Some News

We're moving.

It's not a little move.  We're really moving.

Go big or go home, right?

We are packing up and moving a few states over.

This new state is a bit of a drive from our West Texas town.  It has mountains, and trees, and pine cones, and rivers, and lakes, and snow, and rain, and temperatures measured with words like "below zero".   And after the election this past November, it also has marijuana.

In other words, this new state is the complete opposite of West Texas.

It may seem kind of sudden, but, honestly, God has been planning this move since Honey was a kid.  I truly believe this move has been in Honey's heart that long.  He is over the moon excited about his new job and coworkers.  It's not often you get to have the job of your dreams.

The rest of our little family is mostly excited, with a little bit of scared mixed in.  This is the biggest adventure that's happened to our family since the twins were born.  I think "mostly excited with a little bit of scared" is a pretty good way to look at a big new adventure.

I'm not sure I'll know what to do when phrases like "...temperatures well above the century mark..." and "...send in your pictures of the haboob that passed over the area..." are not part of the local weather forecast.  Apparently there are real places, lo, even in the great United States of America, where the flip flop is not a practical shoe choice.  And the realtor in our new state may or may not have laughed at me when I asked that he show us some houses with central air conditioning.

There will probably be some fishing, hunting, hiking, snow skiing, 4 wheeler riding, tubing, and reading on the deck in our future.  I'm positive there will be some culture shock, some fashion faux pas, and some closed toe shoe purchasing.  But it's nothing the Hairdryer family can't handle, right?

The one where I empty my brain of all the randomness

- I turned 38 last week.  And today?  I'm craving turkey and cheese on a sandwich thin for lunch instead of bean and cheese nachos from Rosa's.  It's like I don't even know myself anymore.

-Thirty eight has also declared war on my complexion.  Seriously.  Puberty wasn't this bad.

-I've had it up to here with Iron Man, Pawn Stars, Grease Monkey, Auction Hunters, and NBA Playoffs.  Last night I needed some girl TV, so I holed up in my room and watched some Downton Abbey.  The Christmas special from season 2 is my favorite episode.

-I'm 90 miles away from reaching 1000 on the spin bike.  I'll for sure make it by May 20.  I hope the t-shirts are cute.

-It's finally strawberry and avocado season again.  I love avocados...they make me want to LICK THE BOWL CLEAN.
-And...I miss these.

There is no reason they should be a seasonal product.

-I helped chaperon Bubba's choir trip this weekend.  We were gone 27 hours and 12 of those were spent on a charter bus.  But a happy mistake made it to where Bubba and I had to sit next to each other on the way to the music festival.  I loved the 6 hours we had to whisper, laugh, nap, and watch the sun rise together.  I probably won't ever get to do that again.  Good times.

-Only 18 more days of packing lunches.  Can I get an AMEN?!

-May is crazy busy this year.  Is the end of school kicking anyone else's tail?

11-1-11

A snapshot of our life on 11-1-11:

- Halloween costumes this year:

Brooke: Mummy; Bubba: glow-in-the-dark alien; Mary Tutu: Mad Hatter

- what Bubba looked like in the dark:

- the pumpkins we "carved"

- Honey drove in from work early today, so he picked the kids up from school. While I was waiting on them to get home, I made these pizza rolls for an after school snack. We all loved them and they were super easy to put together.

We used 1 can of biscuits, 1 c. mozzarella cheese, ham, and pizza dipping sauce. The biscuits and pizza sauce we used made these 10g of carbs for each roll.

Next time, I'll just spray the muffin tins and cook right in the tin instead of using the cupcake liners. The cheese cooked onto the liners and made the rolls stick.

- I'm in the market for a new pair of jeans. What's your favorite brand and fit? I've been loving the Eddie Bauer Curvy fit, but I think I need some that are a bit longer and my EB doesn't stock long sizes in the store. I HATE that. I don't WANT to order online, I want to try them on...

- Mary Tutu sold the most items in her class for the recent fundraiser. For her prize, she got to be the teacher for the day. I was telling her that she was allowed to bring a Sonic drink to school and drink it while she worked just like her teachers do. When she heard that she asked, "So do I get Rosa's for lunch, too?" The Rosa's is right down the street from the school. So guess what she got for lunch that day?

- In 4 days I will be chillin' with my prayer groupies in San Diego. California. Just the girls. No kids. We Texas mamas aren't going to know what to do with ourselves. We'll be celebrating our 15th prayer group retreat.

None of us have ever been to San Diego. Have you? Do you have any suggestions for us?

It was like living, breathing Facebook

I loved every minute of Jr. High and High School.

