Walmart

The other day, we all loaded up in the truck and went to Walmart to pick up doughnuts on our way across town to my mother-in-law's house. Well, M surprised B while I was inside the store procuring our breakfast. "W....A....L.....O....M"

Now, I know M knows his ABCs. He knows his colors; he knows his shapes; he knows his numbers. It was the recognition of the letters and the phonetic sounds that I have been fighting him on. Well, it appears that he knows more than I thought. The little sneak! He's way to smart for his own good!

Thank goodness for the Leapfrog Fridge Phonics thing that drives me nuts!

I miss my bed

I'm sure some would think that this would be an odd thing to blog about, but I truly miss my bed. W is a noisy sleeper, and his crib is currently in our bedroom. I'm trying to make sure B (and M when he climbs into our bed at 1-3 am) can sleep. So ultimately when W wakes up for his first nighttime feeding, I remain in the recliner in the living room with him and we fall asleep there. Some times it is on purpose; most times it is accidentally.

As a result, my spot in our bed is probably feeling very neglected. I know I am missing snuggling up against the pillows and sleeping. There might be some consulation in that M finds himself in my spot.

Halloween night

W as Yoda




My two Star Wars boys



M as Darth Vadar

A birth story...finally

Well, I had been having contractions since the Thursday before I delivered. I honestly thought they were Braxton hicks because they were not like the contractions I had with M. By the time Sunday evening came around, I was running 10 minutes apart. I thought that when I was up and moving around they stopped, so I got up and told B to get some rest. I stayed up and cleaned on the house until we started getting ready for our trip to the hospital at 3. (We had to be checked in by 5).

By the time we had started our drive into town, my contractions were running 3 to 5 minutes apart. My OB told me to head in at 5-7. We checked in and began my pre-op preparations. I lay in bed until they came to get me at 6:45—still contracting at 3-5 minutes apart. I actually walked back to the operating room to get ready for my section.

I must admit that I was very anxious as I got up on the operating table and the anesthesiologist started to prep me for my spinal. My spine is curved, and last time, the anesthesiologist tried 8 times to get an epidural in me. Well, the anesthesiologist did get the spinal in this time. He said that it just took a lot of needle to get into my fluid and that it was very deep.

Now, I was under the impression that the spinal is supposed to make you numb? Not so. I felt every tug, pull, etc. B smoothed my hair as we waited to hear those cries. Finally, the doctor pulled out W and announced it was a boy. My boy welcomed everyone by baptizing them. I will also mention that Dr. W had to pull W’s fingers out of his mouth in order to get him out (he was sucking on them—he still tries to suck on them.). W then proceeded to try to suck on Dr. W’s fingers.

So W made his appearance at 7:41 am on October 17th. He weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz. and was 20.5 in. long. He has a full head of very light blonde hair.

Oh, I forgot to mention…

The closing was quite interesting. Dr. W and Dr. C asked me if we were going to try for a third child so I could have a little girl. I assured them I was just fine with two boys because I wouldn’t have to pay for expensive cheerleading outfits; I wouldn’t have to pay for a wedding; etc.

We then proceeded to discuss the college football games from that weekend. Most importantly, we discussed how disappointed we were that USC won the USC v. Notre Dame game. We talked football the entire time they were closing me up. Dr. W & C said that I was obviously a good match for a houseful of guys. Let’s hope they are right.

Pics:
http://community.webshots.com/user/osuchris

Oh, I also forgot to mention that they actually think W was overdue. He had cradle cap from being in the birth canal and his hands and feet were very dry. He also had almost no vernix on him at all. So based on that, he should have arrived right around the end of September. The funny thing is Meme kept saying the entire pregnancy that they were wrong on my date.

Good intentions

The old addage goes that the pathway to nowhere is paved with good intentions. It has been my intention to have W's birth story and a few updates posted by now. As you can see, I have good intentions, but it hasn't happened yet.

But here is a quick update. W had his first checkup on Monday. He was up to 8 lb. 4 oz. The doctor was happy with everything, so we have our next checkup in December. He has changed so much in just the two weeks he has been alive. He looks just like his older brother, too.

I promise that I will have something up as soon as I get the chance. The older man is fighting sleep and I need to pump before I go to sleep.

And we are almost there...

Well, as everyone can see, I obviously made it through the weekend, despite everything that has been going on...I'll spare you the gory details. B is lying beside me in bed watching the news and he just said, "It's not over yet." LOL!

So, as it stands, tomorrow morning is the big day. I will not have internet access until I am sprung from the hospital, so don't expect an update until later this week...say Thursday or Friday.

Until then, keep us in your thoughts and prayers and wish us luck!

Here is to W or G making his or her entrance! Cheers!

T minus 15 minutes

I have just over 15 minutes left before I can head home for the day. It's exhilirating! In just 3 days (maybe sooner), I'll be holding my baby in my arms. How cool is that! I'll also have six weeks with no GIT!

Of course, I couldn't go out on leave without another GIT story for you, right?

Well, she wanted to go over last minute instructions today. Fine by me. I laid it out for her. During settlements, you are here...ON TIME. YOU ONLY CALL IN IF YOU ARE DEAD. There are millions of dollars changing hands, and quite frankly, you need to be here period. The analysts know what to do...so just go by the checklists left for you and you'll be fine. I also told her this job is gravy and it shouldn't be so hard.

So, I did say my piece...in a nice, yet not so subtle way. In other words, quit being a slacker and show up for work and do it according to schedule! Shouldn't be that hard, dear.

But alas, it is not my problem anymore.

So, I've set up out of office on my email and I just have my phone left to do; however, I am kind of waiting until she quits banging stuff around over the cubicle wall. Next post should be...on the way to the hospital...

Why am I here?

So, I’ve been at work for a little over an hour, and I am so antsy. I so do not want to be here. GIT has already come over this morning to verify settlement dates through the rest of the year (she’s done this for three months and she can’t figure out when wire transfers are supposed to occur?). She also asked me to double-check her schedule as well. There is a blasted checklist out on the server with all the desk duties for my job with business days and calendar days. It really isn’t that hard…at least it shouldn’t be.

I can’t really do anything of substance because I only have today and tomorrow left. One could argue that I should take the time off, but we need the money, so alas I sit…bored out of my mind…miserable…and so ready to be out of here.

Thank goodness today will be a short day. I have my last checkup late this afternoon, so I will not be returning to work for the day after my appointment (which very well might be a good thing if he decides to do an internal (BLECH!)). After I’m done at the OB, I have to go back to mom’s house and pick up M. I also need to install my camera software on her computer so we can download photos; my desktop finally went kaput this week so I’m running the laptop until we get a new desktop. After I do that, I will have her take a picture of M and me so we have a before picture, and we will download it to the computer to make sure everything is a go for next week. I can’t believe we are really this close to B day.

Random thought:I should have brought in my CD player and headphones today to help keep my sanity.

Hump day and the longest week of my life

Today was hump day, and thank heavens! It seems that this week will never end. It also seems like Monday is such a long ways away, when it's barreling down the pipe...out of control.

They say a watched pot never boils. That is so true. The hours each day have drug on agonizingly slow. The anticipation of having six weeks off and a new life to add to our family is preying on my patience (which I will admit that I have very little of under normal circumstances).

So I sit and wait...and wait...and wait...

Hopefully I will find something out at my doctor's appointment tomorrow. I'm just too much of a control freak I guess to go with the status quo.

Push it out

So, I got a phone call at work today from my mother. M had informed her that I was at the hospital to have his baby brother and that B was coming to pick him up to see his baby brother. I just had to laugh.

When I picked him up this evening, he informed me that we were going to Meme's so she could give me a shot and that he and daddy were then going to help me push his baby brother out. Kids have such an active imagination. I'm kind of glad to see him getting excited about the baby though. I have had my concerns about how he would adjust because in some ways (as any normal child would) he has shown that he is not the least bit interested in the change that is about to occur in his life. I'm anxious about the baby coming, but in other ways I am excited.

I look forward to seeing lil' man's face when he meets the new addition.

B minus 7

So, here we are…one week until “b” day. All the late pregnancy stuff is going on. I’m exhausted. I’m not sleeping. I’m nauseous. I have a headache. I’m having contractions. Now, are the contractions real, or are they braxton hicks? I time everything and feel lost while doing so. I am basically absolutely miserable.

I want to go home and not work, but I need the time and the money, so I work through it. I want to scream at people to leave me alone, but alas, I am inundated with all the “problem child” issues.

Things still aren’t ready. The house is a disaster; however, laundry is caught up. My bag is packed. In short, I’m not ready at all; B is however as he is excited to see whether it will be another boy or girl.

All I want is to go to my mommy’s and curl up in a ball and put my head in her lap. I know that won’t help though, so I sit here—miserable—and wait. Patiently? If you want to call it that, go ahead.

Chilling out

Now the first official day of fall was last week; it was met with 90-degree temps. However, last night a cold front blew through and brought Oklahoma our first taste of fall

Oh, happy day! I love autumn! I like being able to wear long sleeves and light sweaters. I’m happiest in a light sweater, blue jeans, and sneakers or my Docs. I actually got to wear long sleeves to work today. (doing best pregnant happy dance I can) I also like the breeze and the colors of the leaves turning in the trees. I love the crisp feeling in the air when I walk outside in the morning. What I would really love to do is move my swing out to the back patio (need to raise and expand that concrete slab). Then I could go outside on a weekend morning and just swing for a little bit with a cup of coffee and just be. We will get there eventually (hopefully next year).

Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 75, with a high of 75 on Saturday. The warmest it is supposed to be over the next week is 87 on Monday. That’s actually surprising, as I just knew it would remain in the 90s until the baby arrived.

So here’s my question for the day? What is your favorite season and why?

