Hola! Look at me with my Spanish speaking...that's about all I know.
Again, skipped a couple of days but I am back...on a really weird day. First, I woke up later than usual...8:15. I woke up a bit throughout the night but didn't open my eyes, stretch and consider getting out of the bed until 8:15. This is very rare for me. I am usually up by 6:30 or 7. That additional hour really made me feel weird and tired the rest of the day. Especially since we went to bed fairly early the night before. Too much sleep makes me off kilter.
When I finally did get up, I went into full steam mode and straightened the kitchen, emptied the dishwasher, etc. to try and make up for lost time. I pretty much have the laundry done at this point, which is an accomplishment all within itself. Of course it is multiplying and I am sure there are lingering garments in the hamper upstairs. Ugh...a sloth's work is never done!
Wait a second, let's back up to yesterday...what did I do? Well, I started the day thinking I would organize my recipes...I get all these magazines and I print off so many recipes, they pile up on top of my recipe binder and never get sorted. So I started that process yesterday morning. I kept getting side tracked, however, by fixing lunch, getting the crock pot ready for our dinner, feeding the birds and getting my list ready for the party Saturday. I decided my focus should be on the party and cleaning up some things rather than doing my recipes. So they are just sitting on the dining room chair at the moment waiting for my return. Focus, sloth, focus!
Last night I went to the gym for my one hour of training and one hour of class. I am starting to dread the conversation during training. It is always about what we ate, how skinny we look or whatever. I don't think I am getting burned out or anything but I feel even more self conscious when everyone is wondering how skinny they look and talking about the fad diets they are on. I love my friends dearly but I guess my mind isn't there anymore. I am simply going to the gym to feel good...not to continuously lose weight. But I must say, they do look great and they are skinny! =]
When I got home I made the side dishes to our main crock pot dish of BBQ roast beef (I know, I know - very unlike me). For sides we had left over smashed red potatoes and a bean and carrot mixture that didn't quite go as planned. Note for the future - frozen beans take half the time to cook than raw carrots and ALWAYS keep your eye on nuts as they are toasting. All in all it was pretty good. Especially with a TSP of habanero honey.
Getting back to today, weird stuff was happening all over the place. Because of confidentiality concerns (being that there are a gazillion eyes possibly reading this blog), I can't really talk about the first issue. Nothing serious. Just some strange happenings with a nonprofit that I am associated with...
All day was a little weird with my motivation being on an extreme low. T grabbed my Halloween decor out of our garage so that I could sit those things out. I started to place the decorations for the party when I realized that it may not be such a good idea. The black web lace table runners would probably get destroyed by Saturday by the cats (umm, one in particular) and, if I put the tombstones out back Jack will probably pee on them...numerous times...
So, everything is prepped and ready to sit out when the time is right. Tomorrow will be cleaning day! I am going to town on this place to make it spic and span. I am also planning on getting some of the food prepped as well. That way Saturday I can go to the gym for training (and maybe class), stop and pick up some last minute items on the way home and get everything cooked. I want to be done getting things ready by 5 PM so that I can focus on my costume! I am going to be a belly dancer. I have all the stuff and so it is free and easy! T is going to be a pilot...why not?? He travels all the time so it works out.
I can't believe that we will be leaving for Australia a week from this next Monday! We've been talking about the trip and really looking forward to it. I had a nightmare last night about the boat being capsized after people jumped on board trying to kidnap us! I know...always the drama queen. Even in my sleep! Well, I also dreamed I had IVs in my arm and it wasn't bothering me!! That is DEFINITELY a dream!! If you want to check out the link of the plane we will be flying to Australia, go to: http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/travelClasses/index and click on "first class". You can check out how we will be flying! We will be business class flying home if you want to check that out. Not much different other than the fact there will be slightly more people in the area. All I have to say is: unlimited cocktails, food, snacks, etc! And we each get a flat screen monitor and bring our own DVDs! Not to mention that the seat folds down into a bed in each of the classes! Yay! I am sure there will be more mention of this before we head out.
So this evening has started with a cold beer and a blog (sounds like a country song). I have some sweet potatoes in the oven...I was planning on making ricotta double stuffed sweet potatoes but neither of us are hungry! I guess that means I won't be making the cumin crusted chicken with orange chipotle sauce for a while now. That also means that the potatoes will have plenty of time to cool before I make the rest of the double stuffed part.
Well, I am off to visit with T. We are going to look through our sailing stuff that we learned over a year ago (gulp) in hopes that it will be like riding a bike when we get there...ummm, maybe not like riding a bike. We all know the experience I had...hmmm, could be a very interesting honeymoon. And, yes, we got the insurance on the boat...
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The Sloth Strikes Again
I know, I know...it has been a couple of days since I have posted anything. It has been pretty busy.
I believe I left off with my bike hanging out of the side of a pole...that was Saturday. Saturday night we just hung out and I think we tried to watch some stupid movie on On Demand but I really can't remember. I am sure there were some cocktails involved and I am sure it was an early night. I know this because we had to be up, showered, ready and across town at 7:30 AM to pick up Tay to go to the pumpkin patch.
Sure enough, that's what we did. I got up around 5:30 to get the kiddos taken care of, get showered, yadda yadda. We headed out around 7'ish - which was later than we had planned. I was really stressing most of the way there because it takes about an hour to get to Michelle's from our place. She gets pretty upset when we are late and she was waiting on us to leave for work...or so I thought. I started staring at the clock in the car wondering why T wasn't stressed out about being so late. I asked and he told me that she texted him telling him she wasn't going in until 10. Whew - close call!
Turns out Tay had gone to the pumpkin patch on Saturday (they always seem to beat us to the punch) and was really excited to show me the pumpkin she picked out. It makes me feel good that she is comfortable talking to me and hanging out with me even when she is in front of her Mom. She hopped in and we were off to Lauren and Ryan's to meet up with the rest of the gang.
We headed on out to Willcox with a quick stop at McD's along the way. My allergies were going absolutely crazy. I couldn't keep my eyes open and I was sneezing continuously. Oh well. Suck it up - there are pumpkins to pick.
When we got to Willcox, we hopped into this long trailer filled with hay on the back of a tractor - almost made me feel back at home! We headed out to the patch and started wandering through the pumpkins. Tay found one for her and we found a larger one for us. We took the ride back and paid for our pumpkins. Next is my favorite part! We get to pick produce as well. I got some green and red tomatoes as well as red chilies and jalapeno peppers. But the line was insane!! I am sure we had to have stood there for 30 or more minutes. Half of which was in the hot sun! Folks, I live in the desert. Fall here is summer for you!
The next stop was at Apple Annies Orchard. This is part of T's family tradition where they stop at the orchard and get apple pie. Tay was sound asleep as soon as the car started moving from the patch. So I decided to wait in the car while they hit the traditional orchard. And that was fine with me. I don't care for apple pie (or any pie for that matter) so I stayed in the car with Tay as she slept. Can't say a few Z's didn't escape from my mouth!
We headed home after that and hung out for the rest of the evening. We didn't carve the pumpkins - still haven't. I think we just watched Goodnight Moon (for those with kids, you know what this is), had dinner and hung out until Tay went to bed. We all washed off in showers/baths because Willcox was so dusty. Especially when you are face first in the back of a tractor!
Monday I was in full step-mom role. It was kinda hard. I was tired and wasn't really wanting to "play". However, Tay has a hard time playing by herself. Turns out that, when she is at her Memaw's (which is everyday), she plays with her 2 year old cousin Aubrey. So I had to play for most of the day and didn't get anything done around the house. However, one game I did like to play - it was hairdresser. And I LOVED being the customer!! My cousins know how much I love that!!
When T took Tay home, I straightened up a little and chilled out. The rest of the night was pretty boring. We did take a bike ride - not as long as the other ones we have taken. I was just kinda drained and wanted to do nothing. Boring, huh?
Well, it doesn't really get much better. Today I did some stuff around the house and went to the grocery. I planned our dinners for the remainder of the week and bought ingredients needed for that. I also bought some stuff for the party. There will be more to get but I probably won't get them until later in the week. The rest of the day was going to the gym, coming home and fixing dinner. The end...sorry for all of the excitement!
I am pretty tired tonight so I will probably make this a short one...and I know it probably wasn't even worth reading...but thanks for trying. I am sure something will happen soon that will boost the excitement level a hair - maybe the next time we go riding...which will probably be Thursday.
I'm out for now! I will try and post some pics of the pumpkin patch tomorrow when I have half a brain functioning!
I believe I left off with my bike hanging out of the side of a pole...that was Saturday. Saturday night we just hung out and I think we tried to watch some stupid movie on On Demand but I really can't remember. I am sure there were some cocktails involved and I am sure it was an early night. I know this because we had to be up, showered, ready and across town at 7:30 AM to pick up Tay to go to the pumpkin patch.
