Sleepless in New Orleans

For Jerrod

2011-08-01T05:59:00.003-05:00

(Oh My Gosh - we were babies!!)

Happy 19th Anniversary Love!

I can’t believe we’ve come this far already. As I look back over our years together, I see that our life together is similar to romance novels in many ways:

When we started dating (in 10th grade), our relationship was like a YA romance: You were the Street-wise Bad Boy, I was the Innocent Shy Girl. No one would have pictured us together, not even us! But it was Instant Attraction and no matter how hard we fought it, we did get together, and by the end of high school we were The Couple Everyone Knew Would Last.

Then, in college, things got a bit bumpy; there may have been a “break” involved. At this point, our relationship was like a Contemporary Romance: We loved each other but were also trying to decide who we were as individuals. A road trip for you, some self-discovery for me…but we missed each other. Midnight phone calls, love letters…and a surprise road trip home. Read forward a few pages to our wedding day… We were definitely a Reunited Lovers story. With a newborn baby in the One Year Later epilogue :)

Our life together has also been an Erotic Romance, a Comedic Romance (sometimes at the same time, lol), and an Inspirational Romance. One thing it has not been is a May/December Romance, although you repeatedly claim it is (I’m only 5 months older than you, damnit!).

Over the years, one thing has remained constant – our love for each other. Even when the things in life that don’t show up in romance novels (like you leaving your dirty clothes in front of the hamper, or me "rearranging" your spices in the kitchen), you’re still my Hero – a wonderful husband and father, friend and lover.

If our life was a Historical Romance, I'd be the Wallflower and you'd be the Reformed Rake.
If our life was a Vampire Romance, I’d let you suck me anytime.
If our life was a Fairy Story, you’d be my Summer King, bringing sunshine and warmth into my life.
If our life was an Urban Fantasy Romance, we’d fight the bad guys together.
If our life was a Paranormal Romance, you’d be my Alpha Werewolf - large and in charge but totally dedicated to me and our children .

We’ve been married to each other almost half our lives: Thank you for loving me, giving me beautiful babies, sharing the fun parts and comforting me during the tough spots. Thank you for my very own Happily Ever After.

With Love Always,

Happy 18h Birthday Ian!!!

2011-07-18T19:02:00.001-05:00

Uuuuhhh - Shakira stopped by to wish you a Happy Birthday

BUT YOU WERE IN DEL RIO!!!!

Seriously, I hope you're having fun. I love you and miss you. You might be growing up but to me you're still that tiny baby boy we brought home from the hospital 18 years ago.
Happy Birthday Son.

My Birthday Trip to Houston

2011-06-04T12:00:00.005-05:00

Can I just say I don’t remember the last time I had that much fun stuffed into one weekend!

That whole week I worked like a crazy woman, skipping lunch and staying late every day (including my birthday) so that I could take the day off on Friday. Wednesday was my actual birthday, and hubs and the kids and my parents met me for dinner at a great Middle Eastern restaurant after work. Then, Thursday after work, I came home, kissed the kids, threw some clothes into a suitcase, and headed out the door. After an uneventful trip – I only got lost twice, lol, I got to Michael and Hannah’s house at 2am.

Friday:
That morning Hannah and I woke up (Michael went to work) got dressed, did our hair and makeup, and went to lunch at the Briar Club, where Charlaine Harris was speaking. The lunch was wonderful and Ms. Harris was amazing. We got our books signed (mine says Happy Birthday) and chatted a few minutes. Our tablemates were very nice and I think Hannah and I both had a great time – my recap of the event is here.

After the luncheon, we decided to go to the Galleria. Jerrod gave me a wad of cash for my birthday and said “spend it in Houston”, so of course the Galleria was on our list of things to do! First stop – Borders! We both got this really cool book about vampire romances – it’s kind of interactive and was really neat. Best part? It was on sale - $50 original price – we paid $5.00.

After Borders, we wandered around for a few hours, looked at stuff, tried things on, picked up a few things, and just hung out and talked. Of course, after such an active day we went home, ordered Chinese, read our new books, and went to bed late.

Saturday:
We slept in a little, got up and dressed and met Michael’s friend and his wife for lunch at Genghis something-or-other. None of us had been and it was fun (we’ll be going in July when we have the kids).

We went to HEB (because it’s not a trip to Houston without stopping at HEB). I found the chips I love there so when we go in July I’ll be stocking up!

Then I dragged Hannah out shopping. I tried on a gazillion items and she gave me “thumbs-up” or “burn it and bury the ashes”. We did a little shoe shopping and all around girl stuff. Totally fun.

Then, we came home and got dressed for a concert. Michael’s best friend from high school is a roadie in a band and they were playing in Houston that night, so he got us tickets and VIP passes. First of all, I’ve never been a VIP anything before, so that was pretty cool in and of itself. There were three bands playing that night - Subrosa Union, Dumpstaphunk (a NOLA band), and Slightly Stoopid (the main show). On arrival, we got our passes, walked around backstage and then settled into the VIP seats for the show. Long story short, we had to move halfway through Dumpstaphunk’s set because we were in someone else’s seats. So, we moved, then after the set we went backstage again to see Michael’s friend:

Since our seats were gone, guess where we ended up watching the main show? That’s right baby – on the stage!!!! We sat on the stage behind the band and watched almost the whole show. It was really interesting to see how they all work together and worked the crowd. Now, anyone who knows me knows I’m not really a “look at me I’m on stage” personality, so I did spend most of my time in the far corner – wringing the crap out of my scarf, trying not to be noticed. But it was still fun and the music was surprisingly good. I’d definitely go see them again, and the next time Dumpstaphunk plays in NOLA I’m taking hubs to see them play.

Hannah did a great recap here.

Then, all too quickly, it was Sunday – time to go home. Hannah woke me up – I showered and she went to get kolaches, then hugs and kisses and out the door. I had to be home in time to attend an awards ceremony for Ian (not FOR Ian, but he was a participant, lol), and then work on Monday morning. Jerrod was out of town until Wednesday, so it stayed crazy for a few days, but was totally worth it!!!

Best. Birthday. Ever. Couldn’t have done it without hubs, Hannah and Michael, an Mom and Ian – I can’t express to you all how much fun I had and how much it means that you all put forth so much effort to allow me to have such a great time.

Ian’s Graduation

2011-06-03T12:00:00.002-05:00

Well, he finally did it! Ian graduated May 25 – he’s officially done with high school (and we’re officially done with high school tuition!). We’re so proud of him. He had a nice crowd of friends and family at the graduation to cheer him on.

That weekend he had to register for fall classes at Xavier University, where he is in the Chemistry/Pre-Pharmacy program. I was impressed they had his schedule all ready for him (he did not get to pick his own schedule, which is probably a good thing, lol). His first semester is 15 hours and his second semester is 18 hours. He’s taking classes like Chemistry, Lab, Honors English, and Calculus; with extra credit hours earned for English and Calculus if he passes (he needs a 3.0 to keep his scholarship, so he needs to pass). He’ll probably go into the actual pharmacy program after his Sophomore year. I’m going to stop pestering him about getting a job now, lol.

I think I mentioned before that he got a full four-year scholarship, so we were thrilled about that. The State of Louisiana also has a college assistance program for every student who graduates high school (TOPS). Ian’s GPA was high enough that he got extra $$, so the college will hold that and he can purchase his books with it. Whatever he doesn’t use will go into his bank account.

I’m thrilled and worried for him all at the same time. I remember when he started high school I was the same way. I didn’t want him to fail or get beat up. Why would either have happened? I don’t know – I just worry, it’s what I do. So I’m trying to remind myself that he’ll be fine and he’s growing up and this is part of it.

Congratulations son, I love you.

Hello or Goodbye?

2011-06-02T17:55:00.001-05:00

As you can see, I haven’t been around in a while. I don’t know if that will be permanent or not. I’m hoping it’s just that May kicked my ass and not that I’m done.

Here’s what happened, sort of…

Hubs and I had a loooong conversation, if you will, about how much time I spend online and reading. And he’s mostly right. Part of the problem is that my laptop is in the dining room and everyone else hangs out in the living room. Part of the attraction of the interwebz is that for someone who doesn’t have much time in the day to get out, there’s lots going on online and I can participate from home. In my pajamas. With or without a shower. Then you get sucked in and oops, where did the time go?

So, first thing I did? Cancel my Facebook account and quit this blog. I didn’t delete it, but I’m not sure if I’m going to continue.

I also thought about closing my book blog, but enjoy it and don’t want to shut it down. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it – finish up my obligations (through the summer) and close? Take on a 2nd reviewer – if I can find one? Limit my book review to 1 or 2 a week? With a full-time day job and a family, it’s starting to be a bit overwhelming. That being said, I still love being a part of it. Part of the networking that comes along with the book blog is twitter – I haven’t shut that down and probably won’t. I like twitter and it’s easy to do from my phone (although I hate Twitter for Android so if anyone knows a better app that’s easier for a technophobe like me I’d be willing to listen).

So, if you’re still here, a lot did happen in May, and I have a lot to talk about. I’m going to put up a few quick posts about the highlights:

Ian’s graduation and subsequent registration for college,
Bridget’s birthday party,
My fabulous birthday trip to Houston to meet Charlaine Harris,
As well as the regular family stuff.

And I have pictures.

Thanks for sticking around. Really; I love using this blog as an outlet and miss it.

The Cougar Hierarchy, The Building Blocks of Sandwich Making, and Don’t Look At My Kids While I’m Busy Judging Yours

2011-04-20T18:51:00.003-05:00

So I’m hanging out with the family the other night, and one of the kid calls me old…

Hubs: Your mom’s not old, she’s a cougar.
Kids: Cougars are old.
Hubs: No they’re not – it goes like this: Feral Cat, Puma, Cougar, Lioness. Your mom’s not a lioness yet – then she’ll be old.
Me: Thanks honey… I think.

So, I think it goes like this:

Feral Cat: Megan Fox
Puma: Kate Hudson
Cougar: Demi Moore
Lioness: Sharon Stone

On to the sandwich talk:

Talking to SIL(H) the other day, and I mention I don’t eat sliced bread. She tells me H1 doesn’t either. I tell her I don’t eat Peanut Butter; H1 doesn’t either. Or Jelly. Then it really gets weird – she’s telling me how he had to bring his lunch while he was on crutches b/c it took him too long to get to the cafeteria, so she’d make his lunch. Me: “I hope you didn’t make it the night before.” She starts laughing – H1 says don’t make it the night before, no condiments until you’re ready to eat it, and no cheese, it makes the bread soft.

I need to know what happened in our childhood that we have the same sandwich hang-ups. Were we punished with old lunches?

Oh, and speaking of Michael and Hannah – I came up with a cute name for them…not Hannael, Not Michannah, they’re the Titanium Twosome!!! Her arm and his hip – get it? Aaahhh – I crack myself up!

Okay, and lastly, I’ll leave you with a snapshot of my stellar parenting skillz:

In the Chinese restaurant yesterday, the 10yo and the 4yo are singing “F You”…’cause that’s really what you want coming out of your children’s mouths. Then, on the ride home, they’re singing (and dancing) to Jane Fonda (by Mickey Avalon)… and I wonder why Molly has such awesome pole-dancing skills!!!

Hello Stranger...

2011-04-14T19:04:00.001-05:00

So hubs is teasing me about not posting – it’s been almost a month! But really, not much has been going on.

We’re getting ready for Ian’s graduation next month (I can’t believe my baby boy is graduating!) and his 18th birthday in July. I think he wants to spend the summer in his truck travelling – anywhere away from his family, lol.

We’re finally getting ready to throw Bridget’s birthday party…her birthday was at the end of February but it’s right in the middle of Mardi Gras so it’s hard to find a time and everyone’s busy going to parades; it’s a bad time for birthday parties. This year her party will be at an art studio, and they will be painting plates (I think) decorated in peace signs. Anyone who knows Bridget knows this is the perfect party for her!!!

Molly-moo is trucking along – she’s become obsessed with Springtime, her birthday (which is in September), kindergarten, and caterpillars.

Here’s a typical conversation we’ve had more than once:
Molly: Is tomorrow kindergarten?
Me: No, it’s after the summer is over, near your birthday.
Molly: Oh. Is it still caterpillar season?
Me: Yes, so you have to be sure to wear shoes outside. (those stinging caterpillars hurt!!!)
Molly: *whines* I don’t like caterpillars. I don’t like spring. I want to go to kindergarten.
Me: *sighs*

As far as Jerrod and myself, we’re both still working hard. Jerrod went on a fishing trip last week and says he had fun. Considering he came home with no fish and not much leftover booze, I’m thinking he had a lot of fun!

So really, I’m not blogging, but there’s not much going on to blog about. Sometimes it’s good to just chill out and catch your breath. I can say this because I see May coming and it’s not going to be pretty – I actually made a calendar to go over with Jerrod so we can keep track of what events, trips, and visitors are happening in May. And of course, in the middle of everything else is my birthday. Can’t forget the most important date of all, lol!!!

I know, I know...I never call, I never write....

2011-03-19T20:08:00.000-05:00

I can't say how many times something funny has happened and I've said to myself, "I've got to remember to blog about this..." Yeah - good intentions and all that...

Molly grabbed my hand the other night and says, "Mommy, come see, come see!!" and shows me this:

Me: Oh how cute! It's a king cake!!
Molly: *looks at me like she's saddened by my lack of intelligence and blows out a sigh*
No, Mommy. It's a paper plate, and we cut it out and put paint and glitter and glued a crown on it.

__________________________

Last night we went out to dinner, and on the way home, Bridget was telling us about a vampire book she's reading. Somehow the conversation got side-tracked, because the next thing I know, she's asking, "Vampires can't be gay, can they?" To which Jerrod answers, "Of course they can, read one of your mother's books. Oh wait, don't."

__________________________

This is why I love springtime:

I took this picture standing in my back doorway. By the end of this week that bush will be a huge pink puff of color. Love it!!! (Yes, we have a "cajun chandelier" hanging at the top of that picture - we are high-klass. Jerrod and the girls made azalea necklaces this morning.

__________________________

I'm thinking about taking the kids to Houston my birthday weekend so I can go see Charlaine Harris. I went out there over Mardi Gras and had a great time with Mike and Hannah. I'd make it a 3 or 4 day weekend I think (surprise M&H, lol), since we're not doing a "real" vacation this year. Of course, I still want to visit for our traditional 4th of July weekend visit too ;)

__________________________

I'm super-excited about the "super moon" tonight. I love all things celestial so I've already been outside twice to look :)

Until next time....

Time to make the doughnuts...

2011-03-10T21:26:00.003-06:00

Driving in the car with my teenage son this evening:

Me: There's the doughnut shop we ate in after we went out with Uncle Mike/Aunt Hannah.
Ian: Oh.
Me: They had a king cake doughnut.
Ian: Oooohhh - that's the place where you fell in love with the doughnut guy.
Me: I did not fall in love with the doughnut guy.
Ian: You hit on the doughnut guy?
Me: I did not hot on the doughnut guy.
Ian: The doughnut guy hit on you?
Me: *snorts* No, he did not hit on me.
Ian: Well, what happened with the doughnut guy?
Me: Hannah, Pam, Brenda, and I noticed the hot doughnut guy. That's all.
Ian: You mean you're not leaving Dad for the doughnut guy?
Me: *sigh*

Busy, busy, busy? Maybe, maybe not...

2011-03-03T06:48:00.006-06:00

Wow, I am so far behind on blogging I don’t know when I’ll be able to catch up. A lot has happened in the last two weeks:

Bridget at parades Friday night

Bridget turned 10 on Feb 26 – double digits!!! We did a birthday dinner at Outback on the 24th, since Jerrod would be working all day and evening on the 26th. She received some very nice gifts for the big 1-0, including jewelry. She’s thrilled and feels more grown up, I think.

Molly has a pre-K parade at school on Friday. We have to decorate a wagon and prepare beads for her to throw. She’ll wear her ladybug Halloween costume and we’re going to decorate the wagon like a field of flowers. Her 8th-grade “buddy” will pull the wagon around the school while she throws beads to the other students.

Ian and Molly at the parade Friday night.

