alright, so the holidays are here. dear sweet baby jesus...the holidays. my entire family has been in and out of my house at some point over the past week. the only one left is my 19 year old brother (daisy) who will be heading back to college tonight. it was nice not having to travel up to pennsylvania with our dog and pony show (and not to mention all of the CRAP that we have to take with us), but no worries...my family brought the dog and pony show to us. i cleaned the shit out of my house last saturday for their arrival...and i don't know how you feel about the whole cleaning thing, but that day i said to butch, "i'm so glad my house is clean...so that my family can shit it all up again!!" i always say that i'm not going to clean before they come, just after. (but i do it to myself every time.) and so last sunday my mom arrived, wearing her rose colored glasses and a smile. my mother and i are the same in a lot of ways, but we are also very different. i think it's safe to say that i've gotten 89 percent of my genes from my father. anyway, she is very positive! and perky! a lot of the time. her glass is always half full. (of wine.) she skipped through the door and i kinda had to brace myself for her all day/everyday happy attitude.
monday i had off of work, so i went out to run errands while she was here...it's so nice to run errands without a toddler on my leg and a baby on my hip. i even had time to get my hair cut. it actually felt like a little vacation. about ten minutes into my get away into the real world...she called me. "ummm....i am taking the girls for a walk and i got a flat tire on the jogging stroller!!! (she was laughing hysterically...) what do i do?!!?" (my lord.) "well mother, there is a pump on the porch, so head back to the house and blow it up if you can..." i could hear ella yelling, "what you doing nanny?!"(she doesn't know what she's doing, ella, remain calm.) . i hung up and a few hours later i called her back around lunch time to see if she wanted anything from subway. she replied, "tricia! i did not come to maryland to get fat!!!" (i was going to get you a turkey sub, not a double whopper...mother.) "so you aren't going to eat lunch!?" she said, "i had my tea, i'll be good until dinner." (tea?!) that's the other thing about my mother...she is about 115 pounds soaking wet. (just one of my ass cheeks probably weighs in at 115.) while she was here she was on some special hot tea potion kick that "melts belly fat" away...if i had only tea for lunch i would probably kill someone. anyway, i headed home shortly after this and we were incident free for the rest of the day.
that night, i made dinner and fen called to say that she would be over for a visit. she came through the door with her patented bottle of wine tucked under her arm around 7, we talked and laughed and i went to bed around 9...i left her and my mother downstairs. around midnight, the two of them were cackling loudly like little school girls and both were hopped up on wine. they were laughing their heads off (and woke me up. look out.)...i then stumbled down the steps, looked into the living room and scolded my own mother.."you have to get up in 6 hours with your grandchildren!! go to bed!!" fen gets scared when i yell and she ran out the front door. my mother hopped onto the futon (with all of her clothes on) and covered herself with a blanket. the next day fen texted me to see if she was still in trouble. my mom called me at work to see if she "ruined thanksgiving"...dear lord no mother, get a grip. i do believe she may be going through "the change" and is highly emotional at all times. that doesn't work well in my house, because i say exactly what i'm thinking (often using lotsa sarcasm) and even though i don't mean to hurt her feelings, i sometimes do. (sorry, mom.) she was home with the kids all day on tuesday and i called at lunch she said (and i quote), "I COULD DO THIS EVERYDAY OF MY LIFE!! I LOVE IT!" however, when i got home a few hours later, she laced up her sneakers and squawked, "i need a break...i'm going for a walk." (welcome to my world, debbie.)
wednesday i began cooking for the big thanksgiving feast (enter many pounds of butter) and that night we went out to the bar for drinks, while daisy stayed home with the kids. both carrie and ella have been going to bed around 7 every night and sleeping until 7. (it's been glorious.) and so, when i put them to bed, i figured the trend would continue. (i was sadly mistaken.) i swear that children have a sixth sense about stuff like this...we made no mention of us leaving after they went to bed, but somehow they just knew. around 1am, i received a call from daisy and i could hear carrie crying. he said, "she is awake and i think she pooped." (REALLY!? aaaaaHHHH.) and so, i went home and left the kids (i mean my parents) at the bar. upon inspection when i got home, carrie had a poop explosion up her back. (she has pooped maybe two times in her whole life in the middle of the night. so of course she would do it when my little brother was babysitting!?) i asked keith why he didn't change her...he's said, "i've never done that in my life and i don't plan on doing it ever." (awesome babysitting skills, bro.)
