reflections on 2008

wow, i can't believe this is the last day of 2008.

it certain ways, it was a significantly easier & better year than 2007. B & I were good, a few questionable moments, but they were fleeting; so that in itself made it a good year. yeah, ugly times are over & we don't even have to make an effort to be happy, it is just there.

Z had some craziness, but i guess that's expected with a kid....& that it's only going to get better (or worse) as he gets older. 1st grade has had it's challenges but he's learning what's expected of him & how to behave appropriately. he's a wonderful kid & i'm lucky to be his momma.

my mom is good too. the cvs takeover has caused some drama in her life, but she's adjusted. her health is good except for her knees, these will be a problem in the future, but thankfully the rest of her is good. i can't believe she'll be 59 in a few days.

we lost my Uncle M to cancer a few months ago & the wound is still quite fresh. i've made more of an attempt to be in contact with my aunt. i feel bad that the past few years i haven't made much of an effort to be close with my family.

to be honest, i've pretty much shut out the entire world. living here i've shut down & shut everyone out; not on purpose, it just happened that way. so i guess that i should make a new year's resolution to try get out there more....
& be friendly...

hahaha, oh you're not buying that?
or is that my conscience laughing in the background?
hmpf
fine....the anti-cheerleader is not friendly...deal with it.
so much for a new year's resolution....i tried right?

anyhoo, on with the post:
oh, me, um, life's been good, i changed jobs. & no longer work for old boss - YEAH! new job is ok, pay is better, boss is better, but no challenge, B-O-R-E-D, oh, but have lots of time to blog & read. so overall i'm happier, no real complaints.

i'm looking forward to 2009. B's military career will finally be over & we will be F-R-E-E!!!!! if i play my cards right will be moving; B's researching nursing programs in Cali that aren't impacted. we discussed it & although it makes sense for us to stay here, i'd rather move to wherever we have to in order to shorten his time in school. my only reservation is moving Z out of school, but he'll adjust. i think we'll all be happier somewhere else.

got his first Hanna Montana gift set...

you think i jest do you?
i am not

only it was a gift to give, he wasn't the recipient, k? let's get that straight.

the other day when we were at walmart & during the christmas card fiasco Z spotted the Hanna Ontana (he doesn't say the M) glittery make-upy gift set & said "Ashley would love this".
i ignored it, we were in the middle of christmas card pandemonium, but he kept bugging about wanting for her. i thought i would stop him by saying "if you want to buy it for her with your own money, you can".

he called my bluff, he was willing to spend his own $10 to buy a present for gf #1.

so i went on further to explain, "you'd rather buy HM glittery girly stuff for gf #1 than get something for yourself?"

& he did. so he carried it through the store & when we got to the register i gave him his money out of the side pocket of my wallet & he was very proud of himself. i was very proud of him too. what a sweet little boy he is.

i wrapped the present thinking this was the first of many gf presents in my future, the boy is going to be a player!

Z's dental drama

prior to this weekend Z had only lost his 2 front lower teeth. he had a few loose teeth, but they were hanging on tight. on sun he finally lost an upper front tooth (left) & we put it in an envelope for the tooth fairy. on mon he woke up to a new envelope under his pillow with a $1. (we're lucky, a friend told us someone in her area set the bar by giving $5 a tooth!)

yesterday when i picked him up we were driving out of the parking lot & he told me we had to go back because he forgot his tooth - he lost another one. not the other front tooth, but the one on the other side of the gap. so now he has a big gap in front that's off center, he looks like he should tilt his head for balance.

now here's where it gets ugly...
when we were on the cruise, one night after dinner Z tells us he has a bump in his mouth. we look at it & he has a huge, size of a small grape bump along his lower left gumline. we dont' know what the heck it is so we take him to the on-board nurse (after hours of course). she looked at it, took his vitals & said it was just a boil that would go down in a few days.

we kept an eye on it & a few days after our return Z had a scheduled physical exam. i made sure to tell B to have the dr take a look at it. the dr said it was no big deal & it would go away on it's own.

with the chaos of christmas i forgot about it, then remembered when the front tooth was lost. yesterday morning i called Z's dentist & they scheduled him that afternoon. they took x-rays & said the abcess was from an infection under the baby tooth. it's a molar that had a cavity, the dr previously put a filling in but said the infection was very deep & the tooth had to be removed so it wouldn't affect the adult tooth.

they put the numbing stuff in Z's mouth & the dr returned to give him the shot but Z wasn't having it. he's had fillings done on 2 separate occasions with no problems, but he said he could feel it yesterday. the dr put more numbing stuff on there & returned but still Z would not let him give him the shot.

we talked, we bargained, we told him no matter what the tooth had to come out. we told him even if it didn't happen that day we would just have to come back another day, but he just couldn't do it. it was awful & now we have to go back & do it another day & it will be that much worse.

facebook strike #2

wth facebook, why you doing me like this?

when i signed in this morning to check things out, you didn't want to work. you were sluggish, had a rough christmas i guess. i closed the window & tried logging in a 3rd time because you were just S-L-O-W.

so i finally get in & check my notifications, no big deal.

go to my inbox to write a note to a friend. hey, i have mail.
bloody hell!
no seriously...
why? why? why?

i was contacted by an ex. a way, way, WAY ex that only reminds of what a foolish young girl i once was (& not in the edward cullen sense, that's real i tell ya!). when i was seeing him, i was at a very low point in my life. i can't believe i even gave him a second look, much less dated him or shed a tear over him. he was a liar & a cheater.

so here's the message: "hey you. just surfn and got on facebook and i thnk its you? but no sure? br***** or not let me know thanks, m"

is this for real? why would he contact me? what would he have to say to me after all these years? presuming i respond, i have something like this in mind: "yes, it's me. what do you want? i have nothing to say to you. go away. you're a bad person."

what happened to dessert?

on weds am as we were gathering everything up to take to mom's i found the plate of cookies i had baked over the weekend in the computer room. bad news.
i had baked quite a few things, made a container for B & I to each take to work on mon while the remainder was supposed to go to mom's, only B didn't get that memo. i didn't mind a few missing here & there, 'a few' was what was left.

i wasn't too bothered, i could bake more for us, but i wanted something to take to mom's. besides, although i wasn't anticipating the much loved carrot cake, i knew we would get mom's fabulous pumpkin pie & that's all i cared about. the cookies were for everyone else.

when we made our stops at costco & the regular store, B kept on bugging me about buying desserts. yuck, i don't eat store bought (except cheesecake because i don't make it).

then we we get to mom's not a pie in sight, pumpkin or otherwise. she was too tired & wasn't sure if we would make it down because of the crazy weather.

so that means i'm going to have to make my own pumpking pie & wrestle with crust again. Z won't be allowed in the kithen during this time & B will stay away if he's smart.

that chart

we came home from mom's on sat & on sun we put up the chart in the kitchen.

B & I reviewed all the responsibilities listed & chose the important ones & used the 2 empty ones to write "bathroom clean" & "toilet flushed". while the bathroom clean is something i still battle with B about (dirty clothes & towels on the floor) the toilet flushing lesson really needs to be learned.

Z was really on board with the chart & wanted to make sure he understood the list & how it worked & what he needed to do. it was surprising how something so simple affected him. i've tried putting a happy face on the calendar on days when he was good, but this seems to be much more of an incentive.

he made sure L-bird had her food, he was off to get ready for bed with only being told once, he was more willing to read a couple of books to me.

i'm SO getting one of these for B now! i wonder if they have a husband one already set up or if i'll have to make up the list?

how Christmas went

we drove down to mom's on Christmas eve. we stopped at costco & the grocery store to pick up a few things & Z would tell anyone who would listen about how he was getting a DS for Christmas. it really made me question whether or not that santa letter was a good idea or not.

then at my mom's when it came time to put him to bed, he started arguing with me & was even lying to prove his point; so i knew the letter & the chart were the right thing to do.

the next morning i heard him climb up the stairs. i jumped out of bed, grabbed the camera & followed. surprisingly my mother hadn't let him start in so i didn't miss anything. he opened almost all his presents (he still had plenty), then he got to the box with the letter. when he opened the box he handed the letter to B to read & then he recognized the chart (he had found it at home before i wrapped it up). luckily B & I had already prepared a statement, saying santa had talked to us about not getting Z the DS & how the chart was going to work, etc.

so we sat there for a minute, letting the whole thing set in & it really seemed like it worked, that he understood why he didn't get the DS. he wasnt' upset & he didn't cry.

there were a few other presents left for him to open & he spent the day playing with his cars & track set up, the mix & match marker set, a Ben10 watch thing. it was still a good Christmas for him.

letter to Z from Santa

so maybe we're going to regret this, but we decided we needed to do it. Z is so positively sure he's getting the DS despite some of his completely horrible behavior this year. Up until just a few days ago we were looking into getting for him, but he has still been mouthing off & giving attitude so i told B no dice, ain't happening. We ordered a responsibility chart from amazon & wrote Z this letter:

Dear Z,

I know you asked for a DS and Pokemon game for Christmas this year, I found a blue one for you. But there have been a couple of times where you weren’t very nice to your friends, teachers, Lady-bird and your parents. You’ve also been lying which is a very bad thing. These are things that make it very difficult for me to reward you with the DS & Pokemon game.

So I decided to give you this responsibility chart to help you know the things you need to do to be good. This will also help your parents know when it’s time to give you a little reward for being such a good boy.

I know you’ve been trying to be good, so keep trying and your parents know where the DS is. Once you’ve learned to be good to your friends and others and stopped lying, they will give the DS and Pokemon game to you.

