NowWhat?

I swear, I totally meant to blog this past month...

2010-01-29T14:20:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems I will not be blogging as much as I had planned. The classes I am taking are managing to eat every second that isnt filled with childcare or sleeping. I'm stressed. Gah. So I only dropped by to let yall know, I may not be back for awhile. Sorry. I gotta prioritize yaknow. tata.

Vent

2010-01-14T06:26:00.000-08:00

My school sucks. I'm a junior at Virginia State University and I have to say, I get better service at Wal*Mart. Went to the bookstore the other day to buy my extremely over-priced books for classes (which start on Tuesday). I'm taking 3 lectures and 3 labs. 6 books. They only had 3 of the books I needed. The reason they gave for not having the other 3? The professors havent contacted the bookstore to tell them which books to order. Okay, I'm abit manic when it comes to having my books on time. Honestly, if there were any other schools in this area, I would be gone.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Sunday, Official day of Whining.

2010-01-10T15:38:00.000-08:00

I'm in my happy place. Put there by the whining and grousing of 3 other humans on this planet. Sundays are my "get-shit-done-days", I need to be in the zone and get all laundry, ironing, cleaning, etc done on this day. Please yall, leave me alone so I can accomplish at least half of this torture. My eyeballs are dry, I blink extra fast....squeezing them closed once in awhile to soak the overtly dry eye in juice. I've had too many glasses of wine/water and way too many Baked Cheetos. I tried to get them to play the damn Wii. No luck. Fed them to the point of comatose and yet, they still move....and complain. What did I do to deserve this? I'm a good person, at least most of the time. Gah. I have so much more to say but, guess what???? Someone wont leave me alone long enough to even type this friggin post.

Let's hope the aliens don't land at The Jersey Shore.

2010-01-08T10:58:00.000-08:00

Pawlie, Mookie, Shifty and Poot. Backstreet Boys of another, greasier, universe? Much fist pumping and biting of the lip.

I honestly thought people like this didn't exist anymore. I'm so naive.

My dog gets this same look on her face when she has to poop.

I watched an episode of this show. I was amazed that only one person hit Snooki and that it took them so long to do it. I wanted to pummel her by minute 5. I'm also repelled by the 4 guidos they have populating that house. Is this a medical experiment? These children have been raised by wolves or their DNA has been seriously altered, right? Collectively they probably have an IQ in the "give that child a helmet" range. I was so embarrassed for them that I had to turn it off. A first for me, shit I used to watch The Anna Nicole Show so I know embarrassing when I see it. I may have to watch another episode, it doesnt seem right to judge so harshly without having more data. Let's just hope they don't drop dead anytime soon from alcohol poisoning, STD's or roid rage. Thats my 2 cents.

2010-01-07T15:39:00.000-08:00

As you may, or may not, know....my butt was rather large at one time. I was a "big" girl..."big boned"....a "thick chick". All of the above add up to the ugly truth that I was "fat". I ranged from chubby and cute to "damn...that bitch is big". So, after much soul searching and a few bouts of cold-feet, I had the surgery. Gastric bypass to be more specific. If you go back far enough in my blogs you can read all about that crazy (sometimes terrifying) journey. Anyway, here I am.....much much lighter and almost 3 years post-op. I have learned some very hard lessons along the way and live a much different life than I used to.
1. I obsess way more about food now than I did when I was fat.
2. Your doctor will tell you un-truths to try and scare you into compliance.
3. You CAN drink soda, eat bread and drink alcohol without your body exploding.
4. Your intolerance to sugars,fats and carbs goes away or you learn how to work around your maximums.
5. You'll lose interest in exercising and it will become the bane of your existance.
6. You will regain.....I said I NEVER would....I'm up from my lowest.
7. The pouch doesnt fix your broken head.....I eat, not because I'm hungry, but because I'm a food addict or an overeater....or whatever name you wanna attach to it.
8. You'll lie to everyone about.....(insert your weakness here)....mine involves alcohol.
I didnt write this to depress anyone or talk anyone out of the surgery. It really believed it saved my life or at least added a few years onto it. I'm hoping that, with more time, I can come to grips with some of my personal demons that I think are the basis of my addictions. I AM an addict, will always be one and I really believe in my heart that most people who are morbidly obese are as well. Anyway, sorry if I bummed yall out. I'm resolving to wake up tomorrow with a more positive attitude and a plan for how to shrink my ever-inflating ass. Wish me luck!

The last moments of Christmas torture.

2010-01-03T14:16:00.000-08:00

Mine know better. The fantasy was blown wide open a few years ago and rather than fight it, I conceded. "You're right sweetie, there is no Santa. Mommy does it all." Staring eyes.....mouth open.....and then "Well, I guess I can blame you for the crappy presents last year then." She walks away. Homicide anyone?

I wasn't always so angry at Christmas. I think I enjoyed a few of them.....possibly before children. I know many women who pride themselves on buying their kids every-damn-thing on the planet. "Oh sure! I bought little Johnny everything on the list he submitted this year! (she's smiling that "please like me" smile) Uh huh....sure...yeah, you're kid must be a real gem. Just turn and walk away Michelle or your mouth will start moving and the sounds coming out of it will definately offend. RUN!

I don't spoil. My kids work for what they get. Some people (bitches...) say I'm a tad "militant" hmmmmm, okay I am rather strict in some of my parenting. So? At least I know where my kid is and what they are doing. I dont make Xmas a culmination of the years good deeds. She tries hard because thats her JOB! Anyway, dont get me started. Back to Xmas. I'll rename it Giftmas and it wont involve a tree or lights. Good will toward others and charity should be the basis. End o story.

So here we are, 12 hours away from a school day (Yipee!) and I'm very excited. I have 2 weeks off without kids before I start school too. Its going to take me that long to recover from this 3 week madness. Cheers all!

I'm the Mommy, that's why....

2010-01-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

Do you cock your head to the side and think "hmmmm, its funny but yaknow what? THAT is actually a good idea." ? Don't lie, you know you do. Then reason takes over. Well, for me, reason doesn't always reign me in quick enough and I have been known to participate in some questionable "child management procedures". Nothing dangerous or illegal but questionable nonetheless. I'm only referring to physical methods, not the mandatory Nyquil-ing, Sudafed-ing or Benadryl-ing that we all come down to at some point. Unfortunately mine are of an age (12 and 15) that they know "their rights" and won't waste a minute contacting "an attorney". It's alot harder to slip over-the-counter cold medications into their beverages too. So now I live in a world of empty threats and bribery, my kids have become the extortionists that I was at their age. They're also awake alot more these days, hehe. Ah, to be young again.

New Year Cometh.

2010-01-01T15:04:00.000-08:00

Well, didnt win the damn lottery. Not that I REALLY thought we would but there's always that glimmer ya'know? Anyway. Last night was typical of our New Years exploits. Joe fell asleep watching a movie (around 9pm) and the girl and I stayed up till 12. I only had to roust her awake a FEW times, hehe. Wake up dammit, I'm doing this for your benefit ferchrissake. Gah. In bed by 12:01, bed spinning. No wonder...I finished off half a bottle of wine dammit. Watched more tv till sleepiness outweighed the spinning and I passed out.
Fade to morning of 2010.....I heard him get out of bed at an absurd hour (4:20am) to surf the internet (can you say Craigslist addiction?) so I dozed back into a coma. AND THEN....just as my dream gets juicy I feel him slide back into the bed......naked. This means ONE THING. (picture me roll my eyes as I sleep, it isnt easy to do btw) Ok, you've been asleep ALL night and I'm 5 hours into a drunken sleep.....the answer is ...uh.....legs clamped and feigned death....go away....no one is home, sorry...no entry unless you answer to the name Ryan Rheynolds or Hugh Jackman and even then you better be covered in sugar-free chocolate. Am I kidding? You obviously dont know me if you're asking.
Fast forward. Today there is a ride, as in Harley Group ride. And since I have volunteered to take on the title of Lead Officer of Ladies of Harley for my Group I think I should go. I mean, I missed the damn Xmas party because of undisclosed reasons, which I will not be disclosing here. Soooo, Child #2 wants to ride shotgun. Its 38 degrees outside. I warn and warn and try very hard to explain exactly HOW very cold it will be. "I'm good Mom, lets rock." Uh-huh. So we ride. The old man follows in the car with Child #1. About 30-40 riders showed up, it was a good ride (albeit very fucking cold). Yadda yadda yadda. Lunch at the Va Diner (I'm still frozen btw) and we go to leave. Child #2 defects to the car (knew she would PUSSY!, ha!) and I ride back home alone, which I prefer because I go F A S T! Nothing, no words, can explain the feeling....its better than....everything....honestly. Once home and I defrost nothing can touch me, no crisis or child induced madness can penetrate this shield. Ahhhhhh. So I sent the old man out for take-out ( i refuse to cook which means there is no food available for consumption, hehe) I'm alone, ahhhhhhhh. I guess this could be construed as a perfect day, yes? Well, not perfect....they will come home eventually. Kidding. Time for wine. Tata yall.

2009-12-31T17:20:00.001-08:00

Holy crap. Here I am blogging on this old damn site on New Years Eve??? Yes, I have very little life. I'm a mother of 2, a very difficult 2 I might add. Aw hell, I could lay out the whole damn story now but I'm kinda dunk and wayyyyyy too tired to go through the emotional labyrinth that that would entail. I spent the last 2 hours trying to figure out the user Id and password for Blogger because its been so damn long since I have blogged. Gah. Anyway, thats it for tonight. I'm half-way through this bottle of wine and I'm determined to finish that bitch off! Wish me luck! Ta!

She moves

2009-02-21T05:43:00.000-08:00

So, as you can tell from my lack of posting here, facebook has taken over my life.....for now. I just find it easier, and faster and I dont have to write huge entries on a daily basis. For me thats good at the moment. Ok, so, if you want to you can add me as a friend through facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php

I may come back here eventually, or visit sporatically. Who knows? Thanks.

Michelle Chapman

Kiss me you fool!

2009-02-14T18:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Yall! I got 18 of those babies today. So pretty. I also got 85% cocoa Lindt chocolates (the darker the better, Ohhhhh yeahhhhh.) The very dark chocolates have less sugar and more fat but I can deal with fat, hehe. Skipped my workout today but will hit it hard tomorrow.

Took the kids to Swaders today to go batshit on the arcade games. Nothing like a few dozen screaming kids hopped up on sugar to make you glad you stopped at 2. HA!

Have a lovely night! Tata.

Monday

2009-02-09T08:49:00.000-08:00

Howdy yall. The weekend was so nice (70+ degrees) that we spent most of it outdoors. Sadly, I forgot the damn camera so no pictures.

Saw Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. Take my word for it, save your money

I got my Spanish test back, an 83, which is a B so I'm cool with that. I still hate Spanish though.

Havent had anyone come to see the house for weeks. Its depressing but I'm trying to stay optimistic. Before the end of the month I'm going to host a realtors luncheon (lots of free food) so that the locals will be more apt to mention my house to potential buyers. The real buying season doesnt kick in until March-April so I'm hopeful.

Well I have much to do before the offspring get home so I'm outties! Tata!

Yep, I posted, arent you excited?

2009-02-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

I love school. There is nothing I would rather do than go to school. If I won the lottery, seriously, I would go to school for the rest of my life. Thats how much I love it. Ok, that said, I friggin HATE Spanish. I loathe it. It hangs around my neck like a cinder block, threatening to drag me down into the bowels of ........something, a thing with nasty bowels. This class is bringing out the worst in me. I skipped class yesterday, knowing that I had a test. I knew it and I just didnt want to take it, so I bailed. And lied. Said one of my kids was sick. I'm a liar too. Next thing you know I'll be robbing convenience stores.

I have to get over this. I have this class until May ferchrissake. Its giving me anxiety.

Joe and I are doing this

" if you want to take a trip without me, its cool"

thing. I mean, I've never had a problem with him taking off. Some women would hold a grudge or feel neglected, not me, I figure he's a big boy and works for his money so why not? Only, and this is a recent development (i think), he doesnt want me to have the same freedom. Its completely cool if he goes off alone to do his thing but I have to have a CHAPERONE. I can't be trusted (in what sense I'm not sure) and he got all squirmy when I grilled him on it. I got irritated and demanded to know why I couldnt be trusted (which he didnt outright say but it was implied) I had never given him a reason to NOT trust me. In fact, he used to leave for MONTHS on end when we didnt have any kids and he had no problem then. I refreshed his memory that until 3 years ago we hadnt spent even half a year together on the same continent ( The Navy will do that). Yeah, he got that puzzled look on his face, kinda like when a dog hears a really high pitch noise, and walked away. I'm still very irate about this double-standard and plan on bringing it up at our next therapy session on Friday. Now, dont get me wrong, I'm not trying to slip away alone so that I can have some sordid affair. I would PROBABLY not even want to go anywhere on my own but the idea that I couldnt if I wanted to just burns me up. I know, I should let it go. If you know me, you know that I cant. HA!

Anyway, thats about it. If you're looking for me, I'm probably on Facebook, which is alot like crack. I'm sure the novelty will wear off but for now, I'm an addict. hehe. Tata.

Last of Jan.

2009-01-31T08:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Joe's 42nd birthday. I cant say he was overjoyed about the whole thing but at least he had the day off to relax. He got a new working jacket and a nice watch. Later we went to Olive Garden for dinner (dessert is pictured above).

Right now he is at Pamplin Park with Syd and her friend. I skipped out because well...honestly...I hate historical crap....oh and its friggin freezing out too. Thanks but I'll stay home and watch the SciFi channel in my warm house.

Anyway, thats it for now. Tata.

Oh grand Friday.

2009-01-23T14:21:00.000-08:00

Hello yall. Let me just get this out there first....Syd and Wyatt broke up. Yep. That was fast huh? Well, she didnt even tell me about it, I found out from his mom. Weird. I guess I should be happy that it wasnt more traumatic.

Today was her last exam so as a treat I took the kids to Swaders ( a sports park thing) We were going to play mini-golf but they chose the arcade instead. It was an hour of too-much-fun and only cost me $20.

It was amazingly mild out today and we enjoyed it. Its supposed to get heinous again tomorrow. Bah!

Anyway, thats about it. Tata.

Uh, dating?

2009-01-18T16:06:00.000-08:00

So she had her "date" and it was "awesome". We went to see Paul Blart; Mall Cop. Not one of my top 10....actually not even one of my top 10000. They sat a few rows ahead of Avery and I (I made sure I could see them...clearly) He bought her ticket and snacks, it was sweet. After the movie I dropped him off and she was all gushy about how wonderful he was. I swear, I'm crapping my pants right now. I mean she's only 11! Cmon, give me until at least 13 for this stuff!

