Time with Tyler

Two month old Tyler & his brother Drew are pretty much a package deal. Spending time with them is always fun, but occasionally some one-on-one time is nice too. This week I had a little time with baby Tyler while Drew was taking a swimming lesson. It was so much fun to get Tyler to smile & "talk" & to totally focus on him for a while. What a little cutie he is!!

Shifting Gears

I totally love having music blasting in my car & usually sing along. The other day as I was driving to church for bell choir rehearsal I was playing & singing to "Let it Rock." As I parked my car & started to enter the church this song was still running through my head. Two minutes later I began rehearsal & was playing "Rondo Passagalia."

Woman vs Machine

I think there are good reasons why I hate housework! This weekend while vacuuming the entire house I had not one, but three encounters with the vacuum cleaner that prove my point. After vacuuming one of the bedrooms I set the sweeper out in the hallway. It was only a matter of seconds before I ran past it to get the phone & hit my foot sharply on the base. It was soooo painful!! I think I probably broke my toe since it continued to throb all day long & is still hurting three days later. Persevering I moved downstairs to continue vacuuming & stretched the cord to the max before unplugging it. When I stopped to go unplug the cord to plug it in elsewhere, the vacuum fell over on my other foot. Undaunted I continued but before I was able to complete this task I tripped on the cord & fell into the coffee table. I finally finished sweeping before putting the damn vacuum in the closet & slamming the door so I guess in some way I prevailed.

Sports Weekends

Beginning with Labor Day my weekends have been dominated by sports. Not that I'm actually playing a sport on the weekends (although I do play tennis on Wednesdays); I am watching sports.











WVU's opening football game was 5 year old Owen's second time at Mountaineer field. I think he liked all the pre-game hoopla more than the actual game . . . tossing the football around in the parking lot, seeing the band's pre-game show, watching the video board in the stadium, etc. were sources of entertainment. Shortly after the game started Owen was ready to return to my house to play with the remote control helicopter he had received as a gift the night before.

The following weekend I was off to watch Jay play football (Mt. Union College) in Alliance, OH. Jeff & I were going to Jay's apartment to watch WVU play on ESPN as soon as Jay's game was over. Well, WVU played a TERRIBLE game & neither Jeff nor Jay wanted to chat about it. The game itself (WVU lost to ECU) was bad enough . . . watching it in relative silence only made it more agonizing for me!

Next up, a trip to Nashville to see Brett (Belmont University) play two soccer games. I got to see Brett score his first two goals of the season which was really exciting! In between the Friday & Sunday games we went out to both lunch & dinner, went to the mall where I could not resist buying a few things. For just over $100 I was able to buy 2 pairs of pants & 2 tops at the store where my nephew, Brooks, works by using his discount. I don't know if I was more excited about the bargains or the sizes though as in this store I usually wear a size 0--never anything bigger than a 1--instead of my usual 6-8 . (Yes, I am curious about what size actual tiny people would wear in this store!) Next up, I finished off my Visa gift cards from work by buying a great pair of designer sunglasses--the first really nice sunglasses I have ever owned. We hung out in the evening at the Amy Grant/Vince Gill home. Just wow!

Drew got his first "real" game experience at Mountaineer field for the Marshall game. Adam, Trent & I had taken him to the spring game, but this was vastly different in atmosphere. Amazingly, Drew was only out of his seat once when I took him for a hotdog & to say hello to his great grandfather in a different area of the stands. He attracted quite a bit of attention as strangers asked to take his picture before the game--he was pretty cute in his Pat White jersey & Mountaineer baseball cap! He also learned the first down cheer & watching him do that was hilarious!

For me fall sports weekends are compensation for the end of summer. Having an increasing number of sports in so many different venues is a real plus. Getting to share this with various members of my family makes each weekend really special!

