sweet! i can blog normally again!

all it took was a simple download of firefox, and poof! i've got access to my settings again. yay for me!


and as with most "kid weeks", i'm off and running today. the kid's been dying to hit up knott's to ride their new "sierra sidewinder" ride. of course, we'll be dragging a couple of her friends with us, and i've been racking my brain trying to think of what the hell i'm going to do to amuse myself for hours on end. luckily, it'll be a good 5-10 degrees cooler in the inland OC than at home, and the hub already handed me a wad of cash for snacks and such. i see funnel cake in my future!!

i've also finally booked a maternity shoot with crissy, a knottie favorite. after juggling schedules and having to shoot down countless potential dates, we're finally set to do it next wednesday. the sad part for me is that the kid won't be present for said shoot, but at this point i just want to document the belly on pro film. not to mention, she was cringing at the thought of being part of the whole thing to begin with. heh. my kid, camera-shy?? please. although her current lack of excitement over this whole thing ("you want me to take pictures with that THING before it even comes out?") doesn't make this a surprise in the least. [sigh]

i'm off to pack a goody bag for me - magazines, a book, snacks...it should be an interesting day.

fabulous, fabulous weekend!

so, here's the rundown on this past weekend. it's probably going to sound suspiciously similar to other bloggers' (ahem, weezermonkey, marriednotburied, obsessedwithpink, say it don't spray it), but i SWEAR it was my weekend, too. unlike some, i'm creative enough not to have to bite off of other people's blog posts. hey, i've even got photographic proof ;) i'll try not to duplicate their photos too much. we were like stalkerazzi - lots of our photos are similar!

friday was the kid's last day of summer school. i picked her up and after grabbing some breakfast yummies, i took her to the new house. we're officially moving in on september 1st! woo-hoo!! so. dang. excited. and, as predicted, she chose the bedroom and bathroom on the opposite side of the house. the kid has her own wing. ha!

on saturday, we jumped in the car and spent part of our morning working as part of "team trish & spyro's wedding favors". there were four of us there to stuff & seal bags with two yummy diddy reise cookies and then slap a customized label on top. i must say, i was most proud of the fact that we managed to make all 100 favors without finding a way to eat a SINGLE cookie.

after running a few errands, we headed home to relax a bit before getting ready for trish and spyro's fabulous wedding. traffic is so unpredictable, so we took off right around 4:00 for the 5:00 start time - with the church only about half an hour away. as we exit the freeway, my phone rings, and it's nanette: "it starts at 5, right? because there aren't that many cars here yet!"

sure enough, when we arrive, only a few cars were present, and as we head for a shady parking spot, i spy the florist JUST arriving with the floral arrangements for the pews. it's already 4:45!

and wow, what a church. i've never seen anything like it! giant chandeliers, very ornate decorations, quite overwhelming. but an awesome setting for what promises to be an awesome wedding. while we're perusing the program (which includes some very helpful and interesting details about the greek orthodox ceremony we're about to witness), i get the kid to let me take a photo of us.

i took a few photos in the church and at the ceremony, but they're pitifully blurry. here's just a few i managed to snap off:

after the ceremony, the girls and i squinted into the sun for a group photo and then we were off to the ritz-carlton in pasadena for the reception.

it was GORGEOUS. weezermonkey and i managed to sneak into the courtyard pre-cocktail hour to snap some detail shots:

and then as the hub, the kid and i strolled around the ritz, we ran into the bride and groom, fresh from their photo session. i, of course, took the opportunity to sneak a photo with the glowingly gorgeous bride:

i know, i know, i totally cheated. but i HAD to! i sashayed back out to the courtyard to gloat to the others [in singsong voice] "i got to see triiiiiiiiiish....."

i'm so mean.

congrats to trish and spyro, the new mr. & mrs.! it was a beautiful wedding, and worth the wait ;)

oh, and then sunday was my good friend's baby shower. here's something you'll never see again:

too. much. to. do.

we're at 30.5 weeks, people (that's 7 months for those of you who aren't regulars at the OB/GYN)!

holy crap. i'm seriously shitting a brick as i realize how much has to be accomplished in the next couple of months:

