Hokie Pride

Ross and I decided at the last minute to go to Blacksburg this weekend. Thanks to the awesomeness of my sister and bonus-brother, the dogs were taken care of and off we could go. I really think this was the best thing we could do. We got to Blacksburg Friday evening and got to spend some time with Nic, Kate, and Kate's wonderful sister Julia ( a student at Tech).

Saturday started as one of the hardest days of my life. We went to campus and saw all of the memorials set up for those we lost. I can't even explain what it was like. Ross took some pictures so I'll be sure to post them. They are so sad and touching at the same time.

We left campus for Narrows, VA to attend the funeral for Jarrett Lane, Alicia's brother. The whole time we were there I just kept shaking my head. I couldn't believe what was happening. However, the service was a beautiful memorial to Jarrett. The turn out was phenomenal and there were so many heartfelt tributes made to him by the small town that raised him so well and loved him so much. It hurts so much to see people you love in such pain. You just want to take it away and you can't. After the funeral we got to spend some time with Alicia and her husband Daniel. It was wonderful to get to see them and hug them. You never really know what to say in those situations, but you just want them to know that you are there and you love them.

We had planned on only staying one night, but ended up staying over Saturday night, too (thanks again to the awesomeness of my family). After getting back to Blacksburg we went to the drillfield for the alumni/student picnic. And by picnic I mean the most awesome, kind thing ever. Ross and I got a chance to meet the VT police chief which was amazing. Very emotional, but amazing.

We ended our evening by spending more time with friends and then finally collapsing and getting some much needed rest.

I'm glad we went. I'm still exhausted and my head hurts and I have a deep wrinkle in my forehead from choking back tears for two days. But we both feel like it was what Ross needed, what we both needed.

Go Hokies

Brilliant

Truly, truly brilliant.

I heart F.T. Rea

Click here to see why.

THE FAT IS BACK!!!

I cannot stop eating. Like at all. Watch out. If you resemble food, I will eat you. Even if you are a mushroom smothered in cilantro you will GET IN MY BELLY.

Kind of normal again?

I didn't have much time to think of the chaos of the last few days because of major drama at school. I won't get into specifics but I will tell you that I spent much of the afternoon furrowing my brow, shaking my fist, yelling, "What's wrong with these kids today??!?!?!?!!?!?" and demanding that if anyone gives birth to a girl they should just put it back so it finishes cooking and comes back out a boy. Sounds like business as usual to me.

Blame

I don't understand why people are choosing to assign blame to VT administration and law enforcement for this tragedy. I cannot stand how people are choosing to play Monday morning quarterback about this. It is so inappropriate and uncalled for. Obviously, VT has taken steps towards an investigation by asking Gov. Kaine to appoint a team to look into what happened. A call needed to be made and they made it. We cannot fault them for that.

The person to blame is dead. No one else is responsible for this. And what really gets me is that it seems the people doing the majority of the finger pointing are not even the ones who have truly suffered.

And it goes on...

Please keep Alicia, Daniel, and all of their loved ones in your prayers.

Yikes Stripes!

I have found out over the last few days that LOTS more people who I know in meatspace actually read this blog! Like LOTS AND LOTS from various (waaaaaaaaay too various) parts of my life. Imagine an obscure part of your life and then think about an obscure person from it and imagine that that person knows everything about you. You don't *mind* that they know it, but you just wish you had knewn that they knew it.

But, I won't be lame and delete stuff that I'm less than proud of. Well. Not *all* of the stuff I'm less than proud of. This is like when Jennifer found out people actually read her blog and realized that she might have been making some HIPPA violations based on what she was posting. Except, I don't think my family can sue me for telling hilarious/touching stories of our dysfunction or expressing frustration with work can be grounds for dismissal. I hope. Hmmmmmmm...

Comments, Internets! Leave comments so I'm not working in the dark here.

What a day...

I'm not even sure what to say. I spent the evening with some of my most favorite Hokies. We cried and prayed for all of the students at Tech, thanking God for what a great place it is. I didn't go to Tech, but I spent many weekends there. It's a very special place to me, and even more special to my friends who went there. I just hope that when the healing starts, we think about the things we love about Tech and not the nightmare of this one day.

Wear your Hokie colors tomorrow to show your support. I know I will.

Wooooo boy

So this has been my first week completely off of Lexapro. I've spent the last few weeks lowering my dosage but last Saturday marked my first time being completely off of it for almost 2 years. Boy howdy am I glad that this week fell during Spring Break and not during a time where I had to, oh I don't know, function in any capacity.

It hasn't been terrible, just odd. The absence of it in my system combined with the antibiotic I was on for bronchitis made me have no appetite whatsoever. I seriously think my stomach shrank. I lost about 6 lbs. in a week. Sure, it's nice to see that on the scale, but it wreaks havoc on your body. It was like all of the systems in my body were freaking out and arguing with each other. Luckily that seems to have balanced out a bit. I actually want to eat and I'm letting myself eat whatever I want at this point so I can feel normal again. I'll worry about eating really well once my brain is balanced back out.

Apparently the best thing for the withdrawal systems is to just sleep. When you're sleeping you're not aware of the craziness going on, and part of the withdrawal is being exhausted, so I guess it works out. I'm a little nervous about having to go back to work tomorrow. I have yet to deal with actual stress without medicinal help in quite a long time. By the grace of God, however, we have a few relatively normal weeks coming up so I can ease back into the chaos.

Prayers for an easy transition would be appreciated. I'm having a hard time with the fact that there is a very real possibility that this won't work and I'll have to go back on it or some variation of it. And by hard time I mean breaking down into tears in line at Wal-Mart with poor Ross having no clue what's going on.

Fr-easter pics

Click here to see pictures from our first annual Fr-easter (Easter with Friends). We are contemplating also having a Fr-anksgiving, Fr-alentine's Day, and Fr-abor Day parties as well. Stay tuned! The pictures are courtesy of Jake Lyell, the best photographer in these parts and, dare I say it, the world. Highlights include Sam's mom (AKA the cutest and nicest woman ever), MattWhite rocking out to Billy Joel, James stealing candy from children while gambling, and several people playing dominoes. We are lame and AWESOME. HE HAS RISEN!

Guess where I went today!!!!

Here's a clue:


Sorry. It's probably a little off color to put a picture of a speculum on my blog. But, considering *I'm* the one that had to spend some time with this God-awful instrument today, I only feel but so bad.

Yes, I saw my good friend Dr. Miller today. I love Dr. Miller, despite the fact that I shudder each time April approaches as I know it's time for that annual exam that only 50% of the population must have. He's a very kind man and he keeps it relatively warm in his examination rooms, which is nice. However, I don't like how I have to spend so much time waiting in his examination rooms. I would much rather wait in the waiting room where clothes are allowed. When you are in the examination room you have to wear a hospital gown. Well, I guess it's a gown. It's more like the suggestion of a gown. The word "gown" implies a garment of much breadth that give you coverage. This gown opens to the back AND front and you have to sit "just so" to keep all of your goods covered. At least I've learned to keep my dignity and keep my socks on during these visits.

Everything went fine. Then of course he asked me when I was going to give him some babies. I thought this was odd. I was under the impression that *I* get the babies. He really should have asked when I was going to give him some more money. Then he told me that things were really "ideal" for me to start "working on that." He even said I looked perfect. I said "Thank you?" I mean, what do you say when some compliments your reproductive health? Rather than compliments, I would prefer a coupon that excuses me from next year's exam.

