ALL HALLOW'S EVE

Pictures!

Here are the kids all ready to go trick-or-treating. L-R: K is a stick figure (more on that in a moment), Pey is a High School Musical cheerleader, and Ry is Landon Donovan of LA Galaxy fame:

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Here are a couple of pictures of K when we turned off the lights. His costume was the hit of the night. :)

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Hope you all had a great pumpkin day, too.

Updates

Good

Girl Scout meeting went well. We even completed all the requirements for a patch. Before our next meeting, I need to make sure I purchase those patches so that the girls will feel a sense of accomplishment.

Halloween candy bowls are fully stocked (I bought eleven bags of Snickers, Butterfingers, etc. - no cheap stuff this year; thanks Grocery Game).

Kids' costumes are pretty much ready to go. Pey will be a cheerleader from High School Musical, Ry will be Landon Donovan, and K will be a stick figure. Y'all, if his costume works out, I'll be posting pictures all over the place tomorrow. SO neat.

I made Rachael Ray's Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches last night. Yum-O.

My birthday is this Friday.

Bad

Friday I will be thirty-nine. Next year I shan't have a birthday, I think.

I have to take a CPR class on Friday. For Girl Scouts. It's not a requirement, but a "suggestion." I've noticed GSA has lots of "suggestions."

Speaking of Girl Scouts, Fish's comment on my last GSA post was right on the money when she talked about dealing with parents. I could go on for pages, but I'll just give this little anecdote:

At the parents' meeting, we talked about dues. It was decided that dues would be $2 per child, per meeting. Grand total of $20 for the year. Cheap, right? When it came to payment, I said that whatever the parents decided on how to pay would be fine with me, but that we had to come to a consensus - either everyone pays up front, or everyone sends two dollars with their child on meeting days. Anything else would become a financial headache for the Leaders. With God as my witness, I promise that every parent said they'd prefer to pay for the year in advance.

Jump ahead to the GS meeting on Friday: one parent brought me a check for four dollars for her two daughters, "just in case she decides they aren't going to be in Scouts for the whole year." One parent brought ten dollars in cash. Ten. No one else paid at all.

Well, isn't that special. I just can't wait until February cookie sales come along.

YO SE LA VOY, LA VOY AL NARANJA!

Houston Dynamo, you rock. Between you guys and the University of Texas Longhorns, my new favorite color is definitely orange.

Doesn't hurt that we're in the finals and DALLAS IS NOT! Woo!

Next weekend will find us in the stands at Robertson Stadium.

Nuff said.

IT'S FRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIDAY

A local DJ always says "it's Friday" all spread out as in the title of this post. I wish you could hear it; it always makes hubby and me smile.

This particular Friday is not going to be as relaxing for me as your typical Friday. That's because Pey's Girl Scout troop, of which I am the leader, is meeting here at our house right after school today. We already had the requisite Parent Meeting last Monday, which was only slightly more fun than a root canal.

Actually, no, it wasn't.

Our troop consists of eight girls, at least two of which I'd happily boot out if I were given the opportunity. Am I awful for not loving every child I meet? Seriously, shouldn't Scout leaders be blessed with Jesus-like patience when it comes to dealing with the little lambs? If so, then I need to turn in my Pin.

In all fairness, I cannot completely fault the girls for their behavior at the first meeting. My co-leader, who had agreed to lead the girls in a craft or two while I met with parents and had them fill out paperwork, completely ignored her job. She stayed with the parents and chatted while a bunch of eight- and nine-year-olds ran amok in my dining room. Not only that, but she was completely unprepared for the meeting - I'd given her all of her daughters' paperwork ahead of time (two of her kids are in this troop). Alas, she hadn't filled out a single page.

So at this meeting, I was pretty much on my own - corraling the girls while simultaneously trying to keep them quiet enough that I could hear their parents' questions and answer them. By the time all these people left my house, it was after 8:00 p.m. The kids and hubby were hungry and tired, and I was all that plus aggravated. It turns out that while the girls were coloring printouts of the Girl Scout Law and the Girl Scout Promise, they took advantage of the fact that they were pretty much unsupervised to flip the posters over and draw pictures of people committing suicide. One girl said that when she grew up, she was going to be a "Sui-side-kick."

OMG.

Co-leader hears about this after the meeting, and gets upset because her daughters didn't yet know what suicide was, and she didn't want them to learn about it from other kids.

Um, yeah, ya think? Where were YOU when the girls were doing all that? Not where you were supposed to be, I can tell you that.

Typing this out is making me upset again. I just hope today's meeting goes better than the first one. Lord, give me strength.

Mom

As of today, it's been exactly eight years since you left us. I still remember that last day at the hospital like it was yesterday...when the doctors turned off life support, it felt as if they turned off my own heart.

Every time I see a yellow butterfly, I think of you. In a way, I feel that the yellow butterfly is you, watching over us from time to time. I almost always see a yellow butterfly at the soccer fields, and it warms my heart because I know how much you loved to watch K play.

I hope that you can see how wonderful your grandchildren are turning out. K is a very talented guitar player now, Pey loves Girl Scouts and animals, and Ry is incredibly smart and creative - and he gives his dad and Tree a run when it comes to Star Wars trivia. You wouldn't believe it.

I know we didn't always see eye to eye, but you were my mom and I loved you very much. I still do.

I'm heading to the florist to pick up some of your favorite purple flowers, then I'll take them to the cemetery afterwards. I'm sure I'll have more to talk about with you when I get there.

Rest well, Mom. You are deeply missed.

PRODUCT REVIEWS

I was just reading a post on a board that I frequent (rhymes with "Rocery Rame") regarding Tylenol Go Tabs. Reviews are mixed, although the general consensus is "yuck."

So anyway, I started thinking about things I've been using around the house lately. Do I like Glade Air Wisp or not? How's that Oust Air Sanitizer working out? What are my feelings on the Tylenol Go Tabs? What the heck is that on the carpet?

And so it goes.

Tylenol Go Tabs - Convenient; no water required. But not as tasty as Tums (and yes, I know they serve different purposes - I was just making a taste comparison). Jury is still out on how effective they are on headaches.

Glade Air Wisp - Smells a room right good when it's set on high. But it beeps this annoying little high-pitched "where the heck is that beep coming from?!?" beep that irks hubby. Probably not enjoyable for the dog, either.

Glade Plug Ins - Can't tell you how much I lurve these things.

Stayfree Pads - Come on, they're pads. Not bulky, but awfully fold-y. (Women will totally get what I mean by that). Awful necessity. Hate them. Need them.

Vive Pro shampoo/conditioner - I got tons of this stuff for free. To me, the shampoo is just shampoo. If I'd had to pay for the Vive Pro, I'd have saved a couple of bucks and bought Suave. As for the conditioner, I've never met one that beats Pantene for detangling my frizzy mop.

Pantene Ice Shine shampoo/conditioner - Lordy, if this lived up to its promises, I'd buy stock in the company. But the only diff between the Ice Shine and regular Pantene is about two bucks a bottle. Again, if it wasn't free, I'd ... well, I'd still have tried it, as I am an advertising budget's dream, apparently. But I wouldn't buy it twice, so there!

Senseo Coffee Maker - Rocks.My.World. If anyone can tell me where to buy cheap pods, I'd be rather grateful.

Pizza Hut lasagna pizza - Sinfully delicious cholesterol on crust. We ordered it a lot. So why the heck did Pizza Hut stop selling it here? Don't even tell me that PH is concerned about my cholesterol...

Wacky Mac pasta - Turns the water red when you cook the noodles. That might be appealing to children younger than mine. Otherwise, they're just noodles, which basically means that the sauce is all that matters. I paid five cents a bag for this stuff. Worth every penny.

Oust Air Sanitizer - Kills poopy smells in the bathroom air. Can't complain.

Chex Mix chocolate & peanut butter - Oh my gravy, as Rachael Ray would say. Bad bad bad for me. Good good good for my taste buds. It's reminiscent of puppy chow (you know, that stuff you make with Chex and melted chocolate and peanut butter and powdered sugar at Christmastime). I could easily gorge myself on this stuff. And have.

Dyson - There are not enough adjectives in the English language to describe this insane vacuum cleaner. I have had mine for almost exactly a year now, and the honeymoon is still not over.

Carmex - Bliss in a tube. Or stick. Or tub. Carmex is all about choice.

Advil PM - Be sure you're already in bed when you take this stuff, is all I'm saying.

Cottonelle Fresh Wipes - There oughta be a law that every bathroom in the free world has these readily available. Sometimes I even use one to wash my face. A new cloth, of course; don't be gross.

