Patience...Probably Not My Virtue

I don't usually write personal blogs. Sure, I write about what's going on in my life and usually try to make a joke of it. But sometimes, it's good to put aside the joking and be serious for a change, and that's what I feel like doing now. Patience is not something I have mastered. Ever. Oh, I've tried. And usually I can wait things out a while... then I end up jumping the gun and starting a big mess. Most of you know my husband is looking for a job. Talk about trying someone's patience...this can do it. Taking care of a baby...also trying. Don't get me wrong. I love being with Oliver. But by the end of the day, all I want is a few hours of quiet. Especially after a long day of dealing with highschoolers. And when Oliver doesn't want to sleep...I need patience. I have a hard time taking a step back and waiting for the best answer. The American in me wants things my way. Now. And really, I get tired of my own voice in my head complaining about how unfair it is that I don't have a bigger car. That my husband doesn't have a job. That Oliver won't go to bed on a routine like the internet claims most babies do. This lack of patience usually makes me want to skip over the "little stuff" and just get on to the big parts of life (you know - buying a house, winning the lottery, etc). I know, I'm a horrible person for saying it. But I know too that whether they admit it or not, there are a LOT of people out there that secretely feel this way. It's not the right way to feel. We would all like to say we enjoy every small moment of life. But in reality, most of us wait for the next big event to happen. We've learn to measure our lives by accomplishment and the in-between times are the hardest to wait out. But it's those "small moments" that end up meaning the most. My best memories aren't getting married (I was terrified of having to be the center of attention) or giving birth to Oliver (I was unconscious most of the time). It's the card Matt gave me on my first birthday we were together, the way Oliver points at things and I swear he says "this" even though it sounds more like "chis". There are a lot of things I want in life and I know that in reality, some of them won't happen. Like I will probably never move to Boston. But if I could master patience...my life would be pretty awesome. My goal for myself is to wait upon the Lord. (Yes, I know! I mentioned God! Be alarmed and then get over...God really is a big part of my life). This will require a lot of nail-biting and sitting on my hands but I know that everything works perfectly according to His will...not mine. In fact, things I plan rarely work out the way they were supposed to. You'd think we would have had this conversation long ago. And now, I will put this to practice and not get frustrated that Oliver is grabbing at the mouse as I try to type and NOT SLEEPING!!!

Spring Break Thoughts

I love having time off. However, sometimes time off means I get bored. I like to stay busy. Not in the way my mom does. Her idea of busy is: let's build a new part to the house, let's clean, let's do the clothes. I wish I had this idea of busy. My idea of busy is more like - how can I be entertained? I blame Disney and big toy corporations, of course, like everyone of my generation. So far this Spring Break, I have rearranged my living room (I'm still not convinced Matt actually likes it), gone to Galveston for a few days, mowed my lawn, and tended to my garden and yet...here I sit...blogging because I'm bored. I have clothes to do, and my house could always use a good cleaning session, but they all require more time than I'm willing to commit at the minute. I'm a thinker. Which means, sadly, I always have a plan, and rarely do my plans come to life. For example - I would LOVE to remodel this house. If I'm stuck here for the next few years, I feel like it should be the way I want it. But lack of funds is keeping it the same old house it's been for the last four years. All I need is about $5,000 and a babysitter for a week. I promise. lol. Oh well. The rest of my Spring Break is actually dedicated to de-cluttering and cleaning. Matt and I collect a lot of junk. I like to tell myself we're not to the hoarding phase but we really do have a LOT of stuff we never use. We just never consolidated after we got married and moved in with each other. That's what this week's goal is - GET RID OF THE JUNK! Oh, and try to do as much prep for Oliver's birthday party as possible (make decorations). Which is less than a month away!!!! Crazy.

