Queen for a Day

OK - another sappy Blake story...

The other day, Blake was crawling all over me (this kid has more energy!) and he bundled up his favorite blanket - a.k.a. "nite nite" - and put it on top of my head and said "You are a Queen, Mommy!"

Little does he know how sweet that sounds to a mommy! I asked him if he was the Prince and he kinda looked at me funny! I suggested to him that Daddy was the King and I was the Queen and that made him the Prince. He giggled and said "yesssssss".

Kelly quickly chimed in and said "Yes, Blake, she IS the queen, and don't forget it!"

The King thinks he's funny.

At Least I'm Doing One Thing Right!

Being a mom of a 2 year old is a challenge. I feel like I am making tons of mistakes all day long and just hope I've not ruined Blake yet!

But today, I got a nice surprise. I had the feeling like "oh, thank you, Lord, maybe I am doing at least one thing right!"

Blake decided he would like a corny dog for lunch. Another healthy lunch for my little guy! So I got it out of the freezer and told him we needed to heat it for 45 seconds in the microwave. I put it on a plate and opened up the microwave and asked him again, "now how many seconds do we heat it?"

His answer:

"40 days and 40 nights!"

At least I'm pounding those Bible stories into his head (along with his FABULOUS Bible class teachers, of course!) enough that he came up with that.

Hopefully, he isn't ruined yet! There may still be hope!

Can I stand it for 5 days?

Well, I finally agreed to it. I finally agreed to spend more than one night away from my little kiddo.

I know...I know...I know...

I can hear all you out there rolling your eyes at me. But give me a break...I like my kid...I enjoy being with him...I don't want to be away from him! Is that so wrong? Am I somehow a bad person or a bad wife or something because I don't want to be away from Blake? Call me co-dependent...I don't care...I LOVE BLAKEY BLAKE! I know some folks don't ever take a vacation with their children. That's just really odd to me. I love the family vacation! It's in my bones...but that's another blog topic for another day.

Kelly and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary this May and he and I have been kicking the idea around for a few months about taking a trip without The Prince. Up until about 2 months ago, everytime he would suggest it, I would try to talk about it and just start crying. Finally, around the first of the year, I decided I could handle it for more than one night. (I've been away from him about 3 times - but never for more than one night.) So, we start talking about when and where we want to go...and for how long.

Kelly's got a ton of frequent flyer miles (I knew all those trips away from me would finally pay off) and he said wherever we go, he wanted to fly first class. Hey! What a grand idea! I'm all for that plan! So we start talking about how long we (or rather...I) can stand to be away from Blake. Honestly, I told him I didn't think I could handle more than about 4 days. So now we start looking for a nice destination for 4 days. Far enough away to seem like a real vacation, nice enough to feel special for our 10th anniversary, far enough away to make spending those miles on the 1st class seats worthwhile, but not too far away. Another requisite - some where that doesn't require a passport. Both of ours are out of date and I hear it takes a while to renew.

So here were some of our thoughts:

Hawaii - we enjoyed a trip there together a few year ago and would love to go back - but I don't want to go for such a short time, since you spend a day getting there and returning - need more time - wait until we take Blake or can handle being away from him longer

San Francisco - love that place - it's high on the list - we've both been there several times - but never together

Mackinac Island - where we honeymooned - would rather go back there more in the summertime than in May when they have all their flowers in bloom - it is a special place. Save this one for the 20th anniversary???

San Juan, Puerto Rico - Kelly's been there but I haven't - he loved it and has always wanted to take me there - no passport required

So after some debate and a few more tears shed over the thought of being away from Blake that long, I agreed to San Juan. We realized that 4 days was a little short on time there, so I am extending myself and we will be gone 5 days in May. Now that I've finally decided that I will survive and not suffocate from missing Blake, I'm excited about the trip and looking forwarding to planning and reading about it - but that's another blog topic for another day. Oh yeah...and get this...Kelly's got enough frequent stay points with Hilton and/or Marriott to take care of our 4 nights away from home. They are gong to practically be PAYING US to take this vacation!

Anyway, I'm sure it will be good for us to be away alone...blah blah blah...healthy marriage...blah blah blah...appreciate each other more...blah blah blah...good for Blake....blah blah blah...good for the grandparents keeping Blake overnight...blah blah blah...

I remember hearing someone say once (was it Sharon Pope or Amy Stephens?) after a long trip away from her child/children that the first couple of days were so tough missing them, but then it got easier. I've already told Kelly he's got to allow me crying time right at the first of the trip, then I will get better, hopefully. He said if it gets really bad, we'll just get our webcam down to my mom's and have her set Blake in front of it one night so I can see him. Maybe he'll throw one of his sweet little tantrums while I'm looking at him...it would make it easier to be gone!

So, I know I'm setting myself up for all sorts of "get over it" comments - so go ahead and hit me with them...I can take it. My guess is that the majority of moms have felt this same feeling at some point.

I think I need a tissue!

Who Stole My "N"?

