Gone

I know I've been gone for a few days (as I am sure you are all terribly worried when I don't show up) but either way...I wanted to apologize for my absence.

There has been a death in the family and I've headed south for the funeral. I'll be back to posting again Monday!

Have a great weekend and remember to tell the ones you love, just how much they mean to you.

Games

I've mentioned in the past that we (the hubs and kids) are game players. When getting ready for our Halloween party I asked you what your thoughts were on playing games, to which most of you said you would do if others were playing. Now I am curious about games as in - just for fun?

Growing up, my family did not play games so this was not something I learned to enjoy. However, when I became part of the military, playing games were something we did pretty regularly (seriously how else are you going to pass the time when you are stuck on a ship in the middle of the ocean?) Point I am trying to make, is that my new found appreciation for the board games was something I acquired late in life.

The hub, on the other hand, was a game player-his family are game players and so as such, our children are now game players. I thought we were alone in this love of board games, but no...we have managed to find people just like us who have a twisted love affair with games. We have a small group of friends who we can count on to join us in a battle of wits, skills, and sometimes war against each other in an effort to win bragging rights. (Can you play Taboo or Cranium without an all out battle??)

Imagine my surprise, as I sit at my desk early in the morning and listen to a heated conversation about the previous weekend's battle of boardgames. I'm talking grown men and women going all out and planning their revenge in a rematch.

As I sat behind my little cubical wall, smiling to myself, all I could think was - I was living in a parallel world and these were my counter peoples, but most likely I realized I am probably not as rare a breed as I originally thought and us gamers...well, we're not a dying breed after all.

What about YOU - Do you like to play games with friends? Do you have a favorite?

BINGO

I haven't done Monday Madness in a few weeks because, well, life has kind of gotten the best of me and my aptitude to notice the obvious has ... in short...sucked!

Considering we left off Friday with a Margritaville Escape - I'm thinking we should all need to head to the store on our way back home...if your like me, your week does not start off right without a trip, (or two, three, or five) to Wal*Mart!

Yes, I live in the "south" (at least that is what everyone around here calls it) and often I've been known to refer to it as redneckville (depending on the day, I am proud of this) but regardless, this was brought to my attention some time ago and I feel that it only fair to share it with each of you. See how many you can find on your next trip to Wal*Mart! :)
**Does the 'giving away kittens' count if it comes with the purchase of a Sunday paper from the parking lot of the Wal*Mart??

Who Yell'd BINGO??! (in my best southern drawl)

Margritaville Escape

To me it seems things are a little gloomier than normal lately - it seems everyone I know is hurting in some way so I thought we could all use a little vacation, a little sun and perhaps a little something with an umbrella.

As I made my commute to work this morning, I was channel surfing when I came across Margaritaville - an oasis of escape and I thought...that's just what I need (and I'm bringing you along too!)

Music often brings memories to life and today's was no exception.

Years ago when I was still in the military I was stationed on a tiny island and one of our regular haunts was called "The Boat." This place was nothing special, it was a large sailboat that had been pulled up on land had a BAR built around it, a custom tarp put over it (with the sail sticking up thru the middle) and the coldest beer you could imagine. The ocean, blues and greens, lapped at the edge just beyond the pavement slab we congregated at. Pool was free and there was always Jimmy Buffet playing thru the speakers. $2 longnecks and excellent music...what more could you ask for in your early 20's? I hoped it would never change.

It seems like forever ago that I was that person who could so easily turn a dark and dreary day around with just a little Cheeseburger In Paradise, but as the world keeps turning I get a little further from that person. Sometimes we need to be reminded that just because we don't live there doesn't mean we can't visit from time to time.

Today I'm headed over to Margaritaville with my flip flops and sunglasses...You bring the salt and I'll bring the Lime and together we'll escape this cold for just a bit!

Not so Special K....

It's been 4 weeks since the start of the Special K challenge I chose to embark on and I'm sure you're all waiting with baited breath to see if it was at all successful..........




dum, du dum dum dummmmmmmmmm




Um, yeah, I suck at challenges! No I did not succeed at 6lbs.

I started out good, stuck with the plan then started to deviate from my snacks leading into the oblivion of veggie sticks and protein water. Cereal got old (as I am not a breakfast person to begin with) and about 2 weeks into the Special K challenge I dumped the cereal breakfast and just stuck with a modified diet of carrot/celery sticks, cereal meal replacement bars and a regular dinner.

I lost about 3 lbs up to this point and was convinced I would succeed. Then crap hit the fan and I wallowed a bit in my bag of Hershey's cherry cordial filled kisses (can you say heaven in a little piece of foil?) I reverted back to my favorite drink of choice...coke...and slid all the way back down the hill I'd so diligently crawled up.

So here we are - to the day I must admit, I sucked at this one and have not gained anything over where I started, I am 2 lbs lighter than when I was but we are not going to count that.
I'm not happy with the results, I am not happy with how I look...but I am getting there - I just wish spring was here already and this dreaded coldness would leave!

