Where has the time gone???

I can't believe I haven't written anything on here since July 29th. Where did the time go? I guess I post my updates on Facebook now instead. I also wonder sometimes since very few people read this, why do I even write it? It's not like I don't know what's goin on in my own life! :-) But, I'll do it anyway. Maybe one day I will want to look back and this and remember what was going on.

Kids are great. They are both doing really well in school. They are learning a lot and getting good grades. I have to say, I've been pleasantly surprised by the middle school. I've discovered it gets a bad "rep", I think mainly because it's not as new and shiny as the other middle schools, but we've had a good experience. I worry ALL THE TIME about Mason and his grades though. He always ends up with As or Bs, but man, it's a fight. He's so forgetful and unorganized, and at his age, I feel like I can't hand hold so much anymore. I know parents that still do, but I feel like he is smart enough to know what to do and how to do it, and he has to want to get the grades, and realize the consequences if he doesn't. It's super stressful though. Abbie is just my little social butterfly, happy as she can be, and smart as well. She's doing great, and seems to have a lot of friends. She's still a vegetarian, which I've gotten used to, but it's frustrating because she's also super picky about veggies. We are running out of options. I am having to force her to try a lot of new things, with not much success.

Tony is still working on his Masters- one semester to go- which culminates in May with a trip to Poland, which I'm not allowed to go on. I wish I could- what an opportunity. He is working in DC and I won't lie- it's super stressful on our family. He gets up at 3 am, and gets home about 5:30, very, very tired. WIth me working too, it's tough. I try my hardest to manage as much of the housework and kids stuff as possible, and sometimes I feel like a single mom again. He tries very hard to pitch in, but I know he's tired. He would love a job here, but there is just no market here for what he does. I totally envision us moving to the DC area once the kids are out of high school or in college. One day.....

I'm good- trying desperately to motivate myself to get back in the gym. I have managed to gain back all 10 pounds I had lost. I haven't been running, and football season means lots of beer and munchies for us, and all day on Sundays watching football. I have definitely brought this on myself, but it is really surprising to me sometimes how down I can get on myself over 10 lbs. I have less energy and find myself just really sad about how I look. But then I don't work out. So I feel like I can't complain. I made it 2 times this week to the gym to run, so that's a start. Hopefully I can keep it up. Work is going great- good class- excellent class actually.

I am hoping to get back here again.....soon!

Well, it's been almost a year. This time last year, I was actually pretty relaxed. Everything was pretty much done and I was just waiting!I was 2 days away from the rehearsal dinner and 3 days from the wedding. I soooo wish I could do it again. I loved it so much more this time around. I did things exactly how I wanted, regardless of what anyone else thought or what I "should" have done.

Also this time last year, we were getting ready for a trip to Jamaica. We were going to go to Jamaica again this year, but the economy kept us from going, and the 3-4 other couples cancelled as well. I'm ok with that. I LOVED Jamaica, but if I'm going to travel out of the country, I'd like to go somewhere I haven't been. Instead, we took the money we had put down as a deposit and got the entire trip to Vegas instead. Tony's never been, so I'm excited to share that with him. We paid for it awhile back, thankfully, because otherwise, we probably wouldn't be going. We are hoping to rent a car while we are there and just ride around- I want to show him Red Rock Canyon and Hoover Dam and a few things to see other than the casinos.

It's been a year of ups and downs, but I'd marry that man all over again. He makes me very happy and I love the family we've made together. I'm sure we have many adventures ahead.

A few notes on a few Richmond sites...

So, the other night, my friend and I decide to have a girls night out. It was quite eventful, and speaks volumes to some of the reasons why Shockoe Bottom is nosediving. At the end of the night, i was chatting with one of the bartenders, and telling him my comments, and at his suggestion, I'm putting it out there in blog form!

We started our night right here by our houses. Except for the good ol Riverbound Cafe, there really isn't anywhere to go. And as great as RBC is, they aren't known for their happy hours. It's really a more family kind of place. So, we decided to venture downtown.

We started at The Hard Shell. Great place to start because they validate parking and parking is a major issue down there. We had a glass of wine and a few appetizers. Everything was amazing, except for the service was a little.....hmmmm..... unpersonable? The guy was there to take our order, write it down, turn it in, and deliver it. That was it. No small talk. No witty comments.

