Never Ever Have I Ever II

One of my favorite posts I've written is the Never Ever Have I Ever post from last year. Immediately after I posted it I came up with a couple more items to add to the list so I started a drafting a part 2 right away. 18 months later, I finally have a list long enough to share. I cannot come up with even one more "never". But how much ya wanna bet I'll come up with a couple as soon as I hit that publish button?

Anyway, if you are unfamiliar, this comes from a drinking game where you take a sip every time someone says something they've never done that you HAVE done. So I've never smoked a cigarette but if you have then you would take a sip of your drink. Got it? Ok. Get your drink ready and here goes.

 

Never ever have I ever....

...smoked a cigarette.

...had mastitis or a clogged duct.

...been scuba diving.

...drank Everclear.

...gone for a test drive. (bought lots of cars - never wanted to test drive them)

...been to a counselor or therapist.

...been to a chiropractor.

...eaten with chopsticks.

...been sailing.

...had a sinus infection.

...been to a rap concert.

...been to a strip club.

...paddle boarded or surfed.

...gone hunting.

...shot a gun.

...played hockey.

...been house shopping with a realtor a la House Hunters. (I've always wanted to though!)

...been to a MLB game. (That's a lie...I just remembered I have been to one!) Let's change this to:
...been to a major league soccer game.

...been to a state fair. Plenty of local fairs, never to THE state fair in any state.

...had an ingrown toenail.

...bobbed for apples.

...attended a protest.

...milked a cow.

...received an "F" as a grade.

...rode a unicycle.

...dyed my own hair.

...gambled in a casino.

...hired a babysitter that wasn't family or a close friend.

...been to the movies in 2016.

How did you do? Can you even read these words any longer? Nice and tipsy for a Tuesday evening?

It took me a year and a half to come up with this second list, so I think next time I need to list weird things I have done so I don't seem as sheltered and inexperienced as these "never" lists make me sound. I've done things! Really! I have! Once I went swimming...WITHOUT waiting 30 minutes after I ate.

Not Cool

It's not cool......

......to be a picky eater. I will never be a cool foodie.

.....to be an accountant. "Bean counter! Bahahahah!"

.....to be a thrifty shopper/yard sale shopper/consignment sale shopper. Unless of course you call it thrifting or if you are buying vintage. 

....to be pale and unable/unwilling to tan.

Baby or no baby - this white girl stays under the umbrella!

.....to watch Survivor anymore. Or maybe ever? I'm so uncool that I don't even know if it ever was cool in the first place. Much less to still be a big fan and still watching. (Started back tonight! Woo!)

...to have a cat instead of a dog.

.....to be a non-athlete. 

.....to enjoy puzzles - either of the jigsaw variety or even the Variety Puzzle book variety. NERD ALERT!

....to have been in band in school. Band dropout or not, I was still a band geek.

....to carry around a gigantic camera and flash attachment. Nor does my neck think that's very cool, either.

...to wear glasses. Gah. This is a fairly new thing for me so I'm still getting used to this one too. FOUR EYES!

....to BLOG for goodness sakes. 

You know what is cool(ish)?

To own it. I'm uncool to the nth degree!

Quick Takes

Hi! Whatcha been up to? Here's a few things that have been up with me.

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This is my second full week back at work and really it is going well. Laney has adjusted to being with my sister very well and is sleeping and eating like a champ for her! Makes it much easier on me when I know she's happy there. Pumping is going good too ever since that little awkward mishap on my first day back. Last weekend I froze 44 ounces from just that week's surplus plus all of Friday's milk. (I use frozen milk on Mondays so all of Friday's milk gets frozen.) That's INSANE to me. I never even had 44 ounces total with Charley. But number one rule of pumping: NEVER think you are getting ahead because as soon as you do, they will hit some crazy growth spurt and you'll struggle to keep up.

You know what else I love about going to work? Getting dressed and doing my hair and make-up. Man. I feel so much better about myself when I'm forced to do those things.

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Charley started swim lessons this week. Crazy story how that came to be. So, we knew she needed lessons but it is really tough to find any openings that work with our schedule. Most of the evening classes start at 5:45 - 6:00 and those not only fill up really quickly but making it to those would still be tough to do. And the Saturday classes are ALWAYS full too. I never could figure out what day I needed to log on to see the class schedule for the next month before they filled up.

Anyways, finally I decided this was something she needed and we would just try and make a 5:45 class work. I usually get to Charley and Laney at 5:25-5:30 and the pool closest to my sister's house is another 15 minutes from her house. So, I'd have to for sure leave work a little early to give me enough time to account for traffic, and then account for shuffling Charley, Laney and myself into the Y, then getting Charley changed and in the pool. It was going to be rough for sure. But I put her on the wait list for the class anyways.

On July 1st, I got an email that a spot has opened up and Charley could take the 5:45 class if we wanted. I gave myself the weekend to think it over.

Then, randomly at a July 4th party at a neighbor's house, the hostess told us about their new neighbors across the street. The lady that moved in had been a Y swim instructor for 10+ years and was offering lessons at her house in their pool. She didn't have a huge clientele yet so for very little money since she was still building her business, we could get private lessons at a house on our street. Insane, right? So, obviously we opted to try that first and let her spot at the Y go. She's had two lessons so far and it is just her and the instructor in the pool. How awesome is that?

And although it has only been two lessons Charley has done really well! She was apprehensive at first, but she responds really well to this instructor. And at times it is hard to know who is instructing who. "Okay, I will do this two more times and that's it, ok?" Ohh Charley.

