If you are a Facebook user then you have probably seen the application called 'My Year In Status'. It's a cute app that makes a collage of your statuses through the year. Several of my Facebook Friends have done theirs. I've found them fun to read and reminisce. I've done mine. I've actually done it several times. I click the application link, I allow 'My Year In Status', I wait for my collage to be generated, and then...I read it. Disappointed with the collage, I edit my applications, remove 'My Year In Status', and start again. Over and over, day after day, I go through the same process.
Every time it starts out just fine. "is gonna woop up on K with her Yu-Gi-Oh deck...go zombies!" It then has a blip in there about when I stuck a fork through my thumb, that was a classic this year. I'm quoted as having "the best husband ever." Then, the reality of this roller-coaster year sets in. You see the next status is about Nathan having an allergic reaction to exercising and I'm wondering if I should rush him to the ER. I'm also sending out prayers to The Goddess of Good Runs. I ran more last year then I have since I was eight months pregnant and in a life changing car accident. Let's not forget about the time when The Olson Family of 5 was almost not a family of 5...actually that is where I always stop. It's hard to read much further. Sure it gets funnier. It talks about my love of White Castle, what a great sissy I have, Bailey the Bendy Dog is mentioned, and there's a quote about friendship.
BUT....I can not get past the quote "hence I am no longer a family of five...weird...but true". It brings tears to my eyes and a stabbing pain in my chest. It's hard to imagine that some time this past year I was gone from my family. It's painful to remember being separated from my husband and not a daily part of my kids' lives. I want that part of my life erased. In fact, I was so adamant about erasing it I went to my profile page thinking if I could just keep clicking 'older posts' I could get back to that part of my life and delete it. I spent hours clicking and deleting, but Facebook only lets you go back so far....and for me, it wasn't far enough.
So here I am. The facts are that I was painfully separated from my husband and my family this last year. The facts are that Nathan and I have each worked hard to become better people individually to make a better couple together. The facts are that even though those few months of my life were horribly painful, they are a part of my life...
Christmas Card Evny
Yes, it's true. I have it. You see once upon a time I actually made and sent out Christmas cards. I think I only did it once. They were handmade. I spent days and days on them. I used really nice paper, hand stamped them, and then used watercolor pencils to color/paint them. I was pretty proud of myself. I even made Nathan pass them out at his work. Ok, to be honest they were pretty sad looking. They didn't look anything like what I had imagined. They were a cross between 'Obsessed Stampin' Up Lady' and 'Kindergarten Holiday Project'. Poor Nathan - glad he was a good sport about it.
This year we received not one, but two, fantastic Christmas cards. The first one was from the Gleasons. Man that card was cool. I loved the comic book look to it! It was fun to read, had great photos, and I got a real feeling to how their year has gone. Plus I haven't seen Dave and Nancy in about twenty years, so it was nice to *see* old friends again.
The other one was from the Beck-O'Sullivan Family. They sent out their version of 'Twas Night Before Christmas'. I'm in love with it. The poem gives me such an amazing visual. I can actually see each of their kids - climbing the table and trying to hang from the chandelier, sledding - and coming back with a toothless grin, and texting, texting, texting.
So, maybe next year I'll dust off the ol' stamp pad and send out a kitchy card...then again, probably not.
This year we received not one, but two, fantastic Christmas cards. The first one was from the Gleasons. Man that card was cool. I loved the comic book look to it! It was fun to read, had great photos, and I got a real feeling to how their year has gone. Plus I haven't seen Dave and Nancy in about twenty years, so it was nice to *see* old friends again.
The other one was from the Beck-O'Sullivan Family. They sent out their version of 'Twas Night Before Christmas'. I'm in love with it. The poem gives me such an amazing visual. I can actually see each of their kids - climbing the table and trying to hang from the chandelier, sledding - and coming back with a toothless grin, and texting, texting, texting.
So, maybe next year I'll dust off the ol' stamp pad and send out a kitchy card...then again, probably not.
Happy Spring!
Yeah, I know 'technically' today is the First Day of Winter, BUT...it is also known as the Winter Solstice. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year. For those of us who dread Winter (with it's icy cold temps, mounds of snow, and dark skies) today is a day of celebration. From now on out the days begin to get loooonger. So 'chin up' fellow Winter Haters, we're gonna be okay. It only gets better from this day on. I pinky promise.
Close Only Counts In...
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades....or my blog. I had started out this particular string of blogging as a challenge to myself: Blog Every Day For Thirty Days. I wanted to get over my fear of writer's block and see if I had it in me to find *something* to write about every day. I'm proud of the fact that I didn't pre-write anything, (hoping that I could use those pre-written blogs for days there was nothing to write about or when I went out of town over this past weekend). I'm also proud of my writing progress. I plan to continue blogging on a more regular schedule, but I will be doing it on a much less intense pace. Thanks for hanging in there during the last month and I hope you continue to read :)
Tutus and Tiaras~
The MFP
Tutus and Tiaras~
The MFP
Yes, As a Matter of Fact I *Do* Love Rockband
For those of you who know me well, this is not a surprising thing to hear. The surprise is that the other night Nathan and I figured out that not only do I 'air Rockband' (as in air guitar) but I also Rockband in my sleep.
Nathan: "You sure were cute last night."
Me: "huh?"
Nathan: "When you fell asleep, you were still snuggling with me [awhhh....how sweet] and you started twitching. Then it was mostly just your fingers that were twitching. In a weird sort of tapping way."
[From here the pattern of the conversation changed. You see, Nathan's been working a lot of hours lately and he's also been sick for almost a week. His brain is pretty fried and he's totally exhausted.]
