Weekend Wrap Up

Ashley really wanted a two wheeler scooter, like a Razor. She isn't the most althetic child, and we were excited she was ready to do this (we took training wheels off her bike this weekend as well, but she is still not quite there yet). Friday night we went out and got ice cream and ran into Target and purchased her scooter.

And all she wanted to do on Saturday was ride the scooter (after the back-to-back birthday parties we attended). So she rode and rode and rode, and got better and better.

And then she left it at the end of the driveway.

And I ran over it with the van.

Friday Pictures - Memorial Day Weekend (Yes, I realize these are late)

I finally downloaded and weeded through all the pictures from our mini trip to Virginia.

First up, Grandma Mocha (Ray's Mom) and cousin Aiden, who as you can tell, can pull his own weight. Or in other words, doesn't miss a meal. He turned one in February.
And he weighs more than Audrey...
We attempted a family picture...
And had dinner with old friends and played "Battle of the Sexes" where unfortunately the girls lost.
The men worked hard on figuring out what to ask us.
And the kids crashed on the couch watching Scooby-Doo.
And we had dinner with new friends, where the girls rocked it like Hannah Montana.
And when I say rocked it, they did.
Oh, and I love their dog...I just can't remember his (or her) name.
Emily was so cute...
When these girls are on American Idol in like 20 years, you can say you saw them here first.
Love Abby's smile! Emily was just too quick for me to photo....
And Ashley just liked all the cool stuff Abby had.
Our last stop was Kings Dominion, an amusement park in Virginia. My twin brother met us since Ray was on his way to Atlanta at that point and I knew there was no way I could do it alone. Plus, the girls love "Crazy" Uncle Mike. This was the first ride of the day.
Audrey was beyond excited.
Somewhere there is a picture of my brother and I on this very same ride when we were little.

Uncle Mike and Ashley (the last car) on the Avalanche ride.

At least I knew who this character was...I didn't know some of the ones we encountered that day. Hey, don't judge, I am just a Disney person (although we own enough Backyardigans videos).


And I promise never to mention Memorial Day again. Pinky swear...

Minor League baseball rocks...

This past weekend, we decided at the last minute to go to Myrtle Beach for the weekend. It was the end of Biker Week 2008, but really, all those Harley riders are pretty nice. Plus, we don't stay on the main drag, so we don't even really see them much. My only regret for the weekend was the fact I FORGOT MY DAMN CAMERA. I didn't even have my Canon Powershot in my purse.

Saturday we spent time at the beach, then headed home for a quick nap for Audrey. We were back out of the house and off to Broadway at the beach so the girls could ride some rides before dinner. This is becoming a must for our trips there, and it is driving Ray nuts. Anyway, we went to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant (where Ray orders pizza, go figure) and we were off to our very first (except not really as we took Ashley when she was six weeks old to a game) Myrtle Beach Pelicans Baseball game.

They had these seats called "The Beach" and it was like sitting on the beach complete with sand and beach chairs. The girls had a blast running around and playing in the sand while we enjoyed part of the game. We only stayed until the 5th inning as it started to get chilly and I didn't bring any sort of jacket for me or the kids.

But really why minor league baseball rocks? We walked out of there with two coupons for a gallon of windshield washer fluid and 10 coupons for free donuts from Dunkin Donuts. They were giveaways in certain innings for not letting the other team score a run and striking out someone. And we got 10 coupons for donuts because the guy at the gate said we had two small kids and we needed more donuts. I am not sure if he meant we needed more or the kids. Ashley was a little confused as she thought they were actually going to give us a donut on the way out.

All in all, it was a great weekend away. Now we have to get geared up for this weekend's trip back to Virginia to visit family and friends.

I love baseball. I love watching baseball. I love eating the food at baseball stadiums. I love minor league games because they are so freaking funny sometimes.

Tomorrow...

The first time I flew by myself, I was meeting Ray in NYC. He was a consultant and at the time at a client there. I had no idea what to expect. And then I got off the plane and Ray was no where to be found. I called his cell phone only to find out he had to work late and he sent a car service to pick me up.

And that's when I started to cry. I had no idea where to find this car service person, or how much to tip him, or where I would end up, or even if the guy knew where to take me.

