On Friday evening Brian, Braeden and I made our way to Baltimore for a weekend of fun. We booked two nights through Harbor Magic to stay at the Brookshire Suites with a package rate that included VIP tickets to the Baltimore Aquarium. The tickets also included admission into the dolphin show and their 4D theater experience which this weekend was about the "Shallow Seas".

This was Braeden's first experience staying in a hotel and as a family it was our first experience taking a trip together, just the three of us. Braeden was very excited!

The Brookshire Suites were far less than spectacular. Turns out the hotel used to be a parking garage, I did not know this when I booked the package. Maybe then I would have realized it might not be the most comfortable of environments. The giant bay windows in the room provided absolutely no insulation to the weather nor did they keep out even a decibel of sound. Even on the 9th floor there were times we could hear people talking down on the street. In addition there must have been three dozen times when emergency vehicles drove by during the two nights. And the big metal sheet covering the pot hole right outside the hotel also made for some great noises every single time anything drove over it.

On top of the sounds, the parking garage made into hotel also meant very low ceilings. Brian could touch the ceiling without fully extending his arm. Anyone six feet or over would have had to duck to get through the short doors. Even I was able to look over the shower curtain and into the mirror, and I'm only 5'3".

Oh the fun doesn't end there...

The carpet was also used as trimming around the bottom of the walls. It was folded up and glued, which as I am sure you can imagine did not look good or work out well and it was sort of flapping over. The sofa which was supposed to be a sofa bed looked more like a piece of furniture which had been thrown out on the street after a domestic violence situation. There was what Brian and I deemed a stab wound in the middle cushion and each cushion you sat on was grossly stained. Plus all of the pillows were sewn together AND sewn into the sofa, so you couldn't move them at all.

Then came the complimentary breakfast. There was supposed to be a shark character dressed up in costume for the children, but there wasn't. And the breakfast included cold scrambled eggs, cut up red potatoes (also cold) sausage and what I am surmising was supposed to be fresh toast. On the other side were danishes (probably from 7-11) and slice fruit. You could also choose dry cereal, a bagel or toast. They had three toasters and only one and a half of them worked. To drink they had water, juices, coffee and tea. They ran out of orange juice on the second morning. They also ran out of watermelon during the second morning.

Needless to say we won't be staying at the Brookshire Suites ever again.

Saturday morning we walked to the Inner Harbor, took pictures and looked around on our way to the Baltimore Aquarium. The aquarium wasn't too packed when we initially walked in, but everyone and their brother showed up quickly. We went almost immediately to the dolphin show which was packed and so we had to sit way up high. There really wasn't a bad seat in the house though, and Braeden liked watching the dolphins do their tricks. The show only lasted 15 minutes and I felt it had more talking than dolphin tricks, but it was still pretty cool to see how intelligent the dolphins were.

After the dolphin show we fought the crowds walking around and looking at anything we could get close enough to look at. At times we had to coerce Brae to push his way to the window so he could at least see the fish and ocean life through the windows. He says he liked seeing the sharks, but I think he liked the turtles the best. He ended up buying a stuffed sea turtle which he named Tortoise and a notepad with turtles on it as well.

Before heading back down to the bottom floor for the 4D theater show we attempted grabbing a bite to eat at the top floor cafe. Where I stood in line for 25 minutes (with four people ahead of me) waiting to purchase a $3.50 soft pretzel and $3.00 bottle of water. Nothing had been prepared, even the french fries were fried only when ordered. It was well after noon and so a lot of people were hungry and waiting. But while Braeden was eating his soft pretzel and telling us it was the best soft pretzel ever, what could we do? The long wait and expensive pretzel was worth it to see him smiling.

The 4D show was a 3D movie with extra effects. The theme was "shallow seas" and it was pretty interesting. After we were crammed like sardines into the little theater of course. Braeden laughed nearly the whole time because we were getting sprayed in the face, our chairs were shaking, things were bristling at our feet and we could feel the wind from the movie. When the water snake was coming at us 3D we also felt a poke in our backs, the chairs had all sorts of effects programmed into them, it was really quite interesting.

After the aquarium we walked on the Chesapeake. Braeden chose this ship, probably because it was bright red and placed right outside the aquarium entrance. But it was pretty cool. Although difficult for a 31 week pregnant mama to climb around in. He was curious about everything and was running around looking at things. I think he liked the steering wheel area the best.

Now it was time to take another potty break and eat some food. We went into the gallery at the Inner Harbor. We ended up choosing Chicago Uno's Pizzeria for food. Brian and I shared a deep dish Chicago's Classic and it was delicious. We also had onion straws, also delicious. Braeden ordered iced tea and cheese pizza but he fell asleep on the table before the food arrived.

We stayed in at the hotel the rest of the night. My legs were swollen, I was having painful contractions and it was clearly time to rest up. We weren't sure what we would do when we woke up, but we were thinking about the Children's Port Discovery Musuem. When we found out it didn't open until noon we ended up going to Geppi's Entertainment Museum in Camden Yards. It was super cool. Brian and I loved looking at all the old toys and comics, everything pop culture related from he 1800s on was in this museum. Braeden was pretty bored in some of the rooms, but he liked the comic book room and he enjoyed the more recent pop culture where he recognized Star Wars, Batman, Superman, Ghostbusters and such things.

Then we drove home. We picked Mya up at my parent's house. And we pretty much sat and watched movies in our pajammies Sunday night. While I uploaded nearly 200 photos from our fun-filled weekend.

Labels: brae, brian, life, vacation

Lots to update you about and yet so little energy on my part.

