This Chapter Is Almost Over

I've yapped about this topic before, but it has been on the forefront of our minds lately.  We are really blessed with great family and great friends.  I can't count how many people in KS, MO, & OK who are excited to have us back in the area.  They've emailed, called, FB'd, etc.  We feel their excitement to have us back and the feeling is reciprocated.  We could not be more excited about getting back to our friends and family.  And there are a couple of lifelong friends we will miss in NV.

I'm fairly certain that we will never have such awesome postal service any other place we could ever live.  Our postal carrier in Sparks truly cares about great customer service.  They take pride in their jobs and it shows.  I joke about Todd's best friend in NV being our mail lady, Amy, but I was never really joking.  He got to see her every day, and she's just as cute as a button.   We both are going to miss her.

I can hardly spend a Friday night without thinking of my Booze & Beads best bud in NV, Tric.  My Friday nights are not what they used to be.  We used to eat, bead & drink the week away on Friday evenings (or just eat & drink).  In the future, she will come visit and I know we will have a great time.  At least I know it's only goodbye for now, and not goodbye for good.  She's such a big help right now.  It's hard to get anyone to help Todd break down boxes or move stuff to/from storage as we prep for the Big Move.  She's helped us out a lot.  Thank goodness since Todd has needed so much help to push through to the end.

The end.  The end of our time in NV is drawing near.  A chapter of our lives is almost over.  And the bookmark I have left is named Tricia.

Fashionably Late

When I started my potential Migration Back to the Midwest, I stopped into the store at the airport for a magazine.  I forgot to grab something at home to entertain myself on the flight.  I realized they sold books that were not so overpriced that I'd die of shock.  So I called my best buddy for a recommendation between two titles that I recognized from her book reviews.  I could go for a deep, intriguing read.  She highly recommended The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I know our other buddies who read a lot had read this book too, so let me just say right now:  Y'ALL WERE SO RIGHT!!!  I am late to the party, I know.  What a great book this is, especially after the first 80 pages.  I cannot wait to buy/start the second one since I have another flight in about 2 weeks.

It seems that the only time I have to read is when I am on a plane.  I wish I could carve out an hour every day to read for pleasure, but when I read before I sleep, it just wakes up my brain.  So reading at night is not good for me.

Oh, and if you see me giving you dirty looks on the plane because you are yapping your head off to the total stranger beside you, and everyone within 5 aisles can hear you, it's not me.  It's totally you.

Can They Make Segregated Baggage Returns, One Just For Dumb People?

I know I'm not going to offend any of my friends with kids, cause y'all are smarter than this.  I'm not even going to go into the safety issues I have with this topic.  You're welcome.

There are some places kids shouldn't be allowed to play.  I personally think public restrooms should be at the top of the list (because ewwwww, that is just gross!), followed closely by a crowded airport luggage carousel.  I don't care how cute that stupid couple THOUGHT their kids were yesterday, when they *have* to be up front waiting on a bag and there isn't an inch of space to spare in the first place with all the adults jockeying for position, something is wrong.  I can understand if there was plenty of free space, or if it was a single parent (I'd never leave a kid alone even picking up a bag in a crowd).  The dad was staying back about 10 feet (possibly trying to act like he wasn't with them?).  The mom was like 2 feet behind the kids.  The 5 year old and probably 7 year old couldn't have lifted that damn bag if they had wanted to.  And to make it even worse, their bag didn't even come out on THAT carousel.

I think luggage carousels may have a WIFI dim-wit feature picked up internally by stupid parents.  Some parents get there, and all common sense goes right out the automatic sliding doors before they even think about walking through them.  There was another trip I took a few months ago, and in a crowded area, the two parents let their kids run from one end to the other as fast as they could.  They actually encouraged the competition.  What is WRONG with those people?  They almost took out one old lady.  And you knew it was going to happen.  The little one tripped, skinned his knee, and then all bloody hell broke loose.  C'MON, THEY DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING????  It was JUST what travel weary people needed to experience.

