The Review

Year-end! Time to review. Not to dwell on anything, just to acknowledge, and accept, and get ready to welcome a new, blank slate. I didn't do the whole meme last year or the year before, and while I'm sort-of glad, I sort-of missed it, too. Some of the questions are good writing prompts, so here are the ones I want to answer.

--Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

My 2015 wishes, besides remembering that God is good and I am loved? To read a little more. To pray a little more. To plan a few more fun family things. To walk, run and stretch a little more. To take more time off. To find more meaning in my work, somehow. To be who I am.

I did read more! And I kept track of what I read via Pinterest, which is fun. It's showing 19 books for 2015, and I've started the 20th, which is Moby Dick, which I've never read! I like it so far. I'm reading it because I want to re-read Ahab's Wife in 2016. I also prayed more, I think, although that can always use more improvement. Fun family things...? Well, we're working on it. We didn't take any grand trips like we still want to, but I did take the kids away for Spring Break, which was fun. I succeeded in stretching a little more - but just a little - and walked, but again, just a little. I love my little midday walks at work. 10 minutes or so, outside. And yoga in the morning here. Good for the soul. I did take more time off, if just by virtue of the fact I had more to take (work anniversary earned me another week). Did I find more meaning in my work? No. It was a hard year for work. Maybe more on that later (maybe not). Being who I am? I definitely tried.

So: Good Job, Me! Resolutions were mostly successful! Happier, fatter, richer, overall. A Win.

More resolutions? Certainly. I like 'em. After the review.

--What did you do in 2015 that you’d never done before?

I had a crown put on one of my teeth! Haha! Don't recommend it. I'm still having a little bit of jaw pain even though I got a stupid, stupid night guard. (I haven't worn it every night as prescribed.) I sang solo (a wedding) in a beautiful big church without a microphone, like a real professional, with a symphony violinist! That was awesome. I drove 2 kids to Florida by myself. I hosted a slumber party with six- and seven-year-old girls OMG. Sent a kid off to middle school (we love middle school so far)! Then joined the Middle School Dance committee with my two best school-mom friends. I felt, and feel, totally secure in calling them best friends. I probably did some other new things, too. It's hard to remember everything! In all, it was a pretty great year. I am loved and have a family I adore.

--What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Tough one, because I feel like I'm not really in an "achieving" stage of my life (and the things I do at work don't really get touted as achievements, more on that later). Still, one thing I was proud of: Planning/managing a lot of different summer activities and camps for the kids. (Which it is nearly time to do, again, for 2016.)


--What was your biggest failure?

The kale chips I tried to make 2 days ago. Ha ha, not really, but they did turn out badly and smelled up the house. Too bad, I had high hopes for kale chips.

As always, I don't like to say "failure," because we're all, always, just doing the best we can. I try to be gentle with myself. But I've been monumentally unhappy at work, and have failed to do anything about it. Well, that's not fully true... I have tried "positive thinking" and "fake it 'til you make it" and sunshine-y, Oh, well, I can't complain, let's just laugh about how stupid this all is... and I did apply for one awesome-sounding job in June. I didn't get it, obviously - didn't even get called for an interview after what I thought was an excellent application (13 big essay questions, seriously). That somewhat deflated me. Haven't seen anything interesting since, that I think I'm qualified for, and fits my requirements (close to home or remote, minimal travel). My professional confidence has taken a major blow, not from that one application but from the past year's changes, where my job got whisked out from under me without my asking, communication got worse and worse again, I continually got dumped on (i.e., asked to "step in" where other people failed/left), and the leaders and personalities at my workplace continue to disappoint. I feel pretty damaged, actually. Unsure of myself, unsure what I want, unsure how to take the next step. I have tried not to talk about it so much in real life anymore, though I do come here and whine, for 2 reasons: one, it's negativity and I don't need that to be a major part of my days, and two, well, because I don't want to continue burdening others with it. I'll leave it at that for now.

--How did you spend Christmas?

We had a busy Christmas Eve, what with Kate singing at 4:00 in the Children's Choir and me singing at midnight with the adult choir! So we got to church at 2:45 and barely got a seat for 4:00 Mass, then went out to dinner at Bahama Breeze, which was nice and cozy on a rainy night. Christmas morning the kids woke us up at 6:30 and didn't even feel bad about it, and we did Santa (unwrapped). My one oops there was that I didn't have a single thing for Shawn's stocking. I'm sorry, honey! I got an outdoor fireplace! so exciting, and it was a giant present "under" our tree. Behind it, actually. Around 10 am, we were loaded up in the car to drive to Savannah. "To Grandmother's house we go!" We spent Friday night and Saturday there, enjoyed seeing 3-year-old Hailey, ate our turkey and ham, couldn't believe it was 79 degrees outside, and came home Sunday morning. Short and sweet. Shawn and I juggled days off this year but had enough to cover all the kids' vacation days.
 
--What were your favorite books of the year?

The Timebound/Chronos series, Wonder, and The Book Thief, for sure. Wonder, above all of those.

--What was your favorite music from this year?

It's fun listening to the kids' music. I liked Uptown Funk the most.

--What were your favorite films of the year?

Uh, DUH, Star Wars: The FORCE AWAKENS. Just saw it last night. I have so much to say about it. I started crying when "A long time ago...." appeared on the screen. Kids liked it, too. We also enjoyed Ant Man as a family, and I loved, loved, loved Cinderella (but that might have been 2014).

--What valuable life lesson did you learn in 2015?

Well. I learned, I guess, that things change all the time, and to just get used to it, and not be attached to the way things are. I learned to not be "precious" about anything I write. I love that. Posted it on my cubicle wall, I love/need it so much. I learned that everyone has a different perspective on the situation. I learned again that happiness and gentleness is a choice, and I can try every day to make it my story. (I still have so much to learn.)

-- And so, resolutions for 2016?

I have several. One, I obviously want to do something about work. It's going to have to be something risky I guess, or at least uncomfortable like using a headhunter or actually networking again, in person. I feel like that is going to take some courage-building, so it might not happen immediately, and I need to be OK with that. I feel fairly certain that others in my department will be doing the same, but that does not mean I need to be "first." I want to keep that perspective. Because of course, this job pays our bills and serves me well in a few areas, like being able to leave work at work, etc. I don't have to rush. It's just a job. But nothing will happen unless I MAKE IT happen.

Two, and Shawn and I have discussed, we're trying to lower the sugar/carb intake at our house. Kale chips and I may not have become fast friends, but I'm breaking up with Hershey's kisses and white bread. In an achievable, nothing is forbidden but be smarter, no-diet-diet kind of way. More veggies. Less sugar. The end.

Three, the goal is to fill up with love. Fill myself up, radiate it out. Not to be hippy-dippy, but I had a moment while doing yoga yesterday. ;) I nearly forgot, but I'd love to attend a weekly yoga class as a goal, too. Maybe. Saturday mornings?

But love. That's the main one. Amen and amen. Happy New Year. I'm planning a stop at Publix before going home, for cake (sugar's last hurrah), and chips, and maybe something festive like party hats. :)

Posts I've started but never finished, and other things - 7QT

I still read Conversion Diary's 7 Quick Takes posts, but I obviously don't participate in the link-up anymore since I'm not publicly blogging. Her format fits this time, though -- I've started at least 3 posts recently that never have gotten finished and I just feel like sharing today, random (and whiny) though it may be.

--- 1 ---

Relating to Others. I had some thoughts going on this topic last week, when there were a couple of days where my coworkers and I barely said two words to each other for 8 full hours. Mostly, it's because we all have so much damn work. There's just not any let-up in this company. I don't know if it's the economy, and we're all doing too many jobs because we can't afford to hire more people, or if it's just our weird policies and procedures that have evolved over time, but some days I hate it. I work with nice people... it's just that we don't take the time to talk to each other. Maybe good morning, how was your weekend. MAYBE "come look at this funny YouTube video. Oh, and there were other thoughts included in this about Smart phones, and Facebook, and how they've also ruined us for relating to each other. Example: I NEVER call friends anymore, just to say hi and see how they're doing. I think, "She's too busy," and "I hardly know him/her anymore." Sad. Even my friends who were persistent about calling 3 or 4 years ago (and by persistent, I mean slightly annoying) have stopped altogether, and it turns out I'm kinda sad about it. This world, man. It's a little messed up.

--- 2 ---

Kids' Activities. Good heavens, this move is badly timed. End of school and summer camp haven't even been on my radar, so I'm late, late, late planning them. I think we've figured out most of how they'll spend the summer. MOST. Kate will have three weeks in Florida, thanks to her awesome grandparents (thanks, Grandparents!), and Alex will have two. Then Alex will go to his sleepaway camp for 2 weeks -- ON HIS 10th BIRTHDAY, sob, sob!!! He'll also be going to a Manga/Anime camp at the local university sometime in June, something I know he reeeeeeeally wants to do. I've got my eye on a week of Theater camp for both of them. (Can't help myself!) And for the in-between times, they'll just have to go to their old daycare camp and hopefully get to go on a few field trips. I wanted one of their second cousins to be their nanny for a week or two, and take them to the pool and stuff, but now that our new neighborhood won't have a pool... besides that, I didn't want to tie the girls down. They're 18-19, I doubt they really want to babysit for 5 days straight.

