Just One of Those Typical Conversations...

The Piutau Family

2010-07-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

If anybody still checks this... I have moved. :)

I just started a new blog about my experiences as a part of The Piutau Family.

www.thepiutaufamily.blogspot.com

Four

2009-11-03T10:23:00.000-08:00

Most things are ranked on a scale of 1-10. Sometimes it's a scale of 1-5. So when I heard my sister say my dad's cancer had progressed to stage 4 I wasn't overly concerned. A little upset, yes, because any progression is bad but it could be worse, right? But when I got home and turned to my good friend google, he told me a different story. There are only 4 stages and that's where he's at. Sitting there at stage 4. And that's where we're sitting with him. Right there at stage 4.

Nothing has really changed since Friday except for that number. He's still in radiation therapy. There's still hope. Always room for hope. But that number makes it hard to sit still, makes it hard to hold back the water, makes it hard to breathe easy. Four is a hard number to swallow.

Pumpkin

2009-10-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

I went to my sister's this evening to watch a recorded episode of Modern Family, eat a delicious wet burrito my brother-in-law created and play with my nephew.

I'm fortunate that I get to see my nephew as often as I do. Usually at least 1-3 times a week. I feel how lucky I am. How could I stand to be away from such a cute face?

And yet, I feel like I'm missing so much. Because just a few days ago he never would have thought to get into the cabinets. And tonight for the first time he climbed on top of his push toy by himself and his legs are almost long enough for him to start pushing himself around on that thing. And tonight, when I was coming up the stairs from the laundry room he was surrounded by my two dogs and all three of them barked at me. My nephew barked at me! And then laughed so hard at his own joke he couldn't catch his breath.

Then later, when I was crawling around on the floor with him and dancing and being all out goofy to get him to laugh he suddenly without warning flung himself into my arms and gave me a hug and my heart melted all over again. Because, seriously... I love this kid.

Who wouldn't?

Thank You

2009-10-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

I helped one of my students with their classwork today. I was a little annoyed because it was during my planning period and I had a lot to get done. I didn't really have time.

He asked me to sit with him even though he was capable of doing the work independently. I complied because I'm a sucker. And because I could tell he needed a little attention. This usually behaviorally challenged child really just wanted to do a good job and get his work done. I sat next to him and did my best not to think about the loads of work piling up on my desk. Instead I praised him on his careful writing, on his kind way of asking for help and on his smart answers to the questions on the sheet. He glowed. He ate it up.

The recess bell rang just as he was finishing. He jumped up and ran for the door but then stopped, turned around and said, "Thank you!"

Kids say those words to me all the time. Most of them are well mannered and polite. But this kid really meant it. I glowed. I ate it up.

Got Milk?

2009-10-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

I went shopping at Target tonight with my mom, sister and nephew. B was tired and cranky so my mom got out his bottle and gave it to him. He drank a couple of sips and then handed it back. My mom took the bottle, turned it on its side and intentionally sprayed me with it, dousing the whole right arm of my new sweater. The new sweater that now smells like rotten whole milk. Confused I asked, "Why?!?!"

She stifled her giggle, tried to pretend it was an accident. "Oops! Sorry about that!" But it was no accident. My sister told her not to pretend it was an accident and we all started moving towards the registers again as I did my best to brush off the milk. But it left me wondering, why did she do this again? This makes the third time she has sprayed me with B's milk. This also makes the third time I got mad about it and the third time she tried to pretend it was an accident. What is it about her feeling the need to spray me with stuff? Granted, between milk and the household chemicals of my youth... I'll take the milk. But still... why anything at all? And why only me?

Earlier today I overheard her talking to my dad and sister while I was making dinner and she referred to me as "Em" as in "Em's making dinner." I have never heard her refer to me as anything but Emily before and was shocked to hear her use the nickname in such a casual manner.

I don't think the two incidents are related. I do think I'm surrounded by crazy.

Little Pill = Big Problem

2009-10-12T23:15:00.000-07:00

Meet Zolpidem. It's otherwise known as Ambien. This is a picture of a 10mg pill. It's tiny. On the label is says to take only one at bed time immediately following a meal and that it's not to be mixed with alcohol. It says that right on the label. Any website will tell you it shouldn't be used for more than a month and warns of very serious side effects. Extremely serious not-to-be-messed-with side effects.

But she takes it lightly. She'll swallow 8-11 of them in one go. She's found receipts in her car proving that she drove while she was sleep walking while on this stuff. She chases it with alcohol, calls me with panic in her voice, begs me to come retrieve her. Her pulse gets so low I dial the first two numbers for the paramedics and then stop because she's moving again. She had a good month or so, seemed to be on the mend. We had scoured her condo while she was away, removed all substances not prescribed by a doctor and took the rest of the Ambien which was prescribed by her doctor.

She's doing well. Then relapses. She calls, asks me to retrieve her. She calls again while I'm on the road and asks me if I have any drugs for her. I curse at her and hang up. I pick her up. She smells like the inside of a liquor cabinet. She has packed items for an overnight stay but isn't wearing any shoes. She didn't pack any either. She struggles with the seatbelt and I reach over and buckle her in. I stop on the way to buy her water. I'm careful to bring my purse with me so she won't find and swallow any of the pills I keep in my bag. She passes out on the patio and we leave her there. We let her sleep on the cold pavement. Finally she rises and stumbles into the house and asks a million questions. But answering them is fruitless. She will just ask them again. Her eyes are open but she's not awake. Or maybe she's awake but still drunk. It's hard to tell. She doesn't know why she's there, doesn't remember how she got there. She just remembers swallowing pills and wine so she wouldn't have to think.

But we're all thinking. We're all thinking we're done. She needs help and it's not the kind of help that we can give. We researched rehabilitation options for her. We found phone numbers she can call and they're not ours. I feel horrible because I love her. I want to help her. But I don't think she wants it. So I'm backing off. This will be the last batch I flush.

The Reality of Fall

2009-10-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

One of the best perks of being a teacher is that thing known as Summer. Therefore, one of the most difficult times in a teacher's life is that thing known as Fall. Because that's what it is. A giant fall. It's super exciting because it's fun to get a classroom all set up for new students and I'm just as excited and anxious for the first day of school now as I was when I was an elementary student myself. There's something awesome and magical about new beginnings. But that wears off pretty quickly. A little too quickly. By week two I was ready for summer again. Wonderful summer with his flip flops, Slurpees and random no-need-for-a-plan adventures.

This fall has been particularly stressful and it's presenting itself in the form of an eye twitch. My right eye won't stop twitching and I really can't think of a thing to do about it. Headaches can be killed with Tylenol. Sleeplessness with some time and relaxing music. Nausea with some water and saltines. But what can you do about an eye twitch? It's hard to hide something pulsating on your face. And while nobody has said anything about it yet, I'm pretty sure it's visually obvious. Hot.

Summer 2009 Part 2

2009-10-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

Summer's over. I get that. I really, really get that. So let me recap the 2nd half of what was.

I went to the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium with my parents.
We took B to KidsQuest Children's Museum in Bellevue, WA and ended up buying him a membership mostly because he loved driving this semi truck so much.
Some friends and I took B to the Olympic Game Farm. You drive around in your own car and these awesome animals come right up to your car... mostly because you're allowed to feed them and animals really like to eat.
On the way to the Olympic Game Farm we stopped at Fat Smitty's.
My sister, mom and I took B to the park. This is where we ended up having his first birthday party in September.
My parents and I took B to Woodland Park Zoo. He really liked the elephants.
Wesley, Tracy and I (and a few others) went to Northwest Trek together. There's a tram ride for the herbivores that roam free(ish) and then the carnivores are in more typical zoo enclosures.
My sister, David and I took B to the Seattle Children's Museum where David used to work. Obviously B had the best time ever.

I played with B a lot this summer. I love this kid!

Wesley and I went to the Torchlight Parade. I hate clowns. But this one I almost liked. Almost.

Wesley and I went to Experience Music Project because this Muppet exhibit was there for a while. It was totally worth the trip. Mahna Mahna!

My sister and David invited the rest of us to their friend's cabin on Panther Lake. We swam in the lake and had a picnic together.

Tracy's family, Wesley, Fran and I packed some food, tents and pups for a camping trip to Ocean Shores. I had never been before. The weather was beautiful. I love the ocean. And these people.

Fran, Tracy and I on the beach. This was day 3. Don't judge me. :)

My pups loved running in the sand! But they weren't a huge fan of waves.

Overall, summer was wonderful! Dad finished chemo by mid July so by early August he was feeling well enough to join us on some adventures. B turned 1 in September, my grandfather turned 98 and school began. But more on that later...

Summer 2009 Part 1

2009-07-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since I’ve graced my blog and its worshippers with my presence. It’s summer and I’ve been doing the very best I can to keep myself occupied, working hard to maintain the peace and happiness I’ve been feeling. I’m strangely optimistic and light hearted. I laugh easily again. I believe some of this to be a direct result of jump starting my summer vacation with a road trip to Disneyland with some coworker friends. You know how I feel about Disneyland. It’s the happiest place on earth. Obviously.

Counting down to the trip helped keep me sane as I wrapped up a twisted first year at my new school. Not only did I have two dozen IEPs to finish but I also had to pack up my whole classroom for the move to our temporary location. Packing up an LRC classroom is a dirty work. If it wasn’t for my awesome para-educators and a few coworker friends willing to work for pizza and the likelihood of seeing me freak out at every spider that popped up behind abookshelf I’d probably still be there with a tape gun and tears. But they were there and they’re good humans so I got out of there, all checked out and in the car on my way to Disneyland by 4pm on the last day of school.

Knowing that chemotherapy is mean, I understood that much of my summer would be spent with my dad. So I did all I could to live it up on my Disney trip with my friends. All four of us crammed into my little Toyota Yaris and made our way down the coast. We laughed and played and spoke of nothing serious or of great consequence. I turned into the little kid I always do at Disneyland, skipping through the park, throwing my hands up on Space Mountain and The Tower of Terror and eating and drinking whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it. I used my Disney magic to persuade my friends to pose for silly pictures and ride rides they swore they wouldn’t. It was for their own good. On the way home we stopped at an historical site, got lost in the desert and continued our play as we got nearer and nearer to reality.

Once I got home I got right to work. I tried to catch up on my sleep between taking my dad to his appointments, watching B and playing with my puppies before repacking my bags for my next adventure.

On the 2^nd, my brother and I drove up to Lopez Island with Sarah and Ben for their annual 4^th of July family get together. This one was a little different because we were celebrating the end of season one of our own version of the Biggest Loser. My brother is down 40 pounds since January. I’m down 25. The whole gang looked great for our 4^th of July getaway. The 4^th of July is awesome on Lopez. The island is inhabited by an unique population mostly made up of tree hugging hippies. Which I love.

The island has a parade each year and anybody (and I mean anybody) can join the parade doing anything they want. You’ve got random people just riding their bikes or driving their common cars. There was a group of young teenage boys driving a variety of riding lawnmowers. One kid doused another with water. That kid jumped off his riding lawnmower to get his buddy back but the lawnmower kept going without him. I didn’t notice it at all until I heard the screams. I looked ahead to see little Daniel (6) disappear under the mower. In a state of panic and, with the machine still rolling, I put my body in front of the mower somehow thinking that was the helpful thing to do. But it was bigger and heavier than me so the machine won the match, taking a bit of my flesh with it. Although, I didn’t notice it at the time. I, like everybody else, was just worried about Daniel who was now being carefully cradled in his father’s arms. An ambulance was called. Daniel was put on a stretcher and hoisted up into the back while other family members gathered Daniels siblings. They convinced me to get in as well when somebody noticed my foot. So there we were. In an ambulance. On an island. In a parade. Even with the lights and sirens going, of course we were mistaken as part of the event. We were on a parade route. Kids waved from the sidelines and I feebly waved in return while making several anxious looks back to check on Daniel. I couldn’t hear much over the roar of the engine and the blare of the sirens but I heard snippets of plans to call a helicopter to take him to Anacortes. I kept glancing back and sighed a deep sigh of relief as I saw him move his legs and arms. We made our way to the clinic which was pretty much just one room with two hospital beds. The doctor who was originally thought to be away from the island was still on Lopez and made his way through the crowds to the clinic.

After many basic tests (there’s no MRI or CT scanner or anything on the island) it turned out that Daniel was fine. No broken bones. No brain injury. No internal bleeding. Not even really a cut. Seriously. He was fine. Kids are awesome! His t-shirt has a fat tire tread mark across the back and yet… he was fine. The helicopter was cancelled and Daniel was released back into the wild. What a blessing!

My toes were cut up a bit but nothing at all serious. I’ve damaged myself more severely by tripping on my own feet. But since the beast was rusty and because I couldn’t remember the last time I had a tetanus shot I was given one. Those things hurt!

So out of my first 14 days of summer, a little more than 10 of them were spent away from home, (for the most part) delightfully distracted.