Ian has decided to accept the scholarship offer at Xavier University of Louisiana. We sent in his acceptance form yesterday; he wanted to get it in early so he’d be eligible for Spring Testing (that’s my boy!). Having him at Xavier means he’ll stay home for four more years, much to Bridget’s chagrin – she wanted his room!

In house news, I may have found more termites in our bedroom…I found some damage in our closet and I’m not sure if it’s new or if I never noticed it before because it’s behind my clothes. The thing is, it’s behind the clothes I wear on a regular basis, so I think I would have noticed it before….oh well, we knew this year might be tough on that front, which is why we haven’t started fixing the damage from last April yet.

And, today starts Jerrod’s Mardi Gras work mode – basically we won’t see him again until next Wednesday. Between his normal schedule and then working the parades, he’s going to be one tired puppy by the time it’s over.

In book news, I might be going to Houston this weekend - *fingers crossed* One of my favorite authors (two, really), Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison. will be in Houston signing their new releases and I’m hoping to make a quick drive out and spend some quality book nerd time with Hannah! Mom and Dad offered to keep the girls, although Bridget wants to come. Jerrod will be working and Ian is excited at the prospect of being home alone. I think the way it's going to go down though, is me and the girls will be driving to Houston.

Oh – and I’m at it again – this morning as I was driving down our street to take the girls to school, I noticed some nice patio furniture setting outside on the neighbor’s curb. Yup, you guessed it – it’s in our back yard now! Yes, I asked the neighbor to make sure it was trash…it’s a nice black wicker loveseat and matching chairs with a glass top table. She said her sister gave her a new one so they were getting rid of this one. Score one for dumpster diving!!! Our old set was down to one piece and it was close to death, so now we have a nice “new” set to lounge on as the weather gets warmer and we sit outside by the pond, and it’s getting closer to crawfish boil time so now we have another place to sit/eat:

With a little paint to refresh it I think it will be just fine!

I think that’s it for now, or at least as much as my fluffed-up brain can remember!!!

Meh.

2011-02-17T20:20:00.005-06:00

Yeah, in case you hadn't noticed, I've been feeling a bit ambivalent lately...

Things have been rough at work, and things have been rough at J's work...the teenager is having "growing pains", the 4yo is having "growing pains"... we spent about a month were at least two people at a time in the family were sick....

BUT, today was a gorgeous day, the weekend is coming and bringing with it H1 and SIL(H), Mardi Gras is coming soon, and I know things will turn around soon.

Hubs and I pretty much skipped Valentine's Day:
But truly dear, I do love you - through good times and bad, and I don't need a special day to tell you.

Under where?

2011-02-08T22:04:00.003-06:00

Don't ask me why, but I was thinking about how moms always tell you to make sure you're wearing clean underwear just in case you get into an accident....

First of all, you shouldn't need an excuse to wear clean underwear.

Aside from that, my question is this:
Are the EMTs really going to be checking your drawers? If you're having a heart attack or accidentally chopped your arm off, are they going to stop what they're doing and check for marks?

And, if your injuries are not life threatening, they're probably not going to be removing any clothing anyway, right? So how would they know if it was clean or dirty?

Who started this particular piece of advice? Who actually got into a situation where they thought to themselves, "I wish I'd worn clean underwear today"?!? Yikes.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Okay, I couldn't wait...

2011-01-27T21:09:00.004-06:00

So, here's a picture of Ian holding a SUPERAWESOMEAMAZING piece of paper:

Yes, that's a scholarship grant from Xavier University here in New Orleans - for a FULL SCHOLARSHIP!!! Yes, a 4-year scholarship to a private university. I am so proud of my boy!!

I know he wants to move away and go to college, but I'm hoping he'll take advantage of this offer and stay home (where food and electricity are free). Xavier University has one of only two pharmacy schools in the entire state of Louisiana.

I'm so excited I've been on a cloud since he found out!

Poor Bridget is upset she won't be moving into his bedroom next year :)

It's that time of year again...

2011-01-25T08:00:00.001-06:00

(Bridget at the National D-Day Museum on Saturday)
(I wasn't going to mention she makes me crazy with those bangs,
but...she makes me crazy with those bangs!!!!)

Bridget started taking dance lessons when she was 4 or 5. The first year was okay, but the 2nd and 3rd years were miserable. She'd cry at each lesson - she hated it and I hated it. Three years ago we agreed to let her try Girl Scouts. The first year was okay, but the last two years have been amazing - she loves it! She likes the camping and the crafts and the field trips to make/learn/do. I'm thrilled she's getting to have fun with girls her age and learn while doing it. Kids grow up too fast and I want her to stay a kid a while longer. I'm glad she found scouting and I hope she sticks with it.

Oh, and....Does anyone want to buy any Girl Scout cookies??

What's in a name?

2011-01-24T20:19:00.005-06:00

(Molly at the Park on Sunday)

When I was a kid, I used to tell people my name was "Patti Lynn Sheba Smith H(last name)". Sheba was the dog, Smith is my maternal grandparents' last name.

If you ask Molly her name, she'll tell you "Molly-moo, Little Bird, Monkey Butt, Grace, S(last name)".

If you can tell a lot about a person by their name, I'm not sure what that name says about my girl...

(Molly asleep on the couch in her bathrobe,
still clutching her juice, Sunday night)

My heart goes out to Australia

2011-01-15T12:30:00.004-06:00

Watching the flooding in Australia is breaking my heart. I hear the stories and feel so helpless.

I can't help being reminded of Hurricane Katrina's devastation:
(pics on the top are Australia 2011, pics on the bottom are New Orleans 2005)

I hope enough lessons were learned 5 years ago to help Australia now; my thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Spy School starts early...

2011-01-11T19:00:00.000-06:00

So, here’s the scoop on the weird pre-serial killer kid that Bridget picked up:

Apparently a few weeks ago she was outside with Molly and this kid introduced himself, said he was from Russia and was looking for friends. Okay, fine, whatever. He’s 11 and lives on the street that crosses our street, around the corner about two blocks down. Bridget will be 10 next month so really the age difference is not that big.

Apparently he’s come over a few times after school, before I get home from work. Jerrod is home. He also came over during the winter break, when Ian was babysitting, but the kids know no one is allowed in the house when Jerrod or myself isn’t at home. Jerrod also said the kid came over once on a school day when BB was in school (I guess public school had the day off).

Jerrod has commented that he doesn’t think the kid is all there, but I just assumed it was a language barrier thing…

So, the other night I come home from work and he’s in the house playing with the girls. He’s sitting in the living room with his shoe and sock off and he walks over to me in the kitchen and says “I can’t walk, I hurt my foot and I think it’s broken”. Of course at this point I have no clue what’s going on and say, “Oh, okay, I’ll take you home.” And he proceeds to tell me he can’t walk. At. All. Except that he’s doing just fine from the living room to the kitchen. I send him back into the living room to put his shoe/sock on and will drive him home. He tells me he can’t walk. I tell him if he can walk to the kitchen, he can walk to the car, I’m not carrying him.

He gets into the car, and the girls come with. All the way there he’s talking about how they can come in and play while I talk to his mom. I explain to him that they’re not coming over to play, we’re just dropping him off and going back home. It’s like he doesn’t hear me – he keeps insisting that they will come in and play for a while.

We get to the house and he walks up the walk (no limp) and goes inside and yells, “Mom, someone’s here” and tells the girls to come in. I tell the girls no and we’ll wait on the stoop. His mom says something from another room and he says “there’s someone at the door to see you”, like we just showed up and asked for his mother. I explain to her that he says he hurt his foot and I wanted to get him home safely (it was full dark).

After I get back home, Jerrod tells me this:
The kid is into everything – he grabbed Ian’s sword, he went into the garage and tried to convince Bridget to play with the bow/arrows even though she told him they’re not allowed – he told her it wasn’t real and wouldn’t hurt anyone (Yes, they are real). Then he was pulling the cats and when Jerrod lectured him and told him just because they’re not human doesn’t mean they’re not alive, the kid looked away and ignored him until he was done, then went back for the cat. At that point, Jerrod said it was time to go home. The kid told him he didn’t have to be home until after midnight (!!!). Jerrod told him it was time to go home now at which point the kid claimed to have hurt his foot.

Soooooo, with all that information on hand, Jerrod and I sat down with Bridget and explained that while we aren’t telling her not to be friends with this kid, we are telling her to be careful. We told her under no circumstances is he allowed into the house when we’re not home (not even to use the bathroom), and she’s going to have to be alert because although he’s older than she is, he seems to be confused about the boundaries between appropriate and inappropriate behavior. We gave some worst case scenarios that could have happened if he had used the arrows while Molly was in the backyard, and pointed out his behavior with the cats. She says she understands, and I hope that she does, but we are definitely keeping an eye on this kid. As I am not a medical professional, I can’t label the kid, but the signals he’s throwing out are definitely not right. I don’t know if it’s autism or something else, but I don’t want the girls to be accidentally hurt because we figured he’s harmless.

And, as always, I wonder if we’re doing the right thing. Is the kid just different? Are we hampering the chance for him to have frinds? Are we “helicoptering” the girls? I think in this case we’re doing the best we can.

What did I miss?

2011-01-10T19:51:00.002-06:00

Jerrod is complaining no one is blogging…glad to know it’s not just me :) Honestly, between work and the holidays, the last month just flashed by.

Christmas was a nice, quiet affair, the kids I think were happy with their loot. Jerrod and I agreed not to exchange gifts this year, and I have to say it made things a lot less stressful. Of course, we each got each other something from the kids, but there wasn’t the need to buy, buy, buy, which felt pretty good. Neither of us really needed anything, and since I worked a lot of overtime in the week leading up to Christmas, Jerrod did most of the shopping anyway.

New Year’s weekend was a blast, as expected. The trip to Houston was uneventful and we were able to leave Thursday morning instead of Thursday night, which made a huge difference. Hannah’s mother was also visiting, so we got to spend time with her – she’s such a sweet, sweet lady. The highlights of the visit: $300 worth of fireworks on New Year’s Eve, partying with the neighbors across the street who didn’t speak English (not me folks, I went to bed at 12:01!), and the restaurant/petting zoo. Oh, and we finally got to go to HEB – I have to say, it was pretty awesome – the baked goods and tortillas (and churros!) and meat were amazing. Michael is looking really good and I hear he’s back at work since Jan 4, I think…

So now, it’s just getting back into the groove. The kids are back in school. I spend Saturday doing all the cleaning I didn’t do the last two weekends and it felt kind of good. Yesterday I didn’t shower or get out of my pajamas ALL DAY – that’s right folks, just my way of saving the environment by not using water to bathe or wash a pesky extra set of clothing.

I’m still not reading as much as usual, so I feel like my book blog is suffering, but it’s completely the fault of my new phone – that’s right, I finally got the EVO. Have I read the instruction manual yet? Nope, it’s still in the cellophane wrapper, but I will, I promise!! Ian has been very, very helpful putting in ringtones and apps for me.

I have dry cough I can’t get rid of. Jerrod brought me some cough syrup and I’ve been swigging straight from the bottle. I know it has guafisin (sp?) in it without reading the label. How? Because my pee smells like mint. Yes, guafisin has that effect on me – and it makes my taste buds wonky. Does anyone else have this side-effect? I’ve got to read the label and check…

Lastly, I’ll end my "diarrhea du plume" (would that be diarrhea of the pen?) and leave you with this:

Molly: Can I say “shut up”?
Me: No.
Molly: Can I say “stupid”?
Me: No.
Molly: Can I say “whatever”? (LOL, you should hear he say it – perfect teen inflection!)
Me: No.
Molly: Can I say “What the heck”?
Me: No.
Molly: I can’t say anything!

Oh, and there’s this weird Russian kid who’s started hanging out with BB – I think he’s got potential to be a serial killer (I am sooooo not kidding). I’m saving that post for another day!

test

2011-01-07T19:13:00.001-06:00

Trying to see I'm smarter than my phone. Time will tell...

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Family, Funny, and Pfffft!!!

2010-12-22T23:27:00.005-06:00

Besides the obvious, why do I think this is funny? Because that's what we got my mom for Christmas this year! Mom had been talking about it and my dad had decided that's what he wanted to do for her. She asked me to come help her choose. At first I was all "Sure, whatever." I figured we'd grab a few beads and go....we were there for almost two hours! I have to tell you though, it came out amazing - there's a bead for every family member and a reason behind each bead on the bracelet. I'm really, really happy I went.

I don't know what's wrong with me that I find this so funny - Louisiana license plates have three letters, then three numbers. Of course, I don't think they allow letters like "ASS", but apparently "VAG" is okay. This cracks me up - yesterday I saw two different cars with "VAG" on their plates, and I was telling J about it and laughing - I said if I got that license plate I'd send it back...I don't want to drive the vaginamobile. Then today I was on the phone and a car moved into the lane in front of me - with a "VAG" license plate. Hahaha - I know, 40-year-old body, 12-year-old brain...

My new favorite song:

I was listening to this in the car the other day (following a VAG car? maybe.) and I started wondering, "Would J take a bullet for me?" and I came to the conclusion that he would. I could honestly see him doing that in that situation. And that floored me; it made me thankful all over again for what a wonderful man I'm married to. Love you honey!!!

Aaaaaannnndddd that segues into this:(photo credit Intercourses)

To the person who mentioned figging to my husband - are you out of your figging mind?

Happy Birthday to my Pops!

2010-12-16T05:54:00.003-06:00

(Drew Brees just found out it's your birthday!)

Happy Birthday Dad!
I love you and I'm so glad you're in my life!

Happy Birthday Michael!!!

2010-12-10T18:19:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday brother - I'm so happy you're here to celebrate!!!
Hope you've had a great day!

Motorcycle Michael...???

2010-12-06T06:08:00.003-06:00

I live in a family of motorcycle riders - my dad, my brothers, my aunt and uncle, we love it! I have my motorcycle license but haven't been on a bike since Katrina :( My guys love to ride - to work, school, errands, you name it: if the weather's nice, they're on a bike!

So, as most of the family knows, my brother Michael was riding home from work on Wednesday evening, tried to pass, and ended up in a ditch. He's going to be okay, but he's going to have to work at it: he broke his hip (I believe the word severed was used in relation to his socket bones) and they fixed it Friday. They didn't know if they could repair or would have to replace it until they got in there, but a repair was done and he has done a wonderful job of recovering; they sent him home Saturday!! He's still in a lot of pain, has several months of walking on crutches (absolutely no weight bearing for several weeks) and PT to look forward to, and incessant teasing by the rest of the family about his squeaky hip when he's up to sexy time :) Oh, and he's got to quit smoking or the hip won't heal. Yikes!

Here he is - home from the hospital (via Dad's facebook):

(Note the fabulous yellow hospital sox - hehe!)

Hannah has gone through this with both barrels blazing and for that I give her kudos - I would have been a sobbing pile of mush. She's taken charge and is making sure Michael is going to be okay.

You know I had to ask him - Did you check yourself before you wrecked yourself? (he said yes). We've got foot race planned for next year between Michael and Ian - Gimp Olympics :) (We're really an evil, evil family, aren't we?)

Love you Mike and Hannah - get well soon!!!! We'll see you at New Year's!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

2010-12-03T05:49:00.001-06:00

Happy (23rd) Birthday Mom!
May you have many, many more!
I love you!!!
Love, your favorite daughter :)

It Lives!!!

2010-11-30T06:09:00.002-06:00

Yes, yes, I'm alive...

Things are starting to get away from me already and it's not even (for me) the Holiday season yet! My office holiday party is in less than two weeks and I still don't have a dress. This is bad.

Thanksgiving was wonderful - 4 days of relaxation. Brenda's family came to visit and I didn't see my kids for practically the whole week. Mom and Dad kept Molly 1 or 2 nights, and Ian every night. Bridget stayed with DJ/Brenda almost every night. We'd just see them when it was time to swap out clean clothes :) Molly had such a great time with Brenda's mom - she was learning a bit of Spanish and pretty much followed her around. We got a really nice picture on Brenda's camera that I'm hoping she'll e-mail me (hint, hint)

We didn't do anything on Black Friday. Well, we tried to get Ian his driver's license but they were closed. Other than that - nothing. Saturday I stayed in my pj's until 5:30, then we went to Walmart. Don't go to Walmart when you're bored and hungry!!! Surprisingly though, the place was empty! Same thing with Target on Sunday. I guess people were so worn out from their Black Friday shopping that no one wanted to go shopping over the weekend. We still don't have any Christmas shopping done though.