And the countdown begins

I had my last 2 week appointment with my OB today. I'm now down to every week, and I only have three of those babies before the big scheduled day (if things progress according to plan). Everything is looking good and is normal. Even the wicked braxton hicks I had last night.

Last night, I started having braxton hicks (pretty uncomfortable ones) on the way home. They started around 96th St. N and continued most of the evening. I felt like carp! (Yes, I felt like carp which is a polite way of saying crap or whatever else you would like to substitute there.) I essentially ate dinner and then went to the bedroom to lie down and veg in front of the TV. I didn't even work on tax homework last night which means I have a lot to do tonight and tomorrow before Saturday's class. Well, M could obviously tell I wasn't feeling well last night, so I had to go lie down with him so he would go to sleep. He fell asleep quickly, but every time I got up, he woke up. I tried 7 different times. Finally around 12:30, I told him to go potty, grab his pillow, and come get in bed with B & I.

Did I mention that I also am either fighting allergies or I have a cold? I think it's the later and my colleagues have given it to me. UGH! I'm sniffling so bad. I feel like I have med head which I can't have med head because I can't take anything.

My boss finally let me know who she wanted me to train as a second backup today. I think she'll be able to cover when GIT shows up late or doesn't show up at all just fine. She might have to call, but that's ok. She's a very smart cookie! Thank goodness because I was so stressing about GIT's lack of reliability.

On the home front, M asked if he could bring Hermione to T-town yesterday. Mom agreed. Well, it turns out that Hermione can now fetch. She also never went in the house yesterday (she hasn't at home either, but you have to really watch her when she is in.) I guess I need to start looking into training her on other things as well. She's definitely the addition we wanted.

Well, I just remembered I have some verbage to review for my boss, so I had better get back to work.

Not fair..bwasted heb colb

So what I thought might have been allergies (ok what I had hoped was just allergies), I now KNOW is a blasted cold. Thanks a lot to my colleagues for passing this carp on to me. I'm sitting here right now...nose red, runny nose *sniffle*, watery eyes, med head feeling and know it's a blasted cold.

The bad thing is that I have a sorority meeting on Sunday and it's at S's house. S has a 3 month old baby. I can't be there with a 3 month old if this is still going on. I can't find my cheat sheet for meds that my doctor approves during pregnancy, so, I'm posting on some BBs that I frequent for moms to see if anyone knows. I guess I'm going to have to call him tomorrow if I can't figure out something that I CAN take.

Oy vey! *ACHOO!!!!*

What a day!

I received an email from one of my sorority sister’s today containing a commercial for condoms. This commercial is of a dad who is grocery shopping with his son. The son wants a bag of candy and the dad says no. The commercial proceeds to show the son throwing a huge temper tantrum in the store with everyone looking on. The commercial ends with “Use condoms.” I could relate to this today.

Now I love M more than I thought I could ever love a human being. However, this morning was a bad morning for M. B woke M up and made him go potty. While M was in the restroom, B picked up some of M’s toys and put them in M’s bag to take to Memaw’s house. Well, M went into the bedroom and threw a fit and then dumped the bag of toys into the floor. (Did I mention that my son has apparently inherited my love of mornings? I actually own a nightshirt that says, “Smiling, happy morning people are evil and must be destroyed.”)

Well, the punishment for M’s tantrum and behavior was that he couldn’t take any of his toys to Memaw’s today. Now he has toys at Memaw’s, of course, he just couldn’t take any of his Star Wars diecast replicas with him. B left for work while I finished getting ready (just had to brush my teeth and feed the puppy). M threw a fit up until we got to QT for gasoline. He drank his chocolate milk and then fell asleep during the car ride to Tulsa. He then proceeded on his tirade again when he woke up at my mother’s. I finally had to discipline him again because my patience was gone by then.

Well I come into work knowing that we still had three settlements outstanding today. We also had to have our final numbers into treasury before 9. Well, as usual, whenever there is a critical deadline, GIT came strolling in at 9:30. I have refrained from getting anywhere near her and I refuse to talk in more than 5 word sentences to her because (1) she’s been sick and I do NOT need to be sick at 9 months and (2) if I do talk to her I am going to lose my temper.

I also was supposed to meet with auditors today so I rushed this morning to get everything done in record time so I would have the day free. They have yet to appear. By the time I looked up when I finished with the things that HAD to be done today, it was 11 and I was winded from all the running, copying, phone calls, etc.

I would have delegated part of it to GIT, but it has to be done…today…at a certain time…and well you know the rest. So, I have one hour to go, and I’m so ready to get the heck out of Dodge. I’ll go home tonight and watch the final episode of Big Brother and continue working on my tax homework. Fun, huh?

Another Monday

Well, GIT did show up on a Monday for a change (insert gasp here). However, she immediately set out complaining that not everything for her desk was covered while she was out. Well join the club sister!

So I talked with my supervisor and she agreed that I did need to train a second backup for while I am out because GIT is the most unreliable person I've ever met. I would call that a victory, but that denotes that it is a good thing and her being unreliable and my having to train another person is not a good thing in my eyes. So we will see...

Surprises

Well, I came in today to find that GIT had once again called in. Now, that doesn’t come as a surprise, because it is the busiest time of the month for my desk and the other piece she is covering of the other desk as well. She ALWAYS seems to miss critical days and I’m glad to know I’m not the only one getting sick of it. There has been plenty of ranting and raving going on from my co-workers this morning.

According to my boss, she is actually sick, and I’m glad she’s not in the office because her diagnosis is contagious. However, it was awfully nice of you to call me and leave a voice mail so I know that I need to cover my job area for the analysts. It was also awfully nice of you to call your other co-workers and let them know what needed to be done today while you are out. So, I did all the necessary verifications and got the analysts ready to do their settlements. Now, I am going to help out my boss by emptying her boxes into her drawers and locking them up since we moved yesterday.

I guess I am a pretty sick ticket because I find it mildly amusing and ironic that I not only unboxed my office and put things in the file cabinets, as they needed to be, I did hers as well. Pretty pathetic on her part, huh?

Well, I picked up M’s surprise yesterday. We got M a Labrador Retriever puppy. Our first attempt at a family dog failed miserably. We got an Alaskan Malamute (B had raised and bred them so he was familiar with the dogs), but we got Godric too late and we had missed the socialization period for puppies. He had not been socialized. He was very skittish around anyone and really needed a family with older kids and adults that could work with him a lot. The SPCA hooked us up with a family with a lot of acreage and older kids and we gave Godric away.

Well, we did just fine this time. The puppy has been socialized and to top it off, she does lovely riding in cars. Thank goodness, because I had to make the drive home from Tulsa with her and M in the car. She just laid on the blanket, let M pet her, and went to sleep.

The only bad thing is that her owners apparently did not groom her very well because she had so many fleas. The poor thing! So we gave her a bath in puppy shampoo with a flea dip in it, and she still had a lot of fleas. I called the veternarian this morning to find out what to do and B is going by to pick up the necessary items. We are going to have to do the Frontline puppy formula and then there is also a 24 hr. pill called Capstar that you can give to the animal. It is supposed to last for 24 hours and kill all living fleas on her body. It is also supposed start working within 30 minutes. Let’s pray it works.

So the other important task last night was to pick out a name for our puppy girl. While I tried to deter the name to a simple two-syllable name, the verdict is that she will be named Hermione. (If you are smart, you will know how we arrived at that name. LOL!)

We think that Hermione is adjusting very well to her new home. While the dog is meant to be a companion for M, I think she's adopted me as her primary caregiver. I went out to feed her this morning to find that she was raring to play tug-o-war with me. In addition, last night, she was curled up in my lap while we waited for B to get back from the with the shampoo. (We'd already bought stuff to bathe her with but we didn't have anything for the fleas.) I'm glad she's so gentle and loving…that’s just what we were looking for. I promise I will post pics of Hermione and M very soon. I want to take care of the fleas first though.

Well, I’d better grab lunch and then it’s off to do the unpacking of the central files for my analysts.

Twiddling my thumbs

Well, I came in today to a voice mail from GIT. She is sick (yeah, right), and she asked if I would prepare the estimate for this month's cash flow. Uh, why not? You've missed at least one important day in the few months you have been here. Why would this be any different? And BTW, I'm not buying the hacking, soft-toned, whiny voice mail one bit.

Our office move is today, so we have basically packed everything and we are sitting around twiddling our thumbs waiting on the movers. My boss has told us to leave when they show up (afternoon off with pay, dudes!). The only thing is that I have to hang out in the city until later because I'm going to pick up M's big surprise (more on that later). I think I'll hit some consignment shops while I'm waiting.

Pain in the back side

The last few days, anytime the kid moves or I have a braxton-hicks contraction, I get this irritating shooting pain up my back (spinal cord area) up to my neck. By the time the day is through, I am a mass of knots. So I asked the experiences of some of my girlfriends who told me I should call the doctor (and I promise I will if it keeps persisting). I did talk to my mom about it today who told that she did this when the baby was getting ready to engage. I'm thinking she's right because it's almost like the baby is on a nerve. It's one of those days when I would kill to be able to take an Excedrin Tension headache.

GIT update

Once again, GIT was late on Monday. She made her appearance around noon. Luckily it wasn't a busy day.

We are moving offices this week to another floor which means we have all had to box up our office for the movers. Well, I was basically told by GIT that she would help (read do it for me) because I didn't need to be packing my office.

I wasn't in a good mood anyway due to other issues, and I finally snapped. I went off on her.

I said, "You know, things are not the same as they were in your day. My OB has not put any restrictions on me except to say don't do what I don't think my body will allow me not to do. I'm pregnant; I'm not an invalid. If I think it's too much, I won't do it. I lift a 50 lb. toddler everyday. I think I can box up my office."