There has also been a Mariners game, a trip to the zoo and a drive out to the tip of the peninsula for the Lavender Festival and a few movies. This Friday we’re going to the zoo again (my family all bought memberships). Saturday some friends are going to the Torchlight Parade. Next week we’re going camping at Ocean Shores for a few days.

I’m confident it's these mini trips that are keeping me so content despite the stuff in between which have included new “masses” discovered on my dad’s eye, lots of doctor visits for him, a trip to the ER for my sister and my hot water heater exploding forcing me to fork over the money I had saved for new flooring. But new flooring doesn’t really matter. I have a place to live. At least I have a floor. My dad’s going to be okay. My sister is okay. And I'm happy. The rest doesn’t really matter.

It's My Blog & I Can Cry If I Want To

2009-06-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

Last night around 3:15am I awoke to a crash and the sound of shattering glass, loud voices and the thud of a body being thrown against my exterior wall. I laid there for a moment listening thinking maybe I was just having a nightmare. But I was definitely awake and the noises persisted. Domestic Violence issue? I reached for my cell phone and dialed the 9 and the 1 then stopped. I listened some more. Well... maybe not. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions. Should I get up and investigate? Offer help? I'm all alone and what if I find myself in a scary situation? But on the other hand I don't want to call the police, have them come out here for nothing. I'd look like a loser. An overreacting loser. I'd better investigate. I found my robe and armed myself with my keys and cell phone. I kept the 9 and the 1 dialed. I slowly opened my door and walked in the direction of the clatter.

I smelt her before I saw her. She must have bathed in the alcohol before she drank it. She could barely stand and in the few moments we shared space together before she knew I was there I witnessed her run into my exterior wall twice because she couldn't stand upright any more without support. In her hands were pieces of what used to be a stack of picture frames. The rest of the metal and glass were scattered in a million shards on the floor.

"Um, excuse me?"

I watched the older woman turn and try to focus her blood shot eyes on me. "What?!"

"I... uh... I was just wondering if you were okay. I heard a crash and some loud voices. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She turned a few wobbly circles, put down the frame shards she was holding and then picked them up again. "I'm just moving out. Gotta move out, you know."

"That's good that you're okay. Is everybody fine? Is everybody you live with okay? It sounded like somebody got hurt."

"No, nobody got hurt. But somebody's gonna get hurt on this glass here."

"Yes, I see that. Do you need a broom maybe?"

"For what?" She looked down at her hands and the floor seemingly surprised to see the broken glass. "Yeah... I do."

"Do you have one? You're welcome to borrow mine."

"No, I don't need it. Just need to sweep this up so nobody gets cut."

"OK. So you have a broom?"

"What? Pick up some of that glass there and hand it to me."

I did as I was told. I wasn't wearing shoes and I felt a piece of glass enter the bottom of my foot and I remembered that it was almost 3:30am and I was talking to a crazy drunk lady outside my condo.

"Sure you don't want a broom?"

"Of course I do!"

"OK. Do you want to borrow mine?"

"If you've got it."

I went into my condo and retrieved a broom and dust pan. "Here you go. Do you want a garbage bag as well?"

"No... just gonna sweep this up."

"Right... but do you want a garbage bag to put it in?"

She looked in my direction, her gaze still unsteady. "No! I'm just gonna sweep it up!"

"OK. Need any other help?"

"Nope, just moving out."

"Um... did you realize that it's 3:30am? The crash woke me up and I..."

She swung around almost losing her balance and finally looked me right in the eye. "You have dogs!!"

"Yes, I understand this. I'm not accusing you of breaking rules. I'm not calling the cops or anything here." I put my phone in my pocket. "I was just hoping that you could be a little quieter. I have to be up in a few hours for work and..."

"I know about your dogs!"

"Yes... I know. You sound defensive and I'm not trying to make you upset. I just wanted to be sure you were all safe because it sounded like an emergency. When there's noise like this in the middle of the night people assume the worst."

"We're fine!" And with that she did the drunken shuffle until she was out of sight.

I went back to bed and tried to ignore the rest of the her "moving" but couldn't quite get back to sleep. It was my second night in a row with less than three hours' sleep. I can't go on like this.

I tossed and turned like I have for several nights now. I was thinking about the crazy drunken lady and whether, since I was up anyhow, I should help her move. And I was thinking about earlier that day when we got the good news.

My dad passed his final endurance test and his heart is officially strong enough to withstand the surgery that can potentially remove the entire tumor and save his life. We went to Applebee's to celebrate and my dad had a terrible episode.

He couldn't breathe and then he could and then he thought he would throw up and then he did and then he left to walk outside and we all contemplated calling 911 as we continued to watch his struggle through the glass. I cleaned up his space and wondered what they could possibly do for him that his three teams of doctors had not yet thought of. My mom finally got up and said she was taking him home. She asked who she should call if he got worse and my sister and I both said, "9-1-1" at the same time. She looked flustered as she left the restaurant and retrieved my dad.

My sister grabbed the bill, I finished cleaning up his mess then went to the restroom where I immediately began to cry. I chastised myself for being weak, dried my eyes so my sister and David wouldn't know I had let some tears fall and walked back out there. I said my goodbyes, flew my nephew around the parking lot, buckled him into his car seat and kissed his cheeks before walking to my own car across the lot.

I got in my car, plugged in my iPod but didn't turn it on. I reached for my phone and started on a few different numbers before I put it back in my purse without hitting send. What could anyone say? "Sorry you had a rough night?" "It's going to be okay?"

I cried alone and became angry with myself for doubting, for being worried. He'll get through chemo. He'll have the surgery. They'll get it all. He'll be okay.

So go to sleep...

6th Grade

2009-06-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

Today during lunch recess I went outside as I have for the last week or so because the weather is all beautiful and sunny and warm. And because I like to tease Fran and Tracy. One of the little girls hanging on Tracy looked up at me and said, "What class are you in?" I didn't understand her. I thought maybe she was wondering what classroom I taught in? So I asked, "What do you mean?" She got all wide-eyed and said to Tracy in a whisper, "Oops! I thought she was a 6th grader!"

Later today during afternoon recess I was outside again because the weather is all beautiful and sunny and warm. And because I like to tease Fran and Tracy. I had my cell phone out and one of the little girls hanging on Fran tattled on me, "Oooooh! She has a cell phone!" Fran told her that I was off duty so I was allowed to. She said, "Oh! She's a teacher? I thought she was a 6th grader!"

Seriously? It's June!

Good News

2009-05-28T22:15:00.001-07:00

Our family got some good news today. It seems as though my dad may be a candidate for surgery after all.

Just two weeks ago we found out my dad has cancer. The news came out of nowhere. He had been having trouble swallowing so he went in for an endoscopy. The doctor found the cause of the problem, a large tumor right where the esophagus meets the stomach. They ran a biopsy on the tumor and the next day we learned it was cancerous. Without treatment we were looking at six months. Thank goodness it's 2009 and treatment, although not glorious, is available.

Because my dad had that awesome near-death heart attack a few years back the doctors were initially thinking he would not be a good candidate for option A which would be surgically removing the tumor as well as part of his esophagus and reconstructing that part of the stomach. This would remove the cancer pretty much completely and would subject him to minimal radiation and chemotherapy. But my dad's heart is weak, he has the pace maker and he's on daily blood thinners that keeps his heart from... you know... stopping. Blood thinners equals bad when you're facing a scalpel.

So we were heading for option B which includes extensive radiation, chemotherapy and hope that it shrinks the tumor and keeps it from spreading.

But after what seems like a hundred additional tests and numerous appointments with doctors, it seems like surgery might work out after all. His heart is stronger than they thought and a risk of a clot is not as significant a risk as feared. He still has several appointments and maybe one more test to endure before surgery can be scheduled. And surgery is no picnic either. It would be a seven hour surgery with at least ten days in the hospital. But the doctors are very hopeful of a full recovery afterwards.

And although I have been doing my best to be optimistic all along and to have faith that my dad would be around to watch his grandson play little league and watch me become more than I am now, I was scared. Really, really scared. And... I still am. We have a long road ahead of us. But... I get to enjoy a new brand of hope now. And it tastes really good.

Thanks for your prayers. They have provided me with strength I know I wouldn't have had otherwise. Please keep them coming our way.

AirTran Nightmare

2009-05-25T10:43:00.001-07:00

My mom and I went to see my baby brother graduate on Saturday. It was beautiful and my chest swelled with pride as he walked up to the stage to receive his degree which he earned with high honors. I was so glad I was able to be there... in Rochester, NY... to see the moment live. Especially since I paid for it with the last strand of dignity I had left.

Our flight was set to take off at 11:30 PM (PST) on Thursday. This would take us to Baltimore where we would have a 5 hour delay before our connecting flight to Rochester. We would land at 2:15 PM (EST) which would leave us plenty of time to get to our hotel, hang with Wayne and get plenty of sleep before his graduation at 8AM the next day.

We got to the airport early. By 8:30 we were checked in, through security and at the gate. At 9:30PM they announced that our flight was canceled due to an "insufficient crew." I walked up to the counter to ask questions. I was the third person in line. They were going to postpone the flight to 7:30AM and transfer all tickets for that flight. This solved the problem for the 90% of the passengers that were flying just to Baltimore. But it didn't solve the problem for me. 11:30PM - 7:30AM is more than a 5 hour difference. We would miss our connecting flight.

Apparently neither of the only two people AirTran sent up to the gate knew how to solve my problem. Oh, they tried. They tried really hard. For almost two hours... in between other customers. They helped me intermittently between the easier-to-help passengers. When they finally told me they couldn't help me there and to go down to the check-in desk on the other side of security there were only 6 passengers left. I went to grab my original boarding passes but the girl, the supervisor, said to leave them there. She would be down shortly to help me at the other desk... as soon as she helped the rest of the passengers. I hauled my mother and I down the two sets of escalators, onto the stupid tram thing and back to where we had started over four hours ago. I waited there for 30 minutes. The supervisor hadn't shown yet. The other passengers who also had to go down there to receive their hotel vouchers were all but gone. I approached the counter thinking somebody else could start working on this problem.

A girl worked on it for about three minutes before she called another supervisor who wanted to know where my boarding passes were. He couldn't help me without the boarding passes. "Can't you just look me up in the computer? The girl upstairs said to leave them there." The problem was that he couldn't find me in the computer (a persistent problem). I suggested he use the walkie talkie attached to his vest for good. So he jabbered a lot on his walkie talkie to the girl upstairs at the gate and began to sweat. He told me since it was Memorial Day weekend that all connecting flights to Rochester were booked... actually oversold. Could we go Saturday and be there by Saturday night? No, we'd miss everything. He graduates in the morning. He sighed. He thought that maybe he could help. Maybe. But he couldn't do anything that night because "Ticketing" was closed and wouldn't reopen until 5AM. It was almost 1AM so I asked for a hotel voucher and said we'd be back at 5AM. He said they were all out and walked away. So, while I was standing at counters for four plus hours not getting help, everybody else walked away with vouchers for a free bed to sleep in. Awesome.

My mom and I found a patch of crappy carpet and set up camp for the night. It was horribly uncomfortable and I "slept" for maybe an hour combined between blinks. At a quarter to 5, my mom and I went back to the counter where I gave the completely new crew my name and a brief description of the issue at hand. The guy at the counter said the problem had been fixed and handed me my tickets. I looked at them. There was a flight to Baltimore leaving at 7:30 as planned and a flight to Rochester. Yippee!!

My mom and I went through security again and made the trek to our gate. By 5:30AM we were sitting at our gate waiting for our 7:30 departure. Which was now an 8AM departure for unknown reasons. The guy that had helped us last night was there and he came up to us and asked if we had received our tickets. I said we had (obviously because we were at the gate and not crying) and thanked him. Prefusely. Because we were going to make it in time after all. He smiled and walked away.

I looked at our tickets again, so pleased we had them at all, when I noticed a problem. Our first leg landed in Baltimore over an hour after our second leg took off. I looked around. Not an AirTran worker in sight. I ran around the gates and finally found somebody. He looked at them, shrugged, and went into a bag cubby to investigate. He came out 30 minutes later and pretty much just said, "I don't know. All flights to Rochester are oversold." He found another worker who looked about 16 to get on the case. There was another flight leaving to Atlanta whose customers took priority. The guy told the girl not to help me until everybody else was taken care of because my problem would take a while and the others' were easy to fix. By 7:30 when I still hadn't been helped I demanded to see Rudy... the guy that had "fixed" them earlier and came to receive his compliment this morning. He didn't come. I saw him on the other side of the terminal talking to other workers. I pointed at him and did the teacher finger that means, "Get over here right now!" He Charlie Brown walked over to me. The plane to Baltimore was boarding. My flight would be leaving soon. I demanded that he figure this out immediately because I was going to miss it. I was going to miss my brother's graduation even after I spent an entire evening standing at AirTran desks not getting helped and sleeping on an airport floor... with my mom!