Thats it for now.Tata.

I said it was cold before.....I was wrong.

2009-01-16T10:47:00.000-08:00

Today it is 29 degrees outside. I dont do cold. At all. It should be against the law for it to be that cold. I'm also a whiner. Ask anyone. When it's cold, I whine constantly.

Luckily today was a free day ie: no school and no kids. I spent the day doing practically nothing. Oh wait, I left the house to get a movie and some Starbucks. It was quick, did I mention I hate the cold?. Hehe.

I'm wearing my workout clothes because, well, I had the best intentions of toodling down to the gym this morning and sweating out all those nasty wine toxins. Didnt happen, not even close. Not motivated. Ah well.

Tomorrow I'm escorting my 11 year old daughter on her first "not-really-a date" with her "boyfriend-but-we-dont-hold-hands-or-kiss-cause-thats-still-gross". I've spoken to both of them, at length......I went far beyond embarrassing to a kind of intense homicidal staring while talking through clenched teeth. She was mortified....yep, thats my job. Anyway, we're going to the movies at the mall.....wont that be fun? (insert sarcasm here) I really wanted to go see that dog hotel movie. (insert coma here) Avery is thrilled as well. (insert screaming)

Ok, thats it for now. I'm tired from doing nothing and must lie down before children start arriving home. Crap.

Tata.

Is cold, yes?

2009-01-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

Not the best representation but you get the idea. Another leather piece that I wanted. It will look awesome with chaps. Yeehaw! Hehe.

In the 40's today. I no like the cold, my lips are always blue. Not a good color for me.

So I joined FaceBook. I had so many people hounding me for so long "Oh you just gotta join! Its soooooo cool. You dunno what yer missing!" Uh, yeah, ok.....wuteva. So I joined. Whooopee. And it would seem that everyone on the planet (but me) is on this stupid thing. I dont recognize like half of the people that "claim" to be my friends. Its hysterical. Friends from high school, friends from the Navy, friends from Canada, even friends from college. Wow. I didnt even know I was so damn popular. Imagine that. I'm so relieved that I think I'll have another glass of wine. HA!

Here it is , pritnear the middle of Jan, and I'm feeling like I should resolve to do something. Maybe lose 10 pounds, uh....adopt an abused animal....hmmm, shave the legs more often? Dunno. Maybe I could resolve to be more decisive. I could but I dont think I will, I cant make up my mind. Yaknow, it would probably be better if I made resolutions that I KNEW I could keep. Yeah! Like I resolve to spend more money this year. Or maybe to continue eating a shitty diet! Yeah yeah......I definately resolve to stay up wayyy too late and drink far too much alcohol (Shit, this will be hella-easy) Hehe. This way I can pretty much guarrantee that my resolutions will carry on through the year and my conscious will be clear. I imagine that the old man will do much the same, in that his resolutions will include 1. not listening 2. watching more TV 3. snoring more and , of course 4. enjoying more 7-11 food in the comfort of his truck. I can vouch that each one of these will be resolved to the max. Anyways, thats all I have to say for now. Tune in next time kids, ya just never know what will come rolling out of my mouth...uh I guess I mean fingers bein that its typing and all.....ah nevamind. Tata!

New Year

2009-01-07T13:21:00.000-08:00

Hi. Sorry I havent posted, I've been so busy. Syd and I stayed up for New Years.....we played Lego Batman all the way through it. The kids went back to school last Monday (YAY!) and thats about it. I dont go back to school until next Wednesday. Oh yeah, I forgot.....we put the house on the market. It went on the MLS this morning and I showed it for the first time at noon today. We're hopeful but know the market sucks right now. Fingers crossed!
Thats it for now! Tata.

Holiday ketchup.

2008-12-28T16:49:00.000-08:00

Ok......I know this looks like an expose of me but honestly.......there were NO good pictures of Avery and Joe forbid me from posting pictures of him. So, you're stuck with me, my daughter and my Dad. Oh well.

So much to tell since I last posted.

X-mas went fine. I stayed up late to plant the socks while everyone slept. I got about 3 hours sleep, I guess I was abit jumpy. We woke around 6am and I went into Syd's room around 7. Once everyone emptied their stockings, we hit the tree. It only took about 40 minutes to open everything (I slowed the process by insisting that we read who it was from and took a picture of subject and gift) Overall it was a success and a good time was had by all.

After X-mas we just basically hung out and ate huge amounts of food. Nummy.

Joe bought his first Harley, which I mentioned before. We had our first ride together, to Starbucks, HA! It was fun. I started wishing for my own bike and so today I graduated from Biker Safety Class and can officially ride my own bike when I get one. I'm pushing for a disposable bike first so I can wreck it without consequences. In the Spring I can get a better one, by then I'll be a pro. HA!

Anyway, Dad will be leaving tomorrow. We'll miss him. It's been nice having another person (over the age of 11) in the house. I like having him here, I wish he would come more often.

So thats it for now. I'm not planning any more excitement for this year. I'll wake up Syd for the New Years ball dropping in Times Square (she wont remember it). Other than that we'll be getting back to normal and looking forward to school starting again in Jan.

PS. I sent my Mom a new phone for X-mas ( a complicated 2 station cordless phone) and she balked at it (repeatedly) when she got it. New technology scares the crap out of her. Luckily she has made a male friend (NOT a boyfriend she states......uh.....ok) and he helped her decipher the instuctions setting it up. I was hopeful, my husband believed it wouldnt leave the box. I called her today and YES she had her "friend" help her hook it up. Now she can be in her workshop AND have a phone on hand......instead of sprinting upstairs to try and catch the last ring. She even discovered that it has a speaker function so she doesnt have to hold it under her chin (cutting people off continuously) My mission is accomplished. HA!

Alright yall, time for me to go relax. Hope your holiday was sweet! Tata.

Harley-mania

2008-12-22T17:43:00.000-08:00

Joe's first Harley. He's so happy he could burst. Merriest X-mas ever.

Sydney got into the Chorus in the school play. She's alittle dissappointed but at least she got in.

I havent felt like writing lately, sorry. I promise to try harder. Tata.

X-mas bitchin.

2008-12-16T05:44:00.000-08:00

It's my vacation right? Then why am I busier now than I was during school? My youngest is auditioning for her first real play and we've had to scramble to learn a new song. UGH! Listening to Good morning Baltimore 5 billionty times........not my idea of pleasant. So I think she has it and this morning in the car we practice more.......she forgets a verse.....completely. GAH! She panics and its like the world is ending. I'd like my vacation NOW please.

My Dad is arriving either today or tomorrow, not sure which. He enjoys showing up unannounced, usually when I'm scurrying through the house in my knickers or just ran out to get some milk. I just finished making the crockpot full O meatballs for Joe to take to work for his potluck. (made Lemon Burps last night (theyre my oh so lemony cookies that make you burp all lemony and such) with Syd's help) After putting kids on bus I realized I hadnt checked the mail and lo and behold, FULL of X-mas cards that need to be replied to before the actual holiday. BAH!

Do I seem bitchy? Sorry. Maybe I feel like everything always gets dumped on me. And it does I guess. I'd just like a few days of nothingness, is that too much to ask? Anyway, gotta go, much to do. Tata.

What a rush!

2008-12-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

Well yall, I did it. I managed to stagger through my finals without dying of exhaustion. I wrote my last one on Wednesday, which was Nutrition, and she posted the grades a few hours later. I got an A. Shit, I got a 91 on the final which surprised the crap outta me. The rest of the classes were B's, ah well, I guess I cant be perfect ALL the time. I'm just so relieved to be DONE. So today I did absolutely nothing.......and it was goooooood. I start school again on Jan. 14th but its only one class so its almost like not going at all! HA!

Giftmas shopping is going slowly. I wander aimlessly through stores, not committing to buying anything, picking things up, putting them down, wandering some more, giving up....etc. I hate to be a Grinch but this holiday irritates me. I'm forced into celebrating it though because I have 1 child under the age of 18 who everyone thinks will be permanently scarred if we dont. I dont want to start a rant here, I'm too tired to type that much. Lets just say I'm not a fan.

We paid off our truck. The day we paid the balance, it broke down and we ended up paying 600 bucks to get it fixed. Is that irony? Ha.

Joe and I are doing well. We still have "moments" but who doesnt.? He's gone insane and bought me a ton of stuff, I eyeballed a few of the big ones under the tree. In the past we didnt do too much gift exchanging. I feel pressure to buy him a bunch of stuff now. Did I mention how much I detest forced consumerism? Oh, I did? Sorry.

Anyway, thats it for now. My Dad will be arriving around the 17th and he hates X-mas as much as me. Ha! I dont care, I'm just glad he's coming. So, I'll attempted to post more since I dont have the excuse of school for awhile. Tata!

Catchup

2008-12-06T04:47:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is, the Saturday before exams and I'm.....not studying. I swear I'm building up to it, it's only 8 am. Anyway, as you can see we got the tree up and this year Joe wanted to decorate it all in his moms old x-mas decorations. Every year she had like 5 trees in her house and did them all in Victorian ornaments. It looks nice.

Syd had her Winter Program last week and sang with the choir. For all the practicing they did they only sang for 30 minutes and it was over. I dont think Syd wants to continue with choir next year, she says its getting boring.

So this year we adopted a family for X-mas. A boy, 15, and a girl, 7. Instead of giving small token gifts to friends and family this year we opted to take that money and buy things for our adopted kids in their names. We ended up with $100 and last night the kids and I picked out the clothes pictured above. It doesnt look like much huh? $100 doesnt go very far I'm afraid. It made us feel good to be able to do something for kids that have nothing.

Ok, so I need to get to work. We have another Winter Program this afternoon at the courthouse at 2 pm. Ugh. Its VERY cold out today and I'm not looking forward to standing outside for an hour. I'll take pictures. Tata.

Bad deja vu......

2008-12-01T06:50:00.000-08:00

Once again the pictures WERE in order when I loaded them, and now they are NOT! Annnnnyway.....

We went to DC again this weekend. All I can say is....bad planning. Joe booked a hotel BEFORE he checked the weather report. He also had no clue where the actual hotel was in relation to everything. We got a late start on Saturday and ended up not even getting to the hotel until 4 pm. It was a mess. OKay so Sat was a bust, we still had Sunday right.?!

We were up early on Sunday and I knew nothing opened until 10 am. It was raining and miserable out. Needless to say, no one had a good time and there was much snapping and whining. The only thing we got to was the Air and Space Museum. Now, for me, this is equivilant to the Watching Paint Dry Museum but I perservered. Actually I was just happy to be inside where it was dry and warm, there was a bathroom and a place to eat. We stayed there until about 2 pm. Joe estimated that we would be home in time for dinner, I estimated we might get home by 9 pm. He said I was crazy. We pulled in at 8:45 pm last night. Hate to say I told you so........

Bottom picture: the lobby of our hotel....very posh!

Picture 2 left(going up):Sydney sitting on the sundial.

Picture 3 right: view from our room on the 14th floor.

Picture 4: Chinatown, Saturday night.

Picture 5 right: Guy in chinatown making noodles.

Picture 6: recurrant graffiti of a little man painted on the roads and buildings. Very cute!

Picture 7 left: Air and Space museum

Picture 8 right: Avery at the museum

Picture 9 right: Us at the 3-D Imax called 3-D Sun. It was so good that I fell asleep.

Picture 10: Getting ready to left the museum and walk the 4 blocks in the rain to the Metro station. Fun.

We agreed that I will be planning the next getaway we go on so that we have a good time. Hehe. I'm thinking Massenutten for a weekend, at least then we can be physical. Snow tubing is so FUN!

Anyway, thats it for now. Tata!

Happy After Thanksgiving!

2008-11-29T06:47:00.000-08:00

It was just another Thursday. Joe had to work so we did an early buffet lunch. It usually isnt a huge day for us anyway. The kids and I went to TWILIGHT. It was ok, alittle over-acted and geared toward tweens for sure. I know my tween was wetting her pants.

Joe was home the next day so I had the pleasure of fighting the insanity of Black Friday. I didnt get to the city until 9am, which is LATE for many stores, considering that they opened at 4 am in some cases. Seriously, you'd have to be giving away BAGS OF MONEY for me to get up that early and wait outside in the 40 degree weather. We had driven by the stores (Best Buy, Circuit City) last night after the movie, I wanted to point out to my daughter how crazy people can get about saving 10 dollars on something they probably dont need to begin with. Tent city. It boggles the mind. She just stared at them and asked "Where do they go to the bathroom?" Good question I said. Looking around I realized that there was nothing open anywhere and not a porta-potty to be found. Ew, bet they're going in the bushes by the end of the mall, over by Pier 1. Ick. Sydney thought they must be pretty desperate. Thank dog she's practical like me. Her list for X-mas has 2 things on it........am I a good mother or what?! HA!

Ok, thats it for now. Lots of pictures for the next post. Its gonna be chilly (46) in DC this weekend. Wish us luck!

P.S. Finished The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls this morning. Good book, very easy to read, I finished it in 9 hours.
On a whim we've decided to go to DC today. Joe got us a room (at a different hotel this time, not that the last one was a DIVE but cmon, you should NOT be able to see all of the rooms electrical and heating pipes and whatnot hanging over the bed) He just took the dogs over to the vets and when he gets back we'll be off.

Uh wassat?

2008-11-24T15:40:00.000-08:00

I don't know what happened to my writing...its seemed to have disappeared completely. You know I haven't written a thing since my surgery. That's more than a damn year! My body chemistry changed, I know that, but I really didn't think it would change who I was internally. Wacky. I ran into one of the English profs the other day and she was all like "Hey, you know the deadline for submissions is only a month away!"( for the student published creative magazine-thin gee the school has) I was like" Uhhhhh...yeah.....I got some stuff. I'm just tweaking it. I'll submit a bunch before the deadline." ( Major lie) I'm not feeling it. AT ALL, period. I have nothing and trying to force it would make it worse. Hmmmm. I dunno.

My body fat is 23%. That's really good for a 41 year old woman with 2 kids, i guess. Someone in my gym class said I was lying, that I wasn't 41. He thinks I'm in my late 20's. I have an extreme urge to kiss him on the lips. He he. Late 20's....uh, right. My gym teacher has a crush on me and its yukky (he's in the 65 range). I play it up so that he gives me a better grade......is that wrong? I don't care. I need the A. I really like going to college, I could perhaps make a career of it.....I don't think Joe would like that though....he expects me to make some frigging money at some point. Damn shame cause I'm a superior student, probably in the genius level at least. HA!