Sure enough, that's what we did. I got up around 5:30 to get the kiddos taken care of, get showered, yadda yadda. We headed out around 7'ish - which was later than we had planned. I was really stressing most of the way there because it takes about an hour to get to Michelle's from our place. She gets pretty upset when we are late and she was waiting on us to leave for work...or so I thought. I started staring at the clock in the car wondering why T wasn't stressed out about being so late. I asked and he told me that she texted him telling him she wasn't going in until 10. Whew - close call!
Turns out Tay had gone to the pumpkin patch on Saturday (they always seem to beat us to the punch) and was really excited to show me the pumpkin she picked out. It makes me feel good that she is comfortable talking to me and hanging out with me even when she is in front of her Mom. She hopped in and we were off to Lauren and Ryan's to meet up with the rest of the gang.
We headed on out to Willcox with a quick stop at McD's along the way. My allergies were going absolutely crazy. I couldn't keep my eyes open and I was sneezing continuously. Oh well. Suck it up - there are pumpkins to pick.
When we got to Willcox, we hopped into this long trailer filled with hay on the back of a tractor - almost made me feel back at home! We headed out to the patch and started wandering through the pumpkins. Tay found one for her and we found a larger one for us. We took the ride back and paid for our pumpkins. Next is my favorite part! We get to pick produce as well. I got some green and red tomatoes as well as red chilies and jalapeno peppers. But the line was insane!! I am sure we had to have stood there for 30 or more minutes. Half of which was in the hot sun! Folks, I live in the desert. Fall here is summer for you!
The next stop was at Apple Annies Orchard. This is part of T's family tradition where they stop at the orchard and get apple pie. Tay was sound asleep as soon as the car started moving from the patch. So I decided to wait in the car while they hit the traditional orchard. And that was fine with me. I don't care for apple pie (or any pie for that matter) so I stayed in the car with Tay as she slept. Can't say a few Z's didn't escape from my mouth!
We headed home after that and hung out for the rest of the evening. We didn't carve the pumpkins - still haven't. I think we just watched Goodnight Moon (for those with kids, you know what this is), had dinner and hung out until Tay went to bed. We all washed off in showers/baths because Willcox was so dusty. Especially when you are face first in the back of a tractor!
Monday I was in full step-mom role. It was kinda hard. I was tired and wasn't really wanting to "play". However, Tay has a hard time playing by herself. Turns out that, when she is at her Memaw's (which is everyday), she plays with her 2 year old cousin Aubrey. So I had to play for most of the day and didn't get anything done around the house. However, one game I did like to play - it was hairdresser. And I LOVED being the customer!! My cousins know how much I love that!!
When T took Tay home, I straightened up a little and chilled out. The rest of the night was pretty boring. We did take a bike ride - not as long as the other ones we have taken. I was just kinda drained and wanted to do nothing. Boring, huh?
Well, it doesn't really get much better. Today I did some stuff around the house and went to the grocery. I planned our dinners for the remainder of the week and bought ingredients needed for that. I also bought some stuff for the party. There will be more to get but I probably won't get them until later in the week. The rest of the day was going to the gym, coming home and fixing dinner. The end...sorry for all of the excitement!
I am pretty tired tonight so I will probably make this a short one...and I know it probably wasn't even worth reading...but thanks for trying. I am sure something will happen soon that will boost the excitement level a hair - maybe the next time we go riding...which will probably be Thursday.
I'm out for now! I will try and post some pics of the pumpkin patch tomorrow when I have half a brain functioning!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Day in the Life of a Sloth!
Good morning all. Yes, it is Saturday and I did not post on Friday. There is good reason for that and I will be happy to explain.
Yesterday morning started in its usual way. After the routine, I did a little bit of laundry including the sheets and duvet on our bed. I wonder how often most people wash their sheets. I am going to start trying for once a week. In the past it has been longer than that but, since I have more time, I think I will start making it a weekly ritual (without burning candles or speaking in tongue). With more time on my hands I am thinking about things more. And, sleeping in more than a week's worth of sleep sweat kinda grosses me out a little.
Onward...Friday was meant to be the day I was going to get my name changed on my license - the official identity change. I have already applied for my new social security card but it hadn't come in the mail yet. However, the nice lady (she was actually nice and didn't hate her job) at the social security office said that I could have my license changed after 48 hours by just bringing in the letter that she gave me stating that I had applied for my new ss card.
Todd decided to go with me. The plan was to get my license changed and then head to my bank to close my checking account. We have decided to use the same bank (even though I have banned his bank in the past because of some bad experiences I had with them about 10 years ago - hey, sometimes I hold grudges!). The theory behind using the same bank is that transfers between accounts will be easier - he has his personal account, I have my personal account then we have a joint house account. Now that I am a professional sloth, I will be earning an allowance that will be taken from one of the other accounts and placed into the personal sloth account. Anyway, having it all in one bank seems like the easiest route (what is the saying about putting all your eggs in one basket??).
Well, we get to the oh so pleasant DMV after we had a quick lunch at Rubios (love their grande bowl minus the chicken) around 12:30 or 1. It didn't look too overly populated and the line to get your number went quick! I head up to the lady to get my ticket number and told her what I needed to have done. I said, I need to change my name on my license. She said something that I couldn't quite hear and I stood their trying to see if the words would weed through the ear wax before saying "huh". Then I realized what she said, "marriage?" and I said "oh yeah, right." We enjoyed a courtesy chuckle and she went on to say "you must have had a brain fart." Something about this government worker saying I had had a brain fart seemed so odd to me...I don't know why.
Anyway, I show her the document that the ss lady told me I needed to change my license. DMV lady asked if I had my marriage certificate. I said no - remembering that it did kinda cross my mind before we left the house "just in case" - but no, I didn't have it. Well, just like a fine rehearsed actor, she whipped out another document that needed to be filled out, told me to bring in my marriage license and the ss document and that will be all I need...we are open until 4. Ok, right lady. Like I am going to go all the way back home, fill out this additional document, grab my marriage license (and yes we are organized enough for me to know exactly where that is) and then drive all the way back, stand in line again, wait for my number to be called and get my license changed...on a Friday. Tell ya what. How about we do this next week. I've been married since May 31...I think we can wait another week.
So we left there no more than 5 minutes after we got there. On the way to the DMV we saw a bicycle place. I have been wanting to get a bike since T got one a couple of months ago. I mentioned that again. So when we left the DMV, T asked where to next Chuck? He uses the name Chuck a lot - even with Tay who actually responds to it! I say, hey, how about we check out the bike place. He says, ok cool. We checked it out. There are so many different types of bikes. Keep in mind, the last time I rode a bike I was like 14 or 15...no wait....maybe even younger. You do realize that was over 20 years ago...20!!!!!! Holy cow the whole process made me feel old!
But, yeah, a lot of different options...you have your mountain bikes for the daredevil in you with big ol' 4-wheelin tires that are fat and look like they could go on a monster truck. Then you have your hybrid (I think) which is a cross between mountain bike and street bike - the tires are thick but not monster truckish. Then you have your street bike which reminded me a lot of my ol' faithful blue Schwinn 10-speed - my first convertible vehicle! Now, you think that's all the different styles right? Well, within those styles you also have the beach comber (umm, not thinking I need that here), the step through (which refers to how the frame is made), disc brakes (I am not kidding), different kinds of shocks and different sizes of bikes (which was my favorite part because I am actually an extra small!! Can't say that often!!).
Well, my intimidation factor went through the roof - much like it does when I shop for cars. I look at color and prettiness factor. But when it comes to the nuts and bolts, I have to refer to someone who knows - or can act like they know. That would be T. He can certainly talk the talk about anything with anyone. And, since he got a good lesson when he bought his bike, I felt like I was in good hands. I just pointed at ones that I thought were pretty and then told why that wouldn't work for me.
Store one had some good options but T preferred a different store - the one where he bought his bike. So we headed there - no quick drive but it was Friday and it was fun to take a drive and chat. When we got to store 2 everything happened pretty fast. We found a lady to help us and she really loved her job - she was all over us, helping us, whipping out some courtesy laughs when we were being our silly selves. You can't ask for better service.