And while I'm complaining, why can't people respect my personal space while at a baggage carousel.  I swear I have "I don't exist" on my forehead when I'm standing there clearly waiting.  I, unlike 99% of the general population, stay back a step or two, because if someone else has a bag coming out, I'm not going to make them step around me to get it.  Twice, someone came right up in front of me and stood there and there was room for them to go elsewhere.  One lady did it and I stepped right beside her with no personal space to spare.  Perhaps she felt my presence and moved, but more likely she was oblivious.  If everyone would just take a step back and chill out, we could all get our bags in an orderly and respectful fashion.  But no, you'd think they were in line for some grand prize instead of their bag of dirty underwear.  Yesterday in the airport waiting on my bags I was reminded of the movie with the penguins that would say "Mine, Mine, Mine, Mine, Mine, Mine, Mine".  Get me the heck outta there.

Just Like Dominoes

For the past month I haven't felt like myself.  I've been burning the candle at both ends, working as hard as I could when I was in NV before I came to MO.  Cleaning closets, making a donation pile, doing as much as possible before I left so that I could help Todd before I wasn't going to be there full time.

After I got to MO, I figured all the mental stress of living without my family, starting a brand new job, worrying about selling the house in NV, worrying about where the heck we were going to live in MO and how to pay for it were taking a physical toll on me.  I haven't worked out in 2 months.  So all this mental stress was manifesting itself physically and I was tired.  Physically worn completely out.  That was my theory anyway.

I gave blood almost a week ago.  When they do the finger-prick test to check your blood in the beginning, they are checking your iron level to make sure your hemoglobin is at a healthy level.  The hemoglobin is what carries oxygen through your blood to all the parts in your body (if hemoglobin is low, your fingers & toes can feel cold).  This was the first time I donated blood that they had to stick me twice for that first test.  The girl who did it said that she usually has to be stuck twice because the first reading is too low.  My second reading was just fine.  That was my first clue.  She told me the first reading meant that my iron level was too low to donate but the second one worked just fine.  Huh.  I said I guess I should have had a steak last night (note to self).

When I got some lab results back from a physical, I was shocked to see that my iron level was low.  And not like just a point or two.  So, I put 2 and 2 together and did a little research.  Well guess what?  If you take a lot of acid-reducing OTC drugs or anything prescription that reduces the acid in your stomach, cause maybe you have acid-reflux, did you know your body does not absorb iron like it should?  Also, drinking coffee and milk decreases your ability to absorb iron.  I had NO IDEA.  I couldn't figure out why I had no energy.  I didn't want to work out, I didn't want to go anywhere, I just wanted to crawl up on the couch or in bed and do nothing, which hasn't exactly been an option lately.  I had an iron deficiency.  So off to the drug store I went.  I know that iron can be hard on my stomach, and the last thing I want to do is take it before I go to bed.  That would just start the whole acid-reflux thing all over again.  So I started taking an iron pill at lunch, and making sure that I eat a decent sized lunch.  No lite-TV-dinner-only for me.  Within a day, I felt better.  Seriously.  It was that fast.  I have been taking one iron pill a day and I feel back to normal.  I had a fuzzy feeling in my head like when I take too much antihistamine.  Only it felt like my eyeballs were floating above my head.  That feeling is gone.  I am shocked my response was that fast.  So I wanted to share, in case you didn't know this either.

I'm trying to eat lots of foods with iron (and low cholesterol) such as beans and spinach salads.  And I am drinking OJ right before and after I eat those foods, so the acid helps my body absorb the iron.  It's amazing how side effects of drugs, even over the counter, can have a domino effect.  I stopped taking a stomach acid reducer.

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

In my last post, I said we weren't all planning-the-move yet.  Well, a miracle has happened.  A HUGE miracle, as a matter of fact.  The Jello has gelled.  We GOT the house.  I am still in a state of total shock and disbelief.

It's kind of like when I was trying to land my job.  I was very confident when I spoke to the interviewers on the phone--the conversation genuinely went well.  But then it took months to hear back and I had actually given up.  Then I came out for the interview and I was calmly confident that everything would be a yes, because everyone I spoke with was a real joy to meet.  It was actually a fun 2 days of interviews.  Then, when the HR recruiter called with the offer, and after I accepted, this wall of -WOW- hit me.  I knew it felt right, I knew it should happen, and I knew it was the right thing for us.  But when it's an actuality, it's hard to believe.  Now, I have that same euphoric feeling about the house.

