tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56311350905673360432024-03-05T22:22:34.972-05:00The E's Have It...Every day is an adventure with my two kids, E and e.
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<img border="0" src="http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/2;10720;93/st/20060223/n/My+Little+Girl/k/0d4c/age.png"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-18335433238776956612012-05-30T12:35:00.001-04:002012-05-30T12:35:51.057-04:00Memorial Day WeekendWe had a long holiday weekend and it was great. On Saturday morning we got up early to do our annual neighborhood yard sale. I just put out mostly kids clothes, but I think I still made close to $100. Not bad for a morning's work. The kids probably made out even better than I did! It was a really hot day, so they decided to sell snow cones for $1 a piece. They made a mint! In the afternoon, we just played in the sprinkler to cool off. Later, we set up the tent in the back yard so we could sleep in it that night. The kids were really excited since they had never slept in a tent before! Well, I must admit, I was not overly upset when I saw lightning around 2:30 am and had to bring the kids inside. It's not so easy to sleep on the ground anymore! Sunday night was stormy, too, so no tent. We tried again on Monday night, but the tent had gotten so wet that we couldn't stay in it. I took it down Tuesday and will look for another one that is smaller and stays dry! The kids still had a lot of fun in it. <br />
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Monday we went to one of the local community pools. It was another scorcher, so we were happy to be in a place where we could stay wet. It's just too bad we didn't see any of the kids' friends there. They got bored pretty fast. <br />
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The kids finish school next week and are very excited about moving on to the next grades! I can't believe they will be in 3rd and 1st grade already. Yikes. <br />
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Back to the man situation...this guy is driving me crazy. I have made it pretty clear to him that I just want to be friends now. He called me last week saying how much he misses me and everything. I told him that I am going to date other men and that I just wanted to be friends. I don't think he gets it. He asked me how the online dating thing is going and I told him that I've been corresponding with a guy and we are just trying to coordinate a date. He seemed in disbelief so I said that it was a good thing the guy was Jewish - that's a step in the right direction. He laughed and said "that's not going to work for you!" I got disgusted and just said that it would be nice to be with someone who is the same religion. It makes things easier (btw, date with the Jewish guy is tonight!). Then he goes on to say that I should feel free to talk to him about my dates. We hung up and he calls back a few minutes later saying that he wants to buy one of the coffee shops in my area and move here (he is in the coffee shop business)...he wants to move....I could tell by his voice that he was crying on the other end. When will this guy stop crying!? That is such a turn off. He said that he has lots of "powerful" things going on at his end and that he needs me right now. WTF. <br />
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I was surprised that I didn't hear from him all weekend (he usually calls me and texts me several times a day), but thought maybe he's finally getting the message. He called this morning and the first thing he does is go on and on about how much he misses me. I didn't reciprocate. I'm really glad he lives 4 1/2 hours away. He's going to be a couple hours away tomorrow and the next day for a business meeting so I agreed to have lunch with him tomorrow somewhere half way. He asked if I could spend the day with him, but I told him that I have meetings. I really don't want to spend any time with him, but I guess I could spare time for lunch...even though I'll have to drive an hour to do so. Ugh. After telling me several times how much he misses me (and me saying that I just want to be friends), he says that his feelings for our relationship are not the same either - meaning he is not feeling so much in love with me anymore. This guy is really F'ed up. I'm not sure friends is even the direction I want to go anymore given how screwed up he is.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-49080561494725624682012-05-15T16:26:00.001-04:002012-05-17T09:58:40.407-04:00Mother's DayThis was the fourth year we spent camping over Mother's Day weekend. We go to a family camp about four hours from our house and it is great! We stay in a cabin and everything is planned for us and all meals are prepared for us. All I have to do is choose an activity and relax. We spent a lot of time just hiking around the grounds, doing a little canoeing and boating, and looking for gnomes. The people at the family camp hid 5 gnomes and bunny foo-foo for the kids to find. If you find one, you get a little prize. Well, it took us four years, but we finally found one! The kids were bound and determined this year and lo and behold, bunny foo-foo made it into our hands. The kids were SO excited! That didn't stop them from trying to find another one, though...however, we were only successful with the one find. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four of the five gnomes and bunny foo-foo!</td></tr>
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One of the other things I love about this place is the Sunday morning Mother's Day ritual. They call all the little kids into the kitchen and give each one of them a flowering plant to give to their mother. It makes me cry every time! So sweet to see them all pouring out of the kitchen with their flowers, so excited to give them to their mothers. While it's a long drive to the campground, it's always well worth it. </div>
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On the man note....there is seriously something wrong with me. This man is head over heels in love with me and just wants to do anything he can to make me happy and I'm just not feeling the same for him. On Saturday before Mother's Day, he drove four hours to get to the campground so he could give me my Mother's Day present (okay, it's less than an hour and a half from where he lives, but he got lost). He gave me a beautiful Pandora bracelet with the kids' birthstones on it...so, it's pretty much a Mother's bracelet. A few weeks ago, he drove out to visit me for the weekend and spent all day Saturday painting an apartment I'm trying to renovate, then all day Sunday and Monday working on the landscaping for that apartment and then my own landscaping. All while I did stuff with the kids and worked. He even took the kids and me out for a very nice dinner on Saturday night (the kids were really excited to get dressed up). I'm telling you, all he wants to do is make me happy! So, what the hell is wrong with me? He's the perfect package...successful, sexy, smart and wants to treat me like a queen. <br />
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Okay, now for the things that are making me a little crazy about him (not in a good way). He cries a lot. What's up with that? That is not normal. He tells me all the time that he's crying because he misses me. Okay, kind of endearing....ONCE IN AWHILE....I was in his town a month ago for a board meeting and we met for coffee before I hit the road to come home. He started crying because he said he wanted to take a break in our relationship for awhile but didn't want to lose me as a friend. Then he called me three times on my drive home. That's not a break! Is anyone else beginning to sense a little bit of a personality disorder? One thing I don't need is a man who needs to be medicated. There are other things about his personality that are grating on me...not sure how to explain them, but I can feel my blood pressure start to rise whenever he calls. I really like being treating like a queen, but not sure how much longer I can deal with the personality stuff. We'll see. <br />
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On another note, some of you may remember me telling you about a good friend of mine who was murdered while traveling in Ind!a with her son a couple years ago...the even more shocking part about it was that it was her son who murdered her. I knew this kid and had traveled extensively with him. Who knew he had the ability to kill his own mother harbored inside him. Well, to make a long story short...he was convicted over there and sentenced to three years detention...the max for minors according to their law. Friday, the news reported that he was acquitted and is on his way home. Unbelievable. I'm sure his father paid a lot of money to make that happen, and, of course, as a mother, I would do the same for my child -- whatever it took to bring him home. He's now almost 18 and, in time, no one will ever know what he did. I'm very sad that he is not paying for his crime AND that he's learning at a young age that money can buy your innocence in a court of law. But at the same time, I feel really sorry for him. He's going to have to live for the rest of his life with the images of her last moments haunting him. I'm sure he's set himself up for a very difficult and screwed up future. I hope he's able to get some help and finally realize the depth of the horrible crime he committed. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-55479086954093734492012-04-23T11:54:00.001-04:002012-04-23T11:54:30.109-04:00Another Date...I'm about to give up...Okay, so I've been continuing to do the online dating thing even though I have had very little luck. Since I live in the middle of nowhere, no one seems willing to make the drive this far out - and I certainly don't have the time to drive any significant distance either. Plus the fact that I have small children seems to be a bit of baggage for some men (I agree, I really don't want those guys anyway). <br />
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SO, I started corresponding with this one guy online. He lives about three hours away, taking care of his ailing (cancer) mother. Since he's an entrepreneur, he can live anywhere. He started corresponding with me several times a day and then calling me every day. We had nice conversations and through those we discussed that even if the spark isn't there, maybe we can just be friends. Friends first, anyway, right? <br />
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Okay, so after a week or two of corresponding with me and calling me every day, he decides to make the drive out here for lunch. Now, I suspected I wouldn't be physically attracted to this guy, but I suppose you never know. We met for lunch, had a nice time during the meal, but I wasn't feeling the physical attraction...well, apparently, he was! After lunch, as we're walking to the parking lot, he starts walking close to me, putting his arm around me, all that stuff. I give the usual hint of moving away, getting into my car and putting a door between us - at which point he leans over and asks if he could "steal one" - a kiss...Well, I had an immediate visceral reaction (didn't mean to, just happened that way) and said "NOOOOOOOO! I mean, I'm not quite ready for that." I guess he got the message because he hasn't called since (even though he asked to have lunch with me again today). Apparently, he really didn't want to be friends. Oh well. Hee, hee...<br />
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The other guy from Pittsburgh has been very persistent. We talk several times a day and he is coming out for a few days, again, this weekend. I introduced him to the kids (as a friend) a couple weeks ago, but I don't want them to know he and I are dating at all....I'm not even sure we're dating, but I guess it looks that way...he thinks we are...I've told him that I'm going to continue to look...he seems to think that's fine since, in his eyes, if I find someone who treats me as well as he does (or better), then he'll know I'm well taken care of...on the other hand, when I tell him that I'm doing the online thing, he jokes about it and clearly wants me to stop doing it (but is not overly persuasive about it - it's clear he wants me to stop when I'm ready)...this one is a challenge for many reasons....Maybe I'll go into some of those reasons later, just not ready to discuss yet. In the meantime, I'm enjoying his company and continuing to get to know him better. <br />
