Ode to a Chin Hair

Thick. Black. Ominous.
Why do you taunt me
With your regeneration?
Oh evil blade of filth,
You disgust me.
All alone you stand
Proud and tall
But you are an army of one
Against my forceps of steel.
You cannot survive.
Yet, even as I defeat you,
I can hear your dreadful reply:
"I'll be back."

What's Your Policy? (or: "Bathroom Business")

I was sifting through my blog reading list, and one particular post inspired me. In it, the blogger states that she and her hubbs have a strictly "closed door" policy when it comes to bathroom business. You know, they don't see each other shaving, pulling up the panty hose, etc., in hopes of keeping the mystery and romance alive. It got me thinking..

I grew up in a very open-door, "Hey, who dealt that one?!" kind of household (Except for number 2's. Please keep the door closed for that. Really. No one wants to smell that!). For awhile there, we had five people sharing one small bathroom. We all knew each other's business. So, I never really thought twice about it after marrying my best friend and high school sweetheart. I figured, hey, no big deal. Everybody poops! If I have tummy troubles, he knows about it. He's seen me shave, blow my nose, pluck my brows. If I really have to fart, I fart. Even if he's sitting right next to me on the couch. Hey, what better way to feel close to your partner?

My hubby, on the other hand, didn't fart around me at all until about 2-3 yrs into our marriage. Not sure why? Now, he does it all the time. Especially since we have a son. They have contests and fart wars. My son will pass gas and tell you it smells like "white berries" (whatever the heck that is?!). Ahh, the world of bodily functions. It took me awhile to get my daughter (almost 6 yrs now) to stay out of the bathroom when I have certain movements. Still no luck with the boy. He doesn't care what you're doing in there, if the door's unlocked, he's coming in!

So, I say all of that to let you know, the hubbs and I have been married for 5 and a half yrs now, dated for 4 yrs before that. We have an open door policy, and are doing just fine in the romance department. What's your bathroom policy? Do you keep things under wraps? Has your partner seen the "real" you?

Infected.

I'm sick. Ugh. No matter how many sanitary precautions I take, all efforts become futile when my sickly toddler snots on my face and says, "Love you, Mommy." How could I possibly turn him away when he lifts up his arms, pokes out his bottom lip, and says, "I hold you, peas?"

As everyone knows, when Mom gets sick, it's every man for himself. Those dirty dishes from dinner? Yeah, you know where the sink is. Need a new shirt? There's probably one in the dryer, your dresser, or in the closet. Hungry? Hotdogs are in that drawer in the fridge. Not that one. The other one. With the cheese and the lunch meat. Good job.

I'm not neglectful (is that a word?) of my kids or anything.  I love those guys.  I get them drinks and I feed them meals and I change diapers. They're big enough to do some things on their own, though. Snacks are on the bottom shelf of the pantry for a reason.

Of course, eventually throughout the day I get little spurts of feeling better (or at least where my head doesn't feel like it'll explode as easily). During these moments I throw a load of towels in the wash or empty the dishwasher. So my house isn't a total wreck yet. But who knows what tomorrow will hold?

I'm hoping this "cold" is indeed just a cold and not some mutant virus with plans to take over my family. So far, so good, but I've seen it happen before. One of us gets the sniffles and by the time the last person gets sick, it's pneumonia. Well, ok, maybe not pneumonia, but close. I'm only the second one sick. Hubby has a feeling he'll get the pneumonia. And certainly on Christmas. Why? Because that's the way it happens in our household.

OK, so I'm rambling on now.. Gonna get off here and spend some time with the hubbs before I lapse into my benadryl coma. Goodnight, folks!

My Stepmother and Friend

Four weeks ago today, my father unexpectedly lost his best friend, my stepmother, Debbie.  I've hesitated to write about it, not knowing what to say or if I should write about it. But now as I'm typing, I can feel a calm coming over me. Debbie came into our lives about seven years ago laughing and making jokes within minutes of our meeting her.  She was such a loving person, full of laughter and life. She has two children whom I am proud to call my siblings: Dena and Trey. She has one grandbaby by blood, and three others that she loved as if they were her own. We became good friends over the past few years and my sisters and I believed we could come to her and confide in her with any situation. Her death was sudden and painless: an aneurysm. We are all grateful that she didn't suffer.

My dad is holding up relatively well. Some moments are harder than others (waking up without her there, going to sleep without her there, Sunday afternoons). But that is to be expected. He takes comfort, as we all do, in knowing that she is walking with her Savior now.  Of course, that doesn't completely take away the pain of her not being here.

Dena and Trey are grieving in their own ways. My heart goes out to my step-siblings. I cannot imagine losing my mother so suddenly. My step brother was celebrating his birthday with her when she collapsed. Again, I can't imagine... Dena had to travel eight hours before she could see her mother for the last time. What a drive that must have been. I've tried to remind them often that we love them and are here for them, even if we are hundreds of miles away. 

My biggest fear in all of this is that my family is torn apart due to little spats. Everyone is grieving and anger and frustration are a big part of the grieving process. I just pray that any little arguments that arise will be resolved quickly and without hurt feelings. Debbie wouldn't want any animosity to rise up among us.

I feel so helpless being this far away. Most days it just doesn't seem real to me that she's gone. I know she's not here, but every now and then I'll get a thought (I wonder how Dad and Debbie are celebrating Christmas this year?) and almost immediately am reminded that Dad is alone now. I wish I could be there to help with something. Although, I'm not sure exactly what I could do. I also realize that I have to trust in God to deal with the things I cannot and to comfort those whom I am not able to physically comfort.