We left and headed up to Tobacco Company. YUCK. Cheesy music playing (live) and smoke so thick you can't breathe. And it's still early. I can only imagine what it would have been like later. Seriously, I know it's the "tobacco" company, but that doesn't mean the place has to smell like an ashtray. We were in, and out, and never sat down.

Walk back down the cobblestones to Cha Cha's Cantina. I've been here many times and always had fun, but I haven't been there in a year or so. We go in and instantly feel like we are in Mexico, but not in a good way. Either the AC was broken, or they were seriously going for the Mexican feel. It was soooo hot. We decided to sit at the bar and have a drink, just to cool down from the walk from Tobacco. Granted, I know we were at a Mexican place, so we probably should have had tequila/margaritas, or a Corona, but we wanted wine. They had it on the menu, so figured we should be safe. We both order a Pinot Grigio, and as I take my 2nd sip, I see that there is some nasty dried brown stuff all over the stem and base of the glass. I'm guessing it was refried beans??? vomit. I point it out to the bartender chick, and she says "Oh it's just from hitting the sdfih asdf (don't know what that word was)... and it's fine". Fine for you maybe. I'm not drinking out of that. So, I tell her I don't want it, and she says ok, and hands us the check. The check?! Are you kidding me? Despite feeling like I definitely shouldn't pay for that, we do, and we leave.

We go next to Stool Pigeons. Another place I really used to like. We walk in, lots of AC going, and have a seat at the bar under their really cool fans. We even tell the bartender what just happened. We order Pinot again, and ask him if we can just get a bottle. He pours one glass, and goes off to ask if he can sell us a bottle. Apparently this is not a place where people order bottles as opposed to glasses. While he's gone, I go to take a sip of wine, and smell cheeseburgers. I pause and look around to see if the people around me ordered cheeseburgers, but there is no one around! I put the glass back up to my lips and again smell cheeseburgers. I quickly realized it is the wine, but for some reason, took a sip anyway. If my manners were not what they are, I would have spit it back in the glass. It was sooo disgusting. I swallowed it, just as my friend was taking her glass to her lips. I didn't stop her in time, and she just about got sick. Who knows how long this wine had been open, but lets just say it had taken in just about every food smell possible. About this time, the bartender comes back to tell us he can sell us the bottle, to which he ends up saying to our backs as we walk out. It was so disgusting, and I am not sure I can ever step foot in there. What kind of bar manager doesn't keep an eye on things like that?

We decide that we are going back to Hard Shell, but before we do, decide to try one last place, The Lucky Buddha. I'm so glad we did. Not only was the food great, but the wine was freshly opened for us to sample. The bartender (Jimmy) was full of personality and took care of us all night, even as the restaurant turned into a club, complete with an awesome dj. We spent the evening chatting and having a great time. I highly recommend this place if you are into that type of food. (Sushi, asian, etc)

It will be awhile before another girls night, but we'll likely end up there again!

I'm so not ready....

My son asked a girl to go to Busch Gardens with us tomorrow. I'm so not ready!!!

My Orlando Trip

So, I'm home. I'm soooo glad to be home. I feel like Dorothy..."There's no place like home".

When I travel, I always try to picture myself living in that place. Look at some neighborhoods. Check out teacher salaries. That kind of thing. When we went to Chicago, I decided I could live there, but it's way too cold. I may be able to get over that though. Savannah? Could definitely live there. Valencia, CA? Loved it. Waikiki? We both seriously loved it and were ready to move. But Orlando? No offense to anyone that lives there, but there is NO WAY I could live there. It was tooooo hot, too humid, too rainy. The people outside of Disney were not that nice. Traffic was horrible. I kept trying, really hard, to find something awesome about it, and I just couldn't! And the huge monopoly Disney seems to have on everything really started to bug me. I couldn't even find a Starbucks in the immediate area.

Anyway, the conference was AWESOME and I learned so much. I can't wait to put it to practice. I am soooo thankful for the award that I won that let me go!

I met a very interesting girl while there named Stephanie, and got to see first hand, how foolish some people look when they are toasted. She tried to pay her bar tab 3 times and the cute bartender (Marco) was super sweet when explaining that she had already paid it, and tried to pay it again multiple times. She was totally sloshed and it was so hilarious. It's not nearly as funny typing it as it was experiencing it.

