March Madness!!

It's time to create my bracket for the annual college basketball tournament. I do this every year, with varying levels of success. But the one thing that does not vary is my knowledge of college basketball. I know nothing. I don't watch college sports any other time of the year, I have no idea what teams are awesome and who the underdogs are. I tend to think that UNC will always get to the Final Four, and am consistently shocked when this doesn't happen. I became a Tar Heels basketball fan because a cute boy in junior high liked them--no joke. And it stuck to this day, even though I have moved on to another, cuter, boy. ;)

But next Monday is going to come, and my heart will start to race in anticipation of those great games. The ones where some team who has worked hard all year, and has the record to prove it, will somehow be knocked out of the tourney by some no-name, barely-winning-record team who will inevitably lose in the next round. I love underdogs! Unless they are playing the Tar Heels. Then I scowl and mock them and assume they feel sorry for themselves, since they will obviously be losing when that last buzzer sounds.

Jericho's first blog

He may have already turned a year, but this is the first I've written about him, "non-FB" style. Jericho Flynn Nault was born February 19, 2013, weighing 7 lb. 7 oz. He is a fiery, stubborn little boy with two big dimples and twinkly eyes.
 He knows the signs for "up", "more", "food", "milk", and "all done". I think he says "yeah" and "hi", but it's hard to tell.
He only likes warm juice and milk, but we are gradually serving it to him cooler, because it is easier to serve it without heating (like in the car or while shopping).
He is very ticklish. He loves talking to Cole, and chasing him around.
He giggles every time he toots. And every time that Cole toots, as well, which is often. In a 20 minute car ride, I have to roll the window down at least twice, to air out all the smells emanating from the back seat.
If he is upset, I either sing "Bless the Lord, Oh my soul" to him, or I turn on Styx' "Come Sail Away". Both usually calm him down.
He has 6 teeth, and is cutting the 7th right now.
He is a light sleeper; the sound machine is our best friend right now.
He likes to climb into the dishwasher, play in the toilet, and pull all the DVD's from the storage rack. Lee has resigned to not having them alphabetized until the kids head off to college. We are teaching him that these are "No's", but like I said, he's stubborn. :)
That's all for now. He is such a sweet baby doll.

Morning Lessons

This morning Cole woke up before Lee left for work. Awesome husband that he is, Lee turned the TV on and got Cole breakfast, so that I could sleep in a little. An hour later Cole comes in and asks for a drink. I told him, groggily, that I'd be up in a few minutes. 10 minutes later, he comes back in. "Mom! I really need you to get up. It is light outside, and you should be awake. And I need a drink. So I'm just going to keep coming in to bother you until you get up." Needless to say, I ignored him. ;) And my boy-diva/drama-king got schooled in the tender art of "waking someone up nicely, especially when you want them to do something for you".

Cole's Monthly Digest

Cole is getting more verbal every day. He now says the following things:
Ball
Mommaw
Dada
Car
Hi (and if you don't say "hi" back, he will say it even louder...even if it is to a stranger in Target)
ByeBye
He says buh-buh-buh for the Nick TV show "Bubble Guppies"
Chee=Cheese
Eggie=Veggietales (But he is over those now; all he wants is Toy Story currently)
Ca-Cow=both Grammie and Grandad (I don't know why he interprets those words that way, but it is consistently what he calls them)
He has a toy that plays the alphabet and he grunts along with each letter up until about "G", where he gets bored and restarts the song.

He gets sad when we drive past the gym without going inside.

He is pacified when he asks to do something and I respond with "Just a Minute" or "In a little while". He just (usually) nods his head and moves on to something else. I'm thinking this phase will be entirely too short-lived...:)

He will walk around the house saying "No, no, no..." for several minutes.

He responds with a resounding "Ya" which often sounds like "Da" whenever he likes something that you say.

He no longer has much stranger anxiety, but when I leave him with Lee to go do something, he screams. And then gets over it.

He is very sensitive and gets his feelings hurt easily. He was helping me cook and I needed to chop something up with a big knife. So I explained to him beforehand that the knife was a "no" and that he could not touch it. I tried to use my best "teaching" voice, positive, but firm. However, his lip started to quiver and those eyes took on the appearance of a puppy who had just been kicked. I had to pick him up and apologize for making him sad. I guess he thought he was getting into trouble for something he hadn't even had the chance to do yet. Poor thing. And yet, when I started the chopping, he didn't even try to touch the knife...so I guess he learned...:)

I found out today that a pregnant friend had lost her baby at 16ish weeks. After I got off the phone I looked at my child, playing quietly on his new chair, and my eyes filled with tears of blessing, and of heartache for the child my friend would never know. It is those lessons in life, the way someone else's pain teaches you something about yourself. No matter the angst that Cole can put me through, I can't imagine my little world without the sweet face of God's greatest blessing shining back at me everyday.

It hasn't been a month, and already another blog!! :)

I'm going to start with me first. My family would say that's what I always start with, and while they might have a point, I like to think they are just teasing. ;) Anyways, here's the latest: I'm obsessed with my teeth right now. I hadn't thought much of it until today when I was telling my friend Margie how great my teeth whitening kit is working. As I got excited about telling her about my nightly flossing and mouthwash routine, I realized I had turned a corner in my life: I love my teeth. We both started laughing at my little obsession, but it's true. I absolutely adore my new dentist, I love the way my teeth feel so smooth when I run my tongue across them. And, the professional whitening kit I received from my dentist for FREE because I had a coupon? Really does work. It's only been 4 days, and I'm already proud of my newly white teeth.

Now for a more serious matter: I really love God. He's been patient with me as I've transitioned into this new role of mommyhood. He never left, even when I would read a romance novel instead of the Bible, because he knew I'd come back. I think He understood that I couldn't handle anymore than "fluff"...and the Bible is a lot of things, but "fluff" isn't one of them. Not that I left, exactly, I was just surviving and not searching for Him anymore. I've realized my lack of searching for a while now, but only recently have I decided to take bigger steps. I am no longer hiding under his wings, knowing he's protecting me, but not being able to see Him. Nope, I can see Him now. I'm not hiding in His shadows, but searching for Him throughout my day. I see Him in the rain that has fallen so prettily lately. I Praised Him when my daffodils showed their pretty faces this week. I hear Him every time Cole says "Mommaw" (that's kind of how he pronounces it...I so love to hear it). I know that when Cole puckers up those lips for a kiss I'm being blessed by Him. And I see His actions constantly in Lee, with his giving heart and selfless attitude. I am far from perfect, but that's ok. God knows when I need to be sheltered and protected. But He also believes in me and knows that once I'm strong enough, I can be His mighty faith warrior. Because with Him, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). So I'm going to keep searching for Him, striving to get closer to Him all the time. And when I stumble and need to be protected, I know that He will once again pull me under His wing and I will know "the Lord has heard my cry of mercy..." (Psalm 6:9).

In Cole news:
As I said, he says Mommaw now, emphasis on "maw". He said DaDa for the first time today, which made Lee the happiest man in the world. Of course the next time Cole was prompted to say "dada", Cole pointed right at Lee and said "mommaw". But he's getting there. :)Cole will also say "all right!" and "I did it", and he said "margie" (Gee) and "Elijah" (LiJah) today. We'll see if he remembers them next time he sees them.
There are a lot of other words that we think he has said, but can't get him to repeat. Like "Veggietales" and "I love you". He started singing along with Veggietales today. It was the cutest thing he had done in, like, 10 whole minutes.

I taught him how to do a fist bump this week. We are working on the sign for "thank you" but it is a little challenging because it is similar to another sign we have taught him. :) You see, for "thank you" you touch your chin with your fingertips, then pivot your hand straight down, in an arc motion (that may not explain it well...just youtube it if you are really curious). Well a long time ago I taught him to blow a kiss when saying good bye. So he kisses the palm of his hand (similar to touching his chin) and then throws the kiss to the side (instead of down, for "thank you"). So the signs are similar and it is taking him longer to learn "thank you". But he gets a twinkle in his eye when I am teaching him, so I think he'll pick it up eventually.

Today he brought me his pajamas at 4 in the afternoon and started yanking on his sweats, trying to get them off. So I helped and he stayed in his pj's the rest of the day. Then he pulled off one sock, and I just let him walk around with one sock on, one sock off. I figured that one foot must have been hot. But the other? It was just fine the way it was.

I've rambled enough for one post. If you are still with me, you must really love my family. Oh, and Lee's really good, too. I didn't talk about him much, but he's still around and as awesome as usual. Last Wednesday he was watching Cole (I go into work since Lee has Wednesdays off) and finally, after 16 months of having this kiddo, Lee understood completely why I sometimes just hand Cole off as soon as Lee walks in the door at night. Lee was worn out by the time I got home. :)

Almost March...

So my resolve to write more about Cole didn't hold up...oh well.

Here's the latest:

Cole turned 15 months on Feb. 10. We went to the doc and he was 32 inches (he grew 4 inches in 3 months...seems like a lot to me...) and 24 lbs. He has his front 8 teeth, 4 molars, and all four of his canines have been working their way out for the past week. His eyes are getting greener rather than bluer, but they still have hints of brown. So we still have no idea what color they will turn out to be. They are pretty, though. :)

Cole has had some trouble with constipation, to the point of having a couple of hemmorhoids. The first one I saw completely freaked me out...it was like a hard blue bubble where a bubble should never be...I called the nurse and she advised me to give him a warm bath. Fortunately both times I have seen a hemorrhoid, it has gone back in on its own...the nurse told me I might have to push it back in sometimes. Yuck. Hoping that time will never come. :) I've changed his diet somewhat and it has helped tremendously. He hasn't had a banana in months, which is sad because he LOVES them. But he loves all fruit, so I don't think he has missed them. I also cut down his cheese intake and I give him applesauce or yogurt mixed with baby prunes. It looks nasty, but Cole seems to like it.