It's amazing that some really big things are finally falling into place for us.  As of today, Todd is starting a WHIRLWIND month until the packers are there to pack us up.  The clock is ticking.  Poor Todd.

I'm so excited about our new home for several reasons.  Let me hit the highlights:

• It's newer with tall ceilings and nicely textured walls.  This place is a century newer than some of the other places we saw.  There is a room for everything we need.  Mom & Dad get a KING sized guest bed, as they should.
• It's on almost 8 acres.  We were looking for half that amount, but at least it's pretty flat and has gorgeous grass.  Our pups haven't lived with much grass in so long, they wont know what to do first.  Roll on it, or eat it.
• We have no restrictions.  Let me repeat that for emphasis.  We have NO RESTRICTIONS.  We can park our to-be RV anywhere we want.  We don't have to build it it's own little house in which to park.  It can be parked ANYWHERE WE WANT!!!!
• BIG ASS BASEMENT.  I mean HUUUUUGE.  It's big enough, with extra tall ceilings for ALL of Todd's STUFF.  Really.  I didn't think this house existed.  Bonus:  it's a walkout!!!
• Y'all are not going to believe this one.  It's almost the best.  I GET TO PARK MY VEHICLE ***IN*** THE GARAGE!!!!  For like EVER.  Seriously.  Cause all the crap stuff will be in the basement.
• Last but not least:  CHICKENS.  Come on, you knew this was coming.  Didn't you?  WE GET TO HAVE CHICKENS!!!!!  Cause remember?  I said no restrictions.

Finally, a place meant JUST for us.  I feel a puppy in my future.

Happy To Eat My Words

I am happy to report that I need to take back every word I said about real estate agents. We lucked into someone who not only LISTENED, but found the PERFECT house for us and *all* our stuff. Out of an almost disastrous weekend came a small miracle.

I'm not saying that we've got the house, and we are all planning-the-move yet.  However, I am hopeful that it will turn into a real miracle and we can have a permanent address someday soon, rather than a PO box and a cement slab on which stands an RV with a home-sweet-home sign above the side screen door. Don't get me wrong, some day I will love owning an RV. But only if it's on a temporary basis. If I have to change my hairstyle because I keep blowing the fuse on the entire campground when I dry my hair, it's going to get scary.

If anyone needs a fabulous real estate agent in the St. Joe, MO area, I can recommend a good one.  She even listens.

I will share more details (and allow myself to become excited) when things firm up.  Right now, it's Jello.  Jello is not a bad thing.  It's quite tasty.

Interesting Fact

I recently learned a fact that keeps replaying in my head. Most of you won't really appreciate this fact. Just warning you.

You know how mom's are preoccupied with their kid's poop? I have to admit that I am guilty. So my kids have fur. I still inspect their poop. Well, when I am living with them, that is. I look every time they "go" in the yard, to see if it's normal or possibly runny for signs that they may not be feeling well. A dog can't exactly tell you when they don't feel good.

So this is what I learned recently. Pigs have "turds". Cows have "cow pies". When a pig has a cow pie, there is something wrong. Isn't that the way all mom's know something isn't quite right?!?

Time Machine Fantasy

Todd reminded me that it was 4 years ago TODAY that we pulled out of our driveway in KS to make our Great Migration West. I remember feeling all Clampet-like with stuff on the roof, piled high on the trailer, and crammed into every nook and cranny of that vehicle. Our 3 pups had JUST enough room.

Who knew that hotel rooms would be at a premium on Saturday, 7/7/07? It seemed that everyone in Lincoln, NE was getting hitched that day. We just wanted a clean bed where they would accept dogs. We found a bed. The cleanliness was questionable.

I remember waving bye to the hood as we drove away knowing that I'd miss them and we would never be lucky enough to find a neighborhood like that again. I wondered what in the world we had in store for our futures. Suzie was preggers with the first kiddo and I knew so many people were going through major life changes. Wow, it's amazing how the last 4 years have both flown and crept by at the same time. Where has the time gone? And... where have these wrinkles come from? ;-)

Well, I Never...