We found a hybrid in a pretty greenish color (that's why I pointed at it). This is when I learned I was an extra small in bikes! Boy, I sure do love this bike shopping. I may go sometime when I am feeling a little thick around the edges just to hear that and then leave! She unlocked the bike for me and had me sit on it while she held it - boy, this was the start of the nervousness we call biking after 20+ years. Like a 6 year old on their first bike without training wheels, I kept asking her if she's got it. She assured me she did so I sat on the seat and she thought that the size looked perfect. The seat can be adjusted as can the handle bars (I don't remember my 10 speed having options like that!). She said, how about a test spin...ummm, what? So she led us to the back door of the store and, after taking my credit card and license to ensure I will come back, gestured to a parking lot and suggested I try it out. I started making nervous jokes about how I haven't ridden in a long time and some other corny things that luckily I don't remember. My brain was reeling away thinking about T and this lady watching me (as well as some dude that drove up as I was mounting my new skull crusher that started talking to the bike lady), I thought about the fact that this is an active parking lot with cars and people. I thought about how close it was to the road which reminded me to find where the breaks are on the handle bars. With hands sweating, the inappropriate gear of flip flops and purse (I ended up giving the purse to T - let's all be embarrased by this moment) and the thought of crashing through that expensive Volvo across from my starting point (surely it has an alarm on it as well to really draw attention) I guess I was ready. I clumsily mounted the green machine (that has like 20 something gears - what the heck do I need all of those for...my car only has 5) and wobbily headed across the very hard pavement that was sure to be closer to my head in seconds.
Going straight it felt pretty good - so it's true what they say about riding a bike! Uh-oh, people coming out of a neighboring store (wobble-wobble). Oh crap, I have to make a right turn to go back to where I started (I didn't take that into account). Ah, another straight away. Oh no, not another right turn! And by a side road even...whew, made it - kinda wide but I made it. Because I wasn't comfortable with how to stop (should have thought about that before I started) I decided to take another lap. I yelled out to T that I was going around again. He looked happy that I was enjoying myself but in reality the only way I knew how to stop was to run into the back of the store. So, instead of focusing on my turns, I decided to focus on where the breaks were on this death stick. I pushed them in and they definitely worked! That could have been funny to some and a brain melt to others. As I made my final turn, and the audience increased (maybe that was more in my head) I clumsily hit the breaks and jumped off...TADA! Ok, my feet are safely back on land. I walked back to where my fans where standing looking pleased (and one ready to make a sell). It's great, I exclaimed. I love it! Where do I sign? I guess no one noticed how red my hands were from gripping so tight I lost feeling in the tips. But whatev!
She rolled it back into the store and gave me back my credit card and license. My professional biker T rolled out more items that we had to have. A water bottle holder and insulated water bottle (ummm, yeah...this goes between my legs down by my feet. I may remain thirsty on most rides for a while), I picked the green water bottle to match my green bike...you can see how I think. Forget the fact that I will never be able to take my hands off of the handle bars to lean down and pull my water bottle out of the death grip of the holder. But the green one sure is pretty.
We also needed a helmet - another very attractive accessory that I didn't have to have back in the pre-cell phone days. There were all sorts of colors and styles - none of which worked with my face, but oh well. I picked black because there were no green helmets to choose from. Black will make my head look slender anyway. What a pain (literally) it was to size those puppies up but we got it done.
Let's see, what other accessories did I "need." Oh! I got a headlight and a tail light. The tail light blinks or you can choose the chase mode. It's like a little disco on the back of your bike. The head light is LED and can be popped off the holder to become a flashlight! For all those late nights fighting the spiders and snakes while I ride in the dark...maybe when I get a little more experienced.
I also got a little bag to put your ID, cell phone or whatever else you may need on the ride...lip gloss, a bottle of rum, band aids...whatnot. I couldn't believe all of the accessories in this store...gloves, rump padded shorts, shirts, other stuff that I wasn't sure what it was...wow, this is a whole world unto itself.
So, the bike and all of the needed gadgets came in under $400 - which I hear is a steal! So yay! We head out to put the bike in the car when we notice there isn't a kick stand. Umm, doesn't that come standard? That's like a car without a parking brake. We walked it back into the store and had them add it on - $14! For a kick stand! Oh well, after $400, what difference does $14 make?
We took off the front wheel and puzzle-pieced it into the back of T's car. Next stop was Tarjay - I know, seems like I am there everyday. But we wanted to pick up a new board game to play last night over cocktails and cigar (T with a cigar, not me). So we went in to Target and I had to make a pit stop in the potty. It amazes me that not every place has those toilet seat covers. Most places do so when I go to a place that doesn't, it just seems archaeic (sp?).
Anyway, after the potty, I put my blinders on and walked quickly with T to the game session. I must make myself NOT look at anything on the way or we could be there all day. And I was actually quite anxious to ride my new bike with T before dark! We checked out the board games and only found a few selections that didn't require 4 or more players. Holy cow, you actually have to have friends in order to play board games anymore. Geez!
We ended up getting Mad Gab or something to that affect. I know Lauren and Ryan have that game and we had a fun time playing it. And two players can play so it was a winner. We headed out (without buying anything else - amazing I know!).
By the time we got home it was about 5 PM and the sun was heading west fast. So we put my fanny pack on the bottom of the seat and my helmet on my head. Next thing you know, we are heading down the road. Me cussing to myself as I wobble around and try to avoid small pebbles thinking I was going to fall. T has been riding for a while now so he just maneuvers all over the place. Me, not so much. As he is hopping up on sidewalks and making tight turns, I am trying to keep my feet on the peddles and my butt in the seat. To get on most of the bike paths around our house (and there are quite a few which is nice) you have to go between these small poles. Umm, yeah. That was quite tricky and scary for me. I believe a few not so nice words came out a couple of times...once kinda close to a family park. Sorry folks.
Other than my fear of dying and hitting a very unfortunate bone against the frame everytime I hit the brakes and flew forward, it was a very enjoyable ride. Watching the sunset (when I wasn't glaring at the road in front of me) and smelling the horse poop from nearby farms was very refreshing. In all seriousness, it was nice being outside with T and just enjoying the beginning of the evening. And I didn't fall once.
When we got back to the house, we fixed our adult bevs and watched a little TV. We ended up having burritos for dinner made with lean ground turkey. It was really good. We got caught up in The Ring which we had both seen before. It was the TV version so it kinda stunk but we still couldn't pull ourselves away. After the movie we headed to the back patio and T had a cigar. A few random fireworks went off in the distance which was kinda cool. We headed in and cleaned up and went to watch TV in bed. Hmmm, did I mention a game that we bought to play last night. Never happened.
So this morning I was up at 5 am listening to the weiner dog next door bark and whine. We are not sure what to do about that situation. His peeps are never home and they always leave him outside. He barks constantly. Which I don't blame on him. He is lonely and bored. But people who own pets that SHOULDN'T own pets make me very angry. Not to mention that our neighbors across the street had dead deer in the back of their pick up truck. Next day they just had the heads. I wanted to shoot them but I know that's illegal. I despise hunters all together and wish that I could hunt the hunters. I would love to see the fear in their eyes when I have a rifle pointed between their "deer in headlight" eyes. Oops, on a rant, sorry. But really, dead deer in the back of your pick up truck? They don't even do that in Louisville! Maybe Hazard, Kentucky but not Louisville. Redneck punks.
I got up and did the usual routine. We ended up taking an hour and a half ride this morning - rode 14 miles and burned 900 cals! The only incident was me trying to thread the needle between the two poles...well, I didn't make it. I kinda ran into one of the poles. No damage to bike, leg or arm! I didn't even fall down. And, better yet, no one was around to see me other than T.
We are about to head out to have some lunch and beers and run some errands. Casual Saturday with no plans in the hopper. May get out my Halloween decorations when we get back. It will be an early night because we have to pick up Tay across town (an hour away) at 7:30 tomorrow morning before heading to the Pumpkin Patch.
So, I will leave you with this. Riding a bike is a very positive experience. You are always the windshield - never the bug...however, as in life, keep your mouth closed unless you absolutely need to say something because you can get bugs in your teeth.
Yesterday morning started in its usual way. After the routine, I did a little bit of laundry including the sheets and duvet on our bed. I wonder how often most people wash their sheets. I am going to start trying for once a week. In the past it has been longer than that but, since I have more time, I think I will start making it a weekly ritual (without burning candles or speaking in tongue). With more time on my hands I am thinking about things more. And, sleeping in more than a week's worth of sleep sweat kinda grosses me out a little.
Onward...Friday was meant to be the day I was going to get my name changed on my license - the official identity change. I have already applied for my new social security card but it hadn't come in the mail yet. However, the nice lady (she was actually nice and didn't hate her job) at the social security office said that I could have my license changed after 48 hours by just bringing in the letter that she gave me stating that I had applied for my new ss card.
Todd decided to go with me. The plan was to get my license changed and then head to my bank to close my checking account. We have decided to use the same bank (even though I have banned his bank in the past because of some bad experiences I had with them about 10 years ago - hey, sometimes I hold grudges!). The theory behind using the same bank is that transfers between accounts will be easier - he has his personal account, I have my personal account then we have a joint house account. Now that I am a professional sloth, I will be earning an allowance that will be taken from one of the other accounts and placed into the personal sloth account. Anyway, having it all in one bank seems like the easiest route (what is the saying about putting all your eggs in one basket??).