He is truly a toddler when it comes to food preference. Long gone are the days where he will eat anything and everything. Some days he loves black beans; the next day he won't touch them. Other days it is rice that he wants, and then he'll turn up his nose at it the next day. He likes most anything that Lee and I are eating; but if we don't take a bite, he may or may not be interested. The one food group that he will always eat more of is fruit. I haven't found a fruit he doesn't like yet.

Recently we have pushed his nap back a couple of hours. He used to take one at 9, and it was really making Sundays difficult, because he would be cranky and needing a nap, but wouldn't take one if there were people around (like at church). So now he goes down around 11 or 12, and it has really helped. It makes my mornings better, too, because he's used to being awake now and we can run errands early, instead of trying to fit it in between morning and noon naps. He still takes an afternoon nap, but it is closer to 3, and he sleeps for 2 hours then (morning nap is usually right at an hour).

Cole sat through church this past Sunday for the first time! We occupied him with goldfish, sippy cup, legos, and Veggietales on the ipod. I was leery of that last one, but I guess if it gets him used to sitting still in church, it is something we will faze out as we can.

He is still in the 4 mo.-12 mo. class at church. Supposedly it is because the children his own age cry too much, and it upsets him...I'm afraid they are sugarcoating that and really he's just a crybaby himself. :) But Miss LeAnn in the baby class is so good with Cole that I really don't mind if he's in there...as long as he's not in the way or a burden.

He loves blowing raspberries, poking belly buttons, and building with Legos. He gets frustrated easily--I have to encourage him to not quit and help him to figure out his problem, but I try to make him solve it himself, with minimal help from me.

He's becoming a big helper. I'm still having to do some training when it comes to trash receptacles, but he knows that Kleenex goes in the trash, Water bottles go in the Recycling, and diapers go in the diaper genie. I test him on all these and he is consistent about it. Occasionally he will try to put something where it doesn't belong (bibs in the trash, for example), but those 3 items he never gets wrong. He is getting good at cleaning up: today he put 2 books away after he was done using them. He like to organize things and is starting to notice and fix things that are out of place.

There is one of my pairs of shoes that he always gets out if I leave the closet door open. They are brown fuzzy plaid clogs and for some reason he is very attached to them. I have probably 40 pairs of shoes, and he always grabs that same pair and will carry them around the house. He can now put them on, too, so sometimes he will clump around with them on his feet. I don't understand the attachment, but it's pretty cute. I'm just glad they aren't my 5 inch stilletos. Lee is too.:)

Cole is very attached to the blanket my mom made him. If he gets in trouble and is upset, he will run to his crib and pull it out from between the crib rails. He drags it all around the house and I have to be sneaky if I want to wash it.

He hates that we can't go outside (it's been a cold, windy winter) so I can't wait for spring! He will go to the big sliding doors in the dining room and look outside and talk to the outside world. It's kinda sad.

Oh, and he will pucker up and give me a kiss when I ask him to. I love those little lips! :)

What Up?

Happy 2011! Once again we ended 2010 with a road trip to TX to see family. It was an adventure that was unexpectedly prolonged, due to Lee's uncle Time passing away. He was a great man; a hero to many.

We came home with a list of projects to work on this year. Up first is hanging a new chandelier in our dining room. We bought one last night and as Lee was putting it up today, realized that it was missing several parts. So that project will be put off until we can get back to Lowes and exchange it. Oh, the reason that we had to replace it? I tried putting a light bulb into it that had a cracked casing, and the whole thing blew (shorted out, not exploded), including the dimmer switch.

Cole just got over a 4-day fever. He was miserable, but fortunately had no other symptoms, so it was a minor virus, as all things go.

Cole figured out how to blow raspberries and gave Lee a kiss like that this morning. I wished I could have got a picture of those little puckered lips, plastering themselves on his daddy's cheek.

I'm resolving to post more Cole stories on here, since I won't remember them when Cole gets old enough to tease him about it, and facebook statuses don't save well.

Poverty Week, day 2

The hardest thing about this week, I discovered, is that I am out of sugar. That means no more sweet tea or sugary oatmeal. I ended up putting some powdered sugar in my tea last night. It was kinda strange, but I got used to it. It is silly that I was so bothered by the lack of sugar, but there it is. Anyways, since our milk is so limited, I opted for Oatmeal this morning, sweetened with honey. It was pretty good, but my little honey bear is getting pretty empty. :( For lunch I went to a friend's house, and she mostly cooked with things she already had in her pantry, so it still kinda went along with the poverty idea. Tonight I made rice and beans, seasoned with cilantro and lime.

On a slightly different note, last night I was kind of sad and didn't want to do anything. I think the stress of not being "able" to go fill my pantry was kind of wearing on me. That seems a bit melodramatic...but if it was possibly already affecting me in that manner, what would it do longterm?

Poverty Diet

In order to prepare ourselves for FXCC's "gift beyond words" contribution this Sunday, many of us are doing a "poverty diet". Lee and I decided that since we were gone all last week, and so busy the week before that no groceries were bought, we are just going to eat whatever we have on hand. It's a little different than was requested, but I'm excited about the challenge. You think about eating differently when you have to ration out food. For example, We have 8 pieces of week-old bread that will have to make it through the week. Fortunately I have a couple cups of flour and know how to make bread, :) so that will get us a little longer. But there is only a half of a half gallon of milk (is that a quart?) left that expired yesterday, but it still smells fine, so for cereal this morning I used as little as possible. For lunch I had half of a pb and j. Cole is getting the best of what we have. He will still be on formula until next week, and for lunch he had cheese, fruit, and crackers. If I water down his apple juice, I should have enough to last the week. Already I'm seeing how blessed we are: I may have to get creative, but there's no way we will be starving this week.That's a God thing.

Fall is starting!

I love fall. I love the anticipation of a new Football season; I have a Fantasy Football team this year, it is called "Naulty-N-Nice". I chose my team with my daddy, so we will see how awesome (or awful) they turn out to be. :) The cooler evenings make me yearn for a small-town TX high school football game. Big city teams and Non-TX teams just don't hold the same appeal. I miss the pep rallies. Getting out of class early, trekking to the band hall to haul my French Horn to the gym, wondering if I'd ever catch the eye of a football player (I did, by the way...I just didn't meet him until college). As I remember it, my mom made burritos for my friends and I most every home game, they were so good! Homemade tortillas, filled with refried beans and Velveeta, and fried to a crispy golden brown. Allsups had nothing on my Mom!

mid o'night ramblings

Here's some thoughts that have been rolling through my head.

1. Lee's on a plane from Chi-town tonight. Supposed to land at midnight. It's now 1:28 and no Lee. Rain Delay was to be expected, and I talked to him just before they took off--he's now hoping to be home by 3 AM. As Matchbox 20 would say, "It's 3AM, I must be lonely (I must be lone-lay-ay-ay)". I am lonely. Ready for our 4 day weekend to start. Sleep should be my destination, but I need Lee home first. I just do.

2. Cole stood on his own yesterday. Only for a few seconds, and before I realized what he was doing, he had grabbed onto something for balance.

3. I always think I see roaches out of the corner of my eye, dashing away to avoid getting squashed. In reality, we've never seen a roach in this house (God is obviously blessing Herndon, VA, in this manner). But I still have to take a second glance whenever I see the "phantom peripheral scurrying", just to make sure that it isn't really there.

4. Lee just landed! It is now 1:37. Apparently I might sleep tonight after all.

5. I have this thing about being sticky. I hate it. Dirt I can handle. But give me a sticky finger (say, with mashed banana on it?) and I really have to steel myself to touch it. I've been steeling myself a lot lately.

6. I went to the gym yesterday, and as I'm waiting for someone to pull out of a parking spot, this guy comes from the other direction and steals it from me. I even had my blinker on. I don't know that this had ever happened to me before. It was really difficult to not yell at him. Of course, any yelling I would have done would have been within the safety of my rolled-up windows...The Italian Meathead probably didn't need to hear about how his momma forgot to teach him some manners...he probably knows, but is choosing to live in oblivion, until he meets that special woman who convinces him to live in the future, not the past, and he gets over his mommy issues and they fall in love and have little respectful meatheads of their own. (Don't you all think up romantic novel storylines to diffuse your anger??? I mean, who can be mad at the guy, when you never know what will happen on the next page? He can't be a true jerk, or else he wouldn't be in the book...)

7. Cole's favorite thing to do now is to crawl with items in both hands. It is the best when one item is big and the other is small; it makes him hobble like a cute puppy with a limp. Anyways, He carries these things to the bathtub, pulls himself up to look inside the tub, then tosses the items over. After this comes the realization that he can't reach the toy, and in classic baby mode, he just finds something else to play with, and the game begins again.

8. A friend of mine accidentally said she drove through a "brainstorm" instead of a "rainstorm". I kinda like the picture that "brainstorm" paints. If you drove through one, would you do it slowly, or as quick as possible?

My Happy Boy

I'm sitting here watching my little boy play with all his toys. He has a little ball pit which he loves to empty and chase the balls all around the living room. He is so focused on them! I think he's really happy to be playing alone again. He LOVED his cousins...Case watched over him as if he was his own brother, and Jake was exciting and playful. But there is nothing like being in your own space, and Cole is a great example of that. He has basically ignored me since he has been home. It is great to see him so happy! Plus, his sixth tooth has almost popped through. He now takes bites of food whenever possible, even if it is already a tiny piece of food-I guess his teeth are really fascinating right now.

Cole was playing at my feet a minute ago, then he got really quiet. I peeked around the computer screen and realized he had fallen asleep, right there on the floor! I think being in a house full of people has taught him that he can go to sleep, no matter what is going on around him. Yay!

