Quick Update...

Well, it's been awhile since I've blogged. And there have been a few things happen since you last heard from me.

1. Kendon and I went to Amelia Island, Florida for 4 days... fabulous mini-vacation complements of Procter & Gamble. We stayed in the Ritz Carlton... BEAUTIFUL place, right on the beach. Eventually, we would love to have a place right on the beach...

Marcia and Charlie came to stay with us for a couple of weeks and Marcia watched the kids while we were gone. I have to give major cudos to my sis. She's great. Amazing, actually. And Charlie... well, there are no words. He is just too wonderful and we all love him like crazy. Except for the fact that he's two, he's perfect.

2. I had my 39th birthday. Really. I'm 39 years old. Wow. It sounds so old when I say it, but it doesn't feel old. Anyway, we celebrated in Florida... and then with the kids when we got home. I got a new Canon point and shoot that I keep in my purse... it's a little easier to lug around than my bigger Canon d-slr (which I love, btw).

3. My family is healthy again. Yay! It's no fun being sick.

4. Kendon is back at work, the kids are working hard at school, and I'm gearing up to start a new job next week. I'll definately let you know how all that goes.

I guess that's it for now. I've got to download and edit some pics then I'll post a few.

Strapless bras and other stuff

Aha... got your attention with the title, eh?

Let me first start out by saying I've been sick the past week -- sicker than I can ever remember. In fact, my poor sister, Marcia, is here visiting and I got sick the evening she arrived... started with a sore throat & headache then progressed within a day to include dizziness and vomiting whenever I raised my head off the pillow. Suffice it to say, I spent an entire 24 hour period in bed, sleeping, and frequently throwing up. Can't say that was a lot of fun, but it has given me a point of reference on which to base the rest of the week. Since my "sleep-in", I have definately gotten better, but I am not healthy... just on the mend. I hate being sick.

Needless to say, it hasn't exactly been an eventful visit for Marcia and Charlie as we've pretty much stayed pretty close to home. Fortunately, though, they have remained healthy. And so has Todd. Kendon and Madi have had some sinus congestion and a cough, but neither of them were as sick as me. I say that as a joke, sort of, even though it's REALLY true, since I've been telling Kendon all week that I'm whining because I'm way sicker than he is.

OK, now enough of my whining... on to more interesting topics like strapless bras. So, you might know that Kendon and I are heading to Florida for a little business trip. I found this cute dress that requires a certain type of undergarment which was not a part of my wardrobe. So we went shopping. For bras. Of the strapless variety. Only, here's the thing... strapless bras are not made for women with real boobs. There's no support. In fact, I've decided that if I was to compare wearing a strapless bra to wearing no bra at all, it feels about the same.

Just when I'd about given up, Marcia came upon this slick little bra with clear plastic straps. Guess what??? It's awesome! You get the support and you can't see the strap under the sheer dress... works for me. I'll let you know later how it all works out.

And the last thing, not to be diminished by any of the previous information, is that today I received my new washing machine... pristine and perfect. It is SWEET! Runs so quiet you can hardly tell it is on, and spins at 1200 rpm without a wobble. I can't believe how much I missed having a washing machine until mine broke. And I've been without it for over a month. It's been a LONG MONTH... but like everything else, things are getting better.

Hurricane Ike hit Galveston & Houston, TX Sept. 13th

So, the hurricane hit Galveston dead on, then went on to Houston and up through Kingwood and Porter... fortunately for my friends in Kingwood, the "eye" of the storm went over them instead of to the West... they received heavy rain, wind, and loss of electric, but avoided being in the path of the resulting tornados and debris dump that is generally associated with being on the "dirty side" of the hurricane (the east side of the eye).

Although the power is out and will likely be out for a few weeks, I have heard that my friends are ok. What a huge relief. I've attached a couple of pics of the damage and flooding from Hurricane Ike so far. The water is still rising in the bayou's around the Houston area so there will likely be more destruction in the coming days. I'm just grateful that my "peeps" are safe.

