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| Monday, 7-Feb-2005 00:00 |
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It's been over a week since I've written. I really don't have a great reason why. I guess I've decided to go to sleep rather than write. Sorry!
It is after midnight, and I've just been emailing w/ Andy back and forth a couple times. He's in Tikrit now and is not a happy camper. He's not a very good transition person, and this is a pretty big transition, moving from relative comfort in Kuwait to the hell hole that Tikrit seems to be.
Last week was pretty uneventful. I got info back from my doctor about my x-rays. He seems to think that I have arthritis in my back joint (where the spine and tailbone meet, but only on the right side). The x-ray showed an "inflammation." He said to stop running and rest. Yeah, right. I got off the phone w/ him Friday afternoon, and not more than 30 min. later, I went out on a 9 mile run. Not the best patient, I guess. But seriously, my back feels better while I'm running. It feels the worst when I'm sitting or standing in one place or lying in bed (one reason I've been so tired -- I wake up a lot from the pain in my back). My doc also wants to do a blood test to rule out Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Also on Friday, we went out to the Mexican restaurant we frequent w/ Erin (sis-in-law) and then went to Tennyson for the Art Walk that happens once a month. It was pretty fun, but cold. It reminded me of trick or treating for some reason. I guess the dark and cold and people milling around did that.
Saturday I spent at an indoor soccer game for Arianna, and then Anastasia and Arianna had practice at 4-5. Anastasia had slept over at Erin's Friday night (as a birthday thing, belated) and Arianna slept over at a soccer friend's house on Sat. (Abbey Woods). Sat. evening we went up to Andy's mom and dad and had dinner and I took a long bath in their jacuzzi tub (my doc said I needed to take motrin 3 times a day and take hot baths as often as I could). The kids watched Cinderella Story (I think it's like their 5th time seeing it) w/ Hillary Duff w/ Grandma and Grandpa. Around 11 p.m. while I was making brownies (for the Super Bowl party we were invited for on Sunday) and banana bread (because my bananas were getting brown), Andy called. He could only talk for 10 min. because that's all the time he had left on his calling card. It looks like he has to go find another DSN number so that he can call me for free!
Sunday Andrew and Alexandra (and to some exent Anastasia) felt sick, but we went to church anyway. I had to teach Sunday School, and my co-teacher was sick, so I couldn't bail and not go, too! After church, Bruce took Kat and Andrew down south to Park Meadows area to visit a fire station that one of the members of our church works at. While he was doing that, I picked up Arianna from her friend's. Well, actually, I met her friend's mom at a Futsal practice that Arianna and Abbey were attending. After that, I went home and commenced to making homemade chicken noodle soup. Since my kids (and I didn't feel so hot) were getting sticken w/ the crud, I thought that my soup maybe could help out a little. I also had to cancel our invite to the Hoopers' house to celebrate the Super Bowl.
Bruce brought Kat and Andrew back, and I invited him to eat dinner w/ us -- my soup and buttermilk biscuits. Then he took the 3 girls to see Phantom of the Opera (the movie). I stayed home w/ the 2 little fiends and after they went to bed, did Pilates.
Today, Monday, Andrew didn't feel good enough to go to swimming lessons, and Kat and Alix didn't feel good enough to go to school, so things were pretty laid back (not so much time in the car.) Andrew and Arianna had testing for yet another school I'm trying as an option for enrollment (am I being aggressive or what? No way am I going to homeschool ANYBODY next year!). That took about an hour, and then I took the kids who felt okay (Andrew, Kat and Arianna) to go swimming. I swam a mile and ran about 15 min. in the deep end (basically treading water, but moving forward) while they played. Then I went home and made meatloaf and mashed potatoes -- 2 days in a row cooking dinner!
My life isn't all that exciting these days <yawn>.
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| Sunday, 30-Jan-2005 00:00 |
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Falling in the snow and snow fall
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Friday:
Got my back x-rayed. Finally! I only had a referral for this since mid-November! I also ran 5 miles. Made dinner, too, creamed chopped beef on buttermilk biscuits. Took Arianna to her friend Sammy's house. Arianna had a game Sat. a.m., and I had a snowshoe race to do, so I unloaded Arianna at a friend's house.
Saturday:
I got the kids up early to head out to Cordillera -- about 4 exits west of Vail. That means approx. a 2 hour drive. But I was determined to do a snowshoe race, and this time I was going to tackle the 10K instead of the 5K's I've been doing.
I got to the race about 50 min. early. The race took place a couple miles down the road from where Wheeler Trigg had their retreat 2 years in a row and also where Kobe Bryant did his alleged deed.
It was a good thing that I got there early because I had to find a place for the 4 kids which I brought -- Alexandra, Anastasia, Andrew, and Kat (Arianna slept over at a soccer friend's house) -- to hang out while I raced and, as I discovered about 5 min. before the race, my snowshoes were not ready to run in. I had to put the straps together. Duh! I'd gotten the shoes in the mail about 2 weeks ago, but hadn't gotten them ready. So, I was spazzing around trying to get the straps put where they need to go -- a minor crisis.
My snowshoe acquaintance, Lynda, was also doing the race, but she opted for the 5K because she'd done a 10K 2 Saturdays ago and a 9-miler last Saturday. But since they started the 5K and 10K at the same time, we stood next to each other on the start line.
The race was a loop -- the 5K was one loop, the 10K two -- and I think the race was on a golf course.