Cole and Lee time

Lee got up with Cole this morning and let me sleep in. I think he likes to have a little Daddy/Cole time without Mommy gunking up the works. Cole was sitting behind the recliner, out of site of Lee, but Lee could tell he was just playing with a toy. Then he got kind of quiet, then he started crying. Lee got up to check on him and saw that he had found something black, like grease from the chair, and had smeared it on the chair, carpet, his face, ears, hands. On closer inspection, it turned out to be poop. He had exploded out the back of his diaper and found it. It seemed that he had had fun playing with it, until he put some in his mouth and realized that it tasted pretty nasty...this is when Cole started to cry. He rushed Cole to the tub and proceeded to strip him, awkwardly trying to avoid any more poop from getting on Cole's face. Cole was screaming so hard at this point that I decided to see if my assistance was needed. It was. :) 2 pairs of hands are pretty necessary when dealing with a poo-covered child.

Death to Carpet

Since cole has been crawling, he's been getting into stuff. Duh. That's what babies do, and he is learning quickly what is okay to play with, and what are "No's". He's a very smart baby, but what concerns me is his need to put everything into his mouth. By "concern", I mean daily he eats something that concerns me; I don't constantly worry about him eating inedibles, but I know that it is coming so I try to be ready for the inevitable choking/coughing noises that ring throughout our halls daily. Tonight he starting coughing, and I quickly checked on him (he also chokes on his own spit often, so I never know if the cough is serious, or just a liquid-down-the-wrong-pipe kind of thing). I didn't see anything, so he went back to playing. 20 minutes later, he coughs again, with a bit of gagging noises thrown in. So I pick him up, put him on the counter, and squeeze those little cheeks until I see a little white something on the back of his tongue. I reach in a finger, scrape his tongue, and pull out a ring of carpet pile. He probably had been chewing on it the entire time, just not quite able to swallow it. Carpet, Cole? Really? Why?? I think "watching for things to pass" is going to become a hobby in our house before long. Lee just commented that it is a parents' job function to spend our days making sure our child doesn't kill themselves. :)

Oh also, Cole was playing by himself the other day. He crawled to me with drool all down the front of him, his face shiny with wetness. He smiled and I saw something in his mouth; apparently he'd found a little piece of plastic (like the wrappers magazines come in) and was chewing on it, making him drool excessively. I think he'd gotten into my purse, which is the only item I have that isn't baby proof right now. It's like he knows...

Album 07\21\2010, by alecia bennett

I'd like to share my Walmart Digital Photo Center photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

when ya gotta go...

Lee had just removed Cole's diaper and was en route to the tub when Cole started doing his "grunting". Lee panicked, but at the last second came to his senses and shoved a diaper underneath Cole's bottom, so that the crisis would be averted. I walked into the bathroom after hearing some commotion to see Lee walking out with Cole being held at arms-length, a diaper being cupped to his little behind. It is those instances that make me want to walk around with a camera around my neck at all times...

peace

Cole has mastered sitting up by himself. He can't get into this position by himself, but he stays when I put him there (at least until he decides he rather roll around...). Yesterday, he was sitting and I reached out my fingers to him, and he grabbed them and pulled himself up to a standing position. I didn't offer any strength, just support. You should have seen his face! He was so proud of himself, and just laughed and laughed! We showed Lee this after he came home from a very long day at the office. For some reason, I had tears in my eyes as we showed off for daddy. I think it was because Lee said this: "That's awesome, Alecia!" So simple. And really Cole did the work, not me. But two things stood out to me. 1) Lee loves that I can be home to witness Cole's small feats in his little world. And 2) When Lee uses my name, I come undone. He says it with such care and wonder, like I am the most amazing creature ever. He truly is my Happy Place.

facebook postings

(I'm stealing this idea from Stephanie) Below are the facebook postings I made lately. It is easier to post things there than to blog, for whatever reason. Oh, I know, it's because I'm on there ALL the time!! They are going from oldest to newest.

Jan 1
Is heading home tomorrow! I'll miss Texas and our families, but I am REALLY ready to be in my own abode again.

Jan 4
We are home

Jan 4
(Lee) The after-christmas christmas goody bartering has begun. Alecia just gave away all her slim jims plus her beef jerky for one chocolate-marshmallow santa. I would have thrown in my peanut butter trees if only she would have bargained a little harder.

Jan 5
Lee just tried to make Cole eat while lying on his stomach, using the bottle like a straw...doesn't he know you can't tease a baby when it comes to food?

Jan 8
Lee's taking me to Chili's tonight. Cole will come too, but it feels more like a date than any of the "eats" we've done in a while. I think it's because it he called and asked me out over then phone...so archaic!

Jan 10
(lee) Let's play a game: One Nault spent the evening ironing. One Nault spent the evening watching football and "Women of Ninja Warrior." Wanna guess which did what?

Jan 17
Did anyone mention to the Cowboys that they had a game today? :) Good job, Favre.

Jan 17
First tooth??? Seriously?!?!

Jan 19
Bizarro night in the Nault house. Alecia is actually requesting something from an infomercial instead of chastizing Lee for buying something. What's next, telling Lee that he doesn't spend nearly enough time with the Xbox?

Jan 20
Is happy that I have friends here in VA that have babies within 2 months of me...

Jan 21
making pineapple-ginger pork and fried rice for dinner. Really hope this works!

Jan 23
Just watched "The Pregnancy Pact" on Lifetime...Not my usual fare, but it was pretty interesting. Young girls think that starting a family will make everything better; this movie showed how difficult and life-changing babies, as perfect as they are, can be.

Jan 24
Anyone ever hear of "floating teeth?" I'm doing research on this, because Cole's little tooth, which was sooo obvious, has now virtually disappeared. I'm not worried, just annoyed :)... I've told all these people that he has a tooth, and now, it's gone! :)

Jan 25
Wishes she were a little less tired...Good thing Lee was willing to bathe Cole. I'm pretty sure he would have gone without a bath, if it were up to me...

Jan 26
Chef Boyar-Lee just tried to force feed me ravioli, cold, from the can...yuck.

Jan 28
Case's ANC counts today were 3116! They have been low recently, which has delayed his moving onto the next stage. But now, he can have the spinal tap (yuck!) tomorrow, and move completely into the maintenance stage.Thanks for the recurring prayers. My sister and fam really appreciate it!

Jan 29
It's a good day! Cole is so happy today...he just played and played, then fell asleep. He's my favorite. :)

Jan 30
I'm holding Cole as i type. He's looking over my shoulder and giggling. Apparently the chair-back is hilarious...

Jan 30
Our small group potluck is cancelled, but I'm making vegetable stew anyways, since the meat's already been defrosted. :) Yum!

Feb 1
Cole figured out that he could grab his toes just now. He's so cute!

Feb 3
Is not tired of this snow yet...as long as I am home. :)

Feb 3
Can we discuss LOST characters? Who's your least fav, and why? Locke is mine. He annoys the heck out of me, and I kinda think his storyline is boring...

Feb 4
I don't plan on leaving the house until at least Monday. I'm just going to look out at the great expanse of white goodness and praise God that I don't have anywhere that I have to be. Oh wait, is church gonna happen Sunday morn? Cuz if the doors be open, I'm'a walkin through em. :)

Feb 5
Lee's on his way home from DC! As soon, as he gets here, I can completely enjoy the snow...It's not sticking to the roads yet, fortunately.

Feb 5
(Lee) 2 hours into being snowed in. Alecia: "I'm bored, let's do something together." Lee: Casts forlorn glance at Xbox he'd planned on spending the weekend with...

Feb 6
It's been a while since I've been up this late by choice. I think the excitement of the snow, combined with the chocolate, popcorn, and Cokes have me up past the usual bedtime...the simple things in life positively make me giddy!

Feb 6
Over 2 feet so far!

Feb 6
The snow is coming! The snow is coming!

Feb 6
waist high, folks...

Feb 7
Dulles airport, which is a couple minutes from our house, is saying we got 32 inches of snow. So I'll go with that number. It's awesome! But the novelty of it is kinda wearing thin...

Feb 8
On your mark, get set, SNOW!! If you missed Snowmageddonpocalypalooza, relax! Because coming to a town near you, northern VA, is Snowmageddonpocalypalooza Deuce: Revenge of the Blizzard! Get your tickets today!

Feb 10
Thinks it's cute that all her DC friends on FB are either talking about this crazy snow, or discussing the food they have been eating, while being homebound.

Feb 10
Happy 3 months to my precious little Cole! :)

Feb 10
Monday night we went to get pizza and go to Sam's. Lee's been to the church to help shovel and to a friend's house to help paint, but that is the extent of our travels since last Friday. Lee has been off of work all week, including tomorrow.

Feb 11
Lee and I met almost 12 years ago, and have been married for 4.5 years. I grow more proud of my Valentine every day. :)

Feb 14
(Lee) really should have bought a red bag for Alecia's Valentine's presents. Of course, maybe she won't even notice the "Congratulations on your little boy" printed on the side of her gift bag.

Feb 16
Back into Pre-Pregnancy Jeans!! :)

Feb 17
I'm to the point, finally, where I just can't stop staring at Cole. Every little thing he does evokes some kind of emotion in me, be it pride, glee, wonder, etc. I watch him, unable to look away, in fear that I will miss something. I'm starting to understand how powerful this bond is...

Feb 18
While on the phone with my sister, Shannon Chandler, my nephew got into the trash (again), pulled out a burned potholder, and promptly rubbed the black ash all over his face. I honestly cannot wait to witness these kinds of events in my own house.

Feb 21
(Lee) is having to get all the boas, glitter, and girlie out of his fortress of manitude so that he can kill aliens in peace.

Feb 21
(Lee) Alecia just referred to our son as "Ferris Drooler." That's right, she's both an 80s child and a total nerd, the complete package.

Feb 23
Sometimes I wonder who I am. Then, I remind myself that I already know whose I am, so anything else is kinda trivial...

Feb 25
I stopped writing when I got pregnant, for some reason. I'm starting again. So, you are welcome to come view sunshinesmiles4alecia.blogspot.com and learn more about what makes me, me.

Feb 25
Give me back that filet of fish, Gimme that fish...

March 1
Sometimes, being an adult is completely overrated...

March 4
Really wishing I hadn't already started dinner; I need a nap, and cooking isn't really easy to do when asleep...

