Y’all.  Y’ALL.  I had several people tell me how awesome it is, how I would wish I’d done it years ago.  And guess what?  I TOTALLY WISH I’D DONE IT YEARS AGO.  In addition to the cost (which is admittedly substantial), I was mostly worried about silly things, like being required to keep my eyes closed for 4 hours after the procedure (not a problem, thanks to the Xanax AND Valium they gave me beforehand, ZZZ) having to keep up with multiple sets of eye drops, and being able to see well enough to drive myself back home (90 miles) by the next day.  But in the end, none of that was a big deal at all (well, except the money but WORTH IT).

I may sound like a cheesy-ass ad but seriously.  I’ve worn contacts for 25 years, glasses for a couple of years beyond that.  I walked into that operating room unable to see the big E without corrective lenses.  I had high myopia and required about a -7.5 corrective diopter to see, at best, 20/30-ish.  My vision was about 20/400 uncorrected.  That is not good.  Impressive in its crappiness, actually, especially when you consider it’s been that bad since I was about 10 years old.

But now I see 20/15 in both eyes.  Better than “normal” visual acuity of 20/20.  I can’t even begin to tell you how cool it is to open my eyes in the morning and SEE.  EVERYTHING.  I can see in the shower!  I can fall asleep to the TV without worrying about my glasses!  I’ve never known what that was like.

It is AWESOME.

Tiny Little Smartass

I believe I’ve mentioned how Misty/Miss T (am still trying to give these new names a chance, perhaps it would be easier if I wrote more often) is cute but evil.  In yet another example of the child’s disturbing cleverness, yesterday N was playing Wii so that she could watch.  But then she got tired of Super Mario 3.

Misty:  I want to play a different game.  I want to play a different game.

N:  [says nothing; continues to play]

Misty:  I want to play a different game.  I want to play a different game.

N:  [still says nothing; continues playing]

Misty:  I want to play a different game.  I want to play a different game!  I! Want! To! Play! A! Different! Game!

Me: [in the kitchen, unsure as to whether N is purposely ignoring her or is so deep in the zone that he truly doesn't hear, but either way I am slowly being driven crazy whether he is or not]  MISTY.  That is ENOUGH.  We HEAR YOU.

Misty:  But I want to play a different game.  I want to play a different game!  I want to play a different game!

Me:  Say it again.  Say it ONE MORE TIME, and you’ll sit in time out.  [meaningful glare]

Misty:  [sweetly and deliberately]  Daddy, can you please put in another game?

A New Purchase

Though I did love my BMW X5 and for the most part I enjoyed owning and driving it, we decided to let it go and get something a bit more practical.  We’d had the X5 in the shop no less than four times since purchasing it a year ago, and between the constant threat of major mechanical problems and ever-rising gas costs, it began to feel rather like an albatross.

So we took it down to the local Toyota dealership and they offered us a good deal.  Now we’re rocking a 2011 Prius.  It isn’t flashy, it isn’t fast, but it is a smooth, dependable ride and quite frankly the potential gas savings make me a little weak in the knees.

N and I plan to trade off driving it, but I’ve been back behind the wheel of our old faithful 4Runner for a couple days now and honestly, I’m completely fine with that.  I loved that 4Runner from the second I got behind the wheel for a test drive back in October of 2001 and there was a part of me that always felt I’d betrayed it by buying the X5 in the first place.

It might sound silly, but now I think we’ve returned to the natural order of things.  I belong behind the wheel of that old stellar blue pearl (NOT PURPLE) 4Runner, not a snobby, stuffy, tank-like X5.  Turns out I wasn’t much of a BMW gal after all.

Cubicle Farms

I’ve been working in my current cube for 3 years now and while I’m generally not bothered by ambient office noise, the lack of privacy provided by 5.5-foot walls does get irritating.  Particularly when I’m in the midst of a deadline or trying to work on a complex budget.  My cube also happens to be at the end of a row at a rather high-traffic area, so people are walking back and forth all day long.

