Where Are We Going?

On Getting Older, Resolutions, Etc.

2012-01-24T16:21:00.002-06:00

As the clock winds down on January and we enter my birthday month, I'm in a very reflective place. I have this list of New Year's Resolutions sitting next to me, just waiting for me to put them out there into the blogosphere for all to see.

I'm a couple of years or so away from my 40th birthday. I have a well-paying, but seemingly dead-end job that I do not love. Sometimes I hate it, sometimes I don't hate it, but "love" and "job" are never connected when speaking of how I obtain my bi-weekly paycheck.

I have an amazing husband and kiddo. Truly. Awesome. I adore them and their existence makes my life on the completed side of things. They are my family. My circle.

I live in a nice home, have nice things, blah, blah, blah.

I'm in relatively good shape considering the way I eat most days. I'd love to be skinnier/more toned. I could be, too, if I worked a little more at it.

I am comfortable with my relationship with God, but I'd like to improve my son's relationship with Him. I know what that takes, too.

We travel quite a bit.

When I look at what I've just typed, I just have to shake my head. What the eff do I have to complain about? I truly have "it" all. Love, family, job, home, recreation, friends. My life is damn near perfect!

STILL.

I have this ridiculous list of resolutions. All with the underlying theme of "My life is far from perfect and so am I."

So. Resolutions. All in the name of striving for perfection. I'd like to make my outside as well as my insides just look better. And this year, I've made this list of resolutions that not only help me on my path to that end, but also intertwine with one another.

Here goes.

I want 2012, The Year of the Water Dragon, my 38th (yikes!) year of life on this earth to be the year that I FINALLY:

Go to church regularly.
Work out regularly.
Make peace with the not-so-new dog.
Stop using my credit cards.
Give up either Botox/fillers or La Mer.
Pay off the credit card balances that have creeped up on me after paying them all off last year.
Take more care in my day-to-day appearance at work.
Stop oversleeping.
Get enough sleep.
Find a new and better job, one that I actually enjoy doing each day.
Smile and laugh more often.
Stop sweating the small stuff.
Let go of lingering anger and resentments towards those I've decided have done me wrong at one point or another (It isn't "cute" to be so focused on disliking a person, no matter what sort of person they might be).
Celebrate random and obscure holidays.
Read much, MUCH more.
Play fewer games on my phone.
Play more games with my son and husband.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Write.

Most of these resolutions intertwine and are connected. I hope to take the time to more fully explain HOW that happens in future posts.

Until then…

Letter to My Congressman

2012-01-18T08:20:00.000-06:00

Mr. Carter,

As a voting Republican, I am writing you to let you know that I expect you to live up to the conservative Republican values of small government. To that end, I expect you to NOT support legislation that is currently being considered, titled SOPA and PIPA. We should all embrace and support a free and open internet. The SOPA and PIPA measures are nothing more than a step toward communism.

Respectfully,

January 12

2012-01-12T15:44:00.002-06:00

And the Christmas decorations are all still up. Sigh. Nearly halfway through the month, and I haven't really gotten going on the whole "New Year" business.

Perhaps this weekend.

I need to sit down, make a list, and get organized. That is first. Get my fool self organized. Get a checklist. Get busy. Buy vitamins. That's on the list. The next item would be "Take Vitamin Every Day."

I tend to do that. Put mundane and everyday items on my "to do" list just so I can cross it off and feel successful. Work out? No. Take a vitamin? Yes. Clean out closet? No. Fold clothes? Yes. You get the idea.

So I'm going to sit down and make myself one humdinger of a January "to do" list.

#1) Take down and put away all Christmas decorations.

Happy mid-January, y'all!

Happy 2012

2012-01-02T10:51:00.003-06:00

Here's to it being better than 2011, no matter how good or bad the prior year was.

I have a list swarming around in my head with "resolutions" to post, but I'm not yet ready to put them all down.

Things like, don't take other people's actions so personally. Be kinder. Relax. Get a new job. Act and BE happier because really? I'm very blessed. Work out and go to church more. As in regularly. As in DON'T STOP DOING IT. Stop playing stuipid iPhone games all the damn time.

Stuff like that. But the list above isn't pretty and bullet-pointed, or even well thought out. So I'm going to take some time and really take them seriously. My goals for 2012. I guess at the top of the list would be, for no one to die (2011 brought too much death and sadness into my life). And while I cannot control these things, I do hope that the year is filled with happy celebrations of life instead of sad ones.

And that's all I'm going to say about that. Because #2 on my list is BE MORE POSITIVE!

Now it's time for a run and then, gasp! Juvaderm injections. I do not subscribe to the philosophy of letting my life show on my face. Pulling out the big guns today and I'm totally excited!

Well, I Made It Further Than I Figured I Would

2011-11-14T09:42:00.002-06:00

Due to zero posts this past weekend, my NaBloPoMo effort is ruined.

Oh well.

I Am Writing This on 11-11-11

2011-11-11T14:29:00.003-06:00

Because they fought.

Because some died.

Because some came back broken.

Because they were brave.

Because they did what I did not do.

Thank you, Veterans, for all you do and give and have done.

Thank you.

One More Thing...

2011-11-10T10:07:00.003-06:00

In the New Testament, there is a quote by Jesus (and forgive me here for paraphrasing, but I don't have the exact verse) that says "Judge and ye shall be judged." This is interpreted by a lot of people that being judgmental is wrong and a sin.

I expect that when my Judgment Day comes, I will be judged by God for all of my deeds in life. I expect I'll be judged harshly for being so judgmental in this life.

But for anyone who asks me how I could judge these actions by a seemingly large group of people at Penn State and beyond, I simply say, HOW CAN YOU NOT?

Because of the actions of Adam and Eve, we all have the knowledge of good and evil. What are we supposed to do with that knowledge? Ignore it?

Who's At Fault?

2011-11-10T09:23:00.003-06:00

I have been devouring every link with a story about the Penn State nightmare. It's bordering on obsessive at this point, but it has taken over my obsession with mocking and being angry at the "Occupiers." Turns out, I only have enough anger in me to direct it at one group at a time. Pennsylvania wins!

Aside from the obvious, who is at fault here? Certainly the rapist. That's what he is. A rapist. A child rapist. There's no glossing over this. He's been a known child rapist and predator since 1998, but truth be told, and assumptions being made, he was evil long before 1998.

So, who's at fault for allowing this to continue? Certainly all those currently named. And while I dream of some enraged father or mother going "Old Testament" on his ass and exacting a painful, bloody revenge invloving the removal of certain body parts with a rusty knife of one specific perpetrator, I would like it to be known, for the record, one thing.

When one witnesses evil and does nothing to stop it, one is allowing evil to continue and is, therefore, evil as well. I stopped wondering how that former graduate assistant, now Penn State assistant coach lives with himself and looks at himself in the mirror every day. In 2002, he watched a grown man rape a 10-year-old boy. Instead of yelling out, or jumping in to stop this, he walked out and called his dad. Not the police. His dad. He never called the police. No one did. Evil.

Now, it is coming out that this charity, this place of refuge for troubled boys, was allegedly involved in something much deeper, much more sinister (if that's possible) than one sick and evil rapist. It has been reported that the CHARITY and the RAPIST made these boys available to other rich Penn State donors. If this is true, if it is even true that ONE child was pimped out to a rich donor... I can't even form words at the thought here.

I know that there is evil in this world. I just didn't expect the faces of it to be what they are.

And to those of you out there who are enraged that Joe Paterno was fired, even though he "broke no law" and "followed protocol." Um, no. Let me break it down for you.

There are legal statutes that REQUIRE you report susupected abuse to the proper authorities. A university president is NOT that authority, you addlepated dumbasses.

Secondly, we all, each of us, has a duty and resposiblility as HUMAN BEINGS to protect innocent lives from harm. I wasn't in the locker room that night in 2002, no. Thankfully, I have never had to witness that kind of evil personally. What I do know is this. I would not have walked out of that room without doing something to protect that boy.

I'm starting to ramble a bit. I just cannot wrap my head around this. Indefensible acts. Immoral actions AND inactions. Evil.

Evil.

Day Nine

2011-11-09T14:01:00.001-06:00

I don't have much time to blog today. I'm too busy scheduling chemical peels and Botox/other injectables.

It is safe to say that I am clearly NOT embracing these wrinkles on my face. They do not, to me, testify to the life I've led. They testify to my AGE. And I don't feel as old as I look.

8 Consecutive Days

2011-11-08T08:45:00.003-06:00

I remember a time when I started blogging and I would barely miss a day. It seemed that the words just flowed freely and I had to get them out.

Yesterday, I spent a lot of time going through my archives. I remembered that I had removed quite a few posts (they're still in there, just unpublished now). I look back on some of those posts and remember that person. I've been doing this for almost 7 years now. I can't believe I've had this blog for so long. I used to have regular readers, too. But when my posting, blog reading, and commenting slacked off, often for months at a time, so, too, did the few readers I had. It's okay.

I forgot how soothing it is. This process of letting my fingers go and just type whatever thought runs through my head.

After doing NaBloPoMo for two years, I never quite managed to make it through even the first few days these past four or so years. I consider it quite a personal victory that I made it through the first week and today is my 8th consecutive day of blogging.

I guess the process of living life has gotten in the way of me writing about it. I'd gotten out of the habit. And when you are not in the habit of writing every day, then the aspirations of, oh, I don't know, writing that novel? Well, the aspiration seems daunting, exhausting, and unrealistic.

Today? Not so much. I'm not saying that I'm going to start that novel yet. But it doesn't feel so far off this morning.

Sheltered

2011-11-07T10:58:00.005-06:00

When I was in the 5th Grade, I remember looking down and seeing a bad word written on a classmate's shoe. This boy had written the word "DAM" on the side of his Vans, thinking, I'm quite certain, that he was cool.

What I distinctly remember about that moment, though, was the fact that he had misspelled the word, which still makes me giggle to this day. Being the sometimes arrogant, annoying, goody-little-two-shoes that I was at the time, though, I am still surprised at myself for not 1) Telling on him and 2) Correcting his spelling. It's quite obvious, isn't it, that I was meant to major in English and teach it later in life, right?

My parents, for the most part, sheltered my brother and I from foul language. They'd quickly turn the volume down on the radio when The Devil Went Down to Georgia got to that bit about being a "son of a gun" and instead of "Shit," I remember my dad correcting himself just in time and saying, "Aww sh-ut!"

That does not mean that my brother and I were unaware that the words existed, and apparently, we also knew how to spell them properly, we just did not encounter them in our everyday lives. I think the ban on hearing the words has led me to a life of cursing like a sailor. No, not really. I'm just foul-mouthed and ill-tempered most of the time. ;)

After we became parents, Dr Pop and I didn't really try to curb our language all that much. That is, until the fateful day Boy Pop, at the tender age of 2 and a half, started parroting us. There isn't much that is more adorable and simultaneously horrifying than one's toddler running around happily sing-songing the words, "Oh shit! Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!"

We try to curb our proclivities toward the "bad" words, but sometimes, more often than I care to fully admit, we slip. The radio slips. We just don't censor ourselves or our company or our lives, for that matter. We have friends who do. Friends who would love for their children to believe that they are sainted and would never think of utterring the F-word and wouldn't even know what it means. We do look down on them a little. Mainly because we know their children. Trust me, they KNOW.

Sorry. Got off on a tangent. Will probably happen again.

So. The other day, we were listening to some song on the I-pod while in the car. Boy Pop pipes up, "That's the second time I've heard that word in a song this week!" I told him it was a bad word. A very bad, BAD word. Probably the worst word a person can say out loud. It is an offensive description of certain people and he should never, ever say it. I told him that sometimes people use it in songs about themselves, but we could never say it. I thought he understood.

When we got home, Dr Pop reinforced the ban on the word and its use.

A while later, that evening, we had some friends over. When it was time for them to leave, one of their boys asks Dr Pop what the word "x-x-x-x-x"* was. We stood there with our mouths open in shock. In horror. Dr Pop asked him where he saw it. The boy said that our son had spelled it into this talking robot program on the iPad to get the robot to say it. Needless to say, we stumbled our way through the incident and the family left.

I feel like a failure. I thought that it was unrealistic to shelter our son to the point that he thought certain words didn't exist. I thought it was enough to explain to him that there are certain things we don't say. Certain things that, when said, make the person speaking them look bad (I'm including myself) and uneducated (yes, the former teacher of the English language has no imagination when it comes to expressing my frustrations most of the time).

This child of mine, this super-smart little boy, found a way around the rule of never speaking the word... Just type it into a computer program and have the computer say it! Won't that be funny! Ugh.

So the program has been deleted from the iPad and the priveleges on said system have been removed for the time being.

I think it's time to re-think our approach here.

*The word, naturally, was misspelled. I didn't correct him. Some words, I've decided, don't need to be spelled correctly.

Sunday Funday

2011-11-06T11:05:00.002-06:00

I am so happy the clocks turned back! I love waking up early and feeling well-rested, which isn't a normal thing for me on any given day... Except the first Sunday of Standard Time. Here we are at 11AM and we are already back from breakfast.

Today is my closet clean-out day. Wish me luck!

2011-11-05T17:10:00.001-06:00

Wedding today. Not much to say except I really enjoy celebrating love. And Boy Pop got to be the ring bearer.

One More Thing

2011-11-04T13:44:00.002-06:00

I'm not going to add some silly handwritten note here, but I would like folks reading this to know one thing (maybe two or more, actually):

I AM THE 53%.

I AM TIRED OF PAYING TAX DOLLARS TO CLEAN UP CITY HALL FROM THE MESS MADE BY THE PSEUDO-99%.

I am not in support of the Occupiers.

I think they are, at best, misguided. At worst? Complete and total fucking morons who are destructive, loud, and had better never, ever, EVER think they speak for ME.

I pay taxes. I am not violent. And any protest I would be a part of would be one that does not encourage violence or eliminating bodily fluids and waste on public and private property.

Success!

2011-11-04T07:11:00.004-06:00

Today is the final work day of Daylight Savings Time.

I made it.

I love fall and love "falling back" each year. Ever since they extended Daylight Savings Time, however, the month of October has been OFF for me, though. And each October, at some point prior to the time change, I oversleep. I don't oversleep just a little, though. Oh no. I oversleep by exactly one hour.

For the first time since DST was extended, I made it. I made it through all of DST without my usual hour-long oversleep.

This is not to say that I don't oversleep every day of the work week, though. It's just that is a different story and it isn't the fact that my internal clock insists that Daylight Savings Time ends the final Saturday of September or first Saturday of October.

And that, my friends, is VICTORY!

Three In A Row

2011-11-03T07:19:00.002-06:00

I am actually getting this one in early and it's a crappy post. Sorry. But I'm dealing with idiots from all sides this morning and I don't see it getting better.

Yes. I take the stupidity of others personally. I am trying to work on that. But when someone else's stupidity imapcts MY day to day life, I can't help it. It angers me.

So. I have this feeling based on yesterday's post and today's post that this NaBloPoMo theme will be "Things Mrs. Pop needs to work on internally to be a more pleasant person."

So far, we have:

Stop dwelling on how angry I am at people who have hurt me and live in the present.

Stop taking stupidity personally.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring...

