Dinner troubles

Tonight I made, what I thought, was a very good dinner. I am cleaning my oven so it had to be made stove top. I melted butter (sounds good already), sauteed onions, asparagus and eggs. Then I added ham and melted cheese on top. The healthiest things, no. Good for the soul, yes.
So I sit my children down to my concoction and what do I get, crying! Quinten immediately starts with his, "I hate asparagus". Gavin is always very complimentary, raving about how it smells so good and that he is going to want seconds.
We start eating. I took me, oh, 35 seconds to eat everything on my plate. I then try to help my kids eat their food. This was quite helpful, until we got to the vegetable. Quinten needed two spankings to even get him to try his one small piece of asparagus. Then, he "mistakenly" managed to have the asparagus fall out of his mouth. The dog ate it. I have never in my life dropped food out of my mouth. I would have got an ass whooping!! At that time I couldn't handle anymore. I sent Quinten to his room, where he grabbed him new Memory game and threw it all over his room. Yes folks, this one has a temper. I must have freaked Gavin out because he had two pieces of asparagus that had been eaten in record time. I'm glad I impacted one of my children.
So Quinten was ordered, yes ordered, to pick everything up on his bedroom floor and think about his attitude and problems he had at the dinner table.
After his time out I asked him why he got in trouble and he answered, "because I dropped the exparagus out of my mouth and Klyde ate it." I asked him if he dropped the food out of his mouth on purpose and he stated, "Yes". Then he recanted and said it was an "assidunt". Gotta love dinner time!

ARRRR

This year for Christmas I had a semi-theme for David. I have had themes for him in the past, like his Curt Cobain birthday a couple years back. So his year, he is wanting to be a muscle man, so I was nice and bought him a home gym.
The gym was one of those deals you get the day after Thanksgiving, and believe me it's no Boflex. So I bought this gym at Sears for $90, but it comes with weights and the bench. I also bought "The Perfect Push Up". You know the infomercial that looks completely ridiculous? Yea, that one. I bought it as a half way joke because David seems to think he can do 20 push ups in a row after being completely lame with his arms for the last 5 years. Sometimes he even gets a wild hair and tries to get me to do the same. I don't have a problem with not being able to lift my fat ass off the ground in push up position. God made legs to do that. Apparently, David thinks that I should be in as good of shape as when I was 25.
So I bought this push up deal at Rite Aid for $19.99. They didn't have it and I got a raincheck because it really was worth it to me. I checked at the store again before Christmas day to get it so it could be decorated and under the tree. They still didn't have it. So I gifted the raincheck to David to open on Christmas. He has no idea what it was so I had to spell it out for him.
Today, I went again to Rite Aid to pick up this wonderful gift for my husband. This time I was told that they are no longer selling this item and that it was "Seasonal". What? Are you kidding me? Do people only use the Perfect Push Up at Christmas time? Why wouldn't they still be selling it.
I am so irriated I want to call the store and talk to a manager. I have made several trips, wasting my gas to get this practical joke! So, I informed David of the outcome, which he really didn't make that big of a deal about. I guess he was scared that I would be able to do more push ups than him.......

Withdrawl

I have talked about addictions in the past, but I have found that I am going through withdrawls now. This isn't a serious one, so don't worry and call your friends to tell on me.
This morning I got up at about 8, since the kids had such a busy day yesterday, they really slept in. I made my coffee, looked on the computer and printed out some more certificates from Restaurants.com. I made the boy's breakfast and sat with them as they ate. As I did this, I found myself getting increasingly irritated and grumpy Then, all of a sudden, a headache came over me. Not a headache that I am used to either. This was a BAD headache. I am going through withdrawl people. Withdrawl from food.
I know this sounds ridiculous. But, after I had a small roll with a touch of butter, this headache went away a little. Not all of it. As I sit here and type, I am suffering.
I guess that my addiction has consequences. I am going to have to shrink my stomach, yet again, so I can get back into the 25 points allowed to me from the wonderful rules of Weight Watchers.
Now, don't look at me and laugh. Don't point and me and snicker to your friends. Definaltey don't bring it up to and be condesending. My problem is rooted deeper then you know. We all have our issues. Mine, for some reason, has physical consequences.

The big day

I was so excited Christmas morning I could barely contain myself. I was awake at 6:45, laying there. I woke David up and started talking about the day and what I couldn't wait for.
Finally, at 7:30-ish, the boys woke up. I could hear Gavin tell Quinten "Look at our stockings, they are full of candy!" That's when I was hoping they would come find us and not just dig into them. I hear footsteps running into our bedroom and Gavin yelling, "Momma, Santa came. There's a grip of presents under the tree". I wonder where he learned how to talk. So, we make our way into the living room and admire the presents that were under the tree. Their faces were adorable.
It was so exciting, in fact, that I didn't even put the coffee on! So after the boys were done, I told David it was our turn. He sat down, with his 10 presents, I sat down with my 3. He started in on how I didn't obey the rules, yada, yada, yada. Of course, I burst into tears, told him to take them back and locked myself in the bathroom. It didn't help with the girly stuff going on, but I really hate when people are ungrateful and it's not fair when someone puts that much effort into something. I was pissed off!
Then we headed to my parents for breakfast and more presents. When we got there, food was served and we had a really good meal. Then more presents! Every Christmas my parents deduct money from our truck payment, which they hold the loan for. It's quite helpful actually.
The boys stayed at Grandma's and David and I head home. I tell him to apologize because he was being rude and told him to change his bad attitude. He did. He told me nice things and won my heart over again. We went home and had our little Christmas, which he saw really wasn't that overboard, realizing that his presents weren't expensive, just packaged individually. We had a nice time.
We got the...I mean, Santa got the boys bunk beds for Christmas, which we found wasn't what we took home from Ikea. Santa must have delivered the wrong thing. He brought one single bed. We were able to put the dresser together, which took 2 hours!
I started making dinner for my parents and family, while David finished cleaning. We had a couple bottles of wine, some really good food and after my parents left, watched Alvin and the Chipmunks.
It started our as a crappy day, but turned out great. I love holidays, eating and lounging. I like receiving gifts, but love giving them. Today I look forward to my best friend and her family coming over and having Christmas with them. It just keeps getting better......

?

I'm not sure what to write,
I'm not sure what to say,
I wish I could say this will be a good day.

I look around and see a mess,
I wonder why there is all this stress?

It's Christmas time and I am thinking,
with all these things , I should be shrinking.
Life is far too short to worry,
but I feel like I am always in a hurry.

I hope things look up for me,
for a pile of things is all I see.
May the day bring laughter and smiles,
so my family and I can enjoy this season for miles!

Prep for Christmas

If you read my blog regularly, you know how much I love this time of the year. But this year is different. I got into it, but not really. There were several things missing, so to speak.
I didn't have a baking/tamale day with Audrey. I didn't have beautiful icicle lights on my house-instead we invested in the energy saving ones that David wanted. I didn't have a lot of room in my living room for all my decorations. I have a fireplace that doesn't allow for the "stockings hung by the chimney with care".
I guess I need to look at the positive. It's hard to come to terms with the fact that Christmas is right around the corner and still feel like I haven't done the necessary things that are required before the day comes. I usually love to bake and lock myself in the kitchen to take care of stress and to feed my need for sugar, but I really didn't this year after getting my first electric bill with my electric range-yikes. I missed the Visalia parade that I loved going to, except last year when David chose to sit by people from Farmersville that he had arrested and that had obvious criminal backgrounds.
What I do love, is that the boys acknowledge that Christmas is Jesus birthday and the fact that Gavin wants to write about it in his kindergarten class. I love that they ask when Santa is coming-everyday! I love making care packages for Gavin's classroom and giving treats to the teachers. These things I love. I guess Christmas isn't for us, it's for the kids. It's passed down from the generations. I wonder when I am gonna want to give it up. I guess Linda was right, I am spoiled.