Diet Drama

Today is DAY 10 of my diet! And I'm proud to say that except for yesterday, I've done fairly well. I lost two pounds last week. My goal is to lose 30 lbs by May 25th. And there's no better way to do that then to tell everyone, because as some of you know - my biggest fear is failure. So I'm making my own motivation. DON'T LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT!!! At the same time I'm trying to LOSE weight, Matt is trying to GAIN weight. So we're both counting calories just in the opposite direction. :) This leads for some issues on the temptation table. Matt keeps buying high-calorie goodness and leaving it everywhere! Which is probably what led to me binge eating some pizza yesterday. I'm using the myfitnesspal app to track my diet and it's really an awesome tool for those of you looking to lose weight. So far, I've really only kept to the food side of things. I'm hoping to pick up the exercise. I'm just trying to find the right exercise for me. I am absolutely AWFUL at running. After running/walking half a mile, I sound like a dying cow. I'm so serious. It's pathetic. I know I could eventually get better. But that's a long time. Hopefully I find my thing soon so I can start shedding these pounds! So, if you want to join my weight loss challenge, let me know so we can work out together!

How time flies...

Hey, guess what? I'm back! As you can see from the side bar, I've had this blog for a while, but recently decided to commit to writing more? Why? Well, simply put...peer pressure. All my friends are blogging now, and I don't want to be left out. It's hard to believe its 2012. Of course, I should probably start accepting it and start living life considering that in December, the Mayans that left with Elvis on Martian ships will return to destroy our planet and only spare the Libertarian Party...did I get that right? 2012. And nothing is as I expected it to be. I'm still here, living across the drive way from mom, but I like to think both Matt and I are beginning to see some of the pluses of having family this close.

Matt has completed the academy and is now ready to protect and serve in a community near you.(I know, I have no shame...but seriously, spread the word.

I just recently returned from a trip to NYC. We take a group of students there every other year and this trip really made me think about how much my life has changed. For one thing, by the end of the first year, mandy Key and I were ready to have a throw down at the football field. This trip, I am proud to say that we not only got along, we actually enjoyed our time...at least, she hasn't told me otherwise. We had some crazy experiences on this trip. Some funny. Some not so funny. There was little to no sleep, and i'll leave it to your imaginations rather than explain what it's like having 50 kids follow you through one of the biggest cities on the planet.

Legally, I can't go into experiences we had with the students, but suffice it to say, it was never boring. The story I want to tell you is of our Broadway experience. Now, I like to think of myself as a cultured person. I absolutely LOVE musicals, and I'm open to seeing anything on Broadway once. So we let the kids vote on what to see. Their choices were "Wicked", "Mary Poppins", and "The Lin King". I won't lie, I was pushing Mary Poppins. But the kids wanted to see the Lion King and I was ok with that. Until we saw it. Now, I am willing to concede a bit. I only had three hours of sleep thenight before, so I was already kind of out of it. But when we got to the second half when men came out in nude leotards and were playing the part of grass, it was a little much for me. I lost it and laughed like a 13 year old. If you have not seen the Lion King, I would never discourage you from seeing it. The costumes (with the exception of the Kentucky Blue playboys) were superb. If you loved the movie, then you will definitely enjoy the musical. Just, get some sleep the night before and remember you're an adult.

I realize I rambled a bit in this one. I promise to be more...literate in the blogs to come. Oliver is adjusting to a new sleeping arrangement and that means Mama goes without sleep! So, I'll leave you with the promise to return soon (and with more sleep).

