Seriously?

What was your worst birthday? 

Mine was yesterday.  I have never had a bad birthday.  So I guess it was about time. 

But, seriously? 

That morning was pretty normal, waking up with the kids, getting ready for school. 

I have to admit, I was a little peeved that Rocky didn't volunteer to take care of it all since it was my birthday.

And then the obligatory phone call from the parents to wish me happy birthday. 

That's when it happens.

"Um, honey, we have some bad news."

My grandma died. 

She had a heart attack earlier in the week, so I knew this was a possibility, but to find out first thing on the morning of your birthday kind of puts a damper on the rest of the day.

I have lost both of my grandmothers in the last 6 months, and since we have moved so FREAKING far away, I have not been able to make it to either funeral. 

Now, besides mourning my grandmother, I also have to deal with the guilt of not attending the funeral. 

I know it is OK, my family all understand (at least they tell me they do) but I still feel guilty.

I should be there with my family. 

But I can't.

I was asked to send some stories of my grandma to my mom, and here are some of those:

She loved to tell people the story of when she watched my when my sister was born.  Apparently, I was horrible and hid under a booth at McDonald's and refused to come out.  Also, when she took me to the nursery to see my sister, I told her I didn't want that baby (she was way too red) and picked out an African American baby to take home instead.

She also loved her cats just a little too much.  My mom got after her once because the cats were licking the butter on the table.  Grandma tried to explain that her cats were like her kids, and we share with our kids.  My mom didn't buy that and replied with, "Mom, my kids don't like their butts."

She loved her kids and grandkids a lot.  I always felt loved and special around her. 

She will be missed.

I hope this is the worst birthday I will ever have.

Business Idea

If you haven't met me, I should start this out by saying that I am kind of a neurotic cleaner and organizer.  I can't rest or relax if things are not put away and clean. 

 It is just how I am.  It is hereditary; my mom has it and so does my sister. 

 Growing up, I thought this was just how everyone was.  I thought everyone got grounded for leaving towels on the floor. 

Then as grew, I noticed that not everyone's house is that way. 

Most people are relatively neat, but not as crazy as my family.  As an adult, I know that my house is cleaner than most, but also accept the fact that I am the crazy one.  I don't care how other people keep their own house.  I just choose to keep mine a certain way.

These last couple weeks, I have had the opportunity to help my friend organize certain rooms of her house.  And the craziest part is that I REALLY enjoy doing it. 

During one of our sessions, she suggested that I create my own business to organize other people houses, or even businesses I guess.

That got me thinking.

Could I actually do that?

I get stuck on the logistics of it.  How do I tell people that I am qualified to do that?  If you know me, you might appreciate my anal qualities, but how do I explain that to strangers?

She suggested taking before and after pictures.  And then starting a website. 

Does anyone else have an opinion?  Could this actually work?  Are there enough people out there who would pay for my help?

Funk

So my last post sucked.  I just couldn't seem to find the words to describe how much fun we had.  And I know why.

I am in a funk.

There are several reasons for this funk:

1.  I recently had a house full of visitors and they are now all gone.  The house has felt empty.

2.  BOTH kids are now in school (not full time, but I have a couple of hours 3 days a week to myself) so the house is REALLY empty.

3.  I am missing my first girls trip.  I have gone on a girl's trip (Mom's Gone Wild) since it was started (4 years ago) and this weekend, they are all (minus me) in Sun Valley right now.

I have been looking forward to having some alone time, but now that I have it, I just don't know what to do with  myself.  Today, I decided to turn on the TV. 

What a Mistake!

I have been sucked into watching "A Baby Story."  NOT the show to be watching while missing your children who are now old enough to be in school.

Watching all these women give birth has made me a little emotional. 

(I guess another reason for the funk is just plain old PMS.)

I have been reminiscing about the births of both of my kids, and then I get all sad because they are so big now!

Where did the time go?

So here I sit, watching a "Baby Story" with tears streaming down my cheeks.  Am I a wreck or what?

Then the thought hits, "Hey, I could just have another baby!" 

Seems like the perfect solution, right?

Hmmmmmmm.