• pack up the house
• keep the kid entertained for her "real" vacation (she just finished her last day of summer school today)
• try to keep cool in the 9th circle of hell
• gear up for no less than THREE baby showers (that's the fun part!)
• complete two full invitation orders for upcoming weddings
• move to the new casa. oy.
• get the kid enrolled in the new school
• oh, and GIVE BIRTH. give me strength.

but i do have a fun weekend ahead of me - a good friend is getting married tomorrow (for which i managed to find a decent-looking dress to wear - on SALE, woo-hoo!), and a baby shower to celebrate the impending birth of another close buddy. i asked her ages ago what diaper bag she was looking at, and she'd decided on one by bumblebags - it came yesterday and it's adorable.

i'm now working on trying to get the new iMac up and running 100% - i can't get my damn printer to work, and when i try to post here on blogger, i don't seem to have access to composing a post without HTML. it's pissing me off, because i'm not tech-y enough to know HTML, and i'm lazy. i like the ease of picking fonts, sizes, inserting pictures, weblinks, all that fun stuff. i hope i can figure it out without having to go back to the ol' laptop every time i want to post. i'm getting pretty damn spoiled by the ease and speed of my new toy!

we's moving.

thank god almighty, it's actually going to happen!

we actually managed to find a house that's to our liking. it fits all the parameters: enough bedrooms and bathrooms, decent sized back yard, in the right school district, and they'll let us bring the dog. poor molly. i could never move somewhere that wouldn't welcome her with open arms.

as much as i love the house we're in, it just doesn't work anymore. boo. i'm going to miss the rent, too, because of course, we're facing a nice increase. double boo. but it's going to be great to finally be settled. we haven't even been able to buy any stuff for the new kid, because we don't have anywhere to put it.

yay for september 1!

this NEVER happens.

i hadn't been to nordstrom since the anniversary sale started last week. this is the big sale that almost always has all the greatest stuff at really good prices, and i just hadn't had time to go, although i'd pre-ordered a few items at the laura mercier counter a couple of weeks ago.

so i went.

and i was in and out in 5 minutes.

i promised the hub that i was going to stick to our budget this month, and i'm going to, anniversary sale or not.

and it HURTS.

[crying in the corner]

this concludes my entry for today. i'm in too much pain to go on.

i got a new toy!

getcher minds outta the gutter.

it was "fun new stuff" weekend at the wan-nabe household. so excited!

so on friday, after viewing the house for lease (which was absolute shit, btw), we gathered up the hub's family and headed home for the bbq. i went straight to the kitchen with the MIL, where i started pulling out chips & dip, ice, drinks, etc. the hub strolls in and casually says "hey, go check your e-mail."

i give him a puzzled look - i was trying to get stuff ready for dinner and this was kind of a weird request from him - but of course, like the good wife, i complied. and when i walked into the office, i was greeted with the most fabulous sight:

that's right, folks. we've finally joined the ranks of apple lovers! the rest of my family has slowly but surely been converting over the last year, and we were the last holdouts. but after the blue screen of death started popping up on the laptop, i guess the hub decided it was time...and i sure wasn't gonna put up a fight!

so right away, he pulled it out of the box and started setting it up on the dining table, so that he could show his family the photos from his zimbabwe trip, and his parents could bust out the kazakhstan pics, too. we were truly amazed to find the whole thing up and running, ready to go, right out of the box - within about TEN minutes. so awesome.

we were so enthralled with watching pictures, playing with the new toy, chit-chatting, etc. that we didn't even end up bbq'ing! it got to about 8:45 and we looked around and said "pizza!" heh.

saturday was pretty quiet - we went house hunting for most of the day and then came home to relax, hang out, have dinner...and play with the iMac a bit more.

and yesterday, after church, we went to green street restaurant for breakfast. it was pretty yummy, as always. we usually head there or to pie & burger. and after we stuffed ourselves silly, we decided it would be fun to hit up ikea to see if we could find a new desk for the new 'puter. as you can see, we were quite successful:

we actually picked up two of these chairs. now there are actually places to SIT at our house! hmm, just in time for us to move. well, i'm sure it'll all look fabulous wherever we end up. i hope.

