Our Weekend

   

I woke this morning to a gray, rainy morning.  I felt a heachache most of the day and just didn't find the energy to do much but be lazy.

No school on Friday so I took the day off work.  I went up to Snowbird to watch the boys board. 

I finished my household chores while T boarded again on Saturday.  And later that day we met up with a friend who gave T "the talk" from a man's perspective.  It was kinda funny since T asked for the talk and when I told him that he was going to get "the talk" from a man's perspective, he got shy, angry, and cry cry.

I decided it would be good for him and forced him into it.  On the way up, T tells me "I don't want to know where I came from, Mom!  Let's not have the talk yet; im not ready.  I was just kidding!!!!".  The talk went well and he actually had a great time.  He was uncomfortable about the subject and was told just enough to get him started on the subject.  Part II will be for a later date.  Afterwards, we caught Jack the Giant Slayer.  

So when I woke up this morning with a headache, I decided I had been productive enough to be lazy today.  I hung some pictures and clothes in my dressing room.  I still have a few things to do there before it's done.  

I straightened out my bedroom and that was the extent of it.  I watched a few recorded movies.  And before long, my shadow was beside me in my bed.  No privacy in my own space!!!!

He brought me a beanie to wear.  Guess he wanted to be twinners.  And he played games and showed me some websites that he thought I might not know about....flights to Disneyland.  He'd prefer Orlando, he says.  Looks like I've finally sparked an interest in him for Disneyland.  

That was our weekend.  Not looking forward to tomorrow, Monday... they're are so much better when Monday is a FLEX day off.  But not tomorrow  :(

I picked the wrong Career Choice

 I think I picked the wrong career.

So how would it be to tattoo yourself, work out daily, get some plastic surgery, and model for a tattoo magazine?

When I die and review my life, I'm going to be saying shoulda, woulda, coulda!!!!!



One of these pics came through my Instagram explore pics recently.  So I explored her page.  I guess she's a tattoo magazine model/celebrity.

She has tons of self-pics, some featuring her tattoo and others just posing for a ipod pic.  What a way to make money?  And here I am trying to talk myself into a Monday 5am wake up call to get up and go to a job that I do mostly the same thing day after day.

I've always thought it would be great to do what you most loved to do, daily, for a living.

I honestly wouldn't want to be a tattoo model but for someone who would, pretty cool!!!!

Tackling The Closet Problem

I bought my home thinking I'd take refuge here for 2 years, 3 tops....but 6 years later, I'm still here.  One of the first negative characteristics I found out quickly was the lack of closet space.

I have a hard time parting with my clothes so I've always had one seasonal wardrobe boxed and the other in closets. My closets, here, are THE smallest I've ever had.  So I've had to find other options ...boxes, dividers, under the bed storage, shoes stacked on a door organizer, jewelry bags behind the door, etc.  My bureau drawers barely close.  Frankly, my bedroom has become claustrophic.  The organization had gotten chaotic...to the point that I avoided lounging in my bedroom.  My sanctuary had become an irritant.

Last week while doing laundry, I went into the extra bedroom downstairs to retrieve something.  This is another room I'd started to avoid.  It'd become the collect-all.  I had a rough time opening the door.  I'd recently moved the mattresses from that room into Tayshaun's and the bedding was in a heap on the floor.  I knew it was getting to the point that I couldn't avoid the messiness anymore.  So I decided it was going to be my project for the weekend.  It was actually a shame that the bedroom was wasted space.  It had literally become a closet.

The past few years, I've entertained the idea of making one of the extra bedrooms a dressing room and somewhere to do my hair/makeup.  So again, I started to think about that idea.  It seemed like a silly idea to use a whole room to get dressed in but then again....we're not using the space anyway...so why not.  On Friday evening,  I browsed Pinterest and also googled dressing rooms and found myself getting ideas and inspiration.

