Things You Might Do When Your Kids Are Gone

1. Read a book or four.
2. Watch several episodes of Lost online to catch up with the world.
3. Spend time with your husband without locking the door. (*ahem*)
   
4. Take a long bath.
5. Eat cookie dough without fear of being caught.
6. Take a nap.
   
7. Watch some movies (Inside Man, iRobot, Invincible - so far)
8. Go out for coffee with your sweet man.
   
9. Get all traces of laundry done.
10. Read every post in Bloglines.
    
11. Eat out, thinking that the kids would have loved to eat at that place.
    
12. Sort out clothes to give away from your closet, wondering if The Girl would want any of them for herself.
13. Look for a car to buy, all the time asking if the kids will be comfortable in the back of it.
    
14. Bake a bunch of potatoes only to realize that you've made way too many for two people to eat.
15. Get a craving for snuggle time in the morning time.
16. Call them at Grandma's to make sure that they're behaving and having fun with their cousins. Really, you just want to hear their voices.
    
17. Realize that the house is really quiet when they're not here.
18. Count the days until you can get them back.
    

WFMW - Vacationing While Never Leaving Home

We are blessed beyond measure here at the Diner.  We have a parents who love to spend time with the grandkids, so every spring break, we take them up to their place for the week and a half vacation.

It saves us a mint in childcare AND, more importantly, it allows our kids to have a chance to forge fantastic, recall-them-years-later memories with them.  Oh, and it allows Mr. Right and me an opportunity to date without having to wonder what to do with the kids.

It's a win-win for everyone.

So these next 10 days or so, we're going to vacation at home.  I want to go see the art museum and if the weather will cooperate, I'd love to have a leisurely stroll through the zoo.  The arboretum is spectacular this time of year and I haven't been bowling since last September... maybe we can get a group around here to go.  If it weren't for this whole "house selling" thing, I'd love to steal Mr. Right away for a bed and breakfast somewhere around our city.  We have lots of places that are within an hours drive in some beautiful country.  (That doesn't fit the "not leaving home" scenario, but it's close enough to still feel like home.)

What would you do around your neighborhood for a vacation?  I might just steal your idea for some fun around here too!

For some excellent tips on how to ease life for you, head to Shannon's place.

So what I'm trying to say is that 

Day One

Well, it seems that my mind wanted to take a break, even if I hadn't planned one. I just couldn't get myself to blog this time. 

We've been very busy since we returned home last Saturday.  Oh and by the way, no kids were harmed in the making of the trip home.  They actually were really nice to each other as we traveled.  Whew.  

After unloading all the Christmas loot and putting everything away, shopping for food since we had no staples after being gone for a week, planning for a New Year's Eve party at our house with some friends and then shopping for it, cleaning (because - good night!  People are coming over to my house and I need to clean every bathroom in the house!), making a batch of these delicious cinnamon rolls for the company on New Year's morning and making the meal for the night, I just didn't have much time or energy to do much else.  I've decided that I need a vacation to recover from my vacation.  But everything has been worth all the effort.

New Year's Eve was a blast.  We had our traditional party which is with our friends the Brocks and other families who rotate in and out each year.  We have a theme that works for us all: the boys play games all night and the girls watch chick flicks and drink frou frou drinks that I create.  It's a win-win for us all.  

FYI: My new creation this year was a shaken mix of melon liquor with pineapple juice and crushed ice, drain into a martini glass and drizzle Razzmatazz around the edges of the glass.  Yum!  

While the guys played Monopoly, we girls watched Hairspray (fabulous the second time around) and then Music and Lyrics, which really surprised me.  I really liked it despite my preconceived notions about it.  For some reason I decided beforehand that it was a crummy movie, but it was really funny and had some hilarious lines.  Hugh Grant played his part perfectly, signature hip moves and all. (At one point in the movie Grant said that his dance was used to attract women.  Mr. Right, who was in the kitchen getting coffee, ran in and said, "Oh yeah?  Here's my dance that I use to attract women."  Then he proceeded to dance the most linguini-like white man's dance you ever could see.  After recovering from my laughing fit, I ran into the other room to give him kisses.  Hey, his moves work on me.  What can I say?)

Today has been full of eating good food, talking with friends, football and a good nap.  I'd have to say it's been a great day over all. 

Happy 2008 to you all!  May you see all the ways that God blesses you in this coming year.

I'm Not Dead Yet...

It may seem that I've fallen off the face of the planet, but really all that's happened is that I we've been at my in-awe's house this past week. Oh the glory of a week off from work... I had to make those unused sick days come into play before the end of the year or else they would be gone.

We've enjoyed a great week with lots of presents, great food, playtime and football. Can a week get any better? I can't wait to get home to play with some of my new things (like my new coffee pot that grinds the beans, moves it into the filter and then brews it into a thermos, a new pie plate and a new recipe book all about pies. Woo hoo! I can't wait to try some new recipes out and then tell you all about it...)

One thing I've learned this week is that just because your kids can do amazing things, they're still kids at heart. Bickering, frustrations, whining and "Mom! He breathed my air! Make him stop!-No I didn't!" often punctuate the air. Christmas has definitely passed.

Sigh. My work is never done. Say a prayer for me. It may be a long 4-hour drive home today. Hopefully, my kids will live to see tomorrow.

Catch y'all on Monday!

Bye Bye Redbird

We finally got our kids back and we did what any American parents who have been separted from their kids for months would do... WE LEAVE TOWN! Because really... WHAT'S ONE MORE DAY AWAY FROM HOME?! Ummm, yeah.

We were blessed with a set of tickets to the Cardinals game again for last Saturday's game which started around 3 PM. So we got up, ate a healthy breakfast of chocolate covered and powdered mini-donuts. (Hey, I woke up at 3:30 am, couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to go Walmarting. Those donuts jumped into my cart by the time I made it out of the store... You try to resist their call at 4:30 in the morning...)

Anyway we decide to leave early enough to hit one of the kids' favorite places which we discovered last year while in St. Louis: the Old Spaghetti Factory. They were excited about the prospect of yummy garlic bread, great food and neat old-time surroundings.