I did.

Of course I experienced my share of heartbreaks, tears, and teenage angst, but as a whole, when I look back on those years of my life, I have nothing but fond memories. I had great friends, loving adult mentors, and carefree fun.

I was involved in many things as a student, but I only did a couple of things well...choir was one of them. I was the biggest choir nerd you ever did see. To this day, I get goose bumps when I see a well timed jazz hand. And I loved the scene in High School Musical when Ryan and Sharpay argued over using the jazz square in their routine.

I know every word to every Christmas carol and can sing the melody or the harmony depending on which part I feel is weaker at the moment.

See? I'm a nerd.

We didn't think we were nerds though. We thought we were the. coolest. singers. ever. There were about 10 of us that went through choir together from 7th grade through senior year. The hours we spent doing concerts, musicals, and show choir events, rehearsing, riding the bus, taking early/late lunches, TOGETHER, helped nurture friendships and bonds that got us through the tough teen years and beyond.

In my mind we were all still young and skinny, attending Sweet 16 parties and gearing up to go caroling at yet another bank.

When Bubba came home from 6th grade registration and announced that he'd signed up to take Choir as his elective, all of those thoughts came to a screeching halt.

Wait a minute.

My son is old enough to be in CHOIR. Real choir?

That can't be right?!

Maybe...we aren't as young as I thought we were.

When we sat down in the auditorium to watch his first middle school choir concert, I was not prepared for the flood of memories and nostalgia that hit me.

Then I volunteered at his first All Region Choir competition.

It was all just so surreal. Wasn't I just here to audition? Wasn't Bubba just 3 years old singing "Jesus Loves Me" in Bible class?

He made All Region Choir...as a 6th grader...that's a pretty big deal...there were only three 6th grade boys that made it. He got to wear a tux for the first time.

This is the only picture I got. He sent it to me from his phone. Then afterwards, he ran to change back into his regular clothes before we could even find him.

At his first concert, I watched him and realized that someone was gonna have to get ahold of that boy and teach him to plant his feet, stand still, and quit fidgeting while he's singing, and to look at the director during the song.

It's taken me a couple of weeks to justify it all in my brain. All of those wonderful memories I have from Jr. High and High School? It's Bubba's turn.

He spent all day Saturday rehearsing with the All Region Choir and the guest director. Then we went to the concert Saturday evening. They sounded so grown up and nothing like you might imagine when you hear the phrase "Middle School Boys Choir". They were good. And Bubba didn't fidget...and he looked at the director the entire time they were singing.

As it turns out, one of my old choir friends grew up and became a director, and he was the guest director for Bubba's choir. (What?! You're in charge now?! Weren't we just having rubber band wars in the choir room?) It was fun seeing him again and catching up with what's happening in his life.

Then my friend told me that he felt bad because he got on to Bubba at the beginning of the day because he wasn't looking at him during the songs. I grinned and told him somebody needed to show him how it's done.

If somebody had to do it, I'm glad it was my friend.

Is this what it means to come full circle?

Yes, I did turn down $100...

At the Chicago airport waiting for our flight home, we saw Dennis Rodman. He looked kind of normal though. Normal for Dennis...he wasn't wearing a dress. But, he was carrying a purse. Not a man-bag. It was a purse...a gray, feather-y, hobo bag.

There were storms moving through Chicago about the time our flight was scheduled to leave so we sat on the plane for over an hour waiting for them to pass. About 5 minutes in to our wait, the stewardess came on the speakers and asked if anyone knew how to make those embroidery floss friendship bracelets. I looked up from my book long enough to remember making them in Jr. High and how long it'd been since I had actually spent any time in Jr. High.

No one really responded to the friendship bracelet cry for help. All of a sudden this lady about 3 rows in front of me held up a $100 bill, and the stewardess said, "You're willing to pay someone a hundred dollars to teach you to make a friendship bracelet?"

That's when Honey elbowed me in the ribs and started humming "Friends Are Friends Forever" to help me get in touch with my Jr. High self and remember how to braid those dang bracelets.

But I was too late, the memories too foggy. A college girl raised her hand and offered help. The new friends rearranged seats so that they were sitting together. They chatted and made bracelets for the rest of the flight, and although I never saw money change hands, I assume the college girl got her $100.

As soon as we got home, I sure did go to Barnes and Noble and buy Mary TuTu a book/kit to teach her how to make a bracelet. I'm going to be ready the next time someone offers money for a braiding lesson.

BRING IT!

we have some fires in Texas (again)...because we need some rain (still)...please pray for rain (continuously)...thank you (very much)

I almost forgot to post.