Throughout all of this, I have been reminded that family and friends are most important, after my relationship with my Heavenly Father. It's such a peaceful feeling to know that He is in control and that I don't need to worry. Debbie is and will be greatly missed on this earth, but in the end we will see her again and hear her infectious laughter. I'm thankful for that.

I Smell Holidays Around the Corner!

Is it November already?? I can't believe it's nearing holiday season again! I love the holidays, everything about them. But this year will be different. We're not so sure yet if we will be able to spend Thanksgiving or Christmas with our family in Memphis. It definitely depends on how things are going for us then and what days Hubby might be able to get off from work.  Christmas seems a bit more hopeful than Thanksgiving, though.

I've started to make other plans for our holiday time. Plans that include our friends here and intimate family dinners. H has already asked if she can start making Thanksgiving decorations to put up in the living room (The ones she made for Halloween are just now slowly coming down). So, since this turkey day could possibly be the first one I/we spend without family, I'm trying to psych myself into this reality by thinking positively. We can start our own traditions. We could have dinner with our good friends and their kids. We could serve at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving Day. We could make our own turkey dinner and tell each other things we are thankful for.  There are definitely a few possibilities out there.

Halloween was fun. We ended up going trick-or-treating around the neighborhood behind hubby's work. H was a "candy corn witch," C was a baseball player, and I was a gangster/mobster chick. I already had the pinstriped pants/vest combo, so when I found the matching fedora I knew it was fate. Or something like that. We were running a bit late on our way out of the house that night, so I brought the camera along to take pics later. Got to hubby's work and whaddya know? The battery was dead. Ugh. I've threatened to dress the kids up again to take pics for family, but Hubbs says that would be mean.  Hey, it's not like I would promise them more trick-or-treating time or anything...

In other news, I've been following a fun blog called Natalie's Sentiments lately. The blog owner regularly hosts these online giveaways that I always forget to enter (of course). But this time, I actually caught the new post in time to sign up for it. She's giving away a pair of jeans! I love jeans.. Like, really. And seeing that all of my favorite comfy jeans are either falling off or have holes big enough for Alice to fall through, I'd say it's time for a new pair! Of course, I don't expect to win, but it would be a nice holiday surprise!

Well, my lovelies, I've rambled on enough for today. May your day be lovely and your jeans fit you well!

Addicted to Facebook

Recently, I've noticed some addictive behaviors in my life. No, I don't do drugs. I do... Facebook.  So, I've decided to make a list of such behaviors in order that others might recognize the addiction in their own lives before it's too late.

You know you're spending too much time on facebook when...

• You're reading a blog and think "Ha! I like that! Where's the 'like' button?" 
• You feel the urge to hit the "report spam" button when an ad comes in your (actual) mailbox.
• You take a picture and the first thing you think is, "That one's going to be my profile pic!"
• You haven't gone out with your friends in weeks, yet you know every detail of their lives.
• Someone tells you a joke at work and you respond by shouting "LOL!"
• The logo on your milk jug makes you wonder if your "Farmville" crops have come in yet.
• You stamp "remove from friends" on the forehead of that annoying chick in the next cubicle.
• You go to the bathroom in the middle of your date to post a status update: "Rocking this! I see a second date coming soon."
• You start to receive emails offering you a position in support tech.
• The only way you talk to your partner is by commenting on his/her wall.
• You're considering starting up a second profile for your dog.
• You would rather post youtube videos than watch that movie you rented.
• Your Warcraft friends have joined facebook to see what all the hype is about.
• Your friends recommend going to a local chapter of Facebookers Anonymous.
• You just googled Facebookers Anonymous.
• You're offended by any of the above.

If you or anyone you know suffers from a facebook addiction, please seek help immediately.

The Changing Season

Ahh, fall..  How I love it; the changing leaves, the breezy days, the hustle and bustle... I especially love the memories fall brings. I remember roasting marshmallows in our back yard. I remember jumping into huge piles of leaves, not worrying about the dirt or bugs inside. I remember the excitement of picking out a Halloween costume and going to fall festivals and, of course, trick-or-treating.  When I was a kid, the span between Halloween and Christmas seemed to last forever.  But now that I have my own kids, I find myself thinking, "Halloween is in a couple of weeks, and Christmas is just two months away!! AAAHHH!!"

Nevertheless, I love it. The short weeks from now till New Year's are my absolute favorite time of the year. I love the scarves and sweaters. I love the sounds and the smells. One of my favorite smells is burning leaves. It signals change and warmth and fellowship to me.  I can't wait to take my kids camping or to build a bonfire and roast marshmallows with them. Last year we had a fireplace so we were able to roast marshmallows over the fire in our apartment. We made s'mores. Need I say more? Fun! But not the same. Strange though it may seem, I also love the busy feel that lies in the months ahead. I enjoy the rush and the excitement of visiting family and friends, trying to find that perfect gift for someone, and asking yourself, "Does this sweater match these boots?" about a hundred times. *Sigh*

In many ways, the past year has flown by. It was just last fall that I started this blog. In the past year, I have laughed, I have cried, I have learned, and I have grown (and so have my children, albeit differently). We have experienced many changes and many blessings, as well as uncertainty at times. The days seemed to stretch on and on during the hard times. But these hard times are what have made us stronger, as we trust in the Lord who lead us here. As with the new season, change is on the horizon for us. The new steps my husband is taking in his job are leading us onward and upward, and we can't wait to see what God has planned for us next. I love the Changing Season. I can't wait to dive headfirst into the excitement that lies ahead. Change is a good thing!