--- 3 ---

Reading. I bought three new books on my Kindle last week and had high hopes for getting back into reading. I've missed it! I haven't read anything in MONTHS, besides my Facebook feed and blogs when I don't feel like working, and magazine articles. I miss books. But with all the packing to do, it's not looking real good for the rest of this spring, either. The books I bought are:

Astonish Me, by Maggie Shipstead -- I know nothing about the author except what I read in the description and the book jacket, last time I was in a bookstore. But it's about the backstage of professional ballet, so I know I'll love it. And it's fiction. Haven't bought fiction in a great while, surprisingly!

Something Other Than God, by Jennifer Fulwiler -- I don't know why I didn't pre-order this first thing, but I didn't. But obviously I love the author, wish I knew her in person, and atheist-to-Catholicism stories are AWESOME. Can't wait to get it next Tuesday.

Five Lessons from the Carmelite Saints that Will Change Your Life, by Connie Rossini -- on Jennifer Fulwiler's recommendation. I think I put it in my Cart at the beginning of Lent when I still thought "Maybe I'll make Lent count."

--- 4 ---

Lent didn't happen much for me. I was very busy TRUSTing God about real estate (side eyes: was I really?), so I didn't concentrate on anything else, prayer-wise. I ate my usual amounts of chips and salsa even though I had wanted to give them up. Bah. Try again next year? Or does Lent even need to be "fruitful?"

--- 5 ---

Webelos Woods campout. Shawn's taking Alex and his den of Webelos to a serious camping event this weekend. I am so impressed with Shawn, first of all. He doesn't even like camping, and yet he's been on 7, I think, campouts in the last 4 years, with a few more on the way. This one, he's kind-of in charge. Being a Leader and all. He's had the extra stress of planning the menu, getting the food itself, coordinating with who has the coolers and other supplies that belong to the Pack, assigning tents and activities to all the campers for his Den.... it's been a lot. He doesn't like this stuff. And yet, he's doing it (is even good at it - he was in Production/Project Management for a while, after all). So this campout is specifically for teaching the kids to DO IT THEMSELVES. They've all been assigned particular duties, and once they get there, the Leaders aren't even supposed to help. Pitching the tent, cooking the food -- all on the kids' shoulders. No help unless there's an emergency. Alex is the "Grubmaster." I'm so excited for the boys. Kids these days need to be allowed to do for themselves! I think it's awesome. (Profound.)

--- 6 ---

and Girls' Weekend! With the two males out of the house, Kate and I... don't have many plans except she's sleeping in my bed with me. :) Hee. I hope we'll go out to a nice dinner together, maybe invite a friend, and we have a birthday party to attend. She willingly told me that the birthday boy "likes" her... and she also likes him... "kind-of, I mean, I don't want to talk about it!" !!! Hee hee. I'm looking forward to our time together, even though we already spend a lot of time together, she and I.

--- 7 ---

Quick Takes are never that quick, actually! Wowee, this seems long. I've just had conversations with our real estate agent and we're getting closer to having things buttoned up. We might not even come out as poor as we originally thought (although summer camps don't help! Geez!) We're trying to coordinate moving times, talking about the final clean-up before we leave... at Easter dinner I said to the kids, "This is the last holiday meal we'll have in this house..." and none of us was very sad, I don't think. Shrug of shoulders. I've had some mixed emotions telling people, but have been trying to think of it as EXPANDING our circle, not moving it altogether from one place to the other. It's all going to be good, because there's a reason for everything. Yes. It is.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

The Year-End Meme 2013

It's the first workday of 2014, and thus, the first blog post! Sort-of goes against the prescribed "Eat your frog" philosophy of productivity, but... eh. Do I care? Not really. This morning Shawn said, "We have 2 days to be awesome," and I thought it was so funny. He's trying to have a more positive outlook, this year, he said. A worthy resolution.

I have many more than one, but don't know if it's productive to list everything out. Can't I just try every day to be better? What I eat, how I behave? I think yes. There's no rule that says the stroke of midnight is the time to change. But still, it's fun reading other people's reflections, and I like to have that catalog, too.

I haven't felt like there's been a good time to step away and be quiet/think during the end of December. So it feels "off" to do this now, on the 2nd of January, instead of 3 days ago, but it's the closest thing to quiet time that I am going to find, I think.

1. What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before?
I did a few new things this year. One of the nicest was taking those yoga classes. It ended with a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth, but I don't think it was the fault of the studio, just the circumstance. I still enjoyed having an instructor, and really pushing myself in the 4 classes I took. We also did family portraits with a photographer-friend -- that was awesome.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s Resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I've already talked about this a little, but here's what I wrote last year: "In 2013 I'm hoping to just move more lightly through the days. I want to be better at praying for help with the daily things; help with planning my schedule so that workouts are a part of most days, but not freaking out about it too much. I don't know. Planning my days so that it's possible to enjoy a lunch out with a friend once in a while, and do the errands later. I need spiritual help with these things. I want to be a better wife, mother, daughter, daughter-in-law, and friend. I don't know what else. I wish more light, a lighter feeling, for 2013.

I don't want to focus on the details all the time. I'd rather see the big things -- love, joy, dedication -- in the forefront, and the rest -- work projects, stress about commitments, etc. -- just background noise."

I think I did a few of those; the "overall" ones. I can still stand to work on some of the specific ones, like making workouts the norm, and having lunch dates with girlfriends. I actually feel like I have a few girlfriends in 2014, which is somewhat new.



As far as this year's resolutions... I want to smile more. I want to make sure each member of my family, including me, gets at least 8 hugs a day. :) I want to live more mindfully, particularly within my relationships (Kate). I want to work with more care, at work. I want to brush twice a day. I want to drink 8 glasses of water a day. I want to put the iPhone down more often than not. I want to continue to appreciate the little things. I want to take a family trip to Seattle. I want to update the kids' rooms.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, no.

5. What countries did you visit?
I like how Bethany said, "Maybe one day this question will be relevant." I doubt it will ever be very relevant for me. I don't have a lot of desire to see other countries anymore. We took our usual trips to see family, plus a nice day-trip to Chattanooga that I loved -- planning it, sleeping in a random hotel with the excited kids, doing all the touristy things.

6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
Peace of mind about my retirement accounts. This year, maybe because age 40 looms, I started worrying that maybe I'm not saving RIGHT for retirement. I do save -- I have, every paycheck since I started working -- but maybe I need to manually rebalance and plan BETTER? I don't know. I usually do the auto-rebalance plans, you know?


I'd also like to have a new (to us) house. Maybe. If we find the right one in the right price range, and sell ours.

And some snow! We didn't have a single snow [day] in 2013! Fingers crossed. :)

7. What dates from 2013 will remain etched on your memory, and why?
I don't have any specific dates, I don't think. Our day-trip in April was fun.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
In the spring, I had a very big (to me) choir solo "performance." (It was during a Mass, so not supposed to call it a "performance" but it was.) I've always wanted to be asked to do something like that, and I am proud of how it sounded. It was Mozart's Laudate Dominum.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Continual difficulty keeping my cool in pressure situations -- specifically, when Kate's behavior was bad. I forgot, several times, that she is only little, and that I need to teach her, not blame her. And that my time constraints and high standards may not be realistic. I didn't handle my anger very well in many of those instances. (But I'm working on it, and on being forgiving.)

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just my annual @$!*8# Christmas cold. I had to miss Midnight Mass, after working hard all season in choir rehearsals and really wanting to sing several of the anthems. Rrrrrr.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Maybe the ice cream maker. And I didn't buy it, but Shawn bought us FitBit Flexes. Two awesome things.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My parents', always traveling to be with us and understanding when we can't come to their house all the time. My MIL's, dealing with FIL's reduced physical and mental abilities (stroke). Alex's -- always having to put up with Kate's tantrums and my subsequent focus on her. Shawn's -- helping me survive parenting a daughter.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Children who have access to guns and their parents. Politicians. Miley Cyrus.

14. Where did most of your money go?
For the first time, NOT daycare! We had to give a lot of extra to the IRS last January, because of converting a traditional IRA over to a Roth (ugh). Most of it went to bills and the mortgage, though.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The Happier app is one thing. I am so grateful to have found an easy, fun way to count blessings every day. I think it has really helped me to feel happier.

16. What song will always remind you of 2013?
We spent a lot of time listening to Imagine Dragons' Radioactive, so that would be one...The Joy Formidable's This Ladder Is Ours was on repeat too, when it first came out... and Bridgit Mendler's Hurricane was in my head quite a bit. Also, Kate's dance recital piece was Miley Cyrus' Party in the USA so we heard that one a lot. Almost none of these songs were by my choice, but they're good and so I'm okay with that. I'll rely on my kids and husband to provide the tunes, no problem. :)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a. happier or sadder? Happier, definitely. More mindful.
b. thinner or fatter? Not thinner -- about the same, probably.
c. richer or poorer? Richer I think - we both finally had raises during 2013 after several years without them.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Running. Walking. Hiking. Inviting friends to lunch. Reading. "Date nights" and individual time with the kids, particularly Alex.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Yelling. Taking it personally.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
At home, recovering from a cold, not doing much of anything that would stress me out. Mom and Dad came on Christmas Day and they're still here, and I love that.

