forgot to mention that...

the contact case that I found in the garbage did not contain my new contacts. Nope. My new contacts...the ones I thought I'd thrown away...were on my counter top, underneath H's sweater...somehow I missed that in the cleaning process.

thought that was funny enough to share especially since I forgot to mention it in the last post!

Mother's Day Weekend

So, this being my second Mother's Day so far, I must say it was not what I had planned on nor what I expected. It all starts with Saturday and cleaning...mind you, I'm probably going to sound a little over-dramatic for a bit...

In a perfect world, my house would be clutter-free and spotless all the time but, *sigh*, alas the world is not perfect and so after a few weeks of mess and clutter and not being able to find my counter underneath it all I took on the daunting task of cleaning the whole house since we were having guests over. That's right, top to bottom, inside and out. I worked so hard, scrubbing floors on my hands and knees-I usually use my swifffer wet-jet, washing walls and getting rid of dust, dirt, clutter and mess everywhere.

The cleaning mission ended in the bathroom, where I cleaned out drawers of 99% empty toothpaste tubes and old contact lens cases and broken glass candles and so on and so forth. Then, when the bathroom garbage was full I combined it with the diaper pail garbage and took it to the garage garbage can to be disposed of. Success! My house was spotless, smelled great, and I felt like a super hero...heroine actually! (don't deny it ladies, I know you feel the same way when you've finished cleaning. :))

Then Sunday morning came along and I went to put in my new contacts only to find that I must've thrown them away...ok, no problem, that's why I have disposables. So I pop the next pair in only to be completely dizzy and disoriented...somehow I got the wrong prescription for my left eye...hmmm, I'll just go to the eye place as soon as church is over and get that fixed. So, I pop them back out and put on my cute glasses and we're off to church. At church, the nursery is full so, H and I head to the video room to watch the service on tv, well, she plays and I listen.

When church ends we're off to the eye place with a quick stop over at McDonald's cuz H is hungry. When we get to the eye place they are behind in opening their store, which for a 1 1/2 year old, is pretty hard to deal with...finally, we get in and they can't help me...I have to schedule a whole new appointment and start all over again...excellent. My attitude is quickly turning sour. So, we go home and I decide that I'm going to find my contacts that I'd thrown away (in their case) and use them for a couple more days/weeks till I can find time to get to the doctors again.

I put H down for her nap and head to the garage...I pull out the garbage bag and prepare myself for the stench. I open the bag. I look around on top...nope, I don't see the case. I stick my hand in and start sorting/swiping quickly through the garbage. My fingers find the broken candle glass and I start gushing blood. I apply pressure. I find the contact case. I go inside. Now blood is dripping down my arm. No one else is at home to help me. I clean myself up. The bleeding doesn't stop...for over two hours! I think to myself, this is the worst mother's day I've had so far.

Thankfully, it doesn't end there. I did eventually stop bleeding and my dad came home and my sister came over and we went out to eat and had a good time together. So, it's no longer the worst mother's day, it's a nice ending to a kind of stinky day. Thank goodness for family, good food and good conversation.

H

Deleting all pics of my monkey b/c they are being stolen off this blog....

Sick, sick, sick!

Just when I thought we were done with the flu!

I dropped H off this morning at her daycare and then dropped my dad off at work (his car is broken) and was at work for all of 15 minutes when my girlfriend called and told me H threw up...so sad. It's the first time she's ever thrown up in all her 18 months, poor thing. And my poor girlfriend, she's what I call a sympathy puker (I am too), had to clean it up! Ok, gross, I know. But that's not why I'm posting this....I'm writing this because H did the cutest thing ever a few hours later.

So, once we finally got home after getting some Pedialyte (sp?) and saltines, we snuggled and played a bit but then...she crawled up on my lap and laid her head down on my chest and, to my surprise...she fell asleep! She hasn't done that since she was a couple weeks old. I loved it, even though I know it only happened cuz she's so sick. I wanted to stay like that forever...at least emotionally but, then my back started hurting and I knew she needed to get in her crib for a real nap so she's in bed sleeping now and hopefully getting better. We've been dealing with the flu for two weeks now! Anyway, I wanted to linger over my cute baby moment.

Getting fit

So, I've decided to tackle my issues with stress eating this year and really get my rear in gear- literally. I've usually associated exercising with the picture above-PAIN, AGONY, YUCK. But have since changed my viewpoint and am just starting to actually enjoy it, or at least am enjoying how I feel after I've actually done something! Up until having H and IG leaving I'd always been either average or a little overweight and only needed to change my eating habits to lose weight. Then I had a baby and when IG left I started stress eating, mindlessly shoving food into my mouth and regretting it later. So with my 10 year reunion coming up, I decided I had to get serious! I hired AJ Benson, my old manager, who is now a personal trainer to get me moving and boy did she ever. Not only was she 5 months pregnant when we started, but she could still out sit-up, and out run me any day. I swear the exercises she gave me were to try and kill me, I was in agony, pain everywhere, I'm talking I didn't want to move a muscle after working out with her because everything hurt. But as they say, "no pain, no gain".
I'm so excited that I have already dropped over 12 pounds and am running (up to 2 miles so far) and strength training 5 out of 7 days a week and I'm seeing results. I can't wait to keep working out. Now, I don't think to myself everyday, "Yay, I get to work out", but I do think to myself, "Yay, I am doing something good for me and am showing H what a 'healthy' lifestyle looks like." I don't want her to have the same issues I have with exercise and eating as she gets older. I realize now what kind of impact my own mom had on my viewpoints with all that and want to make sure I don't pass on any negative food/exercise associations to her.
So, anyway, yay for exercise...I think... :)

this is for my brother...