Things that go "boom" in the night

So I am a big sissy. I get freaked out with noises at night. Primarily I am alone every night when bedtime comes around, but it isn't easy for me to go to sleep. Especially being in this new house. The noises are different and I don't have anyone around here who is friendly enough to go to if something happened.
Every night I watch TV in bed and listen. I try to watch TV until my eyes have a really hard time staying open. I turn the TV off and pull my covers up. Then I seem to wake up. I lay on my pillow with my eyes wide open, listening.
Many years ago, I would wake up in the middle of the night and hear noises and wake up David to go check to see where the noise was coming from. He would sit up in bed, look at me and tell me to do it. He reminded me that I was a police officer and should be able to go check around our little apartment. I would tell him no and make him do it anyway.
Things were okay in Visalia because I lived in a cul-de-sac and everyone knew each other. I felt safe. I knew the cops there and felt comfortable, except when the neighbors had their college parties, but that doesn't have anything to do with being scared, only pissed off.
So David, on his days off, want to be able to put the boys to sleep and hang out together. You know, watch and movie and all the other "married" people stuff. Truth is, I am so tired that when he is home, my head hits the pillow and I am out. I am like a dead person. There is no waking me up. So David is stuck watching his romance movies he puts on for us, like Hitman or Alien vs Predator (yea, I know-way to get me in the mood David) by himself and I am asleep in a moments time.
So regardless how many guns you have in the house and how your yapper dog should keep you feeling secure. The only real security is a 160 pound man laying in bed next to you. So today I will get a good night sleep, so hit me up tomorrow because I will be full of energy!

Sunday morning

For some reason I was really exited about church today. I laid all my clothes out the night before and set my alarm to make sure that I got to the first service on time.
I sat in the front because my Mom was singing in the choir and my Dad was a shepard in the performance.
During one of the songs that the congregation sang, Quinten grabbed my butt and said, "Your booty is hangin' out". With little boys you just can't be too sure so I told him to keep his hand to himself and to stop touching my rear end.
After church was over, we went into the family center for donuts. The boys grabbed their donut and sat down and my Mom approached me. She said, "Melissa, did you know you have a huge hole in the back of your pants?". Come again? I know I wasn't just standing in the front row of church, so everyone was behind me with my ass sticking out!! I made my way to the wall, to cover up this unfortunate sight. I felt it and sure enough I had a huge hole in my pants, right by the pocket.
For the first time, in about three years, I was actually wearing a shirt that came to the waist and a crop type jacket. There was no covering my hole.
I buttoned my jacket around my waist and wore it as a skirt, as I ran to the car. I took the pants back to the Rack, where they exchanged them for me.
You know I have done a lot of things in my life to get a rise out of people, but none have been indecent exposure type things. I will have to make a point, even though it isn't the happiest sight, to look at my butt before I leave the house.

Visalia Day

Today was Audrey's birthday so I wanted to go to Visalia to see her and to see David's parents, who the boys hadn't seen for about 3 weeks.
I woke up at 8 this morning, but I get off to a slow start, especially since it's Saturday. I called Audrey and made sure she would be home so I could go see her. Then I called David's Mom to make sure they would be home also.
So I got in the car at 11:30. I got to the Lomeli's at about 12:30, which was because I was stuck behind a motorcycle gang of 50 motorcyles going 65 in the fast lane. That bugs me so bad, if you are traveling slower then the speed limit, get in the slow lane you retard!
I dropped the boys off and was on my way to Audrey's. She wasn't ready and Mike wasn't home to watch the kids. After everything was said and done, we ate lunch at 3. It was very much worth it. We went to Strings, my favorite Italian restaurant. It's amazing how much I can eat at one time. I got her a couple packs of utensils for a present, which I am glad she didn't take offence to. Every time I have eaten at Audrey's there never seems to be enough forks or knives, or whatever. This way everyone can match and there isn't any rust!
We went back to Audrey's and hung out. Got the kids ice cream cones and laughed at how messy they got in 10 minutes.
I left Audrey's and headed to Sonja and Cindi's. Apparently Sonja had got in an argument with her son before I got there and was locked up in her room. I sat and talked to Cindi and the boys played with Zach and Zoe for about half an hour.
Finally, it was time to head home at 6:30. We got on the freeway and the boys slept. They had a very exciting day. First thing Gavin asked when we got home. "When can we do that again?". Poor thing, he misses his little friends and I guess I miss mine too.

Today

I had the greatest day today!! I got up, yada, yada, yada-the normal things, coffee, etc. I text messaged my friend Aiesha and told her that I was definitely going to Macy's today. She wrote back and said she wanted to do lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. That sounded good to me. So at noon we met up and talked over all you can eat food! Can't go wrong with that, huh?
After lunch I hit Macy's. Got a couple really cute pairs of shoes. By the way it's Macy's Friends and Family sale right now, which means they give you 20% off your purchase, and the clearance shoes were 20% off already-pretty good deal...... Then I stopped by the MAC counter and purchased some eye products. I have really been into eye make up these days.
Got home, talked to David for 20 minutes. He went to work, I went to get Gavin from school. I brought him home and they cleaned up their playroom and room so they could get a "treat". The treat was going to the movie Bolt. We got there and saw the movie, which in my opinion was kinda boring. I could have seriously fallen asleep in the theatre.
We then went to sushi and had Gavin's favorite miso soup. Then we drove to Clovis and drove around the neighborhood at Alluvial and Willow. It was way better then Christmas tree lane. It is a whole subdivision that is decorated and it was beautiful. We blasted the heater and opened the windows and pointed at all the cool stuff. The boys loved it. They had horse drawn carriages and lots of families walking around. I really wan to walk it with David and a hot Starbucks!
Then, lastly, we came home and ate the rest of Gavin's gingerbread house that he made at school. It was a wonderful day. What can be better then hanging out, shopping and going on a date with two adorable little boys! I hope I have a lot more days like these.

Birthday

So, it was my birthday yesterday. I was expecting, as I always do, a parade in my honor, a television broadcast and all the hoopla letting everyone know that I am the queen. It didn't happen, if you were wondering. I go up with the kids, while my wonderful husband slept in. I made myself a pumpkin pie latte, read the newspaper, and watched some TV with the kids. David woke up after awhile and came to bless our little family with his lazy presence.
After a bit David told me that I needed to go talk to Gavin about his mis-behaving. I walked into the playroom and Gavin and Quinten were sitting by their table yelling "Happy Birthday!". They had a present on their table which they told me to open.
I opened the present to find a waffle maker. I asked for this gift, but knew that it was a hint also. I didn't give in.
We sat down and ate. They ate cereal, I had French toast-Yum!! We got ready, David took Gavin to school and I cleaned the house because we were having company for dinner.
We basically didn't do anything all day. I sat around the house, bored. David helped clean, but not be nice. To make sure that is friends didn't think we were slobs. As a stay at home Mom and keeper of the house, I tried not to take offence to this.
As a family we picked up Gavin and went to Chapala Grill for lunch/snack, since none of us had lunch. It was really good by the way. When we got home, David told me to open a compartment in the car to "get something". When I opened it, I found a small box. Inside the box was a pair of small diamond earrings. They were just what I wanted. Hence the "wonderful husband" title that he received earlier.
We got home, got the BBQ heated up and I started making dinner. We had tri-tip, potato skins and asparagus. It was super good. I was very impressed with myself. I had a couple bottles of wine ready, but they don't drink wine, or beer for that matter. Don't get me wrong, overdoing it isn't a good thing. But when you are me, a glass (or two) of wine at dinner with strangers is much needed. So I went about dinner being completely sober. Yikes.
It was a long evening. The boys were high maintenance, which is out of character, but okay in this situation. David talked "shop talk" and every so often I put in my two cents, but I just wasn't on my game. In fact, I wasn't even on the field. I was standing outside with my bottled water.
I have to be honest. My favorite part of the night was when David and I crawled into bed and watched Ghost Hunters. It was just us. That was the best gift all day!

Special Surprise?