So, we started. My shoes -- a left and right shoe! -- felt pretty good. For about the first 1K, the race was on hard packed trail, so it was fast and rolling up and down hills. Then we hit "single track;" that means trail through deep snow. You basically follow the person in front of you and try not to fall on your butt. It's kinda tricky because you have lots of deep snowshoe tracks laid ahead of you; I guess the idea is step in those tracks and shorten your stride. Well, I wasn't very successful at this and fell a zillion times. I also let people by who were more coordinated -- and fast -- than I. I was covered in snow. I just couldn't stay balanced and on my feet. I slipped and slided, arms waving wildly, on the downhills. The uphills were more controllable, but still I fell and staggered around. Definitely my weak point.
Once we got out of the single track, I was back on hardpack and downhill, too! It felt great to actually open up my stride -- you get kinda cramped in single track. At least I do -- I'm all tense and picking up my feet while shortening my stride. I think part of the key to navigating single track is not to hurry -- if you go faster than you are able, you stumble, stagger, and fall. Anyway, my strength is on the hardpack trail where my running experience really pays off. Downhills and uphills and flat. I made up a lot of ground during these parts of the race -- I'd catch the people who passed me on the singletrack. Also, the competitors are pretty encouraging. When you pass them, they usually say, "Good job." Sometimes I said, "Oh, I'll see you again. You'll catch me on the single track!"
We hit single track a second time, and this time I took my time, and the people ahead of me stayed about the same interval ahead, so I wasn't slowing down too much. And I was so proud of myself because I only fell once! Then the last 1K was back on packed snow, and I passed the 5K finish -- very tempting at that point just to stop there and call it a day. But I resisted the urge and did the loop again.
At the end of the race, I realized I'd done the second half faster than the first. I was 3rd woman overall and only 7 min. behind the leader who races "professionally." Now if only I could learn how to stay on my feet!
After the race, we ate the food at the post-race party (chilli), got my medal for my 3rd place finish, then hurried the kids back into the car so that we'd be able to get Anastasia to her indoor soccer training on time (4 p.m.). It started snowing pretty heavily around the Winter Park exit of I-70 and the traffic drastically slowed. We ended up being 30 min. late to Anastasia's 1 hour training. Also there, Arianna had training at the same time, so we collected Arianna and took her home w/ us.
We got home, and I had the worst stomach problems -- not fun. I think the combo of dehydration and running hard and not feeling all that great this week (there's this flu that's been circulating) plus the chilli that didn't exactly agree w/ me sort of conspired together to make me extra miserable. I ordered some pizza from Pizza Alley and that was dinner!
Sunday:
Went to church. Taught Sunday School (well, actually, it was Abigail's turn this week, but I was there, too). I was on time! Then we went out to eat w/ the Downings (pastor's family) at Chipotle. Anastasia had an indoor soccer game at 2:30, so Arianna came w/ me to take Anastasia. Anastasia scored a goal! And my plan for the rest of the day is to clean my pigsty of a house. It's really needing some serious attention. And since we already had something rather substantial for lunch, dinner will be something small and easy.
Notice: visiting the animal shelter was not one of the events of the day. The time came and went when we would've gone to the shelter to get the beagle. I hope that he's right now in a cozy home w/ a nice, happy family who's thrilled to have him. He really was a sweet sweet cute doggy! The kids are okay with it. But we MAY go tomorrow to the shelter just to see if he got adopted . . .
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| Wednesday, 26-Jan-2005 00:00 |
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I can't think of a pithy title. Any suggestions?
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Today Kat was acting like the beast that she is. We were sitting in Souper Salads for dinner at about 8 p.m. (after Alix and Arianna each had soccer practices at the opposite ends of the earth), and Kat was howling about something or other. Like, she wanted her water cup filled up NOW. I looked across the table at her sitting in a grimy booster chair across from me and said, "Kat, who do you think you are? Why do you act like you're a princess or something?"
She didn't skip a beat. "My daddy says I'm a princess." And with that, she pronouned herself justified. End of story.
All this while Andrew was holding a conversation with Anastasia: "What would happen if a goldfish [cracker] fell on a black widow spider?"
And Arianna's friend Casie was with us. She was boinging off the walls, doing her normal Casie thing.
And Alix was being anti-social, sitting at a table by herself cranking out some of her 3 hours of homework.
So, back to the beginning of the day.
I woke up after just about 7 hours of sleep -- a good take. I didn't feel AS tired as normal. Alix was delivered to school on time. Kat was delivered to school basically on time. Andrew was delivered to his swimming lesson right on the dot -- not time to shower and make it on time, but close enough. I graded a substantial amount of kid work that was backed up about 2 weeks AND taught Anastasia her pre-Algebra and Arianna grammar and other language art subjects like vocab and spelling. I had also actually completed 3 lessons of phonics (each are supposed to take 60 min., but Andrew knocked out all three in 45 min.) starting at 9:30. This has not happened (the time I started) since . . .I have no idea. Oh, since Anastasia and Arianna were in their shortlived public school (back in Sept).
I got home, made egg salad and egg salad sandwiches for lunch.
Andrew: "Oh, that's gross!"
Anastasia: "Eggs make me get headaches! Do I have to eat it? Can I give it to Rowdy?"
Arianna: (not stated verbally) "Egg salad! I love food! I'm starving! Can I have seconds?!"
Kat: (thinking) "I will sit here for an hour, (but first I'll eat my honey pretzels and my honey pretzels only because I love those), and wear Mommy down until she finally takes me down, and then I'll go upstairs and play when I'm supposed to take a nap. I'll take out the scissors that I have hiding under my pillow and of course the permanent markers. I can't wait to make a pretty picture on my pillowcase cover. Then I'll sneak out of my room and make the same pretty picture on the lid of the toilet seat. I'll smash Mommy's lipstick and then I'll pinch Andrew and make him scream! . . . . . . "
While Andrew and Kat were finishing up (about 45 min. into "eating"), I got ready and eventually did run. 6 plus miles along Cherry Creek w/ Rowdy. I felt a little better than on Monday, but still kinda bloaty. I got home, jumped into the car to pick up Alix from school. I brought the horde w/ me because I made the mistake of saying, "We should go visit the dog sometime," which translates to kids, "Hey everybody! Did you hear what Mommy said? We're going to visit the dog so that he'll get used to us when we adopt him on Sunday!" I was wondering why the kids were scrambling for their shoes and hustling into the van . . . Oh, and for the record? I ain't adopting no dog on Sunday, no matter how bonded I feel to him and how cute he is.