thursday and friday went off without a hitch. my family (minus my tea drinking mother) managed to eat and drink almost everything in the house. saturday morning butch went to get the tree and ella started harassing me in the kitchen. the conversation went something like this: "i want tookie." me: "no honey it's too early for a cookie.." ella: "i want tookie." me:"no, but maybe after lunch you can have one." ella: "i want tookie." me: "not happening, kid." ella: "i want tookie." me: "no." alright...so you see where this is going. same question, answers got shorter and shorter until i was just doing the dishes ignoring her...which escalated to "I WANT TOOKIE!!!!" 8 (EIGHT, i counted) more times...and then she proceeded to SLAP ME IN THE ASS. (oh my god, my toddler just slapped me in the ass.) when i turned around, she must've seen the crazy look in my eye, because she took off running. (oh no you didn't, sister.) as i was chasing her around the corner, butch was coming through the door with a christmas tree quoting clark griswold (loudly)..."LITTLE FULL, LOTTA SAP!!" carrie (who has been held and had direct attention for an entire week) was in the other room making what we call "the most annoying sound in the world" (from the movie dumb and dumber)...it's not a cry, it's not a whine...it's a high pitched noise that demands attention, and sounds like nails on a blackboard. (it was at that point that i realized, had there been a video camera in our house...we would be rich.)
and so now we arrive back at sunday, the holiday week has (finally) come to a close. i am more than exhausted and also feel like i need to check myself into the betty ford clinic after the mass amounts of holiday booze i consumed. butch leaves tomorrow to head to the mountains of maryland for a school "outdoor ed" trip. (he will be camping in the woods with a bunch of middle school students, for the whole week.) he wants me to believe that this will not be a "vacation" for him, but i know better. (i know what goes on in our house, fool...camping with a bunch of teenagers is a cake walk compared to this.) between work, the most annoying sound in the world, my ass slapping 2 year old, and the fact that warren won't be here to help...i will most likely lose my mind at some point this week. stay tuned.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
ladies
alright, so with my motor skills back in order...i'll elaborate on my girls night out on saturday. to begin, last friday night was the first official night that carrie slept through the night. i can't be the only parent who has had a full blown panic attack when their child does this for the first time. i went into her room in the morning...to see if she was still breathing. you go so many nights of waking up to a squawking baby, that when they don't wake up (for the first time in 150 nights) you are seriously concerned. i actually held my breath when i opened her bedroom door, because i was afraid of what i was going to find. when i saw her smiling face, and realized she made it through the whole night without interrupting my rest, i'm going to be honest...i loved her a little bit more. (sleep is a big deal, people.) anyway, i woke up fully rested on saturday...and felt pretty spectacular.
i also woke up and it kinda felt like christmas morning for another reason as well...i knew that it was going to be my "turn" to go out with the girls that evening. butch and i have to divide and conquer these days when it comes to weekend expeditions. babysitters are expensive, and even though we really just need a warm body in the house for a few hours after they are in bed...it's easier for one of us to just stay home. it's not ideal, but we know that this phase will pass and we'll be on to the next goofy parenting endeavour. truth is, we don't go out that much anymore...so when we do get "out" we really (really) enjoy it. anyway, fen invited us over for dinner that evening (with the kids) so after doing 237 loads of laundry, running, cleaning the house, washing my ass, and taking care of everything else that had to be done around the house...we went over to her humble abode. another one of our girlfriends was coming in from philadelphia, so we hung out and waited for her arrival. she came, we all ate dinner. (and sidebar...i made dinner. fen invited us over (for dinner), and i ended up making the whole pan of chicken divan. this is typical fen behavior.) at about 7pm i escorted butch and my offspring back to the house, helped him bathe them and put them to bed. gleefully i skipped out the door at about 8pm, with my go to black dress, side pony intact, and stars in my eyes.
