. So, since I had no plan for today, I'm going to try something new. I am going to tell you about one of my fantasies. Sorry, no, it's not anything dirty...this week.

I had all kinds of dreams and aspirations when I was in high school that my parents just didn't agree with. In hindsight only one of them can I now understand. That one thing was playing football with the guys in jr. high. Back then I didn't see what the big deal was. I mean, they let me play street ball with the guys. Now that I know what goes on behind the scenes, it was definitely not a place for an adolescent girl.

Another dream was to go the the Naval Academy. Problem was, I had to start the process around 16 and get Congressional recommendations AND my parents to sign off on it. NO WAY IN HELL! So I set my sights on going off to college and getting my degree in Biotechnology and working my life diligently away as a lab rat with my face glued to a microscope.

Now, keep in mind this was well before the days of CSI and getting forensics degrees was a fad. I fell in love with Biology and the way genes can mutate and where the marker for diseases lied during my sophomore year in high school. I could see my self scooting around a lab on a tall roller stool. I would spend my life doing ground breaking research into the causes of child hood diseases. I wouldn't be paid much, but that wouldn't matter because the work was so damn important and made me feel immense pride that I was saving little lives.

What really happened was my parents didn't have the money to send me off to college, but they made to much for me to qualify for aid or grants. So, they suggested I live at home and went to community college and they would help me out. Turned out helping out meant I got to live at home for free. I paid for all my books and classes that first semester - luckily they had a fledgling Biotech program that would completely transfer to a larger school after 2 years. Then about 2 months in, my dad got in a drunken wreck (single car - no one injured) in which his car spent 6 weeks in the shop. The result was he took my moms car and I had to drive my mom to work and pick her up. This had me missing one class altogether, late for one, and leaving half way through a 3rd. I ended up dropping the last class after I was failing the other 3 and it wasn't worth it to drive all the way out to the school for one course.

2nd semester I started over and I did pretty well. I moved out of my parents house, then ran into another problem. My car broke down. I only had a ride to school for algebra because it was at the same time my boyfriend had a class. Once again, I was stuck missing my beloved science classes. 3rd semester I vowed would be different. And it was. I completed it from start to finish. I had an A in my Biotech class going into the final. Ooops...stupid me took a better job weeks before the end of the semester that had me sitting in more traffic than usual. The final was supposed to start at 5. I let the professor know I would likely be late due to my new job and he promised to make accommodations. I got there at 5:30. Everyone was gone. No professor, no students. No final. I got a 0 and my shinning "A" became a dull "D". IN MY CHOSE PROFESSION!

I gave up! Which now is a catch 22. I have a great job with great pay, but I long to go back to college follow my dream and finish what I started. However, at this point I would probably have to start all over.

The Best Place (and time) To Turn 21

2010-03-11T07:23:00.001-06:00

I don't have the pictures up yet from my Austin trip for my 30th (been a bit distracted lately), but I do have a tale of turning 21 in The Big Easy on Mardi Gras weekend. Sorry, no pics of that one. Even at 21 I knew not to leave any evidence behind.

Clint and I were still in the tentative days of our relationship. Not for lack of trying on his part, but I was insistent that I wanted to date and have fun. I hadn't really been single since I was 17 and I felt is was time to play a bit. I think he called me on Valentine's Day just to say hi (I had made it clear that it would not be a date day for us). When he called I was out shopping for something for myself to celebrate my b-day that was coming up in 10 days. When I told him when it was, he said he was going to New Orleans and asked if I wanted to go. I wasn't working or on call that weekend, so "Hell Yeah!"

We made the 5 hour drive out a few hours after two of his friends making the trip had already left. We pulled in to Slidell (where we were meeting our friends) at 5 till midnight (and 5 till my b-day). I rang in the new day with my first ~~legal~~ beer in my hand. After that first drink we dropped off Clint's truck and jumped in the M III's jacked up Dodge truck and headed for the real party. And when I say jacked up, I mean I had to have help getting in and I am 5'8".

The street was a blur of color and activity...then it was just a blur. I had my first shot of Jagermeister that night. It was quite sometime before I made that mistake again. Around 4 am, we left Bourbon and headed for breakfast. About the time we hit Canal, M III decided the truck was a shirt free zone (for some reason all the guys already had their shirts off in February). Now, me being ~~slutty,~~ ~~wasted~~, ~~slutty and wasted~~ a free spirit, I saw no problem with this and off went my sweater. I put it back on ~~when I got cold~~ ~~after a few minutes~~ right before we pulled up to the window at McD's.

We stayed with Artigue's dad in Slidell who was either really nice to let us crash there, or just plain crazy. He had a really cool house on Lake Pontchartrain that was originally a restaurant and had a beautiful 20 foot oak bar. We slept for about 3 hours before it was time to get ready for the boat parade. Clint had brought his boat out and we had to decorate it, stock it full of beads and have it in the water by 8. I never thought being a part of a crewe would be so much fun. I am sure it didn't hurt that we were drinking again before we ever got sober.

After the parade we went back out to Bourbon. I don't remember much of the second day/night (more to do with that never getting sober part I guess). But I know that during the whole weekend I probably slept a total of 5 hours and partied like a rock star. There is no better way to ring in 21.

You Don't Look The Same When You Die

2010-03-10T06:36:00.000-06:00

I honestly do not understand the concept of an open casket funeral. I mean, I understand that it is supposed to give love ones closure and a final chance to say good bye. Still, I don't get it.

Monday was my grandfather's funeral. He passed away on Friday after months of being ill. I knew in advance the time was coming and took the opportunity to visit him on Valentine's Day when he was still aware of his surroundings. I also got to talk too him (although he was not able to speak back) last Monday.

Services were held at the same funeral home in the same small town as my Granddaddy's (1982) and Grandmama's (1999). It was kind of surreal stepping back into the place where I last saw my Grandmamma's body lying in a casket. The most prominent thing from my memory of that day was that the woman lying there looking nothing like my Grandmama, and it was no comfort seeing a body that looked nothing like someone I held so dear to my heart.

I went in with a false sense of security knowing that Papaw was to be cremated. I guess they decided to perform the cremation after the service so there would be the opportunity to have a viewing. Once again I have been struck with the thought of this looks nothing like the person I saw just weeks ago. I had no intention of speaking, but when the floor was opened for memories, I felt moved to. I was able to share one of my fondest memories of my cousins and I sitting out on the deck of his house above the bayou spitting watermelon seeds at each other while our dads and Papaw shucked Oysters (yuck!) right out of the water.

Does anyone else feel comforted by this ritual? I don't think that this is what I want for myself someday. I don't want to be looked at in a box (opened or closed), I don't want to sit up on someones mantle or at the top of a closet. Someone take my ashes and leave me on the river bank or at the beach. That is where we are taking Papaw in a few weeks. Down to the beach. The water was always the place where he was the happiest.

John Howard Jones

1935-2010

Taking a Breather

2010-03-03T15:11:00.001-06:00

I am taking a bit of a break here. Life has been crazy.

My grandfather for the last several days has been "within hours"

I have mountains of laundry

I am buried with work

Sons first visit to the dentist resulted in a cavity (and he's the one who's scared of the dentist)

Don't worry. I should be back next week to share with you all my exciting stories of Austin with pictures and commenting on all your blogs.

Run Away...Far Away

2010-02-26T09:29:00.001-06:00

Lots to do today to get ready for my road trip this evening, so I am going to re-post. Most of you probably haven't read this one since I posted it before I suckered you all in to read my nonsense.

Well, If I was a normal person I would have after (more like during) my first date with the hubs.