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We also signed Charley up for dance this fall. We really don't want to do competition dance and all that, but it really isn't up to us is it? We will see how she likes it and go from there!

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We are on a major decorating kick lately spurred by a great paint sale at Lowe's. I keep meaning to take pictures of each room to update the Houseiversary post but I need the whole house to be clean to do that and we just can't quite get there. Last weekend we had 7 out of 9 rooms clean but just never got to those last two. I'll try again this weekend.

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I got my second Stitch Fix (that's a referral link) a few weeks ago and ended up keeping 2 of the 5 items. A third item was so close to staying also, but ultimately the budget I set for myself won and I sent it back. I kept these two things - jeans and the top. Those jeans are so so awesome. I wasn't sure about them at first but some friends talked me into them and I'm so glad they did. The brand is Liverpool and they were $78 and worth every penny.

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I am overdue on 5 different appointments - eye doctor, dentist, yearly physical, gynecologist, and haircut. Sure, I could have scheduled them all during those 10 weeks I was off of work but that would have been too easy. I will have you know that I did manage to schedule 2 of them this week. The first of which is Friday and is definitely the most important - a haircut.

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My Mama told me as I took this picture not to share it anywhere. I'm going to be a disobedient daughter instead and share it with the world because I think she's beautiful and I love how much she loves my babies! The feeling is definitely mutual with Charley who asks to see her every single day andddddd we're still working on Laney.

Only Me

Last year I shared a few little stories about things that seem to only happen to me. If there is an awkward situation, please, sign me up. I am very experienced in awkward happenings. Another one of these 'only me' stories happened on my first day back to work. When telling these stories I ALWAYS have to start out with....

"I SWEAR THIS STUFF ONLY HAPPENS TO ME."

 

So. My first day back at work. I wasn't back full time yet as I was using those last couple of weeks to ease us both back into the swing of things, but it was (supposed) to be my first full day away from Laney. We only made it until 2:00, however. Here's why...

As you know I'm breastfeeding Laney so pumping is now a part of my daily routine. It's very time consuming but I'm cheap, as you also know, and the cost of formula is a big reason why I continue to breastfeed despite the annoyance of the pump. Anyways, prior to having Laney I talked with a few coworkers that I know had recently had babies about where one may pump after having a baby, and every single one of them told me that they weren't able to breastfeed for one reason or another and didn't know if anyone in the company had EVER pumped after having a baby. Basically, there was no dedicated space for this. One coworker suggested using this lesser used bathroom/locker room (um no) and another suggested using an office that belongs to the OWNER of the company as he rarely comes to the office anymore as his son runs the business now. Not only would that be super awkward when he does come to the office, but most of his office walls are glass, so, again, no can do. After getting nowhere with them, I went to HR to ask for their help in figuring out a space that would work.

The lady in HR is single and didn't know much about breastfeeding or pumping either, so her first suggestion was also that locker room. To appease her we went to check it out but luckily there wasn't a place where I can set the pump down that was close enough to a power outlet so it truly wouldn't work. Whew. The ONLY other place that seemed to work was this one random office that was recently vacated that just had the one long glass window in the door - kind of like a classroom door. It could easily be covered with contact paper and there were no immediate plans for the office so it was perfect. She assured me that by the time I got back from leave that the room would be ready for my use. Perfect.

However, in the weeks after choosing that location and before Laney arrived, a new part time coworker needed a place to sit as all cubes were full and made herself home in this office I was soon going to need. No biggie, I thought, because surely they'll find another home for her in the next couple of months.

As you can guess, they did not find another home for her. I called in the day before I was to return and asked HR if that space was vacated which she of course told me it wasn't, but that she'd take care of it that day. Her and my boss then kicked the lady out of the office, covered the window with contact paper and let me know it was ready for me. Perfect.

I came into work that day and decided I'd do 3 pumping sessions per day. Laney ate at 6:30 that morning so 10, 1, and 4 seemed like good spaced out times. My first session at 10:00 went great. I pumped plenty of milk and felt comfortable in the office and of course locked the doorknob. It is one of those doorknobs that you can lock from the inside, but there is no need to unlock it each time because the knob still turns from the inside. Since I was the only one using the room I decided I'd just leave the door open when not in use so I wouldn't have to worry about locking the door each time.

Well someone else didn't think that was a great idea. It isn't really clear WHO, but someone decided that door should be closed and shut the door. The door was now locked and my pump was locked in there. No biggie, right? I'll just find the maintenance guy and I'm sure he has a master key. Guess what? He didn't. He suggested HR may have a key. Guess what again? They also didn't. No one had a key to this office and now my pump is locked away and it is getting really close to time to pump again.

For the next hour there were people trying credit cards, pry bars, and any other possible thing to get into this office for me. I am growing uncomfortable with not only the need to pump, but also with the fact that the previously discreet reason for my use of this office was now pretty public. I mean, not really a big deal, but when there are 6 men trying to break in a locked door they obviously sort of needed to know they were rescuing a breast pump and that was why the need to get in was so strong. Ha. But, nobody was able to break into this office by the time I HAD to leave. My only other source of relief at that point was Laney so I left at 2:00 to go get her. There were still a few hours left in the work day so I figured they would get it taken care of that evening for me before I returned the next morning.

Laney on her first (half) day with my sister. She had a good day!