Aspirations

2011-11-02T11:20:00.003-06:00

I would just like to use today's NaBloPoMo post to point out how very proud I am of my son. He's preparing for his belt test mid-term, which is approaching in a couple of weeks, and he has really shown determination in learing all the new material for this cycle. Not that I am surprised.

Lately, I've been missing some of his Taekwondo classes for various reasons. Once per week, his class starts before I can make it home from work. Twice per week, his classes are at a time when I should really be home preparing dinner. There's also another reason for me missing the classes...

Over Labor Day Weekend, I had a falling out with his best friend's mother. It was fueled by alcohol and insecurities (hers) and she lashed out at me with a venom that I'd never in my life had directed at me before. I won't get into the gritty details, but as I've rehashed the scene over and over in my head, tried to look at things objectively, tried to see where she was coming from in her attack, I simply cannot see it. The worst of it all was not that she was so ugly to me, but that she chose a moment, as we were leaving and taking Boy Pop home, to say venemous things about my child. Untrue things. Things he could hear. She semi-apologized for the event, but she never apologized for the things she said about my child within his earshot.

Her son, my son's best friend, is in the class immediately following Boy Pop's on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have neither seen nor spoken to this woman since that moment, in the wee hours of the morning of September 5th. I have also not forgiven her. The thought of seeing her makes my skin crawl and makes me start shaking a little. I get this sick feeling in my gut.

They say that to forgive is divine. I'm not so sure. If someone brings harm to you or those you love, how do you forgive that? How do you forgive someone who is seemingly unrepentant? I have always had a difficult time with forgiveness. I dwell on it. I stew in it. I think it is such a natural part of my existence now that I don't know how to live without that chip on my shoulder. Ultimately, though, it makes me less of a happy and involved person.

So it is time. Not to mend fences with this person or forgive her bile, but to stop dwelling on her hatefulness. It is time to stop letting her affect my life. It is time to stop letting my fear of what might happen should I run into her ruin my ability to be present in my child's activities.

It is time to let go of a lot of things that poison my soul, actually. It is time to live up to my own aspirations and start behaving like the wife, mother, person I think I am.

And So It Begins

2011-11-01T07:29:00.002-06:00

I have not participated in NaBloPoMo in years. I think I'll try again this year. It'll definitely get me back to regular blogging and I think I'm more content when I spew out loads of words on a regular basis.

November 1st. Wow. There are two months left in this year that was to be so monumental. I look back at my list of resolutions from the first of this year, and I realize that I haven't made much of a dent. While I know it is never too late to start something, well, there is just something so daunting about it, too.

I think it's my "To-Do" list that I made for myself:

Clean out junk cabinet

Clean out junk drawer

Clean out closet under the stairs (otherwise known as the junk closet)

There is a theme here

Sort through my clothes

Purge unused toys and clothes from the house

Possibly participate in neighborhood garage sale this Saturday*

*But we have a wedding and a HUGE rivalry football game this Saturday, so that's probably a no-go

Set up 1x1s at work

Find a new job at work

Prep for Thanksgiving, Skiing, and Christmas

Oh and all the rest of the day-to-day routine that we call life up in here

I think that I ask a lot of myself and then stress out when it is too much to handle, rather than admit that I'm asking way too much and maybe I should slow it down and just enjoy the world around me for a bit.

Yeah. I think I need to do that.

But first, there are a ton of Halloween decorations that need to be taken down...

Good Things

2011-10-27T08:39:00.002-05:00

Today is my Friday. I'm taking a personal day tomorrow, just because I need one

Prior to my day off tomorrow, I am getting highlights and my roots touched up. Just because it needs to be done.

I'm taking my boy with me, so he can get a haircut. His hair is too long.

Tomorrow, I am spending the day with my hubby. The boy is going to a "Ninja Night" later in the evening, so we are going to take the opportunity to go see Paranormal Activity 3.

Saturday, we will be going to a football game. Hooray! Tailgating!

Also on Saturday, I will be seeing my amazing esthetician.

The remainder of the weekend will be spent making caramel apples, finding a Halloween costume for the boy, going to the pumpkin patch, and carving a pumpkin or two.

It might be a jam-packed weekend ahead, but it is going to be wonderful!

And So The Countdown Begins

2011-10-24T15:23:00.002-05:00

Once again, we are near the end of October and here's what we HAVEN'T done yet:

Picked out a pumpkin

Carved said pumpkin

Found Boy Pop's Halloween costume

Hoo-boy!

So 2011 is speeding to a close all too quickly. I foolishly believed that once Fall Ball ended, we would have some breathing time. I fear that is not to be and here's why (another numbered list):

Halloween is in ONE WEEK and we've yet to complete the aforementioned Halloween must-dos.

Boy Pop is ring-bearer in a wedding in two short weeks. I just today purchased his clothing. He had nothing. So I bought pants, a shirt, shoes, and a belt at lunch. I'm praying it all fits.

One week after that, Dr Pop is leaving for the better part of a week in Jersey. I don't like when he has overnight business trips. Especially those that last several days. It's too long!

One week after he gets back, we will most likely be hosting Thanksgiving at our house. Last year, we hosted 11 and I cooked every morsel myself. That sound you hear is the very faint sound of my patting myself on the back for that one.

Two weeks after Thanksgiving, we are going away for a week. It will be a fun week full of snow and Christmas and snow-related activities.

One week after we get back from said snow-related activities, it will be Christmas Eve.

Then? The last week of 2011.

Do you know how I plan to spend the final week of 2011?

At. Home. Not. Working.

Gotta love corporate holidays and very strategic vacation planning.

I need a nap.

On the Eve of the Eve of Your 8th Birthday...

2011-09-23T10:45:00.003-05:00

Dear Joey,

On Sunday, you will turn eight years old. It hardly seems possible that eight years have passed since that morning I looked at you and fell in love. Eight years since your grandparents and uncle walked into the delivery room to see you for the first time and I held out your hand and said, “He’s got the biggest little hands!” This is the seventh one of these I've written and each time I write to you, I feel as though I am not doing you justice.

This has been quite a year for you. We had a lot of fun and experienced some deep lows.

At Christmas last year, you and your father and I went skiing in Beaver Creek. We took you out of school a week before the Christmas Break began and pretty much had the entire mountain to ourselves! It was wonderful! You skied with us after a day of ski school and went down your first (and second, and third…) black diamond run. Honey, you’ve taken to skiing like you’ve taken to anything else you’ve tried. With 100% excitement and zero fear. Then you took your experience of that week and turned it into a book complete with illustrations.

First grade passed by like a blur. You constantly amazed both your regular teacher and your TAG teacher with your brilliance.
January was relatively slow, with no baseball and no major events to speak of. We just relaxed and enjoyed each other. It was a colder-than-usual winter, though. One day, in early February (February 4th, actually), we actually got a snow day! School was cancelled for the day, so we all slept a little later than normal, then we bundled up to go out and play in the snow on the golf course. You and Bubba had the best time! Your father and I did, too, for that matter! I think we were all out there for over an hour. It was one of my favorite mornings ever and I have 103 pictures to prove it.

This next part took me a while to write and I considered not including it. But these letters are about milestones and some milestones are harder to think about than others.

Later that day, we noticed that Bubba wasn’t acting right. We were a little worried, so we took him to the vet to run some tests and just make sure he was okay. We said goodbye to him (you gave him a big hug and said, “See you in a little while, Bubba.”), and went home. Later, we were all at Target when Daddy’s phone rang. You didn’t know why we immediately dropped everything or why we were crying until we made it to the car. Bubba didn’t make it. This was the first time you ever had to deal with the loss of someone you loved. It hit us all pretty hard. February was pretty much just a blur. We were all hurting so much. We still miss him every day. Knowing how much you hurt and not being able to do anything about it to make it better was the hardest thing we have ever had to do as your parents.

But life had to move on and we had to move out of our bubble of grief. And we did. You began baseball and for the first time, your dad was one of your coaches! You had a great time, but you were also very hard on yourself. You, my son, are a perfectionist in a lot of ways.

During Spring Break, the three of us went to Playa del Carmen. You love the beach! And instead of being shy, you were your typical outgoing self and made a ton of friends to play with that week. You loved dancing on stage again, too. The week in the sun was a wonderful break and came right when we needed it.

We came home refreshed and relaxed. And we started preparing for a new addition to the home. On March 31st, a little Golden Retriever puppy boarded a plane in Florida and flew to Austin to live with us. You picked him over his brother. We had only seen pictures of him online, but the pictures told an accurate story of him. I think the picture of him stuck in a tree was the one that sold you on him.

And our house, which had been quiet and missing something for two months, would never be the same. Welcome home, little Thor. Thor was your first puppy. He sometimes frustrates you, he never leaves you alone when you are around, and he always thinks you are playing with him, even when you are sitting on the couch playing a game on the iPad! But you love him so much and he adores you. He could never and would never replace Bubba, but he belongs with us.

Baseball season continued through May. You went through a bit of a hitting slump, but you worked through it. We also started taking you to a private baseball instructor who has been instrumental in improving your fundamental skills. You’ve always loved baseball, but through these lessons, you’ve also learned you are talented. We have witnessed things progressively “clicking” in you when you play… Things that you’d have to think about first, you now do second nature. You finished the spring baseball season with flying colors!

All of a sudden, school was out! And so the summer began…

You spent the majority of this summer the same way you spent last summer. D-O-U-B-L-E-C-R-E-E-K! Doublecreek! Doublecreek! Forever let us hold our counselors high, High, HIGH! Now it’s time to say hello to all our friends at camp, D-O-U-you’re the best! B-L-E-everybody loves you! C-R-E-E-K!

You also spent a week at baseball camp with the Round Rock Express and a week at Taekwondo camp. You had a blast at each.

In the middle of June, the three of us joined your Nana and Grandad for a week in Bermuda. It was so beautiful! We love the beach, so we knew the trip would be fun and it was! There was pool time, beach time, a little shopping here and there, lots of exploring, lots of playing with friends (new and old). We even snorkeled around the tip of the Bermuda triangle! It was a great trip, and as great trips tend to do, it was over all too soon.

In July, you spent a week with your Nana and Grandad. They took you to a resort in San Antonio for the weekend and then back to their house. You went to art camp and created some beautiful pictures. Once you came home, we were on the downhill side of summer. Even though it was unbearably hot those last weeks, we were determined to squeeze every ounce of enjoyment we could out of the days before school started. There were days at the lake, afternoons at the movies, and lots and lots of simply hanging out together and with friends.

You are now officially a SECOND GRADER. Your teacher requires that you read 15-minutes a day. Baby, you double that each day. In fact, at the end of the day, your reading time is your most important time. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am so thrilled that you share our love of reading. You devour books. You read everything from Captain Underpants and The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series to the classics (Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Black Beauty, etc.). It is a beautiful thing to be a part of.

This year, too, we have allowed you a little more independence. This year, you come home by yourself. Some days we meet you part way and some days you come all the way home by yourself. I think you relish this freedom. Last year, all you wanted to do was walk home from school. And so far, you have proven you are up to this task.

Joey, when you were born, your father and I went from being a married couple to being a family. You made us a family. We are so very blessed to have you complete the circle. You are loving and sensitive, funny and athletic, beautiful and silly. We can take you with us anywhere and know that you will only enhance the experience. You are as at home at a nice restaurant as you are when we have folks (you hate that word, by the way!) over to watch UFC. You could talk for hours about Legos, Transformers, Harry Potter, sparring in Taekwondo, and different games on the iPad.

You continue to get older and I continue to want the clock to pause and allow me to enjoy this time for just a little longer. The clock won’t pause, though, and you ARE getting older. This year, you asked me to not make you lean in so I can kiss you goodbye when I drop you off at school in the mornings. I understand. It really isn’t cool to kiss your mommy in front of other kids. I’ll give you that one. But it still breaks my heart a little. At least you still allow our nightly ritual of blasting off, racing up the stairs, and the multiple “goodnights” complete with a random and funny story your father tells.

Every day is an adventure with you. From the time you wake up in the morning until you fall asleep at night, you have so much information to share with us. I love that. You always set high goals for yourself. Not only that, though. You are actually willing to put in the work to achieve your goals. And once you do? You set higher goals. To that end, you are now a blue belt in Taekwondo and one step closer to your ultimate goal, the black belt. You dream big, my son. Whether it’s the aforementioned black belt, hitting a home run, or reading the entire Harry Potter series, you have large plans for yourself and you actually put in the work to get there.

That's just how you roll...

Love,

Mom and Dad

Back to School...

2011-08-16T08:27:00.005-05:00

2nd Grade School Supply List:
1 box washable Crayola markers (8 count, thick, classic)
2 boxes Crayola crayons (16 count) 48 #2 pencils, SHARPENED
1 package wide ruled notebook paper (150 sheets)
3 single subject spiral notebooks (wide ruled- red, blue, green)
8 folders with pockets and brads (2 blue, 1 green, 2 yellow, 1 purple, 2 red)
1 bottle Elmer's glue (8 oz)
1 box tissue (175 count)
1 school box (plastic)
3 large Elmer glue sticks
GIRLS: 1 box gallon Ziploc plastic bags
1 pk 3X3 sticky notes
BOYS: 1 box sandwich size Ziploc plastic bag
1 pk 3X5 note cards
******************************************

Sniff! He's growing up. Too damned fast. SECOND grade??? He was playing in the sprinklers as a toddler, jumping off the deck with his daddy only yesterday. How did this happen and please stop.

But the start of school does mean we are closer to the time of year I've started fantasizing about during the 100+ degree day delirium. Fall.

Without further ado, here is what I am looking forward to over the next couple of months (in no particular order):

Football.

Grilling (when the temp is still 95 at 9PM, it is just too darn hot to grill).

Fall baseball.

Boy Pop's 8th Birthday!

The last few days at the pool and the lake.

A "high" temperature that doesn't get out of the 90s, possibly 80s.

Cooler weather.

Fall food.

A break from the oppressive heat that drains every ounce of energy from me and turns me into a slug.

Working out again.

Planning Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

So that's just a little bit of what I'm looking forward to in the next month or so. On average, the last 100+ degree day in my part of the world is around September 6th. I think I can make it until then without melting.

Of course, please feel free to remind me how miserable this heat has been when it is January and I'm complaining of the cold.

*Gratuitous shot of my long and lean boy. Did I mention he's almost eight! 8! OMG!

Heat Wave

2011-08-03T10:29:00.004-05:00

I've found that the only way to bear the heat we are experiencing is to listen to Marilyn Monroe sing about it. That, and living like a vampire, trying to only leave the comfort of air conditioning early in the morning or late, late at night. Sadly, the vampire-living is more of a dream than a reality, what with having a life, and family, and responsibilities and such. Ice water helps.

August 1, 2011 - A List

2011-08-01T11:23:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the eighth month of 2011.

School starts in 22 days.

Boy Pop will be in 2nd Grade (OMG!).

We purchased one back to school item up to this point (shoes). They are very cool.

Boy Pop will be spending the next three weeks at a day camp.

An OUTDOOR day camp.

The high temperature today is supposed to hit 107.

It's really hot.

Boy Pop informed me this morning, in the car ride to the camp drop off, that he doesn't like being an only child and that he's perfectly okay with a screaming infant in the house and the fact that said screaming infant wouldn't be able to play with him for several years.

About the said screaming, "It'll just be a second alarm for me."