He suggested I just get on the plane to Baltimore and see what they could do for me there. I was already on the standby list for that flight. It was over sold by one and my mom and I were number 3 and 4 on the standby list but sure... maybe 5 people would decide not to use their tickets to Rochester that day. I told him that there was no way in Hell I was going to fly my mother and myself across the country to Baltimore just to see if maybe five people would randomly ditch their airplane tickets. I had endured enough and, up to this point, had never raised my voice or become emotional. He looked at the gate that they were about to close and said, "Get on the plane! I promise you that I'll call Baltimore... I'll make them get you on that plane!!" And I did. I grabbed the luggage, yelled at my mother to follow and we got on the plane.

Our flight to Baltimore landed late and it took longer to unload because the ramp guy couldn't get it lined up right... maybe it was his first day... I dunno. This left us with 40 minutes before our connecting flight, which we didn't have boarding passes for, was set to take off. My mom and I ran to the gate and... stood in line. There was one person manning the counter. He was arguing with some woman about a seat assignment for a flight that was to leave in four hours. The time ticked away. My mom went to the people collecting boarding passes and explained what we needed. They said to talk to the guy at the counter. We waited some more. When the last call had been declared I finally yelled, "That's my flight! That's my plane and Rudy from Seattle promised us we'd get on it! It's about to leave and I'm not on it yet!" The man said not

to worry and turned to help the woman again... the one that had four hours. I told him no. That I was panicking. He stopped, apologized to the woman who was more irate about a window seat than I was about being ignored for 35 minutes and printed me two boarding passes. I thanked him and got on the plane.

We made it. But I was dead inside. In 72 hours I had slept for a total of 4 hours and had had exactly 2 meals. I had rescued my mother from security during our first trip through because they had dropped her hearing aides and she started to meltdown. But we made it.

We had dinner with Wayne and his friend, took a tour of his boy-smelling apartment and his awesome looking campus and then went to our hotel. It was almost midnight by then and I got a full five hours of sleep before I had to wake up at 4:30 AM (PST) to attend Wayne's graduation. The graduation that was beautiful and so worth the torture that led up to it. Because look at him!

Kid You Not

2009-05-19T19:37:00.000-07:00

No kidding. Ichiro Suzuki, Ken Griffey Jr and Mike Sweeney among others came to MCMES Elementary today.

One of our tutors sent a letter to the Mariners months ago and they agreed to set up an assembly. We all assumed they'd send the Mariner Moose, the team mascot, or maybe a random player and we were excited about that. But... wow!! These guys?!?! Awesome!!!

This Week in Pictures

2009-05-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

I volunteered at our school's Beach Party.

It was great to be able to just play with the kids without having to be all teachery.

My baby Yaris hit 20,000 miles.

I drove down to Lakewood to have dinner with some past coworkers.

I had a great time catching up!

I took advantage of another opportunity to see B swim. Besides my sister and I, my parents came along and so did my Aunt Wanda. B was in good form that day... obviously.

OK. Just one more video clip of B for good measure.

Snooze

2009-05-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

My nephew seems to be going through some type of incredible growth spurt. Within one week he went from sitting and cooing to crawling and making human sounds assisted by two brand new teeth. But I think I'm going through a growth spurt too. Or something. I have found myself doing some things that just a few weeks ago was totally out of character for me. I went to a huge singles activity even though I didn't know a soul and stayed much longer than even I thought I could last. I got excited over my recent (boring) purchases that included a vacuum cleaner and interior doors. I didn't freak out over spending the money on those items either when just a few weeks ago anything over $20 sparked a long internal personal debate. I told somebody no. I took a mental health day and don't feel guilty about it. And... I hit the snooze button now. I never could before because before I go to bed each night I make a mental list of all the things I need to get done before I walk out the door for work and then I calculate approximately how long it will take me to get those things done and take that number from the last second I could leave the house without being late for work. I give myself no buffer time. This forces me to jump out of bed and start running as soon as the alarm blares. But even though my bedtime tradition hasn't changed I have found the ability to snooze anyway. I just run faster once it goes off for the second (or third) time. And I haven't been late for work. Yet. Except now that I've taken the time to write this blog... I might be late. Gotta run!!

Swimming B

2009-05-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

Brayden is in "swimming lessons" at our local pool. He's in the toddler class for kids 6 months to 3 years old. He totally loves it! It's not like he's actually learning to swim or anything... he's 8 months old. But they throw water in his face and dunk him which doesn't faze him a bit. They get him used to the feeling of floating on his back and teach him to kick as he's propelled through the water. He laughs and splashes and doesn't want to get out. I went to watch him on Tuesday. David's a swimmer and it was cool to see father and son doing something they love together even at such a young age. Just wait until he's old enough to start playing catch... :)

Snaily

2009-05-06T07:08:00.000-07:00

This little guy has been hanging around my condo for over a week now. I've grown accustomed to his shell. Here's the thing about snails. They're kind of cute in a completely disgusting kind of way. But of all the garden pests, the snail is my favorite. Their cousin, the slug, is intolerably gross. I get that all the parts are pretty much the same besides the fact that the snail carries his own house. In any case, Snaily has been in the little garden space in front of my bedroom window. And I'm okay with him staying. But cute-ish or not I'd rather he'd go. Because I'm pretty sure he's the one eating holes in the flowers. Also, I almost stepped on him today and that would have been icky.

From Flakes to Fantastic

2009-04-27T06:48:00.001-07:00

Last night I had a dream that all my skin was shedding off as if after a moderate sunburn (but without the pain of a sunburn). It was just flaking away. After the initial shock and slight panic, I started to help it along and discovered that underneath was new, beautiful, soft, preteen-before-the-acne skin that almost glowed. So I worked harder. And before the dream was over I was looking good!

This dream could mean one of two things:

1. Something very good is coming up just around the corner

2. I really need to think about applying sunscreen every day

Lactose Intolerant

2009-04-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

Work

2009-04-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

I really wish I could write about work on this thing because I think you may all find me a lot more interesting. But probably not.

Happy

2009-04-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

Everything has been crappy lately. So I'm trying really hard to find things that are good. Here are a few things that have made me happy this week.

One of them is this. There's just something about watching a woman's dream come true paired with shocking a large number of doubters that makes my chest swell with feelings of triumph.

Another happy is this. Mariner baseball. But not just any Mariner baseball. Good Mariner baseball! I'm going to the game tomorrow night. I'm hoping to see some Griffey magic and a win. But if not... just the ballpark hotdog in a ballpark will be worth the ticket price!

Also, no matter how crappy my day is my puppies love me. When I come home they're so happy to see me that they jump up and down, run circles around me and give me puppy kisses. It's hard to be sad when there are two dogs that happy that you're alive and came back for them.

I am convinced that Spring has finally arrived. The tree outside my balcony that has looked like a giant dead twig the entire time I have lived here suddenly burst into pink. The sun came out again this afternoon.

I think I'm going to be okay. :)

Easter 2009

2009-04-12T20:38:00.001-07:00

This is my new favorite picture of B for obvious reasons. I feel that my sister owes me a great deal for capturing this moment.

Easter went better than expected. Although I don't really know what I was expecting. These people are hard to read.

We had brunch at my sister's before we let B chew on his Easter basket which, quite frankly, was pretty fun to watch.

I went to church and experienced the most... unique?... Easter program yet. To keep myself from deep sighing I did some journaling and scripture reading. It was for the best.

I went to my parents' house for dinner which consisted of a small bowl of plain spaghetti. After which I helped them figure out how to post and print pictures of B. Now that everybody's life seems to be centered around buying B presents, spending time with B, documenting B's life, talking about B and making B happy... the old family dramas have kind of melted away. I'm glad about this. Obviously. But are they really gone or are they just lying dormant? I can't decide if I should be running through the meadow while the credits roll or if I should be running for cover. Either way there's going to be running. If the weather's good I'll run forever. It rained in a downpour all day today.

What's a girl gotta do to get a Coke in this town?

2009-04-06T22:28:00.001-07:00

Today I had to go to the district office during my lunch break to turn in some important paperwork. I understood that I would be going without lunch. But, you know what? That was going to be okay as long as I could grab a Diet Coke before I had to be in front of a group of 6th graders at 1pm. A Diet Coke would see me through. So I stopped at the Shell station. I looked around and around but I didn't see a soda fountain. I asked the lady where it was and she said they didn't have one. Seriously. No soda fountain. At a gas station.

So I ran back out to my car and drove to the Mini Mart that I could see from the Shell station. I ran in, looked around and saw only porno magazines and videos and a small fridge of bottled beverages. I understood right away that they weren't selling what I needed and jumped back in my car feeling a bit defeated and entirely violated. Since when did "Mini Mart" mean "Nasty Naked Times" anyway? I shook it off. I was on a mission. No time to analyze what just happened in there.

I could see a 76. Certainly they would have what I needed minus the gross. I parked in a no parking zone (leave me alone... I was running out of time!) and ran inside. I looked and looked. I was not seeing the soda fountain that had to be there! The lady was chatting with a friend. I waited politely. But only for about 5 seconds before I said, "Where's the soda fountain? I need a Diet Coke! Quick!" She said they didn't have one. I said, "What do you mean you don't have one? Seriously?! You're a gas station! What gas station doesn't have a soda fountain? Apparently every station and mini mart on this street is conspiring against soda drinkers! Where can I get a Diet Coke? Where? Where?? Where?!?!" Once she got over the initial shock of an adult throwing a tantrum over a soda, she pointed across the street at a purple building and said there was a place called Andy's across the street from there... that I couldn't miss it.

I ran to my car and made my way to Andy's. I love Andy's. Sure, they had three cup sizes and only two lid sizes and the size I wanted was sold out which forced me into buying a cup of soda larger than my head but you know what? I was okay with that. Andy's my new best friend.

Once I had my soda and was back in my car cradling the giant cup between my legs (there seriously isn't a cup holder big enough for this thing) I looked at the clock. 12:50. I turned on my GPS and started making my way back to work.

I'm the only person I know stupid enough to get lost while using a GPS. OK, I'm the only person I know stupid enough to get lost using a GPS in a town she's been working in for eight months. Despite missing my exit and having to backtrack twice, I still made it back by 12:59. Ah... the power of the Diet Coke.

Turbulence

2009-04-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

My flight from SLC to SEA was pure carnage. There were at least two dozen children on that flight under the age of 2. Almost all of them were at the back of the plane where I also happened to be located, seated next to a 7th grade girl very excited about life. She was delightful and full of questions about how airplanes work which I just happened to know the answers to which made me feel like a scientific genius. Which is awesome. Because I'm not. I'm really, really not. But I did know why the flaps on the wings go up and down, what that whirring sound was, how the de-icer crap works, why we get turbulence and how it affects (effects??) cabin pressure, the inner ear (especially the inner ears of the two dozen now screaming children under the age of 2) and the stomachs of at least two of our fellow passengers. I know things.

I also appreciated the fact that she was much smarter than the guy I encountered several years ago on the same trek from SLC to SEA. He was tall, thin, smelled of marijuana and wore army fatigues and an unkept beard. He laughed and asked similar questions that my little friend asked today. One of them was, "Do you ever... like... wonder about what... like... stuff like clouds are made of?" Actually... clouds are evaporated water. "Hu hu-hu. Hu... wow... wouldn't it be awesome if that were true??" It is true. Water evaporates into the air and collects together in a gaseous state that we see as a cloud. Then when it becomes dense enough it falls again as water which we call rain. "Hu hu... Hu! Woah!! That would be awesome!" I was going to explain it better but I realized this last comment wasn't directed towards me. It was directed towards his top button.

Sigh.

2009-04-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

My first instinct is to call this woman stupid and laugh. OK. I did call this woman stupid and laugh. But I shouldn't have. Because I have no room to talk. Remember this?

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2004

Dude, Where's My Car?

Sunday Afternoon

Villa Parking Lot

Chris, Ann-Marie and I walk out to the parking lot to attend the Deaf Ward. I lead the group to the spot where I always park my car. Except... it's not there. "What the crap? Where's my car?"

Thinking that maybe I'm just an idiot and parked my car some place else in the lot, we started wandering around looking for it. But it wasn't there. I thought that maybe somebody was just playing a prank on me and moved it. I mean, I did steal Ramos' car last year. A couple times. And moved it to make him crazy. I had it coming. So we looked around the entire Villa parking lot. No car. Ann-Marie and Chris went to my place to listen to Kat laugh about it. I went to Provo High School and the Seminary building with Lisa to see if it was over there. It wasn't.

By now, an hour has passed and there's still zero sign of my car. And I don't know anybody who would play a prank like that any more. I mean, I only know my parents. And so I came back to the apartment. A small crowd had gathered there because somebody losing a car is entertaining and new. Who loses a car? It's not like I lost the keys. I lost the whole freaking car! What's left to do? It's been an hour. I can't find it. I guess it's stolen. I don't know who in their right mind would steal my car but it's the only other thing I can think of. So, I called the police.

And they hung up on me.

So I called back.

And I reported it missing.

