So Anyway...

New Year

yes!!!! I remember how to log in!

It's a new year and even though I didn't make an official resolution to resume blogging, it came to me in the car today that THESE ARE THE DAYS and i won't remember them, my kids won't remember them, and my husband won't remember them (even though he remembers the date of his first lost tooth, et al) AT ALL if I don't make some effort to write down the everyday. The mundane. The moments that made us happy/sad/mad/frustrated/excited.

And that is not honoring my life and my children.

Who knows, someday, they might read back, and know WITHOUT RESERVATION OR DOUBT, how much I loved them. How much I fought to get them, how utterly meaningful they are to me.

I wanted to start with our pictures from California. We spent the week between New Years and Christmas at a condo on the beach north of San Clemente.

This much-planned trip was so significant because:
a. we are b.r.o.k.e. and haven't been anywhere for a long time (it seems like that to us, anyway).
b. we planned it for a year and it was a surprise for the kids that we 'gave' them for Christmas.
c. Jack has been working nights, so our 'together time' has been minimal and I really wanted everyone to be in the same space.
d. we are b.r.o.k.e. and haven't gone anywhere (oh, did I already mention that?)

The broke part is sooooo funny because all year while planning the trip we've been thinking we would go to Disneyland. (Insert laugh here)

Our last trip to Disney was when the boys were about 1 1/2 and 2, so all their minds' they've never been to Disney.

Honestly, they've never really even asked to go there, either. Isn't that a little strange? Maybe they've mentioned that a friend has gone or something, but they've never really expressed that much of an interest. Aren't they even MORE wonderful, now that that little fact has come out? :)

Anyway, we've been telling people Disney was on the agenda as part of the gift package. So a couple weeks before Christmas, Jack is mentioning that he doesn't think we should spend the money. And I'm thinking 'OH YES WE ARE. OUR POOR KIDS ARE DEPRIVED. THIS IS THE TIME THEY WOULD MOST ENJOY IT. WE CAN'T DENY THEM THIS CHILDHOOD OPPORTUNITY' blah, blah.

2 day Park Hopper passes be damned!!!

We'll find DISCOUNTS.

We MUST go.

Then I pulled up the prices, saw the stunning $750 tag dangling off www dot disney dot com and about choked on my wine.

We MUST NOT go.

Who can afford that shiz?

Who wants to go stand in line for 2 days AFTER spending that kind of green?

So we ix-nayed Disney plans, and went straight for 'play on the beach and ride the free bikes at the condo' plans.

Play games and watch movies on the dvd player plans.

Let the kids raid the vending machine for fun plans.

Play pool then sneak over to the hot tub plans.

Discover cool sea life in the tide pool plans.
 

Find $20 after dinner at Balboa Island plans.  (Jake)

Get blown off the San Clemente pier at lunch plans.

 
 

December Family pic at the tidepools plans.

 

Gettin' together with good friends plans.

And most exciting of all - get lost 4 times and watch your mommy and daddy fight in the car on the way to the beach condo plans!!! 

(Lucky I don't have pics of us FINALLY going over the mountains, in the dark, in the fog, just after rain (slick roads), with Jenna crying....)

Yep, these plans worked for us!

Big Day

 
After getting home from a fantastic camping weekend (rain!, mud!, sunshine!, oh my!) and getting to bed after 11pm Sunday night (bad mom, bad dad), the first day of school was finally here.

The decision to send the boys off to middle school.....well, let's just call it a process.  Back in March or April, the scales finally tipped in favor of homeschool not working for us anymore.  My energy was low, the boys had gotten lazy, we weren't communicating much/participating much with the online school, and we weren't getting much accomplished. 

Usually when neighborhood kids would come play, I would always ask them "How's school?"  All the middle school kids LOVED their school, Wigwam Creek.  They would tell me how fun it was, how much they liked it, etc. 

I opened my mind and my heart up to the fact that I might have to send the boys back to school.  And then the universe just started high-fiving me all over the place with lots of little signs that this was a good decision.

First, Jenna's 5th grade started talking about 'transitioning' to middle school and they began sending home info on Wigwam Creek.  Hmmm....lots of communication, preparation beginning well in advance, very organized....

Then, they had an Open House at WC for the incoming 5th graders.  We went and saw many of the boys' friends running around, met some of the teachers, and I ran into my old friend Cyndee Head, who I used to teach with at Desert Horizon.  She is an academic advisor at the school.  This led to a reunion of sorts and since she is totally into Cookie Lee, we made all sorts of plans about fundraising and me getting involved/volunteering with her pageant, which is a non profit for cancer stuff.

