Black Friday Traditions

It has been a tradition in my family for at least 6 years to go shopping on Black Friday. My mom, my honorary mom and my sister would all meet up at 4 in the morning to begin our adventure in savings. Because there are plenty of other people willing to lose their REM cycle in the name of savings, we would wear antlers to be seen over the crowds.

This year it was just my sister and I. We were standing in line by 3:40 this morning, ready to begin our Adventure in Savings '08. I have to be honest, the deals weren't that great this year. I wasn't as impressed as in years past. We didn't even get a Toys R Us ad. Which is a Black Friday cardinal sin, in my book.

While Black Friday is the official beginning of Christmas shopping, for me it represents the one day a year I know I'll get to spend time with my moms and my sister. Some of our funniest memories have come from Black Friday.

This year I was not only reminded of the importance of our family time, but also the spirit of Christmas.

Around 9:30 this morning I hit my wall. I was in need of some Starbucks to reboost. As I sat in the drive-thru I was thinking about all the people I could cross of my list, how much I still had to buy, how much I'd saved already, woudl I have time for a nap. The usual recap of the morning. When I got to the window with my money in hand I was informed that the lady in the car before me had already paid for my drink.

I was dumbfounded. I have no idea who that generous lady was, no way to thank her. In an instant I was brought back to the real spirit of Christmas. It's not the gifts, not all the stuff we acquire. It's showing people, both known and strangers, the real meaning of Christmas. Christ came to earth as a babe knowing His destiny would be a death, so undeserved, for me. He was more generous that I deserve, yet He paid for my sins.

Whoever that lady in the SUV was, she showed me the real meaning of Christmas in such a small act. Thank you for bringing a reality to Black Friday. It was a reboost, to my energy and my focus.

My heart overflows with gratitude

It's Thanksgiving and once again I'm reminded of what's important in life. I love thanksgiving for this very reason. Not that I need a holiday to do that, but it's a nice national reminder. It's a day to celebrate all that God has given me. A day to celebrate the things in my life I don't think I deserve, but was given anyway.

This year has been a true blessing. We are in a home of our own, our house in Puyallup sold and we're all still speaking to each other! This past year has been an eye opening experience. I'm so blessed N walked by my side. He is my best friend, my partner, my biggest supporter, my prayer partner and encourager. I truly don't know what I did to deserve him as my partner in life.

If that wasn't enough, he's an excellent father to our three girls. He loves, encourages, supports and trains them in the Lord.

N, I'm so thankful for you. I know I don't say it enough, but you are a blessing beyond anything I ever hoped for.

If it wasn't enough that I was blessed in the husband department, I got the coolest kid ever. I'm not even being a little biased. She is fun, charming, sweet and a bit goofy. I'm so thankful that God helped her survive and thrive. I honestly can't picture my life without her in it. She is the final piece that completes my heart.

What's even better than having a husband who loves you unconditionally and a daughter who brings a joy into your life? Having two step-daughters who allow you to be part of their lives too. D & E have allowed me to have a place in their hearts and in their lives. I'm so grateful that I get to enjoy them and love on them!

In all my life I never thought I would have deserved three beautiful girls or an amazing husband. Yet God had a different design for my life. There are days I'm overwhelmed with gratitude that He would trust me to raise three girls in Him. It's a task I don't take lightly, but one I'm so glad I've been given.

Psalm 107:1 - Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever.

Zoe's new BFF

My dear friend Steph and her husband Kendall welcomed their daughter on Friday. Jordyn came in at 8 lbs and 19.5 inches. Major kudos to Steph for all her efforts on bringing this beautiful girl into the world.

I hear she's laid back and sweet as can be. She's got some pretty kissable cheeks too.

Welcome Jordyn. Zoe can't wait to teach all the things about life on this side of the tummy. I think she's even got a BFF necklace waiting for you. We can't wait to meet you and to love on you, beautiful girl.

Girls Night In

Last night Zoe and I were a very productive bunch. What does every girl need? Chocolate and crafts.

