Saturday, May 29, 2010

It's All About The Boobs - Part I

I know, I know. It’s been two weeks since I tantalized you with the promise of three boob stories. Sorry to leave you hanging. [*snort* That made me think of the old song I used to sing to my mom, “Do your boobs hang low..." But I digress.] Without further ado, here is part one of the boob trilogy.


For most of April and the first week of May I was lied to left and right. Todd lied to me, my friends lied to me, my kids lied to me... and I didn’t know. It’s a little scary how easily these people, people who supposedly care about me, could tell me falsehood after falsehood with a perfectly straight face. Let me give you a small sampling of the bevy of deceptions perpetrated against me.

Early April:

Katie
Katie: I need a tropical recipe for school for extra credit.
Me: How about Hawaiian Chicken? It’s easy and yummy.
Katie: Okay.

Late April:

Laura
Laura: Do you think Katie would want to babysit for us on the 7th?
Me: Probably. We have a surprise birthday party to go to, but I’m sure she would sit for you.
Laura: Great.
Me: So what are you going to do?
Laura: Bill and I are going on a date.
Me: Good for you!

Friday, May 7:

Taylor
Taylor: I’m going to Nick’s.
Me: Are you going to come to Mark’s party?
Taylor: Yeah. We’ll probably swing by at some point.

Todd
Todd: Katie just called and said there’s a leak under the sink at Bill and Laura’s.
Me: Oh, no.
Todd: She said it’s not bad. We’ll just stop on our way to Mark’s party and you can come in and see Laura’s new tile.
Me: Alright. I’ve been wanting to see it…

It went down like this: I walked up to the front door with Todd so I could "see Laura’s new tile while he checked under the sink." When the door opened up there were all these people on the stairs and in the hall yelling “Surprise!” Turns out Todd had spearheaded a surprise party for me with some of our neighbors to celebrate five years of being cancer free. Mark’s wife, Amy, was in on it, too. She happened to be throwing a surprise 40th birthday party for him on the same night and even told him he was going to my surprise party.

They got me good! I had absolutely no inkling of their diabolical plan – the bunch of consummate fibbers. They had a luau for me, hence the Hawaiian Chicken recipe Katie wrangled out of me. Todd played the guitar while Katie sang "Grace" by Saving Jane - one of my favorite songs she sings. After that Taylor played his guitar some while we all sat around, eating and laughing and just having a good time. But the fun didn’t stop there. Oh, no it didn’t. There was also a cake. A boob cake.


(I blocked out the nipples ala Girls Gone Wild commercials so as not to offend the delicate sensibilities of my virtuous readers. Or reader. Whatever.)

And that', mi amigos, is Part I. I promise to endeavor to attempt to try to get Part II up in a more timely manner.

Labels: anniversaries, breast cancer, family, friends

Mused by Jenster :: 8:31 PM :: 11 People musing:

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Thursday, April 01, 2010

OMG I'M PREGNANT!!!

Oh, how I love April Fools' Day. At least when others are the recipient. The old "I'm pregnant" was always my favorite fool. Considering I have no baby-making parts left in my body this joke has probably run it's course. Still, it makes for an eye-grabbing title, don't you think?

We finally have some beautiful spring weather. After the winter we had, this warm, sunny weather is most welcome. I can't wait to get out in it today, even if it's just walking Sookie around the block. The big block, of course.

We're enjoying the visit with my folks. The kids are typical teenagers so they're not always around. In fact I think we've only had one dinner with both kids in the last week. That was the night Todd and I were going to take my parents to Fellini's - the Italian restaurant where the waiters and waitresses sing opera. The kids had band practice so they weren't able to go with us. But the weather turned out kind of bad and we decided just to stay home and have Italian here. That way the kids could eat with us. The only problem with this plan, though, was that I wouldn't get the cannoli I'd been thinking about for days. Band practice got cancelled so Katie and I drove down to the Collegeville Diner and picked up all manner of gooey confections, including my cannoli. So far it's been my favorite night of the whole week. Is that because I got cannoli or because both kids were here? You decide.

And that's all I've got. I'm off to enjoy our weather!

Labels: family, food, holidays

Mused by Jenster :: 9:07 AM :: 6 People musing:

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Sunday, January 17, 2010

Randomosity

Katie's still skiing and enjoying every minute of it. Last night she called but could hardly talk because she was laughing so hard. I have no idea what was so funny, but I couldn't help giggling. I am definitely ready for her to come home, though. I miss her and I'm not ashamed to say so! Depending on the phase of her teenage girl angsty hormonal emotions when she gets home I may be ready for her to go skiing again next week, but we'll just play that one by ear.

***

Five of Taylor's buddies came over last night and ate burgers, played Wii and watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog. He wanted the guys to watch the DVD, but said he couldn't bring himself to invite his friends over for burgers and a musical. It's pretty funny stuff, though, and definitely not your average musical. Besides, half of them watch Glee so I guess they decided watching Dr. Horrible would not compromise their manliness any further.

***

Speaking of Wii, I got Todd the Wii Resort for Christmas. He's been practicing the ping pong so he can take on our neighbor, John. They talk smack to each other and everything, but it's really hard to take them seriously when you see their cute little Miis with their Aloha shirts and goofy smiles. Men Boys.

***

After months of no thrush-like symptoms, I woke up Friday morning with the insides of my cheeks swollen and my tongue more swollen than normal. I could hardly talk or eat without biting my tongue or cheeks. But there's nothing to be done about it because it's not actually thrush, just a side effect of having horrible thrush during chemo NEARLY FOUR YEARS AGO! Plech. It happens when I get worn down, but I didn't have a bad week or anything so I'm not sure why it happened this time. I didn't sleep so well for several nights so maybe that's it. I don't know. It's still swollen, but not as bad as it had been. Stupid tongue.

Just last week I was thinking about how much better I'm doing in my head than I was even a year ago. And I definitely am, but every now and again these little reminders that I'm not the same as I was before cancer pop up. I don't often think about my new normal anymore and it's kind of funny that something as benign as a swollen tongue can bring it back. But I'm very happy to say that, while it used to feel like a scab being pulled off a gaping wound, it's now just a bruise. And not even a yucky black and blue or purplish-green bruise. A barely bruise. The kind you have to look at closely to see if it's just a smudge of dirt or an actual bruise. And I have to say it feels good. But I still don't like my stupid tongue.

***

I think that's enough randomosity for the morning. I'm off to write my thoughts about the Tower of Babel, now.

Ciao!!