Which brings me to Sprint - we wanted to get Ian an Evo for Christmas, but it's just too expensive. I can't justify paying almost $500 for a cell phone. We sat him down last night and told him we love him but the Evo's not going to happen. Maybe next year when his contract is up and the phone will be much cheaper.

Oh - J got a porkpie hat at Target - I have to say it looks really good on him! I never thought I'd find gray hair sexy, but peeking out from under the sides of the hat - it looks great! *winks at hubs*

Lastly, Bridget is in the school choir, and on the last Sunday of the month they sing at Mass. This Sunday, as we were walking into the reception after Mass, I thought I heard one kid say "There's big fat Bridget" and I almost cried. Bridget didn't hear, and I'm not 100% sure that's what I heard (you know sometimes what you hear isn't what was said), but I really think that's what he said. I asked before we left if she knew the kid and he is in her class. It breaks my heart how mean kids are. I remember going through puberty - it was awful, and I was thin. I can only imagine how bad it's going to be for Bridget. I went home and threw away the leftover halloween candy, but I know that's not going to fix it. *sigh*

Happy Birthday Ellie!

2010-11-24T06:55:00.003-06:00

Hope you have a wonderful day!!!

(Sorry, Ellie - I set this up last night to post at 6am and it didn't work -
enjoy the last few hours of your birthday anyway...)

Oh yeah, life goes on...*

2010-11-23T19:15:00.002-06:00

*John Cougar Mellencamp

Okay, wow, it's been a long time since I really blogged. And let me warn you now I'm drunk blogging so what you get may not be quite what I meant. I started to post this on the 19th :

"I have stuff to post about - but I can't remember what it is. Stuff I come up with in traffic or otherwise engaged. And it's brilliant! Shit."

And it's so true - in the shower and in the car I'm brilliant!! Once I get in front of the computer - nada. So, what's been going on?

Ian got accepted by Auburn University - we are so thrilled! Of course, now we need to work on scholarships and grants... He also got an invitation to apply at St. John's University on Long Island - that's too far away! He doesn't know how to walk in snow, let alone drive in snow!

Bridget went camping with Girl Scouts last weekend and had a great time - she's really got a great leader who does fun stuff with the girls.

BB and Molly got super cute haircuts today with grandma - will post pics soon. Am hoping grandma will hang out with Molly on Friday so we can go to the movies to see Harry Potter - am definitely not going anywhere near a mall!!!

Jerrod went to FL with his brother and dad last weekend to see a Seminoles game - they had a great time and his dad was happy to spend time with his guys.

Got a holiday party coming up in two weeks and have NOTHING TO WEAR!!!! I hate shopping. I can't wear what I wore last year because a - it doesn't fit and b- I wore it two years in a row. Crap.

OMG I just have to say this wine is soooo good. J picked up a bottle when we were in Mexico and I'm sorry we didn't buy more. I love sweet reds and this is excellent!

Am trying to think of what's new with me. Really nothing, been working hard and maintaining my sanity by net surfing. I'm up for a new cell phone and am hoping for an EVO (Ian wants one for Christmas so bad he's practically salivating.). I want a phone that can make calls, text with letters, facebook, tweet, blog, and that I can dictate notes into. That's not too much to ask, right?

We're still hoping to go to Oregon this summer to see Jerrod's family (whom I've never met) so I'm not sure how we're going to check out college campuses, but we need to do that, too.

I'll leave you with this - Brenda told me that when her mom and step-dad met, her mom didn't speak English and her step-dad didn't speak Spanish. When I asked how they communicated, she said "the language of love". Ian piped up "They spoke French?" bahahahaha!!!

The Holiday Season is almost here...

2010-11-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

This is sooooo me:

(via Indexed)

Lovebirds

2010-11-16T18:33:00.004-06:00

(Borrowed from DoJo's facebook)

Here's J and I at age 20 (Jan 1991). I don't think we were engaged yet - but we'd already been living together for about 1 1/2 years at this point. (We were so cute!)

I was thinking today that Jerrod and I have lived together longer than we lived with our parents! That's a very weird realization...when you say "I do", you're thinking you'll be together until you get old but you really don't realize how long that actually is.

It's not our anniversary or any special day, but I wanted to say I love you and I'm glad we picked each other to spend the rest of our lives with.

Bummer...

2010-11-07T09:33:00.003-06:00

So, as of tomorrow (Monday) I will only be hitting the internet in the evenings, when I'm at home. No peeking earlier to see what's going on and catch the latest kerfluffle. No checking e-mail to see who stopped by my blog, or tweeting about...whatever it is that I tweet about.

I'm pretty bummed about it, I think I'm more addicted to the internet than I thought. I'm afraid I'm going to miss alot.

Yeah, that picture above pretty much describes me right now :(

Randomness: How to Woo with Mariachi

2010-11-05T08:54:00.008-05:00

When my brother got married this summer, one of the things they had at the reception was a Mariachi band. (Let me just say here it was freakin' amazing) They played several songs, but the only one I recognized was the song from Desperado - which they apparently played at my brother's request. (Smooth, Dean! *wink*)

While we were listening, one of my brother's friends from Columbia, "M", told us the story of the Mariachi. It's very interesting to me because of one big culture difference with Americans - for a successful woo-ing by Mariachi, you must be drunk. Here's what he told us:

When a man loves a woman, and wants to secure her hand, he must woo her. He waits until nightfall, gets drunk, and heads out to hire a mariachi band - which is very expensive. Then he must go back to her home, still drunk, and the mariachi will play while he serenades her. He's got to be drunk though, because tradition dictates that if you are drunk, your true feelings come out; if you're sober you could be faking it!

I think there was something in his story about walking a long distance, but that part is fuzzy to me. Anyway, it sounds so romantic (as long as you want to be serenaded by the person at your window, lol) and sweet. I really enjoyed the mariachi band at my brother's wedding; the music is wonderful!

For your enjoyment:

Canción Del Mariachi (Morena De Mi Corazon)* - (Song Of The Mariachi)

*I translated via Google translate (in parenthesis)

Soy un hombre muy honrado, (I am a good man)
que me gusta lo mejor, (I like the best,)
a mujeres no me faltan ni el dinero ni el amor. (women not missing me or the money or the love.)
jinetiendo en mi caballo, (rider on my horse)
por la sierra yo me voy, (by the mountains I go,)
las estrellas y la luna ellas me dicen donde voy. (the stars and the moon, they tell me where to go.)

Ay ay ay ay,
ay ay mi amor, (oh oh my love,)
ay mi morena
de mi corazòn. (my heart.)

Me gusta tocar guitarra, (I like playing guitar,)
me gusta cantar el son, (I like to sing are)
el mariachi me acompaña, (mariachi with me,)
cuando canto mi canciòn. (when I sing my song.)

Me gusta tomar mis copas, (I like to take my drinks,)
aguardientes lo mejor, (best spirits,)
tambien el tequila blanco con su sal de su sabor. (also the white tequila with salt taste.)

Ay ay ay ay,
ay ay mi amor,
ay mi morena
de mi corazòn.

Me gusta tocar guitarra, (I like playing guitar,)
me gusta cantar el sol, (I like to sing the sun,)
el mariachi me acompaña, (mariachi with me,)
cuando canto mi canciòn. (when I sing my song.)

Me gusta tomar mis copas, (I like to take my drinks,)
aguardientes lo mejor, (best spirits,)
tambien el tequila blanco con su sal de su sabor. (also the white tequila with salt taste.)

Ay ay ay ay,
ay ay mi amor,
ay mi morena
de mi corazòn.

Ay ay ay ay,
ay ay mi amor,
ay mi morena
de mi corazòn.

Too Cool for School

2010-11-03T21:12:00.002-05:00

So, Monday the girls had a day off and I went in for a mandatory teacher conference. Mandatory as in, "it's the first quarter and this is you child's first year at school". I'm thinking, 10 minutes in, look at some coloring, and I'm out, right?

Well, no. That's not what happened at all. Molly's having some problems and I'm right on the edge of freak-out zone. We didn't have these issues with the older two kids and I'm not sure how I should be reacting. And yes, I said issues, not issue:

They've recommended she get tested by a speech therapist. This one I may have seen coming. The other two kids are so much older I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination. Then I was out this weekend and kind of noticed my friend's younger child spoke more clearly than Molly. I was starting to wonder if her speech wasn't where it should be, but figured if there was a problem the teacher would have said something. Yeah, she said something.

She also said Molly isn't recognizing her letters. This is going to be a problem when they start going over the sounds that go with the letters if she can't figure out what the letters are. For someone who loves to read as much as I do, this one is killing me.

Apparently Molly is also having a hard time finishing her tasks on time. She just works at her own pace, which the teacher said is fine in Pre-K, but won't be fine next year in Kindergarten.

Lastly, she said Molly is shy and doesn't really hang out with the other kids, although she has gotten a lot better about that in the last few weeks. I think (hope)this may just be transition from a babysitter to big school, because she talks about the kids when she's at home.

I don't know how to react to this. I'm worried she's going to be branded as "slow", which will follow her through school and could become self-fulfilling, even if it's not true. I worry about dyslexia and ADD. I worry that I'm over-analyzing and it's just Pre-K. I worry she's unhappy. And of course Molly, being four, doesn't answer my questions.

So, for now, we're on the wait list for a speech evaluation and going to the store for alphabet flash cards this weekend. And I'll continue to watch and worry.

Pictures of the girls' costumes:

2010-11-01T06:15:00.002-05:00

Athena, a ladybug, and the wolfman walked into a bar....LOL, nope, just the kids getting ready to go trick-or-treating. You can see that in the first pic BB had already 86'd the wig, the other pics were taken earlier in the evening:

This one turned sideways and I couldn't get it to turn back on blogger - sorry!

Fabulous 40 weekend!!

2010-10-31T11:43:00.007-05:00

I have to say, even though it's Jerrod's birthday weekend, I have had a blast!!!

Friday, we went to Byblos (Mediterranean food) with the kids and Mom/Dad and Brenda. We came home for cake (Whole Foods Berry Chantilly - yum!), and Jerrod, Ian, and Dad went to see Saw (which I heard was gory but lame).

Saturday, I got up early and met my book blog friend Rachel and we crashed a book signing by one of my favorite vampy authors, Jeaniene Frost (pic here). In addition to meeting Ms. Frost and another author, Karen Essex, I picked up the cutest pink scarf that has little skull/crossbones all over it :) I had coffee with Rachel and her husband and daughter while I waited for Jerrod to pick me up. After they left, I walked around the French Quarter for a while (alone!!!) and went into shops I never get to go into when the kids are with me. It was nice just hanging out by myself; a rare treat.

Saturday night Jerrod and I went out alone. We had planned to have dinner and go to the casino, but Jerrod got it into his head that we should go on an adventure....so we drove around until we found a restaurant that looked good -Sake Cafe - it was soooo good. We ordered a little "love boat" for two, it came to the table in a boat, just like when we went to dinner for prom (all those years ago, LOL).

After dinner, we decided spur-of-the-moment to get tattoos together! We'd been talking about getting tattoos, and although we both have tats, we didn't get them together. So we headed out to one of the local places, decided we both wanted fleur-de-lis, and voila:

(my back, right underneath my neck)

(Jerrod's inner arm - that's our anniversary date)

They're still red and sore but that will go away...

Today, I've already been to church with Bridget, who is in the school choir (after staying up late at the tattoo parlor it was really hard to get up!!!). We're headed out to trick or treat - pics to come - and hang out with friends to watch the game.

The girls are off from school tomorrow so it's just me and Ian in the am - not too shabby!!!

Happy Birthday baby, I hope you're having as much fun on your birthday weekend as I am!

Happy Birthday Jerrod!!!

2010-10-29T00:01:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Baby! Welcome to 40!!! In honor of this auspicious occasion, I'm showing a video someone captured of the day we met:

You are my density - I Love You!
Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Whore-o-ween

2010-10-21T18:50:00.003-05:00

Halloween is fast approaching, and as usual, I put off getting costumes for the girls until the last minute. This year Molly is going to be a ladybug and Bridget is going to be Athena. Bridget initially wanted to be a vampire but we couldn't find a vamp costume that didn't look like it came from the wardrobe closet of a porn flick. The Athena costume is terrific because Athena is one of her favorites characters in the Percy Jackson books. (She's read them so many times the covers have come off!)

Jerrod commented that neither girl has a scary costume. I don't know if it's like this in the rest of the country, but here Halloween is traditionally scarier costumes because Mardi Gras is supposed to be the "fun" costumes.

After costume shopping with Bridget last night, I've come to the decision that Halloween really is of the devil. Ya wanna drop a girl's self-esteem right into the toilet? Take her costume shopping.

A Ladybug and a Bee - sweet and wholesome, right? WRONG! When I think of a bee costume, I think of the Bee Girl in the Blind Melon video, not this:

I think I'm supposed to insert some "pistol/stamen" joke here...

I thought skeletons were supposed to be scary:

Look what they did to Hermoine!!! Such a sweet, bookish, buddy to Harry Potter. This is just wrong...

Believe it or not, this was but one example of Slutty Nun costume, there are several other slutty styles to choose from.

Okay, I'm just putting this next one up because it really creeps me out. The nun costume got me to thinking that there really is a slutty version of anything you can think of. I thought to myself, what is one costume I really wouldn't want to see a slutty version of - a clown:

Seriously, I may have nightmares.

Beauty, Bowzer, and Balls

2010-10-11T20:10:00.002-05:00

First, let's start with Bridget - she was singing to Molly this weekend:

Frère Jacques, frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?
Shamalama ding-dong! Shamalama ding-dong!
Woo hoo hoo! Woo hoo hoo!

Hahahahaha - you know what it reminds me of? Remember that show Sha Na Na?

I looked for some of their stuff online, and I really don't remember all the gold lame and leotards. Huh. I vaguely recall Michael and I being fascinated with Bowzer. Wow. And damn I feel old.

Here's another one where I let my age show:
Thanks to the modern miracle that is the ipod, I can listen to anything I want. Unfortunately I have a bad habit of hitting the --> button. I have, however, been letting a few select songs go through, including this masterpiece. I used to be fascinated with that song, and looking at the video all I can think is holy smokes - that's a lot of boobies! All I remembered was the mermaid. This was back when MTV actually played videos.

And, file this in the "how the hell did I not know this" file:
I didn't know guys could sit on their balls. How does this happen? Does it happen a lot? Sounds painful. If it was me I'd be grabbing them every time I sat down... you know, this may explain a lot...

Random Friday with F'ups :)

2010-10-08T10:13:00.000-05:00

Just some random stuff, an embarrassment, and crazy thoughts while sitting in traffic:

First, let me get the family bit out of the way:

Ian is taking driver’s ed and guitar lessons. Judging by his facebook posts he seems to like both. (yes, we do actually talk, but sometimes I get the “real” picture from facebook)

Bridget joined the school choir, which means that on the last Sunday of each month I’ve got to drag my lazy ass out of bed to be at Mass at 9:00 *cries –too early!!!*

Molly asked me to stop singing in the car. Hello, she’s 4 years old and she’s a critic already?! You know what I did to the last kid who asked me to stop singing in the car (I’m refusing to see a pattern here) – I SANG LOUDER! Take that short stuff!

_________

Speaking of facebook, I think most of you have seen the purse game: “I like it on….” Yeah, yeah, it’s supposed to be a mysterious secret, but when I log on to MSN.com and there’s an article about it on the homepage, the jig is up… Anyhoo…Yesterday I saw a few posts about how this was insulting and my impression was a feeling of anger – this is doing nothing to help and breast cancer is not “cute” or “pink” and this is all bullshit. I was feeling kind of conflicted about it, I mean, yeah, it’s definitely an important issue and if you can, by all means donate to finding a cure. But if you’re not in a financial position to do that, and playing this game helps bring awareness, what’s the harm? I kept flipping back and forth, seeing both sides of the argument, but it wasn’t until I was speaking with hubs about it last night when it hit me. I turned 40 this year – this message is meant for me. Wow. That brought me up short. I mean, yes, I know women 40 and over should get annual mammograms. And I know I turned 40 this year. But I never put them together before yesterday. So maybe it’s not such a bad thing.