Mary Kay oil-free hydrating cream - Little. Purple. Different. Very good for wearing under Everyday Minerals-type makeup.

Everyday Minerals makeup - Let me put it this way: I'm never going to put cream foundation on my face again. If you try EM, be sure to get Original Glo finishing dust. You won't believe the radiant glow you'll have. M'kay, I'm a freaking commercial. Moving on...

Pledge dusters - If these had existed when my mother was around, her house would have been much cleaner. She hated to clean, but these things almost make dusting fun. I said almost. Let's not get crazy.

Day Runner - Seriously, why so pricey? I've got a terrific At-A-Glance planner that cost six bucks. Day Runners of the same size and capabilities? $40 on clearance. I don't get it. I really don't.

Snapfish.com - Excellent photo developing and uber-cheap prices. They're quick, too. If you want to try them out, your first roll of film developing is free. If you tell them I sent you, I'll get a free 4x6 or somesuch. Drop me a line and I'll give you my email addy. (Shameless plug. Just shameless. Apologies all around.)

That's about it for now. The kidlets are due home from school in a few minutes, and I still have not identified that spot on the carpet.

In Memoriam

Hubby's grandmother, Arthelia, who would have turned 96 years old this coming Sunday, passed away last Saturday morning. She was a remarkable woman who traveled the world, gave birth to five children, and supported her family while her husband fought in WWII. She was a schoolteacher for many years, and in general just a smart cookie!

As she aged and her body slowed down, she still kept going. Art never let her physical limitations keep her from experiencing life. We'd sometimes offer to take her out to lunch, or to the park, or to a movie, knowing that despite her creaky knees, she'd always grab her walker and say, "Well, that'd be nice."

To the very end, her mind was as sharp as a tack. The ever-present crossword puzzle books she carried around helped with her memory retention capabilities, she said. I constantly marveled at the way she was able to keep up with hubby's sharp wit. Not many people were as quick as she.

Saturday afternoon, we sat the kids around the kitchen table and told them that GG had gone to heaven. They were devastated. The last close relative to die was my mother in 1998, and the kids were too young to remember much about her. But they have many more memories of GG, which made it that much harder to let her go.

We are all comforted by the fact that at least she is no longer in pain. And that she is finally reunited with her beloved little sister, Bliss, who died in 1918 when she was five years old. GG is also being greeted by her husband of fifty-plus years, who predeceased her in 1991. I can hear him now - "Art, what took you so long?"

In addition to dozens of other long-lost relatives that she is now reconciled with, she is probably most thrilled to see her firstborn child, who died the day he was born. At the time of his birth, I'm not sure the nurses even let her see the baby, so being able to at long last will be especially wonderful.

For those of us left behind, we say Godspeed to you, Art. We will miss you very much, and will try to live our lives the way you lived yours - with passion, adventure, and love.

16 YEARS ALREADY

And here's to fifty more.

DREAMING OF YOU
Last night I dreamed about friends I've never met. And orange stuff.

So here I was, at the Rachael Ray show, helping her set up the cooking segment. She looked at me and said, “You’re so nicely dressed. How do you always look so put together?” I looked down at my camisole and jacket and thought, “duh, Rach, it’s all about layering.”

A few minutes later, she asked me to run out and get something she needed (what it was escapes me now). I was apparently beamed into someone’s house, where their kitchen table was set with beautiful orange dishes and a large flower arrangement in the center. I heard a noise and turned to find a blonde-headed Jax standing there. He asked me how I liked the table he had set, and I told him it was lovely. Then he asked me if I wanted to see his daddy’s car, and led me to the garage. Inside was a orange Delorean, rather beat up but still cool.

At that point, Pez (wearing a baseball jersey and jeans, and with long, dark hair pulled into a ponytail) came in and asked Jax how he got home from the Mariners game by himself. He said, “I’m good at directions.”

Rachael Ray came into the kitchen then, and said that the table looked good and that she was ready to get started. She cooked up some veal and macaroni & cheese, which Jax declared “delish!” A few minutes later, the doorbell rang – Kimmer was joining us for dinner.

It was sure good to see you guys.

YOU HAD ME AT "HELLO"

We all remember the cheesy line "you complete me" from Jerry McGuire, right? Today I say those words in all honesty to my husband. M, I love you from the bottom of my heart, and I truly believe that we are soul mates. Happy birthday, honey. You are my favorite.

THE MODERN COLONIALIST

Yesterday was Colonial Day at K's school. If the kids dressed up in colonial-era clothing (or gave it their best shot), they got extra credit points. Here was K's choice of outfits:


K sports a pair of navy blue dress slacks, floodwater-length, tucked into twice-worn soccer socks. (On his feet are a pair of modern style ebony lace-up shoes, but the teachers let that slide.) Topping this ensemble is Dad's Old Business Shirt (DOBS), complete with ring around the collar, cinched in at the waist with Mom's Old Brown Belt (MOBB). Our model is unaware that he wore a woman's belt to school all day. Fortunately, so was the rest of the student body.



K is a very shy kid, so I was concerned all day that he'd be [gasp!] noticed! And would come home irritable and colonially grouchy and vowing never to go to school again. But that didn't happen - not only did he enjoy Colonial Day, he said it was one of the most fun times he's ever had at school.

Kids.

WHAT'S UP

If I were my 10-year-old, I'd sarcastically say "the sky" or "the roof." Fortunately, he can no longer say "gas prices," as they have taken a nosedive lately. My favorite filling station currently has regular unleaded at $2.19 per gallon - a price I've not seen in over a year.

So here's what's been going on during my silence the past week or so...

• Tnk is returning to full duty next Thursday. I cannot believe she has recovered from that horrible accident, nor can my mind grasp that my little sister will be back on patrol, at night, with all the bad people and drunks (not that those are mutually exclusive). This is seriously messing with my sleep patterns. It was hard enough worrying about her when she was 100%, but I worry that there may be lingering effects from her accident that may, in the right (or wrong) scenario, compromise her safety. Oh God, I just worry. She would not be happy with me for writing all this, but I don't care. This is my journal and my feelings are relevant. My feelings are relevant. They are. If I could lock her in a little box and keep her safe forever, that's exactly what I'd do.
• Of course, we all know that wouldn't solve anything. She'd just hate me then.
• K played a great soccer game today, and his team won 9-0. This was a milestone for him because it was the first time he'd been on the field since his arm was broken during a game last March. Unfortunately, I missed it because...
• ...I was at BLT all morning. No, not the sandwich; Basic Leader Training for Girl Scouts. That's right, I'm becoming a Girl Scout Leader. I am optimistic about this because I know it will be great for my daughter and me both. I foresee lots of paperwork in my future, but hopefully not lots of tantrums. (Particularly not tantrums by parents.) The reason I'm getting into this now is because Pey's current troop consists of 18 girls - 17 second graders, and Pey, who's in 3rd. What that means in layman's terms is that at the end of this school year, Pey will be the lone scout bridging into Juniors. And next year, her leaders would have fun trying to figure out things that both the Brownies and a Junior could do. Trying to nip this in the bud, I attended Rally earlier this week and was successful in forming my own troop - 6 third graders, and 2 second graders. Not ideal, but much better, as no one will be alone anymore.
• Good news - Hubby has been offered a new job. He's really excited about it as he'll finally be using the two degrees that his parents paid for. He will finally be out of the heavy-deadline business, and cannot wait to get started. Right now, it looks like October 9th will be the big First Day. I'm so proud.
• University of Texas clobbered Rice today in a total blowout. By the end, UT had put in the third string and still managed to rack up more points. I felt bad for Rice because I think Texas was blowing off some steam from their loss to Ohio State last week.
• Fish, if you're reading this, email me because I have some puppet news for you. (Like how I buried that in the big middle of this post? Oops.)
• Pey's friend J is here right now. J called an hour ago and said, "Can I come over and spend the night?" Anyone else would have gotten a quick "uh-uh," but J is Pey's best friend, plus J's mom agreed to be my GS co-leader, and even attended BLT with me today. I kind of feel like I owe her, although in truth J is usually no trouble and Pey likes having another girl around. I guess the dog and I aren't enough femaleness.
• For the record, J's mom was mortified when she heard that J called and invited herself over. I just had to laugh. Some people are hard to get mad at.