2005 Miss IDAHO

Who's the...!? IDAHO!!!!
I found this on www.ahajokes.com

Thirsty anyone?

This was originally posted on my friend and favorite photographer's website, unfortunately I don't know how to do any of those link thingys so I'm just reposting it here, BUT for the original and to see Noemi's work you can check out her website at: www.noemiphotography.com

For all you tea lovers!

March 7th, 2008

My friend sent me this story/poem and it made me laugh!

A Cup of Tea

One day my mother was out and my dad was in charge.
I was maybe 1 and a half years old. Someone had
given me a little ‘tea set’ as a gift and it was one
of my favorite toys.

Daddy was in the living room…
engrossed in the evening news and my brother was
playing nearby in the living room when I brought
Daddy a little cup of ‘tea,’ which was just water.

After several cups of tea and lots of praise for
such yummy tea, my Mom came home. My Dad made her
wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup
of tea, because it was ‘just the cutest thing!!’

My mom waited, and sure enough, here I come down the

hall with a cup of tea for Daddy and she watches him

drink it up, then says, ‘Did it ever occur to you
that the only place that baby can reach to get water
is the toilet??’

Gross but, funny.

www.noemiphotography.com

Friday afternoons

I only work half days on Fridays and so by the time I go to pick up my girlie, she's very ready for her nap. She usually will not sleep in the car no matter how tired she is, but the past few Fridays I've turned around at a stop light to see this:

Sorry, deleted pics for our safety

Isn't that cute!?!?! I'm so in love!

mug

So a few months ago you may have read about my coffee mug flying of the roof of my car ...well, here it is, road tested and still in use! A little worse for the wear but still loved.

High school reunion

My ten year is this year...I'll say it again, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly time flies. I am so excited about going "home" to visit family, friends and old, familiar places. Sometimes I am so sentimental, just the thought of going back gets me all excited. I can't wait to see everyone...well, everyone that shows up at least and see where our lives have taken us. I'm sure it will be fun and yet bittersweet all at the same time. I find that when I think of home, everything is just as I left it, even though I know realistically it's not. Then I wonder where do I build bridges and where do I just let the rivers of their lives flow untouched and untarnished by awkward hellos and how are yous? Will it be strange? Will I find myself as unsure of me as I was then or instead find that I am as sure of myself around everyone as I am now? What kind of impression/mark did I leave on lives then that I would like to change now? Is it possible to change those marks? Will they see Jesus in me? Or will everyone still see each other through high school tinted lenses? Will we judge or will we love? Does everyone feel this way when going to a reunion? I also find it funny that just the other day while thinking about my reunion, what happens to be on tv? Yep, Romi and Michelle's High School Reunion! LOL, thankfully I don't feel the need to make up what I've done with myself since high school, although there are some pretty cool inventions out there that I wouldn't mind claiming like: sippy cups and disposable diapers... :) anyway, that's enough reminiscing for one night.

-50 F

I didn't know that it could possibly be so cold right here in MN. I though it was only 50 below in Siberia!?!??? And I hear about global warming every day...really folks, I understand that it's an issue, and I don't mean to offend here, but 50 below does not sound like global warming to me.

Thankfully, it's not 50 below where I am, but somewhere to the north in this frozen tundra they are experiencing 50 below 0 weather.

To me, this weather is kind of like Chinese water torture, or pulling out your fingernails torture...ok, just plain torture! It's a wonder we mothers have any sanity left by the time spring comes. We're confined to however many square feet we own or rent...someday, if I keep living here, I think I'd like a big house with a large play area to amuse ourselves in.

Blessings and cursings

I guess life comes with both right!?

Last night I had a very enjoyable birthday dinner with 7 of my favorite and/or soon to be favorite girlfriends. We had a blast talking, laughing and eating some good Mexican food! It was so much fun and I loved getting to know the ones I don't know so well and getting to know even better the ones that I do.

At the end of our meal each of them went around the table and encouraged me with words of affirmation (love)! I was so blessed and surprised even with some of the things that were said, things that I guess I haven't really noticed in myself. Anyway, I'm so glad that God has been working on me and I know that even though it took ugly things to do that, I'm all the better for it. I love my Lord and He loves me and sometimes being loved by Him is painful, but so so good in the end. I felt refreshed and renewed as we left and so very thankful that I have such great friends here and all over the place.