We did end up visiting the dog (the shelter is about 2 min. from Alix's school) for about 8 min., then drove home. I jumped into the shower and headed out to the various soccer practices; only one accident "with injuries" on Sante Fe Drive delayed me from delivering Alix on time. And that's where I started my entry today -- at Souper Salads, which I found out to my dismay has raised its prices. Until about 3 months ago, I could feed me and the 5 kids for -- sit down if you're not -- 8 bucks. Kids 12 and under were $1 for all you can eat salad bar, potato bar, breads (like corn bread, pizza), soup bar, and dessert bar (pudding, soft serve ice cream, etc.) Adults cost $3.99. I'm cheap when it comes to beverages at restaurants, so no additional cost for soft drinks. Plus, those things have massive amounts of empty calories. My kids are used to drinking water in restaurants. Anyway, now it costs $2.99 per kid. So, it cost me 3 times as much to eat tonight. But that only ended up being $21.
I got home a little before 10, I think. This so late because Jim Cluck (Casie's dad) is baching it this week -- Candi's out of town. He has to shuttle the 4 kids himself, plus he has this new janitorial job at a Christian school that he has to juggle along w/ his new golf cart repair business and janitorial business. Alix's practice was 2 min. from the school he was cleaning, and Casie had to practice on the other end of the earth with Arianna, so we worked a deal. When I dropped Alix at her practice, I also picked up Casie. Jim picked up Alix when she was done so I wouldn't have to traipse all the way back down to pick up Alix while Arianna was practicing on the other end of the earth. So, all I had to do was take Casie to Jim when Casie/Arianna's practice was over, and we'd switch kids. Follow that? Worked great.
After I got home, I intended to do Pilates at the early hour of 10 p.m., but one of my candidates (a plebe at the Merchant Marine Academy now trying for West Point) emailed me his essay I told him I'd look over. So, I got all caught up in that . . . Think it's fair these candidates get a "professional" writer editing their essays?
Well, once again it's midnight. Tomorrow, I have a doc appt at National Jewish (numero uno asthma specialists) and Alix has a placement test for the IB program in the afternoon she's applying for AND Alix has practice at 7. That's the backbone of tomorrow's To Do List.
Gotta get some sleep to "seize the day."
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| Tuesday, 25-Jan-2005 00:00 |
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Untitled because I'm not in the creative mode today!
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Today I woke up exhausted. Maybe it was because of the hour kickboxing class I attended at Core Martial Arts after having running 4 miles (and I didn't feel all that hot while running, either). I think I did over 120 push-ups at the class, plus crunches, plus resistance exercises (arms), then the fun began. I partnered up w/ Erin Mallet, secretary at Wheeler Trigg. But don't let the occupation of "secretary" give you the impression that Erin is one of these long red finger-nailed, short skirted kinda girls. No oh. She is a super butt-kicking studette who you'd not want to surprise in a dark alley. After so many arm burning exercises, I was then expected to punch and kick Erin and then hold the pads and block her punches and kicks. It prob sounds like utter torture to most people, but I actually had a great time. And no dogs hindered me from going to the class this week.
Okay, so I am a wee bit sore, but the class isn't the main source of my feeling pukey today. I think I'm coming down w/ something. I mean, 2 mochas plus a cup of green tea w/ honey couldn't kick me into gear today. Plus, even tho the temps were 60's, I didn't run. I just didn't feel like it at all. It doesn't help that Rowdy and I are having a similar discomfort issue (Rowdy is in heat, if that's any indication).
I did school w/ the kids, did not make dinner (I did the past couple of days tho -- hey!), drove and picked up kids from school, talked to the admissions guy at West Point about my candidates, talked to candidate parents, called a bunch of docs and made appts that I've been meaning to get to for months (literally, since before Thanksgiving), washed clothes, dropped off an enrollment app at yet another school, and took my kids to a karate school. This school was recommended by the sensei at Core Martial Arts and Erin, and also my friends the Clucks had their kids going there and highly recommended it. We went today for a sort of introductory private class given by the owner. Andrew was literally bouncing off the mirrors. He was very excited to learn how to block and punch (very rudimentary). Friday, I think, we're going back to take a class, and then Tues. so that Kat and Andrew can try a class. One drawback: it's down south on my soccer route. That could also be a plus because then I'll be able to work in karate, if that's what we decide to do, w/ the kids' off-soccer day schedules. We shall see.
Then the girls had swimming. While they were there, I dropped by Erin's (my sis-in-law Erin) (about 2 sec from the pool) and left Kat and Andrew w. her while I went home to throw some wash in and straighten things, etc. before going back to her house to hang out for about 30 min. before picking up the girls. Then we went to eat at Lechugas (it's spaghetti special night there on Tuesdays) and now I'm writing this blog while the kids get ready for bed. I can't wait to get there myself!
