I Drove in Circles, Then Smashed My Face.

Well, more like rectangles with rounded corners. I got to drive our Semi last night, and it was AWESOME! I have had my permit for a few months now, but since we didn't have our own Semi, I hadn't driven one. Well, now that we have our own, (the reason why we went to Fargo) I can work on getting my CDL.

Here it is. It isn't the best picture, since it was taken with Randy's phone, but it is so cool:


I want to name it. Randy doesn't. I don't know if Semis get a girl name or a boy name. I guess I will have to research that. Maybe a neutral name, or a noun. Maybe just an adjective, or a pronoun. I will need to think about a neat, cool name for a neat, cool truck.

We went to a parking lot, and I unlearned all the stuff I know about driving regular manual transmission vehicles and relearned how to never use the throttle when I use the clutch, how to cause my left leg to cramp by fully depressing the clutch while releasing the parking brake, and how to turn left. Kinda like a sick, twisted, slow, lonely NASCAR race.

Amazingly, our truck has a turning radius of a Semi! I joke because I thought it would actually be worse, but even though it turned wide, it seems pretty manageable. Then again, it was dark, and I was in a parking lot!

I did manage to shift from 1st to 2nd, and down shift once or twice. I didn't get into 3rd gear, because I couldn't go fast enough in the lot. The brakes are very different, in fact, there is no feedback. When he gets back from his next run, I might get to take it out on a back road somewhere if we have time. But I am confident that I will be truckin' in no time. Pun...intended.

So where is the face smashing?

This morning Randy and I met with one of the owners of the company that Randy leases on to. She is super nice and helpful. She gave us great news that I choose not to disclose at the moment. Let's just say that it is an answer to prayer, and I am very, very thankful and happy about it. Praise the Lord!

Anyhow, after our meeting, Randy noticed one of my tires on the van was low, so we went to go put air in it. He got out, and was trying to get the air compressor to work. A trucker pulled into the pump next to us and was cleaning his windshield, fueling up, etc. I rolled down my window and yelled (to Randy) "Hey, nice butt!" (married people can say things like that!), and he jokingly said... "Hon, he is on the other side, he can't hear you". Just at that moment, the trucker walked around to the side closest to us. I got all embarrassed, and rolled the window up.

Randy was still outside, waiting for the air tank to fill, since for some reason the circuit got tripped. I have one of those driver's side windows where if you push the button down for a second, the window will roll all the way down. I wanted to talk with Randy again, since the trucker was no where to be seen. My intention was to peek my head out the window quick and say something else that married people say. I thought that I had pushed the button long enough for it to roll down, however it wasn't, so I plowed my face straight into it. I laughed and winced at the same time. Randy had heard a thunk, but had no clue what happened, since my big head didn't get out of the window. I had to tell him while laughing and with tears in my eyes from the pain. He and I sure had a good chuckle.

I think my face print is still on the window come to think of it.

Home again.

(We finally have our cable back up! I wrote this one ahead of time as well, and just saved it to my computer)

Our trip home from Fargo went good. We got a late start back to Rapid, (by about 30 hours late--haha--the joke was on Randy...not really.) We ate supper in Sioux Falls and Randy drank about a gallon of coffee, and we were off.

I don't drink coffee, so I got tired about an hour and a half after we pulled out of Sioux Falls. We pulled into a little truck stop area, and parked the truck and van, and we all piled into the sleeper of the truck. Willard sprawled out across the foot of the twin size mattress. Maynard insisted on "duddle me" (Cuddle me in Maynardese) or he would scream bloody murder. So, in order for us to fit, Maynard made a small triangle leg, feet toward Willard but not touching because then they both flip out and start kicking and hitting. Maynard still demanded to be next to me...that left about 4 feet of the mattress for Randy and I.

Since I needed to be next to Maynard, Randy had to contort himself with one knee up in the air, and I used one of my legs to hold his other leg from falling off the edge of the bed. Well, I slept pretty good, but Randy was wired and uncomfortable. He got about 2 hours of sleep at the most.

We woke up this morning and my shoulder was sore from sleeping on it funny. We went into the store to get some breakfast and use the restrooms. The boys were well rested and fired up, and Randy grabbed more coffee. I had a yummy, yet very, very bad rice crispy/peanut butter bar with chocolate on top. MMM my mouth is watering just thinking about it. The boys had a banana nut muffin and cheese. They love cheese.

A couple hours from home, I picked up a couple of hitchhikers, (Ok, they weren't hitchhikers-but a husband and wife who were stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire and they were on their way to a funeral in Presho and they didn't want to be late.) I tried to get Willard in the back seat quickly, but it wasn't working out all that great since the booster seat didn't want to fit back there without knocking out Maynard. So, I finally got Willard in the back, and it was still butt cold out, and the nice couple was getting cold, so I just threw the stuff from the front seat, into the middle row, and they both piled into the front seat. We made small talk, since, well, talking about funerals isn't really comfortable. They have two boys, 6 and 4 and another child on the way.

Willard pipes up from the back of the van, "Excuse me, Mom."

"Yes, honey what is it?"I asked.

"Yoshi peed all over back here." (Yoshi is our dog.)

"I don't think he did honey." It was probably the water dish he has back there."

"Ok Mom, its just that is all over!" all excited and exaggerated.

We all just chuckled.

They asked if it was Ok if I dropped them off at the school, where the service was. I jokingly told them no, and that I would only be able to drop them off on the freeway and they would have to walk the rest of the way. There were several cars at the school, so I found a place to pull over so I could drop them off and rearrange Willard's seat. I also grabbed an Orange Divine, hoping the sugar buzz would keep me going.

Randy had gone on ahead and we met up again about an hour later for a potty break. Maynard managed to soak through his clothes, and thankfully I packed a couple extra pieces of clothing, because the silly kid had nothing but 2 onesies in his diaper bag. And he only had ONE diaper left. We didn't want to over pack when we left, so we only filled the diaper bag with diapers, and he burned through them quite quickly. (I wonder who packed that thing-Doh..it was me!) Good thing we were only an hour from home!