Friday Braeden was pretty sick. He had a migraine and actually asked to be placed in a dark room away from the noise of the other children in daycare. Of course I then went to pick him up and upon pulling up in our driveway he threw up all over the car. It was gross. And my Jeep still smells even after being cleaned and aired out. The night before he had slipped off the sofa and the left side of his face slid across the carpet. He had a wicked rug burn which is now fading quickly. Brian thinks he probably had a mild concussion from the fall and that might have contributed to the headache and vomiting. But his pediatrician said he had no signs of a head injury when we took him in to be checked out. Who knows.

Saturday morning Braeden was feeling better and his father picked him up. As you all probably know I ache when Braeden is away, even if only for 24 hours.

Saturday afternoon, Brian and I went to Baltimore for David and Emily's wedding. I took many photos and posted most of them on Flickr which you can peak at using the above link. The wedding was beautiful. Both David and Emily looked elated the entire time. The reception was also lovely and I had a great time observing the crazy dancing of people who had gotten tipsy and the children who were just loving life.

We came back on Sunday after having stayed the night in Baltimore at the Hilton Garden. Neither of us slept very well and naps were needed before Braeden was to arrive back home. Braeden and I played a bit of Monkey Ball on the Wii that night.

Yesterday was Joy Sparks' Memorial Service at Clayton Hall. Carrie and I drove over together along with everyone else here at work. The service lasted about an hour and a half and I think I cried the entire time. I didn't know her as well as others since I have only been working here for a couple years. However, from the time I did get to know her she always lived up to her name. She was a joy in every respect. She will be missed dearly by many.

Today is Brian's 28th birthday. I got him a new home theater system and it's already hooked up since it came early. Braeden woke him up this morning by jumping on the bed and singing Happy Birthday. He also gave him a handmade card and framed painting, both of which he was extremely proud of and I wish I had my camera to snap a picture of his Cheshire grin.

Braeden and I made a vanilla/vanilla cake for tonight. And we'll have something special for dinner though I haven't quite figured that part out yet. Either way it should be a very nice birthday night. And I only wish we all could have spent the day together instead of having to go to work.

And now I must get back to work. And try to stay awake.

P.S. Today is National Pancake Day!

Labels: brae, brian, life, work

You are probably wondering why I haven't been updating as much and have been slacking on commenting 'round the blog-o-sphere lately.

Truth be told I'm ill! Even now with the lights off and the monitor brightness set to zero I am still massaging my temples between types to try and ease this headache.

Which brings me to my next announcement.

While all the books suggest waiting until the end of the first trimester to announce your pregnancy, I just cannot keep quiet!

That's right. Brian and I are expecting. The baby is due sometime during mid-May from what we are guessing. But we don't have our first doctor's appointment until September 19th.

Braeden is thrilled by the news. He says he is going to be a good big brother, but I know he'll be a GREAT big brother. He is already trying to take care of me and he is taking time to talk to the belly. He is so excited, I kknow if he had a blog you would all already know the news. He told my Mom before I got a chance to tell her!

The morning sickness is all day long, just like with Braeden. But I don't remember these headaches with him. Though I am very sure they are related to the changing weather, too.

Anywho, that's the big and yet oh-so-little news!

And here's the new blog that Brian and I will be writing on "Little Us".

Labels: baby, brae, brian, life

It's not that I haven't been woken up at 3 a.m. in the morning before, I mean it happens all the time. Maybe I can blame the fog on the fact that the Olympics had me up late and 3 a.m. was really only a few hours into my slumber. Whatever the reason, I now have a contusion on my forehead. Between trying to get Braeden to stop crying and also trying to get him a tissue (which ended up being toilet paper since we didn't have tissues in the bathroom) I somehow pivoted in such a way that I ran straight into the corner of the wall. The goose egg knot formed almost immediately, but it has gone down since. I just have a pounding headache and the start of an odd line-shaped bruise near my hairline on my forehead. Oh the joys of motherhood and clumsiness.

I started playing the John Deere computer game last night. I enjoy the time management/strategic games you can get from sites like Playfirst.com and BigFish.com and this is one of their newer games. It is frustrating me. Much like Sim City, I am finding I do not know how to start something from scratch and profit without having all the helpers quit on me. I also am not good with keeping an eye on the calendar and many times my entire field of corn dies because I try to plant it in February.

Yesterday, I left work early because Braeden is sick again. He has an ear infection, only the 308th infection of his little life. I feel bad for him. If only he could stay healthy for longer periods of time. I think it may have begun as allergy symptoms, he did after all claim he is now allergic to carpet, but then those symptoms became more severe and the runny nose turned into a stopped up mess of gunk which in turn became an infection. Poor kid.

My boss stopped working for the College of Ag and moved to another area on campus. Right now I'm not 100% sure who my boss is, but it's okay because I work with good people. It's just really hard not to have Chris here, she was undoubtedly the best boss I have ever had.

Carrie went out on maternity leave last week as well. She'll be back in January. The baby is due this weekend and already weighs approximately 8 lbs. 11 oz. I have been sewing and getting things together for Baby Finnie and can't wait to meet her!

Brian starts class again soon. I believe this course is in Life Span Development, after which he will need to take Biology before he starts towards his P.A. degree.

My brother is concerned about aliens talking on his cell phone and the fact that Mom doesn't know anything about Darfur. These are the things he discusses with me when he calls. It might have something to do with Jada having been in Israel for the last two weeks. Fortunately she returns home tonight and hopefully he'll unwind a bit. Lol.

And so that's the update from the personal realm of this lovely blog. I'll be getting back to work now, forehead throbbing and all. Tata.

