I'm Very Deep

Steve and I have been emailing a little today. He knows about the challenges in my household right now and is always quick to ask, “How are YOU doing?”

So, today in our exchange, he asked how things were going this week and if there was light at the end of the tunnel. And I replied with:

“I can’t even see the end of the tunnel. But when I come to one of the little joints in the ceiling, where the light shines through, I just stand there for a minute and rejoice. It's like a reset button. Gets me through to the next crack.”

I’m very deep, aren’t I?

That’s where I am today. I’m under one of the cracks and the sunlight is warm and bright. I think I’ll stay here for a couple of days, if I can. And that might actually be possible. Kayleigh is off on a band trip until Sunday evening and Tyler will be crashing over at his uncle’s after game on Saturday, so Todd and I have about 24 hours to recharge and pay attention to each other and laugh our asses off.

Don't expect any blog posts.
I sense we'll be occupied.

Weekend Update

I barely have enough brainpower to form a coherent sentence, but I’d still like to give you an update. I just don’t have a personality right now. Therefore, I give you…..BULLETS.

* First, fantastic weekend weather. Blue skies. 75 degrees. Beautiful.

* Friday, my belated birthday dinner with Jamie. Volterra. Yummy poo.

* Saturday, cleaning and organizing with Stephanie. She warned me her garage was in bad, bad shape. But I scoffed at it’s “bad shape”. Todd’s bedroom was worse. And look at it now!

* Also, I clicked a very bad link in an email and now my computer is dead. Todd installed a anti-virus thingy (a bit late, I realize) and it found 22 viruses. And I can’t even open my email. He had a buddy come out today and it doesn’t look good. But he says it’s not hopeless. Just one more reason I’ve been non-existent. And stressed.

* Saturday evening, Val’s wedding reception. Knew three people. Looked at babies. Ovaries screamed, but not too loudly. They knew better. They know the work that lies ahead for those poor mothers.

* Sunday, just wanted to relax in the sunshine and read my wedding book. But got uber productive. Re-organized the shed with all of the yard tools and did a little weed whacking. Good stuff.

* Sunday evening, dinner at Ray’s. Our one year anniversary of dating. It was a lovely time.

* Monday, Star Trek at the Cinerama with the whole family, and Miles. Lunch afterwards at Red Robin on the waterfront.

* Side Note: The movie was pretty good. I don’t consider myself a trekkie by any means now, but the movie was okay. Very entertaining. I even got a few of the references.

* Monday night, a bit of conflict. Not too bad. But enough to make me stay home on Tuesday, and get some me time in that afternoon. Shopping. Semi-productive shopping, but shopping nonetheless.

And today, well, I’m here. That’s all I got for ya.
But I think about you. Really. Life is just so chaotic right now. Looking forward to some normalcy. If there is such a thing.

Uh oh.

What if this IS normal?

Oh, good gawd, we’re gonna need more wine.

Food

I love Sun Chips, but they're too big to put a whole one in my mouth, and I hate being a loud eater so I don't want to bite them in half and make that crunching sound. So I break them, while they're in the bag, which slows my eating down.

Speaking of eating, I looked at swimsuits online yesterday and now I don't want to eat. I asked TBFE if maybe we could honeymoon in the Swiss Alps or Antarctica, rather than Kauai. He said no. Hmph.

But! I learned a nice little trick last night. Kayleigh, Todd and I went to The Charleston Cafe for dinner after Kayleigh's tai kwon do class. I wasn't too hungry and I knew the portions were huge, and my eye kept going to the chicken tenders on the kids' menu ($4.99!) So I asked the waitress if I could order off of the kids' menu. She said "Sure, but for a dollar more."

Sounds good to me!

The chicken tenders came with a salad, so that, plus the three large pieces of chicken filled me right up. Actually, I couldn't even finish the third tender. No one can really ever say that I eat too much.

Our Family is Getting Bigger!

A few of you just had heart palpitations reading the title, didn't you? You thought I put the baby meter back together and wound it up. Ha. Silly reader.

This is Tom.

Elvis has been lonely since Wiley left, so we decided he could use a buddy. Tom is precious and very loving. He'll climb right up on you and nuzzle you. He's a rescue. He'd been kept in a chicken coop, with chicken poop, which burned the pads on his paws and made some of his fur fall out. But that was a year ago, and since then, his fur is coming back and his paws are all better.