We got home and unloaded the van, went and vacuumed it out and ran errands while the kids napped. Now we have no cable since the dog got carried away and got into one of the cable wires and ripped it off the house. The cable guy is coming tomorrow to fix it.

All in all it was a great trip, and though it was cold, I might even go back. Well, maybe in the summer.

Snack talk?

(A note from me...this was written Tuesday morning, but we haven't had internet access...(the dog managed to pull the cable wire off the house.)

We have been in Fargo for 3 days...Randy would say 2 nights (or four days longer than he wanted to be there (he is actually really good at math...that is just how much he doesn't like "the northern climate"))...either way, we are in Fargo, it is 13 BELOW and 35 mile an hour winds. I think it is a neat town, well city really, and I have been trying to find the positives (unlike my dear and sweet husband who says that the only reason why people ever moved here is because they came in the summer, and those that survived the winter, couldn't afford to leave.).

1. The streets and avenues line up right. I know that because I kinda got a little lost last night, after shopping and I actually found my way back!

2. The Mall is really cozy. It is really warm and homey, and there is a MASSIVE fireplace in the food court. There is also a little room with "di-doors" (Dinosaurs in Maynardese) for the kids to play with. An old friend from Grade/High School who lives near Fargo and her boys and us went there for lunch as well. I also went shopping (well browsing) at the mall last night while Randy tried to take the boys swimming.

3. They have many cool stores that I have never been to. Bed, Bath and Beyond was cool, but I couldn't seem to grasp the gigantic assortment of doo-dads and other items that would eventually become next year's garage sale items at my house! They also had a Savers, which is a Thrift Department Store. I enjoyed it, but I only got one bag, for Randy to keep his log books in. I was looking for a coat tree/plant stand, but I didn't find anything reasonable. I heard they have a Linens and Things...I couldn't find it.

4. They have many places to eat. We were going to go to someplace "different" but we ended up going to Outback Steakhouse, since Randy was craving steak, and I was craving aussie fries (awfully good).


And then there was Willard. Somewhere along the line, he heard the words "Smack Talker". I don't recall ever saying that, and I am not quite sure what it is.

Recently, his comic timing has been quite hilarious, even though 99% of the time, he has no clue what he is saying, but he is trying to be funny, and that is funny, in it of itself.

Last night at dinner, we told the boys it was time to finish up, that we had to head back to the Hotel. Willard looks at Randy and says..."quit your snack talkin'!"

Ahh kids...

That's IT!

Yesterday, on the way to church, Randy had done the "I'm a guy and I can spit far" trick out the window. He normally controls this urge quite well when I am around, however not at this moment. I was not amused and Willard could tell, so he told Randy...

"That's IT! You're out of the Herd!"

Maybe he has watched Ice Age-The Meltdown too much!

Westerns?

What is it about Westerns that render husbands mostly incapacitated? My sweet and dear husband has been wrapped up in them for a majority of the day, and I am not sure if he has even went potty once.

I, for one, am not a big fan of Westerns because of the plots. Mix one part women, one part money, two parts pride, and add that all together with three parts guns, and you have yourself a Western.

There is something about seeing the old western way that is quite intriguing. Maybe it was the simplicity of life. Maybe it is the respect there was for certain things back then. Quite possibly, it is the work ethic and ruggedness. I am not sure. Maybe it is the long flowing dresses and handsome cowboys in chaps and hats...Whatever it is, I can't seem to peel my eyes from it.

Arrggghhh...Westerns.

Did they have toothpaste back then?

10,590 days ago...

My Mother gave birth to me. I was 5 lbs 14 oz, 18 1/2 inches long. I guess I was a little bigger, but I lost some weight right after birth?

I was small, short, and probably even a little cute. After all, aren't all babies cute?.

Thanks for bringing me into the world Mom! Dad, thanks for starting it (well, maybe Mom initiated it...OK, that is more than I want to know.)! And thanks for putting up with me all of these years!

A few years ago, my Mom made me a cute memory book, with lots of cute things in it, from class pictures to report cards, pictures of friends and birthday cards. I thought I would scan a few items in of my early years, up to when I moved out to Montana. One day I will have to blog about my post-Minnesota days, and put in some pictures of me with red hair, and all the other stuff!

Here is my first attempt at trying to fake out "big brother": Notice how I cleverly raised my right foot just a bit so that they couldn't identify my foot mark for future identification. Note to self, wear socks always, just in case...



Here I am as a baby. I don't know why I couldn't have kept some of the cuteness. I did look a little surprised. When I make that face now, I have bumps on my forehead...well wrinkles really...Willard and Maynard call them bumps..."let me see your bumps Mommy." Nice!



Here are the cute, little "red" pictures. I look kinda crabby in the second one. I am actually crabby right now. But that is because it is the full moon. (A whole other story):



I have no idea how old I was here, but I sure had a cute little face:



Here I am in Kindergarten....back when we could say Merry Christmas, and when I had a crush on Chris Mast. He was so cute...



This is me on the first day of Kindergarten. I used to wear dresses back then. And no tummy showing. No words on the butts of my pants:



I didn't get too bad of grades in school...but this particular report card, from the 3rd grade, I obviously thought I deserved better than a c- in math. ( I really don't like math...)

My teacher was kinda mean. I used to get whacked on the head or knuckles with a ruler. But that is because I used to talk. A lot. And I giggled too.

I do remember changing that grade, and I remember getting in big trouble for it. I wonder how many times my parents looked at my feeble attempt to change a grade with my "stellar" handwriting skills and laughed their butts off. How hard did you laugh Dad and Mom?