i'm tired.

how pathetic is that? here, i'll 'splain:

today, i had lunch with some former co-workers (which was fabulous - it was great to see everyone again), and then had to go on a banzai run from claremont to pasadena to deliver an invitation order.

in traffic.

and then, i had to head back towards home. in more traffic. not to mention, i had to make a grocery store run for a last-minute BBQ tonight at our house. the hub's folks are home from kazakhstan and we're dying to hear how the trip went. so far, all we've heard is "it was weird."

so i pick up all the BBQ stuff, load the bags in the car, and decide i'm really craving a mocha joe from burger king. sounds weird, but that stuff is yummy. i swing through the drive-thru, cut through traffic and finally, i'm home. i'm hoping to sneak in a power nap before we have to head back out for an appointment to look at a couple of houses - of course, we'll be facing traffic to get there.

but as soon as i've managed to unload everything, make a pitcher of iced tea, mix up some dip for chips, and catch my breath, the hub calls.

"can you meet me at the first house? i don't think i'm going to make it home in time to pick you up and still be on time for our appointment."

[sigh] i was really hoping i wouldn't have to do any more driving today. oy.

i did, however, make time this morning to snap my weekly belly pic. AND it was a good hair day! maybe you can't tell by the photo, but trust me. at least i was smart enough to take it BEFORE i got all sweaty and exhausted. hey, my day may not look like much, but this heffa is in the third trimester and my eyes are droopy just typing this post.

guess i won't be making it to the nords' anniversary sale today after all. i simply don't have it in me (nor do i have the time) to go. hopefully there'll still be some decent stuff on monday!

it's a BOOK.

i guess it's because i'm not a fan, but this harry potter craze baffles me to no end. i tried, i really did, to get into it. i love reading, and especially fluffy, nonsensical, non-educational stuff. but i just can't do it. hell, even my mom has read every book from cover. i've racked my brain and can't think of a single thing i'd be lining up for hours to buy/see/hear.


there are folks who have been camping out in front of bookstores since MONDAY. the damn book doesn't even come out until 12:01am on saturday! and the insanity of the movie coming out last week - with folks passing out with excitement and lining up for hours on end - wow.


it's just a book, folks. it's going to be available from now till the end of time. does it REALLY matter if you scoop up a copy of it the second it comes out, or if [gasp] you don't get it until the next morning? just like the crazy folks lined up for hours at the opening of the newest h&m store. um, what?


i think watching the endless news reels on this crap is just bugging the shit outta me. there are lots of other news stories much more important. aren't there any new celebrity break-ups to report on? sheesh.

toga! toga! TOGA??

so we've been invited to a birthday party for one of the hub's teammates. i went to the mailbox and found a white box that contained this:

there's a list of places to find god/goddess attire ideas, and the promise of free wine and spirits for those wearing their crowns.

so seriously, can you see me trying to squeeze myself into some reasonable facsimile of a TOGA?? i hope it'll be acceptable for me to just show up in a white dress. i don't need the wine and spirits, either. although maybe i'll look for a crown to wear. you know, just to fit in a little. i don't suppose a tiara would count, would it? ;)

"are you pregnant?"

seriously, at this stage, i can't believe folks are still having to wonder. my ass is large and in charge. i've been the recipient of this horrific question twice this week. and yes, it's only tuesday.

you know, there's really never a good time to ask a woman that question. if she's not pregnant, she thinks "holy shit, do i just look fat?"

and if she is, she thinks "holy shit, do i just look fat?"

neither scenario is fabulous. in any case, here are a few clues to seek out:

- belly rubbing. pregnant women rub their bellies every few minutes or so. and it just happens - it's not a conscious thing, kind of like breathing. but don't reach out to do the same. you'll be left with a dangling, bloody handless limb.

- a secret smile that comes from nowhere. usually, we've felt fluttering from within and just find it so magical. this is sometimes accompanied by grabbing the hub's hand and pressing it to the belly, usually resulting in.....nothing.

