Finally a new look
Still not my absolute fav, but much, much better than the previous background. It's progress. I love fall.
Taking a brief pause from running in circles for a quick update
Soooo tired
Fun at the OKC Zoo
Working hard in the yard
The child loves garden fresh tomatoes!
Bath timeSo it's been over a month since I've blogged! Yikes. That is not good. One of my assignments for my students is to write a blog post on our class blog. And one of my tips for a good blog is to update it frequently. I guess I'm a hypocritical blogger. (We are using the Wordpress platform, and it is so much more sophisticated than Blogger! I like it.)
Life is crazy busy. Turns out teaching college students forces you to keep the hours of a college student (without the naps). After three or four weeks of staying up 'til 1 p.m. or later nearly every night, I think I've finally got a handle on this come-up-with-a-50-minute-lesson-or-activity-three-days-a-week thing. It's a huge challenge to keep them engaged and learning, but it's a good challenge.
And here's something really funny: I'm teaching a completely different PR class next semester! This is good in that it gives me another class under my belt. However, the thought of working so hard on developing all my lessons, lectures, and activities only to file them away for next semester is a little bit of a bummer. I am only teaching one class though...I had the option to teach others as well, but I've quickly learned I only have time to prepare for one class if I'm going to continue freelancing (and sleeping), and since that is what "pays the bills," one class is all I can handle right now.
The class for Spring 09 is PR Case Studies, and I really like reading case studies, so I think it will be fun. Plus, the class is Tuesday/Thursday, so you can bet I'm gonna be enjoying Fridays off with my little guy next semester! Yahoo!
Chris is good. Actually he's sick now, but Chris's sick is diffent than most people's sick. When Chris has a cold, he thinks he is knocking at death's door, and after a few days I'm threatening to finish him off if the cold doesn't do the job for me. I think he's finally turning the corner though, and it looks like he's going to pull through. Whew. Another close call. (BTW, Chris does not read my blog...Hehe).
Hudson is as onery as he is sweet. That little switch has flipped inside his head and he's 100 percent boy. He's constantly running, jumping and climbing on something. He says new words constantly...Lately he has said "clock" and "rerow" (yellow). Other words he can say (and this is more so I can have a written record in case you don't care) include: dog, go, truck, ball, horsey, momma and mommy, daddy, ready, set, go (sounds like re, se, ghh), shoe and please. He tries to say A, B, C and likes to try and repeat the numbers four and six when you're counting. There are a few more, but I can't remember them at the moment.
Hudson also had his first haircut a few weeks ago and did great. I was afraid the lady was going to cut all his curls off, but she didn't, and I think his hair is curlier now than it's ever been. He is getting so fun, always pointing and talking. Oh, and he's still in the 95 percentile for height! Wahoo! It would be so funny if he turned out tall with mine and Chris's lack of height.
Enjoy the pics! Will blog again soon. (Well, probably not, but I'll try.)
Yes, This is Still Me
But this template is so not me. I was getting annoyed with my old one because the white text was hard to read. And I liked this one until I noticed the two funky chicks at the top. Now, the template is called Funky Chicks, but I didn't realize it actually featured Funky Chicks on it. Somehow they were camouflaged amid the cute green flowers and swirls. And what are they doing anyway? Is the one in the back picking a piece of lint off the girl's elbow in front? And what are they, like seven feet tall? Size Zero?
This is definitely not the template of a mom who is getting "computer hips" and spent the day working in stretch pants and an Old Navy t-shirt. I am definitely not a Funky Chick. But I am too lazy to change my template tonight. So, until then, enjoy. Imagine this blog is managed by some hip, young early-twenty something who drinks fashionable...well, whatever the heck it is hip young people are drinking these days. I think I'll go have some diluted Juicy Juice.
CB.
(PS - I learned on the radio this morning that is text speak for "Ciao Baby." But I'm sure you already knew that.)
This is definitely not the template of a mom who is getting "computer hips" and spent the day working in stretch pants and an Old Navy t-shirt. I am definitely not a Funky Chick. But I am too lazy to change my template tonight. So, until then, enjoy. Imagine this blog is managed by some hip, young early-twenty something who drinks fashionable...well, whatever the heck it is hip young people are drinking these days. I think I'll go have some diluted Juicy Juice.
CB.
(PS - I learned on the radio this morning that is text speak for "Ciao Baby." But I'm sure you already knew that.)
Update
I'm sure you've been asking yourself, "What have those Claggetts been up to lately?" Here's you answer:
Hudson
Hudson is sooo much fun right now. He is talking like crazy. One third of the time he's jabbering, one third of the time he's attempting to say actual words, and one third of the time he's saying daddy and mommy (which sounds like "mom-meee," and just melts my heart).
New words (at least I think they're new) include shoe, Nana, Meme (I think this is the babysitter, Emily), Ready-Set-Go (which sounds like "re...se...go"), A-B-C (taught by Nana) and many other words that don't come to mind right now. If he's in the mood, he'll attempt to say anything you ask. He also tries to say "please," but it sounds like "sees." Short and sweet.
He can also do several things we ask of him like shut the door, brush his hair, get his shoes, and throw something in the trash. (Really, I'm blogging about this? Yes, I am. I'm afraid if I don't write it down somewhere, I'll forget, and this is the only place I'm recording him milestones these days.) He can also identify his head, nose, eyes, ears, month, stomach, hands, legs, and feet. Much of this is thanks to his amazing home daycare where they have been learning their body parts. That place is awesome!
He is getting busier and busier and prefers to be outside where I think he's wander all the way to town if we'd let him keep walking. I know I say this in every post about him, but he just keeps getting more and more fun. Oh, and he also eats and eats. Out sitter said today he is eating as much as the three-year olds. Between Chris and Hudson (and especially if we had another son) I'm afraid one of us may have to get a second job to keep these boys full.
Chris
Chris is asleep on the couch right now. It's 9 p.m. The man just runs until he drops. He is working four ten-hour days right now which is great because he has three day weekends, but hard because he is totally wiped from the heat and work by the time he arrives home.
We had our 8 year anniversary yesterday. I cannot believe it's been eight years. It's really hard to believe we were married nearly seven years before we had Hudson. We spend that time working hard at work and on our house/land. We had a lot of fun, but now I wish we had spend more time relaxing and less time working because with a baby there is even less time to relax. However, something tells me we would do it all over again if we had the choice. As much as we try, it's really not either of our personalities to kick back and relax.
We did have the chance to celebrate, though. My parents kept Hudson Friday and Saturday night, so Friday night we went out to dinner. It was nice being able to enjoy a quiet meal without entertaining/pacifying a baby. Don't get me wrong; we enjoy our meals with Hudson. He's just at that age now where restaurants are not his thing...Too old to quietly consume whatever we put in front of him, and too young to reason as to why he should be seen and not heard. The bright side is I'm sure we're saving a ton of money not eating out on a regular basis.
Chris is also about to finally finish the efficiency apartment he's been building in our shop. The project has been slowly progressing for a year now, and our affection for it grew dim a long time ago. Somewhere along the line we have both inadvertently taken to calling it, "That stupid apartment." So, now it's "I have to go buy some trim for that stupid apartment," or "I need to go hook up the electrical in that stupid apartment," or "When are you going to be done with that stupid apartment?" I suppose we could call it worse things, but we're going to have to work on a better name for it as Hudson's vocabulary progresses.
Me
All the changes I've been thinking and occasionally blogging about (I think) have finally come about.
I finished my last day at Express on Friday. I think my first day there was August 2, 2002, so I completed a full seven years. I cannot believe that; it all seemed to go by so fast. Working in the marketing/communications/sales department there was always an exciting job.
Some of the odd but interesting highlights? I was featured in the New York Times (complete with a huge photo) in 2002 in an article about graduates taking internships while looking for full-time work. I attended a few NASCAR races when we sponsored a few different NASCAR drivers. I coordinated dozens of Clydesdale events and accommodated the crew and horses at some interesting trips which includes the infamous Chicago South Side St. Patrick's Day parade. I think only the crew, the horses, myself and a co-worker were the only ones feeling the 30 degree weather because we were also the only ones sober at 10 o'clock in the morning.
