Category: Random

Sick Saturday

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PW and I spent Friday night out with my best friend Beth (no, not talking in third person) and her husband Grant at the St. Mary’s football game. It was a blast to be back at our alma mater and especially fun since it’s where PW and I met. It was made even better because the Knights won!

Bay was fast asleep when we got home. About an hour after we went to bed I heard “Mommy. Tummy. Hurt.” on the monitor. I let it go for a bit because I thought maybe she had just woken up and was looking for a reason for us to come in her room. I finally went in and discovered her tummy did hurt. It had hurt all over her crib and down the side on to the carpet. The poor thing started crying when I walked in obviously sick, embarrassed and well, grossed out. It’s amazing how the ick factor diminishes when your kiddo is hurting. Suddenly it doesn’t matter that it’s 1am or that you’re cleaning up a very gross situation, it just matters that she feels better.

Saturday morning we decided to hunker down and just rest. No errands, no nothing. Just pedialyte and cartoons. Around 11, Peter decided to test out Baylor’s wellness by taking her on a quick, don’t-get-out-of-the-car errand. In my car. It was a failed mission. If you saw a man trying to clean a munchkin off on the side of the road on Saturday, it was them. It was solidified that a quarantine and lock down was necessary.

We spent the rest of the day watching football, movies, doing some crafts and a lot of napping. It was after I woke up from a ridiculously long nap that I realized how much we all needed a down day. We needed to stay in our jammies all day. Take a long nap. Sit around and do nothing. Make frozen pizza and not worry about having veggies on the side. It something we need to schedule more often so that we can enjoy doing nothing and not worry about what we’re not doing.

On a side note, Baylor is feeling much better and as of Sunday evening, neither Peter or I are sick. Fingers crossed!!

Um. Yeah.

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I sat down and got half way through a post before I decided it was utter crap. It was all about how I’ve got a few too many irons in the fire and was actually quite funny….and yet began to sound a bit stupid by the time I got to the 12 thing on the list.

So instead, I decided to just come clean; life is busy. A good busy, but I’m short on time AND material so I’m sorry, but I’ve got nothing worth reading. It’s a terrible excuse, but a true one. I promise funny and entertaining posts are a comin’. Promise!

A Day to Remember

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Honestly, every time something comes on the news about September 11th, I’ve changed the channel. As the 10 year anniversary approaches, this is getting harder to avoid. I am very blessed that I was not directly affected by the tragedy – however the haunting images and the heartbreaking stories of others pain is so hard to watch.

September 11th is this generation’s “where were you when Kennedy was shot?”. Every knows, vividly, what they were doing.

I was asleep on the Alpha Phi sleeping porch. It was sometime after 6am and the plane had hit the pentagon. Two older girls in the house came in to wake up a girl from my pledge class. Her sister, who was an alumna of A Phi and had graduated the year before, was living in DC.  Her parents were calling and they couldn’t get a hold of her and so they started calling the cell phone of my friend, the sorority house, any friend that would answer their phone to go find and wake up my pledge sister.

I rounded the corner from the porch to my room, I heard my phone ringing. It was my mom telling me to turn on the TV. I stood, silently holding the phone with my mom silent on the other end, watching. Friends started piling in my 6 foot by 6 foot room to watch. I remember asking my mom “What do we do? Should I go to class? Should I come home?” and my mom, who always has the most  level head of anyone I know and an answer for any question, was speechless.

Thankfully, the alumna and sister of my friend was found. She was safe and had been a good distance from the disaster and was home safe. I decided I couldn’t watch any more horrible news stories and the school had not canceled classes. I had one of the meanest math teachers going so I assumed she would be taking attendance. She didn’t disappoint. She gave a heartless speech about life going on and then gave a lecture where not one person took even one note. F16 fighter jets patrolled the skies. The deafening fly overs seemed to happen every 5 minutes.

I headed home that weekend. I needed the safety of my family and my home. When we went to church that Sunday, the closing song was an acapella version of “God Bless America”. The cantor was the only one singing because there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. There was complete silence when the song ended. I remember that the song didn’t bring comfort, rather it seemed to be more of a question. The silence was eerie and the sorrow and uncertainty of what life had now become, was palpable.

