Keep Truckin!

We had such a packed day today. The boys and I did slip n slide ( a b-day gift) for about an hour and a half. I never realized that slip n slide was such a strenuous exercise. I am ashamed to admit that I am sore from the neck to the knees. I did get to tan for a little too, which was nice. I also got a great shot of G sliding!

We really did have a good time. After that, we ate lunch outside then went up to LSU to see Mike the Tiger and feed some ducks. We hit the grocery and came home and I grilled. I was about to start crying because my fire totally sucked and I had no idea what to do or who to call but my pal, Chris stopped by to check on me and he helped me out. Funny how things work out.

In any case, our fish turned out ok and the chicken....hmmm...I don't know how that will be. Guess I'll find out tomorrow.

So now, I'm down to bathing and straightening up on my list. And watching Dexter. I LOVE this show. It's so unbelievably smart. Sure, it's dark humor but it's so good.

Another week down, only 40 more to go.

My Big Boy

So Grant turned 4 on Friday and we've been partying it up! I can't believe it's been 4 years already. Wow. My parents, sis in law and I took him out to dinner on Friday night and he had his little party this morning at the jumping place. I called over a month in advance and all they had was a 9am party open so only about 8 kids showed. But all was well. They had a great time and played a lot. My mother in law made a FABULOUS cake. I was so impressed. I'll have to remember to post a picture of it. He wanted an Army theme so camouflage it was...Funny because all the kids but 1 (and Clayton) were girls. So they got Army loot bags!

Now, he's dozed off on the couch watching the Three Musketeers. Happy Birthday, my sweet man.

I've been Tagged!

I got tagged by Angie at: Writer's Block

The rules:
1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules.
3) Share six non-important things / habits / quirks about yourself.
4) Tag at least three people.
5) Be sure the people you tagged KNOW you tagged them by commenting what you did.

1. I have to put 20 strokes of deoderant under each pit every morning. Yes, I count them. Except one day last week when I totally forgot and had to go to the drug store and buy some. But I did count out 20 under each arm after I bought it.

2. I would rather die than eat Jell-O or pudding.

3. I am fanatical about wearing sunglasses. I'll wear them when it's overcast. I seriously don't want crow's feet.

4. I'll smoke when I drink enough. Can't stand cigarettes and think people that smoke are a tad off (sorry if I offend) but I think it's the best thing ever when I'm drunk.

5. I've always wanted to live on a houseboat. I have always thought that they are the coolest ever.

6. I love to myspace stalk. I love going from page to page on other people's friends and poking all up in their business.

I'm tagging Lauren and Kim...I don't think I know anyone else that hasn't done this already!

Stolen Time

On Tuesday, the Good Lord must've looked down and decided to give me a break. Mike called and asked me to come get him at Camp Shelby and we'd spend a few days together...He and his buddy got to calling around and strangely enough, there were no hotel rooms available so I called his Aunt and got permission to spend those nights at her condo in Pass Christian (right after Bay St. Louis, MS but before Gulfport). Let me just say that this place is unbelievable. It's bigger than my house and right on the beach. So, while his pal's wife scooped them up from Shelby, I drove straight to the condo and met them there.

I really needed that. It was so nice to get to spend time together with just us...I'm a family kind of girl. I love my family and always want them around me. If I'm alone, I travel to see them. That's just me. My boys and I are road rats. We rarely spend time with just the 2 of us, except for after the boys go to bed. We had a week last year when he was in Belize that was just great and that's how Tuesday night through this morning was. No worries, just hanging out together. And no hotel costs either! What a great treat!

I owe Aunt Sheila the world for this week. I was so sad to leave, yet again, but this was definitely the last time before Sunday, when he goes.

Now it's time to pick myself up, dust myself off and get back on my diet track. I've been slipping lately. Haven't gained too much...a pound or so...but I definitely don't want to keep it on. I'm headed back to the Y after Easter and getting myself back on the wagon.

The boys are doing good. Grant's been his own one-man-show lately. The other night, when I was shopping for my new wallet, he asked me why I was getting a new wallet. So I told him that a bad man stole mine out of my purse. He told me that if he was there, he wouldn't have let that bad man take it. So I said, "Thank you, sweetie...what would you have done?" Grant: "I would've kicked him" Me: "Oooh...good one. Kicked him in the knee?" Grant: "Nope. I woulda kicked him right in the wiwwy wif my cweats" Translation: "I would have kicked him right in the willy with my cleats." How great is that?? I couldn't stop laughing. Oh well. At least it made me feel better.

Better

So I'm waiting for a conference call to start so I decided to make a quick entry here.