Background: I was just weeks out of a 3 year volatile relationship and he was treating me with kid gloves - except when he wasn't (hehehe) just trying to date me. I had promised myself that since my previous ill fated relationship was finally over, I was going to be a wild, crazy and single gal for a while. Clint was not quite on the same page.

We met (though not technically not our first meeting) at a New Year's Eve Party the same night I called off my relationship. Clint also happened to be at the end of a very rocky relationship. When he walked in the door the first person he saw had a bottle of Parrot Bay tipped up in the air (yours truly) pointed and said "that one's mine". Yep, a true romantic I have on my hands. Being determined to stay on my single path however, I refused to date him. Somehow (I'm guessing my cousin had something to do with it) he started showing up at her house every time I was over there or there was a group event planned. BTW: Pauley Shore in person,,,funnier than I thought he would be - but that could have been the booze. Finally, after him being everywhere I was going anyway I agreed to go on a date with him.

He picked me up - did I mention we lived on opposite sides of Houston (for outsiders that might not mean much, but that means an hour plus when traffic is cooperating) - and took me to dinner at a cool South American place (Budarazzi's (sp?) I think is what it was called - it is closed now though) where they bring around rotisserie meats and fruits and cut off the portions you want at the table. While we were dining (that word sound so much more grown up than stuffing our faces) he got a page. Yes, a page. It was only 2001 folks and pagers weren't considered dinosaurs - yet. He thought he might be getting called into work so he went to call the number back. It turns out it was just his friends (all of whom he has known since HS and some longer), and they were planning to go see a movie and wanted him to come along. He told them he would ask if I was ok with it. Then before hanging up he made the fatal mistake "Don't embarrass me"!

Before going to meet the friends we had to go by his mom's to see another friend who was only in town for the evening. This part was pre-planned and I knew we were going to do this, since he didn't want to break his date with me (I might not have re-scheduled it...bitchy huh?) and see his friend also. It went really well. I had never met parents on the first date before (more like after 6 months). After a short visit and smoking as many cigarettes as possible we headed for the friends. Ominous thought racing through my head.

Lets just say Clint was right to worry. Two of the guys ran out to meet us and lock me in a big bear hug (did I mention I have never met these people before?). But there is more. Jeremy is 6'3" and looked every bit of the HS football player he had been (he is also now my boss) and Shawn is more like 5'8" and has a stocky build. The group had collectively brainstormed what they could possible do to embarrass the hell out of Clint and chase off the newest gal pal (my hubs, he was a man slut before he got lucky enough to find me, and he liked the dumb ones). Their plan involved the wardrobe of a former stripper that Shawn was dating. The embarrassment came with when they ran out - on a public street - to hug me - these two men boys had squeezed themselves into stripper attire. Shawn was decked out in a white full lace body suit with tighty whiteys underneath and lucite stripper heels. Jeremy was wearing a gold lame' tube top and matching mini skirt, but he couldn't get his gargantuan size 15 feet into the stripper heels!

I think the fact that I thought this was funny high-larious solidified my place among the group as well as with Clint. Thinking back I should have insisted they go to the movie like that. And I really should have gotten pictures, but this was way before camera phones were the norm. What might you have done in the same situation?

Thank You, Where Thank You Is Due

2010-02-25T05:53:00.000-06:00

* Note: Several of these are genuine. Some however, will be dripping with sarcasm. See if you can tell the difference.

1. Thank you to all who left wonderful comments for me yesterday. I believe I e-mailed each of you to thank you personally, but I'm sorry if I missed someone.

2. Thank you to my husbands company for sending him to Tulsa the night before my birthday.

3. Thank you Clint for sending me the most beautiful message to wake up to on my birthday.

Happy Birthday my beautiful wife. I pray that your day turns out great and that your next 30 years are blessed. I have known u for more than half of your life now and I thank GOD for every day he gives us together. I Love You Baby.

See...he is awesome.

4. Thank you Christian for choosing to throw a fit about having to get dressed and making me start my day swatting your small behind.

5. Thank you MIL & FIL for picking up the kids from school and taking me to eat. I had a wonderful dinner.

6. Thank you Dad for calling. I really wasn't expecting you to.

7. Thank you Dad for saying before we ended our conversation to call you tomorrow because we needed to talk about something, just not on my birthday. I am sure to be a ball of nerves till that conversation that has the potential to ruin my whole weekend.

8. Thank you kids for fighting over Dance Dance Revolution while I was on the phone with Grandma

9. Thank you to all friends and family who called, texted, facebooked, or e-mailed to wish me happy b-day.

10. Thank you hubby for coming home in time to help put the kids to bed. It is always easier when you are here. And for coming home with the beautiful roses.

The Time Has Come

2010-02-24T06:10:00.001-06:00

HOLY SHIT YA'LL! (yes I am from Texas - SHUT UP!) 10:15 a.m. officially marks my third decade here on plant earth. Because you know, I lived on Venus before that.

Well I guess this means its time to update my 29 things to do before 30. Don't get all excited for me. I was an utter failure. But that's OK. Cause I am still here and I can still do these things (or not). Here goes.

1. Blog everyday for a month - I have tried once before, but life kinda got in the way!

I did really well in January (for a while). As usual life got in the way. One thing that I discovered though, is when I put that mandate on myself, blogging became a chore and something I would put off till the last minute. Now I will only blog it I have something to say...or nothing at all and I just want to put some nonsense out there :)

2. Ride a 4-wheeler on my own again. Since the accident in Mexico a year and a half ago I am a bit gun shy with riding solo.

This hasn't happened, but it is likely to this summer. My brace and I are looking forward to it.

3. Related to the 4 wheeler accident - go to the Dr. and have my wrist checked. I really need to do this since I can't even bend my wrist enough to get into the push-up position - really I'm not sure not being able to do push ups is a problem, but my husband assures me it is.

Hmmm...I don't like going to the Dr. so, no, not done.

4. Try to play guitar hero...I plan on getting the house all to myself (yeah, like that is ever going to happen) and getting like pro level and then suprising my dear hubs with my mad skills...he won't ever see it coming

No Guitar Hero (the guitars require batteries). But I am kicking ass and taking names on Dance Dance Revolution

5. Spend an entire day with my kids laughing when I want to yell...I have a feeling this will be a tough one.

Done. Hard. Felt good not going to bed with guilt.
6. Try sushi again...I am not a big fan of any of it that actually has uncooked fish. I am cool with California rolls (which I have been informed are not real sushi), but I am commiting myself to try the real deal. If I die in the next few months, it will be from food poisoning!

Done! I have officially had salmon sashimi, tuna, california rolls, and rock and roll. I still did not like the salmon and tuna! Clint informed me all sushi means is made with rice. Clint had this. It is some kind of caviar and he said it kind of explodes in you mouth. Definately not trying that!

7. Get a Kindle and load my book collection electronically. I am currently taking up 2 walls in my son's room with all my books (he has floor to ceiling book shelves on 3 walls) What!!! I'ts a small room!

Not yet, but on my Priority list.

8. Finish the remodel on the kid's bahroom

2 Doors on, Bead board up in small room, texture and toilet. Still need to paint, get a sink, cabinet and put up 3rd door and bead board in the larger room

9. Buy the tile for the rest of my house - before the discontinued stock sells out!

Don't know why we haven't done this yet, but we did get a bid for having someone else lay the tile for us.

10. Convince my boss to give me vacation/sick time.
I got a raise. I think that is supposed to cover not having vacay and sick time. I was a really good raise!

11. Read Twilight...see what the fuss is about...not that I need to get another book addiction Would like to download this on my new e-reader, but might have to borrow from the library or buy at a used book store.

I bought the first book, started it a few weeks ago, but never got past the 2nd chapter. Not like I have time to read much anyway.

