8:00am and i am ready for the day. ive been up since 630, had my cup of coffee, showered, dressed and kids are getting ready for school. i am going to be at school all day so i must get dinner at least thought of, i won't have time when i get home. oh yeah, school all day? well i don't attend school for a grade, but my kiddos go to school, a cooperative elementary school. it is called MCEP, Marysville Cooperative Education Program. parent volunteer is a requirement. to attend this public school, you have to put in 2.5 hours a week per kid. i have two so i just stay the whole day at school, spend my morning in my son's first grade class (a bunch of rugrats) and spend the afternoon in my daughter's 3rd grade class (also a bunch of rugrats but seem to have their acts together just a bit more).
anyway, back to dinner. i decide to make ribs in my crock pot. so i pull out the crock pot, grab the ribs from the freezer and the rest of the ingredients and get started. i will put the recipe at the end because this is one of my favorites, yummy. so this particular recipe calls for 2 onions sliced, so i grab my mandoline, and successfully slice up the first onion, into the crock pot it goes. when i start to slice up the second onion the tip of my thumb joins the onion through the slicer....OH MY WORD!!! i quickly run my hand under water, it is stinging not only from being sliced off, well just the surface, but also because it is now covered in onion juice...yowza!! so i have now sliced my thumb, bled through two bandaids, but hey dinner is on and cooking.
it is funny how much you use the pad of your thumb without realizing that you do so. everyday things suddenly become a major challenge; tying shoes, zipping up a coat, pulling on my socks, putting the key in the ignition and turning it, and yes typing....i am making so many mistakes that this is taking twice as long as it should. not only do i keep bumping it into everything, like it is now 18 times larger than normal and has a mind of its own, but it is throbbing and still bleeding a ton. surface wounds tend to bleed sooo much, it seems worse than it really is.
i remember a time last year when shreddie text me, i was out on a date, if i could remember what time of year this happened i could tell you exactly who it was, but i don't remember. anyway, i was out on a date and i get this text that says, "i just cut off the tip of my thumb..." normally i wouldn't have text back but ummm hello my best friend just text me that she cut off her thumb. well she ends up going to the hospital and they send her home. i go to visit the next day not knowing exactly what i was going to find, but i was thinking that the tip of her thumb to her first knuckle was going to be gone. so her thumb is completely bandaged up and it appears at least through the bandages that it is still intact. her thumb does not appear to be a stump! so i ask her to see it, i love this kind of stuff, grew up with parents in medicine. so she unwraps all the ace bandaging and gauze and well her thumb is still intact. i look at her and say, "i have to admit i am a little disappointed, i was expecting a stump!" shreddie looks at me in disbelief how in the world could i be disappointed, she is injured. of course shreddie milks her injury for quite awhile, but she eventually recovers from her wound.
i now have a similar thumb to shreddies, yes this is what best friends do, we share; stories, hopes, disappoints and injuries. ha! dinner was super yummy and i have enough to take to work tomorrow. my thumb is still throbbing, but is not bleeding anymore. i haven't taken the bandaids off to examine the exact damage, but i will. hopefully by tomorrow i will be able to type better, i do this for a living, i need to be able to use my thumb to its fully capacity. so moral of this story; a mandolin comes with a handle to spear the food that you are slicing to avoid injury. USE IT!!
onion smothered short ribs:
2 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced (i use a mandolin)
3 pounds of beef short ribs
salt, pepper and flour
1 clove garlic, minced (today i used garlic salt and just sprinkled it in, not as good, but works in a pinch)
1 bay leaf, crumbled ( i leave this whole so i can pull it out and i put in a couple more because i like the flavor)
1/2 tsp. dry rosemary
3 whole cloves
1 14-ounce can beef broth
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp. prepared mustard
parsley for garnish
1. seperate onions slices into rings. this should make about 4 cups. sprinkle short ribs with salt and pepper and dredge in flour (i season my flour with the salt and pepper in a ziplock bag and shake the ribs in it). place 1/2 the onions in a 9x13 pan (i use my crock pot). place ribs on top of onions, then add remaining onions. add garlic, bay leaf, rosemary and cloves. pour beef broth over all. cover and bake at 350 degrees for 3 1/2 hours. i put all in crock pot and cook on low all day.
2. remove meat and onions to a deep platter. keep warm. pour cooking liquid into a saucepan and add wine vinegar and mustard. bring to a boil and cook until slightly reduced. pour sauce over ribs and onions. garnish with parsley.
serve with buttered noodles or mashed potatoes.
this recipe serves 6. it is from Mystic Seaport: A New England Table
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
sparkles, winnie the pooh and "in a family way"
january 14th, 5:30am. i had just gone to bed a few hours before hand, but when you are going on vacation it seems as if you don't care how early you have to get up or how little sleep you actually got, you spring out of bed ready for the adventure. adventure it was sure to be. i am headed for las vegas. i have never been to this place "sin city"...it sounds very intriguing. what kind of trouble will i find myself in here? i have a trio of companions to join in the mischief.
first there is kkc. the reason for the adventure. kkc, is really kathy crosby, but we call her kathy kathy crosby or kkc for short. how did this come about, well let me tell ya. a few years back the crosby, redmon, brickey, wolff (that was my last name then) clan went on a mommy/kiddo camping trip. there were 4 moms and 12 kids (2 brickeys, 2 crosbys, 2 wolffs, 3 redmons and 3 friends of the redmons)..it was a zoo. well kathy was walking with my son to the bathroom and he looks at her and says, "what is your name again? kathy, kathy crosby?" and well the rest is history it has stuck. all of our friends, teachers at the kid's school, the students themselves call her kathy kathy crosby. so back to the story, kkc is turning 50!! so fricking awesome. her birthday wish, to spend the weekend with her best girlfriends in vegas. well heck yeah count me in.
i have always wanted to go to vegas, but i used to be married to a man that i loving refer to as a "human hater". he doesn't like crowds, doesn't like participating, would rather be at home by himself. so um yeah, we never made it to vegas. that would have been an absolute disaster, and now that i have been there, i am even more convinced that his world probably would have ended if i had drug him to vegas just to satisfy my own curiosity.
