Homecoming

In a way, today signified the end of summer (besides the looming start of school date on my calendar).

Since Jamie was done with school, she and Alexys have been at either our house or their mother's house for weeks at a time. We got both of them back after 4 and a half long weeks on Wednesday (the day I got home from Idaho) and today we dropped Lex back off to their mother. After dinner at Anth and Heidi's for his birthday, we came home. It was strange only having one of the girls, but I am so glad to have Jamie back.

Even though the circumstances under her abrupt move in with us were not the best in October, she has truly been a blessing. She is a typical 'tween and can be a total sassypants, but having her around has taught me so much, about being a woman and a mother. She has taught me patience and a kindness I do not think I knew. I know I have a short fuse and lack patience. But having a fifth grader move in with you changes everything. She has been with her mother for a vast majority of the summer, and tonight, it was so great to have her home. She brightens up this apartment, and I am so glad she is home. I only wish Alexys were able to be with us, but I think that her new environment is going to be really good for her. It is still quiet without her endless chatter, but I think she enjoys being the big sister at her mom's house. Still...doesn't stop me from wishing we had both of them.

Seriously?

Who vacuums at midnight? Our idiot neighbors, that is who.

I hate you. Go away.

Hmph

Weighed in today. I gained, which I expected, since I ate nothing but crapola in Idaho. Tomorrow we have a wedding, which will be hard to stay semi-OP with, but I am going to attempt. I am also going to work out in the morning. Hold me to it, k?

And in typing this, I have realized this blog has become more than I intended it to be. It was initially created to keep track of my menus and weigh-ins and workouts. Instead, I have begun to use it in a way to vent about my life and share my joys. I hope my few readers are ok with that switch, because I believe weight loss and changing my life can come hand in hand. I have to change my life in order to lose weight, and with the weight loss comes a new life...a new beginning, if you will.

Fall is coming, which means time for jeans. Which means I better be able to fit my fat ass into mine in a few weeks.

My Inspiration

While catching up on the lives of my fellow bloggers upon returning to Cleveland, I came across Colleen's site that listed 25 things that inspire them. After a weekend full of sadness over the death of my uncle and awe of nature, I have decided to compile my own list.

25 Things that Inspire Me
1. The way my husband adores his daughters
2. The love my parents share
3. New post-its
4. School supplies in general
5. Wicked and Rent
6. The first day of a new school year
7. The way my husband smiled at me nonstop as I walked down the aisle and during the entire ceremony.
8. Knowing that in less than a year, I will have a Master's degree in School Leadership and COULD BE a principal
9. The way my dad gets excited when I talk about the baby C and I hope to have...SOMEDAY
10. Hours full of nonstop reading in the quiet
11. The fall...pumpkin carving, Halloween, THanksgiving, hooded sweatshirts, Cleveland Browns...everything about it. Sights and smells.
12. New shoes
13. Pictures of the good ol' days with my friends. When we were young, carefree, and I was a size 6
14. Standing ovations for my cast
15. A hug from C after a really tough day
16. A good cry
17. Getting packages in the mail
18. Thoughts of decorating a house instead of a stupid apartment
19. Laughing with my girl friends
20. Losing myself in Borders for hours at a time
21. A good cup of coffee
22. Ice cream
23. Snuggling
24. Kitchen gadgets
25. Finding an amazing new recipe.

I have decided that if I think of more, I am going to add them. Thanks, Colleen!

Happy Birthday, C!!

Today is my hubby's 32nd birthday. After returning from Idaho, I took him and the girls to dinner at Macaroni Grille.

Here is a picture of us on Friday, August 1, before I left for Idaho at Family Fun Night at the Browns Stadium.

I look falsely skinny.

Idaho

This pretty much sums up my trip to Idaho...and yes, the lines on the road are painted like that before stop signs. WTF?

I left at 4 AM on Saturday morning (after picking up Breaking Dawn at midnight to read on my flight) for the trip to Akron-Canton Airport and then to Idaho.

