April 30, 2011

Sunday, April 24 10:07pm

Easter Sunday.  I have mixed feelings about today.  Not the holiday itself, but about how it was.  On the one hand, the girls had fun with their chocolate and hunting eggs (well, Isabel did, anyway) and running around with a major sugar buzz the most of the day.  I did not have fun, however, at church trying to keep them from yelling, running around, and basically being those kids.  You know the ones I mean...they are noisy, rude, and you wonder if their parents are even aware that their kids are a pain.  Well, having been on the other side, I can tell you that yes, I do know my kids can be annoying.  Audrey is deaf and autistic...trying to make her understand that her moaning and yelling is bothering people is pretty much impossible.  As for Isabel...she's 3-years-old and doesn't think rules apply to her.  What this means is that trying to sit through church with them is a lesson in futility.  I think we made it to the Gospel before we had to go to the foyer...then Audrey started darting through the people standing out there, so we went outside.  Isabel started trying to pick flowers in a garden surrounding a statue of the Virgin Mary, which I'm pretty sure isn't a g ood idea.  This made her (Isabel) mad, and so the kicking, screaming 'Go away!!' started, along with her taking off her shoes and running away from me.  Awesome.  Longest mass ever.  At least I got some cute pictures of the girls.

Isabel and Audrey in the Virgin Mary garden where Isabel picked the roses.

Isabel with the infamous flower that started the tantrum.

Audrey was perfectly happy to sit in the garden quietly and nicely...why she couldn't do this in the church, I don't know.

So, even though I know this is technically Sunday's writing, we did stuff on Saturday after I posted...so, whatever.  It's my blog and I can do what I want.  Saturday afternoon my mom came by and we took her out to eat at this place called Kuby's.  It's a German restaurant near SMU.  The food was pretty good, I got Jager Schnizle and it basically is chicken-fried chicken. But the mushroom sauce was really good.  The red cabbage was awesome.  Isabel and Audrey both had a good time.  Audrey ate her weight in butter and was super happy, as you can see in the picture below.

Okay, she looks a little possessed, but she's happy, I promise...that's my arm that she's making reach for more butter.

Isabel loved getting to sit by Oma (what she calls my mom) and listen to the accordian player.  I took her up to the front where he was playing, and he even let her push some of the buttons.  She was pretty excited about that.  She was also a big fan of her apple juice, so, whatever.

This is Isabel eating her German sausage..she wasn't quite sure about it.

Finally, I had to get a picture of my mom with the girls in front of the restaurant...it went about as well as I would have expected...but was funny.

Audrey was watching a car, and Isabel didn't want to sit down...typical.

And to go back further in time:  the last two pictures are from BEFORE we met up with my mom and the girls were playing at what passes for a playground at our apartment complex. 

Pete pushing Isabel on the swings.

Audrey running laps around the play area.

Now it is pouring rain, both girls are asleep, I am stuffed from the Chili's we had for dinner, and am thinking that it sucks that the outfit I set out for Audrey to wear tomorrow is probably not going to work since it's raining.  I guess I can always put he in her tennis shoes.  Anyway, that's it for now.  I'm off to read my book, spend some more time with Pete, and then head to bed.

Monday, April 25 11:25pm

Today was nuts.  I took the car into be fixed and (of course) the guy wouldn't let me use Pete's card.  So, Pete has to take the car in before work tomorrow and it should be done by tomorrow afternoon!  Yay!  I think the guy is trying to trick us into paying more money, though.  I thought about what he said needed repaired...and I agree about the bend control arm, or whatever it's called, but he also said a wheel bearing needs to be replaced.  That's what my dad had fixed before I came back to Texas.  On the exact same wheel.  Perhaps it got messed up when I hit that curb, but I remember the guy in Indiana who fixed it said he was surprised at how much "play" there was in the wheel, and then he saw that the others were like that, too.  He said that some cars are just like that, and it's not that big of a deal.  The guy today was shaking the wheel back and forth saying that it needed to be fixed...but I think he's just trying to get me to have a repair that's not necessary.  I'll talk to Pete and see what he thinks.

Good news:  I got a call from Leslie at Macy's today about the opening (full-time) in Intimates.  She wants me to come in to talk to her on Wednesday.  She actually wanted me to work, but I told her that I couldn't.  Now I know that I don't officially have the job, but come on...everyone there loves me and talks about what  a great job I do, and one of the managers called me personally to tell me about the opening.  They don't normally do that.  I'm just hoping I get it.  Even though it's in Plano, and that's annoying, it's a full-time job and that is all that matters.  I'll have to start looking really hard for daycare for Isabel, though.  And some sort of after-school program for Audrey.  Too bad they couldn't have given me this job back in February.  Then we could have afforded a place in Plano and Elisa (according to my mom) would be more than happy to watch Audrey now.  But what's done is done.  The point is that I may have a job soon.  :)  I know that will take a lot of pressure off of Pete, too.