background/details about kkc; first off she is turning 50. i met her in kindergarten because her son and my daughter were in the same class. she is an absolutely amazing woman. she knows exactly who she is, has an incredible family, is willing to share her ideas, triumphs and failures, and knowledge if you want it. my favorite part about kkc is that she has a great sense of humor, she can make fun of herself and take a joke. being the oldest of my mamma group, she ends up being the butt of jokes quiet often, sometimes just because she doesn't get it and sometimes just because she is the oldest and we tend to point that out occasionally, oh alright frequently. so another detail about kkc is her love of all things sparkly, sequins and shine. now i am not so sure if it is her love or her hubbies love, but whosever love it is sequins was the theme for a 50th birthday adventure.
ok, player number two, kari brickey. in my group we call her trickey, another nickname from my son. not sure when it originated, but he called her trickey, because he couldn't quite get his "br" sound down and well that has stuck too. trickey and kkc are the best of friends and for some unknown reason they love me. yeah me!! so trickey is the kindergarten teacher for both of my kiddos. from my first meeting with trickey, i knew we were going to be friends. one because she is just a great woman and has more patience than i could ever hope to have and two because she needed a gentle push in the fashion world. when i met her, she looked great very laid back and kinda outdoorsy. she took outdoorsy to a whole new level the day she wore overalls with a moose appliqued to the butt...this was sometime in october of my daughter's kindergarten year. she had made this comment about overalls being so comfortable and that you just can't find them anymore. i responded with, "there is a reason that people don't wear moose on their butts". it wasn't meant to be mean just a gentle eye opener. well at the time i worked for a clothing designer, i had some samples in her size and gave them to her, the cause of updating this wonderful woman from your typical kindergarten teacher with the holiday themed sweaters to a modern teacher who is dressed appropriately for her age. sorry to all of you who wear these types of clothing, but really why would anyone want a moose on their butt?
the third participant is kristin, kkc's cousin. we, trickey and myself, were told that she is an expert in all things vegas. has been here several times, has tons of stuff in mind for us to do, and that she is under the weather with a cold, but is up for the job of tour guide extraodinaire. i have met this kristin once before, for some other celebration, kkcs was decked out in sequins gotta love her, but i hadn't spent much time with her. i was sure that kkc not only included kristin because she is an expert but also because she is super fun, just like the rest of us. so when we finally get to vegas and our hotel and meet up with kristin, kkc says, "how are you feeling?" "i think i have turned a corner, feeling much better." "she is 4 months pregnant!!!" which makes me look immediately to her tummy...nope not showing at all. well of course, congrats go all around and we all get acquainted.
ok so there is the cast...now back to the story. so i was instructed i could only bring a carry on, "NO checking a bag" i had worked all week on packing just the right things and carefully planning my outfits. when it came time to actually leave, i still had room and threw in some extras, thank heavens because i wore everything i brought and wished i had one more outfit. next time! the crew, except kristin who flew in from oregon, meets at kkc's at 630am. we pile into the trooper and we are off. yahoo!!! we go through security without a hitch, no full body scanner or wanding or rifling through our bags never to get them to close again, and board our plane.
when we take off it was cloudy, rainy, probably only 50 degrees. pretty much miserable weather, but hey it is january in washington what do we really expect? our plane starts it descent into las vegas, nevada and what is peering through our windows but SUN, glorious, beautiful, heat producing SUN! it was truly a beautiful sight. our first step outside and it was warm, a wonderful dry heat. i turned to gaze into the sun, realizing i left my sunglasses on my dashboard, closed my eyes and soaked up my first dose of vitamin d, let out a huge sigh and climbed into the cab. he asks us, "where to?" kkc responds "The Hotel at Mandalay Bay", and we are off.
we could see our destination from the runway. a towering building with gold tinted windows that rose from the concrete into the beautiful blue desert sky. for those that aren't familiar it sits at the end of the strip, not sure which direction because well it was my first time and i was completely turned around, right next to the luxor. thanks to shows like "Las Vegas", and "CSI" i knew my hotels. well if you haven't guessed, The Hotel, is all things lovely. it is The Store, The Cafe, The Robe, The Spa, The everything, as if nothing else could compare to what The Hotel had to offer. i believed it, it is a gorgeous hotel. very clean lines, no fuss about it. the lobby and most of the hallways on the main floor are lined with oversized floral arrangements of calla lilies. they smelled amazing and they were just the classic white callas no colored callas for The Hotel.
so the 3 amigas from washington run into our first snag. kkc had called kristin when we landed asking about our room number and kkc being the "old" lady that she is didn't quite hear kristin correctly. so we get to the hotel and try to find elevator 428. well it was like trying to find platform 9 3/4's...it doesn't exist in this world. kkc tries to call we can't get ahold of kristin and decide to just take an elevator that goes to floor 28, since we know that our room in on that floor. yep you guessed it, we weren't looking for elevator 428, we were to take the elevator to floor 28, duh! this is what happens when you are traveling with an "old" lady who can't hear well on her phone. :)
we head off to explore our hotel and end up at the pool. we all get a cold beverage, water for the one "in a family way" and just chillax in the sun. giggling and chatting about what we wanted to do for the weekend. kkc had some very strict rules, she didn't want to walk a lot, she wanted to have lots of fun and she didn't want to engage in....well the gentleman sunbathing in the lounge chair next to ours turns around and says, "well that's a shame if you change your mind..." well you can imagine we all start belly laughing. we had no idea that he was paying such close attention to our conversation. ha! off to lunch/dinner in paris we go. so fun, it did look like we were in paris, except for all the crazy people and the kamikaze birds that were swooping our table on the "outside terrace". kkc had seen a billboard for "peepshow" starring holly madison and decided that we HAD to go see it. so after a little sight seeing, the fountain show at the belagio and the volcano at some hotel i don't recall a quick walk through the venetian, a huge scare from a captain jack (from pirates of the caribbean) he came up behind me and scared the crap out of me, and dodging all the people "snapping" nude lady cards at us, we went back to The Hotel to change for our first show.
