In the Words of Kenny Chesney

Man I could use a Pina Colada, little bit of sun on my skin...
I've had it up to here with this rat race, could use a little bit of sun on my face...

This is what is going through my mind right now...as I listen to Kenny's "Be As You Are: Songs From An Old Blue Chair" on my iPod. Freaking awesome album...but it really makes you want to be in the Caribbean somewhere, sipping on something cold (and alcoholic), baking in the sun. I often ask Mike...what is keeping us from selling everything we own and moving down to some small Caribbean island? His answer is always, of course, "kids!" I think once my kids are out of my house, I will be outta here.

Obviously I am work, pecking away on a spreadsheet, wishing for things that I cannot have...at least not right now. It would be great to have a job that entailed nothing more than teaching tourists how to snorkle and find great fish, or how to wind surf...or I could even go back to bartending (channeling a little Tom Cruise in Cocktail right now). We are minimizing the vacations this year...going on one only, our annual pilgrimage to the Frio River...which is a paradise in itself.

At least I have something to look forward to this year!! Love to all...L

Things You DON'T Want To Hear At Your Company Town Hall Meeting

1. "Right-sizing"
2. Eliminate Waste
3. The Dark Side
4. Non-Monetary Means of Compensation

Obviously I just came from our Town Hall Meeting, which for the most part was amazingly upbeat considering the current financial environment, AND the fact that I work for the "Uber" bank.

We are SO Blessed

Remember this Bad Boy? For those of you NOT on the Upper Texas Coast, that is Hurricane Ike. Pretty much a distant memory of inconvenience for me and mine. But I have to tell you, as I sit hear listening to my boss arguing with her insurance and mortgage companies, it is gone but not forgotten for a lot of people. We were without power for about 5 days and we lost two trees which thankfully fell AWAY from the house. She still has a "partially" finished master bedroom...a tree fell on it and pretty much took out the whole room. She is still arguing on a weekly basis about payments that need to be made to contractors etc. I thank the Good Lord everytime I hear her on the phone that we were spared this...or worse. I just want to take this opportunity to remind everyone that they should be THANKFUL for what they have...or what they don't have!!

Find Your Happy Place

Hommm Hommm Hommm...finding my happy place...

Someone apparently put something in the Koolaid at the Blue house this evening. My kids are acting like COMPLETE lunatics, and my husband is screeching at them like a shrew.

Hommm Hommm Hommm...finding my happy place...

It was SUPPOSED to be a dreary rainy day, so after Jordan's volleyball game, we came home and decided to do some cleaning...once we were deep in the thick of it, the clouds parted, the sun came out, and it turned beautiful outside. We watched longingly out the windows.

Hommm Hommm Hommm...where is that friggin happy place...

My 7 year old just called me evil...uh yeah, evil. My daughter is upstairs stomping and throwing stuff around.

Hommm Hommm Hommm...screw the happy place, I am going to bed...

OOOooops!!

I haven't posted in almost a week...sorry!! I meant to post on Friday to tell everyone that I lost 4 pounds in my first week with WW, YEA ME. We had a nice 3 day weekend...well nice for the most part...Mike's truck was broken into Sunday night. Now I say "broken into," but really, it was unlocked and the keys were in the floorboard...so it was really pretty easy for them!! Luckily there was really nothing of value in the truck...EXCEPT Mike's GPS tracking thing...which they took. They also took his keys for some odd reason...NOT the truck, just the keys. So, we had to have all the locks in our house replaced. RAT BASTARDS!!! Other than that, it was a nice quiet 3 day weekend.

Sometimes It Is Good To Update

Not a lot has been going on this week...blissfully!! We are ramping up for baseball...both professional AND pint-sized. You see, Jackson plays "Select" ball...which is not league, but a compilation of more...advanced...players who want a more competitive game than you can get in league. In league, there are rules as far as how long someone plays, where they play, etc. I can understand that. You sign your kid up, pay the fee (which is NOT insignificant), you try out (which means nothing in league because EVERYONE makes a team), and then games start. You expect your kid to play. In "Select" ball, you pay money, you try out, you MIGHT make the team, and making the team DOES NOT guarantee that you always play. Select is all about winning and competition...which explains why Jackson loves it so much and does so well. I mean, we are talking about a kid who makes putting on your seatbelt a race...no, I am being serious. Now along with all that, I have Mike and Jackson counting down on a daily basis how many days it is until pitchers and catchers report to spring training for the Astros...again, dead serious. This is Jackson in baseball mode...isn't he a hottie!!