Watch out for deer

My deck is my favorite place to be during warm weather. It is a great place to read, watch tv, & nap, as well as to visit with family & friends. It is my sanctuary. Well, my this sanctuary has been violated on several occasions this summer by deer. Not only have the come forward to destroy my flowers, but they have also left a parting gift. My friend Nancy says this is unheard of, but I have evidence!!! Unfortunately I am just a magnet for these kind of things.

Deer in Headlights

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Oops

The adventures with my new iphone continue. Last week in an attempt to get some free downloads from the app (which I thought was Apple, but is actually applications) store, I inadvertently sent a mass email to everyone in my address book offering a free gift for signing up at a certain site. Well, I didn't even realize I did this until a friend called me at work to ask what the gift was. While I was denying that I sent this email, my coworker told me that she received the same thing from me. Thus began an influx of replies to my email regarding this. Now when I say a mass email to my whole address book, let me explain that it's not just my friends & family but lists of members of my church & various other organizations as well as people I haven't corresponded with in years. So I sent another mass email attempting to explain that this was a mistake & apologizing, however, those replies just keep on coming. I am responding to these individually once again explaining that this was an accident & that I need to get a clue about how to use my new iphone. Yes, it's like I had taken out a billboard stating I am soooo lame!

I decided to go running with my phone instead of my ipod shuffle since the phone has way more music choices. In retrospect I don't know why this is such a big deal since I only run for thirty minutes! Anyway, I was disappointed in the quality of the music & kept turning up the volume since it was barely audible. Finally I realized that I was not hearing the music through my earbuds but through the actual phone. A quick check provided me with a remedy--the phone jack was not pushed all the way in!

On a happier note about my phone, I had what I thought was a major problem with it as the screen was frozen. All the phone would do is make & receive calls--well, actually BE a phone which I guess could have been worse. I sent a text to Trent who called me in a matter of minutes. He asked me what was wrong & took me through a technique that totally fixed it--all in about one minute. He is brilliant!!!

Monkey see, Monkey do

For months I have been talking about getting an iphone. Oh, it was just talk when the phone cost $400 . . . absolutely out of the question! However, when I heard the price was going to be cut in half, I started to seriously consider it. All three of my sons have been less than enthuastic about this . . . I think they were thinking that it is too much phone for me. Trent & Adam called it to my attention the other day that I had begun to say "when" I get an iphone instead of "if" I get an iphone. Wednesday night was the clincher though when my friend pulled her new iphone out of her purse. I was so envious that I'm sure I turned a zillion shades of green!

Yesterday it became a fait accompli as I purchased the phone & signed a two year contract. Yippee!! My initial task was to text my sons that I had a new phone. After a couple of unsuccessful tries I was able to do this. Trent's response, "Good Lord! I'll be over in a hour." Well, he was right . . . I did need his help . . . which was probably confirmed by my text message which was supposed to say "I need help," but instead said "I need hello." Trent came by my office & showed me a few things to do when I got home & could sync to my computer. It all seemed relatively easy. When I got home I plugged my phone into the computer & got no response . . . this could be a problem! After several tries I needed to leave it & go exercise. Upon my return I tried again with no luck so, of course, I called Trent. He patiently took me through all kinds of things from figuring out an USB port that would work to syncing all my music & photos so I'm practically ready to go. My only remaining problem was embarrassingly stupid though--I did not know how to make a call or answer the phone! Trent explains this as well, & I think I am good to go. After playing with my phone for a few minutes I decided to call it a night. But first I needed to make one more call to Trent . . . I had no idea how to turn the phone off!

Tyler Nicholas

Welcome to the world, Tyler Nicholas!

You are beautiful, of course, & we are so blessed to have you as a wonderful addition to our family. You have some terrific parents as well as a big brother who will be both your best friend & your partner in crime! You will be amazed at how many people there are to love you . . . grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and much more extended family. You are indeed a little miracle to be cherished & nurtured. I look forward to cuddles & kisses along with all the very special things we can do together as you grow.
Your arrival has made this world a much better place for all of us! I hope you always know how very special you are & the joy your birth has brought to our family.