We arrived and our waiter looked like a cross between a classic Italian and this most recent Superman. He was a very handsome young man. But something about him seemed put off or down, I noticed right away. I made sure to thank him for everything and to show appreciation for his service. And I wasn't the only one. Mr. Right, the girl and the boy all chimed in with kindness. I told Mr. Right that our waiter seemed as if he was having a bad day. He agreed with my assessment, and we just tried to not add to his burden.

At the end of the meal, our waiter came to make sure we were all finished. He turned to leave, took five steps and then did a U-turn, arriving back at our table. He said, "I know we're not supposed to talk about our customers, but I have to tell you something. I was having a really bad day, but your family has really been a delight to serve. Thanks for putting back faith in good people."

And that made the entire trip worthwhile... I'll let you use your imagination as to how many good conversations we had with the kids on the way to the game.

We made it to the stadium just in time. Although it was a 100 degree day, the time outside wasn't miserable. We had brought frozen water bottles and a softsided cooler filled with ice to quench our thirst, grapes and cherries to help with hydration and hunger and little fans to cool us off. God provided several soft breezes which went a long way to comfort us. (The only down side was that we sweated in our seats so much, we looked as if we had peed our pants whenever we stood up.)

And God gave us a great seatmate for the duration of the game. She had a water sprayer with a fan and she kept spritzing those around her to let others cool off too. At one point, the boy said quite loudly, "That lady is so kind to do that. She's quite generous." (But when I tried to encourage him to tell her, he clammed up. Well, it's a start.)

We enjoyed our time, fellowship with those around us and the game itself. It helped that they actually had three homeruns which we got to witness first hand. And it really was a blessing to be at a winning game. That always adds to some of the joy in attending a professional game.

And if anyone's keeping track, you may want to invite Mr. Right and I to very important sport games. We've recently realized that almost every profession sports game we've attended resulted in a win. (The two we attended were for the Royals... and really, you can't expect miracles all the time.)

We made it back home that night, safe and sound. Now we have the wonderful task of convincing the kids that they can go to bed at 9 PM and they'll still live. It's good to be together again. It's good to be a family.

The County Fair

Oh to attend a county fair! The thrill of the rides, the scent of fried food, the joy of a show… Well, we had all that and more.

Around 2 PM, we arrived at the fairgrounds with 80 tickets for rides. Of course you know that 80 tickets doesn’t equal 80 rides, right? Not even 40 rides… Heck, we were going to be really lucky to squeeze 20 out of that many tickets. Those fairs take you to the cleaners, I tell you. To the cleaners! But seeing smiles on their faces after the thrill of the moment somehow makes it worth while…

But first we needed to visit the petting zoo. We saw a sow with her piglets, two baby ostriches, a horse, two miniature horses, sheep, a duck and her ducklings, kittens, ferrets, mice, guinea pigs, and a tarantula. (Well to be honest, I didn’t even look at it, but there was tank there that said tarantula and that’s all the proof I needed.) The kids enjoyed holding the baby chicks. They squirmed and fluttered in their hands, but they were soft and enjoyable.

Next we hit a couple of rides. The kids begged to ride the bumper cars with us, so we handed over almost a fourth of our tickets to spend the next 90 seconds hitting each other legally. I’m a great bumper car driver. If I see you, I will get you. Oh yeah, baby! Watch Momma behind the wheel! A great time was had by all, but what a disappointment that it was such a short ride. I wanted to conserve the rest of the tickets for the kids, but they really wanted to ride the Sizzler with Daddy. So the three of them hopped on the ride and I took pictures. They had a fun, fun time spinning around and around, all the while fearful that they were going to hit another seat. They dizzily exited the ride, exclaiming that it was the best ride ever.

Next was the free watermelon feed. I think the girl inhaled four pieces the first time we hit it, and the boy ate two. I’m too embarrassed to tell you how many Mr. Right ate. It was, however, a refreshing break in the day. We enjoyed it once more about an hour later. Hey – free food at a fair is ALWAYS a good thing.

Some of the things to enjoy at a county fair were all the 4-H presentations. We spent quite awhile going through the exhibits. Our favorite parts where when we noticed works from people we knew from when we lived there. (And yes Brenda – we did see a few things that DD did and C had something there too. And several others that I won't name now, but it was good to see everyone’s names.) Our favorite place to frequent was the air-conditioned hut. Oh my lands, they had to have the fair on a scorcher of a day and we had to go at 2 PM, didn’t we? We saw lots of great displays in that hut… at least 3 different times! Thank you God for shelter from the blazing sun! (And to note, I’m now sporting an amazingly red back due to that sun. As a bit of warning, might I suggest your bringing more sunscreen so that you can reapply as necessary? That is all I have to say on this matter.)

We watched a remote control car race, and that was fun. The girl kept timing things with her new watch. She’s got that lap button down, that’s for sure. We cheered on all the kids as they raced around the track, in and out of the lines, spinning out of control, sometimes chasing down/mowing down some of the innocent bystanders. It also reassured me that not getting a remote controlled car for the boy may have been a surprisingly great move on our part…

We went back for more rides, took a break for snow cones (I found that the frugal side of me balked at paying half my mortgage for a funnel cake. I just couldn’t do it! But dang they smelled good.), and used up all our tickets. The kids enjoyed the Tilt-a-whirl, the really tall slide, the dragon and the Ferris wheel.

We made our first giant effort towards become white trash. We attended our first “Figure Eight Races,” an exciting race of demolition cars competing against each other in figure eight races… on mud. Oh. My. Lands. Who knew that such fun could be had at a fair? Those cars knocked into each other as they vied for first place in their first heats. Then the 3rd and 4th places of each heat vied for the qualifying rounds. Then the first and second of those heats raced for first and second so that they could race in the final race.

They were exciting to watch, fun to root for whatever car we liked, great to yell, cheer and talk with our neighbors. We held our breaths quite a few times, especially as two cars actually flipped over, with the drivers both crawling out unharmed. In came the bobcats to flip them back over and push them off the track. Then it was back to the racing. I couldn’t believe how much we enjoyed watching that mess. And the best part? It was alcohol free which made it great for kids to attend. No drunken brawls, no foul language that I heard. It was a good time with the family. Everyone had a great time, well except the boy who declared everything to be “too loud”, that plus he would much rather have ridden the rides than sit in bleachers. Too bad for him is all I have to say.

