A Day Like Today

Today, I feel, has been one of family time and quiet reflection. I enjoy so much spending time with my family. I wish they lived closer, but living farther apart has made me cherish the time I do get with them.

My husband took my dad and sister to St. Arnold's today. They had a really good time. My hubby always likes to go. My Mom and I hung out and talked a lot. Really got caught up on not just the to-do list of our lives, but how we were emotionally, way deep down.

We took my parents' dog, Chase, to the Millie Bush Dog Park. He's an Hokkaidoken. Never heard of it? Neither had we until he adopted us. My parents have had him close to seven years now. He's the boy my dad never had, and they're best friends. He's a Japanese hunting dog. He's stubborn and fiercely loyal and protective. He crowds my parents' queen bed at night and insists on being held like a baby, all 70 pounds of him. He also has a tolerance for my children, but only because they're mine. Here's a picture I found that looks almost just like him, but it's not actually a picture of him.

I loved the dog park. I've never been there before, and I told my husband we were going to make regular family outings of it. There has to be one adult for every 2 dogs, which means I would have to take my husband with me to bring all three of my dogs. Besides, anyone who would take 3 dogs and 2 toddlers to a dog park by themselves is out of their cotton-pickin' mind and needs medication. But I look forward to our new family playplace.

We went to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant and I ordered my usual. I'm pretty predictable that way. I like to get things I know I'll enjoy so I don't end up being disappointed. Does that make me boring? Maybe. But I'm okay with that. I'm spontaneous enough in other areas of my life to be comfortable giving my food choices over to the boring department. I did have a margarita that cleared up my sinuses before I took my first sip. Yeah, Bravo's knows how to make a margarita. Wow.

There was a birthday party going on at Bravo's, and while it was recently both my dad's and my birthday, we chose not to tell them about it. The last time someone told the waiter at Bravo's it was my birthday, I got a whipped cream pie in the face while wearing a sombrero. Crazy. I saw a waitress looking wistfully over at the party, the people rejoicing that yes, in fact, the birthday boy was surprised like they had hoped he would be. Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking. Was she looking wistfully because she wished someone would do that for her? Or because she was remembering a similar party where she had the time of her life? Or maybe it had nothing to do with the party at all. Maybe she was zoning out because she'd been on her feet for over six hours serving refried beans to the Mexican-food-craving populous of Houston.

Whatever her reason, she had a small smile on her face as she watched the revelers. I hope her memory was a happy one, and she never forgets it. My house is asleep already, and considering I've had a total of 5 hours of sleep the past 2 days, I think I'll go join them. Hasta luego, mis amigos.

Breathe

I was a bridesmaid in a wedding today. I got up so early that I think the world cracked, then went and had my hair done. I wore a black sleeveless-strapless A-line with a sassy bolero jacket and carried a triplet of red roses tied with a silver ribbon. I sat around for about an hour with nothing to do, then performed acrobatics trying to pee before the ceremony. I watched a couple of friends of mine make a covenant with each other and with God. I went to the reception and ate some interesting food, had 50-year olds flirting with me (a family friend), was told I looked smashing, beautiful, a vision, etc etc etc, and had a church friend ask me whose child I was. I then pointed to his friend that he works at the church with and said, "That's my husband, Ed." He immediately turned beet red and started laughing. We all did. Then the 50-year-old flirt's wife (sorry, honey, 49...) made a comment about how I could be her daughter that didn't sit so well with Don Juan.

I finally got home and undressed. When I finally freed myself of the bonds of the corset, I felt a rush...

I could breathe.

And it was so much more than the physical process of taking in air and transporting it to my bloodstream. This afternoon was just the climax of a long month, which ended quite unceremoniously with a thump as the corset hit the bed. I thought there would at least be a Hallelujah chorus. And I realized something. I... am... exhausted.

This month has held so many emotional hills for me. I've felt so emotional lately that I even took a pregnancy test to make sure it wasn't hormonal. But I think it's just a by-product of the stock I've put in my business, the commitment I made, and the effort I've put into it. You see, the past few days have been the worst of it. People backing out of promises they had made, having to rework the numbers, hitting a snag, and having to rework them again. I would be so close to finishing, then something would happen and I could see it slipping through my fingers like water.

Today was like the horrible silent finish before it starts all over again tomorrow. The calm before the storm. And I am the lightning.

God is on my side, though, and I know that without Him I wouldn't have pulled through. As of 12:01 AM this morning I am officially in my last month of Directorship qualification.

