A solid entry into the House of Night series...
It was nice to see the journeys Stark and Zoey went through, and that they weren't simple tasks.
Of course, it left me hanging for Book #8.
EIGHT.
Jeez louise.
Garden Spells is a sweet, enchanting read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wanted to keep on reading it. The mixture of magic and sisterhood just made me smile.
Two sisters, brought together after years apart, learn to apprec...
Short and sweet.
I don't think I've ever bookmarked a book I've read for myself before, and I found myself marking several passages in this one... and it was less than 45 e-book (nook) pages!
It's official. Connor survived Kindergarten, quite well, I might add. And now we have a certified first-grader on our hands. Woah nelly. When did this happen!?!?
So Connor left for school Friday morning, but not before I could take a few pictures (much to his annoyance) and do a little first day/last day comparison:
Same squint. When will I learn not to sit him in the sun? Oh well. I had to take fast action, because he was NOT having the photo taking.
So while Connor was at school, Jon and I got busy on some driveway artwork, in anticipation of his arrival home from his last day of kindergarten:
I have to say, I got this idea from my very creative friend, Tammy. She's been decorating her driveway for Mason for several years now, and I always wanted to do it myself. Thanks for the idea, Tams!!
Harrison mostly sat in the chalk drawing and played with Jon's stuff:
(side note: when did HE get so big? Jeez louise. Stop growing, for goodness sake)
Connor came home and was THRILLED with his surprise:
So that's it! So long kindergarten. Hello first grade. Lord help me.
Or, as young master Harrison would say "I DIYIT!!"
In the past 20 months, I have lost 100 pounds. I'm not joking. 65 of that was Harrison weight... gained while I was pregnant with the little stinker. The other 35 was weight I had hung on to after Connor was born. Hung on to for almost 5 years. Lovely.
So back when Harrison was born, I decided it was time to start shedding the extra "me"... Which didn't go too badly, but I wasn't THAT motivated. Then, after returning to work after my maternity leave, someone at least twice my size said to me "us big girls got to stick together"... OH. MY. GOSH. So I replied "oh no. THIS (gesturing to my whole body) is temporary." And then I decided to actually do something about it.
I started working out in the morning. I'd do Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred or I'd jump on my wii fit and do some fitness boxing. I also used the Lose It! app on my ipod to track my calories and exercise. I'm convinced that's what did the trick for me. Seeing what I was eating and keeping track of the calories was a great way to hold myself accountable.
So, long story less long, from September 2008 to November 2009, I lost 100 pounds... with the majority of the losing happening from April to November.
In February I'd realized once I hit my goal weight, I really didn't have something to work toward, so I decided to set a fitness goal. I would run The Race for the Cure. Which is crazy talk for me, considering I'd never run a day in my life. In March, I started the Couch to 5k program (again, on my ipod - are you sensing a theme here?) and started running. I got sidelined after 3 weeks when my knee started REALLY hurting. So I took some time off to heal. Then I took some more time off because it was cold. Or raining. Or I was tired. Yes, I'm the queen of excuses.
So The Race for the Cure rolled around. And I had said I would run. And despite not running for 6 weeks, I did it. I RAN. I ran the farthest I've ever run in my life. And it felt SO GOOD.
I did the race in 38 minutes. I had to slow to a fast walk a couple of times, but I never let myself walk for too long. I am proud of my accomplishment... but I'm more proud of the women who I ran to honor today. Heather Pick. Aysu's Mom. Gretchen's Mom. All of the women who I saw wearing pink survivor shirts today, or in photos on t-shirts of loved ones.
Below is a little photo of myself, rocking the pink wig for Heather :) with my former boss, Karen, and my former co-worker and darned-near-neighbor, Rochelle.
Thanks for all of the words of encouragement along the way.. From the weight loss to the running - to the "hey skinny!" greetings I got today - They lift my spirits and fill my heart. :)
I seriously can't stop clicking "buy" in itunes right now.. so I'm going to stop and write a quick music blog post on my "fave songs of the moment" playlist... which is pretty much my standard playlist -- I just keep switching songs out of it depending on my mood.
Last week, we went to the Paramore concert at the LC, tomorrow night we're headed out to see Barenaked Ladies with the Hogans... so lately Paramore has been ruling the ipod - I predict a shift to BNL after tomorrow night ;)
Anywhoooooooooo I figured I'd share part of my playlist - going in alphabetical order by song title... Some old, some new... all good (at least according to me).