As you can imagine, they didn't get it taken care of. I really just think most people there didn't understand the urgency of pumping. So, when I got to work at 8:00 the next morning, I made it known that I would only be able to stay until 10:00 unless we were able to get into the office. Finally, a locksmith was called and they had to pay extra to expedite his services. Not my fault! I a) didn't shut the door in the first place and b) left with plenty of time the prior day to have called a locksmith then.

When the locksmith pulled into the parking lot, there were cheers all around but none louder than me! Hooray!

 

$250 later, all was back to normal. I inadvertently normalized breastfeeding in my office without even trying. Ha. Also, they made sure to give me the spare key to the new lock. My boobs, and Laney, thank you.

Poor Chooser

During one of the middle of the night nursing sessions last week I had an epiphany about myself. I realized right then and there in the dark that I am a poor chooser. My choosing ability is just really not up to par. Here's how.

First, my car. I think this is what I was thinking about which led to all my other examples of being a poor chooser. I know when most people go out looking for a new vehicle, they car shop. Compare brands. Test drive different cars and do a lot of research. Me? Nope. My brother-in-law used to work for a Honda dealership so I let that be my way of choosing a vehicle because it would have been silly to go to another dealership and not use his connections. I once wanted a sedan type of car - boom. Bought a Civic. Then wanted a large SUV just a few weeks after Charley was born - boom. Bought the Pilot. Never even gave a thought to choosing something else. Limited choices make me happy. 

Decorating my house is one of my favorite things to do. While I don't agree with the statement, people have told me I missed my calling and could have gone into interior design. That would never work because of my poor choosing abilities. I realized this recently at a trip to a new HomeGoods store near me. I was so excited about going to a HomeGoods for the first time after seeing some of the things other bloggers have gotten from there before. But, I was so overwhelmed. It occurred to me that I wasn't able to pick and choose things from a store full of so many things I liked. I couldn't focus. I couldn't remember what spaces needed decor items in our house, and the couple things I did remember I couldn't pick anything that would work in a store that probably had a thousand different things that would work. I truly loved so much of what I saw but that was exactly the problem. There were TOO MANY THINGS I liked. Isn't that ridiculous?

Instead, garage sales do the choosing for me. With garage sales, there is a driveway full of stuff - most of it that I DON'T like and just a few things that I do. So I snag all of the things I like whether or not I currently have a place for it and I'm out a whopping $3 or something. If I snagged all of the things I liked in HomeGoods I would spend several thousand dollars. Don't make me choose! I'll go broke!

Where all of those things are stored until they find a home. 

And then clothing. It is the exact same thing there. When I go into a store if I don't have a specific item in mind that I'm looking for I just wander around. There are so many things I like that I just cannot pick a few to try. Those darn dressing room limits hinder that too. Even with Charley and Laney's clothing I struggle to just pick a few things. I need to have something specific in mind before I go into clothing stores or it just doesn't work and I walk out with nothing instead.

One way I remedy that for myself is with Twice. (that's a referral link) I know I've talked about that website a million times before, but it is truly how I've done MOST of my shopping for the last few years, minus the maternity part. Someone already has made the choices, (and then chose they didn't want it anymore, but we'll just forget about that part) and then I can just choose among the things in my size. Much easier.

And then, I added a new way to let somebody else do the choosing for me. I'm late to the game because I've been pregnant (and then not pregnant and then pregnant again) for as long as it has been around, but I didn't waste much time after having Laney to try it out. Stitch Fix. (also a referral link) If you don't know about it, it is a service where a personal stylist picks 5 things to send you at an interval of your choosing (I'm starting out by doing monthly) and then you pick what you like of those things and send the rest back. They try to give you things that you maybe would not have picked up yourself in a store. I got my first one on Saturday and it was a decent start. Here's what someone else CHOSE FOR ME. (Those words are just magic to my poor choosing ears)


#1 - Jersey dress. It is actually navy and white and I did like the fit and the pattern, but it was way too short. Especially in the back. Sent back.

#2 - Necklace. This is actually just my style. I like statement necklaces and I especially like this one since it is pretty neutral and can go with so much. KEPT.

#3 - Printed top. The jeans are maternity because I'm not quite into my regular jeans yet. Womp womp. Hope to get a nice Stitch Fix pair of jeans in the next few months. 

Anyways, this top is my favorite thing I got. The fit is perfect and I really like the design too. It has a zipper in the back too that I also liked. The only thing I don't like about it is that the sleeves go in at the back so a regular bra shows. I'll have to criss cross straps in the back to avoid that, so not a huge deal, but nursing bras typically aren't versatile like that so may not be able to wear it much right now. Regardless, I kept it. I do love it!

#4 - Dolman top. (again, same maternity jeans so don't judge those) This top is very flattering and I love the fit and the weight of it too. It WOULD be great for a postpartum body except that it is a little hot for a southern summer, so again, may not get a ton of use out of it right away. But I liked it enough that I kept it too. Next time I need to send a note to my stylist to be sure to account for how hot it is here right now. 

#5 - Maxi skirt. (that shirt is mine - they had it paired with the Dolman top but it didn't look right together). This skirt was just okay. I'm widest at my hips, so maxi skirts, while GREAT for postpartum, don't do much for my body type. It essentially starts at the widest part of me and goes straight down from there. Not exactly ideal. I sent this one back.

So! One more way to get around choosing things myself. Any other services I should know about for poor choosers? Anyone else suck at choosing too?

Weekend by the Numbers

Donuts eaten: 4. Make that 5.

