It's been a rough weekend, so I have not really felt like adding my complaints to what should be a cheerful place. I had a rough dress rehearsal on Saturday with my little ones which made me feel that I had to have an all-call rehearsal TWICE this week. I don't know what I'm thinking, really, but I know they need the practice. Maybe Saturday scared them into learning things better? Or maybe it's freaking them out because they are just little kids. I don't know. What I do know is. . . that sometimes I question my employment choices. However, I love the kids. I just forget how many unimportant questions they can ask at the most inopportune moments. "Who's playing Maid Marian?" for example, was a popular question even though more than half of my kids don't know any of the older kids by name. Somehow my answering "Julia," was supposed to make them all nod in understanding but my answer was, of course, followed by, "Who is Julia?" It's times like Saturday that I think - just get your Master's Degree and go teach older kids. And then I remember high school and all the reasons I would never want to teach that age group. I think I'll just settle on what I have and try not to lose my mind in the process.
Other things happened this weekend which I won't bring up because it's too depressing and I've already cried a few times and don't want to start again. Needless to say, I am actually grateful for Monday (wow, that's a first) and a fresh start to a new week full of hopes, dreams, and maybe a few pieces of chocolate. Speaking of which, I found some killer chocolate at the store the other day. My friend, Jen, loves Dove Dark and is always going on and on about how it helps her get through her day. Seeing as I have adopted a fairly sugar-free lifestyle, I have bemoaned my loss of chocolate - though I did find a killer sugar-free hot chocolate recipe that I love! At any rate, I was strolling around Wegman's (my grocery store of choice) and found Sugar-Free Dove Dark MINT. I thought, ok, I'll try it. However, a lot of sugar free chocolate is just... bleh, so I have basically just stopped eating it altogether because the taste doesn't satisfy so why eat it just to eat it, right? It should at least taste good, not like cardboard, right? Ok, I am now officially in love with the sugar-free Dove chocolates (because, of course, I had to try another kind besides the mint. . . . ) and must keep myself away from them because, if consumed in excess, I may as well pull out a Snickers bar and call it a day. Or I should just keep them far away when I'm having a bad day because now I'm out. Haha! That's what 2-3 bad days in a row will do to you.
I spent all day yesterday in bed because every time I tried to sit up (let alone stand up), I felt like I was going to vomit in all directions. Luckily I had Season 1 of The Gilmore Girls to save me from myself. I literally only got out of bed to use the bathroom yesterday and spent the rest of the day watching Gilmore Girls. Which I am, of course, now completely in love with and must harass my friend Laura to lend me the rest of the series because it's like crack. Not that I have an intimate relationship with crack. Crack and I have no relationship at all. Just thought I'd make that clear.
Today is the final performance for my On Stage class - thank goodness. After today I get Monday's off for about 8 weeks before it all starts up again. That will be nice! Also, with the holidays, I get quite a bit of time off from my other jobs as well. While this will (hopefully) be wonderful for my sanity, my bank account is going to start making lots of echoing noises, which is, of course, bad. I could also actually lose my mind due to lack of things to do. I am programmed to be very busy and when I'm not I usually wind up in a funk. I must try my best to avoid that over the next few weeks.
So I fail at making blog posts that are simple, concise, and have a point. This is very apparent. However, I've just looked at the clock and realize it is time for me to wrap up here so I can get a few more things done before Soren is home from school. Any "break a leg" thoughts for my On Stage class are more than welcome - so send them on over!
Oh - and Happy Veteran's Day! :)
Monday, November 12, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
We're All A Little Neurotic
I took a fantastic parenting class in college from an amazing teacher who had 8 children of her own - one of which was in our class. This, I believe, kept her very honest because her daughter would have spoken up, I'm sure, if her mom had said something that wasn't accurate. She would tell us stories about her family and raising her kids and I was always so impressed with her! Which is why I believe one of the things she said to us all - we are all a little neurotic. It can be as small as making sure all the cans in our cupboard face the same way or as big as having to walk through a door three times before entering a room, but it's all a little crazy.
