Another "Quickie"

Hey, Amanda.

Mind out of the gutter (that happy place?). Another quick note from me…Better a blurb than nothing, I guess.

I got those lab reports corrected (yay!), my mid-quarter grades are in (I wonder, will they have us doing grades 16 times a year in the future?), and I’m headed to the Big E. Well, first I’m headed to the gym so I can eat my way through the fair. Bring on the falafel and mini donuts!!! The kids are excited about the mini donuts, too; it’s our tradition. I can’t wait to see how excited all the kids will be and to try to capture some of the moments on camera. It’s really a perfect day—sweatshirt weather I like to call it—for walking around.

I’ll be less in the weeds (ITW as C and I call it) tomorrow so I’ll have more time to write then.
It was great catching up on the phone yesterday. Hope all is well.

Love,
Barb

Checking in...no catheter involved

Good morning, Barb.

I wonder if you are home today. I'll text you in a bit to see, after I get home later in the morning. I have to go to the laundromat, of all places, to wash JJ's comforter. Note to self: buy the super sized washer next time.

But I do have a really really good book I started last night - one that I bought at Powell's, with you: A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews. I don't remember buying it; the jacket blurb doesn't sound familiar, although it does sound like something I'd pick up. I read about 50 pages last night and am loving it. Easy read, funny but smart. So I'll bring that along, since you can't really leave stuff in the laundromat and go off to do other stuff, can you? Wishin' I had a laptop....

After that a couple of little errands to run, then ironing and basic around-the-house stuff to get done. Track practice til 4 then football practice at 6. Oh yeah, and keep looking for a job.

Hope you're well if you're at work. If not, I'll talk to you in a bit!
Love,
A

Quick note

I have time for a quick note so I thought I’d give you a very brief rundown of my weekend away…

It was awesome! Really. I spent most of it in hysterics, and trying to catch a buzz with my cousin D. (The others weren’t so inclined.) The weather was gorgeous and just that little bit more fall-like than it is down here, so now I’m really ready for fall. Anyway, I’m so glad I went, and will plan to go from now on. It was a blast.

Of course now I’m feeling behind with school work and may take a sick (read: work-at-home) day to catch up this week. I’ll write more when I can.

Hope all is well with you.

xo, Barb

PS I don't have any catheters around, so I won't be cathing up any time soon. LOLOL

Cathing up

Hey you,

I hope you are rested and relaxed from your weekend away. Back to the grind...Did you have fun? Hoping for details!

I had a pretty good weekend. Jack's track meet was Friday night and he kicked A$$! First, first, and second in his three events! It lasted forEVER though; we didn't get out of there until after 8:00. Saturday, J had the Open House at the FD, so JJ, JK and I went down there for awhile. Then we wandered around town shopping and such for most of the afternoon. JK was to spend the night with us, so she asked if she could make dinner; we had invited K,R &TN over. She made a garlic tomato puree out of my homegrown tomatoes, which she then turned into a creamy marinara sauce with half & half, then added sauteed chicken and mushrooms, threw it all over penne and voila! It was awesome. She's not even 13! (Seriously, I did not help her even a little.) Everyone loved it and we all toasted to her at dinner. She was so cute; she said, "Wow, I never got a toast before!"

Sunday we worked in the yard all day, since we are supposed to get crap weather tonight that will last the rest of the week. J is headed out of town on Friday for eight days, so I didn't want to get stuck with a bunch of soggy plants. My back is killing me today, though.

Today I'm finishing up this app for Starbucks and meeting TL for coffee at 2 to go over it. Nothing much going on this week - maybe a haircut, nails and toes, then after J leaves on Friday, A (from DC) arrives for the weekend. We're going to a Mariner's game Friday night with Bro J, nephew A and JJ; they're playing the Rangers; A is a Texan, which is why we're going to this game. Saturday I'll hang out with him a bit, then I have a wedding to go to with T&S. Actually, everyone in my wine club is going too, so it should be a blast. A will go over to Bro J's for the night and leaves Sunday am.

Then I'm on my own for a whole week! J doesn't get home until Saturday afternoon. I have absolutely nothing planned, other than JJ's second track meet earlier that day. Totally looking forward to the alone time.