I took the girls to my mom's to sew today. We were there 5 hours, but we have some cute stuff to show for it! I'll post pictures tomorrow.

Now, I'm gonna get back to waiting for Brooke's blood sugar to rally back so she can go to bed. I plan on following shortly after...

The Circle of Life

We did it. We drove to one of our favorite places on Earth, left our baby there, and came home. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't even a little jealous that he's staying 2 weeks and we're not.

The camp director Honey and I worked for used to say, "Campers grow up and become counselors. Counselors grow up, get married, and become teachers. And teachers beget more campers." Yep, that's pretty much how it worked for us.

I didn't even cry. Well, not about leaving Bubba.

He loaded the car this morning. This is the luggage he had.


He kinda' had a lot. I think it's because he let me help him pack...and I'm a girl...and girls tend to over pack.

This is what time we left our house this morning.

We left at 6:24. That means that I'd been up for a while before that.

And yes, that's XM radio. Our new to us suburban has XM and we got a free 3 month trial. My mother-in-law told us to be sure and remember to call and cancel it after 3 months. Honey said not to worry, he wouldn't forget. He's good at remembering that kind of stuff.

I've decided that XM radio is like having cable. So many channels and nothing to listen to. We spent the majority of the 10 hours in the car looking for...or, listening for... a good channel.

We sat in the car for 5 hours, arrived at camp in time for worship, and then ate lunch, and then sat in the car for 5 more hours. I'm tired of sitting, so tired that I'm standing at the breakfast bar while I type.

Honey and I had fun visiting and catching up with our people at camp. During worship, I was overcome with emotion. Not because I was leaving Bubba, but because it felt so good to be there... with those people. It was good.

And I wish we could have stayed.

Bubba is in a small cabin, only 7 or 8 campers. He's related to 2 of them and met the son of a friend while standing in line to register, so he was already half way to having a cabin full of new friends by the time we said goodbye. He didn't hug me, but he did ask me in which bag we packed his basketball shorts. See? He still needs me. It was actually better than a hug.

This is what time we made it home.

This is how many miles we drove today.
And I still found the energy to post. How's that for dedication to NaBloPoMo July?

To Bubba, with love.

Tomorrow we're taking Bubba to camp. He'll be there 2 weeks.

Two. Whole. Weeks.

He couldn't be more excited.

My brain says that he'll have the time of his life. My heart says 2 weeks is a long time.

The best thing about being gone 2 weeks is that there is plenty of time to send a care package. The girls and I need some ideas. What should we pack in Bubba's care package?

Everything short of the rain dance.

Blogger is wiggin' out. I've been blogging for almost 6 years (what?!) and I've never had this much trouble with Blogger. Maybe we need to do a little rain dance to help it get back to normal.

I don't really believe in rain dances. I believe that God is in control of the weather. He knows where every drop of rain has fallen since the beginning of time. He knows that fires burn in Arizona, that dirt blows in West Texas, that tornadoes have left devastation in Alabama, and that rivers are overflowing in the east.

He knows we think we need rain, and He knows when the rain will come again.

We still pray for rain. We NEED rain. I know our prayers will be answered.

I don't believe in superstitious, rain dance, Friday the 13th kind of stuff, but, I may or may not have done a few things here and there to offer myself as the butt of God's little joke just in case it unexpectedly rained.

I can laugh at myself. I'm not above taking one for the team if it means getting some moisture to our area. According to Facebook statuses (statusi ?) the last couple of days we've had less humidity than the Sahara or Mojave desert. Or that could be an urban legend. Whatever...it's DRY here and we need some rain.

Our city did get a few scattered thunderstorms one night. Scattered is the key word in that sentence. Our house got high winds and about 5 drops of water.

I tried having the car washed. That always does the trick, right? Not just the cheap $8 wash, but the expensive, shine the tires, rain-x treatment, $12 wash.

No rain, not even just a little bit to leave water spots on the windows.

Then, I tried having Honey fertilize the yard...and water it in really well. Because everyone knows it always rains the night after you fertilize and water.

Nothing.

We are currently trying to wrap up baseball and softball season. We've been living through two sports seasons giving countless chances to rain out games.

No rain. Although we did have a short lightening delay at one baseball game.

About a week ago, I washed, folded, and put away all the spring sports blankets and jackets from the back of the suburban. I have absolutely nothing to guard against a sudden cold front/rain. And I have seen zero clouds in the sky.

About a month ago I noticed that the rear windshield wiper on the suburban needs to be replaced. I keep "forgetting" to look for a new one hoping for a sudden downpour and the need to use the windshield wipers so I can rue the day that I ignored the broken wiper.

