Christmas

My mom made Christmas wonderful. I don’t have any specific memories that jump out as the best, but I remember the way I felt every year at this time as a child. We would bake, drink hot cider while making homemade ornaments, listening to Christmas music (my mom would always tear up upon hearing Noel) – the house was always filled with love and warmth. The best part, however, was that she would have the entire family together to watch our Sunday school Christmas program on Christmas Eve night, then we would all gather for a beautiful dinner following church. The house was full of noise and chaos, but I looked forward to it every year.

After she passed, I did my best to try and rally the troops. I would invite everyone in my family over for Alex’s Christmas program, play the Christmas music, prepare the ornaments for decorating, and every year, it seemed to fail in comparison. My sister would have last minute changes, my brother would have something that prevented him from showing, and my father would be too busy.

So this year, I didn’t bother and I’m having a hard time with it. Dad is celebrating with friends, my sister is celebrating with her fiancés’ family, and my brother is celebrating with my maternal grandparents. I'm trying to smile and "buck-up" for Alex - I'm trying to find that joy and cheer somewhere inside of me, but it's really difficult this year. I'm still hurting from what Michael did and for lack of a better word, I'm lonely. Alex and I will still attend church on Thursday evening and bake our “birthday cake” for Jesus and I hope that he has a wonderful Christmas, but I can’t help but feel a huge void this season – family.

Homework

Alex has been helping me study for my finals this week by quizzing me with homemade flashcards. He loves being on the other side of the learning table with me struggling to remember the material.

Then last night, after dropping him of at the house and returning to work to finish a few things, he sent me a text message that said he received a check for $15.00 from his aunt for Christmas.

We have a saving plan where for every week Alex is able to save his money and not fall into temptation to spend it on something foolish, I add $2.00 in "interest".

Thinking this would be a good math question, I send him a text message that said "what is 22 (which is what he currently had saved + interest) + 15"

He replies "mom, are you trying to get me to do your homework for you"

Yes, that is what I've been in college for almost a decade for. Elementary math is so tricky!

Alex's Birthday

Alex had a pretty low-key birthday party this year. Every year, he wakes up and makes a birthday wish and of course, I clear my throat and sing the loudest version of Happy Birthday ever heard.



We had lunch at Pizza Hut and then he and his two BF's (my word....alex would never say BF) were off to the Ramada for some fun swim time.






Alex was home alone the Wednesday before his birthday when his present was delivered from amazon. I arrived home and found the box re taped with scotch tape. I doubted that UPS would deliver a box with scotch tape so I questioned him about it and he smiled and said "I THINK there's a boom box/dvd player in there". Needless to say, he received his gift a week in advance.

The boys had a great time and as determined as they were to stay awake until midnight, they were snoozing by 10:00. It was a very happy birthday indeed!

Celebrate

Alex turns nine-years old today! Nine years ago today, this beautiful boy entered the world and changed my life forever.

I never knew an A+ on a spelling test could make me so proud
I never knew a chocolate cookie kiss could melt my heart
I never knew laughter could be so contagious
I never knew a homemade card could bring tears to my eyes
I never knew a hug could bring tranquility

But now I know

Happy Birthday Alexander

Dial It Back

I walk into Alex's room to see him staring at the ceiling this morning.

I ask "what are you thinking about"

He looks at me and says "mom, today is the last day I'll wake up as an eight-year old" (it's his birthday tomorrow)

Ok Mr. Drama....dial it back

In Case You Were Having A Bad Day...

Leo Kottke

I had the most amazing night last night!!! Leo Kottke - guitar legend - performed at the Orpheum last night. He performed for about 90 minutes and I could have listened to him all evening. After an awful day, sitting in that beautiful theater, drinking a beer (or two) and listening to Leo Kottke was like a vacation away from all life's problems.