21. Did you fall in love in 2013?
Yes, with the same people I've loved since I met them: Shawn, Alex and Kate.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Downton Abbey. I binge-watched seasons 1 and 2 early last year, loved season 3, and can't wait for season 4 to start. On the other end of the spectrum, the Walking Dead became a favorite this year, and Modern Family, Parks & Rec, Cougartown, Duck Dynasty, Alaska: The Last Frontier and Property Brothers. (I watch a lot of TV.)

23. What was the best book you read?
I reread A Wrinkle in Time and it was by far the best. I also liked Tracy Chevalier's The Lady and the Unicorn, and Life of Pi.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I don't think I discovered anything. As I said, my husband and my 9yo (now) are my music source. (Yay!)

25. What did you want and get?
New lighting in my kitchen! A pretty new mug that is red, and has my initial "L" on it. (Seems so small, and it is, but I've wanted that very thing for so long!) An ice-cream maker! To host a small party at Christmastime! A happy, healthy family.

26. What did you want and not get?
To get a little more house-sale-prep done before the end of the year (oh well). Decor inspiration. A lot of crap moved out of the house and to the Goodwill.

27. What was your favorite film of this year?
We saw "Silver Linings Playbook" on Netflix and I liked that. Don't know if it was my "favorite" or if it even came out this year. Quick Google of "2013 movies" reminds me of "This is the End," which was hilarious. Oh, and "Oz the Great and Powerful." THAT was my favorite, now I remember. A lot of James Franco, I see now.

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Turned 39 in June! We went to dinner, I'm sure, but I don't recall any particular thing.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Having the right clothes and shoes. I need to do some serious shopping in 2014.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Ha. See above. I didn't even see this question when I answered that one.

31. What kept you sane?
The routine. I think having both kids at the same school since August has been a very positive, sane-making change.

32. What celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Apparently James Franco. Not really, though. Tina Fey/Amy Poehler. M. Lindsay Bierman (editor of Southern Living magazine). Pope Francis. 

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
Guns. I know my dad disagrees with me but I don't think anyone should have guns. That's an exaggeration. I just wish we could figure out who can be responsible with guns, and let them have them, but not let anyone else, particularly idiots and idiot parents.

34. Who did you miss?
My sister. We're both busy but we just don't seem to talk as much anymore (and our workday IM chats have gone by the wayside, and I really miss those.)

35. Who was the best new person you met?
I made a new friend at work. I really enjoyed her; she was the first cube neighbor in that spot that I actually liked. And then she was let go. :( I think we'll stay friends but of course, it's awkward.

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.
You just do the best you can, and you get another chance every single morning.

37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
This might be pretty cliche, but it's from "Life is Good" by Kenny Chesney (Googled "life is good" to find it):
Life is good, the grass is green
The good Lord smilin' on you and me
Gonna knock on wood
Sweet sunshine everywhere I look
You love me like no one could
Life is good

I'm a very lucky girl.

7QT: Might as well finish out the week!

--- 1 ---

HEAVY SIGH. Love & Logic Night 4: It doesn't work if you switch up the routine. As in, on Thursdays we like to watch a TV show all together from 8 - 9pm. So there's no time for the wind-down, the happy-dappy choices game, and the talking about the "agreement." Maybe there IS time, but I ...It was another epic fail last night and then I FORGOT about the Hail Marys. Convinced it won't work without the Hail Marys.

--- 2 ---

Little rant about new people at work: The new guy on my team consistently jumps ahead and does whatever he thinks, before consulting others. I don't know that I'd put his ranking above mine -- if he were a superior, I'd give him a pass -- but he's more on an equal level. Last week he and I were copied on an email with 2 "next steps," the first of which I was responsible for. (sorry Grammerrrr?) I completed my Step 1 yesterday, and he has already replied this morning with news that he'd gone ahead and done Step 2. SO WHY AM I EVEN HERE? GGRrrrrrrr. New people need to settle down and absorb the team vibe before coming in and stepping all over it. Good thing he has a kind-sounding accent and used a 'wink' emoticon in an email already, or I would dislike him completely. #workstuff

--- 3 ---

First dose of AJ's medication: Doc said it would start working within 3 days. AJ had placebo effect, in that case, because this morning he was all proud for eating his mini-pancakes (4) AND two Pop-Tarts. (See, I'm feeding him all the right things to put on weight!) But hey, good for him, whatever works!

--- 4 ---

Reading! Books are fun! I read Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, at the beach. It was super, super good. I've said before, any book that elicits a strong emotional reaction whether it's love or anger toward a character or a plot, ranks as good. If it engages me enough that I get mad, good! If I cry and cry because I don't want it to end, good! This one made me walk out of the bedroom, after I'd read the last chapter, with a "O_O" look on my face. WHAT JUST HAPPENED?? I loved it. I loved that that tiger was called Richard Parker.

Next, I read a book called Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It, by Gary Taubes. Don't recommend it. For a week and a half, it had my brain all skewed about what foods are good and what foods are "bad" -- it claims carbs are bad enough to be the CAUSE of cancer, and while maybe that's true, I have finally come back out of his brainwash, determined it's about 75% bunk. I mean, NO, we shouldn't eat all the white carbs. Obviously. Doughnuts and soft white bread are not real food. But his "diet plan" has you eating no sugar, not even fruit (red flag), no dairy except cream, plenty of fat, and he says you shouldn't exercise in the first couple of weeks because you won't have enough energy to do so. It was all very interesting, but confusing, and it's going into the archives of my Kindle so I don't have to look at it and be tempted again. It's one of those, "too good to be true" plans. Eat steak and butter and you'll lose weight!

I call Shenanigans. SHENANIGANS.

Right now I'm totally into Here Be Dragons (but only 40% through it, yay! don't want it to end)! Knew I'd love it, and I do.

--- 5 ---

Sandwich Artists: I just ate a delicious Black Forest Ham sandwich from Subway, with no chips whatsoever. The second half of that statement is, sadly, significant. But the keys to a good Subway, IMHO, are 1) Toast it; 2) Add avocado; 3) GET the onions. I know, you don't want to taste them the rest of the day, but MAN, can onions spruce up a boring ol' sandwich, or what? When I was in the 7th grade, my aunt made us ham and onion sandwiches sometimes for lunch (with mayo). I'd never had that simple combo before, but I liked it.

--- 6 ---

Stalling: Just now in the restroom stall, I heard the company Pres a few doors down, clicking on her phone. Settings > Keyboard Sounds, is my friendly advice to her.

--- 7 ---

No more Happiness Lists: I kind-of love this post from Britt Reints. SO many people, in so many "industries" like Health and Wellness and Stress and Productivity, are trying to distill the whole beauty of life down into "10 or 12 Easy Tips." And it's very tempting to think that could work -- could equal Happiness, capital H. Totally guilty here of wishing it were so. But guess what?

SEO tricks probably shouldn't dictate or measure your emotional status.

And with that, I'm done for the week. Happy Friday!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes: First week of summer

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I've done quick takes a lot (albeit sporadically) but I just found the HTML template today! Thank you, Jen!

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I'm having a love affair with chocolate. Perhaps this deserves a whole post on its own, but never have I been more IN NEED of daily chocolate doses. What's wrong with me? (It's not that.) (No, it's not that either.) I've just developed a habit, I guess, where after a meal I have my chocolate. At home, it's a Hershey's kiss dug out of the bottom of the giant Halloween/Easter bowl. We keep it in the cabinet for "dessert night" if the kids want candy. Today, I didn't have any at my desk, so after my trip to the bank, I whirled around the corner and ran into World Market where I picked up THREE big ol' 3-oz. bars. Here was my logic on getting three: If I had only gotten one, I'd have probably eaten the whole thing. With three, I KNEW I couldn't eat the whole amount so I'd likely behave myself. *cuckoo, cuckoo* I did behave - I only ate 3/4ths of a serving. NOM NOM ANTIOXIDANTS.

--- 3 ---

KT -- ballet recital. She's improved a lot over the last year, I learned last night at the dress rehearsal. She actually does the moves, in time with the music. She also has stage presence. She was one of the only girls smiling in her group and believe me, it helps. She looked like a tiny professional up there. She gets that from me. ;) No, but seriously, I'm getting dangerously close to the Stage Mom arena: it's so fun to say "dress rehearsal," just like I used to have when I was a theater junkie. She wants to continue in ballet, so now I have to pick the MOST PERFECT studio for her future career as a prima ballerina. (Her current teacher comes to her daycare so I don't have to drive, but they do not come to the elementary schools. They have a studio but it's not conveniently located.)

--- 4 ---

AJ -- 2 weeks of sleepaway camp starts Sunday! It only hit me today that he's going to be GONE. Away from his Mama's hugs. The weirdest thing is when he's not in his room at night. But I'm excited for him. I'm especially excited about the care packages and cards that I've already packed up, and will turn in when we drop him off so I don't have to mail anything. Only drawback is having to "invent" text for those cards -- I mean, it's mostly "Are you having fun?" and "I know you're having fun," but sometimes it doesn't feel natural unless you write "We're fine here at home -- just doing... normal home stuff." Heh.

