Pigtails

Love em.

Home Sweet Home

The kids and I made it home safe late last night. I have tons to catch up on today. But I just have to say, when I woke up yesterday morning in Utah, it had snowed. When I woke up this morning in my own bed, I looked out the window...and what did I see?.....popcorn popping on the freakin trees!!! Blossoms and daffodils!! Yahoo!

The cure for cabin fever

I was feeling some cabin fever in January and I booked tickets to get outta town for a while. I've been in Utah now for almost two weeks. During this time, Keith was in Kentucky enjoying 80 degree weather while I endured a snow storm in Utah. A little ironic, don't ya think?

Despite the snow, the kids and I have been enjoying the family time. And I even got a vacation from my vacation. Keith flew out for 5 days and I left the kids with Grandma Card so we could go on a climbing trip, old school style. And I mean OLD SCHOOL. Keith and I used to go to Red Rocks (on the outskirts of Las Vegas)to go climbing every spring break while we were in school (over 8 years ago). Those were good times. We got to relive the glory days again. Pictures and good stories to come later.

I have only a few days left before I head back home. All I have to say is, spring had BETTER be there to stay when I get there.

ARE YOU LISTENING SPRING???

Don't mess with me, Spring.

You know you're in Kentucky...

On the way to church yesterday, Bennett says:

"Mom, we need a Mack (truck) with a big old trailer without a top on it so we can put our house on it and move it over there."

The poor kid has seen too many houses driving down the freeway. He thinks it's normal...

I love BROWNIES!!!!!!

And I want MORE!!!!!!!!!

Valentines Day '09

Just for the record, I'm kind of an idiot.

So, Valentines Day was very nice. I love celebrating the day of love with my super hot hubby. Lucky me!!! I made reservations for us at a nice restaurant in town. It's one of those swanky sandwich/salad cafes. As far as I can tell, it's the ONLY attempt at "swanky" in London, KY. Anyway, I was there one day getting a salad (that I could sneak into McDonald's while the kids played at the playland. If I eat at McD's one more time, I think I'll DIE) and while I was paying I noticed they had a really yummy looking Valentines Day menu. Four courses. Yum!

I was in a hurry so I took note and called a while later for reservations. Just before hanging up, I asked how much it was. $50. OK, that's more than I thought it would be, but whatever. We are worth a $50 night out once a year, right?? There was fillet mignon and halibut on the menu. Plus creme brulee and other goodness.

So on Saturday, we clean up a bit and head out for dinner. I love a night out! We showed up at the restaurant and were about the 3rd couple there. Keith was STARVING. He had been rock climbing all day while I was at a Primary activity at church with the kids. He could have eaten anything. At that moment, I think he would have preferred Chuck-A-Rama for a massive buffet. Instead, we politely smiled at each other over our candle at the table hoping they would bring out a basket of bread or something--anything. We started to notice that everyone was looking a little fancier than us. Keith was wearing a polo shirt and tan pants. I had at least changed out of my jeans and into tan pants but I was still wearing my blue running jacket. Everyone else was wearing suit coats and nice slacks.

It didn't hit me until they brought out the menu. It clearly said at the top, $50 per PERSON. Ooooooops. I thought it was $50 per COUPLE. How did I miss that little detail?? No wonder everyone was looking a little (a lot) nicer than us. So, clearly we ended up at the nicest restaurant in town on Valentines Day. I didn't know London was capable of having a $100 meal!?! That felt really special. Considering that the White Castle (a gross burger chain) was also advertising reservations for Valentines, I think we could have saved a few bucks elsewhere. But the food was REALLY good. The only problem was that it took us 2.5 hours to get outta there. By the time dinner was over, Keith was hungry again.

Note to self: Next year, find a buffet. Or, just read the sign on the door. OR, let Keith plan Valentines Day and end up at the White Castle....

Goggles rule

So, if your couldn't tell from my last post, Bennett needs a haircut. Bad. The problem is, Bennett does NOT like getting his haircut. This is especially bad because his hair grows faster than a chia pet. And it's so thick. Bennett's first haircut happened when he was two weeks old. It was growing over his ears. Poor kid. Leah is just barely getting hair to her ears. Why, oh why didn't Leah get his hair???