"I'll send an officer over."

"Okay," I said.

And I waited. The people talked and laughed about funny mission stories. I laid on the big yellow ball of happiness, sprawled over it on my back. And I just thought as I waited for the officer to arrive.

I thought about my checkbook balance. And about how I needed to repaint my toenails. And about how much I disliked police officers. And about how the school year was almost over. And about how I should probably visit my family at some point. And about how lame yesterday was because I had to be at work on a Saturday at 7am...

I shot up! I gasped! "It's at WORK!!!" I yelled. "It's at work because I had to be there at 7:30am and then I carpooled up to Salt Lake for that convention thingy but I got out an hour early and so YOU drove me home!" I pointed accusingly at Kat. The room was silent only for a split second before the laughter and mocking started. Yes, I am an idiot. I didn't forget that I parked my car a few slots away than usual... but a few blocks away from usual.

And so I called the police back.

"Hi, I'm Emily Hansen and I just reported my car stolen. But I just had an epiphany and... it's not."

"Okay, we'll cancel the call."

"Thanks."

And that was it.

SLC

2009-04-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

I'm in Salt Lake City this week and my heart is happy. I hate the snow and I'm not a big fan of the whole desert but... man!... I love these people!!

Shower

2009-03-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

Tear Free

2009-03-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

I need to cry. I have that tight feeling in my chest matched with the mild but ever-present headache residing at the nape of the neck and mid-forehead as well as the burning eyes and tight throat. It's like when you need to sneeze and even though you don't really want to sneeze, it's way better than holding it in and it's kind of upsetting if it never comes because... man... you needed that release. Just like that dumb volcano in Alaska that everybody's been freaking out about because it's going to blow at any moment and then it didn't for weeks and weeks. Then finally it gave a few puffs over a few days and that was it. How disappointing. And I'm disappointed. Because all of the signs are there but I just can't cry. No release. I have reasons to cry. I'm upset about them. I'm sad about them. I'm kind of mad about them. But there's no release. Maybe I put it off for too long. No time to cry now, much too busy! I can't cry yet, the trial's not even over yet. I can't cry now, people will know. And now after all that waiting, I can't cry at all. I put on my sad songs, took in the crap, processed the garbage and feel I understand my predicament. It's not awesome. But even with that... no tears. And now that I've typed this... I'm kind of over it. Kind of.

P.S. I just got a call that I have to pick up my mom. Nope... still nothin'. :)

Expired

2009-03-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

Run!

2009-03-25T06:30:00.001-07:00

There are two types of runners.

There are the runners that run for the joy of running, hope and exploration.

Then there are the runners that run to escape pain either real, perceived or potential.

As much as I wish I were type A, I think we all know that I'm the latter.

Albuquerque

2009-03-23T22:42:00.000-07:00

Also, this particular episode is one of my favorites. I'm just saying.

Random Facts

2009-03-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

I dyed my hair. It's dark.

I'm totally pumped that Griffey is back and equally bummed that Opening Night is sold out.

My mom gave me poster board to make my brother a welcome home sign. He doesn't come home until MAY!

The woman who did my makeup at Dior has twin girls who are named Paris and Dior. No joke. I promise never to name any children after my place of business. There will be no future

McMickens running around unless I open up my own McDonald's and name a new sandwich. Or maybe McMickens would be bite-sized Chicken McNuggets.

I had a shopping day with Kari and it was awesome!

A kid I used to pick up in nursery when I was like twelve showed up in my single's ward today. I smiled, shook his hand and welcomed him but I cried a little bit inside. When did I get so old?

I watch TV with the Closed Caption on even when Wayne's not here. Partly because I feel like I miss something when it's not on and partly because I don't know how to turn it off.

I only have one week left before Spring Break and I am so very excited! I'm not, however, excited about the mountain of paperwork I have to get in beforehand.

But after the paperwork? Only awesomeness! I have already burned a few books on CD for the road trip down to Utah. I can't wait to see My Loves again!!

Yellow

2009-03-20T06:40:00.000-07:00

I met a guy last Friday who claims he can read auras. Apparently mine is yellow. Bright yellow. So some other newly aware aura sporters and myself looked up what our colors meant on the internet. Mine can be found here. Whatever. It's not like I needed one more person (or the internet) telling me I'm a child. I ran around Disneyland like a six-year-old on Pixie Stix. If I didn't have the right amount of peer pressure, I'd live in a fort made of blankets, watch Disney movies and play Nintendo all day and live off of Cheetos and pizza.

The occupations I also found amusing because deep down I feel like I was supposed to be a drummer. Maybe I really was meant to be Blade of Table Nine. Think it's too late?

At Least It Wasn't Raining

2009-03-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

You wanna know what's not awesome? Walking over a mile to my sister's house... uphill... without a jacket... in my torn pajama bottoms... on wet dirt... in my socks... carrying a 12 lb dog... because when the "sign-my-paper" dude came to the door and the dogs flipped out and one escaped so I ran after him and closed the door behind me so the other one wouldn't escape but, of course, did this all about a whole millisecond before I realized my keys and my cell phone were in the house and my door is always locked so that crazy people can't just walk in. Crazy people like me!! So the "sign-the-paper" dude watched the circus, had me sign the paper and then seriously started to walk away before I said, "Uh... think I could use your phone?" So he walked to his apartment and brought back a cell phone. But you know what? I only know one number. My parents' number. The same number I memorized before entering preschool in case I got lost or abducted or smart enough to run away and start prank calling. So I called that number. And nobody was home. So I left a message that sounded a lot like this, "Hi Dad. It's me, Emily. I'm locked out of my condo so would you please come bring me the key as soon as you get this message? I'll be waiting. Oh, I don't have shoes. So... I won't be going anywhere. Please hurry." The "sign-my-paper" dude listened as I left the pathetic message, asked if I had someplace to wait and then when I said I had a sister a mile up the hill but I wouldn't be going there because I'm in socks he smiled and walked away. So the trek to my sister's began.

But... at least it wasn't raining. And I only had to carry one dog instead of both. Also, the bedroom window I was scared was weak enough to give way with a slight nudge holds up a lot better than I thought. So, there's that.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T23:35:00.000-07:00

Yeah, we really were having that much fun.

See, there's at least one other person who knows how to rock St. Patrick's Day.

Bouncing Baby Boy

2009-02-19T22:02:00.000-08:00

I know that my voice is annoying. Sorry. :)

But, really, have you ever seen a kid that good looking??

Special

2009-02-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

Be Mine

2009-02-04T22:01:00.000-08:00

25 Things

2009-02-03T22:38:00.000-08:00

I did this on facebook. And now it's on my blog. Today is my blog's 6th birthday. It's a twofer. Or a threefer. Whatever.

1. Sometimes I dream in ASL.

2. I was a girl scout for six years. I wanted to be a boy scout. They got to do the cool stuff. We made crap out of pom pom balls and hot glue and sang songs with Canadians.

3. I played softball for 12 years. First base was my favorite position. I took it very seriously and would chant under my breath, "Nobody gets on my bag! Nobody gets on my bag!" My sophomore year my team celebrated an undefeated season. It was the same year I broke my nose in the 2nd inning and, ignoring my coach's request to sit a few innings out, kept playing through the end.

4. I played softball for my high school team for only one season because the other girls made fun of me. Apparently softball was a "popular" sport and I didn't fit in the category. I still regret letting them get to me like that.

5. For a long time I thought my brother's Deafness was my fault because I loved Linda Bove on Sesame Street so much I prayed for a Deaf friend.

6. I played piano for six years and loved every minute of it. My piano lives in my condo now and every day I look at it and wish I could take piano lessons again. Maybe this summer. :)

7. I own a guitar but don't know how to play. I took one class in college and I totally sucked. I bought the guitar about three years after that class. I still want to learn how to play but I can't even tune the thing.

8. I played flute for six years and was one of those high school band kids that got teased for being one of those high school band kids. I told everybody my mom was making me do it but she really didn't care what I did. I played because I loved it.

9. When I was four, a random lady purposefully ran me down with her cart at our local grocery store. I mean, she started running towards me, eyes a-blazing and ran me down. I broke my leg and was in a cast up to my hip for a very long time.

10. I grew up in the same house my whole life and my parents are still married. I had no idea how rare that was until I went to college.

11. As much as it sucks sometimes, I really love my job. Being a special ed teacher is a constant reminder of how blessed I am and how much power I have to help other people.

12. I love to travel. Visiting new places and meeting new people makes me feel light and optimistic because I realize more fully that there are good people everywhere. However, I haven't been to that many places. Yet.

13. My balance is horrible. I fall and run into things all the time. Just yesterday I was walking down my hallway and randomly tripped and stumbled into the wall.

14. I have two chihuahuas. I don't even really like small dogs that much. But I love mine. It's awesome that they're so excited when I get home from work and every idea I have is brilliant. "What? You want to go into the living room now? Great! I'll sit on your lap. Oh! Now you're walking into the kitchen! I'll follow you!" It's like having my own fan club.

15. I have a very firm belief that Disneyland really IS the happiest place on Earth.

16. I love books. I own almost 300 of them. The smell of a new book makes me much happier than it probably should.

17. I once saved my mom's life by performing the Heimlich maneuver at Taco Time when she choked on a tortilla chip.

18. I'm a big sports fan. I go to several Mariners games a year and watch every football game (no matter who is playing) that I can. A growing percentage of my clothing is BYU, Mariners and Seahawks related.

19. I tell people I bought a Toyota Yaris because it was fuel efficient. I really bought it because it was cheap and cute.

20. When I was a child and in my teens I had some real issues with texture that resulted with me gagging at just the sight of things like pudding, yogurt, cheesecake and cottage cheese. In fact, I still gag at the sight of cottage cheese.

21. I drove all the way across the country to pick up a suburban that my friends bought from some people in New York on ebay. It was awesome!

22. I have a sometimes pretty severe speech impediment. In first grade a speech therapist pulled me out of class one time to try to fix it. She succeeded in teaching me how to say the "ch" sound instead of relying on the "sh" sound as a substitute. She gave up on the rest of my freakish speech patterns. To this day whenever I visit the Lunsford home Jeff shouts, "The big E! Pull up a shair! We're having shicken tonight!" And I love it.

23. I love being outside. Nature is my friend. I love hiking, camping, chilling on Lopez Island and just enjoying the view from my condo. Sunsets are gorgeous in the Puget Sound area. I love the smell of pine, especially after it's rained recently. Also, the mountains and the water... beautiful!

24. Halloween is my favorite holiday. But... I'm afraid of everything. I can't watch anything even remotely scary or potentially hurtful on screen. I can't watch any part of a movie that has to do with blood, hitting or hear any sounds of pain. I try to be sneaky about covering my eyes and ears. I rarely succeed. I hid behind the couch during Jurassic Park and had a very traumatic experience while watching ET that may or may not have resulted in PTSD.

25. I started going gray at 12 years old. I think that says it all.

Today I am Little Miss Trouble

2009-02-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

2009-02-01T22:34:00.000-08:00

Royale Confusion

2009-01-31T23:37:00.000-08:00

Ouch

2009-01-30T06:39:00.000-08:00

Hairspray

2009-01-29T07:22:00.000-08:00

Mental Health Day

2009-01-27T23:34:00.000-08:00

PostSecret

2009-01-26T22:50:00.000-08:00

So I have been fully engulfed in reading the archives of this blog which has been turned into several awesome books that I want to own one day.

People tell some pretty impressive secrets on this thing always on a post card. And it's all artsy and cool. I wonder who these people are and whether they're all real secrets.

Either way, I'm inspired. I will post a secret of my own for your viewing pleasure.

Chalupa

2009-01-19T21:16:00.000-08:00

One year ago today I drove all the way across the Sound to "look" at Chelsea, a dog I had seen on www.petfinder.com (thanks a lot, Kat!) and ended up bringing her home with me. I had brought my mom along because she didn't think I needed another dog and I figured she could be my voice of reason. Because she was right. I didn't need another dog.

But the little dog, all skin and bones, immediately kissed my face when I met her and just wanted to be held. And when Taquito came in they were instant best buds. My mom dug out a pen for me and I signed for her and brought her home the same night.

The vet guessed she was about a year old when I took her in the next day and they needed an estimated birth date for vet records so I decided her adoption day would be a good day. I dubbed her Chalupa, enrolled her in obedience classes and she's been the most delightful little pain ever since.

I blogged about my dog's birthday. That just happened!!

My Bedroom

2009-01-18T20:39:00.000-08:00

Before:

After:

So Far This Week

2009-01-16T10:58:00.001-08:00

Spent 336 minutes doing some type of an aerobic activity (about 20 miles of walking/jogging plus some stuff)

Wrote 4 IEPs.

Led 2 IEP meetings.

Spent 3 hours in after/before hour meetings (unpaid).

Named spider in faculty restroom and posted above sign under his home.

Dropped 2.9 pounds.

Beat level 23 of Dr. Mario on 10th level of diffuculty at medium speed.