OK. I really need to study now. I have Spanish out the wazoo that I need to finish for the AM. Grrrrrrr. Hate it. Nightie nite y'all. Ta ta.

Brown deers

2008-11-23T11:37:00.000-08:00

The sunrise should have come first but ...ah....you know crazy Blogger, it does what it wants.

Deer in my backyard has become a daily occurance since mating season started. They kinda scare me.....I dont like forest creatures too much. Thats why I'm glad we have the chain link at the backdoor.....I would loose my mind if one of those things got up to the backdoor. Anyway, the sunrises are brilliant every morning now...yellow, orange, pink, gold, and sometimes purple. The pictures just dont do them justice. By December they will stop and go back to being just plain old bluish sunrises, I wonder why that is....hmmmm.

Only 16 more days of school. That will take me right up to my last exam. Thank frikkin dawg!

X-mas is coming so fast.....very depressing. I know the kid loves it but its so much damn work. I seriously have to start shopping before all the good stuff is gone. Hehe.

Anyway, thats it for now. Tata.

19 Days till Exam week!

2008-11-16T07:41:00.000-08:00

WooHoo. I managed to get an 88 on my Nutrition exam! I'm feeling much better now. That means I can get an 80 on the final and still pull out a B for the semester. Wheeeee!

As for Spanish.....eh....I'm still catching up. We have our last test this Thursday and I'm sweatin it.

In yukkier news, my incision is ugly and hard and feels weird. Also I've broken out in an all-over body rash/itching which is driving me insane. I hate to say it but I think I'm having a reaction to the pig skin graft they put in me. I hope I'm wrong! I'm calling the doc tomorrow.

Joe and Syd just left for a motorcycle ride, its the "thing" they do together on his days off. I'm glad they found something to do together.

Life is kinda on auto-pilot for the moment. We, as a couple, are doing ok. We found a therapist that seems to know her ass from her elbow. I'm hoping that we can stick with her for awhile. Joe has managed to keep up on alot (not ALL) of the changes since August. Therapy gives me a chance to nudge him back (he would say NAG) onto the right path without feeling like I'm always chastising him. I take it a week at a time.

Other than that junk.....alls well. Cant believe the semester is almost over! Holy crap. Technically I graduate in December with my Associates of Science. Yay me. I will be taking a single class next semester (Spanish II) but only because I dont want to have to take it once I transfer to VCU. So I'll have until August of next year to unload this house and move up near Richmond. We've agreed to rent until we feel out the area. Dont want to make another mistake and buy a house somewhere that SUCKS! Hehe.

Ok kids, I'm outtie! Tata.

Uh, where am I???

2008-11-12T14:38:00.000-08:00

Hello yall. Let me just say.....I'm feeling both relieved and irritated. Explanation to follow. Stand by one while I refill the wineglass.

Ok. So in my infinite wisdom (stop laughing) I decided it would be best to skip ALL of my other classes this week because of the dread of my upcoming Nutrition exam. Which I did of course. But to my credit, I studied every day, very hard, like my life depended on it. Ok so, today was the day of the BIG exam. I skipped all my classes, opting to sit in the library and study until my eyes bled. (uh, they didnt but they were really red) 12:30 arrives and my brain informs me that it is no longer accepting ANY new information. I'm tired....irritated...did I say tired?.....yes, and most of all I just want this FRIGGIN THING TO BE OOOOOOVVVVVER! ugh. Long story short. We sit down.....I'm on autopilot....I cant even remember most of it....I'm the first one done. I dunno if thats a bad thing or a good thing yet. I FEEL like I did ok. That bitch wont grade them till next week (passive aggressive) so I'll let you know when I find out. As I leave the building I swear I feel like I've just given birth. Ahhhhhhhh. Did I mention that her final is cumulative??? I may have to take a few muscle relaxers to get through that one. G-zus.

I'm having wine. It will be a short-lived relaxation though. I've missed an entire week of Spanish. Ai Carumba! She's a very understanding teacher BUT I dunno, I may have to put on my big weepy puppy eyes. Oh Plllleeeeeez senorita! Hehe.

Well kids, thats it for now....no pictures (boooooo!) I know but .....you understand, I'm a crazy busy woman. Thank you and goodnight!

Sunrise

2008-11-08T04:56:00.000-08:00

A lovely sunrise...and a hideous wound.

Sorry about the proximity of the two images but Blogger is stupid and this is how it lets me post.

The sunrise this morning at around 6:30 am. It really is striking when you're standing on the back porch. It looks like the forest is on fire. Pictures just dont do it justice.

My surgery was last Wed and it went well. The wound was closed with surgical glue, pretty cool stuff. Feels like plastic. I had been taking it easy, milling around the house until yesterday. I decided I needed to go to WalMart for stuff. Bad idea. By the time I got home my belly was triple the size. Looks like I swallowed a bowling ball. This morning it isnt much better. So today my husband hid all of my shoes and said "You may not leave the house." Grrrrr. Can you say "cabin fever"? Ugh.

I have another Nutrition exam this Wednesday. Anxiety!!!! I'm going to start studying for it since I'm trapped. Although the seductive call of Solitaire is hard to resist! Stupid willpower.

Pics of the hair

2008-11-03T14:12:00.000-08:00

Well, here they are. Pictures of the new "do". Doesnt look as good in pictures as I think it looks in person. Oh well. I like it and am getting used to doing the whole "styling" thing.

I would have posted more pictures of the fall foliage but Blogger sucks. The one above is from about 2 weeks ago, the reds and yellows are so much more brilliant now.

Anyway, had my pre-op this morning. Blood, EKG and chest X-Ray. I'm ready to get this over with, surgery sucks so bad.

Anyway, thats it for now. Tata.

November hath cometh!!!

2008-11-02T10:02:00.000-08:00

Hello yall. My birthday last week went well. Actually it was pretty much a normal day. The fam bought me some things I didnt ask for (I'm not ungrateful, just puzzled) The reason I make a specific list is because in the past my family have typically bought me dollar store gifts because "I'm so hard to buy for". Logical answer was to make up a detailed list with items ranging in price from lowest to "dream on". Hehe. I ended up having to buy myself some lovely items off of that list the day after the occasion. Oh well.

It seems that autumn is truly a time for change. On Friday I was shopping without children (gasp!) and stopped in at a hair salon. Yep. I cut it all off. Really. All of it. It was a shock to my system and I was so scared that I would regret it but actually, I love it. I'll take some pictures when I get a chance.

Yesterday we drove up to Kings Dominion for the last night of their Hallo-scream. We didnt get there until lunchtime because I knew we wouldnt last the entire day and the night if we went early. After riding 3 coasters I was done......the last one was a neck-breaker and I am still paying for it today. I have no padding around my shoulders or neck and all that bouncing and spinning just tears me up. My collarbones are dark blue. Ick. Anyway, Joe and Syd rode the rest of the day while Avery and I walked around and shopped. I found a Starbucks (YAY!) and so I was happy. Around 6pm they started up the halloween stuff. Syd wouldnt go on anything, terrified that someone was going to grab her. We stayed until 10 and it got so cold that I said "Enough!" Got home close to midnight and my god was I whipped.

Anyway, thats it for now. My surgery is this Wed. so I'll post when I get home. Tata.

Hating Blogger

2008-10-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

Ok I officially want to kick Blogger in the nuts. Cant upload shit on this thing. You can blame them for my lack of posting. Bah.

Oh yeah and tomorrows my birthday. Boooo. Stupid time space continuum. Who came up with that retarded abstract anyway? Wankers. I like to think of myself as "timeless". Too bad they refuse to put that as an "age" on my license. Crappy DMV. I'm irritated. Tata.

Sunday

2008-10-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hello again.

Not much new to say. I did well on my Nutrition exam (a 90%), nothing to sneeze at. I have a Spanish exam this coming week, I'm not sweating it too bad. Registration for next semester starts this week, I'm trying to decide if I want to register for 1 class or not. I dont really need any more credits but I should take the second half of Spanish before I transfer, I'll decide once I talk to my advisor.

Found out last Thursday that I'll be going in for surgery on November 5th. The hernia in my gut has gotten so big that my intestine is just constantly poking out now. My doc told me I would be stupid to risk living with it, she says exactly whats on her mind. I worry about a blockage, especially because of the bypass. So its an outpatient procedure and not my first hernia. I should be recovered in a couple days, no lifting for 2 weeks. I'm only pissed because I have to be intubated....HATE intubatiuon....always screws up my throat and neck.....the drugs make me itch and feel sick. Blah.

Anyhow. Nuthin else for now. Tata.

Rainy rain

2008-10-18T04:53:00.000-07:00

Hola kids! I'm just dropping a line while I have a chance. My school workload has taken over my weekend. I have a huge Nutrition test on Monday and its making my brain crazy. I didnt do so well on the last one so I need to redeem myself, and bring my grade up.

Its been raining since yesterday, that sprinkley, irritating rain. Gah. The temp dropped too. It went from a balmy 86 to 52, thats a big difference here.

I've been so busy that the gym has tended to go by the wayside. I know, BAD Michelle. It just cant be helped sometimes. Syd and I have to be able to get our homework done and lately we have had alot. Working out will always take a backseat. I did, however, volunteer to join the girls soccer team at school. My gym teacher almost wet his pants when I said yes. Thats good because I need the brownie points.

Well, thats about it. I'll take some pictures this week, promise. Tata.

That was a LONG day!

2008-10-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

Hey yall! Holy crabcakes, its been awhile yeah? Ah well, mah life is just so busy lately. Yall will have to be patient.

Yesterday I went on a school trip to DC (Yep, just went there not too long ago) Didnt matter. I took the opprotunity to have an entire day without kids/husband and see some cool shit on my own. FUN!

I hooked up with a girl from my Spanish class and we took off on our own. Its easier to move quickly when there's just 2 of you. So we hit Starbucks (of course)and then the Museum of Natural History. Long story short. The Zoo, White House, a couple Art museums and we rode the Metro a few times. ALOT of walking, like 20 miles. The bus left at 5:30. Got home at 10 pm.

Okay, for some reason this damn site doesnt want to put my pictures anywhere EXCEPT at the top of the post. IRRITATING! If anyone knows how to fix this, please let me know. Thanks!

I die alittle more every day....

2008-10-10T12:16:00.000-07:00

Oh, I'm not sad. Its inevitable right?! From the day we're born, we're dying. Morbid maybe but very true. Anyway, I ponder my mortality because, yes kids, its coming up on the old birthday. 19 more days. ((Big Sigh.))

At the request of a few people, I made up a Target list. You just go to the Target website and look up my name in the Lists section. Dont feel obliged to buy me stuff.....hehe.

Oooops, I have to run. I forgot I have to pick up one of the offspring early! Tata!

I HATE CHANGE!

2008-10-09T18:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I dont technically "hate" change but I do loathe the fact that I have to learn a whoooooole new site when I was completely happy with the old one. Grrrrr. Ok my bitching is over. Sorta.

It has been a hard coupla weeks for me friends. I swear, just when I think I got it all wrapped up in a pretty box.......the backend unwinds. I havent had enough hours in the day and my grades have been showing it. I finally finished my self-portrait for art (THANK ALL THE GAWDS!) I think that drawing was sucking my will to live. It isnt graded yet but she is hinting that she likes it, but at this point, I am just glad its over.

Driving up to the city last night, the sky was that kind of brilliant that takes your breath away. You cant tell from the blurry photo but it really was spectacular.

For some reason blogger wants all of my pictures to be posted at the top. Grrrr. Did I mention I hate change???!!!

holy crap...I guess I'm moving

2008-09-30T05:31:00.000-07:00

AOL has just informed me that they are closing down their blogging sites. WTF??? So I had to scamper to build a new site to link to. I dont know if I'll be staying at this new site but you can go there for now. Bah!

Thoughts - pinkshell4u's blogs

Bitchin

2008-09-28T05:39:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that I'll be 41 next month. I dont feel 41. The number depresses me, I've decided not to think about it anymore.

My days have been so hectic. I get up at 5:50am every morning and dont stop moving until after 10 pm. Here it is Sunday and even though I got to sleep until 7, I'm still going to be super busy all day. Bah.

I havent taken any pictures lately, havent had the time. Joe has been sick this past week which adds to my household load. I'm hoping that next weekend I'll get alittle relaxation.

Anyway, its time to get going. Tata.

Digest this.

2008-09-21T06:49:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I have an exam. Yep, on the digestive system. Actually it's on 4 chapters of carbs, lipids, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Hormones and enzymes. Scientific jargon abounds! Wheeeee! I'm screwed. Why? Not because I'm stoopid. Nah. Not because I'm lazy. Nope. It's because my teacher is oldschool. She doesnt believe in giving hints or even reviewing. Nope, you're on your own. Do you know how much information is in 4 chapters???? Insanity. Oh well, Imma do what I can and hope for the best.

I dont know if any of you noticed but I inserted a Amazon wish list button on my sidebar. Feel free to feed my literary crack habit, as sadly I cannot afford to visit my dealer as often as I would like. I'm not picky either, I dont mind the really used or abused books, it all reads the same.

Anyhow, I should go back to the books. Tata!

Crispy Morning

2008-09-18T04:20:00.000-07:00

Last night I was sleepwalking. Creepy. Havent done that in awhile. Stress. At least I didnt leave the house this time.

Joe and I fired the therapist we were seeing. Although she seemed fine at first, we both agreed that she had no plan for us. Not so much a plan but I think a therapist should point you in the right direction, give you options, etc. This one just wasnt working for us. And, most of all for me at least, that bitch was always LATE. Not just 5 minutes either. Screw that. If I'm considerate enough to be on time, you should be too. I dont think thats unreasonable. I'm looking for a new one today, maybe a man this time.

As for us, we're doing ok. Its been just over a month and the changes he made are still working. Even though he has his daily irritations, overall I think his mindset is much more positive. He's also working out at the gym on all of his days off. We have decided to only plan for the next 6 months.....its easier to manage and doesnt seem so daunting. So, I'm feeling pretty good, maybe even alittle hopeful.

I think today could officially be marked as the change from summer to fall. The air has that crispy quality.....lower humidity makes me very happy. AND 57 this morning. The kids wore sweatshirts (Mahm! It's COLD out!). 57 is cold? Since when?

Well, I'm off to school. Wish me luck, I'm conjugating Spanish verbs this morning (insert vomit noises here). Adios!

DC Trip Part 2

2008-09-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

Hello kids. Sorry it took so long to get back but well.....thats life yaknow.

