While I'm Away... Sharing The Love...

When I started this blogging thing I had no idea what I was doing.  And while my ongoing love/hate affair with HTML still holds proof that I am clueless,  I still am amazed by is how much it has effected my life.

In short, I have become part of a community that I never new existed.  One that no matter what happens in my life, I am not alone.  Somewhere, there is someone else going through exactly what I am. Someone doesn't just understand or feel it for me, but they have lived it.  Breathed it.  Overcome it.

When my grandmother died, you were there.  When Youngest made me crazy and Oldest made me proud, you were there.  And when I got engaged, designed my dress, and obsessed over details, you were there.  Cheering me on, being blatantly honest, and incredibly supportive.

I follow over 120 blogs.  Each one brings a new prospective to my day.  Some are primarily product driven, offering many reviews of new technology,  or comical PSAs.  Others connect bloggers by locations. 

One is written from the prospective of a family with a husband who serves our country, another amazes me with her ability to home school her 3 teenage sons, and another who is raising 3 young men, and is giving me hope that my sons may possibly turn out just as awesome as they are. Seriously, Gina, I'm taking notes. There's Skippy Mom, who makes soap, yet to date, I have yet to read any posts about soap.  And then there's Sandra, who says what most of us parents are thinking, swears and all.

I have a pen pal who enlightens me every post about what it's like to raise five kids, work the night shift, and have a husband that doesn't hear a word she says.  Literally.  She makes me laugh every time. Others have the ability to turn days and days of rain, into a comical post of Mother Nature's postpartum depression.  There are others, with beautiful babies, that I have followed from ultrasounds to birth.

I follow several single ladies.  Some with big plans and large dreams, and others with great shoes.  Some stand proud of their choices in looking for love, while others are always pushing the envelope, asking the tough relationship questions.  Another lives in a picture perfect paradise, and yet still manages to find the all too familiar drama that goes along with dating. And then there's those who have  decided not to date, focusing all of their time and energy on themselves and their children.

I follow many, many women, who's lives have mimicked my own. Divorced, juggling home and work, in an all to delicate balance I know all too well. Some are delving into the dating pool, while others are planing the second half of their "ever after",

I love my Maniacs.  Or rather, my pen pals from Maine.  Weather they're creating something amazing, or people watching, they never disappoint.

There are the neighbors, who I think, have so much fun, it must be illegal in 48 states.   I want to live in their cul de sac someday. 

I have my handful of men, some fighting uphill battles for their children , and others just waging war with the galaxy.  There's even one with a combination of the two, who cracks me up with his universal love of Star wars, second only with the clear compassion he has for his sons.   And who could forget, the one with southern charm.

And then there's the ones who have been there almost from the beginning.  Listening to me babble regardless of what the day brings.... Ami, Portia, Judy, Christie,  Bern, and Tilden.

So why on earth would I go on and on about all of these people, when I have so many things going on in my life?  Because, while I am going through my things, you are going through yours.  I have watched a close friend struggle with the onset of his Parkinson's, and so has Shannon.  I have known the craziness of a large family, and all the joy and frustration it can bring.  I have debated home school, fought with the public school system, and battled the ex husband. I have fought depression, and experienced joy.  I have struggled, swallowed a lot of pride, survived, and overcome.  I have been so busy and crazy with complicated situations, and come to a full stop, to take time to enjoy the simple things.

And, so have they.

Through all this, I have not been alone. When my family and friends don't get it, for the last two years, I have always found here, someone who does.

So, while I'm away, click on the blue writing.  Each one of them offers a new experience, a new prospective, a new pen pal. If I missed you, I apologize.  There are so many friends, it's hard to contain them all in one place. (It was even hard to find enough words to link into.)  If you have one you'd like to add, please do so in the comments.

One can never have enough friends.

Random Tuesday...

Well, it's Tuesday, and if all goes as planned, I am on some random airplane, drooling on Tony's shoulder, off to gamble it all in the city of sin.

Or, I'm stuck in the airport.

Either way, the kids are happily enjoying the company of their fabulous sitter (who's a skilled ninja, so don't even think of breaking into my house...just saying...)and their bonus day of summer vacation, compliments of Irene.  And, I have the peace of mind knowing that the house is still standing, they have flushable toilets, and that the hotel had to refund us $86 because staying later in the week was less expensive.

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As you may have noticed, I am now referring to Almost Hubs as Tony.  I toyed with many, many new names for him, including, but not limited to...

Super Hubs.
Final Hubs.
Mr. G.
Ball-n-Chain
Other Half.
Handsome Man.
Fatty McFatterson
The 'Other' Child

After much deliberation, he finally spoke up and said, "Why can't you just call me Tony?"  Which is boring, I know.  But it's what he wanted.  So on most days I'll refer to him as Tony, unless of course he pisses me off, at which point I'll revert to "The 2nd Husband" or "Fatty McFatterson".

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I am thoroughly enjoying my 13 days off, but I fear they are going all too quickly.  While I have managed to get quite a lot of things done around the house, I fear I have fallen victim to Tony's wicked, evil ways, and have taken more than my share of naps, watched entirely too much TV, and had my feet up eating pudding way more often than I care to ever admit.

His laziness is infectious.

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I've decided to change my name.  Knowing this, everyone wrote their wedding gift checks out to "Mr. and Mrs. G".  And of course, I can't cash them until I get the licence back... in 7 to 10 days.  We decided to not combine finances, so no joint accounts, but even still, it's weird.  I have to think about how to sign my name, and the kids had to teach me how to make a cursive "g". 

Sad but true.

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We asked the kids what they wanted us to bring them back from Vegas.  Oldest wants whatever, Youngest wants a robot of some kind.  I'm thinking I'll be on the look out for a robotic Elvis....

I'm hoping to bring back more money they when we left.

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That's all for Random Tuesday Thoughts...

I've got some auto posts set up for you while I'm away, as well as Truth is Thursday for anyone who'd like to join in the fun.

Hopefully Blogger will actually post for me and not drop them into 'draft' when I'm not looking...



Surviving Irene...

Hello my pen pals, it's a beautiful sunny day here in southern Massachusetts.

The cat is busy getting cat hair all over my brand new white comforter sleeping peacefully.

Tony is outside cleaning up the random branches and leaves that have fallen all over his precious lawn.

The kids are annoying the crap out of me harmoniously playing their video games, enjoying their one day extension of summer vacation. We are some of the lucky ones who had power restored within hours of the initial loss.  My parents and sister are still waiting.  My sister doesn't have water either and as of early this morning, the roads were nearly impassable to her house. But she'll be fine, as I sent her home with one of the wedding cakes...

