Lift Every Voice and Sing

Don't try to call me tomorrow night, as I won't be home. To belatedly celebrate my birthday, Rachel and I are going back out to the karaoke tavern I liked so much back in August. We've invited a ton of people, and told those people to bring a friend if they like, so there should be a whole bunch of people there (some of whom I won't know, but hey, who cares?). The goal of the evening is for there to be a grand time had by all. I mean, c'mon, with karaoke, a small dance floor, pool tables, food and spirits, there's gotta be something for everyone there, right?

Rachel's babysitter's 16 year old son, Alex, is going to stay the night and babysit the kids for us. He's a good kid. Jamie loves him to death. He told me once he wished Alex was his big brother. Jamie loves school holidays when he gets to go with Destiny to the babysitter's house, that way he can hang out with Alex and play video games, ride bikes, etc. So Jamie's really excited about tomorrow night, too. He can't wait to show Alex his Avatar: The Last Airbender plug-n-play video game, watch the new ATLA episode (which, he better remember to record for Mama!) and just hang out with Alex.

And in pursuit of our fun tomorrow night, yesterday Rachel called me at work and said, "You know the money you were going to use to pay your share for Alex to babysit? Well, tomorrow night's on me. You use that money and go get yourself a haircut. Consider it another birthday present." I've been complaining for a month now that I needed to go get a haircut, but just didn't have the money. Wasn't that nice of her? So, now I've got a sassy new haircut, and I was even able to find a cute new top on sale that was within my budget, so I have a new blouse to wear tomorrow night, too. Tomorrow night's going to be a LOT of fun!

Gratuitous Eye Candy

Just thought I'd post a pic of Jamie's Halloween costume I made this year. Well, not so much made as assembled, with some crafty bits thrown in. Anyone venture to guess who he is, and from what television show?

And here's an interesting shot from just before an early-morning soccer game:

Colbert "Realer than Brownback"

I think that would make a great campaign slogan for Colbert. "Colbert '08. Realer than Brownback". Read more about Colbert's presidential campaign here.

Just Call Me "Nerd Queen"

So, Tooz sent me this quiz to determine my nerdiousity. I knew I was a nerd... but I didn't quite realize I was SUCH a nerd! Wow. Who knew the chick who baredly passed basic chemistry would grow up to be a science geek (I blame it on my current job. I have to do all kinds of things I never thought I'd have to do/remember).

See? Here's how much of a nerd I am:




And, on another note, Happy Birthday to me today! I'm going to copy off Everett and declare that I am 29 for the third year in a row. Rachel took Jamie out shopping this weekend so he could buy me a present without me accidentally seeing what it was. That was very nice of her. Tonight, we're going to have a sit down family meal, and my birthday cake will be cheese cake with strawberries on top. Yummmmmmm! I'll be thinking of you all while I'm scarfing that creamy cheese cake down...NOT!

Big hugs and kisses to you all!

One Foot, Two Foot, Red Foot, Boo-boo foot

So, I went to the doctor yesterday. Basically, they don't know any more what's wrong with it than I do. It could be a sprain, it could be some other soft tissue injury, it could be a stress fracture. Stress fractures generally are so small they don't show up on x-rays until they've started healing. So, they told me to take pain meds, and follow the R.I.C.E. prescription - Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. I should have saved my money, as I was already doing all that. But I'm going to be a good girl and do what I'm told. I do NOT want to be limping around NYC and Kentucky in a little more than 4 weeks.

OUCH!

I have not been a happy camper the past several days. To start with, I've had a headache that has slipped back and forth over into migraine territory for about a week now. I've also been having some inexplicable pain in my left foot - basically ever since I started walking around the soccer fields while Jamie has soccer practice. There are four U6 (small) soccer fields and three U10 (medium sized) soccer fields in this area, plus a whole bunch of open space. I know by walking the perimeter I've got to be walking at least a mile, if not actually two miles. I'm trying to get in shape for walking all over New York City here in about 4.5 weeks.