But a week from tomorrow, all that changes.  Because I’m moving into a new cubicle.  And it has eight-foot walls and a sliding door with frosted privacy glass.  A DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR.  With a lock even!  I am so excited!

There’s also a ton more desk space, lots of storage and several magnetic dry-erase boards.

Oh, and did I mention the door?  This new cubicle has a door.

(Seriously!  A DOOR!!)

The End

You’ve reached it.

N.

I know!  All that to end up right back where we started, but I think it is for the best.**  Lex and Misty are here to stay, though.  They don’t get veto power because they don’t have access to my blog.

Segue!!

I got the monthly analytics report just now, and while I had opened this window with the intention of writing a couple of movie reviews I thought this might be more fun.  Or a easy post for the lazy.  However you prefer to look at it.  So anyway, what were some of the Google searches that brought people to my little corner of the web during July?  I thought you’d never ask.

“best soccer scenes in non-soccer movies” – This, gentle readers, is a very specific thing to be searching for with Teh Google, is it not?  And frankly, it’s something I’ve never given much thought…hmm.  The only movies involving soccer that I can come up (without cheating) are  Bend it Like Beckham (definitely a soccer (football) movie, and a good one at that), Kicking & Screaming (which is funnier than I thought it would be but again, entirely revolves around soccer)…and, um….Ladybugs (which I am ashamed – for so many reasons – to admit that I have seen more than once).  Beyond that, I can’t even think of any soccer movies (although for a minute I was all oh! Invictus! but no, that’s about rugby), much less any non-soccer movies that have a good soccer scene.  I realize why the word “soccer” brings so many people to this site and I was really hoping that maybe I had something movie-related to offer this person, but no.

“drop it as though its hot” – Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t it actually ‘drop it LIKE it’s hot’?  Although I suppose if you are truly concerned with proper syntax, ‘drop it as though it is hot’ would be closer to accurate use of the English language.  Either way, ‘its’ is possessive, ‘it’s’ means IT IS.  Come on, people.  IT’S not that hard.

“how was your day” – Okay, who googles this?  No, I’m really asking.  Who?

“what did my rock candy not crystallize yet?” – I’m so sorry, Mystery Googler.  I hope you were able to eventually find the answer to your oddly-worded question, because lo, you did not find it here.

and finally, the strangest one of the lot (this month, anyway):

“bizarro y zoo” – I don’t even know.  Maybe my Spanish skills are rustier than I thought, but doesn’t this mean that someone was searching for bizarre AND zoo?   Hmm.  I’m actually a little afraid to think too hard about what kind of unique zoo this person may be seeking.

*I really, REALLY suck at coming up with titles, and also I hate it, so from now on if I can’t easily come up with something I’ll default to the same system as used to name tropical storms.

** Hey!  I could have used this system to figure out a name for N!  If I jump to the 2011 N name on that list it just so happens to be a guy’s name.  Huh.  Maybe I’ll do that after all.