And he's okay with poopy diapers, too, apparently, as long as he doesn't have to change them.

None of the above statements have any deeper or hidden meaning about our current reality. Nor are any changes to our current reality in the works.

Just got a call from my car service department. Said vehicle was taken in for a loose door handle. And turns out I also have a "collapsed left side engine mount." Thank heavens for Power Train warranties! And loose door handles (not covered by Power Train and therefore will cost $210) without which, the "collapsed left side engine mount" would not have been discovered when I asked them to please run a transmission diagnostic while my car was there getting the handle fixed.

I need to figure out what to make for dinner this week. And then make a grocery list. And then go to the grocery store.

Good times!

August makes me happy and sad at the same time. Happy because we are this much closer to cooler weather. Sad because it is the end of summer and almost Boy Pop's birthday.

He will be eight.

I need an internet hug. He should still be four.

TapTapTap*

2011-07-29T11:09:00.002-05:00

Is this thing on?

Sorry. Three months of puppy and illness and summer and travel and... I always say I need to write more, but I can't seem to manage more than 140 characters these days.

My baby will be a second grader in a few short weeks. That makes me sad. Time needs to stop!

In other news, the "puppy" will be 6 months old this Wednesday. He currently weighs 72 pounds and is gaining a couple of pounds a week minimum. And he's very energetic. He celebrated Independence Day by eating cat litter and finding a spot of mud.

It Is Time

2011-03-25T13:25:00.002-06:00

Bubba cannot every be replaced. He was one of a kind, wonderful, amazing, and there are no words to describe the hole in our hearts that were created when he so suddenly left us.

The past two months have been hard. With every knock on the door, every step outside, every glance to where his food dish sat, I felt an ache because he wasn't barking, or wanting to go outside, and his bowl is no longer there.

I can't bring myself to do our walks to school on my work from home days because I don't want to answer the inevitable questions from the people we used to pass, who would always say something sweet about my dog. Bubba was always eager and ready for a pet from a stranger.

I tell Boy Pop that we don't walk to school those mornings because he has had such late nights with baseball and he needs the extra sleep. It's only partially true.

About two or three weeks after Bubba died, Dr Pop started researching breeders. We went online and exclaimed over beautiful puppies (Golden Retrievers only, of course) just about every day. Then he briefly broached the subject with Boy Pop.

He was met with resistance. Boy Pop hasn't cried over his loss in a couple of weeks now, though. He knows that Bubba is not being replaced.

On Wednesday, Dr Pop went up to the school to have lunch with our son, bringing along pictures of two bundles of joy. We couldn't decide, you see. They are brothers, virtually the same. We let Boy Pop decide.

The above picture was the deciding factor. Our new baby arrives on March 31st. We are thrilled. Bubba would have been, too.

One Large Extra Value Meal - An Ode

2011-03-22T09:18:00.002-06:00

"Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun!"

Sigh.

The words simply don't do you justice, oh saucy, cheesy one. Paired with a large order of french fries, you weigh in at 1040 calories and 54 grams of delicious, yummy fat. Nutritionally, you have about zero redeeming qualities, what with your processed, frozen cheese, scant amount of iceberg lettuce, and dehydrated onions.

What you lack in nutrition, you make up for in flavor.

I "save up" to buy you. Not my money, thankfully, but my calories. My workouts. I work my ass off, literally, so that I can, on rare occasion, indulge in your $5.93 value meal goodness.

I try to eat healthy. I work out. Mostly a lot. I plan meals and cook and eat soups and salads. And if I want a slice of pizza or cake or a Big Mac? Well, let's just say I choose to not have one daily. But I do reward myself with junk food. :)

Yesterday was an indulgence day. It was also P90X day 2 for the third time.

At approximately 11:34 AM, I got up from my desk, walked to my car, drove through the McDonald's drive through, ordered a "Number 1, large, with a Diet Coke," paid my $5.93, took the bag, burned my mouth on the french fry I ate before driving away, made it back to the office with most of the fries left, sat at my desk, laid out that meal, opened up my instant messenger, and IM'd my friend, "Guess what is sitting in front of me." I then gobbled the entire meal in about 15 (okay 10) minutes.

I enjoyed every cheesy, saucy, processed, dehydrated, bready bite! The only problem? Not that I felt "gross" after eating such a monstrosity after eating and living healthy (as Bob and Jillian on The Biggest Loser would have you believe), but that I almost instantly wanted another one. A second Big Mac.

And in a huge effort of willpower and restraint, I did not return to the McDonald's drive through for it.

And for dinner? Baked chicken with spring vegetables and brown rice.

Point of this post? Not much. I just haven't posted in a while. And I really enjoy Big Macs. :)

Bubba

2011-02-08T11:06:00.003-06:00

We had such a beautiful romp in the snow Friday morning. I had no idea it would be our last.

I have had to tell the story two dozen times, approximately. I haven't told it yet without crying. You were my "first born," my birthday gift nine years ago, my companion, my comfort, my guardian, my friend.

You were all these things to me and to my husband and to our son, your "brother."

Even the cats loved you. And they wonder where you are.

We still expect to see you at the door when we come home, wagging your entire body, so happy to see us, even if we've only been away for five minutes.

I still expect to trip over you when I get up in the morning.

I miss you so much. It's too quiet. We weren't ready to say goodbye.

Working on Those Resolutions

2011-01-12T11:34:00.002-06:00

And with that in mind, I've dusted off an old blog: http://needtoworkout.blogspot.com

Today's topic? Motivation.

Happy Last Day of 2010!

2010-12-31T10:07:00.003-06:00

I was going to create some long-winded blog post summarizing all I've done this year. It would be a long post.

I could talk about Vegas in January and picking up the wrong suitcase at the airport and how it could have been a disaster, but it all worked out well.

I could talk about a ski-trip from hell over my birthday and anniversary in Colorado, but how it all worked out well in the end and for the life of me, I'm choosing to remember ice skating and fabulous birthday and anniversary dinners and skiing with my husband, son, mother, and father and nothing that was negative.

I could talk about doing P90X and my newfound resentment of Tony Horton (Were it not for the results, I'd have quit).

I could talk about the explosion of my culinary skills and how I'm cooking dinner regularly (like at least 5 nights per week), and how it is a big step for me.

Or, I could talk about how my picky-eater son is eating most of these meals, too, and not requiring a separate meal most nights.

I could go on and on about baseball and kindergarten and first grade and tae kwon do and all the things that my boy has done.

I could talk about Mexico and zip lining in a rainforest.

I could talk about a second ski trip that wasn't from hell and makes me want to move to Beaver Creek, Colorado and live there in that winter wonderland forever and ever.

I won't talk about my completion or success of this year's New Year's Resolutions. I don't even remember what they all were!

I could tell you about going to see UFC live and in person and meeting some of the TV guys.

I could tell you about going to see Tool and how it was a crazy concert experience.

I could tell you about the night I went to see Daniel Tosh and how it was absolutely hilarious.

I could tell you lots of things (Oops! Just did!) about my year.

But as I sit here and type, the only thing I can think of is the fact that what made every single moment of 2010 worthwhile and what made the travel, the events, the dinners, the working out, the EVERYTHING special and worth doing is that I did these things with my family and friends.

It's the people in our lives that make both the exciting and the mundane experiences special and something to write about.

I leave 2010 with few regrets and I'm ready to take on everything 2011 has to offer.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Spirit

2010-11-29T10:47:00.002-06:00

I'm big on this season.

I love decorating and shopping and baking and singing and church and the general and overall feeling of peace, love, and happiness that occurs during the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Yesterday, our tree went up. It isn't decorated yet and nothing is down from the attic, but the tree is up. And it's beautiful.

I have this "thing" about decorating for holidays. I don't like to put out decorations when the house is cluttered. It bugs me. And after the weekend we just had, our house is CLUTTERED. Hoo-boy! Boy Pop's toys are scattered to every corner, his room still isn't completely decorated after the move, his old room is a disaster, as is the guest room.

Clutter stresses me out. Big time. So this afternoon, I really hope to join forces with my boy and get his toys put away, the laundry done, and the clutter cleared up somewhat. I want there to be plenty of room for what is about to come down from the attic.

Folks, Christmas is about to explode all over my house!

I can't wait!

Thankful Thursday

2010-11-18T13:53:00.002-06:00

Today I am thankful for having a home to improve.

Early Morning Conversation

2010-11-17T08:16:00.002-06:00

Me: Boy Pop are you ready for a great Wednesday?
BP: Yes. And I hope you have a great day, too, Mommy!
BP: Mommy? How do you have a great day?
Me: You choose to.
BP: Oh.
Me: For me, it means that I don't let other people upset me. Oh, and a million dollar order wouldn't be bad, either.

Bullet Point Monday

2010-11-15T14:20:00.002-06:00

I printed off all my Thanksgiving recipes and created a grocery list last night. This morning I found another pie I want to make and also a different apple pie recipe. So I adjusted my list.
I think there will be more dessert than dinner at Thanksgiving.
But only if I can perfect the darn crust.
Trying to figure out a happy medium formy family during the Christmas break. My parents would take Boy Pop for the entire two weeks if we'd let them. Dr Pop and I want to spend part of his two weeks with him, too, though.
It is stressful to me.
We had back to back birthday parties for Boy Pop's classmates on Saturday. It exhausted me.
I had grand plans for Sunday. My plan for the day was to get up, work out, shower, go to church, go to the grocery store, start a green chicken chili in the crock pot, work out again, wash some clothes, and relax.
Here's Sunday's actual timeline... Wake up 15 minutes before church, decide to be a heathen, cook breakfast, go back to lay down, lay down some more, drag my ass out of bed to make lunch, lay down some more, go to the grocery store, lay down again, get up and cook dinner, wash the dishes, throw some clothes in the wash.
This is going to be a busy week...
I need to sort out the guest bedroom, we are having the dining room tiled, need to find paint, need to scrub my walls, continue Thanksgiving pre-purchases, there is a lunch at the boy's school, plus tae kwon do.
It's all good. Being under a deadline makes me more productive.

Happy Monday!

Writing With the Sole Purpose of Freaking Myself Out...

2010-11-12T13:03:00.003-06:00

13 days until Thanksgiving
29 days until we go skiing for a week
43 days until Christmas

I pretty much finalized my Thanksgiving menu this morning. Debating adding another meat to the menu, but other than that? Done.

The Boy's ski clothes are purchased, but the pants need altering in the waist because he's so darn skinny. I wish I was so darn skinny.

Two Christmas gifts have been purchased for the Boy. And hidden. Unwrapped.

We've decided upon the type of Christmas Card we will be sending out, but have not yet ordered them. It's on the agenda for this evening.

Our ski things are currently in bins stacked in my guest room. My guest room that is also currently stacked with bins full of office supplies. My guest room that is supposed to house my parents in 11 days.

We have two birthday parties tomorrow, and I'm re-gifting one gift (Boy Pop got it for his birthday, but it was something he already had - Don't Judge Me!) and need to buy another.

The warm and fuzzy glow of the end of Daylight Savings Time has worn off. It's so nice to go to school and work in daylight, but I'm not going to bed any earlier, so the amount of sleep I'm getting is the same.

I signed on to work during our company's Christmas holiday week, and the week after. I get paid double for the one week and get a "free" week during January for my efforts. But that makes for a LONG stretch without a break. The money is definitely worth it, I think. Ask me on December 27th when I'm resentful of those people who are not working. And then remind me that I made the choice.

Every November I stock up on Thanksgiving-themed magazines solely for the recipes. Every Thanksgiving, I end up making mostly the same things. But the pictures sure are pretty!

I didn't mean to blow off NaBloPoMo this year... In fact, I truly and honestly meant to participate. Just like I "meant" to work out every day this week, I "meant" to stick to a carb-free diet this week, I "meant" to organize the remaining crap in the guest bedroom this week, and I "meant" to set up an appointment to take my dog to the groomer this week. I have lots of good intentions, don't I? What is it they say? It's the thought that counts, right?

Oh, and next Wednesday, we are having our carpet pulled out of the dining room and tile installed. The damned cats will have to find a new place to pee (because they couldn't possibly be bothered going in their actual litter box, now could they?). I hope and pray that the tile comes in on time so that we can get this project done before Thanksgiving.

Thankful Thursday

2010-11-11T09:19:00.003-06:00

Today, I am thankful for... Today. This moment.

Waking up every morning is a gift I too often do not appreciate. Being blessed with another sunrise is the ultimate thing to be thankful for.

On a side note, please remember that the reason we wake up in a free nation, with the ability to write and say what we please (for the most part), worship as we see fit (or don't see fit), earn a living, enjoy the highest standard of living in the world (even our poverty-stricken and homeless live better lives than those in the 3rd world), is because of those who made the choice to fight for our country, serve our country, and sacrifice for our country (and their families who too often have to make extreme sacrifices during their service).

All Growed Up

2010-11-10T09:05:00.003-06:00

OMG! My baby is riding his bike!!!

Now, some people might think that this is not a momentous occasion. Some people might think that a seven year old should have been riding with the training wheels off for a couple of years by now.

Well those people can bite me!

Boy Pop is a smidge uncoordinated. The tae kwon do helps immensely, yes, and his balance has improved by leaps and bounds. But whenever he'd get on anything with wheels, he'd lean. Lean. And I do mean LEAN. It was as though he'd just list to one side or the other and not sit up straight.

So we started the tae kwon do. And we encouraged him to ride his scooter. And we took the training wheels off his old bike. And then got him a new bike. A cool bike. A DIRT BIKE!

And he'd get on those things, and lean. And fall. And if he didn't fall off his scooter, he didn't coast on it, either. And while we would still push him on riding the scooter, we sort of put the bike away in a corner.

Dr Pop and I talked about it. It was frustrating for us that he could not do it. But we held off. We decided to let him work on his balance on the scooter first. And he mastered the scooter. He's been riding it to and from school twice a week, every week, since the start of school. He has been so proud of himself!

But the bike. It just sat there. Untouched. Unmoved.

Then one day, a few months ago, Dr Pop came across this new motorized go cart thing by Razor. Man! This thing was cool! It was all he could do to not buy it immediately.

But he didn't. We decided that the next thing Boy Pop would ride/drive would be his bicycle. Once he got it down, then, and only then, would we consider getting him anything with a motor (He had one of those battery-powered Corvettes, but never drove it because we had nowhere good to take it... Just sold it in the garage sale).

Then Boy Pop saw the go kart. And fell in love. And we told him the deal. Bike next. And then? Nothing. He didn't push it, and neither did we.

Until last Thursday after school. We went out and practiced. He did okay. He tried to give up, but then... Didn't. He sat up straight. It was a start. He needed help with pushing off and getting his initial balance, but it was a good start.

And then? Yesterday after school, he tried again. After a few starts and stops, trials and errors, and a couple of stumbles, he got it. He pushed off by himself, gained his balance (a little wobbly at first) and just... Went.

Dr Pop captured the moment on his phone.

We are ridiculously proud of our boy and the perseverance he showed!

High Energy = Positive Attitude

2010-11-08T10:15:00.004-06:00

The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize. ~~ Clairee Belcher

Today, I did the unthinkable. I put on an obnoxious statement necklace to dress up my jeans/t-shirt/cardigan combo. It is obviously unimaginable that I do this because one of my gal pals at the office even exclaimed over it and the fact that I was wearing it (It's a cute necklace, but I'm not much of a big jewelry person).

