Jun. 25: Currently

Has it really been a week since I last posted? I guess when I blog in my head all the time, I forget that I’m not actually posting. Hm.

Listening

…to Michael W. Smith. I know, I cannot believe it also! I was browsing my iPod this morning, looking for something comforting and familiar, and there he was. I honestly don’t remember putting his music on my iPod; I have his entire discography on there, in fact, and even after all these years (since my Jesus Freak-itude ended), there’s something I still love about hearing his terrible voice over all that beautiful music. Must be one of those once-a-fan-always-a-fan things.

…to Katie practicing the guitar. This morning was #1 of four lessons. First thing out of her mouth when I picked her up? MY FINGERS HURT. I am so not shocked. She’s even whinier than I am. Really.

Loving

…the memories listening to Michael Dub brings. Seriously. Good stuff: high school, college, the years after college, going to concerts, being told I was going to Hell for listening to contemporary Christian music and arguing back with the a-hole who thought he was being helpful… wow. OK, some of them are good memories. Some are just memories that remind me why I have put my Jesus Freak-itude far, far behind me.

…the very different dog Lucy has become since Oliver’s been gone. I still miss him tons, but OMG, Lucy is such a lovable pup. We were never really able to see her true self amid their snarling and play-fighting. She’s a sweetie. Sherilee—Chief and Lucy would totally high-five each other if they could right now.

…the pretties in our front yard now that we’ve finally had some sun:

Feeling

…thrilled that my work friend, Terri, who had a heart transplant June 17, is doing so well. She’s already out of ICU and starting physical therapy. What a fighter, that one!

…grateful for first-responder types like Kim F’n. This morning I got news that a dad at our school was killed in an accident on Friday near Tillamook. I texted her immediately to see if she had been the attending paramedic—she was. It’s heartbreaking that one of our students lost his dad, but that the man had a person like Kim at his side in his last moments? We should all be that lucky. Thank you, Kim. (I hope I didn’t just violate HIPAA laws and get you fired.)

Wanting

…a magic wand. I would totally use it only for good.

…um… another one… to use for evil. Not gonna lie.

Accomplishing

…so much in my office! I attacked it this week with a vengeance. Furniture has been rearranged and much of the clutter has found new homes. Two huge bags of recycling and another two of trash, ready for the curb, is what makes me feel like I’m really getting something done. There’s still a bit to do, but it’s coming along. It feels very good.

Enjoying

…making summer 2012 memories. Katie and I saw Brave on Saturday—what a gorgeous movie. Pixar is pretty much just showing off now—I mean, how do they do it? Thirteen blockbusters in a row!

…a sense of relief now that the kids’ piano recital is over. It stresses me out way more than it does them, I think. My piano recitals at their age were terror-filled events that I willed myself to forget. Ick. Both Katie and Jack did really well yesterday and had big smiles afterward. Yay!

On a related note, I sat in a church for an entire hour and was not—even once! I counted!—struck by lightning. Vic still wouldn’t let me near the holy water though. Dawn and I couldn’t figure out how we’re supposed to get the water if/when we want it—cup? Straw? Just pick up the bowl and guzzle? Who knows? Not this un-holy (and un-fried!) girl.

sharing silly stuff

This blog is by a woman who tries to make stuff she finds on Pinterest. It’s all kinds o’ hilarious.

 

 

Katie likes her shrimp. The tails? Not so much.

 

I’m just gonna let this one go without additional comment.

And something from a smart guy

 

 

Later, doods—

Jun. 18: Currently

Listening

…to the bark bark barking of a neighborhood dog THAT ISN’T MINE. This might be a first.

…to the weird weather outside. It’s raining and hailing between brief sunny breaks. The sunny breaks don’t make noise, so it’s really only the rain and hail I can hear. Just thought I should clarify.

Loving

…these pictures of Lucy and Gilly at Bark for Life, a Relay for Life fundraiser we attended last weekend. They had a blast making new friends!

…that Sunshine has been in town for the past few days. She goes home tomorrow, and that means my next post will be from a mental hospital. Pretty sure.

Feeling

…excited and a little anxious about my work friend, Terri, who had a heart transplant yesterday. The surgery went well and her daughters have been great about posting updates to Facebook ever since she got the call Saturday night. They’re planning to take out her breathing tube today and then her real recovery can begin. Yay, Terri!

…like an idiot over one of our Father’s Day gifts for Victor. He recently got a new gas grill, so the kids and I decided his FD gifts would be grill-related. We found fun gadgets and tools, and I was especially excited about the bag of mesquite charcoal… because I’m a moron. Not sure what he’s going to do with that fancy charcoal ON HIS GAS GRILL.

…lonely without my wiggly Ollie.

Wanting

…to apologize to everyone who was in earshot of me at our party last Thursday. I think I was potty-mouthier than I realized. I was also, apparently, quite grabby. I am so very, very sorry to anyone I might have offended and promise to pay for your kids’ psychotherapy and the cost of cleaning my many grimy handprints off your clothes.

