Express? You Bet!

I'll post more tomorrow, but I wanted to give everyone a quick check in since you've been so supportive. And believe me, every single kind and encouraging word and prayer have been heard and appreciated!

Well, on Friday I asked Champs to call Express, the temp / job placement agency I work for, to request an interview. He agreed and called them on Monday afternoon. He was granted an interview Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday, he went in and, as is usual, impressed the gal with his work ethic and commitment to customer service. She promised to call him soon with an opportunity. She called him before he got home! At 1:00, he went to a large-format printing company for an interview and started a temp assignment there today. If he likes it, it will go to a "temp-to-hire" in three months.

After that, at 5:00, he went for an interview with a respiratory-therapy company and he has to return a call for another possible interview.

The doors are opening. We are beyond grateful. And Sweet Girl? Well, when her daddy came home for dinner and put her to bed, well, let's just say that joyful smiles like that are what inspire flowers to grow...


Here's some comments from this post:
kenju said...
WONDERFUL! It is so nice to hear you sounding hopeful, and the benefits to the family are great!

Carmi said...
I believe in my heart of hearts that good people are ultimately rewarded. Your husband is receiving such recognition from the job market because it's his nature to go above and beyond. What's extraordinary to to others - work ethic, commitment to customer service, family commitment - is par for the course for him.
Solid backbone and fundamental goodness go a long way in life. This week proved it, and I couldn't be happier for you all. You deserve happiness. Sweet Girl deserves to continue to have so many reasons to smile.
This entry couldn't have come at a better time, BG. It's been a tough week. Thank you so much for your kind words on my blog earlier today.

Paul said...
All Right!!! You da man!!!

A Couple of Thoughts for Sunday

Thought Number 1. My sweet hubby wins the best husband award!
I don't think I came back and gave Champs the proper kudos here on my blog. Chalk it up to really busy or just plain tired; I think they both apply. Anyway....

My Valentines day rocked! Last Sunday I asked Champs what we were doing for Valentine's Day since it was on Tuesday and he leaves town at 6:00 a.m. He let on that he had something planned and had spent about $100.00 or so on me. Now, I was intrigued and ...panicked!

Why panicked? Well, I had to spend at least the same amount on him and get it by Monday evening. I considered a stainless steel bracelet but I wasn't sure he'd like it. A watch was out; he doesn't wear one. He wants an MP3 player, but the one he wants is more than $100.00. What to do? What to do? I narrowed it down to the bracelet and, the obvious choice, power tools. Now, power tools are great, but how romantic are they, really? Give the man a sander and a card that says "you smooth out my rough edges"? No man is going to like that, right? WRONG. Every person I asked on Monday unanimously said "power tools!" "No brainer, Blond Girl - get the man power tools". I had a hard time accepting this, since a power tool is basically an appliance, and if he bought me, say, a blender for Valentine's Day, I would have been a bit "put out". But, everyone assured me that men just don't see it that way. So, right after work on Monday I high-tailed it over to Home Depot and bought him a Ridgid palm sander and a Ryobi cordless screwdriver. Since I didn't think it would be very classy to write "wanna screw?" on the card, I wrote "thank you for smoothing my rough edges". He loved it. Like everyone said; a no brainer. Go with the power tools.

Now, the part where he wins an award is my gift. On Monday night when I asked him when he wanted his present, he said that he would take his then, but mine would come on Tuesday. The next day, every hour on the hour, he called to see if I had received a delivery. Nope, not yet. Was it a singing telegram, my friends wondered. I knew he wouldn't do that - not his style. Was it jewelry? Well, it could be, but why have it delivered when he could give it to me himself?

No, finally at 2:00 p.m., it came: A truly beautiful bouquet of a dozen long-stemmed red roses! In eight years together, he has never had flowers delivered to me at work and never a dozen. He had achieved the gold medal in husbandom. And it was obvious from my co-worker's reactions; the women loved them, oohing and ahhing all week and the men hated them. That's my husband: raising the bar one holiday at a time.

Thought Number 2. ¡Usted es un gato loco!
Gus is amazing. He has two kitty speeds: sleep and 95 mph. Every morning he has to try to catch one of us and is happiest leaping for our ankles. I can tell he's gotten hold of Sweet Girl when I hear loud crying and yelling "Kitty, NO!!!"

Then, when we come home, he gets "the rips", my favorite name for that particular feline habit of running frantically from one end of the house to the other as though all the hounds of hell are on his heels. Between these times, he turns into a boneless animal who can sleep upside down anywhere. And around 8:00 at night is that magical time when he actually wants to be held and will curl up and purr like crazy when I hold him and stroke him from chin to tummy. Those are the moments when I know he's accepted me as mommy.

Now, Gus is the 4th or 5th kitten I've had, so none of this surprises me. But it is fun to remember. And every time he starts up again, one of us is liable to say, "Gus, you are one crazy cat!"


Here are some comments from this post:
princssis said...
OK. I'm jealous. The last time flowers were delivered to me from AR was 1 1/2 years ago on our 13th anniversary, which is on the 13th of July. This was out of the ordinary for AR. Later that day, we had a storm come through town. There's reports there was an aloft tornado, and wind speeds were over 90mph. I was so scared. Afterward, AR proclaimed, "See what happens when I get you flowers?" I don't expect them again any time soon. If they appear, I will be heading for the basement!

Geekwif said...
That first statement (regarding the screwdriver) would have been funny! but you're right, the second was much more classy. ;)

Russ said...
Ahhh.... power tools, the next best thing to nude.
Good choice.

kenju said...
I love it when my cats get the "rips". Theya re too fat, and that running around the house like their tails are on fire is the only exercise they get!
Love the power tools and what you said about them. Mr. kenju can't use a hammer by himself, so tools or any kind would be wasted on him!

Shannin said...
Our dogs are like that - either on doggie downers or puppy uppers - no middle ground ever. When they get "the rips" we call them the Thundering Herd!

Corina Bowen said...
LOL-- My cat use to do the same thing~~she was a very stttttttrange animal.. fit in well with our family!

HolyMama! said...
You must, must, must go ahead and write the ah, 'first sentiment' even if it's with a plain old fashioned screwdriver! He will be buying you roses all the time, girl!

It's two a.m. Do you know where your Dr. Scholl's are?

Thanks to the indignity of low blood sugar (I didn't even take any insulin before bed! Gah!) I am up so I thought I would spend a few moments telling you a quick story before I hop back in bed. The handful of yogurt burst cheerios I ate should have done their magic by then and I will be glad to be back in bed. But first, Dr. Scholl's.

So it's Christmas and we're doing the whole send-us-a-wish-list-for-the-gift-exchange thing and I didn't really know exactly what I wanted. That is, until I got an email from Famous Footwear showing the Dr. Scholl's Toasty Moc slipper. Un Be Leave A Bell! They were a full-foot fleece slipper with a rubber tread bottom so you could wear them inside or out to get the mail. I was in L-O-V-E and quickly put them down on my list. And I got them! My future sister-in-law gave them to me in baby blue. I loved them so much that I went and bought myself another pair in pink. So I could be toasty in all moods, don'cha know.

OK, so fast forward to yesterday. I got up at 4:15 a.m. because I needed to be to work extremely early to finish the preparation for a diversity team black history month bingo game. You know, create 110 Bingo cards, send out the rules, assemble the trivia, etc. etc. etc. ANYwhooooo.... So I got up at this unholy hour and right away I put on my wonderful baby blue toasty mocs to keep from getting cold. I got dressed in the bathroom so I wouldn't wake Champs. I took my slippers off long only enough to put my socks on. Then I finished getting ready for work.

I drove yesterday, which is unusual for me - I normally ride the bus - but I had to go to the Laundromat after work (yes, it's a long and stupid story, but for now I can't do laundry here at the rental house), so the car was the easiest option. Not to mention that there aren't many buses moving at 4:45 in the morning! I got the car de-frosted and went off to The Big Company. About halfway there I looked down and realized that I was wearing teal corduroys.... And baby blue Toasty Mocs! NOT my black sketchers, like I was supposed to be wearing!

And this is just how tired I was: I did not care. I did not go home to get my shoes; I went to work in my slippers and I wore them proudly. I went to the Laundromat in my slippers and I was comfortable as heck folding my clothes. And the funny thing is - not one person noticed. Or at least, no one asked.....

But it is Valentine's Day today and when I get up I'll be putting on red jeans...And black sketchers!

Here are some comments from this post:
Geekwif said...
You are too too funny! I can't believe no one said anything to you all day! I bet your feet were nice and comfy and warm all day.


Russ said...
One day I wore my sneakers to work because I was just too damn tired to look for the Rockports.
Screw 'em if they can't take a joke!!

Suzy said...
lol this story was cute....I have done this very thing oh so many times I forget how many!! =) Now my problem is, I have two great pairs of slippers and each are missing the exact opposite foot. Ughhh....so I trance around the house with each different slipper on my feet. Hey, at least I've got the right foot on, eh? =) Loved the story and have missed visiting....been a while and I'm glad to have caught up on a few of your posts. =)
Happy Valentines Day to you and your loves!!

Shannin said...
So you're the one the whole 5th floor was talking about!! OK, just kidding. I would love to have worn my slippers in. That sounds awfully comfy.

Some More Tee Shirts for You

OK Folks... Here are the rest of the shirts that I want for my collection and more about our move.

One of these days, I'm going to find Murphy and kick his ever-lovin' @ss! (Red tee with bold black print)
Many of you have been waiting patiently to find out what we named our cute orange and blue kitten. Well, he had named him Chief. It fit; the Illinois family was ready to love the little cuss based on his name and coloring alone. Sweet Girl was beside herself waiting for him to arrive. And then it happened; Murphy stuck his stupid nose where it wasn't wanted. I submit to you the phone call...