Jordan has FINALLY made her decisions on electives for Jr. High (gulp)!! She will be taking Choir and Theater Arts I the first semester, and Choir and Teen Leadership the second semester. She will also be taking Pre AP Language Arts and Pre AP Texas History...which are advanced placement classes...she is going to have her work cut out for her!!! But she can do it, she is a smart girl, even though she often decides to act like a ding bat!!! (did I say that out loud??)

Not much else to talk about this week. Mike and I are nearing the end of our first week on the diet. I think we did well. Time will tell, we weigh in tomorrow night!!! Love to all...L

That Time of Year

Every year in the Spring and the Fall, I spend my days blowing my nose and sneezing. Every year I have at least 2 sinus infections, one in the spring and one in the fall...you could set your watch by it. Now technically it is not Spring yet...but c'mon, who's kidding who...I live in Texas, where we could get up to 79 or 80 degrees today. The plants and trees around here live in a perpetual state of blooming...or near bloom. Not to mention all the fronts that blow in...sometimes from the North (Damn Yankees) and sometimes from the South, and God only knows what they bring in with them. So I sit, miserable, with my head about to explode. But, on the bright side, all of this nonsense does mean that Spring, and more importantly Summer is on its way!!!

It's ON!! On Like Donkey Kong!!

It is time. I must lose some...no, A LOT, of weight. I had decided on my 40th birthday that with the beginning of the new year, I was going to do this. Well, here we are a full month plus some into the new year, and...NADA, ZILCH, NOTHING. Now I know, I know, there are some of you out there (MOM) who are thinking...yeah, yeah, you say this about 3 times a year...all I can say is that I am serious this time, and I will show you why...

I will tell the truth to anyone who is reading this... I LOVE TO EAT, and I HATE TO EXERCISE...so needless to say, over the past years as my metabolism has become that of a...(gulp) 40 year old...I have gained A LOT of weight. It all really started about...hmmmmm, 12 YEARS AGO. I gained around 75 pounds when I was pregnant with "Mini-Me", and only lost about 30 of that...So I am up about 40 pounds. Now, 5 years after that, I get pregnant with Jackson and gain around 50 pounds, and really don't lose ANY of that. 7 years later (today) I have gained around 20-25 MORE pounds...so, when you do the math, you see that I am over 100 pounds heavier now than I was 12 years ago.

Mike and I have done Atkins together, and lost a good amount of weight, only to gain it back PLUS SOME when we went off of it...and believe it or not, eventually you DO get sick of eating meat and cheese. Last night I joined Weight Watchers, AGAIN. This seems to be the best bet for me, as it offers a well balanced diet, and keeps you accountable. Today I am posting two pictures of myself taken this past weekend. I will post another "before" picture on my next post. I realized recently that Mike was right when he said that there are NO recent pictures of me...this of course due to the fact that I feel like I look like a beached whale and therefore don't want my picture taken. So, in the spirit of this weight loss journey, I will done my least flattering clothes tomorrow, and let Jordan take a good picture of me. Then I guess once a month on my first post I will post a new picture for those of you who don't see me very often. I am counting on any family and friends who are keeping up with this blog to hold me accountable...and encourage me...because I'm going to need it!!

LOST...Need I Say More?!?!

Ok, either you are a fan or you are not, but either way you HAVE heard of the show. I LOVE LOST...I am a completely obsessed addict. The problem I have is that every Wednesday night, I watch it, then I go straight to bed (because I will turn into a pumpkin if I stay up past about 9:30). Now the problem is that I obsess about it in my sleep. I wake up continuously throughout the night, and my thoughts are always centered on LOST. I am thinking things like...What did it mean when Ben said...or, has Jin been flashing through time with all of the other castaways even while floating on that piece of wood in the ocean...or, is this all some set-up by Sun because she thinks Jin is dead and she wants revenge (to anyone who is a fan, these questions make PERFECT sense...if you are not a fan, you are LOST...pun intended). My entire Wednesday is centered on getting to work, getting out of work on time, getting home and feeding my heathens while making sure that the DVR is set to record LOST, and finally, falling down in the recliner around 8:30 to absorb!! Recording it is nice, because I can start it AFTER Jackson has gone to bed, and I can fast forward through all of the commercials. Here it is Thursday morning, and I am DRAGGING. Yes I went to bed around 9:15, but like I said, I woke up all through the night theorizing about the show. Basically I have a LOST hangover!! So, if you watch the show, let me know, because I LOVE to talk about it!! Have I said I LOVE LOST?