Well, the pain really started escalating over the weekend, and yesterday, my whole foot swelled up so bad I had to take my shoe off, prop my foot up on the trashcan under my desk, and put an ice-pack on it while I was at work. My boss was talking to me about it, and said that it's probably either a sprain (at least) or a stress fracture (at worse). He runs a lot, used to do marathons, so he's well acquainted with all the different symptoms of foot problems. He told me to see a doctor about it soon, so it doesn't get worse. He also said that you don't have to be a super athlete to get stress fractures. He said any sort of activity one is particularly accustomed to yet, combined with the fact that a lot of females tend to have bone density problems (which I do), can equal a stress fracture. Lovely.

I was trying to see if it would go away, but when I got up today, my foot hurt even worse (it was throbbing) and it was swollen so bad I couldn't even get my durn tennis shoes on. I had to put on my cheap-plastic men's soccer sandals with the velcro strap across the width of the foot. So, it looks like sometime this week I'll be going to see a doctor about my foot. Whatever is wrong with it, it better be healed before I go to NYC! I do not intend to spend the four days I'll have with Joel and Leah sitting on my butt in an apartment with my foot elevated, that's for sure!

Tied Game, Baskin Robbins Best Friends, Cream of Soccer Team and Jack O'Lanterns

On Saturday, Jamie's soccer team tied 4-4 with their opponents. It was a thrilling, close game all the way up to the final whistle. Jamie did several body-blocks of shots, which made him the center of attention and earned him much praise from both his coach and his trainer. Of course, this had Jamie soaring on cloud nine. He likes it when Mom praises him, but it means so much more to him to have a male figure pay attention to him and praise him. And of course this wrenches my heart when I see it happening. I'll never be able to do or say anything to make it up to him that he doesn't have a dad. I can try to be both Mom and Dad until I'm run ragged and exhausted, but I will never be as good as him actually having a father. It breaks my heart each time I see it, and realize that there are some things I just can't do for him.

Anyway, back to the game Saturday. I didn"t get any really good shots as I was too busy screaming my lungs out. Sorry!

Saturday night, Jamie spent the night with his friend Remo to give me a chance to catch up on a paper that's due soon. They went to Baskin Robbins, played in the super-cool treehouse, and stayed up much of the night talking and playing video games (despite the fact that I told Jamie to be in bed by 10 p.m. Oh well, what can you do?)

I picked Jamie up this morning at 10 a.m., took him home, got him breakfast and changed into his soccer uniform, then we headed up the Interstate for his game today. Unfortunately, they got creamed. Beaten badly 1-7. All the kids just seemed pooped out today. Maybe they weren't used to Sunday games. Maybe they were still tired from the day before. Or maybe, like Jamie, many of them spent the night at friends' houses and stayed up way too late and ate too much sugar. Who knows. At least it was a learning experience for them. I've included a few pictures from the game, but nothing spectacular. I was too busy screaming again. I did want to show you guys how beautiful it was today, though. That super blue sky and all the clouds!

This is Jamie and a team-mate sitting on the sidelines with the coach. Jamie's holding his stomach; could it be he ate too much Baskin Robbins the night before?

See the gorgeous sky? Do you notice all the umbrellas? Texas is the only place I've ever been that they use umbrellas when the sun is shining but run out bareheaded into the rain.

Tonight, Rachel's new boyfriend Will surprised the kids by buying them pumpkins then helping them carve them. This was the first time Jamie had ever carved a pumpkin. Always in the past we just painted faces on them. So getting to make an honest-to-goodness Jack O'Lantern was a blast for him! Here's some pics...

Here's Will "helping" Destiny carve her pumpkin. She was a bit cranky tonight and did NOT want her picture taken.

Here's Jamie happily scooping the guts out of his pumpkin!