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The kids are doing great. They are both taking baseball this spring and loving it. e is the only girl on her team! I have a feeling, though, that she will show 'em who's boss!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-50747930098345549162012-03-22T11:16:00.005-04:002012-03-22T11:33:51.168-04:00TWICE this month!Aren't you impressed that I've made it over here a second time this month??? Well, the bruised rib really threw me for a loop. For two whole weeks I was still taking the vicadin at night so I could sleep and tylenol during the day. I'm glad it's tolerable now! E seems to be doing a lot better, too. I was back in the ER the night after it happened because I was having extreme pain and pressure when I reclined. The doctors just told me not to recline! Go figure. They thought it was probably just muscle spasms. In retrospect, I suspect they were probably right. I'm just glad I'm feeling better! We have a trip, next weekend, to go to an indoor water park for a few days and I want to be in tip-top shape!<br /><br />Our Japanese student left a couple days ago. We will really miss him. What a great kid. He and I both really cried when we said goodbye!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOCauyBhvXv6ucfhD_zQDmXO9n0zg6ScitgyLBiNsWER3IeBHhxrnFWrjApdpl0arvN1Tzw_KWZVqGHEczb6L5fuZoJ6_moJL6wXXXFuC2uAxswk-vn4RRHxIhhxHrV93z0A8X4BRt8bp/s1600/IMAG0019.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 191px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOCauyBhvXv6ucfhD_zQDmXO9n0zg6ScitgyLBiNsWER3IeBHhxrnFWrjApdpl0arvN1Tzw_KWZVqGHEczb6L5fuZoJ6_moJL6wXXXFuC2uAxswk-vn4RRHxIhhxHrV93z0A8X4BRt8bp/s320/IMAG0019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722743912669543058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">This is in a local restaurant..This is the whole place! The cooking area is on the right and it seats five. The only thing they serve is hotdogs, but I love the place!</span></span><br /></div><br />On the man note....Haven't heard from H since I broke up with him. Except, he called during his spring break to see if he could come over to finish the windows (and probably to pick up his tools). We had scheduled for him to come over on that Tuesday, but then I had the whole rib episode and was exhausted, so I told him to wait. My guess is that I'll hear from him when school is out, he'll come over to finish the windows and pick up his tools and I'll never see him again. That's too bad. We broke it off very amicably, but this kind of confirms my thoughts about where he was coming from. Oh well.<br /><br />While I was in Pittsburgh a few months ago I met up with another guy....We've known each other for three or four years and have gone out a couple times. It was always pretty clear that there was a mutual attraction but neither of us was in a position to do anything about it. In fact, we stayed away from each other for a couple years. A couple months ago, he called me out of the blue. I have to admit that I have thought about him often. So, while I was in Pittsburgh last month for a meeting, he took me out for a very nice dinner. Then we met for coffee the next day after my meeting, before I hit the road. He's been calling and texting me daily ever since, gave me a beautiful Michael Kors bag for my birthday, and came out to see me for a couple days this week. He treats me extremely well. I'm trying to take it slow, so we'll see where it goes!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-46794335070743247372012-03-05T15:39:00.004-05:002012-03-05T15:54:37.984-05:00Snow Tubing!I will try to be better at posting new pictures in the future! Right now, I'll just give you the low down on what is going on. I broke up with H. I'm sure you saw that coming. I just wasn't getting what I wanted out of the relationship...it wasn't going anywhere and coming over once a week to have dinner and play with the kids isn't enough. I told him that things didn't really need to change between us, but I was going to start dating again and he should feel free to, too. I would, of course, let him know if I got serious with someone. Well, that was about five weeks ago and I haven't heard a word from him. Oh well. <br /><br />We have a Japanese student staying with us for three and a half weeks. He's delightful. Nineteen, gets along with the kids great, eats whatever I cook, and is always willing to tag along for whatever we are doing. Yesterday, after Sunday school, we all went snow tubing. It was a lot of fun since we practically had the mountain to ourselves! In fact, for the last hour, we did have it to ourselves. Of course, part of the fun of snow tubing is bumping into each other and hooking together so you can all go at once. Well, during one of our last runs, we bumped a little too hard. I should have been more careful because I had already gotten banged up from bumping too hard twice. Well, this last run was a doozy. We were all hooked up together when E decided to take a running start onto his tube, then e couldn't hold onto it so he went flying down the hill first. The rest of us already had a little momentum so went down a few seconds after him. E didn't make it to the end of the run and sat at the bottom of the hill in his tube waiting for us to come down...What he didn't realize is that we would be going about 20 mph when we reached his spot. I yelled for him to move, but it was too late. We barreled into him (fortunately he was able to get a little low instead of standing straight up - otherwise, I think he would have really gone flying). I was certain I broke a rib so I sat out the rest of the runs. E went up a couple more times and then told me he was having trouble breathing and that his ribs hurt, too. So he sat out for the last two runs. He didn't appear to be in significant pain, so I figured he was not in an emergency situation.<br /><br />Still, on the way home, he was silent and seemed to be in some pain. I knew how much I hurt, so I decided to play it safe and stop at the hospital to get both of us checked out. When the doctor checked E out, he was having some tenderness in his spleen, so, poor kid had to have a cat scan to make sure his innards were okay. He was really scared when they put the iv in. I felt terrible. Long story short, after about four hours in the ER, no broken bones for either of us and no damage to his internal organs. PHEW! I'm still in a lot of pain, but hoping it gets better soon. E said he felt better today, but I think the spot where they put the iv was bothering him most. He was such a trooper.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-83119965536743381582012-01-19T16:26:00.003-05:002012-01-20T15:00:44.544-05:00ConfusionWell, first of all, maybe I should just relinquish to the fact that I may only get around to posting about once a month. I'll do my best to do at least that! The kids are getting really big and are just a load of fun. I took them skiing last weekend and they had a blast. E is really starting to get to know his snowboard and e is great on her skis. They both take the chairlift to the top of the hill and E comes down with several tumbles while e just makes a b-line straight down doing the snowplow. She's such a peanut, she looks like a little pink blob going down the hill in her snowsuit among all the adult skiers.<br /><br />Chrismakkah was a lot of fun. E has figured out that there is no Santa (or tooth fairy for that matter) and tells e on a regular basis. Fortunately, she doesn't believe him. e lost her first tooth last week! We were in her room and E came up and started giving her a hard time (a typical brother - he has made it his lifelong mission to constantly annoy her). She was trying to push him away and he ended up giving her a whack in the mouth...knocked the tooth right out (it was already VERY loose). She didn't even realize she lost it until I told her. Fortunately, I had printed out the letter from the tooth fairy that day and brought it home! Phew! But then we couldn't find the tooth! How could I give her a letter from the tooth fairy thanking her for her tooth if there was no tooth!? We could tell her that the tooth fairy found it, but then what if she finds it later? This was a problem! Fortunately, we found the tooth later that evening. Somehow it had fallen down her pants! When she went potty, it fell onto the floor. Another problem averted.<br /><br />Another monumental event that has happened is that E is finally sleeping in his room in his own bed by himself! All this time, the three of us would lay down on the floor in his room and when the two of them would fall asleep, I'd go to my room. I know, it's a lot of work...but I actually enjoyed the snuggle time with both of them. Last week E said he wanted to sleep in his room by himself and he's been doing it ever since. This is huge! Now e has also been sleeping in HER own bed! I still sleep in the other bed in her room until she falls asleep, but we are finally making great progress in this area. Yay!<br /><br />Okay, so what am I confused about? In an earlier post I talked about my relationship with the guy I've been seeing since last March. I talked about how we broke up because he said he didn't ever want to get married and then we got back together because I said that we could still have a relationship. Well, I keep rethinking this...Lately, I've been feeling like I have a good friend in him with benefits. He comes over about twice a week and we hang out. He hasn't asked me to go out (just the two of us) in a long time. He also has made no attempt to introduce me to his family. I did meet his daughter but he also has a brother who comes to the area fairly often and a sister who visited just last month. I just think it's kind of strange. I haven't said anything to him, but neither has he.<br /><br />For Christmas, he gave me some clay (he knows I love to sculpt) and some sculpting tools, a can of fix-a-flat, and a lighter for the grill (I have a million of them). Nothing very personal. Before Christmas he did ask me what I wanted and I told him that I just wanted him to put my windows in. Earlier in the year, I got some beautiful stained glass windows that used to belong to my parents and he has been saying for months that he would put them in and that he was going to work on them over the holidays. I didn't want to sound too selfish, so I just told him that was enough. Okay, don't men know that what we say we want and what we really want are two different things???? He was married for 20 years, I think he must have figured that out. So, anyway, I got what I wanted. He put the windows up, but hasn't finished the finishing part yet. I guess I shouldn't complain. He also gave the kids some coloring markers and some money for them to go shopping with.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2wNrLY9t-mOpSddW9SR2L55mcN9dxUMgGnp_bF2QMIIrHm5FxK0M9DPzs6GAGHIoO3YYUUCjpkkrquD_NDMR8sHKndh5xotN76wJZ4Q-ni8xx2M1VfJwqEkTXXiFUgR2QzBq4wkWOSDR/s1600/407092_10150508365984883_590089882_8466114_1935579433_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2wNrLY9t-mOpSddW9SR2L55mcN9dxUMgGnp_bF2QMIIrHm5FxK0M9DPzs6GAGHIoO3YYUUCjpkkrquD_NDMR8sHKndh5xotN76wJZ4Q-ni8xx2M1VfJwqEkTXXiFUgR2QzBq4wkWOSDR/s320/407092_10150508365984883_590089882_8466114_1935579433_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699806418871028274" border="0" /></a><br />So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm confused about where this is going....about where I want it to go. I thought it might be okay if he never wanted to get married...I still might be okay with that. But I don't think I want someone who is only going to be at my house maybe two nights a week for dinner and hanging out and then leaving when I put the kids to bed. That's not the relationship I'm looking for. I want someone who is going to be around a little more and someone who can afford to do more things with us like join us in our travels (he doesn't make very much money). I really like this guy and I like spending time with him. I like our intimate moments, too, but I'm feeling like I want more than he will probably ever be able to give. And I don't know what to do. Is it okay to just open myself up again to dating others without discussing it with him? Is that cheating? Am I asking too much? I don't want to lose what we have. If I met someone I wanted to get serious with, I would certainly tell him. I'm confused. So there you have it. I'm open to suggestions.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-28890208793733930252011-12-05T12:10:00.007-05:002012-01-20T15:02:09.487-05:00100 Things...I recently stumbled upon a blog called 100 Things (http://100things.com.au/). I love it. This guy made a list of 100 things he'd like to do during his lifetime and is spending time checking off each one. One of my big mantras in life is to never look back and say "I should have..." Life is for living and we need to make decisions every day that should be the best decisions we can make. Why should we ever look back and say "I wish I had..." Why not just go ahead and do it? We weigh our actions all the time. There is no reason not to make the right decision at the time. Sure, sometimes hindsight is 20/20, but still - we do what we can and we should be proud of the decisions we make.