The First Week

Well, I was freaking about the first week of school for nothing. Everything went quite well, if I do say so myself. They didn’t have all their uniforms exactly as I would like, but luckily they can both wear navy shorts, which they did all week, except for mass. Darby had to wear her mass uniform from last year, which fit okay, it was just a little short, making it somewhat cute with her new sneakers and knee high socks. Probably not the most appropriate outfit for mass, but hey, I didn’t have much to work with.

The kids seemed so happy to be back in school and Darby was especially excited to begin Kindergarten, because it is a big deal you know? We arrived the first day and I took some pictures of them out front and all that mommy nonsense they have to put up with. I then realized I didn’t know if Darby was in the afternoon kindergarten class or morning. We headed to the office. Almost immediately upon setting foot in the front door Riley was stopped by one of his classmates (that’s how he refers to them). He decided he was going to go play with his friends outside. Fine, leave us to fend for ourselves Riley. Have fun.

Darby and I then go into the office and I say hi to the office manager and tell her that I need to know if Darby is in the afternoon or morning class. To tell you the truth, I thought she was in the morning class. She looks up the kindergarten schedule and while trying to find Darby’s name she informs me that “Darby requested she be in the afternoon class so she wouldn’t have to take a nap.” It turns out she was in the afternoon class. My five year old little girl told her school she wanted to be in the afternoon class and they honored that request. Is that weird? She told me she was in the afternoon and I didn’t believe her. I was wrong.

Anyway, she loves kindergarten. Everyday I pick her up and ask her how her day went and everyday she answers the same way, “It was so great!!! It was even better than yesterday!!” Friday she told me that mass was so good and it went by so fast. She said it only seemed like they were there for a couple of minutes. Riley said, “Darby, we were there for two hours.”

“Really? It didn’t seem that long.”

When we got home we go into the house and Brian is sitting on the couch. She runs by and says, “hi Brian, mass was great!” That was it. She’s a dork.

Riley was excited, but not quite as enthusiastic as Darby. He was pretty nonchalant though he did say that 3rd grade is the best so far. He doesn’t get homework on Friday’s and that seems to be a huge selling point for him. I’m also a little upset that he is now the smallest kid in his class. He didn’t grow at all this summer and his classmates seemed to have just shot up. He’s little, but it doesn’t seem to be affecting him as much as it does me. As long as he’s happy I’m sure it’s okay that he’s a little bit of a shrimp.

He also wrote in his beginning of the year questionnaire he needed to fill out for his new teacher that his goal for this year was to get better grades. I thought that was pretty sweet and just means we’ll have to work extra on his homework at night. That’s fine with me, but I’m sure he won’t be agreeing. Oh well. I’m so glad I survived the first week. Yippee!!!

Overheard

Darby: "Jordan, have you ever seen the rain coming down on a sunny day?"

Jordan: "No, no I don't think I have ever seen that."

Darby: "I haven't either."

I don't know when she heard this song, but I thought that was a silly little interaction that I want to remember.

I Am So Gullible

Awhile back I was taking Riley and Darby to their dad’s, when I realized I had forgot a movie I wanted to return to the rental store while I was out. I turned around and asked Riley to run in real quick and ask Brian to find it for him. He did. He ran inside and when he ran back out he had a great big smile on his face. A somewhat suspicious smile. What was he smiling about?

He climbs into the car and exclaims, “when I went into the house Brian was naked!”

“What, he was naked?!” I ask, completely confused. Why in the world would he be naked? The windows are open, the front door is open. Why would he be walking around naked? “Completely naked or did he have underwear on?”

“No, he was completely naked.” Riley responds.

“What was he doing?” I asked, still utterly confused.

“He was sitting at the computer doing his homework.” He told me, matter of factly.

“Did he say anything?” What is going on. If he wanted to do his homework naked, we have a perfectly fine computer upstairs. It would have been more private. The windows are all open for Christ sake!

“I walked in and told him you forgot the movie, and he said, ‘oh that’ and handed me the movie. Then I took it and came out here.”

“And he was naked?”

“Yep!”

I am stunned. This is not normal. Yes, he does tend to walk around naked or in his underwear, but not when the whole house is wide open. He always screams when he realizes he has just walked by an open window and he’s naked. Seriously, screams like a girl.

