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Monday, August 13, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
My weekend with NO PLANS
Nathan and I have always had a Thursday evening ritual of running down the list of plans for our upcoming weekend. This past Thursday was no different...until about 8:30pm. I had asked if we had any plans, and we both agreed that nothing was on the schedule. Then the phone rings and my weekend with no plans begins to diminish with a series of about 8 other phone calls. Here's a glimpse into "what we've been up to" the past couple of days.
FRIDAY NIGHT:
We both meet my family at BJs for a nice dinner to celebrate Pam's bday after having run to pick up a last minute card and gift at the mall. Notice, I say we meet and not actually eat. We got seated relatively fast and I began ranting about my stressful!!! week at work. Then we start to order and in a flash I'm leaving the restaurant in tears over a misunderstanding about ordering for my mom. Sheesh! I felt so stupid, and stressed, and infuriated all at the same time.
I got to the car and decided I wasn't turning back. So, I left my confused husband at the restaurant with MY family and came home. Lovingly, he caught a ride and brought my untouched meal home. Unlovingly, he's now threatening to leave me behind the next time we go out to eat. Whatever you do, don't ask me or my mom what kind of dressing we want. You will be liable to having gift bags and management books thrown in your face. We're such a warm-hearted and drama-free family. HA!
SATURDAY MORNING:
I weighed in at Weight Watchers. 20 lbs gone so far. Woo-Hoo! I heart WW!
Hehe... then I went and ate pancakes! Nathan and I stopped by his parents' house for breakfast to celebrate his brother's bday. We talked a little politics and then we were off.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON:
I was tired from all that pancake eating so I took a nap while Nate watched golf. YAWN!! If you ever need a nap, find a channel with the PGA on it. That'll put you right into R.E.M.
After my nap, I made a WW friendly HungryGirl Oreo Pie to take to Brooke and Derek's for dinner.
SATURDAY NIGHT:
Derek scored a meat smoker for $1.25 from a client of his and we offered to be test dummies on his first batch of ribs. The ribs were tasty, but the real treat was the selection of side-items Brooke put out. We stuffed ourselves on salad, fried okra, Mexican cornbread and these lemon-pepper green beans that were AWESOME! Then Brooke and I started planning a wedding shower for a girl in our book club while the guys played with Derek's Wii .......... controllers! hehe ... What were you thinkin'?!! Then Brooke and I had "an incident" when putting Van-The-Man in his jammies and Nate and I were sent home.
and finally....SUNDAY:
I woke up and folded Nathan's clothes and packed them for his trip to Tennessee. I told him not to get too wild and crazy at the Internal Auditor's Conference. We all know those 10-key speed contests can get a little out of hand late at night.
I dropped him off at the airport and then went to Target to buy the ingredients to make those dang green beans. I'm telling you, they were THAT good.
I watched a couple of TV movies and then met some friends for sushi. I love my sushi buddies. Mainly, because we always follow sushi up with Starbucks. And what's there not to love about Starbucks. Seriously!
So that was our weekend with NO PLANS! I wonder what next weekend's plan-less-ness will bring our way. I hope it involves seeing our friends Jessica and John who have been snubbing us the past few.
FRIDAY NIGHT:
We both meet my family at BJs for a nice dinner to celebrate Pam's bday after having run to pick up a last minute card and gift at the mall. Notice, I say we meet and not actually eat. We got seated relatively fast and I began ranting about my stressful!!! week at work. Then we start to order and in a flash I'm leaving the restaurant in tears over a misunderstanding about ordering for my mom. Sheesh! I felt so stupid, and stressed, and infuriated all at the same time.
I got to the car and decided I wasn't turning back. So, I left my confused husband at the restaurant with MY family and came home. Lovingly, he caught a ride and brought my untouched meal home. Unlovingly, he's now threatening to leave me behind the next time we go out to eat. Whatever you do, don't ask me or my mom what kind of dressing we want. You will be liable to having gift bags and management books thrown in your face. We're such a warm-hearted and drama-free family. HA!
