Sheydy Day

Sunday was Shey's first soccer game and yesterday, he turned five! It's been a big week. If you were ever curious as to what my heart looks like, here he is.



Peyton is my will, but Shey is my heart. Oh that little boy. He has to have one of the sweetest spirits you will ever meet.



We had a big afternoon at a local amusement park area. Playing video games, riding go-carts and a round of mini-golf. Since it was in the afternoon in the middle of the week, we had the place to ourselves.





Did I mention, he's also goofy? Shey's a born entertainer. I'm trying to record him when I can for his apecials on TV once he hits it big.




I love you, baby. Happy Birthday!

Photos

Not much in a posting mood lately. The holidays are upon us and we are so busy the next few weeks, I'm not even sure when I will get decorations up. Mom just sent me these photos of her when she was a little girl and I thought I would post them. I love looking at old photos of my family.



This one is my mom and her parents with her cousin Anna.



Here is my mom, parents, my great grandparents and um, not sure about the rest. :)

Firsts

Taken from The Glamorous Life.

First memory: Being dropped off at the babysitter's and I had to poop, but I didn't know the lady well enough to get my hiney wiped. I remember the bathroom, but not sure what happened after that.

First celebrity obsession crush: Corey Feldman - Such a shame he turned into such a weirdo.

First dog: Strider - A doberman mix

First cat: Poppy

First memory of being jealous: I'm not sure. I'm sure it had something to do with a boy liking someone besides me.

First ‘boy friend’: Jordan Norman in 6th grade. I remember holding hands in chapel and covering it up so no one would see.

First kiss: Jason Elliot a week or so before my 15th birthday. It was nasty.

First date: Movies at Tamara's house with the above nasty kisser. (Fifel Goes West. ha ha)

First sleepover: I was always having friends over and it started in 1st grade. Kerry Sewell would have been my first friend to stay over.

First time attending Sunday School: um, as a baby

First roller coaster ride: American Scream Machine at 6 Flags over Georgia

First favorite brand name: I think Guess, but I didn't have any of their jeans.

First pair of legwarmers: Never!

First huge misunderstanding: 6th grade at our class lock-in. My BFFs got mad at me for hanging out with other people (?!?!) and we were mad at each other through 6th grade graduation.

First cell phone: I honestly don't remember. I remember my mom getting one, but not mine.

First computer: An HP in 1997.

First huge disappointment: I'm sure it happened 6th grade year. That was an emotional turmoil of a year.

First Regret: Not going away for college

First big family vacation: We went to the beach a lot growing up. Probably the first really big trip though with my parents was to Disney a couple of years ago.

First trip to Europe: Hasn't happened yet.

First heartbreak: ohhhh, Robert, Robert, Robert.

First stay in the hospital: 2002 when Peyton was born

First car: Baby Blue Toyota Corolla hatchback. But it had a sunroof!

First license: On my 16th Birthday. The emergency brake didn't work, so we had to take it to the shop first.

First Convertible: Larry's Volvo C70 in midnight blue.

First ‘mom’ car: Ford Explorer

First time on an ATC/Quad: Probably when I was 15 or so?

First job: A gift wrapper for the holidays

First paycheck: see above, or the numerous baby-sitting jobs beforehand

First apartment: in Montgomery. Taylor Crossing apartments, I think.

First house: in Coral Springs, the one we are in now.

First husband: Larry and only

Halloween

The boys both went as Ninjas for Halloween because they could get swords, but of course by the time Halloween rolled around, Pyton's sword was broken so they had to share Shey's. Oh well. We still had a lot of fun as always. Shey was so in to trick or treating this year and ran right up to every house, even the scary houses. Peyton started off as the moody want-to-be teenager he is, but eventually got into the spirit as well.

Halloween Fun

First you take a pumpkin and you cut it, you cut it, you cut it, cut it, cut it.



The you scoop it, you scoop it, you scoop it, scoop it, scoop it.



The you carve it, you carve it, you carve it, carve it, carve it.



Jack o, Jack o Lantern, Jack o!



Jack o, Jack o Lantern, Jack o!

A Brief Synopsis of the Weekend

Saly Dogs. that that that.(in green).

Leaving on a Jet Plane

In a few hours, Shey and I will be boarding a plane heading to the old homestead. My parents will get the pleasure of watching the little guy, while I get some quality time in with my best girl, Tamara.

After the past three weeks that I have had, which contained some of the worst days of my life, I am definitely looking forward to a break and a getaway.

We'll be attending our high school football game which should be a pretty surreal experience. I look at myself in the mirror and don't think I look any different, but I know once I step on that campus and see the youngin's running around, I will feel every bit of my 32 years.

I can't really say that my high school years were terrible, but then again, I've blocked a good deal of that time out, so who knows for sure. ha I do remember a lot of good times though, chorus trips, football games, playing volleyball and just hanging out. It will be strange to not recognize the players on the field and the kids filling up the bleachers. Thankfully, with a school as small as ours, most of the teachers should still be there and we'll have someone to sit with. ha ha

Now, what do I wear . . .

Relaxing Weekend

Tuesday is Larry's birthday, so Saturday was dubbed his day. His parents had the boys, so we slept in Saturday morning, then went and played a round of golf. Before you get the wrong idea, this was only the second complete round of golf that I have ever played, but it was his day, so that's what we did. We had a really great time though and it was a much needed relaxing day. We even both parred on the same hole!