A decade ago, you would never have seen me without perfectly manicured nails, perfectly done hair, and a perfectly accessorized outfit. I dressed up for work, I dressed up to go out, and even my laze around the house clothes were cute.

Six years ago, it would have been unthinkable to me to not take excellent care of my skin. I used the Obagi system, complete with Retin-A religiously.

Six months ago, you would have been amazed at my dedication to P90X. I worked out hard, I ate right (mostly), and I took pride in my fitness and my hot, toned arms and abs.

I don't know when, exactly, my level of apathy for all of the above truly set in. I have tons of excuses that include exhaustion, lack of time, and a "why bother?" attitude.

Something clicked in me yesterday, though. I bought some vitamins at the grocery store. I had my family fed and the dishes done, and Boy Pop showered and ready for bed all before 8PM. I was full of energy due to the time change and had a little spare time before it was time to make Boy Pop go to bed. I took a look at my nails (broken, split, jagged) and decided they needed some help. So I gave myself a manicure. I looked at my face and prepped it for PM Obagi. I sorted through my jewelry box and found some pieces I hadn't worn in forever.

Today I started a new eating plan that I will use in conjuction with the 30-day-shred DVD to prepare for my December ski trip.

It isn't much, and these are all things I should have been doing anyway, but these little things feel good.

This morning was the first morning I not only woke up before my alarm, but actually got out of bed before it went off that I can recall.

Maybe it is the time change. Maybe it is the vitamin I took last night. Maybe it is the weather. Maybe it is the fire engine red nail polish on my fingertips. I'm not sure. But I feel energized and happy. And separated from the animals.

Thankful Thursday

2010-11-04T07:59:00.004-06:00

Got this idea from the Gabbin' Girls (Nan & Erin... http://gabbinwiththegirls.com). Every Thursday in November, post something that you are thankful for.

It's hard to find just one thing that stands out. But I do like the idea of being forced to focus on the positive. Too often I only see the bad. I tend to be cynical and negative. I always dread the worst. A cryptic email will often set me off before I've even had a chance to figure things out and realize that it isn't so bad after all.

Today, I am thankful for my family. They put up with my moody and often negative ass. And I'm moody and cranky and negative more often than not. More than I should be considering the life I'm blessed to live and the people I'm blessed to have in it. They deserve a better me most days. I'm going to focus on giving them that.

Well That's Done

2010-11-04T07:11:00.002-06:00

So much for NaBloPoMo. Missed yesterday. Oh well.

Moving on...

High Gear

2010-11-02T15:23:00.002-06:00

Have I mentioned here that I love fall? Well I do. Adore it, actually. I love the weather change after so many consecutive days of oppressive heat. I love that the clock rolls back an hour. I love the festivites, family, and football. And fall baseball. But for me, fall doesn't truly begin until November. It's too hot until then. Okay, really October after we visit the pumpkin patch. It feels like fall then.

Well, now fall ball is over. And except for the drinking, so is football for my two favorite teams. And we've survived another Halloween with our livers only slightly worse for the wear.

I just voted.

The weather is truly fall-like now (fingers crossed for the last day of 90+ temperatures in 2010!).

I put the Halloween decorations up into the recesses of our attic, past the boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations that will come down in about three weeks.

This Saturday is our neighborhood garage sale. I am so excited. Baseball scheduling has interfered with our participation in setting our junk out with price tags on it for the past two and a half years, so with the exception of a few desperate Goodwill drop offs, we've just accumulated. Once this stuff leaves my house, it will be gone. My guest room, currently the staging area for the sale, will be fit for guests once again. And if it doesn't sell, it will go to charity.

After that? It's all social obligations, all the time. We have three kid birthdays and one adult birthday this month (so far), a fight night hosted by us, and Thanksgiving at our house to round out the month.

So while I am still yearning for a weekend "off" this year, and while we are definitely going to get busier and busier, I somehow feel like taking a huge sigh of relief right now.

Happy November!

Nablopomo

2010-11-02T07:44:00.002-06:00

I totally meant to do it this year.

Except that I forgot.

And now it is November 2nd.

So let's just count this as my November 1st post.

And I'll post twice today.

Sound good?

Walkin' In A Winter Wonderland!

2010-10-27T13:16:00.002-05:00

We are taking the Boy out of school a week before they let out for "Winter" Break. I think Beaver Creek will be absolutely magical in the weeks leading up to Christmas! Can't wait to hang out in the village and on the mountain with my two favorite boys!

Clearing The Clutter

2010-10-19T09:01:00.002-05:00

My fall clean-out, reorganize, and repurpose mission has reached a stand still. For the most part, Boy Pop is all moved into his new room (I'll post before and after pictures once we are finished completely) and there are only a few bits and pieces left to do there.

The new playroom is on its way to done, too. Again, just a few bits and pieces left to do. As with the bedroom, most of what needs to be done involves storage. Attractive storage. That doesn't overwhelm the room. I cannot believe what a challenge this has become!

I believe we are just about finished sorting through the mountains of items to sell and/or donate. I made a huge drop off to Goodwill a few weeks ago (filled the entire back of my Yukon!), and gave my maid a couch, love seat, and chair that no longer worked in the grand scheme of things. My main guest room is piled and stuffed to the rafters with items that we will attempt to sell on November 6th in our neigborhood garage sale. If they don't sell? They are going to the area serving center.

So the only rooms left to figure out are my office and the room that once belonged to Boy Pop. My office is disaster-ish. This is concerning because it is the front room in our house, right next to the front door. It really needs to be straightened up. Boy Pop's old room has much further to go. I moved most of my office closet into that closet, so it is a disorganized mess. Transformers, stuffed animals galore, and Boy Pop's old wall items/decorations. There is a Cars bed that needs to go up on Craig's List, but not until we figure out what to put in its place. We are going to turn that room into a second guest room. I'm thinking day bed, book case, small desk, etc. It's a small room.

So there is definite progress, but it seems like for every step forward, I find twenty more things that need to be done. But it will all get done and the end result will be beautiful.

Fall Fun

2010-10-12T09:58:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, Dr Pop and Boy Pop climbed up into the attic and pulled down the boxes of Halloween decorations. Finally! We've been so wrapped up in the great redecorating/decorating/repurposing rooms fiasco that we let almost half of October pass us by without putting out a single smiling pumpkin!

There is something about October that puts me in a good mood. I can't quite put my finger on exactly what it is, though. It's most likely a compilation of many factors. I therefore present to you my "Why I Love Fall" list.

In no particular order...

I have finally accepted that summer is officially over.
The weather is starting to cool off.
We have survived the first month of school.
My annual melancholy over Boy Pop's birthday is abating.
(Read the archives if you want more detail about above)
It's nice enough outside to grill.
I love orange.
Halloween is right around the corner.
Since beach vacations are seemingly a long way off, I can bake treats without feeling too guilty.
Ditto for meals of a more fattening nature.
The crock pot gets used more.
The season of decorating has begun.
Fall baseball.
Football season.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner.
Ditto Christmas.
Pumpkin patch visits.
Sweaters.
Corduroy.
Etc.

There is just something so very right about Fall. It's always been one of my favorite times of year (Ditto Winter, Spring, and Summer). I love seasons and seasonal changes. And in honor of same, I've changed my template.

Happy Fall, y'all!

The Fun Factor

2010-10-05T09:59:00.005-05:00

Lately, my patience has been lagging or non-existant. It gets worse at certain times of the month (typically about exactly one week before you-know-what). Yesterday was one of those days. By the end of the day, I had had it with everything and just wanted a tiny bit of quiet.

We have been overloaded these past few weeks here in the Pop household. Dr Pop traveled two weeks in a row (both before and after Boy Pop's birthday). My family has been in town constantly. My father was diagnosed with Parkinson's and is now in the process of deciding whether or not to put himself through the hell of a multi-year research study. We decided to move and repurpose about four rooms in our home. Baseball season is upon us.

To top it all off, the deadline to complete a defensive driving course is down to a few days. I have three months to take the course and I naturally wait until the last minute. Typical.

You could say that I bring most of the stress I feel upon myself. You would be right.

Through it all, Dr Pop has been there as my reality check. The one to tell me that yes, I do need that glass of wine. The one to let me know that my mood is showing. He's also been the one to ensure that we have had some of the most memorable and fun times I can remember. From buying the "Circus Celebrity" tickets, so we could all go down on the floor of the circus (a dream I had from childhood), to being able to mark one off my "bucket list" (VIP seats at a live UFC fight), to taking me to my first live comedy show of my life (Daniel Tosh), he has been wonderful to me.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, the days I get to work from home, Dr Pop goes out and buys me a breakfast taco. Isn't that sweet?

I find that lately I haven't been saying the things I really need to say often enough. The things that are deeply embedded in my heart...

I love you, Dr Pop. You are my hero, my protector, and my grounding force. You are my friend and you are the love of my life!*

And not to mention fun, hot, sexy, and sweet!

Review

2010-10-04T13:58:00.001-05:00

I got my mid-year review at work on Friday. Mostly, it was a bunch of blah, blah, metrics, blah. I did, however, get a giggle over my manager's comments:

"E is a very vocal member of the team and is always willing to help fellow teammates. She has been instrumental in driving team morale as the unofficial birthday organizer on the team. She also is quick to share any best practices that she learns.Over the next half, I would like to see continued development towards her career goals and development of her IDP. From a metrics perspective, I would like to see growth in blah, blah, and blah attach rates."

Yes, I am probably that person who says exactly what you are thinking. I need to put that in check. About the only thing I take rather seriously these days is my unofficial birthday organizer role. I think everyone needs a mention on their birthday and I try very hard to make sure we celebrate in some way, shape, or form. To that end, gotta run! Time for cupcakes!

Moving Day

2010-09-30T12:38:00.006-05:00

Seven years ago, today, on Boy Pop's fifth day of being alive, the movers came to move all of our "stuff" to our new home.

We were probably insane to schedule a move so close to my due date. So much went on during those first two weeks of my baby's life. Dr Pop took those two weeks off work and instead of spending it enjoying those first new days of parenthood, he spent it making approximately 2,793 trips back and forth between our two homes (Note to self, never allow me to schedule movers and approximate how many boxes we will need. I ALWAYS underestimate it!).

To say that the first days of parenthood are stressful is like saying an Indy car goes fast. It's an understatement. To add a major move to the mix was like throwing a bomb on top of a lit case of dynamite.

And we survived. Lots of "sevens" passed us by this year... Seventh wedding anniversary, seventh birthday, seventh year in our home. And now we are doing something we should have done seven years ago, but in our sleep-deprived and stressed out states, we did not. We are moving Boy Pop into my office, moving my office into the downstairs study that is currently his playroom, turning his old bedroom into a guest room, and making the upstairs living room into his "official" playroom.

This mini-move has been a big challenge. As the chief "organizer" I have volunteered for the task of cleaning out, clearing out, and getting things ready. Over the past few days, I've sorted through seven years of accumulated "art," papers, bills, receipts, cables, cords, pictures, boxes, etc. I've remembered details of our lives. I've thrown away bags upon bags of trash. I've made deposits at both Goodwill and storage. While Dr Pop was away for work, I completely tore up three rooms of our house and did not allow him to come home to a peaceful and neat house. He came home to chaos.

But I do know where everything is supposed to end up. So there's that.

One thing has remained constant over the past seven years... We are still sometimes insane.

*Sidenote regarding the above photo... This stop sign is about .6 miles away from our house and on the way to the school. Right after I was given the "all clear" to start exercising after his birth, I would put BP in his stroller and walk toward this stop sign. It took quite some time before I could make it here and back. I was out of shape. I could not imagine back then that I would be in the shape I'm in today to be able to walk/run behind my boy as he goes to school.

2010-09-24T08:32:00.006-05:00

Dear Joey,

The other night, your baseball coach said to me as we were leaving a scrimmage, “Man! Joey is GOOD! His hitting has come such a long way and he is really smokin’ that ball!”

On Saturday, you will turn seven years old. I’m speechless.

I spent the past little while going back and re-reading my letters to you over the years. It’s something I’ve been doing since I started writing these to you so long ago.

*No, there isn't one for "One."

Well, you completed kindergarten with flying colors, baby, just as I knew you would. I’ve always written to you how smart I believe you are, and now I have official word. You are one of four students in your grade who tested into the “Talented and Gifted” program. Aside from your new “label” you simply amazed your teacher last year. You could add numbers in your head before he could do it on a calculator. You finished the year reading above a second grade level. Your report card was full of “4’s,” the highest grade available, exhibiting mastery at everything kindergarten. But as happy as your father and I am that you are academically gifted, we are more proud of what your teacher said about it… He told us how rare it is for a child to be so empathetic. You knew you were smart, but you never talked about it or boasted to your classmates. Instead, you were the helper. Your teacher would send your classmates to you for help.Over the past year, you have skyrocketed in height, but not width. We have to buy your shorts and jeans large and then cinch them up as much as possible. Your Nana saw a picture of you from this summer and asked if we were feeding you. You are so thin! It’s only because you are so active. Of course we feed you, and you have the capacity to eat a lot! But with Tae Kwon Do, baseball, soccer, scooter riding, recess, PE, swimming, etc, you simply burn it all off. And you have muscles! I can’t get over your muscles.

You owe most of those muscles to your work in Tae Kwon Do. In class, you are constantly doing sit-ups and push-ups, squatting, stretching, and doing things that exhaust me just to watch! After your next belt graduation, you will also graduate from the “Tiny Tiger” program. You progressed your way through each available belt and on October 18th, you’ll have your last official Tiger belt (orange with a purple stripe) and will move on to Basic, then hopefully Masters and/or Leadership. You love martial arts. You love your instructors. You love your classmates. A couple of months ago, you started sparring in class. That was a switch! You are now hitting people and kicking people… And they are hitting and kicking you back!

This past year, we have traveled together quite a bit. In November, instead of having a traditional Thanksgiving, your father and I introduced you and your grandparents to Playa del Carmen. It is now your favorite vacation destination. Your grandfather also told me that he cannot remember the last time he “relaxed” for more than two consecutive days. So it was definitely a hit! In March, we decided to take you out of school a couple of weeks before spring break to go to Colorado. Just like the year before, you excelled at ski school. You had two days of lessons, then you skied with us. You did great! You were fearless, flying down the mountain at breakneck speeds. At one point, you took off so fast and were a little out of control, so your daddy pointed his skis straight down the mountain after you. The only way you could stop was to fall. Finally, you did! Trust me, you stayed with us after that!

You tried soccer again this year, playing on an indoor winter soccer team at the YMCA. You did well and had a blast! We had so much fun watching you, too!

Your final season of T-ball kept us very busy through the end of the school year. You joined a new team with a great coach, who helped you tremendously. You hit the ball amazingly well and your fielding improved dramatically, too. We played some really tough teams and held our own. We even got third place in the mid season tournament! You did so well, in fact, that your coach told us he wanted you on his “Coach Pitch” team in the fall.

Summer came and you spent the majority of it at a day camp. It was all outdoors, all the time. You swam twice a day, took horseback riding lessons every day, and you learned all about gun safety, how to shoot a gun, how to shoot a bow and arrow, played kickball, learned songs, ran wild on their playground, watched movies (the list goes on and on and on!). You spent close to two weeks with your grandparents and also spent a week at a baseball camp at our local AAA affiliate.