I would have put my 5th grade picture, but that would be wrong and it may just scare you. Lets just say it had to do with a black and red knit sweater with little bows and ponies and my hair was almost mullet-ish...almost. I think every person has had one year where they were just awkward, odd, and downright a little scary. Well, just agree with me here, it makes me feel better.

But I will put this picture on...one of my cousins and I used to always try on my sister's acid washed, tapered leg jeans at the same time and walk around. Sometimes even her shirts. See that blanket on the couch too...that has got to be one of my favorites of all times...How come crocheted blankets are so warm?



This is also the time that my now dear and sweet husband was in high school...of course we didn't know each other back then, but I do like to make the effort of pointing out that I was in grade school when he was in high school. I love you honey!

Ahhh, 6th Grade. Back when I was still in love with The New Kids on the Block. I wore interchangeable Casio watchbands and I had neon slap bracelets before they got taken away! I rolled, no wait, even better-pinned my pants. My 6th grade teacher used to drink root beer and popcorn and say "umpteenth" all while spitting when he talked.

I don't know if I had reached the height of my dorkiness just yet, but I sure was close...(I still had the Pauly Shore (From Son-in-Law) look coming in junior high. You could tell by the hair in this picture that it was almost inevitable. Yes. Sad, but true. Thankfully though, I don't believe there are any pictures of that floating around...)



I have a picture from the 8th grade, but I look really pale. I even remember wearing makeup on this particular day. What was I thinking...I am not sure, but I did like that sweatshirt.



I have no idea what possessed me to cut my hair. One night I just took the scissors to it and it was awful. I didn't have the luxury of getting it fixed before pictures...the first picture was way worse. These are retakes. I think it was 9th or 10th grade. I was mistaken for a boy on more than one occasion. It was super easy to take care of though:



Here is me and another one of my cousins (I have about a thousand cousins). She lived across the road. I would go over there almost every day. Nothing says "cute" like mint green facial masks...



Here is one of me on the way back from being at her house.



Here is one of my grad pictures. I loved that shirt. And that hat.



Here is a picture of me (Pale Force anyone???) and my Grandma who lived in Montana. I went to live with her after I graduated. I look a little round in the cheek there...

I ended up meeting the love of my life out there...and the rest, they say, is History.



So, there we have it. Thanks again Dad and Mom for raising me to be the person I am. You are both awesome and I love you both. Thanks for dealing with my hyperness, crazyness, and loudyness. (I wanted to rhyme!) Thank you to my sisters for throwing me into the insulation, and ants. And for making me eat a worm and betting me that I wouldn't put a frog in my mouth. (NOT RECOMMENDED BY THE WAY!). Thanks baby Bro for all the hippoopahmus and dinosaur jokes, and for being bigger than me. Thanks to my family and friends who shaped my life and for loving me for who I am. And a thanks to the two cousins who are pictured on here...lol..be thankful I didn't post names! You two were always there for me.

As for how I will spend my day, I plan on staying home if at all possible. Randy will be back Friday and then he is sending me to get a massage. And maybe even a pedicure. Maybe I should get my nails done? I dunno. Probably a negative on the nails. Maybe I will have him buy me a gallon of frozen yogurt (You know who you are...thanks for tempting me at Burger King...) and I will stay home and eat it all by myself and stuff my face...

I got a really sweet cast iron pan from my Mother-in-Love...I LOVE IT! I cant wait to cook something in it!

But we are going to have a babysitter come over too.

I want him to make me my chair. Hint. Hint. I love you honey. Thanks for putting up with me for almost 10 years! (And you are stuck with me now!) Thank you for wanting to make me happy, even when I am crabby. I hope that I can show you my love for you every day, and that we get really old and gray (oh wait, we are already getting gray, huh...) well, really old, and saggy together. Well. Maybe not saggy.

Beautiful Snow!

It is snowing! YEAH!

It has been cold though. Not a big fan of cold. Yesterday, I was getting Maynard into the van, and since he is two and insists on talking about everything, he had to comment on the weather.

"Brrrrrerrr, Mommy," as he holds his hands in front of himself and shakes them back and forth. It was very cold out, and I was buckling him into his car seat.
"Cheese Brrrrrrrerrr." I guess maybe he was hungry too?

Funny.

Willard.

This morning, Willard woke up and came into our room and wanted to cuddle with me. He snuggled in and looked at me and said, "Mom, this is the bestest cuddle in the whole wide bigger!"

How cute is that!

Reason #42, Why Not to Wear Makeup

I got to go riding today! Ok, well, not technically "riding" but I got to ride across town! My helmet is still as snug as it was when I took it off a few months ago, and my jacket is still heavy, yet comfy.

I haven't ridden in mumphs (as Willard would say it) and it was definitely a stress reducer. I had to go give blood (anything to loose weight right?). It was a balmy 45 degrees, and the sun was low in the sky. I was looking forward to a few uninterrupted minutes, unable to move, and using my mp3 player without having it maxed out!

When I got into the little interview room, I handed the nice lady my donor card, and sat down. After typing on her computer, she told me she found me (I didn't even know I was lost! Maybe that is my problem!) and started with the never ending questions about my "extra curricular activities", drugs and rock and roll. Ok, well maybe not rock and roll. But why is it important if my mom ever traveled to Mexico? I have been giving blood for years now, would that negate all the prior donations? Mom? Have you ever traveled to Mexico?

I told her that I live a pretty boring life, and she was right. Oh what a great reminder of how non-exciting my life is. I suppose it is a good thing though, since I was able to donate!

My blood pressure is good, 101/58 and my total cholesterol will be available within 7 days! Why do I enjoy this so much?

The ride home was a bit colder, but still pretty fun. I am so thankful I didn't have any makeup on, or my hair done. Then I would have gotten it all mangled in my helmet. Although I still have mascara on from the other day. I haven't quite gotten into the removing the makeup part...

From Rat's Nest, to...

I finally got to my desktop and upload some pictures to it so I can put them on here. I will not be putting the ring rescue, or the yoga bits tonight, since I am very tired, and I need my rest.