when i arrived back to fen's (she lives around the corner), i grabbed another beer (i had about 2 by that point) and got crackalackin' on the nights mission. (hammertime.) the original plan was to go "downtown" to go out, which includes cab rides and such...so i wanted to pace myself at that point. while we were all standing around the island in her kitchen, our guest mentioned that she wanted to go to a local bar (in our town) and we all decided that would be a better option. it was at that point that i decided (at about 9pm) that i was going to double fist both red wine and beer. (one in each hand.) forget the pace car...i wanted to be the race car. i started getting wound up right before we went out, but i still had all of my motor skills intact and knew what was going on. the picture below was taken before going out. i (sorta) remember the ride to the bar, and (sorta) remember walking in there...sorta. i also need to mention that fen's roommate, a (male) navy corpsman decided to go out with us as well. (in hind sight, he probably regrets this decision.)
so we arrive at the bar and all order a round...on my credit card. (which would end up being the only round..) the bar we went to had a band, but they were on a break. this is when things start getting a little fuzzy. apparently, it was at this point that i started taking shots off of the waitress's trays and slamming them down my gullet...without paying for them. i do not do shots anymore...i left that behind with my twenties. liquor makes me wackout blackout drunk and i hate it. plus, it also gives me a wicked hangover as well...i have two children that wake up at the ass crack of dawn, i don't need to willingly give myself a wicked hangover. so anyway, back to the shots that i don't remember...it was shortly after this that i told the people that i was with that it was "time to go." (probably with some expletives thrown in there) they hadn't even finished their first drink yet and i was demanding that we all leave. this picture was taken shortly before our departure. (awesome.)
fen was behind the wheel (in her new car), and she knows from experience that when i hit the point of no return, it's time to exit the premises...or a shit show is going to ensue. (we left.) they all decided to go to wawa to get some (drunk food) subs, and technically it is on the way home...so they stopped. fen and our philly friend went into wawa and the corpsman and i were in the backseat of her car waiting for them to come out. it was at this point that i got the spins...and shit got serious. (i thought i might die.) instead, i opened the back door of her car...and fully unloaded no less than 3 gallons of beer, a 1/2 a box of wine, and chicken divan all over that parking lot. because of the wine and the chunks of chicken, it looked like a scene out of a horror movie. i also looked like a character from a horror movie as well....makeup smeared, tears running down my face, hair plastered to my cheek...it was ugly. the ladies skipped out of wawa and fen started freaking out when she saw the vomit. "THIS IS MY NEW CAR! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU! and...OH MY GOD! DO YOU EVEN CHEW YOUR FOOD!? THERE ARE WHOLE CHUNKS OF CHICKEN IN THERE." (dear god.) our other friend unwrapped her (stolen) sub (that was not her order) and began chowing down. apparently there was some sort of dressing on the sub and when this girl "eats" food (using the term loosely) while intoxicated, she owns the food. she owned (mutilated) that sub and shit was everywhere. dressing, lettuce, meat, cheese, you name it...was running down her arms and all over her face.
the navy corpsman was in the backseat just staring at all of this shit going on. here we are...three "grown" women, (it was only like 10:30, mind you) acting as if we are on some f'd up taping of idiots gone wild...and he's in the middle of it all. he wanted to go "out" with us and it ended up being for (half) a beer and a trip to wawa...including (but not limited to) puke, screaming, and a theft. (happy veterans day, buddy.) i don't really remember getting dropped off at home...however, i woke up at 4am, in (only) a tee shirt, no undergarments, my contacts still in my eyeballs, mascara smeared on my face, and puke still in my hair. i stumbled to the mirror and realized that i looked like a goddamn rape victim. i washed my face, took out my contacts, put on some godforsaken pants and walked downstairs to get a drink. i checked for my phone, keys, and credit cards and had that "thank god" moment when i saw all of them there...strewn all over the floor in front of the front door next to my boots and my black dress. (wow.) it took a few days for all of the pieces of the puzzle to fit together. (and it's still not complete.) i looked at my online banking statement today and i had a tab of over $30 bucks at the bar...and i couldn't figure out how because even if i bought everyone a round, we were all drinking just beer. i texted the two ladies (if you can call them that) that i was out with and asked how this was possible...one replied, "hell if i know? maybe we paid extra for the roofies??" (i laughed my head off at that one.) fen said, "along with the shots you stole, you also bought everyone a round of red headed sluts!" (great decision.)