That's about it for the rambling. I'm exhausted and will probably be heading to bed really soon. First, though, I have to make sure J and Pey (never noticed that that rhymes before) are down for the night.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

IT'S MY LIFE

A couple of days ago, we took a family drive and went out for dinner at a little restaurant called Skeeter's, then ran a couple of errands. Just for fun, I took our new digital camera with me so that I could document a day in the life of, well, me.

The picture on the right is me in the van, taking an ever-so-candid shot of myself on the way to the restaurant. You might notice the stick-straight hair. After years of stick-my-finger-in-the-light-socket frizziness, I finally gave in and paid Supercuts to straighted my tresses. Did they ever! Take that, Texas humidity! I'm including a "before" picture taken at the reunion last week (why oh why did my hair have to look like that at the reunion?!?)














Before - Chewbacca. After - Rowr.

Moving on.

Pey looks terribly surprised about something. What's in that ketchup, anyway?










At Skeeter's, you can draw on the butcher-paper tablecloths. Here's Pey's drawing of Kirby, who is either quite winded or blowing a bubble. I never took Art History, so I'm at a loss.












Here are the kids acting all fly (in other words, "weird") in front of the restaurant after dinner. I had to crop out some unsuspecting hubcap-missing Toyota's license plate out of the picture, lest one of you innernet stalkers got a hankering to stalk him. You're welcome, Toyota owner. Now get a hubcap; your car looks dumb like that*:













Here's the gas pump where we filled up after dinner. Notice we're paying $2.29 around here right now. Road trip, anyone?












Here's the Kroger where I do my weekly Grocery Game (GG) shopping. I used to hate Kroger because of their stupid shopper's card. Now I know that it's a blessing sent straight from the heavens. Well, maybe straight from corporate headquarters, but who am I to quibble? Between my coupons and that card, I paid $49 Sunday morning for $110 worth of groceries. That's a savings of around 55%! Every week, I challenge myself to spend even less than the week before, and so far I've been successful. I'm totally addicted to GG'ing. It's like crack to me. (Someday I'll post a picture of my overflowing pantry and then you'll understand.)








(again, cropped out lots of license plates - all you car owners owe me for saving you from certain death)

And there you have it - a day (afternoon, really, but you probably wouldn't like the early-morning me) in the life of this Houston girl. Any questions?

*Before anyone accuses me of being a snob, a quick reminder: I drive a 1995 Saturn SL-2 with 172,000 miles on it. It recently got a new headliner, which helps somewhat with its appearance, but it still leaks some mysterious shit from underneath the passenger seat, sports a large winding crack across the windshield, has a console that vibrates more than my cell phone, and has more "doctor" appointments than I do. But hey, at least it has all four hubcaps.

20 YEARS ALREADY?

Last weekend was our 20-year (gulp!) high school reunion. I've been on the planning committee for months, so the buildup for me was huge, lemme tell ya.

Y'all, it was wonderful. We had over a hundred of our classmates in attendance, not including spouses. Well, unless you count dh and me, who both attended the school. And maybe there were one or two other classmates who married each other...but I digress.

The big event was held at a resort just north of Houston. Hubby and I (and several others who didn't want to drive home after the party, if you know what I mean) stayed at the resort on Saturday night. It was great. The toiletries were all from Bath & Body Works, the bedding included a down comforter, and the pillows were feather. Surprisingly, the cost was not outrageous, and I'd definitely consider staying there again sometime.

Anyway, the reunion: As I said, I was on the reunion committee, and my big job was the nametags. That was a task in and of itself, as it was decided that our senior pictures should be on each nametag. So I've spent the last couple of months working on the project - scanning in pages from the yearbooks, cropping each picture down to a manageable size (and moving each into its own individual file), and typing in hundreds of names.

Here's an example:

Tracy
Maidenname
Marriedname



(yep, that's me in 1986)

Those people who didn't have a senior picture taken weren't spared the humiliation, though: I've got yearbooks from all four years of high school, and I found them all! Bwahahaaaa!!! Well, save one, but he was a newbie our junior year and I just couldn't get an old picture of him.

In all seriousness, the nametags were actually a hit. People came up to me all night and said how cool they thought having the pictures with the names was. That right there made all my efforts (and the high cost of printer ink) worthwhile.

Hubby, who had not particularly been looking forward to the reunion, even had a good time. He was as funny and engaging as always, and our old friends commented that he hadn't changed much over the years. (See, M? I told you.)

I know M wanted me to write all about the reunion, but I can't honestly think of much to say that wouldn't be painfully obvious. Some people had not changed at all; some had changed so much that they were virtually unrecognizable. Some were much friendlier than they were in high school, and some were still jackasses. Fortunately, the former was much more common than the latter. One example of the latter, though, came from a guy I went out with (for about five seconds) in high school: The Pussycat Dolls song "Buttons" was on, and I was sitting at the table singing along. This guy came over, knelt down, and said, "I know you think you look good singing that, but I keep picturing you in your minivan. It just doesn't work for you."

Jackass once; jackass always. I'm trying to chalk it up to the fact that he'd been putting away the alcohol for awhile, but it was a mean thing to say anyway.

Overall, though, it was fantastic to see people, and in many ways I was able to close out an unpleasant chapter of my life. Not that high school was particularly bad for me - I was on drill team and had good friends and enjoyed a fair amount of popularity - but you know how you always remember the bad stuff. Anyway, I got a bunch of email addresses and phone numbers, and plan to keep in touch with old friends - and I mean it this time!

WHERE THE HELL IS MY BLOG?

The template loads, but there are no words on it. I can edit any post I want, but I can't see it after it's published. I can even see Beth's and Pez's blogs, but not mine. Heaven knows if I'll be able to look at this post, either.

This happens all the damn time with Blogger. Where can I find a more reliable free blog site?

TITLE GOES HERE

First of all, "HI, BETH!" I know I've been slacking off on my blog lately, but that's because it's harder for me to blog in the summertime. Not because I have a teenager on the computer at night, but because my life has very little structure right now. Without structure, Tracy is a flighty girl who does not blog much. But never fear, school starts next week and I'll be living in structure hell.

Does anyone else dread the start of the school year like I do? I don't know what happened. When the kids were little, I couldn't wait for them to get to school so I could have some free time. Now that they're older, though, I like having them home. They are pretty much self-sufficient, plus they're fun to be around. I can even leave them here while I make quick grocery store runs by myself.

I guess what I'm dreading most is the homework. Most likely, that's what the kids are dreading, too. What I can't stand is hearing the complaining that starts the minute they get off the bus. Here are some of those all-too-common complaints, in no particular order:

(Betty/Susie/Bob/Ruie) was mean to me today!
My leg/head/stomach hurts!
I've got too much homework!
I'm hungry!
Ms. Park/Smith/Weimaraner is mean!

And the best one:

Mom, you forgot to send (money/my permission slip/cupcakes) today!

The list goes on and on.

Hopefully my fears will be mostly unrealized, but in the meantime, I'm a ball of stress. I wish I could go back to the early days when school was easier, but the grown-up in me knows that can't happen - and shouldn't. (I am not currently fond of the grown-up in me.)

I guess I was hoping I'd only have to go through growing pains once in life. The joke's on me.

---

Big news: We got a new digital camera the other day. It's really great, except the battery doesn't seem to last as long as it should. Hopefully HP will take care of that when I contact them.

With thanks and credit for this idea to Pez, here are some random pictures:

K with Bailey. A boy has never loved his dog as much as this one does; I swear.












Pey pretending to have a broken leg. This girl is so creative. The thing on her leg is a slipper sock, but underneath that she had put a koozie around her leg. Her umbrella was brought into play as a cane. Completing the picture was the way she hobbled around the house pretending she was on crutches. It was hysterical. Oh, to be 8 again.



L-R: Me, K, and Ry at Reliant Stadium last Wednesday night watching two soccer games: Houston Dynamo (notice our t-shirts) vs. Los Angeles Galaxy, then FC Barcelona vs. Club America (a Mexican national team). In one night, we got to see the great Landon Donovan plus the even-greater Ronaldinho play. Live and in person. I swear our family is addicted to soccer. We even DVR the matches we attend, although to be completely honest, we usually do so because our seats (season tickets) put us in the line of the TV cameras a lot. LOL!



Well, that's about it from here. I've got to run now and take K over to my in-laws to mow their lawn. The kid makes a pretty good chunk of change by mowing just the family's lawns. Man, he's going to hate it when school starts. [sigh]

10 YEARS, OR 5 FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR

That's what the drunk who nearly killed my sister plea-bargained down to. He was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison, but he'll most likely serve only five.

He asked the judge for permission to speak to Tnk, then apologized to her and said that he hoped God would stay with her throughout her recovery. I ... don't know what to say to that. Too little, too late, maybe?

