Today is my Wedding Anniversary. And I SWEAR that my wedding rings sparkle extra bright every December 23rd. Maybe because today is not only the anniversary of our wedding but also of our first date. Awe, the memories...

Poor Baby, Poor Me!

My lil' punkin has the chicken pox. Little did I know that along with an infected baby I get a paranoid husband and a know-it-all mother in law.

First of all, my husband has never had the chicken pox. So he's afraid that he will catch them and is going to pay $85 to be vaccinated even though he's already been exposed. Furthermore, he says he won't be able to touch the baby.

~NEWSFLASH~
Micah has had visible bumps for 3 days now which means he has been contagious for approximately 1 week. Getting vaccinated now, AFTER being exposed, is (in my opinion) a huge waste.

Last night my mother-in-law insisted that I need to give the baby something warm to drink because if I don't the chicken pox may "go back in" and make him really sick. I tried to keep a straight face as I told her that he gets plenty of warm milk several times a day and she shouldn't worry about him having warm liquids. She was adamant about giving him something warm to drink and then it got a little nasty when I said, "Look, Eileen, Micah is breastfed. The milk he gets from me is warm, 98.6 degrees warm. And I PROMISE you that there is nothing that I can give him that is better for him." And today, after the doctor confirmed the diagnosis as chicken pox, she told me, "You can listen to those doctors if you want to BUT ALL THE OLD PEOPLE will tell you that he needs something warm to drink." I reminded her AGAIN that Micah gets plenty of warm milk all day and all night. She was frustrated by my answer and then moved on to Jason maybe having to be quarantined at work.

Need I say more about my mother in law?

Since I haven't posted ANYTHING in well over a month....thanks to anyone who even reads this.

A few weeks ago my mother, my sweet Micah and I went to the Fabulous Food Show in Cleveland. I must say that Micah was beautifully behaved, it could have been a disaster! Anyhow, we saw some amazing things. Like these cakes.



It astonishes me that anyone can make such beautiful things out of food. Very impressive.

On the flip side of the show being so lovely, we also found out that Paula Dean is very much a BITCH!!! After talking to one of the Show workers, we learned that she treated the workers like crap, would not allow guests to sit in certain seats during her performances which cost an ADDITIONAL $60 because she is not already rich enough to include her show in the general admission ticket price of $25 bucks like the other celebrity chefs highlighted in this year's show. HUMPH. Well let me just say that I saw Miss Dean a few years ago and she sucked. I was disappointed. Majorly. But I was very happy this year sitting in the audiences of Guy Fieri and Curtis Stone. Very fun. And it didn't cost us anything EXTRA.

The Holidays are here. I'm spending money like a crazy person. Its fun. But I've got to get my Christmas tree up this weekend and some presents wrapped because one entire side of my bedroom looks like a Target isle. The mess is making me go loony. Furthermore, I've got so much crap piled up everywhere, it is impossible to know what I've already bought. The latter is a CLEAR sign that I probably need to just stop shopping altogether. But I have managed to score some cute clothes and shoes for myself as well. Besides, I'm stimulating the economy.

My husband informed me the other day that we are NOT going to be able to go to Washington D.C. for the inauguration because it's going to be to hectic to take a baby. I told him to fuck off, we're going cause if there are going to be 3 million people attending, a few more (US) won't make much of a difference. The jury is still out on the final decision...

If I don't make it back here for another month and a half, have a wonderful Christmas!!

I'm super excited to announce that my family and I will be traveling to Washington D.C. for the presidential inauguration in January to witness Barack Obama make his historical journey down Pennsylvania Avenue to enter the White House! I'm just praying for mild January weather so that I will be able to take the baby. If the weather is crappy, we'll still go but the baby and I will not camp out all night for the front row view with Jason, Devin and the rest of the Family. But just being in the city will be electric enough even if I can't attend in person. So excited!!

And if by chance the old man gets elected, we may go anyway to protest.

How are you planning on celebrating Obama's victory?

Just a quickie post while I've got a minute...


