Challenge COMPLETE!

Ohemgee, I finished! Twenty-nine straight days of blogging thanks to NaBloPoMo! WE DID IT!!!!

(Yes, I totally started singing that Dora the Explorer song in my head as I started writing this.)

I will admit, it was hard. There were days when I had to reach deep into the bucket to pull out a topic. There were a lot of very therapeutic things I wrote about (Like this one). I showed my silly side and my serious side. And my Silhouette-loving side. And my crazy obsession side. And how much I love my boys.

I hope that some of the readers got to know me a bit more. I shared a lot. Some things I haven't discussed in such an open forum at all.

So, I am going to take a little writing break, I'm sure. You know, I once jumped (ok, I can't jump) out of bed after I woke up, realizing I didn't post anything that day. It will be nice to not have that pressure.

I still don't know if I found my voice for this blog yet. Maybe it will just be crazy ramblings by crazy ol' me. I am sure there will still be a lot of Silhouette projects. In fact, I have two projects I am currently working on with about 89284798 in my mind. And no, Jenn, I will not be opening an Etsy store. But, if anyone is interested in me making something for them, let me know!!!

Anyway, thank you to all that read this month.

Choosing THIS?

Day 28 of NaBloPoMo! Again, I am not going by the writing prompt (although it's a good one: What is the best part about being in your family?). I have something more important I want to discuss.

I never watch talk shows. Ever. However, yesterday, I found myself drawn to watching Anderson Cooper's talk show just because I like him and it was on. Imagine my shock when I found out the first guest was a woman who WANTS to become a paraplegic. Click the link. Watch the video.

Let me repeat. This woman WANTS to be paralyzed and in a wheelchair.

She has gone as far as asking doctors to sever her spinal cord. And she goes skiing and hiking, in hopes that she will get in an accident that will lead to a spinal cord injury.

Apparently, there is a large group of people who suffer from what is called "Body Identity Integrity Disorder" (or BIID), a "condition" that leads people to want to be a paraplegic (I've looked online and can't find any cases of someone wanting to be a quad), an amputee, blind, or deaf.

What. The. Hell?

I am going to be judgmental because this is my blog and if you don't want to read my views on this specific subject, then please go away and come back tomorrow.

I cannot fathom anyone wanting to be disabled. On January 31 (my "accident anniversary"), I posted how I wouldn't go back and change the outcome of my accident ONLY because I would fear that it would change the choices I have made, therefor changing the outcome of my life. However, I would NOT want anyone to have to go through what I go through on an average day. This is, by no means, a blog entry wanting pity. I am the person I am today because of the challenges and obstacles I have faced. Just normal, everyday things can be harder. And what about the risks of kidney and bladder issues?? Or pressure sores??

This woman compared her disorder to a transgender person -- being born in the "wrong" body, but not one of the wrong sex, but of one without a disability. She also said how she likes how people help her when she's in her wheelchair. Is she in it for the pity? To feel needy? And I will scream if I ever find this woman collects disability (something I don't even qualify for).

I am just... sickened, I guess you could say. Why would someone WANT to be disabled? I guess there is a big difference if you can just stand up when going through security or to grab something from the top shelf at the grocery store.

So, what are your thoughts? Am I the only one who thinks this is ridiculous? I have a few friends who are therapists -- I hope that they weigh in on this.

Learning Lessons

Day 27 of NaBloPoMo and the prompt is: What is something you learned from someone else?

Really? That's it? I have learned a lot from my boys.

From Gibson the Wondermutt, I have learned to love unconditionally. That dog loves everyone and goes out of his way to prove it. Even by practically laying his 80 pound body on top of your hip to cuddle on the sofa.

From Mason, I have learned that love is patient. It's no big secret that I have never been a fan of kids (especially the green-nosed ones. Ew.). And I am sure part of it is because I am, by nature, a very impatient person. However, being a Mom, you have to be patient.

From Mark, I have learned that love is forgiving. No surprise with my upbringing, I had a very hard time to trust a boyfriend. In past relationships, I never could fully believe 100%-no-doubt-about-it that someone would always be there for me. Mark changed that.

Sure, I have learned so much more from the wonderful guys in my life. They are great people who I adore with every part of my being.

Sunday's Slight Obsession

Day 26 of NaBloPoMo and I remodeled the blog. What do you think?

First things first... if you are reading this blog, can you do me a favor and start following it? Over on the right margin, half-way down is a link-a-roo on how to do that. I would love to have 10 followers by the end of the week. Please, please, please?

So, I am a nail polish junkie. I do not go and get a manicure, like ever. I just can't do it. My nails are pretty strong and healthy and they grow pretty darn quickly. I've had tips done before and hated it. I think because I use my hands all of the time for mobility, I was worried of breaking them off.

Anyway, I paint my nails. A lot. And I like some funky colors. So, my slight obsessions for this Sunday are some of my favorite nail polishes.