Let's Not Forget

September 11th, 2001 is a day that changed history. Let us not forget.

Bike Riding SUCKS!

As part of an exercise regime, I have maintained that biking is not my thing. I like running. That is what feels good to me. I have a sister who doesn't "get" running, but she swears by biking... obviously, it is her thing. Let me clarify something, though. When I talk about biking, I'm not talking about a leisurely bike ride with the kids through the neighborhood. I like that kind of biking. That is fun. The kind of biking I am objecting to is biking for fitness -- riding hard, working hard, definately not for fun. Well, today I just wanted to get a quick workout in and I thought, hey, why not go for a little bike ride. In hindsight, that was a terrible idea, but at the time it sounded kind of fun.

So I started off by checking my bike making sure my tires weren't flat, and then I grabbed my sunglasses and bike helmet (better to be safe!) and off I went. All was good. I was on a downhill grade. Then I came to the hills. I don't know if you are familiar with the terrain around my area, but it is hilly. In fact, rolling hills would describe it perfectly. It is beautiful... so long as you are not riding a bike.

The first hill wasn't too bad. I was peddling fast and by the last third of the hill, I was standing up using my weight to propel me up the rest of the way. Woohoo, I made it! Pat myself on the back then carry on... not long after the first hill, I came to a stop sign and had to cross a busy street followed immediately by a fairly steep hill. I made it, barely. Next came a series of ups and downs -- you remember the kind of hills on the back roads that you flew over in the car? The ones that made your stomach clench? In a car, those are a fun adventure. On a bike, not so much. But I made it over the peaks and valleys and continued on my merry way.

As I followed the road, I have to admit, I enjoyed the scenery and the feeling of the wind on my face. I didn't even mind the potholes and barking dogs. But then I came to a neverending uphill grade and my enjoyment "flew out the window" so to speak. I huffed and puffed and I puffed and I huffed and I downshifted and I peddled my heart out. And I thought to myself, among other things, that if I was running, I'd take this hill without a second thought. Why was it so much harder on a bike? By the middle of the hill, I was dying. A little further, my legs were officially dead.

Have you ever tried walking up a hill pushing a bike while your legs are shaking, feeling like spaghetti that is going to collapse without warning? That was me. Add a little nausea, heavy breathing and you have a pretty good idea of how I was feeling. To say it wasn't pretty would be an understatement. I wanted to be done this stupid bike ride! There wasn't anything fun about it. But I was quite a long way from home and had no choice but to get back on the bike and ride. And after a few more riding / walking stints, I made it home. I parked my bike in the garage and walked away from it without a backwards glance. The bike was NOT my friend.

Now that I've had some time away from the bike, I still maintain that biking for exercise is not for me. I'd rather cover ground on my feet, thank you very much. I'm commited to running. I love running. It feels good to me and biking definately does not.

There's cleaning and then there's CLEANING

I went to bed last night thinking about the things I really needed to do today... and when I woke up this morning, I was still thinking about those things... paying bills, unpacking my suitcase from my last trip, purging and cleaning out my office to name a few.

So I decided to start with the cleaning. I decided that I'd focus on my office space today. It's a disaster. And the cleaning that is needed for this space is more than routine cleaning. And it's likely going to take more than a day. So I cranked up the tunes, grabbed a diet Pepsi, and dug in. I have to tell you, I'm really enjoying the process of digging out, throwing away, and reorganizing.

Something you may not know about my office is that it is not just MY office. I share my space with my two kids. This 9'X12' room is crammed full of stuff. And Kendon laughs nearly every time he comes in because he thinks all my stuff is funny -- he supports me in my scrapping habit, just doesn't get it. Anyway, when the kids are home, if I'm in my office they are too. And that's great, except that it gets very crowded. And then there's the mess...

I use this space to be creative. I scrapbook, edit pics, sew, play on the computer and do a variety of other projects in my office. Todd usually just comes in to use the computer, to sync his ipod or upload new music. Madison, though, is following in my footsteps and LOVES to make crafts. She loves glue and she loves glitter. And though she loves to make her projects, she is not always very good about putting stuff away and cleaning up after herself. I spent nearly 2 hours going through her paper scraps, reorganizing her stuff and scraping glue off her desktop. And now it looks great! That is just one corner of the room.

