Talk Thursday - Wide Open Spaces

I toyed with this topic - I love Wide Open Spaces by the Dixie Chicks. When it came out it so reminded me of me as a young willful kid - "I know how to do it better than you." Of course, that is so not true, yet in a way it is.

Today I got tickets to see that jazz great (and Boise/Capitol High native) Curtis Stigers. I'm going with friend Shawn since The Husband will be out of town - getting to join him for a couple of days in Reno later in the week, yay!

I posted a while back the boys and I got to sit by Curtis at Gernika and I ogled him (subtly) because he is a) gorgeous and b) talented.

Just so you have a frame of reference, really the first time I really saw much of Curtis, he looked like this:



The last time I saw Curtis, (I've seen him sing a couple of times in the interim) he looked like this:



It's interesting how this mirrors "Wide Open Spaces" - you start out this kid who knows it all, and you end up 25 years later this wiser, happier person who STILL, STILL, sings the same tune. In a way. And you can still look really good - even with gray hair.

Really looking forward to seeing him Monday.

Talk Thursday - Progressions

Life is weird sometimes. Well, if you're me, it's weird all the time, but that's another story for another Talk Thursday.

One of the reasons I didn't write over the summer is I was just working through stuff. I keep thinking "You're in your 40's, you're supposed to have this all figured out." But I don't, and I keep working at it. I've been frustrated because I don't have a job I love. I love where I live, and when we moved back I remember telling TH "I can hate my job or I can hate where I live, but I can't hate both, I'll never make it." In some ways this is true. I couldn't. But I find disliking one or the other very disheartening. Don Quixote, quit tilting at windmills.

I've been trying to find paths in which I can feel fulfilled in different ways at my output, even if it's not output I get paid for. That's a bit challenging given that I do have a job, a family and I'm trying to get a professional certification that's good for the resume if not much else.

Today a few weird things happened. Two of them positive, one not in a way but a way that made me thoughtful. Today was truly a progression for me, and that's not an experience I've had in a while.

First, when I got to work, I had a message from @wallypingel on Twitter asking me if I'd be interested in providing a female sports/Packers perspective to his blog, PocketDoppler.com. I "met" Wally through CheeseheadTV and he has some people he collaborates on this site, which definitely has content of interest to me. I thought for a couple of hours - I love to write, I've been told I'm good at it professionally but for entertainment? Whew. But, I was thinking yesterday that I would love to do something like be a professional sportswriter, or a blogger that became financially solvent for it. Aaron Nagler from CheeseheadTv was featured in the New York Times yesterday along with his partner in crime Corey Behnke. They don't do this for a living. YET. But I think they might pull it off. I don't think I ever would but I thought - what the hell? So I'm going to have a weekly post for Wally unless he thinks I suck at writing. In which case you will never hear another mention of this again.

Second - had a great lunch with the colleague who's daughter is attending school with Big Bit and we found out that we had much in common - we both love Craig Ferguson, we both have surreptitious piles of "important" papers on various counter corners in our house, our college freshmen both break our hearts occasionally - you name it. The progression part though is that she had a project that she needed help with that was up my alley - how our company could use social media. I jumped at the chance because whether it results in advancement or not, I knew I would enjoy it and it IS professionally related output. Yay!

The last thing was sad in a way, and yes, in a minor way, but still. Greg Bedard from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, my Twitter buddy that came to see TH and I in Seattle, is leaving Wisconsin and moving to work for the Boston Globe as their premier NFL writer. Very cool for Greg, he's from the region and loves the Red Sox, but I was momentarily crushed, because he and I chatter about things every so often that are much beyond the Packers. Real Housewives of... (he and his wife love it, I DO NOT get it at all), last night we chatted about the Rutgers student's suicide because Greg went to Rutgers and I knew he'd be crushed, and other things now and again. Then I stopped and thought - you know, if I have any kind of connection in reality here to this very nice man, it's not going to stop because he leaves Wisconsin. Not like he lives next door to me in Boise, after all. And if we don't keep chattering, I know it was part of his professional obligation to talk to fans but he did it like a gentleman and that in this day and age is refreshing.

So - some new things for me to do, to think about, to write about and hopefully they'll result in some personal growth and accentuate the good things that seem to be brewing or already exist in my life. Start being appreciative, damn it. (I remind myself.)