So far, he and Elvis seem to get along just fine. We thought Elvis would be the alpha male, but no. He just flops over on his side and meows at Tom. He was rushing Tom last night, but once he'd get up to him, Elvis would just stop and just look at him. Silly Elvis.

Rude Much?

A cow-orker just asked me if I was planning to lose weight for my wedding.

Um. No. Why?
Do you think I need to lose weight for my wedding?

You’re a bit on the hefty side. Why don’t YOU lose weight for my wedding?

I was actually very nervous when I was trying on wedding gowns. I thought there were going to be bulges and dimples and I would become one of those women who declared she would lose 20 pounds before her wedding day.

What a load of crap.

These are the happy times! You eat, you drink, you be merry. That’s makes a diet plan very hard.

Luckily, my dress is designed so that the dimples are hidden, the belly looks flat, and the hips are cleverly hidden. I look damn fine in my dress.

So I merely said, “No, I don’t plan to lose weight. My dress is a size 12 and I am perfectly happy with that.”

Now, I don’t plan to GAIN any weight either. Which is why I tell my co-workers to quit shoving chocolate at me.

The honeymoon, however, is a completely different story. It's gonna take one magical swimsuit to make me feel at ease on a beach.

Or a lot of cocktails.

Which I think can be arranged.

Random Thoughts

I’m smelling football players.

I used to be a football manager in high school, which really meant I got boys’ athletics, I did the team’s laundry, I helped load the buses for the out of town games and I stood on the sidelines to do anything the coached yelled at me. Good times.

Anyway, the bus rides with the football team had a very distinct smell. Some of it was sweat, some of it was the material that the jerseys were made out of.

I’m smelling that right now. I can’t pinpoint it.
Maybe my jeans are dirty.

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Todd, Steve and I went to see Bob Schneider at the Triple Door last night. He is a fantastic performer.

It was so good to have a night out (that didn’t include therapists or case workers) and forget about all the challenges for an evening. We had a great dinner, a few drinks, and finally got home at almost midnight (Steve did not come home with us).

It’s making for a difficult day today, but it was well worth it.

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One of my customers needs to order a dongle, but I’m having a hard time locating a vendor so I’m saying the word “dongle” a lot. Which makes me chuckle. Which is keeping happy.

**********

I also had to order a Protease Inhibitor Cocktail Set when I first started.

I have no idea what it actually is, but I would have no problem coming up with all kinds of good stories about it.

**********

I have not ordered shoes yet.
But I wore my red Anne Klein babies to the show last night.

So pretty…..

**********

Rumor has it, it's sunny outside. I wouldn't know. Cube and all.
But I bought a poster of a beach scene and put it up on my wall, so that's helping.

**********

Well, would you look at the time?
I'm outta here.

Overdue Update

As you may or may not have noticed, TBFE and I have been a bit incommunicado lately. Our deepest apologies.

Last weekend brought about a major conflict with Tyler, so this situation has been eating up most of our spare time and brain power. Though we don’t feel it appropriate to go into detail, just know that Todd, Kayleigh and I are fine, and Tyler is getting the help he’s been needing for a while. We have a wonderful, supportive team of friends and family, both near and far, as well as Tyler’s therapists, who are all devoting enormous amounts of energy and time to ensure Tyler is well taken care of.

Ironically, this was how I spent my very first Mother’s Day. Trial by fire, I say. And I am happy to report that I have escaped unharmed! Well, except for maybe a singed hair or two. But we all know I have too much hair as it is, so it’s no big loss.

Actually, aside from the challenges, it was a lovely weekend. Todd and I attended the Collider CD release show at the Showbox on Friday night and, boy howdy, it was rockin’. We hung out in the back, since Todd was filming the show, and gabbed with a couple of friends while speculating about a “couple” seated near us. She was youngish, carried a stuffed teddy bear and openly flirted with other men. He was extremely obese and tracked her every move, as if watching a TV show. Voyeur, perhaps? Who knows. I love downtown. Not really.

Saturday was absolutely gorgeous. It’s that kind of weather that keeps us here, even through the six months of winter. Just beautiful. Todd and I made a Costco run for his film shoot that was supposed to take place on Sunday and picked up his German chocolate birthday cake from Morfey’s.