Needing

…to work up some motivation to reorganize my office. Not only do I have piles of papers to sort and general clean-up to do, I want to rearrange the furniture to make it a more usable space. It’s actually a very comfy room; I used to spend most of my time in there. When Lucy came to live with us, our upstairs was off limits to her, so I started hanging out in the family room to keep an eye on her. She doesn’t need constant supervision anymore, and I’m ready to move back upstairs… just waiting for that PUSH to get the reorganization project going.

Accomplishing

…more of the tasks toward readying our Relay for Life day-of-Relay fundraising project. Our team is going to sell lanyards and “lap beads,” which will help walkers track the number of laps they walk. When I started planning, I had no idea how many decisions were involved in these crazy things. I’m glad my mom was around this past weekend to help. She and I picked out fun beads to represent each lap and mile:

The lanyards have lobster clasps at the bottom, which can hold these additional charms we’ll have for sale:

All survivors will get one of these for their lanyard:

I’m excited about this fundraiser—I’ve read about lots of other Relays that have done lap beads and they’re crazy-popular. Many Relay teams double their fundraising on the day of Relay with this kind of thing. I just hope we’ll be able to cover our costs.

Enjoying

…Jack’s most recent fascination: making stop-motion videos on the iPad. He and Mack are upstairs right now, setting up another LEGO minifigures movie. It’s a tremendous time-waster, but I gotta admit, it’s pretty amazing to see the finished product.

…relative peace and quiet now that school is out. I like not having anything urgent to complete today—just laundry. Maybe a stab at some of the piles in my office. And a nap? Yes, a nap would be delightful.

sharing silly stuff

Later—

Jun. 17: Oliver

Today we had to give up our little dog, Oliver. It was heartbreaking.

A couple weeks ago he chased three adorable neighbor girls away from our house and bit one of them (that they were adorable is really beside the point, but let’s be honest: society roots for the cute). Oliver has shown aggression toward strangers before, but never to this degree. In a neighborhood like ours, with our kids and their friends in and out of our house all the time, we absolutely can NOT have a bite-y dog.

Not being able to conquer Oliver’s fear of strangers makes us feel like we failed as pet owners—we did our best, and loved him like crazy, but we couldn’t turn him into a well-adjusted, trusting dog. We suck, and it sucks so much that we suck. Suuuuuuck.

The good news is that the breeder seems to know exactly how to bring Oliver back into his original pack (she still has his momma and two sisters). We left him at her house nine hours ago, and she just called to tell us how it’s going so far—not perfectly, of course, but there is hope. Vic and I are impressed at her techniques for very gradually showing him his new home. We all feel that Ollie will eventually be happy there.

At our house, he only really adored five people—us and my mom—so it wasn’t obvious what a loving and devoted companion he was. To most people, Oliver was snarly and timid, but to us, he was a wiggly bundle of sweet. Always happy to welcome us home, with a tail constantly wagging, Oliver was a very fun addition to our family. He was a good napping buddy, and such a cuddly boy. He loved having Lucy as a playmate; they smartly teamed up to torment Millie (the kitty) every time she walked through the door flap.

Tonight, Lucy is confused and bored. The house is a little less hairy and a lot quieter. While we’re sure we did what needed to be done, it was an incredibly hard thing to let Oliver go. We miss our little dude.

Jun. 15: Second annual last day of school blowout

Fifteen minutes after yesterday’s dismissal bell, bunches of us gathered at Tina’s and my houses for a last-day-of-school party that would go until almost midnight. I think we have the best friends EVER. What a blast.

I love these cocktail napkins

See that sweet girl Angie is hugging on the left?
She’s having to comfort her because I said a very naughty word.
I’m a bit of a potty-mouth drunk, but for realsies, I didn’t know she was there.
So sorry, Angie!

Two of  my best girls: Sunshine and Val

Tina’s bounce house is always a hit with the little peeps

Cindi and Sunshine do NOT look happy with whatever Olivia is telling them

Darby and Jim brought the testosterone

This should really have said “Adults Spilling Drinks”

Aw, this be my favorite boy and my favorite girl!

Tina and Jenn K

How much do I love this picture?
Julie L., me, Wendy, Theresa, Heather L.
We are feeling fiiiiiine.

 

Here are some things y’all left behind. Please claim them or I will.

 

I think Julie H. brought this cake vodka.
If it was left intentionally, THANK YOU!
If not, I’ll try not to drink too much of it before I have the chance to get it back to you.

 
The green bag says “Sharon Manuel” so I think it might belong to Sharon Manuel.

Annie’s?

 

This morning I went out in the driveway to survey the damage we wrought. It was a bit like viewing the wreckage of the Titanic, but-cept we lost far fewer third-class passengers in this chaos.

Oh, if this cocktail stirrer could speak, the tales it would tell…

Our recycle bin tells the real story, although it’s not even the whole truth:

Here are three very large, very empty bottles of vodka.
I’m embarrassed to say they were full when the party started.
Needless to say, I don’t feel super-great today.

 

We had a great time celebrating the last day of school, even though some very important people were missing from the party. I don’t remember a lot, but I’m pretty sure it was a good time. How lucky are me and Tina to know such amazing people???

Now, can anyone can tell me how to make the buzzing in my head stop?