Labels: breast cancer, family, random

Mused by Jenster :: 12:26 PM :: 3 People musing:

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Saturday, June 20, 2009

Making Memories

Friday was one of those days I'll remember for a very long time. The kind of day that wasn't terribly uncommon when the kids were younger - back when we could say, We're going to go see this movie or hike that trail or go on a picnic, or whatever and the announcement would be met with enthusiasm and anticipation. These days, however, trying to find a movie or an activity we can all agree on has proven nearly impossible. Turns out 17-year-old boys don't like the same things 14-year-old girls like and neither of them care for what mom and dad prefer.

Todd and I both had Friday off and the forecast didn't call for a speck of rain, a rarity these days. So we jumped in the car and took off for North Wales where we started our adventure with a great lunch at Chili's - the kids' choice. Down the street from the restaurant we played miniature golf, swung bats in the batting cages, raced each other on the Go-Kart track and just generally had a ton of fun.

In fact the good times started on Thursday. Just hanging out together, eating together, playing together, watching movies together. A lot of "together". And I've cherished every second of it. Today after church the kids left for a Christian teen conference for a week.

How is it Taylor only has one year of high school left? He's much closer to being a man than a kid. When did that happen? And why does Katie have to be a freshman in the fall? My baby will be in the same place as my firstborn before I've had a chance to catch my breath. And then what?

It used to be they were dependent on me for their fun. I was at home with them from the time they were very small and I enjoyed playing with them. The pool, the zoo, an easy hiking trail, the water park, etc. In fact, sometimes they were my excuse to get to do something fun like the science museum or the newest Disney movie.

When the weather was cold I would brew a pot of tea, make some shortbread and set the table nicely for an after school snack. During summer rains we would camp in the living room, eat Popsicles on the front porch and sometimes even play in the rain. One year we had a pretty good snow, but both kids were sick and couldn't get out to play in it. So Todd and I loaded up a big bowl with snow and let the kids build little igloos and castles on cookie sheets in the kitchen.

Trips to the park, swinging into the swimming hole on an old rope, the weekly stop at the library, camping with just us or friends, pulling them in the double wagon, reading in the hallway while a storm raged outside, cuddling on the couch and watching the latest Disney release...

My mind has been filled with these precious memories and my heart with a mixture of sadness that those days are long gone and a joy at the prospect of what these children are becoming. Sometimes I wish we could jump in a time machine and go back to those treasured moments. But at the same time I love the people they're growing into and enjoy when we do get to hang out together.

I am thankful to God beyond measure that Todd and I have good relationships with our teenagers and that sometimes they like spending time with us. I'm also thankful for the friendships they have with other great teenagers, the majority of whom share the same values, morals and take their faith seriously. It's no myth that friends make the person.

There is almost an urgency to spend as much time with them as I possibly can because it seems very limited. At the same time, however, I'm thrilled they both have the opportunity to go away this week and pray not only for their safety, but also for their spiritual growth.

When your kids are little you hear time and time again, "Enjoy them while you can because they're grown in the blink of an eye." Well I have enjoyed them from the very beginning and it does seem as though I've just blinked. The night before Taylor started kindergarten I laid in bed and cried because, "Tomorrow is kindergarten, then it will be college and before you know it he'll be married and living somewhere else." A little dramatic, yes (and Todd does still tease me about it) but not so far fetched.

This evening we had another break in the rain so I took Sookie to the park for a long walk. Families with little ones were out in abundance, making those bittersweet memories even sharper. I wanted to call out the above cliche to make those parents understand how fleeting this beautiful part of life is. But it's not something you can truly grasp until you're at the other end.

So Friday we played miniature golf and stopped keeping score after the 12th hole. We swung bats in the batting cages - my first time since the great breast cancer debacle of '05 (and I can still smack a ball). We drove Go-Karts and I managed to spin Taylor, run him into a wall and stall him. But mostly we just had fun and made a few more memories to add to the stack.

Labels: blessings, family, fun, nostalgia

Mused by Jenster :: 1:04 PM :: 6 People musing:

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Saturday, April 04, 2009

Hello, My Friends...

I have been very absent lately. For you, my fan, I am very sorry. Life just keeps getting in the way. But I'm here for a minute or two to give you a quick update of the last week or so.


About this whole depression thing - I have been on a very mild antidepressant for a little over a week now. I don't know if it's a placebo effect or if it started working quickly, but I can definitely tell a difference. Thank you again for your kind words and prayers. I don't think I can ever express to you just how much they all have meant to me.


Last Sunday we celebrated a whole year with Sookie. Can you believe it's been that long?? I can't. Do you remember how cute and fluffy she was? If not, just check out THIS post. What a little cutie!! She's not quite so little or fluffy anymore, but we still think she's pretty cute.




Todd's parents came in from SoCal Wednesday night to hang out with us for a couple of weeks. The kids are out of school part of next week and the day after Easter and now that the grandparents are here we have some good excuses to do fun, touristy things we maybe wouldn't do otherwise.


Katie was in the Spring play last night. It was set in the 50's and the kids looked so cute in their poodle skirts and such. I threw a pink felt poodle skirt sans the poodle together Sunday night. It took me about 10 minutes. And while I could have done much better if I'd taken the time, it still looked pretty cute. I mean, nobody could see that it didn't have a waistband and was held up by safety pins.

At the end of the play some of the kids came out and did the cutest dance. Katie's partner was a little - and I mean "little" - 7th grade boy and at the very end he jumped up and she held him. She's not so big herself, but she was definitely the heftier of the two.

Afterwards we went to a diner with THE most fabulous desserts with our friends whose daughter was also in the play. It was a fun Friday night and sure beat sitting at home watching nothing on the TV!


Today was Easter Eggstravaganza 2009 at the church. Oh.My.Gosh. At this writing I have no idea how many kids were there, but I do know they had to park people on the street. The wind was gusting and it was cold, but it didn't seem to keep anyone away.

The theme was Candy Land and all the classrooms were decorated as such. There were crafts and games in the different lands and really, it was phenomenal. We had a petting zoo outside and three different fields for egg hunts according to the kids' ages. From what I understand, we used all of the 30,000 filled eggs in the hunts. We also had food vendors and cotton candy and popcorn -- it was extraordinary. Oh! And guess what my job was. Coffee. Doesn't that seem appropriate?

We have outgrown the building we're currently in and it was originally built to eventually be the Valley Kids (our children's ministry) building. So we are in the process - and oh, so close to finishing - our new building which is much larger and will eventually be the student building when our campus is completed in however many years. All that is to say it would have been awesome if we could have used the new building today - our food vendors were outside and the wind caused a few problems. But still, I was amazed at how smoothly everything ran today and how many people showed up. Awesome stuff, that.


