Day 30

It's finally Day 30 and I'm officially through with NaBloPoMo. Well, for this year, at least. Whew-hew!!!

I want to thank all of you who hung in there and continued reading and commenting, regardless of how lame the topic.

It wasn't easy coming up with something to say EVERY day. My life is just not that exciting, which means that anything with even the slightest possibility of being the teeniest bit blog-worthy made its way into a post. (Note how I said "teeniest bit blog-worthy", not "interesting") Nor was it easy having to turn it into something for which I am grateful... ugh!

Let's face it! Some days just suck and you don't particularly feel like being grateful for any of it. Isn't it ironic that when it helps to most to to put things into perspective? It was for me... and for that, I am grateful.

So to all my fellow participants, Happy NaBloPo NO'Mo!

Simple Joys of the Season... it's all about the condiments.

Just in case you needed a reminder that kids really don't need a lot of STUFF to be happy during the holidays, my son befriended a bottle of ketchup today.

I'll repeat for effect. A bottle of KETCHUP.

It's not as if the child wants for ANYthing. In fact, there are toys scattered and hidden away in almost every room of my house. My dining room looks like the toy department of any number of national chain stores (thanks to his grandparents' unflagging generosity) and not to mention all the crap he's getting from us, er... Santa.

However, during a most painful trip to the grocery story this morning, my son's screams to be release from the cart subsided as soon as I handed him the ketchup needed for tonight's meatloaf. From then on, he was insanely happy just holding it, flipping the cap, etc...

He held up the bottle for the cashier to scan, but insisted on cradling it in his arms, refusing to let go until we got home. He wanted to know the name for every part of it... Cap, Bottle, Label.

Naturally, our conversation drifted towards the importance of strong branding and clever packaging... Perhaps, that's something that only happens with us?

In any case, he was so pleased with it that I almost wrapped it up and put it under the tree. Almost. Sigh...

I'm grateful that THANKS to the awesome Internet. My holiday shopping is almost done...

Although I'm totally on board with Nap Warden's idea of only giving yummy gifts this year!

Learning Tolerance from Hate

Today, I want to share a quote that rings true for me.

"I have learnt silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers."

Kahlil Gibran

Sometimes I forget that the people in my life who are not so pleasant to be around are worthwhile examples, too. Whether it's simple as how not to be or something as difficult as forgive and FORGET, there is always something to learn from the people who get on my nerves.

Let it Snow. I'm staying IN tonight....

Next week begins the onslaught of holiday parties, potlucks, and white elephant gift exchanges... and we can't possibly do it all. I'm grateful that my massive Christmas to-do list is the perfect excuse to stay home and cuddle instead! (It's awesome...well, except that it's a massive to-do list...)

Our Tax Dollars At Work

Today, I was treated to a fabulous pedicure at a fabulous spa by a fabulous friend. We got together beforehand, chatted over snacks and coffee, and even did a little shopping together. It was rainy and cold, so I went directly home afterwards, slipped into some comfy clothes, and sat down to a dinner of Thanksgiving leftovers with my family... and that's how I thought my lazy, luxurious, and leisurely Sunday would end.

Au contraire, mon frere!

While we waited for our son to finish picking at his food eating, we were straightening up the kitchen and making lists for the upcoming week. As we were talking, he started coughing. Since he does this to get attention sometimes, we ignored him at first but then he started gagging... then choking...

We immediately rushed to his side to help him cough it up when we realized he was having an allergic reaction to the ranch dressing he'd been dipping his food into. His face was splotching and swollen and it sounded as if his throat was closing up. He was having a hard time breathing, especially after throwing up everything he had just eaten.

Panic-stricken and ready to run to the nearest emergency room, I called Poison Control. Why Poison Control? Because I call them about once every two weeks ever since my son has started biting the tips off markers and climbing on chairs to get to the SuperGlue. Yeah, I have them on speed dial.

They, of course, directed me to call 9-1-1 RIGHT NOW... DUH! My husband dialed as I grabbed the diaper bag, our coats, everybody's shoes, etc. The operator told us to stay put; paramedics are on their way!

While my husband was taking to the operator, my son had calmed down and somewhat stabilized. I took him out of his highchair and into our bedroom to find something other than soiled pajamas and fuzzy pink slippers to wear to the ER.

