OK, girls, I'll play along - here are 25 random things about me.
1. I can't get enough of my family. I didn't have one growing up, so I have to try really hard not to bug them to death.
2. I'm wishy-washy when it comes to my boyfriend. I know he isn't good for my self-esteem, but it's like I'm addicted to him.
3. After my parents' multiple marriages, I have 19 "siblings" that I am likely to refer to as a brother or sister, but I doubt if they see me the same way - that whole lack of family thing, I guess.
4. I hate clutter, but somehow it seems to take over my life.
5. The inside of my car is constantly full of paper of some sort - usually work related. No matter how many times I clean it out, it just stacks up again.
6. I'm addicted to Diet Pepsi. I've tried numerous times to quit, but it's my only vice, except for boyfriend mentioned above.
7. I cry. Almost every day.
8. I'm so shy, or perhaps intimidated, that I can't hold conversations with people. If someone tries to engage me in conversation, I find the nearest distraction so that I can get away.
9. I'm lonely. Probably because of the above.
10. I own too many pairs of black shoes. I need some color!
11. I've lost 50 pounds in the last year and I want to lose 20 more. It's a struggle to keep it off, but I seem to be holding steady, so that last 20 pounds is probably here to stay.
12. I wish I had a better connection to my kids.
13. I take my grandkids on a 'date' every Saturday morning. We love our breakfast at Birch Tree!
14. I don't read books. I devour them. Sometimes 2 a week, but at least 1.
15. I've lived in 8 states, some of them more than once. I have a track record of moving an average of once a year. I've been in Anchorage for 3 years, but I'm in my 4th location. I don't know why.
16. I can't stand heat. Over 75 degrees? Forget it!
17. I want to go to Mexico in May, but I'm afraid to go alone.
18. I procrastinate about everything.
19. Like my daughter, spiders totally freak me out.
20. Sometimes when I walk by people, I think I know what they're feeling. Even strangers. I was once told that I'm probably an 'empath'.
21. I've never had a best friend.
22. I started drinking coffee and lattes in the last couple of months, and now I can't quit.
23. I eat more peanut butter and drink more milk than probably a family of 4.
24. If I had the money, I would never stop traveling - with frequent visits to family, of course. I can't be happy if I don't have a trip planned out in my head, but I prefer a ticket in my pocket.
25. I finally learned to use chopsticks on Monday.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Blissful weekend
Our cold snap has finally ended!!! Yea! 11 straight days of below 0 temperatures, but right now, at almost 11 p.m., my thermometer reads 28 degrees. Of course that means the clouds have moved in, so it's been snowing all day, but I love the snow.
It was 14 degrees when I got home from work yesterday. I didn't feel like sitting around the condo, so I put Sadie on her leash and we went for a 3 mile walk. The sun goes down around 4 p.m., but it's never truly dark. The moon, the stars, and the streetlights reflect off the snow so it's easy to see far down the street. Too bad that that moose's legs blended with the trees near the hospital. I didn't know the moose was there until I was almost on top of it and Sadie started lunging at it. She pulled so hard she almost took me down. The last thing you want is to have a moose standing 5 feet from a barking, snapping dog. Moose get mad. And when they get mad, they come out kicking! I saw the moose put it's head down and I yanked the leash so hard Sadie came off her feet. I got between 2 parked cars and ducked down on top of Sadie. I'm still shocked that she never made a peep when that moose went charging by, but maybe she could feel my fear. I peeked over the car and watched the moose run into the trees. Maybe it wasn't even chasing us, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
My company hosted a holiday party Saturday night. Yeah, it's a bit late, but the facilities in Anchorage book up pretty quickly. When the boyfriend started talking like he wasn't going to make it to town, I boldly stated that I was going to invite my 32 year-old neighbor. Hmmmm...he booked his ticket very quickly after that. We've been seeing each other since the end of September and this is the first time he has visited me instead of me having to fly to Sitka. I like Sitka, but like all small towns, there isn't a lot to do. The fact that Sitka is an island makes it even worse because you can't even get in the car and drive somewhere to find something to do. We had a great weekend, and the party was a lot of fun! We shopped at Costco, Nordstrom, and Best Buy, which may not sound too exciting, but after all, he doesn't have anything available on the island, and I generally have to do all my shopping alone. It was something we both enjoyed.
