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

I'm TIRED!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Too bad school starts in 15 days...

Happy Birthday Dr Pop!

Each birthday seems better than the last!

Love you babe!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank GOD we took that first step!

Love you honey!

Oh Hi!

How ya been? I've been great. Still having writer's block. But not really writer's block. More like, I have so much to say that I cannot put two coherent sentences together these days to actually tell you about it all.

I guess sometimes you let it go for so long that when you finally get around to updating, it is just so overwhelming! I mean, I have MONTHS of updates to do! Or so it seems...

So. We went to Vegas in February. Dr Pop's company paid for the whole thing, put us up in a suite at the Wynn, gave us gambling money, bought us dinner for two nights, took us to see La Reve, and allowed us to party our arses off. We both won pretty big on the Craps tables. And I hit a couple of times on the slot machines. So this trip goes on record as the first time we have left Vegas without spending a penny of our own money and still came home ahead on gambling. Pretty damned cool. I can see how a person could become addicted to the life.

While we were in Vegas, my parents were with Boy Pop, who was getting used to his cast. Stupid broken ankle! It took four different doctors with three different opinions, to finally get an acceptable and agreed-upon timeframe for the cast. Four weeks. This past Tuesday, he finally had it removed. Hooray! While he was in the cast, he managed to still get his orange belt in Tae Kwon Do Tiny Tigers, AND play t-ball with a pinch runner. Nope. The cast didn't slow this child down one tiny bit! Thank heavens!

After Vegas, we came home for two very hectic days. My parents stayed with us while we both worked, washed a ton of laundry, and packed for a week in Mexico. I don't know if I mentioned this before or not, but we went back to the same resort where Dr Pop and I were married 6 years ago. This trip we celebrated by going to the wedding of two dear friends.

It was fun exploring the resort (The Moon Palace, if you're interested) and seeing the changes that have taken place between visits. Our first visit to the resort was in July of 2001, after Dr Pop and I had been dating for about three weeks. At the time there was a casino on-site. I have an almost-identical picture to the one above, taken 8 years ago, sitting in a frame in my office at home.

It was also fun to see that some things have not changed. Things like the cool swing bar at one of the pools at the resort. We made sure that we took our friends to it. A lot of things have changed over the years, but they still managed to keep some things true to the past...

I have a picture like this from my own wedding. I call these the "kissing chairs" because they are set up so that you sit next to one another and facing one another. Behind us is the gazebo where Dr Pop and I said our vows six years ago. It has changed, but our memories have not.

The past month has been a whirlwind and I cannot believe that only three months into 2009, I've already burned through over half of my vacation time! Oh well. It was definitely worth it.

I do have to say that something was definitely missing from this trip, though. I don't think I've ever felt the absence quite so deeply when Dr Pop and I have been on one of our getaways before, either.

Boy Pop.

His passport is now in process. We don't want to leave him behind next time (even if we are leaving him with his grandparents who take him on "safaris" in Texas or to Six Flags or Sea World or any of the other myriad of activities they plan).

I have more to say (of course I do!), so stay tuned...

What I've Been Up To...

HI! I have been a bad little blogger in 2009 and I don't see it getting better any time soon.

But February is my blogiversary month and I feel that I need to stop and think about that and acknowlege that I have been a part of the blogosphere for four years now. Wow. When I started blogging I had a toddler and was a Realtor (but mainly a stay at home mom) and I was going through a personal crisis.

Now? I have been at the same job for almost 4 years, my son is 5, and after much soul searching and harping, there is no crisis in my life. Sort of. I'm no longer depressed. So that's a victory!

Every now and then, I'll pick a month out of my archives and start reading. It's crazy to look back over such a short period of time and know how much I've changed. And how much my life has changed.

I like blogging and I think I will continue to do it in some form or fashion for a long time to come. Right now, I'm neck deep in a facebook obsession, though, so the ole blog has suffered. There isn't enough time in my day for both! ;)

In addition to my "blogiversary" month, this is my birthday month. In a few days I will be 35. I think that is hitting me kind of hard. I feel old. I look at pictures that were taken a few years ago and I see the changes in my face. I also realize that I am my own worst critic!

