For those that don't know, our lease is up at the apartment complex known as Del Dumpe (yes, even the 4 year old calls it that due to my slip of tongue one very frustrating day) at the end of this month. We signed a notice telling them that we will not be returning despite the pleads and "great special offers" or the lure of the new community center. Some of you may remember the issues we were having with maintenance and our neighbors. Frankly, we think we can do better. For the better part of the last month, I have combed through page upon page of listings on Craig's List and have found a few that look promising. We'd really like to get the 3 bedroom house. We've seen the inside and really like it. It's big and open, with more than enough space for our growing family. Not to mention that there's a 2 car garage and a nice sized, fenced-in backyard. However, I just didn't feel a good vibe from the owner. He's supposed to let us know by tonight, so we'll see. This house is also in a great neighborhood with kick-butt schools and REALLY stinking close to the water park. I have also called on a 3 bedroom townhouse that's right by Cherry Creek State Park. Again, it's in a good area with the same kick-butt schools. Hopefully, the property consultant will email me back tomorrow so that we can go down and check it out. If all else fails, we have arranged to move into a condo-style apartment about two miles away from where we are. It's really nice but, again, it's an apartment and we're trying to avoid returning to apartment living at all costs.
What's going to be interesting is finding a new place, getting the money together to move in, pack up our stuff here and load it into a Budget truck along with the things that are in our storage unit (only bare essentials are with us now), move in and get things semi-unpacked all before I have to show my face in Montrose for the start of my brother's wedding activities. Whew, talk about a busy few weeks!
Of course, add all of this to what is going on with Cara and that makes for complete chaos! I must find order in this chaos though...what choice do I have? Well, wish me luck!
Monday, August 06, 2007
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Cara's MRI
Cara went in today for her MRI at 9:30am and was back in recovery around 11am. She was given an oral sedative and then two doses of another sedative in shot form. She was so out of it, there's no way she could've moved a muscele. We were in recovery for about 3 hours, waiting for her to be alert enough to sit up, hold up her head and drink. She will still be groggy for the rest of the day, but she did very well.
We went to Montrose Memorial and were spoiled rotten. My mom works there and had, of course, spread the word that we were coming. They have always treated us well though--like family. I'm so glad that we drove out here to have this done rahter than waiting 3+ weeks to go to Children's. An MRI is an MRI and now, her pediatrician should have the results no later than Tuesday.
The next step is to meet with a pediatric neurosurgeon to discuss the results and how to proceed.
Ben & I want to thank you all for your thoughts & prayers and ask you to keep it up as the journey has just begun.
We have the best friends and family members out there & we love you all.
We went to Montrose Memorial and were spoiled rotten. My mom works there and had, of course, spread the word that we were coming. They have always treated us well though--like family. I'm so glad that we drove out here to have this done rahter than waiting 3+ weeks to go to Children's. An MRI is an MRI and now, her pediatrician should have the results no later than Tuesday.
The next step is to meet with a pediatric neurosurgeon to discuss the results and how to proceed.
Ben & I want to thank you all for your thoughts & prayers and ask you to keep it up as the journey has just begun.
We have the best friends and family members out there & we love you all.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Unfortunate Events
Things have taken a definite turn for the worse (not to be pessimistic) with Cara. After running a fever, vomiting and not having an appetite for about 48 hours, we determined that it was time to call her doctor. We got an appointment this afternoon for her to be seen. Our biggest concern being dehydration since the poor baby couldn't keep anything down for more than a couple of hours. A thorough examination led to the conclusion that Cara has a mild ear infection and that the pain and nausea associated with that was probably causing her to vomit. We were given a Rx for amoxicillin and told to offer her fluids around the clock and if she wasn't much improved by the end of the weekend, to bring her back on Monday. We narrowly escaped a positive culture for Strep, thank goodness!
We had also asked the doctor to discuss the ultrasound results from Children's Hospital earlier in the week. We had been praying that the radiologist saw nothing alarming...that it was just genetics. Unfortunately, Lady Luck was not on our side. Instead, the ultrasound found that the three front lobes of Cara's brain are enlarged and causing some concern. Her doctor wants us to take Cara in for a MRI to provide more details and hopefully reveal the reason for the enlargement. At this point in time, her doctor has no idea what this enlargement could mean. She did say, however, that it could very well explain her developmental delays, but that would be the call of a pediatric neurosurgeon, if it came to that. It could be nothing at all or it could be something quite serious. Originally, we were going to take Cara back the Children's Hospital for the MRI but, then, found out that they are 2-3 weeks backlogged. There's no way that I would be able to wait that long wondering what's wrong with my baby, so I put in a call to my mom and asked her to check with the hospital in Montrose. Being a smaller hospital, there's not as much demand or a backlog, so as long as our insurance will cover it, Cara has an appointment there on Thursday morning. We will be packing up and going over on Tuesday, most likely, as long as Cara is feeling much improved from the ear infection. My mom will be able to go to the hospital with me (Ben will be here in Denver, he has to work all week, unfortunately, but he is very supportive of me going to Montrose and getting this done ASAP) and hopefully, we'll get Caitlin's former sitter (or maybe my best friend) to watch her while we go.
Please, continue praying, thinking good thoughts and crossing fingers & toes. I'm trying to to think "what if" or worse case scenario but, I will admit to being scared out of my mind. My little girl has been through so much in her short life and it seems like there's no end in sight.
Thanks everyone & I'll continue to keep you posted.
We had also asked the doctor to discuss the ultrasound results from Children's Hospital earlier in the week. We had been praying that the radiologist saw nothing alarming...that it was just genetics. Unfortunately, Lady Luck was not on our side. Instead, the ultrasound found that the three front lobes of Cara's brain are enlarged and causing some concern. Her doctor wants us to take Cara in for a MRI to provide more details and hopefully reveal the reason for the enlargement. At this point in time, her doctor has no idea what this enlargement could mean. She did say, however, that it could very well explain her developmental delays, but that would be the call of a pediatric neurosurgeon, if it came to that. It could be nothing at all or it could be something quite serious. Originally, we were going to take Cara back the Children's Hospital for the MRI but, then, found out that they are 2-3 weeks backlogged. There's no way that I would be able to wait that long wondering what's wrong with my baby, so I put in a call to my mom and asked her to check with the hospital in Montrose. Being a smaller hospital, there's not as much demand or a backlog, so as long as our insurance will cover it, Cara has an appointment there on Thursday morning. We will be packing up and going over on Tuesday, most likely, as long as Cara is feeling much improved from the ear infection. My mom will be able to go to the hospital with me (Ben will be here in Denver, he has to work all week, unfortunately, but he is very supportive of me going to Montrose and getting this done ASAP) and hopefully, we'll get Caitlin's former sitter (or maybe my best friend) to watch her while we go.
Please, continue praying, thinking good thoughts and crossing fingers & toes. I'm trying to to think "what if" or worse case scenario but, I will admit to being scared out of my mind. My little girl has been through so much in her short life and it seems like there's no end in sight.
Thanks everyone & I'll continue to keep you posted.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Birthday Splash!
Since the sprayground has become one of the most popular summer attractions for the girls, it was the natural choice for hosting their joint birthday party. Wednesday, the 18th turned out to be the perfect day for playing in the water. Temperatures crept up near 100 degrees (oh, humanity!)and the water spraying down was lukewarm--not goosebumps cold nor sauna hot. While, for some unknown reason, Cara was not that into splashing around, Caitlin had the time of her life and told everyone she ran into that it was her birthday today. In fact, when we first got there, she just had to go around and show the other little girls her birthday dress (a yellow flower print dress with an overlay that my mom made) and twirl around for them.
After Caitlin had enough fun running and splashing (and was chilled to the core), we headed over the our picnic shelter and began to grill hot dogs. There's something about BBQing outdoors that makes everything taste better...maybe it's the grill marks on the dogs but, the hot dogs were awesome along with the salads and chips.
After everyone was full, it was time to open presents. Of course, this was the part that Caitlin had been waiting for, rather impatiently, days. She was jumping up and down and smiling real big with anticipation while her Grandpa and I brought the presents over from our cars. Her enthusiam showed for each and every present she opened--exclaiming over each one.
Cara joined in the festivities from her stroller giving us big grins when we presented her with present upon present. Big sister helped her unwrap them, of course. While she got some great gifts, Cara was much more fasinated by the ribbons on her packages and the bright paper than the gifts themselves, at least until they were out of the boxes and she could play with them.
Both girls were spoiled pretty darn rotten by their parents and grandparents. One of my favorite gifts was a family membership to the Children's Museum of Denver. I love the fact that we can now go whenever we want, for how long we want without spending $14+ each time. We've already been once and both girls had a jolly good time. We even get the scoop on special members-only events and new exhibits. I cannot wait to get our money's worth out of the membership, especially during the winter.
After opening gifts, Mother Nature decided to grace us with her windy presence, blowing everything (including Cara in her stroller) all over the place. We had to quickly pack up and move the celebration back to our loft.
Once there, we lit the candles upon the Dora the Explorer and Care Bears cakes, sang "Happy Birthday" times two and let the girls dig in. Cara had the most fun with her piece, slurping up every last bite. She was quite a mess and promptly got a bath which filled the bottom of the tub with candy confetti. Caitlin's favorite part of the cake was the icing. I was so tempted to just by the kid a tub of whipped frosting, put a candle on top and call it a done deal!
After cake & ice cream was eaten and enjoyed, my parents retired to their hotel room and the girls wound down (or up) by playing with some of their new toys. The popular favorite was Cara's Bounce & Spin Zebra from Mommy & Daddy. Both girls had fun riding on it.
All in all, it was a great day! The girls really had a blast and were so happy to see their grandparents to boot.
**Oh, I wanted to brag, just a bit. Cara's cake was the $6 WalMart special. I had them write on it for me, for free. Then, after searching around the store without success for some Care Bear figurines, I came back to pick up the cake and asked if I could purchase on of the Care Bears cake top decorations that they had. The bakery manager disappeared and then returned with two sets (4 bears total) and asked me which I wanted. Being the budget conscious person that I am, I asked how much they were and she said, "Go on, take them, they're free!" Both of them, all four bears for free! Score! I think Cara's cake looked good, if I do say so myself. FYI--Caitlin's cake was from Target and I think they have the best marble cake with buttercream frosting ever!
On the "Forefront"
Before I start a post on the girls' birthday party celebration, I wanted to write about something that really had Ben & I (along with our close friends and family) wondering. Our youngest, Cara, went in for an ultrasound of her frontal lobe area of the brain yesterday. Her pediatrician showed some concern because her head circumference has been measuring off the charts for several months now. At first, he was hoping that the rest of her would catch up to her "out of proportion" cranium. When that didn't happen, he wondered if it was genetics. However, been at approximately 105% of average still worried him. He wanted to be sure that she didn't have hydrocephalus, which could account for the reason why Cara is a bit behind in her developmental milestones like crawling, walking, pulling up, etc. So, he wrote up an order for the ultrasound and we drove to downtown Denver yesterday afternoon to the pediatric imagining department of Children's Hospital. We arrived on time, after a nerve-wrecking experience parking in an ancient parking structure (problem to resolved when the hospital moves to the Fitsimmons campus in October). Let me just say that this hospital is the cutest and most kid friendly place I've ever seen. The information desk looks like a hot air balloon and there's a huge fish tank, TV playing Disney channel shows and playhouses in the waiting area. Doesn't seem like a hospital in a lot of ways. Anyway, we checked in at the pediatric imaging department and waited about 15 minutes for our turn. We were escorted to the ultrasound room by Jessica, a really sweet ultrasound technician. She put enough gel on Cara's hair to hold a mohawk for a long time, did the ultrasound while I kept Cara from swatting at her and within 10 minutes, we were out.
We are still waiting for the results from Cara's pediatrician and have an an appointment scheduled for next week. While we seriously doubt that there's anything "wrong" with Cara's cute little brain, we are prepared for the news that she might need some physical therapy to help her learn to crawl and walk. We will do whatever it takes to help her along. Looking back, I think it was meant to be that I became a SAHM because should she need PT a few times a week, I will be free to take her whereas, had I been working, I would've had to take time off. There is a divine plan and reason for everything in life.
So, if I may ask, could you all keep Cara in your thoughts & prayers over the next week or so as we find out the results of the ultrasound and decide on how best to go forward from here. No matter what we find out, nothing will change how much we love our little girl and how she means the world to us!
We are still waiting for the results from Cara's pediatrician and have an an appointment scheduled for next week. While we seriously doubt that there's anything "wrong" with Cara's cute little brain, we are prepared for the news that she might need some physical therapy to help her learn to crawl and walk. We will do whatever it takes to help her along. Looking back, I think it was meant to be that I became a SAHM because should she need PT a few times a week, I will be free to take her whereas, had I been working, I would've had to take time off. There is a divine plan and reason for everything in life.
So, if I may ask, could you all keep Cara in your thoughts & prayers over the next week or so as we find out the results of the ultrasound and decide on how best to go forward from here. No matter what we find out, nothing will change how much we love our little girl and how she means the world to us!
Political Profile
If only it was this easy to figure out where I stood on all the issues surrounding politics and the upcoming 2008 election. I could go on & on about how I would do things differently but now, talk is cheap! As for the results of this profile, doesn't surprise me one bit that I'm more liberal. I really would like to know if it's possible to be a sociology/social work major and be an extreme conservative?
| Your Political Profile: |
 Overall: 35% Conservative, 65% Liberal Social Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Personal Responsibility: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal Fiscal Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal Defense and Crime: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal |
Happy Birthday Caitlin!
