I provoke profound thoughts, at least from myself

So, today I went to Houston.  I kissed and hugged the boys before they got on the bus (much to N's dismay), and went to get gas before leaving town.  As I left the gas station, I saw the bus at a red light and I saw two little faces waving wildly, and at least one little face was (undoubtedly) yelling, "MOM MOM MOM!"  It made me laugh, and it was a great way to start the day!

I ordered coffee, and ate my apple slices while I waited in the drive-thru.  (Side note: Does anyone else find it irritating that "thru" is actually recognized as a word?  It makes me cringe each time I use it, and the only time I use it is when I'm referring to a drive-thru because "drive-through" doesn't look right.  Are people seriously in such a hurry that they need to cut out three letters?  Sheesh!)  Once I had my caffeine headache cure, I was on the road.  Time?  7:34.

I punched up the volume on my Christmas playlist, and belted the songs with the best of them.  I got several odd looks from cars as I passed them, but how is that any different from normal?  Answer: It isn't.  At all.  The songs were all mixed up, but for whatever reason, I had entirely too many versions of "O Holy Night."  I love that song, but it was coming on literally every three songs, and always by a different artist.  After an hour or so of that, I had to switch to listening to all of the songs on my iPod...which got me thinking.

Wouldn't it be great if Eminem made a Christmas album?  I'd buy it.  Obviously, it would be entirely inappropriate to do any of the traditional religious Christmas songs, but just imagine what he could do with "Up on the Housetop" or "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" or even "Frosty the Snowman" right?  It would be hilarious.  I wonder if he has any Christmas songs in his arsenal...or which is his favorite?

I have entirely too much time on my hands when I drive long distances.  I love every minute of it, even though my brain works way too much overtime.  It gives me lots of time to think of really profound things, but by the time I get to where I can put them somewhere (like a blog post) or into someone else's ear, the moment of enlightened clarity has passed.  Just know that I come up with some really intelligent and thought-provoking stuff...it just never makes its appearance with the general public.  Maybe someday...

I text my Seester at 10:00 to tell her I was just south of Huntsville, and I was over near her office before 11:00.  I hung out for a little while, then went up to her office so we could go do Seester mani-pedis.  Well, I did the mani-pedi, and she just did a mani.  Why?  Because she accidentally stepped on some staple from a staple gun yesterday.  I hate it when that happens.

It was so relaxing, and just what I needed after sitting in the car for a few hours.  Why?  Because it was more sitting...only this sitting involved a massage chair, a heated neck thingy, and an actual shoulder/neck massage.  Um, sign me up!  I picked "#42" for my nails because it didn't actually have a name, just a color.

I forget what color we picked for my toes, but it's looks like they're bloody.  I don't actually think it looks like they're bloody, but that was the best description I could come up with without taking a picture of my toes, and honestly, I'm not above taking a picture to document the color of my toes.  I just have really crappy reception in my dad's house because of his radiant bear.  I think I've mentioned her before.  She's really fancy, I think, with a sequined umbrella and a tutu and a pretty bow on her ear.  She ruins my life, or at the very least, my phone reception.

Damn bear.

After Seester time, I drove over to my dad's, and looked for Lacey even though I knew she wasn't there.  Force of habit, I suppose, but it was still pretty sad.  I hung out for a couple of hours until my dad got home, and then we went to meet Seester, David, and Emo for a belated birthday dinner. (My dad opted to drive his Z to dinner and also opted to put the top down.  When we got to Seester's, I had to yank a detangler through my hair for a good 5 minutes.  It was not pleasant.) 
See?

He picked Pappadeaux.  Mmmmmm, Pappadeaux.  Afterwards, we went back to Seester & David's to open presents!  Why?  Because it's almost Christmas and it's necessary.  Plus, my dad had a birthday present to open. 