Back to yesterday: Alix shadowed at East High School. School starts at 7:30, but we were supposed to get there about 15 min. early to get to the guidance couselors' office to meet up w/ Alix's escort. You should've seen all the kids literally pouring into the school at about 7:25 (when we got there). The halls are pretty narrow and the school busting w/ kids, so it was slightly intimidating -- all the diversity of kids there, too, which I think is cool, but kinda unnerving when everyone's at such close contact. I met the girl who escorted Alix -- she had on a miniskirt and a lot of make-up, and was short, but seemed friendly. Alix wore a sweatshirt and jeans and was very tall in comparison. They did not match. Afterwards, Alix commented that all the girl (her name was Amy) and her friends talked about was boys.
Last night Arianna and Anastasia and I stayed up to watch Cat Woman -- another reason why I'm tired today. It was pretty good in the way that action superhero movies are "pretty good."
Well, the house is growing progressively more quiet, so I'm thinking the kids are tucked into their beds. Good! Now it's time for me to sign off.
Oh, and I got a speeding ticket today, but I don't want to talk about it now.
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| Sunday, 23-Jan-2005 00:00 |
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More days, more dollars
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I can't believe it's been . . . 4 days? since I last wrote.
The farthest back I can remember is Sat., so I'll start there.
No, I can remember that on Friday, I cooked dinner! I made 15 bean soup.
Oh, and did I mention that my dog Rowdy is in heat?
Saturday, we woke up in time to take Arianna to her indoor soccer game. We took her friend Casie home w/ us (to spend the night). Got home in time for Arianna and Casie to shower, then went to the Denver Puppet Theater at 1 w/ Grandma and Grandpa to see Rapunzel. Grandma could hardly tear herself away from coloring her puppet to actually watch the show! She dropped the puppet in my lap: "For you!" and it had curly brown hair and a crown w/ the words "Queen of Everything" written on the hem of her dress. Hmmm.
After that, G and G took my car out for a bath and I ran with Anastasia -- about 3 miles plus 3 sets of bridge stairs over by Confluence Park. Anastasia had a scheduled practice to do the steps at Red Rocks for Sunday a.m., but that's church time, so I told her coaches that I'd kick her butt instead. Not too much complaining (for Sassa, that is).
Then Arianna and her friend had a practice at Denver Sports. Kinda last min., but I had to return to the scene of the earlier game for another hour. The kids did 1 vs.1 on the short fields, but they were really hurting after about 30 sec., and they had to play until either one of the 2 scored. Looks like Arianna will have to hit the bridge w/ me, too!
Got home and actually -- a recent record! -- made dinner. Spaghetti. AND brownies ("How come you only make brownies when someone comes over?") Then I went to Wine and Jazz -- an annual event at the church -- kind of like an outreach. It was really crowded, and I got there over half-way through. Our church's jazz trio that plays every Sunday instead of a church organ/piano combo was playing, and they were really good! I wished Andy had been there. Kinda sad just milling around looking sociable.
SUNDAY a.m.
Well, today was Initiation Day for my Sunday School class. Actually, I'm not the sole teacher; Abigail is co-teaching, which is nice. We haven't figured out "stuff" yet, but I got to teach the first time. The class is for 4-6th graders, so guess who was in MY class? Anastasia and Arianna. Amy and Jackson Downing (Pastor's kids). And Stephen Griesen (jazz trio leader's kid). And we had Casie (Arianna's friend) as a guest. The most disruptive was of course Casie, who had to go to the bathroom (or at least asked to) about 10 times. I made her hold it. Plus, she played games on her cell and acted silly the rest of the time. Other than that, I think it went okay for a first run. Anastasia told me later, "Mommy, you are THE BEST Sunday school teacher in the world." I find that interesting because during a lot of the class, she was tossing me looks of death because I wouldn't call on her EVERY single time she wanted to answer a question, which was every time I asked one!
Erin came to church to watch one of her friends in the church whose son was just born and was getting baptized (Presbyterian baptism does not impart salvation. To simplify, at least my understanding of it, it's more than a mere "dedication" a la Baptist tradition -- my previous frame of reference. It's a covenant. So, it's a sort of special protection or covering or category or whatever until the child is old enough to make his/her own faith decisions. So, this sort of parallels the "Age of Accountability" idea. Don't have it all sorted out, but that's the basic idea). Then I took the kids and Abigail to Table Mtn Animal Center to see THE DOG. Abigail has been looking for a friend for her dog, and she was really interested in seeing the one I rescued this week. Oh, and G and G Efaw wanted to see him, too, so they met us there.
We got there around 12:20, and I had to wait FOREVER so that I could give the impound number to the front desk person (as instructed by the people at the animal hospital). I found out that the dog wouldn't actually be up for adoption until NEXT Sunday, and that the dog was kept in a seperate section until then. We got to visit him, anyway. He was tinier than I'd remembered. And I know this sounds stupid, but I think he remembered me! He was sort of sitting there w/ his tail between his legs -- the kids found him first and then Abigail. She went to pet him through the gated door (they didn't let us take him out or anything), and still his tail was between his legs. But as soon as I bent down to pet him and talk to him, his tail and ears went up and he started licking me! Then the caucophony (spell) of noise that erupted from my five kids (plus hyper Casie): "Oh, please! Please, Mommy! Can we have him? Please? Please?" Thank God he wasn't up for adoption that very moment. Another week for me to build up the strength to say, "NO WAY! Five kids and TWO dogs?! I don't think so!"
We ate at Good Times for lunch, blew off Anastasia's indoor game (took too long with the animal shelter), got rear-ended -- minor very minor, Andy, no need for alarm! -- both me and a woman backed into each other in the parking lot of the shelter, but I know that it wasn't my fault, but what would the cops say? I just had a little tiny scratchy thing on my bumper and she had her taillight a little broken and her bumper a little dented (but who knows if that wasn't already like that?). So, I was too tired to deal w/ it, so we called it even and shook on it.