February has been an extremely busy and stressful month. It started off with work stress and while the stress at the job has lessened to some extent, there are some other things there that make for a busy work day. I take so many things personally, that if anyone is unhappy with the product I sell, I feel it internally. It is definitely a fault of mine. But it also makes me incredibly good at what I do (recent results notwithstanding!).

We signed Boy Pop up for Tae Kwon Do and Spring Competitive T-Ball. What were we thinking?!?! It's been busy and hectic to try to get all of the activities in, but what a blessing TKD has been! He's already preparing to test for a new belt level! And we are definitely excited about a t-ball league that has more games, more practice, and more competition. They will keep score. My son will learn what it feels like to win. And (possibly more importantly) he will also learn what it feels like to lose.

Oh! I almost forgot to mention this! Dr Pop was the top sales person in his division at his company last year. As a reward, he and I are headed to Las Vegas this weekend courtesy of his company. We are so excited and I could not be more proud of my husband. He works very hard and deserves to be recognized for his success. He has grown his business by leaps and bounds.

We get back Tuesday evening and are in town for two days and then we will be headed down to Mexico. We are going to stay at the resort where we were married 6 years ago and will be there for my birthday and our anniversary. The day after our anniversary, we will attend the wedding of two of our friends. It's going to be a good week. I've been killing myself trying to get into swimsuit shape three months early! I'm not there, but I've stopped really caring. I look pretty good. Not as good as years past, but still! I'm a hot mama! ;)

Even though I have written a novel, no good post of mine would be complete without a crisis. At the very first t-ball meeting of the season, the one where the parents and kids and coaches all met, Boy Pop and the other kids were roughousing. Boy Pop was pushed off a 3.5 foot high ledge and turned his ankle. He cried a little, but was up and running around within minutes. We didn't really give it much more thought. He didn't complain of pain and didn't behave in any way but normal.

See where this is going?

Yesterday, he started limping. And as the day progressed, the limp got worse. We went to TKD and he had to jump on one leg. He couldn't jump on his left leg. We rushed to t-ball practice and watched him run with a limp. We called Dr Pop's dad (a doctor). He told us to get an x-ray in the morning.

This morning came and I took him to the doctor. Diagnosis? A subtle fracture in the growth plate of his ankle.

We headed to the podiatrist and he reviewed the x-ray film. He said it might be a fracture, but it might not be. At the very least, he had a bad sprain and tendon damage. He recommended a hard cast. The good news is that it will only be on for two weeks. He is not in pain. He can walk on the cast and doesn't have to try to negotiate crutches. He has handled everything like a pro.

The bad news? It happened right before we leave for the better part of two weeks. My parents are not thrilled that he will have to be in a cast the whole time as it pretty much ruins their plans of bike rides and other activity that involves running and exertion of lots of energy.

At least his cast is cool! Orange with a glow-in-the-dark stripe!

When does it get easy?

*Oh, one last thing... I'm sitting here writing this on my laptop while my defensive driving course, the one I've had 90 days to take, the one that is due March 2nd (while I'm in Mexico) is playing on the home computer right next to it! I'm bad. But I do perform best under pressure.

Scarier Than My Own

Dr Pop removed the standard handle (grip?) of his shotgun and added a pistol grip instead. I wouldn't want to be on the other end of this thing, that's for sure!

Playing Hookey

At the age of five, my child should not know the term "playing hookey" and yet, he does. We may or may not have thought it would be cute. He is in pre-kindergarten and not responsible for grades or attendance, so we are not that concerned that he is there every day.

This is our last year of getting to do this. This meaning having the ability to keep him home with us whenever we want without him being sick, or letting his grandparents take him out of school and on trips with them. So we are enjoying it, and so is he.