Well, not only did 9-1-1 dispatch an ambulance, but a full-blown fire truck as well... ladders, hoses, and all. My husband ran outside to direct them to the house and I put my son on the bed to be examined.

Not realizing it was for him, my son started getting excited at the sound of sirens rounding our corner. By the time the paramedics rushing into the house, my son was still splotchy, but smiling. He was playing on our bed and definitely doing better (hardly on the brink of death)... and I looked like an overreacting pill.

As first it was just the one firefighter/paramedic with his first aid kit... then he was followed by four others carrying breathing tubes and something that looked like a respirator. In fact, it probably was...

Better safe, than sorry my husband kept saying, but we were both so embarrassed that we could hardly even look at the paramedics having to chase our son to see if he was "still breathing". Oh yeah, he's breathing.

We apologized for troubling them on a cold Sunday evening, but they didn't mind. However, they insisted that we take him to an emergency room anyway. Just in case. "You could either take him yourselves or ride in the ambulance", they offered, "but he needs to be seen TONIGHT by a pediatrician or an allergist."

Since he basically fine and hardly an emergency case anymore, we knew that we'd be in for a LONG wait. It was late. My husband has to work tomorrow, and our son was hungry (again), so we opted instead to take him to my parents' house. My mom is a pediatrician and even with the 45 minute drive to their house, he'd still be seen sooner than at the ER... plus, it was free.

Okay, so not exactly the circumstances in which I had envisioned five hunky firefighters barging into my bedroom... Ahem....

Today, I'm grateful to see my tax dollars hard at work and, obviously, that my son is all right and sleeping soundly in his crib.

The Joy of Giving

Every year, I promise to mind our spending during the holidays...

Then, I find a trendy necklace that I know my hipster sister will like, a stylish sweater for my stylish brother-in-law, or an awesome train table for our son on Craig's List. Considering all of his gifts are burning a hole in the back of my closet, it's more than I wanted to spend but less than a brand new one... Sigh!

I know money and things don't buy happiness, but giving a gift that you know will be loved is such a joy!

So, today I'm grateful for all the things that are priceless (yet can be purchased with my MasterCard... or so their clever ads will have you believe).

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope all of you are enjoying this day with your loved ones! Happy Thanksgiving.

Another clever greeting brought to you by Someecards.com

Not for the faint of heart

Man. Oh, man. Day 21... think I'll make it to Day 30? I swear, when this NaBlo-blah, blah is over, I'm taking a BREAK!

Today's thanks is short. I'm grateful that now that a few of my friends have had or are pregnant with their second child, the parenting bar was been lowered... and I mean waaaaay low.

Gone are the days of thumbing through our dog-eared copies of Dr Sears' The Baby Book or reaching for The Happiest Baby on the Block... Anything goes, provided it gets your new baby to sleep through the night and not wake up the older kid... No judgment. No guilt. No criticism.

Your kid doesn't go to bed until 11... Rock on! You can party with my kid!
Your daughter hasn't been weened off the boob, yet... Cool.
Sleeps in your bed...
Eats M&Ms daily...
Still not potty trained...
None of you know baby sign language!?

Hey, whatever gets your through the day!

And a general sigh of relief is felt around the land.

Now, with More In-Law Bashing

In the middle of getting a facial this past weekend, the aesthtician started chit-chatting with me about the holidays... Not cool. I don't know about you, but I prefer to zone out, relax, and NOT make small talk during my rare spa visits..

She asked me about my Thanksgiving plans and when I rolled my eyes and said that we'll be heading to my in-laws, she stopped what she was doing to my face and asked point blank, "well, what's wrong with being with your in-laws?"

Are you KIDDING me? I came here to RELAX and you want me to talk about my IN-LAWS...ugh!

I made some pithy remark and ended the conversation right then and there... and continued to zone out.

Frankly, there is no simple answer to that question, or at least not one that I was willing to share at that particular moment. I'm sure I could have enumerated several examples of what is "wrong" with them, but that would have quickly become tedious and boring... and not to mention, counterproductive to booking a "pre-holiday" spa appointment in the first place.

The truth is there really isn't anything wrong with my in-laws. As I've mentioned here before, they're well-intentioned and good people who just happen to drive us nuts. They live their life differently than we do and are prone to being unreasonable and insensitive at times, but otherwise they're all right folks.