So far, no downpours, sprinkles, or any other form of moisture requiring the use of windshield wipers. I'm wondering how long I should "forget" to replace the windshield wiper. The car is starting to look a little ghetto.

I'm thinking that if it doesn't rain soon, I'm going to WASH MY WINDOWS. But that is totally a LAST resort.

The girls are signed up for swimming lessons. Some combination of our children has been taking lessons every year since Bubba was 3, so...8 years (what?!). Every year one or two days have been "safety education days" due to rain, cold, and drizzle. I felt pretty confident as we arrived Monday morning for our first day of lessons that rain would come some time in the next two weeks.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that we were a week early. Our lessons start next Monday.

Yes. I'm that mom. It seems my brain is about as scattered as the thunderstorms we've been getting lately.

I'm still expecting rain some time in the next two weeks.

Starting next Monday.

Stuff floating around in my head

*Today is my birthday! Honey teases me that we celebrate all month. But this year, I've already been celebrating for a week. Next year, I'll aim for a full 6 week long celebration. It's a nice round number.

*Today is also the anniversary of a tragic bus wreck that changed me and many people I love. I've tried many times to write about it and the words just don't come...even after 12 years.

*Today is also my first day back at home full time. I spent a few minutes yesterday afternoon getting all of my calendars synced and updated. I'm glad I'm back home now...May is going to be Cuh-razy.

*Saturday morning I finally got to watch the royal wedding. I absolutely did not want to wake up early to watch it live. I wish I'd had a 3 month long honeymoon. Between the wedding and the NFL draft, our poor DVR needs a 3 month long vacation. All I have to say is the boys cannot complain about all the endless William and Kate coverage. The draft matched the royals hour for hour with TV time.

*Is it me, or did Usama change the way he spells his name? I seem to remember it being Osama.

*Last week I administered the TAKS test to some of my 4th graders. That's fancy talk for stand and walk quietly around the room and actively monitor ALL THE LIVE LONG 2 DAYS. I bought some new shoes just for the occasion...part of the great birthday celebration of 2011...Reebok Real Flex. They are awesome! I love them, and I would welcome any form of communication from Reebok, but so far I've heard nothing from them, this is just my opinion, because I LOVE THESE SHOES.

*I took Bubba to get a tooth pulled this morning. He's hanging with me this morning until the numbness wears off...he may even need to spend the whole day here at home. He was cute when he was on the nitrous. He giggled a lot. I'll probably let him take me to lunch for my birthday.

*I've heard rumors that we got rain yesterday morning, but I didn't see any. We still need rain. I get a free car wash because it's my birthday. I think I'll drop by and have it washed. That always works right?

*I have downloaded an app called "Diabetes Personal Manager". Is anyone out there using it? What do you think about it? I'm hoping it will be helpful, but I probably won't have time to spend with it for a couple more days.

*We're making some technology history at our house. I'm using an iPhone, Honey is using a phone with a full keyboard, Bubba got his first phone, and my Dad is texting. With all the messaging capability floating around our house, we got the unlimited texting. It was probably the smartest thing we've ever done, because if my DAD is texting, there are just no more limits.

*What's going on with you?

Bubba Ruth

Bubba hit his first homerun today!

I wasn't thinking about taking pictures, I wasn't thinking about getting the ball that made it over the fence. I was cheering and watching him run the bases. I have a great mental picture of him rounding 2nd. Thankfully, two other team moms took care of the ball and photos.

Here's the celebration at home plate. Bubba's the one in the blue helmet getting hugged by #4.

About the time this picture was taken, another mom had a group of little boys scouring the parking lot for the ball with an offer of a dollar for the one that found it. She said she knew Grampy was right behind her ready to ante up if it came down to it. I think it wound up costing him $2.

And suddenly I'm more excited about baseball season.

This week...

Grinning on the inside smile
Saturday Brooke's blood sugar was in the 100s all day! That's a first for us.

I'm too sexy for my shirt smile
I'm loving me some Vera Bradley. When I bought the laptop, Honey said he would buy me any case I wanted. I immediately picked out this...and this...in Folkloric.

A few weeks ago life changed and I realized that I had to carry some sort of bag packed with all things diabetic whenever we left the house. So I got this. In Folkloric. So I can be all matchy-matchy.