Hope all is well with you. Sorry I didn't catch your call on Friday. Can you email me the chowder recipe? It sounds like after our little cold front moves in tonight, it would be a perfect dinner choice.

Happy Monday!
Love, A

Fashion Mom

Hello?! Squash and corn chowder? Recipe, please! That sounds amazing. Not to mention I'm scoring a bunch of squash of different varieties off my neighbor, who grew a farmful this year. I seriously want to hang out in your kitchen.

Feeling great today. No more grogginess since I'm off the Vicodin. So far, anyway. I took some Aleve when I woke up and haven't had any trouble yet. This would make me very happy because a) that means the procedure was successful and 2) Vicodin makes me stupid and nauseous. I don't enjoy it like everyone else does. It makes sentences die midway out of my mouth. I makes me feel like I've just eaten something fried in old oil that's not hot enough. I could never get addicted to pain killers; ok, I should never say never. This just wouldn't be my drug of choice.

I don't have much planned today other than completing a couple more applications. I'm applying to Starbucks, can you believe that? I think J is getting nervous. At least it would be part time, it's decent retail money, really close by and it could be flexible in terms of being home after school. Might not be too bad...I wonder if they still give employees a free pound of coffee each week? That wouldn't suck. Actually, I am applying for store employment, but I'm also in the process of reforming my resume to apply for a Training Manager job in the city. TL, J's HR person, came from Starbucks to the FD a few years ago. She has been helping me with my resume and cover letters and is going to put this one together for me too. Who knows. Not like I want to drive that commute every day, but it would be a "real" career.

This afternoon is JJ's first track meet and, good Mom that I am, I volunteered to help out. Maybe they'll give me a tape measure and a clipboard and a whistle and I can walk around looking important while having absolutely no idea what I'm doing. Definitely wearing the new Privos, though. Prime opportunity for the sporty-casual-yet-fashionable look. Ah, I kill myself. The entire middle school track team is just dying to see what JJ's mom will wear to the meet today!

Ok...I should get moving. Have a great weekend!

Love,

A

They're freakin' cute, though, aren't they!

Gourmet Getaway

Hey, A.

I think I am over the worst of this getting sick…No more aches and excessive fatigue, now I’m just blowing my nose every two seconds. I can live with that.

I made it to the gym yesterday and spent the rest of the evening cooking for the girls’ weekend away. I made my curried chicken salad, some squash and corn chowder, and a pot of chili. Today I’ll put together some crostini with goat cheese and caponata (left over from Monday’s dinner with Dr. B) and pack it all up. We’re meeting at my sister M’s at 5:30, and piling into L’s SUV for the two hour drive. Here it’s supposed to be in the mid-60s tomorrow; there it’s going to be in the mid-50s. Yay. Sunny, cool, crisp: what you’d expect Vermont to be. I’m really looking forward to it.

I hope your recovery from your root canal is swift and painless…and that you have a great weekend.

“Talk” to you soon.

Love you,
Barb

Home, Tired, Wish it Were Tomorrow Night

Hey,

That was fun texting back and forth while I was enjoying the fair! I actually didn't have a bad time at all. J didn't meet up with us, after all, as he ended up getting home too late to bother. No big deal, it was nice alone time. I plan to write about it elsewhere when I get home tomorrow and am recovering from the dreaded root canal.

Just got home and am beat. Mostly my feet hurt, since I couldn't wear my new Privos today; they didn't go with my outfit. Wow, the irony of that is killing me. My Privos didn't match my David Kahn white jeans and my Ed Hardy T-shirt (ok, it's a knockoff)...and I was going to the fair. What a fashion mishap that would have been! Goodness me!

Anywho...J's over drinking at T's with all the gang, but I'm feeling really anxious about tomorrow and don't want to drink. Plus my mouth is hurting and I'd rather just crawl into bed and be quiet. Oh, get this. I put out my four penicillin pills this morning, as I have done every day since I started taking it. I take one every five hours or so, but I put them all on the counter so I don't forget. Today, at lunchtime, I go to take my second pill and ...hmmm... I know I put them here... Yeah, I took all four of them at breakfast with my other meds. I sort of worried about it for a minute, then figured if I was going to die there wasn't much I could do about it at that point. What a dork I am. Didn't die. Didn't even notice. Wonder if they'll all still work, though.