We kept my Saturday date with the grandkids, and Jordy chattered away at him the whole time. The girl is absolutely smitten. She insisted on sitting by him. She wanted him to carry her every time we got out of the car. He was having fun with it, though. After lunch, instead of taking the kids home, he wanted to take them with us to shop at Fred Meyer. It was kind of cute to watch both of them.
We got to dress up for the party. He was wearing a fantastic suit and looked drop-dead gorgeous. I had a new dark blue satin dress. This is Alaska. There isn't a lot of opportunity to attend dress events. The buffet dinner was fantastic, which is saying a lot since I don't usually like buffets. The DJ started up at 8:30 and we never left the dance floor. Well, except when he played the 80's line dance music. It was bad enough that I danced them in an actual disco. I'm not about to get out there and do it AGAIN!
I got to meet his kids Sunday morning at church. All I'm going to say about that is that they're not very friendly. Nuff said.
He left Sunday night. When we headed for the airport, he was following me in his rental car. My car had sat outside in the freezing weather for 4 nights and 3 days. That's the only excuse I have for the fact that I tapped my brakes to slow down for a car 1/2 block in front of me that was making a right hand turn. As soon as I did, the back end started fish-tailing all over. The back end went into the adjacent lane, and when I pulled it back, the front end started crossing into the already occupied lane. I pulled it back again, and went into a spin, landing nose first in the berm. I was calm throughout the whole thing, but as soon as I got stopped, I started shaking. Luckily the truck behind me got stopped without hitting me. I started backing out of the berm just as Brian came around the back of the pickup. We stopped at a gas station not far away and he told me he had seen a car go into the berm, but didn't realize it was me. I guess it made him a bit shaky as well. My car generally gets around well on our slippery streets.
The one thing I've noticed since he left Sunday night is that the condo feels more lonely without him. I don't have many visitors, so having him here that long just re-emphasizes that I spend way too much time alone. We built a fire in the fireplace I've never used. We ate meals at the dining room table instead of my usual couch and TV tray. We sat around in the morning and drank coffee and read the newspaper. I've been alone for over 10 years now. I'm beginning to think that's long enough.
It was 14 degrees when I got home from work yesterday. I didn't feel like sitting around the condo, so I put Sadie on her leash and we went for a 3 mile walk. The sun goes down around 4 p.m., but it's never truly dark. The moon, the stars, and the streetlights reflect off the snow so it's easy to see far down the street. Too bad that that moose's legs blended with the trees near the hospital. I didn't know the moose was there until I was almost on top of it and Sadie started lunging at it. She pulled so hard she almost took me down. The last thing you want is to have a moose standing 5 feet from a barking, snapping dog. Moose get mad. And when they get mad, they come out kicking! I saw the moose put it's head down and I yanked the leash so hard Sadie came off her feet. I got between 2 parked cars and ducked down on top of Sadie. I'm still shocked that she never made a peep when that moose went charging by, but maybe she could feel my fear. I peeked over the car and watched the moose run into the trees. Maybe it wasn't even chasing us, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
My company hosted a holiday party Saturday night. Yeah, it's a bit late, but the facilities in Anchorage book up pretty quickly. When the boyfriend started talking like he wasn't going to make it to town, I boldly stated that I was going to invite my 32 year-old neighbor. Hmmmm...he booked his ticket very quickly after that. We've been seeing each other since the end of September and this is the first time he has visited me instead of me having to fly to Sitka. I like Sitka, but like all small towns, there isn't a lot to do. The fact that Sitka is an island makes it even worse because you can't even get in the car and drive somewhere to find something to do. We had a great weekend, and the party was a lot of fun! We shopped at Costco, Nordstrom, and Best Buy, which may not sound too exciting, but after all, he doesn't have anything available on the island, and I generally have to do all my shopping alone. It was something we both enjoyed.