(Bad mommy forgot to publish this post on the 24th)
Little Bug--2003
Balancing Act--July 2007
Dear Caitlin,
There's something we want to tell you...
We are so proud of the young lady that you are becoming. Your independent personality is really starting to show through and you are one unique little girl. You are so smart and creative. You continue to amaze us with the things that you know, say and do. Your biggest accomplishments in the last year have been learning to use the potty, riding a "big girl" bike, writing your name, "pumping" a swing, balancing on a balance beam, and learning your ABC's. We are so very proud of you and love you more than you'll ever know. We are looking forward to being a part of your very active and exciting life. Please allow us to come along for the ride but please, don't be in a big hurry to race on ahead. Even if you do, Mommy & Daddy will be there, in the distance, watching out for you. Forge on, Princess Caitie!
Happy 4th Birthday!
Love always,
Mommy & Daddy
Little Bug--2003
Balancing Act--July 2007
Dear Caitlin,
There's something we want to tell you...
We are so proud of the young lady that you are becoming. Your independent personality is really starting to show through and you are one unique little girl. You are so smart and creative. You continue to amaze us with the things that you know, say and do. Your biggest accomplishments in the last year have been learning to use the potty, riding a "big girl" bike, writing your name, "pumping" a swing, balancing on a balance beam, and learning your ABC's. We are so very proud of you and love you more than you'll ever know. We are looking forward to being a part of your very active and exciting life. Please allow us to come along for the ride but please, don't be in a big hurry to race on ahead. Even if you do, Mommy & Daddy will be there, in the distance, watching out for you. Forge on, Princess Caitie!
Happy 4th Birthday!
Love always,
Mommy & Daddy
In 1978
| In 1978 (the year you were born) |
 Jimmy Carter is president of the US US Senate votes to turn over the Panama Canal to Panama on December 31, 1999 Israel and Egypt reach a peace settlement at the Camp David Accords The US and mainland China announce that they will restore full diplomatic relations Members of Jim Jones' People's Temple commit mass suicide in Guyana Pope John Paul II becomes the first non-Italian pope in centuries Ted Bundy is captured in Florida The first computer bulletin board system is created Garfield debuts in newspapers Ashton Kutcher, Kobe Bryant, Usher, Clay Aiken, and Nelly Furtado are born New York Yankees win the World Series Dallas Cowboys win Superbowl XII Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup Saturday Night Fever and Grease are the top grossing films "Night Fever" by the Bee Gees spends the most time at the top of the US charts Diff'rent Strokes and Mork & Mindy premiere |
Saturday, July 21, 2007
New pictures
Hello everyone! I have just uploaded new birthday pictures to my Flickr. Again, they are set so that only family & friends can view them. So, if you don't have a Flickr account, you might want to get one. Trust me, the pictures are worth it. Or, if you'd prefer, you can send me an email and I'll send you a few of my favorite pictures.
I will post later about the girls' birthday and other news.
I will post later about the girls' birthday and other news.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Happy Birthday Cara!
Happy Birthday to our little Peanut, recently renamed Bubba. It's so hard for Mommy & Daddy to believe that twelve months have gone by since the day that you joined our family. You have brought so much love and happiness into our lives. As we look back, we are amazed at how much you've changed and how much you've learned. We have enjoyed watching you blossom from a tiny baby into a bubbly toddler full of personality. It's been quite the journey, sweet girl, one which has only just begun! Many more milestones & memories await us. We will always be by your side.
We love you!
Mommy & Daddy
Then, such of a little peanut--small and, oh so precious!
Now, a sweet little girl with a personality as bouncy as her hair.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Meme Go 'Round
I got tagged by Judy to do this Meme...so here goes. Trying to make this 8 things that you don't know about me.
THE RULES:
List 8 facts/habits about yourself
Post the rules at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed
Tag 8 people and post their names, go to their blogs and leave them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and ask them to read your blog.
1. I once took my car (an '88 Dynasty) up a 4-wheel drive only trail. We're talking over boulders and all of that.
2. It is my secret goal (well, I guess it's not a secret anymore) to own all the Disney movies ever made.
3. I once wanted to be an interior designer and have a whole notebook full of room designs, furniture, etc.
4. I often read books in reverse...meaning that I'll read the last chapter or two and then go back to the beginning. Sometimes, I just can't wait to see how a book ends.
5. I have a bizarre urging to catalog the books, CDs and DVDs in my house.
6. I'd love to get selected for TLC's What Not to Wear. I wouldn't even give Stacy and Clinton too much lip.
7. I once went to summer camp and spent 2 weeks learning how to "de-bean" a horse.
8. I have a long list of places I want to see and things I want to do before I die. Some of them would surprise you.
Umm, as far as tagging people...I don't know 8 people who have blogs who could do this, who haven't already done this.
THE RULES:
List 8 facts/habits about yourself
Post the rules at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed
Tag 8 people and post their names, go to their blogs and leave them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and ask them to read your blog.
1. I once took my car (an '88 Dynasty) up a 4-wheel drive only trail. We're talking over boulders and all of that.
2. It is my secret goal (well, I guess it's not a secret anymore) to own all the Disney movies ever made.
3. I once wanted to be an interior designer and have a whole notebook full of room designs, furniture, etc.
4. I often read books in reverse...meaning that I'll read the last chapter or two and then go back to the beginning. Sometimes, I just can't wait to see how a book ends.
5. I have a bizarre urging to catalog the books, CDs and DVDs in my house.
6. I'd love to get selected for TLC's What Not to Wear. I wouldn't even give Stacy and Clinton too much lip.
7. I once went to summer camp and spent 2 weeks learning how to "de-bean" a horse.
8. I have a long list of places I want to see and things I want to do before I die. Some of them would surprise you.
Umm, as far as tagging people...I don't know 8 people who have blogs who could do this, who haven't already done this.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Randomness Part Deuce
I don't know how but I've managed to find some time recently to do some random web surfing and came upon some cool sites. If you are as bored as I was, check them out.
Seven Wonders--
I voted for my 7 favorites awhile ago and about 3 of them made the final pick. Now, I have to add these 7 to my "Places To See Before I Die" list.
What People Say in NYC--
Laugh so hard that you almost pee in your pants, funny! Good for a pick me up.
Secrets on Postcards--
Human interest...it's amazing what people will say.
Only One Sentence
If you only had one sentence, what would YOU say?
Seven Wonders--
I voted for my 7 favorites awhile ago and about 3 of them made the final pick. Now, I have to add these 7 to my "Places To See Before I Die" list.
What People Say in NYC--
Laugh so hard that you almost pee in your pants, funny! Good for a pick me up.
Secrets on Postcards--
Human interest...it's amazing what people will say.
Only One Sentence
If you only had one sentence, what would YOU say?
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Randomness
Thanks for the boredom busters, Kendra!
60%
--I guess I have a pretty serious addiction to blogging, at least in terms of reading other people's blog because heaven knows I don't post enough on my own!--
$5225.00
--Gee, and I've worked the past few years beacause? I could've just sold my body to science. Hehe!--
--Hmm, I wonder when I used the word "kill" that gave my blog it's rating?--
--I'm still trying to figure out which two I spelled wrong. I pride myself on being a human Webster's Dictionary...guess I'd better not give up my day job!--
60%
Mingle2 - Online Dating
--I guess I have a pretty serious addiction to blogging, at least in terms of reading other people's blog because heaven knows I don't post enough on my own!--
$5225.00
Mingle2 - Free Online Dating
--Gee, and I've worked the past few years beacause? I could've just sold my body to science. Hehe!--
Mingle2 - Online Dating
--Hmm, I wonder when I used the word "kill" that gave my blog it's rating?--
--I'm still trying to figure out which two I spelled wrong. I pride myself on being a human Webster's Dictionary...guess I'd better not give up my day job!--
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Back from the Artic!
Have I mentioned that my husband is brilliant? Remember how I threatened to retreat to the Artic Circle to escape the heat and lack of air conditioning in our apartment? It seems that Ben had had enough of sweltering in the heat and decided to poke around in the closet (he had to break in since the apartment community locks it) that houses our furnace. He took the cover off of the furnace and noticed that there was a little switch. Hit the switch and the next thing we heard was the sweetest sound I've heard in a long time--the air conditioning turning on. Apparently, there must be a ground short somewhere in the apartment because this switch keeps clicking off. Ben positioned the cover just-so hoping to prevent it from switching off again. At least now, we know what happened and how to fix it. Took him all of about 5 minutes to discover what was wrong and to fix it and the maintenance people couldn't find 5 minutes out of their day spent sitting on the curb smoking to relieve a sweating family of 4? All that I can say is, thank God Ben is handy!
Oh, and look what Ben found while he was poking around in the furnace closet...
Nice, huh? And no, that's not ours!
Oh, and look what Ben found while he was poking around in the furnace closet...
Nice, huh? And no, that's not ours!
Saturday, June 30, 2007
The Artic Circle Looks Good
I'm thinking that a vacation sounds good right about now. Not your typical summertime, relax on the beach vacation either, the last thing I want to go is anyplace warm. Denver (and much of Colorado, for that matter)is in the midst of yet another heat wave with the forecast predicting near-record highs in the upper 90's and almost no rain in sight. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, since we have central air. Or I should edit that to say, we did have central air. Our unit (which is probably 15+ years old)decided to quit working--again--Friday morning. Ben called them around 1pm after failed attempts to get it going again, and they said they might send someone out that evening (didn't happen)or "possibly" Monday. Knowing these sum-lords, we'll be lucky if we're cool before the 4th of July. Ben & I are going to draft up a letter telling them that we will be deducting a day's rent for each & every day that we do not have A/C in the month of July. Maybe that will motivate them?
So, that said, I'm about to pack my bags for Antartica and hang out with the penguins. In reality, we may escape to my parents' place where at least they have a swamp cooler. We are getting together with them on the 4th anyway, for a picnic and such in the mountain town of Ouray. It's kind of a family tradition.
So, that said, I'm about to pack my bags for Antartica and hang out with the penguins. In reality, we may escape to my parents' place where at least they have a swamp cooler. We are getting together with them on the 4th anyway, for a picnic and such in the mountain town of Ouray. It's kind of a family tradition.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Flickr changes
Hi everyone! I wanted to let you know that I've recently uploaded some new pictures of the girls out in the wading pool. However, due to an obscene number of views, I have decided to change some of them to be viewed only by family & friends. So, if you want to see them and are not a contact, you may have to create an account and then add me as a contact. If you already have a Yahoo account, you can use that. Sorry to have to do this but I worry about someone, somewhere, using my daughters for child pornography. I've seen it done so many times with innocent partially clothed pictures. When an innocent picture of your daughter in her bathing suit gets 223 hits in two days, something's up! Some of the pictures are still public, for now, but that may change too. When it comes to my girls, I just can't be cautious enough.
Thanks for understanding.
Thanks for understanding.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Hop Aboard the Whirlwind Express
The low-down of our trip to the Great Lake State.
I'm happy to report that we left the house EARLY on Thursday morning, don't ask how that happened. Honestly, I think it had something to do with the fact that we packed up the car the night before and that I was up at 3:45am. When then drove to the park-n-ride by the airport, parked, unloaded, climbed into the shuttle and arrived at DIA at 6 o'clock on the button. We discovered that Curbside Check-in is SOOOO worth it when you're lugging three suitcases, carry on bags and carseats. What's a measily $6? After that, we were down to two carry ons, a diaper bag and a garment bag, umbrella stroller, and two car seats. Little did we know that we could've checked both car seats and saved hauling them thru security and all that. No one at Northwest offered to do this for us. The line for security moved very quickly and we got thru without any problems, thank goodness. They did ask me what was in Cara's sippy cup--water, no liquid explosives--but otherwise, we were in the clear. We got to our gate in plenty of time to go to McDonald's for breakfast ($14 for 3 breakfast Extra Value Meals?!) and watch planes pull in. Having kids pays off at the gate when we are allowed priority boarding with all of the first class people. It took us that long to get everyone situated, including asking for help with Cailtin's car seat. We then settled in for our just shy of 3 hour plane ride. Cara briefly nursed before falling asleep, Ben was out almost immediately (having worked the night before) and Caitlin dozed off shortly after take off. Cara woke up after about a 45 minute nap, so I entertained here with toys and Cheerios while Ben & Caitlin continued to sleep. Pretty uneventful and routine flight in all regards. The only thing that urks me is how the major airlines are charging for food now. On our flight, they were charging $5 for a snack box! Not even real food, just snacks. Thankfully, I had packed snacks for everyone, we just took the free beverages. Anyway, we got into DTW (Northwest World Gateway...WOW!) right on schedule and after figuring out the Tram, got to the luggage claim and met Ben's mom & sister. The girls were greeted with hugs and gifts...Ben and I with just hugs. Once we got outside of the terminal, the humidity and heat hit us! Holy smokes...I sure haven't missed THAT about Michigan! We just don't get the humidity here in Colorado, thank goodness. The rest of Thursday saw us unwinding and prepping for the journey down to Toledo for the wedding. My sister-in-law (thanks F!) treated me to a manicure & pedicure and Caitlin to having her nails painted. What a rare and appreciated treat! I got a french manicure and looked like sophisticated momma.
That evening, I snuck over to my good friend Robyn's house and we hung out, she showed me how to do my make-up (I'm clueless) and played with my hair. I'm sorry to say that she was the only friend that we had time to see and that's only because she lives right down the street from the in-laws (and yes, it's just because we like them too).