• I’m taking a 5-week class that isn’t going very well so far.  The instructor (a PhD student, mind you) didn’t even post the syllabus until the third day of class, and she’s been equally slackerish in terms of posting each reading assignment.  Not a great feature in someone who is teaching a short summer session, and it’s easy to see from the discussion boards that I’m not the only frustrated student.  She’s giving approximately 24 hours for us to read the articles and do each assignment which doesn’t work so well for those of us who, I don’t know, HAVE JOBS and KIDS and LIVES.  In short, if my GPA is tarnished because of this woman I am going to be most irritated.
• A few days ago, N wrote a lovely tribute to AE’s first daycare provider.  I bawled like a baby when I read it, just like I did the day we had to leave Nonnie behind.  A wonderful lady, and we were so lucky to have her in our lives, no matter how briefly.
• I’ve been feeling generally crappy for several days now.  It started out with full body aching, like the flu, but now I wake up every morning feeling as if I have a hangover (no) and my right ear buzzes whenever I talk or Miss T raises her voice too high.  It’s really bizarre and quite frankly I don’t have time for this shit so body, take note.  PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER.
• The kids start swimming lessons on Tuesday, and fortunately they only last for two weeks because N and I foolishly disregarded the fact that we had also paid for Miss T’s summer gymnastics lessons that are at the exact same time on Wednesdays.  Oops.
• This is really boring, I’m sorry about that.
• AE spent all of last week at my parent’s house in The Swamp, and we met them at Frazier’s on Sunday afternoon to get him back.  (Side note: and now I’m laughing because if you google Frazier’s Concrete Heaven, this post at N’s blog is the third search result.)  Anyway, within 10 minutes of getting AE home, he accidentally smashed his sister in the face with a Wii controller which resulted in a bloody nose and many many tears from almost every member of the family.
• It is really effing hot outside, a fun fact about this region of Texas that I always seem to forget during the winter.  “I’m so cold,” I’ll say, “I can’t wait until summer!”  Then early June rolls around (which is NOT SUMMER YET, by the way) and it is already 100 degrees outside and then I’m all “It’s so damn hot!  Come on December!”  Sigh.  I think I may be better suited to more temperate climates.
• Oh tiny baby Jesus in his tiny little manger, this is the worst post I have written in recent memory.  THE END.

It started last week.  N and I often take Miss T and the dog for a short walk in the evenings, just around the block.  Our route brings us back through a church parking lot.

We’ve walked this route a zillion times, with no drama whatsoever.  So we’re walking along the normal way, moseying through the parking lot.  Totally innocent, me pushing the stroller, N holding the leash, when suddenly I notice that my shadow has an accompanying bird-shaped one.  That seems to be awfully close to my head.  I glance over and see a mockingbird, just sort of…hovering nearby.  Is that bird following me? I asked N.  I think it is, he replied.  Weird, I said.  Nothing else happened, we kept walking, and I forgot all about it.

Until the next night, when we reached the same point in the parking lot.  The bird had apparently decided to up the ante and FLY DIRECTLY AT MY HEAD.  My reaction was of course to shriek and run away as fast as I could in flip-flops while pushing a stroller (hint: NOT FAST).  It chased me for a few seconds, then flew off.  After my heart rate returned to normal (and N stopped laughing), we headed home.  The rest of our walk was completely uneventful.

I of course posted on Facebook about it and was laughing about it at work the next day.  Suggestions from my friends and coworkers ranged from “take a different route” to “carry a BB gun with you next time”.  One friend suggested that I take a tennis racket along.  That’s how I got rid of the bat in my house, he advised.  Well, I don’t own a BB gun and I may be wrong, but I am fairly certain it is illegal to kill a mockingbird in Texas.  It is the state bird, after all.  (And if you are wondering why we don’t just go for a walk elsewhere – the dog is very old, dumb and set in her ways.  We’ve tried, and it isn’t worth the effort.)  Not to mention, this is totally stupid.  IT IS JUST A LITTLE BIRD.

So.  By night #3 I am very paranoid.  N’s laughing as I look around frantically and glance over my shoulder every few seconds, searching for my attacker.  At first I thought I was safe.  We saw a mockingbird chasing and chattering angrily at a grackle nearby.  That has to be your friend, N said.  I agreed, and figured it was otherwise occupied and we could make it.  WRONG.  I took one last glance over my shoulder and saw it coming at me full speed.  HERE IT COMES! I screamed, taking off toward the house.  N followed more slowly, since he was too busy laughing his ass off to try and keep up.  THANKS FOR THE HELP, DEAR.  Also, I would like to commend our useless dog for NOT EVEN NOTICING that one of her owners was about to be assaulted by a psychotic bird.

The night after that, we didn’t have time to go for a walk and last night the bird was nowhere to be seen (and believe me, I WAS LOOKING), so I thought it had forgotten about me.

I felt secure enough to walk the dog by myself tonight, although I did comment on it as we left.  You’re testing to see if the bird will come back, aren’t you? I asked N.  He laughed, and we both figured it had completely forgotten.