However, there was a tragedy that occurred while we were in the third from the final race. While one of the cars was racing through the center, its entire wheel came off and flew into the audience. It was one of those brief moments where you could see it happening, yet could do nothing to prevent its taking place. The tire did injure a couple of race watchers, I’m sorry to say, but the EMTs that monitored the race flew to attend them. They were jumping the fence, attending needs and doing their jobs with diligence and superb timing. You could actually watch them at work here. They even pan the audience at one point and if you don’t blink and you know what we look like, you can see us watching the ordeal in the upper left hand of the screen just before the clip is halfway through finishing. (The girl is wearing pink, the boy is hanging on me and I’m behind a girl in pink who steps down during the panning. It’s not all that exciting, now that I think about it. Never mind.)

While the EMTs were helping the injured, the girl said, “Well, there’s something about sitting way up here.” She was so right. Since it was about 8 PM and we had promised to eat dinner with Mr. Right’s folks, we decide that it was time to leave the race. Nothing like going to the fair and needing to take your kids to counseling over it…

And as a final ending to this long Saturday recap, here’s a little story to end on a more pleasant note…

There were no other riders for the dragon, so the operator decided to have some fun with the kids. They walked up to the gate and asked to ride the ride. As he took the tickets, he said, “What’s the magic word to get in?’

The kids both yelled, “Pleeeease!”

The man shook his head and said, “Nope I changed it.” The kids looked at us, slightly bewildered, and then just started naming off all sorts of words and phrases. “Nope,” the operator replied. “I’ll give you a hint, though. It’s something pretty.”

Just then the boy looked over at me and said, “I know! Mommy… She’s really pretty.” And he flashed me a winning smile.

I’m telling y’all, I melted right then and there. And the heat had nothing to do with it.

So now we’re back home and the kids are enjoying their last few days of freedom from rules and regulations. Man oh man, they’re going to think it reeks to come back home. No tv, no computers and they have to eat “good for you” cereal… I bet their prayers are going to be something along the lines of hurrying the school year so that they can get back to the good stuff at Grandma’s. But don’t worry, I’ve got a secret weapon: Homemade Macaroni and Cheese. Gets them every time.

Gatlinburg - Day One

The wonderful B&B where we stayed















Good morning world!















Beautiful peaks to great the day















The finally started to peak through the clouds...

We love horseback riding.





I love my good-looking cowboy!






One of the hills through which we rode.





Riding by Douglas Lake




Love this shot!




I finally met Shayne of Better is One Day In Your Court! She and her sweet man met us for lunch. We talked for about two hours and it was fun, fun, fun! She's exactly as I expected her to be: sweet, real and lovable. When Mr. Right and I were finally pulling out from the restaurant, I told him that I could totally see hanging out with Shayne and her man. Mr. Right then told me that he told Shayne that exact thing. I like it when we agree!




Obligatory cheesy pose... Just for you!

Nashville or Bust... (I'd like the bust, but I got Nashville... Good trade, I think)

We made it to Nashville on Friday, where we met Mr. Right's sister. She took us out for the most wonderful meal at Maggiani's Little Italy, an Italian eatery where you are given enough food on one plate to feed four people... I'm not kidding. The food was authentic and exquisite, yet the ambiance was unpretentious and homey. It was a wonderful night where we ended at the replica of the Parthenon, which was closed for indoor viewing. BUT (and I have a big one) my sis-in-awe noticed that there were several people coming in and out of the underground museum, so she asked a passerby and he said it was an art show and for us to join the merriment. I'm so glad we did - for the artist John Hung Ha had the most beautiful artwork on exhibit. Too bad I didn't have a spare $30,000 for his huge wall-sized multimedia painting of koi. I could look at that one for days... Instead we were able to shake his hand. I left and let the two art professors (Mr. Right and my sis-in-awe) talk with the artist. I just like looking at the pretty pictures...

This morning we went to the Hermitage, the home of our 7th President Andrew Jackson. That was such interesting and educational attraction. We were able to tour the plantation, see the slavey housing, ride the horse-drawn wagon (where I got to ride shotgun because they overbooked the ride... bonus!) and spend some time in the beautiful outdoors under the shade of many trees.

(We forgot our camera for these events, but we had our camera phone. If I can download the pics to the blog, I'll post those as well.)

We stopped to look at the dam in Nashville. Mr. Right and I want to hire a boat to go visit those islands in the middle of the water...

This guy cracked us up!

When we arrived in Sevierville (pronouned severe-ville), I asked the B&B owner where he would go to eat if he had the night off. He highly recommended Taulbee's. It is a family-owned, hidden restaurant that most of the locals attend because it is delicious and unknown to the tourists. Man, oh man, was it good! Mr. Right and I split a meal of Steak Marsala with baked asparagus and roasted beets. The beets were delicious with a little kick and the rest was a perfect compliment to the beets. I highly recommend that if you're ever in the area, you need to seek out this little treasure and enjoy it for yourself!

Here's the standard cheesy pose. Hey, you'll be seeing lots of this one since we're on our anniversary trip.

That's the first day. I hope to have some pictures of where we're staying for tomorrow... after our 2-hour horseback riding trip of course. It's good to be kidless and free!

Tra La... The Magical Bloggity Tour

First off, we saw our kids, we had a lot of fun and we can't wait to see them again in 12 more days.

Life is very good on their end. The girl is at camp now, enjoying time with her friends. I've already lined up for her to receive 3 packages while she's there, each with some good camp snack foods like mini Oreos, mini Nutter Butter cookies, Teddy Grahams, Twizzlers, Laffy Taffy and more Jolly Ranchers than she and her cabin can eat... or not. They're all 11ish in age. They might have each of the items devoured before lunch. My only satisfaction is that she has to sing or, in one case, to do the Chicken Dance in order to get her mail. (I wrote that specific instruction on the outside of the package.) I love being the parent. It's thrilling to know the power I have over the child who wants a package of love from home.