I kind of felt bad afterwards for going off, but I also kind of felt good b/c that has so needed to be said for months now. She did apologize quickly but I was just so sick of the "Are you oks?" that her comment was the final straw.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are also getting ready to gear up for our busy time again and two of those busy days fall right in line with the move dates (tomorrow and Friday). So I made sure to give her a heads up to get things done first thing when she gets in to eliminate issues. I also told her that this month she is on her own. I will answer questions, but I'm going to make her think through the process rather than answering her directly, KWIM? Wish us luck.

You broke my heart

I've been meaning to post this for a couple of days. (I'll be playing catch up on posts so be aware.)

Sunday, I was working on some stuff while waiting for B to get back from his step-brother's. I flipped through the channels and found that All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 was on. Well, M LOVES 1, so I thought I would let him watch 2. Well, I didn't realize that the underlying theme is about a missing boy that is taken care of by the dogs. The boy actually ran away from home because his mother is pregnant.

Well, after the show is over, M crawled up into my lap and gave me a big hug and kiss. He then put his hands on my face and pulled me close and asked, "Mommy, you'll still love me when the baby comes, right?"

I about lost it right there. I pulled him close, kissed him on his forehead, and assured him that I loved him that I will love him always and no one will ever take his place. I snuggled with him while I tried to regain my composure.

One of my friends said that he is wise beyond his years. I think she's right.

The alarm clock

So, this morning I woke up before the alarm. I looked over at the clock which read "3:32 AM." UGH! Of course, I had to go the the restroom, so I got up and came back to find M in my spot. He was already in bed with us (having gotten in sometime during the course of the night). Rather than move him, I just attempted to straighten him up in the bed. He was lying somewhat sideways.

Well, I had trouble going back to sleep by this time because, of course, the baby is up and moving. So I laid there watching M sleep and resisting the urge to pull him up close to my chest and snuggle with him. I wanted to snuggle with him so badly, but my belly and the huge body pillow that I am having to sleep with wedged under my belly didn't allow me to do so. I resigned myself to playing with his hair for a while and listening to his content sighs.

I looked over at the clock again and it was 4:30. It was apparent that I was wide awake and would be unable to go back to sleep so I just got up. I got the clothes out of the dryer, moved the towels over from the washer, and started my morning routine. I was finished by 6 so I pulled a T-shirt onto M, carried him to the bathroom to potty, and then we left for Tulsa. I got to work at 7.

Well now it's almost 9 am and I'm so tired. It's going to be a long day.

It doesn't help that we are doing office moves and I need to go through files and throw stuff away and box stuff up. *yawn* Like I said, it's going to be a long day.

Miss Hannigan?

I never thought I bore a resemblance to Miss Hannigan (think Annie here) until this morning. I woke M up for the day and made him to go the bathroom first thing. On his way to the bathroom, M proceeded to stomp on my foot with his heel because he was mad at me.

OUCH!

I had flashbacks to Annie as I stood there holding and rubbing the point of contact on my foot (which was probably quite a funny sight with my pregnant self). I told B about it; I guess he did it last week to B. Thanks for the heads up!

GIT charting the way?

I just don’t get it. I’m sure you know one of those people that can do just about anything and get away with it. Of course, you think to yourself, “If that were me, I would have already fill in the blank.” You try to rationalize to yourself how things can come so easily to them and you just hurt your brain by trying to wrap yourself around the whole ordeal.

It’s the same way with GIT. Once again, GIT called in the day after a weekend. She again had a “doctor appointment.” She showed up around 10. I’m trying to take a very hands off approach with her because she’s only got just over 40 days to be able to handle my job while I’m gone (mainly) and because I can’t really stand to be around her (secondly).

Well, I gave her detailed instructions on how to prepare a report (that should have taken 40 minutes max and yes it really is that easy). It took her 3 hours to complete it yesterday. I was here until 6, and then I basically ended up doing the report for her. All she had to do was change a two numbers and the date range to cover the current reporting period.

Well this morning she is generating another report and it turns out she doesn’t know how to do charts (or she isn’t very familiar with them). She is supposed to be able to cover a somewhat senior level position. She isn't going to be able to do so.

I just don’t get it. If I repeatedly didn’t show up or called in or couldn’t do this stuff, I would have been let go by now.

The best sound in the world

Parents of the world would agree--the best sound in the world is a child's laughter.

I was going through the clutter in our kitchen and living room and M brought his Elmo into the room and climbed into B's lap. M wanted some attention, and B, of course, complied, but by tickling him and rough housing with him. M's laughter and squeals put a smile on my face. I went in and told M, "You know, your laughter is the best sound in the whole world." M just smiled.

M's laughter can make you forget you aren't feeling well (or 8 months pregnant in my case). It just cheers you up. It was definitely what I needed at that moment in time. So, parents, drag a little laughter out of your kid today and revel in it. I promise you, it will ease your ails.

My new vice

OMG, I have found a new vice. I assure you this isn't just because I am pregnant either. I am a Tex-Mex freak under normal circumstances. Well, now Mission has these guacamole tortilla chips. They are to die for. The really just taste a lot like lime flavored tortilla chips They are good just by themselves, however, pair it up with the new Tostitos Monterey Jack Queso and YUMMY!

It took everything I had to stop myself so I would still eat dinner.

Friday ramble and TGIF

As my profile states, I am an oil & gas accountant. More specifically, my background is in crude oil supply and refining. So, I understand the logistics, and I am not surprised by the gasoline prices. As a matter of fact, it might be my understanding that makes me shake my head at the gravity of the Katrina situation as the refineries continue to stay offline.

However, as with other Americans, that doesn't mean that I don't wince when I have to fill up my gas tank. You see, I have a 45 mile one-way commute into the the city to work. My husband works out in the field and has to use his personal vehicle to go on calls. I have a car with a 15 gallon tank that gets approximately 24 mpg on regular. B's vehicle has a 37.5 gallon tank that gets about 18 mpg hwy on regular. So you can just imagine our gasoline bill right now. Granted, B does get reimbursed for his driving, but mind you, this is at the $0.40/mile rate set by the IRS at last year's gas prices.

So, B & I have been discussing the effect of the prices (as I am sure every couple is). If prices get much higher, I might approach my supervisor when she gets back into the office next week about work four 10 hour days as opposed to five 8 hour days. I would check into commuting in with someone from my town, but I also have M with me in the mornings and I drop him off at my mom's for the day. So, commuting is out of the question unless someone is open to his being with us. B & I also discussed how it would be interesting to see whether the tax code is adjusted for the huge spike in prices and just how much more the reimbursement rate will be for mileage for him. Quite frankly, $0.40/mile isn't cutting it.

Also, am I the only one that has felt like this is longest week I've had in a long time? It just seems like it will never end. The feeling really has nothing to do with the crisis blasted on the TV (although seeing the devestation and chaos does contribute). It's just been one of those weeks. Between closing, reports, auditors, training (which GIT has actually been here all week and trained surprisingly well (well better than I had hoped for)), I'm just so glad it's Friday.

It will be nice to just sit at home this weekend and not have to worry about working and auditors and closing and gasoline and all the other stuff. B & I talked about taking M to the Kiddie Park possibly this weekend, as it is the last weekend of the season. Other than that, we also talked about renting a movie or two and just vegging. I'll probably study a little bit this weekend as well.

Yes, you read that right, I will probably be studying a little bit this weekend as well. I know I finally finished with schooling, but I've been seriously thinking about going back and getting my CPA to allow for more working arenas. However, since I have been out of "accounting" school for over 5 years now (there is a difference between going to school in your major and getting an MBA), I thought I would ease back into things. So, I signed up for a tax class through H&R Block to kind of get the ball rolling. So I start classes the 17th. The good thing is that if I pass this class with an 80% or above, I basically have a job during tax season (even PT if I chose). My hope is to do well and get hired and use that money to pay off some bills. And then, next fall I can look at starting to work on my CPA. It's a good idea in theory; hopefully by putting it in writing, I will follow through. So, I will start perusing my textbooks this weekend to prepare for the classes. Sounds fun, huh? (And if you are one of my sorority sisters and you are reading this, I very well might need my head examined because didn't I tell you I was done with school after we finished our MBAs?)

Well, work calls, so I'd better get back to it. Have a safe weekend and God Bless!

Outsourcing, Benadryl, and other gripes

Ok, I understand that companies want to save money by outsourcing. Heck, I am contracting for an outsourcing group. However, as with some companies, the company I work for sent functions like accounts receivable to India.

Apparently, regardless of where in the world you are, companies think that AR individuals should be strictly data entry individuals. They are not supposed to think outside of the box and make educated decisions. I hadn't been in 5 minutes this morning when I was dragged into a chat session with a clerk in India that needed me to tell her how to book an intercompany receipt between cash accounts. Well, my dear, here is the background on why it was done. How would you normally apply a receivable on our books? Duh, I'm tellin' ya. In addition, this clerk contacted the person that used to do my desk. I have been doing this desk for a year and a half. You would think that she would have figured it out by now that I am the one she should contact--not the other individual. She has been told repeatedly. Update your desk procedures for pete's sake if you can't remember off the top of your head.

Yesterday evening, I stopped by a lady's house on the way home to pick up an item she needed to return from when I was selling Avon. It is the last of the returns I have to do. Well, I hadn't taken more than one step out of my car when I stepped in a hole (couldn't see it because the grass was so thick). I fell forward on my knees, hurt my wrist, twisted my ankle.... Well, you get the drift. The right side of my body is so sore.

So, I rubbed myself down with some Blue Emu as best as I could, took some Tylenol, and had B do the areas I couldn't do (my shoulders). Well, it didn't register with him until this morning that I had tripped and fallen (I assured him it was just on my knees; the baby is fine), so I got a verbal admonishment to watch where I was walking. I WAS!

