Things I'd like to do before I die......

-water ski
-bowl a 200 game
-visit Germany and the Czech Republic
-snow ski
-see my girls graduate from high school
-see my girls get married
-visit Washington DC
-live in a log cabin
-feel confident enough to wear a bikini
-listen to my husband play a song on the guitar and be able to recognize it right away
-tour every major league ballpark in the US (actually Richard and I want to do this)
-visit New York City
-run a marathon
-do a triathlon
-visit the Northeast in the fall when the leaves are changing colors
-go to Hawaii
-float the Guadalupe River with my mom’s side of the family
-spend an ENTIRE weekend at Wurstfest (instead of just one night)
-visit Oprah and all of her houses
-watch the sunset on Lake Travis and spend the night on a boat
-get down to a size 8 and stay there for a while!
-take the kiddos to Disney World
-be a guest DJ on a radio station
-get pampered for a day at an expensive spa (I want the WORKS!)
-ice skate on a real pond
-visit an island in the Caribbean where the water is blue, the hotel and food are great, and there’s not a care in the world (and take Robbie and Janet with us!)
-live long enough to see a cure for cancer
-have a song sung directly to me at a show or concert
-be a Grandma
-buy my dad a ’57 Chevy
-own a 1965 Corvette convertible
-stand atop the Eiffel Tower
-spend an entire weekend ALONE in a calm, secluded place
-have some of my "vivid" dreams come to life
-be able to afford a maid
-sleep for 12 hours straight without having to get up to go to the bathroom (after having 2 kids, this would be a miracle!)
-see Willie Live
-own a margarita machine
-learn to play the guitar better than my husband
-work at a florist (although I DO NOT have a green thumb at all)
-take Richard's mom to see Neil Diamond Live
-learn how to sew (because I never learned from Granny)
-bake at least 1 birthday cake for my kiddos
-fly to Vegas with it just being my sister and I for a weekend
-sit in on a show on the Food Network and be able to eat the food afterwards!
-live like Paris Hilton for a day....or two....or three
-ride in a 100 mile bike race
-own a beach house

Outbursts from a 3 1/2 year old.....

Kyra is so funny these days. I have to share some of the things that she's come up with lately.

Easter was on Sunday. We live across the street from the Catholic church here in Buda. When crosses started going up in front of the church, Kyra started asking questions. It all started on Friday. She asked why there was a purple garment on the cross and I explained that it was Good Friday and that was the day that Jesus died. Honestly, I should have explained it better because that comment came back to haunt me on Saturday night. On Saturday night, we went to Target and when we were checking out, Kyra yells to the cashier, "Jesus died!" I wanted to find a hole to crawl into right then and there. The cashier says, "No, Jesus lives!" I bet that she thought I was the worst mother in the world for telling my child that Jesus died.

On Sunday, I took Kyra to church and Kyra noticed that the purple garment was gone and there was a white one over the cross. She came home and said to my dad, "When the purple was there, Jesus died, but now there's white there, so Jesus is alive!" Smart girl. I guess she redeemed herself from Saturday night! LOL!

Last week, I took her to the store and she was so friendly with everyone she came in contact with. When we were checking out, she said to the cashier, "Hi! How are you today?" Sometimes it scares me how friendly she is. I've started having talks with her about not all people being nice and not all dogs being nice either (she thinks they are). One night, we named all the nice dogs that we knew. Kyra knows a lot of nice dogs. ;)

Today I came home and saw Kyra "preaching" to Mia. I heard her say, "Now what did I tell you?" At first I thought it was funny, but then I realized that it's ME who says that to Kyra when she doesn't listen or has done something bad! Richard just laughed and shook his finger at me. I guess it *is* me who says that. *sigh*

Kyra likes to pray before bed and says almost the entire "Lord's Prayer". I'm very proud of her. That sweet little voice melts my heart.

She's also very excited about the arrival of her little sister. She kisses my belly several times throughout the day. I just hope she's as excited when her sister makes her grand entrance.

Everyday is a new day with Kyra. I love it. I can't wait to add another sweet little voice to the mix!

Aches and pains......