We're holding out ok over here! We headed out to New Orleans this past weekend. I dropped the boys off at my parents' house and I went on to Pass Christian, MS, where Mike's Aunt has a condo on the beach. It is SO nice there. Well it was pretty cold and I did not realize how potent the sun is even when it's a tad chilly so I got B-U-R-N-E-D. I'll have Grant take a pic of my sad, swollen legs to try and post later on. It hurts like nothing I've ever felt before! I swear, this is the worst sunburn I've ever had and it doesn't even look that bad.

The boys got to ride the streetcar in New Orleans, and they had a good time. My parents never remember to bring the camera so I don't have any good pics from the event. They also went to a baseball game and had a lot of fun...my cousin plays for UNO and is pretty good so it's always a fun thing to do. Plus Aunt Gail always buys Grant whatever he wants at the "conception stand" (that's a Grant-ism).

So we leave my parents' at 7 pm for out approximately 1 hour trip back home...3 and 1/2 hours later, we pull up at the house. We got routed off of I-10 after spending over an hour on the spillway. Luckily, I know the area pretty "OK" since I drove around there for work a bunch so I figured my way back to I-10 and led a convoy behind me! It was sorta funny, me leading a convoy of folks to the Interstate. I was like the Pied Piper. Anyway, we pulled up at 10:30 pm, tired and hungry.

I woke up this morning, burned and miserable but I pulled myself somewhat together and headed out to work. Now, I'm listening to how my assigned County isn't happy with certain aspects of their plan that I diligently worked on. He didn't answer any of my emails, when I was asking important questions, and now he's "frustrated". Wanna talk frustration? Try writing a plan for a County across the country with NO help from YOU, Buddy. UGH.

And OMG, the Project Manager just said that she didn't want to "dick around" anymore. Who even says that on a conference call?

I can't wait to go home.

Blah Blah

We dropped Mike off at the Armory this afternoon. He didn't want us hanging around so we got out, I jumped in the driver's seat and we said good-byes like that. I am so sad, I just don't know what to do.

I ate like a madwoman tonight. Not the smartest thing I could have done but I guess it made me feel better for like 30 minutes. Now, I just have a stomach ache and am still miserable. And I'll probably have to work out til I drop this week to get rid of the damage.

The boys are doing ok. Clay was fine, Grant moped a bit. I hate going home to an empty house after seeing him so we went to the mall. I got them cookies at the cookie place and we walked around a lot. I got a new wallet that I'm not in love with. But, it was only $10 on sale at Dillard's so I guess I'll learn to like it. My stolen one was pink with a little high heel charm on the zipper. So me. This one is black, to match my mood, I guess.

Karma is a BITCH!

Ok, so I was all excited about my free time this weekend....my wallet got stolen out of my purse at Wal Mart. If the boys had been with me, it would not have been stolen. Grant would have said something and when they are with me, the purse is hidden underneath the seat, surrounded by groceries. If I wasn't so ticked off and left without money, I'd just sit back and laugh at the irony.

We have to go out to Carville to get a new military ID before Mike leaves for good. I had forgotten that it's also my insurance card. Gosh this is a pain the rear. I also will have to battle the DMV on Monday, and talk with the bank. The funny thing is that how am I supposed to pay for a new license with no money (since I have to go to the bank to get $) and how am I supposed to get money with no ID?

I'm sitting here typing this and watching the cat. She's on the rug, rolling around in a 3 x 3 patch of sunlight from the window and having a blast. If life were only that simple for everyone, huh?

How Long Does Mother's Intuition Last?

Well I have proof that it lasts at LEAST 28 years. As previously posted, my patience was starting to wear thin with the boys this week. Like a miracle, my mom called and asked if she could come get them on Friday and drop them back off on Sunday. It was like one of those movie moments (Very "Dogma"-esque") when the person looks up and the bright light shines down on them with the "Hallelujah" music on the background. Not only did she come all the wya here to get them, she's bringing them all the way back. I don't even have to drive a little bit! And get a little downtime before Mike comes home. So they are gone as of last night and will return in time to go get Mike from the Armory tomorrow. I got to work out last night and this morning for an HOUR! Usually, Clayton lasts about 30 minutes with the sitter at the Y before he starts panicking. They generally don't come get me but they do lift him up to see me. Once you see that little face in panic mode with all those tears, you know you gotta hang it up and go get him.