Switched to pita pockets.

Saw my nephew three times.

Changed three diapers.

Got thrown up on three times.

Had zero ounces of soda.

Had zero grams of caffiene.

Made a new friend.

Found my teaching certificate. (phew!)

Did my Visiting Teaching.

Got lost... even with the help of my GPS.

Survived.

The I-Haven't-Seen-The-Sun-In-Months Blues

2009-01-14T12:13:00.001-08:00

I have to get out of here.

Seriously.

Christmas

2009-01-04T16:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas has always been a tough time of year for me. It may stem from the fact that my birthday was often overlooked due to its close proximity to the holiday. Or could be the fact that holidays like Christmas just seem to exaggerate the family dynamic to an intense degree. If your family is happy at the core all year then Christmas is extremely happy. If your family is less happy at the core (or in my case unhappy and messed up) then Christmas is extremely unhappy and messed up.

Although, most of my Christmas memories are fond ones. Because the ones I have chosen not to tuck away into the depths of denial are the ones that are centered around my grandmother. To our tiny family, she was Christmas.

Our first Christmas without her was in 2006. It was painful. Our family talked about it and decided we would try to get around it by changing it up a bit. We celebrated at a different location, at a different time but kept the main strands of tradition. It looked different but we all knew what it was. It was Christmas without grandma and so it wasn't really Christmas at all.

The next year was much of the same. We changed it around a bit, tried a few new things to see if it would make the new tradition list. We hardly brought grandma up at all. Maybe if we didn't talk about it, it would be better. But all of our not talking about it didn't change the fact that it wasn't Christmas. It was just our second Christmas without grandma.

Maybe it would have gotten easier as the years went on without a great intervention. I don't know. But I doubt it. It probably would have continued on just the same. Just the 3rd Christmas without grandma. Just the 4th Christmas without grandma...

But this year was different. It wasn't just a Christmas without grandma. It was Brayden's First Christmas. We all gathered around the tree like we used to do and we pulled out all of our gifts. I sat on the floor with my nephew in my lap and I opened his gifts for him. I shook them like my grandma used to do then flung off the paper. Our whole family watched and smiled and oohed and awed over the faces he made. We laughed as he lunged forward to play with his new toys and used his tiny hands to grab at the dancing lights. Wherever Christmas had gone, it came back from that place with no hard feelings.

My parents opened their gift from us, a digital frame. David set it up, right next to the framed photographs of my grandma I had given my sister the year before, and we all took a few minutes to watch the slideshow. It was packed with photos of Brayden, of the three kids growing up, of the wedding, of our family pets and my grandma.

I told Brayden who she was and told him that she was probably here right now. My sister said that Brayden already knew her. This took us all by surprise a bit because my sister varies on what she believes in from day to day. She said that three times now, she had been sitting on the sofa near the photos I had given her and Brayden suddenly looked at the photo of her when she was in her early 20's and squealed in delight and apparent recognition and began cooing and laughing as he gazed at the picture. Each time it lasted several minutes. Judy said that if it would have happened only once that she probably would have dismissed it. But now she has no doubts that Brayden and Grandma had some time to talk before he was born and that grandma must be in her early 20's in Heaven.

With that in mind, we had an even better Christmas. We more fully realized that Grandma wasn't really gone. She's still keeping tabs on us. So it's not really a Christmas without Grandma at all. It's just Christmas.

Snowed In

2008-12-19T21:13:00.000-08:00

I have been snowed in for almost three days now. There was that traumatic venture onto the roads yesterday but that's it. I have watched every Christmas movie I own and have had plenty of time to get my Christmas presents wrapped and ready for action.

Today was my birthday. I was snowed in once before on my birthday when I was 8 or 9. I was supposed to have a birthday party but one-by-one my friends called to say they couldn't make it. I was so bummed and spent the evening watching Frosty the Snowman alone. I thought today would be a bummer too.

But it wasn't.

I got plenty of phone calls and messages from the people I love. I had an excuse to hang out in my PJs all day and I enjoyed the peace of a winter's day from my balcony while sipping eggnog. I thought about my age and some of my more prominent successes and failures. I thought about the person I've become and about the events and people from my past and current life that has shaped the present me. It turns out that I'm okay with who I am and found myself immensely grateful for what I have and who I have in my life.

There are people who read this blog. Some of you have been an audience since I started this thing almost six years ago. And since it's not all that entertaining or creative and since it doesn't provide anything intellectual or mind boggling you must read this crap because you for some reason or another are curious about what I'm doing and thinking.

So thanks. Thanks for caring. You're the people that have helped shape who I am and since I like me it's just more proof that you're good people. I'm surrounded by good people. What a great birthday present! Happy birthday to me!! :)

Snow and Ice and Some Guy That's Nice

2008-12-15T12:57:00.001-08:00

It snowed on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Not a lot. But enough to cause problems. Church was cancelled and everybody was advised to stay home. The news was full of comical (and some not so comical) reports and video of people thinking driving around the hilly Seattle area on ice was a fine Sunday activity. It's times like these that I really wish I had a camera crew following me around for your viewing pleasure because this morning I was the idiot and I really don't think words will serve the tale.

This morning we had a 2 hour delay. I used those two hours to sleep and have a weird dream about showing up to work still in my pajamas and horrifically unshowered and my boss at the book store was the principal and the loonies from the book store were teachers and since it was a snow day hardly any kids showed up and we spent the day playing games and watching movies. As I slept the snow thawed to create a safer driving situation. Wait... no. It didn't.

But time was up so I slid and cursed my way to the car armed with my purse, my keys and a water bottle filled with warm water. I attacked my iced over windshield with the warm water and scraper then sat in my car while it warmed up. Finally, I put the car in reverse, took a deep breath and started to back up. So far so good. My car was now facing up the hill. I took my foot off the brake... and all hell broke loose. I started to slide. I slowly added gas. Not enough. I gassed it some more. Still sliding. I gave it its all. I could see the smoke from my burning rubber in my rearview mirror. I stopped. Put the emergency brake on and started to think about my options.

That's when the nice guy came over to me and said he was going to help. I liked him right away because he didn't ask if I needed help. That was obvious. He just jumped into action. He tried pushing my car at first while I tried gassing it again. That didn't work so he went and got sand and put it in front of and behind all of my tires. That worked for the few feet he had put sand down and then my car wheels spun again. But, it did get me far enough up the hill that I could safely back down the rest of the hill and go out the other way. I was going the wrong way on a one-way street but the guy I almost had a head-on collision with was cool about it.

I slowly made my way down the other side of the hill and to the freeway which was all clear. I almost had another sliding incident on a hill in the neighborhood of the school but with very few tears and only some minor heart convulsions I made it to work safely. I turned on my computer and checked my email. My principal had sent us a message letting us know that we were expected to be at work as close to the regular starting time as possible. Delays didn't apply to us. Well, you know what? They apply to me! If it's safe enough for me then it's safe enough for buses. If a bus can't make it then I'm not going to risk it either. That's the way I roll. Also, I put in nearly ten extra unpaid hours last week alone making sure my students get the services they need. I don't think they want to start playing the time counting game. Also, I'm leaving as soon as the kids are gone. So there.

My Eye!

2008-12-11T20:32:00.001-08:00

My eye is big and red and nasty. Actually, not the eyeball. Just the eyelid. And just my left one. It had been getting gradually worse and worse over the past few weeks and I eventually relented and went to the doctor when I woke up yesterday morning and couldn't open it at all. I went into Urgent Care because I didn't want to wait until after Christmas for an appointment. I kind of wanted my eye back right away. I'm picky about that kind of thing.

The doctor looked at the thing and had a disgusted look on his face as he said, "Well, it could be a lot of things. I don't know." He then wrote me a prescription for some cream, told me to slab it on there twice a day and if the monster gets any bigger to see my regular physician. Or not. Maybe a dermatologist. Or something.

So I went to the pharmacy and they didn't have the stuff and they asked me if I wanted to wait two days to have it shipped in. I looked at the lady with my one eye and asked her to call around. Somebody must have this crap. Somebody did have that crap. I went to the pharmacy next door, picked the junk up and bolted to the car. It was only 11am and if I was lucky I could be back to work by 11:30.

On the road, going 35mph while heading down a windy hill I decided now would be a good time for my first application. I opened the tube, put a dab on my finger and gently touched it to the mountain that used to be my eye. And it stung!!! I mean... STUNG! I screamed, my car swerved and through the tears in my one eye I did my best to realign my car back between the white and yellow lines.

By noon, I could open my eye a little bit. I went to work and had a crap of a day. Seriously. It was pretty bad. I almost threw my little teaching notebook down and walked out of there. Who do they think they are, anyway??

I tried the cream again that night for my second daily application. It didn't go much better than the first. The only thing more disturbing than the searing pain that went through the back of my eye, into my head and down my spine was the fact that my matching screams didn't attract a single neighbor to check up on me. Comforting.

Good news, though. I can open my eye. It's ugly. But it's open.

Drinking Party

2008-12-08T15:37:00.001-08:00

I haven't been to a party where alcohol was the main guest since... never. I've heard about those parties. Seen pictures of those parties. Cleaned up after those parties. Drove some of those partiers home and put them to bed. But I've never actually been to one of those parties. I wasn't in the cool crowd in high school and my college years were spent on a dry campus.

But I went to one of those parties on Saturday night. With people twice my age. On the false pretense that it was a "work" party. They didn't intend to mislead me. But they did. It started at 6pm. We were asked to bring cookies, appetizers and a white elephant gift and were told to be prepared for some karaoke madness. We were told to bring our own alcohol if desired but that soda would be provided. I had to work until 7 and the lady's house was 45 min away so I told them I'd be late. I brought cookies and a white elephant gift just in case but I figured I'd probably miss the cookie and gift exchange. But I'd still get to see some old friends before everybody headed out for the night. So the trip would be worth it.

It was. It was really worth it.

When I walked in, I recognized only one face... the face of our hostess. She said the others would be coming in a bit. I waited. And waited. The 6 or 7 guests drank and drank and the karaoke performances got more and more entertaining. Still I waited. Finally one face I knew showed up. Then hours later 3 more. By this time people were falling down, story lines sounded like something out of Alice's Wonderland and the beverages were running low.

We finally exchanged gifts and cookies which I had to heavily help facilitate because they couldn't remember the rules but were adament about playing. The neighbor was half carried home and put in bed only to pop back in ten minutes later forgetting why she had gone home. One guy outed his buddy to his fiance about his allegid marijuana use which turned out to be the highlight of my night besides the times the same guy shoved a mic in my face saying, "Wanna sing? Sing! Come on! No?! Alright then!" and then, before I could respond, went on to sing a song from The King and I.

Getting to know you... gettig to know all about you...

Brilliant.

XY Mishap

2008-11-30T11:19:00.001-08:00

At Claim Jumper last night I found myself in the wrong restroom. I swear to you that I looked at the signs first. I walked in and the tiles were blue and there were urinals lining the wall. I stood there for a second while it all sunk in. When I left the restroom to rectify my mistake there were two men staring at me. Apparently they had watched me go in and were waiting for me to realize my mistake before they entered. They got a good laugh.

If only it didn't happy so often...

Wayne's Elf Dance

2008-11-28T11:55:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Saturday at Southcenter

2008-11-23T12:52:00.000-08:00

I was at the mall last night during the whole crazy ordeal. I left the food court minutes before the gunfire. Talk about your scary moments!

Brag

2008-11-19T20:51:00.001-08:00

I don't have a whole lot to brag about. I'm 27 and already an old schoolmarm. I spent Monday night playing musical chairs and breaking a pinata with singles obviously much younger than myself. I... am not awesome.

But... my nephew is. So just let me brag for a minute and pretend that I have anything to do with my nephew's awesomeness.

As you can see, he's smiling now. A lot actually. And he can almost laugh. Right now it's more of quick intakes of breath in fast succession.

Most things amuse him. A tickle, his Mariner Moose mobile, my face. He also finds himself very handsome and stares at himself in the mirror and smiles.

Between the hours of 6 and 8 pm he kind of loses his cool. We're not sure why but he becomes very grumpy every night right on schedule. Nothing amuses him then. Except for water. He loves the water. As soon as he's placed in the bath he's back to cooing happily and kicking his feet as if he were born to swim. Maybe he was.

Also, B hates traffic and unapologetically slow baristas. Just like his Auntie Em. He hates it so much he screams. Just like his Auntie Em wishes she could. But when I hold him and tell him that I understand (because I do) he calms down and smiles again. And it makes my heart happy.

Tagged

2008-11-10T17:08:00.000-08:00

I was double tagged by Andrea and Michelle.

Here are the rules:

1. Link the person who tagged you.

2. Mention the rules on your blog.

3. Tell about six quirks you have.

4. Tag six fellow bloggers to do the same.

5. Leave a comment to let them know.

Quirk #1

I don't sleep well with socks on. If my feet are cold I'll wrap them in a throw blanket under the covers so it's easier to kick off the extra layers if they get hot. I sleep better with a hoodie with the hood up.