My neurosis took over yesterday during my Water Aerobics class. I tried to fight it, but it got me thinking about the little things I do, for no reason, just because of that little voice in the back of my head. During my class we used barbells of varying sizes. We also use noodles. My instructor asked the lifeguard to get some out and he obliged. But when he tipped over the huge bin that holds the barbells, half of them fell into the water. No one was really using that are of the pool at the time, so they weren't really in the way, but the fact that they weren't neatly stacked inside the bin or along the edge of the pool made me CRAZY. Like - I could not stop thinking about how they were just FLOATING THERE IN THE POOL AND PLEASE SOMEONE PUT THEM AWAY!!! And no one did. People actually walked past them, moving them to the side, so they could exit the pool but not one person put any up on the side or back into the bin. My focus was all about those stupid barbells floating around the pool and at that moment I was like - oh look, my neurosis is kicking in. There was no reason they HAD to be in the bin or up on the side of the pool, like I said - they weren't in anyone's way - but the fact that they were all there all untidy was making me crazy. I decided I would fight the urge to stop my exercising in order to move them, but it took so much willpower and my brain kept on telling me to look at them and move them and take care of them and AHHHHHHHHH! But I fought it because I knew it was so stupid! Haha! In the end, after we'd all picked up our barbells for that portion of the workout, most of them were either in people's hands or on the side of the pool. There was one rogue barbell that, despite all my efforts, I had to pick up and put away. But it got me thinking. . . . about all the crazy things we do for no other reason than our brain tells us to do it.
Another example is my dinner plate. I am a separatist. I do not like my food touching. If my food touches another food, I either don't eat it or my brain complains about eating it the whole time it's in my mouth. "Just swallow and get it over with," I tell myself, but my brain is blaring sirens and screaming that the lettuce I just put into my mouth had actually touched the chicken and had some wonky sauce on it and it must me stopped - don't eat the lettuce! Don't do it! And check the chicken for signs of lettuce infestations! Luckily I am not so neurotic that I can't eat anymore if something touches something else, but I do wish my brain would chill-ax sometimes. I mean, seriously, it's all going to the same place anyway.
I think we all could do with a little 'chilling out' about certain things that aren't important. I stress myself out sometimes with the little things that have to be 'just so' and my dear hubby has to remind me to relax because the world will not end if the fruit bowl on the table isn't right in the middle of the table. After 10 years, I have definitely decreased the stress in my life by just having him around to remind me to simmer down.
In other, less contemplative news - I did practically nothing yesterday and it felt wonderful. This was followed by an evening of Girl's Night, which rocked. We played a game called "Nuh-Uh! No, He Didn't!" which is so popular that I can't even find a link for it anywhere . . . I bought it for $3 at Five Below. I'm all about the quality. It's a goofy, girly game where you just end up chatting about various things. There was much talking and a lot of laughter. We also snacked on treats (fruit with Nutella, which is love. However, I don't eat sugar, so I just had the fruit lol) and stayed up way too late. Oh well - Girl's Night is worth it.
Today I am suffering from a lack of sleep hang over. I need to go grocery shopping, get gas (what is WITH the gas prices going all stupid again!?!?!?!), and get some laundry done so there are clothes to wear. My boys might like being naked, but the world doesn't need to see that. I also have excessive amounts of work to do (web design + my Little Stars + voice lessons), so I should get all of that done as early as possible to leave time for work. Joys!
