Back on track...

I hit complete rock bottom over the weekend. We're talking ranting around like a raving lunatic. I should've known. This always happens when my crazy lady comes to visit. I feel a little blue for a few days, then I get a little more blue, then I crack and all the crazy comes spilling out without warning. There's no telling what will set me off.

My poor husband. He is the world's most patient man. Seriously. He sits back, patiently, while I scream, cry, throw things, threaten divorce, beg and plead for forgiveness, then start all over again.

What kind of man could put up with that kind of torture over and over?

A good one, that's for sure!

There was some good that came out of it though. I feel much more refreshed today. I've been going around the house today cleaning things out, re-organizing my life.

Thanks for all of your comments. It's interesting...about the scripture I post yesterday... D&C 25:12 is my all-time favorite scripture, you all know how much I love music. I never thought I'd find the answer to my prayers in the scriptures surrounding it. But, as I was sitting in Sunday school, tuning out the teacher, basking in my own personal woes and torment, I decided to turn to the topical guide, and this scripture was blaring out at me. Amazingly enough, as I prayed yesterday morning to open my fast, the thought "read your scriptures" kept coming to my mind. The Lord always knows how to help us through, if we give him a chance and just listen.

That has been something that has been incredibly difficult for me lately. I don't know why. It is insanely difficult for me to humble myself enough to kneel and pray, for forgiveness, and for help. I can pray for my children, and my family in general. I know I give those kind of prayers that bounce off the ceiling. To really dig deep and have a meaningful conversation with God is something that I really, really need to work on. He knows, and I know I need it desperately. He's there to help me, if I just ask. Why is it so hard me to just ask for help?

It's my pride. I know it is. I have been so self-absorbed, focusing all on me, and my goals, and my dreams, that I'd kind of forgotten everything else. Including my faith and family...the two most important things in my life. I think I needed to re-set. I'm hoping everything that I went through over the weekend helped me to do that.

But, the weekend wasn't all bad. Saturday, Clint and I took the kids to Lagoon one more time. Then KJ had a soccer game. She played awesome, despite being so tired from being at Lagoon all day. Then we got a babysitter, and Clint and I went back to Lagoon to ride the "fun rides"

Between joking around with my hubby, going on rides that I was sure threatened my very existance (have you ever ridden the rocket?---terrifying...I have a real problem with heights), and getting to spend some good quality one on one time with my hubby, it was a much-needed boost to my spirits.

So, I just want to say Thank you to all of you who commented, for your thoughts.

Thank you to my children for being great kids despite having a crazy mother.

And THANK YOU to my dear husband, for loving me despite my insanity, for sticking it out, and helping me be better. I love you!

D&C 25:10, 12-15

"And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of the this world, and seek for the things of a better.

For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.

Wherefore, lift up thy heart and rejoice, and cleave unto the covenants which thou hast made.

Continue in the spirit of meekness, and beward of pride. Let thy soul delight in thy husband, and the glory which shall come upon him.

Keep my commandments continually, and a crown of righteousness thou shalt receive. And except thou do this, where I am you cannot come."

Random 10 Friday

So, now I think in addition to my homemaking funk, I'm going through a blogging funk, too.

I usually always have stuff to talk about. Today, I am drawing a complete blank.

I'm sure it's an effect of the crazy tiredness.

By the way, I totally caved yesterday and had a Cherry Coke. But, I only had one out of a can instead of a big 44 oz-er at 7-11. So far today, I've only drank water, so we're off to a good start. But, I am still really, really tired.

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I went to a yoga class today at the Stake Center. It felt really, really good, and it was really hard. I think after the marathon next week, I'll start doing more yoga and weight training. When I have a rock-hard-bad-ass-body-builder body, I'll show you some pictures.

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I've sent a couple of my songs to Greg Hansen yesterday. He replied and said he was going to listen to them today. I'm excited to see what he has to say, and hopefully, he can help me! He's produced for a lot of LDS artists. Keep your fingers crossed, for me.

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I've had a couple of people ask me about sheet music. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. So far, I've been kind of lazy with my music. Most of my songs are in my head (very risky, I know, especially considering how easily I forget stuff), and the ones I do have written down are on lead sheets (chord symbols). So, my next project is to write out all of my songs, and put them in a book. I'll keep you all posted on when that's done, so you can buy one if you want!

I'm also working on some Christmas music, so look for a possible Christmas CD coming soon (maybe) If I get around to writing and recording in time. It might not be til next year. We'll see.

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I'm kind of on sensory overload right now. I think, having children does that to me. The little one has been crying alot today. I think she is tired, but refuses to take a nap. Right now, she is watching Baby Einstein in my room, hopefully, she'll fall asleep (just in time for us to have to leave to take KJ to a birthday party) Peter has been having a lot of tantrums, lately, too. What is up with that? Plus, the major screaming contests that KJ & TJ have. I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! AAAAAARRRRRRHGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

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Sometimes, I wish I could just go outside and scream, without the neighbors thinking I'm crazy. (I think they already think I'm crazy). Sometimes, I hope I'll get some obscure illness that's just bad enough for me to be hospitalized for a couple of days, so I can get a break.

This is Motherboard's crazylady. I'm borrowing her for today.

Do you think my crazy lady is starting to sneak out. Um, yeah, I think so. I'm not crazy ornery, ranting and raving like usual when my crazy hits. This time, I'm just mildly numb. I've moved beyond the point of caring...about anything. Do you think that's depression, too? Probably. It's been about 2 months since I've taken a happy pill. I tend to need them more in the winter.

