nightmares past

I had the worst nightmare last night and thinking about it this morning I don't know why I was so bothered by it. I had a dream I was flying in the RJ again. That alone is enough to make my stomach turn...

I'd forgotten a lot about flying, like I have to take a Dramamine. We'd just taken off and I was nauseous looking at my checklist which didn't bode well for the rest of the flight. Then we had to turn around and come back for something so I ran off the plane to get something I'd forgotten. I was wearing a three quarter coat with a belt instead of my flight jacket. I returned to the plane to a failure letter that the pilot had written when he saw me running across the flight line in a dress coat instead of my flight jacket. The letter didn't just state that I'd failed my eval, it was malicious.

I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep for quite a while. I was thinking about how he'd written it'd been six years since my last flight and after doing the math it'd been nine years. How dumb is that?

yago came back...

Thank goodness, Yago's back! We went to Schmitty's music festival on Saturday and he did very well, he got a little music medal. He made a couple of mistakes but overall did great. He's never been judged or graded before. I asked him if he wanted me to check to see if I was allowed to go in with him. He said no. Hmph.

Sunday afternoon we went for a family bike ride on a local trail. I drove Schmitty's and my bike on the car while Yago rode his to the trail entry point. After the ride we realized we didn't have any wine for dinner and since I didn't bring my wallet Yago had to stop on the way home. He had a backpack he put it in and it reminded me of when Mickity used to ride over to my house at Laughlin with wine in her backpack.

Rana got her haircut today, I think she looks a little funny. She's super fuzzy, still cute.

Rana!

For God's sake, you've only lived here two and a half weeks! Why have I given you your fourth bath already?! Stay out of the soil, will ya? And Ralph... please don't let her in when she's black and covered in dirt. You two are quite a pair.

Yago comes home tonight! I can't wait to drink the Spanish wine Mickity brought us with the cheese and walnuts. If he gets in late we'll have to do it tomorrow night. He's not supposed to get in until around midnight but he'll try to leave earlier.

Tomorrow Schmitty will be playing at a music festival held at UNO. He'll take a written test, a listening test and then play two pieces. They'll judge him give their feedback. That should be interesting.

kids

A while back I read a blog entry written by a man in his 50s about how he liked his kids. He wrote that he didn't think most families felt that way, I think I agree.

I genuinely like my children, that's not to say that I don't frequently feel like pulling out every strand on my head. That said, I do really think my kids are funny and interesting people that I would rather be with than without. I think some people just don't really enjoy being with their kids and that's sad. It makes me wonder why, I don't get it. I love the conversations I have with Schmitty and Ralph does the most unexpected things that make me laugh.

If I had a traditional custody arrangement with Schmitty's biological father I would be climbing the walls. I couldn't stand it if he was gone every other weekend with an extended stretch over the summer. (Luckily, I won't have to worry about that!) It'd be lonely and quiet around here, I don't even like when the school year starts. I'll be heartbroken on his thirtieth birthday when he moves out! Maybe when they're teenagers I'll change my tune and become one of those, "When you turn 18 you're on your own" parents but I doubt it. Even with the midget.

a big step forward

The biological signed the consent form for termination of parental rights and the adoption!! Yippee. I'm still counting on my lawyer to file the case and request a court date but YAY!!! Please happen soon, please happen soon...

I went to the country club where I sat at a table with ladies that belonged to the club and who owned acreages. Apparently life is pretty tough when you live on an acreage, the recycling truck only comes once a month. Total bummer. I forgot my orange arm band.

bye new sam

I was super excited yesterday when I met the kids that live right behind us. I was walking with Ralph and Rana (Schmitty took off ahead on his bike) when a kid approached and asked if I was Schmitty's mom. Apparently he knows Schmitty and wanted to meet him at the park. His mom wouldn't let him go so he asked if Schmitty could come over and play.

I thought, "Finally! We found a kid the right age nearby, it'll be great for the summer." But then, before bed Schmitty told me they were moving in a couple of weeks. I think I was more disappointed than he was. It would have been perfect.

blind goldendoodle drama

I was irritated this afternoon. I drove across town to have some blinds fixed and when I got there the girl working had no idea how to help me. "I wish Brian was here..." Of course I talked to Brian on the phone a few days ago when he told me to stop by and he'd fix them free of charge. (It was the least he could do because he just fixed them a few weeks ago before they broke again.) I pressed Brian to set up a time because it's about a half hour drive out there. He said to just stop by whenever. Grrr.