It's all fun and games

I know they're going out of style like fanny packs and mullets, but I LOVE board games. This is probably a result of Mom never buying us Nintendos or PlayStations. But with 5+ kids, who can blame her? So our evenings were often spent playing a variety of board games often with several pieces missing or improvised pieces. Now, I'm not necessarily a lover of competition. Except when it comes to family. If I'm going up against one of my brothers or sisters you can bet your bottom dollar that I will give it all I have. My MeeMaw was an epic original gamer. She taught me the ageless games of chicken foot, Pollyanna, Skip-Bo, Uno, and several others. But her most important lesson? Never, ever, EVER lose. If that means that your three year old granddaughter cries her eyes out because you "killed" her pieces every single time she left home, then so be it. And yes, the word was "kill" and we did indeed lose to our grandmother. There was no everyone wins or take pity on the younger players. - END RANT -

As a result of this upbringing, I have been a part of some epic game nights. (Although Phillip informed me I missed a good one this past Saturday...poor Brad.) I've watched Phillip and Charlie battle it out at Monopoly until 4am when Phillip lost and cried like a baby. I've been on the receiving end of Spoon Wounds. (If you don't know what Spoon wounds are...sign up for the next game night.) When the games come out, the only rules that apply are those established by the great Parker Bros. themselves. Whether is Sibling v. Sibling, Parent v. Child, or Protestants v. Catholics, the gloves can and will come off. Video games aren't really my style. There's no interaction. An energetic game of Uno, though? Well, you can get 10 people from completely different backgrounds ready to rip each other to shreds over a red number 6. THAT's gaming.

So this post is dedicated to Game Night. Gather your friends and family. Tell your children, "See your brother? Take him out". And watch how much fun they have. Let them know that winning IS everything, and if you lose, the only appropriate response is to rechallenge the winner for your family's honor. There's no pouting allowed. Only cold, ruthless revenge taken by slaughtering your opponents wooden game piece. I guarantee you will have much more fun than Wii Bowling. Until next post...Happy 4th of July and I hope you add a little competition to the holidays.

A Patriotic Moment

I must start off by confessing a little-known secret of mine. I am a habitual label reader. I read labels when I am going through my daily, mundane tasks. I don't do this for any health or wellness concerns. Usually I am bored and it has become a habit so I read the labels off anything - soap, DVDs, Germ-X, etc. Think of it like a kid that reads the back of the cereal box. I do this too, but I also work my way through the ingredients list and wonder if there's someone at Quaker Cereals that just throws long words in the list for fun. As if some executive is like "Hey, Bob. Let's add proxysocoglucocamine to the ingredient list!" To which Bob would ask, "What is proxysocoglucocamine?" And the former executive would shrug and say: "Made it up. Wonder if anyone would notice."

Moving on - (Sometimes I distract myself) tonight as I was taking my shower I started reading the label of my Apricot Facial Scrub and noticed at the bottom it read: Made in the USA. I was immediately excited. I do not shop on the basis of where the product is made. According to my high school economics teacher, this is not good for the American economy. But if one shirt at Walmart is made in a Taiwanese sweat shop and sells for $5 and I have the choice between that and a shirt that looks exactly the same for $50 just because it was made in the good ole US of A, I'm most likely going to go support Taiwanese child laborers. It's just the ingrained capitalist in me. The cheaper product sells. But when I saw that written in -12 pt font on the bottom of the label, I suddenly felt very patriotic. In a little way, I was restoring the US economy by using my facial scrub. Excitedly, I started looking on EVERY bath product I had and here's what I discovered. My bath products are exclusively made in the USA. I was very proud of myself as I prevented acne and AT THE SAME TIME did my little part in helping our nation.

So, tonight, I felt a little warmer as I brushed my teeth knowing that while my clothes may all come from SE Asia, my bathroom is probably the most patriotic room in the house!

The Terrifying Pterodactyl of Texas!

To begin my first blog of 2011, I'd like to provide a picture:

To cover my butt for copyright purposes - This is not my picture. I copied it from http://library.thinkquest.org/ .

Moving on. The above picture is of a pterodactyl. Pronounced: terr-o-dak-til. For those of you thinking it is a giant bat, think again. This is (in my highly inexperienced knowledge of prehistoric animals) a flying dinosaur. I realize that is not TECHNICALLY what it is, but that's the best definition I can give.