March 6
Apparently Mucinex now does to me what NoDoz did when I was in college...It's 2:30 in the morn, and I just want to sleep.

March 6
Lee's being all hard-core about house decorations. "They must be in a seasonal color"(Did you know that pink is only a spring color? Not summer?)" Any holiday decorations must relate only to the holiday in that month"(which means, we can't decorate for Easter, when St. Patrick's Day hasn't come and gone yet, and, since...

March 7
Altogether, hasn't slept more than 10 hours since Friday morning...I am so exhausted.

March 9
Had a great time shopping with Aarolyn today. Such beautiful weather to introduce shopping to our kiddos

March 10
Happy 4 months, Cole! We will celebrate by taking shots...I mean, by taking him to GET shots...:)

March 10
For those that are curious, 14 lbs, 3 oz., and 24.5 inches long.

March 10
It would be okay with me if I never heard a guy sing "Genie in a Bottle" ever again. I mean it.

March 12
Anyone local still selling Girl Scout cookies? I might have eaten more than my share of Thin Mints, and Lee's disgruntled about it...

March 13
(Lee) Walked in tonight and caught Alecia making Cole dance to "Push It" by Salt n Pepa. *Sigh* There's only so much deprogramming I can do...

March 15
Cole just past the 3 hour mark of his nap...If I'd've known he was going to sleep all afternoon, I would've taken a nap, too!

March 17
Today was a great day to have a sunroof! :)

March 18
Is hoping the madness games starting working in her favor...or else ridicule will have to be dealt with...

March 19
packing today for the teen retreat starting tonight. I'm excited to chaperone!

March 21
Thinks we have some pretty awesome teens at FXCC! :)

March 22
I love rain! Rainy rain rain!

March 23
listening to Cole cry as Lee puts him to bed...guess he wasn't as sleepy as we thought. I'm so glad I have a husband who can handle the best AND the worst times with a child.

March 25
Completely infatuated with red Jello.

March 30
Cole's first plane ride is tomorrow! :) Any tips on how to make this easy?

April 1
Got to have Freebirds today! My psyche has found rest. :)

April 7
Love the days God gifts us that makes you want to get outside and wash that car! I'm a Texas girl, but I love my Virginia home. :)

April 8
Blessings last week: great first plane ride for Cole, family-style chicken, Daddy's Bible class, Sonic, Freebirds, family, 42, Easter reunion, "big kids" egg hunt (major coinage won!), Taco Bueno, candy, sweet tea, heat, wide open spaces, Cole now can roll across the floor, in both directions, Cole's first green beans were a success, God is Good.

April 9
He slept on the plane! Sweet boy...

April 9
I left Cole, napping, in his giraffe bouncy chair. A few minutes later I heard him crying. He had rolled onto his stomach, so his face was in the seat, his feet were hanging off the edge, and his little booty was up in the air. Guess I have to start strapping him in, now...

April 10
(Lee) Alecia has quite a bit to do this evening, and can't seem to get focused. So I am grounding her from Facebook. If you catch her online, scold her back into finishing all her tasks and I'll send you a prize.

April 14
Doesn't feel good; Really wishing my mommy was closer, so that I could have my own "mommy time-out" tomorrow.

April 17
Cole's little tooth is poking through finally! I got teary-eyed when I found it; he's been so fussy lately, and now all those tears have paid off!

April 18
Almost succeeded in twisting my ankle today at the grocery store. Definitely succeeded in flashing innocent bystanders.

April 19
Cole slept through the night without being swaddled! Guess he was afraid we'd open his window again if he didn't...

April 21
Lee is teaching Cole wrestling moves (WWE style). Apparently his favorites are "camel clutch" and "Walls of Jericho". Oh, and don't forget "The People's Elbow"...Ugh. I'm embarrassed enough for all of us...

April 22
(Lee) Last night at 12:08 a.m. Cole got very upset in his crib. At 12:08 and 15 seconds a neighborhood transformer blew and the whole block lost power for hours. I'm not saying the two incidents are related, but I might have Alecia be in charge of discipline until I'm sure they aren't.

April 25
Is excited about the solo I'm doing at the next Music and a Message (keep May 15 open, if you are interested!). It will be monumental (hopefully in a good way...)

April 26
Cole's been asleep all afternoon...I'm kind of at a loss for what to do with myself! :)

April 27
I will no longer be carrying around photo ID. Know why? People should know who I am.

April 29
My life is so much better when my child isn't cutting a tooth...:)

April 30
It's DATE NIGHT!!! We even have a babysitter, and I get to dress up!!

May 1, 2010
MUch needed date night last night. Lee brought me sunflowers (he has officially exhausted all of the flower types you can get from grocery stores, he claimed...guess he will start repeating...), then we saw Date Night and went to Carrabbas. I loved every minute of our evening. It was nice to have a reason besides church to wear fabulous heels!

May 2
I understand the path that God has put me on. I just don't always like it. I'm hoping God is okay with me admitting that...

May 3
Loved the weather today. It was muggy, but cool enough to enjoy the outdoors. And then it rained! Sweet smelling, soft rain. God has smiled on me.

May 5
(Lee) Wishes Glee would remember that it has a cast of more than 5 characters. I miss the black guy and asian girl participating.

May 6
I took some cold medicine this morning, not realizing it had antihistamine in it. 8 hours later, my head is still kinda fuzzy!

May 6
WHy is that when I put a blanket down for cole to lay on, the first thing he does is roll off of it?

May 9
I was blessed with gifts from the men in my life today, in honor of our first official mother's day. I got a hammock (which I promptly fell out of), and 2 karaoke XBox games (which I have already coerced Lee into singing with me). Fun Day! I have a super thoughtful husband (and son!).

May 10
Cole is 6 months old today!! Whoa...that's unreal.

May 11
All three of us had doc appts today; here's Cole's 6 month stats: 26 inches long, almost 16 lbs. and 16.5 inches head circumference. Poor little guy had 3 shots, then slept most of the day.

May 11
"I am like Tinkerbell...I need applause to live". GLEE!!!

May 12
Apparently God decided the sun was unnecessary this afternoon. Dude, those clouds look ominous!!!

I have always wanted to stay at home when I had children. God has acknowledged this and allowed that dream to become a reality. But I didn't realize how much I would miss working. Specifically, in the church office. It was a passion I didn't know I had, until God put that on my path. I miss it so much that I sometimes wonder why God would have put that short stint in, when he knew how much I would crave it when I wasn't there anymore. Motherhood would have been a much easier transition from the job I had BEFORE the church office. But for some reason God needed me to experience the passion that working in the church office gave me.

But then I feel guilty, because I love being able to experience everthing about Cole's day-to-day life, and I would miss that job just as much if I had to go back to working outside the home again. So, there are two awesome roles that I really really want, and God chose one for me. I'm thankful for that, but sometimes, I miss the path not chosen...

Spinach

Up until April 26, Cole had met no food he didn't like. But on that mid-Spring night, the Spinach jar was opened. He eyed it greedily, because it looked like peas. But oh, that texture was different. He opened his mouth again, hoping it was a mistake, but the same weird texture accosted him again. After several attempts at this, he just turned his head, as if to say, "No. You've made a mistake. That green stuff is not what I was expecting, and therefore, I will not eat it."

The next night, we tried it again, making sure to smash all the lumps really good. And still, the same thing happened. So we pulled out the peas, for they are always a hit, but Cole, smart boy that he is, did not trust the green jar anymore.

Perhaps today we will go back to carrots. Maybe he will forget about how the green stuff is tricky, if it stays away a couple of days.

A little thing

I love how Cole can get distracted from a toy for a minute, then find the toy again and act like it is the neatest surprise ever.

Lee just read Cole a story. It melts my heart, how tender he is with Cole. Of course, Lee's pretty tender with everyone--it is something I find incredibly inspiring. He's so patient with me; I'm not the best wife out there. I am a lazy procrastinator who doesn't find mopping/vacuuming/dusting at the top of my to-do list. Ever. That means when we expect people to come over, Lee carves out some time to do these chores...he knows that it is probably the only way they will get done. I should do these things. He never asks me to, which is why I don't. Why would I do them, when he does them better and doesn't expect me to do them? Because I love him. This, is why I should do these arduous chores. Because he takes pride in having a clean house, and I should respect him enough to help him out, even when I know that whoever is coming over is not going to notice that the floors are sparkly and the carpets have that just-vacuumed fluffy thing going on. It doesn't matter that people don't notice. Lee notices...and that matters.

Super Mom

I'm not really a super mom. My mom would say that I am. But that's what mom's are for...to boost their daughter's state of mind. However, sometimes, I do feel like I'm doing a pretty good job, figuring out what Cole needs. Today he obviously needs his nose wiped. A lot. And aspirated. Oh, how he hates that little bulbous snot funnel. But it works! Except when I forget how to use the thing and end up shooting snot back up his nostril...

The Lovely Boy

How is it that a little boy who was so whiny and clingy yesterday can be so content and happy today? He was in and out of the car all day today, stuck in his carseat a good portion of the day, and he only cried when it was time to eat. I was very proud of my little man!

Aarolyn and I tried on lots of shoes at Off Broadway today. It was so fun, going up and down the aisles, slipping our feet into the highest, most awesome heels we could find! This is one of the things that doing with a girl friend is much more fun than doing it with the spouse. Lee is a great shopper and is very patient with me, but I don't think he would have tried on heels with me...

I finally bought Cole a baby book last night. I got it from Amazon and I have high hopes for it. Right now, all his stats are being kept in a blog that I haven't published. I also bought Cole's Easter outfit today. He has a blue sweater with an argyle pattern across the chest, and blue plaid shorts, with little blue shoes. I hope it passes the "grandmother" test! :) Lee's a little worried about the shorts, but they are so cute, I think it'll work.

Finally, I have noticed that when I am tired, I start digging my fingernails or intensely rubbing various spots on my face. I don't know how long I've been doing this, but it's kind of weird. It hurts, but it kind of feels good and comforts me, I guess. So after this weekend of no sleep, I have a raw spot on the bridge of my nose, and my right temple has nail marks. You can say it. I know I'm pretty psycho...

