I know, I know, I'm lacking

Yeah, it's been a while, and I haven't updated, but I have a good excuse, honest!  I went back to work yesterday, and Kevin keeps on workin'.  My living room is done, and the family room is almost done.  He's been painting like crazy!  I will take pictures to post, but I'm not sure when.  I leave for Omaha on Saturday, and won't get back until late Monday evening.  It's my last trade show, but we're driving, and it's Omaha.  *yawn*

Here are a few thoughts for you:
Capri Rose paint = Cotton Candy pink.  No, really, think Pepto.  Pink.  Not an awesome compliment to your Home Interior stuff, just...Pink.

Quickly painting your daughter's headboard and footboard= annoying, difficult task that spans several days.

Vacation without destination= Tons of work for me, triple that for Kevin.

Painting the family room= Many hours of unhooked computers. :(

Incredible, welcomed thunderstorms= weather folks jacking with Survivor (not cool.)

Road tripping to a convention= Not the jet.

Working hard at work, to come home and work hard at home improvement= no time to surf the 'net.

All in all, it'll be fine.  But I tell ya, I've got some PINK in my living room, some difficulties with a certain headboard, sore hands from painting and taping, lost computer time, severe weather, a long road trip, and no time to surf when the computer *is* hooked up.

I'm thankful for having a house to paint any color (including pink), a daughter who is happy with a painted headboard, hands that are able to hold a paint roller, a computer to miss, and a job that sends me out to meet my customers.  Life is good.

Vacation?

Well, this doesn't exactly feel like a vacation, but I know I'll be happy when it's done.  Pardon the blurry pictures, but I had a setting wrong on the camera, and am too tired to retake the pics.  I spent hours today, taping off the trim in the living room and dining area, and cleaning windows.  I HATE doing windows.  My fingers are beat up, I said some bad words, smashed my thumb, and said some more bad words, but they're clean, dammit.

I ran out of tape, before I was finished.  I was almost done, but not quite.  There is a ton of trim in there.  All of the outlet covers and light switch covers had been painted over more than once, so they were hard to get off.  Kevin bought new ones, sitting by the paint in a WalMart bag in the last pic.  The taping wasn't TOO bad, but then I washed windows.

Did I meantion that I HATE washing windows? LOL  Most of our storm windows need attention.  Some need a little repair, some need replaced, some are held together with tape from the previous owners.  It made it quite interesting to take them out, get the screens out, and clean, without doing more damage.  I'm just glad the girls weren't up here to hear my mouth each time I got hurt.  Grrrr.

Anyway, tomorrow, we paint.  I'm excited to get a new feel to the place.  I have two days to accomplish as much as possible.  Wednesday through Friday is Kevin's baby.  We'll see what projects he takes on then.  For now, paint is in my future.  I'll try to get some "after" pictures up tomorrow or the next day.

Pasadena Pictures, and the Vacation begins

Here are the leftover pics from my trip to Pasadena.  Most are from the trip home, and all were taken by Bentley.  He *is* the photographer, after all.  I could have excluded some of the sky/cloud/wing pictures, but I love them, so you're stuck.  It was a great trip, and a great flight.

The last couple are from the screen on the jet.  It shows where you are, how fast you're going, and the temp, along with some other data.  It's a cool thing.  I couldn't wait to get home, but the flight was a lot of fun.  Thanks, boss folks.  Thanks for flying me on H&H Aviation.  Thanks.

I should be at work??

I went out and got myself a UTI, so I have a Dr. appointment this morning.  It's not until 9:40, so I'm still home, although my start time at work is 8:30.  Therefore, I feel weird.  I shouldn't be at home this late.  I keep looking at the clock.  Kevin is on vacation today and all of next week, so even the kids got to sleep late.

I'll leave in about 15 minutes, and get to the Dr early, hoping someone misses their appointment.  I'd like to get in early and get to work.  I'm off Monday and Tuesday, so I need to get everything cleaned up at work today.  I was in good shape when I left yesterday, so it won't be too bad. 