so long story short...i can be certain about a few things after this weekend. first off, my decision to leave behind shots in my twenties was a good one, i just need to make sure i follow through and not actually buy and/or steal them. secondly, i will be very surprised if if fen's roommate ever takes me seriously again after seeing me lose my shit all over the parking lot of wawa. (moreover, i think it's safe to say i will not be eating chicken divan anytime soon.) finally, if you go out for ladies night as a married mother of two....and you wake up looking like a rape victim, you probably can't handle going out in the first place. lesson learned.
i also woke up and it kinda felt like christmas morning for another reason as well...i knew that it was going to be my "turn" to go out with the girls that evening. butch and i have to divide and conquer these days when it comes to weekend expeditions. babysitters are expensive, and even though we really just need a warm body in the house for a few hours after they are in bed...it's easier for one of us to just stay home. it's not ideal, but we know that this phase will pass and we'll be on to the next goofy parenting endeavour. truth is, we don't go out that much anymore...so when we do get "out" we really (really) enjoy it. anyway, fen invited us over for dinner that evening (with the kids) so after doing 237 loads of laundry, running, cleaning the house, washing my ass, and taking care of everything else that had to be done around the house...we went over to her humble abode. another one of our girlfriends was coming in from philadelphia, so we hung out and waited for her arrival. she came, we all ate dinner. (and sidebar...i made dinner. fen invited us over (for dinner), and i ended up making the whole pan of chicken divan. this is typical fen behavior.) at about 7pm i escorted butch and my offspring back to the house, helped him bathe them and put them to bed. gleefully i skipped out the door at about 8pm, with my go to black dress, side pony intact, and stars in my eyes.
when i arrived back to fen's (she lives around the corner), i grabbed another beer (i had about 2 by that point) and got crackalackin' on the nights mission. (hammertime.) the original plan was to go "downtown" to go out, which includes cab rides and such...so i wanted to pace myself at that point. while we were all standing around the island in her kitchen, our guest mentioned that she wanted to go to a local bar (in our town) and we all decided that would be a better option. it was at that point that i decided (at about 9pm) that i was going to double fist both red wine and beer. (one in each hand.) forget the pace car...i wanted to be the race car. i started getting wound up right before we went out, but i still had all of my motor skills intact and knew what was going on. the picture below was taken before going out. i (sorta) remember the ride to the bar, and (sorta) remember walking in there...sorta. i also need to mention that fen's roommate, a (male) navy corpsman decided to go out with us as well. (in hind sight, he probably regrets this decision.)
so we arrive at the bar and all order a round...on my credit card. (which would end up being the only round..) the bar we went to had a band, but they were on a break. this is when things start getting a little fuzzy. apparently, it was at this point that i started taking shots off of the waitress's trays and slamming them down my gullet...without paying for them. i do not do shots anymore...i left that behind with my twenties. liquor makes me wackout blackout drunk and i hate it. plus, it also gives me a wicked hangover as well...i have two children that wake up at the ass crack of dawn, i don't need to willingly give myself a wicked hangover. so anyway, back to the shots that i don't remember...it was shortly after this that i told the people that i was with that it was "time to go." (probably with some expletives thrown in there) they hadn't even finished their first drink yet and i was demanding that we all leave. this picture was taken shortly before our departure. (awesome.)
fen was behind the wheel (in her new car), and she knows from experience that when i hit the point of no return, it's time to exit the premises...or a shit show is going to ensue. (we left.) they all decided to go to wawa to get some (drunk food) subs, and technically it is on the way home...so they stopped. fen and our philly friend went into wawa and the corpsman and i were in the backseat of her car waiting for them to come out. it was at this point that i got the spins...and shit got serious. (i thought i might die.) instead, i opened the back door of her car...and fully unloaded no less than 3 gallons of beer, a 1/2 a box of wine, and chicken divan all over that parking lot. because of the wine and the chunks of chicken, it looked like a scene out of a horror movie. i also looked like a character from a horror movie as well....makeup smeared, tears running down my face, hair plastered to my cheek...it was ugly. the ladies skipped out of wawa and fen started freaking out when she saw the vomit. "THIS IS MY NEW CAR! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU! and...OH MY GOD! DO YOU EVEN CHEW YOUR FOOD!? THERE ARE WHOLE CHUNKS OF CHICKEN IN THERE." (dear god.) our other friend unwrapped her (stolen) sub (that was not her order) and began chowing down. apparently there was some sort of dressing on the sub and when this girl "eats" food (using the term loosely) while intoxicated, she owns the food. she owned (mutilated) that sub and shit was everywhere. dressing, lettuce, meat, cheese, you name it...was running down her arms and all over her face.