On Tuesday, Boy Pop got to spend the day with his daddy at home. They hung out, went to the video store, book store, and lunch. I know it meant a lot to my son.

I fully support him in his endeavors to not go to school on occasion. I think he'll play hookey some next week, too! So there! Only this time, I get to play hookey, too.

Almost the Dog Days...

Here it is, July 22nd. The month is winding down, and with it, summer. We have one year left of no school before Boy Pop enters kindergarten officially. We're debating having him complete a year of private kindergarten this year in preparation for him to be full-on immersed in elementary school, but to tell you the truth, I am not so sure I want it to happen. I do not want to have to be responsible for homework yet. I don't want him to have the pressure of school yet, either. And from what I hear about elementary school these days, it is definitely pressure-filled.

The official "dog days of summer" don't start until August, but that is 9 days away. Before I know it, I'll be planning Boy Pop's 5th birthday. I do not know where the time has gone, but I do know that we haven't completed much on my personal summer "to-do" fun list... We definitely need to get on that and fast!

Every year goes by just a little bit faster. I don't know why time seems to do this, but I want it to stop. I want to hit the pause button for a little while and enjoy this time a little bit more. My son is at an awesome age and Dr Pop and I are enjoying him and each other more than ever. I'm not ready to move ahead just yet.

Whiney, whiney, whine, whine, whine.

Yeah, I get it. But! I'm just not ready yet! But I know that I'd better batten down the hatches and get good and damn well ready, though, because time does indeed march on. It is marching ever-forward.

I'm considering yet another career change. Maybe. I'm very happy to be employed in the current market, but there are some goals that I have that cannot be fulfilled in my current position. I'm giving myself a year to figure this out. I want to have the opportunity to work Boy Pop's school hours and also spend some time writing real stuff instead of blog stuff. I know one thing that will make that possible, but I'm not sure I'm ready to 1) take the pay cut or 2) deal with teenagers on a daily basis, so that idea is not at the forefront right yet. I do know that I would like to do something different. But I am in a relatively comfortable zone here, so heck. I don't even know what I'm talking about. I'm just blathering.

Whining and blathering.

I need to get off my ass and get some summer family excursions planned STAT! (See what I did there? I circled back to the initial post topic.)

So for now, I'll leave you with some final pictures from the first part of the summer...

Fun dinner with friends in June.

Engagement party.

Birthday card and present opening.

Official birthday dinner...

Happy Birthday Dr Pop!

I'm way behind on pictures, recaps, etc. There should be a lot of those in the coming days, but this one is my favorite, so it goes first!

A little background here... I never (and I mean N.E.V.E.R.) pull one over on my husband. I once threw him an elaborate surprise party and he knew about it! Also, we in the Pop household are big on originality in our celebrations and gifts. So. What is a girl to do?

The answer? Combine all the elements of past events into one big surprise, of course...

Since Dr Pop's actual birthday was yesterday, Monday, we decided to do the actual big celebration on Saturday night. I called up Grandma Pop, who happily agreed to let Boy Pop spend the night with her, and a plan was put into place.

All week, I had Dr Pop believing that I was taking him out on the town... Just us. Our friends all had "other engagements" and besides, I wanted it to be more intimate.

HA!

At 6:55 PM on Saturday night, our doorbell rang, and there stood our friends. Behind them was the stretch Navigator. Dr Pop was truly surprised. It worked! And he still did not know where we were going...

Of course, I wanted to go out to dinner, but the downtown scene has been done before. Multiple times. I wanted this occasion to be unique. So we drove for an hour or so to one of the coolest vineyards in the Texas Hill Country (www.mandolawines.com) for a wine tasting and then dinner at the renowned Trattoria Lisina. The vineyard, winery, and restaurant are all the children of Damien Mandola (think Johnny Carraba's restaurant and the "Cucina" cooking shows on PBS). Apparently, this place is THE place to go if you are a celebrity or celebrity chef who happens to be in the Austin area.

The meal did not disappoint! Nor did our company. Dr Pop was surprised by the entire event! Definite success!

