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.
Showing posts with label reflection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reflection. Show all posts
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Reflections From A Past Life
The events of the 73rd day of my relationship with Dr Pop, as I remember them...
It was 7:30AM when I walked into the school. The day started at 8:05, and we were required to sign in at 7:30. I was on time. I ran up to my classroom to straighten things, check email, and set up for the day. We were having a library day (for the uninitiated, a "library day" was a day where you spent 1/2 the class period in the library, checked out a book, and spent the rest of the day in the classroom reading). In other words, it was planned day of teacher being lazy.
I put the sign on my classroom door, gathered my notebook and roll sheets, and headed down to the library at around 7:50. The TV was on, but I didn't really pay attention. The librarian mentioned a plane crash, but it didn't register. I ran back up to my classroom to get something I'd forgotten and my cell phone rang. It was Dr Pop. "We're being attacked." We talked for a minute and I promised I'd call him back. I had to go back downstairs. The bell rang and kids started filing into the school and into the library. The picture on the TV caught my eye and I started to watch what was going on. And then, there was a plane. And two iconic towers with gaping gashes and smoke.
The TV was turned off as children were watching, questioning. We (the adults) had no answers. We started the day. They picked out books and we went back to the classroom. The kids begged me to turn on the news. I did. There were disturbing images and reports. It was a big blur. Something about the Pentagon? One by one, administration came to the classrooms and told us to keep the TVs off for the remainder of the day. I frantically emailed Dr Pop for updates. He told me to come home. But I couldn't.
The day continued. During 2nd period, we received a note from the school district with a little more news. And official orders to not discuss it with our students and to not have the TV on at all. I may have broken one or both of those rules. How do you answer the questions of 100 13-year-olds when you don't have a clue what is going on yourself? How do you NOT talk about it? We knew nothing. I was getting news reports via my email. My attention was divided between the hunger for more detail and protecting and keeping 100 children calm. We kept going back and forth to the library, picking out books, and reading.
Several children were picked up by their parents. I wanted to leave so very badly. I wanted to be glued to the TV.
The longest day finally ended and I rushed home. Dr Pop and I watched news report after news report. And we watched people unified. We watched the tears and the resolve of those most affected. I emailed my friends in Manhattan and DC. They were okay.
I won't forget that day for as long as I live. None of us should. Our world and the way we view it changed that morning. We gathered with resolve and conviction. We determined that something like this should never happen again. Never again. We will not forget.
It was 7:30AM when I walked into the school. The day started at 8:05, and we were required to sign in at 7:30. I was on time. I ran up to my classroom to straighten things, check email, and set up for the day. We were having a library day (for the uninitiated, a "library day" was a day where you spent 1/2 the class period in the library, checked out a book, and spent the rest of the day in the classroom reading). In other words, it was planned day of teacher being lazy.
I put the sign on my classroom door, gathered my notebook and roll sheets, and headed down to the library at around 7:50. The TV was on, but I didn't really pay attention. The librarian mentioned a plane crash, but it didn't register. I ran back up to my classroom to get something I'd forgotten and my cell phone rang. It was Dr Pop. "We're being attacked." We talked for a minute and I promised I'd call him back. I had to go back downstairs. The bell rang and kids started filing into the school and into the library. The picture on the TV caught my eye and I started to watch what was going on. And then, there was a plane. And two iconic towers with gaping gashes and smoke.
The TV was turned off as children were watching, questioning. We (the adults) had no answers. We started the day. They picked out books and we went back to the classroom. The kids begged me to turn on the news. I did. There were disturbing images and reports. It was a big blur. Something about the Pentagon? One by one, administration came to the classrooms and told us to keep the TVs off for the remainder of the day. I frantically emailed Dr Pop for updates. He told me to come home. But I couldn't.
The day continued. During 2nd period, we received a note from the school district with a little more news. And official orders to not discuss it with our students and to not have the TV on at all. I may have broken one or both of those rules. How do you answer the questions of 100 13-year-olds when you don't have a clue what is going on yourself? How do you NOT talk about it? We knew nothing. I was getting news reports via my email. My attention was divided between the hunger for more detail and protecting and keeping 100 children calm. We kept going back and forth to the library, picking out books, and reading.
Several children were picked up by their parents. I wanted to leave so very badly. I wanted to be glued to the TV.
The longest day finally ended and I rushed home. Dr Pop and I watched news report after news report. And we watched people unified. We watched the tears and the resolve of those most affected. I emailed my friends in Manhattan and DC. They were okay.
I won't forget that day for as long as I live. None of us should. Our world and the way we view it changed that morning. We gathered with resolve and conviction. We determined that something like this should never happen again. Never again. We will not forget.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Nothing Good Can Come of It...
Several years ago, I used to rant to myself all the time. Sometimes I'd write it down on paper, sometimes I'd write a draft blog, sometimes I'd email myself. I had a lot of pain and quite a bit of anger boiling inside me and the only the thing that kept me sane was getting the rant out and moving on. I said a lot of things that I didn't truly mean in those rants. And I said a lot of things that I did sort of mean at that specific moment in time.
When I would get upset by someone in my life, instead of venting everything at them, I would let the words flow through my fingertips. That way, I got out what I needed to get out, but I didn't say things out loud that could not be taken back. Of course, I never gave a single thought to what it would mean if someone happened to see the words.
During that time, I would also look for the blogs of others who were in a worse place emotionally that I was (to make myself feel better). I found several that fit the bill. Strangely enough, reading stuff like that really made me put things into perspective and realize that writing things like that down was hurtful and potentially devastating to the person it was about. And while it can feel good to vent sometimes, if the subjects of MY venting ever saw my emotional writing, they could be hurt by it.
So for the same reason I quit going to "Mothers" groups (too much bitching about husbands), I stopped reading the blogs.
I also stopped the ranting and promptly forgot all about it. Not too long ago, I rediscovered several rants while going through my drafts and re-reading that rawness made me start to shake. Uncontrollably. It was devastating for ME to read how angry I was back then, so I cannot imagine how someone else might feel if they read it.
I believe that we all have bad days. I believe that we all have a deepness to us. I believe that we all hurt at one point or another in our lives. It is easy to appear to have a perfect life when things are going well. It is easy to look happy. It is easy to be happy. But I would not be the person I am today had I not gone through the sadness and the pain. Had I not made the choices I made. Had I not taken a deeper look at my actions and how they could be a root cause for what was going on in my life at the time.
I accepted fault for what was my fault. I forgave what needed to be forgiven. And I moved forward.
Nothing good can come of those words from so long ago. So even though I have some curiosity for finding the rest of my rants, I'm doing a major delete job over the coming days.
I love what my life has become and I love my husband, son, family, and friends. I would never deliberately hurt them or make them think otherwise.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Only A Week Late!
The week before Easter, Boy Pop got sick with a nasty ear infection. In true Boy Pop fashion, though, he bounced back very quickly, so we decided to make one last trek to the local carnival.
We didn't stay as long, but we had just as much fun!
The boy even made an attempt to climb a rock wall.
The next day, we loaded up the car and the dog, left an insane amount of cat food out, and headed to my hometown for the weekend. 
It was a very good weekend.
We even went to the zoo on Saturday.
Now let me tell you something about the zoo in my hometown... I don't come from a huge city. The place where I grew up has approximately 100K people, though. And it has what I believe to be one of the best zoos anywhere around, complete with lions, jaguars, a black rhino, a huge snake house, giraffes, and monkeys (just to name a few). I've been going to this zoo for years and I love it. Now my boy loves it, too.
The following morning, Easter Morning, we did all the Easter things. Boy Pop received entirely too much chocolate and candy.
Then we went to my parents' country club for an Easter lunch complete with Easter Bunny!
After lunch, we loaded up the car and headed home. And much to our amazement, the Easter Bunny had been to our house, too! Actually, it was Dr Pop's parents. They brought an Easter Basket, hid eggs, and left a sign up for us.
It was a wonderful weekend, capped by the mother of all confetti egg fights.
Coming up next... Hospitals and half-birthdays!
We didn't stay as long, but we had just as much fun! The boy even made an attempt to climb a rock wall. The next day, we loaded up the car and the dog, left an insane amount of cat food out, and headed to my hometown for the weekend. It was a very good weekend.We even went to the zoo on Saturday. Now let me tell you something about the zoo in my hometown... I don't come from a huge city. The place where I grew up has approximately 100K people, though. And it has what I believe to be one of the best zoos anywhere around, complete with lions, jaguars, a black rhino, a huge snake house, giraffes, and monkeys (just to name a few). I've been going to this zoo for years and I love it. Now my boy loves it, too.The following morning, Easter Morning, we did all the Easter things. Boy Pop received entirely too much chocolate and candy.Then we went to my parents' country club for an Easter lunch complete with Easter Bunny!After lunch, we loaded up the car and headed home. And much to our amazement, the Easter Bunny had been to our house, too! Actually, it was Dr Pop's parents. They brought an Easter Basket, hid eggs, and left a sign up for us.And we had yet another Easter Egg hunt!
It was a wonderful weekend, capped by the mother of all confetti egg fights. All I can say about that is thank heavens for my Dyson!
Coming up next... Hospitals and half-birthdays!
Monday, January 07, 2008
FYI...
All of our Christmas decorations are still up. Because we're rather lazy, I suppose.
Since I have a dentist appointment this afternoon, I doubt they'll come down today, either.
I have this huge helping of blah that has settled over me the past couple of weeks. Maybe it's the Christmas letdown. Maybe it's the hours and hours of the America's Next Top Model Super Modelthon I watched on VH-1 last week. I don't know. I just can't seem to muster up the energy to get excited about anything or be even slightly productive.
Since I have a dentist appointment this afternoon, I doubt they'll come down today, either.