Firday, we all got up, showered and packed for our journey to Toledo. Ben & I had the grand idea to try to stop off in Birmingham on our (out of the) way down. Unfortunately, we ran into construction traffic (construction has it's own season in MI) and ended up scratching that idea. Turns out that the people we wanted to see were out of town anyway, though I would've loved to have seen the library. Ben decided to take Evergreen to 7 Mile, don't ask me why, and then 7 Mile to 75. Needless to say, it was THE SLOWEST way to get to 75--lots of stoplights, detours, etc--and took us through some rough neighbors like something right out of Eminem's 8 Mile. After about 1 1/2 hours, we finally got on I-75. Problem was, our directions were from US 23, so we got totally turned around ending up all over the Metro Toledo area including down on the waterfront (very pretty area). By some miracle, we arrived at the rehearsal at 5:02pm, only two minutes late. I think Caitlin was hot & tired because she really did not want to cooperate with the wedding coordinator and had to be sternly talked to ("Catilin, I'm sure there's a wall for you to stand with your nose against around here somewhere...") before she conceeded and cooperated with everyone. The santuary was beautiful, built in 1905, but lacked one essential during midwestern summers, air conditioning. To say it was warm in there would be a gross understatment. Thankfully, we were able to run through the ceremony quickly and then head off to the restaraunt for dinner. We had dinner at the Navy Pier Bistro down on the waterfront. Beautiful location, great food, lots of fun. I had this piece of caramel pecan pie to die for!
We awoke to a beautiful, yet probably the warmest day of the summer thus far, on Saturday morning. Caitlin was up and out with the bridal party to have her hair done around 10am and Ben followed at noon. Cara, my mother in law and I headed to a local Target to pick up some last minute dress essentials before going back to the hotel to change. I am proud to say that I negoiated Toledo's freeways all by myself and got us to the wedding with time to spare. Unfortunately, that was the last piece of good news. Just as we feared, the santuary was very warm again, with only fans to circulate the air. At first, Cara & I were doing well. We sat towards the outer aisle in the back in case we had to make an emergency exit and Cara was as happy as a clam. However, as soon as the actual ceremony started, Cara began to fuss. I noticed that she was drenched in sweat despite my attempts to cool her with a paper fan & a sippy cup with water (word of advice, make sure baby's clothes are made of cotton). We ended up having to vacate the santuary and watch the ceremony from the doors leading to. I couldn't hear what was being said, but the ceremony was beautiful nonetheless. Ben looked handsome standing up as his brother's best man and Caitlin did a wonderful job as flower girl, she looked so grown up. I think that Ben & I shed a tear. My brother in law and his new wife were so blistfully happy and in love, such of a wonderful sight. Susan looked so beautiful and glowing in her gown. It was just a picture-perfect ceremony. Afterwards, we all assembled outside to see the new couple off. Mind you, it was a perfectly clear, sunny day so the sun was just beating down on us. Cara was not happy about being outside and soon started to wail. I brought her back inside and attempted to pacify her with no luck. At one point, I was seriously considering foregoing the reception due to Cara's temperment. I decided to give her one last chance and escaped to the bellows of the church to feed her. Momentary peace came over us while she nursed only to be follwed by convulsions. I am fairly certain that she had heat stroke. Never have I felt so guilty or scared. I rushed her to the sink in the lounge area, strpped her down to her diaper and splashed cool water all over her. After a few minutes, she stopped shaking and promptly fell asleep. After making sure she was indeed sleeping (checking for a pulse and signs of breathing), I moved her upstairs again, by the fans, while the wedding party had more photographs taken.
Afterward, we all headed over to the reception. Again, the food was wonderful and the entertainment was great. It was so cute to see Ben dancing with Caitlin and then his mom. Ben & I got to dance too, which was a rare treat. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. The rest of the night, Ben & Caitlin got their groove on while I stayed with Cara. Caitlin had a blast dancing with her Uncle Kofi, Aunt Effie and brand-new Aunt Susan. That little girl danced from the time the music started until Ben carried her off the dance floor around midnight! Cara & I headed out awhile before then as Cara was sleepy. We ended up driving around town and to a Meijer parking lot where Cara had her nightcap and promptly fell asleep. Ben and I, both high on life after the reception, went out in search of food and found a Kroger. Armed with yogurt, salad and chips, we came back to the hotel, sat in the dining room and chatted for awhile. Ahh...life without kids, even if it was 1:30 in the morning!
Sunday found us out in the country around Slyvania, OH at Susan's parents' home. We all had a BBQ followed by a refreshing swim in the pond in front of their house. Ben, Caitlin & I attempted to paddle boat but, Caitlin got scared when the tether for the boat got caught up in the paddles and we coulnd't paddle. Brave Uncle Kofi and Navyman, Jason came to the rescue. Once we were freed, we made one more loop around the pond before heading inside to leave. I almost forgot, we all watched Kofi & Susan open their wedding presens and boy did they get some beautiful things, especially some crystal serving pieces. Kofi was saying that they got so much stuff that they needed a bigger house to put them in!
We headed back to MI and over to Kofi & Susan's place to say goodbye to them and have some wonderful Jet's pizza. They were heading out to Hawaii for two weeks in the morning as we were leaving to come back to Denver.
We arrived at the airport, checked in at Frontier where they promptly asked if we wanted to check our car seats (yes, please!) and then headed to security. Again, we got lucky and went right through, no problems while the family in front of us got searched. After some Starbuck's for breakfast we boarded the plane. I have to say that I love Frontier airlines (not only because they started in Denver either). The employees are very friendly and helpful, the planes are comfortable, they offer free drinks & snacks and the best part---for $5 you can watch TV or movies on these little screens built into the seats. We paid for Caitlin to watch NickJr in-flight and it kept her quiet and happy. Cara slept most of the flight while Ben and I rested up. We got into Denver right on time, and after struggling with getting luggage to the shuttle pick up point, got back to our car and on our way home.
It's good to be home but, we are missing Detroit and our friends and family there. Caitlin really grew attached to her Uncle Kofi, Aunts Susan & Effie as well as her Nana and Grandpa (who she met for the first time at the wedding). She still talks about how she misses them and the fun that she had (especially the limo rides). I wish that we had more time to make the rounds to see family and friends. Hopefully, we'll be able to make a trip out next summer to see everyone.
Well, that's all folks. Everything considered, it was a pretty seamless trip there & back with just enough "adventure" thrown in to make things interesting and memorable!
To Kof & Susan--we can't wait to see the pictures of both the wedding and honeymoon! We hope that you guys had a wonderful time in Hawaii! Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day.
To Aunt F & Nana--thanks for providing the means for us to come to MI and for the hospitality (oh yeah, and for spoiling the girls).
I'm happy to report that we left the house EARLY on Thursday morning, don't ask how that happened. Honestly, I think it had something to do with the fact that we packed up the car the night before and that I was up at 3:45am. When then drove to the park-n-ride by the airport, parked, unloaded, climbed into the shuttle and arrived at DIA at 6 o'clock on the button. We discovered that Curbside Check-in is SOOOO worth it when you're lugging three suitcases, carry on bags and carseats. What's a measily $6? After that, we were down to two carry ons, a diaper bag and a garment bag, umbrella stroller, and two car seats. Little did we know that we could've checked both car seats and saved hauling them thru security and all that. No one at Northwest offered to do this for us. The line for security moved very quickly and we got thru without any problems, thank goodness. They did ask me what was in Cara's sippy cup--water, no liquid explosives--but otherwise, we were in the clear. We got to our gate in plenty of time to go to McDonald's for breakfast ($14 for 3 breakfast Extra Value Meals?!) and watch planes pull in. Having kids pays off at the gate when we are allowed priority boarding with all of the first class people. It took us that long to get everyone situated, including asking for help with Cailtin's car seat. We then settled in for our just shy of 3 hour plane ride. Cara briefly nursed before falling asleep, Ben was out almost immediately (having worked the night before) and Caitlin dozed off shortly after take off. Cara woke up after about a 45 minute nap, so I entertained here with toys and Cheerios while Ben & Caitlin continued to sleep. Pretty uneventful and routine flight in all regards. The only thing that urks me is how the major airlines are charging for food now. On our flight, they were charging $5 for a snack box! Not even real food, just snacks. Thankfully, I had packed snacks for everyone, we just took the free beverages. Anyway, we got into DTW (Northwest World Gateway...WOW!) right on schedule and after figuring out the Tram, got to the luggage claim and met Ben's mom & sister. The girls were greeted with hugs and gifts...Ben and I with just hugs. Once we got outside of the terminal, the humidity and heat hit us! Holy smokes...I sure haven't missed THAT about Michigan! We just don't get the humidity here in Colorado, thank goodness. The rest of Thursday saw us unwinding and prepping for the journey down to Toledo for the wedding. My sister-in-law (thanks F!) treated me to a manicure & pedicure and Caitlin to having her nails painted. What a rare and appreciated treat! I got a french manicure and looked like sophisticated momma.
That evening, I snuck over to my good friend Robyn's house and we hung out, she showed me how to do my make-up (I'm clueless) and played with my hair. I'm sorry to say that she was the only friend that we had time to see and that's only because she lives right down the street from the in-laws (and yes, it's just because we like them too).
Firday, we all got up, showered and packed for our journey to Toledo. Ben & I had the grand idea to try to stop off in Birmingham on our (out of the) way down. Unfortunately, we ran into construction traffic (construction has it's own season in MI) and ended up scratching that idea. Turns out that the people we wanted to see were out of town anyway, though I would've loved to have seen the library. Ben decided to take Evergreen to 7 Mile, don't ask me why, and then 7 Mile to 75. Needless to say, it was THE SLOWEST way to get to 75--lots of stoplights, detours, etc--and took us through some rough neighbors like something right out of Eminem's 8 Mile. After about 1 1/2 hours, we finally got on I-75. Problem was, our directions were from US 23, so we got totally turned around ending up all over the Metro Toledo area including down on the waterfront (very pretty area). By some miracle, we arrived at the rehearsal at 5:02pm, only two minutes late. I think Caitlin was hot & tired because she really did not want to cooperate with the wedding coordinator and had to be sternly talked to ("Catilin, I'm sure there's a wall for you to stand with your nose against around here somewhere...") before she conceeded and cooperated with everyone. The santuary was beautiful, built in 1905, but lacked one essential during midwestern summers, air conditioning. To say it was warm in there would be a gross understatment. Thankfully, we were able to run through the ceremony quickly and then head off to the restaraunt for dinner. We had dinner at the Navy Pier Bistro down on the waterfront. Beautiful location, great food, lots of fun. I had this piece of caramel pecan pie to die for!
We awoke to a beautiful, yet probably the warmest day of the summer thus far, on Saturday morning. Caitlin was up and out with the bridal party to have her hair done around 10am and Ben followed at noon. Cara, my mother in law and I headed to a local Target to pick up some last minute dress essentials before going back to the hotel to change. I am proud to say that I negoiated Toledo's freeways all by myself and got us to the wedding with time to spare. Unfortunately, that was the last piece of good news. Just as we feared, the santuary was very warm again, with only fans to circulate the air. At first, Cara & I were doing well. We sat towards the outer aisle in the back in case we had to make an emergency exit and Cara was as happy as a clam. However, as soon as the actual ceremony started, Cara began to fuss. I noticed that she was drenched in sweat despite my attempts to cool her with a paper fan & a sippy cup with water (word of advice, make sure baby's clothes are made of cotton). We ended up having to vacate the santuary and watch the ceremony from the doors leading to. I couldn't hear what was being said, but the ceremony was beautiful nonetheless. Ben looked handsome standing up as his brother's best man and Caitlin did a wonderful job as flower girl, she looked so grown up. I think that Ben & I shed a tear. My brother in law and his new wife were so blistfully happy and in love, such of a wonderful sight. Susan looked so beautiful and glowing in her gown. It was just a picture-perfect ceremony. Afterwards, we all assembled outside to see the new couple off. Mind you, it was a perfectly clear, sunny day so the sun was just beating down on us. Cara was not happy about being outside and soon started to wail. I brought her back inside and attempted to pacify her with no luck. At one point, I was seriously considering foregoing the reception due to Cara's temperment. I decided to give her one last chance and escaped to the bellows of the church to feed her. Momentary peace came over us while she nursed only to be follwed by convulsions. I am fairly certain that she had heat stroke. Never have I felt so guilty or scared. I rushed her to the sink in the lounge area, strpped her down to her diaper and splashed cool water all over her. After a few minutes, she stopped shaking and promptly fell asleep. After making sure she was indeed sleeping (checking for a pulse and signs of breathing), I moved her upstairs again, by the fans, while the wedding party had more photographs taken.
Afterward, we all headed over to the reception. Again, the food was wonderful and the entertainment was great. It was so cute to see Ben dancing with Caitlin and then his mom. Ben & I got to dance too, which was a rare treat. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. The rest of the night, Ben & Caitlin got their groove on while I stayed with Cara. Caitlin had a blast dancing with her Uncle Kofi, Aunt Effie and brand-new Aunt Susan. That little girl danced from the time the music started until Ben carried her off the dance floor around midnight! Cara & I headed out awhile before then as Cara was sleepy. We ended up driving around town and to a Meijer parking lot where Cara had her nightcap and promptly fell asleep. Ben and I, both high on life after the reception, went out in search of food and found a Kroger. Armed with yogurt, salad and chips, we came back to the hotel, sat in the dining room and chatted for awhile. Ahh...life without kids, even if it was 1:30 in the morning!