Blond Girl: Hi! We're all moved in an ready to come get our kitty!

Kitty Giving Guy: Ah, yeah. Well, there's a problem with that.

BG: Oooookay.. What?

KGG: Well, the other night a family came to pick up the other boy cat and I wasn't home. My son gave him your cat by mistake. Your cat is gone.

BG: NOOOOO! That's our cat! Can you get him back?

KGG: Well, they came from out of town to get him. You can still have the other boy cat. He's the only one left and he's still here...

BG: But, we came over and picked out our cat special and you agreed to hold him for me. I mean, he has a name and everything! We've bought all the stuff and our little girl has been counting the minutes until he comes home. Can you call the other people and see if they'll trade?

*** a while later***

KGG: Well, I spoke to them. They won't give him up. They said they've given him to a child.

BG: Yes, but we had already given him to a child - first!

*** a day of tense frustration ensues, and then the inevitable - we told the child ***

BG: Well, honey, we will be bringing home the kitty's brother, instead. He looks like the other kitty, only tan colored instead of orange. What do you think? We can still call him Chief.

Sweet Girl: No, I don't like chief. I want to call him Gus. His name is Gus. Can we go get him tonight? (can't you just feel the emotional turmoil and disappointment of the child? Insert snigger here)

So, we don't have blue and orange Chief. We have tan and hazel Gus, like the mouse Gus in Cinderella. It's appropriate. As it turns out, I may possibly forgive Murphy, but only this one time. Gus is a cutie and has already turned into a mamma's boy. He's all kitten and is keeping me on my toes. Or, attacking my toes, depending on the time of day and how much sleep and food he has had recently.


Welcome home, Gus.



I'll create my own trouble, thank you very much! (White tee with neon print - either green or pink)
OK, so as if moving wasn't enough, I had to set goals. Yes, goals. I know, I'm weird. See, since I knew I wanted to get settled in after the move as soon as possible, I did the one thing that would ensure I would get my work done: I scheduled a Longaberger party for one week after our move. Then, too, there was the fact that, prior to the move, I had agreed to sing a solo at church - and it turned out to be one week and one day after the move. Oh yeah - and then there was that invitation to the people who moved into our old house to come for dinner on Sunday night. After all the work during the week to get settled, the weekend was overwhelmingly busy and I had no one to blame but myself. Oh well; it was good to get back to work on Monday so I could rest!

The one who dies with the most baskets wins (baby blue tee with an embroidered basket and brown print)
No, I don't really believe that; but it is fun to say. That Longaberger party I talked about? Well, it was a GREAT party! The company had this incredibly fantastic sale and everyone took advantage of the savings. Oh, and I bought a few baskets myself. OK, I bought a LOT of baskets. And pottery. And wrought iron. What can I say? In more than 3 years of Longaberger devotion, I have never been in a financial position to buy more than one or two items. But this time, I got my yearly bonus right at the time when I could play a bit. I can't wait for my new corner stand and baskets to come!

Help! I'm talking and I can't shut up! (red tee with white print)
No, I don't have a story for this... It's just a tee shirt that I should have. It fits.



Here are some comments for this post:
Thumper said...
Ah, see, you get the kitty you're meant for! Gus is sooooo pretty :) And I am such a sucker for kitties...I hope you post more pictures!

Geekwif said...
I knew you wouldn't be able to help falling in love with that little guy. I mean, just look at that darlin' little head. He's so cute!
I like the basket t-shirt idea. If you make that one, I want one too, k?

Wanna Buy a Tee-Shirt?

I started this post on Saturday and it's not done yet. If I don't post it now, though, it may be 3 or 4 more days! Yes, I'm that busy. So here is installment one... There will be more tee shirts coming!

OK, so I was gone longer than a few days. As it turns out, I have only just stopped running. Thanks to you all who left comments and waited patiently for a new entry. Over the last, what, 13 days (I think?) I've had a number of experiences and all of them can be summed up in tee-shirts that I want to have made up for myself....

Here's a few of them:

It Ain't Over Till the Blond Girl Says it's Over! (Dark purple print on a lavender tee)
The move went pretty well. The last time I wrote, I was already exhausted from getting us ready for the move and the next day was closing. The closing went well; I have all the fun pictures of us with the realtor; handing the keys over to the new owner, etc., etc. After the closing, our realtor, Tom, took us out for lunch to ciao Bella, a lovely Italian restaurant. Then we went back home and kept working.

Saturday was the real killer of a day. We went to get the truck and instead of the lift-gate 24 foot we were promised, there was a ramp. They wanted me to take the ramp, but they didn't know that when it comes to customer service, I am a 15 year veteran in the field and I always get what I want. We got the lift-gate, though we had to go to St. Paul to get it. Back at the house, our friends and some friends of the new owners started showing up around 9:30 to help us with the move. In short order, we had 13 men and 3 women (of which Geekwif was one!) working our tails off. After awhile they sent the women to our duplex to start cleaning and prepping for them. The truck arrived with the first load about 45 minutes later. We all stopped for a pizza break and then they started to unload the truck.

Now, after all my tummy surgeries, I was not expected to move any heavy boxes. My role was to be the director and tell people where to go and where to put things. Sounds fun, doesn't it? Well, yeah, to a point. Except when there are 13 men and half of them are calling "Hey Blond Girl! What do you want me to do with this?" and they are calling from both ends of the house. I was running like mad! After the first load was brought in, we went back to the house for a last walk through and cleanup. In fact, my vacuum was the last thing on the truck!

Before we left, I took a walk through our empty house. Already, it didn't feel like ours anymore, but I could hear memories, like sweet ghosts of the past, ringing through my head and heart. The day, just a month after we moved in, when Champs lost his job and we had to fight for the next 5 months to keep the house. Sweet Girl at 5:30 in the morning on her third birthday, calling me to get her out of her crib; "pity tums! Pity tums! Mommy, I need pity tums!" (I had polished her toenails the night before. When I walked in, she was pointing to her toes and her thumbs. She said, "I got pity toes. I need pity tums!") The phone ringing the Saturday morning when Mom called to say that Daddy had passed away. I walked into the bathroom to say a private goodbye to our home. I sat on the vanity and looked at the ever-so-slightly lopsided toilet that I had installed all by myself and burst into tears. Somehow that toilet symbolized our three years in this house for me; lopsided, but still an accomplishment I could take pride in. It hurt to leave the house, because I was leaving our first real home and because it was the first step in leaving Minnesota. Once I calmed down, I wiped off my eyes and walked out. Thank God for Geekwif; she understood all I was feeling and helped me know it was OK to feel it.

Back at the house, we finished with getting everything into the house. I managed to keep my cool for the entire day, though I almost lost it when one of the casters was lost off the refridgerator and I had to convince two of the guys helping us that, no, it was NOT ok for the fridge to list forward two inches to the left. We got it all worked out, though. Throughout the afternoon the guys left by ones and twos until at 6:30, we were done with everything and only Geekwif and one of the guys from our church, Al, were left. We took them to a nice casual Mexican restaurant and then went to return the truck. By 10:30, Champs and I were alone in the house (Sweet Girl went to stay with a friend for the move) and surrounded by boxes. Utterly exhausted, we dropped off to sleep.


I Make Obsessive Look GOOOOOOD (white print on a black tee)
OK, I have a confession to make. I am a stickler for details and once I decide something needs to be done, I get it done. No matter what and to the possible detriment of other things. Now there are times when this is a strength and times when it is a hindrance. I've experienced both in the last few weeks. When we woke up on Sunday, I was determined that we would get as much done as possible - and I think Champs regretted it. We worked side by side to get a path through the living room and to get Sweet Girl's room fully settled. When she came home at 4:00, her room was done, complete with a new canopy and bed spread. She was so excited! Amazingly, she has not had one bad dream since moving here, except for the one night when the canopy fell down and we didn't get it back up. She says it makes her feel safe to have the bed surrounded. I'm just glad that she is sleeping through the night with no bad dreams. I had gotten pretty used to her coming into bed with us 3 or 4 times a week, so this is a real blessing. Anyway, even after Sweet Girl went to bed and Champs was ready to give in, I kept working. By the time we went to bed, the living room was almost done, including a new area rug for the living room put down and all the furniture set up. Finally, we again dropped off to sleep, utterly exhausted and in pain. Champs had to go back to work the next day, but I stayed home on Monday and Tuesday to finish getting us settled.

Monday was crazy! The thought of getting the kitchen settled was a terrifying prospect, especially when you add a Comcast installation guy, a refridgerator repairman and a plumber/heater repairman all coming at the same time. About 5 hours and five hundred dollars later, our refridgerator was working properly again, the TV was hooked up, the kitchen sink was unplugged and the dryer and stove were properly installed without any gas leaks. Whew! Not only that, but I had the kitchen completely settled and looking beautiful and the boxes all broken down. When Champs walked in, I made him go back out and come back in two times until he gave the proper "wow, honey, the kitchen looks great!" exclamation that I was looking for. Thankfully, he was able to laugh with me over that...

On Tuesday I worked and worked until the bathroom (another terrifying prospect, since it is, literally, a third of the size of our old bathroom and has about a third of the storage space) was done as well as our bedroom and all the decorative stuff. By the time I went to bed, I was ready to go back to work, but so sore and tired I could barely move. Remember, please, that we had filled a 24 foot truck. Half of the stuff went into storage for our move, but the other half had to be put somewhere - and I wanted it done before I went back to work. That's what I mean by advantage and detriment.