Always watching you,
Santa

i'm a stupid 16 year old girl all over again...

i over heard my co-worker on the phone the other day & she was saying she had gone to see twilight 3 times already & was making plans to see it a 4th (!).

so i turned around, looked her in the face & called her a whore.

she about fell over laughing then asked "wanna come too?"

"okay"

so yeah, i went to see twilight again.
i enjoyed it (duh!), i caught parts that i had missed & already forgotten.
yup, still in love with edward.

i don't know cold

yesterday i did my usual phone call to my mom & she complained about how cold it is in sd. yeah, i know, it's SoCal, they don't know cold, it's in the 40s.

so i complained that it's in the 20s here, yes, much colder.

then i spoke with B's mom (in chicago). she told me she had friday off from work because of the weather, so i asked "well, how cold was it?"

-4 (HOLY COW!!!)

but then she clarified, with the windchill factor, it was:

-34!!!!!

what is that? i can't even imagine? would it be like living in your freezer? oh my gosh! i called my mom back & told her we were silly california girls & we don't know a darn thing about cold & she agreed!

Santa is your parents

yeah, he knows, he said it.
i didn't acknowledge the statement when he said it to me.

then he said it yesterday to B.
B's threshold for attitude had already been surpassed so B responded with "you better hope not otherwise you aren't getting anything for Christmas from us."

that'll teach him to question Santa.

does it have to be this way?

UGH! when we returned from running some errands B found a message on the machine. he started listening to it before i entered the room so i only caught the tail end of it & it took me a few minutes to realize the hick voice (no joke i was thinking "who's the fricken hillbilly?) was actually my father.

the part i got was something about how it would be nice to see Z this time of year & that was it. B asks me if i care to hear it from the beginning & i say yes beings it took me so long to recognize the voice i didn't catch much.

the message starts with "hello B, this is S"
apparently the message is for my husband as i am not addressed, helloed or acknowledged in any way, shape or form THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MESSAGE.
i guess i am dead in his world.
point made.

screw you dad, you've never been an important part of my life anyways. all you do is reinforce why my mother left you & why i should not let you be a part of my life. you are a supreme asshole.

watch out for:

the hoochie man!

the other day Z was playing around & instead of saying "watch out for the boogey man," he said "watch out for the hoochie man!"

i about fell over laughing, that boy hasn't even been to a club! he don't know nothing about hoochie!

so watch out for him, that hoochie man...

& don't confuse him with the hoochie mama!
(hahaha, i've never seen the video but love that they have the clip from friday!)

B's Christmas party (aka the frozen corndog story)

last night was B's Christmas party. the spotted dick pudding made it's public debut, along with a box of parrot poo (chocolate covered peanuts) we picked up on the ship. how's that for a gag gift? what made it better? we put it in a patron tequila box & fooled most of the room!
we brought home bottle of sailor jerry rum. i've never had it before, but looking forward to it.

our dinner was ok. well, actually it wasn't even that. i understand that it was a large party but we pre-ordered our food (provided to restaurant days before) & we were the first group to hand our ticket to the waitress however we were one of the last ones to get served.

the worst part was Z's corndog. he took a couple of bites out of it then told me it was too cold. i was confused. i get too hot, but too cold? i felt the outside of it, cool not warm, then i felt the inside - it was still FROZEN, ice crystals & hard! WTF?

so i walked out of the room holding the frozen corndog & our waitress was walking in, she's our neighbor so we're kind of friends & i know her job is to serve not to ensure food quality, so when she asks if everything's ok i tell her what's up but continue walking to the front desk.

it's an open kitchen, i stand there holding the frozen corndog & wait until i get enough eyes on me & then announce "it's frozen" with noticable bites out of the top of it. then the whole kitchen stops & looks at it; everyone looks guilty, how can you deny that one? someone finally takes the frozen dog from me & we go back to sit.

i didn't think it was necessary to yell, bitch & moan, but i think i made enough of an impact with intensity. shortly after sitting they brought Z a cooked corndog. maybe that was the problem, we were supposed to specify "cooked corndog" - lesson learned.

more Z troubles...

the other day B got a call from Z's teacher that kids were complaining the Z was putting his hand down his pants then putting it in people's faces - how nice to hear. i would have to guess that's something he picked up from someone else, unless he's been going around & sniffing his own hand....sigh...but isn't that something siblings do or maybe just boys, i don't know!!!

yesterday he got in trouble again for chasing girls & kissing them. he's going to be unbelievable when he's a teenager, maybe i should start talking to him about birth control now. you know it all starts with kissing, next thing you know the girl's pregnant...
he also got a talking to because he was being rude to another teacher, no respect for authority, at 6!!!

what's a parent to do?

we still take him to counseling, although he hasn't gone the past couple of weeks due to thanksgiving, our trip to mex, dr was sick this week.

threats of santa leaving him coal are completely blown off. maybe we should not give him ANYTHING for Christmas & see how that goes. could you imagine having Christmas as a kid & not getting presents? wow, could we be THAT mean to even try it? hahahaha! shit, if it would work i think i'd try it.

but we're going to Grammie's & goodness knows she won't tolerate such a thing no matter how bad the boy is, has been, or will be. plus once Z figured out the whole santa is really us thing & we forfeited presents on Christmas, he would send us his therapy bills for the rest of our lives.

i'm not a terrible person

but boy am i flipping happy we finally got some christmas shopping done!!!! slackers i know, not even starting until December 18th after 4pm.

sweet relief!!

shit if B's procrastination hasn't rubbed off on me in the worst possible way! i came home early & he was here gaming. i asked (already pissed because i just can not help myself) "did you finish Christmas shopping yet?"
of course the answer was a no; he'd probably been home for hours, but hadn't started.
UGH!
so i did a couple of things then came & sat right next to him so we could do what we needed to do & after a few minutes he stopped gaming.
it works, not fun, but it works.

Amazon, you piss me off, but i love you! yes, just about everything was purchased there, i think my headache may be going away now.

oh had office christmas party this afternoon. this was the mellow version, the fun one happened when we were down in mex. they served vietnamese food (yummy pancit & lumpia) then we had a gift exchange. all the alcohol had already reached the max stealing point so i ended up with a starbucks cup & gc. not bad, could have been stuck with a stuffed frosty the snowman or a ceramic house candleholder - even i'm not that domestic.

i was kind of sad to miss out on old job's Christmas party, last year was a fricken hoot. i guess i feel a little more comfortable elabortaing on the scenario now. one of my co-workers (who's drunken state is debatable) asked the he/she to view the he/she's nether region. the rest of my co-worker's & i were in a group, we noticed our friend was gone, then he returned with the he/she. we don't know all that transpired or how long they were gone, but this will probably be one of my best Christmas party stories for a long time.

frozen car

close but not quite snow. weather predicted the possibility of it, nearby towns got it, some say there were flurries/sleet at some point during the night, but actual snow didn't happen.

my car was frozen this morning, when i pulled the door handle the ice crunched. then i had to sit for about 10 minutes waiting for everything to thaw & the ice on my windshield to soften enough for the wipers to slush it away. i windows in the backseat wouldn't even open, frozen shut.

my car said it was 31 out but i think there isn't enough humidity in the air for snow to happen. bummer.

Z told me yesterday they were out playing in the yard & he was trying to catch snowflakes in his mouth so he was standing out there open-mouthed just waiting (that had to be a sight) he said he "caught none" & was disappointed.

productive

finally, got the tree up & decorated.

also got pic's downloaded from mexico.

yeah, i'm tired.

i woke up last night about 2 & couldn't fall asleep, when i finally did, i had crazy crack dreams. my first dream B was going to move a tree branch to catch a large (approx 6") albino praying mantis but when he touched the branch it opened it's eyes & we realized it was an owl. so we put the owl on my right wrist & before we could continue after the original target, we heard a screeching noise. we looked up & there was a huge (bigger than an elephant) flying creature off in the distance & you know if it was that big far off, it was going to be fricken huge once it was upon us.

so we were looking for cover & then the environment changed to something similar to a school with a hallway of doors & we picked the bathrooms to go into to hide from the flying beast that was coming after us. now i don't know why we did this but we made sure B went to the boys bathroom & Z went with me to the girls, because even in a state of emergency one really doesn't want to enter the wrong bathroom i guess. i mean if huge screeching flying monster is after you hopefully he won't know which one you're hiding in right? hopefully he can't read.

there isn't much of a transition here, so i thought i'd make it obivous that was the end of one & below is the beginning of the next.

after that i was in a house & i was being robbed, some guy was taking all my jewelry. which i find rather funny as most of my jewelry is from my teenager years & isn't of much value. anyway, so i get robbed & the guy leaves & i'm looking through the remnants of all my shit thinking "thank goodness i have these few little trinkets left". then the guy comes back to take more of my stuff & he's off again; only to return a 3rd time (wtf? i know! i was pretty tired of his ass too). i don't know what he came back for but by this time i finally decided to call 911 on him. why not the 1st & 2nd time? i have no clue.

got the call

if you need to catch up, read this and this, ok now read on:

i just got off the phone with higher up. my first thing to clear up was how involved would old boss be because i was very upfront in telling him i had issues with old boss (he had no idea - surprise). old boss would be an integral part of the equation along with the other ops mgrs, higher up & corp mgr. so basically somewhere along the lines of having 8 bosses - sound like fun? so that did not sit well with me at all.

i questioned the training & travel requirements. i'm aware that some training would be required in sd, but how much & would regular trips be needed? 1 -2 weeks for training & only if needed beyond that. i explained the possibilities of B's chaotic impending travel schedule over the next few months, i may not be able to travel & he was ok with that. additional travel may be needed to other offices if special project warranted.

old boss had explained that they wanted someone long term, so i informed him once B retired next year, we're up in the air. we may stay we may go, we really don't know at this point but if we were to go back to sd, the commute would be 1.5 hrs to the sd office (which i'm not willing to do on a daily basis for any amount of $$, my sanity is important to me). so i questioned the possibility of working from home - shot down, no chance. part of that was possibly so i could work from home here too & not have to face old boss on a daily basis.

then that was it, he tried to wrap up the conversation without discussing pay, or actually i should say he was forcing me to bring it up. so i questioned the title, yes financial analyst. i tell him the base pay on salary.com for entry level & ask if he considers the position higher (i know it is higher, but he said entry was appropriate). he did say there was some wiggle room though.

although the opportunity, the title & the pay would be great, i don't know what to do. i still feel like i would be selling my soul. i do not want to work with old boss & be under his thumb.

higher up & i agreed to think about it & talk again after the first of the year. i'm sure he sensed my hesitation about old boss & told me he didn't want to me take a position that would make me miserable...he doesn't know the 1/2 of it.

