Happy Mail

I love mail! It makes my whole day, if not my entire week. Really, it does. Here is the latest in the Happy Mail category. Note who it's from. Yes, that indeed says "the best sister ever!" in the return address portion. Niiiice.


And here's what was inside. Yay for Death Cab. And double yay for Smashbox. I love the Smashbox primer. It's the best I've ever tried, and trust me, I've tried my fair share. Meg knows me so well, it's scary.

And in case you were wondering, I'm totally loving the new Death Cab album. I loved "Plans" so much, that I was leery of this new one. But it certainly didn't disappoint.

The Guilties

Guilt. I hate that word. More than hating the word, I hate the feeling of the Guilties. You know what I'm talking about. Everyone gets it, and I don't know anyone that likes it. But I've made a resolution. I am no longer going to feel guilty for being the way I am. And I think the best way for me to exercise my renewal of freedom from the Guilties, is to write it out. Plain and simple. Things I will no longer feel guilty about.

Bullets!

• Not being thin enough.
• Not being pretty enough.
  
• Not having a perfectly clean house.
• Not buying my kids everything they want.
• Not going to church every week.
  
• Having friends that are not Mormons.
  
• Preferring to spend time with my family than with the Ward.
  
• Using an occasional colorful word to enhance my point.
  
• Letting my kids eat candy, and preservatives, and watch TV.
  
• Being myself, and all that it encompasses.
  

I've been having an inner turmoil since we moved here. I have been finding out who I really am inside. And you know what? I kinda like me. I'm pretty cool. I would be friends with me if I wasn't me. I am fully aware that I may not be a spiritual person, or one who sees beauty in every day life, or even one who looks for those things, but I have my ways of staying happy and seeing what fulfills me. I also understand that what and who I am today is not who I will always be, but merely a beginning to what I can become. But I have to do the things that feel right to me. And it's not always the easiest thing. But it's who I am. I am me. And gosh darn it, I like me!

Garage Sale

I have entered a new world. A world of junk, dollar bills, and plastic tables and chairs. A world where .25 cents makes all the difference between life and death. A world where, as Sugar Daddy showed us, speaking Spanish can make you many, many friends in a hurry. I can't take much credit for the garage sale. I only had a few maternity clothes and a handful of toys to sell. I think my grand total was $4.50 or something, but it was still fun. This is my neighbor Kate. She is the garage sale guru. She gets the best deals on everything. Plus she totally gets free stuff from Freecycle.org, then sells it. What an imagination! If I tried that, I would end up with a car full of junk that no one else wanted. Anyway, she is the greatest neighbor, and my kids love her. She told them they could help her on Saturday with the sale, so at 5:30AM Saturday morning, Maggie gets up, dressed and heads to Kate's to start selling. Yes, 5:30 AM! Luckily, Kate sent her back home, and she didn't go back until 8:00, but since I was sleeping I have no idea what she was doing for those 2 1/2 hours. I'm such a good mom.

So that was my garage sale experience. I don't think I would ever do one on my own. I'm just not that motivated. But it is pretty fun to just chill and chat with the neighbors.

The Mowstress

I am in charge of the lawn duties. How very eco of me, huh? Yes, tis true, I mow the lawn every week. I also have taken up the weed whacker duties, which is a completely new experience for me. But if I do say so myself, the lawn looks pretty damn good.

But I have a problem.

You see, it should only take me about an hour to mow the front and back yards, and yet somehow it takes me 3. What could I possibly be doing wrong? I think I know.

It may have something to do with the fact that I have to stop and chit chat with the neighbors for an hour in between bag emptying breaks. This translates into long, long afternoons spent "mowing" the lawn. So I've decided to call those pesky gossiping neighbors that I love so much my "mowstresses". I think that's a pretty creative word, don't you? Feel free to use it in a sentence.

"On my last pass, along the grass, the mowstress stopped me to talk to her ass".

I think I just swore 2 times in this post. That's gotta be a record. And for all you G-Rated folks out there, sorry.

Everything's bigger in the Midwest

Okay, this has been a weird transition period for me. In Utah, we have exactly 2 seasons. Freezing, and construction. Here in Chicagoland, there is an actual Spring. Like with rain, and thunder and lightning, and everything. I certainly don't miss hearing about "the drought" like it is some sort of disease. So along with rain comes several things I'm not familiar with. First is the birds.

They come out in droves. Or would it be flocks? But they descend upon the yards as if they are a moving carpet of worm devourers. It's strangely beautiful.


Which brings me to the worms. Look at these things! I have my foot there for size reference, not because I was going to squish it. Not only are they ginormous, they come out and basically cover the driveway. When the rains subside, the asphalt is plastered with little shriveled worm corpses. When we subsequently draw on the asphalt with chalk, as kids tend to do, their little corpses are peeled up like scabs. It's disgusting.


And here's Maggie looking very concerned about the whole worm/bird/nature situation. She is not a nature lover. Everyday she asks me if there will be bees out. I always say no. I always lie. Sorry.

Convalesce

Patient arrived home at approximately 10:30 AM EDT on Tuesday. He basically walked up the porch steps, up the back staircase, and fell into bed, and has moved nary a muscle for hours now. He ate a blue popsicle at the hospital this morning, and has a residual blue tint on his teeth, which is actually a nice change from the blood stains that were there yesterday. Although it does cause me to envision a Smurf colony has taken up inside the hole where the uvula used to be.

Patient has not needed pain meds, as of yet, which is disturbing considering I waited an hour for them at Wal-Mart. Doesn't he understand? Just take one, honey, it will make us both feel better. But this is actually a good sign that his pain is under control. I expect patient to remain sleepy, or sleeping, for the rest of the day and probably all day tomorrow. I just hope he'll find a time in there to take a shower. Hope hope hope.

We have removal

It's official. The removula was completed today at 10:30 AM EDT. The patient is stable, groggy, but otherwise progressing nicely. It is planned for patient to be discharged Tuesday morning, as early as possible, as his wife hates seeing him in a hospital gown and bed. She is a very demanding woman. Ice pack for his overheating, no tea or coffee on his food tray, please, and keep the popsicles coming. She also doesn't believe the Nurse effectively took his temperature or blood pressure, and is concerned by his lower than normal oxygen saturation. However, all of these issues will be resolved through the night, with careful observation.

And that is all, folks.

Thank you for the many well-wishing emails and phone calls. And a special thanks to my little helper for taking my kid and not complaining about a 6AM intruder. You rock.