I really enjoy this kind of cleaning. I find it energizing. It's not like "normal" housework. There's something about cleaning out the clutter and making a space more functional that is therapeutic. I'm having a great day. I'm excited to make my space make more sense and work better for the three of us who use it. So, now that I've taken a bit of a break, I'm going to get back at it. There's a lot more mess to take care of. Once I'm done, I'll post pics.

Can't leave out hubby

And here is Kendon (fishing with Madison (left) and neice Clara (middle). I'm sure he'll appreciate my putting this pic of him in here. He's having fun and he looks great.

And here are my kids...

Aren't they great?!

I think my kids are pretty awesome.

Todd is a funny, cool 15 year old. I know that sounds ironic, but he's a really super kid with a quirky, quick sense of humor.

And Madison is a 7 year old: very sweet and loving with just a touch of diva and drama queen thrown in for good measure.

My washing machine

Why would I write about my washing machine, you wonder? Well, it's like this... Just before our family trip back to Canada in August, my old, reliable GE Washing machine died. It was 13 years old and had been slowly dying for the past couple of years. But the GE Repairman confirmed that it was officially dead and suggested we invest in something a little more modern.

So we did. We researched and shopped around and finally decided to buy a front loading Bosch. It is a little beauty and apparently, does a great job. I wouldn't know, though, since I'm still waiting for said machine to be delivered. It was a special order. It arrived last Friday. However, when they were loading it on the truck for delivery, it fell victim to the forklift. So, it had to be reordered and will likely take another couple of weeks. To say I'm not happy about that is an understatement... I'd really love to have a fully functioning washing machine in my home. I'd love to be able to do a load of laundry any time of the day or night. I'd love to wash my teenage son's football uniform EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Despite the setback with the washing machine, I'm trying to maintain a positive attitude. I have found that taking everything to the laundromat can be quite an adventure. Trying to find parking is a major feat. Occasionally, I find a space right next to the building. Today, though, I had to park down the road at the CVS and haul my overflowing baskets through the parking lot and across the street. That was fun. In addition to this character development, I am improving muscle tone as I haul the baskets of laundry from the house into the car, from the car into the laundromat, from the laundromat back to the car, and from the car into my home again. Good exercise. Then there's the opportunity to fill my time while I'm waiting for wash / dry cycles. I can simultaneously wash or dry 6 loads of laundry WHILE I CHECK MY EMAIL, READ A BOOK, WRITE A BOOK... WHATEVER! How cool is that? From start to finish, including folding, doing my laundry at the laundromat takes about 2 hours, give or take. So I come prepared with something to do to fill the time.

There is definately a downside, though. Whether or not my laundry is really clean, I don't know. Each batch I wash costs me $2.75 and I'm running out of quarters from the family fun jar. Add another couple of dollars for each batch in the dryer... the costs add up. I even found myself thinking once that it wouldn't be so bad to own and operate a laundromat... quite a money maker, I think. The last thing that comes to mind is that every time I go, I have to give myself a little pep talk to help me prepare for what might be lurking in the machines... hair, gunk, a stray pair of panties. I've seen all those things, but I'm sure I haven't seen it all... and I don't want to.

I'm really hoping that my new machine gets here soon. Undamaged.

Starting a blog

I'm finally jumping on the blogger bandwagon... better late than never, right? And I'm doing it for a few different reasons. One is to keep in touch with family and friends who aren't nearby, so they can see pics of my family, read about what we're up to, and basically keep up to speed on the drama that seems to be our lives.

Another reason I've decided to start a blog is because I type much faster than I write so this blog will take the place of my written journals... if I actually had journals, that is. Since I haven't written in a journal for years, I really thought this would be a great way to document the things that happen in my life and in the lives of my children... kind of a mini-documentary complete with the occasional picture, craft project, or whatever.

So, here it goes...