N has been craving chocolate chip cookies for about a week. It seems that every time I went to make them I was out of some key ingredients. I think flour, eggs and vanilla are important for the cookie baking process. After making sure we had everything, Zoe and I decided to make N some cookies last night. While she wasn't too sure about the touch of flour that she tasted, she is totally hooked on cookie dough.

She's a girl after my own heart.

Since she likes to talk to herself in the oven and the oven gets a bit hot when it's on, we decided we needed a distraction. I had to make a birthday card for a client at work, so we decided on scrapbooking.

Zoe helped get everything out and found a plum colored sheet at the bottom of drawer #3 that would be a perfect canvas for her masterpiece. I found glittery butterfly stickers that she would love.

When I got out my colored pencils to fill in my stamp outlines, she decided she would "color" instead.

These are our masterpieces.

After all the baking and creating, we cuddled in her room before bed. It was the perfect night. I look forward to many more nights in with my girl.

The trifecta of awesome

After a 2 OT win by the Cougs in Apple Cup, I don't know if there is anything that could make the weekend more grand. Not being the worst team is such an uplifting experience.

Then on Sunday night, as Zoe was playing and watching Tigger and Pooh save Christmas, she turned around, hands in the air and said, "yippee." I have no idea where she's even heard that word.

Just when I didn't think life could get any better, I got a gym membership. I used it this morning. I was at the gym by 5:00 this morning. Starting off my day like that is something that has been missing for too long. I haven't been there since 2005 and most of the same people are at the gym in the mornings! It was like a small reunion.

It's a short week. Bring on the turkey and Black Friday shopping!

Say my name, Spidermonkey

I had a Friday Five Fave post all ready to go seeing how I'm running on limited sleep. However, I feel it is my duty to give this Public Sevice Announcement to you all.

My friends Becca, Kristi and I all stood in line last night at 10:45 pm with 4 theaters full of teenagers and their parents to see the midnight showing of Twilight. I think we were the oldest people there on our own accord.

If you've been reading this blog you know I have a real fondness for the series. The books create a wonderful love story. Becca and Kristi are just as crazy about the books as I am. We were as excited as the girls wearing Twilight t-shirts behind us. See. Pictures of us, not the shirts.

Becca and me
Kristi and Becca

We were also fully aware that it would be hard to take a 500 page book and condense it into a 2 hour movie. Especially since Stephenie Meyer goes into great detail to explain her characters. Not to mention one of the main characters, Edward, can read minds. That's hard to translate into the movies. Not impossible, but hard.

Since these books have outsold Harry Potter, I thought we could expect a similar calibur movie.

You know what they say about assumptions. Don't do it.

If you have read the books or are thinking about reading them, do not see this movie. Maybe it's because I'm not a teenager. The whole audience was laughing during a commercial for some video game with rabid animals. That really could be why I hated it. I couldn't relate to the movie like I could with the books. However, I don't think that's it.

Here's where I go into spoilers.

They only kept three things from the book the same. 1) The characters's names. 2) The fact that Bella drove an old Chevy truck (they had Edward driving a different type of car). 3) There was a baseball game.

Beyond that, nothing was the same. Nothing.

Stephenie Meyer created a fictional story in a real town, Forks, Washington. Did they film in Forks? Nope. When they talk about the Olympic Penninsula what do you think we saw? The Columbia Gorge and Multnomah Falls. Granted some teenager in St. Petersburg, Florida will never know the difference. Anyone in the Pacific NW or who has visited here knows. Multnomah Falls is a pretty big deal. Not to mention the beaches between northern Washington and Oregon are drastically different.

Stephenie Meyer is a member of the LDS church. The books contain no alcohol, no swearing and limited sexual tension. They are fairly wholesome. The movie had no swearing, which was great. Probably the only positive I have (next to Kristin Stewart really being the only good actor in the bunch). However, Bella's father is the chief of police in Forks. Apparently when you put his character on the big screen, he develops a love of beer. We're not talking any beer. We're talking 16 oz cans of Rainier Beer. Because that's all we have available in Washington. Being so close to Mt. Rainier and all. It totally didn't fit his character. I can't believe anyone on the Stephenie Meyer camp didn't complain about that.