I love this polish by Sally Hansen. You aren't supposed to need a base or top coat (but I always add a top coat, at least. If it's red, I add a base coat to prevent staining). This color is Pat on the Black. In this picture, it looks black. It's not. It is a very dark wine and I LOVE it. I love when my nails are painted a dark color, especially.
This is Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure in Navy Baby. As the name states, it's navy blue. Again, I love wearing dark colors. This polish goes on nice and thick. Not gloopy or thin. I usually do two coats, only to ensure full coverage, but one coat could be enough. This is true on all of the Complete Salon Manicure polishes that I have tried (which is probably 20 of them. I said I was slightly obsessed!).
Lastly for the Sally's Complete Salon Manicure polishes is Commander in Chic. This is a purpley-gray-ish-brown color and, again, I absolutely love it. This is a great fall-and-winter color (though I will wear it during all seasons, if I really want!).

I adore China Glaze's For Audrey. Another obsession of mine is the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's and this blue is the perfect Tiffany-blue. I actually prefer China Glaze's polish over most brands (I'm talking about you, OPI). Again, not gloopy and nice and thick. Love love love the polish and adore this color.

Remember how everyone was using crackle nail polishes last year? Ugh. I hated that trend. It looked like a bad faux-finish. The new trend, I think, will be magnetic nail polish. I bought this fabulous color (Velvet Groove Magneffect by Layla) at Ulta. I actually watched a Youtube video to best understand how best to apply it. It looks better if you apply two coats, IMO. And this polish is AWESOME! It is ridiculously expensive, but it's fun and I love it and I am going to wear it all of the time. It dries quickly, with a nice finish. And the magnetic effects are SO fun to play with! I like that I can change the direction of the magnetic effect (horizontal, diagonal, and vertical stripes).

So, want to know a nail polish home manicure secret? Sally Hansen's Insta-Dry Anti-Chip Top Coat is AMAZING!!! This stuff is SO thick and is the best insta-dry I have ever used (and I've tried a bunch!). Getting my nails to try quickly is a huge deal for me because I depend on my hands so much. I can't be waiting around for hours, waiting for polishes to dry. This stuff is a miracle worker. I love it.
As I mentioned before, China Glaze is coming out with a new line of polishes for the Hunger Games movie (I'm obsessed with that book series, too!), the Capitol Colours collection. The wonderful blog, AllLaqueredUp, did an amazing write-up of all the new colors, each based on Panem's 12 District's exports. My favorites that I am most excited to wear are:

Dress Me Up represents District 8 and their textiles. It's a nice, pale pink. Surprisingly, I don't have a similar color to this in my polish arsenal.
Fast Track represents District 6 and transportation. It's a fun kind of neutral. I can't wait.
Want to know a secret about Foie Gras (representing District 10 and lifestock)? Online, it reminds me of the aforementioned Commander in Chic. So, when I go to purchase it, I plan on WEARING Commander in Chic. If it is too close, I may not even purchase it. I think it's darker, so if it is, I will definitely be adding this to my collection.

Harvest Moon represents District 9 and Grain. It's a nice coppery, orangeish color. Love.

Agro represents Agriculture in District 11 and I love the olive green metallic color. This is probably my #2 favorite polish in the collection.

Finally is Riveting representing the technology from District 3. When I saw this color, I squealed. This is my absolute favorite color of the collection and I wants it. I needs it. My precious! Ok. Sorry. But, I think I may write how obsessed I am just on this color once I get it. Isn't it just PRETTY?

I plan on buying the entire collection. I like them all. Well, there is only ONE that I really don't like -- Mahogany Magic. Ick. It looks like... well... poop. I want to see it up close, but I doubt I will purchase that one.

So, another Sunday is over. Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

Silhouette Saturday

Day 25 of NaBloPoMo and I am so over blogging everyday. It would be different if something important was happening everyday... but really, it's not. I feel like I am dragging myself to write on some days. Others, I have a lot to say. I need to find my voice here. It will come.

So, I have been a crazy Silhouette-machine-making maniac. Which is driving The Boys crazy because the dining room has been covered with cardstock and vinyl and contact paper and canvas and paint. You get the idea. I would love to have a craft room.

First up was the sign I made for Mason's birthday. This is an 8x10 frame that I change out every few weeks with a new Silhouette-made sign. This is very busy with too many pieces to it. I had a problem editing things out. I used the "Happy Birthday" font from this shape. I then added "Mason" using the Blackjack font and welding it together on the Silhouette Studio software. I really should have taken pictures of that step. Sorry. Next time. The whole idea of doing that was to make "Mason" all in one piece. I picked the Blackjack font because the "As" matched up pretty well with the "Happy Birthday" on that piece. However, I needed an "O" that could be attached to the "N," which it wasn't. So, I switched the "O" in "Mason" to the Brushscript font. I moved it around a bit and everything connected perfectly. Unless you are looking closely, I don't think you could tell it's not all from the same font.