I guess that's about it for right now. My Mother-In-Law is cooking dinner tonight and I smell something really yummy downstairs. I think I must go investigate!!

Labels: church, depression, family, kids, random

Mused by Jenster :: 3:25 PM :: 11 People musing:

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Wearin' O' The Orange

Today I was in touch with my Irish roots in honor of St. Patty. I wore green and my Celtic jewelry and I made corned beef and cabbage for dinner.

Since we're not Catholic, nor has my family been for as long as we have a record, we should be wearing orange instead. And considering my ancestors left the Scottish Highlands to "help subdue the Catholics in Ireland", or something like that, it may be a mockery to wear green.

But I hate to be pinched so I'll continue to wear green. Besides, I have no interest in subduing anyone - Catholic or otherwise.

Labels: family, holidays

Mused by Jenster :: 9:34 PM :: 5 People musing:

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Sunday, March 15, 2009

Survey Says...

I saw this survey on Lori's blog and bravely decided to try it here. I had to reign Todd in on a couple of his answers because this is a family show.

1. What is something I always say to you?
Taylor: Stop.
Katie: I’m just sayin’.
Todd: (To the kids) Are you running a fever or are you throwing up?


2. What makes me happy?
Taylor: When I stop.
Katie: Coffee.
Todd: The yummy coffee that I make you.

3. What makes me sad?
Taylor: When I don’t stop.
Katie: Not having coffee.
Todd: When you can’t find your happy place.


4. How do I make you laugh?
Taylor: By threatening me when I don’t stop.
Katie: How don’t you make me laugh? Saying stupid stuff.
Todd: When you say silly things, but mean it seriously.


5. What was I like as a child?
Taylor: Probably pretty annoying.
Katie: Weird? I don’t know! I didn’t know you as a child.
Todd: Cute.


6. How old am I?
Taylor: Oh my goodness.
Katie: 23.
Todd: 80.


7. How tall am I?
Taylor: Not very.
Katie: 6’1”. Do you want to be 6’1”? Maybe 5’8”. Is that good?
Todd: 5’4”. (Close. I'm 5'3".)


8. What is my favorite thing to do?
Taylor: Read.
Katie: Write. No, no, no. Blog.
Todd: To sit in your living room with a cup of coffee and your book/computer.


9. What do I do when you’re not around?
Taylor: I don’t know. I’m not around.
Katie: Sing badly.
Todd: Spend too much time on the computer.


10. If I become famous, what will it be for?
Taylor: Writing a book.
Katie: Writing or speaking.
Todd: For the book that shall remain nameless. I’m tired of bugging you about that.


11. What am I really good at?
Taylor: Taking pictures.
Katie: Talking.
Todd: Humor.


12. What am I not very good at?
Taylor: The quiet game.
Katie: Making jokes.
Todd: Sympathy.


13. What do I do for my job?
Taylor: Play solitaire.
Katie: You work as an assistant to Kelly.
Todd: You play with Kelly and all them.


14. What is my favorite food?
Taylor: Anything you don’t have to make.
Katie: Chocolate.
Todd: Mexican.


15. What makes you proud of me?
Taylor: That you didn’t die.
Katie: Accomplishing so much. (When I questioned what she meant she said getting through chemo and everything else that comes with having cancer.)
Todd: Being a breast cancer survivor.


16. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be?
Taylor: Elmer Fudd.
Katie: Belle from Beauty and the Beast because you tamed Daddy and she likes to read.
Todd: Cruella. What answer are you looking for? Oh! I know! Booboo!

17. What do we do together?
Taylor: Fill out ridiculous surveys.
Katie: We laugh together and we sing together.
Todd: We talk. We have nice discussions.


18. How are we the same?
Taylor: Name anything.
Katie: We’re both funny.
Todd: We both are deep thinkers. (huh? I thought I was shallow.)


19. How are we different?
Taylor: I’m a dude.
Katie: You’re my mother.
Todd: I’m a fixer and you’re not.


20. How do you know I love you?
Taylor: Because you tell me every now and then.
Katie: Because you laugh at my really bad jokes and you pull me back to reality.
Todd: Because you tell me.


21. Where is my favorite place to go?
Taylor: Pretty places.
Katie: To the beach because it reminds you of your childhood. Wait. Anywhere with me!
Todd: Barnes and Noble with a Starbuck’s.

Labels: family, survey

Mused by Jenster :: 8:24 PM :: 15 People musing:

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Friday, February 20, 2009

It's All Good





As some of you so graciously pointed out to me, it is now Saturday. Life is mostly good with a little of the not so great thrown in to keep things interesting.

When last we met I told you I had nothing going on after I picked the kids up from play practice at 5:30. Wednesday night I should have been using my time to clean the kitchen, put the stuff back under the sink, catch up on laundry, go through the junk pile (really "pile" should be plural, maybe even the plural of plural, but I don't want you all to know what an incredible slob I am) on the counter and that sort of thing. Instead I was curled up in the big green chair trying not to move for fear my head would explode (a common happening for migraine sufferers) and ended up going to bed between 9:30 and 10:00.

Whilst I happily snoozed and dreamed of a clean kitchen, healthy puppies and chocolate that makes you lose weight the phone rang. Looking at the clock as I picked up the receiver, I was not pleased to see it was 4:00. It was Todd. He had left Princeton at 2-ish because he felt so horrible and didn't want me to freak out when I heard the garage door open in the next 15 minutes or so. "Just go back to sleep and I'll see you when you come down. I'm going to hang downstairs with Sookie and probably snooze on the couch."

So I rolled over to go back to sleep, but all I could think about was all the stuff in the middle of the kitchen floor and the nasty dishes and the junk piles (we've already established the extent of this). I thought I'd had until Friday to get the house back into some semblance of order! Todd is not a demanding man and I thank God daily for that, but seriously the kitchen looked condemnable.

Finally I dozed off for another 30 minutes or so until my alarm went off and I came downstairs to the man and the dog curled up on the couch, blissfully asleep. I hated that he had to come home because he was sick, but it made going to work on Thursday so much easier on me for worrying about Sookie.

Todd went to the doctor that day and he was diagnosed with a severe case of bronchitis - which we already knew. He had a horrible case of pneumonia several years ago and ever since then he's been terribly susceptible to bronchitis. Sookie wasn't eating, drinking or taking her medicine so he took her to the vet and had her admitted for IV fluids and antibiotics.