<br /><br />Anyway, we all have our bucket list...some of the things we've already checked off, some of the things may be slightly unrealistic, others may linger on the list a little longer than we like. I challenge you to make your list of 100 things...Or even just start with 25...here's my first 25...some I've already checked off...they are in no particular order but I'm sticking to those that are fairly realistic.<br /><br />1. Have more than one child.<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Check.</span></span><br />2-8. See the 7 natural wonders of the world. According to thesevennaturalwonders.org, these are: the<br />2. The aurora borealis<br />3. The Grand Canyon. <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;">Check.</span><br />4. Paricutin<br />5. Victoria Falls. <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;">Check.</span><br />6. Mount Everest.<br />7. Great Barrier Reef.<br />8. Harbor of Rio de Janeiro<br />9-15. See the 7 man-made wonders of the world. These are:<br />9. The Great Wall of China.<br />10. Petra in Jordan<br />11. Christ the Redeemer in Brazil.<br />12. Machu Picchu in Peru.<br />13. Chichen Itza in Mexico.<br />14. The colosseum in Italy.<br />15. The Taj Mahal in India.<br />15.5. The Pyramds in Giza. <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> Check.</span> (the Pyramids were kept as an honorary member according to Wikipedia).<br />16. See the monarch butterfly migration in Mexico<br />17. Go on Safari.<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;"> Check.</span><br />18. Live with a tribe.<br />19. Try hang gliding or para-gliding<br />20. Go scuba diving. <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;">Check.</span><br />21. Become PADI certified.<br />22. Learn to play an instrument.<br />23. Go to Marrakesh. <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Check.</span><br />24. Go to Timbuktu.<br />25. Go cage diving with sharks.<br />26. Swim with a whale shark<br />27. See crab migration on Christmas Island.<br />28. Ride a camel in the dessert...while I've already done this, I'm not checking it off...I'd like to do a more substantial ride!<br />29. Get a pilot's license. <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;">Check.</span><br />30. Get a motorcycle license. <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Check.</span><br />31. Visit every continent.<br />32. Swim in biolumenescent water.<br />33. Experience zero gravity.<br />34. Meet Richard Branson - he's my idol.<br /><br />Okay, so there is my first 34...I'm sure I could come up with more, but this should do for now! What's your top 100 (or 25)?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-27338095974855490402011-11-30T17:02:00.004-05:002011-11-30T17:19:47.533-05:00Our Latest Trip<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLECWP_7llwsWqEIfwd_KVTq7Tn_kpb6RXJBJLAmB4x1xUAbviIKTYqO38106Khfkj8w2NFEnVOQiZARxt3Ra0KVUCS9_WPh7oJGx2vCz1TNblaHFB0hgGUOfH_pTSQ-rPJcxHKM5cyEvd/s1600/IMG_2499.JPG"><br /></a><br />We just returned from the Maldives...a group of islands located just southwest of India in the Indian Ocean. It was spectacular! I had a conference there, so I took the kids for about a week. Our hotel was on a small island with nothing else on it...it took about 20 minutes to walk around the entire island. No cars, just sand everywhere. The water was as clear as it could be and the sand just melted under our feet.<br /><br />We went snorkeling, I went scuba diving - something I've always wanted to do. Everything I read said that this was the best place in the world for scuba diving. Of course, now that I've tried it, everywhere else will pale in comparison! I took a short lesson and was able to go down about 30 meters. It was amazing - hundreds of fish in as many different colors. The anemones were full of bright colors, as well, and we managed to spot a black tip reef shark (harmless - this one was about four feet long, I'd say) and an eagle ray (I'd guess it had about a four foot wingspan).<br /><br />The kids had the time of their lives playing on the beach and at the pool. It was a REALLY long trip to get there (about 30 hours travel time there and about 36 on the way back!), but the kids did great and really enjoyed themselves. Here are some pix!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLECWP_7llwsWqEIfwd_KVTq7Tn_kpb6RXJBJLAmB4x1xUAbviIKTYqO38106Khfkj8w2NFEnVOQiZARxt3Ra0KVUCS9_WPh7oJGx2vCz1TNblaHFB0hgGUOfH_pTSQ-rPJcxHKM5cyEvd/s1600/IMG_2499.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLECWP_7llwsWqEIfwd_KVTq7Tn_kpb6RXJBJLAmB4x1xUAbviIKTYqO38106Khfkj8w2NFEnVOQiZARxt3Ra0KVUCS9_WPh7oJGx2vCz1TNblaHFB0hgGUOfH_pTSQ-rPJcxHKM5cyEvd/s320/IMG_2499.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680916091410071090" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYxL5ZDwHRkUuaHjP5o9ecK7dh6v2A71BI5vDgpIWrkL8DR-DocSLz9vyEEduAZ_RzgB_TxkVy-1tzJSZOLWTmAvot1rXdGwOWBrXHVJEMZUn7DZfs_ahBaAyFB99pkw28-I906TpykHP/s1600/IMG_2519.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYxL5ZDwHRkUuaHjP5o9ecK7dh6v2A71BI5vDgpIWrkL8DR-DocSLz9vyEEduAZ_RzgB_TxkVy-1tzJSZOLWTmAvot1rXdGwOWBrXHVJEMZUn7DZfs_ahBaAyFB99pkw28-I906TpykHP/s320/IMG_2519.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680916096329366802" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdHF3n6uS7gv9t7rx0Gizfus1drfQ4TuW_AuluFcNtNG-5RxxeF3lBVvJthu_pVyMtR2m98B1IT4aEjjrNfrqUzkiJ6AjyESZxpsOs2lQblDZKR0a5FnWGUWgyW-ui8OaEgatt_moRJi3j/s1600/IMG_2250.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdHF3n6uS7gv9t7rx0Gizfus1drfQ4TuW_AuluFcNtNG-5RxxeF3lBVvJthu_pVyMtR2m98B1IT4aEjjrNfrqUzkiJ6AjyESZxpsOs2lQblDZKR0a5FnWGUWgyW-ui8OaEgatt_moRJi3j/s320/IMG_2250.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680914929279206530" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFecRRyRjuxjT5Au2sO97SgzGLucANIXdJ8PtkPwZW9-ILHAQ0c28ZyT5GJbEt9nhgFTpuZxi2jmAVxiyJsWx9kxsYSwPO0fLl9t_8rTyRFUtohYCF5091wS3R1iq9C81UYpgBWQlLKr3/s1600/IMG_2212.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFecRRyRjuxjT5Au2sO97SgzGLucANIXdJ8PtkPwZW9-ILHAQ0c28ZyT5GJbEt9nhgFTpuZxi2jmAVxiyJsWx9kxsYSwPO0fLl9t_8rTyRFUtohYCF5091wS3R1iq9C81UYpgBWQlLKr3/s320/IMG_2212.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680914922750445394" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyuleh_JBSLDKThRiFypTEiNiDqwlTCOPeHuxIQbF3IzlPhHt9RaxEEy28OQ6RQB74rbVe9BSZv-EtDqqPiiztyw3yjZGKfCwGb0Wukc7FzXGCNQRMkAS0ZiabSKkYItUs-cDiXo71k9hc/s1600/IMG_2178.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyuleh_JBSLDKThRiFypTEiNiDqwlTCOPeHuxIQbF3IzlPhHt9RaxEEy28OQ6RQB74rbVe9BSZv-EtDqqPiiztyw3yjZGKfCwGb0Wukc7FzXGCNQRMkAS0ZiabSKkYItUs-cDiXo71k9hc/s320/IMG_2178.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680914904624076002" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkS1rvPuLt9nGyVxseTWl095tVbaSIj2VmMoblGqGj4ILLUisAfk9sa6CxB4HT8qcAl0mKyOC3cL5kN8hy5Ud3zaNVPpfAYO7b_aOdPEnKQNw_0A-qMZusf9JkTorDUFPWQJS-5ZSgd_M/s1600/IMG_2169.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkS1rvPuLt9nGyVxseTWl095tVbaSIj2VmMoblGqGj4ILLUisAfk9sa6CxB4HT8qcAl0mKyOC3cL5kN8hy5Ud3zaNVPpfAYO7b_aOdPEnKQNw_0A-qMZusf9JkTorDUFPWQJS-5ZSgd_M/s320/IMG_2169.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680914899584905170" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyYjNcqOJJHKjplLsrV1i5Sk8Fa6zL1GL7L7u-2vdd0rqFiZZCjr5XZorYZS318lJxVr1cOF5f91DCUyzV2l_3LiGFHaQkqAWNCygyXLFffEW5ptLzDn9wf0JkqzZnSo_hShk75MuG-f-/s1600/IMG_2275.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyYjNcqOJJHKjplLsrV1i5Sk8Fa6zL1GL7L7u-2vdd0rqFiZZCjr5XZorYZS318lJxVr1cOF5f91DCUyzV2l_3LiGFHaQkqAWNCygyXLFffEW5ptLzDn9wf0JkqzZnSo_hShk75MuG-f-/s320/IMG_2275.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680914940742086098" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyC-3d5c-CGipZwJk0gxioytQoW6XBASYHma0YzZviJmmuDyGCeIVWocJudBWweeGQk6apA7sxruHrJPkdZCQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-30732754368168950122011-11-15T08:48:00.004-05:002011-11-16T08:59:28.091-05:00Sticks and Stones (warning - a lot of detail!)may break my bones....and, damn do they hurt! Stones of the internal kind and sticks of the needle kind! Last Wednesday I started to have some abdominal pain...I thought it was just lunch taking awhile to digest or something...well, it just got worse. By evening, I was doubled over in pain. I took some heavy duty prescription pain medication I had lying around and it did almost nothing. I knew I was having a gall bladder attack and, in the past, when I've spoken to the doctor about these, there's nothing they can really do about them. They tell me that they are just going to get more frequent and worse until I finally have to get my gall bladder taken out. Well, I finally was able to get to sleep around 4 am.<br /><br />The next day I was still in pain, so I called the doctor to see how long this should last. I got scheduled for an ultrasound the next day and got some blood tests to make sure it hadn't affected my pancreas or liver. Fortunately, the blood tests came out fine. Thursday night I was in agony. Way worse than the night before. Five doses of oxycodone brought the pain level down to about an 8 and I was afraid to take anymore. Finally got to sleep again around 4 am. The ultrasound showed stones and sludge but no blockages. Also a swelled gall bladder and a distended tube coming out of the kidney.<br /><br />By Sunday, I was still in pain so decided to go to the ER. They took some more tests and pretty much said that I just needed to wait for the swelling in my gall bladder to go down and that they really didn't know what the problem was. Apparently, when it comes to abdominal pain, they can diagnose only about half the time. To come to this conclusion, they put an iv in and took more blood. I'm a REALLY tough stick...small veins are something I definitely inherited from my mother. The iv lady was able to get in the first try but the blood lady took two and had to go in through my hand. The worst blood draw I've ever had since she was moving that damn needle all over the place. ouch.<br /><br />Then the pain medication got me constipated. So, thinking that at least some of the pain might now be related to constipation, I stopped the pain meds yesterday and started loading up on laxatives. I can't tell you how much fun I'm having. Still in some pain but at least I can poop now.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-63723651676042660702011-10-31T11:09:00.002-04:002011-10-31T11:31:56.048-04:00SNOW!This past weekend we went to RI for my niece's bat mitzvah. H even came along. Since he is not Jewish and had not met any of my family, this was really trial by fire for him! My sister really went all out on the bat mitzvah planning. Everything was perfect and beautiful for the 100 or so guests. The luncheon and party afterwards was a lot of fun, complete with a DJ, a kid handler (to make sure all those 13 year olds had the time of their lives) and lots of loud partying and dancing. H got to meet my siblings and several cousins. H was such a sport. Even though I don't think he was feeling great (he had a terrible cold), he was helpful and patient with all the goings on. I think this one is a keeper. <br /><br />The bat mitzvah was on Saturday. By the time we got there, it had started to rain a little. By mid- afternoon, the snow started and the nor' easter started heading in. The timing was good - the party was already starting to break up anyway - so we headed back to CT to stay at my sister's house before we were to leave to come back home the following morning. By the time we got to my sister's house, the snow was in full force and there was already several inches on the ground. <br /><br />We made it up the hill to her house. At the end of the cul-de-sac, my sister had just pulled in as well and ran out to tell us to go to a hotel because it was too dangerous. Trees had started to fall all over the place. She didn't have any power. As we sat in the car and listened, about every minute we would hear craaaack, craaaaack....trees and branches breaking. Some were already resting on power lines. It was REALLY spooky. The kids got very scared and e even started to cry a little. <br /><br />H, the trooper that he is, ran inside the house and got all our stuff (thank goodness because we would have had a very difficult time getting it the next day!) and we went and stayed at my brother's house instead. Even though he lives less than a mile away, he did have power. We all camped out there for the night. He lost his power, too, around 2 am but since he has gas on his stove, we were all able to have a nice breakfast. Throughout the night, the snow got heavier and the situation worsened. I've never seen anything like it. By morning, there was about a foot of snow and hundreds of trees and branches down. Across the street, one large branch was straddling a power line...it was pulled taut, but had not snapped yet. Apparently, the cul-de-sac where my sister lives was full of trees and branches. If we had stayed, I'm sure our car would have been hit. H went out to help clean up the driveway and cars so we could get out and E and e, of course, went out to play in the snow. <br /><br />We finally got on the road around 10:30 am. As we drove out, we went down several streets that we could just barely get through, with all the trees and branches down. We saw a few power lines down and even ran over a couple (dead, of course). It was unbelievable. Every single yard was full of large branches and trees. We didn't see any houses that were hit, but did see one car that got a little crushed. As we drove home, it was well over an hour before we could find an exit where the restaurants had power. The highway crews must have been out in full force all night because there were lots of trees on the side of the highway - many of which had been cut to make travel safe. <br /><br />All in all, a very interesting weekend!