In July, you, your daddy, and I packed up and went back to Playa. We spent a week swimming in the ocean, building sandcastles, hanging out, and making new friends from far off places. Your best buds on the trip were Thomas from The Netherlands and Jake from England.

True to your T-ball coach’s word, he drafted you to his Fall team, and the first week of August, you started working out with the same group of boys as the spring. We are three games into our fall season of play and undefeated! You have hit a triple and a double against kids who’ve played at this level before. You even got the game ball for game two!

You started first grade a month ago and already you are shocking and amazing your teachers. On the first Thursday of school, you found a marble in your backpack. You handed it to your teacher and told her, “Mrs. H, this is my lucky marble. You can have it.” Mrs. H thanked you and told you that she would take it to her son’s football game that night. You then said that you had a remote control at home that you could push to make the luck stronger.

The next day, Mrs. H let you know that she did, indeed, take the lucky marble to the game and that her son’s team won! She told us that you got this look on your face and said, “Oh. I think I’m gonna need that marble back. I have a lot of chores to do this weekend!” *Side note, you didn’t have chores!
Your TAG teacher also stopped me a few weeks ago as we were walking up to the school. He told me that he was extremely impressed with how eager you were to learn and how much you love math! Stuff like that just warms my heart!

You’ve been obsessed with your birthday more than ever this year, counting down the days. Yesterday, you declared that every year, when it is three days until your birthday, it is official “prank” day. You then pulled your version of pranks on me and your father, hiding under your fortress of blankets and pillows, and calling to us to come upstairs because you were ready. Then you jumped out and “scared” us.

Silly, wonderful boy. You are craving independence, wanting to scoot yourself to school and back all by yourself every day. It’s a mile each way. We let you do this on most Tuesdays and Thursdays, the days I work from home. And I walk behind you the entire way. It’s the best I can do.

I know you are getting older. I know that you are capable now of so much more. You are smart, funny, energetic, creative, athletic, independent, loving, sympathetic, empathetic, and just a good, kind soul. But I adore that you are still young enough to hold our hands.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

A Visual Interpretation of My Current Feelings

2010-09-22T12:59:00.004-05:00

As days go, this one has been a decent one. The morning went well, the sky was a little overcast, but signs pointed toward just a blue, partly cloudy sky. The school drop off was the least-eventful of the year so far. We were early and encountered no rude parents.

It was a relatively slow morning at work, too. Easy. So easy, in fact, that I spent a good deal of time working on my annual letter to Boy Pop. It's not quite ready to publish, but I have a great start.

I left at lunchtime to go order Boy Pop's birthday cake and cupcakes for his party. That done, I headed to the party supply store to stock up on massive amounts of Sponge Bob decor. It was absolutely gorgeous outside, too. Perfect weather for the first day of fall... Partly cloudy, not too hot, nice breeze.

Sometime between the bakery and the party store, I got a text from my mother asking about the dates of spring break.

She texted from Houston. From a prominent neurological movement disorder doctor's office.

Swimming in the back of my mind, being firmly pushed there, was the fact that today was the day. After two months of waiting, today was the day my dad either got a diagnosis or didn't. He was either sick or he was getting older. Possibly both. But I didn't want to think about that until the last possible moment. So I answered my mom's text, picked up Chinese food through a drive through, and came back to the office. Where I saw this email from my mother:

Early stage parkinson's. He is going to be a part of a study that is funded by
michael j fox fondation. If he were already on med he couldn't be part of study

I don't know what to think. I should be so thankful, so grateful! So relieved that he has this and not something else. Happy that it's early days. And I promise, I will be. I have a lot of reading to do now.

But all I keep coming back to is this... On October 30, 1995, I lost my beloved grandfather. It was five days after his 55th wedding anniversary. He had Parkinson's. That isn't what got him, but it was a contributing factor.

And today, two months and five days before my own parents' 45th wedding anniversay, my DADDY, my HERO, my wonderful, extremely active, unbelievably creative father just received some devastating news.

So today? I'm heartbroken. I went outside just now, and saw the clouds coming in. They felt appropriate.

Busy, Busy!

2010-09-20T11:36:00.001-05:00

Stop the insanity!

Our lives have been non-stop, GO! GO! GO! I cannot remember when we have had a spare moment to just sit and breathe in and out. I think it started when we signed Boy Pop up for his first season of organized sports. No one told me that my life was going to belong to baseball and soccer fields and Tae Kwon Do studios for the past three years, but here we are.

Not that I’m complaining, mind you. I’m proud of all my boy wants to do and all that he has accomplished during this time. Did I tell you that we started our first season of “Coach Pitch” baseball this fall? No? Well we did. And when you go from hitting a ball sitting still on a Tee to having one thrown at you for you to judge and hit, well, there is a learning curve! We started unofficial baseball practices with our team during the first week of August. The season started on September 11th. Boy Pop has come such a long way. He even got the game ball for most valuable/most improved player after our second game of the season! I think he’s really developing a talent for this sport.

But with day camp all summer (all outdoors) and tae kwon do twice per week, the two practices per week for baseball were definitely exhausting on all of us. And now we have games. But if he’s happy and loves it, it is all good.

I’ve been working, working, working, as has Dr Pop. My heart is not in it lately, though. Last year, we started working from home twice per week. It has made a huge difference in my attitude about this place. I can honestly say that I don’t think I could have made it here this long without the benefit of my work from home days. But lately I’m finding myself more and more stressed out. I don’t want to go to sleep at night because that means I’m closer to another day of work. My job is not difficult to do. My tasks are relatively simple and I get paid fairly well to do them. Not a lot is asked of me and I’m pretty much left to my own devices. But. There’s always a but, isn’t there? But there’s just something that is nagging at me. Some undeveloped feeling, something that I cannot quite put into words, something that is welling up inside me and makes me dread the work day.

I was telling Dr Pop about how stressed I am and he told me that I didn’t seem stressed and I didn’t really complain about work. And I don’t… Much. I try very hard to NOT complain about my day or bitch about my company’s daily doses of dumbassery and jackassery. It serves no purpose because at the end of the day, I’m home and I’m complacent in my role and my paycheck. I work just hard enough to get by and hit my number. I know what I need to do and how I need to do it. And while making significantly more money is appealing, the prospect of actually working harder for it is not (yes, I know I’m what’s wrong with people these days).

So here I sit. I’ve just completed my first rambling post in quite some time and I feel better for it. I need to get back into gear with my blogging.

11 days

2010-09-14T08:55:00.002-05:00

In 11 days, my one and only baby will turn 7.

He seeks more and more independence each day.

He is begging to ride his scooter to school... Alone.

I say yes to the scooter two days a week with me following behind.

It's the only compromise I'm comfortable with right now.

The exercise is doing me good.

Well Hello There!

2010-08-10T10:25:00.005-05:00

I suppose I've abandoned my blog. One of these days, I'll get back into it, I swear! In the meantime, I've just been spending time with these handsome fellas:

School starts two weeks from today. I will officially have a first grader (OMG!). Our summer has been a non-stop whirlwind of camp (for the boy), work (for the parents), the lake, Mexico, hanging out with friends, and enjoying every moment that we have. There hasn't been a spare moment to put a coherent thought to print.

On a not-so-interesting side note, we managed to purchase all of the school supplies in one evening at three different stores. Considering the random supplies asked for, and in non-standard colors, I call this a success!

Thought For Friday

2010-04-23T10:07:00.003-05:00

Perhaps... Just PERHAPS, our company should not invest so much in hiring "social media experts" and maybe, just MAYBE, invest resources into hiring people who can actually manage supply chain and shipping products and making the bread and butter of the company's existance a tiny bit better.

Just a suggestion.

Twitter (and Facebook) Killed My Blog

2010-04-22T08:34:00.004-05:00

It's true. Since joining both Twitter and Facebook, my blogging has become almost nonexistant. On Facebook, I'm busy updating people I actually know (with a couple of exceptions) with pictures and stories and status updates. On Twitter, I'm providing 140-character updates on everything from T-Ball to how much I'm exercising.

These things used to be reserved solely for here.

While I am still going to be on Facebook, I think it's time I said goodbye and deleted my Twitter profile.

The internet is a funny place. "Social" media is even funnier. It can be a wonderful thing. I have met some great people via the internet... But that was a long, long time ago. Back in the day of the BBB. I am still in touch with those people. We are friends IN REAL LIFE.

And there are some people with whom I've connected on Twitter that I'd like to meet. You know who you are. But I'm really afraid that in this day and age and at this point in my life, it simply is not going to happen. Let's face it. Aside from the very few people on Twitter I know IN REAL LIFE, or even the Central Texas area gals who I haven't met yet, but are in close proximity to me, I am just not going to travel that far. When I travel, it is to be with my family or close friends, but not to leave my family. Never. So you won't see me at BlogHer or at 140 conference, or at any of the other events out there that connect people who've met virtually in actual REAL LIFE.

We are not friends... Yet. The comfort of the world wide web has lulled us into thinking that we are. But the thing about friendship is that it takes effort. Conversation. Email. Coffee. An invitation to my home. I'm old fashioned that way.

The other night, I had dinner with one of my oldest friends. It got me to thinking. You see, when once we were practically inseparable, life happened to us and we grew apart. But she will always and forever be one of my dearest friends. I know this because I know that if anything ever happened to me, if I needed her help, if I called for ANY reason, big or small, she would be there. She has my back. And I have hers.

THAT. That truth right there? THAT is friendship.

And people of the world wide web, you guys are not my friends. We are acquaintances at best. And that's okay. It has been made abundantly clear to me that if I need you in the virtual sense, if I'm being attacked for expressing my views or even for defending yours, you most certainly do NOT have my back.

I made the mistake one too many times in the blogosphere of stepping up in blog comments to defend someone I mistakenly thought was a friend. But in the world of the internet, you people do not follow my rules of friendship. It's okay, really it is. You might not have the same friendship code I have. But I'll stick to my blog and stay off Twitter. "@" replying to someone does not mean you are friends. Cameraderie does not mean you are friends.

And quite frankly, I prefer the real world.

Just Wondering

2010-03-12T11:08:00.002-06:00

Have you ever had so many stories to tell, pictures to share, experiences, etc that you are frozen with writer's block?

Or is it just me?

Once I can figure out what to say and how to say it, I'll be back with more writing...

Week Three of My Birthday Month

2010-02-18T12:56:00.002-06:00

Now in convenient bullet-point fashion:

Got my roots done this past Saturday
They look good
Came home to beautiful Valentine's flowers
And chocolate dipped strawberries
Got the time wrong on Boy Pop's soccer game
Drove up right as it ended
Lovely
Thought we had an "oops" moment of a different variety
But we didn't
Made an offer on my dream home
OMG!
Stunning!
Gorgeous!
Huge!
Dream home!!!
Didn't get it
I'm sad
But everything happens for a reason
So now we are looking at flooring
God!
Pain in the ass
Do we buy what we want?
Or do we buy what will be passable if we sell?
Huge difference
Frustrating
And I only spent an hour on it
Ugh
And some stupid fucking moron flew his plane into a building in town
Because he was pissed off at the government
And about paying taxes
So he wanted to take out some IRS hourly workers
Good job
Dumbass
Thanks for preempting every single network
It's only Thursday
Good Lord this has been a long, emotional, good, not-so-good, surprising week

Valentine

2010-02-12T14:09:00.002-06:00

This past December, one of our local shopping centers brought in a snow machine to give us a momentary winder wonderland. We all had a blast playing in it!

These are my official Valentine dates and I love them beyond words.

Words To Live By

2010-02-11T07:53:00.003-06:00

I follow @Real_Simple on Twitter. It is my favorite magazine and I love their ideas, recipes, and even their fashion tips. It is a great magazine and if you are not reading it, you need to go pick up a copy pronto. Then subscribe. Then say, "Thank you, Mrs Pop!"

Every morning (or most mornings anyway), they post a thought of the day. Today's really spoke to me despite who said it.

“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.”―Oprah Winfrey

I find it extremely difficult to let go of things, often carrying around this heavy backpack of resentment, indignancy, judgment, and superiority everywhere I go. It is exhausting! Not surprisingly, I am cranky a lot, too.

I am really going to work very hard at emptying out my figurative backpack. The title of my blog is "Where are we going?" It comes from the latin phrase, "Quo Vadis," and I did not translate it directly as the direct translation is, "Where are you going?" Since my blog is about ME and MY family, I decided to take some liberties with the translation.

I don't really answer the question when I blog. I mainly tell you where I am or where I've been. Right now, it doesn't really matter where I am going. It matters that I have this huge self-inflicted burden of the entire world that I have managed to place squarely on my own shoulders and it is not only weighing me down, but it is also weighing down my family. I'm not a positive person. And I cannot change that overnight. But true change can only come from a person's level of desire TO change. To be different.

I have that desire. It's time to empty out my backpack. Breathe. Let go.

Week 2 of Birthday Month

2010-02-08T14:49:00.002-06:00

I think we should just automatically take Mondays off because they are so high on the suck scale. But then that would turn Tuesdays into the new Mondays and then we are all right back where we started. And so I muddle through another start to the work week...

I have a little list of things I would like to accomplish this month, in honor of my upcoming celebration of turning one year older and in no particular order, here we go:

Get a microdermabrasion
Lose 5 pounds
Commit to Obagi
Work out 3 - 4 times per week
Get my real estate license renewed
Get my roots "done"
Go get a makeover at a makeup counter
Buy a new outfit or two

And yes, these are all very self-centered items, but I don't care, because it is MY birthday month and I'll do it if I want to! ;)

And considering that I've already had the microderm (last week) and the hair appointment is recurring and just so happens to be this weekend, I'm not really doing anything out of the ordinary. Except maybe eat better and work out more.

In other news, we are also three weeks away from the start of t-ball, part 5 and a fun-filled ski trip to Colorado! Hooray! I just need to convince some folks that I really want to have my birthday dinner at a location only accessible by horse-drawn sleigh. That would be awesome.

Did I Ever Tell Y'all About Thanksgiving?

2010-02-05T14:31:00.002-06:00

No? Well, it was definitely out of the ordinary for this family. We went to Playa. I know, I know... Playa itself is not out of the ordinary. Going during Thanksgiving, bringing Boy Pop, and going with my parents, though? Well *that* is definitely a new experience!

If you guessed that it was a great trip, then you guessed correctly! We all had a ball! Boy Pop declared that he wanted to live there. My parents were impressed by the resort. Everyone was relaxed and it was an all-around relaxing trip. I was surprised considering that I tend to get a tiny little bit stressed out when vacationing with my parents.

My dad told Dr Pop and I that he could not remember a time in his life where he spent more than two consecutive days doing nothing. This man is a hard worker! And even his vacations turn into work because they always have to GO! And DO! And EXPLORE! And OMG, I'm exhausted just thinking about it! I know how they are, though, having grown up and gone on vacations with them. Every single place is treated as though we will never return, so we have to squeeze every single drop of sightseeing, museum hopping, ruins-finding fun out of every single minute of every single day.