My family joined me on Thursday and I was sooooo ready for them to come. I had been there since Sunday night by myself. As much as I enjoyed the book I read at night and the "me" time, it was kinda boring after a few days. I watched a lot of "judge" shows (People's court, Judy Judy, etc) which I LOVE. LOL I spent my evenings having dinner at the bar with my book in hand, and I did a lot of shopping for Kagan stuff, which I'm anxiously awaiting the delivery of. (My award also paid for all of this- even better- shopping with someone else's money!) Sadly, i was ready again for some "me" time by the time we got home. I know this doesn't make me mother of the year, but I lost that title 11 years ago, so I'm good! :-)

Shopping

I thought I'd write about something MUCH lighter today. :-)

I've been gearing up for this trip to Orlando for awhile now, and realized early on that I have NO shorts. Since I gained this extra 20 lbs or so over the last few years, I just stopped wearing them. I'll wear capris or skirts but shorts just look hideous on me. They are either too short or too expensive or just don't look good on me. Well, I realized I can't go to Orlando with no shorts. Thankfully, my friend Jenny brought over a bag of clothes she didn't want anymore and there were two pairs of shorts in there that actually fit me, and I didn't hate them! (Thanks Jenny!!!) So, this led me to go out and try to find some.
I went to Williamsburg the other day and looked at the outlets and didn't find a single pair. Tried Target. Nothing. I saw a sign in Old Navy's window, so went in there, and found 3 pairs for $10 each! SCORE! I NEVER shop there because the last time I did, nothing fit me right, but this time, they worked out! Must be that extra 20 pounds. So, at least I have 4-5 pairs to take with me.

I'm so ready to go! I feel bad, but I'm excited to be alone! I love my kids and husband SOOOOOOO much, but I have to admit that the thought of sitting by the pool with a book and drink, all by myself, for as long as I want, sounds heavenly. Granted, I have to get through a day of class before I can get outside, but I'm just so excited. Pangs of guilt enter my mind now and then, but I have managed to brush them away. The kids will be at my dad's having a blast, and I know my husband is looking forward to being a bachelor for a week- xbox, takeout, and sitting around in his underwear. :-)

Judging

I rarely (if ever) toot my own horn. It's just not something I do. I love nice things, probably to a fault, and love being a woman, but seriously put my family and friends before myself. But, in the last few days, I have realized something about myself that I am very proud of. I have realized that I am not judgemental of people that I don't know or know anything about. I don't criticize people for their life choices, etc.

This Michael Jackson stuff has really thrown me for a loop. I had NO idea that there were so many people out there that think they are really "in the know" about his life. I mean, I was a fan of him my entire life, and I would NEVER go on the record to say "he was innocent" or "he was guilty". Never. Why? Because the media is not a reliable source of information, and money makes people do some very strange things. It boggles my mind that people are so convinced to the point of judging the man. Wishing a dead person to "rot in hell" for something that he may or may not have done. He may very well have abused some children. Maybe he didn't. I don't know, and will never know, so why spend time being negative and spewing hate? I'd rather focus on his music, and how it makes me feel happy, and the laughter that ensues when my husband imitates his dancing, and my kids newfound excitement over the music that I enjoyed at their age. It makes me much happier than the alternative.

Anyway, it makes me happy that despite some of the things that my parents did wrong with me, they managed to raise a person that is an independent thinker and open-minded, and non-judgemental. Maybe it's because I'm so imperfect myself. I just can't bring myself to assume I know all the facts about a person's private life. I guess I can cast those stones when I get myself sin-free.

Waiting.........

Well, I got an interview. I had that yesterday. Today was so.....weird. I knew they were interviewing people allllllllll day, and while I was working, I kept thinking about the other interviews and wondering how they were going. I don't wish anyone else bad luck, but geez.... I have to admit I was hoping no one did that well. :-) I really hope I hear something tomorrow. I hope they let me know either way, but I just want to hear good news. I want to get a call back. I know if they liked me, there is one, and quite possibly two, more interviews.

I've played this out both ways. I know if I get it, I'm just gonna be on cloud 9, and although the job won't start for quite awhile, I will want to start tomorrow! If I don't get it, I'm going to be very, very sad. I've been praying and just asking God to help me be accepting of whatever His will is, and I've asked my closest friends to pray for me as well. So, thank you friends. I want to be one of those people that is just still, quiet, and patient. I'm a work in progress for sure.