I traveled all over the country, and I had the opportunity to hear and see some notable celebrities and speakers at our annual conferences including Colin Powell, Lou Holtz, Vince Gill, and Jessica Simpson. Yes, quite an eclectic bunch, but they weren't all at the same meeting. But the most notable thing about Express was our team. We were all smart, good at our jobs, and enjoyed our work. And we all liked each other. Most of us were friends. I'm not sure I'll ever work with such an amazing team again.
Monday began my first day working at home. I spent the morning finishing my syllabus for Public Information Methods, the PR class I'll teach in the fall at UCO. Then, the afternoon was spend working on the speech for Express's founders which I'm writing for contract work. Express seems optimistic about using me for future speech writing and other event-related support, and I had another great call with a soon-to-be-client this afternoon, so it looks like I'll be profitable and productive as a freelance speechwriter/writer/marketing and PR consultant and an adjunct instructor. I'm amazed, thankful, and humbled.
And that, I think, is the most exciting thing about trusting in God and following the path he directs. I would have never dreamed six months ago that I'd have left Express and stepped out on my own. Eighteen months ago I could hardly see past the morning-afternoon-evening sickness to imagine I'd have such a precious blue-eyed, redheaded baby boy. Ten years ago I couldn't imagine celebrating my eighth anniversary with a hardworking and ornery yet thoughtful and caring husband. I think we all end up looking back at some point and saying, "Oh, so that's why that happened!" It makes me look to the future with excitement and curiosity about what He has in store for us next.
All in all, life is very, very good.
Hudson
Hudson is sooo much fun right now. He is talking like crazy. One third of the time he's jabbering, one third of the time he's attempting to say actual words, and one third of the time he's saying daddy and mommy (which sounds like "mom-meee," and just melts my heart).
New words (at least I think they're new) include shoe, Nana, Meme (I think this is the babysitter, Emily), Ready-Set-Go (which sounds like "re...se...go"), A-B-C (taught by Nana) and many other words that don't come to mind right now. If he's in the mood, he'll attempt to say anything you ask. He also tries to say "please," but it sounds like "sees." Short and sweet.
He can also do several things we ask of him like shut the door, brush his hair, get his shoes, and throw something in the trash. (Really, I'm blogging about this? Yes, I am. I'm afraid if I don't write it down somewhere, I'll forget, and this is the only place I'm recording him milestones these days.) He can also identify his head, nose, eyes, ears, month, stomach, hands, legs, and feet. Much of this is thanks to his amazing home daycare where they have been learning their body parts. That place is awesome!
He is getting busier and busier and prefers to be outside where I think he's wander all the way to town if we'd let him keep walking. I know I say this in every post about him, but he just keeps getting more and more fun. Oh, and he also eats and eats. Out sitter said today he is eating as much as the three-year olds. Between Chris and Hudson (and especially if we had another son) I'm afraid one of us may have to get a second job to keep these boys full.
Chris
Chris is asleep on the couch right now. It's 9 p.m. The man just runs until he drops. He is working four ten-hour days right now which is great because he has three day weekends, but hard because he is totally wiped from the heat and work by the time he arrives home.
We had our 8 year anniversary yesterday. I cannot believe it's been eight years. It's really hard to believe we were married nearly seven years before we had Hudson. We spend that time working hard at work and on our house/land. We had a lot of fun, but now I wish we had spend more time relaxing and less time working because with a baby there is even less time to relax. However, something tells me we would do it all over again if we had the choice. As much as we try, it's really not either of our personalities to kick back and relax.
We did have the chance to celebrate, though. My parents kept Hudson Friday and Saturday night, so Friday night we went out to dinner. It was nice being able to enjoy a quiet meal without entertaining/pacifying a baby. Don't get me wrong; we enjoy our meals with Hudson. He's just at that age now where restaurants are not his thing...Too old to quietly consume whatever we put in front of him, and too young to reason as to why he should be seen and not heard. The bright side is I'm sure we're saving a ton of money not eating out on a regular basis.
Chris is also about to finally finish the efficiency apartment he's been building in our shop. The project has been slowly progressing for a year now, and our affection for it grew dim a long time ago. Somewhere along the line we have both inadvertently taken to calling it, "That stupid apartment." So, now it's "I have to go buy some trim for that stupid apartment," or "I need to go hook up the electrical in that stupid apartment," or "When are you going to be done with that stupid apartment?" I suppose we could call it worse things, but we're going to have to work on a better name for it as Hudson's vocabulary progresses.
Me
All the changes I've been thinking and occasionally blogging about (I think) have finally come about.
I finished my last day at Express on Friday. I think my first day there was August 2, 2002, so I completed a full seven years. I cannot believe that; it all seemed to go by so fast. Working in the marketing/communications/sales department there was always an exciting job.
Some of the odd but interesting highlights? I was featured in the New York Times (complete with a huge photo) in 2002 in an article about graduates taking internships while looking for full-time work. I attended a few NASCAR races when we sponsored a few different NASCAR drivers. I coordinated dozens of Clydesdale events and accommodated the crew and horses at some interesting trips which includes the infamous Chicago South Side St. Patrick's Day parade. I think only the crew, the horses, myself and a co-worker were the only ones feeling the 30 degree weather because we were also the only ones sober at 10 o'clock in the morning.
I traveled all over the country, and I had the opportunity to hear and see some notable celebrities and speakers at our annual conferences including Colin Powell, Lou Holtz, Vince Gill, and Jessica Simpson. Yes, quite an eclectic bunch, but they weren't all at the same meeting. But the most notable thing about Express was our team. We were all smart, good at our jobs, and enjoyed our work. And we all liked each other. Most of us were friends. I'm not sure I'll ever work with such an amazing team again.
Monday began my first day working at home. I spent the morning finishing my syllabus for Public Information Methods, the PR class I'll teach in the fall at UCO. Then, the afternoon was spend working on the speech for Express's founders which I'm writing for contract work. Express seems optimistic about using me for future speech writing and other event-related support, and I had another great call with a soon-to-be-client this afternoon, so it looks like I'll be profitable and productive as a freelance speechwriter/writer/marketing and PR consultant and an adjunct instructor. I'm amazed, thankful, and humbled.
And that, I think, is the most exciting thing about trusting in God and following the path he directs. I would have never dreamed six months ago that I'd have left Express and stepped out on my own. Eighteen months ago I could hardly see past the morning-afternoon-evening sickness to imagine I'd have such a precious blue-eyed, redheaded baby boy. Ten years ago I couldn't imagine celebrating my eighth anniversary with a hardworking and ornery yet thoughtful and caring husband. I think we all end up looking back at some point and saying, "Oh, so that's why that happened!" It makes me look to the future with excitement and curiosity about what He has in store for us next.
All in all, life is very, very good.
Everyone Needs an Alice. Amen.
If you loathe shopping at Walmart. If you only go there because it's convenient, not because you stood in line for 30 minutes when you were 7 months pregnant among 30 other vacant checkout stands. Or because you've wandered countless aisles looking for a hard-to-find ingredient because the nearby associate responded with a shrug and an "I dunno" when you asked where it might be. Or because they're unfortunately cheaper than Target. Or because you have to sack your own groceries. Or because they think it's perfectly reasonable to expect you to pay them to check out and sack your own groceries after putting in your own 10 hour work day.
Check out Alice.com. I just discovered it yesterday, the same day it debuted. (I feel so cutting edge for once in my life.) I have not checked out, but I have signed up and started compiling my household items, items whose prices are comparable to Walmart prices. Items that they will ship to your house for free. Say no more. You had me at "farewell to pushing the cart with the wayward wheel up and down 50 aisles while trying to entertain a one-year-old for 90 minutes."
This could be the best invention since the Internet. I'll let you know how it goes, but considering that every time I shop at Walmart they somehow achieve a new low, it must be better. It must be.
