Anything But Gray

Today the Patriots play their first and hopefully not only, playoff game.
i am so nervous.

All of us are going to Chris and Danielle's to watch the game.
We made these plans last Sunday, Joey's birthday, when we all went to the movies.
After the movies we were hanging around outside, talking about getting together again and we were saying we couldn't do it next Saturday (today) because of playoffs. They said come over and watch the game.
I was like No…you don't want to be around me during a football game. I scream and yell and jump up and down and just basically make a spectacle of myself. They were like no, that's fine, come on up. Then I was like No..because we like to have control of the remote. They say we can have control of the remote. We say well, hell..then we are so there!

When we all went out to dinner on Thursday night, Chris and Danielle informed us how they have invited another couple and their little girl. Which is cool, until they tell me they are the enemy. They are JACKSONVILLE fans.
They so invited the ENEMY!
What were they THINKING??? I ask.
And they are laughing….they think this is the funniest thing ever.
I ask…do we still get control of the remote? And they say yes…
LOL
All is well in my world…

So this should interesting, to say the least….
Kim and Steve are not big football fans, but they are going to come too, so it's actually going to be a fun day, I think.

Except I'm stressed.
Worried.
A total bundle of nerves.
Ugh.

I need a valium. Or beer…

This football thing is getting so out of control….

Good Luck to the Patriots!!
GO MY TEAM!!!!!

I'll be back later…either disgustingly happy or completely pissed off….we'll see.
Oh and I'm rooting for Brett, Green Bay, for the first game….that'll be a nice diversion, for awhile….lol.

tah!

In Jaime's classroom they have the kids broken off into reading groups.
The are grouped by their reading levels.
On Tuesdays I volunteer in Jaime's classroom from about 9:15am until lunchtime, 12:30pm.
This Tuesday some of the kids were assessed on their sight words. These words are words they should know by looking at them, they shouldn't have to sound them out or anything. Once they get these sight words, they should improve their reading, obviously.
I assessed some kids and the student teacher assessed the rest of them. She assessed Jaime and Jaime got them all!!! Every one of them! 🙂
So the teacher decided to assess her reading and my little Miss Smarty Pants jumped about 5 levels in her reading!!!
She is now reading at a second grade level!!!
I AM SO FREAKIN' PROUD OF HER!!!!!

There are moments that I am so proud of her, I could just cry. lol.
This was one of those times….

The teacher says she is a good writer, too. And that is just going to make school so much easier for her, if she is good at reading and writing.
I am THRILLED for that little girl of mine and I just had to share!!

My birthday was a freakin' BLAST.

Think…hubby home for most of day.
Got my presents…
IPOD TOUCH FOR ME!!!!
Very cool! Freakin' LOVE it.
Tons of itunes cards…some scrapbook stuff that my awesome daughter picked out all by herself…and a Dremel. And a couple of bits (I have no idea if that's what you call them…ugh…lol) that will enable me to ETCH ON GLASS! I'm excited!!
Then later, Kim, my very awesome friend comes over with bottle of champagne AND a present!!
The Deanna Favre book that I have been DYING for!
Kim rocks…:-)
We drank champagne, went and got our toes done (my christmas present!) then she dropped me off back here.
Ceci was here (wasn't expecting her to be able to be out of work until 9pm, when we had already planned on being downtown) and she got me all the alcohol needed to make one of my favorite bar drinks…Jamaican 10 speed! So yummy.  And she got me a couple of scrapbooks and a note that made me cry…:-) She's so wonderful. JR too, the gifts were from him too.
She got me something else…I'll explain it more later…it's getting late tonight, but it's going to be SO awesome…
We did cake and ice cream and then we all left for downtown. (Kayla, because she's so awesome, watched the kids for us.)  Lindsay's parents were there waiting (we were so late…AGAIN..second time we've gone out with them and the second time we've been embarrassingly late) and then Kim and Steve showed up. AWESOME time!!
Even with me goin' all New Orleans on the place! ha!!
Gotta do it…it's like a tradition on my birthday and it makes me feel YOUNG!
HAHAHAHA!!

All in all a very fun and love filled day. I heard from almost everyone…
There is someone I would've liked to have heard from, that I didn't.
Someone that I'm a little worried about and hoping everything is okay with them…
I feel a little distant from them….and I'm missing them a lot.
They were preparing for some changes and I'm wondering how that is all going…
ugh..really, I just miss them.
They mean a lot to me and my heart feels a little heavy when I haven't heard from them in so long…(4 months….)

Anyway, here's a few pics of my fantastic day!

Oh AND you'll notice…Jaime got bangs!! She looks so stinkin' cute I can hardly STAND it!!

My birthday 2008 (11)

I love that Ben is looking at me in this pic…

My birthday 2008 (12)

They did so good, helping me open my gifts. lol

My birthday 2008 (17)

A better pic of Jaime's bangs….soooo cute!!