Dishwasher loaded: Twice

TV shows watched by me: 0

TV shows watched by Charley: Too many

Rolls of toilet paper used due to Kleenex outage and 3 snotty people living here: 3

Stores visited: 3

Dollars spent at those stores: $58.86

Miles driven: 26.4

Valentines given: 1, to Charley. I was a total Valentine failure this year.

Valentines received: each of us got Valentines from my sister and my parents, so 6 in total.

Average high temperature this weekend: 57

Average low temperature this weekend: 27 (I swear it felt much more like the low than it did the high!)

Minutes I spent outside: 2 - to walk to and from the mailbox once

Minutes Charley (and John) spent outside: 45 or so, and they came back in freezing.

Games played: 1 (Kerplunk)

Items purged and sold: 4

Dollars made by said purging and selling: $45 (with promises of more $ to come tomorrow)

Pictures taken: 64

Of those pictures, pictures that were of things to sell: 42

Hours slept by me: 19.5

Naps taken by any family member: 0

Projects completed: 3

Projects worked on: 6

Flowers made: 20

 

Loads of laundry done by me: 0, but I did help fold/put away a couple

Loads of laundry done by John: 4

Text messages received: 30

Text messages sent: 9

Prenatal vitamins taken: Shoot! None. Let me go do that now.

Meals from take-out: 1. Just the donuts for breakfast this morning.

Meals I cooked/prepared/reheated: 3.

Books read: 3. All to Charley

Family members seen: 4 (Parents of course, brother Colt, brother-in-law Danny)

Minutes spent thinking about these: 20, which was about 15 minutes too long.

POST.

Never Ever Have I Ever

If you are unfamiliar, this is part of a drinking game. The goal is to say something that you truly never have done that you think most other people HAVE done, and for anyone that has done that thing, they must take a drink. Even though it has been several years since I've played this game or any other drinking game (sadly!), I could NEVER come up with anything good to say on the spot when I would pull this card. So I started this post probably 8 months ago and it took me that long to come up with this list. Man, there are some really good ones on here that I'd like to go back several years and use! It's Friday (or it will be when this posts) so grab your favorite drink of choice and I'll see you drunkies at the end!

 

Never Ever Have I Ever....


...hired a moving company.

...shoveled snow.

...painted a room.

...been skydiving.

...bungee jumped.

...been in a tanning bed.

...had anything sent to collections. (Heh, cause, you know the townhouse was in John's name.) (That's not to say I haven't had tons of debt before. I was just really good at making sure to pay those minimums. Ha!)

...had a root canal.

...made a salad.

...been on a cruise.

...worn contacts...though I think my day is coming.

...driven on a toll road.

...gotten a tattoo.

...had a facial.

...been skiing, snowboarding or even snow tubing.

...played in an organized sport. One season of cheerleading in the 4th grade doesn't count.

...waited tables.

...mowed the grass.

...been to a Broadway show.

...been arrested.

...done a cartwheel.

...been in a hot air balloon.

...been parasailing.

...taken a red-eye flight.

...had chicken pox.

...owned a Droid phone.

...owned or used an Apple computer.

...been able to climb the rope in gym class.

...changed a tire - though I think I could if I had to.

...sewn on a button.

...been to Canada.

How are we feeling? Nice and tipsy? Now that I've finally posted this after it took me FOREVER to come up with the list I'm sure I'll come up with 30 other things. I'll save them for another Friday - perhaps one where I can have a drink with you.

Cheers!

11 Things

All the cool kids did this weeks ago. I'm not, nor have I ever been, a cool kid. But Jess tagged me in this and I'm doing it, darn it. I'm just not going to tag anyone else because I don't wanna. But I'd love to read yours if you choose to do it and haven't done it yourself yet! I'll just be sitting in the non-cool kids corner waiting for you. The warm corner, if you will. Please join me in the warm corner.

1. What is your favorite type of cheese? 

Any/all? I am not a cheese connoisseur and do not know my way around the fancy cheese section of my grocery store. But rarely have I tried a cheese that I wouldn't eat again. For the most part though, plain ol' cheddar is what I prefer.

2. What are you excited about? 

I got a new job! I'm starting there in a few weeks, and before that happens I'm going on a vacation to Chicago and parts of Michigan. I've never been to that part of the country and I've also never taken a bigger trip with my child in tow so I'm excited slash nervous to see how that will go. Lots of exciting things coming up for me!

3. How did you celebrate your last birthday? 

That was only a month and a half ago and I honestly don't really know.

Oh wait! I was at the beach for my birthday! My birthday happened to fall on Spring Break this year and we were in Daytona, so I think we spent the day going out to eat breakfast and just doing our favorite usual things in Daytona. And then went out to dinner had brownie sundaes back at the beach house. I'm thinking that was a pretty great birthday!

4. What is on your bedside table? 

A lamp with a lampshade that looks horrible on it because I haven't found the right one yet. A tray I won a while back which holds my Kindle, my medical tape for my poor broken toe, and a few pairs of earrings. Also a really old alarm clock - at least 15 years old - but it still works so why would I replace?!

5. What do you order from the movie theater concession stand? 

Since I very, very rarely go to the movies I always go all out at the concession stand. If we didn't have dinner beforehand I'm getting one of the awesome theater hot dogs (or sometimes nachos instead), then of course a large popcorn, large drink which could double as a swimming pool in case I get warm during the movie, and candy. Although honestly most of the time I sneak the candy in in my purse because um yeah.

6. Do you have a garden? What’s growing? 

Flower gardens, yes. And John and a friend planted a vegetable garden too that you can see behind Charley in that picture. They got a late start to it this year so it's looking rather, um, puny at the moment but I'm surrrre vegetables will be popping up any day now. They planted tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, and a ton of other stuff that I don't eat. 

