Fun For Friday

No picture today, sorry. But I have a funny story.

Yesterday we went to the pool. It has a water slide. I decided to be brave and try the slide. So I climbed the bajillion steps to the top, and watched my 7 year old nephew hurl himself down said slide. I got up my courage, and realized I really had to pee. After a couple of kids, it's hard to hold it, you know? So it was my turn. I sat myself down, pushed off, and peed my way all the way down the slide.

Yep, I did.

I totally couldn't help it. I need to do more kegels, I guess.

So you might want to rethink the whole going down the water slide thing if you're ever in line behind me. Don't say you haven't been warned.

Happy Friday!

Homeless

Last night, while I was lying in bed listening to Sean rattle the walls with his snoring and trying my damnedest not to punch him in the face, I got to thinking. I do my best thinking while restraining myself from spouse-icide. I'm homeless. Not like, head to the shelter and get a warm meal kind of homeless, but like I have nowhere to call my own, kind of homeless.

It's hard.

Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to be here. I'm so grateful for family being close, and I love having my kids going to a great school. But I miss having my own house. My own home. My own space to come home to and just do whatever in. I miss my dog. I miss my couch. I mostly miss my DVR. Who doesn't have DVR, these days, anyway? Does this sound like a bad country song yet?

And then there's my parents house. It's different. It's gone. I knew it would be, now that dad is remarried it shouldn't stay the way it was. But it isn't "home" to me either. So basically I have nowhere to call home for now.

I'm well aware that this is temporary. There's a good chance next year at this time we'll be settled into a teeny tiny apartment in Logan, and I'll be complaining about something else. But for now, this is tough. I feel like a visitor in my own life.

I just hope I don't overstay my own welcome and end up literally homeless.

G.H.C. Turns 3

3 years ago this very day, at this very hour, I was waddling through Target picking up a few last minute baby items. I was so uncomfortable walking, but I had been on bed rest with dangerously high blood pressure for weeks, so being able to waddle uncomfortably was like heaven for me. Pounding headache, scraping pelvic bones, and leaking urine were all a small price to pay for freedom.

At 4:00 we checked into the hospital, and at 4:45, miss Gretta Holland was delivered by C-Section. She weighed in at 5 pounds, 15 ounces, and though she was a month early, she was perfect.

I instantly felt better, the SPD having disappeared almost instantly upon her birth. The next day, despite a little friction from Sean, we were both discharged and sent home happy and healthy.



It has been a wonderful 3 years. Gretta has been such a blessing to our family. She was probably one of the best babies, not fussy or high maintenance at all. She loved her binky, and she loved "nursing", though it was never enough to keep her alive. She has always had a silly personality and great hair. Despite a few months when people thought she was handicapped because she had to wear a crazy helmet around, she has always been outgoing and crazy. I said if she was awake, she was moving. It's still true, today. She talks and talks and talks until bedtime, then she talks and talks and BOOM! asleep.

I love my little G. I'm more grateful for my family each time I see how fast she is growing. I don't think there are any more kids for me, my poor body just can't take it, so it pains me to see how fast she changes. I'm glad we're here in Utah to celebrate this birthday, so she can have her family around.

Love you little G. Happy birthday!

My Call Girls

Well, apparently the call out worked! I have 10 of you eternally committed to meeting for lunch. Did I forget to mention that by saying you'd come in the comments you are eternally bound, like for eternity? You totally are.

So table for 10, here we come.

I'll let you know more specifics when I figure out a time. Clisty** had suggested perhaps meeting at the Cafe Rio in South Jordan because it has better parking. I'm totally down with that. *How 'bout ya'll?



* Anyone that can tell me the movie origin of the asterisked line gets a prize at lunch. I'm serious. And if you aren't coming to lunch, I'll consider sending a prize.

** Post edit. After reviewing my comments, and after Clisty in fact brought this mistake to my attention, I realize it was Nikki that suggested the Cafe Rio in South Jordan. I apologize, Nikki, I'll be more careful in my giving of credit!

Murphy And His Law

This is the first time in our married life that we have had to go without insurance. It's tough. Every.Little.Thing scares me to death thinking it may be a catastrophe.

Well. As soon as we moved here, Gretta came down with a wicked sinus infection. I knew that's what it was. But I thought she'd be fine after a couple of days of Tylenol. I was wrong. Sean ended up taking her to our old pediatrician, paying $40 upfront and expecting to pay the difference in a bill to follow, and getting a diagnosis of bronchitis and a sinus infection. Mother of the year, right here. The antibiotics were $8. Not too bad.

Then, a week later, Maggie says at breakfast that she's not hungry. This instantly means she's sick, because I'm here to tell you, that girl loves her breakfast. She loves to eat, period. So I knew something was up. After a day of staying home from school, I thought she'd be better. That evening I got a whiff of her breath, and I knew it was strep. Strep breath. A dead giveaway. Emma has had it 10 times; I would know that smell in my sleep. So off the a clinic recommended by Heidi. $50, regardless of insurance status, and we had our diagnosis. Strep it was. More antibiotics. $4 this time.

After a weekend of good times, playing with cousins and having a sleepover, Kelli calls to inform me that said cousin of sleepover has strep. This means Emma probably has it too. So I check her out of school yesterday, take her over to the same clinic (where the PA doesn't charge me, because either I looked really poor an pathetic, or she just totally got that when one kid gets strep the other ones usually do, too) and sure enough, strep for Emma. Another $4 for antibiotics.

So now here we are, all three kids on antibiotics, all on the mend, and hopefully our CHIP will come through just as they are all better.

Murphy, I know your law, and I don't like it. I don't like it one bit.