My neurosis took over yesterday during my Water Aerobics class. I tried to fight it, but it got me thinking about the little things I do, for no reason, just because of that little voice in the back of my head. During my class we used barbells of varying sizes. We also use noodles. My instructor asked the lifeguard to get some out and he obliged. But when he tipped over the huge bin that holds the barbells, half of them fell into the water. No one was really using that are of the pool at the time, so they weren't really in the way, but the fact that they weren't neatly stacked inside the bin or along the edge of the pool made me CRAZY. Like - I could not stop thinking about how they were just FLOATING THERE IN THE POOL AND PLEASE SOMEONE PUT THEM AWAY!!! And no one did. People actually walked past them, moving them to the side, so they could exit the pool but not one person put any up on the side or back into the bin. My focus was all about those stupid barbells floating around the pool and at that moment I was like - oh look, my neurosis is kicking in. There was no reason they HAD to be in the bin or up on the side of the pool, like I said - they weren't in anyone's way - but the fact that they were all there all untidy was making me crazy. I decided I would fight the urge to stop my exercising in order to move them, but it took so much willpower and my brain kept on telling me to look at them and move them and take care of them and AHHHHHHHHH! But I fought it because I knew it was so stupid! Haha! In the end, after we'd all picked up our barbells for that portion of the workout, most of them were either in people's hands or on the side of the pool. There was one rogue barbell that, despite all my efforts, I had to pick up and put away. But it got me thinking. . . . about all the crazy things we do for no other reason than our brain tells us to do it.
Another example is my dinner plate. I am a separatist. I do not like my food touching. If my food touches another food, I either don't eat it or my brain complains about eating it the whole time it's in my mouth. "Just swallow and get it over with," I tell myself, but my brain is blaring sirens and screaming that the lettuce I just put into my mouth had actually touched the chicken and had some wonky sauce on it and it must me stopped - don't eat the lettuce! Don't do it! And check the chicken for signs of lettuce infestations! Luckily I am not so neurotic that I can't eat anymore if something touches something else, but I do wish my brain would chill-ax sometimes. I mean, seriously, it's all going to the same place anyway.
I think we all could do with a little 'chilling out' about certain things that aren't important. I stress myself out sometimes with the little things that have to be 'just so' and my dear hubby has to remind me to relax because the world will not end if the fruit bowl on the table isn't right in the middle of the table. After 10 years, I have definitely decreased the stress in my life by just having him around to remind me to simmer down.
In other, less contemplative news - I did practically nothing yesterday and it felt wonderful. This was followed by an evening of Girl's Night, which rocked. We played a game called "Nuh-Uh! No, He Didn't!" which is so popular that I can't even find a link for it anywhere . . . I bought it for $3 at Five Below. I'm all about the quality. It's a goofy, girly game where you just end up chatting about various things. There was much talking and a lot of laughter. We also snacked on treats (fruit with Nutella, which is love. However, I don't eat sugar, so I just had the fruit lol) and stayed up way too late. Oh well - Girl's Night is worth it.
Today I am suffering from a lack of sleep hang over. I need to go grocery shopping, get gas (what is WITH the gas prices going all stupid again!?!?!?!), and get some laundry done so there are clothes to wear. My boys might like being naked, but the world doesn't need to see that. I also have excessive amounts of work to do (web design + my Little Stars + voice lessons), so I should get all of that done as early as possible to leave time for work. Joys!
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Ohio & Halloween (Photo Overload)
I finally have a chance to sit down and cover my trip to Ohio. I'll also throw in a few Halloween pictures, just for kicks.
The drive to Ohio was beautiful! The colors of the trees have been less than vibrant down here in Virginia where there has been very little rainfall. Most of our leaves are falling off without even bothering to turn red or orange or even brown first! How rude! So we enjoyed the gorgeous colors, even though we ended up driving through rain almost the entire way there.
We met up with my dad at the hotel around 7:30pm, unloaded our stuff, and headed out to eat at a place we discovered after moving to Ohio:
That's right, Bob Evans. Seeing as we live in Virginia now, we happen to have a Bob Evans right around the corner. My parents, however, only get to eat at Bob's when they come to this side of the Mississippi, so we humored my dad and took him to dinner. Then we settled down in the hotel room, played a round of Guillotine! I love that game. Killing French people has never been more enjoyable! And then we headed to bed!