Instead I'm going to get the rewards I promised in the mail and look for the next challenge.


Any suggestions???

Standing...

Standing still....it's what I've been doing in one aspect of my life.

Simply standing in one solitary location, waiting to be given a reason to move, waiting to be asked to participate with everyone else, waiting for the music to move me, to find my groove and yet...all I've done is stand and wait.

There has been so much of myself called into question lately that I could no longer stand here and wait. I could no longer just be 'a fixture' in the room...instead I had to become a participant in the action. I had to make choices I've avoided, I had to face certain truths I would rather be oblivious too and I instead of standing, I had to take a stand of my own.

And so I have - now please excuse me while I go vomit up my dinner.

I am a fence sitter by nature. I watch and I sway with the way the wind blows me never making a definitive choice because in truth, rarely do I see it as one is better or worse than the other - they are both unique and different and to deny one would be to deny all that comes with it. It is not something I can easily do - however, push me into a corner, trap me in the middle of a battle, invade my comfort zone and I will no doubt stake my claim and fight to the death.

Lucky for me...this side is rare. But now, events have been placed in motion that make me sick. Events that I hoped would never come and yet here they are. Moments that I believed if addressed with tact and care could be avoided have proven as easy to navigate as a minefield in the dark.

I do not have a compass, I do not have a map...I take it one step at a time. Today I do not know the outcome and despite my thoughts I cannot put them here. However if anyone has any Night Vision Goggles (NVG) or metal detectors or a shield protected bubble suit they could let me borrow I would be grateful. I'm even up for a trade if you are looking for something yourself... :)

How have you learned to navigate that which is called LIFE?

Thankful For...

Sometimes life deals some crappy hands - you know, the kind that make you want to quit playing poker because you know you can't bluff your way thru.

Sometimes life gives you a bowl full of lemons - and no where near enough tequila to make it interesting.

But sometimes, just sometimes, the sun comes out and warms you with its rays. The clouds part, the birds sing and you can see beauty in the small things around you.

Sometimes, not matter what else is going on - good, bad or indifferent - nothing can ruin your good mood.

Today is that day.

My heart is full, my world is right and if I could give some to everyone who needed it...I would not run short. It's an amazing feeling that I'd forgotten it ever existed.

Over at Dysfunctional Mommy - she does a Thankful Thursday - that always makes me smile and remember to count my blessings (no matter how small) and even though it is only Tuesday - I feel the need to be thankful for all that is today.

• I'm thankful for the unconditional love the hub always amazes me with.
• I'm thankful for the ability to get up each morning and go to work, not everyone has that anymore.
• I'm thankful for the chance to hug my children each morning and each night and tell them just how much they mean to me.
• I'm thankful for friends who are there to eat wings and drink beer with when its been a week from hell.
• I'm thankful for the chance to witness humanity in its most amazing form each time I see this community pull together for one of its own.
• I'm thankful to be here when there were times I couldn't see past the moment.

What are YOU Thankful for?

Fuzzy Pink Cuffs

In honor of the upcoming Valentines Holiday I thought I would provide you with a little story about LOVE!



Once upon a time there lived a young man and a young woman very much in love.

They had a wonderful courtship, full of fabulous hotel suites, dressy parties and cleverly named drinks.

The young woman was madly in love with this handsome young man, so much so that she agreed to let him 'tie' her up with the fuzzy pink handcuffs purchased earlier that day.
It was a magical night.

Time passed, the couple grew older and still their loved continued, so they decided to make it official and said "I DO" in the presence of their friends and family.

The celebration was grand, good times had by all and at the end of the night the newly married husband pulled out the 'fuzzy pink cuffs' he had been saving for that 'special occasion.'

His new bride could not have been happier.

Time continued to creep past, babies were born, toddlers grew to young children, careers were built and soccer games attended. But one day while cleaning out the closet, the wife stumbled upon the long forgotten 'fuzzy pink cuffs' and thought...ooh, now wouldn't this be fun?!

She went about the rest of the day excited with anticipation until finally the time came for this long married couple to kiss goodnight and crawl into bed.

She waited until her husband was comfy and then leaned over to him and said in her most 'sexy' voice....
"Honey, can I tie you up?"

Without opening his eyes the husband said to her...
"You already put a ball and chain on me...isn't that good enough for you woman?"

Happy Valentines Day - I hope it's one to remember!!

How To....

It's no secret that I am a geek...I will openly deny it, but in truth, I am. I am also an avid fan of Google. Yes, the wonderful invention that is Google, the one I consult at least 500 times a day, the one that I beg work to hire to answer all my questions (so I can stop asking my coworkers - I just started a new job...I'm still allowed to ask questions) but no...there is no local google guru so instead, I spend my time directing my questions at the google gods.

There are many other options out there and if I cannot find what I need on Google (which is rare) I will venture into unfamiliar territory such as Ask or MSN search....neither of which make me as happy as Google.

All of this being said...have you ever noticed how many random questions can be asked - to which SOMEONE has answered them for all of us other searchers to find?