Talk Thursday - What I Learned - And Did - This Summer

Wow. I don't think I've ever gone this long without posting. It's been a wacky summer, kids. Some ways good, some ways bad, all ways more than I wanted, I think.

I've done a lot, and a lot of nothing. It depends on which week/month it was. I promise to post some pics of our trip to DC, but in the meantime, here's what I was up to this summer.

Things I Did:

Went to Reno to see Big Bit graduate. Mom, TH, Little Bit and I made the trip and my cousin the Godmother made a detour from her vacation in order to see her Godson graduate. It was a good weekend and really amazing. Big Bit asked me if I cried afterwards, to which TH responded "How many times would you like to hear about?" Too true. All I could think of was him in his little pink and blue cap laying in my arms while I said "Hi Dude, welcome to the world." It goes so damn fast.

Got hooked on Twitter. It gives the instant gratification a distracted Type A personality like me seems to require. I've had some great interactions with people there, some famous (Kelsey Grammer), some known to many (Mike Freeman, who writes for CBS Sports Online, has written several books and apparently wants to kidnap my beagle) and some known only to me. That may have been part of the reason I haven't blogged, and I know Kris has alluded to this as well...you've kind of said things you wanted to say and that takes away from the will to write. If you don't Twitter, you might like it. If you ever do and you follow me, it's really me, warts, liberal viewpoint, Packer obsession and all. You have been warned.

Went to Washington, DC. Awesome week. Did not want to go home. Could live there if I could live in the city. Have to make much more money to live in the city than I think I can. We hit about everything you could want to, including the White House and the Capitol tours (thank you Senator Crapo, I'll never vote for you but still). Met @thewino (Kris), @htphelps (Holly) and @KingMonkeyPants (James Bond), the first two being lovely ladies who blog about life (Kris) and the Packers (Holly) and now are on Twitter as well, the latter a dear friend of Kris' who is a source of absolute joy to me with his abundant humor on Twitter. I would have taken a picture of all of them, but KMP has some sort of super secret government job and I think he would have had to shoot us had he been photographed (I keed, I keed). The whole family was taken with them, to the point that when we went to National Airport (as the locals still call it) to fly home, Little Bit sadly waved out the window of the Metro and said "Bye, Monkey."

Not something I did - but - TH won the Golden Mallet tournament. AGAIN. Friend Steve was a bit apoplectic, because it's Steve's party, on Steve's birthday (this year) and he lost that damn mallet again. He'd gained it back for all of one year.

Had our annual Fourth of July BBQ so we could all troop over to the Depot and watch fireworks. Little Bit had a friend over, friends Steve and Bob brought their kids and everyone had a blast. The amount of munitions in our driveway the next day spoke for themselves.

Went to the Braun Brothers Family Reunion weekend in Challis. Never have been, always wanted to go (an old friend of TH's used to play in their band WAY back when) and finally did. I knew Muzzie and Billy's Mom and Dad when I was little and they were very sweet.

Mom organized it and we had a lot of fun. I think we'll go back next year but I will take earplugs because while I can still party, I can't stay up until 4 a.m. with the kids from LSU; or, to be honest, the nice cowboy and his wife (older than us!) from central Washington who were riding their bicycles in the dark at midnight while TH and I had a last beer and chuckled our heads off. They were very nice though and offered us breakfast the next day.

Went to Seattle for a PACKER game - Woohoo! Okay, here's the thing, Seattle contingent, including not only family but my Packer blog buddy Cuphound - we got there Friday night, ate dinner, went to bed, got up Saturday morning, ate breakfast, went into Seattle on the light rail (we stayed by the airport), had lunch with my old boss, Jenny, who we haven't seen in over a year, went to a tailgate party that I had been invited to by the Northwest Packer Backers, met another Twitter buddy @Greg_A_Bedard who writes for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (boy was I nervous, but he's just a nice, witty, guy who likes to write about the Packers and their crazy fans like me), went to the stadium, ate, watched the game, took the light rail back, got up, had lunch and flew home. Whew. Next time I go over there I'm going to have more time and less things booked.