Enjoy! (and if you agree, disagree, or want to share your favorites of the moment - for goodness sake - COMMENT! ;)
Airplanes - B.o.B. (featuring Hayley Williams) - seriously, Hayley's voice is pretty damn good... and live? WOW. Trust me. (there will be at least one other song on this playlist featuring ms. williams.
Ali in the Jungle - The Hours - "it's not how you start, it's how you finish" - this song is a staple on my running playlist as well. You probably heard it on the nike commercials that played during the olympics ("everybody gets knocked down... how quick are you gonna get up?")
Animal - Miike Snow - This was featured in an episode of Gossip Girl (the episode when chuck buys the hotel at the end) - it came back to me as I was listening to my Vampire Weekend channel on Pandora a couple of weeks ago. It's now a constant for Connor's ipod, too.
In the Sun - She & Him - why haven't I heard this before now? Happy sunny Zooey... and check out the choreography.
Lisztomania - Phoenix - This came on my boss's ipod in his office today, and it made me like him even more :) And I'm pretty sure workers in a downtown parking garage busted me belting this out with the windows down today too... oh well!
Looking Up - Paramore - "God knows the world doesn't need another band... but what a waste it would have been... I can't believe we almost hung it up... we're just getting started." OK, Paramore opened the night with this song - HOW PERFECT. Ok, I'm done.
Rocket - Goldfrapp - brings back the van halen-esque synthesizer, with a catchy hook.
She Got It Good - Plies - damned song got me with the sample of "if you like pina coladas"....
Well seeing as how it's now May... I figured I should get my Easter photos up. Shut it.
Egg Decorating:
Connor's an old pro. He hopped right up to the table and started dunking. We confined Harrison to the high chair. I didn't even want to THINK about him with egg dye. But he looked cute!
The next day (Easter) the boys and I went to my Mom's for her annual easter egg hunt - Jon had to work. Boo on that. My mom is very methodical and fair about the hunt. Every child gets their own color of egg. So the littles don't get outrun by the bigs.
We'll go by age here... Kyra:
David:
Connor:
Caitlin:
Alex:
Nora:
Harrison (and Grandma):
And Baby Will (bay-ee woo, according to Harrison) was a spectator:
You don't see it in the photos, but Harrison was MISERABLE on Easter. In fact, miserable is an understatement. The child was downright wretched. He was fighting a horrible tummy bug that just made him cranky and unhappy with everything. He's over that now... seeing as how it's May. Shut it.
Connor: Here Mommy, you get the nurse mighty bean. Me: Why the nurse? Connor: Because you work at a place with nurses and doctors. Me: And where is that? Connor: A hospital. Me: And what's my job? Connor: You tell people when someone is sick... or if someone is better... or if someone does something really cool or nice... Me: Who do I tell? Connor: News people.
Oh dear me, has it really been since MARCH 7th that I posted a blog update?
Good. Night. Nurse. How am I supposed to get better at this? Maybe set a schedule? hmmmmmmm
Ok, to make it easier on myself, I decided to do a 10 on Tuesday post. 10 random thoughts for this day.
1. Harrison now says Hew-wo (hello), aw-wight (alright) and oh noooooo!! daily. It's adorable and I need to get it on video. Post haste.
2. His current obsession is Wall-E. This is his typical pose while it's on:
3. Jon's been battling a stomach bug. He feels somewhat better tonight. So what did he want for dinner? PIZZA. Go figure.
4. Connor's been battling allergies. This is our first experience with them... apparently it's one of the worst seasons for allergies - EVER. He's coughing and sneezy and the worst part - has big, puffy, itchy, red eyes. I took this photo with the camera on my laptop:
Poor pathetic mess. This was last Friday, after he took a shower to alleviate the itchiness in the eyes... the whole time he was in there, he fussed and whined "why did God invent allergies??". I have no idea, sweetie. He's taking zyrtec and has prescription eye drops - they seem to be working right now.
5. On a high note, Connor jumped on his two-wheeler Saturday night and just took off. This after a good amount of falling off and frustration the week before. He said to me before he hopped on - "Mom, I gotta try, because if I don't I'll never do it". Smart kid. And yet something else I need on video.