My Seester & David got him a golf picture to put across the room from the golf picture I got him.  I'll have to take pictures to explain, but they're totally great!  Then it was my turn, but I was more interested in the ribbon wrapped around one of the gifts.  In fact, I'm still wearing it on my head as I type.  I might wear it sometime on purpose and channel high school when ribbons around ponytails or whatever were cute.  I could be cute. 

Then I opened stocking hangers engraved with the boys' names and "MOM," which are great because they're pretty dang heavy and will take the weight of a filled stocking.  This is, of course, assuming that we were all good this year.

The jury's still out on that.  I mean, I was a perfect angel, but those other two?  Ha, I don't know which list they're going to end up on, if you know what I mean.

I showed Seester & Emo my dress for tomorrow's event, and they deemed it acceptable.  Tomorrow, prior to getting ready for the event, I'm going to try to convince my dad to get a Christmas tree.  He could use a little holiday cheer...and I could use some ballet flats for when my shoes start to hurt my feet!

Until tomorrow...if I'm coherent enough for all that.

Aubs

We're goin' to Branson!

No, not really...but tonight was N's Christmas play at school.  It was a "Ho-Ho-Ho-down" and incorporated Santa & his reindeer/elves and country music.  It was cute, but I know N is so happy to never have to do it again.  At least he was a reindeer.  It was pretty low key.  He would've hated being an elf.  B, on the other hand, would have performed with them if I'd let him.  He swears he knows all of the songs and as it was, he kept inching closer and closer to the stage.  He thought I couldn't see him in the back where I being the baby whisperer with baby E.

He thought wrong.

I uploaded all of my Christmas music onto my iPod last night, and listened to some of my favorites today while I was running errands.  I love "O Holy Night" but I also absolutely love "A Baby Changes Everything" by Faith Hill.  We were listening to it tonight on the way to school, and N sat listening quietly, and then said, "Hey, Mom?  Is the baby in this song Jesus?"  I love that he picks up on things like that.  B's ears perked up when he heard the word "baby" and started singing along: "Waaaaaaaah, Whaaaaaaah!  I'm a baby!  I change everything."  Yes, B.  You change everything, too.  I wouldn't trade either one of them for the world, although (at the current moment) B's down two presents on the Christmas gift tally.

Sometimes, I wish...I wish I knew how to finish that sentence.

I'm headed to Houston tomorrow, and I'm super excited!  It'll be a mixture of happy and sad, though.  I'm really looking forward to spending some time with my dad and sister and Stella and assorted others, since the last time I was there it was as a parent...but at the same time, it's going to be hard not seeing Lacey.  I think about her a lot, and the boys have been talking about her all week.  My dad called tonight and said the vet's office sent him a card offering their condolences, and inside the card, was a Lacey paw print.

Oh, Lacey...what a sweet girl.

B has been in a measuring mood lately, so he measured my shoes for the party on Saturday night.  I wasn't really paying attention when I tried them on; they were comfortable, so whatever.  Hello, 5 inch heels!  Should be QUITE the adventure, assuming I can stay upright.  It makes me laugh, just thinking about it.  If you know me at all, you know flip flops can sometimes be challenging!

I don't really have a lot to report today.  It's just been a really decent day.  I got everything done on my "to do" list, and I'm just waiting on a load of laundry to finish packing.  I'm out the door in the morning as soon as the boys get on the bus.

Side note: I feel like the worst mom ever because I'm missing N's first basketball game, but this was planned way before I knew he was going to play basketball.  Besides, I'm not sure when I'll be going to Houston again.  Also, I figured out the perfect gift for my dad for Christmas tonight, but I can't go into any further detail, because I know he reads my blog.  It's going to be the best!

You know how you have those days where you just giggle?  I'm not having that kind of day, but I am having that kind of evening...  Sometimes you just know things are going to work the way you want them to, and sometimes it takes believing in that with all that you have, even when you think hope is gone.  It sounds cryptic, but it's really not.  Sometimes you just have to take things at face value, and others you have to stick to your guns despite everything else.

There are my words of wisdom for the day.  I'm sure you feel quite enlightened.