Our flight was freakin' long. 6 hours and on the way down I sat by my lunatic aunt who hates flying. We had a short layover in Denver, which is such a random airport because there is NOTHING around...then WHAM airport. Same in Boise. We landed and it is a two hour drive to Twin Falls, where my aunt lives. It is two hours of desert and cows. I seriously have never seen so many damn cows in my life. And the smell...holy shitthebed. I swear it has permeated into my skin. Anyways, we got to my aunt's and just hung out there for awhile, then went to Applebees then back to my aunt's. My uncle's family all lives in Idaho, so the cousins all came over. My parent and I rented a hotel room in Twin Falls, which is actually a nice city. I was thinking it was going to be Amish-country like, but the first thing you see after the two hour drive of brown grass is an Old Navy, Michael's craft store, and mall. So we rented the hotel and I hardly slept because my dad snores like a freakin' train. Ugh. Sunday my aunt, cousin Ruby and her husband and daughter took us to some of the parks to see some sights. Seriously, it is amazingly beautiful. We went to a place called Shoshone Falls, which is a dam and almost like a mini Niagra Falls, It was awesome. Then we went to Centenial Park where there is this natural spring/waterfall from the top of this cliff. We climbed down and behind it and took some pictures. We went to Sonic for dinner (YUM!) and then to Niagra Springs, which is a natural spring. Again, amazingly beautiful. Went back to my aunt's and just hung out there.

Shoshone Falls...like a mini-Niagra Falls

Me in front of Shoshone Falls

Monday was the memorial service and it was really sad. I feel so bad for my aunt. He was her life and she spennt the last few years taking care of him. I am worried she will not know what to do with herself. There was no sight of Christina, my cousin from Florida who no one has seen in years. I talked to my cousin Ruby about it and even she was surprised Christina did not show up.

Yesterday we are drove to Red Fish Park to sprinkle Uncle Kenny's ashes. On the way there, we passed through Hayley (the town Bruce Willis and Demi Moore own) and Ketchum (where a bunch of celebrities have houses). Red Fish was beautiful, but I was overwhelmed by the amount of family members and their kids there. It was a private moment, but we were with so many damn people that I could not even concentrate on what the whole damn point of the thing was. We stayed there awhile and then left so we did not have to drive through the mountains.

With cousin Ruby at lunch in Ketchum, Idaho.

Galina Overlook (or something)...over 8,000 foot elevation, on the way to Redfish

I have NEVER been so excited to smell Northeast Ohio before.

The Great Marble War

There was a time when we were inseperable. They were my cousins through marriage and we were together all the time, for family gatherings and sleepovers, as my aunt baby sat us and for Friday night pizza parties. They came into my life in the first grade, when Matthew was born. They were with Aunt Dezi and Uncle Kenny for awhile, then we thought they were leaving to go back and live with their mom in Florida. Forever. So, to four sad kids, what did this mean? Cause as much trouble as possible, of course.

I have no idea how it started, but it ended with the Chinese Checker marbles thrown over my entire bedroom. We got into big trouble and it turned out they weren't going anywhere.

Years later, one of my cousin's took her new babyboy and moved back to Florida with her mom. It was very sudden and unexpected, and there was some sort of falling out. I don't know the details, only that there has been very little contact over the last few years between her and my aunt and uncle. I have not seen nor heard from her since my freshman year of college. I know she will be at the funeral and in Idaho this weekend.

I always felt inferior to her. As if I was not good enough. She was the prettier one, the one that everyone seemed to want to be around. I was the chubby outcast, or so I felt. I am sure I created it in my mind and that my worries were unfounded. But I wanted the boys attention like she had and her popularity. We traveled down very different paths in life; I have no idea what she is doing with her life now. I am almost done with my Masters and will soon have my principal's license. I have been teaching for 5 years and ran a very successful Drama Club at my school. I wonder what she is like now because I know that I am not the same person.

It will be interesting, to say the least.