Recipe for a Happy Birthday

1. Wake up to find out your husband has taken the day off of work to spend your birthday with you.
2. Get an excellent poached egg with blended shredded cheeses and pesto on toast for breakfast that you didn't have to make.
3. Leave the kids with the hubby and go get a very relaxing manicure and spa pedicure. Make sure they paint little flowers on your big toes just because it's your birthday.
4. Come back to one child napping, and have hubby dye your hair a sassy red for you.
5. Get loads of stuff done running errands with your hubby.
6. Hire a babysitter, then go out to dinner at your favorite restaurant with your favorite people (at least most of them).
7. Start the night off with a mango margarita with sugar on the rim, and pose as "Birthday Liberty" for a picture with margarita held high, present under the other arm, and a headband of felt birthday candles while other diners look on enviously.
8. Get one of the lovely boxes with the lovely silver candles, plus *bonus* a new pair of chandelier earrings.
9. Order a brand-new appetizer to try something new and absolutely love it.
10. Order your favorite meal at your favorite restaurant with your favorite people.
11. Drink more than you have in the past 4 years... combined. Sadly, this is only 3 margaritas.
12. Come home to romantic candlelight, music, a wine cooler, and a full-body massage from hubby.
13. End the night... the right way.

Ahhh... I love birthdays!!!

P.S. I told many of you I'd tell you about our horrific weekend last weekend - so here it is in a nutshell: While I'm driving back from Galveston, Baby Boy decides to flush an entire roll of toilet paper and ends up flooding the bathroom and the guestroom. While hubby is cleaning it up, Little Princess decides to grab scissors from the middle shelf of the medicine cabinet and cut off 3 1/2 years of growth of hair in the back, as well as some of Baby Boy's. The next day we took Little Princess for a professional fix, and the best they could do was a VERY short pixie cut, since she cut many areas down to the scalp, so now Little Princess's hair is shorter than Baby Boy's. Immediately went and bought lots and lots of pink, white, and purple sparkly headbands with bows, plus some tiny pink clips to be on the safe side. Swear she is only wearing pink and purple dresses until her hair grows back. Husband comes home and sees the cut, we both start crying. We decide to get her ears pierced. Takes 45 to get them done because she won't sit still. Ice cream seals the deal and she sits BY HERSELF to get them done. As soon as we get home, Baby Boy tries to flush another roll of toilet paper.

Spontaneous Randomness

Because I'm in a really good and spontaneous mood today, I decided to post some random crap about myself that most people probably don't care to know. I'm going to tell you anyway!!!

- My feet get claustrophobic. I can't wear shoes that feel too tight, or socks with boots (have to wear hose). If my socks bunch up I freak out. Which is why, when given the choice, I wear flip-flops or no shoes at all.
- I have an extremely detail-oriented memory. When my hubby asks, "Where's the peanut butter?" he doesn't get "In the pantry, dear." He gets "It's in the pantry on the third shelf from the top, on the left-hand side, second item over, next to the applesauce... dear!"
- The country is a great escape for me, but I could never live there permanently. I enjoy people and convenience too much. I don't like driving five miles to a grocery store. Twenty? Fugghedaboudit, buddy.
- I don't like pickles, but I always order hamburgers and chicken sandwiches with them and pick them off. Why? I like the taste of the juice on the bread. A Chick-Fil-A sandwich is not the same without the pickle juice on the bread. Luckily my hubby loves pickles, so they don't go to waste.
- I'm very picky about smells. I can't usually handle anything syrupy-sweet smelling, like most fabricated melon or berry smells. I like flowers, but I can't spray them or burn candles with flowery scents because hubby is allergic. I like vanilla brown sugar, but as a soap and not an air spray. I'm okay with citrus as long as it's not strong and not powdery. The one scent I absolutely loved AND my hubby wasn't allergic to they discontinued. Ugh. So if you see any bottles of Glade Air Freshener in Tangerine Ginger, I will gladly pay you for them. And bad breath or body odor really irritates me. I guess I never lost that "pregnant-nose."
- Fountain: Coca Cola Classic. Can: Cherry Coke. 2 Liter: Sam's Choice Cola. Don't like regular bottles.

Now that I've convinced everyone I'm nice and neurotic, I have to add a little disclaimer that I'm sometimes semi-normal. When the mood strikes, of course.