I have this huge helping of blah that has settled over me the past couple of weeks. Maybe it's the Christmas letdown. Maybe it's the hours and hours of the America's Next Top Model Super Modelthon I watched on VH-1 last week. I don't know. I just can't seem to muster up the energy to get excited about anything or be even slightly productive.
The Broad Brush
Over the weekend, I got pretty riled by a comment I'd read on another blog... "Are there any intelligent, rational Christians out there?.... Hellooooooooooo........::echo::"
So here's the thing... It's natural to stereotype. It's natural to stereotype by the loudest and most obnoxious people in a particular group because they are the ones you see. What is NOT natural is to do it to everyone. I find it very sad that my belief in God and in Jesus makes me 1) Unintelligent and 2) Irrational.
I was born and raised Baptist in a Baptist town in West Texas. We called our town the buckle of the Bible Belt (most churches per-capita in the US). And yet... Most of my group were some of the most fun folks you could find. They were mostly non-judgmental. It wasn't until I moved to Austin to go to the University of Texas that I realized that it was "wrong" to be conservative. No. Not really. But I was judged by both sides. My friends back home couldn't believe that I'd chosen such a liberal place to live and some of the people I came across in college thought I should be more open-minded so that I could realize that the ONLY right way to think was that the Democrats and Liberals had all the answers.
In my opinion, both sides are WRONG.
Painting a ceiling with a broad brush will get the job done, but it won't be the Sistine Chapel.
By labeling me and by me labeling you, the beautiful details of each others' lives are being glossed over and missed. The beautiful soul is being completely dismissed as having no value just because one belief differs from another. What the hell???
So yeah, I believe that innocent human life should be valued. I cannot for the life of me comprehend how a person could support abortion and not support the death penalty. I cannot comprehend how it is somehow a bad thing to say, "One nation, Under God..." I don't see the bad in wanting the government to keep their dirty hands off my money and stop the ghastly greed of special interest groups. I don't see why we have to specify that one crime is a "hate" crime and one is not. White man rapes a black woman and it is a hate crime. White man rapes a white woman and it is a crime. Seems to me that a man who rapes hates women. Period. I don't understand how it is okay to say whatever you want and publish whatever you want and scream "free speech!!! First Amendment!!!" and then turn around and say that our forefathers were ridiculous to say we could bear arms. I believe that God created the universe. Maybe not in 6 of our days, but I believe in the Creation. I also believe in evolution. I believe that you can believe in both. I believe that Jesus was the son of God and that he died for all of our sins. I suppose that last statement makes me stupid and irrational, though, huh?
I'd say that as a college-educated individual, I'm fairly intelligent. I'm well-read. I'd say I'm pretty reasonable in every way except when it comes to the safety of my family (I'd be pretty damned irrational and unreasonable if their lives were threatened).
Sometimes it's good to use those detail brushes.
So here's the thing... It's natural to stereotype. It's natural to stereotype by the loudest and most obnoxious people in a particular group because they are the ones you see. What is NOT natural is to do it to everyone. I find it very sad that my belief in God and in Jesus makes me 1) Unintelligent and 2) Irrational.
I was born and raised Baptist in a Baptist town in West Texas. We called our town the buckle of the Bible Belt (most churches per-capita in the US). And yet... Most of my group were some of the most fun folks you could find. They were mostly non-judgmental. It wasn't until I moved to Austin to go to the University of Texas that I realized that it was "wrong" to be conservative. No. Not really. But I was judged by both sides. My friends back home couldn't believe that I'd chosen such a liberal place to live and some of the people I came across in college thought I should be more open-minded so that I could realize that the ONLY right way to think was that the Democrats and Liberals had all the answers.
In my opinion, both sides are WRONG.
Painting a ceiling with a broad brush will get the job done, but it won't be the Sistine Chapel.
By labeling me and by me labeling you, the beautiful details of each others' lives are being glossed over and missed. The beautiful soul is being completely dismissed as having no value just because one belief differs from another. What the hell???
So yeah, I believe that innocent human life should be valued. I cannot for the life of me comprehend how a person could support abortion and not support the death penalty. I cannot comprehend how it is somehow a bad thing to say, "One nation, Under God..." I don't see the bad in wanting the government to keep their dirty hands off my money and stop the ghastly greed of special interest groups. I don't see why we have to specify that one crime is a "hate" crime and one is not. White man rapes a black woman and it is a hate crime. White man rapes a white woman and it is a crime. Seems to me that a man who rapes hates women. Period. I don't understand how it is okay to say whatever you want and publish whatever you want and scream "free speech!!! First Amendment!!!" and then turn around and say that our forefathers were ridiculous to say we could bear arms. I believe that God created the universe. Maybe not in 6 of our days, but I believe in the Creation. I also believe in evolution. I believe that you can believe in both. I believe that Jesus was the son of God and that he died for all of our sins. I suppose that last statement makes me stupid and irrational, though, huh?
I'd say that as a college-educated individual, I'm fairly intelligent. I'm well-read. I'd say I'm pretty reasonable in every way except when it comes to the safety of my family (I'd be pretty damned irrational and unreasonable if their lives were threatened).
Sometimes it's good to use those detail brushes.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Resolved
Last year, I wrote a laundry list of New Year's Resolutions. You can see them here, but only if you're bored.
How did I do? Well, some things were good and some were not. Most of my resolutions were immesurable. I started some off with a venegance, but sadly dropped the good habits I'd started. So this year I'm going to do something a little bit different.
Resolutions are things you do not like about yourself, right? Well all-in-all, there are things I wish I did better, but I'm pretty happy with who I am. So this year, I want to improve on the things I'm doing well and drop the things that hold me completely back.
2008 will be the best year of my life as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter, neice, friend, and person.
This year, I will take care of my family, be more cognizant of how I treat the environment, and give back. Caring about the world around me and actually doing for others is my goal. I want to reconnect with the church and with God and live the life He wants me to live. I will not be held back by the negativity of my thoughts. I will flush out the bad so that there is room for good.
And to quote Jen, "I resolve to be self-aware enough to spot potential problems within myself and to begin to work on them immediately, without a making a public announcement or waiting to start the improvements on an entirely arbitrary date."
Here's to a great 2008!
How did I do? Well, some things were good and some were not. Most of my resolutions were immesurable. I started some off with a venegance, but sadly dropped the good habits I'd started. So this year I'm going to do something a little bit different.
Resolutions are things you do not like about yourself, right? Well all-in-all, there are things I wish I did better, but I'm pretty happy with who I am. So this year, I want to improve on the things I'm doing well and drop the things that hold me completely back.
2008 will be the best year of my life as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter, neice, friend, and person.
This year, I will take care of my family, be more cognizant of how I treat the environment, and give back. Caring about the world around me and actually doing for others is my goal. I want to reconnect with the church and with God and live the life He wants me to live. I will not be held back by the negativity of my thoughts. I will flush out the bad so that there is room for good.
And to quote Jen, "I resolve to be self-aware enough to spot potential problems within myself and to begin to work on them immediately, without a making a public announcement or waiting to start the improvements on an entirely arbitrary date."
Here's to a great 2008!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Happy 4th Birthday, Little Pop!
I had been so torn with the correct way to start this letter to you, but I should have known that you'd give us one of your gems last night as you were talking to your daddy (for the best effect, pretend you are reading this with all of the words strung together without a breath being taken)...
Daddy! I had spinach at lunch today and I liked it! I ate five bites, no ten bites! And I ate macaroni and cheese that I thought I didn't like last week, but I did like it. And I had mandarin oranges! And then, I thought I crapped my pants today, but I checked and there was nothing there.
In October, your Nana, GrandDad, and I visited the Pumpkin Patch. This was your second visit, but my first. We had so much fun picking out the pumpkin that would eventually become your Jack-O-Lantern for Halloween! Later, you went to stay with your grandparents, and you had your 3 year old portrait made. Nana also pulled out the clown costume she made 30 some odd years ago for your uncle and dressed you up and took pictures. This is probably special to no one else, but it is meaningful to me because I think it is just incredible that a) the costume has held up, b) your nana used to sew clothes, and c) there are now pictures of you, me, and my brother, all at 3 years old, all wearing the exact same costume. You chose to be Spiderman on the actual day of Halloween, and finally trick-or-treating was meaningful to you. You raced around from house to house, running full-tilt. You were so excited!
In November, you got to ride on Thomas the Train. You even had your picture in the newspaper afterwards! Of course, it was your Nana and GrandDad’s local paper and it was a picture that Nana submitted to them, but still! You’ve now been in the paper at least a half-dozen times since birth. Later on in the month, we played host to both sets of family for Thanksgiving. I’m sorry if I was a little stressed out because of it. I like things to be perfect. I should know by now that that will never happen. I’m just glad we got through all!
December came along and you really got into the spirit. You took charge of much of the tree decorating. This was another first, since I really did not trust you to not break things before now. You took to Christmas decorating with gusto as you helped with the tree and also “helped” your Daddy go through the multitude of frustrations, curses, and blown fuses as he hung lights on our house. Another first for us. And one we won’t soon forget! You gave Santa Claus an earful when we went to go see him, spelling out your lengthy Christmas list so fast, it reminded me of the movie A Christmas Story. We were extremely busy in December with all kinds of activities. You spent time early in the month with your grandparents, then you and Mommy hosted a cookie decorating party while Daddy was out of town. What a mess! We spent another Christmas at your Mema’s house (that was my 31st time overall, and 27th consecutive trip to her house for Christmas). On Christmas Day, we went back home and had our own celebration, just you, me, Daddy, and the Dallas Cowboys in HD.
January was pretty slow overall. Not much really happened as we were still recovering and resting from a brutally busy December. Most notably, though, we experienced an ice storm that literally shut down our city for about three days. I loved being able to stay home and hang out with you during that time. We cooked and played and ran around on frozen ground. At the end of the month, you were the best trooper you could be and you helped pick out a new car for Mommy and were also “Student of the Day” at your preschool!
