Bloggers block

I am alive but I am having bloggers block so I will leave you with a picture that is hopefully worth a thousand words...

Hee, hee! Isn't that funny?!?!

quick hey...

I'm sorry girls! I won't forget you next time! Although...I am havin a blast and we are mostly eating, drinking wine and yak, yak, yak...so much talking! Scio is GORGEOUS!!!! Sherry lives on 150 acres, on a creek, green, green and lots of trees and critters! She has a great house and deck too. Don't be jealous!

I'm leavin' on a jet plane....

...don't know when I'll be back again!
Actually...I'm leavin' in the back seat of a Toyota 4Runner and I do know when I'll be back but I just like the song.
WOO-HOO...4 days with no kids or husband in beautiful Scio, Oregon. Don't ask me where the hell I am going...I'm just along for the kid-free, husband-free, free-in-general cuz I'm going with my mom, ride.
See ya'll Monday!

It was a good Tuesday...

Here's the proof:

We had wine, we had a fire....Life doesn't get any better!

Jimmy's brother-in-law came for a quick visit last night. We have an interesting relationship...I love him dearly, he's fun, we get along really well but I hate the way my husband acts when he's around! Drives me nuts! Oh well, I usually end up having a blast when he visits.

The pictures below aren't from last night but they tell the story of Kordon. He is Jimmy's sister's husband and they have a boy, Morgan. Jimmy's sister passed away 8 years ago after giving birth to Morgan. She was 29 years old.
I never knew her but I see her every time I look at Olivia or Morgan or Moira. They all look exactly like her.
I really admire Kordon for continuing a strong relationship with her family even after she was gone. He and Jimmy are like brothers and he always provides opportunities for Morgan's grandparents to see him as often as they want.

Thanks for the laughter Kordon, I needed it!

Pictures!

I have been in la-la land....here are my camping pics. Geez, I am such a picture slacker. I need to strap my camera to my neck. So, since I don't have the pictures to prove the fun that was had I will relate my favorites...Natalie style...things overheard while camping:

1) "It is so hot when he says, 'Get in the truck woman'".

2) "Lets drink this bottle first so we won't notice that the second bottle is rancid"

3) "Don't do that to me, kid. I will retaliate."

4) "Did you sleep last night?" "No, I thought the wind was going to pick the camper up and fling it across the campground."

5) "Grilling hunks of meat on a stick over the campfire is so hot"

6) "Don't you dare start flinging blobs of flaming marshmallow!!"

7) "Did you see that kid? He just jumped on my back and yelled go horsey go!"

8) "PAMELA!!! She was teetering on the edge!!!!"

9) "Oh my God, If I eat one more gourmet rice krispy treat I am going to blow"

10) "MOM! I am old enough to poke the campfire with a stick"

11) "But girls who poke the campfire with a stick will pee the bed"

12) "Remember that one time when you were on my shoulders and farted on my neck?"

Ok, here are the pictures that don't tell the story at all:

I love "trampin"

Just got in the door from some camping over the weekend. Olivia calls it "trampin". I think that's a mix of camping and going on a trip. I will post some pictures later but I just have to say...I love our tent trailer so much! It is so nice to just throw your clothes and some food in and off we go! It definitely makes spontaneous trips more feasible for us and our little munchkins!
Pictures later!

FUNK

I don't know why it happened. The moment I walked in the front door of my house after having dinner with some friends on my birthday I could feel it descending on me. The funk. It happens. It's OK. I don't need medication or psychotherapy. It will last about one more day. I have several theories about why it happened but I know that these conditions exist in my life all the time and are not the reason for the funk they are just exacerbated by the funk. Someday I will figure out the pattern and maybe I will overcome or at least see it coming and I will stock up on chocolate and clean pajamas.

Do other people get the funk? I'm sure they do. This is what my funky condition consists of...

*I hate my husband because I am overworked, underappreciated, he never does nice thoughtful things for me, he thinks of me as his maid/nanny/sex slave and not as a human being with needs, he made me have these kids and quit my job and become a worthless blob of maid/nanny/sex slave. He gets to live out his dream of owning his own business while I mope around in my pajamas as his maid/nanny/sex slave.
* My children are eating animal crackers, marshmallows and easter candy as a snack and I don't care.
* I have sat at the computer reading dooce archives for three hours only getting up to make my kids breakfast, put a movie in the DVD player and pee. (They got the snack on their own)
*I have consumed massive amounts of jelly beans and chocolate
* When my husband asks me what is wrong I won't tell him because I know that I am crazy and the fight that will ensue when I accuse him of all the aforementioned things will possibly result in me calling my dad so I can borrow his truck to pack my shit up and move the hell out of here! Then when my dad tells me to "get a grip and go home" I will feel really stupid because all the things I accused my husband of are totally not true they are just a product of my overactive crazy lady thing I got goin' on here.
* I know I am crazy but that is comforting to me because if I didn't know I was crazy then I wouldn't have the self control to avoid doing crazy things like mentioned above. (One time I didn't know I was crazy and that thing above actually happened except when my dad told me to get a grip and go home I didn't feel stupid I felt enraged and crazier than ever...but I didn't know I was crazy because I was so over the top hormonal and deeply entrenched in postpartum depression)
So...that's about how I am feeling today. Don't worry...my kids aren't being neglected, I will put clean pajamas on before I go to bed tonight and by the time I go to bed Friday night I will be all better. If I'm not....my mom will smack me and then I'll feel better.

It's been a long year

This time last year...I was newly married and just returning from a trip to San Francisco with Jimmy. It was a fantastic trip. I spent a lot of time alone while Jimmy was in classes and meetings then we'd meet around dinner time and talk about the stuff we did all day. It was a really good trip.
Looking back I can clearly see that I have changed a lot over this past year. Because of some circumstances I have become a little different, a little older, a little more hardened (sadly).
But some good has definitely come of this year. I am closer to and more appreciative of my family. I have set some really clear goals and priorities. I am closer to my husband and I really appreciate how hard he works everyday. I especially have come to admire him for his wisdom in taking small steps and not staking our entire lives on his business. I used to get frustrated with him because I felt like his vision wasn't broad enough. I didn't want a Rogers' Northside Garage only. I wanted Rogers' Southside, Eastside, Westside, Kuna, Meridian, Nampa. He has said to me repeatedly...give it time. I've only owned this business 2 years and I'm only 28 years old. There is time still on our side, have patience. His patience has come through just fine. His business is making money. He's looking at another property to buy and he's going into it with a clear head and realistic goals.
I've written about me and I've written about Jimmy's business because we share a birthday month. I'm 26 today and he's owned his business 3 years now. I've also known Jimmy 5 years now. It's been quite the ride for us in this short five years. It's amazing to me to think of all the things that have happened in such a really short time. We are different people today, that's for sure!
I have spent this past year in a lot of transition. Mostly good things have happened and I am ready to say goodbye to 25 and a big fat hello to 26. It's been a great 25 years...geez that sounds so young! Woo-Hoo! Here's to many many more!