Then I got home, Casie's parents picked her up, the temps were now 70, so I took the kids for a walk (about 3 miles in all), meeting Erin along the way (she lives about 1/2 mile from us now). Got home when it was growing dark, ate leftover spaghetti and did some housework and went to bed by 11:30.
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| Wednesday, 19-Jan-2005 00:00 |
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Some "dids" and "did nots"
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I woke up today and couldn't get the fog out of my head for the rest of the day. Well, not until I went running -- 9 miles. But that's for later.
I went to bed last night/early this morning at about 1 a.m. Not bad -- it would work out to be about 7 hours of sleep when I rolled onto the floor at ten til 8. At some point in the morning, Kat crawled in bed with me and started her pinching torture. I slept pretty badly because my back is still really bothering me, and I think it's keeping me from getting really good sleep.
Things I did not get done today:
A. Getting my tire/rim changed. So, I'm still driving around w/ that little spare -- not too safe, esp. when I forget I have that for a wheel and am cranking over 70 on my various routes.
B. Make an appt for a back X-ray.
C. Send my dad's -- embarrassingly enough -- Christmas present!
D. Write the cadet candidate evals -- Okay, in my defense, I did write one complete one last night. And wrote all the background info on 2 others (like name, address, SSN, and how I rated them numerically. All I need to do is the hardest part -- the write up part).
E. Make dinner. So, I stopped at my Pho (Vietnamese Beef Noodle soup) restaurant on the way home. But it was going to close in 15 min., so the owner didn't let us in!!! I went to one down the road. On Federal, those restaurants are pretty common, and I got to try one that I've been wanting to for a while -- was rated Top of the Town in 2004. This one was good, but the meat was kind of fatty.)
F. Wash clothes. I've had about 5 loads ready in baskets waiting for the washing machine. i had to resort to wearing Andy's socks today.
G. Go to Community Group (mid-week Bible study at Bruce's). This because the study starts at Bruce's in LoDo at 7, and I wasn't even out of practice until 7:25, and it would've been about a 30 min. drive home. Plus, I hadn't prepared anything for the kids to eat for dinner.
H. Get my espresso machine fixed. So, now out of all Starbucks cards, I have resorted to using chocolate milk heated in the microwave and then mess with the on/off switch of my espresso machine until it actually turns on (there's a short), then just making espresso and pouring it into the heated chocolate milk. Actually, I like it better than Starbuck's mocha, and it's a whole lot cheaper. But to have a pricey machine and only able to do that -- gotta get that stupid thing fixed!
Things I did do today:
A. Did 4 lessons of math and 1 lesson of phonics with Andrew. Also, taught Anastasia and Arianna their lessons, esp. in math.
B. Took the kids (Alix and Kat) to school and picked them up. Alix was about 5 min. late to school. This because I remembered I had the spare on, and made a conscious effort to keep my speeds at 50 mph, to the disgust of the people behind me.
C. Drove Andrew to his swimming lesson at 10:30, only to discover that this session of lessons is over! It's always fun to waste about 15 min. to save 45.
D. Made lunch.
E. Ran 9 miles. The temp was 60 plus today, so I got to run in shorts and a T-shirt! Took 67 min. and 1 second. I'd felt like a stoned robot all day, thinking of little else but the fantasy in my head of lying under my blankies in the darkness of my closed eyelids. I took Rowdy, and we ran from my house, down to REI, along the Platte until we got to the aquarium, then west on 23rd to Sloan's Lake, then around the lake to Tennyson, up Tennyson to 29th, east on 29th to Lowell, up Lowell to 37th, then east across Federal and various other streets until I stopped on Shoshone and 38th.
F. Drove Arianna and Alix to their respective soccer practices. I was lucky enough to have one of the soccer moms on Alix's team take pity on me and bring Alix up north to where Arianna was practicing so that I wouldn't have to drive south to drive north to drive south to drive north, then further north to home.
G. Called the Animal Hospital where I left the Beagle. They were still unable to locate his owner, so they released him to an animal shelter (Table Mountain). If the owners don't claim him in 7 days, he'll be up for adoption. The woman at the hospital emphasized what a sweet dog he is (my thoughts exactly). That he is a pure bred beagle, a young neutered male, tho they don't know his age exactly, but no more than 2 yrs. old, if that. So, of course, the kids are nagging me until my ears feel like they'll fall off. They soooo want that dog! They want to name him "Lucky."
H. Answered the phone when it rang.
I. Read and answered some emails as they came in.
J. Opened the mail and discarded the junk.
K. Vacuumed the downstairs.
L. Showered after I ran.
It's slightly after 10 p.m., but these are my tasks to complete before I go to bed:
A. Think about doing another cadet eval.
B. Think about grading the kids' school.
C. Maybe research Denver schools to make sure that no stone was left unturned.
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| Monday, 17-Jan-2005 00:00 |
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Hobbling on 3 tires, 3 legs, and lame excuses
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Today was MLK Day, so no school for any of the kids. That wasn't my plan for my 3 homeschoolers, but it's the way it turned out.
I got up around 8:30; Kat had crawled into my bed and did her pinching/scratching routine which drives me insane, but I must admit is an effective "get Mommy out of bed" strategy.
I stumbled down the stairs in my camisole and sweat pants and scarfed down some cold cereal (a mix of Wheat Chex and Raisin Bran). Between then and noon, I can't really remember what happened exactly. Some puttering around on the internet/email, talking on the phone to an ex-soccer coach, making Anastasia's b-day cake (13 days late), then realizing I had no buttermilk to actually accomplish making the cake (I was making Denver Sheetcake).