On Saturday we bummed around until my mom arrived at the airport. Then we headed off to explore the world of my late teenage years. We drove by the house I spent a few years in (and loved):
And then past my old high school which, incidentally, never looked like a high school to me. The first time we drove past I couldn't believe it was my school and said it looked like an office building:
We drove up to Kirtland, Ohio and thought about doing the tour of the local LDS church historic sites, but decided that we'd rather do other things and save that for Sunday. But - WOW - what a change! I spent quite a bit of time in Kirtland during my few years there and they've changed so much! We drove past the Kirtland temple and Sidney Rigdon's home, but spent the rest of the time driving around Hudson, Ohio - where we had lived. We also ate at some little pie place I'd never heard of but my parents had, so that was nice.
That night we played Ticket to Ride, which is a super fun game that my parents hadn't played before. I won by a landslide and that rocked. By the time we finished it was really late and we all had to be up, packed, and moving early on Sunday, so we called it a night. I think we must have played a round of Guillotine that night as well.
On Sunday we went to church in Kirtland and then toured the LDS church sites.
The Newell K. Whitney Store looks pretty much the same as it always has.
His house, however, is nothing like I remember it. Mainly because it just wasn't there before . . . or it was, but in a different spot and definitely not that color.
The John Johnson Inn was definitely NOT there, so that was new!
And neither was the saw mill or the ashery! So that was exciting!
We also ran into some old friends and that was quite a surprise and very nice! Then it was time to say goodbye to my daddy and head home. Luckily the weather wasn't too bad, so the drive home was much more enjoyable than the drive out.
The past week my mother humored me by joining me on errands and what not. She taught me a few sewing things (though I'm still terrible with that machine), and we watched some silly shows on TV, played card games (our tradition) and chatted about various things. She played with Soren while I went to work and helped me pick out all the various Halloween clearance items I should not have purchased but couldn't resist. I'm a sucker for Halloween. And speaking of Halloween, she helped put Soren's costume together:
That's my mom on the floor and there's Soren, in all his mummy glory. If you didn't know, Soren loves ancient Egypt. This is my friend (and basement-dweller), Marie, doing Soren's makeup. He wanted to be a decaying mummy:
He has the look down perfectly, eh?
After Halloween my mommy helped me take down all my decorations and get ready for Turkey day, which is just around the corner. She also came to Soren's last soccer game of the season on Saturday and watched me direct the singing time for the little kiddies at church on Sunday. I just got home from putting her on a plane and now I will have to wait to see her again until the summer when, unless something bizarre happens, we shall all be at the family reunion together.
*sigh*
It was nice to see my mommy and daddy. You sometimes don't realize how much you miss someone until you see them again. Then it just makes the parting again that much more of a bummer.
However, onward and upward. Yesterday was dress rehearsal for my On Stage class. Our performance is on Monday and then I get a few weeks off (and my paycheck - haha) before that class begins again in January. This Saturday is also dress rehearsal for my other classes - they are called my Little Stars - and our performance is on the 17th. Then we get some downtime before we start preparing for our next production - Adventures of a Comic Book Artist. Yay!
Soren is off of school today (teacher work-day + parent/teacher conferences + voting), so I need to go poke him for a while. I'll be back to updating more frequently now that life is returning to some sort of semblance of normal - however loosely I may use that word - for the time being.
The drive to Ohio was beautiful! The colors of the trees have been less than vibrant down here in Virginia where there has been very little rainfall. Most of our leaves are falling off without even bothering to turn red or orange or even brown first! How rude! So we enjoyed the gorgeous colors, even though we ended up driving through rain almost the entire way there.
We met up with my dad at the hotel around 7:30pm, unloaded our stuff, and headed out to eat at a place we discovered after moving to Ohio:
That's right, Bob Evans. Seeing as we live in Virginia now, we happen to have a Bob Evans right around the corner. My parents, however, only get to eat at Bob's when they come to this side of the Mississippi, so we humored my dad and took him to dinner. Then we settled down in the hotel room, played a round of Guillotine! I love that game. Killing French people has never been more enjoyable! And then we headed to bed!