- sly, sideways glances at every stroller that rolls by. this could be a reflection of jealousy of the woman pushing the stroller, because it means she's not wearing pants with stretchy panels anymore, or checking out the stroller itself. is it a bugaboo? a quinny? ew, a graco.


• - snacks in the handbag. i can pull out three different kinds of munchies at any given moment. then again, that's always the case for me.

i better go. there's a drumstick in the kitchen calling my name, and i can't put it in my purse for later. i'm sure i'll burn it off at yoga. heh. mmmmm, ice cream.

a wan-derful weekend

okay, it was actually pretty uneventful, but i think my last post explains today's subject line. [cheesy grin]

although in reality, it started off with most of my saturday morning spent sitting around kaiser's lab. and when i say "most", i really mean it - the hub and i got there right around 8:45 and i didn't get to leave till around 12:30. i must've been really distracted by the impending test(s), because i didn't even feel hungry even though i'd had to fast, and i usually wake up ready to get my grub on.

anyway, i arrived armed with a stack of magazines and a book i was 3/4 of the way through. once i'd gotten through the first needle, i let the hub off the hook and sent him on his merry way. after a 3-week absence from work, he was hoping to get a head start on mail and stuff and so it was off to the office for him. i chugged the oh-so-yummy orange glucola and dove into my book.

i was more than ready for lunch by the time the last blood draw was done, so we headed off to danny's kosher pickle for sandwiches and soup. mmmmmmmm, reuben sandwich. mmmmmmmmm.

by the time we got home - a mere hour after i'd left kaiser - i already had an email that said my lab results were ready. i took a deep breath, sent up a quick prayer, and opened the email.

I PASSED!! no diabetes for this girl. oh, happy day! thanks for everyone's well wishes and healthy vibes. they worked!

sunday was church and then a drive down to my parents' house in manhattan beach. we had every intention of actually going to the beach, but got caught up in socializing with my sibs and their mates. plus, a childhood friend of mine was coming for a visit and i didn't want to miss him. i hadn't seen the guy since i was all of seventeen years old!

anyway, life is back to normal. the hub's at work, the kid's hanging out with her BFF, the dog is sleeping under my bookshelf, and i'm working on an invitation order.

and i'm ready to throw my printer out the window. it keeps effing up on these postcards, and i want to scream. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

...and the peasants rejoiced.

the hub is home! safe! happy! tired! bearded!

he has never looked so good to me. i waited at the terminal, excited, scanning every face, all dressed up with heart pounding and ridiculously nervous. and then....my phone rings.

"i'm here! where are you?"

"waiting for you here at the exit! where are YOU?"

"right out front, at the bottom of the stairs!"

of course, i'd gone to the wrong "exit". dammit. but i didn't care. as i talked to him, i rushed out the doors and made a right, and there he was. and of course, i started bawling as soon as we made eye contact.

[sigh]

it was wonderful.

and today, the kid's home from her dad's.

the dog has been going nuts at the family reunion.

all is right in the world once again.

here's this week's photo! wow, my face is getting round. and please think of me tomorrow morning as i endure the dreaded 3-hour glucose test. i hope i don't pass out.

call 1-800-steeeeeeeeeemer

the day has come at last, folks. you won't have to listen to me whine about the hub and being lonely anymore...he finally comes home tonight!

so i've been flitting around the house like an actual housewife - sort of. i did a lot of organizing, sorting, storing, dumped a lot of unnecessary crap. i had stanley steemer come out to make the carpets look all pretty. i'm taking the dog for a bath. getting the car washed. and the cleaning crew is here working their magic. i guess my version of being a housewife means delegating.

"steam clean my carpets!"

"give my dog a bath!"

"wash my car!"