The cursing parts aren't very fun though...this morning I was shocked to speak with my still-husband's now ex-girlfriend. Sounds kind of like something for day time tv doesn't it! Anyway, he told her he'd been divorced for over 2 years and that's why she felt at liberty to date him. He also told her that the reason he left me is because I have a drinking problem and couldn't get off my tushy to take care of our daughter and that now our daughter is living with my parents and he sends them money every month to take care of her! HA! AND, this is the sucker punch-he also left because I was cheating on him with cowboys!?!?!? I laughed out loud, seriously, he needs help.

I am humored. Praise God that I know who I am in Him!!!

2 days in a row!

Look, I'm posting 2 days in a row!

Anyway, I don't have anything brilliant to say...in fact, I come here with more questions than I do answers! The main question being: what happened to my obedient little girl? All evening yesterday, H would not stop playing with my cell phone. I understand that this may not be a big deal for others but since she was around 7/8 months she's known that mommy's phone is a "no touch".

Every time she touched it, mommy would take her aside and 'remind' (discipline) her that she was not to touch it. And what do you know but 2 minutes later there she was again, cell phone in hand, all smiles. Over and over, I reminded her until I was just as sad as she was. Finally, after what seemed like ages, she was distracted by some old headphones and tapes and cds and that kept her away, but seriously we were both wiped out by the whole experience.

I know that raising a child isn't always easy but it really does break my heart when I have to 'remind' her over and over again of the same thing in such a short period of time. Thankfully, I am able to remember that I am doing the right thing by disciplining her and that this is what God wants me to do in order to raise her up in Him with Godly character otherwise I'd give up. On days like these I have to remind myself of the long-term benefits of discipline because in the short run, when I see her little face devastated like that, it makes me want to cry too...and sometimes I do.

Coping Mechanisms

Ok, so I've gotten really bad at blogging lately. I haven't been on here in ages except to check out everyone else's pages. I decided this morning on the way to work that I would sit down and write something, anything even if it was short. So, here's why I haven't written in a while.

When I get behind in something it usually ends up piling up, like mountains of dishes and laundry and emails and so on and so forth, well it turns out that blogging falls under this too. I used to pride myself on being able to be so organized and all...and well, I guess it just goes to show that pride comes before a fall!

When I look at these mountains of things to do, they all seem SOOOO big that I'll never be able to get to them all so I resort to avoidance, coping mechanism #1. I avoid my kitchen, laundry room, email inbox, phone etc until there's no possible way to do so any longer. Finally, when dishes have piled themselves as high as they can go (I actually do have a reason for this, my dishwasher broke this week and it hasn't been fixed yet, so I had to take everything out of it and pile it next to the pile that was going to go in there next etc.) and H doesn't have anything clean left to wear (behind on this because of stupid dishwasher) and when I call my voicemail and it says, "You have 20 new messages..." I know I need to buckle down and do something.

Coping mechanism #2 is: reasoning/explaining, see last paragraph. :)

Coping mechanism #3: is procrastinating. So now I know that all these things are needing to be done, we need clean dishes, clothes, I should return my messages...etc. I find all sorts of other things I'd rather do, like read...falling back into C.M. #1: avoidance. Then I finally buckle down and start one project: write down all voicemail messages. Ok, ok and start calling people back. (C.M. #2: I'm on the phone ALL day at work so I don't really enjoy talking on the phone much if I'm not required to. Don't get me wrong, I love talking to all of you, it's just overwhelming at times)

I probably have many more C.M.'s but, can't think of them at the moment and really 3 is enough to list here right!? So, this is why I haven't written, or called you back or invited you to dinner or etc etc. :) But, I can tell you that all the dishes in my house are now clean as well as our laundry and I am making my way through my list of calls/emails to respond to so hang on and I'll be in touch soon...if you're waiting to hear from me.

This wasn't as hard as I thought it would be! Have a great day!

Just one of them days...

Tuesday was one of those days where everything just seems to go wrong. It was a perfectly ordinary, warm January day until I got to work...and then things quickly went down hill from there.

My assistant's computer wasn't working and just as soon as we'd fixed that we couldn't network the two computers. Then we gave up on that project only for my computer to start having it's own tantrum. And then my student assistant said she couldn't work there anymore so we are in the process of juggling students from one dept to another. Good times. Sorry Bernt and Jason.

Then, when I've finally made my escape from the office, I go to pick up H only to find her and Erin and Brevin in tears. H wasn't hurt, she was just sad for Erin, who'd just cut the top of her finger off while peeling potatoes. (You can read more about that in their blog link to the right.)

I walked into their house to find Erin crying and H sympathy crying with her over her finger which was gushing blood and wouldn't stop. Brevin was crying because he'd been startled awake by Erin's scream of pain. Kind of funny now as I'm writing this, but definitely not in the moment. So I went into Nurse-Mom-Rescuer mode and tracked down a first aid kit, medicine, crying babies and pulled out some funny jokes / things that had happened during the day to take Erin's mind off the finger until Bernt could get there to take her to urgent care. I stayed with the two kiddos and cleaned up the accident site! Saving the finger tip as a souvenir of course.

Anyway, it was one of those days that I had to remind myself that God is in charge and sitting on His throne and all will be well. One of those days that I'm thankful for His never changing character.