I randomly picked some pictures because there were just too many to post them all.

Walking from the GW Monument down to the Lincoln Memorial.

Syd and I in front of the reflecting pool (which is YUKKY btw, nasty filthy).

Abe and the fam.

Syd at the Vietnam Vets wall.

Our last stop of the day...The Capital building.

It was a great trip and I think the thing that struck me the most about Dc was the scale of everything. HUGE! Its one thing to see these monuments on tv but its a whole nother ballgame when you're standing right next to it. We're planning to go back fer sure!

School is going ok I guess. Spanish is kicking my ass. I think I'm too old to learn another language.....my brain only thinks in english. Its alot of memorization, gah. All my other classes are cake....for now at least.

Everything else is pretty much the same. I'm looking forward to fall, my favorite time of year. The sunrises behind the house in the fall are breathtaking. I'll take pictures for sure.

Thats it for now! Tata.

DC Part 1

2008-09-12T04:29:00.000-07:00

OUR D.C. TRIP

Franklin, outside of the Post Office

Saturday afternoon. It had just stopped raining. The Mall in front of the capital.

Still on the Mall, facing the Washington monument.

Post Office.

At the hotel. We are tired and wet. The rooms are old and tightly packed but are located 2 blocks from the White House.

Looking out our window.

Other side window.

Lots of Hillary for Prez shirts on sale.

Sat. night at the White House.

Sunday morning @the White House.

This guy sits right across the street from the White House. His face has tattoos all over it that say Peace and Do The Right Thing. Whacky. There was also this Japanese lady who walked around banging on a drum for peace. I guess they're allowed to do it as long as they stay on this side of the street.

Washington Monument.

Standing at the Wash. Monument looking down to the Lincoln Memorial.

And I'm sorry to say, thats all the pictures I've managed to d/l so far. I have much more which I will have to load up later today.

Lost.

2008-09-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

I spent almost an hour putting a VERY long post together, loaded with pictures and brilliant commentary. AOL LOST IT. I dont have the willpower to reproduce it now. Possibly later. Sorry.

Apology

2008-09-05T04:04:00.000-07:00

I havent been ignoring you, the last week has just been insane. With everyones school and trying to get to the gym and me having to go to the dentist repeatedly.....I'm tired. We leave tomorrow morning for DC and although I'm excited, I have so much homework that I should be doing instead. I guarrantee that Sunday night will be a mad rush to get things finished for Monday. Ah well.

Today I have a root canal before class (see me smiling?) and after class I have therapy (more smiling). I'm keeping my calm and chanting my mantra....It will all be over soon.....HA!

Sat and Sun

2008-08-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

The fam at the Va Museum of Fine Art.

There's your taste of fine art for the day. It was a nice day and other than having to continuously tell Avery "Dont touch!" the whole time, it was fairly stressfree.

Later that day we stopped by a local car show.

Yes, there was a Corvette for Christ......imagine that.

We sighted Elvis! Good golly.

So cute! Not much bigger than Syd!

Today we finished up our school shopping and I worked on my art project. The rain let up around 3pm. Tomorrow will be a slow day, the calm before the storm.

Tata.

Friday

2008-08-29T05:48:00.000-07:00

I havent been writing. I cant remember the last time I enjoyed sitting down and pounding something out on the keyboard. A block. Perhaps. Or maybe I just dont have any more to say that requires writing. I've been really enjoying the art class I'm in. It gives me that creative escape without having to compose. My teacher is pretty leniant with me and gives me alot of latitude to do pretty much what I want to do.

Anyway, there's not much new here, we plod along. Tata.

Saturday

2008-08-23T04:45:00.000-07:00

My last semester at RBC. I'm taking Spanish, Art Design, Normal Nutrition and Weight Lifting. HA! Thats quite a mix huh?! Spanish will be my most challenging course because I SUCK at any language other than my own. I just keep reminding myself, its all just memorization. I can do that.

The first week was a short one because we started on Wed. I missed yesterdays gym class because I still have the kids at home, they dont start until Sept. 2nd. Next week they will be staying at home with Joe (while he sleeps because he is on night shift) but its cool, we've done this before and Syd takes care of Avery while I'm gone.

For Art she gave us a design project (already!) and so I started working on it yesterday. We have to design around a matchbook she gave us. I'm building a larger matchbook out of pictures of the old matchbook as it gets destroyed. Make sense? HA! I took a bunch of pictures yesterday and today I'm hoping to get it built.

You get the idea.

Anyway, its Saturday. Sydney is still over at her friends house so its just me and Avery. Nice and quiet. Thats it for now. Tata.

Back in the saddle

2008-08-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

On the drive back from MN to Va we stopped at a gas station somewhere that had a bait vending machine. I thought it was hilarious.

Ok, so last Saturday was our anniversary. I bought him a couple of magazines and a t-shirt....pretty standard for a holiday of any kind. He says that my present wont be available until Monday. Ok, whatever. That usually means he hasnt gotten me anything and needs a day to run to the convenience store for a card. HA! Just before dinner on Monday he calls me into the kitchen. Flowers, a card, a pack of gum and a big bag. I'm floored because in the bag is a $500 Harley Davidson leather jacket. Now, normally I would get the receipt from him and take it back....depositing the money back in the account. I thought about it. This time I'm not going to. I kept it. Not only did I keep it but I didnt really like the style so I took it back and got one that I really liked. He had no problem with that either. I love it. The smell of real leather is intoxicating. I honestly almost wore it to bed last night.

It has a fleece hoodie underneath that can be worn separately. Its way too extravagant a gift but I love it.

I dont think its a secret anymore that we are having martial difficulties. On returning to VA we got in touch with a marriage therapist. We have been once as a couple, Joe has gone once by himself and I went by myself yesterday. I may not go into the specifics of what is happening, just know we are working on changing some things.

I started school this morning. Wheeeeeeeeeeee! The campus was bloated with a billion new people because of the on-campus lodging this year. Yikes! Way too many people for such a small place. My classes were fine. I feel guilty that I havent gone to see the librarian yet. I promised her that I would be volunteering this semester but I just havent had the time yet.

Anyway, I have a ton of stuff to do so I gots to go! tata.

18 years.

2008-08-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

Today is my 18th wedding anniversary. Joe is working tonight so he's sleeping at the moment.

The kids and I hit the gym and then stopped off at the library.

Avery. Not-so-happy too be here.

Me and Syd. Pissed off because for some strange reason Limewire wont work. Grrrrr.

I've been alittle melancholy since returning. Could it possibly be depression or just the remnants of emotional turmoil? Bah. Who knows!? At any rate I'm slowly plodding along, looking forward to starting school this coming week. I'm hoping the distraction will inspire me to write more.

The dial-up at the house is insanely slow so I've opted to not post from there.....EVER again. Well, maybe not ever....but close to it. I'll be so glad to get back to the city where there is civilization, hehe. Anyway, time to go. Tata.

Blah.

2008-08-14T18:14:00.000-07:00

Since we've been back I've been busy making lists and shopping. The preparation for school starting is a major event for all of us. My school starts next Wednesday. The kids dont start until the 3rd. Bit of a gap there, I imagine it means I'll be missing a few days. Oh well.

Joe and I are doing ok. I'll just say that there are relationship renovations taking place. I'm not feeling at liberty to say much more than that at the moment.

Anyway, thats about it for now. No pictures, sorry. The posts may be fewer until I get into a groove at school, you understand right....? Tata.

On the road again.

2008-08-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

I'm alive. I know many of you have been wondering. My personal life (of which I will not be talking about at this time) encountered some issues and I opted to not blog for awhile.

The last night at Colleens was bittersweet. I had grown so fond of them, it was difficult to leave. I'm not so good with goodbyes. But we ate copious amounts of food and had a great last night.

Meagan, Hannah and Sydney

We left the next morning. Above is Sydney at lunchtime @ the 50's Cafe.

3 days on the road (600 miles a day). Do I have to explain how tired I am?

Once we arrived in Minnesota, all hell broke loose. I dont think I'll go into that tonight, maybe at a later time. Subsequently we left a day early.

So here we are, in Indiana, at the Motel 6. One more day and we'll be back in Virginia. Much to do. So much to do.

I'm afraid I'm not in the writing mood at the moment. Sorry.

Our last day!

2008-08-05T06:32:00.000-07:00

We were supposed to leave this morning but decided to stay one more day so that Colleen's kids could see Syd one more time before we left.

Syd's birthday (11) was Aug. 1st. We had Steven and Cameron over. She got a watch from Nanny, Guitar Hero from Grampy Keith, a vest and a speaker for her I'Pod from me and Donkey Kong Racing from Steven. Nanny also gave her a giftcard for Zellers with which she bought another game for her DS. She picked out a brownie cake that we cut after a dinner of burgers.

Playing Crazy 8's on the bed.

Yesterday was a Canadian holiday so the library was closed. What the hell is Natal Day? Cmon.

Anyway, we leave tomorrow morning. I'm emotionally void right now so my writing has taken on more of a reporting air. Sorry. I dont know when I'll be posting again, I promise to take pictures though. Tata.

Thursday

2008-07-31T08:28:00.000-07:00

Wow. Only 5 days left. I know it sounds cliche but TIME FLEW!

Last night as Mom and I were busy in the basement we had some surprise company.

From the left: Cameron, Mom, Steven, Sydney, Erika and Charlotte.

We sat and chatted it up for awhile and then the kids went home with Steven to play Guitar Hero at his house. Colleen showed up a few minutes later and we went to the mall to try and find her something to wear (that wasnt white or brown). No luck. Afterwards we stopped at Jungle Jim's for a bite.

Tomorrow is my youngests 11th birthday. She'll be getting Guitar Hero for her DS, a watch, a vest she wanted and assorted other goodies. We're picking up her cake today.

With the big sale on Saturday I was worried that we wouldnt be able to finish sorting by then. So this morning I cracked the whip and by 11 am we were done. I'm posting signs today and will start pricing stuff tonight. Tomorrow we build tables and fix up the yard. I may not get to post again till this weekend.

2sDay

2008-07-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

Well, its Tuesday and cold and overcast. Bah.

On Sunday we visited Chester. The camp we stopped at was on a lake and owned by a friend of Moms. It was a perfect day and we enjoyed it for the most part.

In front of the Mammoth.

The Camp. Thank you Gail Short.

Avery swimming.

Mom in all her glory! I couldnt believe she actually let me take her picture in a bathing suit.

The girls.

I had a few pictures that they took of me but I wasnt happy with any of them so they get the authors veto. Hehe.

We didnt get back home until about 10 pm, what a friggin drive. Grueling.

My alumni party was on Sunday as well. Lets just say I only stayed for about 4 minutes. Everyone there was from the 50's and 60's.......Gordon was right, I shouldnt have bothered. Oh well.

With only a week left, Mom is starting to panic. She is already upset about the yard sale and I think the thought of us leaving soon after is making her crazy.

So today will be another indoor day because of the crappy weather. Oh joy of joys.

Blurb.

2008-07-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

Hi yall. I havent gotten around to fixing up the pics from yesterdays outing. Sawwwy. Maybe tomorrow.

Today is ugly and its supposed to rain. The kids and i are heading to Moncton to just fart around. Thats about it really. I'll probably do a longer, more detailed post tomorrow.

Surprise Saturday

2008-07-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon @ Lions Park.

This morning we decided to do something (since we havent done ANYTHING fun in weeks) so I drove us out to Joggins.

The guy who does all the carvings in town lives in Joggins. He has a few pieces in his yard.

When I used to visit the fossil cliffs of Joggins as a kid, I remember a steep dirt path down to the beach. The wind was always crazy strong and it was foggy. We used to be able to just root around in the cliffs and find fossils to take home (I have one large fossil at home, I think its in the garden). But now, big NO-NO. They have built a state-of-the-art museum next to the cliffs and absolutely no one can root for or take fossils anymore. We paid $20 for family of 3.

This glass plate freaked Avery out. We had to coax him onto it.

Looking to the right from the staircase.

To the left from stairs.

Looking up to the cliffs from the water.

On the way back to Amherst we stopped at a site they have to watch the Tidal Bore. We were there at the wrong time, it takes place 2 hours before high tide. Oh well.

We got home around 11 am and now are making our daily stop at the library. Exciting huh?!

I'm not sure if we're still going to Chester tomorrow. I'm at the mercy of the dog sitter unfortunately.

Welcome to Friday

2008-07-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hello. And welcome to another day in Nova Scotia. Yesterday was a fairly boring day that I wont even bother to write about. Although I will note that yesterday was the first really hot day we've had in weeks. Which is fine if you're sitting outside, sipping on the blue juice, not so good if you're confined to a very small house with 4 other people. I slept fitfully because of the heat and also the recurring nightmares I'm having. I wont go into those right now though.

I noticed this morning that the carving of the 4 Fathers is done, he must have stained it yesterday.

Today is another very hot day so the kids and I will be outside the rest of the day.

I had a chance to go out last night with Colleen but I must say, I'm still feeling on the depressed side, so I begged out of it. She showed up half an hour later with a jug of homemade "blue juice", which is very good by the way. I really like Colleen, I wish she lived in Virginia. ( You did say you were sick of Amherst.....I'm just sayin)

This morning Mum and I delved into the basement. We worked for almost 2 hours and I wasnt surprised that we hardly made a dent. I was amazed at how much junk/crap/redundant stuff she had. The problem is, she wants to give me the background on every single thing. I dont need to hear why you have 15 sets of shower curtain rings. really. i dont. Give me a "yes" or "no" answer when I hold something up to you. please. yes or no. really. thats all I need. I cant imagine that we're going to be able to finish the whole basement at this rate. Now if it was up to me (grrrrrr, it isnt) we would just bag whole sections without even looking through them. I mean, you've managed to live this long without it, what makes you think you need it now? But thats just me, I'm an extreme minimalist.

Ok, so thats about it for now. I may not get around to posting again until next Monday. I'll take lots of pictures, promise.

I'm so tired and mentally drained, I think I need a vacation....oh wait................

Rothesay Trip

2008-07-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

You definately can not revisit those old high school visions.

I'll start at the end and go backwards. How do I feel as we pull away, down that long hill, the school becoming tiny in my rearview mirror? Mostly depressed and alittle angry. Like I bought a diamond off of the internet and when it arrived, it was plastic and fake. The school I remember no longer exists. Even the buildings that havent been replaced or refurbished look alien. In most cases, if the placards werent on the buildings I wouldnt know which was which. Except for Mackay House (the older boys dorm, where I spent ALOT of time).