Naturally, we took full advantage of the hours spent riding in the limo, partying like we were rock star P.I.M.P.s. Afterward, back at the house, the party continued and Dr Pop tried on some new gear, a present for our next adventure, the Snoop Dogg concert.

P-I-M-P // 50 Cent

I don't know what you heard about me

But a bitch can't get a dollar out of me

No Cadillac, no perms, you can't see

That I'm a motherfucking P-I-M-P

I Should Have Posted This Yesterday...

We're making the letters "E" and "C" with our hands... As in EC/DC Playa Trip, only the "DC" part of our group did not make it to Mexico with us this year.

Yesterday was the 7th anniversary of our first date. Silly thing to keep track of, I know, but still I do. I remember mentioning it this past weekend, but then yesterday almost slipped by without an acknowledgment! For shame!

SEVEN. YEARS. I know that to quite a few people, that is but a drop in the bucket, but for me, and for us, well, it is significant. Prior to Dr Pop, the longest I'd ever dated someone was 4 years (and that was on and off), and Dr Pop's longest relationship prior to me was 7 years. We are now each other's longest relationship.

That's pretty cool to me...

The Binary Blonde posted a status of her New Year's Resolutions yesterday. Kind of a "state of the year" as it were. I thought it was a good idea and I'm going to steal it!

You can find my 2008 "To-Do" list here.

I had an update on how things were going back in February. At the time, I was definitely making some headway on the list.

• Plan out menus, grocery shop in advance, and prepare and cook healthy dinners for my family more than once or twice per week.

I'm proud to say that I am really rocking on this one. I have been looking up recipes and trying new things. I have room for improvement, of course, but it's going well.

• Plan and execute a mother/daughter weekend with my mother.

Not quite yet.

• Go to the beach.

Done!

• Get back to eating right and working out regularly (i.e. get back my rockin' bod) not just in preparation for said beach vacation (above) but also beyond the vacation and get to the point where I never have to make another "work out/eat right" resolution-type thingy ever again!

I started this off with a bang, and I'm still going to the gym, but I have fallen off the wagon a little bit ever since we got back from Mexico. I need to re-resolve to take better care of myself.

• Drink more water and take a vitamin every day.

I'm totally rocking this one!

• Take my son to the park more.

I'm sort of failing on this one... We are going to the pool just about every day, though. But it is not the same and not part of my resolution, so, big, fat FAIL.

• Go to church more often (since I don't believe I made it at all in 2007, the term "more" technically means "once" but I'm aiming for "more than once or twice" so as not to set myself up for failure automatically with an "every Sunday"-type resolution that would have already been broken).

FAIL.

• Snuggle more with Dr Pop on the couch.
• Kiss Dr Pop more (much more... Hey baby, let's make out!).

I'm very ashamed to say that I'm pretty much failing both of those.

• Actively participate when playing with Boy Pop instead of always being distracted.

Another failure.

• Pay off the store cards.

One down, one to go... This will be completed in August!

• Save more of my income.

Right now, this is a success, but I'm about to deplete my savings, so it's on the verge of failure... But as a family, we are totally saving more than ever.

• Make my home a showplace by finally (after more than four years) decorating it, painting walls, moving furniture, clearing out all the crap, and generally treating it like we are going to be here a long while.

Meh, we're getting there. But it is a long road and there is a lot to do.

• Remember that I have gone through hard times and give to those who are less fortunate than myself.

Big, fat FAIL.

• Continue to teach Boy Pop to give back.

This could be better, but we're not doing too badly on it.

• Treat the environment better than I do (i.e. maybe get a recycling bin or two?).

FAIL.

• Stay on top of laundry and tidying up during the week so that I don't have to spend the weekend playing catch-up for all the stuff I let go.

I am actually doing good with this one!

• Flirt with my husband more. I've forgotten how to flirt, though. Lord, he's going to think I've lost my mind!

I could do better on this...

• Take our tax forms to the accountant before April 10th... Preferably get them to him in January or February.