I really thought I was safe.  I made it almost totally through the danger zone, the point where it had appeared the previous three times.  I had my headphones in, so I couldn’t hear flapping.  Then suddenly I felt like I was being watched.  Slowly, I turned around to look and THERE IT WAS OH MY GOD YOU GUYS IT WAS FLYING RIGHT AT MY HEAD I DON’T THINK I HAVE EVER BEEN SO TERRIFIED IN MY LIFE.

That parking lot is a meeting place for the local Boy Scout troop and I’m very glad they didn’t have anything going on tonight because I screamed at the top of my lungs and took off at top speed.  The dog was all I DON’T KNOW WHY WE’RE RUNNING BUT OKAY!  WE’RE RUNNING! as she sped along beside me.  We made it out of that parking lot in record time, with me shrieking all the way.

I don’t have a clue what I did to this bird, or why it picked me of all people.  This may very well be the most idiotic situation I’ve ever been in.  And one time I did this.

But before we really get to that point, I have to:

• write a letter giving Mom permission to seek medical care for the kids and get it notarized
• make copies of our insurance cards
• notify both kids’ schools that my mom will be the only available emergency contact for that week
• compile a list of doctor/dentist/vet phone numbers and other contact info to leave at the house for Mom
• do a ton of laundry (apparently being done with class for the semester has made me lazy. I’ve done NOTHING of value for days now.)
• take N’s sport coat to the dry cleaners and get him some new dress pants
• set out AE’s baseball clothes and instructions to the fields, since poor Nonna will have to take him to at least 2 post-season tourney games
• brave the attic to find the garment bag, which hasn’t been used in ages and is probably now a bird nesting spot
• actually begin to pack

Fortunately, I have already:

• bought two swimsuits and two pair of flip-flops for myself, along with some shorts and shirts for N

So, you know.  There’s that.

In other news:

• I am furiously checking myASU to see if maybe final grades have been posted.  I know they won’t be until early next week and yet I cannot stop.  I need to know what I made in statistics, dammit!
• My car is in the shop.  Again.  I don’t even know what to say at this point.  Anyone in the market for a 2007 BMW X5 with undetermined mechanical problems?
• We’re going to a wedding next Saturday that starts at 10:30 in the morning.  I don’t have a clue what  you wear to a wedding at that time of day.
• AE has a project due on Monday.  We’re supposed to build a polar bear habitat.  We’ve known about it for WEEKS and have yet to start.  Procrastination, FTW!
• I got a Dyson vacuum recently and I LOVE it.  Vacuuming is the one household chore that I actually enjoy so I figured it was worth a splurge and thankfully I was right!
• Both of my children are being incredibly annoying today.  Or I am incredibly impatient.  Probably a little of both.  Either way, they need something (AGAIN) so I better wrap up the world’s most boring post.

Anyway, I had a lovely Mother’s Day.  During which I went to see a movie by myself, for the first time in a very long time.  And of course I chose to see Fast Five.  Because why the hell not, you know?  My favorite kind of movie – fast-paced action with little thinking required -  which is of course N’s very least favorite.  And quite frankly I prefer to watch them without him and all of his various disparaging remarks, although I have to wonder if he knew he was missing out on the opportunity to obnoxiously say “Damn! That’s ludicrous!” every time Ludacris appeared onscreen, as he is wont to do.

So, I really liked it!  I know, we are all shocked.  But I did!  More than any of the others in the series, even (especially Tokyo Drift, which I don’t even count as part of the series since it is truly appalling in its horribleness). First of all, Rio is a great movie backdrop, and now I want to go there even more than I already did.  And I have yet to see a Vin Diesel movie that I didn’t enjoy (yes, even The Pacifier, shut up), even though my husband and all of my friends say this is indicative of some sort of Problem.  (Maybe there is a support group? Hi, my name is Nonsoccermom and I unapologetically love Vin Diesel movies.)