Sunday found us out in the country around Slyvania, OH at Susan's parents' home. We all had a BBQ followed by a refreshing swim in the pond in front of their house. Ben, Caitlin & I attempted to paddle boat but, Caitlin got scared when the tether for the boat got caught up in the paddles and we coulnd't paddle. Brave Uncle Kofi and Navyman, Jason came to the rescue. Once we were freed, we made one more loop around the pond before heading inside to leave. I almost forgot, we all watched Kofi & Susan open their wedding presens and boy did they get some beautiful things, especially some crystal serving pieces. Kofi was saying that they got so much stuff that they needed a bigger house to put them in!
We headed back to MI and over to Kofi & Susan's place to say goodbye to them and have some wonderful Jet's pizza. They were heading out to Hawaii for two weeks in the morning as we were leaving to come back to Denver.
We arrived at the airport, checked in at Frontier where they promptly asked if we wanted to check our car seats (yes, please!) and then headed to security. Again, we got lucky and went right through, no problems while the family in front of us got searched. After some Starbuck's for breakfast we boarded the plane. I have to say that I love Frontier airlines (not only because they started in Denver either). The employees are very friendly and helpful, the planes are comfortable, they offer free drinks & snacks and the best part---for $5 you can watch TV or movies on these little screens built into the seats. We paid for Caitlin to watch NickJr in-flight and it kept her quiet and happy. Cara slept most of the flight while Ben and I rested up. We got into Denver right on time, and after struggling with getting luggage to the shuttle pick up point, got back to our car and on our way home.
It's good to be home but, we are missing Detroit and our friends and family there. Caitlin really grew attached to her Uncle Kofi, Aunts Susan & Effie as well as her Nana and Grandpa (who she met for the first time at the wedding). She still talks about how she misses them and the fun that she had (especially the limo rides). I wish that we had more time to make the rounds to see family and friends. Hopefully, we'll be able to make a trip out next summer to see everyone.
Well, that's all folks. Everything considered, it was a pretty seamless trip there & back with just enough "adventure" thrown in to make things interesting and memorable!
To Kof & Susan--we can't wait to see the pictures of both the wedding and honeymoon! We hope that you guys had a wonderful time in Hawaii! Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day.
To Aunt F & Nana--thanks for providing the means for us to come to MI and for the hospitality (oh yeah, and for spoiling the girls).
Monday, June 11, 2007
Going on a jet plane
In case you have been wondering why I've been so quiet lately, here is the reason. I have been running ragged trying to prepare 4 people for a trans-continental flight to Detroit for my brother-in-laws wedding. We've had to patiently (or not patiently) await the arrival of Caitlin's flower girl dress, drive way across town to have it altered, take suits to the dry cleaners, find suitable clothes for the mother of the flower girl and then attempt to pack our family of 4. Let me give you some of the highlights.
--Finding a "formal" dress when you've not been blessed with a model's body has been nearly impossible. I have been to store upon store and resorted to ordering from JCPenney (thanks for the gifts cards Mom & Dad). What a mistake that was. First, did you know that you really can't pay with gift cards on JCP's website? Well, you can't. Especially if you have more than one. You have to pre-pay in the store, wait for them to receive the payment to "release" the order to be shipped, then wait for the order to arrive in the store. To make a very long story short, let's just say that JCP's right hand doesn't know what it's left hand is doing, or saying. They told me the order was shipped one day via the 1-800 number and when I arrive in store to pick it up, I'm told another date, four days later. Umm, hello...I'm on a deadline here! Grr! Thankfully, in my running about today, I found a cute outfit from Catherine's. Granted, it cost me about twice what JCPenney was charging but hey, it's in my hands and it looks good. No guessing if JCP's periwinkle will be more purple than blue.
--Having a dress altered is a royal pain in the arse. Caitlin's dress for the wedding is beautiful. It is kind of an antique ivory almost a sheer with lots of layers, a petticoat, the works. Well, turns out, that in order to take up a hem off the length, one has to take it up from the bodice due to the delicate ruffle on the bottom. The seamstress made it look simple enough even if there were pins every 1/2 inch along the bottom. The dress was promised to be ready to go today. Well, we get in there, Caitlin tries on the dress for the final fitting and what do I immediately notice, despite my naive eyes? That the ruffle along the bottom is not the same length all the way around. OMG, are you serious?! I momentarily panic because in exactly three days, we are to be mid-air. I politely (don't ask me how) point out the problem to the head seamstress who promptly comes over with her pin cushion and begins to make the adjustments. She asks me, again, when I need the dress back by and when I tell her, you can just see the color drain from her face (that makes two of us). "Umm, our plane leave bright & early Thursday morning, so I'll need it by Wednesday". So, we are due back in Lakewood, about 40 minutes away again at 4pm on Wednesday--lovely, with the price of gas being what it is.
--Coordinating and packing for 4 people is a gigantic undertaking. You'd think, enough said, right? Not quite. It's not just doing the laundry, folding clothes and packing them into a suitcase...oh no, it's more complicated than that. Here's a sampling of my internal monologue: "What is (insert family members name here) going to where to the family portrait? To the rehearsal?...Do we have tights and shoes to go with it? What about if there's a pool at the hotel? Better pack a bathing suit. Oh wait, since we're not going to be at the wedding/rehearsal all day, I've got to pack casual clothes for everyone too. And, let's not forget that every one's beauty care products must fit comfortably into a quart size Ziplock bag...how are we going to pack Caitlin's pink hair lotion? Shoot, gotta remember to pack diapers, wipes and Pull-ups". Once that is accomplished (sometime Wednesday). I still have to put together carry-on bags for the girls and Ben & I, figure out how best to carry-on Caitlin's flower girl dress, arrange for off-site airport parking and pick up Ben's suits.
That said, I will be so glad when we finally board the plane on Thursday morning. It will feel good to sit back and try to convince two kids to behave somewhat like humans for three hours. That seems like a piece of cake compared to the past couple of days and the days yet to come. Just writing this post has made me tired. Traveling as a family of four is bound to be an adventure, I'll let you know how it goes. I'll tell you all about the journey and the wedding when we get back.
--Finding a "formal" dress when you've not been blessed with a model's body has been nearly impossible. I have been to store upon store and resorted to ordering from JCPenney (thanks for the gifts cards Mom & Dad). What a mistake that was. First, did you know that you really can't pay with gift cards on JCP's website? Well, you can't. Especially if you have more than one. You have to pre-pay in the store, wait for them to receive the payment to "release" the order to be shipped, then wait for the order to arrive in the store. To make a very long story short, let's just say that JCP's right hand doesn't know what it's left hand is doing, or saying. They told me the order was shipped one day via the 1-800 number and when I arrive in store to pick it up, I'm told another date, four days later. Umm, hello...I'm on a deadline here! Grr! Thankfully, in my running about today, I found a cute outfit from Catherine's. Granted, it cost me about twice what JCPenney was charging but hey, it's in my hands and it looks good. No guessing if JCP's periwinkle will be more purple than blue.
--Having a dress altered is a royal pain in the arse. Caitlin's dress for the wedding is beautiful. It is kind of an antique ivory almost a sheer with lots of layers, a petticoat, the works. Well, turns out, that in order to take up a hem off the length, one has to take it up from the bodice due to the delicate ruffle on the bottom. The seamstress made it look simple enough even if there were pins every 1/2 inch along the bottom. The dress was promised to be ready to go today. Well, we get in there, Caitlin tries on the dress for the final fitting and what do I immediately notice, despite my naive eyes? That the ruffle along the bottom is not the same length all the way around. OMG, are you serious?! I momentarily panic because in exactly three days, we are to be mid-air. I politely (don't ask me how) point out the problem to the head seamstress who promptly comes over with her pin cushion and begins to make the adjustments. She asks me, again, when I need the dress back by and when I tell her, you can just see the color drain from her face (that makes two of us). "Umm, our plane leave bright & early Thursday morning, so I'll need it by Wednesday". So, we are due back in Lakewood, about 40 minutes away again at 4pm on Wednesday--lovely, with the price of gas being what it is.
--Coordinating and packing for 4 people is a gigantic undertaking. You'd think, enough said, right? Not quite. It's not just doing the laundry, folding clothes and packing them into a suitcase...oh no, it's more complicated than that. Here's a sampling of my internal monologue: "What is (insert family members name here) going to where to the family portrait? To the rehearsal?...Do we have tights and shoes to go with it? What about if there's a pool at the hotel? Better pack a bathing suit. Oh wait, since we're not going to be at the wedding/rehearsal all day, I've got to pack casual clothes for everyone too. And, let's not forget that every one's beauty care products must fit comfortably into a quart size Ziplock bag...how are we going to pack Caitlin's pink hair lotion? Shoot, gotta remember to pack diapers, wipes and Pull-ups". Once that is accomplished (sometime Wednesday). I still have to put together carry-on bags for the girls and Ben & I, figure out how best to carry-on Caitlin's flower girl dress, arrange for off-site airport parking and pick up Ben's suits.
That said, I will be so glad when we finally board the plane on Thursday morning. It will feel good to sit back and try to convince two kids to behave somewhat like humans for three hours. That seems like a piece of cake compared to the past couple of days and the days yet to come. Just writing this post has made me tired. Traveling as a family of four is bound to be an adventure, I'll let you know how it goes. I'll tell you all about the journey and the wedding when we get back.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Caitlin's Quips
Out of the mouth of a not-so-little babe---
(after waking up for a nap and being asked to pick up her toys)
Me: Caitlin, please pick up these train tracks and put them in the box.
Caitlin: Mom, I can't, not yet.
Me: Why not?
Caitlin: My brain isn't awake yet.
(after picking out a movie to watch)
Me: What movie are we going to watch?
Caitlin: Muppet Christmas Carol
Me: But it's not Christmastime
Caitlin: I'm a kid, it's always time to watch this movie.
Me: Okay then
Caitlin: This movie is brought to you in part by Pedigree!
Kids do say the darnest things.
(after waking up for a nap and being asked to pick up her toys)
Me: Caitlin, please pick up these train tracks and put them in the box.
Caitlin: Mom, I can't, not yet.
Me: Why not?
Caitlin: My brain isn't awake yet.
(after picking out a movie to watch)
Me: What movie are we going to watch?
Caitlin: Muppet Christmas Carol
Me: But it's not Christmastime
Caitlin: I'm a kid, it's always time to watch this movie.
Me: Okay then
Caitlin: This movie is brought to you in part by Pedigree!
Kids do say the darnest things.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
A little consideration would go a LONG ways!
I've had it, that's it, I'm throwing in the towel, no more Mrs. NiceWoman. From now on, I'll be playing hard ball and rounding the bases in a furry.
To my downstairs neighbors, consider this your warning! We've all just about had it with your loud, obnoxious, gang-banging music blaring at all hours and all decibel levels. In case you haven't noticed...you live on the 2nd floor, so that means that people live both above and below you! It really wouldn't kill you to have an ounce of consideration for those around, especially those with little kids who are trying to sleep, who have jobs that require them to sleep during the day (and night) and, heaven forbid, those who don't want their place to sound like a club gone bad!
Apparently, informing the property manager has no effect on you, so let me just say that we are stepping up the game. The next time that our floor vibrates at an obscene hour, we will be calling the courtesy security patrol and they will be paying you a not so welcomed visit. If that doesn't work, we will be calling the police. I know, I know, they are frequent guests at your place--well, that's great, they shouldn't have any trouble finding you then. Now, please understand, we are not saying that you have to walk around on your tiptoes and whisper. See, we realize that we live in an apartment too and that certain noise is a fact of life. However, you've taken "noise" to a whole new level. Webster's has created a new definition of the term just in your honor.
That said, please, go onto Ebay and buy yourself some consideration!
Oh, and to our chain-smoking, puffing like a train next door neighbor. The city of Aurora called, there's now a new smog zone right over your head and it ain't attractive. They wanted me to tell you that every day is a no-burn day. All joking aside, we would appreciate not inhaling 2nd hand smoke every time we want to open our windows or turn on the A/C. If you want to smoke, do so in your car going 90 down I-25. That way, no one really has to smell it 'cause they're going too fast. Thank you!
--------------
Bottom line, apartment living bites rocks! We've never had this much trouble with our neighbors before. I must be the low-life residents that this place attracts coupled with the fact that the property management does nothing to enforce the "rules" that we're forced to sign as part of the lease. We have affectionatly named this place DelPoopAy (Actually called Del Arte Lofts & Flats) and when our lease is up in August, we plan on high-tailing it out of here. Oh, I hope and I pray!
To my downstairs neighbors, consider this your warning! We've all just about had it with your loud, obnoxious, gang-banging music blaring at all hours and all decibel levels. In case you haven't noticed...you live on the 2nd floor, so that means that people live both above and below you! It really wouldn't kill you to have an ounce of consideration for those around, especially those with little kids who are trying to sleep, who have jobs that require them to sleep during the day (and night) and, heaven forbid, those who don't want their place to sound like a club gone bad!
Apparently, informing the property manager has no effect on you, so let me just say that we are stepping up the game. The next time that our floor vibrates at an obscene hour, we will be calling the courtesy security patrol and they will be paying you a not so welcomed visit. If that doesn't work, we will be calling the police. I know, I know, they are frequent guests at your place--well, that's great, they shouldn't have any trouble finding you then. Now, please understand, we are not saying that you have to walk around on your tiptoes and whisper. See, we realize that we live in an apartment too and that certain noise is a fact of life. However, you've taken "noise" to a whole new level. Webster's has created a new definition of the term just in your honor.