Success!

• Let go of the grudges that I still hold and make peace with the past so that I can live in the present.

Any day now...

• Do all of my Christmas shopping in November.

It is not November yet...

• Put together Boy Pop's baby book (Yes. He's four. So what?).

FAIL.

• Do more craft projects with Boy Pop. He loves them and so do I!

FAIL.

• Find my balance between work and life and find my niche professionally. I need to be passionate about a job to truly enjoy myself and if I'm spending a third of my week somewhere, I need to at least enjoy myself, otherwise, why exactly aren't I home with my kid?

Pretty much failing at this one, too.

There is definitely a pattern at work here. I can totally kick ass on the impersonal stuff. In fact, I AM totally kicking ass on it. But when it comes down the the personal stuff, the emotional stuff, I'm failing miserably.

I suppose it is ironic that the halfway point of the year came on the same day as my first date with Dr Pop back in 2001. That date was a turning point in my life. That date would serve to save my life.

So today, July 2nd, 2008, I resolve to get back on track with the stuff that really matters. My laundry doesn't matter. Playing Transformers with Boy Pop matters. An organized "house" doesn't matter. Making it a loving and happy "home" is what matters most.

Here's to the second half...

Breakfast With Daddy

This picture just popped into my inbox with the title, "Good morning Mommy!"

This picture and the time Boy Pop spends with his daddy is why I love it when he sleeps in... Quite frequently, Dr Pop will take Boy Pop to breakfast. They used to do it more often, but lately Boy Pop has been waking up super early and wants me to take him to school.

There is just something so damn cool and special about this time that they get to spend together that just melts me.

Happy (Belated) Father's Day!

Another picture from the treasure chest...

It started off promising (minus the lack of air conditioning downstairs), had a couple of nasty bumps in the middle, but then turned into a fabulous day!

Love you, honey!

Hang in there during the ten-thousandth 100+ degree day in a row and hot house!

Just Because

There really is nothing out there that can brighten a gray cubicle quite like a dozen roses. Especially when they are sent for no other reason than to brighten my day and make me smile...

Busy Little Bees* (A Weekend in Review)

Whew! What a weekend! Both busy and mundane all at the same time! Such is life in the suburbs, I suppose.

Saturday morning, we got up bright and early and went to a soccer game. *Incidentally, Boy Pop plays on the "Bees" team. Too funny. He did great until he was too tired/distracted to really get into the game. Because so few children showed up, he played the entire game. I watched and took pictures, with my heart in my throat every time someone got near him as the last thing I wanted was for him to A) reinjure his lip and B) injure something else. Those little kids play all-out and play rough!

Our team "won" again after our two ringers arrived and scored 10 goals. Then it was off to pick up breakfast tacos and go home. After eating, we planted three hibiscus trees out in the planters in our front yard to add some color to our yard and then tore out the dead hibiscus in back and planted its replacement.

By that point, I was exhausted and feeling quite lazy, so I went and laid down and watched a little TV. I may have taken a nap, too. But the nap was short-lived as we decided it was too gorgeous of a day to stay indoors. So we invited ourselves over to a friend's house with a pool. I got sun! Whoo hoo! It's a start, at least.

We made plans to have those friends over that evening, so we left and made a mad dash to the store to pick up essentials like FOOD and then I cleaned like a crazy woman! I scrubbed the half-bath, dusted the common areas (living, dining, breakfast, playroom), cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed, swept, mopped, and did a load or two of laundry. All in the space of two hours!

Then, THEN! Our company did not show up as their little boy, who is Boy Pop's age, fell asleep. Boy Pop had cleaned his own playroom and even had drawn him a picture. He was very disappointed, but we gave him some extra love and attention, so all was good. I made picadillo and we watched UFC. Every fighter we wanted to win, won!

We then decided to watch the Hopkins/Calzaghie (sp?) fight that we had recorded on HBO. I was on the end of a bottle of wine, and fell asleep with the glass in my hand on the couch. Dr Pop rescued the wine, though! I woke up just in time to see the end of the fight, but decided I just needed to go to bed. I left the food out for Dr Pop to clean up and he did!

