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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Rollercoaster Ride


We are officially back from a wonderful vacation in Los Angeles. I miss it already! There have been so many funny stories I wanted to blog about, but alas, we did not take our laptop with us, so now I need to dig into my brain to recall all that I wanted to share.
One day last week we took the morning to show our cousin Lizzie who traveled with us the Santa Monica Pier. She convinced me to ride the rollercoaster with her. I was actually pressuring her to ride the rollercoaster because I hate the dumb things. I literally have a phobia of rollercoasters. I scream, hyperventilate, and cry when I try to get on them. Anyway, she convinced me and seeing as I have actually ridden this "kiddie coaster" before and survived, I decided to give it a whirl again.
After it started to pick up some speed, I started screaming. When the tiny hill came, I shouted, "Here comes the big hill!" and I put my hands over my head and let out the most cathartic scream. All the while, Lizzie was doubled over laughing until she was crying. I don't even think she realized the rollercoaster was moving because she was laughing so hard at me. Now, I was seriously scared. It was the biggest adrenaline rush for me.
The woman sitting a few rows in front of us thought I was screaming to be funny. She turned around and said, "Now that was some good screaming!"
"It was authentic!" I hollered back. She looked confused.
Fast forward a few days to our plane ride back to Savannah. From Houston to Savannah we were in a small aircraft with 1 seat on the left and two on the right. We hit bad weather. We were riding a strong tailwind all the way into Savannah and shaved an hour off our flight! But, the whole time was this incredible turbulance and it felt like the aircraft was being tossed to and fro. Ummmmm.....rollercoaster? Yea, I would say so. My son was drooling and ready to puke at any second, crying that he had a tummy ache. I was holding him wishing I could just put my arms up over my head and let out the cathartic screams the entire way home.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

OH, California, California, California, Ohhhhhh...

Have you ever found preparing for a trip to become so vexing that it almost makes it not worth it to travel? I did say "ALMOST".

I have had the "California" theme song from The O.C. stuck in my head all day. I spent the 2 last days packing and preparing for our trip to Los Angeles. We leave bright and early in the morning, at like 4:00 a.m., and I am too excited to even think about going to bed. Packing turned out to be a little bit of a struggle. I am sort of in-between sizes right now and I just need to have at least one good pair of jeans to take with me on this trip.
A few years ago, when I lived in L.A., I spent a good deal of money on this very hip pair of Lucky Jeans for my mom for Christmas. She was sort of worried about wearing them because they were "low-rise" and a bit longer than other jeans she owned. They looked great on her though, and I was satisfied that I had given her a "great gift!"
Fast-forward to October 2007 when I was 18 weeks prego with Natalie and running out of clothing that fit me. My mom lovingly handed me down the pair of Lucky Jeans I had given her because she no longer wore them.
"Mom, what happened to the hem on these jeans?"
"Oh, they were too long so I cut them off."
I looked at the frayed hem and decided to take them off her hands anyway. No use letting a pair of Lucky Jeans go to waste, but I was a little perturbed she had chopped them up. I think what happened was she got confused about whether it was still in style or not to have cut off jeans with a frayed hemline. And I quote, "I wasn't sure whether it was still the style to wear them that way, so I went ahead and cut them off. I remember you girls used to do that!" (in her defense my mom does generally have GREAT style so I think her brain was telling her that she had ruined these particular pair of pants and she should just get rid of them by passing them onto me!)
These particular pair of jeans are the only pair that fit me well right now. I have been rolling them into capris to hide the fray, or just wearing them promising myself to take them and have them altered. If any of you have noticed the fray and wondered about it, you now know the secret. No, I have not been trying to bring back any outdated fashion trends.
Yesterday, as I packed for this trip, I got the bright idea that I would just hem these jeans myself since I now have my sewing machine out and working. Well, let's just suffice it to say that I apparently don't know how to hem jeans. They certainly don't look like they do when you buy them from the store. I only did one leg because it looked bad enough that I didn't want to waste my time mutilating the second leg. Maybe I will just go the rest of the way and make them into cut-off jean shorts so I can really make sure everyone thinks I am stuck in the 80's. If I wait long enough maybe it will come back into fashion.
Anyway, I guess I am now officially out of jeans! Maybe I will find a special new pair on my trip.