The special effects were horrible. The relationship development between Edward and Bella was lacking. Their chemistry was non-existent. Billy, the Native American Chief, used the term "homeboy" like it was a normal part of his vernacular. They eliminated a character completely.

Here's the part where I became totally aware I would hate this movie. None of the characters had any of the same personality traits from the book. Bella is quite, thoughtful and inquisitive. In the movie she is forward, angsty and monotone. I have no idea what Robert Pattinson did with his facial expressions, but they were angry not charming and alluring. He's supposed to be born in 1901, so he should have some old world charm to him. He used the term "spidermonkey" for crying out loud.

I don't think it's because I had this vision in my head, I think it's because the poor direction, the horrible screenplay and the lack of the actors reading any of the books.

I could go one for hours on why I hated this movie. When you have a cult-like following you have a responsibility to create a visual world that the author created. They were able to do that with Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. There is no reason they should've have been able to do that with this movie.

It was almost like the studio executives knew anyone who was a fan of the movie would see it, so they could give them the same budget as those Napoleon Dynamite kids. It was insulting. It was disappointing. They've paved the way for a sequel.

Consider yourself warned, spidermonkey.

Lasik's new marketing campaign

In addition to a sold house and spending some time with the animals, I got some new Nike kicks. To truly appreciate why this is important, I must give you some history.

The day after our wedding, N and I had some time to kill. We weren't leaving for our honeymoon until the next morning, so we went shopping for some comfy airplane clothes. That's what everyone does the day after their wedding!

Part of my airplane ensemble was a new pair of Nike Shocks. They were beautiful. White. Silver. Pink. I loved them. I wore them with pride.

On the return flight, I wore them again. They were, afterall, my airplane shoes. Back in the day, I would sleep on the plane to make the flight go that much faster. I'm sure N was so glad he had me for his life's travel partner at that point. I'd take out my contacts, put my glasses on and rest my head on N's shoulder. Plus that particular return flight happened to be on my 28th birthday. As you get older, you need more sleep.

We landed in LAX. I had my old prescription glasses. Anyone who wears contacts knows that when you go from your current prescription contacts to old prescription glasses you tend to not see as well. Especially since the glasses were about 4 prescriptions old.

I needed to use the restroom. The very first stall that I came to was open and appeared to be clean. I took it. As I was in there I realized that someone did not feel well next to me. The smell kept getting worse. That's when I discovered why the very first stall was available. I was stepping in human poop. In my new Nike Shox.

Because I couldn't see very well at a distance, you can only imagine how close I came to it. I quickly ran to the sink, washed my hands, put in my contacts and began the process of trying to de-poop my shoes. Unfortunately all my other shoes were in my luggage on their way to the next leg of our journey.

I'm stuck in my human poop shoes on my birthday for who knows how much longer.

All the while, N is waiting outside the restroom for me. When I finally emerged a changed woman, he said I was in there for about 40 minutes. He was about to send someone in there for me. Then he saw my eyes. They were almost teary.

As the new husband that he was, he demanded that I tell him what was wrong. I could barely get out the words human and poop. Then when I did, he kept a good 20 feet between us. That's love!

When we got home, I quickly disinfected the shoes until they smelled only of bleach. I probably should've just thrown them away, but after spending a small fortune on them, I wasn't going to let that LAX incident stop me.

I've been wearing them ever since. Always reminded of why we fly into John Wayne airport rather than LAX.

Now we've walked many more miles, always careful to avoid poop of any kind. It is time I say good-bye to my human poop shoes and onto the next chapter of Nikes. My new ones are black, so they'll hide everything and pink. Plus they're part of the Livestrong line, which I'm positive I'll need to be if we ever get to LAX again.

I can hear the hallelujah chorus in the background

Rodents of Unusual Size

Part of our Seattle trip included a drive to Point Defiance. In all the time we lived over there, we apparently didn't get out much. I LOVED Point Defiance. It's a park with a zoo and aquarium. There are lots of places with trails, they have flower gardens, a pagoda and a great view of the mountains. Honestly, I think I would've gone to the park every weekend while I was there. It was beautiful.