February started off with a green-icing-colored bang as we celebrated the Super Bowl with cupcakes that used frosting from the makers of the Sharpie company. Seriously, the icing didn’t wash off for DAYS. You helped me celebrate my birthday and also got the haircut from Hell at the end of the month. Don’t get me started… No offense, but your head was a little mushroom-like.
In March, you showed your daddy a splinter on your finger and gave us fodder for years to come. Your pre-school held its annual “Spring Fling” and I’m not sure which was your favorite… The petting zoo, the pony ride, the train ride, or the balloon animals.
Then came summer… We had such high hopes for this year and I planned early on to get you in swimming lessons. Sadly, it rained for much of June and July, so we didn’t have the time to do that. We did go to the pool every time there was sun and you made a ton of progress without the aid of formal training. By the end of July, you were floating on your back and had even taken your floaties off to swim to your Daddy. There was only one scary swimming moment and that was back in June. We were getting dried off and ready to go back home from our friend’s house, when you decided to just jump into their pool without any floaties. You struggled to get to the top, but couldn’t. I jumped in fully-dressed after you and you decided not to ever do that again!
Daddy! I had spinach at lunch today and I liked it! I ate five bites, no ten bites! And I ate macaroni and cheese that I thought I didn't like last week, but I did like it. And I had mandarin oranges! And then, I thought I crapped my pants today, but I checked and there was nothing there.
Dear Boy Pop/Booble Dooble/Skeebledebeeps:
Today you turn 4. The past year has held so many milestones for you and for your Daddy and I. Looking back, I have wondered how we have all made it with minimal crazy… The answer in my case is wine. And monthly visits to my hairdresser.
I’ve been thinking about how best to write this letter to you. What should I include? How on earth can I possibly document all of the milestones that have occurred since 9/25/2006? There is really not enough room or time to go through it all, but I will do my best.
In October, your Nana, GrandDad, and I visited the Pumpkin Patch. This was your second visit, but my first. We had so much fun picking out the pumpkin that would eventually become your Jack-O-Lantern for Halloween! Later, you went to stay with your grandparents, and you had your 3 year old portrait made. Nana also pulled out the clown costume she made 30 some odd years ago for your uncle and dressed you up and took pictures. This is probably special to no one else, but it is meaningful to me because I think it is just incredible that a) the costume has held up, b) your nana used to sew clothes, and c) there are now pictures of you, me, and my brother, all at 3 years old, all wearing the exact same costume. You chose to be Spiderman on the actual day of Halloween, and finally trick-or-treating was meaningful to you. You raced around from house to house, running full-tilt. You were so excited!
In November, you got to ride on Thomas the Train. You even had your picture in the newspaper afterwards! Of course, it was your Nana and GrandDad’s local paper and it was a picture that Nana submitted to them, but still! You’ve now been in the paper at least a half-dozen times since birth. Later on in the month, we played host to both sets of family for Thanksgiving. I’m sorry if I was a little stressed out because of it. I like things to be perfect. I should know by now that that will never happen. I’m just glad we got through all!
December came along and you really got into the spirit. You took charge of much of the tree decorating. This was another first, since I really did not trust you to not break things before now. You took to Christmas decorating with gusto as you helped with the tree and also “helped” your Daddy go through the multitude of frustrations, curses, and blown fuses as he hung lights on our house. Another first for us. And one we won’t soon forget! You gave Santa Claus an earful when we went to go see him, spelling out your lengthy Christmas list so fast, it reminded me of the movie A Christmas Story. We were extremely busy in December with all kinds of activities. You spent time early in the month with your grandparents, then you and Mommy hosted a cookie decorating party while Daddy was out of town. What a mess! We spent another Christmas at your Mema’s house (that was my 31st time overall, and 27th consecutive trip to her house for Christmas). On Christmas Day, we went back home and had our own celebration, just you, me, Daddy, and the Dallas Cowboys in HD.
January was pretty slow overall. Not much really happened as we were still recovering and resting from a brutally busy December. Most notably, though, we experienced an ice storm that literally shut down our city for about three days. I loved being able to stay home and hang out with you during that time. We cooked and played and ran around on frozen ground. At the end of the month, you were the best trooper you could be and you helped pick out a new car for Mommy and were also “Student of the Day” at your preschool! 
February started off with a green-icing-colored bang as we celebrated the Super Bowl with cupcakes that used frosting from the makers of the Sharpie company. Seriously, the icing didn’t wash off for DAYS. You helped me celebrate my birthday and also got the haircut from Hell at the end of the month. Don’t get me started… No offense, but your head was a little mushroom-like.
In March, you showed your daddy a splinter on your finger and gave us fodder for years to come. Your pre-school held its annual “Spring Fling” and I’m not sure which was your favorite… The petting zoo, the pony ride, the train ride, or the balloon animals.
The big event for April was Easter. We were supposed to go to your Nana and GrandDad’s house, but you came down with a horrible, but thankfully brief, stomach bug, so the Easter Bunny came to visit you at our house instead. Our big adventure that Saturday before Easter was the trip to the “ghetto” mall. I have to say, we were a little bit frightened, so we left very quickly after your picture was taken. We heard later on the news that the mall was closed early and evacuated because of an incident with a gun. I just have to say never again to that place on a weekend. Later in the month, you helped us pick out flowers for our spring planting. You are such a great helper!
In May, you were invited to go out on our friend Dave’s boat. It was a little too chilly to swim, but we made the best of it. Luckily for all of us, he has a bathroom on board. You definitely used it for all it was worth and we had to fumigate later. ;-) At the end of the month, you went on an extended vacation with your grandparents while Daddy and I went to Mexico. We were apart from each other for ten days, but it felt like ten years. I don’t think I’ve ever missed you as much as I did this time around. You had so much fun, though! You went swimming, saw Shrek 3 at the movies, went to Chuck E Cheese, and had an all-out great time!
Then came summer… We had such high hopes for this year and I planned early on to get you in swimming lessons. Sadly, it rained for much of June and July, so we didn’t have the time to do that. We did go to the pool every time there was sun and you made a ton of progress without the aid of formal training. By the end of July, you were floating on your back and had even taken your floaties off to swim to your Daddy. There was only one scary swimming moment and that was back in June. We were getting dried off and ready to go back home from our friend’s house, when you decided to just jump into their pool without any floaties. You struggled to get to the top, but couldn’t. I jumped in fully-dressed after you and you decided not to ever do that again!
July was a red-letter month in the Pop household for three reasons besides your swimming progress… You had a week of soccer camp, Daddy had a birthday, and you went to Disney World. You spent the last week of the month in Orlando with your grandparents (they saw you a bunch this summer!) and came back with way too many toys. That’s okay, though. You had the best time and got autographs of all the characters.
After all that excitement, August had to be a let-down. We spent the month relaxing and enjoying each other. You started sleeping through the night in “big boy” underwear… We had some issues, though, so you’re back in a pull-up, but I know you’ll be staying dry through the night consistently very soon. You went to see your Mema in the middle of the month, but that was the only traveling you did.
That brings us to September… Birthday month! Your party is going to be at the same place where we had it last year, even after trying to entice you with Chuck E Cheese. We’re having a Scooby Doo theme as you have skipped about twenty grade levels cartoon-wise and gone from Dora straight to Scooby! This month you started watching all of Mommy and Daddy’s favorite cartoons… The Flintstones, Scooby Doo, Tom and Jerry, etc... I’m so thrilled that there is a network that carries these classics again! You went to your first ever Longhorn game and your fourth UT tailgate over Labor Day weekend, too. I am so proud at how well you did. Your father and I were worried that it might be too long of a day and maybe too much for you, but you proved us wrong yet again.
I’ve written this letter to you over the course of several days. It takes a while to remember all of the things that have happened over the past year. I know I’m leaving out way too much and I promise I will do a better job at recording all of the wonderful moments you have in the future.
Each year seems to jump out and grab me and I look at your birthday with a mixture of pride, joy, sadness, and awe. You are hands-down the smartest, kindest, most polite, cutest, funniest, most adorable and sweet little boy in the entire world. You ask nicely, you repeat words that I wish you wouldn’t, you are impossible to stay upset with, and you surprise me every single day. When you were an infant, you did not like to be held all that much and as you’ve grown, you have been a little stand off-ish and haven’t liked to cuddle. Over this last year, though, you will let me shower you with hugs and kisses and you will even walk up to me and randomly hug me or kiss me. I know that this won’t last forever, but I am savoring every kiss, every hug, and every “I love you.”
No lottery prize could compare to the jackpot Daddy and I hit when we had you.
Happy Birthday!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Focus
Lately, I've been very unfocused. I've spent my energy thinking about other people, and not so much time working on the things that I need and want to do. I worked out this long, drawn-out list of New Year's resolutions at the start of the year, then somehow lost track of the things that I made my mind up to do. The laundry list is here, and I'm not really going to go through them one by one.
*I haven't done a great job with my spending and saving, but there are some really good reasons for that... It's been a tough year, sales-wise, for me. Things are turning around, though, so I'm going to redouble my efforts and be very responsible with my money (says the girl who just went on a shopping spree... I totally needed the clothes, though, you have NO idea!).
*I am going to clean out the clutter in my home and completely reorganize things by the end of the year.
*I'm going to continue to have more fun with my husband and son... I think this is the area where I've had the most success... And I'm going to continue to kiss and hug both of them as much as possible.
*I'm going to redouble my efforts with regards to my health. I will eat right, exercise, cook healthy dinners, and deny the siren song of the work vending machine. I will dust off Turbo Jam and my running shoes and work out as much as possible. I will regain my rock-hard body and I will maintain it.
*I will actually take the time to figure out what I want to do with my career and with my creativity and I will move forward with both. No one is going to take charge of my life. That is up to me.