I think Honey reads the blog now, so I better lay off the Vera Bradley for a while:)

Yes, I'll have another thankyouverymuch smile
I'm loving the Cheerios family of cereals right now. If you stick to the serving size on the box, the points for Weight Watchers figure to be the same as the serving size of Fiber One. And they are all carb friendly so Brooke feels like she's eating sugary, kid cereal and not healthy stuff. It's a win/win. Her current favorite is the Cinnamon Cheerios flavor, but she also likes the Honey Nut and Frosted variety.

Put your feet up and relax smile
It's Spring Break! About Wednesday last week I was telling one of the other 4th grade teachers that I was so ready. I know she was thinking, whatever, you've been here 5 days, and was just too kind to say it.

I knew He would all along smile
I feel like I work for the IRS. I bet people that work for the IRS are a little embarassed to tell what they do for a living. The IRS is so hated...just because they are the ones that have to collect the taxes. Since no one likes taxes, no one likes the IRS.

Gas prices are going up, but I can't complain. A good part of Honey's business is based on the oil and gas companies. When gas prices are up, business is good for him.

In our town, gas is about $3.30 a gallon. For the record, we're really fine with the prices when they are about $2.75...$3.30 is a little much. But when they go back down to $2.15 and $2.20...and we all know they will...life is hard for us.

Not sure why I needed to share that. I guess I'm trying to say, "I feel you, dawg." or maybe "Don't be a hater." Either way.

How funny is that? smile
Last week Bubba and a friend decided to do the famous "Who's On First" skit for the school talent show.

I could do this all day smile
Honey, the girls, and I have been playing the Smurfs game on the iPad. He's the farmer, I'm the decorator, and the girls are the game players.

Grinning with anticipation smile
Spring Break Road Trip 2011

Make your eyes twinkle smile
Today is chore day, chores today, play the rest of the week. My eyes will twinkle when the chores are done.

The crazy is out of control.

Listen.

Can you hear it?

That's what it sounds like when I'm alone in the house in the middle of the morning.

I'd forgotten. It had been so long. Nine loooong days.

I know this crazy weather has everyone operating a little out-of-the-norm. Honestly? I was beginning to go a little cuckoo. I'd turned the corner at cabin fever and was headed towards whatever is a couple of miles down from cabin fever.

The days were starting to run together. No one knew what day it really was and watching TV didn't help. Was this show live or DVR'd? Was that weather warning for today or yesterday? Is school cancelled or just a 2 hour delay? This morning, I had to actually look at a calendar to figure out what day it was.

LAST Monday night our little mid-winter break started. Mary Tutu came home from school with a fever and I stayed home with her while the rest of the natives went to basketball practice.

Then Wednesday morning the school called. It was Bubba. I try not to let my voice sound disappointed when I answer the phone and it's the school nurse, but I'm not sure I'm successful every time.

Thursday morning Brooke woke up with a fever, and Honey decided to take a day off and help me with our little band of flu victims. And the flu victims? Well let's just say it was a pretty light case of the flu. They all had one rough day in the beginning and then felt mostly fine for the rest of their 5 day doctor imposed quarantine.

And the Tamiflu? It is dead to me. It took me until Friday for me to realize that flu-wise the kids were fine. It was the Tamiflu that was making them nauseous and loose their appetite every 12 hours or so. Because Bubba? Along with his man-sized everything else comes man-sized vomit.

Just sayin'.

Saturday was day 5 at home with sickies. Family Feud and Price is Right are only weekday shows, so Honey offered to let me get out of the house and take his place coaching the two basketball teams. I was feeling crazy enough that I almost took him up on the offer, but thankfully my common sense kicked in before it was too late.

Sunday, right after I determined that Mary Tutu and Bubba would be returning to school on Monday, I took a shower, got dressed up, put on my new necklace and some perfume, and went to The Rosa's for some takeout.

While we were eating lunch, we started hearing the weather people talk about all the snow and the arctic air we were supposed to get Monday night. My instincts kicked in and I quickly made a list of all the stuff we needed to be prepared for The Storm. Then I left the house and "ran some errands" for a couple of hours. We were in desperate need of some hand soap from Bath and Body Works.

Monday I sent Honey and 2 kids to school, but kept Brooke home just to make sure her tummy was back to normal. But I promised her that she could go back to school on Tuesday.

Then Monday night it snowed. And arctic air blew in.

And Tuesday? The school declared a snow day. And Honey stayed home from work because the town he drives to every day had snow and arctic air.

And the voices in my head began to chant "You are our prisoner! We will never let you go!" I realized that snow days are way more fun when you haven't already been cooped up in the house for a week.

Tuesday night, my parents came to the rescue. They stayed with the kids while Honey and I went out to eat with friends. Adult friends. That weren't sick or vomiting. It was nice.