Sunday, we went to a friend's house who lives on a lake and they have their own little section of "beach" with a big dock. The boys love it there and ran around all afternoon long. There were a few other couples there and two of them had new babies. It was a bit bittersweet. I did hold this darling three month old little girl until she snuggled in and went to sleep and I think that pretty much sealed the deal that I do want to try for another one.

I got some good pictures too from my new camera . . .

Pumpkin Patch

Living in South Florida, we don't have real pumpkin patches, but we do have nice churches who set up pumpkins in their yards with hay and scarecrows for the kids to visit. Tuesday was Shey's first field trip to the pumpkin patch and I was able to go along. The kids had a great time.







On another note, for those of you who have been following my cryptic messages on Facebook, here's the short story.

My cycles have been getting increasingly wacky and last week I took a pregnancy test in order to call my doctor and tell him I needed some medication to bring on Aunt Flo. Well, low and behold, the test came back positive, faint, but there. I was in shock because while we weren't really protecting against, we weren't trying either and it took us a while to get pregnant with both the boys. I tested again a couple of days later and the line was still light, really light. I went in for a blood test and it came back positive, but just barely and my estrogen was high. I went back yesterday to test again, but last night I finally got my period. It seems I had a chemical pregnancy, and I am guessing that the egg never implanted.

What a roller coaster, from shock to excitement to extreme dissapointment. Like all heartaches, this is one you can't really understand till it happens to you. I'm kinda numb now and also thankful that I wasn't any farther along. I wouldn't wish that on anybody.

So now we are left with the decision to go forward full blown, or to back off. Or I guess we could just go with the flow like we were, but that was a bit nerve wracking. If I am going to go forward, I would like it to happen before my birthday in April, which would put the baby 6 years behind Shey! Crazy! I don't think I'd want them to be any farther apart.

So there's that. Thank you all for your prayers, from the friends who knew and from the friends who didn't. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful support staff and I love you all.

A Local Family Needs Help

This just breaks my heart. I know times are tough, but if you have any extra money around, this family could use it. For the Love of Joshua.

Joshua was born 9 weeks premature and because of it, he has severe brain damage, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and blindness. The school where Joshua's older brother attends is having a craft fair for the family with all the proceeds going towards a new treatment that has a 60% chance of helping reverse his brain damage. The treatment is $8,000.00 and they need $3,000.00 more. A lady I work with knows the family, so it is a true story.

I can't even imagine.

Fridays

Fridays just feel different. There is an air of excitement for the upcoming weekend. An air of anticipation of not waking up and having to be somewhere. A sense of accomplishment of finishing another week. A relief as things kinda wind down and slow down. A little extra time for lunch. A phone call with a friend. A little more office chat than normal.

Glorious, Glorious Friday.

At a Loss

This morning, I asked Shey to get dressed and rather than politely asking, "Mom, please pause my show so that I may do your wishes," he decided to scream no and bury himself under the covers. My response to that was to grab the remote, turn the TV off and go into my bathroom to finish getting ready. This led to 15 minutes of whining and crying and carrying on and no TV watching while Shey tried to negotiate his getting dressed. By the time he realized I was not giving in and his clothes were on his person, his show was off. So sad, too bad.

This though, of course, led to more blubbering until I corralled him out the door, into the car and off to school.

I would like to think that Shey learned something this morning, but I have a feeling that this is not the case and his 4 almost 5 year old brain will forget the lesson rather quickly and we will be repeating this again.

Mix Tape - Cont.

Add

Born Again - Third Day

Mix Tape

I was listening to Lifesong by Casting Crowns on the way home and started thinking about songs I would put on a mix tape to take to that deserted island that I could never leave and had to listen to over and over again. These are all Christian contemporary/rock/pop, I guess, I'm not good at classifications. Also, I like music I can sing along with and in the car with Way FM blasting is probably the best time of worship for me. So, here they are.

Praise You in this Storm - Casting Crowns
Stained Glass Masquerade - Casting Crowns
(Actually, the whole Lifesong CD is amazing, but I will stop with these two)
Yahweh - Need to Breathe
Amazing Grace - Chris Tomlin
This is Your Life - Switchfoot
Diverse City - Tobymac
By Your Side - Tenth Avenue North
Mighty to Save - Hillsong
Indescribable - Chris Tomlin
Looks Like Love - Need to Breathe
Revelation - Third Day
Stand in the Rain - Superchicks

That's a good start for now. Leave me your faves in the comment section.

A New Read and Our Rocking Church

I've really enjoyed reading Pastor Ryan's blog the past few months. He doesn't look like your conventional pastor, but his love of the Lord shines through and his messages are always heartfelt. This recent entry on discontent really struck me. Who hasn't been here or is living there now?

And here is our rocking church and one of the reasons I love it so much. "Dead and Gone" What better way to reach people than give them something they know and turn it into a lesson about dying to sin?

Forces to Be Reckoned With

This is how Larry and I knew we were meant to be together:

2009 Hurricane Names
Ana
Bill
Claudette
Danny
Erika
Fred
Grace
Henri
Ida
Joaquin
Kate
Larry
Mindy
Nicholas
Odette
Peter
Rose
Sam
Teresa
Victor
Wanda


Edited to add: I'm Unpredictible! Tropical Storm Erika getting harder to track

September Shred

Sometimes I really don't know what I am thinking. I followed some links to a new blog and now all the sudden I am participating in the Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred for 30 days with a bunch of women. We can be found here.