peepshow at planet hollywood; billed as a burlesque show starring holly madison. so as you know i don't watch tv, i had no idea who this person is, apparently she is from a show called "the girls next door" and used to be the number one girlfriend to hugh heffner, i just learned this. we get our seats, kkc and kristin are squealing with excitement, seeing as they are both fans of the show, trickey and i well we are just along for the ride. the show is fantastic but ive got to say, and this is just my personal opinion, holly madison isn't the star she is a supporting member to the outstanding cast of that show. the 3 divas who sang, the 3 men (1 who sang and two who had acting roles) and the seemingly no-name supporting cast were the actual "stars" of the show. those women were in such fantastic shape it blew me away. the gal who performed the "pole routine" she was incredible, the amount of core strength she had was truly something to be admired. the gal who did the blindfold riding a swinging saddle was mind boggling. those woman were incredible and they had the best rears i have seen in a long time. good show i would recommend seeing it.
day two: woke up mid morning, ate a great breakfast and then went to the aquarium at mandalay bay. trickey was in heaven and i think this may have been her favorite part, she is diver. i have to admit it was very tranquil inside the aquarium with the sharks and the rays and sea turtles swimming all around you. we sat there for a long time just being peaceful with the sealife. then off to the pool. we sat at the pool for hours getting another dose of vitamin D. kkc had got us tickets for a show, the lisa lampanelli comedy show. so off to get ready for this adventure.
our tickets got us a "discounted" dinner at Simon a restaurant at the Palms, where our show was at. so we decked out in sequins (trickey and myself), a very revealing dress for kkc, and what kristin called a "slutty" dress but in my opinion she looked very lady like and classy. Simon is a very cool restaurant, the pool outside is spectacular, we asked to eat our dinner out there but the answer was no. our waiter, Steve, was a kick in the pants, the poor guy just had our table and we were being very silly. halfway through our dinner Steve comes over and tells us that the lady who just left was lisa lampanelli..."get out, no way!" how did we not notice her? oh my word, we had dinner with lisa lampanelli!! so for those who don't know her, i was one of those had never heard of this woman, she is a very crude, raunchy woman, but funny as hell. she makes fun of everyone and has some very suggestive material, but we laughed our butts off, it was great! then a night of "clubbing".
i am not a "clubber". i don't really enjoy the whole club scene, it is loud, people are drunk and rude, the girls all look like hookers, the guys are just slimy and gross. i prefer a low key dive bar where you can throw peanut shells on the ground and they have a well crafted beer and trashy fried food, none of this fancy martini and tuna tartar, but this was the plan and i was along for the ride. we got ourselves a pass that got us into 8 different clubs and no cover...super! so the playboy club was first on the list. i have to admit this was a really swanky place, the "bunnies" and the view it was pretty darn cool. well this creap-o guy wouldn't leave kristin alone and we had to leave. we ended up sharing our elevator ride down with a man who was celebrating his 91st birthday. he had his walker and his army of well wishers and a grin on his face that you couldn't wash off! we hit a few more and called it a night.
our weekend was over. we had some really good laughs, enjoyed watching some really crazy people, saw two great shows, and celebrated the birthday of an amazing woman and wonderful friend. i am not sure if i am really a "vegas" girl....there is a whole lot of stimulation; lights, sounds, people, smells it was a little overwhelming. all in all it was fun. i am not sure i would make this a regular trip but i will definitely go back, maybe celebrate another birthday or some other milestone. who knows, guess we will find out.
first there is kkc. the reason for the adventure. kkc, is really kathy crosby, but we call her kathy kathy crosby or kkc for short. how did this come about, well let me tell ya. a few years back the crosby, redmon, brickey, wolff (that was my last name then) clan went on a mommy/kiddo camping trip. there were 4 moms and 12 kids (2 brickeys, 2 crosbys, 2 wolffs, 3 redmons and 3 friends of the redmons)..it was a zoo. well kathy was walking with my son to the bathroom and he looks at her and says, "what is your name again? kathy, kathy crosby?" and well the rest is history it has stuck. all of our friends, teachers at the kid's school, the students themselves call her kathy kathy crosby. so back to the story, kkc is turning 50!! so fricking awesome. her birthday wish, to spend the weekend with her best girlfriends in vegas. well heck yeah count me in.
i have always wanted to go to vegas, but i used to be married to a man that i loving refer to as a "human hater". he doesn't like crowds, doesn't like participating, would rather be at home by himself. so um yeah, we never made it to vegas. that would have been an absolute disaster, and now that i have been there, i am even more convinced that his world probably would have ended if i had drug him to vegas just to satisfy my own curiosity.
background/details about kkc; first off she is turning 50. i met her in kindergarten because her son and my daughter were in the same class. she is an absolutely amazing woman. she knows exactly who she is, has an incredible family, is willing to share her ideas, triumphs and failures, and knowledge if you want it. my favorite part about kkc is that she has a great sense of humor, she can make fun of herself and take a joke. being the oldest of my mamma group, she ends up being the butt of jokes quiet often, sometimes just because she doesn't get it and sometimes just because she is the oldest and we tend to point that out occasionally, oh alright frequently. so another detail about kkc is her love of all things sparkly, sequins and shine. now i am not so sure if it is her love or her hubbies love, but whosever love it is sequins was the theme for a 50th birthday adventure.
ok, player number two, kari brickey. in my group we call her trickey, another nickname from my son. not sure when it originated, but he called her trickey, because he couldn't quite get his "br" sound down and well that has stuck too. trickey and kkc are the best of friends and for some unknown reason they love me. yeah me!! so trickey is the kindergarten teacher for both of my kiddos. from my first meeting with trickey, i knew we were going to be friends. one because she is just a great woman and has more patience than i could ever hope to have and two because she needed a gentle push in the fashion world. when i met her, she looked great very laid back and kinda outdoorsy. she took outdoorsy to a whole new level the day she wore overalls with a moose appliqued to the butt...this was sometime in october of my daughter's kindergarten year. she had made this comment about overalls being so comfortable and that you just can't find them anymore. i responded with, "there is a reason that people don't wear moose on their butts". it wasn't meant to be mean just a gentle eye opener. well at the time i worked for a clothing designer, i had some samples in her size and gave them to her, the cause of updating this wonderful woman from your typical kindergarten teacher with the holiday themed sweaters to a modern teacher who is dressed appropriately for her age. sorry to all of you who wear these types of clothing, but really why would anyone want a moose on their butt?