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-56513467977332577662011-10-17T10:22:00.006-04:002011-10-17T11:05:31.255-04:00Pets<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Tb-nsMkVqxaaWtqvH-uH7SK7US_QDWmQhUG-e0SFPwdLTJbvwTA2yKi1UaF1w4MVFMrtEhkLWiqzAv31BBLIMtYTQZeqJLO6bpsQw5Grx4sJv2_ohQqJNrK_bFqIRa9mmkgoYRodWf9H/s1600/DSC_0005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Tb-nsMkVqxaaWtqvH-uH7SK7US_QDWmQhUG-e0SFPwdLTJbvwTA2yKi1UaF1w4MVFMrtEhkLWiqzAv31BBLIMtYTQZeqJLO6bpsQw5Grx4sJv2_ohQqJNrK_bFqIRa9mmkgoYRodWf9H/s320/DSC_0005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664471869997246946" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuplKM-JanHvaGhQTYlsjDAUZqujDF1X-E_t8DCQNiFjAlS5oeritE8moJLw-Fy9scAzYmfrJguD6d0DDLSC5-ymY1WlqCAvNrOBG8YagTDlddVgpcETHH28ruHmPkExsSAM0AcMqHa96S/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuplKM-JanHvaGhQTYlsjDAUZqujDF1X-E_t8DCQNiFjAlS5oeritE8moJLw-Fy9scAzYmfrJguD6d0DDLSC5-ymY1WlqCAvNrOBG8YagTDlddVgpcETHH28ruHmPkExsSAM0AcMqHa96S/s320/DSC_0002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664471866209115202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The baby bunnies in their nest</span><br /></div><br />So, last month we found some baby bunnies in our yard. The mom had built the nest just a few feet from our driveway, so when I saw all the dead grass all over and didn't remember the patch being there before, I moved it aside to reveal five, very cute, baby bunnies. At the time, I'm guessing they were just 3-5 days old. I did a lot of reading about them and learned that you can, in fact, handle them and the mother will still come back. She only comes back about once a night to feed them and leaves them alone the rest of the time so she doesn't attract attention to them. So, the kids had a great time visiting with the bunnies every day. And, boy, were they cute.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkpKU5WbsMM9aJ4H2byna2vCeDyX0Ii5kY7GBZCXR3gnw06ojv4Y0EpFvUN1cGR1ez_6qzCPa_sUya33oWYL33zSpiDDn0Pj6yOOf-9q4ZoRoWDL_MhPiaiSlih-5wxBWnHqIPs7k6wVY/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkpKU5WbsMM9aJ4H2byna2vCeDyX0Ii5kY7GBZCXR3gnw06ojv4Y0EpFvUN1cGR1ez_6qzCPa_sUya33oWYL33zSpiDDn0Pj6yOOf-9q4ZoRoWDL_MhPiaiSlih-5wxBWnHqIPs7k6wVY/s320/DSC_0008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664471875975770818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Holding the baby bunnies</span><br /></div><br />Then the rains came. The nest got flooded out. I came out to find some of them sitting in a cold puddle in the nest, not knowing where to go. Everything I read online said that the nest could be moved to about ten feet away and the mom would still find it. So, we moved the nest up the hill a little bit, out of where the water was gathering. I also put a box over the hole to help keep them dry since all the grass that was covering them was now wet and/or gone. The mom apparently was coming back and the babies were doing fine. Their eyes all opened and they were getting lots of fur and starting to jump around. Then two died with all the rain....Very sad to see them out there, but we got rain and cool weather for about a week and they just couldn't make it. I had also read that only about 10% of the wild bunnies survive because there is so much going against them. Another one died a couple days later and another one ran away (at least that's what I told the kids...it was very active and I'm guessing it just attracted attention to itself). The kids had been pleading and pleading to keep them, so when it came down the the last one, we took it in. Thumper did well for a few days, but then died - unfortunately while under the care of a girl next door (and her party pals - I'm hoping we didn't create any psychological scars!) while we were away....<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7h_BbJ1Bt80vnKdJ5Dpmrc22iDNO0K0DK0IdyPWpT4_v0xWze5coRT_hT3jYHWz8FNYvojKjyUkKJXlLqwTMuyrpW_nDMtrXVmgcEkWZ7F4Bl7eQP9QYA6OZZi3J1120AC3YKu3WUjMq/s1600/DSC_0046.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7h_BbJ1Bt80vnKdJ5Dpmrc22iDNO0K0DK0IdyPWpT4_v0xWze5coRT_hT3jYHWz8FNYvojKjyUkKJXlLqwTMuyrpW_nDMtrXVmgcEkWZ7F4Bl7eQP9QYA6OZZi3J1120AC3YKu3WUjMq/s320/DSC_0046.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664471881077539890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Thumper in the fire engine</span><br /><br /></div>After that ordeal, and seeing how well the kids handled the bunnies and the whole lifespan thing, I figured they were ready for a pet. After doing a ton of research, I decided to get E a couple dwarf hamsters for his birthday. I don't have any pictures of them yet, but they really are fun to watch and are very cute. I told him that we needed to figure out a way to tell them apart. He put them next to each other and said that one was fat and one was skinny. So, guess what he decided to name them? Fatty and Skinny. I know, very creative. He is a really happy camper with them.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBtuLR8kilDXgOmbNvOFSjDe4PeycWY5wTzTMfWdwslrm3orTN10w_iYMWDssa_a2sbrKGRH6QOq6N-LZta1jbdQRviovfnMQR9tW622B4JpFtS3jcrN2hUz5QUAOdmFFp61xkQfti6V_/s1600/DSC_0086.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBtuLR8kilDXgOmbNvOFSjDe4PeycWY5wTzTMfWdwslrm3orTN10w_iYMWDssa_a2sbrKGRH6QOq6N-LZta1jbdQRviovfnMQR9tW622B4JpFtS3jcrN2hUz5QUAOdmFFp61xkQfti6V_/s320/DSC_0086.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664472789783922978" border="0" /></a><br />His birthday party was a huge success. I LOVED the place where we had it. All I had to do was show up. Unfortunately, it was a really windy day, but not too, too cold, so it wasn't too bad. We had the party at one of the local farms. The kids played in the hay barn, went on the slide, and in the corn maze the whole time. I didn't have to lift a finger. I had 13 kids there and they supplied 40 hotdogs with buns, 20 cupcakes, two huge bags of chips, lemonade, and tons of supplies to make s'mores. They built the fire for us and tended it. LOVE that. The kids had a great time cooking their hotdogs on the fire, making s'mores and running around in the corn maze for three hours. I want to have a party there every year!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBtuLR8kilDXgOmbNvOFSjDe4PeycWY5wTzTMfWdwslrm3orTN10w_iYMWDssa_a2sbrKGRH6QOq6N-LZta1jbdQRviovfnMQR9tW622B4JpFtS3jcrN2hUz5QUAOdmFFp61xkQfti6V_/s1600/DSC_0086.JPG"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxyE7nWJWnly6zYGOqCKkeevRHxL1XJzj0YT9j_hD_7C8_EfrUM4SbLJJVJPu7KKQ_owvNik7DMOrlbQgo8Hmp531Y3gyK6__VJgfxaj7fAPKLHPU7fyWLBzEVrpfeGkWNzTBdrvGDZ7X/s1600/DSC_0054.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxyE7nWJWnly6zYGOqCKkeevRHxL1XJzj0YT9j_hD_7C8_EfrUM4SbLJJVJPu7KKQ_owvNik7DMOrlbQgo8Hmp531Y3gyK6__VJgfxaj7fAPKLHPU7fyWLBzEVrpfeGkWNzTBdrvGDZ7X/s320/DSC_0054.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664471895316985058" border="0" /></a><br />After E's party, we went to a Halloween party at a friend's house. The mom gets the hostess with the mostess award from me, that's for sure! She had a dozen kids in her basement, she had decorated the place with Halloween stuff all over, had plenty for them to eat, and a list of probably a dozen games that they played throughout the afternoon. This was one of my favorites where they had to try to eat a donut on the end of string without touching it. Of course, E won for the boys.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8Iv3qp_hImSiZ9MmIgrx5u6tXYgDbhDaLcepfD0bNcHeRZuUSH4enQvUOZVAKDbifPfyhRNuGSM0NIQNSaPOm6sEtHBYGoZ3JGT3Z5GdDjQ8J3ipYTBKPqo_YTwjqSf6uIub3NqbQY8O/s1600/DSC_0122.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8Iv3qp_hImSiZ9MmIgrx5u6tXYgDbhDaLcepfD0bNcHeRZuUSH4enQvUOZVAKDbifPfyhRNuGSM0NIQNSaPOm6sEtHBYGoZ3JGT3Z5GdDjQ8J3ipYTBKPqo_YTwjqSf6uIub3NqbQY8O/s320/DSC_0122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664472794542039506" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOJZkhtWm8iUB8CUSXnXeR2R1VNVua-9mN4lKZX3SXBwooOiOSihH0NsZ5GIjPk9HpF1ggPjSrP1He3pRi4qHOuNIRW2YMr6g9c7TOG9WvmyK45m7pUBlsXt6KR_m7n_azhid8AEBBcZp/s1600/DSC_0101.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOJZkhtWm8iUB8CUSXnXeR2R1VNVua-9mN4lKZX3SXBwooOiOSihH0NsZ5GIjPk9HpF1ggPjSrP1He3pRi4qHOuNIRW2YMr6g9c7TOG9WvmyK45m7pUBlsXt6KR_m7n_azhid8AEBBcZp/s320/DSC_0101.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664472792960602642" border="0" /></a><br />Yesterday, we joined some friends to see a local reptile exhibit. We really love this place, too. The dinosaurs move and roar, and one of them even spits at you! I loved how they put a fake arm in the T-Rex!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1x-i5A6DxLpGpQg-hHG0FI_BHFGQn-1rf_4Hw1wVVW29rLlMCPkzEPLY0QjCUXVwd3txwKDhZA2mVcW6f5fBi8i6Rp_-7lKAnE9kMR9DyGKDxuk9su8Qjh6aZmuaDWh7A0sMLlIqucoZ/s1600/DSC_0161.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1x-i5A6DxLpGpQg-hHG0FI_BHFGQn-1rf_4Hw1wVVW29rLlMCPkzEPLY0QjCUXVwd3txwKDhZA2mVcW6f5fBi8i6Rp_-7lKAnE9kMR9DyGKDxuk9su8Qjh6aZmuaDWh7A0sMLlIqucoZ/s320/DSC_0161.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664472809185572594" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4XSHO0_-j18zKJCd1mAdQXo6hUklp9WYwP9vKfaRR4CYaXia8-WuUXVe6MRKbmVqp3RfnKpqJhxhhl5k9GUfTDG_uc8W-DfLmquL-CY0ffBzLEuhBhBbwZhN0giIlzOPCzXGGxPt-HCZ/s1600/DSC_0172.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4XSHO0_-j18zKJCd1mAdQXo6hUklp9WYwP9vKfaRR4CYaXia8-WuUXVe6MRKbmVqp3RfnKpqJhxhhl5k9GUfTDG_uc8W-DfLmquL-CY0ffBzLEuhBhBbwZhN0giIlzOPCzXGGxPt-HCZ/s320/DSC_0172.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664472817501016530" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-60523982038531032422011-10-13T10:53:00.005-04:002011-10-13T11:08:42.449-04:00October HappeningsIt's hard to believe that my little boy will be eight years old tomorrow! Where the heck does all the time go? I have a party planned for him over the weekend at one of the local farms. Lots of fall stuff to do there like the corn maze, slide, pumpkins, hotdog roast. All fun stuff. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be a nice day. So far, the forecast says we will be cool, but no rain. Phew!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih19Y4KVM5-4xy_Au_nBMctfYeGAEtWIUtU3axdOZlJh3APzrfpBnxTouoSHT-ubPrr7YFtpWjzcio1IoKpX1IEwgzammL6lCfYKh_4cwR8KOalSMczSS8jxk4AVPFAK5QEfl4AJLQZV9o/s1600/DSC04045.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih19Y4KVM5-4xy_Au_nBMctfYeGAEtWIUtU3axdOZlJh3APzrfpBnxTouoSHT-ubPrr7YFtpWjzcio1IoKpX1IEwgzammL6lCfYKh_4cwR8KOalSMczSS8jxk4AVPFAK5QEfl4AJLQZV9o/s320/DSC04045.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662991862885883154" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_KpgJiIdE1tJMy6J2CO6Cb40Wu489N3Iv3QSd5-EH8Bw_hZuaPuERNsqIV45NuExxEG4xfwNIaFw0nZqAhMceTW-tqnVATUyKxjMUpsrv_Dqa41mAQxsl2duksbBYhOFc7qfe8zvTGpy/s1600/DSC04040.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_KpgJiIdE1tJMy6J2CO6Cb40Wu489N3Iv3QSd5-EH8Bw_hZuaPuERNsqIV45NuExxEG4xfwNIaFw0nZqAhMceTW-tqnVATUyKxjMUpsrv_Dqa41mAQxsl2duksbBYhOFc7qfe8zvTGpy/s320/DSC04040.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662991857035722226" border="0" /></a><br />Last weekend, the kids had a great time at Sunday school decorating the Succah and making their own candy Succot. This is really a fun holiday for them.<br /><br />And, did I mention we did the artificial skydiving again last month? WHAT fun! e still wasn't up for it, but she watched as E and I pretended we were superheroes!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_G0tLnHbV3xmgzFsOsRFDKmVHSGzk_vvgQTqQUut8SHqgY_WibJWRf2LPcb8djIP0SYANrlVGsV3-a-qjS9ZxefYTI_t-yjUpBilcDqebPSySvR0VbYUw9lIRgyLN5yiKyceCB8rhFlS/s1600/2011-09-03_15-29-40_480.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_G0tLnHbV3xmgzFsOsRFDKmVHSGzk_vvgQTqQUut8SHqgY_WibJWRf2LPcb8djIP0SYANrlVGsV3-a-qjS9ZxefYTI_t-yjUpBilcDqebPSySvR0VbYUw9lIRgyLN5yiKyceCB8rhFlS/s320/2011-09-03_15-29-40_480.