_________

Next up for your reading enjoyment: My totally embarrassing e-mail gaffe.

As I’m sure you all know, my other love is my book blog. Occasionally, someone will contact me about reviewing a book. It doesn’t happen a lot, so when it does I’m super psyched and it’s possible I jump up and down a bit…Lately though, things have been busy at work and at home and I’ve had to refuse a few requests. Not too many, but still, I hate to do it. So, last week, I got a request I knew I wouldn’t be able to do. I copy/pasted a generic decline letter I typed up previously so that I'd always know what to say, made sure I mentioned the name of the book I was declining, and sent my regrets. I realized yesterday that what I actually sent was something like this:

Dear XXX,
Sorry, blah, blah, blah.
Patti

Now, the body of the letter was fine, I referred to the correct book and all was well. The signature was fine. The salutation? Not fine. I actually left it as “Dear XXX,” <--- OMG I am mortified! So, last night I sent her an apology. Whether that was the right thing to do or not, I don’t know, but it felt right to me. I definitely do not want to alienate anyone who might be interested in my blog, and I’m afraid that’s exactly what I did. *sigh* Oops.

_________

Have you ever noticed it’s harder to walk diagonally DOWN stairs than UP them? I have a large flight of stairs that runs the length of my building at work, and I have to get from one end to the other to enter the building or get to the street, depending on if I’m coming or going. I’ve noticed it’s much easier going up the stairs at an angle. When I go down the stairs it seems like I’m falling all over my feet. I wonder why?

_________

Last thing: this falls under the OMGWTFBBQ file…

Driving in to work this morning, I ended up behind “timid” drivers twice; once on a regular street and once in bridge traffic. You know who I’m talking about. They stay waaaaayyyyy behind the cars in front of them, don’t quite make it up to the speed limit, kind of hesitate at stop signs if there’s anyone else approaching…stay back until someone hands them an engraved invitation to merge…they drive me nuts!!!

So anyway, this morning I was thinking about the “timid” driver in front of me (as I silently seethed as car after car after car got in front of her in the toll lane) and out of the blue a thought popped into my head: Do these people act that way in bed too?<--- WTF is wrong with me? Where the hell did that thought come from?

_________

That’s it. That’s all I got. Have a great weekend!!! If you're in Algiers on Sunday, Bridget's Girl Scout troop will be selling bricks painted black and gold with fleur-de-lis on them (I've seen them, they really are cute and only $5!) at Aurora's craft fair. Stop by, say hi to BB and support the Girl Scouts!

Show me your teeth*

2010-10-06T08:38:00.001-05:00

*Lady Gaga

My family tells me I've been ignoring this baby. They're right. I have the usual excuses: work, family, my other blog..but that doesn't mean I don't have shit bouncing around inside my head. Yeah, I said shit - and sometimes that feels literal. So today you get one of my random musings:

Now, my intention is that this will be a fun, upbeat post. The only problem with that is that in writing about my subject matter, I will be making a statement that sounds like I'm feeling sorry for myself, and that is not the case at all. I'm using this (so far mysterious) statement as a contrast to showcase my actual subject matter.

"Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!?" you're thinking, right? Well, I'll give you a break - I'm talking about smiles. There are three separate things that got me to thinking about this subject (in no particular order):

1. I hate to have my picture taken
2. My newest sister-in-law
3. A music video on my friend Kris' blog (NSFW)

So, let's start with my "mysterious" statement: I'm not pretty. Am I pretty on the inside? I certainly think so. But I'm not physically attractive at all, even when I was thin. Now, see, I'm not saying that for sympathy, it is what it is. Get over it and keep reading:

This music video I saw over at Kris' place, Housewife by Jay Brannan, (remember, this site is NSFW!) features a young guy singing. He's okay-looking...until he smiles. When he smiles he's breathtaking. If you do go look at the site, the "still shot" is not what I'm referring to, you have to watch for the smile.

My three brothers all married beautiful women (seriously, if I put up a family photo, you'd look at those three and think "damn, those chicks are hot!"), but today I'm going to focus on my newest sister-in-law. She doesn't read this blog, and I'm not sure if my brother does either, so I'm just going to lay it on straight. She's cute as a button, very pretty. When she smiles...wow. She's got a smile that would stop traffic. Seriously, you read about smiles that transform faces, but until you actually meet someone with a smile like that you just don't get it. When she smiles she will knock you off your feet.

She is not afraid of the camera, none of my sisters-in-law are. I don't think the Housewife guy is either. And it makes me wonder what it would be like to see a camera and not automatically want to turn away or hide in the back. Because of my camera aversion I am a terrible photographer - I forget to bring my camera more often than not, and even when I do, I forget to use it.

So, I don't really have an end to this ramble, just that I wonder what it would be like to have a gorgeous smile, sort of like I wonder what it would be like to be am millionaire or speak 7 languages. I think it would be fun; I really can't see any drawbacks.

*shrugs* That's all. Carry on.

My not-very-well-thought-out post on how Henry Ford is partially responsible for the decline of the American Family.

2010-10-04T08:54:00.002-05:00

This rant surfaces in my brain every now and then, so today I thought I'd share:

The automobile: Modern convenience or Destroyer of Families?

I'm going with Destroyer of Families - here's why:

See, this lovely family is all sitting down to a wonderful dinner lovingly prepared by (I assume) Mom. Note everyone is clean and washed and there is nothing to distract from dinner conversation. Everyone shares their daily experiences and hopes for the future.

Enter the drive-through:

Those lovely family sit-down dinners have been replaced by this:

We don't even sit in the "restaurant" when we get the fast food - it's quicker to just drive through and eat it on your way to wherever it is you're going. I confess I am very guilty of this activity.

Modern times have given us wonderful inventions and a better lifestyle, but sometimes I wonder why we have to take the bad with the good.

Random Monday Stuff

2010-09-27T08:56:00.002-05:00

Not much going on now that school is back in session and life is starting to even out again.

I helped for a little while with BB at Girl Scouts yesterday - they're making painted bricks to sell as a fundraiser at the craft fair on Oct. 10th. They're pretty cute - black/gold or purple/gold with fleur-de-lis and the like on them. The girls had fun (until BB ended up with an eye full of mineral spirits - don't worry, she's okay).

Molly's birthday on Wednesday was uneventful. She had cupcakes at school and a family only (and Brittney/Gavin) party that evening. It was an evening of barbies, Thomas the train, and scooters. And of course, the traditional "birthday cake for breakfast the next morning".

Ian is looking at colleges - LSU, Xavier, South Eastern (I think), and Auburn. He needs to get working on those essays.....

Jerrod's birthday is at the end of this month - I think he's planning a motorcycle trip to the Natchez Trace again. I know they all had a blast last time (although I think they were all pretty cold) so I hope everyone can get their schedules together.

Jeaniene Frost, one of my favorite authors is coming to New Orleans for Halloween weekend, so I'm pretty psyched about that. She doesn't know which bookstore or day yet, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to need a bookmule again. Son?.......Are you there?

And, lastly, the Saints lost to the Dirty Birds in overtime yesterday. It's like a blanket has fallen over the city - you can feel the disappointment in the air. Okay guys - take one day to mourn and let's get back to winning!!!

That's all I got. The drive in this morning was a beautiful 70 degrees, no traffic and good tunes on the radio. Hope everyone (including myself) has a great week!

Hello from Nowhere.

2010-09-21T08:44:00.003-05:00

Just a few snippets today, I've been neglecting this blog badly...

Was listening to theViolent Femmes' Add it Up in the car today on the way to work. As I sat in traffic and listened to the lyrics, I started wondering if, when they wrote this song, they thought it would be listened to by a 40-year-old lady on her way to work in corporate America.

Probably not.

I went to McDonalds for breakfast a while ago and the guy in the drive-thru in front of me ordered coffee. That's it - just coffee. This is not the first time I've seen this happen. Really, just coffee at the drive-thru?

So, Ian is graduating in May. J and I were talking about bills and stuff and I realized that when Ian graduates we'll be done paying his tuition!!!! This is a HUGE deal - it's more than a car payment would be but less than our house note. Is it wrong for me to be excited about that?

Molly's birthday is tomorrow. My baby will be 4 years old. Have we purchased any gifts for her yet? No. Hey - at least I ordered the cake! (It's Little Mermaid!)

Speaking of Molly, I'm getting a bit concerned about her "stripper moves". This chick dances with abandon and loves watching herself do it. She also likes to eat her lunch naked. Between the two all I can think of is a future career at those lunch buffets the strip clubs advertise on the radio (which to me seems pretty gross - I definitely don't want any naked bodies hanging around my food. Yuck!).

Ian's on some new meds for his foot/knee. We're not thrilled about the side effects and have been putting this step off for about a year, but we've been convinced it's time. To me the side effects are scarier than the actual problem, but all I can do at this point is pray for the best and watch for the worst.

Saints football is back in season and after last night's nailbiter of a game I have only one question - if my husband dies of a heart attack while watching the game, can I sue the Saints organization?

Happy Birthday Hannah!!!

2010-09-13T06:21:00.005-05:00

Growing up with three brothers, I always wanted a sister -

I'm so glad Michael married you!

Happy Birthday to my BFF and very first sister!

29 again, right?

You're at the age when getting down with OPP is taking Old People Pills,
not Other Peoples' Property!!!

Love You!

I am the Champion of the World!!!! Update

2010-09-09T09:25:00.005-05:00

No, okay, maybe not. But I feel like it! I've been trying for about two weeks to create and add a favicon to my blogs. Favicon - the little picture next to my blog name in the web address thingy - it used to be an orange B, now it's a fleur-de-lis! How awesome am I? Pretty awewome!!!

Okay, okay, enough self-congrats for a job well done. (Oops, there I go again!). So, what else has been going on? Well, I had a fabulous girls' weekend in the French Quarter last weekend. Hannah came down and we spent the night at the Hotel Monteleone with our book blog friend Cecile. We walked around the quarter and had lunch, then went out for a few drinks in the evening. Here we are on Bourbon Street - okay, you can barely see us but I promise that's us...

(Oh, I'm noticing now that "creepy sign guy" finally moved by the time the picture was taken)

Then, Sunday there was a book signing at the hotel and we met two other bloggers for brunch at The Court of Two Sisters:

It was soooo much fun!

While we were doing "girl stuff", Jerrod and Michael were out with "the guys" riding motorcycles. I think all in all it was a great weekend - thank you so much Jerrod for keeping the kids so I could go out and let loose (haha - you know me, not too loose). Seriously, though, it was awesome. Thank you.

*Update*

Apparently I'm not as awesome as I thought - blogger ate my favicons. Hannah sent me a link on how to fix it but my html is apparently not the same as other people's html because I can't findd the spot I'm supposed to move my code to :(

HEY BLOGGER: I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My "I'm not blogging about Katrina" Katrina post

2010-08-30T16:13:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the 5-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I didn't do a post.

This is the post I told myself I wasn’t going to write. The post about The Hurricane. I told myself I had no right to post, no right to be upset. When I came home I had a house, clean (relatively anyway, there had been a myriad of people living in it during the almost 3 months I’d been gone) and dry, electricity, and all my possessions were intact.

But when I think about Hurricane Katrina, I do get upset. It was a horrible experience. There’s a lot of “if you weren’t here you don’t understand” sentiment, even today - 5 years later. It took me 5 years to figure out I have survivor’s guilt: Guilt that my home didn’t flood, that my family got out and no one died, that I didn’t sit for days in that murky, dirty water, that I wasn’t out in the sweltering heat of the Superdome or Convention Center, praying for food and water.

I was one of the lucky ones. I took the kids and left for Orlando on Saturday night. I figured a 3-4 day weekend at my aunt’s house would be a fun way to ride out the storm. My husband had to stay in New Orleans as he is in law enforcement.

Fast forward 2 days and turn on the television to see the devastation that was New Orleans. To slowly realize that no, we’re not going home tomorrow, I don’t know if there is a home to go home to. For the next 5 days, we watched TV. Watched the pictures, desperately trying to figure out if our neighborhood was one of the ones they kept showing on TV. I watched TV because it kept me from wondering where my husband was – if he was alive or dead. All I knew is that the jail had flooded badly. They were trying to get people out, but he wasn’t in any of the groups they showed on TV that were safe on the bridge. Every rumor of prison riots made it worse. Here’s the thing – no one with a 504 area code could make calls, not even on your cell phone. Imagine not being able to get calls or call anyone in your area code. Someone finally figured out we could text. Even though I didn’t have texting as part of my plan, I texted my heart out, hoping to reach my husband. I never got a reply. I found out later he couldn’t recharge his cell phone (duh!).

Once I figured out we weren’t going home, my aunt helped me get on the stick and by Labor Day I had the kids enrolled in their local Catholic school and I found a little part-time job next door to the school. One of the families from school offered us their “mother-in-law” apartment rent-free. I knew I had to get things to “normal” for the kids. They were worried about their dad and worried about their house and their friends.

This should be great right? I should be happy and have fond memories, right? Wrong. It’s very stressful to depend on the kindness of strangers. It’s very difficult to live a “normal” life knowing people at home are suffering:

• My husband was in New Orleans and had to drive 1 ½ hours to the nearest grocery and I felt guilty because I had air conditioning, fast food, and Target.

• This wonderful family put us up in their home and I felt guilty – I felt like I was taking advantage of their kindness because I already have a home.

• The Catholic school took my kids in for free and helped us with uniforms and supplies and I felt guilty. It didn’t matter that we had already paid our tuition for both kids in full at the New Orleans Catholic school, that we had already bought our uniforms and books and school supplies (all of which we left in New Orleans) and had no money to buy more.

• I took the FEMA money and I felt guilty – this is not for people like me, this is for people who can’t provide for themselves. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t getting paid from my job in New Orleans (I eventually lost this job while we were in Orlando, but a week after coming back home they re-hired me), and my husband’s paychecks were sporadic at best. When the kids got sick it took me two days to find someone who would see them without paying for the visit up front – my insurance was a local New Orleans company and wasn’t honored in Orlando.

• Our hosts threw a party and asked people to bring donations. I felt like a panhandler, but I took everything they offered – drugstore giftcards, restaurant cards, cash. Just because I wasn’t being paid didn’t mean I didn’t have to pay my mortgage, car note, insurance, or other bills, and Jerrod’s paycheck situation was unreliable –he was working, and they promised the money was coming, but until it actually got there he had to eat and so did we.

The kids and I stayed in Orlando for almost 3 months, we came home when our school opened. At the time I didn’t have a job and didn’t know what I was going to do since there were no jobs to be had, except at Lowe’s and Home Depot. The grocery stores (I think 2 were open in my area) were only open until 7pm, and garbage pickup was nonexistent and worked it's way up to "every now and then", but at least I was home. And I was thankful to be there. Soon after I got home, my old job called and asked me to come back to work, of course I jumped right on it!

My father-in-law briefly lived with us, then we had a dear friend move in for a few months, and I was thankful I was able to “pay it forward” in some small way.

When you tell anyone from out of town that you’re from New Orleans, the first questions is “did you lose your house in Katrina?” and if the answer is no, you’re dismissed as not being affected and your experience is considered inconsequential. Here is where I say – not everyone lost their homes, or loved ones, but EVERYONE was affected. Everyone.

I may not have a sensational Katrina story, but I carry my own scars. I carry guilt.

The long promised school pics

2010-08-30T05:55:00.002-05:00

As promised, here's Molly on her first day of Pre-K 4. Granted, she's not 4 until next month, but still. She's been so excited all summer to start "Big Girl School":

And here she is with Big Sister - finally one drop off for the girls - yay me!!! Molly saw big sister at school twice last week and was so excited :)

*sigh* Yes, that jaded look is already permanently on Bridget's face. Big Brother Ian was sick the day I took the pics so I don't have a picture of him (yet...bwahahaha!).

What a weekend...

2010-08-23T10:06:00.002-05:00

It was a good weekend:

Saturday I stayed in my pajamas until 5:30.
Sunday I stayed in my pajamas until 3:30.