We'll see how I do without them this winter. I just may be calling up my doc for a refill. They were prescribed 3 1/2 years ago for PPD. Do you think they'll still let me have a prescription for happy pills 3 years after having a baby?

I'm very seriously considering asking my DTD to be my regular Dr. I love him. He's the only doc I've been to, who seems to have any kind of clue as to what he's talking about. One time a few years ago, I went to an after hours clinic with severe abdominal pain. My DTD was closed. I was sure it was related to my girl stuff. It was so painful that I couldn't walk, or even sit, or talk. All I could do was writhe around on the ground. I called my hubby to rush home to stay with the kids, and I called my Mom to drive me to the doctor.

After waiting in the little waiting room for 1 1/2 hours, the doctor finally came in, took an x-ray. That's it. No ultrasound. I told him I thought it was a cyst or something. He told me he thought I just need to pooh. Yeah, I know. I know what it feels like to have to pooh, and this is NOT it!

What an idiot. I went home 3 hours later, knowing nothing more than I did before, and still in pain. It eventually went away, and I'm convinced that it was a ovarian cyst that just burst.

Yeah, I don't like doctors. More often than not, they have no idea WTH they're talking about, and it's a complete waste of my time. So, I don't go unless I know I need antibiotics, and usually, I don't go myself at all. Just for my kids.

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Well, there's my soapbox of the day. You never know what will come out of me when I sit down to write. Hopefully, sometime today, I can get a shower. That is my greatest wish of the day.

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Random 10 list:

p.s. I seriously need some new music....

1. Faithfully - Journey

2. Solitude - Sherrie Shepherd

3. Fear - Sarah Mclachlan

4. When You Look Me in the Eyes - Jonas Brothers

5. Atomic Punk - Van Halen

6. Message in a Bottle - The Police

7. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night - Bon Jovi

8. Can't Live Without Your Finger - Josh Jensen

9. Holiday - Scorpions

10. Gone - Daughtry

Bonus: Ballade No. 4 in f minor, Op. 52 - Chopin

I'm calling in sick

I really don't have anything to blog about or any time to do it, but here I am.

I'm crazy tired today. I don't know why. Actually I have a pretty good idea. I got up and went running yesterday morning at 5:15. This is the usual time, but I wonder if it was a little too early after the marathon. It actually felt good to run, but it caught up to me today.

Ok, I think the other reason I'm so dang tired is that I told myself I was going to stop drinking Coke until after the marathon. I've cheated a little, but for the most part, I'm staying strong. I'm sure this exhaustion is partly because my body is wondering where its caffeine fix is. I'm this close to caving.

I would really like to have a day where we just sleep in and do nothing all day. That sounds so nice. I should relax and just watch TV or read a book or something. I should. I cleaned yesterday (although it doesn't ever stay clean for long), I'm pretty much caught up on laundry (except I am putting off folding the last batch). Peter gets to go over to her friends for a play date at 10:00. I have AJ today (my cute little neice), but she's pretty easy going.

Here's my way of watching the kids while I'm tired. We all went out (me, Peter & AJ), climbed on the tramp, and I laid down in the middle while the girls jumped over me. Can you say lazy?

I'm also going through a very serious homemaker funk. I am boycotting it all. I have absolutely no motivation or desire to do any kind of housework (no surprise, there), and also any kind of decorating. I see many of you posting your cute little fall projects. I don't even want to walk downstairs to get the decorations I have to put them up, much less take them back down again, just to put away. I don't want to decorate for Christmas either. I am really, really DREADING the holidays. I know....bah humbug. What a grinch. I am planning on getting a Festival of Trees tree this year on auction, so I don't have to decorate. Clint got us on the auction list last year. It goes to a good cause, and my kids will still get a tree. That will be the ONLY decorating I will do this year.

Cooking? Forget it. I went to the Taste of Home Cooking Show last night with my MIL and SILs & GIL. While, I can appreciate eating a good home cooked meal, I have absolutely no desire to make one. Oh, I'm not a bad cook. Back in the day, I used to be a pretty good cook, and I liked to do it. But, it's hard to get into the spirit of cooking when there is no one to eat it. Kids won't eat more than just cheese tacos and mac n cheese, hubby doesn't come home early enough for dinner, unless he gets off early for me to go somewhere (like the cooking show), and we're not eating anyway.

Oh, and my yard is being overtaken by weeds. Cuz I don't want to do yardwork either.

I have lost all desire to do anything domestic. How do I get out of this funk?

Somebody help me, pleeeaase!!!!!!!!

December 2005

Here's a picture tag I got from my SIL, Jessica

The rules: Go to your pictures. Go to the fourth folder, then go to the fourth picture.

Post the picture, and then tell us about it.



This is my little Peter, December 2005. She was about 6 months old. OK, I cheated a little bit. My fourth picture was of her, too, but it was fuzzy, so I went to the first one that wasn't fuzzy.
Look at how sweet and little she was. I just want to kiss those little cheeks! She is sooo NOT a baby anymore.

Oh, man....now THIS makes me baby hungry.

A little bit.

Maybe......

Come play!!

Do As I'm Doing, Follow, Follow ME

Many of you have discovered that new little feature that you can put on your sidebar.

I discovered it. I'm following a lot of you.
But, I want you to follow ME, too!

Click on it to follow me! And if I see your picture over there, I'll come over and follow you, too!
It's over there, on my side bar, under the picture of Jesus.