In fact, I would even go as far as to say that in another world, another time, another life, my mother-in-law and I probably could have been friends... provided we didn't have to share any of our holidays or vacations together... just maybe. Unfortunately, in this world, this time, and this life, we do and all the stress that that entails is the #1 source of our friction. The rest of the year, the pressure is off and we're back to our tenuous, but workable relationship.

I have to keep this in mind especially when she tells me I'm being "inflexible" when we attempt to plan our THREE HOUR car trip to see THEM at THEIR HOUSE around our son's afternoon nap. I'm still fuming about that, in case you haven't noticed...

The irony is that my mother-in-law has a very similar relationship with her mother-in-law, Grandma D, who is as sharp as a tack in her late 90s and isn't going anywhere anytime soon. I love Grandma D, by the way. She's totally racist (in the way that only old people can get away with) and has an opinion on everything. It's awesome!

Based on the comments my mother-in-law makes when she thinks no one is listening and the scant details I've gotten from Hubby, Grandma D never really thought my mother-in-law was good enough for her son, has always been critical, and doted more on her other child's family. Sounds familiar, if you ask me?

My mother-in-law swore that when she had her own daughters-in-law, things would be much better. She has three and no, they aren't. In fact, the similarities are striking... right down to the blatant favoritism and short-sightedness.

Raising a son of my own, I wonder if this is a vicious cycle and if one day, my son will bring a girl home who clearly is not good enough for him. Will it crush me to no longer be the "only woman" in his life? Will I compete for his time and guilt them into spending holidays with us? How can I keep my heart from breaking when he tell me that they are going to her parents and it'll be another holiday before I can see him again?

Today, I'm grateful that that day isn't today! That my son is still a toddler and all mine... even if occasionally I'm tempted to sell him to gypsies. The years will fly by, but I will cherish every single one that I will get to spend with him.

One day (in the far, far future) when he moves away and has a family of his own, I'll try to be grateful for all the holidays that I will get to spend with them rather than resentful of the ones that I don't. I'll try to remember what it was that drove me nuts about Hubby's family and try not to perpetuate the madness.

In the meantime, I'll just have to keep that mother-in-law smack talkin' to a minimum, 'cuz payback is a bitch...

Thanksgiving and Friendship

As newlyweds, Hubby and I joined a group offered through our church called the "Young Marrieds". Not only did our good friends run it at the time, but we thought it would be a great way to meet some much needed "couple friends"... and it was!

In spite of the name, you didn't necessarily have to be "young" nor "newly married" to be in the group (even though we were), but you have to be FUN. Three years later, we consider the people in this group our closest friends and we have more invitations to dinner parties, cookouts, and baby showers than we have weekends free... That doesn't even include all the activities for the group.

Within a year or two of us joining, a lot of the group's members (including us) starting having children and the name changed to "Young Families". Can we say instant support system? Then, our friends got burned out, so Hubby and I took over running the group with another couple. (When I say "Hubby and I", I really mean me...)

Each month, we plan a "couples only" date night as well as a "family event". So, not only is that two weekends each month than we've got something going on with the group, but there's also all the time spent planning.

This includes convincing people to host our various potlucks, pool parties, or wine tastings or finding a restaurant that will hold a reservation for over 20.... sending invitations and dealing with the subsequent bitching ("That's my daughter's nap time, can't you move it to accommodate our schedule?")... A lot of WORK!

Planning activities for the group is fun, but oftentimes can be stressful and definitely time-consuming. Just like planning anything, I guess...

This afternoon we had our annual Thanksgiving Potluck, which included 2 six-year-olds, 15 kids two and under, and 1 teenager. (See, lots of kids!) While I wasn't hosting it at my home, I spent weeks planning it with the people that did. This morning, I arrived early to help set up and stayed late into the afternoon to clean.

I quizzed myself on everybody's names, kids' ages, and pertinent details in my head as I was thickening the gravy. From my vantage point at the stove, I attempted to to greet everyone by name as they arrived, make brilliant conversation and proper introductions, and welcome the new couples that just joined.

In the midst of all this, my son had a massive tantrum as our friends looked on sympathetically and my husband had to take him home early. Feeling quite overwhelmed myself, I completely sympathized and sort of wished I could have gone home with him but I had to stay, Fortunately, Hubby didn't mind having to leave the party so soon, and it allowed me a chance to relax and actually visit with people.