That's not how I roll anymore. Dr Pop cured me of that. On our vacations, we sleep. We eat. We lay out on the beach, then move to the pool. We go out to eat and find local bars to hang out at. Sometimes, we will take a day trip somewhere. Explore something new. And this trip? Was no different. And my parents adapted extremely well to the doing of the nothing.

I thought it was all so very amazing until I realized one important detail... Just watching Boy Pop swim and play and run and build sandcastles and perform on stage? Well, that is enough to keep anyone entertained for a week!

A Good Hair Day

2010-02-04T13:24:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, Dr Pop and I decided that it had been long enough, and that Vegas missed us quite a bit. So we went. We had a great time, too. We gambled, we drank adult beverages, we shopped (check out my new purple platforms in the picture!), and we ate a fabulous meal at Delmonico's.

But the crowning achievement of this trip was not the gambling. It was not winning a pile of cash. It was not the room (OMG, LOVE THEhotel at Madalay Bay!). It was definitely not the 7+ hours sitting in the sports book on "NFL Championship Weekend" (It never occurred to me to leave Dr Pop and go pull on some slot machines or shop). It was not trying and loving a new restaurant. Oh no. Because even though this trip was so much fun and super-fabulous, there was one thing that I could not shut up about from Saturday on... In fact, I still cannot shut up about it. So much so, that I went out and bought a new hair dryer when I got home.

The crowning achievement during that trip was my hair.

I'm not known for having good hair days. Usually my hair looks frazzled, frizzy, damaged, and shows an inappropriate length of dark roots. Hey, I've abused my hair over my lifetime. It's getting better, but I live in a humid climate and I like sleep more than primping, so my hair gets short shrift in the mornings.

On Saturday in Vegas, though, I achieved perfect hair all by myself, armed with nothing more than the hair dryer supplied by the hotel (THEhotel) and a round brush.

I made Dr Pop take pictures so I would have proof. I did it!

It's the little things...

And though I have not been able to recreate it 100% since we got back, with my new hair dryer, I've come pretty darn close!

Lather, Rinse, Repeat*

2010-02-02T15:39:00.006-06:00

So. Today is Groundhog Day and I might be the only person on the planet who is happy that he saw his shadow. Where I live, we do not have much of a winter, normally. No snow, 60-ish degrees, etc. To some people, that might sound like heaven (my apologies to you folks living in cold locales). To me, though, it is mundane. Repetitive. A level zero on the excitement scale.

I like things that are out of the ordinary to shake life up a bit. Travel helps with that, but what I really like are those times when the day-to-day takes a brief pause and then goes a bit nuts for a minute or two. That's why I am glad that we will most likely see six more weeks of winter down here instead of an early spring. Those six weeks give the weather a chance to happen. Dammnit! I want an ice day! I want an extra day to work from home and to keep Boy Pop home from school! So there!

Plus, when you get to experience ALL the seasons, you can truly appreciate each one. I cannot wait for that first gorgeous and warm spring day. I'm looking forward to sitting outside and having a nice meal and maybe a drink or two on that day. But not before it's time. I'm weird like that. I don't want that day to come before my stay-home ice day.

Don't get me wrong. I like mundane most days. After all, the little routines are what make up the day to day life. Those first few minutes of the day when I'm trying to get my baby boy out of bed and ready for school, work, coming home to my family, sitting on the couch and watching a reality show, playing, laughing, eating, playing games on my phone, swatting my husband's behind as he walks by, watching them fly remote control helicopters, tae kwon do, t ball, running, etc, etc, etc... This is my life and it is darn good.

But every now and then we all need a little excitement to shake things up a bit, or else we will all be living in the cycle of a particular movie named after today. That is part of the reason I love my husband so much... He gets it. He likes the out of the ordinary as much as I do. And if we cannot get a winter here, then by DAMN! We'll just go to an ice bar in Vegas!

*Another rambling post by your's truly with no real point other than hey! I like to travel and I like cold weather and I love my life!

Welcome To My Birthday Month

2010-02-01T11:21:00.003-06:00

That's right. I said Month. My birthday is 27 days from today and I plan to enjoy each and every one of those days and milk this whole month of attention to its fullest. And isn't it something that Valentine's Day falls smack dab in the middle? I'd say that was no accident.

Of course, my month did not get off to a shining start when I walked into the office this morning, but it's getting better and if a particular order ships today, all will be right with the world once again, and people will stop yelling at me for things which are well out of my control.

But enough of that. Since I have 28 days of birthday, I'm trying to decide what I should do first. I'm thinking a visit to my esthetician is going to be first on my list. This face needs a microderm!

Dates

2010-01-28T14:36:00.002-06:00

I have a mind like a steel trap for certain things. I am really big on anniversary dates, for example. There are certain dates I doubt I’ll ever forget. On January 21, 2003 at approximately 12PM, for example, I saw the second pink line. On June 30, 2001, I plugged my phone number into Dr Pop’s cell phone and told him to call me sometime. Funny thing, on July 1, 2001, Dr Pop and I had our first date. I’m pretty good with birthdays and wedding anniversaries, too. There are other dates that will always have an impact on me as we pass them each year on the calendar for various reasons… Some dates are very difficult, but their impact has been softened by time (October 30, 1995 was the day I got the call that my dear Papa had passed away).

There are other things I can remember, too, like exactly where I was and what I was doing when the news reported JFK Jr’s death (ironically, I was getting ready to go get into a 2-seater Cessna).

It’s weird how I remember these things. Valentine’s Day 2004 stands out as a particularly cool day. We had a rare snow storm and at around 3AM, I got to witness the snow in its glistening, rosy-shaded, silent glory. I was up feeding Boy Pop, who had been sleeping through the night. Except for that night.

On February 27th, 2002, I came home from teaching, walked up the stairs, and was greeted by a fat little ball of fluff and fell in love with Harley St. Nicolas Boo (aka "Bubba") for the first time.

It’s hard for me to believe that I’ve been blogging for just about 5 years now. And for all that I am so good with dates and times and events, I cannot for the life of me remember the exact date I started blogging. I just know it was at the beginning of February and was after a particularly devastating event. I can remember the date of that event, but it was several days until I started my blog.

The reason I started my blog and continue to write (albeit sparingly these days), has not changed. I do use this as an outlet for my thoughts and feelings. It is also a written record of my life.

I need to blog more. I have a lot of “stuff” I’d like to regurgitate onto the screen. I really just need to find the time, I suppose.

Anyway, rambling done. Happy almost-bloggiversary to me.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-22T19:00:00.001-06:00

Just checking in to say Happy New Year, hope your 2009 ended beautifully and the first 22 days of your 2010 have been amazing.

Can't really say more. Boarding a plane for Vegas.

Viva, etc.

XOXO

A Taste

2009-12-18T14:05:00.003-06:00

The Pops spent this Thanksgiving in Playa del Carment this year... We took advantage of the trip to take some Christmas-y pictures.

I'll most likely post some stories and photos next week. I'm one of only a few who will actually be working, so I should have some time on my hands to do a little writing.

At least, that's my hope.

And if not? Well then, Merry Christmas from the Pop family!

I Nearly Went "Overboard" This Morning

2009-10-29T08:50:00.002-06:00

Quote courtesy of www.imdb.com.

But WHAT? My children are in need of medical assistance! And you can sit here and smugly lecture me on the importance of tests? Tests which exist to pigeonhole childrens potential, a thing which cannot *possibly* be measured, least of all by anal compulsive HUNS! And my husband may be a "large child," but that's none of your business! And my children may be rotten, but they're MINE. And I think that they're bright, and sensitive, so I have no doubts whatsoever about their intelligence. I do however have *serious* doubts about YOURS.

In the movie, Overboard, there is a scene where Annie Proffitt is in a meeting with the principal of her sons' school about her wild children. She tells this woman off but good! And this morning, it was all I could do to not channel her rant and go rip a substitute teacher a new asshole.

Yesterday, my child, along with five others in his class, got in trouble for various and sundry things that were typical 5 and 6 year old behavior. In fact, none of the items listed in the note home to us seemed out of the ordinary or necessarily "bad." And after some of the things Boy Pop told me, my blood was already boiling.

That's neither here nor there. We dealt with those little issues. What really set me off was this morning, when Boy Pop was choosing his afternoon snack out of the pantry.

Boy Pop: Oh, I still have my snack from yesterday.
Me: Why?
Boy Pop: Because the teacher told us we could save them until tomorrow since we were so bad.
Me: ...
Boy Pop: She told us we were the worst class out of every class in kindergarten.

Excuse me, but you do NOT say that to a classful of children. Young children. And after more details were pulled from Boy Pop, this particular substitute should most definitely NOT be subbing at an elementary school level. She yelled at the class. Multiple times. This is so far from acceptable that I am still fuming.

I did not sign my son's note. Instead, I sent the actual teacher an email with my concerns. I tried to be polite. But I will not be signing this particular note home, period, and neither will Dr. Pop.

This woman can bite me.

That Time of Year

2009-10-27T16:54:00.002-06:00

Well, make it two years in a row...

When the government decided to mix up Daylight Savings Time ("falling" back a bit later and "springing" forward a bit earlier), they totally screwed with my internal clock. Last year, it seemed to take forever for the clock to fall back an hour! In fact, starting about two weeks before the official time change, my body decided that it didn't care what the clock said, it was taking the extra hour.

So you can imagine what happened, right? Yep. I overslept. For about two weeks solid, I overslept by 30 minutes to an hour. In fact, the actual time change seemed a bit anti-climactic as I'd already switched my internal clock.

Fast forward one year. The past two months have been full of changes, but the main one was the start of elementary school. I had to rework my internal clock yet again to set it to get up earlier so that I could get myself ready for work before getting the Boy up and ready for school, then get us both out the door, him delivered to the school, and myself to work, all at a relatively reasonable time.

It hasn't been without challenges and minor slip-ups. I've gotten up 5 - 10 minutes late on the rare occasion, pushing snooze one too many times (hey, I love sleeping!).

Unfortunately, the "fall back" syndrome hit me hard this week. I had been a little more exhausted than usual last week, but it didn't dawn on me that I was going through the same body clock issues that I did last year until Monday morning.

It was a dark, dreary morning. It was dark when I woke up. I remember my alarm going off and hitting the snooze button (as I do every morning). I remember thinking that I had one more snooze left before I absolutely HAD to get out of bed. And when that "snooze" alarm went off, I got out of bed and got going. I took my shower, got myself ready, and got ready to get Boy Pop out of bed.

And that's when I glanced at the clock. I was ONE HOUR, EXACTLY off. One entire hour. Instead of it being 6:45, it was 7:45. Guess what starts at 7:45, on the dot? Yep. School.

It was no big deal. Boy Pop had an excused tardy and no one noticed I was a little late to work. But it hit me. The time change should have happened already and it doesn't happen until this Sunday!

Ah, well... Sic transit gloria mundi.*

*Thus passes the glory of the world. My high school Latin teacher would be so proud!

Random Thought

2009-10-22T08:05:00.001-05:00

I work in a building with several floors and three wings. On my particular floor, in my particular wing, there is one ladies room. There are a lot of women who work in the same part of the building as I work.

So why is it ALWAYS a shock when someone is coming out of the bathroom at the same time I am going in? And then, why do we both ALWAYS feel the need to apologize to each other for it?

Well... Crud!

2009-10-20T09:30:00.002-05:00

I just realized that my plans of doing NaBloPoMo (www.nablopomo.com) are up in smoke. I did it for the first two years (2006 and 2007), taking a break last year, but promising myself that I'd do it for sure this year.

Well, because we are planning a week in Mexico, with spotty internet service, at Thanksgiving, I don't think it will happen.

Sigh!

After a "Taste"

2009-10-15T11:29:00.002-05:00

After a taste of what we had in store for us for Fall 2009, we are having another "cold" front move in just in time for a gorgeous weekend!

You might think I'm a little nuts for getting excited about 70-degree temperatures and a steady forecast, but when you live in Central Texas, like I do, and lived through the hottest summer ever on record, like I did, and experienced "extreme" drought that closed public boat ramps on lakes because the levels were so low...

Well, you'd get all happy and do a dance, too!

Supporting Mothers

2009-10-14T12:33:00.003-05:00

My friend, Jessica, is going to be on today's Dr. Phil show. It is an episode about working mothers vs. stay at home moms.

Apparently it is a bloodbath.

I was going to set my DVR to watch it later, but I forgot. Hell, I don't even know what channel Dr. Phil is on because I am one of those working mothers who is not at home during the day when it airs.

Because I am a working mother who feels the guilt every day that I walk through the doors at the office, I am sympathetic to those who are also like me and a little envious of those who are able to stay at home.

But either way, work or stay home, we are making a choice. Most of the time, our choices are made with the best of intentions and the most personal of reasons. For the most part, we make our choices for the overall good of our families and our children.

About the only time I sit in judgment of a mother who chooses to work instead of be at home are the cases where the following are true:

If the mother doesn't "need" to work. In this case, "need" can mean many things. I am referring to financial, marital, and/or psychological need.
The the mother puts more value on the job than on the children's needs. I've attended all but two events that my son has had during the day and if I cannot make it, Dr Pop can. Most of the time, we are there together. If the school calls, I will drop everything, no matter how seemingly "important" my superiors have made whatever task I'm currently working on.

I don't have a "career ladder" I'm trying to work my way up. I have a job. A place to go to earn a paycheck. And I'm totally defensive about it. And I'm totally jealous of people like Jessica who found a balance that allowed them to stay at home and thrive.

But the bottom line in all of this is that we really need to support one another and not tear each other apart! You are not in my shoes or living in my house or in my exact situation. And neither am I in yours. And as mothers, we all live with guilt. Guilt that we are not doing enough or being enough for our kids. That we are not raising them the right way. That years from now, our names will come up in therapist sessions as the reason our kids' lives are f-ed up.

We do the best we can with what we have. We show love. We show caring.

And that is quite often enough.

Behind on the October "To-Do" List...

2009-10-13T09:57:00.001-05:00

No Halloween costume yet for Boy Pop.

No visit to the pumpkin patch yet.

No Jack O'Lantern.

Crap.

It's October 13th!

I Don't Blog Enough These Days

2009-10-09T11:51:00.004-05:00

I've been realizing this a lot lately. I just don't keep up with it like I used to a couple of years ago. It's sad, really.

But I've been so busy! As my son gets older and involved in more activities and as my life and my family's life gets more and more hectic, this thing falls by the wayside.

But that doesn't mean I'm not thinking about blogging. I create posts in my head almost daily. So I have all these stories to tell and they've gotten all jumbled up together.

So I'll leave you with this, my Friday Confession...

You know that mom at the kid's sporting event? The one who screams? The one who complains about the coach? The one who is mostly a big ole jerk at the games?

Um, yeah.

That was me last Saturday.

Ugh.

Time to Get Crackin'

2009-10-02T12:40:00.002-05:00

There are three months left in 2009. That's it. Is it just me or has 2009 sped on by without so much as stopping to say hello?

With the arrival of what is my favorite time of year, also comes the weight on my shoulders of all the junk and clutter we have all over the place. Maybe it's a sign of the times in which we live, but we have a ton of stuff. All over the place.

My son has too many toys spread over too many places. I have 40 white t-shirts. Or is it 41? Clothes that have not been worn in 6 years sit in closets, being rotated by season. Pictures sit in bins and baskets, waiting to be lovingly placed in photo albums. Pictures sit on memory cards, waiting to be downloaded, uploaded, and saved to CD.