6. Yankee Candle brought back my favorite scent: Storm Watch. This makes me very happy.
7. The next Sookie Stackhouse book comes out in 2 weeks. This makes me very very happy.
8. I'm now 4 months in to the "new" job and it's safe to say I made the right choice. I'm very much loving it. The work, the people, everything. And guess what? I'm plenty busy.
9. We are working on planning a beach vacation with one of my favorite families and this makes me very very very happy.
10. If you're looking for a good cookbook with tasty, yet healthy meals, Jon and I wholeheartedly suggest: Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast - we've been using this cookbook since last summer and have not been disappointed by one recipe.
Ok! that's 10 on tuesday. I hope to be back soon. Like in days... not weeks.
Ok, it's been well over a month since I last blogged. Let's face it. Facebook and Twitter have taken the place of blogging. Which is sad, but true. I can share pictures and videos faster. I can choose to put something on facebook that I only want "approved" people to see, rather than slapping it out here on my blog, not knowing who's reading it. There's a comfort in that. But I do want to WRITE how I feel, what I'm experiencing, and I really can't do that on FB and Twitter... at least, not in a longer format... so here I am - blogging again. But seriously contemplating password protecting it. We shall see.
This weekend has been the loveliest weekend Central Ohio has seen in quite some time. Sun shining, snow melting, shoot - I didn't even wear a coat out yesterday! I'm looking forward to spring, and that's odd for me. I typically don't get too bent out of shape in winter. I think it comes from growing up in California and never really experiencing seasons. As an adult, I love to watch the changes between spring, summer, fall and winter... and I love each of them for their own unique reasons. But I find myself longing to throw open the windows, feel the breeze blow through my house and plant some flowers.
So while we're getting a little taste of spring, I thought I'd bring out some pictures from our last snow storm. We broke a snow record in Columbus this February.. I think we ended with around 25" for the month. Craziness.... I think I got out of TV just in time. So here are some pictures of the boys outside. Harrison's first real experience in the snow. And me behind the camera, not worrying if work is going to call and tell me to come in now and who knows when I'll be leaving.
Harrison had a tough time walking in the snow, but really loved it when Connor pulled him in the sled. I was going to do it, but Con really wanted to have some fun with Harry. So I took pictures :)
Jon
In other news, things are going well here. Jon's work schedule has changed for the year and now we share a weekend day off together. That's very nice. It's been a few years since we had a day off together... it's such a simple pleasure that many people take for granted. I don't think I ever will.
Connor
Connor is doing WONDERFULLY in school. His report card came home with him Friday and he got all 3s and 4s. A 3 means he's hitting his goals, a 4 means he's exceeding them. Where were his 4s? ALL IN THE SOCIAL SKILLS CATEGORY. Further proof he belongs to me.
Harrison
Harrison's big gash is healing. He has a red scar above his left eye, but it's fading. He's saying little words and phrases.
Yeah (and uh-yeah)
Up (which is usually "up up up!!" when he wants you to pick him up)
All Done (for when he's finished with a meal)
All Gone (for when he's eaten everything)
Mih-mih (Milk)
Wah-wah (Water)
Nah-Nah (Banana)
App-app (Apple) - why do babies do this app-app, wah-wah thing?
Mama
Dada
Bruh-Bruh (Brother - for Connor)
No no no or just "no"
nigh-nigh (night)
And a lot more I can't think of right now. I took this short video of him this morning. Last week I started singing "dumb dog" from Annie to Chance - because he was all about following me around the kitchen, waiting for a handout - when Harrison started repeating me.
He's a stinker. Still climbing everything he can, he has an obsession with balloons (boons!), is really starting to enjoy coloring and crayons and loves everything his big brother does... which is kind of annoying for Connor.
So that's it for now. The weather is beautiful. I've decided I'm going to run the Race for the Cure this year. My training starts today. I've never ever considered myself a runner... but I'm going to give it the old college try.
Since Harrison started growing out of that smushed-up-old-man-baby-face, we've seen so much of Jon in him. The blue eyes, the light hair (I know, Jon's hair is now gone, but when he was little, it was BLONDE), the stocky build... everyone comments when they see our family "Connor is all you, but Harrison? He's SO Jon". I always agree. He is. I see so much of Jon in him, past his looks and straight to his demeanor, too.