Many of you know that my husband, Matt, is not well-versed in wildlife or the outdoors. His specialties are technology, gaming, and finding excuses that will get him out of going outside. :) Some of you may have heard the story of the armadillo almost two years ago. If you haven't, search my blog, the story is there. We had a similar story the other night. And I just KNOW you will all want to hear it. So my first blog in a VERY long time is dedicated to the men in my life: Matt and Oliver.

It was a Sunday night. I'm pretty sure it was the Sunday before Memorial day, but I could be wrong. I was up late (about 4 am) feeding Oliver, and was getting that blank I've-been-up-too-long stare when all of a sudden I hear a loud thump on the side of our house. Now, we live in a trailer. To be PC, it's a manufactured home. But it's a trailer. So my first thought is, "Stupid bird". Because we've had some seriously territorial mocking birds attacking things in the bushes behind our house and I was sure one of them flew into the side of the house to scare a frog out of its territory. But I was proven wrong when I heard whatever it was "thump" it's way along the side of our skirting.

It only lasts about 5 seconds, so I shrug it off and go back to coaxing Oliver to hurry up and finish. Then, about 2 minutes later....THUMP! thump, thump, thump, SLAM! At this point, I'm convinced something is trapped underneath our trailer. Most likely an armadillo. For those of you who have had the PLEASURE of living in a "manufactured home", you know that all your pipes wind their way around down there and a stray, crazy animal and collide with those pipes and cause hundreds of dollars of damage to a home that is already falling apart thanks to Ike. (Literally - the walls have separated from the floors in some spots...different story)

I have two choices: 1. Leave it alone. Most likely the animal will find it's way out and be on its merry way. OR 2. Wake up Matt and have him scare it off before damage is done. The problem with option 2 is that Matt CONSTANTLY thinks someone is trying to break in, steal our cars, or perform Satanic rituals on our bodies. So, if I wake him, he'll most likely flip out and do who knows what to an unsuspecting/undeserving animal.

I hear it again. Option 2 it is. I woke up Matt, who mumbled something that sounded like, "whaa?" And we had the following conversation:

ME: Wake up, there's something hitting the side of the house.
MATT: What?
ME: Listen. It's done it like 3 times!
Silence....
MATT: I don't hear anything.
ME: Of course you wouldn't.
Silence...
MATT: You think it's someone trying to break in? (Told you.)
ME: No, I think it's an animal.
MATT: What should I do?
ME: Go scare it -
THUMP. THUMP. SLAM!
ME: See?!

At this point, Matt woke up Tango because he's such a large, fierce dog (For those of you who don't know, Tango's a 14lb. dachshund) and went on to the porch to face the oncoming army that wanted to kill us in our sleep!

All I can see is Matt and Tango's shadows in the porch light through the screen door. Then all of a sudden I hear Matt: "HOLY COW!!!! It's a freaking pterodactyl! It's huge! It's gotta be 50 lbs!" He continues as I'm starting to wonder if we've entered Jurassic Park. He came back into the house, swearing he saw a bird that had a wing span of 60 inches or more (he was comparing it to our TV) and he was going to call the team from Destination Truth to investigate the existence of dinosaurs in the area.

So what mysterious, flying monster is stalking the skies of Fannett on a balmy Sunday afternoon? Will it attack your animals and eat your children for a midnight snack? I highly doubt it. After looking up a few pictures for Matt to compare it with, he settle on this:

(Photo copied from gosanangelo.com) Yep, this scary beast was none other than an owl. My theory? We have a family of rabbits living in the bushes behind our house. I think we heard a poor rabbit trying to escape the owl. Of course, to hear Matt tell the story, it was the biggest owl ever seen and he and Tango fought bravely to save our lives from this terrible monstrosity.

Perhaps, one day, my dear husband will learn not to fear the wildlife of Southeast Texas. But, until then, beware the pterodactyl of Texas. It has been spotted lurking in bushes, bombarding local homes and terrorizing citizens.