On an unrelated note, my hubby and I have been doing this book called "the Love Dare". Although we already had a strong marriage, this has been so fun to do. We are both so busy that sometimes it is hard to find time to "connect" and this has been really cool. Basically, you get a challenge every day that you have to complete. Although we know what the other is doing for the day, it's still been fun to see how it plays out. It's definitely kept us close in a very stressful time.

One more week of school........ so bittersweet!!! I have such nice kids this year. I look at them sometimes and think "this could be my last class if I get this job!". What an odd thought. I love them.... Such a joy to be able to spend my days with them.

Wow, I did it.

I applied for a new job today. Crazy. I was sick to my stomach turning in the application packet. Now I get to hold my breath and wait. I have about 10-12 days to wait for any idea of feedback I'm guessing. It's a long shot, but I felt my heart telling me I needed to apply. Fifteen years in one place is a very long time, and I'm ready to be challenged in a new way. We shall see!!

Mothers Day

Today is Mothers Day, and it's been such a nice day. I woke up very briefly this morning as our live in alarm clock, Abbie, tiptoed in about 7 to wake up my husband. Apparently this was pre-planned. He got up, donned his G-town baseball cap and track pants to head to Starbucks. He came home with coffee, a Sunday paper, and two big bouquets of tulips - one for Mason to give me, and one for Abbie to give me. The kids then made b'fast with Tony's help- and it was so yummy. Bacon, eggs, biscuits, waffles, oj. YUM.

I stayed in bed and caught up with my Tivo- Oprah from all week- and then showered. We went to the cemetary to see my mom and the nicest man that worked there came up to us and gave me a flower. So sweet. We left there and went to hit golf balls, then out for ice cream. As I type, Tony is grilling yummy steaks for dinner. It couldn't have been a better day, unless I could have had my mom around. I've missed her a lot lately. If she was here, we would have gone by her house to give her her gift, which would have been something to use around the pool or yard this summer. I miss her so much. I seriously can't put into words how much I miss her. I talked to my sister, like I usually do on holidays, and we talked about what she'd be doing if she was here. We laughed about a few funny stories and ended with a sigh because we both know the other knows exactly how we feel. I thank God I have her because if I didn't, no one would truly get how I feel.

I hope all my mom friends had a fabulous day, full of love, children's laughter and smiles, and a few indulgences.

Where have I been?

Wow. It's been a long time since I posted. Where in the world have I been and what have I been doing? Where did the time go???

Today was a tough day for a few reasons. None of them are worth going into really. One was my husbands fault, and he apologized early in the day (he's a smart man. The other was just sort of a smack in the face, and in the long run, it made me ponder a few things, which isn't always a bad thing. Anyway, I came home, did homework with Abbie, waited for Mason, went for my first run in 3 weeks, and it made me feel so much better.

Nothing much is going on. We cancelled our trip to Jamaica. Everyone else we were going with backed out, so we decided rather than go back to Jamaica, we will pick somewhere we've never been instead. I'm supposed to go to that Kagan thing in July, so it will be a busy summer! I haven't had time to sit down and research where we wanna go. All I know is sand. hot. drinks. sunsets. rest. In no particular order.

Dorsey is retiring. That has been hard to come to terms with. He's been a part of my life for 10 years. Yes, I'm that old. LOL I will miss him so much. Since the wedding, we have gotten so close, and I feel like I am actually getting to know him. It will be hard to see him go. I think we will stay in touch, especially as I go down this administration road.

Kids are good- they are soooo ready for summer, as am I! Abbie is into soccer right now and is having so much fun with it. Mason is playing the mandolin now, which is pretty cool. My dad gave him an old mandolin of his, and mason is teaching himself. He's so smart with music.

Tony is loving his masters program, and I'm loving that I'm almost done with mine. I'm ready for the next challenge. Do I want to work on a doctorate?? I have always said no,but if the right program came along, I just may.... shhhhh don't tell my husband. LOL

College?

Yikes.
My son is in 6th grade, and we spent almost a hour tonight talking about colleges, his career choices, looking at websites of colleges, and talking about how important it is to get the best grades he can, make good choices, be a good citizen, and make sure he can live with the consequences of every one of his choices throughout high school!
(How's that for a long, run-on sentence??)

So, after our discussion, he has decided to look at (in no particular order):
MIT
Georgia Tech
Embry Riddle

I hope the boy gets some scholarships. I'm just sayin.........

An update on our chaos

I started to update, and sat here for a minute thinking "what can i say?". Life hasn't changed much from my last update, so I guess I'll just basically repeat the same stuff!
1. Annie is over.... it was soooo cute and the kids did an amazing job. I think Mason is happy for some down time, and I know I'd like some!