My sitter called around noon to tell me she stayed home from school because she was sick and it almost devastated me, but thankfully, the mom to Alex's BF was kind enough to allow Alex to crash at her house last night! Ann - thank you thank you thank you thank you!
Kottke has the sexiest voice and here is a clip (doesn't do him justice) of him performing "Rings"



Here's a clip of him - probably 20yrs younger - skip ahead to 3:50 and you'll see what an amazing talent this guy has and why he's on my top five all-time guitar greats list.



The man invented his own style - he is a creative genious on the 12-string

Alex and the Police

Alex and I traveled to Vermilion this weekend for some high school state football games. We had tons of fun watching the games and hanging in vermilion for some mommy/son time.

On the drive home, however, we hit a deer with my car.
I called the police to file a report and when he arrived, I sat in the front seat and Alex crawled in the back.

Alex was looking over everything and for some reason, was puzzled to why there wouldn’t be any cup holders in the backseat of a patrol car. The officer smiled and explained that by the time people usually crawl into the back, they’ve had enough to drink.

Alex was satisfied with that answer and the officer went back to work writing up the accident report. It was quiet in the car until Alex peeped up once again.

“Mom, we should get donuts later”

Why you little....

Remember how I excited I was when I bought the pullover jacket for Alex?



HE LOST THE JACKET! He waltzed in the door with no jacket and when asked about the whereabouts, he said "what jacket"

Grrr....So, if anyone sees a jacket that looks like the one I posted stuffed behind a bush or a garbage can somewhere, let me know!!

Hunting

Know what is so amazing about this picture? November 7th and it was t-shirt weather!!!

Waikiki O'ahu

Meet Chewy's new girlfriend - Kiki





Puppy Love

Recycling

Aha!

After fighting with Alex every morning and afternoon to zip up his coat last winter, I've switched tactics this year

Columbia pullover winter coat



That's right Alex....BRING IT!

Tiebreaker Game

I haven't updated my blog in quite some time. I took on another part-time job this month - watching Minnesota sports! Badgers played the Gophers, Wild started off their season, Packers vs Vikings and....game 163 tiebreaker game against the Detroit Tigers for the division championship title. A friend of mine called on Sunday and asked if Alex and I wanted to go to the game. umm...yes Yes YEs YES.

I'm know I'm a sentimental sap, but walking into the metrodome for one of the last Twins baseball games actually made me teary eyed. I know...pathetic, right? It was an awful place to watch baseball in, but so many great memories.

I found this clip on youtube and it's much better than the one I posted on facebook. We had JUST got back to our seats thanks to Alex having to go potty in the top of the 12th. He had been holding it since the 10th though so we made a really quick run. Obviously, nobody was in the bathroom so he was in and out.



I've never lost my mind in a baseball game, but this one was incredible. What led up to this? Well, first of all, Twin fans bid farewell to the Metrodome. Don't get me wrong, I'm ecstatic about outdoor baseball, but the giant toilet bowl was the home to the 1987 and 1991 world series titles. A month ago, Justin Morneau (twins hitting leader) announced that he was out for the season because of injuries. Hold on...it gets worse.

Then Joe Crede (3rd base guy) was out with injuries. Our pitching staff leaves a lot to be desired and we were in 3rd place behind Detroit and Chicago. Jock straps were writing us off - stick a fork in the Twins...they're done.

We went on to win 16 out of 20 to put ourselves in a tiebreaker game against Detoilet and we started off trailing them 3-0

Didn't matter - the atmosphere in the dome said this would be a night for the twins. We didn't sit through the entire game. Even when we where loosing, homer hankys continued to wave and fans continued to cheer

By far, the best baseball game I've ever been to thanks to the 54,088 fans who were loosing their minds. Other than then GoGo Gomez's run, this was my favorite moment of the game



That song played in the 7th when we were loosing by one run. Did you get chills? Me to

Alex and I left the metrodome around 10:30, stopped to eat and rolled into Madtown around 4:00am! Needless to say, we played hooky from work and school Wednesday morning but we were dragging for the rest of the week

Totally worth it though

Vikings Game

First Vikings home game with the purple moses was more exciting than I had predicted. The metrotoilet was rocking with optimism, beer was up $1.00 a glass presumably to help pay the $25million salary for the purple moses...but still cold, and sunny weather perfect for tailgating.