My next thought is thank God Darby wasn’t the one to run in to grab the movie. What in the world would she think, seeing Brian completely naked. What if it was somehow traumatic or worse, what if she told people that she saw him naked. What would people think? I was so relieved that I sent Riley in.

Just as I was thinking this thought Darby, who has been laughing the whole time about this incident, exclaims, “ next time, I want to be the one who goes in to get the movie!”

“What? No you don’t. Why would you want to see Brian naked?”

“Because it would be so funny!!” she says, still laughing hysterically.

Oh, what have I done to this little girl? She is such a freak. Anyway, it turns out that none of the story was true. Brian told Riley to tell me that. He failed to mention that it was all a joke when I dropped him off. I didn’t find out until I returned home and asked Brian why in the heck he was hanging out naked. He was never naked.

New Pictures

Alright, I finally got around to posting my birthday pictures and my belly picture. I know, very exciting stuff. I have more pictures of my birthday, but these were my favorite. If you want to take a look go here.

It's Not The Question, It's Who You Are and How You Ask

Last year for my birthday I took a half day from work and went and had a mani and pedi. I go in and meet the girl, who seems alright, a little rough around the edges, but whatever. We begin talking, as one does when getting their nails done, about me, of course. We get to the part where she asks about my occupation, because for some reason when you get your nails or hair or go to the doctor or first meet someone the conversation always leads to that one question, "so what do you do?" That's not exactly how this conversation took place. She asked me where I work. I told her, BC. "Oh," she says, "what are you a secretary or something?" Excuse me, I think to myself. A secretary or something? What in God's name makes her assume that I'm a secretary? Because I'm a woman who works in a large company? I must be a secretary? Um, no I'm not a secretary. Not that I'm some executive with a great title or anything. Well, actually my title is somewhat impressive, it's my pay that isn't so great. Anyway, the way she asked was so assuming, almost degrading.

First of all, if I was a secretary, I would most likely be called "administrative assistant", which sounds so politically correct, but I think it's beyond that now. You don't usually call secretaries, secretary. I mean, there are still receptionists, but I think secretary reminds people, and me, of a young, ditzy woman in a short. You know, someone somewhat brainless. Which is entirely not the same as the administrative assistants in my company. There aren't many jobs for admin assistants, because one, most people answer their own damn phones, and two, they are reserved for the people on the fifth floor (that's the top floor of the building). There are few scattered about the rest of the building, but not just anyone gets an assistant. Also, the people who work in these jobs, work damn hard and have to put up with a lot of crap and work horrible hours at times. I also haven't met one admin assistant in my building that's brainless either, not to mention that I'm pretty sure they get a decent pay. Probably more than what I get paid. Needless to say, I was completely and utterly offended to be asked, "so what are you? A secretary or something?" No, I'm not. That's all I said.

Then, awhile back I took Chloe to the vet. I filled out the paper work, which asked for my place of employment, and took her to the examination room. The vet tech came back to ask questions about Chloe and take her temperature (which she didn't enjoy so much, *wink*) and asked about my work place. Keep in mind the place I work is a large company, that if you live outside of Idaho you may not have heard of it, but I'm guessing the majority of Idahoans have. It's been around for a long, long time and it's had a lot of controversy lately, which makes it a good news item.

Side note: I don't want to mention where I work because I've been reading several articles about bloggers who have been fired for writing about their jobs on their blogs. I don't want to be one of those bloggers. However, if I read your blog and you have something like Statcounter it usually tells you exactly where I work. I know Statcounter does.

My point being, it's not some hole in the wall, ma and pop company. Anyway, the vet tech asks, "so what is BC? Is it a restaurant or something?" A restaurant or something? Who are you? A restaurant? I go on to explain to her that no, BC is not a restaurant, and I try to explain to her what and where it is. Hello!!! There is facility for the company not two miles from where this girl works. If you ever get on the frickin' freeway you have to pass it. You are forced to look at the god damn name every time you leave Nampa and go to Boise. In fact, if you want to get to downtown Boise, the headquarters is practically the first building you see!! WTF? Is it a restaurant? I wonder what she assumed I did while working at this restaurant. Hmmm?

Finally, I was shopping at the mall a couple of months ago, when I decided to get a Blimpie. I place my order and go the register to pay. The boy, the cute and young and adorable boy, who was helping me asked if I wanted a drink and chips to go with my sandwich. I responded that I did. He then asked me if I worked in the mall. I blushed and smiled and told him no. He said, "oh, I was just asking to make sure you received the discount. You get a discount if you work in the mall."