9 days until Christmas

are you kidding me?

we just got our tree last night....& we had to have a discussion about getting said tree. yeah, i know we only have a few days until Christmas & we are going to my mom's to celebrate, but dang it, i want a Christmas tree! Z is 6, we have to by law.

he's already questioning the whole Santa deal. everywhere we point one out he will tell us it's fake. i'm pretty sure this will be the last year we'll get through it, if at all.

he did hope that beings we're going to Grammie's for Christmas that we would get 2 rounds of presents (at Grammie's & at home). we've received a couple of boxes in the mail already & we've hid them in the closet. we typically tell him who the presents are from & that only a few are from Santa; we feel it's more important that he recognize the gift givers.

so i guess in a way we've been prepping all along for the reality of the situation, but that doesn't mean i'm looking forward to the inevitable confrontation.

hopefully he'll ask B, he's a better liar than i am...

Z homework

last night Z & I went over some homework that his teacher sent home. (we told her about the trip) so the week was about weather...a good week to miss in my opinion. so she sent home a few sheets describing the daily reading he would be missing along with some vocabulary words he needed to be familiar with.

words like thunderstorm, blizzard, hurricane, flood.

i would ask Z if he knew what the word meant & he said he did for everyone except sleet, so i explained it was a mixture of rain & snow (if that's wrong, that's what the sheet said! i'm from SoCal, we don't get any of that!)

then i would have explain each word to be sure he had a proper definition, some were rather funny:
flood - when you flush the toilet & the water comes up & out, that's a flood
government - people who have a lot of money & they talk to other people (that would be politicians specifically, but this kid really knows his stuff!)
& the ringer:
warn (remember this is in the context of weather so the definition should be something like a warning to stay indoors) - his example was "i'm going to give you one more warning then i'm going to call your parents"

bah humbug

so we got off the boat early yesterday morning, $120 for parking, then headed over to mom's; it wasn't planned, so we just stopped by to say hi for about 1/2 hour then were on our way. next stop at costco to get some groceries & gas, $170 there & today B picked up Lady from the kennel, another $130 bucks. can we stop now?

no i guess not because it's christmas next week!!!!
um, we didn't do any christmas shopping before we left. i know before the cruise i didn't think the timing was good, now i realize it was the worst time to lose a week.

maybe i should have spent my workday shopping online, but i just don't feel right about it. yeah, reading blogs is much more productive, right? well, i'm sorry but the ship charged PER MINUTE for internet, so although i love my reads, i wasn't about to pay for reading per minute. i'm a fast reader & all, but the pressure would lessen the comprehension.

cruise - final thoughts

we spent a few more days on ship for the ride home; those quite days were needed. we met up with R & family throughout the days & evenings for poolside talks & also caught a midnight comedy show. they were really nice family & at the end of the trip we exchanged contact info & hopefully can keep in touch. both boys are anxiously awaiting a playdate although they live in washington state so that would take some planning.

B & I also decided to splurge on a spa morning. we thought what the heck right? we hadn't spent a lot of $$ at the ports & the treatments were discounted. um, yeah, so then we both went crazy on purchasing products...merry christmas is what we decided!
i got a facial that was fantastic, my face was as smooth & as plump as a baby's butt. seriously, i was ready to buy anything that could make my face like that!
B had a professional shave, a mini-facial & a neck massage. the lady used a cream on his cheeks that made his psoriasis go away, something he's battled since before we even met.
haha, so when he walked in the room after his treatment with a bag of goodies, i didn't feel so bad about all the $$ i spent. although he said he really would have liked to have seen how things would have developed if he walked in empty handed & i had to explain myself!

we enjoyed the cruise & will probably do it again sometime in the future, but to another location; we heard the carribean is fantastic. if we go back to mexico, we would fly & stay, either ixtapa or we heard cancun was very nice also.

last port - manzanillo

i hadn't even heard of manzanillo prior into looking into the cruise, so instead of booking an excursion we decided to play it by ear. Z's buddy R & family came with a few additional family members & friends & they invited us to the beach so we tagged along.

the boys got along so well it was unbelievable. typically, Z has love/hate relationships with his friends but R was some how able to work with Z & they would flex & bend to fit each other. maybe because R is only a few weeks older than Z, but something about them just clicked.

we spent the entire day down at the beach. the peddlers were crazy, it was like home shopper network live. a constant barrage of shirts, wraps, jewelry, dishes, trinkets, fruit, hats. we joked that we should just pay someone to keep all the peddlers away because 1 no wasn't sufficient, they had to go around & put their wares up in your face & hear a distinct no from each individual. i realize this is how they make their living but it really was overwhelming...& sad.

we didn't even buy any souvenirs there, we just enjoyed the day & made new friends. we headed back to the boat exhausted from the sun & B had a few too many cervezas.

Z went to kids camp again & we had a quiet dinner in the dining room. it was better than our meal the first night. when we picked Z up about 9:30 he wanted to eat again, he definitely liked that food ready at any time deal.

next stop - zihuantanejo/ixtapa

the next morning we hit zihuantanejo early, we browsed through a couple of shops then hit up a taxi to take us to a quiet beach. as soon as we got to the water Z recognized a boy from kid camp (R) - i can't tell you what a blessing that was! R was well behaved, he & Z got along splendidly & his parents were nice too! it was a definite win/win, the boys played & we could relax & chit chat.

we hung out for a few hours & drank & ate, then it was time to head up to ixtapa. the boys were scheduled to go swim with the dolphins so we headed back to port for the bus ride. they didn't even want to sit with parents, they were on their own program being boys. it was cute.

ixtapa is the nice, new, trendy part of town, but we didn't have time to explore. we were taken directly to the dolphin place, where B & Z spent about an hour in the water. each kid had a few minutes of one on one with a dolphin & in the meantime other ones same around them. R's mom said she was surprised at how close they would get, almost like cats that rub themselves up against you.

before we knew it time was up & we had to get back on the bus & head back to port to make it on boat before it left without us. at each of the ports, there were armed men; i wasn't sure if they were there to protect us or not. on our drive back to the port there was a coca-cola truck next to us, the doors were open & men sat inside holding guns. it was kind of scary & our guide conveniently didn't see them & couldn't explain when we asked about them.
we made it back safely & on time though.

oh & i had absolutely the BEST margarita ever in my life here! it was so thick & creamy, i think it may have been made with real cocunut milk & a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

vamos a mexico! - acapulco

the first 2 days we spent on boat, it was nice & relaxing. they had a kid program that we shuffled Z off to, so everyone was happy!

our first excursion was in acapulco, we didn't plan anything so when we got off the ship we just hired a taxi to show us the town. first he took us to the old part of the city & showed us a couple of the old hotels old hollywood stars would frequent back in the day. you could tell at one time these were magnificent but time had certainly taken it's toll. we also drove by a vacation house that once belonged to Diego Rivera (unfortunately entry isn't allowed) but there was a mosiac dragon on the wall & his name.

we asked him to take us to a place where locals would eat but he insisted on taking us to Senior Frogs. there were only a few other (white) people there when we arrived, but we had a feeling we were being duped & we were SO right. B got a beer & plate of shrimp, Z got a smoothy & fish & chips, I got a margarita & a small shrimp cocktail. guess how much that was? come on, just GUESS? in american dollars, i won't even try & trick you with pesos? got a number? ok, well whatever it is triple it. yeah, our bill was almost $90 AMERICAN DOLLARS!!!!

i had taken Z to the bathroom & left B to pay the bill so i didn't even know it until we were back in the taxi. i couldn't believe it. i was sure we should have each received a free t-shirt with that bill.

after that the taxi driver took us to the new part of the city which was much nicer & a church that reminded me a lot of Mt Soledad. then we headed back to our point of origin & he dropped us off at the zocalo (downtown center). we meandered through the shops & the streets. Z got plenty of attention throughout our escapades, those girls love the blonde kid! there was another church here & there were many processions of people celebrating the virgin of guadalupe.

we got back on the boat about 7pm & i was exhausted. Z went to the kids club & B & I went to the jacuzzi for a bit.

the drive

wow, didn't realize how much i missed radio! once we hit the 15 radio goes on, i tend to forget if we're in B's truck beings it has sirius, but the car doesn't, so once near civilization it's on.

do you know how you know you're in la? there's more mexican music on the radio than english music - surprise.
but, it was great nearing sd & hearing all the fabulous radio stations! YEAH! 94.9 has been in a slump since anya left, really how much rage against the machine can one listen to?

then the big dilemma was what to eat? so many options it's a bit overwhelming you know! we drove thru escondido, skipped that. then neared kearny mesa which is a complete melting pot & the decision was made - what do we missed most from the city? hole in the wall mexican. yeah, i know we were headed to mexico the next day, but i'm sorry you just can not beat these burritos ok?