the third participant is kristin, kkc's cousin. we, trickey and myself, were told that she is an expert in all things vegas. has been here several times, has tons of stuff in mind for us to do, and that she is under the weather with a cold, but is up for the job of tour guide extraodinaire. i have met this kristin once before, for some other celebration, kkcs was decked out in sequins gotta love her, but i hadn't spent much time with her. i was sure that kkc not only included kristin because she is an expert but also because she is super fun, just like the rest of us. so when we finally get to vegas and our hotel and meet up with kristin, kkc says, "how are you feeling?" "i think i have turned a corner, feeling much better." "she is 4 months pregnant!!!" which makes me look immediately to her tummy...nope not showing at all. well of course, congrats go all around and we all get acquainted.
ok so there is the cast...now back to the story. so i was instructed i could only bring a carry on, "NO checking a bag" i had worked all week on packing just the right things and carefully planning my outfits. when it came time to actually leave, i still had room and threw in some extras, thank heavens because i wore everything i brought and wished i had one more outfit. next time! the crew, except kristin who flew in from oregon, meets at kkc's at 630am. we pile into the trooper and we are off. yahoo!!! we go through security without a hitch, no full body scanner or wanding or rifling through our bags never to get them to close again, and board our plane.
when we take off it was cloudy, rainy, probably only 50 degrees. pretty much miserable weather, but hey it is january in washington what do we really expect? our plane starts it descent into las vegas, nevada and what is peering through our windows but SUN, glorious, beautiful, heat producing SUN! it was truly a beautiful sight. our first step outside and it was warm, a wonderful dry heat. i turned to gaze into the sun, realizing i left my sunglasses on my dashboard, closed my eyes and soaked up my first dose of vitamin d, let out a huge sigh and climbed into the cab. he asks us, "where to?" kkc responds "The Hotel at Mandalay Bay", and we are off.
we could see our destination from the runway. a towering building with gold tinted windows that rose from the concrete into the beautiful blue desert sky. for those that aren't familiar it sits at the end of the strip, not sure which direction because well it was my first time and i was completely turned around, right next to the luxor. thanks to shows like "Las Vegas", and "CSI" i knew my hotels. well if you haven't guessed, The Hotel, is all things lovely. it is The Store, The Cafe, The Robe, The Spa, The everything, as if nothing else could compare to what The Hotel had to offer. i believed it, it is a gorgeous hotel. very clean lines, no fuss about it. the lobby and most of the hallways on the main floor are lined with oversized floral arrangements of calla lilies. they smelled amazing and they were just the classic white callas no colored callas for The Hotel.
so the 3 amigas from washington run into our first snag. kkc had called kristin when we landed asking about our room number and kkc being the "old" lady that she is didn't quite hear kristin correctly. so we get to the hotel and try to find elevator 428. well it was like trying to find platform 9 3/4's...it doesn't exist in this world. kkc tries to call we can't get ahold of kristin and decide to just take an elevator that goes to floor 28, since we know that our room in on that floor. yep you guessed it, we weren't looking for elevator 428, we were to take the elevator to floor 28, duh! this is what happens when you are traveling with an "old" lady who can't hear well on her phone. :)
we head off to explore our hotel and end up at the pool. we all get a cold beverage, water for the one "in a family way" and just chillax in the sun. giggling and chatting about what we wanted to do for the weekend. kkc had some very strict rules, she didn't want to walk a lot, she wanted to have lots of fun and she didn't want to engage in....well the gentleman sunbathing in the lounge chair next to ours turns around and says, "well that's a shame if you change your mind..." well you can imagine we all start belly laughing. we had no idea that he was paying such close attention to our conversation. ha! off to lunch/dinner in paris we go. so fun, it did look like we were in paris, except for all the crazy people and the kamikaze birds that were swooping our table on the "outside terrace". kkc had seen a billboard for "peepshow" starring holly madison and decided that we HAD to go see it. so after a little sight seeing, the fountain show at the belagio and the volcano at some hotel i don't recall a quick walk through the venetian, a huge scare from a captain jack (from pirates of the caribbean) he came up behind me and scared the crap out of me, and dodging all the people "snapping" nude lady cards at us, we went back to The Hotel to change for our first show.
peepshow at planet hollywood; billed as a burlesque show starring holly madison. so as you know i don't watch tv, i had no idea who this person is, apparently she is from a show called "the girls next door" and used to be the number one girlfriend to hugh heffner, i just learned this. we get our seats, kkc and kristin are squealing with excitement, seeing as they are both fans of the show, trickey and i well we are just along for the ride. the show is fantastic but ive got to say, and this is just my personal opinion, holly madison isn't the star she is a supporting member to the outstanding cast of that show. the 3 divas who sang, the 3 men (1 who sang and two who had acting roles) and the seemingly no-name supporting cast were the actual "stars" of the show. those women were in such fantastic shape it blew me away. the gal who performed the "pole routine" she was incredible, the amount of core strength she had was truly something to be admired. the gal who did the blindfold riding a swinging saddle was mind boggling. those woman were incredible and they had the best rears i have seen in a long time. good show i would recommend seeing it.
day two: woke up mid morning, ate a great breakfast and then went to the aquarium at mandalay bay. trickey was in heaven and i think this may have been her favorite part, she is diver. i have to admit it was very tranquil inside the aquarium with the sharks and the rays and sea turtles swimming all around you. we sat there for a long time just being peaceful with the sealife. then off to the pool. we sat at the pool for hours getting another dose of vitamin D. kkc had got us tickets for a show, the lisa lampanelli comedy show. so off to get ready for this adventure.