Saturday night Mom/Dad and Dean/Brenda came over for dinner that Ian and Jerrod cooked.
Sunday night Dean/Brenda came over and we ordered Sushi while we watched True Blood.

Saturday I got all kinds of stuff around the house done (in my pj's!).
Sunday my Dad figured out what was causing problems on my book blog.

Saturday I didn't leave the house at all.
Sunday we went out with DJ to teach Ian to drive.

And today is Molly's first day of school.

Cafe Press is the Devil!

2010-08-20T09:13:00.002-05:00

So the other day at work, I'm bitching about my sunburn itching, and Hannah sends me this:

OMG I love that girl so much! Well, of course I want it, so I start searching the interwebz, and I find this:

Which leads me to this:

(Hannah, you can expect this under your tree this year!)

Then this:

(This one I can't get the image any sharper. It says "It's Hard Out Here for a Gimp")

Merry Christmas, Son!

Lastly, we've got this adorable little item:

It's probably not going to make any sense unless you've read a certain set of sexy vampire books (hellooooo Black Dagger Brotherhood!), but if you have, say it with me...."aaaawwwwww!!!"

I could go on and on with this but I have to get back to work! After I peek at a few more items....really, just a few....Oh, yeah....work. Damn!

KISS-n-tell

2010-08-16T20:53:00.005-05:00

Although I grew up in the 70s and 80s, I was never a KISS fan. I know, I know, I'm probably the only person in my age group that wasn't. (I was pretty sure they were the debbil reincarnated and if I listened to their music my ears would bleed and I'd be damned to an eternity of drinking goat blood and combing Satan's ass hair.)

Fast forward 20 years and Jerrod has gotten me addicted to Gene Simmons' Family Jewels. This show is hysterical. There's no way it can all be real, it has to be made up. Gene and his girlfriend, Shannon Tweed, have two teenage kids and as a family they are a surprisingly loving bunch.

Here's how evenings go in my house: I always start off in the living room with my book, and while Jerrod and Ian watch the show I find myself looking up from the book more and more, until finally the book is sitting in my lap and I am laughing at the antics on the television.

For someone who's only other television habit is True Blood, that's a pretty bold statement.

_______________________________

In other news, tonight I listened to Jerrod giving Ian jailhouse fighting advice. As I sat there watching father and son discuss the various cues and fighting styles that you find in the jail, and how to end up on the winning side of the ass-kicking, I thought to myself, You know, that's a father/son bonding moment I never in my wildest dreams imagined. Bonding over fishing? Yup. Playboy? *sigh* Probably. A love of cooking? Yup. Video games? Of course! Jailhouse fighting techniques? Not exactly.

I guess that's why he's the dad :)

Cheater, Cheater, pumpkin eater!!!

2010-08-14T22:40:00.003-05:00

Ian cheats at punch-buggy; that's all I'm sayin'. (I owe you three punches, you betta sleep with one eye open kid)

One of my vacation posts was featured on a travel blog (here). I'm not sure why but there it is...

I posted a story here about how my book addition broke my bed. It could happen to anyone, right?

God hates walmart and I have proof:

2010-08-10T17:45:00.005-05:00

When we went to Del Rio last month, I didn't pack bathing suits because I figured we'd be too busy to swim. Well, I was wrong, and the 2nd night we were at the walmart (I refuse to use a capital W in protest - take that walmart!!!) near the hotel buying suits for me and the girls. As it turned out, my aunt took the girls swimming and I never took my suit out of the bag.

Fast forward to this past Saturday, I finally got off my ass and took the suit (still in the bag) to my local walmart to return it. I walk in early Saturday, fresh off my stint at the post office and the employee from hell (full disclosure, she was the only employee there and they were busy, but still, I was polite and she was a bitch and I'm pretty sure she overcharged me). I go into customer service and there's no one in line - SCORE!!! I'm all happy and hand her the bag and receipt and she looks at the suit and says - (paraphrasing) "I can't take this, there's no tape in the crotch" So I tell her the tags are on it and it was sold to me like that, it hasn't come out of the bag...her reply (NOT paraphrasing) "People can take the tags off and put them back on." Seriously? Then she proceeds to tell me I should go back to the store in Del Rio where I bought it and return it there. Yes, she told me to take a 12-hour drive each way to return a $20 bathing suit. Needless to say I wasn't happy. I'd even venture to say I was pissed. It was a cheap, generic bathing suit; it's not the $20, it's the princial of the matter - I should have been able to return an obviously unused suit with no bullshit involved.

I'm not sure what the big deal is with those stickers. Seriously, do they honestly believe a good case of crabs will read the sticker and decide not to hop off? If it protects against VD shouldn't they be passing them out at bars? You know what that sticker does? Absolutey nothing. Oh, except maybe provide a job for the poor soul who has to stick it in the crotch of every swimsuit sold in America.

So, anyway, the proof that God hates walmart: Last night I'm putting Mollyy-Moo to bed and I keep stepping on something - I pick it up to throw away and guess what it is?!? It's an old, dirty crumpled up and stuck together "crotch tag". I have no idea how it could have possibly gotten into Molly's room and under her bed, but there you have it. I gently pulled it apart, pulled the hair and dirt off as best I could (I'm telling you, it looked like it had been there forever), and stuck that sucker to the inside of that bathing suit!!!! And today, I took that damn suit (still in the bag!) (with crotch control) to the walmart near my job and returned it - no questions asked.

Kiss my ass, walmart.

It only comes in threes, right?

2010-08-09T14:12:00.002-05:00

Monday has officially kicked my ass. Here's why:

1. Ian went for his TENS eval today to see if they could take off his foot/ankle brace and use these bands that send electronic pulses through the nerves so he would be able to walk without the brace. It didn't work. At all. He's stuck with the brace, apparently for good. As his orthopedist said "It is what it is. If it gets better - great, but I think this is what you've got."

2. We went to a kids' health fair this weekend and while we were there they noticed Ian's blood pressure was pretty high. We had them check it today while he was at the eval and it's still high. Time for a doctor appointment to see if we can figure out why.

3. After blowing $600 on school uniforms for the kids over the weekend, our air conditioner died today. Seriously. It's hit almost 100 degrees every day for the last forever, this is no bueno.

You know, I think I'm a pretty nice person, although yesterday I did flip off the guy in the car ahead of me because he threw his trash out of his car and onto the median. But still, I thought my karma was pretty good - WTF?!?

Numbers

2010-08-06T12:16:00.003-05:00

I work a lot with numbers. Not in the add/subtract sense but using numbers as identifiers. I've noticed that when I'm dealing with numbers, my mind sees patterns such as:

21477 - that makes an L on the number pad on the right side of the keyboard
25122 - makes a triangle
36963 - all divisible by 3
17327 - all prime numbers

Does anyone else do this or is it just me?

I can tell you that in my previous job I used to type a large amount of dictation. I'd catch myself thinking in letters instead of works (instead of "that's cool" I'd think "t-h-a-t-'-s-space-c-o-o-l") Thankfully I rarely do that anymore, it was annoying, even inside my own head!

Please tell me I'm not a freak, even if it's not true...

Book-related Post: I'm Guest Posting at Smokinhotbooks today:

2010-08-05T07:12:00.001-05:00

I'm over at Smokinhotbooks today, talking about my favorite book so far this year (can you guess what it is?) Stop by and say hi!!!

Vacation Stories, Part Cinco - the Wedding

2010-08-02T06:59:00.013-05:00

Okay, so this was technically the last day of vacation. I get up at 6:30 to be at the nail salon by 7 for a mani/pedi and makeup application. All goes well, I get a break in between to rush back to the hotel and check on things. I'd never had my makeup done like this for an event and it was fun - Hannah, Mom, and Aunt Sara were there so I was entertained.

Once that's taken care of, I rush back to the hotel to get myself and the girls dressed as suddenly time is running short! We rush out the door (looking pretty good if I do say so myself) and get to the church, where there's a slight problem...The bride's mother, sister (maid of honor) and the wedding flowers are stuck in Mexico. Yup, I guess there were very long lines to come back into the US and they were stuck. The wedding actually started almost an hour late! So, while we waited we hung out and took pictures!

Here's my mother, me, and my daughters:

The bride getting ready to (finally) enter the church:

My immediate family (maiden family? childhood family?) My parents, myself, my three brothers, and my newest sister-in-law (if that makes any sense):

After the wedding we had about 3 hours to kill before the reception, so we went to a local winery, which I'd never done before. It was fun!

Jerrod and I after a few "sips", lol:

Then, we leave the winery and head back to the hotel, where no one knows how to get to the reception hall in Mexico. After some back-and-forth, we finally caravan into Mexico and follow the directions on the admit card, which had the final turn as a left instead of a right. Yup, we got lost in Mexico! We ended up driving right out of Acuna and into the next town! It was a bit frustrating, but we did get to see a bullfighting ring and hung out in front of a Mexican whorehouse for a bit!

Once someone came out to lead us back, the night was amazing. When I say this is the funnest wedding I've ever been to I am not exaggerating! True story! Here we lined up to be announced to the guests at the reception:

A photo of the bride dancing with Molly:

The happy couple (yes, he is that much taller than she is!):

OMG the dancing at this reception was crazy! Balloons, crazy hats, noisemakers, masks:

There was some game they played where the women and then the men made a chain and ran underneath the bride and groom (like fast-action limbo):

The garter was funny - when Dean went to get Brenda's garter, all her male family members surrounded her so no one could get in to see what was happening...off camera is a group of guys climbing on top of each other trying to see inside!

Needless to say there was a lot of food, drinking, and dancing! Luckily for us, at the end of the night they had a security guard lead us back to the border or Lord knows where we would have ended up!

And after it was all said and done, here's Molly the next morning as we prepare for our journey home:

There's a check-point in Uvalde, Texas where the officer who checked our car took one look at Jerrod in his Saint's jersey and went on about how he was a Saints fan and was happy we'd won the Superbowl - that's right baby - Saints are nationwide!!!!

By leaving Sunday instead of Monday we missed a trip to Lake Amistad and a dinner at the mother-of-the-bride's house, but I'm glad we did it the way we did as I got sick on Sunday evening. As I've learned over the last week or so, I'm not the only one who got sick: The bride and groom, the bride's grandfather, two of the bride's brothers, my sister-in-law, my husband, and both daughters got sick too.

There are more stories to be told, but for now, that's a wrap. Hope you enjoyed my vacation stories!

Vacation Stories Part Uno, Part Dos, Part Tres, Part Quatro, and Part Cinco

Vacation Stories, Part Quatro

2010-08-01T13:50:00.006-05:00

Okay, 2nd day in Mexico:

More friends and family had come in since the previous day, and my aunt graciously offered to keep the girls at the hotel and take them swimming (score!) so day two was a bit less stressful for me as I wasn't constantly asking, "Where's Molly? Where's Bridget?" and worrying about the rows of breakable merchandise in each store.

This time we all drove our own cars into Mexico instead of relying on the border taxis, as it had been a pain in the ass to get everyone into a cab to go home the day before.

(The US side going into Mexico)

(The Mexican side going into Mexico)

Right after we parked and started walking down the street, a man approached my sister-in-law and started telling her we had stolen his juice the day before. After a while, we figured out he was one of the cab drivers that had taken us home, but he kept going on and on about how we took his juice. I mean, hey - it was hot, but it wasn't that hot - eventually we left him with assurances that he was mistaken and we most certainly did not steal his juice..... (Remember this when you get to the end of the post)

We went about our business of shopping, more stores were open than the previous day, and we even ventured out into the less "touristy" spots in the area:

I love the street name! We stopped at a liquor store and the guys loaded up on their tequila and stuff...We bought chorros from a street vendor...

I'm a bit concerned about my son's schooling, however. One of the things they tell you is that you can buy the Cuban cigars here but you cannot bring them back across the border into the US (most of the guys bought them right at the beginning and smoked them while we did touristy stuff.) These two goofballs are all like, "Why, what did Cuba ever do to us?" OMG - WHAT??!!?? Um, they only threatened to nuke us to death - American History 101 kid!

After Mexico, we went to a local restaurant on the US side, then to the Church for the rehearsal. Molly slept through the rehearsal but woke up for a sweet picture with her daddy:

After the rehearsal, most of the participants stayed at the venue to have drinks, but I took the kids back to the hotel. Since it was already day 4 of our vacation, and we had been changing clothes twice a day, so I decided to do laundry. I couldn't find any mention of a guest laundry, so I decided to do it at the other hotel where family was staying. I drag the HUGE bag of dirty clothes over to the hotel only to find out their power is out! I drag the bag back to my hotel and talk to the clerk who says, yes, they do have a guest laundry and it's right downstairs from my room (grrrr!!!). So, while Molly sleeps in the room, I run down to the next floor, throw in a load, and run back - I'm paranoid she's going to burst into flames or wake up in the 5 minutes it takes me to hit the laundromat and get back.

So, while I'm waiting for the loads to cycle, I decide Jerrod will probably be a bit tipsy when he returns to the room and I should organize the bags of souvenirs (blankets, Mexican pottery, musical instruments) that are lined up on the floor on his side of the bed. As I am going through and rearranging, I come across a small pink bag that is knotted - it feels like a pair of shoes. I didn't notice any shoes for sale, and even if I did, my husband and son have HUGE feet - there is no way these shoes would fit them.....wait a minute, "juice"..."shoes".....oh crap- we have that cab driver's SHOES!!!!

I worried about those shoes all night - the next day is the wedding and then we're going home - we're not going back to Mexico! How am I going to get them back to him? I worried through my mani/pedi/makeup the next morning and we talked about it at the reception that night. In the end, we left the shoes with no way to get them back. Do I feel guilty? Yes. Was there anything I could do? Not that I could figure out. *sigh*

Next: The wedding that almost wasn't, winos, and getting lost in Mexico....

Vacation Stories Part Uno, Part Dos, Part Tres, Part Quatro, and Part Cinco

Happy Anniversary Jerrod!

2010-08-01T11:21:00.002-05:00

18 years - how could we have come this far so fast? It sure doesn't feel like it!

We've been together through some ups and downs - thank you for making the highs higher and the lows bearable. I love you.

Vacation Stories Part Tres

2010-07-31T19:48:00.009-05:00

Well, we made it to Del Rio late Wednesday night, checked into the hotel, and....went to WalMart!!! Yeah, we did :) We got a blow-up mattress for Ian b/c the room only slept 4 (he ended up sleeping at the bride's house with my brother, the groom, that night). We stocked up on a few essentials (drinks and wine) and went to bed so we could get a good night's sleep.

Thursday we woke up early because we didn't know what time Mexico opened. Hahaha, seriously, we didn't know what time the shops opened :) The whole wedding party was not in town yet, but we told everyone who was already there that we were going to be leaving the hotel around 9-ish....come 10:30 we had a small crowd of friends and family and were still. at. the. hotel. (Our family has a running joke that if you need to be somewhere, you take whatever time that is and add 15 minutes per Herrick - let me just say there were a LOT of Herricks in this group!)

We headed down the road and less than 5 minutes later were at the border. We decided to only take one car into Mexico and everyone else took a "Border Taxi".

So there we are, a truck full of "gringos" headed INTO Mexico! Yes, they got a few looks :)

Once we got into Acuna, it was very pretty. We stayed on the main strip, it was very clean and the shopkeepers were very nice. I am in love with the architecture:

This is the main strip (where I assume the tourists mainly stay). We were told by several people not to go into Mexico after dark, so we only came in during the daytime. OMG it was hot - the ice cream vendors were a welcome sight after a while. Here's a shot of the main street - very quaint, yes?

Here's Molly on one of the many benches scattered throughout the sidewalks:

I think this is the restaurant we had lunch at. When I tell you it was a siesta I am not lying - we were there over 2 hours!!!

It was very nice inside, and right before our food was served this guy showed up:

That's my 9yo with her guitar we purchased for her right before lunch - he was very nice and even tuned it for her. We joked that the reason lunch took so long is that he was at home and the restaurant called and said "Hey, we've got customers - how soon can you get here?!?"

I should point out - when we got there, the street was empty. We went into one store, and when we came out, everyone had put out their "wares" for us:
And of course, you can't forget all the cheap meds (notice the Viagra - they advertised for it everywere!):

My (new!) sister-in-law says you go in to the pharmacy and tell them where it hurts and they give you meds - yikes!!! Oh, and there's a dentist or orthodontist every 1o feet - true story!!!