So the saga is nearing an end. Tnk has to have another surgery on her left hand next Monday, but fortunately it's a fairly minor one. She has a new hand doctor, and he's really great. Her last doctor was ready to write her off, but this one is giving her all kinds of hope. I pray that he won't let her down.

ALLLLL BYYYY MYYYYSE-EH-EHLF

That's the way it is around here this week. The kids were all safely delivered to their respective camps on Sunday, and it's been a lovefest around here ever since.

Okay, that's not exactly accurate. Hubby and I spent the first night looking at each other and saying "what do we do now?" We haven't been childless in over 13 years, and I guess we got out of practice. So Sunday night we ordered Chinese food, brought it home, and ate in front of the TV.

Dang, when did we turn into our grandparents?

Yesterday I took hubby's old car to get the oil changed, and the guy who works there told me about a place he knew of that replaces headliners on cars. (The one on the Saturn was REALLY bad, y'all. We're talking ripped-all-to-hell and hanging-down-on-your-head bad.) So I drove the car to this place, which was nerve-wracking because it was not in the, um, best part of town. They only take cash, if that tells you anything. heh

But a couple of hours later, that old car looked almost new! They did a fantastic job, and hubby is thrilled to death. Woohoo! (Wait, is it sad that I'm so excited about a freakin' headliner?)

Last night, I picked hubby up from work (in his "new" 1995 Saturn) and we went to a local sports bar to watch and listen to a live radio broadcast about the Houston Dynamo soccer team. It was very cool. We got to see the head coach and two of the players. Plus, we got four free tickets to next Saturday's game against the New York Red Bulls. Free tickets rock.

What a great evening.

After we got home, we went online to check out pictures of the kids at camp. I don't know if all camps do this, but the ones K, R, & P are at take tons of pictures and post them online every day. It's fun trying to find your kid in a sea of faces. No, I'm not kidding; it is fun. Hubby even made a PowerPoint presentation out of the pics we have so far. If I could figure out how to post it here, I would. (Anyone? Anyone?)

So far today, I don't have any plans. I may be meeting up with an old friend for lunch. We were best friends in school, and I was even her maid of honor. But I haven't seen her in probably five years, even though we live in the same town. How does that happen?!?

Good news: My back is not spasming as much now. I am so relieved - I never want to experience that kind of pain again. Not ever. Thanks for all your comments and concerns; you guys rock almost as much as free tickets. ;)

CRAPOLA

My back is starting to have those painful little spasms again. (See the April 24th part of this post; also this one.)

As the song goes, I haven't got time for the pain. I have SO much to do in order to get the kids ready for camp. They leave Sunday for a whole week. Being bedridden while I have the house all to myself would be just freakin' perfect.

Praying that these spasms don't develop into a full-blown attack...

AND WE'RE BAAAAAAAACK! (Complete with a pictorial!)

We just spent a week at a gorgeous house on Lake Conroe in a home rented from a friend of the family. This place was amazing - it had a pool, a boathouse (complete with brand-new pontoon boat), a guesthouse, a jetski, and oh, did I mention the elevator?!?

To your left is a picture of the view from the kitchen. Or the living room. Or the sitting room. Or any bedroom. Seriously, amazing doesn't even begin to cover it.

(Ah, how lovely to be friends with rich people.)


Here's a picture looking over the balcony inside the house:















Here's us on the boat, docked at the boathouse:















Here's a picture of hubby, K, and me on the jetski:














Sadly, all good things come to an end, and as of last Tuesday, we're back to reality. Reality bites. The kids miss having a pool that they can just jump into at any time, and hubby and I miss the jetski. It was SO nice being able to tool around the lake on a whim. I also miss the boat because...well, it's a boat.

K turned 13 last Friday, and his birthday party was "the best EVER" because we got to have it at the lakehouse. We even took everyone on a dinner (pizza) cruise out to this little island that sits in the middle-ish of the lake. The kids and I and my friend Jen (who had brought her kids up for the party) played around in the water, while the in-laws and hubby made sure the boat didn't float away. That sounds funny, but it was a legitimate concern: "docking" on the island means "run the boat aground and hang on tight to the rope."

After we left the island, we were promptly pulled over by what I like to call the "boat police." Actually, he'd pulled over my sister-in-law, who had K on the back of her jetski, because she'd jumped the boat's wake. When we floated up to investigate, the officer became perturbed at what he saw as interference (we weren't doing anything - just hanging around to make sure K was okay). He yelled for us to stop right there because we were now being pulled over, too. He performed safety inspections on both watercraft, then told us a truly unexciting story about his radar, then finally let us all go.

A couple of days later, we decided to take a nighttime cruise just for fun. While tooling around the lake, who should come screaming down on us but the same boat police again - only this time, he used lights AND sirens. Wooooo, scary. After lighting us up to see if we had on life jackets, he then said he'd come to tell us to turn off our docking lights or else "we'd have every law enforcement officer in the area on our back." Basically, that means, um, him?

Overall, the week was great. We all took turns cooking, and my brother-in-law kept our drinks well filled. The biggest problem was that the temperatures were blazing hot all week - so much so that even the pool wasn't refreshing. Swimming was like taking a bath. Even the lake was warm. Bleh. I am very glad I took a heap of sunscreen, though, as we'd all be lobsters right now if it weren't for that.

I've got tons more pictures, but the film is not developed yet. (Yes, I'm archaic with my 35mm that I love.) I'll post more later.

Hope you have a great vacation this year, too.

AND SO IT GOES

Hubby and I spent the weekend in the greater Austin area with some friends of ours. We were childless, which rocked, but our friends weren't, even though they thought they would be (plans with grandma fell through). Their kids are really good, but sometimes when you're around fun old friends, you just wanna have some obnoxious, grown-up, drunk-enough-that-everything's-funny-okay-not-really (maybe just a little) free time. Alas, that kind of fun is not so easily had with a 9- and 3-year old around.

I know, I know; I sound like an obnoxious lush. I promise I'm not. I just wanted to play one on TV, as the saying goes. Anyway.

So the reason we went to Austin was for a wedding. K's old soccer trainer - a 26-year-old Scotsman - was getting married to the mom of one of P's former teammates. The bride is easily a dozen years older than the groom, and we'd known them both long enough to go "hmm...????" at the relationship, so whispers abounded about a potential green card in the nuptials. However, at the ceremony they seemed pretty happy, so we put our judgmental-ness away.

The ceremony was cool: the groom and the junior groomsman (the bride's 10-year-old son) wore kilts. A bagpiper played the music. UBER cool, that. But - and you knew there'd be a but - some people were better dressed to go to the beach than to a wedding. Some guests were in halter tops, complete with exposed bra straps, mini skirts, and flip flops. Even the woman who sang a solo during the wedding was sadly underdressed: she had on a floppy, oversized black button-up shirt, tan capri pants, and old flip flops. Eww, and eww. Come on, if you are scheduled to sing at a wedding, DRESS THE PART.

This was a formal evening wedding, y'all. I was ... well, I want to say appalled, but "surprised" would be more gracious, I guess.

Here's how hubby and I were dressed for the wedding:



After the wedding, we went back to our friends' house because they'd graciously offered up their guest room for us. We ended up having a few Chrismos (their version of Cosmopolitans - Cosmos - but friend's name is Chris; ergo, Chrismos...see how clever our friends are? And how fun they'd be to drink with?) and talking for awhile. It was really good to see them, as it's been nearly a year since our last visit. Hopefully the next visit won't be quite so far in the future.

CLOSING OUT FLORIDA

As promised, here are some pictures from the Alan Parsons concert, which was held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on April 15, 2006. Be warned - not all rock stars are glamorous when they're sweaty. Case in point: Mr. Parsons himself, who could use a good barber. What's up with the biblical facial hair, anyway? Also, it probably wouldn't hurt him to make nice with the Right Guard can...I'm just saying.

Anyway, here's hubby standing next to his childhood musical and lyrical hero. Hubby's the cute one on the left, as if that needed to be said...













Good thing Alan is a musical genius.


And here's a picture of me at the concert. Woohoo, exciting. At least I was having a good hair day.












Aside to Fishie: Sorry you've never seen the Sunshine State. Like most other states, it has some really beautiful parts. Maybe one day, a dozen years from now, (IOW, when the kids are grown), we can take a road trip to visit Her Evilness. Maybe even catch Steve Burns on his "Get A Clue" Reunion Concert.