12. Go on a wine tour...luckily we only live a few hours from some of the most beautiful wine country!

Haven't done this, but still really want to.

13. Learn to cook something Thai. My hubs loves the spicy food, so I want to be able to make something for him...I know I am so selfless!!!

Maybe I'll just take him out for Thai. I do have a friend from Thailand, but cooking sounds like a lot of work.

14. Go see post Ike Galveston.

Will do this summer - it was colder than usual here this winter and I can't handle the coastal breeze when it's cold.

15. Go to a New Orleans Mardi Gras post Katrina

February was way too busy this year, maybe we can plan on it for next. Anyone want to go with?

16. Make homeade cookies with both the kids...I am guessing this will not be the same day that I don't yell!

I made Leaky's B-day cake at home and let them help decorate it. Does that count?

17. Eat scallops...now that I know what they are, I am more inclined to try them. (FYI - they are typically circle cut outs of sting ray wings)

Done, can do without in the future. Ok but nothin' special

18. Go shooting at a gun range

Clint got a new pistol for Christmas, so we are definately going.

19. Get back into my sz 10's - I figure this size is more achievable than sz 6 in the amount of time I have - and yes, I am actually torturing myself with eating healthy to get there.

Sz 10 slacks yes, jeans no. But I did drop to a 12 in the jeans, so YAY for me!

20. Do better at keeping up with tithing

Working on it

21..Call my family members at least 2x a month. I am terrible at loosing touch with everyone, because I hate to talk on the phone!

Nope, i think after recent chaos we will just have to see how this goes.
22. Do something as a suprise for my hubs (If you are reading this...You never know when it could happen!)

The watch I bought him for Christmas came as a huge shock to him. He was definately suprised!

23. Run the Kemah bridge...I really need to start training for that one. I know there are clubs who get up early in the morning and do it, but I am usually on my way to work at that time of the morning (see 5 am)

Still running, but not quite ready for the bridge yet.

24. Catch up on some of my TV shows...between working insane hours and having 78 gagillion things to do when I am actually off, my DVR is full!

Since the kids spent a good part of the Christmas break with grandparents, I caught up on everything except for Sons of Anarchy. Then I got behind again.

25. Wear makeup and fix my hair more than once a month. I feel better about how I look when I take the time to do it, but making the time doesn't happen very often.

The only reason this was achieved was due to the holidays and having places to be.

26. Get my nails done. I think they have been neglected since June aside from my half assed attemps to keep them decent enough for flip flops.
Once. Right before Christmas. Now they look like crap again. Note to self...GO GET YOUR DAMN NAILS DONE!

27. Buy new couches and a table.

Couch - done. Table not so much. Not really a priority at the moment.

28. Have family portriats taken (or at least make the appointment).

Scheduled...March 20th

29. I am at a loss for this last one. There are plenty of things that I want to do, but the logistics of doing them before 30 make them unlikely. I am going to use one of them anyway. I want to visit my sister who lives in Wisconsin and her son who is only 5 days younger than mine. I haven't seen her in 23 years, but the why is a super long story and has a lot to do with Bio Mom!

I didn't expect to do this one, but now that she is engaged I have a good excuse to travel up there.

Dinner With Ed

2010-02-23T11:09:00.000-06:00

I think we have already established on this blog that my family is Springer worthy. So to protect myself from jumping into the fray with the rest of the crazies I happen to be related to, I surround myself with my chosen family. My friends are the people that I can share anything with and who see the real me.

On Friday night I went out to dinner with my oldest and best friend (and we brought our husbands too) to celebrate my upcoming b-day. You may remember her as Ed. We met as freshman in high school and despite crazy schedules, moving to other states, and many other obstacles we have remained close.

We had to get together early since she won't be able to make it to the big surprise blow out this weekend - she is going on a cruise. I actually know now that we are going to Austin, but still have no clue what we are going to do while there. We decided to go eat at a great Italian place called Vincents. We sat in the back, drank, ate, caught up on what family and other friends have been up to and had a wonderful time. Her husband has been working in Iraq and got to come home unexpectedly so it was an even better celebration to get to have him there too. By the time we left there were only a few people left in the restaurant and the waiters kept coming back to check and see if we needed anything else. Why no Mr. Waiter, we cannot take a hint. We are having fun.

But eventually it was time to call it a night and drag our asses back to our own parts of town (which are unfortunately an hour apart).

I miss her a lot when we don't get to spend time together. I love her and would do anything for her. And she even made up for missing our Austin trip and taking a cruise that she did not invite me on (the nerve). I am the proud owner of a gift certificate for not 1, but 2 massages!

Video Monday - Everyone Buckle Up

2010-02-22T06:26:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I'm not typically a PSA type of gal, but this is one that I truly believe everyone should be aware of. Do not just worry about yourself being buckled up in a car, don't go anywhere until everyone is secure. The video shows just what can happen if only one person does not buckle up. Warning: It is fairly graphic. I need to send this to my sister. The one we drove to San Antonio in October for her husbands deployment ceremony. One of the arguments on that day was about her not wearing her seat belt in the truck. She thought she was fine since she was in the very back of the Expedition. She had the nerve to argue with me about it with her dad in the car. He is a quadriplegic from a car accident where he wasn't wearing a seat belt.

What will I give up this year?

2010-02-17T10:06:00.001-06:00

I had grand plans for yesterday to share with you all my most awesome (and first) experience with Mardi Gras. It just happened to fall on my 21st birthday and we partied like rock stars. Unfortunately, I got called by my sons new school...on his 2nd day there...to be told he has diarrhea and needed to be picked up. So, you will have to wait for another time to hear about the hedonism of my youth. Now on to today's post about Lent! Don't worry...I am not going to get all biblical here (maybe just 1 definition).

Why???

I think I mostly still do lent out of habit, and maybe even as a way to test my self control. I am not Catholic, but I did grow up in the Lutheran Church (my grandfather was our Pastor). My family attends a non-denominational church that doesn't really push Lent. I am not even sure most people who do lent even know why (in the religious sense) that they do it or why it is 40 days. It is representative of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting.

Previous Years...

I try to pick something different every year. I also try to make it something that I will have a hard time giving up. Some years I am successful, others not so much. My successes include carbonated beverages, fast food, smoking and beer. Most people said the beer was a cheat since I allowed my self to drink other forms of alcohol. My response..."and what did you give up ass wipe?"

My failures come a bit more often. At the beginning of 2005, my daughter had just turned 2 and we decided that was the right time to start trying for a second child. What better time could there be for me to give up alcohol for lent? Yeah, my husband was traveling more than he was home, I was working a job that I hated and driving a seriously crazy amount in Houston traffic everyday (for those of you who are familiar with the area...from League City to Baytown (for my daughter's preschool...it was close to my MIL work) to the Galleria area where I worked in rush hour. I think I made it almost 2 weeks. Then, I really needed a drink (or two or seven). Payback came when I found out I was pregnant a week later.

Giving up coffee was also an utter failure. The caffeine withdrawal headaches nearly put me over the edge. I really don't like to torture my self with headaches especially when I am a weirdo that won't take medication until I am on my death bed.

This Year

I was really struggling (actually not, I just kinda ignored that it was coming up) with what I was going to give up this year. I really don't drink that many sodas anymore, just one or 2 on the weekends. Fast food is few and far between. I am not a chocoholic...in fact I am not really big on any sweets.

The topic was a big one on the radio this morning. The Catholic Church is apparently asking people to reduce their carbon foot print and offering suggestions on how to do so. Some people are giving up white foods. Hmmmm. Some people aren't giving things up, but pledging to do something better like drink more water of go to church. Yeah, not the right thing for me though. The I heard it. Giving up chips. The thought send chills up my spine. I am addicted to salty snacks. If you leave me alone with a bag of chips they will disappear! Let me tell you, I should have stock in the Lays company just so I could get back some of my money! So there it is internet. I am giving up chips.