So, this is for my Dad. (And my hubby too!) I did a bit of tweeking with a photo program, but it was because I looked very washed out. Well, maybe I am washed out. But even so, I changed it, and I don't even know what I did. One of these days...maybe in a few years...I will get to know a better photo editing program. But for now...don't be scared Dad...

(Ok, I tried to get this thing to be not-so-huge. It may or may not be. If it is huge, it is ok to scream. As long as you don't tell me. Or laugh. Ok, if laughing is what you want to do, fine, but not too loudly.)

Nothing.

That is pretty much what I have done for the last few days. I managed to loose (well sorta, it involved a 4 year old and a sink), and then rescue my wedding ring, figure out what my favorite poses are in yoga, be amazed at how my husband dresses our Maynard, and catch up on about (honey, if you are reading this, skip to the next paragraph) 750 archived posts (hoping his eyes glance over this part!) from Pioneer Woman (Yikes!).

My sweet husband surprised me and came home early (late Thursday night). Since I spent most of the day Thursday, reading the aforementioned blog, I didn't have much done (remember that it needed to get picked up, well I got a case of the lazies that day...I wasn't productive at all!), since I planned on doing all my stuff on Friday, because he was supposed to be home Friday night. Now that he is home, I have gotten even less done. (I did get the blankets and toys up though!) I am so glad to have him home and the boys are too. The boys have been thankfully playing quite well together, and they have been enjoying their toys and new books.

I really tried to pry myself away from the computer, but when there are archives, I read them. I am a little excessive that way. Not much got done. Except a couple loads of laundry. And I did cook a chicken.

Randy worked most of the day Friday, and we actually got to watch a movie together later that night! Thanks for the movie Mom, it was awesome! Especially on our pore magnifying screen!

As of today, I am now caught up with all the archives and I am a little depressed that I will never, ever be funny.

Or be able to take good pictures. Or cook. Since I burned water the other night...

On another note, my dad complained while I was up there that I am the only one of his daughters that always has a "rat's nest" for hair. I explained that in the 20 minutes that it would take me to fix my hair, the boys would have dumped out a box of cereal, ruined 3 cd's and dumped out all of their toys. That is more than I want to deal with.

So today, since Randy was home, I blow dried my hair, put on makeup (Don't ask how old it is...) and even used a curling iron! I had (well, made actually) Randy take a couple pictures. (Ok, more than a couple, but I HATE getting my picture taken, and I have to make sure it looks just right.) Now I can show my dad that choosing a rat's nest for a hair-do may be a bad one, but it is fixable! But I will not be doing this every day. That is for sure. My bathroom is way too small for a curling iron and a blow dryer...

...and after staring at my gray hair for an extended period of time, I can't risk the stress that would come upon me if I had to do that every day. Granted, gray hair can look great on some people, but I am only 28. I felt hot, but it was only temperature related. It must have been 80 degrees in there! I still felt like a short little housewife who wanted to pull her hair into a pony, and get on enjoying her day! With mascara.

And for the record, my babe said he likes my hair, even when it isn't fixed. That made me smile. Thanks, babe! I love you! But then he said...I would have rather had you spent that time on the house! And I completely agree! I am so glad he loves me just the way I am. There is always tomorrow!

Well, I am off to bed. Have a great night! I will post some pictures tomorrow.

It finally happened.

I can cook, really. I don't try different things often, but I can cook. But how hard is oatmeal? I wanted to eat some yummy oatmeal for breakfast and I got the water in the pan, not too much, since I am cutting portions....

I get the boy's cereal poured, and walked over to turn on the computer. I figured I would see if Pioneer Woman had updated her blog. I was hoping it would be another installment of Black Heels to Tractor Wheels. Sure enough, it was. I pulled the laptop unto my lap, peeked up at the boys eating breakfast, and by this time they were pretty much done.

About 3/4 the way through her post, I started smelling something, so I went to the kitchen. Sure enough, I BURNED WATER! I just chuckled to myself saying "darn you silly gal, why do you have to get so wrapped up in that blog!?" So I grabbed the pan, not thinking it was HOT or anything and set it down on a hot pad holder...WRONG thing to do. Plumes of smoke billowed out from under the pan, scorching the holder (thankfully not one of my favorites!) and leaving little burning red embers and a pitch black circle. Too funny!

The boys look on and Willard asks "What happened Mommy?" I told him I burned water, and he just walked away looking confused.

I can't remember the last time I burned water, or if I even had, but today was the day it was finally happened. NOw I am among the ranks of many men, including my lovely husband.

I am hoping to be very productive today, but it is almost noon and I am still in my jammies. Both the kids are dressed, but I have not gotten "dressed to the shoes" yet.

So, I am off. Braving Mt. Washmore and the steady stream of toys and blankets that seem to be all over our lovely little home. Randy might just have a heart attack if he saw it right now, and there isn't even bubble wrap on the floor. I can be a bit lazy though! I guess it isn't too bad, since it just needs to be picked up.

Tootles.

Yoga moves...Bunk Beds...

Yes it is late. Way past my bedtime. Oh well, I am not all that tired anyhow.

I was reading a friend's blog and she mentioned the Pioneer Woman, and so I was intrigued and I decided to read the love story she was blogging about. So, after I put the boys to bed, I plopped down on my now not-so-comfy couch and started reading, and reading, and reading. It has surely renewed fun, old feelings of Randy and my early relationship. She has only written 25 "mini chapters" so far-dating him (her Marlboro Man) for less than 2 months! I cant wait to read more on how their relationship grows and comb my brain for those long forgotten memories. Oh, remembering the little things...I miss my babe. He is coming home soon.