Labels: brae, brian, carrie, Gregory, life, work

The hiatus is over and we are back from vacation.

It started off with a bang. Braeden was sick. Very sick. I ended up taking time off because of that and the sickness rolled right into vacation. The poor kid had a fever up to 105.7 at one point. It was awful.

Fortunately the sickness has passed and he is now doing very well. Plus, we also did make it down to Fenwick for our summer stay at the beach. Rough waves and stormy weather was not enough to keep me down. I love the beach. Everything from the salty air to the freezing water is therapeutic for me. I took hundreds of pictures and will upload them to Flickr when I get a chance.

Right now it is back to the grind and I am at work sifting through e-mails. My personal e-mail account had over 500 messages and my PR filters had more than 2,000 messages. Granted I get tons of messages from publicists every day, but this is just crazy! My web work (full-time) only had 55 messages and I am relieved about that number.

Brian and I watched "The Dark Knight" yesterday afternoon. If you haven't seen it then please go and see it right now. I am still amazed at how well the filming and acting in this movie ended up being. There weren't any crazy action movie special effects that made it either...this was acting, fabulous acting. I mean the effects are always great but sometimes it is disappointing if that is the only cool aspect of the flick. The rumors are true, this was Heath Ledger's best role yet.

More on vacation later and back to work now. I hope all of you are doing well!

Labels: batman, brae, brian, life, vacation

Hello everyone.

I apologize for the insane delay of updating the art of living well...or trying to.

We had the holiday weekend and were very busy as a family. There was a lot of delicious barbecue eating to be had and many hours of swimming. I took a million and a half pictures and put them up on Flickr. Although this morning I tried to upload more and kept getting an error. So you'll have to check back later in the evening when I get home.

We saw fireworks on Friday night. They were not as fantabulous as years prior but the rain probably didn't help. =o)

My chiropractor visits have been going well and I have been feeling relief. I have an appointment today and he is going to think I stepped backwards because I'm extremely tense and sore. But it has been a tense week.

I'm working on big projects in the office, but there was also a tragic miracle in regards to a family member.

My Uncle is a bread delivery person for Stroehmann Bakery. They have a warehouse in New Castle, Delaware on North 13. Early Tuesday morning he was shot by a young man who probably wanted to rob him. Word to the not so wise...bread men do not carry money with them unless they have a cash stop along their route. Since his truck was still in the warehouse yard one can assume he hadn't made a cash stop. Comprende?

The man got on his truck without my Uncle realizing it. He heard a mumble and turned around to find a semi-automatic gun pointing at his face. Fortunately God and a slue of angels were with him because he reacted quickly and threw his arms up to shield his face. The bullet went into his left forearm about two inches from his elbo. It ricocheted off his radius, fracturing it severely, and lodged itself up mid-bicep area. He doesn't have full mobility of his hand yet, but the doctors are hopeful the nerve damage is not permanent.

In short he is a lucky man. Had he not reacted so quickly and had the bullet not hit the bone first he would have been shot in the face and the situation would be far more dire.

As it stands now they have been going back and forth over whether or not surgery will help. Surgery could end up causing more trouble. But it looks like they will be operating next week to put pins in his arm. Right now he is too swollen for anything to be done and so they sent him home from the hospital yesterday afternoon. Of course his insurance insisted he go home...

The detective and his team were unable to find the casing of the shell and so the investigation will probably go unsolved. They are lazy as far as I am concerned, but I'm not in the field and shouldn't judge. I would like to think they could at least dust for finger prints elsewhere, I don't know about you but stepping up on a delivery truck isn't super easy and I would think he had to have held onto the frame at some point.

Needless to say it has been upsetting for the family. So I think my doctor will understand my being a bit more tense than I was at my last visit.

Labels: drama, life, miracles, tragedy

Yesterday my boss sent me home because I was in so much pain I was throwing up. So yes, I went to the doctor. I told him, I'm in pain, so much pain I cannot function. Please help me. The bastard gave me new muscle relaxers and told me to go to therapy for my shoulder. He says I'm too tense and all my symptoms are based on that fact.

Though this may be all true, how am I supposed to relax and make myself less tense when I am in so much friggin' pain!?

I have another appointment tonight with someone I haven't seen before. My Dad recommended the practice and they specialize in back and neck pain. Then tomorrow morning I am scheduled to see a dentist. If they tell me it is somehow my jaw or teeth causing this pain I will request they pull them all. I cannot take this consistent awfulness anymore.

But you know what is worse than this mind numbing pain? Finding out the one person who should love you and trust you more than anyone else doesn't. But as this is a public blog, I won't get into any details. I just feel completely lost.

Labels: life, married life, pain

My laptop died on Friday. It is now in IT at work being rebuilt. Everything is lost and nothing was backed up. Since Brian has two laptops and a desktop he was generous enough to let me borrow a laptop over the weekend. Otherwise I can assure you things might have gotten ugly. I have a strong addiction to needing a laptop near me and I proudly admit to this addiction. I have no desire to change it.

I left work a tad early to take Brae to the doctor's again; this was the second Friday in a row. The good news was his ear infection in his right ear had cleared up, the bad news was his left ear was infected now. The sinus infection had not improved at all.

When Brae and I got home from the appointment we were greeted by hundreds of ants who decided to move in and take over our family room. Brian set traps. Braeden tried to vacuum them up with the dust buster.

I spent the remainder of the 95 degree weekend indoors and in pain. I think I have a pinched nerve perhaps. I refuse to go to a doctor just so they can send me for x-rays and then tell me there is nothing they can do but give me pain meds. No thank you. Well, I am teetering though because last night the pain was so significant I was throwing up. I'll see how today goes.