It was a chaotic day that just went by in a blur, but driving home this evening I was filled with so much warmth and happiness. Not only did the party come off as a HUGE success, but it was such a blessing be reminded of just how many wonderful people I have in my life... and who I am honored to call "my friends".

Today, I am grateful for all the people that bring joy, happiness, and friendship to my life!

Something to think about...

I heard this read at Mass this evening and thought it would make for a great post, especially since I hadn't gotten around doing to my "30 Days of Thanks" post for today...

I AM GRATEFUL FOR...

FOR THE TEENAGER WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES BECAUSE IT MEANS HE IS AT HOME, NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES I PAY BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT I HAVE A JOB.

FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.

FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE.

FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING, WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING, AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME.

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT BECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

FOR THE PARKING SPOT I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION .

FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL, BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM WARM.

FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH WHO SINGS OFF KEY BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HEAR.

FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.

FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES AT THE END OF THE DAY BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.

FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.

AND FINALLY, FOR TOO MUCH E-MAIL BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME

Countdown to Crazy

I begrudgingly benevolently agreed to spend Thanksgiving in Oklahoma with my in-laws next week. We'll be there for THREE DAYS... three long, tongue-biting, silent-fuming, eye-rolling days.

There are three things in the world that my mother-in-law is truly obsessed, er... passionate about. There are as follows:

• Getting a family portrait
• Shopping
• Her holiday traditions- of which there are many and often impossible to accomplish in one year...
  

Over the past two weeks, she's called several times to specifically discuss each of these in turn. The first call was to ask if I thought she should schedule a family portrait at a studio... over Thanksgiving (?!).

The family portrait has been a thorn in her side (and mine) for as long as I've known her, but her children haven't exactly been cooperative... She hoped to get one on my wedding day, except that my sister- and brother-in-law were understandably unable to attend due to the birth of their son four days prior. Even though there was nothing anyone could do about it, my mother-in-law continued to harp on this point for MONTHS.

The next time she had all of her sons, daughters-in-law, and grandkids in the same place was a year and a half later... but, two of us were preggers and it went down as the "incomplete photo" before it was even snapped. It is displayed proudly in her new home and I know it irks her whenever someone points out that my son and my niece are "missing" from the photograph.

In spite of all this, I like to blame my brother-in-law for making this coveted family photo op impossible! He lives in California and has come home all of twice in the last five years, even though his wife and kids come twice a year, at least. I've only met him once and from what I can tell, he doesn't really like coming home and despises the family portrait more than I do. I don't know why, but as long as he stays away (and we keep having babies), I will never hear the end of it with the family portrait... Ahhh!

Last year, my mother-in-law suggested using a "fill-in" for my MIA BIL and asked if Hubby, with his mad "PhotoShop skills", could somehow paste his brother's head on top of the fill-in's body. The rest of the family was utterly disgusted by that suggestion. I'm please to say that we talked her down from that ledge amicably and she settled for a picture of "just the grandkids".

This year, I just offered to just take another nice photo of the grandchildren together for her holiday cards. Done and done.

Shopping... My mother-in-law wants all the "girls" (that would be my sisters-in-law who do NOT get along, me, and her) to go Christmas shopping together... over Thanksgiving (?!) I told her that's what the Internet is for...

I prefer to do my holiday shopping in my comfy pants... alone... at home, thankyouverymuch.

Holiday traditions... While I RESPECT and ADORE holiday traditions, I believe it is best to practice moderation, streamline, and prioritize, particularly when 2/3 of your family lives far, far away and will only be together for THREE days, which will hopefully include sleeping, eating, and the occasionally bathroom break.

My in-laws, however, have too many traditions to enumerate, but I assure you it's all madness and chaos and too much for me to handle... sober.

Today, I'm grateful for my in-laws. For all of their nuttiness, they really are good people. After all, they raise the man I love! We enjoy a tenuous relationship built on sarcasm, denial, and talking about my son, but it works so don't knock it.

Besides, they make good blog fodder.

The Oracle of Starbucks

Today, I spotted my very first red Starbucks cup of the year.

How can this be?! We're still in shorts and tank tops here in Dallas. It can't be that close to the holidays yet... can it?