We kept my Saturday date with the grandkids, and Jordy chattered away at him the whole time. The girl is absolutely smitten. She insisted on sitting by him. She wanted him to carry her every time we got out of the car. He was having fun with it, though. After lunch, instead of taking the kids home, he wanted to take them with us to shop at Fred Meyer. It was kind of cute to watch both of them.
We got to dress up for the party. He was wearing a fantastic suit and looked drop-dead gorgeous. I had a new dark blue satin dress. This is Alaska. There isn't a lot of opportunity to attend dress events. The buffet dinner was fantastic, which is saying a lot since I don't usually like buffets. The DJ started up at 8:30 and we never left the dance floor. Well, except when he played the 80's line dance music. It was bad enough that I danced them in an actual disco. I'm not about to get out there and do it AGAIN!
I got to meet his kids Sunday morning at church. All I'm going to say about that is that they're not very friendly. Nuff said.
He left Sunday night. When we headed for the airport, he was following me in his rental car. My car had sat outside in the freezing weather for 4 nights and 3 days. That's the only excuse I have for the fact that I tapped my brakes to slow down for a car 1/2 block in front of me that was making a right hand turn. As soon as I did, the back end started fish-tailing all over. The back end went into the adjacent lane, and when I pulled it back, the front end started crossing into the already occupied lane. I pulled it back again, and went into a spin, landing nose first in the berm. I was calm throughout the whole thing, but as soon as I got stopped, I started shaking. Luckily the truck behind me got stopped without hitting me. I started backing out of the berm just as Brian came around the back of the pickup. We stopped at a gas station not far away and he told me he had seen a car go into the berm, but didn't realize it was me. I guess it made him a bit shaky as well. My car generally gets around well on our slippery streets.
The one thing I've noticed since he left Sunday night is that the condo feels more lonely without him. I don't have many visitors, so having him here that long just re-emphasizes that I spend way too much time alone. We built a fire in the fireplace I've never used. We ate meals at the dining room table instead of my usual couch and TV tray. We sat around in the morning and drank coffee and read the newspaper. I've been alone for over 10 years now. I'm beginning to think that's long enough.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
COLD in Alaska
OK, when most people think of AK, they probably wonder why I would put such a title. Because right now, it's not just COLD in AK. It's REALLY COLD. The temp hovered around 20 below most of the day. Normal temp for this time of year is about 10 degrees. That would feel downright balmy right now. Regardless, we're hearty Alaskans. We don't let a little thing like bone-chilling cold stop us from our daily activities.
I picked up the grandkids around 11. They're like little frozen popsicles all lined up in their car seats. The car had been running for about 10 minutes, but the heater wasn't doing much to battle the cold plastic of those car seats. We back out of the driveway, and I hear 2 year old Joshy say "Grandma?" Yeah, Joshy? "Grandma....I cold. Will it be cold at Birch Tree?" I assured him that his favorite restaurant would be toasty. The cold must have made all 3 of them extremely hungry. It is our tradition to have breakfast every Saturday morning. Sometimes they eat most of it, but most of the time, we leave quite a bit behind. 15 minutes after getting 4 pancakes with a side of peanut butter, 3 scrambled eggs, 5 slices of bacon, and 3 sausage links, the plates were spotless. They even ate the orange slices that decorated the plates. And they were still hungry!
Mind you, this is a restaurant we have visited regularly for the last 3 years. When we decided to top it all off with apple pie, we received a HUGE piece of pie. There was 3 scoops of chocolate ice cream on the side. (They were out of vanilla.) Who knew apple pie could taste so good with chocolate ice cream? Jaycob got his own plate full of goodness, but I shared with the other 2 by feeding them from my spoon. When I would hold the spoon up to Josh, he would open his mouth and close his eyes. The boy is hilarious, and when he opens wide like that, it's amazing how big his mouth is! (Sorry, Joshy's mom, but it's true.) His sister is another matter all together. You tell her to open wide and you can barely squeeze the spoon in, but she doesn't put a lot of effort into it. Anyway......a good time was had by all, and I guess it occasionally pays off to be a "regular". When I tried to give the ticket back to our waitress to add the pie on, she just waved it off. She got a big tip!
