can't say i am not a team player

Of all the holidays that are celebrated during a year, Halloween is my least favorite.  And by my least favorite I mean, all-time-dislike-the-day least favorite.  

Always have disliked it.  Always will.

So, you can imagine my distress when my coworkers put together this little beauty

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/WAOnVOqVjg5L6Cbt

(can you figure out which one is me?)

AND announced we were going to dress up for Halloween.

WHAT THE HELL? 

I do NOT dress up Halloween.  You have GOT to be kidding me.

But I'm a team player and said I'd do it. 

And so, I did it.

And after school, I immediately trick or treated at my parents house for a cocktail.

A Captain and Diet Coke.

Naturally.

post filled with random updates

Since I can't spend my morning updating grades due to a server crash at school, I thought I'd spend the time updating the blog.  During the school year, it is so hard to find the extra time to post but I'm bound and determined to try to update more than once a week.

You're welcome.

*Monday - Actually made it to Curves after work.  It was awesome.

*Tuesday - I met a super nice Seattle Seahawk.  I wish I had a picture but it's on that server I can't access right now. Boo. 

*Wednesday - Alexander and I had dentist appointment. I don't know about you but we have the BEST dentist and dental staff.  When I was a kid, I hated the dentist (different person) because the office was so sterile and cold.  Luckily, our dental office is very kid-friendly and my kid doesn't mind going to the dentist one bit.  I still hate it but at least the people are nice, which makes it bearable.

*Thursday was 80's Flashback day.  This was my Facebook post:

Started the day with Chuck's Donuts and Pat Benatar.  Ending it with Star Wars and a LHS soccer game.  Is it 1986?

*Friday - date night!  Mom and Dad have taken Alexander once a week for a playdate for the past year.  This school year we settled on Friday nights, based on preschool and dialysis.  Bet you don't pick your schedules based on those two things!  Before Alexander was born, Eric and I used to set aside Friday's as date nights and I'm glad we're back to that day.  There's nothing better than being able to relax all night and know I don't have to get up early the next day!   

*Saturday/Sunday - Curves, laundry, cleaning house, playing with toys, working on a puzzle, and I wrote seven letters of recommendations (gotta love a template!).  We're heading to my parents today so Alexander and Lorelli can trick or treat at their place and we can have family time for a few hours.  If all goes well, we'll also go to IKEA because I have a little project in mind and I can't wait to get started.

Which brings us to tomorrow.

My least-favorite-of-all-time-overly-commercialized-non-holiday.

Halloween.

This year, I caved to the peer pressure at work and am dressing up with the rest of my team.

Thank goodness, trick or treating later that evening will involve wine.

I'm gonna need it!

lazy sunday

Not doing much of anything feels really good.

Last night, we celebrated Christmas with the in-laws.  Our favorite snow birds leave for Arizona next weekend so it makes perfect sense to celebrate the holidays BEFORE Halloween.

We had a great night, eating, drinking, and opening presents.  Ya know, kinda like Christmas.  In October.

Apparently, the more wine I drink, the more likely it is that I will cut off my head in photos.

Alexander is having his last sleepover with his grandparents so Eric and I are happily doing nothing.  In fact, it is highly possible that Eric is still in bed.  I've done a few loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and drank a few cups of coffee while flipping between PennSt vs Michigan volleyball match (PennSt=AHMAZING) and Seahawks game (not as AHMAZING). 

I may or may not shower today. 

I may or may not eat loads of chips and salsa. 

I may or may not spend the day watching terrible television.

I may or may not take a nap.

It's a lazy Sunday. 

I am loving it.

time for a new chapter for dad

After a three surgeries, half a dozen dialysis treatments, endless blood pressure checks, and too many bad cafeteria meals, Dad is home!

THANK YOU to everyone who prayed and/or sent positive thoughts to us during this latest adventure.

Eventually, the doctors will determine when and what type of heart surgery will have to happen and we'll start that chapter.

For now, we're just going to live it day to day.

And celebrate the big guy being back home!!

Book Review - The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

Oh boy, did I love this book!  So well written.  So enjoyable.  So, so good.