Purple People Eater

Your Aura is Purple

Your Personality: You're a dreamer and visionary. You believe you were put on this earth to do something great. You in Love: You're very passionate but often too busy for love. You need a man who sees your vision and adopts it as his own. Your Career: You need a job that helps you make a difference. You have a bright future as a guru, politician, teacher, or musician.

What Color Is Your Aura?

The funny thing about this is that it's true. All of it. I'm succeeding in my business because my husband is so supportive and wants me to be successful as much, if not more, than I do. I AM a musician, and thought about teaching it, but I make a difference through enriching women's lives and tend to keep my music as a private escape.

Why do I love these personality things? I figure that we're all on a quest to discover who we really are. Get answers. Find solutions. Fix ourselves. But we don't need fixing, because God created us the way we are on purpose. My husband and I complement each other, we were made to do so. We were also made to make each other grow personally and spiritually.

This is getting too deep for a sunny funny day!!! I'm going outside to twirl in my hippie peasant skirt in the sunshine and sing about flowers. Wanna come too?

Today Stinks

You know, I had a lot of stuff planned for today. When I woke up this morning, I thought I could get it all done, too. Well, THAT didn't happen. In fact, I'm stuck at home all day. Why? Because I have to be here to sign for a package. Ugh. Stupid UPS people. They can't even give me a roundabout time they'll be here, and I need the thing today. Not tomorrow, not Monday, TODAY.

My back is killing me and I don't know why. It's been steadily getting worse all day. Then my daughter decides to destroy all the cleaning I did earlier. For being home I'm doing a lot of stuff, though. I've cleaned the house, swept and mopped the floors, put together a spring bouquet of flowers for the kitchen table, done the dishes, and reorganized our honey-do lists. I think she's finally down for a nap, which means I could probably get some studying done for school and be two weeks ahead in my work instead of one...

Here's an interesting picture just to cheer me up:

And my color is...

Well, here are my colors:

MY PRIMARY

MY AUXILLIARY

Surprised? Well, I have a little of all of them in me. Red is definitely the next one under green, and fighting for its place in my personality, but green won the battle... for now!!!

So... what color are you?

Screaming Turtle

OK, I'm getting really tired of this crap. I received my bill today for CHASE CREDIT CARD... I'm telling you loud and clear so you will avoid these people. This is not the first time they've burned us. Fool me twice, right???

So they raised our interest rate from 8 to 30 percent. Yes, THIRTY. Why? Their best explanation was that our credit balances "increased too quickly." HELLO!!! Did they ASK why they increased? No! Because if they had I would've said, "Hey, that's business debt that will be paid off by next month, because I invested in a full store of inventory to increase my sales so I can PAY YOU GUYS OFF FASTER!!!" Did they notify us of this change? NO! I find out when my bill DOUBLES!!!

Thanks to God, I remembered a little forgotten credit card that hasn't been used in 2 years but is still open. THEY are offering us (as soon as we get the new cards in the mail since we cut up the old ones) a 4% APR for the life of the transfer and no transfer fee. What's LEFT of the Chase balance (the new card will cover almost all of it) will be taken care of by our fabulous tax return. Thank you, Mary Kay!!!

Please Lord, deliver me from my debt as you have delivered me from death!!! Have you ever wondered why death and debt are so phonetically close? I don't.

What Color Are You?

Thanks, Heather, for providing this incredible insight from the marriage retreat last weekend! Unfortunately I couldn't go (and with my obsessive studying of marriage I REALLY wanted to go!). But she shared this personality color wheel from their communication discussion that I find rather interesting.

And, like her, I want people who "know" me to guess my colors... my primary and my auxiliary... and I'll tell you if you're right. Anyone who was at Baby And Me on Wednesday can't vote, 'cause they already know!!!

What Colour Are You?

Oh... my... word...

So I had this brilliant blog laid out in my head where I was going to make a metaphor out of a ketchup bottle and a hair dryer, and then my husband says, "Jen, you've got to see this!"

Knowing this usually means something REALLY funny, I follow him into the kids' room, where they are sleeping soundly. My daughter is sprawled out on her bed, one hand perfectly place palm-up on her cheek in true drama-queen mode. But my son... well... he was sleeping sideways on his bed...

BUTT NEKKED.

It was so cute. We both had to leave the room so our laughter wouldn't wake up the kids.

Apparently he took his diaper off and fell asleep like that, legs hanging over the bed and everything. He was even snoring. And I, SuperMom, managed to put his diaper back on him without even waking him up.

And YES, we got pictures.