SATURDAY MORNING:
I weighed in at Weight Watchers. 20 lbs gone so far. Woo-Hoo! I heart WW!
Hehe... then I went and ate pancakes! Nathan and I stopped by his parents' house for breakfast to celebrate his brother's bday. We talked a little politics and then we were off.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON:
I was tired from all that pancake eating so I took a nap while Nate watched golf. YAWN!! If you ever need a nap, find a channel with the PGA on it. That'll put you right into R.E.M.
After my nap, I made a WW friendly HungryGirl Oreo Pie to take to Brooke and Derek's for dinner.
SATURDAY NIGHT:
Derek scored a meat smoker for $1.25 from a client of his and we offered to be test dummies on his first batch of ribs. The ribs were tasty, but the real treat was the selection of side-items Brooke put out. We stuffed ourselves on salad, fried okra, Mexican cornbread and these lemon-pepper green beans that were AWESOME! Then Brooke and I started planning a wedding shower for a girl in our book club while the guys played with Derek's Wii .......... controllers! hehe ... What were you thinkin'?!! Then Brooke and I had "an incident" when putting Van-The-Man in his jammies and Nate and I were sent home.
and finally....SUNDAY:
I woke up and folded Nathan's clothes and packed them for his trip to Tennessee. I told him not to get too wild and crazy at the Internal Auditor's Conference. We all know those 10-key speed contests can get a little out of hand late at night.
I dropped him off at the airport and then went to Target to buy the ingredients to make those dang green beans. I'm telling you, they were THAT good.
I watched a couple of TV movies and then met some friends for sushi. I love my sushi buddies. Mainly, because we always follow sushi up with Starbucks. And what's there not to love about Starbucks. Seriously!
So that was our weekend with NO PLANS! I wonder what next weekend's plan-less-ness will bring our way. I hope it involves seeing our friends Jessica and John who have been snubbing us the past few.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Nate 101
I thought I would give this a crack after seeing John's list of 100 things. I made an adjustment and cut down to 50 things. Here goes!
1) I love my current job more than any other job I have held. It isn't even close.
2) I shot 98 on the golf course last Saturday. I wasn't happy. Ask John & Derek.
3) Since I am unhappy with both political parties I am changing from my current registration of Republican to an Independent.
4) I can't believe that I now like sushi.
5) I can't believe that I now like Starbucks.
6) I will NEVER like Wal-Mart.
7) I can name more Weather Channel personalities than actors/actresses in Ocean's Thirteen.
8) Last winter we were supposed to have an ice storm that would knock out power for weeks and snap every tree in our neighborhood, but it didn't happen. I was disappointed.
9) Who doesn't love Liz?
10) My idea of vacation: Liz, road trip, mountains, secluded lodge, fireplace, no TV, no pollution......and beer.
11) Liz truly makes me a better person. Honestly.
12) I might have been a different person had I not met Derek in Middle School.
13) Brooke is funny, down-to-earth, an excellent mom, and I wish I could write as well as her.
14) John & Jessica are sincere and just downright good people. I'm happy we're now friends.
15) Adam and I are closer now than ever. I guess you do grow closer to your siblings as you age.
16) Brandon truly is the older brother I never had growing up. Our humor is so similar, it's scary.
17) Osama Bin Laden is........evil.
18) I should probably just delete my MySpace page. I don't want to bother with it anymore.
19) Liz and I might be going on vacation next year to Banff National Park in Canada.
20) Liz's smile makes me smile, and her laugh makes me laugh.
21) Most vivid memory with Liz(besides wedding): standing on the cliffs of Acadia National Park in Maine at sunset with mist & fog rolling in off the ocean and not another person in sight.
22) Most vivid memory with Derek: hitting another car at 40MPH and riding in an ambulance.
23) Stop asking me why I like BNL!
24) Here's the answer to 23.......incredible musicianship, clever wordplay, catchy beats, and the 100th time I hear a song I hear something new.
