Happy kids, happy Saturday

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I am the luckiest girl in the world

Ed Got me a kitchenaid mixer this am. YAY!
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Sprint PCS Mail

Because it wouldn't be a holiday. . .

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Giving Thanks, Sarcasm, and Potty Mouth

I feel like I should do a “what I am thankful for” entry……but it would be sappy and somewhere along the lines of “I love my kids so much!!” and all like “blah blah blah”. So I’m going to give you a random and somewhat superficial list of items that I would like to give thanks for.

1. I am thankful for the 2 new pair of pants I bought at Old Navy last night, one of which is a comfy pair of straight legged cords that remind me of what a hippie I used to be.
2. Also for the over-the-range microwave we bought last night—what a space saver!
3. I’m thankful that I had the chicken pox when I was 9 as opposed to my youngest brother who has them now at age 18
4. I’m thankful that the kid’s daycare photos finally came in
5. And that they actually turned out really well
6. and that I get to spend $130 to keep them all!!
7. I’m thankful for Nestle’s Peppermint Mocha Creamer
8. I’m especially thankful for my 4 day weekend, even though I will only have Sunday to rest
9. I’m thankful that we rented Ocean’s 13 to watch on Friday after dinner—Pitt and Clooney….mmmmmm---happy thanksgiving to me
10. I’m thankful for the bulk sized jar of green olives I bought for turkey sandwiches last night

I could come up with more I’m sure. I’m still feeling a bit out of it. Nothing is particularly wrong; I just feel a bit off. I can’t put my finger on it. Perhaps gorging myself this weekend will assist. Oh, there are other things I wanted to say too!

Eddie has apparently inherited my sarcastic gene! This morning, while waiting for what seemed like hours in the car, while Ed finished a phone call, Eddie goes “What is taking Daddy so long? My friends are already eating lunch….” And a few minutes later “When is daddy getting in the car? My friends are already taking their naps….” Both were said with an eye roll and a hint of a grin. My kid.

I also heard a good potty mouth story this weekend, and it wasn’t my kids! (because they’re too busy singing “Old McDonald had a butt! Poopy Poopy Oh!”)

A friend of mine was outside with his 2-year-old daughter, working in the yard and he saw her approach the front of their house where he had 3 scarecrows lined up for decoration. She got in front of the first one, looked it dead in the eye and slapped it across the face and yelled “BITCH!!”. She moved to the next scarecrow and did the same, and the third scarecrow after that. He could hardly scold her because he was laughing so hard. He was reluctant to even tell anyone the story for fear that they would think his daughter was mimicking him slapping his wife around. It gave me one of the best laughs I’ve had in a long time though.

Ok, I think I’m done now. There is much slacking to be done before I leave today.

I just feel so cranky today. Not for any particular reason, I just kind of woke up with a chip on my shoulder. Ed was back and forth about driving me to work this morning, and his delay kind of took me over the edge. That and the fact that he chastised Eddie for getting upset this morning when he thought I’d left and forgot to say goodbye. Plus we got in to it over whose return of ill fitting clothing was more important, his since he needs them to wear on Thanksgiving, or mine which I have been holding on to for a while. Clearly mine are just because I’m me, but he thinks that since I have PLENTY of other clothes, his return is more important. Whatever.

So yeah, I’m pissy. I ordered a new phone yesterday, which should make me feel a bit better, but sadly it doesn’t. (I’ve always had Samsung phones, so I’m nervous about the LG……)

So let’s talk about Thanksgiving!

As I mentioned previously, we are going to my MIL’s on Thursday. Because it would complete her, or something. Whatever. She makes a really good green bean casserole with real fried crispy onions as opposed to those from the can. I’m making dessert and can not decide between a standard chocolate pie, made with pudding and cool whip, or a German sweet chocolate pie. Probably the German since it is Ed’s absolute favorite. Unless he gets on my nerves. Then he gets crap.