One of my favorite genre of books is historical pieces.  Be it from the Victorian era, the Wild, Wild West or the early 1800's, I love it.  The Kitchen House is based on a southern plantation when slavery was in full swing.  The story revolves around a young, white servant girl names Lavinia.  She eventually bonds with her adopted slave family and her loyalty becomes questioned when she is finally accepted in the world of the white people in the Big House.  Love and loyalty are two themes strongly interwoven into this story.  The author masterfully writes with suspense and had me hooked from page 1.

It is a story of relationships between man and wife, mother and daughter. sister to sister.  It shows the best of humankind and the absolute worst. 

I had to reserve this book months in advance from the local library.  It was worth every minute of waiting for it.  It is highly possible that this book has made it to my top five list.

Read it.  You won't regret it.



kickin' it in critical care

so my pops has had a rough week.

  

1 surgery to put in a tunnel dialysis line when he blew the fistula in his arm so he could do dialysis treatments

1 surgery to put in a new fistulas which resulted in a massive deep muscle bruise but thankfully not the infection they originally suspected

1 iv put in his neck so the docs could push blood pressure meds because his heart has a leaky valve

1 silent heart attack in the middle of dialysis

1 blocked artery in his eye which was originally thought to be a stroke but that was ruled out today

kinda puts the little things in my life into perspective.

like that speeding ticket i got this afternoon

please pray for his health to improve and for the doctors who are watching out for him.

please. 

vegas recap

*Warning:  there's a whole lot of pictures ahead!*

Homecoming week begins tomorrow.  Thus, begins a week of high energy, very little sleep, and no time for blogging.

So, I better make use of this free time to fill a post with photos from the Vegas trip.  The three of us are sitting on the couch, watching Jurassic Park, so I don't plan to write a lot so I can get back to movie night. 

One fun filled weekend.

Two days with a cabana.

Three days of sunshine by the pool

Four buckets of jello shots (or maybe more).

Five hours of playing blackjack with Eric and Jen in the wee hours of the morning.

And eighteen of my closest friends and family to surround me with love and laughter.



The crazy group photos begin...with dinner on night one.

 

Fidelia and Kimmie




My sister sure let loose on this vacation!


 

Pedro (Jen) crashed the party...and I loved it!




It's my birthday!!




So much love for these girls.




Mom and I played slots for a few hours.  It's how we roll.




We had no idea what this game was doing so I took a picture of us enjoying whatever it was doing.



Cheers!




J-E-LL-O!




Ahhhhh....




He loves me.





Thanks for the good times, Cabana 7.



Gypsy arrived Friday afternoon and quickly made up for lost time.




Sitting at a bar in NY, NY around midnight on Friday night.
 I woke up from a nap (which began halfway through dinner) to meet up with these girls.
I'm pretty sure I was hungover.


 

Jen (middle) flew in from Portland.  Kristen (right) drove over from Arizona.
I'm so lucky to have friends like these girls!




On our way to my birthday dinner!




My favorite.


 

Family.



My mama and me!



Our kids are best friends and so are we!

 

The ladies of our family.




Jen and Eric.  New BFF's.



Happy Birthday to me!  After a great dinner at Mon Ami Gabi (Paris).
SO DELICIOUS!!

 

Blackjack team at 3AM.
And, yes, I am wearing blinky rabbit ears.


 

Eric and I wrapped up the weekend with a trip to Old Town.

It was the best adult vacation we've had since Alexander was born.  It was the best way to turn 40.

And this was the best face to come home to!



lordy, lordy. i am 40!

This is what I arrived to this morning.

My ASB students sure had some fun while I was gone.

I have a ton of photos to load from the Vegas extravaganza but frankly, turning 40 is a lot of work.

 I'm wiped out.

I can't begin to thank the friends and family who surrounded me this weekend with love and laughter.

I can't begin to thank all who gave me cards, presents, sent text or emails filled with love and birthday wishes.

Silly as it seems, even the FB messages are greatly appreciated.

Each and every word helped me transition to a milestone that I have dreaded for the past six months.

I don't know that I'll ever enjoy saying "I'm 40", when someone asks my age.

I don't know that I believe those who tell me that their 40's are better than any other decade in their life.

I know I don't believe anyone when they say age is just a number.

All I can do is make the most out of it.

And party like a rock star every chance I get!