the navy corpsman was in the backseat just staring at all of this shit going on. here we are...three "grown" women, (it was only like 10:30, mind you) acting as if we are on some f'd up taping of idiots gone wild...and he's in the middle of it all. he wanted to go "out" with us and it ended up being for (half) a beer and a trip to wawa...including (but not limited to) puke, screaming, and a theft. (happy veterans day, buddy.) i don't really remember getting dropped off at home...however, i woke up at 4am, in (only) a tee shirt, no undergarments, my contacts still in my eyeballs, mascara smeared on my face, and puke still in my hair. i stumbled to the mirror and realized that i looked like a goddamn rape victim. i washed my face, took out my contacts, put on some godforsaken pants and walked downstairs to get a drink. i checked for my phone, keys, and credit cards and had that "thank god" moment when i saw all of them there...strewn all over the floor in front of the front door next to my boots and my black dress. (wow.) it took a few days for all of the pieces of the puzzle to fit together. (and it's still not complete.) i looked at my online banking statement today and i had a tab of over $30 bucks at the bar...and i couldn't figure out how because even if i bought everyone a round, we were all drinking just beer. i texted the two ladies (if you can call them that) that i was out with and asked how this was possible...one replied, "hell if i know? maybe we paid extra for the roofies??" (i laughed my head off at that one.) fen said, "along with the shots you stole, you also bought everyone a round of red headed sluts!" (great decision.)
so long story short...i can be certain about a few things after this weekend. first off, my decision to leave behind shots in my twenties was a good one, i just need to make sure i follow through and not actually buy and/or steal them. secondly, i will be very surprised if if fen's roommate ever takes me seriously again after seeing me lose my shit all over the parking lot of wawa. (moreover, i think it's safe to say i will not be eating chicken divan anytime soon.) finally, if you go out for ladies night as a married mother of two....and you wake up looking like a rape victim, you probably can't handle going out in the first place. lesson learned.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
thankful
so i'm jumping on the bandwagon and i'm going to write about the 30 things that i am thankful for...here. we. go. (in no particular order...as you will see)
1. butch. (warren vernon) i'm pretty sure he is the only guy that could put up with my antics on a daily basis...and i his.
2. carrie & ella. i always knew i wanted to be a mother, i just didn't realize how much fun (or how crazy) it was going to be. it's been a wild ride so far. i'm so lucky to be their momma.
3. epidurals. although i love my children dearly, firing them out of my vagina was no picnic. i'm thankful for people that are smarter than me who created this miracle drug and thankful for the anesthesiologist who administered to extra large needle into my back.
4. coffee. every morning i look forward to a my cuppa joe. i can't imagine my morning without it. even after a night of no sleep, it never fails me...and plus, it tastes delicious.
5. george & deb. i am who i am because of them. i can only hope that i can be half of the parents to my kids as they were to me. plus, i hope when my children are of legal age, i can drink them under the table as they do me.
6. nate & keith. nate will always be the favorite, keith will always be the baby, and i will always be the only girl. my siblings are my friends. i love them and wish i could see more of them.
7. fen. (jen.) i never had a lot of girl friends growing up...but jen has remained a constant. we have shared so much with each other and i am so thankful that she is in my life. she makes me laugh with her ...and also gives me many reasons to laugh at her.
8. all of my other friends. people that make me laugh, seen me cry, helped me move, held my hair back when i had too much sauce, and most importantly were just there when i needed them. i'm lucky to have these people in my life, i wouldn't survive without them.
9. miss KK. i have a wonderful sitter, who cares for my children 9 hours a day...while i go to work and care for other people's children. she has 5 children of her own, and is crazy and enjoys wine like me.
10. teaching. i love what i do, and have met a ton of awesome children along the way. it is an emotionally exhausting job, as i have to take on many (many) roles throughout the day as a kindergarten teacher. however, kids are funny people...making it easier to deal with the other stuff.
11. shippensburg university. without my education, i wouldn't have my job...and i also wouldn't have met my friend lacy. she is one of the funniest human beings i've ever met, and i am so glad that we have remained friends over the years.