Then I got home and let the dog out because she'd been in her crate for hours. I opened the door to let her in and her muzzle and legs were covered in black. Crap. She dug up some daffodils that Yago planted in a container. Now it'll smell like wet dog all night. What was I thinking trying to juggle a Ralph and a puppy? I've given that darn dog more baths than my child in the last couple of weeks.

Tomorrow is the PTA luncheon at the country club, I have no idea what I'm going to wear. All my clothes are too tight and I can't lose 10 lbs overnight. That means I'll have to squish myself in to some faded jeans and figure it out. Whatever.

yago come back...

Yago is in Tampa until late Friday night for a conference. It stinks when he's not here, I don't really know what else to say. I bought Marie Callendar's pot pies for dinner which I would never do if he were here. Now I feel bloated and disgusting. I eat better when he's here.

The house a couple of doors down sold which makes me happy. It's the same layout as ours but the basement isn't finished. It wasn't on the market too long so I'm hoping that translates to a positive selling experience on our part in a couple of years.

Ralph says his first German word now. Nein. It's funny because Ralph says "nein" and Schmitty says "doch". It's the equivalent of nuh-uh, yah-huh.

The pup is doing pretty well with the training. She's had a couple of minor accidents but now she seems to sniff near the door and then sit down when she wants to go out. I still don't let her out of my sight outside of the crate because I'm not THAT confident (plus she chews EVERYTHING).

I gotta go watch The Biggest Loser finale. I hope Tara wins. BTW, we were totally bummed that Margie and Luke didn't win The Amazing Race. They were Schmitty's favorite team, that made them my favorite team.

my happy day

Yesterday was Mother's Day and although it was busy I had a good day. I really try not to let a day pass without thinking about how good my life is. I have a great husband (even if Mickity thinks he has a mean streak) that makes me laugh regularly. My two boys are SOOO very different but they both make me smile every day.

Mickity wasn't kidding about all the wine and cheese we consumed, I haven't eaten that much cheese in the past year. And wine? I don't even know how many bottles we consumed. She watched the boys while Yago and I went to the Gala. I actually had fun, it was neat. (The open bar didn't hurt!) I thought I would feel out of place and self-conscious but didn't. It was interesting walking around and looking at all the items up for auction. We had winning bids for the Overnight Bash hosted at the school for third and fourth graders, a month of Tae Kwon Do lessons for Schmitty, and an 11x14 family portrait.

I went to the doctor for chronic neck and back pain that I've had every single day since November. He gave me a prescription (for basically Aleve), exercises and exercise bands. They took x-rays but I haven't heard anything on those which means they're probably normal. If it's not better in 6-8 wks I need to go back. I was optomistic because the pain subsided shortly after I started the medication but it's back with a vengeance so I guess it'll take some time.

I'm going to go work off some of the cheese from over the weekend...

my place

Today I drove to the recycling center and saw I place I hadn't seen before. I took a different way because the easy way to get there has been torn up since we moved here. Every time I go I think, "They've GOT to be done with that dumb construction by now!" but they're not. Then I get confused and take a different way every single time. Today I drove down Q St and saw Waldo's Pub. It made me laugh a little. It didn't look like a classy place...

a pain

Schmitty's biological father is being a pain about the adoption. I shouldn't name call but I'm tempted. He's making it far more difficult than it would be if he just came out and contested it. If he contested it we could move forward but instead he's not signing anything, he's making it impossible to be served, and he's being hostile to everyone. I wished I were surprised. Everyone looks back on exes and says, "What on earth was I thinking?" but this has really made me wonder. What was I thinking?

Mickity will be here later this week, that'll be fun. She's always good for some entertainment. I wish she could stay longer.

We have the Golden Gala at Schmitty's school Friday night, that's been a big deal for a while. I'm curious about how it'll turn out. I've never been to a gala before!

Cinco de Mayo was a bust yesterday. I guess I should have known but I was hoping for a lot of good food and drinks that weren't there. The dog came back so dirty I had to give her a bath. Wet dog.

I can't believe school's almost over, I'm excited.

ads

I don't know why but I just clicked on monetize on blogger. I could post advertisements and every time one of them was clicked on I could make money. (Fat chance with the whopping three readers I have... no offense.) It said the ads would be chosen based on my blog content. Now I'm curious. What company would read my content and decide this was the platform they wanted to use to get their company's name out there? Really.

calgon take me away...