Yes, that is Alex in a 49ers shirt. He has never liked the Vikings and is always razzing his mom for drinking way too much purple kool-aid every year. We sat next to a group of season ticket holders so there was allot of camaraderie and laughs all around. When we first sat down, they were chanting "super bowl...supper bowl". Ahh..there are some vikings fans I can relate to - blindly optimistic.

First touchdown of the game



I don't remember it being that loud in the inflatable toilet since 2000 when we had Moss and Carter on the field.

Half-time show including the US Marine and they were defiantly more entertaining then the third quarter of this game.



Our purple friends who were chanting "supper bowl" when we first sat down quickly changed their tune to "fire chilly" and yelling profanities like "different effing quarterback...same effing team" My son took the opportunities to razz them when the 49ers took the lead



If he inherited anything from me, it's my BS gene

It all came down to one last play of the game. Vikings trailed 20-24 with seconds left on the clock.



Thousands of people had already left the dome including the emotionally spent fans behind us who left with 1:44 left in the 4th quarter because they wanted to beat the crowd. What a bunch of dopes! I told them that we still had 3 timeouts and one of the best QB's to have played the game, but they just grumbled and said it wouldn't be worth their time to stay. They missed one of the best finishes in Vikings history. It was a great throw by the Favre master, but the catch was OUTSTANDING



How he was able to get both feet in the endzone is beyond me. It was so loud in the metrotoilet, you could not hear the start of the skol vikings song (which is played after every touchdown). Everyone was giving high fives and hugs - it was amazing. The 49ers challenged the play and when the ruling came back that it was indeed a touchdown - we celebrated again!





The best part, however, was that apparently Favre delivered more than a touchdown pass! He and Peterson managed to bring in a new four-foot fan that day!

Love This Little Girl!

Football Pictures

Update

I’ve returned from my hiatus. Because I couldn’t stop obsessing about my odd love octagon, I had to take a break from blogging to do a lot of soul search and praying. I prayed so much that I assume when God heard my voice, his only reaction had to be “are you serious….you again?” Although I haven’t stopped thinking about our....whatever it was, I’ve stopped obsessing about it and I have started to move forward.

The fall semester at college is underway and my classes are so interesting!!! I love school! I have a professor who is a fast-talking laugh-riot southern man. Alex has started the 3rd grade and I was really worried when I first met Alex’s third-grade teacher, but all is well so far. Alex really needs someone to draw those boundaries in big bold ink and she seemed so sweet, I figured Alex would walk all over her for sure, but she has done a fabulous job and Alex really likes her. He started football this year which has been…interesting. I really encourage him to participate in sports because of all of the lessons like discipline, hard work, and good sportsmanship that athletes can learn. Alex is not a very aggressive kid and really struggles when things do not come easy to him or he’s not the best at whatever it is that he’s participating in. After the first week, he wanted to quit, which to his disappointment, was not happening under my watch. Saturday came his first game and he really wanted to be a no-show, but after the first quarter, he was having fun and even managed to stay on his feet during the third and fourth quarter!! He is a little worry-bug and when one of his teammates said “you’re my enemy” he was in tears after the game insisting that this kid “hates him”. At church on Sunday, however, this child ran over to Alex to chat about the game so all is well. He takes everything so personal and is so tender-hearted about some issues, it really is exhausting sometimes. I’ll have some pictures from Saturday’s game to post tomorrow.

For Today

Warning: Don’t leave your child unattended in the bathtub

How gross is this? I was folding laundry in the bedroom when I heard a "splash". Apparently, chewy thought he needed to see what a warm bubble bath would feel like



My favorite part, however, is when I was standing there yelling at the dog, both just looked confused as to why having a dog and a boy bathe together would present a problem.

On The Catwalk

Who else could own an outfit like this?