Alright, I'm going to read one more chapter (I've let myself start reading the Vampire Chronicles again) and then I HAVE to go to bed!

Saturday, April 30 10:55pm

So, this week totally got away from me...which is both surprising and not.  At times this week seemed to drag, but then I went through most of it in a semi-exhausted fog.  At least I made it. 

This biggest news of the week is that I got a job!!  Finally!!  Macy's called me in for an interview on Wednesday and hired me on the spot!  I'm going to be a full-time permanent employee in the Intimates area (which Pete thinks is funny, because he can say that he's dating a girl who works the Unmentionables Counter at Macy's, like that old guy in "Ocean's 11).  I'm very excited about this, because I'm promised between 36-40 hours a week.  Bad news?  Daycare.  The logistics of how this is going to actually work.  I know that Isabel can go to a regular daycare.  And next week I will find her one and get her all signed up.  But Audrey is where I have problems.  I could probably find her a place to go afterschool, if that was all that needed to happen...but part of my job means I HAVE to work til closing (9 or 10) twice a week.  My mom would be able to pick Isabel up after work (5pm) and then watch her for me, but there isn't anyway for her to get to Dallas to pick Audrey up from her afterschool in time.  They usually close at 6 or 6:30.  And even then, it would be a lot to ask her to drive all the way to Dallas to pick Audrey up.  Now that I'm typing, the only thing I can think of is that maybe if my mom did pick them up on those days and brought them here, then stayed with them until Pete got home from work.  Then she wouldn't have to watch them all night.  That might work.  But it would depend on me finding a place that could watch Audrey until my mom got there to get her, or, on the days that I work until 6, they would have to keep her until I could get there to pick her up (around 6:30 or 7).  I don't know any places that stay open until 7.  I guess I will just have to look and see what I find.

Alright...Isable is STILL awake (more on that tomorrow) and I have to go be Mean Mommy and make her go to bed.  I have let her get away with too much, and she's turning into a real pain in the butt...and a brat.  This is done.



April 23, 2011

Tuesday, April 19 1:30pm

I'm liking the new format.  Makes it so I don't have to sit there on Saturdays and try to remember everything that I want to write about for the week.  So far this week has been pretty great.  On Sunday we went to the farm where Corey's girlfriend's dad lives.  The guys (there were 4 of them) all brough their instruments and set up outside and played some songs.  It was a lot of fun.  The girls had a great time running around outside, but then both decided they'd rather be inside, which was really annoying.  Other than that, though, it was a good day. 

Here's Pete setting up his drums and checking something...don't ask me what, though! :)

Isabel had a great time playing drums and looking cute in her tutu and sparkly pink sneakers :)

Me and my guy

Aly is Corey's little girl.  She and Isabel sort-of played together...as much as little kids can play together at that age.

Couldn't resist...I love this picture of Pete.  He's so handsome :)

Me and Audrey under the shady tree.

So, the pictures give some indication of the happy and fun day we had.  I have a ton more, but I won't put them all on here.  The girls got home (after Isabel was a terror the entire drive back) and crashed out, thank god!  We were all exhausted!

Monday was a pretty regular day.  Did some laundry and found out that I could put my memory card directly into my computer (haven't had the cord in forever) and upload my pictures.  I had over 400!  Now I'm gong to go back to my earlier posts and insert pictures that I didn't have before.  Should be fun!

Saturday, April 23 1:40pm

This week dragged, and yet flew by...I can't belive it's already Saturday again.  I didn't write this week, mostly because I was just exhausted.  I was so tired most mornings that it was all I could do to wake up to get Audrey ready for school and on her bus.  Then I'd come in and pass out again.  I'm still tired, but feeling a little better.  I think that sleeping on the floor is finally taking a toll on my back.  That, and I wake up at night with my arms or hands numb.  It's really annoying.  Sometimes it's my leg.  But it doesn't matter, because we'll have a bed soon!

Pete's dad sent him a pretty good amount of money, which will be enough to get the car fixed AND get us a matteress.  Plus, we'll have money left over.  I know that Pete is frustrated that we haven't done anything yet today.  He woke up early today and is tired.  I finally got him to go lie down for a bit.  He was getting grumpy and snapping at us.  I am going to finish this, then get in the shower.  I already gave Isabel a bath, so she just needs to get dressed, then I'll bathe and dress Audrey and we'll be ready to go.