Well, it's official. I'm tired of being pregnant. The reality of it all has hit me within the last few days. Before, I was in denial. I have waited till the last minute to do a lot of things and now I'm rushing to get everything done. I'm stressed. Last night, I broke down and cried. I think it's just all caught up with me. I absolutely cannot wait to have this baby. I can't wait to see her, hold her, kiss her. I want her here! It really seems like I've been pregnant forever. I was pregnant at Lisa and Nathan's wedding, but didn't know it! That seems like a lifetime ago!

I'm now 35 weeks and neither Maeve nor I have any more room. I have no appetite. I gained one pound in a month. My back is killing me and I feel like one of my ribs has popped out! It hurts! Before, I felt fine and light, but now I feel HUGE! I'm still working out. I cannot go more than 2 days without working out. My body needs movement and stretching. If not, then I'll hurt even worse. I can't wait to teach step tomorrow! I'm hoping to teach till April 12th and possibly the 19th.

So, we'll see what the next few weeks bring. My due date is April 30th. I'm hoping to avoid a c-section. Please pray that I go into labor on my own. That's ultimately what I want. Don't think that I'm not going to ask for drugs though! When I get to the hospital, Mr. Anesthesiologist God better be greeting me at the entrance! LOL!

Easters of yore.....

Well, it's Easter weekend. Kyra is really into it this year. That got me thinking back to Easters of long ago when I was a kid.

We were always in Schulenburg at Granny's. We would go to the Easter Vigil mass. Before we would leave for mass, we would take those old cardboard beer boxes (remember those? Roxie or Lisa might.) and we'd make a nest of Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrushes in them. We'd leave the Easter Bunny a note and then come back from church with our boxes full of goodies! Yeah, it wasn't really hard to guess who had put the candy in there. My Granny didn't go to church till Sunday morning, so she was the guilty one!

Other years, we'd all gather at Granny's for a fish fry on Good Friday and we'd have our family Easter Egg Hunt that evening with the Mendel's and the Munsch's. Some aunts of mine (coughGlendacoughSandracough) would be extremely nice (read: mean) and hide the eggs high in the trees. I still don't understand that one. I was the only taller one at the time and of course, the oldest. I wanted my cousins to get just as many eggs as I did. I guess they thought otherwise.

Aunt Mary Lou and Uncle Willie's was the place to be on Easter Sunday. We'd go there from Schulenburg. Since they live on a farm, you'd never know what might happen. We did hunt candy outside...although I have no idea why because everyone was too stinkin old. ;) Lisa and I are the youngest! We'd have water balloon fights. We'd go up in Mark's room and snoop. It was always interesting. Ahhhh....the good ol days!

We aren't doing much this weekend. We have a 40th birthday party to go to on Saturday evening. Sunday, we'll go to church across the street and hang out here at the house. My dad is coming up to see Kyra. I'm nesting really bad right now, so I assume that I'll do some cleaning and organizing this weekend. Tomorrow makes 35 weeks! Just 5 more (or less! ACK!) to go! I can't believe that in a few weeks Kyra will have a little sister and Richard and I will have 2 kids! (Gasp!)

Happy Easter everyone!

Congress vs. baseball.....

I love baseball. I really do. But, what the heck is going on lately? The latest dispute is steroid use among players. Congress has forced MLB to drag players like Mark McGuire into this huge mess. I honestly feel sorry for Mark McGuire. He retired a while back....hoping to bow out gracefully. Instead, his "past" comes back to haunt him a few years later. So he doesn't want to talk. Fine. You know who else didn't want to talk? Bill Clinton. But he lied to the American people on national television and he was PRESIDENT! Poor Mark McGuire is just trying to keep a low profile and now they are trying to threaten him with remarks of never being inducted into the Hall of Fame. That's crap. Bottom line: He more than likely took steroids. So has probably at LEAST 10 players off of every bench in the MLB. He just got picked as the "bad apple" to talk about it. So what if he doesn't talk about it. It's not like the world will end if he doesn't speak up. Who cares. I certainly don't. I don't know if they are trying to bring a lot of publicity to baseball before the season starts or what, but I'm sick of hearing about it.

Also, the MLB and the players' union has agreed NOT to do random testing for steroids, although I have no idea why. If that's the #1 drug that players are all on, then why not do it? There are other sports that test for performance enhancing drugs. Why on earth should baseball be any different? Blood tests should be mandatory to pick up human growth steroids. Peeing in a cup ain't cutting it anymore. If there's no proof that any of these "picked on" players have taken steroids, then they have every right to keep their mouths shut. Heck, I'd take the drugs too if I knew I'd never get caught!