More tomorrow...thanks for the giggles tonight!
Love,
A

Off to the Fair

Hey,

Yes, still feeling good. I got a ton of work done on my resume yesterday. S came over for dinner as both of our hubs were out elsewhere; it was so stinkin' hot here we sat on the deck and still sweated our heads off.

Today I went in search of a pair of Privos, since mine bit it last summer and I've yet to find a replacement I like. In the end, I got a great pair at the Rack and they should take me through the winter.

Sorry to be brief, but I'm heading out to pick up JJ and buddy EN from school today. We're going to the Fair - it's the last week and I was hoping to get out of it, but....well, it's the Fair. How do you not go? I will wander around while the two of them go off on their own to ride rides; we'll meet up later with J for dinner and a concert, then let them have an hour or so before going home. Shouldn't be too bad, although it's about a million degrees outside. I shouldn't complain, God knows it's normally pouring this time of year.

Sooooo....I'm outta here. Wanted to check in quickly though and say that I hope you're feeling better. Remember, too, that a "routine" doesn't necessarily mean "every day" and that a day off doesn't mean you're slacking. Get well.

Love you,
A

Aches and Pains

Hey, Amanda.

How are you? Still feeling positive and productive? That makes one of us. Although I don’t feel negative, per se, I do feel like crap and I’m really tired. I went to the gym yesterday after school only to feel beat up when I left…I took it easy last night, but still feel worse today. I’d really like to make it to the gym and make a pot of chili (to bring to Vermont) tonight but that might be overly ambitious, I’m afraid. We’ll see how it goes. Maybe, just to stay in the habit, I’ll go to the gym but won't push myself. I’ll go for just a half hour on the treadmill and will take it easy on the pace. Or maybe not.

Hope all is well with you.

Love you!
B

Faith

Hello, A.

It's not that I didn't have faith that you'd continue to have a good day...I was referring to the fact that your highs are HIGH and your lows are looow...and you can change from one to the other in the blink of an eye! I am happy that you were productive and happy and resourceful (I don't know why I don't make Mexican food more often either).

I had a good time last night at M's. The gang is well, but it was a small gang that got together. Honestly, though, it made for better conversation I think. My goat cheese and caponata crostini appetizers were a hit, and dinner was divine. They made a sirloin roast and baked stuffed shrimp; sides included squash, sauteed green beans and mushrooms, and some outrageously delicious native tomatoes that they cut in chunks and served with a little olive oil and garlic. Delish. I even had decaf after dinner so I could enjoy some Italian cookies.

Today I am struggling with a sore throat, the same one I had yesterday and tried to ignore (mind over matter)(didn't work). Funny but my notes indicate that I took a sick day last September 23...and old journals show that I'm always out at the end of September. I guess that's because being back to school catches up with me. A few weeks in this Petri dish and I need a day off...I'm going to try to hold off though, as I'd rather take two off in a row in October for a little W adventure. We'll see how it goes.

I hope you have another good hair day, and that it inspires another productive, positive day. I have faith it will be good all around... ;-)

xo,
Barb

Never Underestimate the Power of a Good Hair Day

Ye of little faith! I had a great day, right up to the end. I got a ton of resume work done, after running my errands in an un-rushed way. I also managed to fit in a little snooze during Criminal Minds (watch show/sleep during commercials) while I ate my lunch of homemade enchiladas. I was craving Mexican to the point that I considered going out by myself, but, of course, couldn't afford that.

Finished two apps and got the laundry done. Even made a great dinner.

So there.

Manic.

Whatever.

Um...

Are you sure you're not manic?...

Glad you're feeling so good and productive. I'll check in again tomorrow.

xo, Barb

Super Me!

Hey there,

Sounds like you had a good weekend. What was the big score at L&T? I'm glad to hear you're going on the girl's trip - you'll have a great time I'm sure.

Ahhh...today is a good day, so far! It's only 9:25, and already I have: gone to the gym, showered and dried my hair, put in a load of laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, figured out what's for dinner and made a grocery list. And, I'm having an excellent hair day. Maybe that doesn't sound all that impressive, but for me, it's pretty huge. Usually, around about this time, I'm still in my pj's, third cup of coffee or so, listening/watching to The Today Show, dinking around on the computer, and revising my To Do list.