7. Any summer plans?

Just the Chicago/Michigan trip I mentioned (also people - I need recommendations for restaurants and stuff to do for this!) (it's Traverse City and Petoskey, Michigan by the way) and then we have another camping trip reserved for Labor Day weekend at a place near us called Dan Nicholas. I'm hoping to squeeze at least one if not two more camping weekends in there too. But that's it! No plans at the moment to got back to the beach and that makes me sad!

8. Which TV couple(s) are you rooting for? 

Ross and Rachel? I am not really a big TV watcher you know.

9. What’s the last thing you bought? 

Ugh. Tires for John's truck. We knew the expense was coming up really soon but we weren't quite ready for it today. One started going flat on his way to work and there was no point in patching it to delay the purchase just a few weeks. Bah. What a boring large purchase.

10. What’s one thing you are passionate about? 

Sunscreen usage. Embrace the pastiness, people!

11. What are you grateful for this week? 

Family, as always. My family is so intertwined to help each other out that it's unfathomable that any of us could function on our own. I mean, we could, but you know. It's just amazing how much we're all there for each other.

Mr. Life of Lacey

My friend Heather recently did this with her husband and I loved it so much I stole the idea for myself. I wasn't sure if John would participate or how long it'd take him to get back to me if he even was going to do it, but I am impressed. I copy and pasted the questions into an email and 11 minutes later I received the answers. They are short and sweet answers but I'm still just impressed that he did them at all.

So anyways, this is Mr. Life of Lacey, also known as John.

 

Here are the questions and answers. I'll add my own commentary to a few of them in parentheses and italics because I can't NOT add commentary. It's against my very nature.

Q: What is the name of my blog?
A: Life of Lacey

Q: What do I typically write about?
A: Whatever is on your mind

Q: How would you describe my style? 
A: Open

(No idea what this one means. Maybe he thought the style of my blog? Like I'm open to write about anything?)

Q: Where's my favorite place to shop? 
A: Pottery Barn – but it’s too expensive.

(And I agree. It's definitely my favorite place to window shop.)

Q: What do you know about Pinterest?
A: Nothing

Q: What do you and I like to do together? 
A: Movies (not mine though), yard stuff, camping, going to the beach, anything involving Charley.

(He did watch Frozen with me a couple weeks ago so I guess I do owe it to him to watch one of his movies.)

Q: Am I good at staying on a budget?
A: Sometimes

Q: What do women keep in their purse?
A: Junk

Q: What do I do in my free time? 
A: Facebook

(It seriously is NOT that much. Sheesh.)

Q: And what do you do in your free time? 
A: wash dishes, clean the house, yard work, fix stuff, whatever other project you have in mind (you call it “Tinkering”)

(Oh sureeee. I just sit around with my feet up playing on Facebook and he does all the rest. Poor, poor husband.)

Q: What is your favorite thing about me? 
A: Your Family

Q: Least favorite?
A: Facebook

(eyes are officially rolling now. John really hates Facebook if you couldn't tell.)

Q: What's my favorite accessory? 
A: Not sure…maybe purse??

Q: What's an acceptable amount to spend on a beauty item? 
A: You don’t need beauty items…Natural beauty is the best beauty

Q: What are my hobbies?
A: Facebook, picture taking/editing, craft stuff

(I'd add blogging, decorating and flower gardening to the list but yep he's got the gist of me.)

Q: What's your favorite memory of us together? 
A: Probably not suitable for whatever you’re using this for…

(Ok this one SHOCKED me and I clutched my pearls and wondered what in the world his answer to this was! So I asked him and he told me 'ham and cheese'. Ohhh ok. So his favorite memory of us was from a drunken night really early on in our relationship where I was sitting in the bathroom floor, drunk, asking for a ham and cheese sandwich while he filmed the whole thing. (On a camcorder, because there were no video phones then!) At one point the top piece of bread falls off my sandwich as I'm eating it and I toss it back to him and tell him to 'go feed the ducks'. It was actually really funny, I was just surprised this was his favorite memory of us. When I told him that his response was "I’m not very sentimental. Don't care for mushy stuff, I remember funny stuff." Fair enough.)

Q: What jewelry do I wear every day? 
A: Rings

Q: What's my favorite TV show? 
A: None currently

(True story. Amazing Race finale was Sunday and Survivor finale was last night. I'm TVless for the summer.)

Q: What's your favorite thing about being a dad? 
A: Seeing Charley Happy

Now if you'll excuse me I've got something in my eye... sniff, sniff.

I'm Buying A Lottery Ticket NEXT Week

It's been a week of bad luck over here. Which means a week of insanely good luck is to follow hence why I'm purchasing a lottery ticket. Next week just has to be better.

Starting over the weekend Charley got a fever. I didn't think too much of it because she was still quite happy and playing as normal, albeit a little less energetic. She needed more rest and actually took her naps and I felt pretty proud of myself for actually getting her to nap on a weekend for all of 2.8 seconds before I realized the reason she was napping was due to her fever. Oh well. Better luck next weekend!

So Monday came around and whaddya know? She's still sick and it's time for both John and I head back to work. For me, Monday was the SECOND busiest day of the month at my work so I really didn't think it was a great idea for me to stay home Monday. But I knew that an unexplained fever on it's third day deserved a doctor visit and I do like taking her to the doctor myself. (If John takes her, it's obviously fine, but you know how men are with relaying information and remembering details. I like to know ALL the details. "Did the doctor say anything about how long her hair was getting?" "Did Charley get a lollipop?" "What color?" ALL THE DETAILS.) So anyways, I decided to take Monday off and if she was still feverish Tuesday John volunteered to take that day. So don't know if work was thrilled with me, but whaddya gonna do, ya know?