And of course, I worried for nothing. The guy was standing a few feet from me with a sign with my name on it. He safely delivered me to my hotel in Times Square and we ended up expensing a few things that weekend since Ray worked late that evening.

Tomorrow, I will fly again by myself, but this time to Fishkill, NY for a trip sponsored by Saturn and Orvis. I will blog about it as soon as I can. Wish me luck!

I think I did it...

I think I successfully made this holiday a good one for Ashley (and Audrey!).

• A new Valentine's Day shirt arrived in the mail yesterday, and she loves it
• Hearts sprinkled on her bedroom floor for when she woke up
• Balloons, including the Princess one she begged for in the Dollar Store
• Heart shaped donuts from Krispy Kreme (and omigod, are they yummy...)

• New pjs to wear tonight

I was going to attempt to make heart shaped pizzas for dinner tonight, but I think it will just be pizza. I was up until 11:30pm trying to convince Audrey to go to sleep and doing all the Valentine's day stuff. And then Audrey was up a few times after that. She obviously is unaware that Ray and I need some sleep.

And Ray got me a yummy box of chocolates that I had to restrain myself from devouring the whole box. He has been slammed with working so much this past week (the real estate market here is good), and because he is such a good husband, he has been trying to at least eat dinner with us and work around some scheduling conflicts I have. I couldn't ask for a better husband.

Check tomorrow for pictures of the festivities!

Friday Pictures - Shoes and what I do on Thursday nights...

I admit it. I have a shoe problem. And it's not for me, it's for my kids. I love getting shoes for the girls. They have church shoes, tennis shoes, multiple pairs of crocs (which they are discouraged from wearing to school anymore), and play shoes. I am thinking I need to get some boots for them, although it doesn't snow here...

Anyways, I bought Audrey's newest pair of shoes from Kohl's for $14.99...what a deal!

Aren't they cute? (and yes, I mean the shoes and the people)

Buy me more shoes!
Check out my new shoooooossssss.
Ashley had to get in on the fun...she is showing off her socks. That black thing? It's really Minnie Mouse's head...

The next pictures are going to showcase what I do for an hour and a half on Thursday nights...just in case anyone out there was curious...My town built a brand new cultural center a little over a year ago. Yes, my little town outside of Raleigh has a cultural center. It's really kind of cool, it has a library, rooms for classes, a coffee bar, and a 200 person auditorium. That auditorium is where we practice and play. The town provides us with chairs and stands.

Gathering before practice. That person in the red on the right is my good friend Heather. She comes to my house and eats dinner with us prior to practice every Thursday. And she got to see the wrath of grumpy Ashley last night. I think I scared her from having more children.

I sit next to these clowns. Seriously, they were laughing so hard at one point last night they were crying. Or maybe they were crying because they miss Martha?

Our low brass, the trombones and tuba guy. Oh, and the end of my bassoon. There are normally a few baritones, but they didn't show up tonight. I think they knew I was going to bring my camera.

My view, and our very nice, very good band director. The seats normally don't look like that, they are pushed up against the wall.

And this is what I play.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...well, it has for a while for us since we have been practicing Christmas music since September. This piece we are actually playing along with a children's choir.

Band Drama!

As most of you know, I play bassoon in my town's community concert band. And a ton of crap has been happening lately, which I find totally interesting, but some of you may want to skip this snooze fest...

The original band director had some issues. He wouldn't listen to us as a band, chose music I hated (as well as most others), and made mistakes in concerts. Was he getting paid? Absolutely not. Do I make mistakes in concerts? Absolutely. The difference was he wouldn't take constructive critism, not from the band members or the board.

I was at one time the fundraising chair person. I pretty much quit because no matter how much work I put into it, it wasn't enough. This guy expected a full time job to be done by me, and here I am thankful I found a band that only practiced for two hours once a week. I was doing this because I loved it....

The Board members all had issues with him, and approached him on several occasions. Then I guess they finally had enough after myself and my good friend Heather said we were going to go try out another band (although the only other band Heather and I found looked like we would be the youngest members by a good 30 years...). Their plan was to meet with the band director and convince him to step down. And they wanted me present for this.