As I thought about the space, I really wanted to add color to the mostly white and ivory palette but I just didn't have the energy to paint.  So I decided to bring in the color through fabric and prints.  I definitely wanted sparkle but soothing colors.  Some of the images I saw on Pinterest were of velvet hot pink boudoir type chaises and ottomans which really intrigued me but I decided to be more conservative and mellow.  I love the ice-skating rink blue color in my bedroom so decided to bring that in with champagne metallics and of course, silver.

On Saturday, I started to disassemble the daybed and decided to take a few "BEFORE" pics because this was definitely quite the project and I wanted to track my accomplishment.  The first day was tiring and boring; it was mostly cleaning, reboxing, moving out furniture, figuring out how to best utilize the space.  And worst of all, I took a lot of time trying to figure out where to put the other items I didn't want to bring back into the dressing room.  Incidentally, some of that stuff is still outside the dressing room door, right now but that's another project.  By the time I went to bed, I had a blank slate.

Sunday, I moved items from my bedroom to downstairs and finished categorizing, storing and boxing items.  Finally I did a little shopping for storage accessories.  Before I went to sleep, I'd left a corner of the room blank and couldn't help letting the idea of a vanity table fit so comfortably there. I've had my eye on one at Pier 1 Imports for years but didn't really want to incur the expense so I mentally replaced the area with two large floor length mirrors... for those mornings I want to do a little Jane Fonda leg lefts before getting ready on the weekend.

Today, I shopped some more and found the color and the sparkle.  Needless to say, I argued and argued with myself but just couldn't talk myself out of the vanity table. It's probably frivolous but I tried to be thrifty about other items so I didn't feel badly about making the purchase.

Normally when I'm in the mood or have a purpose to shop, I can't find a thing.  But today, I wanted EVERYTHING in every aisle I stepped into.  Pier 1and HomeGoods were my best friends this weekend.  And for the practical things, I shopped at Target.  I haven't even hit IKEA yet but I'm not sure I'll be able to fit another thing in my not so blank slate.

Now that the shopping is done, I'm going to get my items on the walls and shelves before I take AFTER pics.  But in the meantime, I'm getting ready for work in my new dressing room tomorrow morning.

To be continued..... with BEFORE and AFTER pics in a few days.  The pics I included were those I found for inspiration.

Yesterday Was The Funniest Day Ever....says T

 T woke this morning and one of the first things out of his mouth was "Yesterday was the funniest day ever!"  He wanted to write his own comments about his day yesterday.....

T:  "Yesterday was the funniest day because when we went to the basketball game, we got really good tickets and I was wearing my favorite shoes that grandma/grandpa gave me for Christmas.  We could see the game really good from where we were sitting.  And then in the second quarter, my friend, Ibreheim, came to our seats in row 15 to say "hi".  I was surprised to see him.  And then later on at 7-ish, Lena brought over her new puppy and she still doesn't have a name for her.  But when they brought her over the house, it was Shalyse's birthday and she got to hold the puppy first.  And when you hold the puppy, you feel like you're holding a half a pound.  And it was really fun having our whole family at our house.  And then, I had ice cream.  I watched tv until late.  And right after, I feel asleep."

With Tayshaun's permission (the bossy shit!), I'm going to finish my post.

It was nice having a three day weekend.  And we were able to take advantage of our year-round passes and catch a UofU basketball game and a Grizzly hockey game.  We're thinking we bring our teams bad luck because every game we've gone to with these passes, the team has lost the game.  And last week, Jazz also lost the game we went to.  :(

However T caught a Jazz tee-shirt at that game so it was still worth going.

We did have a great time for dinner with the family celebrating Shalyse's birthday.  I was busy having fun and cooking supper to take pics.  Oopsie!

The new puppy was a hit at the party.  And we had as many pets at the party as we did humans.  Kingzley was in doggy heaven.

Yesterday, T asked me how many more days until spring.  Coincidentally, I've been counting down the days myself.  Fortunately, daylight is lasting a little longer each day which gives us more time to fit in more activities.

Can't wait until next weekend!!!!

Happy Birthday Baby!

 I'm sure this month has a been a sad one for you, Maddie.

Carter's birthday was last week and this was the first time you've not been there to share and celebrate his birthday.  I'm sorry.