If anyone wants to join the madness with me, please jump in! I'm going to need all the support I can get.

Ode to the Foundation Brush

Oh, Foundation Brush!
How I have under appreciated your awesomeness all these years.
Thinking you were simply a paint brush for schlacking foundation
Upon One's face.
Never realizing that you are really a great tool of smoothness,
a master of creaminess and a cannot live without arsenal of Perfection.

Thank you, kind, kind, Estee' Lauder artist.
Thank you for your patience with my children
And the introduction of the Holy Grail of
Make-up.
I am forever in your debt.

Second Grade

Oh, Second Grade! You are so big all of the sudden. So independent. No mothers needed in the classroom. You are responsible for writing your homework down and making sure it is completed. You think you need me until you see your friends and then off you go.

Your teacher seems nice, Second Grade, but I don't think she will take any nonsense. She keeps talking about procedures and I'm beginning to wonder if you will actually be obtaining your medical degree this year, which would be cool cause mamma needs new shoes.

And speaking of shoes, we've discussed the size of yours previously. Stop growing, Second Grade!

When I took your photo this morning in front of the door like all other years, the change in you from last year was amazing.



Second Grade, you are turning into a little man and I am so proud of you.

Edited to add: For comparison, here he is first day of kindergarten.

The Wedding

So, Saturday I was able to check a life experience off of my list that I didn't even know had been there before: Officiate a Wedding.

That really sounds weird. In the great State of Florida, all one needs to legally join a man and woman in marriage is to be a notary public and I just happen to be one. My boss, Jim, and his fiance' asked me about a month or so to do the honors and I happily accepted.

If you remember, Jim went in for routine hip surgery last April and almost died, so it is a miracle that he is around, much less getting married. I've worked for the same company for almost 10 years and Jim and I have gotten close over the years. I always joke that he is my Florida dad and his fiance', Linda, is just great. She is so much fun and loves life.

To say I was honored that they asked me to marry them would be an understatement. I just didn't want to cry through the whole thing. I was really happy with how the ceremony turned out. I nearly lost it in the beginning, but pulled it together and made it through without any more almost hysterics. haha

Everyone was so complimentary afterwards. It was cool that they actually seemed to pay attention. I kept the actual ceremony to about 10 minutes, so it was long enough to have some meaning, but not too long and everyone, including the bride and groom thought it was perfect timing.

We had a great party/reception afterwards and my feet still hurt from dancing so much.

Cheers to the happy couple!

My Child, The Giant

I know I have commented before on how tall Peyton is growing, but it is starting to get out of hand. I took him Sunday afternoon to buy some new flip flops as the rubber sole had separated from his continuous foot dragging. We went into the store and I asked the salesman for kids' sizes and he advised that the store didn't really carry that many. So, I took a shot and said what's the smallest men's size do you have?

He thought for a moment and said, I think we have some 5's.

I had just bought Peyton some 4.5 tennis shoes the week before for school, so I thought the 5 would probably work. We started getting out the 5's, but the band was a little tight across his foot, so I pulled down a 6.

A 6!

It fit. He did have some room to grow, but they really didn't look that big on him.

My foot can fit in his flip flop now and I do not have small feet for a woman. I normally wear a 8.5 or 9. Granted, my feet just fit, but the do fit.

I can wear my 7 year old's flip flops.

The kid is going to be towering over me before I know it.

The Things Kids Say

A few weeks ago, some friends of ours kept the boys while Larry and I attended the Rascall Flatts concert. When we picked them up the next morning, our friend Jeff regaled us with the following story.

He said the boys had been upstairs playing, and he was sitting on the couch minding his own business when Peyton wandered down the stairs. Out of nowhere, Peyton looked at Jeff and said, "Jeff, do you ever feel alone." Jeff, quite taken aback by the seriousness of the question and thinking he and Peyton were about to engage in a deep philosophical discussion, thought carefully and replied, "Well, Peyton, yes. Sometimes I do feel alone. Do you?"

Peyton shrugged and said, "No, not really." and then the conversation was over and he went back to playing.

Along a similar vein of discussions out of nowhere, Shey's teacher stopped me the other morning to fill me in on Shey's random thoughts. She said they were in the middle of a lesson when Shey raised his hand and asked very politely, "May I say something?" His teacher replied, "Of course." and Shey responded with, "Our cat ate our fish."

Had the class been talking about cats or fish? nooooooo
Did our cat eat our fish? nooooooooo

Shey's teacher looked at him and asked, "well, how did that make you feel?"
Shey answered, "I don't like the cats anymore."

Well, ok then.

Camera

I really want this camera here. For the longest time I wanted an SLR, but let's be honest, I will never learn how to properly use it and this camera is 1/4 the price with plenty of features.

Starting a collection fund.

Getting rid of the smell

Just an FYI, this is the easiest, cheapest and best working recipe for removing any kind of urine smell . . . The Recipe.

Sometimes it's the little things that mean the most.

The Time Traveler's Wife

I am so excited for The Time Traveler's Wife to come out in theaters in a couple of weeks. I know I will probably cry through the whole thing. It is one of my favorite books and I highly recommend it.

