Sci-Fi gals.
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| I wish I would have put more emphasis on the brains but I do like the wires. |
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| I love the orangey tones. |
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Easy Arts
What I've been creating lately....
Sci-Fi gals.
Sci-Fi gals.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Late Night Dining
Growing up my family and I would visit our cousins in the summer. It was a 7 hour road trip that my dad preferred to do overnight. We would pack our things into our 1976 Chevy van, take our blankets and pillows and head out on the road. I would do my best to try and stay up but I could never manage to stay awake the whole way.
Sometime during the road trip, after I had drifted off to sleep, my sister would shove me awake. I remember that she would still look kind of groggy herself, like someone else had just woke her before me.
"Put your shoes on, we're at Denny's."
Talk about some magical words. I would put my shoes on and we would make our way out of the van. Everyone's hair was disheveled and it was perfect. It was always between the hours of 11 - 2am each time we'd make a stop. After talking to my mom, she clarified that it was the Denny's in Grapevine. My dad would grab a plate of pancakes and a couple of cups of coffee. We got whatever we wanted. I usually got a hamburger.
My clearest memory of late night Denny's was when I was 11. We were just about done and the place was dead. The staff must have been made up of college kids. They lined up the dining chairs and had a race. It was exciting. I think I had put the occupation of "waitress" on my list of things I wanted to do at that moment.
Before I had my daughter....late night dining was always on my list of things to do. My husband and I would meet up with friends, hang out then make our way over to Denny's or to its rival IHOP. I don't know what it is about late-night dining that I miss. Maybe the freedom, the way hot food tastes on a late chilly night, laughing about splitting the check...who knows.
My husband told me that his dad would bring hamburgers in the middle of the night and he'd be up at 1am half eating/half sleeping. I can imagine him trying to hold his head up with one hand and trying to eat a burger with the other.
I think when my kid is older, we'll keep up that little tradition. When I was a kid, it was an adventure. It was fun yummy spontaneity and I can't wait to start it up again.
Sometime during the road trip, after I had drifted off to sleep, my sister would shove me awake. I remember that she would still look kind of groggy herself, like someone else had just woke her before me.
"Put your shoes on, we're at Denny's."
Talk about some magical words. I would put my shoes on and we would make our way out of the van. Everyone's hair was disheveled and it was perfect. It was always between the hours of 11 - 2am each time we'd make a stop. After talking to my mom, she clarified that it was the Denny's in Grapevine. My dad would grab a plate of pancakes and a couple of cups of coffee. We got whatever we wanted. I usually got a hamburger.
My clearest memory of late night Denny's was when I was 11. We were just about done and the place was dead. The staff must have been made up of college kids. They lined up the dining chairs and had a race. It was exciting. I think I had put the occupation of "waitress" on my list of things I wanted to do at that moment.
Before I had my daughter....late night dining was always on my list of things to do. My husband and I would meet up with friends, hang out then make our way over to Denny's or to its rival IHOP. I don't know what it is about late-night dining that I miss. Maybe the freedom, the way hot food tastes on a late chilly night, laughing about splitting the check...who knows.
My husband told me that his dad would bring hamburgers in the middle of the night and he'd be up at 1am half eating/half sleeping. I can imagine him trying to hold his head up with one hand and trying to eat a burger with the other.
I think when my kid is older, we'll keep up that little tradition. When I was a kid, it was an adventure. It was fun yummy spontaneity and I can't wait to start it up again.
Monday, March 5, 2012
When Anticipation Turns Into Anxiety....
I'm not going into detail about how this came about but two weeks ago, I went to the ER because I thought I was having a heart attack.
I felt like I did about 2-3 hours or cardio and there was a 300 pound weight on my chest. I couldn't breathe and my heart rate was at 120.
I had just read an article called "If You're Going to Be Treated For a Heart Attack, Try Not to Be Female." To sum it up, it basically says that when women go to the hospital complaining of chest pains; they are discriminated against. It also said not to down play what they're feeling and to be their own advocate.