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662992240067217154" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqFq-NGVTYeFwvtr-V9c-ymRiXPutCMsmZmRZ1klS7dri1riPgRP6mqyxPdXGyIJ4c3jWecpyd1TUmnZd01fUV4Ec3XbzdShlSqEGMlVDfZI_oRb3GL6mZUitUc0-GXUie14opd5vtpqz/s1600/2011-09-03_15-28-58_524.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqFq-NGVTYeFwvtr-V9c-ymRiXPutCMsmZmRZ1klS7dri1riPgRP6mqyxPdXGyIJ4c3jWecpyd1TUmnZd01fUV4Ec3XbzdShlSqEGMlVDfZI_oRb3GL6mZUitUc0-GXUie14opd5vtpqz/s320/2011-09-03_15-28-58_524.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662992245887316274" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-13020393042635286822011-09-23T16:03:00.002-04:002011-09-23T16:23:39.178-04:00I Really Need to Stay on Top of This Better....The whole reason for starting this blog was so I could remember all the great things the kids and I do together...well, that doesn't help, if I don't keep up with things! So, a brief update on what we've been up to. Before school started back we went camping at the family camp near Pittsburgh for a week. I always enjoy that time. It's SO relaxing for me and the kids have a blast. E took horseback riding lessons and e and I did a lot of kayaking. I did the zipline, too, but got stuck! They had to come rescue me because I didn't make it all the way to the end. Oh well. Still a lot of fun. The kids and I took long bike rides in the woods almost every night after dinner, too. Great bonding time with them. <div><br /></div><div>We've been busy doing a lot of other things, but of course I don't remember a whole lot right now! So, I'll give you an update on the man situation. I'd love to get your thoughts. I really like this guy. We've been seeing each other for about seven months now. He's wonderful with the kids and he's great around the house. I enjoy spending time with him. Neither of us have uttered the "L" word, but I think the feelings are there. A couple weeks ago we spent the day together (just he and I) at a football game. The kids spent the night at a friend's house so H was able to spend the night at my house for the first time. About a week earlier I had mentioned to him that I wanted to take the relationship kind of to the next step - meaning have him stay over once in awhile. I'm not really sure how to make this transition with the kids, so it worked out well that the kids went on a sleepover that night. Anyway, when I said "next step" he thought I meant marriage! Well, I'm in no way ready to get married, but I thought I'd want to work towards that. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, on the way home from the football game, we had a long talk and he said he never wanted to get married again (burned badly in his previous marriage of 20 years). I told him at that time that I did want to work towards that and that I would have to move on. Now, I don't know...I mean, what is really the purpose of getting married? I'm already established financially, I have my own kids, if we did get married, we probably wouldn't live together for awhile since he built his house himself and I would never ask him to sell it...besides he loves it there and he's close to his own work (about 40 minutes away from where I live). And, I live a mile away from my office in a great neighborhood for the kids that is about a quarter of a mile from all the schools they will attend through high school. So, what really is the purpose of getting married? Especially at my age (47)? Is it just so we can say we're married and have some financial benefits that go along with that? But then we are totally entwined...financially and otherwise. And things get complicated....now I'm thinking why can't we just have a committed relationship without getting married? I don't know...I always thought I'd like to get married someday, but now I'm just not sure what the benefit is. I'm not even sure the kids need a "dad" so much as a father figure...H is great with them and a wonderful role model...isn't that really what we all want? Is that enough? Chime in at any time....</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-56583471353667834052011-08-03T17:03:00.002-04:002011-08-03T17:19:29.414-04:00Summer Vacation #2Last week we made our annual trip to New England to visit my siblings. While I understand that it's nice that I can go there and visit everyone in one shot (and do so every year), it still perturbs me to some extent that my siblings rarely make the trip to visit us. It's about a five hour car ride to get there and we usually end up spending a week visiting everyone and doing some touristy stuff. <br /><br />Every year we stay at my sister's house. She has the biggest house and two of her three children are now living away from home, so there's lots of room. My brother lives just a mile away and my other sister lives about an hour and a half away. My sister is always after me to come visit and stay with her but when we get there, I always feel like I'm intruding. I don't think she really likes having little kids around....I'm not even sure she likes to have company for extended periods of time! Yet, I don't really have an option. So, whenever we visit, I do my best to stay out of her hair. We always spend some time with her, but most of the time I try to get out of the house early and return after dinner sometime so we're out of her hair. I'm am also constantly trying to make myself useful while there -- cleaning up the kitchen and doing whatever laundry I see that needs to be done...I never get a thank you for any of this, which makes me feel like I'm almost expected to work while staying there....I don't know, maybe she just doesn't know that I'm doing all that work around her house. <br /><br />Anyway, we spent a day with my sister on her new sailboat. Lots of fun going out, but no wind. Still, it was a nice day. The next day we went on my brother's boat...actually it was not a great day, weather-wise, so we ended up just going up and down the river near his yacht club on his dinghy. The kids had a great time swimming and scooting around on the little boat. So did I. We then spent a few days with sister #2 at her house. She's a lot more laid back and the kids had a lot of fun. Then back to sister #1's house (with a day at Mystic in between!) followed by another day of fun on my brother's boat. This time, a perfect day with lots of swimming, crabbing, and walking on the beach. E even got to do some tubing on the back of the boat. <br /><br />The last few days were spent in upstate NY for an aunt's funeral. She actually died in March but the ground was too frozen to bury her back then. So, the family decided to wait until the weather got warmer...Where has she been for the last four months, you ask? Well, I wasn't sure either! I thought maybe she was on ice or in a drawer somewhere...but she was on my cousin's mantle. I guess this whole process was good for closure for her (her mom was well into her 90s when she died but lived with my cousin and her husband for the last several years...if not almost my cousin's whole life!). It was also good to see some other cousins that I haven't seen in probably forty years. <br /><br />After all the driving, though, I'm really glad to be home. Vacation #3 coming up in a couple weeks....then school is back in session!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-71707318578833944172011-07-18T15:52:00.003-04:002011-07-18T16:05:42.390-04:00NO TRAINING WHEELS!The kids have been avoiding their bikes forever. I bought E a bike a couple years ago or so and I don't think he ever rode it. He asked me to take the training wheels off it last year but was still too afraid. e also has had a really girlie bike for a couple years or so and has never ridden it. Maybe a couple times with the training wheels, but the two of them usually opt for their Razor scooters, instead. They are certainly experts at using those!<br /><br />Last week, for some reason, one of them (I think E, but I can't remember) asked me to get the bikes out without training wheels. e, of course, had to have hers without the training wheels, too. So, off the wheels went. In the past, I've always kind of pushed them along and held on. Well, I took a new approach this time. Our driveway has a little bit of a hill to it. So, I told them to just go down the hill and lift their feet off the ground, and once they felt comfortable with the balance to try to pedal. It worked! Literally, within a few minutes they were both riding great! Now, every night when we get home, they want to ride on their "two wheel bikes." I haven't had a bike in years, so I'm looking to buy one so I can keep up with them! I also had to get E a new bike because his was too small. I gave his old one to a neighbor and we went out right away for a new bike for E (I didn't want to lose the excitement of the moment!).<br /><br />The new man has been working on my house lately....last week, he put up lattice work around my back deck...the next project is to redo the railings on the deck so it looks completely redone. I'm excited about how it's looking! And, what a great guy to be doing all of it for me. He really seems to enjoy helping me around the house. Usually by now I'm trying to figure out what is wrong with a guy...I haven't figured out anything about this one yet. He has a really laid back attitude and likes doing all the kid stuff with us. Maybe we just haven't spent enough time together! No arguments yet, though...we'll see how things go once we have one!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-14193304788039529772011-07-12T12:35:00.006-04:002011-07-12T13:34:57.627-04:00Back to it!Well, I've neglected this spot for way too long! I got really busy during the end of the semester trying to plan our Italy trip. Putting together all the details for two weeks there was a LOT of work! But, we ended up having a great time. We took 12 students along and fun was had by all. Most of it went pretty smoothly, surprisingly enough, since for many of the days I planned, I wasn't totally sure how long it would take to get to our destination, or even how we'd get there, and if we could fit everything into the day as planned. My kids were also great. Given that we were climbing and hiking much of the day on most days, they didn't complain much and seemed to love the trip. I'm posting some of my favorite shots (if anyone knows how to flip some of these the correct way, please let me know!).<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGx7l8_nLxZ_V4345calRlWx_tnhD1gYTsJ_QNd7SCUrzVIFeRqG7E8hnelk1D4FVijnbofwshIfah8d1LWrSWJBwc1dh-Ioag-Fo_jSmv2lEKmnMIIi6loKI1Ymh6N0X0tBqTSYIgHxQ-/s1600/DSC03269.JPG"><br /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMM6ves73fr16hkV-sCNo1IVnyLrjN0zHkmMZrLm2eroUrXWPygNFbd_tf-L-UAzFZKSTBzPkBxrJb_wuRCurmMRVU0D4iuUhQNPQZbmRZO7WR4aKxxpxbzJapZEm7NQlT5gLJ0jJg0bqe/s1600/DSC03460.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMM6ves73fr16hkV-sCNo1IVnyLrjN0zHkmMZrLm2eroUrXWPygNFbd_tf-L-UAzFZKSTBzPkBxrJb_wuRCurmMRVU0D4iuUhQNPQZbmRZO7WR4aKxxpxbzJapZEm7NQlT5gLJ0jJg0bqe/s320/DSC03460.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628516563250740002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">E and e with the gelati...which we consumed just about every day!</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigw6begZOWaXBbhRGsEBbbsIsR8qs6OqENl1u3nsMsxRjEfkkBPX2XyPgAnWrGNOQc7z62Lm723RHDWFRj8-hiyqxjIkc8H6bJ-hGLYvL9Z2BjQ0dkrRa14KeSAd_KqKf_S4CoP3jF4KAF/s1600/DSC03318.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigw6begZOWaXBbhRGsEBbbsIsR8qs6OqENl1u3nsMsxRjEfkkBPX2XyPgAnWrGNOQc7z62Lm723RHDWFRj8-hiyqxjIkc8H6bJ-hGLYvL9Z2BjQ0dkrRa14KeSAd_KqKf_S4CoP3jF4KAF/s320/DSC03318.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628514384951502594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">This lake really is that blue!</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-A49TWl4172rI_ZwwweLYHQiYKiVZp3ZS0sftcD36_2eOttTgOLB6uJE-AtQ5OdZrWWc0oDiqS-80zLpE6bCyLN_bAIMHFs-a-nnv2owJ6vhqIWFRAuvfj6pmJSO8uZ01Ov4YZL8NOVZF/s1600/DSC03140+-+Copy.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-A49TWl4172rI_ZwwweLYHQiYKiVZp3ZS0sftcD36_2eOttTgOLB6uJE-AtQ5OdZrWWc0oDiqS-80zLpE6bCyLN_bAIMHFs-a-nnv2owJ6vhqIWFRAuvfj6pmJSO8uZ01Ov4YZL8NOVZF/s320/DSC03140+-+Copy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628514376857024274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">One of my favorite spots on top of a mountain by the lake</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqaG30b2gDy7SQhxYudNUfgwOItGupMtggR40YOx3RDqArOY2Pawu5M8nDzStVRKt5HojXu3o-2e3MzU-_z6PPDDfUGke97M3PgF3HgB2-iej_DCj0BvLdej8oKpewukntrAP3fYRAjBK/s1600/DSC03117.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqaG30b2gDy7SQhxYudNUfgwOItGupMtggR40YOx3RDqArOY2Pawu5M8nDzStVRKt5HojXu3o-2e3MzU-_z6PPDDfUGke97M3PgF3HgB2-iej_DCj0BvLdej8oKpewukntrAP3fYRAjBK/s320/DSC03117.