GOSSIP GIRL is for BOYS TOO!

And this article from Newsweek totally proves it!


I WIN

Family Moment Monday

(Since I am a slacker of epic proporations, this is only my second participation in FMM but I'm working on being more consistent, I swear!)

Today we are going to talk about something that involves my whole little family, from Shark Fin to Xeusy to Lunabell, and even my mom when she was here visiting this past week.

It's STROLLER PRACTICE.

Yes folks, Shark Fin and I decided that the best way to prep our fur-covered babies for the arrival of Baby R is to set up as much as possible, as early as possible, and to interject things about her into our regular routine. And so began Stroller Practice.

We received a stroller/travel system thing from one of Jeff's co-workers at the squadron. Judging by the color scheme (it's silvery-grey and black) I think it is the SQUADRON'S stroller, but whatever, it was free and until we require the double stroller, we have free use of it. ANYWAYS, every evening that the two of us are home together, we try to take the dynamic doggy duo out for a long walk prior to dinner time. It's a good time for all of us to bond in the great outdoors, plus we have an open field over by us that they can go off-leash in and chase eachother at warp speed. Unless I feel like complete crap, it's been pretty consistent, too.
Recently, we decided to intergrate pushing the baby stroller into the evening stroll. The first couple times, we left the stroller empty. They adjusted to it rolling along beside them pretty well, (well, after getting nudged by a wayward wheel or two).
But this weekend, we added another element to the walk.
We have been training them on us carrying the "baby" around using this stuffed monkey doll for a few months now. This weekend, I dressed the monkey in one of Baby R's outfits and a hat and put the monkey in the stroller, too.

It was EXCITING.

Now, after three or so walks with the monkey, the excitement has kind of died down, but the residual idea of getting them adjusted to a highly desireable being in the stroller still holds firm. Even over in the field, the puppies will run and run and run...... htne come over to me and the stroller, give the monkey a kiss and then take off again.

And really, that's the way it should be. :)

Thoughts on the arrival of my favourite season

As the arrival of this little person approaches, I have been thinking more and more about where our life is at right now.
What kind of situations we are bringing her into the middle of, and what changes, if any, need to be made prior to her arrival.
And, let me tell you, that shit is HARD sometimes. I've never been so able to step back and reflect on my life, my choices, my experiences that got me to where I am right now so clearly or with such vigor.
I want her to be able to come into an environment and her little mini-world of PEACE more than anything else. And for that to happen, there are some things I have been battling that need to be confronted and remedied.

I'm quite frankly, a complete pussy when it comes to confrontations with people that know me, people that have spent time with me, past or present.... it makes every blow that is delivered open further, sink deeper, scar thicker... way worse for everyone at the time of impact than if it's an aquaintance, y'know? I am committed, for her sake, to making the effort to move towards the peaceful place that I know is just on the other side of this tangled, thorn-filled forest, though.
Since graduating from high school way back when, so many changes have already taken place. People have moved in and out of my life, some are deeply missed, some not so much.
Some people moved out only to recently try to make their way back in again.
I struggle with how to address those relationships. On one hand, we were obviously friends at that past point in time because we had something in common, a bonding element, to sustain our relationship. It may have been a common group of friends or a class or a belief.... whatever it was, it did exist then. But, as we moved forward into life, that common element was lost or separated or done away with (at least I feel like it was) and new, different people filled that place the relationship with the previous person had vacated... or the need for that type of person in my life went away. Whatever the reason or the outcome, the relationship went dormant. Distance between the two parties entered and was established. Life moved forward, apart.

And then, life happens. The "expected chain of events" starts churning forward and we are thrust back into common spaces. Contact is re-established......

What do you do when the effort necessary to sustain a friendship is undesirable to you? When, you reflect on the relationship at hand and are more happy, more fulfilled, more content to reflect on times past than on any possibility of times to come? What if you want the memories, but no new ones? What if you were content to say goodbye back then and move forward, only to be pulled back in by thoughts of obligation, common history, and shared relationships with people that still hold the same place in your hearts that they always have?........ places that this other person no longer resides in.

This is what I am struggling with.
I have never been a confrontational person. I am more than happy to avoid the dynamics of a difficult situation with a person until it either disappears or works itself out on it's own. It's even worse of a feeling when I know this struggle is a solitary one. I, by no means, want to cause anyone any pain but sustaining this relationship causes me distress, more than any good emotion and I can't do that either.... not with this little person coming into the world. How could I ever teach her about the importance of honesty, self-worth, and confidence when in this situation I currently have none? How do you end a friendship, on good terms, when one person is pushing so hard to make it work and you are ignoring it's even happening.

Angelina, how I love thee!

Shark Fin and I went to see "Wanted" last night, for our semi-regular midweek date night.

We usually choose to go to the movies during the week or early during the day on the weekends because tickets are only $5 per person instead of $10, and the movies are usually less crowded (well, unless you're going to see Wall-E). The customer service at the local AMC Theatre is generally better, too, depending (again) on what movie you're going to see and how many small people you have in tow. I know, I know, we could just go to another theatre (there are Regal Cinemas and Cinema Cafes here, too), but I am really partial to the AMC. Their theatres and restrooms are clean, the lobby and concession stand are well-stocked, and the seats are all those ones that convert to loveseats if you're feeling snuggly. The only issue I have is that they seem to really book their popular or first-weekend shows to capacity, and they give you no notification when you buy tickets that you may have to bribe the people already in the theatre to scooch over so you can find somewhere to sit. But, that's a gripe for another time....