All of this took 5 minutes. Yes, 5 minutes of examining after 55 minutes of waiting. Waiting in the examining room, not in the waiting room. I guess it's better than him examining me in the waiting room. Oh well, the walls in his new office are so thin that I got to hear all of his conversations with his other patients. I now know that the lady next door is having bladder issues and the girl across the hall will only quit smoking when she gets wrinkles. On a much more exciting note, I got to hear a woman hearing her babies heart beat for the first time. It sounded like WHUH WHUH WHUH WHUH mixed in with her saying, "Oh, wow!" over and over again. I must say, that was very exciting. I imagine it would have been more exciting to have heard it while wearing underwear, though.

This is about as normal as we get...

What I learned from BodyJam*

1. I cannot dance.
2. Most people cannot dance.
3. I do not like dancing.
4. I do not like people looking at me while I can't dance.
5. I will not go back again.**

*BodyJam is a class at Gold's where you dance a lot. Like, you have to follow steps and stuff. And you dance. For an hour. The whole hour.
**Please check the class out for yourself. I had a lot of fun but it's just not for me.

Where were you when...

...Bill O'Reilly went insane-o?

Me? I was in bed watching it live on the television. Take a gander at this. Your mind will be blown so make sure you are wearing a hat to collect the bits-they can be hard to get out of the drapes.

Still hilariously hilarious.

I got this from Dooce who got it from The New Yorker. Enjoy, dear Internets.

Weekend Wrap Up...

Friday: Went to work for our one hour of staff development. Came home and slept a ton. Went to Patient First. Got poked, X-rayed, and diagnosed as having bronchitis AND tiny veins. Came home and went to bed ridiculously early.

Saturday: Slept for infinity. Went to in-laws to celebrate FIL's birthday. Ate some food that I'm sure tasted good but being that I couldn't smell anything, tasting was out of the question. Went upstairs and slept in the guest room while hubs played Wii and dominoes. Went home and went to bed.

Sunday: Slept for more of infinity. Cleaned the house. Saw Phannie for a few minutes. Went to church. Saw FSC's first baby on our first Easter which was very special. Came home. Had many friends over for Easter celebration. Went to bed before everyone left. Realized that I have lost all muscle tone in my body from not being able to work out for a while due to the death.

Today: Woke up *still* feeling like death. Can't sleep until the Verizon guy finishes what he's doing to give us better cable and Internet. Want to go back to bed so bad.

Sick. AGAIN.

Fortunately *this* death held off until Spring break started so I won't have to take time of work. I was doing ok earlier this week-just really bad allergies that actually required me to get eye drops. Stupid Richmond. However, I took a turn for the worst Friday morning. My chest was super congested and I had a 101 fever. I knew those symptoms didn't really come with allergies, so I decided to go to my most favorite place on Earth: Patient First.

I got there at around 6:30 and didn't leave until around 8:30. No, it wasn't because of a long wait-it was because it was apparently time for me to fall apart.

I went into the examination room and after asking 879 times if I was pregnant or nursing and when the last date of my period was, the doctor decided he wanted to do some blood work AND get a chest X-ray to rule out pneumonia. Sounds pretty easy, right? Yeah no.

Apparently I have the tiniest and deepest lying veins in the history of medicine. They stuck me in the right arm, left arm, right hand, left hand, and even my right middle finger before realizing that maybe the whole blood taking thing wasn't going to work out. So, they sent me off to X-ray where they had me stand up and breathe in and out lots and lots of times-not the best thing for someone who is having trouble breathing and who had just been treated like a human pin cushion. BTW, getting stuck in the hand HURTS. A LOT. Especially when they have to do it TWICE.

So, I passed out.

That's right. I keeled right over onto the poor X-ray technician, probably exposing much of my upper half. After sipping some orange juice and resting, I managed to stand up long enough to get my X-rays and waddle back to the examination room.

They had me put on my sweatshirt and a blanket with hopes that warming me up would make my veins more accessible. Didn't work, but luckily they figured out it wasn't worth it before sticking me again.

The doctor came back in and chatted with me for a while. We talked about how Richmond is seriously the worst place in the world when it comes to allergies. He actually said to me, "And I know you know, because you were 'Made in Richmond,' as I saw when you were X-ray." Nice bedside manner. Anyway, it was ruled that I have allergies on top of a nasty case of bronchitis. I was given a decongestant and a packet of antibiotics and sent on my way.

My fever finally broke last night. I realized this when I woke up in a pool of my own sweat actually feeling like I wasn't being roasted from the inside out. My coughs are being quite productive (yum!) and I can kind of take a deep breath without dying. God bless modern medicine.

Spring Break Project

Each time we're on a break from school, I take on some kind of project. Christmas break of 2005, I painted my office. Last summer I did a crappy job of fixing up the downstairs bathroom. This spring break I've decided to spruce up the upstairs balcony that is attached to my office. I figure this is a relatively low-key project and I won't be too depressed if I don't get much accomplished. It's just a nice feature to our house that we never use because it has become yet another crap corral for the Catrow family. It is currently home to the old air conditioning unit that was switched out last summer for the high-tech model-rather than putting it, oh I don't know, INSIDE we decided that we would just take care of it later. That phrase is the kiss of death for us. You'll also find the remains of a beaded curtain (yeah, that's right) that the former owner of this house just left hanging in our weirdo bathroom. All items are thoroughly infested by spiders and other deadly creatures, I'm sure.

I'll be sure to post pictures once it's started/in process/complete.

T-2 days!

Deep in the love

I love my husband more than anything in the whole world. I called him yesterday afternoon and basically told him he needed to make himself scarce so I could have the evening to myself. He did so without question. We reunited later that evening to take care of an unexpected guest (Remus who ended up staying with us until the wee hours of the morning while his mom was at the hospital-no worries, she's fine). My cell phone had died and Remus's parents called Ross to see if we could take care of the little one. Ross had no clue where I was, but was ready and willing to take care of the little buggar on his own if necessary. I was so proud that he was all set to help a friend out, even when it was COMPLETELY out of his comfort zone for an undetermined amount of time. Plus, Remus loves Ross so much and it's nice to see them entertain each other.

Hearts to the hubs!

P.S. Also hearts to the BodyFlow class at Gold's. Times of fun to the maxxxxx.

Weekend Wrap Up...

Friday: Ate pizza and saw TMNT with friends. Fun was had all around. Don't bring up gummi worms around Justin. Ever. Chomp chomp chomp.

Saturday: Fully planned on trying out the BodyFlow class at Gold's but got an unexpected call from Jenni to babysit the Remus while they move into their new house. Called my sister to come over and join Remus and I for lunch. Realized that people will move out of your way if you have a stroller. Tried to get Remus to take a nap. Took him for another walk. He finally fell asleep on my belly, drooled all over me, and caused me to get quite a kink in my neck. I love him but I was very happy to give him back and relish in my life of watching Nip/Tuck, eating Oreos, and chatting with my hubs.