Well, we get to the oh so pleasant DMV after we had a quick lunch at Rubios (love their grande bowl minus the chicken) around 12:30 or 1. It didn't look too overly populated and the line to get your number went quick! I head up to the lady to get my ticket number and told her what I needed to have done. I said, I need to change my name on my license. She said something that I couldn't quite hear and I stood their trying to see if the words would weed through the ear wax before saying "huh". Then I realized what she said, "marriage?" and I said "oh yeah, right." We enjoyed a courtesy chuckle and she went on to say "you must have had a brain fart." Something about this government worker saying I had had a brain fart seemed so odd to me...I don't know why.
Anyway, I show her the document that the ss lady told me I needed to change my license. DMV lady asked if I had my marriage certificate. I said no - remembering that it did kinda cross my mind before we left the house "just in case" - but no, I didn't have it. Well, just like a fine rehearsed actor, she whipped out another document that needed to be filled out, told me to bring in my marriage license and the ss document and that will be all I need...we are open until 4. Ok, right lady. Like I am going to go all the way back home, fill out this additional document, grab my marriage license (and yes we are organized enough for me to know exactly where that is) and then drive all the way back, stand in line again, wait for my number to be called and get my license changed...on a Friday. Tell ya what. How about we do this next week. I've been married since May 31...I think we can wait another week.
So we left there no more than 5 minutes after we got there. On the way to the DMV we saw a bicycle place. I have been wanting to get a bike since T got one a couple of months ago. I mentioned that again. So when we left the DMV, T asked where to next Chuck? He uses the name Chuck a lot - even with Tay who actually responds to it! I say, hey, how about we check out the bike place. He says, ok cool. We checked it out. There are so many different types of bikes. Keep in mind, the last time I rode a bike I was like 14 or 15...no wait....maybe even younger. You do realize that was over 20 years ago...20!!!!!! Holy cow the whole process made me feel old!
But, yeah, a lot of different options...you have your mountain bikes for the daredevil in you with big ol' 4-wheelin tires that are fat and look like they could go on a monster truck. Then you have your hybrid (I think) which is a cross between mountain bike and street bike - the tires are thick but not monster truckish. Then you have your street bike which reminded me a lot of my ol' faithful blue Schwinn 10-speed - my first convertible vehicle! Now, you think that's all the different styles right? Well, within those styles you also have the beach comber (umm, not thinking I need that here), the step through (which refers to how the frame is made), disc brakes (I am not kidding), different kinds of shocks and different sizes of bikes (which was my favorite part because I am actually an extra small!! Can't say that often!!).
Well, my intimidation factor went through the roof - much like it does when I shop for cars. I look at color and prettiness factor. But when it comes to the nuts and bolts, I have to refer to someone who knows - or can act like they know. That would be T. He can certainly talk the talk about anything with anyone. And, since he got a good lesson when he bought his bike, I felt like I was in good hands. I just pointed at ones that I thought were pretty and then told why that wouldn't work for me.
Store one had some good options but T preferred a different store - the one where he bought his bike. So we headed there - no quick drive but it was Friday and it was fun to take a drive and chat. When we got to store 2 everything happened pretty fast. We found a lady to help us and she really loved her job - she was all over us, helping us, whipping out some courtesy laughs when we were being our silly selves. You can't ask for better service.
We found a hybrid in a pretty greenish color (that's why I pointed at it). This is when I learned I was an extra small in bikes! Boy, I sure do love this bike shopping. I may go sometime when I am feeling a little thick around the edges just to hear that and then leave! She unlocked the bike for me and had me sit on it while she held it - boy, this was the start of the nervousness we call biking after 20+ years. Like a 6 year old on their first bike without training wheels, I kept asking her if she's got it. She assured me she did so I sat on the seat and she thought that the size looked perfect. The seat can be adjusted as can the handle bars (I don't remember my 10 speed having options like that!). She said, how about a test spin...ummm, what? So she led us to the back door of the store and, after taking my credit card and license to ensure I will come back, gestured to a parking lot and suggested I try it out. I started making nervous jokes about how I haven't ridden in a long time and some other corny things that luckily I don't remember. My brain was reeling away thinking about T and this lady watching me (as well as some dude that drove up as I was mounting my new skull crusher that started talking to the bike lady), I thought about the fact that this is an active parking lot with cars and people. I thought about how close it was to the road which reminded me to find where the breaks are on the handle bars. With hands sweating, the inappropriate gear of flip flops and purse (I ended up giving the purse to T - let's all be embarrased by this moment) and the thought of crashing through that expensive Volvo across from my starting point (surely it has an alarm on it as well to really draw attention) I guess I was ready. I clumsily mounted the green machine (that has like 20 something gears - what the heck do I need all of those for...my car only has 5) and wobbily headed across the very hard pavement that was sure to be closer to my head in seconds.
Going straight it felt pretty good - so it's true what they say about riding a bike! Uh-oh, people coming out of a neighboring store (wobble-wobble). Oh crap, I have to make a right turn to go back to where I started (I didn't take that into account). Ah, another straight away. Oh no, not another right turn! And by a side road even...whew, made it - kinda wide but I made it. Because I wasn't comfortable with how to stop (should have thought about that before I started) I decided to take another lap. I yelled out to T that I was going around again. He looked happy that I was enjoying myself but in reality the only way I knew how to stop was to run into the back of the store. So, instead of focusing on my turns, I decided to focus on where the breaks were on this death stick. I pushed them in and they definitely worked! That could have been funny to some and a brain melt to others. As I made my final turn, and the audience increased (maybe that was more in my head) I clumsily hit the breaks and jumped off...TADA! Ok, my feet are safely back on land. I walked back to where my fans where standing looking pleased (and one ready to make a sell). It's great, I exclaimed. I love it! Where do I sign? I guess no one noticed how red my hands were from gripping so tight I lost feeling in the tips. But whatev!
She rolled it back into the store and gave me back my credit card and license. My professional biker T rolled out more items that we had to have. A water bottle holder and insulated water bottle (ummm, yeah...this goes between my legs down by my feet. I may remain thirsty on most rides for a while), I picked the green water bottle to match my green bike...you can see how I think. Forget the fact that I will never be able to take my hands off of the handle bars to lean down and pull my water bottle out of the death grip of the holder. But the green one sure is pretty.
We also needed a helmet - another very attractive accessory that I didn't have to have back in the pre-cell phone days. There were all sorts of colors and styles - none of which worked with my face, but oh well. I picked black because there were no green helmets to choose from. Black will make my head look slender anyway. What a pain (literally) it was to size those puppies up but we got it done.
Let's see, what other accessories did I "need." Oh! I got a headlight and a tail light. The tail light blinks or you can choose the chase mode. It's like a little disco on the back of your bike. The head light is LED and can be popped off the holder to become a flashlight! For all those late nights fighting the spiders and snakes while I ride in the dark...maybe when I get a little more experienced.
I also got a little bag to put your ID, cell phone or whatever else you may need on the ride...lip gloss, a bottle of rum, band aids...whatnot. I couldn't believe all of the accessories in this store...gloves, rump padded shorts, shirts, other stuff that I wasn't sure what it was...wow, this is a whole world unto itself.
So, the bike and all of the needed gadgets came in under $400 - which I hear is a steal! So yay! We head out to put the bike in the car when we notice there isn't a kick stand. Umm, doesn't that come standard? That's like a car without a parking brake. We walked it back into the store and had them add it on - $14! For a kick stand! Oh well, after $400, what difference does $14 make?
We took off the front wheel and puzzle-pieced it into the back of T's car. Next stop was Tarjay - I know, seems like I am there everyday. But we wanted to pick up a new board game to play last night over cocktails and cigar (T with a cigar, not me). So we went in to Target and I had to make a pit stop in the potty. It amazes me that not every place has those toilet seat covers. Most places do so when I go to a place that doesn't, it just seems archaeic (sp?).
Anyway, after the potty, I put my blinders on and walked quickly with T to the game session. I must make myself NOT look at anything on the way or we could be there all day. And I was actually quite anxious to ride my new bike with T before dark! We checked out the board games and only found a few selections that didn't require 4 or more players. Holy cow, you actually have to have friends in order to play board games anymore. Geez!
We ended up getting Mad Gab or something to that affect. I know Lauren and Ryan have that game and we had a fun time playing it. And two players can play so it was a winner. We headed out (without buying anything else - amazing I know!).
By the time we got home it was about 5 PM and the sun was heading west fast. So we put my fanny pack on the bottom of the seat and my helmet on my head. Next thing you know, we are heading down the road. Me cussing to myself as I wobble around and try to avoid small pebbles thinking I was going to fall. T has been riding for a while now so he just maneuvers all over the place. Me, not so much. As he is hopping up on sidewalks and making tight turns, I am trying to keep my feet on the peddles and my butt in the seat. To get on most of the bike paths around our house (and there are quite a few which is nice) you have to go between these small poles. Umm, yeah. That was quite tricky and scary for me. I believe a few not so nice words came out a couple of times...once kinda close to a family park. Sorry folks.