2. Abbie's play is this weekend. She has "tech week", AKA "Hell week" in adult circles because of the late night practices until they get it right. It's in Petersburg, 45 minutes away, so needless to say, it's a strain sometimes. But it will be so worth it! I'm so excited to see her on the stage. This will be her first play. I think she got jealous of big brother getting all the "acting" attention!

3. Tony's classes are underway and he is LOVING it. This is such a change because he really DID NOT enjoy his undergrad classes. He is really bonding with the guys in his group and is loving the learning! He talks about it all the time and I'm really seeing professional growth in him. I can't wait to see what professional opportunities this brings him. It all culminates with a international trip, and I've already told him I'm SOOO going with him! He amazes me how he gets up at 3 am everyday, goes to work in DC, gets home at 5:30 or so, and then manages to take Abbie to play practice.

4. I am LOVING my internship. I love teaching, but this stuff is just so exciting! I guess it's just so cool to me to be doing this stuff after 15 years in the classroom. I seriously love every bit of it, even the boring paperwork. It's a lot of work and it's very, very challenging mentally for me. I really feel challenged and it makes the day go by so quickly. Again, I'm very excited to see what the future holds for me professionally!

5. I am super excited about April being pregnant. I found out today if she is having a girl, she wants to name her Evelyn, which just makes me teary to think about.

6. And on a side note, I can't wait for spring break so I can deeeeeep clean my house. With all of the above going on, the house is getting cleaned, but not de-cluttered. Watch out kiddos and hubby- if you want to keep it, you better find a place for it, because I'm about to attack. Goodwill and AmVets are gonna love me.

What a great song....

I just found my all-time favorite Christian song on YouTube. I wasn't an AI follower last season, so I never knew they did this....but it's a great performance. This song was my "go to" song the entire time I was going through my cancer. I remember just going to the grocery store, to Target, or anywhere....just to be alone and blast this song in my car. It ALWAYS made me feel better......

www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6G0U8Vg6nY

Off to look for more.....

Finally Friday....

Why did this seem like such a long week, when I only worked 1 1/2 days? Seriously. Any teacher can tell you that half days feel longer than regular days. I guess that's what it was. I am plum worn out. Looking forward to dinner out tonight. It's a teacher from school's b'day and she asked us to join them for dinner.... it'll be nice to go somewhere different than we usually go and just relax.

Tomorrow, I'm getting my hair cut and highlighted. I always get nervous right before a haircut. Inevitably, I start to hate my hair, thus I make an appt. Then, right before the haircut, I start liking the way it looks or the way it's doing, and I have this appt that I feel compelled to keep. So, hopefully, it'll turn out well and I'll still like it afterwards. :-) I want to have the nerve to do something a little more drastic with the highlights- we shall see! If you don't see me for awhile, you'll know I hate it. :-)

I am so excited about the warm weather this weekend. The doctor told me this week that I have a Vitamin D defieciency. I think I just need some more sun time..... maybe I should go back to Hawaii. Couldn't hurt, right???

My quiet spot....

We are on snow day number 2. They have been fun, relaxing, and have allowed me to get some closets cleaned out and tackle some tasks I probably wouldn't have until Spring Break! That being said, I'm a dork, and I'm bummed that I missed a few meetings and administration stuff that I was going to take care of yesterday and today. How sad is that????

I got up early this morning, fixed myself a cup of coffee, and sat in my living room, and looked out the window. Over the years, this has become my favorite spot to just "be". The small room is filled with furniture....I'm sure some decorator person would tell me it's too full.....and it is..... but I love it. Every piece in there was my mom's. Her formal sofa, her piano, her end tables, her chair, her coffee table, and her pictures. The sofa needs to be reupholstered to really "go" with the room, but I don't want to do it. It still sort of smells like her house, and it brings me great comfort and peace to sit there, and look out the window, and just be still. My mom's life was never "rush, rush"....she spent a lot of time just being, and looking out the window, talking to friends over coffee or over the phone, and talking to us kids. I feel more like her when I allow myself those moments. It's hard for me to do it for long periods of time because inevitably my husband or a child comes and joins me, but that's ok too. Still very peaceful. If my mom could sit there with me, it'd be perfect.