Things I learned:

It sucks when your teenager really starts acting like one. It was a rough summer with Big Bit, he tended to disappear off the face of the earth once he got back from vacation with his Dad. He wanted to spend most of the summer in Reno with his friends, understandably, but he also decided that he never needed to talk to me just to let me know he was alive (much less had he done any of the things he needed to do...yeah, Mom was asking), there were a few tears and a couple of irritated conversations. If you've gotten to 18.5 years without having all this attitude, I think it surprises you even more. Thank God for my sister-in-law who provided the exact perspective I needed after one of these conversations as she had gone through the same thing - late rebellion. Now Big Bit is here, all is fine and back to a different kind of normal and he's ready to kick off Welcome Week this weekend and get in the swim of college life. I'm excited for him, but I think he might be more excited, though nervous.

Life is damn hard and I'm not as resilient as I used to be. I am grateful to have a decent job with good pay in this economy. I am glad my boss is not Sybil and her boss (and his boss) seem to like me. Still, there are many writings on the wall which say the long term prospects are not good. I'm tired of feeling underutilized and overbored. I've been working on the attitude but it's hard. (Whiner, you say? You would be right and I've said that to myself.) There is a possibility of a job on the horizon that in some ways looks promising and in some ways looks scary due to some inside info I have. I should know if I have it next week. Without divulging much, let's just say that it involves a very stable employer. And a pension. And those are very, very attractive things.

I probably don't have the patience to really learn to play piano, but God bless my friend Allen for trying to teach me.

I am technically old enough to be Aaron Rodgers' mother. Damn, that's depressing.

Our little Mario beagle has a big heart and a fierce growl. We think he may have been abused because the poor little guy recoils if you even raise your voice. Big Bit terrified him accidentally with a fly swatter of all things. But he's very dear to us already.

Little Bit has to have some testing, probably in a couple of months, because the dr. we got referred to thinks he may have borderline Asperger's. Maybe not, but maybe. And while I'm grateful that it isn't worse, because obviously things always could be, I'm struggling more than a little bit with this particular bit of news.

I'm two months from being a year older and I don't think I'm any wiser. When does that kick in, exactly?

Lastly, I found out last night that the EHFH has a tumor on his liver and has to have a biopsy next week. He's only 44. Big Bit is understandably upset and concerned (as am I, actually) so please keep EHFH and Big Bit in your thoughts and prayers. With BB starting college next week here, the timing is of course impeccable. NOT.

So, in WAY more than a nutshell, that is what's been going on. I promise to write more so as not to write a novel again. I hope you've all been well and I promise you haven't been away from my thoughts.

The Out of Towners

We haven't really been out of town for a while, for more than a day trip anyway. Gosh, I think the last time we really went anywhere is when we were in Oregon last summer!

Well, much as I love Idaho, and as contented as I was to be homebound for quite a while, once I settle in, I have to escape the environs, if you will, and go somewhere quite different.

Thankfully before I did our taxes I planned a trip. (Mr. President, I do support you, but do you have to pay for the stimulus on my back alone, I ask you? J/K but it feels that way this year.)

For years, TH and I have talked about going to a NASCAR race. For years, we have not done so. Then, while in Reno last May, some friends who go every year mentioned that they had slashed ticket prices due to the economy.

Ah, NASCAR. I get weird looks for liking it - my boss said somewhat timidly this morning, "Oh, is that a sport?" Here's the thing, kids. It's damn hard to drive a car on a banked track at 150 plus miles per hour. I have been 125 on a straightaway in my Camaro (Mom, please ignore most of this paragraph) and that is much, much different, but it gives you a slight idea of how fast things could go wrong. And yes, you can like NASCAR and be college educated, somewhat liberal in your politics, have Jane Austen as one of your favorite authors and know who Yo-Yo Ma is. So there.

So, we started nosing around. Packages are way expensive, but I'm a do-it-yourself kind of gal and found that with one plane ticket for free, booking a hotel room through Hotwire (and, we ended up at the Stratosphere, which really isn't bad) and finding a company that didn't ask for your right kidney to shuttle you to the racetrack and back we could do it fairly inexpensively.

We're flying down Saturday, back Monday night. Our only splurge on the trip (since the rest of it is now paid for) is dinner at this place on Saturday. I was thinking of a show, but then my new Packer blog buddy Jersey Al told me how much it was (I was close, but not enough) and I went "never mind"! It will be fun though. We really didn't go anywhere for our wedding anniversary in December so this is in place of a big dinner then.