My birthday 2008 (28)

Even my own!!

It's gonna be a really fun day and I am excited. Jaime is still out of school for vacation and so we kept Ben home from daycare too. We're just gonna hang out today and then at 4:30pm Kim is coming over with CHAMPAGNE (god, I love her) and we're going to have a couple glasses, then go get our toes pretty (that was my Christmas present from her!) and then back here for cake and ice cream and more champagne and then downtown to a fun bar.
Ceci and JR will meet us down there, she doesn't get out of work until 9pm, that kinda stinks…wish she could be there the whole time..but I'll live.
Quite a few people are coming so it's not like I'll be sitting there alone waiting….

I'm excited!!!

I am dying to know what Zak got me, he's had it awhile…..before Christmas, I think.
Whoo-hoooo!!!!

Off to get ready for the day!!

It has been a crazy few days, but a very good kind of crazy.

For New Year's we took it easy, we didn't want to do anything super crazy because of my birthday on Friday.
If we had a totally crazy night, I wouldn't feel better until my birthday and I'm too busy this week for that.
It just takes too long to recover now…lol. So we kept it simple but wound up having a really fun night.
We took the kids over to Ryan and Janice's house and they had out of town guests that were really cool, so it was a fun night. The kids had a blast, as always. They all play so well together. Poor Jack wasn't feeling so hot and he went to bed and Ben kept asking for him "Where's Jack? Where'd Jack go??" lol It was really cute. It really amazes me how well Ben and Jack play together. My rambunctious, bull-in-a-china-shop 4 year old son actually plays very gently and calmly with Jack, who is 2. I love watching them play. And of course Jaime and Lindsay had a blast.
All in all, very mellow, very low key, but very, very fun. We left well before midnight and Zak and I rang in the new year with me sitting in a nice hot bubble bath, with champagne and candlelight and him hanging out with me, just talking.
Very cool!

And of course, because it is New Year's there are resolutions and thoughts on how this year will be better.
This is going to be a big year for us.
Many big changes.
We are hoping to move out of here and back home…
Obviously nothing is etched in stone, but the goal is by summer.
Moving is such a stressful thing and although the kids are very excited about it, I still worry about them adjusting.
And a part of me is very sad to leave the wonderful people here. (I'm talking about people outside of family…I don't even want to go there tonight, I'm in a good mood and thinking about leaving Ceci makes me miserable, so we'll save that for another day…)
Especially Kim. Her and I have become very close over the years and she is such a grounded, good influence for me.
She makes things make sense for me, she knows me so well and that's a good feeling….there is just a lot about my relationship with her that I really love and I know I am going to miss her a lot.
Danielle too. I am really glad that she has moved back to Juneau. I am thankful that she is here and I get the chance to get to know Joey and spend time with her, before we move.

On the other hand….as much as I know I will miss them and all the other people that matter to us, I have been spending the last 16 years missing my sister, the rest of my family and my friends, that bad too.
It's a weird feeling sometimes, to be so happy yet sad about the people you are leaving behind.
So I've been thinking of all that today, that's our major change for the year…

On a "me" level, I want to get  back into working out. I got sick in October and couldn't work out (because I couldn't friggin' breathe!!) and then I just got lazy and let it go. I want to get back to that. It's such a healthy thing, such a good thing that I don't want to let it slack. Not to mention, I'd like to have an ass that doesn't sag all the way to my frickin' knees..that'd be nice. Or saddlebags that you could carry a house in…that'd be good too. 🙂
ha!

And NO PROCRASTINATING!!!
If something needs to be done, do it.
By nature I am not one to procrastinate, but there are things that I will blow off and blow off and blow off. And then they hang over my head, stressing me out…and it's simple, stupid things. Like put something in storage. Or go through old magazines. Stuff like that…and this year I am getting it done!! Well, try to anyway!!

I have a few other things I want to be better about. I want be better about calling J. I have been terrible with that and I miss her a lot. I want to do more of my projects this year….
Just tons of stuff that I know I could make better and frankly I think life is good when you are striving everyday to make yourself better.
I just hope I can do at least SOME of these things! LOL

Happy, Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Now it's on to being excited about my BIRTHDAY, which is on Friday and I cannot WAIT!!
It's going to be a fantastic, wonderful day filled with family and friends!
More on that later…

It's getting late and I need to take a bath….and soak my totally sore butt because I worked out on New Year's Eve day and after not having done so in about 3 months…my butt hurts.
Bad.
ha!

YEAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!

HOLY F*CKIN' WOW!!!!!!!!

I am sitting here, drinking champagne from my anniversary champagne glasses….
CELEBRATING!

Celebrating what?

THE PATRIOTS WENT UNDEFEATED!!!!!!!!!

I am ELEATED!!!!!!!

Estatic…

AMAZED!!!!