Quirk #2

I have an unnatural obsession over Disney movies, Disney characters and Disneyland. I am a toddler.

Quirk #3

I love Mexican food more than any other food. The margin is large. Without exaggerating, 7 out of 10 meals would be considered "Mexican" meaning the main ingredients are salsa, beans (refried or black), tortilla and hot sauce.

Quirk #4

I love chocolate. I love fruit. But I feel strongly about them not touching.

Quirk #5

I like the smell of cigarette smoke (most brands... also cigars). It's a good thing I never tried it.

Quirk #6

I don't dance in public. But I do dance. A lot more actually now that I live alone. I'm also a big fan of the car dance.

I tag Heather (you'll have to do it for Andrea anyway!), Sarah (you'll have to do it for Michelle anyway!), Kat, Ann-Marie, Leah and Lisa.

Ozzie!!!!

2008-10-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me yesterday that I may have the goods to be Sharon Osbourne for Halloween.

I bought this wig a few weeks ago just because I can't leave Walmart without buying at least one random, completely useless item. But right in the middle of one of my math lessons yesterday it occurred to me that Sharon Osbourne had hair just like that for a while. Think I can pull it off?

She has those annoying little Pomeranians but my dogs are small enough to take the part.

Too bad my students won't have any clue as to who I'm portraying. But the other teachers might appreciate it.

Ozzie!!!!

Stink

2008-10-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

Since I have moved into my condo I have tried to give my dogs a bit more freedom while I'm away at work. I got a kiddie gate so I could block them into the kitchen. They had it good in there. Blankets, food, toys, beds, water, snacks. But it wasn't good enough for Chalupa. She, somehow, miraculously jumped the gate both times. I'm still not sure how a dog with legs only a few inches long could jump a gate that high or how Taquito with much longer legs didn't dare attempt it. But since Chalupa got out and spent her days free in the condo and nothing horrible happened I figured I might as well let them both roam free today. They sleep most of the day anyway... what could they do?

They didn't do much. But two minds are apparently more devious than one because they busted through a bag of goodies (that was supposed to be puppy proof) and ate them. All of them. Not too big of a deal since they left everything else alone. Except their binge has one very negative side effect. They have successfully gassed me out of my own home.

Hide and Seek

2008-10-22T23:16:00.001-07:00

We had our first earthquake drill today. I have been asked to be a part of the Search and Rescue Team for our school. I feel a little bit honored because nobody asks me to do anything brave. Ever.

Ex. #1 - As a fake cop one summer our squad leader guy (who had been rejected for the Police Academy at least four times because he was too fat) was showing the new squad members some self defense moves. I stopped him to ask a clarifying question and he stopped for a moment before saying, "Oh... not you, Hansen. You just run like hell!" Imagine the confidence boost!

Ex. #2 - At the middle school each adult had a task during an emergency. There was the Search and Rescue Team, the nurse tent, the parent mediators, the Fire Dept Rep, etc. Me? I was in charge of the morgue.

Ex. #3 - At the same middle school, our whole crisis intervention team was going through crisis intervention training. (Imagine!) What this entails, really, are non-violent skills that can help an aggressive or violent student calm down or, if needed, be physically restrained. We had to practice our new moves. We all rotated between being the kid freaking out and being one of the adults. I was the kid freaking out every single time because my principal told the rest of the team that under no condition was I to be called to help restrain a child. She looked at me as if it would be the death of me and made every other person promise never to ask me to do anything. The others nodded as if this could have been left as an unstated understanding. It was so obvious!

So imagine my delight when they asked me to be part of the Search and Rescue team. Because, really, I can be pretty awesome in an emergency. When it's over... I'll puke and be worthless. But right in the middle of an emergency I'm on top of things.

Today I got to practice. I collected the cards from teachers that say who's missing. Almost every card had a name. The Search and Rescue team went in to look for them. I was just wandering because this is practice. Nobody's really in the building. But the others... they were running into rooms, using flashlights, rushing about looking in closets. So I asked my partner what was up and she said, "We're rescuing the kids on our cards." But not really, right? I mean... they're all outside? "No, they're in here somewhere. We need to find them." What? Seriously? Like they were all in the bathroom or something? Because they're probably outside by now. "No, I mean... they're all in here... on purpose... so we can practice finding them. They're all together somewhere. Supervised, of course." So... we're playing hide and seek right now? "Uh... yeah."

I heard a yell, "They're in here!" This was followed by a deep sigh of relief as all the rescuers ran to... my classroom! Here there were at least 20 kids that we "rescued" today. They were coloring while the rest of the student body froze outside while we played hide and seek inside.

In all, our earthquake drill lasted over an hour. For hide and seek.

10,000 strong and growing

2008-10-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

Today this little blog got its 10,000th hit. Pretty awesome! I mean it's been around since 2003. But still. 10,000 is a lot. And I didn't get that counter until year 2 or 3. I think. Also, probably half of them were me. But whatever. Still. 10,000. Awesome! Jealous?!

Reclaiming the Inbox

2008-10-18T12:16:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I achieved something great. I cleaned out my email inbox. This is awesome considering I had almost 10,000 unread messages. I went through and took my email address off of mailing lists (some of them make it hard!) and deleted everything else. I went though almost a year of backlogged crap. Usually, when it gets that bad, I give up and start a new email address and leave the old one to be devoured by the Spam Wolves. But this time I fought back. They don't own me! I wrote a nasty note to Viagra. I told MyPoints to take a hike. I asked Victoria's Secret who she thought she was kidding. And I let every real estate agency know that my quest was over and to focus on somebody else. So, now... my inbox is empty.

Empty.

It turns out it's not as appealing as I thought it would be.

Fix It!

2008-10-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

I'm having a bad day today. I just feel crummy and kind of sad. My stomach is really bothering me because I ran out of my pills about a week ago. And a lot of my kids are copping attitude I just can't get behind. This makes me cranky. Also, we're to the point already that I don't get to see the sun any more.

Mid crankiness, when the kids in my group just wouldn't shut up while I was correcting one of the papers for a kid to fix I said, "FIX IT!"

The kids all stopped, checking to see if I was kidding. One of them cracked a big ol' smile and started quoting the SNL skit I was referring to.

He's my new favorite.

Empire Records

2008-10-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

I have been working for a large bookstore chain since the first of July. I figured a summer job would be a good idea to help me in my endeavor to get some extra cash during the whole obtaining a condo experience. I chose a book store because that's where most of my money goes anyway and because I was hoping it would be something like being in the movie "Empire Records." But... IT IS!

I decided to keep the job. I work most Saturdays. Every week is an adventure. Customers can be entertaining and sometimes all too disturbing but it's the employees that leave me feeling the need to scour my old psychology text books looking for answers.

Ever since they found out I was 27, I have turned into a sort of mom for them. This is terrifying to me. Even more terrifying was the immediate level of comfort they have when it comes to sharing intimate details about their lives. The other day one of them randomly showed me her bra. Just to show me. Because it was new.

Which leads me to three weeks ago when a woman at my elementary school asked me if I offended easily. I said I didn't. And then she flashed me. To show me her new bra. That was winking at me.

So maybe my question here (if I had one) wouldn't be what is it about people that makes them feel comfortable enough around me to show off their underwear but what is it about me that says to people, "I'm okay with whatever."

Because I'm not. I'm not okay with whatever.

I just work here!

Victory!

2008-10-08T20:35:00.000-07:00

I get that a lot of you won't understand how deep I'm feeling this but work with me. This evening I moved into my condo!

I bought this thing in July and as I've mentioned in previous posts it's been a hellish monster. But the bedroom is finally pretty and ready for furniture which is coming on Friday and it's finally ready for people to safely enter.

My parents have been kind enough to let me crash at their place since school let out in June and I realize the hugeness of this so please don't think I'm a horrible person when I say how happy I am to finally be out of there! "When are you coming home?" "Where are you going?" "What are you eating?" "Will you make me a sandwich, too?" "Who are you talking to?" "What do they want?" "Do you like them?" "Do you really think that's a good idea?" "Do you have gas in your tank?" "How much?" "Do you really think it's wise to drive on less than half a tank?" "How about you fill up your tank right now?" "How about you pay for lunch?" "Why don't you want me to come?" "Why do you need alone time?" "Is your alone time over?" "Is it over now?" "How about now?" "You don't have to be so grumpy about it!"

They were killing me!!

But now I'm free! Free to pack whatever I want for lunch. Free to make dinner for just myself. Free to take as long as I want in the shower. Free to watch whatever I want on TV. Free to go uninterrupted for more than two minutes. Free to write a blasted email without somebody breathing over my shoulder. Free to walk out the front door without being interrogated. Free! Free! Free!!!

In my condo... which I love... wholeheartedly... despite its flaws and outdated fixtures. Because the cigarette carpets only smell like independence to me. Sweet independence...

Victory!

2008-10-06T13:23:00.001-07:00

Good Point

Sarah brought up a good point. I neglected to brag about my new nephew in my make-up post. So here it goes...

My new nephew, Brayden Lee Cretin, was born a little over a month ago on Sept. 3rd. He's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen! He weighed only 5 lbs 3 oz when he was born but he was very healthy and is doing great!

At a month old, he's not talking or doing backflips or anything yet but I am whole heartedly convinced that he's a genius. He's holding his head up already and has quite a grip on things that are important to him (food mostly). Also, he makes the Zoolander face all the time. So at least he'll have a modeling career in his future if nothing else.

His dad reads to him every day out of the Thunderbirds stat book and so far he hasn't missed a Seahawks game so he's learning all the players and a few choice words (the season's not going well, kids!) from the audience. He attended about five Mariners games in the womb and watched them lose their 100th game this season so he'll be a true fan because he's already seen them at their worst. This means I'll always have a little companion when it comes to rooting for my favorite teams.

He dresses really well. I understand that he doesn't have a say in this yet. But that doesn't make him less of a good dresser. It just makes him awesome. And don't worry, I bought him Mickey Mouse ears while I was in Disneyland. I'll be sure to take pictures.

Another thing about this kid, he's really mellow. He has a "chill" way of life that I can really get behind. Even when my sister's huge German Shepard/Ikita mix dog gets in his grill and sneaks a lick in, he's chill. I like that about him.

Condo Update
I didn't have to work at all this weekend so I got to work on my condo. Julie came over on Saturday and helped me add texture to my walls to make them all look the same and to make it look purposeful instead of the wonderful disaster it was before. Yesterday when the mud was dry I went back and put on two coats of primer to even out the color and almost attempted to fix some electrical wiring myself before my mom stopped me and told me to wait for somebody that knew how to do it. I felt okay about that because there were a lot of wires and they were all different colors back there. I don't think I'm ready for that yet. Today after work I'll go back again and paint it yellow. I'm nervous now, though, that I made a bad color choice. The yellow in my closet looks awesome but I'm concerned it will be too bright for my bedroom. Maybe I should have gone with a light blue or lavendar. I don't know. On the other hand I really don't care. I'd paint it black if it meant I got to move in there tomorrow. So... yellow it is!

Making Up With the Blogging Universe

2008-10-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

So it's been about a century since I've posted. In my attempt to make up for my neglect I am telling you everything. Everything...

Juice Squeeze
I have this new fondness for Odwalla meaning that I'm convinced now that I can't live without it. It tastes the way fruit is supposed to and has all the vitamins that would be in the pill I can't swallow. It's usually 90% or more real juice or puree so it's healthy (although not low calorie) and when I drink one in the morning I don't get hungry until I'm supposed to at noon. Odwalla makes me happy. Except... I might have to start selling organs to afford it. I only ever buy them on sale which is usually 2 for $6 at my local Safeway. If I drank one every day like I want to, I'd be spending $90/mo. And if I decided that only work days justify the goodness, I'm still shelling out $60/mo. At least there's no tax on food in WA. But still, I'm going to have to tone it down. I canceled my extended cable and that bill was less than my juice bill. Sigh...

Halloween Heartache
I love Halloween. Pretty much everything about it. I have a problem, though, because I can never decide what I want to be. The first week of the month I happily think of what I could be for Halloween and decorate my apt/condo with monsters, ghosts and witches. And then, around the middle of the month when I still haven't made a costume decision, I decide it doesn't matter anyway because I have nowhere to go that would require a costume anyway. Then, about the third week, I buy a costume (for my dog) along with tons of Halloween candy "for my dad when he takes the dogs out" and start watching my Halloween movies and devouring what my dad has left behind of the chocolate. By Halloween night when everybody I know (and by that I mean everybody I might recognize if I ran into them at the grocery store) went to the lame single's ward dance, I stay at home in my Halloween pajamas holding a bowl full of wrappers waiting for the single trick-or-treater that comes across my door. "What are you supposed to be?"
"Just take your candy!"