Wednesday? The school declared a two hour delay. Honey stayed home again because the town he drives to every day had more snow and arctic air. It is nice to have him around on days like this though. He drove the kids to school and then drove to pick them up. Church was canceled so we could stay in and keep warm and safe, so we went to a local basketball game and out to eat. Because at that point, warm and safe were feeling overrated.

And today? We still had a two hour delay. Honey went back to work. We slept in again, the house is empty, and all is right with my world.

I've decided if we can survive a week starting the school day at 10am, we should just do it that way every day.

I think I'm on to something.

some stuff

1. It snowed Monday night. We woke up yesterday morning to this:



The sidewalks and roads were clear, so no snow day, and it was gone by 11am, but it was nice to be reminded that it really is winter.

2. My friend Valerie is going on a mission trip to Uganda. She's my friend in real life and in blog life, and I know in real life she is super excited about this opportunity. To help raise money for her trip, she is selling jewelry made by women in Uganda. I bought a necklace and bracelet set similar to these from someone else a couple of summers ago and I love them. I wear them all summer long. I bought this one from Valerie and got it this morning. It is so cute! It looks just exactly like I imagined it would.

If you want to help Valerie raise money for her trip, or if you just have a penchant for cute jewelry, check out her site and leave a comment.

3. In the last two days, Bubba and Mary TuTu have come down with the flu. I took Mary TuTu to the doctor yesterday. If he hadn't told me to keep her home until Monday, I would have sent her hiney back to school. She sure was feeling fine to be so sick. I guess I should be glad she isn't wiped out.

I picked Bubba up from school this morning. He, on the other hand, is acting sick.

We're just hangin' out drinking lots of fluids and watching Family Feud with a little bit of Price is Right for good measure.

4. 30 Day Shred makes 30 minutes on the treadmill feel like a birthday party.

5. I went to the grocery store last night and what I really wanted to buy was a box of thumbprint cookies from the bakery. Instead, I bought a bag of Cuties. But only because Mom gave us a box of Girl Scout cookies. The good ones, Peanut Butter Patties.

6. Mom & Dad got me a Cricut for Christmas. I got it out and set it up on the dinning room table to see if it worked. And it stayed there on the table for 2 or 4 weeks. Monday I started cleaning/rearranging the office so I would have a place for it. Then Mary TuTu came home from school with a fever. With all the fever and the cleaning, I totally forgot about supper. So we went out to eat. Even though Mondays are usually cooking nights. Which is why I'm supposed to cook tonight, even though Wednesdays are usually eating out nights. We'll see.

7. I may or may not be addicted to Spider Solitaire.

Baby Steps

I'm not really what you would call a computer wiz. I can e-mail, shop online, comment on blogs, and occasionally I sync my ipod correctly. Occasionally.

My relationship with technology is based on fear. Fear that I will mess something up...fear that when I call the technical support people, the people I pay to be my friend in my computer time of need, they will laugh at my ignorance and wonder how I managed to get myself in such a predicament.

In 1997 my parents bought me a Gateway laptop for college graduation. 1997 was way back when you used your telephone cord to link the computer to the dial-up internet service and check your e-mail two or three times a week. I think I knew 3 people that had e-mail addresses. The internet was not used by the general population. I'm pretty sure Nasa, Microsoft, and Al Gore were the only ones surfing the web on a regular basis.

The Gateway had a black and white screen. My kids actually gasped when I shared that little fact. They couldn't imagine a computer without color. That laptop served as our family computer until 2005.

And then, in 2005 we bit the proverbial bullet and bought a desktop computer. I began e-mailing more frequently, and after a brief stint with dial-up, we up graded to the mid-level internet connection...which was so much faster than dial-up, I could never envision the day we would need high speed internet.

I started dabbling in on-line bill pay and ordering Christmas presents from stores that only existed on the internet. It blew my mind that there was no department store named Amazon...even in the big cities. It was during this time of experimentation that the blog was born.

I bought the extended warranty and service package and continued to renew it each year, because I am not above paying someone to be at my beck and call when I have a computer issue.

The 2005 model is still serving us well. Dell and I stay in contact a couple of times a year and the problem is always an easy fix. (with the exception of the great computer crash, of which we do not speak)

This past summer, I called Dell to renew our service package, and they delivered the blow. We were no longer eligible to purchase the service package. The computer was just too old. Apparently, computer years go by even faster than dog years.

I knew that we were living on borrowed time. I knew we should start preparing for a future without the 2005.