Thursday night was another one of those nights - work late; pick up Katie and Shelby at 4:00; get home close to 4:30; leave at 5:30 to get Taylor to play practice and Katie to voice lessons by 6:00 (I like taking Katie to voice, though, because I sit and read for 30 minutes); go from voice lessons to the church for band practice because Katie is singing Sunday night; leave band practice and pick up Taylor at 9:00.

Friday mornings are when I get to hang out with my Homies. I always come away revived and had really been looking forward to my weekly refreshing. BUT... I hadn't been able to do my laundry or clean or anything so I skipped the Homies and tried to catch up on laundry. I didn't finish, but I did make a significant dent.

Todd was home with bronchitis; Katie ended up staying home from school with a sore, scratchy throat and major head congestion; Taylor texted me from school (bad Taylor!) asking if I could come pick him up because he felt horrible, but he decided it was allergies and he thought he could probably make it the rest of the day; Sookie was at the animal hospital. It was like the plague or something! Happily, though, I picked up the Sookster and she is back to her normal, hyper self. She's eating, drinking, jumping, playing - all that stuff and her nose is wet! She is on a ton of medicine and they're still not sure what caused the fever, but I'm happy she's doing so much better.

Which brings us to today. Sookie is good. Katie is good. Taylor is good. My kitchen is CLEAN. No junk piles and no dirty dishes. The laundry still isn't caught up because Taylor did his laundry all day and it's too late for me to start now. Wine club is in an hour.

The only bad thing in the mix is Todd. Well, HE'S not bad, but he is bad sick. Now I've mentioned this several times before and I'll say it again. Compassion is not my thing. It doesn't matter how many times I take a spiritual gifts inventory, compassion is always looooooow. (That means really, really low.) But even I feel bad for him. His fever will hardly break and he says he feels like an elephant is sitting on his chest. He was really looking forward to getting together with the neighbors this evening, too. I guess I'll just have to have a good enough time for both of us!

So life is much better today, just as I prayed it would be. Todd shouldn't have to travel for a few weeks and hopefully he'll start to feel better ASAP. I sure am glad God is more merciful than I am!!

Here's an aside. Taylor loves shock value. Really a lot. He was waiting for Kristen to come over this afternoon and she was bringing a sack of sugar that she's going to have to take care of for a class she has at school. He said they were going to decorate it together. "What?" I asked. And he said, "When Kristen gets here we're going to make a baby together." Oh yes he did!! Those exact words!! Not something a mother wants to hear her 16-year-old say! I have no idea where he gets that sort of behavior.

Labels: Bible, family, God, Health, puppy, weekend plans

Mused by Jenster :: 7:43 PM :: 13 People musing:

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Sunday, February 08, 2009

Just A Few Things

I finally got a donation button put on my sidebar, but I can't figure out how to put my progress indicator over there. So I will try to get one of those tickers like Sing 4 Joy has on her blog at some point this week. I am thrilled to say that I've received over $1,800 so far!

Did you notice my new picture? I think my family thought I had lost my mind as I shoved the kitchen table around so the light and shadow would be just how I wanted it. Oh, and the big cup of hot cocoa with all the whipped cream I made just for the picture. Of course I had to drink it all, too. Isn't that the prettiest cup? My sister-in-law, Rachele, gave it to me for Christmas. And it holds a ton of liquid, too! It doesn't get better than that.

Todd and I went to New Balance in King of Prussia mall yesterday and bought two pairs of shoes each so we can start training in earnest. New Balance is a Susan G. Komen sponsor so not only do my shoes have a cute little pink ribbon, but we received a discount as well. Todd's not so lucky because his shoes don't have a ribbon on them.

I've decided I don't want to be Mother of the Year anymore. It's too much work and it's not any fun. I think the fact that I made it an entire month AND I have two teenagers is quite an accomplishment in itself. I'm also pretty sure the fact I've been rethinking having children - even though it's nearly 17 years too late - takes me out of the running. They haven't been bad or anything. They just require too much of me. Do I look like a waitress? Do I look like a personal chef? Do I look like a cab driver? Do I look like an ATM? Do I look like a personal secretary? Okay. So I probably do look like a few of those, but that's totally beside the point.

After nearly record breaking cold weather we got up into the mid-fifties today! It smelled like spring and was divine! Except the snow has all melted and our side yard is one big mud puddle. Brady came over and the dogs ran around attacking each other. And of course my dog had to jump up on Bill and Laura with her filthy muddy paws. What a little brat. Todd had to give her bath after all that fun. But the worst part about all the melted snow is finding all the thawed out poop. Ick!

I'm watching the end of the Grammy's. I thought it was a pretty decent show tonight. Jennifer Hudson sang flawlessly with that beautiful, robust voice of hers and had a hard time holding it together when she finished. My heart just hurt for her, poor thing.

So there's a little smattering of what's been going on around here. Happy week!

Labels: 3-Day, awards, family, music, Sookie, TV

Mused by Jenster :: 10:28 PM :: 13 People musing:

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Sunday, January 04, 2009

Sickies, Weight, Age, and Other Depressing Subjects

I'm almost afraid of jinxing myself by typing this, but since I'm not the superstitious type I'm going to type it anyway. Everyone in my family has been sick except for me. Taylor started it off, to be quickly followed by Katie and Todd. Apparently all those immune system workouts at the preschool last year has finally paid off. Still, I wish the rest of the family would feel better. And stop breathing on me.

Todd's folks gave us a Wii for Christmas, including Wii Sport and Wii Fit. There's a fitness test on Wii Sport that measures balance, stamina and strength and then tells you your fitness age. The first time I did it I came up as 57. I'm 43. The goal is 20. No biggy, though. I figured after a couple days of getting into the swing of things I'd test closer to my real age. So two days later I took the test again. This time I scored at 77. As in 20 years older than my already too old score of 57. Made me want to throw a shoe at the TV. I made up for it with my last test, though, where I came up as 31. I think I'll stop with the testing for a while and just go with that score.

To do the Wii Fit you have to make a profile. You give your age and your height, you stand on the balance board to be weighed and it gives you your BMI. It also plumps up your cute little Wii character in direct proportion to your BMI. Which I find very sad because if she is my virtual self shouldn't she look how I WANT to look? You know - tall, thin, alluringly sexy as opposed to short, pudgy and middle aged - how I look in real life.