There was a very special reason you were brought into this little man's life.  In many ways, you helped create this child.

If you hadn't come into Bryton's life when you did, Carter may have never been.  You helped bring life to this beautiful human being.

You were able to experience the miracle of new life through Carter.  Although you were there through my pregnancy with Tayshaun, and although you were old enough to understand the process, you never really wanted or were part of the experience.  Fortunately for me, you at 16. were not interested in being a mom yet.

So when you met Bryton and she was pregnant, I was skeptical about the commitment you would have for her and this baby growing inside of her.  I honestly thought the experience would scare you away from the burden and responsibility of a baby...not to mention the late nights, poopy diapers (as you never once changed Tayshaun's), no more late night partying, the cholic or flu-symptoms you would eventually experience with a baby/child, etc, etc.  I thought you'd be high-tailing it out of there once he made an appearance.

But you surprised me.  How many times have I heard you say, "I cut Carter's cord." -- so proudly.

It wasn't that I didn't think you were capable of having a baby in your life.  I just didn't see you wanting a child anytime soon.  But there you were talking Bryton into having this baby she wasn't sure she wanted.  If you remember, I warned you about the influence you were bringing to Bryton.  After all, the decision she would make would be a permanent one....for her.

Now, of course, I'm very happy you were able to influence Bryton enough that she decided to see through her pregnancy and keep Carter Brooke.

He brought a new meaning to your life.  One you hadn't experienced yet.  I watched you grow into motherhood so naturally.  It was so surprising to me.

He was your first.  Your first experience of giving your all, wholeheartedly and unselfishly to another.

Bryton probably doesn't understand what you brought to her life as she is too young and immature to appreciate what you did.

I watched you hold onto a relationship that wasn't necessarily fulfilling but one that you felt you had to maintain in order for you to continue to be Carter's mother.  I had hoped and sometimes thought that you really did want that relationship and that it might be a forever one, simply because I know how much you love Carter.   But I know from experience that if you're not wholeheartedly in a marriage/relationship, it just doesn't work.

More importantly, if you continued down an unfulfilling path, you were likely to eventually try to find what you were missing...somewhere else.  Or you would stay in that relationship and miss out on a good, meaningful, and loving one.

And now I watch you, again, being unselfish for the sake of Carter.  Doing what you feel is best for him....not what is best for you.

I'm sure you're already aware of the many things that Carter has brought to your life.  He's helped you grow as a person, as an adult.



You are linked to me forever, Madison.  You will always be my daughter and I will always be your mother.  No one and nothing can take that away from us.

You know how I feel about this subject.  It is my hope that you become a mom again.  And that you have that forever link with a child of your own.  Whether you do that legally, as in adoption, or you chose to have your own natural child, I hope you're able to bring that joy to your life and our family.

Know that I am proud of you.  And I'm sad that you're hurting.  But I am really glad that you were brought together with Carter, for his sake and for yours.

We will all miss him but we will always remember him.  Happy Birthday Carter-Boo!

Shalyse is 30 Something? Huh?!

I'm thinking back to 31.  I'd recently divorced from a 12 year marriage.  And for the first time in my life, I was making my own decisions without having to consult absolutely anyone... no parents, no husband.  Turning 30 wasn't such a big deal for me.  I was having the best times of my life, then.  I was feeling like an independent person and not just a mom or a wife.  I was finally doing what I wanted to do.  Sounds selfish, I know.  But that's who I was at 30-something.  Because at 17, I was having babies, wondering how/when I was going to get a college education, and worrying about bills.

Shalyse turned 31 on Friday.  When I thought about her turning 30 last year, it was difficult for me.  As a matter of fact, she recently told me she didn't get a chance to feel badly about it herself because I was having such a hard time with it.  But SNAP!!!! she was invading my 30-something space.

Realism really sets in when your daughter turns 30.  She's catching up to my age....well at least the age that I've always had in my mind for myself....30-something.

At 30, Shalyse and I were in such different times of our lives.  Fortunately for Shalyse, she's had the opportunity to experience every independent experience she's wanted before 31....leaving plenty of time for the responsibilities of marriage/partnership and parenthood for afterwards.