12. wine & beer. (liquor and i are no longer friends.) i enjoy either after a long day, or even just because. it's a delicious and easy way to unwind.
13. sports. i enjoy them all, and all are excellent reasons to get together with friends, eat good food, and drink beer.
14. food. going out to eat is one of my favorite things to do, and i also enjoy cooking. i don't do it as much as i used to, but as the kids get older, i hope to have more time to do it.
15. sex. that's all i'm going to say about that...my parents read this.
16. penelope. our SPCA rescue dog has definitely taken on a different role since our children were born...but she is pretty much the only one that actually listens to me in the house. plus, she is a good running partner.
17. our cat. just kidding...she's an asshole.
18. schuylkill county, PA. (my roots) i have not forgotten where i came from, and am proud of the little bodunk town that i grew up in. it's filled with good people who have added so much to my life. i'm a country girl at heart.
19. maryland. living near the water is something i always wanted to do. it's pretty awesome. someday i want to live at the beach, but this is close enough for now.
20. uncle rj & aunt brenda. (and their kids) they moved from the skook to here prior to us moving down for teaching jobs. i don't know if we would've moved here, had they not been here. it's nice to have someone from "home" here...and they also feed us, take care of our children, and make us laugh.
21. music. i pretty much listen to music throughout the day, i love the way it makes me feel. i don't have a favorite genre...i enjoy them all. (well, most of them.) sidebar: i didn't like country music, until i moved out of the country. (makes no sense.)
22. running. one of my many vices, and something that i can do just for myself. i look forward to it, and feel better after doing it. bucket list: half marathon. maybe if i say it outloud, i'll actually do it.
23. curious george, mickey mouse, and dora the explorer. although this clan of cartoon characters makes me nuts half of time, they also give me a minute to get things done. they also entertain my child on long car rides...making it less painful for all involved.
24. hot bubble baths. i had to give these up for a while, due to time constraints...but lately i've been making time for them. i have to to lock both bathroom doors and pretend i'm taking a shit in order to not be disturbed...but it's totally worth it.
25. naptime. ella has always been a good napper, and carrie also enjoys a good rest. i love when they are awake, but it's nice to have a a minute to breathe when they are asleep.
26. clorox clean up and other cleaning products. there are not many things i enjoy in this world more than a clean house. i've had to "let go" some of my cleaning neurosis over the past 2 years, due to my kids making their appearances...but the smell of bleach or pine sol still gets me excited.
27. dancing. i only dance when highly intoxicated...however, i enjoy it. a lot. pretty sure i look like elaine from seinfeld when doing it, but really...who cares. (not this girl.)
28. reading & writing. i've always loved books. i also enjoy sharing my own stories with people and writing has become something i really enjoy doing.
29. teachers i've had along the way. i wouldn't be able to read or write without them. (duh.)
30. laughter. funny people are my favorite kind of people. when people are miserable, i want to punch them in the mouth. life gives us so much to laugh about and if you take it too seriously, you will surely go crazy. don't go crazy...just laugh instead.
i told you they were in no particular order...as clorox cleanup has trumped teachers and epidurals have trumped my parents. anyway, hope you enjoyed the read. i'm very thankful for all of these things...and more. also, thanks to you for reading and laughing along the way.
1. butch. (warren vernon) i'm pretty sure he is the only guy that could put up with my antics on a daily basis...and i his.
2. carrie & ella. i always knew i wanted to be a mother, i just didn't realize how much fun (or how crazy) it was going to be. it's been a wild ride so far. i'm so lucky to be their momma.
3. epidurals. although i love my children dearly, firing them out of my vagina was no picnic. i'm thankful for people that are smarter than me who created this miracle drug and thankful for the anesthesiologist who administered to extra large needle into my back.
4. coffee. every morning i look forward to a my cuppa joe. i can't imagine my morning without it. even after a night of no sleep, it never fails me...and plus, it tastes delicious.
5. george & deb. i am who i am because of them. i can only hope that i can be half of the parents to my kids as they were to me. plus, i hope when my children are of legal age, i can drink them under the table as they do me.
6. nate & keith. nate will always be the favorite, keith will always be the baby, and i will always be the only girl. my siblings are my friends. i love them and wish i could see more of them.