In preparation for the storm, Tony had pulled much of our "fly away" items, (The grill, basketball hoop, random flower pots, etc.) into the garage.  I started the cleaning aspects on Saturday night, because nothing sucks more during a hurricane than going in search of clean undies, and breaking your ankle when you trip over random light saber and take a header down the stairs.  So, while the clothes were 'a washin', and the dishwasher was doing it's thing, I finished building the last remaining walls in the boy's bedroom, making it fully insulated for the winter, which will be here before we know it.  (Tony and the kids sat on their butts watching season 3 of The Pretender on DVD in case you were wondering)

By the time we lost power, I had 13 loads of sheets, towels, random clothes, and undies to put away.  The dishes were clean and put away, and every thank you card was written, addressed, and stamped ready for mailing on Monday.  An UNO marathon was played, naps were taken, and Nerf guns shots were heard 'round the house.  Our meals consisted of anything you didn't have to open the refrigerator for, mostly left over wedding cake.  Youngest and I polished off the rest of the gluten free, and Oldest finished Bonus Brother's birthday cake from Thursday night.  Tony's still working on the lemon cake...

Because as we all know when a storm comes, you must carb load.

When it was all said and done, the storm could have been much, MUCH worse.  We had virtually no rain, and were able to have the windows open the majority of the time.  We had marked the house with four balloons for the limo driver, and in all the crazy we forgot to take them in.  In the wild winds and flying twigs, most of them were set free into the wind. But one remained...

Him: "It's like our love...still holding on..."

Me: "Weathering the storm...."

Yeah. 

We are such dorks.

The Wedding... And Yes, Some Pictures...

Well my Pen Pals, I would like to thank you all for the wonderful wishes and good thoughts for my special day. In case you didn't know, those were our actual vows, posted at the actual time we said them.  So for any of you who felt left out, no worries, you were right there with us. It was so wonderful to wake up this morning and see all the happy emails in amongst the email from Southwest telling us that all the Sunday flights were being canceled... the day we were to leave for our honeymoon.

So, with the honeymoon properly rescheduled, and the new hotel reservations booked, we all sit here, properly hunkered down in the house driving each other bonkers, eating our weight in left over wedding cake, waiting for Irene's arrival. And, in an effort to keep myself sane, I thought I'd give you a run down of the day's events, before we lose power. Bear with the pictures, as no one thought to use our camera to take any, so I had to steal most of these from my Dad.  The photographer's pictures will be posted as I get them, promise.

First and foremost, the day was beautiful.  78 degrees, only a tad bit humid, and barely a cloud in the sky.  Oldest and I ran down to the train at 9 am to decorate with the garlands and drop off the cakes....

Rest assured, while the garland may not look like much in the photos, they were beautiful all lit up around the train's windows.  We had three cake servers, one for each of the three cakes.  This was partly to prevent cross contamination of gluten, and partly because I couldn't make up my mind.

After I dropped off Oldest at the house, it was on to hair and makeup.  Thankfully, the lower humidity helped to have everything stay, since it would need to last over five hours until the actual ceremony.  I arrived finally back at our "house o' best men", who proceeded to get dressed...

Youngest was having some issues with his clothes.  Seems he had a growth spurt in the last two months, causing him to lose his gut, and his pants kept falling down.  We belted him in the best we could, and ended up rolling his sleeves to make him more comfortable.  With ties clipped on, and suits donned, the limo arrived promptly at 4:30.... for the 20 minute ride to the gazebo.  Needless to say, we took the extensive scenic route to the station.  The boys were all ready excited to ride in the limo. Bonus Brother took the front, near the driver...

Handsome, no? I'm telling you, the long hair is growing on me, but don't tell him that. Youngest was so excited, he could barely contain himself...

And then, there was us....

We arrived at the gazebo at around 5:15, to find everyone already there.  We even had a surprise guest from work, who showed up just to wish us well. With everyone gathered in the gazebo, the boys walked me down the pathway to our new future. Standing with the JP, we recited our vows...

The boys held the rings as she said the blessing. And yes, I'll say it, I cried.  When she read what we had written, it hit me how far we had come to get to this moment. And when Almost Hubs said "I do" in his low, soft, crackly voice, I was done.  It was all I could do from not sobbing.  Then, she pronounced us husband and wife...

   And introduced everyone to the new Mr. And Mrs. G...

We exited the gazebo for more pictures with the photographer, while the train pulled into the station.  We were allowed to board early, but not before my Dad snapped this shot in front of the train...

Once everyone was on board, the kids all decided to explore the train car and take in the views...

Once moving, the train photographer came along and took some of her own photos, which I have already bought, and am anxiously waiting their arrival.  Here's a sneak peek of one of my favorites...

photo from here

The dinner went smoothly, the sunset was beautiful, and the kids were content playing Uno in the back half of the train until the main course was served.  Mr. G and I sat closest to the bar, and our guests each came back to sit and talk as the night went on.  At one point, he was sitting there talking with one of our closest friends and I caught a glimpse of his wedding band. All I could think was "Oh my God, that's my husband."

We cut the cakes and served them ourselves.  (I regret that I did not get any photos of the cakes, but never fear, the photographer did, I just don't have them yet.) As the night wound down, Oldest could be found sleeping on one of the bench seats, and it was clear that it was time to call it a night.  As the train pulled into the station, and our families returned to their homes, and we drove home for our wedding night. 

We had decided to save the money on a hotel, and sleep in our own bed.  My parents were fabulous enough to take the boys, and Bonus Brother was returned to his home by his uncle.  Instead of sexy lingerie that would no doubt never be seen again once it was tossed onto the floor and kicked under the bed, I opted for all new bedding...

Nope.  That's not our bed, that's the picture from the front of the package, but you get the idea.  6 pillows, down comforter, 600 count new sheets... heaven.  We sat in the living room, opening cards together, Mr. G pulling tens of pins from my hair, talking, laughing, and enjoying each other's company.

Exhausted, happy, and relieved, we relived the days of when we first were together.  Way back when I was in my twenties, and he was in his thirties.  With renewed passion and love we had the wedding night that you read about in books, and awoke the next morning to begin our happily ever after...

Marry Me... Today, And Everyday...

Many years ago, you both set out on a narrow way, hoping to find love, along the broken road. You may have been lost a time or two, persevered and kept pushing through, not knowing that every sign would lead you to each other. Every long lost dream, has led you to where you are, Lover's that broke your hearts, were like Northern Stars pointing you on your way. It's all been part of a greater plan, as God has blessed the broken road, that has led us here today. 

Today, I welcome you all to the moment at which they begin the greatest journey of their lives together. The ritual of marriage is not simply a social event. The bond that links true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each others life. So, it is at this time I will ask the boys, for their blessing of the union of their parents, and the joining of their families.


"A good marriage must be created. In marriage the "little" things are the big things.

It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say, ”I love you".

It is standing together and facing the world, and forming a circle that gathers in the whole family.