Shalyse has been dealt some pretty difficult cards in her life but then again, she's been a LUCKY girl too. Shalyse has had to deal with life-threatening situations at a very young age which I'm sure has given her perspective, knowing it could all end at any time - which is so different for those of us who take it for granted that life is forever.

She's been able to expereience so many things that other people could only wish for.  I think Shalyse has been living life to it's fullest and hopefully appreciating every little bit of it.  I know I've appreciated the 31 years I've experienced with her.  Love you, Shalyse!!!!!!

Before I turned 40, I used to think that 40 was soooo far away.  And I used to think that when I approached 40,  I'd have the relief of not having to worry about weight, fashion, current style, hair, etc, anymore.  But when I turned 40, nothing changed.  I was still beginning a diet every Monday, still regularly changing my hair color, still shopping for sequins, faux-this or that, halters, etc etc.

So....enjoy every birthday from here on out, Shalyse....you'll be approaching "beyond 30", shortly.  Mark my words, it's not that far away.

Happy Birthday Shalyse!

Coughing, Sneezing, and Belly Aching

T is sick again.  He's caught himself a cold this time.  It doesn't surprise me though.  One of the last times I volunteered at the school, one of the little guys in his class was using his entire bare arms as a kleenex for his runny nose. :/

Obviously these kids share and touch the same things in the classroom.  They're almost certain to catch a few colds.

T is becoming a drama queen, lately.  So I have to carefully observe.  What seems like a simple cough can lead up to a coughing fit.  And he usually can develop some symptom or another the day before my Monday off.  So I never know whether he's exaggerating or really hatin' it.

Since taking Shalyse's appendicitis symptoms lightly, 26 years ago, I now skirt on the dramatic side.  Nevertheless, I sent him to school today.

And then was called at work to collect this sickie by noon. I think we'll be staying in again tomorrow.

T is pretty much stuck in front of the television...right where he likes to be.  In the meantime, he plays the sick card to the hilt and asks for special smoothies, crustless cheese sandwiches, and warmed up sweet rolls (a la Smith's).

Crossing my fingers that my immune system avoids his or any other virus.

Argo

I left the theater with a stomach ache after having watched this.  I was stressed through the entire flick.  Excellent movie, though.  It had a feel of films back in the 70's...not just the attire and hair styles but also the simplicity of the movie film and the actual news footage.

This story reminded me of how lucky I am to be living in this country.  It was heartbreaking to see children who had to live daily with so much violence, hangings in the middle of the street, truckful of militia with guns,  and living your entire life in fear.

I've always said it takes unique and brave individuals to hold certain career positions...one of which would be a CIA operative.  Wow!  It's amazing the pressure that some people can endure.

Worthwhile seeing.

Stomach Flu

This year, I got my flu shot at work so T didn't get one.  So..... guess what he got instead?

Last Friday night, I picked T up from Elena's.  Since it was Friday, he laid around watching tv.  I noticed he didn't snack and hadn't finished the pizza pieces he'd brought home from Elena's.  By 8pm, he was complaining about a rumbling stomach.  I could hear it from the other side of the room.  At 9pm, he was still complaining.

And by 9:30, he had his head in the toilet.

I was hoping this was something he'd eaten and that that was the worst of it.  So we gathered up all of our furry blankies and jumped into my bed so I could keep an eye on him throughout the night.  We gathered up a few towels too and placed the trash can beside him....just in case.

From 9:30-11:30, he tossed and turned grumbling and groaning in his semi-sleep.  I couldn't sleep.  I was just waiting for a vomiting explosion.  Instead, he woke asking for some water.   I brought him some pepto bismol too, hoping that it would calm his rumbling tummy.

