Hard conversation with Sissy

Coming home from school today.  She was her usual happy self, gabbing away about what she was seeing out the window and making general chit chat.

We saw a dog on the sidewalk, leashed and walking with it's owner.

Sissy:   "Dat dog's in da street Mimi"

Me:  "Yes, it is, but it's on a leash with it's owner so I think it's safe"

Sissy:  "If he wasn't wif his person he would get runned over and hurt"

Me"  "Yeah you are probably right, that wouldn't be good would it?"

Silence for a few moments

Sissy: "Kasey died"

Me:  "Yes, he did"

Sissy:  " And Mommy died"

Me:  "Yes honey she did"

Silence for a few more minutes

Sissy: " I wish I would died"

Me: (gulp - fighting tears - make voice sound normal):  "Oh honey, that would make all of us so sad.  We would miss you.  If you died, you wouldn't be on the earth anymore with your family and friends and school"

Sissy:  "but, I just want to die too"

Me: (speechless - praying how to answer her) "how come?"

Sissy:  "I just want to be died too"

By this time, we had pulled in the driveway and a change of subject was in order since she wasn't offering any more details or thoughts.  She cheerfully went off to get the mail and then be first leader walking into the house. Conversation over for her. 

Not for me.  My heart hurts.  What does one say to that?  How does one help a 4 year old understand?

I am grateful for an intake evaluation we have for her at a grief center that specializes in small children and loss of parents.  We have a book they recommended we read to her and help her understand that of all the many ways someone can die, that her mommy made the choice for her body to stop working.  I can't bring myself to do the hard talk.  We asked about therapy but we have been told twice now by professionals to wait.  She has had too much too soon and to give it a little more time.

While we wait, I will forever be wondering what is going on in that sweet, smart, observant little mind of hers.  We are pouring on the love and support, but will it be enough?

Breaking my heart it is.

Spiritual Sunday and a few other uplifting thoughts

Sissy and I were late for church today and so that meant that we ended up taking the sacrament in the foyer.  I hate having to do that, because it's more difficult to make it meaningful, while I am also asking her to climb off the sofa, please don't run down the hall and put the pass along cards back.  I was starting to feel like maybe I should have just passed on church.

You KNOW what happens when you have those thoughts, usually the best lesson happens or you hear just the right thing to give you that little extra oomph needed.  No disappointment today.

In Sunday School, the discussion was on being a true disciple of Christ.  Not the kind that profess in public but then leads a different life in private, but one that is true, as true as they can be despite their human weaknesses, at all time.

The teacher shared an email that I had read a really long time ago as it made the rounds, but I had totally forgotten it.  It struck a strong chord with me today:

Author Unknown
"I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made.

I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure.

I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity.

I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded.

I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power.

My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven.

My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.

I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary.

I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus!
I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes.

And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear!"


As I mentioned, I had read this before, but today it resonated.  Maybe it's been all the opposition we have faced the past 2 months or so, or maybe I was in just the right frame of mind, or maybe it was a strong reminder to make sure that my motives and intentions are pure.  At any rate, I came away with a renewed sense of commitment to the belief's that I own.  And when I say own, I mean own.  Not the ones I tinker with, dabble in, or think about - but that I OWN.  They are a part of my very self. 
Does that mean I live perfectly and above reproach?  Nope.  I'm human and subject to mistakes just as much as the next cat.  But when it comes to what I KNOW, I know it, I can't deny it, and I will do my best to live by it.

I thought of my many friends of different beliefs and religions.  The above creed is speaking of Christianity, but I don't see how it can't apply to others, regardless of their preferred belief system.  A higher power, science, Allah, God in whatever form he/she takes for them.  It comes down to sticking by what you believe no matter what.  Being a disciple for good.  Serving others and spreading a message of love, peace and acceptance.

I was glad I didn't ditch Sunday School.  I was glad I listened, I was glad that my heart happened to be open to the lessons that I needed to learn.

My other thoughts?
We attended the sealing of a sweet family in our ward Friday night.  Sealing families in the temple is one of the ultimate goals in my church.  We believe that families can be together  forever using proper priesthood authority in the temple of the Lord.  We believe that those family relationships extend after death.   I remembered back to when my own sweet family had the opportunity.  I sobbed as I watched the sweet faces of their children all dressed in white and thought of seeing my own boys (much younger than now) in the same situation.  It's a tender thing.  I was glad for chance to be there and to feel the Spirit of love and happiness for that cute family.  My tears were also for my own children and the strong desire that they would one day find themselves there, in the Temple, as well.