I put it here strategically, so we can all remember to also follow Him.

Top of Utah

I did it. I finished that damn marathon. I hurt all over.

I was feeling pretty dang good about myself for about 18 miles, started to slow til about mile 20, then hit a freakin' wall. I totally walked at every aid station.

The last 2 miles KILLED me. I kept thinking, "Why do I put myself through this? Remind me again, why I wanted to run a marathon? No, 2 marathons? Crap, I have to do this again in TWO WEEKS!"

It was really, really hard. But, I finished. And I didn't exactly kill my last marathon time, but I beat it.

4 hours, 15 minutes. Okay, I'll take it.

Oh, but the scenery. The beginning of the race, up the canyon was so beautiful. I love the fall colors. The weather was perfect! It was cold, but not too much. It rained at mile 23, but felt very refreshing.

My goal for St. George is under 4 hours. Maybe now that I've done 26 miles, it won't be so hard.

Thanks to my awesome friend, Annette, for getting up at 3:30 in the morning to drive to Logan with me, for motivating me to go faster than I've ever run before, and for dragging my A$$ when I wanted to stop.

And, I took three GU's. I think that's what got me through. GU is nasty, but effective. I discovered the Orange flavor. It's better than some, because it's not so sicky, sweet like the Vanilla or the Chocolate. Plus, it's got the much needed caffeine.

And can I just say, Orange slices in the middle of a race are the best darn things EVER!

p.s. Thanks to my sweet hubby, for taking me out to Tepanyaki tonight (my favorite restaurant EVER) so I could "reload" my 3000 calories I burned today. And for being patient with me, and going to slow, while I hobbled around.

Did I mention that I hurt all over? I dread tomorrow. It will hurt more.

I need to take an ice bath.

Ok, I'm just rambling, because I'm so freakin' tired.

Why am I still up? I don't know.....

Goodnight, Everybody!

What's in a Name?

What Sherrie Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Random 10 Friday

I think Friday is my favorite day to post. It's a great to excuse to expunge all the total, complete randomness that is in my brain. I love it!

Here goes:

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I drove past a store yesterday, on the way home from karate. On the sign out front it advertised: "Smokes, Gifts, Hookas"

Ok, I'm not hip on the jive, and all that, or whatever that means, but what the hell are Hookas?

My first impression is this: is that gansta talk for hookers? Is this store advertising prostitution right out in plain view? In Zion?

I know I live in my naive little happy Mormon bubble of simplicity.

Anyone care to enlighten me?

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Lobster farts are THE stinkiest, rankest, reistiest, nastiest smelling farts EVER!!

Do Lobster's fart? Seriously?

No, I mean after eating Lobster....duh!

I discovered this after making Lobster-stuffed Ravioli the other night.

Yeah, I know! I'm soooo gourmet! I have this very special secret recipe, too.

I slaved for hours on end to cook this delectable meal.

Do you want my recipe?

OK, I'll jump on the "share your latest culinary masterpieces on your blog" bandwagon and share.

Step 1: Go to the freezer.

Step 2: take the package of premade Lobster Ravioli off the shelf.

Step 3: Open the package.

Step 4: Pour the contents of the package into a pan of boiling water.

Step 5: 4 minutes later, put the Ravioli into a fancy bowl, and take all the credit!

Whew! That was really, really hard. I'm exhausted just thinking about all that hard work!

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About the Lobster Ravioli. You may know by now that my KJ is the world's pickiest eater. She's straight vegan, won't touch any kind of meat or bread....eats strictly rabbit food.

Well, guess who ate the best on Lobster ravioli night! You guessed it!

I was so proud of her! I'll definitely be making that again!

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Yesterday, while the monkeys were all at school, and it was just me and my sweet little niece playing, I decided to go out on a huge limb, and NOT throw away my black bananas.

Instead, I made banana bread. From Scratch! For reals!

Yeah, me!! (said in my best London Tipton voice)

Yum!!

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Motherboard taught me how to use my little "post ahead" feature on my blog. And I am loving it! I already have all of next week already all done! Maybe this will solve my blogging crisis. That being that I cannot seem to get off my computer to save my life (or my children's lives for that matter). I think the only problem with the post ahead think is that I will write all these different posts (I've been using it for all my tags, so I can do it and save it for later), and then will come up with more stuff to write about.

You know me....lately instead of everything in my brain coming out my mouth, it all comes out my fingers. (On the keyboard! You know...typing! What were YOU thinking, you perv!)

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I don't know where the italics are coming from. That certainly is NOT me! Could my crazy lady be trying to sneak out of her hiding place?

Not today, crazy lady. NOT TODAY! If you even try, I'll go run 26.2 miles! That's stop her!

Oh yeah!

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On a more serious note.

Here's an update on my little music career progress:

I have been writing letters to record labels trying to get "discovered". One responded with a very polite, "No Thank you" One came back return to sender, no such address. What is that all about?

So, I've resorted to sending messages to everyone I can think of on Facebook. So far, I've begged for help from Kurt Bestor, Michael McLean, Marvin Goldstein, and Kenneth Cope. I'll be writing to a few more tomorrow.

Greg Simpson was my seminary teacher in high school, so I'm also trying to get a hold of him, too.

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Speaking of music, it's random 10 time!!