So, here I was already sore, and B's allergies were bothering him very badly so he took two Benadryl last night before bed. Of course, this knocked him out to the world. He spent a lot of the night in the middle of the bed on his back--SNORING! He told me this morning that I should have kicked him and made him roll over. Uh, sorry babe, but I did. As I said, he was dead to the world.

Then, M crawled in bed with us about 3 and of course, B was near the center of the bed and M got between us. Where did that put me? On the edge of the bed, of course. I woke up this morning to find I had my head resting on the bedside table. Now the crick in my neck (which has moved from the left side to the right side in the last week) is worse. I'm very sore today and quite generally in a cranky mood. This also coincides with the first day of the month and closing and more training of GIT.

Anyone have some Calgon they can send my way? Oh, yeah, I forgot that I can't take a bath because the plunger mechanism broke and I have forgotten to get a plug every time I have went to the store.

Is it Friday yet?

Another gripe

As an accountant, you can imagine my love for auditors. Really, though, I have nothing against auditors. I just once again have my “please use your common sense" mentality. How many times do I have to repeat myself to you and show you the same supporting documentation OVER and OVER and link it together. And why do auditors feel the need to “visit” during closing? Um, hello! You are an accountant. You know the books have to be closed, but you pick that week to “visit,” and I have to drop everything I am doing during my closing process to answer a question for you yet again that has already been addressed. And they wonder why we just love them…

Let me do my job when it needs to be done, and I’ll help you do yours, ok?

Gasoline prices--comic relief

Look at my piggy bank after I filled up with gas yesterday.

WOWZER!

I got this via email today from my cousin, S. She and I both found it interesting since our Great Uncle used to live in the town being discussed. The caption reads

"Caught near Oktaha and Oktaha is just outside of Muskogee...just north of Checotah.
The reason for snake boots during dove season. Just under 8foot and weighs 89 pounds.
Probably gonna quit dove hunting, unless I can get the wife to walk in front of me....."

All I can say is Um, Gulp....WOW!

Maybe I did learn something in history

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations - you got 10 out of 10 correct!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

Freudian slips

I have had my suspicions that GIT is hoping/expecting that my job will be hers permanently when I go on leave. It would explain why she isn't wanting to train with the other co-worker on the other desk. She is constantly lying about training with me and being busy all week with me when she is approached about working on the other desk.

So it took everything I had today to keep a straight face when she made a comment that I'm not quite sure she knows I picked up on.

I have certain things that I have to do on certain work days, so I have this big calendar up on my wall with yellow flags that mark when those activities are due for the month. Using the flags is so much easier than rewriting these jobs every month, KWIM?

Well, GIT commented today that she needed to go buy posties today so she could flag her calendar for the "remainder" of the year so she would know where she had overlap between the two desks and she could plan accordingly. I just said, "That's a good idea," and thought to myself, "If you think I didn't pick up on that because I'm pregnant and I'm supposed to have other things on my mind, you are obviously more challenged that I thought."

Just 50 something more days....

I vant your blood

So I had another appointment today with the OB. I have gained another lb. and my bp was 126/73, so everything is looking good. Doc listened to the baby's heartbeat and the baby kicked the doppler for him too (which is good considering he just asked if the baby was moving for me).

I also had to do my anemia test today at the lab downstairs. Well, let me just start of by saying I have deep veins and blood appointments are not fun. The first phlebotomist calls me back. He puts the turnicet on my right arm and feels around for a few minutes for a vein there. He then switches to the left arm and repeats this process. He started to go back to my right arm and I just told him I'm a hard stick and he might have someone else try. The second phlebotomist comes in and gets everything done in under a minute flat.

Thank heavens they listened to me.

Harry Potter personality quiz

I'm not surprised at the diagnosis on the Myers-Brigg analysis, but I was unaware that Madame Maxime was an ENFJ.


Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

Here is a link to a picture of Madame Maxime from The Goblet of Fire.

So, I am both a giantess in Wizarding land and in real life. Sheesh! LOL!

Murphy's Law

We've all heard of it....Murphy's Law, aka, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

Well, I've had my share of Murphy lately.

• You will get a huge pimple anytime you have an important meeting or event.
• Drivers will come to a complete stop on the "on ramp" instead of accelerating to merge with traffic.
• Your child will pick the time that it is pouring rain to dwaddle getting out of the car and going into an establishment. If Murphy feels like being really funny, the child will just have to get his or her favorite toy out of the car too to take with him or her.
• The one morning you are having a very good hair day, you will step outside and it will get frizzy and go flat due to humidity or rain.
• Any shortcut ephiphany that you have that is work-related will not work.
• Your child will proceed to empty every toy out of his or her toybox as soon as you get the room entirely clean again.

Anyone else had a visit from Murphy lately?

GIT update

Well, my supervisor was finally back in the office yesterday, and I asked to talk with her about GIT's lack of dependability. I don't know if anything will be said or done, but at least my conscience is clear by stating my concerns. It's out of my hands now.

GIT--once again not here

OMG!

Here it is...yet another Monday and another important day here on my desk, and GIT isn't here! My supervisor is out today (been out for a week) b/c her dad isn't doing well (terminal cancer). I feel bad, but I'm going to have to talk to her when she gets back. GIT has:

1) called in on two Mondays saying she had heat exhaustion (came in around 10)
2) called in saying she had a doctor's appt. on one Monday (came in around 10)
3) didn't show on one Monday (I am assuming this was cleared with our boss).
4) No show thus far this morning.

OK, I will admit I'm a slacker, but COME ON!

Edited: We finally received a note stating GIT will not be in today AT ALL. So what's new?

Pain in the neck & BB6 reflections

Quite literally!

I have had the worst crick in my neck for what will be a week now. I've tried to work it out with no avail. The bad thing is that the pain is coupled with a headache as well. The headache starts out mild, but by the end of the day, it's a full blown tension/migraine headache. Of course, I can only take Tylenol since I am pregnant. What I wouldn't give to be able to take an Excedrin Migraine or Excedrin Tension Headahce. *sigh*

All I have to say about BB6 last night is uh, WOW! I had read live feed spoilers, but the spoilers did nothing to accurately convey the graphic nature of the fighting last night. I find it sad that they have all stooped to the level of playing they have, but I can also understand the "Jedis" methodology too. I know I couldn't handle living in a house like that because I would have already slugged somebody with the kind of playing that is occurring in the house.

WOWZER!

And just when I start to give credit

GIT goes and does something to screw up her props.

Today was settlement day. I will readily admit that this day comes easy to me as I have done it for 3.5 years of my career, but that's not the issue. The issue is that GIT seems to have a problem using her intellect.

For example:

I got called over today because she wasn't tying out between files. Ok...

1. Did you make sure all your links were updated between your spreadsheets to reflect the new reporting month? NOPE!
2. A spreadsheet exists for each type of payment method (1) receivable, (2) system generated wire, (3) manually requested wire. Well, did you put manually generated wires on the system generated wires file? DING! DING! DING!
3. Did you even just call me when you didn't tie out or did you even try to figure out the issue yourself? (I'll give you two guesses here as to what occurred.)

In addition, it appears that if something is not in a precise order, she can't figure out what needs to be kept to be sent on to another department and what needs to be filed. Now, mind you, this is her third month of doing this. Month 1, I sat with her and walked her through it. Month 2, I had less of a hands on approach and let her handle most of the settlements. This month, I let her do it all on her own and then checked her work at the end of the day. Oy vey!

I feel like I'm being hormonal and anal retentive, but COME ON! It's not that hard a day and it really doesn't require a lot of thought. It's a methodical, routine, monotonous process. I would have thought she could have handled it, but I guess not.


So, I went back to the analysts with a request for a standardized format for submitting their information. I'm just waiting until they get back into the office tomorrow and they start asking me why I'm being so anal. Uh, because GIT obviously can't handle anything that isn't precise, that's why.

*shaking head*

Things are falling into place

I had my pre-op appointment at the hospital, so things are finally starting to come together. It's hard to believe that if all things go as planned, Baby B will be here on 10/17!

BTW, my blood pressure was really good at pre-op. It was 114/75. WAHOO!

And just when she's made up her mind...

Well, things have changed once again in the house. We decided that we aren't going to do a nursery now. The master bedroom is actually large, so we are going to keep the crib in there for now. We turned the spare room back into a small office nook, and the rest of the room is a toy room for the kids.

This meant that B had to move M's toybox into the toyroom. This was met with much resistance. M did not take to having his toybox moved until he realized that he could roll his cars all over the wood floor in the toyroom and then things were ok. Of course, it didn't help that we did all this on a day when M was having a hard day anyway.

So the crib is now in our room and our room is rearranged to accomodate the change. M's room has been rearranged to allow for the futon (aka crouton) to be moved in there and the room that was going to be a nursery has been converted into an office/toy room.

GIT--Second verse...same as the first

Well, GIT was actually on time today and pulled information without any problems for our verifications. However, I told her TWICE that not all the companies were going to be in her pull. She then needed to crosscheck those companies to her master list. If a company was on her master list and had not been verified during the processing verification, she needed to verify there was data out for those and check them off.

Apparently repeating myself wasn’t enough for her.

I showed her how to do an add screen on one company where we had no history for them and asked her to do the other. Well, apparently she doesn’t listen either because she added a line for the same one I used as a teaching tool?

*shaking head in disbelief*

Oh, and who answers their phone “Whatie?” when friends and family call?

Pregnancy update--we have a date!

Well, I had my last 4 week appointment with my physician today. I gained 8 lbs. this time which puts me at 17 total, so I'm doing fairly well in that department. My blood pressure was good (I made sure to avoid GIT this morning b/c last time I was training her before I left and it was slightly elevated). Everything looked great. I now have to start going in every two weeks.