The boy is with Grandma with ever intention of getting spoiled this week. He's already informed me that he is going to ask Grandma to take him to get a Frosty. He has high ambitions, but at least they're realistic.

Now for the BIG NEWS...

Mr. Right and I will be celebrating our 15th Anniversary on the 24th of this month. (15! Where has all the years gone? We were just a couple of young lovers a few years ago... now we're the mentors in our Young Married/Newlyweds link at church. We're more of the "What NOT to do" examples, but hey, if it keeps others healthy and happy in their marriage, I'm all for being that example. I think I got off course here somewhere... I'm getting back on track now.)

For our celebration, we've determined to go to a place that neither of us has been, yet we both have a wish to visit. So we've made plans to take a trip to the Smoky Mountains. We both long to see those mountains, walk the trails and just breath in God's presence in some of the great untouched beauties of his world. And way back when, when I was trying to decide what my boss would get me for Assistant Appreciation Day, I decided that he would buy us white water rafting rides for Mr. Right and me and I decided that he would throw in horseback riding too. (He was shocked in the good sense when I told him what he bought me. I think I moved up a couple of points in his eyes.) So we have quite the outdoorsy week planned in the mountains, and it couldn't be any more perfect if I had planned it. Oh wait. I did plan it. Well, that makes it even better! But really God deserves all the glory in it, so I'm giving it to him.

Knowing that we were heading in that direction of the U.S., I begged and pleaded asked Mr. Right politely if we could carve out some time to visit with some bloggers who I knew to be around that area. After staring at me as if I had 3 heads and then rolling his eyes only once, he said that it sounded like fun to meet some of my friends, and he only made the condition that the meetings be scheduled for the weekend before and the weekend after our time in Gatlinburg (TN), which I thought was fair considering it is supposed to be our "I'm so glad I'm with you" anniversary trip and all... So, before he could recant his act of generosity, I contacted some of the bloggers who I knew to be from that area of the country and asked if they would meet with me for some one on one fellowship and, of course, some great food.

So I proudly announce to you my Blogging Tour and those who were foolish enough bored enough bullied into kind enough to carve out time in their schedules to meet with us:

• The Thankful, Always Encouraging and very courageous Peach from Without Fear, who said yes before I gave her any details
• The ever-elusive because she's on a temporary blogging break (which has nothing to do with me!) Shayne from Better Is One Day In Your Courts
• The blogger with whom I found out I actually went to college and we have multiple co-friends who'll get to meet when I go back home to Memphis Karla from Ainsley's Mom
• The other blogger who is just a tad on the side of being obsessive about her boyfriend Clay Aiken, yet I just knew I had to meet in Memphis too - Southern Girl
• And I need y'all's help with this last one because only God can make this meeting happen, but I told her that I would be asking all of you to lift up this request for a meeting to God on my behalf. If you would pray that God will make it so that I can throw a real hug around the neck of Boomama, I would be ever-so-appreciative. (But seriously, it ain't gonna happen without God's help, so please add that to you're prayer list, would you? That girl is busy beyond belief, but I'm really praying that she can squeeze me into her schedule, along with some good southern food of course...)

So that's it. We'll be taking the Magical Bloggity Tour starting on the 2oth, and I'm really hoping that I can blog about it as I go. We'll wrap it up around the 29th in Memphis. It should be fun and exciting! Oh yeah, and I'll be having a great time on my anniversary trip too...

P.S. To you burgulars out there who might be getting a notion or two: We've a housesitter who has a bat and isn't afraid to use it, not to mention some very nosy neighbors who will come over to see what you're doing and then boss you around when they see you. Not to mention a cat who will shed all over you if you make it into the house. Besides, we don't have the good stuff. We don't watch tv and we bought our stereo for $70 at Walmart 2 years ago. Really, it won't be worth your time at all. You really want the rich neighborhood two streets east of us. But I can sell you the house if you're in the market for one...

In Answer To My Message

Before leaving work on Thursday, I posted this message in my Out of Office message box:

I will be out of the office today, Friday, April 27th. I will be out playing with some friends without the slightest concern for work. However, I should be in on Monday with the utmost important concern of addressing all emails, so if you can wait until then, I will be more than happy to respond at that time.

Thanks and have a great weekend,

Shalee

Since I have my blogger comments set up to come to my work email (so I can get your up-to-date comments on my stupidity or my laughable moments), a number of you received that message in reply to your comments and responded back in a great way. (See what you miss by not setting your profile to show your email address? Not only this, but often I will respond to your comments! All the more reason to add your address to your comments! Fun! Excitement! Talk with Shalee LIVE!... unless of course you don't want me to respond. Then you're pretty safe.)

Anyway, in answer to your questions about whether or not I had a great time, if the day off was an Admin Gift, if I made it back in one piece and if I had questions about returning from such a fun weekend, I'm doing a little blurb about it.

1. I had the best time ever! (Which when you think about it is pretty hard to actually define - ever's a pretty long time and I've had quite a few moments that I would live again and again. This weekend is now added to that list.) I met with four other ladies (sans enfants) at a very nice hotel, and we did all the stuff that girls on their own usually want to do: we ate a lot of yummy foods, we painted our nails, we talked and talked about anything and everything, we stayed up too late, we saw a movie together, hung out by the pool in our bathing suits and still had great respect for each other, drank just enough (the drinking had nothing to do with the bathing suits moment) and laughed more than should be allowed. Then we decided that we should do it all over again in a few months.
2. The day off was not my Admin gift from my boss. (I'll tell you about that at a later date.) I took the day off so that I could leave early and enjoy the full time with my friends.
3. I did make it back in one piece despite my attempts to get lost. (I missed a turn only to realize 15 minutes later that the road did not look familiar and if I were on the interstate, it would not have crossroads. (Hey, I was listening to a book on CD - one on my Spring Reading Challenge list, mind you - and I got distracted. Oh well, more listening time for me.)
4. Lastly, I did enjoy myself, but the nice thing about a weekend away from the family is that it can make you appreciate home all the more. I loved the hugs that were thrown on me upon my return. The kids looked a lot more lovable and Mr. Right's kisses were sweeter than honey on my lips. That old addage "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" really did ring true for me.