Tomorrow morning, we'll clean the heck out of the house, because we have dinner guests coming tomorrow evening.  We NEVER have dinner guests!  Heck, we never have company at all.  I'm looking forward to it.  They have a baby, and I haven't got to be around a baby for a while, so that's gonna be cool, too.

I guess I'll go get the last things gathered for work, and prepare to leave...finally.  This is just too weird.  I even sometimes feel guilty and worry about those filling in while I'm on vacation.  Other folks take vacation without worrying about it, but I'm just weird.  I guess it's an ego thing, thinking you're the only one who can do your job correctly, yet it got done before they hired me, right?  *sigh*

Home

Yes, I'm home.  Home.  Home to my own bed, my loving husband, and my poor dog, who is a basket case, telling me how much he missed me.  Home to my son, who treats me well and is sincere when he says he missed me.  Home to, well, home.  I am exhausted and happy and relaxed.  I'm home.  Safe and sound, on the ground.  Top speed on the way home?  630 mph.  Well, we hit 650, but it was while coming down toward KC, so it's cheating, but that is friggin' FAST!  I'm home.  And I'm happy.

Did I mention that I'm home?

Day 2

Here it is, 9:30 at night, and I'm just now posting details from yesterday.  We worked the trade show, came back to the hotel, and got ready for dinner.  It was a long drive...especially with traffic. Yes, it's true, I have experienced California traffic.  Holy crap.

Dinner was awesome. I had Spicy Sugar Cane Shrimp for an appetizer, and Opaka Paka for dinner.  That means "yummy fish" or something.  I don't know what it means, but it was awesome.

We walked on the pier at Huntington beach after dinner (at Duke's, on Huntington Beach) and were about to drop from exhaustion.  We got back to our rooms too late, and passed out.

I have pictures from the booth, and stories from today, but I'm pooped.  I'll be home in 24 hours.  See ya tomorrow!

Pasadena Day 1, part 2

I only have a short time before we have to get to the trade show, but I got the pictures that Bentley took, so I wanted to get them posted.  Tonight, I'll post the pictures from Day 2, including my trip to the beach for dinner.  I'm starting to get a bit homesick, but I'll be home tomorrow night, so it's OK.  More later!

Here I am, in sunny California

I'm exhausted beyone belief, but it's been a great day.  The flight started an hour later than scheduled, but it was a good flight.  They warned of bumpiness, but it wasn't bad at all.  It was sunny and nice, and I had NO idea what all I'd see.

We flew over the rockies (yes Mom, there are pictures, but Bentley has them.  I'll post them tomorrow.)  We flew over the Grand Canyon.  We flew over more mountains, in California.  We flew into some smog.  We landed less than 5 minutes before a small plane belonging to Tom Cruise landed.  Was he flying it?  Maybe, but we didn't get a chance to see.  He's a bit too weird to suit me, anyway.  Still, I'll settle for a brush with anyone famous, no matter how weird! LOL

We landed, we got here, we unpacked.  We walked three blocks to the convention center and set up our booth.  Then, we walked another block to a grocery store for soda, beer, snacks, etc.  A snack size can of Pringles is $3.25 here...yeah, I'll take a full size can for $1 thankyouverymuch.

A couple of hours later, we went to dinner.  It was good and relaxing.  I was drooping pretty hard by then, and we headed back.  Now, it's quiet, and calm, and nice.  We don't have to start the convention until 11 tomorrow morning, so no early rising or anything.  It's only 8:20, but my body is SCREAMING 10:20.  Time for bed?  Maybe, but Survivor is just now on!  LOL  I'm confused.

More tomorrow, including the pic of the Rockies for Mom.  See ya then!

Scrambling

Well, it's been a crazy day/night.  I am leaving in the morning, so everything had to be tied up today.  I did my best.