But last week, I snapped a picture of Harrison with my laptop and posted it on facebook. And that week happened to be "flash-back week" and my avatar was a collage of 4 pics of me as a child. And then I saw the connection:
oh yes. He's mine. Wingy, curly, bed-head and button-nose and big eyes. There's still plenty of Jon I see there - but I can now say he gets some of his looks from his mama :)
So there's something I haven't shared on this blog yet... Though I know all of my family (of course) and friends are aware. I have a new job.
I'm a surgeon. Yup.. just like Doogie... I blew through med school.
.
.
.
.
KIDDING!!! I have left the manic newsroom for a job in a very large, very busy hospital system. I'm now a media relations manager for a group of hospitals here in Central Ohio. What does that mean? In simplest terms, I look for the stories in the hospitals that YOU would like to hear and then try and get my old buddies in the news biz to come on out and cover them. And you know what? I LOVE IT.
The photo above is from last Friday, my first surgery. I witnessed part of a robotic hysterectomy from inside of the operating room. None of this gallery business you see on Grey's Anatomy... I was steps away from the patient and watching the doctor control the DaVinci robot from across the room. I can't think of how else to describe it, other than just cool. I was completely out of my comfort zone but felt energized and excited about the job I was doing. Something I hadn't felt in news for a while.
I've been on the job for a month now and I'm learning so much. I'm thankful to have coworkers who want to help and answer my 204398540935 questions and a supportive boss who wants to see me succeed.
Before I left Channel 10, "someone" kept telling me "you're going to be SO BORED... you're going to be stuck in an office all day"... I tell you what. I do more moving in this job than I ever did in TV... and every day is different. A different story. A different challenge. A different news crew. And I'm busy. Very busy. Like "woah! the day is over?" busy. And it's not the same as news busy... and I like that. A lot.
As you can imagine, the hours are better for me and the family, too. And the boys like that. A lot. Connor no longer stands in front of the door and begs me not to go to work. Jon's noticed I'm much more agreeable when I come home and I don't ask him nearly as often to rub my shoulders.
Things are good. Life is good.
But I do miss the newsroom. Not the work. The people. The yelling. The inappropriate humor and jokes about current events. The quick closeness you develop with someone when you take on an impossible newscast, story, boss, project and come out on the other side. But I don't miss the business. Not one bit.
Did you know there's life after news? I found it. And I couldn't be happier.
So two weeks ago tonight, we made our second trip to Children's Close to Home for a little "emergency". The last time was about 1.5 years ago, for Connor's broken arm. The reason this time? There you have it:
ouch... It was a typical Saturday night, much like this one, we were all winding down... the boys had been bathed, Jon and I were changing into our comfy clothes and I heard a thud. Then I heard Jon exclaim "OH GOSH, HARRISON!!" And I ran into our bedroom to hear the "wind up" cry coming from the baby... you know that cry? The one that starts low and slow and then builds to a frantic wail? Yup. That one.
Turns out Harrison was standing right next to Jon when he just fell. He wasn't even walking.... and when he came down, he hit our bed frame. Right on his brow bone.
I scooped him out of Jon's arms and as he turned his head, I heard Jon suck in his breath and I saw the blood start to flow... ick. We all got back into our street clothes, except for Harrison, and headed to Children's. Harrison was a champ. He got 4 stitches and cried "ma ma ma ma" during the process, it wasn't until they were done stitching him up did I turn around and see Connor. He was a mess. Blotchy face, tears streaming down his cheeks, he ran to me. "Mommy, is Harrison going to be ok?? I don't like to see him hurt". Bless his heart. That's when this cool, calm, in-control mom started to cry.
My baby bashes his head and bleeds profusely? Let's get him to the doc and get it fixed.
My six-year-old feels the anguish of seeing his beloved little brother in pain? This sensitive soul loses it.
Go figure.
So now we're two weeks post-crash and Harrison has no recollection of it. He's healing just fine. He's as daring as ever. He actually got himself over the baby gate at the top of the stairs and Jon caught him halfway down. He's now discovered the joys of spinning until he's dizzy. I thought he'd be more calm... more subdued than Connor. I was wrong.
And two weeks ago... As we were leaving Children's... Jon looked at me and said "I have no doubt this will not be our last trip to the ER with these boys". I know he's telling the truth. I just hope it's nothing more than a stitch or a cast.