*And a new one, not on the list before... I will make an effort to look nice and dress well every day. I will step outside my comfort zone of jeans, khakis, and t-shirts and will dress up more.
Sometimes I feel as though I talk a good game, but can't get off my butt and really do what needs to be done. I've actually been feeling more and more like that. All hat and no cattle, if you will.
But today's the day. Refocus, redouble my efforts, be the best mommy and wife I can be to the two most important boys in my life.
*I haven't done a great job with my spending and saving, but there are some really good reasons for that... It's been a tough year, sales-wise, for me. Things are turning around, though, so I'm going to redouble my efforts and be very responsible with my money (says the girl who just went on a shopping spree... I totally needed the clothes, though, you have NO idea!).
*I am going to clean out the clutter in my home and completely reorganize things by the end of the year.
*I'm going to continue to have more fun with my husband and son... I think this is the area where I've had the most success... And I'm going to continue to kiss and hug both of them as much as possible.
*I'm going to redouble my efforts with regards to my health. I will eat right, exercise, cook healthy dinners, and deny the siren song of the work vending machine. I will dust off Turbo Jam and my running shoes and work out as much as possible. I will regain my rock-hard body and I will maintain it.
*I will actually take the time to figure out what I want to do with my career and with my creativity and I will move forward with both. No one is going to take charge of my life. That is up to me.
*And a new one, not on the list before... I will make an effort to look nice and dress well every day. I will step outside my comfort zone of jeans, khakis, and t-shirts and will dress up more.
Sometimes I feel as though I talk a good game, but can't get off my butt and really do what needs to be done. I've actually been feeling more and more like that. All hat and no cattle, if you will.
But today's the day. Refocus, redouble my efforts, be the best mommy and wife I can be to the two most important boys in my life.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Mostly Rhetorical Questions and Random Thoughts
Why is it that if someone vociferously states a viewpoint that is somehow against our own, we automatically dismiss them as “dumb” or resort to name calling (i.e. bitch, asshole, jerk, idiot, etc.)?
How awesome is it that playing the Nintendo Wii has been proven to burn calories?
Why do I feel that sporadic playing of Wii Sports is an acceptable substitute to actual workouts, including, but not limited to my Turbo Jam, weight lifting, or running?
It would be really, really, really nice to win the lottery.
Why do I find the sentences, “Will you stay and continue to rock my world?” and “I’m sorry, but the tour is over for you,” so completely hilarious when uttered by a bloated Bret Michaels?
Why do I actually feel semi-guilty for wanting to keep Boy Pop home this weekend instead of sending him to my grandmothers with my parents, especially after he has only been home for a week and a half?
How did I get so lucky to be blessed with the family, both immediate and extended, that I have?
Do Amber and Danielle (Big Brother 8) know how completely annoying and horrible they both are? And I do mean really, really, really, really annoying!
Danielle (BB8) could stand to consume a couple of cheeseburgers.
When it comes right down to it, I don’t like ALL reality shows. Shows that have to do with singing and dancing make me want to pull my hair out one follicle at a time.
I cannot wait for college football season to start! It’s just about the only sports season that I care about. Even then, I really only care how my Texas Longhorns are doing. Other sports? Meh. Golf is okay to watch, I want the Cowboys to do well because it makes the house more pleasant during game times, ditto for the Atlanta Braves, and I like to watch my former Longhorn players do well for their respective NFL teams, but really? I’m happier reading a book and watching the highlights.
I need another vacation.
Weeds starts up again tonight! Hooray!
The finale of Hell’s Kitchen is tonight. I’m rooting for Roc. This show has quickly become one of my summertime “must” shows, on-par with Big Brother.
I wish that Victoria Beckham’s show had been on for more than one episode.
Much to Dr Pop’s pleasure, I’ve completed my Harry Potter reading marathon. In three short weeks, I read book 7, then re-read all seven in a row. I will freely admit that I may have been a tad obsessive about it.
How awesome is it that playing the Nintendo Wii has been proven to burn calories?
Why do I feel that sporadic playing of Wii Sports is an acceptable substitute to actual workouts, including, but not limited to my Turbo Jam, weight lifting, or running?
It would be really, really, really nice to win the lottery.
Why do I find the sentences, “Will you stay and continue to rock my world?” and “I’m sorry, but the tour is over for you,” so completely hilarious when uttered by a bloated Bret Michaels?
Why do I actually feel semi-guilty for wanting to keep Boy Pop home this weekend instead of sending him to my grandmothers with my parents, especially after he has only been home for a week and a half?
How did I get so lucky to be blessed with the family, both immediate and extended, that I have?
Do Amber and Danielle (Big Brother 8) know how completely annoying and horrible they both are? And I do mean really, really, really, really annoying!
Danielle (BB8) could stand to consume a couple of cheeseburgers.
When it comes right down to it, I don’t like ALL reality shows. Shows that have to do with singing and dancing make me want to pull my hair out one follicle at a time.
I cannot wait for college football season to start! It’s just about the only sports season that I care about. Even then, I really only care how my Texas Longhorns are doing. Other sports? Meh. Golf is okay to watch, I want the Cowboys to do well because it makes the house more pleasant during game times, ditto for the Atlanta Braves, and I like to watch my former Longhorn players do well for their respective NFL teams, but really? I’m happier reading a book and watching the highlights.
I need another vacation.
Weeds starts up again tonight! Hooray!
The finale of Hell’s Kitchen is tonight. I’m rooting for Roc. This show has quickly become one of my summertime “must” shows, on-par with Big Brother.
I wish that Victoria Beckham’s show had been on for more than one episode.
Much to Dr Pop’s pleasure, I’ve completed my Harry Potter reading marathon. In three short weeks, I read book 7, then re-read all seven in a row. I will freely admit that I may have been a tad obsessive about it.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
A Whole Cluster of Randomness...
So. I’ve been working out and doing South Beach (read it all on http://needtoworkout.blogspot.com/). If you would like a little kick in the pants motivation and other people out in internet land to hold you accountable for making healthy choices, or if it helps you to rant and rave about it, feel free to email me and I’ll let you join the team.
I have realized two things in the past several days: Namely that I have more willpower to give up refined sugar than I ever thought I did, and I have zero cardiovascular fitness. One of these things is good. The other one is bad. As someone with exorbitantly high cholesterol coupled with a history of diabetes and other health issues in my family, I need to take extra care to watch what I put into my body and what I ask it to do. Some might say that I’m a hypocrite because of my worst habit (don’t worry, nothing illegal) and if I have so much willpower, I should be able to give that up, too. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.
On the career front, I’ve been working very hard to get into a new group. Without going into too many specifics, this is a role I’ve been wanting for quite some time (the sum total of my entire time at this company) and if things fall into place, I’ll be one happy Mrs Pop. But this could be a few months down the line… I don’t care. This is what I want and I’m willing to do what I have to do to make it happen. And that includes keeping my head down and mouth shut while sitting in my current desk.
Did I mention that I went to the dermatologist? No? Well she told me I was a candidate for a photo facial… I need to do some research on that, but it sure made me feel o.l.d. when she said it. Old and haggard. Oh well.
If you look at my links to the right, you’ll see a huge range of viewpoints. You see, I like people who tell it like it is. Dr. Laura does that. Plus, I agree with a lot of what she says (you know, take responsibility for your own choices, that type of thing). Violent Acres is another lady who speaks her mind. I have a problem with some of what she’s posted in the past, but as a whole, she’s put herself out there and makes a ton of sense. She’d hate me, though. Oh yeah. Because I post pictures of my kiddo and reveal way too many personal details about my life. Another great link is one I found through the old trainwrecks website. Sadly, trainwrecks is gone. That was a fun site. Anyway, Melissa C. Morris is this adorable preppy chick in a May/December marriage. She is often pictured in the society pages and writes with a down to earth style. I have no idea why anyone would think she is a “trainwreck” as I see an intelligent, attractive woman living the life she chooses. Not too shabby if you ask me.
And finally… The other day, Little Pop slept in. When he got up, he had a splinter in his finger and showed his Daddy. Laughing, Dr Pop told him to hang on. Dr Pop then took this picture and sent it to me…
Look at my splinter, Daddy!
I have realized two things in the past several days: Namely that I have more willpower to give up refined sugar than I ever thought I did, and I have zero cardiovascular fitness. One of these things is good. The other one is bad. As someone with exorbitantly high cholesterol coupled with a history of diabetes and other health issues in my family, I need to take extra care to watch what I put into my body and what I ask it to do. Some might say that I’m a hypocrite because of my worst habit (don’t worry, nothing illegal) and if I have so much willpower, I should be able to give that up, too. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.
On the career front, I’ve been working very hard to get into a new group. Without going into too many specifics, this is a role I’ve been wanting for quite some time (the sum total of my entire time at this company) and if things fall into place, I’ll be one happy Mrs Pop. But this could be a few months down the line… I don’t care. This is what I want and I’m willing to do what I have to do to make it happen. And that includes keeping my head down and mouth shut while sitting in my current desk.
Did I mention that I went to the dermatologist? No? Well she told me I was a candidate for a photo facial… I need to do some research on that, but it sure made me feel o.l.d. when she said it. Old and haggard. Oh well.
If you look at my links to the right, you’ll see a huge range of viewpoints. You see, I like people who tell it like it is. Dr. Laura does that. Plus, I agree with a lot of what she says (you know, take responsibility for your own choices, that type of thing). Violent Acres is another lady who speaks her mind. I have a problem with some of what she’s posted in the past, but as a whole, she’s put herself out there and makes a ton of sense. She’d hate me, though. Oh yeah. Because I post pictures of my kiddo and reveal way too many personal details about my life. Another great link is one I found through the old trainwrecks website. Sadly, trainwrecks is gone. That was a fun site. Anyway, Melissa C. Morris is this adorable preppy chick in a May/December marriage. She is often pictured in the society pages and writes with a down to earth style. I have no idea why anyone would think she is a “trainwreck” as I see an intelligent, attractive woman living the life she chooses. Not too shabby if you ask me.