The rest of the pieces are from Silhouette's Party Set. I used neon colors of blue, green, orange, and yellow on a black background. This is the first time that I have used the Silhouette for a multi-colored piece. It was fun. Maybe that's why I couldn't edit out all of the pieces.

I have been making a ton of banners. For Valentine's Day, I made one for a dear friend and then this one for Mason's birthday. I plan on keeping it and using it every year. This was huge. Over ten feet, I would say. And it was hung at 1:00am and weighed quite a lot. Thankfully, I had hung a cute banner I made for Valentine's Day on the opposite side of this half-wall, and had left the 3M hangers up. Anyway, I used the same Banner template that I used for my friend's Valentine's Day banner. I only used the two basic shapes and changed the font. The swirlies at the end? From the Party Set I used above!

Lastly, I am in charge of Staff Appreciation at Mason's school (their colors are blue, green, and white). This six weeks, the principal asked that we make a snack for the staff. Since the PTA had so much fun dipping things into chocolate for our Hot Cocoa Bar in December, we decided to make chocolate-covered strawberries (and I should mention that we were originally going to do this around Valentine's Day, but moved it because of an early release/staff meetings this week). Again, I used the same banner from the Valentine's Day banner and then used the same font. That font is kind of hard to read. This time, I used all of the pieces from the banner.

I also used the Menu Placard 3d shape (bottom middle picture). This is a cute shape that I'm sure I'll use a lot. I made a few which we used to make gluten-free brownies and other signs. This would be cute used for a birthday or any buffet, don't you think?

Finally, I used a simple frame shape to make a sign to please take a pencil bouquet (the PTA ordered these pencils to give the staff "bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils" like from You've Got Mail -- and my Mom and I sharpened all but 300 of them, and tied them together, added a tag -- our arms were so sore!). The best thing about this frame? It was one of the free shapes that came with the Silhouette, so it didn't cost me anything!
So, those are some of the creations I have made with my Silhouette this week. I am really getting my money's worth, I think. I am loving the Silhouette. Each shape you buy from the Silhouette store is from $0.50-2.99. However, I signed up for a neat $15/month membership that gives me $50 of downloaded shapes each month. Once I purchase more than $50, the shapes become discounted. This is a GREAT deal, considering that most Cricut cartridges cost between $35-85. Plus, Silhouette offers one free shape each week and discounts a bunch of shapes each week.

I absolutely love this machine!!

My Vow

Day 24 of NaBloPoMo and I am still not posting my crafts. Maybe I will start a new "Silhouette Saturday" feature. Hm.

Tonight, I went to dinner and a movie with my mom and dear friend, Laura. My boys have friends over every other Friday for Game Night, so I always try to go out, too.

We went to see The Vow. Mom had read the book, which I plan on, too. In it, a husband and wife get in a car accident which leaves the wife with amnesia. She can remember her life up to a certain point, but nothing at all about her life with her husband. He spends the movie trying to help her. It was loosely based on a true story.

I love my husband with every ounce of my being. I know I don't say it enough. And I really know I don't show it enough either.

What would I do if he didn't remember me? If he didn't remember how (or why) we fell in love? How would I react? Would I fight through every possibly obstacle to get Mark to remember me or fall back in love with me?

At our wedding, we vowed to love each other in sickness and in health. But so many times, you hear stories about people falling apart during a time of need. My own father pulled further away from us after my car accident. The statistic of couples divorcing, especially if an illness/disability occurs to their children is ridiculously high. Do they not remember their vows?

I would hope Mark and I would hold strong to each other if, God forbid, something were ever to happen to Mason.

If you love someone enough to vow to spend your entire life with them, that doesn't just mean when everything is hunky-dory and peachy-keen. It's the bad times. The sad times. And, to quote Jimmy Buffett, "the going half-mad times." I think too many forget that. Or decide it's just not important anymore.

Not My Problem

Day 23 of #NaBloPoMo and I had to wake up and get out of bed to write this just in time. Part of me didn't want to. I was almost asleep. But, I needed to get it finished. The month is almost up.

I was supposed to post pictures of all the crafts I have done this week. That will have to wait until tomorrow.

Today's prompt:

Talk about a problem that seemed big at the time, but now that it has resolved seems much smaller.

Don't ALL problems seem big at the time? I have made many mistakes in my life. I have gotten into many arguments with people I love (some big ones, other catty).

But the largest problem I ever had? I can't really write about here. It was with two people who I once respected and loved more than anything. And I thought they felt the same about me. However, for something that happened to me, beyond my control, we fought. For a long time. And I will go to my grave knowing that I never did anything wrong. They just didn't like a choice I made. A decision that changed my world forever.

And I will always feel bad. For them.

The Boy Turns 13!