Since Hubby and I have been trying to cut back in every way possible in order to afford Christmas, my trips to Starbucks have been curtailed for a bit. So, no little red cups for me. In a more prosperous era, my drink of choice this time of year would be their yummy Gingerbread Latte.

Have you ever wondered what you Starbucks order says about you? Well, wonder no more.

Behold, The Oracle of Starbucks knows all!

You type in your order (including size) and the "Oracle of Starbucks" gives you a personality assessment like none other. Here's mine:

Behold the Oracle's wisdom:

Personality type: Lame

You're a simple person with modest tastes and a reasonable lifestyle. In other words, you're boring. Going to Starbucks makes you feel sophisticated; you'd like to be snooty and order an espresso but aren't sure if you're ready for that level of excitement. People laugh at you because you use fake curse words like "friggin'" and "oh, crumb!" Everyone who thinks America's Funniest Home Videos is a great show drinks grande gingerbread latte.

Also drinks: V8
Can also be found: On the couch at home

It's true. My tastes have become simpler, especially since I've started brewing my own coffee at home instead of paying $5 for it on my way to playgroup. I guess that makes me a bore and lame.

I'm not sure if it's the espresso, some much as having someone serve me and clean up afterwards that's the exciting part.

It's true. I do use fake curse words, so let them laugh at me. I like to reserve the real ones for special occasions. I have not, however, found America's Funniest Home Videos funny since I was in 6th grade...

V8 is good for you and, yes, my sofa is quite inviting.

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As if I don't have enough delicious blogs keeping me from sleeping at night to read, I'm constantly discovering more, more, MORE!

I mostly find new blogs from seeing who other bloggers currently digging, but occasionally, a fascinating headline will pop up through BlogRush (you know, that little widget off the the side of my blog... If you haven't already signed up, you totally should!). Once I'm compelled to click, I'm as good as hooked.

This is precisely what lead me to MommyCosm and her post about The Oracle of Starbucks. I just had to pass it along.

Today, I'd like to express my gratitude for all of the people in my "bloggy-hood".

Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for making me cry. Thank you for entertaining and inspiring me. Thank you for your creativity, sarcasm, and wit.

Thank you for making me feel a part of a community through your comments and awards. I love and admire you all!!!

Oh, who are the people in your bloggy-hood?
In your bloggy-hood?
In your bloggy-hood?
Say, who are the people in your bloggy-hood?
The people that you meet each day

Grow up? Not Me.

Today's daily post is brought to you by someecards.com. Check them out. HILARIOUS!

I'm grateful that I get to postpone growing up a little while longer by getting to re-live childhood through my happy toddler! Well, except this time I get to drive, "play house" for real, and use a credit card, but have to forgo the irrational tantrums and lack of impulse control. Only one of us needs to be doing that....

Who? Me? You're Too Kind...

Today, I have TWO things to be thankful for and they came in the form of more BLOGGY BLING from two of my very favorite bloggers.

My favorite. How did you know???

The first award comes from the Nap Warden

Guess what? I ROCK her crib. Whew-hew!

Is there anyway I could award this back to the Nap Warden, because she certainly does the same for me. I love, love, LOVE reading her blog. It's just like catching up with an old pal... and I only know her through the all-knowing Internet.

Oh my, I REALLY hope that didn't sound too stalker-ish. I swear I'm not a stalker.

Personally, I think if we lived in the area code, we'd be fast friends, so I think I can get away with saying that... right?

Without further ado, I'd like to pass this award along to Ali from Cheaper Than Therapy, Corey~living and loving from Living and Loving Every Minute of It, and Sam from temporarily me.

The second award comes from Heidi over at Hydes Like Us.

It's for "esteemed blog mentors and the otherwise inspirational".... Me? Really? But, I haven't even been blogging for a year. What an honor!

Heidi and I just "met", but have quickly become bloggy buddies... and, by the way, I love you, back!

Here's who has mentored and inspired me: SAHMmy from SAHMmy Says, Mayberry from Mayberry Mom, Sara from Suburban Oblivion, Mama Archer, and JJ from Gaining Balance.

One Trip,Two Nights, and Three Crazy Friends

The fun part of vacationing with your friends is getting learn all about their likes, dislikes, and idiosyncrasies. The annoying part of vacationing with your friends is getting learn all about their likes, dislikes, and idiosyncrasies... and you can quote me on that!