Rant over. Can you tell how mad I've been about this the last few days? LOL!

You're only as old as you feel?

Yeah, I felt really old today. I took Kyra to her 1st "friend" birthday party. It was strange seeing Kyra and her friends all mingling with each other. They missed each other this week because they had Spring Break. So, it was a great chance to have them all together again before school on Tuesday. They had a blast! I don't know if my little house would withstand 15-20 3 year olds though. I'd probably only do it if I had as big of a house as these people did! ;)

Doesn't seem that long ago that my mom was taking me to parties like that. Where the heck did the time go? I know that I had a birthday this past week, but I don't really feel that old....well, I didn't until today. Taking your child to a birthday party to be with all of their friends is just weird. Pretty soon it'll be dances. YIKES! I'm so not ready for that. I want my kiddos to be babies forever. I'm in denial with Kyra right now. She's almost4! That's closer to 5 and closer to kinder! I'm glad I'm having another one so that I can experience the cuddling, coos, and sweet little breath of a newborn. Otherwise, I'd be in worse shape than I already am! LOL!

Regardless of how YOUNG we feel, there's always situations that make us realize how OLD we are. It sucks.

Idol fever.....

Well I might as well admit it. Yes, I'm hooked on American Idol. I watched the first two seasons faithfully. I didn't watch much of last season because it was just boring to me. I'm really excited about this season though. They've got a lot of good talent in the finalists. The girls aren't as good. The guys ROCK! Anwar and Bo are my favorites.

So, I'm busy on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. LOL! Thursday night rolls around and I go into a depression until the following Tuesday night. Kyra even recognizes the Idol music and says, "Mommy, American Idol is on!" *blush*

Once a parent, always a parent......

I've been thinking a lot about Kyra and this new baby and how we'll all adjust when the time comes. I keep wondering if my heart will be big enough for the both of them. I know the love will just multiply and my heart will grow with room for the both of them. But, I worry. Parents worry. Parents will always worry no matter how old their kiddos are. I got to see that firsthand within the past few days. Not one, not two, but three of my cousins have all had accidents since Friday. Two were airlifted to Brack here in Austin. Luckily, they are all fine and are home. It's made me realize that I won't be able to shelter Kyra and Maeve forever. They'll grow up and drive and be out till all hours. I know it's rather premature, but it's something that I think about. I know it'll happen one day. And I'll worry just like all parents do.

Kyra was sick the other week and I felt so helpless. Her little body just had to fight so that she'd get better. The thing that keeps crossing my mind was that she was SICK, not HURT. I feel for my aunts and uncles that had to endure that pit in their stomach. I can't imagine how that felt. It honestly scares me. To see your child in pain has to be the hardest thing in the world. When I see a child stricken with cancer, my heart breaks. My heart not only breaks for them, but for their parents as well. Ugh. Life isn't easy. I'm sure I'll learn that even more as the years pass by.

We are all lucky in this world. We have food and shelter and the company of wonderful family and friends. But, one of the things that you should always thank God for is your health. Without it, you are nothing. I'm so thankful that God rested his hands on my cousins during their accidents. Things could have been a lot worse. I'm just glad that they are all ok and hope that they heal very soon.

Birthdays and such.....

My birthday is next Monday, March 14th. I have a LOT of family and friends that have birthdays in March and April, so if I don't get the chance to tell you personally, just know that I'm thinking of you and hope your day is just as special as you are.

Jen's birthday is tomorrow (the 10th). She came to visit us today. We had a great afternoon....talking about all sorts of things. I wish her and Kevin the best on their journey to Indiana. I can't wait to hear stories about what's all going on up there.

For those that don't come and visit, what are you waiting for? We love having company! We promise to cook at least one good meal for you! ;) Oh, and I promise that Richard will leave the knives alone too! LOL! (if you don't know what I'm talking about, see my last blog entry)

Looks like the weather is going to be cooperative through the weekend! YAY! I don't think I could stand another Saturday full of rain. Mr. Jim Spencer (my personal hero) said that it's rained for 6 weekends in a row. How depressing is that? Looks like there won't be a 7th though! SWEET!