And I also love movies with Dwayne Johnson.  I didn’t even realize he was in this one, so bonus!  There was a particularly awesome fight scene between him and Vin Diesel that made the entire movie worthwhile for me.  Possibly this also indicates some sort of bizarre disorder, but what can I say?  I love a kick-ass fight scene.

Car chase/street racing scenes are a favorite too, and of course those were abundant.  The climax of the movie (which I will not spoil for you) contains one of the best I have seen in quite a while.  N would have scoffed at the questionable realism, but fortunately was not there so I was free to enjoy without judgment.  I am clearly able to suspend my (limited) knowledge of physics when required for movie-watching so lack of plausibility doesn’t bother me in the slightest.

Jordana Brewster is gorgeous and exotic, and Paul Walker is pretty too but maybe it would be best if he just left the “acting” to his co-stars.  You know it’s bad when Vin Diesel is putting in a superior performance, is what I’m saying.

The only thing that even kind of bothered me about the entire movie was that you could tell the violence and language had been scaled back to get a PG-13 rating.  Not that I’m saying I enjoy a lot of blood, guts and sailor-worthy language in my action flicks but- actually, maybe that is exactly what I’m saying.  Hmm.

Either way, overall, Fast Five was a really fun ride and something I look forward to seeing again.  Possibly even purchasing on Blu-ray.

SUPER EXTRA-BONUS REVIEW-LET OF DATE NIGHT, WHICH N AND I GOT FROM NETFLIX A FEW WEEKS AGO:

Hi-freaking-larious.  And Mark Wahlberg without a shirt, so major win.  See it now, if you haven’t already.  NOW.

Why are you still here?

Anyhow, I’ve been surviving as a single parent for the last several days while my husband is off playing local celebrity.  And quite frankly, I am exhausted.  I have a deep, profound respect for people who do this all the time because I am simply wiped out.  Miss T is…high energy, to say the least.  I could turn my back on toddler AE for whole minutes at a time without fear that he’d mortally injure himself or one of the pets.  Not so much with the little one, not to mention her propensity for running away and/or thrashing wildly when she doesn’t want to go somewhere or do something I’ve asked.  Parenting her at this age is very physical, is what I’m saying.  I need a nap.

I don’t really have anything of huge interest to report, just busy as usual. Let’s see…

• I made 100 on my first statistics test (whee!) and if the posted grade distribution is any indication I was one of just a few to destroy the curve.  Sorry, online classmates that I will never meet!  (But not really, because 100, bitches!)

• I have decided that N and I need to take a vacation this summer in celebration of our 10th (!) anniversary, so I’ve been searching for one that meets my very specific qualifications of A) passport required and B) tropical locale.  We’ll see what happens – N’s not really enamored of  the beach (and truth be told, I hate sand too but want to go someplace warm) and I don’t want to spend a ton of money, but we’ve got a bunch of airline miles saved up so that should give us some flexibility.  Plus, N is a master of finding awesome travel deals so I’m hopeful that we’ll find something fun without breaking the bank.

• Miss T is still working on certain aspects of potty training, and I am attempting to bribe her.  If she poops in the potty instead of her pants, she’ll get a sticker.  If she saves up five stickers, I’ll buy her a new My Little Pony.  I have little to no faith that this will actually work, but it certainly can’t make things worse.

• Evidently there was broccoli of questionable decency in the veggie tray I bought for my office Food Day on Friday, and as soon as the tray was opened we all nearly died of the stench.  I took it outside and threw it into the grass almost immediately but it was too late.  In what can only be described as Broccoligate, the smell had already permeated the entire building and had people talking about “that horrible smell” all day long.  I am sorry, coworkers, but this is not my fault.  For once, I actually did NOT buy the “manager’s special” tray with an imminent expiration date.  That broccoli should have been good at least through the weekend, so I refuse to claim responsibility for this.  Of course, that doesn’t matter because now I am the office pariah, known only as “the woman who brought the disgusting broccoli and nearly gassed us all”.  Lucky me.