Sunday: Woke up in time to convince the in-laws to take us to lunch. Chowed down at Five Guys. Bought 4 new plates at Target to "try them out" (whatever that means, Ross said it). Went to Lowe's and bought a scabiosa plant because it was one of the flowers I had in my bridal bouquet. Realized that scabiosa is quite an unfortunate name for such a pretty flower. Did some Dr. Oz exercises. Went to church. Only drank water at social time afterward, did not eat extra-large cookies sent directly to our congregation by the Good Lord. Did not get Taco Bell. Went to the gym. Got McDonald's instead of Taco Bell, but opted for the Mighty Kids Meal rather than the adult meal. Chatted and ate with the hubs. Tricked the Internet into thinking I'm pregnant. Will shower and go to bed soon.

T-4 days until SPRING BREAK!!!

New Life

God is so good. He has blessed us with a new life. We just discovered it today and I couldn't wait to share the news with all of you. This was very much wanted and somewhat unexpected, but we are so grateful that is happening to us...










...the radishes have started to sprout in our garden.



HA HA!!!!

Everyone should know this.

When someone is drinking water and it's gone down the wrong pipe, you don't need to ask them 35,342 times if they are ok. When this happens, all you want to do is cough to get the water out, not have to nod your head every 2 seconds to make bystanders feel better.

P.S. The church friends DID have the baby! And, yoga was awesome to the maxx. I can't wait to go next week.

Things you should be thrilled about

• I've lost 1 pound and I don't care where it is.
• Big Phannie is coming to RVA Easter Weekend.
• We *think* some friends from church had their baby.
• Tomorrow is Friday.
• I've gotten two, count 'em two, kind and supportive emails from a parent who used to scare the bejeezus out of me.
• I'm trying out the Yoga class at Gold's tonight.
• Yoplait yogurt (shut up, Ross, you win) was on sale at Kroger: 5 for $3.
• I've already had 64 ounces of water today.
• Today is the last day of our SOL simulation testing.
• This list is finished.

Prickly Pear

Apparently one of the side effects of going off of Lexapro is a tingling sensation, sometimes described as "electric shocks." Boy howdy, that has kicked in today. I wouldn't describe it as an "electric shock" but rather "pins and needles." All over my body. All of the time. It's not painful, just weird. Stretching and massages are apparently the best treatment for this. Gift certificates or cash donations will be accepted.

Other exciting news...

I talked to my doctor last week and we came to a decision. It's time for me to try going of my anti-anxiety medication. I've been on it for almost two years and I was ready to give myself a chance. He was really wonderful about the whole thing. I think a lot of doctors would have just said "Ok" and sent me on my way. After a couple days of phone tag, we actually got to talk about it in depth. He asked me why I wanted to go off of it and what coping strategies I was going to use instead. We talked about the importance of keeping up the exercise and the strategy of saying "no" to things (and people) that expose me to unnecessary stress. He assured me if it doesn't work out that I shouldn't be disappointed in myself and we will figure out the best thing to do next. And to think I was actually going to switch doctors.

It Is Well with My Soul

This hymn gets me every time. Particularly this verse:

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Either I sing it louder than anyone in church or I can't get the words out at all because they get me so choked up. I think I love this verse so much because is what I have the hardest time grasping. Probably because when I forgive people, I don't *really* forgive them for a while. Dr. Phil would say I'm a "scorekeeper" because I tend to log people's mistakes in my mind and hold on to them for a long time. I can't believe that with all of the mistakes I've made and continue to make, big and small, that someone actually forgives me totally and completely.

New member of the family!

This is Sadie! No, she's not ours (unfortunately). My mom and step-dad will be getting her in the next few weeks. I can tell by looking at her that I'm already her favorite. Her teeny tiny ears kill me with their cuteness. She will be staying with us for a week in June and I am SO EXCITED. Hopefully my two gigantic pups won't eat her.

Weekend Wrap Up...

Friday: I was going to take the day off but I couldn't get the sub I wanted, so I went in anyway. Dealt with a lot of Spring fever and the accompanying insanity. Went to the gym after work. Came home and showered. Met up with Ross at Nic and Kate's for poker. Only stayed for a little while because I was so worn out from my long week. Came home and watched many episodes of Nip/Tuck.

Saturday: Forgot to turn off my alarm. Woke up at 7am and was *this* close to getting into the shower because I thought I had to go to work. Went back to bed. Woke up and went with the in-laws to Ginger for a yummy-in-my-tummy lunch. Went to Lowe's and bought stuff for our square-foot garden. Started constructing said garden. Cheered Ross on as he bravely went under our house (the crawl space is seriously like 2 feet by 2 feet) to turn on the water line to our hose. Met up with Jenni and Mark for sushi. Went back to their place to see the cutie-pie Remus. Marvelled at how he is becoming a real person. Met up with Jake and Rachel at Mom Siam. Ate Jake's rice. Went to Can-Can and got overpriced drinks. Came home and went to bed.

Sunday: Got up and went to Lowe's to buy additional plants for the garden AND to exchange my gardening gloves that had a right AND left hand one. Finished up the garden and planted the vegetables. Went to the gym. Came home and showered. Went to church. Conned Ross into getting pizza for dinner. Did some laundry. Watched some T.V. To bed soon.

Have a great week!

A miracle.

Today I am wearing my size 4 jeans. This hasn't happened in a long time. I will celebrate by stuffing my face with cafeteria pizza.

Dear Nip\Tuck,

Why oh why do you have to be the best show ever? How could I have been so foolish as to not watch you all along? You're the cream in my coffee, the salt in my stew, and I love you and all of your ridiculous situations with everything that I am. With every episode, you get more and more far-fetched...and more of my heart.

Until I have Season 3 in my trembling, in-love hands,

Valerie
A.K.A The number one Nip\Tuck fan in the whole entire world
A.K.Ak TNONTFITWEW

Weekend Wrap Up...

Friday: Taught my booty off, got caught up on my grading, went to the gym, came home, took a ridiculously long nap, ate some pizza with friends, totally effed up my bamboo stitch scarf to the point of no repair.

Saturday: Hung out with Maura, bought some clothes, watched a lot of TV, got Wendy's for dinner, watched half of Tea with Mussolini, went to bed.

Sunday: Awesome time at the gym, went to the grocery store, cleaned the upstairs, did some laundry, got Taco Bell for dinner, watched The Natural, more laundry, to bed soon.

Where are we going, Ross? And why are we in this handbasket?

Ross and I got this in the mail last week:

It's probably hard to read, but it tells us that "something good is about to happen." And I mean, it must be true, because they wrote it in all caps and put it next to a floating Jesus. However, according to the letter, the "something good" can only happen if you write down your prayer and place that prayer, along with the prayer "handkerchief" (which was really just a piece of paper that they bought from Michael's that *kind of* looks like it could be a handkerchief) back in the envelope to be sent back to the church BEFORE BREAKING THE SEAL OF THE LETTER. Oops...

OMG!!!!!! As you can see, the seal is most certainly broken, and I can tell you that I broke it before any prayer page or prayer "handkerchief" were place in any envelope. I wonder how the church (and Jesus) would feel if they saw what we did to their prayer "handkerchief":

Ross used the other half to write down our grocery list. It's possible that the word "tampons" was written on this. I hope Ross remembered to pick up some ice packs to keep us cool IN THE FIREY PITS OF HADES.

I think I threw up my brain.

Ever since my experience with the Norovirus (or as Ross likes to call it, "The Winter Vomiting Disease") I have become incredibly stupid. Often when I walk into a room I forget why I am there. I love Wikipedia and often go there with excitement, but by the time the page loads, I don't remember what I want to look up. It's starting to take a long time for me to come up with words when I'm talking. No one else has seemed to notice. Maybe my brain worked at super speed before and the Norovirus has simply put me down at everyone else's level. Or it might be that I no longer need to know anything beyond the required intelligence of a 10 year old.