When we first arrived we wandered haphazardly until we found the office. I met Judy, whom I had e-mailed several times, and she asked if we wanted a "tour". I balked. A tour? I know this place like the back of my....well, you get the idea. So off we went.

Quinn House (the girls dorm, and brand new in 1985) is where I had lived for 2 years. I was alittle taken back by how run down and old it looked. Who am I kidding? 23 years will do that, wont it. After taking in most of the buildings we headed for the back path, which I preyed was still there. It was the only place I really wanted to see. Itt was called Goldings Path now, has a little sign posted and everything. It was just THe Back Path to us. The kids DIDNT want me to drag them down. "Where does this go???" "Mawm, theres too much bugs!!!" "My new shoes are getting WET!" And on and on. Friggin kids. Ruining my whole experience. I have so many memories of this section of the woods, I spent a huge amount of time here.The original path had a deviation in it but it reached the brook (the little wooden bridge was still there!) and then it petered out. We looked for the continuation of the path to the old Netherwood campus but it was gone. 23 years of overgrowth will do that I guess. Once we got back to the campus I had a real urge to just get out of there.

Beyond the school, everything was new. Only a few landmarks remained from 20 years ago. Shadow Lawn, an abandon Irving station that we used to buy cigarettes at, and a small park in the middle of town.

Why did I go back? Was I hoping that it would inspire me? I do feel a transition coming in my life but I didnt connect it with anything happening here. I dunno. Anyway, I can say I've been back, even if it was only brief.

Thats enough for today, the melancholy is setting in.

Tuesday....wow, time flies!

2008-07-22T07:09:00.000-07:00

Its like being held captive. Damn library WiFi. Snort. Grrrrrrr.

Anyway, last you heard from me we were off to Silver lake, which is also known as Lafayette Park. Its small and "oh boy" right on the road so that every hillbilly that drives by can gawk at you. The kids had a good time and played in the frigid water while I sat in all my swim-suited glory, watching.

The deepest spot, out by the ropes, is 7 feet so I had the other kids keep an eye on Avery so as his ass wouldnt drown...and such.

We stayed until about 3, when everyone decided they were bored. Uh-huh. Lets go!

That was Friday and my last day watching Meagan and Marcus. The rest of the day was same-ole.

Mom managed to get 3 days off so on Saturday we drove out to the Rotary Camp trying to catch up with Aunt Lillian. That place is like the friggin Mayan Catacombs and within a few minutes we were hopelessly lost. If it hadnt been for my superior sense of direction (ahem...thank you Garmin) and staying calm and in control we could have died slowly, trapped in the bug-infested woods. Seriously.....holy shit, the bugs were surrounding the car, trying to find weak spots....eyeballing us.....I swear I saw them licking their little buggy lips. Eeerie. Anyway, we finally found the cottage and they werent home so we left a note (picture me running full-bore, ducking and weaving, to the cottage door) So, what now?! Well, Port Elgin of course! *crickets* Yes, folks, the bustling city (?) burg (?) uh, stain (?)...hehe. As we passed through......ooops, that was fast.....ok, we do a U-turn and revisit the.....crap, gone again. I stop at the Irving and everyone dismounts for over-priced ice cream. Horrahh. (cept me of course....boo hoo)

Yee-Haw! We mounted back up and really this was the highlight of the day. Cousin Steven dropped by with Cameron for a visit.

Same ole nighttime routine. Yawn.

So here comes Sunday, full of sunshine.....disguised as friggin storm clouds. Today is the Magic Mountain water park trip. I managed to talk Mom into going with us.....she really dont wanna, really. We meet the other people in the Kent parking lot, a few of the men folk take a real liking to my chest and after awhile I feel like I may have those rotating hypnosis circles attached to my nipples. Damn! I hate when I leave the house with those on. Men are pigs.

I cant effectively tell the story of finding the park with enough emphasis to really get across the absolute rage that I felt. Maybe I overreacted (hey, it happens). There are no signs. NONE. Not one sign that says "Magic Mountain". Isnt that fucking hysterical? Oh yeah baby, the girl sitting at the entrance to "magnetic hill" thought so. She chuckled saying "Oh yeah, I get that all the time." ALL the time??? Really??? And no one has thought to fix it? I'm sorry, I'm officially never living in Canada. Pffffth.

I'm a dirty, fat, lazy American. Thats the consensus.....not out-loud but I know ya'll are thinking it. I dunno, when I spend that much money, I expect a minimum. A minimum of cleanliness, of entertainment, of services. Call me crazy. Maybe I've just been spoiled. This place was aweful in so many aspects, I'm at a loss. Lets just say, we aint going back...ever. And we all had a bleach bath once we got home. Wait, wait, wait....I must say, Sydney had a very good time. She rode everything (mostly on her own) and definately got her monies worth.

"Mawm, there's like a billionty band-aids floating in the wave pool. I aint going in there!"

*Blue and Red slide. Enemas anyone?

Yes, that is me in a bikini. Sort of a celebration of 1 year of success. (Ewww, my thighs look massive.)

Nanny and the kids. She was so cold that she turned purple, whichis why she's wearing my shirt.

She fagged out in the sun and regained some color. We stayed until around 4 and that was enough.

Later that night, once we were cleansed of the water park water, Sydney and I went over to Steven's so she could hang with cameron for abit. They got along well, playing Guitar hero and jumping on the trampoline untilt hey were both dripping with sweat.

Yesterday (Monday) was Moms last day off so we just hung at the house. I forced her to start cleaning out her closets for the Yard sale. Painful at best. We made some headway but need boxes. Some of Moms friends dropped by after dinner.

Barb, Mom and Bev.

Colleen called me and asked if I wanted to go to a movie later. Her and sarah picked me up and instead of a movie we went to Duncans which is like a bar/restaurant. We ate nachos and drank adult drinks and basically just shot the shit. It was nice, I got lightheaded. I hope to do it again, hehe.

I got home in time to watch an episode of Heros with Mom. ( She's getting addicted)

And that was it! Wasnt it exciting?! I'm sure this week holds more of the same so STAY TUNED! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

TGIF

2008-07-18T06:44:00.000-07:00

It's Friday ya'll! Whoooopeeee. My Dad showed up this morning on his way back to Florida. He's tired and I know he cant wait to get back to his own house. Safe journey!

Yesterday we attempted the beach but found the water loaded with JELLIES! ARRRGGGHHH!

The kids poked at them and screamed but decided there were just too many and we ended up retreating to the picnic area.

They played some hide and seek and then we loaded up and headed to the park across the street. We had ice cream on the way home, where they played with squirt guns the rest of the afternoon. It was hot and the interior of the house didnt cool down until about 8 pm. We were all pooped.

So today is the last day I have the 2 extra kids. We had a great time, they are super kids. Next week they go with their father for 2 weeks. We're hoping they'll be back before we leave.

We're heading to Silver Lake this afternoon. Its a small swimming lake over in Sackville. I'll take pictures! Tata!

Thursday

2008-07-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

I cant even remember where I left off and I'm not going to try. Yesterday I was really feeling shitty so we didnt do much of anything. The kids bought squirty guns and spent the afternoon soaking each other.

I finished my book Year Million which I DONT recommend to anyone who doesnt appreciate a shitload of jargon.

Started this one last night.

Today we're heading out to the beach (Tidnish). I'm hoping the tide is in because if it isnt.....miles of red mud...ewwwwww. I'll take pictures.

Well, gotta go. Tata.

Tuesday

2008-07-15T06:29:00.000-07:00

AOL is being a crabby bitch this morning, wont let me upload pics from yesterday. Grrrrr.

Yesterday went well. We didnt do much of anything. The kids went home around 5 and took Syd with them. Avery and I just hung out till Mom got home. We ate and talked and went to bed early.

RAIN! Up at 6:30 and Colleen dropped the kids off. The morning went slooooooooow, nothing for them to do. The skies are starting to clear up. At 10 we came to the library, I have no idea what to do the rest of the day. Ah well, we'll improvise. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to post some pictures.

HEY! I got this one to post but the others are not cooperating. Marcus watching King Kong.

Rainy Monday

2008-07-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

Sunday Trip to Moncton: Forgot the camera so no pictures. Boo.

We drove up early and we shouldn’t have, everything was closed, of course. We ended up going to Starbucks (yay.) which was in the same complex as Crystal Palace which is a lot like Chucky Cheese except BIGGER and much more expensive. Let the whining and begging commence. MAH-UM! ITS GAWT A ROWL-ER COE-STERRRRR! *someone kill me* Sorry kids, mommy is broke. Commence the wailing and pouting of lips. "Yes, I think its very cool. No, I do love you very much. " Look, if you’re lucky you’ll get fed today so zip it. Exasperation, its where I live lately.

Next we went to the mall, which was huge. Then we drove to another strip mall thingee. Much walking and dragging of kids. I ended up spending $10 and the price of lunch for Avery and I. Sydney and Mom spent enough for all of us. We drove home around 4pm. The rest of the night was the same, eating….showering….hanging around.

Today I have Megan and Marcus as well as my own two. And its RAINING. Argggggh! Just my luck. So in this tiny house the four of them are just bouncing off the walls. At 10 we’ll go to the library and I’ll get to post this. And here I am at the library and they're still pinging off the walls. Gah.

Sunny (but still cold) Saturday

2008-07-12T07:13:00.000-07:00

He's got 2 of the faces almost complete. I couldnt get a picture of the other side, I'll try later.

Syd's theater production went well. There was a pretty big crowd for the audience, I was surprised. It lasted about 40 minutes and they had cake afterwards.

The battery in the camera went dead before the end of the preformance. Colleen's kids came home with me afterwards, as Colleen had to go back to work and she had no one to watch them. We walked up to the park (stopping for an ice cream on the way.....3 against 1....they won) and played there for an hour.

We were going to go to a movie but after finding out how much it would cost ($25 for 3 people) I balked and we went to Blockbuster instead. Mom didnt get home till 9 pm and we sat and talked till 10:30. YAWN!

She was up early to get ready for work at 8am. I rolled out around 7:30 to find that Avery had wet the bed (again!). I'm getting very tired of washing his bedding every night.

Anyway, we're here at the library. Sydney wants to go to the beach today but its friggin COLD! I didnt bring enough warm clothes for any of us. I was sure it was going to be in the 80's........WRONG!

Thats it for now!Tata.

Friday AM......

2008-07-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

Visited Sackville last night to try to get a latte. The latte we got was E-YUCKKY! Bleck! Pthhhhhooooie! Not good. I guess I shouldnt be too surprised. I never noticed this on previous trips but some of the foods here taste ...... weird. Funny. Kinda off. Like I bought Avery some pizzas. They look alittle different.....the cheese is a weird shred, I dunno, its just weird. Anyway, I make him a pizza last night and when I try a piece....the red sauce has an odd really sweet taste. He loved it, ate the whole thing. Oh yeah and the other day we got a happy meal and the ketchup tastes the same way, sweet. You know how ketchup has a sort of bitter undertaste? Well its missing that here.

On main street there is one of those big stumps, the ones they carve into things. The guy just started carving a new one the other day. Its not a very good picture, I'll take another one today when he's completed more of it.

This morning my Dad brought Shirl and Dave (aunt/uncle) down from Halifax to visit. They only stayed for a couple of hours but it was good to see them. They look exactly the same.

They couldnt stay for Syd's play but I told them I'd take lots of pictures. It starts at 2pm so I have to get going.

Yukky day

2008-07-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

Not feeling well today. Woke up with a fever and stuffy head. Bah. Its after 4pm and I'm feeling alittle better, hoping this will be gone by tomorrow.

Shirley and David are coming over tomorrow with Dad. They'll be driving in from Halifax. I'll take pictures.

Started Year Million this morning. So far so good.

Short post today and no pictures, sorry.

Windy Wednesday

2008-07-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

It seems I'll always be a half-day behind in my posts. Oh well.

Last night we visited a place in the mall after picking up Syd from camp. It's a store like Claire's in the States, lots of girly junk. She wanted some stuff there and I found out they were having a half-off sale so we did our birthday shopping early (to save me some money!) She bought two bags, a belt, a wristband, two necklaces and two rings (one mood ring, of course!). On the way home we stopped at Blockbuster and picked up Superhero movie and The Ruins. Big thumbs DOWN for the Superhero one, stupid as hell. I watched The Ruins this morning and give it a thumbs SIDEWAYS. I wouldnt watch it again.

I made chicken sandwiches for dinner last night and right after cleaning up Aunt Lillian and Hazel showed up. Hazel's picture wouldnt load dammit.

Aunt Lillian....she's in her 80's and still pretty active.

They visited for an hour and promised they'd visit again. Mom mowed the grass while the kids and I chilled out. Syd was in bed asleep by 10 pm, now thats a first!

Us at Frenchy's a few days ago.

Last Sunday. Dad, Mom and Syd trying to set up the tent in gale-force winds.

Colleen's dog Sammy. He's a Shit-Zu (I know I spelled that wrong!)

With alot of time on my hands, and on my brain, I've been thinking. Over-thinking possibly. Examining my life and what's to come. It's scary and exciting because overall I dont fear change. I think I was brought up to enjoy and even welcome change. Living like a nomad will do that to you. My priorities are shifting and I'm grasping the concept of living for the moment (I'm not good at that), I live in the future. I'm going to start a new project (not telling what it is yet!) and I'm feeling good about it. I feel "lighter" since I got here, less manic and worried. Its nice.

Well, thats it for now. The weather is cold (for me) and its overcast today. I'm still not eating very well and my insides are all whonky. Going to run some errands and then hang back at the homestead. Wheeee! I'll check in again tomorrow. Tata!

Tuesday

2008-07-08T07:15:00.000-07:00

Last night re-cap*

After Mom arrived home, just before 6, we ate dinner (burritos prepared by Moi). Megan called and wanted Syd to come over to play so we all piled in the car and toodled over to Colleens. Mom, Avery and I jaunted to the mall to have a look for some new unmentionables for Mom. It took an hour or so and then we scooted back to pick up the Syd. At 9:30 pm it was still completely daylight. How screwed up does this make me? It got dark around 10:20 pm! 10:20! Very weird and other-worldly. My kids have not been getting to bed before 11 and its starting to show (Syd broke down crying yesterday for no reason) Anyway, I finished Life Lessons, it was very good albeit repetitive. I would recommend it for anyone. I'm half-way through Head-Case by Dennis Cass.

Not really the best writing but vaguely amusing, I should finish it by tomorrow.