Welcome To Minneapolis

Weekend Recap

Phoenix was so much fun - even though I spent about 30 of my 62 hours in Phoenix sleeping. Michael had to work on Friday, but spent the morning at home which was nice knowing how incredibly busy he is. I sat at the pool and read/relaxed for the afternoon and then a friend from high school stopped by for a glass of wine after work. I haven't seen her in 11 years so it was great to catch up with her. I didn't bring my camera, but maybe I'll find a picture of her little girl who was a laugh riot to me. She was energetic and into everything! Alex was such an easy going baby who was content just cuddling with someone on a rocker - not this little girl!

Michael and I went for a 7-mile bike ride before my stupid tire blew which is wonderful when it's 108 degrees outside. I just parked my butt on a curb and Michael peddled home and brought his truck. Later than evening, we went to the Diamondbacks/Dodgers game which was F*U*N. There were around 42,000 fans at the game and I would say half of them were dodger fans. Phoenix is a weird city in that it's a transplant city and not many people grow up there or have strong ties to the city. Example - ever gone to a Twins game? Even in a looser season (like this one is turning out to be) you can still find 40,000 fans in the stands cheering. This isn't the case for the D-Backs. It's usually quiet and the fans applaud as opposed to scream and cheer. Saturday night, however, it was rocking! We had awesome seats in the VIP section right behind home plate. The crowd went crazy when Manny Ramirez walked waltzed up to bat - half cheering and half booing - it was great.


One not so great thing about Saturday nights game was this little unpleasant incident.



Kuroda, Dodgers pitcher, gets beamed by a line drive and the ball literally bounces off of his head and ends up in the foul territory. The sound that the baseball made when it hit Kuroda in the head was awful and everyone in the stadium gasped. You could cut the tension with a knife. Thankfully, he's okay and the found no bleeding. Seriously, how lucky is he? If that ball would have bounced off of his forehead, he would have been dead. I can't imagine that we'll see him on the mound anytime soon, but thankfully, he's alive.

I can't post a blog about the weekend and not mention the sad passing of Les Paul. Ever listen to a piece of music with an amazing guitar riff behind it - thank Les Paul. He invented the solid body guitar style that revolutionized rock music. He also invented multi track recording which enabled instruments to be recorded separately and fused together in the studio. Singers could record their voice and have it played as a background vocal. As if that wasn't enough, he later invented tape delay. Musicians like Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend, Eddie Van Halen, Slash made the les paul their signature guitar.



As the daughter of a guitar enthusiast, I was always making fun of the guys in the band because of the way in which they worshiped a solid guitar. Put a musician in a room with a naked woman in one corner and a solid electric guitar in another, I almost guarantee the musician (assuming it's a male musician) is going to go gaga over the guitar. However, I often find myself with the same googled eyes gazing at a custom guitar.

Thank you Les Paul for your ingenuity, your music, and your talent and may you rest in peace. God Bless

Weekend...fun?

I think I’m in for a long weekend. It was Michael’s birthday on Monday and he had a really difficult day as he just lost his father a few months ago. The first holiday…first birthday…first mother/father’s days are the worst when you’ve just lost someone you love. Although I’ve been there, I seem to be lacking the right words to say to provide any comfort because he is on edge and lashed out at me last night. I am flying to Phoenix tonight to be with him and am so nervous that my stomach is in knots leaving me nauseous and jittery. I’m not canceling the trip because I don’t want to leave him alone for the weekend, but I will defiantly need strength, prayers, and patience for the next few days.

Viva Vegas

On our way back to the 605, I thought it would be fun to stop in Vegas for the 4th of July. We arrived in town around 8:00, which was later than I wanted to but there are so many great outlet malls outside of Vegas, we had to detour. We stayed at the Golden Nugget which is one of my favorite hotels in Vegas! You can almost hear ole blue eyes and Dean Martin singing and laughing in the ballroom. It’s actually rumored to be haunted, but I can’t remember the story right now….go ahead and Google it.