The good news from our weekend was we watched National Treasure 2 as a family on Saturday night. Brian and Braeden made the delicious popcorn. It was a wonderful movie night.

Today is Monday, the start of a new work week. It is already 83 degrees this morning and will be 99 degrees by afternoon. The heat index should com in at around 105 degrees.

Pardon me while I continue to delude myself into thinking it will have to be a better day.

Labels: life

I'll be updating the blog(s) today. But wanted to quickly let everyone know I am okay, I just have been having a rough few days and haven't felt like writing. I apologize if anyone was worried. =o/

Labels: life

How blessed am I? More than I could ever say with words.

Mother's Day, as hectic as it was, ended up being just perfect. Brian woke up early and started making breakfast. He was then joined by Braeden in the kitchen and the outcome was delicious. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage! Talk about the works. Brian also had coffee ready and gave me a new mug. I love it!

I was able to sit and relax, plus I ended up sewing a shirt which I'll be putting up on Etsy. I miss sewing, I've been so busy and tired that I haven't been able to take the time like I would want, hopefully I will be able to soon.

Braeden gave me a book about gardening and a movie with the help of his Gram and with the help of Brian he gave me the second season of Two and a Half Men! Plus I got several fun Mother's Day cards which made me laugh. Including one which sang "Under Pressure" from Braeden. Very cool.

Saturday we went to Kevin's graduation party and then Jackson's birthday party. Kevin graduated from college, go him! And Jackson turned six! There were same-aged boys going crazy at the party. Man it was interesting. Brian and I were kind of dumbfounded and also scared since we know we have that to look forward to with Brae.

Sunday after all the festivities from the men in my life we then went to my Grandma's. Her birthday was Friday so we celebrated her birthday and Mother's Day. I also got to see my Mom and I gave her a bag I made along with the same movie she had picked out and let Brae give me (P.S. I Love You) and a book by Max Lucado.

Then we went to see Brian's Mom and we stayed there for a couple hours just talking and having fun while Braeden eventually became a human wire and started making up his own language while bouncing around. This was his body shouting of pure exhaustion from a very busy weekend.

The only thing bad was the Flyers losing. =o/ Sorry guys.

And the work week has begun with rain, flooding, power outages and 45 mph winds. Yes, it is Monday.

Well I hope you all had a fabulous and bless-filled weekend! Happy Monday!

Labels: blessings, brae, brian, busy, hectic, life, mothers day

An early sign of dementia must be when a person is unable to sleep in on the weekends. And I'm not just talking sleeping in until 10 a.m. or even 8 a.m. either. Oh no. This is something far more outrageous than just waking up when the sun starts to rise. Here it is 3:25 a.m. and I am wide awake.

My being away this early is odd, but not completely off the wall, as I do tend to wake up by 5:30 these days and this is really only a couple hours difference. Plus, I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the sinus issues my head is having and the fact that my backside is throbbing.

Let me explain.

In an effort to bring some organization and cleanliness into my life, I took i upon myself to try and carry the mountain of clothes from our hamper down into the laundry room. My foot slipped on the first step down. While I only fell maybe four steps on my bottom, do you think I dropped the laundry basket full of clothes (so high I couldn't see over them) oh no! No! I held on and braced my fall with a: my ass and b: my knuckles which were clutching the basket as they tried to hold themselves up against the wall. And so on my right hand, between my middle finger and ring finger, there is about an inch of skin which feels like it has been burned off. You know how you can get rug burn? Well this is wall burn for sure. And burns hurt.

Bah. Bah I say!

Well. These hours now are mine. Solitude for a little while. In all honesty, I very much enjoy this time to myself in the morning. I'm going to make some coffee and finish up the book I'm reading, Calendar Girl: In Which A Lady Of Rylstone Reveals All, which is a fab piece of chic lit. =o)

Labels: dementia, falling, life, reading

After a rough Sunday night, I woke up not feeling myself. Not cool.

Needed some healthy snacks so I went to get them and then to my surprise my Jeep started smoking/steaming I'm not sure, whatever it was I didn't like how the Jeep started riding. And after not being able to reach Brian I decided to call Fox Run Auto to see if they could fit me in. Sure enough they could. And they even drove me home since I was kind of stranded.

Well.

$1500 worth of fun is now happening and the Jeep had to stay overnight. =o(

When it rains it certainly pours.

Not to mention I have a migraine which is spanning 24 hours now and I'm still in pain. Bah humbug.

Good news is we get the rest of our new bed today. I'm loving the new mattress and I know I'll love actually having a headboard, haha. It's going to be so awesomely nautical!

Labels: home, Jeep, life

What do you even say after a weekend like this?

It feels like I was run over by a few dozen trucks, and then the people driving the trucks hopped out and beat me with sledge hammers.

On another hand...

Brae and I have colored, done puzzles, played games, watched movies and worked outside. Meanwhile I've tried fitting in sewing, playing on the pc and reading books. While still making time for grocery shopping (healthy meaning more expensive), wedding the front flower bed AND beginning the backyard fencing project with Brian and his parents.

Now I just feel like crashing and yet it is 8 p.m. on Sunday which means in less than 12 hours I'll be at work on a Monday morning...

What can you do? Just keep moving forward, right?

Labels: life

Yesterday evening my parents came over to have pizza, birthday cake and ice cream. This is a Braeden "away" weekend and so we knew he wouldn't be able to celebrate Saturday (today).

Seeing as how I was born in the wee hours of the morning on March 22, 1981 then we can say I am now officially 27 years old. Brian is making lasagna for me tonight and right now we're watching one of my gifts "Three Coins in the Fountain." A gift from my amazon wishlist, so I'm very excited.