I must say that I am over excited to be a part of the upcoming election process. This is such an important event in American history and I truly feel proud to be a part of it all. And to add to my excitement, I believe I have convinced 2 people in my family who have NEVER voted in their lives to exercise their rights and let their voices be heard. Yay for me and yay for the democratic process!!!

I'm also super excited that the ethics committee found that stupid Bitch sarah palin guilty of abusing her power as Governor. Now maybe, just maybe, the fuck nuts out there supporting her will begin to see her for psycho that she is.
Everyone should go over to The Dept. and take the palin poll...I voted for the Fargo one, I hate that about her, I really do.

Devin's last football game was played at the high school stadium. It brought back all kinds of memories. I spent a lot of time at that stadium during my high school years. Marching Band was the absolute most fun I had in high school. Period. And being back there made me feel all warm and gushy inside. But it was so weird too...

Devin is in Jr. High. So there weren't too many people at the game. The stadium was emptier than I've ever seen it. I sat there, looking around. Remembering. Laughing silently as I hold my baby boy thinking, "Never in a million years would I have pictured myself sitting in these stands with my baby watching my big baby play on this field that I spend so much time on as a youngster." Hell, at that stage of my life (High School) I was never getting married. I most definitely wasn't going to have any children. "Oh. Hell. No! NO Kids!!" That is what I always said. And yet there I sat. With my Husband and my Son. I had goosebumps. My eyes teared up. I couldn't have felt more happy or proud. Even though my life has turned into the exact opposite of what I dreamed it would be, I am happy. And that is what matters most in life, yes?

This is Federer's 5th consecutive US Open win. His 13th Grand Slam Title. And he is the only man in history to win 2 different tournaments 5 times in a row! His straight set victory over Andy Murry will hopefully quiet all the nay-sayers. Federer in NOT finished. He hit a little bump in the road and now he's back!

Now that all is right in the (tennis) world and Rodger Federer has won a grand slam, I will do my best to focus my attention on more blog worthy subjects. But first, we celebrate!

Golden After All!

Rodger Federer may have lost early on in the singles competition, but he was the golden boy of the doubles!




But the BIG story of the Olympics...MICHAEL PHELPS!!! My God that man is something special!!! . What an outstanding athlete! I never knew that I could get so much excitement from watching swimming. But seeing Phelps win 8 Golds has definitely been the highlight of Beijing for me. Yes, even more than seeing Federer get his gold.

The End of an Era?

Rodger Federer keeps losing. He lost the Australian Open. He lost the French Open (not really too big of a surprise there). But he lost Wimbledon. The king of the grass courts lost in England? WHAT?! It has been a long time since Federer lost at Wimbledon, 5 years in fact. But he hasn't won a grand slam all year. What the HELL!! My heart is broken. I'm not sure if he's in a slump or the other players are finally catching up to his greatness and raising their level of play. Only time will tell for sure.

He also lost in the Cincinnati tournament this week. If Rafa wins there, he'll be the new no.1. I'm still holding out for a win at the US Open.

Friday, July 25 Part II

The visit went OK. Aunt Sue is very sick. She has cancer all over her body. She wouldn't disclose exactly what kind or even where it started. I'm not even sure that the source is known. My Mother went to visit her today. She'd been taken to the hospital but that is all the nursing home staff were able to tell her. It doesn't look good.

Friday, July 25 Part I

I'm getting ready to go and visit Aunt Sue. Aunt Jo got a call from Uncle Owen, Aunt Sue's husband, earlier in the week saying that Aunt Sue is sick. Apparently very sick. She's in a local nursing home going through rehab and has some "strange type of cancer". That is really all I know.