Mondaze

I can't remember much about my day today. I know that I accomplished things. If I think really hard, I remember talking to my littlest sis on Facebook, talking to my middle sister on the phone, and leaving a message for my parents to call me back (I finally had to call them again...). I guess I also remember Cole had two dirty diapers (these make me happy...I know it's weird...) and he wore himself out in his Jumperoo and took a 3 hour nap afterwards. I also know that he was drooling quite a bit today and I put Lansinoh on his chapped chin, to keep the irritation at bay.

There was lots of other stuff I did today, like working, eating, and Facebooking. But, if someone asked me, "So, what did you do on Monday?" I'd draw a blank. By the time I thought of something to say, the moment would be past.

Back on the Bandwagon

I only blogged once after we found out I was pregnant. I'm really regretting that now; I had so many adventures, and now they are just memories, growing foggier by the minute. I was so tired that blogging just didn't occur to me. I'm going to get back into the habit now. I really miss the writing. Plus, when you are blogging, you start looking at your life differently, paying more attention to details that would make for a humorous story.

My Cole is 3 months old now. Those first couple of months were such a blur, I barely remember him as a newly-born newborn. I always thought that the actual delivery was the hard part; being a mom just comes naturally. I was definitely proved wrong. I cried every day for 6 weeks; The light at the end of the tunnel was off. All I could see was hours and hours of a crying child who constantly wanted to eat. I was too tired to sleep, too sore to move. Getting out of the house was a dream too far away to be realized...

As Cole got older, I learned his cries. Now, when someone tells me, "He's hungry dear, you need to feed him" I know if they are right, or if I need to just pretend they are right, so as to not hurt their feelings. Because I know Cole's hungry cry. I also know that when he is fussing and rubbing his eyes, he's sleepy. When he has a finger (or 3) in his mouth and is chewing on them, he's teething. I know when he needs to be put down to play by himself, and I know when he is crying just for the attention. I know that, while a dirty diaper doesn't usually bother him, a sure-fire way to make him laugh is to change him. And, finally, I know that when he smiles at me, he's seeing Me, Superwoman, Mother Extraordinaire, Supplier of Milk, and the One who is always There. I like my role.

Things to Remember

I needed to write some "dad-to-be" quirky stories down so that I can share them with baby Nault when he/she grows up.

1. Your dad started talking to you when I was just 10 weeks along. He'd ask how your day was and if you were tired from growing so hard today. You never responded, at least verbally.

2. Your dad was on daily belly button watch. He couldn't wait to see if my innie would become an outie.

3. Your dad would drum on my belly and chant, "Baby-baby-baby-baby". You seldom responded to this treatment either. It doesn't seem like you will perform on command; which will frustrate your grandad to no end, should he find himself ever taking care of you. Which I am sure he will want to do this at every available time. And I will let him, since he was such a fabulous father. Just don't forget to Communicate with him!!

4. Your dad was disappointed when we never got a picture of you with your tadpole tail. :)

5. Your dad has loved you from the moment he found out about you.

Pictures!!

I finally have taken the time to upload a couple of pictures in regards to my baby! Here's me at 17 weeks:Here's the baby, at 15 weeks.In the second picture, the "force" appears to have no neck. I assure you, it is just a trick. My baby really doesn't have a floating head. :)

Having a baby

Lee and I are expecting a baby in November. We are very excited and are enjoying making baby plans. Right now, though, I am completely exhausted and very emotional. I just drove home the 20 minutes from work and cried the whole way. Not just small tears, but convulsing, almost-having-to-pull-over kind if tears. And I don't even know why. I remember thinking about how tired i was, then all of a sudden the tears came and I couldn't stop them. Even now, they are rolling down my face. I feel like the only person who has ever cried over something completely inconsequential. which is utter nonsense, and any pregnancy book will tell you that it is completely normal to be emotional. But it doesn't stop me from feeling alone. :(. In general, I can totally have peace that God is taking care of me and that He is in control of what is going on inside of me. But knowing that He is working on me, doesn't make the tears stop. And that just makes me cry harder, because I know that if I truly believe that God is in control, I should be happy. And if I'm not happy, that means that I am not trusting Him. And I do trust Him!!! So why am I not happy today? I blame it on the hormones, which have no logic...

Breaking and Entering

I just watched Lee break into our guest bathroom. When I used it last night, I left the fan on and closed the door. We heard the fan upon arriving home after work today and tried to open the door, apparently it was locked. It took Lee about 30 minutes to demolish that door handle using such random tools as a hammer, saw, screwdriver, etc. I'm so proud that he fought his way in! My hero!

Oh Deer...

A deer went on a suicide mission across a busy pike. Unfortunately, our car got in his way. I don't actually know if his mission was fulfilled, but it was definitely accepted and my car has a deer-butt imprint on it to prove it. He (I have problems thinking about it being a "her"..."her" means there could be orphans now...) ran into the side of my car, hitting in front of my passenger door and, um, damaging the side so bad I couldn't open my door when we got out to assess. I cried when I saw the damage. No glass was broken, the car runs fine, and no one was hurt (jury's still out on Bambi...). I have ask, though, what God is working on us for. I know that He is, and that's how I'm getting through all of this, but the deer incident was just the latest in a run of stressors, some good, some bad, but all taking patience. We are spending most non-working, waking hours in our new house, getting it ready for move-in and of course, not everything is going as planned. I am having surgery next month, and while it's minor, it's still scary to me. I am slowly recovering from a sinus infection, and lee got one this week. My parents are coming a week or so after we move in. This would be a terrible stressor for many people. It's not at all for us, except I want to be planning things to do with them and I can't, because my mind is too occupied with other things, so that's stressing me. Not that my 'rents will care; they're just excited to be up here with me for a bit. But I want their experience to be great, ya know? I know there's other stuff, but I'm done complaining. I just wanted to put all this out there, because some people think my life is perfect and nothing gets me down. Here's proof that I am human and God's still working on me...

3-06-09

We are closing on our house today! So begins our renovation journey. Definitely the biggest undertaking we've done yet, but I'm optimistic. We are repainting the interior and doing the floors upstairs. It's gonna look so great!! I'll try to post before/after pics.

Yesterday Lee and I passed a cemetery which spurred a conversation about where we wanted to be buried. I decided that a Viking burial would be kind of cool (It's where you are set on a floating platform, pushed out to sea, and set on fire.). Lee decided that he wanted to be wrapped in bacon and cremated. That way, everyone who smelled the fire would be like, "Lee smells good, even in death!"

I'm just jazzed...

I've been working out 5 days a week and eating much healthier since early January, and lately I've been a little discouraged because the scale shows no change. I know I'm building muscle and that's heavier, but I haven't been able to see a physical difference, and that's been getting me down. This week, though, is better. I am wearing a skirt that I could barely squeeze myself into a couple of months ago. Yesterday, i was wearing pants that wouldn't fit over my thighs in December. I'm so excited that the early morning workouts are finally paying off. It gives me that extra kick I needed to continue on this lifestyle change. It gets annoying, having to pack all my "get ready for work" stuff the night before so that I can leave the house at 6:20 every morn. But, I'm starting to see that it's worth it. I don't have near the stomach problems I used to, I have energy throughout the day, and now I can wear more of what's been taunting me in my closet.

Here's some more strange ways I've answered the phone at work lately (usually, I say "Good Morning/Afternoon Princeton, How can I help you?):

1. Good Morning Princess (this, fortunately, was a co-worker's wife and she thought it was hilarious).

2. Good Morning, Princeton, How can I help It? ( This really embarrassed me because I'd been reading a romance novel and can't help but think that it influenced me to say "it" instead of "you").

At least I give myself something to laugh at at work...

Lee's so hot

I googled Lee's name this afternoon (after doing mine and finding muy poquito to be excited about) and found the following. It's a form online for FSA, but it makes Lee sound so important (which he IS).

Farm Service Agency
Washington, DC 20250
5-FLP
For: State and County Offices
Administrative, Chattel, Real Estate, and Property Management Costs for
the Debt and Loan Restructuring System (DALR$)
Approved by: Deputy Administrator, Farm Loan Programs
1 Overview
A Background
To determine eligibility for write-down, FSA must:
• determine the net recovery value of the security and other property by accounting for
involuntary liquidation costs
• compare the net recovery value of the security and other property with the net present
value of the restructured loan.
B Purpose
This notice provides:
• administrative liquidation costs for each loan type
• guidance for determining chattel and real estate costs
• a worksheet for determining property management costs (Exhibit 1).
C Contact
If there are any questions about this notice, State Offices shall contact Lee Nault by either of
the following:
• e-mail at lee.nault@wdc.usda.gov
• telephone at 202-720-6834.

I like the fact that all STATE offices have to call my husband for answers to their questions. I am married to such a stud. :)

2/23/2009

February 12th my 2nd nephew was born. His name is Jake Fletcher Chandler and he was 8 lb. 2 oz. I don't know how long he was. I'm terrible with numbers, so I consider it good if I can remember the weight. :) Anyways, that's apparently a big size for a baby, and he's doing really well. I love watching my sister with him, because she is so sweet and tireless and just lovely. She was born to be a mommy. Big brother, Case, loves his little brother, but it took him a little while to adjust to sharing his parents' attention. Of course, it turns out that he was still a little sick from a bout with the flu the weekend before, so that definitely contributed to his emotional state. His little world is definitely being rocked, I'm sure. My mom says I acted the same way towards her when Shannon was brought home from the hospital. I wouldn't look at mommy or really respond to her. I got over that, though, lucky for mom. :) I was really blessed to be able to fly down and help out my family for a couple of days. It was great to see them. That's the hardest thing about being up here; you miss out on all the little events that are important enough to drive a couple of hours for, but not gigantic enough to fly halfway across the country for. Shannon didn't need me to come, but it did me good to be there.

