Friday, August 31, 2007

lame-o

i am highly uncomfortable today. the only thing worse than the first day after your first workout is the second day after your first workout when you are supposed to work out again. with all the sore muscles. and my triceps are jello. i suck. i have no upper body strength at all... maybe i really am a delicate flower! ha! pthbbt!

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

"personal trainer update" or "damn."

so ... after my new trainer left today, i went for a bottle of water. could hardly undo the lid. could barely lift it to my lips. almost fell down the stairs heading out to pick the girls up from school. i am WAAAAAAAAY less fit than i thought i was. seriously. he kicked my ass. but promises that in 2 weeks, i'll be starting to kick ass! as opposed to laying on the floor in the middle of my living room whining. :)

....THE NEXT DAY....

i won't lie to you - i'm a little stiff this morning. but not sore, so that's pretty great! i'm beginning to think i can do this! yay!

the rhythm is gonna get'cha

there's nothing like having The Girls back in school to demonstrate that my personal disciplines go to heck in handbasket over the summer! the regular practices of my day that keep me sane, keep the house running and ensure that i do all i've commited to do for other people fall into shambles. *sigh* i've been spending this week refinding my way...with moderate success. but today comes the big test... i am starting meeting with a personal trainer friend, who is going to whip me into shape. YIKES! i am equal parts excited and nervous, seeing as how his wife looked at me so pityingly when he & i made our first appointment. i think i may be getting into something i am unprepared for... ha! one day at a time, i guess...one foot in front of the other...

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

i killed james & lily

i am a bad secret keeper. terrible. i can't even keep my own secrets. i decide not to tell, to be discreet, and before you know it, i'm making grand announcements! doh! happy secrets are the worst! they bubble up in me like champagne! i guess i am a celebrater - i want to invite people into my joy and have a big, fat party.

so, with that in mind, you should all be very proud of me for my discretion and reserve. that's all.

Monday, August 27, 2007

consider it pure joy...

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! :)

oh, c'mon! you know i love The Girls - they are attached to my very heart! but there is something about seeing them happily ensconced in their respective classrooms and walking away knowing that i'm facing a day of peace & quiet, maybe even lunch out with my husband, that makes it oh, so sweet.

in addition to that, the goal of parenthood is to gradually release kids from your home into the world as secure & functional adults. first days of school are reminders of this, and are to be celebrated, not mourned!

now if you'll excuse me, i have some serious selfishness to engage in.

ha!

Friday, August 24, 2007

TGIS

thank goodness it's school!

only 3 sleeps, people! one more weekend, and then...SCHOOL DAYS! GLORIOUS, LIBERATING SCHOOL DAYS! we have met the teachers, bought the supplies, gotten new shoes, and all now even meg is chomping at the bit! oh, sweet school...

of course, talk to me in 3 weeks when kyra is crying over an hour & a half of homework (elementary school has gotten hardcore since i was a kid!) and meg is doing her homework half-assed because she is lazy, and i am trying to encourage them both while i do the dishes and sign permission slips and remind them to practice piano and answer the phone simultaneously. the hours between 4:30 & 7:30 are my least favorite/most stressful of the school year.

but lets not go there yet - 3 SLEEPS TIL SCHOOL!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

the whimsy continues

so, it's been awhile since i had the time & presence of mind to post something of intellectual merit here... but then again, i figure the rest of the world is drowning you in things you need to think about, and so what's wrong with a little whimsy? like fork bracelets, and alpaca poop! :) and now, a story brought to us by yahoo "news".

apparently, realestate is very expensive in russia, promting couples who have divorced each other to continue living together. and one such couple recently found that wasn't working out so well. so, one night, while the ex-husband was sitting, NAKED, on the couch drinking vodka, the ex-wife lit his penis on fire. ha! tell me that doesn't make you chuckle a little!

#1 - how horrible would it be to be subjected to your ex in that manner - naked & drunk on your couch!?!

#2 - how drunk do you have to be not to notice that someone is lighting your crotch on fire!??!

#3 - is there any way this is not a justifiable crime!!??

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

the world could use more whimsy


i bought a bracelet from a man who makes sterling silver bracelets (and many other things!) from forks. it is suprisingly stunning. i think you should go look at them!

also, i am home from portland. i had a big time! and i desperately need a nap.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

the continuing saga

...like sands through the hourglass, these are the days of my life...

those of you who've been travelling this jourey with me will appreciate this - i leave tomorrow morning to visit mark & tina for a big time! i will spend 4 days with them in oregon (apparently a lovely state). this is the sort of thing you could write a movie about. i will have to be sure to pack my notebook....

i will fill you all in on tuesday, ok?

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

damn

it is so hard to maintain any sort of healthy self-esteem in this culture.

a blessing & a curse

last night my friend, sarah, and i walked from my house to kroger (about 2 miles one way). i stuck my bank card in my pocket so i could pick up a couple of bottles of wine for a dinner party i'm having tonight... figured i'd save myself a trip out today. so i go to pay for said wine, and the cashier asks for i.d. i only had my bank card, no wallet, no i.d. they refused to sell it to me. they said i looked "young". now on the one hand, sort of flattering, right? but on the other, i am an entire DECADE past 21...there is no way i look less than 21! i would even give you mid-twenties, but .... come on! what the heck! i was so frustrated...poor sarah! at every break in our conversation on the way home i broke into venting at lame & stupid kroger. *sigh* so now i have to load up The Girls (who are both in their rooms on "break" for fighting right now) and take them k-roger... i frankly, i just don't have the patience. but i also don't have the choice. of course, i could forget the wine, but that's no fun at all! :)

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

oh. my. gosh.