"scrub my toilets!"

hey, it works for me.

and, a quick report on yesterday's fun lunch with friends at langer's deli: i decided that while langer's was yummy, my pastrami loyalty will always be with the hat. although i must say that even though both joints specialize in "world famous pastrami sandwiches", they aren't really comparable. it's kind of like that whole "apples to apples" thing my mom was saying the other day. langer's: big, thick slices of lean pastrami served on rye bread. the hat: thin-sliced pastrami piled (and piled, and piled) into a french roll. both of them have been around for decades, and both are magically delicious. i went with the uber-carnivorous selection of #54 - pastrami AND corned beef, and it didn't take long for me to decide that next time, i'm sticking with the corned beef. it was oh-so-yummy!

then it was a quick pitstop at paper source for some supplies, into macy's on lake in search of cute shoes and an ensemble for my friend's upcoming wedding (unsuccessful, i might add), the right start to check out a couple of strollers, and then finally home. and i was there for about five minutes before i dove right into the bag containing the second half of my double-meat sandwich. mmmm.

and an hour later? off to the hub's grandparents' house for dinner. i felt bad, because i wasn't even really hungry, so i didn't eat much. but i still managed to have a bit of everything, from salad to dessert. the hub's bro is in culinary school and brought home an ENTIRE black forest cake, so of course i had to have some, right? and it was delish. i dig his baking classes ;)

i feel the need for a slurpee.

it's 7-11!

even for me, this is dorky as all hell. but i'm totally going to hit up the corner 7-11 and pick up a coca-cola slurpee. i just logged on to the official slurpee site and found a BOGO coupon, too. i wonder if too many brain freezes is bad for the baby.

i'm also excited to be meeting some friends for lunch today at the famous langer's deli. i keep hearing that it kicks the hat's ass, and i've never had pastrami better than the hat. i've even heard (from WeezerMonkey) that they serve a pastrami sandwich topped with corned beef.

i'm going to be in hog heaven. will there be any actual nutritional value in anything i'll be eating today? at this moment, i don't particularly give a crap. i'm having pastrami! [doing a happy dance]

pho shizzle.

i spent quite a lovely day with my mom today - eating, shopping, spa-ing. she had a couple of those gift certificates that gets you four separate spa treatments for $60 (with optional upgrades available, of course). it wasn't a place either of us had tried before, so we skipped the upgrades and stuck to the 1/2-hour treatments.

normally, i dread those abbreviated appointments because i end up wanting to clutch at the masseuse/facialist's leg and beg her to stay. but surprisingly, it was quite a satisfying 30 minutes. i always want more, but i was nice and relaxed. mom agreed. we were happy campers.

i quickly tired of these half-assed goth fingernails, so i suggested going for manicures next. besides, i was still in the mood for some pampering! but the nail salon at manhattan village was all booked up, so we decided to do some shopping. at white house black market, i managed to score a cute dress in a polka dot print (aaaaah, circles!), marked down from $139 to $30. and i'll still be able to wear it after i have this kid, so bonus points for me. we also hit up bath & body works with a couple of coupons mom had, so i picked up some lovely orange ginger shampoo. my hair will smell yummy.

shhhhhh - don't tell my mom, but i'd already visited manhattan village before going to her house. there's a babystyle there, and i wanted to scoop up some stuff on sale. i also made a quick pitstop at sephora so i would have a few items to put on after the facial. sadly for me, i forgot to put the goods in my purse, so the south bay was treated to the horrific sight of makeup-less me for most of the afternoon.

thanks to another nail salon near the folks' house, i'm pleased to report that my fingers are, indeed, back to normal. relieved, aren't ya? moms was quite happy to sit in the massage chair and have a pedi, too. it was fun for all.

and we ended our day by popping my pho cherry. i'd been hearing about this fabulous stuff for ages, but had never tried it. i enjoyed it, although i don't know if i liked it enough to go looking for it. i told my mom that i would probably go for korean bbq before i'd hit up pho again, but as she said, that wasn't exactly comparing apples to apples.

aaaah, such a fun day. thanks, mom.

bitter, party of one. and a half.

today brought something i've been dreading for a month now - a screening test for gestational diabetes. basically, you go in, drink a bottle of this horrifically sugary, nasty orange-flavored glucose drink (which you have to chug-a-lug in less than 5 minutes), wait an hour, and then give up some of your warm, precious blood. I HATE NEEDLES. i know it doesn't actually hurt, but i just hate 'em. i don't know a soul who doesn't.