--- 5 ---

DH -- So good to me. We've been juggling drop-offs and pick-ups and dinners, and tonight he's doing the yardwork, and he's just so CONSISTENT with things. I chose well. That's the update on him. :) I mean, I could go on and on -- I schedule things and THEN check with him, and he's fine with it. I fail to clean bathrooms (particularly his/ours) and he doesn't yell at me. (HE'D BETTER NOT.) I dry his shirt all the way twice in a row when it's supposed to hang to dry, but he manages not to even roll his eyes or sigh, just takes the shirt and moves on with his life. (I guess... I hope he's not stewing about that one.) He always drives us. He lets me say I'm too tired to cook, let's go out, and he just GOES with it. Alright, I'll stop. He's great, though. You should know that.

--- 6 ---

Reading! I've been reading! I finished Kingdom Keepers (meh), and then picked up a book I've had for years, since right after Girl with a Pearl Earring was so popular. It was The Lady and the Unicorn, also by Tracy Chevalier. LOVED it. Not quite as perfect as Pearl Earring, I didn't think, but CLOSE. So, since I was in the medieval mood I finally, finally downloaded Here Be Dragons to my Kindle and started it the other night. LL, I'm thinking of you!

--- 7 ---

Swimming! We went, last Friday, and here is a very big announcement: I DID NOT EVEN GET IN THE WATER. There were plenty of kids at our gathering, particularly some 9 and 10-year-old girls who were happy to play babysitter to the two 5-year-olds which included KT, and therefore, I was FREEEEEEE! I had a BEVERAGE! AJ stayed on his noodle (darn the bottom of the pool! If he could JUST touch the bottom all my swimming anxiety would be solved) and KT had on her arm floaties. I WANT to get her out of her floaties, and I am going to TRY to get them in swim lessons somehow, this summer, but DANG if it didn't feel refreshing to say, "Okay, have fun in the pool!" and just look up every once in a while to make sure they were fine. (THEY WERE FINE!)

This summer's beach week might be especially sweet by the pool! Yeehaw! EXCEPT that none of my gal-pals will be there to enjoy it with me (ahem, MB, LM, and J.BEANS)!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes: A little less ranty, a little more yummy

Sorry about below. Got a little fired up.

But Lent is nearly over and it's time to start celebrating! Yes, the joy of the risen Lord, but also, the fact that meatless Fridays are almost over! I'm a wimp, what can I say? Actually, that's not true -- I love meatless meals, but my family gets grumbly about them. So I'll be glad when I can just spring the meatless meals on them, on my OWN schedule.

Here are seven meatless meals we've had this Lent:

1. Breakfast for dinner. Our old standby. It's always fun to have Belgian waffles, even if you can't have bacon to go with them. And scrambled-egg burritos? Mine and DH's favorite. Mmmm.

2. IHOP. More of the same! My parents came up to visit during the first weekend of Lent, and we always like to go out to eat when they're here (although I will say that more often than we used to, we've cooked for them at home with great success). So we hit up IHOP on a Friday night and guess what... there was NO WAIT. We might have been the only customers. Again, too bad about the bacon, but we were counting Weight Watchers points, anyway. ;) Spinach omelet, anyone?

3. Frozen fried seafood. Sorry, food purists, but we like our fish sticks and our popcorn shrimp (new this year! KT lurrrvhs it) and our Kraft mac-n-cheese on the side.

4. Tuna Casserole. Egg noodles. Cream of Chicken. Can of tuna. Cheddar. Ritz. BOOM.

5. While not a Lenten dinner-menu item, I made these last week and WOW, were they good! Even the DH liked them! Black-bean and sweet potato burritos. I had never heard of such a combination but they are creamy, without being messy at all, and don't even need any additional salsa! WHAT? I know. Try them.

6. Good old Cheese Pizza from Papa John's. That might be what we're having tonight, in fact.

7. Our expensive pasta dinner. (Although you could, of course, do a muuuuuuch less expensive version at home. My version would be shrimp, noodles, garlic, parmsean. Even better with some sun-dried tomatoes.)

Only one more meatless Friday after today! Hooray!Visit conversiondiary.com for all the quick takes posts... as you already know.

7 Home repairs I'm sure the agent will suggest! An exciting QT post!

I'm sorry - I just need to list this stuff out to get it out of my head, so I can do my actual work today. I'm having a hard time concentrating with all the house nonsense swirling around in there. (Not to mention Christmas present-buying, travel-plans-making, where-to-put-the-Elf-deciding, aiiieeeee!)

1. Fix three bad places (I don't even know what to call these) on three different ceilings. There's the place that became wet after a big storm, which was our indication we needed a new roof; the place where, once, when we had some plumbing done upstairs, the ceiling downstairs was never the same; and the place in our bedroom where it looks like someone took a box cutter to the ceiling (I don't even know). Who do you call for work like that? Dry wall people? Are there such?

2. Replace the front porch and stairs and back deck. I don't know if she'll say we MUST do this, but the decks are wood and looking pretty sad right now.

3. Paint the garage walls. (I mean, we could stand to do a LOT of painting, but for sure the garage.)

4. Replace the dishwasher? Maybe. I didn't even think of this one until today, but we have a stainless fridge and a stainless stove/oven, and then a cream colored dishwasher. Seems like, even if we don't re-do the kitchen completely, maybe we should have matching appliances. ? (Clueless)

5. I fear she'll say we need to tear down the master bath and start over. And then I fear that one brand-new master bath will look out of place alongside the rest of the house. How does this work?

6. Okay, I can't think of anything else except the kitchen, kitchen, kitchen which I've mentioned a billion times already. I'll shut up.

7. I drove through a new neighborhood in our part of town on Wednesday morning before work, and there's a house that looks like the right size and price range with a lovely front yard and porch, and it's for sale. I wish I had time to drive around every neighborhood I can think of, and start looking. That's the fun stuff, although I promised DH I wouldn't get my hopes up because we may decide we're not doing this after all. I'm sure he's thrilled about all the blog posts. On the other hand, he put me in charge of starting the investigation, so he can't really say anything. Heh.

Happy weekend, y'all! I'm going to decorate for Christmas and make the house feel pretty! Selling point! Woo!

Visit conversiondiary.com for all the Quick Takes posts!

Weekly review of things: 7QT

Lots of things happened this week. :) Let me tell you them.

1. First of all, AJ got, and we have confirmed, his first loose tooth. Hooray! This is all very exciting and we've spent a lot of time talking about it; that it DOES feel weird and sort-of scary when a part of you is FALLING OUT; that saying "baby teeth" doesn't mean anyone thinks you're a baby, KT; that some kids lose teeth at around 5 years old, but others, not until 8 (or, last night, as AJ was telling his sister this very thing, he even stretched it to "8 or 9 because you're related to me so you may not lose them right away, either." He clearly has a secret wish she won't lose her first until after 8 and 4 months. Hee hee.

2. Yesterday the endocrinology office called to report that his labs all came back "normal, nothing for growth factor," and the doc still wants us to follow up in 4 months. Praise God! I always like phone calls from doctors that include the word "normal."

3. We have been working hard on eating habits. Unfortunately, we've also had a LOT of activities this week (it's possible November is WORSE than October for superfluous extra-curriculars), so we had McDonald's one night and then a cheap pizza buffet (fundraising night) the next. I mean, those are good, fatty foods for sure, and I think AJ ate plenty, but I wasn't monitoring or actively adding butter. LOL. Last night's Kraft mac and cheese was made using the "Classic prep" method-Plus: Half a stick of full-fat butter (what?!), whole milk, and because I put too much whole milk in before I realized it, I threw in a generous handful of cheddar cheese on top. Haha! Just casually tossed in a handful of extra cheese! So carefree! HOLY COW (literally), was that good mac. Yeah, I ate it.

4. KT visited a public elementary school yesterday, a field trip with her Pre-K class. I love this. I remember when I was four, I also got to visit a "big school." It was a childhood highlight. KT and her buddies saw the Kindergarteners perform some Thanksgiving songs (awww), and got to eat lunch in the cafeteria, with TRAYS and everything. Her favorite part was that they had "chocolate milk, vanilla milk, strawberry milk, and plain milk." I forgot to ask her which kind she chose.

5. I had my annual review. Let's all agree that annual reviews are stupid and annoying, but when they go nicely, they're sorta okay I guess. I have some new work things to try to improve, and some kudos for when I'm feeling low. I do not, however, have a raise. No one got any raises this year. Booooo. You suck, Economy.

6. (Yet to happen:) Thanksgiving lunch with KT at her school today. I can't wait to sit my fatass adult-sized frame down in one of those little red chairs. I love doing that. At least we know some of the parents, now that we've been attending each others' birthday parties for a couple of years. Wonder if I'll get a construction paper pilgrim hat, or Indian headdress? The good news is we did not MISS this event. Yesterday the school mistakenly posted on Facebook that her class had already HAD their luncheon, and there were tears in my cubicle, because WHAT IF I'd gotten the date wrong? I was picturing a forlorn KT, and believe me, you don't want to picture that. It hurts right in the heart.