I wanted to do something nice for David today for some reason. So what as my choice? Painting the bathroom. I have wanted to paint the bathroom for the longest, but David tells me, "No, not today", blah, blah, blah.
This morning I taped it all off, which I thought would be the hard part. David even went into the bathroom and didn't even notice. How do you not see blue tape against white walls? Anyway, after he left for work, I started. I grabbed a brown color from the cupboard that we used for the laundry room. I wanted a really dark brown, but I didn't feel like running to Lowe's, so this would do.
So I painted while the boys sat and watched Jim Carrey's 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'. Quinten has been under the weather lately so I didn't want him to go overboard. Laying around was perfect for him.
I finished half the bathroom and came to realize that there wasn't gonna be enough paint to finish. I painted the trim and the large walls, but didn't get to the wall behind the bathtub or the high parts, like behind the cabinet.
So I guess I surprised him in the fact that he will have to redo my surprise. He will love that! The fact that we are having company on Wednesday, is even better. This way I know it will really be a priority. So, surprise David, you got work to do......

Easy?

So, while at Ikea, I got some curtains for our bedroom. They were cheap, like $20 and they were brownish so I thought I would give them a shot. I wanted to make the bedroom darker for David to sleep and yes, it would have been nice of me to put these curtains up in the summer when it's bright outside, but let's focus here! My friend who was with us, said they were really easy to do, so I got 'um.
Today, I decided to put them up. I got them out of the rapper, but that was the easiest part of this story. I ironed them, following the directions. As I did this, I noticed that the material of the curtains is linen. Whoever has dealt with linen knows that ironing is a waste of time.
I measured and cut and ironed the double sided tape on. The bad part? There was only enough tape for one of the layers. So one of layers is hanging there, looking completely lame.
So I haul out the sewing basket to look for something to help me out. Nothing. I slaved over what to do with my retarded curtains.
Finally I decided to just sew the freaking things. I got out the sewing machine, which was covered with a nasty layer of dust, and prepped it for this project. I didn't change the bobbin because I am lazy, so the top layer is white and the bottom, black.
I finally got those bad boys up. They look awkward at best, but they serve their purpose. Maybe the sight of them will encourage me to decorate the room!

Trip

On Saturday, David and I went to San Fransisco Saturday for the weekend. We left around 11, partly because it was really foggy and partly because David didn't get home until about 5am. We left and I was unusually clam, which normally isn't me. We stopped at Starbucks, my favorite for a road trip, stopped at the bank and on the road we went. I drove to Los Banos because David was still waking up and didn't want to drive before he was wide awake. I woke him up alright. He hates it when I drive.
We stopped in Los Banos at Jack in the Box, where we met up with our friends Matt and Jenn. They live in the bay and were on their way back from Fresno. We ate and visited for a few and off we went to San Fransisco.
We got there in pretty good time. We stayed at the Hilton, at Union Square. It was nice until they told us that parking was $50 a night. We got to our room and looked outside to see a parking garage outside for $25 a night! Whatever.
We quickly got out of the room and went to Union Square. I really wanted to ride the cable car, but for some reason David was not about the cable cars. We went to Macy's to find that they had crappy sales just like Fresno. We went to Guess, Bloomingdales and walked around. Matt and Jenn met up with us and we rode the R train to the wharf. We ate there and David had his first experience with scotch. We are not the scotch types so as much as David liked it, it isn't gonna be under the tree for Christmas.
Sunday we got up and drove to Alameda, where Matt and Jenn live. We saw their house and went to breakfast at a chicken and waffle place. I took my picture with Barack Obama, who apparently lived at this particular restaurant.
Then we went to Ikea, where we bought the boys a bunk bed and dresser for Christmas. We managed to spend $700 there. That is always nice, huh?
On the way home, I talked David into stopping at the Coach outlet. Normally I am all about Dooney and Burke, but since all the rich people carry Coach, I wanted one. We found that everyone felt like this because there was a line outside. They were only letting a a dozen or so people in at a time. I found a purse and wallet. They will be my Christmas gift. I love it. David thinks it is too big, but I say you gotta have a purse the same size as your ass.
So we got home around 8pm because we found it was extremely foggy on the 152 and there were two accidents on 99 that kept the traffic at a little more then a stand still.
We had a great time. I always love to have time with David to reconnect and talk in a quiet atmosphere. I am so glad that I have him in my life. He is and always will be my favorite!

Red Door China Bistro

So, since I really love food, I talked David into trying something new. He hates new, but I guess I was pretty convincing because he said yes.
We went to The Red Door China Bistro at Friant and Fort Washington. We had received a mailer last week or something and it looked really good and I was sure that it was worth our time and money.
I got there and the outside looked really neat. The fountains were flowing and the water was illuminated with colored lights changing through all different shades. The outside dining area was beautifully decorated with, what else, an Asian theme. We didn't eat outside, it's to freaking cold, but would have if the weather permitted.
I walked inside and they have a nicely stocked bar to the left, where there were several men flirting with the female bartender.
I waited there to be greeted and waited some more. It took about 5 minutes before I was acknowledged. I must look homeless or poor because this happens to me fairly often. Anyway, there aren't a lot of people there so it made me a little nervous.
We sat down and were greeted by our server. She was about the sweetest little thing I have ever encountered. She was on top of it.
They give you a salad as an appetizer. Just like Mexican food you get chips and salsa. I have never been given salad at Chinese, but I gave it a shot and it was great. They had small chunks of deep fried chicken on a bed of lettuce with tomatoes and a gingery salad dressing. Yum, I ate the whole damn thing. David then decided to try it and agreed that it was good.
We ordered David's stand by: broccoli beef, my favorite: double pan fried noodles and the free entree (with our coupon) kung pao chicken. Let's just say this, it was better then P.F. Changs. David told the chef, who had come out to talk to the customers, that this was his new favorite resturaunt. That is huge coming from my picky husband.
Now mind you, had our kids been on their best behavior, we would have had a better time, but oh well. They were crawling on the sofa's and using thier "play voices". I had enough by the time it was over, but since the food was so good, it made up for the devil's we had sitting with us.
So, if you are over in the area, go to this place. It would be a great date place. It's got a good wine selection, bar and the food is great!!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holiday's. I love getting friends and family together and eating, drinking and hanging out. I love the traditions that go along with it. Getting up in the morning and staying in your jammies (although I do that every morning), but it seems better on holiday's. I love to watch cheesy movies, like Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving, to get into the spirit. I love to bake and give food as gifts this time of year.
I have been making a lot of food for the police department lately. It has got to the point were David's Sgt took him aside and asked if I was "chubby" because I liked baking so much. I asked David what he said and after a moment he replied, he said, "I told him NO!" I think he had to think about it too long. He promised it was because he wasn't listening. I am not sure which is worse so I dropped it.
So back to Thanksgiving, I am in charge of dip or appetizers. I am taking a hot artichoke dip and I am gonna throw some garlic in it because garlic makes everything better. I am also taking the cream cheese slab with jalapeno jam on top. I would have made more because I love to cook and to share what I cook because I am fat enough, but I swear the grocery store marked all the food up for the holidays. And my Mom's side of the family had this weird obsession with food and being overweight. If you are over a size 8, you are considered fat. I am over a size 8, so I wear baggy clothes and big sweaters. I will sweat all day, but they will not stare at me and talk about me behind my back! It's pretty sad actually. My Mom is always making jabs at me for being bigger then the good ol' days. I had two freaking kids. There is skin hanging from my mid-section and it seems to not even be attached to my body, except for a couple layers of skin. I would perform a self tummy tuck, but I wouldn't want to clean the kitchen up after it! For people who are so petty and shallow, may you become fat like me someday. Man, I must have written myself into a funk! I am going to turn this frown upside down.
So, tomorrow is going to be good. I will wear several layers of clothing and smile and talk to everyone until they can't stand it anymore. They are gonna be happy that they won't have to see me again for another month. Then I will come home and drink some hot tea and take some Pepto because after all that food comes the air that compresses inside the stomach. Thank goodness David will be working and not have to deal with that fun part of the day! Then I will go to bed. I will watch my TV and become a vegetable for a couple hours!
I hope you all have a wonderful day and eat yourselves into oblivion. May we all be bloated and feel disgusting together!