The entire drive around the park N and I were trying to decide how Zoe would react. Would she love it or hate it? I've never been a big fan of the zoo because of the smell. At the age of 4 the San Diego Zoo was not full of wonder and cool animals, but bad smells and a not-so-fun time. You see, I'm high maintenance. I like pleasant smells.

N on the other hand loves all things animal. He was doing his best to convince me on our need for a hamster. I told him he could have one once the divorce is final. Because those things are rodents and I don't do rodents. I barely do fish. He'd have to divorce me to get a hamster.

He's decided to live a life without pets. Knowing what a big animal lover he is, he must love me a WHOLE bunch.

We met up with our friends Ami and Shawn. Their son Aiden is three weeks older than Zoe. We were excited to see them at their zoo playdate.

The first thing we came to was the lemurs and meerkats. All I could think of what the song, "we like to move it move it." Although these little creatures were less musical. They didn't hold much of Zoe's interest. The slide at the playground won out.

Nevermind that she got stuck about half way down.

Part of the playground is a petting zoo. This is where Zoe is totally put to the test. Is she like me or N? Apparently she's like me. The closer that she and N got to the goats, the bigger the tears. I think N has some scratches on his neck from where Zoe was clawing at him to get away.

Aiden on the other hand couldn't get enough pellets to feed the goats. He has no fear.

You'll notice no pictures of Zoe anywhere near the goats or Aiden. She kept a safe distance and yelled for him to stop or for the goats to leave. I couldn't quite make out which it was.

It was then time for the arctic tundra. Also known as polar bears, seals, walrus and whales. Neither Aiden or Zoe are sure which way they should tell their dads to go.

The seals and whales moved a bit too fast for Zoe. She was NOT interested in them. We went to the walrus glass. The girl loves her some walrus. E.T. is the male and weighs at least 1.5 tons. Priscilla is the other walrus we saw and she would come up to the glass to swim for Zoe. I'm not sure how big she is since girls don't discuss weight. Despite the fact that these animals were like 50 times Zoe's size, she was totally in love. She would talk to them, tell them to come back. I can't be sure, but I think she blew kisses. We got some good video that I'll have to post.

Once we pried the kids away from the walrus tank, we checked out the polar bears. She LOVED this guy. Quite frankly, it looks terrifying to me.

I think the next part is what I hate most about the zoo. You see all the zoo workers love these animals the way I love Zoe. They think just because I'm at the zoo, I love animals too. In reality I'm just a mother trying to be brave for her daughter. I prefer plexiglass and cages. You can imagine how quickly my heart started beating when we came across Patrick.

N was all up front getting pictures. It was like he didn't realize that Patrick had quills of death. Or that the caretaker laughed about how sharp his teeth were and she has some scars. Like it was just another day with her friend. The sweat started to bead on my forehead as the thought of a porcupine attack. I had a hard time getting N away from Patrick. He was totally in love. I could see N thinking about ways to convince me that we need a Patrick. He knew there was no hope Patrick would come home with us when Patrick's caretakers said he was a rodent.

Didn't make him stop from running up to Buckley, another rodent of unusual size. At least this one was on a leash. And didn't have quills of death. It almost made you think you could get one as a pet. Then he started clawing at his caretaker. More beads of sweat and some black spots in my vision.

Once I calmed down and were a safe distance from the large rodents, we found a nearby cafe. We grabbed some lunch with a peacock who felt the need to be the 7th inhabitant at our table. N thought it was cool they were so close. I began freaking out. Not as much as when I discovered around some lattice work was a snake tank. It's safe to say I inhaled my food and willed myself to not think about "The Birds" or "Snakes on a Plane."

Quickly I ran around the outdoor cafe to the aquarium. Also known as sanctuary with plexiglass. They have a really cool Pacific Northwest Rivers display. I saw all the things you'll find in the waters up here. Which again, makes me glad for swimming pools and the YMCA. Some of those star fish are bigger than a car tire. Freaky!