So doctor thinks Charley has Hand, Foot, Mouth as she saw 1 blister in her mouth and a possible one developing on her foot. Strep was negative, ears were good. Tells me it last 7ish days and sends us on our way. Ugh. Week is not starting out so well.

Monday evening Charley's fever drops to 99 and she's back to herself. I think it must not have been HFM and tomorrow we'll be back to normal.

1:00 a.m. Tuesday morning Charley cries from her room and I go check on her. Temperature went back up to 103 and I let John know he'll be staying home with her.

Tuesday evening Charley is feeling better again, no more blisters showed up and I really think we are out of the woods now with the sickness. Charley and I are playing and I'm chasing Charley around the house before bed - around the couch specifically - and the couch sticks it's leg out in my way. My toe gets the brunt of the impact and I fall down to survey the damage.

 

My toe!! It's for sure broken or dislocated or fractured or SOMEthing. Toes aren't supposed to stick out like that I'm sure of it. I get lots of differing opinions from friends, family, and Dr. Google on whether the doctor can do anything so I decide to wait a bit before rushing off to the doctor. John does go buy me some medical tape that evening so I can at least buddy tape it. But, the very next day is THE busiest day of the month at work so I am sure that played a little bit into my decision to wait. What can I say? I'm a good employee.

Thursday comes along and I am leaving for work. I pull up my Waze app to see which route to take into work today. It's usually pretty reliable as far as traffic goes so many times I absentmindedly just take it's advice on which way will get me there the quickest. Today it suggests the normally very trafficy interstate and I follow it's instructions. It predicts me arriving at my destination at 8:02 a.m. Awesome. On time(ish) for a change.

An hour and a half later...

It was predicting an 8:57 a.m. arrival at work. Worst traffic day ever. I cut through business parks, did u-turns, whatever I could do to find a way to work with no traffic. It was hopeless. Finally got to my desk at 9:10 a.m. And had to leave on time because I had to get Charley by 5:00 (I got there at 5:05 - MORE TRAFFIC). Sorry work! 

So since I obviously needed to make up my time to work today (we don't clock in or anything - I just feel guilty about it) I schedule a doctor's appointment for 8:15 this morning for my poor toe. Sorry again, work. Gonna be late again but a valid excuse at least! I don't wanna lose a toe!

Go to the doctor (it's just my primary care doctor) and they x-ray it and show me the x-ray of the break. It's broken all the way across and has sort of set itself back where it needs to go, but not quite enough. It's still sticking out to the side some. So he then refers me to an orthopedic doctor which I'll have to go to next week sometime. (Had I known my primary doctor couldn't do much more than x-ray I would have gone there in the first place.) So yay. Says I might be in pain for MONTHS. Bahhhhhhh.

But my luck seems to be turning around already. Got to work where there were bagels for us, and then a friend happened to be working really close to my building today so I snuck away with her for a quick lunch. Give me another good garage sale day tomorrow and I won't feel like my luck is kicking me while I'm down. Careful, luck. Kick me just right and you may get a broken toe out of the deal.

Genetics: Part II

Hey remember that time that Charley was only 4 months old and I was trying to figure out who she looked like? (The results: inconclusive) Let's do that again.

First up, Charley. In case you forgot what she looked like. Who am I kidding? This just gives me a chance to share more pictures of her. Favorite pastime, and all that.

And now us.

This is John around 2 or 2.5.

I'm not really seeing it John, sorry. Maybe your eyes. Well, the shape. Not the color. Yes, I'll give you eye shape.

And then me at the same ages.

Here's us all side-by-side, if you need it:

 

I'm giving this round to me. What say you, internet? I'm generally not very good at being able to tell who a kid looks like, but I am seeing it a tiny bit more with Charley. Is she a mini-John, a mini-me, a nice mix, or was there a mix-up at the hospital?

Spill It: Part 2

The last time I did this was FOUR years ago. I have been meaning to do it again and actually was refusing to clean out my purse until I completed this, because I wanted a real representation of my the ENTIRE contents of my purse on a normal basis. Sure, it's cleaned up now that I've gone through it all, but I give it 2 days before it gets to be like this again. More purse = more stuff. But smaller purse = less space to hold shoes, bottled waters, and my lunch as I need during the work week. So oh well. I'm in camp big (but not too big) purse.

This is my purse.

 

It is my first and only expensive (ish) purse purchase, and I've carried it daily for almost a year now with tons of use left. Only one small spot on it right at the top there. If I ever really spent any time on it I bet I could get it out. But time...ha!

This is the contents of it as of 2 hours ago: 

And here it is broken down into 2 sections so you can get a closer look/be even more nosy. (no shame! I'm totally nosy too!)

A. My wallet. Very rarely gets used these days, but does still contain my checkbook and cards that get used less often.

B. My little wristlet 31 wallet. This sucker gets used way more often. At work everything is within walking distance, so usually just throw this on my wrist and go. Is supposed to contain all cash, my work badge, and cards used most often, however....

C. All cash does not always make it in the little wristlet...

D. ...and neither does my work badge most of the time OR my most used credit card. Whoops. It just likes to swim around freely in my purse sometimes so I can panic each time I go to buy something while I dig around for it in my suitcase of a purse.