Then Sunday - the race! While our friends from Reno are unfortunately not going this year, my friend Renee (the Mom of our longtime babysitter now bride S), her husband, and a bunch of their friends, some of whom we know and love are going. They park their RVs there - in fact, I'd like to bet they are already ensconced at the track since time trials have started. We'll hook up with them Sunday and if our seats totally suck and it's cold/rainy (yes, it's supposed to rain Saturday at least in Vegas), I'm hanging out with Renee in the RV and having a beer.

My hope, of course, is that I will see this handsome pair in the winner's circle at the end:

Ella's a little bigger now, but her daddy's just as handsome. Go Jeff Gordon!

Really, I Have An Excuse

I have been a bad blogger, a bad friend, a bad everything you can name in the last 11 days. But, I really had a reason.

Sorry everyone, you're right, I didn't send out Christmas cards or you would have gotten one. Thanks to the friends (Cele), family (Cousin D - those girls are so stinking cute - and Aunt A, and Aunt N for the pretty centerpiece) and others who sent cards to us. I may do a "Happy New Year" card mailing, or it may just wait until next year.

I almost always send my cards last minute - the only exception being the year I was pregnant with Little Bit, and since he was due Christmas Day I had them done and out at Thanksgiving - that nesting thing was kicking in so I got a lot done early.

A series of things conspired this year to make me later than usual - and then real life stepped in with a bang.

First, a co-worker of mine lost her daughter four days shy of her fifth birthday - the week before Christmas. A freak thing, that no one could have predicted or expected.

While I don't know her extremely well, she is a lovely person and because of that, and because I can't imagine the pain of losing a child, it kind of threw me for a loop. It threw all of us at work for a loop, to be honest. They buried Audrey on her birthday. It just makes me sick thinking about it.

A couple of days before that, a girl I went to high school with, Kristin, died in a horrific car accident, and with her, her older sister. Again, I didn't know Kristin well, she was a year ahead of me in school and very quiet, but she was nice and we rode the bus together for years, so you kind of have a bond because riding around with Mrs. Fleenor was enough to bond anyone - it was kind of a like a POW camp. I'm sort of kidding. My Mom and Dad knew Kristen's parents and I knew her Mom - she was a lovely lady.

The reason they were driving to Twin Falls from Boise was to be with their Mom, because their Dad had just died. That day. In one swoop, this woman lost her entire family. She buried them the same day my co-worker buried her daughter.

So, I was a little distracted by all of this, more so than I probably should have been, but on Little Bit's birthday, December 21st (also known as Kristi's wedding anniversary), I was going to do the cards and get them out.

First, though, we were going to meet up with my friend Dana and her children, one of whom is just seven months older than LB, at Boondocks, or Wahooz or whatever they're calling it now, for video games, laser tag, mini golf and all that jazz. Big Bit was up for the first days of his Christmas break, so he was along for the ride.

The Husband had been complaining that his eye was watering the night before, and he kept complaining about it during the morning. He also made the comment to Big Bit (who had just gotten home from the dentist) that he felt like he'd had a shot of Novocain in his mouth. That was a little weird, so I suggested he get in to see his doctor. However, said doctor was fully booked and we were a little rudely told to go to an Urgent Care. TH wasn't in any pain or anything and felt fine, so we went to lunch first, then I was going to drop him at the Urgent Care close to where we were meeting Dana and go back to get him.

While we were driving after lunch, however, he suddenly said that we should drop the boys off and then go to the Urgent Care. He was a little snippy about it and frankly, I was a little annoyed. We got there, I paid for the boys' activities, said hi to Dana and that we'd be right back.

When I got back in the car, and asked him why I needed to go in with him, he said, "I think this is serious and I need you there." He hadn't said that before, so now I got scared. We went the three minutes to the Urgent Care, who got him right in - then took his blood pressure, looked at his face, which suddenly was kind of still on one side, and told me to get him to the Emergency Room, another five minutes away.