Of which I was not. I knew this was going to turn ugly and I do not like confrontations. I don't do well with them. I mostly just cry. Ask Ray about the time he tried to buy a car with me and started getting loud with the sales guy....me crying actually helped...anyways...

So the band director stepped down. And now we have this cool new woman director who rocks. And all is good in band geekdom.

This isn't the post I intended for today....

Ever since vacation, Audrey has been having a rough time. Bedtime isn't going as smoothly as it was before, and Ray said the dropoffs at school have been going bad as well.

And that continued for me this week. With Ray gone, I have been obviously doing the dropoffs, and this morning, I pretty much had to drag Audrey to her room. She normally goes into her old room to say hi to her old teacher, but that teacher wasn't there this morning. So I take her crying into her room. Luckily, her teachers are great and take her from me and by the time I leave and wait about 30 seconds, she has stopped crying. But still. I feel like mother of the year. That and there were two other mothers in Audrey's room sitting on the floor with their kids, while Audrey's teacher came and took Audrey. I felt like I should have stayed, but honestly, that just would have made it worse. And maybe those mothers staying is the routine they have every morning, I don't know.

And prior to that, I had to drag Ashley out of the van. She wanted to get out on Audrey's side, but that would have required her to step over some stuff, and I had already shut Audrey's door. She didn't want to get out on her side as the parking space next to us was empty and a car could pull in any second. The mind of a four year old....

So after dropping the girls off, I get on the road. My tire is making a weird ticking noise (you see where this is going, don't you...), but I checked it, and it seemed fine. I stop and get Starbucks (I am already late for work, why not be more late) and then get on the highway. As soon as I get up to 65 mph, my tire makes a funny noise and bam, it's flat. On the beltline with three lanes of traffic. I make it over to the left side of the highway and pull off.

And then I become a wuss - I cry. Pathetic, I know. But I had no idea what to do. Ray is miles away, and everyone else is at work. We don't have AAA or anything like that. I call Ray who is still in Phoenix. He tells me to call *47 for Highway Patrol. I call them and tell them my location (I had no idea if I was going east or west, I think the guy thought I was a complete idiot) and as soon as I get off the phone, a state trooper pulls over with me. He makes sure I am okay and tells me an IMAPP truck (motor assistance) was on the way and to stay in my car.

And the truck showed up 5 minutes later. I love living here. People are so nice. The guy helps me out (although he didn't believe me at first on where my spare was...) and I was on my way. I am driving on a donut, but at least Ray is coming home hopefully tonight (he is flying standby today, otherwise he is taking the red eye tonight and will get home in the morning as planned).

Friday Pictures (I don't have any...)- October 19th is MY day.....and well, my brother's too...

I was going to scan a photo of my twin brother and I, and well, packing got the most of me last night.

And then I was too excited to sleep...

But, Happy Birthday to my brother Mike! And well, Happy Birthday to me too!

And if you are curious, we are 32 today. Kind of a whatever number. Not too exciting, getting further from 30, but not yet at 35.

And as I keep forgetting, Pam gave me this great award this week for “bloggers who are fun, cool, and of course Totally Fabulous!”

And you all are really fabulous, really you are. These people keep me sane with our daily email chats, and I am going to pass it on to:

SJ - My BFF from high school, need I say more
Edie - I couldn't make it through the day without hanging out with her and her beautiful daughter every day...
CPA Mom - give her some love, she's having a rough week
Happy Working Mom - I really, really need to meet this person!
Julie - Same goes for her, we really need to meet up!

And at Noon today, we will be heading for the great state of Florida. And I promise to bring you Live! Blogging! From Interstate I-95! As I pass out snacks, toys, and provide constant entertainment on what we hope will only be a 7 hour drive...

Check back later taters....

Weird Stuff

I see some pretty weird stuff sometimes at work. Being at the largest hospital in the area, we attract all sorts of people. I have been asked for money on more than one occasion. I see way too many kids walking around barefoot in a hospital where they require us to cover our food if we take it from the cafeteria to our offices (plenty of stuff floating around the air I am sure). I have seen an entire family get into an elevator, all gnawing on chicken legs, from the littlest 2 year old to Grandma.