I'm not normally one for love stories or romance, but The Time Traveler's Wife is so different and unique. If you decide to read it, get through the confusing first 20 pages or so, and then just enjoy the story of a love that transcends space and time.

Yippee! I hope the movie does the book justice.

Bed, Bed, Wonderous Bed

For the first time in seven years, Larry and I have had the bed to ourselves for a string of nights. While I do somewhat miss the warmth of those little bodies, I have to admit that I am digging having the bed back. If this keeps up, I may even make up some of the sleep deprivation that has accumulated over the years.

On the other hand, I can't believe how big the boys are now. It's crazy that they have become so self sufficient. I am really enjoying these ages. With Shey being able to swim now, we can just hang out at the pool or the beach and not be so cautious all the time. And on the weekends, the boys will get up and find a snack so that Larry and I can sleep in.

Yay for 7 and 4.5!

Theme Song

This morning I was listening to the iPod as I put my make-up and Trace Atkins song "One Hot Momma" came on. As I thought about squeezing into my jeans, slathering on moisturizer and my lack of recent exercise, I came to the conclusion that this is my new theme song.

Larry loves me and wants me, so screw it, I am one hot momma!

Here's to all the other hot mommas out there!

BTW - the video is a little risque, so you may not want to watch at work or in front of the kiddies.

An Interesting Read

Not much time to post lately, but I saw this article and thought it was interesting. I know that sometimes with my children I do take the "easy" way out, but I genuinely try not to keep them in a bubble so that they can experience life and the way the world truly is. This article, How to Raise People You Like hits the nail right on the head. She says at the end, "I am not raising children. I am raising people that one day I would enjoy having dinner with."

I agree.

Weighing In?

Well, yes, I know it has been a few weeks since I conducted my weekly weigh in. I will admit I was a bit embarrassed at first that the weight wasn't moving and also what was I supposed to say week after week? "I worked out twice and ate what I wanted and the weight hasn't changed. Imagine that!"

I guess on the flip side, at least I'm not gaining. . .

Last night, I tried Zumba with a friend at her community center and while it was fun and definitely interesting, it was at 6:30, which cuts right in the middle of the evening. With that, I'm not sure how many of those classes I would make. I may try looking in my city for some classes. I know when I go to them that I actually work out for the whole hour rather than begging off early or just sitting down while watching my DVD.

We will see.

Memories

Last night, I took the boys to see Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs in Real D. It's not even 3D anymore, but Real D. And I admit, it is pretty cool even though the tickets are outrageous! The whole movie looks like a 3D set rather than just a few effects that pop out at you.

Every time I see a 3D movie, I remember the first one I ever saw. I had to have been about 7 or 8, maybe younger, and The Mask had been advertised on TV for a few weeks so that everyone could properly prepare by going to certain stores and picking up the red and blue 3D glasses. My parents pulled their mattress out into the living room the night of the big showing and we piled on to enjoy the show.

I don't remember the movie much, just that there was a mask, obviously, and throughout the movie the main character would wear it. This was the audiences' cue to put on your 3D glasses. I remember this spooky voice saying, "Put the mask on now!" For years, mom, dad and I would at various and odd times say in our creepy voices, "Put the mask on now."

I think about memories like that when I do things with the boys. It's not really the big events you remember, but rather the little ones. Fun, family time, like pulling the mattress into the living room to watch a movie or Saturday Night Live, back when it was funny.

What little things do you do with your kids?

Transformers

Last night, Larry and I took the boys to see Transformers and while it was entertaining and action packed, I was a bit disappointed. I know it was rated PG-13 and may have been considered too old for our kids, but the boys have watched the first one so much and were really excited to see it, that we thought it would be ok. About halfway through, Larry looked at me and said, "Is it me or are they swearing way more than necessary?"

And it was true. For some reason, the writers decided to use "minor" swear words for comedic value throughout the movie. And it wasn't even really funny. In the first Transformers, I don't remember being offended at all and I can't even really think of an instance where swear words were used to "make a point."

And please don't take this as a holier than thou post, because God knows (and I mean that literally) that I don't always chose the best language to express myself, even though I really try to limit it around my boys. I guess my point is that I've always heard that using that type of language shows ignorance because a person is not taking the time to use better words to get their point across. And that's what the writing for Transformers was, sloppy.

I realize it's not some great meaningful movie, but they used ass repeatedly and jokes about male genitalia to get cheap laughs. I guess my point is, the movie would have been just as good and even appropriate for younger ages if it wasn't for the stupid jokes. And I repeat, they weren't even funny.

And don't even get me on the Autobot twins who were ghettofied and served no purpose whatsoever except for more "funny" dialogue.

Anyway, I know I am getting riled up over an action flick that features robots, but it just annoyed me, especially with the price of movie tickets nowadays.

Gah, on that note, Have a Safe and Happy Fourth of July!

Envirosax

If anyone would like 3 never used Envirosax bags, leave me a comment and I will mail them out to you. They are an older style, orange, grey and light green.

If a few people leave comments, I'll randomly pick someone.

Edited to add: I will be out of the office for a few days and as Rebecca was so quick to the draw, she'll be getting the bags. :) Enjoy. I'll get them in the mail tomorrow.

Some Peace

Saturday night, Larry and I stayed at a friend's house in a little suburb outside of Tampa. Their house is situated on the fringe of at least 250 acres of conservation land and they benefit by having no neighbors behind them, only woods.