We were headed to Barnes & Noble, but I've been suffering a rib fracture for a few weeks now. Putting on coats, carrying in little ones, taking off coats, and then doing it all again was taking it's toll, so I decided to take Joshy home and just take the older ones. Great idea, but when I pulled Jordy from the car at B&N, she dug her knees right into my ribs. I think I saw stars! We went in and played Thomas the train, read Thumbelina and The Gingerbread Man, and spent some time annoying the other patrons in the "echo" chamber. We know how to have a good time!
When I got home, there was Sadie, dancing around the living room, making googly eyes at me because she knows she gets what she wants because she's so cute. And what she wanted was a walk in the -20 weather. OK! OK! I pull on the snow clothes and head out the door. Forgot my scarf and by the time I hit the bottom of the stairs, I knew my nose would be black with frostbite in a short time, but I persevered. I was dragging Sadie down the long, snow-covered, wooden walkway, and she does what my neighbors complain about the most. She left a long, yellow trail as she walked. I've tried over and over to explain to her that you don't do that on the walkway, but for some reason, when it's covered in snow, she doesn't seem to know it's a walkway. She generally uses her manners and never goes on the sidewalk, but I can't seem to make my neighbors understand the working (or maybe lack of working) of a dog's mind. Oh well, I'll kick snow on it when I come back up.
Can you believe all of this took a full day? I ended the day nursing my sore rib on the couch while watching "The Happening". The movie wasn't great, and it was interrupted with constant texts from my friend Cary, 3 phone calls, and a popcorn break, but hey! It had Mark Wahlberg in it. You can't go wrong with that.
Good night all! Maybe tomorrow will actually offer some excitement..........
I picked up the grandkids around 11. They're like little frozen popsicles all lined up in their car seats. The car had been running for about 10 minutes, but the heater wasn't doing much to battle the cold plastic of those car seats. We back out of the driveway, and I hear 2 year old Joshy say "Grandma?" Yeah, Joshy? "Grandma....I cold. Will it be cold at Birch Tree?" I assured him that his favorite restaurant would be toasty. The cold must have made all 3 of them extremely hungry. It is our tradition to have breakfast every Saturday morning. Sometimes they eat most of it, but most of the time, we leave quite a bit behind. 15 minutes after getting 4 pancakes with a side of peanut butter, 3 scrambled eggs, 5 slices of bacon, and 3 sausage links, the plates were spotless. They even ate the orange slices that decorated the plates. And they were still hungry!
Mind you, this is a restaurant we have visited regularly for the last 3 years. When we decided to top it all off with apple pie, we received a HUGE piece of pie. There was 3 scoops of chocolate ice cream on the side. (They were out of vanilla.) Who knew apple pie could taste so good with chocolate ice cream? Jaycob got his own plate full of goodness, but I shared with the other 2 by feeding them from my spoon. When I would hold the spoon up to Josh, he would open his mouth and close his eyes. The boy is hilarious, and when he opens wide like that, it's amazing how big his mouth is! (Sorry, Joshy's mom, but it's true.) His sister is another matter all together. You tell her to open wide and you can barely squeeze the spoon in, but she doesn't put a lot of effort into it. Anyway......a good time was had by all, and I guess it occasionally pays off to be a "regular". When I tried to give the ticket back to our waitress to add the pie on, she just waved it off. She got a big tip!
We were headed to Barnes & Noble, but I've been suffering a rib fracture for a few weeks now. Putting on coats, carrying in little ones, taking off coats, and then doing it all again was taking it's toll, so I decided to take Joshy home and just take the older ones. Great idea, but when I pulled Jordy from the car at B&N, she dug her knees right into my ribs. I think I saw stars! We went in and played Thomas the train, read Thumbelina and The Gingerbread Man, and spent some time annoying the other patrons in the "echo" chamber. We know how to have a good time!