"Oh, that's so sweet," I say still blushing and smiling. "No, I don't work in the mall."

See how unoffensive it is when your cute and young and adorable to assume one's occupation? I think it also has a lot to do with the "or something" those dumb girls kept throwing at the end of their questions. Stupid girls.

Stuff Should Just Go My Way

Ugh! Things are still crazy in my house. I’m not completely prepared for the kids to go back to school, though I have a doctor’s appointment set up this afternoon for Darby to get her Kindergarten immunizations. That relieves me a bit. I don’t know exactly what is going on with the uniforms, but I have been told they are ordered and will be here any day, so I won’t be without on the first day of school. We’ll see.

Brian is looking for a job and while I don’t want to jinx anything by discussing it, the job we thought was going to work out is not working out the way we had hoped. It’s still not a lost cause, but it is quickly starting to look that way and it makes me upset. I really wanted him to have this particular job. He hasn’t really been searching since the prospect of this job came about, so I told him he should begin looking again. If this works out, it works out. If not, it’s not the end of the world. I want it to work out. I really, really want it to. Again, we’ll see.

Chloe has successfully been sleeping outside in her kennel. Brian believes she likes to sleep outside and while I don’t entirely agree, she doesn’t seem to hate it, so this looks permanent. He says that I shouldn’t make it such a big deal. She’s a dog, she’s not a person. She wants to sleep outside, she doesn’t think it’s horrible. Fine, but she is a little bit of person. She is. I’m telling you. She’s like a little kid. That has to count for something, right?

Brian is taking all three kids to the cabin tonight, by himself, and will return on Saturday morning. I have to stay home to go to work. How sad for me. I will be all alone for two nights. Usually, I love being left alone for a little while, but lately I have been getting a lot of alone time, and it hasn’t been all it’s cracked up to be. I am now missing our together time. I need more, but I will of course survive.

So, don’t I sound so sad and pathetic?? I shouldn’t because things are not entirely bad, and in fact, most of the time I am perfectly happy, it’s just so much seems to be going on at once. I feel overwhelmed at times. Maybe the alone time will be good for me. Maybe I’ll be able to get some things done and I won’t feel so crazy about everything. Maybe everything will work out like it should, or rather, how I want it to and life will once again be balanced. Sounds perfectly fine to me.

Basket Case

I wrote this yesterday and I don't feel as stressed today as I did when I was writing but, hey, I have nothing new.

Alright, I’m back and I’m all original today. I had a great weekend. The kids and I cleaned the house, went shopping, and packed up for a night at the cabin, which we went with Brian, but we prepared for our little trip while he was at his class. His last class to be exact. He is now officially done with school. Woo hoo!

I think this is good, but I’m a tad bit stressed lately, which makes me extremely grouchy and on edge and with little patience. Meaning I’m horribly short with the kids. This makes me feel so guilty and so sad that I’m not very pleasant with them. Then they go to their other parents’ houses and I have to feel guilty that the last things I said to them were nagging and mean and I’m a horrible, horrible person. Seriously, it keeps me up at night wondering how I’m going to make it up to them when they return.

Of course, at night I always stress about things that I can’t fix during these hours. I mean, seriously, what am I going to do about anything at 11:00 pm? And yet, there I lay, tossing and turning, thinking and stressing about the following things:

Money: Usually this isn’t my area to stress about, but lately it’s been bugging me. Will Brian find a job? When? What if he doesn’t? Are we going to be poverty stricken?

This is also stressful because I know Brian stresses about it and I feel guilty that he stresses about it and I try not to spend money, but sometimes I do and it makes him mad because he’s stressed about it anyway. It’s this never ending cycle.

The kids: I have so many things I lay at night thinking about in regards to the kids. Are they going to be happy when they come back even though I was cranky last time? Will they forget about my crankiness? How am I not going to be cranky? Brian just convinces himself that it’s no good to be cranky, I can’t do that. When I’m cranky I just am. There is no convincing myself otherwise. I can’t be cranky when they come back. I need to stopped being stressed over things that are beyond my control.