He got me a bunch of wishlist items (movies including a Cary Grant box set that we didn't already have) and surprised me with the new American Idol karaoke game for my playstation. I am so excited!!! We haven't played any of my karaoke games since we moved here in August. So for my birthday we'll drink some wine and get our "sing" on later after dinner. Yippee skippee!!!

Labels: life

The Associated Press reported today, President Bush called for about $145 billion worth of tax relief to stimulate a sagging economy and fend off a possible recession.

During his presidency he has called for tax rebates before, but now seven years later, the economy is in an even a bigger slump.

Bloomberg reported the stats on unemployment: "The U.S. unemployment rate in December climbed to 5 percent, the highest in two years, from 4.7 percent the previous month. Employment growth in the U.S. was 1.33 million last year, down from 2.26 million jobs a year earlier."

And in all his ridiculous vagueness President Bush stated the following: "Yesterday I spoke to members of the congressional leadership from both political parties," Bush said. "I was encouraged by those discussions, and I believe there is enough broad consensus that we can come up with a package that can be approved with bipartisan support."

In other words he is saying he sees a problem, he went to Congress for advice, they told him what he should have already known but due to their far superb vocabulary we will need to wait until he looks up all the words in his dictionary. Once he pronounces all of the words over two syllables he will come back to the public and actually tell us what he plans on doing. Because his statement didn't verify a damn thing.

In reading reports across the web it seems the general consensus is the president seems likely to offer a plan that will include $800 rebates for individuals and $1,600 for households. So we'll see what happens.

You can watch a video below:

Labels: economy, life, money, politics

9:05 a.m. on a Thursday morning.

Yesterday it was 60 degrees in the morning...today it was 34 degrees.

There is a lot of work to be done so I made it to work early. The server crashed. We still cannot get to our files or e-mail and I have not been able to get any work done.

Underneath my office a new audio system is being installed. It requires new wiring. They have been drilling into the ceiling (my floor) for the last 35 minutes. The entire office is shaking.

And now they are hammering.

Did I mention I went to bed and woke up with a sinus headache?

Labels: life, work

Braeden woke up before 6:30 a.m. on this fine Saturday morning in January. He is a complete contrary mess this morning. Crying at the drop of a hat! Argh! Right now he is playing Dig Dug and so is at least quiet but who knows when the next tantrum will arise. It's not even his fault, it is my own. He just wants to paint, that's all, but right now I'm too lazy to get up and get things ready for him. So he is mad at me. Bah.

We were so busy for the holidays, constantly out and about, driving from here to there. All I want to do today is sit, write, play games, read, watch a movie and perhaps Wii with Brae and Bri.

I know I need to get this blog back on track. I need to write more and less and sporadically. I have been doing well so far over the past week or so. Since things are less hectic now it should be easier.

Life has just been so crazy. My Mom had to put her dog down last night. I wrote about it briefly on the music section as a tribute post, but really there isn't a way for me to express the sadness she is feeling. She is a mess and there is nothing anyone can do; time is the only healer in this situation. Lucky was her unconditional, loyal pup for 12 years.

My brother is looking for a job and so he is all nuts right now. I'm sending him ideas left and right so we'll see what pans out.

And my Dad is out of commission with a bad knee which I wrote about in detail on the wellness section of this blog.

But, as Brae says when he is up to bat, "today is a new day." (Thank God for movies like Chicken Little that inspire such positive outlooks.) ;o)

Labels: brae, family, Gregory, life

Doctors are not my friend, never have been and probably never will be. Maybe it is because I've NEVER had one who I felt gave a hoot about me. I'm not a hypochondriac like many people in this world seem to be. I don't typically take sick days for myself, only for my son. And I won't go to the doctor unless I'm in a great deal of pain or discomfort. Ever.

Even when that is the case, even when I have been sick for WEEKS, I still often am told that it is just a virus and there is nothing I can do. Yadayada. Morons. If I were your daughter, wife, sister, etc. would you treat me the same way? Would you throw me off to the wayside just thinking I'm being dramatic or that I am exaggerating?

Temporary insanity or intense peer pressure have set in, because I just made a freakin' appointment to see an eye doctor. I sincerely believe the majority of my issues are currently lying with my eyes in some way. Light sensitivity, blurry vision and eye strain are probably the reason I am having such bad headaches. The headaches make me stressed and cause muscle pain in my neck and shoulder due to tension. Then I have trouble sleeping and become irritable. It is a trickle down or domino effect if you will. (Coupled with a four-year-old who has poor sleeping habits, yes, that is my fault).

If there was less stress in my life and if I was able to get more uninterrupted sleep I bet I would feel like a million bucks. I've got a great life, one that I wish more people could somehow have because I feel so blessed. Here we are 72 hours from Christmas and I'm feeling crappy. Not even just physically, you know, because I know if my mental well being were in check I'd be feeling pretty chipper right now. I mean, I can't make it sound awful...I am happy. I am excited. But it's kind of like there is a battle going on inside me, a tug of war...the fight between good and evil. Any further explanation would sound more absurd and make less sense.

"Do, or do not. There is no try." - Yoda

Labels: life

Brian and I had a verbal lashing of sorts last night. To be perfectly honest I don't know why it went down the way it did. However this morning I woke up feeling like I had a good night's sleep and I actually feel a little bit less stressed. So maybe I needed to blow off some steam? Release pent up negative energy? I don't know.

My friend Barb shared a funny with me this morning and I thought I'd share it will all you witty people out there!