B & I got our carne asada burrito fix & little one got his rolled tacos with cheese & sour cream (weirdo, i know, he doesn't like guac!).

then we headed downtown to the hotel. oh & we had an unintentional excursion off to La Jolla - oopsie. what can i say? i was enthralled with all the beauty & greenery that i kinda got in the wrong lane & missed the 5...

oh & for anyone who actually reads this, i'm backdating the posts for the next couple of entries.

finally!

there was ice on my windshield this morning, finally cold here....i've been waiting for winter to hit & today was the day. tonight we head down to sd, tomorrow we board the boat & head to baja. i'm totally excited & a little nervous, i don't know what to expect & although it's a cruise, a vacation, it perplexes me.

needless to say, i look for things to worry about...like one of us getting sick or what will we forget (because you know there will be something)? did we pack the right clothes (even casual dining is dress up, crap!)? will my butt fit in my bathing suit (last time it was a little snug)? will we remember to call school everyday to tell them Z's "sick" (never mind the mariachi music in the background)? will there be wifi (i don't know if i can go that long with no connection & B's WOW addiction is worse than my bloggy addiction)?

speaking of, i got a call last night from my dr, my bloodwork results are in & we need to chat. a little more details on her vm would have been comforting but i guess dr's like to keep you on edge.

oh & in case you're keeping track, i have not talked to higher up about possible job with old company. whatever, i'm not going to stress over it.

12:30 update - bloodwork results were fine, good actually; however my pap came back abnormal = not good. will have to go in for re-inspection, snippets & other horrible things to my delicate lady parts - boohoo!

ever been f-ed by a friend?

both literally & figuratively?

when we met, there was a mutual attraction. we made attempts at a relationship, but he wasn't ready, so we stopped before we got into one.
we lost contact for probably a few years, but we had mutual friends (how we met originally).
our re-acquaintance was inevitable & after time, it was easy & we were friends again. he had a girlfriend & i had moved on. then he broke up with his gf & i was suffering from a(nother) broken heart.

we tried to just be friends, but the attraction we felt was strong. my friends would always ask "well did anything happen yet?" because even though we never did anything in front of them, the way we looked at each other our feelings couldn't be masked.

our goodbye hugs became longer & tighter at the end of the night. sometimes i would stay behind after everyone else left & we would just hold each other, not even kiss. he was my shoulder to cry on when i needed one & warm arms to hold me when i needed comforting. we would even go to his bed & fall asleep holding each other. still no kissing, we were trying to take it slow, trying to do it right.

then we finally did kiss...& clothes came flying off in record speed.
then we (he, really) stopped.

& that's how it ended.

what that boils down to: he never was my friend. he knew me too well. he knew it wouldn't casual with me. so he couldn't do it.

thank you facebook for that mutual friends list, seriously it cuts like a knife.

movie news: wall-e & a little twilight chatter

B bought wall-e the other night, we've already watched it 2x. it's an interesting story promoting the save the earth theme. wall-e is a trash compacting robot & the only one smart enough to repair himself, so he's all alone, except for 1 cockroach friend. (why only 1 i don't know, i would expect either none or a bazillion.)

humans have destroyed the planet & what's left of the species is living on an outerspace cruise ship. they send eva(h) to earth in search of life, she's the girl robot. there's very little dialogue...hello, robots speak in blips & bleeks.

anyways, it was cute. B liked it more than i did though.

oh, after watching the movie, Z said he was "wall-e" & i was "heaver". (heaver = evah in his mind) the best i could come up with was "yeah, momma's not a hoover, she is indeed closer to a heaver" (as in vom).

***********************************************
last night a commercial for twilight came on & B said something, i don't know, a commercial for twilight was on, aren't you following???
once it was over i asked him "what did you say?"
then he asked "do you really find him THAT attractive?"
"well...as Cedric he was rather handsome, but as Edward, um yeah, i do. it's not him so much as it is the character he plays."
B - "even with those big animal-like eyebrows?"
"yeah, i'm good" (i have one word for you honey - SSSHHHWWWIINNNGGG!)
B's unaware that he has mutant eyebrows too evidently...

me & b&w

i haven't talked about this before, but i'm a photography enthusiast, specifically black & white old school. in my early days of community college i took several b&w photography classes, often repeating the same one just for the dark room time. yup, back when photos were taken with film & you had to develope it (which REALLY sucked), let it dry, then make a print of all your negatives & finally that's when the real good times started.

i loved working in the darkroom, it was where the magic happened. not just putting your film onto paper, but the tricks during the development process, that was the best part. i remember that's when i first learned i needed glasses as my instructor told me all of my photos were a little out of focus, well, they were in focus for my eyes!

i've always preferred b&w film because i feel as though it shows the truth, you don't get lost in all the color. i think i still have my photographer's eye, things still catch it; sometimes it's something obscure, other times it's something beautiful. i often switch my digital camera on to the b&w setting, but it will never replace that darkroom.

what inspired this post: this article on cnn.com.
a big thank you goes out to Katherine McIntosh, the child on the left; also to the library of congress for hosting the photograph; & of course to Dorothea Lange, my favorite photographer.

i guess part of the reason i love this photgraph so much is my mother & her mother were also "migrant mothers" so it really hits close to home. although i never went out to the fields, i went to the cantelope shed with my mother. my mom tells me stories of going to the tomato fields with her mother.

newbie

i got a call last night from an old hs friend, she told me i needed to join facebook. yeah, i hadn't done that yet. i did the myspace thing years ago & still check on that, i didn't really feel or see the need in joining another community just to follow the pack.

anyhoo, she said it was the grown up version of myspace. so there, i did it, i joined, i'm a follower.

bonus, i log on from work! sweet!

just for clarification

yesterday, when i said "beatings" i was joking, i'm sure you knew that, but i felt the need to make sure we were all clear on that.

why?

because last night i was making meatloaf & in the middle of smashing some croutons with the meat tenderizer hammer/mallet thing & Z comes in & says

"is that what you're going to use on me when i'm bad?"

he's prepping for that call to cps, i just know it!

unhappy face....x4

Z acquired another unhappy face yesterday. this one for pushing another kid in class; he said they had a disagreement, the other kid pushed first, then Z pushed back & got caught.

the week before thanksgiving he got 3 unhappy faces...in one week! 2 for chasing girls 1 because he took a toy to school & repeatedly brought it out to play with during class.

i do not get this kid.

they say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree; but Z is my polar opposite. i would be crushed & full of guilt for days if i were in his shoes....after only 1 unhappy face, 4 & i would probably send myself to solitary confinement for months. but these things don't phase him, he doesn't care about the unhappy face, the consequences at school & home or the fact that he's being mean to someone.

he's completely justified his actions & feels no remorse. is that a boy thing? or is something wrong with him?

update 3:15 pm - oh what a tangled web we weave....yeah that bs about pushing another kid was a lie. B went in & spoke with Z's teach this morning & she knew nothing about a pushing scenario. he got the unhappy face for being a stubborn little shrew; at one point he was arguing with another teacher that there ARE blue trees. this afternoon B got another call from teach because the boy is still causing trouble, even while sitting out recess he managed to dig that hole a little deeper.

fun times are to be had at our house tonight, come on over for the lecturing, beating & crying festival, fun will be had by all...

not approachable...

the other day B tells me i'm not approachable.
i responded with "bite me" - how's that for approachable?

B just doesn't understand a lot of things. his entire adult life he's been in the military, he doesn't know what the real world is like. B also doesn't know what it's like to be a woman, a competent woman at that. i spent so much of my life proving to no one but myself how much i could accomplish. then someone came into my workplace & let's just go with she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed but i learned from her how much she got away with because people had such low expectations from her.

i realize i don't come off as friendly; i don't want to, people take advantage of friendly. that's not to say i don't want to be friends with people, i just don't want to do their work for them. i don't mind helping people out, or teaching someone how to do something, but i'm not going out of my way to someone else's work so they can slack off. i've learned this the hard way, this was a huge point of contention at the soils co.

i've always worked in positions where i was the enforcer, that also makes for difficult situations. for some reason people don't get "just follow the rules & we can be friends" so i have to be a hardass & then they think i'm all bitchy. i'm not denying, i can & will be when needed, but really it's a rare occasion that i'm bitchy for no just cause. oh, i guess i should clarify, bitchy directed at someone not just in a bitchy mood, there IS a difference.

i do not mind not being approachable, it's part of who i am.

sunday angst

so completed stopped thinking about that whole work thing during the weekend, (YEAH! certainly didn't want to be stressing over should i or shouldn't i) but it's Sun night. catch that? sunday night is the night of angst no matter what; on any old regular week, it's angst over stupid things like i have to get up early tomorrow, i have to go to work all week, silly but still manages to make it difficult for me to fall asleep.

tonight i will have more angst, the possible job offer will definitely be swirling through my head. maybe i'll just take a vicodin...& a couple shots of vodka, that might help.

oh & then there's that whole trip thing - which is a WHOOHOO on one hand, but yet also troublesome. when B was speaking to his mom yesterday she asked if we were already packed!!!!! WTF? seriously, she does NOT know us one bit!

our boat leaves port next Sat but we plan on heading out of town Fri night, so that means we're packing Fri afternoon....while still washing some clothing.

oh yeah & i told B we needed to get all of our online christmas shopping done this weekend. guess how much was accomplished, here i'll save you the trouble, it was a big fat -0-! Everyone, expect a muneca (doll), huaraches (leather sandals), or a mocahete (mortar & pestle) for christmas, there we are done!