When I get past my Wii image I thoroughly enjoy it. I do a little yoga, a little balance fitness and a little aerobics for 30 minutes a day and bank my points. Right now I hold the lead in slalom, ski jump, hula hoop*, tight rope and running (I think). And I'm just competitive enough to want to keep those leads.

So the whole point is to exercise every day and watch my little Wii character's BMI go down. So far I've watched it go up. I gained 3.1 pounds in three days and watched my fluffy little Wii girl get fluffier. In my head I know I couldn't have gained 3 pounds of fat that quickly, but it sure is discouraging! No matter. I still plan on having fun with it. Maybe eventually my little Wii chick will be short, thin and middle aged. I'm not keen on the short or the middle aged, but I'll take it.

My only other depressing subject is about tomorrow. The Monday after a two week break. I'm looking forward to getting back to work. I'm just not looking forward to getting up early. And do you know why I get up early? It's not because I have to leave the house at an early hour or anything. No. It's because I'm a bloomin' good mom, that's why! I could easily sleep until 7:30, maybe closer to 8:00 and still get to work by 9:00. But I get up early enough to take my shower and then see Taylor before he leaves for school at 6:45. I could take my shower after that, but then I wouldn't get to hang out with Katie before she leaves at 7:20. For sure I could take my shower after that, but then Sookie would be in her crate from 7:30 until Taylor gets home from school at 3:00. So I sacrifice that which I hold near and dear to my heart just so I can be the loving, nurturing, selfless mom that I am, dangit!

Along those lines, I'm happy to say that it's already the fourth of January and I'm STILL in the running for Mother of the Year 2009. I'm feeling good about it. I really think this is my year!

*If you're interested, and I can't imagine you would be, Todd wrote a post about me and the hula hoop.

Labels: exercise, family, fun, Health, kids, sick, Sookie, weight management

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Friday, January 02, 2009

Continuing...

I'm going to see if I can knock out the rest of the holiday saga. Here we go...

* Taylor has continued on with his yearly Christmas tradition of being sick on Christmas. Poor baby.

I am not kidding. Every stinkin' year he has a head cold or a sinus infection or bronchitis or something. One year we were doing family pictures with a professional photographer and he was miserable. We pumped him up with Tylenol and managed the session in the fever-free, half-way okay window. Another year he sat alone at a little table in the entryway of the in-law's house which was close to, but not actually at the big table because he was sick and nobody wanted that Christmas gift. This year he laid on the couch in view of the rest of us at the dinner table. It's so sad. But he takes it in such stride and never complains.

* The food has been phenomenal.

Chicken piccata, homemade tacos, breakfast casserole, hashbrown casserole, donuts, cakes, coffee, bagels, authentic shepherd's pie - and that's all I can remember at the moment.

* We're up to 14 people (counting the twins) in two condos and there's always something going on. Katie has shown her competitive side which makes me think of a story. Sorry. You'll have to wait for the story.

There are times when Katie does something that is so me I have to laugh. Playing games is no different. She learned how to play Mexican Train (dominoes) and Triominoes with Aunt Joanne, cousin Stacy and Stacy's boyfriend, Niall. Since she's 14 they took it a little easy on her. Until they realized that she learned quickly, plays dirty and takes no prisoners. Kind of like when I was about her age and my parents went out of town, leaving me with my cousins Ron & Barb for the weekend. They taught me how to play Hate Your Neighbor - UNO before there was UNO. I caught on fairly fast and played with a vengeance. Their friend, a priest, came over to play and he kept saying he was going to grab his exorcism kit from the car because I was clearly evil. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (I say while fiendishly rubbing my hands together)

Am I proud that my genteel daughter has a vicious game playing streak? You betcha!!

* The temps have been in the 50's and everybody thinks it's freezing, meanwhile the boys in my family are walking around in shorts and t-shirts.

I love the desert. I really do. I forget just how much until I find myself in the Southwest or Palm Springs. One of the things I love is the winter weather. Mild and sunny during the day and crisp and cool at night. Perfect!

* I shall be forever grateful that Taylor brought his computer, otherwise I might be rolled up in the fetal position in the corner shaking uncontrollably. But don't tell him I said that. I gotta keep it cool around him.

This one needs no explanation.

* Grandpa made a total funny about books. I'll tell you about it later.

Grandpa noticed Katie's big book and she told him she reads a lot. He said he's been reading a lot of books lately, too. On tape.

* People who live in golf resorts don't look kindly upon golf cart races. Just sayin'.

This was a little misleading as no actual races took place. Taylor wanted to pull a Mario Andretti around the resort, but the cart will only go so fast. He would try to catch up to people, but it never happened.

He did nearly throw me out the windshield by stomping on the break and gave me whiplash by stomping on the accelerator. I didn't find the humor in either. At all.

* Todd's back. Just a little teaser. More on that after the holidays.

Some of you may recall Todd used to have a blog called Jenni and Me. He started it on August 24, 2007 and ended it on September 11, 2007. He saw it as his chance to show people a different perspective than mine. Totally unnecessary as evidenced by the very short run. But for some reason he's felt the need to start it back up. Probably because I don't talk enough about Sookie. Whatever. As long as he keeps his stories to puppy antics we'll get along just fine.

Labels: attitude, blog, family, food, fun, holidays, reading, vacation

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Friday, December 26, 2008

Just a Quickie

POST, People! A quickie post. Geesh!

It's the day after Christmas and it's gorgeous here in Palm Desert. I have lots of pictures - like 600 so far.

Here are a few highlights:

* I got to meet up with HisGirl and Frumpmamma (now known as Fabmamma because she is totally fabulous) on Tuesday morning. More to come. Just know it was so much fun!!!

* Taylor has continued on with his yearly Christmas tradition of being sick on Christmas. Poor baby.

* The food has been phenomenal.

* We're up to 14 people (counting the twins) in two condos and there's always something going on. Katie has shown her competetive side which makes me think of a story. Sorry. You'll have to wait for the story.

* The temps have been in the 50's and everybody thinks it's freezing, meanwhile the boys in my family are walking around in shorts and t-shirts.

* I shall be forever grateful that Taylor brought his computer, otherwise I might be rolled up in the fetal position in the corner shaking uncontrollably. But don't tell him I said that. I gotta keep it cool around him.

* Grandpa made a total funny about books. I'll tell you about it later.

* People who live in golf resorts don't look kindly upon golf cart races. Just sayin'.

* Todd's back. Just a little teaser. More on that after the holidays.

That's all for now. We're headed out for more blog fodder.