With barely a chance to unpack the dirty laundry from the last girls' getaway, I went on another one this weekend with a different group of friends...

While I am not COMPLAINING about the chance to get away (again), even I admit that this is getting a bit excessive. At some point, I should probably try spending a weekend at home with my family, right? (hehe)

In my defense, the original plan was to have a spa day and night out IN TOWN during the summer, but somehow it morphed into a whole weekend away at a lakeside lodge in mid-November. I was hesitant about committing- partially because of the cost and partially because of the timing and partially because I wasn't sure about spending that much time with these particular women, but I would never tell them that to their faces...

They eventually wore me down and I agreed to go... provided I could push my agenda. When the four of us got together to plot our getaway several weeks ago, I told them that my "goals" for the weekend were to relax, read my book, and have a linear thought (so elusive when you have young children...) It seems that we ALL wanted something similar and one of them suggested a destination just an hour away, a quaint little lodge and marina.

It certainly wasn't a place I would have stumbled upon or even thought of on my own, so I considered it was great find. Based on the photos on their website, the lodge looked cozy, the lake looked serene, and the restaurant on property was supposed to be excellent. Perfect!

I met these women and their husbands through our church a few years ago. Hubby and I socialize with them quite a bit and over time, I've noticed certain quirks about each of them. Nothing dysfunctional or harmful to our friendship... just little personality things that are easy to ignore and fine to deal with in sparing doses. Otherwise, they're a blast!

Well, it seems spending two nights together in the middle of nowhere only makes these quirks more difficult to ignore.

For instance, I knew going into this trip that all of us are on the chatty side, but I figured we could talk while we played cards or went on hikes, but then have some downtime to enjoy the scenery.

I mean, look at this view... and that cute gazebo with its wicker bench swings. It's just begging for a conversation about feminine freshness...

For all the peace and quiet afforded by the nature and beauty surrounding us, I did not get one moment of silence on this trip. So much for having my grand "linear thought", I had to fight just to get a word in...

One of them just about drove me to madness. Feeling the need to describe everything little thing that she was either feeling or thinking, she was not unlike a toddler with absolutely no filter what so ever. It was barely tolerable (just barely) until she had a little too much to drink and started saying everything in an incoherent, pouty-faced, nasally whine. I would have smacked her if I hadn't had a drink in my hand.

This was after she and our other friend decided to SPLIT a cobb salad for lunch because neither one was "that hungry", but they couldn't agree on which ingredients to be included on it. One wanted the bleu cheese with ranch dressing on the side, but no eggs, avocado, or tomatoes. The other wanted tomatoes and avocado, but not the bleu cheese or the bacon... or something like that.

They ended up asking the waitress for a bed of lettuce with all of the other ingredients on separate plates on the side. I, on the other hand, ordered my own salad for lunch like a NORMAL person and happily munched away while they picked and chose their salad toppings. Once we had finished, the two who had split the "salad bar" decided that just wasn't enough food and ended up ordering something else anyway...

We played cards the rest of the afternoon. I thought we could gossip while we played, but apparently that slowed down the "winning". One of them insisted that we all just "concentrate on the game" or "get it moving faster". Competitive much?

A few hours into it, I suggested that I sit out the next few games to read my book for a while. Dismayed, the other three asked if I was bored... if I was feeling all right... would I rather play dominoes or a different card game instead...

"Not at all. I just really like the book I brought," I said. I appreciated them for trying to be so accommodating, but what I really wanted to say was, "I just need to get the f- away from all of you for a while..."

When I finally had a chance to settle in with my book, one of the girls followed me to the gazebo and wanted to tell me all about the book she was reading. When it starting getting dark, I told her I was heading into the lodge to read, and she followed me there, too. I never made it past the second chapter of my book.

Okay, so our trip wasn't all bad. Again, NOT COMPLAINING about being released from my recent and week-long "house arrest". Determined to relax and enjoy myself, I was able to overlook most of the "quirkiness" most of the time. I just thought I'd highlight the "gag reel" for you...


Today, I'm grateful to be home, with all it's day-to-day chaos and madness. At least, it's my madness and I get to read my book at night...


Of course, once I got back it was Hubby's turn to have the queasy stomach... Oy! I'm glad I got out while I still could.