I had been having chest pains for a week but they generally went away. The night before I went to the ER, the pain wasn't subsiding and I got nervous. The next day I decided to go to my friendly neighborhood urgent care (which I now know that if you are experiencing chest pains or abdominal pain, skip the middleman) to get checked out. They did an EKG and said my heart rate was abnormal and that I should go to the emergency room. I dropped my kid off with her nana and my husband and I set off to the hospital.
I called my sister to let her know and she kept telling me, "You're not having a heart attack, it's probably anxiety." I wasn't sure what it was but my chest was hurting something fierce.
I walked into the ER and told the girl up front, "I have chest pains and an abnormal EKG from urgent care." I was immediately taken into their "quick look" area to get my vitals checked and got another EKG. The nurse was fast and was pumped with energy. He looked at the EKG I had. He asked, "Where did you get this from?" I replied, "Urgent care." With an eye-roll he says, "Ugh, urgent care." I thought that was so funny. He yanks the wires off of me and sits me up and says, "Sinus tachycardia yes, heart attack? No. You should feel better because I just ruled out your heart." He gave me a quick smile and we went to the waiting room.
In my head I began to mull over what my sister said. Anxiety. It was a pretty rough week and it was only Wednesday. I was looking around and there were people who looked worse off than how I looked. I started to feel guilty and yet my chest pains weren't going away.
A short time after I was called and they rolled me to triage in the wheelchair which I felt was a bit much but its more of a liability thing. I got set up in my little area and told several people what happened; I started to feel like a broken record. They did blood work, a chest x-ray, a cat scan, urine screening. Once the doctor came in, I thought my heart was going to bust out of my chest. I see him look beyond me then back at my face. He says in a calming voice, "Ms. are you an anxious person?"
"Uh....yeah?"
He said, "I know because as soon as I walked in, your heart rate jumped from 98 to 120," and smiled. "We're going to get the results back from your blood work but for now how about we get that heart rate down okay?" He tells the nurse, "How about one milligram of valium." She nods.
Valium? The drug of choice for housewives everywhere. I never thought I'd have to succumb to the powers of it. They handed me this tiny pill and I take it. It works......fast. Now that I think about it, they could have given me a placebo.
Once all was said and done, I didn't have diabetes or high cholesterol. I had an anxiety attack....maybe more than one that week. And telling someone to calm down in the middle of an anxiety attack won't help. The doctor said to try and figure out ways to handle my stress better. I really thought I could handle stress fine but my husband said that I often care to much about things that are out of my control. And instead of getting defensive, I agreed. I do care too much about things that don't need much caring about.
My sister in law, who is a nurse (which I'm very grateful for) came by the next day, took me to Target to get my prescription for twelve pills of valium. The bottle says in big, bold letters - TAKE AS NEEDED. This made me laugh. We did a little shopping and she picked up pizza for dinner. She also brought me some yoga DVDs which has helped me stress less.
All in all, I think I've learned to have more faith that things will work out and that I need to be more carefree. Things that are going on in my family life are still going on, but truthfully its a brief moment in time. And anytime I need to get my head on straight I just think about how good I actually have it compared to the terrible things happening in the world and tell myself to shut up about my champagne problems.
I felt like I did about 2-3 hours or cardio and there was a 300 pound weight on my chest. I couldn't breathe and my heart rate was at 120.
I had just read an article called "If You're Going to Be Treated For a Heart Attack, Try Not to Be Female." To sum it up, it basically says that when women go to the hospital complaining of chest pains; they are discriminated against. It also said not to down play what they're feeling and to be their own advocate.
I had been having chest pains for a week but they generally went away. The night before I went to the ER, the pain wasn't subsiding and I got nervous. The next day I decided to go to my friendly neighborhood urgent care (which I now know that if you are experiencing chest pains or abdominal pain, skip the middleman) to get checked out. They did an EKG and said my heart rate was abnormal and that I should go to the emergency room. I dropped my kid off with her nana and my husband and I set off to the hospital.
I called my sister to let her know and she kept telling me, "You're not having a heart attack, it's probably anxiety." I wasn't sure what it was but my chest was hurting something fierce.