Other than my fear of dying and hitting a very unfortunate bone against the frame everytime I hit the brakes and flew forward, it was a very enjoyable ride. Watching the sunset (when I wasn't glaring at the road in front of me) and smelling the horse poop from nearby farms was very refreshing. In all seriousness, it was nice being outside with T and just enjoying the beginning of the evening. And I didn't fall once.
When we got back to the house, we fixed our adult bevs and watched a little TV. We ended up having burritos for dinner made with lean ground turkey. It was really good. We got caught up in The Ring which we had both seen before. It was the TV version so it kinda stunk but we still couldn't pull ourselves away. After the movie we headed to the back patio and T had a cigar. A few random fireworks went off in the distance which was kinda cool. We headed in and cleaned up and went to watch TV in bed. Hmmm, did I mention a game that we bought to play last night. Never happened.
So this morning I was up at 5 am listening to the weiner dog next door bark and whine. We are not sure what to do about that situation. His peeps are never home and they always leave him outside. He barks constantly. Which I don't blame on him. He is lonely and bored. But people who own pets that SHOULDN'T own pets make me very angry. Not to mention that our neighbors across the street had dead deer in the back of their pick up truck. Next day they just had the heads. I wanted to shoot them but I know that's illegal. I despise hunters all together and wish that I could hunt the hunters. I would love to see the fear in their eyes when I have a rifle pointed between their "deer in headlight" eyes. Oops, on a rant, sorry. But really, dead deer in the back of your pick up truck? They don't even do that in Louisville! Maybe Hazard, Kentucky but not Louisville. Redneck punks.
I got up and did the usual routine. We ended up taking an hour and a half ride this morning - rode 14 miles and burned 900 cals! The only incident was me trying to thread the needle between the two poles...well, I didn't make it. I kinda ran into one of the poles. No damage to bike, leg or arm! I didn't even fall down. And, better yet, no one was around to see me other than T.
We are about to head out to have some lunch and beers and run some errands. Casual Saturday with no plans in the hopper. May get out my Halloween decorations when we get back. It will be an early night because we have to pick up Tay across town (an hour away) at 7:30 tomorrow morning before heading to the Pumpkin Patch.
So, I will leave you with this. Riding a bike is a very positive experience. You are always the windshield - never the bug...however, as in life, keep your mouth closed unless you absolutely need to say something because you can get bugs in your teeth.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
I bet you can guess my morning routine so I will go ahead and move past that exciting bit of news. I had a tough time sleeping again so I was up out of bed by 5:30 or 6. So frustrating. I took care of the kiddos and laid down on the couch for a bit. I guess I must have dozed off until I heard T's alarm go off on his phone. You would have thought it was a cattle prod! I was up in a flash. Headed right to the laundry room to kick up a load and then began deep cleaning the kitchen including sweeping and mopping - still trying to be sure all of the sugar and glass are cleaned up!
I continued on with laundry and a few other odds and ends knowing that I would need to jump in the shower by 9:30 or so. I was meeting my friend from my place of unenjoyment...I mean, unemployment...for lunch at 11:45. Around 9:15 I was about to switch out a load of laundry when I realized it was Thursday - trash day. And the garbage man can come as early as 9:30 or 10. I was still in pink plaid jammy pants and a white tank top...hair was NASTY from sweat the night before and riding home with the top down. I usually don't care what people think about me but, now that I am a stay at home person, I feel I should look a bit more presentable and less like a sloth...especially during hours of a usual work day!
So up the steps I went to find something quick to put on - nothing clean, I figured, since I hadn't showered yet. So I threw on my night before work out pants (I know...gross), a hat and a sweatshirt (not because it was cold...I had my reasons for that one). I flew down the steps and rolled the very heavy bin out to the sidewalk. I kept my hat tilted low on my head to keep some dignity...if I ever had any to begin with.
With another chore done, I headed to the shower. Nothing eventful there and, as exciting as it may seem to find out if I wash my hair first or not, I won't bother you with the details...ok, yes, I wash my hair first.
I headed out for my lunch with Jason. We went to Chik Fil A and I had a chicken salad sandwich (yes I had a couple of waffle fries and a couple of bites of cole slaw...WHAT?? I don't do it all the time). We had some good quality catch up time before he had to go back to the dark cold dungeon.
My next appointment was with a new gyn. She is supposed to be the best in the city...My appointment was at 2:45 and it was only about 1 when Jason went back to work. So, well whadda ya know...there is a Target right by the Chik Fil A. Yes, I went to Tarjay...I had a goal of what I wanted - tennis balls. Why? Cuz I really want for T and I to play some rounds soon now that it is cooling off. Anywho, the daggone $1 racks called my name and I found some really cute scrapbooking stuff for fall and Halloween. What else did I get?? Oh, some Glade Plug-Ins. Apple Cinnamon. Nothing like the smell of fall in the house! Out here you need whatever you can get!
After my stop I headed to the docs office. Nervous as usual - mostly because I am always worried that I will get stuck with a needle and that they will have some desire to take my blood. I arrived around 2 - 2:15 after getting completely confused in the parking lot. Geez! Quaint little office which is really nice. Very comfortable. Dr. Hutchinson was awesome and very pleasant. Very high energy and extremely nice. She made me feel really good about myself and confirmed that I am not as old as the calendar says I am! I LOVE her!! From what she could tell from her initial "touch" everything seems to be in place. That's good. We will know results from the annual ick exam soon. Good to know I am all in one piece and doing good! Oh and NO to needles! I didn't get stuck! Phew!
On my healthy high, I came on home and here I sit. T is being silly next to me and we are ready to investigate dinner options. I am thinking something simple and comforting...such as tacos! I wonder what's on the tube tonight...I'm sure that's about all we will be doing. Other than the endless laundry chore...
A baby sloth:
Not so bad! Kinda cute actually!
I continued on with laundry and a few other odds and ends knowing that I would need to jump in the shower by 9:30 or so. I was meeting my friend from my place of unenjoyment...I mean, unemployment...for lunch at 11:45. Around 9:15 I was about to switch out a load of laundry when I realized it was Thursday - trash day. And the garbage man can come as early as 9:30 or 10. I was still in pink plaid jammy pants and a white tank top...hair was NASTY from sweat the night before and riding home with the top down. I usually don't care what people think about me but, now that I am a stay at home person, I feel I should look a bit more presentable and less like a sloth...especially during hours of a usual work day!
So up the steps I went to find something quick to put on - nothing clean, I figured, since I hadn't showered yet. So I threw on my night before work out pants (I know...gross), a hat and a sweatshirt (not because it was cold...I had my reasons for that one). I flew down the steps and rolled the very heavy bin out to the sidewalk. I kept my hat tilted low on my head to keep some dignity...if I ever had any to begin with.
With another chore done, I headed to the shower. Nothing eventful there and, as exciting as it may seem to find out if I wash my hair first or not, I won't bother you with the details...ok, yes, I wash my hair first.
I headed out for my lunch with Jason. We went to Chik Fil A and I had a chicken salad sandwich (yes I had a couple of waffle fries and a couple of bites of cole slaw...WHAT?? I don't do it all the time). We had some good quality catch up time before he had to go back to the dark cold dungeon.
My next appointment was with a new gyn. She is supposed to be the best in the city...My appointment was at 2:45 and it was only about 1 when Jason went back to work. So, well whadda ya know...there is a Target right by the Chik Fil A. Yes, I went to Tarjay...I had a goal of what I wanted - tennis balls. Why? Cuz I really want for T and I to play some rounds soon now that it is cooling off. Anywho, the daggone $1 racks called my name and I found some really cute scrapbooking stuff for fall and Halloween. What else did I get?? Oh, some Glade Plug-Ins. Apple Cinnamon. Nothing like the smell of fall in the house! Out here you need whatever you can get!
After my stop I headed to the docs office. Nervous as usual - mostly because I am always worried that I will get stuck with a needle and that they will have some desire to take my blood. I arrived around 2 - 2:15 after getting completely confused in the parking lot. Geez! Quaint little office which is really nice. Very comfortable. Dr. Hutchinson was awesome and very pleasant. Very high energy and extremely nice. She made me feel really good about myself and confirmed that I am not as old as the calendar says I am! I LOVE her!! From what she could tell from her initial "touch" everything seems to be in place. That's good. We will know results from the annual ick exam soon. Good to know I am all in one piece and doing good! Oh and NO to needles! I didn't get stuck! Phew!
On my healthy high, I came on home and here I sit. T is being silly next to me and we are ready to investigate dinner options. I am thinking something simple and comforting...such as tacos! I wonder what's on the tube tonight...I'm sure that's about all we will be doing. Other than the endless laundry chore...