Honey got the iPad. He loves it, but for me it's just a'ight. I want USB ports, and the ability to run Adobe Flash, and a real keyboard. Because I type, just like Mrs. Galloway taught me in 9th grade.

So, Honey took me to The Electronics Store and we met Patrick, a member of their Computer Wiz Team, and I came home with a new laptop.

I have to say...it's pretty cool to sit in the living room and pay bills, or sit at the breakfast bar and put my Weight Watchers points in, or stand in the kitchen and read a recipe without printing it on paper...because now? They have wireless internet. You can get online without any wires attached to your computer.

Crazy, huh?

We did purchase the service package, because I like having The Computer Wiz Team on my side. Patrick suggested that most people like to just bring their stuff to the store so they can show you how to fix the problem in person. Or so they will have a face to connect to the story when everyone in the break room has a good laugh.

Whatever. Today I feel like the king of the computer world. And after we upgraded to high-speed internet yesterday, I don't think there's much that can stop me.

Except maybe a low battery.

Jack Frost doesn't really nip around here

Oh, it's cold...for Texas. Right now it's 61 degrees, the wind is blowing, so it feels much colder, but not Jack Frost cold.

Non-winter weather isn't my favorite. When it's summer I want it to be hot, and when it's winter, I want it to be cold. The best thing about non-winter is the kids get to play outside. They all got new bikes for Christmas. Now, when Bubba rides, his knees don't go up to his ears.

Here's a picture of The Beautiful Bike Riders Club.

They are writing letters to each other and putting them in the basketball shoe box turned "mail box".

Brooke got a locket in the costume jewelry Mema gave her for Christmas. She wants her BBRC (we had to come up with a shorter name than The Beautiful Bike Riders Club) friends pictures to be in the locket. I better get right on that :)

The Kids

Me: Bubba, who's your favorite teacher this year?

Bubba: Mmmm...depends on the day.

Mary Tutu: So, let's say it's Monday...

It's a Journey

I'm not really one to follow trends.

Boots were in style 2 years before I bought a pair to wear in the winter.

I love Facebook, but I can't seem to get the hang of Twitter.

I wear my hair a little past my shoulders, graying at the temples, and straight, just like God made it.

I debated the usefulness of the flip flop for an entire summer before I bought a pair.

I think that's the key. Trends are here today and gone next week. If I'm going to spend my hard earned cash on something, I want to know that I'll be using it for a while. I don't want to love it one summer and feel like a dork wearing it the next.

So...bear with me as I tread lightly and move at my own "Jenni pace".

This summer I began to really think about the foods I'm putting in to my body and in the bodies of my kids. Not in a calorie counting sort of way, but in a "what does this do for my body?" sort of way. I wondered if there was any merit to all of those conspiracy theories you read on the forwarded e-mails about man made, packed with preservatives, never seems to mold, always causes cancer food we eat.

I did what I always do and I asked Google. There were a ton of links because organic, and whole foods, and anti-McDonald's are all very trendy right now. I learned a little bit. But mostly? I was really overwhelmed.

And then I e-mailed a friend, a girlfriend that has been there and done that. She's tried and failed and had success and has found a system that works...so, I wanted to copy her.

But she didn't let me copy. She mentioned some things that had worked for her family and then gave me the best advice...

prioritize. Decide what is important to your family and change those habits.

Eureka! Just what my "Jenni-paced" mind needed to hear. Don't do it because all the cool kids are doing it. Do it because you believe it's the right thing for your family.

I don't care what anybody says, Google will never replace the advice of a trusted girlfriend.

After some time, I began to come up with some basic things I wanted to change about our diet that I believe will make us healthier.

1. Under no circumstances will anyone we come in contact with feel judged or out-of-place or inferior because they are not making the same decisions we are. I hate bringing it up in conversation and have hesitated to even blog about it because I just don't want to alienate anyone. We still eat cheeseburgers. The once a week we go to Sonic, I will still order Diet Dr. Pepper. The occasional order of chips and queso will not kill us. We are not fanatics. We're just changing the choices we make in our every day routines.

2. One of the biggest things I wanted to change was our consumption of high fructose corn syrup. I stopped buying pre-packaged snacks and sweets. The kids threatened mutiny, but came around to the new snack regime pretty quickly. I have a list on the fridge and they get to choose 2 things from the list after school. Drinks were a non-issue for us. We just don't drink the sugary drinks that often.

3. The other big thing I wanted to change was the way we purchase dairy. Milk, eggs, and cheese make up a huge part of our diet. I started buying organic milk. I quit buying processed cheese products. I started buying eggs from cage free, natural fed chickens. It's a little more expensive, but the grocery budget can take it since I stopped buying the expensive, pre-packaged snacks.