After 5 days away from work, I went back on Wednesday to more boxes and settling in; see, while I was out, my desk was moved, so I had to box everything up the week before. In true Big Company fashion, I had computer troubles for the next three days and we had two huge corporate communication issues that came up that I had to drop all my work to complete. By Friday, I felt like a zombie.

Check back... more tees to come!


Here are some comments from this post:
Star said...
Boy have you been busy/ I still remember moving into this house 28 years ago. I swore I wasn't ever moving aggain! Still sticking to that. I relate to your comment about being a veteran of customer service. Me too. 23 years. I sum it up this wasy"Never bulls**t a bulls**tter".(hope that didn't offend you. I don't usually blog that kind of language0

Geekwif said...
Well, I was wondering when you were going to finish that post you told me would be up on Sunday. ;-) Now I understand. That is one long post! And more to come?! I like the 2nd one. It was all worth it in the end. Your new house looked lovely by Saturday!

kenju said...
Welcome back - and what a nice long update. You make me tired just reading about all you had to do to get the new place in order. Glad to know you are settled in. Oh, and I like your T-shirt ideas.

princssis said...
Well, neither of those shirts really match me, so I'll have to wait to put in my order until the next line of shirts is revealed! ;-)
It's so good to have you back! I've felt so incomplete the last couple weeks.
Good job getting all that done! I can't wait till you're here - maybe you can light the fire under my toosh! :)

princssis said...
Oh, I just thought of a tee for me: "WHERE is the finish line?" Hee-hee

Shannin said...
My desk was moved on Friday. I plan on getting in extra early on Monday since I know there will be problems...

This is it

You know that Kenny Loggins song, "This is it?"

This is it
Your waiting is over
No room to run - no way to hide
No time for wondering
It's here - the moment is now...

Kinda my theme song today. Today is the day that we sell the first home we ever bought together. We worked quite late last night finishing up the cleaning and packing in the basement. Champs finished cleaning and packing the last of the stuff in the upstairs room my Mom lived in. I packed box after box on the main floor. Today we go to the closing and sign it all away to a very nice military man, his wife and their 5 children (only three of whom are young enough to live at home - it's not that big of a house!) Then we'll come back here and finish the cleaning.

Tomorrow we move into a tiny little duplex a couple of miles west of here that we are renting. The kitchen is miniscule and the bathroom even more so. It is old and smells old. Some life and a lot of Odo-ban will take care of that, though. It would feel like a step backward except it is our first positive step forward. More than a year ago now (sheesh - 18 months or something like that), we made the decision to move to IL to be with Champ's family. We want the family life and education that Sweet Girl will have there. We want to take her out of the area we live in where respect is a dead notion. And now, finally, it is beginning. We will stay at the duplex until Sweet Girl finishes kindergarten and then, assuming Champs has a good prognosis on his corneal transplant (it will be a year old on April 27, so we can hope the rejection is being quelled by now), we will begin our move.

I was saying to Champs yesterday that it is a good thing we don't love the house we're moving to. The things that irk us will keep us focused on our goals. In the meantime, though, we will make a life in this little overnight case of a house. I have to laugh; here it is, still early morning (no one else is up yet) and I've already added a shopping trip to my list of things to do today. Champs will roll his eyes when he hear this, but I have to go to Target. See, the master bedroom is so narrow that we can't put my dresser in it. We were planning on storing it downstairs, but it occurred to me that, with some rearranging, we can put it in Sweet Girl's room. Best for me, cause I'll still have a dresser and best for the guys who are moving everything. It's pretty big and it would be much easier for it to not have to go downstairs!

The challenge, though, is that it means we will have to put Sweet Girl's bed right up against the bathroom wall. That wall has an access panel to the tub. Now, that wouldn't freak out you or me, but to a 5-year-old, that's just a small door into her room that shouldn't be there. I know she won't like it. I had planned to put her dresser in front of the panel so she never had to know it was there. With her bed there, though, that is not an option. I was lying awake and realized that a white headboard and princess canopy (cheap at Target - I checked :-) will cover up the panel and make her love her new room. How smart is Mommy? (hey, I said "smart", not "sneaky". This is creative problem solving at its best, folks!)

I'm lucky, though, that Sweet Girl is going to her best friend's house overnight tonight. That way, she'll miss the bulk of the move and I can get her room situated (somewhat, anyway) before she comes home - including covering that panel.

So, add another thing to our amazingly overwhelmingly long to do list for today. Oh well, it will get done. It must. Our friends will be here to help us move tomorrow and we promised them a smooth move. If pure cussed organizational spirit can deliver, then that is what it will be.

So, this is it. Good and bad, happy and sad, give and take. Sounds like my marriage vows, actually. That being the case, I know we'll get through these next few days. We have God and each other and all the promises that stand behind both.

But man, am I going to miss my big, sunny kitchen!

Sweet Girlisms

I am going to try to post Sweet Girlisms as they happen. They won't be part of my normal 2-step posting and will occur whenever. This is the best way to capture these gems as they are given. They're priceless, you know.

My brother-in-law, Motor, just celebrated his 25th birthday on Christmas Eve. Since we were visiting Hometown City for the holidays, Sweet Girl was there to witness the celebration. It must have made an impact. Sweet Girl has been talking about what it will be like when she is an adult. Then yesterday as we were driving, out of the blue, Sweet Girl proclaimed,

"Mom, when I am 25 I will be a woman just like Uncle Motor!"


Here's a few comments from this post:
kenju said...
Yes, indeed, toooo funny!

princssis said...
LOL! I was debating whether to tell Motor about this. I haven't........YET.
Hee-hee

Russ said...
Hey Blondie...
My mother remembers every cutsie little thing my siblings and I ever said. And she manages to bring them up at the most inappropriate times.
Good luck with that...

An Ornament of Optimism

There are many things in this world that I am very laid back about. Then there are the few things in this world that I am over-the-top meticulous about. Folding would be one thing; I like my clothes folded a certain way and I hate it when they aren't right. Geekwif and my mom understand this; Geekwif because she is the same way and my mom because she lived with me for two years. Likewise, I am particular about certain recipes. Spaghetti is spaghetti and tacos are tacos, but let me makes something like chili or lasagna and every ingredient must be the best brand, the freshest vegetables and be made exactly to my specifications. This makes it perfect.

Another way in which I am a perfectionist is with my Christmas tree. Whether fresh or fake, the decorations must be placed just so on the tree. I have many ornaments to hang and they all mean something special to me. Each year I buy at least two more ornaments, sometimes three. One is for Sweet Girl and one is for the family. I like the family ornament to say something about our year or what is important to us. This year I had a struggle finding the perfect ornament for our family. I must have searched 3 or 4 different stores. Champs and I went to Hallmark and couldn't find anything there that spoke to us. We found a beautiful Irish girl doll ornament for Sweet Girl, but nothing for us. I had pretty much given up.

Tonight I had to run to Target to get a filter for my vacuum cleaner. While I was there, I noticed that the Christmas stock had been marked down to 75% off so I strolled through to see what was left. And I found it; the perfect ornament for 2005.

You see, 2005 has been a hard year for me and Champs. We expected to move to IL, but due to health issues for both of us, we are still here. We have struggled financially. We've worked on projects that took months and moths to complete. We spent months prepping our house to sell and waiting for a buyer. Then December hit. The darkest hour is just before the dawn, or so they say. So true. All of my personal struggles came to a head in December. The first two weeks of the month were so hard that I could barely write in my blog. However, the last two weeks of December began to pull things together. We got some pressing business solved, we sold our house and found short-term rental housing at a great price. Champs and I made a new commitment to a financial plan and for the first time I began to feel something I haven't felt in a long time. I have a new sense that things will get steadily better and we will finally begin to move forward on plans that are more than a year old.

And so, the ornament that I found today is perfect. It is silver with a pave-encrusted front and it hangs from a pure white ribbon, front and center on our beautiful tree. It will bring in 2006 with us tomorrow. You see, it proclaims just one beautiful word: HOPE.





Here's some comments from this post:
Geekwif said...
Hey, I was with you on that Target run and I didn't see that ornament. It sounds lovely! Did you hide it? Did you go back later?
I'm just so confused.

Blond Girl said...
Later in the evening after our Target run, I went to Cub for snackies and then on to the Crystal Target for a new hepa filter for the vacuum. That's why you didn't see it. Trust me, if I had found it while you were there, you would have oo'd and ah'd over its perfection with me. You'll see it later today, I'm sure. I can't wait for you to see your Christmas present!

princssis said...
More than one Target visit in one day? Oh, the life!
Pardon me, but what does "pave-encrusted" mean?
Regardless, your ornament sounds beautiful. Congratulations on the find!

Shannin said...
I get a few new ornaments each year. I didn't do it last year since we had only been in the house 6 weeks and things weren't going well. This year, I made up for it and shelled out $$$ for a Christopher Radko Minnesota state ornament. It's very nice, and commemorates our move to "the great white north."
Your new additions sounds lovely, and very indicative of the future.

Sandy said...
Sounds beautifully perfect.

Russ said...
Sometimes God sends us little messages of HOPE...

Melonie said...
I think we all need a little HOPE. This was a wonderful post.

On the Road with Sweet Girl

Normally, I work on Friday and then begin to prepare for all the busy things that need to be done over the weekend. Today was a bit different. Champs and I woke up at 3:35 a.m. when the alarm bid us do so. It took us a while to acquiesce and get out of bed, but finally we did. We stumbled into clothes and gathered a sleepy Sweet Girl and piled into the car. At 4:24 a.m., we set off on the 550 mile trip to HomeTown City in Another State. It took us until about 2:30 p.m. to get here.