So, what if anything will you give up? Do you do it for religious reasons? If you are Jewish, do you have any thing that calls for you to make a sacrifice in you life?

Video Monday - Shake Weight

2010-02-15T14:24:00.000-06:00

You know I wouldn't believe this thing was real if I hadn't actually seen it in Target the other day!

They now have a men's version also, but I can't imagine them needing any extra help with this type exercise. BTW...the men's was not on the shelf at Target.

I had seen the really lame commercial for the women's once, but I never knew this was a manually powered piece of equipment!

Super Size Me

2010-02-10T09:52:00.000-06:00

Note to all parents out there...If you enjoy bribing your children with a trip to the good ole McD once a week, DO NOT watch this documentary.

I remember all the media this little film got several years ago when it first came out, but I didn't really pay any attention to it. Hey, I'm fairly smart. I know that crap is bad for you. But you gotta splurge every know and then. And what better way to get your kids to do what you want. Right?

Well, I skipped lunch one day last week because I ~~was too lazy~~ forgot to pack my lunch and left my wallet at home. My MIL had picked the kids up from school and taken them to the Golden Arches to play and get a Mighty Kids meal. Angelique had barely touched her little double burger with absolutely nothing on it but meat. I was starving so I tore off a quarter of it and chowed down. Then I ate Christian's fries. The bummer part came when I went to track my calories for the day (cause I'm on a diet! boo) and found out that little burger is 440 cal and the kids fries are 220 cal. HOLY SHIT!

This discovery led me to watch the above mentioned documentary on the Internet. WARNING: Do not watch if you have just eaten or have a weak stomach! Did you know that the Crispy Chicken Salad with ranch dressing at this place has more fat than the burger? Just thought I was cheating the system (although I switched to grilled several years ago).

All I can say is it was eye opening. I never want my children to eat fast food again! I know that this is an unlikely thing to uphold, but maybe I can limit it to once or twice a month and feed their bodies with whole grains, fruits and broccoli (the only veggie they will eat for some reason) the rest of the time.

I also need a good alternative bribe that does not consist of bringing more crappy toys that they will never play with into my house. Maybe sleep overs? Cause that won't make me any more crazy!

Creative Juices

2010-02-09T12:36:00.000-06:00

I don't really know what is going on in my head that has me back on the kick of a need to be creative and, well, create stuff. Because, you know, I really don't already have enough to do. Blogging was a really good start, but it is not feeding that creative drive in me. Its more of me kind of just spewing out the BS in my head.

I have a family of creative people (both step, half, and real). My bio-mom, dad, and mom were all in school bands (and one brother) and my dad even played the drums in a garage type band back in the day. He had a shirt made for his band "performances" that said Drummers Do It in Rhythm. I think I wore that shirt to sleep in from the time I was 4 until just last year when Clint finally convinced me it was time to let it go. Bio-mom went to art school and can do graphic designing (one of my brothers is following this path and another is weighing it as an option). A couple of my sisters were in choir and can play piano. Does it seem like there's a lot of siblings here? Well, there are. I am the oldest of 7 (just none with the same parent combination - except the twins).

I tried my hand at drawing when I was younger. In fact I spent most of Freshman Algebra drawing instead of listening to lectures. I was decent, just nothing that had any wow factor to it. I cannot sing to save my life (and was made aware of my lack of talent at a young age). I tried to crochet with less than stellar results. My efforts at decorating cakes for my kids birthday parties started out good, but quickly fell into me staying up all night before a party with tears of despair. My dad started to teach me to play the drums when I was 10. After my first few lessons though, he found out he was having a son, and the lessons ceased. I used to make clothes for my daughter and her friends (when they were babies), but she is too old now and needs designer duds apparently. Also, I don't have the time to do it now.

Right now my most creative I can get is working on my daughters school projects. Last night was the Valentine's Box. We ended up arguing because she didn't like what I had done (FYI...all I did was wrap the cereal box (required) in pink dot wrapping paper (the only paper in the house not Christmas themed). Clint got upset with me because "I need to get to where she and I are friends so she will confide in me as she gets older".

So what are my options? What can I do to release some of this creativeness all bottled up inside?

Video Monday - Bud Light

2010-02-08T10:09:00.000-06:00

I am not really a Bud Light drinker. If I want a drink, I will usually have an Italian Margarita and call it a day. If I do want a beer, I want a Shiner Blonde. However, someone over in Bud Light's marketing department is a genius. I saw the first one the other day on TV and it reminded me of the 2nd that I received on e-mail a few years ago.

And I definitely cannot end today's post with out giving a shout out to the New Orleans Saints!
WHO DAT!

I Need a Release

2010-02-04T12:01:00.001-06:00

My post today is mostly for personal therapy. I really need to get it out in words.

First, I would like to thank all of you for your advise on Tuesday about my sleep problem. I did try the melatonin and it worked very well. Until last night when I had a bad dream about my husband's dream self having a girlfriend and rubbing it in my face and a whole series of other craziness. I woke up at 1:30 and was so anxious I almost decided by 2:30 there was no way I was getting back to sleep and nearly decided to just go to work at that insane hour. Crazy I know, but then I wouldn't have spent 4 hours lying in bed awake listening to my husband's real self snore.

But, my crazy dream is not the point for today, just maybe related to my fears. You see, I am not exactly close to anyone in my family. I don't like to talk on the phone, so I don't stay in contact very well with anyone. That, and my family is a group of world class grudge holders. Myself included. After all, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Right now the rift is between my father and me. I don't even know for sure what it is about (but I have a pretty good idea). About the time I got married (about 7 years ago), my dad and step mom's divorce was just being finalized (my step mom raised me and is the closest parental relative I have to this day). The major issues started when holidays came up, and I was expected to choose which to spend my time with. A good portion of the time was spent with mom, mostly because she would call and invite my family to what ever event was going on with extended family. I typically didn't hear from my father unless I called him on the actual day to say "Happy (fill in the blank holiday). One year on Easter, this "tradition" of our happened once again. Only this time he was depressed and ended up having seizures (he was attempting to quit drinking cold turkey after 20+ years of very heavy drinking). He ended up being forced in to rehab by my uncles and Nana. Where they wouldn't tell me where he was or how he was doing since (and this is a quote) "I didn't care how he was really and it was my fault he was there in the first place". Excuse me! I didn't put the beer in his hand at 16 and tell him to drink up. I didn't teach him to open his throat and chug a whole beer in one gulp. He put himself where he was and I was not taking responsibility for his actions.

That most certainly had me on the outs with most of my family for a couple years. Now we are back to our same old habits of not communicating, but the family can all be in one room without it being too awkward. Even though I still get pretty worked up about spending time in their presence. I still feel like I am being judged all the time. I didn't see him on Thanksgiving (working) or Christmas Day (stayed home) this past year, but I did send him a text to let him know I was thinking about him. I know sending a text sounds really bad, but when we get on the phone together, we sit there for 10 minutes with dead air, not really saying anything. I saw him the day after Christmas at a wedding reception for my cousin. We were both there for several hours and all he said to me the entire time was..."I got your text, Merry Christmas!" I attributed his shortness with me was caused by him assuming that I had spent the aforementioned holidays with Mom.