Camping Catastrophe
I have been camping at my parents' house since June. June! Do you realize that it's now October? I bought a condo in July. All of my stuff is there and I've spent countless hours in it trying to make it habitable. But it's not quite there. But tomorrow, so help me, I'm moving into that dump with or without the threat of harmful chemical exposure! Here's the story, kids. Although there are several things I hoped to change about my new purchase (replacing the permanent cigarette smoke they called a carpet, putting in new counter tops and kitchen floor, changing the bathroom fixtures...) the one thing I really couldn't tolerate was the HUGE mirror in the bedroom. It covered almost all of the largest wall. It was creepy and would possibly prove fatal in an earthquake. So, my friend Julie came over with her handy crow bar and knocked it down. This exposed some major problems. You see, whatever moron decided a huge mirror would be a good idea, also thought it was necessary to take a hammer and make tons of holes all over the wall. Maybe they planned to fill the holes with glue to hold the mirror on. But they weren't filled with glue. No, the glue was this black cement which they threw on OVER THE WALLPAPER! Wallpaper... it was still everywhere even though the idiot that lived there before me had just painted the room a nasty green color. And I'm using the word "painted" lightly because there were streaks on the ceiling, the carpet and he even painted over the top part of the blinds and all over the doors!! Yes, he painted over the wallpaper... on half of the bedroom. On the other half of the bedroom he had apparently ripped off the wallpaper but left the glue on the wall and painted over the glue. I have tried several different types of chemicals but only one of them took the glue-paint mixture off the dry wall. Unfortunately, it also took off the dry wall. So now I'm left with two choices. I can replace the dry wall or cover that crap up with some texture. I'm going with B because I'm not a millionaire. So all this evening and Saturday will be spent with some drywall texture crap (I'll have to wear goggles and a face mask because apparently it causes cancer) and paint. But by Saturday night... I'll have a bedroom!!! A beautiful bedroom! Well, at least not a hideously ugly bedroom.

DISNEYLAND!
My Heather turned 30 and to celebrate a bunch of us made a trip to the happiest place on earth. I got from it a break from my new stressful job, an opportunity to see some people I love, a visit with the sun that I'm going to miss so much this winter, a few new friends that didn't throw me overboard on the Pirates ride, about a dozen trips on the Tower of Terror's elevator and a new fondness for pineapple whips. I laughed more than I have laughed in years. Literally. And still, random giggles and smiles escape me when I suddenly remember something somebody said or did on the trip. "Guys, slow down. I can't make the minimum height requirement on my knees!" We witnessed a lot of birthday miracles with our awesome VIP passes, a camera recovery, extra rides on Thunder Mountain and vendors selling Coke as far as the eye could see. Why can't I live there?!

Gym
I'll be joining a gym today. I'm nervous because the last time I had dealings with a gym it did not end well because when the Devil has your credit card number and your phone number your life is over. When I tried to cancel my membership the guy called me over and over telling me how fat I was and how I would end up single without any friends unless I kept my membership. This is the same guy that had signed me up months earlier and had a freaking bear costume for a body. He was the hairiest person I'd ever met. I could see hair poking out between the threads of his gym pants and he had a 5 0'clock shadow on his exposed chest and it was only noon. Shudder.

Stalker
He was an Asian man probably in his mid 40's. He sat next to me while I waited for my plane to Seattle and watched me as I read. Just watched me. While I read. For two hours. Every half hour or so he'd poke me and make a comment or ask a question I didn't quite understand. I'd give an awkward smile and then go back to reading. While he watched. I loaded the plane with the first group and found a spot near a window. He loaded the plane with the second group and since everybody else mistook my pleading eyes of desperation as creepiness and left me to myself, there was a spot available for my stalker to have a seat next to me. Which he did. The plane ride went pretty much the same way waiting for the plane did. He watched me read and poked me every now and again. "Are you an American?"
"Yes."
"Are you married?"
"Yes."
At this he finally settled in and went to sleep.
Then he followed me to baggage claim. Not that you can really call it following when his bags are located at the same place mine are. But did he have to walk so close? I grabbed my bag and called my dad who was waiting in the cell phone lot. He said he'd be right there. But my dad is slow. Stalker guy came out and stood by me for a while. Then poked me and asked if I had a ride while pointing to his waiting car. Yes, I do have a ride. Good day, sir!!!

Freudian Slips

2008-08-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

Last week I was at the M's game with my dad, brother and my brother's friend. I brought some snacks and was eating some Nerds. (Well, more sorting than eating really... it was a slow game.) My dad turned to me and said, "I'll have some of those turds."

"I don't have any turds on hand but if you'd like some Nerds I can hook you up with a hand full."

Then a few days later, my mom let me know that she had made some mint brownies. "They even came with those little Anus chunks."

"What?!?!"

"You know, those little mint rectangles."

"You mean Andes??"

"Oh... yeah... I guess I forgot the d."

"Amongst other things..."

Also, a woman I work with looks almost exactly like Linda from The Wedding Singer. You know, Robbie's ex-fiance that left him at the alter. She even dresses like her. More to follow...

Pumpkin Butter

2008-07-21T22:31:00.000-07:00

I went to Home Depot. Because I own a condo now and I get to paint my bedroom any color I want! So for the second time, tonight I contemplated the possibilities. I finally decided on a subtle yellow. But which one? Sunflower? Ribbon Yellow? Mellow Yellow? Lemon Sorbet? Sunshine? Bicycle Yellow? They all pretty much looked the same. But I knew that as soon as I got home and started throwing it on my wall that suddenly my decision to go with Ribbon Yellow might be a tragic mistake. As I waited for my paint to mix, two men came to pick up their orders. One a large, gruff, white man with a beer belly and the other a slight, younger, Hispanic guy wearing a painter's uniform. The beer belly guy (BBG) noticed that a can of paint was missing from his order.

"Excuse me, but I'm missing my can of Pumpkin Butter."

The painter shaker guy (PSG) looked around and realized that he most likely gave it to the other painter uniform guy (PUG).

"I'm sorry! I think I gave it to the other customer there. Sir?! Did I give you a can of Pumpkin Butter?"

"Yes, you did. I ordered Pumpkin Butter as well."

BBG walked over to examine PUG's large order. "How many cans of it do you have?"

"Five. I ordered five cans of Pumpkin Butter."

"Huh..."

PSG looked around some more for the lost can of paint while BBG and PUG started a manly conversation. "Oh, I see you also purchased Lemon Zest and Organic Orange. Are those your accent colors? I was thinking about getting Pineapple Soda but maybe Lemon Zest would be better. What do you think?"

"Oh, I think what you have there is going to look great!"

It was at this point that PSG realized the missing can of Pumpkin Butter was still in the shaker. He pulled it out, plopped it on the counter and slid it over to the waiting customer. BBG and PUG shook hands and walked away using their best manly walks... carrying their Pumpkin Butter, Pineapple Soda, Lemon Zest and Organic Orange paint.

The color names seemed kind of cute on paper but sounded ridiculously wonderful coming out the mouths of grown men.

Changes

2008-06-08T19:26:00.000-07:00

This summer I will be...

Moving out of my awesome down-town apartment into a maybe-semi-awesome condo which I will be (fingers crossed) purchasing soon.

Switching school districts, moving from my middle-school position that I love most days to an elementary position further north that I also hope to love most days.

Gaining a nephew.

Enrolling in some enrichment type courses at a local college.

Getting a summer job.

Visiting my friends in Utah because I can hardly stand how much I miss them!

I'm in love

2008-05-14T06:19:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with Brett Dennen. His new CD has been on repeat in my car since Saturday. I use the term CD loosely because I actually bought his new album on iTunes and downloaded it onto my iPod and plugged my iPod into my car... but you get the idea... it's 2008.

I'm Not Sorry

2008-05-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Madam,

I'm not sorry. I'm not sorry for anything. OK, that's a lie. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I pretended like everything was okay when I ran into you in the parking lot. I gave you a hug and made small talk and smiled. I went home with a sick feeling in my stomach. I couldn't keep anything down for hours. I'm sorry about that. But my apology doesn't go to you... it goes to me. I'm sorry to me that I still find it so necessary for everybody to like me that I let people treat me poorly and then go out of my way to make sure they don't feel any discomfort in my presence. I should have made you feel uncomfortable the way you made me feel uncomfortable. Because I'm not the one that did anything wrong. In fact, I went out of my way to give you every opportunity to make it right. You purposely and pointedly hurt my feelings for trying to do something nice for somebody else, even making me cry and then coldly telling my I was going against the family's wishes... a family I had spent lots of time (hours upon hours) with just recently (did I see you there?... no.) and talked to them and asked them how to help. You spread rumors about me (yes... I hear things too). And then, I sent you an email. A disgusting email where I complimented you, gave you details, confided. And you ignored it. You ignored me. You purposely avoided me at the funeral then again at the shower. Well... guess what? I've been avoiding you for years! Ever since that day at La Fuentes when my other young friends and I invited you along with us during a break. We were all on our way there and remembered the last time we were there with you and how fun you were. We called you up and you came to meet us. Remember? We ate and laughed and had a great time... until the check came. As we all reached for our wallets, you reached for yours too and said, "I suppose this is the reason you invited me... so I could pay!" And slammed down your plastic as the waiter took it away. We sat stunned. Maybe you thought it was guilt, but it was anger. We didn't know what to say so none of us said anything... until you left. We all knew why we had invited you and it hadn't included money. We ate there regularly and knew how to pay a bill. But we all decided we couldn't invite you anywhere any more because we knew you'd always assume we wanted you to pay. We didn't want your money, we just wanted our friend. But being in your presence reminded us that you thought so little of us. We were your girls... how could you think so little of us? We still wonder about it when we get together. Where we went wrong, what we did to make you think that. But now I don't have to wonder any more. Because I didn't do anything wrong. You did. You changed. Maybe money is such a huge part of your own self-worth that you put it on other people. Maybe money is so important to you that you think it's important to everybody. But still I tried. I wanted you to like me still. I wanted your approval. But I don't care any more. I don't need a friend that thinks so little of me, makes me cry and offers no apology, avoids me and treats me bad. I don't need you any more. And I'm not sorry.

Sincerely not yours,

Emily

I have allergies

2008-04-24T22:21:00.000-07:00

And Claritin is an expensive friend.

Fried Worms

2008-03-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I got some bad news. A family friend had been murdered the night before. That was sad. And disturbing. On the same night I learned that my mom was having a particular complication as well. A litigation has been sparked. That makes me nervous. Later that same night, one of the security guards that patrols the docks where I live hit on me. And not in a smooth, cute way. In a creepy-now-I'm-scared-to-walk-the-dock kind of way. On Tuesday during lunch, I learned that my friend died in his sleep. I thought I would be okay. I wasn't. They made me go home and I drove to Renton. That night Taquito woke me up at 4:30 am puking. That was gross. On Wednesday after work while walking my dogs and scooping up the doodie, what was left of Taquito's flu made me dry heave as I bagged it and then Chalupa's doodie was wriggling. I hung up with my mom and called the vet which warranted yet another drive up to Renton. $145 later Chalupa was tapeworm free. And I just had to laugh because why wouldn't my dog's poop move on a week like this?

Also, I have two cavities.

The Big Surprise

2008-03-05T21:12:00.001-08:00

My sister is pregnant!

Yay!!

I'm going to by an Auntie!!

Yippee!!

Baby will be arriving mid-September.

This makes me so very happy because my sister has been struggling. She's had two miscarriages and she was beginning to think it wasn't going to happen for her. But yesterday she went in for yet another ultrasound and the baby looks healthy and she's past that first scary trimester. Now I can finally admit to her that I have practically bought out the whole baby section of a half dozen stores...

A Long Time Gone

2008-02-20T20:01:00.001-08:00

So... it's been a while since I've posted. I'm not too busy to post. I have great internet connection. And things do happen to me that might be worth posting about. But I'm lazy and I always want to post pictures with my posts and I can't right now because I lost my connection cord during Christmas break. I need to buy a new one because I got a new puppy that's really cute. I guess she's not really a puppy. The vet guessed her to be about a year and a half old... older than Taquito... but I consider them both puppies because they're young and small and cute. Chalupa is awesome. And Taquito graduated from his Advanced Class at Petsmart so he's a total genius. Also, a lot of crazy things have happened at work that I could write about if I changed a bunch of names and details so I wouldn't get fired by a random googler. I also have another announcement to share but I'm sworn to secrecy for another week or two so watch for that. I also got a Magic Bullet as a surprise from my mother for my birthday. I finally started using it a couple of weeks ago and have fallen in love with making my own Jamba Juices. It makes me happy.

Football Nightmare

2008-01-10T20:47:00.000-08:00

I had a nightmare last night that I missed the Seahawks vs Packers game (the first scary thing) because I was shopping with my sister and brother-in-law. When I realized the time and that I had missed the game, my brother-in-law told me that the Seahawks lost 14-17. In the last 5 min of the game, Hasselbeck had thrown an interception and Green Bay ran it in for a touchdown.

I realize that dreaming about football makes me a true fan... which is strange to say the least. Especially since I woke up from this nightmare sweating and checking my calendar praying it wasn't so. And it wasn't.