The good thing is we finally set a date for my c-section. The kiddo will be making his or her appearance on Monday, October 17th. The realization that the kiddo will be here in just a little over 2 months hasn't quite hit me yet though. Wow, the 2nd pregnancy flies so quickly.

GIT update

I was out of the office yesterday morning, and I guess I missed some fireworks. Apparently, GIT got very hateful with the other individual that is training her. It is my understanding that it was bad enough that another co-worker intervened and told her she needed to chill out because she was being rude and another might have went to my boss.

Today, GIT called me over to verify what we have to do tomorrow. No problem. We covered what needed to be done over the next week. Well, Monday is a very important deadline day and we have to verify some stuff as soon as we get in, so I made a point to say, "Monday, you need to be here by 8. 8:30 at the latest."

She just laughed kind of quietly and said, "Listen to you."

I looked back at her and said, "We have stuff we have to do first thing that morning, so you need to be here." I then walked back to my cube, rolling my eyes all the way.

Maybe it was rude on my part, but quite frankly, GIT, I don't give a darn! You've either been late or not shown up at all on 4 Mondays thus far (I'm sure the Monday you were out, you cleared it with the supervisor, but still...), make sure your rear is here!

Knight School?

B told me about this the other evening, but I honestly thought he was joking. Alas, he is not, as here it is IN PRINT.

By BETSY BLANEY, Associated Press Writer
August 5, 2005
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Bob Knight will give one Texas Tech student the chance to play on his team in a reality show hosted by the Hall of Fame coach.

Sixteen students will attend ``Knight School,'' the name of the show set to air on ESPN in February, and Knight will whittle the class to one during six one-hour episodes. Filming will begin in late September.

That player will have endured what all Knight players do -- long hours of drills, conditioning and instruction -- and will have chance to be a walk-on for the 2006-07 season.

``It's a great opportunity for the kids at Texas Tech who want to have a shot at playing for a legend as well as learning from a legend,'' said Robert Lundgren, one of the show's executive producers with Knoxville, Tenn.-based RIVR Media.

Knight was out of town and unavailable to comment Friday. He told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that in addition to the tryout format, filming will include shots of the campus and the students in class and in other activities.

``From a public relations standpoint, this couldn't be any better for Texas Tech,'' Knight said.

Lundgren said the idea came from Dan Stone, chief executive officer with Hunnington, N.Y.-based WealthEffectMedia and another executive producer of the show.

Discussions about the show began about a year and a half ago and details were completed in recent weeks, Lundgren said.

``It's just one of those great ideas you hear,'' Lundgren said.

ESPN spokesman Rob Tobias said there will be story lines following those competing as well as a look inside Knight's coaching style.

``These are all the parts that make a successful reality show,'' Tobias said. ``This type of show has drama built into it.''

Athletic director Gerald Myers said Knight and his style will do well in front of cameras.

``Bob will be great with a show like this,'' Myers said. ``It'll be a great opportunity to play with one of the all-time great basketball coaches. He's excited about it. We're excited about it.''

Now, don't get me wrong. Bobby Knight is a basketball legend, however, I must say that I have reservations about this "reality" show. Despite Knight's record, I am certainly disillusioned with him as a coach. Great coaches are made by mentoring and motivating. Those are two traits that I find lacking in Bobby Knight.

Bricks?

I remember when I was younger some relatives used to joke around that they were going to have to put a brick on my head because I was getting too tall.

Well, I wonder if that will work on M? The kid is literally OUTGROWING everything.

The last time he was checked, he weighed 40 lbs. and was 42.5" tall. He won't be 3.5 until later this month.

So, Saturday, we took advantage of the "No Sales Tax Weekend" put on by our area merchants for back-to-school shoppers and went and bought M some clothes for this fall. I am now shopping for my little boy in the boy's section and he wears a size 5! He was just in 3-4Ts not more than a few months ago. I had to buy new everything--jeans, shirts, underwear, socks, etc. He might as well had been starting school this year.

Total damage for this weekend--$200 (some of which is in layaway right now for when it gets cooler).

Whatever happened to Miss Manners?

I can't believe the nerve of some people. Today I had lunch with my sorority sisters, and I had purchased some aromatheraphy shower gel from one of them who sells Arbonne. It was in my purse when I got back to the office. I pulled it out as I started rummaging through this bottomless thing most women call a purse when GIT walks up.

She has a monthly schedule she wants me to look at so she can make sure she has everything on there. No problem....BUT

She then proceeds to grab the bottle of shower gel and start looking at it and then says, "I'm going to smell," and then trys to open the bottle to smell it.

Now, the bottle is sealed so she couldn't but my gripe is don't you ask, "May I smell this?" instead of just telling me you are going to do it.

11 weeks....11 weeks...11 weeks....

That's what I keep repeating to myself. You can't go insane in 11 weeks time, can you?

My husband

Too often when we discuss our spouses, we focus on the bad and never mention the good. Well, that is not the case here.

Last night, I was sitting in front of the computer reading what seemed like several messages from my sorority’s yahoo group about an issue. It was agreed that something needed to be done, but a lot of these messages were simply semantics. I was commenting to my husband about it when he interjected with something that took me quite by surprise.

“You know, you are finally starting to look pregnant.”

I was taken aback, and I inquired as to what made him say this. Was I starting to show finally? Had I started to develop the preggo nose?

His response was something along the lines of, “No, I've just noticed that you truly have that glow about you that you hear about pregnant women. Your face just looks so pretty right now and you look so happy." How sweet is that?

Of course, I can’t take a compliment and I razzed him about the “looking pregnant” all evening.

So, to my husband, if you are reading, thanks for those kind words. It really did mean a lot to me and I apologize for the razzing.

OMG! It just finally hit me!

I am starting my third trimester. ACK! I still haven't painted the nursery. My clothes are hanging in the closet in there. We don't have any of the trim work done. I havent't bought a new crib mattress or a car seat. OMG! Anyone want to come paint?

GIT EOM Closing Day 1

Well, it's 8/1, and that means that I am currently in another month-end closing cycle. Today, I need to roll a database to the new month, upload an entry, prepare an accrual and upload it as well.

Well, yet again, GIT is out on a Monday morning. Who knows if she will even be here this afternoon. And of course, it's the first day of closing. Now, all the accountants of the world know that you don't call in during closing UNLESS you are dead and then you had better darn well have a replacement. If my boss lets today's absence fly when she gets back in the office, I will be seriously concerned.

I guess I'm off to work UNLIKE OTHER PEOPLE!

You have to check this guy out!

Luke Stricklin

Here is the link to the article about him.

Can't be so

It's 9 PM CDT, and M is asleep. I can't believe it! He's been asleep since about 8:30 PM. He's really been fighting going to sleep lately, and the last two days, we has not gotten a nap and both nights he has been asleep before 9. So, the question is, do we eliminate the naps altogether?

If you are a mom and you are reading, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on this.

Why I love the Dollar Store and the butcher!

A few months ago, a Dollar General store was put in on my side of town. This means that I don't have to drive to the nasty one on the West side (I really never went there because it was so bad). B & I popped in one Saturday on a vendetta of saving a little money, and we were hooked!

I went there yesterday and got Jello cups, fruit cups, juice for M, canned vegetables, Mac & Cheese, other box stuff, deoderant, and laundry detergent. I spent just over $34 and we came home with a LOT! If you want to save money, go to the Dollar Store!

Between that and the butcher in Dewey, I will only have to go to the grocery store for TV dinner things for my lunch, bread, eggs, milk, fruits, etc. We bought meat for about the entire month at the butcher, and we only spent $65. Oh, man! I wish I had known about this place years ago because there is no comparison on the quality of the meat or pork to the stores packages. My absolute favorite is the sausage. It isn't spicy at all, so M will eat it and he really likes it.

One of these days, I'm going to calculate the savings in it's entirety. I do know that the meat from the butcher roughly runs around $1.99/lb. with a little variance. Take that you corporate giants!

GIT--Friday morning edition

Ok, I honestly don’t know how much more of GIT I can take. Yesterday, I turned her loose on a monthly reporting file (I shadowed her last time). She spent almost all day on it. Of course, I had to extract the files from the system for her because as is typical with this company and the one we support, it takes an act of Congress to get any type of access. Sometimes an act of congress isn’t enough.

She had screen prints to work with and the prior month’s file was out there as well. Now, if someone says, “When you finish, your file should look exactly the same as last month’s file,” wouldn’t you check and make sure it was like last month’s file? Uh, apparently not, because she didn’t have it set up like last month’s file. Also, ACCOUNTING RULE 101 SPECIFIES THAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO CHECK ALL FORMULAS BEFORE SENDING OUT A FILE. You had darn sure better be sure that everything cross-foots and ties out. Did I get that with this file? You guessed it.

I will admit some of my changes were probably nit-picky, but in financial reporting, consistency is key. So, I documented the changes for her and gave those issues to her along with a corrected copy so she could compare that to her file. (I know you are thinking anal much? here, and you aren't off base. I am anal, but that's what makes me a good accountant.)

While this is going on, one of my other co-workers in another subgroup comes over and mentions something that GIT has to have done BY 3 (better if it's earlier than that), so that throws out my training with her for the rest of the day. That's a good thing, but I was already getting worked up about having to train her this afternoon as well. I've never had anyone get under my skin this much--honestly!

In addition, I will admit that I sneeze more than the average jane (allergies), but please stop asking if I am ok! Also, you don't have to rub my shoulder consolingly every time you are in my cube, and my name is not honey, sweetie, kiddo, or anything else. You can call me by my first name; heck you can even call me by my last name. I even answer to hey you. But the sweeties and honeys are just a little annoying.