I need to get their school list for their school supplies was my worry a few weeks ago. Now that I have their supply list, which supplies will I buy and which will they’re dad buy? Okay, I can not depend upon him to come through with buying the school supplies, I will just go get them and he can pay me half. I did that last night. Now that I have the supplies did I get the right ones? What if they go to class and I have bought them the completely wrong supplies? Will they be embarrassed and upset. I don’t want to cause them embarrassment. What is a stupid large glue stick? Is it the same thing as the jumbo glue stick or is it just a regular freaking glue stick?

They go to Catholic school, because that’s where they’re father wants them to go. He pays for it because I think public school is perfectly fine and don’t see the point of them going to Catholic school when neither of us are Catholic. Anyway, he usually has their uniforms by now. I buy them shoes and socks and his mom buys their uniforms. Well, he doesn’t have any uniforms yet and everything I have is out grown or so used up they are unacceptable. The school requires they wear white shirts. White!!! Elementary kids can not wear white shirts everyday with out seriously staining them up. So I have shoes and socks (for Riley anyway) but not the uniforms. I’m freaking out. What are they going to wear on their first day. I don’t want them to look like scrounges who had to dig in the trash to get their uniforms while their wealthy classmates look all snazzy and nice. I hate their dad for insisting upon sending them to a school that neither one of us can afford. It’s absolutely ridiculous and they should not be put under that kind of pressure. I should not be put under that kind of pressure. Okay, this start to sound like ex bashing so, I’m going to end this part of my little stress rant.

Other stress I deal with when it comes to the kids are doctor and dental related. This stresses me out because they’re dad tells me, “oh I’ll take them to the dentist, I’ll take them to get their shots. I’ll do this and this and this and this.” Do you think he ever does it? No!!! He doesn’t. Then when I try to get information from him I may as well be talking to a wall. He has them insured, I ask where to take them. He takes them to a doc in the box place. No, sorry they need a regular doctor. Whatever. I’m going to be taking more action from now on. If I have to, I’ll add them to my insurance again and take them wherever I please. Hmph!! Okay, I’m serious, no more ex bashing.

Um, one last thing in regards to their school. They are having a BBQ this Wednesday to meet their teachers and the families whose names end in N need to bring some kind of dessert. That’s another thing I have to worry about. I might freak out at any moment.

Work: I have a few things I’m stressing about, but with everything else going on work is usually not in the forefront of my thoughts. Just thinking about Brian getting a job. And it’s not all money related worry I have about this either. I also worry about him being unhappy and hating his job. I so do not want that.

Chloe: Yes, I even stress a bit about my Chloe baby. She still has that leg issue and I don’t want her to be gimpy forever. When will be able to take her in and get her repaired? What will we do with her after the surgery? Will she be okay? And now Brian thinks it would be a good idea to have her sleep outside. She has only slept outside twice since we’ve had her. Once when Brian was mad at her for waking him in the middle of the night to get a drink of water and once this last weekend when we went to the cabin. We didn’t want to take her for just one night because the car is crowded as it is and she is big and stinky and uncomfortable. It wasn’t worth it to take her. Now he thinks she should just stay outside because, well, she is big and stinky and uncomfortable in our room. She gets hot and tosses and turns in her kennel all night keeping us up. He says that she likes it out there, but I’m not so sure.

Games

This was posted on Interstellar's blog, so I left my name with her. Here's the game:

1) Put your name in my comments and I'll respond with something random about you.
2) I'll tell you what song or movie reminds me of you.
3) I'll pick a flavor/color of jello to wrestle with you in. (maybe)
4) I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5) I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6) I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7) I'll ask you something I've always wondered about you.
8) If I do this for you, you MUST post this on your blog.


Here's her answers:

Jolynn:
- Pretty in Pink (the movie and the song!)
- cherry red!- Can't think of anything...
- This chick sounds totally cool!
- pink flamingos!
- When did you start your Barbie collection?

My answer to her question:
I only began Barbie collecting about 2.5 years ago. I have a total of 4 collector Barbies and hope one day to have many, many more.

Thanks!!!

Not My Idea...

But, I don't have much to write. I stole these questions from a blog, but I can't remember the blog. I'm pretty sure it's from a link on Interstellar's blog, but I can't be sure. I thought it looked interesting so here you go:


When you look at yourself in the mirror, what’s the first thing you look at?

I think I look at my eyes, because I’m a little paranoid about my eye make up smudging.