They didn't hold much of Zoe's attention. Apparently if you're not 1.5 tons of swimming gracefulness, you mean nothing to her.

Unless you're a shark.

The girl loves her some underwater predators. Perhaps it's because the sand sharks look like they're sleeping. We could barely get her away from the shark tank. She was totally impressed. For once she and Aiden liked the same thing!

She even likes to pretend we got eaten by one. I scream, she laughs.


Daddy makes some face.

The zoo was a great time. Next visit we'll see the monkeys, lions and tigers. One a cool day with a slight breeze so I don't have to smell anything unpleasant.

The Adventure Continues. Continues. Continues.

We are back from Seattle. I use the term Seattle loosely because we never actually made it to Seattle. I gotta say, nothing is close to anything else there. We've spent 4 days in the car.

I learned to fix the DVD player without actually looking at it. I can sing every Backyardigan song on either DVD. I can change a diaper in the backseat with all the doors closed and a car seat taking up half the seat. I got pretty proficient in living out of our car.

All-in-all, it was a great trip. While we barely got time to relax, we did get to see lots of friends and sign paperwork on the house. Because we packed so much into 4 days, I'm going to spread out these pictures for as long as I can on this here blog. Quite frankly, after traveling with a toddler, that's about all my brain can take for now.

Oh I kid, she was great. When we got to the hotel room all she wanted to do was sit and read. Apparently she likes to simulate being in the car for as long as possible.


Friday morning she got her mojo back. She stuffed Puppy (I tell you, we're very clever with the names at our house) in her hood and carried him around. She was a little upset when she couldn't sit in her car seat without Puppy in her hood. Once she saw the DVD, she forgot all about Puppy and demanded some Pooh.


Does it look like he's trying to make a jump for it to anyone else?

After an hour drive up to Bellevue to sign paperwork, she decided she would take us to our next stop, after she handed me her binky. A girl has to concentrate.


After signing papers, we went to Bell Square for some lunch with our realtor, Ryan Lex. It was the first time we've met him. He's as delightful in person as he is on the phone. We had a great time in fellowship with him and in prayer. God knew exactly who He had in mind to sell our house. We're so grateful to Him that it was Ryan.

It was a perfect way to end this house saga.

Sometimes it's still a little surreal. I've been picturing this day in my mind for 18 months and 24 days. I still wasn't prepared for how truly great this would feel. Not to mention how much weight that has been lifted. Through Bell Square I wanted to just bust out in song and dance. We had just met Ryan, so I figured I'll keep that part of me under wraps for now. We save that for the second meeting!

Next up, the zoo!

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.

When N and I bought the house in Puyallup we made two rookie mistakes. We aimed higher than our pocketbook and didn't seek any counsel. We were trying to live the dream and were convinced we were smarter than we actually were. In reality the house became a way to drift the focus away from some problems in our marriage we weren't willing to work on.

Then two things happened. Zoe & I got sick and N got out of the military. All the goals, thoughts, dreams we had for the future built on a cracked foundation were challenged by these two events. We made the decision to leave our first home and move back to Spokane to be near family who could help us.

Instead of looking years into the future our scope became smaller. It could be guaged by days or hours rather than years. When you start looking at life in smaller increments all the cracks start to show themselves. You either face them or they break you. Which only leaves you the option of dealing with them. One way or the other.

I'm not going to sugarcoat it. N and I were to the point we were separating assets and trying to figure out how to live separately and still maintain that Puyallup house. There was no way to do that. We had to stay together. We didn't like each other. There were days we barely spoke. My poor mother probably regretted the decision to let us move in with her. A decision had to be made.

Instead of living in anger and dislike, we sought the help of our pastor. My Dad B. His counsel, prayer and accountability helped get N and I on the right track and remaining under the same roof. I know God used him in my life in many ways, but none was more evident than through my marriage.

Once N and I were on God's path, the Puyallup house became a symbol of what we had overcome. We have had two realtors that I would've preferred not to have. We've had two realtors that were/are a God-send. The most recent gentleman, Ryan Lex with Skyline Properties, is the man that I believe God has been waiting for us to find. Within a month of working with him we had a buyer. Ryan is ethical, honest and willing to give advice, which is much needed. His faith isn't something he wears on his sleeve, it's something he lives. There is no one else I want getting this commission than him.

