Internet I have been busy! I know that you have too so we will make this quick…

First of all, Christmas was great. A while back I promised you a slide show of what I like to call the “Great Toddler Nativity Scene Re-enactment of 2008.” As I mentioned before, I had the pleasure of watching 30 toddlers act out the Nativity scene which was, by far, one of the highlights of the season.

Isaac took his role of king very seriously, focusing on the baby Jesus intently. So intently, that while the others faced the audience to sing their songs of adoration, my eldest son sang directly to the plastic baby in the wooden crib. He is very spiritual.

While the king was praising the plastic baby Jesus, Joshua the “angel” was busy wandering around the stage, rubbing his eyes and looking for Mommy.  

Below are a few pictures from the event, I hope you enjoy. Please ignore Isaac’s hair in the last picture - let’s just say the crown wreaked some havoc. Give a kid a break, okay?

On to Christmas. Well, we packed up our car with a ridiculous amount of presents and junk and headed to my mom’s house for 5 days. There really is nothing better than traveling with toddlers - toddlers who are aware their presents are behind them in the car(not the ones from Santa of course) and they can’t open them for 24 more hours. Oh the Joy! And did I mention that everyone (besides mom) developed a sinus infection on the 23rd? We ended up in the doctor’s office on Christmas Eve and were loaded up on antibiotics by noon that day.

Aside from the snot and the complaining (Kevin!) we managed to have a lovely Christmas Eve with my parents, Grandpa and almost all of my sisters. The kids got to play with their cousins a lot and it was great to see how Morgan, our token girl in the family, did with the big boys. Christmas Eve we got all of the little ones in the bathtub together, which was awesome, and by “awesome” I mean there were lots of pictures taken that will embarrass the crap out of the kids for years to come.

Overall, Christmas was great. I got a lovely pair of hand carved jade earrings, Kevin got a guitar, Isaac got a Leapfrog Leapster and Joshua also got a guitar (aka his “la la”). Since Christmas, we have only had to go to Target once to return the defective Leapster and there has been less than 10 meltdowns/tantrums over sharing new toys - we measure success in small steps. Below are some pictures of the Christmas festivities.

Tomorrow I turn 32 and well, yeah that sucks. My birthday kinda makes me sad so I have resolved to write a post tomorrow about what makes me happy: beauty products. Stay tuned for reviews and suggestions for favorite products.

I also mentioned in an earlier post that I started Weight Watchers and I will be offering a review of that on Tuesday, after I complete my first week. I will give you a hint though - I have already lost 1 pound!

This favorite holiday dish can be found lingering in the kitchens of thousands, if not millions of homes, around the world this time of year. I thought I would I share my personal recipe with you!

• Take 1 major commercial holiday, add economic recession and stir
• In a separate bowl, mix 2 parts family drama and 1 part personal career meltdown
• Add a pinch of weight gain and self-loathing to taste
• Finally, stir in a decision to move in the month of January to a new house because the one you are in doesn’t have central heat and you forgot what having toes feels like.
• Combine all ingredients in a large casserole dish and wait for the manic explosion

This holiday recipe will not disappoint!

Yes you heard me right, we are moving to a new house in January. The new house part is great. The packing and moving at this time of year, with two small children might actually kill me. I suppose the good news about my impending death is apparently God’s house has many rooms, I am sure all of which have central heating.

Mazel tov!

Well, as my last post indicated, we got our tree last night. It wasn’t without a bit of stress and the usual family calamity that I’ve grown so accustomed to. You see, when we moved last June, a good portion of our stuff went in to storage. Well the Christmas stuff, the stuff I spent years collecting and hundreds of dollars amassing, is at the very back of the storage unit. Basically it is unreachable.

So, I had to head to Target to pick up a few decorations and some lights so that we may have some semblance of Christmas this year. By the time I got to Target and saw all of the people, I was much more “Bah Humbug” than I was “Jingle Bells!” In fact, I really just wanted to cancel Christmas this year.

Luckily, by the time we got to the tree lot, my mood had changed and we managed to have some fun. Isaac was so excited to pick a tree and Joshua was just excited to be on an adventure so their collective merriment made up for my utter lack of holiday cheer. We managed to snap a few cute pictures of the event for your viewing.

In the end, the tree was decorated, the lights were hung and Mariah Carey’s Christmas album was ringing throughout the halls. Happy Holidays!

I did it! No seriously, I hard rocked Thanksgiving dinner. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, green bean casserole, rolls and gravy. Thanks to the help of my sister-in-law Karen and my neighbor’s kitchen, I was able to accomplish a real Thanksgiving meal. We had a lovely dinner and a great time hanging out with family and friends.