My mother is one of 4, all girls. Aunt Jo, Aunt Sue and my Mother all live right around here. Aunt Cheryll lives in TN. No one talks to Aunt Cheryll too much just because she has almost always lived out of state and doesn't visit OH too much. So they're just not too close. Well, Aunt Jo and Aunt Cheryll have some "beef" from way back when, but I really don't know (nor do I care) what all that is about. No one, and I mean, no one, talks to Aunt Sue. She's always been the "I'm better than everyone else in this family" type of person. Everyone used to tolerate her and get together at her house for the obligatory holiday gatherings. At least we did until Grandpa died and Aunt Sue spent a large amount of the other 3 sister's inheritance. See, Aunt Sue was entrusted with being the executor of the estate because she worked for a lawyer and therefore obviously knew how it should all work better than the others. And that was the end of the Aunt Sue being tolerated by the other 3 sisters. Well at least by my Mother and Aunt Jo. Who knows what Aunt Cheryll was thinking, since she wasn't really ever around. Besides, I was just a little girl when all that happened and have had to piece it all together over the years.

Going back to where I started...Aunt Sue is sick. I'm going today with Aunt Jo and Grandma to visit her. I have absolutely no idea what to expect. And thus far, I'm not having too much emotion one way or the other about the whole ordeal. I'm not heartless, I do care. Its just that I really don't know Aunt Sue anymore. I haven't seen her in about 3 years since my Mother's wedding. And before that, God only knows! If anything, I'm kind of pissed off that it's taking an illness to get everyone together. The saddest part, in all reality this may be the only time Micah ever meets his Great Aunt Sue because the elder women in this family are so damned stubborn. (I guess I know where I get it from.)

Hopefully Aunt Sue will get better. Hopefully this will be enough to open up the eyes of this family. Hopefully this can be a sprinboard for the Sisters to start acting like sisters. Hopefully we can all appreciate life, at least a little bit more, after today.

Nas~Sly Fox

This is why I love Nas.

Seriously, this man should probably have HIS nuts cut off. Comments like that really make me wonder what the hell is going on in this country. And of course he's apologizing. And of course he's a supporter of Obama. He just didn't realize that his mic was on. Well duh!! I'm sure he wouldn't say such ignorant things had he known his mic was on. Give me a break. And he calls himself a reverend. The reverends I know don't go around talking about cutting people's nuts off.

Flooded With Feelings

Lately my emotional cup has been over full and spilling down the sides. I'm drenched in emotion and I need to wring out my head so I can make room for a refill.

I love my husband dearly. I really do. But I often do not like him. AT ALL. And the conflicting feelings I have towards him sometimes make me feel like a crazy person. One minute I want to hold him tight and love all over him and the next I'm plotting my escape route. I just wonder if this really is the way its going to be, forever. God, help me if it is. (Or at least answer that prayer about him putting his toothbrush away). Sigh.

I don't want to go back to work. I really don't. I think I should stay home until Micah starts going to school. I shouldn't have to leave him in someone else's care (even if it is my sister) just because that is the way it is supposed to be. He should be with his mommy.

I get real pissed off when people come over to MY HOUSE and look at me cross eyed when I need to feed the baby. Breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world yet so many people are offended by it because this fucked up society we live in has taught us that a woman's breast should only be exposed for sexual reasons. No, I'm not just popping it out in front of anyone and everyone. I am discreet and will cover up when necessary. But I will not get up and leave the room in my own house because someone is ignorant. Especially when its an uninvited guest. Screw that, if my baby is hungry I'm going to feed him. And when I'm in the comfort of my own home, anyone who doesn't like it can get the hell out.

I'm still extremely overwhelmed over my baby boy. I still hold him tight and cry because I don't even know how to express to him how much I love him. I wonder if there is any way he'll ever know how deep my love for him is. Maybe one day when he has a child of his own he'll understand. But I'm all about instant gratification. So for now, I'm just trying to give him love in every possible way that I know how. Because of Micah, I get it. I really get it.

Even though I've only managed to empty my cup about a quarter of he way, I better stop. In the comments, what's overflowing your cup these days?

Have You Ever...

...Went to the fridge, found the milk spoiled and put it back? This seems to be a regular occurrence at my house. And no, it's not ME! I happen to hate milk. I think it stinks regardless of it's freshness. But WHY on earth wouldn't one just throw it away? What is the point of putting it back? Does it have to do with living in a house full of males? If I'm being honest here, this happens with WAY more than milk and it really pisses me off. Is the male species truly untrainable?