MORE ON FT. LAUDERDALE

As promised, here is some non-sad stuff about our trip to Ft. Lauderdale. First off, here's the hotel we stayed at (Holiday Inn Ft. Lauderdale Beach, in case you're wondering):













And here are two beautiful views from our room (one looking slightly left; one looking slightly right). I swear these aren't postcards, although in my opinion they should be. How cool would it be to wake up to that view every day? [sigh]



















Here are a couple of pictures - one of hubby; one of me - with the Ft. Lauderdale beach and the Atlantic ocean as a backdrop:














While in Florida, we took in a lot of the local flavor - most meals were eaten in little dives, (although we did hit Bennigan's once...hey, I had a gift card!). And the food was great. Hubby finally got to gorge himself on the conch fritters he's been missing out on for 14 years. It wasn't pretty...;)

Overall, we had a wonderful trip, just the two of us. It was so nice to reconnect with each other. The only drawback was that we missed having Easter Sunday with the kids, but fortunately they have fantastic grandparents who took care of everything.

Now I just need to update about the Alan Parsons concert, and I think we can put Florida to rest.

FEELING BLUE

This is a picture of our house on Homestead Air Force Base, Florida, in 1991. (Hubby is in the foreground, planting what came to be known as "the mighty oak.")




This was taken five days after Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992. (That's me walking toward the house, in search of anything salvageable.)

As you may recall, hubby and I recently took a trip to Ft. Lauderdale. While there, we made the two-hour drive down to Homestead to see how things have changed. Have they ever. This picture was taken on the street facing our former home. The little patches of concrete (to the right in the foreground) are part of what used to be our driveway.













I know that razing the base housing was really all the government could do, considering their unlivable condition in the aftermath of Andrew. I just didn't realize how painful the sight would be. We had some wonderful memories in that little house, and Homestead will always hold a special place in my heart.

More on the Florida trip in a later post. Don't worry; it wasn't all sad. :)

THURSDAY THINGS

Hey, all. How's it going? Things are just peachy here.

Summer has officially arrived in the Vichyness household. The kids didn't make a peep this morning until 9:30, and even then they didn't come downstairs for awhile after that. P, who is having a couple of girls over for an "art party" (read: slumber party with crafts) vacuumed her own room this morning. I love how eight year olds think vacuuming is cool.

After cleaning, we lit a couple of candles in her bathroom so it would smell "girly." That was my idea, and apparently it made me the coolest mom ever.

So far this morning, I've accomplished the following:

- fed my husband
- drank my breakfast (I'm not a breakfast eater, so I have a Carnation Instant Breakfast nearly every day)
- cleaned the breakfast dishes
- dusted the downstairs
- vacuumed the house (sans Peyton's room)
- lit a bunch of candles
- bathed the dog

And it's only 10:39. Go me! ;)

Now I can't decide if I want to take a shower or wait and take the kids to the pool first. Pool sounds fun, but P's guests will start arriving shortly after lunch, so I don't know what to do.

Darn, I guess I'll just hit the shower.

Later, if I have time, I'll post about our mini-vacation, which included the trip to Oklahoma last weekend. It's been a great few days.

SLACKER, AND OTHER FOND DESCRIPTIVES OF MYSELF

Ever since I moved my blog, I’ve been the laziest blogger in town. What’s up with that? It’s not like it’s harder to blog now; I just got out of the habit. My new summer’s resolution is to write more.

That said, however, we’re heading out of town for the weekend so I won’t be back until Monday night. [sheepish grin]

So anyway, happenings of late include … um … gee, I don’t remember. Oh wait, yes I do. Last Saturday the five of us went to see the Houston Dynamo soccer team play the Chicago Fire. Despite the fact that Houston outplayed Chicago, we fell in a heartbreaking 1-0 game. Phooey.

That night I came down with a sore throat. I remember thinking, “that’s not good.” And it wasn’t. Sunday I was sick with a runny nose and sore throat; by Monday it was extremely hard to even get out of bed. I pretty much slept on the couch all day. Today I’m still congested and a little cough-y, but I’m definitely better. I’ll just say this: summer colds suck big ones.

The kidlets are out of school for the summer now. They actually got out yesterday, but today was so busy with errand-running (getting ready for our trip) that the day just flew by. Then this evening we all went to watch hubby play soccer. After a year of dreaming about it, he finally joined an indoor soccer team a few weeks ago. He seems to be enjoying the exercise. At least, I think he is. He looked pretty winded out there. But his soccer skills are still excellent and it was great to watch him play again. Time and exercise will build up his endurance, and I'm sure that eventually he’ll be just like Brian Ching.

Love you, hubby.

Not too much else to report, and I've got to get to bed. We're planning to leave at the crack of dawn.

Happy Memorial Day, everyone. Don't forget to fly your flags with pride. :)

IN MY INBOX

Got this email from my sister this morning. This is amazing because in order to write this email, she had to type. And to type, she most likely used her actual thumbs - neither of which are 100%, by the way. Or hell, 20%.

Anyway, for those who wonder how a 4'10", 100-lb-soaking-wet girl managed to survive such a horrific accident, maybe now you can see just how tough she is.

Background: One of Tnk's injuries was a crushed right thumb. The doctor had to basically rebuild the joint, then he put three pins in it - one horizontal and two vertical. The thumb has been stuck in a "thumbs up" position for two months. This past week, however, the remaining two pins were finally removed.

And now, her words:
Howdy All!!!

I hope you all are having a great week. I apologize for not writing sooner. I thought I'd send an update.

Tuesday, I got the last 2 pins out. YEAH! When they took the first one out a few weeks ago, it didn't hurt all that bad. So, I decided to skip the pain medications this time. In this decision, I forgot three very important factors. One, I took pain meds the first time. Two, there was only one pin to remove the first time. Three, the first pin was less than 1/2 the length of these two. This was not a shining moment in the making. It went something like this...

Doc: Well, the X-rays look good. Let's get those pins out.
T: Great!
Doc: Did you take a full dose of Vicodin?
T: Nah, I hate being high on those things for 6 hours when it's only going to take 10 minutes to remove the pins.
Doc: Umm...I think we should reschedule this for a time when you can take the meds. It's really going to hurt.
T: I'll be fine, go ahead.
Doc: I really don't want to hurt you.
T: Doc, I survived a direct hit by a Chevy. I'll make it through this.
Doc: OK, then.

Do you see what's coming? Pain, lots and lots and lots of it. The pins came out one at a time and the doc congratulated me on my ability to sit through it. The truth is that I'm pretty sure that he could tell that I was eating my words and asking the Vicodin gods to spare their wrath at my abandonment of them. After the doc's office, sis [not me, by the way; our other sis] took me to lunch where I humbly and gratefully took 1/2 of a tablet.

On the bright side, at hand therapy yesterday, my thumb did bend ever so slightly. YIPPEE!

Smiles from the road to recovery,
Tnk

You guys have no idea how good this email made me feel. Her thumb is still mostly stuck (thus the "ever so slightly" comment), and she still has a considerable amount of pain in both hands, but her attitude is amazing. I am convinced that she will eventually be able to return to work just because she's so motivated.

That's the big news from here. Hope you all had a good week!

DREAMLAND

The new mattress was delivered yesterday...[sigh]...it's heavenly. We ended up with a Eurotop, which is, I think, almost as cushy as a pillowtop. I can't imagine a softer bed; in fact, I really think that if we'd gotten anything cushier, we'd be sleeping on the Sta-Puf Man.

But underneath the soft, dreamy goodness lies a mattress with enough firmness for hubby, which is a nice compromise if you ask me. Neither of us wanted to get out of bed this morning, and we're looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.

In other news...

Today Tnk, other sis, and I jumped back into the fray of getting her house put together. This time the work went much more quickly than usual because we had a deadline: my youngest brother, whom I'll call Tree, is going to be attending the police academy starting a week from Monday (different academy than Tnk, btw). As his house is easily 50 miles from the academy, and as Tnk's is only about 5, he asked if he could live at her house during the week for the next few months - starting next weekend. She agreed, but then suddenly realized that her house has no place for him to sleep.

So today we cleared out the room we'd been using as a workroom (formerly Moi's bedroom, y'all...oh, the memories!). We painted all the walls and ceiling, then dragged a bed frame, mattress set, and dresser, from the garage to what has become the new guest room. It looks fabulous in there; much MUCH nicer than when it was my room a hundred years ago. I wish I'd discovered paint as a teenager.