Aubs

Christmas time is here!

Granted, my tree stand is sitting, still empty and neglected next to the fireplace, but I have high hopes for it in the near future.  I just thought I would be a responsible tree owner and wait until I wasn't going to be gone for three days, so it doesn't immediately die.  'Cause let's face it..real trees need water.

They're kind of like kids, I guess.  Who knew?!  N had his first (of four) holiday program performances today.  His first audience were the younger grades, Pre-K through 1st grades, and my mom, who won't be able to attend with the parents tomorrow night.  She gave a great report, B said it was really funny, and N said they knocked a microphone down.  You can't please everyone, I guess, but I'm looking forward to seeing the whole thing tomorrow night.

See, I've had the songs stuck in my head for at least 3 weeks, so hearing the funny dialogue might help me get past that.  Either that, or I'll end up repeating that as well.  I know which outcome I'm hoping for.

We completed our first puzzle, and by "We" I actually mean "me."  Not that it should come as a surprise to anyone, but they did help.  N found homes for 5 pieces, and B hid the last three and still couldn't figure out where they went.  This coming from the kid who says his brain is smart for puzzles.

My cousin came over tonight and we shared some of our holiday albums.  I loaded my iPod in preparation for my trip to Houston on Friday morning.  I'm so excited to listen to the new albums I inadvertently purchased on Amazon instead of only downloading certain songs at N's request for a project.  Apparently, I don't know how to purchase just one song from an album, but hey!  It's Christmas...who doesn't want 6 different renditions of "O Holy Night" anyway? 

Which got me thinking...  What's your favorite holiday song, and why?  I'm not sure I can pick a favorite.  There are so many that I adore, and I know the words to all of them.  Seriously.  It's a blessing and a curse. 

Just so you know, it's officially Christmas time.  Why?  We've watched "Home Alone" and the boys were so mad when I made them go to bed before "Polar Express" was over.  Yep.  I'm the meanest. 

But, I bet they'll thank me when I wake them up at dark o'clock tomorrow morning for school...

Score one for the meanest mom on the planet!

Aubs

Puzzle-mania!

The time has come...

Puzzle Season!  You can laugh if you want to, but my family is serious about holiday puzzles.  We went to get my big square coffee table out of my mom's garage today, and on the way, I told B we were going to get it so we could start doing puzzles.

He got excited, especially when I told him Nana had a few puzzles I wasn't sure we had done before.  "Can we take one with us?!" he asked?  "Sure, but they might be really hard.  I think Nana said they were all snow scenes." I said.  This kid...  "That's okay, I have a really smart brain for puzzles."

For puzzles.  Not for other things, mind you, but give the boy a puzzle and he's all over it.

Last year, towards the end of the holiday season, I bought a "variety pack" of Christmas puzzles.  There are 10 of them, ranging in size from 100 pieces to 500 pieces.  I let B pick the puzzle we started with, and he chose one of the 10.  So, we're currently working on "Christmas Mischief" and by "we" I actually mean me.  While N showered, B and I separated the pieces into the border and the middle.  When N finished, we put the border together, and I promised them I'd work on it after they went to bed.

They're so lucky to have such an over-achiever as a mom...  I'm almost finished with the whole thing, you know, just to make sure all of the pieces are there.  I'm contemplating taking it apart in sections so they can put it together.  Or maybe we'll just pick another puzzle and do that tomorrow afternoon. 

Aside from that, I spent the morning/afternoon trying to find the perfect shoes/belt for this party this weekend.  I thought I had found them in this cute pair of cobalt blue heels with a t-strap, but when I got home and put them on with the dress, I wasn't a huge fan.  Once the boys got home, we went to Grapevine Mills where I found some super-great purple shoes and a belt for less than the cost of the cobalt pair.  I "heart" Grapevine Mills...yes, it takes time to go through it, but the good deals are there.  Sometimes.  Usually.  Maybe.

