Road Trip!

From almost the very beginning of our relationship, Kevin and I have been planning a weekend getaway. I'm happy to report that it only took ten months to make that dream a reality. Kevin had proposed lots of locales ranging from exotic to cosmopolitan. In the end, I suggested someplace a little closer to home. My babysitting arrangements are always tenuous, at best, so Kevin rented this sweet little ride and we headed south to Huntsville, AL.

Our first stop was lunch with Kevin's friends, Kevin and Lara, and their two sons. Now I have a lot of experience with cake, but I have to say that this place served the biggest piece of chocolate cake I have ever seen. It was gi-damn-normous. And, yes, everyone got cake but me and none of them could finish it. Amateurs...

Later that afternoon,after we checked in at the hotel, we had a visit with Kevin's dad and stepmom. It was a perfectly painless meeting and I felt a little foolish for being nervous beforehand. My social unease manifests itself in such crazy ways. I spent most of the visit trying not blurt out "Hey lady, why do you have framed pictures of cats on your end tables?" I really did want to know.

Late in the afternoon, we toured Twickenham , a fabulous little community full of unique,old houses. Kevin drove very patiently while I pointed and exclaimed "Look at that roof"; "Look at that rose bush"; "I love that porch" and other sparkling and witty observations.



I also got a guided tour of some of the most (in)famous landmarks from Kevin's high school and college days. The best part about this kind of thing , early in a relationship, is that all these stories are new to me. I envision a day, many years from now, when I will shake my head in exasperation and wonder how many friggin times he will tell me that that shopping center used to be an empty field :)

Saturday night, we had dinner with Kevin's high school buddy, Lisa, and her husband Bryant. It was the most fun I have had in a very long time. As I was the only "non-alumni" in the group, I expected to feel left out by the ubiquitous "Remember when..." conversations. Luckily, after four margaritas, I can't remember what school I graduated from, so it worked out fine.

Sunday morning, I slept til 10AM. I have not slept that late since Savannah was born 9 years ago. It was fantastic! We had a long lunch with more of Kevin's old friends before heading home.

I think the trip was definitely worth the wait. Here are just a few lessons that this long needed trip taught me:

1 - I really need to get out more often.
2 - Alabama has the most random billboards imaginable.
3 - Hotel coffee sucks monkey.

Mmmm...butter!

20 reasons...

A few years ago, on a very slow day at work, my friend and former co-worker Dann created this list. I vowed to blog it and it only took me three years to start the blog and find the list :)


20 Reasons You're Still Working at (Major Healthcare Institution)

1.You enjoy seeing inbred hillbillies get the mediocre service they deserve.

2. Free fast internet while at work.

3.You have the same belief system as the doctor you work for - that he/she is the instrument of God on this earth.

4.Two words: Free turkey

5.That guy you know at St. Thomas who was going to help you get a job there changed his phone number and forgot to tell you.

6.You have 400 hours of sick time saved up, and there's no way you'll let go of that.

7. It took you so damn long to get hired that you feel compelled to stick around for a while.

8.You're willing to sacrifice a large chunk of your life for benefits you've been told are unattainable anywhere else.

9. The dream of validating your favorite country star's parking ticket.

10. 1/2 day spent staring into space + 1/2 day spent complaining = good day.

11. No one else will put up with your pathetic, lazy, whiny self.

12. You want to see just how much more crap they can stack on top of a parking garage.

13. If you hang around long enough, someone is bound to recognize your value and give the position and salary you actually deserve.

14. Eventually, something worth a damn might show up at the food court.

15. You're pretty sure that thing about them putting your kids through college is for real.

16. If you get fired, you can always pull out some sort of discrimination issue and maybe win a big lawsuit.

17. Showing up late and leaving early every day is just one of many unadvertised benefits.

18. You're just too apathetic and bitter to move on.

19. That 3 percent yearly raise seems reasonable to you.

20. Sooner or later, that sorry heifer down the hall will die, and then you'll have your own office

Father's Day 2007

I have been extremely blessed to have a great dad. He's certainly not perfect and we've had our share of problems but on the very short list of men I can trust, he's always going to land at the top. Father's day for me is always tinged with a little sadness because I know my girls won't be able to say that about their own dad. I realize that, for them, no matter how their relationship with Ryan develops, Father's day will always be about what was missing.

Luckily, they're still young enough to be completely self centered. So this Father's day was all about cavorting in their new white trash swimming pool. Hands down, the best twenty bucks I have spent all summer.

Sacrifice

By 6AM this morning I had dressed for work, packed the kid's stuff for camp, made breakfast, dressed and 'sunscreened' the kids and we were headed out the door. As I buckled Ava in her car seat, she spotted it... My breakfast. Two pieces of full-fat, delicious string cheese. "Mommy', she said "Did you bring those for me?"




Guess who went hungry this morning :)

Fear of the Unknown

I'm scared of my new cell phone. There. I said it.
What is my problem? It's pink. It takes pictures. It doesn't have two years worth of makeup built up on the screen. On paper, it seems perfect. It's just so unfamiliar. It has weird ring tones. I can't figure out how to erase text mistakes (and I use that feature A LOT). Also, it has a new number. Changing your phone number is more work than changing your name and much more annoying. As this is my very first blog post ever, it occurs to me that my life must be pretty wonderful if this is the premier annoyance in my life.