Thanksgiving 2008

funny, seems like we were talking about last year's thanksgiving just the other day...oh yeah, we did....

the plan was to go over to a friend's house so the kiddley-dinks could play & we could eat....a lot. we had our list of stuff to prepare & before we knew the morning had escaped us, we were in rush mode, then we got a phone call that their power had gone out! had been out for 1/2 an hour! geez, we thought this kinda crap only happened to us? it worked out though, just bought everyone a little extra time, our schedule was pushed back about an hour.

we had appetizers galore. my spinach artichoke dip was ok (i used the one from staceys pita chips), next time i'll either try the non-vinegar artichokes, or maybe i'll look for the claim jumper recipe because that's THE BEST. they made the turkey, it was falling off the bone (not complaining, it was yummy). B made his fantastic stuffing, then lots of sides, salads & all kinds of good stuff!

i also made chocolate chip cookies, a 2nd round of oatmeal cookies, this time with peanut butter chips & some fudge (which is a story in itself, but trust me, just go to the eagle brand website, theirs' is great & easy).
i suppose you are wondering about the pumpkin pie....crust & i are not friends, it was a fricken beast, i have a new found respect for my mother. she does have superpowers & they are all used for crust making. i followed her recipe for the crust & the pumpkin, it was ok, maybe even good, but it wasn't my mom's...she's holding out on me, i know it.

it was a good day spent with friends, can't ask for more than that right?

i have many things to be thankful for, i am blessed.
Happy Thanksgiving Allbuddies! (that's Z-speak for everybody)

movie news: twilight

on weds afternoon Z's class went to see a movie & B & I got out of work early so we decided to take advantage of the already paid for babysitter & went to see twilight. i haven't read any of the books, saw the preview sometime ago & for the most part only know what little bits i've read on a few other blogs, so i wasn't too sure about what to expect.

i am a sucker for vampire movies. brahm stoker's dracula with gary oldman & winona rider i liked the idea of a love story that transcends time. anne rice's interview with a vampire with moody tom cruise & emotional brad pitt, who can forget little kristen dunst's "i want more"? so when i saw the preview for twilight, can we go with i was intrigued with the new option?

yes, edward.

when B & I walked into the theater he told me he'd mentioned to a co-worker that we were going to see this movie & the guy said he wouldn't go see it because it was a chic flick. that idea hadn't even crossed my mind (i thought - new vampire movie, i must watch) & for a minute there i was concerned B might not like the movie, but then i remembered sometimes he likes chick flicks more than i do.

i liked the movie. it was more of a chick flick than a vampire movie; there was no gore, but i liked it. B told me although he was the one eating cheeseburgers, i was the one smacking my lips in the movie (& here i thought i had completely maintained my composure...oh well). the kissing scene between edward & bella reminded me of back in the day when kisses were BE ALL END ALL AMAZING.

what i didn't like about the movie, i felt it lacked depth. i realize edward & bella are the main characters, but it still seemed rather shallow. i don't know if that's the case with the book as well, it could be that's how they did the movie to keep within time constraints. i'm considering reading the book just to find out if the book has more details, but am afraid to be disappointed as i've read the book is a quick read.

the other thing i didn't like about the movie is edward's skin is supposed to glisten, shine, look like marble...something along those lines, in the sun. anyhoo, in the movie, they did the most fake cheapass special effects of walmart glitter, didn't work for me.

i'll be buying twilight when it comes out on dvd & edward is now cordially invited to the island...

Thanksgiving 2007

yeah, i'm a little late on this post...sue me. i needed some time, then i forgot about it, so here's what i can remember of it now:

we drove out to LV visited with fam there for about an hour. we got a late start as B was really sick & needed to sleep in. after 3/4's of the drive there completed, B realized how drugged up & sleepy he was so he pulled over & i drove the rest of the way. oh & we stopped somewhere & the middle of death valley & bought B 2 packages of the oldest gum on earth.

on the plane descent in chicago he broke out in a cold sweat from the pain in his ears. B's mom picked us up at the airport, it was the middle of the night & it was raining - awesome! we mostly hung out at her house beings B was sick. we went to Uncle R (his not mine who's desceased, duh) & Aunt P's house for thanksgiving dinner, lots of family & food.

Z fell in love with a young female cousin (by marriage) & that's where things went bad. this was the first time Z was exerting his independence & he was an absolute little shit to me. when we were around other people he was horrible, but when it was just us, he was sweet to me again.

B's grandma also turned 90 when we were there & we had another family gathering. i didn't know it was her birthday; but B's mom had a gift for us to give her, which was really nice yet at the same time i felt like i was 12 (that's my problem though, i know her heart was in the right place). again Z acted up, it was very strange. he went so far as to say i was teaching him to be bad & Poppa was teaching him to be good - it was infuriating.

B's mom wanted to take us out to parade one night but we didn't want to go. partially because B was sick, partially because we have become the biggest homebodies who have a really hard time leaving a sofa & partially because it's really fricken cold in chicago, especially at night! as any parent should, we used Z as an excuse & said he couldn't handle the cold & he would make our lives miserable in 10 minutes (which is more than likely true).

the flight home, short fam visit in LV & drive home were uneventful as far as i can remember. but i can say not that long ago Z said something about the sausage we had when we visited grandma & i just kinda went along with hey, we were in chicago, i'm sure sausage was eaten at some point right? then he says "on the plane", wow, good memory kid!

just say no

lately Z has been giving out more than his fair share of attitude, so we've had to put him in check often. he's the type of child that is constantly pushing the threshold, always checking the gate, looking for holes in the fence; once he's found a weak link, he'll wear it down & come barreling through & you won't even know what hit you or where you went wrong because it was just a wee little weak spot. harmless right? with some kids yes, with Z NO.

anyhoo, yes, lots of talk lately about attitude & tone & i'm not having it, you're pissing me off, cut it out.

so i'm walking down the hallway & i pass Z & here him say "say no to attitude, say no to attitude" - hahahaha! he made up his own song! & also, that whole say no to drugs thing, yeah, that helped, but right now we're more concerned about the attitude but thanks for the lead in!

feeling coyote ugly

i got an email on monday morning from old boss, higher up & i will talk sometime next week. i haven't heard from higher up yet, good. i haven't contacted him either.

i hear "the devil went down to georgia" in the back of my head these days.

i'm still quite unsure of what to do. it's a great opportunity for me, but old boss, ICK. i finally made the correlation the other day, he's like a slumlord but instead of properties, he does jobs; he finds people in need & takes advantage of their situation.
even if he wouldn't be my boss, i would be witness to his actions & that would repulse me enough.

when i spoke with him the other day & he was referring to my friend who previously held the position he said "in her little asian mind" - it burned me to the core. even if she wasn't my friend, UGH!!!!! my mom keeps telling me small town, small mind, but it's just not an excuse! he forgets how often that "little asian mind" has saved his ass!

bakers we are

my mom & i are the bakers in the family. she does cakes & pies & i do cookies. we used to go all out crazy. i remember one year she made around 8 pies, the required carrot cake & i made about 6 types of cookies. i guess we were trying to make the entire family diabetic. my aunt keeps her house really warm & that year a bunch of the goodies got moldy & had to be thrown out. we never went all out like that again.

i continued making cookies for work on a regular basis though. it was something i enjoyed doing even though i was working day, schooling nights. then one day one of the guys said i made "good dough" because i liked my cookies soft & he liked his crispy & he went so far as to put a few in the toaster oven to cook them further. to that i said f-you & never made cookies for them again, not even for holidays.

i just started baking again over the past couple of years. i'm really out of sync, forgotten most of my tricks, so things are hit & miss. i mean it's hard to screw up a cookie, so they aren't bad, they just aren't what they used to be.

with that being said, i woke up sunday morning & realized it was the weekend before thanksgiving & i hadn't planned any holiday desserts. oopsie, i guess cookie trays aren't happening this year. i did manage to make a batch of oatmeal with chocolate chip cookies though, that's a start. so here's the list what i plan on making next: regular choc. chip cookies with pecans, peanut butter cookies, fudge & i'm going to go crazy & try making a pumpkin pie with crust from scratch!

i called mom & got her recipe for the crust, which is basically like this nifty one M found for me (THANKS), just mom adds a bit of sugar to it; & she also gave me some tips on her pumkin stuff. we'll see how this goes.

stupid clock

my coffee is cold & the english muffin i had for breakfast is wearing thin so i look at the clock - is it too early for me to be hungry for lunch already?

the clock says 11:15, that's not bad right?
i sometimes have lunch at 11:30...

then i realize the clock wasn't changed for daylight savings, it's just after 10am.

reaction?

i finally started feeling better about 6pm yesterday. i think i may have had a slight reaction to the numbing stuff from the dental work or a major reaction to talking with old boss.

can one really be allergic to assholes?
possibly...& if that's the case, working near him would probably not be a good idea.

i didn't receive a phone call from the next higher up to discuss things & i was much pleased about that. i was not in a state to take on such things, no self control, more than likely would have revealed many things about old boss to his boss that would have not been a good idea.

i'm pretty sure the talk with old boss did not go the way he planned. i think he was expecting me to jump at any opportunity he presented. he absolutely has no concept of how unhappy i was there....& the poor pay was just a fraction of it.

when i left the soils place i remember OC-D saying i just had a low tolerance for assholes. it's such a shame that i can't put that on my resume....