By the way, when I say "we," I mean "other sis and me." Tnk still cannot use her hands for anything significant - having opposable thumbs is, as it turns out, pretty important for most things. When we were putting the bedroom together at the end of the day, I found her in tears trying to do the simple task of putting a fitted sheet on the bed. My heart just bleeds for her. I can't imagine the frustration she must feel on a daily basis.

Today is the two-month anniversary of the accident. Overall, Tnk is doing okay, although admittedly my standards are very low - I'm ecstatic that she's even breathing, much less walking. She is still living with our other sister and has to have help to do most things - wash her hair, cut up her food, dig out her housekeys...you get the gist. She also found out yesterday that her left hand will most likely never bend more than about 80 degrees forward (most people can do much more than that).

Today she loosely tied her shoes for the first time, and she was absolutely beaming when she told me! Can you imagine being 36 years old and having to relearn how to use your hands? It kills me if I think about it too much. I still harbor a ton of anger toward the man who put her in this condition, which is probably normal but still upsetting. So I try to focus on the positive: she's alive, she's breathing, and...she's alive.

I am grateful. I am grateful. I am grateful.

Onward.

Just found out that some of my high school classmates are planning our 20-year reunion. Wait, did I just say 20-year?!? No way are we that old! Well, I don't *feel* that old. Anyway, I'm excited at the prospect of seeing old friends. Maybe I'm weird, but I think it will be fun.

That's about it from here. Bye for now.

PILLOW TALK

Last night hubby and I dragged the kids out mattress shopping again. (Let me reiterate the fact that kids love mattress shopping. Seriously, y'all.) This time we revisited a store that I'd pre-visited yesterday morning. The store sells only Serta mattress sets, and let me tell you, Serta has some nice products.

After about 45 minutes of rolling around on a dozen or so different mattresses, hubby and I finally found one that we both liked. (I swear I heard a heavenly choir singing "HALLELUJAH, THEY AGREE!") The only problem was the price, which was approximately $400 more than we'd planned to spend. But then the salesguy pointed out that the bed was already on sale for $500 off it's original price; he agreed to take 10% more off; then he reminded us that delivery charges are rebated in full. So with all those discounts, we figured what the heck.

Twenty minutes later, as we were driving home, the realization hit both of us that we'd just shot our mattress budget. Despite the fact that we'd rationalized all the discounts and the fact that this is one smokin' bed, the almighty dollar was laughing at us. "HAHA!" it said. "You think you're such a tightwad, but look at how many of me you just spent! Losers!" Okay, maybe this "dollar" was in my head, or maybe it was just my conscience, but in any event, I was no longer pleased with our purchase.

So today, after hours of stressing over the whole mattress fiasco, I decided to take advantage of Serta's 30-day no-questions-asked return policy and cancel our order. (We don't actually have the bed yet, so no mattressy stuff changed hands.) I marched down to the store and sheepishly asked the salesman - whom I'll hereafter call Joel, as that is his name - if I could look at something a little less expensive. He was the same guy I'd dealt with yesterday, so he was more than accommodating. Actually, I think he was happy I didn't just bail on his commission, but whatever.

I spent about 15 minutes re-deciding on a mattress that hubby and I would both like. I chose one, then went up to the register to tell Joel what I'd decided. He started to ring it up, then said that since he knew how much time hubby and I had anguished over our initial decision last night, would I be willing to consider another offer. I was like, hey, if it's going to save me money, let's hear it! Joel then said that he'd be willing to discount the original mattress set another $100 plus tax, which while not bringing us down to our original budget, sure brought us closer.

Therefore, our new mattress set, which will be delivered Thursday afternoon, has now been discounted thusly:

$500 off original price
10% off sale price
$60 delivery fee refunded
AND - $108.25 more off all that

Hubby was very happy that I'd gone to all that trouble - he said he'd have never had the guts to go back in there and negotiate. (Normally, I'm not that gutsy, either, but I knew how much it was stressing us out, so I think adrenaline played a role here.) We're both thrilled that we'll finally have a good mattress set that will help our back/neck pain.

Now I just can't wait until Thursday!

GENERAL SUCKITUDE

This past weekend, that is. Saturday I spent in bed and/or on the sofa because I was...what's the word for thirty-miles-beyond-tired? Anyway, I am hoping that it was residual Vicodin making me groggy, and not that I'm anemic or something.

After my latest surprise diagnosis at the doctor's office, I'm afraid of everything now. In particular, I'm afraid I have lupus. Never mind the fact that I have exactly two of the fifteen symptoms of it - I'm tired and had a joint ache! Gah! I'm dying!

At least, that's what my fuzzy and befuddled brain is telling me these days.

Sheesh.

Actually, the doctor did suggest I have bloodwork done to test for lupus. BUT - she only said that because I told her my mother once had it. If I'd not mentioned it, she'd not have even thought of it. In retrospect, I'm surprised she even heard me, as it appeared throughout my visit that she wasn't listening to a word I said. In any event, having bloodwork done is probably not a bad idea. Maybe I'll even go ahead and schedule that mammogram. After all, I'll be 40. Someday. ;)

Breaking news: Hubby and I have decided it's time to buy a new bed, so we spent yesterday afternoon reclining on about 50 different beds in the greater Houston area. (BTW, if you ever need an activity that your kids are guaranteed to enjoy, take them mattress shopping.) We can't exactly agree on what kind of bed we want - hubby wants firmness; I want squishiness; the kids want Tempurpedic, but (a)ew, hubby and I don't like Tempurpedic, and (2) the kids aren't getting new beds anyway, so they don't get a vote. We're torn between two different mattresses at the moment, but I think we're going to make a final decision tonight. One bed is a name-brand, but costs $400 more than the other one, which at the moment feels just as good.

Any input from the peanut gallery? We're about to drop nearly a grand, so suggestions would be most welcomed.

DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING

Yesterday I received a letter in the mail from the physician I recently saw for my back pain. In addition to a "this is what's wrong with you" letter that contained a bunch of mumbo jumbo in medical-professional speak, I also received a little form letter. This letter has a bunch of options that physicians can easily check off to let you know lab results - i.e. "Bloodwork normal," "See us for follow-up," etc. You get the drift.

The line they checked off for me originally said, "Your x-rays came back normal." Only they had used a pen to cross off the word "normal," and written in "lower back - mild arthritis; scoliosis" and "upper back - scoliosis."

Er, that was surprising. What was also surprising was the fact neither letter told me what I should do next. Do I need to see the doctor again? Do I need to start taking glucosamine? Do I need to get my affairs in order? (Kidding, but at 2:00 this morning, I'd worked myself up pretty well.) I showed the letters to my sisters, who both came back with the same answer: "What are you supposed to do about it?"

I know, right?

I was going to call the doctor today, but I forgot. I was awake half the night with a little backache and a mind full of "I'm too young to have arthritis." I was so tired today that I slept for over two solid hours this afternoon.

This morning I took Tnk to physical therapy for her hand. She has PT three times a week, for over two hours at a time. Let me tell you, it was hard to stay awake, but at least *I* wasn't being poked and prodded.

Anyway, I'm definitely going to call the doctor on Monday. Hopefully I'll remember.

BIG TIME UPDATE. GRAB SOME COFFEE AND HAVE A SEAT.

I can't believe I've been away from my blog for nearly a month. I hope I haven't lost all my cyber friends in my absence. I'll do my best to not let it happen again.

Here we go!

Thursday, April 6th – Went to Payless to buy some new shoes for K. He now officially has bigger feet than I do. He’s twelve years old, for goodness sake. That depresses me.

On the way home from the shoe store, I heard a weird banging sound, which was followed shortly thereafter by a very loud hum. Turns out I’d blown a tire without even running over anything. Leave it to me. Heh.

Morning of Friday, April 7th – Went to Discount Tire to have the tire replaced. I was so happy that I had full replacement coverage on that tire. But upon closer inspection, it turned out that what I really needed were four new tires. Thankfully, the one that had blown out, and its twin on the other side, both had replacement coverage, and thus cost me $14 each. Then I had to buy two new ones for the front. How on earth two $90 tires plus two $14 tires ended up costing $300 is beyond me…fuzzy math, that.

While at Discount Tire, I heard someone call my name. I looked up to see my old (like, since-first-grade old) friend G standing there. We spent the next hour catching up on recent events. During our chat, she invited me to go scrapbooking with her that night, and of course I jumped at the chance.