...Lied to your spouse/significant other just to avoid certain topics of conversation? I have to admit that I do this occasionally to Jason. Why? I just don't want to hear "it" sometimes. Jason has this disease, chronic sloppiness with acute paper collection disorder. So I have learned over the years to not bitch at him about picking up after himself. I'll do it, no problem. And I put things where I think they need to be, in the TRASH!!! When he says "Honey, have you seen that pamphlet I got from Home Depot?" I simply say, "No, I don't even know what you're talking about. Sorry!" I used to say, "Oh, you mean the...yes, I threw it away. It sat on the counter for 2 weeks. I figured you didn't want it." And that would just cause him to get all kinds of pissed off and walk around for a couple of hours mumbling under his breath about how a "mutha fucka can't have shit around here. Nina throws everything away just cause she thinks its junk..."

...Had a blog crush? From talking who people who blog, I've decided this is quite common. I think. Especially when the blogger starts having private conversations with their readers via email. Is this just a naughty pleasure or completely unacceptable?

In the comments, be honest :)

Ramblings....

Just need to spew a few thoughts from my head...

...I was sitting outside visiting a neighbor today and all of a sudden a car full of teenagers pulls out of the garage next door and parks in the street. My neighbor and I laugh because they are skipping school and I say jokingly that I bet they were getting high. Well not five seconds later the wind blows and a familiar smell of a certain plant waffs our way. We look over and here comes the neighbor boy looking awfully glossy eyed and Michelle says, "Hey Jake, you should be a little more discreet next time!" I add, "Yeah Jake, we can smell it over here!" He gives us the "Huh?" look and really doesn't respond. Am I surprised? No. Not really. Lots of kids experiment with weed. Hell, they probably took it from Jake's step-dad's stash. He's quite the pot head. And no, I'm not going to tell his parents. Why? Because his mother believes that her son can do no wrong and always places blame on the kids he's hanging out with. My point. I hope I don't ever become that mother. I hope that I can teach my children not to even try drugs at all. But more than anything, I hope if a neighbor or friend ever sees one of my kids doing in appropriate things, they'll tell me...

...Who ever know one could get so excited about having 3 1/2 hours of sleep with no interruptions...

...There was a news segment on the other night about how to make a little money from your blog by using Google's AdSense. I thought wow, that's cool! I'm going to go add that to my page!! But then I remembered that I've lost practically all of my readers since I quit posting frequently so there would never be anyone around to click on the ads and then I'd never make any money. So scratch that. I guess I'll have to go back to work. Someday.

I love The Young and the Restless. I've watched this soap opera since I was a little girl. I can remember watching it with my mom before I was even old enough to go to school. In general, I think that soaps are cheesy and just down right stupid. But in my mind The Young and The Restless is different. I have even convinced myself that is looks different. Seriously. When I'm channel surfing and stumble across any other soap opera, I stop and ask myself why anyone would watch that show because it just looks cheap. I've decided that all soap operas, except The Young and The Restless, use some sort of special generic soap opera film. But the Y&R uses high quality filming products like the evening sitcoms use. Yep, that's what I tell myself. I don't even know if it's true in any place other than in my mind (that the Y&R looks different). But you know what they say, if you tell yourself something over and over enough times, you'll begin to believe it regardless of whether or not it's actually fact.

Anyway...I DVR The Young and The Restless everyday even though I'm at home when it comes on. But I like to be able to fast forward through the commercials and any parts that I'm just not interested in. Plus, being able to watch it on demand gives me something to do when I'm feeding the baby. Although I love to sit and gaze into his sweet little eyes as he suckles greedily at my breast, I must admit that it sometimes gets boring or I get a cramp in my neck. I just wonder if little Micah will grow up to watch my little show as well. I hope not, it's such a nasty habit, soap operas are. I sometimes find myself going through withdraw when I've not watched the happenings of Genoa City for more than a week. Then I go on a binge and stare at the television for hours upon countless hours as Jason checks on me periodically asking how I can possibly still be watching such garbage. But it's not garbage, these are my childhood friends!! I grew up with many of the characters. (Even though many went away to boarding school practically as infants and came back sometimes a soon as a year later as adults with children of their own.) I get defensive when he criticizes my choice of television enjoyment. At least I'm not watching ape-like men battle uber-snakes and crocodiles on that stupid sci-fi channel.