our tickets got us a "discounted" dinner at Simon a restaurant at the Palms, where our show was at. so we decked out in sequins (trickey and myself), a very revealing dress for kkc, and what kristin called a "slutty" dress but in my opinion she looked very lady like and classy. Simon is a very cool restaurant, the pool outside is spectacular, we asked to eat our dinner out there but the answer was no. our waiter, Steve, was a kick in the pants, the poor guy just had our table and we were being very silly. halfway through our dinner Steve comes over and tells us that the lady who just left was lisa lampanelli..."get out, no way!" how did we not notice her? oh my word, we had dinner with lisa lampanelli!! so for those who don't know her, i was one of those had never heard of this woman, she is a very crude, raunchy woman, but funny as hell. she makes fun of everyone and has some very suggestive material, but we laughed our butts off, it was great! then a night of "clubbing".
i am not a "clubber". i don't really enjoy the whole club scene, it is loud, people are drunk and rude, the girls all look like hookers, the guys are just slimy and gross. i prefer a low key dive bar where you can throw peanut shells on the ground and they have a well crafted beer and trashy fried food, none of this fancy martini and tuna tartar, but this was the plan and i was along for the ride. we got ourselves a pass that got us into 8 different clubs and no cover...super! so the playboy club was first on the list. i have to admit this was a really swanky place, the "bunnies" and the view it was pretty darn cool. well this creap-o guy wouldn't leave kristin alone and we had to leave. we ended up sharing our elevator ride down with a man who was celebrating his 91st birthday. he had his walker and his army of well wishers and a grin on his face that you couldn't wash off! we hit a few more and called it a night.
our weekend was over. we had some really good laughs, enjoyed watching some really crazy people, saw two great shows, and celebrated the birthday of an amazing woman and wonderful friend. i am not sure if i am really a "vegas" girl....there is a whole lot of stimulation; lights, sounds, people, smells it was a little overwhelming. all in all it was fun. i am not sure i would make this a regular trip but i will definitely go back, maybe celebrate another birthday or some other milestone. who knows, guess we will find out.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
it's not all about me?
sometimes you need to get slapped in the face to get it! it seems like i need that slap in the face regarding certain situations a little more than others. geez, i might have to start wearing protective gear!
sunday morning has become my weekly therapy session with shreddie, via skype. i am in my bed with a cup of coffee, i get the best reception in my bed. so if you ever want to join me in bed we should skype..ha! shreddie is on her couch with a glass of wine. i always giggle at this, because most of the time we are both in our pj's but our beverages our definitely different. we both look ragged, me because i just woke up, shreddie because she is ready to go to bed. we are quite a pair.
first of all skype has got to be one of the coolest technological advances ever. i am by no means a techie person, and there may be way cooler things out there, but for me skype is it!! ok back to shreddie, shreddie lives in Belarus. i used to talk to her everyday, sometimes more than once, now i am lucky to get a marathon skype session once a week, but it is definitely better than nothing at all. we still talk about the same things; boys, kids, parents, school, crazy people we see during our everyday life. but now we have added; new foods, new countries, umm new boys (okay that isn't new), language barriers and the ever growing list of things she needs to remember to get while she is home this summer.
yesterday was a sob session (for me). i was going on and on about J. she was patiently listening to me and then says, "Heather, it is not all about you." well crap! i think if we were sitting next to each other on the couch, she seriously would have slapped me or at least thrown me to the ground for some leg wrestling. i am sure my mouth fell open with disbelief, well actually i know it did, because i can't help but look at myself in the picture up in the corner, i distract myself. anyway, she went on to say, that from what i have told her about J, that he is not "that guy" and if i really believe that in my heart then stop freaking out. she recommended a book a friend of hers wrote, Laura Munson, the book is titled This Is Not the StoryYou Think It Is: A season of Unlikely Happiness. i told her i am not really into those "self help" books. maybe i should be, but i find them to be sooooooo boring. shreddie assures me that this book will speak to me.
shreddie, i ordered the book today. i will give you my review soon.
shreddie has become so philosophical in Belarus. i wonder if there is something in the water over there? hmmm....whatever it is, shreddie did what best friends do, helped me calm down, put things into perspective and stop obsessing. i still didn't sleep well. i have gotten into this pattern of reading, falling asleep with my light on and book tented across my chest. then i wake up, close my book, turn off my light and then lay in the dark staring at the walls. at least last night didn't include tears, progress, i will take it. but i seem to do the fall asleep/wake up thing several times during the night. it is almost like i have a newborn at home. maybe with this new perspective i will develop a better sleeping pattern. it sure would help, i am seriously exhausted!
so i am left with this, is it ever about me? i can accept that it will never be just about me in regards to my kiddos, i learned that right away after my daughter was born. nobody comes to see you, they come to see the new baby and oh by the way how are you? but in a relationship with another adult, be it a girlfriend, a boyfriend, spouse, parents, siblings...is there ever a time when it is just about me?
sunday morning has become my weekly therapy session with shreddie, via skype. i am in my bed with a cup of coffee, i get the best reception in my bed. so if you ever want to join me in bed we should skype..ha! shreddie is on her couch with a glass of wine. i always giggle at this, because most of the time we are both in our pj's but our beverages our definitely different. we both look ragged, me because i just woke up, shreddie because she is ready to go to bed. we are quite a pair.
first of all skype has got to be one of the coolest technological advances ever. i am by no means a techie person, and there may be way cooler things out there, but for me skype is it!! ok back to shreddie, shreddie lives in Belarus. i used to talk to her everyday, sometimes more than once, now i am lucky to get a marathon skype session once a week, but it is definitely better than nothing at all. we still talk about the same things; boys, kids, parents, school, crazy people we see during our everyday life. but now we have added; new foods, new countries, umm new boys (okay that isn't new), language barriers and the ever growing list of things she needs to remember to get while she is home this summer.
yesterday was a sob session (for me). i was going on and on about J. she was patiently listening to me and then says, "Heather, it is not all about you." well crap! i think if we were sitting next to each other on the couch, she seriously would have slapped me or at least thrown me to the ground for some leg wrestling. i am sure my mouth fell open with disbelief, well actually i know it did, because i can't help but look at myself in the picture up in the corner, i distract myself. anyway, she went on to say, that from what i have told her about J, that he is not "that guy" and if i really believe that in my heart then stop freaking out. she recommended a book a friend of hers wrote, Laura Munson, the book is titled This Is Not the StoryYou Think It Is: A season of Unlikely Happiness. i told her i am not really into those "self help" books. maybe i should be, but i find them to be sooooooo boring. shreddie assures me that this book will speak to me.