On Saturday we bummed around until my mom arrived at the airport. Then we headed off to explore the world of my late teenage years. We drove by the house I spent a few years in (and loved):
And then past my old high school which, incidentally, never looked like a high school to me. The first time we drove past I couldn't believe it was my school and said it looked like an office building:
We drove up to Kirtland, Ohio and thought about doing the tour of the local LDS church historic sites, but decided that we'd rather do other things and save that for Sunday. But - WOW - what a change! I spent quite a bit of time in Kirtland during my few years there and they've changed so much! We drove past the Kirtland temple and Sidney Rigdon's home, but spent the rest of the time driving around Hudson, Ohio - where we had lived. We also ate at some little pie place I'd never heard of but my parents had, so that was nice.
That night we played Ticket to Ride, which is a super fun game that my parents hadn't played before. I won by a landslide and that rocked. By the time we finished it was really late and we all had to be up, packed, and moving early on Sunday, so we called it a night. I think we must have played a round of Guillotine that night as well.
On Sunday we went to church in Kirtland and then toured the LDS church sites.
The Newell K. Whitney Store looks pretty much the same as it always has.
His house, however, is nothing like I remember it. Mainly because it just wasn't there before . . . or it was, but in a different spot and definitely not that color.
The John Johnson Inn was definitely NOT there, so that was new!
And neither was the saw mill or the ashery! So that was exciting!
We also ran into some old friends and that was quite a surprise and very nice! Then it was time to say goodbye to my daddy and head home. Luckily the weather wasn't too bad, so the drive home was much more enjoyable than the drive out.
The past week my mother humored me by joining me on errands and what not. She taught me a few sewing things (though I'm still terrible with that machine), and we watched some silly shows on TV, played card games (our tradition) and chatted about various things. She played with Soren while I went to work and helped me pick out all the various Halloween clearance items I should not have purchased but couldn't resist. I'm a sucker for Halloween. And speaking of Halloween, she helped put Soren's costume together:
That's my mom on the floor and there's Soren, in all his mummy glory. If you didn't know, Soren loves ancient Egypt. This is my friend (and basement-dweller), Marie, doing Soren's makeup. He wanted to be a decaying mummy:
He has the look down perfectly, eh?
After Halloween my mommy helped me take down all my decorations and get ready for Turkey day, which is just around the corner. She also came to Soren's last soccer game of the season on Saturday and watched me direct the singing time for the little kiddies at church on Sunday. I just got home from putting her on a plane and now I will have to wait to see her again until the summer when, unless something bizarre happens, we shall all be at the family reunion together.
*sigh*
It was nice to see my mommy and daddy. You sometimes don't realize how much you miss someone until you see them again. Then it just makes the parting again that much more of a bummer.
However, onward and upward. Yesterday was dress rehearsal for my On Stage class. Our performance is on Monday and then I get a few weeks off (and my paycheck - haha) before that class begins again in January. This Saturday is also dress rehearsal for my other classes - they are called my Little Stars - and our performance is on the 17th. Then we get some downtime before we start preparing for our next production - Adventures of a Comic Book Artist. Yay!
Soren is off of school today (teacher work-day + parent/teacher conferences + voting), so I need to go poke him for a while. I'll be back to updating more frequently now that life is returning to some sort of semblance of normal - however loosely I may use that word - for the time being.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Still Alive
For those keeping score at home, I am still alive and well. Cleveland and the yet-to-be-finished visit with my mother is taking its toll on me and I am, truthfully, exhausted. No idea why, after only 13 hours of being awake, I've felt like crashing. Seriously. I've been waking up after 8am all week and by 9:30pm or so I am ready to go to bed. Looking at the clock, of course, one might noticed that it is almost 11pm and I am still awake. It's because 9:30pm seems like such a silly time to go to bed. Plus I had to watch The Office and Scrubs. :D
Ok, there isn't really a whole lot to say. Or rather there is, but I am too tired to say it. Cleveland was awesome - pics forthcoming. Halloween rocked (as it is one of my favorite holidays) - pics forthcoming. I am tired - no pics forthcoming hahaha!
I just wanted you all to know that I am still alive and just in need of excessive amounts of sleep. That is all!