RIP Uncle M - part II

i was unsure what to do after my Uncle M died. i didn't want to just get flowers, beautiful yes, but short-lived; i wanted something that had more significance, more meaning, more tangible.

in the middle of the night it came to me - the headstone.

i spoke to my aunt a few times nonchalantly asking her about it, not revealing my intention. this was going to be difficult for her, another final step of the grieving process, letting go, full of pain & tears.

i called the frye chapel & asked them how could i go about it, but they said they couldn't take a deposit until she selected a stone. so i asked if i could leave my name & number to call me when she came in & left it at that. i don't like leaving things like that in someone else's hands, i know things fall through the cracks. i left a post-it in on my monitor & looked at it often wondering if i should call back.

yesterday i got a message from the frye chapel that my aunt had been in & made her selection. i called this morning & thanked the woman so much for remembering me & my message & contacting me. my aunt paid most of the fee with cash & left a credit card # for the balance, i gave the woman my info & asked her to use my credit card instead.

tears....

Z catch up

it's shortly after 8am but i'm ready for bed. i'm exhausted.
besides all the medical bs, that thankfully is nothing really serious but still, there was/is this old boss stuff to consider (which is a huge emotional draw for me), we also had Z's parent teacher conference & the past 3 days Z has gotten UNhappy faces from school - GASP, i know!

ok, i guess not so much after beings suspended from 1st grade...whatever.
it's those darn girls, they MAKE him chase them. poor, poor Shuppa, HAS to chase those naughty girls. well, at least he's not punching anyone, or should i say he hasn't been caught punching anyone.

so here's the report card summary, to start off with there were no 3s. (3s mean the child excels (97+%) & probably shouldn't even be in that grade, so should it be part of the scale?????? hmm??? sorry, that's just my over-achieving self wanting high marks)

oops he did get one 3 on "returns completed homework" but that's because i'm on his butt to do it & make sure it gets in his backpack thurs pm.

the areas where he got 1s were all writing, punctuation, spelling, comprehension stuff. he also had a little slip on writing by 2s & 10s, but i know he can do that so he probably was having a bad day or something. oh & he also got a 1 on class participation, what can i say, he's mine, we participate by being present.

what more do you want? no, seriously?

we ARE doing you a favor by being quiet.
the forked tongue is a dominant trait so be careful of which you ask.

meeting with old boss

the dentist discovered i had not just a cracked filling but a cracked tooth...so i guess i truly am cracked. anyhoo, yeah got that fixed then headed over to meet boss after a few rounds of numbing agent, so yes i was drooling & spitting as i spoke!

he told me a little background about how things went down after my friend left, about how the new chick didn't work out & why they thought i would. he couldn't tell me specifics of the job beings he doesn't know them, but could tell me the job would be supervised by corp (not him), that some travel to sd would be expected (quite a bit initially for training, then monthly or so thereafter).

one concern is that they want someone long term, as in 3 to 5 years. i'm ok with it here in bfe, but down in sd that's too far of a drive. i'm not willing to do a 2 hour commute (one way) on a daily basis for any amount of pay. i asked if beings i would be doing the job from here not sd, if it was considered remote & he said it was, but didn't make the connection i was getting at - can i do it from home in sd?

of course he tried to lowball the pay, that was expected; then he said he didn't really know & couldn't say beings it was a corporate position. i told him i had looked up payscales online & gave him a bottom line. so then he bumped the amount up a couple of $$ & said "that would be more than what you're making now...right?" it is but i lied & said no.

in one way that was really difficult for me, i hate to lie (here it goes, yup, my justification for it) but in another way, old boss will never be forgiven for being such a cheapskate tightwad *&(*&*(&*&!!! he even told me he knew i left over money.

then i asked how things were going with my replacement as far as her office (MS) skills. he said she was coming along but could use some additional coaching. i explained to him that if i came back i wouldn't have a problem with that, but i wanted to be sure that his work went directly to her first. i want her to have a chance first to figure it out, to try things, that i don't want everything coming directly to me because i can do it faster.

so the sector manager is going to call me next, we have quite a few things to discuss.

developments

last night i spoke with my old co-worker & got a little info, then discussed things with B. this is big, there's lots of potential for things to be really good or really bad. B suggested i write it all down. duh, i'm the writer & i didn't think of that instead i was blabbering on & on about things.

this morning i decided i would make my list of concerns about the new position....& i forgot pretty much everything i said last night. crap! i had the list going all day long & only have like 5 items. i also reviewed all my old blog posts to see if i could find anything really bad, but i never went into detail about anything. but i did discover i never made the post about last thanksgiving - talk about being on top of things, oops!

then my other co-worker friend called (oh yes she did! - yeah!). SHE was helpful. she definitely thinks i can do the job. she even suggested that if i can do it from here, i might as well try to do it from home! mainly so i wouldn't have to see boss everyday! she agreed the biggest obstacle is old boss...can i handle him?

rules, we're gonna have to have some rules around here!

i'm so glad she called, i missed talking to her. we also got to catch up on a few things. so tomorrow i have work, leave early for a dental appt, then go met old boss while i'm drugged up still. i need to make more progress on my list though. i wish B would have said something sooner!

somebody pick me up off the floor please-II

sorry about a 3rd post for the day, but shit is going DOWN!

ok, remember THAT!!??!!!

well i just got an e-mail from a friend saying something was coming my way.

scratch that, as i was typing above i got the call. yup, old boss called. replacement didn't work out, he wants to talk to me about being the sector analyst. i could work it from here & possibly keep it if/when we move back to sd! WOW!

B says i should rake him over the coals for pay....ahhhhh, then put something in there about how he can't talk to me directly, we have to have a liason, that would help (because old boss could really be an ass sometimes).

anyways, yeah, lots to think about. could i? would i? should i?

i told friend i would call her tonight for details (i wasn't expecting the call from old boss so quickly). i meet with old boss on thurs after work. this will be interesting if nothing else....

back to medical

today i had a scheduled appt to have a couple moles removed. i had the screening done back in may but just got around to the actual removal part. so yeah, handsome, i mean Mr. Long, was there & he took care of me (not that way! he took my vitals) then i went back to see the dr.

she looked me over & picked out 6 moles she wanted to remove. WHAT - i thought we were doing 2? then after looking me over even further she decides i am just a spotty person & it would be best to start with 1 - THANK YOU. especially beings i did not know what i had in store for me.

i didn't realize what a procedure this was going to be; i was expecting something on the order of having a wart frozen off the skin, no big deal, right? wrong. handsome escorted me to another room with a table for me to lay on & next to it trayS with scalpelS, syringeS, stackS of gauze, bottles of clear liquid - wtf?

so they do all the prepping & covering & laying everything everywhere & she asks if it's ok if handsome gives me the lidocane, sure. um, he's not good at that. she instructs him for the second round & it hurts more. she tests for numbness & when he leaves she gives me some more, painlessly.

once he returns she asks me if i'm ready & i say yes, then i ask "what am i doing this myself?" (i'm also thinking in the back of my head how happy i am that the mole isn't on my butt or something beings handsome is present for the entire thing.) she does what we're there for & puts it in the sample cup & calls it "cute" - ick, it's a chunk of my flesh.

unfortunately we also discovered that i'm a bleeder, i guess a big time bleeder. she even left the room for awhile & had handsome put pressure on my arm because it wasn't slowing down. (did you get that? yeah, lots of alone time with handsome, how come this shit never happened when i was single?)

eventually she returns to stitch me up but beings she's afraid i'm going to start bleeding again, she only gives me 1 stitch. once all that's done i finally look at the back of my arm & there's a big fricken hole in it! seriously, i've seen smaller nostrils. she told me to come back next week to check on it & take the stitch out.

i told her i had an appt scheduled next week anyway. what i didn't say was that it was for a pap - handsome is NOT ALLOWED to sit in on that one!

BABIES!

YEAH, C had her babies yesterday!
that wasn't a typo - it is 'ies'. just after 11 am Luci (5lb ??oz) & Eli (4lb 13oz) were borned-ed (as Z would say).
mom & babies are happy & healthy.
babies have a slight respiratory concern, so they are being carefully monitored & had to stay in the nursery overnight.

movie news - Get Smart

i never watched the old tv series, at young age i couldn't stand maxwell smart, he just pissed me off & was annoying. my co-worker let me borrow her copy of Get Smart otherwise i'm sure i wouldn't have never bothered with it. steve carrell did a great job in 40 year old virgin, so i was willing to see the new & improved maxwell smart...for free.

i enjoyed it. anne hathaway was beautiful as always & the rock was good in his part. (sorry, but in my world he will always be that & i don't watch wrestling.) anyhoo, it would be worth the rental price, had a few good laughs. definitely have seen worse.

oh, & we re-watched august rush, B wanted to see it again & i certainly wasn't going to put up a fight to watch jrm again (twist my arm).

painting hell

on friday while Z was at school we cleaned out the garage, not because it was dirty or anything (although it was) but because we needed the space. we bought the paint for the computer room probably 6 months ago but have managed to procrastinate putting it on the walls this long. see in order to paint the computer room we had to move everything out of there & we had to have somewhere to put it all (other than the front yard, yes we live in ghetto house but i don't really want to prove it to everyone driving by).

last weekend we painted the hallway, nothing special a shade of white but it's probably the cleanest those walls have been...EVER! i also painted the baseboards & doorframes; once i get a paintbrush in my hand i don't stop painting until my hand cramps from holding it.

we finally got the room emptied & painted but it was getting dark so when we looked at it sun am we saw all the spots we missed. even with the spotty coverage the room looked SO much better than the crappy orange we put on there when we first moved in. it was supposed to be something on the order of peaches & cream but ended up being electrifying orange that could blind someone not wearing appropriate protective eyewear. it took me a long time to convince B that yes, it really was THAT ugly. it's now a medium shade of brown that almost looks like suede & makes you kinda want to rub yourself on the walls just to check if it's soft like that.