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628514375127114802" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBTUF7f7FBUBVxtmDfK6m8Zr1cKQhPkyPlkN7_sPEOH2Y9RNCceVTXQo-z0JZhKk7W7cWR3S2emG_Q8qIFKyCzkfq-bbeDj8TpOyOEdKwSnhjzTNlxatGFBVg7CxM62eFmmE1xT1GwSpR/s1600/DSC03095+-+Copy.JPG"><br /></a>That was in May. The weather while we were there couldn't have been more perfect....low to mid 80s everyday and very little rain. I got to spend some time with a couple of my friends who live over there, too, so that was a lot of fun.<br /></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGx7l8_nLxZ_V4345calRlWx_tnhD1gYTsJ_QNd7SCUrzVIFeRqG7E8hnelk1D4FVijnbofwshIfah8d1LWrSWJBwc1dh-Ioag-Fo_jSmv2lEKmnMIIi6loKI1Ymh6N0X0tBqTSYIgHxQ-/s1600/DSC03269.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGx7l8_nLxZ_V4345calRlWx_tnhD1gYTsJ_QNd7SCUrzVIFeRqG7E8hnelk1D4FVijnbofwshIfah8d1LWrSWJBwc1dh-Ioag-Fo_jSmv2lEKmnMIIi6loKI1Ymh6N0X0tBqTSYIgHxQ-/s320/DSC03269.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628516573101399202" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMM6ves73fr16hkV-sCNo1IVnyLrjN0zHkmMZrLm2eroUrXWPygNFbd_tf-L-UAzFZKSTBzPkBxrJb_wuRCurmMRVU0D4iuUhQNPQZbmRZO7WR4aKxxpxbzJapZEm7NQlT5gLJ0jJg0bqe/s1600/DSC03460.JPG"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBTUF7f7FBUBVxtmDfK6m8Zr1cKQhPkyPlkN7_sPEOH2Y9RNCceVTXQo-z0JZhKk7W7cWR3S2emG_Q8qIFKyCzkfq-bbeDj8TpOyOEdKwSnhjzTNlxatGFBVg7CxM62eFmmE1xT1GwSpR/s1600/DSC03095+-+Copy.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBTUF7f7FBUBVxtmDfK6m8Zr1cKQhPkyPlkN7_sPEOH2Y9RNCceVTXQo-z0JZhKk7W7cWR3S2emG_Q8qIFKyCzkfq-bbeDj8TpOyOEdKwSnhjzTNlxatGFBVg7CxM62eFmmE1xT1GwSpR/s320/DSC03095+-+Copy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628514370851483698" border="0" /></a>We also went to our local family camp for Mother's Day weekend. As you might remember, I'm making this a family tradition -- this was our third year. In August, we will go for a whole week - another family tradition that I have started. It was a little cold while we were there, but we had a great time. E and I tried the high ropes course. He fell off several times, but I think that's only because he wasn't afraid to fall! I really did NOT want to fall and trust my harness. I have a brand new appreciation for tight rope walkers. I have no idea how they do it.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YxYrVNitUSIrxtLMGBwtxT7gOr_svza6v1vPcETWQseXl6_razkm8uHVN92_O4XxSfeFbj17faVHJkYCv6f2VkyoG3oBAs_-z1T8BkpVytIXlbivUO1Ej_5-7MLPTSehshvKGTYAPpGx/s1600/DSC_0542.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YxYrVNitUSIrxtLMGBwtxT7gOr_svza6v1vPcETWQseXl6_razkm8uHVN92_O4XxSfeFbj17faVHJkYCv6f2VkyoG3oBAs_-z1T8BkpVytIXlbivUO1Ej_5-7MLPTSehshvKGTYAPpGx/s320/DSC_0542.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628516589190926770" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWa8Qr_6G-wT1hyCk6ulgXTR5rguDN0I-jA8uzjGXui_YR72ITOqH5QyBIi9gRsuMpCxhwOMsMfuDIrhsDX0r4LOvhhyphenhyphenII3GwwnYlbQKRFrT6eYwcGOI7P0I5Ml-As6mxtIaFGolnZufC9/s1600/DSC_0423.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWa8Qr_6G-wT1hyCk6ulgXTR5rguDN0I-jA8uzjGXui_YR72ITOqH5QyBIi9gRsuMpCxhwOMsMfuDIrhsDX0r4LOvhhyphenhyphenII3GwwnYlbQKRFrT6eYwcGOI7P0I5Ml-As6mxtIaFGolnZufC9/s320/DSC_0423.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628516586991672258" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpWFukE-4_RE5MNS1ftPYzcMtrvy4FfRhDvVtYfP-YH-Mr-IzcVpXsu-h-coXEIShvK2Ob3R7AzwtrJj47XwRTkRQvg7T7_jk-6KcLVzkJKh1BDhEd8xtHtbConY7N4Zpf-9uEcG6q76-/s1600/DSC_0411.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpWFukE-4_RE5MNS1ftPYzcMtrvy4FfRhDvVtYfP-YH-Mr-IzcVpXsu-h-coXEIShvK2Ob3R7AzwtrJj47XwRTkRQvg7T7_jk-6KcLVzkJKh1BDhEd8xtHtbConY7N4Zpf-9uEcG6q76-/s320/DSC_0411.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628516583662853746" border="0" /></a><br />The guy I was going out with last year and into the first part of this year is completely out of the picture now. He finally got the hint that I just wasn't interested anymore. We're still friends, but it was very clear to me that we were in completely different places in our lives...he just seemed very "old" to me...watched a lot of black and white movies, sat on his butt most of the day (that REALLY drove me crazy), and after a while seemed to be bothered by having little kids around (HUGE red flag). There were other things, too...he seemed to live in the past...always reminding people of his military service (over 40 years ago!) and his corporate accomplishments (he's now retired, so who cares what he did back then?). There was more, but I won't go into it too much -- maybe I've already bored you with what I've said so far! I guess the good thing is that no bridges were burned and we'll still be friends.<br /><br />So, back to M*tch.com I went. AND there's a new guy now...I met him on M*tch and we corresponded for about a month before actually meeting for lunch. His correspondence was always very casual and unassuming, which I really liked. To be honest, I was actually just lukewarm about him for awhile. Good looking guy, but wasn't corporate or anything. For some reason, I had it in my head that I had to find a man that made a ton of money, was very driven and successful. I know, I CAN be pretty shallow at times.<br /><br />Back in the beginning of March, we met for lunch. It was a very nice time, I found him attractive and the conversation was easy, but I was still lukewarm. Besides, his profile said he wasn't really looking for a relationship right now - just friends (but he clearly was not on the friends with benefits search). We went out again a couple weeks later. During that dinner, he did something kind of stupid. I didn't think a whole lot about it, but I was still lukewarm about him. Nothing was persuading me NOT to go out with him...I enjoyed his company, but I think the fact that I knew he wasn't looking for a relationship made me not look towards him...So, back to the stupid thing he did...again, I didn't think a whole lot about it, except that it kind of verified my lukewarm feeling towards him. BUT, the next day he sent this incredible flower arrangement to my office with an apology. Well, that got my attention! And, it made me think that maybe he IS interested in something more.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGh6HVDsPlTWfOlmVCANc0ugB0s6mGppfzWe-RQRO0kQ0LXY5QGgJGh-uGp7EXownLql_ANCa_CYF6q1q-teWjkd5qQp6Gm5W5DPlYp7z_xDioOaNZ38XnRuk1dPLm84gOH-wClqs5thyh/s1600/DSC03041.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGh6HVDsPlTWfOlmVCANc0ugB0s6mGppfzWe-RQRO0kQ0LXY5QGgJGh-uGp7EXownLql_ANCa_CYF6q1q-teWjkd5qQp6Gm5W5DPlYp7z_xDioOaNZ38XnRuk1dPLm84gOH-wClqs5thyh/s320/DSC03041.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628514364521910242" border="0" /></a><br />Anyway, to make a long story short, he just kept coming back...it was also clear to me that he's actually a pretty smart guy and very driven (built his own house and built a very cool car)...he starts projects and actually finishes them, he's really great with my kids (sometimes I think he likes playing with them more than he likes playing with me!), he fixes stuff around my house (major bonus there) practically every time he comes over. He didn't even try to kiss me until we had been going out for about three months. So, he kept growing on me with all the little things he kept doing. And, he had a lot of patience for me to figure out whether I wanted to be in a relationship with him. He is now at my house usually three or four times a week. It's nice to have the company. He also really likes to work on my Honey-do list! He doesn't sit on his butt at all - he constantly stays active helping me around the house or with the kids. We'll see where it goes, but so far, so good!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-32171911708051854132011-02-09T11:04:00.002-05:002011-02-09T11:09:55.536-05:00Funny NamesI have a couple students, this semester, that have unusual names...<br />NoWay Jose (first name is not spelled that way, but pronounced No Way)<br />Spencer Spencer (His first name is actually spelled a little different from his last name)<br /><br />I grew up with a girl named Gay Person...of course, she was given her name before the word gay had its current meaning...I'm pretty sure she changed it so she would go by her middle name. <br /><br />Okay, your turn...what interesting names have you heard?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-29178831360830593202011-02-01T13:53:00.003-05:002011-02-01T14:09:20.103-05:00Borrowed Time<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVx0CujmrA2lgci0MXv9yWNxcVYslIHjjAlrvFRvj__joYc1TNqFeOHHhzh_6tvBq4JS8NZda3jo0fFkKNH9GffJ0SNSVR7lU1io_YFvtHgbyTNTevsE1Z7skxUrWrsZF1SJFd5AQayBz9/s1600/DSC_0249.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVx0CujmrA2lgci0MXv9yWNxcVYslIHjjAlrvFRvj__joYc1TNqFeOHHhzh_6tvBq4JS8NZda3jo0fFkKNH9GffJ0SNSVR7lU1io_YFvtHgbyTNTevsE1Z7skxUrWrsZF1SJFd5AQayBz9/s320/DSC_0249.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568799452098759314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">E playing with his gum</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVop2xHh-gUicW0Ghld1Msdxz4fhh3pIpjC1MlvXfAKaUtnnkxuMlAXDQZCQQEqtcoUp2KaVRNNmZj_5bNo0M2PGN6tWBYFAmBzJArzcQgqxQAfHYXQQzPxxRmUSZ1bk17pmg6tdrQ6H2/s1600/DSC_0181.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVop2xHh-gUicW0Ghld1Msdxz4fhh3pIpjC1MlvXfAKaUtnnkxuMlAXDQZCQQEqtcoUp2KaVRNNmZj_5bNo0M2PGN6tWBYFAmBzJArzcQgqxQAfHYXQQzPxxRmUSZ1bk17pmg6tdrQ6H2/s320/DSC_0181.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568799446112699666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">e at ballet class</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSLmNPiumUO62_tzyX4112HxSJBTot64X6-pHvPvqn2qqZooa0JHuZw022RL1PVvVYB_kCKj_DM14b1equoYdcLXKykeFpwlnqUCjLCtf7mEOO_mDa_OCMsVuoABa8QZSJqc5EX5TQT7Y/s1600/DSC_0149.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSLmNPiumUO62_tzyX4112HxSJBTot64X6-pHvPvqn2qqZooa0JHuZw022RL1PVvVYB_kCKj_DM14b1equoYdcLXKykeFpwlnqUCjLCtf7mEOO_mDa_OCMsVuoABa8QZSJqc5EX5TQT7Y/s320/DSC_0149.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568799443895312834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">e and E going snow tubing</span><br /></span></div><br />Does anyone ever feel like they are on borrowed time sometimes? I swear there are times when I cheat death. Last week I had to go to Pittsburgh for a board meeting. I go there four times a year for this meeting. It's about a 4 to 4 1/2 hour drive. The other months of the year are never bad, but the January meeting is always questionable weather-wise. I used to leave my house early and spend the day working with my friend there, then I have the board meeting the next morning until 2:00 pm...after the meeting, I have plenty of time to drive home and get the kids to bed. Now that my friend has been killed, I have no reason to go early, so I left my office around 3:00. It was also snowing a little and I wanted to wait it out for awhile. <br /><br />Anyway, the highway was a little slushier than I thought and I was probably driving a little faster than I should have been. At one point, I was passing a truck and I started to plane...almost right into the side of the truck. VERY scary. <br /><br />THEN, on the way back home the next day, it was just past dark and I think my depth perception was not so great...add to that the fact that my windshield was filthy. Anyway, there I am passing a truck again. I could see some red lights in front of me but couldn't figure out what they were....until I was right on top of them. They were flares in the road trying to move the traffic off the lane of an accident. Well, thank God the truck next to me gave me room, because I didn't even have time to look before I saw the flares and had to move over into his lane. If he didn't give me room, I would have either plowed into him, or into the several people who were at the scene of the accident in front of me. Also, VERY scary.<br /><br />I hugged my kids a LOT this weekend. I can't even fathom the thought of what they would do without me...or what I would do without them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-81031261375503608362011-01-26T09:00:00.002-05:002011-01-26T09:16:54.083-05:00Bad Luck Comes in Threes....Right?1. Last Saturday night we had sub-zero temperatures at night. I woke up Sunday morning to find that there was no water...in the whole house. I thought for a minute that maybe I forgot to pay my water bill, but that wasn't it. The pipes were frozen. The plumber came out fairly quickly and found the problem. Apparently, when I had my basement refinished this past summer, when they put in the Bilco door (new door to the outside), they left a little bit of the water pipe exposed to the outside. The plumber thawed it out and suggested that I leave the ceiling tile open so the pipe could get more warm air. I also left the heat on downstairs that night since we were to get sub-zero temps again.