How much cash do you have on you?

Since I just had my b-day I’m loaded with cash. I have exactly $27, I never have that much cash on my person.

What’s a word that rhymes with “TEST”?

Chest, oh or breast.

Favorite plant?

I don’t know what kind of plant it is, but I have a plant and I love him. He never dies no matter how neglected he is. I always forget to water him and I don’t feed him, but he still continues to grow. I did, however, buy him a new, bigger planter. I think he likes it. I am just assuming it’s a him plant.

Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?

I am one of the last remaining people who does not own a cell phone. I know. I live in a time warp. I don’t have a cell phone and I love that people aren’t able to get a hold of me when I’m not home. (Okay, there are those rare occasions in which I say to myself, “I really wish I had a cell phone right now.” But those moments are not often.)

What is your main ring tone on your phone?
No cell phone

What shirt are you wearing?

A boring, plain, winter green tee from Old Navy.

Do you “label” yourself?

No, but Brian labels me as flaky and absent minded. I don’t agree so much.

Name brand of shoes you’re currently wearing?

Mudd, white sandals that used to be cute and are now getting pretty worn out.

Do you prefer a bright or dark room?

Bright, bright, bright. I hate being a dark room. I feel like a cave dweller.

What did you have for breakfast?

I had a blueberry bagel, my usual is paremesan, however they were out today. In a little while I’ll have some pineapple and peanut butter crackers to hold me over until lunch.

What were you doing at midnight last night?

Sleeping, because I am old and pregnant. I don’t stay up past ten.

What did your last text message you received on your cell phone say?

Once again, no cell phone.

Do you ever click on “Pop Ups” or banners?

Heck no!

What’s an expression you say a lot?

Ruuuude!

Who told you they loved you last?

I’m thinking it was probably Darby, though if Chloe could talk human she probably would have said it to me this morning before I left for work.

Last furry thing you touched?

Chloe

How many hours a week do you work?

In theory, 40 hours, in reality, probably a tad less than that. But only a tad less. Do you believe me?

How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?

None, I do need to post some photos that I’ve been slacking on, but otherwise everything’s on our digital camera.

Favorite age you have been so far?

Hmm, I think I will have to say 27 because that has been the year that I’ve looked and felt the best. Way better than early 20’s and now I’m pregnant, so yes, 27 is a good year.

Your worst enemy?

I don’t believe I have any enemies. Sometimes I think co-workers are my enemy, but only for about a day. I’m going to stick with I don’t have any enemies.

What is your current desktop picture?

A picture of Chloe a few days after we got her. She looks so clean and little and cute.

What was the last thing you said to someone?

“Yes, that’s mine.” When I went to the community printer to pick something up. I know how boring. If I would have answered a bit earlier I would have said, “Did you go over there to have drinks?” That’s a little better, right?

If you had to chose between a million bucks or to be able to go back in time and fix all your mistakes which would you chose?

A million bucks, without a doubt, there are no mistakes that I’ve made that are worth a million bucks. Besides, you have to make mistakes, otherwise your life would be completely different than it is and I happen to like how my life has turned out thus far.

Baby Blues

Agh!! I’m having a day today. I’m so grouchy and I have no reason to be. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Stupid pregnancy hormones messing with my system. Plus I have heartburn, plus I’m always hungry. I could scream. I can’t wait until this is over with and I have a baby. Then I’ll just be extremely tired, which is something I can deal with. I think. Maybe not, but being tired has to be better than feeling grouchy.

A couple of weeks I ago I came home from work and Brian told me he had recorded Oprah for me. I thought it was sweet of him, to record it with out my asking him to. Later that night I sat down with him to watch it, a little excited, wondering which Oprah episode was on today. Then it started. Brooke Shields was the guest. Do you know why Brooke Shields was the guest? Because the episode was about post partum depression. I find it a little curious that Brian had recorded an Oprah episode, that I didn’t ask him to record, about post partum depression. Coincidence? I think not. I asked him why he recorded this particular episode and he just shrugged.

What a dork. I don’t know if he’s worried about me getting the symptoms of post partum depression after the baby is born or what, but I have never had that. At least nothing extreme and nothing that didn’t go away. Plus, when both my babies were born I instantly fell in the love with them. I wasn’t confused about being a mom, I didn’t feel weird around them. I just wanted to hold them and love them-all the time.