Don't know what happened this morning, but I'm jazzed about it. This weekend was a good one, but a bit on the silently stressful side. My child support ran out this month and is now reversed; all of a sudden, I have less than zero income. The job hunt went from I should kinda get on this to oh shit, I really better get a job. Poor J, I think he's even more stressed out than I am; somehow we just aren't making ends meet as well as we have been and he hates his job. I mean, it's not like we're about to lose our house or anything, (like the people down the street just did) or we're missing mortgage payments (like a lot of people I know); it's not that bad. Really, comparatively, I'm probably making a much bigger deal out of it than I need to. (Who, me?)

Nonetheless... I hate not having money in the bank for things as simple as a Starbucks or a new sports bra, so here I am. J and T finished the steps on the deck this weekend while I worked on my resume and stuff. Saturday night, I made a big pot of spaghetti for everyone (that turned out awesome) and we had a really nice time visiting and enjoying one of our last nice weather evenings. JJ and his buddies went to Teen Late Night at the school - their first one. We dropped them off at the door and I refrained from yelling "Make good choices! I love you!" out the window. There were already a herd of kids waiting at the door, all the girls in their best dress-up outfits. Wow! K, S and I had a great time critiquing those. S and I, of course, are used to seeing it, but K's a little out of the kid loop and just sat there, staring in disbelief at the outrageous fashion combos that were on display. The boys, at best, had taken showers. Clean shirts. Maybe some cologne (not JJ - I have such an aversion since my last marriage). Too funny.

Yesterday, JJ and I went shoe shopping for his athletic stuff - got three pairs of sports shoes to get him through all the seasons and felt like I scored. Famous Footwear was having a sale, which normally means that everything hideous that no one would ever wear is on sale, but all the sneakers were half off. Yahoo!! I spent the rest of the day on the computer. :-(

Today I have this short list of errands, then I'm going to focus on a couple of applications I started last night. I hope to be able to get some writing done too (I'm a little behind...) but I'm trying to prioritize appropriately. Thursday, after my big surgery, I will treat myself to veg time at the keyboard for sure. (Did I tell you I'm having a root canal? I know, not a huge deal, unless you're me, and you're terrified of dental work. I totally opted for the IV sedative, even though it cost extra. Priorities.)

So off I go, Motivated Me, to continue my great day. Hope you're having the same kind of morning and looking forward to ending it with Dr. B et al. Have a great time!

Love you,

A

Back at It

Hey, you.

How are you? How was your weekend?...

Mine was good. I got my car fixed on Friday; went to the gym, scored BIG TIME at L&T, and found a few new treats at TJs on Saturday; then cooked and watched football all day yesterday. And now it’s Monday again.

This coming weekend I am going away with my sisters and cousins to Vermont. This is the girls’ weekend that I have chosen not to be a part of in the past but decided to participate this year. With K losing her dad this year, and D’s cancer having spread again (I’m not sure I’ve told you that) I thought I should be less skeptical and snotty, quite frankly, and go. I’m really looking forward to it now that I’ve committed to going. In fact, some of my cooking yesterday was for the weekend. And later this week I plan to make some chili to bring along too. We leave Friday night and come back on Sunday….

Tonight I have dinner with Dr. B and the gang…I haven’t seen them in some time, and I’m sure it will be as fun as it always is. Too bad it’s a school night.

Have a good day. Love,
Barb

The Best Laid Plans...

SH*T SH*T SH*T
All proud of myself for bumping up my treadmill workout to 45 minutes yesterday I thought I'd go get myself some schmancy ear buds and maybe a couple of t-shirts at Target or Wal-Mart...but my car wouldn't start. So much for that. And today I decided I probably shouldn't go out for a drink with my friend F before my father helps me out....But I have the rest of the weekend to get those ear buds and have a cocktail (or two) and use my L&T coupon. It is gorgeous out today and I can't wait to get out there and enjoy it.

So I think I may skip steak tonight and head over my friends' J and K (whose wedding W and I went to in Maine last summer) after I have my car taken care of. They're having friends over for margaritas and that sounds like it might hit the spot. After that I'm not sure how my weekend will play out, but I know I'll enjoy every minute of it.