Check out Alice.com. I just discovered it yesterday, the same day it debuted. (I feel so cutting edge for once in my life.) I have not checked out, but I have signed up and started compiling my household items, items whose prices are comparable to Walmart prices. Items that they will ship to your house for free. Say no more. You had me at "farewell to pushing the cart with the wayward wheel up and down 50 aisles while trying to entertain a one-year-old for 90 minutes."
This could be the best invention since the Internet. I'll let you know how it goes, but considering that every time I shop at Walmart they somehow achieve a new low, it must be better. It must be.
Hudson Stats
Hudson had his 12 month checkup today. He was in the 33 percentile for weight and head size, but he was in the 96 PERCENTILE FOR HEIGHT. If you're familiar with mine and Chris's stature, you get why we're so excited. C'mon recessive tall gene!
BIG Changes (for me, anyway)
I haven't been in the mood to blog. I think its because my brain is exhausted from over processing everything lately - especially everything work-related.
I have made the choice to change jobs in a big way. About a month or so ago I noticed a posting for an adjunct instructor for a PR class at UCO (my alma mater). I have a good relationship with one of the professors listed as a contact, so I e-mailed her. She encouraged me to apply. Long story short, I got the job. The job was originally going to be teaching two classes - one on Tuesday/Thursday and one on Monday/Wednesday/Friday. I had decided that if the job was two classes, I would leave Express (where I've worked since before I graduated college!) to adjunct and freelance write and speech write. I've served as our executive speechwriter for a few years now, and have found that I have a talent for it, and there are very few speechwriters in Oklahoma City. (Oh, and please don't use this blog to size up my writing abilities. After you write all day long, you just want to be lazy when writing for fun!)
So, last week I gave my notice. This week it has all finally sunk in. I'm leaving a job I've worked at for over seven years. A job I mostly love with co-workers who are some of my dearest friends. Thankfully my last day isn't until July 31st.
This week I also learned that UCO hit a "bump in the road" and I would now be teaching one class instead of two. I was slightly disappointed, but if you know adjuncting you know it doesn't pay much at all, so I figured my time would best be spent freelancing anyway, and that one class is okay.
And now I'm thinking, "Oh crap! What was I thinking?" Well, sort of. I prayed a lot about this job and I really feel this is what I'm meant to do. I have a few very solid contacts who said they will outsource work to me. And then I have several others that I need to follow up with and let them know my plans.
I have always been very stability driven, so the thought of not knowing where my next paycheck will be coming from is a bit unnerving. However, it's also exciting, and both teaching PR and writing will definitely keep me motivated to network, learn, and grow. Plus, Chris and I have managed our finances well enough that we're okay if it takes me a while to get things established and become profitable.
Sooo, I'll be spending the next six to eight weeks scrambling to figure out a solid plan for my future and developing my version of a Public Information Methods course. Please pray for me! Oh, and did I mention I will get to wear pants to work for the first time in my professional career? That's just icing on the cake.
I have made the choice to change jobs in a big way. About a month or so ago I noticed a posting for an adjunct instructor for a PR class at UCO (my alma mater). I have a good relationship with one of the professors listed as a contact, so I e-mailed her. She encouraged me to apply. Long story short, I got the job. The job was originally going to be teaching two classes - one on Tuesday/Thursday and one on Monday/Wednesday/Friday. I had decided that if the job was two classes, I would leave Express (where I've worked since before I graduated college!) to adjunct and freelance write and speech write. I've served as our executive speechwriter for a few years now, and have found that I have a talent for it, and there are very few speechwriters in Oklahoma City. (Oh, and please don't use this blog to size up my writing abilities. After you write all day long, you just want to be lazy when writing for fun!)
So, last week I gave my notice. This week it has all finally sunk in. I'm leaving a job I've worked at for over seven years. A job I mostly love with co-workers who are some of my dearest friends. Thankfully my last day isn't until July 31st.
This week I also learned that UCO hit a "bump in the road" and I would now be teaching one class instead of two. I was slightly disappointed, but if you know adjuncting you know it doesn't pay much at all, so I figured my time would best be spent freelancing anyway, and that one class is okay.
And now I'm thinking, "Oh crap! What was I thinking?" Well, sort of. I prayed a lot about this job and I really feel this is what I'm meant to do. I have a few very solid contacts who said they will outsource work to me. And then I have several others that I need to follow up with and let them know my plans.
I have always been very stability driven, so the thought of not knowing where my next paycheck will be coming from is a bit unnerving. However, it's also exciting, and both teaching PR and writing will definitely keep me motivated to network, learn, and grow. Plus, Chris and I have managed our finances well enough that we're okay if it takes me a while to get things established and become profitable.
Sooo, I'll be spending the next six to eight weeks scrambling to figure out a solid plan for my future and developing my version of a Public Information Methods course. Please pray for me! Oh, and did I mention I will get to wear pants to work for the first time in my professional career? That's just icing on the cake.
One Big Year
Adorable stuffed animal bowling pins from Jenny and family. We played bowling tonight. Hudson thinks it's pretty fun.
Quite the party animal as you can see.
We went with a Sesame Street theme.
Suffering through a birthday pic with mom and dad.
We bought Hudson a ball pit for his birthday. Our living room officially looks like a home daycare. Oh well...I still don't think I've recovered from this time last year, and I'm definitely still recovering from this time last week (a mean stomach bug swept our house), but I don't want to procrastinate any longer on my update about little Hudson turning the big ONE.
Yes, my sweet little 8 lb., 5 oz., angel that fit so nicely in the crook of my arm is now a 21 lb., 14 oz., ball of energy that will tolerate zero cuddling from his momma. He's still pretty sweet though. We had so much fun celebrating his one-year party, keeping it simple with only family in attendance. We ate lunch while Hudson slept, did the cake thing when he woke up, and then had fun watching him check out his new presents. In my mind I have written and rewritten a very well-written post on what a big day it was, but my mind is too tired to make the effort to pound it out with my fingers, so you'll just have to take my word for it. It was a super special day. I left up his little Happy Birthday banner until Saturday. I just didn't want to take the tacky thing down.
What's most intriguing is thinking back one year ago. On the days leading up to his actual birthday to now I can tell you what we did on each day. Like today. Today was Monday last year, and my Mom had just stayed her first night with us. That was a very special week, having my mom down to help. My heart aches for new mothers who don't have their mom on hand to make those first few days less scary and intimidating. Today it feels like we've had Hudson forever, and taking care of him comes as natural as taking care of myself. Thank goodness. A year ago it took me three hours just to get ready to go to Walmart.
Yesterday I packed up more clothes that Hudson had outgrown, and these were 9 - 12 month sizes! I still have his first box of baby clothes in the laundry room ready to be packed away in the shop. I don't even want to look at how tiny those little onsies are. It breaks my heart!
But, with a one-year-old there is little time for looking back; Hudson is too busy going forward! He is toddling around now, taking five or ten or 15 steps at a time as he stumbles and stops and stutters along. He looks like a miniature little stumbling drunk; it's hilarious. I'm sure in another week or two he'll be running through the house. Hard to believe.
It's nice being settled into the life of parenthood. I don't think anything can be more life-changing than that of having a child. We look forward to this next year as Hudson continues to learn and grow. As I look at my neice Reiley, whose 10 months older than Hudson, I have a hard time believing that he'll likely be talking in phrases, feeding himself with silverware, and doing so many other things that make him less of a baby and more of a little boy in less than a year. Until then, enjoy a few more pics of my baby.
New Pics!
Enjoying some pureed something or other.
I wish we all woke up this happy.
Baby dedication on Mother's Day. Look at all the sweet kiddos!
Mother's Day featuring Riley Paige doing her "scrunchy face."We had a great weekend. Saturday was the kind of day I'd like have a few times a month, but in reality it only comes along a few times a year. Just a lazy easy day that consisted of Chris letting me sleep in (until 9 a.m.!), running errands, a walk in the park, and then home and bed. Sunday was fun with the baby dedication at church, lunch at our house (lasagna and Italian creme cake!) and a looong nap late in the day.
