Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The most fantastic bruise of '09..
I will start at the beginning, because that is usually the best place to start..
It was December 30th of last year (2009 in case you have already forgotten..) I was up stairs doing something that was probably really important (or maybe not, I really cannot remember..). Something urged me up, and down the stairs, something that eludes me at the moment. I always run down the stairs.
Always.
It is how I rationalize eating chocolate covered caramel macadamia nut clusters two at a time.
So I run.
This day, I happened to be barefoot. I usually am, that is how I was born, and that is how I prefer to live. In the winter time, when it is cold, you may occasionally find me with slippers on my feet. Sometimes even socks. But this day, I was barefoot..
I made my way down the stairs, safely.
Then I hit the hardwood floor.
Now when I am sporting those occasional socks or slippers, I will usually continue with the gained momentum from running down the stairs, into a slide, just for kicks and giggles, to see how far I can slide.
It is my kind of fun.
This day, sockless and slipperless, I consciously did not purposefully slide. I was pretty successful at first, until I began to slide.
I was thankful in that moment, that my life is not a reality show, as I did not wish to have an audience at this time, but as I continued in that slide, on my left side, very quickly going down, and going down very hard on my left butt cheek, I realized that I did, indeed, have an audience of one.
Ashley.
She was behind me on the stairs.
She witnessed the whole event.
As my body made that loud, loud noise on the hardwood floor, my hand came down also very hard, in a slap on the floor. It was not a slap of anger, rather a slap of defeat.
The floor got me.
It was funny to me.
As I let out the first round of roaring laughter, Ashley slowly, and very carefully began her retreat back up the stairs, backwards. She stayed low to the ground, so as not to be seen. She kept her eyes on me, watching for tears, listening for more loud, confusing noises to come out of me.
When she realized it was laughter, she came down to laugh with me.
It was the best medicine.
A day later, new year's eve, we found our little family settling down for the night at the local Best Western.
Our room was all set up. King bed complete with a twin sized roll-away bed that we placed at the foot of the king bed so the girls could better see the TV for the great countdown.
Ashley was wiped out (from all the hilarity from the previous day?) and Lynn was wide awake. But even more wide awake was Peyton, who kept getting down, off the larger bed, going to the smaller, and bugging Ashley.
Time after time, I got up to get her out of Ashley's face, and just when I thought I couldn't do it anymore, that roll-away's frame tagged the back of my right calf.
It hurt.
I think the sharp intake of breath was warning enough for little miss P. She didn't venture that way again..
So why am I telling you all of this?
Because I am sporting a rather nice bruise.
(Notice the lack of an "S" on that last word in that last sentence.)
I am more than a little miffed at the placement of this bruise.
It is not on my upper left leg, closer to my back.. but above my knees.
It is on the side of my right calf.
It is dark.
A little souvenir from my night at the hotel.
A friend asked if everything was okay at home when she noticed it.
Roll-away beds will become the new "fall down the stairs" I tell you...
I am miffed because that slide was awesome, and a lot louder than that bump into the bed. I should have more to show for it than that one vein that is slightly more blue in color now.
Makes me wonder if all this nearing 30 business is making me more like my mom.
We would tap her on her shoulder and tease her that we would see a bruise appear no later than the next day, if not right before our eyes.
That wouldn't be all bad...
If I were becoming more like my mom, then maybe, just maybe, I would lose the ability to yell at my children. Maybe my patience will increase amazingly overnight...
Maybe...
I am too much like my dad.
I wonder if he gets bruises over the lame stuff too.....
It was December 30th of last year (2009 in case you have already forgotten..) I was up stairs doing something that was probably really important (or maybe not, I really cannot remember..). Something urged me up, and down the stairs, something that eludes me at the moment. I always run down the stairs.
Always.
It is how I rationalize eating chocolate covered caramel macadamia nut clusters two at a time.
So I run.
This day, I happened to be barefoot. I usually am, that is how I was born, and that is how I prefer to live. In the winter time, when it is cold, you may occasionally find me with slippers on my feet. Sometimes even socks. But this day, I was barefoot..