A few weeks ago, I was about a quarter mile from work when I saw a man in his hospital gown and slippers walking down the side of the road. I guess he didn't like his service of care....

I see prisoners, both Federal and State. Some in shackles on their feet and hands, orange and white striped uniforms. Some are escorted by one guard, others by many.

But this morning? This takes the cake. I drove onto campus and standing in full view of everyone right next to the visitor parking garage and one of the employee lots was a man with his hands down his pants. Doing his own thing. Not what I wanted to see. By the time I parked and walked into work, he was gone. I am guessing one of our police officers found him (or at least I am hoping).

So what's the weirdest thing you have seen at work? Or at the mall? Or anywhere else for that matter?

I Normally Don't Complain, Really I Don't

It's just been one of those weeks. And while I am normally an upbeat, happy person, I just feel like complaining a little today. So either laugh at me, console me, or just tell me I am plain whiny, I don't care. It's only Thursday...when I woke up this morning, I could have sworn it was Friday.

I hate it when Ray sacks me when I call his cell phone. How do I know he sacks me? It will ring once or twice and then miraculously go to voice mail. Then I know he has hit that button on his phone to send me to voice mail. Thank goodness I wasn't calling him with an emergency.

What else I hate? When I go to talk to a coworker or boss or someone at work and they continue to type on their computer while I am trying to tell them something. Or they read emails. WTF? Seriously, as much as I am chatty at home and with friends, I am not at work because I don't work with chatty people. Just give me two minutes to ask my question without looking at your computer.

I am finally starting to feel better, but Audrey has a faucet for a nose. At least it's clear snot and probably her allergies. We were told we could wean her off the Zyrtec in May, well, here we are in September and she's still on it.

Okay, I feel better. Thanks for letting me whine.

Good Day

I am hoping today continues to be a good day. So far so good....

Every morning, the alarm goes off at ten minutes to six. I normally take a shower, and then wake up Ray and have him take his shower before I leave for work. Why we do it in this order, I have no idea. Some mornings, I beg Ray to take a shower first so that I can have that coveted 15 more minutes of sleep.

This morning? He got up on his own and got in the shower first. Of course, I was so shocked I couldn't really go back to sleep. That and my leg was twitching....

Who else can do this with their thumbs???

Have a Happy Hump Day...

Stressful Couple of Days

As most of you know, I am pursuing my Master's Degree in Elementary Education. On the schedule I am now, I am set to finish classes next August and then I would have to student teach for 12 weeks. If I am in a teaching position already, I don't have to do the student teaching and therefore go unpaid and without health benefits for 12 weeks.

Since teachers are so needed in much of the US, you can actually start teaching in North Carolina using "lateral entry" prior to having your teaching license. You just have to be working towards it and have passed the PRAXIS (teaching exam) to be eligible.

What I did not know was that most elementary schools and their principals do not hire lateral entry. If I wanted to teach middle or high school, I would get in no problem.

Anyways, I have had a few interviews, but I have chalked most of them up to practice as the education world seems to be very different from the corporate accounting world. But on Monday, I interviewed with a charter school here in Raleigh and they actually offered me the job. But today I am turning it down for multiple reasons.

First, they couldn't even pay me close to what the first year teachers make in my county. And basically, it wasn't even enough to cover daycare costs. Then, I would have to walk out of my current job as classes start next Wednesday. I just can't do that. And the school. I would be going in as a brand new teacher, no experience, teaching in a school that tests scores have gotten so bad the school is deemed a "low performer" by the state. Talk about challenging.

So this week has been stressful. I would love to teach as soon as possible, but I know that I have to make the right decision in doing so. I can't just jump into someplace just because they are willing to give me a job. Ray has been the grounding voice in all this. He is the one that brought me back to reality and helped me talk through all of it.

After many discussions with Ray and looking at my class schedule and such, I am going to try and accelerate my classes. As in take more than one class at a time. It may mean a couple more late nights for me, but if I can get into student teaching by next spring, then just maybe I can start teaching for real next fall.

Another Edition of Where Am I Today (or Yesterday...)

Go here to see my review I did for The Opinionated Parent...

Go here (and scroll down to the August 6 entry, I can't get the permalink to work) to see the cool product that was mailed to me for me to try out for free. How cool is that??!! If only someone would mail me a new stroller or perhaps a side mirror for my van, that would be awesome...