This evening, I had to go to the dry cleaners, fill the gas tank, and get home.  Natalie had a school program tonight.  It was fun to see her and her class sing, but....well, Mother-of-the-year I'm not, so here goes.  "Just let my kid sing, and let me leave.  I don't care about the other classes or the other kids.  Oh, and the music teacher shouldn't rag on the kids in front of the parents, that makes her a witch."  OK, I'm done. 

We got home and I started packing.  I'm going to be in Pasadena for 3 1/2 days for a trade show.  The girls are going South to Grammy's for that time, for spring break, so they needed packed, too.  Kevin helped a bunch there.  All of us girls will need to pack toiletries in the morning.  All of the stuff we need to get ready tomorrow, will be needed while we're gone.  I just KNOW I'll forget something.  They have WalMart in Pasadena, right?

I have clothes, camera, batteries, battery charger, PC cable, phone, phone charger, business cards, door prizes, and hotel confirmation info.  I'll stop at WalMart in the morning for Pringles and Chips Ahoy (don't travel without them) and Diet Coke (I won't pay $1 a can at a hotel for something I can get by the 12 pack much cheaper. 

I hope I don't forget anything, but if I do, I'll get by.  Meals and such are paid for.  I'll have internet in the room and quite a bit of down time to relax.  Kevin won't have the girls to worry with, so he'll get to relax, too.  Mom will get some much-needed time off, to do her thing.  The girls will get a little change of pace, and Brett will have the car to visit friends.  It's going to be a good 4 days. 

"Wheels up" at 11.  I'll be ready.  See ya tomorrow night, from Sunny California.

My Birthday, days 2 and 3

Well, yesterday was another good day.  Day 2 wasn't nearly as productive as Day 1, but I got another wonderful meal (thanks to Mom) and a darn good nap.  Almost 3 hours.  It rocked.  There were tornados all around us, but none in our town.  Not even any hail.  I didn't want to be blown away in a tornado, but at least wanted the excitement of the storm.  Nothin' but rain.  *sigh* oh well.

Today, I went to work.  Was busy as heck catching up from being gone Friday, but it wasn't bad.  Got some gifts and some attention, always good things.  Then I headed home.  That's when it started.

I opened the door, and saw Monica's pink and black Mexico blanket spread out on the floor in front of the door.  Kevin said, "sorry, but the red carpet faded a bit in the sun.  I hope you don't mind."  On the near end of the "red carpet" was my slippers.  I kicked off my shoes, stepped into my slippers, and walked the "red carpet" to the dining room.  Spaghetti and garlic bread was waiting for me, with brownies and ice cream for dessert.  It was great.  Everyone sat at the table and ate together and laughed. 

Brett cooked all the food, he's such a champ lately.  I haven't had to lift a finger for 3 days, and I appreciate it.  I love my family, and I love birthdays.

For those that commented about 3-day birthdays, yes, you may take my idea.  I took it from another couple that I used to babysit for.  The reason for the rules (you must work and contribute to the household) is so that children can't sit around for three days and be waited upon by working folks.  You have to make rules that fit your house.

Oh, and one more thing:  Don't be too lazy or too rough on your spouse....his/her birthday is coming, and paybacks are hell!  I made that mistake one year...NEVER again!

Day 1 of my Birthday

If you've known our family for very long, you know about our 3-day birthday rule.  If you have a job, and contribute to the household, you get a three day birthday.  It has to be three consecutive days, and one of them has to be the actual day of your birth.  My birthday is Monday, so I chose to take Saturday thru Monday. 

Yesterday didn't turn out at ALL like I had planned, so I was a bit pissy.  Turns out, the car is fine, so things were looking up.  Then, today happened.  It got better and better as time marched on.  Kevin patched walls, I hung pictures, Kevin sanded, I cleaned up.  Kevin did dishes, I...well, I showered.  That's something, right?