And it won't be.

Witness

2007-12-18T23:07:00.000-08:00

Tonight was Taquito's graduation from the Intermediate Class. My dog's a genius. I got there a bit early so I could walk him around a bit and hopefully get him to chill before class began. I was about to make a right turn right in front of the store to score a good spot when I saw a van approaching. I was annoyed because they had basically cut me off to turn in front of me (my blinker was going but most people don't care about that) and they were going pretty fast and then they suddenly stopped so I couldn't get by and just stayed in the middle of the aisle for a few seconds. Then I thought they were doing a Chinese Fire Drill. Tons of teens scrambled out of the van and started running around. But then I noticed the panic in their movements and realized they either thought there really was a fire in a Chinese Fire Drill or something was seriously wrong. Something was seriously wrong. They had hit a pedestrian and the poor woman was lodged under the van. I squeezed my tiny car around the van (I love my tiny car!) and parked in the nearest spot. I rushed out to see plenty of blood, plenty of panic and part of a woman that wasn't moving. I asked three of the teens running around if they had called 911. Two of them said yes. One man was on the phone and I asked him again, "Did you call 911?" He said he had, that help was on the way and not to worry because he was a cop. One of the girls that was reaching her hand under the van told me not to worry because she was a nurse. They both looked like they were twelve. I started to walk to a quieter place so I could make a phone call of my own when I heard the "nurse" say, "Oh gosh, you guys! There's a lot of blood and I don't feel a pulse!" I called 911, fought with some Petsmart employees who wouldn't verify their address to the 911 dispatcher because "they didn't know" and "couldn't give out that information" so I yelled at her and told her to get her manager because something like an address should be available and because you don't tell a 911 dispatcher that you won't give out your address. Eventually I got the address out of the manager, verified my personal information to the dispatcher and watched two fire engines, an ambulance and and eight or nine police cars show up. When my class was over about an hour later there were still police officers there. The parking lot had turned into a full out crime scene with tape and everything and the van still in the same location. I told the officers that I had seen the accident, they asked me some questions, took down my personal information and let me know that the woman would be okay. She had a hospital stay in front of her and she was hurt "real bad" but that she'd be okay. Thank goodness! I still feel like I need to throw up.

Chocolate A-No-Go

2007-12-08T21:28:00.000-08:00

So... Taquito ate chocolate. Kind of a lot. They were Cadbury candies. I had been eating out of an 11 oz bag for days. A little less than half the bag was left when I told Taquito firmly to be a good boy and then went to take a shower. I had secured the bag well... twisted it and hid it behind R2Delicious. When I walked back into the room Taquito tried to hide himself in the corner of the couch. I immediately knew he had not followed orders. When I saw the red, white, green and brown mess all over my sofa and carpet I gasped and immediately began cleaning up the mess. But within moments I realized just how much he had eaten. I felt the bag over and over, trying to remember how much had been in there before. I called the vet in a panic. After I told her how much my dog weighed, about how many ounces of chocolate he ate and exactly what kind of chocolate it was she told me that he should be fine but... to be on the safe side... because he's a small dog... I should make him throw up. To do this she told me to force feed him 1 tsp of Hydrogen Peroxide. I didn't have a medicine syringe or anything so I had to use a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon to do the job. It wasn't easy and I wore more of the stuff than he actually swallowed. The vet said it would work pretty quickly so she advised I do it outside or in a bathroom where it would be easy to clean up. So after I wrestled a bit of it down his throat I tossed him in the bathtub and waited... and waited. The vet had told me that if he didn't spew within 15 minutes to call the emergency line. I called the emergency line and went through the whole spiel again. She told me to give him another tsp of Hydrogen Peroxide, wait 15 minutes and if he's still puke free to give him another 1/2 tsp. If, in another 15 minutes, he's still puke free to just let him be... he should be fine. "Even with all the chocolate in his belly along with the 2.5 tsp sof poison I just gave him?" "Sure." So I hung up the phone and waited. I ended up giving him the whole 2.5 tsps. I waited some more... another 20 minutes... stroking his little head and waiting for the show... but it never happened. Eventually I decided that he must have a stomach of steel and let him out of the tub. He followed me around like he always does and then eventually settled into his doggie bed.

Phew... all's right in the world of me. I started to get ready for the Christmas party.

Suddenly, he jumped up and ran to his red blanket that he had earlier dragged to the middle of the room. And on it... and my carpet... he puked. A lot. Now, it's been a long time since Taquito's had an accident on my carpet. So, I hadn't realized that I was out of Resolve... a pet owner's best friend. I tossed the poor puppy in his crate and ran to Walgreens to get some more. Landlords tend to frown on brown and green puke stains on their carpets...

Resolve did its job and once again saved my deposit. I washed the red blanket for the second time in as many days and called the folks to let them know I wouldn't be making it to the party.

I ended up doing four more loads of laundry, each time dumping then folding them on my bed. I'd put them all away once the last load was finished.

But then... tragedy.

Silly me to think Taquito was done puking.

I had left to get another load out of the dryer and when I came back in Taquito ran to hide in a corner. I thought maybe I'd caught him chewing on my mitt again and moved it to my closet but something smelled fishy... or at least really bad. Then I noticed it. Doggie puke streaming down a pile of carefully folded laundry, then onto my comforter and my sheets like a disgusting volcano taking vengeance on a small village. It was everywhere! I have no idea how such a tiny dog could produce so much nastiness!

So... I'm rewashing a load now... with an additional load of bed clothes waiting for the honor next to the machine.

Taquito's really lucky he's cute right now...

Search and Give

2007-11-17T12:36:00.000-08:00

Microsoft is offering a way for you to donate money without having to really do anything at all. By going to www.searchandgive.com and doing your every day web searches you can aid an organization of your choice. Personally, I would love it if you would choose the school I work at (email me or post a comment if you're interested and I'll send you the name and zip code) but there are plenty of other organizations to choose from as well. Microsoft will donate up to ten cents a day (one cent a search for up to ten searches) which will really add up!

Also, you can use your same login (you can use your Hotmail account or create a new one) to play games at http://club.live.com/home.aspx which will allow you to use the points you earn on prizes such as free movie tickets, music, frequent flier miles, Microsoft software, Zune, etc or you can donate your points to the charity you have chosen. Each point is a penny and most games give you about 20 points a game.

It only takes a second to sign up, the games are actually really fun and we do searches on the web every day anyway. I'd love it if you'd choose my school as we're in desperate need of some new technology.

Chalupa?

2007-11-15T06:31:00.000-08:00

I had a dream last night. I came across a Chihuahua puppy that looked
a lot like Taquito but had shorter legs and a shorter nose. She was
on sale in a pet store and I wanted her but I didn't like the idea of
buying from a pet store... puppy mills, you know? So I went home. I
came back to the store a few weeks later and she still wasn't sold. I
asked her if she was Chalupa and she jumped up and wagged her tail so
I bought her and took her home. When I got home I put her in
Taquito's crate because I didn't want her around him yet because I
knew that she might have mites or worms or something... puppy mills,
you know? So I called the vet and made an appointment and called mom
and dad and told them I was coming up and then I woke up.

Think it's a sign??

Did I mention that I woke up because Taquito woke me up? At 4am?
Because he refused to go to the bathroom at 10pm when I took him out?
So he had to go then? And he had the world's longest pee? And I had
a hard time getting back to sleep? So I'm exhausted?

Think it's a sign??

Sports Fan

2007-11-12T21:52:00.001-08:00

I like being a sports fan. I wore my Seahawks jersey today and was greeted by all of these people who were instantly misconceived to believe that I a) knew the names of the players, b) had any idea what their jargon meant and c) could make an educated prediction for this evening's game. But it was fun. Really fun! I'd walk into a store and be greeted by 1 to 5 strangers as if I were an old friend. I even got high-fived! I got to pretend just for a second that I wasn't in a huge city where nobody knew my name but was instead in a small community that shared a common interest. And that felt kind of nice. Also, the Seahawks totally killed the 49ers! Woohoo!

The Sound of Slumber

2007-09-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

I've been having a hard time sleeping again. It might be because I've started work again. So I'm up to my chin (I'm short) in paperwork and face FORTY SEVEN sixth, seventh and eigth graders every day. Or it might be because trains travel right outside my window 24 hours a night. Or because I live next to a freeway. Or it could be because Taquito sleeps all day in his crate while I work and is then full of energy at night and keeps me up. Or it could be because I have a herniated stomach which means that laying down equals heartburn. Or maybe I'm not sleeping because I'm staying up way past my bedtime playing Scrabulous on Facebook. I don't know. Maybe it's none of the above.

But in any case, I've discovered that some medium-volumed background noise can be just the key to a good night's sleep. And after trying several different radio stations, CDs, music genres and talk radio... it turns out that one CD gets the job done better than any other. The soundtrack to "The Sound of Music" gets the job done every time. I don't think I'm bored enough to fall asleep. I like "The Sound of Music." No, there's just something soothing about a woman singing about sometime in her youth or childhood she must have done something good. Because... there he is, standing there, loving her...

Vote for Taquito

2007-08-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.competico.com/come-vote-for-me/1c6b61e0666c9948e8b9ff89916dfbcf

I entered a little contest that should be no contest because Taquito is obviously the cutest!

Kids

2007-08-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

So... I picked three children up Sunday evening and I'll have them until Saturday evening. They are two boys and a girl ages 9, 6 and 4 respectively. They're all staying in my tiny one bedroom apartment. We've been to a couple of parks to play on toys, learned how to take care of Taquito (who loves having kids around) and went to Northwest Trek. Tomorrow we're going to the zoo, Friday is our day for swimming and I'm pretty sure that Saturday will hold all the wonders of Chuck E. Cheese. I have to admit that I was a little bit nervous last week. When you're in a single's ward (or are avoiding a single's ward) and live alone one might forget how delightful kids can be. I almost forgot how much I loved them. Some might think that being a middle school teacher would be a constant reminder of how much I love kids. They would be wrong. But... I do. I do love kids. A lot! A lot, a lot actually! Really... real.

Finally!

2007-07-11T20:12:00.001-07:00

I'm so happy!! Disney has finally released on DVD the original Winnie the Pooh movie. You know the one... Winnie the Pooh gets stuck in Rabbit's door, Pooh pretends to be a little black rain cloud to get honey, Piglet gets swept away in a flood, Tigger bounces so high he gets stuck in a tree, etc. It's the BEST! I watched the tape so many times as a kid that I wore it out. I bought it today and I'm watching it right now. And it's just as good as I remember it! Genius.

Not Much Better

2007-07-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

There's not much that can beat summer break. It's sunny outside. My responsibilities are at a low. I have a cute puppy to play with. I don't have to pack a lunch. I'm not worried about any pending deadlines. I'm just so... happy.

School's Out for Summer... almost.

2007-06-20T22:16:00.000-07:00

School's out for summer in just a day and a half and I couldn't be happier. Really. I'm ecstatic! And nervous. Extremely nervous. Because I have a ton of paperwork that's due before I leave at noon on Friday. And I have to pack up my whole room and get it ready to be moved to a portable. And the staff and family party that's happening after work on Friday is at my house. And I'm not ready. And because my summer job fell through. But even with all of that stress, I still feel okay because by Friday afternoon it'll all be over. Over! I love summer!

El Nino is Spanish for... Taquito

2007-06-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

I accidentally left my dog in the bathroom for almost 12 hours today. I know... I know... I feel like a horrible person but it really was a mistake. If I knew I was going to be gone that long I would have asked my dad to come down and let him out... but I didn't know. Either way, I got what was coming to me. My bathroom doesn't usually look like that...

...also, I promise that this is my last post about Taquito for a little while. I understand that not everybody is quite as obsessed with him as I am.

Vote for Taquito

2007-06-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

http://www.cutestdoggy.com/index.cfm?dogid=2638

My Dog is Famous

2007-06-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

Taquito was on TV yesterday a couple of times. He was part of a commercial for KIRO, a news station here. He's still on their web page at http://www.kirotv.com/index.html. You can see a little thumbnail picture of him in the right hand column which will lead you to this week's pet pictures. I submitted his picture, knew he'd probably make it onto the web page but had no idea he'd be on television. It's official. I have the cutest pup ever! The whole of Seattle agrees.

One Year

2007-05-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

My grandmother passed away one year ago today. The grief still catches me sometimes making it hard to breathe. I hope she knows how much I loved her. And how much I love her still.

Exhausted

2007-05-08T06:46:00.000-07:00

I am so tired today! And so was Taquito. He takes plenty of puppy power naps.

Quito's First Bath

2007-05-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

Puppy Here!

2007-04-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

Taquito Bonito Chihuahua has arrived! And he's gorgeous! And remarkably well behaved. I can't find my cord to hook in my digital camera but as soon as I do I'll post plenty of pictures. Because I'm obsessing.

China

2007-04-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

This is China.

He always looked ticked.

Because he always was.