Nathan continued: "I 'thought' you might be playing Rockband in your sleep. Your head moved so I said, 'Are you sleeping?' Then she said, 'uh! what?!?!' So I asked her what she was doing?" [Did he just refer to me in third party?]
Nathan: "She tried denying it." [Yep, he's totally talking about me in third party. I start to giggle.]"What?"
Me: "You keep referring to me as *she*."
Nathan: "Huh, weird. So anyways, she then starts mumbling about some song. I ask her - crap...I did it again. I said *she*."
Me: [unable to control giggling] "yep"
Nathan: "Okay, YOU started mumbling about the song you were playing. YOU said something like 'Night Lies' and then she said, 'I don't even LIKE that song!' and she rolled over and fell back asleep. Why-do-I-keep-saying-*she*?!?!?"
Me: "I dunno, but you know I'm gonna blog about this, right?"
Nathan: "Yeah, I know. Can you mention the fact that I've been working a lot and I've been sick and I'm really tired?"
Me: "Sure" [still giggling]
And now we know just exactly how much she loves Rockband! I mean me! I LOVE ROCKBAND!!!
Nathan: "You sure were cute last night."
Me: "huh?"
Nathan: "When you fell asleep, you were still snuggling with me [awhhh....how sweet] and you started twitching. Then it was mostly just your fingers that were twitching. In a weird sort of tapping way."
[From here the pattern of the conversation changed. You see, Nathan's been working a lot of hours lately and he's also been sick for almost a week. His brain is pretty fried and he's totally exhausted.]
Nathan continued: "I 'thought' you might be playing Rockband in your sleep. Your head moved so I said, 'Are you sleeping?' Then she said, 'uh! what?!?!' So I asked her what she was doing?" [Did he just refer to me in third party?]
Nathan: "She tried denying it." [Yep, he's totally talking about me in third party. I start to giggle.]"What?"
Me: "You keep referring to me as *she*."
Nathan: "Huh, weird. So anyways, she then starts mumbling about some song. I ask her - crap...I did it again. I said *she*."
Me: [unable to control giggling] "yep"
Nathan: "Okay, YOU started mumbling about the song you were playing. YOU said something like 'Night Lies' and then she said, 'I don't even LIKE that song!' and she rolled over and fell back asleep. Why-do-I-keep-saying-*she*?!?!?"
Me: "I dunno, but you know I'm gonna blog about this, right?"
Nathan: "Yeah, I know. Can you mention the fact that I've been working a lot and I've been sick and I'm really tired?"
Me: "Sure" [still giggling]
And now we know just exactly how much she loves Rockband! I mean me! I LOVE ROCKBAND!!!
A Conversation with a Teen
This morning The Artist (my teen-age stepdaughter) and I had a conversation that went something like this:
The Artist: "blah blah blah blah blah...."
Me: "I have no idea what you just said. I wasn't listening."
The Artist: "Good thing you weren't listening."
Me: [was able to contain my hysterical laughter, but did let a small smile out]
You see, we weren't having any sort of disagreement. She just happened to be having some sort of struggle that she needed to voice. Kids don't always do or say or act exactly like we want them to - when we want them to. Hell, there are times when I don't act exactly like I would like myself to. I try to take the time to understand that my children are people. They have their own ideas, agendas, goals, and dreams. Sure there are things I can say to them to 'hopefully' quicken their learning curve, but in the end their choices are just that...theirs. So the next time your child doesn't do what you want them to, when you want them to - or they let out a little verbal frustration....just remember, they might have plans for their lives besides the plans you have for them.
The Artist: "blah blah blah blah blah...."
Me: "I have no idea what you just said. I wasn't listening."
The Artist: "Good thing you weren't listening."
Me: [was able to contain my hysterical laughter, but did let a small smile out]
You see, we weren't having any sort of disagreement. She just happened to be having some sort of struggle that she needed to voice. Kids don't always do or say or act exactly like we want them to - when we want them to. Hell, there are times when I don't act exactly like I would like myself to. I try to take the time to understand that my children are people. They have their own ideas, agendas, goals, and dreams. Sure there are things I can say to them to 'hopefully' quicken their learning curve, but in the end their choices are just that...theirs. So the next time your child doesn't do what you want them to, when you want them to - or they let out a little verbal frustration....just remember, they might have plans for their lives besides the plans you have for them.
The First Mile Marker
The first would be *back on the training schedule*, (except I don't really do schedules) mile rocked my face off. I took it slow and did it on the elliptical machine. I layered it between both the recumbent and the upright stationary bikes. It was bliss.
I love running (or even pretending to run on the elliptical machine). I love the fact that running is hard to do. I like it that I'm unable to text while I run, or read my book. It's just me, with myself and the tunes. I like pushing myself hard, past the point of pain and into vast physical numbness and complete mental strength. I especially liked it today when I got to .98 miles and I was sad. I wanted those last .02 miles go as slow as possible. I liked leaving the gym exhausted, sweaty, and having completely given it my all. I like it that not everyone is a 'runner' and I'm happy to say that I *am* a runner. Look out Half Marathon...I'm gonna run you!
I love running (or even pretending to run on the elliptical machine). I love the fact that running is hard to do. I like it that I'm unable to text while I run, or read my book. It's just me, with myself and the tunes. I like pushing myself hard, past the point of pain and into vast physical numbness and complete mental strength. I especially liked it today when I got to .98 miles and I was sad. I wanted those last .02 miles go as slow as possible. I liked leaving the gym exhausted, sweaty, and having completely given it my all. I like it that not everyone is a 'runner' and I'm happy to say that I *am* a runner. Look out Half Marathon...I'm gonna run you!