Today, my little baby boy turned 13. Where did the time go?

Wasn't it just yesterday when we would nap together?
Wasn't it just yesterday when he hated tummy time?
Wasn't it just yesterday when he made silly faces with Daddy?
Wasn't it just yesterday when he would suck his thumb?
Wasn't it just yesterday when he would find "a clue, a clue?"

Time has traveled too quickly. Gone is the little, cuddly baby who would sit on my lap and listen to "The Napping House." Gone is that giggly tot who could ride on his Daddy's shoulders.

While we miss that little boy he once was, it's been a true pleasure to witness the amazing young man Mason has become. He is smart and funny. He is caring and sarcastic. He is this great person and I am so proud of him.

So, today another year was added to the life of our miracle baby. I love you, Mason, with all of my heart.

Happy 13th Birthday, Pumpkin!

Exhausted, but Fulfilled

Day #21 of NaBloPoMo has almost come to an end, but I am writing this just in the nick of time.

I have been busy all day. ALL. DAY.

Mom, Mason, and I got to school at 8:30. Some of the LMS PTA Board members showed up and we prepared for tomorrow's Staff Appreciation Snack. When we finished around 12, a group of us went to a new, local cafe for lunch. It was amazing, with fresh ingredients and great atmosphere. And, like I discussed yesterday, I got to enjoy the almost 80 degree sunny weather while we dined al fresco. Hello Vitamin D. And dare I say, I think I may have even got some extra sun on my face?

Mom and I returned to the school to sharpen almost 3000 pencils. Yes. THREE THOUSAND PENCILS. You know what happens when you sharpen that many pencils? The electric sharpeners become overheated. We had to quit after three of the pencil sharpeners died on us because they were too hot. Ooops. Don't worry -- they aren't broken, just needed a rest!

I was a bad mom and pulled Mason out of school a few minutes early. We were ready to go and after practically spending the entire day at the school, we wanted to leave. I gave him the option of leaving early and riding home with us or riding the bus. We decided since we had some time, we would hit up Sonic Happy Hour. Score!

As soon as we got home, Mason walked the Wondermutt while Mark and I went out to buy The Boy's Birthday presents. Well, some of them. Some of the others aren't available until tomorrow. Once home, I became a pencil-decorating-banner-making-picture-gluing crazy lady. We just stopped three minutes ago so that I could write this entry. Once I finish, I promised Mom we would finally watch Dance Moms (our guilty pleasure on Tuesdays. Don't judge!).

So, today was another wonderful, busy day of volunteering and hanging out with amazing friends. I have another semi-busy day tomorrow when we set up for Staff Appreciation then come home in time to celebrate a very cool Thirteen year old's life.

On Thursday, I will be able to share a lot of the crafties I have been concocting (have too many staff members who read this that I'd like to surprise!)!

Goodnight -- it's time to watch some crazy, screaming women!

Random Questions #1

Day #20 of NaBloPoMo and I am ready to throw in the towel. I won't. I mean, it's NINE more days. However, the writing prompts haven't been too inspirational to me and not much is happening in my life right now.

I desperately need to find a job. I'm sick of sitting around the house, reading, watching television, or whatnot. I am in a bit of a funk. Tomorrow, it is supposed to be 72 and sunny. I am volunteering at Mason's school in the morning, but in the afternoon, I think I need a big old dose of Vitamin D.

I am sorry. I feel the last two days I've just blogged because of the NaBloPoMo deadline. And that's not fair to anyone involved.

So... today, I am going to change things up. I found a question meme online and thought, "why not?"

1. Who is your favorite fictional couple? Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy.
2. Chocolate, vanilla or strawberry? Chocolate
3. If you could be in any book or film, what would it be? Wow. This is hard.

Even though I LOVE Pride and Prejudice, I like bathing more. And not having to walk or ride in a carriage everywhere. I almost would love to live in a Utopian society-esque book (but not The Hunger Games or The Giver or Uglies. I guess I will have to write my own book. As for movies... Star Wars. Easy. Or Empire Records.
4. What are you allergic to? Mosquite feces. No joke.
5. Complete this sentence: I am the best at helping others through volunteering (can someone please pay me, with benefits, to do this? hehe).
6. What is your pet peeve? People who talk loud and slow to me. I am physically disabled, not mentally disabled. Or deaf.
7. What is one type of food that you could eat forever and not get sick of? This is tough. As much as I love sushi, I can't imagine eating it when I'm sick (so therefor, couldn't eat it forever). Probably Amish noodles.
8. Rollerblading or rollerskating? Surfing. Duh. hehe.
9. Imagine you got a brand new dog. Would it be a boy or a girl and what would you name him/her? As much as I love and adore Gibson the Wondermutt (and who doesn't love Gibson the Wondermutt???), I want a small dog, too. A friend for the Wondermutt, if you will. So, I'd like a female pug or chihuahua so that I can dress it up in ridiculously pink and sparkly outfits. Her name... I'm not quite sure yet!
11. Was it Colonel Mustard in the Study with the Wrench? Of course not. It was Professor Plum in the Conservatory with the Candlestick. Duh.

