Inept!

What was I thinking? I should never buy furniture that comes in a box! Over the weekend I bought a new tv stand, & thought it would be easy enough for me to assemble. I guess prior episodes of having parts & pieces scattered all over the room with no real ability to make sense of it all had faded from my memory. Last night I spent over an hour trying to figure it all out to no avail. If I could have managed to get all the pieces back in the box, I would have returned it to Walmart. Now I'm stuck with a tv on the floor & pieces of wood, screws, tools all over the room. I guess it will be necessary to do what I always seem to do when I have a crisis that requires tools; I'll call Trent.

This & That

Recently a local radio station was promoting an appearance by Steve, the Regurgitator. Naturally, Nancy & I were curious as to why anyone would want to pay money to go watch someone vomit. The thought of it was nauseating! So we googled him & found this video. I wonder at what point in this person's life this would this seem like something he would want to try to do for a living! Stevie Starr the Regurgitator

Owen, age 5, has been playing floor hockey so I traveled to Ohio to catch a game. Amazingly, these four & five year old kids wielding hockey sticks all seemed to grasp the concept of getting the puck & pushing it toward the goal. Other than the time I was snapping a picture of Owen & he stopped playing to pose for me, he took the whole thing pretty seriously. There were times it all was rather hilarious, but I found my competitive spirit kicked in when Owen almost scored, & I nearly jumped out of my seat! He did score recently & called to tell me about it . . . it seems that while scoring he simultaneously lost his shoe!

This past weekend I took care of Drew & Tyler while their parents went out on a date night. With very busy lives & two young children, Adam & Kelly don't get to go out together that often. After about five books & several stalling tactics, Drew seemed pretty compliant about going to sleep. Then I heard him "fake" crying & went in to ask him what was wrong. He then said "I NEVER get to see my daddy (awww, I thought . . . Adam had a game the night before, & I guess Drew was really missing him) . . .  or my mommy (Kelly is with him just about 24/7)! I then realize that Drew is just being a little dramatic. So I tell him that his mom & dad will be home soon & will check on him & kiss him goodnight. "Ok," he says, "love you." And that was that.

Whew!

A week ago I received a phone call about 9:30 pm from a man whose name I did not recognize on my caller ID. Reluctantly, I answered the call & was immediately asked some questions. The caller asked my name & if I had a credit/debit card with a certain bank. I responded rather cryptically. The caller then asked if my card was in my possession. I told him that I was sure it was since I had used the card earlier in the day. He asked me to go check so I did. My card was missing! He then asked where I last used it, & I told him. As it turns out he had found my card lying in the entryway of that store. So he now tells me he would like to return the card to me & begins to give me directions to his house. In my mind a red flag goes up . . . he lives on a road in a rather remote area . . . so I tell him I am unfamiliar with that road & doubt that I could locate his house at night. He then suggests meeting in a parking lot of a business that I know would be closed so I tell him I don't know where that is either. He offers to bring the card to my house, but I do not want to give him my address. I suggest meeting in a Dairy Mart parking lot since I know it will be well lit & should have people milling about. I think this man finally sensed that I was uneasy with all of this & offered to bring his wife along. While I was driving to meet him, a zillion thoughts go through my mind as I am rather afraid. A few minutes later we did meet at the Dairy Mart. This man turned out to be quite nice, & (anyone who knows me well will not be surprised) we talked for about 15 minutes. As it turns out he had a son in high school with two of my sons & called me because he remembered the last name. Upon meeting he told me he remembered my son as a high school football star . . . & my (looking back on it) somewhat egotistical response was "which one?" All's well that ends well, but I was really frightened! Unfortunately, it's difficult to trust anyone in today's world, but as it turns out this guy was a good samaritan!

Catching Up

I guess I wanted to start 2009 by being better organized & by getting back to the healthy eating & exercise that became rather sporadic over the holidays. This plan was thwarted by a bout with the flu that sidelined me for several days. Having already used 2 of my 5 sick days for the year in January is a real bummer!