Labels: family, holidays

Mused by Jenster :: 2:46 PM :: 9 People musing:

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Thursday, November 20, 2008

Airports, Afghans and A Cake

I picked my folks up from the airport yesterday. What an ordeal that was. There was little to no traffic and I just zipped my way there. The parking deck, however, was full and they were directing the cars to economy parking in New Jersey. Or maybe Delaware. Oh, alright. It was still in Philly, but it seemed like miles from the airport.

Meanwhile Mom and Dad had collected their bags and were beginning to feel as though they'd been forgotten. Finally the parking lot bus let me out on the departures side of the terminal so I had to run up and over to the arrivals side and found the parents in baggage claim. All alone.

We eventually made it on the bus to take us back to the economy lot and then I wasn't exactly sure where I'd parked. I guessed right, however, and we didn't have too far to walk from where the bus let us out. Then we had to find our way out of the parking lot. That in itself was a challenge, but we finally made it out and on our way back home.

"Economy Parking" is misleading. If you're staying overnight it's $11.00 a day and very economical. If you're just picking up your parents and are parked for less than an hour it's still $11.00. I had no cash on me. Nothing says, "Welcome to Philly" like begging for enough money to get out of the lot.

Sadly, our trip home wasn't nearly as smooth as my trip to the airport. We hit traffic and our 45 minute ride turned into about two hours. We made it home, only for me to turn around and drive Taylor to church for Youth Leadership. I got home from there, honked from the driveway and drove Katie to her cake decorating class. Whew! What a night. Lucky for me Todd made it back from New Jersey in enough time to pick both kids up on his way home.



It's looking like I'll have to do my own dang ironing. Mom is working on afghans (the blankets, not the people) for both the kids and would like to finish them before she leaves in two weeks so she'll be crocheting instead of ironing. Why is it so difficult to get good help these days?

The kids picked out their yarns a few months ago and here's a little peak. This is Taylor's:



And this is Katie's:



Aren't they pretty??



Katie got to decorate a cake in her class last night which worked out nicely because it was my birthday. (Twenty-nine. Thanks for asking.) Look at the beautiful job she did! It made me just the teensiest ferklemped.






And that's all I've got. My blogging will be sporadic at best the next two weeks and my blog hopping will be practically nil. So I leave you with this topic.

Barney Frank and Mr. McGoo - the same person?

Talk amongst yourselves.

Labels: birthdays, family, traffic

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Saturday, November 15, 2008

Speaking of Random...

For the last couple of days I've been thinking about various posts to write, however, when I actually try to type something I come up empty. Sometimes that happens when I think too much. Which is why I prefer to think as little as possible. So I'm going to try a "stream of consciousness" post - just typing up whatever comes to mind.

I had Home Team at my house Friday. Todd calls them my Big Homies since I call the teen girls my Little Homies. I don't particularly like to be called "Big" anything, thank you very much. Unfortunately my mistake was showing my indignation instead of just ignoring him because now he will forever call us Big Homies. Sorry Ladies.

Speaking of my Homies (NOT Big Homies), I'm not much of a cream in my coffee kinda gal, but some of the women like it so I bought some at the store. I picked up regular Coffee Mate and decided to give Italian Sweet Cream a try. What a discovery! Doesn't it look good? That's Beth Coffee right there! It's very much like putting sweetened condensed milk in your coffee only better. When you open up a can of the sweetened condensed milk you end up eating what's left with a spoon so I think the creamer is probably a healthier choice.

Speaking of coffee, my Mr. Coffee broke a couple of weeks ago. It was a bad morning at the Jenster household. Bad. Thankfully Mr. Jenster has a keen sense of survival because he ran to Wawa to get me a large cuppa joe and then he told me no more cheap coffee pots because I go through them like water through a seive. So we went to Kohl's and bought the coolest coffee maker. It's a Cuisinart with a reservoir instead of a carafe so you place your cup on the X and gently push the lever, causing a stream of liquid gold to dispense until you let go. Fun stuff. If you're using a dark cup, however, it's hard to see the coffee and it's easy to overfill. Still, it's worth it just for the fun of it.

Speaking of fun, my mom and dad are flying in from Little Rock on Wednesday and we're all quite excited around here. It will be great to spend Thanksgiving with them and have two more mouths to help eat the enormous amounts of food I'll end up making. Not only that, but mom will make the pumpkin pie so that's a bonus. Then there's the ironing which always seems to get caught up when she's been visiting. Amazing, that. I'm anxious to see how Sookie will feel about her Oma and Papa.

Speaking of Sookie, she's such a puppy. Which is really cute except when it's not. Like when she comes running in the house with muddy paws and won't stop to let us clean them off. Or when she steals socks and gloves and pieces of paper and then runs outside with them. Or when we're trying to watch a movie and she decides it's time to play.

Speaking of movies, when the new Indiana Jones movie was released on DVD the cost at Target was $14.99 for about three days so I snatched it up. I had been looking forward to the movie ever since I heard they were making it, but we didn't get to see it in the theater. We were like in Hawaii or something.

It used to be so easy to plan a family night, but it has taken us until this afternoon when all four of us were here for the length of time it would take to watch it. So we made a day of it. Lunch at Applebee's and then we came home to watch the movie. Todd took Balto for a walk in the frozen tundra (it was cold and veeeery windy today) to wear her out while I got my comfy sweats on. We all converged in the family room and settled in to watch the movie.

Harrison Ford is old now and Sean Connery's presence was definitely missing. It wasn't as good as the first or third Indy movies - I don't even consider the second -but it was a ton of fun. And it was just nice to be a family again even if it was just for a little while! Before long it was time to take the kids to Youth Group.

Speaking of Youth Group -- I got nuthin'. I guess it's time to end this post so Adios Muchachos!!

Labels: family, holidays, homies, movies, random, Sookie

Mused by Jenster :: 9:42 AM :: 9 People musing:

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Tuesday, October 07, 2008

VICTORY!!

A month or so ago I told you about some folks who were in jeopardy of losing their home - The "The Just Plain Wrong" portion of The Good, The Bad, and the Just Plain Wrong. Last night the Township Supervisors voted unanimously for a resolution to ban the condemnation of these two properties for use in building a new park or anything else. The Township building was packed with concerned citizens - we didn't all fit in the actual room and spilled out into the foyer. As you can imagine, there was much applause when the resolution was adopted.

***

When Todd lived at home he would gripe at his dad for not turning the heater on in the early mornings. (Contrary to what some of you may think, early morning in SoCal can be pretty chilly) Now that HE'S the homeowner it's like pulling teeth to get him to turn on the heater. Thankfully for the rest of us, he's out of town. Monday night I turned the heater on and it's a good thing I did. It was 34 degrees yesterday morning! When I told him I turned on the heater he said, "But it's only October!" I may need to put a lock on the thermostat so he can't turn it off when he gets home!