I had some errands to run, so I took off.  I dropped my clothes off at the cleaners (convention next week, you know.) and went to WalMart.  I had to have a pair of black pants, since mine no longer fit.  I found some that will do, but I'm not in love with them.  I found some shoes on clearance for the trade show, and bought many groceries.  I had to think "easy and quick" since I'll be out of town.  I don't want Kevin having to cook big meals.  This way, Brett can help out and get things started in the evenings. 

Then, I paid a bill and went to the bank to make a deposit.  Wow, it's nice to make a deposit instead of a withdrawl.  After that,  I headed home.  I wanted to put the top down, but didn't have a spot to pull over.  I got home, and found Kevin hard at work on the back porch.  He is doing such a great job. 

The kids and I headed out to start weeding and planting and watering.  The girls put on "getting wet" clothes, but the water was too cold to suit them.  I sprayed them anyway.  Did I EVER claim to be mother of the year?  Nope.

Mom made gumbo for me, things got done, the house got aired out, and life is good.  I still have two days of birthday left, and I don't think we can top today.  I'm OK if we don't.  It was an awesome day.  Birthdays rock.

A day off, and a lot of baggage...

Well, it's here.  This is the beginning of my three day weekend.  Tomorrow is a vacation day.  I need it badly.  I need some "me" time.  It's here, and I'm excited...right?  OK, maybe.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm glad to have the day.  There are, however, a few dampers on it.  The kids get out of school early, so I have slightly less time.  That's OK.  I don't think my fill-in will get all of my stuff done tomorrow.  That's OK.  I don't have the $$ that I need to do what I want to do tomorrow.  That's OK.  The LeBaron crapped out today.  That's OK.

All of those things are "OK" on their own, BUT....All of them together pretty much suck.  We're catching up bills, after the disasterous February that we had, so we're broke.  Broke, but all utilities are working great.  I could accomplish a lot in 8 hours, now I have 5 hours before the kids get home.  The LeBaron is crapped out, which wouldn't matter, but the van is down, too.  I want to paint my living room, but I can't buy the paint this week.  Damn.  I'm the optimist in the family, right?  OK, here goes:

I will clean the hell out of the house tomorrow, since I can't afford to paint.  I will enlist Dad's help with the car, and we have all weekend to figure it out.  I will walk the kids to school tomorrow, which they always want.  The evil catfish with ADD will be out of my aquarium and into the tank in Natalie's class.  See ya, evil fish.  My fill-in will get MOST of my work done tomorrow, so Monday won't be too bad.

Tuesday, I'll see Natalie's program at school.  I thought I was going to miss it.  Wednesday morning, I'll fly to California.  I don't have to fly commercial...I get to go on the jet.  No security issues, no nonsense, wine on the plane, first class, travelin'.  I can handle that.  I feel for Kevin and Mom.  The kids are out of school from Wednesday at 1 through the end of the week, and I won't be here to help.  But, they have a happy place to be, and I'll be home Saturday night.

I am a mixed bag of emotion tonight.  $$$ issues suck, but we're makin' it.  Work is tough, but I have a day off tomorrow.  My family is healthy and life is good.  We got rain, my flowers are blooming, and there are people who love me.  Who could complain?  Not me, by golly...not me. 

Burned out

I'm burned out.  Burned. Out.  I try to keep upbeat, and try to keep up.  The past 4 working days, however, have sucked.  I was filling in for people on vacation, people at conventions, people that were sick.  I can barely keep up with my own work, let alone THEIR work.  Anyway, I did it.  I came home sad and worried, because the work wasn't getting done.  9 hours a day wasn't cutting it.  I need a break.

I asked the boss on Monday if I could use a vacation day this Friday.  As of this morning, I had still not heard anything.  I went up at lunch time and pinned her down (not physically, but...well...you know) and she said YES!  I get Friday off!

I need it mentally.  I need it physically.  I am fired up to do some projects around here.  I can't wait to get started.  A whole day, from 8 to 3:30 to do my thing...right?  Wrong!  The kids, I found out, get out of school at 1:00.  BLECH!  Now, my time is cut drastically.  What will this hinder?  Who knows?  Probably nothing.  They might catch me napping...there's no telling.  Anyway, I felt cheated.  That made me feel guilt.  Sheesh.  Motherhood.