We got him out to the car, I made him lie down in the seat, and then I drove like a bat out of hell to the ER, while calling Dana to give her an update and to my Mom that I needed her to pick the boys up. Luckily, the hospital is a brand new one and not a lot of people realize it's there, so we got right in. All I could keep thinking were two things - a) I'm really not ready to be in the middle of a tragedy at the holidays(who is?) and b) It was Little Bit's 11th birthday and nothing could happen to TH on his birthday. It just couldn't.

As it turned out, we had a great ER doctor, who looked at TH right away and proclaimed he had Bell's Palsy. It's a condition that affects one side of your face, making you not able to move your muscles from your forhead to your chin, it's usually caused by a virus, similar to shingles and chicken pox, and it USUALLY goes away within a few weeks. No stroke, no heart attack (though I damned near had one during all this as you might imagine). Just a virus, and an inability to blink his left eye or smile on both sides of his mouth. Which is a bigger pain in the butt than you might think, but obviously better than the alternatives. He got some steroids and antivirals and an eyepatch. Arrr!

So, the rest of that day was a blur, then it was getting Big Bit on a plane back to Reno, back to work for me for a couple of days and then it was Christmas! At our house! With the stepmonster in law! Yay (/sarcasm)! (Actually, she was fairly low key, the gifts were only semi last minute, with no forethought whatsoever, and we had a good visit with TH's sister, brother in law and nephew). We got to see Cousin Steve before he jetted back to Seattle, too, so all in all it turned out well. And when I went to church Christmas Eve, you can bet I said "Thank You" to the guy(s) upstairs.

But I've had a lot to think about, and it wasn't Christmas cards. I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and that your New Year's is great too. I'm hoping mine is drama free. It's my fifteenth wedding anniversary and I would like to enjoy it.

Cheers!

100 things

I'm 11 days late and a dollar short, but I'm giving it a try.