Every evening around 6:00, they take an old coffee can full of corn out to the edge of the woods and scatter it throughout the area. After about five minutes, just enough time for the smell of the corn to waft through the area, deer begin emerging. Our friends said that anywhere from 12 to 15 deer come out every night for the feast.

Unfortunately Saturday night, the heat index was hovering between sauna and the firey pits of hell, so we weren't able to sit out and enjoy the show. In between getting ready for dinner, though, I did peek out the windows and watch the deer slowly make their way to the corn.

I'm not sure I could live somewhere so remote right now, but I do think I would like to someday. A place where I could get away from the world, relax, read a book, feed the deer and have some peace. For now, though, thankfully our friends have a great guest bedroom and anytime we are willing to make the four plus hour drive, I'm sure we will be welcome to take a little of theirs.

Why the Guilt?

My Best budders, Tamara, just got back from a great vacation with her hubby. That's right, just her and her man, the beach and nothing much to do. She wrote a lovely post about it, but then at the end, she rights (or writes, if we are being grammatically correct) "Of course, we felt guilty for not bringing our kids and being selfish, but we both needed this little trip more than we have needed anything before in our marriage." Huh.

I promise I am not picking on my girl, because it's not just her, I see this time and time again with "mommy bloggers" all over the blogosphere. The guilt. The never ending guilt.

Why? Why has this overwhelming blanket of guilt been placed on mothers all over the country to be the perfect parent? When did our children become the number one priority all day, every day of our lives? Please understand, and I think you do, yes, your children are a priority. They need to be loved and fed and treated well, etc. etc. But you know, sometimes other things need to come first and that's ok.

It's no wonder that the divorce rate is so high in our country. It's really no wonder that there are so many unhappy mothers out there who have wrapped themselves up so much in their children's lives that they don't even know who they are anymore.

I know that I am super, super blessed to have family nearby that can watch my boys regularly so that Larry and I have a chance to enjoy being husband and wife, but if I didn't, I hope that I would still find a way to spend time with him alone. Even if it means putting on the tv for an hour and sneaking off to our bedroom. Which, hell, we even do that too.

Anyway, that kinda got away from my original intent, which is don't feel guilty about doing things for yourself! Enjoy that date night, the hour working out, the mani-pedi, or even the vacation. The happier you are as a woman, the better parent you can be to your kids.

Quick Funny

For my high school friends. . .

Last night I dreamed that an old friend from elementary school came back with her cheerleading squad to perform at one of our pep rallies. I noticed though that Jon H was on their squad and in the middle of the routine they started doing ballet! haha So there was Jon H front and center performing a ballet turn with his arms in a circle. I turned to one of my friends in the dream and said, "Cheerleaders should stick with cheerleading!"

Tuesday . . . Tuesday

Peyton learned over the weekend that he could sneak into our room early in the morning and turn the radio on so that we thought it was the alarm clock. Not funny on Saturday morning and not funny again on Tuesday morning, especially when we had 20 more minutes of sleep coming. If it does it again, I am taking the DS away for a week. I cherish sleep. If I could marry it, I would. I want to hug it and kiss it and love it forever and ever.

*ahem* Anyway, the little turd is losing an arm if he tries that again.

Our two admin have been out this week, so I am going slightly crazy and extremely happy to see this day come to an end.

I actually ran some last night and I thought the itching/burning in my legs was going to drive me mad. Too much lactic acid build-up, which really means waaaayyyy too long since I worked out. Back on the treadmill tonight, so I can burn that acid out. Weighed in this morning at 158, so slowly getting back down. I'm getting more focused on my eating and I've decided that I can eat what I want, I just HAVE to stop when I am satisfied, even if it is only a few bites in. Let's see how that works.

And I'm off . . .

Twilight: Dissecting the Differences between the Book and the Movie

Yes, I know the writing is atrocious and the dialogue is stilted, but I’m hooked on the love, man, the love! Tuesday, when I was home sick, I pulled out my brand new DVD of Twilight and settled in to be swept away by what I think is the love story of the decade. On my second viewing, I definitely enjoyed the movie more than in the theaters and that may be in part because it had been a while since I read the novel. But then of course, watching the movie and then immediately getting on the Internet to watch trailers of New Moon stirred up the obsession within to read the series for a (ahem) third time. Resistance was futile and so while the boys swam, I grabbed my already getting well worn copy of Twilight and hunkered down to quickly read through the horrid opening chapters till I could get to the good stuff. By 11:00 last night when I forced myself to stop, I was already halfway through.

In reading the novel again so soon after viewing the movie, I was struck by all the small differences that actually give the movie a very different emotional tone than the book. In the novel, Bella is, by nature, very insecure, often shying away from crowds, hiding behind her hair and embarrassed by her often clumsiness. Within her insecurities, she is quick to anger and has a biting tongue and while it is often painful to read the conversations between Edward and Bella, it is also very relatable. Even though Bella is written as someone who is supposed to be years ahead of her peers, she actually encompasses the lack of self confidence that can plague humans throughout their lives. With this trait, Bella becomes someone with whom the average reader can sympathize.