A long lost update

Ok, so I'm taking this technology class now, which I really hate. But it's online, which is good. I can't say that I've taken a lot from the class, other than what I already knew....there is tons of technology out there that I don't know anything about, and I don't use enough technology in my classroom. BUT, I did learn about Google Reader in class, and I LOVE IT. Instead of clicking through all the blogs I follow, I can just log into Reader and see at a glance which ones have updates. This is such a time-saver.

Anyway, I haven't updated lately because I've been so darn busy. I am sooooo loving my internship. I love all the meetings and all the face to face time with parents. I know I probably wouldn't love it if I did them all day every day, but for now, I really like it. What I don't love is giving up all of my planning times and time after school for the meetings, because I'm having to bring work home. But oh well....

Kids are busy. Abbie auditioned for a play and got 2 parts. The play is Anasi the Spider and it runs the weekend of March 27th at the Lee Playhouse at Ft Lee. It's an "all kids" production. Should be really cute. Mason is busy with Annie, and that runs the weekend of March 20 at Stonewall. Tony started his Masters program which meets every other Friday and Saturday. Luckily, we all thrive on business! (Well, Tony, not so much....but he is hanging in there!)

We are all so ready for Spring. Tony wants to work int he yard, and I'm ready to Spring clean-out the house! Abbie is going to play soccer and Mason just wants to be able to "hang out" with his friends outside. Aaahhh the joys of almost-teens!

So freaking funny

So, I'm sitting at a red light the other night and I see this sticker on the car in front of me. I laughed so hard I almost cried. I really wish I could put this on my car. I really do. But I can't.

Happy Anniversary- bah humbug

Yes, I know it's only a 6 month anniversary, but still......

1. When you ask your husband 1 week before your anniversary if he wants to do anything, and he responds with "You know that Super Bowl is that day, right?"
and

2. You start your day using a wet, hot dryer sheet to get gum out of your dryer while he sleeps......


I think you deserve a piece of jewelry, a spa treatment, or something.
I'm just saying.....
Right??

Why do I watch Oprah?

So, my darling husband gets up at 3:30 for work. Yes, 3:30 AM. Love that man.
He must love us because why else would he get up at 3:30 in the morning to drive to DC for work everyday. But I digress....

So, I check the tv for a snow closing update. Nothing. But it's 3:30 in the morning. I go back to sleep and wake up at 6 to find out we have a 2 hour delay. YIPPEE!! I'm so freakin excited. I go turn off the kiddos alarm clocks, get back in bed, snuggle down under the comforter....and..... can't sleep. I'm too awake and excited. Great-- perfect quiet time to catch up on my Tivo. I turn on Oprah because Tony can't stand it and rolls his eyes when he is around and I'm watching it.

It's about teenagers with weight problems. Oh my goodness. I was bawling. Not just a few little tears. I was really crying. I feel so badly for these children. And the one girl says that not just kids pick on her, but her teachers. And it got me to thinking. How many people, including myself, make comments about fat kids, or fat adults. I should know from having a sister that was really overweight (until she had lapband surgery) that not every fat person is fat because of just eating too much. There is a pain there from goodness knows what....these kids shared some really painful, personal things, and it just broke my heart. Finally, with 15 minutes left in the show, I had to turn it off.

So, to those random strangers that are really overweight that I have made comments about or thought bad things about, I am really, really sorry. :-(

Shopping

I slept til 10 am today. Can you believe that??? I can't. Late sleeping for me is usually like 8 am. Crazy. Granted, I didn't go to bed until 2 am, but still. I always wake up early.

Then, I went shopping with Keene...had a great time. Warm weather, and we were talking and catching up like you just can't do at work. I was determined to find something cute for myself. That was my entire reason for going- to be purely selfish and buy something (or things) for myself. What did I come home with?

1. A Hanna Andersson coat for abbie.
2. 2 Tommy Bahama shirts for Tony.
3. A coat for Tony's niece
4. a t-shirt for me.

That's it. A tshirt.
I tried on jeans at True Religion because I have a serious jeans fetish. I loved them, and they were a great price. (Although my husband would seriously disagree!) But anyone that knows me knows that I often get buyers remorse after an expensive purchase. I went up to pay for them and the lady says "All sales are final". I'm taking that to mean no returns, exchanges only. But nope. Not even exchanges. I had tried them on, but still....you just never know! I just found that to be so unfriendly and such poor customer care that I told her I didn't want them. Now I'm sad cuz I really wanted those jeans. But not enough to sacrifice my beliefs about customer service! :-)

Anyway..... just wasnt my shopping day. Maybe I'll drag Tony to Potomac Mills sometime soon!