<br />2. Monday morning I get up and again, no water. This time, I know exactly what the problem is, so I go to the basement with my hairdryer and thaw out the pipe. e stood in the bathroom to tell me when the water started to flow. About 20 minutes later, she comes running in to tell me that the water was flowing! I was very proud of myself for not having to call the plumber and fixing the problem myself! About two seconds later, water came spraying out of the ceiling. The pipe had burst. So much for my feelings of pride! Fortunately, I was close to the water main and could shut the water off quickly. The damage was very well contained. The plumber came back and made his best attempt to seal off the pipe from the outdoor exposure and insulate it. Next time we have sub-zero weather, I'll know whether it worked!<br />3. When I got home yesterday, there was a message on my machine from one of my neighbors saying that they had noticed that the faucet outside was on and they turned it off for me. I know the plumber was out there on Sunday...not sure if he was out there yesterday. So, that water may have been on for a full two days. Ugh. I can't wait to get my water bill. I suppose it could have been much worse...the water could have been on longer, the damage from the burst pipe could have been much worse....<br /><br />Then, I got my bill from Virginia on a speeding ticket that I got...Here's the story on that one...when I went to NC to visit P for Thanksgiving, I got a speeding ticket. That highway goes on for hundreds of miles and the speed limit is always 65 or 70...except in this one 30 mile stretch in Virginia where it is 55...and not well marked (of course I saw the 55 sign twenty feet before I saw the cop...too late). I was going 77. So, they don't give you a speeding ticket, they give you a SUMMONS! Of course, I can't come back to go to a court that is a 10 hour drive from my house, so I had to hire a lawyer to represent me (apparently, a very common thing since I got several solicitations from lawyers to use their services once I got home). To make a long story short, the court date was last week...total cost about $600...but no points on my license. Sigh. I think I need to win the lottery.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-64396106177895867252011-01-17T09:10:00.004-05:002011-01-17T14:33:09.060-05:00Back to DatingOkay, so I've taken the initiative to get back into the online dating scene. I've reactivated my profiles on two of the dating sites and even tried a third - which I quickly canceled because the ick factor was too high....Hey, since I live in the middle of nowhere, I have to be very proactive! So, here's my question...what is it about these guys and their profile pictures? A large portion of them post pictures of themselves with their dogs...many of those pictures have been taken professionally! There are also a LOT of pictures of JUST the dog(s). Quite often the number of pictures of the dog outnumbers the number of pictures of the guy. Also, a lot of pictures are of the guys taking pictures of themselves in the mirror with their cell phone...sometimes they are flexing their muscles, sometimes just trying to look normal. Many of them post pictures of places and things...beaches, homes, places they've been, their car, etc...just the places, not them in them. Isn't the whole point to see what they look like and not the surroundings? I just don't get it. Some of them even talk about the fact that they like to have sex on a regular basis. Okay, that rates pretty high on the ick scale, too. Sorry, but I don't even want to think about sex with a guy until I get to know him! Maybe they're just looking for someone to jump in the sack with them right away. I'm sure there are other women out there who want that. I guess.<br /><br />Meanwhile, I'm still not sure P gets the message that I'm cooling things off. He still calls me "sweetie" on the phone, although we are talking much less often. Also, we have not made any plans to see each other again anytime soon. I guess I'll just have to take it as it comes and see what happens.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-48577036739586427472011-01-11T16:22:00.004-05:002011-01-11T16:53:11.966-05:00THE Conversation<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknNAcNyXvEDu5PTNTYctU-m_NSDbB3r7GHTyj0sLG7-8iyleS_-U8bdIiC2kMLlGT3boWVSR517Rfvsk18Q-50dAg2MuECUq0bc6Q5HokL1PndfBxcWR7XZ0888G-spp6d09jO_bBK7YH/s1600/Christmas.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknNAcNyXvEDu5PTNTYctU-m_NSDbB3r7GHTyj0sLG7-8iyleS_-U8bdIiC2kMLlGT3boWVSR517Rfvsk18Q-50dAg2MuECUq0bc6Q5HokL1PndfBxcWR7XZ0888G-spp6d09jO_bBK7YH/s320/Christmas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561048526834296930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">E and e with Santa!</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8PHLRYyXCaSnwPmFYmRZH8BaYfSI6O3qHNP4roYJEd_2kU-641c7LjqVWkenxEvRE8Eo2bF_UKs7BvKhbCgvpC8fz55dCsI92DJVsSGwJOnRpeM5PL0sQBk0u02PqAT1SKbb2WNfrB5H/s1600/Mom+and+Dad.JPG"><br /></a>So I had a conversation with P the other day. He called when he got home and I said that I didn't think the weekend went very well. Oooooh? He says. I told him that I thought he was bored the whole weekend and that I felt like I was being criticized. He said that he is often sarcastic and that maybe that comes off as being critical...I thought it was more than that. Anyway, he totally didn't get it. I still think I need someone who is going to be a little more active. It's kind of nice that he is so far away...that way I can just kind of move forward and if I meet someone in the meantime, I'll just cross that bridge when I get to it. I'm still convinced that he's not the one for me, but I don't know how to break it off. This is always the most difficult part, isn't it? He is a very nice man and I want to stay friends with him...I just don't think there is a romantic future for us. I suppose there will be more conversations in the future when I can get more to the point.<br /><br />I digitized some old photos last week. I had some slides that my mom left -- I have been trying to figure out, for years, how to get a good look at them (Mom passed away in '98 and Dad passed away in '03 when I was just 3 months pregnant with E - he never knew). For Christmas, P gave me a device that digitizes old slides. It was really great to see these pictures of my parents without having to hold the slides up to the light. The pictures of my parents were taken shortly after they got married...must have been within one to three years since my sisters are in some of them....Here are some of my favorites.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8PHLRYyXCaSnwPmFYmRZH8BaYfSI6O3qHNP4roYJEd_2kU-641c7LjqVWkenxEvRE8Eo2bF_UKs7BvKhbCgvpC8fz55dCsI92DJVsSGwJOnRpeM5PL0sQBk0u02PqAT1SKbb2WNfrB5H/s1600/Mom+and+Dad.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8PHLRYyXCaSnwPmFYmRZH8BaYfSI6O3qHNP4roYJEd_2kU-641c7LjqVWkenxEvRE8Eo2bF_UKs7BvKhbCgvpC8fz55dCsI92DJVsSGwJOnRpeM5PL0sQBk0u02PqAT1SKbb2WNfrB5H/s320/Mom+and+Dad.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561048519542844610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Mom and Dad...not sure if any kids have been born yet...</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkZvxoOKQLEVw1oFgGjaSZZgEMf1eBYg0U5IzXppFNaYD4ijlIa9d2z3YMYmt80wKwx24R753V63Dcu9k474jHlBqnqvfZlQJMxclhMiImSGnVJW-8cLkFXG0ARwAFcYWI5dgBV37I1i_/s1600/Mom+and+Cynthia.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkZvxoOKQLEVw1oFgGjaSZZgEMf1eBYg0U5IzXppFNaYD4ijlIa9d2z3YMYmt80wKwx24R753V63Dcu9k474jHlBqnqvfZlQJMxclhMiImSGnVJW-8cLkFXG0ARwAFcYWI5dgBV37I1i_/s320/Mom+and+Cynthia.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561048513403217906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I think Mom looks so elegant here with her fur collar and faux pearls!</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kejEhDcgd7V6XjkGWjelY3m9Rp23ZscRYxX-kXoJl6atc_tBL0YGoSSQWgPOKUNJ1_BkNS43GcydfTGxP1gqgXx_Jm0Mj5nWh01GnHTuQVdH7uX7KbJoh4aDy8pr7n9zx74VT9t3GmjH/s1600/IMAG0010.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kejEhDcgd7V6XjkGWjelY3m9Rp23ZscRYxX-kXoJl6atc_tBL0YGoSSQWgPOKUNJ1_BkNS43GcydfTGxP1gqgXx_Jm0Mj5nWh01GnHTuQVdH7uX7KbJoh4aDy8pr7n9zx74VT9t3GmjH/s320/IMAG0010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561048506096584386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I think my mom was in her 20s here.</span><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-13767017856875486882011-01-03T09:17:00.007-05:002011-01-03T14:36:55.661-05:00Dating and Co-SleepingThanks for all the great input on the dating and co-sleeping. When P visited this past weekend, I did my usual thing of laying down with them until they fell asleep, then I went into my room with P and locked the door. I left the kids with the understanding that if the door is closed, they cannot come in. They did great. But I was still getting a little bit of a hard time from P...<br /><br />So, the dating...first of all, P arrived last Thursday and did not say how long we was going to stay...I just think that needs to be defined ahead of time. I didn't have anything planned for us for the weekend, except a party at a neighbor's house New Year's eve. The rest of the weekend, I was just going to play it by ear and enjoy some time at home with the kids and P. So, Friday morning we get up, I make a cake, I make another dessert, I make a cheese ball for the party, I make dinner, I empty the dishwasher, clean the dishes, clean up the kitchen, pick things up around the house, then I go outside to put the jumpy inflatable thing up for the kids to burn off some energy (it's big and heavy, but I often do it by myself), stack the wood that had blown over in a storm earlier in the week, put the jumpy thing away (the girl next door helped me put it away) and generally just keep moving, moving, moving, getting things done. What did P do? He sat on the couch the whole day. Never once asked if he could help...Okay, I didn't ask him to help, either, but I have also made it fairly clear to him that I really DON'T ask for help...that doesn't mean he shouldn't offer! The next day was a lot of the same...when it came to dinner, I cooked up something nice, set the table, got everything on it, etc. When we were done, I cleared the table, did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. What did he do? Well he stood next to me and offered to put the dishes in the dishwasher...I have to say, it's just as easy for me to put the dishes inside the dishwasher as it is for me to hand them to him right next to me. I guess the point is that he tried to help...I guess.<br /><br />He also watches black and white movies all the time. Sorry, but I like to watch something from the 21st century sometimes! And for some reason, he only wanted to watch things that were in HD. He didn't even want to search for things that weren't in HD. When I had control of the remote, I said that I pay for ALL the channels and I want to see what is on all of them. After watching The Twilight Zone for about three hours (his choice. I, of course, was doing other things), I asked if it was okay if we watched something else. I put it on a medical show on TLC or Discovery that I thought was interesting. He said "do you really want to watch that? That's geek of the week stuff!" Okay, look who's talking about geek of the week, Mr. I only watch black and white or HD! I didn't say anything about what he was watching, but now all of a sudden he's criticizing what I want to watch, how I raise my children (he made a few comments here and there about the fact that I let E try some champagne on New Year's and that they don't go to sleep on their own...other things, too), what my house looks like, etc.<br /><br />I also felt like he complained a lot. I think I've mentioned before about how he's always talking about the news business, but he's always complaining about how no one can do the news well, what is wrong with every program on tv, and of course, how everything else in the world is so ridiculously out to get everyone. Of course, he did everything perfectly when he was in the business. GET OVER IT! You are RETIRED! Things change! You are NOT the expert anymore! And, they must be doing something right because they are making a lot of money at it and people are watching it. Waaah, waaah, waaah, waaah, waaah! Oh, and did I mention that during the Vietnam war, he was stationed in Germany for awhile...never fought, just did stuff in Germany...not sure what. He told me once that he could always tell who the Vietnam Vets were within the first five minutes of speaking to them...well, that's because HE always brings it up within the first five minutes of speaking to someone! And then uses it as an excuse for things! Okay, I am all for being positive about our vets. I think they should be proud of what they did and we should support them. BUT, he was in the Army over 40 YEARS ago! That doesn't make him any better than anyone else. I think he is living WAY too much in the past...