I have come to one conclusion though--GIT + me + pregnancy hormones = VERY bad combination. Under normal circumstances--GIT + me = bad combination anyway, but my hormones just aren't helping. I'd literally look at the items on my desk and visualize myself chunking them over the wall at her quite frequently.

Big Brother twists again

Well, as we all suspected, Eric was voted out tonight. The spin is, of course, that Maggie is now HOH. Now, here is what Maggie should do as HOH.

Disclaimer: I would love to accept props for this, but I'd be lying for coming up with this. This is all the Mister's idea.

Maggie should put up James and Beau. By nominating James and Beau, she actually has 4 people playing for her side with it comes to the POV competition. One of her group then wins the competition and removes Beau. Maggie then puts up James and Sarah and viola! You have broken up another couple and the entire alliance. In the process, you proceeded to ensure that there is one less couple who gets a chance at $1 million.

I knew I loved B for a reason. ;)

Finally a belly picture

As you can see, I'm just barely starting to show.

Why I don't shop

Let me just start by saying that I am not a small gal, so I don’t have that cutesy pregnancy belly that some women get. I really don’t like shopping for clothes under normal circumstances, so you can only assume that I HATE shopping while pregnant.

All of my clothes from when I was pregnant with M are mostly fall/winter clothes because I had M in late winter. So my pregnancy wardrobe this time around has been substantially lacking. Now that I am finally starting to show somewhat, my normal shirts just aren’t fitting anymore. (I’ve been in maternity pants for a while now.) So, I finally had to break down and go shopping for a few shirts yesterday. I left work about 30 minutes early and headed to Target. I tried on some shirts, but the ones that were dressier for work weren’t exactly working for me because of chest size. So I went up a size or so in Women’s and let’s just say, Uh, no. Of course all the shirts that were dressy enough there had a ruffle or a bow and blech!

So I went down to Sears and they were having a clearance sale! I picked out a few shirts, an outfit, and a dress and headed into the dressing room. The only shirts they had that were equivalent with what I could wear to work were a small floral print. Eww! I felt like a doily. I mean seriously, it was something a 70-year-old woman would wear. The dress wasn’t doing it for me either (chest issue again). The outfit was the only thing that was dressy enough for work and allowed for room to grow. So I spent 30 dollars on ONE outfit. The good thing is that I power shop, so the entire shopping trip was one hour for both stores. So, I need about 3 shirts and I have ONE, and I have to go shopping AGAIN this weekend. GRR!

Liar! Liar!

I was approached this morning by another co-worker that is training GIT (the original one). I guess GIT has been telling everyone she has been training with me and will be really busy the next few days training with me.

The thing is GIT has also been telling me she’s been training with other co-workers and that I will be able to train her this afternoon and tomorrow morning?

I smell a liar here! Please remind me that it is not professional to deck a co-worker. This touchy feely crap is driving me insane. How hard is it to understand the my space, your space concept, huh?

GIT today's stupid question

Yesterday, I sent a screen print via email to GIT that she would need to prepare an entry today. The screen print included the information she needed to populate and the transaction code of the screen she needed to access in SAP.

GIT emails me today to ask me what the shortcut is to this screen. My response: "The transaction code is at the bottom of the screen print. It's XXXXXXXX."

DUH, I'M TELLIN' YA!

Big Brother Booya

One of the local TV stations here has a segment during College Football/Basketball season called Bedlam Booya. Well last night, Big Brother had it's own BOOYA! going on.

Oh, man, I really think Kaysar's coup outdid Nakomis'. He totally has Eric right where he wants him, and I can't be more estatic! It wasn't pretty at my house last night as I was pumping my arms and saying, "Oh, yeah, baby! You've been had!"

It's pretty pathetic that I got that riled up over a TV show though. LOL!

Secrets

My MIL is evil. Ok, I'm just kidding about the evil part. She is actually a wonderful woman, but she has taught M something rotten.

This weekend, she taught M to come up to you and to tell you that he needs to tell you a secret. He will then get you very close to his mouth so he can act like he's going to whisper something in your ear and then he proceeds to lick you. Rotten...just rotten!

Well, now, this is his favorite thing to do and the bad thing is that you can really ever tell if you are getting a rotten secret or a real one.

Grandmas...gotta love them.

PSA--Leftover Lunch remnants

One of my co-workers has deposited what smells like a mixed fruit cup into his or her wastebasket. The smell is so sickeningly sweet; it actually is making me nauseous and giving me a headache as well.

I had another co-worker come into my cube and smell, and she assured me she could smell it too, and her sniffer isn't too great. You can just imagine what it's like for a pregnant woman whose sense of smell is so keen.

So, for those working individuals (or those soon to enter the workfroce) that read this blog, here goes nothing:

Please dispose of your lunch remnants in the trash cans provided in the cafeteria/break areas. No one wants to smell your lunch for the remainder of the working day.

Manic Monday

It has been a few days since I posted, so this will be a catch up thread. Pull up a chair, grab a coke, and settle in. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Swimming lessons

M completed his session of swimming lessons. The head of aquatics wants him to continue in this class level until he matures some more. I completely agree. I loved his instructors though. They had a remarkable amount of patience (which is needed with M).

Training

Well, I got both girls trained on settlements, and everything ended up well. There was a valuable lesson learned, so that is good. Of course, the training probably didn’t help my blood pressure levels, which I am supposed to be monitoring.


Pregnancy

Everything is still going well. My blood pressure was up a little bit at the last appointment (hence the mention in the above). I have been monitoring it though and it’s been pretty good. I took my 1 hour glucose test Saturday and my OB’s office called back to let me know it was good so everything is right on track.

Harry Potter

I finally finished Book 6. We are still working through the book as a family though. All I can say is wow! JK Rowling did such a remarkable job. This book explained so much. I'm also glad that I can finally read comments about the book without having to read spoilers. UGH!

Other random thoughts…

I took an antihistamine that my mother-in-law brought home for me. It’s a dissolvable kind. Blech! I’ll have to remember NOT to take this unless I’m getting ready to eat. The aftertaste is horrible. I have also smelled this sickeningly sweet mixed fruit cup type smell around my office today and it’s making me nauseous. Ick!

GIT X 2

Well, it's gotten to be my busy time of the month. As my profile shows, I work in the energy industry (more specifically crude oil), and this is our settlement time. Today, I had to train my replacement and another lady as well who is filling a position vacated by another employee that moved elsewhere within the company.

GIT#1 (my replacement) actually did fairly well with settlements. She entered a few numbers in the wrong areas of the spreadsheet, but heck, I've done that. As we reverified numbers today when working on getting the items into the accounting system, things started to click as to what was supposed to go where.

GIT#2 (employee replacement) did ok with the settlements as well. The other analysts she worked with seemed ok with her work.

And then we get today...

GIT#1 has worked with the systems somewhat and has uploaded journal entries; GIT#2 has not.

So today I walked them through how to generate the journal entries with the settlement system and how to format the journal entries. I didn't let them upload. I also explained that sometimes a number gets thrown out and that if there is a "0" amount there, to delete that line because the validation system will kick it out. Well, the "0" lines got deleted as did the system generated lines that didn't have any information in the lines except the system information. I looked over the journal entries and after looking at the second one, I knew my fears had been confirmed. So, I had to go in and reset the system, reextract the journals, and then reformat them. Talk about a headache.

The good thing about this...GIT#1 & GIT#2 both learned from this mistake. It put us about half a day behind, but when you are training someone, that's not that bad.

*sigh*

Swimming safety

Tomorrow is the last night of swimming lessons for M. Tonight, they covered a little bit of water safety. The instructors arranged the kids on the side of the pool and had them lie down on their stomaches and use their hands to pull in the instructor. They also had them use a noodle to pull in a person.

Well, of course, it gets to M. M does ok on the hand. Then it gets to the noodle. Rather than pulling the noodle toward him, M decides to blow into the hole in the noodle to blow out the water. Luckily the instructors find him so amusing.

Edited: Oh, I forgot about the boating safety. The instructors had a raft and they showed the kids how to get into a boat. They then took them further out in the water and shook the raft and showed them how to hold on and then

They capsized the raft. M started bawling. He doesn't mind going under...but only as long as it is of his doing.

He is doing fairly well since he is still so young. He can swim with a floatation belt and can somewhat do the crawl and the breaststroke. Now, if I could just get him on his back long enough to practice the backstroke and crawl on his back...

GIT (midday post)

GIT finally appeared for work today at noon. The first thing she does is come and ask me how my weekend is, which is fine, but she touches my back soothingly in the process. She then proceeds to stick her nose into a comment I had made just prior to my cubby next door about the not so helpful help desk getting back to me about the printer installation issue I was having. I can now finally print to the new printer. It only took 2 1/2 weeks to resolve the issue and I work for a computer company. Sheesh!

I really wanted to bust a "Baby" from Dirty Dancing on her about the touching thing though.

"This is your space. This is my space."

Now keep your hands to yourself please!

Of course, she shows after the busy part of my day is complete. Now she is cross-training with another co-worker on part of another desk, which is just fine by me. I'll let her work on co-workers stuff for a while and then we will cover verifications. *sigh*

GIT

I have been considering writing a similar post for a while, but I have honestly refrained for ethical reasons. However, I can't keep myself from it any more.

I am training a girl at work to take my place while I am out on leave. The girl I'm training (hereby referred to as GIT for the remainder of the post) is leaving a little bit to be desired. The main reason is that GIT just really rubs me the wrong way. While I am sure she is approximately 20 years my senior, I do not appreciate being called "kiddo." Every time she calls me "kiddo," I want to throttle her. I understand that I am only 28, but I've been an accountant for almost 10 years. I've probably done more in those 10 years than she has in her lifetime--FASB rework, financial reporting, intercompany reconciliations, etc.