And finally… The other day, Little Pop slept in. When he got up, he had a splinter in his finger and showed his Daddy. Laughing, Dr Pop told him to hang on. Dr Pop then took this picture and sent it to me…
Look at my splinter, Daddy!Friday, February 02, 2007
It's... Super?
Apparently Sunday's game is going to be a wet one down in Miami. Meh. Who really cares? I'm in it for the commercials anyway.
Tomorrow night is actually what I'm looking forward to... UFC 67, baby! All the winners from The Ultimate Fighter 4 will be challenging for their titles. It should be good. They should get their asses kicked, too.
My daily fortune on Excite says "You are caught up in trivia." How can a randomly-generated little sentence be so right on?
Oh, and the Groundhog didn't see his shadow... It's kind of funny, actually, the brou-ha-ha surrounding the little ole groundhog... If you look at a calendar, Spring is about six weeks from 2/2 every year. When it comes to weather predictions, though, I'd as soon trust the little rodent as I do the meteorologist. It's all a crap shoot anyhow.
Tomorrow night is actually what I'm looking forward to... UFC 67, baby! All the winners from The Ultimate Fighter 4 will be challenging for their titles. It should be good. They should get their asses kicked, too.
My daily fortune on Excite says "You are caught up in trivia." How can a randomly-generated little sentence be so right on?
Oh, and the Groundhog didn't see his shadow... It's kind of funny, actually, the brou-ha-ha surrounding the little ole groundhog... If you look at a calendar, Spring is about six weeks from 2/2 every year. When it comes to weather predictions, though, I'd as soon trust the little rodent as I do the meteorologist. It's all a crap shoot anyhow.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Hide And Go Seek and Other Fun Things!
These past couple of weeks have brought about a resurgence of one of my favorite games as a child... Hide & Go Seek.
I don't remember the exact day, but not too long ago, Little Pop, out of the blue, said, "You wanna play hide an go seek, Mommy?" It came out of left field, but of course I did! And it's become a family ritual almost every day, several times a day, since.
LP: Okay Daddy. I'll count and you go hide right there and Mommy will hide in the closet.
MP: Little Pop, it doesn't work when you tell us where to hide.
LP: Oh. Okay. You hide in the bathroom while I count.
DP: Don't forget to tag us when you find us!
LP: onetwothreeten ready or not, here I come!
Much laughter and chasing until we start again...
You know how I talk about "moments"? Our hide and go seek playing is just one big perfect moment after another. I used to be a little sad because I felt that we weren't doing enough with Little Pop, despite the reading and the Lego building and the Tinker Toy creating and all the other stuff... But now? Now I'm not so sad. : )
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Yesterday, the Pop family went and picked up Mrs Pop's shiny new birthday present! It's a month or so early, but I don't care! And by "pick up" I really mean "waited around for two hours and forty five minutes and Oh. My. God! how on earth can you entertain a three year old in a room full of shiny cars he can't touch? oh yeah put him in their toy room only to turn around and turn back and PANIC! where the hell did he go??? raise the alarm to about 6 different adults who were scouring the place only to find him in the ladies room sitting on the potty and whew! and HOLY SHIT!" The people at the car dealership in Round Rock, I'm fairly certain, think I am certifiably insane.
Thank you, Dr Pop, for my shiny new present!
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So. This Sunday is the Super Bowl. I'm rooting for both teams to do well. I want my former Longhorns at Chicago to have stellar, spectacular games, but I want my two hometown boys on the Colts to come home with rings. Mainly, I'm watching for the commercials this year.
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Last week, Little Pop got the stomach bug that's been making its way around town. Not fun. Last Wednesday night and Thursday morning were the 2nd scariest time for me as a parent. The first scariest was a stomach bug, too, but it escalated into a week-long hospital stay while he was on IV fluids and losing 25% of his body weight. But, as children do, he bounced back like one of those super-bouncy balls as soon as it passed through his system.
Me, on the other hand? Well, as vomit-cleaner-upper on Wednesday night/Thursday morning, and as the person who unknowingly laid her worn-out body on a blanket covered in it at 6AM after finally coaxing the little one to fall asleep, well, I must not have washed my hands enough even though I *did* do 8 (EIGHT!) loads of laundry in a 12 hour timeframe. I got it Friday evening. And I didn't bounce back as quickly as my child, but I tried! And I'm all better now, too. :)
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So there you have it. Lots of rambling, lots of sentence fragments, lots of run-on sentences, and a whole host of other grammatical errors later, I've managed to update the world (and my two to three readers) with the mundane goings-on in the Pop household.
I don't remember the exact day, but not too long ago, Little Pop, out of the blue, said, "You wanna play hide an go seek, Mommy?" It came out of left field, but of course I did! And it's become a family ritual almost every day, several times a day, since.
LP: Okay Daddy. I'll count and you go hide right there and Mommy will hide in the closet.
MP: Little Pop, it doesn't work when you tell us where to hide.
LP: Oh. Okay. You hide in the bathroom while I count.
DP: Don't forget to tag us when you find us!
LP: onetwothreeten ready or not, here I come!
Much laughter and chasing until we start again...
You know how I talk about "moments"? Our hide and go seek playing is just one big perfect moment after another. I used to be a little sad because I felt that we weren't doing enough with Little Pop, despite the reading and the Lego building and the Tinker Toy creating and all the other stuff... But now? Now I'm not so sad. : )
----------------------------------------------
Yesterday, the Pop family went and picked up Mrs Pop's shiny new birthday present! It's a month or so early, but I don't care! And by "pick up" I really mean "waited around for two hours and forty five minutes and Oh. My. God! how on earth can you entertain a three year old in a room full of shiny cars he can't touch? oh yeah put him in their toy room only to turn around and turn back and PANIC! where the hell did he go??? raise the alarm to about 6 different adults who were scouring the place only to find him in the ladies room sitting on the potty and whew! and HOLY SHIT!" The people at the car dealership in Round Rock, I'm fairly certain, think I am certifiably insane.
Thank you, Dr Pop, for my shiny new present!
----------------------------------------------
So. This Sunday is the Super Bowl. I'm rooting for both teams to do well. I want my former Longhorns at Chicago to have stellar, spectacular games, but I want my two hometown boys on the Colts to come home with rings. Mainly, I'm watching for the commercials this year.
----------------------------------------------
Last week, Little Pop got the stomach bug that's been making its way around town. Not fun. Last Wednesday night and Thursday morning were the 2nd scariest time for me as a parent. The first scariest was a stomach bug, too, but it escalated into a week-long hospital stay while he was on IV fluids and losing 25% of his body weight. But, as children do, he bounced back like one of those super-bouncy balls as soon as it passed through his system.
Me, on the other hand? Well, as vomit-cleaner-upper on Wednesday night/Thursday morning, and as the person who unknowingly laid her worn-out body on a blanket covered in it at 6AM after finally coaxing the little one to fall asleep, well, I must not have washed my hands enough even though I *did* do 8 (EIGHT!) loads of laundry in a 12 hour timeframe. I got it Friday evening. And I didn't bounce back as quickly as my child, but I tried! And I'm all better now, too. :)
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So there you have it. Lots of rambling, lots of sentence fragments, lots of run-on sentences, and a whole host of other grammatical errors later, I've managed to update the world (and my two to three readers) with the mundane goings-on in the Pop household.
Friday, January 26, 2007
The Remote Control
The other day, at Sam's, I was looking for something to read and picked up this book (Front Porch Princess by Kathryn Springer) because I liked the title and the cover. I'm shallow that way. ;-)
A chapter in, I realized several things. Namely, that this WASN'T a trashy romance, nor was it the conventional, fluffy chick-lit I was used to reading. This was Christian chick-lit with a message. Because I have a hard time putting a well-written book down, and because the story grabbed me from the start, I continued reading, waiting for something "preachy" or off-putting.
Instead, I got a few lessons about life, and about myself.
One passage in the book particularly spoke to me. It was a brief Sunday School Lesson where the leader held up a remote control. She (and I'm paraphrasing here) brought up that it is human tendency to focus too much on the rewind and fast forward buttons, either focusing on the past and holding onto the "what if" feelings and holding onto anger, frustration, and regret OR focusing too much on the future as in "here's what I will do at some point" or "once this happens, then I'll be happy." The point is that we spend so much time either looking back or looking ahead that we don't focus on the moment at hand. Instead of looking around us and counting our blessings, we're kicking ourselves over our past mistakes or waiting for some big thing to happen that will suddenly make our lives better.
I'm guilty. Not all the time, but I'm guilty of some of that. I have so much to be thankful for in my life and in each moment, but I hold grudges. I hold onto past hurts and anger. I hold onto it much like my 3 year old holds onto his toy elephant when he sleeps at night. Or I think to myself, once I get that raise, or if we won the lottery, or if I get this new job, then everything will be perfect. Let's face it. Nothing is perfect. And by looking at things the way I have been for such a long time, the beautiful moments that I am blessed with every day get glossed over or ignored. I'm tired of that.
It doesn't matter what past hurts or poor decisions have occured in the past. If steps were taken to make amends, then that stuff simply doesn't matter. And life isn't perfect. More money or a different job might make some things easier, but you shouldn't let that affect how content you are with today. And I *am* content. I love my family. I love my life. And I'm removing the rewind and fast forward buttons on my personal remote control and focusing on "play" (figuratively and literally). What I know to be true... Yesterday happened and cannot be changed, tomorrow is inevitable and uncertain, but I'm here now and today is the day I can make new memories and touch a life (be it a stranger's, my son's, my husband's, or my own).
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
It's Snowing!!!!
We NEVER get snow. The Pops are all cozy and inside, with normal service suspended for a while. My company is closed and I'm working remotely, Little Pop's school is closed, and Dr Pop is working on his email right now.