25) I have seen them 4 times.....in Dallas twice, in Stillwater, and Boston.....each concert has gotten better.
26) Worst concerts I've been to: Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rick Springfield.
27) Best concerts other than BNL: Third Eye Blind and Foo Fighters.
28) Worst habit: I crave fast food.
29) Another bad habit: I crave Dr. Pepper.
30) Hence, my last meal would be a Big Mac, fries (salty and crispy), and Dr. Pepper.
31) Something you might not know: Depression runs in my family.....it's nothing to be ashamed of and I haven't dealt with it yet but is something I have to be aware of.
32) If I could stay up until 2 every night and wake up at 10AM I would.
33) I am nervous about my first business trip next week. I'm going to Nashville.
34) My most comfortable social situation is in a conversation with a couple of other close friends.
35) I used to be very uncomfortable in large group settings, but have gotten a lot better, especially with practice in my recent jobs.
36) I can sometimes overthink things, but my new job is teaching me to go with my gut feelings in certain situations.
37) Liz would be fantastic as a party planner/coordinator.
38) I am definitely a cat person.
39) If I could go to one sporting event, it would be The Masters.
40) If I could only watch one sporting event on TV, it would be March Madness.
41) It literally hurt when I watched the Titans come up just feet short of winning the Super Bowl to the St. Louis Rams in 2000......see, I even remember the year.
42) I have never bowled a 300 but hope to someday. Closest I have come is 296.
43) I would say the sport I am worst at personally is basketball.
44) I hope that Liz and I have one boy and one girl.
45) We can only hope that they will be half as cute as Van.
46) Someday I will see a tornado up close and personal, hopefully when I am storm chasing and not when I am at the house.
47) My favorite season is tornado season.....I mean Spring.
48) My first job was a sacker at Albertson's. Now they are no longer around. Wow.
49) Liz's family is the coolest family I have met.......and the loudest.
50) I am happy that Liz and I are going to grow old together.......in age, not actions.
1) I love my current job more than any other job I have held. It isn't even close.
2) I shot 98 on the golf course last Saturday. I wasn't happy. Ask John & Derek.
3) Since I am unhappy with both political parties I am changing from my current registration of Republican to an Independent.
4) I can't believe that I now like sushi.
5) I can't believe that I now like Starbucks.
6) I will NEVER like Wal-Mart.
7) I can name more Weather Channel personalities than actors/actresses in Ocean's Thirteen.
8) Last winter we were supposed to have an ice storm that would knock out power for weeks and snap every tree in our neighborhood, but it didn't happen. I was disappointed.
9) Who doesn't love Liz?
10) My idea of vacation: Liz, road trip, mountains, secluded lodge, fireplace, no TV, no pollution......and beer.
11) Liz truly makes me a better person. Honestly.
12) I might have been a different person had I not met Derek in Middle School.
13) Brooke is funny, down-to-earth, an excellent mom, and I wish I could write as well as her.
14) John & Jessica are sincere and just downright good people. I'm happy we're now friends.
15) Adam and I are closer now than ever. I guess you do grow closer to your siblings as you age.
16) Brandon truly is the older brother I never had growing up. Our humor is so similar, it's scary.
17) Osama Bin Laden is........evil.
18) I should probably just delete my MySpace page. I don't want to bother with it anymore.
19) Liz and I might be going on vacation next year to Banff National Park in Canada.
20) Liz's smile makes me smile, and her laugh makes me laugh.
21) Most vivid memory with Liz(besides wedding): standing on the cliffs of Acadia National Park in Maine at sunset with mist & fog rolling in off the ocean and not another person in sight.
22) Most vivid memory with Derek: hitting another car at 40MPH and riding in an ambulance.
23) Stop asking me why I like BNL!
24) Here's the answer to 23.......incredible musicianship, clever wordplay, catchy beats, and the 100th time I hear a song I hear something new.
25) I have seen them 4 times.....in Dallas twice, in Stillwater, and Boston.....each concert has gotten better.
26) Worst concerts I've been to: Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rick Springfield.