i also painted the baseboards in there & now we have to paint the bookshelf, nightstand & re-do the desk - fun, fun. guess what we're doing next weekend & any moment there's a spark of energy during the week?

called JC

i wasn't sure what kind of reception i would get, but i called him.
i could hear his smile, that was good.

we played catch up on spouse's & kids; his wife is a teacher now, she used to sub back in the day, his kids - 1 in college & 1 in hs, i was expecting 1 in hs & 1 in jr high (time really does fly). then he told me about his new job & how bad things were at the soils co. i only know about 5 people in that office now, everyone else has either left or been laid off.

he also told me he had been contacted by another office-mate (DD) who had left a few years prior to me, hopefully we can get an e-mail string together & be in contact again.

i'm glad i made the call.

chapters-soils co

i remember when i was a kid my mom asking me if i recognized chapters in my life & even at a young age, i could. i was contacted by an old friend (RB) from my first real job, as in career-like job. i worked at the soils company for over 10 years. i started a couple of months before i turned 21 & left about 6 months after having Z (31). i grew up there, i went through a lot of changes, i helped my mom buy a condo, i met B, B & I moved in together, B & I got married & bought a house, i finished college, i got pregnant & had a baby, i survived being a single mom while B was in Japan for 13 months, i made a lot of friends.

i liked my job & hated it all at the same time. i enjoyed the work & the people (except for the hag, but more about her later), but at the end felt like i couldn't grow anymore, that i would always be seen as the 21 year old they first met. i felt like my efforts weren't realized & therefore could never be rewarded. i remember asking for a raise at one point & being told it wouldn't be right for an admin assist to be paid equal to an entry level geologist or engineer. although i had a BS degree, i had years more of experience than the entry level geo/eng who were fresh out of school, i ran the office, i took care of the H/R, reconciled the AP, took care of the billing & harrassed clients that didn't pay their bills.

i was also the lead engineer's (JC) right arm, which used to be a good thing, but when B was gone & i was learning how to be a mom, taking care of Z & being someone's right arm combined with everything else was more than i could handle. i knew after all that time i had to leave. i didn't leave on the best of terms. i broke down & JC & I had an argument (a shouting match really) about something i no longer remember but i do recall crying in the bathroom at work afterwards.

so RB called to ask me if he could pass my # on to another office friend who will be in the area for the next couple of weeks working. he also told me JC was leaving the company, RB already had. the tanking housing market has really taken a toll on the company, i left at it's peak with almost 130 employees, they are now down to less than 40 & praying to survive the winter.

men's bathroom, round 2

in my haste i accidently left out one of the highlights from the mc ball.

yeah, walked into the men's room - AGAIN. of course it was accidental & although it wasn't as interesting as last year's episode, it carries it's own worth. i am in my dress & all princess-like but evidently that whole trailer park thing follows me wherever i go, dammit.

this year i didn't have Z to blame, i mean to use as an excuse, whatever.
anyways, yes, so i go to the bathroom, it's the same place the ball has been for the previous 2 years & i know where the bathroom is. i walk in & don't even notice the urinals on the wall, walk right past them, get all the way to the back of the room to the only stall (thinking, hmmm, isn't that weird that there's only 1 stall? i distinctly remember 2 stalls & isn't it strange that the lady's room is empty? that NEVER happens! how lucky i am!)

then i notice the seat up....

um, whaaaat????? (lost & confusion swirling through my head)

then i look over & notice the line of urinals that i completely ignored
(shit, shit, shit, no i didn't do it AGAIN!!!!! yes, i did, in a fricken princessy gown at that, nice!)

& now in a completely matrix-like delusion the door to exit the men's room is like 100 feet away (i guess i had too many jello shots after all).

thankfully at no point in time was a man in the bathroom & i didn't notice if anyone saw the princess walk out of the men's room. i did go confess to C afterwards & told her i would need her accompaniment to future bathroom visits as this never happened in the past. i don't care that you're pregnant & it's hard for you to get up out of your chair, i KNOW you have to pee.

in other humbling news: during the cake cutting ceremony part of the ball the first piece of cake is shared by the oldest & youngest marine...the youngest was born in 1989 & that was just plain mean! (B & I graduated in '89)

icky but funny

i was hoping yesterday's events wouldn't unfold in a blog-worthy manner, however it was quite funny & after all one of the main reasons i started this blog is my horrible memory & i needed somewhere to document everything. with that being said, carry on if you dare...

yesterday when i got up to leave work for lunch i noticed i felt a bit weird. when i got home i went to the bathroom & noticed not only were my panties wet but even my pants were a bit damp (but not in the sexy kind of way). needless to say i was alarmed, i hadn't felt anything escaping from anywhere, this has never happened before & i didn't know the the 'f' was going on. i asked B to check to make sure i wasn't just imagining it, he confirmed. then we discussed was it from the front or the back? well it couldn't be the back, you mean the middle? i don't know!

i went back to work & shortly thereafter they let us out early for the impending holiday & i decided to go by medical to talk to my dr. i was at a complete loss at what was going on & didn't know what to look up on the internet so i was hoping a discussion with her would give me some clues. as i drove there i pondered the possibility of her not being there, then what? i mean, i'm sure the person at the desk will ask me what's wrong & if i would like to speak to someone else? how do i answer that? do i just tell them i wet my pants? i think, but i'm not sure?

i get there & still unsure the heck i'm going to do if my dr isn't there & go up to the desk & realize there was another uncomfortable factor i hadn't considered. um, yeah, the guy at the desk whom i have to get past to see my dr, who was young, tall, handsome. ok, strikingly handsome & what he didn't have in dark he more than made up for in hair, face, eyes & voice....& here i am with my wet pants (but not in the sexy kind of way) story.

he tells me my dr is in & to write down what i need to discuss with her. thankful for that prepping in the car i wrote down the ambiguous yet gives enough info to ward of any further questions "female issues", then added "possible bladder infection"; he told me to come back for an appt at 3 after speaking with her.

i return at 3 & handsome calls me back for the specs (height, weight, temp, blood pressure), in the process i notice the name tag on his shirt "Long" - seriously! he tells me my bp is elevated (i'm sure it happens with many females in his presence as well as some males).

shortly thereafter i go in to see the dr. initially she thought it was just ovulation, but i told her i didn't think it was that, i've felt that & even an egg drop, that was not what was going on here. then she felt my abdominal area & just the pressure of the stethescope on my lower left pelvic area was uncomfortable so she ordered a urinalysis. the lab guy assumed it was a pregnancy test (why does everyone think i'm pregnant?) the results came back negative but she decided with the sensitivity & how many times i had gone to the bathroom that day to prescribe some antibotics, so we'll see how things go.

movie news - Madagascar 2 & August Rush

wah wah WAH! - Rachel McAdams & Ryan Gosling (the notebook) are kaput (again)! dang if they aren't the cutest couple ever & if that isn't just the hottest kiss ever!

we went to see Madagascar 2 this weekend. it was alright. i can't get enough of chris rock saying "crack a lackin'"; david schwimmer as a hypochondriac is just perfect & jada, well she will always be "peaches" to me.

we also saw august rush that co-worker let me borrow. it was good. the story was interesting & it involved a lot of music so i was intrigued & well, shall we talk about jonathan rhys meyers? (can we say - dancing, screaming, itching, squealing, fevered, feeling hot, hot, hot? btw, thank you robert smith)

although i've never made an official 'island list', julian casablancas from the strokes would be there & now jonathan is invited. i know, julian isn't the sexiest guy out there, but his voice, well what can i say...

going to be a rock star

Z was doing a little shake & i asked him if he was dancing he said no, but he was practicing because he might want to be a rock star. so i explained to him that if he was going to be a rock star, that meant he was going to be in a rock band & in order to be in a rock band you had to play an instrument or sing, or both. he said he knew, that he was going to play guitar.

luckily vh1 was showing greatest songs of the 80s, so we had music appreciation evening.
the governator is threatening to cut school funding even more so where else is my kid going to learn about good music? i don't remember learning about the clash at school? & i wasn't introduced to motley crue until i was in 6th grade (& i thought vince was a chick).

oh, & B walked in as the cure came on (just like heaven) & i told him if they are ever in concert again, we are going. this morning he asked "the cure? or the cult?" - either, both!

mc ball 2009

the ball was fun, not exceptionally, but we'ven learned to go in with low expectations & that way end up having a better time. C (pregnant friend) wow, was totally pregnant. i remember people telling me i looked like i had swallowed a watermelon whole, yup, she looked like that too. as far as i know, she hasn't delivered though.

last year at the ball they had shrimp for an appetizer, so you can only guess at how surprised i was when i thought i was biting into a jalepeno popper only to discover it was a mini-corndog! um, yeah, that almost $100 we spent on dinner & i'm eating a corndog? yes, please, i DO need another jello-shooter after that! & there was no cheesecake dessert bar either, where did they spend that $$, i have yet to determine.

the dress was beautiful. the shoes, nice to look at but evidently they were purchased out of the S&M section of Penny's that i didn't even know existed. i almost purchased a different pair of heels but they were probably 4" & i was afraid i wouldn't be able to carry them off so i went with shorter heels that had a bed of tacks - much better. B looked great in his uniform with all the shiny medals making noise with every step he took.

one the music started B was ready to head home though. i told him we had to stick around for at least a couple of songs, but we were home shortly after 11. Little one was still up, running around, eating candy, not even in his jammies. so i told him to finish what he had, brush his teeth & change. i went in after him & found chocolate on his toothbrush, sign of good night. i read to him & although he appeared quite alert (from the sugar rush no doubt), i laid next to him, put our cheeks together, sang "momma loves her baby" & caressed his other cheek, he was out within seconds.

the next morning he told me he dreamt about rats biting him.

ball tonight

i wasn't all that excited about tonight's ball, hohum, just another one, our last one. i only have a few friends in bfe & only a couple that are marine corp wives. one moved back to ny some time ago & the only one that's left is 12 months pregnant. ok, she's not an elephant, she's not 12 mos she's almost 35 weeks, but she's carrying twins so you can only imagine how big (& uncomfortable) she is.

i got out of work early for all the girlie preppings (that i'm at a complete loss at how to do so i just wing it & hope for the best). i gave pregnant friend a call & last minute she decided to go tonight. she went to the only maternity shop in town & found a dress that works - yeah! i'm now looking forward to tonight, at least to more than just the cheesecake dessert bar (& so help those people if they don't have one!).

her dr said he'd be surprised if she held them in until monday....maybe we'll have babies tonight - how's that for exciting!