The holidays were fun, crazy, chaotic . . . lots of family & food! I then felt it was my duty to eat anything left over including the sweets so I may have been on a sugar high for awhile. When I wasn't on a sugar high, I definitely also had my quota of alcohol with delicious after dinner coffees laced with Tia Maria or Starbucks creme liquor as well as Eddie's Irish coffee & lots of wine. We were able to get a rather amazing group photo on Christmas day of the family gathered at my house for dinner. It was amazing in that no one looked bad. With a group this size (23) & no professional photographer plus several kids, this is quite an accomplishment!

So I'm attempting to now get back to real life . . .  back to the gym, back to the brown bag lunch, back to finding some sense of order both at home & at work. The social media has grabbed me to the point that I could spend literally hours reading blogs, listening to podcasts, texting, & twittering--yikes, it can be a real waste of time, but it's such a quick & easy method to keep up with everything! Finding out that President Obama was twittering throughout his campaign has rather legitimized it for me, however, I'm sure his answer to "what are you doing right now?" is way more riveting than my "getting ready to take a nap" or "watching the Steelers!"

As a quick aside, my little grandsons are complete delights who continue to amaze & enthrall me! It is quite a tall task not to spoil them rotten!!! 

So I guess the funniest/most unusual thing that happened to me recently was my trip to the eye doctor for my dad's appointment on a day the temperature was -3. Across from us in the waiting room was a 30ish man wearing boxer shorts (or boxer-style shorts . . . I'm not sure if he actually was wearing his underwear) with hunting boots. I could see way more of him than I wanted to & couldn't imagine why anyone would choose this attire on any day let alone the coldest day of the year! It was so entertaining that the staff one by one found an excuse to visit the waiting room to check it out. I just crossed my fingers & hope that my dad would reserve his comments for later which thankfully he did!

(For anyone who missed it, check out my nephew Brooks Parker on youtube singing with Sarah Chapman in an Amy Grant/Vince Gill Christmas concert in Nashville.) Baby Its Cold Outside - Sarah Chapman & Brooks Parker

Deck the Halls

In the summer most residents in my development hire a service to groom & maintain their lawns. There are a few who cut their own grass with a riding mower. I, however, am the only one who does her own mowing with a push mower, &, of course, also do my own trimming & weed eating. I'm sure it's quite a sight to see this girl chasing a self-propelled mower since I often forget to release this feature going downhill! I could sell tickets!

Yesterday it was unseasonably warm . . . that is, the temperature climbed all the way to 50 degrees. I lamented that work & evening tennis would prevent me from using this warmer weather to put Christmas lights up outside my house. About 10:30 last night it occurred to me that I could just go ahead & put the lights up right then. So I dragged out the lights, extension cords, ladder, etc. & went to work on it. During my time outside, many cars slowed to see what the heck I was doing. About midnight I finished . . . just in time to unplug them for the night . . . but I do have a sense of accomplishment. And once again, I'm sure I provided entertainment for the neighborhood.

Thanksgiving

Nothing brings joy to the holidays more than children, and this year Drew & Tyler did not disappoint! Drew announced that he would be Brooks' & Brett's little buddy all day, & although he was, we would also need to include Uncle Eddie in that mix. Tyler very sweetly let everyone have a chance to hold & cuddle with him. Jan, Kelly, Rachael, & I managed to put together a wonderful meal. The entertainment was often provided unwittingly by Drew & his oh so hilarious comments. It was great to see my dad laugh & enjoy himself so much! (Brooks had a surprise gift for us that still has me on Cloud 9!)

On Friday WVU finally faltered enough to drop out of contention for a Big East Championship & a BCS bowl. The sting of losing the backyard brawl (WVU-Pitt) was lessened somewhat by watching it with the family. Jack & Pam came in bringing several pizzas, & we managed to stuff ourselves while yelling at the tv! Ah, yes, misery does love company, & we shared our disappointment & frustration.

All Atwitter?

Just when I think I'm all new age with blogging, something new comes up . . . twittering! I'll admit I know very little about it. I don't think it's supposed to replace blogging since I read that twittering increases traffic to your blog. I'm under the impression that it may be some kind of a social network, but it seems to be something easier & less involved than facebook or myspace. Is it a low maintenance version? Who knows? I have read that there's a 180 word limit to a twitter. Would it be interesting? I guess that depends on how it's used since I really don't care too much for a bulletin that someone has gone to lunch or is watching tv. I do plan to investigate this, however. It could be fascinating or just another way to waste time on the computer!