It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow, and having a common search for the good and the beautiful.

It is not only marrying the right person -- it is being the right partner."

This life isn't the fairy tale you both thought it would be. Your love story is not a conventional one, it has spanned years and often had to carve it's way through unfamiliar paths. But, through those years you have always been there for each other, through heartache of waiting, difficult choices, and unbearable decisions. You learned how to support one and other, when to give unconditionally, and when to let go. So now that the wait is over, and love has finally shown you the way to this moment...

Do you promise to be each other's best friend, to love each other more deeply than thought imaginable, and support each other even when you may not understand. To do your best to give each other what ever they need, to be there to listen, to comfort, and to laugh with. And, do you promise to spend today, and every day, perfecting the art of living with them by your side?

And, finally,  Do you both give your hand, your heart, and your love, from this day forward for as long as you both shall live?

(We do)

Blessings Of the Rings held by all three boys:


"Dear Lord, please bless these bands that shall bind this man and woman as husband and wife from this day forward, Amen"

The shape of these rings are circles. Family is a circle of love and strength. With every union, the circle grows. Every joy shared adds more love. Every obstacle faced together makes the circle stronger. That love has substance and a soul, and that despite it's occasional sorrows, is a circle of happiness, wonder and delight, that continues together.

(Both) With this ring I promise to love you always...

-Exchange of the rings-

Every once and a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, life gives us an unexpected fairy tale.

May your love be a a journey, that starts at forever, and ends at never.

So now, by the power vested in me...

You may kiss the bride.

Truth Is Thursday...

Truth is... I'm hoping it's just a coincidence that two earthquakes and one freak hurricane are happening during the week of my wedding.  Maybe my getting remarried a sign of the Apocalypse.

Truth is.... now it's even more about the details....

The nails are done....

The M&M favors are wrapped...

 

In lieu of place cards... baby pictures of each guest...

The Waterford flutes arrived... unbroken....

The buttons made it onto the dress, finally...

I found some flowers... at the grocery store, $13.99...


Truth is... the appointment yesterday went really well with the train coordinator.

Truth is... I met up with the make up artist and we're going with the more natural look.

Truth is... I am now left with a whole lot of nervous energy and nothing else to do.

Truth is.... I think I'll take a nap. Wake me when it's over.

Truth is... it's your turn! 

Shall We Random?...

Me: "Knock it off!"
Almost Hubs: "Hey! Don't chu..."
Me: "I'm on the phone with my mother."
(he waits, I hang up.)
Me: "Seriously?  I'm on the phone.  You can't be grabbing my boobs when I'm on the phone."
Almost Hubs: "Oh, yes I can.  It's called multi tasking."


*sigh*  Just another day living with boys.

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I have finished working my stretch and it is now time to enjoy my 13 days off in a row.  Which I will be savoring every second of, when of course, I am not frantically attempting to pull myself together.

Emails have all been sent out, confirming times, places, and directions, as well as alternate directions to avoid traffic.

I still have no idea what I'm doing for flowers.  Nor, does my dress have buttons.  Both details can be left undone at this point, I really don't care.

I acquired the last two rolling backpacks Walmart carries, just in time, in red and blue. School supplies have been allocated, distributed, and stowed in said backpacks.

The outline "reports" for both boys summer reading is also done, and stowed in the respective backpacks. Ironically, they both chose to do their reports on the same book.  Here's hoping they don't need to bring it in to their classrooms.

Groceries have all been bought, and cupboards are stocked for the sitter. There is now enough fruit snacks, pudding, and Rice Krispy treats to survive the next Earthquake.

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Speaking of earthquakes.... did you feel it?  I didn't. But, evidently I was supposed to.  Something about having children lessens the impact of natural disasters, I think.  Really, would I  notice a little extra shaking of the walls, or rattling of the ceiling while I'm doing laundry in the basement?  Probably not.

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I'm very excited about my Truth is...meme.  Don't forget to get your "truth" posts ready for Thursday.  I'll be posting early on, 12:01am my time. (Which is 9pm Wednesday, for all you West Coast pals, and like, 7pm for Lisa out there in Hawaii, and for all my Australian buddies, well, I have no idea what day it will be)  But I'll be posting with Mr. Linky for Thursday. Be sure to join in! There's no prizes or anything, just free reign to dump whatever it is going through your head, out there for the whole planet to see. Good times... good times...

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Youngest and I found snack cakes at the health food store called Ring Tings.  They're like Ring Dings, but without the gluten.  Yummy! The price, eh, not so yummy.

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Almost Hubs: "So what are you doing with the rest of your day?"
Me: "I've got to go get some bras and underwear."
Almost Hubs: "Make sure it's skimpy, and all sexy like for me."
Me: "What are you talking about? My underwear now is sexy, it has all kinds of holes in it and is so worn, it's almost see thru."

So, off I went to Walmart, to obtain some "sexy" undies.  Well, as sexy as you can get at 8 pairs for $6.98, and I notice something.

Why are all the women on the covers of the Fruit of the Loom panties so frickin' happy? I'm thinking this poor girl's standing there in her undies for Christ's sake!  Really, she's smiling on the outside, but on the inside I bet she's saying "I really should have stayed in school." 

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Well, that's all the random I have. Actually it's not, but I must get my butt off the computer and go get another one of the Ring Tings before Youngest eats them all.  Oh, and something about picking up Oldest.... I knew it was way too quiet around here...

Head on over to Stacy's and link up,


....or just go visit... she makes wine people! 

It's always a good time.



Dropping The Ball...

Day dawns and I open my weary eyes, up for another day.  Suddenly I realize...Oh Sunday morning, how I've missed you!  Hello pillow!  I roll back over, bury my face in deep.  Half still asleep, I roll to my left.  Hello, honey!  Snuggling deep into his arms. 

Sunday.  My only day off.  My only day to sleep in.  A day for catching up, centering myself, and getting lost in the day.  My snuggling leads to playfulness, interrupted by the impeccable timing that only children can have, right when it's getting good.

But alas, my day of nothing, of sleeping in, is cut short by the realities of running a home.  Children need to be fed, and sadly, the bed sheets won't change themselves, much less, while I'm in them.  My feet hit the floor, ready to hit the ground running, my head spinning with all there is to do.

Walls still need to be built downstairs. As well as the second coat of paint on the existing ones.

The laundry chute is full.

After school paperwork is due back no later than Tuesday morning.

Bills need to be paid.

The fridge contains cheese, questionable milk, and a veggie drawer that REALLY needs to be cleaned out.

The garage is smelling of dead things, most likely the trash, but who knows?

And oh, there's the little matter of the buttons on my wedding dress...