Here they both are with their finished product. In typical 3 year-old fashion, Destiny decided it was perfectly grand to have her picture taken this time. They both are excited because they have been promised by Will a chance to carve even bigger pumpkins they get to pick out of a pumpkin patch themselves.

Now that I'm done bragging about my kid, I guess I'll go to bed. Good night, all!

Sweeney Todd Movie Trailer!!!

Want to see the Sweeney Todd movie trailer?!?

Well....Duh!

An AP headline I spotted today reads "Lindsay Lohan Says Rehab Was `Sobering'." Duh!

I'll say it again... "DUH!" I should hope so! I would hope it sure wouldn't be 'intoxicating'. I couldn't help but snort with laughter when I read the headline. Hello? Do you people read what you write? Lindsay, honey, do you not think about things before you say them? Sheesh.

They Won Again!

Yay! Jamie's soccer team won again on Saturday, 5-4. It would have been 6-4, but one of the goals was scored just a couple of seconds after the ref blew his whistle, so it didn't count. Jamie played goalkeeper half the game and striker (forward/attacker) for part of it. After it was over, he was tuckered out and took a nap on the way home. He got a pretty good nap, too, as the game was in Spring Branch, TX, and it took us an hour to get there!

I don't have any good pictures, as momma was an idiot and forgot to check the batteries in the camera before we left. Four pictures later, the camera died, and the pictures I got weren't stellar. However, I do have a fantastic picture of Jamie making a save from the September 29th game that one of the moms gave me. When I get a chance, I'll scan it in at work and post it so you guys can see Jamie in action!

Oh, and Happy Birthday today, Everett!

Two-Year Anniversary and a Raise!

Yesterday was my two year anniversary with the company I work for. Doesn't seem like two years could have passed already, but they have. Anyway, we couldn't do my year-end review yesterday as we had too many projects up in the air (including one which has entailed me fighting with the FDA over certification of medical instruments, but I won't go into that giant headache). So, my review was today.

Out of that meeting, I got:

• a raise (yay)
• a pat on the back for the job I've been doing (double-yay)
• a promise to start reviewing me for raises more often than just 1x a year (triple-yay)
• recognition of my talents and smarts (quadruple-yay); and
• an admonishment that my desk is starting to look cluttered and messy and I need to do a better job of keeping it looking nice for when clients walk in.

Okay, so the last one wasn't so good; but hey, if that's the worst thing somebody can say about me, that I'm messy, I'll take it and run!

Out of that meeting also came a setting of a deadline for me to complete the webpage (before the end of 2007) and a promise that there will be set days allocated for my boss' wife to come in and do my normal duties for me while I work on nothing but the webpage. We also set a project deadline for me to complete gathering information and prepare a comparison report between communication companies (we aren't very happy with our current phone/ISP company). This too is contingent upon me having help in the office, as I pointed out (politely, of course) that I am only one person. Last but not least, I was given permission to order a better, more comfortable office chair, as the one I currently use kills my back.

All in all, today was a pretty good day!

They Won! They Won!

What an exciting soccer game today! Jamie's team played another team that is part of the same organization Jamie plays for. I think playing against a team they train with really fired the boys up! There were many tense, exciting moments, as the teams were pretty evenly matched, so they had to fight for every goal scored. Jamie's team won 3-2, but it was really close! Jamie played striker and goalkeeper (of course). He didn't make any goals as a striker, but he sure did block some amazing goals as keeper! I could really tell his goalkeeper training sessions on Fridays are starting to kick in. He was doing collapse dives, knee dives, chest catches and all kinds of stuff I don't even know the names of. He blocked at least 10 goals! He was amazing! Unfortunately, I was so keyed up and excited at the game that I forgot to take pictures of some of his most amazing saves. I promise to do better next weekend, though!

Anyway, here's a look at what pics I was able to take today...


This is the picture I took and will submit for Jamie's soccer club badge.



