I worry...

Jacksonville Beach Florida, 2004 If you look at the time I'm writing this entry, 4:04 am, you'll know I can't sleep! I can't sleep because I'm worried...worried about doing a good job as being a mother. You see those 4 beautiful daughters above, the ones that my Heavenly Father sent down for me to look after and care for? Yes, my friends, I worry about them and I worry about me. I realize there are no do-overs when it comes to being a mom...you can never go back and rewind the day you just had with those kids. You can only wake up the next morning and pray that you'll do better today. I pray all the time that I am making the right decisions for them, that I am leading them down a path that will ultimately let them be the best that they can be. When they were really little I worried about them crossing the street, worried that they would share their toys with others, worried that they someday, they would grow up and leave me. Now my worries are different, I worry that they will make friends in school, that they will be kind and understanding towards their friends and enemies. With Hannah and Hailey, I worry that they will choose good friends in school, that they'll get asked to the prom by a boy who will respect them. I worry about so many things and I realize that I can't always fix their problems. Sometimes I have to just hug them and let them know I love them. And sometimes I have to find it deep within me to let them go...to make their own decisions, even when I think it might lead to heartache, theirs and mine!

So for those of you who are kind enough to listen to me, send a special prayer my way...one that will get me through those times when all I wish for is a Handbook On How to Raise Daughters The Right Way. The way that will bring them back to a loving Heavenly Father...who will be waiting for them and then will turn to me and say, "Well done, though good and faithful servant"

I love these girls...more than I can adequately express. I wish them peace, happiness, self esteem, and I wish them success...in whatever form that takes!

Any (psycho) Dream Will Do...

Let the record state that I have been known to have some odd and quite crazy dreams in the past, BUT this one has got to rank up there in the top 10. Last night I went frickin psycho in the dream department!!

I was somewhere in India, touring around with some of my family, seeing the usual sights...turbans, snakes in baskets, Aladdin's home in Acraba...that sort of thing. When next thing I know I am flying through the air, not on a magic carpet, but on the back of some old man wearing a turban. We were just cruising around, but the weird thing is that he had these delicious, yet odd looking, berries strewn all along the outside of his turban. I was merrily going along, seeing the sights and eating the berries! I remember flying through the trees and following the snakes and making loop-d-loops (like on a rollercoaster) and at one point I thought I might throw up.

Ok, here is where it gets really weird and a bit gross. My sister, Angie, and I had to go the bathroom. Well I guess in India, most women just squat (in my dream, that is) so Ang and I had to pay all this money to use a flushing toilet. When we went in there were like 20 women following us...they wanted to watch us crazy "Americans" sit on an actual toilet. So we did our business, but just before we flushed, an Indian woman came in with a cut open pig and spread the bloody pig all over the walls where we touched and on the toilet seat! Then she just put him in the toilet and flushed him and our pee away!! OK....what the h***!!!!! Where did that come from? To end this crazy tale my mom and I were arguing over whether or not we could buy Zanax at the local mart. I said yes we could, and we should, she disagreed. (Mexico, anyone?)

Anyways, that was my totally crazy night. The thing is, I didn't even take NyQuil or Acid before bed, see Lewis Carroll would be proud... this story would put his "Alice in Wonderland" to shame!

At that my friends, is one bad ass dream...that's how we roll around here in MY head!! Maybe I'll need a nap this afternoon...I'm a little tired from all that traveling:)

Yeah, she pretty much kicked my butt!!

So our friends, the Bolingbrokes came over and blessed us with their presence last night. We had a good time, playing cards and stuffing our faces with junk food!

Then it was time to get serious and do battle with Christine on Guitar Hero!! Yes, it's true...she kicked my ***, pretty much kicked it clear from here to Toledo! All I have to say about that is....RAT FARTS!! I am going to have to do some serious practicing so that next time I can redeem myself. But in spite of getting killed, I still had a great time. So thanks Kev and Chrissy Lou...we had a great time!

That darn Tooth Fairy!