4. I've also changed the way we buy meat, particularly chicken and beef. I buy meat that is raised without cages or sheds and is allowed to eat a natural diet instead of "animal feed". Again, it's a little more expensive, but for us, worth it.

5. Right now I'm in the process of strictly limiting our use of fake, man-made sweeteners. This has been the hardest change for me. In almost every drink I consume I've been known to add a fake sweetener of some sort. For months, following the Weight Watchers plan, I've relied on the artificial sweeteners to satisfy my sweet tooth. I'm sure these sweets are in more foods than I care to know or have even thought of, but we're making progress.

6. Generally speaking, we eat out twice a week. I know that's a lot for some of you, but for us, that's practically never. It's just easier to control what goes in to your body if you prepare it. Incidentally, our eat out budget has gone down and we've added the surplus to our grocery budget, so all of this buying more expensive food hasn't really changed the amount of money we spend on food each month.

That's it, so far. I wouldn't call us tree-huggers, or food snobs, or picky. We're just trying to make the best choices for our family.

What about you? How do you weigh in on this organic/whole living thing that seems to be everywhere we turn?

Miles to go

I thought I was being so clever when I left the hint for the kids about the upcoming surprise. "Miles to go"...we were going to drive to a different city and see a 33 Miles concert.

Unbeknownst to me, Miley Cyrus wrote a book with the title Miles To Go. Yep...all the kids could think about was something involving Miley Cyrus. And Bubba was not all that excited about Miley Cyrus. He's so over Miley. He's more of a Taylor Swift guy now.

He's also a 33 Miles kind of guy. In fact, Bubba is the one that introduced us to 33 Miles. So, when Honey heard about the concert in a town just a couple of hours away, we planned a little overnight.

We secretly packed the kids bags, checked them out of school a little early, and hit the road. It was about 45 miles into the trip, and many, many very leading hints when Bubba finally caught on. The kids were really excited. Brooke actually got teary eyed and emotional over the thought of her first concert, and Mary Tutu isn't one to let someone cry alone. Bubba was confused with all the crying, but Brooke told him that they were happy tears.

The tickets were very reasonably priced, so I upgraded us to VIP status and we got to get in the doors early, get a great seat, and participate in a question and answer session with the band. JJ Heller was the opening act. She performs with her husband, and they were both really nice.

The girls sat on the front row, the very front row. Honey, Bubba, and I sat right behind them. All of us wore ear plugs.

Mary Tutu doing her impression of KISS while we waited for the concert to start. Thanks Dr. Pepper for introducing my 7 year olds to the band KISS.

Brooke ready to ROCK ON!

The concert was very small. There were maybe 150 people there. But it was really cool, intimate even. And at the end? The very last song they sang?

Footloose.

I know, right? It was awesome.

After the show, we waited in a very short line to meet the band and get autographs. They were all really sweet to the kids and talked to them for a bit...something that never would have happened if there had been a larger crowd.

After the concert, we spent the night in a local motel. It wasn't the longest night we'd ever had in a motel, but it ranks right up there. I always forget how much fun it is for all 5 of us to sleep in the same room.

This is the time of year that my kids cough, a lot. When we left our town, no one was coughing, but I packed the cough medicine anyway, just in case.

By the time we were ready for bed, Mary Tutu was coughing like a puma. (Yeah, that's kind of our inside joke. Once she came to us and told us that she was hungry like a puma. We took that to mean that she was really, really hungry. It kind of stuck, so now if we're feeling something in a really strong way, it's "like a puma".)

So, she was coughing like a puma. Bubba and Brooke slept right through it, but pretty much the only thing that got me through was the memory of the Footloose awesomeness.

We got up the next morning and went down to take advantage of the free continental breakfast. All the coughing like a puma must have messed with our timing, because when we got to breakfast, the lobby was filled to overflowing with football players. We heard the tail end of their team meeting and then they released them to eat their last meal before the game, their free continental breakfast.

Honestly, I didn't want to mess with their playoff mojo, or fight with them over the last piece of bacon at the free continental breakfast, so we excused ourselves to the nearest Cracker Barrel. It wasn't free, but surprisingly it was hot, we had good service, and they got our order right the first time. This is a first for us at the Cracker Barrel.

Sleeping in the same room with someone coughing like a puma was not on my agenda for another night, so after lunch, we made our way home to the nebulizer. Several treatments later, the cough was better, and we all slept peacefully.

And today, after a mostly fun weekend with the family, life is good.

"Thank You" by 33 Miles