She introduced me to the principal and the other administrators.  Each and everyone, super friendly, smiling, totally nice.  VERY good sign of strong, effective leadership at a school = when everyone is smiling, happy, empowered, and there for the kids.

So I'm in Cyndee's office at least 2 or 3 times a week for this fundraising stuff, getting totally great vibes from this school, when in walks Heather, another teacher friend from DH.  She is now the assistant superintendent of the district (can you say friends in high places? *smile*).  We talk and I begin to tell her my story of Trevor, homeschooling, and now thinking about re-entry into public school.  She is totally helpful, sets me up with the head of the special ed dept, who then gets all the balls rolling to get the boys evaluated (during the summer, no less) so they can start 7th grade off totally ready to go.

Then Cyndee set up a day and I brought the boys in to meet Mr. Mayer, the principal, and take of tour of the WC campus.

The first thing Jake sees on the tour, through a big glass window, is a LEGO SCULPTURE, which a student must have done for art or something, and Jake is immediately impressed that THEY PLAY WITH LEGOS IN THIS SCHOOL.  Woohoo, HE IS IN!  Trevor is just impressed with the 'mature' feel of the school (no playgrounds or little kid areas) and thinks it's all.....HIGH SCHOOL...and since he's too cool for that baby stuff, Woohoo, HE IS IN.

Then the principal, Mr. Mayer, see me in the office and lets me know that "tomorrow he was going to Rancho to talk to the 5th graders (Jenna included), and I should bring the boys so they could hear the expectations and stuff".....great idea.

We went...the boys are getting more and more open to the idea.

Of course this whole time, Jenna is super excited as well.  It is easy to make this Can't-Wait-for-Middle-School mantra a family affair.

So, the summer goes by quickly, and here we are - all the kids standing by the front of the house getting their picture taken for the first day of school.  Another chapter begins. 

Jenna - mostly excited, a little worried, wondering who will be nice, which boy's phone number she'll get first...

Trevor - playing it cool, even though he was the first one up and ready, pacing the floor with his backpack on. 

Jake - mostly worried, a little excited, wondering how he will know where to go, where he will put his stuff, does he have the right stuff, will the teachers be nice, and what time is it over????? :)

***************************************************************************************************************************

Looking back at the first week, there was excitement (this is cool!  new peeps! nice teachers!), happiness (look - friends! ) frustration (schedule?  no idea, locker? no idea)  and triumph (Yay! I 'get' my schedule - Yay! I opened my locker!). 

This looks like it's going to be a great chapter.

Right now I'm in Jenna's room, on Jack's computer, while Jenna and Trevor are in my room on my computer.

I can hear them talking down the long hallway. It is cute to hear them talking to each other and interested in something together.

I just don't have the heart to go in there and break it up so I'm sitting on Jenna's messy floor, getting a cramp in my back, istening to a tv show with Erkel in it, and marveling at the beauty of having 3 children that sometimes act like they are good friends...

Which reminds me of the other day...Trenton and Trevor were playing the Wii in the living room, and all of a sudden Trevor jumped up and said "I wonder what my brother is doing?" and he took off down the hall to check on Jake.

Which reminds me of another conversation today. I was on Jakes' computer trying to watch a live webshow, and when I was putting in the web address, another address showed up in the history.

It was www.hore.com .

I clicked on it and nothing came up, but I asked Jenna "Do you think Jake went to that website? Good thing he doesn't know how to spell whore..."

She innocently replies back "I know how to spell it, isn't it H-O-R-R?".

I said a silent prayer that my kids don't know how to spell that word.

So I asked Jake what he was doing going to that site and he said Trenton did it. I told him Trenton was now banned from his laptop.

Then Jenna said "Trenton tried to go to www.boobs.com on the school computer once".

I said "What happened? Did he spell it B-U-B-E?" To which we both cracked up laughing....

OK, back is killing me....must sign off.

 

Can I just say how much I LOOOVVEEEE this picture?  I'm not sure why, but while I was setting it up I was laughing at how this could be our June Family Photo, and it made me laugh.... you know, 5 tomatoes from our garden = 5 family members.  We've even assigned which tomato belongs to which person.  From Left to Right - Trevor, Jack, Me, Jenna and Jake.  Trevor only got assigned the first one because right now he is all attitude and usually scoffs at having his pic taken and doesn't look at the camera.