Not bad timing, all things considered. I realized again today what a terrific little girl we have. She traveled like a gem! She watched one movie on her portable DVD player (we kept it as a surprise until today and you should have seen her eyes light up) and then just generally slept and talked and sang along to the music. Other than one disagreement over who had the final say on a lunch issue (lately, she has begun to search for alternate definitions of the word "no"), we traveled in peace. I didn't even get one "When are we going to get there?!?!" whine that children are famous for - and for that, I am truly grateful.

The DVD and her magna-doodle were truly two worthy investments.

What a Weekend!

OK, quick recap:

Friday: Sucked! I will never again use Western Union and that's all I have to say about that. Ugh.

Saturday: Mom moved out. She couldn't afford a moving truck, so Champs got permission to use his work van. We had great help (shout out to Geekwif and the Geek) from a bunch of friends and family with trucks and vans. Our house was a great heap of boxes and muddy salty snow water. Into the midst of this we got a call asking for a showing on the house.

Sunday: WE SOLD OUR HOUSE!!!!!!!!! PRAISE THE LORD! Yes, our house is sold. And in the middle of December, yet. In the last 3 months, there have been 84 houses for sale in our approximate price range and in our approximate area. One has sold. In September. Today ours sold. We have an appointment to go look at a 2 bedroom duplex tomorrow; it is half our mortgage each month (no garage, but we can live with that) and the owner is OK with us renting on a short term option.

You know, I could blog ad nauseum about this; there are so many cool details. Only it would take me hours to write it and you too long to read it. The upshot here is that God is Good and 2006 is going to be a much different year for Champs and I. We have our first real encouragement in months that we really will get to move to Hometown City, Another State this summer.

Now we just have to bathe Champs' eye in prayer. Once he has his contact and the assurance of some healthy time, we will be able to move and start the new insurance/new eye specialist journey in our new state.

2006: New Beginnings, Baby!

Unsubstantiated Memories

OK, this is NOT a meme, but it is a game you get to play with me. I got it over at Geekwif's place.

Here goes:

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, (even if we don't speak often) please post a comment here on my blog with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL memory of you and me. It can be anything you want - good or bad - BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE.

When you're finished leaving your comment, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people DON'T ACTUALLY remember about you.

I think this will be fun for all; like a bowl of Skittles and M&M's mixed; a color and a flavor for everyone!


And here are the great comments I got on this post:
Steph said...
Blond Girl - Remember that time we were at the Liquid Lounge and I dared you to walk out of the bathroom and cross the room with a string of toilet paper hanging out of the back of your skirt?! You even bunched it up to make it look used. We were laughing so hard that it took us five minutes to get a straight face and walk out of the bathroom! It was awesome, especially since you were wearing all black! And then you made eye contact with all of the hot guys in the bar in a totally flirty way, like you didn't know about the toilet paper hanging down to the back of your knees! And remember how horrified the waitress was for you because she didn't know it was a joke? That poor girl! She was so sweet and so mortified for you! What a night!
YOU CRACK ME UP!!

(P.S. Sadly, yes, I have done this in real life and by the way...I'm SOOOOO stealing this idea!! ;)

Plumkrazzee said...
Remember when you lost your pants? And it was snowing even!! Boy, that trucker got a kick out of you.

Marcia said...
Remember that time when we went shoe shopping and each spent waaay too much, but we totally thought it was worth it, because none of us had shoes that were like that before, and we could completely integrate them into our wardrobes, and gosh, we're we just going to be the hottest chicks in school on Monday?
We should do that again. It was fun.

CarpeDM said...
Blond Girl, remember that time we decided to race our grocery carts through Cub and pretend we were on Supermarket Sweep? Wasn't that fun?

Russ said...
Oh my gosh, I have GOT to tell everyone about the time we were in Maui and those people thought we were twins!! It got even funnier when the cops came because when we told them we were not twins they got so violent. I thought the hotel manager was going to pee her pants when you decked that tall skinny dweeb for picking his nose and wiping it on my shirt.
What a moron!!

Geekwif said...
One of my favorite memories of you is that night when we crashed that party out on Lake Minnetonka. You know, the one in that big old brick mansion?
We dressed up in the fanciest clothes we could afford - consignment shop fare of course - and snuck in by blending in with some legitimate guests. You were hilarious. Your talent for conversation never ceases to amaze me. You had everyone we spoke to completely convinced that we belonged there. You were absolutely the life of that party. Really, I think we saved those rich snobs from what could have been an incredibly boring party.
It was all going so well until we realized that your boss was there. Boy, that was a tough one to explain! How did you ever get out of that one anyway? Well, however you did it, that night was the start of a long and glorious tradition of snooty party crashing.

Heather said...
Remember that time we were in that club and that nerdy guy was trying to pick you up so you and I held hands and you said, "Sorry--I'm with her!" and we walked out like that?

MissMeliss said...
Two words:
Bobcat. Pudding.
Yeah, I don't tell the story either :)

Paul said...
I'll never forget the time you caught me under some mistletoe and tried to kiss me.

2 Questions... Answered

Thanks to all who asked me two questions. Part of me wishes there were more, but I think it will take me more than a few minutes to answer these! Thanks for the idea, Russ! Here we go:

Suzy asked:
1. The pic above 'about me'. Adorable...who is she?
That would be our daughter, Sweet Girl. I am known for being unwilling to post full face pictures of her on my blog, for safety's sake. This picture was taken for her third birthday when she was in her "American flag" obsession. She loved them and loved the shirt she is wearing in the photo. She's even cuter when you can see her whole face, but what can I say? I'm a protective mom!


Yellojkt asked:
1. What was the worst job you had?
This one is easy. Once, when I was about 22 years old or so, my pastor asked me to work as a personal aide to this older woman he knew. She needed someone right away and I was between jobs. He said he knew the person at the agency, so I should just get over to her place to help her out and he'd take care of getting the paperwork so I could get paid later on. Well, this woman was going senile, so her behavior was a bit erratic. I was there about an hour and a half when she wanted me to do something. I can't remember what anymore, but it was something that would have been bad for her, so I gently refused. Not two seconds later she got up and went calmly into the kitchen without a word. A moment later, as my back was turned, I heard her shuffled steps into the room and toward me. I turned just as she was about a foot away - and she had a 10-inch French knife raised to stab me!

I stopped being a personal aide right then! I ran out of the house and called the pastor to tell him he needed to come up with a plan b. Come to think of it, I was never paid for my 90 minutes of work, either!

Oh, and the worst job I ever had that I got paid for was working behind the snack counter at K-Mart the summer after I graduated from high school. I had to wear orange and brown polyester and cook stinky food. Enough said.

2. What was the last article of clothing you bought, and why?
That would be a pair of long johns and a package of undershirts. Why? Because this is Minnesota. I'm freezing my ass off, man!


Kenju asked:
1. How long did it take you to decide that you wanted stomach surgery?
I deliberated with my husband and my doctors for about 3 months and then got a referral to the surgeon. I had to wait 18 months for my initial consultation and then about another 16 months before the surgery. So, I decided in early 2001 and had it done in October 2003. There were a lot of times that I could have changed my mind (almost did before I was wheeled in) but I knew, with my diabetes and the kidney damage I was facing, that it was the best choice. My driving factors were that I wanted to have another baby but my diabetes was so out of control that I couldn't even consider it and that I wanted Sweet Girl to have a mommy that others wouldn't tease her about.

2. Have you ever been sorry that you did it?
Oh, Judy, that's a loaded question. I'm not sorry I had the surgery, but I am very sorry that I went with the surgeon I chose and that I had it done open instead of laproscopically. I almost died a month after the surgery and have suffered much as a result of the doctor's negligence. I was hospitalized something like 4 times in the first 2 months after surgery and I've had 3 follow up surgeries to correct issues from the gastric bypass. But, I am healthier. I still have diabetes and take insulin, but my kidneys are in great shape and I am able to run around with Sweet Girl. The great irony is that I had the gastric bypass so I could have another child, but the complications that arose from the initial surgery culminated in a tubal ligation during my last surgery. The risks of pregnancy are now too great for me. So, no more babies for Blond Girl. I don't talk much about it, but this breaks my heart on an almost daily basis. On Thanksgiving, Sweet Girl wrote me a letter saying she was thankful for her brother and her sister - a doll and a stuffed elephant she has that she pretends are her siblings. This girl was not meant to be an only child. And I know your next question; yes, we will consider adoption.


Russ asked:
1. If you could have any job you wanted, any where you wanted, what would it be?
I would be a stay at home mom in a beautiful home in Champaign, Illinois. I would volunteer my time to a number of charities and I would be starting a home-based beading business. It's my favorite dream, Russ.

2. If you won the lottery, who would you choose (besides your husband and kid) to share the money with?
I would secure the retirement of my mom and Champs' mom and step-mom. I would give to the church and to 5 or 6 charities I believe in. Then I would buy selected gifts (very expensive ones) for my family members and closest friends. If we won enough (and one always does in one's dreams) we would pay off the mortgages and car loans of all our brothers and sisters. Oh, and then there's that home-based beading business....


Shannin asked:
1. What song will remind you the most of 2005?
It is a tie, Shannon, between "The Beauty of the Lord" (by Jared Anderson and The Desperation Band) and "Held" (by Natalie Grant). But the winner just might be "Wrap Me in Your Arms" by Michael Gunger. Each of them reflect my faith and the trust I've had to put in the Lord through my surgery, Champs' corneal transplant and the disappointment of not moving to Hometown City, Another State when we thought we would. They also reflect the awe that I am in of His goodness to us in everything; the big stuff and the happy stuff and the day-to-day stuff...