Friday, I am cooking and my brother and SIL are coming over. It’s kind of our tradition to cook Thanksgiving on the Friday after and I’m somewhat excited. I totally forgot to put in for a vacation day at daycare, so since I have to pay for it, the kids are going—at least for part of the day. That will give me time to cook and clean anyway. Plus it’s our turn to bring home Max, Eddie’s classroom guinea pig. It’s hard to pick him up of the kids don’t go. Anyway, here is what I am cooking:

• One small turkey, deep fried
• One large turkey, in the oven
• 5lbs of mashed potatoes
• One small dish of sweet potato casserole for my FIL (I pretend to like it, but really, it’s all about the marshmallows)
• Corn bread dressing (note to self—cook cornbread weds night or thurs morning)
• Creamed Corn, from the can
• Green Bean Casserole, with canned onions because I like to eat them from the can while I cook
• Canned cranberry sauce because Ed’s dad is the only one who will touch it
• Brown and Serve rolls because it wouldn’t be turkey day without them
• Tons of gravy, of course
• Pumpkin Pie (frozen)
• Apple Pie (maybe fresh but probably frozen)
• Oreo Cheesecake

I think that’s it. Hopefully we will have a ton of leftovers because I love nothing more that a turkey sandwich on plain white bread, slathered in mayo with green olives on it. It is my favorite thanksgiving food. We’ve been known to get up in the middle of the night for a turkey sammie.

Saturday my cousin is having a birthday party for her son, who is turning 4 (plus she just had a new baby girl!!) and hopefully, Sunday we can rest.

Hopefully I’ll be able to keep up with NaBloPoMo during the craziness.

The Poop on Poop Etiquette

The girls, (and some of the guys) who work with and for me are all very open about their bodily functions. We know everyone’s cycle, about gas and yeast infections…you name it. One of our favorite topics of conversation just happens to be pooping. I don’t know why, we are just enamored with pooping.

There is a stigma around here about pooping at work—at least among the girls. Guys, as you know, have no shame. The majority of people don’t feel like anyone in their right mind should be taking a crap in the same bathroom as 10 other women. I know, it’s not an ideal situation. But seriously?

There are several people here who can’t poop anywhere other than their own bathroom. One goes so far as to say that she can’t even go on vacation. She spends entire weeks miserable and holding it. Then again, she won’t even fart in front of her husband.

Others feel free to poop with reckless abandon. Wherever, whenever, they just go.

Where do you fall in?

A. Sara, I feel very uncomfortable with this line of questioning, please knock it off and write something about your kids or something.
B. I can only poop behind closed doors in the privacy of my own home
C. If I have to go, I have to go. Deal with it.
D. I actually plan on pooping at work, or better yet, at someone else’s house so that I can keep my toilet clean and save on the cost of toilet paper. The less cleaning, the better.

I’d also like to know if you fart in front of your significant other.

Here is my opinion:

I will not go out of my way to poop at work, however, should the need arise; I will not inconvenience my body so that you are not offended. I will however, go to the bathroom at the other end of the building where I am less recognized, and use an intricate pattern of flushing and air freshener spritz to disguise what I am doing all the way down there in the handicapped stall. I will probably wait until the bathroom is pretty close to empty before I exit. On the farting—I’m a firm believer in that if my name appears on the mortgage, I am entitled to pass gas anywhere in my own home. The car too.

Well, I hope your eyes aren’t bleeding from reading this or anything………but it had to be said.

2-year-olds

We are working in the kids' room today, converting Cait's crib in to a big girl bed. I asked her if she'd like to help me clean up the toys in the bedroom.

She looked at me and said 100% deadpan "I'm really busy working on something. Sorry, can't help you."

She is so my daughter.

Flippers Do Not Go With Dress Pants

So it’s Saturday, and here I am working of all things. There are about 15 people here who don’t actually work for me, but all of the managers rotate Saturdays. Sadly, I’m not a lot of help to them because I’m so far removed from what they do. But I sure can give them direction! Plus 2 of my associates are here too, and they know a lot more that I do.

So I was wondering, does anyone ever do this? NO, you don’t do it every month based on your cycle, to see what you could potentially have if you were to potentially get pregnant this month? Oh, ok me either. But on the off chance that I did do such a thing, it predicts that I’d have another girl. It’s right for my other kids too. But I should say that I’m not pregnant, because I’m not. At least not that I know of. (NOT THAT YOU KNOW OF……) Seriously though, I’m not. (OR AM I???)