shreddie, i ordered the book today. i will give you my review soon.
shreddie has become so philosophical in Belarus. i wonder if there is something in the water over there? hmmm....whatever it is, shreddie did what best friends do, helped me calm down, put things into perspective and stop obsessing. i still didn't sleep well. i have gotten into this pattern of reading, falling asleep with my light on and book tented across my chest. then i wake up, close my book, turn off my light and then lay in the dark staring at the walls. at least last night didn't include tears, progress, i will take it. but i seem to do the fall asleep/wake up thing several times during the night. it is almost like i have a newborn at home. maybe with this new perspective i will develop a better sleeping pattern. it sure would help, i am seriously exhausted!
so i am left with this, is it ever about me? i can accept that it will never be just about me in regards to my kiddos, i learned that right away after my daughter was born. nobody comes to see you, they come to see the new baby and oh by the way how are you? but in a relationship with another adult, be it a girlfriend, a boyfriend, spouse, parents, siblings...is there ever a time when it is just about me?
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
i am not innocent
i had a long conversation with my daughter tonight, she is 9. many times she is so filled with emotion she gets very angry and yells at me, cries and tells me to leave. hopefully i am not the only mother who gets this from her 9 year old daughter. anyway, most of the time i don't leave, i wait it out until she has said all the horrible things she needs to say, wrap her up in my arms and we start fresh. so tonight in her tirade of insults came out "truths", truths that she was told by her father.
i am big on telling the truth, but i wonder if you can still can call it "telling the truth" if your truth telling is meant to harm someone? i have never claimed to be innocent or guilt free in my divorce. i have never said it was all his fault, because it wasn't. i accept my responsibility for our failure and hopefully have learned my mistakes. i suppose i will never know if i have really learned until i am in another relationship, but that is another story.
are you really "telling the truth" when you are feeding someone information that they shouldn't have knowledge of? are you "telling the truth" when you are omitting information that would cast yourself in a bad way? how do i correct the "truth" without sharing too much information? is it even worth correcting the "truth"? i wish i had the answers to all of these questions, then maybe for a fraction of a moment my mind will stop spinning.
by the time our conversation ended, P was all smiles, hugs and kisses. she no longer "hated" me, in fact she told me she loved me first and asked for extra hugs and extra kisses. i even got to take her new favorite blankie to bed so i wouldn't be alone. i am so very proud of my daughter, she is not afraid of her emotions and will tell me the good and the bad. i hope she never loses that. i love you P.
i am big on telling the truth, but i wonder if you can still can call it "telling the truth" if your truth telling is meant to harm someone? i have never claimed to be innocent or guilt free in my divorce. i have never said it was all his fault, because it wasn't. i accept my responsibility for our failure and hopefully have learned my mistakes. i suppose i will never know if i have really learned until i am in another relationship, but that is another story.
are you really "telling the truth" when you are feeding someone information that they shouldn't have knowledge of? are you "telling the truth" when you are omitting information that would cast yourself in a bad way? how do i correct the "truth" without sharing too much information? is it even worth correcting the "truth"? i wish i had the answers to all of these questions, then maybe for a fraction of a moment my mind will stop spinning.
by the time our conversation ended, P was all smiles, hugs and kisses. she no longer "hated" me, in fact she told me she loved me first and asked for extra hugs and extra kisses. i even got to take her new favorite blankie to bed so i wouldn't be alone. i am so very proud of my daughter, she is not afraid of her emotions and will tell me the good and the bad. i hope she never loses that. i love you P.
Monday, January 3, 2011
New Year's Resolutions
as always i am curious about why we, humans, do things. so it is the time of year when many people are making resolutions. it seems to me that if you are promising to yourself to change something or start doing something that it shouldn't matter what day it is, you should just do it because it is "that" important to you.
here is what Wikipedia has to say about new year's resolutions: a new year's resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a personal goal, or the reforming of a habit. this lifestyle change is generally interpreted as advantageous. a new year's resolution is generally a goal someone sets out to accomplish in the coming year.
there are religious parallels to this secular tradition. during Judaism's New Year, Rosh Hashanah, through the High Holidays and culminating in Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), one is to reflect upon one's wrong doings over the year and both seek and offer forgiveness. people may act similarly during the Christian fasting period of Lent, though the motive behind this holiday is more of sacrifice than a responsibility. The concept, regarless of creed, is to reflect upon self-improvement annually.
i have read and heard many different resolutions over the last few days. everything from the usual quit smoking, lose weight, be more healthy to the more obscure paint my toe nails more often (i personally really liked this one) and not eating any healthy foods.
like i said before if something is important enough to you it shouldn't have start on a certain date you should just do it. with that said there are many things that i have been inspired to try to do this year. i recently watched the movie "Julie and Julia", i loved the idea of taking a cookbook and making everything out of it. i may give this a try. i am not sure that my kiddos will enjoy this venture and to be honest i may not enjoy all the things i am going to eat, but it will be an adventure for sure. i would like to read more. i already read a ton, everyday in fact, but reading is a passion of mine and i would like to make more time for it. i also watched the movie, "Eat Pray Love" and would like to learn how to meditate. i think i would really benefit from being able to "quiet my mind". there are days that i would like to open up my head and remove my brain, it just drives me crazy!! some other random things would be; be more spontaneous, drink more water, eat more vegetables, be a better friend.
something that i need to do today and for the rest of my life is to encourage my children to grow. a good friend of mine describes children as small adults and they should be treated that way. we don't spend our days bossing other adults around and expecting them to do everything we want them to, so why do we expect that of children? sometimes, well honestly a lot of times, in a rush to get things done efficiently, i miss the opportunity to help my children learn about their environment how to make breakfast or how to tie their shoes (yes i have a 7 year old who can't tie his shoes, because i am a lazy parent). it is hard to slow down and allow my children to make mistakes and learn from them. it is much easier to do it all and have more time to play.
so there are many things that i have been inspired to try not sure i will get any of them done. i will do my best, that is all i can expect of myself, my children and of others.