I hope you have a good weekend too...
Love you,
Barb

Blah

Hey,

Glad to hear you had such an awesome evening. (And I do have two kids like that!) Last night, JJ had dinner at a new friend's house and when I picked him up, the mom told me what a well-mannered kid he is. She said he was very polite and thanked her repeatedly for dinner and for having him over. She said to me (and to him), "You are more than welcome in our home any time." * swell with pride*

Kind of a busy day today - not big stuff but lots of little things to do. I am struggling a bit with writing lately, so I hope going to the gym first off will boost the endorphins and start me off on a happy note. I am very impressed with your dedication at the gym! I have been really good about it too - going four times a week at minimum. I've been doing some weights too but I'm a little concerned with some pain I'm having in my back. Wonder if I'm doing something wrong. The "trainer" at my gym might know, but she wouldn't be in the least bit inclined to help me, since it might take time away from looking at herself in the mirror or talking to other {cooler} {more in shape} {hotter} people walking by. So I won't bother to ask her. I'll stick with cardio today.

Not much to report - kind of in a funk still. Wish I knew what the problem was. I'm off to the bus stop with A now...will try to write more later.

Love, A

Perfect Children

Hey, Amanda.

I suppose I don’t even need to tell you that I had a great time with S and C yesterday. They are such good kids; everyone with children should have at least one like either of them.

My visit started with hugs and kisses and ended the same. In between I got lots of I love yous and stories. We went shopping and had dinner at the Olive Garden where they thanked our waitress Christina at the end of our meal, and thanked me a half dozen times. (PS I LOVE that S thought it was only OK, as the meatballs had a weird texture (I agree) and sauce was weak.) (Did I also tell you she snubbed a suggestion by L to have her hair cut at Supercuts! She could sooo be my daughter!) I did puzzles with C and read him some stories, and S was an awesome big sister.

After L got home we hung out together for another hour and then I went home. I walked in the house at 10 and went right up to bed. I’m feeling fine today.

I’m looking forward to going to the gym after school, then maybe out to L&T and TJs where I never made it a couple of weeks ago. Haven’t figured out the weekend yet, but it starts tomorrow!! Yay.

Hope all is well with you.
Love you,
Barb

Football Season

Good morning, Amanda.

What a season opener last night! I was ready for bed when the score was 24-13 and the Patriots were losing, but I couldn't go to bed. (Plus, W was calling every couple of minutes at that point! :) (I know you love that) so I wouldn't have been able to sleep.) It was a nail biter, but I'm so glad they pulled it off and won. And so another football (widow) season begins, and it's off to a great start. And I have a feeling that next time I watch a game the weather will be perfect for chili. I'm secretly craving the fall...

Other than that, nothing new really. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with correcting but should be able to do some catching up today.

Hope you're doing well.

Love,
Barb

One Ends, Another Begins

Okay, have I really been back to school for 3 weeks? I might need to take a sick day soon! So week 4 begins, and the papers are piling up. Time to start taking work home I guess. Either that or be more on task at school. (I'm so bad...)

My weekend with W was good. He didn’t come down until Saturday, which was actually very nice. I got to run errands and relax on Friday, then spend Saturday and Sunday with him. We went shopping and out to dinner and spent some time just hanging out at home. He left later than he typically does on a Sunday and that was a bonus.

I’ll be busy this week trying to get to the gym as much as possible, then I have an appointment for mani-pedi tomorrow. Wednesday I told L I’d come watch the kids while J is in Chicago so she can go to Open House and Thursday I have something although I can’t remember what it is off the top of my head. Other than that, I’ll have my period momentarily so I’ll be good and crabby and crampy, but the bright side is that I don’t have to go through it every month.

I hope you had a good weekend!
xo,
Barb

Steak and Dessert

Hey, A.

Thanks for the quick note. I'm out of it today, tired as I always am at the end of a "short week" that feel like they go on forever, ready for the weekend...

Dinner with C last night was disappointing. The company was fine, but the food was mediocre and the service was pretty bad. Still, it was nice to be out. The first couple of weeks back to school I'd rush home to enjoy the pool and last week was all about getting in a gym habit, so I've not been out since that happy hour with C the first week.