E. Glasses. Normally a pair stays in my car and a pair stays at home, but I rode with someone else today so I tossed them in too. No, no case needed. These are scratch proof. (and that's sarcasm.)

F. Prescription sunglasses. I've had these puppies for 7 or 8 years. They aren't the most stylish. Hell, they aren't even my right prescription anymore and there is no need worrying about any more scratches on these. They were just floating around in my purse too, but usually stay in my car.

G. Kindle. Again, usually not in there, but due to today's events it was.

H. Um. Today's event paperwork.

I. A list of things I want to do while in Chicago this summer.

J. Random coupons, receipts, and deposited checks.

K. Headphones. Looks like one earbud is missing. RARELY use these.

L. This starts Charley's collection of things in my purse. These are her sunglasses from Disney World that we did not pay for. Don't ask.

M. An extra pair of undies for Charley in case of Poopmageddon 2.0.

N. Headbands Charley wore out of the house Rambo style that she gave up on and had me carry in my purse instead.

O. CRAYOLA crayons, for use when we are out to eat and the restaurant gives us crappy crayons instead. Ugh. Crayola only, people.

P.  Protein bar.

Q. Let's skip this one. EDITED: Okay, let's not skip this one. Too many people are getting the wrong idea. They ARE Preggie Pops and I have absolutely no reason to have them at this moment.

R. Gum. I don't even chew gum but once a month or so. It's true.

S. Lip glosses, hey! there's my other eyeliner, concealer from Mary Kay that's about 10 years old and I don't use because I'm sure it's way past it's shelf life.

T. Hand sanitizers. 2 smell good, 1 stinks

U. Lotion, tampon, paperclip?, fingernail clippers

V. 2 pens

W. Various meds. Advil, cold meds, cough suppressants, Emergen-C in case of emergency

X. Earrings that didn't make it throughout the whole day when I last wore them. 3.5 pairs

The end! I showed you mine now you show me yours. Do it.

What's Luv?

I was on my way home today streaming some Pandora in my car. Fat Joe comes on in this classic song from 2001 and I start to sing along. I decide I want to 'thumbs up' said song, so I glance down at my phone (it's hooked up via the auxiliary cable to my car) (I have a feeling when I reread this blog in 10 years I'm going to be like whaaaa in the world was an auxiliary cable? We don't have ANY type of what you call cords in our flying cars these days!) so I can hit the little 'thumbs up' icon. I mean, I really like to sing along with Ashanti's part and am pretty certain I sound just like her so I'd like to increase my chances of singing this song again in the near future. 

Anyways as I glance down I see the name of the song is "What's Luv?" and it makes me ponder for a bit. What's Luv? Huh? When do they sing that? I figured the song would be called "Last Night" since Ashanti, and therefore I, sing it 26 times in one song. 

Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that all 26 times she's saying "what's love" and not "last night" and I've been singing this wrong since 2001?

Soundtrack of my Life

I'm participating in RambleRamble's Bring Back The Words again this week. This Last week's prompt is this:

Let’s hear the top 10 songs from that soundtrack of your life (and the moments they highlight).

I'm not necessarily calling these the top 10 songs of my life's soundtrack, but I very quickly was able to jot down these 10 songs as songs that instantly take me back to another point in my life. In no particular order:

1. Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down

As soon as I hear this song or any of the other songs on this album, I'm taken back to my high school senior spring break trip to Myrtle Beach. My boyfriend at the time got me my friends listening to this new band and we were obsessed with listening to them this whole week.

2. Steel Bars - Michael Bolton

My mom had this tape when my brother and I were little and for whatever reason, this song sticks out as the one that takes me back to my childhood. I also remember it playing while we were riding in the backseat of the early 80's Oldsmobile my parent's owned with it's brown velvety seats.

The one on the right. Can you even believe this is the only picture I could find of that beaut?

3. You and Me - Lifehouse

John and I opted not to have a first dance at our wedding because we were just uncomfortable with people gawking at our horrible dancing - it just wasn't our thing. Anyways, before we decided to scrap it, I had decided on this song as our first dance song and I still think about that every time I hear it.

We did dance to Monster Mash as the last song of the night (it was the weekend before Halloween) and if this dance was THIS awkward, I'd hate to have seen a slow dance between us.

4. Work It - Missy Elliot

When an old friend and I first started going out to clubs when we were 18 (which didn't last long, trust me...it was an exploratory phase apparently) this song was popular and I remember hearing it over and over again. I think we ended up quitting the club scene on college nights to instead go to $1 bowling night so there ya go. And wouldn't you know this song was played out at the bowling rink stadium lanes what in the world is it called ALLEY too. [Sheesh. I'm not even making it up that it took me all that time and I almost had to Google it to come up with the word ALLEY.]

5. Ignition (Remix) - R. Kelly

This song was played on repeat at my 21st birthday party. Over. And over. And over. As I tend to do when I really love a song. I know every word (as do most people my age) and turn it up so loud when I catch it on the radio or Pandora these days.

We look like a crowd that enjoys some R. Kelly, no?

6. I Know You Want Me - Pitbull

At the resort on our honeymoon in Punta Cana this song was played over. And over. And over again. And over one more time. I guess because it has a little bit of Spanish in it and it was a popular song in the states at the time, they just figured the only song that would make sense to play all week was this one. I do still like it though and it takes me right back to the most relaxing vacation I've ever had every time I hear it. It is a relaxing song, right?