I love snow. I love being in snow. I love watching it fall outside.
I may have written about it before, but do you know those moments? Those perfect little moments that you can actually recognize as perfect right as they are happening that you never want to end because of their sheer beauty and perfection? Well, one of mine happened during a snowstorm.
February 14, 2004... 3AM... Little Pop had been sleeping through the night for about a week... For some reason, he woke up hungry. I was so cranky and tired. But I fed him, changed him, and put him back to bed. As I was getting ready to go back to bed myself, I thought that it was extra-quiet outside. I took a look. Then I put on my coat and stepped outside and onto the porch. What I saw took my breath away. Gorgeous and huge snowflakes were coming down. The sky was this pinky-purple color and everything had that haze. All up and down the golf course, there was nothing but a glowing white blanket.
It was silent. It was peaceful. It was as though I was the only person in the world at that moment.
Valentine's Day, 2004, dawned crisp, cold, and white. The dog lost his mind running around. Little Pop giggled and laughed while being carried on Dr Pop's shoulders. We took lots and lots of pictures. That moment at 3AM, and that morning and day? They were perfection.
So today started out ice-coated. About 30 minutes ago, thick, heavy snowflakes began drifting down to the ground. Little Pop is thrilled at the possibility of building a snow man (there won't be enough for that, unfortunately). I'm thrilled by so many things... Watching the excitement in my son's eyes, making that big pot of baked potato soup, and most especially, I'm looking forward to snuggling with my husband under a blanket at the end of this cold, cold day.
If you're in Central Texas or are experiencing winter storms today, please be safe. Stay inside and count your blessings. I know I will.
I love snow. I love being in snow. I love watching it fall outside.
I may have written about it before, but do you know those moments? Those perfect little moments that you can actually recognize as perfect right as they are happening that you never want to end because of their sheer beauty and perfection? Well, one of mine happened during a snowstorm.
February 14, 2004... 3AM... Little Pop had been sleeping through the night for about a week... For some reason, he woke up hungry. I was so cranky and tired. But I fed him, changed him, and put him back to bed. As I was getting ready to go back to bed myself, I thought that it was extra-quiet outside. I took a look. Then I put on my coat and stepped outside and onto the porch. What I saw took my breath away. Gorgeous and huge snowflakes were coming down. The sky was this pinky-purple color and everything had that haze. All up and down the golf course, there was nothing but a glowing white blanket.
It was silent. It was peaceful. It was as though I was the only person in the world at that moment.
Valentine's Day, 2004, dawned crisp, cold, and white. The dog lost his mind running around. Little Pop giggled and laughed while being carried on Dr Pop's shoulders. We took lots and lots of pictures. That moment at 3AM, and that morning and day? They were perfection.
So today started out ice-coated. About 30 minutes ago, thick, heavy snowflakes began drifting down to the ground. Little Pop is thrilled at the possibility of building a snow man (there won't be enough for that, unfortunately). I'm thrilled by so many things... Watching the excitement in my son's eyes, making that big pot of baked potato soup, and most especially, I'm looking forward to snuggling with my husband under a blanket at the end of this cold, cold day.
If you're in Central Texas or are experiencing winter storms today, please be safe. Stay inside and count your blessings. I know I will.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Happy 2007!
I suppose that it is only fitting that I have a great picture to share, but blogger won't let me load it. Oh well.
I have this week off (hello, am I smart or what?) because I volunteered to work last week. Whoo-hoo! I've already hit the outlet mall. I only purchased a shirt and a sweater, but they were THE shirt and sweater that I've been wanting since visiting the store a few weeks ago. I'm personally quite surprised that I was able to hold out for so long!
New Year's Eve in the Pop household was relatively low-key as we could not find a babysitter despite a week of looking for one. I made "Wine Braised Chicken" out of the January edition of Everyday Food. It was very yummy and an extreme pain in the ass to make. Apparently, they tricked me into thinking I was going to make something simple (after all, this little periodical is known for its simple to create meals), but what I had really signed on for was "Coq au Vin." I began dinner prep at 6PM. We ate at 10.
Dr and Little Pop and I lit some sparklers and watched some early fireworks off our back deck, and we watched plenty of football. Little Pop made a valiant effort to stay up, but he crashed at around 10:30 (don't worry, he'd eaten long before the Doc and I did). After the little one went to bed, we just watched some TV and I cleaned up the dinner dishes. I'm telling you, we rocked out the night!
At midnight, we shared a kiss (or twelve) and some Champagne that I'd spiked with Pomegranate juice. I'm all about the antioxidants with my alcohol! It was very good and I'd have it again. We then chilled some more and watched Invincible together. As a side note, I'd wondered when the movie first came out how on earth they could have put together a movie about Vince Young's life so quickly. Yeah. It was a blonde moment. The movie was uplifting and beautiful. I love happy endings. Or maybe I was drunk.
Yesterday, New Year's Day, was a little bit of a letdown up until the awesome Fiesta Bowl. I'm just so thankful that my beloved Longhorns weren't there as it is always nice to see an underdog win and the Big 12 opponent, Boise State, was definitely the underdog. And they won! Sorry Sooners. Not.
Back to the letdown. I awoke at around 6AM to discover Little Pop sprawled between us and hogging the covers. Oh. And I had a raging headache (evil Champagne!). I managed to fall back asleep, but Little Pop got up at around 8. And he was rarin' to go. So I pulled my hungover and exhausted ass out of bed and tended to his every little whim. Then we spent a good chunk of time taking down all of the Christmas decorations :( and Little Pop decided to have a meltdown. Not exactly the way I wanted to begin the year. But I did manage to make a supreme mess cooking breakfast, so all was not lost. I swear, all I've done the past several days has been dishes and laundry.
So here we are. Day two. Today was better than yesterday. And really, when it comes down to it, if each day can be better than the last, then it doesn't really matter what my extremely long list of resolutions entails... I suppose my #1 goal for this year and every other one should be just that... Make today better than yesterday and tomorrow better than today.
Happy 2007 everyone!
I have this week off (hello, am I smart or what?) because I volunteered to work last week. Whoo-hoo! I've already hit the outlet mall. I only purchased a shirt and a sweater, but they were THE shirt and sweater that I've been wanting since visiting the store a few weeks ago. I'm personally quite surprised that I was able to hold out for so long!
New Year's Eve in the Pop household was relatively low-key as we could not find a babysitter despite a week of looking for one. I made "Wine Braised Chicken" out of the January edition of Everyday Food. It was very yummy and an extreme pain in the ass to make. Apparently, they tricked me into thinking I was going to make something simple (after all, this little periodical is known for its simple to create meals), but what I had really signed on for was "Coq au Vin." I began dinner prep at 6PM. We ate at 10.
Dr and Little Pop and I lit some sparklers and watched some early fireworks off our back deck, and we watched plenty of football. Little Pop made a valiant effort to stay up, but he crashed at around 10:30 (don't worry, he'd eaten long before the Doc and I did). After the little one went to bed, we just watched some TV and I cleaned up the dinner dishes. I'm telling you, we rocked out the night!
At midnight, we shared a kiss (or twelve) and some Champagne that I'd spiked with Pomegranate juice. I'm all about the antioxidants with my alcohol! It was very good and I'd have it again. We then chilled some more and watched Invincible together. As a side note, I'd wondered when the movie first came out how on earth they could have put together a movie about Vince Young's life so quickly. Yeah. It was a blonde moment. The movie was uplifting and beautiful. I love happy endings. Or maybe I was drunk.
Yesterday, New Year's Day, was a little bit of a letdown up until the awesome Fiesta Bowl. I'm just so thankful that my beloved Longhorns weren't there as it is always nice to see an underdog win and the Big 12 opponent, Boise State, was definitely the underdog. And they won! Sorry Sooners. Not.
Back to the letdown. I awoke at around 6AM to discover Little Pop sprawled between us and hogging the covers. Oh. And I had a raging headache (evil Champagne!). I managed to fall back asleep, but Little Pop got up at around 8. And he was rarin' to go. So I pulled my hungover and exhausted ass out of bed and tended to his every little whim. Then we spent a good chunk of time taking down all of the Christmas decorations :( and Little Pop decided to have a meltdown. Not exactly the way I wanted to begin the year. But I did manage to make a supreme mess cooking breakfast, so all was not lost. I swear, all I've done the past several days has been dishes and laundry.
So here we are. Day two. Today was better than yesterday. And really, when it comes down to it, if each day can be better than the last, then it doesn't really matter what my extremely long list of resolutions entails... I suppose my #1 goal for this year and every other one should be just that... Make today better than yesterday and tomorrow better than today.
Happy 2007 everyone!
Friday, December 29, 2006
Goals and Resolutions for 2007
After reviewing my goals for 2006, it is only fitting to unveil my 2007 plans, eh?
Here goes nothing (please note that some are self-explanatory and some need explanations. I’m a bit too lazy for the explanations. :) )…
In 2007, I will…
1. Spend less money
2. Save more money
3. Exercise regularly
4. Eat healthier foods
5. Keep regular dinner hours
6. Get more sleep
7. Smile more often
8. Play more games with my son
9. Kiss and hug my husband more
10. Kiss and hug my son more
11. Take more pictures
12. Write with significance
13. Take charge of my career
14. Spend more time with my family
15. Argue less
16. Let petty and minor annoyances roll off my back
17. Stick to a budget
18. Stop holding grudges
19. Be the bigger person
20. Make each day matter
21. Not waste so much time
22. Let go and have a good time more often
23. Pay off all of my current credit card debt
24. Read more
25. Clean out the clutter and trash in my home (drawers, cabinets, closets, etc.)
26. Reorganize my home (move the office, decorate Little Pop's room, create an upstairs playroom, create an extra sleeping area for guests)
In 2007, I will NOT
1. Waste so many minutes
2. Spend money so wantonly
3. Cook so many frozen dinners
4. Just talk about being healthy
5. Just talk about writing
6. Ignore the needs of my husband and child
7. Eat so much from the vending machine at the office
8. Allow strangers to dictate my mood (unless their total useless suckage affects me in a negative way)
9. Allow the neatness of my home affect my mood (seriously, who cares if there are dishes in the sink??)
10. Worry so much
11. Take things so seriously
12. Regret a moment
13. Live in the past
14. Frown so much
15. Ignore my own health
16. Put off medical visits to the dentist and other doctors
17. Put off quitting my worst habit
18. Make excuses
I know that I have more things to list out, but this is pretty much all I could come up with for the moment. :)
Happy New Year everyone!