And finally, my cute son got some liberty this weekend and his even cuter girlfriend has gone to Cali to be there for his MCT graduation and to spend the 24 hours over the weekend that he had with him.  We skyped last night, but it was all about catching him up to date about the legal crap with Sissy and the other grandparents.  It wasn't a great call.  I could see that I caused him some stress.  And while the law clearly states what is correct, and we are in the right, the other side continues to harass with random motions and filings.  At least now, with the attorney filing the paperwork identifying himself as our counsel, all the certified letters that seem to come twice a week now have to go to him and the stress is off us.  After filling him in and passing along some information we got from a child grief center on clarifying for Sissy, her mothers death, we ended the call a little sadly.
I was determined this morning that instead of unhappiness, our call would be the opposite.

It was good that his sweet KM was there too because much of what I felt like I needed to say involved her.  We love her.  We love that she is "over the moon" about our son.  He has never had anyone in his life love him the way she loves him.  I am so happy for them.  He loves her and loves that she loves his daughter so deeply and completely.  We talked about their future plans, how they would affect not just themselves but Sissy too.  All of us are committed to making sure that her needs are met and that the best for her is priority.
You have no idea how refreshing that is!  It was a skype session full of love, understanding and a few tears of happiness.  I couldn't have asked for more.

So as I end this Sunday, I am expressing gratitude for the peace that has been mine today.  Not sure what tomorrow will bring since it seems our life is a constant roller coaster these days, and I am certainly not getting my hopes up that the ridiculous litigation problem staring us in the face right now will suddenly be over, but for now, I am grateful for a day of peace, love and rest from those concerns.  Even if just for the day.

One liners

Funny how you can experience a deep dark pit in your stomach, and then 8 hours later, sweet joy.

I like sweet joy better.

The pit will come back, just not today.

I still absolutely LOVE my car.

I can't wait to drive it everyday.

A new mattress can mean the world of difference in your body when you get up in the morning, regardless if you have actually slept at all.

One of the greatest inventions ever is Skype.

One of the stupidest inventions ever is the seat belt dinger noise.

I don't like to put on my seatbelt if I am just going to the other street in my neighborhood.

Ice skating is dangerous.

So are some EMT's

A head wound bleeds a lot and even when a professional tells you it's just a goose egg, it's best to get it checked, you might end up with 7 staples in your head.

I didn't fall on the ice, but my friend did.

I think church activities should ban ice skating since this is the 3rd year in a row with someone knocking their melon.

Splenda Daddy ratted us out to the bishop.

Preschools are petri dishes.

I'm glad I am not a school teacher. 

New clothes are needed and wanted. 

Same with shoes.

Been to busy to shop.

Getting a new Zumba instructor at the gym is bringing a smile to my face.

I like Zumba again.

For now, I like my private blog

Going Private

She has seen my response.  And so will everyone else in their google readers.

I'm now going private - if you want an invite - get at me, you know how.

Yes.No.Maybe

Yes - I am alive and still kicking.

No - I can't caught up on my google reader.  Trying desperately, can't get there.  Please don't be mad at me if I haven't commented on your blog lately, I am wanting to read everything and everyone, just not finding the time.

Yes - I am still toying with the idea of going private.  I would like the ability to write what I really feel instead of knowing that I am being stalked, watched, and my words twisted.

No - I have nothing interesting to post about right now that I can post publicly

Yes - My life is a little piece of heaven hell right now.

No - There isn't anything I can do about it, but continue giving the attorney information.  Gathering documentation and waiting to see what piece of shit drops next.

Yes - We are dealing with some legal issues.

No - Splenda Daddy and I are fine - it happens to be with  Sissy's other grandparents.

Yes - We believe we are doing the right thing and that in the end, the right resolution will be made.

Yes - It is expensive, but again, if we didn't care so desperately about Sissy's well being we wouldn't be spending the money for the expertise.

No - you can't reason with crazy.  Stop trying.

Yes - Luka moved out and lives closer to his new job and school.