I really enjoy flying. It's a great exercise in peoplewatching. I met some interesting people on the flights. I was waiting from 2:30 til about 8:00 Thursday to get on a flight flying standby with AA. I took my Venti Nonfat Chai Latte to a bench and was reading, when I noticed the guy sitting behind me was completely perplexed. His nice luggage shoulder strap had come apart at the D-ring. However, both pieces were made from solid pewter, and had no cracks. How it came apart was a mystery that we discussed heavily, but alas, with no resolution. I didn't get on the first flight out, sadly enough, but I was assured that the next flight would accommodate me, so I had to wait some more. I let this older gentleman watch my bag for a bit so that I could go blow my nose without lugging my um, luggage, around. I felt brazen for doing this, since every 5 minutes there were announcements about not leaving your stuff, either alone or in someone else's care, for any amount of time. I went against the rules, and didn't get caught....haha! No lectures, please...:) On the flight home, I met this lady who used to work in LA as a gun-handler for the movies. She would provide the guns for action flicks. So cool! She said that Tommy Lee Jones is just a jerk, and Antonio Banderas is very short. Plus, when A.B. came in, the Taco Bell dog was also there and the dog got more attention than he did. If I were there, this would not have been my reaction...

In other news, we are closing on our house next week, if all goes well, and we will have a month full of renovations in front of us! Saturday we went by the house and saw that someone had thrown a big brick through our basement window. I was kinda freaked by this, but no one was inside and my heart finally calmed down. The realtor said that the leasing agent would secure the area and replace the window, so we were glad that we didn't have to worry about it. The kitchen, after further inspection, needs some serious work. The insides of the cabinets are warped and stained. I can paint them for a short fix, but it won't fix the warpedness. The walls are a hideous wallpaper. But, all the walls in the house need paint, so we will be doing that, as well as replacing the carpet upstairs. It'll be a chore, but I'm excited about getting my hands dirty. :)

Clutzy Antics

A couple of weeks ago I borrowed a racquetball ball from the front desk at the gym. The court that I chose to play on happened to have a ceiling that was only 2/3 covered, and after playing for about 10 minutes, I hit the ball up through the opening and lost it. I sheepishly explained this to the lady at the front and she laughed and said it was okay. Today, I had to visit her again, because I immobilized one of the machines. I was running on the treadmill at a good pace and had covered the digitized part of the screen so that I wouldn't just stare at my time, wishing it would go faster. I do this a lot. But today I guess my running was harder than usual because my towel was jiggled right off, fell to the treads and immediately was pulled underneath the machine. I calmly stopped the machine and got off to assess the damage. My towel was definitely wedged, but I could still see it. So I went to a trainer and he told me not to worry about it. We put a sign on the machine, then tried to pull the towel out, and it actually came out. The treadmill worked fine after we got the towel, so I suppose nothing was harmed. Except I'm afraid I'll be seen as a gym hazard and there will be communal groans whenever I appear. Baaaaa. I'm very sheepish about my dorkiness. If you think of the weirdest thing that can possibly happen in any situation, it'll probably happen to me. Ever cramp your shoulder while putting on your bra? I have, many times. Ever find a sinkhole in your yard by falling into it? I have. Ever get multiple wrong numbers called on your cell phone by Mexican men and children? I have. Probably 2 a week. And the list goes on...

40 things...I needed to stay busy.

I'm jumping on the bandwagon...here's my list.

1. I live in a basement in a big house where 12 other people live upstairs.
2. I am afraid to put my head under water, so I don't swim much at all. I can doggie paddle if I have to, but my neck goes way back as I avoid the water from touching my face.
3. That being said, I absolutely love watching the ocean, and even chasing the waves...as long as they stay away from my head.
4. I have lived like, 4 miles from Arlington Cemetery for 8 months and have yet to go see it. I have driven by it, and even through a bit of it, and I saw Iwo Jima as I drove by, but haven't actually made a walking trip through it.
5. That being said, I really like walking through cemeteries, wondering about the people buried there. It doesn't creep me out, but brings peaceful feelings, instead.
6. I think the texture of yogurt and smoothies is disgusting. Flavor's great, but I have to hold my finger under my nose to keep the gag reflex at bay when I eat it. The Whips! yogurt is fine though, because the texture is different.
7. I've worked out every weekday for the past 2 1/2 weeks. It's tough, but something has clicked in my head, and I have no interest in quitting. I'm going to lose 30 pounds!
8. The only way I can drink non-Dasani water is by adding lime juice. I'm a water snob. :)
9. I went to state in Spelling in High School.
10. I also was in All-Region band for 7 years, mostly 1st chair, playing the French Horn. I went to state for that, too, but only in ensembles.
11. I could play games all the time. Anything is more fun when you make a game out of it. Lee doesn't really understand this. He thinks I'm mean and competitive. I guess he's just afraid to lose...
12. With so many people losing their jobs (4 people in my office have lost their jobs in the past month), I just want to quit my job and hide from the world.
13. I had a frenectomy when I was in junior high. Sounds cool, but all it was was the removal or the skin between my two front teeth so that they would grow together.
14. The teeth have kind of grown apart again, but I don’t mind. Unless I get a taste bud stuck in between them…that really hurts.
15. I really like to go to dine-in restaurants by myself. I sit and read and let some waiter cater to me.
16. I went to a movie alone the first year I was teaching, and some of my junior high girls saw me and demanded that I sit with them. That, I will never forget.
17. Lee and I have known each other for 10 years now, but we’ve only been married for 3 ½. It took him a while to grasp the concept that I was real and not a figment of his active imagination. J
18. I am not an animal person. Unless it is a baby, or a white tiger.
19. It amazes me that people can be so different. God created us all to be unique and that is incredible to me.
20. I dislike perfumey fragrances. I’d rather smell like a cupcake over a gardenia any day.
21. I think Crème Brulee candles smell fabulous.
22. I can’t function without something on my lips. Lipstick, Gloss, Chapstick, anything. I Don’t leave home with out it.
23. I am a procrastinator. I try hard not to be, but I often forget to try. However, things tend to work out for me regardless, so it’s hard to get too down on myself about procrastinating.
24. Also, I’m not a perfectionist. I don’t usually worry about things that I can’t change, and if I do my best and it’s not good enough, I’m generally okay with that.
25. I took a spiritual gifts test one time and found out that my gifts are compassion and faith. It means a lot to me to not only recognize what my gifts are, but to be proud of them and use them to glorify God whenever possible.
26. I could have Starbucks every day and not grow bored. My favorite drinks are Chai Lattes, Dulce de Leche Lattes, White Chocolate Raspberry Mochas, Green Teas…
27. I’m not good at small talk. Lee could do it all day, even though he hates meeting new people. I love to meet new people, but can’t think of what to say past the whole “Hi, I’m Alecia…” thing. I’m working on this, though.
28. Cheer Bear (The pink one with the rainbow on the chest) is my fav.
29. My nicknames, other than derivatives of “Alecia”, are Sunshine and Queenie.
30. I used to sit on the counter and talk while my mom worked in the kitchen. It was my throne, hence the name “Queenie”. It got me out of work because I kept her so busy with stories and questions that she didn’t notice that I wasn’t working. To this day, I can’t talk and cook at the same time.
31. I love music. Anything from Hannah Montana to Eminem, Simon and Garfunkel to Britney Spears, the Carpenters, Journey, Duffy. Lee got me an Ipod Touch for Christmas, and I walked around with it all the time. It’s like I have a soundtrack to my life now.
32. I have the best family ever.
33. I love dark chocolate.
34. I read a lot. Romantic comedies are my favorite, but sometimes I take a break from them to read something dramatic (as long as there is still some romance!).
35. I love to wear lots of bracelets. I feel like a gypsy when I wear them.
36. I hit when someone scares me. Lee’s trying to train me to react differently, but it’s not taking.
37. I love to sing. It makes me happy.
38. I am much better at Wii bowling than regular bowling.
39. I am a better at being second in command than first. Even though I love the spotlight, I know that honestly, I enjoy being the helper better than the decision maker.

Snow!!

There's actually guys out shoveling our sidewalk this morning! With SNOW shovels! Not just the garden ones that daddy would use. ;) The real thing is definitely more needed up here. We are supposed to get a couple of inches. Nothing major, but it's been coming down and sticking all morning and it is beautiful. Lee's in Kansas City all week so I'm entertaining myself as best I can. I wish he was here to see the snow! We love pointing out all the ponds up here that have a frozen sheen on them. Anytime we are driving and see one we have to ooh and ahh over it. We are such dorks.

Phone Flub

Yesterday I was at work talking on the phone with this guy. No idea who he is, probably will never talk to him again. However, if you were eavesdropping on the convo, you would have heard this:

Him: Ok, Thanks for the information.
Me: You're Welcome.
Him: Bye. Love you.
Me: Love you too.

Yep. I don't really know if he actually said, "love you," but that is what I heard and I automatically responded in kind. So some stranger got the warm fuzzies after talking to me yesterday. Or the warm creepies, perhaps.

funny email

I sent out emails to our YA class today regarding our ski trip this weekend. The first one I sent out just said "Hi" because I hit the wrong button. Well, Lee sent out the following to everyone, in response:

Things that could have finished Alecia's message of "Hi":
-Ya!!! (followed by karate chop)
-Ho, Hi, Ho, its off to work I go (get it, because she is short)
-Waii (said with a Texas twang)-& Lois (her favorite Sunday newspaper comic strip)
-gh School Musical 4 tryouts were today and I am in!!!!
-tler movies are so much more interesting when Tom Cruise is involved.
-illary Clinton and Hilary Duff should totally do a song together. They could call it "You're the Secretary of the State of My Heart"
-lton Hotels are so overated. I much prefer when Lee books America's Best Value Inn
-Five! Very Nice!

Have a great day, See you all Saturday.

I'm married to the funniest guy around. :) Maybe I'm biased, but I had tears coming down my cheek from trying to suppress all my "LOLness" at work.