So Hudsen had to have three teeth pulled this week...it was quite dramatic but we managed to pull through. But this is the thing...she insists on putting her teeth under her pillow one at a time. That means the tooth fairy needs to remember to show up 3 nights in a row!! Our first night was a failure...a no show from the Tooth Fairy, 2nd night she remembered (Phew)...now only 2 more nights to go. I'm praying that she will be on the ball enough to show up...that darn Tooth Fairy, she's just a tad forgetful:) Wish us luck tonight!!

Wait...Stop...Rewind!

Ok, I'm only going to ask you once...where did my week go? It's already Friday and I haven't found time to catch up on anyone's blogs...did anything happen while I was gone? Did anyone have any good plastic surgery or sored affairs while I was away? One week ago I was driving my little (Ok, big!) fanny down to St George to meet up with my cute husband and see my lil friend Tara and I'm just now getting around to blogging about it. That's just not like me...I tend to blog all those things soon after they happen. I must work on this...I'm sure you have been dying to know what's going on in my life:) So the next time my kids need to eat dinner or someones been injured and bleeding and needing my attention I will ask them to please wait...For I will be busy updating my blog!

St George was great...no snow and sunshine...exactly what I like. I got to visit with Tara and Jeff, even curl up in my favorite bed with Tara (not what it seems people...please, get your mind out of the gutter) and my kids loved playing with Gracie, Libby and Will. So thanks Tara, I love you and thanks for the great time.

Other random updates...Hope and Hudsen are off track...so lots of time with them. Hannah and I went to see the 9:45pm showing of "27 Dresses" this week....cute movie, (surprised I didn't end up as a pumpkin, seeing how I stayed up past 10:30pm) Went to a Jazz game (which I did blog about) and got a good laugh this morning as I drove home a very groggy and incoherent husband, who just had some oral surgery!! Shhh, I even took a picture of him with his mouth wide open and cotton hanging out. But I will resist the urge to post that...he might kill me when he comes to!

And now here I am, keeping an eye on Randy while I blog away. (Ok, yes...I am downstairs on the computer while he is passed out upstairs in bed...Ok, yes I can't exactly see him from here BUT I will go check on him...Ok, after I finish reading your blogs!)

Go Jazz

Hudsen and "Ruffy" Last night we went to the Jazz Game. We have season tickets so we usually rotate on who goes with us. It was Hudsen's turn and man was she is excited!! For only being 7, she knows alot about the Jazz. She knows all the players and their numbers and loves Carlos BOOZER!! She is a riot to sit next to because she loves to watch the game. We had a great time and she even managed to talk her "Ruffy" (my dad) into buying her a Boozer jersey! She loved it so much she even slept in it...so thanks Dad. Fun night out.

My Valentine...

I love, love, love, love, Randy!!!!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

That's all...Happy Valentine's Day!

A little late but I'm finally getting there...

This...

plus
equals...
Me being able to go to the gym and workout without being so bored I find myself counting the number of boob jobs I see! You see, thanks to my wonderful hubby and my new iPod Touch, I have downloaded the first season of "Grey's Anatomy". Yes, I did say 1st seson, and yes I know I am probably the last human alive who has not been watching this show. But I am here now and all is well! I took it to the gym and watched the whole 45 minute episode while doing the treadmill and the bike. And I am happy to report that it made the time fly by! So hopefully I can keep up this pace and kill 2 birds with one boulder, I mean stone...that is, catch up on this hit show and lose some serious lbs. Hmmmm...sound too good to be true? Well at least I'll get in some good TV watching! Wish me luck.

Lookie what I got!!

I am so excited...look at what my wonderful husband bought me for Valentine's Day!! The new Ipod Touch...it is way cool and I am so excited. I've had an old nano for some time now and it wasn't holding a charge so I decided to go buy me a new Ipod. Except that I didn't tell him I was going to buy a new one...I just went to Costco and bought the Ipod classic...I didn't want to spend the money on the "Touch", although I thought it was very awesome. Luckily I told him later that day, before I opened it, and he said that I had just ruined his surprise. I was so sorry RC...I couldn't believe that he had gotten me the Ipod Touch. We have never gotten each other big gifts for Valentine's day so I didn't even think twice about it. But he gave it to me yesterday and I love it! So a million thanks to my wonderful and generous husband...I love it.