Jay Leno was called to be a witness in the Michael Jackson trial. He can write jokes about Michael, but he can't tell them on his show right now. So the other night, he had Brad Garrett of "Everybody Loves Raymond" come in a be a "surrogate" and tell those jokes while he just stood in the background. BRILLIANT!

Hope everyone is having a great week. The sun is out, so let's all go out and get some much needed Vitamin D!

My husband likes the ER.....

So, yesterday I was calmly working with Janet until I got a call around 5 in the evening to "come home NOW." It was Richard. He said that he was hoping to make supper for me, but it got cut short (literally). All he told me was that he cut his thumb and he thought that we should probably go to the ER. He told me not to "fly" home though because it wasn't too bad. The bleeding had stopped. He didn't want to look at it though (Richard is notorious for passing out...isn't that lovely when I'm going to have a baby in a few weeks?). So, I came home and we got everyone into the car and headed to Austin. We dropped Kyra off at Mona's (my lifesavor) and then headed to South Austin ER. We checked in around 6 and waited forever. Finally, they took him back. I didn't go back there with him. He waited back there for a long while because he kept IMing me and calling me from his cell telling me that nothing was happening yet. Long story short, we didn't get out of there till after 9:00. By the time we picked up Kyra, got a pizza, and stopped for pain meds., it was 10:00.

The verdict: 6 stitches. When we left the house, Richard told me that he thought that he probably needed 1 or 2. Yeah, I knew that he just said that so I wouldn't freak out. They have to be in for 2 weeks. They were very nice though and gave him a script for vicodin. Lovely stuff. Really. When I had my c-section with Kyra, I LOVED vicodin! So, he's resting today. Kyra is at school and I'm about to go downtown to teach my step class.

When I called Richard's mom last night, she said, "What did he do now?" She just knew! LOL! Mother's intuition, I guess. See, Richard is no stranger to the ER. While we were waiting, he was *trying* to count the number of times he's been there to get stitches. I think we came up with about 4 times. He's spent more time in the ER at just 27 than most people do in their lifetime. His mom said when he was little, they were always making trips to the ER because Richard had done something....usually that something wasn't just a minor cut or sprain. He's got scars to prove it!

Richard kept apologizing for me having to wait so long in the ER for him to get out of there. No problemo buddy. In a few weeks, you'll be waiting on me! ;)

Baby update.....

I'm 31.5 weeks as I type this. I absolutely cannot wait for April to get here (and it's only March! LOL!). I can't wait to see and hold my precious little girl. So, last week was my final week to teach Body Flow. *sigh* I did get a new DVD in the mail this week for the next release and I went out in Richard's shop and did it this afternoon. Talk about difficult. I just did as much as I could and skipped over the parts that I couldn't do (there wasn't too many). Yoga poses are hard because my belly is in the way. I'm still teaching my step class and will till the end. I'm also walking on my treadmill here at home and doing Body Pump from time to time. I just have to stay active or I'll go crazy!

I went to the doctor on Monday. Imagine my surprise when I step on the scale and she says that I've lost a pound! hehe! Yeah, I totally wasn't expecting that one. All this time I've been gaining and gaining. I know it's all for a wonderful cause, but I'm not used to being this big and carrying all of this extra weight around. Hopefully, it'll come off fast after Maeve is born. That's why I'm so dead set on working out till the end. There has to be a PRIZE somewhere, right? I just hope that it shows on the scale!

Kyra is totally ready for her sister to be here. She keeps going in Maeve's room and admiring everything. She talks to my belly. It's so cute. She's beyond excited that she will get to teach Maeve everything that she knows! Kyra is very happy to hear that the months have now turned into weeks....just about 8 weeks to go! YAY!

I don't know what Richard thinks. He never talks to me about it. Perhaps it's because we've BOTH been through this before and we know that many sleepless nights lie ahead. I think we are both trying to get as much rest as possible right now. We'll need it. Kyra was sick with the stomach stuff the other week and late last week, Richard got a touch of the flu. Now if I could only stay well. I'm on pins and needles and washing my hands constantly. I DO NOT want to get sick.

So, that's the update. Maeve is fine and kicking the heck out of me. It hurts. Kyra was a gentle squirmer, so can you tell what I'm in for? ;)

My eyes! My eyes!