Ok, there isn't really a whole lot to say. Or rather there is, but I am too tired to say it. Cleveland was awesome - pics forthcoming. Halloween rocked (as it is one of my favorite holidays) - pics forthcoming. I am tired - no pics forthcoming hahaha!
I just wanted you all to know that I am still alive and just in need of excessive amounts of sleep. That is all!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap.
Today hasn't been bad, but I did take a nap. I've done that twice this week - napped in the middle of the day, I mean. This is odd for me, as I usually can not sleep when it is light outside. Maybe it's because it's finally been raining and the skies have been covered in clouds? I'm not sure. It could also be that, after about 3 weeks off, Alan and I started getting up early and walking again. My body could just be saying - hey, um, I need a little more sleep if we are actually going to add that back in again. And me, being stubborn, saying - no, I don't like to go to sleep before 11pm! My body then revolts by saying - FINE, but you'll take a nap, darn it! And I acquiesce. I've needed the naps, though, as both have happened a few hours before I run off to teach my musical theatre classes.
Let me explain. I love musical theatre and have for as long as I can remember. I also love teaching and have, for many years (off and on) wanted to be a teacher. However, I did not realize until I started teaching how much energy teachers need to get through even one hour of class. I teach various age groups, but my musical theatre classes consist of 5-8 year olds at 4:30pm. Let's just say I am grateful that I can use music to allow these kids to get their wiggles out because I don't know what I'd do otherwise. We are in the final weeks leading up to our first performance of the year - Robin Hood: The Musical (Nov. 17th). That means we all start to freak out and hope the kids know the songs, dances, and any lines they have been assigned. It's even more important for me to have energy in these classes leading up to the performance because it helps the kids be excited about it all. So that is where I am off to in about a half hour.
Some of you asked about our 'new' car. It's a 1994 Honda Accord that has it's fair share of problems - but we purchased it for $800 below trade-in value, so I'm not going to complain. It will serve it's purpose just fine - that being getting Alan to and from work. Right now he is only working two days a week at the campus of George Washington University located in Ashburn, VA and the rest of the week he spends at the downtown DC campus. However, this eventually will become full time and we wanted to be prepared for the inevitable. It was also getting very stressful having to juggle who had the car when because, while Alan just has to go to and from work everyday, Soren and I have very busy schedules with activities at various locations and this complicates life. So, now we have a car that will spend a fair amount of time sitting in the parking lot but when it isn't sitting in the parking lot it will be used for important reasons!
I have a very difficult time keeping blog entries brief. I'll sum up the rest of our week with bullet points:
Let me explain. I love musical theatre and have for as long as I can remember. I also love teaching and have, for many years (off and on) wanted to be a teacher. However, I did not realize until I started teaching how much energy teachers need to get through even one hour of class. I teach various age groups, but my musical theatre classes consist of 5-8 year olds at 4:30pm. Let's just say I am grateful that I can use music to allow these kids to get their wiggles out because I don't know what I'd do otherwise. We are in the final weeks leading up to our first performance of the year - Robin Hood: The Musical (Nov. 17th). That means we all start to freak out and hope the kids know the songs, dances, and any lines they have been assigned. It's even more important for me to have energy in these classes leading up to the performance because it helps the kids be excited about it all. So that is where I am off to in about a half hour.
Some of you asked about our 'new' car. It's a 1994 Honda Accord that has it's fair share of problems - but we purchased it for $800 below trade-in value, so I'm not going to complain. It will serve it's purpose just fine - that being getting Alan to and from work. Right now he is only working two days a week at the campus of George Washington University located in Ashburn, VA and the rest of the week he spends at the downtown DC campus. However, this eventually will become full time and we wanted to be prepared for the inevitable. It was also getting very stressful having to juggle who had the car when because, while Alan just has to go to and from work everyday, Soren and I have very busy schedules with activities at various locations and this complicates life. So, now we have a car that will spend a fair amount of time sitting in the parking lot but when it isn't sitting in the parking lot it will be used for important reasons!
I have a very difficult time keeping blog entries brief. I'll sum up the rest of our week with bullet points:
- Alan plays for a DC Basketball League and their team won this week! Yay!