Within Bella’s insecurities, the interaction between her and Edward is often halting. Each of the characters is unsure of how much they can reveal about their feelings for each other as well as their true personalities or characteristics. For example, Bella often comments on her ordinariness and wonders how a creature as perfect as Edward could have any interest in her. On the other hand, through conversations with Bella, the reader knows that Edward considers himself dangerous and capable of becoming a monster if he were to let his instincts take over. Although he never speaks of himself as beautiful, he does comment on the attraction his voice, face and smell have on his potential prey. The extreme differences portrayed by Bella and Edward lends to a tension that is palatable throughout the novel.

On the other hand, the screenwriter, director and actors had a difficult time portraying the intense range of emotions that each of the main characters displayed throughout the novel. Bella, in the movie, is shown as aloof, indie and definitely surer of herself. On the same token, Edward is hardly scary at all, and if he didn’t tell us he was a monster or mad, I’m not sure the audience would have known. There were not any scenes that I can recall where he is hesitant in winning Bella’s affections once the initial classroom scene is over. At the same time, I understand that it would be a struggle to portray such a range without dialogue. I guess I felt there were a few key conversations within the novel that may have added to the story if they were translated on the big screen.

Ok, that’s as far as I can go with this without feeling like a total dork. Obviously, I am feeling the nine (!!) years it has been since I graduated from college and wrote a term paper. Maybe it’s reading about teenagers that has me longing for simpler times. Anyone feel free to nerd it out with me and leave a comment.

Weigh In - One Day Late

Well, if there is one thing I can say about being sick for 3 days it's that I am down a pound and a half. Go not having the energy to even eat!

Last night Peyton was being his usual contrary self. I followed The Pioneer Woman's recipe for homemade chicken tenders last night, which were pretty good by the way and the child still complained about dinner. I swear, he will make an excellent attorney one day. So anyway, I was about worn out from arguing with him about dinner and getting over being sick when it came time to fill out his thank you cards. And so, they went out like this . . .

Thank you for coming to are party.

I just didn't have the energy to fight anymore.

Thursday Thirteen

Thursday Thirteen, Edition 3:
Thirteen Little Things That Make Life More Pleasant

(I couldn't get the code to work, so you will have to live without the little cute pic)

1. My phone. I love having the ability to text friends and connect instantly without disturbing the people around me.

2. My iPod. I have it on continously at work and I rarely ever fast forward through a song. I have been very selective about my choices.

3. My Jacuzzi tub.

4. Our new laptop. It's so nice to type and have the keyboard keep up.

5. Peyton's DS. The boys and I have had great fun lately playing it.

6. My favorite pen, which I can't find right now and I hope it's not lost.

7. A good bottle of wine

8. Corona. This was the one thing I craved when I was pregnant with Shey even though I didn't like it before, and of course it was one of the things I couldn't have.

9. Scrapbooking. I wish I had more time to do this.

10. Kids Eat Free on Wednesdays at Buffalos.

11. A good book. This should probably be higher on the list than it is.

12. Facebook. It's been a lot of fun reconnecting with everyone.

13. Biore Skin Preservation Fusion. The best moisturizer/sunscreen for me. Does NOT break me out or smell like subscreen!

12.

Is it Tuesday Again Already?

Apparently if you only post on your blog on the day you picked to weigh in, your blog becomes a weight blog.

So, here we are again on Tuesday. I'm beginning to really not like Tuesdays. I guess writing to you guys is not embarrassing enough, because this morning, my scale read the holy crap, you need to really get moving number of 160. That's my alarm weight. My "I don't need to put another morsel in my mouth" weight. I put on my comfy pants this morning and they weren't quite as comfy.

I will get on the treadmill tonight! I will!

I can't believe a few months ago, I completed not one, but two half marathons. I would absolutely DIE now if I had to do that tomorrow and really, that's just pathetic. All that training, just gone.

A remember a lesson at church that we can't wait for the motivation to come in order to act, we have to act and with that the motivation will follow. I need to act. I will act.

Anyone with me?

Weighing In

Huh, so you mean not working out all week and then eating and drinking all day on Sunday and having a big piece of Death by Chocolate cake on Monday night won't help you lose any weight? In fact, it will show up as a one pound gain on weigh-in day?

Imagine that.

It's not that I even care about the one pound, because I know by tomorrow, or Thursday at the latest, it will have gone away, but that's just the thing. I am good at maintaining, not so good at putting in that extra effort to lose. If I work out, I eat more. If I don't work out, I eat the same. Either way, nothing comes off.

Why is discipline so hard.

This week should have been easy. Larry is out of town and I stocked up on Lean Cuisine, but last night was scrapbooking, Wednesday night, I'm going out with my friend because her husband is out of town too, then Thursday night, we are taking our other friend out for her birthday and then Friday is Peyton's b-day. Whew.

There's always something.

I need another race to train for. As much as I disliked the training, at least I did it then.

Somebody please, come to Florida and kick me in the rear.

Weighing the Options

I knew while I was training for the half-marathon that I would need to be careful when it was over. I knew that I would continue stuffing my face even though I was no longer running at least 15 miles a week and the pounds would start packing on. I knew this.

And yet, did I do anything about it.

Not really. I have been sporadically exercising, but not at the same intensity as I was. I've somewhat cut back on my eating, but not enough. I actually maintained pretty well for a couple of months, but the the cruise came. And so did the extra 4 pounds. The 4 pounds that have settled in and are getting comfy on my rear. I'm sure it's a lovely place, but seriously, they need to go.