I made my way down the stairs, safely.
Then I hit the hardwood floor.
Now when I am sporting those occasional socks or slippers, I will usually continue with the gained momentum from running down the stairs, into a slide, just for kicks and giggles, to see how far I can slide.
It is my kind of fun.
This day, sockless and slipperless, I consciously did not purposefully slide. I was pretty successful at first, until I began to slide.
I was thankful in that moment, that my life is not a reality show, as I did not wish to have an audience at this time, but as I continued in that slide, on my left side, very quickly going down, and going down very hard on my left butt cheek, I realized that I did, indeed, have an audience of one.
Ashley.
She was behind me on the stairs.
She witnessed the whole event.
As my body made that loud, loud noise on the hardwood floor, my hand came down also very hard, in a slap on the floor. It was not a slap of anger, rather a slap of defeat.
The floor got me.
It was funny to me.
As I let out the first round of roaring laughter, Ashley slowly, and very carefully began her retreat back up the stairs, backwards. She stayed low to the ground, so as not to be seen. She kept her eyes on me, watching for tears, listening for more loud, confusing noises to come out of me.
When she realized it was laughter, she came down to laugh with me.
It was the best medicine.
A day later, new year's eve, we found our little family settling down for the night at the local Best Western.
Our room was all set up. King bed complete with a twin sized roll-away bed that we placed at the foot of the king bed so the girls could better see the TV for the great countdown.
Ashley was wiped out (from all the hilarity from the previous day?) and Lynn was wide awake. But even more wide awake was Peyton, who kept getting down, off the larger bed, going to the smaller, and bugging Ashley.
Time after time, I got up to get her out of Ashley's face, and just when I thought I couldn't do it anymore, that roll-away's frame tagged the back of my right calf.
It hurt.
I think the sharp intake of breath was warning enough for little miss P. She didn't venture that way again..
So why am I telling you all of this?
Because I am sporting a rather nice bruise.
(Notice the lack of an "S" on that last word in that last sentence.)
I am more than a little miffed at the placement of this bruise.
It is not on my upper left leg, closer to my back.. but above my knees.
It is on the side of my right calf.
It is dark.
A little souvenir from my night at the hotel.
A friend asked if everything was okay at home when she noticed it.
Roll-away beds will become the new "fall down the stairs" I tell you...
I am miffed because that slide was awesome, and a lot louder than that bump into the bed. I should have more to show for it than that one vein that is slightly more blue in color now.
Makes me wonder if all this nearing 30 business is making me more like my mom.
We would tap her on her shoulder and tease her that we would see a bruise appear no later than the next day, if not right before our eyes.
That wouldn't be all bad...
If I were becoming more like my mom, then maybe, just maybe, I would lose the ability to yell at my children. Maybe my patience will increase amazingly overnight...
Maybe...
I am too much like my dad.
I wonder if he gets bruises over the lame stuff too.....
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Posting locale...
I know that you can't tell.. there isn't anything different about the way I type, you aren't enjoying the same atmosphere that I am right now, you cannot hear the music I am listening to. Even if you were here, you most likely wouldn't even recognize the music to enjoy or appreciate it, and you wouldn't feel the same comfort I do hanging out with Merrill Pitcher.. I am not posting from my comfy computer chair in my loft, rather, posting from Merrill's lair. Thanks to the lack of connectivity with the wireless internet that we had before Windows 7.. we still have some learning to do and some kinks to un-kink with our system. But I love Windows 7 anyways. :)
His office (lair) is in the basement.
Have I ever said how much I love our new house?
Sure, there are times when I miss the old place.. like when we had to chop off the bottom of the Christmas tree to get it to fit in our living room.. but this house has answered a lot of prayers for us in many ways.
I had my own craft room at the old house, and I do here too. My room here has room though.. room for what Merrill and I have ALWAYS wanted.. a comfy chair or even a love seat to be in my room for him to come and lounge on while we talk, and laugh, and while I create. He loves to read and listen to his music too, and I love having him there. We spend a lot of time as a family there. The girls create and color too. We get out the chalkboard and they play school. Merrill will read to them while we sit there, all cozy and happy together.