27) Best concerts other than BNL: Third Eye Blind and Foo Fighters.
28) Worst habit: I crave fast food.
29) Another bad habit: I crave Dr. Pepper.
30) Hence, my last meal would be a Big Mac, fries (salty and crispy), and Dr. Pepper.
31) Something you might not know: Depression runs in my family.....it's nothing to be ashamed of and I haven't dealt with it yet but is something I have to be aware of.
32) If I could stay up until 2 every night and wake up at 10AM I would.
33) I am nervous about my first business trip next week. I'm going to Nashville.
34) My most comfortable social situation is in a conversation with a couple of other close friends.
35) I used to be very uncomfortable in large group settings, but have gotten a lot better, especially with practice in my recent jobs.
36) I can sometimes overthink things, but my new job is teaching me to go with my gut feelings in certain situations.
37) Liz would be fantastic as a party planner/coordinator.
38) I am definitely a cat person.
39) If I could go to one sporting event, it would be The Masters.
40) If I could only watch one sporting event on TV, it would be March Madness.
41) It literally hurt when I watched the Titans come up just feet short of winning the Super Bowl to the St. Louis Rams in 2000......see, I even remember the year.
42) I have never bowled a 300 but hope to someday. Closest I have come is 296.
43) I would say the sport I am worst at personally is basketball.
44) I hope that Liz and I have one boy and one girl.
45) We can only hope that they will be half as cute as Van.
46) Someday I will see a tornado up close and personal, hopefully when I am storm chasing and not when I am at the house.
47) My favorite season is tornado season.....I mean Spring.
48) My first job was a sacker at Albertson's. Now they are no longer around. Wow.
49) Liz's family is the coolest family I have met.......and the loudest.
50) I am happy that Liz and I are going to grow old together.......in age, not actions.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Weekly Weather Quiz
The correct answer to last week's question is 5 years, 8 months. The period was October 1992 through June 1998. Mark and Pam receive 1 point. 2 points are for agreeing that Katherine Hiegl is hot, but -1 point for Googling the correct answer! I'll give Derek a point for guessing 5 years and Liz a point for listing the second longest period of time OKC has gone without a tornado.
Derek..........2.5
Brooke.........2
Liz................2
K. Hiegl........2
Jessica..........1
John.............1
Mark&Pam....1
Crystal.........0.5
Here is this week's question: We all know that the U.S. has more tornadoes per year than any other country in the world. Which country has the second most tornadoes in the world?
Derek..........2.5
Brooke.........2
Liz................2
K. Hiegl........2
Jessica..........1
John.............1
Mark&Pam....1
Crystal.........0.5
Here is this week's question: We all know that the U.S. has more tornadoes per year than any other country in the world. Which country has the second most tornadoes in the world?
A 10 Year Impression
Everyone talks about the importance of making a good first impression. But even more important than making a good FIRST impression would be to make a good 10-YEARS LATER impression. Yesterday evening I met up with some folks from my high school to start planning our 10 year reunion. And boy did I make an impression!; good one or not is questionable.
I really didn't want to go. We were supposed to be going to my nieces' bday party. I didn't know what to wear. And I had already vowed to myself and my husband that I wasn't going to get too involved. WHY! OH WHY! do I have to get involved?! Why can't I just attend an event and not have to plan the darn thing. But, I was a senior-class officer and felt somewhat of an obligation to help organize our reunion.
A-N-Y-Way... I show up and of course nominate myself to help out and am voted to be the secretary and also part of the committee for researching venues for our main event. SEE! I held myself back; no chairman or co-chair for me. I figured that was a good balance and acceptable to tell Nathan. Everything was going fine and we were all coming up with ideas and making meeting plans etc. And then it happens. My good 10-year impression is tainted.
I reached over to grab my calendar out of my purse and I somersaulted out of my chair onto the floor of the restaurant with my feet in the air. Horrific memories of sophomore year in geometry class when I reached for a pencil on the floor came back to me. Everyone was just looking at me below them in awe. Sooo... I got up and "brushed my shoulder off" and continued with looking to see if I was free in Sept. Good grief! How embarrassing. My friend Courtney leaned over and told me that that was payback for when I pulled the chair out from under her on the drama stage our Junior year. Maybe.