My mom was on speed dial all day (thankfully), I swear she received less than 5 panicked phone calls. The ones she did receive revolved around the fact that my 24lb turkey cooked in 3 hours. Apparently my little tiny oven has some, balls guts. And yes, I am aware now that 24lbs of turkey was completely unnecessary for 7 people. You live and you learn people.

I decided that photos would tell the story of this Thanksgiving better than words so here goes…

After the beach we headed back to the house to watch the Cardinal’s game - that was ugly. Then we ate desert, courtesy of our local Costco. Overall, fabulous day.

Okay so this year, Thanksgiving dinner’s on me. No really, this year I am the cook, the chef, the master of the kitchen domain. Crap. Where is my mother when I need her? That’s right, she is in Turlock and no doubt preparing already for her scrumptious feast, of which I can not partake. Oh boy do I wish now that I’d helped out more in the kitchen all of those holidays. I knew that feigning diarrhea or cramps in order to get out of cooking would come back to bite me some day.

My first instinct is to run to Williams and Sonoma and buy all the fancy gadgets, as though that would make my cooking better. Given our budget constraints I am going to have to make due with what we have. The problem is, between the ratty cookware and my sub-par skills, we also have the problem of our heinous kitchen. My stove is quite literally from 1957 and has four partially functioning burners. My oven, as previously discussed, is thoroughly lacking in capacity to cook more than a chicken breast.

However, come Thursday, there will be 8 hungry people at my house - all looking to me to provide them with Thanksgiving sustenance. Lordy, I’m screwed.

Did I mention Kevin is supposed to fry the turkey? I’m not sure how I feel about a garbage can worth of oil heated to the point of boiling in my carport. Sounds like a recipe for an insurance claim.

Either way, the neighbors have offered their kitchen, since they will be out of town and my kitchen has issues. Can’t you just see me running back and forth between the houses with pots of boiling water and stuffing mix (drink in hand) while Kevin burns down our faux garage? Happy Holidays!

Sweet

I was wearing a really great dress. My hair turned out perfect and I had on my best shoes, the ones so dainty and sparkly that my feet look like little presents. We walked in and I scanned the crowd, no one familiar. I had my incredibly handsome husband by my side, his new tuxedo fitted to perfection. I had already decided we were the best dressed couple there. However, with all the money in this room, it was unlikely that we were really the best dressed, just the most current. In this county, money seems hopelessly lost on the old and tasteless. Deep inside, even though I felt like I looked good, I was insecure that I didn’t know anyone and thinking maybe someone could see in my eyes that I felt out of place in this opulent ballroom, tucked in one of the most beautiful resorts in the country. I honestly felt more aligned with the wait staff than our dinner guests, mostly because in the fiscal pyramid, I am.

Small talk with a stranger visiting our table led to a realization that a person sitting as his table was someone I had gone to school with years before. Someone who had been the most popular boy - wealthy, good looking and mostly cruel. Growing up in this area, I was different. We didn’t have the money or the privilege of our fellow residents, just good fortune. It didn’t help that I had a HORRIBLE maiden name - one that would always cause a snicker or a jeer. This last name was the bane of my junior high existence. 

This boy, the one I have just been told is only a few tables away, was the king of taunting. He alone could reduce me to tears and make me feel like I was a total nerd and outcast. As I took this strangers hand, by his insistence this lovely reunion occur, I was mortified. I couldn’t believe that after 15 years I would see him again, would I be reduced the 12 year old with a ugly perm and no sense of self?

As he turned around, time stopped. It was a moment I will never forget. It wasn’t that he looked bad, he doesn’t. It is just that time has been friendlier to the girl with the bad hair and silly last name, than the privileged boy with the sharp tongue. In a flash, his eyes registered who I was and time, all those years, condensed into minutes as I stood in front of him. He was pleasant, he had a lovely pregnant wife and she quickly made the moment less awkward. I told him my new last name and we both laughed a little about my old one.

A few moments later as I walked away with my head held high, thinking if the whole night was for that tiny moment, it was worth it. There is nothing quite as satisfying as shocking someone by being more than they expected.

 *UPDATE* Follow this link, and at about 1min in, you will see a dark haired girl and a tall boy walk past the cameras….guess who?

Sucked In

I am a reader. In high school, I could put away about 50 books a year. I read everything from John Grisham to Danielle Steele. I would read to escape, not from a horrible life but from the reality of being a teenager in a small town.  I plowed through books, sometimes never really reading the fine print, just absorbing the basic story and then moving on to the next title. However, there was one author I savored, Ann Rice. I love me some vampire drama. Which makes no sense because I am a total chicken who can’t stand scary movies and avoid dark places like I avoid decaf coffee (seriously what is the point?). I just loved the intricacy and totality of Ann’s storytelling. She pulled me into a world I couldn’t comprehend and for the duration of the novel, I called it home.