Frantic to the Maximum, Can't Relaximum

I've applied for 4 jobs. They are:
1. Technology Integrator
2. Media Specialist for Virginia Historical Society
3. Director for the Carver Promise
4. Donor Relationships Manager for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fund

Looking at the requirements, I actually might be somewhat qualified for each of these, but who knows. Uncertainty is not something I do well with, as we all know. I also don't do well with having to wait for responses. Why aren't they all pulling their hair out and demanding, "WHY DOESN'T SHE WORK FOR US YET?!?!?!?!?!?"

Life Freak Out

I'm getting a really bad feeling that I didn't get the integrator job. Now I am scared to death because that would mean having to actually find a job. As in, looking in the newspaper and equivalents in order to find positions that are somewhat related to my skill set. I AM NOT GOOD AT THAT. I have gotten every job I've ever applied for and I don't know how I will react if I don't get this one. I'm absolutely terrified of not having job-it's almost crippling to the point where I don't want to do anything about it. Teachers have job security like none other and it makes me nervous to let that go. I think I'm going to hyperventilate and throw up at the same time. It's especially frustrating because part of me is saying, "Just forget it. Keep teaching. You like it and it's stable." I want to punch that part in the face.

Weekend Wrap Up...

Friday: Pretty easy day, almost wrote someone an office referral for not covering her mouth when she coughed, got hair highlighted which took 2 1/2 hours but turned out cute, dinner with in-laws, watched VT basketball game with friends.

Saturday: Gym, felt sorry for myself, shower, felt sorry for myself, tried to go shopping, felt sorry for myself, bought nothing and came home, cried some because I felt sorry for myself, watched Nip/Tuck while knitting and felt a little better, to bed late because of the time change.

Sunday: Fed people at Loaves and Fishes, came home to eat lunch, took a short nap, off to church, praying, singing, etc. etc., shaved Ross's head, got dinner, have a headache, will grade some papers and then go to bed.

A Haircut.

Before.



























During.



























After.

Cutie Pie FO

I made this for our friends Georgia and Benjamin. We met them at church and love them to bits. They are both in medical school right now. They were, as the put it, "hit by the baby bus on the way to school." Their little girl is coming in two weeks. I thought if she had a cute hat she might be enticed to come out.

And that, my friends, is what we call progress.

I felt the black cloud coming yesterday evening. I'd had a rough week at work and was feeling especially unhappy with my life and what not. I can't explain where this desperate feeling comes from, but I can tell you that it is powerful and is capable of making you think about dark things. I don't mean dark thoughts as in hurting myself, but rather thoughts that really aren't worth your time thinking about.

Up until last year, my response to such a feeling would be to go to sleep. Or lie in bed trying to sleep. There would be unexplained crying, too. However, yesterday was different. As I felt the hopeless feeling coming on, I jumped up and told Ross I needed to go to the gym. Being the astute and wonderful husband he is, he knew exactly why. He kissed me and told me drive safe.

Rather than wanting to take to my bed, I'm now trained to crave physical activity when my mind has gone loopy. Obviously, this is a much healthier and more productive option. After just 10 minutes of running on the treadmill and breaking a little sweat, I felt better than I had in days - not just because I had made the healthy choice, but because I finally was understanding how to take care of myself on all levels.

Tattoo #2

Ever since I got my first tattoo, all I've wanted to do is get another one. A lot of people have asked me what I would get. Here's a sneak peak:

No, I wouldn't get the whole cover. I want to just get the bird. I chose this because this book changed my life. I seriously cry every time I read it. It showed me that it is possible to be a proud Southerner without taking on all of the stereotypes people attach to that. I think it articulates growing up in the South better than any other book I've ever read. It shows the beautiful and hilarious relationship that siblings have with one another, too. Since I love my siblings more than anyone else ever will (sorry Jen and Matt), I clearly connected with this aspect of the story. Also, Atticus Finch is one of my heroes and I hope to be the kind of parent he is.

As you can see, it means a lot to me. I would love to have a piece of it with me always.

P.S. Thanks to Mrs. Klein, my freshman English teacher. I read this book in her class. We would talk about it all the time and she'd cry right along with me.

A teacher's dream come true.

Well, I don't know if I would go *that* far, but this is pretty close.

As many of you know, teachers are on their feet all day long. When I sit down to lunch, it's literally the first time I've sat down in 3 hours. Consequently, we teachers often have aching feet. Sure, we have our Dansko's that help, but sometimes the only thing that will help is a foot massage. OR THIS:

First, it's 100% natural which is great. For some reason I'm comforted by the fact that, if necessary - like if zombies attack and we are stranded upstairs - Ross and I could live off of my Burt's Bees products for several days. Not only that, it works. As the tube says, "This wonderfully natural formula combines pure Peppermint oil, Parsley Leaf oil, and Menthol to soother and calm tired feet." I was not aware that so many of those ingredients had to be capitalized - you learn something new everyday. Anyway, the tube doesn't lie. In fact, I would even say that the tube holds back. This stuff WAKES UP YOUR FEET! Seriously, I've been using this consistently for a week and I've never known my feet to be so awake. It's heaven. Pure, golden, delicious, Peppermint Infused Heaven.

I just blacked out for 20 minutes

So I just had my interview for the integrator job. I remember going in, saying hello, saying goodbye, and walking out. Hopefully that's not all I did. I get so crazy nervous in situations like that. I could have gone in and recited the Gettysburg Address while standing on my head without even realizing it. I don't find out for 6 to 8 weeks (I remember hearing that part). Not it's waiting. I'm not good with waiting either.

Churning

There is so much to be stressed about today. The kids take their first part of their SOL Writing test. This part of teaching is incredibly hard because as much work you put in to preparing them, it's up to them to do it. On top of that, they are still dealing with the aftershocks of the recent tragedy in our school and its surrounding neighborhoods. To update you on that, the little girl has been transported to Shriners Hospital in Ohio. She is badly burned but fortunately unconscious, so she's not feeling anything.

Also, my interview is todaya t 1:40. I haven't had to do anything like this in a long time and the familiar stomach ache, nervous shaking, and overall feelings of mediocrity are starting to take over. I know I will be fine once I get in there, but I don't do well with anticipation. I'm ok with whether I get it or not, but quite frankly, I don't like it when people are looking at/evaluating me. The whole interview is only supposed to take 20 minutes. It will all be over by 2:00. Then I can go to the gym and watch Dr. Phil while I workout. Just gotta get to that point.

Ross and the PharrOut crew also have a big presentation today. He's not used to having to actually "talk" so he was a little nervous. I just told him to cut back on saying "I mean..." before every sentence and he should be fine.

I'm hoping there will be much celebration in the Catrow House once this day is over. We lead a very quiet life, so today is a big deal for us. I'm just ready to have it all been done, get in bed, watch Nip/Tuck, and snuggle.

Weekend Wrap Up...

Friday: Insanity came at me from every direction all day at school, came home, napped a little while, had dinner with Ross's parents at Casas Grandes, celebrated 5th anniversary of my step sister's successful bone marrow transplant, came home, went to bed.