1. Every Time You Say Goodbye - Allison Krauss

2. I've Got a Crush on You - Sarah Vaughan

3. We are the Champions - Queen

4. Otro Como Tu - Eros Ramazotti

5. Lay All Your Love on Me - ABBA

6. Have you Ever Been in Love - Peter Cetera (back in the day this was me & Clint's song)

7. Blood and Fire - Indigo Girls

8. Five Dollar Fine - Chris Ledoux

9. Swingin' - John Anderson

10. I Could Write a Book - Harry Connick, Jr.

Bonus: Midnight Bottle - Colbie Caillat

That's THIS Weekend?

I think it finally hit me today that I have to run a full marathon this Saturday. I haven't even really been thinking about it. I'm sure it's because I'm not counting this one as my "real" marathon. This is just my last long training run before my real marathon in St. George in two weeks.

This marathon training experience has been completely different from the last one.
First of all, I'm training with different people. My friend and neighbor that I've run with the last year, introduced me to this group at the beginning of the summer. I've really enjoyed getting to know them, and they are crazy fast, so that's really good for me. I like to run with people who are better than me. I like to be pushed to my limit.

So, I've been training significantly faster than my last marathon. I'm not Boston fast, but there are people in my group who can consistently qualify for Boston year after year. I admire them. That is like the ultimate accomplishment in my eyes.

I've decided that maybe I'll wait to try to qualify for Boston until I'm a few years older. Then the qualifying time is a little easier.
At my age (30) I'd have to finish in 3 hours and 40 minutes to qualify. That's a 8:30min/mile pace. To put that into perspective, my last marathon I finished in 4 hours 28 minutes. I'd have to shave almost a whole hour off my time to qualify.
My goal is 4 hours. I think I can do it. Actually, I really want to do it in 3:59.
Then I can say I did it in the 3 hour mark.

So, this Saturday, I'm running the Top of Utah marathon in Logan. I've heard it's a gorgeous run, and is downhill for the first 16 miles. I love running downhill. I've learned how to just let the hill carry me down, and with minimal effort and I can "fly" down the hill. I love that feeeling. Then it goes back uphill the last 10 miles. I can do short, steep hills pretty fast. It's the long, slow climb that kills me.
I run up Gordon Ave. at the end of all my runs. And I still hate it. It the kind of hill that if you're driving in a car, you don't even notice that it's a hill. But, running at a shallow incline for 1 mile and a half can be really, really demoralizing.

I've given myself "permission" to walk the last 3 miles, if I absolutely have to. But only because this is my training run. I probably won't. Because I get in race mode, and my competitive nature kicks in, and the adrenalin pushes me to try my hardest.

So, today, I am going to go stock up on my GU (caffeine is my friend), take it easy tomorrow, and then have a nice, relaxing, fun run on Saturday.

But, for now, I have to go drive to preschool, volunteer at 1st grade, babysit my neice, do laundry, vaccum, drive to Karate, drive to soccer, cook dinner, go to bed, start all over again.

Thus is my life.....

The Road

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wow! What an interesting plot line. I really enjoyed this book, and read it in 2 days. I found it endearing, the bond between the man and his son. I was impressed with the control with which he dealt with the boy. How nurturing he was in such a stressful situation. Instead of losing his cool under duress, he was calming and loving, and open and honest. I think that strengthened the boy's ability to deal with the stress.



The reason it didn't get five stars:



No quotations? This bothered me and I don't know why the author chose not to use them. I found myself count back the lines, trying to keep track of who was saying what.



Why don't the main character have names?

I felt the author owed the man and the boy more definition than he gave them.



What happened, exactly to the world? Why is there ash everywhere? Obviously some kind of apocolyptic fire or burning of the earth?

How long ago did this happen? Obviously before the boy's lifetime. How old is the boy?

What was so horrible that the mother felt it necessary to take her own life?



Aside for all those many questions (which I'm hoping someone can shed some light for me) I really enjoyed the book.


View all my reviews.

Why I LOVE Blogging.....

When, I was in fifth grade, my neighbor down the street had their cousin, Mandi, come to live with them for a little while. She was from Oklahoma (funny, now my sister lives there). She happened to be in my class at school, and we were instant friends. We went everywhere together, spent all of our time together. Had sleep-overs, went to the mall (that was cool back then).
I remember that she went skiing and broke her leg, or her knee, or something, and was on crutches for a long time.
Interesting how little memories like that creep up on you.

After 5th grade, Mandi went back home to OK. We wrote for awhile, and went she came to visit in UT, we would get together. After a while, we stopped writing, lost touch, and went on with our lives.

In high school, she moved back to UT, and went to my high school. We were the same age, but for some reason or other, we never really hung out together. We ran in different crowds.

Now, how we reconnected after high school is a really funny story.

When I met Clint, he literally had a little black book, full of phone numbers. (He was kind of a womanizer back then. It took a lot of years, and effort to tame him).
Anyway, one day, while I watched him play softball with his buddies, I decided to go through his wallet (which he had entrusted to me to watch, while he played). I found his little black book. I started looking through all the different girls' phone numbers he had, until I came upon a name I recognized. Mandi's. I thought, for sure, this has to be the girl I knew all those years ago.

So, on the way home from the game, I asked Clint about it, found out it was a girl he'd dated awhile ago, and after talking about her for awhile, found out it WAS the same girl.
I wasn't jealous or anything, I just thought it was awesome that he had dated my friend. No wonder we were such good friends. Great minds think alike, huh?

A few months after we'd been dating, Clint got a wedding invitation from Mandi in the mail. He thought it would be weird to go, since he'd dated her. But, I begged him to go. So, we went together. It wasn't weird for me at all. I was reconnecting with my old 5th grade best friend at her wedding reception! I don't know if it was weird for Clint, or not.