<br /><br />And the cigar smoking! YUCK! I said something to him about it over the phone, that he can't kiss me after smoking unless he's had a mint or something. Okay, so he addressed that, I think, but HE still smells! It's all over his clothes, and in his skin. I just really couldn't stand it!<br /><br />Okay, I'm done ranting and venting....I guess this relationship isn't going to work, eh? Add to that the fact that E woke up this morning, got into bed with me (P left yesterday) and said that he had had a nightmare that he and I were separated for a few days and couldn't find each other. We finally found each other, but it was very scary. I'd be scared, too! That's a pretty strong signal, if you ask me.<br /><br />I think it's time to have a conversation with P...maybe just say that I think the two of us are in different stages of our lives and they are too different. Nice guy, just not for me. Oh well. It was nice while it lasted!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-77602470652938028522010-12-30T10:23:00.003-05:002010-12-30T10:37:55.184-05:00Question for all...Co-sleeping...it's been a battle for quite awhile now, but hasn't really been an issue until, of course, P came along. Since the kids keep saying that they are afraid to sleep in their beds, every night, I lay down on the floor with the two of them in E's bedroom. I lay down in the middle so there is no arguing about who is next to mommy and they cuddle close to me. I stay until they fall asleep - for E that's very fast, but since e is still taking naps at pre-school, she takes much longer...sometimes up to an hour...and, of course, I often fall asleep, too. I typically wake up about an hour later and go to my room. Then, in the middle of the night, e usually wakes up and joins me...often with E by her side. Now, I have to say that I really don't mind this whole process. I get to cuddle with my kids, and I know this stage is not going to last forever -- so I'm enjoying it while I can. I'm pretty sure I'm not creating some Oedepus Complex or anything like that with my kids. This gives us time to talk about the day and be close. I think it's also possible that once e starts kindergarten and stops taking naps, she'll be more likely to spend the whole night in E's room.<br /><br />When P visits, it's a bit more of a problem. He feels left out when I spend so much time putting them to bed (I know, waah, waaah), and doesn't like when they come in to invade our bed during the night or early in the morning (don't worry, we are both fully dressed). I explained to him that I am working on the bedtime routine, but they really need me right now. They will be on their own when they are ready. In fact, I've been having a lot of conversations with them about "being ready" so they can make the transition. I've thought about putting e in her own bed after she falls asleep, but she is a fairly light sleeper. I'm pretty sure she would wake up as soon as I picked her up. <br /><br />So, should I just not worry about this and tell P to basically get over it? Should I be more forceful in getting them to sleep on their own? That just seems like a very long torturous process....I don't know....thoughts?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-82988953044131138282010-12-28T14:34:00.003-05:002010-12-28T15:02:50.658-05:00Long Time, No See...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1fZV3WJjmlLr66zd8Q6nHv33xPKUjTHD7DcTO36IEjb-ZccXloEso94QcHiynrcRCOYmsIS89SSja3scPd344TfKzsAc3w0ZbqHWqP2acmSUr0Xa_I73J5D8WzOiXqg1W5m9E-U8ahGhD/s1600/IMG_1874.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1fZV3WJjmlLr66zd8Q6nHv33xPKUjTHD7DcTO36IEjb-ZccXloEso94QcHiynrcRCOYmsIS89SSja3scPd344TfKzsAc3w0ZbqHWqP2acmSUr0Xa_I73J5D8WzOiXqg1W5m9E-U8ahGhD/s320/IMG_1874.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555825445728601058" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;">e swimming at the hotel</span><br /><br />Well, I've been a really bad blogger lately, haven't I! I'll try to update everyone on what has been happening! We went to Hawaii for a week the week before Thanksgiving...had a really great time. The kids even traveled well for such a long trip. It took us about 18 hours to get there and three planes. Fortunately, the trip back was a red-eye, and only two planes, so they slept quite a bit. The day after we returned, I put them in the car again and we drove to NC to spend Thanksgiving with P and his daughter. That is a VERY long drive and not one I want to do again. We stopped at our friend's house in DC which is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from my house...P's house is another 7 hours from there.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRGPgTIus8A1hhrKtOHp7WbOwwA1dNLXaXR58Jmnc8GTX4iBe5ylgHw_r1ldckXOG8DlELFyxIwITbKAmTIbjM7QzRH-qlhD1IJn9aPw7TUskQJ2UKZwNffE-7mhiu9iRMMVf9w2hhgGs/s1600/IMG_2001.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRGPgTIus8A1hhrKtOHp7WbOwwA1dNLXaXR58Jmnc8GTX4iBe5ylgHw_r1ldckXOG8DlELFyxIwITbKAmTIbjM7QzRH-qlhD1IJn9aPw7TUskQJ2UKZwNffE-7mhiu9iRMMVf9w2hhgGs/s320/IMG_2001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555825451418883186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">E swimming with a sea turtle!</span><br /></div><br />So, how did things go, you are wondering? Well, I have to say that I think the honeymoon period is over. I still really like him, but I'm not so sure, anymore, that he is Mr. Right. It is definitely different seeing someone on their own turf. I am also not willing to make that trip again very often, or even at all....It's WAY too far to drive with the kids for a weekend, and if I flew there, I would still have to pay to have the kids taken care of for the weekend. That's a lot of expense and hassle just for a weekend. Besides, I really like spending time with the kids...although, I know that time away with another adult is also a good thing.<br /><br />So, here are the things that are bothering me....The distance...I just don't know how willing I am to work on that aspect. So far, he seems okay with traveling, so that's good. I also think there are some generational differences between us (he's about 19 years older than me)...he smoked cigars while we were visiting...a lot...he watches old movies all the time...he talks about the news business all the time (he used to be in the news business) and how terrible things are run these days. When he's not talking about the news, he's talking about jazz. And, a lot of complaining! I was considerably colder when I returned from NC and he definitely noticed it. I, of course, didn't talk about all the things that I just listed - just a couple. And, of course, he said all the right things that just made me melt.<br /><br />He's coming for a visit again on Thursday, so we'll see how things go. I'm not sure how long he's staying...he didn't say...just left it open...I'm not sure I'm thrilled about that. I have lots of work to do, so I'm kind of hoping he doesn't stay too far into the week. I doubt I will have to worry about it.<br /><br />So, maybe I should just enjoy the fact that I can have sex with someone for awhile and not worry about all this relationship stuff? I don't know. I think he is really in love with me, and I do kind of like the idea of having someone around to do "adult" things with. I'm just beginning to think that I need to find someone with closer interests. So, should I reopen the online dating portals? Do I even tell him that I am doing so? I would say no...especially since he is not in the area. Does that mean that I'm cheating on him? This is very complicated.<br /><br />Anyway, the kids had a really nice Hanukah and a nice Christmas (we celebrate both). Santa had to give e an IOU for a DSi that didn't arrive on time. I ordered it from China and I'm beginning to think that it got lost in shipping....I have to say, though, that the customer service from this company has been beyond extraordinary. They have communicated with me regularly, and even said that if the box was lost in shipping, they would express a new one and send me an extra 20 games with it for free. So, for just over $300, I got the DSi, 248 (!) games, some other stuff, and now, potentially another 20 games. I figured I can sell some of the games to game stop and maybe even make money on the deal. Yes, I'm always looking for a good bargain! :-)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-h7i8dkH85ei4kiS9DXH-pqkS1mwKoHSb6pg0g8EUD67jDP0O1iy_jduiIrX-mYP6Tfo3A3_mPVR1AgzSpl5VxNaeaNDHZokDIA94UKrcIeRgVa38nNkcg8zNm0N2lfR_MIL2yO48vYf/s1600/DSC_0070.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-h7i8dkH85ei4kiS9DXH-pqkS1mwKoHSb6pg0g8EUD67jDP0O1iy_jduiIrX-mYP6Tfo3A3_mPVR1AgzSpl5VxNaeaNDHZokDIA94UKrcIeRgVa38nNkcg8zNm0N2lfR_MIL2yO48vYf/s320/DSC_0070.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555825436951378018" border="0" /></a><br />Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631135090567336043.post-92215799359311716962010-10-26T14:37:00.002-04:002010-10-26T15:05:57.821-04:00DC WeekendWell, the more time I spend with this guy, the more I love him. We spent the weekend in DC and had a great time. He stayed with a friend of his and I stayed with a friend of mine (one of E's half siblings). Turns out they lived a few blocks from each other in the same neighborhood. How's that for coincidence? <br /><br />We arrived around 8:30 Friday night and went straight to his friend's house to say hello and have some dessert with them. They had some other people there, too, some of P's friends, around the table. My kids were a little antsy and shy, though, with so many people, and having just spent three and a half hours in the car. They were all over me which made it difficult to carry on any conversation with anyone. So, we didn't stay long, but it gave me a little bit of an opportunity to meet P's daughter, as well. She is just a doll. <br /><br />Saturday, we went to a local Renaissance Festival. I have never been to one of these things and was really amazed at how seriously people take them! Some really incredible costumes. I'm not sure what people do with these costumes the rest of the year, but it is clear that they look forward to wearing them for the Festival. P said that he could tell his daughter was sizing me up at times while we were at the festival. I really liked her...sweet, unassuming, smart, easy to get along with. P and I went out for a nice dinner later that evening and had some time by ourselves (well, without kids and friends, anyway). We spent a couple hours talking at dinner about just everything. I can tell he just adores me, and I really love him, too. I know we've only been seeing each other for a very short time, so you are all probably thinking that I am somewhat naive about this whole thing or that it's my hormones talking. We both feel like we've known each other for years...kind of soul mates. I think, as you get older, you just know these things. <br /><br />Saturday night there was a black tie event that P forgot was happening that weekend. He didn't want to go, anyway, but there were people there who flew in from all over to go to this event. Apparently, by midnight, they were all calling him and texting him to try to get him to go to the after-party, since they found out he was in town and he told them he was having dinner with me instead of going to the party. Besides, he didn't have his tux with him (the after-party was more casual). Anyway, we opted for breakfast/coffee the next morning. <br /><br />So, Sunday we had breakfast with another author friend of his and a producer from Hollywood. P was in his element. I told him that next year, we were going to go to this party because it was a great networking opportunity for him. His next book should be out by then and he spoke to the producer about a movie idea that will hopefully have some traction by then, too. I really liked meeting these two guys - both old friends of P - both really great guys. I think a person's friends say a lot about someone. <br /><br />P and his daughter left late morning to head back to NC and we went to the Museum of Natural History with my friend and all the kids. Lots of fun, but we didn't spend too long there since we wanted to get back on the road, too. <br /><br />P is coming back to stay with me for about five days next week...can't wait. Then, the kids and I are off to Hawaii for a conference (I know you feel sorry for me) for a week. The day after we get back, we will get in the car and go to NC (with a stop in DC to break up the drive) to spend Thanksgiving with him and his daughter. <br /><br />I just can't seem to get enough of this guy...SO opposite of the way I usually am...Usually, I can't wait to get my own space after several hours with them (or in some cases, several minutes).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4