CHECK US OUT!!!!!!!!

WE ARE UNDEFEATED!!!!

I am going to bed HAPPY!!!!!!

Wow…just holy freakin' wow…

Can we do it? Go all the way??

AHHHH!!!!!

oooooh!!!!!
I am SOOOO happy!!!!

I'm going to quote from my own blog….

"My hope…he'll add some concert dates after they get back from Europe at the end of July.

That's
what I was COUNTING on because he had no Boston dates yet, so I was
thinking when the band got back from Europe they'd hit a few more
cities in America..

I can still hope…."

I posted that on December 3rd, after I found out Bon Jovi was playing in Connecticut the week BEFORE I go back home for vacation.

Well TODAY my sister told me how they announced this (click the link below) on the radio station back home.

Bon Jovi in Boston

YES!!! YES!!!! YES!!!!!!

I will be living back home by then, I will BE ABLE TO GO TO THESE SHOWS!!!!!!!
Obviously, I'm seriously excited and happy.
Not that you can tell, but I do have a little reservation and I won't be truly overjoyed until the band actually announces these dates on their website. Because we all know how things can change….

I've already been stalking their website, hoping for them to add some dates in July and now I'll just go from checking it every other day or so to EVERY FREAKIN' MINUTE….lol.

I am HAPPY!!!!!

We had a fantastic day!!!
The kids love all their gifts and they really got into it this year….we could hardly keep up with them, they were opening gifts so fast!

I got really cool gifts from Zak. An awesome book that I really wanted, a new book from a series that I read, a dremel! (awesome for my craft stuff) and he saved the best for last….he made me a picture cd, with music and words and it's just amazing. It made me cry so bad. (I know…I know..what doesn't make me cry?.but really this was worthy of the tears!)  I think I'm going to try to post it on here, so I won't tell too much about it…but oh my gosh, it took my breath away. There were pictures on there that I haven't seen in years..just so many amazing memories….it's such an awesome gift. He did good!!!

My friend Kim gave me an awesome card. Totally made me cry AND she gave me a "coupon" for a pedicure with her on my birthday!! I don't know what I'm more excited about….the awesome card (that is going up on my "favorite cards I've ever gotten" bulletin board) or the fact that I get to hang out with her on my birthday! lol.

Our next door neighbors gave us a $50 gift card! I couldn't believe it! I pick their daughter up from school 2 days a week and her and Jaime hang out until her mom or dad get home. So not a big deal but they really appreciate it and wanted to show their appreciation..how good does that make us feel?? AWESOME!

I had seen a paperweight in a magazine. It was in the shape of a door and on the door is stamped "Another opens". Freakin' amazing! I so loved this thing. I tore a pic of it out of the magazine and hung it up, I liked it so much. I was also trying to figure out ways to make myself one…lol. Ceci got it for me!!!
I LOVE it!!!

J got me an absolutely beautiful silver box, engraved. "Soulmates Je t'aime, mon amie"
We used to call each other that, all the time…mon amie…it means my friend in French. We still do, on occasion.
I love that box…:-)

I know I'm forgetting some things….but before I write a novel, let me post some pics.
I'm dying to just relax in a nice long hot bath….

Christmas eve 2007 (11)

Christmas eve 2007 (7)

We let them open a gift each on Christmas eve, they picked Mataunt Kim's gifts…..they loved them!!

Christmas 2007 (45)

Christmas 2007 (43)

Ben opening his gift from Auntie Niki and her family and Jaime with her gift from Auntie Niki & family.

Christmas 2007 (17)

Christmas 2007 (15)

Gifts from Nana….

Christmas 2007 (22)

Another gift from Mataunt Kim….

Christmas 2007 (82)

I had made a cool gift for Ceci from Zak. I found a quote awhile ago that says "Sometimes being a brother is better than being a superhero." So I bought a frame with 2 openings and did the quote up all nice and then put a good pic of her and Zak in the other side. I LOVE it!! I was so happy with it….she loved it too and in the above pic, you can kind of see it. I'll have to get a better pic of it, it's so awesome!!

Okay…that's the recap.
Now the countdown until my birthday begins!!!
HA!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful day!!
Happy,  Happy Christmas!!

It's almost 7am and I'm sure Thing 1 & Thing 2 are going to be up any minute to tear into their gifts.

I'm actually sitting here, like giddy excited because I am DYING TO KNOW WHAT I GOT!!!!! lol Zachary did good at keeping a secret this year and I have no clue what he's gotten me. There is one box that is really heavy and I'm just at a loss on what it could be…I really have no idea and it's making me crazy. I so want to know!! lol.

And I'm pretty excited about a couple gifts I got Zak and I know the kids are gonna love their gifts.
So I'm just waking up, having a coffee and willing them awake….lol.

Happy Christmas everyone!!!!!

I'll post some pics later…:-)