Lee's terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day

Lee called me at 7:30 yesterday morning stating that today was his "terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day". He missed his bus by 10 seconds and had to walk half a mile to catch his next one. Then he missed his train by 10 seconds as well. When he got to work he realized that his lunch of barbecue sausage and black eyed peas had leaked all over his Spiderman lunch box, which was open just a crack, so it also leaked into his leather bag he carries to work. Then at lunch he realized that black eyed peas and barbecue sausage don't really compliment each other, which was odd, because sausage goes good with every other bean. (When he came home and told me this, I laughed as I told him that black eyed peas are "Peas, not Beans" and his eyes widened as it dawned on him that I was correct in this assessment). I called him from work and asked if he wanted a videogame that was on sale for $10 dollars, because my friend and coworker was going to go buy it and would pick up one for him. but alas, they were all sold out all over the area. so I got his hopes up, then came home and told him I didn't get it after all. Hmmm, also, his stomach hurt all day. All of this really started on Sunday, when he dropped a cherished and rarely-bought half-gallon jar of big pickles all over the concrete as he was carrying them into the house.

I think today is going better, but it's not over yet! Poor baby!



In better news though, we put an offer on a house yesterday. Yay!



Last week we were watching TV and Lee thought he saw something run across the floor. However, we were listening to the ghostbuster song and the phrase, "If you're seeing things, Running through your head...Who ya gonna Call? Ghostbusters!" So we figured it was his imagination. But then, I saw it. One of the alien cousins (AKA a house centipede), ran out from under the TV, made a wide circle and went under the couch. A bit later, Lee saw it go from the couch back to the TV. Then a few minutes later, we saw him repeat his little jog. It's like our living room was a race track for squiggly little creatures. I'm sure you are wondering why we didn't kill it, since we saw it so many times. Honestly, the first time we realized what it was, we were so entrance watching it, we forgot. Then, it was just too fast for us.

Oh, here's a good story! Last week Lee found this recipe for chicken tortilla soup and made it for me (he cooks a lot now, because I get home an hour later than he does). So sweet! However, he made a few "learning experience" errors that were quite humorous. First, he used cream corn instead of whole kernel, because that was the only canned stuff we had. Of course, we did have some frozen corn, but he didn't think to check the freezer. Second, he thought the tortillas were supposed to be 2 inch strips, not 1/2 inch, so they were huge! Third, we didn't have canned black beans, so he used dried ones. Which is great, but basically triples the amount of time that the soup cooks. That brings us to the most crucial mistake. The recipe said to "set aside" the tortilla strips after cooking. He thought that meant "set aside in the same pot that the soup is cooking in". By the time the beans were done cooking, the tortillas had turned into huge slimy masses, plus the beans had dyed the tortillas and the chicken this nasty blue-black color. It actually tasted ok, if you ate around the tortillas, but it looked disgusting! And for some reason, by the time we had it for leftovers it was so salty it was inedible. I think Lee learned something that day...

I am spoiled.

Christmas was a different experience this year, because we weren't surrounded by family. To compensate for the emotional pain of this, Lee and I kind of overindulged each other with gifts. I guess we were helping the economy out, so that's a great thing. On my birthday, Dec. 24, Lee woke me up with a necklace as my first present. Then he braved the traffic and took me to work since he had the day off, and brought me Starbuck's. He spent the morning shopping and got my car washed. There is this white stuff they use up here to de ice the roads. I don't know if it's salt or calcium or something else, but it sticks on the sides of your car and, being the cold weather novices that we are, we are afraid this white stuff will damage our car, so therefore, it is of utmost importance to wash the car often. If anyone can tell us what that stuff is, we'd appreciate the knowledge and it may just put an end to our paranoia. Anyways, Lee picked me up from work around 11 and we walked around this fancy mall across from my office, then he took me to a fancy seafood restaurant for lunch. I got to have crab legs! This was very important, since I get good seafood twice a year: my birthday and our anniversary. Crab legs are so worth the effort of eating them. Yum. I opened a second present there and got a pair of leather boots. They smelled so good. We got lost going to Walgreen's in Fairfax (we always get lost in Fairfax), then we went bowling. Turns out, the bowling alley we went to was donating all their proceeds on Christmas eve to a charity of the patrons' choosing, so we got to help out the Diabetes foundation. That was a great way to spend my birthday. Lee made me a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie cake that was really good and we had BFD (breakfast for dinner). We rented Fred Claus, because White Christmas was already rented out. Other gifts I got ( I really sound like a child...) was XBox SceneIt, which is so fun, a couple more necklaces, a Cowboys hat, sweatpants, and a hat with earflaps to keep my head warm when we are outside and it's cold.

Christmas morning we woke up and opened our stockings. Turns out Santa was really into gift-giving this year as well, as our stockings were definitely stocked to completion. We drank Coke, as is the tradition in my family. It serves as a nonspoken reminder of my Maw and how much she loved Christmas (and Coca-cola). After stockings I put the ham on and we opened our presents from each other. Around 12:30 we tried to get on the Webcam to open presents with my family, but the online call kept getting dropped so we just opened them over the phone. This was the hardest part of the day because we could tell exactly what all we were missing. It was very bittersweet. Then we used the XBox to watch Lee's fam open presents. After all the presents were opened we ate our dinner of ham, mashed potatoes, bread and green beans. My ham was unbelievably good and we are still eating the leftovers, 5 days later. Later that eve we went to Benn and Laura Oltmann's house and had dinner and played games. They just moved here from Oregon and couldn't go home for Christmas either, so it was nice to be able to hang out with people in a similar situation.

Friday eve my friend Ann threw me a birthday party at the Cheesecake Factory. It was lots of fun to be with friends for my birthday. I had been telling everyone I was getting an ipod for Christmas, but when I realized I didn't get one, Lee just told me that he was waiting for a newer version of the Zune to come out, and I just accepted his excuse at face value. One of our friends gave me an ipod case and said, "You got one, right?" So I had to explain that I didn't, actually. Lee told everyone that he was planning on getting me one, but then he saw this bread maker and decided to get that instead. (The bread maker is great, by the way, we used it for the first time last night and it worked really well). Anyways, his story made everyone laugh and at the end of dinner I opened Lee's last present for me and it was, of course, my Ipod Touch. Now I have a constant soundtrack of my life, because I listen to my ipod everywhere. Or, that was the plan at least, but apparently Lee doesn't like that plan because we were grocery shoppin last night and he took my earphones away, saying, "No Alecia. We're shopping together. I want you with me." I was only listening with one earphone, anyways...I could so hear him still. But, I was reminded of the times I've seen families together, but not, and decided lee was probably right in insisting that there is no ipod during family time. However, right now, I'm either with Lee or at work. Good thing I can use it at work!

flurry of activity

I am now legal to drive in VA! It is so exciting to have the "DMV Drama" behind me. The best part is that my license now reads "AL3CIA". My name was already taken, but this is pretty close, right?

The past couple of weeks have been crazy busy! We've had Christmas parties, Birthday parties (not mine yet...Dec. 24th, don't forget...I may be turning 28, but I'm still excited about my Bday.), Babysitting at the Church Building, Shopping, Wrapping and sending off packages, Christmas card writing, plus, work and long traffic lines everyday. It has been fun, (even traffic's not bad when you are listening to a good book), but we are excited about this week, when we have nothing planned and can now just relax and make Christmas goodies and watch Christmas movies.

I won lots of tickets at the Christmas party at Dave and Busters!!

Lee and i are really spoiling each other with gifts. I think we are subconsciously trying to make up for the lack of family that we will see over the holidays. But it's kind of a race...who can put more stuff under the trees?

Speaking of trees, we have the tackiest tree ever this year. It is a soft pine, which means when you walk past it, it doesn't poke you. Which is great and all, but it also means the branches are too soft to really hold ornaments. We shoved them all on anyways, and now all the branches are droopy. Also, we couldn't find a tree stand anywhere because they were all sold out, so we made our own with a bag of rocks from Home Depot and a bright orange washtub we had sitting around. Then, we strung multicolored lights all over it, only half of which blink on and off, and topped it off with a plastic reindeer lawn ornament, in lieu of a star. Finally, Lee found a scraggly piece of silver garland and wrapped it around the bottom of the tree, since it already was way past "tastefully tacky". Oh, and the tree kind of leans because the washtub is too big, so Lee had to strap the tree in using a hanger. We are one moon pie short of being a redneck catastrophe. On the bright side, we have a fake tree in the corner that is decorated in only the color blue...so classy. But unfortunately, it becomes background noise to the "other" tree.

DMV adventures, deux

A couple of weeks ago Lee and I got up on a chilly Saturday morning to stand in line at the DMV and finally get my license and registration done. This was our third time to do this, and we still hadn't accomplished anything. Well, I succeeded in getting my license (which meant that I had my TX license confiscated, much to my chagrin). However, my title that was supposed to have been fedexed could not be found and the girl behind the counter told me that after 30 days they send it back to the lienholder. Drats! I had had it sent, but then got my job and pushed this terrible errand back, and now I had to wait some more! Well, with Thanksgiving and everything, I haven't taken the opportunity to recall my lienholder to re-request my title. Today, I received a call from the DMV saying, " We've had your title since September, and if you do not come in soon, we will be sending it back to your lienholder." Excuse me? I was at the DMV, my title was at the DMV, all my other paper work was at the DMV, and I still am not registered? Ugh! I called and actually was able to talk to a human being who told me she'd gladly file it unti l Saturday, so that I could come in and get it taken care of. So cross your fingers for Saturday morn! The incredulousness of this predicament is baffling....