Then, Saturday evening, we had an intimate, little birthday dinner at Duke’s. And some of the party moved back to the house afterwards to gab a little more.

And, due to said conflict, the shoot on Sunday was cancelled, so we spent the day in an exhaustive state. Trish and Dan came over to keep us company, and give us hugs. We watched The Onion movie and some Saturday Night Live Best Ofs. And Kayleigh walked down to the store and brought me back a Mother’s Day card. One of those that sings a song when you open it. There were cowboy boots on the front and a Tim McGraw song inside. The girl knows me, doesn’t she?

We’re trying to get back in the swing of normalcy, but it’s not easy. There are a lot of calls to make, papers to sign, red tape and hoops to jump through.

We know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
But that tunnel is so long it’s quite daunting.

Send good juju.
And wine.

Happy Freakin' Friday

I am having one fantastic Friday. I just can’t tell ya.

The stars are aligning, things are falling into place, life is good. TBFE and I are going out tonight to the Collider show and party it up like a couple of 20 year olds. We may pay for it tomorrow, but so be it.

So, to get my party on, I’m listening to my Bitchin’ playlist. Songs that get my booty shaking and make me feel all superior.

Get This Party Started by Pink
Ah, my Friday night song. The work week is over, let’s get this party started. I’m cool, all my friends wanna party with me. Yeah….you know it…..

Walk Away by Kelly Clarkson
Whatchoo want, baby? Make up your mind. Grow a pair. Don’t wanna be with me? Well, then just walk away.

Single Ladies by Beyonce
You had your chance, mister. Suck it up.
"If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it."

Check On It by Beyonce
Yeah, you know you want me.

You Know That I’m No Good by Amy Winehouse
I’m horrible. I’m wretched. I suck. But you love me. It’s your own fault, sugar.

Irreplaceable by Beyonce
This one actually slows me down. But it makes feel pretty.

The Tiger and the Lamb by Bob Schneider
If you really pay attention to the lyrics, it’s nasty. I like it. But I can’t find it anywhere on the interwebs. Sorry.

New Warrior by Bob Schneider
He’s wrappin’, he’s partyin’, he’s the new warrior. Yo!

Should’ve Said No by Taylor Swift
My token twangy song. First, apparently there is no official video for this song. And apparently, it is a huge karaoke hit. Every video you find on YouTube has lyrics. Complete weirdness.

I’ve never had a man cheat on me. Let me rephrase that - I’ve never confronted a man who has cheated on me. Because I’ve never found out that a man cheated on me. But I’ve known women who have had their husbands cheat on them, and they should have kicked their ass to the curb. But they didn’t. So I belt this out for them.

The only drawback to rockin’ out with my earbuds is that, if I’m chewing gum, my earbuds work their way out. So I have constantly adjust them. And I like chewin’ my gum when I’m rockin’ out. Makes me feel tough and cocky. I like to chew gum when I’m driving, too. Probably best to be tough and cocky when I’m driving.

But I digress.

Happy Freakin' Friday!

Best Misspelling Yet

My name gets butchered. A lot. But I'm used to it. People also pronounce it Michelle, Rachel, Raquel or Rochelle. They spell it even worse. Richelle, Rochelle, Rayshell, Raychel. I once say To get people to understand, I've sometimes written it out like this:

R'shell.

No emphasis on the Rae (sounds like Ray) part. Just R'shell.

I call orders in all day long and I am always asked my name. Sometimes the customer service rep is merely looking it up, because I've called before, but sometimes they actually type it as I'm saying it. If I hear them typing, I'll usually say, "That's spelled R-A-E-C-H-E-L-L-E." And they appreciate it because they were undoubtedly spelling it incorrectly.

Yesterday, I placed an order, I said my name and I listened for the typing. I didn't hear any, so I figured she was looking me up. But apparently, she was a very quiet typer.

When I got the confirmation, I saw my name in the Order Placed By area.

Reshell.

Very nice.
Just like it sounds.

Work No-No #48

There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to clip your nails at work.

NO REASON.

And we're in cubes, for gawd's sake!

Why not just go ahead and pick out your toe jam, too? Make it a complete little grooming session?

Okay, yes, maybe I'm a smidge irritable because I was up most of the night with a stuffed up nose and cramps and a noisy gut because, even though I know better, I had steak for dinner.