As for my eating. Well. I've lost weight. Canada is different in that there isnt as much convenience food. There's a Burger King, a Subway, McDonalds and a Dairy Queen. A few pizza places with names I've not heard of before and a couple of Chinese places. Honestly, the fast food is EXPENSIVE. A Happy Meal here is about 5 bucks. They dont even HAVE a dollar menu! When I bought groceries I almost dropped dead. Not only do they NOT have alot of the foods I live on but everything is about TRIPLE the cost of home. I can shop for 4 people, 2 weeks of dinners, 150ish bucks. One week of food here is about the same, even buying NO-Name brands. Insane. I havent been eating and its starting to show. My only pair of jeans, size 6, fell off last night. I need to eat more. Bah!

Averys jock itch, which I'm treating with Tinactin, isnt getting any better. The poor guy is miserable but I dont know what else to do. Its not like when he was a toddler and I could let him run around outside naked. He's 14 and looks manly, if I did that now, someone would call the police. Grrrrrrr.

Above was taken at the Radio Tower Station on Saturday.

Later Sat. at the Tidnish beach.

Sunny day in NS

2008-07-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 6th

Last night I tried my first glass of wine. I had been leery of alcohol since the surgery, figuring it was just one more thing that could add calories. It was good and I only had one so no harm there.

We were invited across the street to Mike and Michelle’s house for BBQ dinner. Their daughter Gina invited Megan (Colleen’s daughter) and Sydney to sleep-over. This thrilled Syd to no end because Gina has Guitar Hero, which they played the entire time we were there. Mom and I and Avery spent a quiet night just hanging out, I got some reading done. Boring, old people stuff. Hehe.

So here we are Sunday already. Time really is flying. Mom wants to do some planting today and I want to do some more reading. (I started Life Lessons). Colleen and her son Marcus will be coming to pick up Megan around 10 am so they’ll probably stop in for awhile. At 1 pm I’m taking Syd to Frenchie’s (a discount clothing store) because we didn’t pack enough for her and she needs clothes. And that’s about it for the day, I know it sounds fairly boring and it is but that’s exactly how I like it.

We ended the day off with spaghetti dinner (prepared by me). Dad stuck around and even set up the tent in the yard for Syd. Steven (my cousin) showed up after dinner and we sat and talked for an hour or so. Once everyone had gone Mom and I had a chance to color our hair (wheeeee!) and sit and talk for awhile. It gets dark around 10 pm here so it doesnt feel like night and we stay up much later than we are used to.

Monday

Got Syd ready for the theater camp this morning, she will go all week and I think Mom is paying for it. I kept asking how much it was and she kept shushing me so I dont know if its free or if she got some sort of deal. She dropped Syd off before going to work this morning, leaving Avery and I to fend for ourselves. I'm at the library and was going to post pictures but ALAS, forgot the damn battery for the camera. So no pictures today, maybe tomorrow. Not much happening tonight. I'm making mexican for everyone and will probably get some more reading done.

The weather has been nice. About 75-77 with a constant wind. The wind is actually a good thing because they have some hellacious bugs. At night the mosquiotoes are so thick that it looks like something out of a horror movie. I will not go outside when there is no wind. In Virginiawe have big horseflies but here they must be twice as big, seriously. Oh and I think they have canines because I got bit and I could swear there are tiny teeth outlines.....no shit.

Anyway, I gotta run. Avery has been on his WORST behavior since we got here. I just dont know what to do, he acting out all day long and I'm having to seclude him to his room alot. It increases my stress level and makes it really hard to do anything fun. I'm hoping that its just him acclimating and maybe I'll get lucky and he'll calm down soon. A girl can dream cant I???? Tata.

Playing Ketchup

2008-07-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

July 4, 2008

Circumstances beyond my control have kept me offline for longer than I definitely WANTED to be. I’ve been chomping to get a post up but well….you know, shit happens.

The trip started out on Tuesday morning and was fairly uneventful until just after lunch. Something I ate decided that it didn’t like me and I was VERY sick. This slowed us down considerably, seeing as I had to stop often to run to the bathroom. Grrrrrrr. I don’t know what did it either.

We stopped for the night at a Comfort Inn $68, not too bad, the room was clean and it was quiet. I was whipped and we all slept like the dead.

In the morning, feeling much better, we took off around 6 am. We made much better time and reached the border around 4 pm. The border crossing was easy, we didn’t have to wait and they only did a cursorily check of the trunk. We stopped briefly to say hi to one of my Dads friends, they live right ON the border and it is really back in the woods. I wish I had of taken some pictures but as usual, didn’t think of it until after we were driving away.

After stopping for dinner at a truckstop (ewww, not tasty) we pushed on. The last two hours were hell but we arrived around 10 pm. My Mom was standing outside the house, vibrating. Hehe.

That was Wednesday and today is Friday, I’m just getting around to writing something down. Yesterday I took some pictures of the garden, which is spectacular. This woman can grow anything and she does. Her house is the last one on the street and although I had seen pictures of it, it looks bigger in person. Don’t get me wrong, the house is tiny but once you’re inside it feels bigger. The wind blowing off the marsh is pretty constant and it keeps the bugs down but it also makes it COLD. I brought summer clothes, not realizing that their summer is like our fall. Luckily we all brought one pair of pants and some sweatshirts, which we are wearing daily. I miss Virginia, boo hoo, my tan is fading.

Child #1 is highly confused and is not happy with the whole setup. It will take him a week or so to get used to everything.

The Poppies.

Mom has a phenomenal garden. I swear that she can grow anything, anywhere.

The dead trees in town (that had Dutch Elm Disease) have been cut half-way down and then carved into various things by a local artist. They vary in content and even in placement. I thought the trees were carved in place but I guess the entire trunk is cut, carved somewhere else and then replaced. Odd.

This is an eagle carving that we walked past near my Moms house. There are a bunch more of people and animals, I'll try and snap them while I'm here.

Tomorrow we are planning on going to The Festival On The Marsh. Its a big artist thing held by Mount Allison U in nearby Sackville. It looks like it might be fun, I'll try and remember to take some pictures. Okay, thats it for now. I'm hoping to get a post up at least a couple times a week. Fingers crossed.

Day Before

2008-06-30T05:50:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the day before we shove off. I'm feeling stress and my head is spinning.....I'm sure I'm going to forget some crucial item even though I have made an extensive LIST(S). We will be going over said list around dinner time as we load up the car. My Dad will be travelling with us and has graciously agreed to carry the two huge-mongous cases of diapers (thank dog!) because those things were going to seriously limit the amount of other stuff I could fit in the clown car. I know I'll forget something, as long as it isnt a charger or power cord for one of the MANY electronic items, we'll be fine.

Grampa bought Child #2 an iPod shuffle and it is now the focus of her entire life. We downloaded some music for it (about 12 songs) and she listens to them over and over.

Ok, well, I have to run. Things to do, children to pummel. I dont know when I'll be able to post again. Depending on how hectic the trip becomes, I may be able to put some pictures up tomorrow night. Take care and see ya soon! Tata.

Summer Enrichment Finale

2008-06-27T05:06:00.000-07:00

The final day of the gifted summer program culminates in a 2 hour production in the gym. There was poetry reading, pantomime (oh yay mimes.), acting, music and cheerleaders. The art kids had all their stuff on tables so at the end, everyone could browse their creations. (to my daughters horror everyone bolted for the door) Anyway, here are a few pictures of the carnage.

She learned alot about bookmaking and I think it was a valuable class. Next year she will be eligible for a wider variety of classes in the summer and will probably try something like drama.

So after we gathered up her projects and I chatted up the teacher, we decided to celebrate with her favorite lunch...Panera Bread. Who doesnt love that place???!!!

Well, I gotta hit the road. Tata.

More wimpering

2008-06-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

I have pictures of todays event "The Final Day of Gifted Summer School" but havent uploaded them yet. So I will save the narrative for when I do.

Today was a "bad" day. Emotionally I'm a wreck. I'm what you might call a heavy hormone releaser and of course this effects my moods, etc. I especially go into self-loathing mode and second guess every decision I've made....its very tiring. Internally (I'm a big monologer) I brow-beat and insult myself, asking the big questions like "Who the fuck do you think you are?!" Generally I just want to evaporate, go up in a puff or drop into a coma until these moments pass. I cry, pathetically, mostly in the closet or in the shower and many times locked in my car on the side of the highway. My psche hurts so bad that it almost FEELS like pain, stabbing and burrowing deep into my brainstem. Conversely, you would never know this to see me from the outside. I'm well-groomed, smiling, and quick to strike up a conversation with strangers. I mask well. I'm punishing myself with food today.....this is a new use. Stupid woman, you're an idiot, you dont deserve to succeed...maybe you should eat more than you know you can handle and suffer for two hours with nausea, sweats, racing heart, cramps. And as I lie there on the bed, the voice in my head whispers 'you deserve this'. I can write this down now and in a way it makes it less painful.

I bought a book today.

Wow, now that's morbid huh? Actually I've always had a fascination with death, moreso now that I'm getting ever closer. Kubler-Ross was a great woman and studied death and dying her whole professional life. I'm planning on reading more of her works in the future.

About 4 days till we leave. My Dad is supposed to be showing up sometime before then. We may try driving up together but I think he's going to find that we will travel too slow for him. We'll see.

Well, thats it for now. Tata.

Tuesday

2008-06-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

I think there are moments in our lives when we feel alone and confused. For some, these are transient, and in a day or two they're right back to their normal selves. For others, like me, they last or dwell as an undercurrant. Alot like a cheap paper backdrop in one of those cheesy school pictures, except much sadder. If you attempt at any time to discuss this feeling, I find it gets lost, the translation just isn't there for the other person. They will stare at you quizzically and then quickly smile and say "Maybe you just need a day off." or "I bet some Zoloft would perk you right up!" * insert a thumbs up sign here* I can't explain that my mental processes, if they could be seen, would resemble the violent wash cycle at the laundromat. Because no one can connect with me in this way, I feel isolated. My thoughts and ideas run on the side of terrifyingly crazy to "commit this loony now". But enough about me and my swollen disjointed cranium.

A week or so ago I wrote that I thought I had a pretty good idea how to keep a marriage together. Compromise. Which I still hold to. The problem is, once I reflected on it, I had to convince myself that compromise was fair. We all give and take and sometimes we feel slighted because we feel we give so much more than we take. Here's an interesting feeling I've been having....What if I dont want to give anymore? I'm so tired of it. And I dont mean the material, money-bought kind of giving.....any monkey can do that. I mean the emotional, time-invested kind of giving. The kind that takes imagination and fore-thought, attempting to bring joy or delight to someone else just for the simple satisfaction of said response. What if the partner has no joy that they want to share? What if they shun you, making excuses for not being involved? What if they don't want to take the time or expend the energy to try? Can you live the rest of your life waiting on that person to give? Is it fair for you to wait? I don't know. Is it selfish to want the kind of attention that overshadows all else? Maybe it's only in movies that couples would rather communicate in some form than to sit in front of the tv. These are the thoughts I've had and I'm still mulling it over. I dont know if men consider these kinds of things, probably not.

Someone I know is sad tonight. She called me and all I wanted to do was rush right over and tell her it was going to be alright. Life really sucks sometimes and our mind makes us doubt our choices. I don't know the answers, I'm learning as I go too. All I can do is love her for being such a spectacular person. I'll always be her shoulder to cry on.

Well, I have so much more to say but I really should sleep. Tata.

New Compooper

2008-06-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

Guess what? Well, the computer I wanted was not available (of course). Grrrrrr. After researching some more and talking to some tech guys (who also go to school) I decided on this one: the HP 6815nr. Its not as sexy as the other one but it will cover me in everything I need. I immediately took it over to Panera (for thier WiFi) and it runs really nice. I will not be loading all kinds of extra stuff on it, I may actually buy an external drive for it later on. I brought it home and let everyone touch it and showed them what it can do. It will not be left out. Ever. I turned it off and zipped it up into my bag. Tomorrow I'll play with it some more.

Yay.

Bye bye Fishes

2008-06-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

RIP fishies.

A year ago, in response to intense pleading, I bought Child #2 some fish. A small 10 gallon tank with a few fish, used to teach responsibility. Uh huh. I ended up feeding those poor fish most of the time. One by one they expired and were ceremonially flushed. Tonight the last 4 gave up the ghost. I noticed them being pushed lazily around the tank by the filters jet. "Syd. I think your fish are dead." She looks in the tank. "Nah. They always swim like that." "Yeah. Thats because theyre dead." So after the flushing I decided that the tank was to be disassembled. She didnt seem to mind either. I should have known better, she didnt even name them. I think it was becoming a nuisance to her AND to me. Since we're leaving in a week, it will be one last thing to worry about. The tank got scrubbed (by me of course) and all the parts and doo-dads put in a bag which will all migrate up to the attic. Good riddance.

Process this.

2008-06-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

The HP Pavilion Spec. Edition Laptop

4GB/250GB

$749.99

I looked at it today but didnt buy. I had been looking at a Compaq and another Pavilion but when I got to Best Buy and spoke to the guy who works there, I changed my mind. The Compaq is cheaper but has a tiny memory, also an older, slower processor. Hmmmmm. So I came home and started over. Thats when I found the above puter. It actually has more memory than I need but I can deal with that. They have it in stock so I'm going to go get it tomorrow. Yay. Excitement. Its like having a baby, except without all the pain and crying.

Its been a week since school let out and already I'm ready to take a life. Not so much my son, he's fairly quiet and plays well by himself. Its the 2nd child, she has to be constantly amused or she makes my life hell. I'm focusing on having patience and staying calm......but we all know that this only works for so long before an eruption. Breathe, breathe.....soothing thoughts. Ahhhhhh.

Thats all for now. Tata.

Send in Tha Clowns

2008-06-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

Hello. Above is my sad tooth. I fretted all day about the afternoon appointment. Absolutely hate dentists. So, I go in and as I sit down in the chair I make it abundantly clear that I'm a big chicken and PLEASE dont hurt me. *smile* She must think I'm a whacko because she pats me on the head and looks at me with pity in her eyes. Dont worry, I'm only going to pinch you twice. *wink wink* Why do I feel like I'm 8 again? She shoots me up with the Novacaine (which makes me itch like CRAZY all over) and starts drilling. Luckily she put on one of those dam things (big rubber green thing, sorta like a face shield) Anyway, it would seem that the root canal wasnt completed A YEAR AGO and the abcess is from one of the non-canaled roots. So she canals it and puts some meds in it so that the infection is killed off. A temp filling is put on top and it will be completed when I return from Canada. At least it wont bother me on vacation. Yay. The jaw is alittle sore but nothing some Advil wont cure.

Less than 2 weeks till we leave and I'm actually starting to organize in my head. I'll be packing light, shit I have to, that Focus barely fits 4 small people.