My day was busy yet fun. Ever since we went away on vacation, Maynard has been sleeping quite poorly, requiring many trips to his bed, especially now that we are home. Last night, he was up probably 3 times, all before 2am, and he ended up crawling into bed with me about 3:50. I had 3 alarms set for this morning, as I was heading to the MOPS meeting. I snoozed them all, somewhat unknowingly, since I had gotten little rest anyway. Willard woke up and came into our room and I looked at the time, and I was running late. Not super late, but later than I should have been. So, I got the boys their bananas, got them dressed, got their "breakfast of choice" ready. For Willard, cereal in a cup, and Maynard wanted rice crackers. Since they both had eaten their banana already, I didn't mind too much, since it is rare we eat breakfast on the road. Maynard was in MMM-Major Meltdown Mode for the majority of the morning, though he was calm in the childcare room. But after MOPS, when I needed to clean up, he continued the meltdown from earlier.

MOPS was great. Although I forgot to eat since it was craft day and I am so anal about those things that I spent the majority of the time doing the craft. I did enjoy it though, but there is a reason why crafts and me are only mixed in small doses. I drive myself crazy. I did win a door prize, including 2 books for me and a DVD for the kiddos and that was a nice surprise.

While the boys took naps, I checked my email quick, then lay down for a nap, but I couldn't get comfortable, so I started reading the "Christian Fiction Romance Novel" that was in the door prize. I haven't really read Fiction since High School, let alone a "romance" novel, and though it isn't my first choice, it was there, and I started reading it. I have to laugh now, because I found myself using accents in my head (one of the main characters has an English accent) and I also had turned on the tele (or should I say pore magnifier) to a recording of Beyond Tomorrow, which has an English accented host. Entertaining at least, for me to "read" in an English accent. I haven't gotten too far into the book, since the boys woke up early from their nap, and wanted to watch a video. I may have to continue tomorrow, since I want to know if she gets to open her shop or not. (Its a romance novel, of course she gets the guy!)

Then earlier tonight, I went to Yoga (3rd time!) at the Y, and the kids got to go play whilst I relaxed and enjoyed myself. Other than the occasional mention of spiritual things, the class is fantastic at relaxing me and helps strengthen my muscles and helps with balance. I sure can be unstable! One of the poses helped me though tonight.

Maynard has been up about 4 times, and because they share a room, I don't want him screaming, waking up Willard. I be-bop into the room and half lay on the bed, half kneel on the floor. One thing about Maynard's bed is that it is quite noisy when I try to remove my large limbs from it. I have to lift just my leg off the bed, without grunting, pulling a muscle, or falling over into a pile of toys that I let them keep out. My new yoga moves came in handy, a little shaky, but I still managed to do it with minimal noise. I am glad to know that when he wakes up and asks "duhdoh me" (Cuddle me), I have a great way to get off the bed without disturbing him too much. That, and hiding behind his stuffed monkey, Hector, so that if he wakes up he sees him...

So I want to get bunk beds. I have a whopping 5 dollars invested into their current beds (other than Maynard's mattress) and I am pumped to start looking for one. I know it will probably be a year, but I don't mind planning ahead. I must save up for it anyway!

I am going to hit the sack. Night.

Where is my sign?

We live in South Dakota. It gets cold in January. Sunday, after church, we had a potluck, and I was talking with a friend of mine about a church thing coming up next Saturday. She said, "I can't make it, my oldest daughter has a soccer tournament that day." Without thinking, I asked, "Does she play on an indoor soccer league?"

...Here's your sign.

A Note to the Weather Channel...

To Whom it may concern,

I seem to be tolerable of certain things, but I have just had it. I am disturbed by the extreme liberal bias when it comes to your station's position on "Global Warming." Not only do you have several meteorologists that constantly tell us that humans are ruining this world, you also have the balls to tell me that "weather changed history". What kind of people are running your station? Just because you have a monopoly on the weather doesn't mean you can feed me a bunch of non-verifiable crap about "global warming" and expect me not to be disturbed. I refuse to watch when "Dr." Blah-Blah Cullen is on, and Abrahams and Bettes is just another sorry excuse for a "program". Tell me what the weather could be like tomorrow, not how I can reduce my "carbon footprint". How are you going to explain the heat wave of the future when God will judge the earth and man with fire (Read Revelation!)?

Please pull your head out of the shrinking, yes shrinking, hole in the ozone layer and start giving me the weather. When you say, local on the 8's, I expect the local on the 8's. Not Storm Stories or It Could Happen Tomorrow or Forecast Earth.

When did "Weather" change history? This "fascinating new series" along with most of the other ones are a waste of time. No where in these programs does it mention what kind of carbon footprint Mt. St. Helens had when it erupted back in the 80's, let alone all the little burps it has. After an eruption the weather changes, not before. I thought weather MADE history, remember Katrina? If you are going to make poor shows, at least use the right words.

Maybe I will stop watching your station all together, and get my forecasts from my local news station and get the national weather from the national weather service website.

Quiet time, resolution time.

The boys insisted on playing with a hot wheels toy they got from Dad before we went to Minnesota, so they are playing cars, and I have a few moments before the boys need to get to bed.

I have been contemplating setting a "resolution" for the New Year. I was reading a blog about the top 10 resolutions, and surprisingly, my "pending" resolution wasn't on it. I know that many of them are great goals, but they are very breakable and generic...notice you never see things like, "stop picking my nose", or "stop farting in public" on these lists.

1-Spend more time with family and friends. That is a great goal, but I know that I am very family oriented, and maybe I should NOT spend so much time with my children. Don't get me wrong, I love my children, but I hope to one day have a night away, just Randy and I, to go do something. OR Nothing. Maybe go race go-carts, or even go on a motorcycle ride together. We went on a few dates this last summer, and it would be so fun to extend the date for a few more hours. On a more personal note, why shouldn't I try to do more things for my husband? He works so hard for our family, and he should be able to come home to a clean, uncluttered home (even the gather-all area) and a pleasant wife. Sometimes, I am not too pleasant. Who me?