After that, we saw each other intermittently over the years....she came to our wedding reception, and 2 years ago, I saw her at her cousin's (my neighbor's) funeral, who had passed away in a car accident.

Then, yesterday, I got an email from Facebook saying someone was requesting to add me as a friend, then I got an email saying I had a comment on my blog. It was Mandi.

I'm so excited to reconnect with her. Even though she lives on the other side of the country, we can talk through the web, like we're face to face.

This is why I love blogging. There are so many people that I wouldn't get a chance to talk to if it weren't for blogging. So many old friends, I've found. So many new friends I've made.

Go Redskins!

We just got back yesterday from our little weekend trip to D.C. We had such a great time.

The game was AWESOME! I don't what it is about going to a live game, but for some reason I completely forgot that I'm supposed to hate football. I was so into the game, got so caught up in the plays. I didn't even get that much people watching done, because I was too busy watching the game. (You'd think I went to actually watch football....hello, what was I thinking?)

We got to the stadium early, bought some souveneirs (Clint's favorite team is the Redskins, so, while we usually don't spend the fortune to buy stuff at games, we made an exception for this one.)

After getting a ginormous Coke (it was crazy hot---94 degrees + humidity), we settled into our awesome seats. We were seated in a totally different section than all of the customers that we brought to the game. (I think Clint was secretly happy about that so he didn't have to play host the whole time). We sat about 20th row right on the 50 yard line! Last year, at the Chargers game we had 3rd row. And while the view of the players' butts was fantastic for me, you had a hard time actually seeing the game, so we opted for higher tickets this time.

I still enjoyed the view during the players' warm up.

Clint go a little jealous, so I took a picture for him too.

Clint and I bought Redskins jerseys. Don't we look cute? #47 is Chris Cooley the Tight End. He went to Utah State, so we like him.

Like I said, the game was great. I was getting a little stressed. The Saints just seems to stop them at every play. And the Redskins were down at the half. By the beginning of the 4th quarter, I was losing hope. Then, Washington scored two touchdowns in the last 6 minutes! It was so exciting! I'm so glad Clint got to see his team play and win.

Look at how excited he was after the 2nd touch down that won the game.

Oh, and can I just say. To Jason Taylor. Welcome to Washington.

Yum.

And not just because he can dance.

Excuse me a moment, while I wipe the drool off my keyboard.

Ahem......

Okay, so anyway.....here were are after the game. This is Clint and me, his bro Dave (who works with Clint) and his wife, Jen.

The scoreboard!

After the game, we were totally soaked in sweat (you know, because it was really, really HOT). So, after getting cleaned up, we took the Metro into downtown D.C., and saw a few sites, and went to dinner.

Here I am by a rose sculpture. I have no idea what the signifance of this is. It was in the courtyard behind the Ronald Regan...something or other...building.

And here we are in front of the famous Shepherd monument. What do you mean you've never heard of it? This is like the most awesome monument in Washington! This dude is a very important person in history. And he has a killer last name!

That is the Washington monument behind us. My camera does NOT like the dark, so it's kind of hard to see. I look pretty good though, don't I?...Oh, and so does Clint.

The White House. Isn't it so pretty, all lit up and glowing?

We went to this awesome little restaurant called the Capitol Grille. The food was amazing, and I'm pretty sure our server is our new best friend. She brought us so much free stuff, I couldn't believe it. (She was totally shell-shocked when she brought us each a martini, and we turned it down. She said in 12 years of working there she had NEVER had an entire table not drinking. We made history people.)

She also brought Clint out a salad, because he didn't order one, and the rest of us were eating one and she didn't want him to feel left out. It had anchovies on it. We each had to try one. Blech! But, I did try it. Not my thing. Yuck!

This is my SIL Jen trying the anchovies....

And this is me, trying the anchovies......

Then after eating Filet Mignon and Lobster, and stuffing myself to the point of pain, she brought us out free Creme Brulee cheesecake. Holy Mother, it was soooo good!

I'm pretty sure if we had given our server our name and address, she totally would've come looked us up if she was ever in UT. She was THAT friendly. Yeah, she got a really, really good tip.

Aside from this, the only other excitement was a "fake" hold up on the Metro. Some dork thought it would be funny to stand up at the front of the car (after asking everyone for spare change) and yell "This is a hold up! Nobody move!" pointing his little finger gun. Then start laughing and saying,"I'm just playin', was anybody scared?"

Um....Me......

It was a great trip! But I'm happy to be home.

Back to grind....

Mrs. Shep Goes to Washington OR Random 10 Friday

"I'm nothing special. In fact I'm a bit of a bore. If I tell a joke, you've
probably heard it before. But I have a talent, a wonderful thing.
'Cuz everyone listens when I start to sing. I'm so grateful and proud. All I want is to sing it outloud.

So I say, Thank you for the music!......"

I love that song! If my life were a musical, that song would probably be my theme song. And of course, it's by ABBA. My fave! I went out with a bunch of my cousins this week and saw Mamma Mia for the 2nd time. This song comes on during the ending credit. We were the only group in the theater, so I stood up and belted it out at the top of my lungs. There is nothing better than singing your heart out. Who needs therapy when you've got music?