Be Warned: There's an "N" theif on the loose.

OK, I don't want to go all Nervous Nelly on you here, but some nincompoop has nabbed the "N" off of my keyboard. Obviously, the "N" key still exists, but the actual key is blank - no letter on it at all. If I find the numskull that took it, it won't be a pretty sight.

I mean, really, what did the "N" ever do to you?

Nuts, Neurosurgeons, Nougat, New Mexico, Nintendo, Noogies, Noodle Salad, Nitrous Oxide, Nostradamus...

Gotta have my "N"

This is the Week - Don't Miss It!

Tape, TIVO, or watch (do people do that?) Extreme Makeover THIS SUNDAY, January 29th!!!! It's the episode that I wrote a novel about on my blog. I'll be the one standing behind the tree in a yellow windbreaker. At the reveal, we eventually stood on folding chairs that had been abandoned - but probably not until all the filming was done!

Once again...a little slow on the uptake!

Slow on the Uptake

Have you ever felt like you caught on to a trend just about the time it was going out? I guess this seems to be really evident in the fashion world...shoes especially come to mind.

Famolares were the greatest shoes. I had a pair of mid-heeled navy sandals and a pair of low heeled ("Rush") brown sandals. They were...WERE...so pretty!

Dr. Scholl's - were they comfortable - I guess so - walking on wood? Didn't we buy them at the drugstore?

The list goes on and on as far as fashion is concerned, at least for me, it does.

So that is where I find myself in the whole blogging deal. I jumped on the blogging bandwagon a little late and have loved it but find that some of the blogs I used to read on a regular basis have either stopped posting or just rarely post. I have also had my dry spells, so I understand how it happens. So...the question I have is...where does that leave me? If I keep on posting, am I just so pitiful that I do indeed find time during my day to post and read? Am I the geeky girl in Algebra class that FINALLY got her first pair of Famolares? If someone asks me about my blog, do I reply "oh, these shoes? I've had them a while - I just don't wear them that often." While the fact of the matter is that I love my Famolares or Dr. Scholl's or Candies with the lucite heels - but I don't dare show how cool I think my shoes are.

So, I guess I'll keep on posting. It's not like I have earth-shattering posts. I mostly just talk about my kid and post for my own selfish sake. I just don't want to seem pitiful!

I'm just a little slow on the uptake.

By the way, have any of you played that new game called Trivial Pursuit? It is so cool!

One Way or Two?

I like my young family friends...they just don't call me...but I guess I don't call them either...What's that about a 2-way street? Feel better now, JP?

Delectable

P.F. Chang's
Appetizer - Chang's Spare Ribs and/or Peking Dumplings (either fried or steamed) with as much potsticker sauce as you can consume and not get kicked out of the restaurant
Mongolian Beef

yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Gunga Galunga

So I jump ship in Hong Kong and make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas. A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one -- big hitter, the Lama -- long, into a ten-thousand foot crevice, right at the base of this glacier. And do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga...gunga -- gunga galunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consiousness." So I got that goin' for me,

which is nice.

I miss ya, Trey!

Changing Times

Childhood: It was just fun to have a reason to get to stay up late. I didn’t really understand what the big deal was, but it was still cool. I remember watching Guy Lombardo and I just didn’t understand why everyone thought he was so great...he was just too Lawrence Welkish and boring to me. I also remember seeing people on TV crying at midnight and didn’t understand that either.

Teenage Years: I didn’t run with a very wild crowd (shocking news, I know), but sometimes the church kids would get together and do something…which usually involved wrapping someone’s house. Sorry Ron and Becky, Wade and Patty, Frank and Mary Chris. (You guys all lived too close to each other and if we were going to do one of your houses, we might as well do all three of them.) I remember watching Dick Clark and thinking it was a really cool show.

College Years: These were probably my best celebrating years. Fun. Carefree. Adventurous.

Single Days: These were my most depressing years! A really nice family at church would host our singles group every year at their house for dinner, games, etc. This was not necessarily the “hippest” crowd in town (of course, I was one of them) so the celebrations were a little depressing to me. At midnight, our hostess insisted, and I really mean INSISTED, that we partake in her black-eyed pea dip. It was really nice that this family would take all of us misfits in on New Year’s Eve – but it still depresses me!

Married Years/No Kids: We had some fun times. We hung out with the OLDER crowd (sorry folks…you know I’m right) but a smarter crowd. We’d either go out on December 30th for a nice night of dinner and movie (avoid the crowds), or we’d order in from Outback on the 31st.

Married Years/Kids: Am I supposed to get sleepy this early in the evening? I think an early dinner is really a great idea. Let’s go somewhere quiet. A movie? Well, does that theater have the comfy seats? I never knew people-watching could be so much fun. Is it time to call and check on Blake yet? Wish I had worn more sensible shoes. Does she realize how silly she looks in that New Year’s Eve hat? Is it midnight yet? Do you have a Zantac? OH! It’s 12:02! We missed it! Good night, sweetheart.