At the old house, Merrill dreamed of having his own room.. an office slash music type of sanctuary. A place where he could display his vinyl collection and autographed emepheria and not run the risk of little hands appreciating it as well.
Don't get me wrong.. the girls hang out down here too. We sing and dance and laugh. Just today they were playing Best Western hotel with daddy. They had their hotel built out of empty boxes (that came from somewhere..) in the next room and he was their boss. It was so cute to hear the way that they were interacting with him.
We are in the process of making it his.. hanging things etc. He even has his own Scentsy warmer, and picks his own scents.. it's really cozy here.
We are hoping to get a nice comfy couch to have in his inner sanctum, where I can come and be with him, like I am now, but not on a folding chair that he complains of. It is pretty harsh on the toosh. Maybe hold a few make-out sessions? Hey, mom and dad did to Gordon Lightfoot back in the day... ;)
That would be an activity without the children. We already get razzed enough by them..
Point is, we have a lot of space here, and it doesn't take us apart. It has brought us together. We have enjoyed getting to know each other even better.. and I thought I knew him pretty well 10 years into it!
Right now, it bring sus all together. We don't have the distraction of a TV all the time, the girls have the space to play together.. I don't have to worry about where the hand-me-downs fit. (O months to 7 years tends to make a lot of storage bins...) It has been a good transition that has optimized our time together. No more organizin and re-arranging things in the house to make room for this or that, we get to spend our time together.
Someday, the logisitics of things will change. I bet that the girls will all be downstairs in the three basement bedrooms when teenagerdom hits, if not sooner, and then our rooms might enjoy a closer proximity, but now, the space is nice. I don't have to stress or worry like I did before.
The fun just keeps coming!
So I guess I really don't mind the wireless not working like it should upstairs.. just gives me more time with Merrill. :)
His office (lair) is in the basement.
Have I ever said how much I love our new house?
Sure, there are times when I miss the old place.. like when we had to chop off the bottom of the Christmas tree to get it to fit in our living room.. but this house has answered a lot of prayers for us in many ways.
I had my own craft room at the old house, and I do here too. My room here has room though.. room for what Merrill and I have ALWAYS wanted.. a comfy chair or even a love seat to be in my room for him to come and lounge on while we talk, and laugh, and while I create. He loves to read and listen to his music too, and I love having him there. We spend a lot of time as a family there. The girls create and color too. We get out the chalkboard and they play school. Merrill will read to them while we sit there, all cozy and happy together.
At the old house, Merrill dreamed of having his own room.. an office slash music type of sanctuary. A place where he could display his vinyl collection and autographed emepheria and not run the risk of little hands appreciating it as well.
Don't get me wrong.. the girls hang out down here too. We sing and dance and laugh. Just today they were playing Best Western hotel with daddy. They had their hotel built out of empty boxes (that came from somewhere..) in the next room and he was their boss. It was so cute to hear the way that they were interacting with him.
We are in the process of making it his.. hanging things etc. He even has his own Scentsy warmer, and picks his own scents.. it's really cozy here.
We are hoping to get a nice comfy couch to have in his inner sanctum, where I can come and be with him, like I am now, but not on a folding chair that he complains of. It is pretty harsh on the toosh. Maybe hold a few make-out sessions? Hey, mom and dad did to Gordon Lightfoot back in the day... ;)
That would be an activity without the children. We already get razzed enough by them..
Point is, we have a lot of space here, and it doesn't take us apart. It has brought us together. We have enjoyed getting to know each other even better.. and I thought I knew him pretty well 10 years into it!
Right now, it bring sus all together. We don't have the distraction of a TV all the time, the girls have the space to play together.. I don't have to worry about where the hand-me-downs fit. (O months to 7 years tends to make a lot of storage bins...) It has been a good transition that has optimized our time together. No more organizin and re-arranging things in the house to make room for this or that, we get to spend our time together.