Yes - I am happy for him but a little sad and missing him.

No - He doesn't get to come back. Those are the rules dude.

Yes - I am still working out and training for the the TOO MANY events I have registered for.

No - I will not back down from them.  I will face them head on.

Yes - I am trying to scale back and let things go in my life that I can.  Blogging seems to be taking a hit.

No -  I haven't found the peace and happiness that I should have by now.  Instead I walk around with a constant knot in my stomach and a feeling of anxiety I can't shake.

Yes - My Marine is doing well.  He is graduating MCT on the 1st and then heading off to MOS school.  Waiting word on where that will be.

No - I am not worried about him.  But if he were here some of these legal issues wouldn't be an issue at all.  That would be easier - not gonna lie.

Yes - I have a great support system with my family and friends, but in reality, they can only do so much.  That's just the facts.  Although, I hate to think where I would be without them.

No - I don't get to go to Cancun this year.  That has me seriously depressed.

Yes - Sissy is doing fantastic.  She is happy.  Happier than we have ever seen her.  She brings joy in our lives.

No - Sissy has no clue how anxious I feel.  Acting is a calling I missed in life.

Yes - It really is 3:00am and I am awake. 

Maybe, I will try to go back to bed and catch some sleep before the alarm goes off in two hours.

How do you get rid of bed bugs?

You call the PROFESSIONALS!

You remember my lamenting here right?  Well, we've been battling them.  Freezing, heating, reading everything on the internets we could get our hands on but just couldn't do it on our own.  And trust me, we had no major infestation, but some nonetheless.

Splenda, as always, was doing his researching, trying the techniques (see above) that he could come across when we finally threw in the towel and found this company.

Spider Spray.

They were even featured on the local news

Go ahead and click the links and check them out.   Not now of course, but when you're done reading my sad little saga - THEN go click the links and check them out.

Splenda finds them, calls one of the owners Kevin Thorne and sets up a time for Kevin and his bug sniffing dog to come out and do a check.  Yeah, that's right a BUG SNIFFING DOG!

(yes that is Radar - no that is not my bed - image swiped from their website)

.
Kevin came, did a visual inspection, found a few and then let Radar loose to confirm.  The verdict?  Yes, we have bed bugs.  Major infestation?  No.  But you wait long enough and you will.

They came within a couple of days, and completely pulled my house apart.  We had a list of things to remove to avoid damage, and we planned to actually not be living here for a couple of days, but these guys were good enough to get the job done without us having to spend a night away from home.

One day to do the entire upstairs, another day to do the entire downstairs.  As you learn from their website, heat treating is the only proven effective way to eradicate the buggers, so I enjoyed some unusually warm temps while Splenda worked on trying to cool the treated places down. 

Props to Kevin's staff.  Great young men who were courteous, professional and laughed at my jokes.  What more can I ask for?

Kevin himself is a rockstar.  The first night he spent 2 and half hours with us, going through the rooms, discussing the bugs, how they live, how they feed, how they travel, how you get them etc...... NGL - I was a little skeeved out and ready to just toss a match and walk away from my house.
He, however, ensured us that we could get rid of them and then discussed how we can avoid them in the future.

He was a good sport to video with me and we are super pleased with their work.  So pleased that we made a deal about some advertising for him.  I really didn't realize what a problem it was, not just everywhere across the USA, but right here in my own state.  With all the traveling that I do, I am now skeered to death of a hotel room!.  I figured if I didn't know, there has to be others out there that no idea either.  In fact, Kevin shared some stories of how he had gone into homes and the owner had no idea that they were infested with bed bugs. They never saw bites (no reaction to them) so therefore had no clue.

Maybe not a bad idea to give your bedrooms a good check and then call these guys if you are in doubt, find them, or just plain have questions.  They are your go-to-guys.

And for some extra incentive on getting the word out for their company, I'm doing a little give away.  But there most definitely has to be some rules.

1.  Link to this page on your blog with a small advertisement yourself - one entry - come back and let me know with a link.
2.  Facebook about them and link to their website - another entry - come back and let me know with a link

Contest will be up until Friday February 25th.  At that time, a winner will be randomly selected and prizey will be mailed.  What is prizey?  That announcement will be forthcoming. 