Sunday's Slight Obsession

Day #19 of NaBloPoMo and only TEN more days!! (I think I can, I think I can!!!)

Today's Slight Obsession is one I've talked about a lot.

I am slightly (who am I kidding? There's no "slightly" about it!) obsessed with my Silhouette machine.

As I write this, I am listening to it, cut out what I hope will be a very pretty shamrock/flourish "thing."

Today alone, I have cut out a super secret banner (and will be cutting out a different super secret banner tomorrow!), a large shamrock for a canvas I'm making, and a few other odds and ends.

I love this machine.

And this weekend, I experimented and found out that instead of using expensive vinyl, I can use contact paper when I use my Silhouette cutouts as stencils.

This is, by far, one of the best Christmas presents I have ever received. And, I am doing a ton of things with it.

So, yeah... I am fully obsessed with my Silhouette!!!

This is that shamrock/flourish thing I was cutting out. I like to add a seasonal picture in an 8x10 frame on our sofa table. I switch it out for each month. I had to get rid of the Valentine's Day and am now moving on to St. Patrick's Day! I think this is awesome -- just not sure how I'm going to attach it to the gold background yet!!! (And it is a hunter green. My iPhone didn't pull out the right colors.)

Raindays

I am just getting to Day #18 of NaBloPoMo! Where do Saturdays go? Anyway...

I wish I had a craft or two to show you this week. I don't. I did break out my Silhouette after Mason's swim practice this afternoon and played with it for a long time before our friends came over for dinner. Give me a day or two and I'll be able to reveal something.

What did I accomplish today?

I got my hair colored.

I took Mason to swimming in the pouring rain.

I washed our bed linens.

I actually lost my first game of checkers in over fifteen years (well played, Colt!).

I insulted a friend by making fun of show choirs (sorry Mandy!).

I scolded the Wondermutt (who broke one of our plates that was on top of an oven mitt. He loves to steal oven mitts).

I talked to some Tidal Waves friends.

I learned how to play a new board game.

I spent time with my three awesome boys (well, Gibson was awesome until he broke that plate!).

To some, it may seem like an uneventful Saturday, but to me it was perfect. With the exception of playing checkers against Colt, showing Angela the new Hunger Games nail polish colors, and playing three games of Temple Run, I didn't have the iPad glued to my hand. With the exception of a few texts to my sisters, Mandy, and Samar, I didn't have my iPhone glued to my hand either. I never watched a single TV show. I just got to hang out with some amazing people.

And I loved it.

Sons vs. Daughters

Day 17 of NaBloPoMo and I really do not like the prompt, but I will write about it:

Friday, February 17, 2012
What do you think of the saying, "A son is a son till he takes him a wife, a daughter is a daughter all of her life."

I hope this isn't true. I want Mason to one day get married, obviously, but I also want to be a part of his life forever. While it's true in my situation (we usually spent most holidays with my family), I think it depends on how close you are to your parents/family.

Growing up, we spent ALL holidays at my maternal grandparents' home. My paternal grandparents wintered in Florida, so they were never home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I'm sure we may have seen them on Easter, but I remember spending all holidays with my maternal grandparents.

So, it just seemed natural that we would do the same.

Mind you, Mason is not even thirteen years old. I have no idea what will happen in the future, but I do know I will work my hardest forever to make sure I have a wonderful relationship with my son (and I know Mark will, too). I want him to be happy. And I will pray that includes spending time with us forever.

People have commented how unfair it is to have an only child because Mason will have to make sole decisions on our well-being once we age. That's an entirely different blog entry, but I think because Mason "only has us," we have a much more unique situation.

So, what do I think? I think that saying is a bunch of... well, crap.

Mind Dump

Day 16 of NaBloPoMo and I'm over half-way there!! Yay!! And I'm ditching today's prompt of :

Respond to the proverb: "Treat your family like friends and your friends like family."

I've been in a funk this week. It started on Monday when I got sick. Since then, I'm feeling better, but in a blah-like mood. I'm not sleeping well.

Tomorrow, I am working at The Boy's school all day, covering for the receptionist. And it's Friday! Weekend cometh! In Ohio, we would have Monday off for President's Day. They don't in our school district here.

The Boy's birthday is next week. He is going to become a teenager. I am so not ready for that. At all. And the spoiled kid can't think of anything he wants for his birthday. I guess that's what happens when it's so close to Christmas. Mark and I have a present plan that's pretty sweet.