After I medicated him, I went to use the bathroom and was startled by the vomit covered floor and toilet.  I hadn't realized that T got sick in the whole damn bathroom!!!!  I obviously wasn't going to get much sleep. When I started to clean up, I heard T gagging to vomit in my bedroom.  I yelled for him to use the trashcan or the towels...I just knew it would the sheets!  But he was so startled awake that he barely made it off the bed before pepto bismol colored vomit came exploding from his mouth and onto my favorite Pier 1 cream rug.   :-(

After he emptied, we cleaned him up and changed his jammies and tucked him back into bed.  Me, on the other hand, had the fine job of bathroom cleaning duty.  And my rug...well it was just too damn heavy and big to drag out of my room so I cleaned it the best I knew how and decided to really tackle it the next day.  I jumped in the shower to rinse off Tayshaun's flu-symptoms.

Around 1:30am, I made the texting rounds to let everyone know that T wouldn't be making his basketball game in the morning.   T continued to toss and turn through the night but didn't have anything more to throw up.

By the morning, T was up bright and early and ready to rumble.  I was ready for two more hours of zzzzz's.  We had exactly 30 minutes to be ready.  What the hell?  My hair still had a whiff of vomit-aroma so I jumped in the shower, again, and shampooed up.   And with half dry hair, I ran out to make T's basketball game....on time.

We didn't win the game and T wasn't 100% but he had a great time.  And I dragged a$$ all day.

I'm not used to T getting sick.  Next year he gets a flu shot for sure.

P.S. The rug didn't make it.  I think i'll need to take it to the rug doctor.  My new Target replacement just isn't the same. :-(

I'm tired of Winter!!!!!!

Here's our Lagoon trip this summer.  T and I giggle so hard when we watch this.  Our faces are crazzzyyy!!!  Thanks Tish for sharing!!!


lagoon sep 8, 2012 from Tish Lopez on Vimeo.

Is this really the Fun Bus?

With times the way they are, we decided to have a little frivolous fun.  What better way to hang out with the girls, gossip, laugh, and win a little money.

Party planner, Char, picked up some tix on the Fun Bus to Wendover a couple of months ago and they were getting ready to expire so we decided to head up there yesterday.

While we were shivering in our cars waiting for the bus to arrive, some of us were deciding whether we wanted to drag our coats along with us to Wendover. It was about 15 degrees out but think about how hot it would be carrying our coats around in the casino?

Finally the bus arrived and some of us dragged our coats on and others didn't.  As we were checking into the bus - at a very slow pace - again we found ourselves shivering at the bottom of the steps.  I was the one with the furry boots and coat...no high heels for me.

 So the Fun Bus is actually a really great deal.  $8 buys you a (cold) ride to/from Wendover, bingo games, a lunch/dinner buffet, $5 in free cash at the casino, a free Starbuck's drink, $1 bet on the Nugget tables, and discounts at the gift shop.

We didn't realize that it was going to cost us a little inconvenience too!!!!

The bus was a bit, I mean, alot, freezing.  No one could seem to find a heater vent above us or below us.  We were all just hoping it would get a little warmer as the bus warmed up.

But about 10 minutes on the road and just adjacent to West Valley City, the driver pulled over on the highway.  Our hostess was taking our money for lottery tickets and not explaining what the driver was doing.  A little irritating...but that's another story.

If this image had a LOT more snow in it, this is how our Fun Bus would have looked like yesterday along the highway.  Not so Fun!  90 minutes later and we had a replacement bus and some cranky employees/riders...but we made it to Wendover, safely, and shivering.

We decided not to take the bus home.  So we piled up in Lisa's truck and had a much warmer ride home.  Not this truck.  

We went home in this vehicle.  Alot warmer.  Better tunes.  And very comfortable ride.  Thanks Lisa for saving us on the ride home.

I'll try the Fun Bus again.  I really did have FUN!!!!!!

My favorite book list of 2012

I read some great books this year.  I really found some great memoirs/autobiographies I enjoyed.  Here's a list some of my favorites this year with a link to the Barnes and Noble site to the Overviews...just click on the bolded and highlighted book titles.  

Some would say I have a problem.  I wake up earlier than necessary so can I read while I get ready for work.  And until recently, I slept only four hours a night so I could get my read-on before bedtime. 

Some people like television, I love my Nook.