The second thing that bugs me is that she is always asking how I am--I'm pregnant; it's not like I have a terminal illness and I've had no complications and have only missed 3 days of work since being pregnant and that was when I had the stomach bug coupled with morning sickness. I'm fine; I'm actually peachy!

Third, she always says, "It will be ok." Uh, I wasn't aware that I or my coworkers were stressed out that badly. I'm not stressed. I was actually quite calm until GIT arrived.

Fourth, I seem to remember that giving shoulder rubs is considered not acceptable for the workplace. GIT always comes up and puts her hand on my back or rubs my shoulders and it makes me so uncomfortable.

So, because of little things like that, I will admit that I am probably projecting a little bit of my feelings toward GIT. However....

Today I came in to a voicemail stating that GIT has heat exhaustion again. She's going to try to come in later. *eyeroll* This is the second time in being here less the three weeks she has been here that she has called in due to heat exhaustion. The next two days are the busiest of the month on my desk. Yes that means that I shouldn't have time to blog, but I'm waiting on IT gal to log in and load my information into the system for me. I know she's probably interviewing elsewhere for another position, but COME ON ALREADY! Part of finding a job is being reliable and I am just not seeing it.

So as you can see, my patience for GIT is waning even more.

Hallelujah!

B finally got to feel the baby kick yesterday! This is a monumental occasion as normally the baby calms down whenever he tries. He never did get to feel M kick. M would seem to go to sleep as soon as B placed his hand on my belly too.

Annie

One of my nieces is very involved in the theatre and dance. She has been in several Children's Theatre productions and is really quite talented. Well this weekend we attended the musical, Annie, in which she was a member of the orphan's chorus. (On the odd chance that you are reading this, A, you did a wonderful job!)

M's first exposure to A's performances was around the time he was 18 months old. He has been to her recitals, saw her in The Nutcracker, Annie, Huckleberry Finn, etc. He loved Annie! He really did very well, considering the show didn't start until 7:30 pm. He danced; he clapped; his only complaint came when one of the singers started projecting (I believe it was Mrs. Hannigan) and he complained that she was screaming at him.

He was overjoyed to get a hug from our orphan, A, and he wanted so badly to go and give Annie hugs and kisses. (The funniest part of the evening actually came from the little girl halfway up stage left that sang along with Annie on Tomorrow.)

All he has done all day has talked about A and Annie.

Angel

The other evening, M was in bed with B & I, and we were watching TV. I had my hands on my belly, as the baby was kicking.

M was lying between B & I mimicking me. He was rubbing his belly too. When B & I inquired as to what he was doing, he said as serious as could be, "I'm feeling my angel kick inside my belly."

The kid's a mess.

My ears! My ears!

Well, as if the Pistol Pete icon on the side container of my blog and my Gerald Green rant hasn't alerted you to this fact, I am a HUGE Oklahoma State fan. My favorite sport to watch is college basketball. I'm all about the madness, baby!

Ok, now that you have the foreward, let's get to the story.

My SIL and BIL have gone to Branson with their kids and Meme & Papa for a few days. SIL dropped off the housekey to B so we can take care of their labrador. The small inside dog is at a kennel and we are picking him up tomorrow for them because they won't be back in time.

Well SIL's keychain was one of those that plays the college fight song and SIL's family are OU fans (hey, no one can be perfect, can they?).

M finds the keychain on the counter this morning and picks it up and it's starts playing "Boomer Loser." Blech! As expected, the keychain becomes a novelty to him and he keeps playing it over and other despite my pleas for him to stop. At least he redeemed himself by singing along to it with his own words of "Burn the Schooner!"

Atta boy!

(But I so didn't want to hear "Boomer Loser" first thing in the morning, let alone on a TGIF. I was almost writhing in pain.)

Swim lessons

M is taking swimming lessons at the Y for Monday through Thursday for the next two weeks. He has already had parent/tot classes, so he moved up to an instructor taught class this time. He's a pike. In the pike class, the children swim with a flotation belt. Of course, M has no fear of water, but he's a 3.5 year old (I think he's possibly the youngest in his class), so he also doesn't listen. He loves to swim, and he just kind of goes on his merry way.

They have the classes separated by lanes, but there is no divider separating the deep end of the pool from the shallow end. Yesterday, the instructors (the Y's lead aquatics lady and two of the teenage lifeguards) had to keep corraling M b/c he kept trying to head toward the deep end.

Imagine my surprise today when the kids did indeed swim the length of the pool and back 4 or 5 times. M was the slowest, but that's because he is still trying to walk kick (using his whole legs) and he isn't crawling yet. So tonight, we came home and I got him in front of me and we worked on the crawling technique. I have a feeling he will have to repeat this class again next year, but the instructor just laughed at me and assured me he was doing great.

She did also laugh and say, "I'm sure you are wore out at the end of the day with him around."

It's a good thing my hair is colored blonde so she can't see all the grey and white hair I have already. I promise you, the kid has put it there.

How to start your day with a positive outlook

I got this today from a Yahoo group I'm a member of, and I thought it was too great not to share. I only wish it was this easy....

How to start your day with a positive outlook

1. Open a new file in your PC.
2. Name it "Housework."
3. Send it to the RECYCLE BIN.
4. Empty the RECYCLE BIN.
5. Your PC will ask you, "Are you sure you want to delete Housework permanently?"
6. Answer calmly, "Yes," and press the mouse button firmly....
7. Feel better?

Life in the fast lane

The highways here in OK actually have signs posted along them that say "Slower traffic please keep right."

HOWEVER

Mr. Idiot driver in the White Kia,

If I am in the fast lane and the speed limit is 65 and I'm doing 70, then I am actually breaking the traffic laws. Therefore, if I'm not going fast enough for you, wait until you can pass or I can get over for you, and then go on your merry way.


DO NOT, and I repeat, DO NOT FLASH YOUR LIGHTS AT ME AND EXPECT ME TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY.

My stubborn self will stay in the fast lane if you are going to be rude! MORON!

For the rest of cyberland that actually drives nicely, good morning!

My sweet little man

M is very much a snuggler; he always has been. He also loves to play with women's hair. I can always tell when he is getting tired, because he starts twirling my hair in hands or starts petting it (like he did just now). He's just always played with my hair when he needs consoling or is tired.

Last night we stayed at my mother's. Well, the thing is he snuggled against me all night last night. The guest room has a twin bed with a trundle which we pulled up for him. Around one, he ended up in the twin bed with me. The thing is the kids already have a case of sibling rivalry going on. The baby kicks at M in utero whenever M is in my lap, etc. So in order to get any sleep, my back had to be toward M which made my rhomboid muscles very sore. If I slept spooning M which is more comfortable for both of us, the baby kicked at M. Needless to say, I'm quite tired and sore tonight.

So, now, I'm sitting here waiting on B to call us back to wish us good night (called earlier about M's swim lessons which I will post about tomorrow), and I'm yawning like crazy, my eyes are watering, and my back is killing me.

Well, I let M watch cartoons in the living room earlier and went to the bedroom and turned on Prelude to a Kiss for lack of anything better to watch on TV. I got out our percussion massager to try and work some of the stiffness and soreness out of my back.

M came in there and told me to lie down with my head on a pillow and he rubbbed my back for me with the massager. He did a very good job for a little boy too. What a sweetheart I have. He's going to make a fine husband one day.

Well, I can't hold my eyes open much longer, so until tomorrow....

Pleasant dreams! (Hopefully for all of us tonight!)

Cousins in cahoots

Well, almost cousins, that is.

My brother is engaged to be married in September. His fiancee, B, has a 4 year old little girl, A. Well tonight while my brother and B were working on wedding details with my mother and I, M & A were watching TV in my brother's quarters. I guess B & my brother had left the wedding stuff out, but they had made an effort to put it up in an area the children weren't supposed to be in.

Well, my brother went to check on the kids and found them playing bubble slide. Bubble slide consisted of my brother's laundry basket and the wedding bubbles dumped into the basket allowing for the kids to slip and slide inside the basket. It's hard not to laugh about it and to not simultaneously shake your head and say, "Oy vey," at the same time.

They aren't even legally cousins yet, and look at them. This experience is just one of many more to come, I sure.

Random thoughts

I'm sitting here blogging while waiting for my father's cake to finish baking. We are having dinner and a cake for dad today. His birthday was Thursday and he's 53 years young.

I started to get M dressed today and the outfit I pulled out is too small. He's is getting so big. We are now basically shopping for my 3.5 yo in the boy's section. He's too big for the toddler's clothing for the most part. He's wearing size 4 and 5.

So I had B bring in the box we got with our layaway yesterday that had M's Yoda in it and I folded it and put in the box.

ET...I never really watched this movie when I was a kid. That's almost un-American isn't it. Well it's on the Sci-Fi channel now, and M is watching it. I know B was excited because it's one of his favorite movies from his childhood. M is lying in the floor with his pillow and his play rifle just watching the show. It'as so cute.

Well the timer is beeping; it's time to get dad's cake out and start getting around to go to Tulsa.

For those in the path of Dennis the Menance, God Bless and you are in my thoughts and prayers!

Momma ain't happy

I'm using the computer as time to calm down before I head to bed.

It started when we got back home from Lowe's. There was a lot to get done before bedtime tonight. B has to travel to OKC on Monday and Tuesday for training, (and of course laundry was backed up) so I was making sure all the laundry except the towels was done today. While we were there, we picked up trim for the wall above the cabinets and an end piece to try and see if it fit. B looked at that while I emptied the dryer. M was trying to help me which I allowed him to do until he couldn't really help anymore. M went into the kitchen and was in B's way so he got upset with B.