Bennett needs his hair cut way more often than it actually gets cut. Sadly, I usually end up tucking his hair behind his ears for a while before I break down and force a cut on him. He just really hates it. It's getting better though.

Thanks to the goggles.

Just hangin out

Does this strike you as weird?



This is actually a regular sight at our house. Somehow he loses the pants during the day.  I swear I try to get him to wear more than underwear.  The bike goes from room to room almost non-stop. And the goggles? What, you don't wear goggles around the house??

Cabin Fever

We woke up to this view on Tuesday morning:






Ice.

Nothing like a good old-fashioned ice storm to make you wanna bundle up and stay home. Plus it's kind-of pretty. Until it knocks out your phone line and internet. For four days.

What is with us having the worst possible weather when we move to a new place? Everyone tells us this weather is SOOO unusual for Kentucky. People raved about the mild winters. Whatever people. We don't believe you! People told us the same garbage when we moved to Philadelphia. And then we saw the Delaware River freeze over right outside the window of our riverside condo.

There's a thin coat of ice out on the lake today. Somebody was joyriding in their boat to crack it all up. It sounded so crazy. When the waves hit the shore, bits of ice would pop up from the edges and go skittering across the thin ice surface. I definitely did not want to go swimming today.

It was never as bad again as that first Philadelphia winter. Maybe Mother Nature is just giving us the worst punch right at first, just to make sure we are tough enough. All I gotta say is, I hope it doesn't get any worse! Brrrrrrr.

All this cold is forcing us to stay inside alot. Bennett's preschool keeps getting cancelled from ice and cold and seriously pathetic amounts of snow (coming from a Utah girl). I've got cabin fever, baby!!! Those 4 days without the internet were pretty lonely. Internet, I missed you. I'm so glad you are back.

Help Wanted. No Freaks and Weirdos, Please.

So, Keith has had a couple of staffing "issues" since he started his job in August. He hired a nurse not too long after he started and had to fire her a couple weeks ago. She just wasn't a hard worker. Or, for that matter, a worker at all. And, get this, she was grossed out by feet. HELLO?? You would think maybe she wouldn't apply to be be a nurse for a foot and ankle doctor if she couldn't stand feet?!? Anyways, she was bad. And so she got canned.

Then along came...we'll call her Helga--you know, to protect the...not so innocent. Okay, her name was Jennifer. So Jennifer started working for Keith on the first work day of the year. Yes, that was only three weeks ago. She had a great work history and seemed very professional and she interviewed very well. Finally, someone he could work with! Hired! She spent her first two weeks training with the other nurses at the main office. Then last Wednesday, she started working with Keith. Day one-fine. No big problems. Obviously new on the job but clearly trying, which was far better than his last nurse. Day two, pretty good. Day three...this is where is starts to get weird.

Keith gets a text from Jennifer on Friday morning saying that her daughter was puking and sick. Ok, he says, just come in when you can.

Next text from Jennifer: I'll be about 30 minutes late.

Keith responds: That's ok. You know, if you can't make it that's really ok. But I'll need you to bring my charts and supplies. (She had taken them home the night before because they were going to another location on Friday. I think he was being too nice. It was her THIRD day of work with him! She shoulda gotten her can into the office! But that's beside the point.)

Jennifer texts back: OK

After waiting for an hour or so, Jennifer's husband or someone brings Keith's charts into the office and drops them off to the receptionist and leaves without a word.

Keith texts Jennifer: I have the charts. I assume this means you're not coming in today?

No response.

Keith texts twice more: Are you coming today? I still need my supplies.

No response.

Keith comes home Friday night after working until 8 pm since he didn't have a nurse all day. He was so annoyed. He was really going to tell her off on Monday morning. Why can't people just do their jobs???

The next day (Saturday), Keith was on a hike. The phone rang. The caller ID said Jennifer. Huh?? I picked it up and had an awkward conversation with Jennifer's aunt. Jennifer wasn't going to be coming back to work and she knew Jennifer would want Keith to have his supplies. It was complicated, she said. And very awkward.

So, Keith calls Jennifer's phone back that evening and gets the aunt and the same weird non-specific details. It's complicated...family problem...not coming back to work...she would want you to have your supplies. Then he made arrangements for the aunt to drop them off at his office.