Do I sound like Phoebe from "Friends"? LOL! Well, today I'm referring to the sun! Yes, the sun is out! Thank God! I honestly didn't know what was going on this morning when the sunlight woke me up! WOW! Now our eyes have to adjust a bit to something that we've seen maybe 3 times over the last 2 months! Richard's been couped up with the flu for the better part of 3 days, so we are going out today.....even if it's just for a drive around town. We've had cabin fever for too long!

Here's your amusing tidbit for the day. This day back in 1990.....

Time Magazine quotes Milli Vanilli "singer" Rob Pilatus as saying, "musically, we're more talented than any Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney. Mick Jagger can't produce a sound. I'm the new Elvis."

Dukes of Hazzard.....

So my dad picked the wrong weekend to go out of town. CMT is having a Dukes Of Hazzard marathon this weekend! LOL! Someone gave him the 1st season on DVD for Christmas. That was his favorite show back in the day and we watched it with him when we were kids. He also likes Sanford and Son! LOL! At least that's on Nick At Nite every once in a while so he can get his fix!

So, the Dukes of Hazzard movie is coming out this year. It's starring Johnny Knoxville and Sean William Scott as the Duke boys. Jessica Simpson will play Daisy Duke (um, I just don't see it), Burt Reynolds will play Boss Hogg and Willie Nelson will play Uncle Jesse (Go Willie!). It's going to be one of those movies that won't have much entertainment value. But, people will go see it because there are so many big stars in it. Heck, I'll go see it if Willie Nelson is in it! I wonder if Willie had to get some white hair for that part!

The more I watch the Dukes of Hazzard, the more I realize that it really was a boring and redundant show. Sheriff Roscoe was always after the Duke boys. Boss Hogg was always eating. Daisy was always "around" to help out her cousins if need be. If there was a kidnapping, Daisy was the victim. Uncle Jesse was there for the Duke boys too....mostly on a CB radio. Enus was the good cop and always had a crush on Daisy. Cooter was there for the maintenance of the General Lee. The "bad guys" always got caught at the end. I wonder how many roads they actually used to tape all of those scenes. Because from the looks of the show, Hazzard County was about as big as the state of Texas! The roads never ended! If they really put that many miles on the General Lee, it would NOT have been in that great of shape! Of course, I'm being sarcastic. I know that it was just a show and that stunts were set up on purpose. But, it's fun to speculate. But if anyone knows of a REAL Boar's Nest, tell me where it's at! I wanna go!

Pet peeves....

There are a few things that I just don't understand.

Yesterday, I was at the gym and this lady walks in and Eric tells her that the Spin class is full (you have to sign up to Spin and once spaces are gone, that's it). Instead of opting to do another workout in the gym, she just walks out and says that she'll try again tomorrow. Um, what? OK, I just DO NOT understand how you'd pay for a gym membership to take a Spin class and that's it? There are a TON of other things to do (I was teaching Flow) and of course, *I* know that she should have just done another workout for the day. Your body and your mind NEED to cross-train! Some people can't get that through their thick skulls though! You'll see more results with a variety of workouts! Sheesh! Eric and I laughed and said that instead she probably walked across the street to eat a 2,000 calorie Schlotzsky's sandwich. Ugh.

There was hardly any gas in the suburban the other day and guess who drove it around on "E"? My lovely husband. The next day, I get in it and it's STILL on "E" when I have to go somewhere! Ugh! Fill the dang thing up! Obviously he doesn't care if I were to run out of gas. I know that I'm not the only one that this has happened to because I had a friend tell me that her husband does the same thing! Hmmmm.....

Another thing I honestly do not understand is these people that pass others up only to have to stop at a RED light?! Um, you're gonna have to stop anyway! Why not leisurely stroll to the red light? You might just save yourself from killing someone!

Oh, and did anyone watch American Idol this week when they voted off 4 contestants (2 girls and 2 guys)? I think the entire hour was FULL of drama and the way they voted off that last dude was ridiculous. Usually, they ask the ones that are gonna go to step forward on the stage. Instead, they panned the camera to a guy sitting down who we all thought was "safe" and said that he'd be leaving tonight. That's just cruel. Poor guy. The look on his face was one of disbelief and sadness. The other contestants looked just as shocked that they went about it the way that they did. It sucked.