I cannot believe Hudson will be one in a little over two weeks. I have so much to do between birthday party planning and keeping up with the every day stuff. I'm keeping it simple though, with family, food, and cake. We'll save the big parties for when Hudson will remember and understand what's going on.
Hudson has now been attending his new sitter's for 1 1/2 weeks, and we LOVE it. Of course he is still adjusting to the new caregiver, but it's a night and day difference as far as the "child friendliness." At his new home daycare there are toys galore, a big playroom, they go outside for a long time every day...This new place is so much more child focused, and I know what he does every day he is there, which makes me happy. Every day I get a complete update on what he's been doing, what he likes, what he ate, etc. This is the place we've been praying for, and I'm so thankful.
That's it for now. I just did the math and we will be able to turn on the TV on Sunday, should we choose to do so. I'm back in the "indifference" stage again, not really missing it much. We'll see.
BRIEF Update
Lately my life has consisted of cleaning, laundry, work at work, work at home, clean some more, do some more laundry, work some more, oops house is all messy again...I cannot figure it out. I really try hard to keep my house up all the time, but I swear if I take one day off it's back to square one. Chris says its 90% me, but it's interesting to note when he's out of town the house stays very neat. Go figure.
I think it's been 2 1/2 weeks without TV now and I gotta say, I miss it, especially since it's too rainy to do anything outside. In fact, if I hadn't posted on this blog that we were going to try to go without TV for a month, I would have definitely caved by now. Thanks for the accountability. So now I'm thinking TV isn't so bad...I will just be more selective about what I watch and probably always keep it off when Hudson is awake (save for an an occassional kiddy video). It is a good experiment, though. I'd recommend everyone try it. It's a lot of thinking and quiet time, and it has helped me reflect on what I do watch and whether or not it aligns with what I want in my thoughts, in my head, etc. One Friday night Chris and I played Rummy. We would have never thought of doing that if we were watching TV. We had so much fun! It reminded me of our Alaskan cruise when we played cards on the days we were at sea. Ahhh. Now that was a relaxing vacation.
I need to post some pics of Hudson. That will be my next post. He's all better from the strep (even though the lab said no strep, we're gonna say strep because the antibiotics cleared him up pronto) and back to his happy self. His favorite thing to do is pick up a book and "read" it, which I LOVE. He will point and talk and turn the page and point. It's sooo cute. He has six teeth and he now can point to his nose (the kid is brilliant!). He calls just about everything a "gog" (dog) but also says "baby." His favorite word is Dada.
I think that's it for now. We're looking forward to a nice Mother's Day. Our church is having its baby dedication day on the same day, so it will be an extra special Mother's Day. My parents and sister's family will come up, and I'm going to make lasagna so we can just pop it into the oven after church. And this year's Mother's Day happens to be my sister's birthday as well so I'm making a homemade Italian creme cake which I have made before (but not for my family) and it's totally from scratch and delish.
Well, it's 10:46 p.m. and I have to get up a little after 5 a.m. tomorrow since I work. No wonder I'm always tired. But it's so hard to go to bed when I get a few minutes of alone time! I love my alone time, and there's just not much of that left anymore, which is fine; I just have to steal it from my sleep.
Update
I feel compelled to make an update b/c I just posted on my cousin's sister-in-law's blog (who is also going to go NO TV for a month) and said we hadn't missed watching television (and I quote) "ONE BIT."
And then I just read my blog post below that says, "So far I miss it most when..." Oops. I guess I did miss it at first.
But we've now completed day five with no TV and it has been great. It's a very liberating feeling to feel as if I can have a fulfilling and entertaining day without the television. Sometimes I play some music on my laptop, but a lot of the time there is no "artificial noise" blaring in our home. And it's nice. However, I know five days is nothing to brag about. And I'll bet it's a lot easier to avoid TV when it's nice out than in the dead of winter. That thought just occurred to me today. Or when you have a newborn and you're feeding them at 3 a.m. Just thought of that too. (Though that WILL NOT be happening anytime again in the near future!).
In other news, poor Hudson is a sick baby. We had a play date scheduled today with several other girls and their babies from church this morning, but Hudson was acting very fussy as I rushed around. He felt warm, so I took his temperature and it was nearly 101 degrees! He's never had a temp., not even when he had ear infections, so it was a little alarming. We had to cancel the play date and schedule a doctor's appointment this afternoon.
Turns out he just has a virus, which is good because he doesn't have an ear infection but bad because he could be contagious. So, Chris and I are both working half days tomorrow to keep the little guy at home. He definitely isn't himself. He never lays his head on my chest, and today he let me rock him to sleep twice! That's definitely a small bright side to his little sick side. Hopefully he'll feel better soon.
No Television for One Month?
Friday night I proposed to Chris that we go without television (in our home) for one month. After all, I don't really watch much of it anyway. And Chris usually just watches re-runs of movies we've seen numerous times (lately its been Clear and Present Danger and Braveheart) and UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) episodes (groan). I don't usually watch movies more than once. Chris is content to watch them over and over. I always tease him about it, asking, "Hey, maybe this time Braveheart will escape from the gallows and kill the enemy. Do you think?" He grits his teeth.
Anyhow, the point is I have it on for background noise and Chris just watches stuff I don't want to watch, so we decided to make a go of it. So far, so good. Not to say we haven't been tempted already. I guess Chris tried to turn it on yesterday, but I had unplugged it so that we would have to make a conscious decision to go against our resolution, so he didn't end up watching it after all.
So far I miss it most when I'm sitting down to give Hudson a bottle or like now, when Chris is outside and Hudson is asleep, and watching a re-run of House or some other show in peace sounds kinda nice.
I don't know if we'll make a month. I hope so. If we do make it a month, we'll probably seriously think about cancelling our Dish, which for some reason I hate to do even if we aren't watching TV. Strange, huh? When you go without TV and then consider really going without TV, you realize what a staple television is in your life. It's comforting knowing that I can turn on The Wiggles or watch Dateline even if I don't want to. That bugs me even more. Why is television so important in our lives?
I hope by the end of the month (if we make it) we'll stay in the habit of very little to hardly any television..more reading and quiet time. We'll have to see.
Anyhow, the point is I have it on for background noise and Chris just watches stuff I don't want to watch, so we decided to make a go of it. So far, so good. Not to say we haven't been tempted already. I guess Chris tried to turn it on yesterday, but I had unplugged it so that we would have to make a conscious decision to go against our resolution, so he didn't end up watching it after all.
So far I miss it most when I'm sitting down to give Hudson a bottle or like now, when Chris is outside and Hudson is asleep, and watching a re-run of House or some other show in peace sounds kinda nice.
I don't know if we'll make a month. I hope so. If we do make it a month, we'll probably seriously think about cancelling our Dish, which for some reason I hate to do even if we aren't watching TV. Strange, huh? When you go without TV and then consider really going without TV, you realize what a staple television is in your life. It's comforting knowing that I can turn on The Wiggles or watch Dateline even if I don't want to. That bugs me even more. Why is television so important in our lives?
I hope by the end of the month (if we make it) we'll stay in the habit of very little to hardly any television..more reading and quiet time. We'll have to see.
Easter 2009
Cousin Riley Eating Jelly Beans
Hunting Eggs
Sunday morning before church (a.k.a. nap time)
Suffering through more photos
Can I have that problem back, please?
If you've read my previous post, you know work is a bit challenging now. You can also see that I'm trying to rest on God's promises and look to him for guidance and wisdom.
What's not so obvious (unless you work with me) is that the other half of the time I'm worrying, stressing, complaining, and frustrating about these situations.
I was discussing this with a co-worker today, and it turns out I'm not alone. She said, "I give it to God, and then I take it back, and then I give it to Him, and then 10 minutes later I take it back."
Yep, that's totally me.
What's not so obvious (unless you work with me) is that the other half of the time I'm worrying, stressing, complaining, and frustrating about these situations.