Not me....

Ok, so I'm on a roll today. I love this idea. I read it on someone else's blog. "Not me" Fridays.

I did not put on two different color boots yesterday as I was leaving for work. One black and one brown. If I did, I would have noticed it just as I was getting in the car, already late for work.

I did not tell a white lie and tell someone I couldn't make an appt because my daughter was sick when she wasn't. That would just be bad karma.

I did not get stared at at the gym, on the treadmill, because someone realized I was singing out loud to my Ipod. That would be so embarassing. Even if it was a realllllllllllly good song. Especially since I can't carry a tune in a bucket.

I did not ignore school work to watch 3 episodes back to back of The Real Housewives of Orange County. Such trashy tv.

I did not tell my son to practice his saxaphone for 2 hours straight since he forgot all week to practice. He is supposed to play for 120 minutes a week, and of course, I only encourage him to play for 20 minutes 6 days a week like he is supposed to.

Nope, not me.

Best.Invention.Ever.

Seriously. Check out their site. http://www.poopourri.net/
And go buy this stuff.
If you have a stinky man in your house, and I know that you do, this stuff is AMAZING. You know what I'm talking about. If you have to tell your husband to go use the upstairs bathroom just in case someone comes over, you need this. If you can't go in your own bathroom for at least an hour afterwards, you need this. It will change your life. For real.

Their slogan? "Spray the bowl before you go, and no one else will ever know".

This stuff has changed my life. And Tony's.
I'm just sayin.....go buy it. Don't even think twice about the cost. It's worth it's weight in gold.

I'm a big mush

I'm such a big mush! I have been wanting to write about the Inauguration, the speeches, the follow ups on tv....just haven't found the words! (or the time!)

I guess I never really realized I was patriotic. But looking at the mall that day got to me more than the speeches themselves. To see so many people, black,white, asian, hispanic, young, old.... all together....all so excited.... was just too much for me. I was teary all day long. And then I heard that there were NO arrests that day, which I thought was just pretty amazing.

The inaugural address just gave me chills. Some of my favorite parts:
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.....We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

and lastly:
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

I guess more than anything I'm just so inspired by this new-found feeling of "we are all in this together". I love that people are feeling inspired to do things for others, to think of service, and the idea of pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps.

And on a much lighter note, I love the white-ish dress Michelle wore to the balls. And listening to Beyonce sing "At Last" (which is the song I originally wanted Tony and I to dance to) made me cry. It's one of my all time favorite love songs.

Anyway....life is good. Exams are over for Mason, report cards are almost done for me, I have a date with my husband tonight, I lost 3.6 lbs this week, and it was nice, and warm, and sunny today. Off to the gym before I go eat something disgustingly fattening tonight.....

Running, or trying to....

So, last year I decided to run the Race for the Cure. I made it just past mile one, and had to stop. Ran on and off for the rest of the race. I'd say I ended up running about half the time. Not what I planned on. BUT, I know what my mistake was. One, I had never run on hills- ever. My neighborhood is pretty flat, and the one big hill around, i always walked it or avoided it completely. So the up and down of the asphalt really hurt me. Secondly, I always run with music. Always. I was running with someone else that day, which I had never done before, and I thought it would rude to have my Ipod on. Little did I know, he was bringing his, and turned it on at the very beginning!

So, this year, I'm going to plan ahead! My goal is to start training now and be able to run the whole time. I know 5K is not very far. Most people who "train" are training for a marathon or at least a 10K, but for me, it's a huge deal. I've never run over 2 miles, that those 2 miles are painful for me. So, today, I started a training program I found that is meant specifically for a 5K. Todays workout only took about 30 minutes. I love that it was short! I have tomorrow off, and hopefully can get in Monday to do it again. We will see. I really need to do it.... one, to get in shape and be healthy, and two, to relieve some stress!

Maybe since I wrote it here, I'll stick to it. Maybe.

Housework

I want honesty.

Seriously.

I look around my house sometimes and I don't like what I see. But, I have no clue how to fix it.