Overjoyed!!!

The baby is going to wake up any time now so I'll need to be quick. Forgive me now for typos, I'm not going check this over closely.

Micah Allen was born on April 3, 2008 at exactly 4pm. He weighed 6lbs and 3oz. and measured 19in. long. He's got a head FULL of hair and I'd say is a pretty good mix of mommy and daddy. My labor actually wasn't too bad. From what I'm told, it was a "textbook birth". Jason said that he just knows I'm going to want to do this again real soon because it was just far too easy. He's probably right!

I never knew I could love my husband anymore than I already did before the baby was born. I look at that little baby every day and thank God for putting Jason into my life because without him, Micah would not be. And I never knew I could love on this level. It's truly a beautiful and amazing phenomenon...this love I feel for my family.

In my mind I've been a mom for several years...we've always had Dev. But this is different. This is unexplainable. This is a miracle. So far, several times a day, I just hold Micah and cry because I don't have the ability to express my joy any other way. He's not even a week old yet and I can't imagine my life any other way. I fall in love with Jason all over again each time gaze into the baby's eyes and see my husband's features. This is the good life!



P.S. I must say...I'm really missing my cuddle time with Scrappy Doo. I think that once things get settled in the weeks to come, Scrappy has nothing to worry about. He's a bit jealous but overall handling the new addition quite well :)

Today was an unseasonably warm day, 66 degrees. So to take advantage of the sunshine and get outside for a bit, I decided to take Scooter dog for a walk since he doesn't get out much in the winter. I know that it's most likely going to be a short walk because one of two things will happen.

A) I'll get halfway down my street and my back will be hurting so bad that I'll need to turn around.
or
B) Scooter will act like a dog who hasn't been on a leash in months and want to use all 120lbs of his muscle to drag me down the street and my back won't be able to handle that either.

Well, the walk started off wonderfully. Scooter was excited to be out and he walked slowly right by my side as I kept telling him what a good boy he was being. I must admit that he kept looking up at me as if to ask why on earth were we walking at such a slow pace, but he was patient. Such a good boy, Scoot-Scoot! As we travel, I'm feeling really good. I take off my light jacket and show off my pregnant belly (I do love my belly) as we strut down the street greeting neighbors along the way. OK, so maybe Scooter was strutting his hot muscular bod and I was just waddling hoping not to slip and fall on any wet pavement or uneven sidewalks, but either way, I fell great.

As we come to the bend in the the road that leads to the corner, I see some young kid is outside washing daddy's car (cause I'm sure this 17 or 18 year old could hardly afford the Infiniti he was so carefully scrubbing) and I notice that he's got on what I believe to be an anti-war tee shirt because at the top, right across his chest in large letters it says...MAKE LOVE. I'm not quite close enough to read the smaller print below the first line so I continue to waddle on assuming that as I get closer it will say "not war". But no, that isn't what it says at all...the shirt says, "MAKE LOVE not babies"! I was surprised, giggled to myself. I looked right at the kid and gave him a big cheesy grin as I stuck my belly out as far as humanly possible without throwing myself off balance, and I strutted (really, this time I strutted) in all my pregnant glory to the corner.

Here I was forced to turn around and head home because all of a sudden, my back was aching beyond belief and Scooter decided he didn't want to walk slow anymore and started pulling me all over the place.

Lovely, just lovely.

Blah.