For those of you wondering how my preparation extravaganza finished off:
a. I lost a total of 4 pounds instead of the 8 I was trying for, but hey, why not aim high, right?
b. My acne is gone and my face is starting to glow again.
c. I have a dress to wear to the wedding that I actually feel good in.
d. I bought new make-up and I feel pretty again.
e. My hair is recently highlighted and my teeth are clean and white again.
f. My workouts have dwindled in the last week because of all the preparation I have had to do, but I feel in tremendously better shape already, and can't wait to get back to my routine after vacation!
I also have the plan to dress my kids up so cute that noone really notices me, but just focuses all their attention on them!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Pearly Whites

Do you floss?

"You have the most beautiful teeth!" commented Donna, my lovely dental hygenist as she finished scraping the last bit of who knows what off my teeth this morning.
"Thank you! I keep thinking I want veneers because of the white spots." (a suggestion of my sister's when I was home last.)
"Oh, you hardly notice those, sweetie. You were blessed with great teeth!"
"What about the fracture lines you noticed last time? Do I need a bite splint?" I have been grinding, chewing, clenching my teeth at night for who knows how long.
"A bite splint could only help you. Let's ask the dentist."
He came in, "Perfect teeth! A bite splint? I thought you already had one?"
"I did. I lost it."
"What type of splint was it?"
"I don't know. I never wore it. And then my husband accidently threw it out when we moved"
"Well, I recommend that if you get another one, that you start by wearing it!" He grinned.
Perfect dental check-up, as usual. I left feeling guilty. No reprimanding me for not flossing ONCE since my last appointment. They didn't even notice. No notice of the fact that I didn't brush last night (or many other nights) after eating popcorn. How disgusting. I am sure there had to be a few kernals lodged in my gums. But, no. "Perfect" was the response I received.
I called my husband on the way home.
"I need a bite splint but it is going to cost $430.00 and insurance doesn't cover it!"
"How about you just go to walmart and buy a mouthgard that you boil on the stove and bite into? That should protect your teeth while you sleep."
Great suggestion. I was annoyed.
"How about you have your root canal done in a back alley somewhere?"
Yes, I said root canal. They keep threatening that he might need one. He takes PERFECT care of his teeth. Brushes, flosses, rinses constantly. He is convinced my teeth are going to rot out of my head. But "perfect" is all I ever hear. Good genes I guess. I am not complaining. But I do sort of want veneers to cover the white spots. Is that vain? And I do need a bite splint for my TMJ. I just need to not lose it this time around! And I promise to start flossing everyday like a good girl!

Monday, March 16, 2009

Gratitude Attitude

So I started following this new blog Dude Where Am I? As part of lent, she has started a Monday gratitude list, and I feel compelled to follow suit. I make fun of my life, but I truly have much to be thankful for and think it is great to sit and reflect on that once in a while. So, today, here is what I am grateful for! Pass it on. Would love to hear what you are thankful for too!

1. My washer and dryer. Though I hate laundry, I love it alot more with my current washer and dryer than I did when I had to truck through the apartment complex hauling load after load. I love the sound of clothes tumbling in the dryer. I just dread folding them!

2. Natalie's kindermusik class. That one hour a week for just her and me is so special. I can tell she loves it too. I get lots of hugs and kisses in that class.

3. My husband's job. Thank you Lord that he is able to provide for our family and that most days he is happy doing it.

4. Naptime. I cherish the 2 hours of silence in the afternoon.

5. My mom is coming for Natalie's birthday. Yay!

6. Airplanes. One that is taking us to California on Thursday. Isn't the gift of flight a miracle in itself?
7. Will's love for his silky bear. It makes my heart smile when he has to find his "Silky Bear" before bedtime.
8. The rain. Spring really is here!

9. Friends who have 3 year olds as lively as mine.

10. Chocolate cupcakes. I had the most delicious one today. Thanks Brandy!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

The Most Perfect Dress

How do you know if you've found the perfect dress?

"What am I going to wear to the wedding?" has been the big question on my mind lately. I have a closet full of several size 6 dresses that no longer contain my ample bustline and overall post-baby cuvasiousness. Plus, none of my dresses are exactly red-carpet worthy, except for maybe one that was passed down to me by a friend and has already been worn to a zillion christmas parties full of the same crowd that will attend this wedding. I have been on the hunt for the perfect dress for the past month.
"Oh, honey, that dress is just GOOOOORGEOUS on you!" purred the shop owner.
"Ummmm...yes," I startled as I realized she was peaking through the crack of my slightly opened dressing room door. "But," I hesitated, "it doesn't exactly zip up!"
"Oh, that is a shame!" she scuffled away to go help a more worthy customer.
"C'mon, let's go" I said to my trusted friend who came along to give me an honest opinion.