B was sawing an end piece for the cabinets (we've been lying a tile cabinet top). B sent M out of the kitchen because he was in the way. Well, M got upset at B and said a bad word. I made him sit in time out. Then B called me in there to help and of course he was sawing on the cabinet area that had already been tiled and he got the tile too, so we are going to have to fix that. Luckily that's not expensive, but still....

When we got done with that, I drew a bath for M. Well, there is a step stool in the bathroom for M to reach the vanity better (it came with the convertible potty training chair), and M decided he needed to get that into the tub, so when I walked back in there (I just finished loading the washing machine and started it), there was water all over the floor. Now mind you, this is already after I caught him trying it once and told him no. At least it wasn't as bad as the Captain Jack episode, but still....

So, now B and M are in the bedroom watching TV, and I'm trying to calm down before I head back there. I'm also kind of waiting for the washing machine to finish so I can move the dark colored clothes over and start the towels which is all I have left to do.

In short, I'm tired (I only got a thirty minute nap today and I haven't really slept well all week), I'm cranky, and I'm not happy. Beware world!

Kids say the darndest things

M's intellect never ceases to amaze me. Often it seems like I'm not talking to a 3.5 year old at all.

Last night, M was needing attention, so he crawled into bed with B & I and watched TV with us until he fell asleep. We were talking about the baby kicking and being in my belly and I mentioned that he was going to have to learn how to share me soon. B replied that M was going to be a big brother very soon.

M replied, "I can't be a big brother. I'm just a little kid. I don't know how to be a big brother."

My heart broke and melted simultaneously and I hugged him close. He'll do just fine.

"Personal" conversations

I miss my office (but not the work). I am back to prairie dogging, aka cube you know what. As such, any personal conversations can be heard by all your co-workers. Luckily, they do have a small conference room for you to use to make those phone calls you really don't want to hear, eg the call to your gynecologist to schedule your yearly lube and boob aka pap smear or whatever it is you guys have done.

Unfortunately, not all phone calls can be taken in the conference room. This included a phone call from B.

5 PM: Cell phone vibrates

B: What time are you heading out?
Me: I'm actually shutting down right now.
Conversation ensues while I am cleaning my desk and walking to the kitchen to clean my coffee cup out. He mentions that he has steaks thawing for dinner, is on his way to play raquetball, and would I start the baked potatoes when I get home.

No problem. I also tell him Sunday's plans are canceled and basically tell him I'll talk to him when I get home. The conversation lingers. I'm back to my cube and I can't take it anymore.

I blurt out, "Baby, I'm going to have to let you go because I really have to go to the bathroom and I don't want to take you in there with me."

The two co-workers that were left sitting around me for the day busted out laughing at my expense. Sorry you had to hear that guys, but hey, when ya gotta go, you gotta go--especially when you are pregnant.

Loving two

This was posted on a message board that I frequent, and I couldn't read it all the way through without getting misty-eyed. The only change has been to change the 2 year old to 3 year old, which is my & M's case.

Loving Two

I walk along holding your 3-year-old hand,
basking in the glow of our magical relationship.
Suddenly I feel a kick from within,
as if to remind me that our time alone is limited.
And I wonder: How could I ever love another child as I love you?
Then he is born, and I watch you.

I watch the pain you feel at having to share me
as you've never shared me before.
I hear you telling me in your own way,
"Please love only me."
And I hear myself telling you in mine,
"I can't," knowing, in fact, that I never can again.
You cry. I cry with you.

I almost see our new baby as an intruder
on the precious relationship we once shared.
A relationship we can never quite have again.
But then, barely noticing,
I find myself attached to that new being,
and feeling almost guilty.
I'm afraid to let you see me enjoying him -- as though I am betraying you.
But then I notice your resentment change,
first to curiosity,
then to protectiveness,
finally to genuine affection.
More days pass,
and we are settling into a new routine.

The memory of days with just the two of us is fading fast.
But something else is replacing those wonderful times we shared, just we two.
There are new times -- only now, we are three.
I watch the love between you grow,
the way you look at each other, touch each other.
I watch how he adores you -- as I have for so long.
I see how excited you are by each of his new accomplishments.
And I begin to realize that I haven't taken something from you,
I've given something to you.

I notice that I am no longer afraid to share my love openly with both of you.
I find that my love for each of you is as different as you are, but equally strong.
And my question is finally answered, to my amazement.
Yes, I can love another child as much as I love you -- only differently.
And although I realize that you may have to share my time,
I now know you'll never share my love.
There's enough of that for both of you -- you each have your own supply.
I love you -- both. And I thank you both for blessing my life.


Author Unknown

Taggin'

Last weekend, I bought a stretchy shirt in a size larger than what I would normally wear. I did this because (1) it will stretch and allow for room when I get bigger (still not really showing with this pregnancy), and (2) since M was a winter baby, I really don't have any summer maternity shirts and I needed a summer shirt that would accomodate my belly as the pregnancy progressed. I wore the shirt last weekend with no problems. Of course it has been washed and has shrunk a little (no big issue there because it was large last weekend).

I wore the shirt today to work, because it's one that can be casual or dressy depending on pants, etc. Well now the blasted tag is doing the I wanna pop out thing. I'll tuck it in and then someone points out it is sticking out. I guess if that is the least of my worries today then I'm doing good, but it's sure driving me nuts. It has been an ongiong battle already this morning and the day isn't nearly half over yet.


Of course, now I'm thinking, I wonder why I even wore this shirt today.

TGIF and is it five yet?

Bad mommy

As parents, we are supposed to be the adults in the situation, but there are times when we are just pushed to our limit and even we don't act like the adults we are supposed to be. I am guilty of stooping to that level this morning. M was just in a mood and was doing everything he could to push my buttons. By the time I had dropped him off at my mother's and after his temper tantrum there, I lost it. I quickly kissed him good-bye, sent him over to my mother who was sitting outside, and slammed the car door and left.

Now that I am here at work and have had time to calm down a little, I feel so guilty. The guilt is just overwhelming. I know we all do this as parents at times, but it doesn't make it any easier to swallow the humble pie, does it? So, if you are reading this. go hug your kid for me and let your child know that you love him or her. Saying you are sorry and telling your child over the phone that you love him just isn't the same as doing it in person.

I'm changing my name

Yes, you read that right. I'm changing my name because M is on a "Momma" kick tonight.

Scene: M is lying on the floor next to the computer chair going back and forth between saying "Aieee Aiieee Aiee" (Think Ozzy Osbourne's Crazy Train here which B just download to his cell phone for use as his new ringtone) and burying himself under his Snoopy blanket and repeating "Momma...momma...momma...momma."

This is in spite of my asking him what he needs and his laughing at me.

I think I'm off for Tylenol and hopefully pleasant dreams.

Anyone want to assist with a new name?

Speeders beware

I have nothing but the upmost respect for law enforcement officers seeing as how my husband used to work in law enforcement; my brother is a municipal police officer; my brother-in-law used to be a reserve deputy; and my step brother-in-law was a former municipal police officer. What I saw yesterday totally blew my mind, and all I have to say is "Way to go!" to the Tulsa Police Department.

My son stays with my mom during the day (aka Memaw). When I pulled to a stop at the stop sign on my mom's street, there was a motorcycle officer sitting in front of my mom's house. There is a 4 way stop at one end of the street and a stop on the alternating street there. Both are ran by motorists habitually. Some motorists don't even stop and breeze through the signs at 30 to 40 mph. The officer was there to issue citations for speeding and failure to yield. How awesome is that?!?!?!

I can honestly say I never have seen an officer patrol a neighborhood like that until yesterday. Thank you, Tulsa PD, for a job well done.

(I'm very curious to see how many citations were given.)

Fourth of July

My BIL put it best tonight. The 4th of July just isn't as much fun when you are an adult. When we were kids, it was almost like waiting for Christmas. You waited eagerly for the day to come in the summer where you could shoot off pop bottle rockets, light fountains, do smoke bombs, etc. It seemed like it took forever to get here and you never had enough time to light all the fireworks so you strung the popping out for at least another weekend or two.

As an adult now, you are sitting outside thinking about how stinkin' hot it is. The breeze that has been around all day, of course, desists as soon as the sun starts to set. Even if it is a fairly cool 4th, the lack of breeze, coupled with the humidity in the South, makes the evening sweltering. If you are lucky enough to be the parent or aunt or uncle that isn't appointed to supervise this year, you pull up a lawnchair and help keep an eye on the kids and freebase liquids to stay hydrated. If you are a supervising adult, you get to assist with the lighting of the fireworks, which also goes hand-in-hand with being the enforcer.

"C, get back. M make sure your arm is extended. J don't go past your uncle. Ok, run kids. Not now C; it's J's turn."

My evening consisted of me sitting in a lawnchair at the edge of the driveway and the country road. I was the designated sparkler adult. M would get up next to me like he was getting ready to sit in my lap and we would light a sparkler and wave it around. This only lasted for about 3 sparklers and then he got bored and wanted his father to get his F-150 truck out of the back of our truck so he could drive it around the yard. I also lit sparklers for my nephews, C & J. They did ok with them, but you still had to remind them to hold them away from their body and don't get near anyone with them.

Fun, huh? Now, I'm sitting in the living room with the air conditioner blowing on me and the fan blowing on me as well--cooling off--before I head to bed. You see, this parent (like it seems that my parents did as well on most 4ths) has to work tomorrow.

So, now I will retire to bed for the night. I pray there are no thunderstorms like there were last night. My built-in thunderdetector crawled into bed with us at 1 and spent the rest of the night there. My neck and upper back have been killing me all day. I know B pulled him away from me at least 3 times and I moved him back in the center of the bed twice. Sleep peacefully and Happy 4th!