We were both scratching our heads. I've worked in Human Resources for 10 years and I've seen a LOT of weird stuff. And this was pretty weird. She seemed great. Very professional. On the quiet side, but....WHAT HAPPENED??

As I was putting the kids in the bath that night, Keith looked at the front page of the local paper. Headline: 39 People Arrested Friday Morning in Drug Raid. A couple paragraphs down: Jennifer.

Well, no wonder she couldn't come to work on Friday. She's in the SLAMMER! Of course! Makes perfect sense. Apparently she had been stealing narcotic prescriptions from her prior employer and selling them (and using them?) on the side. Classy folks. That's all I'm sayin.

So, um...that was weird...anybody know of a good nurse?

But then again....

He really choked on the oath. Do you think maybe this happened instead???

God Bless America

I was glued to the inauguration today. What an amazing country we live in. Some pomp and circumstance, a little Aretha Franklin, a boring poem, and a military salute. And that's that. Now we have a new president. Bush turned over the keys to the White House and waved from his helicopter as he headed back to Texas.

God Bless America.

I have to admit, I was undecided right up until election day. And in the end, I did not vote for Obama. But today, I fully and completely support him as my President. I was moved by his speech and I'm struck by the momentous historical moment I witnessed. I love how energized people are when they talk about today. I can't believe 2 million people froze their butts off to see it in person.

I'm praying for President Obama as he takes this enormous responsibility. A awful lot of history has brought us to this moment. And a lot of future is counting on it.

Let's Lucy

What would I do without the gym??? Especially on a day like today. It's FREEZING cold outside and Keith is working late. Oh, the gym. I love you, gym. Take my kids while I go sweat and bond with my ipod.

Keith bought me a membership for Christmas. Don't worry, it wasn't a hey-fat-lard-you-need-to-go-to-the-gym kind of present. At least, I don't think it was.... Anyways, gosh, I love the gym. I love a little ME time. I love getting a shower in peace. I did yoga today.

Lucy at the gym
She's there every time I go
And I don't go that often, so she must live at the gym
I stare at her ribs, they show through the spandex
Her little legs are working, she's going somewhere
She's climbing up the stairs
And when she reaches the top her dreams will be there

Lucy at the gym
Lucy on the scale for the third time
Through thick and thin Lucy's at the gym
She's staring at the clock and like the second hand
she never stops
She's Lucy at the gym
(a great song by Jill Sobule)

I love checking out the Lucy's too. There is one lady there that cracks me up. She's on the older side. Grandma for sure. She has her hair totally done and wears red lipstick on the treadmill. And while she speed walks, she smiles like she's in a parade. I was in a class this week and she was there. She's got moves. All kinds of extra moves. Gotta burn those 10 extra calories. Lucy for sure.

Then there is this guy. I think he's been there every single time I go. He does the stair stepper. He's on the same machine every time. He doesn't listen to anything. He's not even looking at the TV. He's in this crazy zone and he's hauling on those stairs. I've never seen him leave the machine. Once I decided to do some stairs myself and I noticed as I got closer that there was a huge puddle on the ground around his machine. Sweat. Dripping. Nasty. Sweat. EWWW. Lucy for sure. Although, I'm calling him Larry.

There's another Lucy. She's kinda 80's looking. I think she probably roller skates on the side with a boombox nearby. She just has that look. I actually think I saw her skating on the sidewalk in California once. She does the elliptical. She's crazy on the elliptical. She's so fast. I'm scared of her.


When she takes a shower, after all the hours
Does she have a place to go?
Is there someone waiting
Or is Lucy all alone

Lucy at the gym
Keep going Lucy
Keep on working girl....

Do you know a Lucy???

The blues

Taking down all the Christmas decorations really bums me out. This happens every year. Suddenly my house feels so empty. My banister looks terribly bare and my walls seem so boring. I'm having little white light withdrawals. Is there some way that I could incorporate white lights into my every day decor? Maybe wrap them around the fridge or something? That's classy, right?

She's walking!!

I coulda/shoulda posted this about 2 weeks ago but I hadn't caught a good pic on camera. The little mover made everything blurry! But anyway, Leah is walking!!!




She was taking steps at the beginning of December but by Christmas she pretty much had it down. Now she almost never crawls. She has a cute little waddle and walks with her hands up by her shoulders to keep her balance. It's so darn cute to watch the little midget.

Gosh, I love that girl!