2. What is your favorite quote?
I have so many and yet I can't think of anything to attribute to a single person! I think they mainly fall under “sayings” more than quotes. One of my favorites is “Only you can choose your attitude” and another is “If you do ask, you might get. If you don't ask, you won't get.”

Princiss asked:
1. Do you have any phobias?
Um, yeah. Spiders, thunderstorms and getting on down-going escalators. I've managed, for the most part, to hide most of these fears from Sweet Girl… I don’t want to transfer them too much!

2. You've mentioned that Champs likes to watch football and you have learned a lot about the game since you've been married. Is there something that Champs has taken interest in that he didn't before you two met?
Yes. He didn't watch figure skating before he married me. My favorite winter sport is figure skating, which is usually broadcast on Saturday. He has learned to appreciate the sport the way I've learned to appreciate football; he can understand it, he'll watch it with me and even get interested in the results. But if I weren't here, I don't think he'd turn it on to watch it himself. Which is fair; I don't think I would ever turn on football of my own volition (although I do have to know how the Vikings do against Detroit this Sunday….)


Paul asked:
1. When will you post a picture of your thin, mysterious self?
The jury is out on that one… I am a bit private about our pictures. Funny that I am that way, especially since I met Champs on-line, but I just want to be safe. Besides, Paul, when are you going to post a picture of you and the lovely first wife? Hmmmmm?

2.Do I have to ask two questions?
Apparently not – see Bug’s single question below!


Ranger (sorry, posted anonymously, so can't provide a link) asked:
1. Will you accept the praise that I really like your writing but am not a rabid fan of memes?
Of course! Not everyone loves memes and I get that. I enjoy them because it is a creative way to get to know people. Thank you for the comment on my writing, though! Sometimes when I read other people's writing, I am humbled. Take Geekwif, for example. She just did NaNoWriMo and I read her excerpt. I had no idea she could write that well and I'm not sure that I could, even though I write for a living. So again, thank you for the compliment.

2. Did you know about Champs' Nestea Plunge and did you laugh?
Oh yes. He told me the story the first time I racked him. Well, he told me the story when he could breathe again... My laughter was that sort of I'm-so-sorry! I-know-I-shouldn't-laugh-but-I-can't-help-it laugh that everyone has done at least once in life.


LR asked:
1. If you weren't Blond Girl, who would you be?
About 9 years ago, Geekwif and The Geek gave me my nickname, Cathreeno. If I weren't blogging as The Blond Girl, then I guess it would be "Cathreeno's Confessions" or something like that. Actually sounds like a fun idea, but I've built up the whole "Blond Girl" persona, so I can't give it up now...

2. Who do you think is the most important female historical figure of the last, say, 200 years?
When I first read the question, I thought it said "hysterical" and my first thought was "well, Lucille Ball, of course!" Then I realized what it really said. Darn! That's not as easy to answer! I think my answer would be Eleanor Roosevelt, Mother Theresa, Helen Keller or Rosa Parks.

OldOldLady of the Hills asked:
1. What is your favorite food to eat in the morning?
A fruit smoothie made with orange juice, frozen pineapples, bananas and strawberries. I put in my liquid vitamins and minerals and it gets me going for the day. Love it!

2. If you could choose another first name, other than your own, what would it be?
Wow, I don't know! I like Irish names, so probably Erin or Kendra. I actually like my name and have for my entire life. I can't remember even once wishing I could change it, so I guess that's why I have a hard time answering this one.

Lightning Bugg's Butt asked:
1. What's the most embarrassing thing you'll reveal on this blog given your family reads it?
Once, after my second hernia repair, I went in to see my 60-some year-old surgeon for a checkup. He had me lay back on the table and lower my pants. I had forgotten which underwear I had on. They were briefs with bright pink, magenta, purple and blue circles, squares and squiggles. They kind of looked like an inkjet printer had puked on my undies. To the surgeon's credit, he didn't say anything. However, he stopped in mid-sentence and his eyebrow shot up for a moment; then he went on. After that, I was careful to wear conservative undies to my post-surgical checkups.

And finally, my husband, Champs, asked (and commented):
I have been asked to leave my questions, which is hard since I know Blond Girl so well. I am jealous! Everyone else had it so easy. Yes, I could have asked something that I already knew but that would be the wimpy way out of the deal and I am not that way. So, here it goes:

1. If you were to catch Osama Bin Ladin all by yourself and no one was around, what would you do?
Well, I would use everything you taught me about fighting. I would let the fury of 4000 victims empower me and I would beat the crap out of him. Then I would sit on him until a soldier came to help. Then I would claim my reward. Of course, if I had a working cell-phone, I would call someone to help and I'd trail him. If I could get him alone in a room, tied to a chair, I have to admit that my darker side would come out and I could think of a lot of mean things to do to him. A full body dehairing with a tweezers comes to mind, as does a 24-hour Aaron Neville music immersion or other forms of torture (I'm not sure I want people to know what kind of mean things I'm really capable of doing)... I dunno! The bigger question is, how in the hell did Osama get to Minnesota without anyone noticing?!?! Or how did I get to Iraq without me noticing?!?!

2. If you were cast to be in a movie that you have seen, what movie would you want to be in and what character would you play and why?
I would want to be Danielle in "Ever After" because the costumes were so beautiful and the story is so wonderful and she is such a strong character. Or maybe Rose in "Titanic", because I love the movie and it was the first movie we ever saw together... Oh, and because the costumes were so beautiful!

Well, that's it... I have worked on this post for more than two hours! I hope you all enjoyed this.

What a DVD Deal!

Well, they say it is the busiest shopping day of the year. Since I have both a shopping gene and a parking gene, I had to pay homage to both and venture out for at least one item. My chosen quarry: a portable DVD player.

See, we will be traveling by car to Hometown City, Another State with a 5-year old for Christmas. It is about 550 hours and a good 9-12 hour trip, depending on weather and Sweet Girl's disposition. She is a wonderful traveler (we don't call her Sweet Girl for nuthin'!) but that long in a car seat can get on anyone's nerves. The last time we made the trip she was so good, but we could see that she needed something to help ease the time. So I've been planning this purchase for awhile and thinking I'd have to spend at least $200.00 to get one.

I saw a commercial for Walmart yesterday that caught my eye, so I checked out the internet ad to verify. Yeup, they had an off-brand portable DVD player with a 6.2 inch screen on sale for $68.00 until 11:00 a.m. today. I showed the ad to Champs and hopped in the car. As I mentioned in my earlier post, the snow was fun, but I'm used to that so it wasn't a problem. When I got to Walmart the parking gene was in full effect and I got to park three spots away from the door (no, I don't know why this happens, but it does. My family and friends will verify that I always get a good parking spot!).

They had plenty of the players in stock and I was glad. I had to buy the accompanying carrying case to get the car adapter, which I wasn't too pleased about since that was another $10.00, but oh well. I brought it home and showed it to Champs. He was sufficiently impressed and we went about our day.

Since Friday is date night (and I needed to get to the bank before the drive through closed), Champs and I decided to go out after dinner and check out Best Buy just for the fun of it (because, even when you can't spend the money, sometimes you just have to look at electronics, you know?). Well, I decided to see what they had for portable DVD players. They had a 7 inch Insignia (a Best Buy brand, similar to Radio Shack) player for $119.00 with a $50.00 rebate. It was a nicer quality than the first unit and the end cost would be only $1.00 more than I paid at Walmart. However, the car adapter was included, so that made it $10.00 better than the Walmart deal, even if we did have to wait for the rebate. Hmmm... Bigger picture, more features (like a full control panel on the unit instead of only on the remote) and a better price, but we would have to wait for the money to be returned. We thought about it for a minute, then decided to buy this one and return the Walmart one.

I asked the salesman for one and he looked around and asked a colleague. His teammate told us they had sold out earlier. Then he pulled one out from a top shelf and explained that it was a customer return. He further explained that because it was returned, it was priced at $104.00. Even so, all the pieces were there and we would still get the $50.00 rebate. He suggested we buy it and then take it directly to customer service to open it and confirm everything was there and it was working fine. That sounded good to us, so off we went to buy our new toy.

I asked the gal at the register for the rebate paperwork and she said it would print out with my receipt. OK, that worked for me. So then I went to customer service to confirm everything was there. I checked my receipt and noticed that the rebate portion hadn't printed. So I asked the gal there for it. "Oh", she sighed, "you don't get the rebate on customer returns." I told her that the salesman on the floor had encouraged me to buy the unit and assured me that I would get the rebate. She said, "Sorry".

Now, I've worked in customer service for about the last 13 years. I know all the tricks and nothing much gets by me. I asked for the manager. When she came over, I explained the whole story. She tried to tell me that the customer returns didn't get the rebate. She went on to say that the rebate was a "door buster" and had ended at noon.

I told her "I'm sorry, but your salesman told me about the rebate, sold me the machine, then explained that he was out and encouraged me to buy the returned unit. He assured me, without my asking first, that I would get the rebate. And the sticker on the display said the promotion ended on 11/25, not noon on 11/25. Since your employee assured me that this is the price I would pay, I want that price. If your policy is different, then you need to educate your employees." I didn't yell, but I was very firm.