Funny article. Mom's read!

To read it clearly, click on the article itself.

Wines

So David and I love to drink wine. For the last two nights, we have sat in the backyard, put a log in the fire pit and poured a glass of wine and watched the boys play "detective" in the backyard. It is definitely been a good last couple nights.
So, although we have our cheap stand-by, Foxbrook Cabernet, which I get by the case, we also like the occasional splurge.
I encourage everyone to try J. Lohr Valdigue and Riesling. Both of these wine are about $10 at Savemart. They are sweeter wines, but have a deep quality about them. I wish I could afford them more often. I am wanting to go wine tasting at their facility, but we haven't done a wine tasting vacation...yet!
Another good wine, Smoking Loon. I like the smokey taste about this one. It's really good with BBQ or a smokey-type dinner. I tried it for the first time at my parents. It's about $5-$7, which isn't that bad, but if it's over $1.99-we, again, have to wait for a special occasion.
Now, I am still a beginner when it comes to wines, but I know a lot about beer. Maybe it was from parties at Frat houses or going and having pizza and beer at BC's Pizza and Beer (they had great beer there!), but I am kinda picky about beer. It has progressed from my younger years of Bud Light to dark beers like Newcastle and Sam Adams. My favorite, which David hates, is Hefenweizen. Yum!!
Now I have realized that wine really is a hobby of mine. I think you can still be a wine fan on a budget. I think you can enjoy wine with friends and family and appreciate someones hard work needed to develope and create new flavors. I wish I could say I knew a lot, but all I can tell you are the ones I like and that taste good to me. Add to this!! Leave comments, I am always up for suggestions!

Wednesday night

It started out as a normal day. We hung out as a family for a couple hours until David had to go to work and after he left, I went about my business. I made dinner, cleaned up dinner, cleaned up kids, read books and got in bed. I watched TV until my eyes wouldn't stay open. I guess it was about 11:15 when I called it a night.
It was 12:30-ish when I got a call on my cell phone from David. I was kind of irritated because I had tried calling him all evening and he didn't answer my calls or send me a text message telling me goodnight. So I ignored the first call. Next, he called on the home phone. Fine, I'll pick up. He sounded weird and told me, "Don't worry, I'm okay". Okay, don't call me in the middle if the night and say that. What happened? He went on to say he was in an "OIS". First he freaks me out with his comment, now he's gonna use an acronym? I had to ask what an OIS is since I was still asleep. He replied "Officer involved shooting". Since I was kinda out of it, I said, "Okay". He went on to tell me that he would be late because he had to be interviewed by Detectives and so on. So I had got off the phone with him and realized that I didn't ask if he was the shooter. I tried text messaging him with negative results.
So, needless to say, I didn't sleep well. He got home at 6:00-ish, at which time I jumped out of bed and met up with him in the office to talk about what had happened. It turned out it was his partner that was the shooter, but he was right there next to him. He saw the suspect get shot and said that if he had he had a clear shot, he would have shot him also.
So after the de-briefing, I was amazed at how comfortable I was with everything. I know that David is a good cop. I have full faith in him as an officer, that he can handle any situation and know that he will do everything in his power to come home at night. I tried to be encouraging, but I could tell that he was a little different, as anyone would be after going thru something like this. So he waived his right to three days paid administrative leave and meeting with a Doctor to go back to work the next day.
Well, Thursday night he went to work, even though I thought it wasn't the best idea. At 8 o'clock he calls and tells me that he was being sent home by his Sgt because he hadn't been "cleared" to come back to work yet. Apparently he has to meet with a Shrink and have three days off, which is standard protocol. He was glad to be home, but I could tell he was sorta angry inside.
Today, he went to the Doctor and had a great experience. He was really positive about their talk and explained to me some of the weird things he was experiencing. He went into things he could and couldn't do for health reasons and why different things were happening with his body. It was great to see him make sense of things that he would have otherwise, not.
I am still in a little bit of shock, but all in all it has been a good week. My husband went through a very difficult situation and I felt like I was able to help him and encourage him. He still has some things to deal with, but all in all, we are good and healthy. He has told me he doesn't want to talk about it to people, which I respect. He wants to move on and learn from this experience. Keep him in your prayers and thoughts as he still has some things to cope with.

Ghost Hunters

I watch a show called Ghost Hunters pretty regularly. It's on cable and it's about a group of guys that goes to house/hospitals/hotels, or the like, in search of paranormal activity. This really isn't my thing, or hadn't been. When I hear ghost stories, or things like that, I get all choked up and my eyes tear-like I am crying. Kind of a weird reaction, but regardless, that's what happens.
So David and I have been watching these shows and I sit there and cry and he constantly says, "Did you see that?" or "Wow". I can't watch these shows by myself and after watching them, David has to rub my back until I go to sleep-how brave of me, huh?
So Sunday morning when he gets up, he tells me that he watched the show when I was asleep and that this particular group (TAPS) is coming to Clovis. I knew what house immediately after he said that. They are coming to the haunted house on Clovis Ave, that they have used for several years as a Halloween attraction. The last I heard is that they shut it down because the fake haunting was being disrupted by the real haunting. Anyway, they have concluded the investigation and are airing it on TV soon. I am sure I will write about it because I have such an exciting life that I have to write about TV instead of my fun filled days. Heck, I will probably air the You Tube version on here for those of you who are cable-less.

Sunday's

Normally Sunday's aren't that great. David is usually working and after church I am alone with the boys, doing whatever. No, not whatever, I clean, cook and do laundry.
Anyway, today was a good day. I got up and had my daily pumpkin pie latte and read the paper and lounged for a couple hours. Then I got the family ready for church, went and came home. I made lunch for my parents, who were here for about an hour and then, I relaxed. I put my sweats on and got on the internet and did nothing.
This is huge! I am watching my DVR and catching up with all my shows, including 90210, Grey's Anatomy and, finally Lipstick Jungle. This is gonna go in the record books for one of the greatest days of 2008. And to top off the day, the boys are getting along really well and haven't got in trouble at all today!

Dogs

Before I had kids, I never knew the love a parent has for a child. What I did know was that I loved my wedding present, a red dachshund named Klyde. I didn't know I could love a child more then Klyde. Klyde slept with me every night under the covers and we would cuddle all the time. He would go to Fresno with me....let's just say he was my child. I was excited when I found out I was pregnant with Gavin, but I really didn't know how this child would change my life and my relationship with Klyde.
When Gavin came home the dynamics changed. It was like, "Klyde who?". He wasn't allowed in my bed because Gavin was there. Klyde wasn't allowed on the couch anymore because I was on the couch nursing Gavin, which seemed like 24 hour a day. Poor Klyde. I understood at that moment, that a child, especially a baby, takes first priority. To this day I feel guilty that I don't spend time with Klyde like I used to. The only time he goes for rides in the car is to go the vet. He doesn't get a weekly bath or play time. I feel like I don't have the time I used to have.
My poor Klyde, I hope he still knows I still love him. I may not hug him as much or hold him when I walk around, but he is still loved. The only difference is the feelings David has for him. His love has turned to a thorn in his flesh. But what he lost in David, he gained from two little boys, who chase him around and play with him.