There are Halloween decorations to take down from the attic, costumes to buy, fall recipes to try.

And perhaps the best part? It actually FEELS like Fall! We are having mild weather, welcome rainfall, cool fronts, crisp mornings. It is awesome! I love seasons. And Fall to me has always been about home.

Being at home.
Cooking for my family.
Lighting a fire.
Comfy blankets on the couch.
Cold sheets.
Warm toes.
Football.
Firing up the grill.
Decorating the house.
Shopping.
Wearing corduroy.
Boots.
Laughter.
Playing outside.
Clearing the clutter.

So welcome to Texas, Fall! I hope you decide to stay a while. At least long enough for me to clean out my house!

Happy 6th Birthday, Boy Pop!

2009-09-24T11:22:00.008-05:00

Dear Joey,

Tomorrow, you will be 6 years old.

As I’m writing this letter to you, I am watching your birthday gift do back flips and swim around. We got you a “frogosphere” from Brookstone on Monday and it has been in my office all week. The two frogs inside have been keeping me company on my work from home days. I’ll miss those little guys when they move from here to whatever place of honor in the house they will soon hold as your very first pets of your very own (your words).

Words cannot adequately express what I’m feeling right now. I remember so clearly the day you were born. And now you are six. No matter how much I want time to slow down, for the universe to suspend animation for a while so I can sit back and enjoy everything, every moment, every hair, every toe, every word, every look, every teeny, tiny detail about you, it won’t. And upon re-reading the last four letters I’ve written you, the recurring theme is that I want time to stop.

For Halloween, you were, of course, Optimus Prime. I can honestly say that in your short life, your Transformer obsession is the longest-running one. You’ve been a fan since you got those first three on your fourth birthday and have been collecting them, playing with them, drawing them, watching cartoons and movies of them ever since! I’m glad you love them still, though, because A) they are not cheap and I hate throwing money away on toys you won’t play with two months from now, and B) grounding you from them on the rare occasions you misbehave is a very effective punishment.

November was a laid-back month. We spent it watching football, finishing up the fall t-ball season, and hosting Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the one holiday we get to have at our house, and I cherish the time! I love sharing that with you… A holiday where we don’t have to drive or fly somewhere and can just be at home and have everyone come to us! And come they did! And this year, you even went to the annual Texas vs. A&M Thanksgiving football game. Nana and GrandDad came with us and we all tailgated together. It was a great day!

In December, it got colder here, but we decided we needed even more cold. So we all packed up (including Nana and GrandDad) and flew to Colorado. You went to ski school and skied like a champ, blowing through the first level and taking to the slopes like a pro. You are so athletic, it’s scary sometimes. I worry that you will have a hard time later choosing a sport to focus your time on. After Colorado, we all headed to Mema’s house once again for Christmas. When we got back, you, your daddy, and I all just hung out and rang in the new year together.

At the beginning of February, we enrolled you in the ATA “Tiny Tiger” program by our house. What an incredible experience this has been! You absolutely love tae kwon do. And we love that you love it! They have you doing things I could not imagine a five year old doing… From push-ups and sit-ups, to kicks, punch combinations, and self defense. You are quickly moving up the ranks and soon, you’ll graduate out of Tiny Tigers and into the basic class. Your muscles are getting defined as well… I’ve never heard of a 5-year-old with defined abs, but you have ‘em! This month, you graduated from green to purple belt and are now in the advanced class, learning how to use “Son Chul Bong” (i.e. Nunchuku).

You also went through two seasons of T-Ball this year (fall through the YMCA and spring through an actual league). Spring t-ball was a new experience. It was competitive, we kept score, and there were trophys and “all stars” at the end. It took some getting used to, but your father and I realized that in order for you to improve, you needed more than “everyone bat, everyone just throw to first.” And learn you did. Your favorite position this past spring was short stop and you excelled! Considering the way the season began, we did have our doubts…

At the very first t-ball meeting of the season. The meeting before practices start. The meeting where we meet the coach, the players, and the other parents for the very first time. You fell and broke your ankle. It was a slight fracture in your growth plate, requiring a cast for four weeks. FOUR. WEEKS. I was afraid your season was over before it had even started! Luckily, the season got off to a late start due to field issues and by the time the first game rolled around, the cast was off! You got very lucky with that break, you know… It was in a non-weight-bearing bone and you were given the green light to walk on it while wearing the cast.

Smack dab in the middle of t-ball, we hit what was probably the moment that had me grasping for the past the most over the past year… You lost your first tooth. The tooth that I watched come in when you were a baby. It had been loose for a while and you were obsessed with trying to pull it out. And on May 3rd, right before bed, you yanked that sucker out! The second one followed on July 7th and now you have two permanent teeth coming in, filling the empty spaces.

So t-ball came and went and all of a sudden, summer was upon us! We went to Mazatlan for Memorial Day Weekend. It was the first time we’ve taken you with us on a Mexico trip and you LOVED IT! And to tell you the truth, we loved it, too. So much so, in fact, that we all went back in July! You made friends at the resort, too, having never met a stranger. You swam and played in the ocean and pool, collected sea shells, and hung out with us. You also made friends with an on-site iguana you named Iggy. He was there both times and you had a blast feeding him French fries and ham.

When we got back from Mazatlan, we turned around twice and it was August. August was a tough month for your mother. I knew what was coming, you see. Kindergarten! I held onto August with all my might, bemoaning the coming fall. The heat was oppressive enough for us to not even go swimming. Imagine that! It was actually too hot to swim this summer! But that didn’t stop you from playing. You hung out with your friends. Watching you interact with other children is a completely captivating phenomenon, by the way. You play rough and you play nice. You try to include everyone. I see the internal struggles you wage when one friend is trying to monopolize your time and leave other friends out. Unfortunately, this dynamic is probably something you will face your entire life. I am so proud of how you act, though. You don’t allow anyone to be left out. These are skills that will serve you well through life.

This year has been the year of the trip for our family. We took you skiing in Colorado and to Mazatlan twice! Aside from those adventures, you spent a lot of time with your grandparents and Mema, and helped your great-grandfather celebrate his 82nd birthday in Oklahoma. We also had a stop-off at Sea World before our friends’ Craig and Vanessa’s wedding in San Antonio. You love Shamu and water slides, my boy. Unfortunately, while it *seemed* like you grew about 6 inches in the past year, the reality is that you’ve grown 2 and a half inches, and are still one inch shy of being able to ride the “Steel Eel” and that fact makes you a little sad.

I really want you to know how very much I cherished the past year. It was your last year before starting school. The last year of sleeping in, hanging out, and playing hooky if you and your dad wanted to. And while I’m sorry it had to end, it was a blast while it lasted!

On August 25th, your childhood status officially changed from preschooler to kindergartener. I sporadically burst into tears the entire week leading up to that day and I bawled my eyes out as I walked back to my car after dropping you off. You were so confident. So happy. So ready to jump into the next adventure! And while I may have cried that day, my tears weren’t all sad. They were also reflective and proud. Seeing you rush off with such joy in a room full of children who were clinging to their parents’ legs, sobbing for them to not leave, my independent, free-spirited little boy was ready.

The other day, you shared with me a story you were writing. You titled it “The King.” It took you two days to write the three-page story, cover page, and illustrated title page. As you were writing it, you shared the story with me. And once it was completed, you had me staple it together for you. The spelling is off, but that is just fine. The fact that you had a general idea on how to spell each and every word and did each one all by yourself is truly amazing.

The King
By Joey (September 19 – 20, 2009)

Ones upon u tim
Thr livd
A king
A nis king

He livd in a
Casl for for awa
He stad

U live 1000
Yers n thin
Did

(Translated: Once upon a time there lived a king. A nice king. He lived in a castle far, far away. He stayed alive 1000 years and then died.)

You are extremely curious and have inherited the same love for reading that your father and I both have. I am thrilled for you. You soak up every word and action in the world around you. It’s a real eye-opener for your father and I. Your curiosity knows no boundaries. You have no limits. Sometimes, your curiosity is not quite appropriate, but that is something that your father and I need to work on. I don’t know if it’s the fact that you are an only child and have spent your entire life around adults or if it is just innate in your nature, but you come across so much older than you are. We have to stop and remind ourselves that you are, in fact, only 5 (now 6) on those occasions that you do act your age. You get so frustrated when you cannot figure things out. More so when you cannot adequately verbalize what you are trying to say. You want so badly to let us know what’s on your mind that your mouth works faster than your brain and you stumble a bit. We are always reminding you to slow down, think it out, then tell us. And sometimes we get frustrated as well. You might be the best reader in the world, but the patience department is definitely lacking… Perhaps another inheritance from Mommy and Daddy? That’s okay, though. It’s just something we can all work on together.

You are always asking me to tell you stories. You want real ones and made up ones. And poop ones. Don’t get me started on your very typical boy obsession with bodily functions!!! You and your father can laugh forever when you make the armpit fart sounds or he tells you a “Longtail poop story” before bed. It’s a guy thing and I’m glad you have your daddy to teach you those things.

And while I have so much more to say and share with you, this is getting a little on the long side. So I'd like to tell you a little story...

Once upon a time,
There lived a little prince named Joey.
He lived with his mommy and daddy, the king and queen.

Their days were spent playing and laughing and learning.
They watched too much TV.
They ate dinner together and had lots of hugs.

Each night, the prince would “blast off” from the king's arms into the queen's.
The prince and queen would race up the stairs to bed.
The prince always won and then would say his prayers and hide under his covers.

The king would bring the royal dog to the prince’s bedroom.
The royal dog would then jump on the bed and “find” the prince.
Everyone would get hugs and kisses and maybe a story or two.

Then the king would turn off the light with the words,
“Have super-sweet dreams and sleep super-tight.”

As the king and queen went down the stairs each night,
The prince would call out,
“Night Mommy and Daddy!”
The king and queen would reply,
“Goodnight Joey!”
And again, “Night Mommy and Daddy!”
And again, “Goodnight Joey!”
And again, “Night Mommy and Daddy!”
And then, “Good night Joey, go to sleep, we love you!”

This would play out four times. And on the fifth, “Goodnight Mommy and Daddy, last time!”
And the king and queen would say in unison, “Ooooooookaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy, laaaaaaaasssssttttt tiiiiiiiimmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, SHAMALAMADINGDONG, OLDMACDONALDHADAFARMEIEIO, ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQURSTUVWXYZNOWI’VESAIDMYABCS, NEXTTIMEWON’TYOUSINGWITHME, LALALALALALA! Good night!”

And they all lived happily ever after.

The end.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Not That I Would Have Been Able To Join In...

2009-09-21T15:29:00.002-05:00

But it would have been nice to have been invited...

From the pieces I put together reading Facebook updates, it appears that girls from my sorority pledge class had a little reunion this weekend.

Good for them.

My feelings are hurt.

Generations

2009-09-21T08:27:00.001-05:00

Their birthdays are 5 days apart. One just turned 88, and one is about to turn 6.

Meet the oldest and youngest members of the family.

Happy Birthday, Mema!

It is time...

2009-09-11T10:20:00.001-05:00

But this time we're going to the other side of Mexico.

Not Allowing Comments on This One

2009-09-08T10:21:00.001-05:00

***WARNINGS***

There will be some foul language. There will be politics. I’m not writing this to provide any sort of back and forth discourse. If you want a discussion or if you want to argue with me, go somewhere else. I really don’t care if you disagree with me. This post is for me.

I am a Christian. I grew up in a Southern Baptist town in a non-Southern Baptist church. That means that I was raised as a non-fundamentalist Christian. Go look it up. I am mostly conservative. My official political party affiliation is Republican, however, I identify more with our Libertarian friends than anyone else.

What this means is that I want the government to mostly stay the fuck out of my business. And your business. I don’t need the government to fix my problems or make decisions for me, for my own good. As a control-freak, I think I do a pretty damn fine job of taking care of myself and my family on my own. My decisions are my own. My choices are my own. And I own the consequences of my choices, both good and bad. I read a lot. I approach new things with an open mind. I utilize multiple resources on every side to educate myself.

Most of the government entities are bullshit. The Department of Education is a joke. Uncontrolled “czars” in Washington are a disgrace. Congress (both houses) needs to be fired and we need to start over from scratch.

I do not trust the same government who bloats and bankrupts every social program it gets its hands on to have any say in my health.

There’s a big brou-ha-ha going on because our current commander in chief is going to be speaking to our nation’s school children in a matter of minutes. I’ll be watching. Because it has been determined that this cannot be seen during non-work and non-school hours, I cannot watch it with my child. I have a problem with that. I think that if this speech is so important to our children, it needs to be important to me, and I have an issue with it being shown at a time where I have to take time away from my job, which as a responsible citizen, I have to help TAKE CARE OF my family. As an involved parent, I have a problem with being completely taken out of the equation.

I have an even bigger problem, though, with the Department of Education getting involved and providing “lesson plans” around his speech. This isn’t curriculum! And this won’t help a child score better on the SAT. The only good thing they did was revise their earlier plans of suggesting all school children write letters on how they would help President Obama. That was just plain wrong. And the fact that they thought it might be okay at all speaks volumes on what kind of government we now have.

Today’s speech is harmless, if it is exactly how it was posted on the White House’s website. All the people (like me) who have protested this will be pointed out as many things, but I can hear “right wing extremist nut-job” and “unreasonable” already. The thing is, based on experience, based on history, and based on who is doing the talking, I cannot trust what happens next. What is going to happen during the next speech to our children, after we’ve all been lulled into complacency?

This weekend, I allowed myself to be pulled into an argument about this very thing. I commented on a friend’s link on Facebook. I was respectful, clear, and reasonable in my objections. And I was attacked by her friends. It was insinuated that I was a bad parent. That I was afraid of having conversations with my child. That I was unreasonable. I was called out as being disrespectful to our president. And two things stood out during that ordeal… 1) The people who were attacking me and my views did so viciously and were so angered by the fact that I did not agree with them and their point of view, that they did not see the hypocrisy in their statements to me (if the roles were reversed, if GWB or John McCain were the ones doing the speaking, they would cry foul louder than I ever could… AND! For 8 years, the liberals in our nation did nothing but scream and pound their fists and disrespect GWB in the most vile of ways). And 2) I forgot that in order to be a “reasonable” individual to a liberal, you have to agree 100% with what they say and with their point of view. There is no discussion. There is no “agreeing to disagree.” And disagreeing with one means you are a horrible person.

One other thing stood out to me this past Sunday, too… I’m way too trusting and too gullible of an individual. I like to believe that people are generally good and have good motives. Therefore, if I think you are a good person and we have a good rapport, I will have your back no matter what. I will defend your right to speak your mind with all I have. I don’t have to agree with your point of view, and I might think you are over-doing it, but if you get attacked on your blog for speaking your mind, I will be there in the comments, defending your right to say it. Today, though, I’m a little less likely to do so.

It’s called balanced reciprocity and disillusionment.

2 Days

2009-09-03T08:36:00.004-05:00

For the past two or so months, during a wasteland of television broadcasting, a lot of my friends and acquaintences were counting the days until football season started. Not me, though. I was counting the days until my baby started school. And I was pleading with the universe to slow down, stop, stand still for a damned minute because I was not at all ready to let go of summer. Of the free time. Of being laid back. Of losing my baby to his childhood.