April 16, 2011

You'd think that because I don't work (working once every two weeks hardly counts as "working") I'd be able to remember everything that happened in the course of a week that I wanted to write about on Saturday...you'd be wrong.  So, I'm changing up the format of my blog.  The anal-retentive person in me is screaming her head off, but I'm shutting her up.  Yes, it grates on me that I'm changing the way I'm doing this, but sometimes improvements have to be made...and besides, it's my blog, and I can do whatever I want.  Basically, I'll write during the week, not everyday necessarily, and then post it on Saturday.  This way it will be a more complete look at the week.  We'll see how it goes...if it works, great.  If not?  I'll just go back to writing and posting once a week.  To partially satisfy Ms. Anal Retentive and quiet her objections to change, I'll date each separate post.  That should do it.  Yep...she's quieted down :)

Thursday, April 14 (1:54 pm)

Twitter.  That is really all I have to say.  The one word sums up so much.  It is bad.  I signed up for a Twitter account like 2 years ago, or something, but never really used it.  I think after about a month I got bored and stopped.  Now, you can see that I have a link on here to my Twitter account, and check it and tweet, frequently.  It's bad.  I mostly do it because I love reading what my favorite celebs have to say (nothing too intelligent most of the time)...but it's still pretty cool.  I especially like that people like David Boreanaz  (@David_Boreanaz) will take pictures on-set and post them.  I am a huge fan of "Bones," and love that he'll take pics from behind his desk with all the cameras set up, or ask opinions about what crazy socks to wear (if you don't watch, you wouldn't know that his character, Booth, always wears brightly colored socks and a belt buckle with a rooster that says "Cocky").  Eliza Dushku (@elizadushku) is another one that's fun to read...and the fact that both of them were on "Buffy" isn't lost on me...but seriously, "Buffy" was awesome.  I would love to have the entire series on DVD **ahem** hint to Mr. Duric!! :)  I wonder if the guy who played Spike has Twitter...James Marsters is his name, by the way...let's check.  Nope, no Twitter, just an official news page.  Lame.  Honestly, most of the activity on there is between me and Pete (dorky, I know...though if you would like to follow him it's @Stundek  there you will learn about Manchester United, random music, and the annoying folks that come into his work! :)  Pretty entertaining, though.

Now I am being forced to play Wii ping pong with Isabel, so I will write more later.

Friday, April 15 (7:05 pm)

Today was shopping day.  After the nightmare that was yesterday (my car got towed, it cost $170 to get it back, then got lost driving to the towing lot TWICE, and had to drive the car 25-30 mph the entire 16 miles home).it was nice to go buy some stuff.  Shopping always makes me happy :)  I don't think it has the same effect for Pete, but that's probably because I'm spending his money.  Though I didn't go too crazy...the only thing I bought that I really didn't need was a dress that cost about $15.  And, once he sees it, I don't think he'll be too angry! :)

Audrey and Isabel have been eating pretty much all day.  It's insane.  They went through an entire package of cookies, Audrey's had 8 chicken nuggets and a medium order of fries from Jack in the Box, Isabel had the same, then Isabel has had 2 pieces of turkey, an apple, and 2 oranges.  And they both want more food.  Seriously??  At this rate, the food will all be gone by the weekend!

I made some chicken and vegetables for dinner, but the carrots and potatoes cooked down to mush...so, I don't know if anyone is even going to want to eat them...I know I don't want to...but I will, just to be a good example and not waste food...blah, blah, blah.  That's what I get for using canned veggies instead of fresh or frozen.  That's what I usually buy, but these were on sale.  Now I know why.  Lesson learned.

I have to work tomorrow, which I'm really not looking forward to.  It's a one-day sale, and a Saturday.  Shoot me.  But it's good that I'll be earning some money.  I have to be there at 2, and am done at 11.  Yuck.  Plus, I'll have to get the girls from my mom's and then drive back here, so I probably won't even get home until around midnight.  Awesome.  I just have to keep reminding myself that it's money...that's a good thing.

I need to go now.  Pete will be home any time.  I can't wait to see him.  I missed him a lot, and won't see him at all tomorrow...well, not really.  He's leaving around 5:30 tomorrow morning, and then I won't be back until late...sucky.

Saturday, April 16 (9:52 am)

This week has seriously tested my ability to be lose my temper and not lash out.  Isabel has been awful all week.  I know she misses her dad and his family, but good god!!  She is kicking, biting, screaming, crying, and throwing toys and stuff at me...this week her redeeming qualities have remained dormant.  Bedtime is a constant bid for "something else," whether it's a story, song, or drink, or she just starts sobbing.  Which  quickly turns to rage.  Then hysteria.  It's fun.