Addictions

I have seen a lot of different addictions in my lifetime. I have seen many people with addictions to methamphetamine, heroin and the like. I have dealt with people under the influence of all these drugs, as well as alcohol. I have handled all these drugs and can pretty much identify them through taste-just kidding-through sight. I have seen women who were actively using drugs while they were pregnant or with small children in their house. I have talked to children who could tell me the difference between marijuana and a cigarette and the smells they omit.
It still amazes me to think of how people abuse their bodies and people around them, with these things. The worst thing is the fact that no matter how much you try to help addicted people, they will always have an addiction.
I openly admit that I have problems with shopping, food and caffeine. I love my addictions because I feel like they are mildly healthy. I am addicted to taking care of myself so I eat. The fact that I eat everything in sight is not the point. All the things I buy clothing-wise are on sale-that's good right? Caffeine? Hello!! That is the healthiest of all. It keeps me awake, very important with two small children.
I know I would have a problem quitting my addictions, but they couldn't potentially kill me. For instance, when I worked for Visalia PD, I was driving past a bar around 1:30am and while looking for a DUI, I noticed a man on the side of the road, going through what appeared to be a seizure. I stopped and checked out with this man, who seemed to be homeless. I let him do his thing and stood by with him, talking to him and so forth until the paramedics came. They took the man to the hospital, where he was admitted. I saw the paramedics later and asked about the man. They said that he was an alcoholic and was going through detox or withdrawal. They told me that had I not stopped and called for them and the man had not received treatment, he would have died within an hour.
Hello? I may feel like if I don't hit Macy's I will die, but there is a difference there.
Another example. I responded to a house where I had developed a relationship with a family, where three of the four children were dirt bags. Well, the son, who was about 18, was huffing gasoline. That is weird to me. Go ahead and smoke a joint, but gasoline? Anyway, I talk to the kid and he smells like a gas station. He is showing signs of being under the influence so I arrest him and take him to the hospital to be medically cleared. I guess huffing gasoline is dangerous-who would have known. We are leaving the hospital and what does he ask me for? A cigarette. What? Of course I couldn't let that go. I made fun of him, asking him, "What do you want to explode?" Apparently he doesn't know about reactions, such as gas to flame.
So I will take my problems any day. I will embrace them and brag about them because I know they are not life threatening or dangerous to me. I will smile and suggest that others become addicted to them also. Keep in mind, you may be my next recruit....

David worked last night, in the rain. He responded to the shooting call at San Joaquin Memorial high school, where two men were shot. That is what police officers live for.
Now, don't get me wrong, its unfortunate for the subject who gets shot, but the blood and guts-that's cool. I loved going to calls regarding gruesome things. Call me weird. It all started when my old roommate and I would would eat chinese food and watch Faces or Death movies. Now that is gross.
So he calls me and tells me that he had to stand in the rain for an hour, without a rain coat. Uniform rain coats are about $100. If he could wear a regular rain coat-no problem. If he could even carry an umbrella-no problem, but the restrictions for Fresno PD are so outta control. He can't wear certain pants because it's not in "dress code", he can't wear certain jackets and so on and so on. So he calls me and says that his pants are so wet that it's down to his boxers. How uncomfortable is that? He had to wear those wet pants all night, from 10:30 until he got off at 2am.
I remember going on a homicide call in the dead of winter, on graveyards. It was so cold and I had to take perimeter. I was like a walking ice cube after having to stand there for 2 or 3 long hours.
So the moral of the story. If you can't stand wearing polyester in summer, don't be police officer. If you can't handle standing in the rain for hours, don't be a police officer. And, if you don't like the thought of brains splattered on a wall after someone commits suicide, don't become a police officer. My husband is lucky!

Don't know what to title this.

Can I just say this: I really miss my friends. I miss Visalia. I miss being able to go to coffee with someone and not being judged. I miss the fact that I could count on people who lived less than fifteen minutes from me. Blame it on the wine, because I have had some, but it makes me sad to think that I can't go to coffee or Keva Juice after taking my kids to preschool and kindergarten. I can't stop by at Audrey's around dinner and have her invite me to stay and eat. I miss the fact that my kids friends are all playing together without my monsters. I hate always trying so hard to make friends and keeping positive to my husband, when I am really sad that everyone that is close to me, isn't here. I hate that my in-laws are so far from me that I can't drop off my kids for an hour so I can stop by the tanning booth or get my nails done. Truth is, after all the time that I wanted to move here, I see that maybe my life had, actually, moved to Visalia. I guess this is just a bad night. I am sure things will turn around, hopefully soon.

New Season

I am so happy that the weather is getting colder. I love bundling up and wearing sweats!! I love the gray days, the rain and wearing long coats that cover my big ass. I love hot coffee, whether it be at home or at Starbucks. I love the holiday season, especially the parts involving eating and shopping (who would have guessed). I love spending time with my family, baking all day and watching movies on the couch. Most of all I love the fact that I am not so sweaty and I can wear my flannel all day! I love taking the boys to the snow, even though it isn't always happy for them. I love sleeping with the window cracked so I get cold enough to let my husband hold me at night. I love the sales that occur this time of the year. I love homemade hot soup and burning candles. I am so excited this time of the year has finally come. I hope everyone can appreciate it like me!

Theft

I was thinking today, would it be considered stealing to take a candy out of my kids halloween basket-wait, let me finish-if you know they wouldn't eat it.
Both of my boys don't really dig on chocolate. Well, chocolate is right up my alley, especially right now (girls, you know what I mean). I have caught myself a couple times now, sneaking candy. I know, how terrible is that? But, in my self defense, how much candy can a kid have anyway. I wouldn't let my kids eat all that garbage. They would still be eatting it this summer!
So my question to you is, "Does paying for your kids costumes get repaid with the candy they get for looking so cute at halloween?"

Halloween

Halloween has come and gone, thank goodness. It was wonderful to see the excitement in my children's eyes, but it was a little overwhelming also. Gavin and Quinten couldn't wait to put these costumes on. They started asking this morning and went all day!

I love Halloween! I like it for the make-up and the costumes and the big hair. Oh wait, I like those things everyday!! What was I thinking? Maybe not the costumes, but everything else. I didn't let me family down today either. I wore the brightest makeup I could get my hands on. Yeah!!

David had to work. Lucky him. I don't think he has worked in the Tower District on Halloween. It is quite a sight and David is not someone who would enjoy that type of thing. I can't wait to hear about the freaky things that happen on this happy evening.

I hope everyone had a great night, a safe night and most of all a productive night. May we all enjoy the sugar highs that our children will be experiencing the next couple days.

terrible two's?

David and I had to get the boys some cold medicine and decided to go to Wal-Mart. No, this isn't my favorite place, although I have talked about it a lot in my blogs. In fact, I hate Wal-Mart, but the prices are so good you have to go occasionally just for the heck of it.
So we go to Wal-Mart and David is nice enough to let the boys take their piggie bank money with them in case they find a toy they can't live without. If you have seen our playroom, you would know that this is not the case. David is obviously making up for the toys he didn't have as a child. It is quite obnoxious actually.
Anyway, I head to the candy isle because I have a food problem and the boys go to the toy isle. I grab candy to send with David to the police deparment for the "under weight police officers". I take my time because I know good and well that it's gonna be ugly when I go over to the children. Sure enough, I can hear Gavin's booming voice over all the commotion. He is whining about ever toy he sees. He wants a new bike helmut with Transformers, he wants Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, and Bumble Bee. Quinten isn't whining. He is just watching what Gavin is doing, probably so he can do the whining next time. I was so irritated that I had to leave the area. I told David that we needed to leave right now before the Momma looses it. Believe me, when it gets to a certain point, watch out. The law enforcer comes out and the people in the front of the store would be able to hear me yelling. I try not to to do this, so I don't scare my neighbors or people that are unlucky enough to be standing next to me at the time. Well, I was almost at that point. I blame David for some of it, most of it actually. He lets the boys go to the toy isle ever time and "look". That's nice for his one day that he goes shopping with them. What about the rest of the time when I go by myself and they don't get anything? Yeah, then I have to deal with it. Don't get me started I can feel my blood pressure rising as I talk about it.
So my point to this story is this, why is my five year old still whining? When does this ritual stop? It is one of the worst things that has ever happened to me and the best birth control at the same time! I can't handle it, seriously. I don't know what else to say because if I say too much, someone may report me to CPS. Just kidding, kinda.....