Blah. That about sums up my mood lately. I just don't want to do shit. I don't want to go to work (and for the most part I haven't), I don't want to clean my house, I don't want to cook, I just don't want to do anything but lay around. I'm tired of being pregnant. I'm tired of this little baby sucking away all of my energy to such extremes that I must plan to have all daily accomplishments complete by no later than 3pm. Because after that, I'm utterly useless. I either need to take a nap, and those 30min. naps just don't suffice anymore, I need a few hours to regroup or I've got to take a hot bath or sit on the heating pad because my back hurts so bad I find it impossible to move. Yep, for about the last month, that's my life. Nothing too exciting. Because excitement requires energy. And I have poured every ounce of energy I have into preparing for this baby to arrive. Now that rooms have been rearranged, the crib assembled and baby shower gifts put away (FINALLY), I feel that I need to just sit back, relax and wait for the big moment. And that is exactly what I intend to do.

So..I shall do my best to post more often and to visit other blogs. Then maybe Tera will stop sending me threatening emails reminding me that she's posted a gazillion times and I've not commented. But I will not make any promises because now my computer is downstairs in the basement. I don't spend to much time down here. Besides, if I make the trip downstairs, then I must make the climb back up. And like I said, I just don't have a lot of energy these days.

Yes We Can - Barack Obama Music Video

This is really cool.

Rodger Federer, the ulitmate tennis champion, lost in straight sets today to the #3 ranked player in the world, Novak Dejokovic, during the semifinal match of the Australian Open. It was sad. I knew it was a good possibility that Novak would pull his trump card today given the fight the Serb put up in last years U.S. Open final loss to the great Federer, but it made seeing the Swiss tennis god lose no easier. Every dog has his day, today it belonged to the top dog of Serbia. I really didn't think he needed to strut around without a shirt after he won though, geeze. Have some manners.

Grand Slam Time!!!

I love tennis. I know the ins and outs of the game. Singles matches are my favorite. However, I do not play. I've never even tried. I'm not sure why. I'm not even sure why I enjoy watching tennis so much. I believe it stems back to my childhood when we didn't have cable television and the only non-fuzzy channel was showing the Wimbledon tournament. I will still wake up early on the final weekend of the famous English tournament to have "breakfast at Wimbledon" and watch the men's and women's finals. Love it, just love it!

This next couple of weeks is all about the Australian Open. Will Roger Federer continue to dominate the men's tennis world? Are the Williams sisters healthy and the one's to beat (Serena took the title last year) or is Henin still unstoppable? I'm so excited! I'll be rooting for Federer. That man is amazing! He seemed a bit vulnerable at times last year so we'll see how he's looking in his first major showing of the grand slam season. This may just end up being the year that Rafa Nadal takes that coveted #1 spot.

The only thing that I'm not looking forward to...given that Australia is on the underside of the world, the live coverage is on late at night. I have trouble staying awake at night these days. I hate that.

Even if you're not a tennis fan, how could you not enjoy watching this man, Roger Federer? He's yummy!

Eclectic Concepts IV

Way back when I posted about baby showers. I talked about how much I loathe them. Well, my opinion has not changed. Nevertheless, I'll be having a shower of my own next month. I'd like to thank, in advance, all of the ladies on the planning committee for all their hard work that they haven't even started yet. See, Jason's family is HUGE and thus the baby shower will be gigundus. At last count, the guest list was at approximately 75 people. Of course, I don't count on all of the invitees to actually show up, but more than likely it will be a large gathering. I don't think any of these ladies who have volunteered know exactly what they've signed up for. I'm just glad that someone is taking care of this for me, I'd go crazy!!



This is Christian, from Project Runway. He seems to be doing pretty well and I usually enjoy his designs. Now, I don't want to label anyone, but I'm pretty sure that young Christian is a gay man. If he's not, he really needs to try not to be so feminine and flamboyant. Anyway, I don't have a problem with his sexuality one way or the other. None whatsoever, to each his own. However, I was enjoying my weekly dose of Project Runway last week when my homophobic husband entered the room, took one look at Christian on the television and said to me, "What's his name, Sugar Bear?" This week I just couldn't look at little Christian the same.