Saturday: Gym for the first time in two weeks, watched 5 minutes of a Room With a View then turned it off after 5 minutes because it was SO BORING, watched Punch Drunk Love, watched a million hours of America's Next Top Model, ate pizza, watched Secretary, went to bed.

Sunday: Gym, came home,, had lunch, watched the History Chanel, made communion bread, went to church, got Taco Bell, watched Shalom in the Home, snuggled with the hubs, did some laundry, going to watch the Jesus Bones show, might be Jewish tomorrow.

What a Nightmare

This is a family at my school. Please keep them in your prayers, particularly the little girl in the hospital. I will post more information when I know it.

Happy Birthday, Dear Friend

My friend Remus turned 1 year old yesterday. Here he is last weekend enjoying his first taste of cake. He kept wanting to share his mushy, drooly cake with everyone. While he was opening presents, his mom and dad realized he had what can only be described as a cake-booger coming out of his nose. He's the cutest, sweetest baby in the whole wide world. He's attracted to anything electronic and likes to make popping noises with his mouth. He prefers to stand up while getting his diaper changed. He has very sensitive skin. He loves loves loves his puppy dog and thinks banging his hands on a table is just about the most fun thing ever. All of these things make him one of my favorite friends.

Happy Birthday, Little Man!

The 1/2 month of faaaaaaaaaaaaat

I haven't been to the gym since my death period. I wanted to make sure I was completely well before I even considered physical activity. Honestly, I didn't feel 100% until yesterday. I think it was only then that I had finally made up for all of the calories I didn't consume last week.

I thought about going today. Ross is out watching a basketball game with some friends and I got all my extracurricular work done ahead of time. I was even home relatively early. But no. I took a nap instead, simply because I hadn't taken a nap all week. I feel like crap now and I know I would be feeling great if I had gone and run for just 30 minutes. But oh well. I'll get back on track this weekend.

So, I guess this is really happening.

I finished my portfolio for that interview I told you about. I also told my team members at school that A) I'm interviewing for that position and B) either way it goes, I won't be back next year. I almost (almost, almost) wanted to cry when saying it, partly because I'm happy/excited, partly because I'm sad/scared. I told them that I need to step away from teaching in the classroom for a little while, to focus on other things, namely my own life. Teaching is all-consuming. Don't get me wrong. It's wonderful. Wonderful. But I require myself to give 100% to everything I do. And as we know, mathematically, that can't really happen. I've always said that I never wanted to be someone who was defined by what their job is, and that's how things are now. I owe it to myself and my friends and my family to be emotionally available. I have no idea what is going to happen. I know what I want to happen and I know how I want the next few years to look, but who knows how it will really go. It's funny. Normally I don't do well with being in limbo, but I'm liking not knowing what to expect.

Weekend Wrap Up...

Friday: Did an interview at the Belmont Butcher for West of the Boulevard News (should be up Thursday), stopped by work, praised the good Lord that I had a great substitute, got caught up on grading and lesson plans, met Ross at his parents' house, went with the mother-in-law to Five Guys, watched a few episodes of Nip/Tuck while grading and knitting, sleep.

Saturday: Did NOT go to the gym, laid around the house, went to celebrate Remus's 1st birthday (!), ate at Zeus Gallery Cafe, came home and watched tons of TV while Ross was downstairs with MattWhite watching a million YouTube videos, more sleep.

Sunday: Slept SO late, hung around the house, went to church, ate some cookies, went to dinner at Joe's with MattWhite and his parents (free food!), came home, not watching the Oscars because it's too stressful for me, gotta go to bed soon to rest up for my first day back at work in a long time.

Here's a cute thing for you to look at:

This is not my baby or any baby that I know. Nor is this my puppy or any puppy that I know. I'm too lazy to upload cute pictures taken at Remus's birthday party (there was cake up his nose at one point), so I just thought I'd google "puppy and baby" so you'd have something to look at until I get my act together.

Ok, seriously...

Does anyone else think that Britney Spears is *this* close from kicking the bucket, either by her own hand or by some crazy accident? What with the shaving the head and the in and out of rehab and the Kevin Federline being the stable parent, don't you feel like E! True Hollywood Story has just written out the script and she's following it? I feel like any day now I'm going to go to people.com and find out that she did herself off by drinking gasoline or something.

I'm going to feel really bad if that actually does happen. Probably a lot like how Michael Douglas felt after Princess Diana died and he said that the public wouldn't have the same reaction if Mother Teresa died. AND THEN SHE DID. AND THEN THEY DID. AND HE WAS A WRONG BUT JINXING MAN.

Who's this?

Take a guess...

She works hard for the...well...hmmm

This is going to be a busy week. On top of playing catch up from last week (BTW, I am feeling wooooonderful now, thank you), I have a million balls up in the air.

First and foremost, the 5th grad SOL writing test is on March 6th and 7th. I will be teaching my rear end off from now until then, trying to fine tune the little darlings. Also, I have a feature due for West of the Boulevard News on Thursday. The guy in charge sure knows how to crack the whip-AND he's not even paying me. On top of that, my interview requires quite a bit of preparation. Thankfully, I got my work for PharrOut done. And honestly, I kinda love being busy with this kind of stuff.

Since I've had two whole posts without a picture, I thought I'd let you see what it looks like when I work. At least when I do writing work. My teaching area is always very organized and uncluttered-you have to set a good example for the little ones. Anyway, here it is:

I love this spot with all of my heart. If you zoom in you can see all kinds of crazy stuff. For example, that piece of paper with the well-blocked off text includes such lovely tidbits as my occassional tracking off weight and measurements, co-workers phone numbers, and a primitive log of my time spent working for PharrOut. Please also notice the beautiful portrait I did of Ross. He did one of me too but, fortunately, that one is blocked by my laptop. Enjoy!

Interview

I've been picked to interview for a new job within the county. It's a technology integrator position and, I'm gonna say it, I know I'm right for it. I have to prepare two lessons that I will present in front of a panel. Luckily, I integrate technology into my lesson plans all of the time, so this won't be too much of a stretch.

Honestly, part of me feels like I just jinxed myself by sounding so confident. But, I really want this job and I really think they should give it to me. The interview is on Tuesday, March 6th at 1:40pm. Please send out good thoughts and prayers.

Sixth day off from work...

Ok, it's actually only 4 work days that I've missed, but I haven't *been* to work since last Friday. When I go back on Monday, it will be 9 days that I haven't worked. I'm not very good at this, to be honest. I feel like I'm misbehaving or something and that it is totally reasonable for me to go to work and just drag trashcan behind me in case I start puking.

Janie, my mentor teacher, called me today to let me know that the kids are doing really well. She could be lying so I won't worry about them, and God bless her if she is. She knows if she even hinted about them acting up I would be over there in all of my feverish glory to wield my trembling sword of authority.

How I've been spending my sick days...

This a scarf using "Bamboo Stitch." I got the pattern (yes, I'm actually following a pattern) from KnitSimple. Jane was kind enough to pass the yarn along to me. I love the color so much because I'll be able to wear it with both my black coat and my olive-colored coat. I really like how the stitch is coming out, even if my lack of motor skills at the moment have made the edges a little wobbly. Oh well. It's nothing that some creative ironing can't fix. I plan on wearing this skinny scarf as part of my favorite type of outfit: jeans, a cute T-shirt, and ridiculously cute accessories. It's a perfect early springtime scarf because it's soft and not at all heavy. I'll be sure to post pictures when I'm finished.