What time is it?

My children have both been fighting some kind of sickness, involving cough and boogers. I am talking thick, yellow boogers. Yes, it has been nasty. So last night Quinten came to bed with us, which isn't a new thing, he comes to bed with me every night. Last night though, he snored and tossed and turned all night because he didn't feel good. Gavin got up at night and changed out of his long pajama's and into a t-shirt.
This morning, Gavin comes in letting me know that it's "Morning time" and talking about the Toy-R-Us add that he had snagged out the Sunday paper. I looked over and saw it was 7:36, which is about the time we get up every morning. I told him I would be up in a minute. Quinten streached and he was outta there. He yelled after Gavin as they ran to the play room.
I rolled over and tried to snuggle with my stinky husband for a minute before getting up. Gavin rushed back into the room and told me all the things he wanted for Christmas. Can I please get through Thanksgiving before thinking of all the fun Christmas has in store.
I got up and became a walking vegetable. I made pancakes an coffee and sat at the table with the worlds worst cramps. Can I just let you all that I never had cramps before my children, but now, for sure, cramps every month-pain in the butt.
So I came over, checked the email, paid some bills and so forth. I ask Gavin what he wanted for snack. He replies, "peanut butter and honey". I made it for him and sat down with a banana. I look at the time and it clicks. What day is it? Wednesday!! He has to be in school at 11:00, that is in exactly 10 minutes. His normal time is 11:45, but Wednesday's are early. We have to put on clothes, brush teeth and do hair. I have never got us dresses and ready so quick. Gavin cried the entire time, when I stripped his clothes off, ran a wet brush through his hair and wiped lotion over his dry little legs.
I sped to school and got there just in time. He walked in stunned, like he had just been tossed into a tornado. Poor little guy. He is not the kinda kid you can rush-he is my little snail. He will hopefully have a good afternoon at school. Hope I don't forget t pick him up at 1:45.

Just minor details

It has been awhile since I last posted something and although nothing exciting has happened, I am sure I can talk about something. I can always talk about something.
First off, let me confess something. I bought pair of shoes today. They are not just a pair of shoes. They are a pink/black/red-ish color, platform (duh), with an open toe. They were surprising-ly comfortable for being high, but since the front has a platform it tricks the eye to think that you are standing on a 4" heel, when it's really only 2"-thank God. Anyway, that's not the confession portion. The fact that they were on clearance was good, but there was no additional off. That means they were still almost $60. I had a gift certificate that I received from my credit card, from the points earned, and used that. The total was only, like, $35, which is the cost of what I normally pay for the bargain shoes I have become acustom to. So now I feel better. Although I don't know exactly who I am confessing to, I feel better knowing it is no longer a secret. From my husband, yes, but to all of you out in bloggerland, no.
And, the other day when I was at Marshalls, even though I was only supposed to go to get something (that I guess wasn't important because I don't remember)at another store, I bought a dress. It was marked down from originally $120 to $15. Can't say that I feel too guilty about that purchase though because that's a good deal! It is a metallic gray/silver. It has an empire waist, which does a lot for a waistline like mine and maximizes the chest-not that I need any help there. Anyway, it's kinda casual because it has big pockets in the front, but it could also be dressed up with, what else, SHOES!! What were you expecting-it all ties into the shoes. The straps are about and inch wide, but I think I will wear a jacket overtop because I recently saw a picture of my arms and they are freakishly big. We want to cover those suckers up. When your arms are bigger then your husbands, or a third or the male population, you probably don'y want to flant that. Anyway, I didn't show that purchase off to the other half, just put it in the closet. He wil find it soon enough.
I guess this blog turned out to be a catholic confessional in an awkward, un-religious type way. So I feel better and maybe some of you others who have this same problem, feel like you are not alone. Hey, I have fun and enjoy shopping and hope others can be so lucky and patient to find deals like me!

The birthday

Gavin was lucky enough to have his 5th birthday party at the zoo this year. When I came up with the idea I wasn't thinking that it would be so nerve racking. There were 12 kids total which I think is a lot. Mind you, not all of them were walking around, but it was high energy and loud. Gavin met his friends at the front gate and was really happy to see everyone. He was hugging them as they came and greeting them like a good little host. All I could think about was the headache I was gonna have at the end of all this.
It was productive trip. We saw the elephants, the black panther, we fed the giraffes and walked through the reptile house. The best part? We didn't loose any kids. We lost some control during the petting zoo portion, but no big deal.
We came back to the house, had cake, did a little activity, played and went home. Gavin loved his day. He can't wait until next year so he can do it all again.

Bikers

I am having a kinda crappy day (see yesterdays blog), but that doesn't change the fact that it is Gavin's 5th birthday today. So I run to the store because he requested steak and tater tots for dinner.
As I was leaving the store, I am coming up on the stop before entering into traffic. I am planning to turn northbound Perrin from the westbound parking lot. Of course when you are planning to turn northbound, you are checking southbound traffic. So I am doing that. Then I hear a snotty, "Hello". I look northbound and there is a female biker on the sidewalk, about to travel in front of me. I wanted to yell at her for riding on the wrong side of the street and for riding on the sidewalk. It is her fault for doing these simple infractions. But instead, I decided it was nicer to be friendly and back up alittle.
Now everyone reading this who doesn't know, all bicyclists need to follow the rules of the road just like a vehicle. That means stopping at stop signs, riding the same way as traffic and so on and so forth. If you don't follow the rules of the road you are setting yourself up or a ticket. Depending where you live, you will get one too. That means if you cause an accident because you aren't following the rules of the road, you could be held at fault for the accident and be cited or even carted to the slammer.
It seriously angers me when people think they are right, but really don't have a clue about how it really is.
So anyway, I get home and find that I forgot the tator tots. What a day!

What else?

About two weeks ago, we got a call from our rental management company, letting us know that there was a couple that wanted to rent our house. That is great news for us. We were ecstatic!!
So we were expecting them to move in on Tuesday. We double checked with the management company and they verified. So Tuesday, the big day, we drive by because we are curious who is going to live in our house.
We drive by and notice, there were no moving vans, no cars, no people, no nothing. Okay,we thought maybe there was a mix up or some kinda problem and they would move in Wednesday. So I recontact the management company and make sure everything is okay. I then receive an email stating that Tuesday (move in day) the renters came in and said the house was too small and they wouldn't be renting the house after all. What?
They had put down a deposit, made a date on calendar-everything. I don't get it. I mean, they are getting charged $400 for the time the house was off the market and so forth, but seriously. Maybe I am too cheap to do something like this, maybe I am too thorough to not be completely sure I wanted to live in a house that I had to put a $1300 deposit on.
I guess you could say I am pissed off, I am depressed and I am disappointed by mankind. I have come to the conclusion that every time I get my hopes up, for anything, I get kicked in the balls! Not really, but the figure of speech works for this.
I trust that God has bigger and better things in store and I just have to hand over my control issues to him. Please pray with me.