She asked me to hang on and walked away. When she came back, she said that she had checked with the manager of the TV area. He had already heard about what the salesman told us. He confirmed that he had offered the deal so we should get it, but then set the employee straight so he wouldn't do it again. Then she said that, since she couldn't get the rebate paperwork for me, she would credit me with $50.00 right there. Sweet! That worked for me. Then we opened it up, confirmed that everything was accounted for and worked and brought our new toy home - at an even better deal than we had originally hoped to get. I was pumped!

Yeah, we have to go back to Wally World tomorrow to return the first player, but that's OK... They've got a great deal on a blender I've had my eye on...


Here's a few comments from this post:
Star said...
Good Girl! THat's how to get what you want and still retain your dignity. I am also a CS veteran(23 yeaars).

YellowRose said...
I believe in standing up for oneself, because no one else will in the retail business!!
Thank you so much for all the kind words when you visited "My Garden!" I hope to see you again!
I'll be back here to see your "Rants, Raves & Revelations!" :)

Carmi said...
Hiya BG. It was great crossing words with you on Michele's and my blogs. Thanks for dropping by!
Great job holding your own on this one. I've learned much from reading this entry - I'm never a pushover either, but your experience shows how to really balance your response.
I couldn't agree more about the need for a DVD player on a long car ride. We bought ours - we regularly do 500+ mile trips with our three munchkins, and will be driving to Florida with it in the near future - earlier this year, and it's been a godsend.
I know we didn't have these when we were all kids. But we also weren't belted into car seats like our kids are these days. Times have changes: technology sure helps maintain our sanity.

Blond Girl's Firsts

First best friend: Jennie, who was 9 months younger than me. We grew up across the street from one another until I moved away in 9th grade. Jennie wanted to be popular; something I was clearly never going to be. In 7th grade, she told me that we could be friends before and after school, but not on the bus or at school. I gave that nonsense about 2 days and then told her we were either friends 24/7 or not at all. It worked; she decided I was more important than her bid for popularity.

Jennie was in my wedding and we did well for the first two years of my marriage. Then, in some I-still-don't-understand-what-happened misunderstanding (over a baby shower of all things), we drifted apart. She hasn't seen me since the operation or since my dad died. I miss her so much, but I feel so awkward that I don't know how to bridge the distance, you know?

First Car: Well, the first one I bought and paid for myself was a silver 1981 Ford Escort wagon. The hatchback was so rusted out that I called her "Lacey". I only owned the car a year and during that time it went through something like three or four headgaskets. What a pain! The first car I ever drove was a red 1975 Ford Pinto. I always wanted to have one of those bumper stickers that said, "Roses are Red, Violets are blue. If you backend me, then you'll blow up too!"

First kiss: My first kiss was when I was 20 years old. I was a bank teller and there was a customer who made it a point to visit my window every day. He was a good deal older than me; 34 years old, in fact. When I told him I was leaving the bank, it gave him the courage to ask me out to a movie and dinner. I don't remember where we ate, but the movie choices were "Howard the Duck" or a Rodney Dangerfield movie. We saw Howard. Afterward, he took me out to the Minnehaha Falls to walk around in the moonlight. At the bottom of the falls, we sat on the bridge walls talking. I was telling him about my dad when, out of the blue, he grabbed my chin and pulled me in, saying "are you feeling romantic?". After the kiss, I was so discombobulated that I started walking back up to the parking lot (100 or so steps) and when I got to the top, he asked me what that was about. I explained that I had never been kissed before and it scared me a bit. We sat in his car quietly for awhile and he just held me. After awhile, he kissed me again. I was ready this time. When he pulled away, he said "that was not the kiss of a woman whose never been kissed before!" But it was. I swear.

First big trip: In 1979 flew to Arizona by myself to see my sister, the Techno-goddess. I was 14 years old - and well developed for my age. I stayed for 5 weeks and while I was there, my sister got my hair cut, bought me new glasses, bought me my first pair of high heels (candies slides, remember those?), taught me to wear makeup and gave me a low cut dress. The effect was, um, dramatic. I wore the new outfit home on the plane. On the flight home, a steward offered me a glass of champagne. He nearly swallowed his tongue when I said was too young and asked for a pop instead. When I got off the plane, I walked right past my mom, who didn't recognize me. When she finally figured out that the young woman was her daughter (and not the child she'd put on the plane), she called my sister and yelled at her for nearly 15 minutes!

First flight: See above. I should have had the champagne.

First time skiing/snowboarding: OK, I am a native Minnesotan, so I should full of stories about this. But I've never skied. The closest I've ever come is once in 5th grade when our class went cross-country skiing at a local wildlife reserve. It was slow, quiet and 25 degrees in the middle of January. Perfect for my one and only skiing experience.

First Alcoholic Drink: When I was 15, my parents had their 25th wedding anniversary and we kids threw them a big party. Somehow, I was standing in as the bartender. I didn't know the first thing about mixing drinks. My uncle asked for a "JD & coke". "What's in it?", I inquired. He told me the ingrediants and I proceeded to fill a glass half full of Jack Daniel's and half full of coke. My brother intercepted the drink and explained I'd made it waaaayyy too strong. I took a big swig and said "what, it tastes fine to me". He poured half of it out and then filled it back up with coke and took it to my uncle.

This scene was replayed about 4 times over the next hour; each time I made a drink, I would make it half booze and half mixer. Each time my brother would intercept it and make me take a taste. Each time it seemed fine to me (this was my first indicator that I could hold my liquor). Later on, my brother tried to make me think I was drunk by swaying each time I looked at him. I knew better though; I wasn't drunk, he was just a joker!

First ticket violation: I got my one and only speeding ticket coming down off a bridge and going about 5 miles per hour too fast. The speedometer on the car was broken. I didn't realize then that I could have fought the ticket. Oh well; its the only one I've ever gotten. Notice I didn't say it was the only one I ever deserved.

First job: This, of course, does not take 6 years of baby-sitting into consideration, but after I graduated from high school, I got my first "time clock punch job" at K-mart working behind the snack counter. I wore the most hideous orange and brown polyester uniform ever designed by man. I'm surprised anyone even had an appetite after looking at me in that horrible outfit. I only worked there for three months, and I never went back to that kind of job again.

First date: This is scary, I know, but I think it was the date of my first kiss... I'm not sure! Yes, it was. The ill-fated fish date came later, but that's another post.

First memory: My earliest memory took place one rainy day when I was around 2 or 3. I was buckled into the car seat of my mom's baby blue VW bug, clutching my blue and white polka-dot stuffed elephant and reading a picture book about and elephant and a mouse in a very colorful jungle. I sure wish I knew what the title of that book was!

First crush: Ah, young love in the sun. During my 5 week stay in Arizona (remember, I was 14), I fell madly in love with my sister's 14 year-old neighbor, Billy Sjoquist. He had the cutest curly blond hair and freckles! Billy and I were inseparable and did everything together. We built a house out of 6 decks of cards and went swimming every day. Everything was great until the 4th week when he tried to touch my girls (it must have been the makeup and haircut and all that my sister got me). I made him stop. He mimicked me in a high-pitched sing-songy voice. I told him he was a child and that was that. We were done. I wonder what he's up to now?

First True Love: Easy. He's my first true love and he will be my last true love: Champs, the sweetest man I've ever known.

The 24 Hour Meme

If you haven't figured it out yet, I love memes. Not sure why; I just think they're fun. So, I decided to create one of my own and see how far it spreads.

Here's how it works: I'm going to list each hour of the day and then a reason why that hour (anytime in the 60 minute block) is significant. You can cut and paste the basic template and then fill in your own times. Then, comment here to let us know you've posted yours. Sound like fun? You know it! Challenging? Of course! Buckle up, here we go:

12:00 a.m. - Midnight is important for all the New Year's Eves - especially 1998, when I decided that, as of that moment, I was no longer waiting to meet a pastor to marry. Instead, I would just relax and have fun and date for the sake of dating, instead of finding a husband. I met Champs 31 days later.

1:00 a.m. - This hour is one of a fond memory. Our wedding reception ended at about 1:00 a.m. and our best man escorted us to our honeymoon suite (in the same hotel as the reception). He was there about 10 minutes, showing us the gift he'd prepared for us, taking pictures and reminiscing about the wedding. We finally, gently guided him to the door. It took us a few minutes to get him to understand that, now that we were married, we'd like to be alone, please!

2:00 a.m. - The first time I visited Champs in his hometown, I left the cities at 5:00 or so in the afternoon. I arrived in Hometown City, Another State at about 2:11 a.m. or so. Champs was waiting up for me. We got engaged two days later.

3:00 a.m. - This hour belongs to one of the saddest days of our marriage. Around 3:00 a.m. or so on 9/9/99, we got a call from Princssis, Champs' sister. Their father was dying and if Champs wanted to see him, he needed to get home. I had him on a plane by 6:00 a.m. or so and he was in Hometown City by 11:00 or so, but he was too late. He missed his dad by about an hour. That was the only other time I ever drove to Hometown City by myself.

4:00 a.m. - Once in a great while, by some miracle, Champs and I will both wake up sometime between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. and we won't go back to sleep. We will lay there, in the quiet of the pre-dawn hour and enjoy one another's company. With a mom and a small daughter living here, those few quiet, private moments are precious and I cherish them.

5:00 a.m. - Sweet Girl was born at 5:55 in the morning, weighing in at 5 lbs, 15 oz. Now she's 5 years old. That number and Sweet Girl are pretty connected.

6:00 a.m. - I better darn well be out to the bus stop by 6:00 a.m., or I'm going to be late to work!

7:00 a.m. - This time is special each day because it's when Smoothie and I go down to the coffee shop to get our morning fruit smoothies with vitamins. This is our gab time and it always energizes me to get a lot of work done after.