I'm sure I have a lot more, but these are the ones that are coming to mind right now. It's been quite a week so far.....

Childhood nostalgia.....

I read one of those "You're a child of the 80's if......" lists the other day. Wow. Those were the days.

There were so many places in my hometown that we frequented that aren't there anymore. One that comes to mind was the big waterslide out on the Houston Hwy. That thing was HUGE! Just think of one of those slides at Schlitterbahn. That's what this thing looked like. My cousins would come and we'd all go up there and slide down. It was the best! Too bad it's not there anymore.

Another place that *is* still there that we frequented is the skating rink. My nephew had his birthday party there the other weekend. We couldn't go this year, but we went last year. That place hasn't changed much. They still do the "Hokey Pokey" and they still do the Limbo. I had some of my best birthday parties there. I even held hands with a boyfriend there while skating. Ahhhhh....memories.

I remember when the bowling alley would have "teen night" on Sunday nights during the summer. You could bowl for $1 per game and the shoe rental was just $1 too! You never knew who you might see there, so all of the girls were primped up! Looking back, I find that hilarious! It's a smoke-filled bowling alley for goodness sakes! It was fun though.

Gosh, the 80's. Some of the things that come to mind from that list are wearing jams, rolling up jeans, those clips that held your shirt in a knot on the side, Kaepa sneakers, big bangs, banana clips, birthday parties at McDonald's, jelly shoes, friendship bracelets, spokey dokes on my bicycle, Garbage Pail Kids, Slip N' Slides, "Not", and slap bracelets.

Those were the days....some of the best of my life. I wonder if Kyra will look back on her childhood and remember certain toys/fads like I did. I hope that there are one-of-a-kind toys/fads out there right now that kids will appreciate. They won't last forever, but the memories sure will.

Ugh. Nascar.

The Daytona 500 is tomorrow. Lovely. I don't like Nascar at all. I just don't understand the whole concept of grown men racing around the track as fast as they can with their "holier than thou" attitudes. I guess that they felt the need to create a sport that would appeal to rednecks around the country and Nascar seemed to fit the bill. With sponsors like Budweiser, Miller Lite, Jack Daniel's, and Jim Beam how could it not be?

I have to admit that it might be fun to be a spectator in the stands though. I bet there are some really heated arguments or even some fights to see if you're lucky. You know that half of the crowd is "drinking up the sponsorship" anyway. With so many drivers to root for, there's gotta be tension. It's not like going to a football game or a baseball game where you root for one team or the other. So, it's gotta be somewhat interesting.

I was so happy that football season ended and now 2 weeks later, all I hear is "Nascar this and nascar that...." Ugh.

Is it BASEBALL season yet? Now there's something to smile about!

A wicked obsession.....

My husband's obsession is starting to grate on my nerves. Is it fishing? No. Is it RC helis and airplanes? No. Is it endlessly working on cars? No. My husband's latest obsession is none other than Kenny Chesney. Ugh.

He checks CMT daily to record any show that he might be on. He listens to his music nonstop. He brags about this and he brags about that......

I DON'T CARE! I don't like Kenny Chesney! Granted, he's A TON better than Big and Rich or Gretchen Wilson (don't even get me started on her), but I really don't care for Kenny at all. Richard tries to convince me that he's a good guy....he writes his own songs, he's down to earth, yada, yada, yada. Yeah....whatever.

What really got on my nerves was the way he went on and on about his fans and how they are the best and they are set apart from all the rest. Yeah those fans are probably fans to other artists as well. You aren't the ONLY one out there buddy! It cracks me up how he's in his own little world. Um, not everyone bows down to you!

To Richard he can do no wrong though. *sigh* I'm starting to think that Richard likes Kenny more than he likes me! LOL!

Things you didn't know about me....

I stole this idea from Jen's blog. Thanks Jen!

-I hate, hate, hate Watermelon. Hate is a pretty strong word too. Can't stand any watermelon candy or gum either. The smell makes me want to vomit. Ugh.

-In February of '99, I cut my leg open on a license plate. Richard was at work. I crawled to the neighbor's house. It was bad. I had to have 15 stitches. It was my first trip to the ER EVER. Richard passed out while they were given me shots to deaden it. It was crazy in there!