The store owners were very happy to see us - they thanked our Mexican American hosts several times for bringing us to visit.

Next post: More relatives come in to visit and how we stole some taxi driver's "juice".

Vacation Stories Part Uno, Part Dos, Part Tres, Part Quatro, and Part Cinco

Vacation Stories, Part Dos

2010-07-31T10:45:00.003-05:00

Still tellling car stories:

In Texas, passed a creek called "Woman Hollering Creek" - what's up with that? I'd love to hear the story behind that one.

We passed over sooo many creeks that were just dry beds. I don't know if they fill up in the spring or what but there were tons of bridges that said there were creeks there but had no water under them. It was weird.

Closer to Del Rio, we started to pass ranches on both sides of the road. I didn't realize that they really do have those big ranch entrances with gates and names on them. It was kind of cool. And, being the romance reader that I am, with each ranch we passed I imagined the sexy cowboys who live there and the women who love them.

One thing we always have on road trips is beef jerky. I don't know why, we just do. So, we're in the car and eating the jerky, and of course the conversation ends up there. You know where there is, especially if you're the owner of a teenage boy. So, the conversation went something like this:

Me (to hubs, who has just handed me a piece of jerky): Thank you dear.
Son: *snickers* Dad's giving you his meat - ewww!
Me: *big smile* I love to have your dad's meat in my mouth. Mmmmm...
Son: Ewww!
Me: You're the one who went there...Mmmm...salty and delicious!
Son: *gags*

(Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself with pictures - this is Ian and the bride's sister, BV, at the reception)

Next post - Mexico stories and pictures, I promise!

Vacation Stories Part Uno, Part Dos, Part Tres, Part Quatro, and Part Cinco

Vacation stories, Part Uno

2010-07-30T21:18:00.009-05:00

Okay, I'm not going to give it to you all at once, it would be a long, boring post. Instead, you get bites:

The five of us set out for Houston, were we met up with Mike and Hannah (my brother and sister-in-law/BFF), had dinner together and spent the night at their house, then traveled together to Del Rio.

Hannah: All white people dance badly.
BB (my 9yo): That's why you need beer.
~~~~~~
Me: Bridget, Hannah's giving you props!
BB: Could I have a present instead?
~~~~~~
At the restaurant:
BB, listening to how hard it is to quit smoking: If you quit smoking, it helps to start drinking.
~~~~~~

M/H took Ian to Del Rio in their car, so the girls sat in the back seat together in our car. They played barbies for quite some time and were very good. I was reading a book, but occasionally overheard a few gems:

Molly: Mom(to Barbie, not me)!!
BB: Not yet sweetie, Mommy is getting a tattoo.

Then, they cracked each other up for miles making the barbies smell each other armpits. Seriously, for miles they did this back and forth: Smell my armpit - no YOU smell MY armpit. hahahahahaha! (I couldn't complain, they weren't fighting!)
~~~~~~

Then, there's the bedtime story: Molly asked Michael to put her to bed and tell her a bedtime story. Michael told her a story about a princess with a beard. Then Molly asked for a story about a man. BB said, "The man who kept us down?" , to which Michael said "yeah - that man. The End. True story." So, through the whole vacation, Molly would pipe up "There once was a man who kept us down. True story!"

Pics from a rest stop in between San Antonio and Del Rio:

It's too early to be over it already!

Vacation Stories Part Uno, Part Dos, Part Tres, Part Quatro, and Part Cinco

Hey Family - Romance Books aren't so lame after all...

2010-07-28T12:07:00.004-05:00

I've seen this video in a couple of places on the internet, most recently over at a fellow-book blogger (MamaKitty Reviews).

The Jane Austen Fight Club:

Quick hello, we're home!

2010-07-27T07:16:00.001-05:00

We got in LATE last night. I'm tired, sick, and have to go to work.

Funnest. Wedding. Ever.

I haven't had time to even go into our camera (battery died halfway through reception) but here's a taste:

The bride and groom dancing to the El Mariachi song from the movie Desperado (yes, they had a real Mariachi Band at the reception!):

I've got a ton of stories to share, this trip was a blast!

Happy Birthday Ian!

2010-07-18T10:15:00.002-05:00

I can't believe your 17 already! I'm not going to go on and on about how you were so tiny when we brought you home and I can't believe you're almost grown-up.

I'm just going to say I love you and hope 17 is your best year yet!

Better late than never....

2010-07-12T20:30:00.002-05:00

Bridget's impersonation of Vampire Alice.

(why do I think she looks like my cousin "Orlando Brian" in this pic? I think it's the smile)

I'm not cheap, I'm fiscally thrifty

2010-07-09T22:02:00.003-05:00

Two ladies were talking on the parking shuttle today about how they seem to be going to a lot of funerals lately and how expensive they are. Which got me to thinking:

Dear Family,

When it's my time to visit The Great Bookstore In The Sky, and you're planning my funeral - go with the cheap stuff. Seriously, bottom of the barrel - only get what you're required by law to buy. If I don't have the memory foam mattress while I'm alive, I certainly don't need it now that I'm dead.

Thanks,

Patti

P.S. Just a reminder: If Amazing Grace is played or sung at my funeral, I will come back and haunt your ass. Just sayin'.

Monday Miscellany on a Tuesday...

2010-07-06T10:12:00.003-05:00

The three day weekend was nice and quiet.

Friday went to see Eclipse - my fave of the three movies so far. Loved the action and the music! I still don't think they'll win any awards, but for fans of the books they're fun.

My local used bookstore was closed, so that was kind of a bummer, but not too bad. Usually on Saturdays I take the girls to the used bookstore, where they have a drink and read and draw while I browse the shelves (don't worry - it's a teeny, tiny shoebox of a store, I'm not leaving them alone!). Then we go to McDonalds where they play in the (indoor, air-conditioned) Playplace and I read one of my new books. Then we come home and do chores (yuck!).

Sunday I came down with a mild stomach bug, I'm still not feeling great today but am at work. Bridget came down with it on Monday, so she laid around grumbling about her stomach most of yesterday. Of course Molly was jealous that Bridget got to eat tums.

Yesterday I stayed in my pajamas until around 4:00 pm. Oh, yeah, I sure did! Then J cooked dinner and made Sangria and you'd better believe I drank the Sangria, stomach bug or not!

My jury duty starts today but I called last night and my group didn't have to go in today so yay! I have to call every night for this week and next to see if I have to report for my civic duty the next day.

BB wrote down a slew of quotes Ian's teenage mind came up with while we watched Harry Potter the other night. Some gems like "Grasp your mandrake and pull firmly!" *snicker* Oh the joys of having a teenage boy in the house. He paused the movie so we could see how Mr. Weasley's tie looked like an "accidental dong". *sigh*

And Molly had a fit and threw a shirt onto the floor. I told her she had to pick it up and she said "But I want you to pick it up." I told her that wasn't going to fly, just ask her brother and sister. So she turned to them and said "Will you pick it up?" Hahaha - that girl is going to be the death of me when she's older.

I also have a pic of Bridget dressed like Alice from the Twilight movies that she asked me to post. Will try to remember when I get home tonight.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

2010-07-05T13:23:00.003-05:00

Happy 41st Anniversary to my two favorite parents!

Thanks for setting a great example for us kids.

pwned by a 3yo

2010-06-27T15:55:00.001-05:00

I'm sitting in my chair, enjoying a book.

Molly walks up to me and says "Are you my maker?"

"Yes, honey, I am"

"Then go make me some water"

BBBBUUUURRRRNNNN!!!

Pfft!

2010-06-24T18:22:00.003-05:00

Having one of those days. I want to lock the kids outside and tell the boss I'll be there when I get there.

Somehow I doubt either of those scenarios will actually take place.

Tomorrow will be better.

Twilight Envy*

2010-06-22T18:51:00.004-05:00

J is on me about ignoring this poor blog. He's kinda right, but really, nothing has been going on. Things have been really busy at work and I'm working late and coming home tired. I almost got hit by a bus today trying to cross the street to catch my parking shuttle.

Father's Day weekend was nice. I was really worried about J's gifts but he appears to like them. While we were shopping, I let BB and Molly each pick out a bottle of nail polish (blue for BB, purple for Mol) and I did their nails on Saturday. They both look so cute

Dad punked me at Mass on Sunday - here's the story:
Every year for Father's Day, Dad wants to see his kids at Mass. This year he was preaching at the St. Louis Cathedral, so we got up early, got dressed and headed out. The Cathedral is packed, of course, and there are no bathrooms, which is no bueno if you have a 3-year-old. So, we went to Mass, didn't see Mom or Dad, halfway through Molly had to go to the bathroom, so then I've got the two older kids in the Cathedral and Molly and I are walking around Jackson Square trying to find a bathroom. Turns out Dad had gotten sick and called in a substitute, but I didn't know it. He was better by mid-afternoon and we all went out for a terrific lunch

No good news on the termite front. We've been going back and forth with our termite company, and although we keep insisting the termites are in our attic (based on the fact that they're coming out of the top of our wall in the bathroom and our bedroom ceiling) the termite company cut a hole in our masonry at ground level. Of course they were surprised there were no active termites there. BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE ATTIC!!!!! Someone is coming out again Thursday. Of course, we currently get a termite swarm IN THE HOUSE every night between 8:30 - 9:30. It creeps me out and makes BB and Molly cry. Good times.

Dean and Brenda's wedding is getting closer - J and Ian got their tuxes yesterday and the bridesmaid dresses came in today. We made our hotel reservations. I still need shoes for Molly and me, but I think that's it for the big stuff.

*And the reason for the post title:
H1 and SIL(H) went to Forks and LaPush yesterday! Saw a pic of SIL standing next to the "Welcome to Forks" sign. We're going next summer, I don't care what happens between now and then. We're going to visit J's grandmother in Oregon and and we're going to Forks. Make it so.

My Fabulous kid-free weekend!!!

2010-06-13T22:39:00.004-05:00

How awesome was True Blood?!? I want a t-shirt that says:

Conscience Down
Dick Up
Everything will be alright

I had a great weekend - Saturday I met other book bloggers in Lake Charles! Yes, I did fall face first into a speed trap ---> anyone who travels the Atchafalaya Basin watch your speed - they're meanie heads!

Hannah, Courtney, Kristie, Me, Cecile

Cecile, Courtney (Hell Kat) and Kristie got there around 10:00 and Hannah and I didn't get there until 11 (thanks cop). Cecile and I recognized each other at the same time and we immediately fell into conversation. The five of us sat at the Books a Million for about 3 or so hours just chatting about books and life. We left and had lunch at a local sports bar (it was surprisingly good!) and chatted some more. Then Cecile, Courtney and Kristie got back on the road and Hannah and I headed for our hotel. I'm looking forward to seeing Cecile again on Labor Day weekend for the Writers for New Orleans event!

I took this picture because no one would believe they let Hannah into this place:

She did not get kicked out - not even close. But I'm sure that sign was directed at her :)

Hannah and I stayed at a brand new Holiday Inn - it had been open only a few months. We checked in and immediately left to do some shopping and girl time. After dinner, we came back to a bunch of cop cars and cops carrying police tape. Trying not to gawk we made our way up to our floor - where the cops were. Uh-oh. Yup, about 5 rooms down from us there was some sort of altercation. So if you read about some crazy stuff going down in Lake Charles this weekend, it wasn't us!!

While we were out, I bought Ian this:

It's an energy drink that's supposed to mimic blood. It's full of iron and sodium and really looks like blood. I can't believe he drank it - he did gag a bit. I guess it's supposed to be fruit flavored but I don't think they succeeded very well.

Sunday we slept in (really, I slept in and Hannah read) and had breakfast and got on the road around noon. I drove like a little old lady and made it home ticket-free. Mom and Dad cooked lasagna for dinner and then we came home, bathed the kids and put them to bed, and settled in for True Blood.

Definitely a weekend to remember! Thanks Jerrod and Ian for working things out so I could go!

Happy Anniversary Mike and Hannah!

2010-06-03T16:02:00.003-05:00

16 years? Really? Wishing you many, many more!!!

Love you bunches!!!

Miscellaneous miscellany.....

2010-06-02T06:53:00.002-05:00

They held a protest/rally at Jackson Square last weekend and I think this is my favorite sign...

The kids are back from their trip to Houston - it sounds like everyone had a great time! Molly told me all about H1/SIL's waterbed and chalk drawings and cat. BB spilled out all kinds of fun stuff - they both want to go back!

While they were gone, Friday night I went to a book signing of one of my favorite authors (my experience here), and Saturday, Sunday, and Monday I slept in and stayed up late! We had friends over Sunday for dinner and Monday was filled with doctor appts for Ian. I had a lot of uninterrupted reading time which was heavenly :)

Termite update: The termite guy came and said yes - termites on the left side of the house; drilled and treated. He didn't see anything in the attic and figured they got in through a vent or something. Whew!

THEN - this weekend I noticed a bunch of straw sticking out of the wall in my bathroom near the ceiling - yup - active termites. So the guy came out and said it was somehow related to the plumbing and he'd have to get a plumber and stonemason out before he treats.

THEN - last night, as I'm walking into our bedroom, I notice two spots on the ceiling. "Please let that be dirt..." - not dirt - termites. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!!!!

So - it was the best of times, it was the worst of times...But I'm looking forward to my "girlfriend weekend" next week - Meeting some fellow book bloggers and SIL (H) for some books and fun!!

Parenting Fail #7,342

2010-05-27T08:34:00.002-05:00

So, it's been a little over a year since Ian injured his leg. He's had the brace (sometimes more than one at the same time) and because of the nerve damage he doesn't really use his leg below the knee. That leg has gotten skinnier than the other leg, and because of the brace, when he walks without shoes that foot clomps when it hits the floor.

Is it wrong that I've taken to calling his bad leg "the pirate leg"?

At least we stopped shouting "Release the Gimp!" when he leaves the house. That's progress, right?

It's like this y'all, it's like that y'all....*

2010-05-26T21:05:00.003-05:00

*I can't remember who sings that and it's not coming up on google - bonus points to whomever can identify that song!!!

Things go in cycles, I guess. Work has gone insane, from my looking for things to do to now cringing when people walk by my door because I have more on my plate than I can handle at once! That's good, because - overtime! But it's also bad, because - overtime! It's okay though, I don't mind, I'd rather be busy.

My parents are getting ready to take the girls to Houston for the weekend - how wrong is it that I can't wait?!? They leave Friday morning, and I go to work. Friday straight after work I'm going to a booksigning, then Saturday I get to sleep in *squee!!!!* Jerrod works Saturday day but will be off Sat night and Sunday. The kids come back Monday. I'm sure they will have a fabulous time in Houston and I'm jealous they get to see Mike and Hannah's house before I do.

Tomorrow, BB will cross her "bridge to Juniors" and go from being a Brownie to a Junior Girl Scout. I'm so glad she's having fun with scouting.

June 12 Hannah and I are each driving to Lake Charles to meet some blog friends (it's in the middle of where everyone lives) and we'll stay overnight and drive home Sunday - just in time to catch the season premier of True Blood season 3! Looking forward to that, I sure am!!!

Overheard from the kids:

Ian (talking to Molly): What? I can't understand what you're saying. Talk like a normal person! (my poor baby!!)

Molly at bedtime: Mom - I have a pull-up wedgie!

Oh - and we got the passports already so we're ready to head to Mexico in July - Vamanos!!!

This may be me....

2010-05-20T14:55:00.012-05:00

I saw this video over at my friend Parajunkee's mommy blog:

I'll admit I've got a Swagger Waggon, but I want to buy this one just because the marketing is so awesome. WTG Toyota!

(Hannah - this one's for you!)

And then He sent the locusts...

2010-05-20T05:54:00.008-05:00

I don't think it's a big secret I've been kind of mad at God lately. Between Ian's leg/surgery issues, plumbing issues, Catholic school tuition issues, sick kids, work problems, and other day-to-day little issues (like the window that doubles as a shower), I feel like I've been under a perpetual Black Cloud of Doom.

But, I've had such a terrific week or so, I was starting to think maybe it was just hormones or my imagination and possibly I've been blowing things out of proportion. I mean, God doesn't really hate me, does he? That couldn't be right.