********

First of all, let me just say....THANK YOU!!!! For all the comment love. If I had known that talking about the bathroom would generate so many comments, I would have started talking about it forever ago. 19 comments! That's more than I got for my CD giveaway (should I take that as a hint?) Now I know that for those of you who get 50 comments for every post, you're thinking, what's the big deal? Well, 19 people reading what I'm writing, and commenting on it, is HUGE for me! Now, maybe I can pretend that I'm kind of, sort of, maybe, a little bit popular.

p.s. Thanks for all the great bathroom cleaning tips. I'm gonna try that next spring....when I clean the bathrooms again.

**********

I've been told recently that I just say what's on my mind no matter what it is. This is no secret. I have no filter. And I guess I tend to offend people. Not intentionally. It's like this. Me thinking and talking is a little like eating and going to the bathroom. Sorry, for the disturbing analogy, but that's how I roll. Everything that you eat (goes into your body) comes out, in some way or another.
Well, everything that comes into my mind, comes out my mouth. EVERYTHING. I can't not talk. It's virtually impossible. My dear husband has learned to just tune me out (I think). The problem is that I am a very visual person. When I think, it's like I'm watching a movie in my head. So when I try to put those thoughts into words, it doesn't always translate exactly. So, sometimes, it just doesn't come out right. And I'm often misunderstood. So, if what I'm saying just sounds like total psychobabble. It's probably just not coming out how I pictured it in my head.

**************

Tomorrow, my hubby and I are off to Washington, D.C. Yeah! It'll be a quick trip. Just for the weekend. We are way into politics. We are going just to be around all of the presidential mumbo-jumbo going on before the 'big election'

AH, HA hahahahahah!!!!! *Snort* Oh, you thought I was serious?

Umm, No.

Really, the only thing on the agenda is to go see a Redskins game. Have you read about who my hubby is in the fall?

Yeah!!!!!!!................for Clint.

No, really, I am excited. Last Fall, I went to my first NFL game (Chargers vs. Colts) in San Diego and it was AWESOME!

Clint is a diehard Redskins fan. He has loved them for his entire life. So this is like his dream come true. I'm so happy that he finally gets to go see them live, in their own stadium.

It's a little hard for me to go all the way to DC without seeing any history, but he has promised me we'll go back there someday and do all the history stuff.

*************

Sorry, this post isn't very funny. I'm just not feelin' it today.

***********

Here's my list....of music

1. Something Bad - Idina Menzel (from Wicked)
2. Still Holding Out for You - Shedaisy
3. I'm Sensitive - Jewel
4. I Saw the Light - Wynonna
5. Bigger Than Us - Hannah Montana
6. Contradiction - The Kinleys
7. Patience - Guns N' Roses
8. Gravitational Pull - Chris Ledoux
9. Livin' On a Prayer - Bon Jovi
10. High Enough - Damn Yankees

Bonus: Love is Here to Stay - Harry Connick, Jr.

Potty Talk

WARNING: You are about to enter a hazardous complaining zone. Proceed with caution!

Today is clean bathrooms day. I hate this day. Many of you may already know that I hate, I mean really, really HATE cleaning bathrooms. In the worst way. With a passion. I'd rather die, than clean bathrooms. Recently, Motherboard and I made a deal that she'd clean my bathrooms if I fold her her laundry.

Motherboard, where were you today? Huh? I thought you had my back!

But it's gotta be done. Nothing sucks more than cleaning up sh**...I mean crap.

(p.s. if you didn't know this about me already, one of my weaknesses is that sometimes I'm tempted to swear. Especially, when I'm particularly ornery, like after scrubbing toilets)

I have made a few observations today, while completing the dastardly task, and I need some answers.

1) My 3 year old LOVES to scrub toilets. Why do they love to clean when they're little, and then refuse to do it when they're old enough to do it right? WHY?!!

She likes to take the toilet brush, dip it in the sh** water, and drip it all over the house. The floor on my bathroom afterward is quite hazardous. She discovered this, after "scrubbing" the toilet, and slipped and fell on her keester. (How do you spell ceester, quister, chzixysther?)

2) While a tile shower may look all stylish and beautiful, it totally SUCKS to clean. There is some seriously funky junk growing in the grout. NAST!

3) Why, when I have a water softener, does my shower still get hard water spots on the glass. And why can't I get this off, even after mondo effort and scrubbing. (note: I may have mentioned that I hate cleaning, and I may or may not take a lazy approach to it). If anyone has any insight and how to remove hard water spots (the lazy way), let me know.

4) I don't know why, but cleaning bathroom makes me hungry. I am ravenously famished right now. Except the problem is that the cleaner smell sticks with me the rest of the day, after cleaning, and disgusts me so much that it ruins my appetite. I feel like if I eat after I clean, I'm poisoning myself with Clorox cleanup, even though I have washed my hands afterward.

5) My bathtub has little blue smudges on it. And no amount of scrubbing or cleaner can get these little smudges off. What is this from? I can't figure it out. What have my kids gotten on their bodies, that cause little blue smudges on the bottom of the bathtub?

Now that you know all of my little bathroom secrets, do you have any insightful answers to my little potty mysteries?

WAFS

I have always loved the Fall.
The change of the seasons, the weather getting cooler, the crisp air, the spicy smells, the harvest, the beautiful colors of nature, the hint that the holidays are on the their way.
I have always loved canning tomatoes, or corn, or peaches, or grapes with my Grandma and Mom and sisters. I loved to go on walks in the brisk cool air, in the evening, or going for drives in the mountains to see the trees as their leaves change with the season.

Fall was by far my favorite season....
Except....

for the past 10+ years, Autumn has brought on a whole new meaning.