so after my regular appointment with my doctor, which goes perfectly fine as always - the bean's growing just fine, the heartbeat is strong, i've managed to gain 4 pounds (bringing my total so far to 9 pounds, woohoo!) - i down the disgusting concoction and sit down with a book for an hour.

i waddle down to the lab, where i make a total ass out of myself by sashaying right up to the counter only to be told "you have to get in line, ma'am." i turn around and sure enough, there's a nice long line of folks waiting to check in. d-oh! and it's not like i've never been here before. so i slink to the end of the line, with a plastic "sorry, i'm pregnant and stupid" grin on my face. it's not long before i'm at the counter, luckily not in front of the same chick who put my ass in check. the guy goes "oh, you're here for the fun stuff!" and i say "yeah, but at least it isn't the 3-hour test. i'd have to kill myself." and because i'm there for a timed test, i'm shuffled right over to the next available lab tech. i didn't even have time to be scared or nervous - i put my arm out and look away, and somehow i've been blessed with THE BEST tech there. i didn't feel a thing, and in no time flat, i'm walking outta there all happy to have it over with.

i decide to treat myself to a new face, courtesy of the laura mercier counter at nords. i sit down for a makeover and walk out with a bagful of fabulous new products. so. excited.

a couple of hours later, an email pops up, and it's my lab results. i'm full of confidence that the test will be negative - it's been such a great pregnancy so far, and i had no problems last time, either - and what do you freakin' know...my glucose levels are HIGH. i'm pissed. this can only mean one thing: i'm headed back to kaiser for the dreaded 3-hour test. this consists of an overnight fast, a blood draw the moment i get there, TWICE the amount of orange yuckiness, and then the piece de resistance: a blood draw HOURLY for THREE hours.

kill me now.

very nice, how much?

the hub's folks are taking off tomorrow for a missions trip with their church for......kazakhstan. not having seen the movie, they had no idea why we dissolved into uncontrollable laughter when they announced it. hell, even the grandparents had heard of borat! too funny. we cracked jokes about visiting the number four prostitute in the country and buying his dad a borat swimsuit. luckily, his folks have a great sense of humor and played along, even though they didn't have any idea as to what we were talking about. i still think it's the funniest thing ever - of all the places for them to go...

in any case, i'm sure they'll have a great time (i just made the "smell the fart" face as i typed that). it should be interesting, and those two can find fun and adventure no matter where they go. i'm already smirking at the thought of viewing their pictures when they get back. is that mean?

and in other news, i spent my saturday doing a whole lot of cleaning and organizing. i've managed to fill the trash bins and am not looking forward to having to wheel 'em out to the curb. my dog decided it was naptime as i toiled away, and gave me the stink eye every time i dared to wake her up with my shenanigans.

and my other exciting news - i chopped off about four inches of hair. yay for me. it still feels weird, and i keep tossing my head around, marveling at how light my nugget is now.

damn, i live one hell of an eventful life. aren't you glad you spent five minutes reading this post? that's five minutes you'll never get back, by the way. thanks for playing.

a bunch of poo

aside from the fun stuff i squeezed in this week with the kid, each day also brought some random form of crap. it's storytime, boys and girls.

i somehow managed to drop my brand spanking new mac studio fix compact on the bathroom floor just right - and the makeup fell out and shattered into about 65 million pieces. i was pissed. so i went to nords and bought a new one - and the next morning as i was getting ready, THAT one slipped right out of my klutzy fingers. i screamed "sonofabitch!!" and i swear i heard someone laugh (my bathroom has a small window that overlooks the street). but miraculously, i salvaged half of it, which is good as i refuse to go back and buy a THIRD compact in one week.

then, i was driving home from lunch with a friend out in BFE. i'm sitting in the right turn lane, waiting to get on the freeway, and the right arrow turns green. the hot and sexy minivan in front of me, laden down with about twelve passengers, just sits there - so i tap on my horn. i swear to you that i just tapped it, really lightly...i didn't lean on it or anything like that, but horns in german cars are LOUD as all hell. so not only does the minivan refuse to budge, one of the assholes in the backseat flips me off out the window. the only thing that kept me from going absolutely postal was the fact that i was on the phone with the hub's mom at the time. so. stinking. annoyed.