I was discussing this with a co-worker today, and it turns out I'm not alone. She said, "I give it to God, and then I take it back, and then I give it to Him, and then 10 minutes later I take it back."
Yep, that's totally me.
Resting on God's Promises
When I learned that our beloved and amazing department vice president was leaving to accept a C-suite position at an premier leadership development organization, the verse from Romans 8:28 came to mind:
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
It illustrated God's path for our leader and why so many doors had closed - so that the door at this new opportunity would open and she could take it without hesitation. It also illustrated, in my mind, what our own team must continue to remember as we worked to continue carrying on the great legacy and high standards established - without her. And, in the back of my mind, I knew it would also be a source of strength and comfort as we would quite likely face many other challenges; her leaving left us far more vulnerable to others with less than pure motivations regarding their own ambitions and our team.
Those challenges came far more quickly than I could have imagined, as Friday one of our two leaders who our VP mentored, trained, and taught was abruptly let go. One month ago we were a proven, confident, and dynamic team who knew our jobs and were darn good at them. Today, we're confused, afraid, and unsure about, well, everything. As I face tomorrow, another set of scriptures from Isaiah 40 sits on my heart:
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
We have an awesome team of good, hard-working people. We like each other. We love our jobs. Many of us are friends. All of us are Christians. We have no idea what the future holds, and it's a lot easier to believe in God's promises when things are going good. But the bottom line is just like our former leader, he has a purpose for us all. If he knows how many hairs we have on our heads, or concerns himself with when we stand up and when we sit down, then I can only believe that he has already laid out a wonderful plan for each of us, a future far greater than we could ever dream. All we have to do is rest on God's promises, and confidently follow the path and accept the plan he is laying out before us.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
It illustrated God's path for our leader and why so many doors had closed - so that the door at this new opportunity would open and she could take it without hesitation. It also illustrated, in my mind, what our own team must continue to remember as we worked to continue carrying on the great legacy and high standards established - without her. And, in the back of my mind, I knew it would also be a source of strength and comfort as we would quite likely face many other challenges; her leaving left us far more vulnerable to others with less than pure motivations regarding their own ambitions and our team.
Those challenges came far more quickly than I could have imagined, as Friday one of our two leaders who our VP mentored, trained, and taught was abruptly let go. One month ago we were a proven, confident, and dynamic team who knew our jobs and were darn good at them. Today, we're confused, afraid, and unsure about, well, everything. As I face tomorrow, another set of scriptures from Isaiah 40 sits on my heart:
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
We have an awesome team of good, hard-working people. We like each other. We love our jobs. Many of us are friends. All of us are Christians. We have no idea what the future holds, and it's a lot easier to believe in God's promises when things are going good. But the bottom line is just like our former leader, he has a purpose for us all. If he knows how many hairs we have on our heads, or concerns himself with when we stand up and when we sit down, then I can only believe that he has already laid out a wonderful plan for each of us, a future far greater than we could ever dream. All we have to do is rest on God's promises, and confidently follow the path and accept the plan he is laying out before us.
10 Months
I know, it's kind of blurry, but I just love that sweet face!
Same ornery grin as his daddy. 
Can't you tell he was just miserable while he was away from us??? 
Kissing his NanHudson celebrated his 10 month birthday on Saturday with Papa and Nana while Chris and I were in Dallas. We had a great time! I slept in while Chris enjoyed the best and most expensive breakfast he's ever eaten via room service. The Gaylord is nice but they get you comin' and goin'. After I was up and around we went and saw the movie Taken with Liam Neeson. It was great. Then we did some shopping at Grapevine Mills. They had a ton of great stores, but of course we ended up in the baby shops and bought Hudson some adorable clothes at Carter's and the mostest cutest outfit for Easter at The Children's Place. I mean this little guy is going to be dressed to the nines! I can't wait.
After shopping 'til we dropped we went back to the Texan and met some co-workers for a bit. The Red Hat Society happened to be having its international convention at the Texan while we were there, and we ended up being seated by a table of whiskey drinking, tattoo wearing Red Hat grannies. Two of them showed us their Red Hat Lady tattoos (on their calves). They boasted they had others that they could not and would not show us. We were terribly disappointed.
Surprisingly we still had appetite enough to enjoy dinner at Ama Lur in the hotel. Then we went back to our room and watched a few hours of TV before falling asleep before 10 p.m. No laundry. No dishes. No yard work. It was a very nice break (THANKS AGAIN Papa and Nana).
However, after 7 years of marriage without baby and 1o months of marriage with him, we still missed Hudson and were very happy to have him back in our arms again. He is getting so big! He cut both of his top front teeth and now has five teeth total. He says ball, truck, good, go, mama, dada, and attempts to say many other words though of course he doesn't quite get them out. He's pointing and playing peek-a-boo and has a renewed interest in many of his toys that he got for Christmas that he now has learned to operate on his own.
He pulls up on everything and is slowly starting to take a step or two while hanging onto the furniture. I imagine he'll be cruising all over the place in a week or two. I think I say this on every post about Hudson, but he keeps getting more and more fun. He's very busy and expressive, but also very sweet and easy going. Enjoy the pics.
Update
I've been a lazy blogger. I just haven't felt like writing lately, so I haven't. And I won't be posting any pics in this blog because I can't find my SD card with all my latest and greatest Hudson pics and video! I'm so bummed. I printed up some pics for Hudson's photo book and I haven't seen the darn thing since, and I have no idea what I did with it! Either a) I had it in my hand and had to do something for Hudson and laid it down or b) I put it in some really smart place that I knew I wouldn't forget or c) I hid it from Chris so it wouldn't end up in his game camera. Regardless of the option, I'm afraid it may be sometime before I see that little disk again, and it's going to drive me nuts until I find it. When I do I'm going to get an external hard drive to drop all my pics on. Those things are a little too large to easily lose.
We have been busy with life stuff...Nothing too major. Just the sort of stuff that has you looking forward to when the stuff is over, and then you realize that's life and you don't want to keep wishing for tomorrow or next week or two weeks from now because running like mad from point a to point b and back again is just part of it.
There's a lady at work I run into from time to time in the bathroom or in the kitchen. Everytime I see her we make small talk, and 90% of the time it goes the same way. I ask her how she's doing. If its a Monday, she says, Well, I'm really looking forward to Friday. If it's the middle of the week, she says only two more days to go until Friday. If it's Friday she finally says she's doing great because its Friday. Sometimes she says, "Only three more hours to go..." What a terrible way to spend the week! Weekends are great, but they don't even make up a 1/3 of life, so it's kinda sad to spend 2/3 of one's life wishing for the other 1/3, and when that 1/3 finally arrives, being happy for about 24 hours until you begin dreading the other 2/3 again.
That being said, I'm really looking forward to this weekend. Pending that everyone in my family stays well (and that has been a big if lately), my parents are coming up on Friday to spend the weekend with Hudson while Chris and I go to Dallas for the weekend! We're very excited. We had planned on taking Hudson with us (and we still will if we need to), but my parents offered to stay with him while we go and we snapped up that offer. Chris and I were bad enough about doing fun things together pre-Hudson, as Chris only slows down to sleep, and though I'm not that bad, I can easily keep myself occupied with projects and house cleaning. However, post-Hudson we have been terrible about spending adult time together. We don't mind carting Hudson where we go, and he's an easy baby so we just haul him everywhere. However, I think the weekend will be good for us. At the top of my list will be 1) reading (I haven't read anything in ages) 2) sleeping in (just a little; I don't like to sleep too late) and 3) having a few quiet meals. We'll be at the Gaylord Texan too, which is a the hotel we had our conference at last month in Grapevine. It should be fun!
We have been busy with life stuff...Nothing too major. Just the sort of stuff that has you looking forward to when the stuff is over, and then you realize that's life and you don't want to keep wishing for tomorrow or next week or two weeks from now because running like mad from point a to point b and back again is just part of it.