Or maybe I love this photo because it looks like we live on a farm....

We kinda want to be farmers.  On a farm.   Yes, the whole family is in agreement - we ALL want to live on a farm.  Jack and I are just too chicken to actually make the leap.  Although in this economy, there is probably no better time than now to try something new. 

Jack hates his job more than ANYTHING. 

I could do my job as long as we weren't TOO far away from a city (small to med sized would be ok).

Jack thinks I would be totally wimpy in cold weather.

I say if I had good gloves, long underwear, and heated seats in my car (my Mercedes has these already, but I won't have this car past December), I could probably deal.....

It would be hard to leave our friends and family.

We could farm at a place that would have family and make NEW friends.

I don't know.  It is scary to think about......

We've talked about moving somewhere else since the day we met...literally!  We've entertained the idea of moving to Colorado, Tennessee, No. Cal., South Dakota.....

Will we ever have the guts?

Universe, send us a sign, ok?

And then we....

So the rest of our trip was albeit super fun, but uneventful. 

We got to Kent's house around midnight, stayed up chatting til after 1, then hit the sack.  We got up Friday morning and it was super windy, and I'm thinking my plan to waterski will be foiled by the weather. 

I called Mark and he said "Don't worry - windy, schmindy.....I ain't afraid of no wind.  White caps, schmite caps...my boat EATS WHITE CAPS FOR BREAKFAST."  I actually just made that conversation up, but wouldn't that have been cute if he'd said it?

So we head out for the hour long drive to Yankton, SD, home of the infamous Missouri river where I tried no less than 20 times to get up on waterskis 4 years ago, to no avail....

The wind is gusting at 30+ mph, but Mark assures us he can do this.  After a fabulous lunch put together by his entire family (Mark and Christy have 5 of the nicest kids I've ever known), we drove the mile from his house down to the lake/river. 

All 12 of us hop on the boat and we take off toward the sand bar to drop some peeps so we can rotate the skiing/tubing shenanigans.

I.

LOVE.

BOATING.

I need to put 'get a boat' on my "50 by 50" bucket list.

The kids tube, I laugh hysterically at my kids trying to hang on for dear life.

I try to waterski.  My kids laugh hysterically at me trying to hang on for dear life.

So it's turning into a repeat of 4 years ago.  Try. Fall. Try. Fall. Try. Fall. Try. Fall. Try. Fall.

I get back in the boat.  I need another beer.  More tubing.

Ok let's try this again.

For the record, let me just remind myself that 4 years ago I lost my veddy expensive Maui Jims to this river. So each of the previous times I was trying to get up on the skis, Mark had reminded me to keep my shades in the boat.  This time, however, I jumped in with my glasses on and noone noticed, especially not me.  (Due to all the focusing I was doing on skiing.)

So I'm 'ready' and Mark takes off and......I get up!  And stay up!  And I skiiiiiiiiiii! Yipppppeee!

And then I get a little confident and ski out over the wake, back and forth, yay!  I know my form is non-existent, but do I care?  Hell no.

My whole focus is to ski all the way up the river to the sand bar, so my family can see me - and I do it. 

I drop the rope - at this point I'm exhausted....I've probably skiid all of 5 minutes....Mark pulls the boat around and him and Jack are laughing and ask me if I realized I had my sunglasses on the whole time.  Thank God I didn't crash land, I'd had totally lost another pair of MJ's to the Missouri.

Another fab thing is we got a family pic -

Let's just call this one our June pic! 

So a great time was had by all.  Thanks to the wonderful Westermans for taking us on this great adventure.  II know that it takes a lot of work, time, and money to have all this fun, and we really appreciated it!!!!

 

Mesa Gateway

We decided to take Allegiant Air to South Dakota.  It came highly recommended from all the folk back there.  Yes, the airport is over an hour away from our house, but what the hell - less time getting through parking, ticketing, and security, right?

After stopping for a bite at Subway first,

 we get there, and all of the above is true.  Look, the children are smiling.

Well, Trevor isn't, but that's because he's going through puberty.

And parking, ticketing, and security are a breeze!  Note: Parking was a breeze for us because Jack dropped us at the curb, then he had to drive for 10 minutes and wait in 113 degree heat to get shuttled back to the airport. Oh...the father's sacrifice.

So we're sitting in this large room with a couple hundred chairs when a gal comes on the pa system and announces that the flight to Sioux Falls will be delayed 2 hours. 

TWO.

HOURS.