I walked into the ER and told the girl up front, "I have chest pains and an abnormal EKG from urgent care." I was immediately taken into their "quick look" area to get my vitals checked and got another EKG. The nurse was fast and was pumped with energy. He looked at the EKG I had. He asked, "Where did you get this from?" I replied, "Urgent care." With an eye-roll he says, "Ugh, urgent care." I thought that was so funny. He yanks the wires off of me and sits me up and says, "Sinus tachycardia yes, heart attack? No. You should feel better because I just ruled out your heart." He gave me a quick smile and we went to the waiting room.
In my head I began to mull over what my sister said. Anxiety. It was a pretty rough week and it was only Wednesday. I was looking around and there were people who looked worse off than how I looked. I started to feel guilty and yet my chest pains weren't going away.
A short time after I was called and they rolled me to triage in the wheelchair which I felt was a bit much but its more of a liability thing. I got set up in my little area and told several people what happened; I started to feel like a broken record. They did blood work, a chest x-ray, a cat scan, urine screening. Once the doctor came in, I thought my heart was going to bust out of my chest. I see him look beyond me then back at my face. He says in a calming voice, "Ms. are you an anxious person?"
"Uh....yeah?"
He said, "I know because as soon as I walked in, your heart rate jumped from 98 to 120," and smiled. "We're going to get the results back from your blood work but for now how about we get that heart rate down okay?" He tells the nurse, "How about one milligram of valium." She nods.
Valium? The drug of choice for housewives everywhere. I never thought I'd have to succumb to the powers of it. They handed me this tiny pill and I take it. It works......fast. Now that I think about it, they could have given me a placebo.
Once all was said and done, I didn't have diabetes or high cholesterol. I had an anxiety attack....maybe more than one that week. And telling someone to calm down in the middle of an anxiety attack won't help. The doctor said to try and figure out ways to handle my stress better. I really thought I could handle stress fine but my husband said that I often care to much about things that are out of my control. And instead of getting defensive, I agreed. I do care too much about things that don't need much caring about.
My sister in law, who is a nurse (which I'm very grateful for) came by the next day, took me to Target to get my prescription for twelve pills of valium. The bottle says in big, bold letters - TAKE AS NEEDED. This made me laugh. We did a little shopping and she picked up pizza for dinner. She also brought me some yoga DVDs which has helped me stress less.
All in all, I think I've learned to have more faith that things will work out and that I need to be more carefree. Things that are going on in my family life are still going on, but truthfully its a brief moment in time. And anytime I need to get my head on straight I just think about how good I actually have it compared to the terrible things happening in the world and tell myself to shut up about my champagne problems.
Monday, February 13, 2012
February 13th, Not A Valentine's Post
What was the worst gift I ever got from my husband?
Any guesses? A fancy cheese grater? A bubble machine? Portable flo-bee? It sounds like a chainsaw and is helpful for those excessive fuzz on your clothes days - The electronic lint remover. His heart was in the right place....even if every time I used it I thought tiny metal antennae were going to come out of the holes and rip up my guts.
Since then, the gift giving has improved. My husband has a knack for remembering little things. I got the lint remover because I said I hate using a lint roller and wished that there was an easier way to remove lint. Since then the little things he's remembered has worked in my favor. Here are some examples:
- There was a glass etching class I kind of wanted to go to, you know the ones that let you etch your last name onto your casserole dishes so that if you leave them there's no reason why it couldn't go back to you? It reminds me of like a housewife sting operation....anyway, I wanted to go but I didn't have any glassware....until that following Mother's Day. He listened to me say, "Pssh, it was probably boring anyway" and heard "I wish I had some glassware."
- I said, "Man, I wish I didn't live so far from the library. I'd probably read more." On my birthday I got a gift basket with all the classics, snacks and drinks.
- "If I had a blow dryer, I'd be ready faster." On Valentine's Day, I got the hotel room style blow dryer...you know the kind that mounts to the wall. I love it!
- The day after I got the last Harry Potter book (which came out right around my birthday) I was given the whole day to read it and my husband brought me food throughout the day so I wouldn't have to stop reading. It was probably one of the best gifts - time to do what you'd like to do, not what you need to do. I could go for another one of those free time days.