Today is another scorcher as it is in most of the East Coast. Yesterday it was 83 degrees outside when I left my house at 6:45am. It finally reached 103 with a real feel of 112...

Tomorrow I am heading out of town. (I will be posting pictures tomorrow, I had Audrey's first haircut done on Monday (sob)). My friend Julie (the one in the picture of me in NYC with my Mom) and I are heading to Virginia Tech to check out the campus, the memorial they are building, and just hang out without kids at our old stomping grounds. I haven't been back in 3 years and am looking forward to see the campus. I am not looking forward to all the feelings that I will have in seeing Norris Hall where most of the shootings took place, but I think this will be a good trip. And maybe I will find a Virginia Tech apron...

Transformers

Almost exactly a year ago, I took my Mom to NYC for her 50th birthday. I remember going to Old Navy prior to the trip and trying to find something cute to wear.

That's me, second from the left...

I thought I had succeeded in finding something cute and that hid my "figure". I was completely wrong.

Upon returning, I had my annual exam with my OB. I had high blood pressure and weighed the most I have ever weighed (sans being pregnant) in my entire life. Then a little girl that lives on my street asked me if I was pregnant.

I signed up for Weight Watchers the next day, thanks to my Mom who paid for my first couple of months.

And now?? I wear a size 6. I didn't even wear a size 6 in college. I can buy a small or medium shirt, depending on the cut. With my boobs and my weight prior, that would have NEVER happened. I was comfortable hanging out in the XL sizes. And speaking of boobs, I lost a couple of cup sizes as well.

Just ignore the crazy hair and weird smile...

The other nice thing about this? I inspired Ray who in turn lost 50 pounds to match my 60 pounds lost. Together we lost enough weight of a petite adult.

Yes, I totally took this picture at work...I obviously need more work to do...

We have changed our lifestyle. I used to eat McDonald's once a week, now I go months without. Greasy, fried food actually gives me a stomachache, so avoiding it isn't difficult. I haven't had a regular soda in a year. Diet Coke is my champ. I measure out my portions and Ray and I normally share meals when we eat out.

Don't get me wrong, we still treat ourselves once a week to a milkshake from Sonic or ice cream from Cold Stone. We just now know when enough is enough.

And it has been fun (although expensive) changing our entire wardrobes. The outlet mall in Myrtle Beach has been our friend.

I hope Ashley only remembers "skinny" mommy, and not the one who looked like she was stung by a bee in the face.

Hump Day with some Real Randomness

The summer between my junior and senior year in college, I had an office job working for the Federal Government. It was a sweet deal, I was paid well and the work was easy. My best friend in college also had an office job, and every Wednesday we would spend most of the day faxing each other funny cartoons or drawings to celebrate "Hump Day". It helped the time go by fast and gave me something to look forward to on that day smack in the middle of the week.

This Hump Day? Nothing to look forward to. I guess I am just feeling blah. I feel like I have a cold, but I am guessing it actually might be allergies. Since I haven't had allergies before, I don't know though. But Audrey's eczema is flaring right now and her nose is a faucet. Ashley's nose is actually a little runny as well.

It's just one of those days.

And someone Ray tried to help in the real estate business has turned out to be a complete BITCH. And it pisses me off.

Audrey hasn't bitten anymore at school since our meeting. They moved her up to the older toddler class where the toddlers seem to better understand personal space, and she hasn't had one incident.

Ashley has moved up at school and actually moves up again in August to the Pre-K room where she has to wear a uniform. Yup, you read that right, a uniform. Not really sure how that will go over. I guess we will find out next month.

Think my boss would notice if I shut my door and took a nap?

Friday Pictures - Red, White and Blue

First off, look at this totally cool gift I got in the mail from Christine...love it. She emailed me and asked me if I wanted the Disney pin, and then she also sent the photo holder...absolutely beautiful. Another Blogger who totally rocks...