Ed is a member of the Kiwanis and their annual dinner dance is tonight. I didn’t get to go last year (lucky me…er…DARN!) because I was at a friend’s wedding in Syracuse (**note to self, wish Erin a happy anniversary) but we are all going tonight. Which meant that I couldn’t even wear sweats to work on the one day it is acceptable because Ed and the kids are picking me up and we’re going right there. I am wearing my ugly ugly shoes, that actually look kind of like flippers that I bought when I was pregnant with Cait because my feet were so huge……they are a size 9 and are so ugly---but comfy!! My size 7.5 heels are in the car for later.

So, here is a list of things I had to do before coming to work this AM to ensure a smooth transition to our function tonight.
• Feed both children. When can they make their own fricken toast?
• Pack a diaper bag for tonight, just in case either of them pees their pants (I’m not a daredevil, sorry—the grocery store is as far as I go without back-up)
• Leave out clothes acceptable for play today
• Leave out fancier clothes for this evening, and instructions as to what shoes each child should wear
• Instruct Ed to wear some of the new clothes we bought him last week, rather than the same khakis and polo shirt
• Pack Cait’s brush and pony tail holders so that I can do her hair in the car
• Tell Ed to make sure they both have clean hands and faces before they leave (seriously)

And I still got here at 9. Oh happy day!! It’s 12:30 and I have 5 hours to go. So far I have looked at and printed both of our credit reports, perused MySpace and spent about 30 minutes on the phone with Ed. Further down my agenda is writing letters to our insurance company, who still refuses to pay for Ed’s tonsil surgery, citing that it was not medically necessary, and send requests for all of Ed’s medical records to the hospital and doctor. Perhaps some online shopping, lunch, and general screwing around will help to pass the time.

I’m going to start in on lunch now, but I’m sure I’ll be rooting back around in here later.

Reminds me of "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie"

I took a fancy test today at the urging of blacksheeped that kind of analyzes your personality. It came back that I am an ISFP or Introvert Sensing Feeling Perceiving. The site gives a brief description, but I googled ISFP and came up with this description, which I will copy below. It’s interesting to see how things really do apply to me. I am the type of person who sits back and takes things in before reacting or more likely deciding whether reaction is even necessary. I keep a lot to myself. I think that’s why I like blogging so much, because I say things that I normally wouldn’t.

Ok, so here is the description, and I have removed the items that do not apply to me and have bolded the things that are just SOOOO me. You can see the full description at the above link.

The Artist
As an ISFP, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit into your value system. Your secondary mode is external, where you take things in via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion.
ISFPs live in the world of sensation possibilities. They are keenly in tune with the way things look, taste, sound, feel and smell. They have a strong aesthetic appreciation for art, and are likely to be artists in some form, because they are unusually gifted at creating and composing things which will strongly affect the senses. They have a strong set of values, which they strive to consistently meet in their lives. They need to feel as if they're living their lives in accordance with what they feel is right, and will rebel against anything which conflicts with that goal.
ISFPs tend to be quiet and reserved, and difficult to get to know well. They hold back their ideas and opinions except from those who they are closest to. They are likely to be kind, gentle and sensitive in their dealings with others. They are interested in contributing to people's sense of well-being and happiness, and will put a great deal of effort and energy into tasks which they believe in.
ISFPs have a strong affinity for aesthetics and beauty. They're likely to be animal lovers, and to have a true appreciation for the beauties of nature. They're original and independent, and need to have personal space. They value people who take the time to understand the ISFP, and who support the ISFP in pursuing their goals in their own, unique way. People who don't know them well may see their unique way of life as a sign of carefree light-heartedness, but the ISFP actually takes life very seriously, constantly gathering specific information and shifting it through their value systems, in search for clarification and underlying meaning.
ISFPs are action-oriented individuals. They are "doers", and are usually uncomfortable with theorizing concepts and ideas, unless they see a practical application. They learn best in a "hands-on" environment, and consequently may become easily bored with the traditional teaching methods, which emphasize abstract thinking. They do not like impersonal analysis, and are uncomfortable with the idea of making decisions based strictly on logic. Their strong value systems demand that decisions are evaluated against their subjective beliefs, rather than against some objective rules or laws.
ISFPs are extremely perceptive and aware of others. They constantly gather specific information about people, and seek to discover what it means. They are usually penetratingly accurate in their perceptions of others. (I COULD TRPLE BOLD THIS ONE)
ISFPs are warm and sympathetic. They genuinely care about people, and are strongly service-oriented in their desire to please. They have an unusually deep well of caring for those who are close to them, and are likely to show their love through actions, rather than words.
ISFPs have no desire to lead or control others, just as they have no desire to be led or controlled by others. They need space and time alone to evaluate the circumstances of their life against their value system, and are likely to respect other people's needs for the same.
The ISFP is likely to not give themself enough credit for the things which they do extremely well. Their strong value systems can lead them to be intensely perfectionist, and cause them to judge themselves with unneccesary harshness.
The ISFP has many special gifts for the world, especially in the areas of creating artistic sensation, and selflessly serving others. Life is not likely to be extremely easy for the ISFP, because they take life so seriously, but they have the tools to make their lives and the lives of those close to them richly rewarding experiences.