I love the baby stage. I don’t particularly like waking up every couple of hours, but I love the first year. I love how they need you for everything and how everything is new to them and pretty soon they start discovering things, like their toes and they find these little things fascinating. And they love when you make faces at them and they want you to make the same face over and over and over again. And each time they smile that toothless smile.

I love how chunky they start to get after a couple of months and you have to buy them new outfits constantly. I love dressing them in their new outfits and don’t necessarily hate that you might have to change their clothes two or three times throughout the day. Plus, they have no opinions on how they would like to be dressed, I think they just prefer to be wearing something, anything. You can put a boy in girls’ clothes or vice versa and they wouldn’t complain. Though I would absolutely never do that.

I love almost everything about having a baby. However, after watching that show I am a little worried. They said that you can get this type of depression after any of your babies. I don’t want to. I want to be happy when I have my baby, like I have with the others. I don’t want to fell distant or out of sync with her. I just want to enjoy every second I can with her before I have to go back to work.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, I know everything isn’t going to be perfect. I’m sure there will be times that I get frustrated and lock myself in the bathroom because I can’t take it anymore. And I know there will be times that she might cry and I won’t know why and won’t be able to soothe or comfort her, but I’m not worried about those times. I guess my point is, I would rather have my erratic mood swings and irrational behavior now as opposed to after I have the baby. I think things will be easier to deal with this way. For everyone.

Birthday-Parts 3 and 4

Alright, we are coming to the end of my birthday celebrations. Saturday Brian brought me home a Barbie cake after his class, we ordered Chinese food and opened my presents. I loved my Barbie cake. It was perfect. Riley and Jordan are so sweet. They gave me a Dukes of Hazzard poster featuring none other than Jessica Simpson. I have no idea where I’m going to hang it quite yet, probably in my closet. Darby gave me the Beyonce CD I asked for and Brian came through with the Faulkner books I had on my list, as well as the Chocolate Barbie I wanted. I will be posting pics of my loot soon.

Sunday we went to breakfast at IHOPS with my mom and two sisters. It was bearable. I didn’t die like I thought I might. I have low expectations for time spent with my family. I don’t know why. Brian says it’s because I’m a bitch. Rude!!! Anyway, I had French Toast and it was delicious and the kids ate their entire breakfast which is always pretty good so the breakfast was a success.

Now all that’s left is my birthday movie. I wanted to go see Dukes of Hazzard, but now I’m not so sure. I know it’s not going to be a great movie with great dialogue and a great plot line, however, I don’t know that I want to spend all that money on something that’s going to be just so-so. I might wait until it goes to the dollar theatres and see something I’m positive will be entertaining for my birthday. Who knows.

Peter Jennings passed away. I don’t know why, but I find this sad. I don’t even watch the news and when I do, it usually isn’t ABC, but I heard the news last night and I was mournful.

But, I had a fabulous birthday and I’m very happy how everything turned out. And I love that Brian is so sweet and does everything to make sure my birthday is fun!!!

They're Tires-Who Cares

About two years ago I had my front tires replaced because they were so worn out they started to leak and were unrepairable. A time after that the right front tire developed a "mysterious" leak. I'm not sure what was going on with it, but a hole was never found. The tire just happened to go flat one evening while I was eating at Applebee's. As new tires are apt to do. (Yeah right). Anyway, a little time after that I was driving home from work and ran over a huge piece of metal something, I have no idea what, that completely sliced open my back tire. I believe this is when I replaced the back tires? This is all a blur because they're tires. Who cares, right? So I have new back tires now. That was say a year and a half ago, maybe a little longer.

About a year ago I went in to have my brakes done. Well, while they were fixing my brakes they "accidentally" put new back tires on my car, because there was a huge mix up with cars. Apparently another woman had brought in the same type of car and she needed new back tires, but they thought I needed them. Blah, blah, blah. I go into to pay for the brakes and they tell me of the mix up and ask if I want to keep them because they really should be replaced. "Who ever drives the car is really rough on the tires." Or some bullshit like that. Brian says screw it and we keep the tires. That was around August. Now we are fast forwarding to winter of the same year.

So, I'm driving the kids to school one morning and I took a corner a little sharp. Just a little. I happen to hit the curve with my back tire. I didn't think anything of it. Until I get on the freeway and I start bouncing down the road. I had shredded the tire. Completely. It was gone. I had it replaced--again.