Mixed Emotions

So, I am feeling a little nervous. I have made a decision in my life, which I feel is a big one.
Leaving law enforcement was a huge choice for me. I wasn't necessarily ready, but it was the best for my family. Since I wasn't really ready to quit, I sometimes feel like I shouldn't let it go so easy. Take a break from it, yes. Leave it entirely, no. I think to myself, "Self, you could do an investigator type job, Monday thru Friday, still be in the field, but not on the beat". Then I think, I put up with so much crap when I was a cop and I don't really want to continue all that drama and stress. Police Academy was fun for me, being the "social coordinator", hanging out and enjoying that time in my life. It was a lot of work also, running miles and miles and push ups and sit ups. But I like that stuff, now, not so much, but back then I thrived on it.
Now I am wanting to change careers completely and go into cosmetology. Yes, become a hairstylist. I have always been girly, loved clothes and make up. I love doing hair and making people feel good about themselves. Yes, I would encourage everyone to cut their hair a little shorter and not be "cookie cutter", but I can accept that not everyone wants short funky hair-like me. I can take critism, which I think is necessary, but I can also encourage people to be a little different. I want to be able to help others express themselves in a little different type of way.
A funny story. I went to a birthday party about a year ago and was at a bar. A guy came up to me and said, "Let, me guess, your a hairstylist". After wanting to punch him in the face, I thought to myself, what a compliment. Hairstylists, for the most part, are put together and have great hair and style!! Now, when people ask me (and that has been happening a lot lately), I feel good like I am making the right decision.
I would have started this process as soon as possible, but the school is expensive and we aren't financially ready for that. Paul Mitchell is about $20, 000 for a year. That is as much as a car!! My Aunt told me a couples weeks ago, "Do it, invest in yourself". She went on to explain that if David and I were to get a new car, we wouldn't have a problem spending that money, but we don't spend the money on ourselves, which is an investment. She has a point.
You ask, why am I nervous about this now. Well, I am touring the school Saturday. It's an open house and it is the "next step" for me. I know this may be a deal breaker and the more steps I take, the more or less likely this will happen.
So I figure that in about a year, or when Quinten starts kindergarden, I will go back to school and do it. Now it is a year long and it's full time. David may have to work some overtime, but I figure, look at the sacrifices I have made. He can make a few too!

A new review

Since food is such a serious part of my life, I am going to start a restaurant review when I go out to eat. My husband and I have both been in the restaurant business and are pretty huge critics. Our big thing is the service. Without good service you don't really have anything.

So today we went to Joy Luck Chinese Restaurant next to Nordstrom Rack. Yes, this is curtousy of the Entertainment book again. This is the review.

We get to the establishment and a cute young girl seats us. We sit for, oh, about 15 minutes before anyone gets us water, or, a smile for that matter. I made a comment to David that if no one came to greet us or bring us some water we were walking out. About 15 seconds later our server came. It's hard to sit and wait when your hungry, but when there are two, wild little boys with you, it's a life sentence.

So we order family style meals and an order of broccoli beef for the boys. It comes rather quick and we start on our meals. It was really good food! I loved the noodles, they were crispy and full of flavor. The rice was perfectly cooked. The broccoli beef was made with really good meat and it was delicious. The only thing I got that I wouldn't order again is the sweet and sour pork. I am not a pork eater, but there were mysterious things underneath that sauce that I couldn't recognize. No thanks to that. The meal was reasonably priced and I would definitely go again.

After we left the restaurant, we hit Dollar tree at Champlain and Shepard and I noticed a couple other places that I want to try. Crepe something and Latin Fusion. I will give details at a later time.

Bad night, tiring morning

It is strange how my body reacts to the craziness of stress. First off, I am the biggest stress case, ever. Most people would rate their "stress average" at, what, a 2? Mine is consistently about an 8. That is even when there is nothing unusual going on. Do I like to stress? Not really. My Mom is kinda the same way so I would like to say it's hereditary, but I'm adopted so that doesn't really work. Mine must be learned behavior.
So I am stressed out, wanna know why? Because my dumb ass shorted the bank $2.68 for my car payment. So the bank sent me a letter, which I just received and called yesterday. So I ran to the bank to deposit this months car payment money along with that huge $2.68. So I go to the ATM and start the process and the ATM machine keeps my card and cancels my transaction. Hello, it is freaking $2.68!!! Seriously people. If I was going to short that bank, I would at least make it worth my time. So now, I am stressed and pissed and have to drive home. I did that rather quickly because my heart rate was about double the speed.
I get home, brief David real quick and finish off half a chocolate cake and 4 cups of coffee to calm down! I know what your thinking-believe me. I was up until midnight winding down, mind racing about everything I have ever done wrong and why I have screwed my entire life up.
So this morning I have to take Gavin to school at 8:15 because it's a field trip tp Cobb's Ranch, thinking about this problem the whole time. I get home, call the lady and she doesn't answer. I call again a few minutes later, still no answer.
So I am sitting here, without an ATM card and an outstnading $2.68 balance, that apparently they won't let me forget about! I am having a bad day. I guess I shoud start on the other half of chocolate cake.

Making Friends

So when I moved to Fresno, since it has been so long since I lived here, I found all my friends had moved away or we had lost touch. Meaning, I had to start from scratch. I am not really one of those people who goes out of her way to be nice and friendly. I feel I am too old for being fake and would rather let people see me for who I really am. I am loud, sometimes abrasive (thanks to my previous career) and a little wild (my husband doesn't appreciate that very much). I like to laugh and tell funny stories, but I have come to the realization that people either love or hate me, there is no happy medium.
So since I have lived here I have been happy with myself, that I have opened up and made some friends. Now we aren't on the level of calling up and going shopping or catching a movie, but we get together through church functions and socialize and more importantly, I enjoy myself. I am thankful that God has helped me with my faults so that this transition hasn't been so tragic on my stress-loving self. I am thankful that David has made a couple good friends at work that are also Christians and have morals (surprising for the wonderful world of law enforcement).
So to all of you that have made this an enjoyable experience thank you. And to Audrey, who will always be my favorite, I miss you and I am going to make an extra effort to see you because I know I can always trust and confide in you.
Happy blogging. Feel free to leave comments-it keeps me going!

Anniversary!

Okay, we all know that anniversaries are important. In this day and age, getting through a year is a big accomplishment. There are so many divorces that staying together shows that both people are committed to each other and the marriage vows we all take. So yesterday, we made it seven years. It makes me happy, but trust me I wasn't happy yesterday morning.

We woke up and I thought that my husband would be extra nice to me and get up with the kids and get donuts or something else that is fattening and yummy. No such luck. I got up with the kids while he stayed in bed for another hour! Whatever. I gave him the benefit of the doubt. But it didn't get any better. While I cleaned up breakfast and started cleaning the house, he got on my laptop and started looking at stuff online. Hello!! Where is the love here?

So he got showered and took Gavin to school at 11:15. I am thinking that he will take Quinten to do some shopping. No, he comes right home. What? No card, no nothing.

I cleaned the entire house people, with no help. He went into the garage and brought me more boxes to unpack. Nice "love" day.

It was 2pm before I got showered, which I am not complaining about because I love being in my jammies, but sweaty, I-just-cleaned-the-entire house jammies? Not so much. Finally I told him I was gonna go get my nails painted to get out of the house. I was outta there and he picked up Gavin at 3:15.

After getting my nails painted (because I am too cheap to get them filled), I went to Ross. When I came home, the boys were all gone. I was optomistic then. Maybe he was thinking about his wife.

They came home about 4:30 and the boys each brought me a card. That was cute. Then David hands me a present. Wanna know what it was? A freaking garden hose. Yes people a garden hose. I thought to myself, "How many time does he expect me to wash the cars with the hose?" That was a crappy present.

Well, that was a joke. He took me out to the truck and in the back was a TV for the bedroom. It was alittle more then I expected, but hey, this is payback for all the times I have got him bomb presents and he has got me utensils for the kitchen. So that made my day. I haven't had TV in the bedroom since we moved and that used to be my relaxation time after the boys were in bed.

Then my Dad came over to watch the boys while we went to dinner. We went to Samba (they are having a $19.99 special now, by the way) and it was so good!! I haven't had a meal like that in a long time. David actually left full. You coulda rolled me outta that place. I am so happy I wore a loose sundress because I looked about 5 months pregnant! I can't say enough good things about that place.

So we got home about 8:30 and went to bed. It was a good day. Well, it was a good half day. My husband really came through. For all of you guys who don't really know me, my husband isn't the romantic person that showers me with love letters and poetry. If I get anything, that's huge! I love my husband, but when we walked down the isle, the nice little things stopped. Oh well. I still love him and look forward to the rest of my life with him.

huh?

So I was thinking today to what I wanted to write about. Did I want to conquer politics, drugs and gangs or religion-nah. Let's talk about something serious-shopping.