No?

Google has the amazing capability (sometimes not so amazing) of the auto fill in...as in, when I start typing a word into the search bar it starts providing me suggestions. Most of the time I like this feature because it gives me options I would otherwise not have thought of, but there are days I think "Seriously?? Someone consults google for THIS??"

How To:

1. How to Kiss. 66,600,000 results
2. How to get PREGNANT. 5,310,000 results
3. How to lose friends and alienate people. 2,550,000 results

I get the biggest giggle out of searching sometimes. Seriously people search how to "lose friends?" Why would you want to do this? And Kissing??? What ever happened to practicing with your pillow (not that I would know about that) and getting pregnant...um, yeah, I think I'll let that one slide because I'm convinced some people still don't know how that happens (hello lady with 18 kids.)

What has been the strangest thing you've Googled?

Indepenence

Little Miss came by her name honestly. She is very much my child and very much the hubs daughter...she is our own Little Miss Independent.

It was an evening like many others...dinner time had arrived and I got set to feed her some ravioli's.

As I hold up a spoon full, she pulls back and shakes her head NO. I tried to talk her into it to no avail and so I did what any self respecting mother would do and put the spoon in her mouth, convinced she would eat it, realize it was yummy and dinner would continue. She promptly spit it out.

So what do I do? How do I get my happy, just been bathed child to eat...Yes, that's right...I gave her the bowl, I gave her the spoon and went back to cooking dinner for the rest of the hungry, waiting family.

Did she eat? Yes, and then some....

Independence or stubbornness...do you get what you want?

Men Children

I love you daddy.

I love you too DQ - Burp

Awe mommy...daddy burped in my hair.

Ha ha, giggle giggle, ha ha

Mom, make him stop...it's not funny

Sure it is....you have BURP HAIR.

DAD - it's not funny, its gross.

ha ha, DQ has BURP hair.

Mom...he's looking at my burp hair, make him stop!

giggle giggle, burp hair...I think I can see it...come here and I'll wipe it off.

Dad you're so gross!

Ah, the joys of having more than one child in my house - the hub child and the daughter child!

Is your house this crazy or am I the lucky winner of such family love??

***Please excuse my mess...there are some changes going on behind the blog...it will be corrected shortly.

Fractional Friday - Simple

I've started this post a few hundred times in the last 12 hours and each one has been discarded because somewhere after the IT'S FRIDAY bit, I find I either go off into left field trying to avoid a topic of discussion or spill my guts to the whole wide world (www) - neither of which makes sense at this point in the game.

So instead - I will admit, this has been a week of 1sts and lasts for me and I am happy to see it come to a close. I am going to unplug for the weekend and just spend some time with my family and plan for whats next and next week, hopefully I will be back to my much more cheerful state of mind.

I hope you all have a GREAT weekend - you worked hard, you totally deserve a fun filled weekend, so GO HAVE SOME FUN!!!

The Troll

Dear Troll,

I was willing to let it go, walk away and that be it. But every time I turn around you take a digg. You want to digg...then fine, but you should know that for all the crap you talk about 'blogging' and what I do here, you need to realize that you're doing it.

Yes, that's right YOU! You assume I spend my time talking about you when in fact...um, I don't. You come here and hide in the shadows, lurk just beyond the martini glass and drink in every word I put here. You report it to those around you and fuel your theory that I'm a bad person, I'm a b**ch, or whatever you choose to say about me that day. Yeah, I know when you visit here - I know how long you spend here and what you read.

I could go on but there's no need. You're a troll and will always do as trolls do...lurk behind the Internet. Have fun reading this and if you ever decide you want to say something TO me instead of ABOUT me, I'll be around.

Not afraid to speak my mind...
~K

***This is intended not for the general population of lurkers out there, yeah you over there HI, if you have no idea what I'm talking about then its not you, but feel free to say say HI back...I don't bite! :)

Anger.

Red.

Pissed Off.

It's funny how my mood can go from exhausted and barely able to form a fully comprehensible thought to all of the above in mere seconds. Funny how, I was wallowing in my own pity with a cupcake one moment and sick to my stomach from the fury I felt in the next.

Drama has a funny way of finding you when you least expect it. Drama has a funny way of sneaking into your life when you are trying to avoid it.

Drama - you better hope you've got more than drama when you come knocking on my door, because it's not welcome in my home!

Chance it?

Do you play it safe or take a chance?

It was a question that stared at me from the screen on my computer - I tried not to pay attention to it and yet my mind could not escape its call, so I responded "depends on what you have to lose by chancing it & what you have to gain. Go with the one with the greatest reward!"

5:30 am - I find "play'n safe is for cowards, if your chance it, what really is there to loose?"

Innocently enough, it is just a question, yet it reveals so much about the people who comment, their personality, their attitudes.

Perhaps I am a coward - at least based on these standards. Being called a coward (even if not directly) stings, knowing there is a grain of truth to the words stings even more.

Coward or fool-guess it depends on the end result.

Do you take a chance or play it safe?