Until Tuesday. On the day I was beyond miserable from lack of sleep for several days, I got a call from my cousin (who keeps me pretty well in the loop family wise) to let me know our Pawpaw was in the ICU. She was surprised to find out my dad had not called me to tell me he was sick, because he has been for some time and he just went down to visit him 2 weeks ago with her dad. He is dying. He, like my father, is an alcoholic. He has destroyed his body and is dying. He doesn't want anyone to come visit him because he doesn't want people to remember him the way he looks now. When my Grandmama (Pawpaw's mom) was in the hospital just before she passed away (I was 19), I went to see her in ICU and passed out from the shock of seeing her that way. Pawpaw was the one who caught me before I hit the floor. I can't help but wonder if that is playing a role in his request. I am feeling so many different things at the moment. I am definitely feeling sorrow and grief for the upcoming loss of a man that is very dear to my heart. But, also detracting from those feelings is anger and disbelief, that whatever wrong doing my dad thinks I may have done to him, he would not even bother to call and tell me.

I believe that my strange dream last night can be attributed to my jumbled feelings this week. My biggest fear in life would be to loose my family. My husband, my children, my close friends. They are all I really have.

Too Tired to Make Much Sense!

2010-02-02T07:02:00.001-06:00

I would certainly rather be in my warm cozy bed sleeping right now, than here at work praying that my coffee has enough caffeine content to keep me awake through another 10 hour day.

You see dear friends, I have a sleeping problem, or maybe I should say, a lack of sleeping problem. I cannot call it insomnia since it does not last more than 2 weeks at a time, but it is definitely a disturbance that in my OCD ways needs a name. Unfortunately, the most I have been able to discern on my bff Google is that it is a sleep disturbance. Well no shit Sherlock!

I have these "sleep disturbances" a few times a year. I am currently on day 2 of this one. The last was the worst so far, running about 2 1/2 weeks and at the same time I was starting a turnaround (working 6-7 days a week for 12-14 hour days). I think a large part of my problem - after the first initial days - is that I get myself so worked up about not being able to sleep that going to bed becomes such a dreaded time of my day, that my anxiety doesn't let me fall asleep. The other part of my problem is two fold.

1. I won't go to the doctor. I know what he will say. It's just stress blah, blah, blah and will tell me to take some OTC crap that is Benadryl (diphenhydramine) in different packaging OR will prescribe a prescription sleep drug that has side effects so much worse (in my mind) than sleep deprivation.

2. Did I mention I don't take medications until I am desperate? Pills scare me! I come from a family touched by addiction and depression. I see falling into that hole way to easy an option and will avoid even "safe" OTC options unless hog tied and forced. Okay, maybe not hog tied, but Clint does usually have to force me to take even Advil (except for migraines - I don't mess with that).

So tonight (assuming I am not forced to take the OTC sleep aid in my cabinet), I am going to go running when I get home, have a hot bath, drink some hot Sleepy-time Tea and go to bed. If that doesn't work (which I already know better) tomorrow night will start the sleeping (hopefully) with the assistance of Unisom (doxylamine).

I know there is an herbal product out there also that is supposed to help, but the fact they are not well tested scares me too!

What do you think? Do you have any things I can try to put myself to sleep with out meds? Aside from hitting myself over the head with a hammer that is?

Video Monday

2010-02-01T06:00:00.001-06:00

I heart this! America should have some commercials like this and make TV enjoyable (or at least funny) again!

Lying, Cheating & Sulking

2010-01-29T11:53:00.000-06:00

Holy crap, it's payback time for my teenage angst. But wait a minute, my kids aren't even teenagers yet! They're not even pre-teens yet. We are talking about a 4 year old and a 7 year old.

The title was a fitting description to just the first hour of my foray into my 4 day weekend as a single parent. Clint left yesterday morning around 6 for some sales conference in Scottsdale, AZ. And that is when all hell broke loose. I raise my glass to all the real single parents out there in the world. You deserve all the gratitude and praise that, unfortunately, you never seem to get.

In the mornings we are on a very strict time schedule to get everyone out the door and me to work. If I am not in the gate by the turn of the half hour, I loose the whole half hour of work. I.e. I walk in at 8:31 and I don't start getting paid till 9:00. So yesterday morning, Leaky comes out of her room, not wearing what she had laid out, but something that I could swear she wore to school on Monday (I did not do laundry during the week). When asked, she said no it came out of her closet. I of course knew better and pulled the mommy guilt trip. "Okay, I believe you, because I know you wouldn't fib to your mama!" Guess who went back to change. That takes another 15 minutes out of our morning. Then its a rush to get hair brushed, teeth brushed and shoes on. When the shoes go on there is another battle brewing (but one we have been fighting for years). The girl won't wear socks. It was a PE day so she had to wear tennis shoes, and in my opinion (and for the sake of everyone's nose at the end of the day) I insist she wears socks. WWIII here we come.

Finally we are getting ourselves out the door scraping the second hands of being late when I see Christian slip something in his pocket. He is only allowed to bring a toy to school on Friday. I let it slide until I take him inside where I tell him I will hold it for him till the end of the day, so he will not get in trouble. MAJOR MELTDOWN! I could still hear him howling at the front desk (his class is at the back of the building). I hate the days I leave him crying. But I have a pouty little girl to get to school who is going to take off her socks the second she is out of my eyesight.

Last night was a story all on its own. Between the grocery store, trying to cook dinner and a rocking chair flying around the house because it is hooked to my sons belt loop by a dog leash. I nearly had a melt down of my own! And this morning was more of the same with the added pressure of school picture day and torrential rain! Yay!

God, give me the strength to make it through the rest of this weekend!

Label Whore

2010-01-28T11:36:00.001-06:00

So, yesterday I talked about my new designer jeans that I was very gun shy about purchasing. They are Big Star jeans BTW and Erin over at The Mother Load (go check her out, she is great) suggested I do a review of them. I may do that just so I can show you all a pic of how good my butt looks in them. Anyway, with my fist clenched tightly around my paycheck, I don't believe I will ever qualify for the label whore title. Even when I was young and irresponsible with my money, I still shied away from extravagant purchases.

Every summer, from about 14 on I guess, my younger sister (by 3 years) and I would watch my brother (11 years younger than me) so that my parents could save the money they would pay to a daycare while we were out of school. Our payment for this was we each had $200 to spend on our back to school clothes and shoes. My sister would spend her first $100 on Doc's right out of the gate. I was much more likely to buy a couple pairs of Levi's, a pair of inexpensive running shoes, a pair of look alike boots from payless, and what ever cool top from 5-7-9 that I just had to have at that moment for what she spent on 1 pair of boots. The rest of my money was usually spent in the hallowed aisles of the good 'ole Walmart. Let me tell you, I came out of there with stacks of stuff. And while some things didn't last all the way through the school year, some stuff did. And since I cannot get rid of clothes that are not falling apart, some are still in my closet (ok, ok some of it might be falling apart).

My husband on the other hand grew up wearing Calvin's and what ever else was "in" for the moment. Except when he was in his Wrangler stage (when I first me him at 13). His mom was very much into having her kids wear the best clothes that they could afford - that is not to say there weren't time when it wasn't in the budget.

Now that we are grown and have our own kids, while I want them to have the best of what we can give them, I also don't want them to be spoiled. I am a sale shopper so the only time I buy my kids clothes at Gymboree is when they are on sale, or I somehow manage to have Gymbucks. My kids label clothes, at least the ones that I buy, nearly always come from a resale shop. If you have never been to one, you are missing out. I find outfits with the tags still on them. My son has a pair of Polo boots that look brand new that I bought for $13!

My problem is becoming, my daughter prefers to wear the designer stuff. Through her trips to the mall with my MIL she has discovered Justice for Girls (I think it was The Limited when I was younger). I don't mind her getting things from this store, but it is starting to be all she wants to wear or buy. For I child who is growing so much, I really cannot bring myself to buy $40 jeans...for a 7 year old! Right now I can still get her to settle for the ones at Target, but how long will that last. Is there a way to teach her about the hard times where you can't afford those things? We have been through them, but she is too young to remeber.