*Edited 12.31.2006 because I forgot some stuff!
Here goes nothing (please note that some are self-explanatory and some need explanations. I’m a bit too lazy for the explanations. :) )…
In 2007, I will…
1. Spend less money
2. Save more money
3. Exercise regularly
4. Eat healthier foods
5. Keep regular dinner hours
6. Get more sleep
7. Smile more often
8. Play more games with my son
9. Kiss and hug my husband more
10. Kiss and hug my son more
11. Take more pictures
12. Write with significance
13. Take charge of my career
14. Spend more time with my family
15. Argue less
16. Let petty and minor annoyances roll off my back
17. Stick to a budget
18. Stop holding grudges
19. Be the bigger person
20. Make each day matter
21. Not waste so much time
22. Let go and have a good time more often
23. Pay off all of my current credit card debt
24. Read more
25. Clean out the clutter and trash in my home (drawers, cabinets, closets, etc.)
26. Reorganize my home (move the office, decorate Little Pop's room, create an upstairs playroom, create an extra sleeping area for guests)
In 2007, I will NOT
1. Waste so many minutes
2. Spend money so wantonly
3. Cook so many frozen dinners
4. Just talk about being healthy
5. Just talk about writing
6. Ignore the needs of my husband and child
7. Eat so much from the vending machine at the office
8. Allow strangers to dictate my mood (unless their total useless suckage affects me in a negative way)
9. Allow the neatness of my home affect my mood (seriously, who cares if there are dishes in the sink??)
10. Worry so much
11. Take things so seriously
12. Regret a moment
13. Live in the past
14. Frown so much
15. Ignore my own health
16. Put off medical visits to the dentist and other doctors
17. Put off quitting my worst habit
18. Make excuses
I know that I have more things to list out, but this is pretty much all I could come up with for the moment. :)
Happy New Year everyone!
*Edited 12.31.2006 because I forgot some stuff!
Goals for 2006, Revisited...
Here, I wrote about my goals for 2006. I’d like to go over the results…
1. Improve my overall health and well-being – I believe I made a good start with this one. I started working out regularly and making more healthy eating choices. Things went downhill after Labor Day (okay, after Memorial Day), though and I will definitely keep this as a resolution/goal for 2007.
2. Take more time for myself – I think that I did okay with this one. I think that again, this is going to stay around for 2007.
3. Play more with my family – Ditto.
4. Not take everything so seriously – I did a terrible job at this one!
5. Have more fun – In all, 2006 has been a fun year.
6. Worry less about things not in my control – I’m still working on it.
7. Let it go/ Get over it – See #6
8. Be the person I want to be – See #7
9. Have no regrets – Can’t really say that I have any real regrets about the year.
10. Clean out the junk in my house – Two garage sales helped. I need to do more.
11. Laugh more – Yep. But See #8.
12. Frown less – See #11.
13. Either really make an effort to write or sell all my books about writing – An effort has been made, but not much of one. I think I’ll stick with it a little while longer.
14. Cook dinner more – See #12.
2006 has been quite a full year. It’s had it’s standard ups and downs. My son and I both had surgery within a month of one another. Dr Pop was at his most romantic when he prepared my birthday/anniversary present. We’ve traveled, partied, fought, made up, laughed, loved, yelled, hugged, and kissed. I turned around and my toddler became a boy. I turned around again, and the year was over.
2006 was, indeed, a good year. I’m hoping for the same or better in 2007…
1. Improve my overall health and well-being – I believe I made a good start with this one. I started working out regularly and making more healthy eating choices. Things went downhill after Labor Day (okay, after Memorial Day), though and I will definitely keep this as a resolution/goal for 2007.
2. Take more time for myself – I think that I did okay with this one. I think that again, this is going to stay around for 2007.
3. Play more with my family – Ditto.
4. Not take everything so seriously – I did a terrible job at this one!
5. Have more fun – In all, 2006 has been a fun year.
6. Worry less about things not in my control – I’m still working on it.
7. Let it go/ Get over it – See #6
8. Be the person I want to be – See #7
9. Have no regrets – Can’t really say that I have any real regrets about the year.
10. Clean out the junk in my house – Two garage sales helped. I need to do more.
11. Laugh more – Yep. But See #8.
12. Frown less – See #11.
13. Either really make an effort to write or sell all my books about writing – An effort has been made, but not much of one. I think I’ll stick with it a little while longer.
14. Cook dinner more – See #12.
2006 has been quite a full year. It’s had it’s standard ups and downs. My son and I both had surgery within a month of one another. Dr Pop was at his most romantic when he prepared my birthday/anniversary present. We’ve traveled, partied, fought, made up, laughed, loved, yelled, hugged, and kissed. I turned around and my toddler became a boy. I turned around again, and the year was over.
2006 was, indeed, a good year. I’m hoping for the same or better in 2007…
Friday, December 15, 2006
A Year in the Blog...
I stole this one from Zuzula. I think it's a great idea. Basically, I'm taking the first paragraph from the first post of each month this year. Hmm... Can you spot the moment where I turn into a bitter old crone? :)
January
What a feeling, indeed!
Happy 2006! This is my year to stop thinking about what could be and just make it happen for myself. For way too long, I have had these deep, dark, recessed feelings that I could DO more at home, BE more for myself and my family, WORK more, EARN more, LIVE more, LOVE more, EXERCISE more, you get the idea. I’ve also been pressed down by this inner knowledge that I am definitely NOT living up to my potential as I sit in a cubicle. Not that I lived up to my potential when I was a stay at home mom, either, actually, but that I’m just not getting it.
February
Not that I ever would, mind you, but...
March
We made it to number three...
So exactly three years ago, RIGHT NOW, the vows had been spoken, kisses shared, champagne sipped, cake smooshed into each others' faces, and the pictures were taken. DrPop was getting me a Diet Coke from the serve-yourself fountain and I was shoveling popcorn into my mouth while sitting with my family around a table in the hotel's lobby bar and dressed in my wedding gown and flip flops. That was one of those perfect moments. One of many.
April
Turbo Jam = Turbo Soreness
Ask and ye shall receive…I received my copy of Turbo Jam’s five workouts, tape measure, supplements, book, and "Elite 11" moves on Wednesday of last week. After walking with my son in tow (Literally, I pulled him in a wagon) for 30 minutes, I took out the tape measure, measured all my bits and pieces, weighed myself, and started the "Learn ‘N Burn" workout. I’m woefully out of shape because I only made it through the learning portion and about half of the burning portion.
May
Xanadu!
Seriously, the movie totally sucked, but I have a difficult time believing that there is a better movie scene than the finale when Olivia Newton-John and her muse sisters take over the skating rink's grand opening and start dancing to all of the different types of music and then they are all standing there and she is suddenly in the original costume with the roller skates and the leg warmers and the flowing skirt and the hair in barrettes with the ribbons... Gosh! I love this movie!!! :)
June
Oh, oh Mexico...
How I miss you so...It's great to be home. I was so happy to see my little one on Saturday. It had been TEN WHOLE DAYS! We missed our little guy enormously.
July
Randomness...
I've been a bad blogger lately, mainly lurking on other sites and not doing much posting on my own. I guess I haven't had much to say lately. Oh well. I'm so glad that it's summer, but my beautiful tan from Mexico is already fading and we've only been to the lake twice! My brave little boy is now wary of fireworks. He likes them when they are far away, but not so much when he is close by. So he would watch the ones in the sky in the distance, loving them, but when it came time to set them off in our street, he wanted no part of it. He has until New Years to get over that fear! He's also completely unafraid of the water! He just jumps right in and starts paddling away! Too crazy. At least he waits until he has his floaties on... Oh, and one more random thought before we get to the random photos... Thank heavens Big Brother 7 is finally on!!! Whoo-hoo! Let the cat-fights begin!
August
Too Much Randomness
You know what? There is so much that I want to say that I simply cannot put it all down. I have so many thoughts jumbling around in my head and I can’t get a handle on them all. I want to tell So many people so many different cutting things about how I feel about their choices. Thinking these things, though, makes me no better than the people in my “real world” life that I am criticizing.
September
Back. Tommy Lee. Exhausted. Pink Eye.
So, we got back to our house from fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada at around 5AM Tuesday morning. As a quick little side note, why is it that we didn’t notice how extremely CRAPPY the airport there was until we got there to go home? We were still on "Vegas" time when we got home, so much so that we didn’t actually go to bed until 7AM. That’s right. Seven in the A. M. What were we thinking??? It’s Friday afternoon and I’m still not recovered fully!
October
My kingdom for an elephant costume!
I never knew how very hard it would be to try to find an elephant costume that isn't horrible! ARGH! Even the Dumbo ones this year suck. :(
November
November 1, 2006 -- NaBloPoMo Begins...
One may walk over the highest mountain-one step at a time.- John WanamakerI wonder what I've gotten myself into. I'm not one for seemingly impossible commitments, but it was almost like an outside being took over control of my fingers and typed my url into the comments section over at fussy.org. Then, in what I must now refer to as an inspired fit of "what the hell was I thinking?" I went to http://www.nanowrimo.org/ and again began rapidly filling out the online form. I clicked the submit button and in the space of 10 minutes, I had committed to a massive amount of writing.