here is what Wikipedia has to say about new year's resolutions: a new year's resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a personal goal, or the reforming of a habit. this lifestyle change is generally interpreted as advantageous. a new year's resolution is generally a goal someone sets out to accomplish in the coming year.
there are religious parallels to this secular tradition. during Judaism's New Year, Rosh Hashanah, through the High Holidays and culminating in Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), one is to reflect upon one's wrong doings over the year and both seek and offer forgiveness. people may act similarly during the Christian fasting period of Lent, though the motive behind this holiday is more of sacrifice than a responsibility. The concept, regarless of creed, is to reflect upon self-improvement annually.
i have read and heard many different resolutions over the last few days. everything from the usual quit smoking, lose weight, be more healthy to the more obscure paint my toe nails more often (i personally really liked this one) and not eating any healthy foods.
like i said before if something is important enough to you it shouldn't have start on a certain date you should just do it. with that said there are many things that i have been inspired to try to do this year. i recently watched the movie "Julie and Julia", i loved the idea of taking a cookbook and making everything out of it. i may give this a try. i am not sure that my kiddos will enjoy this venture and to be honest i may not enjoy all the things i am going to eat, but it will be an adventure for sure. i would like to read more. i already read a ton, everyday in fact, but reading is a passion of mine and i would like to make more time for it. i also watched the movie, "Eat Pray Love" and would like to learn how to meditate. i think i would really benefit from being able to "quiet my mind". there are days that i would like to open up my head and remove my brain, it just drives me crazy!! some other random things would be; be more spontaneous, drink more water, eat more vegetables, be a better friend.
something that i need to do today and for the rest of my life is to encourage my children to grow. a good friend of mine describes children as small adults and they should be treated that way. we don't spend our days bossing other adults around and expecting them to do everything we want them to, so why do we expect that of children? sometimes, well honestly a lot of times, in a rush to get things done efficiently, i miss the opportunity to help my children learn about their environment how to make breakfast or how to tie their shoes (yes i have a 7 year old who can't tie his shoes, because i am a lazy parent). it is hard to slow down and allow my children to make mistakes and learn from them. it is much easier to do it all and have more time to play.
so there are many things that i have been inspired to try not sure i will get any of them done. i will do my best, that is all i can expect of myself, my children and of others.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
i thought only teenage girls cried over boys
sometimes you meet someone that touches your heart, speaks to your soul. it hasn't happened very often to me. i must admit that since i left my marriage i have been very guarded on letting someone get that close to me. the walls i have erected around my heart were made of iron, nearly impenetrable. you can imagine my surprise when the slightest crack formed and that warmth started to stream in. the feeling was foreign, exhilirating and welcomed.
recently i "re-met" J. i say "re-met" because he wasn't new to me, i had known him several years ago. when we met this time the connection was different. the first time we spoke, we talked for hours reconnecting, comparing where our lives had taken us up to that point, laughing. it was a comfortable conversation except for my ear that was throbbing from being smashed up to my cell phone. he intrigued me to say the least.
we met the next day for coffee. i had originally told him the night before that i didn't have any extra time, but i would see what i could do. i ended up with an extra 90 minutes and so we met. have you ever experienced a moment in time when you knew that you were right where you were supposed to be? i beat him to starbuck's and watched him walk across the parking lot and i knew i was supposed to be right there. i had no idea if anything would come from our cup of coffee, but it didn't matter, i had listened to my heart..it was hard to hear through that crack in the iron wall.
over the next several days we talked many times about everything; kids (the ones i already have and having more), where we want to live when we grow up, past relationships, where this new friendship was going. it was strange he is very open and willing to talk about anything. i was to say the least smitten, i don't think i stopped smiling. it is funny that things i swore i was absolutely against, having more kids, moving away from snohomish county suddenly didn't seem that important.
eventhough i was being swept away i was still cautious. i hadn't let someone get this close to me, to my heart. let someone into my life. i have more than just myself to protect i have the hearts of two wonderful little kids to care for. i was trying really hard to not overthink things and just follow my heart. i don't trust my heart though, look where it has gotten me? so far my heart does not have the best track record.
we skip forward a few months, it is the beginning of december, we are talking about putting up a tree together, taking the kids, my kids, out playing in the snow, exploring our great earth and J has a family emergency that has pulled him away. communication with him has been few and far between. i want to be there for him in anyway that i can, but i understand that the newness of our relationship does not warrant my involvement.
i am in awe at his devotion to his family, it truly is an awesome thing to witness (from afar). yet i am left behind wondering if that was all there was? will he come back? how can i express myself to him without coming across as that stupid needy girl "i know you are busy but what about me?" i don't know if there are answers to any of these questions.
throughout this adventure with J i have learned this: if i am willing i can let someone in...i can trust that what they say and what they do is honest and sincere. if it doesn't last at least i got to share those intimate, private, deep moments with another human being. being vulnerable to love also means being vulnerable to hurt....
recently i "re-met" J. i say "re-met" because he wasn't new to me, i had known him several years ago. when we met this time the connection was different. the first time we spoke, we talked for hours reconnecting, comparing where our lives had taken us up to that point, laughing. it was a comfortable conversation except for my ear that was throbbing from being smashed up to my cell phone. he intrigued me to say the least.
we met the next day for coffee. i had originally told him the night before that i didn't have any extra time, but i would see what i could do. i ended up with an extra 90 minutes and so we met. have you ever experienced a moment in time when you knew that you were right where you were supposed to be? i beat him to starbuck's and watched him walk across the parking lot and i knew i was supposed to be right there. i had no idea if anything would come from our cup of coffee, but it didn't matter, i had listened to my heart..it was hard to hear through that crack in the iron wall.
over the next several days we talked many times about everything; kids (the ones i already have and having more), where we want to live when we grow up, past relationships, where this new friendship was going. it was strange he is very open and willing to talk about anything. i was to say the least smitten, i don't think i stopped smiling. it is funny that things i swore i was absolutely against, having more kids, moving away from snohomish county suddenly didn't seem that important.
eventhough i was being swept away i was still cautious. i hadn't let someone get this close to me, to my heart. let someone into my life. i have more than just myself to protect i have the hearts of two wonderful little kids to care for. i was trying really hard to not overthink things and just follow my heart. i don't trust my heart though, look where it has gotten me? so far my heart does not have the best track record.