I never get tired of the "I love you's" but one of my most favorite things my husband had ever said to me happened when he asked me once what I wanted for Christmas. I said, "How about some nice comfy pajamas?" I'm a pajama girl. Not the teeny barely there kind, the sweats and cute top kind...you know. I quickly thought it would be weird for making my husband shop in the ladies section for me and said, "You know what, nevermind. You don't even know my size and I really don't want you to guess." He says, "Of course I know your size." My mortification was short-lived when he said, "You're size pretty."
Any guesses? A fancy cheese grater? A bubble machine? Portable flo-bee? It sounds like a chainsaw and is helpful for those excessive fuzz on your clothes days - The electronic lint remover. His heart was in the right place....even if every time I used it I thought tiny metal antennae were going to come out of the holes and rip up my guts.
Since then, the gift giving has improved. My husband has a knack for remembering little things. I got the lint remover because I said I hate using a lint roller and wished that there was an easier way to remove lint. Since then the little things he's remembered has worked in my favor. Here are some examples:
- There was a glass etching class I kind of wanted to go to, you know the ones that let you etch your last name onto your casserole dishes so that if you leave them there's no reason why it couldn't go back to you? It reminds me of like a housewife sting operation....anyway, I wanted to go but I didn't have any glassware....until that following Mother's Day. He listened to me say, "Pssh, it was probably boring anyway" and heard "I wish I had some glassware."
- I said, "Man, I wish I didn't live so far from the library. I'd probably read more." On my birthday I got a gift basket with all the classics, snacks and drinks.
- "If I had a blow dryer, I'd be ready faster." On Valentine's Day, I got the hotel room style blow dryer...you know the kind that mounts to the wall. I love it!
- The day after I got the last Harry Potter book (which came out right around my birthday) I was given the whole day to read it and my husband brought me food throughout the day so I wouldn't have to stop reading. It was probably one of the best gifts - time to do what you'd like to do, not what you need to do. I could go for another one of those free time days.
I never get tired of the "I love you's" but one of my most favorite things my husband had ever said to me happened when he asked me once what I wanted for Christmas. I said, "How about some nice comfy pajamas?" I'm a pajama girl. Not the teeny barely there kind, the sweats and cute top kind...you know. I quickly thought it would be weird for making my husband shop in the ladies section for me and said, "You know what, nevermind. You don't even know my size and I really don't want you to guess." He says, "Of course I know your size." My mortification was short-lived when he said, "You're size pretty."
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
And Then I Gave Her Chocolate
"I'm never going to be the kind of mom that......(fill in "wrong-doing" here)."
Apart from the horrid things a parent can do to a child, I quickly figured out that it was not fair for me to say such things, even if was saying it in my head. When I see a mother or father do something that might seem a little off, now I think:
"I wonder what kind of day they've had. Did they sleep well? Is their kid tired or feeling ill? What kind of "me time" did they have if any? Did they get to take a shower? (Isn't it funny how a nice long shower is a luxury?)"
Whenever I had come to realize that I had just done the thing I said I would never do as a mother, I ended up feeling a bit let down at myself. I had put myself on this crazy standard of parenting that doesn't exist. I had to let those "nevers" go because who knows what kind of day I'll have with my daughter.
Sometimes when you need to get something done and a little one might not be cooperating, and you know of one thing that will help you get through that small moment in time, just do it. I had to let go of people who might be watching or saying comments under their breath. Yup, it was my kid scream-singing, crying, who made the mess, who spilled the drink/cheerios, running in a crowd, refusing to walk, and any other thing she was doing.
Just like every adult human being on the planet, a child has free will.
And I have a stash of chocolate in my purse/backpack/car at all times.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Ukelele By Accident
So this past holiday I got my husband a ukelele. It was on his secret santa list and I didn't think anyone was going to get it for him. Lo and behold, he ended up with two. I decided, why not try to learn this cool little instrument? I've played some guitar here and there, how hard can it be. There are a ton of youtube videos of kids rocking out on them.