A baby sloth:
Not so bad! Kinda cute actually!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Back again with more fun!
Today, my mother in law had the unfortunate trip to the doctors to have surgery - she has kidney stones. I have never had that before so I have no idea how painful or agonizing it is...but I can certainly imagine. We actually found out about this appointment last night and decided that we wanted to do something to help her and her husband Jim out. This all leads to today's task.
This morning was the regular routine. Afterwards, I headed to the grocery to pick up the goods to make chicken n dumplins. I also picked up 5 cans of refried beans (vegetarian which is 99% fat free :) ). I know that is quite random and not the least bit tied to chicken n dumplins but they were on sale and it is a staple in our home!
Ok, so I head home to start the chicken n dumplins. A big stock pot of it so that there is some left over for Todd - he loves chicken n dumplins. I also made zucchini bread - and that is where the real fun began!
Zucchini bread is a new recipe I tried a couple of Sunday's ago. It was a hit for both Todd and I! But there are a lot of ingredients and the shredding and wringing dry of the shredded zucchini is quite a chore and a mess. I finally got my batter going in the mixer and was starting to put stuff away (I am one of those cooks that clean as I cook). Most of the things that had to be put away had to go in the cabinets above the mixer. Do you see where this is going yet?? Ok, well I was moving the glass sugar bowl and the plastic salt bowl to the side so that I could put something behind it...got it yet?? If you guessed a HUGE mess, you are right! The glass sugar bowl came barreling out at me and broke into wonderful small pieces all over the counter...right next to the mixer. Well, I certainly cannot chance the batter having glass in it so I had to start all over again...this was about 2:30.
You might be thinking...well, she has all the time in the world because she is a sloth. Not true. We had to leave the house at 3:30 to get the goodies to Steph by 4:30 so that I could get to the gym by 5:30...the bread takes about an hour to bake. Yikes. But it all worked out and the bread was done on time. We headed to Steph's, visited for a bit and then I headed to the gym as T headed on home.
Gym was a two hour night...training for an hour and class for an hour. It felt great. My trainer, who also owns horses, was in a sad mood. Her new 11 year old horse may have cancer. She was pretty upset so we tried to be our usual goofy selves to make her feel better. But Amber wasn't having a good day either so it was up to me to put a smile on my friends' faces. I don't know if it worked or not.
After my hour drive home, I made a big salad for dinner while T had left over dumplins. Afterwards, we both had some zucchini bread - man that is so good! Now we are sitting here watching the new Ghosthunters getting scared out of our minds! Awesome!!
Tomorrow I need to straighten up around here a bit. I am having lunch with Jason who is a great friend that I worked with briefly at my last place of employment. I am really excited to catch up with him. We became instant friends and we are determined to stay in touch. I am also going to my girly doctor tomorrow. It is a new doctor. Long story - I meant to make an appointment with the doctor I had gone to before but I made a mistake and scheduled one with a doctor that T always talks about. But they are going to accept me as a new patient - and this doctor is supposed to be the best...and it is a woman (which used to be a wierd thing for me). Anyway, it is just for an annual exam. I will let you know the outcome.
Well, T and I have some ghosts to hunt. And it's getting good. So I need to run for now (and, if I were to ever see a ghost, running is exactly what I would be doing). Back again for more exciting housewife adventures...
Today, my mother in law had the unfortunate trip to the doctors to have surgery - she has kidney stones. I have never had that before so I have no idea how painful or agonizing it is...but I can certainly imagine. We actually found out about this appointment last night and decided that we wanted to do something to help her and her husband Jim out. This all leads to today's task.
This morning was the regular routine. Afterwards, I headed to the grocery to pick up the goods to make chicken n dumplins. I also picked up 5 cans of refried beans (vegetarian which is 99% fat free :) ). I know that is quite random and not the least bit tied to chicken n dumplins but they were on sale and it is a staple in our home!
Ok, so I head home to start the chicken n dumplins. A big stock pot of it so that there is some left over for Todd - he loves chicken n dumplins. I also made zucchini bread - and that is where the real fun began!
Zucchini bread is a new recipe I tried a couple of Sunday's ago. It was a hit for both Todd and I! But there are a lot of ingredients and the shredding and wringing dry of the shredded zucchini is quite a chore and a mess. I finally got my batter going in the mixer and was starting to put stuff away (I am one of those cooks that clean as I cook). Most of the things that had to be put away had to go in the cabinets above the mixer. Do you see where this is going yet?? Ok, well I was moving the glass sugar bowl and the plastic salt bowl to the side so that I could put something behind it...got it yet?? If you guessed a HUGE mess, you are right! The glass sugar bowl came barreling out at me and broke into wonderful small pieces all over the counter...right next to the mixer. Well, I certainly cannot chance the batter having glass in it so I had to start all over again...this was about 2:30.
You might be thinking...well, she has all the time in the world because she is a sloth. Not true. We had to leave the house at 3:30 to get the goodies to Steph by 4:30 so that I could get to the gym by 5:30...the bread takes about an hour to bake. Yikes. But it all worked out and the bread was done on time. We headed to Steph's, visited for a bit and then I headed to the gym as T headed on home.
Gym was a two hour night...training for an hour and class for an hour. It felt great. My trainer, who also owns horses, was in a sad mood. Her new 11 year old horse may have cancer. She was pretty upset so we tried to be our usual goofy selves to make her feel better. But Amber wasn't having a good day either so it was up to me to put a smile on my friends' faces. I don't know if it worked or not.
After my hour drive home, I made a big salad for dinner while T had left over dumplins. Afterwards, we both had some zucchini bread - man that is so good! Now we are sitting here watching the new Ghosthunters getting scared out of our minds! Awesome!!
Tomorrow I need to straighten up around here a bit. I am having lunch with Jason who is a great friend that I worked with briefly at my last place of employment. I am really excited to catch up with him. We became instant friends and we are determined to stay in touch. I am also going to my girly doctor tomorrow. It is a new doctor. Long story - I meant to make an appointment with the doctor I had gone to before but I made a mistake and scheduled one with a doctor that T always talks about. But they are going to accept me as a new patient - and this doctor is supposed to be the best...and it is a woman (which used to be a wierd thing for me). Anyway, it is just for an annual exam. I will let you know the outcome.
Well, T and I have some ghosts to hunt. And it's getting good. So I need to run for now (and, if I were to ever see a ghost, running is exactly what I would be doing). Back again for more exciting housewife adventures...
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Ahh technology!! I couldn't begin to tell you what a pain it was to figure out how to get these pics on here! Ha, I won!!!! And now I know! Geez!! What a pain.
Anywho, the following are some shots of Tay's room. You will see her new bedding which I think is so cute (but I am bias since I picked it out - on sale at Kohls!). You will see the very cute bins I bought from Avon (Lauren is selling Avon if anyone is interested - comment me and I will get you her information). Some of them have chalkboard fronts so you can write what the bin is for...very cute.
First project accomplished...many more to come...
Anywho, the following are some shots of Tay's room. You will see her new bedding which I think is so cute (but I am bias since I picked it out - on sale at Kohls!). You will see the very cute bins I bought from Avon (Lauren is selling Avon if anyone is interested - comment me and I will get you her information). Some of them have chalkboard fronts so you can write what the bin is for...very cute.
First project accomplished...many more to come...
The adventure continues...
Another day, another blog. Look at me working on day 2 of keeping up with my blog. Yay me. For being an unemployed sloth, I sure have a lot going on in a day. Did you know that humans share about 80 something percent DNA with a sloth?? There's ya a bit of trivia for your next barbecue!
Today, hmmm, what did I do? Save the whales? Invent a time machine? Save a third world country? No, nothing like that...not that it isn't on the list. Today started out like every other - even those days of employment. I had a hard night of sleeping - not sure why. And, when I did sleep, I had really vivid strange dreams that kept me from really getting any rest. I finally got up around 7, which is quite late for me.
Usual routine of letting Jack out, giving the cats their snack, feeding Jack, changing the water bowl, finally going to pee (can you believe that I wait until I take care of them before I go to potty? Spoiled I know). I poured myself an ice tea and headed upstairs. My first goal was to get Tay's new bedding on her bed. It is so adorable. I am going to take pics and post them.
After that, I came in here - Todd's office - and played around online a little. If I were to let it, this computer could become a permanent extension to my body. But I won't let it. I have many a project to work on!
I had a hair appointment (and a brow wax appointment) for 11:30 which I knew would take a huge chunk of time out of my day. First of all, why does waxing hurt like that? I have heard some women ENJOY waxing. Well, more power to ya. Whatev!! I don't like the process but I do enjoy the outcome.