Anyway, I get a 3 day weekend to regroup, followed quickly by a birthday.  Life is looking up, once again.  I need a break, and I'm getting it.  Thanks, boss lady.

Free Stuff is the best, NStuff

My birthday came early!  Kevin scored some awesome "pretties" at work today.  I can picture where I'll put much of it, but not all.  I will be plotting and planning for quite a while, but it's exciting to have new toys to plot and plan with. 

Thanks, honey.  I love this stuff.

Now, to everyone else...help me decorate!!!  Come on over this weekend, we'll get started.

Tag! I'm it

I've been tagged by Russ, so here goes.  I tag....anyone who hasn't done it yet.

1. I need:  a day of silence.  Just one.  Please?

2. Sex:  Ummm, I sort of remember this.

3. Relationships:  hard to maintain, but worth it.

4. Your Last Ex:  great dad

5. Power:  Kevin

7. Crack:  I’ve seen it on COPS.

8. Food: I love everything about it, and I’m hungry!

9. The President: W

10. War:  depressing

11. Cars: expensive

12.  Gas Prices: out of control

13. Halloween:  candy!

14. Politics: tiring

15. Religion:  controversy

17. MySpace:  huh?

19. Marriage:  comfortable

20. Fashion:  sweats and Tshirts

21. Brunettes:   aren’t blondes

22. Redheads:  aren’t blondes

23: Work:  *sigh*

24: Pass the time:  computer

24: Football:   Can’t wait until next fall

25. One night stands:  ick

26: Pet Peeve:  useless questions asked multiple times.

27. Pixie Stix:  yuck…slobbery, soggy paper.

28: Vanilla Ice:  tall hair

29: Porta Pottie:  camping!

30: High school  fun

32. Pajamas:  flannel

33.  Wood:  My heritage

 34. Surfers:  Internet surfers are cool, the others are bums. LOL

Monday, NStuff

Work sucked today, now lets move on, shall we?

When I got home, Brett was making sloppy joe's.  We all LOVE sloppy joe's.  It went over well.  Add to that the fact that Kevin started the process of a Jello cake.  Yup, it was shaping up to be a good night.  When you have two oven racks, you should NEVER put a cake on the bottom rack, especially if the two racks are less than 3" apart.  LOL  Poor Kevin learned this the hard way.  The cake rose up and around the top rack.  It was interesting to get the cake out.  His comment was "it'll taste as good anyway."  Mom's comment was "you'll never know after the whipped cream is on it."  They were both right.

Natalie spent most of her quiet time mending the quilt.  My grandma made several quilts for the family, and this one is showing the wear of many washings.  Natalie and I spend a little bit of time each night sewing squares back together.  There are a few places where the squares are gone, and I just sew them to the backing.  It's better than having it all thread-bare, right?  It's been a great opportunity to talk to Natalie about my grandparents.  I miss them.

I sat down to pay some bills.  It was a rough three weeks, or so.  We could barely tread water.  Now that the worst stuff has passed, it's time to pay bills on schedule.  Wow, OK, let's regroup.  We owe a LOT of things.  (work, work, slave away, see what we can pay today...)  I found, in the pile of bills, a bumper sticker.  I need to put it on the car.  I've had it for 3 months....do you think I'll put it on there soon?  Eh, who knows?

Anyway, it was a pretty typical day here.  It'll get weird next week, with me going to Pasedena and all, but for now, all is normal (fierronormal) and good.  Good night, friends.

A good day

It was a great day today.  The rain yesterday was much needed, but the cold, damp, greyness of it all was almost saddening.  Today, the sun shined and the temperature rised, and we had a great day.

Mom fed us spaghetti and garlic bread, followed by earthquake cake.  It was awesome.  Then, we tinkered around outside, but didn't stay too awfully long.  We came home, and Pat stopped by to fix my drippy sink.  WoooHooo!  No more soggy trash bags.  Then,  I headed outside to poke around.