We were really tired and Alex wanted to stay in the hotel and watch a movie, but I was determined to take him to the strip to see the fireworks and the dancing fountains. We parked in the PH ramp and I assumed we would just cross the street and be at the Bellagio; however, apparently the sidewalk in front of PH was under construction so I had to take Alex through the casino. Ugh – we had to walk right by the table with the dancing women in their little boy shorts and bra….nice memory for my eight year old.



We watched the fireworks and the dancing fountains and Alex was so tired, he just wanted to go back to the hotel room and wrap himself up in the blankets. On our walk back to the car, I asked Alex what he thought of Vegas so far and he replied “I think they should change the name to swearing town”.




Then next day we took in tons of touristy stuff in Vegas. Walked the strip, did some shopping, saw a show, went to M&M world, saw the shark aquarium and the lion habitat at MGM. We were going to see the Hoover Dam, but we were so exhausted, we just drove by and glanced out the window – still looks good everyone! Alex LOVED Vegas and even claimed that seeing Vegas was his favorite part of the trip - better than Disneyland! In fact, he informed me that he's going to attend college in Vegas - I replied that I was fine with that decision because I can rent an apartment near the UNLV campus.







Then we drove…..and drove…..and drove…..and drove until we arrived in Grand Junction CO which is the home of a very lucky hospital operated with LSS software – right Steph? I was really surprised to see how beautiful Utah was when driving through. I had a lay over in Salt Lake once, but other than that, have never been to Utah and really had zero desire (sorry Utahans). I had really wanted to make it farther than Grand Junction that night, but we hit some rain and the roads are so curvy, I just decided to get a full nights sleep and hit the road tomorrow - all 925 miles of it.

Tower of Terror

We drove by Disnelyand on the way to the hotel Thursday night and the FIRST RIDE that caught Alex’s eye was the Tower of Terror. He insisted that we make that our first ride
This isn’t my video, but I found it on youtube and it gives you a feel for the ride.



Did I mention that I hate rides? I can tolerate flying and boating – other than that, I prefer for my feet to stay on the ground. Obviously, this entire day really was, on my part, a labor of love.

I thought about that death trap the night before our visit to the park and convinced myself that....maybe Alex would forget about the Tower of Terror. Yeah right…I didn’t convince myself of anything. Rather, I wrote my last will and prayed.

After we finished at Disneyland, we made our way to California Adventure Park where the Tower of Terror was located. Alex dashed across the park looking back at me grinning the entire way.

After a 15 minute wait, it was our turn. We are directed to a room where they shut the lights off and play a twilight zone video showing the haunted hotel. That was enough to spook Alex out.

Alex: Mom, I’m the only kid on this ride! Everyone else is a teenager.
Mom: Alex, you met the height requirements so I’m sure that it’s safe for you to ride.
Alex: I’ve changed my mind!! I don’t want to go on this ride. Lets turn around mom

Okay…here’s my out. I don’t have to go on this ride! However, I knew Alex would regret it so I forged ahead.

We were then moved to the elevator which brought us to our seats – the seats by the way looked like an oversized electrical chair.

Alex: Mom, look…there’s an exit door. We can just leave. I don’t want to go on this ride.
Mom: You’ll be fine. This is the ride you’ve been talking about all day. We’re here – we’re going to ride.

We get buckled in to the ride and Alex is literally gripping my arm so hard that I was sure little finger imprints would be engraved forever.

After the spooky ghost, the elevator drops and you feel like you're free falling! Then you feel yourself heading to the top of the hotel.

Alex: MOM PUSH A BUTTON – I WANT OFF OF THIS RIDE
Mom: Alex – open your eyes

We drop again

Alex: MOM!!!!! IS THAT THE ONLY TIME WE DROP
Mom: I think so

Nope…we’re going up again….and we’re dropping again

Alex: MOMMMMM – I CAN’T DO THIS!
Mom: You just did it! The ride is over

Alex opens his eyes…looks around and says

THAT WAS AWESOME!!!

And Still....More Pictures