Tomorrow, I get to go and return the other items I bought today, and I'm hoping that we'll be able to start decorating for Christmas.  I have garland on the mantel and our stockings are hung by the chimney with care, but everything else is just kind of piled up below the stockings.  I have exactly one present wrapped, and four more that I need to wrap so once our tree is up, there will be colorful packages under the tree!

Now, I have about 20 pieces left of this puzzle, so I'm going to finish it before I destroy it.  Sounds perfectly logical, don't you think?

Aubs

The "Saved by the Bell" theme song felt like real life today

Picture this:  "Mom of the Year" wakes up to a phone call from B (calling from his dad's phone on the way to school) at 7:30.  She ignores the call, jumps out of bed like a ninja, and runs to wake N up for school, which starts at 7:50.  There is lots of hurried speaking, but no yelling.  She pours cereal, slaps lunch together, runs back into his room to find his shirt and yanks it over his head while he's chewing.  He runs to brush his teeth, they run out the door...and hit TRAFFIC.  He jumps out of the car at school and the time reads 7:48.  Did he make it?  I have no idea.  I honestly forgot to ask him when he got home this afternoon.

But seriously, when I woke up this morning, the dang "Saved by the Bell" theme song was running through my head.  It's been a long time since I've done something like that: woken up super late and rushed to get to my destination.  I also had a killer headache.  I think it was trying to rain outside, but with little success.  The only thing that happened was insane sinus pressure.  Thankfully, I have curtains to block light.  I closed 'em and closed my eyes, not because I was tired (because I wasn't) but because it seemed to make my head pound less.

4 hours later, I woke up.  Whoops!  Needless to say, I didn't go shopping for anything today either.  Life just gets in the way sometimes.  N had basketball practice tonight, and his assistant coach is a yeller.  Big.  Time.  He also doesn't want the kids to do anything.  He'd rather be a one man show.  I'm pretty sure that won't help them when they play their first game on Saturday, but what do I know?

Now, I'm sitting on the couch, elated because I figured out I will end up with a 4.0 for the semester, and just noticed that Monday Night Raw (or something) is on USA, and I have no idea where the remote control is to change it.  Luckily, it's muted. 

Side note:  This has to be the dumbest thing on the planet.  Now I am watching over the top of my laptop, and this is just ridiculous.  Make.  It.  Stop.

Both of my boys will be home tomorrow, and I'm so glad!  Except for now I just remembered that I'll need to go grocery shopping.  Super.  Add it to my list!

Needless to say, tomorrow will be a busy day.

Hopefully, I wake up on time.

Aubs

I am the only exception...Ha, I wish!

We had a pretty lowkey day today since N was sick last night.  He stayed in his bed/room all day, and I did what felt like 75 loads of laundry.  I think it was actually 6, but it still felt like a lot.

I sent a few emails, changed sheets, and wasted some time on Amazon.  I found each of the boys' "something to wear" and ordered that, so at least I feel like I've started Christmas shopping.

I have yet to find a new belt/shoes for the dress I bought yesterday.  I also have yet to decide if I'm keeping it.  My goal was to go shopping again today, but I like what I did instead.

So, if I get done disinfecting my apartment early enough tomorrow, I may go look again.  If not, I'll go on Tuesday.  Because I'm a glutton for this spur of the moment, last minute, harried behavior.

Or not.

I literally looked in the freezer tonight and counted to make sure I have enough "kid friendly" meals for a week.  I was ecstatic to know that I was prepared.  I will, however, have to do some major grocery shopping when I get home from Houston next weekend...

Which reminds me.  I really need some of these potential employers to get serious about things.  It would be oh-so-helpful if they would.  I realize that this is a horrible time to be looking for a job; so many major companies/hospitals are on a hiring freeze until after the first of the year.  I get that...but I'm just one person.

It would be so nice if they'd make an exception for me.  Nice, but a far reach, I know.

So, I'll keep at it...and I know the right one will come along.  I just hope it comes along sooner rather than later.  Patience has never been something I'm good at.