This post is about Angelina.

It may surprise some people that do not know me very well, but I have an extreme affection for all things Angelina Jolie. From her black-leather wearing, Billy-Bob-Thorton's blood carrying days to her humanitarian efforts and mother of the world attitude, she fascinates me and captivates me and I just think she is amazing. I love how she can seemlessly blend her tattoos and her creativity and her openmindedness with her love for her children (and the world's children), her compassion for those around her and her overall air of selflessness. Aside from her lack of belief in God, she is the type of person I strive to be. In the movie, she was completely bad-ass. Okay, I'm not so bad-ass. As a matter of fact, I can kind of be a wimp when it comes to anything I may become injured doing. She (obviously) does not have this fear. It is something I would like to overcome. There is one scene in the film where she is driving away from a car chase and the Dodge Viper she's driving is all torn up from the chase. She pulls up next to these two college age guys, who turn to look at the car (imagining some big guy driving it) and find Angelina in her sunglasses and tattoos. I want to experience that, only I want to give to have the sunglasses and the tattoos and the sweet car, and then after they look at me like, "wow, she's soooo hot!" have my little girl from the backseat chime in with, "mommy, put gwen stefani on."
Priceless.

So, revised goasl for the complete Angelina Jolie experience:

1. Continue to grow long hair. Keep it pretty brown color. Be nice to it.
2. Get more tattoos.
3. Find a workout routine that I love and can stick with, to get some muscle tone, but still stay thin.
4. Help babies to become awesome people.
5. Find a charity or volunteer opportunity I love and promote it in my daily life.

I think that's enough for now.

Large

Today, I finally feel the size of a house.
I know, I know, I'm pregnant. I'm supposed to get larger than normal.


But today...... today, I feel larger than everything. My pants (the ones I bought after I gained some baby weight) are tight. My maternity-esque shirts are even riding up a bit. It was hard to walk the puppies back up the stairs after our walk today. I had to park farther away from the gas pump than normal just to make sure I could get out of the Jeep. I could go on(and on!), but the point is, I finally FEEL 26 WEEKS PREGNANT.

Reminds me that I still have a lot to do to get ready for Baby R. I need to pace myself better, set goals I can hit, and enlist the assistance of the people that are getting ready to visit. AND I need to set time aside for fun stuff for ME because me-time is going to become scarce here in a few months.

I feel adult right now.

Scary.

August

I haven't blogged since July.

I know, slacker me.

It's not that I haven't had things to write about or rant about or just hash out in front of the eyes of the world...... it's more that I haven't properly made time to do so.

And let's be real here. I need to make time.

Otherwise, the pandemonium that is the day to day activities of my brain will implode shortly and then who will bring Baby R into the world in November and teach her all the awesome things about random daytime TV, crafting, and the wonderfulness that is No Doubt? Seriously. Her life would be sad and empty without me. :)



Really, a lot has been going on here in Virginia.

From our progress with the baby's room to my cutting of hours at work, we have been doing and seeing and experiencing a roller coaster of emotions.
We put a screen door on the front door, to increase the airflow throughout the house (once the intense Virginia heat goes away). Shark Fin even made sure to put a lock on it, so neither baby nor doggie can escape! I was very excited about getting it, so much I think I beamed every time I opened the front door and saw it... for about 4 days. Haha. I have always wanted a white screen door.
Xeus had his 2nd birthday on the 28th and well, it was a quiet affair. (Actually...... we forgot about it until the 30th, my best friend's birthday. I'm a bad fur-baby mom!) We got him a new collar. It's black with white bones on it. I'll have to post a picture of him all handsome in it later on. The new collar on the birthday is like their doggie right of passage. Lunabell desperately needs a new one, but she will have to wait until October for that. For now, since she has broken 3 this year already, she's wearing Xeus' old one with the turtles on it. She makes it bad-ass. Haha. Anyways, it's hard to believe my little french-toast scented furbaby is 2 years old! We used to snuggle on the couch everyday from Days of Our Lives til Oprah and now, I don't know if we both would fit on our couch! He's still a snugglebug, even though he's 82.5 pounds, and he's become the gentle giant I always knew he would be. I know we got him on a whim and I know it hasn't always been easy (boxing gloves and wedding shoes, anyone?), but I wouldn't trade that doggie for the world and I know Shark Fin feels the same way (if not stronger). Happy Birthday Xeusy!
I started construction on my first baby-stuff project yesterday and have passed it on to my test subject. My fingers are crossed, as well as my toes, that it gets a good review. If it doesn, whoo buddy! the sky is the limit! Baby Empire here I come.
And, for the final revelation, let me wave my dork flag high.

I started playing World of Warcraft with Shark Fin.

Go ahead and make fun of me. I kinda like it. :)

Happy Tuesday y'all.

ps. One more thing. My bestest most wonderful sister in law is coming to stay with me for a weekend the end of the month. Now if that doesn;t kick ass, I don;t know what does!