And then it hits me.  I didn't want to do any of it.  Nothing.  Donning the bathing suit, I threw both boys in the car and headed down to the local water park. We slid down the water slides, and floated for hours along the lazy river. We jumped the mechanical waves of the wave pool, one after the other, jumping the crests, allowing the wave to push us two steps back and then pull us two steps forward. Later, we sat along the edge and let the waves break upon our legs.

It was a good day. So good, that it was worth knowing that all those things will be pushed into the week ahead, making  for a lot of extra work for me.

Monday morning came all too fast.  There is no snuggling back into bed, no lazy waking up, no playful banter with Almost Hubs.  We are up to start our day.  Camp for the boys, and work for me.

Except to day, work was unexpectedly easy. 

Getting out at 1:30, there was time to do laundry.  Time to vacuum.  Time to clip the coupons, make the shopping list, and fill out all the forms that have to be done.  There was even time for the ice cream man, who came down our street for the first time in 7 years.

Youngest said the ice cream man was the high light of his summer.

Sometimes, I forget that it's OK to let it all go.

That when I drop the ball, it will bounce.

Everything will still be there tomorrow.

And somehow, so will the time to do it.

 

Saturday Night Ramblings...

Normally Saturday nights are reserved for falling asleep at 7pm, exhausted from another crazy day of work hanging out with my boys, zoning in front of the television, watching Disney specials, and re-runs of Phineas and Ferb. And tonight is no exception, except I have fashioned the laptop upon me, and am typing away whilst the kids slowly sink into a multimedia coma.

First, the bad, the good, the status quo, and the even worse...

Work was interesting today, with four meetings to start the day.  Seemed every time I got into things, I was pulled away for another meeting.  The first (the bad) was to tell us that all the extra time we'd put in last pay period was not in our paychecks. Duh!  Mine was short 17 hours.  Yeah, good times.  The second (the good) was to announce that our "temporary" boss was now our new boss for good. The third was a safety meeting, in which we discussed all the things we already know. Excellent.  The fourth (the worst) was that one of our co-workers was diagnosed with cancer last week.  They announced this morning he has stage four lymphoma.  And while I hold out hope, the reality is he is in his fifties, and had smoked for over 30 years.  Which, quite simply, sucks.

While I was at work, Almost Hubs and Youngest were talking...

Almost Hubs: "Something, something, something else about me..."
Youngest: "You know, you're awful lucky Mom loves you."
Almost Hubs: "Yeah?"
Youngest: "Yeah.  She's way out of your league."

Tonight was Oldest's visit with his father, so Youngest and I went on our date.  We let Almost Hubs tag along for mini golf.  Not feeling like driving, Almost Hubs said we could take my car. Now, for most people this is no big deal, but I have a right hand drive car.  Which means that Almost was sitting in what would be the driver's side of a normal car, but with no steering wheel or pedals.  Surprisingly, he only hit his imaginary "brakes" once going through the rotary. 

"This is so weird. I feel like I need a steering wheel."
"Do you want me to stop at the toy store and get you one with a squeaky horn?"
"No, I'm good."
"You sure?"
"Yeah.  I feel like the car is leaning though."
"OK.  Well, you are the only one on the left side of the car, and we are really low to the ground.."
*gasp* "I think you're calling me fat!"
"Nope.  I'd never do that..... Fatty McFatterson."
"You know, you AND Youngest are sitting on the right side."
"OK. And, if you add our weight together..."
"Which is?.....135 and 65..."
*Laughing out loud* "Um, try 175..."
"OK.  so we do the math and that's like 240..."
"And YOU weigh?"
*another girly gasp* "I think you're calling me fat!"
"Are you loving YOUR car now?"
"I'm beginning to appreciate it now, yes."

At the golf course, each one of us got a hole in one, one of us got 3  despite Almost's mocking of my putting skills.   Really? It's mini putt-putt... against my 9 year old.  Do I really have to calculate my every shot?

After retrieving Oldest from the pick up locale, and retreating home to the solace and safety of my bed, Almost Hubs decided to crawl in next to me...

Him :"See this... I love this..." (pinching my back fat)
Me: "You love my back fat?"
Him: "Yeah.  Skinny girls don't have this.  There's nothing to grab and snuggle."
Me: "So that girl you dated without an ounce of body fat, the who worked out all the time, you didn't like her body?"
Him: "Did I say that? No. I said I loved your squishiness."
Me: "Okay."
....long pause...
Me: "You know, it's OK for you to go to bed at 8:48. Really.  It is..." 

Breathe...

"2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a song

If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer inside of me,

Threatening the life it belongs to

And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd

Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud

And I know that you'll use them, however you want to

But you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,

And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table

No one can find the rewind button now

Sing it if you understand.

and breathe,

 just breathe"

~ Anna Nalick

 

Life moves in fast forward. 

 

And it's true the older I get, the faster it moves. 

 

I have had a fast moving career, with an even faster climb up the corporate ladder, only to find myself climbing back down in search of a slower pace.  Eventually, I let go of it all, in hopes of finding a soft place to land.

 

Searching for something to fill the void within me, I worked hard every day to fill every minute of my life with something new, something else, to do.  Only to wake up one morning and want one spare minute, one day, when I have run out of things and I can just "be"

 

I surrounded myself with things that were supposed to matter, until I had children that became the only  things that mattered.

 

My babies, who could once barely walk, want to run a 5K for camp.

 

My toddlers who could barely talk, now speak Pokemon and Mario fluently.

 

I can remember Oldest's face as I took his "first day" picture of kindergarten, and now he is starting his last year in Elementary school.

 

Youngest, who could barley write his letters, now draws schematics for robots that will change the world as we know it.

 

I bought a house, made it a home, and watched the love grow exponentially within it.

 

I was married, I was not married, and in a few days will be married again.

 

This has been the fastest year of my life.

 

And while I think of these things and often get teary eyed,

 

It has never been easier to breathe.

 

Truth Is Thursday...

Truth is... so many people have said they like my Truth is...  posts, I thought I'd get a Mr. Linky and let you all have some fun.

Truth is... I have no idea if I did it right.  Or, even if Mr. Linky works.  (He may be more like my ex-husband, who looks good and completely able, but in reality, doesn't work at all.)

Truth is... I will have worked at least 50 hours this week by the end of the day Friday.  Did I mention that I'm sick? Physically that is, we all know I'm a bit sick in the head...

Truth is... Almost Hubs thinks I should stop telling people I hit things with the mail truck. What fun is that?

Truth is... I am more excited to have 13 days off coming up than I am to be getting married.

Truth is... I have never had 13 days off in a row, ever.  Not even when I left work for maternity leave, and that was SO TOTALLY NOT a vacation.

Truth is... I'm sitting here typing this and Oldest has a friend over that I completely forgot about.  I should probably bring him home....

Truth is.... you're next... If I did this right....

Yeah, I'd Hit That...