I love you,
Nina

A very brief pause in my Olympic watching. . .

While we're waiting for BZ#2, the Olympics is a good diversion. I am totally invested in the swimming, especially Michael Phelps! The whole Olympic thing is actually wearing me out though as I stay up until at least 1:00; then get up at 6:00 . . . I hate to miss any of it! I'm not a fan of tattoos, but I think the Olympic rings do look pretty cool on the competitors.

Who knew people would be almost giddy at gasoline at $2.72 tonight! There were actually lines at the Exxon in my neighborhood which seemed to be at least 3 cents cheaper than any other place in town.

Unfortunately, before I could even cut the tags off my two new chairs, Tigger & Trevor have staked their claim. They have both decided that this is the best napping place in the house now.

In case anyone was worried, after an exhaustive two day search I have located my new bra.

Happy birthday to my brother, Jack (13th) & niece, Megan (15th)!

Braless

This summer I have changed my exercise routine & have become very enamored with zumba. I have noticed recently that although my weight pretty much stays the same, I have gone down a size in clothes.

I went to Victoria's Secret a couple weeks ago to talk to someone about my bras riding up in the back (which causes the "girls" to droop in the front). I approached a sales clerk & explained my problem assuming it was the style of the bra. She asked my what size I was wearing & thought perhaps she should measure me. When she did I was amazed to find that I needed a size smaller around & as well as a smaller cup size. Who knew how far reaching the zumba effect had become!

Well, the clerk was right on the money as I did try on some bras & found that the smaller size was a much better fit. My only problem--the bras are at $38 apiece so I only bought one. When I got home, I rummaged through my drawer to discover one other bra that was the smaller size. Ok, now I have two bras--I just to rotate wearing & washing--no biggie. So I packed up my old, but still in great condition, bras & took them to a women's shelter. Today, however, when I went to get my new freshly washed bra, it was not in the drawer. I checked the bathrooms to see if it was still hanging where I placed it to dry. I checked the washing machine, other drawers, my closet, my gym bag & every other place I could think of. The bra is nowhere to be found. Now this creates a real dilemma of having to wash my one existing bra nightly since my only other bras are sports bras. It has to be somewhere here in the house (the chief suspects are two pesky cats), but for now I'm practically braless.

Back to the Land of the Living

I have never been prone to headaches, but I had one Friday night & most of the day Saturday that pretty much brought me to my knees. Stress . . . allergies . . . sinus . . . who knows? I have only had one migraine in my life, & this wasn't quite that bad, but it was a very close second. I am grateful that it finally became just a dull ache last night so that I could watch some of the Olympics both live & what I had recorded earlier. It was a real waste of a beautiful Saturday, however!

Recently I have taken some time off from the WVU message boards (ever since RR finally agreed to pay the $4 million). Instead of my sports talk radio I am listening to music CDs. And I have now turned on my tv since I LOVE the Olympics, but for the summer I have pretty much only watched the Today show while getting ready for work & nothing in the evenings. Not so fast though, I am recording "Project Runway" & will probably watch it at some point. I guess it's just nice to do some other things for awhile & take a radio/tv break.

Olympics observations . . .
1) Michael Phelps is just amazing! There are really not enough superlatives to describe him. My hat's off to Debbie Phelps, his mom. I know on a much smaller scale just what it's like to spend your week days transporting to & from practice & your weekends in either the blazing sun or a hot, humid indoor venue watching swim meets. It is not only time consuming, but also very expensive. I can only imagine how much of her life she has devoted to giving her son every opportunity to succeed. She has every reason to be proud!
2) I like the "redeem team" much more than the basketball teams from the past few years. They seem dedicated to team play &, unlike some of their predecessors, seem to also be soaking up the Olympic experience.
3) USA men's gymnastics may ultimately become a train wreck without the twins, but it was nice to see these newcomers have some early success.
4) Dara Torres--What a phenomenal woman . . . Really beyond awesome & quite an inspiration to women everywhere!!!
5) Volleyball/Beach Volleyball--great fun to watch.
6) Men's Road Race (Biking)--Grueling, I know, but also really boring for the viewers until the final few yards. I'm sure the women's race will be equally ho-hum for me.
7) Although I know the opening/closing ceremonies of the games are spectacular in person, it also gets pretty boring when televised. It is difficult to appreciate this show without actually being there.