Evening of Friday, April 7th – G picked me up and drove us to the place where we’d spend the next few hours scrapping. For some reason, I was unhappy with every page I worked on, so I eventually gave up and spent the last hour or so just organizing my stuff. We left the crop at 12:30 a.m. and were driving home when BANG! We were hit by a drunk driver. A 17-year-old drunk driver. Thank God no one was seriously injured – although I did later call my EMTsis and tell her to watch out, because that made two of us three sisters who’d been hit by drunks within a month!

Saturday, April 8th – Hubby, the kids, and I went to watch Houston’s new Major League Soccer team, the Dynamo, play the Kansas City Wizards. In a stunning loss, the Dynamo folded to the Wiz 2-1. But on a high note, we met some really cool ladies who had flown in from San Jose (from whence the Dynamo came) just to watch the game. Ry was wearing a San Jose t-shirt, so we joked that we were going to send him back to California with them.

Sunday, April 9th – Tired from the week’s activity, I stayed in bed until nearly noon. When I did get up, I spent the day doing a little laundry and a lot of grocery shopping (wow, exciting...wonder why I stayed in bed so long?). By evening, I was very grateful for our new tradition of having dinner at the in-laws every Sunday night.

Monday, April 10th – Six more hours of laundry; five hours of ironing; NO sleep last night.

Morning of Tuesday, April 11th – Today I checked out a new dollar store. It had a lot of stuff, but was not as “cool” as Dollar Tree. (Dollar Tree has cheap scrapbooking supplies, so yes, they are cool.) Anyway, while I was at this other store, I picked up a bottle of Lysol and accidentally knocked an openbottle of ammonia on the floor and all over myself. I was soaked from my knees down. I sloshed up to the register and told the cashier what had happened. In spite of the fact that someone had left an open bottle of disinfectant on a shelf, and in spite of my discomfort and the disinfectant-y smell permeating from my jeans and shoes, I was actually pleasant to her. In response, she grunted and turned her back on me. Guess you get what you pay for.

Afternoon of Tuesday, April 11th – Took the canine for her first official vet visit since we adopted her. She was a barking, growling, straining-at-the-leash pain in the rear, even though she didn’t need shots or anything. Goofy dog. Fortunately, she’s perfectly healthy. Yay.

Also today: Happy birthday, J! I hope you had a great day. Love ya!

Wednesday, April 12th – Took Bailey to the groomer for a much-needed bath and haircut. She loved it last time; hated it this time. I reiterate: goofy dog.

Tonight was P’s Seussical Musical performance at school. She had a small singing and dancing part, which was terribly cute. Elementary school shows can be so entertaining.

Thursday, April 13th – Spent the day packing for Florida. The excitement is about to kill me.

Friday, April 14th – Got on a plane for the first time in 5 1/2 years. I wasn't drinking or anything, and I actually boarded willingly! The flight couldn’t have gone more smoothly. If all flights were like that, I’d become a flight attendant.

Yeah right.

Morning and afternoon of Saturday, April 15th – Hubby and I drove two hours south of Ft. Lauderdale to Homestead, where we’d been rudely kicked out by Hurricane Andrew 14 years prior. What we saw there was almost indescribable. Heartbreaking. Emptiness. I couldn’t stop the tears for what was, what is, and what could have been…

Evening of Saturday, April 15th – The reason for our trip to Florida in the first place: Alan Parsons concert. For the record, “Silence and I” – best live song EVER. After the show, we got to go backstage to meet the band and Alan (again). It was great to see them, but we also met some goofy-ass fan club members...geez, people; get a life.

Sunday, April 16th – Celebrated Easter with lunch at Bennigan’s. Later that day I had a backache for no apparent reason, but overall it was a great day. We also went to the beach – Florida has the BEST beaches, by the way - then later went out to dinner. Hubby got lit. He never gets drunk anymore, so it was quite funny to see. He tried to get me to buy a Corona bikini. Yes, the actual beer Corona. Fortunately, *I* was not lit.

Monday, April 17th – Sad to leave Florida, but couldn’t wait to see the kids. Flight back was as nice as the flight out, so apparently I had good flight juju this weekend.

Tuesday, April 18th – Back to the grind. Whee.

Rest of this week – Fairly uneventful. At least, I don’t remember much about it. Same old, same old.

Monday, April 24th – Kids out of school. Agreed to take them down to daddy’s office so they could see it, then we’d all go out to lunch together. But before we left, I took them to the local Donuts and Burgers (yes, that’s the name of it) for breakfast. As I was reaching for my Diet Coke (no donuts for me; good little me), my back spasmed so hard I could not breathe nor speak. Scary, that. We did end up going to lunch with hubby, but it was a long drive for me to make with a pained back. By the time we got back home, I was in misery. Every time I’d try to move, get up, turn around, reach, whatever, I felt what could only be described as a full-blown labor pain contraction. Only I’m not pregnant. I don't think I’ve ever hurt that much.

Tuesday, April 25th – Went to the doctor about my back pain. She did not listen to me at all – told me I had no tolerance for strenuous activities; that the last time I was in their office, it was also for pain (see blog entry “Tennis, Anyone?” – from months and months ago); that she once had muscle spasms when she reached up to get a dish from her cabinet (I was not reaching up – see, she didn’t listen to me). I was ready to read her the riot act, but I was already in tears from the pain. Then she said she was going to prescribe Vicodin and a muscle relaxant, which sounded good to me. So I just waited for the scrips and got out of there. Oh, I also had to have eight X-rays, which was misery in and of itself. But the sweet X-ray tech felt sorry for me because I couldn’t stop crying, and her concern did redeem the medical office somewhat. But I’ll never go back to that doctor again. How hard is it to listen to a patient? I couldn’t fit a word in edgewise over all her "uh huh, uh huhs" and nonsensical chatter.

Wednesday and Thursday, April 26th and 27th – Still in pain, but it’s definitely abating. I even did some grocery shopping on Thursday.

Friday, April 28th – Spent all day doing laundry. All.Day. Of course, I have more to do now, but it was nice while it lasted. And hopefully all that activity won’t re-injure my back.

Saturday, April 29th – Hubby and the boys went camping, so P and I spent the day scrapbooking with hubby’s sister and mother. It was a very good day, and I was exhausted by the end of it. Who knew scrapbooking was so labor intensive?

Sunday, April 30th – P and I went to the dollar store to buy some more scrapbooking supplies (to all scrappers out there: check out your local Dollar Tree. They’ve got great stuff!), then we picked up Sonic for lunch and ate it here at home. Hubby and the boys got home around 3:00, then hubby and I mowed and edged the front lawn. Then we all went to the in-law’s house for dinner. We even watched “Shane,” the old Alan Ladd movie. Got home around 9:30 and put the kids straight to bed.

Monday, May 1st – Played a serious catch-up game with my blog. Even hubby has been nagging me to update it. I hope you’ve all been doing well. As soon as I get a minute, I’m going to catch up on reading your blogs, too!

Tuesday, May 2nd – Had lunch with sisters today. It was nice to see them. Just got back from lunch (Tnk paid the bill, but I said I'd leave the tip). It was really good to sit and visit for awhile. Tnk is doing well - she's healing nicely, although her hands are going to have some serious scarring. But her demeanor was good, and she's motivated to get back to 100%, so I'm optimistic about her recovery. I still get sad, though, when I realize how close we came to losing her. I can't even think about that - it makes me cry every time. In spite of everything, they're my family and I love them.

Good news: The drunk who hit her still sits in jail, and it's been about 50 days since the wreck. Thank God for small favors. Or big ones. This might qualify as a big one.

And Pezzie – I’ve missed you guys, too. :)

I AM ALIVE

Just been out of it for a few weeks. I promise an update very soon. I know you're all waiting with bated breath... ;)

XOXO,
Moi

WHADDAYA THINK?

I like this new format. It fits the new me, don't you think? All lighthearted and gay...yep, that's me.

Today I availed myself of the local thrift shop, where I got some really nice clothes for some really crazy-cheap prices. Even scored a pair of brand-new-with-tags Gap khakis for $1.25. Now that, my friends, is a good deal.

I was able to shop today for two reasons: (1) my foot is feeling better, and (2) we're going to Florida, baby! And get this - we're flying. We got a great deal from Hotwire.com, so we decided to go for it. In a way, I'm relieved we're not going to be spending 25 hours in the car. On the other hand, I'm scared freakin' snarfless of flying.

Stupid 9/11.

I'm not a chicken, really, but I do admit to wondering aloud how early in the morning I'm allowed to have hard liquor before I board a plane. Okay, not really. Well, not really that you know. Heh. [sigh]

In other, less exciting news, some of our digital cable channels went out this morning. Frustration ensued. We can't get Food Network (ch. 52), nor any channel over 100. I've already called the cable company, but unfortunately they can't fix it just by sending a new signal, so a service tech is scheduled to come out tomorrow afternoon. Bleh, I hate waiting on techs, particularly when I'm home alone.

