{just another blog}

I guess I picked the wrong time to quit biting my nails.

Ohh I think I forgot to mention....I quit biting my nails.  I have been a nervous nail biter for as long as I can remember. But one day it dawned on me that grown women should not be chewing up th

But now I am regretting that.

I am going through some major nail biting moments in my life at the moment and I don't have my old comfort measure with me.

Don't worry though. I am still holding strong to my comfort eating habit. YAY for that! My nails look great but my ass is HUGE.

Deep breath Lori, you can only work on one habit at a time.

said by Hannah...

We were working on christmas cards to hold gift cards and she was looking at the ink colors for stamping...

Hannah: Mommy, this one is called "real red"

Me: Yeah

Hannah: ::::::::giggling::::::::::::

Me: What?

Hannah: I was thinking it would be funny if this "real red" ink made things come alive!

Me: You're a nut

Hannah: :::::::Making the card run away and pretending the card can talk:::::: NOOOO that paper is UGLY don't glue it on me!!!!

15 years.

This week Tom and I celebrated our 15th Annivesary of being married. 

Normally we don't do much for our annivesary because it is so close to Christmas.

Yeah, we really should have thought the timing out huh? But we didn't have a traditional wedding. No big white dress, no beautiful flowers, no Dad walking me down the isle, no big reception with friends and family. Nothing about our relationship was traditional so we didn't feel the need for the pomp and circumstance. It was December 13, 1993.  Kasey was 10 months old and we were living in a tiny rental in Taylorville. Tom came home from work and informed me he had Thursday the 16th off. Then he said "So I was thinking we should get married on Thursday". Without missing a beat I said "Ok...sounds great!".

On Wednesday the 15th we went and got our license before Tom went to work. On Thursday, December 16, 1993 we stood before a judge and got married. I tell this story and it sounds so cavilier. But really how we got married is very symbolic. It was just Tom and I standing in front of that judge, and it has been Tom and I leaning on eachother, growing together, loving each other for 15 years. (18 if you count our dating years)

To all those that thought we wouldn't make it 5 years I say...

NA NA NE BOO BOO....YOU WERE WRONG :)

So like I said, normally we don't do much...a card and a "Happy Annivesary". This year Tom suprised me with flowers and dinner reservations. He wore a sports coat and his wedding ring*. We talked about how far we have come, and how grateful we are to have each other...still after 15 years.

Happy Annivesary Tom, I love you with all my heart.

*Tom doesn't wear his ring. He works as a machinist. Wedding rings and fast moving parts, welding and fabricating metal parts just don't mix!

We asked her what she wanted from Santa.

We asked Hannah if she could have anything in the world for Christmas what would it be. She thought for a moment and said:

Hannah: "I already have it!"

Tom: "What's that Hannah?"

Hannah: "My Parents"

Needless to say little girl got some extra snuggles from us tonight and I have a feeling her Daddy will make sure she has some extra gifts under the tree too. He cannot resist her big brown eyes and the way she says "I love you Daddy".

 

shoes, a college fair, birthdays and laptops....in that order.

Can we talk a little about expectations?

Remember when I posted these shoes in September?
 

I wanted them REALLY BAD! They are shiny, and cute and red and I love a shoe with a well placed button! My local Target didn't have them. I looked online and they were listed on Target's website. I COULD BUY THEM ONLINE! But I got cold feet and didn't order them. I was afraid they wouldn't fit right and then they would just sit and really I didn't have any place to wear them. A few weeks later I was at Target and they had these exact shoes...except in BLACK. I pulled down my size and slipped them on. I figured if they fit I would order the red ones. They fit perfectly. They were so cute with my jeans, they were just....awesome. Until I tried to walk. HOLY Sh*t! That heel is realllllly chunky and they are muuuuch higher than they look in the picture. I kept tripping and the chunky heel was awkward. I was disappointed. I LOVED the red color, and the little strap with the button, and did I mention they were shiny? I left feeling deflated. I had high expectation for those shoes.

Fast forward to a month ago when I was actually shopping for work shoes because I had a new job. I needed a fashionable shoe, they needed to be flat (I walk a CRAZY amount each day) and go with dress clothes. I started at my GO TO shoe place...PAYLESS. Don't knock it, they have some cute styles and you can get several styles and you won't feel bad if you don't wear them often because you didn't pay much for them.

Anyway I am looking for shoes for my new job. I find these...
 
Good basic color, a well placed button, and they are comfortable. SOLD. I just needed a brown pair, and maybe a few other styles because it is PAYLESS and with their prices you can afford a few pair. I was looking for something in brown when my eyes rested on these...

 
My heart did a pitter patter and I squealed with delight! RED, SHINY, a WELL PLACED BUTTON and FLAT! While my heart was set on the Target ones that were pure torture to walk in, these are more me. Stylish and comfortable. Seriously! I own these and I wear them whenever I can which is often.

I like them so much I bought them in brown..
 
I also bought these...
 
Hello cute little kitten heel! You are so cute and you don't hurt my feet walking all day!

On to college...

A week ago we attended the college fair @ Kasey's High School.
GULP.
COLLEGE. We are looking at COLLEGE.
First he drives and now we are looking at colleges.
My heart cannot take much more.
Seriously.
not.much.more.

Speaking of my heart not being able take much more of my kids growing up....

One of my children celebrated another birthday. Jake is now 12.

12 years ago I gave birth to a 9 lb, full head of hair baby boy who has turned out to be THE sweetest kid ever! Happy Birthday Bubba!

We celebrated with two parties. He had one with his friends, they had an all night video game extravaganza and then another with his family. He has a wad of birthday money burning a hole in his pocket. He is trying not to spend it because he wants to combine it with his Christmas money and buy something BIG. He isn't quite sure what big thing he wants to buy, but he has money should he find it!

Speaking of Jake...

The other night I went to Jake's school to attend a meeting about his laptop. Tom stayed home with the other 2 yahoo's.

YES, I said his laptop.

He is one of the lucky kids who gets to use a laptop @ school and at home to do his homework. The school technically owns them but Jake will get to use it during his 3 years in middle school. The meeting explained rules and what you can do and cannot do. Pretty basic common sense stuff. He gets to bring it home over Christmas break and then every night if he wants to. Which he will want to because his textbooks are loaded on the laptop and it weighs less than the books.

Gosh I remember when I was a kid we had to actually LUG books from class to class and then to home and back. If having an almost 16 year old kid who is thisclose to driving and looking at colleges didn't make me feel old, knowing that my other kid uses a laptop for textbooks instead of REAL BOOKS certainly does.

Sigh.

It just never ends huh?