Halloween Hooker

On Halloween I dressed as a punk rock chick for work. Although I had bought a blonde wig with a patch of black hair that looked pretty cute on the package, when I put it on it looked like witch hair. Nothing I tried would tame it so I teased my own hair & added color with eye shadow & blush--this was visible under the lights at work. I used some heavy make-up as well. I put on a mini skirt, tights, boots, a feather boa, & a shiny top. I added lots of jewelry including some large hoop earrings. All of this was fairly effective on Friday morning. As the day wore on though, my hair flattened out some & my make-up wore off a little. I needed to go from work to Adam & Kelly's to see the kids dressed up & pass out candy at their house while they were trick-or-treating. After several trips to the door with candy at their house, I decided it would be easier to just sit outside with the candy bowl. I removed the scratchy boa & put on my jacket. In a few minutes a man from across the street (he & his wife were also passing out candy while their kids/grandkids were out) walked over & struck up a conversation. He thought I looked familiar & in the course of our conversation we discovered that our paths had crossed in college & numerous times since then with our kids' sports. We talked for several minutes before Adam & Kelly returned, & we all went inside. Suddenly I realized that this man may not have known I was supposed to be in a costume. My hair & make-up were not as extreme as they were in the morning; my funky boa was in the house. I think that perhaps I just looked like a cheap hooker! I can only imagine the conversation this man may have had with his wife after talking with me . . . "she seemed like such a nice girl in college--wonder what happened!" He probably thought I was headed for the nearest street corner as soon as trick-or-treating ended.

The Gameday Trifecta

What are the odds that Trent's car would be parked in the lot behind my office with a dead battery & in less than an hour, Ryan's car would be parked in front of my office with a dead battery? Well, it happened on the day of the WVU/Auburn game. Trent had come by my office to pick up his tickets. He was leaving work early to go home & cook out with friends who had come in for the game. Ryan was traveling from Marietta to go to the game & was stopping to see his grandfather on the way here. When Trent's battery conked out & wouldn't even respond to a jump, I gave him my car, called my dad (Ryan's grandfather) to see if I could borrow one of his cars, & called Ryan to ask him to pick up the keys from his grandfather. Since we were in a time crunch, Ryan & I decided we could drive his car to the game & pick up his grandfather's car afterwards. When I cleaned out my stuff to give Trent my car, I was most interested in getting my "toasty toes" footwarmers. I guess that was such a priority for me that I forgot to get both my parking pass & my garage door opener even though Trent had reminded me. So now the time crunch becomes even more of an issue as we realize that we have to go by Trent's house in Morgantown to pick up the pass & the opener.

Ryan arrives at my office, & I finish up my work. We need to go quickly to my house to change clothes & get the tickets. When we get in his car, it won't start. Fortunately, Nancy is still at work & is willing to help us jump it. The only problem is that Ryan is parallel parked & there is a car directly in front of him. He decides to push the car backwards to allow Nancy a space to pull in front of him. So he tells me to get into his car to steer, to put the car in neutral & to be sure to keep my foot on the brake. Ryan pushes & pushes, but the car won't budge. Who knew he meant to keep my foot on the brake only until he could position himself in front of the car to push! Eventually he does get the car pushed back & is able to start it with a jump. We drive to the house & decide to turn the car off & back on to be sure it will start. Well, it doesn't start back up! Three car battery problems in one day is almost unimaginable! Now we need my dad's car sooner rather than later now so I call my sister. Luckily she & Eddie bring us the car, & we are off--much later than we had hoped to be though. About halfway there I realize that I had left my "toasty toes" back at the house, but fortunately Ryan had stopped to buy some & had actually remembered to bring them along.

We battled traffic on the interstate & again in getting to Trent's house. Our thoughts of getting something good for dinner went down the drain as it got later & later. Our only option was to drive through Wendy's on the way to the stadium. Somewhere during the first half when WVU fell behind 17-3, I wondered why we had put ourselves through so much of a hassle to get to the game. The Mountaineers did not disappoint, however, & rallied to dominate in the second half & win the game. The stadium was rockin!!! It was soooo worth it!

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.