So that was my much needed mini-vacation. Now, you tell me something that made you smile in the past few days, with or without the bathing suit moment. Although, if it is with, then perhaps you should send me a bottle of wine first. Always best to be prepared...

(Oh, and as far as the house is concerned: No bites as of yet, but we're still not worried. God will sell it when he's got everything lined up. We're just going to keep enjoying the cleanliness that comes with a house on the market, because y'all know that it won't be that way for long in our new house, wherever that turns out to be! Thanks to those of you who are praying on our behalf. The prayers are working and are greatly appreciated.)

God Moments

Oh what a tired Monday morning this is for me. I could hardly sleep a wink this weekend... :)

To give you a few details about the kids' trip to Grandma's World of FUN, we met my parents-in-awe halfway on Thursday night so that the kids can get spoiled for about 10 days at the grandparents' house. Our only request to Grandma was to see that the kids make it to bed at a normal bedtime a couple days before we get them back to ease their re-entry state into reality.

In an effort to rid ourselves of debt more quickly, we are putting our house on the market in April. Therefore, Mr. Right and I have decided to use this time ever so wisely. During our offsprings' absences over Spring Break, Mr. Right and I are working like crazy to get as much stuff done to the house as possible while no kids are underfoot, asking questions, arguing over whose turn it is to use the computer or wanting trivialities such as dinner. I would tell you that I even have put off reading for a while, but you know that that would be a lie. I've already started on my Spring Reading Thing 2007 list (which I'll be posting on Wednesday).

Friday, as soon as I was home from work, we started in on "the list." We've gone pretty much non-stop since then. We've spackled; sanded; painted; primed exterior trim; tore off wood-rotted trim (exterior of house); cut wood (by hand - we really need to purchase a circular saw); replaced trim; caulked it; painted it; took 7 trips to Walmart for things we needed; purged both of the kid's room; straightened closets and ran a load to Goodwill. And we have so much left to do...

Now don't worry that we're all work and no play. On Friday, we decided to celebrate our independence with a dinner at Shogun Japanese Restaurant - a teppanyaki/sushi bar that we discovered last year. When we walked into the restaurant, Mr. Right the sushi lover was debating as to which he would order, but our Entertainment coupon made that decision for us - "Sushi excluded" was in the fine print. Bummer for him. But he made the best of it by ordering teriyaki salmon and shrimp while I, the adventurous one, ordered the teriyaki steak and chicken combo. I live on the edge, can you not tell? We had a great time and were able to get home early enough to still have energy to spare... *Ahem*

God moment #1: The couple across from us were debating about an order from the sushi menu. They whispered and were reserved and asked no questions, but they placed an order with a very helpful and friendly waitress. Five minutes later, their Califonia rolls were set before them. The couple put their heads together and started pointing and staring at the food. Mr. Right leaned over to me and said jokingly, "Their complaining about their food not being cooked!" When the waitress came by, the couple complained about the order because they thought they were ordering egg rolls! We laughed at Mr. Right calling that one correctly. The waitress took the food away, but then she came back out and said to us, "I noticed you were looking at them; if you would like them, I'll bring them to you. No cost. But if you want to try them, you may." So Mr. Right had a small sushi fix, I tried a piece (delicious!) and we thanked God for his blessing of providing an extra.

God moment #2: We worked all day Saturday; I awoke before 6 AM, and I hit the ground running. (That "sleeping in" thing was really for Mr. Right's benefit. It's really rare for me to sleep late. However, I let him sleep until 9 AM and then it was work, work, work!) We had a wonderful friend come over to help us and to show us how to replace the exterior trim properly. (Thank you Mike!) Near the end of the day, Mr. Right had plans for us to attend a St. Patty's Day Festival for our enjoyment and relaxing end to the day. And y'all I totally blew it. I just told Mr. Right that I didn't think I could do it. And then I was on the verge of tears for being the partypooper. But Mr. Right, in all his love and understanding, cared for me anyway, knew I was just crabby, hungry and tired and took me out for some great butter burgers (oh, they must serve those in heaven!), coffee from Beanology and returned home for some one "on" one time. *Ahem again* The God moment? The fact that Mr. Right altered his plans for the evening seemlessly, and he stayed awake for a movie after the *Ahem again* time. A miracle I tell you!

God moment #3: When returning home after church, Mr. Right mentioned that we forgot to go by Home Depot to pick up a 2x4 that we needed to complete the exterior trim job. (We had to nail some wood into the roof so that Mr. Right wouldn't fall off the steep pitch of the roof as he was working on the trim.) As I was talking about needed to pick up a caulk gun as well as the 2x4 when we go by Home Depot, I spotted four old 2x4s sitting in a ditch on the side of the road. I quickly asked Mr. Right to turn onto the street which was about a 50 feet away and as he stopped, I told him that the Lord had provided what we needed. He ran back and picked up a couple of the pieces. Free stuff always works for me! As we were heading home again, Mr. Right said, "Maybe we should ask for God to help you see a caulk gun on the side of the road too..." I love that man's sense of humor!

God moment #4: I realized yesterday afternoon that I couldn't find my wallet. I had no idea where I could have left it either. I prayed throughout the day for God to open my eyes to where I could have put/left it and to help me to not fret about it. Last night he directed me straight to it. God is sooo good!

God moment #5: One of my coworkers occasionally reads my blog. When he read in an archived post that I usually spend all my gift cards on the family, he sent me a Bath and Body Works gift certificate with instructions that I was only to use it on myself. What a wonderful gesture and an unexpected blessing! Thanks Nate - and I'll follow your instructions to a "T"!

So you can see that our weekend has be packed to the brim with all sorts of activities - some tedious, some tiring, some fun, but all blessed by God. And really, I couldn't ask for a better weekend.

And Beth, in answer to your question as to when the "I miss you" calls might have started? 30 minutes after we left them. I couldn't help but call to tell them that I missed them - the car was entirely too quiet already.

Don't Hate Me...

And it's not because I'm beautiful...