I have had kind of a problem with this subject since I was in college and worked at Weinstocks. It isn't around anymore, it was bought out by Macy's in 1996. I worked there for about 3 1/2 years and loved it.

Let's go back alittle though. In high school, I may not have been the popular girl, but I wore good clothes! I wore Benetton, Z. Cavaricchi (that's funny to think about these days) and Guess. My Mom had a great way to ration me. She gave me a "clothing allowance", which was money I was given every month to buy clothes with. I could save the money up and buy something big, or spend the allotted amount monthly. I would save up a couple months up and go crazy and hit the sale racks. Now, my Mom is quite a shopper herself, but she goes to the stores that I can't shop at. The kind where the sales clerks look at you crazy if you are too young, driving the wrong car or not carrying a Louis Vuitton bag (the real kind, not the Overstock special). So anyway, this gave me a good foundation, to what later would become a problem.

So I was a sales clerk as Weinstocks, the only problem, is my entire paycheck stayed at the store. I might add that they were nice enough to give me my very first credit card. I never got into any trouble with it though so that was a good thing. I was scared of my Dad and what he would do if he found that I hadn't paid that sucker off every month.

Later, after Weinstocks went out of business and I was working at Applebee's, I started shopping at Marshalls and Ross. I have always been a brand name shopper. And, the brand name needed to be visible. Now, don't act like you don't know what I am talking about. You know, the T-shirt that says "Abercrombie" or the red tag on the back of your "Lucky Jeans". Marshalls and Ross had name brand clothes that were marked down and I am one of those that searches. My shopping trips are not quick my friends. They are in depth because I am looking for the deals!

Then when my body started to move out of the "Jr" sizes, I moved to Express. I loved that place. I wore my ugly, manly, polyester uniform every day for 5 years, but on my weekends, I wouldn't wear the same thing twice. And trust me, I looked like a girl. I can't tell you how many times people would refer to me as "sir" at work, so I made myself extra girly as to not be confused off duty.

After I got knocked up and gained my weight, I faltered and hung out with the Old Navy crowd for awhile, but I lost some of it and regained alittle confidence. I started back into Banana Republic and Macy's.

That's when I really started into the shoes and you gotta love Macy's shoes. That is a whole other blog. Now, they are expensive, but you gotta hit up the clerance with additional off. That is an outting all by itself. Does the comfort level matter-no. You have to suck it up to get anywhere in life, right. This is one of the things you have to sacrifice.

So I am kinda getting into purses now. I really want a Coach purse, but the price tags on those things is even alittle more then I can handle. Time to make a trip to Gilroy I think-they have an outlet there. I will have to give you updates on my venture in that department. It's new territory, which makes it exciting.

So, shopping is a very important part of my life. I do it when I am happy. sad, bored and irritated. I like to go by myself, with friends and my kids too. I like to do it with coffee, with Sonic or without anything. I like big bags, small bags and boxes. I love everything about shopping. So if you need someone to go with you, I'm honest and have an enthusiasm that you won't find in anyone else.

What is really embarassing!

So I had an exciting day today. My best friend Audrey came to visit me and hang out for the day. So we enjoyed the day by sitting in the living room, watching food network and visiting.
After David went to work and Gavin was picked up from kindergarten, we started to figure out where we wanted to go eat. We decided to go to Roe, the sushi bar/real bar. That sounded fun, although I wasn't sure whether the food itself was any good. I heard it's an awesome place to drink and dance though.
That didn't matter, we went anyway. So we go inside and the kids were in heaven. There were chains hanging from the ceiling and everything was white accented with mother of pearl and black. The ambiance was really was nice and relaxing.
So we sit down and have a wonderful dinner, it was expensive, but such is life. After dinner, it was necessary that we go walk around the strip mall. We walked around and looked in the windows to see what was going on there. While the adults were on their best behavior, the kids were another story. They ran so far ahead of us, we felt like we were yelling at them every two minutes. It was getting really frustrating, but it was also getting out the "wigglies".

So we walk around the entire place and start back around to our cars. As we walked, Quinten and Grace run and run-so far infact, that they couldn't hear us yell at them anymore. As we yelled for them to stop, Audrey says, "How embaressing", referring to us yelling like we were walking in the local Wal-Mart. I started to run after them because I could see they were coming up on a driveway and wasn't sure if they would stop. I turned back and yelled, "No, this is emabrressing".

Let me paint this picture for you. I am wearing an above the knee sun dress with mary janes. As I am running, I can feel my loose belly skin bouncing over the top of my underwear and my dress slowly hicking up to show the world my cottage cheese. There was more shake there then I could ever descibe to you. It was nasty, belive me. All those resturants that I ran past probably lost business after that. So I caught up to the kids and yelled at mine, Audrey did the same. Quinten was on locked down and have to hold my hand for the rest of the time.

So as I sit here thinking about the day, I smile because I got to hang with one of my favorite people and enjoy her company while our kids played. I hope for many more days like these!

Shortcuts

So anyone that knows me, knows I like to save some money, especially these days. So I did what I said I would never do again. I colored my own hair.
Now I have done this before. The last time I did it, my hair turned a freakish, reddish blonde color and I rushed to my hairdresser and she had to weave in some dark highlights. After all that, two weeks later I colored my hair a dark red-brown color that I actually really liked. I soon after went back to the good old weaved blonde from the hairdresser and haven't fluctuated since.
But today it was different. As I cruised Wal-Mart (I hate Wal-Mart) I was thinking about that good reddish-brown color that was kinda funky, but then thought, "What fun is that?". I would much rather be blonde. Blondes have more fun, right?
So I went with the full bleached out color blonde that I was for sure would work for me. I was so excited that I asked David to help me color it before work. He laughed at me. So after mowing the lawn, I put the boys in the bathtub and started the process. I followed the directions and hoped for the best.
Wouldn't you know it, it turned a freakish reddish-blonde. HELLO!! Like I couldn't have seen that happening, right? So I had some left over. I dried my hair and re-did it. I swear my scalp has blisters on it and did the color change, no. I am mad at myself for doing this to begin with and more mad that I didn't just go dark.
So I guess I will wait the suggested 2 weeks and re-do something so I don't look like the freaky cheap women that wouldn't pay afew extra dollars to get he hair done at the salon. Anyway, if I ever intend to be a hairdresser, which is the goal here, I need to experiment a little and what better to experiment on-my own hair. That way the only person I can blame is M-E! So when you see me, don't laugh, just smile and be encouraging. Thanks!

Food-again

For all you girls who like cooking, and more importantly like cooking that good ol' German/Mennonite food , here's a site for you.

mennonitegirlscancook.blogspot.com

Knock yourselves out!

Food

I obviously have a theme on the blog thing. Yesturday, dieting and today, food. It really isn't related though.
It is no secret that I love to eat. I love trying new food and going to eat in funky places. I live for that stuff.
So today, the boys and I are running errands and I ask them what they want for dinner. I give them the options Chinese or Indian. Quinten, bless his little heart, says Indian! I say okay and pull into the parking lot. Now the only reason that we didn't eat at home was because I didn't take anything out of the freezer, oh, and I love to use my Entertainment book. So we go inside and Quinten yells out "Something in here smells good!" Well, that made me optimistic.
We sit down, I open the menu and I am lost. I have no idea. The waiter would have helped if I had been able to understand him. I randomly picked two things and hoped for the best.
When it comes the boys immediately say that it looks nasty and they aren't gonna eat it. Great. So I pushed alittle and they throw a huge fit, yelling that the food is gross and that it's two thumbs down. I was so embarressed. I didn't know what to do, other then take the quickest route out of there. I read those boys the riot act.
I couldn't believe that they said those things! I took it personal because I am trying really hard to expose the boys to different cultures, so they aren't brought up in a non-diverse, uptight kind of household. Most importantly, that they, themselves don't become bigits or have prejudices. So we get home and they get yogurt for dinner.
I obviously need to find people who share my need to try new things, since David won't ever do that! I know that kids aren't very daring when they are young, but hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come.