I'm happy with my hair, even though it's a little dark for me. Given that it bleached out so much this summer in the sun and pool, she did mostly low lights on me. If it were winter I'd be fine with it, but I still have my tan. The cut is nice though, and I'm wearing it down for the first time in months.

It's raining and chilly today. So tonight, after some after school errands, I'll spend the night in, wearing sweats and sipping red wine. W comes tomorrow, so I'm going to hold off on my weekly steak and have one with him tomorrow night instead. The nicest part of that will be that I'll follow with dessert....

Have a great weekend. Love you,
Barb

Yay! TGIF!

Hey,

Just a quick note to wish you a wonderful weekend with W. All is well here; need to run to the mall and pick up a shirt for J and track shoes for JJ ... not a big day but enough to get me out of the house. Maybe I'll treat myself to a side trip to TJs for wine and coffee, and maybe pop into the Ross next door, if I'm feeling wealthy. I won't be, but that's never really stopped me before.

We had a super fun night at the Rainiers playoff game yesterday, and I wrote about it this morning. Turned out I wasn't writing about baseball at all...

Weather is great today and supposed to be in the 80s this weekend so I'm psyched! It's only September and I think I'm already feeling a touch of SAD. Which is sad, considering what I pay for tanning.

Enjoy your chocolate cake!

Love, A

Good Here

Hey, Amanda.

You are so funny!...Most people, say when they want to lose weight, for example, tell the world—or even just people close to them—that they’re on a diet and it keeps them on track and motivated. But it seems you work oppositely. From here on in I’m not going to comment when you don't write here or elsewhere. I’m going to bite my tongue. I have trouble enough motivating myself to write some days; I can’t motivate (more like guilt trip) you to write, too. You’re on your own, my friend. And it's all good.

Glad you had a good weekend with C. Sounds like a lot of fun. And it sounds like this weekend coming up should be good, too.

I think W got the message and is planning on coming down this weekend. Oh, I guess there are parts of the story I haven’t shared here. To summarize, his funk and financial situation were keeping him away. And I made it clear that as much as I understand that he feels like he should (wants to) foot the bill for our weekends, he needs to understand that I can’t have this relationship entirely over the phone. So we’ll be up close and personal.

Getting my hair done today after school—finally!! I can’t wait. And then I’m meeting C for dinner, which I am looking forward to also.

Love,
Barb

Need Inspiration

Hey, Barb.

Yea, yea, yea...I know. Can I claim the I-was-so-crazy-busy-with-the-holiday-weekend-and-school-starting excuse? It's a lie, though. I've been uninspired the past week or so. I haven't had anything to say, nor any real desire to say it. I'm not sure I'm feeling any different tonight, but I thought I'd at least try to keep up with you.

Labor Day weekend was, actually kind of busy. C was here from Thursday night to Monday morning, which was a great visit. Friday and Saturday we hung out doing a whole lot of nothing, running silly errands and such. Saturday afternoon, JJ took off for B's house, so the three of us - J, C, and I - treated ourselves to a very nice grown up dinner at a local place. Funny, but it's a place of which I am generally not fond. We had a generous gift certificate, though, so we went. Turned out to be a very good dinner, with very good Lemon Drop cocktails too! Sunday, we spent the day cleaning and shopping for C's 25th birthday party. H&D happened to be in town from up north, so S asked if they could come along. It ended up being a fabulous group. I cooked a prime rib, which came out to absolute perfection, if I may say so. Roasted potatoes and this killer squash/zucchini bake, harvest bread and good wine...it was all terrific. We laughed and laughed until 1:30 in the morning and I think C had more fun than anyone else. Need I say that Monday consisted mostly of napping, augmented with random channel surfing and refilling of water glasses. And some Advil here and there.

JJ's first day of school went very well. He really liked it and was chatty for an hour after he got home. Today was just as good; he had track practice after school which he's pretty excited about. I haven't accomplished much with all this "free time"; I'm still sort of looking for a job (don't really want one) and trying to find ways to get out of doing that.

This weekend T has some yard project going on that all the guys are supposed to help with, so I have no plans of my own. I'll probably end up being the Makeshift Waitress, keeping the beer stocked, making sandwiches, you know, the stuff I'm good at. God knows, no one wants me to help pour concrete.

Hope your week is going well and that you're getting into the groove of things.