There's a lady at work I run into from time to time in the bathroom or in the kitchen. Everytime I see her we make small talk, and 90% of the time it goes the same way. I ask her how she's doing. If its a Monday, she says, Well, I'm really looking forward to Friday. If it's the middle of the week, she says only two more days to go until Friday. If it's Friday she finally says she's doing great because its Friday. Sometimes she says, "Only three more hours to go..." What a terrible way to spend the week! Weekends are great, but they don't even make up a 1/3 of life, so it's kinda sad to spend 2/3 of one's life wishing for the other 1/3, and when that 1/3 finally arrives, being happy for about 24 hours until you begin dreading the other 2/3 again.
That being said, I'm really looking forward to this weekend. Pending that everyone in my family stays well (and that has been a big if lately), my parents are coming up on Friday to spend the weekend with Hudson while Chris and I go to Dallas for the weekend! We're very excited. We had planned on taking Hudson with us (and we still will if we need to), but my parents offered to stay with him while we go and we snapped up that offer. Chris and I were bad enough about doing fun things together pre-Hudson, as Chris only slows down to sleep, and though I'm not that bad, I can easily keep myself occupied with projects and house cleaning. However, post-Hudson we have been terrible about spending adult time together. We don't mind carting Hudson where we go, and he's an easy baby so we just haul him everywhere. However, I think the weekend will be good for us. At the top of my list will be 1) reading (I haven't read anything in ages) 2) sleeping in (just a little; I don't like to sleep too late) and 3) having a few quiet meals. We'll be at the Gaylord Texan too, which is a the hotel we had our conference at last month in Grapevine. It should be fun!
The Power of the To Do List
I've always procrastinated when it comes to getting all the annoying "stuff" done in life. You know, that kind of stuff that needs to get done, but my world won't fall apart if it doesn't, so it really doesn't have to be done. Not right now, anyway.
Well, since Hudson came along I've taken procrastination to a whole different level. What better excuse is there to put off getting life insurance or updating the church nursery schedule than the fact that I'm taking care of a baby all day?
Finally, something had to be done (or get done) so I created a to do list, which I usually only resort to in desperate situations such as when I'm about to leave town for a week or have 100 things left to do at work before the annual conference (and now only half the time to do them in). I created the list on Monday, and so far I've made progress on every single item!
- I've applied for life insurance for both Chris and me (We haven't had it since I returned to work part time, and every single day Chris does something that reminds me that he really needs life insurance...For a guy who earned his bachelor's in Industrial Safety he's about the most un-safe guy I've ever met. Did I mention the last time we rented a backhoe he managed to break it in about 30 minutes?)
- I'm already working on the April - June church nursery schedule. This one's a biggie because if I procrastinate, guess who gets to work nursery in all the open shifts??? Been there done that.
- I've called the new members at church to welcome them and see if they have any questions. (I'm part of the "new membership team" but have - I'm embarrassed to say - called people nearly two months or more after they've joined.)
- I've worked on a plan to solicit sponsors for upcoming PRSA-OKC (Public Relations Society of America) meetings. This is one of those projects where I ask myself why, oh why do I volunteer to do stuff? I'm helping out on the sponsorship committee. I hate, hate, hate asking people or organizations for money. Especially in this economy! This is why I don't think I can ever work for a non-profit that has to raise funds to operate. But, I did tell the president I would be happy to help out where I'm needed except for planning the annual awards banquet. I forgot to say except for sponsorships too. Oh well.
- After six months of not having but paying for CallNotes (which quit working why?), I e-mailed ATT to get the temporary password to set up the voicemail box. Funny thing is you can still leave a voicemail even though I cannot access them. So if I haven't returned your call...
It feels so good to check things off my list! I guess putting it in writing makes me more accountable to the fact that it gets done.
In other unrelated but very notable news...
Hudson had his 9 month check up today. No shots. Yay! He's in the 89% percentile in height. Double yay! His ear infection has finally cleared up. Yee haw! But the little stinker is not drinking like he should! He stays hydrated, but he's supposed to have about 36 ozs. of fluids per day, and I'll be he drinks about 24 or so. I guess I'll stop complaining that he's waking up again in the middle of the night. At least he does drink 5 - 6 ozs., and at this rate, I'll take whatever I can get.
Author's Note: I realize there is no spacing between paragraphs in this post. I don't know what's going on, but Blogger is seriously going wonky with my formatting. I'm not sure what to do, but it's driving me crazy! Sorry about the annoying layout.
9 Months Old
Hudson will be nine months old tomorrow. I haven't done a good job of recording milestones in his baby book; I've decided this blog will do just fine.
Poor little guy is having a rough week. I took him to the doctor on Wednesday and he still had his ear infection that was diagnosed/prescribed antibiotics two weeks ago tomorrow, so now we're on another round of antibiotics. This makes him a pooping machine, so now his poor little behind is red and irritated, making him irritable (which is very unlike Hudson). On top of that, he's teething. He just cut his third tooth - his top left lateral incisor (thank you, google).
As you can see in the video below, he's crawling everywhere. Of course he decided to do that while I was in Dallas last week. Oh well. That is a risk I run by working part-time and traveling occasionally. It was no less exciting for me to see him crawl for the first time. Chris did great all alone with him, and now Hudson even seems like he's just as content with Chris as me (for the time being) which is nice.
So, what's going on in this little nine month old's world? He enjoys exploring his ever-expanding world, reading his open-flap books (courtesy of Nana), babbling, watching other kids, watching Molly, and baths. He doesn't care too much for being put down for naps (now that he can sit up and crawl around his crib he fights sleep), diaper changes, laying still while I get him ready in the morning, or helium balloons (his baby sitter got him a giant red heart-shaped balloon for Valentine's Day and it kinda freaks him out).
He babbles dadada and gogogo (as in Go, Dog, Go) and only says mamama when he's tired or upset or wants to be rescued from his crib. He's getting the waving thing down, but when he isn't sure what to do with his hands, he starts clapping, like "Well, I'm can't quite do that, but I can clap really good!" It's so funny.
I cannot believe he's nine months old. He used to fit in the crook of my arm. Now he sprawls out across my lap. He used to love to be rocked to sleep. Now he'll hardly lay his head on my shoulder for five seconds. One day it seemed as if all I did was feed and rock him. Now he takes his food in a high chair and he won't sit still long enough to be rocked. Everyone says they grow up so fast, but like everything else pertaining to parenthood, you just don't understand it until you experience it for yourself.
You've Got to be Kidding
I received a post card in the mail while out of town. The front of it says "Apple First Generation iPod nano Class Action Settlement." On the back, amongst other fine print, it says "To be eligible for payment from the Fund, you must have experienced scratching of your iPod nano that impaired your use or enjoyment of it."
Seriously? I mean, really? Who in the world came up with the idea suing Apple because their beloved iPod was scratched? I want to meet the person who got fired up enough about a scratched iPod to file an actual lawsuit. I want to be so lucky to have that as my biggest problem in life.
So, how much money am I eligible for? Well, if my iPod nano was scratched and my enjoyment of it was impaired and it was sold to me without a slip case, I may receive a whopping $25. If I was so unfortunate to have a scratched iPod but received a slip case for it, I may be entitled to $15.
Amount requested by Plaintiff's Counsel for attorneys fees - $4.5 million dollars, along with up to $200,000 of litigation expenses. Humph. I'm speechless.
Seriously? I mean, really? Who in the world came up with the idea suing Apple because their beloved iPod was scratched? I want to meet the person who got fired up enough about a scratched iPod to file an actual lawsuit. I want to be so lucky to have that as my biggest problem in life.
So, how much money am I eligible for? Well, if my iPod nano was scratched and my enjoyment of it was impaired and it was sold to me without a slip case, I may receive a whopping $25. If I was so unfortunate to have a scratched iPod but received a slip case for it, I may be entitled to $15.
Amount requested by Plaintiff's Counsel for attorneys fees - $4.5 million dollars, along with up to $200,000 of litigation expenses. Humph. I'm speechless.