Well, there are four strings, not six. The strings are nylon so its easier on my phalanges but the chords are totally different. Plus the tuning is weird. Barr chords are easier but my long gangly digits are a clumsy mess. But I'm still doing it and I've learned chords, a few tunes and I'm sure I'll sound a lot better as time goes on or until I find my next thing to get into.
***Update: Now I attached two videos of my attempt to be musical. My singing however is not up for discussion. :) *****
Well, there are four strings, not six. The strings are nylon so its easier on my phalanges but the chords are totally different. Plus the tuning is weird. Barr chords are easier but my long gangly digits are a clumsy mess. But I'm still doing it and I've learned chords, a few tunes and I'm sure I'll sound a lot better as time goes on or until I find my next thing to get into.
***Update: Now I attached two videos of my attempt to be musical. My singing however is not up for discussion. :) *****
Thursday, December 29, 2011
December Freak Out
Why is everything in December?
My daughter's birthday (that's my fault, I could have planned better) and I threw her first big birthday party. Why did I choose to do that? She was turning 3 and she won't remember it. It was fun. It was a breakfast party and it was over by 12:30. We tried to catch the Muppets at the theatre because Baby Sagittarius loves muppets; at least I thought she did. The Toy Story short film "Small Fry" threw her off. She was expecting more Toy Story and instead she got the first 10 minutes of people singing and dancing. I understand, she wanted a lot more muppet action. Instead of testing how long she'd "be cool" we decided to get a refund and go out to an early dinner. I was totally wiped by the time we got home. Not a bad day.
Tamales. I love to eat them but not necessarily make them. It's a lot of work. If someone is so kind as to gift them to you, they must really, really love you. 7am - 7pm.....12 hours of work and no, I didn't want to eat a tamale when they were done. I didn't want to look at them or smell them. Nope, no, niet. Mechanic Hubby brought me a whopper and it was a Christmas miracle.
Post office. This I didn't mind so much. The day I went to the post office was actually a very great day spent with my sister. It didn't start that way. I have a crazy imagination. When someone sets a time to meet and they don't show up (I give about 1/2 leeway) I start to worry. I called my sister and she didn't answer. So instead of just thinking, "She must be asleep," because that's pretty much her favorite hobby, I think she's in some horrific crash and is unable to answer her phone. Needless to say, the worrying was unnecessary and yes, she was sleeping in. Silly me. We had a great lunch, went and finished up our Christmas shopping and went to the post office the Thursday before Christmas and my package got there on time.
Christmas Eve. First off, my Gramma said I was dressed very nicely. She felt under-dressed because she was lounging in her sweats. I assured her that I wished I was wearing sweats. Why did I dress up? Anyway, I made chicken alfredo and penne in tomato meat sauce. My sister made a salad and we ate...and ate. We had a cookie decorating contest and we quickly found out that we stink at cookie decorating. We decided to forgo the whole staying up until midnight tradition because we had to be at church early the next morning. We all received some great gifts and the night was wrapped up by 9:30. Pretty sweet.
Christmas Day. Got up early, got ready, went to church. It was only an hour long and I'm so glad we went. One of the members of our congregation sang a song called, "Mary Let Me Hold Her Baby." It's basically about a woman who can't have children but she was allowed to hold the Savior a short time. The blind lady who sang isn't particularly the best singer, but the lyrics were moving; as she identifies with the woman in the song. It was a treasure to hear. This particular verse was so true:
Those like me
who can't have children
Still can be mothers
Something in His eyes
Something in His eyes
convinced me
I could serve so many others
I could serve so many others
We had everyone over, opened gifts and ate a great Christmas supper. As much as I enjoy the holiday season, it's definitely more for kids because if I had to wrap one more gift (which I think is counter productive because you're basically wrapping future garbage around the nice gift) I think I'd go crazy!
And yet, there's still one more holiday. New Year's Eve. We're going to make pizza in the beehive oven outside, exchange white elephant gifts (darn it, one more thing to wrap), maybe hook up the XBOX Kinect outside, release some floating lanterns (like in Tangled!) and stay up to ring in the new year. It's going to be so fun!
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