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!look what my crazy brother did! but hey - at least my ass looks great! ha!

Monday, August 13, 2007

question of the day!

i have decided to create a "200 mile" list. this is going to be a list of people or events wherein if they are within 200 miles of where i am, i will move heaven and earth to go see them/it. so far, my list is kirk franklin (who i would have to see in concert, since i am not actually his close personal friend...yet.). not a long list, but i have to be selective, or everyone will end up on my list!

who would be on your list? bring on the comments!

Saturday, August 11, 2007

the (right?) questions

so the last few days i've been at the leadership summit - and it's like drinking from a fire hydrant. my brain is tired!! to be honest i am overwhelmed, as i've been trying to find my footing again, heading into the fall. i was really hoping the summit would be a proverbial 'shot in the arm', but (as good thinking does) it raised more of the right questions than handed out all the "right" answers. typically, this is the kind of thing i love - but i can't deny i was looking foward to a couple of easy answers.

how like life...i think you and i are sometimes too tired/busy/anxious/blind to dig into the difficult questions and take appropriate steps to reorder our lives. i can say with certainty i am. left to drift on my own, without giving time or energy to the real questions that drive my heart, i am easily distracted from my real purpose by all the fun & frivolous things in my world. these are (obviously!) not bad things, but if i give my whole life to them, i am wasting my inner resources.

my brother, jordan vincent, in one of his poems writes, "i am burning my personal electricity by leaving my light on for you"... i have decided to start asking myself more honestly - where am i burning my personal electricity? am i leaving the lights on when no one is in the room, as it were?

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

the inevitable

it never fails - give my mom and i more than 2 days together, and we end up with bags full of goodies from the mall. we never pay full price, mind you, and i often go months without indulging in new clothes or what have you, but my mom brings out my inner shopper in ways that i can't explain. maybe it's a function of what the sales lady said yesterday when she found out we were mother & daughter... "really? when i look at you i see friendship..." how lovely. she saw us, and saw our friendship - which is genuine and deep. maybe it's that she gets my taste in shoes and why i need a longer silver chain (for everyday use) and replacement pants (the zipper won't stay up & the belt loop is ripped on my favs). maybe it's because i know if i really, really wanted something outside of my price range she would probably chip in half. :) whatever the reason, we are shopping buddies. let the good times roll!

gimme a break....

my folks are here, life is crazy... the blog is on vacay...

Sunday, August 05, 2007

sunday morning....

let me extol, for a moment, The Crumpet. i realize most of you have never heard of, never mind eaten, a crumpet, but, oh, you should. i grew up eating them, and haven't been able to find them south of the border - they are a british food, i guess. but somehow, my wily mother was able to put her hands on some, and brough them with her this week, and i just had my first crumpet in years. "...and rachel ate it, and it was good."

get thee a crumpet, people!

Friday, August 03, 2007

a friday blessing

may happy hour rise up to meet you
may the traffic always be at your back
may the weekend shine warm upon your face
may soft rain fall only when you are not at the beach
and, until it's monday again,
may you have not a thought or worry of work at all.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

sneaky sneaky!

man, it's august! the 1st slipped right past me, and here i am, already breathing on august 2nd! this has the makings of an excellent month: my parents are coming to visit, our 13 anniversary is this monday, the leadership summit (remember? with kirk franklin and marcus buckingham?) is next weekend, i am going to see mark on the next weekend, then it is the first day of school! phew! talk about a lot going on! all the good stuff of life... although, may i put on my "mom hat" for a moment and point out this is kyra's last year of elementary school???? what the heck!?!? how does that happen?? i am still young, right?! :) i am fully unprepared to discuss the middle school things... eep! boys and puberty and all the rest.... oh dear.... i am somewhat relieved that she is the oldest though. it will be easier to cope with her than with meg, who is lovely, but fierce already at the tender age of 7!

anyhoo, welcome to august! suck the marrow from the waning days of summer! burn your shoulders, eat watermelon outside, make a last trip to the beach, sit on your porch and watch the fireflies bob in the grass...

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

turning the corner

Two cows are standing in a field. One of them says to the other, "Have you heard of this mad cow disease?"
"Of course, why do you ask?" replies the second cow.
"Doesn't that worry you?" says the first.
"Why should that worry me? I am a helicopter."

i am sorry - that made me laugh! so i inflict it on all of you...

my brother thinks my blog is too depressing lately, and he's not wrong. so today we are turning a corner...and the key to attitude adjustment is gratitude, so here is a little thank therapy! i am thankful for (in no particular order)....
  1. a husband who loves me after 13 years! and i am ... mmm.... complicated sometimes.
  2. The Girls - healthy, smart, beautiful, kind, loving & lovely
  3. i have a plethora of real friends - not just "hihowareya" friends, but genuine people who love me, whom i love
  4. my brothers, whom i adore
  5. my cat holidae who purrs on my chair
  6. music
  7. my home in NC - it's like living in eden, and my acutal home is more than i ever thought we'd own
  8. freedom to be able to stay at home with The Girls and still pay the bills
  9. my hammock
  10. my mom
  11. coffee in the morning
  12. i am healthy and strong
  13. the birds on my feeder
  14. the mailman
  15. God who loves me
  16. technology that keeps me in touch with my peeps
  17. airplanes
  18. wonders of modern medicine - tylenol, allegra, et al
  19. turtles & deer in my yard
  20. naps