Hehe, clown car anyone?

Toof Twubbles

2008-06-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

I'm anxious about tomorrow. I'm also tired which makes my anxiety even worse. Its that damn tooth. Being unsure about what is going to happen is worse than actually knowing what they are going to do. I fear mouth pain. Really badly. I'm skeeeeered shitless.

Damn. Now I'm too preoccupied with thinking about that tooth. I'lll let you know how it all goes. Tata.

Monday

2008-06-16T04:33:00.000-07:00

Morning yall. Yesterday was fairly uneventful, Joe had to work. I mowed the front yard for him (took 2 hours) and made his favorite dinner (Mexican stuffed shells). He told me not to buy him anything, he wants to buy it himself.

Today will be painful. We have another appointment with the financial planner and we have to take the kids aong this time. Gah.

The rest of the day will be listening to Joe complain about how much he hates it here and how broke we are. yay me? Its very hard for me to be upbeat and positive with him dragging his mopey carcass around the house all day. I swear the man cant be happy, I dont think location will change that. Its a real shame too because life is so damn short. I'm resolved to live my best life, enjoy my kids, do my best to do something positive every day and learn new things every day. I'm alive and healthy. Yay me!

Ok, the Canada countdown is 14 days.

Saturday

2008-06-14T04:46:00.000-07:00

When it comes to relationships I think I have a pretty good idea of what it takes to make things work. Its a simple formula really. You tolerate and keep your mouth shut 50% of the time and you compromise and pick your words carefully the other 50%. There is no winning because when there is a winner, there has to be a loser. It took me 18 years to figure this stuff out. We still argue but they're short and mostly about money. Friggin money, it can make you crazy. Lately I've been trying to visualize him as a "person" instead of just Joe. I dont know if that makes sense. I think over time you lose sight of who this individual is as a person. Other people deal with him, know him, interact with him. He has dreams and wants and aspires to be something better. He can be kind and patient, helpful and funny. Tomorrow is Fathers Day and although we dont "do" stuff for these silly holidays I want to do something for him. I dont know what yet.

Child #2 is already bored and school just let out for summer yesterday. She invited her little friend Emily over and they were up till midnight chattering. Emily is a sweet little thing, skinny as a rail (kinda reminds me of Olive Oyle) and shy. She carries a purse (at 10???) and has her own cell phone (at 10???) so of course Child #2 lets me know that having a cell phone would be a good thing for her to have. UH. Read my lips. NO. I managed to survive the whole first part of my life without a phone, I think you can manage too. When she can pay the bill, she can have a phone.

Nothing at all going on today. Maybe more later.

Books n stuff.

2008-06-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

Finished this one today. Thoroughly enjoyed it, I think she is brilliant. Her new one, Bonk, is still in hardcover so I'm waiting (grrrrrrr).

I'm moving on to another Dawkins.

And then I found a funny little ( uh, is 465 pages little? )book today (I wasnt sposed to be buying books, shhhhh). Books are the closest thing to crack that I have. When I'm in the bookstore I become possessed, seriously.

Anyway, tomorrow is the last day of school for this year (you can hear the collective weeping of parents round the globe). Luckily for me, Child #2 starts a summer class that runs for 2 weeks so at least she wont be whining ALL day in my ear. I'm buying Child #1 a plastic kiddie pool, that will keep him occupied for a good part of the day. We leave on July 1 (oh happy day!).

I'm not going to talk about my eating or exercising for this week (shame......) My weight has remained constant. Nuff said.

Anyway, its late and I should sleep. Tata.

Graduation Day

2008-06-11T12:43:00.000-07:00

Graduation Day!

Today my baby graduated 5th grade. *sob* Here she is in her pretty girl dress.

It was a fairly short ceremony. There are 3 5th grade classes and each one had different catagories of awards to present. Child #2 received the most awards. They are as follows:

1. Presidents Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement. (Straight A's all year) She was the only 5th grader to get this award.

2. Honor Roll

3. Perfect Attendance

4. Citizenship

5. Most Helpful Girl in 5th grade

6. Gifted PAAS Vocal Member

7. Recorder Choir Member

She also was one of the few in her class to complete her Accelerated Reading program.

She went up on the stage so many times that some lady behind me whispered to her husband "Geez, that kid needs to give someone else a chance." I laughed. I will not apologize for having a smart kid. And I will definately take some of the credit for all of her success.

I'm so proud of her. She really is the greatest kid.

Don't You Forget About Me

2008-06-09T10:31:00.000-07:00

I am SO an 80's girl. Micheal Jackson, Miami Vice, Chuck D's and neon legwarmers. Who would have guessed that my old clothes would ever be fashionable again?! Anyway, an old highschool friend of mine got me all nostalgic and I climbed up in my attic to see if I had any of those relics left. Well, unfortunately time was not kind to most of them and I vacuumed up many that had turned to dust. My high school uniform had survived (no wonder, I think they made those from asbestoes and the shit they use on the space shuttle so it doesnt burn up on re-entry (hehe, I said re-entry.) ) I would have tried it on but the material looked angry and menacing. Underneath that, I found a box with a few old corsages saved from dances 20+ years ago (mostly intact too), another box with tons of letters and stuff from the aforementioned friend. I'm not a real sentimental kind of person. I mean, I'm kinda anchored in the present or the future. I'm also not rooted too much in stuff. Material possessions kinda wig me out, I consider myself a minimalist. Its a friggin mystery how this stuff survived all of my yearly purges without me pitching them. I guess I'm glad I still have them, its fun to read all the embarrassing things you wrote as a kid....or that someone else wrote to you (but that you would never mock or tease them about, ever.) Hehe.

It's Monday. I feel good. My rollercoaster headache has dissapated. I worked out for an hour this morning and went shopping. Ahhhh. Now its time for a nap. Life is rough. hehe.

Kings Dominion.....aaaarggghhhh, I'm on FIRE!

2008-06-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

When I woke up Sat. morning I knew that the heat index was going to reach 105. I knew it. And yet, we decided to visit the theme park anyway. HA! It doesnt open its gates till 10:30 but we leave earlyso Mom can stop at Starbucks. Bad idea. Hot milky coffee doesnt sit well in extreme heat, whodathunkit? After recovering from the coffee by chugging a shitload of water, I was fine. I was hoping that the heat would keep alot of the sane people away and we would have the park to ourselves. The sane people must have been thinking the same as me. It was packed. Even though it was hot and we spent alot of day waiting in line, we had a good time.

Taken from the top of the "Eiffel Tower" in the center of the park.

The Dominator. HA! It was okay, not the scariest one I'd ever ridden. I must say though, it was very smooth, no jerking or whiplash. They have 3 wooden coasters in this park and after riding just 2 of them I swear I felt sick, like a shaken baby. Today I do have abit of whiplash, my neck and upper back ache. Damn coasters.

The smudge at the bottom is Child #2, she rode this one 4 times by herself. Its one of those blast-coasters that shoots you off at like 60 mph right at the beginning. She loved it.

We didnt get home till almost 10 pm. And BOY did I sleep like a ROCK! Ten hours of walking on the sun really sucks it outta ya. HA!

Breakfast for Saturday: 100 cal bagel/peanut butter

Snack: Latte..........ugh......didnt drink all of it.

At the park: Water, lemonade, frozen watermelon slushie, chicken salad

Dinner: Subway turkey sandwich

Not a bad day considering. I thought for sure that the frozen slushie thing would make me dump but I think I was so dehydrated that my body needed the sugar.

Today I have a crappy hangover-like headache and I'm sluggish. Took the kids to the pool this morning but I just napped on a chaise. Lazy bitch huh. I'm feeling lazy.

Anyway, thats it for now. Tata.

Whats that smell?

2008-06-07T03:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Field Day at Child #2's school. She was i n 6 events but I got there late so only got to see her in 3. Her class won the 5th grade Tug-O-War and this made them all very happy.

It was hot and smelled like burning tires (because of the fires in N.C.).

Later in the day Child #1 had his Parent Teaparty at his school. I took pictures but havent loaded them up yet.

My tooth feels better but my face is still swollen. I'm pretty sure it is an abcess and the anti-biotics seem to be working.

Today Child #2 and I are heading to Kings Dominion. I must be insane. The heat index is supposed to be 105 today. I know I know..........stupid. I'll let you know how we do.

PAIN

2008-06-03T01:03:00.000-07:00

Three days ago my upper right crown started bothering me. I figured that the crown had shifted and the gum pain was from the teeth hitting irregularly (had it before). So I've been taking Goody's powders and ibprofen to kinda dull the pain. Yesterday I couldnt handle it anymore and went to the dentist. X-Ray showed nothing going on with it so he just burred it down in the high spots. Fixed, right?! Well, kinda felt alittle better. He tells me to keep taking anti-inflam. and dont chew on that side. Duh. We get home later in the pm and I go to eat a very soft sandwich. First bite on the OTHER side.....one of my top teeth BREAKS. Not even a bad tooth. So now I have pain on both sides. By 9pm I cant take it and pop 1/2 a Vicoden. So now here I am, its 4 am (Vicoden wore off) and am in SEVERE pain. Cant take another Vicoden cause I have to be lucid and drive the damn car in 2 hours so I take 2 ibprofen and a Goody's. My entire head is pulsating with that tooth pain and its all I can do to just endure it. I have another dentist appt this morning at 9am but its for a filling. I'm hoping he can stop this pain because I dont think I can function if I have to live with this much longer. Anyway, I'm going to try an lie down for a couple more hours. I may not post until this is resolved.

Mowing and the new cam

2008-06-02T11:48:00.000-07:00

My baby learns how to mow the back 40. I was nervous at first but she loves it and by the end of the day she was riding like a pro. This picture was taken with the new camera. I must say, I'm abit disillusioned. They look great on the camera but I seriously cant tell the difference once I d/l them to the site. I'm going to play with it more this week.

Tomorrow is her big "weigh-in". We made a deal a month ago that if she could get down to 98 lbs (a 2 lb loss in a month) then I would buy her an MP3 player. Problem is, she grew 1 1/4 inches in height which screws everything all up. I'll probably give it to her as long as she lost at least 1 lb., I got my fingers crossed.

Day 1 of the eating experiment went fine......until after dinner. I'll let you know later, I gotta run now.

SKOOLS OUT FOR SUMMAH!

2008-05-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

AAAAAAAAAAA! IT'S FRIDAY AND I'M BROKEEEEEEEEE!

Ok, so theres aome good and some bad today. Good: Last day of school and think I got a good solid "B". I'm now officially done for the summer. *Doing the happy dance*

Bad: No goddamn money. I hate weekends with no money because that means ME+2 kids stuck in the house= Crazy Mom. Crap.

Well, I have a new camera. and I guess I should read the crap that came with it so I can actually use it. Phfttttth. I hate manuals.

On Sunday I start my 13 day experiment. I'll be logging it all here for accountability. I'm already getting nervous and I dont know why. The menu I chose is pretty restrictive but should meet all of my needs. I will be working out 2X a day, which will be hard but managable. And finally I will be scheduling myself to be OUT of the house most of the day.......I go insane if left in the house alone with food. The library, Books A Million and the gym are going to be my hangouts.

Well, thats it for now.

Blurb.

2008-05-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

Hey ya'll! I'm so excited. I got a NEW CAMERA! Wheeeeeee! The Sony Cybershot with 3X optical zoom. I havent had a chance to actually use it yet but Joe has been testing it out for me. Tomorrow I'll be shooting up a storm, then I have to figure out how to post them. I may not get around to posting any new stuff till Friday night because I have a final for class on Friday afternoon. Wish me luck!

Pool2

2008-05-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Child #2 posing.

I think I may only be allowed so many pictures per post. Oh well.

Anyway, we stayed until about 2 and then dragged our butts back home. Tomorrow is school for all of us so lots of laundry, etc to get to. It wasnt a bad food day but not good either.

Breakfast: mini-bagel, peanut butter, banana

Snack: Latte (told you I prolly wouldnt be able to resist)

Lunch: most of a turkey sandwich, chips

Snack: 3/4 of a Wendys junior burger,chips

Dinner: salad greens/honey mustard dressing, tomato, crunchy salad topping, a few bits of fruit with Lite Cool Whip

Snack: Prolly popcorn

Not working out today because of full day at pool. I got some sun but was very watchful and did not burn. Thats a good thing too because I'm about as close to transparent as you can get. I swear, all the MOMS at the pool were friggin tan as shit, wearing these Brazilian barely-covering-my-ass bikinis,Tramp stamps (uh, tattoos on the small of the back), with belly button rings that hung down to their coozies. Hmmmm. Now I know I'm younger than some of these chicks and I wouldnt dream of acting or dressing like them. One pack of them came by my picnic bench while we were warming up in the sun, they needed a place to lean as they smoked their Virginia Slims. Every damn one of these bitches had red lipstick on, long muti-colored nails and Pam Anderson implants......although I did notice that a couple of them either hadnt gotten around to it or couldnt afford to have their asses rejuvenated because OH MOMMA we had some severe SAG. HA! Dont get me wrong, I am not jealous. I find it hysterical that these 40 and 50 somethings fear aging so much that they try and mimic the teens that they are raising. Its never a good idea to wear the same clothes your 10th grader does. GROW UP! Its sad really. Oh and these plastic chicks have arch-enemies at the pool.....the FAT CHICKS. Yes, those larger than life babes that could care less what you think (I used to be one of them). They thunder around the edge of the pool, lumbering after children or when its all become too much, they gingerly lie down on an available beach recliner. The plastic straps eating into the back jelly and spandex covered ass cheeks as it stretchs to capacity. * Note: No hate mail folks. I lived my life in that mold so its just me, recalling.* The plastic chicks strut past the fat chicks, noses curled slightly and give that oh-my-gawd-you-re-so-fat-but-I'm-going-to-smile smile. Theyre repulsed and wish you werent there. Today I said hello to one of the plastics as they stood by me, puffing away. I didnt expect a reply. Maybe I did it to see what would happen. She smiled and said" Your boy is so handsome." pointing to Child #1 as he sat sunning himself. I looked at him, sitting still, his blue eyes brilliant against his fresh sunburn and thought, yeah, he is a good looking kid. When he isnt stimming he looks completely normal. I smiled and thanked her just as Child #1 let out a whoop and started flicking his fingers like a crazy person. The look on her face was priceless, kind of confused and horrified and alittle scared. Oh well. Hehe.

I think thats enough for the day. Hope yall had a great weekend! Tata!

Pool.

2008-05-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

Very nice day I must say! Clear blue, slight breeze. Ahhhhhh.