Welcome to another installment of Going Postal.  Brought to you by me, and narrated by no one.  Unless of course, you read out loud.


Dear Postal Customer,

I have noticed that lately you have been really working hard on your lawn.  And I must say, it's coming along beautifully.  I especially love the new mailbox and post, as it makes it so much easier to deliver all your precious goodies to a clean, appropriately sized box with lid that closes, than the old rusty neighborhood kid's pinata style mailbox box  you previously had. 

However, might I remind you, that while your box is beautiful, the marigolds and morning glories you potted back in June that are now woefully neglected  and placed directly in front of the post, won't be.  Quite honestly, I'll hit that.

The freshly raked dirt and grass seed you're trying to grow?  Most likely, just as those tender babies spring up from the ground, I'll accidentally roll over them.

And don't even waste your money on laying sod.  One good torrential rain, the tires will sink in, and it'll be a mud puddle forever.

Some of you  have decided on a more low maintenance look for around your post. And, while I love the look of a freshly mulched area, please do not edge it with rail road ties, bricks or half buried wine bottles.  Because, most likely, I will hit that also.

For the couple who wanted the heavy nautical look around their "piling" style posts, and opted for the large boulders amongst the smaller stone, I will hit that.  And so will the snow plow, who will send those boulders all over the main road, causing a lot of unnecessary accidents come February.

For the customer who decided they would use PVC pipe to pump the gray waste water from their home into the drainage grate in front of their box, I will also hit that.  (And you will owe me a new tire).

Now, I know what you're all thinking. Get this crazy woman off the road!  I need to be more careful and slow down.  "Just hop out at my box, and deliver the mail by hand."  But here's the thing. To deliver without injuring myself to 600 to 800 boxes per day,  I have to drive really close to the side of the road and hit every pot hole, bump, crack, and drainage grate along the way.  The bumpers of the truck extend out a good 12 inches from the side of the truck, and from my vantage point I can not always see things planted/placed 8 inches off the ground. 

Cars I can see fine.

Children I am always on the look out for.

I will even pay attention to Fido or Fluffy when they bust through your "perfectly installed" electronic fence, are now too afraid to bust back in,  and are wandering the neighborhood until you get home.

But the basket ball net hanging at 7 feet high in the street? Nope.  I won't hit the post or the stand, but the net most likely will catch the top of the truck.

The flag pole that hangs off of the top of your mail box post directly in my line of travel? I'll see it, but can't guarantee the truck mirrors will miss it every time.

Your son's Frisbee, or those 4 inch safety cones they use for baseball bases?  Better buy a spare set. Just. In. Case.

The trash barrels you leave on purpose, right in front of your boxes? Yeah.  Those are safe.  You just won't get mail, becasue I'm not getting last night's smelly lobster all over the mail truck.

So, in conclusion, please use common sense when placing things on, or in front of your mailbox.  Because while I try to be careful, I am human.  And this week, I've taken a whole lot of cold medicine to ensure I would be bright eyed and bushy tailed to bring you all the bills and junk mail you complain about on a daily basis.

And yes. If you put your child's extra noisy toy that they got from that Uncle (who doesn't have children) for their last birthday in front of the post,

Yes.

I'd hit that too.

Bridezilla I Am Not...

I am happy to report that with only days to go, am not stressing about the wedding. 

And then I get phone calls like this....

"I received your check today, so you should be almost paid in full now."

"No.  I believe we are paid in full. I sent you an email last Wednesday."

"Um, let me see....oh yes, here it is."

(I wait while she reads through)

"Yes.  Actually, we owe you money."

"Just apply it to the bar tab at the end of the night."

"I can't do that, it's a separate bill, I'll have to issue you a credit."

"Um, OK."

"So,  I don't think we can get this wine."

"OK, we discussed this already, I'll purchase it and bring it to the train in the morning."

"No.  We can't do that.  It violates (some) code with the Board of Health"

"OK, That's fine."

"You had mentioned the Prosecco, with strawberries."

"Yes, but I tried it, and found that I don't like Prosecco."

"OK.  But if you want Prosecco, we'll have to special order that."

(Wait... what? Are we having the same conversation?)

"Um, no, I don't like Prosecco, and if you can't get the wine I like, then I'll just toast with ginger ale."

