Trey is the big 4-0 today. That's right he married an "older" woman. A fact he is way too proud of. The kids and I posted these signs all over the general neighborhood for him to view on his way to Starbucks. He said he prefers to spend this day flying under the radar but I think he was a little tickled by the gesture.
I wanted to share something from a funny card he received for those of us who have turned 40 recently or may be on the way to this milestone in the near future.

• Do you realize that 40 years ago .....Call waiting referred to a line outside of a phone booth
• A flat screen was something you put in your window to keep the insects out.
• An airbag was someone who talked too much.
• SPAM was found only in the kitchen.
• A cell phone was what you used to make your one call from jail.
• Guys only got pierced ears from going to a really loud concert.
• High speed access was an on-ramp to the freeway.
  

Happy 40th Trey!!

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It's been two weeks since Millie made her way into our home and life has not been the same. As cute as she is, this potty training adventure is beyond frustrating. Toilet training my children definitely doesn't rank up there on my top 10 but at least I had the choice to put a diaper on them. I've been seeking advice online and in books. The common advice is "do not punish or yell at them when they soil in the house. " Yeah, right! So instead I should take her out at 3 a.m., stand in the backyard freezing, wait 10 minutes for her to do her business, watch her lay in the grass and do nothing, bring her back in and smile as she pees on the carpet???? Who wrote these books? Everyone says it will eventually click. I'll just say "it's a good thing she's cute.

In my previous post about Millie joining our family I mentioned all the "I'll nevers" that used to grace my lips prior to being a dog owner. One tidbit I failed to share was that I would frequently tell my husband that I just didn't understand why all my friends would get a dog once their youngest child entered Kindergarten. I mean you're just getting a taste of freedom again and you go and ruin it by adding a puppy to the mix. So here I am 6 months after Ben started school with a dog of my own. You'd think I would learn to keep my mouth shut at some point. Instead I'll just entertain all of my snickering friends by filling up on my share of "crow". I have earned it.

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Thursday morning (4/3) I came to the computer to find that Vicki Courtney had posted to my blog. Vicki is an author who writes on teen culture. She has some excellent books on parenting teens and staying plugged in to what they're up to online. I frequent her (very entertaining) blog weekly. A couple weeks ago she announced a writing contest asking for submissions on subjects that would be relevant to teen girls. I had been working on an essay for a friend's upcoming book about waiting until marriage to be physically involved. Unfortunately it seems to be such an antiquated subject these days but one that could stand to be discussed.
I quickly condensed the article to 700 words and sent it on its way. She picked four winners and left me a post that morning saying she loved my blog and I was a winner. The four articles will be featured on her website that reaches 6000 teenage girls: www.virtuousreality.com.
Oh and she's sending me a Starbucks card too. What a gal! Check out her blog sometime: www.virtuealert.blogspot.com

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• I'll never show people pictures of my dog.
• The dog will never sleep in our room
• I will never kiss the dog on the mouth
• I'll never talk baby talk to my dog
• I'll never assume that everyone is equally as enamored by my canine as I am
• I'll never sign her name on greeting cards as if she's part of the family

So check back in with me in a few weeks and see how much crow I'm eating. If you're local, stop by and see her. She really is a sweetie.

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March 29th--34 degrees and snow
Only in the Northwest would they not cancel a game
Where is the ball???

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I don't know if anyone is even reading this blog anymore since I've been terribly remiss in updating it. For a while there I didn't have much to say. Well that's not exactly true. I usually have a lot to say but felt like I was regularly on my soapbox simply venting about my current frustration. Yet, I realized "what's the point of doing that without offering solutions?" It's not particularly constructive or beneficial to others reading my rants--or to my own soul.
With that being said, I took a hiatus from venting simply to fill the pages of my blog. I'm not sure where I'm being led with it but I'm trying to listen more and complain less.
I know there is a place and a purpose for my writing but I'm attempting to not get ahead of myself and try in my own might to solve the mystery. When the time is right, all will fall into place.

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While checking the weather forecast (don't ask me why I'd do that in February) on a Seattle TV station's website I learned that, since the end of October, only 6 recorded days of sunshine have been logged. That's right. SIX!! And five of them simultaneously occurred in the month of January. So if you do the math that means no sunlight in all of November and December?? Now I know why it feels like this has been an unusually long winter.
So what does one do when heading south is not in the budget? I might suggest at the very least to head east of the mountains where sun is a typical visitor on most days. Oh, that's right ALL of the mountain passes are closed due to avalanche danger. Buy one of those UVA lamps? Many northwesterners swear by them but there just seems to be something inherently odd about sitting under artificial light hoping to lift my mood.
I say that now but ask me in 39 days (the start of Spring) and I may have changed my tune.

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In the last week or so it seems I've misdialed three or four people while attempting to reach them on their cell phones. Within mere minutes I've received panicked responses from the owners of those wrong numbers: "I see I missed a call from this number!!!!!!!" or "Who is this???!!!" If I didn't leave a message it's probably a good indication that one, I don't know you and two, I don't need you to call me back. What ever did one do without this apparent life sustaining device?????? How did it come to be that having our phone on our person at all times is absolutely necessary? Just look around when you exit an airplane. How long does it take before 99% of the passengers are turning their phones back on and desperately checking messages?
Yes, this particular invention has made life easier and sometimes safer on many levels. But its level of importance has reached an all time high. Could it be that we are seeking relationship and connection without knowing it? I recently read a funny quote about our relationships with cell phone providers in the book The Gospel According To Starbucks by Leonard Sweet. " Cell phone companies aren't selling cell phones. They're selling relationships. If you don't think your cell phone provider is selling relationhips, try and get out of your contracted "relationship." You almost have to hire a divorce lawyer. We now have phone relationships that last far longer than many marriages." And a lot less is required of you.

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So we bid 2007 goodbye and not a moment too soon. Although I know many lessons are learned in the valley I must admit that I have grown tired of spending more time there than on the mountaintop. A respite would be nice for a short while.
The new year began with a midnight dip in the lake. Not an experience I wish to repeat. I thought it might feel invograting or even refreshing. It was neither.
In a superstitious kind of fashion I thought the romp in the water might wash away all things negative. In the late afternoon of New Year's Day a blood curdling scream came through the garage door in the form of my freaking out 9 year old. "I can't feel my hand!!" was all he could say. After 3 hours in the E.R. (without health insurance) we found the wrist was not showing a fracture unless it existed in the growth plate--which couldn't be seen due to the immense amount of swelling.
Day two of 2008 I took my car in to Toyota due to chronic overheating. It was only a thermostat and I know it could have been much worse but aren't car repairs the absolute last subject you want to pour money into??
I don't write this to be full of gloom and doom but to say I am taking the perspective of: we are getting it all out of our system early on in order to enjoy a great year ahead. Here's to 2008!

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