My Great Uncle Stanley passed away on Tuesday. I found out by reading the funeral home website. It's weird. I check it everyday, to see if anyone I knew died. More and more names are looking familiar. And I'm not the only weirdo from my town who does this. Anyway, Uncle Stanley was my paternal grandfather's brother. He was one of the few paternal family members who stayed in contact with my mom, sisters, and I after the divorce. He and his wife, my Aunt Nelle, would always visit us when they came to town. They were great people. He will be missed. One cousin contacted us on Facebook to let us know it happened, for which I am thankful. We are used to never hearing family news until much later.

Mark made Oatmeal-raisin-bacon cookies last night thanks to Bon Appetit magazine. They are really good, but I can't really taste the bacon. Gibson got into trouble for jumping up and grabbing one from the table this morning. This caused Mason to get scared, because dogs can't eat raisins. He's fine, albeit in big trouble. Silly Wondermutt.

No other real happenings right now. I am taking Tylenol PM tonight so I can finally get a good night's sleep.

You've Got a Friend

Day #15 of NaBloPoMo and I'm ditching their prompt.

My "naughty" friend, Colleen is a therapist with a blog. Today, she wrote about how adults find friends, especially moving to a new area.

When I moved to Austin, I knew no one outside of my family. I quickly found out that quite a few people from my hometown lived in the Austin area (it's actually quite shocking -- one of my old neighbors lives nearby!). During the first six months, I didn't really know anyone because we lived in temp housing (an apartment) as we built our house in a different town. I kept sane by talking to my old friends back home, but I knew that once we moved into our house, I needed to find my people.

Once we moved, however, my first priority was finding friends for Mason. Luckily, we moved in the summer, so we spent so much time at our neighborhood pool (which is just down our street). I began talking to neighbors, too. Mason met three of his best friends today that summer at the pool. I met a lot of people at our neighborhood's National Night Out Event, too.

When school began, I started volunteering at Mason's school. I got to know more neighbors. Then, I started working and met some great people, too.

Today, the majority of my friends I have met through either Mason's school, swimming, or our neighborhood. Mark and I have a few "couple friends," that we hang out with, too. I am very blessed because I have some amazing friendships that I've made here in Texas. Dare I say I have too many friends? No, I would never -- but my calendar quickly fills with lunch dates and girls nights out. Again, I am blessed.

Thank you all for being my friend!

My Funny Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day!

Day #14 of NaBloPoMo. And I sort of guessed today's prompt awhile ago (didn't we all?).

Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Tell us about someone you love -- your partner, spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, best friend, dog..

Can I talk about three someone's I love? Sure. It's my blog.

Mark is the love of my life. He's my rock. He calms me down when I am upset but more importantly, he makes me laugh. In my life, I really need some good laughing a lot to get me out of rough times. I can always count on Mark to do so. I can't imagine a life without him. He is my husband, best friend, soul mate, and constant.

Mason is also the love of my life, in a different way. One could never imagine how blessed and complete my life became once he arrived. He's just this amazing person that has the pure heart of gold (most of the time -- he IS almost a teenager with an occasional 'tude!) and still likes to hang out with his ol' mom and pops. He is funny, loving, smart, and caring.

Finally, there is Gibson the Wondermutt. A neighbor kid found him, neglected, abandoned, starving, and flea-covered. No one claimed him and we offered to take him. The completion to our little family. Sure, he likes to over-welcome our guests by giving them hugs, but he's so darn love-able. I have never met a dog who wants to be loved so much. He follows us everywhere and knows when we are upset, because he makes sure he gives us extra kisses and loves.

These three boys are my life. And we have made a pretty great life together. We may not always be a serious family and are sarcastic -- but I love my funny valentines. And I know they love me back!

New 'Do

Day 13 of NaBloPoMo. The writing prompt is about blood being thicker than water. I decided not to write it. Sorry.

Lorraine Massey is a curly hair genius. She is this British Hair Goddess, in my opinion. She wrote the Curly Hair Bible, aka Curly Girl : The Handbook. She opened one of the best curly-haired salons in the world, Devachan. I have followed her technique off-and-on since 2002 where you only use certain hair products a certain way.

So, fast forward to last Monday when my fellow-curly friend, Michele, told me that a local salon has some of Massey's Devacurl products on sale 20% this month (I have purchased them from Ulta or even her salon back in the day). Thanks Michele! When I checked out their site, I decided why not get a Devacurl haircut?

A Devacurl haircut is a cut done when the hair is dry, because we don't wear our hair wet. In cutting the curly hair dry, the stylist cuts it curl by curl, letting them "sculpt" the client's hair according to individual curls.

So, I called Trashy Roots Salon nearby and found out that they have THREE Devacurl-trained stylists. I met with Rebecca and she did an awesome job on my hair. I LOVE it. It's a bit short, which I had asked her for.