1) The first guy I kissed outside of family was Jeff Sirrine in 3rd grade.
2) I love the Green Bay Packers (duh). My father imprinted it on me and now he's trying to renige! No fair!
3) I hate the Denver Broncos (sorry, I'm sports themed right now it will change).
4) I wish I'd gone to the University of Idaho.
5) For some strange reason, I like my alma mater. I guess it's because I made it out with a sheepskin.
6) My left foot is longer than my right foot. Blame my grandmother, I do.
7) I was supposed to be a boy.
8) I met Waylon Jennings three times. And Jessie. And Shooter (who's Drea deMatteo's baby daddy).
9) I love beagles.
10) I love Siamese cats.
11) I secretly wonder if I'm related to Princess Diana. (there's a long shot on it.)
12) I'm really glad I had two kids. I hated being an only child (most of the time).
13) I loved David Cassidy at age 3. I wonder about myself.
14) I looked so much like a boy when I was 6 people mistook me for one.
15) I hated living in Utah.
16) I felt bad that I hated living in Utah based on the fact it was my idea and I talked my family into it.
17) I tried to run away and get married before I actually did to the EHFH. Elko doesn't have wedding chapels which was a sign I ignored.
18) I wanted to major in range management at Idaho but I was scared of the math.
19) I kill house plants inadvertently.
20) I got made fun of as a child by my older cousins because I knew big words. I was perversely proud of that for some reason. Perversely is a big word.
21) I skipped first grade.
22) I hate the Grateful Dead.
23) I am clumsy as hell.
24) I was a cheerleader my senior year (see above, it must not have been a popularity contest - nope, it wasn't. But at least I knew who had the damn ball in football games.)
25) I like to mow the lawn (I'm sure you're all bored by now, it's all downhill from here)!
26) Halloween is my favorite holiday. (Closely followed by Christmas).
27) Thanksgiving is my least favorite holiday (family tragedy years ago, will never go away).
28) I am secretly irritated my sons did not inherit my or my father's blue eyes.
29) I didn't get baptized until I was (I think) 21.
30) I wore size 0 jeans when I graduated from high school. If only now.
31) I wore a suit from Victoria's Secret at my second wedding. (It was tasteful).
32) I think people who have 18 kids have serious issues.
33) I'm more than a little scared by the health care bill but I trust my President. Not blindly, I just trust he's more like me than people think he is.
34) I am a fourth generation Idahoan and terribly proud of that fact.
35) I wish to this day I hadn't been so fair in my divorce and that Big Bit would have always lived with me. I did the "right thing". My fault totally.
36) I am very proud of the families I come from and the influence they have had on who I am.
37) I wish I trusted my own instincts more.
38) I love my house.
39) I am really horrible at keeping in touch with people and I feel guilty over it.
40) I am not a good housekeeper most of the time.
41) I saw Garth Brooks for free before anyone knew who he was.
42) I was listening to an AM radio station from LA when John Lennon was shot. I still remember the shock and amazement.
43) I remember man landing on the Moon (my grandmother and I shared this as a wonder. I was 2.5 years old when it happened but I do remember it.)
44) The first diamond I ever got was from a guy in the Army stationed in Killeen, TX (special resonance this week).
45) I love to read.
46) I am shy.
47) My nose is crooked. (broken, I believe, twice.)
48) I love Big Bit's pet rabbit far more than I wanted to or planned on.
49) I make a mean homemade (from scratch totally) pumpkin pie.
50) I am really going to miss my grandmother over the holidays. (duh.)
51) I wish my Dad would quit smoking. (duh part 2)
52) I remember my parents letting me out of my car seat ( I don't hold it against them, it was the 60's.)
53) I wish I was still in touch with the maid of honor from my 1st wedding. I'm not sure why we aren't to be honest.
54) Even on the days I want to strangle him I thank God for having TH come into my life. I m.ght have been okay without him - but I am not always sure about that.
55) I am thankful TH agreed to have Little Bit (even on the days I want to strangle Little Bit.)
56) I thought Little Bit was a girl and was (slightly) disappointed he wasn't, until he was born.
57) I hope my boys are close when they grow up, but I'm scared they won't be.
58) I love the show Mad Men on AMC.
59) Jane Austen novels are the best.
60) I tried marijuana twice but I didn't inhale. I believe Bill Clinton.
61) I cried today during the service for the Fort Hood casualties.
62) I can't sing karaoke.
63) I believe that God has a plan because there have been too many weird coincidences in my life.
64) I am okay if you don't believe #63. Honest.
65) Four Weddings and a Funeral is my favorite movie ever.
66) I think everyone's pretty much quit reading my blog because they disapprove. But, this is me, warts and all.
67) If I hit the lottery I might be Cele's next door neigbor, I love the Oregon Coast.
68) I've spoken to David Coverdale (lead singer of Whitesnake) on the phone more than once.
69) I was the boss of David's current wife (not Tawny Kitaen) when she first met him.
70) I love NASCAR, and Jeff Gordon in particular.
71) I have made at least three friends that I think I'll have for life. Hopefully more.
72) I wish Corey and Aaron at Cheeseheadtv.com would at least acknowledge my existence.
73) My grandmother thought that I was meant to be born in to my family.
74) I hate Lawrence Welk more than life itself.
75) I think Episode I-III of Star Wars (the later ones) suck!
76) I am a closet Trekkie.
77) I learned WAY more about the Mormon Church when I was in Utah than I wanted to.
78) I hate JarJar Binks (see #75).
79) I'm saying "I" too many times here, but I think that's a function of the exercise?
80) Sonoma Valley is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.
81) I love nice restaurants.
82) I have more of a problem being a woman in sole support of the family than I wish I had (I'm not right now, but was in the past for good reason).
83) I really want to be a stay at home Mom for the next 7 years.
84) I probably would go crazy being a stay at home Mom (see dichotomy with #83. Another big word, I'm on a roll!)
85) I had a crush on Michael Landon in Bonanza.
86) I killed Conway Twitty. Well, I went to see him the weekend before he died, and really didn't want to, so the joke (if there could be one, I'm sure he was a nice man) is that I killed him.
87) I'm cheap in ways I don't want to be and extravagant in ways I don't want to be.
88) I am eternally grateful my parents paid my way through college.
89) I like to proofread. (Just not on my blog.)
90) Las Vegas Rocks!
91) I won't lose more than $30 a night gambling.
92) I didn't see a Star Wars movie until I saw "The Empire Strikes Back" with my uncle and cousin. Then I liked it.
93) I hope Idaho beats Boise State Saturday. Sorry, I can't help it.
94) I went to see the Spice Girls willingly.
95) I still dance to "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go".
96) As big of a problem as I have with the Mormon Church, I have something of a really odd crush on Donny Osmond.
97) I like to ski.
98) I'm glad my aunt is hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year because I know it's a huge pain for her.
99) I can't believe a house build in the 1950's is as energy efficient as ours is.
100) I hope this didn't bore anyone who bothered to read it.