My most excellent in-laws relieved us of our children last night. We met them halfway (they live in Nebraska), ate a great breakfast dinner and then shoved celebrated sadly reliquished the care of our kids into their hands. Then we sped away slowly watched as they faded into the distance.

My poor children... Oh the suffering they will be made to endure. They will be forced to watch cartoons, made to eat ice cream and/or peanut butter and marshmellow sandwiches, made to toil in Grandma's garden, required to stay up late, obliged to play with cousins/friends and coerced into eating McDonald's. I really don't know how they shall bear it...

We the parents, on the other hand, plan on having a lot of fun - like sleeping naked and sleeping in when possible, going out for some St. Patty's Day Saturday night, eating at a restaurant without a playplace, working on the house without 20 million questions coming our way, having uninterrupted conversations, kissing without anyone in the peanut gallery saying, "YUCK! GROSS!" and basically pretending like we're DINKS again.

Oh, and I'm sure we'll have a few "I miss you" calls thrown in there for fun... mainly from our side.

It's a fun job, but somebody's got to do it. I'm just glad it gets to be us.

My little shoutout: Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa! You're the best!

Welcome to the House of Sha

NOT to be confused with the House of Style as you will soon see.

Pre-tour words: I'd like to ask that you keep arms and feet in at all times. You will find smoke detectors placed strategically throughout the house. This is no smoking on this tour. Anyone found smoking will be taken out and shot. If at anytime during the tour you feel the need to clean, rags and cleaners will be provided. And if you find my earring that has been lost for a while know, you will win a fabulous door prize. (No, it will not be a door.)

Any questions? Okay, let's begin.

Enter into this fun house through a fabulous sage green front door, surrounded by half-dead, half-thriving hanging flowers.




















I'm supposed to show you where I pet the muse next, eeking out these delightful little one liners and boring tidbits of me and all that surrounds me, but that would be at work. (They have a T1 line. We have dialup (snore). You see why it is necessary for me to do all that I can at the office. I blog when I can catch minutes here or there. No picture of that though.

On the right you will see my newly painted dining room. One day when we can save up for it, we will change out the chandelier to match the rest of the room. And that is a tall table - our counter table that we purchased for $100, the matching buffet was only $150. We spent more on the chairs than we did on those two items combined. Bargain shopper are us.
















After passing the dining room, you will find yourself in the most inviting living room. This room is one of the reasons we bought the house. The colors and the brick fireplace held real warmth for us. We love the wood floors too. And there's Tenni... Hello cat. You've been in the radioactive vat again, haven't you? You're glowing.
















Just off to the right of the you will see the very used kitchen. It is here where my daughter and I are doing the cooking thing together. (Mr. Right loves to cook too, but I want you to think that I take care of my family completely, okay?) Can you smell the coffee? Mmmmmmmm.. (For the record, you know I cleaned up by the sheer fact that the table is not covered in stuff! That is one of my catch all places that I can't keep clean.)

















Off of the kitchen is our back deck, the other reason we bought this house. We love being outside and having friends over for fun, relaxation and talks. (What you can't see is the big trampoline just to the right of this view. That keeps the kids occupied while we adults chat away.)

















Every other morning at 5:30 AM, Mr. Right and I head down to the basement to workout. It's a blessing to do it together. Lord knows that if he didn't get my behind out of bed, I would not be doing it. Every other other morning, we run the trails in the neighborhood.





















Around the corner is our basement we have the tv, which is really dusty because we hardly ever use it. It's nice to have in case of an emergency though... or if we ever have a movie worth watching. Do you have any suggestions?

















Lastly we're supposed to show the room that gets used the most. I'd have to say this room is it. Feel to use it if you need to... everyone else does. And I did check to make sure there were extra rolls in there... just in case.




















So that's our house, the house that God gave to us after 10 long years of being apartment dwellers. Needless to say, we love having a house, but no matter where God put us, we always made it a home.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. If you like what you've seen, feel free to come by to see the real thing. I can almost guarantee it will not look like this when you come, though. The kids are at Grandma's all summer, so it was easy to make it look like I can keep a house. Sigh.

Back to the Trip...

Let’s see… Where did I leave off on the trip to CA? Oh yeah, the first day. At this rate, I may be 36 by the time I finish telling it.

I’ll move to Day 2. Sunday morning.

Can I just share with you now how wonderful it is to get ready for church and not worry about whether your son has gotten dressed or if your daughter has brushed her hair? I wouldn’t want to make any kind of habit out of it, but it was so relaxing to wake up, make coffee, go back to my room and read my Bible and then leisurely get dressed. What I missed most were the morning snuggles from my kids… Yep, some things just need to be done to get me through the day.

On the way to church, Barb and her family have a tradition of grabbing a box of fresh, hot out-of-the-oven bagels and some schmear from a NY style delicatessen to eat on the way to church, which is so appropriate since it is HEAVENLY! Mmmmmm. I want one right now just thinking about it.

It was so cool to see what other Christian services are like. I am in no way close-minded to the services of other churches, but I don’t really have tons of opportunities to visit other churches. You know the drill… You go to your church because that is where you have made friends, where you want your kids to make friends, to keep with the routine set – not only for yourself, but your kids, too. You don’t want to jump from place to place because then your kids will never learn the idea of commitment. So you see why I haven’t had many times to attend other churches.

In Kansas I attend an a capella congregation. However, I have no qualms with instrumental music. I love singing praises to God with or without a piano, a guitar, or drums. I like choirs and praise teams and soloists. I just want it all to be done for God’s glory and not the performers.

So I had the pleasure of singing some songs with a band that week. It was a unique, uplifting experience. I didn’t know all the songs, but I knew how to clap and I could sing the verses and chorus the second time through. It helped that the words were projected up front on a screen, too.

The lesson was insightful and detailed. It’s encouraging to hear the love of God preached on every shore. Really that is the best thing to get out there, that God loves even me, despite my stupidity and stubbornness. Yep, I can hear that loud and clear in California as well as in Kansas. Heck, I should head to Maryland so that I can hear it there too! Next I’ll work on Michigan and Texas to reach all directions!