I have to work today from 2-11, not looking forward to that, but I have to remind myself that it's money.  It's not really working that I have a problem with, it's having to drive there in my car.  I get so nervous that the wheel is going to fall off or something...but what choice do I have?  I have no idea how to get there with the buses and trains.  I'm sure it's possible, but then how do I get home?  As much fun as staying the night at my mom's with the girls sounds, I mean, keeping them from breaking things and stuff...I just don't want to.  Plus, we're (me, Pete, and the girls) are going to that farm tomorrow morning and have to be ready by like 10am.

Awesome, Isabel just threw a toy at me because I won't play Wii for her.  She had to go to timeout because it was a giant plastic book.  I swear, anyone else and I would beat the crap out of them...lucky for her, she's my daughter and I love her and I know she's not trying to piss me off.

April 9, 2011

Last night was LONG...Isabel isn't feeling good and was up most of the night coughing.  I felt so bad for her because there wasn't much I could do for her except try to get her back to sleep when she woke up.  That's one of the worst things about being a mom:  watching your kid feel bad and not being able to make it better. 

Seven hours later:

My mom came by today and hung out for a few hours.  It was good to see her, we chatted and she took me and the girls to the grocery store to get some stuff.  Isabel had a complete meltdown in the store...like hitting, screaming, going rigid...lots of fun.  I knew it was because she was tired, but geeze!  It was like she was possessed!  Finally she calmed down, but for a while there I thought her head was going to start spinning!

Now she's watching "Ponyo" again and Audrey is laying in her room playing with some toys.  All is calm...for now...let's just hope it stays that way. :)

This week has been okay.  Audrey was really sick Monday and Tuesday...like, fever, sleeping 23 hours a day, not eating sick...I was worried for a while that she was going to end up in the hospital again, but by Wednesday she was doing better.  We finally got her bus situation taken care of--thank goodness!  All it took was me emailing her teacher, principal, and the autism compliance specialist to get it taken care of!  hahaha!  It makes me glad to think that I won't have to deal with DISD after next year...

Speaking of plans for the future...Pete and I have been doing a lot of talking about weddings and marriage.  Things are looking pretty serious, and he even had me give him a short list of rings that I like (granted, this was because I sent him a pretty long list on Monday or Tuesday).  But if he wasn't in the same place, he wouldn't have been so interested...right??  The date is pretty much set:  July 28, 2012.  We met on July 17 of last year, and this summer would be too soon to have anything put together...so I looked at a calendar and found a Saturday that was close to our anniversary.  This year July 23 is actually on a Saturday, but I think that it would be too soon.  Not that I am worried about our commitment to each other, but that we could not afford anything more that a trip to City Hall...not what either of us has in mind. :)  I love that he actually will look at wedding stuff with me and give me opinions.  This is about both of us, not just me.  I have never understood why people tell the bride that the day is all about her...um, without the groom you're just a nut in a white dress at a hugely expensive party...by yourself.

The only person I've told (aside from the Internet!) is Amanda.  Mostly because of my friends, she's the one I talk to the most.  Normally I would have told my mom and sister by now, too, but I don't want to take away from Dianne's news :)  She and Caleb are having a baby (it was confirmed) and she's due December 4th!!  I've already gotten the attention/excitement of having babies and getting engaged and married...I'm not so selfish that I can't let her have that.  And besides, we're not even officially engaged yet.  Once that happens, then obviously I'll tell everyone :)  But for now, I'm fine with keeping it (mostly) to myself.  Besides, Paul is just now sort-of coming around.  He is giving us his old couch and love seat, and even bringing it here, but he said he doesn't want to see Pete when he does...luckily, we have plans with one of Pete's friends tomorrow for the entire day, so I told my mom that I would give her a key to give to Paul and he could bring it by while we're gone.  I can just imagine the shit storm when he finds out that we're getting married.  BUT it wouldn't be until next summer...by then, we'll have been dating for 2 years...I'd say that's plenty of time.  And please, him and Elisa were dating for like 6 months or something before they got engaged.

Planning this wedding with Pete is a lot of fun...and is coming shaping up to be a much different type of wedding than the one I had with Jon.  It seems like Pete and I both want a small, semi-casual, outdoor wedding.  It's going to be special and only have the people we want there.  The colors are looking like they'll be lemon yellow, white, and a kind of charcoal grey color.  I saw them in a picture on the Knot, and it seemed perfect for a summer wedding.  And yellow is such a joyous, optimistic color...exactly what I imagine for my marriage to Pete :)  There are lots of really pretty decor ideas using tall vases and lemons...maybe I should grow a lemon tree! hahaha!