Not exactly the 10-year impression I wanted to make. Oh well. Maybe my cute house will make a better impression when the committee meets here next month. If anyone has ideas for what works and doesn't work for reunions let me know. Obviously! I need all the help I can get.
Friday, August 3, 2007
I'll Admit...
It was really hard dropping my nephews off at day-care for the last time this morning. Nathan and I are really gonna miss those two. Part of me wants to steal them from my sister's house and go into hiding and play UNO all day. The other part of me remembers the donut-icing all over the back seat of our "new" car. Eh, jail time is over-rated.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Not the Mama...Not the Mama
DAY THREE THROUGH NINE
OF FAUX-PARENTING
I may be dating myself, but does anyone else remember the good 'ole days of spending every Friday night in front of the tube, anxiously waiting to hear the theme song from Full House to start the TGIF lineup? Does anyone else remember the show Dinosaurs that was part of the lineup for several years? Well, I do. And this week, my life has been that show.
For those not familiar, or for those lucky enough for it to have been "before your time", I'll clue you in. The premise of the show was a family of dinosaurs that were a bit on the dysfunctional side. The Sinclairs, if I remember correctly, consisted of a Mom and a Dad dino raising their two teen dinos and a baby dino. I think there was also a Grandma dino, but let's focus on the baby for the sake of my sanity. The baby dino was always giving the Dad dino a hard time when the Mom dino was out. He would try to feed the baby and love the baby, but never succeeded without the baby beating d0wn the Dad until he couldn't take it anymore.
One of the things that I never forgot about that show was when the baby dino would hit the Dad repeatedly over the head with a frying pan screaming "Not the Mama!! Not the Mama!!" While seemingly funny to me at the time, I'm no longer laughing. I'm the "Dad" now, and I feel as though I have been knocked over the head with a frying pan. How come no one warned me that this parenting thing was so hard? How come no one told me that everyday I would come to the realization over and over that I was NOT THE MAMA!!!?
Is it easier when they start out small and unable to talk back? Is it easier when you have some time to get in a routine and they have time to realize that you DO have the ability to strangle them? I have a whole new respect for EVERY parent I know, and EVERY parent I don't know. This nine days was hard. I was happy to do it and I would do it again in a heartbeat, but I now know the true ups & downs of being a Mom; even if just a faux-one at that.
So here are a couple checklist that I've compiled over the nine days of obviously being NOT THE MAMA!!
10 Things I need to remember when it happens for real:
1. Always, Always, Always carry wet wipes or tissues in your car.
2. If bedtime is at 8:30pm, start getting ready for bed at noon.
3. Don't put pepper on ANYTHING!
4. Not everything on Cartoon Network is age-appropriate.
5. "Crazy-Diseased eyeballs" taste good when you go out to eat with Grandma.
6. Just let him wear the dang Crocs. It's just NOT worth it!
7. Dessert is not optional. (I already knew this, but now I'm glad to know I will have back-up)
8. There's no such thing as "running late" in the morning. It's the same speed no matter how many minutes you slept through the alarm.
9. Bribery doesn't work. They're smarter than that, darn them.
10. Bulk laundry detergent and paper plates are the ONLY ways-to-go.
Total damages done:
1. 1 pudding-stained towel.
2. 1 broken mirror.
3. 1 freaked out cat.
4. 0 100-calorie packs left
5. 1 aunt and 1 uncle sitting on the couch figuring out what to do now that those two boys that brought so much laughter and fun to our last nine days are gone.
Although challenging and tiresome, we're both gonna miss Donut-Fridays, off-the-wall car conversations, Kelly Clarkson karaoke, and those wonderful and warm goodnight hugs. We love you Jacob and Josh! and we can't wait to do it again. Right after your real Mom and Dad send US on a vacation to Hawaii!!
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