I wound up raking and cleaning up the yard quite a bit.  Kevin cleaned out the window wells that were full of leaves, since I kept wondering what might be living in there.  I don't mind snakes, as long as I don't accidentally stumble upon them.  I found several flowers blooming up front, which was exciting.  We raked and bagged and just tried to clean up.  I can't wait for the yard to be green again, but it will be, now that the rain has decided to make a showing.  There are several more chances this week.

Well, I'm off to watch the Oscars....or some of it, anyway.  I'll probably go to bed early, since Monday's are often rough.  It's been a good day, and I love it when we accomplish something.

My Friday Memory (yeah, I know what day it is!)

My Uncle Don was at Dad's today.  We went to visit, but to be honest, we were listening to the BS that spews when those guys get together.  It's not all BS, but it's tough to tell where the reality stops and the fabrication starts.  It's great.  I always laugh until my sides ache.  There are corny jokes, inappropriate comments, and tall tales that seem almost real, if you try.  These are kids who had a terrible childhood, but have wonderful memories, nonetheless.  They really love each other.  And they all love ME!  (yeah, it's all about me.)

Dad's from a pretty big family.  They all had boys....except for Dad.  He had a boy, following tradition, then had me.  For all practical purposes, I was a boy for many years.  I could ride my bike, wrestle, spit and run...right along with the boys.  I liked army men and Hot Wheels, and didn't care much for Barbies.  I had a permanent scab on both knees, and could back a trailer with ease.  I fit right in.

Then, I started getting older.  I was turning into a girl, whether I liked it or not.  There were a lot of cousins to play with, but Uncle Don's kids were my favorites.  We would play hard and break all the rules, until we all got in trouble together.  Never a spanking we didn't deserve, either.  In fact, we deserved more than we got.  We jumped on beds and tore things up and got real rowdy.  We'd get in trouble, then count the days until we could get together and do it all again.

One time (yeah, I'm finally getting to the memory) we were in a back yard.  I think it was Uncle Warren's, but it may have been Uncle Don's.  It's funny how the little details escape me sometimes.  My cousin Mike, who I didn't see as frequently as the others, got rough.  He and I were alone in the back yard, and he tackled me.  Again, I don't know details, but the next thing I know...IT happened.

Scott, Don's oldest son and my favorite cousin, came barreling out the back door and TOOK.HIM.DOWN.  He had this look on his face.  I thought he was going to kill Mike.  He said, through clinched teeth, "If you ever TOUCH her again, I'll kill you, you sonofabitch."  I just sat there on the ground, blinking.

I still don't know if it was warranted or not, but I knew one thing.  There is an army of men who would jump to my aid in a moment's notice.  That army has only grown over the years.  It now includes my husband, my son, my ex-husband, my husband's best friend, my aunt's husband, a couple of guys from work, a neighbor or two, and the list goes on.

Now you know why I feel so safe.  Now you know why I'm cocky.  Now you know why I have confidence.  The men in my life defend women.  Thanks, Scott.  Thanks for starting my army.  My army of protectors.

My Son

My son is lazy.  My son lies.  My son sneaks.  My son is 17.  My son is normal.

My son can look quite innocent while lying to your face.  My son can hide evidence better than the best serial killer.  My son can sulk and hide and bury himself in video games.  My son can look so sad when doubted, even if he KNOWS that he's busted.

My son.

My son can cook dinner for 5 because his parents are running late.  He can walk the dog, do the laundry, and wash the dishes.  He can tell me he misses me when I'm gone to a convention, and hug me when I leave.  He can give me a big hug in front of his friends, and not feel ashamed.  He is very handsome and very friendly.  He's funny and personable.

My son.

My son saw how tired I was last night, and offered to tape ER for me.  He knows I love that show, and knew I was going to miss it by nodding off at 8:30.  He'll watch his sisters tomorrow morning while I visit with my dad and my uncle (who is visiting for the weekend.)  I gripe too much about him, and appreciate him too little.  He's a good kid.  I love him.