As I got to college, I had less time for pleasure reading, plus I realized most of my reading had turned to that of the romance nature. It wasn’t that I thought romance novels were bad for me but I realized they were skewing my expectations on dating. I probably was not going to have my clothes torn off in a fit of passion, whilst riding a gondola in turn of the century Venice. Nor was I likely to find myself sold into marriage in the 1800’s to a man that seemed gruff but turned out to be the most sensitive lover for which a woman could ask. So, I mainly put aside fiction reading and turned to humor and biographies.

In conversation a few months back with a friend (Hi Zoe!) I was told about the Twighlight series.  I put off the purchase until today. I knew that I would love the books and my social life would suffer because of it, as I called off girls’ night for night with the “undead”. So, as I begin this new series, I apologize ahead of time if my writing slacks off but just blame it on me being sucked in.

For those that come here just for the pictures, this post is for you. Below are pic’s from Halloween and the “pet parade” we went to last week in honor of Halloween. People really like their dogs around here. Enjoy!

First of all, apparently those who view my site would prefer it if my husband wrote on here more often! I have had more hits on this site today than I’ve had in a long time! So, to answer the burning questions regarding his post…

1. yes I was very surprised and teary eyed

2. he is definitely going to get lucky tonight.

On to the race. I guess I just can’t explain what yesterday felt like. Those of you who know me, know that I do not like to do things alone. I would prefer to be with people at any given moment of the day. I like to share life’s experiences with others. All of life’s experiences…even going to the grocery store. So, the fact that I signed up for and mostly trained alone for this race was a big deal for me. When I signed up, I didn’t really expect to get in (the Nike Women’s Marathon is a random lottery entrance). Over 30,000 people put their names in and 20,000 were allowed to participate. Once I was notified, I realized that not only did I have to do this race, I had to do it on my own. I was really nervous.

We arrived in SF on Saturday to register and have a little “couple time” in the City before the big day. At the registration area I started to realize what a big deal this was going to be and I became pretty anxious about being about to complete this task alone. We shopped for a while (I know, it hasn’t been 90 days, confession time on Friday!) and we saw W. the movie. Before my conservative readers freak out that we saw this movie let me say that (again with the lists!):

1. there was NOTHING else out and I wasn’t about to see the Secret of the Bees or whatever

2. I love politics so I find any depiction fascinating, even if I don’t agree.

The Expo where you sign in was amazing. All of Union Square is decorated with pink Nike paraphernalia and I loved it.

Kevin had control of the camera and managed to capture me in my true element, amongst stores, people and the City:

After walking around quite a bit, my feet were sore and I figured that wasn’t a good thing. So, we headed back to the hotel and had dinner at the Pub next door. After that I went back to the room, got my clothes ready and made sure I knew where I was going the next day. By 9:30 we were asleep - unfortunately that didn’t last long because the bed at the hotel was HORRIBLE and neither Kevin nor I slept much all night.

I got up at O’Dark Hundred and got a cab to the start line. Kevin was going to pack up the room, check out and meet me at the finish line (more on this later). When I got to Union Square I was in awe. I guess I have seen large crowds assembled before at concerts but for some reason seeing 20,000 people ready to run yesterday morning was just amazing. I started wishing that I had signed up for the Full, a feeling which would fade significantly at about Mile 10 and completely dissipate at Mile 11. I held up my cell phone so I could get you a peek at the crowd:

I met a girl in line for the bathroom named Jeanie. She was my age exactly, two kids and a hubby and was running for the same reason as me - mostly just to say she did it and to prove that a woman can recover from kids and be even better on the other end of pregnancy/childbirth. I was in the same time slot as her but lost her in a sea of people just after we parted ways at the port o’potty.

At about 6:45 AM the anticipation was getting pretty heavy and I realized that I was so far back it would be 15 minutes or more before I made it to the start line. Standing there, not knowing anyone or having anyone to talk to was odd for me. I am usually the one with my family or my girlfriends, chatting it up. Yesterday, I was all alone.

The first couple of miles were a blur and mostly just a pain as I tried to get around walkers and those running with their friends 5 across. Next time I will for sure start in a faster time bracket in order to avoid some of the walkers. Anyhow, it wasn’t until about Mile 4 that I started to come to the conclusion I may never be able to stop running. Meaning, the end was so far away that I couldn’t even picture it. Either way, it was about this time that I slowed down for my first water break. I slowed my pace and grabbed water, just like the runners you see on t.v. However, I tried to continue to run while drinking… I found this to be completely unsuccessful. I would have to wait until the next mile to actually consume any water.