Then, the inevitable happened. Time kept moving. Faster and faster, the days approached. July 1. August 1. August 25.*

The day before school started, Dr. Pop, Boy Pop, and I made our annual pilgrimmage to the UT Co-op for new game-day gear. I wasn't able to find anything on that trip, mainly because I just wasn't ready. I wasn't "there" yet. Once school started on August 25th, after 60+ days of 100 degree temperatures during the season, the weather cooled off a little. One day this past week, it barely hit 90! It felt positively fall-like! And I liked it!

So I went back to my old favorite football message board... The Longhorn Mafia Fan Zone (http://www.lmfanzone.com/). I clicked on "The 2009 Countdown to Kickoff" thread. I started getting pumped up. I returned to the Co-op. Still didn't find anything to wear, though. Oh well.

Then, this morning, I read the first of many articles that my friend, HornMafia, writes before the football games. Now tell me, how can you NOT get excited as a football fan? I present to you The Week That Will Be. My Longhorn fan friends will "get" this. And if you don't get the excitement surrounding college football? That's okay. But I feel a tiny bit sorry for you! ;)

On Saturday, Dr Pop and I will head down to the University of Texas Darrel K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium to attend opening day. We will be a part of the largest-ever crowd to watch a football game in the state of Texas. Maybe we'll see y'all there.

But just in case, I leave you with this... Filmed by me, before the UT vs. Missouri game last year.

HOOK 'EM HORNS!

Friday Confession and Other Musings

2009-08-28T09:17:00.004-05:00

This week has just about killed me...

Boy Pop loves school. He came home from his first day saying, "It was the funnest day, ever!" This week, he also was chosen to participate in the morning announcement broadcast, a production that shows to all classes first thing in the morning, via closed-circuit TV. He held the flag as the classes said the pledge of allegiance. My big boy! He was even the only one who held his hand over his heart!

As for me? I'm not loving my new schedule of waking up earlier than I ever thought I would, getting myself ready, then waking my child up, cooking breakfast, doing all the morning things with my child, then driving him to school and myself to work. I truly under-appreciated my husband these past three years. He graciously took over the morning routine once he started working out of the house and it SAVED me!

I took the day off work on Tuesday. I think that was, in hindsight, a mistake. What I gained in private time to sob for the end of my son's "baby"hood (yes, I know he's almost 6, but he was a baby!), I lost in other ways. It really was nice to have the day to myself, to be able to get some things done around the house, uninterrupted. To be able to do it all while I'm fresh and not exhausted by a nine hour grind at a place I don't love. To be able to pick up my son right when school got out and walk with him and hear all about the day, right when the day was done, and not after he spent time in after-school care.*

But then, when I was taking a quick trip to the store yesterday with Dr Pop, I was immediately reminded why I work... I dropped a tidy sum of money on items to improve the organization of my home. Money I earned and was able to spend any way I chose (after bills, of course). Money that would not be there otherwise. Money that helps us live a nice life and will help us quit the daily grind all the sooner.

I flip-flop on the subject a lot.

But if this week is any indication, then next 13 years are going to kill me.

*So, after-school care. Hmmm... Not loving my choice right now. It is at the school and is extremely chaotic. In the next few weeks, I think Dr Pop and I are going to come up with a plan to eliminate this altogether.

August, 2009

2009-08-25T09:45:00.000-05:00

FIRST. DAY. OF. SCHOOL.

[sob!]

August, 2008

2009-08-23T13:17:00.002-05:00

Dr Pop says that the Sharpie Corporation contracts with the buttercream icing company to make indelible icing that stains one's mouth, skin, and clothing for weeks.

August, 2007

2009-08-22T13:15:00.002-05:00

Boy Pop's first day of pre-kindergarten, part 1. Because of his birthdate, he was in pre-kindergarten for two years. His school required uniforms.

August, 2006

2009-08-21T11:12:00.000-05:00

See where I'm going with this?

August, 2005

2009-08-20T07:40:00.000-05:00

August, 2004

2009-08-19T09:00:00.003-05:00

It hardly seems possible.

School Starts in Exactly One Week

2009-08-18T08:31:00.001-05:00

I'm not ready for this little stinker to be so grown up!

Nightly Prayer and Other Musings

2009-08-11T10:56:00.003-05:00

Now, in bullet point style!

Each night, I pray to God that I don't screw up Boy Pop's life.
Today, I took Boy Pop to get a chicken pox vaccine (new requirement to enter school).
I hate taking him to get shots.
Because he cries.
Which hurts me immensely.
So I took him to get ice cream afterwards.
He ate ice cream at 10:30 AM.
I didn't.
I should get a medal.
Because I love ice cream.
Especially chocolate drumsticks.
And now there is a box in my freezer with three more in it.
On the way home from the doctor's office, I was flipping through channels to find a good song.
Boy Pop made me stop on a Pink Floyd song.
Because he thought it was cool.
My kid loves music, but only the music I'm not totally enamored with.
But he loves Flyleaf.
And so do I.
They are from just up the road.
And for being a frequent artist on Sirius's Octane channel, one would never know that they are actually a Christian band.
But they are.
They announced it at either ACL Festival or South by Southwest this year.
I have yet to purchase a single school supply for Boy Pop.
But he has an awesome ATA backpack.
Hope it lasts.

The countdown begins...

4 Weddings, 3 Trips to Mexico, 1 Trip to Vegas, and 1 Visit to Sea World

2009-08-10T14:43:00.002-05:00

I'm TIRED!

2009 has been the year of the wedding and I am totally NOT kidding! The past 10 days were a complete whirlwind as 3 of our 4 weddings were in that time slot. That's right. On a calendar, we had three weddings in eight days.

It has been wonderful to witness our friends and family profess their love and devotion to each other, though. Each ceremony and celebration was unique unto the couple and each was a perfect fit. And in their own ways, each wedding reminded me of my own.

One ceremony was on the beach, one at a hotel, one at city hall (we just went to the restaurant for the reception), and one was a full Catholic Mass. And still, each one was full of the same love and hope and passion that my own held.

Besides the weddings, we have traveled more in 2009 than ever before. I've enjoyed the trips and the family time immensely. Dr Pop and I partied it up in Vegas, relived our own wedding in Cancun, took Boy Pop to the beach with us... TWICE, and got to experience Shamu through the eyes of a 5-year old.

It's been quite a year. Magical, even. And even though I spent a good part of the time stressed out over tiny little nonsensical things, I have loved and held onto each second. For these are the memories I never want to lose.

The past 6-months have been a non-stop ride. I'm happy to have had the opportunity to do so much. But I think I'm ready to be low-key for a while...

Too bad school starts in 15 days...

Pardon me, I'm a little verklempt at the moment.

2009-08-05T09:02:00.003-05:00

Kindergarten:
4 small glue sticks (white, dries clear)
2 Elmer's glue (no gel or "no run")
1 durable plastic pocket folders - green (no brads)
1 Red spiral notebook, wide rule, 70 pages
1 large box of Kleenex tissues
1 box Crayola colored map pencils - long, 24 count
1 package Manila drawing paper - 9x12
2 black, Mead brand Composition books - wide rule, 100 sheets
2 box #2 pencils - sharpened - 12 count
2 boxes Crayola crayons - 24 count
2 boxes Crayola Classic washable markers - 10 count
1 Crayola watercolor paints - 8 colors

Boys:
1 box of 1-gallon size Zip-lock bags
1 box of 2- gallon size Zip-lock bags
Girls:
1 box of quart size Zip-lock bags
1 ream of white Xerox paper

Rest towel - No plastic mat

Do not label supplies, since they will be pooled. Please label only the rest towel. When buying a backpack, please make sure it will be large enough to hold a rest towel and a folder.

Finished Product

2009-07-27T10:26:00.002-05:00

Remember a couple of weeks ago, when I mentioned that my dad had come down and done some work on my kitchen?

Well, last weekend, while the Pop family was soaking up a few more rays in Mazatlan, my daddy drove back down with the remainder of our bar. The panels are complete. Doesn't it look amazing?

Forgive the mess. We were still unpacking from our trip, so the bar was a mess!

Because I Want Tupperware

2009-07-22T12:54:00.003-05:00

And I want it for free...

Jessica is giving away some tupperware over on her blog.

The only tupperware I own are two storage containers I swiped from my mother.

Sigh!

Please let me win!

Ice Skating in July

2009-07-15T09:26:00.004-05:00

Where I live, there is an indoor ice-skating rink. This past Sunday, Boy Pop was invited to a birthday party there. How wonderful to need a sweater when it is 105 degrees out!

The last time I went ice skating was, I believe, when I was seven or eight years old... It was on an outdoor rink in the Vail/Beaver Creek area.

The last time Boy Pop did any kind of skating was, oh let's see... Wait! That's right! NEVER! Yes. The first skates my child, who lives in one of the hottest places in the US (that would be "The South" for those of you who don't know where I live), put on his feet were ICE SKATES. My child who has balance issues.

I still need to download the pictures I took, and get the CD my mom is sure to make of the occasion, but these pictures the birthday girl's mom took were pretty darn cute.

We had a blast! I cannot wait to take him again. But next time, I will not be wearing a mini skirt. And I might wear longer socks, too, as those skates rubbed my ankles raw.

Happy Birthday Dr Pop!

2009-07-14T15:28:00.002-05:00

Each birthday seems better than the last!

Love you babe!

Hey Jessica! Guess Who Was In Town?

2009-07-13T10:59:00.002-05:00

My Dad! ;)

A little background... For the longest time, Dr Pop and I have been dealing with the drama of having a very light-colored wall under our bar. We entertain from the kitchen, and our barstools get a lot of use.

Naturally, when you have a light color, it tends to get dirty. Keeping those three walls clean has become such a trial! We've scrubbed and we've painted. And then we've done it all again. And again.

So Dr Pop and I decided that we were going to do something with that dang wall. We talked about painting it a color. We talked about doing a plaster/paint effect on it. We talked about tile. Enter my parents. Who pretty much said that the whole tile thing wouldn't work.

Then my dad remembered what he did to their bar. And also to my brother's bar.

So on Saturday, my dad brought down the new raised panels that he is installing onto the front of my bar walls.

He worked most of Saturday morning on it and got the two side pieces installed. He's coming back next weekend to finish it up.

I love having such a wonderful father! His payment was what he wants most of the time... A weekend with his best buddy... Boy Pop!

Teeth

2009-07-08T14:17:00.000-05:00

Holy Smokes, y’all! Have I got a TON of picture downloading/backing-up to do! I have not backed up a picture since December. Ugh!

Last night, my darling little baby boy lost his second tooth. It’s been hanging in there for several weeks without coming out, so last night, Boy Pop decided (and was encouraged) to give it some really good yanks. And he did. Only he couldn’t get it all the way out, so Dr Pop finished the job. That would be TWO teeth my baby has lost before he’s even turned 6! Both of his bottom front teeth are now gone, making way for his permanent teeth.

I have both teeth in a little bag in my dresser. I remember the day he got them. March 2nd, 2004. Texas Independence Day. He cried all day long and then my maid, who witnessed his fussiness told me to feel in his mouth. Two little teeth were budding up.

Sigh!

I wish I could go back and visit that time. We had some hard, tough days during Boy Pop’s first year and a half, and I definitely do not want to relive those! But the thing that keeps bugging me, has been on my mind just about every single day of my child’s life, is that I did not fully appreciate the time I had with my son. I don’t fully appreciate the time I have. There’s always something that absolutely must be done right this second! There is always something going on that takes (took) priority over simply being with him. I mean come ON! That house won’t clean itself, the laundry won’t wash itself, the money won’t earn itself, our food won’t cook itself…

And the guilt is overwhelming. I live with guilt every day of my life. Self-imposed guilt. That I’m not good enough for him. That all the things we do together are not enough. That we only get to do things together after I get home from work. That I slip up most of the time and don’t make my family sit down together for dinner every single night. The list goes on and on.

The reality is that my child is a happy, well-adjusted, independent, healthy 5 (and three quarters!) year old. He will soon graduate to his green belt in Tiny Tigers Tae Kwon Do. He will be starting kindergarten in under two months. In a very short period of time, a flash, really, he has gone from relying on me for his very existence to pulling out his own teeth without hesitation.

8 Years Ago (Right this minute!)...

2009-07-02T10:48:00.002-05:00

I was still on my first date (from the night before) with Dr. Pop.

I remember getting home at around 2 or 3 in the afternoon and sending a text to my best friend, Karly.

It said something along the lines of, "Wow! I just got home! Great date!"

I think from the time we had our first date, through the following year and a half, we spent two nights apart. One because I'd helped a friend move and was too exhausted to drive and one because he was out of town for work.

I know we are about to celebrate our country's independence this weekend. And it is an amazing thing to think about, what happened all those years ago. That a few men, who had finally had enough, had the guts to say NO MORE! And that is, indeed, what we all need to remember this weekend.

But for me, the Fourth of July weekend (and the days leading up to it) have a special place in my heart for another reason.

On July 2nd, 2001, when I got home and sent that text message to Karly, I didn't know what the future held. I had no idea that we would be together this long, nor what an amazing, incredible, fantastic, insane road we had just stepped onto.

Thank GOD we took that first step!

Love you honey!

Where Are We Going?

On Getting Older, Resolutions, Etc.

Letter to My Congressman

January 12

Happy 2012

Well, I Made It Further Than I Figured I Would

I Am Writing This on 11-11-11

One More Thing...

Who's At Fault?

Day Nine

8 Consecutive Days

Sheltered

Sunday Funday

One More Thing

Success!

Three In A Row

Aspirations

And So It Begins

Good Things

And So The Countdown Begins

On the Eve of the Eve of Your 8th Birthday...

Back to School...

Heat Wave

August 1, 2011 - A List

Tap*Tap*Tap*

It Is Time

One Large Extra Value Meal - An Ode

Bubba

Working on Those Resolutions

Happy Last Day of 2010!

Christmas Spirit

Thankful Thursday

Early Morning Conversation

Bullet Point Monday

Writing With the Sole Purpose of Freaking Myself Out...

Thankful Thursday

All Growed Up

High Energy = Positive Attitude

Thankful Thursday

Well That's Done

High Gear

Nablopomo

Walkin' In A Winter Wonderland!

Clearing The Clutter

Fall Fun

The Fun Factor

Review

Moving Day

A Visual Interpretation of My Current Feelings

Busy, Busy!

11 days

Well Hello There!

Thought For Friday

Twitter (and Facebook) Killed My Blog

Just Wondering

Week Three of My Birthday Month

Valentine

Words To Live By

Week 2 of Birthday Month

Did I Ever Tell Y'all About Thanksgiving?

A Good Hair Day

Lather, Rinse, Repeat*

Welcome To My Birthday Month

Dates

Happy New Year!

A Taste

I Nearly Went "Overboard" This Morning

That Time of Year

Random Thought

Well... Crud!

After a "Taste"

Supporting Mothers

Behind on the October "To-Do" List...

I Don't Blog Enough These Days

Time to Get Crackin'

Happy 6th Birthday, Boy Pop!

Not That I Would Have Been Able To Join In...

Generations

It is time...

Not Allowing Comments on This One

TapTapTap*