8:00 a.m. - Every Saturday and Sunday morning, Sweet Girl comes running into our bedroom and we three spend a good 45 minutes in bed laughing, tickling and talking. This started when she was a baby and we'd go get her and bring her in with us. Some day she is going to decide she is too old for this ritual, and a part of my heart will die with the passing.

9:00 a.m. - On a Saturday morning, this is the significant hour of The Family Breakfast. Be it waffles (Champs makes the best waffles!) or pancakes or my special cinnamon french toast, we all get together around the table and enjoy time together before the business of the day begins. Sweet! And I'm not talking about the syrup!

10:00 a.m. - SHOPPING TIME! Just ask Geekwif and Curly Girl. By 10:00 a.m. on a Saturday, we can be hot on the trail of the best consignment shops in the city.

11:00 a.m. - October 19, 2002 at about 11:20, Champs and I went to the closing of our home. This is the first home we ever bought. Man, we signed a LOT of papers!

12:00 p.m. - On 9/27/2003 my father lost his battle with lung cancer sometime after noon. I was planning to go visit him that morning, but decided to wait until after Sweet Girl had her nap. So I missed him. It happened to both Champs and I.

1:00 p.m. - This is the last one I haven't filled in yet. I can't think of anything significant about 1:00 in the afternoon. Wait, yes I can! In our city, at 1:00 in the afternoon on the first Wednesday of the month, every city in the metropolitan area tests their civil service sirens. The Twin Cities is HUGE and it doesn't matter where you are; you will hear sirens the first Wednesday of the month at 1:00. I remember it freaked Champs out a bit at first. I'll miss it when we move to Another State.

2:00 p.m. - We have a family tradition on New Year's Day. We have a late lunch/early dinner of soup and sandwiches. Then we eat again later in the day. What a way to start the year :-)

3:00 p.m. - This hour belongs to Champs. He was born at 3:29 p.m. His mom likes to tell me that his father took one look at the head full of red curls and said, "oh no!" I, on the other hand, am delighted by each red curl.

4:00 p.m. - Sweet Girl time! I leave work every day by 3:30 to that I can be home to meet her bus at 4:20. That's why I leave so freakin' early in the morning!

5:00 p.m. - Daddy comes home! You haven't seen joy personified until you witness a 5 year-old girl who is so happy that her daddy is walking in the door. She screams, laughs and jumps up and down - kinda like Dino when Fred came home on "The Flintstones". I love it.

6:00 p.m. - Nothing really special about this hour. What is significant, however, is how many different ways you can find to feed your family at this time of night. Especially when you don't really feel like cooking. Thank goodness for frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts!

7:00 p.m. - Champs and I were married at 7:00 in the evening on 10/09/98 in a beautiful candlelight ceremony. It wa beautiful and I loved every minute of it.

8:00 p.m. - This one is mine; I was born at 8:42 p.m. My mom went through 36 hours of labor!

9:00 p.m. - This is the soaky bath hour. For the next 5 months, I am sure that I'll be freezing cold. If I want to sleep at night, my only defense is to get in a tub of the hottest water I can stand and thaw out. I don't know why I'm this way, but since I had the gastric bypass I've been a human iceberg.

10:00 p.m. - Time for the nightly news. I have a love/hate relationship with the news. I always watch the same channel and I like the anchors on the news. I need to hear the weather and I enjoy the "feel good" stories. But with gangs in our cities and my brother-in-law, Tank, in Iraq, I'm really not fond of listening to national and world news.

11:00 p.m. - In spite of how early I get up every day, it's usually sometime after 11:00 before I actually get to bed. I need more sleep!


And that's 24 hours - spanned through my life.

If You Don't, Dont.

When Champs and I got married, we had a lot of fun getting him acquainted to life in the big city. Having come from a small town to this HUGE metropolis area, he had a lot to learn just in terms of getting to know how to get where he was going. This was in 1999 and Mapquest, thankfully, was a mainstay at that time.

He did pretty well; he quickly learned all the routes to home, family, work and the local grocery stores and restaurants. After he'd been here a few months, he got a new job installing office furniture. That job nearly got him in trouble. See, every morning he had to call in to find out where that day's assignment was and then meet his team there. As long as they sent Champs to Minneapolis and points north, he did OK. But when they sent him to St. Paul and other points east, he got very nervous - and sometimes, lost. To put it mildly, he HATED having to go to St. Paul, Mapquest not withstanding.

One day he was told to go to St. Paul. He nicely asked to be reassigned, but they said (succinctly) NO. He then asked for directions to get to the site. They gave him a list of directions that seemed to make sense so he headed out. Once he was on the freeway, he couldn't find the "crosstown" no matter what he did. The people there forgot that he's not a native and didn't tell him that he needed "62 east" - they used the local jargon.

After driving around for an hour or so, he found his way home and used Mapquest. That solved the Highway 62 mystery and got him to St. Paul. However, once the got close, the street he needed seemed to disappear. He followed the map. He called the office. He stopped and asked the locals. No matter what he tried, he couldn't find his way to the site. Finally at around noon, he gave up. He went home, called in and told them he couldn't find the site no matter what he did and that he would not be in that day.

The next day he called in for his assignment. Oh no, St. Paul again! My normally sweet, mild tempered hubby lost it. He stomped around. He slammed the refridgerator door shut. He kicked the bedroom door - and he let loose with language and opinions so unsavory that I was in shock.

I put up with this as calmly as possible as I got ready for work. I tried to cheer him up and see the bright side. I told him to take our car since it was a more comfortable drive. He agreed that he would drop me off at the bus stop on his way out. I mapped the route for him on Mapquest since he was too angry to do so. I did my best to help make it all better for him, but it wasn't enough. All the time, he kept up his pity party.

Finally. I. Had. Enough.

"Stop it!", I told him. "OK, so they are jerks for not remembering that you're new and they're jerks for sending you to St. Paul. I've already pulled it up on Mapquest and this one is easy. You toured the city yesterday, so you know where you're going. You are being a brat and I've had enough! You're an adult. Now start acting like one!" I gave him one last glare and stomped out to the car.

Champs came out and quietly got into the car, much subdued. He drove me to the bus stop in silence. I was too mad to do much talking. When we got to the bus stop, I got out of the car and then leaned back in. I told him in a pretty deadpan voice, "I love you... VERY MUCH. If you get in a better mood, call me. If you don't, DON'T."

Funny thing, he called me about 3 hours later, his mood much improved.

We still laugh about that morning to this day. And if one of us says, "I Love you. Very much", the other one generally laughs and asks, "Oh no, what did I do now?"


Here's a few comments from this post:
Geekwif said...
That's hilarious...in a very compassionate way of course. ;)

kenju said...
What a sweet story. Our direction flaps (and there are many, since hubs is directionally challenged) usually end in a spate of name-calling and shouting.

Shannin said...
As a non-native the whole 35W and 35E had me all confused, especially because they run north and south! Don't get me started on Eden Prairie Drive (which is a huge circle...).

Holly said...
heehee. next time i'm mad at husband i'll just tell him i love him. very much.

Well, it's not my face...

You know I still don't show my face on the blog. But, I am giving my "obesity awareness" diversity presentation tomorrow. The title is "Looking Beyond the BMI or Am I More Than What You See?"

To start the presentation, I am going to show a photo of my body prior to the weight loss and ask the audience to gauge their reactions and emotions to the woman in the photo. This is the photo I will show:




Then I will talk about common attitudes towards "the last acceptable prejudice in America". Then I will show a picture of my body after the surgery and ask the audience what reaction they have to this woman:



Finally, I will reveal that both photos are of the same woman, then tell the story of my surgery and 120 pound weight loss. I'll tell about how I am treated now compared to before and will, if I achieve my goal, show that even though I've lost weight, I am no more valuable than I was before the weight loss. I am hopeful that this will be an effective presentation which will make the audience think.

But for you all, even though you still don't see my face, you get to see what all my blogging has been about. This is what I've gone through 2 years and 4 surgeries to achieve. The "fat acceptance" movement would tell me I was wrong to bend to society's dictates and have such a life-threatening surgery. My doctors assure me did the only thing I could given my health.

And after reading LR's post for today (This post is no longer available), I look at Champs and Sweet Girl, and I know that, no matter what the state of obesity awareness in America or if the gastric bypass is a dangerous surgery, I definitely made the right choice.


Here are some comments from this post:
princssis said...
^prayers^ for you and your presentation tomorrow! I'm sure you'll do a great job! BTW- will the audience include people that know you or will they pretty much all be strangers? Just curious how they might react to your personal aspect of your presentation. ?
Oh, and I'm proud of you! You're looking great! You did make the right choice. You didn't go throught all that just to fit in to society. I know your health issues were the main concern. ((HUGS))

Oreo said...
OH MY GOSH!!! You look wonderful!

Heather said...
Sounds like your presentation will be very powerful!

GranDee said...
After reading LR's post, I am sitting here in this big body and bawling like a baby! Many years ago Princssis would beg me to quit smoking. I quit TWO times. The last time was for good, and many years ago. I see her as LR. I don't mean the pleading and such, because she does not do that, but I am sure she would like to see me thin again, esp. with my health issues. I told you, BG, a couple of times that you are my hero. I really really mean it! You went through "h" "e" double toothpicks more than one time and came out on the winning side. God Bless you, sweetie... I pray your presentation went well... you hit the nail on the head here!

trusty getto said...
Wow. I wondered how the progress looked, but this is the first opportunity to actually see.
That's pretty amazing, BG!!! You must be mighty proud of yourself!