And then he sent the locusts....or, as we like to call them down here in New Orleans - termites. That's right folks. We have termites - tons of them. When we turned on the hallway light they came out of the attic last night. For anyone not in New Orleans - termites = big, fat, no es bueno.

NO ES BUENO!!!!

Really, God? Really?

Looking at this list, I can check off 5/10 items checked off in the last month. This does not bode well.

Even though I know I shouldn't...

2010-05-19T09:44:00.001-05:00

Found this on Indexed...titled "Too Soon?" Thanks Chris for the referral!

I added a few new-to-me sites to my sidebar, go check them out!!!

Fabulocity

2010-05-17T18:33:00.005-05:00

Yup, that's where I spent my weekend! The last few months I've felt like Charlie Brown, walking around with a little raincloud over my head. This weekend, however, was full of awesome!

Here's the flan Jerrod made for my birthday, it was delish (don't be hatin'!)

The weekend started off a little questionable, as I had to work late on Friday, but that ended up being okay. Friday night I hung out with the kids while Jerrod worked.

Saturday, I woke up, took the girls (hehe - every time I type "the girls" I think of boobies) to the post office to mail off the book I gave away for my book blog birthday giveaway. Then we headed over to the used bookstore where I traded a few and picked up a few more! From there, since the girls (tee-hee!) were so good I took them to McDonald's to play in their Play Place while I read a bit. Then we came home and I got ready to go out to dinner and the French Quarter with Jerrod. It rained pretty hard all day so I was a bit worried about the weather - the vampire tour is all outside. By the time dinner was over, it was just a drizzle, and by the time tour started it had pretty much stopped.

I didn't get any pics at dinner (Byblos, with Mom/Dad, and Dean/Brenda),but here we are in front of the St. Louis Cathedral waiting for the tour to start:

and Dean and Brenda (aren't they cute?):

The vampire tour was fun in a campy, spooky kind of way (*cough* if you're not a cop *cough*). They took us past a few of the places where they filmed Interview With A Vampire, and the other stops were crime related, as in, crimes where they drank human blood. It was kind of creepy. Then, they took us by the Ursuline Convent, and told us a long story about how no one is allowed in the attic and one of the attic shutters opens every night and the last person who'd waited to see if it really opened was found murdered. Supposedly it's a great place for vampires to hide because they won't be bothered and it's somewhere no one would look. (I'm telling my Dad the story last night at dinner and he says, "I've been in the attic at the Ursuline Convent. They took us there for a field trip in our Church class." Okay, I guess that story is busted...)

After the tour, we were going to have our fortunes told but it was very late and the fortune teller that was out looked like a meth addict. We'll go back during the day for that :)

THEN (and then......)we went for a carriage ride around the French Quarter. I knew it was going to be a good ride when the driver hops in and says "Excuse me y'all, I'm just going to unbutton my pants up here. Y'all won't be able to see it or anything, but my pants sure are tight, I ate a big dinner..." We had a great time - he was funny and told some good stories. Here's Dean and Brenda petting the mule:

Here's the back of the Cathedral. There's a statue of Jesus in the garden, and the spotlight makes it large up against the back of the church. According to the tourguide, the neighbors affectionately refer to it as "Touchdown Jesus".

On Sunday, Jerrod let me sleep late and he made me breakfast (cheese omlette and chicken/apple sausage). Then he had to go to Lake Charles for the next few days, and Ian and I left for our "date". He took me to Barnes and Noble, where he had coffee and I had a diet Pepsi, and he wandered the romance and scifi aisles with me without complaint. I'd picked out 4 books and he surprised me and bought them!

Then, we went to see Robin Hood. We both thought it was okay. Not great. Actually it seemed like a 2 1/2 hour prequel to the next movie ('cause you know there'll be one!). I was a bit disappointed but it could have been much, much worse. Then we went out to dinner with my parents and ended the weekend.

The only bad part? Our window is not fixed and it rained like crazy (Jerrod was able to figure out the problem before he left though, so that's good), and I accidentally cut up my debit card. Which means I have no access to cash for the next 7-10 days. No es bueno. But the rest of my weekend was so awesome I don't care!

I'm not blowin' out any candles....

2010-05-11T06:30:00.003-05:00

Well, today I'm officially 40. The big four-oh (as in Oh My God I'm Old!!!) I was sitting with the fam last night talking about all the things we take for granted that were not invented when I was born (if it's got an * next to it, that was Ian's input):

Things that were invented after I was born:

~cable TV: I remember getting HBO and being amazed that we had 20 channels!!!
~personal computers: If we were really good, Dad would let us play King's Quest before bed! (when J and I were dating I'd complain he spent too much time on his Commodore 64)
*electricity*
~fax machines
~cell phones: Once when I had a near-death experience, my neighbor insisted I take his cell phone - it was a backpack with a phone attached by a cord!
*automobiles*
~CD players
~video games: I remember when Pac Man came to my neighborhood, I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about!
~microwaves: When Ian was a little kid he asked how we cooked before microwaves :)
*fire*
~the space shuttle: I was living in Florida at the time and we got to leave class to watch it go up - 5th grade.
~rap music
~VCRs: Anyone remember when you'd go to the video store and they'd ask "VCR or Beta
~cloning
~happy meals

I don't feel 40 - I feel 27. This is bullshit! I was laying in bed with Jerrod last night and out conversation went something like this:

Me: "you know, this is the last night you get to have sex with someone in their 30s"
J: "no it's not."
Me: *pushes him off the bed*

I told him he has to call me Mrs. Robinson until he turns 40 in October :)

Passport Diaries, part deux

2010-05-08T15:48:00.003-05:00

*sings to the tune of The Beverly Hillbillies*

Let me tell you a little story about a family named Spin...
They've had a couple 'days where they just can't win...
So early this morning we were tryin' to get our 'ports...
But through a comedy of errors now we're shittin' in our shorts!

Okay, okay, that's not the whole story but it does a pretty good job of summing it up. The passport office is walk-in only on Saturday, and only at one post office in the whole city. The plan is to be there before they open at 8:00 am, so we'll leave the house at 7:15. Well, we didn't actually wake up until 7:15, but we all got ready and left the house at 8:40. Jerrod is working a detail and will meet us there. On the way there Jerrod called to remind me I forgot to get cash as they don't take checks or credit cards. So I turned around and headed for the bank.

We knew they were raising the prices, so we guessed what we would need for 4 passports and I headed back to the ATM near our house to get the cash. Except when I got there, the ATM was not dispensing cash. Crap - the bank itself is in Belle Chasse, which is a 30 minute drive in the opposite direction of the post office. So I run next door to the Chase bank and try to get $400. I get a message that that ATM is not dispensing - WTF?! so I go to the one next to it and am denied - due to already reaching my ATM limit for the day. Excuse me? I didn't get any cash yet today!!!!

So, I end up having to drive out to Belle Chasse (luckily the bank was open on Sat morning) and pull out money. Luckily that was not all we had! BUT, now we have $400 in limbo that we can't touch while the bank tries to decide if it gave it to us or not. We won't even be able to dispute it until Tuesday when the weekend transactions go through. I have the receipt that says it didn't give me the money, but still, I'm pissed we have no access to that money.

THEN, we get to the post office, and there's one family in the office and we're in the lobby. Then another family comes in and they get to go first because they were there earlier and left and came back. Whatever. We wait, but now Molly has to go potty. Did you know there is no bathroom in the whole building at the main post office? Nope, not one. (What do the employees do, really?) I tried to get her to go outside in a bottle but that didn't work so well. In a rare stroke of good luck she didn't wet her pants the whole time we were there.

So, back to the post office. We finally get in and go through all the paperwork. Then she chastises us for not bringing Ian's school ID (I think because she had to fill out more paperwork). Hello - he's a minor and he doesn't have his driver's licence yet due to all his leg issues and the fact that his truck is a standard, how were we supposed to know a school ID is a valid form of identification? Then, once we finish up, we have to go over to the main postal area with our cash ('cause they don't take checks or credit cards) and stand in line to buy money orders and pay fees. Then we bring the money orders back to the passport lady (and wait until she's done with the next group of applicants) and she checks we paid our fees and we can finally leave. We had seen the people before us do this routine, so Jerrod tried to go pay the fees while we were inside the passport office waiting for our copies to print, but she wouldn't let us go (apparently that would have saved time and been efficient).

So three hours after we left the house we walked out of the passport office. The passports should be in in about a month. H2, you're lucky we love you.

Our very own Awkward Family Photos!!!

2010-05-07T07:16:00.004-05:00

Alright, I may or may not have mentioned previously that I have three brothers - two of whom are married. My middle, unmarried brother (H2) is getting married to a wonderful woman this summer (H2F). H2F is from Mexico, although she's lived in the US, in Texas, for about 15 years or so. So the wedding is being held in Texas, but the reception is being held in Mexico so as to include her family that is not able to come to the wedding. I'm very excited for so many reasons I can't count them all - I'm excited they're getting married, that we get to see her home (the pics are beautiful!), and that we get to go to Mexico to name a few. We're all in the wedding so we'll take formal family pics while we're there, which we haven't done since Molly was born.

We're getting down to the wire as far as getting passports for everyone. I'm the only one who has mine - we need to get them for hubs and all three kids. We're going to go Saturday morning to get them, so Wednesday I took the kids to Walgreens to get their passport photos.

(Please excuse the grainy-ness, these are pictures of pictures) These are the pictures in the order in which they were taken:

Ian looks like he just got out of prison. Yes, that's a white t-shirt on top of an older white t-shirt. He didn't have any shirts without designs on them. What teenager wears plain t-shirts? None that I've seen...

Bridget looks like she's about to go to prison. I'm sure you can imagine she's got a shiv in her hand and is about to cut the photographer. Which is weird, because she was so laid-back about the whole thing. She just didn't want to smile.

Molly's picture is pretty self-explanitory. She was so excited to get her picture taken - until we got there. Then she didn't want anything to do with it. She cried and cut up so loud I actually went all ghetto and spanked her butt in the store. It took us a good 15 minutes to get this picture:

Yes, that is her Passport Picture. For the next 5 years that's what she's got. And lest you think I was kidding, when Jerrod went in yesterday to get his picture done, he brought Molly along for the ride. The store employee recognized her from Wednesday and KNEW HER NAME. Yes, she totally busted me and told Jerrod she recognized her from the day before when she was crying and hollering in the store.

So there you have it - there's no way Mexico is letting us in!!!!

Is the grass actually greener over there?

2010-05-03T12:45:00.002-05:00

Driving in to work today, Institutionalized by Suicidal Tendencies came on my ipod.

I used to love this song and have great memories associated with it. It got me to thinking though, because now my son is at the age where he can identify with it. So I guess now I'm on the parental side of the music? I don't think so, because I remember what it was like to be a teenager and while I no longer have all those angsty issues, I think the teen/parent relationship is sometimes comparable to the employer/employee relationship. Thoughts?

Then, thinking about the parent/teen issue and how I still have emotions when I hear that song, I thought to myself, "OMG, I'm that mom in Bowling for Soup's 1985!"

No, not really, although there is a ring of truth there. Is my generation, or really I guess the one before us, the first generation to refuse to grow up? Or are we just doing it on our own terms?

____________________

In other news, it's now possible to take a shower while standing next to my bedroom winow. On the inside. No, there's no bathroom there - apparently we have a major leak. J was outside at midnight last night during a heavy rainstorm trying to clean out the gutters in the hopes that that was the problem. It wasn't. Don't know what the problem is but we went through out whole supply of extra towels (beach and bath) trying to keep it from spreading across the floor.

___________________

And I'll leave you with this:

Last night, I was watching a commercial for Jamaica. "Ohhh, let's go to Jamaica, honey," I said. To which Bridet replied "But mom, I don't know how to speak with a Jamaican accent!" OMG I love her so much!!!

Mollyrazzi

2010-04-27T19:11:00.003-05:00

I mentioned the other day on twitter that my 3yo, Molly, loves Lady Gaga and sings "Paparazzi" all the time; someone suggested I get her on video. It's a bit dark and grainy but I had to jump at the chance when it came. It takes about 14 seconds for her to get into it. For your enjoyment:

Don't feel bad if you can't make out most of the words, neither can I... Usually she dances while singing but I caught her in the chair and so I just saw the opportunitiy and went with it.

Perspective

2010-04-25T08:21:00.008-05:00

It seems like I've been doing nothing but laundry lately. Especially with Ian being out of comission, that means I get to take back the folding and putting away aspect of it in addition to the washing part. I do a load of laundry every night, and several on the weekends. What can I say - 5 people live here, three of whom wear uniforms M-F.

Anyway, I was feeling sorry for myself (!) and got to thinking about how happy I was to see the washing maching the day after I got home from my trip to Uganda in 2005. I was so thrilled to see the washer and dryer I almost cried. (I did cry from sheer joy during my first shower once I was home, LOL, it was heavenly!)

Here's the backstory:

My parents had gone to Uganda in 2001 and came back with lots of great stories. When I decided to go with them in 2005, they told me a bit about what to expect. Here's what they said about the laundry: My parents stayed at the Archbishop's house. The nuns did their laundry and ironed everything - even their socks and underwear! I wasn't too sure how I felt about having my underwear ironed, but was glad I wouldn't have to worry about clean clothes. All I brought with me in that respect was a bottle of Woolite for my "unmentionables". The thing is, though, that for this trip we didn't stay with the Archbishop (which was okay because we did more stuff than we would have been able to do, and got to stay out after dark - yay!) So, because I didn't want the nuns to have to do my laundry, I asked where the laundry room was and I would do my own. She took us to a little room on the side and opened the door - to a water spigot and a bucket. Oooookayyyyyy. I was afraid if I asked where the iron was, she'd show us a rock and a fire, so I left that one alone. So, this is how I did my laundry:

Yup - that's my shower. And I'm washing my pajamas. Everything got covered in red clay-like dust, so I did a lot of laundry. I couldn't get the red out of my clothes, no matter how hard I scrubbed, so I asked the laundry ladies one morning what I could do. Their answer: Scrub harder.

I did figure out they were using something called Oxo, which, once I'd cleaned my shoes with it, realized it's an awesome soap (I think it's got lye in it?) so once I bought a bag and started using it on my laundry instead of the Woolite things got better, LOL.

And here I'm hanging up my laundry - the ladies were so kind and let me use a line to dry (I had been hanging them over my suitcase and chairs, but the red dirt was all over my luggage, which kind of negated my washing the clothes.

So yes, when I got home I almost kissed my washing machine. Oh, how happy I was! It really is all a matter of perspective.

Just for added LOLs, here's a pic of the sitting area of my room. To dry my clothes I would lay my suitcases out and hang clothes over them, as well as the chair and the table. Note the bottles of Diet Coke on the table. I knew there would be no Diet Coke in Uganda (I was right, btw), so I packed two 16 oz bottles for every day we would be there. THAT's why I didn't have a ton of clothes, LOL, my suitcase was full of Diet Coke! (I told you I was addicted - didn't you believe me?) Oh, and I did buy a bottle of "Coke Light" at the airport in Belgium.

Quick, Fun Ian update

2010-04-25T07:54:00.003-05:00

I know I haven't been around much lately, and when I do it's usually an Ian update, but for those who haven't seen him lately - here's your update. Warning: the 2nd picture is a bit graphic for those with weak stomachs!!!

I took this picture because he's going back to school tomorrow but he hasn't shaved for about two weeks so I've never seen his face with this much "beard" on it before! He's got to shave tonight but I wanted to catch him before he did it. Sadly, the supershort haircut he accidentaly got two weeks ago doesn't seem to have grown as fast as the facial hair, LOL! (Needless to say he was squirmy and uncooperative in giving me this pic!)

Okay, hopefully I've scrolled down enough that this pic won't be obvious unless you want it to be.

Here's the leg after they took the staples out. I didn't get the hole near the top of the leg and you can't really see the hole on the other side of his knee, but here's the main cut. It doesn't look huge in the pic but keep in mind he's about 6'3" so that's a good chunk of leg there.

Oh, my baby!!!! He is getting around better so I'm pleased with the progress. He's back to being a crutch ninja; he's hopping around all over the place and you should see how he gets his pants off - he's so silly!