I decided to take the wee-ones to Pocahontas State Park. They have a water-park there that is pretty fun. Costs abit too much to get in but I sucked it up, what the hell.

The gated in area(where these are taken from) is where the picnic tables are. It just happens to be the smoking area as well, AKKKK. There is a kiddie area, pictured above, and 2 pools....one is 3 1/2 feet deep and the other is 5 1/2 feet. The water was ICE COLD. I mean it too. I could only manage to get in up to my belly button, it hurt it was so cold. The kids loved it of course. Kids are inpervious to temp.

There are 2 slides on the right. When we arrived at 10:45am there was hardly anyone there. By the time lunchtime rolled around, it was packed. By 2pm, it was time to go. I get kinda clausterphobic when people start running into me at the pool. Its just......gross.

For some odd reason AOL wont allow me to post any more pictures. Hmmmmm. I'm going to try another post and see what happens.

Sunday

2008-05-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

The kids in the pool. I opted out of swimming this morning, instead I ran for 30 minutes. I'm still having issues with my breathing.....too fast....too slow......throat gets dry...etc. I'm working on it.

Weight: 143

Breakfast: 100 cal bagel, peanut butter, strawberries

Snack: fresco beef soft taco

Lunch: salsa & chips

Snack: Cinnamon Harvest dry cereal

Dinner:

Snack:

You'll notice there was no Latte today. It took all of my willpower but I drove past without stopping. Tomorrow, well, I'm not making any promises. Hehe.

On Da Road Again.

2008-05-24T17:32:00.000-07:00

Adventure Day

Child #1 and I left the house at 7:45 am to pick up Child #2 (who decided last night @8 she wanted to spend the night elsewhere). After picking her up we set off for the beach. I have to say, I LOVE this Garmin. I am no longer afraid of getting lost because it WONT let me! HA! So I punch in the address and half an hour later Child #2 says "I gotta pee." Geeeez. So we pull off and the only thing I can find is a grocery store. Turns out it was a stroke of good luck.......theres a STARBUCKS inside. Jesus does love me. Hehe.

Back on the road. This is an 80 mile trip. One way. Ok, so we make it to the beach around 10. Its lovely, just the way I remember it.......until we actually get ON the beach. Holy Mack, its FREEZING. The wind is whipping and its just not sunny enough to balance the two out. Cold. Child #2 could care less. She swims and digs in the sand and frolics (and turns several shades of blue....."Nuh Uh MahM, I'm REALLY warm, I swear.") Meanwhile Child #1 and I huddle on the beach, trying to keep warm. I find out one picture into the trip that my batteries are dead. Grrrrr. I end up having to spend 3.99 for crappy 7-11 batteries. So, we leave the beach around 11:30.

She's the speck in the center. And the one dead asleep 5 minutes after leaving.

We stop at Wendys because Child #1 is chanting "hamburger" incessently. 10 bucks later we leave.

The Pungo Strawberry Festival sounded like a little thing, I mean they advertised it going from 12-2pm. Christ I thought when we got there it would be shutting down. I was mistaken. HUGE. Seriously huge. We parked, for 5 dollars (ripoff) and walked down the crowded road. You absolutely can not get the sheer magnitude of this thing from my pictures.

I'm only 5'3" so I take my crowd shots by holding the camera as high up as I can and shooting. There was funnel cakes, fried twinkies, every type of fried potato you can dream of, BBQ, corn, ice cream, gyros, FISH (uh, fish? ewww), lemonade out the whazoo, cotton candy, sno-cones, meat of every persuasion and strawberries on EVERYTHING. This was like a giant yard sale/thrift store/folk art sale/biker rally/music fest/ food extravaganza. Wow. Oh man and that was just the first half-mile.

There was at least 4 band stands.

Of course Child #2's tongue was lolling out of her mouth (Mahm, it loooooks soooo goooood. Plah-eeeezzzzz. Just one funnel cake. PLEEEEEZZZZZZ.) Uh, dammit. No, I stood my ground with reasoning. Honey, its all fat and calories and you know you arent really hungry, we just ate, blah blah blah. So we bought a corn. Man was it GOOD! Very sweet and the kernals popped when you bit it. Worth all 3 bucks. Kept her busy so she didnt think about the other junk. Joe would have been in hog heaven if he had been there.

We walked and walked and walked and I really thought it may go on forever. Jewelry, handbags, wooden crafts, tattoos sprayed on by carnies( either carnies or hillbillies), airbrush t-shirts, organic foods, skateboards (alittle out of place), and tons of clothes. In the distance I hear canival music.....huh......the tinkle of a carosel.....oh crap. On the left hand side of the street emerges a FAIR.......over-priced and gaudily-lit.........suddenly my kids eyes lit up and they became possessed. CARN-I-VALLLLLLL......MAHM!!!

Shit. I turn around and slowly start walking back the way we came. I HATE those fucking death-traps. Not only are they hastily thrown up but theyre run by morons. So now I have to defend myself from Child #2 who is mezmerized by theblinky lights. I point to the ticket booth, "Tickets cost 1 buck a piece. Do you have a dollar?" I look her in the eye. "Yeah, I do." She smiles, thinking she has just out-smarted me. I point to the first ride I see. "5 tickets per ride. I pause. You got 5 dollars?" Her face dissolves and although I feel bad, its a lesson that has to be taught. Five bucks for 30 seconds on that rickety ride. Does that seem like a good deal to you? She shakes her head. We leave the area. Dammit. Stupid carnival.

She didnt bother to ask me to do this. She knows I'm not very likely to humiliate myself in front of so many people, at least not without a few drinks. We stood and watched 5 or 6 people eat the mat. No one could manage to hang on longer than a few seconds. Keep in mind, you're PAYING to get on this thing. Idiots, HA!

We hobbled back to the car. I ended up impulsively buying 10 dollars worth of fresh strawberries......very good by the way. We sucked a few down walking back to the car. Getting home was faster (it seemed) and we pulled in around 5:30 pm. I found gas for $3.69 on the way home so I filled up. The station by my house is up to $3.90. I hate gas.

Anyway, that was it. Oh, I failed to mention that we all got severely sunburnt too. My fault. Once they bathed I hit them with the aloe so hopefully tomorrow they wont be so red.

My weight this morning: 145......huh? weird.

Breakfast: a Venti Latte

Lunch: crispy chicken sandwich, plain......ketchup, honey/mustard

Snack: 6 strawberries

Dinner: 1 cup salad with tomato, honey mustard dressing, handful of chex mix, strawberries (8), Lite Cool Whip

Snack: Popcorn

Its Friday but it feels like Saturday

2008-05-23T15:52:00.000-07:00

DA KISSY LIPS!

Today the kids had no school (Boooo) ahem.....yeah, but it was ok. We hit the gym early and while they swam, I did some homework poolside. Child #2 wanted to get rid of her GameCube (doesn't hurt my feelings, I mean the less time she sits in front of the TV, the happier I am) so we took it to GameStop and they gave her a 45 dollar store credit. Now she only has the PS2 and I figure in a couple of years that will be an antique. No more game systems after that, I've learned the hard way that nothing good can come from having video games in the house. Dont get me wrong I LOVE to play those damn games but its just too addictive. We are a family of a formerly obese woman, 2 borderline obese kids and a full-blown obese man......TV is the enemy.

For a treat we went to the 11 am showing of Indiana Jones! Yay! Harrison Ford is one sexy old man. Really. I loved it, he was totally hot. Anyway, we had some unbuttered popcorn ( FIVE DOLLARS FOR A MEDIUM????) Dont get me started on theater food. If this had been a planned event, I would have brought my own food and drink smuggled in my purse. Damn theaters.

Grocery shopping. 1 hour and 150 dollars later. Home.

Joe just left for work and I picked up Untraceable from Blockbuster. Normally not a movie I'd get but I wanted something to watch and I couldnt find anything else that looked interesting.

Food for the day:

Breakfast: 100 cal bagel, reduced fat peanut butter, 1/2 grapefruit

Snack: Had to abort, got a huge pain after one bite. Threw away one chicken sandwich.

Snack at movie: Popcorn, unbuttered

Treat after movie: Tall Soy SF Cinn. Dolce Latte, no whip

Dinner: 1/2 cup salad, 1 bread with 2 pieces of turkey lunchmeat, mayo

Not a good eating day but they happen. I may have something later with my movie, probably more popcorn. I swear I could live on popcorn and coffee......that would be a perfect world......(sigh) hehe.

Tomorrow is a big day. The kids and I are doing a road trip to Pungo (yes, its a real place). Theyre having a strawberry festival and I thought it would be fun. While we are so far south we will make a stop at Fort Story, they have a GREAT beach. Its clean and pretty and never has jellies. We'll take the floaties and spend some time playing on the beach. I dont think we'll make it back before dark and I'm not gonna try. I'll post on Sunday with pictures! Tata.

Rant......may be offensive to some.

2008-05-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

I dont usually wear shirts that have animals on them (TA-CKY) but this one was completely me.

Got my test back today, an 84, its a B so I'm not complaining. The class average was 68. I only have the rest of this week and next so I'm taking it seriously.....well, I'm trying to.

Breakfast: 100 cal bagel, 1TBsp Peanut Butter, 1/2 grapefruit.

Before Class to keep me awake: Grande Soy SF Cinn. Dolce Latte

Snack: Natures Valley oats and honey granola bars

Lunch: Ukrops salad bar, 1 sm bag salt/vinegar chips

Snack: graham crackers with some Cool Whip Lite

SICK AS A DOG UNTIL 5:30 PM (Yes, i know, please dont write to tell me what I shouldnt have eaten)

Dinner: 2 sm. Italian bread pieces with some spag. sauce on them.

Snack to watch House tonight: Popcorn plain

Heres what I found. If I come home right after school, I am more likely to eat crap and get sick. Duh. Tomorrow I wont come right home and lets see if this works.

Ok, so, remember I told yall awhile ago that Joe wanted his family to get together for a vacation once a year and this year he was planning it? Well. Seems like going to St. Louis has been scratched because most of them cant take that kind of time off now. I mean most of them had to take significant time off when their Mom was sick so it probably isnt a good time to take off again. So, I ask him, Why dont we go to the Dells? The Dells are these group of hotels in Wisconsin that all have water parks inside of them. We pass them everytime we go to Winona and I've always wanted to go. He's not crazy about the idea because 1. it costs money 2. he doesnt want to have to take his shirt off 3. its close to Winona so why not just go to Winona instead. That last one is what came out of his mouth. So for a "vacation" he wants me and the kids to stay at his Moms house and hang out while he does whatever with his siblings. Do I sound angry? Nah. Oh but there is still the possiblity that we may get to do something, I'm not clear what that something is but I'm sure it will either be FREE or very discounted. I guess I am alittle pissed off and maybe I shouldnt be but its shit like this that really fucking gets my goat. His hidden agenda. He pulls this at home too. All I ask for is a nice place to stay with some things for the kids to do so that I dont have to play nursemaid all day (which I do anyway, I mean, cmon, I NEVER REALLY get a vacation) and its not like I'm ordering roomservice or running up a friggin tab in the bar. Oh and I'm not allowed to assert my opinion or say NO, why? because then it makes me look like I'm some sort of mega-bitch on a rampage to stop him from spending time with his family. I dont have real siblings, I cant possibly understand what he's feeling or going through and I should just shut up and let him do what he wants. So I end up keeping my mouth shut and repeating my mantra "This too shall pass." Why cant I just be one of those people who can easily roll? Go with the flow? I'm trying but this whole thing has just got me feeling like I got splinters in my feet.

Honestly I think he's mad about my month-long trip. He wont say he is but evertime he brings up an aspect of it there is a certain tone in his voice. He thinks its a waste of money and I know he doesnt want to have to clean, cook, etc. Doesnt matter that I'm taking both kids with me......I think he's mad that I cant take the dogs too. He wants to fly up and meet us, then all of us drive to Winona from there. On thing, he thought the ticket would cost him like 50 bucks, he has a skewed veiw of the cost of ......everything. So when I told him it would be $350 one way to Halifax he said How about to Bangor? Bangor? REALLY? You want me to drive all the way down to Bangor to pick you up and there is only 75 dollars difference in the ticket??>? Can you see why I want to tear my hair out? I'm trying to talk him into just flying to Winona, spending the time with his family and we'll be there when we get there. I think the stress would be much lower in my scenario.

Okay, I'm tempted to erase this whole post but you know what? I'm not gonna. The reason I started this blog was to vent, good and bad, so there it is. Its not meant to offend anyone, its just how I feel. So, with that said, I'm outta here. Tata.

Idea for a New Menu

2008-05-18T05:59:00.000-07:00

I searched for weight loss menus last night and most of the ones that came up were attached to some fad diet or another. The Mayo Clinic had an example of a 1,200 cal a day diet which looks pretty good. I really wont have to modify it either.

Example of a 1,200-calorie menu

Breakfast

1 large banana

1 cup bran cereal

1 cup soymilk

Herbal tea

Lunch

Tuna salad sandwich made with 1/2 cup water-packed tuna, 1 tablespoon low-calorie mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, chopped celery as desired, leaf lettuce and 2 slices whole-grain toast

2 cups raw baby carrots, jicama and bell pepper strips

1 medium apple

Water

Dinner

6 ounces broiled cod sprinkled with juice of 1 lemon wedge and 1 teaspoon drained and rinsed capers

3/4 cup steamed green beans

1/2 cup sliced beets

Salad made with 1 cup bibb, Boston, butterhead or leaf lettuce, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, a splash of balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 nectarine

Sparkling water with lemon

Snack (anytime)

1 small pear

Nutrient Analysis
Calories	1,191	Cholesterol	92 mg
Protein	85 g	Sodium	1,263 mg
Carbohydrate	196 g	Fiber	36 g
Total fat	15 g	Potassium	2,967 mg
Saturated fat	4 g	Calcium	385 mg
Monounsaturated fat	6 g

Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid servings
Vegetables	5
Fruits	6
Carbohydrates	4
Protein and dairy	3
Fats	3

I'm actually thinking of printing out 13 days of variation, staying under 1,200 cals but also cutting the carbs alittle too. Remember this is to JUMP START my weight loss, it isnt permanant. I'm hoping that by posting this on the fridge and crossing food off as I eat it, it will keep me in check. One issue I'm having is, my latte. I dont know that I can control myself when it comes to nursing my daily latte. It may be a matter of going without completely for 2 weeks , EEEEEEEEEEEK! (sad face)

Child #1 and I are going to the gym this morning, I love Sundays, no one there! Tata!