I rear-ended a car this morning.
So there we are alongside the road The driver slowly gets out of the car
. . . and you know how you just-get-sooo-stressed and life-stuff seems
to get funny?

Yeah, well, I could NOT believe it . . . he was a DWARF!

He storms over to my car, looks up at me and says, "I AM NOT HAPPY!"
So, I look down at him and say, "Well, which one are you then?"

. . . and that's when the fight started . .

Labels: brian, fighting, funny, life, stress

For the upteenth time this season, I missed Big Brother. Now it wouldn't upset me had last night not been the last show. Evil Dick ended up winning and I didn't get to see it.

Ah well, I suppose there are worst things.

I ended up falling asleep on Braeden's floor. I woke up at 2:30 a.m., took some Sudafed and was going to play WoW since I was awake, but then I heard the pitter patter of Braeden feet. He won't stay in his room. It's like something sets of a response in his body as soon as I leave the room. How does he even know I have left? Must be some sort of spidey sense. I don't know.

There is still so much to do at the house. By the beginning of October we should have furniture in each room, but who knows, the stores keep messing up our delivery dates. I would NEVER buy from Rooms Today again, I'll tell you that much.

Work is pretty busy, there are a lot of projects on my plate and they all seem to be pretty programming intensive. It's okay, but it takes me a while to work out the kinks. You know?

Planning for the wedding is going well. The girls are all measured and their dresses will be ordered soon. The color I wanted is available, so they will be wearing chocolate and I think they will all look smashing. My Mom and I went to see a photographer on Sunday and a contract was signed. That is a relief. We all went to the Chesapeake Inn and picked out cake flavors, colors, tiers, etc. Invitations went out and people are receiving them already, the mail seems to be quick when there is a wedding invitation involved. I don't know when the guys plan on getting measured and picking out a tux, but I just might take Braeden myself and make sure he is all set. One less thing for me to have on my mind that way.

My health has been suffering due to lack of sleep I think. And plus I'm having some trouble with a cyst. Bah! It's very painful. I'm not sure if you know it or not, but think about a sensitve place on or in your body and imagine someone sticking it in a vice and squeezing it. Yep.

The weather is getting cooler. I love this time of year. I painted my nails black yesterday. They look great if I do say so myself. If I hadn't been in a rush I would have put my red hair clip in...I'm feeling the need to be a little bit goth lately. Maybe not a need, but a desire. Perhaps it reflects my current state of mind. I wish I could find more

Carrie, Danielle and I went to Borders yesterday. I bought Braeden two new Halloween books. Very exicitng. Brae and I love this time of year and I can't wait to decorate. But I will wait, at least until the first week of October. People might end up thinking we're freaks, but we're not. We're just strange and not afraid to be different.

Okay with all that said I should probably just get back to PHP.

Labels: brae, house, life, work

Sometimes listening to the radio gets old. I've been doing it lately because I am having traffic issues both getting to work and leaving work. My CDs can't tell me where the crashes are, so I turn the radio dial.

But you can only hear the same top 40 songs so many times before they start to piss you off. So yesterday I popped in my Mat Kearney cd and it was refreshing. Braeden has grown fond of the album during our travels as well. So much so that this morning before we even left the house he asked me to make sure I turn it on when we get in the car.

He didn't get to play WoW last night, because he isn't sleeping in his room by myself. He also didn't get to watch a movie while he was falling asleep. If I'm going to have to sleep on his floor, then he isn't going to get his bedtime perks nor is he going to get to play Codfish and make it to level 5 in WoW.

I hate taking things from him, especially things he loves, but I've run out of ideas. And let's face it, I'm exhausted and sore. Sleeping on the floor is wretched. I know he needs my reassurance, he has severe security issues, but I'm losing my mind.

On another note, yesterday's episode of Big Brother was the "fast forward" show they do each season. Two house guests were evicted. The two ended up being Jessica and Eric, the love birds of the house. I feel bad for both of them. Jessica might never trust Eric again since he was "America's player" and had to lie through a good part of the game. And Eric well, he may lose a girl that he genuinely has feelings for...such is life and sorry it sucks.

I actually spent money sending a text into the show, because I wanted Daniele to get nominated. I used to like her and think she was a good player, but now she just annoys the hell out of me. She whines all the time and she's a liar. I know the game requires you to be this way sometimes, but it upset me when she lied right to Eric's face and then later said she was sorry. She's not sorry. I hope Jameka or Zach wins HOH and kicks her out next week.

On the new home front, things are slowly coming together. We were supposed to have a sofa delivered yesterday, but Room's Today mucked up our order and now we won't be getting it until Tuesday. The rest of our furniture should be in the house within the next two weeks. Lots of money spending going on there and my pocket is pinched.

The red wall is beginning to lose its tie-dyed look now that Bri took over. Though I'm afraid it's still not done and we haven't started the parchment color yet at all. Parchment is covering more walls but won't take as long because it's a lighter color.

This weekend I intend to get a new shower head and maybe a new kitchen faucet since I hate the one we currently have...and I also want to get some sort of strong cleaner because there is a rim in the shower that has nasty gunk growing underneath it and every time I give Brae a bath I see this black stuff and it completely freaks me out.

Tomorrow Carrie is having a yard sale and I'm going to try and stop by and see her and the girl...hehe, Charlotte, I've grown fond of her. I'm hoping we get to hang out a bit this weekend. Finnie rocks.

As for tonight, I don't want to do a thing. I want to read, sleep and putz around on the computer perhaps. But nothing planned, no stress. Though I have a feeling I'll be heading out to do some of the much needed shopping. I might just wait until the morning. And, I might go tanning. I have one session left and I think I deserve to take the time to use it.