HB OMZ!

Owen,

8-8-08 . . . what a cool day to become 5 years old! Happy Birthday, Owen. Somehow it seems like just yesterday when you were born (when I heard your first cry, I cried too!) At the same time, it seems like you have been in our lives & hearts forever. You were the CBE (cutest baby ever), a title you relinquished to Drew when you moved up to CTE (cutest toddler ever). At any rate I remember taking 20-30 pictures of you every time I saw you, & then paying extra for the 1 hour processing so that I could show them off to my friends . . . all before I got my digital camera, of course. You have kept me entertained with playing trains, making stuffed animals come to life, reading books, and lots of other activities as your imagination is boundless! I am constantly awed & amazed at just how much you know about the things that interest you . . . I'm sure it's exasperating for you to have to explain the nuances of different kinds of trains to me over & over!

You are energy & enthusiasm . . . light & love. What a joy & a blessing to have you in our lives! Have a great birthday party . . . wish I could be there to watch you break the pinata!!!

I love you,
Nina

Ah . . . the good old days

For lack of anything better to do last night, I got into some housecleaning & found something interesting from my teenage years. When my group of friends hit high school as sophomores we could scarcely contain our enthusiasm for the older boys . . . yes, the ones who could drive & were beyond cool. As luck would have it, within a few weeks we were all dating seniors & totally smitten. How better to memorialize this than by writing a song? So, one day when we were pretending to take gym class (the class was doing archery outside . . . we were clustered in the bushes), we came up with the following:
"Dave, Ron, Lindy, & Steve
they are so tough (which at that time meant "hot")
If you want to go with them
just consult us
One of these days they're going to break our hearts
but we don't care
'Cause we really love them & follow them everywhere . . ."
It goes on with a verse to describe each guy which becomes increasingly lame. Now, I can remember vividly doing this & how excited we were at fifteen to finally get to go out on real dates with guys in cars. I can remember which friends did this with me & how we sang it over & over for weeks. But I can't for the life of me remember which of the four guys was the one I liked at the time!

More adventures in fast food . ..

It would be reasonable to assume that since I am in the final three days of a national sales contest that pays big bucks, I would have more effective ways of spending my time than traveling back & forth to McDonalds & haggling with the staff. I usually bring my lunch (yogurt & fruit) to work & only occasionally get something out as a "treat" to go along with my iced tea. Yesterday, I decided to get an Asian chicken salad at McDonalds &, of course, my tea. It has mixed greens, beans, pepper strips, mandarin oranges, almonds & a great low fat ginger/sesame dressing. The other salads there are iceberg lettuce with very fattening dressings & contain things such as bacon that I don't consider low cal. Anyway, I have learned the hard way to always taste my iced tea in the drive-thru because about 25% of the time I am given tea with sugar instead of unsweetened. Now, in my mind, drinking calories is only appropriate when it's nutritious (juice) or contains alcohol, so the sweetened tea thing is totally unacceptable! I did not consider, however, that I should check my salad in the drive-thru. Upon returning to work I got my salad out, opened the dressing, & began adding it when I realized that both the salad & the dressing were not what I ordered. Since I had spend nearly 15 minutes in the drive-thru to get my lunch, I decided to return, park, & go inside. About ten minutes later someone did wait on me . . . two people actually . . . as I attempted to "exchange" my salad for the correct one. We had a conversation about how I might have just kept the salad if the dressing had been the ginger/sesame. Although it took at least another five minutes, I finally got my salad. Just to be on the safe side, I checked the dressing & found it was NOT the one I ordered. They then gave me the correct dressing. When I returned to work & opened the salad, I discovered that once again it was the wrong one! Tired of messing with it & disgusted, I was really no longer in the mood for a salad. I thought I would just wait until the lunch crowd dissapated at McDonalds & go get my money back. A few minutes later Jeff offered to do this for me, & I took him up on it. While he was gone I ate a protein bar for lunch. He came back a few minutes later with yet another salad--McDonals had refused (after THREE trips there) to return my money, but they did finally provide the correct salad. Since I had already eaten, I placed the salad in the fridge & decided I would take it home to have for dinner--which would have been a great plan had I not forgotten all about it until after I got home. Today I don't really even want to look at the damn thing!