It’s interesting, right?

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Thursday’s seem to be the days when I write some sort of retrospective. I really want to write about my wedding, but that is better suited for a photo entry. Unfortunately I was married prior to the rampant use of the digital camera, and therefore, I need to scan my photos. The good new: Scanning them was my pregnancy project when I was gestating Eddie!! The bad news: I only made it through the ceremony photos before I either got bored, or decided that my time was better spent consuming mass quantities of Twinkies and Mug Root Beer. I would place bets on the latter. What I’m getting at is that our goal was to throw a kick ass party, and I can’t really tell the story without the awesome reception photos. The reception was complete hysteria and the best party I’ve ever been to…..I will surely tell you about it soon.

For today though, I’ve decided to copy something I read over at dreamgrrl’s which I think is kind of fun.

10 Things I Liked as a Teenager but Don’t Really Care For Now
1. Talking on the phone for hours and hours
2. Breaded chicken patties on buns with mayo
3. having more friends than I could count
4. wearing my dad’s flannel shirts
5. VANS sneakers which I had decorated with pen and marker
6. Dying my hair green with a bingo marker
7. Being obnoxious on purpose
8. shopping for clothes at the Salvation Army
9. wearing hats
10. hanging out at the mall, at least 3 times a week

10 Things I Did Not Like as a Teenager but Do Like Quite a Bit Now
1. Getting up early
2. yogurt
3. being somewhat productive
4. spending time with my family
5. grocery shopping
6. working out
7. camping
8. learning from my mistakes
9. a good glass of wine
10. fancy shoes

10 Things I have Never Liked and Likely Never Will
1. Wearing jewelry
2. doing anything with my hair other than washing and brushing
3. wearing make-up
4. going to the bank or post office
5. ketchup on anything but hotdogs, hamburgers, roast beef, or mac and cheese
6. painting my fingernails
7. cleaning, or any type of housework (you would have died if you saw my room when I was growing up. DIED.)
8. peas. Blech.
9. The History Channel
10. Participating in any sort of sport (unless it’s darts.)

10 Things I Have Always Liked and Probably Always Will
1. Watching more television than any human should be allowed to watch
2. Silly Teenie bopper movies (High School Musical, anyone??)
3. burying my nose in a good book
4. Burger King Whoppers
5. Coffee---have been an addict since I was 14
6. singing, alone or in groups (does anyone want to be in a band with me?)
7. church
8. Planning future baby’s names
9. dry and ridiculous humor
10. Writing

Can Today Be De-Lurking Day?

If you are here today, regardless of whether or not you read my blog daily, or just happened upon it, please leave me a comment. I'd like to know who visits.

Here are a few questions to answer for me....

How did you get here? Another blog? Am I in your reader? Did you google something crazy like ketchup in goulash? (That brings a lot of people over.)

What is your position on babies and pacifiers?


What is your favorite television show and why?


What is your favorite song at the moment?


I will answer my own questions. I had/have a blog on another site. No, you can't read it....but I began blogging here after reading Catherine Newman's blog

I am not a fan of the paci. At all. My kids never used them. (Cait sucks on her blankie though) Ed and I both felt strongly about not shoving a plug in our child's mouth, which is not to say that is what most parents do, but you have to admit, it's out there. I have a hard time seeing a 4-year-old with a binky as well. It drives me nuts.