As I look around this warehouse-like airport, things start flashing through my brain.  The main image being I AM IN AN AIRPORT WITH 3 CHILDREN, 5 CARRY ON BAGS, AND NOT A COCKTAIL IN SIGHT.

Mesa Gateway Airport doesn't have a watering hole, restaurant, or lounge of any sort.

So upon hearing that we will be sitting in the building for 3 more hours (1 hour early arrival in case of emergency + 2 hour delay) I begin to experience the 5 Stages of Grief.

First is Denial - "No way!  That can't be true!  A two-hour delay?  Who does Allegiant think they are? Southwest?  This is a joke, someone is punking us!"

Then, Anger - "Are you f***ing kidding me?  Where's the manager?  I demand an explanation!"

Bargaining - "OK, if I sit her quietly and play a quick game of cards with my kids, you'll find a way to make this not be happening, right?  Cool -  OK, yes, thanks."

Depression -  This is a given when there is no beer bottle or wine glass in my hand as I sit waiting for a plane at an airport.

And last, Acceptance - "OK, this is my lot in life, the hand I was dealt.  Someone get me a Diet Coke from the vending machine and I'll just look forward to the Bud Light I will be drinking on the plane in 3.25 hours.  I can do this."

About an hour into our wait, the same gal gets on the pa system and explains that the plane is fixed and we will be boarding shortly.  Prepare to board the broken down newly fixed airplane!!!

While this doesn't inspire confidence in me that we will get to South Dakota before crash landing into a wheat field in Nebraska, I remember the Bud Light awaiting me and eagerly hop on the plane.  And I don't want to forget this one detail:  we loaded the plane through its ass.  Yes, everyone seated in rows 25 - 36 had to go up these teeny, narrow stairs and enter the plane through the rear entry.  Very. Strange. Indeed.

So we're finally airborne - yay!  Children fighting, bickering, whining, is at a minimum - double yay!!  I've got my Bud Light  - triple yay!!!

Ariival in Sioux Falls is uneventful, rental car is loaded up and we head into the city to find a place to eat.  We're thinking Pei Wei sounds good, when all of a sudden there is a flash of blue and white behind us.  Are we getting pulled over?

Ummm....yes, we are.

It seems that Sioux Falls Finest doesn't want people driving through their town with no headlights.  Which brings me to the question "What 2010 model car doesn't have an automatic head lamp feature?"  Well, that would be the Honda Accord!  In all fairness, the car probably DOES have that feature, and perhaps it just wasn't turned ON, regardless, nice Mr. Cop was cordial about it and sent us on our merry way.  After laughing at us when we asked where the nearest Pei Wei might be located?  No Pei Way's in S.D.

IHOP it is!!!!  Funny thing is our family has never been to an IHOP before and the kids thought it was the greatest thing ever.  Trevor literally licked his plate.  (I told him to stop, use manners, blah, blah and Jack said "Oh just let him - what's the big deal?")

And on to the farm we go!!!! 
 
 

Ketchup (get it? ha ha ha, I sure crack myself up)

We've been home from South Dakota since midnight Tuesday, and I'm really looking forward to spending a good amount of time chronicaling our trip for the kids, and for the books I plan on making Dee and her brother.

But since I had a Scentsy show Wednesday, a Cookie/Scentsy show Thursday, and then had to semi-clean the house Friday, just so I could GET A FRIGGIN' GRIP, I wanted to post a quickie now about what I came home inspired about.

Seriously, I'm talking the universe COULDN'T BE YELLING ANY LOUDER that I should do this....

It all started about 4 months ago.  I started totally lagging off on my run/walks/workouts. I'm talking NO MOTIVATION what-so-ever.  Good intentions would turn into sorry excuses day after day.  Once in a great while I would dust off the treadmill and get on it, feel GREAT, vow to keep it up, and......ummmm, no.

So I've been thinking about what I could do to get motivated and a little teensy tiny miniscule, we're talking not even audible to dogs, voice said I should do a 5k or something.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

That voice was just wrong on so many levels.

But then a great blog I read piqued my interest/care level.  Donna Downey's did the same.

Still thinking "Nope, not for me".

Then we go to SD and all those people there are runners.  Seriously, Dee's brother Darrell, at 70, runs 10K's, and he runs them fast.  Jack's cousin Lisa has run 7 marathons.  Kent and Mark run races all over. 

One night I'm relaxing and Kent's and pick up the 'Runner's Magazine' on his coffee table and turn to the article "How to train for your first 5k" or something.