Once this giveaway is over, I will be taking this blog private.  More details on that coming as well.

So, go to - click the links, educate yourselves on the bed bugs, get the word out and if necessary - call them for your exterminating needs. 
PS - If you do end up calling them, tell them M-Cat sent ya - if for no other reason than Kevin will prolly remember the crazy lady and laugh.
PSS - the video is out on youtube - hit so it gets a lot of attention
PSSS - Kevin's wife is due any minute - send some good vibes their way for a safe delivery of their new little one!

TIckle Me Pick Tuesday

I am tickled by the fact that so often Sis is a free spirit when it comes to clothing.,  She would love to wear jammies all day long (who wouldn't) but I love that she has her own sense of what she likes to wear and it mostly involves comfort!

(gotta love her 'gossie' boots with her church dress.  We let her pick and unless it's completely unreasonable - it's a go!)

I am absolutley tickled by the relationship Sissy has developed with Jack.  Sure sometimes she gets on his last nerve but he tolerates a lot of "love" from her.  And sure, she gets bugged when he wants to share her cereal bowl, but the bottom line is these two love each other!

(such love)

I am tickled when I can make people laugh.  Without even trying.  I am happy that my bed head could provide amusement for my kickboxing class.  Your welcome guys.

(in my defense it was cute Sunday all curly.......it just didn't wake up so cute)

So what's tickling you pink today?

My Marine Monday

(taken the day before he left)

'dawg headed back to Camp Pendleton and as of last Tuesday picked up with Fox Company and began his MCT (Marine Combat Training).

Every Marine is a rifleman regardless if they go infantry route or not.  I've heard many a story of Marine's that have completely different lines of duty, but get called up and sent to Iraq or Afghanistan.  You soon learn that you will serve when and where you are asked to.  So, regardless of your job in the military, each Marine is sent to Combat Training.

We didn't hear much from him other than a few texts and a quick phone call last night.  Then today we were able to skype and chat for a bit.

You can tell we have gaps in our service, and it was noisy on our end and in the rec room that he was in (they were gathered watching the Superbowl) but he was kind enough to try and explain a little bit of what he was doing.
He was assigned the position of Guide for 1st Platoon.  He down plays it a little bit, but ultimately it is a lot of responsibility.  He's always been a good leader so I am not surprised to see the Corp use his talents and abilities.

He is happy.  He is throwing grenades, hiking, PT, and learning so much.  As we talked more off camera, he spent time with Sissy, they pulled faces at each other and talked about her school.  He misses her, she misses him - but he knows in the long run this will be the best for both of them.

Can't wait to hear how the week went - stay tuned!

Semper Fi

Spiritual Sunday - The Language of Love

As we sat in church today, I noticed Splenda's hands.

I don't know if he felt me looking at them and so he looked at them as well, but when he saw the paint, he started to try to scrape it off.  I stopped him.

Anyone who has been around this blog the last little bit knows it's been a rough several weeks.  What I haven't shared is something that I didn't want to be mistakenly judged about, but in order to share the whole story, I have to fess up.

We have bed bugs.  Yep.  The disgusting little creatures that are literally everywhere across the globe right now.  In 5 star hotels to the local pay-by-the-hour motels in the seedy parts of town.  Everywhere in the US and across the world.  Right now, they are epidemic.  Let me clarify - they are NOT related to one's housekeeping.  You can get one hitchhiking from a hotel room and next thing you know, you are infested.

We didn't discover them until a little over a month ago.  Right before Christmas as a matter of fact.  Apparently they came with 'dawgs bed when we moved it out of the apartment he was renting.  He didn't stay at the apartment much, so he didn't know they were lurking there either.  I am betting they are all over in the carpets there and no one knows a thing.  They can live for up to a year.  They are pesky and difficult at best to get rid of.  Their bites aren't big, and are easily mistaken for a regular spider bite and so they can go undetected for long periods of time.  Needless to say, they suck.  On so many levels.  We are lucky that our case is not a complete infestation.  But if you have even one you have to act fast and drastic or you will soon be overrun.

When we discovered them, the first thing Splenda did was go right to the www to figure out the best and fastest way to get rid of them.  We have spend the last 6 weeks trying everything.  Freezing.  Heating.  Steaming.  The Yankee room was the first room we found them.  We sealed it off, started to treat it and thought we had them licked.