Around noon, I take Andrew in the car and we head to Safeway, the usual way -- Shoshone to 41st to Pecos. But as I approached the Pecos/41st Ave. intersection, what happens but the car skids -- again -- on black ice. The same intersection, the same scenario as about a month ago. My car slides and then BAM into the curb. That BAM was a hard slam. I get out of my car, almost falling on my butt because the ice is so slick and slippery, and check out the damage. The rim is once again warped. And the tire is once again pooching out. Back to Performance Tire I'll be going, merrily, merrily . . .
I get back in my car trying to contain my rage as Andrew is in fact watching my reaction to this particular calamity so I must be a good example, right? And I try to back up. No luck. I try to go forward. No luck. Finally, I do get lucky and I screech out of the icy rut I'm in via going in reverse and putting down the gas. I hobble the 3 blocks back home, the steering wheel and the entire car in spasms and the sound the tires make as they rotate -- not good. I punch on the hazard lights and proceed, parked in front of my house, to put on the spare. An hour later, I'm ready to make my way back to Safeway to buy the buttermilk.
I get home, make the cake, then go running 5 miles. I return and take Alix and Arianna out for a run. We drive down to Confluence Park, jog about 1 mile or so, then do a speed workout on the "sinking ship" bridge. We do the stairs 3 times (that's 6 sets of steps to the top of the bridge en total). We drive back home and get ready to leave the house at 4:20 so that I can pick up Mary in front of the Qwest Bldg. (where I normally would pick Andy up) so that I can drop her and the five kids on 16th Street Mall so that they can see RACING STRIPES at the United Artist theater.
The movie takes 2 hours, so I have a 2 hour window to myself. What I planned to do was attend the kickboxing class that has been listed on my New Year's Resolution list for 17 days. I even had called Erin Mallet -- a secretary at Wheeler Trigg and a black belt extraordinaire who encouraged me to go to the class once before about 6 months ago and where I had an amazing butt kicking time. Anyway, I arranged w/ Erin to meet her at Core Martial Arts (the studio she attends and is an instructor for) for the kick boxing class from 5:30-6:30.
I head down Speer and miss Broadway, so I have to turn around. I go down Broadway, past I-25 and keep heading south, wondering where Bates is (that's where Core Martial Arts is located -- the corner of Broadway and Bates). I dig out my Denver atlas from the compartment under the passenger seat, preparing to do a quick map check at the next light. Then I see a Beagle trotting across Broadway, the two lanes heading northward. Then I see him cross my lane. I push down easily on the brakes, but I wasn't really close to hitting him, even if I hadn't adjusted my speed at all. I watch as the dog continues across the lane to my right. I see the car on my right hit his brakes and simultaneously, hit the dog. The car screeches on his brakes even more, and the car directly behind him rams him in the rear. The dog yelps away and runs on 3 legs down a side street, howling as he goes. Since the lane to my right ain't going anywhere with the 2 plus car crash in progress, I take off after the dog. He runs down one block, then turns left. I park my car in the middle of the road and take after him on foot, calling "Here, puppy! Come here, puppy!" He stops and watches me a sec, then hobbles toward me. I gather him up in my arms, and then 3 people rush up to me, saying that they'd witnessed him getting hit, etc. I tell them that I'm taking him to the vet.
The dog's left paw is bloody and swollen and kind of mangled looking, but other than that, he looks alert and okay to me. I call Erin who is now at Core Martial Arts and explain the reason why I won't be attending the class afterall. Then I head back up Broadway and Speer to my part of town to the vet we use for Rowdy. There, they tell me they can't treat the dog -- they have to be assured of payment for services. They do, however, scan the dog for a chip, which they find. They get the info from the chip, the dog's owner's address and phone number. The owners don't answer the phone when they call. They give me the address of an Emergency Vet Hospital, where they say I can take the dog.
I get to the Animal Emergency hospital, and the vet has me sign a release form, releasing me from all payment associated with the dog -- that's nice! They also tell me that I can call for an update, and that probably by tomorrow, if the owners are not found, a local animal shelter will come collect the dog, and after about 10 days, if the owner hasn't claimed him, he'll be available for adoption. I can imagine the next 10 days -- all 5 kids pestering me with, "Can we have the dog? Mommy, please?!"
I leave then and hurry back across town to pick up the kids and Mary from the theater. On the way home, I stop at Safeway to pick up some ice cream. I jump in the shower to clean off the doggy blood and slobber and hair and shortly after that, my in-laws show up for Anastasia's belated b-day party: Andy's mom and dad, Erin (Andy's sis) and Ben (Andy's bro). I'd have invited Bruce, but that wouldn't have been a comfortable situation for any of us!
We ate cake and opened presents and made a lot of obnoxious noise, and then I call the vet for an update on the beagle. The doc tells me that he had a ripped off toe nail and a swollen paw w/ minor abrasions! That's all! I was so happy. They still haven't gotten a hold of the owner(s), so I should call back tomorrow to see where the dog will be going next -- an animal shelter or its owner (if they haven't claimed him by then).
Did I mention that I got $100 out of the ATM (Wells Fargo -- the worst bank of the face of the earth and whom is no longer the banking establishment where I dump my funds), and my receipt said I had gotten $100 out, but soon thereafter I discovered that my wallet then contained six 20's? So, what think ye? Should I go back to the worst bank on the face of the earth (aka Wells Fargo) and report my boon?
Did I mention that I arranged a matchmaking deal between Alma and Bruce? That they are going to be going out for coffee this week (HEY, any Wheeler Trigg people who read this? You didn't read this. GOT IT?!? Mary, be my monitor and general enforcer on this point). And btw, I've been a very successful matchmaker in the not too distant past. I had set up my "boss" (a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer -- I babysat her kid back then after school, this back while Andy was in law school at Penn) and my landlord, and they eventually (within a year) got married. So, follow the developments, if any occur, in my blog.