- Soren improved his math grade this week and is learning to take more time with his homework instead of rushing! This makes us all feel good.
- For girls night last night we played Karaoke Revolution Party - which included dancing and duets. What a freakin' riot!
- We leave for Cleveland tomorrow and will come home with an extra person - my mommy!
- Halloween is next week and I still need to figure out how to transform the white sheets I bought at Kmart (an entire set for $10! What a steal!) into a mummy costume for my Egyptian obsessed son. I also have not purchased any candy yet.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Cleveland Rocks!
Even though the Indians lost the AL Championships, I still have a soft, squishy spot in my heart for Cleveland. This is why I am excited for the weekend! Me and my boys are heading to Cleveland for 2 reasons: 1) My dad is going to be there on business (plus I talked my mom into joining him so we could see her, too!) and I haven't seen my parents in over a year and 2) I have not been back to my old stomping grounds since Dec. 1997 - 10 years! Squeee!
I really only lived in the Cleveland area for 2 years - my last 2 years of high school. However, those 2 years shaped who I am now in more ways than I can count. While I wasn't thrilled with the prospect of moving almost all the way across the country and away from the friends I had spent a large chunk of my life with, it was the best thing for me in the whole wide world. So - lots of warm feelings about Cleveland and Ohio in general. I am most excited to visit Kirtland again, as I know it has changed tremendously since I was there last. PLUS Soren has never been to Ohio, so that will be fun!
Today I must make my third attempt at registering our 'new' car (read: used). There was all kinds of drama and I almost yelled at the DMV (yes, the entire department! HAHA! - no, really, just the chica who sits at the front desk saying 'no' all day) yesterday because I seriously think all the bureaucratic nonsense we go through to register a vehicle is ridiculous. I understand WHY all the nonsense exists, but it is ridiculous. It seems the state... I mean COMMONWEALTH of Virginia is much worse than many other states. It took me 2 years to get my driver's license because of the stupidity. Oh well. At least the vanity plates are cheap. And yes, we are getting one for Alan's car: 2METER2 *giggles* That's how tall he is, after all!
Aside from the car drama, I am helping a friend clean her apartment that they just moved out of (I was assigned the microwave because I'm tall - hee hee!), and I have to go beg CVS to reprint some receipts because Soren, in his attempt to be as thorough as possible in taking out the recycling, made off with ALL of our receipts from the past 2 years. Yes. All of them. I almost had a heart attack this morning when I realized this. Now we just have to pray that nothing we have purchased breaks. Our Flex Spending card is freakish and doesn't accept transactions from CVS without a receipt to prove we aren't spending our money on junk food and cheap drug store merchandise. I keep the CVS receipts out usually so Alan can take them to work, but alas . . . I missed one.
Luckily, I do not have to work today! Wednesday and Friday are my days off, so I get to run errands, do service, do laundry, and clean the house! This is especially important on Wednesdays because Wednesday is girls night at my house. This is when I send the boys upstairs and I have a handful of girls over. Sometimes we just chat, sometimes we play Karaoke Revolution or DDR, sometimes we watch a chic flick, sometimes we play games, sometimes we even LEAVE THE HOUSE.... but whatever we do, we get time off from kids and husbands and just get to be girls together. It's awesome and I highly recommend it!
With that, I leave you. I have babbled on long enough for one day. It is now time for me to shower, as I currently smell of chlorine from my water aerobics class, and get ready to fight the demons at the DMV!!!!
I really only lived in the Cleveland area for 2 years - my last 2 years of high school. However, those 2 years shaped who I am now in more ways than I can count. While I wasn't thrilled with the prospect of moving almost all the way across the country and away from the friends I had spent a large chunk of my life with, it was the best thing for me in the whole wide world. So - lots of warm feelings about Cleveland and Ohio in general. I am most excited to visit Kirtland again, as I know it has changed tremendously since I was there last. PLUS Soren has never been to Ohio, so that will be fun!
