Huh?

Last night Drew was out with the missionaries, so it gave me an opportunity to talk to Elena about missionaries and what they teach people. She looked at me, very excited, and said that she wants to be a missionary when she gets big. I was so happy, I gave her a hug and told her that sounded like a great idea. Then she thought for a second and said, "Or I'll just have babies instead." I have no idea where that came from.

Don't be fooled

Noodles are not just harmless, chewable foods.

Just to give you an example of my crazy day yesterday: I cut my finger on spaghetti. Spaghetti. What? Spaghetti. A noodle.

I was rushing to get dinner (something I was eagerly preparing all afternoon since we hadn't had a nice meal in awhile) and I realized the pot I needed was dirty and I had to wash it quickly. I was using my hands to get out the dried spaghetti noodle and the darned thing sliced my thumb open. Who does that? Be cautious of your pasta. Or do your dishes promptly to avoid any issues.

Do you have any good stories?

What would you do?

Drew's mom was in town this weekend. She and Drew took the kids up to Pittsburgh for a trip to the Children's Museum. This means that I was going to have most of the day to MYSELF!! What? Yes, to myself. I've been dreaming of this possible day and all the things that I would accomplish if I were to ever have such time alone.

The vision:

Paint the basement (between the 70's paneling and the 70's chair that Drew refuses to part with it's all a little much)

Sleep a little bit

Organize the kids' closets and shoes

Go through the storage room and make a Good-Will and a Craig's List pile

Read something thought provoking

Go out to lunch by myself with my thought provoking reading material

Get my hair-cut
Catch up on laundry

(The day is only so long - I know)

What I didn't do:

What I did do:

I went to Lowes to buy some brackets to fix Elena's closet shelf and rod that decided to crash to the floor the night before

I played with a power tool in order to fix the closet

I ate Taco Bell in front of my computer and watched a couple episodes of The Office: Season 1 via Netflix

I read thought provoking blogs and meandered around on the Internet.

In other words: I did nothing! You know what? It was amazing!

Why Bother

I was blog hopping and found a friend who's husband finished dental school the same year Drew graduated from medical school. Her husband is doing a two year orthodontics residency. She had a ticker counting down until his graduation. Hers provided a little more light (8 months) than the one I created:





1 year four months down.

"I'd like to buy the world a Coke"

I miss my friend B__. I was reading her blog and it reminded me just how much I do. We realized early on in our friendship that we shared many commonalities: Political interests, educational interests (a fellow BYU poli-sci grad and aspiring MPA), two kids who will someday marry, a hatred for a single professor (grrr.), husbands who weren't around, Manchester Village memories, etc. Now she lives in California and her husband is around a bit more, but we're still going to get our kids together someday.

I have wonderful amazing friends from our various travels, but I was reading B's blog and it jogged some thoughts of my own regarding our current political "situation."

(Begin the humming of the peace promoting Coke advertisement)

If there was one thing I learned from my graduate school experience (other than how to balance a multi-million dollar budget and various families of tax policy - all of which are very useful to me now that I only balance my family budget and we hardly make enough to even pay taxes) it was how to look at other peoples' views, no matter how different from my own and sincerely respect them.

We can appreciate other opinions whether or not we agree with them. This is a lesson that has been very difficult for me to apply lately with all of the political rhetoric being tossed around as if anyone knows what they're talking about. I can't stand the Democratic nominee (you know who I'm talking about). I still respect him. I respect him for his efforts and his talent at swaying a huge group of Americans into believing he has any ability to do the task at hand. I appreciate his views as HIS, not mine (another post on another day). I'm sure he has thought about what he believes and truly thinks his way is the best way.

What if things don't go my way in November (get out and vote for McCain, PLEASE!)? I'm not going to move to Canada - as I threatened to do as a 7th grader when Clinton got elected - (see how well that turned out, people?). I will deal with it.

I appreciate that the candidates were chosen according to a democratic process that I hold very dear to me. As a student of democratization of other countries, I have come to truly love the process and freedoms that come to us as consenting citizens. (Not to get all Socratic, but we do consent to follow whichever leaders are chosen simply by being here and participating in the services provided by the government.) I also appreciate the fact that a stable democracy cannot be taken for granted. We need to work together, regardless of which side of the aisle we've chosen to sit, to ensure that our disagreements do not undermine the foundation of this nation's government. We are not invincible (I could get into one of my favorite books (The Third Wave) on democratization, but I won't).

I guess the point I'm trying to convey through all of this rambling is that we can disagree. We need to be civilized and respectful of those opposing our views. That is the only way all of this is going to work out.

(You can stop humming now)

The whys of the world

Why do we do the things we do? I mean, why would I watch a movie that within ten minutes had me bawling. It didn't stop there, it was constant. I even cried at the happy stuff - because it was still sad.

I watched P.S. I Love You. I knew it would be sad. Duh. But I did it to myself anyway.

Why do we listen to songs that make us cry when we're already sad? Maybe you don't, but I know I had a few ballads that I would go to everytime a high school romance went south.