That said, please, go onto Ebay and buy yourself some consideration!
Oh, and to our chain-smoking, puffing like a train next door neighbor. The city of Aurora called, there's now a new smog zone right over your head and it ain't attractive. They wanted me to tell you that every day is a no-burn day. All joking aside, we would appreciate not inhaling 2nd hand smoke every time we want to open our windows or turn on the A/C. If you want to smoke, do so in your car going 90 down I-25. That way, no one really has to smell it 'cause they're going too fast. Thank you!
--------------
Bottom line, apartment living bites rocks! We've never had this much trouble with our neighbors before. I must be the low-life residents that this place attracts coupled with the fact that the property management does nothing to enforce the "rules" that we're forced to sign as part of the lease. We have affectionatly named this place DelPoopAy (Actually called Del Arte Lofts & Flats) and when our lease is up in August, we plan on high-tailing it out of here. Oh, I hope and I pray!
Well-rounded look at me
*** THE EVERYTHING TEST ***
There are many different types of tests on the internet today. Personality tests, purity tests, stereotype tests, political tests. But now, there is one test to rule them all.
Traditionally, online tests would ask certain questions about your musical tastes or clothing for a stereotype, your experiences for a purity test, or deep questions for a personality test.We're turning that upside down - all the questions affect all the results, and we've got some innovative results too! Enjoy :-)
PERSONALITY
You are more logical than emotional, more concerned about self than concerned about others, more atheist than religious, more loner than dependent, more lazy than workaholic, more traditional than rebel, more engineering mind than artistic mind, more idealist than cynical, more leader than follower, and more introverted than extroverted.
As for specific personality traits, you are adventurious (100%), intellectual (74%), romantic (71%), greedy (55%).
STEREOTYPES
Young Professional (100%)
Old Geezer (50%)
Punk Rock (47%)
LIFE EXPERIENCE
Sex (19%)
Substances (8%)
Travel (24%)
POLITICS
Your political views would best be described as Liberal, whom
you agree with around 46% of the time.
SOCIOECONOMIC
Your attitude toward life best associates you with Working Class.
You make more than 82% of those who have taken this test,
and 8% less than the U.S. average.
If your life was a movie, it would be rated PG.
By the way, your hottness rank is 45%, hotter than 9% of other test takers.
TAKE THE TEST
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Powered by ThatSurveySite - http://www.thatsurveysite.net
There are many different types of tests on the internet today. Personality tests, purity tests, stereotype tests, political tests. But now, there is one test to rule them all.
Traditionally, online tests would ask certain questions about your musical tastes or clothing for a stereotype, your experiences for a purity test, or deep questions for a personality test.We're turning that upside down - all the questions affect all the results, and we've got some innovative results too! Enjoy :-)
PERSONALITY
You are more logical than emotional, more concerned about self than concerned about others, more atheist than religious, more loner than dependent, more lazy than workaholic, more traditional than rebel, more engineering mind than artistic mind, more idealist than cynical, more leader than follower, and more introverted than extroverted.
As for specific personality traits, you are adventurious (100%), intellectual (74%), romantic (71%), greedy (55%).
STEREOTYPES
Young Professional (100%)
Old Geezer (50%)
Punk Rock (47%)
LIFE EXPERIENCE
Sex (19%)
Substances (8%)
Travel (24%)
POLITICS
Your political views would best be described as Liberal, whom
you agree with around 46% of the time.
SOCIOECONOMIC
Your attitude toward life best associates you with Working Class.
You make more than 82% of those who have taken this test,
and 8% less than the U.S. average.
If your life was a movie, it would be rated PG.
By the way, your hottness rank is 45%, hotter than 9% of other test takers.
TAKE THE TEST
http://www.thatsurveysite.net/take.php?id=eay
Powered by ThatSurveySite - http://www.thatsurveysite.net
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Rain, tornado watches and hailstorms
Gotta love Colorado weather. In the matter of eight hours, you can see all weather extremes. Yesterday was one such day. Started off cloudy and a bit on the cool side, then the wind picked up to about 35-40 MPH. After that, it started to pour, complete with thunder and lightening. Next thing we know, NickJr is interrupted for a weather bulletin. We were under a tornado watch for several hours. The sky was a really icky color between gray and green though nothing else really happened. It got pretty cold last night though, enough for the girls to put on their winter pajamas and for me to put on my flannel bottoms. Woke up this morning to partly cloudy skies. You can barely tell that there was any severe weather around here yesterday.
Check out this slide show to see some of the extreme weather Colorado saw. Slide 12 shows the tennis ball sized hail that fell from the sky around Elizabeth in Elbert County. Amazing! I have only seen golf ball sized in my time and I remember going out into the front yard of a house that I was at for a birthday party, putting some into a ET glass and coming back inside to add sugar and food coloring to it. Ahh, the memories!
Check out this slide show to see some of the extreme weather Colorado saw. Slide 12 shows the tennis ball sized hail that fell from the sky around Elizabeth in Elbert County. Amazing! I have only seen golf ball sized in my time and I remember going out into the front yard of a house that I was at for a birthday party, putting some into a ET glass and coming back inside to add sugar and food coloring to it. Ahh, the memories!
Monday, May 28, 2007
Happy Memorial Day!
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Let us remember to give thanks to all the men & women who fight every day for our freedom. We are truly blessed to live in this county and sometimes, I know that I take it for granted.
So, today, spend time with your family & friends, grill some hot dogs and burgers and think of some of the wonderful reasons why living in the United States is great. When you see a flag blowing in the wind, count your blessings.
Happy Memorial Day everyone!
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Getting Acquainted
Now that we can finally see the floor here at the apartment, time has been freed up to do other, more entertaining things. Take Friday for example. We decided, spur of the moment, that we couldn't miss the premiere of Shrek the Third. However, going to a movie theater with two small kids spells D-I-A-S-T-E-R. Thankfully, there are a few drive-in theaters still operating in the Denver Metro area. Feeling like Speedy Gonzales, we ran around the house gathering up blankets and sweaters, piled in the car and headed to the Cinderella Drive In down the road in Engelwood. We got there with plenty of time to spare and while the girls finished their naps in the car, Ben went off in search of classic drive-in food (corn dogs, nachos, candy). I was amazed and how big this place is. It has two screens and rows upon rows of parking. By the time the movie started, the lot for Shrek was pretty darn full. There was quite a line of people hoping to get in and many who watched it through the slots in the fence. Next to us was a SWEET tan '46 Chevy Impala (kudos to me for identifying the car) and an awesome little family. We enjoyed the movie (well, Ben, Caitlin & I did, Cara slept) and the fact that we could take the whole family to the movies for under $20 without having to worrying about Cara crying or Caitlin sitting still. Shrek the Third gets about 1 1/2 thumbs up from us though, it was good but not "laughing until you throw up" funny.
Fast forward to yesterday, we spent the evening after Ben got home from work, driving around a northern suburb looking at housing. Ben is hopeful that we might be truly house hunting by the end of the summer. We found a couple of really cute townhouses in our price range. This town is not that far from Denver and has good schools. We are working with a mortgage broker to see what can be done. So, keep your fingers crossed for us. Anyway, it was fun to drive around, looking at homes, and talking about what we want or, do not want in a perspective house.
Today, we are planning a trip to Borders so that I can spend my birthday gift card and then to Payless to pick up THE PERFECT pair of shoes to go with Caitlin's flower girl dress for her Uncle Kofi's wedding in June. Then, we'll rendevous back to the "flat" to finish up some house work.
Oh, while we were out yesterday, I came across a table that was set up near the mall's play place that was promoting a new charter school in our area. While we're hoping to move out of Aurora, if we don't this could be a great option for Caitlin. They are teaching multi-culturalism and awareness and will be offering instruction in three foreign languages (Chinese and Spanish to start) with a promise to add a third next school year. Best part, it's a public charter school which = FREE! From what I've heard and read, this place sounds right up Caitlin's alley! The public schools here are not that wonderful, so this would be a great alternative.
One more thing...I may not be going back to work after all. The harsh reality regarding the price of putting two kids in day care has hit home--hard. My salary at the library will only leave me with $200/month after forking over $1500 for childcare. Did I mention that a few days a week, Cara will be in another person's care for 11 hours out of 24? Add that to the fact that we are having a hard time finding licensed people to watch Cara who are willing to be open past 6pm for those of us that do not have the luxury of working early mornings. The final decision hasn't been made yet, as Ben & I need to do some serious number crunching, but I think I know, in my heart, what's the right thing to do.
Okay, okay, I'm done rambling now, I promise!
Fast forward to yesterday, we spent the evening after Ben got home from work, driving around a northern suburb looking at housing. Ben is hopeful that we might be truly house hunting by the end of the summer. We found a couple of really cute townhouses in our price range. This town is not that far from Denver and has good schools. We are working with a mortgage broker to see what can be done. So, keep your fingers crossed for us. Anyway, it was fun to drive around, looking at homes, and talking about what we want or, do not want in a perspective house.
Today, we are planning a trip to Borders so that I can spend my birthday gift card and then to Payless to pick up THE PERFECT pair of shoes to go with Caitlin's flower girl dress for her Uncle Kofi's wedding in June. Then, we'll rendevous back to the "flat" to finish up some house work.
Oh, while we were out yesterday, I came across a table that was set up near the mall's play place that was promoting a new charter school in our area. While we're hoping to move out of Aurora, if we don't this could be a great option for Caitlin. They are teaching multi-culturalism and awareness and will be offering instruction in three foreign languages (Chinese and Spanish to start) with a promise to add a third next school year. Best part, it's a public charter school which = FREE! From what I've heard and read, this place sounds right up Caitlin's alley! The public schools here are not that wonderful, so this would be a great alternative.
One more thing...I may not be going back to work after all. The harsh reality regarding the price of putting two kids in day care has hit home--hard. My salary at the library will only leave me with $200/month after forking over $1500 for childcare. Did I mention that a few days a week, Cara will be in another person's care for 11 hours out of 24? Add that to the fact that we are having a hard time finding licensed people to watch Cara who are willing to be open past 6pm for those of us that do not have the luxury of working early mornings. The final decision hasn't been made yet, as Ben & I need to do some serious number crunching, but I think I know, in my heart, what's the right thing to do.
Okay, okay, I'm done rambling now, I promise!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Stop the Madness!
Oh boy, oh boy! Make it stop, please! I'm beginning to think that everything in my life has to be difficult in order for it to be worthwhile. You know that old saying, whatever doesn't break us will make us stronger? This seems to be my mantra. Just when I thought I had life, for the foreseeable future figured out, a few curve balls have to be thrown into the mix of things. Let me explain...
You all might remember that I recently took a job as a circulation clerk despite a decrease in pay, knowing that I'd be making pennies on the dollar after paying for child care X 2. Well, never in a million years did I expect to have this much trouble finding infant openings for Cara. I can't recall how many places we called, even going where no parent should ever go and checking out a few "centers" that are run out of shopping centers. Maybe I'm not current on things and this is the new trend but the few that we've seen have had very small rooms and one in particular smelled peculiar. I did the math and the "play area" in the infant room would allow for about 2 square feet of space per child. What?! Even in our small, awkwardly laid out apartment, Cara has more space than that and we're paying less a month in rent than they want for child care. Are they joking? We are not willing to dive into the realm of in-home day cares because I have lost faith in the Qualistar rating system as well as the state of Colorado's licensing program. The person who signed the license of the provider we originally had (pre-Three Bears) for Caitlin needs to be slapped! Anyway, I digress...we did finally find a early childhood center that we'd like to use for both girls ('cause I'd rather not drive all over Arapahoe county dropping off kiddos if I don't have to). We loved it because it's right across the canal from us and it's a Christian program. They also teach Spanish and ASL starting at the infant level. The atmosphere appeared to be well-rounded and loving. Couldn't get much better, you say? No, it really couldn't. There are just a couple of hurdles or curve balls--
1. They want tuition up front and you have to pay either monthly or bi-monthly. That comes out to $1400. For this financially struggling family, that is impossible to come up with in a week.
2. In addition to tuition, there's an enrollment fee (for both girls) and a materials fee.
3. They close at 5:30pm. That might not seem like an issue but for us, it will be because I do not know my hours at the new job and Ben will have a hard time making it back to Aurora from downtown by then.
So, what we have to decide is whether or not I should go back to work and if so, how on earth are we going to overcome all of these hurdles? I am debating contacting the library supervisor to see if we can't negotiate more money per hour so that it actually, somewhat, makes sense for me to pay 3/4 of my paycheck towards child care. Ben & I are actually considering the fact that it just might not be financially sound for me to return to work just yet...that I should wait until a better-paying offer comes along, preferably when Cara is a year old (no more worrying about her not taking formula or breast milk and also a rate drop if she's walking). We would also have more time to save up for the cost of enrolling the girls. My only concerns are that if I turn this job down, I will be burning bridges and not be able to work for this library system for a long time and may not find anything that pays well when the time comes. In addition, even though it's only a couple more months, I'm afraid that I will go wacko staying home any longer.
I know, I know...Ben & I seriously need to talk. But, when do you find time when your spouse works two jobs and when he is home, he's sleeping or we're jointly taking care of the girls? Late night chats via instant messenger seem to be on the agenda.