Someday, the logisitics of things will change. I bet that the girls will all be downstairs in the three basement bedrooms when teenagerdom hits, if not sooner, and then our rooms might enjoy a closer proximity, but now, the space is nice. I don't have to stress or worry like I did before.
The fun just keeps coming!
So I guess I really don't mind the wireless not working like it should upstairs.. just gives me more time with Merrill. :)
Friday, January 1, 2010
2010..
What will it bring?
I can think of many possibilities but I am mostly thinking about what I can do to make this another great year in my life and for my family.
I have been letting the goals in my head percolate for a while now, deciding which are truly important enough, worth the time and energy..
Here's just a smattering:
- Read more. I have already started compiling a list of books for myself, and books to read with the girls.
- Run a 5k.. sometime this year. It was going to be a goal before 30, but that is not going to happen at this point!
- Read the Old Testament this year.. Genesis always gets me. "Begat.. begat.. begat.." (Snore....)
- Be more consistent with my Yoga. That might just help my shoulders to not feel the way they do now after shoveling two tons of snow.
- Read the Book of Mormon.. again. :)
- Actually have a calendar this year. I survived 2009 without one.. barely. I got to a point where I really should have had one, but thought I should just keep on going. I made it this far, eh? Why screw up a good thing? ;) Actually, it will be a series of calendars.. one wherever I may need it, and I will keep them all correlated.
- Using said calendars, I will plan a month-to-month routine, getting ahead of myself so life is a little bit easier come Christmas 2010.
- I rocked it on my layout goal last year.. I really did. I still haven't counted the final tally, I stopped when I hit the magical number. This year, I will keep that same goal, but add to it in that, when I design a digital layout, I will have to do one traditionally as well. So that is 144 + ? Yikes. Let's see if I can brag it up next year at this time.
- Dates. Merrill and I have no excuses now. We need to have more dates. We just started late night soaks after we get the kiddos down and they are AWESOME!! The adult talk time is priceless.. interruptions non-existent. There is something about the day after those soaks that make me feel so much more connected to him. Getting all dressed-up and going out together will probably have a similar outcome.
- Last year, I set a goal to be a better friend, and I am setting that goal again, as there is always room for improvement. Birthday cards were sent off late and that should not happen when someone is trying to be a better friend!
I will also be continuing my photo a day project. That was fun!
I have also been thinking awhile on my word for the year.. there were many prospects. I got serious on two of them but it goes to enjoy.
I learned a lesson on Facebook from my uncle when I posted my status update during the busy last two weeks of December. I posted that I was praying that I would get all the wrapping done, and that Peyton would stop the unwrapping. My uncle commented that he "prayed that I would enjoy this most wonderful time of my life."
Then and there I knew that was to be the word of the year.
I need to sit back and relax a bit. So what if that certain project doesn't turn out the way I intended? And what am I going to do if I didn't get to do as many fun things this break/summer/weekend/day as I wanted to with the girls? I should just enjoy what we did get to do and not fret about the details.
Ahhhhh... there.
And so it begins.....
Happy new year everyone!!!!
I can think of many possibilities but I am mostly thinking about what I can do to make this another great year in my life and for my family.
I have been letting the goals in my head percolate for a while now, deciding which are truly important enough, worth the time and energy..
Here's just a smattering:
- Read more. I have already started compiling a list of books for myself, and books to read with the girls.
- Run a 5k.. sometime this year. It was going to be a goal before 30, but that is not going to happen at this point!
- Read the Old Testament this year.. Genesis always gets me. "Begat.. begat.. begat.." (Snore....)
- Be more consistent with my Yoga. That might just help my shoulders to not feel the way they do now after shoveling two tons of snow.
- Read the Book of Mormon.. again. :)
- Actually have a calendar this year. I survived 2009 without one.. barely. I got to a point where I really should have had one, but thought I should just keep on going. I made it this far, eh? Why screw up a good thing? ;) Actually, it will be a series of calendars.. one wherever I may need it, and I will keep them all correlated.