we skip forward a few months, it is the beginning of december, we are talking about putting up a tree together, taking the kids, my kids, out playing in the snow, exploring our great earth and J has a family emergency that has pulled him away. communication with him has been few and far between. i want to be there for him in anyway that i can, but i understand that the newness of our relationship does not warrant my involvement.
i am in awe at his devotion to his family, it truly is an awesome thing to witness (from afar). yet i am left behind wondering if that was all there was? will he come back? how can i express myself to him without coming across as that stupid needy girl "i know you are busy but what about me?" i don't know if there are answers to any of these questions.
throughout this adventure with J i have learned this: if i am willing i can let someone in...i can trust that what they say and what they do is honest and sincere. if it doesn't last at least i got to share those intimate, private, deep moments with another human being. being vulnerable to love also means being vulnerable to hurt....
Saturday, January 1, 2011
country vs. city
are you a country person? nature, vegetation, knowing your neighbors, the landscape, hearing the wind blow through the trees... or are you a city person? lights, cars, people, culture, every kind of store you could ever hope to find...
i woke up today and marveled at the beauty of the northwest. the mountains were absolutely spectacular this morning; the cascades, rainier, the olympics you could see them all. dark ominous shapes with bright white peaks sparkling in the sun. the beauty of our landscape here takes my breath away. i am sure there are equally amazing places on this earth, but i haven't seen them, so i get to marvel at what is all around me.
i spent my day in the city; waiting at traffic lights, jockeying for a lane on the freeway, fighting the crowds at stores, being pushed and shoved by rude people in a hurry to get to the next thing. i told miss r. if i had to choose to live in the city or the country i would choose the country hands down. the city is not for me. i think more so than the city not being for me the fast paced life and the "got to have it right now" way of life is not for me.
ok there are some things that i want "right now". i want my shower hot when i turn the water on, because it is cold to stand there naked waiting. i want my coffee ready when i get up in the morning, which just requires me to prepare it the night before and remember to push the delay brew button. when i tell you dinner is ready, i want you to drop what you are doing and come eat it that moment. i didn't spend my time preparing a nice meal to have it get cold while you are finishing whatever. when i tell my kids to knock it off, i expect it to happen right then, not do it one more time and then stop.
i also think that there are some wonderful things about cities; the culture being one of them. i do love to see a live show (musical, play, concert..well maybe not concert there is a story but not for now). but do i really get more out of holiday music program shown at benaroya hall by professionals then i would if my local high school band or community band put on a their holiday music program? me..the answer is no. yeah sure it is well done and the sound is better, but my local show has put in just as much heart into their program as the professionals have. the other wonderful thing about the city is the food. i am a food nut, i love food and trying different restaurants is super fun and exciting. but ive got to say that i love the local bar and the trashy fried food just as much.
i wonder if the city folk see, really see, our surroundings as much as the country folk do? it is so nice to be able to take a moment and just see how beautiful the earth is, but i think if i were a city folk i wouldn't have the time to do so. now i don't live in the country, i live in a town. a place that i don't really like but it is where i am. i would like to live a little farther out on some property. a place where my kids could go explore and use their imaginations. a place that has less influences from the modern world. a place where i can raise my kids and teach them the value of working for what you have. i can't do that in the city or even in the town i live in currently.
country or city...there are pros and cons to both places, just as anything else. we all have our own preferences and what we need out of life to make us feel whole and peaceful. i need a slower pace of life, my kids friends and family, a good honest loving man, and shoes. ok shoes is a silly one, but really they make me feel good and let's face it shoes always fit and they don't talk back.
i woke up today and marveled at the beauty of the northwest. the mountains were absolutely spectacular this morning; the cascades, rainier, the olympics you could see them all. dark ominous shapes with bright white peaks sparkling in the sun. the beauty of our landscape here takes my breath away. i am sure there are equally amazing places on this earth, but i haven't seen them, so i get to marvel at what is all around me.
i spent my day in the city; waiting at traffic lights, jockeying for a lane on the freeway, fighting the crowds at stores, being pushed and shoved by rude people in a hurry to get to the next thing. i told miss r. if i had to choose to live in the city or the country i would choose the country hands down. the city is not for me. i think more so than the city not being for me the fast paced life and the "got to have it right now" way of life is not for me.
ok there are some things that i want "right now". i want my shower hot when i turn the water on, because it is cold to stand there naked waiting. i want my coffee ready when i get up in the morning, which just requires me to prepare it the night before and remember to push the delay brew button. when i tell you dinner is ready, i want you to drop what you are doing and come eat it that moment. i didn't spend my time preparing a nice meal to have it get cold while you are finishing whatever. when i tell my kids to knock it off, i expect it to happen right then, not do it one more time and then stop.
i also think that there are some wonderful things about cities; the culture being one of them. i do love to see a live show (musical, play, concert..well maybe not concert there is a story but not for now). but do i really get more out of holiday music program shown at benaroya hall by professionals then i would if my local high school band or community band put on a their holiday music program? me..the answer is no. yeah sure it is well done and the sound is better, but my local show has put in just as much heart into their program as the professionals have. the other wonderful thing about the city is the food. i am a food nut, i love food and trying different restaurants is super fun and exciting. but ive got to say that i love the local bar and the trashy fried food just as much.
i wonder if the city folk see, really see, our surroundings as much as the country folk do? it is so nice to be able to take a moment and just see how beautiful the earth is, but i think if i were a city folk i wouldn't have the time to do so. now i don't live in the country, i live in a town. a place that i don't really like but it is where i am. i would like to live a little farther out on some property. a place where my kids could go explore and use their imaginations. a place that has less influences from the modern world. a place where i can raise my kids and teach them the value of working for what you have. i can't do that in the city or even in the town i live in currently.
country or city...there are pros and cons to both places, just as anything else. we all have our own preferences and what we need out of life to make us feel whole and peaceful. i need a slower pace of life, my kids friends and family, a good honest loving man, and shoes. ok shoes is a silly one, but really they make me feel good and let's face it shoes always fit and they don't talk back.
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