To some, four pounds may not seem like a lot, but on my 5 foot, 4 and a half inch body, it definitely shows. Thankfully, my body pretty evenly distributes my weight, so it's not a huge difference, but I can feel it. If I don't stop it now though, those four pounds are going to invite their buddies to the party.

Let's just lay it out there, shall we?

158

That's what the scale said this morning. I would like to be between 150 and 152. I know my body. I know that to get below that I will have to put a lot more work into this than I probably want to, so let's be realistic. I know what that weight looks like on me and I would be happy with it.

Six pounds. That's all I'm looking for.

So, here is what I propose. Instead of paying weight watchers to embarrass us, does anyone want to join this journey with me? Tuesdays can be our weigh-in days. If you want to keep it anonymous, just comment that way.

I don't really want to turn this into a weight loss blog, so we can keep it to Tuesdays. You can post things that have helped you, or things that have set you back. We can make it up as we go along.

I just needed to throw this out there so I will be accountable to someone other than myself.

Anyone, anyone??

Mother's Day

More and more, I catch myself doing something and thinking, "that's just like mom." Larry sees it too. He has taken to calling me P.O.O. or Product of Ora. And you know, I am ok with that.

I love you, mom.

I'll Remember

- a tiny ball of fur no taller than a step and weighing only 3 pounds
- a protective older brother jumping on the bed to guard baby Peyton from visitors
- a wrestling partner for Larry, who snarled and barked while wagging his tail
- tumbleweeds of fur rolling across my living room floor
- our little lion with his hair waving in the breeze as he sat outside on a windy day
- a crazy barker who answered the door when the kids thought it would be funny to ring the doorbell again and again
- a limper who still came when we said treat like it was the best thing on earth
- a deep and peaceful sleep in my arms when he was ready to go.

I love you Zeus.

On Zeus

Sometime in the past year or so, we noticed that Zeus (our dog) was starting to walk with a bit of a limp. He is getting up there in dog years, so we figured it was arthritus, took him to the vet and they prescribed Remedol. He stayed on that for a while, but things seemed to be getting worse. We took him back to the vet and were prescribed a round of steriods, but that didn't help much either.

Then we went to another vet for a second opinion, who referred us to a neurologist. The tentative diagnosis was a tumor somewhere in his spine. We could opt for a costly MRI and possibly treatments, or we could give him pain medication and just wait it out. We opted for the pain meds. It's not that we don't love our dog, but if it was cancer, the prognosis wasn't good for going into remission and Larry and I just couldn't justify that type of money for something that wasn't going to work anyway.

As time went on, his back right leg got worse and we noticed his left leg was starting to go too. Zeus was basically walking on what we would consider our ankles. Flat footed, like a rabbit. The one light in all this was we were finally told that he wasn't in any pain, it was just uncomfortable for him to walk like this.

Larry's aunt eventually recommended a rehab vet who had done wonders for her dog and I scheduled an appointment with them a few months ago. The vet was extremely nice and she diagosed him as having an auto-immune problem. Basically, his body was attacking the tissues and muscles in his legs, which was causing them to atrophy. She recommended braces and water therapy, but she wasn't very optomistic since the problem was so far gone.

So, for the past couple of months, we've made life as easy as possible for Zeus. We added some pavers behind our back door, so he didn't have such a big step. We step over him even when he is right in the way, because it's getting hard for him to get up. Lately though, he's not really eating and I think it's because it's so hard for him to go to the bathroom, so it's his body's way of limiting the squatting.

Larry and I hate this. We know we will have to make a decision soon because now he's dragging that foot, almost like a constant toe stubbing. What sucks the most is his mind is fine and he's not in any pain, but I can tell he's tired. The other day he just sat there and stared at his leg like, "what the hell's wrong with you?"

It breaks my heart. He is our first baby and an awesome dog.

This is the worst part of having pets, especially when you have to make the decision to put them to sleep. I don't want him to be in pain, but I almost wish he was because then I would have a clear cut answer and a feeling when you can definitely say, it's time.

Belize and Miscellaneous Pics

When we stopped at Belize, due to the large barrier reef, we had to tender in to the city. The one thing we really didn't like about cruising was all the hurry up and waiting. We would hurry to the meeting station for our excursions or to get off the boat, then we had to wait to be called, then wait some more in the hall to get to the gangway, then wait some more to actually get off the boat. Larry doesn't do well in those kind of situations and him being agitated, made me anxious and then we would both just be ready to BE OFF THE BOAT ALREADY!

Ahem, anyway, Belize City was totally set up for the tourists and considered the best shopping port. We grabbed the kids early that morning so they could walk around a bit before Larry and I went snorkling that afternoon.



Waiting for the tender.



Waiting On the tender.



We got to the city so early, we didn't get a chance to eat breakfast, so we stopped at one of the only resturants there and all they had at that time were french fries. But let me tell you, those were some of the best french fried EVER. I think we had 3 plates of them.



I was so scared the boys would tumble over the wall behind Shey. We were on the second floor and the chairs were taller than the wall!



Overview of the city.



Heading back to the ship to drop the kids off at Kid Camp and off to our excursion. I can't say enough about Carnival's kid camp! The kids were a little relunctant at first to try it, but after the first time, they asked us to go. We normally kept them during the day, then dropped them off for dinner and a few hours. One night Shey asked what they were having for dinner and after reading off the list, he said, "I am going to have french fries and grapes. (pause) They let me do that." I said great and sent him on his way.