"Well, if you want Champagne, I'll need to know so we can be sure to have enough bottles on board."

~~~Pause, deep breath~~~~

"OK.  The waitstaff will be taking drink orders, right?"

"Yes."

"Then why doesn't every one just order what ever they want to drink, and if we feel like toasting, we will."

"OK. I guess that will work."

"Now I need to get on the train to do the garlands and drop off the cakes."

"Yes. You can do that any time after 10."

"We discussed 8."

"Well, yes the crew gets in at 8, so I suppose you could get here at 8 if you'd like."

"OK.  And I'll meet with you  the Wednesday before to give you the things for the tables that the wait staff will have to set up."

"Well, Wednesday... that doesn't give me any time to special order things you may want."

"But, I don't want anything special ordered."

"Well, yes, OK.  And how will the wait staff  know what goes where?"

"I'll put each table in Zip-lock bags and number them 1, 2, 3, etc."

"But our tables are lettered, A, B, C"

(Really?.......Really?)

"Then I'll letter the bags."

"OK."

"What time do you want me there on Wednesday?"

"Well, I have two trains leaving and I have to be _____ at 530 and blah...bah... details...details..."

"WHAT TIME DO YOU WANT ME THERE?"

"10?"

"I'll see you at 10"

Now is it me or was this way more complicated than it needed to be? 

Really? Your wait staff wouldn't know which tables to set up with what bag if they were numbered VS lettered?   Your train crew will have an issue with me coming down at 8am instead of 10 am, to spend 15 minutes hanging flower garland in one of the train cars when they already said that it was fine?  And, why would I special order champagne that I don't like, when there's a full wine menu available with two additional champagnes for the guests?

And, we really have to issue me a refund check, so I can give it back to you at the end of the night?

I think she has pre-wedding jitters.

Hopefully, she'll be better by Wednesday.

It's All About Lines Of Communication...

Almost Hubs was getting ready for his 25th high school reunion Friday night.  I, on the other hand, had been driving in a car, non-stop, from 10:45 am to 5:55 pm working, picking up children, and finally arriving at home. Without missing a beat, I was cooking 2 pizzas (one regular and one GF), and prepping my dinner with my friend Li, who was coming over later to give the boys haircuts and polish off the rest of the wine in the fridge.   Needless to say, when Almost breezed through the kitchen at 6:20 in route to the bedroom to get ready for his fancy dinner out, I was a little bit bitchy jealous.

"Jeez.  I sure wish someone would be serving me dinner, cleaning it up, and then allow me to dance the night away.  Instead I'm slaving over a hot stove... cooking multiple meals...blah, blah, blah, whine, whine."

"Um.  I know you had a long day, but I believe I asked you if you wanted to go"

"Yeah.  I'm all set.  I'd gladly slave over this hot stove and drink wine with Li than help you relive the 80's"

"All right then."

"I'm still gonna complain anyway though."

So, off he goes, disappearing into the bedroom, trying on multiple pairs of pants asking if his butt looks big   attempting to find one that doesn't give him the ultimate wedgie.  Then he buttons his shirt cuffs, asks me what I think, I tell him to roll them, he does. Then he un-does them, only to do this a few more times, all the while I'm thinking... good Lord, he's worse than a girl... 

"How do I look?"

"Smoking hot. Yup.  Very sexy. You'll definitely score with the head cheerleader."

(actually, what I think I said was "You look fine. Are you looking to pick up women?")

Satisfied, he flies out the door, as he leaves I call out...

"Remember, if you find me a sister wife, make sure she likes to clean."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Sunday my mildly crazy adventure to the water park was derailed due to weather.  Seems the park actually believed the weather man when they said "chance" of thunderstorms. Even though at 8pm, there still wasn't a drop in sight.  So, in an effort to salvage the day, we went bowling.

Now the boys are extremely competitive.  They don't lose well, so in an effort to ease the "pains" of losing, I said I'd buy the loser an ice cream. I lost the first game. Badly. Ice cream for me. :)

The second game was pathetic.  I couldn't knock a single pin down for the first two turns.  Oldest was picking up spares, Youngest was trying his best, and Almost Hubs, well he was wiping the floor with us as always, and mocking me in the process.

Me: "OK.  Now that's just mean."

Him: "What?  I'm just trying to help you.  And come on, it's not like you're actually trying to bowl"

*Insert girly whine, a quick spin, and a "kiss this" pat on my butt*

Him: "Wait."  laughing "You mean you're not trying to lose?"

Me: "Shut up.  You're being mean."

Him: holding his belly laughing..."I thought you were trying to be bad"

silence

Me: "I'm rethinking this marriage thing"

Driving home we passed a coffee shop with a help wanted sign out front....

Him: "There you go honey, you could work there."

Me: "Instead of the PO?"

Him: "No, you could work there on Saturday nights and Sunday after the Post Office."

Me: "What, to bring in extra money to support your baseball card habit?"

Him: "Exactly!"

Seriously rethinking the marriage thing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By Sunday night, Bonus Brother's "allergies" had infected both Almost and myself, and the two of us had been reduced to sniffling, Kleen-X dependant, congested babies.  After thoroughly disinfecting myself, I took enough cold medicine to knock out an elephant hunkered down for a good nights sleep, and woke on Monday morning feeling slightly better.  Almost Hubs not so much.  Rather than delight his regular customers at the Post Office with his new Zombie like appearance, he called in sick to work.  Being the guilt ridden, sadistic crazy woman trooper that I am, I got the kids ready for camp, and soldiered my butt to the office.  About half way through the day, I got a phone call from Youngest asking if I could bring him lunch. (I had not packed him one since he had left TWO full lunch boxes in the refrigerator at camp) Not being able to do this for him myself, I called home...

"Hi.  How ya feeling?"

"Ehhh, better.  Just really tired from not sleeping last night. Or, maybe I might be dying..."

 (ignoring the latter part of the conversation and cutting him off  mid sentence)  "Um. OK.  Youngest wants to know if you can bring him lunch."

"Lunch?"

"Yeah.  He doesn't like what's in his lunch boxes."

"Yeah.  Call him back and tell him I'll bring him something."

Such a trooper...Guess he's not dying....

Upon arrival home, I find Almost Hubs deeply involved in the soccer game, half comatose on the couch.  The sink is full of dishes, the bed sheets have disappeared off the bed, and looking around the living room, I see he has stopped off at the grocery store for the breakfast/lunch of champions....Twizzlers and chocolate chip cookies.

"Is that all you bought at the grocery store?"

"Yeah.  And cold medicine."

"OK.  So do you need me to pick up ham and Swiss cheese for your lunch tomorrow?

"You think I'm going to work tomorrow?"

"Well, I have no idea.  But they're not expecting you. I told them you look like the walking dead."

"Excellent."

It's Finally Happened...

Nope.  Still not married.

But almost as monumental... my real life has collided with my imaginary one.

One of my favorite people has started a blog...

http://searchingformysolemate.blogspot.com/

She's just starting out, so click on over and show her some love.  She's awesome. And she'll probably never speak to me again for pimping her out like this.... but since my 3-D life doesn't collide with my internet life either, I think it's safe to say that her anonymity is safe.

Seriously.  Go see.

She's got some awesome shoes!

Truth Is Thursday...

Truth is... I really hate Big Brother.  Julie Chan's voice goes right through me as the most annoying voice on the planet, second only to the whining pansy girls, and testosterone injected "men" in the actual house.  And, no matter how many times I say to Almost Hubs "Is there nothing else on TV?" he's just not getting the subtle hint to turn the channel.

Truth is... regardless of your age or how cute you are, a white bathing suit is never a good idea. NEVER.  And coming over to the mail truck to get the mail in said bathing suit... really not a good idea.

Truth is... I deleted a bunch of people from my Face book friend page tonight. Let the family drama begin.  I find it ridiculous that I have to scroll through 100's of posts to get to the few I want to read.  Plus I really think some of them are just spying for my ex-husband or secretly plotting to foil my plans for domination of the tri-state area.