We all slept in on Sunday. I then made picadillo breakfast tacos (Did I mention I love picadillo? So easy and yummy!). Dr Pop had to buckle down to work on some massive spreadsheet/tally sheet deal that was due ASAP, Boy Pop wanted to play sesamestreet.com, so I took the opportunity to go run. One massive, unending stitch in my side turned the run into a walk, but I managed to go for about 45 minutes, then come home and do 200 crunches. Go me!

Then it was my turn to get down to business... The business of cleaning our bedroom and bathroom. These are the rooms I neglect most often because no one ever sees them but my little family. So I dusted, vacuumed, scrubbed, mopped, wiped down baseboards, and changed sheets. Whew! Then I showered and we all went to the park for an hour.

Dr Pop threw some steaks on the grill later in the evening. A perfect end to a perfect weekend... Mundane or not.

Itty Bitty Soccer and Weekend Highlights

First let me type this little disclaimer: I know that there are a lot of opinions out there about keeping score and self-esteem and teamwork, etc. For the record, I think it is fantastic that teams for three and four year olds do not keep score. First, a child must learn fundamentals, teamwork, and that not everyone can kick a damn ball at the same time. Once they have that down, THEN we can start keeping score and being competitive. But Boy Pop's team won on Saturday. Hey, just because there is no "official" scorekeeper doesn't mean that I didn't... Okay... I may have been too busy taking pictures... But the coach did.

So. First soccer game on Saturday. Everyone got to play. There was a practice before the game started and it was also the first time most of the kids had ever met one another. Can you say chaos? Great job!

I was definitely impressed with how quickly they all caught on and how fast they realized that they each had a specific goal to kick towards. The other team had a little Pele in the making. Seriously!

Here are the highlights:
One goal scored by my boy.
7 goal attempts blocked after he moved to goalie.
2 collisions involving my boy.
1 black eye (Boy's).
1 set of tears (because of the black eye).
Lots of other crashes and collisions and tears by other kids.
Cold, congealed pizza purchased afterwards at the "concession stand" eaten by the three of us and no one got sick!

The remainder of Saturday was spent recovering and then eating Mexican food.

Sunday, though? Oh Sunday, you were so beautiful! The first hibiscus bloom of the season showed and it was just beautiful! We went to breakfast, then to the plant store to buy another hibiscus bush to replace one that passed away over the winter (We lost one despite dragging them inside every time it got below 40 degrees... Maybe we should have watered them more... Hmmm...). We went home and looked at playscapes online and debated buying one. We went to a local cave* and toured it. We had barbecue on Lake Austin. Good day. Excellent day. Gorgeous and perfect day!

*Round these parts, we have several large, prehistoric, cavernous caves. I believe our tour guide told us that there are 55 such caves in all of Texas, 5 are open to the public, and of those 5? 4 are in our neck of the woods. This was my first visit to the caves up the road and it was an experience to treasure.

We took a little trolley down, then got off and started walking through. We learned some of the history, how it was discovered, etc. The experience was made even better due to recent rains. There are these stones, called "flow stones," and they are what their name implies... A conduit for water. Some of the cleanest water you'll find anywhere is in that cave. Words and pictures cannot do it justice and I'm so glad that we all go to experience it together.

In fact, the weekend was a good one... Dr Pop and I got a sitter and got out of the house on Friday night. We had fun. I may have passed out a bit too early. Oh what am I saying? I *always* pass out too early. I'm a lightweight.

I do have some great photos of the weekend, and as usual, will put a few up once I get around to downloading them. I will probably have plenty of time to do that this week, though, as Dr Pop is going to be gone all week starting tomorrow. I think it's well documented how I feel about that. Hate. With. A. Firey. Passion. And we're not even behind on laundry so I'm not sure how I'll fill those hours...

Speaking of laundry... I've got quite the story...