This is Pierre Woods. He plays in the NFL for the New England Patriots. He was signed to the Patriots as a free agent upon graduating from Michigan State. He's a linebacker but mostly plays on special teams. In fact, Woods was the leading tackler in the league for special teams this season. (At least that is what my husband tells me, I've not checked that out but I do trust him.) As many of you probably know, New England went undefeated in the regular season this year. And because they went 16-0, this Patriots team will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. No other team has won 16 games in the regular season (although other teams have gone without losing, the season was never this long). Why is this so interesting to me? Well let me tell you. Pierre is Jason's cousin. Really. His first cousin. This isn't one of those crazy can't follow the bloodline things. 'Cause you know how black people can be, right? "Oh yeah, that's my cousin...naw man, I haven't seen him in years but that's so-and-so's son that used to be married to my half-sister's ex brother-in-law, but I could get his number if I really wanted to!" LOL! Seriously, we actually see Pierre (the family calls him Pepe) a few times a year and he's a really nice guy and deserving of all that he's accomplished. I think it's pretty cool that he's only in his second year of pro football and already going to be inducted into the hall of fame. How exciting! Now if New England wins the Superbowl...that'll be really awesome!




Talking about Pepe makes me think of Lacie, rest her puppy soul. I've told you all what a good dog she always was. And I still stand by that. But every dog has a mishap at least once, right? Well...a few years back when little D first started playing football, one of his coaches was a huge Michigan fan. So little D told his coach that his cousin was one of the starters on the Michigan football team and his coach was really excited to find out that this cousin was Pierre Woods. Some of the other boys on Dev's team didn't believe him. So, at a family reunion picnic Dev asked Pepe to take a picture with him so he could show his teammates. Someone took a polaroid picture the two of them and young Dev asked for Pepe's autograph. Now, Pepe is kind of shy and was very reluctant to sign the picture but did since Dev was just a kid. He thought it was cute that his little cousin was bragging about him but made it very clear to Dev that he never gave his autograph. He thought it was really silly to do so. Little Dev was proud, took the picture to his own football practice and impressed his coaches and his buddies. Jason and I told Dev to be sure and put the picture in a safe place because it really could be something special if Pepe went on to play in the NFL and he had an autographed picture from his college years. Dev put the picture up. But one day it must have fallen on the floor because Lacie ate all if it except a small corner. Jason and I were just talking about this the other day, how that was the ONLY thing that Lacie ever destroyed. Of all things, it had to be something that we couldn't ever replace. Yes, Dev could always ask for another picture and another autograph and I'm sure Pepe would indulge for his little cousin. But that one particular item is gone forever. Hell, if Pepe continues to do well and becomes an NFL legend, that picture could have sent Dev's children to college, who knows?!?!?


This post is much longer than I intended. So I'll end by saying....Obama for President!!!!

Looking Forward

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!!! Hopefully no one has a long list of resolutions that are designed to set you up for disappointment. But I am interested in hearing if anyone has actually managed to follow through with a resolution, ever. I know that I haven't! At least not ones that I've made at the beginning of a new year. I do pretty well when I decide to tackle something new or make a change in my life as long as it happens around June or July. But for the most part, resolutions are a waste of brain activity, for me.

I must say that I am looking forward to upcoming events in 2008. It should prove to be quite exciting and challenging with the baby coming. I'm getting more excited with each glass of ice water I drink (ice water makes the baby do acrobatic maneuvers). But I'm also beginning to feel a bit impatient. It seems like every one around me is giving birth and I just want my baby to get here too! I'm trying my hardest to live in the moment and enjoy this period of my life. I've been told that I'll miss it once it has passed. Admittedly, the time is flying by and the baby will be here before I know it. Now if we could only agree on a name.

Call me crazy, but I'm also looking forward to the finding out how the political madness of this country is going to pan out this year. I'm ready to know who the presidential candidates will be and I'm ready to start focusing on them instead of trying to keep up with everyone. Listen people, this could be a HUGE year in politics and if you're not paying attention, you better start!!! Because one of my biggest pet peeves ever is people who complain about how & who run our government but don't do shit about it. Now is as good of time as any to learn about the hopeful candidates and get ready to throw your support behind him or her so that when election time rolls around you can get out and vote in an informed and responsible way!

In the comments...what are you looking forward to?