Nesting Vicariously

Suddenly, yesterday it hit me like a ton of bricks . . . Adam & Kelly could have their baby ANY DAY NOW! Kelly, one of the most organized people I know, is well prepared. She has somehow understood that she had nine months to get ready & has done so in a logical progression. On the other hand, I fly by the seat of my pants most of the time (unfortunately two of my sons have inherited this trait, one of whom is Kelly's husband). A sense of urgency came over me yesterday when, after 4 plus hours driving back & forth to Marietta with Adam to pick up a chest of drawers, I decided I absolutely must get back in the car & drive to Bridgeport to shop for Owen's birthday & pick up a "big brother" gift for Drew. I returned home about 7:30 & proceeded to stay up until nearly 2 AM to finish knitting the blanket for the new baby. Today after church I plan to tackle the laundry as I realized that I am nearly out of underwear! I had the thought that maybe Ryan & Renea would come in when the baby is born so I plan to clean up the house & change the sheets on the beds today. I can't imagine getting the call that Kelly is in labor & responding that I will be right there as soon as I wash & dry some underwear, run the sweeper, dust, change the sheets, etc. The flurry of activity for me would be entirely unnecessary if only I could have Kelly's organizational skills!

Power-less

Last Sunday afternoon about 4:00 I had come to a stopping point in my yard work just as the sky was getting dark & threatening. I decided to go in, take a shower, & go visit my dad. I quickly threw a load of clothes in the washer & went upstairs to shower. Suddenly the wind outside became almost a gale as rain was pouring down. Before I could get into the shower my power went off. I seldom lose power for any significant amount of time so I waited a few minutes hoping it would return. Unfortunately, the sky was so dark that inside my house it looked like the middle of the night. I decided to try a bath in the dark since I was filthy & would not be able to wash my hair since there was no way to dry it. I managed to bathe in the dark bathroom & felt a little better.

Since there was virtually nothing I could do at home, I thought I would just go to see my dad anyway. I went to call him & remembered that my phone is now bundled with my cable & internet & cannot be used without electricity. No problem, I'll just get my cell . . . dead battery! I decided to just go anyway, but I forgot that I needed to disengage my garage door. After I accomplished getting the door open (it's really heavy), I hopped in the car & started out. Yes, I decided to just leave it up while I was gone & lock the door inside leading to the house . . . probably not the best idea I've ever had, but I was desperate for something to do. Within seconds I was flagged down by an oncoming car & informed that the development road was closed. There was a power line lying in the road, & no traffic was allowed in either direction. I returned home, located a ladder in the dark garage, & climbed up to reach the garage door to lower it.