7. (Yet to happen:) Date Night. On a whim, I asked our babysitter to come over tonight because DH and I are severely overdue. I think I've been a pretty decent roommate to him the last couple of months, but probably not a very good girlfriend. Sigh. We've just been so busy. And we're old. So, a night on the town! Doctor's orders! I don't want to see a movie -- I mean, I do, there are several I'd like to see, but I do NOT want to have to fight the mob that will be there to see Breaking Dawn 2 tonight -- so maybe we'll have dinner and then go shopping? No, scratch that -- we should definitely shop before we eat. Anyway, it will be good to only be the two of us for several hours, and to be away from the TV, couch and my blanket. (Our den is drafty, so when I get cold at 9:30pm I bundle up, and if I'm bundled up I'm basically asleep in five seconds. I'm a LOT of fun, let me tell you.)

Hope you're all as excited as I am that a very short week and its accompanying long vacation is coming up! More QTs at www.conversiondiary.com!

7 Quick Takes: Twitter, talents and treats

1. I'm not going to talk about the political issues because I'm polite, but I will tell you that Twitter makes the debates infinitely more fun (as if you didn't know that), and I definitely think during the debate on Monday we need to play a drinking game! (It's a shame it's on a Monday but hey, I support wine on Mondays already! Woo!) Twitter also makes it hard to pay attention to what they're saying with any seriousness. But that hardly matters -- it isn't like either candidate says anything meaningful, or even decipherable. I do agree with whoever suggested that their mics be automatically TURNED OFF after their allotted speaking time. When they and the moderator, all three, start stepping on each others' sentences, trying to get the very last word in, it makes me cringe and want to hide under my blanket.

My college had a well-known debate team (or conference? or event? I'm not sure) and I think about KIDS learning the "art" of debate. Hmm. That also makes me cringe a little. I'm hoping my kids won't be interested, heh.

2. But speaking of kids in public speaking situations, 8-year-old AJ has signed up for the Battle of the Books at his school. WAIT 'TIL YOU HEAR: They create their own teams of 4 (I hope he picks smart people and not just his buddies, if he gets to pick) and they divide a list of 24 age-appropriate books among themselves. Every other team has the same list (by grade level). Each kid gets 6 books which they have to read, study up on the author's bio, and other details, and then... Quiz Bowl! If one of your books is asked about, you're responsible to supply your team with the right answer. How I wish this had been available when I was a kid! Although... I did not have the memory for detail like AJ does. He will tell me in which chapter of which book of the 39 Clues mysteries that Dan and Amy found a silver dollar under a bench. And he read that book a year ago, and has read many, many books since. I can't fathom it. So I'm SLIGHTLY excited about sitting in the audience for his Jeopardy!-like debut.

3. And speaking of talents... despite all my worrying over him, that kid is doing so well in his martial arts class. Yesterday, they worked on some conditioning things first. One was "ball-jitsu." They used a stability ball and the instructor wanted the kids to swing one leg over the top of the ball and then bounce-sit on, and quickly back off, the top of the ball. Well, I thought there was no way AJ's little legs would manage that. But he DID. He adapts -- he kind of jumped over it at an angle, but impressed everyone. The instructors were like, "Whoa, AJ! Perfect!"

4. Blood pressure medication (DH) and heartburn (me). These are two things going on in my household right now. Great. We're old people. I ordered half-caff today at Starbucks and I expect to be getting my customized "LAME" badge any day now.

5. Because of the heartburn I was reading up on what we should and shouldn't eat. Always a comforting thing to do. I saw something about sugar being the complete enemy of health, and thought, I do really need to get my sugar intake under control. I don't drink my sugar (I drink alternatively-sweetened things or use Splenda), but I get a lot of it with little handfuls of M&Ms, and other treats. And then I remembered it's October. Hahahahahaha. Hmm.

6. The next couple of weeks are packed full of life and activity, so I'm putting this here so I'll remember it: I've got to figure out how and where to do early voting! I think Nov. 6 will be virtually impossible.

7. I found this Read the Catechism by email in a year yesterday, and I signed up. I don't know how long I'll stick to it, but it's worth a try, right? I also found this: calm.com. 2 minutes or ten, peace for hectic days. I love it more than toast. :)

Mommy, can I playonyourphone? and other QTs

1. Every day, someone or other asks me this question: "Mommy, can I playonyourphone?" Playonyourphone being one word, a word about which the inquirer KNOWS Mommy will likely roll her eyes, so it has to be said really fast so she barely understands it. On the days when I say no -- and this usually happens in the car, on the way home from school, which is a 20-minute drive at the most -- and it's not every day, only once or twice a week -- I get a lot of negative feedback. "But what am I supposed to DOOOOOO?" OMG. I love answering that question. "Sit there and look out the window! Let your mind REST! ....THINK! Sleep! Tell me about your classroom!" I fear for this generation, honestly. Think about your 8 or 9 year-old in a few years, out on his first date (charming ice cream parlor) with the girl of his dreams. Will he even know how to sit with her quietly and have a conversation? Or will both their heads be bowed down over individual LED screens? The texts will read, "How's it going?" from her BFF, and she'll type back, "I don't know, we're both texting about it but nothing has happened so far."

I'm being completely serious. They have to learn somehow that every moment of the day doesn't have to  enteratin them electronically. And I take it one step further: I want my kids to learn that silence is NICE. Restorative. I don't even play the radio in my car these days, my desire for them to understand this is so great. Come On, Kids! Rise Above the Tech Culture Standard, I want to say to them!

In related news, I am still actively trying to make sure my own iPhone is put away at least 90% of the time when we are at home, and it's a very hard goal to achieve. :-/


2. I have a Dunkin Donuts iced coffee this morning and it tastes exactly like a Coffee Nip.


3. We heard back from AJ's bone age scan. The lab tech said to me, "It's not abnormal, but it's a little, (pause) off." WTH? I guess I'm glad it's not abnormal? So we're waiting on an appointment time from the pediatric endocrinologist. Just to see. We certainly haven't decided anything one way or the other and I'm still not convinced he needs growth hormone. I'm only 5'1", his dad is 6' tall... my dad's 5'6"... I just really hope if we give him time (like some of you suggested in the comments, THANK YOU) that maybe he'll have his spurt. I simply do not know. We'll see if he's deficient and just go from there.



4. This weekend is our parish picnic. For years I longed to attend. It's always a free event, I wanted desperately to make friends in our community, and what's more glorious than a picnic, amirite? I imagined us sitting on the grass somewhere and saying hello to nice people. We went last year and it was.... okay. It was fine. (It was really windy, if I recall.) This year, there are definitely a few "friends" that I'm not especially wanting to run into; I know exactly what to expect of the food and the setup (i.e., there's no idyllic grass, I don't know where I dreamed that up); and... meh. It's got some fun things for the kids, like games and face painting... but I'm not overly enthused. Funny, I think, because no joke, this was something on my list of PERSONAL GOALS at one time.


5. Don't ask, about the friends I don't want to run into. Drama is not something I need in my life so I am going to ignore it and move on. (Ugh! There is a bit of Drama!)


6.  I put together some webstats this morning at work. It was sort-of fun to be able to draw conclusions.


7.  There has been very little morning-rush drama at our house the last 3 days. KT has put on her uniforms, let me do her hair, and generally cooperated. It's a miracle. Shhhhhhh.


quick takes every week plus really thought-provoking posts on the other days at conversiondiary.com

7 Quick Takes before Fall's First Day

1. Last night I decided I wanted to chat for a minute on Twitter about AJ's latest news (so I typed it in, and then promptly crashed on the couch). He had his hand X-rayed for bone age yesterday. He's 8 years old, 3'9" and 41.5 pounds, and hasn't yet lost any teeth, so the pediatrician advised we should see if his skeletal age is on par. The teeth-thing was the kicker, although our dentist has remained unconcerned all this time. AJ's fallen below the growth curve, after being in the 3-5th percentile since he was born. I feel nervous-tummy about it; growth hormone has been mentioned as a possibility. "Under five feet at fully grown" has also been mentioned as a possibility. (That was when my stomach sank.) There is a lot to talk and think about but I feel like I shouldn't even go there until the X-ray results are given to us. I'm so thankful that he's healthy, and happy. He (so far) has a great attitude about his size; we've always told him that people come in all shapes and sizes. And he says, "I can get into small spaces!"

2. Yesterday at work the whole Internet connection went down around noon, and wasn't back up and running until after 4:30. Can you believe they didn't even TRY to send people home?? Criminal. What were we supposed to do? File things?

3. We're going to a football-watching party Sunday afternoon. That will feel like fall. :) My husband is an Atlanta Falcons fan and I guess I've become one, too, especially after the arrival of Matt Ryan as our QB. But it's funny, I like a lot of the teams -- mostly because my friends or family members do. I like Seattle (my sister, and a co-worker); I like Denver (my BIL and of course because of Peyton Manning); I like Green Bay (college friend was from there and a huge fan); and I still like Tampa Bay. We're considered so odd around here because we don't really follow any one college team. I mean, we'll turn it on, and watch the score reports, but Saturday's not our Football day; it's Sunday/Monday. Who do you like?