Frazzled

I'm feeling frazzled. Vacation was wonderful, enjoyed the beach, the Hydes and meeting Cele - but haven't had time to post any pics. Got back Friday night (really early Saturday morning), had to get ready for a bbq at our house Saturday night thanks to our friends who had so much fun at the housewarming they decided it would be a great place to see fireworks! (And, it is, it's a walk across the street to the Depot where you have a clear view of the whole show.) We really had fun with everyone (again, so busy no pictures - I have to have a more low-key party) but that meant Sunday we were FRIED and since then it's been work, work and my stressed out stomach keeping me awake nights.

I promise to write more soon and post photos, but in the meantime I appropriated this one - I'm glad I didn't try to take any of the fireworks because mine never turn out and (credit Idaho Statesman) others are much more talented. This literally was the view steps from our house. Boise is AWESOME.

More soon!

I Have An Excuse

I'm on vacation. That's why I haven't blogged. Um, well, except that I just started vacation yesterday and it's been about two weeks since last post. However, as one of my coworkers and I discussed last week (she, too, is off this week), there has been serious vacationitis going on for us for two weeks.

We're going to Oregon with our good friends the Hydes - and, all things coming together and the creek don't rise, I'll get to meet Cele! Hoping to connect with cousin Kristi as well.

But mostly, I'm just going to sit - in a hot tub, in a beach chair in a restaurant booth, with a book or without one and just BE. I never took a break between jobs and although London was wonderful, that sort of trip isn't relaxing. It just can't be done in six days and have any relaxation associated with it! So I'm really looking forward to just being for a while.

Have a great week!

Life is Interesting

Life is interesting, as we all know. Sometimes in good ways, sometimes in not.



Good ways:

• We had a great housewarming party, lots of family and friends including Ben & Yvette who got the prize for farthest traveled - from Utah Valley, as a matter of fact. Good to see them and I'm so glad you guys liked Boise!


• There's only two weeks of school left. I'm looking forward to a summer that really IS a summer with Little Bit. He's always attended year-round schools and there is nothing harder than explaining to a little boy why it's 90 degrees out and sunny and he has to go to BED instead of playing in the sprinkler, or what-not.


• I've decided to adopt a new life-style. I refuse to call it a diet, so that way it stays on the good side of the list.


• Big Bit will be here Friday for the weekend. Yay!


• Last but certainly not least, Dad had surgery Tuesday to take care of the thing that was causing his staph infection. He is home and doing as well as he can be. Big prayers that the infection will GO and he can get all the way better. Finally.

Bad ways:

• There are still boxes in my garage and I can't park in it. Sigh.


• It's cloudy and kind of yucky today. I WANT SPRING OVER. NOW.


• While I desperately try to get organized at work, a wave of disorganization is working against me. That is all I can say.


• The Husband has to wear the following this weekend. Don't ask. It will all be explained later this weekend in another post, if only cryptically.

A New MeMe

A new meme! I need to get Little Bit's prize winning run at the Pinewood Derby loaded but for now - here I am. Thanks Cele for the new meme!

A through Z--- get to know me!