My Favorite Pic of My Boy
This was taken a few weeks ago. I got him to smile by throwing a toy at him and taking the pic at the same time. He always smiles, but when he sees the red eye reducer on my camera he quits smiling and starts squinting his eyes.Haven't had time for any updates lately...All my spare computer time has been working as I get ready for a week long conference in Dallas. Then Chris, Hudson and I all came down with a nasty stomach bug two days ago. Luckily, Hudson was least affected. We're all slowly recovering.
Sleep Talking
Lucky you, my small but dedicated group of loyal blog readers. Two posts in one night! So, I was just wrapping up my post below. I'm at one end of the couch with my laptop and Chris is at the other end sleeping. Aw, how sweet. Anyway, sometimes Chris says the funniest things in his sleep, and if you attempt to answer or question what he's saying, he'll sometimes carry on a brief and insanely ridiculous conversation. Since Chris doesn't read my blog, I'll share tonight's riveting conversation.
Chris: "I saw you."
Me: "You saw me?"
Chris: "Yeah."
Me: "Where was I?"
Chris: "Uptown."
Me: "Uptown?"
Chris: "Yeah. You were upchucking."
And that's it. He's back sleeping. Really? Just to clarify, I have not been upchucking uptown lately. Now, about a year ago when I was prego with Hudson I upchucked everywhere...at work, at church, while driving down the interstate. But although I upchucked up to four or five times a day, I don't think I ever upchucked uptown.
Chris, on the other hand, probably upchucked uptown a lot in high school and his freshman year of college, and that wasn't because his body was the host for the most adorable little sea monkey. Of course I tamed his ornery ways. There will be no upchucking uptown as long as we're hooked up. (Which will be for forever, of course. He is, after all, my knight in shining hoodie.)
Chris: "I saw you."
Me: "You saw me?"
Chris: "Yeah."
Me: "Where was I?"
Chris: "Uptown."
Me: "Uptown?"
Chris: "Yeah. You were upchucking."
And that's it. He's back sleeping. Really? Just to clarify, I have not been upchucking uptown lately. Now, about a year ago when I was prego with Hudson I upchucked everywhere...at work, at church, while driving down the interstate. But although I upchucked up to four or five times a day, I don't think I ever upchucked uptown.
Chris, on the other hand, probably upchucked uptown a lot in high school and his freshman year of college, and that wasn't because his body was the host for the most adorable little sea monkey. Of course I tamed his ornery ways. There will be no upchucking uptown as long as we're hooked up. (Which will be for forever, of course. He is, after all, my knight in shining hoodie.)
My Knight in Shining Hoodie
If I'm looking to blame someone - and I am - it's really the meteorologists' fault. The OKC weathermen get so worked up about every gust of wind, drop of drizzle, mesocyclone, hook echo, wall cloud, flake of snow or hint of sleet, I never know if the weather really is going to get nasty or if they're just getting all worked up for nothing. I swear when a "ominous looking cloud" stops rotating and dissipates, the disappointment in their voices is palpable. The same can be said for the "late breaking" and "eye witness" news reporters who stand along the roadside and exclaim how treacherous the roads are, nearly impassable, really, as motorists in the background zip by at 65+ miles an hour.
So you can understand why, when everyone was allowed to leave work at 3 p.m. because of the roads (which they never do, by the way), I was in no hurry. I was sure the road were fine, and I had enough work to keep me busy until 10 p.m. I finally made it out around 4:00.
And as expected, the turnpike and interstate were slick, but easily passable at about 45 mph. It was a nice drive home, actually. And it turned out that Chris was only about a mile in front of me on his way home with Hudson.
That all changed when we exited I-35 and started heading back toward our addition. The roads were getting slicker but were still okay, that is until we entered our addition. We pass a few ponds on the way to our house, and both are located at the bottom of hills (which I guess makes sense). The problem is that with icy roads you have to go slow down the hill for fear of skidding off into the pond, yet pick up enough momentum to make it back up the hill or risk sliding back into the pond.
I did good going down, not so good coming back up. I lost my momentum right before the top of the hill and started sliding backwards. I really panicked. There was no stopping my car for about five or six seconds...I was tapping on the breaks, turning my wheels, nothing worked. Finally, I came to rest on the hill about six inches from a neighbor's brick mailbox. A few more tries up the hill and I was about two inches from it. I finally called Chris, who after spinning in a complete circle in front of our driveway, made it home safe and sound.
It was clear that Chris couldn't get another vehicle out on the streets, so his only option was his tractor, which meant leaving Hudson in the house in his crib, which he did. So, while Hudson was napping, mommy and daddy were about a quarter mile away trying to un-stuck mommy's car. Which didn't work. It was just too slick.
So, we headed home, my beloved Highlander parked on the side of the street (I hope I hope I hope no one hits it. I really love that car.). Should you have happened to be a neighbor looking out your window tonight, you would have seen Chris driving his tractor back home with me, sitting on his lap in my heels, hose, skirt, dress coat, the whole shebang, hanging on to my purse and him for dear life. If we weren't in such a hurry to get back to the baby it would have been a hilarious situation. As we rounded the corner to our street even the tractor started sliding, so I bailed and decided to walk the rest of the way, thinking that at least one of us had to live to raise our son.
I still had to laugh a bit on our way home. I never dreamed my Knight in Shining Armor would be wearing worn jeans and an old hoodie and rescue me on his rusted old 1953 tractor, but he saved me all the same. And that's more than I can say for Gary England.
So you can understand why, when everyone was allowed to leave work at 3 p.m. because of the roads (which they never do, by the way), I was in no hurry. I was sure the road were fine, and I had enough work to keep me busy until 10 p.m. I finally made it out around 4:00.
And as expected, the turnpike and interstate were slick, but easily passable at about 45 mph. It was a nice drive home, actually. And it turned out that Chris was only about a mile in front of me on his way home with Hudson.
That all changed when we exited I-35 and started heading back toward our addition. The roads were getting slicker but were still okay, that is until we entered our addition. We pass a few ponds on the way to our house, and both are located at the bottom of hills (which I guess makes sense). The problem is that with icy roads you have to go slow down the hill for fear of skidding off into the pond, yet pick up enough momentum to make it back up the hill or risk sliding back into the pond.
I did good going down, not so good coming back up. I lost my momentum right before the top of the hill and started sliding backwards. I really panicked. There was no stopping my car for about five or six seconds...I was tapping on the breaks, turning my wheels, nothing worked. Finally, I came to rest on the hill about six inches from a neighbor's brick mailbox. A few more tries up the hill and I was about two inches from it. I finally called Chris, who after spinning in a complete circle in front of our driveway, made it home safe and sound.
It was clear that Chris couldn't get another vehicle out on the streets, so his only option was his tractor, which meant leaving Hudson in the house in his crib, which he did. So, while Hudson was napping, mommy and daddy were about a quarter mile away trying to un-stuck mommy's car. Which didn't work. It was just too slick.
So, we headed home, my beloved Highlander parked on the side of the street (I hope I hope I hope no one hits it. I really love that car.). Should you have happened to be a neighbor looking out your window tonight, you would have seen Chris driving his tractor back home with me, sitting on his lap in my heels, hose, skirt, dress coat, the whole shebang, hanging on to my purse and him for dear life. If we weren't in such a hurry to get back to the baby it would have been a hilarious situation. As we rounded the corner to our street even the tractor started sliding, so I bailed and decided to walk the rest of the way, thinking that at least one of us had to live to raise our son.
I still had to laugh a bit on our way home. I never dreamed my Knight in Shining Armor would be wearing worn jeans and an old hoodie and rescue me on his rusted old 1953 tractor, but he saved me all the same. And that's more than I can say for Gary England.
Well Said
Today was a nice day to be home. I got to watch all the inauguration activities as they happened - all except for the actual swearing in of Barack Obama. I saw that his turn was up, so I hurried up and ran a trash bag out to the garage. When I came back in the crowd was applauding. I guess I didn't realize how fast the actual swearing in is. It's amazing that the campaign lasts two years, while it only takes about 30 seconds to actually be sworn in as President.