Enough venting, time for some strategetic decision making. What would YOU do?
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Happy Mother's Day!
Here's to hoping that all of my mom friends have a great Mother's Day. Relax, be with your family and remember what you love about being a mom.
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Friday, May 04, 2007
The time has come, almost.
Well, the day is almost here. All the boxes are just about packed, the moving truck rented. Soon, we will be back in the Denver Metro area. I, for one, am very excited! I get to have my husband back as well as a new job in the public library setting. Officially, we will change residences on Tuesday but it may take a few days to get everyone settled in. So, if I seem to disappear for a little bit, you'll know what's up and won't have the need to send a search party. Now, if you happen to know any fit guys who want to carry couches, mattresses and such up 1 1/2 flights of steps, send them my way!
I guess it's fitting to say goodbye to the good ole Western Slope one more time. This area has been good to me and will always be home. Hopefully, we can visit often. A plan is already brewing in my head for the 4th of July.
Eastward ho!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
The Good, the bad and the best!
The Good:
-I got a job with the Aurora Library. This means that, eventually, I'll be able to get these annoying, pesky creditors off of my back and I'll be getting out of the house!
-There will be "flexible income" again.
-We will be moving back to the city!
-I got hired despite a bad reference from a former boss (see below).
-Two of my dear friends gave me glowing references (thanks Jeanne & Jana).
The Bad:
-I was offered the Library Clerk position instead of the Library Assistant.
-The pay that I ended up being offered was about $4/hour less than was discussed at my interview.
-After paying day care, my take home will be a mere few hundred dollars.
-I found out that a former boss gave me a bad reference and had me panicked thinking I wouldn't get the job.
-I have to put my baby in day care and do not know of an upstanding one--time to do research. (Caitlin will return to the preschool she attended before)
-We will be 5 hours away from my parents, again.
The Best:
-The girls & I will be living with Ben again.
-We will be a family again, all under one roof.
-Ben & I have worked on our "differences" and what happened that fateful day in August & have mutually decided to save our marriage.
-I will be close to many of my wonderful friends on the Front Range.
-Did I mention that I will be getting out of the house?! Don't get me wrong, I love my girls but I think I'll be a much better mom if I'm not home with them 24/7, 365. Both will also benefit from the socialization that preschool/day care provides.
Well folks, that's the skinny. Now, even though I got the official offer...I still have to pass a background investigation, credit screen, drug test (shucks, no more poppy seed muffins) and have a physical. Other than the credit screen (for reasons mentioned in previous posts), I have no worries. What can I say except--WOO HOO! This good news came at the perfect time, the day before my 29th birthday!
-I got a job with the Aurora Library. This means that, eventually, I'll be able to get these annoying, pesky creditors off of my back and I'll be getting out of the house!
-There will be "flexible income" again.
-We will be moving back to the city!
-I got hired despite a bad reference from a former boss (see below).
-Two of my dear friends gave me glowing references (thanks Jeanne & Jana).
The Bad:
-I was offered the Library Clerk position instead of the Library Assistant.
-The pay that I ended up being offered was about $4/hour less than was discussed at my interview.
-After paying day care, my take home will be a mere few hundred dollars.
-I found out that a former boss gave me a bad reference and had me panicked thinking I wouldn't get the job.
-I have to put my baby in day care and do not know of an upstanding one--time to do research. (Caitlin will return to the preschool she attended before)
-We will be 5 hours away from my parents, again.
The Best:
-The girls & I will be living with Ben again.
-We will be a family again, all under one roof.
-Ben & I have worked on our "differences" and what happened that fateful day in August & have mutually decided to save our marriage.
-I will be close to many of my wonderful friends on the Front Range.
-Did I mention that I will be getting out of the house?! Don't get me wrong, I love my girls but I think I'll be a much better mom if I'm not home with them 24/7, 365. Both will also benefit from the socialization that preschool/day care provides.
Well folks, that's the skinny. Now, even though I got the official offer...I still have to pass a background investigation, credit screen, drug test (shucks, no more poppy seed muffins) and have a physical. Other than the credit screen (for reasons mentioned in previous posts), I have no worries. What can I say except--WOO HOO! This good news came at the perfect time, the day before my 29th birthday!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Woot!
Just a short post to say that I have officially joined the ranks as a member of the gainfully employed! The final offer has not come in & I still have to pass a backgroung & credit check. But...the director said she wants me on her staff! I should have an official offer--postion & salary by the end of the week. Time to start packing...wagons east!
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Let me be lucky!
Please, let the stars, or is it the planets, line up; let Yin & Yang be in balance; let there be good karma...
Momma needs a job! I am in the running (I hope) for two library jobs in Aurora. I interviewed for one last Tuesday and I believe I impressed them with my thorough responses to their questions. Heck, I think I even managed to sound articulate and educated. My "mommy brain" took a temporary vacation. I have another interview with the same library district for another position next Tuesday. This is the one that I really want, it's a Library Assistant position, which is a little more glamorous and pays a lot better than the Library Clerk job that I interviewed for last week. Truth be told though, I'm so desperate right now, that I'll take which ever one is offered to me. It sounds like they are very short-staffed too, so hopefully, that will work in my favor. When I asked when the director hoped to have the position filled, she replied, (direct quote) "the day before yesterday"! Now, I'm not bilingual in Spanish like they'd prefer but I'm more than willing to learn. I'm hoping that my customer service skills just won them over. What can I say, I like working with people (most days). This library district is right down the road from where we used to live and pretty central to any other part of Aurora that we chose to live in, so it's perfect. The schedule might be a bit funky (something like 6 days on, 2 days off and then 4 days on, 2 days off) but, we can work around that. I mean, I used to work EVERY, single weekend when I worked for DOC. All in all, I'm really psyched and have a good vibe that I'll get an offer for one of the positions by the end of next week. As much as I love being back in "small town Colorado", I have come to realize that it will take a miracle for me to find a good-paying job doing something that I'm good at here. Besides, I actually like living in the Denver Metro area.
When we were there last week, Ben, the girls & I spent an evening walking in LoDo visiting the Denver Public Library (oh my gosh, amazing), a huge Barnes & Noble were I snagged the latest in the Shopaholic series, and then had dinner at BD's Mongolian BBQ. While it was windy and sleeting at one point, we all had a wonderful time. There's something awesome about being amoung tall buildings and culture at every turn. Gives me the chills! I am already making plans to visit the many museums with Ben & the girls and have many eating establishments to try out. Mile High City, here we come, again (I hope & pray)!
Momma needs a job! I am in the running (I hope) for two library jobs in Aurora. I interviewed for one last Tuesday and I believe I impressed them with my thorough responses to their questions. Heck, I think I even managed to sound articulate and educated. My "mommy brain" took a temporary vacation. I have another interview with the same library district for another position next Tuesday. This is the one that I really want, it's a Library Assistant position, which is a little more glamorous and pays a lot better than the Library Clerk job that I interviewed for last week. Truth be told though, I'm so desperate right now, that I'll take which ever one is offered to me. It sounds like they are very short-staffed too, so hopefully, that will work in my favor. When I asked when the director hoped to have the position filled, she replied, (direct quote) "the day before yesterday"! Now, I'm not bilingual in Spanish like they'd prefer but I'm more than willing to learn. I'm hoping that my customer service skills just won them over. What can I say, I like working with people (most days). This library district is right down the road from where we used to live and pretty central to any other part of Aurora that we chose to live in, so it's perfect. The schedule might be a bit funky (something like 6 days on, 2 days off and then 4 days on, 2 days off) but, we can work around that. I mean, I used to work EVERY, single weekend when I worked for DOC. All in all, I'm really psyched and have a good vibe that I'll get an offer for one of the positions by the end of next week. As much as I love being back in "small town Colorado", I have come to realize that it will take a miracle for me to find a good-paying job doing something that I'm good at here. Besides, I actually like living in the Denver Metro area.
When we were there last week, Ben, the girls & I spent an evening walking in LoDo visiting the Denver Public Library (oh my gosh, amazing), a huge Barnes & Noble were I snagged the latest in the Shopaholic series, and then had dinner at BD's Mongolian BBQ. While it was windy and sleeting at one point, we all had a wonderful time. There's something awesome about being amoung tall buildings and culture at every turn. Gives me the chills! I am already making plans to visit the many museums with Ben & the girls and have many eating establishments to try out. Mile High City, here we come, again (I hope & pray)!
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Easter Morning 2007
Hope that you had as much fun this morning and we did! The Easter bunny was very generous to both girls and thankfully, hid his eggs and baskets indoors since we were greeted with a downpour.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Easter Memories in the Making
Wishing all of you a very happy and joyful Easter.
Here, on the western slope of Colorado, we have set plans in motion for starting some great Easter traditions. Caitlin, my mom & I have made Easter sugar cookies and a bunny cake. Earlier today, we went to a Lions Club sponsored egg hunt & dyed eggs. The Easter bunny will hide them first thing in the morning along with baskets for both girls. We will feast on cinnamon rolls after the hunt is over and a dinner of ham, potatoes and muffins will follow. These are the things that make for great childhood memories. I remember doing these very things with my parents & siblings. I can only hope that Caitlin & Cara will be able to look back and smile too, some day.
I hope that this Easter is full of joy & wonderful memories for you & yours,
Here, on the western slope of Colorado, we have set plans in motion for starting some great Easter traditions. Caitlin, my mom & I have made Easter sugar cookies and a bunny cake. Earlier today, we went to a Lions Club sponsored egg hunt & dyed eggs. The Easter bunny will hide them first thing in the morning along with baskets for both girls. We will feast on cinnamon rolls after the hunt is over and a dinner of ham, potatoes and muffins will follow. These are the things that make for great childhood memories. I remember doing these very things with my parents & siblings. I can only hope that Caitlin & Cara will be able to look back and smile too, some day.
I hope that this Easter is full of joy & wonderful memories for you & yours,
Thursday, April 05, 2007
The final results
Okay, before you all start freaking out...let me just say that this is NOT how my hair is going to look 90% of the time. It's just that I can't wash it right now. Here's what took place. I went to Rumours, my favorite salon here in town 'cause the stylists know there stuff, and talked with one of the girls. We must've spent 20 minutes talking about my options. Did I just want to give my hair some texture and a little bit more funkiness? How about learning techniques involving lots of styling products and time (which I don't have)? What about a body wave for some body and loose curls that I could blow straight? Doing this would allow me more styling options without too much fussiness. A body wave, I was told, would make it easier to achieve the "straight style" that I wanted 'cause I'd already have the body. On the days that I didn't feel like doing anything though, I wouldn't be stuck with a horrible cut. How could I lose? So, I sat down for my first perm in about oh, 13 years or so. Kinda scary but, I trusted Katy, my stylist. She promised that I wouldn't look like a french poodle!
So, here's the final result--not blown straight. Right now, it is a tad bit "wild" but it will calm down some once I can wash it and style it (Sunday night). Truth be told, I finally look like my girls, more like Cara than Caitlin, of course. Maybe now, I won't get the "Are they both really yours?" or "Are you the nanny?" comments. I know, I know, fake curls are supposedly are their way out but these are not curls, it's waves, honestly! This really isn't a good picture but I don't have any other way of taking a picture of myself at the moment. I promise to post more, after I can wash it! Have faith, it will look great!
This is what my hair would look like, blown straight (minus the tiara 'cause I don't have that kind of bling bling).
It's time to get bold and start caring about how I look again. I might even try a headband like Lauren suggested. Now, to get nominated for TLC's What Not to Wear...
So, here's the final result--not blown straight. Right now, it is a tad bit "wild" but it will calm down some once I can wash it and style it (Sunday night). Truth be told, I finally look like my girls, more like Cara than Caitlin, of course. Maybe now, I won't get the "Are they both really yours?" or "Are you the nanny?" comments. I know, I know, fake curls are supposedly are their way out but these are not curls, it's waves, honestly! This really isn't a good picture but I don't have any other way of taking a picture of myself at the moment. I promise to post more, after I can wash it! Have faith, it will look great!
This is what my hair would look like, blown straight (minus the tiara 'cause I don't have that kind of bling bling).
It's time to get bold and start caring about how I look again. I might even try a headband like Lauren suggested. Now, to get nominated for TLC's What Not to Wear...
Monday, April 02, 2007
Wanted: New Hairstyle
My hair is beginning to drive me nuts. I mean, seriously, who wants to look like the Flying Nun on a daily basis. Granted, I am not talented when it comes to styling products. The most that I can manage is a blow drier and maybe some gel-like stuff. Anyway, after spending 15 minutes attempting to "style" my hair, this is what I got...
Why do I even bother, really? So, I'm in the market for a new look. Here are some styles that I'm thinking about, let me know which one you think would look best. I am willing to get some body in my hair via curls, etc. I'm getting kind of sick of my pin straight, limp hair.
1. Not quite that short, probably done over my ears.
2. Not too much of a stretch from what I have but I imagine I'll need some body in order for it too look like this.
3. This is pretty close to my "normal" style, but again, this chick has a lot more body to her hair. I would have mine come down over my ears.
4. Totally curly. Probably not as "poofy" on the top and longer on the sides.
5. None of these
What do you guys think?
Why do I even bother, really? So, I'm in the market for a new look. Here are some styles that I'm thinking about, let me know which one you think would look best. I am willing to get some body in my hair via curls, etc. I'm getting kind of sick of my pin straight, limp hair.