7. Mmmbop - Hanson

Go ahead and get your laughs out. BA. HA. HA. HA. Anyways, my two best friends and I really got into this album and spent a whole summer listening to it and having fun. It was probably one of the last summers I felt like a 'kid' even though I was 15. The next summer I could drive and therefore work and summers have never been the same since. So yeah. Hearing this song or any other from the album takes me back to carefree days of singing loudly, hanging up Tiger Beat posters and just having good, simple fun with my very bestest friends (who still remain my best friends today.)

8. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

Speaking of those same friends, we could sing the crap out of this song in the car those next years after I got a car and could drive. We had several songs we loved to sing in the car, but this one is at the top of my list. We'd go play pool, go to the mall, go eat at Steak n Shake and whatever else we wanted to do. Life was good & so is this song.

9. These Walls - Trapt

Along came John and this was one of the first bands we both really loved together. I remember coming back from one of my family's functions and he and I were riding by ourselves and we had the windows down and this song blaring and we were both singing along. He was a new boyfriend and he came to family functions and fit right in and I just remember thinking at that moment how perfect everything was. (and still is....awwwww)

10. Goodbye To You - Michelle Branch

 

Backtracking a few years now, this was the breakup song I played out after the end of my first serious relationship. Apparently the lyrics used to match up exactly with how I felt and how our relationship was, but as I listen to it now I see very little truth to it. But, I guess those deep feelings have faded in the last 11 years.

After Bedtime

I recently read a blog post talking about the differences in getting ready for a dinner date between a childless couple and a couple with children. The comments on it are very obnoxious and I'd encourage you not to read them or else your opinion of society will drop just a bit further. Good grief, people.

It's a bit more spirited in it's language than I am on here (or in real life) so warning if you are sensitive to that sort of thing, but I relate to all of it. Even the part about the childless couple getting ready. I had forgotten what it was like to get ready to go out before children, but that was exactly it. You get home, relax, have a pre-going-out beer, shower, do your hair, turn the music on and then maybe get there a bit early to get your name on the wait list and have a drink from the bar. Ha. What a distant memory that is now!

I really try and schedule any outings until after bedtime if I can. Charley goes to bed at 8, so I feel like that is still an okay time for an adult dinner or drinks and it makes it so much easier on me. But, occasionally New Kids on the Block come to town and they aren't in the business of scheduling around John's work trips or Charley's bedtime. They wanted me to be there to rock out with them by 7:30! 7:30!? On a weeknight? When my husband is out of town?!

That particular evening I got home with Charley at 5:15 or so. I instantly went in to oh-my-gosh-what-on-Earth-does-one-wear-to-a-concert-these-days mode and rummaged around in my closet full of too-small-clothing while Charley pulled out every shoe I owned and practiced walking in them around the house. I was temporarily keeping my nieces this day too, so add two 9 year olds to the mix of shoe-trying-on and there were shoes everywhere. My sister got there around 5:45 or 6 and picked up her two girls, and took my one girl to my parent's house for me after I threw some toys and diapers in a bag for her. Whew. That was one task I wasn't sure how I was going to get done in my allotted time. Two minutes after she'd left I realized I never fed my child dinner. Whoops.

 A friend and fellow concert-goer was coming over early to check out my new house and I knew she'd be there before I would know it. The last time I saw this friend was a couple months ago on my birthday, and of course the only thing I could find to wear was the exact same shirt I was wearing that night. You guys know how crazy I am about that type of thing. But there were no other options. I decide to wear it again.

In the middle of that decision making process my friend shows up. I give her a house tour trying not to look flustered. I get to the master bathroom part of the house tour and I get my first glimpse of myself in the mirror. My hair and make-up needs a major touch up, but ha, wouldn't you know - it's time to go. No time for touching up. I don't think Joey will be able to see me anyways in our nosebleed seats. As we run out of the house I am searching for my other shoe. Where on Earth could they have taken it?

(Sidenote: then, as I backed out of my garage in my hurry, my side mirror slightly grazed the molding around the garage pulling it off. I don't know why if it was only slightly grazed that it came off completely, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I get out of the car, toss the piece of molding back into the garage, shut the garage door and continue on.)

We pick up one friend and are on our way to pick up another friend when she calls and, God bless her, asks if any of us would like a sandwich for the road as she's about to make one for herself. Food! Oh, right! Of course! I forgot to feed myself as well, and yes, I'd love one! (It always seems like eating is the thing that gets left out in these rushed scenarios.)

Concert was great and I get home around midnight that night. John came home that evening from his work trip and picked up Charley from my parent's and put her to bed. I tally up the amount of time I got to spend with her that day (don't do this...it will just make you depressed) and I got about 30 minutes that morning (while we got ready for the day), and, including the time in the car on the way home, another hour that evening. And this, childless friends, is why I don't like to do anything before her bedtime on the weekdays. One and a half waking hours. That's just waking ridiculous.

But, on the bright side I got to rock out to some old school Boyz II Men (Do they still go by that whackadoo spelling?), 98 degrees, and New Kids on the Block. Although NKOTB sang NEW stuff too which really rained on my parade. How dare they?! I wanted a full evening of old stuff and if they needed a couple different things thrown in they could have done a cover or something. I am not one for change, people. I prefer my music old and dated.

Check out those awesome front row seats we had.

So anyways, next time I get somewhere (after 8, mind you) and I look a little frazzled and like I maybe have been rushing around to try and get to you, have a drink waiting for me, would ya? I do love seeing you too it just takes a lot of effort to get there. Just be glad that I think you are awesome enough to be worth that effort.