A Great Pair of Jean...An Oxymoron?

2010-01-27T09:14:00.000-06:00

Only if you make it "A great pair of affordable jeans". I have always had a problem finding just the right fit with jeans. When I was younger (and skinnier) I had the issue of if they were long enough, they were huge in the waist. Even as a child. My moms solution to the problem of keeping my pants up was to buy the ones that were too short. I was made fun of endlessly for it. I thank the heavens (and children's clothing manufacturers) for designing the adjustable waist pants. Otherwise I would have the very same dilemma on my hands with my own children.

In my teenage years I discovered that men's Levi's were sized by waist measurement and length. What an extraordinary concept. Now (assuming I could find them) I could buy a pair of jeans in a 27x34. The only problem I found after this miracle of sizing genius was that my dad wore the same size and our jeans would get mixed up in the laundry. Sharpie put and end to that.

Unfortunately, as I aged, so did my waistline and (for me) Levi's seemed to be making their product with less quality - my belt loops were coming off, pockets were making holes at the edges (showing off my undergarment choice for the day), or the crotch just giving out. So it was back to the jeans made for women and with some stretch in them. As I have gained weight my options have slimmed considerably and I find myself back into jeans that are too short, because for some reason stores do not carry very many long sizes for a size 14. I know that I could order jeans online, but I am repulsed by the idea since 9 out of every 10 pairs I try on Don't Fit.

A few weeks ago I told Clint that I really needed to buy some new jeans. I was down to only 3 pairs and I wear them to work every day. So I steeled up my courage and off the the dressing room at GAP. Now I cringe at the idea of spending $60 on a pair of jeans, but they last longer than the other brands and in the long run end up being the better investment. I was jumping up and down in the changing room (making my little girl stare at me funny...because she just has to go with me and judge my muffin). I couldn't help myself. I had found a pair of jeans, not in their curvy line, IN A SIZE 12 LONG, that fit me with a very minimal muffin top and I am working hard to make that go away. Of course I purchased one pair and I smile every time I slip them on.

Off we went after that to window shop when my husband suggests we go into Buckle to see if we can find another pair of jeans for me. Most of our friends shop at the Buckle regularly, but I find most of their prices excessive. I resisted, because the one extra pair would do me until I could loose a little more weight and get into a smaller size. But he insisted. You see, I am a cheap ass who does not like to spend money, while my husband feels like it is burning a hole in his pocket. I do have to say I was very pleased with the service we received in the store. Brad, my salesperson found out what style I was looking for and what kind of fit. He brought me about 10 different pairs of jeans before I found just the right one. Unfortunately, the right one was $100!!! I just can't do it! But Clint can and he bought the jeans while I stood nervously at the front of the store.

I haven't worn them yet. I think I am afraid to get something on them, or that I will shrink them in the laundry. I guess I just need to get over myself. The money is spent and the jeans are sitting lonely in my dresser. What do you think? Would you splurge to get the perfect pair of jeans?

Disconnected and It Felt So Good

2010-01-26T10:28:00.000-06:00

One of my goals on my list of 29 things to do before I turn 30 (which is now less than a month away!) was to blog every day for a full month. I was doing pretty well with this line item too. I started just before the new year and posted at least a few words every day up until the 21st. That was a bit of a difficult day for me, but I still put up a little post.

Then I was off work on Friday. And in my obsessive compulsive way, I decided to make my day off with no kids the day that all the laundry would be done, bathrooms would be cleaned, furniture would be dusted. When I got it all done, then I would do something for me like get my nails done or my eyebrows waxed. Can you guess what I didn't get to. Luckily the eyebrows are not to uni-brow stage yet and they can wait. We had a meeting at karate for my daughter and didn't get back home until late. By that point I was completely exhausted and made a command decision that I would not be getting my laptop out of my bag for the whole weekend. I wanted to disconnect for a while and just be with my family. My Blackberry remained blessedly silent as well.

My in-laws came over Saturday morning to help work on our still in progress guest bathroom. As the walls got sanded and the house filled with dust (that is coating everything in my just dusted home) I had to get the kids (one asthmatic) out of the house. We ran around, rode bikes, played catch and I even surprised my daughter (and myself) by showing her that yes, I could indeed do cartwheels and round-offs.

Of course we got out of the house for awhile when the work was done for the day and went to test drive a BMW - used of course, that we may buy a similar model when my car sells. BTW anyone interested in buying a 1997 Cobra Mustang Convertible in Pacific Green? No? Okay, just had to put it out there. I love my car and I am sad to see it have to go, but Clint is having to drive a lot lately and it is putting too many miles on the Expedition which was intended to just be a road trip and run the kids to school vehicle. So now we need something within 7 years of new (work rules for vehicle allowance), something that gets good gas mileage, and since I am giving up my sports car that was a birthday present 2 years ago - something sporty. Did I mention my working 2 months straight of 13 hours a day, 7 days a week paid cash for that birthday present. And that my Christmas present and birthday presents last year were the stereo system and rims and sport tires for it. I am giving up a lot of the best presents I ever got here!

I know I am all over the place today, but I guess the main point is sometimes I just really need to disconnect and know that it will all be here waiting for me when I get back. Especially in my reader yesterday. I had a lot of commenting to catch up on!

Video Monday - Axe Detailer

2010-01-25T07:08:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine sent me the link to this video last week. I was at work so I was really glad that I had my headphones on, but that didn't stop me from laughing. My boss also sent it to me. If you don't think balls are funny or didn't laugh at Schwety Balls on SNL this is probably not for you.

My Head Is Above Water

2010-01-21T20:17:00.001-06:00

For the moment. Barely!

Stress at work.

Family dinner.

FIL 5th round of chemo in r years scheduled to start the 1st.

Husband upset with me.

Does This Torture Have A Purpose

2010-01-20T14:13:00.000-06:00

I am starting a lifestyle change (No, I am not switching to the other side. I am going on a diet, but if we call it that it will never work). Lets start with the reason that makes this necessary. Actually it might be easier to show you a picture comparison. Consider yourself lucky that I have a little shame left, because my father in law is camera happy and there are bikini pictures from the second set **shudder** These photos were only taken 2 years apart. In that 2 years I gained more than 40 lbs. Is that not absolutely crazy.

(No I do not always wear a baseball hat... it was crazy hot in both places & I needed to hide nasty hair)

I am definitely trying to do this the healthy way. No unrealistic goals. My first goal is just 5 lbs and I have more than a month to accomplish it. So, I have started eating better (I track my exercise and food intake on http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ - so easy) with lots of whole grain, fresh fruits and vegetables, and very little sugar. And my daughter (yes the one shown) is acting as my trainer. Please do not tell her people get paid lots of money for what I have convinced her to do for free. We did our first workout session on Monday in the street in front of the house. Let me tell you what, if she decides to pursue this career she will be successful because it hurts to walk right now.

I want to stay proactive in my efforts to loose all this weight. I need some ideas for other things to do in order to keep it fresh. I have considered workout DVD's, but the one's I used after my son was born was super cheesy. I know Evil Twin's Wife is doing the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, but from what I have seen of her she is mean (Jillian Michaels not Evil Twin's Wife)! Anyhoodle what do you suggest?

My Legacy

2010-01-19T13:56:00.001-06:00

I am accident prone. I hurt myself nearly every single day. It is usually minor, but we have had a few more serious accidents like shin burn on motorcycle exhaust and a severe wrist sprain from flipping a 4 wheeler going down a mountain in Mexico. It is absolutely amazing that I have never had a broken bone!