I showed up with dry, curly hair, like they asked. I had put some product on and let it airdry like I normally do 1/2 of the time. She threw on a cape and started snipping, pulling each curl and cutting. Once she was finished, she washed it with No-Poo Cleanser, a zero lather conditioning cleaner. Then, she followed that with One Condition then rinsed that. I need to point out that Trashy Roots had THE BEST shampoo chairs. I always have a hard time getting in-and-out of shampoo chairs, and then I'm too short to reach the bowl. Trashy Roots chairs were higher and I didn't get soaking wet because I could reach the bowl easily!!

Once back at Rebecca's station, she had me flip my hair over and distributed two palmfuls of Arc AnGEL, a gel that I always love using. I flipped my hair back and she began to dry it using THE BEST DIFFUSER EVER. The Devacurl diffuser (er... DevaFuser, rather) is basically a plastic "hand" that you can use to lift and weave your curls through to help them dry in a more curly way. I WILL be buying this diffuser ASAP!!!!

Right now, Trashy Roots has a sale going on for all Devacare products as well as their Devacurl cuts for the month of February. This cut is usually $70 there, but I got it for $50. I am glad I got to try it at a discounted price, but I WILL be back and I will pay $70 for it. It is an awesome haircut and well worth the money. If anything, it's worth it just to go back to finally have a salon that I can get in-and-out of their shampoo chairs!!!

So, want to see some pictures of my newly cut awesome curls?

Side view.

View from the other side.

Back view.

Another Back View.

Here is a video on the haircut I got:

Sunday's Slight Obsession

Day 12 of NaBloPoMo. Having fun yet?

This weekend flew right on by, didn't it? We experienced a "huge" snow "storm" today. Which, in Austin, Texas was huge, but to those of us from Ohio thought it was quite absurd. Especially since it's going to be 75 degrees in two days. We hung out with our amazing friends, Colt and Mandy on Friday. I got to eat pizza yesterday.

Anyway, my latest obsession is with British television shows. It started with Downton Abbey last year. Watched the first season on my iPad on our trip to Florida. Now, Mark and I have begun watching the first season again. I am DVRing the current season (though I may just end up buying it soon). I just love Maggie Smith as the Dowager. And Bates? Awesome.

From there, I started watching Doctor Who with Mark over Christmas break, starting with the eleventh doctor, Matt Smith. Now, I am watching the David Tennant episodes. I don't like him nearly as much as I do Matt Smith and I prefer Amy Pond over Rose. And I love Rory. And bowties. Bowties are cool. Mason watches this with us. Except he hates the weeping angels.

After we watched all of the Matt Smith episodes on Netflix, we watched Sherlock. Which is amazing!! I love this modern day version of the adventures of Holmes and Watson. And for a desperate moment, I jokingly asked Mark to look for jobs in Cork, Ireland for his company so we could see the newest season, since it isn't available in the States yet.

And lastly, Spaced. Again, another show via Netflix. My boys LOVE Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Mason dressed up like Shaun for Halloween). So, Mark was watching this one day in bed and I caught it with him. Don't tell him -- I've watched a few more episodes without him. This show is hilarious!!!! Tim and Daisy Steiner (!) pretend to be a couple in order to move into a nice, cheap flat in a great building. The landlady is hilariously crazy.

What are you obsessing with lately?

Saturday's Confessions

It's the weekend which means I can write whatever I want! So... Day #11 of NaBloPoMo is another Confessions!!!

I don't like pizza. Mark makes an AWESOME deep-dish pizza that I love, but it is a big production and takes forever to make, so he doesn't make it very often (like every 2-3 months). My boys would eat pizza everyday if they could. Me? Not so much. Besides Mark's deep-dish, I only want to eat pizza 1-2 a year. Tops. I just don't like it. I think it's because when my sister ran track, she and her high school boyfriend always ordered pizza after meets and I just remember eating it a lot. No one in my family remembers that. Regardless, right now, I want pizza. So, we are going to go get pizza today. And when I want pizza, I can't have it delivered. I need it PIPING-JUST-CAME-OUT-OF-THE-OVEN-HOT. And anchovies would be divine, but I have to order them on the side or the boys think they stink up and ruin their pizza.

I wear kids shoes. Because of my paralysis, my legs had a stunted growth, as did my feet. And because I don't walk, I don't wear out shoes. And they don't really get dirty. Up until two years ago, I had the exact pair of penny loafers from seventh grade in still mint condition, albeit with not so shiny pennies in them. Someone tends to think that since I have 3920582405 pairs of shoes, I don't need new ones all of the time. But, I'm a girl who likes shoes. And when I can find a pair that especially looks like "grown-ups" would wear them, I buy them. Of course, that doesn't keep me from looking for sparkly, pink, shiny shoes, either.

I can't stand the taste of beer. It just tastes icky to me. Can't drink it. Mark made guiness brownies and I took one bite. Ew. No bueno on the beer.

I am a master at checkers. My senior year in high school, I was in a study hall with maybe seven other people and we spent the entire time playing checkers. When I was sick in the hospital, I played checkers with visitors. Mark and Mason refuse to play checkers with me.