Speaking of Clayton and panicking, my mom called me last night in a state of panic. She was crying, I could hear Clay crying in the background...I didn't know what the heck was going on. She thought he dropped his blanket in Carter's. They had stopped at the Outlets on the way to New Orleans and she couldn't find Abby. (Abby is not only the cat, but also the 2 beloved blankets that belong to the boys. Grant called everything Abby when he was about Clayton's age and we're not so sure why) Well Clayton was sobbing for Abby...It was so heartbreaking! I had to call Carter's, talk to the woman, who remembered that my mom had Abby draped over her shoulder when she was checking out. So I called mom back and told her to check the bag. Sure enough, Abby was in there. I heard Clayton gasp, "OH ABBY!!!!!" and apparently, he wouldn't let it out of his sight for the rest of the night. He is SO attached to this blanket. If it ever got lost for good, I don't know what we'd do. I mean, my mother was crying her eyes out because she thought it was lost on her watch so she was feeling SO guilty!!



So tomorrow is the big day!!! Today, I got my workout in, and I'm going to finish a few little tidying projects around the house. I have to go get a few things at the grocery and I'm just planning on defrosting a crawfish pie that Mike's Aunt graciously made for us unless he's taking us out to eat! Or he wants to grill. That man loves his grill...and frankly, I love eating anything that comes off of it. The dude can cook. I have to hand it to him. I'd take his ribs and homemade BBQ sauce over any dinner, ever, hands down. I think it's safe to say that he'll be cooking that for me one night this week!

Whiney Me

Ok, I know I have a lot to be thankful for...but...I feel like I'm going crazy! It seems that every day passes, the boys are acting up worse and worse. Some days are admittedly better than others but if I make it to Sunday without strangling Grant, it'll be a flippin miracle. I love the boy more than anything but he's basically decided that I'm not worthy of respect any more. I don't know if it's the age or what but if I tell him something, it goes in one ear and out the other and he totally ignores me. Which sets the precedent for Clay. In any case, I've found that 2 glasses of Pinot Noir fixes it quite nicely. After that, I just don't care what they do, if they fight til they pull each other's hair out or til they're both black and blue. Castle Rock. $12. Great fix.

The better thing is that 2 glasses are only 3.5 Weight Watcher points. So instead of drinking my milk like I'm supposed to, I just drink and pass out in bed. Well not really, but it sure makes going to sleep a lot easier.

On that note, I'm down to 121.4 in the Chub Club. Not too shabby. It's so strange though. When people ask me what size I'm in, sometimes, I lie up. I'd rather just NOT hear, "How much more do you plan on losing?" "Are you starving yourself?" Blah Blah Blah...trust me, I'm nowhere NEAR anorexic. In fact, I'm smack dab in the middle of the recommended weight for my age and height so technically, I could still lose 10 lbs and be healthy. Do I plan on that? Probably not but I'd rather not hear the flak. It's like you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. And believe me, I don't look like I'm about to blow away either. Plus, I need toning something awful. So that's my next goal since I'm strangely empty now that I've hit a weight that I feel comfortable at. If I have goals while he's gone, I think it'll make this deployment faster and easier. So I'll be fit for a year..HA!!

Anyway, Sunday is the big day. We get to see Mike again for 4 whole days. I'm so anxious. Looking forward to and dreading this at the same time. Of course, I'm ecstatic to see him again but so dreading the good bye. This time is going to be worse than last time.

1. We won't see him til God knows when.
2. I have to bring the boys to the farewell deal.
3. I have to bring them home with me
4. If I have an anxiety attack, I have no one to help me out
5. He's not going off to some peaceful place this time. It's IRAQ, for God's sake.

So this week, I'm a little nutty. At least work stress is minimal at this point in time. I have some boring busy work but it is chargeable and for that I'm grateful.

Ok, off to finish up around the house and hit the hay. I still have 1 glass of wine left to down :)

Stolen Idea

I saw this on another blog I read regularly and I liked it so I STOLE IT! (thanks Lori!)
It's a list of my favorite and Not so favorite things! I'll do favorites first!

1. All my boys


2. Pink


3. Painting my nails (especially pink...that's my new fav over there to the right. It's called "Don't know...Beets Me")


4. Cats


5. Crawfish Season


6. Oyster Season (love em RAW!!)


7. Summer time


8. The beach


9. Taking naps


10. My Christmas China
11. Wine


12. My pals


13. Big, loud family gatherings


14. Having someone wash my hair


15. Jeans


16. High heels


17. High fashion. I don't get it but I like it. I love America's Next Top Model


18. True Gentlemen in this world
    
19. The Golden Girls
20. Grant-isms..those little gems only he can come up with


21. Seasonal Items
22. Cops
23. Hair products
24. Starbucks
25. Clayton's breath in the morning...it's still baby morning breath and I LOVE IT
26. Cheesy romance novels
27. My Aunt's spinach and feta pizza
28. Memories of my Paw Paw

I'll have to do dislikes later on!