I Was SO Excited...And She Was Bored

Today's post was SUPPOSED to be about my husband Mike...however, last night's events must be told, so he will have to wait until tomorrow.

Jr. High Electives Information Night...Anyone who has a child over 11 KNOWS what I am talking about.
I spend all day contemplating what I would take as an elective...if I were her of course...what interests ME surely must interest her. The time comes and we jump in the Suburban to head over to the school. I am so freaking excited...I mean this is a huge step in her life. As we near the school, my excitement is mounting as I look over at her to find her half asleep picking at her fingernails. "Aren't you excited Jordan, this is HUGE..."Uh sure Mom, I'm excited. Can we stop at Taco Bell on the way home?" ARRRRGH!!!
So, we arrive. As we enter the school the first display we come to is for Orchestra. For those of you who do not know, Jordan has played Cello for the past two years...but apparently NO MORE. She walks right on past the Orchestra display, and the girls screaming "Join Orchestra...it's AWESOME." I say, "Jordan, don't you even want to check it out?" She responds, "No Mom, I told you already, I am done with Orchestra." Uh, OK, I thought she was kidding (insert toilet flushing sound of $59.00 a month for the past two years for Cello rental). We move on...passing the Highland Girls (drill team), passing Cheer...my dreams are fading fast.
FINALLY...a spark...she walks hurriedly over to a booth...Theatre Arts. Ok, I can roll with this, I mean she is a TOTAL DRAMA QUEEN, we grab a pamphlet. Another spark, we head over to "Teen Leadership", which back in my day...way way back...was called Speech/Debate. She DOES like to argue, I grab a pamphlet. Moving on, we end up at Choir...hmmm...don't know about this one Jordan...SHE grabs a pamphlet.
Ahhh, finally, the presentation on Athletics. Jordan plays volleyball. We sit down in a HUGE auditorium...think freshman history/government in college. As we wait for the presentation to begin, she FINALLY gets a little animated, talking about trying out for Volleyball and Basketball...possibly Track...we are having a great mom/daughter moment. She leans back in her chair and kinda up against me...I am smiling, until...in walks this "Gaggle of Girls." "JORDAN...JORDAN...WHERE have you been?" blah blah blah. She looks at me and actually says...wait for it..."Mom, that's my posse." I start cracking up...posse hahaha...she is looking expectantly at me...what does she want? "Jordan, do you want to go sit with...","BYE MOM!!" she is gone in a flash...never to be seen again, until it is time to head home.
So, we end up back at home with pamphlets on...Drama, Choir, Speech/Debate, and Athletics...hmmm, something about that sounds familiar...oh yeah, that is almost my EXACT list of electives from when I was in Jr. high!!!

Lesson learned.

Little Boys

This is my son, Jackson, who I and I alone call "Ya-Ya." He is something else. To say that he thinks the sun rises and sets in his butt is an understatement...but you gotta love him. He eats, sleeps, and breathes baseball.

He just turned 7 on December 19th...which apparently causes teeth to fall out, because this is what he looks like now...

He is my baby, and is treated as such...much to my husband's dismay. My thoughts are that it will not be long before he will not even want to be seen in the same car as me, MUCH LESS want me to kiss and hug him...or God forbid hold him in my lap and sing him to sleep. So for now, he is still my baby, and he loves..."Being Blue."

I'm Blogging!!

This is my first post on my first "blog." I was inspired by my good friend Stacy "Cruising Queen" Walsh!! I have found that while a person may find their own life pretty mundane...other people will be ABSOLUTELY FASCINATED by it. I am completely addicted to Stacy's blog...not only Stacy's blog, but all of the blogs that she references on the sidebar of her blog. (ok, that sentence had the word blog in it WAY TOO MANY times). I think it only appropriate that I start my blogging career off with some pictures. Here is my firstborn...my "Mini-Me" with her baby, "Bogey."



Jordan and I attended her "Confirmation Retreat" this weekend. It was a ton of fun packed into about 36 hours...need I say more? It was camp, so there were bunks, community showers, and SNORERS!! When we got home today, we both took nice, long, hot showers and then napped for 4 1/2 hours...oh, after we ate Whataburger (Thanks Honey)!! Well, the Superbowl is in full swing right now, and it sounds like it is a pretty close game, so I am going to go scream at my television...even though I don't have a dog in this fight!! Coming up in my next blog, I will introduce you to my "Ya-Ya"...better known as Jackson Blue!! Love to all, and just remember, it is awesome "Being Blue!!!"