Oh my dog, I am a chicken. Buh-GAWK!

THIS IS WHAT FOOLISH PEOPLE DO

This weekend I did this tour with my sister in law and mother in law:


Basically, I wasted fifteen bucks and killed my feet. Seriously, I killed my feet. Okay, just the right foot, but it hurts enough that both of them wish they were dead.

A word of advice: If you're going to take a walking tour, wear walking shoes.

I know, I know, that's so obvious that it technically doesn't qualify as advice. But did I take my own "advice"? I think we all know that I did not. I foolishly went straight from church to the tour. Actually, that's not true; I did go home first. But I didn't change shoes because I was thinking we'd drive to each house, get out, walk through, get back into car, drive to next house, lather, rinse, repeat. Only that's not what happened. We drove to the bus stop, rode bus to first house, stood in the heat for 35 minutes just to get in to the house, then caught the bus again.

This pattern would have worked, had we stuck with it, but nope. After the second house (a beautiful 3-story of recent construction - ripoff, in my opinion; this was supposed to be a historical tour) SIL said, "it's just a few blocks to the next few houses - let's walk!" I said, "..."

So the fault lies completely with me for not speaking up. The moral of this story is that cute little 3" wedges are good for church, but suck for walking tours.

First of all, what the heck is up with the title-less blog entries? I can't do titles this morning - the box is completely missing, no matter how often I re-sign in or refresh this page. Growl. Anyway, if it ever shows up again, this will be the title of this post:

Somewhat Plagiarized

This post, that is. The following is a little ditty my husband wrote up for me (speaking as if from me, even) after the chaotic events of last Tuesday. And I quote...

My opinion on opinions
"The thing is: I don’t think the blog issue is something to be UPSET about. I do think it is something one can have an opinion about. In this case, my opinion differs from that of my sisters’ -- and guess what? I realize my differing opinion doesn’t trump theirs. If I had known their opinion, I would have respected it and taken my online therapy down. That’s the really cool thing about opinions: they don’t all have to be the same. In fact, something the most vociferous and opinionated of Americans fail to realize is that opinions can even be mutually exclusive and both be correct. Opinions are not truths.

I realize this and would have shelved my opinions for the sake of my sister’s (or sisters’, since they often act as one) comfort.

The question here isn’t whether my opinion on blogs is better than another’s opinion on blogs; the question is: should one bestow so much sanctity to their capricious opinions that those opinions must be fed by the ruin of others. Do one’s opinions deserve more attention than one’s humanity, civility, or familial love? In America that seems more and more the case…and it certainly does in this family."

I couldn't agree more, hubby. Thank you for always, always having my back.

I didn't have to cook last night...

...because my daughter made dinner instead. She's only 8 years old, but she made some delicious vegetarian lasagna from a kids' cookbook that she bought at book fair. The only parts I helped with were separating the egg and putting the dish into the oven. That's it! I am so proud of P. Man, I wish I'd taken a picture of her cooking - she was absolutely beaming.

She's supposed to cook again tonight (spaghetti squash this time), but we'll see if she wants to. Sometimes the school day just sucks the energy right out of you. If she does end up cooking, I'll definitely take pictures.

In other news, hubby and I are going to Florida next month to see Alan Parsons. Airfare to the sunshine state is ridiculous this time of year, so we've decided to drive. We'll be covering about 3000 miles in about 4.25 days. Don't worry, it sounds worse than it is - hubby and I are actually excited at the prospect of spending a few days alone together. (Gotta love grandparents! :)

I spent most of yesterday and part of today online trying to figure out the best deals on car rentals, hotels, and the like. I love this kind of stuff. I always wanted to be a travel agent, and now I get to pretend I am one.

Update on K: He is still wearing his splint and sling to school, but per doctor's orders, he takes both off at night. For the most part, his arm is healing very well, but it does ache after awhile. He ices it down nearly every night. Next Monday, K starts taking private guitar lessons. He's SO excited about that - so much so, in fact, that he's actually bringing some of the arm-achiness on himself: he practices guitar every night so that he'll be "ready" when the lessons start. I'm proud of his perseverance, but sometimes I do wish he'd take a little time off to rest his arm.

Update on R (since I haven't talked about him in awhile): Last night was the end of the one-month deal we made with him about Karate. [Deal: We pay for one month; you stick it out for one month. Period.] Up until yesterday afternoon, he was saying, "Only one more class to go! Yay!" But then last night he changed his mind and said he wants to stay in the class. I don't know what caused the turnaround, but I am so happy that he's decided to follow through with this. We're still doing the "one month paid/one month committed" deal with him, and will continue to do so as long as he's enjoying it. Personally, I think he likes it because he "owns" it. Meaning, K and P do not do Karate. He's a big shot in his little world. What a sweetie.

Update on Me: Well, this week has been very quiet so far. And that's a GOOD thing! I haven't been able to see Tnk since last Friday, which sucks, but I understand how busy she is with all her doctor appointments. Hopefully I'll be able to visit with her tomorrow. And the other good thing is that I have no funerals to attend this week. That I know of...oh dear, I hope I didn't just jinx myself!

Well, now you're all caught up. I'll post tomorrow about whether Pey cooked or not. Maybe I can even figure out how to attach pictures here with my camcorder (don't have the luxury of a digital camera yet, but hubby wants one before we go to Florida - we shall see!).

Day late; Dollar short

I know it's not Thursday, but this looked fun.

Thirteen Things about Trace 1. I love to scrapbook, but rarely find the time or inclination to do so. 2. I am so frustrated right now I want to scream. 3. My kids are the best, but I do not want to have another one. Might jinx myself. 4. I struggle with my body image on a daily basis. 5. I don't have many friends, but the ones I do have are amazing. 6. I want to go to church more often. 7. I do not like or respect my biological father (see amended "Numb" post). 8. I love having manicures, but hate getting them done. 9. I am a fantastic speller, and typos stress me out. 10. I want to go to Europe someday, but am terrified of flying. 11. I have met Alan Parsons twice; Steve Burns (yep, the Blue's Clues guy) three times. Alan is more talented. Steve is much more fun. 12. I am afraid of going back to work someday. 13. I want to meet more of my Internet friends. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Hmm

Catchy title, is it not? My creative juices aren't flowing as abundantly as usual.

Yesterday I went to Jen's mom's funeral. It was excruciating. So much so that I had to leave the building for several minutes in order to compose myself. When I looked at the casket, I envisioned two things: one, my own mother in the same silver casket several years ago; two, Tnk, had things been different. Strangely, it was the latter that had me crying so hard I couldn't catch my breath.

I called both of my sisters on the way home yesterday and told them in no uncertain terms were they allowed to die. Ever. Capisce? They both agreed that this was a good plan. I made the same deal with my husband. So there you go - none of my loved ones are allowed to exit the mortal plane; y'all help me keep an eye on them, okay?

K rode the bus to school for the first time in weeks this morning. I hope things went well for him. He's still wearing a splint and a sling (doctor's orders - four more weeks), so he struggles sometimes. His arm often aches in the evenings, and we've found him more than once sitting in a chair with an icepack on his arm. Overall, though, he's doing better.

I am now in the midst of doing laundry, so I'd better get off the computer for awhile. Darn laundry, always messing up my loafing plans.

Amy is not evil, and other newsflashes

Today I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from none other than our own Evil Amy. I have really been feeling the love here lately, and I seriously cannot tell you how much you all mean to me. Without your support, these past two weeks would have done me in.

So thank you, Amy. The flowers are lovely - even moreso because I know the thought that was behind them. You're a terrific person. I'll try not to let that get out. ;)

When it rains...

My best friend lost her mother yesterday. Jen's mom had been very sick for a long while. While I am glad that she is no longer in pain, I am still so sad for Jen and her family.

It's never easy to lose a loved one, but when it's your mom, the pain runs so deep that it can become unbearable. Seven years have passed since I lost my mother, and the sharp stabs of grief have certainly (and blessedly) dulled over time. Yet I would be remiss if I didn't admit that there are still days when the tears flow freely.

For Jen, my prayer is this: that your happy memories of your mom are stronger than your sad ones; that your husband and beautiful children are a comfort to you during this difficult time; and that you never forget that I love you and am here for you.

Mrs. C, may your journey into the next life be a blessed one. We'll see you on the other side.

All my love,
Trace