I am very much looking forward to Monday (for once). I am ready for the sadness of the memories this weekend has brought to be put to rest until next year. But I think it’s important to note that everyday we are proud to be Americans. Proud to say that the heroes of that day are our countrymen. And that “God Bless America” is no longer the question that it was that day.

The Legend of Kate Morgan

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While sitting on the deck of the Hotel Del Coronado, my mom and I joked about the legend of Kate Morgan. We quickly realized my brother-in-law had never heard the story and so began a dramatic retelling of the legend…

In the late 1800’s, Kate Morgan checked into the Hotel Del awaiting her loovvvaaa. However, after days of waiting, he never showed. Angry, upset, sad, confused…no one knew her true state of mind when she flung herself out of the window. Kate Morgan checked in, but never checked out. It’s said that the room she stayed in is frequently disturbed by ghosts. A shadowy figure by the window, toilets flushing by themselves, ash trays thrown across the room and billowy curtains despite closed windows.

Somehow, the tall tale spiraled into this topic: what if KM had just moseyed down to the bar and enjoyed a “screw him” cocktail? Maybe things would have ended a little nicer for her. Having already imbibed our own cocktails, my mom and I flagged down the waiter and asked him: “What would you have brought Kate Morgan if she wanted a screw him kinda cocktail?!”. Bewildered and then suddenly amused, the waiter agreed to bring us whatever the bartender deemed worthy of Kate.

A few minutes later, the love child of a Mai Tai and a Pina Colada arrived at our table. We toasted Kate, wherever she may be. Two sips and we were giggling. Three sips and we were howling. Four sips and we decided it was time to go back to the beach before we were asked to leave.

Along the way, my mom informed me that the little metal strips on the short wall along the board walk were butt spacers – so no one would sit too close to you. I countered with the fact that they were there so skate boarders wouldn’t ride along the wall. “Oh.” She replied and then promptly told me I was wrong. Fits of laughter ensued.

Oh. Helllloooo my pretty….

 

What I Learned on Vacation

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We spent the holiday weekend in Coronado, CA. We’ve take a trip there, long or short, every year since I can remember. It’s our happy place and it’s so much fun to get to share it with Baylor.

We met my mom, sister Ali and her husband Gary (or Jerry as he was known for most of the trip) and my step sister Nancy and her kiddos Blaise and Madi. It was a big group with high expectations for doing as little as possible. Which we did quite well.

Our first day on the beach, we pulled our wagon full of toys, boards, towels and snacks to the perfect piece of sandy paradise. We ran out into the water, caught a few waves, threw the football and then settled in for some gossip magazine reading. I kept waiting for B to run over to me and demand a new activity, snack or some other form of entertainment, but it never came. I watched her and Madi contently dig in the sand. They dug, poured, washed, filled and held the sand. All while silently enjoying each other’s company.

It occurred to me that not only does Bay really love Madi, but the reason she was so content to just play was because it was just play. No one was asking her what color the shovel was. Or how many buckets had sand in them or if the water was hot or cold. There was no overt learning going on, it was just quiet play. I realized that had I been sitting there, I would have been making it a teaching moment – and not that that is a bad thing, but sometimes we just need to sit and dig.

So the next day we did just that. No talking. No fuss, just patted sand castles into place and washed them away with a watering can. All while just enjoying the sound of the waves.  Lesson learned: less talk and more play.


Back to Life…

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At 5:30am this morning, the alarm clock went off. The following are the thoughts, in order, that went through my head:

1. what the hell is that noise??

2. where am I??

3. why did I set the alarm clock on vacation?

4. oh crap, vacation is over and I’m home. So what was the alarm for?

5. oh right, wake up Peter so he can go run. I wonder if he really wants to run….

 

Ah the day after a fun and relaxing vacation is never easy. It’s back to the reality of emails, bills and work. And a serious amount of laundry and ironing. Sigh…

I mean seriously. And this isn’t even all of it.

Also, be sure to catch my new post on Scottsdale Moms Blog. Super cute DIY kids calendar that I made for Baylor. She still thinks every day is Friday, but really, don’t we all?

http://www.scottsdalemomsblog.com/

If You Can’t Stand the Heat…

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This is officially the hotest summer in Arizona history. Like by actual meteorologist standards, not just by my “my calfs are sweating it’s so hot” standards. Granted, our centenial isn’t even until next year, but still, that’s saying something. There have been 30 days of 110+ heat this year. The average is 10 days. Even my cacti is looking feeble.