Favorite TV show.....right now? How I Met Your Mother. I love it like no other. And also Samantha Who, it's very smart and funny.

Favorite Song at the moment: Matchbox 20, Let's See How Far We've Come. LOOOVE It!! It's so catchy. A bit trendy fr my usual taste, but like I said, LOOOOVE IT!


Ok, so please de-lurk. All of you!

Tuesday Feels Like Monday (and actually sucks a little bit more)

1. Ahh, everyone is writing about their weddings. I need to write a wedding post, I imagine. It would need photos though, and those are housed at home. So, another day.

2. A few people questioned my writing of “I feed a family of 5” yesterday. Maybe I’ve never clarified that my FIL lives with us. He is retired and we buy the groceries. He watches the kids enough where it is a wash. He’ll pick p the occasional loaf of bread or gallon of milk, but he figures in to my grocery budget as much as anyone else.

3. Today is one of those days where I’m dying to have another baby…and I’m not even ovulating. It’s just that everyone around me seems to be so deliciously pregnant. And I’m jealous. I don’t think it would go away even if I had 5 kids. Humph.

4. Today is Tuesday which means that Ed is home with the kids. He’s trying to cut down a tree in our back yard that was already dying, but was destroyed by last year’s October storm. I’m not sure how that will all work out, but here’s to hoping.

5. It’s 60 degrees today but I am bundled in my sweater. This cold just will not go away. And I think I have pink eye, or at least the beginning of it. Good thing I sandbagged drops from last year. I’ve been loading myself up all day.

6. I’ve already eaten my lunch but I’m very hungry. Nothing even sounds good though.

7. Ok, let’s take my depressing butt out of here. Maybe a happy wedding entry tonight.

What day is it?

I ended up having a busier day then I thought I would today. I could not get to sleep for the life of me last night and ended up passing out on the couch waiting for Jon ad Kate Plus 8 to come on. Of course, as soon as I heard Kate's voice, I woke right up. She is one miserable woman. M I S E R A B L E . I ended up back asleep within minutes and before I knew it, it was 3AM and Eddie was sleeping on top of me. I put him to bed, and went to bed myself just as Ed came home so I ended up being awake until nearly 4.

When I dropped the kids off at school this morning I had every intention of coming home and sleeping for a while, but Ed suggested breakfast, and we went from there. I got the kids their winter coats. The sets with the snow pants at JC Penny were marked down from $70 to $31.99. Eddie's is an army green and Cait's is lime green. Both are adorable. Ed got some clothes as well, and we got underwear for Eddie and a rolling Dora back pack for Caitlyn.

From there, we went over to Best Buy to look at camcorders, since ours is ancient. We didn't buy, but got some good ideas. We kind of want one that takes stills as well as videos, but we don't necessarily want to pay $800 for it. So we'll keep looking...

I dropped E off at home because he was worn out and then headed to Target to look for winter boots, hats and mittens for the kids. I got all but the boots which were mysteriously sold out in girls size 7 and boys size 12. Got Cait a few things on clearance too.

From there I went grocery shopping and spent $300. $303.93 to be exact. I do feed a family of 5 you know...plus there were a lot of great deals and I had really good coupons. I saved over $80. Ed doesn't hear that though, he hears $300 on groceries.

I unloaded the car, threw dinner in the oven, picked up the kids and we all sat down to eat before Ed left for work. We've done amazingly well with this eating in the kitchen jazz. Oddly enough, it seems to help the kids clean their plates. It seems the television was distracting them. Who knew??

I finally got the kids in bed close to 9:00 because I was waiting for Caitlyn to poop, and here I am, pooped myself. (can I tell you how great it is to not worry about buying diapers any longer??? She even stays dry at night--for which it is difficult to praise her for since Eddie still does NOT stay dry trough the night) I need to do a few things to get read for work in the morning and then I'll be off to bed. 4 day work weeks tend to suck for me, having to jam in 5 days worth of work in to 4....but then again I'm working this Saturday so maybe that will make up for it.