2-Lose weight. Ok, I am a bit heavy on the thigh. And the butt. And maybe a little around the tongue. Not that I am heavy, per se, but I could still work on that a bit. I need to work on portions really. Why do they make plates bigger than my head? Maybe use the small "toast" sized plates for a while. And eat more fiber, if you know what I mean.

3-Get Fit. Ok, these are the same in my opinion. Thankfully we now have Y memberships and can get laughed at in public. Now...to work on my inverted crow pose for yoga.

4-Quit smoking. I think it would be better said...Quit lighting myself on fire. Or, Quit running super fast and burning the rubber off my shoes. I already quit cigarettes, 6 years ago, so again, it goes back to not lighting myself on fire in the first place-which I haven't done to date.

5-Enjoy life more. OK, this seems doable, but generic. How about, quit being a crabby pants, or quit being negative, or quit being worried about germs in a public restroom. Or phrase it completely opposite. Create my own happiness. After all, I am the only one who can allow happiness in my life. If I rely on any human to "complete me", I am setting them up for failure.

6-Quit Drinking. Good thought, but impossible. Water is so essential, that I wouldn't want to be quitting that anytime soon. Plus, quitters never win, in fact I could die. Drinking more would be more appropriate for this one.

7-Get out of debt. Working on that one all ready, but it seems futile, at least for the time being. How about, stop spending money on stupid stuff. Be frugal, or, in my case, a "Fru-Gal". And use Cash. Thanks, Dave Ramsey.

8-Learn something new. I normally do this every day anyhow, since I have 2 boys who constantly teach me. How about create good habits and stick to them? Give the dog an empty plastic water bottle and see how much fun he can have. Now that is new. And funny.

9-Help Others. This isn't a bad goal, but it seems so generic. How about serve others? Find out their needs, and fill them. A conversation with a senior, an unexpected hug. Or, go pee for my husband. He always asks me to do that, especially when he doesn't want to get up off the couch. I know it is physically impossible, but it is still a goal!

10-Get Organized. A little generic for me, but I can work with it. My bathroom, linen closet and tv stand need it. My "craft" area is still unfinished, and my days are not as routine as I would like. Flylady, here I come.

All seriousness aside, my pending resolution isn't up there. But is isn't surprising, since all of the above resolutions deal with changing the flesh. God's Word tells me to "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly with all wisdom..." (Col 3:16) and that through Christ, I can have victory over sin in my life (1 Cor 15:57). Not that I won't sin, (because believe me, I am a PRO!), but I can choose to walk after the Spirit, instead of my flesh.

I am resolved to be in God's Word of Truth daily, letting IT fill my mind. Set my affection (my mind) on things above, not on things of the earth. (Col 3:2)-- And that doesn't mean the OZONE Layer! Walk after the Spirit. Give out The Gospel of the Grace of God. Understand that it is impossible to try to make my flesh conform to a standard that it can never live up to. God accepts my new man that he created in me, not my old man-my flesh. Once I trusted Christ's finished work on the cross as payment for my sins, (1 Cor 15:1-4) my only hope for eternal life, God made me a new creature (2 Cor 5:17), and my new man is accepted, complete, forgiven, justified, righteous, approved, eternally secure, among many other wonderful spiritual blessings. Thank you God for providing a way for me to get to heaven, since I could never do it on my own.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.

I can only attempt to do any "resolution". Living my life through the Spirit will be the ultimate goal.

Praise the Lord for Victory through His Grace. And for making belly buttons-since my boys' are so cute. Bedtime now!

Dashing Through the Snow, a novel...part two.

The rest of the trip was great as well. I got to play Jeopardy with my folks on Thursday night. My mom got the game for my dad, with little buzzers and all, and it was such a blast!

I went out with my sister and a few cousins on Friday night, including a great karaoke performance from a cousin's boyfriend. If you have ever watched the movie Fargo, you would laugh to try to imagine the accent from that movie, sang to Jimmy Buffet's Cheeseburger in Paradice...not Paradise...ParadICE. It was so funny, and Johnny-if you are out there...you were awesome!

Willard and I went to a birthday party for a cousin's daughter on Saturday, first sledding at the golf course...FUN!!!



Willard enjoyed every minute of it! Although I may have had more fun than he did. When I was younger, we always went to the neighbors to go sliding, or get pulled behind the snowmobile. I forgot how much fun it is, but it brought back many great memories. I can't wait till Maynard is un-crabby enough to go with us. (He got so crabby when I put him on the sled in my folk's yard, I just left him with Grandma-thanks M-A!) If only it would snow more than a half inch out here!

The boys on the sleds in my folk's yard-Mr. Crabby Pants and Mr. Go Faster:



After sliding we went back to my cousin's house. I managed to over eat on some not-so-healthy food, and ended up being crabby the rest of the night. I had every intention on staying at one of my sister's house that night but I was just too crabby. Blah!

Sunday, a few of us went to one of our Aunt's house to play 10,000-a fun dice game, and boggle. After a while, I brought the boys back to my folks, put Maynard down for bed, and Willard stayed up to watch Grandpa clean the crappies he caught that day. My mom got some great pictures of the boys laughing at the fish jumping on the table! I went back and visited with them, learning new words like dramalama and finding out definitions for mexican heartburn and others. I was also called "Random" by one of my cousins because I have many different things that I do, that seem contradictory. Too funny. I guess I really never thought of my self as Random, but I suppose I am.

In this picture, Maynard got spooked because a fish jumped (you can see the tail on the bottom):



New Year's Eve we went to church for a while, then went over to another cousin's house to play games all night. (I love games, but I don't get to play too much in SD!) One of my sisters was there, her husband, my cousin and his wife, and one of his friends were there, plus all of our kids. We played Moods(FUN!), Taboo, Cranium (Girls against Guys...we won!), Scattergories, among others. All the kids seemed to fall asleep at their own pace, Maynard waited until 4 am to finally crash (he had some artificial colors earlier at the church--gets him wired). I spent the night there, but didn't get to bed until 5:30! We had champagne to celebrate the New Year as well.