A - Age: 42.5
B - Bed Size: Queen
C - Chore you hate: Folding laundry
D - Dog's name: AKC name - Tequila's Margarita, or Rita, or Pookums
E - Essential start your day item: Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Energy Body Wash
F - Favorite color: Blue
G - Gold or Silver: Both
H - Height: 5'7"
I - Instruments you play(ed): Trumpet, Trombone - quit playing sophmore year of high school but I loved playing the trumpet. I refused to join marching band though when I switched schools. Nerdy uniforms.
J - Job title: Group Insurance Manager. Damn right it sounds boring.
K - Kid(s): Two
L - Living arrangements: Married, most of the time happily!
M - Mom's name: Mom! Well, Pam, if you want to be technical.
N - Nicknames: I think the only one that's stuck is Nae or Nae Nae. (My middle name is Renee. My cousin likes to torment me. That is all.)
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth (mine and the boys): None, thankfully.
P - Pet Peeve: Oh, have I got a list. But I'd have to say the biggest pet peeve I have is people who can't think outside the box. Oh, and Utah drivers.
Q - Quote from a movie: "My hate keeps me warm" - C. Thomas Howell, "Red Dawn".
R - Right or left handed: Left
S - Siblings: Just me!
T - Time you wake up: When do I wake up or when does the alarm go off? They are way different things.
U- Underwear: Victoria's Secret cotton panties. Must have.
V - Vegetable you dislike: Squash.
W - Ways you run late: My Husband. Literally, the man was probably born late.
X - X-rays you've had: Chest (pneumonia), Teeth
Y - Yummy food you make: Spaghetti, Seafood Pasta, Stuffed Bell Peppers, Meatloaf (yes, my meatloaf IS yummy).
Z - Zoo - Boise. We now have giraffes and lions!

Yeah!

Take that, Utah! One vehicle down, one to go...

A busy week at work and it should be a busy weekend at home but today I'm going skiing with friend Ra, then Little Bit has a party to attend. After that, I'll probably buckle down to some home related things and getting ready for the Easter Bunny to come tomorrow. I'm going to be really sad when the Easter Bunny doesn't come anymore. Hopefully he'll stick around for a while.

Big Bit comes tomorrow for his Spring Break. His prom is tonight (who in the hell schedules Prom the first day of Spring Break?). I bought him a boutonniere (probably spelled wrong) from the florist in Reno who did my wedding bouquet for the 2nd wedding. He said it turned out great. I guess it's hard to screw that up eh?

Ta ta for now - have a great weekend!

Random Thoughts From The Weekend

• Life is a cycle, isn't it? We lost Charles, but cousin Kristi gained little Seth (on my late cousin Danny's birthday, no less). Welcome, Seth. If I can ever find my camera cable, I can post the pictures of your Mom I took when she was still pregnant with you.
• It's really going to suck saying goodbye to Charles Thursday. I hope TH gets through it okay. He got a sweet, heartbreaking e-mail from Charles' Mom this weekend. That poor woman. People should not have to bury their children.
• I really love being home. We went skiing Sunday at the local resort and saw five people we knew. Totally without planning to. That never happened to us before, by the way. Just reconfirms the correctness of the decision to come back.
• Big Bit was here for the weekend with a horrendous cold, which Little Bit promptly caught. And we had no kid's cold stuff in the house at 2 a.m. when he woke up with it. Argh.
• My Dad's infection is not clearing up, so they have to go in and take out the plate they put in his cheek so the infection will go away, then they can proceed. I am glad he's overall doing so well, if they can get this taken care of I think he's good to go. Damn staph infections. Hang in there, Dad.
• I CANNOT wait for spring.

On The Subject Of Things That Suck

Update: Friday, February 13. Charles passed away this morning. God Bless and RIP.

TH has been a Dungeons and Dragons guy for many moons now, since high school.

When he was at loose ends around 6 years ago (because the Mother Ship was foolish enough to let him go), he met up with Steve the Lawyer (of Golden Mallet Fame), Jim, the Professor (of Ugly Hoodie Fame) and lastly, Charles (another lawyer, loyal to the Mother Ship). They all shared this interest and went on to have many nights full of Mountain Dew (Yvette will get the reference even before finishing reading). While we lived in Utah, anytime TH came up for work, Charles, especially, was the one who said "come stay at my house...anything you need is yours." He is so very, very shy, but for TH, he made the effort and though I didn't know him well, it made me care for him very much.

Well, as of tonight, Charles is in the hospital. He has cancer, which we've long known, never with much hope for recovery, short of a miracle. Still, especially given how long TH's mother lived with her own particular form of this horrible illness, you just never expect someone to really go. You expect the miracle. But we think this time, it may be not happening.

And he's forty damn years old. Never married. No kids. Loving family and friends yes, but somehow I feel he's been robbed of the chance to live all of the facets of life he may have desired.
Some things just suck.

Be well Charles. Whatever happens, be well.

In his honor (thanks Yvette) I post the below video because I think, right now, he'd rather be having Cheetos and Mountain Dew and laughing at this stereotypical D&D adventure.