I think that virtue skipped me...

Aubs

Sometimes things just don't go as we want them to...

and today was one of those days.  Have you ever had one of those mornings where you wake up entirely too early and can't go back to sleep?

Today, on this balmy 78 degree Saturday, December 1, 2012, that was me.  My mom and I had made plans to wake up around 8:00 and be out and about by 10:00.  I woke up at 6:51, tossing and turning, and that was the end of my sleep for the day.

I read until she got up a little after 8:00, and then we lazed around a bit before getting ready for our day.  We were on a mission to find a dress for the Christmas party I'm attending next weekend, and it was proving to be more difficult than we had originally anticipated.

After a quick (and I mean less than 20 minutes) trip to the Allen Outlets, we went to the Shops at Watters Crossing, where we found TWO super cute dresses at Ann Taylor...for my mom.

And seriously, she looked awesome in both of them.  It was a no brainer.  She HAD to have them, so I talked her into it, and then told her I'd be happy to borrow them sometimes.  See how this works?  Ingenious!

After that, we went to the Shops at Willowbend because that mall is NEVER crowded.  I was thoroughly disappointed in the selection at the major stores there, although I did score some awesome pajamas for the boys: Guitars for N and race cars for B.  They've gotten so tall, they outgrew their "winter" pajamas I bought last year.  They very rarely wear them, only when it's cold, so they last forever!

Since we struck out at Willowbend, we grabbed some lunch and then headed to Stonebriar in Frisco.  As we were headed towards Macy's, my dad called my mom.  I didn't think anything of it...at first.  But then the mood changed a little.  I was getting discouraged, my mom was getting tired, and we still hadn't found anything.  So, we went back to where we found a possibility on Thursday and had them check around to see if the right size was available anywhere else.  (I know.  This is all super fascinating, but hold on.  I'm about to throw something new your way.)

On the way to Flower Mound, 6.5 hours into our shopping excursion, I called my dad.  We talked for a few minutes and then he asked if I had talked to my mom about why he called, and when I said "No" he said, "It's Lacey."

And my heart sank.  Because today, she had another seizure and couldn't stop coughing, so he took her to the vet.  When he carried her in, the vet said, "It's time.  She's suffering now."  And my dad put her to sleep.  So there I am, driving to Flower Mound, with tears streaming down my face and sobs escaping every now and then...because Lacey was the best dog I ever had.  She was the only dog our family ever had when my sister and I were growing up, and like I said in a previous post, she was an amazingly good dog.

In fact, before the boys and I came home from Houston after Thanksgiving, I got down on the floor with her, nose to nose, and loved on her for a while.  I stroked her little head and talked to her (even though I knew she couldn't hear me) and put my hand in front of her so she could give me kisses like she always does.  Only that time, she didn't.  She just didn't have the energy.  Her little stump tail didn't wiggle either.

I think I knew, even though I didn't want to believe it, that I wouldn't see her again, even though I'm going down there on Friday.  While I'm so sad, I'm even more sad for my dad.  They were best pals.  They've been together since the beginning, and she ruled the household.  The love of an animal is something so many take for granted, but it is truly unconditional.  Pets only want to please their masters and Lacey was no different.  Yes, she was mischievous at times, but she was a good girl.

Through my tears, I told my dad, "I bet she and Tabby are chasing each other around, terrorizing the shit out of each other..." and we both laughed a little.  And I realized that, as hard as it will be for me or my sister or my mom, it'll be ten times worse for my dad.  She relied solely on him...and he on her.

So, we got to White House Black Market and the only dress I've even remotely liked (when it was on me, not the hanger) was there.  It looked okay, but it's black and silver and not the bright dress I've been picturing in my mind's eye to match my, um, bright personality.  It's kinda drab...but I bought it so I'd at least have SOMETHING, and maybe I can brighten it up with shoes and a different belt or something.

Or maybe I'll find something else tomorrow.  I'm counting on you, good ol' Vista Ridge!

Aubs