I knew that mile 6 was the big hill that everyone talks about in this race. It is an entire mile of a steep incline. All of the people around me were talking about it and everyone seemed to have a game plan. Some were going to walk, some where going to walk every two minutes, some where going to complain the whole way (this seemed like the favored strategy). For whatever reason….I kicked butt on that hill. I loved running up it and I was pretty stoked when I saw the downhill in sight. What I didn’t plan for was how much the downhill would hurt. My knees felt as though they might pop right off and roll like tires down the hill without me.

At some point - mile 8? - I realized I was more than halfway and I started to feel really proud. We were running through this tunnel and on the other side was a beautiful view of the SF Bay. I actually teared up. I started to think about all of the people who can’t run. I started to remember why I wanted to do this in the first place. I remembered sitting in labor with Isaac and thinking, if I can do this…I can do anything. And indeed I was.

The next mile they had fresh orange slices. I don’t know what to say about these orange slices…other than I am pretty sure they had crack in them. Ladies, remember that meal you have after you give birth? You feel like nothing has ever tasted this good and you are amazed that you are able to eat when 30 minutes ago you thought you were dying? That is how good that orange was.

Mile 10 was a real bitch. It was a slow incline followed by a very steep downhill with a gorgeous view of the beach. However, the downhill was combined with a whole lot of wind and cold. I was miserable. This was the only part where I thought that I wanted to just stop. Mile 12 felt like forever but as I rounded the corner and saw the finish line 300 yards away, I was completely overcome. I had done it. And I had done it well. I started to sprint and I think I may have elbowed a lady out of my way…if you’re reading lady with the pink bandanna and blue shorts, I am sorry.

As I sprinted toward the finish line the smile on my face was huge. I felt like an Olympian, which I know is ridiculous, but it was really that awesome. My final race time was 2 hours, 25 minutes and 35 seconds. By no means a winning number but it was my number.

 Probably the most talked about thing at this race is the coveted Tiffany necklace given to the finishers. What I didn’t know until race day, is that the necklace is handed to you by a SF City firefighter in a tuxedo. This was the best part for many women…for me, I wasn’t really that pleased to see someone so dressed up when I look like death (see below).

If you are interested - here is the necklace (front):

Here is the back of the necklace:

Just after I collected my necklace and t-shirt, I texted Kevin and let him know that I was finised. When I didn’t hear from back from him in a few minutes, I called him. The Hubby, God bless him, got lost…then took a cab….then couldn’t get close to the finish line because of all of the road closures….then he had to run 3 miles to get to me. Poor guy comes running up, massive camera in one hand and my tube of Icy Hot in the other. He was so disappointed to have missed the finish but I was just happy to see him and happy to be done.

Words can’t express how I felt yesterday. I know it wasn’t a full marathon but my heart didn’t know the difference as I crossed the line. I’ve given birth to two beautiful boys and it taught me that the human body is an amazing creation. Running this race was just another way for me to appreciate how much I can do if I focus on a goal and never look back.

Thanks to all of you who watched the kids while I was doing training runs, to my hubby who had to put up with a lot of yapping about this goal since March and mostly to my kids…for giving me so much confidence.

I’ve gained quite the reputation around these parts. The word is spreading that I love make up and hair more than politics (yikes). Last weekend my friend Kim got married and she asked that I help with a few of the bridesmaids. I was really nervous but they all turned out to be the coolest girls and it was a lot of fun. I thought I would post some “evidence” of my burgeoning new business:

This is Stephanie - she is 5 months preggo. Yeah, I know…I didn’t look like that at 5 months pregnant either. She is genetically blessed. The best part about Stephanie though? SHE IS A CAL POLY GRAD! Go Mustangs! Stephanie has blue eyes and the dresses were a burnt sienna color. So, I used a blue based brown on her (Mulch by MAC) and mixed it with a color called Honesty which has gold and pink undertones.

This is Brittany. I had so much fun doing her makeup because she likes bright colors. I used MAC’s Gorgeous Gold mixed with a fantastic purple called Trax. She looked awesome!

This is Stephanie and her sister Heidi. They are best friends and sisters and guess what else? They are BOTH preggo! How cute is that? Heidi wanted her hair to look like Christina Applegate’s in Samantha Who and I was nervous to re-create something like that. However, when we were done everyone said it turned out better than the picture!.

This is the girls on the beach right after the ceremony. How cute are they?