Now, instead of looking forward to fall, it comes upon me, finding me in a state of dread.



Only one thing could cause this much anxiety.


Yup.



Football.


Ten years ago, I met my husband. It was summer, and we spent a lot of time together. We spents hours together by the pool, stayed up late into the night, just to talk, went to concerts, went camping. Monday nights we made a tradition of getting pizza and renting a movie. Then as August neared it's end, and the impending fall approached, the true colors of my summer romance unfolded.

I discovered that my true love was none other than.....

....a football fanatic.

So now, from the months of September to February, I am alone. Left to bask in the glory of those sportsless summer days, longing for the first signs of Spring.....the first signs that football season is finally over.

I am a football widow.

So, instead of spending our Sunday and Monday evenings, going for walks, driving in the canyon, looking at the lovely fall colors, teaching our children about nature, talking about the Gospel, reading our scriptures, every Family Home Evening is spent in the basement. In front of the TV. Watching Football.

I have become accustomed to taking my Sunday nap to the tune of football noises in the background. It's like hypnosis. If football comes on....I suddenly become tired, and I just can't seem to stay awake.

And the last couple of years, it's gotten even worse, with this new Fantasy Sports craze. So, now, I can't even cuddle with my man during football games. My spot his been so insenstively replaced by his laptop.

I have been shoved into the #2 position by a freakin' computer, people!

As we speak, my man is downstairs, catching up on his games, making sure all his players on his "team" are doing well, so he can get the most points. That about as much as I can understand. Beyond that, I'm as clueless as I am about the actual rules of football.

Don't get me wrong, I truly support my husbands addiction...ahem, I mean, hobby. And I really do enjoy going to live games with him. (Because of the people watching opportunities)

So, I have a new favorite website. WAFS. Women Against Fantasy Sports.


Seriously go check it out. It's like a support group for sports widows, like me.

Except yesterday, my husband asked me if there was a HAB support group. (Husbands Against Blogging). Ha Ha....he's cute and funny!....

So, I ask you. Are any of you out there also mourning football widows?

Hebrews 12:1

"....let us run with patience the race that is set before us."

Random 10 Friday

Training for a Marathon rule #237

Do not, repeat, do not, start going to an advanced step aerobics class two days before a long training run. Especially when that training run is a 20 mile downhill race. Your calves will revolt in protest, and you will not have the ability to walk straight, climb up or down stairs (unless on your hands and knees). And trying to walk flat-footed to avoid using your calf muscles will only result in stares and guffaws from the people around you.

In the case that this does happen, take a crap-load of ibuprofen, drink tons of Cherry Coke, and hope that the dull numbness that accompanies a 20 mile run comes on fast.

*************

My husband left town today. I was OK with that, until I realized that it means he's not coming home all weekend. duh....

Somehow the children can sense the oncoming "breakdown" and feel the need to accelerate that process with an onslaught of major temper tantrums, mischief, messes and breaking things.

...and major temper tantrums.

Did I mention the tantrums? It has been a few months since Peter has had a tantrum. I don't deal well with tantrums. It seems to bring out my crazy lady, and I start throwing tantrums of my own.

She is currently screaming in her bedroom (her "cry spot") over I'm not quite sure what. Something about playing a princess game, and eating a plain sandwich and grapes...I don't know.

It is impossible to reason with a tantrumming (that is a word if I say it is) child.

I think I need my cry spot, too.

...and a cherry coke.

******************

I think I might be becoming an addict. I have a serious problem.

I LOVE CHERRY COKE! I just can't get enough!

****************

I've been reading a lot of your blogs about the first day of school. Many of you express your sweet emotions as a loving mother, sending her precious innocent children off to the wild unknown that is the world of school, shedding tears of sorrow, as you wave goodbye to your sweet little scholars.

Does it make me a rotten mother, that, not only am I not shedding tears, feeling emotions of remorse at dropping my baby off at preschool, but I am going home, and doing a very, VERY big happy dance, that at last, I have two hours to myself?

Is that bad?

*************

And finally......TGIF!!!

1. Crucify - Tori Amos

2. Carmelito - Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians

3. Oh, Atlanta - Alison Krauss

4. Solitude - Me (again totally random, I promise)

5. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) - ABBA

6. Nocturne for Piano No. 7 in c sharp minor, Op. 27,1 - Chopin

7. The Love That We Lost - Chely Wright

8. Seminole Wind - John Anderson

9. Te Necesito - Shakira

10. Thanksgiving - George Winston (it's almost Thanksgiving time...I love this song)

Bonus: Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love - Van Halen

Solitude

Today, was my first day home alone. EVER!
My two little monkeys TJ & Peter started preschool today. I had 2 1/2 hours of time to myself.
Complete Solitude.
It was wonderful!!!
The only problem is that it went by so fast.

But, I didn't curl up with a book, or go back to bed.
I got sooo much done!


So far, today, I have done:

1. Ran 9 miles


2. Took a shower, and got ready (yes, that IS an accomplishment)


3. Dressed and fed the kids and got all of them off to school ON TIME!


4. Picked up the drycleaning


5. Returned some shirts at Kohls


6. Went Grocery Shopping (and was shocked at how much less I spend when I'm not buying "treats"


7. Folded 2 batches of laundry, put the 3rd batch in the dryer and started the 4th batch in the washer


8. Took out all the garbage


9. Made all the beds


10. Cleaned up the garage


11. Sprayed Febreeze everywhere (because i dont' know why, but my kids' rooms STINK!)

And I did ALL of this before 11:30 when I had to pick up the monkeys from preschool. I am so proud of myself.
p.s. I'm also proud of myself, for not spending the entire two hours blogging.