Ok then to make this day even better I got a call from my friend, Christine. She said that my necklace was ready...isn't this so cute? She has one just like it and I had her order one for me. Her friend makes these, and can customize them however you'd like. Chris brought it over for me and I love it...thanks Chrissy!!!
So I am loving my 2 new toys...I'm one lucky girl!

Here comes the sun...

It finally came today...what I have been waiting for...the SUN! It was beautiful! Even though there is still alot of snow and it is quite cold, the sun came to say Hello. As you can tell from so many of my posts...I miss the sun...the sun is my friend and when we are not together I long for it. I was so happy to see it, I wanted to sit directly in front of it...look it straight in the eyes, (forget the part about it damaging my eye sight or getting skin cancer) I don't care...bring it baby.
So my grateful thought for the day was this....thank you Heavenly Father for letting this sun shine on me today. The mountains were absolutely breath taking with all the snow! So there, that's my cheesy post for this Sunday night. I am sure I will have something less Sunday-ish to say this week;)

Dinner Out

Tonight Randy and I got to meet up with my sister, Camille and her husband Jeff. They are in town with some friends for a ski weekend and this was the only chance to see them. (I guess sisters rank low on the totem pole:) They had a couple of hours to waste while waiting for the rest of their group. Anyways... we met them downtown at one of my favorite restaurants, Ichiban. But please don't let this picture fool you...I did not eat Sushi, on the other hand Randy did! You see I seem to have the tastebuds of a 2 year old. I seriously think something happened to me when I was a kid...I probably drank scalding hot water and it stunted the growth of my taste buds. I kid you not...I am the most boring eater, ask anyone who knows me! I did enjoy their chicken and vegetable tempura though...most excellent.

So thanks sis for meeting us, it was great to see you even if it was only for a couple of hours!

If you think you're tired of seeing this, think how I must feel!

This picture pretty much sums up how I feel! The other day I had gone out back to shovel some of the snow off our patio, mostly just where Mocha walks in and out. I'm a little tired of her tracking snow into the house...Anyways, I left my flip flops out there and much to my surprise it had dumped a foot of snow over night. When I looked out the back window, there were my flip flops, covered in that WHITE CRAP! How dare it snow on my sacred flip flops, especially the ones that had just recently traveled to sunny Mexico and spent 7 glorious days in sand and warm water. What a slap in the face for them, they must have wondered who was playing such a cruel joke! But it was no joke, just more snow! More snow, I must add, then we have seen in many years! It just keeps coming and coming...it's been crazy.

So this is how I feel (the picture says it all)... my heart is longing for warm, sunny weather and harsh reality is just dumping cold, wet snow on my dreams. Oh well...I'll just keep dreaming of sunnier days and stock up on my happy pills:)

Seaworld Called...

Seaworld called today...they want Shamu returned. That Shamu would be ME! I feel like one big, huge, WHALE these days! Do you ever feel this way, have a bad week, month, life? I have felt so overweight lately and I've got to do something about it. Ever since I went to Mexico with lots of thin people, I've been feeling large. And when I say I need to do something about it, I don't mean just complain...although that is much easier. Why is it so hard to get my butt to the gym? Our gym is literally 1 minute away and I probably pass it at least 5 times a day. But do I go in?....NO...it's like I'll catch the bubonic plague or something. Or what's worse... I'd actually workout or something crazy like that.

So my goal starting Monday is this...go to the gym! Move my fat fanny and get in shape. I am not one who believes in getting on the scale, I just go by how well my jeans fit. And since lately I'm unbuttoning the top button when I sit down, that might be my sign that it's time. So do me a favor and hold me accountable, would ya...ask me if I've been working out.

Till then, Shamu will be working on dropping some LBs!

Field Trip

Today I had the chance to go along with Hope and her class on a fun field trip, even though we waited almost an hour for the bus...ugh! I do love to be able to join my girls on fun days like this. She absolutely has the best teacher ever...so fun and cute with the kids. Thanks Mrs. Crittenden (Kaesy) for being a great teacher!!! My kids adore you and so do I! Check out her blog!