A few days later, a bite occurred in my bedroom.  Bigger guns came out.  Splenda disassembled every piece of our furniture while we moved into the Yankee room.  I have been living out of totes and sleeping on a mattress on the floor while he treats our room, bedding, clothing and furniture.

And of course, now that all the furniture is out, we ought to paint right?  So treating and then painting the room.  You know how long that all takes?  Also, tossed my mattress, got a new one, treat it, encase it, etc.
The past week, I have been on my very last nerve.  THE.LAST.NERVE.

Poor Splenda.  Between his job, which is hatefully busy right now, his calling as YM President, the added responsibility of Sissy, and my own health issues, he has had his hands full.  Not enough time to get everything done.  Yet, he saw how unhappy I was with our situation, and though tired as a dog himself, he stayed up last night finishing our room, and assembling the bed so that I could sleep in my own room, in my own bed again.

So as I looked at those hands this morning as we sat quietly in church, I was overcome with love for my husband.  I reviewed everything that has happened over the past 6 weeks.  The loss of Jill.  The new responsibility of Sissy.  The change in our life as we knew it.  His son going back to the Marine's.  The bed bugs that he has single handedly tackled.  He is exhausted.  He's tired.  He's worried.  He's overwhelmed. 
And yet, in his desire to see me happy, he worked long into the night to get our bedroom back to where I could sleep in it and live out of my dressers and closet once more.

The paint still left on his hands, is to me, the tangible symbol of how much he loves me.  I don't need flowers.  I don't need romantic nights out.  I don't need the words.  His actions have done it all.
I looked in his face a little later in the meeting and saw the utter tiredness and weariness in them.  And, the fact that much of that is because he loves me and wants me to be happy and comfortable is just overwhelming.  I am so loved by him.  He loves me.  He wants me to be happy.  He will do anything for me.
I whine, I cry, I bitch, I moan and he says nothing.  He just goes to work doing whatever it takes to make things right.  I married a saint.

As I processed my feelings the rest of church (I may or may not have let my mind wander during other lessons), I was overcome with a very humbling feeling.  Humbled that I would be blessed with such a wonderful husband.  A companion who truly knows what it means to put his wife's happiness above his own.  He exemplifies unselfishness and compassion.  I can only hope that I can learn to live worthy of him and become more like him.

Thank you Splenda.  Thank you for taking care of me, of our children, our granddaughter, our home.  For working long hours to provide for us.  Making sure things run at home.  Battling the damn bed bugs.  And for doing it all without complaint.

I love you more than the sea.  More than the ocean.  To the moon and back.

xoxoxox
M

Happy Saturday with Ice Cream - This is for you Adi!

The Sunday after Christmas my entire family gathered at Mom and John's house for dinner.  They had just reported on their mission at the Family Search Library and so it was the perfect chance to get everyone together.

Mom and John have a kids Disneyland in their basement so once we get there, it's rare to see a small person again.  That Sunday was no exception.  I didn't know it at the time, but Sissy was bonding with her cousin Adison.  Bonded to the point that Sissy called her "her best friend" and was so sad to have to say good-bye.

Adi would be the one in yellow at the top right

A week or so later, Sissy got a package in the mail with cute little bear, a gift certificate to Wendy's and a note from Adison telling her that she wanted to take her for ice cream but since she lived so far away, maybe Mimi could take her and take pictures.

It took us this long to finally get a chance to do this, so for you my dear Adi - here is our date at Wendy's! 

the whole point was for the ice cream, but we did get some lunch with it too.

goofing around

digging in!

the customary self portrait

time to get serious

A great Saturday treat while running a million errands

Thank you SO MUCH Adi - you can bet that next time we are in Logan the THREE of us will have ice cream!!

xoxoxox

Aunti M and Sis

Funny Bone Friday - Things I may have heard, or said, or just though in my head

I have been racking my brains - trying to remember ANYTHING funny from the past little while.  I turned to my little notebook to see if I had written anything down.  I have nothing but a few scribbled notes

Pathetic.  I really need to work on my memory.  I know there has been stuff, but if I don't write it down RIGHT THEN - I completely forget.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Nothing better than Satan's poison delivered right to your doorstep"

"Let me know how that tickling works out for ya"

"I know it's Fast Sunday.  That Baby Ruth bar in my pocket is a breath mint"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That's it kids.  What a disappointment. 