Last night I was driving to pick up some movies for us to watch. I go into the movie place, pick out the movies, come out to my car and what did I find? Yes, you guessed it. A flat tire. I had run over a small metal object, which there is no possible way I could have seen while driving. It was not my fault-Brian!! Anyway, I had to call Brian to come change my tire and he was none too happy even though, IT WAS NOT MY FAULT!! The tire gods hate me. I don't know why.

Disclaimer: Parts of this story may be inaccurate. I don't remember if it they were front tires or back tires that were replaced in which order. You get the gist of it.

For No Reason

Sometimes, I receive these emails from Brian telling me what he's doing, what he's going to be doing, with a little bit of randomness thrown in for good measure. Then he tells me he's getting off the computer and will talk with me later. They're just out of the blue for no reason emails. They don't require a response, they don't ask me a question, they don't remind me I need to do anything. I think they are some of my favorite emails. No one else ever sends me emails like that.

Birthday-Part 2

Yesterday I woke up early to get ready for work. Brian woke up with me because he also had to work and we took a shower together. I love when we get to take showers together. I think we use to be able to shower with one another more often, but lately it’s been sporadic. While we were getting ready for work he sang a little bit of Happy Birthday to me in his goofy way and gave me huge hug because he’s a sweetie pie.

I connected to the internet and in my inbox was an e-card from Queen. I was so excited when I saw this and the greeting was super cute with little smiley faces singing Happy Birthday. I was also surprised to find sweet comments that you can read in my previous post. It made me so happy!!! I love sweet comments.

Since Brian had to work so early I took Jordan to his grandma’s. There I was greeted with a birthday card and Happy Birthday beanie bear. I had Riley and Darby open and read the card to me while I was driving and of course there was a nice little gift inside. They were so jealous. Maybe if they’re nice we’ll do something fun with my gift.

When I arrived to work and got to my desk, located next to my computer was a card and a box of yummy, yummy chocolates. My favorite person at work had left me a little treat. We have a thing for chocolates, we love them and try to have a stash on hand for after lunch. Our favorite chocolates weren’t available so she improvised and I’m sure they will be equally as delicious.

Next, some of my co-workers took me to lunch at this great pizza place by our work. I had an Italian sub and a salad and they ordered a pizza. I was so stuffed afterward, but it was well worth it. Plus, it was free, which makes lunch even more yummy, don’t you think?

We headed back to work and were walking in when the guards at the security console were summoning me over, very excitedly. I knew why. When I began to walk over I could see a flower arrangement and a balloon. Someone had sent me flowers!!! I love getting flowers, especially because I have only received them once before, on Valentine’s Day. I was so excited and they were so beautiful. I’m going to post a picture because they were arranged in a pink watering can. It is so cute. Brian did good.

I had a break, you know, to work, before I had my little party in the break room. Brownies and vanilla bean ice cream were served, my favorites and I had two brownies and chit chatted with everyone for about a half hour where I was able to brag about what a great birthday I was having. Pretty soon it was time to go leave work, pick up the kids, and enjoy an evening of relaxation while watching the movie Guess Who? with Brian. All in all it was a fabulous day and even though I had to work, I didn’t actually get all that much work done.

I have also come to realize that I need to pay close attention to whose birthday it is here at work. People whom are just casual acquaintances emailed me yesterday to wish me a happy birthday. I think I need to begin doing the same. Also, the lady who put my birthday party together happened to be serving my favorite dessert-brownies. This was not a coincidence. I really need to work on not being so self centered. Seriously.

Birthday Extravaganza-Part 1

Well, my day didn’t start out very well, but it did end on a nice note. I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday so I decided to take Darby with me to hear the baby’s heart beat. We arrive and they weighed me. I had gained nearly twice as much weight as I should have in a month. Twice!! I am officially on my way to becoming a heifer. I am so upset. The doctor told me that he wouldn’t give me a hard time this time because last month I hadn’t gained any weight, but not to make this a habit. Hmph!! I am so upset. I am so going to be good, however, I doubt I can start this week with all the cake and take out I’m certain to be eating for my birthday celebrations. I will be working out, however.