-My mom's birthday is on October 12th (which USED to be when Columbus Day was observed), my dad's birthday is on December 25th, and their anniversary is October 31st. Yeah, who in their right mind gets married on Halloween?

-I was a very clumsy kid. I had 3 black eyes at one time or another. One was right when my sister was born, so all of the pics of me with her as an infant show my shiner!

-I used to take piano. I never practiced and wasn't that into it, so my parents eventually sold it. I could KICK myself now for not sticking with it.

-My sister and I had those embarrassing "bowl" haircuts as kids. Our mailman used to walk by and say, "How you boys doing today?" Ugh.

-Mia is my first dog. We were never allowed to have pets when we were kids. Now my dad LOVES Mia and we SWEAR that he'll eventually get a dog too. *sigh*

-I don't drink coffee....never have and probably never will.

-I don't really care for tea with sugar in it. I like it plain. We drank tea like this when we were little and it just stayed with me.

-I have flown on a plane ONCE. In August of '99, Richard and I flew to Vegas. I didn't really care for it, but I'd do it again if I had to.

Grocery tales...part 2

Went to the grocery store last night to pick up a few things. Yes, it was Valentine's Day. I wasn't picking anything up for that. I just needed some groceries for the week. But boy was I in for it. There were so many people there! It was a madhouse. The parking lot was worse. Forget Thanksgiving. The WORST day to go to the store is Valentine's Day. I had to laugh though because there's something about men waiting till the last minute to buy gifts that tickles my funny bone. There they were....some with flowers, some with chocolates, and some with balloons (which I thought was the funniest yet). Seeing grown men carrying little heart balloons is a sight to be seen. With the way some of these men looked, you could tell that there were NO PLANS to go out to dinner for Heart Day. I guess they were hoping for other things to happen. ;)

On the flip side, I wonder what their ladies look like. I hope some of them appreciated the one, lonely, single rose that was given to them. I saw a few guys with just that. That makes me laugh too. I know it's the thought that counts. But, what are the chances of that rose making it home in one piece? It's destined to get smushed in the car or ripped apart by Fido at the door. Poor roses.

Then there's the guy at the store that it blantantly proud of who he is. He's full of tattoos with a ripped up shirt that says, "101% Redneck" on it. Oy vay! I had to look twice to make sure it said what it said. Don't know what he came in there for, but I'll bet money that it for for some Budweiser or Miller Lite. Even more so, I wondered if he had a valentine. Now that's scary.

The week has gotten off to a rotten start. Kyra is sick with a full blown stomach bug. Let me just say that seeing your child sick is the WORST FEELING in the world. You are helpless. There's nothing you can do to make them feel better. It sucks. They have this sad, puppy dog look on their face. All she wants is mommy. Mommy DOES NOT want to get what she has. My washer and dryer are working overtime. Lisa, Richard, and I were all up with her last night. I hope that she's feeling better by the end of the day. My heart is breaking for her right now.

On a positive note, I had some flowers and a cute mug and balloon waiting for me when I got home yesterday. ;)

Valentine woes.....

Yep it's that time of year again and every year, I have the same feelings as I did the year before. Valentine's Day is not extraordinarily special at our house. It's a day that comes and goes. If I get something, then I'll consider myself lucky. Usually, I do not. I don't think it's because I'm not loved. I just think it's because "cards get thrown away" and "flowers die". Ugh. Excuses. It's really the thought that counts. Today, Kyra made us a card at school and I love it. It's simple and it's her art. I could see how proud she was when she presented it to me. Her little scribbles mean the world to me. I think that's enough. Or is it?

Why is Valentine's Day so publicized? The minute the Christmas decorations come down, the hearts and cupids come up. Sure it's nice to celebrate love, but why does every radio station, TV show, store, and restaurant have to shove it in my face? To me, it's a prized competition. Good thing I don't work in a big office or I'd have to send myself something just to look good. Ladies thrive on how their guy did. Was the gift big enough or was the restaurant expensive enough? I feel sorry for the guys that have HUGE expectations to meet. I'm easy to please. If I don't get something, so what. If I do get something, then it's a pleasant surprise.

In a few months, my family will be complete. My heart will be overflowing with enough joy and love to last a lifetime. I can't wait.