• AE was picked as “Kid of the Week” for his after-school program, so that means he gets to go have lunch at a local restaurant with some of his counselors on Wednesday.  He’s pretty excited about it, and I’m very proud of him.  When I picked him up on Friday they told me how much they enjoy kids like AE – quiet, respectful and obedient.  Nice to know that at least one of my kids can be described with those words.

• I’m supposed to have jury duty tomorrow, and I am really hoping that when I call tonight the automated courthouse voice tells me that I don’t have to come.   Last time I had it, I was forced to make the 20-minute drive then stand around for over an hour before being dismissed.  Not that either of those things is a huge inconvenience but quite frankly, if I am going to be dismissed anyway then I’d rather save myself the trouble.

• My birthday is in less than 3 weeks, so maybe I should bring my “stuff I want” page up-to-date…you know, in case anyone wants to buy me things.  Particularly shiny ones.

*Not really (and I am pleased to report that I have successfully toasted at least five items in a row without flames), but I once read somewhere that screaming FIRE! is the best way to garner attention.  So there you go.

But that’s boring.  On to more interesting things!

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT!

For the first time in a really long time, I had occasion to go see the Aggies play football.  I may live in town, but honestly can’t remember the last time I went to a game.  It may have been my senior year – many, many moons ago.  More moons than I actually care to discuss.  But the opportunity presented itself, so go I did.  My sister and her boyfriend came into town too, and we had a lot of fun.  It helped that the game started at 6 p.m., so it wasn’t 385734098 billion degrees outside, which was really best for all involved.  Being hot and sweaty makes me cranky.

To me, the most awesome part of any Aggie football game is watching the band march.  Because to be honest, I have some sort of brain deficiency that prevents me from understanding how the game is played.  (Also, I do not care, which is probably most of the problem.)  But nothing – absolutely NOTHING – beats our band.  Greatest thing ever, hands down.  Makes those ridiculously expensive tickets worth every penny.

Fine, I see how it is

Today at work we were getting a pretty awesome thunderstorm courtesy of Tropical Storm Hermine, when suddenly my section’s zone proctor (yes) (don’t ask) announced that we were under a tornado warning and it was time to shelter in our designated area.  Since the last time we had a similar situation I got my ass handed to me for moving too slowly (in what is now known around the office as The Great Fire Drill Debacle of 2010) (again, do not ask), you can bet that I was the first one out of my cube and down the hall.

However, I must say:  WTF, Workplace?  Why is the designated shelter area for Zone 4 the only one without four walls and a door, not to mention the only one in FULL VIEW of the floor-to-ceiling windows that make up our building’s exterior walls?  The only conclusion I can reach is that those of us unfortunate souls zoned to this group are considered expendable by upper management.  And here I thought I was a valuable employee.

We’re so proud

I picked AE up from school this afternoon and he greeted me with Very Exciting News!

AE: Guess what?!  I lost another tooth today!

Me: That’s great!

AE: Yeah, it fell out during the tornado warning when I bit David on the butt.

Me: …

AE: [laughing hysterically]

Me: Um.  I’m not sure I really want to know, but why did you bite David on the butt?

AE: Well, we were playing this game where we were pretending to be dogs and-

Me: STOP.  JUST STOP RIGHT THERE.

AE: [laughing hysterically]

Me: So did you tell your teacher what caused you to lose a tooth?

AE: [stops laughing]  No, I figured I better leave that part out.

Me: Good call.

]]> http://www.nonsoccermom.com/2010/09/07/todays-headlines/feed/ 1 http://www.nonsoccermom.com/2010/07/12/a-conversation-with-my-mother/ http://www.nonsoccermom.com/2010/07/12/a-conversation-with-my-mother/#comments Tue, 13 Jul 2010 02:50:53 +0000 NonSoccerMom http://www.nonsoccermom.com/?p=327 Because sometimes they are almost as amusing as conversations with my kids.

Scene: My cubicle at the office, around 10 a.m.  My mom called to ask a question.