Today I must make my third attempt at registering our 'new' car (read: used). There was all kinds of drama and I almost yelled at the DMV (yes, the entire department! HAHA! - no, really, just the chica who sits at the front desk saying 'no' all day) yesterday because I seriously think all the bureaucratic nonsense we go through to register a vehicle is ridiculous. I understand WHY all the nonsense exists, but it is ridiculous. It seems the state... I mean COMMONWEALTH of Virginia is much worse than many other states. It took me 2 years to get my driver's license because of the stupidity. Oh well. At least the vanity plates are cheap. And yes, we are getting one for Alan's car: 2METER2 *giggles* That's how tall he is, after all!
Aside from the car drama, I am helping a friend clean her apartment that they just moved out of (I was assigned the microwave because I'm tall - hee hee!), and I have to go beg CVS to reprint some receipts because Soren, in his attempt to be as thorough as possible in taking out the recycling, made off with ALL of our receipts from the past 2 years. Yes. All of them. I almost had a heart attack this morning when I realized this. Now we just have to pray that nothing we have purchased breaks. Our Flex Spending card is freakish and doesn't accept transactions from CVS without a receipt to prove we aren't spending our money on junk food and cheap drug store merchandise. I keep the CVS receipts out usually so Alan can take them to work, but alas . . . I missed one.
Luckily, I do not have to work today! Wednesday and Friday are my days off, so I get to run errands, do service, do laundry, and clean the house! This is especially important on Wednesdays because Wednesday is girls night at my house. This is when I send the boys upstairs and I have a handful of girls over. Sometimes we just chat, sometimes we play Karaoke Revolution or DDR, sometimes we watch a chic flick, sometimes we play games, sometimes we even LEAVE THE HOUSE.... but whatever we do, we get time off from kids and husbands and just get to be girls together. It's awesome and I highly recommend it!
With that, I leave you. I have babbled on long enough for one day. It is now time for me to shower, as I currently smell of chlorine from my water aerobics class, and get ready to fight the demons at the DMV!!!!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Let's Give It A Try
So. Here I am. I'm trying this whole Blogger thing, as I've noticed a fair amount of my friends/family have jumped on the Blogger bandwagon. I usually use Live Journal, but to make life easier for all involved, I've decided to do some cross posting here, as well as adding things that make this more of a 'Here's What's Going On In My Life' blog versus a . . . well, rant about everything and sometimes update on the status of life blog.
And now, as I promised my sister I would do this, here is what happens when I trust people with my hair. I had about 8-9 inches taken off and really had a fantastic hairdresser. My neighbor does hair (she focuses more on color, so she colored it) and was a sweetie and gave me a gift certificate to get a cut and color. So I'm trying to get used to the new look.
I've got to run for now. I'm teaching today and have decided that, since it is an amazingly beautiful day, that I'll be walking to work. Today the kids are off book (no scripts in hand), so I'll be spending 2 hours prompting, I'm sure. We also have to discuss costumes and props. After today we have 2 more rehearsals and then it's show time! This class will be referred to as "On Stage" from here on out, so if I use that term, it means a class of 12-16 kids ages 8-12 doing a short (30-45 min) straight (non-musical) play over an 8 week period of time.
Here's hoping I can keep up with the blog! :)
And now, as I promised my sister I would do this, here is what happens when I trust people with my hair. I had about 8-9 inches taken off and really had a fantastic hairdresser. My neighbor does hair (she focuses more on color, so she colored it) and was a sweetie and gave me a gift certificate to get a cut and color. So I'm trying to get used to the new look.
I've got to run for now. I'm teaching today and have decided that, since it is an amazingly beautiful day, that I'll be walking to work. Today the kids are off book (no scripts in hand), so I'll be spending 2 hours prompting, I'm sure. We also have to discuss costumes and props. After today we have 2 more rehearsals and then it's show time! This class will be referred to as "On Stage" from here on out, so if I use that term, it means a class of 12-16 kids ages 8-12 doing a short (30-45 min) straight (non-musical) play over an 8 week period of time.
Here's hoping I can keep up with the blog! :)
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