4. In a similar vein, what fall recipes are you most looking forward to right now? Name three: 1 appetizer, 1 meal (a soup or casserole, perhaps??), and 1 dessert or sweet thing. Mine are: Rotel dip -- the one with crumbled sausage and cream cheese zomg; Baked Potato Soup in the crock pot with bacon on top; and pumpkin bread. YUMMY! I do love a good gumbo in the fall, too. I sincerely wish I could make mine as thick and hearty as I want it to be. I guess it's a lifelong pursuit and I'm willing to KEEP WORKING. ;)

5. Choir's started back up and I'm having my perennial angst about it. I love making music. I don't like spending so much time in rehearsals. I would like to do some other things, like take a regular yoga class (or a tap class!), but I don't feel like I can claim TWO weeknights for me-time. We're about to hit the "divide and conquer" years with two kids in school and activities. I'd hate to leave the choir again, but on the other hand I'd love to not have this argument with myself (and my blog) again. Sorry.

6. I've come to the conclusion that Mondays must be handled in a very specific way:

• Starbucks or DD treat in the morning (instead of Friday)
• Lunch at home on the deck if it's nice outside (or with DH or a friend if they're avail.)
• Dark chocolate at some point in the day
• Read this at some point in the day (I love this)
• Wine when I get home

It's the only way. I can't wait to try my new plan next week. See? "Can't wait" re: a Monday? Already working.

7. Does anyone watch Parks & Recreation? What'd you think of last night's episode? John McCain! Hee hee! That was funny. I think Amy Poehler looks great but I'm not very interested in a plot line of her long-distance relationship with Ben. I love Ben, but LDRs? Depressing. I need more Tom, more Donna, and more Chris Traeger + Ann Perkins. PLEASE get those two back together, I say. :)

happy friday, friends. Visit the quick takes hub.

7 Quick Takes - 20-year reunion edition

(Watch out, two posts in one week!)

1. So, the thing about reunions and high school classmates is that they're like your brothers and sisters, really. I mean, they're so far planted into the fabric of who you are, and where you've been, and how you relate to the world. Before the reunion, I was trying to figure out WHY we feel the need to reunite with people we only hung around for 4 years. I thought, I have Facebook, I don't really need to see these people in person, many of whom I didn't even like all that much back then, and I don't know who I'm even going to talk to. But after the reunion, where I didn't ever feel the need to include last names when introducing people to my husband -- "This is Edward ___ wasn't necessary -- it's just Edward. I mean, you know -- Ed! From my LIFE." -- I get it now. We get together because they're part of us, whether or not we want them to be.

2. Especially coming from a small Catholic school like mine. We all laughed about wearing name tags. Really? We need these? There were only 88 of us. We didn't have the kind with yearbook photos, thank goodness, but still. I suppose they're for the spouses, mostly. Apparently, late at the Friday night event, which we missed because we were still driving into town, the name tags of the absent people got passed around, even to some random strangers who were at the same bar where the class was gathered. Such a typical thing for the jokers from my class to do. When they told me about it the next night, they said they had given mine to some young 20-something and told her a little about me... and then she went ahead and looked me up on Facebook on her phone. And I HAD gotten a very random friend request that night (I was checking my phone while we drove, to see photos from the event; there weren't many.) I ignored it like I do all weird friend requests, but now I know what it was!

3. Lots of people DO NOT CHANGE.

4. Some people do, however. The person I talked to the most, probably, was a person I talked to only a handful of times during school (but he's part of my BEING!). He was too cool then, not in the popular athlete kind of way, but in the popular-alternative-music-and-extreme-sarcasm way. Wait, those people weren't the popular ones in your school? They were, in mine. (So were the athletes, but the alt-music crowd was a different kind of cool, altogether.) Anyway, he's now a stay-at-home dad (!), homeschooling his two boys, doesn't drink at all (!), and still playing music, now in a local country band "because that's where the money is." He said all their dreams and inspirations went out the window once they got older and now playing music is "all business." HA! HAHA! 

5. I started thinking, this morning, about our principal. She's been there 25 years+. She was the only nun at our school (nun shortage, you know) and... we all really hated her. But now I can't really remember when we, as students, ever talked with her or how she appeared in our daily lives. I mean, I know she was in charge, she had a reputation for being "mean," and she did used to walk the halls sometimes, but it isn't like she taught classes -- she mostly stayed in her office. I bet she would have been a good moderator for clubs and things... but she didn't do that. I bet deep down, she's led quite a lonely life, actually. I bet she knew the cruel names we all called her. (Adults, I know now, aren't stupid.) I think I need to add her to my daily (or, my whenever I remember) prayer list. I wonder how long she'll stay there?

6. Some people REALLY change. The sister of one of our classmates who has passed away (I say that for MB's benefit), turns out to be a really good, interesting, kind person. She and her mom attended our events and I'm so glad they did.

7. They had a photobooth.With props (not seen in this pic).

7 Quick Takes relative to nearly nothing

1.  We saw the new Spiderman movie last night. (On a weeknight! We didn't even go home after work, just simply met at the theater!) Both my husband and I -- he a devoted Marvel Comics fan since childhood, me a reluctant but now immersed present-day fan -- thought that they did a fantastic job with the re-boot. You didn't think Tobey MacGuire could be bested as nerdy Peter Parker? Neither did I. But I have to say, Andrew Garfield definitely gave the character more nerd. DH said, "I was jealous of his hair." Hahaha. Anyway, if you're a Marvel devotee, you will probably enjoy the film. It's somewhat darker than the Sam Raimi version, but I thought that the girlfriend, the family relationships and the music, in particular, were more beautiful.


2.  One of the things I've been struggling with professionally is just my lack of friends in the office. And a problem of our modrun-day-soci-uhtee, which is that we're all too damn busy (read: doing the jobs of 3 people) to chit-chat (read: get to KNOW each other) during the day, or take lunches very often, or have any fun. Blah. Even with those restrictions, though, I'd be happier if I had more than ONE person to call a buddy. One person to tell weekend stories with. One person I go to lunch with. And she's my manager so sometimes, she's not the perfect candidate but she's all I got. Suppose I should spend more time being grateful for HER.

3.  In June, we signed on to my company's health insurance instead of DH's, and guess what -- it costs HALF as much. This is another thing I'm having a hard time reconciling -- I'd love to seek out a different gig, but I hate to give up this brand-new benefit that's going to save me so much money this year! Kinda stupid logic, I know, and I guess no reason to stay miserable, if I am, in fact, miserable, but... still. I'm not quite miserable yet.

4. Let's switch gears to talk about the fact that TONIGHT I get to see my kiddos! We have LOVED having this week to ourselves. Morning-time, alone, has been worth having those two away for a week! So calm! So easy! Wake up, shower, get dressed, make coffee... don't talk if you don't feel like it! There's a lot of talking going on when they're home in the mornings. However, I do look forward to having them back. The household personality has been reduced by a large margin and ohmygosh, do I need some AJ and KT hugs. I don't think I'd even mind some constantly-shared details about the latest level of Pokemon.


5. What do I wear to my 20-year HS reunion this weekend, Internet?? Nah, just kidding. Of all the cliche mom-blog topics. I'd show you what I'm considereing, but I can't find, online, the items I bought last week at the Talbot's outlet. One is a silk tank-top with capris, the other is a casual dress (not black). Trying to remember to just be myself, and that we're too old to judge each other based on clothing. We're attending the Saturday "family" beach event (who decided this? Are we supposed to wear swimsuits? The invite says bring towels. I'd like to kick the asses of the planners if so, and I will probably wear shorts), and the Saturday night adults-only party. Skipping the school tour Sunday morning, although that would be fun. I'm sure there will be plenty to write about afterwards. Naturally I have a new zit today.


6. Going home at lunch is simply one of my favorite things. Especially when it contains these three things: Wrapping presents for my widdle boy who will be EIGHT on Sunday (!!!); eating a VIRTUOUS salad of kidney beans, green peppers, tomatoes and Italian dressing for lunch; and watching Wimbledon! That is how it went down today, and it has added quite a bit to my overall assessment of this long Friday.


7.  The things for which I am responsible at my office are not in any way related to life or death. So if that email doesn't get designed/sent today, it's not that big of a deal. If that website isn't updated until Monday, no one will really notice (truly, just about no one will). If those magazine samples aren't mailed out, Who Cares? This kind of freedom is one thing I do appreciate about my job.


Don't miss http://www.conversiondiary.com/ for the Queen of Quick Takes!

Ta-da!! The 2011 Year-End Meme, slighly shortened

Oh, I seeee... people are getting weary of the Questionnaire. Think they don't NEED that old antiquated MEME any more, now that the Internet's all grown up and we can do it our own selves. Well. Back in MY day...

You know, I agree. I guess I'm a little tired of the format, too, but how else do we start?

Overall, I would say that 2011 has been a great year -- I can't complain, truly. We did have a broken arm situation, and some financial stuff that was annoying in our immediate vicinity, but other than that no major troubles! Woo hoo!