***

I watched about an hour of the debate last night. I couldn't stomach any more than that. This is a totally bipartisan opinion. I'm sick and tired of the lying, the embellishing, the partial truths, the mud slinging -- both sides are just as guilty as the other. Frankly, I don't know who or what to believe. I can't decide if it keeps getting worse or if it's just that I keep getting older and am paying closer attention. Whatever the case, I'll go vote my conscience on that first Tuesday in November and pray for our country and whoever ends up in the White House.

***

Now for the really big news! I'm picking up Sing 4 Joy and God's Guitar Girl from the airport tonight! Then tomorrow I'll get to meet His Girl and a few other Chicas! And they're even going to let me hang out with them on Friday evening and Sunday evening!

Tomorrow I'm taking S4J and GGG into Philadelphia and dropping them off to do their thing while I take the kids to the Franklin Institute to see the Pirates Exhibit (Argh!) and then we might get to catch up with our Hawaiian friends for a bit!

Busy, busy, busy, but FUN, FUN, FUN!

***

As for the hair cut, I'm loving it!! As far as putting a picture on my blog, well, you'll just have to wait. I'm sure I'll be posting a few photos from this weekend and you can see it then. But don't hold me to that!!

***

Okay. I'm off to make my house somewhat presentable for the girls. Gotta go!!

Labels: blessings, change, family, friends, fun, joy, kids, news, prayer, random, touristy, weather, weekend plans, wrong

Mused by Jenster :: 8:29 PM :: 14 People musing:

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Friday, September 12, 2008

HAPPY WEEKEND!!

So? How is everybody? Big plans for the weekend? I know some of you on the Gulf are taking a forced get away. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you. Please be safe!

I've got an awesome weekend planned. I feel bad, too, because when I talked to my mom yesterday I told her there wasn't anything going on. In my defense I had just woken up from an unplanned nap (you know how you're just sitting in a comfy chair, hanging with your daughter and she's watching some show on wedding dresses or maybe cakes and it's slightly cool with the door opened so you have a light blanket on you and then all of a sudden BAM! You're asleep?) and the ol' noggin had been working so hard prior to said unplanned nap that I had a really hard time jump starting it. So, SORRY MOM!

Okay. So here's the deal. First of all my church is launching a new women's program tomorrow and I've been working on the website. We have the brunch tomorrow morning where all will be revealed, including the website, and I'm so excited about this. Women's ministry has always been a passion of mine and now it is coming to fruition and I've been blessed to be a part of it from the ground up. But that's all I'm going to say about that. Oh, now don't worry. You'll be hearing more about it later.

Then after Katie and I get home from the brunch (she's babysitting) we're packing the car (very lightly) and driving up to some town in New Jersey I can never remember the name of to see what is sure to be an incredibly awesome concert.

The Music Builds tour with Third Day, Switchfoot, Robert Randolph, & Jars of Clay. Don't be jealous. Well, I suppose you can be jealous for a minute, but then you're just going to have to get over it.

Yeah. It's good to be me.

Labels: blessings, family, fun, joy, music, weekend plans, worship

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Monday, September 01, 2008

WOW

Last night was a family affair at our church's youth group. My son played electric bass in the worship band, my husband worked the tech booth, I registered the students and my daughter? My daughter blew me away.

We have a large number of kids who come on Sunday nights so the youth is divided into two groups. At 6:00 the junior high kids (6th through 8th) have a worship service and the senior high kids just hang out. At 7:00 they switch. We are in between youth ministers right now and we have these incredible college students who are filling in while we're looking for the perfect fit. Last night was April's turn to speak and her topic was worrying.

She had called Katie earlier in the week to ask her if she would be willing to come up on stage and talk about her worries from a few years ago. Katie agreed so last night I stepped in to hear what she had to say. I hate to be redundant, but she blew me away.

Katie will be 14 in less than two months. She has a beautiful singing voice and I'm always amazed when she gets up and sings in front of a bunch of people. But I'd never heard her speak in front of a crowd before. My baby girl was replaced by an eloquent and poised young lady. She said she was a little nervous speaking to the high school kids because they're older, but you sure couldn't tell. She seemed so calm and confident and I was one very proud mama.

She told the audiences when she was ten her dad got a job in Pennsylvania so he quit his job in Little Rock. She said how she worried about moving so far away and not knowing anybody. She talked about how her mom got breast cancer before her dad had even started his new job and how she was worried her mother wasn't going to be around. She said her father came home every other weekend and how afraid she was her relationship with "Daddy" was going to change and not be close anymore. *sigh* So much for a ten-year-old to worry about. But she also talked about how her mom is okay now, how she has great friends and likes it up here, how she hasn't lost touch with her friends from Arkansas, and how she and her dad are as close as ever.

Apparently nobody told Dad what she was going to be talking about so it caught him totally unawares. Poor guy. I was standing on the opposite side of the tech booth and could hear him sniffing while one of the teenage boys who work in there with him was patting him on the back. Thankfully I was prepared, though it still choked me up. I'm not sure if it was because of what she said or because of the overwhelming pride I felt. Probably a bit of both.

Or maybe it was simply the fact that she's okay. All the trauma this family has been through and she's okay. She didn't come away scarred. She's a little less naive and a little more aware. But she's okay. And isn't that what every mother wants for her child?

Crossposted at Mothers with Cancer

Labels: breast cancer, church, family, Health, joy, kids, Mothers With Cancer, moving

Mused by Jenster :: 5:46 PM :: 15 People musing:

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Saturday, August 09, 2008

All Together Again

This morning I jumped in the car, opened the sunroof, started my favorites playlist, ran through Starbuck's, and set the GPS for Katie's camp in Maryland. Karen (Todd's GPS) took me through green, rolling hills and a patchwork of various crops, mostly tall corn, before leading me over the Susquehanna River and into the campground.

I arrived just in time to witness three kids being baptized in the pool, one of which is a Little Homie of mine. Thankfully another one of my Little Homies had the good sense to defy the rules and take her cell phone so the dunkee could call her parents. Since they'd come to watch I only had four girls to drive home instead of five.

Now, I know first hand how, um, uh, well, how should I say... annoying middle school girls can be. But I also know first hand how much fun they can be. They had me giggling the entire way home.