Do you have "stuff" laying around? I see ends of envelopes, pen tops, kids pieces of toys..... I don't mean "everywhere" but in random little places where they shouldn't be. Seriously- how does one walk up the stairs and see an Uno card laying there and not pick it up? It happens here. If I don't pick it up, or tell someone to pick it up, it will stay there and grow into the carpet. The house is clean.... that's not the issue. It's just "cluttered".

I've tried different things. I've tried picking it all up, and making a "stack" for everyone on the steps and made them pick it all up. I have thrown it all in trash bags and waited a week to see if anyone looks for any of the items. If they don't, I pitch em.

I guess I feel like I'm fighting this losing battle. I look at the pottery barn catalog or whatever catalog comes that day and I want my house to look like that. But maybe it's not realistic. I'm hoping "real" people's houses just don't look like that all the time. Maybe they just look like that when people come over, and the rest of the time, they look like mine.

At least I hope so.

Hawaii

So we are back from Hawaii.

Amazing trip.

A few random thoughts:


1. I had no idea jet lag was as hard as it was. For three days, I was up at 6 or so, and wanting to go to bed at like 8 pm. I resisted, but it was tough.


2. I had no idea that Hawaii was so different historically than the rest of the US. Did you know it was run by a king and a queen right up until the US took it over?? They lived here:It was so pretty.



3. I had no idea there were going to be so many Japanese people there. Everything was in English and Japanese. It was pretty cool. The Japanese people there were very "trendy". Fashion I've never seen around here, that's for sure. I wish I had taken some pictures, but I guess that would have been rude, huh?


4. My favorite day was when we rented a car and drove the entire island of Oahu. We went to Pearl Harbor, which was one of those things you "have" to do if you go. It was very sad. After that we drove to the North Shore, went to Haleiwa, which is where Barack Obama used to "shave ice" when he was a kid. It's called the surfing capital of the world, and is tiny, very remote, and beautiful. We drove all day, and went in the mountains, Sandy's beach, around Diamond Head, and even stopped for pictures at some of the places "50 First Dates" was filmed.


5. Spam. It's all over Hawaii. Even at 7-11, in the little hot dog case, they have spam stuff. I did not try it. I ate it as a kid and had enough. Seriously. What is Spam? I'm not sure I want to know.



6. Sunsets. Absolutely amazing. Every.Single.Night. Well except for the one night we went on a sunset dinner cruise. Figures.
7. I also had no idea that Waikiki was so "busy". Beach town with massive skyscrapers on one side. Louis Vuitton, Coach, Kate Spade.....seriously. There was a Coach store on just about every block. And people were buying! The sunset picture and the picture below were taken on opposing sides of our hotel. Our balcony looked out on the beach and the city....depending on which way you looked. Crazy.

8. I missed my children terribly. I couldn't wait to get back to them, after about the first three days. I won't lie. The break was good. But 9 days was way too long. Mason wanted a Hard Rock Tshirt from Honolulu, and we found that. I also got him a really cool Obama shirt that says "OBAMA SURFS" since Obama is from there. They are very proud of the future president! Abbie wanted a snow globe- not easy to find in Hawaii believe it or not. But we found one. We also brought them chocolate covered pineapple from the actual Dole plantation, some shell necklaces from the luau we went to, and a few other random shirts.

9. Yes, I want to go back. I actually think I could live there. BUT, the 10 hour straight flight from Atlanta, not being able to move, my feet falling asleep, freezing or being hot, and then being stuck in between Tony and another guy on the way home will definitely keep me from going back for quite some time. We originally were going to take the kids. Thank goodness we didn't. I was whiny and miserable and cranky. I can only imagine how they would have felt. Awful. Just awful.

10. We both got sick while we were there. Can you believe it? The morning after the dinner cruise where we ate salmon, steak, and lobster, I woke up with a "rash" on my wrist. The rash became full blown, head to toe hives within a hour or so, and 2 days later, I was at the dr getting a shot. It looked awful. It's never a good sign when the dr is looking very puzzled and tells me he's not sure what to do- meds or a shot. I made the decision for him. :-) Tony, on the other hand, started with a cold, and for 2 days didn't leave the room at all. Luckily, this was why I was at the conference. For two more days, he was miserable, but mustered the strength to at least sit by the pool bar with me. We also went to see an illusionist that trained with David Copperfield....that was awesome, even though Tony felt bad. He would not go to the dr. I don't get that about men....but that's another post entirely.

Anyway, we had a great time, and enjoyed a part of the country that I have to say was even more beautiful than the Caribbean. I feel certain we will go back someday.