Defending Jacob
I love Grisham's legal thrillers.  But William Landay did an excellent job on this story.  Imagine the emotional and financial turmoil of having your teenage boy be accused of killing one of his classmates.  It could happen to you.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
This is the first time I've read Maya Angelou but it won't be the last.  Here's an autobiography about this authors early years during the Depression.  It touches on racisim, family, personal dignity, and many traumas.  I can't wait to start on another of Angelou books.



The Alchemist
I kept seeing this book pop up on bestseller lists, bookclub lists, as an international best seller, and apparently the best selling books in history.  So what was I missing?  So I decided to see what all the hype was about.  Plus being less than 200 pages, why not?!

This fable got me thinking about my life choices and made me wonder WTH I'm still doing in Utah?

The Glass Castle

This is an autobiography by Jeannette Walls that recounts Walls' and her siblings unconventional, poverty-stricken upbringing at the hands of their deeply dysfunctional parents.  This book is now under development as a film.

Reading about people dealing with hardships helps me appreciate my life so much more.

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

This is story is about a mother's loss and the toll that it takes on her children. This book was on Oprah's book list; I've been disappointed reading from her list before but I liked the overview.   

Each of my parents are from a family of nine, surviving, siblings.  My grandparents raised children from 1920-1960.  I could only imagine the emotional and financial struggles my grandparents must have experienced.  This story tells about such a family's experiences during that era.

Brain on Fire

Another memoir I couldn't put down.  Can you even imagine????? Here's the author's description of her experience/book:

One day, I woke up in a strange hospital room, strapped to my bed, under guard, and unable to move or speak. My medical records—from a month-long hospital stay of which I have no memory—showed psychosis, violence, and dangerous instability. Yet, only weeks earlier I had been a healthy twenty-four year old, six months into my first serious relationship and beginning a career as a cub reporter at the New York Post.

My memoir Brain on Fire chronicles the swift path of my illness and the lucky, last-minute intervention led by one of the few doctors capable of saving my life. As weeks ticked by and I moved inexplicably from violence to catatonia, $1 million worth of blood tests and brain scans revealed nothing. The exhausted doctors were ready to commit me to the psychiatric ward, in effect condemning me to a lifetime of institutions, or death, until Dr. Souhel Najjar diagnosed me with a newly discovered autoimmune disease in which my body was attacking my brain, an illness now thought to be the cause of “demonic possessions” throughout history.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I like reading before an upcoming movie.  The story explores topics such as introversion, abuse, drugs, sexuality, and the awkward time of adolescence.  This one took me back in time to past experiences and awkward moments.  I enjoyed the movie too.

The Life of Pi

Went to a flick and saw this as an upcoming film.  My companion asked if I'd read the book and I hadn't so of course I was curious.  When I saw the previews to the movie, it didn't seem I'd be interested but I downloaded the book anyways.  Turns out I was pleasantly surprised.

Ender's Game

I reached out to my Facebook friends asking for any recommendations for a good futuristic read and several introduced me to Ender's Game.  After I downloaded it, I was a little skeptical and thought I was reading a young adult novel but then the storyline started to develop and caught me hook, line and sinker.  Afterall, I loved the Hunter Games young adult series too.

The Time Keeper

A fable about the first man on earth to count the hours. The man who became Father Time.  This story became compelling to me as the author takes a simple concept and creates a story that show a new aspect of it to ponder.  There's a bit of sadness, a bit of thoughtfulness, and an ending that changes the common notions of time and how it's spent.

Turns out i had more favorites than i thought so I'll stop there.  Ok, I just want to add something else... I love to listen to Sophie Kinsella's chick-lit novels via audiobooks simply for the darling British accents.  After I've just finished a very serious or disturbing book, I try to find light-hearted, funny ones to follow.  Kinsella always comes through.  This year, I read "I've Got Your Number", "Shopaholic Ties the Knot" and "Shopaholic & Baby" and wasn't surprised that they had me laughing and driving around a lot just to finish the dvds.  

So that's good for 2012.  Hope you try one of these good books and enjoy them as much as i did.