My tendencies to have a little pain here and there hardly ever bothers me (except in the serious cases). The main problem is that it seems my sweet little boy has inherited this unfortunate characteristic from me. The first of many incidents came when he was about 18 months old and tripped over a shoe into a glass coffee table on Father's Day. We had to wait 3 hours to see a doctor and then they used dermabond (medical grade super glue) to close the gash on his forehead. The glue did not hold very well so the scar was pretty thick for a while. It is finally starting to fade.

Last week alone there were 3 incidents that required the aid of an ice pack to reduce swelling. The first one he wasn't even awake for. It was nap time at school and his teacher was cleaning the counter tops when she hit the can of cleaner with the back of her arm. Well, can you guess where this is going. The can fell on my sweet sleeping little boy and busted his lip. I couldn't be too angry with the teacher, because it was an accident and he is ok. The worst of the incident was the shock for him being woken out of a deep sleep that way.

The same night, he and his sister were playing in his room when he tripped over a toy on the floor and went face first into the built-in book shelves. He hit high on his cheek bone and had a pretty nice shiner showing up by the following morning. Not 24 hours later he was bouncing around in my room when Clint told him to go pick out his book for his bedtime story. He got so excited he turned and started running at the same time. Right in to the post at the bottom of our bed. So, on the same eye that is already looking pretty blackened, he has a small cut just below his brow.

This all for my child who's favorite show is Nitro Circus and wants to do stunts on his bike. His Christmas wish list included a dirt bike, a hot rod and a jet ski. Thank you Santa for not honoring his request.

I am sure we have broken bones in our future. I just hope no one calls child services because that boy is always sporting several bruises!

Video Monday

2010-01-18T10:23:00.000-06:00

I am starting something new today and will have a Monday Video...unless I change my mind and want to post something else, there will be a video posted here Monday's. It may be something that drops me to the floor laughing and trying not to pee my pants, or something that touches my heart. Who knows I may post videos of myself someday.

This one is one that was shown yesterday in my church, and really made me think, WOW! What can I do to live my life in that way. Matt Chandler is now on my list of people I would like to meet!

Matt Chandler from Josh Viveros on Vimeo.

Plane Ticket To.....?

2010-01-17T06:55:00.004-06:00

My mother in law has given me the use of a round trip plane ticket that she earned from points on her credit card as a birthday gift. The problem is I have no idea where to go. I have to use the ticket by May 2nd. Otherwise I would use it to go to my youngest siblings high school graduation in Arizona. The only other limitation is that it has to be somewhere that Southwest flies in the Continental US.

We live in the Houston area and I have told my husband I really want to use the ticket to go somewhere 1) we (I - he travels more than I do) have never been and (2) I want it to be some where we would not reasonably drive to. That already knocks out quite a few options. We likely won't use the ticket until April due to commitments in February and our sitter (MIL) will be chaperoning a field trip for her 5th graders to DC during spring break week. This will most likely be an extended weekend trip since I don't get vacation time and Clint is in a new position at work and cannot take off a ton of time.

Birmingham, AL

Little Rock, AR

~~Phoenix, AZ~~

~~Tucson, AZ~~

Burbank, CA

Los Angeles, CA

Oakland, CA

Ontario, CA

Orange County, CA

Sacramento, CA

San Diego, CA

San Francisco, CA

San Jose, CA

Denver, CO

Hartford / Springfield, CT

Washington DC

Ft. Lauderdale / Miami, FL

Ft. Myers / Naples, FL

~~Jacksonville, FL~~

~~Orlando, FL~~

Panama City, FL

~~Tampa Bay, FL~~

West Palm Beach, FL

Boise, ID

Chicago, IL

Indianapolis, IN

Kansas City, KS

Louisville, KY

~~New Orleans, LA~~ this is considered drivable at about 5 hrs and we have been here many times

Boston, MA

~~Baltimore, MD~~

Detroit, MI

Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN

~~St. Louis, MO~~

Jackson, MS

Raleigh-Durham, NC

Omaha, NE

Manchester, NH

Albuquerque, NM

~~Las Vegas, NV~~ went for my b-day last year and might consider going back despite my requirements.

Reno / Tahoe, NV

Albany, NY

Long Island, NY

New York, NY

Cleveland, OH

Columbus, OH

Oklahoma City, OK

Tulsa, OK

Portland, OR

Philadelphia, PA

Pittsburgh, PA

Providence, RI

~~Nashville, TN~~

~~Amarillo, TX~~

~~Austin, TX~~ yearly trip destination

~~Corpus Christi, TX~~

~~Dallas, TX~~

~~El Paso, TX~~

~~Harlingen / South Padre Island, TX~~

Houston, TX - Starting Point

~~Lubbock, TX~~

~~Midland / Odessa, TX~~

~~San Antonio, TX~~

Salt Lake City, UT

Norfolk, VA

Seattle / Tacoma, WA

Spokane, WA

Milwaukee, WI

So Internet buds, even after marking off the destinations that do not fit the above criteria, I still have a ton of options left. So can any of you help me? Is your hometown the best place in the US and a place I just absolutely have to see? If so, what makes it special? Or have you been somewhere that has the best ____________(fill in the blank) you have ever experienced? Rachel, you world traveler...what are your suggestions?

Saturday Mornings

2010-01-16T06:11:00.001-06:00

I love how my family spends Saturday mornings (assuming I am not working). Everyone sleeps in. Except me of course. I am so used to getting up and going well before dawn that 7 am is sleeping in. That usually gives me about an hour to catch up on a DVRed show that I can't watch when the kids are up. The only other morning person in my house is my son. He will typically join me about 8 and ask if he can have some coffee too. Since I am a terrible mother who does not pay any attention to the reports that coffee stunts growth (tell that to my 4 yr old who is just a few inches shy and equal in weight to my 7 yr old) I pour him a quarter cup of coffee and fill the rest with milk and sugar. Usually by nine, my late nighters have joined the living and my husband will whip up some pancakes, waffles (since he got a professional waffle iron for his b-day we have these a little more often), or omelets. Bacon is mandatory. The kids are not happy if there is no bacon on the menu for Saturday morning breakfast. After eating is is time to get dressed and get out of the house. Sometimes we leave not even knowing where exactly we are going, just that we need to go. After all, we are the Gone Again Smiths, and who needs a clean bathroom anyway? (I do, that's who...but I will find some time after work one day to scrub it down).

This for sure is a far cry from the way it was done when I was growing up. Saturday morning was for cleaning. If you were still in bed at 8, you can bet your ass someone was yelling that it was time to get your lazy butt movin'. Eat yourself a bowl of cereal - you damn well better drink all the milk at the bottom of the bowl, because it is a waste if you don't. I do NOT drink milk now.

No later than 8:30 the stereo went on with Saturday morning cleaning music. Choice of options: Heart or Barbra Streisand...both if it was a heavy cleaning day. My sister and I were each assigned a living area and a bathroom we had to clean. I typically got the living room and the upstairs full bathroom while she got the computer room and downstairs half bathroom (bitch). During the summer months mowing the yard was an additional task on our plate. Did I mention my mother was very particular about the way she wanted things done. If you did not do one portion of the task at hand correctly, you had to redo the entire thing. Bathrooms had to be the worst task on the planet. The commode to be more specific. See, my mom did not believe in using a toilet wand or gloves. No sir. That job had to be done by hand...with a sponge. I am still scarred. Nothing else was allowed to be done or planned for that time period. You did absolutely nothing else until your chores were done and inspected. And you better hope your room is spotless too or you can kiss that trip to the park Saturday afternoon goodbye.

After 13 years (my dad and mom got together around the time I was 6 and I moved out just before my 19th) of that tight rope, I am happy to be able to let my kiddos weekends be about spending time together and having fun. I definitely thing our Saturday mornings work out a lot better than the ones of my childhood.