Half-Birthdays and Hospitals

Tuesday, March 25th, was Boy Pop's "half" birthday. Here in the Pop household, we feel these-types of occasions are a cause to celebrate. So we did. Complete with cupcakes (3, one for each of us) and Moon Sand. Note to self: Moon Sand sucks! And causes me to vacuum obsessively and pop the knuckles on my fingers. A lot. But my boy sure does like it. And cupcakes.

Also last Tuesday, Dr Pop awoke to a pain in his left foot. He managed the pain through the day, wondering what the Hell he did to hurt it. He was left with nothing. No reasonable explanation for a pain that was continuing to worsen as the day wore on.

Wednesday morning, at about 5AM, he was having a dream about being at the doctor, who was pushing on his foot, and the pain he felt was so intense that it woke him up.

I woke up at my usual time (6:30 or so) and saw that he was up. We talked for a bit, but he kept going back to how much his foot hurt. Me, being very practical and as usual, running late, asked him what he wanted to do. Did he want to call his dad (a retired physician)? Did he need to go to the emergency room? What?

He didn't know what he wanted at the time, but about half an hour later, he asked me to take him to the hospital. The pain was that bad.

*Side note. My husband is pretty good about handling pain and hates going to the doctor and the hospital. When he requests to go, it is bad.

So I took the Boy to school, called my manager, and drove Dr Pop to the ER. They took x-rays, made some diagnosing and head scratching sounds, gave him a ton of pain meds, fitted him for crutches, and prepared to send us on our merry way with orders to call an orthopedic doc that afternoon or the next day for a follow-up.

Yeah.

One minor little detail took over all else. Neither one of us had eaten anything all day. That was okay for me, but for a man who'd just taken a horse-sized dose of Vicodin and Ibuprofen? Recipe for illness. An hour and a half later, he finally felt able to go to the car. We got home about 5 hours after we left and Dr Pop went to sleep.

The ceiling tiles are painted in our local ER. I suppose to distract one from the reason they are there.

Fast forward to Thursday. We head to the ortho's office, x-ray copies in hand. The doc takes a look, decides it's either one thing or another, but both diagnosis appear the same way. The only real way to diagnose it is to give a cortisone injection right into the most painful part of the foot. The reaction to the shot will determine if it is diagnosis A or B. Lovely.

Well, through the remainder of the week and weekend, Dr Pop was still in a fair amount of pain. Therefore, we could probably go with diagnosis B, but we are still waiting on a follow-up appointment with the doc to confirm.

**Coming up! More tales of woe! From the Mrs. Pop vault of "oh crap, not again!"

Conversation Last Night

Dr Pop: What's up with that crazy-assed post you wrote?
Me: What do you mean?
Dr Pop: "Dudes."???
Me: Yep.

Lonely

Dr Pop has been at his National Sales Meeting since yesterday. He won't be home until Thursday. This is one of those trips he makes that I truly hate. He's gone so long!



In case you were wondering, I do have a little perspective. There are women whose husbands are deployed at war for months at a time. Women who worry constantly about taking care of their families at home while simultaneously saying prayers over and over again let him come home in one piece. I get it. There are women whose husbands are gone for weeks at a time so that they can earn a living in another part of the country. Women who hold down the fort endlessly, only to have a short time with their husbands until they have to turn around and say goodbye again. There are women whose husbands go off to fight fires and criminals, who may not come home again.



And then there's me. Little ole me bitching and whining about one little annual sales trip. Bitching about a night or two away here and there while he closes sales. The most dangerous thing he does is step on a plane or into a car.



BUT. I miss him. I'm lonely without him. Right now, his pillows are piled up right next to me, surrounding me. He's my rock and my reality check. And I like him to be here.



My parents have come down to stay with me, seizing the opportunity to spend some extra time with their grandson while I work. I'm thankful for them, even when I'm in a bad mood and just want to be alone in the quiet. Because as lonely as I get, I need quiet time, too. Time to just be at one with my thoughts and to let the day digest itself. Dr Pop gets that and gives me time to play a mindless game of Spider Solitaire (highly addictive, mind you) or two or ten when I get home from work.