I don't have pictures of the snorkling. Larry's brother bought an underwater camera, but I don't know if he got it developed yet or not. Belize has the second largest barrier reef next to Australia. We were taken about 30 minutes the opposite direction of the city to a little island. There you had the choice to snorkle off the beach or off a boat. We chose the boat because then you swim to the island with the current.

There was a family on the boat with us with two little girls. The youngest wasn't any older than Shey, may have been younger and the oldest wasn't much bigger herself. When I saw them, I assumed that the girls had snorkled before, but when the tour guide asked for first timers, they both raised their hands. Hello, parents! What are you thinking!

So when you snorkle, you have a life jacket, your mask and a snorkle. Oh, and of course, fins that make you very awkward. Add to this that when you snorkle off a boat, you have to jump into deep ocean waters that have waves 2-4 feet and it's a little scary. When I first jumped in, I lost my breath and paniced for a few seconds just trying to get my bearings.

Try to picture this, the dad jumped into the water first. Then the tour guide took the little girl by her hands, swung her out over the water and dropped her. Can you say FREAK OUT! And can you also say, STUPID PARENTS? The little girl had a death grip on her daddy and was SCREAMING.

Her daddy then had the nerve to tell her that if she wanted to go back on the boat, she would have to go alone. I wanted to smack him. I don't care how much my boys may have said they wanted to snorkle for the first time off a boat (and they didn't), I would have never done that. I know I've done some dumb things parenting, but I thought that topped them all by a country mile.

I caught a glimpse of them later and I couldn't tell if it was the little one, or the older sister, but she was clinging to her dad's back. I don't think he got much snorkling in.

And with that, I leave you with a monkey we picked up in Belize

Costa Rica (still cruisin . . .)

Before we travel to Costa Rica, let's stop and reflect on the hugeness that is the ship we were on.



The one thing that kinda stinks about vacations is that you plan them and plan them and plan them, then they come, you have a lot of fun and then they are over. And now I am back at work. But let's not dwelling on that.

Let's instead think on Sloths.



In Costa Rica, we traveled to the Sloth Sanctuary, which was beautiful and lush. Even though Costa Rica is probably as poor as Panama, it's not dirty. Once you leave the port, it is all green trees and tropical plants. Even though the houses were still small, they looked more simple not desolate.



Look at these babies! How could you not want one for your very own? Sloths are my kind of animals. They nap on and off throughout the day and everything is done. in. slow. motion. The family who started the santuary really love these beautiful creatures and have led the way in researching the sloth so that we know more about them.



While we were there, we took a canoe ride through the marshland. There were about 6 canoes total and the four of us were on the last one. The first 5 went one way down the river and we went another. It was a bit scary. Larry and I kept looking at each other and headlines were racing through my head "American Family of Four Lost in the Costa Rican Marshland!" The boys kept saying, "we're going the wrong way! Why are we going the wrong way?" Larry was planning our escape route and kept asking our guide about the water to gauge how safe it would be to swim. I just thought, well, if we are going to go, at least we will be together!

Obviously nothing happened and we met up with the rest of our group soon after. Once we got over our inital freak-out, the ride was pretty cool. There were two sloths in the trees that Larry was able to spot, but I couldn't see, as well as some monkeys, birds and a couple of lizards.



This is a banana tree and those little yellow buds will become bananas! Cool, huh.



So pretty. I uploaded this pic to a website and I'm having some note cards made up. We'll see how they turn out.



We brought an elephant home with us.

Just ahead, ANOTHER DAY AT SEA. Whoot!

Larry's New Baby

We pause the cruise talk to show you Larry's new baby.



It's the Volvo C70 Hardtop convertible. We got a great deal on a lease and Larry had been driving such a cluncker for forever.

He's very happy. It rides like a dream.

The Cruise (cont. again) - Panama

After two and a half days at sea, we finally docked at Colon, Panama. Colon is a relatively new port and as such, there was really no touristy things to do in the immediate area.



Because of this, we had to take a charter bus about an hour out for our excursion.



We chose to explore the city of Portobelo or Beautiful port as dubbed by Christopher Columbus way back when. There was also options for seeing the canal and the lockes and while I'm disappointed we didn't get to see the canal, we were trying to pick activities that the boys would enjoy as well.



Panama is an extremely poor country, and it's also very dirty. One of the campaign promises of the man running for President was to add more garbage trucks. The week before we arrived, there was a strike and trash littered the streets. The average wage is $300-$500 a month. On our way to Portobelo, we saw many, many small houses that they call matchbook houses and appropriately so. These houses sell for $20-$30k and the owners are given 30 years with no interest to pay them off.

We are so very blessed.



This is the fort on Portobelo. Real live Pirates fought in this fort. We thought it would be exciting for the boys, but not so much.

While learning about Panama was interesting, it was not our favorite stop and I don't think I would think about going there again.













This is inside the church where the Black Christ is kept. The Black Christ was meant to be somewhere else, but every time they went to move it, strange things happened. On October 21, thousands travel from all over Panama to worship the Black Christ or El Cristo Negro.

Tomorrow Costa Rica and the Sloth Sanctuary.