Love, A

Tuesday Already

Good morning.

I hope you had a good weekend. Mine was very relaxing...We really had perfect weather, so I got in a little pool time and reading every day. I also made it to the gym all three mornings of this long weekend and made some some good meals a couple of nights. I cleaned a little every day and enjoyed sitting at night with my windows wide open listening to the crickets.

It was nice to have a good weekend despite the fact that W and I are in a bit of a funk, which I'm hoping turns around soon. We've been here before so I know we can pull through, I'm just at a point where I wonder about wanting to anymore. I love him and can't imagine myself with anyone else, but...

Have to run but I wanted to write a note for you to have to read over coffee. Hope all is well.
Love,
Barb

Chi-ching!

Well, A, my Friday was off to a good start...then I checked my bank balance.

Arg! Of course joining the gym couldn't be simple. I signed up on line and gave a Mastercard for the initiation fee, and my debit/Visa for the recurring monthly fee...and they charged my debit for the initiation, resulting in overdrawing my account and 115 in overdraft fees. The first conversation I had with the manager was less than adequate or apologetic, but I was also having it on the fly while 6 kids sat in my study hall unattended. I am free next period so I intend to handle it. They will be crediting my account the overdraft fees and the membership fee. I'm so pissed.

But I hope to get over this and get back to my good mood from the morning. I didn't sleep well and was tired when I woke up, but somehow made it out of the house energized and happy. Maybe it was my outfit that picked me up. I'm having kind of a pretty day...and the long weekend awaits.

Bummer about all your rain and having to cancel your weekend camping plans. Hope you enjoy the weekend at home, maybe nesting a little? Reading and writing? Maybe we can catch up. I won't be far from my pool.

Love you,
Barb

Nothing Much

Hey, Barb.

Funny you've been having good weather and we're out here beginning the autumn drench. We cancelled our Labor Day camping trip because it's supposed to be so wet. There's no point in going in that case, since it's dry camping and we'd be stuck in the trailer bored and cold. With minimal lighting. Hmmm...no thanks.

As it is, C is coming up tonight instead. She has a four-day weekend and her camping trip was also nixed. Last Sunday was her 25th birthday, so we're going to do a little BLU party on Saturday night, if everyone's around. We're the only ones who've officially cancelled waterside plans, the rest of them are still waffling. We'll see how it goes - if the gang's all gone we may just take her out for a nice dinner somewhere in the city.

Yesterday afternoon, J called from work and asked if we wanted to go to the Rainier's game, Mr. Spontaneous and all that he is. Since we were having a brief interlude of sun, I accepted; of course JJ was in the car before I got off the phone, mitt and signing ball in hand. We took along T, JJ's buddy with whom the blackberry graffiti incident took place last week; he's a semi-fan of baseball and a really, really good guest. Super polite and well behaved, not that a baseball game is all that restrictive. I have to tell you, we had a blast! You can read the details elsewhere, but what a great way to spend a Wednesday evening. Sitting there, in the sun, watching a bunch of cute young men play my favorite sport, glass of good (?! at a ball game?!) red wine in hand, my husband in a fine mood (he's at a ballgame with a beer) and my kids, who knows where, having a great time, I'm guessing.

Loved it. It was a long game and we kicked butt, but sitting in front of a gal who was rooting for the other team was a gas. She made me laugh the entire game, and she and J were all BFF by the end of the night. Great night. That's all I can say.

Came home and did some editing for CC's website. She had asked me earlier to write some text for her and when I opened the email I started to giggle. In the subject line, it said "Writting Help". She's not the kind of person you would call and rib about the error, she'd get all twitchy and embarrassed. I so wish it had been you. I so wanted to write back, "Obviously."

But I didn't, I just wrote the text. Not too hard, it was only a paragraph, and she loved it this morning. I told J, I just have to keep saying yes when she asks me, because someday, either she will be a world-renown photographer and she'll start to credit me and pay me for my brilliant wording, or, at the very least, I can put some of it in a "portfolio" of my writing.