Now we're in Bellevue signing the paper, saying good-bye to the past and hello to God's plan. We're meeting Ryan for the first time and celebrating all that God has provided for us.

As I look back on the last 18 months it's been the best of times and the worst of times. Yet God has remained faithful through it all. He's surrounded N and I with a family that shares our trials and joys, a church family that ministers to us and new friends. While I have no idea what the next hour, day or even year holds, I know the foundation is strong. It's not built on false wisdom or pipedreams, but on Him. On His plans yet unknown.

While His plans will include trials and joys, we can rest easy knowing that we are surrounded by family that won't let us fail and are willing to pray with us, helping N and I stay focus on God rather than all the other noise.

As N and I see the many blessings He has been bestowing on us, may He provide the same for you. May He be your guide in the best of times and the worst of times.

"May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May His face shine upon you.

May His countenance be with you and give you peace."

Numbers 6:24-26

Personality Test

Everyone seems to be taking personality tests. I figured, with all the challenges I face at work, might as well see what my personality is and what I should be doing.

I'm an ESFJ:

Extraverted (shocker)

Sensing

Feeling

Judging

I should be in sales or management. I think finance fits in that category. At least I know I'm headed down the right path.

What's interesting is the other ESFJ's that are out there. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dezi Arnaz, Eleanor Roosevelt and Elvis Stojko.

I was a little excited to be the same as Elvis Stojko. Not to discount the others, but he's my favorite. I remember some Olympics in high school where he did a quadruple turn in the air and the followed it up with a back flip. While wearing a leather coat.

What's not to love about that? We're the same personality. Go figure.

Perhaps I should start wearing my leather coats.

And twirling in the halls while I refill my water.

The dotted line

I'm a little superstitious. Which is difficult because I'm mostly logical. Children have that saying, "step on a crack, break your mother's back." The logical part of me knew that was totally false, yet the superstitious part of me wouldn't step on the crack.

As you get older the superstitions change. Breaking mirrors, black cats, talking about good news.

Maybe that last one only applies to me. I have a fear that if I talk about intangible good news that is in the pipeline, somehow it will not happen. I fear that my big mouth will impact the decisions people make, even though they don't even know me or hear me speak.

Now that I write in down, it does sound stupid. Aren't we supposed to share good news? The logical part of me knows God is in control and whether or not I talk about it doesn't really impact His plan. Old habits die hard.

That's why I'm talking today. I'm giving up the superstition and letting the good news of God's plan in my life flow.

We leave tomorrow to sign papers on the house in Puyallup. I've mentioned it before in passing, but this time it's final. We sign on Friday and the buyers sign next week. After 18 months and 20 days, we are excited to no longer have that house in our lives. We can travel to Seattle to visit our friends. We won't have to worry about who is mowing the yard or how we're going to get over there to pull weeds. We don't have to worry about that mortgage payment and how on earth we will ever afford any emergencies.

We no longer have a reminder of some of our early marriage hardships. We can solely focus on God's plan in our lives in Spokane. Being with our girls and family. Being in a marriage that finally puts God at the center. Being in a church family that holds us accountable and ministers to our hearts.

This house wasn't just a liability on our balance sheet, it represented a time when our marriage, our life together was a liability on life's balance sheet. This signing isn't just a time for peace of mind (don't get me wrong, that's a nice bonus too), it's a good-bye to our past.

I can't wait to sign on that dotted line and focus on God's plan for our future.

My Country Tis of Thee

It is interesting that Veteran's Day falls so closely to an election. At least every 4 years! As I was growing up, I looked forward to this day in November as a day off from school. We always knew it was coming because we'd color pictures of flags and sing the Star Spangled Banner or America the Beautiful. I didn't have any idea how significant this day was until I was about 15.

My grandpa Ray was in the hospital. My freshman english teacher, Mrs. Korus, asked us to write a biography on someone. It was a lesson about interview skills and creatively writing a story from your notes. I picked my grandpa because in all my 15 years, I'd never really known him as a man.