Truth is... the rest of the wine didn't even make it into a glass tonight. Nor did it make it to it's intended opening date of tomorrow.  Oops.  My bad... Sorry Li...  And I'm not much of a drinker, so it's good that I'm already in bed.

Truth is.... someone needs to explain to the men in charge of landscaping the open air shopping plazas around here that not everyone drives a luxury SUV or big a$$ truck, and has a 4 foot high vantage point to see around the corners of the lots.  Hello?  Suburban Mom in a red hot convertible Mustang station wagon over here! The only thing I can see past past your hedges, and perfectly manicured hibiscus trees are more hedges and lilies.

Truth is... I can't be the only one who has a Nerf arsenal hidden between her dressers. Don't show up here unannounced at 2am... 's'all I'm sayin'...

Truth is... Almost Hubs thinks everything can be cured with Neosporin.  Case in point:  I have been thinking a lot lately of all that Almost and I have gone through to get where we are.  More specifically, when he broke my heart.  (Click here to read)  So the other night I asked him...

Me: (half joking-For the record, I am really over it) "Do you remember when you broke my heart into a million pieces, and stepped on it, and then broke it some more?"
Him: "Yes."
Me: "Do you ever feel bad?"
Him: "No.  Because I fixed it all up.  I bought you something shiny and now it's all fixed."
Me: "Nope.  No. It's not.  The wounds were deep, it was all broken, and you can't just fix it with something shiny."
Him: "Yes, I can.  I distracted you with Shiny-ness and some superglue."
Me: "What?  Did you throw in some Neosporin when I wasn't looking?"
Him: (laughs) "Yup.  Exactly.  See, all fixed."

Truth is... one of these days I may give him a reason to need Neosporin.

Truth is... I laughed out loud when Oldest brought this home from camp today...

It's water with a Boston accent!

Truth is... the wine's kicking in, so I should probably end this here.  It's also most likely why I find this water bottle hysterical.

"What's With The Eye Colors?"

Today was my last day off (other than Sunday) until the wedding...in 18 days... so I decided to do some practice runs of the hair and makeup  because I have serious control issues.

My hair appointment was scheduled for noon, and I thought I'd kill some time at the mall before hand.  I picked up my "french manicure" nails for the day, got the toes done, and found I still had extra time.  Wandering around the home department I found these...

Well, I actually found one of them, which was for show only.  So, I ordered two and was assured they'd be shipped to me within 5 days.  Those of you who've been keeping up may remember my "toasting dilemma".  I was having issues deciding between the fun of Kate Spades or the classic elegance of Waterford.  I've been leaning toward the Kate Spade ribbons, when I found these babies today.

They are the from the  Waterford collection "Ballet Ribbons".  They have the same fun swirl engraved within the flute as the Kate Spade, but have the weight Waterford crystal is known for.  I also love that they taper out at the top.  A bit pricey, but loving them!

Mkay... so on with my day... I made it to the hairdresser where we plucked, waxed, and edited my manly man hairs into submission.  Then I sat for two hours for the three dimensional foil, which honestly, doesn't look like I did anything to it. Which is awesome, because I still look like me, but without the gray.  Then we spent another hour attempting to get my hair to hold a curl, and then get that curl to go where we wanted it to.

Yeah.  The real day is gonna be fun. *sigh*

Leaving the salon, I returned to the mall to get a practice run in on my makeup.  I rarely wear makeup. It's not that I don't like to, it's just that on a normal day I have usually sweat it all off by 830 am, so it becomes pointless.  I never seem to wear enough to have it show well in pictures, and honestly wanted to be spoiled a bit and have a professional to do it. I also wanted to see how it would wear during the day/evening and if I would have any reactions to it, as my skin is really sensitive.  On a recommendation, I went to "J" at Lancome.  She is fabulous, and I love what she did.

And then I picked up Youngest, who took one look at me and said "What's with the eye colors?"

Oldest just said "Ugh.... Oh Gaaaaauwd....." and gave me the eye roll.  The eye roll!

What?

I thought I looked pretty.

So I'm asking you all...

Am I suitable for my Prince Charming?

(photo is unedited and my hair will be down
Excuse the fridge in the background,
we get all fancy here with out photo staging as you can see.)

Or Bozo the clown?

Feeling Random...

...and it's not even Tuesday.

Even better, I think I'll post this, then link up with Stacy tomorrow for Random Tuesday Thoughts which is another thing I've been meaning to do...

...but,  if I sit here long enough writing, I can effectively get out of the other things on the list (see previous post) that I am avoiding like the plague... and maybe Almost Hubs will bring me some ice cream...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I opened my dashboard today to find this post from Green Monkey Tales.  Shannon never fails to inspire me, make me laugh, or lose me in her thoughts.  Her use of the English language and her ability to make me think outside my box is awe inspiring.  You can click the blue writing to read the entire post, but I just have to quickly share with you her latest creation...

"His name is Mike. He's from Boston and he has Issues."

Who doesn't love a giant Voodoo man from Boston?  Seriously?  This Momma does.  Because she's also from Boston and has issues.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Work has been better.  I have been removed from the route I was doing for the last two weeks so a junior carrier could hold it down.  Win, win as far as I'm concerned.  He has the chance to acquire paid time off (I already have it) and I get home before 7pm.  Most nights.  So I'm back to bouncing around the office, doing a little of this, and a whole lot of that.  The bosses have changed again. The "new" one is is actually an old one, and he's back for good so they say.  I like him a lot.  He seems to know when to put on the big boss man pants, and when to ask for our help.  Things work so much better when we all just get along.

On a good note... the mail trucks are on their way to our office.  Which means that I will (hopefully) never have to deliver mail out of my own car again.  This also means that when my suburban station wagon of luxury finally dies, I can buy anything I want.

Like a shiny new Mustang convertible.  Red.  With the 6/8 cylinder gas mileage option.


....and then Almost Hubs can wait until I fall asleep, drive it back to the dealership, hand them the keys and say "Um, yeah.... she can't afford this..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of... We're trying to figure out what to call Almost Hubs here at Surviving Boys after the wedding.  For those of you who are new, he's been affectionately called The Rent-a-Husband, The Rental, The Rent-with-lease-option, Stunt Double Dad, Double D, The Superhero Sidekick, and currently, Almost Hubs.

Calling him Hubs or Mr. just seems so.... not me.

Any suggestions?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm considering taking the kids to the Water park this weekend by myself.  I'm not the strongest swimmer, but my children seem to think they are half dolphin.    I figure as long as it's not too crowded, and we don't play hide and seek or Marco polo, I should make it home with every one tact.  Pray for me... this has "what was I thinking?" all over it...



That's all for today. 

And probably for Tuesday too.

Wednesday's not looking good either.

I'm feeling really lazy lately.

Must be Superhero burn out.

Things I've Been Meaning To Do...

I know.  I know.

You all can't even believe I have things on my to do list.

But I do.

Because contrary to the popular beliefs of all of you who read, and know me in real life, I do occasionally get lazy.

Really I do.

So to keep on top of this, I've decided to link up with Lazy Mom and join in on her "things I've been meaning to do this Month" posts.




Now!  On with the list....

1. Link up with Lazy Mom and create my List.  See how easy, I'm already crossing stuff off the list! Wait... the link's closed.  Damn.  I'm only seven days late to the party....

2. Install the door to the laundry room downstairs.

3. Figure out what to do with my old oil tank..