1. Not quite that short, probably done over my ears.
2. Not too much of a stretch from what I have but I imagine I'll need some body in order for it too look like this.
3. This is pretty close to my "normal" style, but again, this chick has a lot more body to her hair. I would have mine come down over my ears.
4. Totally curly. Probably not as "poofy" on the top and longer on the sides.
5. None of these
What do you guys think?
Friday, March 23, 2007
Just listen to mommy!
(I posted this on the Single Mom's Group on CafeMom, but thought I would vent here too)
*sigh* This is one of those days that I don't want to be a mom, especially a stay at home one. I guess I had a rose-colored view of what it would be like to stay home 24/7 with my girls. I pictured us doing crafts even though I'm craft-challenged, going to play groups, visiting the zoo, children's museum and the like. Instead, I am stuck home with them most days because I have limited funds and frankly, there is not much to do in this small town (I lived in a metro area prior to my separation). Anyway, I digress. Last night, my 8 month old screamed and screamed for about 20 minutes for no apparent reason then nursed for about 10 seconds and passed out. This meant a late night, rushed dinner and no patience. Then today, my oldest decides to defy me at every turn and ask "Why?" to everything that I ask her to do. You can only put a kid in time out so many times before it stops working. Kids just know how to punch the buttons sometimes. I'm tired and cranky and yet, I can't run away, even for a few hours. I'm stuck...
That said, I give MAJOR kudos to the SAHMs who do this and have been doing it successfully for years. I admire you all and wonder how you stand it! True, some can afford to find and pay for outlets for their kids (preschool, tumbling and the like), so they get some time to themselves but still, I'm sure those times are few and far between. Even those who are not SAHMs, you're still the primary caregiver and disciplinarian. Doesn't that get old? I would hate to replay what I say to my oldest every day 'cause I'm sure it's a lot of "No", "Stop that!" and "Not now"s. I feel guilty but sometimes, I just want to snap! I want to be an ostrich and bury my head in the sand. Not to have to hear "MOMMA...!" 5,000 times a day would be lovely, not to have to attempt to decode a baby's cries, not to be pulled in a million directions at the same time. Right now, I would kill for a job, for a little escape. Then, at the same time, I know I will miss being home, that I will miss precious moments and milestones.
Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. Life would be so much simplier if kids would just do what we tell them, huh?
*sigh* This is one of those days that I don't want to be a mom, especially a stay at home one. I guess I had a rose-colored view of what it would be like to stay home 24/7 with my girls. I pictured us doing crafts even though I'm craft-challenged, going to play groups, visiting the zoo, children's museum and the like. Instead, I am stuck home with them most days because I have limited funds and frankly, there is not much to do in this small town (I lived in a metro area prior to my separation). Anyway, I digress. Last night, my 8 month old screamed and screamed for about 20 minutes for no apparent reason then nursed for about 10 seconds and passed out. This meant a late night, rushed dinner and no patience. Then today, my oldest decides to defy me at every turn and ask "Why?" to everything that I ask her to do. You can only put a kid in time out so many times before it stops working. Kids just know how to punch the buttons sometimes. I'm tired and cranky and yet, I can't run away, even for a few hours. I'm stuck...
That said, I give MAJOR kudos to the SAHMs who do this and have been doing it successfully for years. I admire you all and wonder how you stand it! True, some can afford to find and pay for outlets for their kids (preschool, tumbling and the like), so they get some time to themselves but still, I'm sure those times are few and far between. Even those who are not SAHMs, you're still the primary caregiver and disciplinarian. Doesn't that get old? I would hate to replay what I say to my oldest every day 'cause I'm sure it's a lot of "No", "Stop that!" and "Not now"s. I feel guilty but sometimes, I just want to snap! I want to be an ostrich and bury my head in the sand. Not to have to hear "MOMMA...!" 5,000 times a day would be lovely, not to have to attempt to decode a baby's cries, not to be pulled in a million directions at the same time. Right now, I would kill for a job, for a little escape. Then, at the same time, I know I will miss being home, that I will miss precious moments and milestones.
Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. Life would be so much simplier if kids would just do what we tell them, huh?
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Happy St. Patrick's Day
Since we all probably have a little bit o' Irish in us...
Courtesy of MsTags.com
We are going downtown to show our love for the Irish by watching the parade and eating some brats!
**Update on the parade** We had a lovely time. It was in the 70's during the parade, which lasted all of about 15 minutes. Caitlin sat on the curb watching the floats, cars and horses go by and catching candy that was thrown down. She managed to get about 6 pieces so it was a mini-Halloween to her. I saw an old high school home ec teacher who handed me a paper crane, symbol of peace. I guess I haven't changed much, because, after almost 11 years, she still recognized me! After the parade, we walked a few blocks down to the Coffee Trader for Italian Cream Sodas (Coconut for me, strawberry for Caitlin) and then walked back to the car. Caitlin spent a majority of the day outside since it was absolutely gorgeous. I cleaned out my car and then opened the house up to let the fresh air in. It was a wonderful day!
Courtesy of MsTags.com
We are going downtown to show our love for the Irish by watching the parade and eating some brats!
**Update on the parade** We had a lovely time. It was in the 70's during the parade, which lasted all of about 15 minutes. Caitlin sat on the curb watching the floats, cars and horses go by and catching candy that was thrown down. She managed to get about 6 pieces so it was a mini-Halloween to her. I saw an old high school home ec teacher who handed me a paper crane, symbol of peace. I guess I haven't changed much, because, after almost 11 years, she still recognized me! After the parade, we walked a few blocks down to the Coffee Trader for Italian Cream Sodas (Coconut for me, strawberry for Caitlin) and then walked back to the car. Caitlin spent a majority of the day outside since it was absolutely gorgeous. I cleaned out my car and then opened the house up to let the fresh air in. It was a wonderful day!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
No sick days
*scratch, scratch, cough, cough* That is me. It seems that I have come down with a little cold/ear ache of some sort. It started yesterday with a slight irritation in my throat and now, it REALLY hurts to swallow, drink, etc. I'm also really hot and dizzy. As much as I'd love to sleep all day and wallow in self-pity...moms don't get sick days. So, I must plow on. I have Weight Watchers tonight though I'm not sure if I will gather up enough energy for the 30 minute drive to the meeting site. I'm sincerely hoping that both girls will be good to me today so that I can take it easy. I will, however, have to make a trek to the market to get some cough drops or something. *sighs* I hate being sick. I'm just praying that neither of the girls gets what I have. Nothing more pitiful than sick kids.
Friday, March 09, 2007
Weight Loss Tracking
As most of you know, I have been going to Weight Watchers since February and have been (most days) following the plan rigidly. It has been hard, especially with cravings, but I know it will be worth it when I don't have to jump in the Plus section anymore. Well, I am proud to report the fruits of my labor---10.4 lbs lost! Woo hoo! And yes, I can tell a difference. My "fat" pants are getting baggy and my "regular" pants are fitting pretty well. I have a long way to go to get to my goal weight but, I now have the confidence to keep going. I may drop attending actual meetings 'cause other than weighing in (accountability factor), the meetings do nothing for me. I track my Points online anyway and am a message board a-holic, so maybe just doing it online will work. So, that's the latest!
Friday, March 02, 2007
I'm still around
I don't really have anything to post about at the present time but just wanted you folks to know that I haven't vanished off the face of the planet. I have been avidly reading and posting on CafeMom, reading and commenting on my friends' blogs, searching for a job (no luck yet) and trying to keep two little princess-divas somewhat happy. I am also researching loans/grants for grad school (Library Science) some day--figured I had better get my finances back on track first--and doing some reading. This all makes for a busy day, most of the time.
I hope to have some more interesting stuff to post about soon...
Oh, I did want to mention the cutest thing today. I put Cara in the big bathtub with Caitlin (I held & supported Cara, of course) and the two girls had a blast "floating" next to each other. At one point, Cara was riding on Caitlin's back (a total Kodak moment but I was occupied with keeping Cara from drowning, so no picture) with her chubby legs on either side of Caitlin as they swam "like Diego on the seat turtle up & down the length of the tub. Some good times had by both girls.
That's all folks. :)
I hope to have some more interesting stuff to post about soon...
Oh, I did want to mention the cutest thing today. I put Cara in the big bathtub with Caitlin (I held & supported Cara, of course) and the two girls had a blast "floating" next to each other. At one point, Cara was riding on Caitlin's back (a total Kodak moment but I was occupied with keeping Cara from drowning, so no picture) with her chubby legs on either side of Caitlin as they swam "like Diego on the seat turtle up & down the length of the tub. Some good times had by both girls.
That's all folks. :)
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
She did it!
You know, I've found it so hard not to compare Cara's milestones with those of other babies born in the same month as her or even her big sister. I don't know why though 'cause I was so relaxed with Caitlin and had the whole, "She'll do it when she's ready" attitude but with Cara, I'm much more nervous, go figure. Once again, my worry was unfounded. About two months ago, Cara mastered rolling over from tummy to back and I was anxiously awaiting the day when she would roll over consistently from back to tummy and she really only did it once and then stopped, rolling halfway, twisting herself all up but, not rolling over. So, I've been giving her tons of time on the floor with her favorite toys just out of reach and she was oh, so close. Naturally, the day that I go out for a counseling appointment and to have some Mom-ME time, she rolls over not once, not twice but three or four times! So, we can officially write that down in her baby book--one more developmental milestone met, right on! You go baby!
She is also sitting up unassisted & we will try sitting up in a shopping cart soon. I can't believe how fast she is growing & changing. She is a no longer a little, motionless baby but rather a blossoming little tyke.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Valentine's Day Fun Facts
I found this on history.com, it's a fun hodgepodge of Valentine's Day facts. Hope that you all have a wonderful day & tell all the wonderful people in your lives that you love them. I have two cute little valentine's this year...Caitlin & Cara! Caitlin made out some valentines for family memebers, even signing a "C" on each one. She had a blast choosing one for each person and then handing them out this morning.
Here is what my parents got me:
It has a significance to me, as of late, because a friend quoted a verse that talked about faith the size of a mustard seed...that even if you had that little bit of faith, nothing was impossible.
Fun Valentine's Day Facts---
There are many opinons as to who was the original Valentine, with the most popular theory that it was a clergyman who was executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome. In any event, in 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor St. Valentine. Through the centuries, the Christian holiday became a time to exchange love messages and St. Valentine became a patron saint of lovers. In the 1840s, Esther Howland, a native of Massachusetts, is given credit for sending the first Valentine cards. The spirit of love continues as valentines are sent with sentimental verses and children exchange valentine cards at school.
Looking for Love
- 188 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion. (This total excludes packaged kids valentines for classroom exchanges.) (Source: Hallmark research)
- Over 50 percent of all Valentine's Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the observance, making Valentine's Day a procrastinator's delight. (Source: Hallmark research)
- Research reveals that more than half of the U.S. population celebrates Valentine's Day by purchasing a greeting card. (Source: Hallmark research)
- 904: The number of dating service establishments nationwide as of 2002. These establishments, which include Internet dating services, employed nearly 4,300 people and pulled in $489 million in revenues.
Be Mine
- 2.2 million marriages take place in the United States annually. That breaks down to more than 6,000 a day.
- 147,300 marriages are performed in Nevada during 2005. So many couples "tie the knot" in the Silver State that it ranked fourth nationally in marriages, even though it's total population that year among states was 35th.
Candy is Dandy!
- 1,241: The number of locations producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2004. These establishments employed 43,322 people. California led the nation in the number of such establishments with 136, followed by Pennsylvania with 122. (Source:http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/cbptotal.html)
- 515 locations produced nonchocolate confectionary products in 2004. These establishments employed 22,234 people.
- The total value of shipments in 2004 for firms producing chocolate and cocoa products was $13.9 billion. Nonchocolate confectionery product manufacturing, meanwhile, was a $5.7 billion industry.
- 3,467 Number of confectionery and nut stores in the United States in 2004. Often referred to as candy stores, they are among the best sources of sweets for Valentine's Day.
- The per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2005 was 25.7 pounds. Candy consumption has actually declined over the last few years; in 1997, each American gobbled or savored more than 27 pounds of candy a year.
Flowers
- The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2005 for all flower-producing operations with $100,000 or more in sales was $397 million. Among states, California was the leading producer, alone accounting for nearly three-quarters of this amount ($289 million).
- The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut roses in 2005 for all operations with $100,000 or more in sales was $39 million. Among all types of cut flowers, roses were third in receipts ($39 million)to lilies ($76.9 million) and tulips ($39.1 million).
- There were 21,667 florists nationwide in 2004. These businesses employed 109,915 people.
Jewelry
- There were 28,772 jewelry stores in the United States in 2004. Jewelry stores offer engagement, wedding and other rings to lovers of all ages. In February 2006, these stores sold $2.6 billion worth of merchandise.
Boy do we spent a lot!
Happy Valentine's Day! :)
Here is what my parents got me:
It has a significance to me, as of late, because a friend quoted a verse that talked about faith the size of a mustard seed...that even if you had that little bit of faith, nothing was impossible.
Fun Valentine's Day Facts---
There are many opinons as to who was the original Valentine, with the most popular theory that it was a clergyman who was executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome. In any event, in 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor St. Valentine. Through the centuries, the Christian holiday became a time to exchange love messages and St. Valentine became a patron saint of lovers. In the 1840s, Esther Howland, a native of Massachusetts, is given credit for sending the first Valentine cards. The spirit of love continues as valentines are sent with sentimental verses and children exchange valentine cards at school.