Tuesday, I stayed at their house, doing an impromptu bible study with my cousin, and then went back to my folk's later. The boys got to take a bubble bath.

This is Maynard from BEFORE Willard squeezed about a 1/4 cup of body wash (yummy Raspberry Winter from Giovanni) into the jacuzzi tub:



Here are some more...notice how many bubbles...oops! My parents just laughed though, and handed me the camera again!







Wednesday, we pretty much stayed home, getting ready to leave the next day. We intended on going to town to visit, but we just stayed home. I had an impromptu study with my uncle and his daughter that evening as well.

Thursday, we got ready to leave, and meant to leave about 1:30 pm, but then decided to wait until one sister came over and my dad came home...so then it changed to 4:30, but we ended up getting on the road about 6:30, after visiting my best friend at her house, and trying to catch my other sister and my brother at home.

The trip home was pretty good. I tried to nap when the boys were sleeping, but Maynard woke up and started crying. Even after I took him and had him lay with me in the front seat he wouldn't stop crying. He calmed down after he realized that CARS was on the DVD player, but I still only got about a half hour of rest. So I was tired the rest of the way. My MP3 player took over 5 hours to charge since it had to be connected to my laptop, so I had to listen to the studies on my laptop, and it doesn't get very loud. I tried to nap a couple more times along the way, but woke up to the boys waking up. One of them was "Mom, I have to Poop!"

We got home, and since the boys have had naps, I got the van unloaded while the boys played outside, and then went and washed and vacuumed the van out at the "scrubbly bubbly" car wash (from a book that the boys LOVE!). After a few more errands, we came home and and they took a nap. They slept late, so we all didn't get to bed until late. I am hoping to get them back on track this coming week, since Randy hopes to be back at the end of the week. He and his friend (they team-truck together) are in Albuquerque over the weekend. They do have a friend down there, so they got to hang out with him for a while tonight.

We get to go to church tomorrow, and then I hope to come home and put the boys down for a nap, so I can take one too! Then I have to tackle this house, again. It was pretty tidy when I got home, but I had to unload the van into it, and there are still a few things to put away. (I did get my new shower curtain put up though!) I also have to dust the living room, since Randy had a new door installed, along with a corner stand for his new TV. High definition just isn't all that flattering on some people...who knew one could count pores?

On that note...I am off to bed!

Interesting...

I am watching the funniest commercials of the year. (Randy had recorded it, and you can see it at veryfunnyads.com .)

Why do they have commercial breaks for this show?


I will blog more about the rest of my trip later tonight, after the kids go to bed.

Tootles.

Dashing Through the Snow, a novel...part one.

I haven't written for a couple weeks, but I have been "bloggering" thoughts (No, that isn't a real word, but I must say, for making it up, it sure is a good one) so I could sit down and type them out. Where did I leave off...oh, and this will be long. Go grab a glass of water and come back and read. Maybe even a blanket, so you don't get cold.

I finished cleaning the house (the new construction one I was cleaning) and it was so nice when it was all finished. I got the pictures taken of it, and uploaded so that they could be viewed online. The boys did great with the long days of cleaning and I treated them to a pizza buffet (yes, shame on me) at Peppy's Pizza. They had so much fun, especially bashing the little alligators over the head. However, bad food choices came with consequences. With all the bad food we had been eating that week, the boys were not feeling very well, and are still not 100% as of today.

That next week, I was busy getting the lists ready for packing and then the toothbrush/jammie thing stopped working. Willard said...Ok Mom, Maynard can brush his teeth first. He didn't want to put on his jammies. So I started using an airplane ride as the motivator. I just let them know it is time to get into jammies and that I only give airplane rides to boys who have their jammies on and teeth brushed. This works, since I generally get Maynard dressed first and head straight for the bathroom. After they brush, they stand on the toilet and get an airplane ride to thier beds. Very fun, and they don't put up a fight, as of yet anyhow.

On Thursday night, Maynard started showing the symptoms of pink eye (he was exposed to it on Monday), so he stayed home with Daddy on Friday morning while Willard and I went to the Y. Antibiotics were not an option so after talking with a couple ladies at the Y about homeopathic remedies-(no one had fresh breast milk!) (I even tried before I left for the Y, but these things are all dried up! I know...TMI) After I got done at the Y, I went and got some Similisan (pink eye formula). All in all, both the boys did good with the drops. I used the drops on them (even though Williard was a little red, but he didn't get gooky at all,) for only a couple days and it went away.

The boys and I (and the dog!) left Friday, the 21st, heading to Minnesota to visit my family and friends for Christmas/New Years. Randy intended on being on the road the whole time, so he told us to go have fun since he was going to be gone. After I disconnected the drain for the kitchen sink, I realized I didn't have any room for it in the van. HA! I don't know how I can pack so much, but I sure can pack it full. I left the sink at home.

The weatherman said it was supposed to be snowy and windy. The boys were anxious to leave and if I waited for the snow to "blow over", it would have been Saturday, and the boys knew we were supposed to leave and it wouldn't have been a pretty sight to unpack the van with two bawling kids.

We kissed Daddy goodbye, and started East. I realized once I got on the freeway that this was going to be a LONG drive. There was no travel advised East of Rapid, though the Interstate wasn't closed. There were heavy cross winds but it "seemed" managable! I figured I might as well continue, since I had everything packed. I literally drove from Rapid City to Murdo averaging 10, yes 10, miles an hour (I did get fantastic gas mileage though!) There was zero visablity, and turning around didn't make sense since traffic was stopped heading West. I thanked God that I wasn't one of the 30 vehicles (and 5 semis) that were in the ditch. The boys fell asleep half way through the storm, so it was a nice quiet ride. Funny thing is, I would do it again, because it was such a great learning experience! (Not only on winter driving, but allowing God's peace to rule my heart.)