This is Jamie just after he nailed a ball on his goal-kick. (I was standing pretty far away when I took this one, so it's kind of grainy.)



Here he is waiting for the ball to come back to his side of the field. I personally think he thinks he's "so tough" when he's got those goalkeeper gloves on! (Again, I was pretty far away, so it's a bit grainy.)

Random funny quote of the weekend:
On Friday, Jamie had goalkeeper practice. Everyone was being very sluggish and not wanting to do the exercises the trainer was showing them. When no one was able to complete the exercise (throw the ball straight up in the air, collapse to your knees, pop back up again in time to catch the ball), the trainer, Joe, yelled out - "Ah, I see you all have the reflexes of cats.... Dead ones!" Now, before you think he's being mean, I should say that it was not said in at all a derogatory manner, but jokingly. All the kids laughed. He doesn't insult the kids, ever. This is the same coach who, when the kids are being particularly slow to do what they're told or totally ignore instructions, the worst thing he ever says is "You all are being a bunch of lemons!" Anyway, I thought it was funny, and so did the kids.

I'm Supposed to be Doing Homework...

But instead, I'm blogging. I about cried when I went to pick Jamie up at school today. It struck me particularly today how he looks soooo grown up already! Where is my little boy? He had AWANA tonight, so I allowed him to wear his AWANA polo to school. maybe that has something to do with it. But as we were walking out together, I looked over at him and just about fell over because of how grown up he's becoming. And then, of course, I had to fight back tears. I spent so many years wishing he would hurry up and grow up already, and now I just wish I could stop time. Just so you know what I'm talking about, here's a picture of Jamie in his AWANA outfit. Doesn't he look so grown up?!?

Oh, and Tooz, I LOVE the cartoons you sent me. They are toooooo true. They are now stuck to the fridge. Okay, well, enough procrastinating. Guess I'll go actually do homework now.

ATLA Review

I cannot do this incredible show justice. Let's just say it answered some questions left at the end of Season 2, but left many more hints and tantalizing tastes of what is coming in the rest of Season 3. If you want to read a professional review of the premiere, you can find links to several from Avatar Spirit.net, a fan site for the show (and yes, I am a member there). I have all of Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD, and will also be buying Season 3 as it is available on DVD. This show rocks!

Know Where I'll Be at 7:30 PM CST?

I'll be glued in front of my TV set. Avatar: The Last Airbender's season 3 premiere is tonight. I have no time for computers, visitors, or telephones tonight from 7:30 to 8 p.m. This show is one of the best shows ever! Yes, I'm obsessed with it. But it's a great show. You all should watch it and see!

Time Makes Change

I hadn't really realized how Jamie has changed over the past few soccer seasons, until I made this photo collage of his different soccer uniforms/years. He just gets more handsome all the time (and he's looking more grown up every day, too!)

Soccer Game Recap

Well, unfortunately, Jamie's team got beaten very badly today. However, it should serve as a learning experience for the boys. Fortunately, I WAS able to get some video, which I will post when I have time. What I CAN post now is this snazzy pic I took of him in his uniform after the game!

Friday Eye Candy!

This picture was taken on Tuesday at soccer practice. His first game is this Saturday, and I think he'll be playing goalkeeper. He had two spectacular saves in a scrimmage yesterday. I'll have video highlights of the game (hopefully) to post on here next week.

And on another note, Rachel and I are going to go Karaoke tonight! Jamie's spending the night at Remo's house. Woo hoo!! Mom gets a night out! The last time I went out was 5 months ago!

See What Jamie Did on Labor Day

Sorry it has taken me so long to get it on here, but here's a quick rundown of Jamie's Labor Day this year.

This is Papaw and Jamie. Here is what they did together this weekend:

Looks like fun, doesn't it?

I'm a Fluffy, Pretty Puppy!

This is what Ziggy looks like after having a bath - pretty, fluffy and oh so soft! This is the reason why Rachel has nicknamed him "Cotton Ball".