Looking for Love
- 188 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion. (This total excludes packaged kids valentines for classroom exchanges.) (Source: Hallmark research)
- Over 50 percent of all Valentine's Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the observance, making Valentine's Day a procrastinator's delight. (Source: Hallmark research)
- Research reveals that more than half of the U.S. population celebrates Valentine's Day by purchasing a greeting card. (Source: Hallmark research)
- 904: The number of dating service establishments nationwide as of 2002. These establishments, which include Internet dating services, employed nearly 4,300 people and pulled in $489 million in revenues.
Be Mine
- 2.2 million marriages take place in the United States annually. That breaks down to more than 6,000 a day.
- 147,300 marriages are performed in Nevada during 2005. So many couples "tie the knot" in the Silver State that it ranked fourth nationally in marriages, even though it's total population that year among states was 35th.
Candy is Dandy!
- 1,241: The number of locations producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2004. These establishments employed 43,322 people. California led the nation in the number of such establishments with 136, followed by Pennsylvania with 122. (Source:http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/cbptotal.html)
- 515 locations produced nonchocolate confectionary products in 2004. These establishments employed 22,234 people.
- The total value of shipments in 2004 for firms producing chocolate and cocoa products was $13.9 billion. Nonchocolate confectionery product manufacturing, meanwhile, was a $5.7 billion industry.
- 3,467 Number of confectionery and nut stores in the United States in 2004. Often referred to as candy stores, they are among the best sources of sweets for Valentine's Day.
- The per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2005 was 25.7 pounds. Candy consumption has actually declined over the last few years; in 1997, each American gobbled or savored more than 27 pounds of candy a year.
Flowers
- The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2005 for all flower-producing operations with $100,000 or more in sales was $397 million. Among states, California was the leading producer, alone accounting for nearly three-quarters of this amount ($289 million).
- The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut roses in 2005 for all operations with $100,000 or more in sales was $39 million. Among all types of cut flowers, roses were third in receipts ($39 million)to lilies ($76.9 million) and tulips ($39.1 million).
- There were 21,667 florists nationwide in 2004. These businesses employed 109,915 people.
Jewelry
- There were 28,772 jewelry stores in the United States in 2004. Jewelry stores offer engagement, wedding and other rings to lovers of all ages. In February 2006, these stores sold $2.6 billion worth of merchandise.
Boy do we spent a lot!
Happy Valentine's Day! :)
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Flip Side
Must count my blessings in times like this so, here are some GOOD things that have or are happening:
1. I have a job interview for the Youth Librarian job in Pagosa Springs this coming Thursday. I am to have lunch with the director first (small library) and then meet the staff afterwards. I'm not sure if this is a full-fledged interview or just the preliminary, but in either case, I'm totally psyched!
2. In keeping with one of my New Year's Resolutios, I have joined Weight Watchers and am on the plan. I have lost 3 lbs so far and am finding it easy to watch what I'm eating. Thankfully, Weight Watchers is not a restrictive diet, I can have whatever I want, in moderation.
3. Cara has learned how to roll over in both directions. She is better about stomach to back, but has mastered both! :)
4. I have been feeling a resurgance in my faith as of late. I'm not sure what brought it on, but I am totally enveloping it.
5. It has been warm outside! We have finally been lifted out of the Artic temperatures that we've had for awhile.
6. I filed my income taxes and was absolutely floored to find out that I'm expecting a refund from both state and federal...first time in years. Don't worry, I plan to be very responsible with the money. :)
I'm sure there are more things to be thankful for, including my health, my girls and my family & friends, but these are the tops ones on my list for now.
1. I have a job interview for the Youth Librarian job in Pagosa Springs this coming Thursday. I am to have lunch with the director first (small library) and then meet the staff afterwards. I'm not sure if this is a full-fledged interview or just the preliminary, but in either case, I'm totally psyched!
2. In keeping with one of my New Year's Resolutios, I have joined Weight Watchers and am on the plan. I have lost 3 lbs so far and am finding it easy to watch what I'm eating. Thankfully, Weight Watchers is not a restrictive diet, I can have whatever I want, in moderation.
3. Cara has learned how to roll over in both directions. She is better about stomach to back, but has mastered both! :)
4. I have been feeling a resurgance in my faith as of late. I'm not sure what brought it on, but I am totally enveloping it.
5. It has been warm outside! We have finally been lifted out of the Artic temperatures that we've had for awhile.
6. I filed my income taxes and was absolutely floored to find out that I'm expecting a refund from both state and federal...first time in years. Don't worry, I plan to be very responsible with the money. :)
I'm sure there are more things to be thankful for, including my health, my girls and my family & friends, but these are the tops ones on my list for now.
Friday, February 09, 2007
What's been going down...
This is going to be pretty hard for me to blog about, but those of you that know me know that I am an open book and will share just about anything with anyone. So, here goes...if I ramble on, please forgive me!
So--most of you know that my husband and I are separated and were trying to decide how to proceed from there. Well, last weekend (that's another post in and of itself) solidified our decision to go full force and get divorced. This has been hard for me to swallow because I wasn't ready to totally give up and now, I am feeling a loss of the man that was my husband, even if we do end up being good friends (which is what I hope & pray for)after all is said and done. Originally, we were going to attempt to handle things ourselves, saving lots of money, by proceeding pro se. Well, I'm not exactly sure what changed this, but, I think that right now, we are both working to obtain counsel. I am hoping to be accepted as a pro bono case (shouldn't be too hard considering that I have no income)within the next month thru a legal aid program in my county. In the meantime, I am attempting to make heads or tails out of the mounds of paperwork necessary to file. I am beginning to see why lots of people go to the expense of hiring an attorney. I am finding myself asking "What do I put here?" or "What does THAT mean?" That being said, I am hoping that I can find someone to at least help me complete all of the paperwork and perhaps, too, represent my interests and those of the girls at the hearing. Like I was saying earlier, this hasn't been easy for me to accept. Never in a million years would I have looked into a crystal ball 6 years ago and saw this for my future. I thought that I would be one of those blistfully happy people living the good old American Dream. I am reading a wonderful book given to me by my counselor about how to survive the lost of a love. No, it doesn't deal with death or anything morbid like that but rather that it's okay to feel the way that I do and that I'm going to be okay, at the same time. I have learned that I don't always have to be strong, that I can show that I'm hurt, upset, anger, scared, etc.
Okay, that's the first half of what's happened lately. Here is the second part...
With the separation came the crumbling of my financial situation as I have been struggling for months (some harder than others) to find a job that will support myself and my daughters. Try as I might to make creditors understand my situation and cut me some slack, some have been better about it than others. One in particular has gone to a total extreme. **let this be a lesson to everyone to ALWAYS read the small print** One creditor, who will reman nameless, has decided that since I cannot pay them and they don't have a kind or sincere bone in their collective body, that they will take me to court to file a judgement against me regarding my past due account. It wasn't totally out of the blue because said creditor had been calling for weeks offering me payment plans and such but, honestly, I did not expect the phone call that came on Thursday. It was from the legal office that represents the creditor to inform me that a claim had been filed against me and that I had until the 23rd of this month to pay $1500 plus commit to a monthly payment or else. Basically, if I didn't pay them ASAP, they would give my case to the legal team (lawyers) to proceed with getting a court order for me to pay them. Words like "wage garnishment, severe penalties, covering their lawyer fees" were spilling out of this guy's mouth. This of course freaked me out. I don't have that kind of money, frankly, who does? I'm not proud of the thoughts that were going through my mind that led to an emergency counseling session to help me sort everything out. My counselor is a wonderful, patient woman who listened to me, allowed me to cry and then, got on the phone to get me some help. I have since learned what could happen if a judgment is issued against me (not as worse as I feared) and also that, I am going to be okay! Bad things happen to good people sometimes, but I firmly believe that this is happening for a reason and that I'm going to come out of everything better for it.
I guess that wraps up probably the longest post you've ever read. Thanks for reading!
So--most of you know that my husband and I are separated and were trying to decide how to proceed from there. Well, last weekend (that's another post in and of itself) solidified our decision to go full force and get divorced. This has been hard for me to swallow because I wasn't ready to totally give up and now, I am feeling a loss of the man that was my husband, even if we do end up being good friends (which is what I hope & pray for)after all is said and done. Originally, we were going to attempt to handle things ourselves, saving lots of money, by proceeding pro se. Well, I'm not exactly sure what changed this, but, I think that right now, we are both working to obtain counsel. I am hoping to be accepted as a pro bono case (shouldn't be too hard considering that I have no income)within the next month thru a legal aid program in my county. In the meantime, I am attempting to make heads or tails out of the mounds of paperwork necessary to file. I am beginning to see why lots of people go to the expense of hiring an attorney. I am finding myself asking "What do I put here?" or "What does THAT mean?" That being said, I am hoping that I can find someone to at least help me complete all of the paperwork and perhaps, too, represent my interests and those of the girls at the hearing. Like I was saying earlier, this hasn't been easy for me to accept. Never in a million years would I have looked into a crystal ball 6 years ago and saw this for my future. I thought that I would be one of those blistfully happy people living the good old American Dream. I am reading a wonderful book given to me by my counselor about how to survive the lost of a love. No, it doesn't deal with death or anything morbid like that but rather that it's okay to feel the way that I do and that I'm going to be okay, at the same time. I have learned that I don't always have to be strong, that I can show that I'm hurt, upset, anger, scared, etc.
Okay, that's the first half of what's happened lately. Here is the second part...
With the separation came the crumbling of my financial situation as I have been struggling for months (some harder than others) to find a job that will support myself and my daughters. Try as I might to make creditors understand my situation and cut me some slack, some have been better about it than others. One in particular has gone to a total extreme. **let this be a lesson to everyone to ALWAYS read the small print** One creditor, who will reman nameless, has decided that since I cannot pay them and they don't have a kind or sincere bone in their collective body, that they will take me to court to file a judgement against me regarding my past due account. It wasn't totally out of the blue because said creditor had been calling for weeks offering me payment plans and such but, honestly, I did not expect the phone call that came on Thursday. It was from the legal office that represents the creditor to inform me that a claim had been filed against me and that I had until the 23rd of this month to pay $1500 plus commit to a monthly payment or else. Basically, if I didn't pay them ASAP, they would give my case to the legal team (lawyers) to proceed with getting a court order for me to pay them. Words like "wage garnishment, severe penalties, covering their lawyer fees" were spilling out of this guy's mouth. This of course freaked me out. I don't have that kind of money, frankly, who does? I'm not proud of the thoughts that were going through my mind that led to an emergency counseling session to help me sort everything out. My counselor is a wonderful, patient woman who listened to me, allowed me to cry and then, got on the phone to get me some help. I have since learned what could happen if a judgment is issued against me (not as worse as I feared) and also that, I am going to be okay! Bad things happen to good people sometimes, but I firmly believe that this is happening for a reason and that I'm going to come out of everything better for it.
I guess that wraps up probably the longest post you've ever read. Thanks for reading!
Singing Its Praises
I just wanted to tell all of you moms out there about a wonderful new site that I just discovered last week and am already hooked on---CafeMom. This site is kind of like MySpace or Facebook just for moms. They just started some Groups (read message boards) and I've found one for inter-racial families, Moms of Babies Born in 2006, weight loss support boards, and the list goes on. I have "met" some wonderful moms that I seem to have lots in common with and it has been fun sharing joys, frustrations and strategies with them. No one knows the challenges of motherhood better than another mother and, I don't know about you, but I certainly could use all the friends that I can get. So, I encourage all of my "mommy friends" to stick there neck out there and explore the site. You do have to create a profile to join but once you do, you can find other moms that live near you, have children the same age or same some common interests. Check it out, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Then again, maybe not...
Boy am I so glad that I stew things over, over-think or double check things sometimes. Here I was, making plans to go to Denver to interview for the technical services position when it hit me that maybe I might want to remind myself what exactly I would be interviewing for. So, I logged on to their human resources department website and scanned the job duties and such. Scrolling down towards the bottom of the posting, I saw the salary and did a double take--$13.83/hour! Excuse me! Obviously, I must've not been thinking clearly when I applied or confused the salary with that of one of the many other positions I applied for the same day 'cause that so NOT a living wage. So, I had to email my would've-been boss to tell her to withdraw my application. Thank goodness I did this before driving all the way over ther to find out this pitiful salary. See, sometimes it pays to be neurotic.
Stretched pretty thin
I thought I would let you all know about my job search as of late. The time has come for me to find gainful employment as I have started to get those threatening phone calls from creditors. Granted, I had been looking before now, just not as hard. Currently, I have applications and resumes in all over the state of Colorado, seriously. I just applied for two more library positions, one in Pagosa Springs (south and east of here, near Durango) as a Youth Services Librarian and another in Parachute (east of here along I-70) for the same position. I was amazed that neither require a MLS and that the pay is decent. I also got an interview for next week at Regis University in Denver. I applied a week or so ago for a technicial services position there. So, it looks like I will be making the trek over the mountains to see if this is something that I'd want to do. There are a lot of unknowns (housing, child care, etc), but I'm going to cross those bridges when I get to them. First step, get a sassy new interview outfit and hair cut to impress the big wigs! Wish me luck. I am hoping for more calls regarding interviews soon. Imagine this, I may actually get to CHOOSE which job I want...totally foreign concept. I have lost count as to how many applications/resumes I have it, but could list all of the cities (but I won't, too boring). So, it looks like I may actually be able to get on my feet soon, which would be wonderful.
Well, that's the latest...
Well, that's the latest...
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