Second of all, why does a color and cut take 2 and 1/2 hours?? Good grief! And cost so dang much! Anyway, about 2 PM I found myself walking to my car with bright red eyebrows and a new doo. It is still somewhat short but longer than the last cut. I like the shorter hair.
On the way home I stopped at Tarjay and picked up some prenatal vitamins. No, I am not pregnant. But, since we are working on the idea for the future, why not get my vitamins? I could use a little pick-me-up anyway. And you probably need a pick-me-up too after hearing me discuss the idea of kids in my future. A pick-me-up off the floor!
I was going to stop by the bank after Tarjay but I was freaking hungry. I hadn't had lunch yet and that happens to be my favorite meal of the day! So I headed on home. I ended up making some Light English Muffins with pizza sauce, turkey pepperoni, onions, Grandpa tomatoes, jalapenos and low fat cheese. Very tasty and the perfect amount.
After emptying the dishwasher, I realized that I hadn't posted my blog yet and things this afternoon are going to start rolling pretty quick. I have to get ready to make my long journey to the gym around 4:30 for a 5:30 class. Sounds like a pain but it is a nice afternoon drive after, usually, being in the house all day. Plus it is really good to see my friends and awesome to work up a good sweat. I am lucky that Todd is very supportive of the gym. That is one expense that will be able to remain even with me not having a job. Love him!
So, I made a pot roast in the crock pot yesterday! How about that for a touch of domestication? Is that a word? I have never made a pot roast but the smell in the house all day was amazing and the veggies were awesome. I am not much of a meat eater but Todd said it was perfectly cooked and tasted great. He actually had some left overs today.
Tonight for dinner, he will probably have a bit more of that meat plus I am making a new pasta recipe that I found in my Cooking Light cookbook. Something with pasta, bacon (I am doing turkey bacon), peas, light cream cheese, etc. Sounds very yummy and I am looking forward to it!
Did I mention that we are preparing a menu each week? So we are planning our meals. It helps so much when we go grocery shopping because, other than a few staples here and there, we are only getting what we need for those meals that week. We are trying to eliminate waste and be more budget conscious.
Tomorrow I may go to the DMV and get my name changed on my license. This is the third last name I have had in my life. I think I am done now. Speaking of names and whatnot, I just noticed that the DMV has the same initials as my maiden name (Dawna Michelle VanHook = DMV).
Well, it is absolutely beautiful weather out here in cactus land. The top has been down on my car daily. And it is actually too cold for the top down at night on the way home from the gym. Crazy huh? I think this is what Arizonans call fall.
Welp, that is it for this Tuesday in October. I will return with more exciting adventures tomorrow. Well, maybe not "exciting" but adventurous. Well, maybe...
Today, hmmm, what did I do? Save the whales? Invent a time machine? Save a third world country? No, nothing like that...not that it isn't on the list. Today started out like every other - even those days of employment. I had a hard night of sleeping - not sure why. And, when I did sleep, I had really vivid strange dreams that kept me from really getting any rest. I finally got up around 7, which is quite late for me.
Usual routine of letting Jack out, giving the cats their snack, feeding Jack, changing the water bowl, finally going to pee (can you believe that I wait until I take care of them before I go to potty? Spoiled I know). I poured myself an ice tea and headed upstairs. My first goal was to get Tay's new bedding on her bed. It is so adorable. I am going to take pics and post them.
After that, I came in here - Todd's office - and played around online a little. If I were to let it, this computer could become a permanent extension to my body. But I won't let it. I have many a project to work on!
I had a hair appointment (and a brow wax appointment) for 11:30 which I knew would take a huge chunk of time out of my day. First of all, why does waxing hurt like that? I have heard some women ENJOY waxing. Well, more power to ya. Whatev!! I don't like the process but I do enjoy the outcome.
Second of all, why does a color and cut take 2 and 1/2 hours?? Good grief! And cost so dang much! Anyway, about 2 PM I found myself walking to my car with bright red eyebrows and a new doo. It is still somewhat short but longer than the last cut. I like the shorter hair.
On the way home I stopped at Tarjay and picked up some prenatal vitamins. No, I am not pregnant. But, since we are working on the idea for the future, why not get my vitamins? I could use a little pick-me-up anyway. And you probably need a pick-me-up too after hearing me discuss the idea of kids in my future. A pick-me-up off the floor!
I was going to stop by the bank after Tarjay but I was freaking hungry. I hadn't had lunch yet and that happens to be my favorite meal of the day! So I headed on home. I ended up making some Light English Muffins with pizza sauce, turkey pepperoni, onions, Grandpa tomatoes, jalapenos and low fat cheese. Very tasty and the perfect amount.
After emptying the dishwasher, I realized that I hadn't posted my blog yet and things this afternoon are going to start rolling pretty quick. I have to get ready to make my long journey to the gym around 4:30 for a 5:30 class. Sounds like a pain but it is a nice afternoon drive after, usually, being in the house all day. Plus it is really good to see my friends and awesome to work up a good sweat. I am lucky that Todd is very supportive of the gym. That is one expense that will be able to remain even with me not having a job. Love him!
So, I made a pot roast in the crock pot yesterday! How about that for a touch of domestication? Is that a word? I have never made a pot roast but the smell in the house all day was amazing and the veggies were awesome. I am not much of a meat eater but Todd said it was perfectly cooked and tasted great. He actually had some left overs today.
Tonight for dinner, he will probably have a bit more of that meat plus I am making a new pasta recipe that I found in my Cooking Light cookbook. Something with pasta, bacon (I am doing turkey bacon), peas, light cream cheese, etc. Sounds very yummy and I am looking forward to it!
Did I mention that we are preparing a menu each week? So we are planning our meals. It helps so much when we go grocery shopping because, other than a few staples here and there, we are only getting what we need for those meals that week. We are trying to eliminate waste and be more budget conscious.
Tomorrow I may go to the DMV and get my name changed on my license. This is the third last name I have had in my life. I think I am done now. Speaking of names and whatnot, I just noticed that the DMV has the same initials as my maiden name (Dawna Michelle VanHook = DMV).
Well, it is absolutely beautiful weather out here in cactus land. The top has been down on my car daily. And it is actually too cold for the top down at night on the way home from the gym. Crazy huh? I think this is what Arizonans call fall.
Welp, that is it for this Tuesday in October. I will return with more exciting adventures tomorrow. Well, maybe not "exciting" but adventurous. Well, maybe...
Monday, October 13, 2008
Week 2 - Monday
Changes and more changes...the story of my life! I guess that is really the story of most people's lives. I'm no different.
Well, I left a very stable position with a large company to explore the growth potential at a smaller, newer company. And, when I say small, I mean it. I was the fourth person in the office - two of which are owners. I knew it was a risk but it seemed like the perfect opportunity and I felt I could excel at the position and make a difference!
Well, as with most risks, this one didn't pan out. I don't want to bash anyone for anything - more because of the fear of a law suit. However, let's just say that expectations were way out of line, there was a lot of lying to set me up to fail and the office felt like something out of a James Bond movie - moving security cameras that would alert one of the owners if something moved in front of it, security doors with fingerprint coded locks. And you think I am kidding!
I am really summing this up in a short story so that I can move on to the present. Everyday I would drive an hour into the office with an upset stomach and tears in my eyes. I was poked and prodded most days and told things like I wasn't a good return on investment (this was 2 months into my employment) and that I needed to make $50,000 a month by selling a service that most people have inhouse. I never felt like they (the owners) saw me as an asset to the team. Not to mention that they have very poor leadership skills and one has absolutely NO people skills whatsoever. Todd labeled them as "professionally immature." I don't think I could have thought of a better description.
Bottom line, they were planning on giving me a "review" which I believe was just a set up to trash me yet again. In the meantime I was asked to come up with my goals as to how I was going to make them $50k a month - with a note that they have to seriously look at my position and how it is viable to the company. And I think there was something mentioned to the fact that "immediate action must be taken" regarding my numbers. I asked for profit and loss statements in order to determine how they made a supposed $1M in 2006 and 2007 because I knew we weren't billing that kind of dollar in 08. But I was told they had no time to do this for me and basically left me to fend for myself. Which, after many in depth conversations with Todd, I did...I quit.
My job now? I am a stay at home wife, mother of 3 furry babies and step-mom to one gorgeous four year old. I was really worried that I wouldn't know what to do with myself not going into an office. But I am finding many projects to work on here at the house and, with one week under my belt, I can already feel myself accomplishing more than I thought I would. I feel very lucky to have the husband I have - let me tell you!! He was so supportive during the six months of abuse at that job and he loves having me at home. We are lucky enough financially to allow for this to happen. Todd has mentioned many times that he would love for me to stay at home...forever! Let's take it one day at a time to see how that goes. But, with the thought of adding another human kid among the rest of the family, it may be perfect!
So...what the heck? I thought that I would take a few minutes each day to keep you abreast of my projects, accomplishments, how the family is doing, what next steps are taking place and just feel like I am closer to those I miss daily!