Even though we don't have a whole lot of money, I wouldn't trade my life now for my life a year ago...or even two years ago...I feel like a different person:  happier, freer, more optimistic about life, the future, and pretty much everything.  I know a lot of people would chalk that up to the "honeymoon phase" of a relationship, and they may be right...it has only been about 8 1/2 months that Pete and I have been dating, but the changes I've seen in myself are more than just the happy feeling you get when you're falling in love with someone.  It's like I've found myself again, and while I was doing that, I found him.  And he helped me with becoming the me I used to be (does any of this even make sense??)...which is weird, because he didn't even know the old me.  That is just another example of how I know he is the one for me...well, that and even after 8 1/2 months I still sometimes get butterflies when he smiles at me :)

April 2, 2011

This week has been absolutely insane.  The car problems have continued, and now I am the proud owner of two vehicles that aren't drivable...awesome.  The car's steering is all screwed up, and one of the wheels points the wrong way.  I don't even want to guess at how much that's going to cost to fix.  And the van (which I've had to drive illegally for almost a week) decided to no longer start.  I'm pretty sure it's just the battery, but right now we can't afford a new battery, so that vehicle is a no-go as well.  Top that off with the fact that Audrey STILL doesn't have bus service, and you've got a completely annoying situation.  Hopefully that school will get it's act together by Monday, or else she's going to miss another day of school (she couldn't go on Friday because the van wouldn't start).  Having Audrey home from school is no fun for anyone...her schedule is all messed up, and that basically means that she is pissed off until she goes to bed.  Fun for all involved.  I thought none of us were going to be alive when Pete got home Friday night.  Luckily, he correctly assessed the situation and took the girls to the park for an hour so that I could return to normal.  He's such a great guy!

It's finally gotten hot here, which is great.  I hate being cold (as you read in my earlier posts).  It's 10:30 at night and 79 degrees...I love it!  It did get hot at work today.  Yeah, Macy's actually had me come in to work today for 6 hours.  It wasn't too bad, but the air wasn't working and it got really stuffy in the store by late afternoon...I talked to one of the assistant managers, Jessica, and told her how I needed to either get more hours, or some sort of permanent position, and she told me about an opening.  In handbags and accessories.  My least favorite place to work.  Well, next to recovery (which is a fancy way of saying that you are the person who clears out dressing rooms and puts clothes away for hours on end, without ringing up any sales).  But, the main reason I don't like handbags is that it's boring.  Not many people come in to drop hundreds of dollars on a purse.  Lots of people come over to look at the Coach bags, have you pull them out, then decide that $300+ is too much.  That's what drives me nuts.  And there's not much to do when there aren't customers.  You can only re-organize displays of un-touched purses for so long before your mind starts to wander.  And you're not allowed to just stand behind the counter, so I have to wander up and down the area, trying to look purposeful.  It's exhausting.  BUT if they offer it to me, I'll take it.  True, it's in Plano (about 30 minutes from where we are in Dallas) and I don't have a working car right now...or daycare for Isabel...and it's only a part time position...eh, I'll take what I can get at this point.  At least it'll be something.  And it'll open the door to possibly moving to another department in the future.  Fingers crossed.

One bad thing about it getting hotter is it's made me wear fewer baggy sweatshirts and realize that the two months that I haven't been going to the gym are showing...in a major way.  I haven't quite gotten back to where I was last summer, but I'm dangerously close.  I have to do something before this gets completely out of control.  Not sure what, because I have no way to get to the gym now, but I'll have to think of something.  I refuse to look the way I used to.  Eww.  I know Pete says he loves me no matter what, but I also know that no one wants to be with someone who doesn't even have enough self-control to take care of themself.

Other than that, things are great.  Pete and I are happy.  I'm feeling a lot more comfortable being a mom.  It doesn't feel like an imposition on my time, like it used to.  I know that sounds terrible, but it did sometimes.  Maybe it's because I've finally found the right person to do this with.  It makes everything else seem manageable.  Whatever it is, I'm glad. :)

Speaking of being glad, I got some GREAT news about my sister and Caleb tonight...I'm sure you can guess what it is, but I'll wait before going all-out about it!  Part of me was a little jealous, but then I thought about my life and what needs to happen and realized that I just need to be patient.  There are lots of other exciting things that will happen, and when they do, it'll be at the right time.  I just have to have faith.  And enjoy what's happening instead of focusing on what will happen.  That's living, right?  Enjoying the present with the knowledge that it will take you where you need to be...in my case, I feel like lots of different parts of my life were taking toward Pete.  It may have been a roundabout course, but I'm here now...and it was SO worth it.