I'm a bit crazy tonight thanks to my after dinner coffee with the peppermint mocha creamer that Swistle recommended. It was so good, I could die. Now where am I going to budget in those extra 70 calories? So good.

Ok, I'm spell checking but not proof reading. For your viewing pleasure.

I will write something with substance tomorrow. I promise.

Sunday

So my ketchup loving MIL came over yesterday. I made chicken fingers for dinner with mashed potatoes and creamed corn. As we were making our plates, Ed asked her if she needed the ketchup. She looked at him with complete disgust. "I would NEVER put ketchup on poultry" she said, as if he were cazy for suggesting it. I could have spit my teeth out. So putting it on pork chops and GOULASH is ok, but never on CHICKEN.

She invited us for Thanksgiving a few weeks ago, and Ed asked her if she would just rather come here so she didn't have the stress of cleaning up her place. (she moved in a few months ago and has yet to unpack and only recently even got a fridge.) After Ed suggested it though, we didn't hear from her for 3 weeks and she wasn't answering her phone. Wehn Ed finally talked to her, and asked her about Thanksgiving again, she sad she'd love it if we came over. Us coming to her house gives her the will to live. So apparently, that's what we're doing. I'll be doing my usual, which is cooking on Friday so that I can eat what I like, and have plenty of left overs for sammies.

It feels very late for some reason. We were up early today, and went out to a train show (yawn) in Batavia. There's an even bigger one out here next week. Hoo-freaking-ray!! Ed left for work around 2:30 though and I did laudry the rest of the day. The kids never napped, so they were in bed and asleep before 8:00, which is more than rare.

This cough continues to kick my butt...it never flares up until bed time and before I know it, I'm sleeping upright on the couch. I'll probably just start out there tonight since Ed won't be home until the morning.

I guess that's about it. I'm quite looking forward to tomorrow--I am off of work and the kids are going to daycare. I'll be gorcery shopping alone, which is probably my all time favorite activity.

I have 5 minutes until Desperate Housewives, so I'm off for now!

Halloween Photos---finally

Thought of the Day: I truly am the world's biggest slacker.


But here they are, without further ado.... (I know you've been on the edge of your seat)



(it says "I left my princess costume at home.)

Mommy Daisy's Cookies


Our pumpkins


Ed, and Jeff Gordon



Our Witchy Princess







Ok, I have like 14 loads of laundry to do so I'm out for now. Happy Saturday!

Thought of the Day: Friday---why did it take you so long to get here??????

I feel like I could die, I’m so tired. This cough/cold combo just will not quit. I realized last night that I had cough syrup with codeine left over from last year that I’d never even touched. Sadly, it barely touched the cough, but at least it kept me groggy enough to not really care that I was up all night coughing.

I had my annual OBGYN visit today which was a real hoot. Well ok, that was sarcasm, but it was pretty uneventful. I’m at a quandary because I really like the practice, but the midwife, Wendy, who I actually followed there from my old OBGYN, has left. Wendy is my all time favorite midwife, but I also love the main Dr. at this practice and the other midwife she has on staff is ok, in a jolly old lady sort of way. (Unless you’re waking her at 3:00AM to tell her you’re in labor…then she’ll tell you it may not be labor and to take your time getting to the hospital and be a bit cranky about it. Then she’ll show up just as your baby is CROWNING……) Anyway, I could go off and find Wendy or just stay put. I’m not sure what I want to do, but I’m leaning toward staying with the practice. Like I said though, the visit itself was uneventful; they are refusing to put me on the pill, to Ed’s delight, until I have my next round of blood work and ultrasound for my thyroid. Midwife suggested taking 3000 mg of Vitamin C during my period to ease it up a bit. We’ll see if the natural crap works for a while.

Work has been busy the last few days and I have not had time to read or comment at a lot of blogs. I’m hoping to catch up this weekend.

Not much else to report, about 30 minutes before I go home, so I should at least make my desk not look like it’s been hit by a tornado. (I initially wrote “tomato” instead of “tornado” and burst in to hysterical laughter.)