Did I mention that Andy called me around 11 a.m. my time, but I was occupied finishing up a phone call when he called, but he didn't want to wait for me to finish, so Arianna (who was relaying msgs between me and Andy while holding my cell phone which Andy had called) hung up on him? And that at midnight, Andy called me tonight? I told him basically what I just wrote in this blog.
Well, somehow, it is after 1 a.m. My sugar high from the Denver Sheetcake has suddenly worn off and I want my beddy bye. Note that I am going to bed without completing the West Point candidate interview forms -- today I had vowed that I would not go to sleep until I had completed them. But then again, at that point in the day, I had not had to change a warped-rim tire for a spare nor had I conceived that I'd have to rescue a dog.
And, afterall, tomorrow IS another day . . .
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| Sunday, 16-Jan-2005 00:00 |
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No time to write -- or energy to do so!
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It's been awhile. Had toilet problems. Like, raw sewage backup into the tub in the second floor bathroom. That was Thursday a.m. Well, actually, late Wed. night. I plunged the crap, literally, down the tub drain, and then cleaned that tub w/ bleach and other germkillers, in case you were wondering. Thurs. a.m. I called a plumber. He came around noon and told me that there's no problem w/ the line, that I'd plunged whatever clog existed and cleared it out -- muscle power!
Friday, after talking to Andy for about 1 1/2 hours, I was getting ready to run, putting in my contacts, etc. in the bathroom on the second floor and I heard what sounded like massave amt. of snow melting on the roof. I went up to the girls' room (third floor) to investigate. Their bathroom was ankle deep in water! It took my entire store of towels to sop up the mess (at least the water APPEARED clean, but appearances are often deceiving). Water leaked from the ceiling in the kitchen, so out of disgust and stress and not wanting to deal w/ this whole thing, I went running 6 miles. I picked Alix up from school, and only after all that did I finally call the plumber back again. Plumber visits Efaw abode (or commode) take 2.
During the wait, I took the kids to Country Buffet -- my dad had given us gift certificates for Christmas to this fine dining establishment. So, my trend for zero cooking continued another day. I got back from there just in time for the plumber to arrive. He checked out toilet number 2 and told me that everything looked fine, except for a flush valve (?) that needs to be replaced. I could go to Home Depot and buy one for about 12 bucks and rope a friend into installing it (or I could do it -- yeah, right) OR he could do it for roughly $90. I chose to procrastinate (in other words, the Home Depot route). But at least neither service call cost me anything! I'll call Colorado Sewer again (thanks, Mary, for the recommendation!).
Saturday.
Arianna had an indoor soccer game at 8 a.m. I woke up at 7:50. No soccer game. Found out later that Arianna had woken up at 7, put on her uniform, then went down to my room to find the door closed. So, did she wake me up? Nope -- she crawled back up the stairs and back into her bed, fully clothed. She claims that Anastasia blurted out in that morning hour, "My clock is 45 minutes fast!"
So, we missed the game. Arianna and Andrew had a b-day party at Chucky Cheese's at 11:30. Didn't sleep through that one, tho I wished that I had (I hate Chucky Cheese's, and I don't think my kids are all that fond of that place, either). Got home, mopped downstairs and cleaned a bathroom (interestingly, not one that had experienced problems -- my procrastination tendency at work again), then made the trek to the commissary to FINALLY fill my cabinets and refrigerator! That took until 7:30 p.m. and roughly $500. By the time I'd put everything away and made something to eat (fried egg sandwiches, otherwise known as "Belch" -- Bacon, Egg, Lettuce, and CHeese" but this time it was minus the lettuce). By that time, I was toast, so we went to bed.
SUNDAY.
Went to church and was only 15 min. late. Mary came, too, all the way from Littleton. After church, I took Mary to the Mexican restaurant -- it's my "show 'em the 'hood" place to eat. We made plans for Mary to take the kids to see Racing Stripes tomorrow -- a movie about a zebra who becomes a race horse -- we've seen the coming attractions to that one while seeing The Incredibles. We got home in time for Arianna to change into soccer stuff for a 90 min. training session (Andy called, and I talked to him on the drive). After that, I got home and did about 2 hours of housework, made some dinner -- barbeque chicken in the oven and rice and turnip greens) and ate that around 8:30 p.m. while we watched CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN. That was okay; it was the chosen family activity for the week. I did some Pilates during that -- second (or maybe third) time this week!
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| Tuesday, 11-Jan-2005 00:00 |
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Feels like Flying
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My feet hit the floor at 7:48 after less than 5 1/2 hours of sleep.
Today I was determined to run -- took yesterday off, mainly because I was tired (sleepy, not physically really). I had to plan carefully how I'd be able to fit in this mandatory run. I had to consider the usual morning drop-offs and pick-ups, then Anastasia had testing at 1 p.m., then immed. after that, I'd have to drive north to pick up Alix from school. Then I'd have just enough time to change then drive further north to interview another West Point candidate. So, this all spelled out to me that running would only happen between 9:30 and noon. And . . . IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN!
I made some calls after dropping off Kat, then did some school w/ the kids, then looked at my watch -- 11:05 already. Well, that pretty much blew me running over 5 miles. I changed at Superman speed and leashed Rowdy and off we went. I got to the mile mark on my route at 6:41 (that's a 6 min., 40 sec. mile) and wasn't even feeling like I was pushed. I think I pretty much kept approx that pace the entire run -- for about 4 1/2 miles. It's so great to go running after you've snowshoe raced -- it's such a breeze comparitively. And I think my Starbucks (grande skinny 5 pump no whip mocha) that I got between dropping Alix and dropping Kat helped a little, too. But, anyway, I was pretty pumped because I think the fastest I've gotten down to that particular mile marker in recent history was about 7:05.