My son.

Another entry

Two entries in one night spells DEATH to the first entry.  It's OK, I can deal.  I'm not a comment whore....much.

I have thoughts swirling around up there in my head, so I'm typing.  Deal with it.

It's windy.  Very windy.  Most of you will never know this kind of windy.  I grew up on a hill, over the river bottoms.  I now live on a hill, over the river bottoms.  If it is calm where you are, we have a breeze.  If it is windy where you are, we have high winds.  If there are high winds where you are, we can't stand up.  So it is tonight.  It was nice and warm and breezy when I got home.  That was 3 hours ago.  I just took the dog out, and could barely stand without hanging on to the side of the house.  The wind is howling, like you read about in books, and my hair and clothes were blowing HARD.  I couldn't see.  Yeah, we have wind.

Barbara Walters just interviewed two of my heartthrobs.  I love them both.  I can't help it.  I don't get all starry eyed about many celebrities, but these two buckle my knees.  The first was the blue-eyed beauty Matthew McConaughey, who may have his faults, but he's just dreamy.  I smiled the whole time she talked to him.  Smiled like a dimwit.

The next was Patrick Dempsey, or Dr. McDreamy, for those of you who watch one of the best shows on TV, Grey's Anatomy.  He melts my butter.  I couldn't believe that, after 12 hours at work, an hour each way for commute, and a half-hour stop at WalMart, I had the good luck to see this crap.  Ahhhhh, life is good.

Statement Day

It's statement day.  I HATE statement day.  I get behind on my work and am genereally crabby.  I hate being crabby.  I'm good at it, but I hate it.  The statements went out on time, without a hitch.  Doesn't matter.  I was still crabby. :)

Monica has psoriasis on her arms.  The inside of her elbow is a mess on both arms.  They were red, scaly and itchy all the time.  We've tried everything short of prescriptions, and I don't want to use drugs...if I can help it.  A friend sells Arbonne and invited me to a party.  Where I come from, a party involves BBQ and beer, loud music and laughter.  Women my age think of Tupperware, Mary Kay, and sex toys....sheesh.

I went to the "party" to help support her in her new endeavor, not to buy anything.  I wound up buying something.   I know, big surprise.  Anyway, it was overpriced and I had guilt about 2 miles after leaving her house.  "How in the HELL am I going to sell this idea to Kevin?"  Well, he dealt with it quite well, and this was before the financial ruin that befell us a couple of weeks ago, so he was OK with it, but I could tell he was frustrated.

I got the stuff last week.  This shit WORKS.  The picture above is a week into use, because her mother sucks at remembering to take "before" pictures.  If you can pick out the red spots on her arm, imagine a circle connecting them, and everything in the circle being inflamed and sore.  I honestly think we're going to beat this thing without drugs!  I'll keep you updated as time passes, but no over-the-counter lotion/remedy (no matter how expensive!) has helped this much.

On another note:

The town we used to live in has a super WalMart, or supercenter, or whatever.  It sucks.  It's too small to be a supercenter, so they try to carry everything, but are out of what you need most of the time.  A neighboring town built a new supercenter that is HUGE!  "Too big" I said.  I didn't want to deal with it.  The more I go, the more I love it.  I told Kevin a while back that I always get a great parking space if I stop after work.  I think a lot of working stiffs stop on the way home, but only for a few things, so they leave quickly...therefore, I always catch someone backing out of a space up close.  I'm never more than 3 spaces from the end nearest the door.

Today, I had to stop.  The farther I drove up my usual lane, the more my heart sank.  No good spaces.  I really didn't want to ruin my 8-week winning streak.  I crept slowly forward, getting more and more downhearted, when I saw it.  An empty space behind a huge SUV!  Where, you ask?  Right.Up.Front!  WooooHoooo.

Sheesh, I gotta get a life.