Today I'm moving at a snail's pace. My body hurts from the strength training I did yesterday so I'm going to take a break today. I may push myself into some cardio, though, since I indulged in a burger and fries last night (which was not even remotely worth the sodium content, not to mentiont he calories and fat). The wine, on the other hand, my third glass in seven days, (hello! WTF?) was totally worth it. No plans for the day other than checking in with JB and family. The California fires had them evacuated from their home at one point last week so I'm worried for them. They haven't even started school yet due to the mess going on - three days in already.

Enjoy your weekend alone - may be a good thing in the end. Glad to hear W's on the up-mood-swing though. It's all going to come together, I just know it.

And good for you, going to the gym. Yes, you can.

Love you!
A

Long Day

Hey, Amanda.

Is it the weekend yet? Dear god!

I have Open House tonight and am dreading it. This week has probably been our best--weather wise--this summer, and today when we can finally leave to enjoy some of it, we know we have to come back here for 7 pm. It's so early this year I can't help but resent it.

I went to the gym yesterday and survived. (You can read about it elsewhere) I don't plan on going today but may try tomorrow afternoon if I don't get tempted into happy hour. This weekend I plan on going once, maybe twice, and then I'll be feeling pretty satisfied about my efforts. Until I go through my four training sessions I'll pretty much be hitting the treadmill, but I know that counts. And is much better exercise than my DVD.

Although he is in better spirits this weekend, W is not coming down this weekend, so I have decided to embrace the opportunity to spend the weekend by myself--enjoying the pool and this last official week of summer.

I wonder if you have anything special planned, and hope all is well.
xo,
Barb

Fitness

Hey, how are you? I’m doing fine, opted for hitting the snooze button today and took 10 more minutes in bed instead of on the couch. Then labs today, so it’s been busy, but I’m trying to stay mentally geared up to go to the gym today. The weather is gorgeous so it will be my reward to sit in the sun if I go to the gym first.

I got my nails done after school yesterday—or I should say I got them back. I let them get crappy and overgrown then picked them off the last week of vacation and went without them for a while. As you know, after trying in vein to grow them myself, it’s nice to have nails again. I ended up stopping on the way home for a margarita and a couple of tacos at the new Mexican place by my house (what a bargain: 2 margaritas and 2 tacos for 12 dollars!) and doing nothing when I got home. Lucky me, I had gotten two new magazines in the mail, so I was all set. It was a nice, relaxing evening. The eve before the dreaded gym membership…

I’m sure it will be fine and I’ll feel better for it, but it is an intimidating experience. People like my sister go to gyms... I’ll keep you posted.

Hope you’re having a good day.
xo, Barb

Yawn Indeed

Hey,

I hear you on the already tired thing. JJ and I have started to get up earlier to prepare for our 5:30 wakeup call next Tuesday, and I'm having a bit of a hard time with it. I look at the clock after dinner and am dismayed to find that it's only 7pm, and not midnight, as my body feels/thinks it is.

I bagged orientation yesterday! I just called R at the sub office and asked if I really needed to come in, after all these years, and she totally laughed at me and said she'd mail the stuff and I could drop it off. Love her - it's good to know people. I ended up hanging out here, job hunting and doing piddly stuff around the house.

Today JJ and I went to his Open House and it was pretty fun, I guess. Exhausting is more like it: walking around for an hour and a half in a painfully disorganized set-up that probably ended up confusing the kids even more than they already are, what with this huge building and having to move classes every hour. I just wanted to call the Principal when I got home and ask if he could use help in putting it together for next year, that trying to navigate that stupid event gave me a migraine But the kids had a great time and it's over...got our schedule and signed up for track and got an ASB card and a PE uniform. All the good stuff. Six more days.

Nothing else going on. Still job hunting and still hating it. I'm going to try to write some tonight but am having a bit of a block.

Talk to you later,
Love, A

Yawn

Good morning, Amanda.

Ugh. Can you believe I’m tired? Already I am not well rested as I was last week. Doesn’t take many days of waking up at 5:30 I guess to make one tired. Still. And it’s only Tuesday, and we have Open House Thursday night. I should be a mess by Friday. At least it will be a long weekend. And it’s supposed to be just gorgeous. Can’t wait…even though W may not come down to join me. (He did seem in better spirits yesterday and this morning, but there’s no telling when The Mood will return.)

Not much else to report but I wanted to say good morning. I hope yesterday’s orientation wasn’t too dreadful.

Have a good one.
xo, Barb