1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
The aforementioned broken arm was new! I never broke a bone and had no idea how that all works. In fact I had previously worried, as one might when one's never gone into labor before, "How will we KNOW if it's bad enough to go to the hospital?" Now I know. I also helped throw a surprise 70th birthday party for my Dad -- never done that before. :) I took the week of Spring Break off work to spend with AJ. I want to do that every year now!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Last year I was feeling smug and forlorn at the same time, and so I made very simple resolutions which I mostly kept. I said then, flossing more than 'hardly ever' will be EASY. Heh. I did floss a little bit more than the previous year, so I WIN. I ate a bit more yogurt in 2011, yes, but I still don't love it. Eh. Who really cares. And my 2 dinner parties, I think, happened. One of them was very early in the year, and the other was Christmas dinner which barely counts, since it was hosting my parents... but I say Win.
Funnily enough, although I REFUSED to make a health-kick "Resolution" last year, I did do better overall in 2011 than ever before. I know I have mentioned that I signed up for Sparkpeople.com, and it did help me in many ways, stick to my routine. I was quite faithful February through May, then the hot months came along and it was harder, but I used the treadmill and didn't really backslide until September/October/November. I started the Couch to 5K in the end of November and I'm still trying to do that. So perhaps the answer is DON'T RESOLVE, JUST DO.

(Good grief, this is just the 2nd question! I may skip several of them.)
No one close to me gave birth, or died, and I visited no countries.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
I always say "Lottery winnings" but I will also include Solid Nights' Sleep more often than not. This year was a tough sleep year.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
This sounds ridiculous, but Feb 21st is my "Sparkiversary" (haha, embarrassed glancing as I use nerdy insider terminology) and I'm trying to have made some real progress/success by 2/21/12;
June 10 - the weekend of, because we were all together with my parents and sister/brother-in-law, and that rarely happens;
Sept. 11 -- the 10th anniversary was quite a Thing, wasn't it? Our community did a big display of 3,500 US flags in a huge park, and it was breathtaking. We drove by it every day for a week.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I hate to say this but there was a work project that took a huge majority of my time, but it was/is successful and made me look good to my peers. I am proud of it, although I wasn't the only one on the committee. I also have to cite our PAINTING project at home, because it was so long in the making and changed the look of that room so pleasantly/dramatically.

9. What was your biggest failure?
This doesn't keep me up at night, but we did fail to save as much money as we would have liked this year, and also failed to get our wills written. That is going to be a HUGE goal for 2012 -- the wills, I mean. We've been meaning to do it for (gulp) 7 years at least, since AJ was born.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Boring question, and no.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
We bought DH a new car in January, and it's been so good for him to drive something cool and not my old beat-up '97 Corolla. I think he feels like a real man again. Ha. We also bought a new refrigerator (awesome), a new water heater (unexpected) and a new water main line (lame)! So I've now answered the next question.
12. Where did most of your money go?

13. What did you get really excited about?
Seeing Guys and Dolls in August. I love the theater and especially that show. We were so excited to watch AJ's car win the Pinewood Derby in February! And I was on pins and needles when my sister came in THIRD in her first triathlon of the year! We were watching her times online and it was almost as exciting as being there! So awesome. I got really excited/emotional about that, for sure.

14. What song will always remind you of 2010?
The soundtrack of "Tangled,"which is great, and the Good Luck Charlie theme song, which is not that great. KT plays those two shows on Forever Repeat every chance she gets.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you: Happier or Sadder: Happier. I think the kids are getting to the age where DH and I are getting some of our old life back. I mean, a little bit... As much as you can when one of them's still under 5... but still. It's something.
Thinner or Fatter: Same I think.
Richer or Poorer: Poorer, probably. Cost of groceries really seems to be increasing significantly. Or is that just me?
16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Fun activities with the kids. Taking more pictures and videos. (I might have to do the "One photo a day" thing this year. Days off just for me (I did take one, and it was HEAVENLY.)

17. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Gawd, bulk shopping at Costco. I was conned into my volunteer job for the school and I will NOT be doing it again next school year.
19. What was your favorite TV program?I fell in love with Parks and Rec this year. Especially the theme song.

20. What were your favorite books of the year?
I didn't read too many, but The Hunger Games series wins, hands-down.
21. What was your favorite music from this year?
I'm certain I don't listen to any current music.
22. What were your favorite films of the year?
No idea. We loved Inception (was that new in 2011?), The Help, The King's Speech (2011?) Deathly Hallows 2 (2011?)... I can't remember any others.

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
Sometimes you're just going to have to sweat a little.
Cookies are allowed, you're not a bad person for eating them.
Musicals make me happy.
Keep putting money in the savings account because you never know.

For Cayt, and for being a follower! The Silly Accent Vlog

Aaaaaccccckkk! Embarrassing! But I totally did want to do this, depsite my protestations yesterday. Hi, Mom, here is my accent! The first one of these I watched last Friday was Jonniker's, and then I went into a time-warp and watched about 15 of them, some from bloggers I don't even know. So interesting! Amusing! Anyway, I thank Cayt for prodding me one time, because it was all I needed to satisfy the need to film myself (?!! why?). Hee hee.



Here are the instructions:

Say the following words: Aunt, route, wash, oil, theatre, iron, salmon, caramel, fire, water, sure, data, ruin, crayon, toilet, New Orleans, pecan, both, again, probably, spitting image, Alabama, lawyer, coupon, mayonnaise, syrup, pajamas, caught

And answer these questions:
What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug that curls into a ball when you touch it?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you use to change the TV channel?

p.s. I forgot "ruin." But I say, "roo-in," not "run," as some of my friends do. I actually love when I hear an authentic, "ruint." I even have a Mississsippi friend who jokes and says, "rur-nt." HAAAAA!

p.s.s. I don't say, "see-rup," what was I thinking? I realized after watching this a few times, and going BACK to re-watch Arwen's, again (and others' too... obsessed much???), that I had told HER in her comments, that I couldn't IMAGINE saying "see-rup," that "suh-rup" was the ONLY WAY. So I'm feeling the need to atone for and apologize for this grave mistake.

Just Write: Right Now

I'm going to try this free writing exercise with Extraordinary Ordinary. Thanks to Nicole for pointing it out to me! Warning: This could end up being a very boring entry!

AJ, age 7, is sitting behind me at the kitchen table. I hear his pencils, coloring a West Virginia flag picture (drawn with much angst and crying last night from a picture we found online), working so hard I can almost also hear his tounge sticking out.

The dog is under the table. I hear him breathing, snoring (a good thing for a 15-year-old lab).

I poured us Cokes, a rare treat, but I left mine over there, on the counter. I can still taste its yummy sugar in my mouth. AJ has only drunk a little of his and I'm glad he's not a Coke guzzler. Last time I gave him Coke, he was enthusiastic in telling me, "Mom, Coke is REALLY GOOD." Rare treat, rare treat.

Next we'll have to cut out a construction paper cover for this state report. But I'm supposed to be talking about right now.

I see snacks waiting by the back door, to be taken to the boys' Den meeting tonight. DH's first as a Leader; I know he's slightly nervous. It makes me smile. I see a load of recycling that needs to be taken out (and I'm glad we finally signed up with a trash service that separates recycling, because I think it's a good lesson for the kids). The kids looooooove to take out the recycling, by the way.

Now I hear the dog clicking around the wood floor on his nails (we rarely cut them). And AJ wants to show me his finished flag. Have you ever drawn the West Virginia flag? It's really a tough one, as state flags go.

I get up to look, and I'm really proud of him. I will probably shuffle off to begin the nightly stroll through the pantry/fridge, to figure out something for dinner. I'm thinking chicken.

7 Quick Things I Did Yesterday

It was a busy day.

1. Got up at 5:00 am. I started this schedule last school year, and it did accomplish the task of allowing me to do homework with AJ twice a week at our kitchen table. I do also kind-of like being awake before everyone else, and leaving the morning shuffle of dressing kids and gathering backpacks to DH, while I drive to the office at 6:15. (They also behave better for him than for me.) HOWEVER. It’s so earrrrlyyyy! Whine. I’m unsure if I really want to keep up with it this year again.

2. Witnessed some police business going down! I was in the drive-thru line at the bank, and another guy in line was evidently not doing the right thing, to use daycare-ese. 4 cop cars and 1 plain-clothes investigator! They cuffed the dude while my teller was all, “Thank you for banking with Wells Fargo!” over the tin-can speaker.

3. Made it to carpool in time. I was not the last car, and this always pleases me. One reason I am unsure about continuing these early days is the extreme rush it takes for me to GET to carpool. Even with leaving my office at 3:30 (exactly 480 minutes after I arrive at 6:30, minus lunch), I hate that stress. AJ knows if I don’t make it, not to panic... but I panic.

4. Met an online friend IRL! A sweet lady I met on Sparkpeople.com lives right around the corner from us. She and I met up for a 30-minute walk in the park, and AJ came with us. He walked a little and played on the playground a little. I don’t know if we’ll continue to meet in the afternoons (I’d rather not have AJ there by himself, although I do think it’s important to model for him the importance of physical activity), but I think we’ll definitely meet again.

5. Cooked a real dinner for once this week. It had a protein, vegetable, fruit, and Crescent Rolls. It was not hot dogs, chicken nuggets, leftovers, microwaved, or one of my frequent dinner solutions. We hadn't had this dish in a while and I thought it was delicious.