It's uncanny the number of times I attempted to do something that required power! For example, when I decided to make a turkey sandwich for dinner, I popped it right into the microwave to melt the cheese & at some point I attempted to turn on my ceiling fan! As the long evening stretched in front of me, I was both bored & frustrated & becoming increasingly hot due to the lack of A/C. I had a small window of communication as I could use my cell phone on it's charger in the car in the hot & dark garage. I attempted to knit by flashlight & could complete only a few rows. Then I tried to pack since I was leaving for Marietta the next day but couldn't see well enough to do that either. . . & many of the clothes I needed were still in the washer! Thank goodness for my portable CD player which did allow me to listen to some music when out of utter boredom I decided to just go to sleep. The next morning I was greeted by flashing clocks everywhere as power had been restored.

So much for saying no

The phone rings. A quick glance at my caller ID lets me know that the caller is someone from church . . . someone I know in no other context . . . someone who must be calling to ask me to do something at church. The temptation to just let the phone ring is almost overwhelming, but I realize that to ignore the call would just be postponing the inevitable. I pick up the phone automatically preparing my excuses for being unable to do whatever . . . summer is such a busy time at work, Adam & Kelly's baby is due in August, I have responsibilities with my dad . . . But I answer. I tell myself to just politely say no. The committee involves meetings, research, & writing an extensive report (Sign me up for some of that!) As my excuses begin to form an answer, he tells me he plans to have it all completed by September. Well, I think, I can stand anything for three months. I can hardly believe my ears as my answers escapes as "I guess I could help out with that."

Vaca(s) Report

Okay, so it's not much of a report so to speak, but here goes . . .

In June I took two vacations. Wow, that's pretty early in the summer to vacation . . . no traveling to look forward to in July or August. First, the whole family went to Deep Creek. We rented a four bedroom house with two living areas & two decks & pretty much used every inch of it. The first morning Owen, who was sharing a room with me, whispered loudly, "Nina, can we get up now?" It was 5 am!!! Yes, both boys are early risers, but the rest of the time 6 am was more the norm. So we found some fun things to do & some good places to eat. It's amazing that both Owen & Drew could be excited about spotting a chipmunk while taking a walk, but they were! Owen was old enough for the mountain roller coaster, race car driving, & mini-golf. Drew was quite satisfied with swimming & playing games in the arcade. Both kids are total fish in the pool!!! It's always wonderful to spend time with the kids & grandkids, but most especially when we are all together. I am so at peace when we are all sleeping under the same roof.

Vacation #2 was my annual girl week in St. Augustine. We played lots of tennis, exercised, read, knitted, & relaxed on the beach. We went out to a restaurant/bar to watch the NBA draft & cheer WVU's Joe Alexander. Cocktail hour (Trent has informed me that vacation is indeed an exception to the 5 o'clock rule) sometimes began at 4 pm & extended through dinner until bedtime. I accidentally bought three pairs of shoes--Yes, when I was deliberating between two pairs on the final night of our trip, I ended up getting both pairs. Later when I was packing to go home, I realized that I had also bought a pair of shoes earlier in the week! I can't begin to justify it, so I won't even try!

RIP Hoagie

We always had pets growing up . . . dogs, cats . . . the two most memorable were our English sheepdog, Bo Peep, & our miniature schnauzer, Corky. I remember how difficult it was to lose these beloved dogs as they were truly part of the family. Pets enrich our lives in so many ways & give us unconditional love. Today our dear Hoagie passed away. He was Ryan & Renea's yellow lab (& later Owen's too) for nearly thirteen years. I know their hearts are aching tonight. Although I did not used to be a fan of large dogs, this one won my heart immediately with both his playful antics and his sweetness. My first experience as a grandparent was taking care of Hoagie for a weekend--He came complete with three pages of instructions from his parents. Each time I made the trip to Marietta to visit, he greeted me enthusiastically. He often slept with me during my stay & also when he visited here. I know there are many special, lovable dogs out there, but the loss of this particular dog fills me with profound sadness. There is, I guess, a measure of comfort since his illness was sudden, & he did not have to suffer, but it is a huge loss! Hoagie, thanks for the love & joy you provided your family--You will be missed!!!
RIP--I love you!