I just realized....

2010-04-20T12:18:00.001-05:00

It's 4/20!!!!

Happy 4/20 day, man!

Sensory Overload

2010-04-18T22:30:00.002-05:00

First, are you watching Treme on HBO? If not, you should be - it's really good. It's a very realistic snapshot of life in New Orleans 3 months after Katrina. Tonight was the 2nd episode so there's not too much to catch up on yet if you've missed it.

Second, I had a great time yesterday at a booksigning - I got to meet three Young Adult authors and a fellow New Orleans-area blogger. That story is over at my other place.

Third, an Ian update: He's still having a lot of pain, which I am a bit concerned about as the doctors seemed to think he'd be headed back to school any day now. He's having a really hard time getting up and down off the couch or chair or bed, and his brace won't stay up. It slipped yesterday and pulled some of his dressing down with it, so he got to see his wound for the first time and my poor baby almost passed out. It's quite a long scar and it's still all stapled together with a few extra spots where they put in the surgery tools. He's got an appointment Thursday so if he's not doing better we'll at least get a professional opinion then.

And, I'll leave you with a laugh:
Ian: I really need to shave, look at all this scruff on my face.
Me: Chicks dig scruff. Look at Gerard Butler.
Molly: Don't say "butt", say "bootie".

Ian Update

2010-04-14T06:36:00.002-05:00

As of last night he was still sleeping (snoring!). He'd gotten a few doses of morphine and anti-nausea meds which are keeping him very, very sleepy.

He was in surgery for about 5 1/2 hours. Both doctors seem to think the surgeries were a success. The first surgery went well and the doctor even brought out pictures for Ian (he had asked us before the surgery and we laughed and told him no chance) - the ligament was fixed and everything else seems to have healed. The second surgery was the one we were really nervous about (pun intended). Due to this surgery he's going to have a huge scar but somehow I think he'll get over it. They took out a bunch of scar tissue from around the nerve and cut through the scar tissue on the nerve to "unclench" it, and when they closed blood was flowing nicely and it was a better color than it was when they went in, so they're hopeful that he'll get some function back. Not all, but hopefully some - it will be several months before we know anything.

In the meantime, he's in a giant bent half-cast (see pic above) to immobilize the leg and will hopefully come home today. Thanks for the prayers and well wishes!

Ruff and Tuff with my Afro Puff*

2010-04-12T13:56:00.003-05:00

*The Lady of Rage f/ Snoop Dogg

Nothing new to report. I've been trying to post a video of Molly singing Lady GaGa's Paparazzi but for some reason it won't load. I got it transferred from my camera to my laptop no probs, but for some reason Blogger shits its pants when it sees me looking at it. Hmmmm....

Of course I'm so nervous about Ian's surgery tomorrow but he's cool as a cucumber. I asked him about it last night and he's all "Whatev. It's not like there's anything I can do about it." I'm pretty sure he's not my kid and was switched at birth. Except for the fact that he looks just like me. I think he's just excited about reading his new book and watching True Blood and Spartacus while he's home from school recovering. (Is there a *jealous* font?) Many thanks to Mom and Dad for taking the girls tonight so J and I can just take Ian straight to the hospital tomorrow.

The weather was gorgeous this weekend and Jerrod took Bridget out on the motorcycle for a nice ride - a little father/daughter bonding is always good.

Other than that, all is well. I should leave you with a Molly quote. First you must know we've come across a little stumble with her potty training (which we thought was done) but she's had a few accidents recently.

Me: What do you do at the babysitter's house all day?
Molly: Just nothing. (she never says "nothing", it's always "just nothing")
Me: Nothing? Just sit on the couch all day?
Molly: And pee in my pants.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T09:29:00.002-05:00

I am a Top-40 Gangsta Lesbian*

2010-04-03T19:28:00.003-05:00

*according to my son and husband regarding my ipod contents.

Let's start with Big Man - Ian got his wisdom teeth out yesterday. It went quickly and we were in and out in less than an hour. The only thing I didn't like is that the anesthesia seems to really mess with his head. He was miserable (and bloody) yesterday but today he's back to his usual self. Of course the girls were jealous that big brother got to eat Frosty's and ice cream all day. He's got his ACTs next Saturday and then his knee surgery on the 13th. So, if you're the prayin' type, they would be appreciated. If you're not, just send positive thoughts his way!

Easter kind of snuck up on me - I just picked up stuff for baskets yesterday (that's right, I'm a fly by the seat of my pants kind of mom!). I think we're having dinner at my future SIL's house so that will be fun.

As my birthday approaches, I'm feeling a bit conflicted. I don't feel almost 40. I remember when I was a kid and I figured out I'd be 30 in the year 2000 and I thought that was OLD! I know, I know, 40 is the new 30 and all that crap, and it's just a number, but I'm having a hard time with that particular number.

Nothing else really going on. I could talk about how work is fucking with my head, but I'm not gonna go there. BB got straight As on her report card. Molly says things like "Boo-ya!" to her sister. Life is good.

*thumps chest and flashes peace sign* PEACE OUT BIYATCHES!!!

Future CSI Investigator?

2010-03-30T06:19:00.005-05:00

We've been joking about how Molly has a tendency to dance around poles when she's near one (even at the auto parts store yesterday) and hope she's not showing an affinity for a future career as a stripper. This weekend, however, makes me wonder if she's thinking about a different line of work:

Exhibit A:
She actually did this chalk outline of herself. You can't really tell from this angle but she made the arms bigger because she was wearing her vampire costume from halloween while she was doing this.

Exhibit B:

She drew chalk outlines around everything: shoes, a gardening can, the chairs, a planter; and...

Exhibit C:

She even drew an outline around the cat! I don't know if it's funnier that she drew around the cat or that the cat let her do it and never batted an eye (or claw!).

Cool Kid or Bad Parent?

2010-03-28T16:27:00.002-05:00

I guess I really like the song "Renegades of Funk" by Rage Against the Machine. It came on my ipod today and Molly-moo started singing along, then in the auto parts store she was singing it again.

Is she the coolest kid on earth or am I just a bad parent? (I vote for #1)

Neither Here nor There

2010-03-27T13:09:00.008-05:00

Wow, almost a week since my last post. I seem to be running around in a fog these days. Time is passing and I feel like I'm going at full throttle but nothing seems to be getting done.

A couple of random things:

--> Daiquiri Island is open at 8:30 in the morning.

--> Is it rude when, in a full elevator, as people get off, you move farther away to increase your personal space? I was in an elevator this week, and when we got in there were about 7 people, and as people got off, when we were down to about 3 people, I moved. As one lady got off, she looked at me and said "I'm not sick" What?!? I wasn't rude and didn't say anything when I moved, it just seemed silly to stand right next to each other when the elevator was almost empty.

--> We were listening to the radio in the car on the way to school and "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors came on. BB asks "Why does he think he's turning Japanese?" Oh crap. I took the easy way out and said I didn't know.

--> More on the Ian front: Having his teeth removed is going to cost us the price of owning a small country. But the orthodontist can't do anything else with his braces until his wisdom teeth come out. The way things have been going I think it would be that island that just sank into the sea. *sigh*

Jerrod has been busting his ass working extra details to pay the girls tuition up front. In the past month between plumbing and medical stuff we've put out over $5,000 cash in unexpected costs (with more to come - yay! I can't even imagine how expensive surgery is going to be). Looks like for the first time in 11 years we'll be financing grade school tuition. I want to cry but I know it's not going to make anything better. Ian knows it's expensive (he's a smart kid) and I don't want him feeling guilty about it. His health is important to us and we'll do anything to make sure he gets the best treatments we can give him; but he's the kind of kid who will take it to heart.

--> So, between issues I had at work in February, Molly's pneumonia, The Great Plumbing Debacle, Ian's teeth and surgery, Girl Scout cookies and breakfast every Saturday at Ian's job, it's no wonder my clothes are all too tight. Grrr!!!

--> While I'm wallowing, I'd like to share some thoughts brought on by a political mailing I received today. I think I've mentioned before I'm a Republican. A VERY liberal Republican. I received a census today from the Republican Party asking for my opinions. As I looked it over, my eyes were immediately drawn to the back page where you could check off a dollar amount you'd like to donate to the republican Party. Or, if I couldn't donate, I could send $15 to help defray the cost of processing my Census Document. Seriously? You're asking me to take time out of my day and fill out this questionaire and PAY you to record the answers?

Part two to this rant is that in looking over the questions, it seemed to be a poorly disguised "I hate Democrats" flyer. The questions start off innocently enough: Are you conservative,
moderate, liberal? Do you vote? Where do you get your news? Then they start getting to the good stuff - Question 8, Section 1: How much does it concern you that the Democrats have total control of the federal government? Question 4 under Section 3: Do you believe the huge, costly Democrat-passed stimulus bill has been effective in creating jobs or stimulating America's economy? and Question 5: Do you think the record trillion dollar federal deficit the Democrats are creating with their out-of-control spending is going to have disastrous consequences for our nation? Right, because Republicans are so thrifty (tell me again which key is the sarcasm font?). Now, I'll freely admit there are some legitimate questions in the survey. But really, they make it sound like Democrats are going to sneak into our homes at night, steal our money and kill us all in our beds.

I thought we were supposed to work TOGETHER. All this petty squabbling has done is make people angry, suspicious, and bitter; I wish we could stop this piddling bullshit and stop making it an Us vs. Them issue. It's ugly and causes apathy where there should be civic pride and a sense of duty to our country and our fellow man.

Okay, ranting over. Do I feel better? Maybe a little. To end this post on a positive note, I'll tell you this:

I am so freaking excited Mike and Hannah are going to Forks, WA. Every time I think about it I get giddy, and I'm not even going! Yay Forks! Take lots of pictures, even if you feel stupid. And make Mike wear a Team Edward shirt ;)

I said Clock, not Cock.

2010-03-21T20:41:00.004-05:00

I know being a teenager is difficult, but I think having a teenager makes things weird for the parents too. Ian and I have had some weird conversations lately, like this and this.

We went to the store today, and on the way home he glanced at my radio and said "ClockBlock?" It was actually "Clocks" by Coldplay, but it got us to talking (how could it not, really?) And through the whole conversation, I'm thinking to myself, am I really talking to my 16-year-old son about cockblocking? (Moms are the ultimate cockblock, I think.) Yet another #parentfail for the books...

Ian Update

2010-03-18T16:01:00.002-05:00

It's been a crazy morning, but here's what's going on:

Ian will get his wisdom teeth out April 2 (Good Friday) and will have his knee surgery April 13 at Children's Hospital. He should be discharged sometime the next day and will spend about a week at home before he's able to go out and about, then approx. 6 weeks in various states of "crutch-iness" before hopefully being off crutches, at which point we'll start looking at the electronic-pulse thing to use on his foot/nerve instead of a brace if it works. I think it's something like this (check out what it says under "other uses" - not you Ian).

Visiting my friend Cecile....

2010-03-18T05:50:00.001-05:00

Hey y'all, today I'm over at Cecile's place celebrating her blogiversary - go say hi and read about my visit to the Smutty Hussy Lair!

Just passin' through...

2010-03-17T19:45:00.003-05:00

I'm alive. I know everyone was worried. Busy, busy, busy!

Saturday morning I dropped Ian off at work at the neighborhood cafe he works at. Imagine my surprise when we pulled up in front and there was a tour bus with about 50 guys in kilts standing around!!! I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! (They were having breakfast before they marched in the St. Patrick's Day parade)

Bridget's birthday party was Saturday - she had a couple of friends join her for a hibachi dinner. The girls had a great time and it was a fun evening. The chef played to their age and did some silly stuff with the food and had some fun props. At one point during the evening, I overheard Bridget telling her friends how old I am. I told her you're not supposed to tell a lady's age and if she does feel the need to tell my age I'm really 21. She looks up at me and says "Not with those wrinkles you're not!" Ouch.

Sunday we sold Girl Scout cookies; Bridget had a blast. The girls were sooooo enthusiastic, I almost felt bad for the shoppers. I laughed so hard when she jumped out from behind a pillar in front of the store to ask a customer to buy cookies. Girl Scouts are Ninjas!

We also had a very nice visit with Aunt Sara that involved a shrimp boil on Sunday and shrimp bisque on Sunday.

On to less fun news: Ian has been having some new pain in his knee that he injured back in May, so I took him to see the orthopedist today. If I understood everything he said (we were there for 2.5 hours), Ian's ligament is stretched (it was super creepy to watch the doctors move his lower leg from side to side - ick!) and actually took a piece of bone with it. The stretching is causing him to roll his foot down when he walks, which is irritating that palsied nerve. They're going to have to do surgery to repair the ligament before he damages any cartilage or other stuff and while they're in there they're going to check the rest of the knee for any other damage not seen on x-rays/MRI and "explore the nerve". I think we're going to jump on this in the next month so he'll have all summer to recover. He'll be on crutches minimum 6 weeks after surgery. Poor Ian, he finished 10th grade on crutches and now it looks like 11th grade will end the same; my poor baby!!!

Heaven help me...I'm gonna need it!

2010-03-10T08:42:00.005-06:00

Driving the kids to school this morning, Marilyn Manson's The Beautiful People comes on the radio via my ipod. Ian makes the comment "this is very un-mom-like", to which I reply, "I love this song but don't usually play it when the girls are in the car."

I start thinking about Marilyn Manson and his uber-weirdness, and I mention "He's pretty weird. Not exactly the kind of guy I'd want my daughters to date."

To which Bridget replies "I make no promises." Oh, God.

Here's the video. I don't like dystopian imagery at all, so I can honestly say that while I love the song I hate the video:

Sleepless in New Orleans

For Jerrod

Happy 18h Birthday Ian!!!

My Birthday Trip to Houston

Ian’s Graduation

Hello or Goodbye?

The Cougar Hierarchy, The Building Blocks of Sandwich Making, and Don’t Look At My Kids While I’m Busy Judging Yours

Hello Stranger...

I know, I know...I never call, I never write....

Time to make the doughnuts...

Busy, busy, busy? Maybe, maybe not...

Meh.

Under where?

Okay, I couldn't wait...

It's that time of year again...

What's in a name?

My heart goes out to Australia

Spy School starts early...

What did I miss?

test

Family, Funny, and Pfffft!!!

Happy Birthday to my Pops!

Happy Birthday Michael!!!

Motorcycle Michael...???

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

It Lives!!!

Happy Birthday Ellie!

Oh yeah, life goes on...*

The Holiday Season is almost here...

Lovebirds

Bummer...

Randomness: How to Woo with Mariachi

Too Cool for School

Pictures of the girls' costumes:

Fabulous 40 weekend!!

Happy Birthday Jerrod!!!

Happy Whore-o-ween

Beauty, Bowzer, and Balls

Random Friday with F'ups :)

Show me your teeth*

My not-very-well-thought-out post on how Henry Ford is partially responsible for the decline of the American Family.

Random Monday Stuff

Hello from Nowhere.

Happy Birthday Hannah!!!

I am the Champion of the World!!!! *Update*

My "I'm not blogging about Katrina" Katrina post

The long promised school pics

What a weekend...

Cafe Press is the Devil!

KISS-n-tell

Cheater, Cheater, pumpkin eater!!!

God hates walmart and I have proof:

It only comes in threes, right?

Numbers

Book-related Post: I'm Guest Posting at Smokinhotbooks today:

Vacation Stories, Part Cinco - the Wedding

Vacation Stories, Part Quatro

Happy Anniversary Jerrod!

Vacation Stories Part Tres

Vacation Stories, Part Dos

Vacation stories, Part Uno

Hey Family - Romance Books aren't so lame after all...

Quick hello, we're home!

Happy Birthday Ian!

Better late than never....

I'm not cheap, I'm fiscally thrifty

Monday Miscellany on a Tuesday...

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

pwned by a 3yo

Pfft!

Twilight Envy*

My Fabulous kid-free weekend!!!

Happy Anniversary Mike and Hannah!

Miscellaneous miscellany.....

Parenting Fail #7,342

It's like this y'all, it's like that y'all....*

This may be me....

And then He sent the locusts...

Even though I know I shouldn't...

Fabulocity

I am the Champion of the World!!!! Update