Coming back from death

Well, I thought the sickness on Monday morning was just a quick, little, passing thing. Not so much. I felt great Monday afternoon, even great enough to go to Capital Ale House with James and Jennifer. Turned out to be a bad idea. At about 9:00 that night the vomitting and other things started and didn't stop until I got some anti-nausea medicine at Patient First at 8:30 the next morning. At least I didn't need an IV this time.

So, it looks like I'll be out of work this whole week. When I had this thing last year I kept thinking I'd be ok to go in, but now I know not to push it and just use the sick days-that's what they're for, right? And considering feeding the dogs exhausts me enough to warrant a 2 hour nap, I think I made the right decision.

My co-worker's have been awesome. I'm very nervous though because this is one of the last weeks I had to get my kids ready for the writing test. Oh well, I'll just have to hammer it in over the next week and a half and pray a whole lot.

I hope this made sense. Typing has proved to be very difficult, just like touching my nose with my index finger and walking in a straight line.

This is why I love Kroger

Last night Ross and I were in Kroger buying the ingredients for the delicious French Onion soup when we passed by their $9.99 DVD kiosk. AND GUESS WHAT THEY HAD!!!!!!!! This:

My brother (don't click that link because he NEVER updates his blog. Ahem.) and sister will be the only ones who understand how exciting this is. ALMOST as exicting as getting Follow That Bird! for Christmas when I was 22 years old.

Someone *really* wants to blog.

Bluh.

Apparently I caught a little something from dear Remus while I babysat him on Saturday night. I had all 45 minutes of direct contact with him, but I guess that was enough to pass along some variation of his funk. I was akwakened by a cramping stomach and wicked nausea this morning. Once my body was vertical for more than 5 minutes, the toilet and I became good friends for awhile. Needless to say, I didn't make it into work and I'm sure that all of my colleagues think I'm playing hooky on what would have been a day of staff development. Trust me, I would much rather be developed than vomit anyday.

Luckily, I'm feeling much better already. My fever seems to be gone and I can think about food without wanting to die. Thank the Lord for quickly passing near death experiences.

Weekend Wrap Up...

Friday night: Started easy fingerless gloves, kept knitting until I finished one which meant staying up until 1:00am.

Saturday morning: Fed the dogs, went to the gym.

Saturday day: Interviewed Stewart over at The Yarn Lounge for a piece on West of the Boulevard News, napped.

Saturday night: Babysat Remus, ordered in from Carytown Burgers and Fries, watched 1/4 of Chariots of Fire but went upstairs because I couldn't understand anything those crazy Brits were saying, finished other fingerless glove, handed Remus off to his parents, went to bed.

Sunday morning: Slept through it.

Sunday afternoon: Woke up at noon (you can do that when you have no babies), went to Target to buy food processor and Dutch oven (when Ross says we need something, it's a responsibility, went to church.

Sunday night: Finished my article about Stewart, ate delicious French Onion soup (thank you, Brandon Eats), watched T.V., off to bed soon.

And now for the thing I love most this week...

Because I can't take a good picture to save my life, let me explain what this is. You might be able to see that it says "Murray's Hair Dressing Pomade." Maura gave Ross this awhile ago to tame his crazy moustache. Since Ross is not one for grooming so much, it was going unused. Now, many people rave about how easy short hair is. As a person with short hair, I will tell you that it is extremely easy if you've got the right product. After spending probably thousands of dollars on different pomades and waxes that must have been laced with gold considering their price, imagine my surprise when I discovered that this product was the best thing out there. The reason why I never got it before is because I'm so programmed by society I guess to not venture anywhere near the aisle in the drug store that displays products intended for African American hair. And you can't see in the picture, but there's a picture of a guy wearing a do-rag on the side of the container. So, honestly, it's not what I would have gone for first. But, Murray's Hair Dressing Pomade, I'm so glad you came into my life. You take me from looking like a nine year old boy to looking like a 25 year old lady with cute-ass hair. Thanks, Murray!

Breakfast at the Catrows

Setting: The Catrow house, 8:00 am on a typical Saturday

Characters:

Shooter Belle Catrow: Epileptic, OCD, and captain of the Fun Police
















Zapp Along Catrow: Tall, gangly, and stupid

















Z: OHMIGOSH!!!!! WE GET TO GO DOWNSTAIRS!!!! I LOVE DOWNSTAIRS!!! IT'S SO FUN!!!!! LET ME SHOW YOU HOW EXCITED I AM BY SLAMMING INTO THE WALLS AS I WIGGLE AND SHAKE!!!! SHOULD I KNOCK EVERYTHING OFF OF THIS TABLE WITH MY TAIL????? OK!!!!

S: Miss, please hurry up. It's been quite awhile since you fed us last.

Z: ISN'T THIS GREAT?!?!?!?!?!?! OMG OMG OMG!!!!! SHE'S GETTING YOUR BOWL, SHOOTER!!!! LOOK AT HER, LOOK AT HOW SHE GETS YOUR BOWL!!!! I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!!!! LET ME JUMP ALL OVER YOU TO SHOW YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE HER!!!!!

S: Miss, make sure you coat each of my epilepsy pills with olive oil. You know I won't eat them, otherwise.

Z: AND WATER!??!?!?!?!?!?!?! WATER, TOO? THIS IS AMAZING!!!!!!! LOOK AT HER GO!!!! SHE'S FILLING UP YOUR WATER DISH!!!!

S: Hop to it, please. I need to get back to my OCD rituals of sniffing every doorknob in the house.

Z: OMG, YOU'RE GOING TO FEED ME, TOO????!!!!!!!?????????? LET ME THRASH ABOUT 2 FEET OFF OF THE GROUND LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER TO SHOW MY APPRECIATION!!!! OOPS, I KNOCKED OVER THE TRASHCAN BECAUSE I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!

-Fin-

1/2 FO

Taaaa-dahhhh!!!

I decided to make a super-easy version of fingerless gloves. It's garter stitch but I seamed it together along the cast-on/bind-off sides so they kinda look ribbed. Jane was kind enough to bring me some quality yarn (you can see the label in the corner of the picture). I must say, knitting with yarn that isn't 100% acrylic is very delicious. Hopefully I'll get the other one done tomorrow-just in time for it to warm up so I can never wear them!

Who else misses these guys?

I was thinking about Leah and Jeremiah a lot today for some reason, and whadyaknow, I found this picture of them. It's from the first pig pickin' either 2 or 3 years ago, I can't remember.

You'll be back. Oh, you'll be back. One day California is going to sink into the sea, and you'll be back.

I shouldn't be allowed to dress myself.

First incident: I had a really hard time putting on my tights today. I got them about halfway up my legs and then they wouldn't budge. I then realized that they were a size that I haven't worn for about 3 years. Why do I even still have them?

Second incident: I couldn't understand why I felt so fat today. Then I remebered that the skirt I'm wearing is actually one size too small. Again, why do I even have this skirt?

Sigh.

Let's start something here...

This is what Ross wakes up to every morning:

And we're still married. When I looked in the mirror this morning, I laughed out loud (LOLed, as some would say) because of how ridiculous I looked. Naturally, I immediately wanted to share my appearance with you, dear readers. Please notice my hair and the smudged makeup under my eyes. Also that I look like a man. I'll have you know that I saved this picture under the name "hotness."