- Using said calendars, I will plan a month-to-month routine, getting ahead of myself so life is a little bit easier come Christmas 2010.
- I rocked it on my layout goal last year.. I really did. I still haven't counted the final tally, I stopped when I hit the magical number. This year, I will keep that same goal, but add to it in that, when I design a digital layout, I will have to do one traditionally as well. So that is 144 + ? Yikes. Let's see if I can brag it up next year at this time.
- Dates. Merrill and I have no excuses now. We need to have more dates. We just started late night soaks after we get the kiddos down and they are AWESOME!! The adult talk time is priceless.. interruptions non-existent. There is something about the day after those soaks that make me feel so much more connected to him. Getting all dressed-up and going out together will probably have a similar outcome.
- Last year, I set a goal to be a better friend, and I am setting that goal again, as there is always room for improvement. Birthday cards were sent off late and that should not happen when someone is trying to be a better friend!
I will also be continuing my photo a day project. That was fun!
I have also been thinking awhile on my word for the year.. there were many prospects. I got serious on two of them but it goes to enjoy.
I learned a lesson on Facebook from my uncle when I posted my status update during the busy last two weeks of December. I posted that I was praying that I would get all the wrapping done, and that Peyton would stop the unwrapping. My uncle commented that he "prayed that I would enjoy this most wonderful time of my life."
Then and there I knew that was to be the word of the year.
I need to sit back and relax a bit. So what if that certain project doesn't turn out the way I intended? And what am I going to do if I didn't get to do as many fun things this break/summer/weekend/day as I wanted to with the girls? I should just enjoy what we did get to do and not fret about the details.
Ahhhhh... there.
And so it begins.....
Happy new year everyone!!!!
Goodbye 2009...
We spent our New Year's Eve partying it up with Merrill's family.
Merrill, Brooke and I were rockstars playing Rockband.. I won't begin to share our scores, they might make you feel badly next time you play and score less than our average 93%... Merrill was our guitarist, Brooke was awesome on drums, and I.. I saaaanggggg!
It was a lot of fun.. we even debuted as a family gig, Merrill and the girls and I, but sadly I have no pictorial proof of our awesomeness.
We ate too much yummy food, although I could have eaten more crab legs now that I think about it...
Merrill put himself to work the 12-8 shift so his employees could party it up in their own realms.. so we spent the night at the hotel.
We were hoping to swim, but due to our encore ;), when we got to the hotel, it was a tad too late.
So we goofed off a bit in the room..
We slept incredibly.. so incredibly, that we missed breakfast, but thanks to the awesome general manager there, we were able to get some cereal and juice.
While Merrill slept a little in that awesome bed, the kids and I went and swam for a bit. I sat in the hot tub, trying to get my shoulders to feel better after shoveling that snow the other day.. I tell you, it was tough work!
Merrill, Brooke and I were rockstars playing Rockband.. I won't begin to share our scores, they might make you feel badly next time you play and score less than our average 93%... Merrill was our guitarist, Brooke was awesome on drums, and I.. I saaaanggggg!
It was a lot of fun.. we even debuted as a family gig, Merrill and the girls and I, but sadly I have no pictorial proof of our awesomeness.
We ate too much yummy food, although I could have eaten more crab legs now that I think about it...
Merrill put himself to work the 12-8 shift so his employees could party it up in their own realms.. so we spent the night at the hotel.
We were hoping to swim, but due to our encore ;), when we got to the hotel, it was a tad too late.
So we goofed off a bit in the room..
Some silliness..
Lynnie, Peyton, me, Ashley, and Sparkle Belle Beauty Snowflake Gracie Sally
(The doll's name changes everyday.. at least.)
Pretending to sleep.
Throwing up silly signs..
And Peyton took note of all the happenings..
We slept incredibly.. so incredibly, that we missed breakfast, but thanks to the awesome general manager there, we were able to get some cereal and juice.
While Merrill slept a little in that awesome bed, the kids and I went and swam for a bit. I sat in the hot tub, trying to get my shoulders to feel better after shoveling that snow the other day.. I tell you, it was tough work!
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