A Call Out

When I was still living in Illinois, in fact, before I even knew I would be leaving Illinois, I did a very brave thing. Something that I still can't believe I did, because it's so unlike me. I took a huge leap of faith.

I met a bloggy friend in person. For lunch at Mimi's Cafe.

I hadn't met Tami before, but we had become fast friends on our blogs. She is from AZ, and was transplanted to a town about an hour from mine in Illinois. It was fun to share our experiences being away from "home", and how our kids had adjusted, and all the differences we noticed with the Church and all that.

But to actually meet someone from the internet in person? That seems kinda dirty, doesn't it?

But not Tami. She's wonderful! We had the best time chatting over lunch, and then making a trek across a frozen parking lot to See's Candy for Butterscotch Lollipops and Turtles. I mean, really, how could you not be friends with a woman that will trek across a frozen parking lot for chocolate?

This really taught me something, though. I'm braver than I give myself credit. That is my resolution for this year, to be brave. I think that was a good start. So, in keeping with that theme, I'm asking some of you to be brave.

Wanna meet, in person?

Now that I'm back in the homeland, there are so many of you that I need to catch up with, and so many of you (ahem, Kalli) that I need to meet for the first time. I'm being very brave putting myself out there. So unless you want to see me sitting alone at Cafe Rio, surrounded by a large, empty table, and enduring the ticked-off stares of strangers with nowhere to sit, you'll join me for lunch.

I'm thinking a Saturday. In Draper. And probably Cafe Rio, although it's not my favorite place, but I know so many of you love it. I'll take one for the team on this one.

Comment and tell me what you think.

Or do I just sound really desperate to get out of the house? Either way, cut this girl a break.


*some of you are expected to be there. Meg, Kelli, Nikki, Kathie, Jill, Heidi, Mandee, I could go on, but you know who you are.

And Here I Sit

I'm hiding out downstairs, listening to a conversation going on between Sean and his parents upstairs.

They're trying to figure out a schedule. A schedule for laundry, showers, and whatnot.

Yesterday was tricky. We have to be to church at 11, and they have to be at church at 1, sometimes earlier for meetings. That puts all 7, or 8 if Spencer is visiting like he was yesterday, of us vying for the shower during the same 1 hour window. It's not pretty. There's a lot of almost seeing people in their undies, and running half naked from the bathroom to the bedroom with a towel strategically placed and a prayer in your heart that no one is walking down the hall at said time.

It's good times.

Don't get me wrong, I love living here. I love having a place to call home during this time of upheaval. But here I sit, wondering how long I can tempt fate and not get caught naked and soaking wet by a dear, unsuspecting family member. Perhaps at that moment, I'll be evicted and banished to a homeless shelter, where I'll sit and post about other, more important, less embarrassing things.

Fun For Friday

If you look vvveeerryy closely at this picture, you can see an amazing image.


Yes, people, our friend Chad does indeed have a heart, and it appeared after a long, apparently strenuous basketball game.

Happy Friday!

The Boobies Have It

So I'm listening to the news with my Father In Law, and they're talking about mammograms. Now there is all sorts of confusing info on when to get mammograms and when not to. How old do you have to be? When is it recommended? When should you worry?

People, I have a strong opinion about this. If you feel like you need a mammogram, get one.

Don't wait for some busy, tired, careless, impersonal Doctor tell you how to take care of your own boobs.

If there is a time in your life when you feel something, get a mammogram, or an ultrasound, and don't listen to a doctor if they say you should wait.

And why is all this information coming from men? Do they have boobs? Shouldn't we as women be able to set the standards for what we feel comfortable with when it comes to our own breasts?

I'm just sayin'.

Carry on.

Assistance, Please

Well, now that we have joined the ranks of the unemployed, we are eagerly anticipating our moochiness to begin.

Problem with being government mooches? Paperwork.

Holy crap, it's a lot of work to be on assistance. Papers for everything, and phone calls, and meetings, and proofs of everything. But I figure we've paid into it long enough, we should be able to use it now that we need it.

I feel a little bit guilty about starting my kids on WIC and CHIP because we still have severance coming in. But honestly, if we can use these programs now, it will be easier to make the transition to full time studenthood and possibly the student loans route in the future.

Plus, we need CHIP since my kids don't have insurance at all. That is scary, folks. Gretta has been battling a double barrel booger fest for the last few days, I'm pretty sure she has a sinus infection, but what can I do? Wait for the 30 day waiting period to be over and then take her to the doctor. By then it will probably be cleared up on its own, but I don't think I have any other choice at this point.

I'm learning all about humility and how to see people for more than their circumstances. It's hard, but it's a lesson I obviously need to learn. I think I need a little assistance with that, as well.

Reunited, And It Feels So, Well, Fine

We made it. We have arrived in the Homeland of mountains and family. Things are good. It's nice to have a soft place to land during our free fall from life.

I'm gonna be honest, though. It's tough. I left behind some of the best friends a girl could have. I cried until about Belvidere, which means nothing to my Utah peeps, and very little to my Chicago peeps, but some of you will know that's a good 2 hour cry. That's a lot for this stone-hearted gal.

Now my new version of life begins. It's a lot different being a poor student, mooching off whatever services the government feels like handing out to us, and praying constantly that all this change isn't forever scarring my dear children for life. All I can hope for is that they see that being brave and chasing dreams and rolling with the punches is what life is all about.

So now I just get to enjoy having the warm envelope that is my family, and taking advantage of all the things I always said I would do but never did. It was good to see the faces of my dear family, and to start accepting the new normal that has become my life. I guess that's about all I can do for now.