I'm a grouch today. I tried to go to Schmitty's May Day event at school but it was apparently rained out, a complete waste of my morning. Then I came home and started dinner (I'm making a time-consuming dish for my parents) while cranky Ralph was crying and whining most of the time. Throw in a puppy that's not house trained yet and you have my day. I hope it gets better.

I have to go pick Schmitty up from school... Where the heck did the day go? My house is still a disaster and I've been busy all darn day. I really don't like that, if I'm busy all day my house should be clean.

lord help me

We got a goldendoodle pup.

jiggles

I had been doing so well with the exercise routine... I was doing something four or five times a week, taking weekends off. This past week has been busy and I'm creeping up on a week of not doing anything. That makes it harder and harder to start again because I know it won't feel good and I'll be sore afterward.

In related news, I've been wanting KFC for weeks now. This afternoon while out running errands I finally broke down and went. It was scrumptious. I read that KFC is the worst fast food you can eat, Taco Bell follows close behind. Luckily I only eat there once every year or two.

Friday's the French Market. I'm seriously trying to talk Schmitty in to smuggling a nutella crepe home in his pocket!

back to moby...

Yesterday afternoon I finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I had been reading Moby Dick when Edgar Sawtelle arrived so I started reading Edgar and couldn't put it down. It was such a great book but I must say I found the end disappointing. You want all the loose ends wrapped up and the good guy to win but it wasn't like that. Now I have to go back to Moby Dick tonight. sigh

short trip

I'm going to drive Yago crazy, I know it. I won't mean to but it will happen. I talked to him last week about something giving him the opportunity to squash the issue once and for all but he gave me a teensy bit of encouragement. That was all I needed. (I can't get specific, sorry.)

Now I'm obsessed and researching like crazy. He's giving me eyerolls and I can see he regrets being open to the idea.

I feel sorry for him. He really shouldn't have married such a crazy lady.

peas

Ralphie just started saying, "Please." It's so funny, it sounds like "peas" and I don't think he has exactly put together what it means but it is the cutest thing. After a two-day battle trying to get him to say it, he now says it all the time because of the big response it gets. He just walked over in front of me, jumped and said, "Peas!" Cute as can be.

Schmitty begged me not to go on his choir field trip today, even though I had no intention of going. They are going to sing at an old folks home and at a city garden. He informed me that my attendance would embarrass him. I asked what would be embarrassing and he replied, "Your appearance." I'm not sure how to take that. I didn't ask any follow-up questions because I wasn't sure I wanted the answers. So soon? Really? I didn't think my presence would be humiliating for another three or four years.

post 9/11

I think I might be eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill! Yippee!

As a dumb 19-yr-old in Basic Training I turned it down. When your base pay is about $600/month and they want you to give away $100/month, it seems like a lot. Especially when you're miserable and in day three of training. I was still wondering what the heck I was thinking signing up for the military! I thought there was no way I was going to be IN the Air Force for a year. I planned out separating as soon as I got out of basic training. (I'd considered drinking shampoo during training but our TI said it would just keep us in San Antonio longer because of the mental evaluation.)

But it looks like even if you've turned it down in the past you'll be eligible! That'd be great. I could take classes when the midget starts school and still be able to pay the kids' tuition! It looks like the VA will start taking applications next month, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

gabby-gab give a midget the keys

That's what Yago calls it.

I was at football practice yesterday with Ralph. I was talking to another mother when Ralph saw the car key tied to my sneaker. He started pulling and screaming so I gave it to him. I have a strict rule that he's not allowed to play with my keys but Yago always lets him play with his. Since it was Yago's key and he was throwing a fit I decided to just let him have it.

About fifteen minutes later I realized Ralph didn't have the key in his hand anymore, I looked at my feet to make sure I hadn't taken it back. I asked Ralph, "Where are the keys?" He just looked at me until I got up and asked again. Then he waddled over to the manhole cover where he'd been playing. No no no. There were little cut outs just big enough to fit adult fingers. (no, please no) Sure enough, he pointed to one of the holes.

Some guys lifted the cover and the thing was full of water and cabling. That's how we lost a set of Yago's keys.

Replacement cost? About $200.