I never would have ever, ever dreamed of such a stupid device. Plus? They never refill the dumb thing!

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July everyone! With the exception of the past 3 years, our independence day has always been a special holiday to me. It was so special that it tied as my very favorite holiday of the entire year. No, Christmas isn't one of my favorite holidays. It's too stressful, expensive, and commercialized. Anyway, my other favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. Back to the 4th.

It has always been special to me because it meant family. For as many years as I can remember before we moved to NV, my parents would have a big party. So many of my relatives I rarely get to see would come over for this. We had good food, plentiful drinks, and great company. In the early years, it was a pool party. Since the pool had been filled in and the house expanded, it became an indoor event.

I remember 4ths from long ago. My brothers having a pop-bottle-rocket fight by the orchard trees. The year Todd was known as the dog-whisperer because he could get all the dogs to line up in a row, and then upon his command, they would all take off like jet engines running towards the pool and leap in. The first year our pups were little and Amber barked WITH the fireworks, and the pups decided they liked them. We rated each firework by how many barks were given.

Now that we are back in the Midwest we can continue our old tradition. I can't wait for next fourth of July so we can have a party again and have so much family there, including Todd & my pups. It was weird being in OK without them. It was just what I needed to relax, see a little family, and recharge my batteries but it didn't really feel like the 4th of July. It will next year. Happy birthday, America!

A Day In The Life In Oklahoma, Part 2

Today, I rested, relaxed, and took it pretty easy. I worked hard keeping my eyes closed as long as possible this morning, and then did a little watering of plants. That was the extent of what little work I did.  I visited with my parents, brother, nephew, and had a surprise visit from my uncle & aunt!

Now for the grand finale: dinner. Chicken fried steak, mashed home grown red taters, cream gravy, home grown green beans cooked with onions and bacon, and homemade buns. Not just any buns. My mom's infamous buns. From Heaven.

A picture of tonight's loveliness:

A Day In The Life In Oklahoma, Part 1

This was today's breakfast: homemade toasted buns with sausage gravy, fried eggs, crispy bacon, whole grain pancakes with whipped cream, fresh fruit, and maple syrup. Breakfast in Oklahoma is grand!
 
(So sorry you weren't here, Todd)

To Each Their Own

Since I'm back in the Midwest now and I was driving to my parents house, I decided to give country music another try.  I don't know what made me do this, as I've always hated country music with a pretty strong passion.  It rates right up there with rap to me.  But I thought maybe, just maybe I'd like it now that so many other things have changed in my life that I now like that I used to not like.  I've always liked Shania.

Here is the song lyric that sticks in my brain.  Some man with a deep voice, who wasn't exactly a bad singer cracked me up.  About the only good thing I can say is that it had a good beat.  My theory is his 13 year old son wrote the lyrics.  It goes something like this:

Water makes corn.

Corn makes whiskey.

Whiskey makes my baby....

...Feel a little frisky.

REALLY?!?  THAT'S WHAT HE SAID?  They couldn't come up with something BETTER THAN THAT? 

I know I don't have room to talk, because I am a Kelly Clarkson fan.  I voted for her the entire first season of American Idol.  She is an amazingly talented singer.  I made Todd take me to see her (for my birthday) a year or two ago.  She has some pretty stupid lyrics herself.  I'm not exactly the demographic she is targeting.  However, she sounded great and The Black Keys song she sang was really good.

I just don't know about that country music.

Getting There

I had my first week at my new job in my new town in my new state. Overall I am very happy. I met very nice, intelligent, and sincere people who I am going to enjoy working with for the next couple of decades. We still have a lot of questions about what is going to happen and when with our move but the pieces are starting to fall into place.

I'm at my parents oasis this weekend. It's really like a B&B on steroids. I've been waiting along time to get here. I don't think I've seen my dad since last august at the rib cook-off when they came out to see us. It's odd though, to be here and not have Todd and the pups here with me. It's weird to not have dogs sleeping in my room. I sure wish they were here to enjoy it with me. Next time, they will be.