The Westerman's home town has a little 10K, 5K, 1 or 2 mile Fun run thing every July 4th.  The entire family signed up and did it - 28 people!  It was so fun!  A few people ran the 5k, Mark, Lisa, Darrell, Isaac.  The rest of us either walked the 2m or the 1m.  Our family did the 1 mile because Jake and Trevor only had flipflops.

But we all got the racing numbers pinned onto our shirts, we all got a race t-shirt.  It was awesome.

So I've gotten a little obsessed, and actually went online yesterday to check out the 5K's available to run in here in Phoenix this fall.  I think I'm going to do this!

Yes, I should show a higher commitment level, but ....... baby steps, right.  I feel like I've already climbed a huge barrier by even ENTERTAINING THE IDEA.

So now I 'train', and today I actually did a 5k on my treadmill.  Ran 2 miles, 1 mile at a time without stopping, and then walked the last mile.  I'm working on my breathing because apparantly I'm doing it ALL WRONG, and that is contributing to my abnormal breathlessness at such a low speed.  Seriously, I get totally out of breath so quickly it seems.  I know that is what I really need to work on.  Thank god for the internet - there is a huge amount of information at the tip of my fingers.

I look good in a racing number, yes?  And Gail - you want to run it with me? :) My neighbor Stacy says he's in!
  

Rorshach Test

Spilled beer at Beerfest is inevitable.  Not that you are necessarily THAT inebriated (yes, you are), but the little cups they give you to drink out of are probably about 2-3 ounces and of course they fill them to the brim.

And then you're having so much FUN and everything is FUNNY and you are always LAUGHING and making exaggerated movements, which sometimes result in bumping into things, like teeny, brimming-with-beer, plastic mugs.

And the beer.

Gets.

Spilled.

But noone spills beer quite like ME directly onto NIQUE.  Look closely.

I think it might fetch a pretty penny on EBAY?
  

I would like to make a new blog banner.

I changed my profile pic. Sunglasses in profile pics are soooo 2005.

I'm sad that I will probably not have time to get a tan before we go to South Dakota.

I'm using the "Quick Compose" feature in Typepad for the first time.

Since posting the regular way is super easy and quick anyway, I'm not sure of the point of the "Quick Compose" feature in Typepad.

I'm putting in a photo using the "Quick Compose" feature in Typepad and I'm not sure where it will show up in this post. The photo is one I took while laying under a tree at Beerfest. I thought it was STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL at the time.

This concludes my first post using the "Quick Compose" feature on Typepad. Carry on.

More Summer.

Just got back from the Made in the Shade Beer Fest in Flagstaff.  Things to note:

1.  It was our first RV trip without children.

2.  The RV is plenty big enough for 2 people.

3.  Camping is very relaxing when you do not have to pack for five, cook for five, clean for five or entertain for 5.

4.  A large pizza from Alpine can feed Jack and I for two days.  Especially a pesto pizza with artichoke hearts, onion, mushroom, spinach, bell pepper and chicken.  Yummmmmm.

5.  Jack could live on almonds, yogurt and mixed vegetables.

6.  I, apparantly, could live on beer, wine and mimosas.

7.  Camping is fun with crazy people.

8. Lap dogs are pretty sweet.

9.  Dogs named after beer are pretty sweet, too.  This is Guinness. He is Irish.  And proud.

10.  I would make a good marketing/sales rep for Pyramid Ale and enjoy living in Flagstaff.

11.  Little shops in downtown Flagstaff are fun to play around in.

 

12.  Five mile hikes the morning before heading into a Beer Fest make you feel much healthier and you can be totally in denial that you are about to do something very bad for your body.

 

14.  It's very smart to have your husband carry your camera at beer fest.  That way nothing gets lost. And you can make him take pictures of you with the cute young man in lederhosen. (He had a super hot girlfriend in really skimpy .....ummm...whatever the female version of this outfit is....and if she had been around I'd have totally taken a pic of her and jack.) Those suspenders are real leather!

13.  When you've been drinking a lot of beer at beer fest, it's best to discontinue the picture taking.

14.  Camp grounds get super loud for a few hours after beer fest, and then it's deafeningly quiet after everyone passes out goes to sleep.

15.  Weekend camping trips with just your husband should definitely happen more often.

16.  Coming down the hill from Flagstaff into 113 degree heat is difficult.  Very difficult.  But worth it.
 

Next stop - SOUTH DAKOTA this Thursday.  Woot, Woot!!!!!