Afterwards, since it was a gorgeous sunny day, we headed out to do some family walking at an outdoor mall. That mall had some great shops, with some really energetic places as well. There was an area that had an indoor rollerblading/skateboarding area. We stood and watched those practicing do some neat tricks and some superb falls! Ouch! It’s a good thing they were required to wear helmets and pads. We ate at the food court and I got a great slice of NY style pizza. Thin and oozy with cheese… Now I want a slice of that instead of bagel and schmear.

We came home and relaxed around the house. Well, I relaxed. They did some yard work. It was so encouraging to see the two eldest girls working together without complaining or griping. They helped each other and took to their tasks well. I just wish that my two kids could see it too. We will get there eventually…

That night, I earned my keep. I made them some Cajun rice, a meal that my family loves. Easy and flavorful and really cheap… a necessity at my house! Oh, and some how Barb and I got on the topic of lumpia, a Filipino spring roll type dish. (I love it, so much so that it was served at our wedding reception.) She said, “How do you know about that? Only Pilipinos make that.” (Barb is from the Philippines and knows all about it.) I told her that my mom learned to make it when she visited the Philippines while my dad was stationed there. Then we had a detailed talk about how I make mine and how she makes hers and how the kids usually get involved because it is fun when you make it a lumpia rolling party. (You can make hundreds at a time to freeze and eat later.) Then she made some to go with the Cajun rice. It was DI-VINE, dahling. Light, crispy and full of flavuh. (Now I want those instead of the pizza…)

And she introduced me to an amazing sweet chili sauce to eat with the lumpia. I always had them straight or with some soy sauce. I’m on the search to find it in KC. (No I haven’t found it yet, Barb, but I’m not giving up!) My family will love it, so I will find it. Oh, yes – it will be mine one day. Mwah ha ha ha… Okay, I’m getting a little carried away.

Something else that I loved about Sunday was the fact that it was so casual. No one was trying to impress anyone else. It was fun, relaxed and casual. We laughed with each other, teased each other and basically treated each other like family. I found some extended kin on the west coast. (But of course I wasn't smart enough to take a picture of them when I was with them! Sheesh...)

I’m already looking forward to the next time I can meet my sister Barb. Maybe next time I can take my family to make it a family reunion... with pictures and all the lumpia we can eat.

♫Sitting on the Dock of the Bay, Wasting Time♫

Okay, I have a few seconds to work on this post, so I’m going to give you the first day of my trip.
Let me say here and now that I have slept since then, so I’m sure I won’t remember a lot of it… Which could be considered a bonus for you the reader. View it how you want.

Now for those of you unfamiliar with my doings, which really is a shame – come on! I mean don’t you know that I am the most important thing in your life right now? – I went on a singing trip to Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. However, since my company’s home office is located in Santa Ana (Orange County – not to be confused with LA!!! – Barb’s and Hussy’s emphasis, not mine) and I have recently developed some fantastic relationships with some women at that office via emails and phone, I called Barb and basically said if she would lend me her couch, I would come out early and actually meet them face to face. I’d seen Barb's picture once, but not the real McCoy.

And she said YES! Woo hoo!

Now here is the problem with not actually knowing the person who is going to meet you at the airport. How do you hook up, especially when you aren’t smart enough to get her cell number or her home number prior to leaving home? And since the airports don’t allow people to meet their guests at the gate, we had to hope to meet at an undetermined spot somewhere in the LAX airport. You can tell that I am NOT a seasoned traveler… adventurous – yes; prepared – no.

When I got off the plane, I headed to baggage claim and I tried to call Mr. Right to have him look up her home phone via internet. No answer. So I tried my friend John – no answer, again. Okay, I won’t panic. I’ll find her eventually. Hey, that woman kind of looks like Barb; should I yell out to her? No she was walking with an agenda, plus she was with some cute guy. I called my friend Susan, basically telling her that I was completely using her and would she be so kind as to look their info up. Fortunately, Susan likes me. Still, I think…

I got the number and called their home, only to leave a message on a machine. Hmmm, now what? As I’m pondering whether or not I will ever get my luggage or if I will meet up with my friend and not be stuck forever at the LAX airport to live a life as a bag lady who only washes every so often in the lavatory and whose diet will consist on ketchup and mustard until I can get enough quarters from the cart return so that I can finally buy a very over-priced, crummy burger, my phone rings. One of Barb’s daughters bravely returned my call to give me her mom’s cell number.

I wouldn’t have to be a bag lady after all. Whew.

As I placed the call, the lady that I thought might be Barb but was with the cute guy, came back, searching for someone and was answering her phone. I smiled and waved. She had a look of relief on her face too. Made it… Next time, I’ll know to plan ahead.

On our way to their house, we chatted as if we had known each other forever. This included J- her husband. We talked about gas, food, driving, work, family, church, God… you know, all the good stuff. By the time we arrived home, I knew this was going to be a great couple of days. Relaxing and fun. Plus, I discovered that I wouldn’t be couching it after all; the eldest daughter graciously gave up her VERY comfortable bed so that I would have a room.

Side note: Barb and J have done a great job with their girls! They were well-mannered, courteous, fun, talkative and friendly. I felt like Aunt Sha by the time I had to leave. But I was the aunt who forgot to take their picture… Sheesh!

That night, Barb and I drove to pick up Hussy (who really isn’t one, but it’s a play on her last name). After missing her apartment a few times even though we talked to her a few times on the cell, we finally found her. We headed to the Rusty Pelican in Newport Beach for some of the world’s best seafood. Seriously.














Here is a picture of we three ladies out on the town. Barb didn’t shower that day so neither Hussy nor I were willing to sit by her. But since we were all Christians, we still loved her. (Look at how white I am compared to them... "Which one of these is not like the other? Which one of these looks like she hasn't seen the sun in a very long time?" That is how that song goes isn't it?)

A real restaurant with real tablecloths and real glasses and real silverware – wow! It’s so much different than our evening out at Long Johns Silver. And it tastes better too! And I can’t get that view in Kansas. Especially when I looked out and saw this man, who really has no business wearing shorts without a shirt, dancing in a boat, by himself. You go guy… away. Really, it was not a pretty sight.