before the hub took off, we'd looked at a great little house in a very desirable area that was up for lease. it was just adorable, right down the street from the kid's school for next year, and completely remodeled inside out. aaaaaaand i got the call from the realtor that said a lease was signed this week. ugh.

klutzy fingers strike again: i dropped my phone just right, resulting in a series of small cracks in the top left corner. joy. i can't upgrade to a new one till december, nor do i feel like going through the insurance process to replace this one. hopefully it'll hang on. come on baby, don't die on me now!

lastly, a whole slew of bad luck and off timing helped me miss no less than six attempts by the hub to reach me. he'd called while i was floating through the lazy river at raging waters, and then again as i was sitting in a noisy restaurant with my friend for lunch. poor baby - he ended up worrying about ME in the midst of helping the sick and the poor in africa! and it didn't help that he called his entire family - brother, parents, grandparents - with not a single soul picking up their phone. no less than seven different phones, and no luck whatsoever. oy vey.

but today is 07/07/07. my luck is already getting better - i finally got to talk to the hub! now he can relax and enjoy the last few days of his trip without worrying that the entire state of california had fallen into the ocean, taking his loved ones down to davy jones' locker. gotta love satellite phones. plus, the dog didn't wake me up at 4am barking at raccoons, and the baby is happily squirming around in my belly.

life is good, my friends. life is good.

do you think about

how your life would have turned out (so far, anyway) if you'd taken a left instead of a right in that fork in the road? and in the others that followed? i was thinking today how drastically different mine would be had i chosen to finish high school instead of testing out early.

i'm sure i'd have gone to college.

maybe had an actual career.

met other people.

done things i wouldn't picture myself doing now.

but -

i'd also not be the person i am today. nor would i have the kid, or the hub, or my fabulous friends. i probably wouldn't be listening to this dog barking at a leaf falling from the tree in the back yard. and there wouldn't be all this fun kicking and poking from my belly (that's sincere, even though it sounds sarcastic as hell, which is SO unlike me).

the last stop for this train of thought was:

as much bullshit as i've gone through in my life (and will continue to experience, thanks to one rat bastard), i wouldn't change a single decision, make any different choices - not one. i have a lot of pride in and love for the person i am today. i'm far from perfect, but i am one happy camper.

whoa, that got serious. talk about living up to the name of my blog! i guess that's what happens when hours are spent in the lazy river at raging waters, being the only ride in the entire park suitable for one with child.

thinking is DANGEROUS. i gotta cut that shit out.

p.s. i did end up getting that damn cabana. and it was worth every last penny.

raging waters, here i come.

yes, that's right.

we've managed to choose a day that's expected to be hotter than the 9th circle of hell to spend at a water park. this will be fabulous for the kid and her BFF, but i'm not exactly up to riding water slides and crap. i can only pray for a nice, shady spot near the amazon adventure area - which looks like pretty much the only thing i'm going to be able to do aside from eat. i'd rent a cabana, but somehow i don't think i'm going to be able to part with the $85 rental fee. ouch.

the kid and i went for mani/pedis the other day - just after i managed to break two nails on my right hand. dammit. i had all my nails all at the same length (which is no easy feat for me) and i was so excited to get them all purty. so i ended up having them all chopped off, leaving me with the hands of an 8-year-old boy. sex-hay, no? i also let the kid talk me into opi's "black onyx" nail polish. oy vey, i'm still not used to it. i'm more of a french tips-kinda girl. you can't get much more opposite than that. so, duh - i took a picture, because it won't ever happen again. although i must admit, it sure is easy to type with nails this short.

i'm off to pack my tote bag - i get to rock the juicy hat again! twice in one week. sweet! and i leave you with this week's belly pic. my third trimester begins on sunday - holy shit.

HOLY SHIT. HOLY SHIT!!

independence day.

yay, 4th of july!
bbqs and fireworks.
boo, the kid's not home. :(



love and thanks to our military and veterans. have a fun and safe 4th, all.