What I learned about him was far beyond anything I could prepare myself for. He was a shorter man, slighly rounded by years of grandma's good cooking. I remember he was easy to smile and if you got him to laugh, his arms would bend up around his belly and he'd almost make a wheezing sound rather than a true laugh.

As I sat in that hospital as a 15-year old biographer, I found the questions I had prepared were trivial compared to his life's story. He told of growing up poor, traveling with his family for work through Oklahoma. As I had just read Grapes of Wrath, I'd gotten a good visual of his childhood.

Despite how poor they were, he still felt a need to serve his country. Honestly, I can't remember what branch of the service he was in, but he told his personal experience on D-Day during WWII. For the first time I saw him not as my grandpa, with laugh lines, but as a man. A soldier.

His story embraced everything that his America. The amber waves of grain in the midwest to the broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fights of war. He embodied everything that this country was founded on.

He died a few days after my interview. He never knew how much that interview meant to me or how it changed my view of him. Changed my view of America's history.

Today is the day I remember those who have fought and are fighting so bravely for this country. I know not everyone agrees with war, but these brave men and women are fighting to defend our freedoms. Freedoms of speech, religion and opinion. Thank you for serving this country. Thank you for standing on that wall so I don't have to.

She's got the beat

I spent most of my time this weekend with Zoe. I missed her when I was in the land of expensive cars.

That kid doesn't disappoint. She can make me laugh harder than I ever thought possible. Like when she'd take her bottle out of her mouth at bedtime and fake cough. Then she'd just smile.

Not only is she entertaining, she's growing so fast. This weekend she started to dance. We were at the mall, passed a store playing some hip-hop music and she busted a move without thinking twice. She has some rhythm. She even taps her foot like she tap dancing. Dance Emporium here we come!

Last night at dinner, we had the Backyardigans on and she started singing with them. She can't say the words so it came out, "blah blah blah." In a sing-song voice. I thought N was going to shoot Mt. Dew out his nose. It was the cutest thing ever.

Now she sings to all her stuffed animals. Lamby got serenaded during a diaper change.

I love watching her grow!

Hello 21st century. It's nice to finally meet you.

I've been known to scowf at technology. I used to think those people with DVD players in their cars were totally absurd and some kind of rapper.

Then I took a road trip with a 20 month old. Those people became technological geniouses.

I spent some time in Scottsdale this week. I'm sad to say, none of it was in a spa. That city is something close to the Beverly Hills of Arizona. It is insane. Yeah, they have three lines for valet parking at the mall. I saw a $120,000 Mercedes and a 19 year old got out of the driver's seat. Then a $250,000 Bentley pull in behind them.

That was before I got into the mall and saw only designer stores that I've seen on Project Runway.

I guess you could say I was forever changed.

Because I came home and entered the rat race we call the 21st century. I bought a new iPod Nano. In blue.

Now I can safely say, "where have you been all my life?" Now I can listen to the BeeGee's, Elton John, Linkin Park, TobyMac and Tenth Avenue North all in the same rotation. Does it get any better than that?

Friday Five Faves - vol. 17

I know I said I wouldn't be back until the weekend, but between the massages, the facials and the body wraps, I figured I could fit in a Friday Five Fave.

Oh, I kid. I can smell the wonderful, relaxing aromas of the spa and I may have zoned out during the morning meeting to visual myself being pampered. I really don't think they'll miss me much during the afternoon sessions.

Or you know, my flight doesn't leave until 9 tonight, so I could fit something in before take-off.

It's the little thoughts like those that keep me going.

1) I went to Starbucks this week to discover this:

The red holiday cup! YEAH! I don't know why, but I swear my coffee tastes better in this cups. I'm a little disappointed they did away with the peppermint, red sprinkles this year. They replaced it with peppermint whipped cream. I don't get the whip cream. I feel that by not getting it, I'm saving myself 13 grams of fat per cup. Which is huge!

Again, all about the little thoughts.