You should all be brave and post pictures of what *you* look like when you first wake up. It's ok-we're all friends here.

One Less

As many of you know, if Ross is interested in something it is all we discuss at the Catrow house. Honestly, I oftentimes just nod my head and grunt in response to Ross's soap-box and/or nerded-out moments, but his latest issue of concern is actually of interest to me, both as a woman and a responsible citizen. Wait, that *might* imply that women aren't responsible citizens, but I think you get what I mean.

You might be familiar with the One Less campaign that's been on TV as of late. It advocates women and girls getting a vaccination for HPV, a virus that up 75% of women will get at some point AND is responsible for 90% of cervical cancer cases. If you are woman who takes good physical care of yourself and your parts, i.e. you go to the gynecologist every year, get your pap smear, do your breast exam every month, you are going to be somewhat prepared if ever presented with a dreaded diagnosis of cancer because you will probably detect it very early. I would consider myself one of these women. I am very aware of what is going on with my body. Not only that, I am in a monogomous relationship and do not engage in what some might call "risky behavior" that might expose me to STDs. However, I'd jump at the chance to get a vaccination that makes yet another woman's issue a non-issue for me.

The CDC is recommending that all girls (because HPV seems to have no lasting effect on boys) get this vaccination before going into middle school, along with the whole other round of shots they get. Legislators in 10 states are even working to make it a requirement, just MMR vaccinations and the like. Women and girls who want the vaccine are even having trouble getting it.

And yet there are some people who believe that vaccinating kids against an STD will encourage them to have premarital sex because, hey, it will be one less thing for them to worry about. I mean I know that once I got my tentanus shot before going to college I ran right out and tap-danced on some rusty nails because finally I was free!!!!!!! Now that I have my flu shot, I'm going to go lick every doorknob in school BECAUSE I CAN!!!!!! I hope you sensed my sarcasm.

We need to weigh the options here. Do we really want to run the chance of more women and girls getting cervical cancer because we think giving them a shot will give them the greenlight to go have sex? I guarantee if you ask any sexually active or non-sexually active teenager what scares them about having sex they will say A) pregnancy B) HIV/AIDS C) my parents finding out and killing me. I really don't think you will hear much concern over HPV or cervical cancer. It's not an issue for them and it doesn't have to be. We have a vaccine for a virus that leads to cancer. Did you read that? A vaccine for cancer. I was sure flying cars would come first. I'm just thanking my lucky stars here and maybe everyone else should be doing the same.

Dearest Pam,

I promise you, I am normally not a suspicious, socially awkward ass. When Ross and I were in Ukrop's today and you came up and asked me if I had a blog, I was so taken aback and shocked that my immediate reaction was that you must have mixed me up with someone. Even though I *do* have a blog, I was convinced that no one actually *reads* it. That's probably why I squinted my eyes at you and demanded that you tell me the name of the blog you were referring to. Honestly, I almost wanted to ask you what my tattoo looks like or what my dogs' names are to see if you were for real. In any event, if we ever cross paths again, I promise from the bottom of my heart that I will not be a bumbling, somewhat asshole-ish (though it was completely inadvertent) fool.

Thanks for reading. I hope you keep on doing it and don't start some meme about how I suck.

All the love in my heart,
Valeree

Weekend Wrap Up...

Friday: Said goodbye to the instigator of all 5th grade drama because it was his last day, came home, tried to nap, met up with Ross's parents for dinner and Gallery 5 meandering, off to bed.

Saturday: Went to gym, went on an insane cleaning spree, got 5 Guys for dinner, bought a book, came home, finished Windy City scarf, off to bed at 2am.

Sunday: Gave up trying to sleep because I apparently don't do that anymore, made Communion bread for church, took Jenni to see Mark in the hospital, went to church, ate some brownies, got Taco Bell, came home, started this:

It will be a hat for me someday. I'm off to bed very soon because I'm truly exhausted.

Early morning FO

I got the itch to finish some knitting tonight, so the Windy City scarf has been complete!

I obviously still need to weave in some loose ends, but that won't take long. I had this listed under my "current knits" as "modified" basically because I don't have the patience to make scarves as long as they should be. This one was done in seed stitch, which is only slightly less boring than garter stitch or stockinette stitch. I could only take so much of it. But, I think it still looks good. I also enjoyed figuring out how to make the slit in the scarf without using any help from a pattern. That seems to be my way of knitting: seeing something I like and then figuring out on my own how to do it. I will say that I have a new-found love for the stitch holder (please note that the aforeplaced link is by no means an endorsement for any particular store-I just wanted you to know what I was talking about.) Anyway, here I am with Windy in all my sleepy glory:

As you can see from the content and quality of the picture, I'm very sleepy. The price we pay for a creative outlet.

This is really getting ridiculous.

Every year we have kids from the middle school band, chorus, and orchestra come and perform for our little babies so they can have an idea of what electives will be available to them once they leave elementary school. This is usually pretty fun for us teachers because we get to see former students as they are struggling through their awkward phases. They come running up to you screaming and wanting hugs. Needless to say, if the screaming, hugging child is one you enjoyed, it can be a pretty nice reunion.

Well, I saw some really great kids today (I have taught some of the most beautiful children in the world, btw) and heard some really bad middle school music. I also got asked by two former students if I'm pregnant. I stared and them in horror and said, "No! Why?" I was so scared they were going to say, "Well, lady, you're a lot fatter now than you were when you were the boss of me." But no, instead they BOTH said INDEPENDENTLY OF EACH OTHER this:

"No, I just saw you standing there with your hands on your stomach."

What. the. hell.

True Love

Ross and I were just lying in bed watching MTV when I had a sudden, crippling craving for orange juice (I have had similar cravings like this before, like when I woke up one morning and told him that if I didn't have a crab cake that day I was going to punch someone in the face). I wasn't even whining, I was just talking about it. Before I knew it, he was out of the bed, getting dressed, and off to 7-eleven. The whole time he was gone I was sitting with my mouth hanging open, half believing that this was part of some tragic movie plot that would end in him randomly dying in a horrible accident, as I often do when things happen out of the ordinary. But, fear not, he soon returned with a bottle of orange juice for me, retrieved out of love and the desire to make me happy. He's getting snuggles^maxx tonight!

Flashback: Our girl, Zapp

I came across some long forgotten pictures of Zapp from when she was a puppy. I have a hard time remembering what either one of the dogs what like before they became giants, but apparently they were insanely cute. Take a lookie:


Her first picture with us. Her head now reaches to the top of the washer and dryer and she is much more excited about things.

Their first meeting. Don't worry, Shooter is not the devil.

About two days after we got her. Ok, not really, but it felt like she grew that fast. BTW, there's no way she would fit under there now.

My heart skips a beat when I see this picture because she looks so cute. She's about twice as big as that now and even stupider than ever. But I love her, our Zappy-Girl.

FO I never shared

I don't think I've ever actually shown a knitting project that I've finished (an FO in the knitting world). So, here's one:

This is Remus in his "Remus Raggamuffin Hat." I got this idea one day when I was babysitting him. Remus is almost a year old so he's into everything. He kept finding all of his clothes, and every piece of clothing that he found I put on him and called him a raggamuffin. So, I decided to make a hat that would suit such a name. I have a bunch of odds and ends in my stash that I thought would work together. There's no rhyme or reason (i.e. pattern) for the hat, but I can tell you that I made it the size you would normally use for a child (not a baby, not a toddler, a CHILD-he has a big ol' head). It's hard to tell in the picture, but there's a green pom-pom on top which he has pulled off as of now. I fixed the hole and stitched a green star on the top instead. Ross always said pom-poms were for girls, anyway.