True Love

I really enjoyed writing my retrospective last week about my good old ex-Duran Duran haired-boyfriend Mike. I thought that I would tell you about my other ex, Steve, but when I really thought about it, there’s no story. He loved me. I loved him. He loved drugs a lot more than he loved me and that was SO not my bag. We were friends for a very long time, through college, and he often told Ed that he’d always love me. Sometimes I wonder if he still does. Our break-up was what ultimately led me to Ed though, so instead, I’ve decided to write about how Ed and I got together.

It was 1994 and I was in 10th grade. I mean, can you even believe it? 10th grade!! And as I mentioned, I had broken up with Steve. Ed and I rode the same bus and I would sit with him on most days for the ride home. I thought he was a really nice guy, but had no romantic interest in him. At the end of the year, I signed his year book and gave him my number—to be honest, I gave everyone my number—and I never really thought anything of it. I was on the phone with my friend Melissa (the same Melissa we just saw in Maine) one night in July and she mentioned that she and Ed and some other people were going to Darien Lake the next day and that I should come. Soon after, Ed called me himself and invited me, so I took up the task of getting permission from my mother.

I’m still not sure how I finagled that one. My mother wasn’t keen on my riding in cars with other teenagers to begin with, so being allowed to go, with an 18-year-old boy, when I was still just 15, did not hold strong prospects. I’m sure that Melissa being reliable and responsible figured in to it somehow. In any case, it was planned, and we left early the next morning.

I can still remember the entire day, vividly. From Jen being melodramatic about having cramps, to begging Melissa to wear her bikini on the waterslides so I wouldn’t be the only one, to going off with Ed to find power rangers crap for our little brothers who were around 5 at the time and Ed being extremely sick from going on all of the rides with me. We hung out at Melissa’s that night, and from that point on, were pretty much inseparable.

I talked to Marisa the next day, and the first thing she said was “You don’t like him, do you??” It wasn’t a question meaning “what would you possibly see in him…” but more of “he is nothing like any person you have EVER gone out with.” She was right, he wasn’t. He was actually a legitimate nice guy. So I vehemently denied any interest in him other than friendship.

We started speaking on the phone for hours every day, to the point where he would even call me from the pay phone at work and I think that was when my mother started to worry. “He is 18 and you are 15!!” she would say. “He’s nothing but a PUNK!” my brother Matt told me. My family changed their minds about him though after he helped us move and they finally got to know him.

I went away with my friend Staci for a week that summer, down to Virginia Beach. Nothing had happened between Ed and me—I knew that I liked him and thought that he liked me, but he had never said anything, so I thought nothing of trolling for guys up and down the boardwalk. We met A LOT of boys. Cute boys. Beach boys. I found myself talking to a boy named Chris one evening and we ended up sitting on the boardwalk, talking about everything under the sun for hours. We made plans to meet up the following evening and as we said goodbye for the last time, he kissed me. Staci will tell you that we stood there making out for hours while she twiddled her thumbs, but that would just be Staci being Staci. In any case, we did meet up the following evening, and more kissing occurred. We parted ways, exchanging phone numbers and addresses, promising to keep in touch. It was totally TRULUV4EVA.

I came home wildly confused. It wasn’t like I was going to carry on a long distance relationship with random Virginia Beach Guy, but if it was so easy for me to fall for him, was there any substance between Ed and me? Chris and I did exchange letters and we spoke on the phone quite a bit. One of his letters said “You were the prettiest girl I met this summer……” He knew about Ed and me and he had a girl named Angela and we both knew nothing more would ever happen between us. (the last I heard from him maybe a year later was that Angela was pregnant and he was experimenting with crack….yeah.)

Near the end of the summer, I stayed with Melissa at her dad’s for about a week. He was hosting a Woodstock party over the weekend, and had ordered it on Pay Per View. Ed was coming and Melissa mandated that I was going to tell him how I felt and see if he felt the same. The goal was to do it after Aerosmith performed. Ed had to work the next morning, but was staying the night, so after Aerosmith, I went down to his car with him to get his alarm clock. This was when everything was supposed to happen, but I—the eternal chicken—couldn’t say anything. It actually kind of sucked. We all went to bed and Ed left around 6:00AM for work.