I dropped the other three girls off at their houses and then brought Katie home. Todd was on his way to our humble abode after working the tech booth at a funeral and for about five minutes we were all in the same dwelling at the same time. Then Todd and I ran to Lowes where we picked up a patio table with four swivel chairs for eighty bucks!!! So not the set I want, but how could we go wrong? It will eventually be our back up when there's too many people for one set. But I digress.

After running some errands we came home to relax in the living room with both the kids and the dog. I promise you Sookie was the most content she's been all week. Then again so was I. Yes, it was only a week, but I missed Katie so much I could hardly keep from speeding on may way down this morning. Oh wait. I didn't keep from speeding. But whatever.

Anyway, it's just nice to be all together again. It makes me happy!

Labels: family, friends, joy, kids, laughter, love

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Sunday, August 03, 2008

In Between Islands

I still have beautiful pictures from the Big Island to share. Incredible vistas, valleys, waterfalls, HOT LAVA STREAMING INTO THE OCEAN - very Hawaiian scenery. But I'm going to take a quick break.



I have hundreds of new posts in Google Reader. I've been trying to get to them, but it's so overwhelming. I'm very sorry, my bloggy friends, but I'm going to wipe out all the posts and start from scratch. Otherwise I'll make myself crazy. I hate to do it, too, because I worry I'll miss out on the most important or provocative post in the history of blogdom. I guess I'll just have to get over it.



My friend, Kris, and I took our daughters and one of their friends to see Mamma Mia yesterday. Kris is an ABBA freak, man. Not freak as in she dresses like them or has a shrine dedicated to them. Just that she has all their CDs and knows all the words. She's seen the Broadway play and this was her third time to see the movie. She cracked me up because she sang every word to every song.

The movie itself was a lot of fun. Very cute movie! It is rated PG-13 for good reason so I wouldn't take young kids to see it. But that's just me. I kind of pushed the envelope for Katie who, I hate to say it, is much closer to 14 than 13 (but that's several other posts for several other days). But I was okay with everything.



Katie goes to church camp for a week today. Once again I'm glad she has this opportunity. My emotions are all over the board with it, though. Part of me is looking forward to having a Katie break (you all know how much she talks). Part of me knows by Wednesday I'm going to want her back home. Part of me is looking forward to having just Taylor for a week. Part of me is hoping he and his friend pick this week to go camping for a couple days. I can't seem to light on just one "feeling" about this whole thing.

It's sort of like school. I love when school gets out and then I always look forward to school starting. I think I would totally dig year around schools. But nobody with the power ever consults me about this.



Poor Taylor is the only one of his friends who can't drive yet. Even Kristen has her license now. He could have gotten his permit three months ago, but he hasn't "studied" for it enough, according to him. Maybe this next week...



So far I've thoroughly enjoyed Todd working from home. Sookie likes it, too. She spends half her day in the office with him or right outside the door, laying in the sun streaming through the big window above the stairs.



I'm so excited I get to go to church today. I've missed three weeks and it's totally thrown me off kilter. There's a lot of exciting stuff for women going on right now that I will definitely be writing about later.



Geesh. I really have nothing to say. Actually, I have a lot of things to say, but this isn't the time to get into any of them. Yup. I've been pondering life's meaning again. Or something like that.

I'll try to get the rest of my Hawaii pictures up tomorrow.

Labels: family, friends, kids, movies, random

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Thursday, June 26, 2008

A Bunch of Good Stuff

So what's up? Nothin' much going on here. Just the usual. You know. Todd's at work - he's got major short timer's disease, but he's making a valiant effort; Katie's babysitting; Taylor's at CIY in Tennessee - kind of like church camp only much more intense. Katie's Little Homies are going camping this afternoon through Saturday morning so Todd and I get some just us time. I think I'm going to make reservations at that new Italian restaurant we were going to eat at for our anniversary, but they were booked. Yeah. That's a great idea.





We watched "Fools' Gold" last night and LOVED IT! The chemistry between Kate Hudson and Matthew McConnohotty is nearly palpable. It had everything I love in a movie. Adventure, romance, humor, an exotic location and even a bit of history. Well, made up history, but still.




The prude that I am was a little disappointed at a flash of anonymous boobies. It's PG-13, for cryin' out loud. It was a quick flash, but so very unnecessary. It reminded me of when I was in 8th grade and my AT group went into Hollywood to see Romeo and Juliet at Grauman's Chinese Theater. Really cool experience, but the boys in the group were thrilled when Olivia Hussey jumped out of bed, baring her chest. (But really, what do you expect with a name like Hussey?) The girls were just embarrassed. And a little envious. Or maybe that was just me.



OH! Have I told you we actually have a Sonic AND a real Starbucks with a drive through now? Maybe two miles from the house, if that. The only problem with the Sonic is it's such a novelty up here that they have to have traffic managers with walkie talkies directing cars who are waiting for the next available slot. It's totally insane. I mean, I love Sonic and all - you know I do - but it's not THAT great.

Last Sunday after Youth Group a bunch of the older kids went to Sonic. They parked in the lot and walked over to order and eat at the picnic tables out front. You order in the same kind of speaker box as if you'd pulled up to a slot, but you give them your name so when they come out they know where the order goes. So here's the conversation with the Sonic chick and my son:

SC: What's your name?

T: Taylor.

SC: What is it?

T: Taylor.

SC: Tyler?

T: Taylor.

SC: What was that?

T: Billy.

SC: Billy?

T: Yup.



This is the top of the swimsuit I bought for Hawaii the other day. I consider it was a good day because I didn't cry in the dressing room. Didn't even feel the urge. I certainly don't like the way I look in a swimsuit. Heck, I didn't like it when I was 40 pounds lighter. But it is what it is so there's no sense getting depressed about it. But what thrilled me was the fact it's just a normal top and it just happens to hide both my mastectomy scar (my left mastectomy scar is pretty high up) and my port scar. I also got two different bottoms - red regular bottoms and a coral SwimMini.



This morning I found a great deal on plane reservations for my parents to come up for Thanksgiving. So I called Mom and we booked those babies before they went away. Mom and Dad actually get in on my 43rd birthday. I think we'll celebrate with a chocolate cake and 29 candles. It's just been the four of us for the last two Thanksgivings so we're really looking forward to having some family to help us celebrate.



All this goodness leads me to today's verse.

If you, then, though you are evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven give
good gifts to those who ask him!

Labels: birthdays, blessings, family, fun, God, holidays, homies, humor, kids, laughter, movies, nostalgia, random, reconstruction, vacation, Verse of the Day

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