After Murdo, the road was pretty good. One section of blowing snow and reduced visablity, but nothing like that first leg. I fueled up a couple times, let the Dog out to pee, and we even stopped and ate in Oacoma. Things were going great and we get to Luverne, MN and it was foggy. FOG, FOG, FOG. So, slow going again for us. Even though the speed limit is 55 or 60, I could only go about 40 or 45. But, I was getting great mileage again! About 25 MPG in ye ol' van. I decided to take a nap early Saturday morning in Milaca, MN, since the constant fog had put a strain on my eyeballs. I woke up to no fog but there was a half inch of SNOW. Praise the Lord for the moisture!

I still had several hours of driving time, and I spoke to my hubby and to my folks and the snow was supposed to continue all day, so off we headed off into the snow. It was about 4 in the morning and there were few or no tracks in the snow to follow, and since it was still dark, I had the "SPACE BALLS" thing happening with the snow in my headlights (Remember "gone to plaid??? Hehehehe!). So, again I am only driving 40 or so, even slower in some spots, but I was having a good time. Bible Study belting through the radio, boys are sleeping, Dog isn't whining.

We reach Hinckley, and the snowflakes are HUGE. I sure love snow. We got out and the boys loved getting hit in the face with the big flakes. But not so fun to have wet pant legs from being draged in the inches of snow that had fallen. The Dog looked so funny prancing around with his feet held high, bounding through the snow. He had to poop, but he wouldn't the whole drive.

I needed to stop again for a nap, about an hour away from my parents. When I woke up, there was even more snow, but at least there were tracks in the snow on the road and I could somewhat see where I was going, since the sun had been up for a couple hours.

We arrived at my parents late morning on Saturday, and it continued to snow all day (and the next!). The next few days are bound to be busy and exciting, right?

My folks have 3 dogs: Nikko-a boxer- is about 100 lbs, Tana the little boxer is about 50 lbs and Rover-mixed breed and very old-about 80 lbs...mostly hair though. We brought Yoshi-a mix breed- and he is about 80 lbs. Nikko and Yoshi have been arguing off and on this whole time, even tonight. Yoshi is very protective of the boys, and so is Nikko. But, considering the few days we have been here, I am glad they are getting along as well as they can. Nothing says Peace and Glad Tidings on Earth like two huge dogs fighting under the kitchen table.

My brother and his girlfriend joined us for supper that night we pulled in. They have been dating for over a month now. She is nice. I didn't get the chance to sit and visit too much with her though.

The next few days were so packed. Our normally calm holiday is now chaos-but a good chaos. I helped my dad go shopping, went shopping for my brother and for gifts for a game. Willard even got pulled behind the four wheeler on a sled by my dad and helped him haul wood. Maynard was battling a cold that crept up on him, and he has been a cling on.

The next evening, my sister had organized a smear tournament at the Community Center. It is a large garage that our uncle Shawn built. It is 3 doors down from my folks. My dad's side of the family usually gathers there, probably once a month or more for potluck, birthdays, holidays, etc. (My dad is one of 11 children, and the majority of the family lives right on the same road, or within a half hour or so. There is always tons of people, including friends and neighbors.

We had snacks and such and drew names for partners and had a whole bracket going on (dual elimination!). Since my partner (my cousin's boyfriend) and I had very little knowledge in the game of smear, we were eliminated. I just played with the kids mostly, and ate and ate. I will definatley be going to the YMCA alot in January!

Christmas Eve we went to my uncle's house and my mom's side of the family got to eat (yes more food!), exchange gifts and play games. The first game that was played was a dice game. All the adults gathered in a circle, with a basket of gifts in the middle. (Inexpensive ones, but cute, funny or gag) You had to roll a 7, 11 or a double and then you grabbed a gift from the basket. After all the gifts were gone, we had 5 minutes to play another round, exept we got to take a gift from someone else. So there were several gifts that were being passed back and forth and it was fun to participate, and to watch everyone play. The young kids also got to play their own game as well, except there was no taking gift part.

The second game required everyone to pass a gift along and try to unwrap it using only oven mitts. There was only a few seconds to do it, then it needed to be passed to the next person. Too funny. Afterwards there was sauna, though the boys and I didn't take one. Maynard at this point would have flipped out if I tried to take him into a hot room with lots of steam. I sure wanted to take one though. It has been YEARS since I have taken a sauna. The steam room at the Y just isn't the same.

Christmas day was laid back. I helped mom make dairy potatoes for brunch, and my dear friend and sister in the Lord Dana came over with her husband and their 3 boys. It was so nice to see her, since it has been at least 10 years. After a short visit with them, they left and the rest of my immediate family started coming over. We had brunch and sat and visited, then opened gifts. I got a pair of jammies, a gift card and a grinder so I can grind flax seed. Mmmm I am hungry now.

Afterward, we all went over to the Community Center for my dad's side of the family gathering, and it was a potluck as well (more food!). We got there a little late since Maynard was napping (I brought him there though, still napping), but we still got to eat. I made spaghetti, since I know my boys would eat it, and they had been having food issues since we got here.

Maynard woke up, after napping a short while longer at the CC. He actually warmed up to a few people there and I got to play Apples to Apples and Imagine If. Both games are highly recommended by the way. I had a couple glasses of wine along with some of my cousins and we enjoyed being together. I got a little tipsy, but that is because I normally don't drink.

I went shopping with my cousin Wednesday, but was disappointed at the lack of clearance items. I expected more stuff to be on sale I guess. I did get some things that I needed, and a couple sleds for the kids since we were invited to a birthday party for one of the cousins. We stopped at Papa Murphy's for a Perfect Pizza and headed back to my folks to eat. We played a game of Catch Phrase then I put the boys down for bed. I brought my cousin back to her house and came home (to my folks) and went to bed.

Are you bored yet? I would love to continue with what is now the most boring novel you have read, but it is late and I must go. I will continue later.