And why do I watch chick flicks that remind me that life is not a fairy tale? It just makes me upset at Drew and he has no idea why. He has no idea that I hold him to silver screen standards. Poor guy.

I am very grateful, however, that he doesn't hold me to Catherine Zeta-Jones standards. I just couldn't deal. I would probably go back to some of my reserved ballads.

I'm a Believer!

It's official. Any doubts that any of you may have about the existence of a God, well come to West Virginia and your questions will be answered. How, you may ask.


I was able to take a trip with Drew and the kids to Blackwater Falls State Park during leaf season and I was awestruck by the amazing creations I saw all around me. I was so grateful for the spirit I felt as I appreciated the beautiful scenery. The rocks, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, trees, animals. It was all put on this earth for us to enjoy. It was put here by a loving Heavenly Father who wanted us to be able to enjoy his works and wonders.

Hang on!

Howdy (as Drew would say)! We're going to do a quick review of what's been going on around here. Fasten your seatbelts, October has been a crazy ride.

1. After my dad left, and the zoo trip we celebrated Elena's third birthday. It was more like a birth-week. We had a party for her at a local park. I only gave parents a few days notice, and there was a WVU football game so the turn out wasn't stellar, but some of Elena's best friends were there. The only picture I have is of the attempt I made to customize a cake for her. That Monday we took cupcakes to school - I forgot to buy frosting so we had to stop on the way, buy some and then I frosted them in the car on the way to school. That Tuesday was her real birthday and we celebrated it as a family with leftover cupcakes and real candles (we forgot them at her party and she blew out matches, so much for fire safety =). Her favorite gift was a soccer ball.

2. Drew was able to take the second week of October off and we headed out after Elena's birthday for a three day trip to Blackwater Falls State Park. We discovered one of the most breathtaking places I have ever visited and the fall foliage was in full force. We stayed in a two bedroom cabin, but Lucas ended up sleeping in the living room. The best part about the cabin was a lack of TV. It actually made the kids find other things to do. Amazing. We did a lot of hiking, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well the kids did. I think we have a couple of future backpackers on our hands. On our way back to Morgantown we were able to visit the home of one of Drew's patients. A beautiful log home located in the mountains, complete with bears on the deck =). It makes me grateful that Drew is a kind enough doctor that people are willing to get to know him beyond the office setting. The kids had a good time exploring the property.

It was a quick trip, but one of the best times we have had as a family.

3. So- We got back, threw our stuff in the living room and where does Drew go? Work. On his vacation. It was really a good thing. He went in to help a friend out so that this guy could make it to his wife's birthday party (where the kids and I were). The next day we went to Rich's Farm and played in the corm maze and pumpkin patch. The kids were cranky and overdressed for the 90 degree day, so the trip was shorter than we expected. Lucas took his first barrel train ride, so that made it worth it.

4. The next week was spent getting ready for a fabulous weekend with our friends that came up to visit from Cincinnati. It was a lot of fun to get to know them better and their two kids. We went out to Chestnut Ridge and despite the 50 degree thermometer reading, Lucas couldn't resist the lake and waded right in - shoes and all.

What a zoo!

Well we did it. It's over. It was great!

Elena's preschool organized a field trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo. I committed to go and have been stressing about it since. We left at 7:30 in the morning and got home around 4:00. We rode a charter bus with the preschool kids and their parents. I decided to take both kids and hope for the best. They were great. I was scared about not having my own car and thus an out if things got kind of hairy with Lucas, as they sometimes do. Miraculously they didn't. The forecast predicted rain, but it stayed dry and just cool enough to keep out the crowds. What would they do on the bus? Ahhh, built in TV screens and a DVD player. I can hear the halleluia chorus in the background.

Both kids were so well behaved I was amazed. I even got to see Elena's first crush-ee. This little boy is so concerned with Elena, where she is, if she's OK, will she or won't she hold his hand, etc. So cute. Here are a few pictures.

(First, the Pitt. Childrend's Museum with Grandpa Lee)

(Cool hand, Lucas)
(The Zoo)

Where did that month go?

I cannot believe it is October! Where did September go? All of a sudden the things I wanted to have done by this month are still on my to do list. Elena's birthday is almost here with nothing done to get ready for it. Drew may or may not be taking vacation next week and we may or may not have a trip to be planning. I skipped cleaning last month. Just didn't do it. I still have thank you cards for my birthday to take care of (from August). What happened?
I'll tell you what happened! Nice weather and a new routine. With Elena in school three-days a week, it's like I forgot how to be productive. We spend a lot more time (and gas money) running around. It's fun-don't get me wrong. The weather has also been about 75 consistently. I don't feel like staying inside cleaning when that sun is calling us to go out.
Oh yeah, and the best part of my distracting September was a week-long visit from my dad!! It was so much fun to see him. The kids loved having him here. We played, they played - it was just a laid back time. My camera is acting kind of funny, so I'll post pictures soon.