The solution? Retreat. Retreat and don’t look back. Go west. Go west until you hit the water….

Kasey Who?

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A few months ago,  I was flipping through channels and landed on The Bachelorette. I’m not a huge fan of the show, but it always brings back happy memories of piling on the Alpha Phi couches (and getting there early so you didn’t have to sit on the side that smelled odd) to watch the show.

After watching for a few minutes, they showed the bio of one of the dudes. His name was Kasey Kahl and he was from Fresno, CA. I got a flash of recognition. I knew this guy, but from where? Another show? And then it hit me like a ton of bricks; he dated my roommate freshman year of college.

Yes, I am so very lucky to say that I have met the fame whore before he started dating the shnoz, Vienna (if you have no idea what I’m talking about, that’s good. It means you’re doing something more meaningful with your life than watching trash TV. I, however, cannot say this) (also, what is with that hair?! could she please get a new stylist, stat). If you had asked me what my roommate’s “back home” boyfriend’s name was, I couldn’t have told you for a million dollars. But flash that cheesy smile, a name and a location and it all came flooding back.

My freshman year roommate and I were randomly paired up and did not exactly hit it off. We were polar oppositites who grew to tolerate each other and gasp! Even like each other a little by the end of the year. I tried to look her up on facebook to send her a note and get her take on the ex’s new found fame and sadly, I could not find her. It seems she has a respectable job now and I’m sure doesn’t want a rash of people asking her about past exploits. But I think I’m safe in saying that her freshman-year-of-college self would be quoted along the lines of “Yeah, I broke up with him. So I win”.

Why Does Saving the Planet Have to be so Ugly?

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I hate CFL bulbs. There. I said it. I am not an environment hater, I just can’t stand the ugly, orange glow from CFL bulbs.

Don’t get me wrong, I see all the benefits of these ugly, little beasts; the cost savings, the lower use of energy, the saving of the planet, blah blah blah. All do not add up to pretty light. And yes, it does make a difference. I do not want to look like a drag queen all day because I couldn’t tell that I had too much blush on because it was drowned out by the orange light.

Not to mention that the opposite on the CFL color spectrum is so bright and sterile white, it gives me flash backs to the operating room when Baylor was born.

The solution? GE Reveal CFL bulbs. We have bought two forms of these now and I love the color. Yes, it still has a little of the orange glow when the bulb is warming up, but not so harsh as it’s offensive CFL friends.  And we put a flood light version in the kitchen and it blends in seamlessly with it’s incandesent cousins.

See? Not to shabby:

So if you would like to save the environment and a few dollars without sacrificing your mental state to orange light, try a few of the GE Reveal versions of CFL bulbs. Your non-drag queen looking self will thank me.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&sugexp=bvec&cp=10&gs_id=1h&xhr=t&q=ge+reveal+cfl&qe=R0UgUmV2ZWFsIA&qesig=eP4CnWzXF5ZufUbw6xqVeQ&pkc=AFgZ2tmOQHcrGfJRaGJctv6_bApU4IonbkKau8IcVTNievtpA6Ke-rdDmIdLsoiA_AInzNgslVNsnAbXV6DL9W63AX6HsiLkSQ&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1366&bih=600&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=16967538321504657852&sa=X&ei=4b9bTrGzIOeLsgKXqsnFDA&sqi=2&ved=0CHkQ8wIwBA

Sweet Sweet Insanity

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I just finished The Help  and absolutely loved it. It was so well written, you could almost hear the characters speaking (not to be confused with the normal voices in my head). The part I liked the best was that the there was still story after the climax – I hate when you get to the best part of the book and poof! It’s over.

I noted a favorite line from the book:

“…it was like something cracked open inside of me, not unlike a watermelon, cool and soothing and sweet. I always thought insanity would be a dark, bitter feeling, but it is drenching and delicious if you really roll around in it.”

I read it aloud to PW – which got me thinking. Why do I like this phrase so much? Is it because it’s so different and so beautifully written? Or because I feel it’s so true?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the answer? Is that it really just depends on the day 😉