That's why I am turning it over to you.

Leave me something funny.  Hysterical funny.  LOL funny!  Or even a lame attempt at funny - I'll take it.

And I promise, I'll work harder on getting the funny back....it's coming.

In the meantime go watch Cheeseboy yuk it up.  Gosh that dude is funny!

Wednesday's Wrandom Wrambling

Another Wednesday, another wrambling post.  What happened to the days that I had a theme for every day of the week and never ran out of things to blog about?

Life is settling into a nice routine and lot's of predictability.  Momma likey.  Sissy likey.  Poppa likey.  The adult menchildren lik.... who am I kidding, they don't know the difference, they have their own lives. 

 As it should be.

Coming out of the funk. Re-prioritizing my life.  Letting things go, focusing more on others.  Cutting back on work for a little bit.  Gotta love the FMLA.  

 Made the decision today that I need to give up the shift at the temple.  As much as I love it, that particular calling is not designed for people who have small children in their care full time.  I was in the correct phase of life, but that changed Christmas Eve and so now, I will need to wait a little longer for my turn.  I am crying big tears about it, but I know that I can go back when my life circumstances change again.

My sweet mother stopped by yesterday afternoon with a beautiful card, and a bag of skittles.  I don't think she expected to catch me at home, but we had a nice long visit. Something we haven't done in a long time.  I think we both needed it.  She is leaving for Sweden in April with her husband to serve a mission.  I am going to miss them.

Need to start My Marine Monday's posts again.  Now that he is back in training, we'll have some interesting stuff to post.  Granted no letters, since we can talk via cell phone and skype on liberty weekends, but I am sure he is going to start giving us stories. I heard last night from his cute girlfriend that he was excited for the training this week. Something about grenades.......

My mini-cooper is not practical for a toddler.  I don't care.  I am keeping it.

I had lunch today with her, her and her.  I love them.  We have much in common and it was great to laugh, talk, a little crying (me) and some general girl talk. 

I had dinner with my Diva's last night.  There was some dancing, laughing, eating, meditating, and some general inappropriateness.  I could not have asked for more.  Where would I be without my besties?  We have been through hell and back together and I am loving the bond that just grows deeper and deeper.

Hoping we haven't scarred BL for life.  Nothing a little brain bleach won't clean up.

I think I am yet again, realizing the importance of true friendship.  The kind that is loyal, trusting, and sincere.  The kind that bands together in tough times and makes sure that your back is covered at all times.

I am amazed at the friends I have that fit in those categories, and some I haven't even met in real life yet.  They are you  - out there in the blog land.

I am trying to so hard to figure out how I can get a trip back east to hit Virginia, NY,  Mass, NC, SC - then south to Georgia, Texas, making my way back west to AZ, CA, WA and ID before circling back home.

Let's make that happen shall we?

And as a follow up question - is it wrong or crazy of me to want to keep making my BFF circle bigger and bigger and bigger?  There are some amazing women that have entered my life that I am ready to embrace - am I needy?  Am I just too social?  Am I effing crazy?

The Superbowl is Sunday.  I am cheering for the Steelers.  Don't ask me why - my reasoning is ridiculous, but it works for me.  I want a big bash, just don't want to host it.  Too lazy to put my house back together.  I guess we'll have 7 layer dip and lil smokies on our own here.  And that is SO okay with me.

And now because of the large dinner last night and the indulgent lunch today, I better get myself to bed so I can drag my butt back out of it a oh-dark-thirty for cycling.

Shout out to the Tuffinator!!

I realize that this pic old, but I don't have a recent one of him lately.  Shame on me!

Anywhoodle - A HUGE shout out to my baby boy!

Dude just got a promotion at his job!

After a couple of years working as a stocker in the dairy and frozen departments he was just promoted to Assistant Manager of the dairy and frozen departments.

How freaking cool is that????

It means full time, more pay, and possibly some bene's. 

Just have to say - so uber proud of this kid!

So, now if you're in the neighborhood of the Dub J (thanks Ape) and need to go to Macey's grocery store - make sure to say hey to the cute young man in the dairy or frozen aisle!

Congrats Tuffy - you da bomb!