When I got home, there was Sadie, dancing around the living room, making googly eyes at me because she knows she gets what she wants because she's so cute. And what she wanted was a walk in the -20 weather. OK! OK! I pull on the snow clothes and head out the door. Forgot my scarf and by the time I hit the bottom of the stairs, I knew my nose would be black with frostbite in a short time, but I persevered. I was dragging Sadie down the long, snow-covered, wooden walkway, and she does what my neighbors complain about the most. She left a long, yellow trail as she walked. I've tried over and over to explain to her that you don't do that on the walkway, but for some reason, when it's covered in snow, she doesn't seem to know it's a walkway. She generally uses her manners and never goes on the sidewalk, but I can't seem to make my neighbors understand the working (or maybe lack of working) of a dog's mind. Oh well, I'll kick snow on it when I come back up.
Can you believe all of this took a full day? I ended the day nursing my sore rib on the couch while watching "The Happening". The movie wasn't great, and it was interrupted with constant texts from my friend Cary, 3 phone calls, and a popcorn break, but hey! It had Mark Wahlberg in it. You can't go wrong with that.
Good night all! Maybe tomorrow will actually offer some excitement..........
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year?
Wow! It's amazing what a rollercoaster ride a day can be. After early difficulty with the 'boyfriend', and a solid resolve to bring the relationship to an end, I just couldn't go through with it. I'm such a wimp! I told him I thought we should part, but he spent the day telling me all the reasons we should be together. Argh! It was a tough day. I had a hard time motivating myself after all the drama. I didn't get up until after 8, spent a lot of time sending email back and forth, took a nap, and finally got out of my pajamas around 5.
The good news is that I got to spend the evening with the grandkids. Jaycob is becoming such a little man. He talks to about such adult things. We were looking around on the internet and he saw the pictures of friends on myspace. We listened to a couple of songs that my friend Ricky Robertson has recorded and placed on his page, and then he saw the boyfriend picture. He asked me if boyfriend is mean to me sometimes. Just out of the blue. Where did that come from on today of all days. I told him yes, that adults are sometimes a little mean to each other. He got really thoughtful, and asked "is he the boss of you?" I said no. He said "then you don't have to do what he says, and if he's mean, you can just tell him to be quiet". If only life were so simple!
Jordan was a princess all night. When that girl talks to you, her eyes literally flash with their own light. So mischievous!
Joshy spent the whole night snuggled up with me. When I went to the table to play with the other 2, he followed me and wanted to 'love'. He was so sad to have to go to bed. He called me downstairs 3 times - to put socks on - to say I love you - to put the sock back on that he pulled off. Sweet boy.
Happy New Year to all who read this. I'm hoping for some excitement this year. I've made a lot of new friends on christiancafe.com (great site for all you singles), and I should start blogging about my interaction with a lot of special people. I have new friends in New Jersey, Quebec, Houston, Oklahoma, and even a few right here in Anchorage. Of course they all know that I have someone special. I'm trustworthy, so I don't worry about leading anyone on, or that the special one will feel threatened.
Looking forward to a new beginning!
The good news is that I got to spend the evening with the grandkids. Jaycob is becoming such a little man. He talks to about such adult things. We were looking around on the internet and he saw the pictures of friends on myspace. We listened to a couple of songs that my friend Ricky Robertson has recorded and placed on his page, and then he saw the boyfriend picture. He asked me if boyfriend is mean to me sometimes. Just out of the blue. Where did that come from on today of all days. I told him yes, that adults are sometimes a little mean to each other. He got really thoughtful, and asked "is he the boss of you?" I said no. He said "then you don't have to do what he says, and if he's mean, you can just tell him to be quiet". If only life were so simple!
Jordan was a princess all night. When that girl talks to you, her eyes literally flash with their own light. So mischievous!
Joshy spent the whole night snuggled up with me. When I went to the table to play with the other 2, he followed me and wanted to 'love'. He was so sad to have to go to bed. He called me downstairs 3 times - to put socks on - to say I love you - to put the sock back on that he pulled off. Sweet boy.
Happy New Year to all who read this. I'm hoping for some excitement this year. I've made a lot of new friends on christiancafe.com (great site for all you singles), and I should start blogging about my interaction with a lot of special people. I have new friends in New Jersey, Quebec, Houston, Oklahoma, and even a few right here in Anchorage. Of course they all know that I have someone special. I'm trustworthy, so I don't worry about leading anyone on, or that the special one will feel threatened.
Looking forward to a new beginning!
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