Daily Thanks: Love Like Wine and Cheese

Before we could get married in the Catholic Church, my husband and I were required to participate in Pre-Cana. It's akin to the premarital counseling other churches require and the approach varies by parish and by dioceses. While our best friends recently had to meet with a sponsor (mentor) couple, we were required to go on a weekend retreat focused on marriage.

On the retreat, we were given notebooks and asked to write down our answers to a series of questions like "what does the sacrament of marriage mean to you?" and "what are the obstacles that might occur in our achieving true intimacy?" My husband and I were supposed to exchange notebooks several times over the weekend and share our answers with one another.

At the time, I felt that it was completely unnecessary and a waste of time for us, especially since the most of the issues covered were things we had already discussed in depth ages ago. Besides, didn't they realize I had a wedding to plan? A seminar on how to deal with planning a sit-down dinner reception for 250 with meddlesome in-laws and a crazy mother would have been better preparation, as far as I was concerned.

I was cleaning our study last week, when I found these notebooks among binders of old bank statements and our tax papers from 2005. I stopped what I was doing and sat down to read every page.

I'm generally not a weepy person, but I found myself quite moved by the words we wrote to one another not so long ago. A lot has changed since two became one, then became three. My husband lost his previous job and I gave up my career to stay home, but our words to one another are truer today than when they were written then.

Recently, I was at dinner with a girlfriend who is about to celebrate her 15th wedding anniversary. She confided in me some of the ebbs and flows her marriage has endured over the years, but how she was eagerly anticipating their next phase together. This idea that a love can change, yet stay the same, touched me as well. It spoke volumes for how I felt that day re-reading our words to one another written before we had any idea what was coming next.

I'm grateful from my husband and for the feelings which may have changed, but only because they have gotten better with age.

Wanting It All

If I have learned anything from this past year of being a SAHM, it's that having it all isn't nearly as important as knowing what you want. I still have guilt and I still have "what ifs", but that's just life. I wake up everyday loving what I do. For that, I am grateful.

I'm feeling much better today! Thank you for all of your well wishes!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. For more gratitude courtesy of NaBloPoMo, click here.

No Senior Discounts for the Digital Age

My daily post is coming to you a tad bit late today, because my precious blogging time was taken away from me...

My parents were supposed to drop by around mid-morning. In preparation, I actually pulled myself out of my sick bed to organize and clean the house. My son begged to outside for our daily walk, but I said, "No, your grandparents will be here in any moment..."

Well, they weren't. Two hours went by and still no word from them...

I'm past thinking "what if something awful happened to them". In fact, I was hardly phased, since they're always late like this. I've asked them again and again to please, please, please call if they are going to be late, but they never do.

We just carried on as usual. My son went down for his nap without much fuss. I settled in to pay some bills, peruse the thousand or so blog that I keep up with... maybe even write my post for today when I heard a car pull up and a knock on my door.

Annoyed, I told them my son was asleep and they would have to WAIT until he wakes up ON HIS OWN to play with him.

"It's okay," they said, "We need your help with something anyway," and held up their digital camera and their laptop...

I love my parents dearly and am happy to help them with anything, but they are tech savvy like I have five heads.... which is to say, not even close. This was definitely not going to be some quick Q and A.

I've been working with them for years on excruciatingly basic concepts like "double-clicking" and "opening a Word doc". My dad is good natured and pretty easy to teach, provided I write everything down for him afterwards. I can handle that. My mom, on the other hand... Oy!

Stubborn, willful, and argumentative... and she doesn't believe anything I tell her. She requires diagrams of directory structures and lengthy explanations of concepts on which I'm pretty hazy on as well. Somehow, we've managed to make progress and she's all about her e-mail...

Of course, she does still call to ask if I got her e-mail, only to reiterate what she wrote to me over the phone...

Today's lesson was burning photo files on CDs. I've already taught them how to get photos off their digital camera. However, attaching photos to e-mails proved a bit too complex, so now they've asked that I help them make photo CDs to (snail) mail to people. We're talking different people from different events, a different CD for each...

Oh-kay... So to simplify things, I suggested that we start by organizing their 543 photos into folders before choosing which ones to send. Baby steps. Baby steps...

I proceeded to spend the next five hours walking my mom through "cut and paste". FIVE HOURS.

So what am I grateful for today? That the day is over and they've gone home.