At first, this idea appealed to me.  I LOVE babies, and what better to have one around all the time!

Then I remember the sleepless nights, diapers, breast-feeding, and being pregnant.

Also, is being lonely the best reason for having a baby?  Probably not.

At least, not for me.

I am going to have to deal with an empty house at some point.  I can't avoid it forever. 

(And most days I really look forward to having alone time.)

Things to look forward to with my alone time:

1.  Getting the house finally decorated.  I need to paint, and soon.  I put it of all summer, and now is the time to get it done.

2.  SCRAPBOOKING!  I have not made any pages in months, years possibly.  Plus, I have 2 baby books to make for some friends that I HAVE to get done before the end of the year.

3.  Being able to help out in school.  I am really looking forward to becoming more involved in Ciara's (and eventually Caden's school.)

I will now focus on these last 2 items, and work on getting out of this funk.

(and some chocolate might help as well)

Pig Wrastling

Yes, I went to a pig wrestling event.  I have been informed by my sister that it should be pronounced "wrastling" since pigs are involved. 
I have some friends who decided to create a team.  The goal is to lift a 200 lb pig onto a platform in the middle of the disgusting mud and poop filled ring, and place a hat on its head.  The team with the shortest time wins.  Our team, consisting of 2 nurses, a professor, and a crew coach placed 3rd.  We were all very proud of them.  It was very funny to watch.  We will definitely be going back next year. 
Besides the pig wresting, they had a corn maze, and many other activities for the kids.  The kids just ran around with their friends, playing in the corn, going down the slide and watching the pigs. 
I have to say, at first I was astounded that I was going to a pig wrestling event, but I ended up having so much fun.  The things you do in the country to stay entertained!
(Also, since school has officially started, I am hoping to keep up with the blogging a bit more!)

Conversations at KFC

There is a KFC/Taco Bell restaurant located on the highway not too far from here.  I am a huge fan of Taco Bell, so I try to convince my family that we need to eat there more than they want to.  Last weekend, after coming home from a great day of pig wrestling (yes, another blog with pictures will have to follow this), we decided to stop off at this Taco Bell.  Now, what makes this Taco Bell so interesting (besides the fact that KFC is also there) is the fact that they have a KFC all you can eat buffet.  I have never eaten from this buffet, basically because the sight of it disgusts me.  There are, however, MANY others who frequent the buffet.  And they are all interesting.  Here is an example of some conversations I heard from the tables around us:
1.  "So my brother is having a kid.  Well, he thinks it's his.  Yeah, his girlfriend did it with him, and then a few hours later did it with some other guy."  All this was being said across the room at another table.
2.  This was a mother and daughter talking.  The daughter had a little baby girl with her.  "Where did you get $2000?"  "It was child support from when he went to prison.  I just saved it up while he was locked up."
From pig wrestling, to paternity tests, to prison.  What an interesting weekend!

Summer Trip

We recently returned from our first trip back to UT after moving out to PA.  What a fun and busy 2 weeks!  Here is a basic rundown of all the things we did:
Had pancakes or waffles almost every morning for breakfast.
Visited lots of family!
Hung out with lots of friends!
Toured a bakery (and ate yummy donuts)
Went to Cowabunga Bay (a water park)
Went to Incredible Pizza (a fun place with games, go-karts, mini-golf, etc.)
Swam at my old gym (I still miss it so much!)
Swam at a college friends house.
Ate at Joe's (Crab Shack).
Went to the movie theatre, and saw Ramona and Beezus, and Toy Story 3.
Went to a carnival, and set off some fireworks.
NORDSTROM!
I am sure I am forgetting things, we seemed to have stuff to do every day.  We had so much fun, but were still so happy to be home.  I miss our family and friends so much, but have really adjusted to life in PA.  I had forgotten about how awful the road construction can be, and how busy everything is.  I have decided that I actually like small town life (although if we could just get a good gym and a Nordstrom close by, my life would be as close to perfection as it could get).  I have almost recovered from our whirlwind adventure.  We are excited to have lots of visitors in the next few weeks, and even more excited for school to start!   I will hopefully be able to post more when school starts and actually have a few hours to myself during the week.