2) 2:00 am bottles. Ever since Zoe has had a cold, we've been getting up in the middle of night for a bottle again. I think all the swallowing helps clear her nose. While having my REM cycle disturbed isn't my favorite thing, having Zoe cuddle into me and rub my arm while we sit in her room is. It's those bonding moments that make the lack of sleep totally worth it.

3) My new sweater from Lerner New York. It's totally comfy and the perfect autumn find. I seriously could wrap up in and not come out until spring.

Or you know, when it needs to be washed.

4) Daylight Savings Time. Zoe didn't quite enjoy Daylight Savings Time like she should've. Last Saturday I was up 6 times that night. Apparently the whole time change was just too confusing for her. Her internal clock was all messed up. Here's the cool thing about. I get to experience it twice. In the same week.

I don't quite know how this works, but Arizona thinks DST is a total waste of time. They do not participate. I gained an hour on Saturday, lost an hour yesterday and I get it back tonight. It's my own personal version of Quantum Leap.

5) Midnight showings. In my single days I was known to go see movies at midnight to claim being the very first to see it. The last movie I did this with was the most recent Star Wars with N. I'm proud to say that I just bought midnight showing tickets again. For Thursday, November 20th. To see Twilight the movie. I'm totally stoked.

Leavin' on a jet plane

Today and tomorrow I'm in Scottsdale. It's sunny, warm and they've put me up at a luxurious spa. Unfortunately I'll be in meetings most of the time, but perhaps they won't miss me too much if I'm not back right after lunch. A girl needs her post-lunch facial as much as she needs air to breathe.

I'm just sayin'.

I'll be back this weekend.

If they can get me out of the spa.

She says the words that make her mom's heart sing

Or you know, re-write the words to Barry Manilow songs. Apparently I'm a fanilow.

This week has been a huge week for Zoe. She's full of words now. Although she's not 100% aware of the fact that you have to say the entire word for it to work. Then again, her people understand her, so what's the need?

This week we have 9 new words. She's so proper about it. Most things start with "a" or "an." Makes the Communications major in me excited.

"a pup" is a puppy
"a pump" is a pumpkin
"a cuh" is a cup
"a cah" is a car
"a bah" is a ball
"a took" is a cookie
"a duh" is a duck

We also can say "pat" and "up."

She's learning so fast. N and I are truly blessed to be her parents.

Her long flowing hair

Her grandma Kathy taught her this.

It's her version of long flowing pig-tails.

It keeps her entertained for at least 20 minutes. She runs around letting her "hair" catch the breeze.

The Carnage

Halloween was fun. We got a total of three trick-or-treaters. If you're keeping track, I bought three bags of candy. If I had the ability to see into the future, not only would I be wealthy and have thought of writing Good Will Hunting, but I would have given each of those kids a bag of candy each.

Instead, I was hedging my bets. The house won. I had three bags of candy staring at me all weekend. It was torture. Fortunately N offered to take the candy to work.

That wasn't the real torture of the weekend. My candy addiction is nothing compared to our good friends The Jack 4. It's not like the Jackson 5, it's our 4 Jack-o-lanterns and their 4 mini cousins.

This year, in addition to the 4 Jack-o-lanterns, I carved out 4 baby pumpkins and lined our walk with those. I think it says "come trick or treat at my house." At least it did to three lovely children.

It was no easy task to carve out those baby pumpkins. Their skin is so tough I needed a hack saw just to get through. I may have a small puncture wound on my left palm from a slippery pumpkin and the bread knife.

All that blood, sweat, tears and mumbling about how stupid this was, really paid off. Our house really did scream "come trick or treat here."

Zoe would run up to the pumpkins, bend way over and then yell at me like "there is some light coming from inside that pumpkin. Come look." She would've definitely trick-or-treated at our house.

You would think that a poor turnout of trick-or-treaters and three bags of candy to drown out my sorrows, that would be all that was in store this weekend.

Alas, God has a sense of humor.

They look like deer to the human eye. I am convinced they are God's stand-up team.

This was the Jack 4 on Saturday morning.

Well, the Jack 3. The smallest Jack-o-lantern is MIA.