This a close-up of my work at the reception. I had to convince these girls to wear concealor (to brighten up their under-eyes for pictures) but look at the results!

Here is a great shot of the whole wedding party - I wish I could take credit for the bride’s hair and makeup but alas I can not so, kudos to the other stylist.

Finally, above is a picture of my assistant, Jenny  and the lovely bride, Kim. We had such a great time at the wedding and I really loved being a part of the “get ready” process. There is just nothing better than wedding hair and make-up! Well, maybe a good political debate and a newborn baby to snuggle but that is it! 

This weekend, after several days of feeling terrible, I finally dragged myself to the local urgent care for some relief. We have only been here a few months and I’ve yet to get set up with a family doctor so, when in need, I was left with “doc in a box.”

I was up all of Friday night with a wretched sore throat, I couldn’t sleep because every time I swallowed, I would be jolted awake with the pain. I had a fever and was achy all over. Since both of the kids have been sick and required antibiotics, I figured that I might as well give in. So Saturday morning very early I went to the local clinic and waited to see the doctor. I sat there, feeling gross and sorry for myself and wondered if I would have a better experience here at this urgent care than I did when I took Isaac in last week.

Eventually they called me back and a male “nurse”  or “murse” put me in a room. After checking my vitals he told me the doctor would be right with me. As he closed the door, I could hear him begin a conversation the doctor about his hours for the day. I gathered by their conversation that he (the murse) was very unhappy with his job and he wanted to work elsewhere. He kept repeating things like, “they ain’t never gonna appreciate what I do here.” Hmmm. I should’ve known at this point that I was in for quite the examination, because if the murse ain’t happy ain’t no body happy.

The doctor came in shortly there after and proceeded to enter and exit the room about 6 times because he forgot his glasses! his pen! his clipboard! his stethoscope! his mind! ha ha ha! Dear goodness.

After he had all of his “stuff” gathered into one place, he began his exam. Now, I mentioned that my throat was extremely sore and that my glands were swollen so the outside of my throat was tender to the touch. He said he heard me, but he must have left his “listening ears” in the other room as well because he began pushing so hard on my throat I thought my trachea was going to pop.  (can it do that?) I said “ouch” loudly and gave him the evil eye. It didn’t seem to deter him as he then whipped out his knee knocker thing and tapped my cheeks with it until I actually asked him to stop. Is this even a medical technique? What was he trying to determine? If my cheeks have reflexes? 

After asking me to take a few deep breathes and listening to my lungs he declared that I have some sort of throat infection (SERIOUSLY? REALLY? BECAUSE I COULDN’T HAVE GUESSED THAT MR. MEDICAL SCHOOL). He then said the murse, aka Mr. Unappreciated, was going to come in and swab my throat for strep. At this point my “fight or flight” response had just about kicked in at the thought of an unhappy medical employee sticking something all the way down my swollen throat.

Murse waltzes in, tells me not to puke on him and sends a giant q-tip to the depths of my pain riddled throat. I gag reflexively and he quickly moves out of the room without another word. A few minutes pass and then the Doctor comes back in and says that he doesn’t think it is strep but he wants to treat me with antibiotics anyway because “clearly something is going on.” Very reassuring.

Just when I think this visit can’t get any better, the following conversation occurs:

Me:Can you give me something for the pain? My throat is hurting so bad and advil isn’t touching it.

Doc: (slowly, with sarcasm)I have a hard time prescribing pain meds for a sore throat - what do you want, vicodin?

Me:No, I don’t want vicodin, I just want something better than advil because it isn’t working and I have kids to take care of.

Doc:Well, I can give you something like Tylenol with codeine but I’m only going to give you 5.

Me: That is fine, I am not a drug seeker Doctor -if I were, I would have come up with something more believable than a sore throat!

Doc: Look, like I said, I am only giving you 5 and I am going to call it in, I’m not giving you a hand written prescription.

Me: (gasp!) Whatever!

Doc: Just make sure not to take this while you are watching your kids, use it at bedtime only!

Me: What are you talking about? Seriously, are you kidding me with this?

Doc: I will call it in to Target - is that okay?

Me: Fine.

At this point I get up and leave in total shock. I guess I didn’t realize how many people go to urgent care clinics seeking to fufill their drug habbits, or at least they must, because this is the only plausible explanation for this doctors’ behavior.  Not only did he question whether or not I was seeking drugs but then he basically insinuated that I might try to dope up on 5 Tylenol while watching my small children!

After this incident, and many others like it, whereby Iam convinced I have a sign on my forehead that says “say something stupid to me” I have decided that people are not normal. The good news is, the codeine was a blast and now I know which clinic to avoid next time I need it.