Mom: I’m sorry to bother you at work, but I need to know what that thing is called that my friends gave me at my retirement party.

Me: That wine tasting cup?  I have no idea.  Why?

Mom: Yeah, that.  I’m trying to write thank you notes and want to refer to it by name.  Didn’t someone call it something that started with an s?  Somm-something?

Me: Sommelier?  That’s not the cup, that’s the guy that uses it.

Mom: Are you sure?  Then what’s the other thing called?

Me: I don’t know, why don’t you just call it a wine tasting cup?

Mom: Because I want to know what it is really called.

Me: Fine.  Let me google it.  [hoping my nearby coworkers are enjoying their impromptu wine lesson]  Here we go, it’s a Tastevin.

Mom: A what?

Me: It’s pronounced taht-VAHN.

Mom: Okay…how do you spell that?

Me: T-A-S-T-E-V-I-N.

Mom: T-A-S-T-B-I-N.

Me: No!  T-A-S-T-EEEEEEEE-V-as-in-Victor-I-N.  [acutely aware that at least 6 people can clearly hear my end of the conversation]

Mom: T-A-S-T-V-I-N.

Me: [getting annoyed]  Mother!

Coworker with adjoining cubicle: [unable to keep from laughing any longer]

Me: You do realize that my coworkers can hear me and probably now think I am insane.

Mom: Oops. [laughing]  I’m sorry!  One more time.

Me: Taste.  Vin.  V-I-N.

Mom: Oh!  So like you’re tasting wine.

Me: [bangs head against desk]

Over Memorial Day weekend, N and I went to Baltimore for his college roommate’s wedding.  We hadn’t seen a lot of his friends in years (since the last one of them got married in San Antonio five years ago, probably), so it was nice for N to get the chance to catch up.  He hung out with them both nights we were there, leaving me alone in a hotel room.  Which was fine, I’m certainly capable of entertaining myself (which in this case consisted mainly of watching TV and tweeting about having forgotten to pack pajamas).

Unfortunately I also forgot to pack a necklace for the wedding, which bothers me every time  I look at this picture.  Oh well.

The reception venue was very pretty, the appetizers were yummy and the wine was free-flowing.  So even though I don’t know most of N’s high school/college buddies very well (and was the only wife in attendance) I still had a nice time.  Beyond the wedding, we managed to sneak a little sight-seeing into a very quick, but quite enjoyable trip.

Then I had a few days to recover before the very next weekend, when it was time for another wedding.  My brother-in-law (Bill) got hitched in League City, Texas.  N was the best man, AE was one of the ring bearers and Miss T was a flower girl, so everyone got the chance to get all dressed up.

AE is not happy about having his wee sister on his lap at the rehearsal.  “Can we please go now?”

After a while, Miss T was done with the rehearsal too, and as you can see was being difficult when it came to having her picture  made.  It is not easy to hold that kid when she wants to be put down.

Personally, I think my kids were the cutest little wedding attendants in the history of marriage, but it is possible I’m biased.

It was hotter than hell during the ceremony, but that may have just been a manifestation of my stress since I ended up wrangling children that did not belong to me.  As a general rule, I do not like other people’s kids.  And that is all I have to say about that.

There was plenty of dancing and it certainly seemed like everyone was having a good time.  Although at dinner I did discover my own personal version of hell:  children + rented and/or expensive clothing + chocolate fountain = GAH.  But in the end, all was well, and now I have a new sister-in-law.  Welcome to the family!

Ever since we made it home, I’ve found myself mired down in laundry and playing catch-up at work and just keeping up with life in general.  N and I are taking AE to Denver later this week, so the next few days will be spent getting prepped and ready for that.  Miss T will be spending that time with her beloved Nonna (my mother), but AE is actually in The Swamp at the moment so we’ll have to do the meet-and-swap some time before our flight out on Thursday afternoon.  Anyhoo, all that to say, I very likely won’t be updating again before we return from Denver, so see you on the flip side!