6. Went to the 1st choir practice of the season. We had fun, and my only regret was being overly excited about some music we’re doing this year that I’ve done before. I don’t want to be THAT GUY, who acts like she knows it all, already. Yeesh. *stupid stupid!* I do wish we'd get some additional people to join. Young-ish people would be nice (average age in our choir is about 60). Edited: NOT that there's anything wrong with 60, of course (Mom)! But it would be fun to meet some singers my own age.

7. Barely saw my husband. So I bought him a pint of Cherry Garcia. We first ate that flavor on our second date, I believe it was, 12 summers ago in 1999. I remember being excited that he shared a bite, on his spoon, with me. So intimate! ;) Anyway, I barely saw him yesterday, so it’s a good thing we have a date night planned this weekend. I can’t wait.


more quick takes hosted by Jen!

Seven Quick Takes for AJ's 7th Birthday

Age 1.

We think AJ is figuring out ma-ma and da-da. Real WORDS. Evidently while I was gone, he saw a picture of me and DH, and looked at it and said, "ma-ma." **Heart melts.** Sweet, sweet, boy.

Age 2.

When we're outside, he's figured out that it's fun to RUN downhill. Again, I wince when he does it and prepare myself for a trip to the ER, but the joy on his face almost makes up for the heart attacks. His immediate request, when he falls, is for me to kiss it (although, no matter what hurts, he offers his LIPS to get kissed), and then he asks for "Ice?" Ahhhh, I love it. I always remind him that I will ALWAYS & FOREVER kiss his booboos.

Age 3.

He's fun to play board games with at this stage, because he's not competitive. Whoever wins, he screams with glee, "You WIIIIINNNN!"

Age 4.

AJ's adventure of the week: sticking something in his ear "just to see what would happen." He saw what happened, alright. A nice metal forceps AND a warm earwash later, and I don't think he'll be sticking paper OR crumbs anywhere but his pockets from now on (he'd better not)!

Age 5.

[he was so small then!]

Age 6.

We have no idea how this happened, but oh, man, watching your child succeed, and seeing HIM swell with pride and excitement... it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt. I was most proud of his attitude, and those of his fellow Scouts, though. When their own cars weren’t racing, they were cheering each other on.

Age 7. We're going to start it off with a bang, try out a new bike, go to TACO MAC (your favorite), and celebrate YOU all weekend. And then we'll see what happens next. Happy birthday, my amazing, sensitive, serious, articulate, adorable boy (who knows how to swim)! There's nothing better than watching you grow.

quick takes!

7 Quick Takes (real quick!)

1. I'm in a hurry because I have lots of Friday tasks, and I want to STAY BUSY today so it will go by quickly. (i.e., not loll around online in G-reader and TweetDeck trying to find interesting things to do/read. NO NO NO!!) Because my parents are here, and DH's parents arrive this afternoon, and I want the weekend to hurry and get here already!


2. One of the tasks I'm supposed to do today is set up our corporate blog. YOU WOULD THINK this prospect would DELIGHT ME, as I have been blogging for 6 years this month. But I have been putting it off for 3 weeks! What gives? I have no idea. Maybe I don't want to sully my love of blogging by making it a work thing? Maybe I'm afraid I won't like Wordpress? But this has been one of MY big ideas/initiatives for the company, since before I even got the job! I'm a champion procrastinator, I guess, and this proves it.


3. I plan to make mojitos for Happy Hour. I bought a mix for DH for Valentine's Day -- kinda lame but we both like mojitos, and our previous attempt to make them with actual ingredients turned out very 'meh.' The mix, naturally, or maybe NOT naturally, tastes like Kool-Aid with lime. :)


4. Mojitos feel very spring/summery to me and it is awesome that we're having summer weather today! I'm not even wearing socks! This gorgeous 70-degree stuff is supposed to last the next five days or so. Yayyyyyy!


5. I have to thank Mighty Maggie for pointing me, last week, to the Paul Haggis vs. Scientology article. Holy (haha, not) barrels of awesome. I don't know WHY I am so fascinated with the cults, but give me the FLDS, the Scientologists, the Moonies, any of them, any day... I will read it. I have theories as to why I like learning about them so much, but that's a whole other blog post. Anyway, I've always wondered what in the heck Travolta and Cruise are all 'het up' about, and I still don't understand it, but at least now I have a vague idea of what they do, and legitimate cause to laugh at them. Bravo, Mr. Lawrence Wright (author).


6. THAT bullet led us in a completely different direction, didn't it?! In other freaky-deaky news, I have had a dream twice now, where I am walking around in some big mall-like building in the Perimeter area of Atlanta, looking for an exit. When I find the exit, I become relieved because I've found Interstate 285. 285 is a giant highway that encircles the main metro area, and my dream-self always says, Oh, good, now I can just walk around 285 to get back to where I need to be. Which I then proceed to do. Last night there was also a giant black tornado cloud spinning over the East side of 285, which I could see from where I stood. And yet, I continued to walk toward it. (I actually live on the WEST side of 285.) WHAT DOES IT ALL MEEEEEEEN? Like I said, I've dreamed this twice.


7. KT's party is tomorrow, provided she doesn't turn up with PINKEYE. There are 2 cases of it at her school (not in her class), and... I fear to tell you... she's been complaining about her eyes and having a tiny bit of morning goop in 'em (sorry). I seem to remember the last time we had pinkeye in the house that it's more of a cold/fever thing, but... well, if I have to cancel the party in order to be the good mom and not infect other children, I will just cry. Especially because all the grandparents made the trip. Frickinfrackin.


Thanks to Jen for hosting 7QT!

2010, All Summed Up

Okay, fine. I'm a sucker for a blogging prompt as evidenced by '09 and '08. I'm also bored at work. I do have some tasks, but... aykm? On Dec 30? Forget it. So here is my 2010 review:

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
Hmm. Started going to the office at 6:30 am. And had an honest-to-goodness White Christmas.


2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Skip.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nicole! Her 6th! She is amazing. Also my neighbors next-door, across the street, and next-door in the cube! But those 3 are 'close' in proximity only.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
Oh, come on.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
Lottery winnings.

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I think June, because it was the first time AJ went to his grandparents' house all by himself for a week. :)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I think making Flex-Time work for us was a big achievement. It's not always easy, but it satisfies one of my wishes, which is to be a little bit more present for AJ as he tackles school and homework and such.


9. What was your biggest failure?
After a decent start in the spring, and even a good idea in the fall, I let my motivation to exercise completely deflate to zero. I've got to reboot, again, in that department. FRICKINFRACKIN.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Only minor ones, I guess. That one weird stomach bug during a T-ball game that made me faint and put me down for at least 2 days, in the bed! And asthma returned to my life in November, which is not cool. It's died down for the last few weeks but I should probably look into the better management of that. I.E., get myself to a doctor.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
New inhaler? No, I think all the Christmas presents we bought this year were well received. Kids and adults, alike. We did good!

12. Where did most of your money go?
We replaced one of 2 AC units in our house, so that was a big chunk, and we had to pay for Puppy's surgery, but other than that we didn't have gigantic expenses this year, thank goodness.

13. What did you get really excited about?
The Spring T-ball playoffs were such fun, and I got very excited about our trip to North Carolina in the fall. I'm about to get excited about a new car purchase!

14. What song will always remind you of 2010?
The Phineas and Ferb theme song, I'm sure. Lovers in Japan by Coldplay. The choral Christmas album my sister sent me was really magical for me this year, most especially Veni Redemptor Gentium.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you: Happier or Sadder: Equally happy
Thinner or Fatter: Fatter
Richer or Poorer: Richer, I think. All my new oil money, heh.

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
I'm torn because I want to say, "Having friends over." But I'm a homebody and recluse, too. I see other people having little parties -- I attend them -- and I think, "I should do something like this." I need to have our across the street neighbors over very soon, for dinner, and our T-ball buddies as well. So, fine: there are 2 resolutions for 2011.

17. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Aiming bad feelings toward my next door neighbors. But they're SOOOOOO annoying. Sigh. I can't win - I don't WANT to dislike them, but it's oh so satisfying.

18. How did you spend Christmas?
See here.

19. What was your favorite TV program?
Modern Family. And even Cougartown!

20. What were your favorite books of the year?
Loved The Help by Kathryn Stockett, and loved The Host by Stephanie Meyer. (Hey, another thing to love about the Kindle is it helps you 'remember' what you read during the year!)

21. What was your favorite music from this year?
Already answered that above, I think.

22. What were your favorite films of the year?
Finally saw Little Miss Sunshine, which I liked a lot. Saw the Twilight series, and enjoyed sharing that with DH. Still haven't seen HP and the Deathly Hallows, if you can believe. Sad about that. Oh, and I mentioned the Princess and the Frog yesterday! We saw a lot this year compared to years before!

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Turned 36 in June. We had pizza dinner at Vincent's, a cute little restaurant nearby, and then cake with a candle at home afterwards. It was lovely!

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? All in all, I think it WAS pretty satisfying. Just the lottery winnings, thanks.

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? About the same, heh. Pretty bad, heh. Needs Improvement. I did buy one sweater dress and tights that I love.

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
This is life. Life is messy. Just ride along and try not to worry. I feel like that's how I got through this busy, but normal year. Just ride along. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. :)