7. fen. (jen.) i never had a lot of girl friends growing up...but jen has remained a constant. we have shared so much with each other and i am so thankful that she is in my life. she makes me laugh with her ...and also gives me many reasons to laugh at her.
8. all of my other friends. people that make me laugh, seen me cry, helped me move, held my hair back when i had too much sauce, and most importantly were just there when i needed them. i'm lucky to have these people in my life, i wouldn't survive without them.
9. miss KK. i have a wonderful sitter, who cares for my children 9 hours a day...while i go to work and care for other people's children. she has 5 children of her own, and is crazy and enjoys wine like me.
10. teaching. i love what i do, and have met a ton of awesome children along the way. it is an emotionally exhausting job, as i have to take on many (many) roles throughout the day as a kindergarten teacher. however, kids are funny people...making it easier to deal with the other stuff.
11. shippensburg university. without my education, i wouldn't have my job...and i also wouldn't have met my friend lacy. she is one of the funniest human beings i've ever met, and i am so glad that we have remained friends over the years.
12. wine & beer. (liquor and i are no longer friends.) i enjoy either after a long day, or even just because. it's a delicious and easy way to unwind.
13. sports. i enjoy them all, and all are excellent reasons to get together with friends, eat good food, and drink beer.
14. food. going out to eat is one of my favorite things to do, and i also enjoy cooking. i don't do it as much as i used to, but as the kids get older, i hope to have more time to do it.
15. sex. that's all i'm going to say about that...my parents read this.
16. penelope. our SPCA rescue dog has definitely taken on a different role since our children were born...but she is pretty much the only one that actually listens to me in the house. plus, she is a good running partner.
17. our cat. just kidding...she's an asshole.
18. schuylkill county, PA. (my roots) i have not forgotten where i came from, and am proud of the little bodunk town that i grew up in. it's filled with good people who have added so much to my life. i'm a country girl at heart.
19. maryland. living near the water is something i always wanted to do. it's pretty awesome. someday i want to live at the beach, but this is close enough for now.
20. uncle rj & aunt brenda. (and their kids) they moved from the skook to here prior to us moving down for teaching jobs. i don't know if we would've moved here, had they not been here. it's nice to have someone from "home" here...and they also feed us, take care of our children, and make us laugh.
21. music. i pretty much listen to music throughout the day, i love the way it makes me feel. i don't have a favorite genre...i enjoy them all. (well, most of them.) sidebar: i didn't like country music, until i moved out of the country. (makes no sense.)
22. running. one of my many vices, and something that i can do just for myself. i look forward to it, and feel better after doing it. bucket list: half marathon. maybe if i say it outloud, i'll actually do it.
23. curious george, mickey mouse, and dora the explorer. although this clan of cartoon characters makes me nuts half of time, they also give me a minute to get things done. they also entertain my child on long car rides...making it less painful for all involved.
24. hot bubble baths. i had to give these up for a while, due to time constraints...but lately i've been making time for them. i have to to lock both bathroom doors and pretend i'm taking a shit in order to not be disturbed...but it's totally worth it.
25. naptime. ella has always been a good napper, and carrie also enjoys a good rest. i love when they are awake, but it's nice to have a a minute to breathe when they are asleep.
26. clorox clean up and other cleaning products. there are not many things i enjoy in this world more than a clean house. i've had to "let go" some of my cleaning neurosis over the past 2 years, due to my kids making their appearances...but the smell of bleach or pine sol still gets me excited.
27. dancing. i only dance when highly intoxicated...however, i enjoy it. a lot. pretty sure i look like elaine from seinfeld when doing it, but really...who cares. (not this girl.)
28. reading & writing. i've always loved books. i also enjoy sharing my own stories with people and writing has become something i really enjoy doing.
29. teachers i've had along the way. i wouldn't be able to read or write without them. (duh.)
30. laughter. funny people are my favorite kind of people. when people are miserable, i want to punch them in the mouth. life gives us so much to laugh about and if you take it too seriously, you will surely go crazy. don't go crazy...just laugh instead.
i told you they were in no particular order...as clorox cleanup has trumped teachers and epidurals have trumped my parents. anyway, hope you enjoyed the read. i'm very thankful for all of these things...and more. also, thanks to you for reading and laughing along the way.
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