4. Finish the hems on the "other" bridesmaid dresses.

5. Print out 15 old pictures (IE: the LAST detail that needs to be done for the wedding)

6. Scan and import the 200 pictures Almost Hubs's Mother wants to put into her digital photo frame.

7. Buy a zip drive to back up and save the 536 pictures that we already scanned into her digital frame so we don't have a repeat of the epic data failure of 2009.

8. Find a fabulous deal on flights to Ft. Lauderdale. Anyone got any advice here?

9. Fix my flag pole...

...and while I'm up there, repair the rotting trim around the garage window that was broken during the great pumpkin smash of  Nov. of 2009...

10.  Write up and call in an appointment with Youngest's neuropsychologist to discuss why her testing and the school's testing indicate the scores of two different children. I was supposed to have this done before school starts.  I've only had since June.  Can't imagine why I'm delaying this...

11. Have the kids write up their evaluations of their summer reading.  Don't judge.  At least the books are read.

Well, that's all I've got for now.  How about you?  Head on over to the Lazy Mom's and check out everyone Else's list.  If nothing else, you won't feel so overwhelmed. Or maybe you will.  But at least you'll know you're in good company.

Truth Is Thursday...

Truth is...

lately, it's all in the details....

Truth is... I can't hardly wait.

The Aftermath...

Well, as you can see, we are on day three of being home, it being Wednesday and all. Oldest managed to make it through the entire car ride home, only to wake up at 10-ish and proceed to spew chocolate milk all over the back wall, ceiling, door, and floor of the newly remodeled bathroom. Feeling a bit better the next morning, he decided to give it the good old YMCA try and go to camp. I managed to make it through about four hours of work before they called to come get him. A quick trip to the doctor revealed that he had all symptoms of the ever elusive strep virus and while he wasn't positive now, he most likely would be in the morning.  They issued their standard two day out of camp, complete with two day out of work note for me, until he is clearly no longer contagious.

I'm sure that everyone at work hates me now. Especially as I have today off anyway to take the kids to the Water park, provided no one hurls in the next 3 hours.  And if we do end up with a vomit fest, well then we're planning on continuing with the basement remodel.  I would love to get the walls primed before the wedding, but we shall see.  I'll go back to work on Thursday, get caught up in the office drama, and by Saturday, they'll have found someone else to hate.

Almost Hubs had developed a really bad headache, which by the way he carries on must in fact be a brain tumor, most likely from the drive, but seems to have rebounded by Tuesday night.

Youngest has the cough.  You know, the one that sounds like croup but isn't? Yeah, that's fun.

And me... well, still the picture of health so far, aside from my chest and back's bright red display of eternal punishment from my brief lapse in sunblock judgement. Damn European genes...  And so, what does one do with two days uninterrupted in the house?  She FINISHES her wedding dress.

Finished.

Like re-cut, re- sewn, bra sewn in, hemmed, trimmed, pressed and steamed, FINISHED.

Then I went through all the accumulated wedding stuff and got each person's stuff together. And set aside all the train stuff into totes. And made mental notes of what needs to be done while Almost Hubs is at his Bromance Bachelor Luncheon on Sunday.

And just what is a Bromance Bachelor Luncheon, you ask?

I have no flippin' clue.  My brother wants to take Almost Hubs out to lunch before the wedding since there's no bachelor party.  I told Almost Hubs to just say "No Thanks" if my brother asks him to "try on these nice hand made Italian cement shoes, and go for a nice walk by the river."

I also did laundry, caught up on blogs, and steamed out the bridesmaid dresses for "the other" wedding. I almost died when I thought I had water stained one of the bridesmaid dresses with the steamer.  I didn't, but I was panicked for a while there. I'll meet with her tonight and hopefully, the dresses will leave my house. It's too much pressure to keep the cat away from them.

And that brings you up to speed...

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Sunday....

(For any one who may have missed what's going on,

Kevin at Always Home And Uncool was given tickets

to Lake Compounce to give away and I won! 

 This is our trip to the park..)

Sunday morning would come casting glimpses of sunlight through the virtually impervious blackout curtains gently waking us from our Narnia style beds and our dreamlike comas....

...had we remembered to shut them.

Instead, come 630, the room was as bright as day.  None of that mattered though, as none of us moved form under the down comforters until after 730. Heaven.

After quick showers and breakfast, we were off to start our day at Lake Compounce. Armed with the GPS, we meandered our way through scenic side roads thanking the Lord that we could get there without getting on I84, occasionally consulting the GPS to ensure we were headed the right way.  The scenery was beautiful, country like, and serene.  We continued on, waiting to have this giant amusement park pop up at any moment.  We drove and drove.  Nothing.  We drove right off the GPS...

Really. Here we were, being directed into the parking lot and still...

Where the heck is the park?  Turns out, it's just well hidden.  Nestled deep in the Connecticut countryside is an actual Lake Compounce and appropriately named theme park.  Enter to the right with me...

While waiting to enter, I chatted with a nice older woman at the gift shop, who gave me the basic ins and outs of the park, and tips to make the day smooth and relaxing.  Seems unlike many parks, they allow for re-entry here.  So you can pack a cooler, exit at lunch time, make use of the picnic area to the right of the parking lot, then re-enter for the remainder of the day.  This little extra courtesy is especially great for us, because while there are some fabulous places inside the park to get the yummiest of amusement park foods, very few restaurants cater to a gluten free diet. 

Another great thing we discovered upon entering?  The rumors were true.

FREE SODA.

FREE.

All you can drink even.  And, for those who don't want soda, there's water on tap as well.  These little booths are set up throughout the park and clearly, instantly won the approval of Almost Hubs.  Honestly, I still think I may be still recovering from my Root Beer induced coma.

But the best part?  The part that made Youngest do this...

At 52" he could ride all but one ride.  All but one.  Which means for my thrill seeking, daredevil, I'll never survive his teens, Youngest, there was virtually nothing he couldn't do.  And so we did...

The Zoomerang pulls you up, drops you 60 feet, spins you upside down, and then stops 60 feet in the air.  How do you get down?  It drops you again, and you do the whole thing backwards. Fabulous.  Then there's Boulder Dash, a giant wooden coaster with a 145 foot drop, and a track that seems to span the entire back side of the park.

There's water rides as well that display warning signs of getting absolutely, positively, soaked.  No kidding...

Almost Hubs was so soaked from the Thunder Rapids, his clothes were still wet hours later. Saw Mill Plunge was also great, but not as much of a soaker. There are also plenty of water slides, most enclosed, and the most unique of all.....

The lighthouse water slide drops you right into the lake itself.  Pretty cool, huh?  There's an area roped off for the beach, and a boat for a casual sail around the lake.  By noon, the summer sun was beating down on us, and we were all a bit tired.  So we hoped upon the 1911 trolley...

and headed down to the ski lift.  Yes, the ski lift.  30 minutes of casually gilding through the air...

Look!  I can touch the tops of the trees with my toes!  (And I desperately need a pedicure) But when we rounded the corner, the view was spectacular...

Sufficiently worn out by 3pm, we left the park.  We are hoping to return next year and breaking it into two days, perhaps including a tour of the Mark Twain house and the Science Museum in Hartford. My sister is also thinking of coming with her kids, as they have a great kiddie area (clearly not seen here).  There was so much we didn't do, and Oldest missed a lot of it.  Sadly, after the first three rides, this was his position on various park benches the rest of the day...

Seems what ever he had, wasn't letting go any time soon.

He'll have a better time next year, I just know it.