Melissa called him the next evening and talked with him while I was cleaning up our room. She came in with the phone and handed it to me. “Talk to Ed”, she said. I thought I was going to throw up. I could barely take the phone. I did though, and he asked me to be his girlfriend. The rest is history.

This past August Ed and I were together for 13 years. We were very young when we started dating, but somehow we both knew that we were it for each other. I don’t really think that either of us has wondered what it would be like if we were single at any given point; we really are meant to be together.

I kind of feel like we have a certain advantage over other couples, having grown up together in a sense, we know everything about each other because we’ve experienced it together. Not much else could create a stronger bond.

Fodder (A MEME!!)

Thought of the Day: Fodder Fodder Fodder

Four jobs I've had:
1. Hostess at Country Kitchen
2.Trainer for Boston Market
3.Manager at Blockbuster
4.Sales girl at Fredericks of Hollywood

Four movies I could watch over and over:
1. Austin Powers The Spy Who Shagged Me
2. She’s All That
3. The Negotiator
4. Beautiful Girls-1996 Seriously, watch it!

Four TV shows I like - reality version:
I don’t do a lot of reality TV but here is what I like
1. Scott Baio is 45 and Single
2. American Idol.
3. Dirty Jobs---mmmmmm I love you Mike Rowe.
4. Mythbusters

Four TV shows that I like - non-reality version
1. The Office (though I’ve seen it only once this season)
2. How I Met Your Mother
3. The New Adventures of Old Christine
4. Seinfeld (I watch it every night before bed)

Four places I've gone on vacation:
1. Port Colborne, Ontario Canada (Long Beach on Lake Erie)
2. Ohio—Cedar Point and The Islands
3. Virginia Beach, baby!
4. The White Mountains of New Hampshire

Four favorite foods:
1. Fresh baked bread or rolls with tons of butter
2. Breaded Pork Chops (mine—nobody else’s)
3. Pizza and Wings with Bleu Cheese
4. Anything that is chocolate or peanut butter or a combination of the 2

Four web sites I visit daily:
1. Google/Gmail
2. My blog
3. Hotmail/MSN
4. my bank’s site

Four places I would rather be:
1. Home in a Nyquil induced coma
2. Disney World, because I have never been there.
3. Vegas because I’ve never been there
4. Starbucks sipping coffee

Four bloggers I tag:
I'll take my chances with:
1. Bee
2. Em
3. Sarah
4. YOU!

Open Letters--Feel Free to Add Your Gripe

Thought of the Day: Going to a 10:05 movie on a work night is an especially bad idea when you are with your boss. It makes it pretty hard to call in or show up late the next day.

Anyhoooo, I’m working on a retrospective entry about how Ed and I met. It.Is.Exhausting. So I thought I’d do an open letter post---I’ve been seeing them around and they’re kind of fun. So here it goes.

_________________________________________________

Dear Target,
Why did you only have pink snow pants and purple coats? And why didn’t you have any snow pants for boys? Most importantly, how did I not buy what I needed and still spend $60?

Respectfully,
Sara

Dear Office Politics,
YOU SUCK!!

Signed,
SLB

Dear Honey,
Thank you for making an effort to clean up the kitchen so that we could have dinner together at the kitchen table. You making family time a priority means a lot to me.

I love you,
ME.

Dear Jack-Ass Customer,
It really makes no difference that your neighbor Lewis’s taxes went down. No difference at all. We’ll pay what we are billed. Maybe Lewis should shut his trap! But please do tell Lewis we said hi!

Sincerely,
Disgruntled Bank Staff

And P.S. we have no reason to know that your neighbor’s name is Lewis.

Dear Eddie and Caitlyn,

Thank you for waking up at 3:30am and 4:30am after Mommy took Tylenol PM. There is nothing like dealing with grumpy toddlers in the middle of the night when Mommy can barely stand up. I love you anyway and enjoyed snuggling you.

Hugs and Kisses,
Mommy

Dear Underlings at Work,

If we are busy enough where I am doing your job, you should probably do it too. Nothing pisses me off more than DOING YOUR JOB while I can plainly see you slacking. Shape up or ship out, and I mean it!!

Urgently,
Your Boss.

Dear Snails---
Stop screwing. We don’t want any baby snails. Gary and Larry my ass.

I hate you,
Sara