For the record, I’m really bummed because I did an audio post from the restaurant. It was witty, it was fun, it was more that you could imagine anything I had posted being. Barb and Hussy were talking on it too. It was going to be my first interactive, “Live From OC, It’s Shalee” post. But alas, it was not to be. It was lost. Gone. Disappeared. Vanished into the thin blogosphere. I just hope it didn’t post on some guys’ post all about sports or car repair… Now that would be funny because it was as girlie as you would imagine it to be! Some poor schmuck is out there trying to explain to his wife why he has wo

And per f-stop’s advice, I am posting a couple of pictures that I think are magazine worthy. I could see them located among the many pages of Bon Appétit or Gourmet. F-stop said I should contact the restaurant and sell it to them for advertisement purposes. Not a bad idea.





















I love this photograph! I really like how Barb is looking away and the light is hitting everything just right. The appetizer is a skewer of 3 different fishes (But mostly I liked the drink. Let me highly recommend the raspberry lemon martini the next time you are on the town. Yummy!)

















This is shot of the crab cake they make. Délicieux! And I didn’t even like crab cakes. (I do now.)

They brought out calamari, and I flat out said no. But of course they talked me into it. It was wonderful – soft and fish-like, not chewy at all. If I could get that kind of calamari here, I would order it often. I’m not holding my breath for it here in the middle of the country.

After a fabulous dinner of King Salmon with Cucumber Salsa, I was stuffed. I couldn’t eat another bite. Until Hussy ordered the Chocolate Torte, which came straight from the oven with vanilla ice cream… Mmmmmmmmmmm, you just can’t beat steaming chocolate/fudgy cake.

Since we now were like barrels because we were gluttonous pigs, we drove to the beach and walked and walked and walked. We also talked and talked and talked. Of course it made a perfect backdrop for a photo op! So here are the ones we took.





























That was a wrap for the first day. Long, exciting and everything I prayed that it would be. I can’t wait to go back to see them again, and of course to eat everything in sight. I’m blaming it on the sea air.

Day Three has come and gone...

Shalee here, reporting live from California.

Well not really live, but I'm alive when I'm typing it so that should count. For some reason, I can't get onto Audio Blogger, so I couldn't post yesterday. I know you were all waiting on pins and needles, but it couldn't be helped. Someone contact blogger and have them fix it will you? Thanks.

First let me send my love to my distant family. (For some reason, whenever I call, it is the worst possible time and no one can talk... I hope they aren't telling me something.) Mr. Right, I miss holding you and talking about anything and everything. It feels odd being without you. To my sweet girl, I miss your smile and your laughter. I really miss reading with you at night. To my handsome son, I miss your playfulness and your snuggles. I can't wait to jump on the trampoline with you again. Take care of each other and be kind to each other. Practice patience and pray when you want to really lay into each other! Hugs and kisses to you all. I'm thinking about you.

Okay, now onto the update.

Monday was a fantastic day. My company's home office is in Orange County (see I didn't say LA... I'm learning), so I went to visit it. It is beautiful! I met more people whose names I've seen on emails. It's really nice to have a face to go with a name now. While there, I totally brown-nosed my boss's bosses; don't worry, it was a complete joke and I had my boss' blessing. The big guys were laughing when I gave them their gifts and when I finished, so I think I'll still have a job when I get home...

Barb, Hussy and I went out to eat at one of my favorite restaurants - Chik-fil-A. We don't have them in Kansas, although that isn't completely true. There is one on the local junior college's campus, but it is a pain to get to, so for all intensive purposes, we don't have one in KS. (However, and this is really for Addie, I did here a wonderful rumor that they are building one in that new shopping area in Olathe, so maybe we can meet for chicken one time too! My dream of Chik-fil-A so close to home may come true...) Anyway, lunch was fabulous. I got my fix and had a wonderful time chatting with my friends.

We went back to work afterwards. (Work for me, after doing a couple of reports for my office, was blogging - hey I was on vacation... I don't think they'll fire me!)

My last night with Barb was relaxed and satisfying. I treated Barb by making dinner again. It wasn't too bad, not that I would say that about myself; it's what my friends say. (Think Emma with that line.) It turned out to be some kind of chicken stirfry. I just used whatever was available - a little of this, a dash of that ~ you know, making it up as I went along. Even the 5 year old twins liked it. Not too shabby.

Later Barb and I went shopping; I even enjoyed that! Shopping is not my thing. No money, no fashion sense, the crowds- all those lead to my not enjoying it so much, but being with Barb made it fun. And that girl can bargain shop like you can't believe and she has a great sense of style. She had me done up before we left the store! (And she insisted on getting me an outfit for my birthday. (This woman does not take no for an answer when it comes to birthdays!!!) So now I have a couple of trendy, "I don't look like a complete dork from Kansas" outfits to aid me here in California. I only hope my family will recognize me at home...

This morning, after saying goodbye to the family as they left for work and school, I have this full sense of gratitude and appreciation for the wisdom and love of God. How else can you explain the open welcome of a pseudo stranger by all family members into their home, the gifts of hospitality, kindness and acceptance, and the giving of themselves without hesitation? That is God's love being put into practice.

Let me know say directly to Barb, Jason and all the girls thank you for all of you being an open vessel for Christ. You all are great examples of Matt 25: 34-40. Thank you for feeding me, housing me, clothing me and overall taking care of me over the past few days without complaint or grumbling. Especially R1, you gave up your bed and still talked to me. You were so gracious and kind. Thank you! I am honored to call you friends, but more importantly, family in God's house.

Today I will be meeting up with Mel, the fantastically amazing singer. I know I'm here on her coattails and I couldn't be happier about it. Pray that I will meet up with her eat LAX - there's a frightening thought... Completely missing her when she arrives! Pray that we can be instruments for God's use. And especially pray that I won't make a huge fool of myself by singing watermelon over and over again. I'm totally relying on God to help me with the music!

Oh, and please pray that they get Audio Blogger working again, because I don't know if I'll get the chance to post again. (Hey, the Bible says to bring everything to the feet of the Father. That includes technological problems too!)

God bless you all, more vastly than you deemed possible.

I'll call in later if God answers with a resounding yes!

Sha