December
Time for a theme...
So we here in Mrs Pop land have been trying to come up with some sort of theme for the blogs created in the month of December. Last month was Nablopomo and I noticed that many of the bloggers centered their posts around a central theme. We did not. But we really dug the idea. So here we are...
January
What a feeling, indeed!
Happy 2006! This is my year to stop thinking about what could be and just make it happen for myself. For way too long, I have had these deep, dark, recessed feelings that I could DO more at home, BE more for myself and my family, WORK more, EARN more, LIVE more, LOVE more, EXERCISE more, you get the idea. I’ve also been pressed down by this inner knowledge that I am definitely NOT living up to my potential as I sit in a cubicle. Not that I lived up to my potential when I was a stay at home mom, either, actually, but that I’m just not getting it.
February
Not that I ever would, mind you, but...
| Your Stripper Song Is |
 |
March
We made it to number three...
So exactly three years ago, RIGHT NOW, the vows had been spoken, kisses shared, champagne sipped, cake smooshed into each others' faces, and the pictures were taken. DrPop was getting me a Diet Coke from the serve-yourself fountain and I was shoveling popcorn into my mouth while sitting with my family around a table in the hotel's lobby bar and dressed in my wedding gown and flip flops. That was one of those perfect moments. One of many.
April
Turbo Jam = Turbo Soreness
Ask and ye shall receive…I received my copy of Turbo Jam’s five workouts, tape measure, supplements, book, and "Elite 11" moves on Wednesday of last week. After walking with my son in tow (Literally, I pulled him in a wagon) for 30 minutes, I took out the tape measure, measured all my bits and pieces, weighed myself, and started the "Learn ‘N Burn" workout. I’m woefully out of shape because I only made it through the learning portion and about half of the burning portion.
May
Xanadu!
Seriously, the movie totally sucked, but I have a difficult time believing that there is a better movie scene than the finale when Olivia Newton-John and her muse sisters take over the skating rink's grand opening and start dancing to all of the different types of music and then they are all standing there and she is suddenly in the original costume with the roller skates and the leg warmers and the flowing skirt and the hair in barrettes with the ribbons... Gosh! I love this movie!!! :)
June
Oh, oh Mexico...
How I miss you so...It's great to be home. I was so happy to see my little one on Saturday. It had been TEN WHOLE DAYS! We missed our little guy enormously.
July
Randomness...
I've been a bad blogger lately, mainly lurking on other sites and not doing much posting on my own. I guess I haven't had much to say lately. Oh well. I'm so glad that it's summer, but my beautiful tan from Mexico is already fading and we've only been to the lake twice! My brave little boy is now wary of fireworks. He likes them when they are far away, but not so much when he is close by. So he would watch the ones in the sky in the distance, loving them, but when it came time to set them off in our street, he wanted no part of it. He has until New Years to get over that fear! He's also completely unafraid of the water! He just jumps right in and starts paddling away! Too crazy. At least he waits until he has his floaties on... Oh, and one more random thought before we get to the random photos... Thank heavens Big Brother 7 is finally on!!! Whoo-hoo! Let the cat-fights begin!
August
Too Much Randomness
You know what? There is so much that I want to say that I simply cannot put it all down. I have so many thoughts jumbling around in my head and I can’t get a handle on them all. I want to tell So many people so many different cutting things about how I feel about their choices. Thinking these things, though, makes me no better than the people in my “real world” life that I am criticizing.
September
Back. Tommy Lee. Exhausted. Pink Eye.
So, we got back to our house from fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada at around 5AM Tuesday morning. As a quick little side note, why is it that we didn’t notice how extremely CRAPPY the airport there was until we got there to go home? We were still on "Vegas" time when we got home, so much so that we didn’t actually go to bed until 7AM. That’s right. Seven in the A. M. What were we thinking??? It’s Friday afternoon and I’m still not recovered fully!
October
My kingdom for an elephant costume!
I never knew how very hard it would be to try to find an elephant costume that isn't horrible! ARGH! Even the Dumbo ones this year suck. :(
November
November 1, 2006 -- NaBloPoMo Begins...
One may walk over the highest mountain-one step at a time.- John WanamakerI wonder what I've gotten myself into. I'm not one for seemingly impossible commitments, but it was almost like an outside being took over control of my fingers and typed my url into the comments section over at fussy.org. Then, in what I must now refer to as an inspired fit of "what the hell was I thinking?" I went to http://www.nanowrimo.org/ and again began rapidly filling out the online form. I clicked the submit button and in the space of 10 minutes, I had committed to a massive amount of writing.
December
Time for a theme...
So we here in Mrs Pop land have been trying to come up with some sort of theme for the blogs created in the month of December. Last month was Nablopomo and I noticed that many of the bloggers centered their posts around a central theme. We did not. But we really dug the idea. So here we are...
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Thanksgiving, 2006
Another Thanksgiving has come and gone, bringing with it the naturally-occurring stress of both hosting the event and both sides of the family and also beginning the arduous process of preparing for Christmas.
I’ve already posted about hanging the lights on our house. We are still not finished and each day that passes makes Dr Pop and I reconsider our “smarts” in saving a bit of cash and not having professionals come out and do it (if for no other reason than the wiring of it all… ANOTHER fuse has popped). We still haven’t set up our tree or any other decorations, but I’m quite sure that we’ll have it taken care of by the end of this week. And I still need to buy a wreath.
This year, we completed our Christmas shopping early. As in, the first weeks of November early, actually. We only have a few more gifts to buy (Dr Pop’s dad, each other, Little Pop’s teachers, and a few last-minute items for the Little one himself). Plus, I have already done the wrapping of just about everything, too! Boy, that sure feels great!
One thing that we didn’t do this year was go around and say something that we were thankful for… I have so much to say to that. There are so many reasons for me to be thankful this year:
I am thankful for the following things…
The continued health of my family and friends.
The opportunity to be with my extended family.
Dr and Little Pop.
Knowing that I’m about to spend my 6th Christmas with the man I love.
The fact that we have somehow managed to survive three years and 9 months of marriage without killing each other as we’ve been figuring it all out.
Dr Pop’s new job. I know that you are where you need to be, and I love that you were able to make the leap.
My job. I may not like the “work” per se, but I enjoy getting up in the morning and interacting with adults all day. Plus, I love being able to contribute to the household.
Little Pop’s daily random thoughts and sayings. Sweet baby, you impress, astound, and entertain me on a daily basis. I love you so much!
Blogging. I love having this outlet to express myself to mostly random and unknown persons. It’s freeing and fun.
The ability to write and write well. Over at Fussy.org, Mrs. Kennedy sells t-shirts that say, “Writing well is the best revenge.” I agree.
Pie. And cake. And all the food that we consumed over the weekend. ;-)
The fact that the weather here in the Greater Austin area will FINALLY feel like winter on Thursday. I do plan to enjoy the last two days of 80-degree weather, but I have to say that I’m so ready for real winter-like weather.
Texas Longhorn Football, 2005. I’m ever-so thankful that I was able to witness a National Championship football season. Being a fan of the game, something was always disappointing about our seasons, but not last year. After a third loss last Friday, I have come to realize again how truly special it is to have witnessed last year.
Gentle reminders that the most important things in life are right in front of me. My husband and child and the home we make, our friends, our extended families, our love.
And so much more… But health, happiness, contentment, and family trump everything else.
Now, let the Christmas and New Year season commence!
I’ve already posted about hanging the lights on our house. We are still not finished and each day that passes makes Dr Pop and I reconsider our “smarts” in saving a bit of cash and not having professionals come out and do it (if for no other reason than the wiring of it all… ANOTHER fuse has popped). We still haven’t set up our tree or any other decorations, but I’m quite sure that we’ll have it taken care of by the end of this week. And I still need to buy a wreath.
This year, we completed our Christmas shopping early. As in, the first weeks of November early, actually. We only have a few more gifts to buy (Dr Pop’s dad, each other, Little Pop’s teachers, and a few last-minute items for the Little one himself). Plus, I have already done the wrapping of just about everything, too! Boy, that sure feels great!
One thing that we didn’t do this year was go around and say something that we were thankful for… I have so much to say to that. There are so many reasons for me to be thankful this year:
I am thankful for the following things…
The continued health of my family and friends.
The opportunity to be with my extended family.
Dr and Little Pop.
Knowing that I’m about to spend my 6th Christmas with the man I love.
The fact that we have somehow managed to survive three years and 9 months of marriage without killing each other as we’ve been figuring it all out.
Dr Pop’s new job. I know that you are where you need to be, and I love that you were able to make the leap.
My job. I may not like the “work” per se, but I enjoy getting up in the morning and interacting with adults all day. Plus, I love being able to contribute to the household.
Little Pop’s daily random thoughts and sayings. Sweet baby, you impress, astound, and entertain me on a daily basis. I love you so much!
Blogging. I love having this outlet to express myself to mostly random and unknown persons. It’s freeing and fun.
The ability to write and write well. Over at Fussy.org, Mrs. Kennedy sells t-shirts that say, “Writing well is the best revenge.” I agree.
Pie. And cake. And all the food that we consumed over the weekend. ;-)
The fact that the weather here in the Greater Austin area will FINALLY feel like winter on Thursday. I do plan to enjoy the last two days of 80-degree weather, but I have to say that I’m so ready for real winter-like weather.
Texas Longhorn Football, 2005. I’m ever-so thankful that I was able to witness a National Championship football season. Being a fan of the game, something was always disappointing about our seasons, but not last year. After a third loss last Friday, I have come to realize again how truly special it is to have witnessed last year.
Gentle reminders that the most important things in life are right in front of me. My husband and child and the home we make, our friends, our extended families, our love.
And so much more… But health, happiness, contentment, and family trump everything else.
Now, let the Christmas and New Year season commence!
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