Last week was great. Monday was tricky because I felt a little lost. Wasn't sure what to do with myself. Especially since Todd was out of town. But I found my groove and started working on laundry (what an ongoing project that is). I can't remember which project I did which day but Wednesday I focuses on getting the house nice, clean and comfy for when Todd came home from his trip. I fixed his favorite spaghetti sauce and cookies! He was really surprised and I think that this having me at home thing is really spoiling him! Already!
Thursday Todd headed to Pheonix for work. I decided to take on the task of organizing Tatum's room - no easy feat! And I thought it would take a couple of days to really get it done. And I thought we were getting her the usual Friday/Saturday combo. Well, around noon I was talking to Todd and asked him what time he would be home. He said around 5 or so after he picks up Tatum...WHAT??? I had her room totally torn apart and now I realize that I have to have it all done in a half a day. Yikes!
I have never cleaned/organized so fast in my life. I had taken out all of her baby toys that she never really plays with anymore and had it lined and stacked all the way down the hallway. The plan was to get it in the garage. I took everything downstairs in the foyer with the next step of taking it to the garage. I went outside, used the code to open the garage door and that's when I saw it. A large gray spider that was about the size of the palm of my hand. Ummmm, I didn't know if it was alive or dead but I did know I wasn't going to chance an encounter! So I punched in the code and watched the door come down. Now what was I to do with all that crap?? I decided to stack it in the laundry room and made a mental note to put that on Todd's project list!
Tatum loved her new organized room! She was so excited. And, to top it off, we now have a prize bucket. What is a prize bucket? The most awesome way to get her to clean up after herself!! I can't believe how great it works.
So, what I did...I went to Target and hit the $1 section. I got about 5 things - an activity book, two puzzles, a hand puppet and stickers. I put all these items in a cute little bucket. I talked to Tay about how when Daddy works real hard he earns a paycheck so that he can buy things. I told her that, if she works hard to keep her room clean, she earns something from the prize bucket. This is sort of like the start of an allowance idea! So, every night before bed, she helps me clean up her room. Then she gets to pick a prize. The first night was funny - she wanted to go to bed at like 7!! Only because she wanted a prize from the bucket. But it didn't take long for her to really catch on to the concept. I couldn't believe that I didn't have to clean up a huge mess after we took her home. She did such a great job and I gave the prize bucket a kiss!!
Well, this is week two. My goals for the week are:
1. Get the provisioning done for our sailing trip - DONE
2. Organize the linen closet
3. Start my blog - DONE
4. Work on some Hermitage Cat Shelter stuff (I am on the board)
5. Clean the bathrooms real good (including vacuuming the cobwebs from the window sills)
6. Organize our closet a little better - need to get rid of some things we don't use
7. Get my hair cut tomorrow
8. Meet up with a friend of mine (the only one I had at that place of employment) for lunch
9. Help take care of Tay Thursday and Friday
10. Get my name changed on my license
Those are the goals but I will add more if time allows.
So this is the beginning of The Chronicles of a Housewife. Leave me some comments - I love to hear from you. I don't know what time each day I will write or if I will write more than once a day. But I promise to make this a commitment beginning now. And it may be fun to see where it goes from here!
Well, I left a very stable position with a large company to explore the growth potential at a smaller, newer company. And, when I say small, I mean it. I was the fourth person in the office - two of which are owners. I knew it was a risk but it seemed like the perfect opportunity and I felt I could excel at the position and make a difference!
Well, as with most risks, this one didn't pan out. I don't want to bash anyone for anything - more because of the fear of a law suit. However, let's just say that expectations were way out of line, there was a lot of lying to set me up to fail and the office felt like something out of a James Bond movie - moving security cameras that would alert one of the owners if something moved in front of it, security doors with fingerprint coded locks. And you think I am kidding!
I am really summing this up in a short story so that I can move on to the present. Everyday I would drive an hour into the office with an upset stomach and tears in my eyes. I was poked and prodded most days and told things like I wasn't a good return on investment (this was 2 months into my employment) and that I needed to make $50,000 a month by selling a service that most people have inhouse. I never felt like they (the owners) saw me as an asset to the team. Not to mention that they have very poor leadership skills and one has absolutely NO people skills whatsoever. Todd labeled them as "professionally immature." I don't think I could have thought of a better description.
Bottom line, they were planning on giving me a "review" which I believe was just a set up to trash me yet again. In the meantime I was asked to come up with my goals as to how I was going to make them $50k a month - with a note that they have to seriously look at my position and how it is viable to the company. And I think there was something mentioned to the fact that "immediate action must be taken" regarding my numbers. I asked for profit and loss statements in order to determine how they made a supposed $1M in 2006 and 2007 because I knew we weren't billing that kind of dollar in 08. But I was told they had no time to do this for me and basically left me to fend for myself. Which, after many in depth conversations with Todd, I did...I quit.
My job now? I am a stay at home wife, mother of 3 furry babies and step-mom to one gorgeous four year old. I was really worried that I wouldn't know what to do with myself not going into an office. But I am finding many projects to work on here at the house and, with one week under my belt, I can already feel myself accomplishing more than I thought I would. I feel very lucky to have the husband I have - let me tell you!! He was so supportive during the six months of abuse at that job and he loves having me at home. We are lucky enough financially to allow for this to happen. Todd has mentioned many times that he would love for me to stay at home...forever! Let's take it one day at a time to see how that goes. But, with the thought of adding another human kid among the rest of the family, it may be perfect!
So...what the heck? I thought that I would take a few minutes each day to keep you abreast of my projects, accomplishments, how the family is doing, what next steps are taking place and just feel like I am closer to those I miss daily!
Last week was great. Monday was tricky because I felt a little lost. Wasn't sure what to do with myself. Especially since Todd was out of town. But I found my groove and started working on laundry (what an ongoing project that is). I can't remember which project I did which day but Wednesday I focuses on getting the house nice, clean and comfy for when Todd came home from his trip. I fixed his favorite spaghetti sauce and cookies! He was really surprised and I think that this having me at home thing is really spoiling him! Already!
Thursday Todd headed to Pheonix for work. I decided to take on the task of organizing Tatum's room - no easy feat! And I thought it would take a couple of days to really get it done. And I thought we were getting her the usual Friday/Saturday combo. Well, around noon I was talking to Todd and asked him what time he would be home. He said around 5 or so after he picks up Tatum...WHAT??? I had her room totally torn apart and now I realize that I have to have it all done in a half a day. Yikes!
I have never cleaned/organized so fast in my life. I had taken out all of her baby toys that she never really plays with anymore and had it lined and stacked all the way down the hallway. The plan was to get it in the garage. I took everything downstairs in the foyer with the next step of taking it to the garage. I went outside, used the code to open the garage door and that's when I saw it. A large gray spider that was about the size of the palm of my hand. Ummmm, I didn't know if it was alive or dead but I did know I wasn't going to chance an encounter! So I punched in the code and watched the door come down. Now what was I to do with all that crap?? I decided to stack it in the laundry room and made a mental note to put that on Todd's project list!
Tatum loved her new organized room! She was so excited. And, to top it off, we now have a prize bucket. What is a prize bucket? The most awesome way to get her to clean up after herself!! I can't believe how great it works.
So, what I did...I went to Target and hit the $1 section. I got about 5 things - an activity book, two puzzles, a hand puppet and stickers. I put all these items in a cute little bucket. I talked to Tay about how when Daddy works real hard he earns a paycheck so that he can buy things. I told her that, if she works hard to keep her room clean, she earns something from the prize bucket. This is sort of like the start of an allowance idea! So, every night before bed, she helps me clean up her room. Then she gets to pick a prize. The first night was funny - she wanted to go to bed at like 7!! Only because she wanted a prize from the bucket. But it didn't take long for her to really catch on to the concept. I couldn't believe that I didn't have to clean up a huge mess after we took her home. She did such a great job and I gave the prize bucket a kiss!!
Well, this is week two. My goals for the week are:
1. Get the provisioning done for our sailing trip - DONE
2. Organize the linen closet
3. Start my blog - DONE
4. Work on some Hermitage Cat Shelter stuff (I am on the board)
5. Clean the bathrooms real good (including vacuuming the cobwebs from the window sills)
6. Organize our closet a little better - need to get rid of some things we don't use
7. Get my hair cut tomorrow
8. Meet up with a friend of mine (the only one I had at that place of employment) for lunch
9. Help take care of Tay Thursday and Friday
10. Get my name changed on my license
Those are the goals but I will add more if time allows.
So this is the beginning of The Chronicles of a Housewife. Leave me some comments - I love to hear from you. I don't know what time each day I will write or if I will write more than once a day. But I promise to make this a commitment beginning now. And it may be fun to see where it goes from here!
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