Lish said...
I need to lose weight, and I know what I need to do. I just can't seem to stay motivated long enough to accomplish my goal. Hopefully, you can be an inspiration.

Paul said...
Magnificent! And you have a knock-out smile!
Congratulations.
Blessings.

utenzi said...
It's an amazing transformation when presented as a before and after, Blond Girl.
While I agree that losing weight doesn't change the real you--it's unrealistic to expect people not to react to your physical appearance. When you see a person that you don't know, appearance is often the only thing you have to go by.
I hope this change allows you to be more healthy--and happy--BG. Good luck!

Shannin said...
Even though I am only a few weeks out, I already feel healthier and happier. Hope the presentation went well - can't wait to hear about it...

Sandy said...
BG, you look great - but that's not what matters. What matters is that you feel great, right. Sounds to me that your health is better today, or at least your future health will be better tomorrow, for having the surgery.
I think the misstep with some in the 'fat acceptance' movement is the notion that wanting to lose is about wanting to fit in. Sometimes it's just about wanting to be healthier. Sometimes it just about wanting to play with a child without feeling you just can't physically keep up.
I've got to drop some weight. Two pregnancies that ended in mild pre-eclampsyia after the 37-week mark put me at higher risk for HBP in the future. For my health, for my children and my husband, I need to eliminate as many *other* factors as possible. That means the extra 40 lbs I'm carting around.
But I digress, my point (I swear there is one!), I hope your presentation went well. This post, brief and to the point, inspired me to regain control of my *health* not just my waistline. Thanks.

Holly said...
What an excellent idea for a presentation. People treat me differently. I've tried reflecting to find out if it's just that I'm easier to be around when i don't hate myself like it did. i was miserable and surely not a lot of fun to be around because that misery can't help but be obvious. now I'm in the middle of everything. curious, part of it all, and happy. my self esteem is way different.
i am so grateful to my family for their support in my decision to have weight loss surgery. i am thankful for my surgeon, the surgery, and the hospital i had it at. I'm thankful that my insurance paid and didn't make me jump through too many hoops to get the surgery i needed to live.
it's a wonderful, wonderful thing. i was super morbidly obese and weight 379 pounds on June 15th of THIS YEAR. less than 5 months later i am no longer morbidly obese (just severely!) LOL and 106 pounds lighter. i am a different person.

The Frito Kid

I'm in a story mood tonight. I'm not sure why, but lucky you; you get to hear another story from my youth. When I am done, I have to go work on my obesity sensitivity deck. For now though, I bring you the story of The Frito Kid.

When I was in 9th grade, I was a pretty miserable kid. I was overweight, out of fashion, too articulate for my classmates tastes and very shy. The shyness was not in my nature; it was defense against all the people who teased me and made my life hell. My friends knew me as a vivacious, original thinker but to everyone else, I was a mouse; a fly on the wall. Only in class did my communicator nature come out and give me away; my need to answer the teacher's questions and excel in class further ostracized me as "a brain" - but one with no personality.

With this gregarious nature hidden away inside of a self-imposed shell of protection, I became an avid people watcher. I would imagine myself in many conversations with them; being a part of the fun instead of watching, all the while hidden behind a book.

One day on the bus going home, I was doing my normal quiet observation of the other kids while I pretended to read my book. There was another kid on the bus who I was watching, amazed at him. He was at least 85 pounds heavier than I was and was sitting across from me eating Fritos. Because I was sensitive to anyone teasing me about my weight, I couldn't imagine eating fattening foods in front of anyone; to do so would give them ammunition against me. Yet here was Warren, eating a big bag of Fritos in full sight of everyone. I made my first mistake; I forgot to conceal myself behind my book.

He caught me looking at him and my face must have conveyed my thoughts, because he snarled, "what are you looking at, BG?" Then I made my second mistake. I said, "I'm not looking at anything at all, Warren". He HATED to be called Warren. He was in the midst of a name change to Jay, but having gone to school together since elementary, Warren was the first name to come to mind. I didn't mean any malice by my response; perhaps I just wanted to convey my amusement at his bravado, eating Fritos out there on the killing fields.

I made my third misktake; I resumed reading my book, ignoring him. Next thing I knew, I felt my face being pelted with warm, wet flecks. I looked up just in time to be splattered with a second mouthful of chewed up Fritos. Warren had spit them all over me. I was in shock. Before I could help it, the tears began to quietly seep out, but I refused to show any reaction other than what I couldn't control. I simply sat back, brushed my face off and ignored him the rest of the ride home (Oh, and those who really know me already know how royally pissed off I was at this point; I only get deadly silent when I am deadly angry).

When I stepped off the bus, I lost my composure. By the time I walked in the door, I was openly sobbing and near vomiting. My mom and brothers (they would have been about 22 and 23 at the time) were in the kitchen and immediately demanded to know what was wrong. It took me a few minutes to get the story out. The whole time my brothers just sat listening. When I was done, they asked only one question: Where does he live? I told them, they said, "let's go" and walked out. I went to take a shower and wash the entire experience off of me.

It wasn't until after dinner that I heard the rest of the story. Paddy and Guitar Man walked over to Warren's house and knocked on the door. They saw a curtain flutter but no one answered. They pounded again and waited. Finally, a man opened the door and asked what they wanted. Guitar Man did all the talking and Paddy just stood next to him looking very mad and very mean (he's good at that). "Yeah", he said, "We want to talk to the Frito Kid". His dad asked what this was about and after they told my story, he called Warren out. Again they related the events of the bus ride and Warren said, "I didn't do nuthin." My brother asked, "then why is my sister covered in Fritos and crying?"

Warren's father demanded the truth and Warren mumbled, "I didn't mean anything by it." At about that point, Warren's dad apologized to my brothers and told them to tell me that I would never be bothered by him again. The door shut and the shouting began. My brothers walked away.

I don't know what happened to Warren. I understand abusive families, so I can imagine. I hope it wasn't too bad. I hope it was only yelling. All I know is, I never saw Warren eating Fritos again and he never so much as said another word to me.

Though to my family he is and will ever be... The Frito Kid.


Here are a few comments from this post:
Suzy said...
Oh BG, my heart broke as I read your story. I'm the eldest of three, and would have done exactly as your brothers did. I took on any and all the over stepped their boundaries with my sister and brother...many, many times. Ughh...that is so like me with my family and friends, and sometimes to my detriment.(sp?)
Was it Oprah that I heard say something about how we all have 5 or 10 life defining moments that we will never forget? I wonder if that was one of yours?


Geekwif said...
I think I remember you telling this story before, but the only part I really remembered was your brothers talking to the kids dad. Kind of makes me wish I'd had a sibling or two to take care of the bullies in my life. Oh well. It seems that I survived anyway. I'm glad they were there to stand up for you.

A paintbrush full of orange

I thought I would tell you a quick story, since I enjoy the trips down memory lane and you all seem to enjoy them as much as I do.

This one is one of mine.

Sweet Girl, as you know, is in kindergarten. She just got her school pictures back the other day and they are so cute! I was amazed, however, at how mature she looks! Her picture looks like I did in my second grade picture. In my kindergarten picture, I look so much younger than she does in hers (which is amazing since, comparatively, I was 6 months older than she was at that time). The wide-eyed wonder with which I am looking out at the world got me to thinking about what I remembered from kindergarten.

Although I have many memories (the day I vomited on my teacher's shoes is a highlight), perhaps the one that holds the most significance is the day I created ORANGE. It was painting time. I was standing before the easel and I had painted a tall building. A building on fire. I needed just the right color for the flames shooting out of the windows. After a certain amount of consideration, I mixed up just the right shade of orange for the flames and swept them in with broad, sweeping strokes of my brush.

Now, you may not realize this, but up until the day I got the brilliant idea to combine red and yellow, orange existed only in natural forms (such as oranges, leaves and monarch butterflies). No other human before me had ever created orange, so I knew right then and there that I was, in fact, an artistic genius.

Now, I don't know why I was painting a burning highrise; I wasn't a violent or scarred child. I probably saw something on TV the day before. Too, I have since figured out that, while I am very creative, I am no artistic genius (for that, you will need to visit Sharon). What makes this memory significant to me is what I learned about myself that day and which I have retained some 35 years later. I am a solution maker. I look at the problem objectively ("hmmm... How do I make this building look like it is on fire?") and find a solution ("I know! Orange will make it look right") and apply it with broad, sweeping strokes. This personality trait of mine often gets me in trouble when people say (with that wrinkled-nose mewl of distaste) "she has such a strong personality". But it also gets me ahead when they call me in and say "I've got a problem. Can you help me?"

And I grab my paintbrush, load it up with orange and start painting.

You know the funniest thing about all this? Visually, I hate orange. It's only in my emotional memory that the color appeals to me.


And here are some comments from this post:
princssis said...
You better get to love orange - remember, we bleed orange here in Another State!
As for kindergarten, you already know I don't remember school until the fourth grade. I so wish sometimes I had those memories, but then I believe there is a reason for that part of my life to be blocked out. It was an extremely stressful time as my parents divorced. It funny, though, cuz I remember home stuff and going to and from school during that time period, but I don't remember school or my teachers and classmates. ????????????

Geekwif said...
I never thought I would see a post of yours with the word "orange" in the title, unless it was "Death to Orange" or something like that. You have yourself pegged. You are definitely a problem solver.

Russ said...
Blond AND strong personality?? Thank God in heaven that there are some of you left. You have two of my top ten most requested female traits.
Lucky girl...
Oh yeah, lucky husband!