That's all for now. Ciao.

Labels: brae, house, life

Sorry for neglecting the personal blog.

When I'm not shoulders deep in writing water for all the other blogs, I am trying to catch up on sleep.

Right now I'm eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch at my desk. This stuff gets soggy really quickly, thank God I have my own office while slurping it down.

Brian, Brae and I had another very full weekend and I wish I had one more day off to actually relax. Saturday was an errands day. Brae and my Mom and I went to BJs and she had be signed up to be on her business membership so that was cool. Later on Saturday, Brae and Brian and I went to Wal-Mart and stocked up on so many things while also buying some Father's Day goods.

Sunday we woke up early to go to Church. Christopher was baptized at St. Rose's and Christopher and Brae are good buddies. They are in day care together and Christopher is Brae's 3rd cousin or something, but I don't think they know that. Christopher is 3 and a half and was just adopted so his parents had him christened. After everything Braeden scrambled to the front of the Church and went after Christopher to give him a hug. So Brae is in some of the pictures, haha.

Christopher's parents held a brunch at their house afterwards. The breakfast food was deeeelish. And Brae got in the pool for a bit. But never further than the second step. He had a lot of fun though.

And I saw Mrs. Leslie. I lost touch with a good friend, Jenn, and Mrs. Leslie is her Mom. I found out Jenn just had her first baby named after her husband Jamison Jr. Baby boy entered the world six weeks early. He was able to come home on Saturday and now weighs 4 lbs. Welcome to the world baby Jamison. I hope I get a chance to meet you and catch up with your Mommy. I miss her friendship!

Sunday afternoon/evening Brae, Brian and I went to the Stephan's house. I wanted Brae to see Mr. Stephan for an early Father's Day since I know he won't be able to see him next weekend. Mr. Stephan and Brae are pals, they played together most of the night. Well, Brae also threw and kicked a ball around with Mrs. Stephan as well. It makes me so happy to see him getting along with Bri's family since we're all really family now. We had Pat's pizza, Brae ate 3 slices! Yum-O!

And then after an episode of MacGuyver we all fell asleep.

Now if only I could stay asleep, maybe I would feel so exhausted!

Everything is good though. I need to put up some new pics. I have so many to share!

And tomorrow, weather permitting, we're all going to the Italian Festival! Woohoo!

Labels: brae, brian, family, friends, life

Between the two of us, Braeden and I have been in a doctor's office and/or lab 7 times in the last 12 days. No, I'm not kidding or exaggerating.

And Brae has to go back again on Monday.

We still don't know what the lump behind his ear is, but we haven't gotten all lab results back and today he was tested for TB. The nurses will check the site of the TB test on Monday. We're waiting on three different blood tests as well.

Me. I'm waiting on 8 blood tests. They took five vials of blood from me yesterday. Meh. Though I do think I'm feeling better, just still extremely fatigued and a general, all over soreness which seems to linger no matter what.

Other than rushing around and paying tons of copays, things are pretty good.
Brian and I are doing well (despite the tensions that pops up thanks to me not feeling well). And we're planning on spending the day with Lauren and Dave tomorrow in Philly. I'm super excited! I'm covering an Art Star craft fair, but then we're heading to Johnny Brenda's for "The National" show!!! Good times will be had by all. Or else. =o)

And today is Friday which really can't be beat. Knowing that there is a bit of relief ahead for time to just sit and/or sleep...sounds really good. I so just want to not worry about anything and just try and relax.

Well. That's that for now. Hope everyone is well. All new babies, all friends far away and relatives everywhere.

Labels: brae, brian, life

I think I am finally over the stomach bug. Hmmm. But I made a doctor's appointment for tomorrow evening because I am getting sick far too often and there are people in my life **cough cough mom and brian cough cough** who are freaking out and insisting I see a doctor.

Braeden seems to be feeling alright. The doctor isn't as concerned now with the lump since there seems to be a cause for it. (Bumping his head). We go back to the doctor on Thursday morning. And he is going to have a complete physical done. =o)

Now. For the exciting, wonderful, sparkly news.

In the midst of my stomach bug, Brian asked me to marry him.

He couldn't wait until I was feeling better because he had the ring, he was too excited and well I've been sick for 5 weeks now give a take a couple so-so days. Lord only knows when I will be healthy again.

Bri is my best friend and so I am thrilled that we are both finally in this happy place together. I'm so at peace with this decision, I said yes, and my parents and brother are excited. Brian's parents are excited, though I haven't gotten to see them since I still sick. I hope I get to see them soon.

The ring is gorgeous. Very shiny and sparkly. I can't seem to take a picture that does it any justice. There is such intricate details on the band. There are little diamonds almost all the way around the band. And on either side of the center stone (round) there is a cluster of diamonds wrapped in rose gold. They look like little clovers. My Mom says it is symbolic of the three of us; me, Brae and Brian.

Most of all. I am very happy. And I feel so blessed to know I will be marrying my best friend. Don't expect any big wedding or plans. We'll be engaged for awhile and I'm hoping to "elope" with a select few there with us when it happens.

For now, I'm enjoying the sparkly! And hoping I start feeling better so we can celebrate!

Oh and Congrats to Vicki and Tim who recently found out they will be having a baby!

Labels: brae, brian, life

Monday morning, so I'm feeling a little bit sluggish, but it's bright outside today, lots of sunshine and that's a good thing. Seems as though I got a little color on my cheeks yesterday while being outside. As superficial as it may be, I love when I get a tan in the summer, it makes me feel better about myself. Plus, the sun gives you Vitamin D!