Ivan - 2a1

M couldn't remember tj boyfriend's name either, our memories of that time have fragmented over time. anyways she contacted the resident historian & alas, we have a name - Ivan.

thanks S!

M too for remembering the historian forgets nothing!

oopsie - 2a

i forgot, no really i did, it wasn't on purpose that i left out - tj boyfriend.

no, not Chris (i'm ok with saying his name because i haven't been in contact with him since then). ok the the story on Chris - 2nd guy i slept with, cute, blonded, blue-eyed, white boy that could dance. the first, maybe 2nd time we had sex, he let out the HUGEST fart i had ever heard in my life (at least at that point, i am married to B & things have changed).

tj boyfriend who's name eludes me at this time but i'm sure someone (hello, M? yeah, i KNOW you know!) will help me out here....anywho, yes, i had a tj boyfriend. the language barrier was there, although i'm part hispanic & took spanish in hs my abilities have never been what i would like them to be (i'm talking spanish speaking people, keep on track, get your mind out of wherever you wondered off to!) & he only spoke spanish. we kissed, hung out & drank some together; he was a really nice boy. he was the only guy i ever cheated on & i broke up with him immediately & felt really bad about what i did.

i regret the fact that i cheated on someone but at the same time will never regret the path i chose. that's all i can say about that!

drunk stories - phase 2

in case you missed phase 1, it's here. that was hs, let's move on to the next chapter of my life which was sd & tj.
did i just say tj?
yup, i did, i'm going THERE, the initial place. ok, not physically, but we're taking a little voyage in time....

after 1 semester at local community college, i moved to sd to live with my best friends. it wasn't long before we discovered our proximity to tj; more importantly alcohol & all night music & dancing accessible to folks under 21. we would go often. ok, i don't think you are getting that so i'll spell it out for you - sometimes 4 times A WEEK. our money was for tj & burritos at 3am...sometimes 4 or 5am or even 7am.

we had oh so much fun, we always at the very least stayed in pairs, but some of the crazy shit we did & got into, WOW.

we drove our vehicles down there - don't tell me i can't drive, if i can drive in tj, i CAN drive mf'er!
we had our bartenders - yes our, they knew us (ok, it was by our fake tj names, but that's neither here nor there, mine was jennifer). we once went to one of their house's, it was by cemetery & it was kinda scary.
i used to help the dj with his music selection - it was all there, he just needed some assistance in the alternative arena.

a couple of crazy incidences - M & I are kinda pyromanics & we (at least i think it was 'we') accidently (of course) lit an ashtray on fire on our table, it was kinda exciting; we once saw a couple having sex on the dancefloor (no shit, totally going at it!); one of my friends opened the car door to puke not realizing we were flying down the freeway & someone else held her hair to make sure she didn't fall out.

that's all the craziness i can remember at this point in time, but i reserve the right to add a 'phase 2a, 2b' just in case something comes up.

duh!

so there's this article about how women are "germier" then men & i feel compelled to comment on....

here's the deal, screw all your scientific bs, the reason women have "germy" hands is because men touch nothing other than themselves & the food they eat.

& no, typically they do NOT wash their hands after using the bathroom - i have conducted studies! i used to sit right outside the office's men's room & could hear when the faucet was turned on, it was RARE.

rollercoaster add on

i forgot to add to the rollercoaster list: the marine corp ball on friday.

i have to dress up & look all girlie, which will probably take all day & i may have to enlist assistance from several females nearby. i have the dress & the shoes, but the hair & the face, um, i'm at a loss.

i'll just go outside & yell "help!" to see who comes out, i mean i really do need help, it's just not an emergency...well, i guess that's debatable...

Obama it is

yesterday when i was driving Z home at the end of the day i was telling him that it was a special day & he told me he knew that it was "voting day". then he proceeded to tell me that he voted & John McCain was going to win. i was kinda surprised that i didn't lose control of the car & wreck into the curb or something, that somehow i managed to maintain my composure.

i didn't vote for Obama, so you can thank me for that because anyone whom i do vote for president doesn't win, ever. i wanted to be on Obama team, but honestly i wonder about him, questionable background in my opinion.

but here we are. he has promised change, i hope that change is good.

last boarding call for the holiday rollercoaster

ok, so it started back in august. yes, i know most parents are thrilled when their kids start back in school; which to some degree we were but it wasn't a huge change in Z's schedule, other than the homework that kills us just a little tiny bit every single night. (oh, & he is doing better at his reading - YEAH!!!)

then there was labor day, that's all good, a couple of birthdays, & halloween just past yeah, today is election day whoohoo. now we begin the big steep climb into holiday season.
& i'd like to point out those lousy, money hungry grubbers at walmart for having christmas shit out BEFORE halloween people, please, i have enough pressure!

to complicate matters exponentially B & I just scheduled a little holiday trip down to mexico in between thanksgiving & christmas. stupid, i know. gluttons for punishment, yes, we are. no, i'm not being negative, i am the anti-cheerleader it's my responsibility to point these things out.

so yup, 2nd week in Dec were cruising it to baja. this took a lot of effort on my part to get B to realize a cruise was much different than being "on boat" military style sleeping in racks & all, people wouldn't pay for that shit. i have to make a dr appt so i can get some good no-puke medicine, just in case; certainly don't want to pay all that cash to be on a boat sick & missing all the good food.

then after christmas it's my mom's b-day, then it's our anniversary, then it's valentine's, then it's B's birthday & i can rest for minute.

election tomorrow

in case you hadn't noticed, i am not into politics...at all.
i love the fact that i can (& do) vote, however, i'm not savvy about it & i don't like being in areas where i'm ignorant.

with that being said, i just felt like i needed to make a post because history is being made people, tomorrow WE get to choose either an african-american president or a female vice president. to me that's pretty crazy, we're finally getting like progressive and everything.

so tomorrow should be an interesting day.

october in hindsight

i've been doing a lot of looking back over the month of october. this time last year B & I were getting better after a few months of unimaginable bad. it's been a year since Uncle R died & that still hurts...too.

i could drive myself completely mad (not that it would be a long drive, but please try & stay focused here!) trying to figure out what happened with B & I. where we went wrong, what happened, how we fixed, but i've learned it's just best for me to let it go, let it rest, it is the past. if i bring it up, i make part of the present & i do not want that.

when i think of my uncle, i think of holidays at nana's when i was a kid. i always thought my Uncle R was so handsome. he would dance with me in my nana's little kitchen with everyone around us.
i also think of the time my mom, B & I went to visit him. he took us to an awesome fish house, seriously authentic mexican style, yummy food! then, in his part of LA, the carts came by, something we had never witnessed.
yup, guys walking the streets with carts of different delicacies...if you hadn't noticed we are all about food. one cart had steamed corned, which normally one wouldn't think THAT impressive, but it's oh so different when you get from a guy off the street! they put butter, mayo (yes, don't question it!), salt, pepper & hot sauce & it was SO good.
then the sundae cart came by & yes, of course we had to participate in that too, because i told you we're all pigs, keep up!

injun turtle

for halloween Z dressed up as a teenage mutant ninja turtle. i think it's funny that they're back in, that there's a new (relatively) movie out & the cartoon is on sat am's.

this year's costume got a run for it's money. at Z's after-school care place they had dress up day on thurs. i let him take the costume & the mask (but not the turtle shell) & when he came home he had red juice all over the front of it. thankfully it came out rather easily.

yesterday at school's party he made chocolate covered pretzels & replaced the juice spots with chocolate. i didn't think it was wise to attempt to clean that up, i figured it would end up spreading & looking like someone had pooped on him.

the trick or treating was ok last night. it's been an entire year (surprise) since the last one & he totally forgot how things went so at first when someone opened the door he started walking in & handing them his goody bag, like he was saying "i'll wait here while you fill this up." so we had to remind him to say trick or treat!

then he wouldn't say thank you...so much that people giving out the candy would look at us so we would holler "thank you very much & have a nice halloween!" we were waiting for the kid to say it, my goodness it's not like he doesn't get reminded enough about it, you would think he would remember when he was given a handful of candy he would but noooo!

then he forgot to put his bag out for the treats & the people handing out the candy were confused by this. so we had to go through the entire routine a few times with him - ring the doorbell, say "trick or treat" or "happy halloween" when they open the door (not "hi"), then put your bag up, when they start to give you candy say "thank you" you don't say "trickortreat thankyou" when they open the door.

but we survived & he got a bag full of candy. many houses didn't participate & there were hardly any other kids out. B came home early so he could pass out candy & he said we only had ~4 knocks.

our last stop was at the neighbors & i brought home the baby. ok, she's not a baby, she's about 1 1/2, but she hadn't done any trick or treating so i brought her home to give her a few treats. B scared her when he opened the door & yelled "trick or treat" (thinking it was only Z & I). I told him "look what i got for a treat!" hahaha!