I could totally be done for the day, and be satisfied. But, alas, I am not done.
We still have to go to karate, soccer, volleyball, make dinner, and then start over and do the whole thing again tomorrow.


p.s. Here are some cute pics of the TJ & Peter for their first day of school!

TJ--doesn't he look handsome? Here is TJ on his first day of school one year ago. 3 years old


This Peter on Tuesday, on her Orientation Day.


This is Peter this morning. She is very proud of her pink cowgirl boots.

Here is Peter one year ago. 2 years old. Yes, she still had her "nummer." Thank goodness, we finally got over that addiction!

Quasimoto

I was sitting on the floor in front my entertainment center, searching for Tarzan. The monkeys wanted to watch it, while I had my shower. We found the movie, and I was putting back the CD holder thingy, shut the cupboard door, and...

CRASH!!

I have this really cute tile thingy with vinyl lettering that says "Families are Forever" being held up a really cute rod iron easel.

Well, somehow it lost it's balance, and came crashing down from on top of my entertainment center, landing smack dab on my forehead, bounced, hit my forehead again, then ricocheted, and before I could register what was happening, and reached out to grab it, it hit Peter in the head.

My head took the brunt of the blow, so Peter was OK after being consoled. Not me.

There is something about being hit in the head with a piece of tile, and brings out my inner crazy lady.

Not a pretty sight.

So, this morning, I looked something like this.....

And now, after "the accident" I look more like this.....

Not to mention the massive headache I've been carrying around all day. The 478 ounces of Cherry Coke I drank today, just doesn't seem to be doing the trick.

Drumroll, please....

And the winner is.......

Jan over at Crazy Lady on Road 80!

Congratulations Jan!

Thank you to everyone who commented, and made me feel loved!

After much deliberation, and consideration with the boss, I've decided to keep calling him Clint.
Because that's his name, and that's whats he want to be called.
But, there were a lot of great suggestions!
Thank you!

Jan, to get your free CD, send me an email with your full name and address to
pianorunner (at) yahoo (dot) com.

For those of you who didn't win the free CD, you can still buy one for $5.00 dollars.
Send me an email at the above email address, with your full name, address, how many copies you want, and your preferred method of payment.
I will be setting up my PayPal account today, so you can pay by credit card, or you can mail me a check. Just say so, in your email, and I will email you the address.

Thanks for playing!

Ok, That's all.

Ok, I feel sufficiently loved now. Thank you for all of your comments, and suggestions on the nickname.

Here's the thing.

After I started the little contest, I started thinking that maybe I should consult with the boss man, himself, about what he wanted to be called on "the blog."

He said, basically, that he couldn't care less if he had a nickname or not. He seemed to think the best idea was just to call him by his real name.

But, then I thought of this really awesome nickname!

He works for a company that sells Bryant heating and air-conditioning, and last May, he had the opportunity to go to the Indy-500 and tour the Bryant factory in Indianapolis. Bryant is a huge contributor to the race. They actually have a car (the #11 car, sponsered with 7-11) in the race. So, my hubby had the opportunity to dress up like Bryantman (the company mascot/superhero--so to speak) and got to be in the Indy-500 parade. I so wish I could've been there to see him.

TJ thinks it's the coolest thing EVER that his Dad is Bryantman. He has collected all the Bryantman toys--complete with Bryantman, Bryant pup (the side-kick), and the bad guys--Bone Chiller, and Scorcher.

So, I thought, what a great idea to call my hubby "Bryantman."

He still didn't like the idea, using the excuse that it's patented, and what not. WAH!!

So, I guess I'm still mulling it over.

Thanks for all your comments. I will pool together all of the comments I've received since last Friday, and draw a name tomorrow morning. So, if I get any more comments between now and then, I will still include those names.

If you don't win, then I am selling my CD for $5.00. I'd say that's a pretty good deal. It's basically just to cover printing/copying costs.

So, send me an email (link on my sidebar) if you want to order one. But wait til tomorrow, cuz maybe you won!!!

This Just In....

The Blue Man Group has recently add a new member to it's team!



My yet to be nicknamed hubby and I were downstairs watching a movie on Saturday night, when TJ came down to show off his latest "artwork."

I laughed so hard, and he was so proud of himself I just had to take a picture.
Then, I went upstairs, to discover that not only had he painted himself (with my acrylic craft paints, no less).
He had also painted the counter, the floor, the wall in four different rooms, my entertainment center, and today I discovered, that back of my computer chair.

This, after I discovered this week, that they had broken the frame on my couch from jumping on it too much, and nails were literally sticking out the back of it. My hubby cut a hole in the back of my couch to remove the nails, so no one would get hurt on them. The same couch also got "painted" by Peter with fingernail polish.
All of this happened in one weekend.

Remind me again why I WANTED to have children? Seriously.

And yes, we DID threaten to make them sleep outside in the backyard like an animal if they didn't start respecting MY stuff!

p.s. the contest is till going on! I've had some great suggestions so far! If you haven't had a chance to enter, make a comment. I'm going to keep the drawing open until I feel that I have sufficient comments to boost my self esteem.
But I think I'm going to add to it. If any of you have any great ideas for a cover for my CD, or know a really good photographer, who can take a sexy picture of me for cheap (ahem, motherboard, hint, hint) let me know!

nnnkay?? (as quoted by Peter)