Mother's Day was wonderful for me. Everyone made me feel so special. Braeden gave me the cutest things that he made during daycare. One in particular that I loved is a book he made. He was asked questions and his answers were written down for him word-by-word. When asked how old I am his response was "3." When asked how much I weigh, his response was "3 pounds." Where does Mommy work? He said "Far away, with friends." When asked who Mommy's best friend is, he responded "Brian." He was asked where does Mommy like to go and he replied "To Uncle Greg's, far away." Among the many questions and answers he also drew several pictures. There is a portrait of me, I have crazy hair. Haha! He drew ice cream which is apparently my favorite food. The book is something I will treasure forever!

My brother called in the morning to speak with both my Mom and I. Hearing from him is always wonderful and I'm happy he thought to call. He also sent Mom flowers, very well done little brother!

We went to my Grandma's for dinner and celebrated both Mother's Day and my Grandma's 76th birthday. As my Grandma loves a good BBQ we had hamburgers, hot dogs, coleslaw, salad and lots of fruit. Everything was fantastic. Brae and I especially loved the nachos and dip. =o) Well, I guess Brae loved the watermelon the most. (Without the "nuts")

I think my Mom had a nice Mother's Day. I had gotten her necklaces, one is a rectangle with a heart cutout and the other is the heart. I'm wearing the heart necklace and she is wearing the shape with the cutout. =o) I also bought her a very nifty bag off of Etsy.com! Love that place!

We went to see Brian's Mom after the BBQ and had another BBQ! I think I'm still full. Haha. Brae ate a hot dog, the WHOLE thing! He played ball with Brian and the Scotties. Good times. Brian's parents were super nice as usual and the evening went by too fast. We did make it home in just enough time to see the last episode of 7th Heaven. I'm so upset the show has officially ended, as I think it is one of the better television shows in history!

So all in all, though busy, the day was wonderful. Actually, my whole weekend couldn't have been any better unless it were a day longer. =o)

Labels: brae, family, life

This evil cold has officially hit the two week mark. Though I'm still coughing and have a headache, I have to say I'm not as sore as I was earlier this week. Thank goodness for some relief.

Brae was an animal again last night. Okay, maybe not an animal but extremely contrary. Sometimes I just don't know what to do other than to tell him he has to go straight to bed without any fun movies. We'll see how tonight goes.

Tuesday night Brian and I went to a viewing. One of his co-workers, Julie, had just gotten engaged and right after that exciting news her brother was in a tragic car accident and he didn't make it. I didn't know anyone there, but it was still hard to be there. We waited in line for nearly two hours just to get into the funeral home. And there were probably another 100 people behind us! When someone so young dies unexpectedly there are no words that can alleviate the grief. Nothing you can say or do will help, it just takes time. Julie was nearly hysterical and I can't blame her one bit. The loss her and her family are suffering from is horrible. My heart goes out to them.

Labels: brae, life

I have to tell you, I think I might like the day before Friday more than Friday itself. Thursdays are the promise for your Friday. Thursdays are your hope day. The day you know you're gonna make it. =o)

Anywho. I'm reading that China is finally letting the US FDA Food inspectors come over to see why so much dog food has been tainted. At first the refused admittance, but now they are saying the FDA is welcome to come and "exchange ideas." Sounds to me like they needed time to cover up the scandal and clean up their mess. Figures.

Ag Day is this weekend. It's a huge deal, a big event for the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources. I'm hoping to attend with Brae and hopefully Brian, but I'm really concerned about how I'll feel since my allergies are so wicked bad and the CANR is a pollen haven.

I've decided I want to adopt all the orphans in South Africa. Yep. All 50,000 of them. I can't stand knowing the condition that exist over there. Even contributing to the charities, I still feel like I should be doing so much more.

Braeden is doing alright. I'm pleased by this because two of the children in his daycare have been sick this week. So for him to be holding his own is absolutely wonderful!

Labels: brae, life, news, work

I feel like my allergies get worse each year. Yesterday Braeden wanted to chase me and have me chase him outside. He was having so much fun, but it got to the point where I could hardly even breathe. And then I was all but disabled by the effects later on in the night. My entire body itched, even my throat and the roof of my mouth. I was so uncomfortable. But Brae loves to be outside. I don't want him to sacrifice anything just because I'm all types of defunct.

And I'm worried about Ag Day next Saturday because I really want to go with Brae and Brian, but I know I'll be so sick afterwards. There is only so much medicine you can take and truthfully it doesn't work very well for me.

But the weekend was gorgeous and so is today. All sunshine and warm weather, it's perfect, I just wish I could further enjoy it.

Brian was good to me all weekend. Bought me medicine, looked after me and watched The Food Network with me almost non-stop because that is all I had the energy or will to do. He's the best!

Labels: brae, funny, life

That's right. No connection, just need to talk about both subjects.

1. Hermione Granger. Remember the 1st Harry Potter movie where Hermione Granger had huge, frantically crazy hair? Yes. Well, I know how she felt then, because I'm feeling that way right now. My hair is out of control and should be feared.

2. Coyotes. Debbie, from work, just told me about the coyote who ventured into a Quizno's in Chicago. So, I hate to look it up and find out what happened. There are many article covering the situation, but the Chicago Sun-Times is who I clicked on first.

"The door had been propped open on the warm afternoon, and the small coyote entered and tried to nose its way to the food preparation area, according to employees."

Oh dear. Haha. The vision just cracks me up. Poor thing must have thought it was all a mirage or something. Maybe it isn't clear on what it means to be a coyote. Who knows? But props to the small wolf for being so bold as to seek shelter, food and cooler temperatures. Very well done.

=o)

Labels: funny, life