Thanksgiving

Our first Thanksgiving without family went surprisingly well. We went to some friends' house and feasted on a terrific bird. I made rolls, but they just don't taste like mom's...I'll get it right someday though. :) We played lots of games and kept busy, so that we wouldn't get homesick. Friday morning I got up and went to Target where I was able to buy lots of goodies. The store wasn't too busy, thankfully. That night we got all dressed up and went to the National Harbor to see the Tree lit up and fireworks. It was fun being on the water, and the Harbor is just beautiful. We went to Old Town Alexandria to have dinner and stopped in at this Mexican place. It looked kind of strange because there were low tables and couches instead of chairs. I was cool with it, though. Then we looked at the menu and saw that it was "Morroccan" not "Mexican". Apparently in our starving stupor we can't read. So we gave our apologies to the mait'r de and vamoosed out of there...it was cold and we weren't feeling adventurous. Then we went to "Hard Times Cafe" and found a new favorite place to eat. They serve the best chili, and it's from Texas! Bonus!

It's Snowing!!!

Ok, so it just snowed for, like, 10 minutes, and now it is over. But still... Snow before Thanksgiving? Doesn't happen in TX very often, that's for sure!

Winner Wednesday

Last weekend Lee and I went to a drafthouse/cinema to see Tropic Thunder. These places are really cool because there are waiters and stuff who bring you drinks and food throughout the movie. Plus, the chairs are all situated around tables and stuff, not in rows, so you feel more at home. It was a lot of fun, and we enjoyed the movie, although I definitely can't recommend it, since it was too crass for words. However, if you were to go onto YouTube at some point in your life and search for videos of Tom Cruise dancing during the credits of Tropic Thunder, you would not be disappointed. Or, for those of you not internet-savvy, just rent the movie and watch the last couple of minutes. It was so funny...Tom Cruise is making his comeback, just like Britney.

Last night we found a lighted tennis court, so we got to play again. We were in a good habit of playing after work, but then daylight savings happened and now it is way dark before I even leave work at 5:30. Playing with Lee is frustrating because I can hold him to close games, but I just can't go that extra mile and beat him. I have to get my "serious face" on, and even then that only works because it makes him laugh. He even says I grunt when I hit the ball...I would never admit this, however, because ladies do not grunt.

Tonight we are going to look at some houses to buy. Since it'll be dark, we have to look at the houses using a flashlight. It's kinda wierd, and I just home no neighbors call the cops on us for wandering around the neighborhood, looking in windows with flashlights.

this week's happenings

So I now know the true meaning of traffic. People in Fort Stockton who grumble about the cars on Dickinson need to shut their mouths. The past 2 days I've spent 15-20 minutes apiece waiting to exit the parking garage after work. Then the next hour I fight traffic to drive the 7 miles home. Seriously. And, from what I hear, the holiday season will be much worse, since there is 2 huge malls across from my building. I've started listening to audiobooks just to ward off the obvious melting of my patience. The book I'm listening to now is good, I think, but the reader is horrible. It's a romantic comedy, yet she's reading it like it's a dramatic piece of work. It is such a bummer when this happens! Lee and i were really excited one time to listen to a certain book on vacation, but had to stop a track or two in because the reader was so horrible we couldn't fathom listening to him for 10 hours. What are people thinking???

I forgot my cell phone and my latest paperback at home today, mostly because I was running late because I didn't get up until 7:20 and I had to leave by 8 (at the latest). I can't bring myself to get out of bed on time, even though I'm just laying there hitting snooze, wishing I didn't have to get up. Anyways, so now I have nothing to do between work tasks (and they are definitely sporadic on Fridays), and I can't call Lee and tell him about my plans for this evening. This also means that when I am stuck in the garage again tonight I won't be able to call my parents and complain.

So I've complained a lot, and that really isn't my style. I think the city life is making me a bit cynical. So now we'll talk about the leaves. All the trees around here are changing, and they look magnificent. We might go into the mountains tomorrow to watch the leaves change more (and to get away from the city for a bit). The fall leaves make me learn for a Chai Latte from Starbucks. Of course, every season makes me yearn for something from Starbucks. Ooh, the other day I had a pumpkin spice frap from there, and it was like drinking an actual pumpkin pie. Soooo good!

My work inbox is still empty. I have to much energy to not have anything to do!!!

homeland security

So for this small town girl, when a guy walks in and flashes his badge and say, "I'm from Homeland Security, and I need to talk to someone regarding a person employed here...", the heart finds its way into the throat. That's all I'm sayin...

For the 2nd time in a matter of weeks, Lee has mistaken the women's restroom for the men's. The first time, he noticed the door just in time. Yesterday, he did not. In fact, he didn't suspect anything when he saw no urinals, or when he saw the changing table (which, from what I understand, are showing up more and more in men's rooms). He was only struck with the horrible realization when he noticed the trash receptacles for "women-related trash". This was after he washed his hands, AFTER he had used the restroom. At this point, he rushed to the door and his worst fear of the day became a reality. Lucky for him, there was no one around to witness this debacle. However, in the Dept. of Agriculture building, security cameras abound...

I watched the last inning of the World Series game last night, where Philly won the pennant (or whatever the trophy is in baseball). I laughed out loud at the camera work done when the game was won. There was about 20 different scenes, all about 5 seconds long, depicting different players reactions to the final strikeout. The first few made sense, but after several of them, it just starting getting funny, because it was basically the same reaction over, and over, and over again.

10.27.08

Today I woke up thinking that someone was operating on my skull without my consent. It hurt to walk, it hurt to open my eyes, it hurt to think. I stumbled into the kitchen, grabbed the ibuprofen and took two with orange juice. Right now, it is 11:20, and while I am functioning and can do my work, The base of my neck and temples are still tight and pounding. It's been a while since I've had this caliber of headache. I used to get them often when I was teaching, but without that stress of teaching, the headaches have faded. Don't know what brought this one on, but it can go away now!

I've decided that a WiiFit would be a great Christmas present for me. I used one Saturday at Jill and Sammie's house and my stomach is still sore. If you don't know what it is, it is this board thing that goes on the floor and you do exercises on it using the Wii as an instructor of sorts. One of the activities is Hula Hooping. You stand on the board and Hula hoop and the board registers your balance and rhythm and it is calculated on the Wii. It is so fun and exhausting!

new job started!

Today is the first day that I am alone at the front desk. So far, I've answered many, many calls and got all calls sent to the accurate line. My outlook is not set up yet, and the girl I replaced forgot to give me her password stuff for her outlook, so I can't do 3/4 of my work. Frustrating, but that is just the way it goes. I have caught up on all my saved blogs and enjoyed reading about everyone. Monica's baby girl is so sweet-looking I teared up. Meredith's little boy is just the funniest thing...there was a video of him singing a song in the car that made me smile.

Everyone here at work seems really nice. It is a pleasant place to work. I am not used to sitting all day, though, and my hips scream for some activity. I didn't realize how active I am when I'm at home, but now when I go home I can't sit still. I'd rather do dishes or laundry than sit at the computer, since that is what I do all day.

We are going house looking the next couple of evenings. It'll be fun, but I'm ready to be in a regular schedule again. Our friend Rafael was visiting us for the past week, and while it was great fun, we found ourselves craving the normalcy of our regular lives. Plus, we are behind on all of our TV shows, and while that's a stupid thing to stress about, I truly find myself worrying about when we will get to watch last week's Office! We were a couple of weeks behind on Project Runway, so I finally just broke down and read spoilers about it online. It was honestly a relief to not have to set aside 2 more hours to finish up the season. Silly, I know.

New Job!

I have a job! A friend from church had an opening in her office for a receptionist and when I interviewed, they offered it on the spot! The office does IT consulting for some huge companies, which basically means that they staff IT people into these companies. I will be editing resumes for potential staff, answering phones, doing mail stuff, etc. It seems like a very peaceful place to work, and the people were very nice. I think they will really work to see that I am comfortable with all my new tasks. Plus, there is a ton of room for movement in the company and they encourage you to pursue the areas that you really have an interest to work in. I will start early next week. God has definitely smiled at me with this job.

Today I got paid for 4 hours work at the temp. agency, even though I only worked 15 minutes. It was supposed to be a training session for a "counting cars" assignment that I have tomorrow. But, since I've already done it, they said that I didn't have to stay, but I'd still get paid! That's one sweet deal. But tomorrow I have to be at my intersection by 5:30 AM. Sooo early! But I've checked out a Janet Evanovich book to listen to while I work, so I think I'll be able to stay awake okay.

Things I saw today

Here's my favorite Craigslist.com listing of the week:

I want to steal your picnic baskets (Dupont Circle)
Reply to: gigs-861801112@craigslist.org [?]Date: 2008-09-30, 10:25PM EDT
Needed – 10 people willing to dress like park rangers carrying picnic baskets for the next 2 weeks in an around the Dupont Circle area. Reason – I want to dress up like Yogi Bear and see if I can steal your pic-nic baskets. Why – To improve my stealth skills. Compensation - $50 if you can keep your picnic basket for the entire 2 weeks. Must be able to provide own ranger outfit and picnic basket.

I am so tempted...

Today I was sitting in my car, waiting for a realtor to show me a house. A bird flew by and startled this squirrel, right? So the sqirrel scrambles up a utility pole, then realizes that he can't fly, so he starts barking. I have never heard a squirrel bark, and it was quite disturbing. I was afraid, actually, that he was going to fly through my window and attack my smirking face. The sound that came out of that little furry body was somewhere between a quack and the sound you made when you were a kid and you were playing with your jacket zipper, quickly opening and closing your jacket. (I still tend to play with my zipper when I'm nervous.) Anyways, It was a really odd noise, and occasionally he'd add a sound that was clearly mimicking the bird, because it was nearly a perfect "caw". This was one talented, freaky squirrel.

I saw several houses today that I want to show Lee. One had an actual wood burning stove, like my Maw used to have. It reminded me of the long ago time when watching a Kleenex burn was valid entertainment. Just joking. I'd do that now, if I had a fire. At another place, as we opened the door, the realtor looked around and said, " Wow. I feel like I've fallen into a package of skittles." The walls were all painted different, bright colors: green, blue, peach, pink, purple, yellow, etc. It was really a neat house, but Lee would definitely require some wall improvements, since he isn't a Rainbow Brite fan.