And maybe I'm a little cranky because I went upstairs to sleep on the couch so my tossing/turning/churning/sniffing/cramping wouldn't disturb TBFE, but Elvis got excited that there some some to to cuddle with so he laid on my chest, purring louder than a jackhammer and nuzzling my neck. Which was not helping the stuffiness, but goodness he's so adorable!

And then lets throw the 30 mph wind and rain and hail on top of everything, and for love of puppies, why can't you just let me sleep?!

I am so tired. There is no amount of coffee that will wake me up.
I think I will spend my lunch napping in my car.

Weekend…er….Week Long Update

My apologies for being non-existent recently. Life has kind of gotten the best of us recently, but I think we’re on the upswing. Just in time for Mercury to begin it’s retrograde on Wednesday. Fantastic. Guess I should enjoy today and tomorrow.

Last Monday, Stephanie and Isabella came over for dinner and I made my veggie enchiladas. The gals were quite impressed. Well, Stephanie was. Isabella just ate some pasta and then an entire bowl of black beans with her fingers. There were black beans on her, on Steph’s pants, on the chair. If she wasn’t so cute, my head would have exploded.

I finally got to hang out with Darragh Tuesday evening. It’s been a long time since we’ve gotten a chance to sit and catch up on each other’s life, and so much has happened in the last few months. We ordered some Pagliacci’s, opened some wine, and curled up on his futon for a few hours. It was a nice evening.

Wednesday, TBFE and I got a last minute invite to dinner from Dan and Trish. Yummy Thai food up on Queen Anne. It’s been a while since we’ve seen them one on one (or, two on two) so there was much catching up on this night, too.

Wednesday night was a long, eventful night, which led to working from home on Thursday. Really, not so bad. It was a beautiful day, so Todd, Kayleigh and I had lunch at the Celtic Swell and played on the beach for a bit. We were rejuvenated and Thursday night was much more restful.

And Friday night came none too soon. We watched The Longest Yard (the remake with Adam Sandler) for our Friday night movie and retired early. It was a rough night, for a myriad of reasons, so were up much early than I prefer on Saturday. We were productive from the get go, then the kids were off to game at the uncle’s, so Todd and I took advantage of the quiet house to lounge, snooze and watch TV. Until we got hungry and headed to Café Revo for dinner.

And we would highly recommend it to everyone. It’s a new Italian place down on Avalon that we’ve been wanting to try for a while. The food was fantastic, the waiter was attentive, the wine was lovely, the atmosphere was cozy but spacious and the prices were not too shabby.

Afterward, we attended the annual Cinco de Mayo party at Brittany & Erik's, who, coincidently, is making our wedding invitations. It’s good to know creative and talented people. While we didn’t partake in the yummy Mexican food at the party, we were all up in the Rock Band. I played bass (yay!), guitar (eh..), drums (oh, shoot me) and sang a few songs. I think the bass was my favorite, in addition to singing. Because, ya know, I’m like a rock star and stuff.

Home early from the party to curl up in bed and watch TV until the kids to got home from game. And then, thank goodness, a quiet and peaceful Saturday night.

I say, right on.

And Sunday was simply a beautiful day. You know those days when the stars align and everything just falls into place and you can’t help but smile?

Todd went off to coffee with his friend and I slept in, until Kayleigh knocked on the bedroom door. She had been invited to a friend’s house and needed permission. I said that sounded fine, and she said, “Okay, thanks. Sleep in some more.” She’s a good daughter.

But Tyler was up too, and there was no food in the house, so I was a good mommy and got up to scrounge up some breakfast. By bribing the children to walk down to the store and get syrup. We had everything else for pancakes. Just no syrup. And they were more than willing.

So, I made breakfast, then Kayleigh got picked up to go to her friend’s house and Tyler rode my bike to the park to meet up with his friend. Todd and I made a huge grocery shopping trip, then a huge Target trip. Then there was a little cleaning and organizing, then we each went off to pick up a child, then back together again to make a lovely dinner of hotdogs and pasta salad. And since we had been talking about Die Hard at dinner, we curled up for a Sunday night movie. Nothing like Bruce Willis killing German terrorists to wrap up a beautiful weekend.

Whew. I think you’re all caught up.
Now we can get back to posts about shoes and stuff.