After the doctor’s appointment we met Brian and the boys at Camel’s Back Park. I really like this park and I’m not certain why, but it has this huge hill and I have fond memories of going there when I was little. Anyway, the boys finally arrived to the park and the kids immediately wanted to climb up the huge hill. They all trekked up the front side, the most difficult way to get up, basically so they could either run, tumble or slide down. They were pretty filthy and extremely thirsty afterwards, and I’m glad they only wanted to go up once. It was funny to watch them though. They looked like little ants.

After the hill climbing we played kickball. I thought this was fun, which surprises me. I wasn’t looking forward to it, you know, all that physical activity, but I had a good time playing with the kids and watching Brian take them out with the kick ball. Maybe it was just Brian taking them out with the kickball. Not really. I was the pitcher and I pretty much suck, but I got a few good ones in for them.

After the park we (meaning I) were starving so we headed home and Riley and I went to pick up some fried chicken and potato salad. Hmmm. This is part where you learn why I’m such a heifer. I had a plate of fried chicken (two legs), a couple scoops of potato salad, a scoop of strawberry parfait, some mac n cheese, and a roll. I finished this and had a few more bites of chicken and another roll and another bite of mac n cheese. I then went upstairs to watch an episode of CSI with Brian and take a nap. When I awoke from my nap I was a little hungry, so I had another piece of chicken. Keep in mind that fried chicken is my favorite food. I love it and it's difficult to resist. I felt a little guilty about the piece of chicken, especially since we were going out to eat with my dad in a couple of hours, but there was nothing I could do about it at this point.

I decided on Tony Roma’s for dinner because Tuesday is kids’ night, kids eat free. You can’t beat that! Anyway, it was so-so. I wasn’t in the mood for steak or ribs so I ordered chicken alfredo, which would have been better anywhere else. The kids really enjoyed their meals. Darby and Jordan ordered fried shrimp and Riley decided on ribs. They loved it. The service was quite slow, however. We were there for 2 hours. That is an insane amount of time for three kids to try and sit still. My back was starting to hurt. Then I received my birthday dessert, a huge brownie with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream, smothered in chocolate syrup. It was so yummy.

The dinner was fun, even if it was long, and the kids were good. We came home and put everyone to bed and I laid down with the worse tummy ache in the world. Ugh!! Still it was a good day.


On a side note, there was a funny conversation taking place the other night at dinner. Brian and Riley had finished and excused themselves from the dinner table leaving Darby, Jordan, and me. Darby was telling Jordan that there is this huge, fat dog that lives by her dad. He’s so fat because he eats all the time and he really should be going on a diet. Jordan was somewhat intrigued by the tale of this so called “fat dog” and needed more details.

“How fat is he? Is he as fat as my stomach when I push it out?” He inquires, while blowing his stomach out as far as it can go.

Darby looks at him with amusement and somewhat smugly, “yes, it’s much, much bigger than that,” she responds.

“Is it bigger than your mom’s tummy, even with a baby inside,” he asks.

She smiles, “oh yes, much bigger than my mom’s tummy.” (Good save Darby.)

Hmm, you can see him thinking about this. How big is that fat dog? Aha, “is he as big as my dad’s stomach?” He asks her, challenging her.

She gets a huge smirk on her face, “Yep!” she proclaims. “The dog is bigger than your dad’s stomach. Much, much bigger.”

They both erupt in laughter. “Oh my gosh, that is one big dog!” More giggling.

I told Brian this story and he thinks they’re so rude. I think it’s funny and charming.

Ho Hum

So, my mood hasn't changed much. I'm still in a semi-slump. However, I received my first birthday present yesterday. My mom bought me these yummy sheets from Macy's that went on sale yesterday for about half the price I paid for them. My last set were a tannish, neutral color. The ones I chose yesterday are plum purple. They are absolutely delicious. I actually wanted pink, but they didn't have the size I needed. Then I really could be wrapped in pink sheets. Oh well, maybe next time.

So starts the week of my birthday festivities, which will probably have to spill into next week. This week is jam packed with boring-mundane-busy-has to get done stuff that can't be avoided. I can live with that I suppose. Plus, Brian insists that I gave him my list too late to have all the orders shipped in time for my actual b-day, day. I insist he is wrong and that he simply didn't look at the list until it was too late. I'm going to say I'm right and he's wrong because it's my birthday and I can.

I took today and tomorrow off. I hope they're fun days.