The pin and photo holder...
A closer look at the pin...one day I will post a picture of all my Disney pins being the geek I am.
I am home today (schoolwork and more schoolwork to do, this Master's degree thing is freaking hard...). Anyways, the girls have a parade this afternoon at school and are all dressed in their red, white and blue. This is Ray and Ashley...
Audrey ready to go...
Ashley dressed herself this morning (I know, she should be doing that all the time...).
Still ready to go...

Me and the girls...no, I have not showered in this picture. And yes, Audrey and I are pale compared to Ashley.

Tomorrow my twin brother comes with his girlfriend who everyone else in the family has met besides Ray and I. And my Dad and Stepmom are coming too. I have a band concert on Sunday evening (with a solo!!), so they are coming to see me in all my band geekiness. I promise to post pictures.

Have a great weekend...

Can you guess what's missing?

A side mirror? You are correct! Sorry, no great prizes today.

So Friday night we go to the pool. On the way home, I stop off at Sonic to get Ashley and I some ice cream (Ray had already taken Audrey home at this point). I pull into the bay where you order (and for those of you not familiar with Sonic, it's one of those places where they bring food to your car, sometimes on roller skates, most of the time not). I notice that it's a little tight on the one side, but in my excitement over a yummy sundae, I forget this as I start to pull away. And I completely take off my side mirror. Okay, well not completely, as it still had some cord attached that Ray wrestled with on Saturday to take off.

Not a good way to start a weekend...

Crazy Roommates

A few people have asked about my poor cat I had in college and her visit to the freezer in the townhouse I was living in.

It was my junior year of college, and I lived with three other girls in a townhouse. For those of you who know Virginia Tech, it was the Pheasant Run townhouses. Anyways, my roommates:

1. Lisa - nymphomaniac, striped for money at frat parties, was extremely smart, last I heard she was still waiting tables at Tech.

2. Amy B. - the bisexual one. Nuff said.

3. Amy C. - Little Amy, from a really small town in New Jersey, prior to living with us had never kissed a boy, had a job, driven a car, or boiled water.

Needless to say, it was interesting beyond the fact that there were three Amy's living under one roof. As I said, it was my junior year in college and the hardest year in the accounting program. I was studying a ton and working part time and breaking up with my long time boyfriend from high school. A lot was going on with me. They were all in their senior year and goofy off and having fun. Nothing wrong with that except their version of having fun was a little different than mine.

Exhibit A: My poor cat Cannoli was stuck in the freezer by Amy B. to see what it would do. Apparently, she liked to hurt animals. And I will tell you, it will meowed it's little head off. The following weekend, Cannoli went to live with my Mom.

Exhibit B: Little Amy was in the half bathroom and Lisa and Amy B. duct-taped the door shut except for the bottom and used a hair dryer to blow baby powder into the bathroom. I still to this day have no idea why.

Exhibit C: I like my stuff. I used to be really possessive about my stuff (had issues my freshman year with my roommate wearing all my clothes, that's a whole other story...). I have gotten better. Anyways, routinely they would do things to stuff in my room like hang clothes from the ceiling and mess with my alphabetized CD collection (don't make fun.of.me).

Exhibit D: On more than one occasion, I would come home to some boy crashed out in MY BED.

Exhibit E: Dumbasses Lisa and Amy B. thought they would teach Amy C. to drive a car at night to pick them up from a frat party. Needless to say, she wrecked Amy B.'s car.

That's all I remember for now. I am sure there is more, I just may have blocked it all out.

Let's Get Physical, Physical

So tomorrow morning at 10:30, Ray and I are having our life insurance policy physicals. We had a life insurance policy before, but we both collectively weighed 100 or so more pounds and the lady who did our physical saw cigars in our house and put it down that we smoked (they were a gift from my brother and Ray will have one on very special occasions, like a good poker game). Anyways, we are pretty sure we will get better rates this time.

Our agent sent us a tip sheet on what to do and avoid prior to the physical. First off, I am not supposed to exercise 24 hours prior. Oh darn. No caffeine that morning and we have to fast from Thursday night until the appointment. So if I am a complete bitch tomorrow morning, you will know why. I NEED my cup of coffee in the morning. I am sure I will have a headache by 7:00 am.

On an unrelated note, I did go to the gym last night...anyone else a complete loser like me and listen to your kid's music even when they aren't in the car? I was totally jamming to Disney's greatest hits....