A promise to my children...IF I ever make you clean the bathrooms, I will make sure you have both glove and the disposable toilet cleaner wand thingy. See, I do love you guys! But don't think for a minute that I won't treaten you with Barbra Streisand when your rooms can not be walked through.

What is Wrong with the World

2010-01-15T11:31:00.002-06:00

Why is it that someones pain can be someone elses gain? Why do some people see the major disaster in Haiti as an opportunity to line their own pockets? Honestly, hasn't this already poor country been through enough? Less than 18 months ago this same region was rocked by Hurricane Gustav. We are talking about people who under normal circumstances have a difficult time coming across clean water.

Yesterday I added a note at the bottom of my post of an easy way to aide the relief effort by texting HAITI to 90999 in order to donate $10 to the Red Cross that will be added to your phone bill. Today the news is filled with warnings of scams and thousands of websites popped up over night claiming to be raising money for disaster relief under false pretense. I can think of very little that hurts my heart more than to know there are so many in our country (that is already richer than 95% of the rest of the world) that would take advantage of such a devastating event.

If you do plan to give, please do your research first and make sure your contribution for aide is truly going where it is needed most. My recommendation is to go directly to the source of a known aide organization such as Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders. There are a lot out there. Just be careful.

Here is the website for The Better Business Bureau Haiti earthquake relief. http://www.bbb.org/us/haiti-earthquake-relief/

Blood donations are also needed, so if you are able, please do!

I Love to Work

2010-01-14T15:34:00.001-06:00

Seriously.

No, I'm not joking.

Stop Laughing at me!

My husband made the comment sometime last year that it is an odd coincidence that if I am not busy and productive, I am not happy when I get home. Really? I have had the opportunity to delve into this in the last several months. I am an oddity in my profession in that I don't travel. I am not a chaser. Most of the people I work with travel around the country, spending 3-4 months in one location until that job is finished. Within 3 weeks of leaving that job, they have the next one lined out and are ready to go when they get released from the job they are on. In my 3+ years in this industry I have worked only in 3 plants and in the office.

I am really lucky that my boss is also a friend and understands that at this point in my children's lives, I want to be here. The problem becomes that when there is not an active turnaround going on, I am given either clerical work to get done (not that I can complain since I still get my normal pay) or I go into advance planning where there is no rush to get anything done. These situations give me quite a bit of down time and can make me feel like I am unproductive.

Ironically this translates differently than even I would expect is to at home. After a busy day at work (or days on turnaround) I am so tired from busting my butt all day and putting a good product out there, that I don't bother griping at the kids for leaving their wet towel in the middle of the floor or getting on to my husband for forgetting to take out the overflowing recycling. When I am not busy at work, I have so much energy when I get home, that every where I look, there is something else I have to do before I can relax. I have many nights where the only time I sit down is when I am eating. Of course my husband can sit down and relax, so I end up irritated that I am working and he is not and that his dirty socks are there in the living room right next to the kids.

What do you think? Do I need to beg my boss for more work in my slow times so I am nicer to both my family and myself when I'm at home? Or do I just need medication?

On another sad note...don't forget to do what ever you can to support the relief efforts in Haiti. One simple way to offer support is to text HAITI to 90999 to make a $10 donation to the Red Cross. It will just be added to your next phone bill. I know I can give up down-loading a handfull of songs on iTunes this month...can you?

Baby Journal

2010-01-13T08:57:00.001-06:00

I have a journal at home that I was given several years ago (probably about 10). It had to have been a gift...It is certainly not something I would have bought for my self. I didn't write in a journal, or anywhere else for that matter. But I held on to it because it was so freakin' cute. It was an Anne Geddes journal and about the same time I had the Anne Geddes checks. I just thought (and still do) that the babies all dressed up, curled up, and sleeping were the cutest thing in the world.

After my daughter came along, I decided to start using the journal to document how I was feeling and the things going on around me. I really didn't have a mother figure in my life that I could turn to to just talk about all the things going on. The journal was partly my therapy. At first I would write daily or at least every other day. After the first couple of months I was down to every few weeks, then I would just write in the journal when I ran across it on the desk. I was probably only half way through the journal when my second child was born nearly 3 years later. I once again ran across the journal a few weeks ago while switching desks. Looking back through the pages is like looking at myself through a magic mirror. At times I cannot believe how naive I was. Others make me wish for simpler times, or even beyond grateful that we are no longer in a tiny one bedroom apartment with the 3 of us and 2 dogs.

When I started the journal I did so with the intention that someday I will give it to my little girl at her baby shower someday. I pray that there is nothing that comes in our future that will have her feel that she cannot turn to me, talk to me and confide in me while she is stumbling on her path. I always want her to know there is nothing that she cannot come to me with.

Now, most of my trials with my children are documented right here on my blog. I love to blog. It is my new form of therapy. I am left wondering though, with the speed of technology, will all my thoughts and fears, hopes and excitement be here for my children to gain insight in to parenthood from a real time perspective. Should I transcribe some of my ramblings into this keepsake journal of pen and paper that outside of natural disaster will outlast me? Or should I continue to do what I do here and just write in the journal when I come across it?

I just came up with a new idea. I will save the remainder of the pages in my journal for the milestones to come. I can write entries when she wins (or loses) some competition. I can document how I feel as she leaves (and awaiting her return) for her first date. Prom, broken hearts, engagement, wedding day, the day she tells me she is expecting. Then, as here baby comes, she can look back at her life from her mothers perspective and understand that she is not alone on the new journey she is embarking on.

Interview w/ Aunt Becky from Mommy Wants Vodka

2010-01-12T12:11:00.000-06:00

Aunt Becky is having a contest, and despite the fact that I never win anything, I like the questions and decided to givie it a go.

1) Dave and I have a long-standing feud over cheese in a can. He thinks it’s food of The Gods while I think it’s probably Of The Devil. Your take?

Most certianly of the devil. I don't think it is even real cheese. The only time this is ok is when you are too tipsy to know any better.

2) Is there any way you can think of to make the elder Gosselins go away? I AM ALL EARS.

Start filming reality TV on Mars.

3) Who is your ridiculous “I can’t admit this to anyone in polite company lest I be banned from life” crush?

My old one was Heath Ledger. Then he went and died and I haven't had the heart to replace him yet.

4) If you could fuck it all and pursue your dream (assuming, of course, you were going to be GOOD at it), what would that dream be?

I would work on the Human Genome or other gene maping project.

5) They say “living well is the best revenge.” I think they are wrong. Do you?

Uh, WRONG! The only way this is the best revenge is to make sure they are not living well and make sure they know you are better. Nany-nany-boo-boo!

6) What is the most humiliation you’ve experienced in public that you’d be willing to admit to The Internet?

This is a tough one. I guess it would be in a conversation I was having with an individual who was talking about a guy he played ball with. I said something along the lines of I know him. We dated over the summer. He told me a few days later the same guy (who also happened to be my first) denied that we dated.

7) Are you honest with The Internet? Like, if I came over to your house tonight (heh)(I’m coming over, yo)(heh) would I be surprised at who I found?

Absolutely not. If you showed up right now, you would find me in full make-up, a ball gown, one ruby slipper and one glass slipper and a tiarra.

8 ) If you could have one talent that you don’t currently possess, what would it be?

Patience. It's not really a talent, but definately a virtue that I wish I had.

9) There’s not always room for Jello. Is there?

No there is not always room for Jello, but there is always room for Jello-shots

10) What’s your guiltiest of the guilty pleasures?

Kinda lame, but the one I am jonsin' for the most right now is to have the house to myself and curl up in the corner of the couch with an excellent book and read the whole thing in one sitting.