I got back home in time to throw the dog in the backyard and jump in the car to pick up Kat. Then I had just the right amt. of time to make it home and take a fast shower. Then I mushed the kids into the car and flew down to Speer to 1st to Colorado Blvd. to E. Florida to Cory Elementary so that Anastasia could be at her test in time. I milled for an hour plus at King Sooper and by generally driving around the vicinity of the school aimlessly until she was done (it was during this lull that I realized I had eaten neither breakfast nor lunch). Then I had just the right amt. of time to retrieve Alix from school (she'd only had to wait 15 min.) Then I got home, changed clothes, grabbed my stuff, and put the pedal to the metal all the way up to Lafayette (traffic wasn't all that bad, either). There I got to sit -- finally! -- in the kitchen w/ my candidate and his mom. That lasted about 1 1/2 hours, then I zoomed south on I-25, making it home just in time to honk the kids (the three big girls) into the car to get them to their once per week swim class/lesson. While they were doing laps, I went to Sam's and got a few things to replenish my larder. I picked up the girls, threw together something to eat, and consumed it at 9:15 p.m.
Wanna trade places?
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| Monday, 10-Jan-2005 00:00 |
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Bouncing off walls (and a belated bonus)
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Or falling off them. Somehow I neglected to mention that Saturday, while Arianna was taking a shower after coming home from our long odessey out (and before I headed out for my candidate interview), the soap dish fell out of the wall of the shower. So now wet drywall, resembling the color and texture of a cardboard box left out in the rain, is exposed. My sister had caulked all my bathroom tubs and showers (and did a great job, I will add) and after living in the house for over 3 years, this was the inaugural week of actually taking a shower on the same floor that my bedroom is located! I was excited! No more trudging downstairs in the cold dark mornings and using the shower off the kitchen. Or using it at the wee hours of the night when criminals are lurking (and watching) from your back deck (that happened about 18 months ago, but that's a saga for another time). Or so I thought.
So, now, add to my "Missions to be Accomplished" list searching for a reputable handyman to fix my bathroom tile issue. The *reputable* refurbishers of our house (before we bought it) most likely used the wrong grout and undoubtedly didn't seal it. One can determine that from rubbing one's finger on the grout and observing the white powdery residue that's left on the skin.
So, downstairs I hauled the shampoo, razor and shaving cream, face scrub and conditioner and towels that I hauled upstairs just a week ago back to the bathroom off the kitchen. Back to the "same old, same old." But, hey, change isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
Now, for today. Bascially, I was a taxi service. Took Alix to school. Took 2 kids at 2 seperate times (one at 9 a.m., and one at 1 p.m.) to the same elementary school as Sat. to be tested for the gifted program. Then picked Alix up from school. That was my day. That's all I did, except kill time at Wild Oats times 2 (Wild Oats is kinda like Whole Foods) and bought some fruit and some bulk snacks like trail mix and yogurt covered pretzels and some pears and grapefruit. Tomorrow, Anastasia goes to the same school for testing in the afternoon. Nearby the school is the guy who had fixed my espresso machine about 18 months ago, and since my machine is non-operable again, I plan to track him down and get him to fix it -- or at least drop the machine off with him -- tomorrow. I can't live without my java -- esp. on mornings like today when I had no "sleep in time" all weekend and I feel like road kill. My Starbucks card is all used up, so I didn't get anything to up myself today. So, I'm dragging bigtime. And I'm a little bummed, too. Think it's time for a nap.
Andy called while I was at Wild Oats the first time. We ended up talking for a pretty long time (so, I guess I can put that on my list of accomplishments today -- "talked to Andy."). He's doing okay over there, tho he got kicked out of his "squat" (see his blog entry on that http://aefaw.fotopages.com). He also gave me a synopsis of the cases he's working on.
So. It's 5:50 p.m., and I don't have a clue what I'm making for dinner.
I'll figure it out after I take a nap. Finger's crossed the kids will give me a good 30 min. of peace.
Out here.
BONUS! (Later, it's now 9:30 p.m.)
Highlight of the day (not too hard to happen today -- anything would've done -- but this is a keeper): We went to Chipotle tonight for dinner, you know making the rounds of our regulars (I'm running out of places to hit already this week). We got the usual -- 3 kids' bowls of pinto beans and rice with a teensy bit of cheese and teensy bit of sour cream. Alix: carnitas burrito. Me: veggie fajita burrito w/ the tortilla on the side (to give to one of the kids who's still hungry afterwards). Anastasia: she changes her what she orders every time. This time she chose a kid's bowl of pintos and rice, plus a little bit of steak. So, anyway, I'm paying and I mention what a great deal the kids' meals are at Chipotle, and the manager at the check out says, "Yeah, you really take advantage of it!" And then I mention that Andy is in Iraq -- yatita yatita. She rings me up, and it's $0. That's right -- zero. She says it's on her, it's the least that she can do. And to thank my husband for his service because he's a "great American." While we were eating, she brought us these really cool metal tokens (they look like the unit coins you get in the Army), 4 of them to be exact. The tokens are for a free burrito! That makes 4 free burritos! I don't know, the tokens are so cool, I may just keep them. You know, like as a collector's item. But then again, when the fridge is empty, the stove is cold, and my mind is blank, I may just dig them out of my wallet and redeem them!
So, you win a few, you lose a few. You get 2 right snowshoes. Your soap dish falls out of your wall. And then you get free Chipotle burritos.
By the way, my nap? Well, I got one, if you can call it "a nap." The 45 min. I was in bed, Andrew and Kat were racing down the hallway and banging into my door, over and over and over again. And giggling.
I'll sleep when I'm dead.
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