We've lived together for over six years. He gets the adult me more than anyone else. When he's not here, the part of me connected to him is gone. I'm afraid I may have sent more than a few needy texts to him in the past two days, too. He doesn't need that.



But I can't wait for him to come home...

Weekend Recap

It was quite a weekend in the Pop household, capped by two different Santa visits for Boy Pop. I'll get to all that later.

On Friday, I took a much-needed day off to take care of some business that I'd been putting off. I also cleaned my house as my maid cancelled on me... Let's see, that makes four weeks since her last visit. You know it's bad when your child notices that the bathroom has been cleaned. AND comments on it. Ugh.

Early Friday evening, Dr Pop, Boy Pop, and I drove up to a nearby suburb and rode on the local Polar Express trainride. It was about a four hour adventure including drive and wait time, with the actual ride itself lasting two hours.

We did have a good time, although I think the ride could be shortened a bit and not have lost any of the "magic" for the kids. If you have one in your area, you really ought to check it out. The Austin one gets sold out every year.

What happened during the ride, you ask? Well, the local girl scouts read the story of The Polar Express aloud, Mrs. Claus handed out bells, Santa handed out candy canes, there was a Christmas carol sing-along, and there was an authentic conductor who punched initials into each child's ticket.

In some spots we were able to see Christmas lights in the distance, too. It was a fun evening, but the Boy enjoyed it the most (that's what getting all hopped up on sugar and candy canes and hot chocolate will do).

The above is a gratuitous pet photo... The cats are starting to get along... Sort of.

Bright and early Saturday morning, my parents came to pick up the Boy for a day an night out with them. While they were having fun, Dr Pop and I went shopping, then I had a hair appointment. My hairdresser, after touching up my roots and putting in some dark streaks, lopped about four inches off the back and sides of my hair. I'm still a little in shock and not sure how I feel about the new look as I'd only anticipated two inches at most. At least my hair ends are healthy and thick. That's a good thing.

Saturday night marked the night of a much-anticipated fight on PPV... The Mayweather/Hatton matchup. Let me just say this about the two fighters (I admit that much of what I know comes from their pre-fight reality show and their press, but still, I am able to draw a conclusion or two)... I simply adore Ricky Hatton, who appears to be completely unaffected by his press and by his talent and money. He's down-to-earth, jokes around, and enjoys the simple things (like being there for his son).

Conversely, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. pretty much disgusts me. Sit through one interview or watch one show where he throws stacks of money around or discusses the price tag of one of his cars and tell me he doesn't do the same for you. It's one thing to have all that money. But money cannot buy class.

Oh. Hatton lost. Of course. And I cursed and drank a lot Saturday night.

That brings us to Sunday. I woke up with a raging hangover, called my mom, and ended up dragging myself out to the mall to meet them for an official Santa visit and lunch. As we were finishing up, my exhausted child fell asleep, so we just loaded him and his stuff into my car, and I said my goodbyes to my folks as they headed back home and I headed to our house. On the way home, though, the craziest thing happened... The temperature started dropping and by the time I got to the house, it had fallen by 10 degrees. It seems that the cold front anticipated for Monday came a day early.

Have I mentioned how much I love winter? And on top of the good-weather-fortune, we arrived home in time to see the Cowboys come back and beat Detroit. Life can't get much better. We all hibernated inside for the rest of the day, I washed dishes and did laundry, Boy Pop played, and Dr Pop braved the cold to grill us some ribeyes.

And now it is Monday. Have a great week!

Red Letter Day

I think I may drive Dr Pop crazy with all my remembering of random dates in our lives and feeling the need to celebrate some things... BUT...

On September 28, 2001...

Dr and Ms. Pop moved in together.

Yep. We lived in sin, shacked up, etc.

No. I wouldn't change a thing!

Love you, honey!