My husband has never had trouble giving me an honest opinion about dresses. After I purchase them, I do a fashion show for him and he either gives me a thumbs up or a thumbs down. The last wedding I had to purchase a dress for, I struggled with what to wear. Thank God he was there to save the day. He firmly told me to RETURN the dress you see below, lest I show up at the wedding looking like a shamrock.



WHAT WAS I THINKING?

So you can see, though I have always thought I had great taste in clothing, and I love to be on the cutting edge of fashion, sometimes I am a bit delusional about how things look on me. I think they look better than they do!

So, after weeks of uncertainty about what will be appropriate for this upcoming wedding in Beverly Hills, CA, today I found the MOST PERFECT dress. I am in love. It is a beautiful blue strapless silk and is completely red-carpet worthy. Not that it needs to be, but I could totally see a celebrity wearing it. It is gorgeous. And it fits like a glove! Perfect.
I found this dress in 20 minutes while my husband waited in the car with my sleeping son. Natalie was in the dressing room throwing around hangars and entertaining the staff. But, even the pretentious women working there concurred that THIS was indeed the right dress. And, it zipped up!







Friday, March 13, 2009

Who am I?

I found this quiz at loren christie's blog http://lorenelizabethchristie.blogspot.com/. Since I've always been a big Jane Austen fan, I decided to take the quiz myself. Here are the results!

I am Marianne Dashwood!


Take the Quiz here!

You are Marianne Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are impulsive, romantic, impatient, and perhaps a bit too brutally honest. You enjoy romantic poetry and novels, and play the pianoforte beautifully. To boot, your singing voice is captivating. You feel deeply, and love passionately.

My husband will be happy to hear of my results!

Morning Cup a Joe

Is there anything in your life that is WORTH the fight every single day?




"How many cups of coffee did you have this morning?" I asked my husband as I felt the last drip slide out of the pot into my first cup.
"Three. Why?"
"Because this is my FIRST cup!"
"Well, that's because you use that HUGE cup!"
Tom boycotts my huge cup. He sweetly pours my coffee just about every morning, but very rarely will he give me the "huge" cup I like. He claims I steal all the coffee that way.
Yes, we fight over coffee. MmmmHmmm. You heard me. Coffee! It all started when I was pregnant and could not have caffeine. We made half-decaf every morning, and I allowed myself a cup and a half. My husband had the other 3 cups in the pot. Now,Tom fully believes he will always be entitled to his 3 cups, and I firmly believe that all bets are off now that I AM NOT PREGNANT ANYMORE!

In fact, since coffee technically makes me a better mother to his children, shouldn't I be entitled to the three cups?

I know what you're thinking. Why not just make a second pot? That would seem like a compromise, I suppose, but I hate cleaning out the coffee pot. All those grounds everywhere. I also feel incredibly guilty when I make a second pot of coffee in the morning. I mean, how bad of a coffee junkie am I that I need to make a second pot just for myself? How supercharged or superstressed do I really need to be in the morning? Well, with the lack of sleep from getting up with 2 children, I feel I need a jolt in the morning, and I do have a sense of entitlement when it comes to coffee.
I developed my love for coffee from my mother. She romanticised having coffee. It was comforting to come home to the coffee brewing in the afternoon. My grandmothers house is the same way. Her house just smells like coffee. Still, when I go home for a visit, there is nothing better than sitting in the living room lazyboys sipping coffee while chatting with my mom. Coffee feels like family to me.
A few of my friends have said, "Coffee just tastes better at your house." Maybe they sense my love affair with coffee. I mean for a whole year I ordered coffee from Pete's Coffee in California just because it was my FAVORITE. I wanted my house to feel comforting like a coffee shop. I'm surprise I didn't get up and bake biscotti every morning or something. Finally, I decided it was an expensive habit I needed to break, when I could buy Starbucks at Sams Club for half the price. I still miss my Pete's!
I make my coffee incredibly strong which I think makes it taste better. My dad won't drink it if I make it. It's the only way I like it. And I guess my friends like it too!

So, don't ya think my husband should surrender one of his cups of coffee in the morning? Or since he has to go to work all day, should I just surrender and make more when he leaves?