I love Pride and Prejudice. I probably have nine copies of it in book form, two on my kindle app, two movies (Colin Firth? Yes please. That version is my favorite), as well as the entire comic book series. Yes, they made Pride and Prejudice into a comic book and I read the whole thing. I have not read any "sequels" to Pride and Prejudice because I don't want to ruin my idea of Elizabeth and Darcy's life at Pemberley. Although, I do want to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies at some point. Don't judge. And I love Bridget Jones.

I always wear sunglasses. They make a great headband when my hair is crazy (which it is 95% of the time). I don't where them in the house, but once I leave, they are on me. And during the summer, I have to buy bronzer to cover up my sunglass-lines. Especially during swimteam season. Even when I lived in Ohio, I wore sunglasses all of the time (and Ohio is gray 350 days of the year). I lost my favorite pair once on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Walt Disney World. I left them on my wheelchair seat while we road and when we returned, they were gone. I blame it on dropping them in the dark because nothing bad ever happens at Disney World.

Close Relations

Day Ten of NaBloMoPo and I am late! Sorry! I will get this up before midnight in Austin, though -- so it still counts!!!

Friday, February 10, 2012
Do you live close to your family?

The short answer - Yes. Sorta. And not at all.

The long answer - I grew up in the very small town (village?) of Rittman, Ohio. I knew, growing up, that I wanted to move away. Don't get me wrong -- I have amazing memories of that little town. It was a great place to be raised in the late 70s/early 80s (so dating myself here). We knew everyone in our neighborhood (and probably the six surrounding ones, too!). Our street was this picture-perfect suburban space where the kids were always out riding bikes, or playing "kick the can" in the backyards or catching lightning bugs. And, I had this great sense of acceptance in Rittman. I rarely got picked on for being different (more so in middle and high school but never in elementary, when it really counted) and most people knew me or at least knew my story. I was the girl in the wheelchair. And I always had this feeling like the majority of the town looked out for me (which is true when 3000 of them donated blood in my name before I had a huge series of operations in 1987).

Also, everyone in my family lived in Rittman, Ohio besides two sets of aunts and uncles and three cousins. In my graduating class of 88, I was related to 4 people. I grew up with my paternal grandparents living two streets over. My aunt and her family lived just one street over. My maternal grandparents were in walking distance. And come on, it's a small town. Everyone was nearby.

But, Rittman is small. It lacks the diversity and opportunities you get in a larger town. And, there wasn't much "to do" there, growing up. I knew that in order for me to gain the most independence, I needed to get away from the cocoon that is Rittman, Ohio. And, as I posted previously, I knew I needed to get away from my father.

I moved to Columbus, Ohio in 1997. I was less than three hours from Rittman. It was a pretty big step for me, because I always assumed I'd just end up near Akron or Cleveland (much closer to "home). I started at college two days after I moved and got my first ticket on my first day of commuting to class because rushhour was awful and I was speeding near campus to get to my class on time. We didn't have rushhour in Rittman, Ohio. We only had five traffic lights (two of which have since been removed).

I lived around the Columbus area until 2007, when Mark was offered a job in Austin, Texas. I always wanted to move South, because winters with snow and a wheelchair are a huge inconvenience. I would practically be a shut-in until all of the snow and ice melted because the parking lots and sidewalks were always treacherous to me. However, I never in my life thought I would move to TEXAS.

But, we did. And the closest relative was my oldest sister, Jill, who lived in Houston -- three hours away. When Mason started school, we knew no one in Austin, so his emergency contact number listed two people -- my sister, Jill, and a co-worker of Mark's who also lived in Houston. This was a HUGE step for me -- moving away from ALL medical professionals I knew and trusted. Having to FLY home for an emergency. This was even more of a big deal for me because Mark started to travel for work ALL. OF. THE. TIME. 3-4 days out of 7, he was not usually in Austin, Texas.

We survived and made amazing friendships with so many great people who quickly became our second family. And last December 5 (Mark's birthday!), my mom moved in with us after selling my childhood home (the ONLY house I ever lived in until I moved to Columbus). She knew she would move to Texas since 2 out of her 3 daughters live here and she, too, needed to get away from the cold and snow. Originally, she had suggested moving somewhere between Austin and Houston, until we showed her that there really ISN'T anything between Austin and Houston. She didn't want to move to Houston because she didn't want to evacuate for hurricanes (which my sister has had to do twice -- once to our house, which was a blast, except for the whole worrying-if-their-house-was-going-to-be-destroyed-thing). So, she started looking for places in the Austin area when Mark suggested she move in with us. Yes, he will even say it was all his idea.

So, now, the closest relative (besides Mark and Mason, of course), is just four rooms away. Until we move into "the big house" once we sell our current one (which we will be listing very soon).

Sorry this was so long. You could have stopped reading after the short answer!