I wasn't crazy about either candidate, but I went with McCain because I don't agree with many of Obama's moral stances. That being said, Obama is president and I along with the rest of the nation have high hopes for his presidency and will be praying for him and his family. I really was shocked in watching the coverage to see how deeply so many were affected by his becoming president.
I wasn't crazy about either candidate, but I went with McCain because I don't agree with many of Obama's moral stances. That being said, Obama is president and I along with the rest of the nation have high hopes for his presidency and will be praying for him and his family. I really was shocked in watching the coverage to see how deeply so many were affected by his becoming president.
I don't have anything poetic to say about this historic day (not that I do about usual days), but I really loved what Terry Rush had to say about today from a Christian perspective. If you haven't read it, take a look.
A Few Pics from the Past Week
Is there anything more precious than a peacefully sleeping baby?
Sleepy Silly
Fun in the bath
"Uh, mom, are you going to help me or are you just gonna stand there and snap pictures?" 
Gotta love that death grip that Jen has on Riley's arm...You never can tell if she is gonna pat him or grab him. She really loves him though (and Hudson loves her too!).Was I really just complaining to my cousin a few weeks ago about a blog I "lurk" on where the mom posts 15 different photos of her kids in one post? I mean, who wants to see 15 slightly different photos of the same kid? I don't know how many times motherhood has cause me to 'eat my words.' Oh, and since this is my unofficial scrapbook (since I haven't written (or is it wrote???) anything down since Hudson was, like, six weeks old, I need to record that Hudson started clapping on Friday (Jan. 16). It's soooo cute. Don't lose any sleep over it though...I'll post a video of it soon!
Responsibilities, Blog Stalking, And a Really Embarrassing Story
A few years ago our entire team at work read "Now, Discover Your Strengths" by Marcus Buckingham. The book provides a link to a survey you can take to "discover" or rather, put a name to, your top five strengths. If I remember correctly, Buckingham worked with the Gallup organization to develop this survey, and it's amazingly accurate (though you have to purchase a book to get the code to do the survey). One of my five strengths is "Responsibility." Long point short, responsibility means that I have that overwhelming sense of well, um, responsibility, to finish things I start (or something along those lines).
I don't know if there is a strength for committing to doing everything where there is a need. That didn't fall in my top five if there is. And if there is I'm not sure what they'd call it. And I'm thinking that may be a weakness rather than a strength. But whatever that is, I have that and Responsibility.
Which means if there's a sign-up sheet going around at work or at church and a lot of blanks left on it, I'll sign up. And then I'll stress about why I signed up and what I have to do and the fact that I don't have time to do it in the first place. But I will definitely not shirk those responsibilities because I committed and because no matter how hard I try I'm not very good at being irresponsible.
Which is probably part of why I'm doing a blog entry when I really don't have much to say. It's driving me nuts that I haven't posted since January 1. Oh, I have fleeting ideas and opinions and every now and then I'll get all fired up about something and think, "I'm going to blog about that!" but then I finish the laundry, cook dinner, put Hudson to bed, get ready for work the next day and then all my energy and passion fizzles and I just spend the evening reading your blogs and your friends blogs that you have on your blog roll.
Yes, I am a blog lurker (that, at least, was the proper term used when I took my "Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts" master's level class at UCO about three years ago. Yes, there was a master's level class on blogs. But that was before blogs were as popular as they are today. Its also why this blog was born. And no, I'm still not crystal clear on what a Wiki is. But I do use Wikipedia a lot.). Anyhow, a lot of people use the term "blog stalker." I think that's a little harsh. Stalking sounds as if I'm feverishly waiting for strangers to update their blogs so I can read about their lives. Lurking just sound like, well, like I just happened to be online and see that you updated your blog and decided well, why not see what the [fill in complete strangers' names here] have been up to. (And according to my prof, if you read a blog but never post a comment, your a blog lurker.)
I do slightly fear how I might react if I run into the real life people whose blogs I regularly read, say, in Wal-Mart. Staring at this family thinking, wow, they look realllly familiar, and then realize it's because I've read every online update about them for the past year and they have no earthly idea who I am! Or do I introduce myself?
I don't know if there is a strength for committing to doing everything where there is a need. That didn't fall in my top five if there is. And if there is I'm not sure what they'd call it. And I'm thinking that may be a weakness rather than a strength. But whatever that is, I have that and Responsibility.
Which means if there's a sign-up sheet going around at work or at church and a lot of blanks left on it, I'll sign up. And then I'll stress about why I signed up and what I have to do and the fact that I don't have time to do it in the first place. But I will definitely not shirk those responsibilities because I committed and because no matter how hard I try I'm not very good at being irresponsible.
Which is probably part of why I'm doing a blog entry when I really don't have much to say. It's driving me nuts that I haven't posted since January 1. Oh, I have fleeting ideas and opinions and every now and then I'll get all fired up about something and think, "I'm going to blog about that!" but then I finish the laundry, cook dinner, put Hudson to bed, get ready for work the next day and then all my energy and passion fizzles and I just spend the evening reading your blogs and your friends blogs that you have on your blog roll.
Yes, I am a blog lurker (that, at least, was the proper term used when I took my "Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts" master's level class at UCO about three years ago. Yes, there was a master's level class on blogs. But that was before blogs were as popular as they are today. Its also why this blog was born. And no, I'm still not crystal clear on what a Wiki is. But I do use Wikipedia a lot.). Anyhow, a lot of people use the term "blog stalker." I think that's a little harsh. Stalking sounds as if I'm feverishly waiting for strangers to update their blogs so I can read about their lives. Lurking just sound like, well, like I just happened to be online and see that you updated your blog and decided well, why not see what the [fill in complete strangers' names here] have been up to. (And according to my prof, if you read a blog but never post a comment, your a blog lurker.)
I do slightly fear how I might react if I run into the real life people whose blogs I regularly read, say, in Wal-Mart. Staring at this family thinking, wow, they look realllly familiar, and then realize it's because I've read every online update about them for the past year and they have no earthly idea who I am! Or do I introduce myself?
"Hi! You have no idea who I am, but my name is Julie and I just love your blog! I found it one day when I was reading a friend's blog and they have your blog listed on theirs, so I just started reading it and I haven't quit since! You have the cutest family! I just loved that post about little Jimmy losing his first tooth! And that Sally, she's a doll! Oh, and I was so sad to hear about your great aunt. She sounded like such a nice lady. So, are you guys gonna take that trip to Disney World that you've been talking about? I think you should do it...And don't forget to post tons of pics!"
No, of course I wouldn't do that. Because then the next time I would go to read their blog it would be set to private, and then I'd have to start all over with a new family.
Plus, I learned my lesson about boundaries and complete strangers a long time ago. My cousin Jessica just loves to tell the story (at least twice a year) about the time we were at church camp and we were sitting behind Jon (her future hubby) and his then church-camp girlfriend who had, as I remember it, the prettiest, shiniest, thickest, longest hair. I don't know if it was the 110 degree heat or that euphoria that you get at church camp, but I guess I thought it would perfectly logical to just reach up and touch her hair. Of course Miss Church Camp Cutie turned around to see what little sea urchin had just touched her shiny mane, and, according to Jessica, I said something along the lines of "You have the prettiest hair. I just had to touch it." I'll have to rely that Jessica's telling the truth about this story because for some odd reason I think my subconscious has blocked it out.
Anyhow, apparently the girl looked at me like I was a weirdo - can't imagine why - and I learned the valuable life lesson that some lines just shouldn't be crossed. And if someone has a really great blog or a really interesting family or maybe just really pretty hair - you should admire it from afar. Really far.
Preferably online.
PS - And speaking of reading others' blogs, I updated my blog roll (to the left) for the first time since taking my blogging class. If you'd prefer complete strangers not begin lurking on your blog, please let me know and I'll remove you from my list.
Christmas Pics
Getting sweet lovings from cousin Riley.
Opening presents together.
Spending Christmas Eve hangin' with Great Grandpa Ralph.
Looking cute in his holiday sweater.