Also, notice that he's trying to get into the container holding my latest project. Maybe he will knit one day! Also also notice the drool lingering on his chin. I love him with my heart.

Again, there is something seriously wrong with me.

• I was the one that pointed out that the cartoon, talking igneous rock in today's Science video looked like a piece of poop.
• I was offered a piece of chocolate today and TURNED IT DOWN.
• In the car on the way home from the gym I head Lionel Richie's "Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady" and started bawling.
• I am completely obsessed with the proper functioning of the folding door I just installed. Like to the point where I bet I won't sleep tonight.
• I have a very hard time *not* sharing with Ross what I learn during my kids' family life classes, such as the difference between sperm and semen. That's right. I just said sperm and semen.

I've done my part, now you do yours.

God owes me a snow day.

So the death I caught either never went away, came back, or mutated into something that has created a large, spiky lump in my throat. Regardless, I came home today not feeling well at all. We have Bible study on Tuesday nights. I haven't been for weeks, usually because I was sick (surprise surprise) or I had a PTA thing to do. Ross really wanted me to go this week, so I decided that I would come home and get some rest so I could feel well enough to make it.

Well, Shooter had other plans. Usually my dogs are the best napping dogs in the world. Shooter sleeps near your feet to keep them warm and Zapp is about the snuggliest dog ever. Zapp was doing her part, but Shooter thought this time would be better spent engaging in his OCD rituals (sniffing the outlet and doorknob) and doing his annoying huffing bark at every noise or non-noise in, around, or within 50 miles of the house. Consequently, no sleep was gotten.

Ross came home ready for us to head off. I tried to get out of it, but he wasn't having any of it. We're watching a DVD series in Bible study right now and apparently during the last few meetings Ross has gotten cynical and had trouble expressing his frustrations (as robots often do). He needed me to be there to translate and label his feelings for him so he wouldn't offend anyone and get us excommunicated. So I went. In the freezing cold.

It wasn't bad. I got a free sub and the DVD lesson didn't short circuit Ross. I also got to sit next to the woodstove which was nice. I'm not sure how I feel about having a Bible study based on lessons given by a guy that we can't challenge or talk to, but hey. My head was and is pounding though from being conscious and I'm exhausted beyond belief.

So, I thought with all of my sacrifices, there was sure to be some snow falling from the sky by the time we got in the car to go home. There wasn't. There better be snow tomorrow. I mean, yeah I know God let his only son die for all of my sins, but I gave up napping to watch a DVD and babysit my husband.

I need a favor.

They are calling for snow tomorrow. I need each and everyone of you to go and turn your underwear inside-out (please put them back on) and be sure to sleep with your pajamas on backwards tonight. Thank you.

Who wears the pants in this family?

I spent the afternoon hanging a door to our bathroom. Ross IMed me frantically and insisted that we go to a department store so he could get some clothes for work. It took me 10 minutes to pick out the door. It took Ross 30 minutes to pick out two shirts and two ties.

He's all mine and he's fabulous.

Weekend Wrap Up...

Friday: Went to Popkin's Tavern for dinner with Sam and Allison, almost exploded with fury at the rude woman there, walked around First Fridays in the rain, had a beer with Justin and Megan at crowded Commercial Taphouse.

Saturday: Went to the gym at 12, lazed around, nursed Shooter through 45 minute seizure, had dinner at cous cous with the in-laws, went to bed.

Sunday: Went to the gym at 10, lazed around some more, went to church, joined Ross at his parent's house for Super Bowl, went home at 9:30, went to bed.

I have nothing that is a favorite right now because I'm crabby. I'll spare you the list of things that are most definitely NOT my favorite.

yum yum cous cous

Last night Ross, the in-laws, and I headed over to cous cous for dinner. We had to wait a pretty long time to get a table (we got there at 7, didn't sit down till about 8:45-luckily Ipanema is right around the corner ready to serve you drinks), but I would say it was well worth it.

We opted for the tapas style dinner. Everything we had was wonderful and beautifully portioned. Their menu is Mediterranean/Moroccan and has a lot of really great flavor combinations and textures that I'm not used to. Apparently the menu changes with the season so our dishes had what tasted like nutmeg and cinnamon all throughout. I love how a flavor can be associated with a season and I cannot wait to see how everything changes come springtime. Here's what we had:

• Kebkah: lamb, pork, and beef meatballs in a tomato-cinnamon type sauce
• Crabka: crab balls with capers aioli
• Gambas: shrimp in white sauce
• Curry Platas: seasoned french fries with curry sauce
• Manchego Fritters: friend Spanish cheese with a mango sauce
• Gnocchi: potato pasta....mmmmmmmazing

I wanted to finish the meal with the Grilled Fruit Kabob (don't be thinking this had pineapple or apples on it-we're talking figs. FIGS I TELL YOU) but they were all out. So, I went for the Poached Pear. It came on top of some kind of brown-sugar, figgy cake, and was surrounded by chopped, chilled pears. I'm kind of obsessed with the combination of hot and cold, something that they seem to like at cous cous. My MIL got a chicken pita that came with a chilled curry sweet potato mash that was SO good-I'm still thinking about it. Anyway, the dessert was delicious and well worth the $6 my FIL paid for it.

Please go to cous cous, if not for the food, then for the every other Wednesday entertainment provided by MattWhite's Fight the Big Bull.

El campo de Jesus

After saying I would get back to you about Jesus Camp and then subsequently *didn't* get back to you, I was asked by Justin to, well, get back to you.

In case you don't know, Jesus Camp is a documentary about a camp that some kids growing up in the Pentecostal church attend in order to learn about evangelism and the like. We get to know a few kids really well as they tell us about "what kind of church God wants to go to" and as we get a snippet of some their homeschooling lessons in which global warming is dismissed as "not really a big issue." Now, to be fair, some of the things that these kids did at church were activities and lessons that I would eventually want my kids to be a part of. The woman in charge of the camp seems to have a real, working knowledge of effective teaching strategies and the like and some of her lessons seemed spot on.

However, the whole experience kind of left me cringing. And what's most frustrating is that I have a hard time articulating what it was exactly that is making me cringe. I'm very ambivalent about the whole thing. So, I guess what I have to say about this film is that I have nothing to say. Disappointing, I know. But I think it tells you that you should probably watch it, because it is not often that I have nothing to say about something, especially a movie.

Official Endorsement

A few weeks ago, Ross told me he was working on a project with Jorge. My response was to punch him in the chest and say, "Don't steal my Internet friend!"

Well, he did. But, it was for a good cause. The hubs and good ol' J in Ric joined forces in response to John's call to arms. And thus, West of the Boulevard News was born.

This is my official endorsement: I endorse it. Not only because I'm married to its co-creator, but I think it's a good thing. I think most people who live in this area love it dearly because of all it has to offer: excellent, eclectic living at a reasonable price. So, it's good that we residents of the Museum District, Carytown, etc. area keep up with the latest news and happenings on our little piece of this beloved city. So please, visit this new site and make it part of your daily reads. If not for the content and the site's good intentions, but for the byline that I came up with.